PORTO-SEGURO, a large tract of country in Brazil, situated to the north of Rio and Espiritu-Santo. It was formerly reckoned a province of itself, but at the new provincial division of the country in 1829, it was formed into a comarca of Bahia. Along with Espiritu-Santo, it forms one continuous tract·, presenting such a sameness of natural features, that they have generally been described together. It is separated from Rio de Janeiro on the south, by the river Capabuan or Itabupuana. On the west it borders on Minas Seraes; the river Belmonte separates it from Bahia on the north, whilst its eastern limits are washed by the Atlantic ocean. It has a sea-coast of four hundred miles in length; and the maritime district is the only part of the country as yet peopled by Europeans, or their mixed descendants. “The lofty and naked ridge of middle Brazil,” [7:18:458]says Prince Maximilian, “in the provinces of Minas Geraes, Goyaz, and Pernambuco, is divided from the eastern coast, by a broad tract of high forests, which extend from Rio de Janeiro to the Bay of All-Saints (Bahia) about eleven degrees of latitude, and which are not yet taken possession of by the Portuguese settlers; only a few roads have hitherto been opened, with infinite labour, along the rivers that traverse them. In these forests, where the primitive inhabitants, who are pressed upon at every other point, have till now enjoyed a serene and peaceful abode, we may still find those people in their original state.” In fact the aborigines of Espiritu-Santo and Porto Seguro have been found more difficult to civilize than any other native tribes in this quarter of the world, and the country itself is still in a great measure uncultivated. The civilized people are wholly confined to the coast, and even there they are not perfectly secure from hostile attacks. Yet the salubrity of the climate, and the fertility of the soil, have rendered this district an object of interest with government, so that settlers have been induced to occupy it. The virgin forests with which it is nearly covered, abound with the finest timber, including the cedar, the sassafras tree, and various other resinous and aromatic species; and no province possesses such an abundance of the tree which supplies the Peruvian balsam. “In the provinces of Espiritu-Santo and Porto-Seguro,” says a recent traveller, “are found several kinds of wood suited to cabinet-work and architecture. The Ibirapitanga (Brazil wood) now so necessary in manufactures, and which is beginning to fail in Pernambuco, is met with here,” and, we may add, on the authority of others, in abundance.

Between the southern limits of the country and the Rio Doce, which separates Espiritu-Santo from Porto Seguro, are situated several towns and villages, and a few military posts, to secure the settlers from the inroads of the savages. About twenty miles north oftheItabnpuana, on the southern bank of the river Itapemirim is a village of the same name, more recently built than the others, and containing some good houses. The inhabitants, who are but few in number, carry on a small trade in sugar, cotton, rice, millet, and timber. The Sera de Itapemirim, from which the river descends, is celebrated for the works for washing gold, called Minas de Castello, five days journey up the Itapemirim. From this place to the frontier of Minas Geraes, a road has been opened through the dangerous wilderness of woods; but it is hazardous to travel along it on account of the savage hordes of Puries and Botucudoes, by which the country is infested. From the village of Itapemirim to the village of Nova de Benevente, the countrypresents alternate woods and meadows, with a stream at intervals, but no river of any size. Benevente stands at the foot of a hill on the northern bank of the Iritiba or Reritigba, called also the Benevente. This place was built by the Jesuits, who here collected a great number of Indians for the purpose of civilizing them; but the hard labour exacted by the crown drove most of them to other quarters. This was the largest establishment on the coast, and the church and convent erected by the missionaries are still seen in the neighbourhood of the town. Between Benevente and the Rio de Espiritu Santo, which gives name to the province, the country is one continuous and magnificent forest, abounding with multitudes of the feathered tribes. The river Espiritu Santo, which is of considerable magnitude at its mouth, rises in the mountains on the frontiers of Minas Geraes, and descending with many windings, through the extensive ancient forests of the Ta-puyas, issues forth at the foot of one of those higher chains of mountains which stretch towards the sea. According to Cazel, the proper name of this river is the Santa Marta. It is stated to be navigable to the first fall, about forty miles up, and the tide ascends twelve miles to the Serra, a river which joins it on the left. Villa Velha, a small and unimportant town, stands on the south bank of the river, not far from its mouth; and about half a league from it, on the opposite side of the bay, is the present capital of Espiritu-Santo, called Villa da Victoria. It is built, according to Cazal, on an amphitheatrical site, on the western side of an island fifteen miles in circumference. It is a pretty neat place, with considerable buildings, constructed in the old Portuguese style. The population of this city is estimated at 12,500.

From this town to the Rio Doce, the limits of Espiritu-Santo on the north, there are several rivers and small towns; but generally speaking, not only the interior but the seacoast is densely wooded. This province comprehends three-fourths of the captaincy, which, in the year 1534, was assigned to Vasco Fernando Coutinho, as a remuneration for his services in Asia. The Portuguese were repeatedly driven from the colony by the natives, but ultimately they obtained a decisive victory over the savages, and effected a permanent settlement. The Jesuits were the first who succeeded in making peace with the aborigines, and in 1551 they founded the college of Vittoria; but, as we have observed, they made little progress in this quarter.

The adjoining comarca of Porto Seguro extends from the Rio Doce to the river Belmonte. It lies between 19° 33' and 15° 25' of south latitude, which gives it a length of sixty-five leagues. It was upon this part of the coast that Cabral first set foot, and took possession of Brazil for the crown of Portugal. Some Portuguese having settled here, they intermarried with the natives, so that Pedro Campo Tourinho, its first donatory, found himself, in a few years, the lord of a tolerably well-peopled colony. Santa Cruza town, built on the bay where Cabral cast anchor, soon became considerable and flourished; but the settlement was afterwards transferred to the banks of the Ioâo de Tyba, four miles to the northward, no doubt from this site holding out greater advantages of soil. Besides this place, Tourinho founded the town of St. Amaro, three miles to the south of Porto Seguro, which was subsequently demolished by some of the Indian tribes. After passing through various hands, this captaincy ultimately reverted to the crown in 1758. It was then in a very wretched state, and contained only two towns. The Jesuits, with all their zeal, were able to effect but little, and at the time of their expulsion, they left only two aldeias entirely Indian. As early as 1553, they founded a college in the capital, with a view to prosecute their labours amongst the Indians of the province, but, as in the case of Espiritu-Santo, with very little success.

The Rio Doce, or sweet river, the most considerable stream between Rio and Bahia, has its origin in the mountains of Minas Geraes, and assumes the name which it bears after the confluence of the Rio Piranga with the Ribeiro do Carmo. It runs through a considerable tract of country, forming several falls in its course. The banks of this river are covered with thick forests, which are the haunt of a great number of different animals. But far more formidable than all those beasts of prey, and the terror of these forests, is the savage Botucudo, the original inhabitant of the country. Some stations have, from time to time, been formed on the beautiful banks of the Doce; but they have never thriven, from being liable to attacks by the savages, so that the country is still very thinly peopled, and no communication is kept up except along the river. From the banks of the Rio Doce to the St. Matthaeus, a dreary uninhabited wilderness extends along the coast. Indeed, for more than a hundred miles the maritime district is a very flat tract of country; the dull monotony which it presents being only here and there relieved by a sheet of water, or small mountain elevation. The district of St. Matthaeus contains about 3000 inhabitants, who cultivate a great deal of mandioc, and export annually 60,000 alquieres of flour, and also planks from the neighbouring forests. The orange, the lemon, and the water-melon, flourish here luxuriantly.
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The river St. Matthaeus, originally called the Cricare, like the other large streams in this quarter, rises in the mountains of Minas Geraes, and descends through ancient forests peopled by savage tribes, forming various falls, and receiving several rivers in its course. Cazal mentions the large stream of Cotache as joining it on the left margin. Nearly thirty miles from the St. Matthaeus is the Mucuri, at the mouth of which stands the Villa de St. Joze do Portalegre. This place has of late years risen into some importance, from the opening of a road along the banks of the river, to Villa do Principe in Minas Geraes. Almost all the fine species of wood found on the eastern coast of Brazil, abound in the forests of this district. Five leagues to the north of the Mucuri, is the river Peruhipe, four miles from the mouth of which is the town of Villa Vicoa, consisting of about one hundred houses, with a church and camara, pleasantly situated amongst groves of cocoa palms. The inhabitants carry on a trade in mandioc flour, which is exported in small coasting vessels. Ten miles farther north is Caravellao, situated on a river of the same name, about five or six miles from the sea. The river is two miles in breadth, and proportionally deep; and up to the town its banks are beautifully interspersed with plantations. Caravellao is bustling and populous, and carries on a brisk trade in the productions of the country, especially mandioc flour, large quantities of which are annually exported. The port is much frequented by vessels from Pernambuco, Bahia, Rio, and the other towns on the east coast.

Porto Seguro, the capital of the comarca, is situated at the mouth of the river Buranhem, in lat. 16° 40' south, and long. 40° 12'west. The port, which has given name both to the town and the district, is formed by a ledge of rocks which runs out for about a mile from an extended point of the main, in a direction parallel to the land, presenting a natural mole. This town is less considerable than Caravellao, but may contain a population of about 3000 souls. The upper part of it lies on an elevated ridge, but the major portion of the inhabitants are established on the declivity nearer the river, a place more advantageous for carrying on trade. A third part of the town lies close to the mouth of the river. There is little agricultural industry displayed in this country, the greater part of the farina consumed being brought from Santa Cruz. This, with salt fish, constitutes the chief subsistence of the inhabitants. About eighteen miles north of Porto Seguro, is the town of Santa Cruz, already mentioned. It is smaller and less important than the capital, although once in a flourishing condition. Some attention, however, is paid here to agriculture; and farina is exported to various parts of the coast. The most northerly town of Porto Seguro is the Villa de Belmonte, situated on the Rio Grande de Belmonte, which falls into the sea in latitude 15° 40' south. This town was originally an aldeia of christianised Indians, but few of them now remain, and the place has sunk into decay. The whole population of Espiritu Santo, has been reckoned at 74,000; that of Porto Seguro is probably not more. But a great part of the country is still in complete possession of several Indian tribes, amongst which the Botucudes, the remains of the once formidable Aymores, are the most conspicuous.