There is a letter in the naval archives at Rio de Janeiro, written by P. V. de Caminho (one of the _escrivaōs_ already mentioned) to King Emanuel, giving a minute detail of all the circumstances attending the stay of the armament in this port, which Cabral called “Porto Seguro,” in noticing which, the above letter, written in language differing from that of the present day, says, “_Acharam hos ditos navios pequenos huum a recife com huum porto dentro muyti boo, e muyti seguro com huuma muy larga entrada, e meterem-se dentro._” Also, “_entraram toda las naaos e amcoraram-se em simco, seis bracas, ha qual amcorajem demtro he tam grande e tam fremosa, e tam segura, que podem jaser demtro neela mais de duzentos navios e naaos._”[2] He says the Indians were quite naked, and their bodies painted with various colours. They wore pendants of white bone from their ears. Their cheeks were in like manner ornamented with bones, and their lips slit, into which similar ornaments were also introduced. They used bows and arrows. The two natives who came on board, when they saw the gold embroidery upon the collar of Cabral’s coat, danced, put their hands to the ground, and then to the collar: they showed the same feeling in regard to silver; from which it was inferred that those precious metals were not unknown to them. This letter also says, “_Mostraram lhes huum papagayo pardo que aquy ho capitam tras; tomaram no logo na maao; mostraram lhes huum carneyro, non fezeram delle mençam; mostraram lhes huuma galinha, e asy aviam medo dela, e nom lhe queriam poeer ha maao._”[3] The Portuguese offered them bread, dressed fish, and other things, which on tasting they put out of their mouths; also wine, which they did not like, and would not take it a second time. They established a friendly intercourse with those Indians, from whom they received in exchange for trifling articles, fruits, farinha (or flour) of the mandioca, maize, &c. This writer, with many of the captains, went a league and a half up the country, where they met with a body of Indians, who had nine or ten houses rudely built of wood covered with grass; each house had two small entrances, and was large enough to receive thirty or forty persons. It consisted of but one apartment, without any division. They bartered with them things of no value for large and beautiful red parrots, two small green ones, and other things. They went on shore again the next day to get wood and wash linen, when they found sixty or seventy Indians, without bows or any thing else, upon the beach, which number soon increased to two hundred, all without bows and arrows. They mixed amongst the Portuguese, and assisted them to collect wood and put it on board the boats. That Cabral considered this land an island is evidenced by the conclusion of the letter. “_Beijo haas maaos de V. A. deste Porto Seguro da vosa Ilha da Vera Cruz. Hoje, Sesta feira primeiro dia de Mayo, 1500. P. V. de Caminha._”[4]