The History of the Revolutions of PortugalVertot, abbé de
History
The History of the Revolutions of Portugal
Vertot, abbé de
Portugal -- History -- Revolution, 1640
The exportation of this government is not answerable to the number of
its inhabitants, amounting only on an average to six or seven hundred
thousand French livres (25,000 or 29,166l. 13s. 4d.) The finest Brazil
amotto grows in Maranhao, which also produces the best cotton in
America. Rice succeeds very well in this soil; but all endeavours have
been fruitless to naturalize silk-worms.
There is a great breed of horses and horned cattle in Pauchy, a country
annexed to this government, in which, however, the sheep degenerate as
well as in the rest of Brazil, except, indeed, in the Coritibe. Mines of
sulphur, alum, copperas, iron, lead, and antimony are very common in the
mountains; but though they are not deep, they have never yet been
opened. There are likewise silvermines, which, in 1752 the court had
given permission to be worked; this permission was, however, soon after
retracted, but for what reason was never yet known.
III. FERNAMBUCA,
Is at this present bounded by the river St. Francesco, and different
chains of cordilleras. The coast of this government towards the sea
extends sixty-five leagues.
POPULATION.
19,665 Whites;--39,132 Negroes and Mulattoes;--83,728 Indians.
The island of Fernando de Norronha is in the dependance of the
above-mentioned government.
PRINCIPAL TOWNS.
Olinda, the capital of Fernambuca is built upon an eminence on the
sea-shore; it contains several fine fountains, and is situated in a
beautiful country. The inhabitants are computed at twelve thousand.
There is a manufactory of sword blades in this town, which, equally with
St. Antoine de Receif, has a good port, and is defended by several
fortresses. The island of Fernando de Norronha has two good open
harbours, in which ships of the greatest burthen may ride in safety,
unless the wind blows from the north or west.
COMMERCE.
The coast of Fernambuca, in an extent of sixty-five leagues, produces a
small quantity of cotton. The plains are filled with plantations of fine
sugar canes, and the mountains are covered with broods of horned cattle,
the hides of which are very productive. The principal branch of commerce
in this government is that fine sort of Brazil wood employed in dyeing
red. This wood is of so superior a quality that it is not necessary to
employ half the quantity which would be required of campeche wood for
the same purpose. The annual consumption of this excellent wood in
Europe, amounted during a long time to from twenty to thirty thousand
quintals. In 1783, two English merchants contracted with the Portugueze
government for the exclusive sale of this wood, on condition that the
said government was at the expence of felling it. These merchants
purchased the wood for eight hundred thousand French livres (33,333l.
6s. 8d.), sold it at Lisbon for a million (41,666l. 13s. 4d.); their
expenses amounted to a hundred and twenty-eight thousand livres (5,333l.
6s. 8d.); consequently they made a profit of seventy-two thousand French
livres (3,000l.).
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