An estate contains in general much more land than its owner can manage or in any way employ, even under the present extravagant system of changing from one piece of ground to another. I call it extravagant, because it requires so much space for its operations, and performs these with more labour than is necessary. This overplus of land gives room for the habitations of free people in the lower ranks of life, who live upon the produce which they raise by their own labour. The tenures by which these persons hold the lands which they occupy, are most insecure, and this insecurity constitutes one of the great engines of that power which the landholder enjoys over his tenants. No agreements are drawn out; but the proprietor of the land verbally permits the peasant who applies to him for a place of residence, to inhabit a cottage upon his lands, under the condition of paying him a trifling rent (from four to eight mil reis, one to two guineas or rather more;) and he is allowed to cultivate as much ground as he possibly can by himself, but the rent is increased if he calls in any one to assist him. Sometimes the verbal arrangement which is entered into, is that the tenant shall perform some service in lieu of making his payment in money. The service required is, for instance, that of going upon errands, or of seeing that the woods are not destroyed by persons who have not obtained permission from the owner to cut down timber, and other offices of the same description. THE BUILDINGS. THE buildings which are usually to be seen upon the plantations are the following: The mill; which is either turned by water or by cattle; some of the plantations possess both of these, owing to the failure of the water in the dry season; and indeed there are a few estates upon which the crops are so large as to require that there should be both. The boiling-house; which is usually attached to the mill, and is the most costly part of the apparatus, for the coppers, &c. must be obtained from Europe. The claying-house or _caza de purgar_; which is oftentimes connected with the boiling-house. It is also generally made use of as the still-house or distillery. The chapel; which is usually of considerable dimensions. This building and all the foregoing are almost universally constructed of brick. The dwelling-house for the owner or manager; to this is usually attached a stable for the saddle-horses; the dwelling-houses are frequently made of timber and mud. The row of negro dwellings; which I have described in another place as looking like neglected alms-houses in England, and is made of the same materials as the house of the owner. From the appearance of the negro huts an idea may usually be formed of the disposition of the owner of a plantation. All these buildings are covered with tiles.