To the westward of the river Jiquitinhonha, and opposite the village of Bom Successo, is the Cerro of Santo Antonio, a place much famed for diamonds, which are said to be of an indifferent quality. There are, also, other parts, well known to many of the inhabitants of the district as being rich in these treasures.
The country is very fertile, and produces a great variety of the finest woods for cabinet-works; also numerous fruits, and most exquisite Vanilla, which grows spontaneously. The land, being less elevated[52] than Cerro do Frio, is said to be much warmer, and is highly favorable to the growth of sugar and coffee. The plantations are chiefly of cotton, which is reputed to be equal in color and quality to that of Maranham. It is transported to Rio de Janeiro on mules, and many hundreds of those useful animals are continually employed in this commerce. A troop of loaded mules are full three months, and sometimes four, in going, and the same time in returning. These animals in this district are double the price that they are in S. Paulo. The journeys are attended with considerable expense and difficulty; Indian corn must be daily bought for their use; and, notwithstanding the great attention paid to them on the road, many die, and others are frequently lamed and disabled. Their burdens are divided into two equal parts, and suspended on a pack-saddle of peculiar make by straps of raw hide. The average burden is nine _arrobas_, nearly equal to three hundred pounds weight, the carriage-expense of which, from Rio de Janeiro to Minas Novas, is six or seven pounds sterling; to Tejuco five pounds; to Villa Rica about three.
The trade to Minas Novas from Rio de Janeiro consists principally in negroes, iron, salt, woollens, hats, printed cottons, hardware, arms, and some fancy articles, a little wine and oil, salt-fish, and butter. Few luxuries enter these remote parts, the inhabitants seeking for little beyond mere necessaries.
Minas Novas is under the jurisdiction of the _Ouvidor_ of Villa do Principe, who goes thither once a year to settle disputes, administer justice, and discharge other duties belonging to his office.
At Tocaya the Jiquitinhonha flows into a larger river, called Rio Grande, which, taking an easterly direction, enters the sea in lat. 16° 20´ south, near Porto Seguro. A gentleman with whom I was acquainted undertook to navigate this fine river from Tocaya to the sea, and, as the current was rapid, he performed the task in six days. On his return, which occupied fifteen days, he observed several tributary rivers, the sources of which are unknown, as they rise in the country inhabited by the Indians. The river being free from falls, may in a short time be frequented by vessels from sea, for I did not learn that its entrance was shallow or unfit for navigation; probably the land about it is low and marshy, which may be the reason that it is so little known.