The mines of St Paolo and Paruagua yield to the king four arobas for the fifths every year. The, most distant mines, as those of Pracaton and Quiaba (Cuyaba,) depend on the captaincy of Matogroso. The fifth of the above mines is not received at Rio Janeiro, but that of the mines of Goyas is deducted. This captaincy also possesses diamond mines, which are forbidden to be worked.
The whole of the expense of the king of Portugal at Rio Janeiro, for the payment of the troops and civil officers, and for the charges of the mines, the mainte nance of the public buildings, the careening of vessels, amounts to about six hundred thousand dollars. The expenses of building ships of the line and frigates there stationed are not included.
Recapitulation, and the amount of the average of ent objects of royal revenue.
Dollars.
A hundred and fifty arobas of gold, the average produced by the royal fifths, are in Spanish money 1,125,000The duty on diamonds 240,000 The duty on coinage 400,000 Ten per cent. from the custom-house - - 350,000 Two and a half per cent. of free gift - - 87,000 Right of toll, sale of employments, offices, and generally all the profits of the mines 225,000 Duty on slaves 110,000 Duty on fish oil, salt, soap, and the tenth on the provisions of the country - - - - 130,000 Total 2,667,000 From which, deducting the above expenses, it will be seen that the king of Portugal draws from Rio Janeiro, a revenue exceeding ten millions of French livres."
According to the author of the Etat Present du Por tugal, there are 12 cities in Brasil, 66 towns, many villages ; one archbishop, four bishops, and about 430,000 inhabitants, more than one sixth of whom are Portuguese.
See Southey's History of Brasil ; Purchas's Pil grims, vol. iv.; Histoire Generale des Voyages, vol. xiv. ; Harris's Voyages and Travels, vol. ii. ; Raynal's East and TVest Indies ; Lindley's Voyage to Brasil ; Barrow's Voyage to Cochinchina, Ste.; and A Political Essay on the Commerce of Portugal and her Colonies, particularly of Brasil in South America, by J. J. Da Cun ha de Azeredo Coutinho, bishop of Fernambuco ; Lon don 1801.