BRAVA, BRAVO, or ST JOHN, one of the Cape de Verd Islands, is about four leagues in circumference, and lies in North Lat. 15° 25', and nearly 430 miles west from Cape de Verd. The land is high, and the mountains appear at a distance like pyramids rising from the ocean. These are little better than barren rocks, but the vallies are covered with a light soil, which produces maize, gourds, water-melons, and po tatoes. Cotton is also a production of this island ; and it is even said by some travellers, that it furnishes ex cellent wine, equal to that of the Canaries, and that oranges and lemons grow here in great abundance. Horses, cows, asses, and hogs, are in great plenty, par ticularly the hogs, as the islanders never eat the flesh of these animals except on feast days. Wild goats, which had been carried there by the Portuguese, and had mul tiplied prodigiously, are now almost extinct ; and in or der to preserve the species, a law is in force, whereby none are allowed to be killed but for the use of the governor. Brava abounds in saltpetre ; and from the quantity of vitriolic springs, we may conclude, that this island is rich in metallic ores. As a proof of this, Mr Roberts assures us, that a clean knife, put into one of these springs, in less than a minute is covered with pieces of copper of a beautiful gold colour, and if it remain any time, and is then allowed to dry, the copper, when scraped off, fails like powder, while the knife retains the colour of gilt silver. Salt is here made in great plenty in the holes of the rocks, from the water which has been left by the ebbing of the tide, or car ried thither by the negroes. Two or three hours of the sun's heat, in a clear sky, is sufficient for the opera tion; and it is surprising to see four bushels of salt drawn from a hole not above 12 or 15 feet in extent. It is evident, however, that certain rocks only have the quality of hastening the formation of salt, while others have the quality of impeding it. In some, nothing re
mains after the exhalation of the water except a muddy sediment, but very salt, and sometimes only a very thin crust resembling that of cream of tartar.
This island was first discovered by the Portuguese, and for many years two negro families were its only in habitants, until 1680, when a famine having afflicted the island of Fuego, some of the poorer inhabitants were driven by want to seek for refuge in Brava. They were received with joy by the negroes, who supplied them with every necessary of subsistence, and even shared with them their cattle, which was their only wealth. The number of inhabitants now amounts near ly to 500. The more industrious of these live by agri culture and the feeding of cattle, while the indolent languish in extreme poverty, and subsist chiefly on wild figs. Commerce is here completely neglected, and though this island is better fitted as a place of refresh ment for ships to water and take in provisions than the island of St Jago, which is in general preferred, yet, for the space of seven years, two foreign vessels only have entered the island of Brava. It has several commodious bays and roadsteads, the principal of which are the bay of Faciend de Agna, on the north-west : on the south west the bay of Ferricre, which has excellent anchor age, and is very safe during the months of March, April, and May ; but is exposed, particularly in the three win ter months, to the violent gusts which come from the wallies, and to the south-east and south south-west winds, which blow very strong during the rainy seasons. The bay of Fuerno is the best of the three, but is less frequented than the bay of Ferriere only because less known. See Sir George Staunton's Embassy to China, vol. i, p. 136, and Peuchet Dietionnaire, &c. (L)