CHAPTER X.
NATIVIDADE TO ARRAYAS.
The
Town of Natividade described—Its Population—Dress and Manners of the
People—Its Climate—Diseases—Goitre extremely prevalent—Excursion to the
neighbouring lofty Mountain Range — Its Geology and Vegetation—Visits
the Arraial da Chapada — Leaves Natividade— Passes San Bento, and
arrives at the Arraial de Conceicao—Its Population—Very subject to
Goitre—Probable cause of this Complaint—Reaches Barra, and crosses the
Rio de Palma—Arrives at Santa Brida—Stays at Sape—Account of the Animal
and Vegetable Productions of the Neighbourhood—Reaches the Villa de
Arrayas—The Town described— Geological Features of the surrounding
Country—Its Climate and Productions— Alarm of the Inhabitants—Muster of
the National Guards — Preparation for Departure.
The Villa de Natividade is situated near the western base of the southern extremity of the Serra already mentioned, which bears the same name, and like most of the towns in the interior is very irregularly built. The population amounts to about 2,000 souls consisting of the same mixed races we had so frequently met with before. It contains four churches, which although now very old, are not yet quite finished, nor is it at all likely that they ever will be completed. There is also a jail, but it is built of unburned bricks, through
which the prisoners generally contrive to escape, so that it can
scarcely be called a prison. Most of the houses are constructed of
this material. The inhabitants are lazy and indolent in the extreme,
and consequently there is always a great scarcity of the common necessaries of life among them ; notwithstanding that
much of the country in the neighbourhood of the Villa is well suited
for plantations of mandiocca, &c, still very few are to
