CHAPTER XIII.
CIDADE DIAMANTINA TO OURO PRETO.
Leaves
the Cidade Diamantina—Reaches As Borbas—Passes the Arraial do Milho—
Tres Barras—Arrives at the Cidade do Serro, formerly Villa do
Principe—The Town described—Passes Tapanhuacanga—Retiro dc Padre
Bento—N.S. de Con. ceieao—Description of an Iron Smelting AVork at
Girao—Vast abundance of Iron Ores in this District—Reaches
Escadinha—Morro de Caspar Soarcs and two other Iron Smelting Works and
Forges—Ponte Alta—Itambe—'Passes Onca—Ponte de Machado, where frost was
seen—And arrives at Cocae's—Visits the large Establishment of the
Cocae's English Mining Company—The author's unkind reception by the
Director of that Establishment—Reaches S. Joao do Morro Grande, part of
the Mining Establishment of the English Gongo Soco Company—Hospitable
reception and visit to the Gold Mines— Its Workings
described—Geological structure of the Mines, and the surrounding
Country—Leaves Gongo Soco and passes Morro Velho —Rapoza—And reaches
the Establishment of another English Mining Company at Morro Velho—The
author's delight on receiving letters after two years' absence —His
kind reception and abode there—Village of C'ongonhas de Sahara
described —Attached to the Gold Mines of Morro Velho—Account of those
Mines—Mode of Working and extracting Gold from the Ore—Visits the City
of Sahara—Mining Establishment of Cuiaba—Serra de Piedade—And Serra del
Curral del Rey— Leaves Morro Velho—Reaches the Villa de Cae'te—Passes
S. Jose de Morro Grande—Barra—Brumado—Serra de Caraca—Catas
altas—Inficcionado—Bento Rodriguez—Camargos—And reaches San
Caetano—Visits the City of Mariana— Passes the Serra de
Itacolumi—Arraial de Passagem—And arrives at the city of Ouro Preto,
formerly Villa Rica—City described—Its Population—College—And Botanic
Garden.
Before leaving the Cidade Diamantina, I made several excursions to
the valleys, the ravines, and the mountain tops in its vicinity, which
yielded me many acquisitions; having made all the necessary
preparations for our departure, we left early in the forenoon of the
loth of August. We made a journey of about three leagues, and remained for the night at a place called As Borbas, encamping in an open grassy spot, not far from the only house
