dians, who, besides the trade in cochineal, reap very abundant crops of maize in the ranchos of the district.

TECOLOTLAN, a settlement of the head settlement of the district and alcaldía mayor of Autlan in the same kingdom. It is of a mild temperature, contains 38 families of Spaniards, 13 of Mustees and Mulattoes, and 16 of Indians, with a convent of St. Francisco. Thirteen leagues n. of its head settlement.

TECOLUTLA, a large river of Nueva España, which rises between the settlements of Guauchinango and Totolaga, and, following its course with great rapidity through the defile of S. Pedro de Chicantla, passes by the mountain of Coahuitlan, and, traversing the whole of the jurisdiction of Papantla, runs to empty itself into the N. Sea, being first so swollen by many tributary streams, as to be navigable for middlingsized vessels.

TECOMACHALCO, a river of Nueva España, which rises in the mountains to the w. of the city of Mexico, runs from e. to w. and, uniting itself with the Morales, enters the lake by the sluice of Villalengua. It is also called San Joaquin, and, anciently, De Sanctorum.

TECÓMAHUACA, a settlement of the head settlement of the district of Teutitlan, and alcaldía mayor of Cuicatlan in Nueva España. It contains 22 families of Indians, and is six leagues e. of its head settlement.

TECOMAN, a settlement of the head settlement of the district of Almololoyan, and alcaldía mayor of Colima in Nueva España. It is situate at a short distance from the shore of the S. Sea, is of an hot temperature, contains 62 families of Indians, who have no other commerce than the trade in salt, and is nine leagues from its head settlement.

TECOMASTLAHUACA, a principal and head settlement of the district of the alcaldía mayor of Tuxilahuaca in Nueva España. It contains 290 families of Indians, including those of four wards of its district.

TECOMATLAN, a small settlement or ward of the head settlement of the district of Cuzamala, and alcaldía mayor of Azuchitlan in Nueva España. It is of a hot and dry temperature; situate on the margin of a rapid river. Its population consists of Indians the poorest of the whole jurisdiction; for, having sold the land which belonged to them, they are obliged to hire themselves out to labour in the ranchos of the district, having of their own nothing but some small crops of maize on the shore of the river. It contains

21 families of Indians, and is annexed to the curacy of its head settlement. In its vicinity is an estate inhabited by nine families of Mulattoes. Twenty leagues s. of its capital.

TECOMINUCAN, a settlement of the head settlement of the district of Moloacán, and alcaldía mayor of Acayuca in Nueva España. It contains 26 families of Indians, and is two leagues e. of its head settlement.

TECOREPA, or TECORIPA, a settlement of the province and government of Sonora in Nueva España.

TECORIONA, a settlement of the province of Ostimuri in Nueva España, on the shore of the river Hiaqui.

TECOUTLA, SANTIAGO DE, a settlement and head settlement of the district of the alcaldía mayor of Teutila in Nueva España. It is of a hot temperature, inhabited by 40 families of Indians, who cultivate nothing but maize and some fruits of the country.

TECPACO, a settlement of the head settlement of the district, and alcaldía mayor of Zochicoatlan in Nueva España. It contains 42 families of Indians, and is six leagues n. of its capital.

TECPAN, a settlement of the head settlement of the district, and alcaldía mayor of Nueva España. It contains 119 families of Indians, and 40 Spaniards, Mustees, and Mulattoes.

TECPATITLAN, an alcaldía mayor and ju risdiction of the kingdom of Nueva Galicia, and bishopric of Guadalaxara. It is of limited extent, but rather populous in the settlements and estates of its district. Its natives are given to agriculture and to the breeding of cattle; and they are used to have abundant crops, so that they sell their produce to the other jurisdictions and to the establishments of the mines at no great distance.

Its population consists of the capital, of the same name, and the settlements of, San Joseph,

San Miguel el Alto,
Misquitic,
Acatic,
Sapotlán,

Santa Fé, Tonatlán, Tequaltitlán, Ascatlán.

TECPATLAN, a settlement and capital of the province and alcaldía mayor of Los Zoques in the kingdom of Guatemala.

TECUÄLMES, a settlement of the missions, which were held by the Jesuits in the province of Nayarith, and kingdom of Nueva Galicia of N. America. Fifteen leagues s. w. of La Mesa.

TECULUTA, a settlement of the province

and alcaldía mayor of Capabanastla in the kingdom of Guatemala.

TEFE, a settlement of the missions which were held by the Portuguese Carmelite fathers, in the province and country of Las Amazonas, on the shore of the river of its name, and at the mouth by which it enters the Marañon, and where also a fort has been built for its defence. [In lat. 3° 20' s. and long. 64° 48′ w.]

TEFE, the aforesaid river, is large, and, according to the chart of America, by the geographer D. Juan de la Cruz [and other eminent geographers, down to the present day], rises in the territory and country of the Curianis Indians, [between the Purus to the e. and the Jurua to the w.], runs n. n. e. and, after several windings, enters the Marañon, in the district of the Indians of the Pavana nations.

TEGAOGEN, a settlement of the French, in the province and country of the Iroquees Indians, on the n. shore of the lake Ontario.

TEGUA, a small_river of the province and government of San Juan de los Llanos, in the Nuevo Reyno de Granada. It runs e. and, after a short course, enters the Airico.

TEGUALÉMU, a settlement of Indians of the province and corregimiento of Itata in the kingdom of Chile; between the deep ravine of Chanco and the point of Humos.

TEGUAS, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Tunja, in the Nuevo Reyno de Granada. It is of a hot temperature, barren, and of a rough territory, and poor and reduced, its inhabitants consisting of only a few Spaniards and Indians, who are dreaded in all the neighbouring settlements as having the credit of being sorcerers. They are part of the nation of the same name, who inhabit a country full of woods, lakes, rivers, and swamps; and who were discovered by Captain Juan de San Martin in 1537. They are fierce, cruel, and treacherous, and even the few, reduced to a civil life in this settlement, have a strong tendency to their native habits.

It is a happy thing that this nation of savages has so dwindled away as to have become almost extinct. The settlement is 16 leagues s. c. of its capital, between the settlements of Lengupa and Tensa.

TEGUCIGALPA, a district and alcaldía mayor of the province and government of Comayagua in the kingdom of Guatemala; which they call also De Santa Lucia and Guazacarán, through two fine silver-mines in its district, and which

afford the principal branch of its commerce. The capital is the settlement of its name.

TEGUCIGALPA, a river of the province and government of Honduras, which enters the sea near the Bay of Truxillo.

TEGUE, a settlement of the province and government of Cartagena, in the Nuevo Reyno de Granada; situate in an island formed by the arms of the river Cauca. Five leagues from the town of San Bernardo Abad.

TEGUECO, a settlement of the province and government of Cinaloa in N. America; situate at the source of the river Del Fuerte, near the settlement of Sibirijoa.

TEHIHUAY-GUAZU, a river of the province and government of Paraguay, which runs w. TEHUACAN, DE LAS GRANADAS, a province and alcaldía mayor of Nueva España, and bishopric of La Puebla de los Angeles; thus called from the abundance of excellent pomegranates which it produces; bounded e. by the province of Teutitlan del Camino, w. by that of Tepeaca, and n. by that of Orizava and the town of Córdoba.

It comprehends nine principal settlements or head settlements of the district; has abundant salines, and by these makes a great trade, as well as by the fruits and seeds which it produces, and the fish caught in its rivers.

TEHUACAN, the capital, which is of the same name, is of a beautiful plant, of a mild and pleasant temperature, and delightfully situate in the high road leading to Oaxaca and to Guatemala ; and is, thus, a place of considerable trade. The waters, which irrigate and fertilize its territory, are sweet and well tasted, but are full of nitrous particles, and, consequently, coagulate, and petrify the earth in the pipes and aqueducts through which they pass; depositing on them, as it were, a coat of stone and mortar, so that it is necessary frequently to change the pipes for the free sage of the water; and thus it is common to see laying about the fields parts of this incrustated matter, which has the appearance of the ruins of some old buildings. This same nitre, of this petrifying quality in water, acts as a dissolvent on the stone and gravel in the bladder.

pas

This city has four principal temples, which are the parish-church and the three convents of San Francisco. It has, besides these, the convent of the Barefooted Carmelites, and that of San Juan de Dios, with a good hospital. The streets, houses, and squares, are modern and handsome, so that it is one of the best cities in the king

dom. It carries on a great trade in flour from the quantity of wheat grown in its district (there being in the valley of San Pablo alone 22 estates), and with this article supplies the market of Vera Cruz and the neighbouring provinces as far as the Havana and Campeche. This city is inhabited by very many families of Spaniards, Mustees, and Mulattoes, and more than 2080 of Indians, not to mention 300 or more residing in the country estates. [It was, according to Humboldt, one of the most frequented sanctuaries of the Mexicans before the arrival of the Spaniards. One hundred and eighteen miles s. e. of Mexico. Lat. 18° 30′ n. and long. 97° 14' 30" .] The other settlements of its jurisdiction are, S. Gabriel Chilac, S. Pedro Capulco CoxSanta Maria Conjo- catlán, Acatepec,

meapa,

S. Pedro Telitlan, S. Miguel Eloxuchitlan,

S. Martin Mazapetan, Miahuatlan,

S. Pablo Zoquitlan. TEHUANTEPEC, an alcaldía mayor and jurisdiction of Nueva España in the province and bishopric of Oaxaca. The last of this bishopric, and at the beginning of the kingdom of Guatemala, to the provinces of which it lies in the direct road. It enjoys, for the most part, a hot climate, and is very abundant and fertile in maize and fruit, although its principal commerce is in salt. It is fertilized by several rivers, and has fine pastures filled with large cattle. It consists of the following settlements: Tanapatepec,

Guichovi,

Santa Maria Chima- Sta. Maria Patapa, lapa, S. Mateo del Mar, Tequizistlan, S. Francisco del Mar. TEHUANTEPEC, the capital, is of the same name; situate near the coast of the S. Sea, has a good convent of the religious of St. Domingo; and its population consists of 2600 families of Mixtecos, Zapotecas, and Mexicanos Indians, 50 of Spaniards, Mustees, and Mulattoes, which, one with another, form two companies of militia, which guard the coast against any invasion from the side of the S. Sea. The Indians maintain themselves by sowing maize, and the other inhabitants by the trade of salt. [Two hundred and ninety-six miles s. e. of Mexico, 250 n. w. of Guatemala, and 82 s. w. of Chiapa, in lat. 16° 20' n. and long. 95° 1' w.]

[TEHUANTEPEC, or TEGUANTEPEQUE, a port in the intendancy of Oaxaca; situate in the bottom of the creek, formed by the ocean, between the small villages of San Francisco, San Dionisio,

TEHUANTEPEC, a point of land in the same jurisdiction, nearly separated from the shore. TEHUAUSTITLAN, a settlement of the head settlement of the district of Atengo and alcaldía mayor of Chilapa in Nueva España. Four leagues w. of its head settlement.

TEHUEHUETLA, a settlement of the head settlement of the district of Tetela, and alcaldia mayor of Azuchitlan in Nueva España: 12 leagues s. of its capital, and 18 from the head settlement, but the road from the latter being so dangerous as to render it necessary to wade the river of Las Truchas upwards of 40 times. It is situate at the foot of the sierra Madre, is of a mild temperature, and fertilized by the said river. The commerce of its inhabitants is in the making of rigging and thread, and in wax seeds and some fruits. In the s. part extends to the S. Sea S. Sea a large tract entirely desert, rugged, and uninhabited. The way leading from hence to Tecpan, of the jurisdiction of Zacatela, is very dangerous, and what is worse, there is no choice to be made. The population consists of 50 families of Indians.

TEHUETLAN, a settlement of the head settlement of the district, and alcaldía mayor of Huejutla in Nueva España. It is of a mild temperature, and produces nothing but magueyes, of which the natives make pulque and honey. The inhabitants consist of 44 families of Indians, and in its vicinity is another small settlement with 16 families; both annexed to the curacy of its capital, from whence the former lies three leagues to the s.

TEHUILOTEPEC, a village of the head settlement of Santa Ana, and alcaldía mayor of Zultepec in Nueva España; united to the settlement of Toteolmaloya, from whence it lies four leagues to the w. [The position of this place is interesting, on account of the proximity of the great mines of Tasco. Long. 99° 29′.]

TEHUISNAO, SANTIAGO DE, a settlement of the head settlement of the district, and alcaldía mayor of Tasco in Nueva España. It containe 102 families of Indians.

TEHUIXTLA, a settlement of the head settlement of the district of Xoxutla and alcaldía mayor of Cuernavaca in Nueva España.

TEIDI, a small river of the province of Gairá in the government of Paraguay, which runs n. and enters the Paraná between those of the Yaquini and the Guazigua.

[TEJUCO, the capital of the diamond district of this name, in Brazil. It is situate in the midst of sterility, and a great portion of its inhabitants, in number about 6000, bear the usual marks of penury and wretchedness; yet the place is considered in a flourishing state, and the shops are well stocked with English cloth, baizes, hams, cheese, butter, and porter, all brought on mules from Bahia, or Rio de Janeiro; from the first of which it is distant, in a straight line, about 500 English miles s. by w. and 400 n. of the latter: in lat. 18° 11' s. and long. 42° 30' w. according to Arrowsmith's map, but probably twice the distance by the zig-zag route of the mountains. Mr. Mawe's account of the above district is very full and interesting. We are indebted to his work for the following information.

It consists of rugged mountains, that have a n. and s. direction, and are generally allowed to be the highest in Brazil. What is termed the Diamond Ground, of which (as we have just observed) Tejuco is the capital, extends about 16 leagues from n. to s. and about eight from e. to

w.

It was first explored by some enterprising miners from Villa do Principe, a few years after the establishment of that town. These men proceeding n. found an open country watered by many small rivulets, which they tried for gold by washing some of them engaged their attention for a short time, but not proving sufficiently rich, they continued their route, passing the places now called San Gonzales and Melho Verde, until they arrived at a few streams that flow from the base of the mountain on which Tejuco is built. These rivulets were then washed for gold, and were considered as belonging to the district of Villa do Principe. No idea was first entertained that the rivulets contained diamonds, although it is said that some were collected and presented to the then governor of Villa do Principe as curious bright stones, and were used by him as counters at cards. Soon afterwards a few of them found their way to Lisbon, and were given as pretty pebbles to the Dutch minister to send to Holland, which was then the principal mart in Europe for precious stones. The lapidaries, to whom they

VOL. IV.

were presented for examination, pronounced these pebbles to be very fine diamonds. Information was accordingly sent to the Dutch consul at Lisbon, who did not fail to profit by the occasion; for he managed the affair with government so well, that he contracted for the precious stones at the same time that he communicated the intelligence. Government afterwards endeavoured to monopolize the diamonds, and made a distinct district of Cerro do Frio, placing it under peculiar laws and regulations.

The number of diamonds sent over during the first twenty years after the discovery is said to be almost incredible, and to exceed one thousand ounces in weight. This supply could not fail to diminish the general value of diamonds, as none had ever before been known to come from any other part of the globe, except India, whither the Brazilian diamonds were afterwards sent, and found a better market there than in Europe.

By stratagems and intrigues government was prevailed on to let these invaluable territories to a company, who were under stipulations to work with a limited number of Negroes, or to pay a certain sum per day for every Negro employed. This opened a door to every species of fraud; double the stipulated number of Negroes were admitted; and this imposition was connived at by the agents of government, who received pay in one hand and bribes in the other. Presents were made to men possessing influence at court, by the contractors, who soon became rich, and they continued (subject to a few regulations) in possession of the diamond mines until about the year 1772, when, government determining to take them into their own hands, these contracts

were ended.

This was the time for reforming abuses, and for placing this rich district under the best regulations, but it was neglected; prejudice prevailed over prudence; and the management was entrusted to men who did not understand the real interests of the concern, or, what is more probable, who were so shackled in their authority, that they could not pursue them. From this time affairs became worse, and the establishment was in debt to foreigners, who had advanced a considerable sum of money on the security of having all the diamonds which the mines produced. This debt still remains unpaid, and there are other incumbrances which can be removed only by a total change of system. In its present state the establishment appears to produce much greater wealth than it actually does. During a period of five years, from 1801 to]

3 x

[1896 inclusive, the expenses were £.204,000; and the diamonds sent to the treasury at Rio de Janeiro weighed 115,675 carats. The value of gold found in the same period amounted to £17,300 sterling; from which it appears, that the diamonds actually cost government 33s. 9d. per carat. These years were esteemed singufarly productive; the mines do not in general yield to government more than 20,000 carats annually. Exclusive of this amount there is a vast quantity smuggled.

The town is under the absolute government of the intendant. The principal officers of the civil and military establishments are, an ouvidor or fiscal, a captain of cavalry, and a captain mor. In the Diamond establishment there is a great number of officers, of whom the following are the principal: 1st. The intendant, who is a judge, and the intendant-general of the district of Minas Geraes (this office is one of the best in the gift of the crown): 2d. The treasurer, whose situation is almost a sinecure: he receives 8000 crusades per annum; and 3d. The administratorgeneral, who has a salary of 6000. The bookkeeper has 4000, and there are three clerks, or key-keepers, who have from 800 to 1000 each. These officers are employed in whatever relates to the treasury, or to the general concerns of the establishment; they all reside in Tejuco, and are the most respectable of the inhabitants. The management of the different works is entrusted to eight or 10 under-administrators, each having in his care 200 Negroes, called a troop, to which, besides a clergyman and a surgeon, are attached several overseers and subordinate officers, who have salaries of from 400 to 200 crusades. The privilege of employing a certain number of Negroes in the works is common to all the officers, to an extent corresponding with their rank: the superior officers let to hire as many as they please, say 40, and sometimes upwards of 50; the inferior officers are permitted to let out two or three, in preference to other individuals; a decidedly bad practice, as will be shown here

after.

The intendant holds a place of great trust: he is the superior magistrate, and his duty is to administer justice, and to see that the laws peculiar to the district are duly executed. He is of course president of the assembly, or junta, and calls meetings whenever he thinks proper; he disposes of the military force of the district, orders roads to be made or stopped, and stations guards on them to examine travellers, and to detain suspicious persons. He has also the privilege of

giving or refusing permission for persons to enter the district, or settle in it; and every one, however high in rank or property, who passes thither, is supposed to have the intendant's express concurrence, which, as a matter of form, is sometimes dispensed with. He appoints officers, signs all papers, receives all reports that are made, and acts accordingly. To him solely the treasure is entrusted for the payment of the salaries of the officers, the Negroes' wages, tradesmen's bills, and every incidental expense attending the establishment. He issues paper-money, and withdraws it from circulation whenever he thinks proper; for all which he is responsible to government alone, and may be said to be almost absolute in his office. In addition to these important functions, the intendant has lately assumed the whole direction and regulation of the mining concern, which none of his predecessors ever practically interfered with, it being the peculiar province of the administrator-general.

The administrator-general, to whom belong the direction and management of the works, ought to be equally experienced in mining and mechanics, particularly in hydraulics: he should be a man of general information, combined with great practical knowledge relative to the locality of the district, so as to be able to ascertain the real value of every situation, and to direct the operations accordingly. He should have a mind fertile in resources, and prepared to meet every disappointment or casualty that can possibly oecur, that the time of the Negroes may not be employed in vain; he should also facilitate their labours by the introduction of machinery, and should be particularly attentive to their good treatment, since on them his success, and consequently his reputation, must in a great measure depend.

On this latter point humanity and policy ought alike to direct the attention of the superiors of the establishment. It is natural to suppose that Negroes, when treated with harshness, ill fed and ill clothed, will be indifferent to the interests of their employers, and, perhaps, determined not to find diamonds, whereas, when subjected to milder and kinder usage, which might be done without relaxing in vigilance, they would become anxious to please, and would search more diligently in order to obtain notice and reward. It must be obvious, that Negroes rarely conceal diamonds for themselves; and yet custom has rendered the feelings of their real owners in Tejuco so irritable, on being suspected to encourage the practice, that if the word grimpero]