Travels in the Interior of Brazil, particularly in the Gold and Diamond Districts of that country; by Authority of the Prince Regent of Portugal, including a Voyage to the Rio de la Plata & a historical sketch of the Revolution of Buenos Aires

4to [29 x 22.5 cm]; vii, 366, [i, binding directions], [i, ads] pp, frontis, 9 engraved plates and map, including colored plate (complete). contemporary boards, gilt title lettering on leather spine label, cover worn, spine ends chipped, joints cracking, some small holes in pages, mostly marginal, but including part of image of few plates, good wide-margin copy. A picture of this book is avai An important early travel narrative on Brazil with much on mining, agriculture, the cities, culture, customs, etc based on the author's extensive travels. The author later wrote several famous mineralogy books. Borba de Moraes 541: 'The first de visu account of the gold and diamond mines in Brazil. . . the view of the Jaragua mining camp is the first landscape document which exists of the interior of Sao Paulo'. The plates include a view of washing for diamonds at Mandanga, gold washing at Jaragua, view of topaz mine at Capon, machinery, River Jigitonbonha, plates of minerals, diamonds, topaz, tourmaline, shells, etc., being some of the earliest views of the interior of Brazil. Abbey Travel 709. Sabin 46991: 'The work of Mr. Mawe contains the first authentic information which the jealousy of the Portuguese Government ever allowed a foreigner to acquire respecting the universal treasures of the Brazils'. Griffin 3858: 'Widely translated in several European languages, Mawe's was the first description by a foreigner of the mining regions of Brazil'. The book also contains an early description of Sao Paulo.