MARCO, a celebrated traveller, was son of Nicholas Paulo, a Venetian, who, with his brother Matthew, about the year 1255, visited Constantinople; in the reign of Baldwin II. Nicholas, at his departure, left his wife pregnant; and she brought to the world the famous Marco Paulo, the subject of this notice. The two Venetians, having taken leave of the emperor, crossed the Black Sea, and travelled into Armenia, whence they passed over land to the court of Barka, one of the greatest lords of Tartary, who loaded them with honours. This prince having been defeated by one of his neighbours, Nicholas and Matthew made the best of their way through the deserts, and arrived at the city where resided Kublai, khan of the Tartars. Kublai was entertained with the account which they gave him of the European manners and customs; and appointed them ambassadors to the pope, in order to demand of his holiness a hundred missionaries. They accordingly returned to Italy, obtained from the pontiff two Dominicans, the one an Italian and the other an Asiatic, and carried along with them young Marco, for whom Kublai expressed a singular affection. This young man, having learned the different dialects of Tartary, was employed in embassies which gave him the opportunity of traversing Tartary, China, and other eastern countries. At length, after a residence of seventeen years at the court of the khan, the three Venetians returned to their own country, in the year 1295, with immense fortunes. A short time after his return, Marco, serving his country at sea against the Genoese, lost his galley, in a great naval engagement, and was himself taken prisoner and carried to Genoa. He remained there many years in confinement; and, to amuse his melancholy as well as to gratify his friends, he sent for his notes from Venice, and composed the history of his own and his father's voyages in Italian; under this title, *Delle Maraviglie del Mondo da lui vedute*; the first edition of which appeared at Venice in 1496, in 8vo. His work was translated into different languages, and inserted in various collections. The editions most esteemed are the Latin one published by Andrew Muller at Cologne, 1671, in 4to, and that in French, to be found in the collection of voyages published by Bergeron, at the Hague, 1735, in two vols. 4to. In the writings of Marco Paulo there are some things true, and others highly incredible. It is indeed difficult to believe, that as soon as the khan was informed of the arrival of the two Venetian merchants, who were come to sell theriac, or treacle, at his court, he sent before them an escort of forty thousand men, and afterwards despatched these Venetian ambassadors to the pope, to beseech his holiness to send him a hundred missionaries. It is equally difficult to believe that the pope, who doubtless had an ardent zeal for the propagation of the faith, should, instead of a hundred, have sent him only two missionaries. There are, therefore, some errors and exaggerations in Marco Paulo's narrative; but many other things which were afterwards verified, and which have been of no little service to succeeding travellers, prove that in several respects his relation is valuable. He not only gave better accounts of China than had before been received, but likewise furnished a description of Japan, of many of the islands of the East Indies, of Madagascar, and of the coasts of Africa; so that from his work it might be easily collected, that a direct passage by sea to the Indies was not only possible, but practicable. It may be worth while to add, that, in the opinion of the authors of the Universal History, what he wrote down from his own knowledge is both curious and true; so that where he has erred, his father and uncle must have deceived him.

SAN, a large and important province of Brazil, in South America, celebrated for the courage of its inhabitants, and for the number of expeditions which have sailed from it for the purpose of exploring the interior. It is formed by the union of a part of the old capitanship of St Annar with half of that of St Vincente, and received its present name in the year 1710, when John V., having incorporated them with the crown-lands by purchase, appointed the city of St Paulo as the residence of the captain-general. It is separated from the province of Rio de Janeiro on the north-east by a line which, traversing the heights of the vast serra from the point of Joatinga to the head of the Jacui, descends that river till it joins the Paraiba. The Serra do Montequeira interposes between it and Minas Geraes on the north, the Rio Grande and the Parana separate it from Poyuz and Matto Grosso on the west and north-west, the Saha from St Catherina on the south, and for its eastern boundary it has the Atlantic Ocean. Its territory is almost all within the temperate zone, between 20°30' and 28°0' of south latitude, measuring 450 miles from San Paulo north to south, and having a medium breadth of 340 miles. St Paulo is divided into three comarcas or ouvidorias, viz. St Paulo, Hitu, and Curytiba, each called after the principal town situated in it. Excepting on the eastern part, where a cordillera or elevated ridge of mountains runs parallel with the coast, this province is not mountainous. With the exception of Para, not one of the maritime provinces contains so many navigable rivers as St Paulo; but, unfortunately, all these flow into the interior, and are absorbed by the mighty Parana, so that they do not in any way facilitate intercourse with the coast. The few streams or mountain torrents which descend the eastern declivity of the cordillera, and fall into the Atlantic, are of no use in a commercial point of view, not being navigable. This province, like most others of Brazil, abounds in large forests, the trees being such as are common to the country. These are succeeded by plains and gently rising hills, covered with scattered bushes, and extensive tracts of verdure, which form by far the largest proportion of its surface; and hence St Paulo is pre-eminently adapted for the breeding of cattle, vast herds of which everywhere abound. Oxen, horses, and mules thrive exceedingly well, and are particularly numerous. Sheep are not attended to; but here there is a very fine and large breed of goats, whose milk is generally used. The soil of this province is in many parts very rich, and the vegetable productions are numerous and luxuriant. The articles chiefly cultivated are wheat, rye, maize, manioc, rice, and potatoes; and lately the vine has been introduced with perfect success. The palma Christi grows in such abundance that castor oil is burned in lamps instead of spermaceti. Cotton and coffee do not appear to thrive very well, and the sugar-cane but indifferently; yet rum is made in quantities sufficient to supply the home consumption of that article. Little manioc is cultivated; but maize is raised to a great extent, and considerable quantities of it are sent to Rio. In some parts this grain, and also rice, yield two hundred and fifty fold; an extraordinary return, when we consider that in England the produce of wheat is only as twelve to one. The mulberry tree attains to great perfection in this climate, and the silk-worms are said to produce a very beautiful thread, so that the culture of silk might be carried on with great success. The cochineal insect is also found in many parts of the province, and might be made to furnish an equally profitable branch of trade. But the aversion of the Paulistas to laborious work, as long as they can obtain the rich gifts of nature without much trouble, has hitherto prevented this branch of industry from being prosecuted. The jasmine is here a favourite tree, and bears flowers perennially, as does also the rose. Bees are by no means uncommon; and although insects are numerous, the mosquito is less troublesome than in Rio or La Plata.

The bulk of the inhabitants of St Paulo are graziers, the breeding of cattle being the chief occupation. The vast grassy campos, which extend over the surface of the province, afford every facility for prosecuting it upon a great scale; and, by the following extract from the valuable work of Dr Von Spix, it will be seen that the Paulistas take every advantage of their situation. "Every land-holder possesses, according to the extent of his farm, from several hundred to two thousand, nay, even forty thousand, head of cattle. They generally reckon from three to four thousand head on an estate which has two square miles of good pasture. All these roam at liberty in a wild state; but every farmer keeps, besides, as many tame draught oxen and cows as he requires for the purposes of agriculture and milk, which is partly made into cheese. The attendance on the wild cattle gives but very little trouble; all that is required is to brand them with the mark of the owner, and to catch the animals intended to be slaughtered." From San Paulo, four to six servants, under the direction of a chief cowherd, perform all these services; they prevent the herds from straying beyond the boundaries, and defend them from the attacks of the ovens, wolves, and wild dogs. These people are almost always on horseback, as their office compels them to ride twenty miles or more in a day. Every year the whole herd is collected at different times in a place in a high situation, and sometimes fenced in. On this occasion the mark of the owner is branded on the hind quarter of the beasts one year old, of which they reckon a thousand annually for a herd of five or six thousand. Those of four years old or more are selected for slaughter." The hide is always the most valuable part of the cattle; but the flesh also, after being salted, is exported in great quantities to the cities of the north. The breeding of horses and mules likewise occupies the attention of the farmers of St Paulo. The horses of this province are of a middling size, of slender make, and, if they are attended with care, acquire an elegant carriage, and become excellent racers. In general twenty or thirty of these wild horses herd together, and hardly ever separate. Both they and the wild cattle are captured, as in the pampas of Buenos Ayres, by long leathern nooses, which, Mr Mawe informs us, the Paulistas use with incredible dexterity. The mules here are more handsomely formed animals than the horses. They are commonly equal in size to the European horse; and their colours are black, brown, fallow, or they are striped like the zebra. They are preferable to the horses, especially on long journeys, as they can endure hunger and thirst much longer, and carry heavier burdens with much greater security.

The working of the gold and iron mines of St Paulo is the next branch of the industry of the province which requires to be noticed. The celebrated gold-mines of Jaraguá are situated about twenty-four miles from the capital of the province. They were the first discovered in this country, and, on account of the immense treasures which they produced above a century ago, this district was regarded as the Pasco of Brazil. After having been abandoned for some time, the gold-washing had been resumed at the period of Dr Von Spix's visit in 1818. The mountain of Jaraguá is one of the most southerly branches of the Serra do Montequeira, which, after running for more than fifty miles to the north, disappears in this latitude. The rock is granite, sometimes gneiss, containing a portion of hornblende with mica. The earth washed for gold Dr Spix describes as "a ferruginous sandstone conglomerate. The soil is red and remarkably ferruginous. The gold lies for the most part in a stratum of rounded pebbles and gravel, called cascalho, incumbent on the solid rock. In the valleys where there is water occur frequent excavations made by the gold-washers, some of them fifty or a hundred feet wide, and eighteen or twenty feet deep. On many of the hills, where water can be collected for washing, particles of gold are found in the soil, scarcely deeper than the roots of the grass." The gold is obtained by the usual process of washing with water, negroes being chiefly employed in the operation. The pursuit of this precious metal has now much declined in St Paulo, the gold-hunters finding a richer harvest in the provinces of Minas Geraes and Matto Grosso.

In the mountain of Guarassojava, situated about twenty leagues from St Paulo, the capital city of the province, there are vast mines of magnetic ironstone; and a foundery for obtaining the metal has been erected on the banks of the Ypanema or Hipauemna, round which a small village has grown up. The mines were never regularly worked until 1810, when a company of Swedish miners were brought to the spot, and erected two small furnaces. In 1818 a handsome and extensive edifice was built, with every necessary convenience for the miners. Operations then commenced with considerable vigour; but as the wood in the neighbouring forests is the only kind of fuel of which they have any command, Dr Spix anticipates that a want of this indispensable article will by and by be experienced. The ore appears to be very rich, some of it containing ninety per cent.; and it exists in such incredible abundance, that Dr Spix thinks St Paulo might supply not only Brazil, but all the rest of the American continent, with that metal, if exportation were only facilitated by making a proper road or canal to the coast. The mountain which produces this extraordinary quantity of ore rises behind the neat little town of St João de Ypanema, a quarter of a mile to the west, and extends, as a rather insulated mountain ridge, a league in length from south to north. The mass of magnetic ironstone is either compact or traversed by veins of red ochre. The surface of the masses of rock, which rise nearly perpendicularly to the height of forty feet and more, is almost everywhere flat and even, with slight depressions and cavities, and has a crust of imperfectly oxidated ironstone. Dr Spix informs us that he did not observe that the great masses caused any motion in a suspended needle; but small pieces, especially when just struck off, had a considerable effect on it.

The city of St Paulo, from which the province derives its name, is the most ancient in Brazil, and, beyond every other, interesting in an historical point of view. "Here, more than in any other place," says Dr Spix, "we find the present connected with the past. The Paulista is sensible of this, and says, not without pride, that his native city has a history of its own." It is situated at the angle of the confluence of the Tamandatubi, which washes it on the west, with the Hyhlangabahu, which flows on the eastern side. The celebrated Anchieta and his brother Jesuits commenced this city in the year 1552, with the foundation of a college, in which they celebrated the first mass on St Paul's day; and when, six years afterwards, it acquired the denomination of a town, its name was determined by this circumstance. Its first inhabitants were Indians, but they were soon joined by Europeans in great numbers, and a mixed race rapidly augmented the population; so that, before a century had elapsed, the Paulistas had become as formidable by their numbers as they were distinguished by their spirit of enterprise. Their love of travelling, and the hope of discovering the treasures of the New World, prevented them from cultivating their own fertile territory. They visited almost every part of Brazil. They crossed lofty mountains, until then deemed impassable. They were not checked by rivers, deserts, nor savage men, who waged perpetual war against them. The richest mines of Brazil were discovered by the Paulistas, who abandoned them with regret, and reluctantly submitted to the authority of their government. But this ardour of enterprise also led to serious evils. The early historians describe them as a lawless tribe, who had shaken off the yoke of Portugal, and constituted themselves a separate republic. They certainly acted in many instances in a perfectly independent manner, making incursions into the neighbouring countries, and committing the most dreadful barbarities. Paraguay suffered severely by these inroads, and the missions which had been formed in that country were at one time nearly ruined by the Paulistas. (See the article PARAGUAY.) The selfish rudeness and insensibility which formerly distinguished the Paulista is now much softened; and, although pride, revenge, and stubbornness are still recognised as forming part of his character, he enjoys throughout Brazil the reputation of great frankness, undaunted courage, and a romantic love of adventures and dangers.

The city of St Paulo is well laid out on an eminence of about two miles in extent, and rising about fifty feet above the wide plain of Pirantininga. Placed exactly at the angle formed by the confluence of the rivers Tamandatubi and Hyhlangabahu, the former washes it on the western, and the latter The streets are broad, light, and cleanly; and some of them are well paved, with a material in which particles of gold are found after a heavy rain has searched the chinks and hollows. The houses in the principal streets are two or three stories in height, stuccoed in various colours, and frequently having latticed balconies. The walls are erected by means of a framework made of wood, into which earth is put, which the workmen heat and occasionally moisten with water, until it acquires solidity. These houses of earth appear to be very durable, for Mr Mawe mentions that he saw some which had lasted two centuries. The residence of the governor, formerly the Jesuits' College, is built in a very good style, but has fallen into decay. The episcopal palace and the Carmelite convent are large and stately edifices, and the cathedral and some of the churches are spacious. The city is divided into two parishes; that of the Cathedral, and that of the Church of St Efigenia. Besides the public buildings already mentioned, St Paulo contains several chapels, monasteries, and nunneries, and three hospitals. Few manufactures of any consequence are carried on. A little coarse cotton is spun by the hand, and woven into cloth, which serves for a variety of purposes. By the most recent accounts which we have received, the manufactures are said to be improving. There is made here a beautiful kind of network for hammocks, which are fringed with lace, and form an elegant piece of furniture. The making of lace is a general employment for females, some of whom excel in it. Shopkeepers are a very numerous class here, and various trades are prosecuted with considerable spirit. A coarse earthenware is made at the outskirts of the city; but the great proportion of the inhabitants are farmers and inferior husbandmen, who cultivate small portions of land, on which they breed large stocks of pigs and poultry for sale. With these the market is generally well supplied, and also with various kinds of fruit and vegetables. St Paulo is esteemed a most healthy situation; and the climate, Dr Spix says, is one of the most agreeable in the world. Its situation, almost under the tropic of Capricorn, as well as its elevation of 1200 feet above the surface of the sea at Santos, imparts to the city all the charms of a tropical climate, without any great inconvenience from heat. The thermometer ranges from 50° to 80° of Fahrenheit. The population, including the dependent parishes, was estimated, Dr Spix says, at above 30,000 souls, of which one half were whites, or those who were reckoned such, and one half were people of colour. Henderson, in his history of Brazil, states the population as being from 35,000 to 40,000; but an official return for 1815 fixes the population of the city at 25,313 souls, of whom 12,274 were whites, 845 free blacks, 6239 free mulattoes, and 5955 slaves. The number of inhabitants must have considerably increased since the date of the above census, and, in the absence of official reports, we probably do not over-estimate the population in 1838 at 40,000. In general the principal characteristics of the Paulistas are, a lofty, and, at the same time, broad make; strongly-marked features, expressive of a bold, independent spirit; with eyes full of fire, and motions indicative of great vivacity. They are considered as the strongest, most healthy, and most active inhabitants of the country; and "the appellation of Paulista," says Mr Mawe, "is considered by all the females here as a great honour, the Paulistas being celebrated throughout Brazil for their attractions and their dignity of character." The city of St Paulo stands in lat. 23° 33' 10" south, and long. 46° 39' 10" west from Greenwich.

Santos is the only harbour in the province which has a direct intercourse with Europe; but, although no more than twelve leagues distant from the capital, the want of water communication, and the difficult nature of the road between the two cities, render the transport of goods a matter of considerable labour and expense. The road from Santos to St Paulo is cut in many places through solid rocks, and in others along the edge of precipices, which are fenced by parapets; otherwise the traveller might be in danger of falling into an impervious thicket more than thirty yards below him. Some fine springs, issuing from elevated sources, form romantic cascades in the midst of detached rocks. In these places the rocks consist of granite, and soft ferruginous sandstone, but everywhere else the mountains are covered with thick woods; even on the road branches of trees meet and form arbours, that defend the traveller from the rain, and shelter him from the heat of the sun. There are two other seaports, but they are situated at a much greater distance from St Paulo, and both are insignificant. The harbour of Santos has a safe entrance, and is very secure. It is a strait, having the island of St Vincente to the left, for the extent of half a mile, when it takes a different direction. Here is situated the port, which has good anchorage and regular soundings along the shore, and is the resort of many vessels trading to the Plata. Hides and tallow are the principal articles of export, and sugar, coffee, and some European articles are received in return. Its intercourse with the capital is carried on by means of mules, which come laden with the produce of the interior, and carry back salt, earthenwares, cutlery, and other goods from Europe. Santos is tolerably well built, most of the houses being of stone, and very ancient. The situation is by no means healthy, as the country around is low, woody, and frequently deluged with rain. The rice of this district, which is raised in great quantities, is esteemed the best in Brazil, and the bananas are equally celebrated. The population, consisting chiefly of merchants, shopkeepers, and artificers, amounts to about 7000. Not far to the north of Santos Bay is the fine island of St Sebastian, which is above twenty miles in length. It is very fertile, and is reputed to produce the best sugar, rum, and tobacco, as well as the finest cattle, in all Brazil. There is a town situated on it; and opposite the island, on the mainland, is St Sebastian, formerly of some note, but now reduced to 2000 or 3000 inhabitants.

Amongst the other towns of St Paulo is Sorocaba, a flourishing place, situated on a small river of the same name which flows into the Tiete, one of the tributaries of the Parana. It is a great thoroughfare and market for mules from Rio Grande do Sul; above thirty thousand of which, it is reckoned, pass through Sorocaba annually. The population may be between five and six thousand, two thirds of the whole being whites. Sorocaba is situated in the comarca of Hitu, sixty miles west from the capital. Eighteen miles to the north-west is Hitu or Ytu, the chief town of the comarca to which it gives name. It is situated at the foot of the hills, and is excessively hot in the summer months. The soil in the neighbourhood is said to be well adapted to the culture of the sugar-cane; but it does not appear that any advantage is taken of this circumstance. There are several other towns in the comarca, but none of them of any importance.

The comarca of Curitiba is situated in the southern part of the province, and is generally mountainous on the coast, but expands inland into beautiful and salubrious campos. Mr Mawe speaks of these elevated plains as the finest district in the country, and indeed one of the finest in the world, in point of climate. Its soil and air are so excellent, that olives, grapes, apples, peaches, and other fruits grow to as great maturity as in Europe, though they are here almost in a wild state. Curitiba, the principal town, is stated to have a magnificent church; all its structures are of stone or brick, and the streets are paved. The district abounds in pine forests; hence its name curu, pine, and tiba, many; and the cedar is also common in many parts. These forests abound with the mountain hog, herds of which may be met with to the number sometimes of a hundred or more. Paungaoow The Curutibanos, who are very robust, are chiefly employed in breeding cattle, horses, and mules; but they also cultivate the ground. Paranaguá, which, prior to the year 1812, was the seat of the provincial magistracy, like Curutiba, is built of stone, and stands on the southern bank of the river from which it derives its name, about ten miles from the sea. The other villages of this comarca are Villa Vovade St Louis, or Guaratuba, seven miles from the sea; Antonio, ten miles west of Paranaguá, at the extremity of the bay of that name; Cannaná, situated upon a small island, about ten miles within the bar of the river of the same name; and several others, including Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres, the most southern town in the province, and much infested by the savages. The Indians have still some villages, in which they live in a half-civilized state, making occasional predatory attacks on the plantations and cattle of their neighbours. On the other hand, numbers have become civilized, and reside peaceably in settlements by themselves, imitating the manners and customs of the European or Creole part of the population. The only town of importance which remains to be noticed is Taubaté, a considerable place, and rivalling the capital in antiquity. It is reckoned about a hundred miles north-east from São Paulo. In former times, when the thirst for gold was at its height amongst the Paulistas, a government establishment for the refining of the metal was founded here; and the rivalry between the Taubatenses and the Paulistas of Piratininga, rose to a rancorous and implacable feud, and many sanguinary conflicts were the consequences of this enmity, traces of which are said to exist at the present day, although gold-washing is no longer pursued at Taubaté.

According to official reports, dated in 1815, the population of the whole province then amounted to 215,021 souls. By a previous census for the year 1808, the number was 200,473, which shows an increase of nearly fifteen thousand in seven years. The population in 1830 was said to be 610,000 souls. Considering the size of the province, its vegetable wealth, and the number of its inhabitants, the trade which it carries on is comparatively small, and the proportion of pecuniary wealth in it is inferior to that of the more northern provinces. The chief articles of export are sugars, rice, hides, and Peruvian bark.