166
CHAP. XXII.
but their produce was very inconsiderable whencompared with that of Minas Geraes. By the ac-counts it appears 1 that there was a decrease in theamount of the quintos on gold as thus shown :
Annual average from 1752 to 17621763 to 17731774 to 17841785 to 1794
Arobas. Marcs. Ounces.104 7 5
90 3 1
69 20 4
45 41 5
The actual produce of these two great miningprovinces in the fifty-one years yielded to thecrown by a tax of one-fifth the weight, three thou-sand three hundred and sixty-nine Brazilian aro-bas of gold. The aroba contains two hundredand twenty-six thousand six hundred and forty-five English troy grains, and the value of eacharoba in sterling is one thousand eight hundredand twenty-one pounds seventeen shillings andfour-pence, and consequently the whole sum re-ceived in the fifty-one years was six million onehundred and forty-three thousand eight hundredand sixty-seven pounds sterling, which multipliedby five, gives as the amount of the produce thirtymillion seven hundred and nineteen thousandthree hundred and thirty-five pounds. The minesof Goiazes, and those of Cuiaba , Jacobina, andMatagroso being uncertain, may without risk ofany great error be taken at nine million two hun-