Canal principal do delta do Paraíba do Sul
Main channel of Paraíba do Sul River deltathe vegetation of timber and firewood is less abundant, but fer-
tile in herbaceous plants.
At this point, maybe, ceases the eighteenth-century in-
formation about restingas of the northern Fluminense, since the
relation of animals made by Couto Reis does not insert them in
their ecological context.
Restingas in the nineteenth century
Lands and waters. The home chroniclers, usually com-
pilers, and foreign travelers, more often naturalists, will bring
new knowledge about restingas of the northern Fluminense,
despite this geological and geomorphological formation, with
its native plant ecosystems, continues to be seen with certain
contempt. The first important record was made by the German
naturalist Maximilian Prince of Wied-Neuwied, taking advan-
tage, like others, of the opening of the frontiers during the trans-
fer of the head office of the Portuguese empire to Brazil. With a
well-prepared expedition, he traveled between 1815 and 1817,
through the route that extends from Rio de Janeiro to Salvador,
leaving the coast only a few times. Equipped with the map of
Arrowsmith, the German prince traces an itinerary that pass-
es through the mouth of the Macaé River, the lagoons of the
southern restinga and Barra do Furado (of which only Paulista
and Ubatuba are named), entering the village of São Salvador
(Campos) and going up Paraíba do Sul River to São Fidélis, from
where he descends to Campos again and goes to São João da
Barra. From this village, he marches to Bahia crossing the Paraí-
ba do Sul river delta, reaches the beach of Manguinhos and en-
ters the dense seasonal forest until Itabapoana River, limit of the
captaincies of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo.
Maximilian ́s travel report, released in 1820, blends first-
hand observations with the readings made later in Europe. It is,
therefore, a distorted primary source, but not least important.
Between Macaé and Barra do Furado, there are notes in which
the restinga appears as a sandy, deserted and melancholy re-
gion, swept by violent winds.
Throughout a small strip of land,
between the agitated ocean and
an extensive lagoon, we continued
the journey beyond the dusk, when
we arrived at the solitary abode of
a shepherd, named Paulista(22).Maximilian and his entourage then cross the territory
of the current Jurubatiba National Park. He reports of dunes,
of extensive paludes and lagoons and of vast sandy plains. In
Ubatuba, there is an immeasurable plain “that exceeds the sight
range. Water accumulates frequently in the shallow lowlands,
forming lagoons...” In the north of Ubatuba, he records exten-
sive lagoons interspersing the restinga plain. Walking further
towards the North, the voyagers reach Barra do Furado, one of
the Feia Lagoon defluents at that time. In a footnote, the prince
explains that he has crossed that lagoon by a segment, and
cannot, therefore, verify its configuration and extension with
the representation of Arrowsmith. Leaving behind the sad land-
scape of the furious sea, dunes, lagoons and coastal marshes,
the naturalists Maximilian, Sellow and Freyreiss enter the alluvi-
al plain towards Campos.From there, they only return to restinga in São João da