104 



BRAZIL. 



Postal Service. The report of the postmaster- 

 general, dated Dec. 31, 1887, shows that there 

 were then in operation 1,963 post-offices, of 

 which 553 were in the province of Minas- 

 Geraes, and 11 in that of Goyaz. The total 

 receipts for the second half of 1886 and the 

 whole of 1887, were 3,064,281 milreis, and the 

 expenses 3,324,783, the deficit not exceeding 

 260,501, which is trifling considering the size 

 of the country and the moderate rate of post- 

 age. Three provinces had a surplus. Money 

 orders were paid to the amount of 1,712,204 

 milreis. The number of letters handled in the 

 foreign mails was 4,012,879, distributed as fol- 

 lows: Portugal, 1,131,500; France, 673,452; 

 England, 634,580; Germany, 554,320; Italy, 

 373,158; United States, 213,837; Rio de la 

 Plata, 140,278; Spain, 97,117; Belgium, 44,- 

 623; other countries, 140,010. The number 

 of foreign letters exceeded those of 1886 by 

 226,917. The home mails forwarded 12,042,- 

 998 letters and 27,271,139 newspapers. 



Telegraphs. In July, 1888, there were in 

 operation 10,633 kilometres of Government 

 telegraphs, with 18,403 kilometres of wire, 

 connecting 170 offices. The service includes 

 48 kilometres of cable, the bulk of which is in 

 the Bay of Rio. 



Commerce. The development in Brazil's for- 

 eign commerce during the quinquennial period' 

 1882-'83 to 1886-'87 is shown in the ensu- 

 ing tables, reduced to contos, or thousands of 

 milreis : 



The sugar and cotton exportation from Per- 

 nambuco have been as follow : 



On examining the amounts exported of each 

 of the nine principal products shipped, it will 

 be found that for the last two fiscal years the 

 figures were as follow: Coffee, 326,186 tons 

 in 1885-'86, and 364,409 tons in 1886-'87; 

 sugar, respectively, 112,399 and 226,010; cot- 

 ton, 15,054 and 23,280; India-rnbber, 8,150 

 and 14,083; tobacco, 25,904 and 22,938; hides, 

 16,768 and 12,975; cocoa, 4,188 and 3,566; 

 Brazil-nuts, 5,564 and 5,692 ; and rum, 570,372 

 litres against 562,661. During the five years 

 named, the export of diamonds reached alto- 

 gether the value of 2,438,000 milreis, and that 

 of gold bullion and dust 6,573,000 milreis. 

 Coffee shipments from the ports of Rio de 

 Janeiro and Santos were as follow, during the 

 twelve months from July 1 to June 30 : 



The export of hides from Rio Grande do Sul 

 in 1887 was 856,111, compared with 758,522 

 in 1886. 



The American trade with Brazil exhibits 

 these figures : 



The maritime movement, at Rio in 1887 was 

 as follows: Sea-going vessels entered, 1,102; 

 sailed, 824; coastwise crafts entered, 1,203; 

 sailed, 1,511. The nationality of vessels entered 

 at Santos in 1887 was : Brazilian, 263 ; British, 

 129; German, 102; French, 58; other flags, 

 274 ; total, 826. 



Railroads. During the summer of 1888 the 

 Minister of Public Works submitted his report 

 to Parliament. The past thirty years have en- 

 dowed the country with 8,402 kilometres of 

 railway, the system being as follows: Govern- 

 ment lines, 2,013 kilometres; lines on whose 

 capital the Government has guaranteed inter- 

 est, 2,585 ; provincial lines, 95 ; lines on which 

 provinces have either guaranteed the interest 

 or paid subsidies, 1,552 ; lines on which neither 

 interest has been guaranteed nor subsidies 

 granted, 2,157; total, 8,402. There will con- 

 sequently be in operation in two years some- 

 thing like 13,000 kilometres of railway. The 

 lines guaranteed by the state represent a capi- 

 tal of 143,322,128 milreis, or 16,125,352. 



River Navigation. Navigation on the central 

 artery of communication, the Sao Francisco, 

 is unencumbered for a distance of 1,500 kilo- 

 metres, and, after the railways starting from 

 Pernambuco and Bahia shall connect with it, 

 the products of the interior of Minas-Geraes 

 will have an outlet toward the sea. The rivers 

 Tiet6 and Piracicaba in the province of Sao 

 Paulo are already made navigable, completing 

 communication in the eastern portion of the 

 province, and soon the Mogiana Company will 

 render navigable the rivers Mogy-Guassu, Par- 

 do, and Rio Grande, assisted by the Western 

 Minas Railroad Company. 



Harbor Improvements. Notable progress has 

 been made in improving the harbors of Maran- 

 hao and Ceara, and proposals have been made 

 to the Government to put in better condition 

 that of Pernambuco. A wharf of considerable 

 length is to be built at Santos; the entry to 

 the port of Rio Grande, continually obstructed 

 by quicksands, is also to be deepened. 



