TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. Q.'Jl 



colour, united with perfect transparency, has ob- 

 tained the name of Corrego do Vinho, or wine- 

 spring. 



Before we left Europe our attention had been 

 directed to the chromate of lead, which was said to 

 be found in Brazil. On enquiry, we learnt that it 

 was to be met with near Congonhas do Campo. 

 As this fossil has hitherto been observed only here 

 and at Beresof, on the Ural, in Siberia, we consi- 

 dered it important to investigate the manner of its 

 occurrence on the spot. We chose the road by 

 way of Capao, where we had an opportunity of con- 

 firming our previous researches into the formation 

 of the topazes there. From this place we rode 

 westwards over a beautiful hilly tract of campos, 

 richly diversified, but destitute of inhabitants, for 

 we met with only two small fazendas, Laranjal and 

 Pires. Thick beds of mica-slate, containing iron- 

 glance, or the crust of the iron-stone flotz, stand 

 out here as the upper formation, resting on clay 

 or quartz-slate. In the two former there is an 

 extraordinary number of octahedrons of magnetic 

 iron-stone and crystals of iron-pyrites, which are 

 transformed into iron-stone ; more recent iron- 

 pyrites, and large tables of ironglance lie scattered 

 on the road. At noon we reached the iron-foun- 

 dry of De Prata, which is five leagues to the west 

 of Capao. This establishment, founded by our 

 countryman Von Eschwege, under the auspices 

 of the late governor-general, Conde de Palma, on 



