works will be commenced at once, and constructed within the 
shortest space of time possible: 1° starting from Belém de Para 
and joining onto the general railway system in Pirapdra, Minas 
Geraes and in Coroata, in Maranhio, with the necessary branches 
to connect the initial or terminal point of navigation on the 
rivers Araguaya, Tocantins, Parnahyba and S. Francisco; 2° 
starting point from the Madeira e Marmoré Railway in the 
proximity of the mouth of the Abufia, passing by the town of 
Rio Branco and by the most appropriate point between Senna 
Madueira and Catay and terminating in the town of ’Thauma- 
turgo, with branch line right up to the frontier of Peru, along the 
valley of the river Purus. 
The construction and renting out of these railways will be 
done in competition by Public Tender. 
The concession for the railways of the second category shall 
only be made to those who undertake to colonize and ex- 
ploit in proportion as that may be justified, the respective 
marginal lands, i.e., the land lying along each side of such said 
lines. The Government will concede a subsidy of 25:000$000 
per kilometre constructed; the technical conditions are: a line of 
the Decauville portatil, the weight of the rails being 50 kilos per 
metre, with a gauge of 0.60 between the rails and the minimum 
radius of the curve 40 meters inclination 0.10 and weight of the 
locomotives in full working order, 18 to 20 tons. 
By way of experiment the Governments will bring about at 
once, the construction of 2 economic railway systems, 1° starting 
from Antiga Sauzel on the left bank of the river Xingtt and going 
up the valley as far as the river Careahy, with a branch leading 
to the river Tapajoz, whose valley it will follow until the river 
S. Manoel and with other sub-branches; 2° starting from the con- 
fluent of the Rio Negro with the Rio Branco and following the 
valleys of Seruiny and the Caratimani passing over the water- 
shed and going on until it terminates in the Alto Uraricoera, 
with 2 branches, the one for the Alto Paduary and the other for 
the town of Boa Vista. 
The necessary improvements to be made towards effecting 
the navigability of the rivers at all seasons of the year, by 
steamers drawing up to 3 feet of water, of the Rio Negro, be- 
tween S. Isabel and Cucuhy, on the Rio Branco from its mouth 
as far as S. Joaquim; of the river Purts between Hiutanaha and 
Senna Madureira, and of the river Acre from its mouth as far 
as Riosinho de Pedras, will be contracted for by public-tender 
or by some public company which can prove itself sufficiently 
capable for the carrying out of the same. The maximum time- 
term for the termination of the improvements will be 7 years. 
As supplementary measures, the exemption from taxes is 
54 
