ECCLESIASTICAL DIVISION, ETC. 267 



Ecclesiastical Division. 



In the earliest times, Minas Geraes belonged partly to the 

 diocese of Rio de Janeiro and partly to the archbishopric of 

 Bahia, or the bishopric of Pernambuco. In 1745, Benedict XIV., 

 at the instance of Joao V., created the bishopric of Marianna. In 

 1853, the Government was authorized to petition the Holy See for 

 a bull to create a new diocese, having Diamantina as its centre. 

 In spite of these various decrees, Minas, with the two bishops it 

 possesses, is subject to the diocese of Rio de Janeiro on the east, 

 S. Paolo on the south, and Goyaz on the west. 



I saw the bishops of Rio de Janeiro and Marianna when they 

 were staying at Fazenda do Cortume ; they were making a visita- 

 tion especially for the purpose of holding confirmations, and 

 triumphal arches covered with flowers were erected along the 

 route they travelled. 



Population. 



The lack of trustworthy and recent statistics prevents the 

 exact number of inhabitants being given The census of 1872, 

 gave 1,669,276 free, 370,459 slaves; total, 2,039,735, 01^ about 

 six persons to the square mile. Of this number, 2,036,589 were 

 Catholics, 3146 being described as non-Catholics. Of the men, 

 145,396, and 78,317 women, could read and write; while 901,630 

 of the men and 914,392 of the women were ignorant even of this 

 elementary knowledge. There are some 1084 schools scattered 

 among the various cities and villages ; but I can give no informa- 

 tion as to their efficiency, though there are some 34,000 scholars 

 on the books. I was told of a complaint lodged against a recently 

 appointed Government inspector, on the ground that he could 

 neither read nor write. 



Railways in Minas Geraes. 



Speaking on this subject, at the opening of the Minas Pro- 

 vincial Assembly, August i, 1882, Senhor Dr. Theophilo Ottoni 

 said, " Buried amongst her mountains, separated from the ocean 

 by the territories of some of the states bordering on her, Minas 

 could not begin railways until the locomotive of the Dom Pedro 

 II. line arrived at her frontiers. It was only in 187 1 that the 



