t886.) Geographical and Geological Exploration in Brazil. 689 
“The maps will be accompanied by reports describing the physi- 
cal features of the province, the geological structure, the agricul- 
tural and mineral resources, meteorology, hydrography, including 
the study of our navigable streams and the means of improving 
them, the quality of the soils and the natural conditions favorable 
to industry, etc. 
“This plan is perfectly practicable within a reasonable length 
of time, as experience in the United States has shown, if we 
count upon the rapidity with which American geographers 
worked, The personnel, if limited to four professionals, will re- 
quire ten years to complete the map of the whole province, the 
annual expenses being limited to a score or two of contos." 
“The estimate for the expenses of the first year, including the 
purchase of instruments and the beginning of operations, will 
not exceed fifty contos ($22,000), and it is to be presumed that 
it will be advisable to reduce this amount in future years. The 
results of the labors of the first year will enable the authorities 
to appreciate the practicability and utility of the plan proposed, 
and to judge of the convenience of continuing it either under the 
same organization or upon a more extensive scale. 
“It seems most urgent that we should first have information 
os 
< Bagg 
ee ae OTA SF ee Ne Re Oe et Oe ce 
ight upon the feasibility of connecting our railway system with 
the navigable parts of the River Parana and its tributaries by way 
ot the Paranapanema, a connection which was regarded by the 
Visconde do Rio Branco and by Buarque de Macedo and others 
as the best road to Matto Grosso. For this reason it seems best 
that the work should be begun in this region and should include 
the question of the navigability of the Paranapanema. Accord- 
a ee ee es eee Gee te a SE. 
Pee Nee ee ae 
ried on in districts selected with a view to meeting public require- 
ments until, by the codrdination of the work of each year the 
Whole province shall have been examined.” . 
The bill appropriating fifty contos ($22,000) for the work of 
April ist. 
had a high opinion. 
ŽA conto of reis, at the prevailing rate of exchange, is $440. 
this survey was passed almost unanimously by the provincial — 
assembly, and Mr. Derby began the work of organization about- 
: The corps, with the exception of Mr. Derby himself, is made _ 
up entirely of Brazilians. The engineer in charge of the geo- _ 
graphical work is Sñr. Theodoro Sampaio, who was at one time — 
an assistant of Col. Milnor Roberts in his explorations of the — 
Rio Sao Francisco, and of whose ability and fidelity Col. Roberts 
Two young graduates from the Brazilian School of Mines at 
STEN ENG OP A Rage a DE nC N 
pe a ee ee ae g 4 
concerning the southern part of the province in order to throw — 
ing to this method the work of subsequent years should be car- 
ae 
