532 



the name of Serra do Espinhago, and considers 

 as the principal part of the whole structure of 

 the mountains of Brazil. This Cordillera loses 

 itself towards the north*, between Minas Novas 

 and the southern extremity of the Capitania of 

 Bahia, in 16° of latitude. It there remains 

 more than 60 leagues removed from the coast 

 of Porto Seguro ; but towards the south, be- 

 tween the parallels of Rio Janeiro and Saint 

 Paul (lat. 22° — 23°), in the knot of the moun- 

 tains of Serra da Mantiqueira, it draws so near 

 the Cordillera of the shore (Serra do Mar) that 

 they are almost confounded together. In the 

 same manner the Serra do Espinhago follows 

 constantly the direction of a meridian, towards 

 the north ; while towards the south, it runs 

 south-east, and terminates towards 25° of lati- 

 tude. The chain reaches its highest elevation 

 between 18° and 21° ; and there, the counter- 

 forts and table lands at its back are of suffici- 



nas {reraes, or the counterforts that unite the Serra do Espin- 

 hago to that of Goyaz or dos Vertentes, are generally only 300 

 toises of absolute height. (Eschwege, Journal von Brasilien, 

 1818, Vol. ii, p. 213.) 



* The rocky ridges that form the cataract of Paulo Affon- 

 SO, in the Rio San Francisco, are supposed to belong to the 

 northern prolongation of the Sarra do Espinhago, as a series 

 of heights in the province of Seara, or fetid calcareous rocks 

 containing a quantity of petrified fish, belong to the Sarra 

 dos V ?rtentes. 



