COAST cnAiN or bkaziIi. 
347 
in their whole length, a continued chain near the shore 
(the Andes and the Cordillera of Venezuela), while the 
eastern coast presents masses of more or less lofty moun- 
tains only between the 12^ and 30° south lat. In this 
space, 360 leagues in length, the system of the Brazil 
mountains corresponds geologically in form and position 
with the Andes of Chile and Peru. Its most considerable 
portion lies between the parallels 15° and 22°, opposite the 
Andes of Potosi and La Paz, but its mean height is five 
toises loss, and cannot even he compared witli that of the 
mountains of Parime, .lura, and Auvergne. Iho jjrincipal 
direction of the Brazilian chains, where they attain the 
height of from four to live hundred toises, is from south to 
north, and from south-south-west to nortl\-nortli-east ; but, 
between 13° and 19° the chains are considerably enlarged, 
and at the same time lowered towards the west. Eidges 
and ranges of hills seem to advance beyond the land-straits 
which separate the sources of the Eio Araguay, iarana, 
Topayos, Paraguay, Guapore, and Aguapehy, in 63° long. 
As tlie western widening of the Brazilian group, or rather 
the undulations of the soil in the Campos Parccis, corres- 
pond with the spurs of Santa Cruz do la Sierra, and Beni, 
which the Andes send out eastward, it was formerly con- 
cluded that the system of the mountains of Brazil was^ 
linked with that of' the Andes of Upper Peru. I myself 
laboured under this error in my first geologic studies. 
A coast chain (Serra do Mar) runs nearly parallel with 
the coast, north-east of Eio Janeiro, _ lowering considerably 
towards Eio Doce, and losing itself almost entirely near 
Bahia (lat. 12° 58'). According to M. Esclnyege,*^ soine 
small ridges reach Cape Saint lioque (lat. 5 12). bouth- 
east of Itio Jiinciro, tlie berra do Mar tollows the coast 
behind the island of Saint Catherine as far as Torres (lat. 
29° 20') ; it there turns westward, and forms an elbow^ 
stretching by the Campos of V acaria, towards the banks ot 
the Jaeuy. , » , , i • r 
Another chain is situated westward of the shore-chain ot 
Brazil. This is the most lofty and considerable ot all, and 
is called the chain of Villarica. Mr. Eschwege distinguishes 
* Geognostiches Gemillde vou Brasilien, 1S22. The limestone ol 
Baliia abounds in fossil wood. 
