The Express.
London, England, 1863-12-26 00:00:00

DISCOVERY Or COAL IR BRAZIL.

At the last monthly meeting of the Manchester
Geological Society (Mr. Andrew Knowles, the president, in
the chair), Mr. Plant, the curator of the Peel Park Museum,
made • communication respecting the three important
coal fields recently discovered in one of the southern
provinces of Brazil. He had received, he said, the infer•
motion from his brother, Mr. Senior Nathaniel Plant, who
had been making geological explorations in different carte
of the empire sines 1852. Works treating of South
America had generally remarked the absence of coal deposits,
especially in BraziL A rumour was circulated in 1859
that • gentleman visiting the southern part of that country
had observed coal on the surface, sad the report was
quoted in an article in the Quarter•!,e Ramiro, and in one of
Mr. E. Hull's well•koown works. In 1882 Kr. S. N. Plant
proceeded to the district indicated, on the southern border,
god which lay partly in Brazil asd partly in the republic
adjoining. It embraced the rivers Jaguar*, Ceodiota, and
Grande do Sal ; the two latter being tributaries to the
former. These streams drained the whole coal-field, end
Tan into oar of the coast lakes, by which the Atlantic was
entered. It might, therefore, be said that there was a
natural carriage way from the Atlantic to the very heart
of the coal field. In some places the coal beds were 65
feet thick. To the north of the chief bed there existed
two smaller bed., one of which was in the province of Rio
Grande do Sal, and was said to be very valuable. The fields
were in one line of deposit, and appeared to be oolitic.
This was the first instance of coal having been found is
Brasil, with its 3,000,000 of square miles. It was • most
valuable discovery for the Brazilian government, who
annually imported 250,000 tons of coals, at 50s. per ton, from
Great Britain. If the government were now wise mough
to open the fields, they could be supplied at 18s. par toe,
and could also form depots for the supply of all our ocean
going steamers to India and Australia, as the fields wens
180 square miles in area—The President : Have you
been informed whether it is hard or gas coall—Mr. Plant
said the coal generally was am good as that taken from any
British mires. It had been tried for steam purposes with
admirable success. It did not answer so well for ordinary
burning, being bituminous. It bad been tried for gas,
except in Rio de Janeiro, and the engineer there reported
that it answered very welL —Mr. JAMS Heywood : Some
Eoxlish house in Rio has the monopoly of the gas, and I
should think it would be greatly to their interest to set
cheap eoal.—Mr. E. Hull said be had always felt that the
magnificent country of Brazil must promo coal. There
would be no difficulty is getting capitalista to undertake
snob ► splendid enterprise. If Mr. Plant would commanni-
oath his discovery to the Geological Society of Lemke,
great public interest would no doubt be awakened.—A vote
of thanks was unanimously gives to Hr. Plant for hie oom-
municatioe, and also foe the photographic views •ed map by
which it was illustrated.—ln acknowledging this ocietpli.
men t Mr. Plant said the society might rely upon his facts,
as they had been taken from the report his brother had
presented to the Brazilias government.—The usual vote of
thanks to the President terminated the proceedings.

ST. JANEs'A PALACE, DEC. 23.—The Queen has
bees phoned to appoint the Lady Augusta Frederica Eliza-
beth Stanley to be extra bedchamber woman to her Majesty.
—Gazette.