The Sun.
London, England, 1841-09-30 00:00:00

RAILWAY IN BRAZIL.

Taking, as we do, a great interest in Brazil, on
account of the connect'on of many of the Mining
and Steam Navigation Companies with it, we avail
ourselves of the present opportunity of giving more
information respecting the proposed railway. The
proposed capital is two millions sterling, or 8,000
contos of reis, and the number of shares is proposed
to be 16 000 of 1201. each, to be paid in five years,
by calls every three months of Of. each. These
arrangements may be very suitable to our Brazilian
Correspondents, but we think that shares of srnallar
amount wculd have been better adapte,l for the
market here. The Provisional Committee consists
J. J. Pereira de Faro, J. A. d'Olive:ra Silva, A. du
Cunha Babeza Guirriaraes, M. E. Montairo de
Barros, Thomas Cochrane, and J. P. da Veig,a,
Trrasurer. The railway is proposed to run from Rio
to the confines of the rich provinces of Minas Geraes
(General Mines, the great mining province), aid Saint
Paulo, crossing Ignassu, passing the Serra (or mum,-
tain chain and the river of Paraiba, and going through
the districts of Pirallay, Barra Manso, Rezendo and
Campo Bello. By this means a communication is
noerel with the main lines of traffic from the Minas
Gei•aes, Saint Paulo, Goinz, and Matta Grosso.
Tiie•rstimare of traffic is as follows : Dollars.
3,000,000 arrobas of coffee 2,623,000
251,000 arrobas of fumo 331,400
500 arrobas of bacon„ BOO,OOO
3,000,030 of briniest; of salt...
3,000,000 arsobas of _supdrias 3,000,000
100 passengers backwards and forward
daily
Cattle • 163,'208

10,304,608

equal to £ 2,500,000.
The Brazilian empire; being Ike the rest of the
southern continent of America, some centuries behind
the European world with ;•egard to internal communi-
cation : in fact, without roads, and with worse than
pack-horse carriage, it is a subject uc congratulation to
find a spirit of enterprise among the e, tal i sts of
that vast empire, who arc aware how seriously its inte-
rests are prejudiced by the present deficient moans of
transfer,' and arc prepared to exert themselves to eppi;
a remedy to remove every impediment to the develop-
ment of its abundant resources.
Much eretit is also due to the Brazilian Government
and to the Legislature, for the readiness with which
they have co-opdrated for the advancement of
this project, not only by granting to it many
valuable privileges and immunities, but also by
entertaining the plan of becoming Shareholders
to the amount of 500,000/. The advantages to
thp empire attendant oa the completion of this
noble undertaking will be incalculable, as the present
wretched lines of communication with the interior con-
sist of mere mule-tracks, producing a delay in the
journey of some eight or ten days, and creating to the
larnfewner a loss of Iron 20 to 50 -per ceat. on the
merchandise sent on the backs of mules to market ; so
that by the estab!ishtnent of a rapid and regular sys. ells
of communication by means of railways, the agricul-
turist will be enabled to forward the produce of his
lauds to market at a trifling expense, and in fewer
hours than days are now required. To us who are
accustomed to economise our time, and regulate it
with a knowledge that time is money, it may
well be surprising to us to see how the South Ame-
rican nations could have so long remained insensi-
ble to a consideration so important. Although in
this country posses:ed of macadamised roads, and
travelling at the rate of from ten to twelve miles per
hour, and with a land intersected with canals and na-
vigable rivers, still the great value of time and rapid
communication created a dissatisfaction at this com-
paratively slow medium of traffic, and has led to the
general introduction and establishment of the railway
sy s em. Everything, however, must have a beginning ;
Brazil is but a young, though a very great empire, and
the spirited way in which the Brazilians has e ad-
vanced their money in support of this national under-
taking, and the wealthy and distinguished personages
who have undertaken to carry it out, lead us to
entertain hopes of success. To capitalists here,
this plan, sanctioned as it is by the Legislature, and
supported by the power and the wealth of the Govern-
ment, promises to turn out a profitable concern, and we
shoal think a safe investment, inasmuch as the Bra-
ilian Government have honourably distinguished them-
selves amongst their South American colleagues, by the
punctual discharge of their financial obligations, while it
must not be forgotten that next to the United States
the Brazilians are the largest consumers of our manu.
factures, and contribute most largely to our trade.