The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-09-16

use, iron ores, Of which the best varietic.
seem to lie exceedingly abundant, are he.
ginning To be extensively mined. II is said
that the great foundry of Yponema is
nlrendy I'm position to furnish all kinds of
properties, including iron ana steel can
non. Although the necessity of coal for
fuel may not he felt for many years, large
carboniferous deposits have been traced,
and the products of two or three mines i'm
the southern provinces are employed by
steamers engaged in river navigation.
Both the imperial and the provincial
| Governments cvince creditablc deter
miuatiOn to avail themselves of the means
OF internal communication afforded by the
wonderful river system of the country.
For some time the Amazon has been
thrown open to commerce throughout
Its entire course In BRAZILIAN territory, aud
| now not only the great arteries of traffic
like the Madeira, the Paraua, the san
| Francisco, the Tocantius, and the Arnguay.
but many of their continents, are traycrs, d
| by regular lines OF steamers. The expau-
SION OF railways during tue last ten years
| is even more remarkable. In 1867 there
were only six railroads In the empire, of
| the aggregate length of four hundred
| miles. There are now twenty-five lines
with more than q thousand miles under
traffic, sixteen with au extent of eight
hundred miles in construction, and TWEEN
ty-eght covering four thousand miles
under survey. Like progress may be OBJ
served i'll the electric telegraph, which was
not introduced into Brazil until the year
alone, exclusive of those belonging to rail
way companies. measure more than four
thousand miles.
Many OF these enterprises have been
promoted by the State either through
direct advances or the warranty of in
terest. According to the latest statistics,
the central Government has already guar
anteed seven per cent on about flfty mil
lions OF dollars invested In Brazilian rail
ways. aud the provincial Legislatures have
extended similar atd to "A large amount.
Notwithstanding n somewhat lavish ex-
penditure on undertakings OF this chnrac-
Ter as well us other public works, the AZ
gresaie of the funded debt cannot be ne.
counted formidable, SINCE IL falls consid.
erably short of two hundred and fifty mill
hons OF dollars. The revenue OF the en-
pre- is mainly derived from customs of |
which the port Of Rio Janeiro contributes |
nearly on e-half The budget for the cur |
rent year, estimated at seventy millions of |
dollars, may be compared with that OF the |
United States in the period Immediately
preceding the civil war.
The furtherance OF material prosperitv is |
not the sole or the chief service rendered |
by the Government OF the present En-
peror. The opportunities presented by
the common school system, now fairly
under way, are such, II is safe to say, rs
were never before opened 10 any offshoot
OF the so-called Latin races What decisive
Importance is attached throughout the
country 10 primary instruction NAV be
inferred from the fact that in many
provinces II is made compulsory, while IN
almost all OF them one-fourth of the whole
provincial revenue is devoted to educa-
honal purposes. The higher institutions
Df learning and efficient schools of science
are not SO easily called into being by lcgis- |
laton' but intelligent effort and liberal an
preparations have already ACCOMPLISHED |
IN tins direction. The full |
runs OF these comprehensive measures
" mob aim at nothing less than the intel
tctual metamorphosis OF somewhat
backward people, must be looked for in |
HE next generation. Then, perhaps, when
he remnant of slavery, winch still lingerp.
j all have passed away, when her scant,
public libraries shall have been replenish-
ii and multiplied, aud her three hundred
ewspapers increased TO as many thou
ands' Brazil may claim place with the
oremost III the van Of American ciyiuza-
Iou.