New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-04
EXPLORATIONS IN BRAZIL.
WORK OF THE LATE PROFESSOR HARTT.

A cable dispatch from Rio de Janelro, on the
10Th of March last announced the DEATH on the previous
day. by yellow fever, of Professor Charles Frederic
artt chief OF the Geological Commission OF Bra@i ana
also Professor OF Geology In Cornell University iaea'
NJ Y For several weeks preceding his death ne ad Dee
very poor health the result OF too constant
to artuous duties which had confined him TO the close
streets Of Rio during the long, heated summer Tic WIS
much exhausted by overwork and anxiety, ana must
have fallen an easy victim to the plague. Everywhere
in this country he leaves friends to mourn his loss
Professor HART was about thrty-eight years OF age
at the time Of his death He completed his aeadem-
zeal studies Acadia College Nova Scotia, while yet
very young and since then his life has been devoted
almost entirely and with the greatest ZEAL to the study
of Natural History and at times, also to music, art and
language all of which subjects he very proficient
The strict discipline of his youthful schooldays, under
the guidance Of his father Joined 10 his own very org
nal turn OF mind and careful aud perseveng method OF
study particularly fitted him for the minute and accu
rate kind of exploration which he has carried on with SO
much success in Prazil He was much more
geological investigator than geographical explorer
and thus he was found devoted TO working out the
sources and courses OF the little known rivers or the
extent and heights Of the mountain chains, though ths
of labor might have been the more tempting one IN
Brazil to-day. Slowly and with the greatest care
he travelled the ground examining every 1901 as he
went and hence instead Of startling the world at In
teryals with the announcement OF isolated discoveries
he had advanced very in the work OF unraveng the
complete structural features Of the largest country Oh
South America ard that too IN manner not INFERIOR ~
the National explorations OF our own country
lie died when science could least spare him. before he
was able to publish many OF the results OF his twelve
years labors in Brazilian exploration and science But
his work is not lost the world he has left behind him
a museum which shall remain to the memory OF his
name and also enough valuable manuscript to l sew
era volumes In 1865 Professor IIartt was made ge0
ogst TO the Thayer Expedition to Brazil under Pro-
lessor Agassiz and spent more than year In inVest
eating the geology and other natural history SUBJECTS OF
tile coast from Rio dc Janeiro TO Bahia. Though the
field gone over by him did not prove very interesting IN
geology yet no became convinced that Brazil offered
most promising field to the explorer and he determined
10 return II was well for Brazilian science that lie did
return accomplished or faithful man could
have undertaken this work In 1867 was made his sec
ord trip to Brazil spent in examining the coast reefs
and the geology around and to the north OF Bahia.
After some delays the results Of his first two trips to
Brazil were published in 1870, in work entitled " Inc
Geology and Physical Geography of Brazil" This
volume contained not only Professor Hartts own orig
ina work. but also the best of all that had been pub
lished up TO that time His later trips have added I'M
meusely 10 the results contained in this work. but
very seldom have they had TO correct Them so carefully
Lad everything been done before 1t forms soma hfs'
chapter to the Geology OF Brazil.
dents OF Cornell University, he went to Brazil for
the third time. Not having been fortunate in finding
along the coast other fossfcrous deposits than the
CIctaceous, he determined 10 try the lower ANA
zonas and there he went with his party They dscov
cred large areas Of CarbonerOus and Deyonian rocks
containing abundance OF archaeological facts
They worked out the geological relations OF the forma
tons over large region, and one party, going SOUTH
was fortunate opening up the Cretaceous locality with
fossils around PernambucO. IL through the liber-
atty Of Mr. b. Morgan. Of Aurora " Y, that Profes
sor art was able TO carry out this expedition ana the
one which followed it in 1871 when, in company with
his invaluable assistant Mr. Derby, lie again examined
many OF the Amazonan localities before explored and
made many new discoveries. During the three years
succeeding this trip he worked up, in connection with
two assistants the reports OF his discoveries which in
cluded descriptions OF all the fossils found by him.
These were published separately as they were finished
I'm several scientific journals and of especial inter
est as they contained the first accounts ever puOshe
OF the Palgozoic fossils Of the Amazonas.
In 1874 Professor Hart started on his last and most
important trip this time however In the interest Of the
Brazilian Government and for the purpose Of directing
systematic geological survey OF that Empire In mat
year he received from the then Minister Of Agriculture
Of Brazil unofficial invitation to present proposal
for careful examination OF the geology of the Empire
and August OF the year he went TO Brazil TO SUD-
nit his plan which was very comprehensive one, but.
as the existing appropriations not sufficient for SO
extensive a survey. IL proposed to start in more
modest way. On May l. 1875, was organized "A Com
missao Geological do Impero do Brazil" with Professor
artt as chief. and five assistants, among whom were
o. A. Derby Richard Rdthbun, and John Branner.
Though some changes were made in the corps at differ
eut times number of assistants at one time never
exceeded six and these have been mostly Americans
and graduates Of Cornell University The objects OF the
survey were the Investigation OF the geology Of the En-
pre- or It's ethnoogy and Of the reefs along the coast
For the head Of this survey better than Pro
fcssor Iart could have been chosen His early work in
Nova Scotia and NewBunswck had fitted him partlcn-
larry for just this kind of geological exploration and
discovery while the experience of his four trips TO
Brazil Oh which he had examined almost the entire sea
and the AmaZOnas, with many OF It's tributaries
for GOO miles, told him just how TO begin this more cN-
tcnsiye survey aud where he was the more likely to
obtain good results at He was successful in his
beginning but his life far short to allow Of his
gaining more than single glance into the promised
land shor, account will suffice TO give an idea
Of what lie accomplished in Brazil to the time OF his
death.
Prior TO the publication OF Professor Agassizs Jour
ney in Brazil" all that known OF the geology OF that
country contained in a few memoirs, mostly the
work OF Europeans who at the most had spent but lit
lie time In the country The archaeological evidence
WAS very small, almost nothing. The distinguished
Danish naturalist Luud had described the fossil bones
of tie caves OF "Lag0a Santa" Airport, few Creta
ccous fossils from Bahia and Plant had discovered Car
bOniferous fossils in Rio Grande dc Sul' there was
nothing more. AgassZ, in hs rapid explorations, was
msleI INTO some of his hasty conclusions. in which he
extended the Ice sheet OF the glacial epoch over the most
OF Brazil The researches OF Professor Hartt have
proved that though glaciers may have occurred on the
coast near Rio no traces Of them exist far north as
Bahia or Para Agassiz studied only the surface geOl
ugv and discovered no fOssllterOus deposits
II was at this stage OF Brazilian exploration that Pro-
fcssor Hartt went there for the second time The trip
was a very successful one he explored the Abrolhos"
reefs which cover with their curious shapes many
square miles lie discovered growing over them
ana entering Tito their structure multitude
Of new species Of corals. OF magnificent
shapes and sizes Then he worked out carefully the
structure and character OF the large stone reef OF Per
nnnhncn He showed that There were distinct kinds