New-York tribune., 1889-12-30
GERMANY IN BRAZIL.
INTERESTS THAT MAY CALL FOR lMPEklAb
INTERVENTION
GERMAN COLONIES IN TEE SOUTHERN PROV
1NcEs-poss1BLE PRETEXTs FOR
PROTECroIATE.
rome Edstor OF The TrfbHne.


PRoTECroEATE.
TO ne Ed,tor OF The Trfbune'
Sir: Since the declaration OF Republic IN pr"@'i
frequent reference has been made to the NUMBERS u
foreign colonists in that country particularly ger.
man. The European dispatches have mdlcateu 'n''
| German merchants and the German Empire arc
deeply interested in the Progress Of events. And more
than once comments Of the press Of Berlin. the capital
and Hamburg the great trading city. have clearly
/ shown that Germany claims rights IN southern
Brazil and is apparently anxious for an excuse 10
assert them There is at least possibility oi grave
/ international complications.
For many years Brazil has encouraged immsra-
tion and notably since 1864 by the payment OF
passage money and by grants Of land. Germans
Italians English, Scotch and Dutch have responded
II was estimated in 137273 that the immigrants then
settled in Brazil, through state provincial or private
cntcrprise numbered 10000, but recent statement
puts the number Of German eOOnists in south Brazil
/ mt 100000. This is probably quite within the mark
for in 1882 there in the single province OF klo
! Grande do sui 102 600 Germans, and nearly $4,000
Italians German colonies have been established at
various times in the east and central provinces OF
| E-piritu Santa and Mlnas Geraes and in Rio de
Janeiro but by far the greatest number OF Germans
is in the extreme south and in three adjoining prov
inces-Parana Santa Catharina and Rio Grande do sui
| In this latter province a German settlement was
I
Of the recently deposed Emperor, who was himself
| compelled to abdlcate. BY 1880 "saO Leopoldo.'
a. il was named ION the River SnO), numbered 5000
| Inhabitants and in 1854 it was erected into a
municipium.T In 1882 the number Of Germans in the
province had risen. has been stated to lO2,OOO,
settled at NOvo Mundo O65O) Nova PetrOpOlis u75s),
santa Maria da SOedade, Marato sac Benedicto,
sac salvador Montenegro Felix, Teutonia Qs55l,
Lorenzo G45s) Estrella 1850, Santa Cruz nsf9),
! Mont Alverne, Germana, santa Clara, Sac Silvano,
DOmlngos, etc
II is an interesting and perhaps significant fact
that in Iustus Perhc's "Taschen Atlas (Gotha,
ls-9), a special small map enlarged scale is
given of the Deutsche KOlOnien in sud BraZilien'
1t shows a district extending from between Curitba
and Paranagua chief town and capital of Paranal. on
the north, Porto Allegro capital Of Rio Grande do
sub. on the south This embraces the southern half
Of Province Of Parana the whole of the Province
/ Of santa Catharlna, and the northern half Of the
Province of Rio Grande do sua territory OF perhaps
100000 to 900 square miles Across the northern
third of this district flows the Yguasu, the
central third the Uruguay, and the southern
the Jacualy-thc two former eventually finding their
way into the by way Of the estuary Of the Rio
dc la Plata and the last flowing eastwardly into the
Iagoa Patos and to the by the estuary
| Of the Rio Grande do SUI
The climate of these Southern provinces is more
temperate than elsewhere in Brazil in santa Catharina
the rain begins to be Irregular and from this to the
sOuthward over Rio Grande do sui the four seasons
Of the temperate begin 10 be distinguished In
the high patcaus the mercury may fall TO the freezing
! point The colOnSts are generally agriculturists.
and Rio Grande do sui cattle breeding extensively
carried on the exports from the city Of RIO Grande
do sui are almost altogether hides skins hair bones.
tallow. etc. while the imports very various. to
supply the colonies. But it may be noted that
diamonds found in Parana and Rio GIande do
sui. While OF the other precious stones, the chief ex
ports from Brazil from the banks Of the Uruguay,
in the latter province that rich mines of mercury
the capital Of Parana. and that in Rio Grande do
the richest copper mines in Brazil. the
all of which gold is found yielding 90 per cent Of
| pure copper.
But perhaps of greatest Importance, eventually, or
! in the eyes Of the German Empire, may be the de
posts of coal one coal basin lies in santa Catlarina
between the plateau and the and lence convenient
To naval cOang station and three separate deposit,
have been traced in Rio Grande do sui The largest
is in the far south and is or was. worked by an
near the Jaciahy River and within tie limits of the
Deutsche Koonien, as is the santa Clara deposit
The of the three provinces IS @31,O91 square
miles of the Deutsche KOonein say 100000 10 l2j.-
600 square miles OF all Brazil, 3,255 900 square miles
or little less than that OF the United States. The
Empre was divided into twenty provinces varying in
from Amazonas with 7J346 square miles OF
Alagoas, with but II ,G42 square miles. This
latter smallest province is. however, little larger
than the state Of Mary landD The provinces mad,
under the Empire each "A local assembly for home
government with a Governor who was appointed by
the Emperor: and local self government further
provided for other subdivisions Of the Emplre-lntO
G42 municipalities, etc. The assemblies have been
dismissed by the Provisional Government and It's
appointees substituted for the Imperial Governors.
These twenty provinces are now, however, twenty
sovereign States-Or think they The very name
Of the Republlc--the United states of Brazil
promises that they shall be. As provinces, there
have for years been iealousies among them and for
long while the feeling between " the NORTH and the
south has been bitter II Is known that all dls,
patches from Brazil since the revolution are subject
to official censorship, but at different times reports
have come Of dlsatecton In one or another OF the
/ new Staes-Bahia, sac PaulO, Rio Grande do sui,
Pernambuco-onc refusing TO accept the Governor sent
by the Provisional Government, and another-tie
Cermanized Rio Grande du sul-treatening secede
and form alliance with Uruguay.
II j. not difficult To imagine Brazil broken up into
three or four, or Dozen states OF COniederaces ana
and numberless Independent revolutions. But sup
pose the Federal Government established to the sas
south or anv of them. should these three, from
any causegrieyances real or discomfort fomented hy
German agcntsattempt to assert ilght TO secession
and the establishment Of an Independent Government.
what would probably be the result.
II the errns brothers were allowed to depart in
peace which is extremely unlikely, would they not
Iooner or later become a German state in fact, If
not i'm nameq And If the Central Government made
war upon them would Prince Bismarck be likely 70
wait until they asked for aid, until the German
cOlOnsts asked for the mother cOuntrys protection
OF their rights and property?
Eccollecting samoa and the events Of to-day in
East Africa il seems fair to that tho German
Chancellor would welcome with extreme gadne-s any
such a country-tO establish there German prOtec
torate. for nstance-a country already settled by
Germans. trading with Germany; where the surplus
population Of Germany might find homes. without
escaping German rule or supervising influences As
DO those VINO come 10 me Onlted state ana where
coang and naval stations of the first importance.
Apd II be be 80 minded. what Will the United StlreS
answer 10 his action Could he take any active step
for the protection Of the Germans in Brazil without
forcing the United states 10 uphold the ylnnroe
New York Dec es. 1880