In 1874, the engineer Rebouças wrote a long letter to a colleague about the railroads under construction in the Empire.
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Handwritten letter from André Rebouças to an unidentified colleague.
- One sheet, three pages.
- In Portuguese.
- 20 cm x 26 cm.
- Good condition conservation.
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Unique piece.
Rio de Janeiro, November 27, 1874
(...) Senator Sinimbú, who drafted this law, had well in mind the miserable examples of the railroads in Bahia and Pernambuco, which have been burdened for 20 years with the full weight of the 7% tax on the National Treasury!
(...) Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture is entirely outside the law when, yielding to political pressure, it wants maritime stations with a draft of 10 meters or 33 feet when the Paranaguá basin only has a draft of 4 meters! It has no right to want anything in Paraná other than an economical railway, one that can be self-sustaining, and not be an eternal burden on the national treasury.
(...) All these stories about railroads to Bolivia, about transcontinental railroads, are idealisms that only serve to deceive fools!
(...) The reality is that the Bahia and Pernambuco railways have been waiting for their extension for 20 years, and Rio de Janeiro has been waiting for a loan for its water supply for 4 years.
André Rebouças (1838-1898) was a major figure in 19th-century Brazil, leaving a lasting legacy in both engineering and social activism. He is remembered as one of the brightest and most progressive minds of his time in Brazil. He was one of the representatives of the rising small black middle class during the Second Empire. As an engineer, he was responsible for important infrastructure projects in Brazil, including the construction of roads, railways, and port improvements. Politically, Rebouças was a fervent advocate for the abolition of slavery in Brazil, working alongside figures such as Joaquim Nabuco and José do Patrocínio and actively participating in abolitionist campaigns.
In 1871, André and his brother Antônio, also an engineer, presented Emperor Pedro II with the project for a railway linking the city of Curitiba to the coast of Paraná, in the city of Antonina. During the execution of the project, the route was altered to the port of Paranaguá. To this day, this railway project stands out for the boldness of its conception. This extensive letter is a unique testament to his involvement in the planning and construction of railways, which were of fundamental importance for the economic development and territorial integration of the country. Letters by André Rebouças are very rarely found on the market.
