Mining ideas

the “art of mining” in brazil in four memoirs From the transition to the xix century

Abstract

The mining activity in Brazil during the period leading from the 18th to 19th centuries faced a serious crisis. The Portuguese State, in alliance with scientific institutions, carried out great efforts to overcome it. In this context, some intellectuals born in Brazil were put in charge of examining the mining sector so as to find out the reasons for the decline in mineral production and to propose solutions for the sector's recovery. This paper presents and discusses some ideas we have found in four memoirs on mining written at that period by enlightened Brazilians. In our opinion, their memoirs allow us to draw a picture of the concepts and practices that prevailed in the fields of mining and correlated sciences during that period.