RIO GRANDE DO SUL, or, to give the name in full, SAO PEDRO DO Rio GRANDE DO Sub, a maritime province of Brazil, constituting the extreme s. portion of the empire of that Mine. It is hounded on the n. and w. by the river Uruguay, on the s.w.' by the republic of Uruguay, and 011 the 5.0. by the Atlantic. Area, 85,239 sq.m.; pop. '72, about 455,000. The central districts are occupied by a range of mouotains, which runs almost parallel to the Uruguay, and from which the land falls away into plains toward the Uruguay on the w., and the Atlantic on the east. Between the mountains and the flat coast regions arc the large lakes Merim and Des Palos—the latter, 175 in. long and about 40 in. broad. • Its salubrity of climate and fertility of soil admirably adapt it for European immigration. The great wealth of the province is in its flocks and herds, which are reared in great numbers on the campaus or prairies. It is stated that 500,000 cattle, whose hides and flesh are preserved, are slaughtered here annually. while as many more are driven northward for ordinary consumption. All the cereals and fruits of cen tral Europe can be grown here advantageously, and the inhabitants are awakening to the importance of developing the immense agricultural resources of the provinc•.- A considerable area is now covered with crops of maize, beans, wheat, and potatoes, and the agricultural products, which, till recently, were of little account, now form one-eighth of the whole exports. The gold mines of the province have yielded in one year 6.100
ounces, the value of which is stated at £25,000. The principal articles of export of the province are beans, horns, hair, cattle and horse hides, grease and tallow, jerked or dried beef, tongues, mandioc, flour, and maize. Of the most of these articles, the quantity exported has increased so rapidly as in a few years to be considerably more than doubled. Half of all the imports of the province consists of cotton, woolen, and linen manufac tures, coals, earthenware, and hardware from Great Britain. The principal towns are Porto Alegre (q.v.) and Sao Pedro. The latter, a small but prosperous and increasing sea port at the s. extremity of the lake Des Patos, and close to the sea, imported in 1872-73 goods to the amount of £365,300, while its exports in the Sallie year amounted to £1.106, 900. The arrivals from foreign ports were 929 vessels, of 198,029 tons: the departures 698 vessels, of 212,936 tons. The arrivals from Brazilian ports were 840; tonnage, 221, 213; the departures, 890; tonna-ge, 185,060. Three lines of steamers run to Porto Alegre.