On one branch of this line is situated the important city of Nova Friburgo, the oldest immigrant settlement in Brazil; for as far back as the beginning of the last century this well-chosen spot was colonised by a party of 1700 Swiss refugees from Fribourg. The town stands on the northern slope of the Mar mountain, known as the Boa Vista, on account of the sweeping view which is obtained from this point. Although not so elaborate as Petropolis in respect of buildings, nor so favoured by the aristocratic element, Fribourg has, if anything, a finer climate, and is blessed with a rich and fertile soil that has brought it much prosperity. Again the difficulties of the steep ascents have been overcome by enterprising engineering feats which have linked up this coffee district with the capital some four thousand feet lower in level. [Illustration: A ROAD AMONGST THE HILLS. PETROPOLIS.] Perhaps the most extraordinary enterprise of modern times is that undertaken by the State of Minas-Geracs in the building of their new capital of Bello Horizonte. The State of Minas is the greatest mineral district in Brazil; it has been said of it that “what doesn’t hide gold contains iron, what doesn’t [Illustration: THE SQUARE OF TIRADENTES, OURO PRETO.] contain coal spreads diamonds.” The journey through the country, which is accomplished over the Great Central Railway, is singularly interesting, and the nights spent in the sleeping cars are pleasantly cool after the heat of the day. The hilly country is well covered with trees and watered with rivers, and is admirably adapted for colonies of European settlers. Gold and diamond mines have already yielded vast riches, and with the increasing facilities for travelling that the railway systems are opening up, still greater are in store for the State. Ouro Preto, the old capital, the famous Villa Rica of former times, lies on a hill-side at an elevation of one thousand feet above sea-level. It is a picturesque, rambling old city, with tortuous streets running down its steep inclines, and many old churches and convents built in the old colonial style. In striking contrast with the ancient capital is Bello [Illustration: NEAR THE SAN FRANCISCO RIVER.]