=Dona Francisca= was founded in 1851 as a private colony by the "Hamburger Kolonisationsverein von 1849." It comprises the territory given as a marriage dot by Dom Pedro II. to his sister, Dona Francisca, at the time of her marriage to the Prince of Joinville of the French House of Orleans. The "Stadtplatz" of the colony was named Joinville in honor of the prince. Dona Francisca was founded under favorable circumstances at a time when many Germans, including members of the "upper classes" were leaving the Fatherland on account of the general political discontent during the latter part of the forties of the past century. This fact is reflected in the German language as spoken in Joinville to-day. It is perhaps more free from dialect than in any other German colony in Brazil. The general cultural status of the inhabitants of Germanic origin is relatively high. The entire colony (municipio) of Dona Francisca contains more than 30,000 inhabitants; the "Stadtplatz" about 6,000. In both, the inhabitants of Germanic origin form the great majority. The colony of =Brusque=[30] was founded in 1860. Its early colonists were composed largely of former inhabitants of the Rheinland, Westphalia, Oldenburg and Baden. Next to Blumenau and Dona Francisca, Brusque is to-day the most important German colony in Santa Catharina. In the territory not included in the "municipios" mentioned above, the larger part of the inhabitants of the following centers are of German descent: Angelina and Santa Thereza, both founded in 1853; Therezopolis, founded in 1860; Palhoca, Braco do Norte and Pedras Grandes. Important numbers of Germans are located along the following rivers of Santa Catharina: Rio Itajahy do Sul; Rio das Tijucas; Rio Braco do Norte; and Rio Capivary.[31] In point of numbers, Santa Catharina is next to the most important state in Brazil so far as German colonization is concerned. RIO GRANDE DO SUL. =Sao Leopoldo=, a state colony, was founded in 1824. The first settlers came from the Hunsrueck section. To-day its population is estimated at more than 50,000, mostly of German descent.[32] We may designate Sao Leopoldo as the center of the "Deutschbrasilianerthum" of Rio Grande do Sul. The state colonies of =Tres Forquilhas= and =Sao Pedro de Alcantara das Torres= were founded in 1826. The former was settled by German Protestants, the latter by German Catholics. =Santa Cruz=, a state colony, was founded in 1849. Its first settlers were mainly from Pomerania and the Rheinland. Next in order there followed an important period of private colonization. As a result of this we have =Rincao d'El Rei=, founded in 1850 by Dr. Israel R. Barcellos; =Mundo Novo=, founded in 1850 by Tristao Jose Monteiro; =Conventos=, founded in 1853 by Baptista F. Pereira e Cie.; =Estrella=, founded in 1856 by Santos Pinto; =Mariante=, founded in 1856; and =Marata= founded in 1856 by Andreas Kochenborger and Pedro Schreiner.