GORCEIX, Claude-Henri (1842-1919) – 21 Briefe mit zusammen 125 Seiten / Twenty-one letters with a total of 125 pages. Ouro Preto; Paris: 1887-1890.

8vo – 4to. 18 Briefe aus Ouro Preto, Brasilien (1887-1890) + 3 Briefe aus Paris (1890). — Die Briefe enthalten die Korrespondenz von Claude-Henri Gorceix mit Peter II. von Brasilien (1825-1891), unter anderem über die Geologie Brasiliens. || 18 letters from Ouro Preto in Brazil and 3 from Paris (1890). The letters contain the correspondence of Claude-Henri Gorceix with Don Pedro II of Brazil (1825-1891), regarding, among other things, the geology of Brazil.

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Claude-Henri Gorceix was a French mineralogist, disciple of Louis Pasteur and founder of the Brazilian Escola de Minas of Ouro Preto in 1876. The Escola de Minas offered classes in mineralogy, geology, physics and chemistry. He was close to the emperor of Brazil, Dom Pedro II. In 1887 he won the Prix Delesse from the French Academy of Sciences. No one was more interested than Emperor Don Pedro II in the progress of the School of Mines. In numerous letters to Henri Gorceix, all written in his own hand, in French, he talks about organizational details, research on minerals, expresses the wish that French companies come to exploit the subsoil of Minas. For a long time the Emperor had wanted Pasteur to visit Brazil. In 1882, he was already writing to Henri Gorceix: „You understand that it is very serious to insist that Pasteur come and expose himself to yellow fever; but you can tell him, although this is to be expected, that his trip to Brazil would be a great event for my country and that I cannot express enough to him how happy I would be.“ In 1889, the École des Mines prospered and began to promote its activity abroad. At the Universal Exhibition in Paris, the school obtained a medal for its teaching methods and scientific publications, and a gold medal for its mineral collections from the State of Minas Gerais. On October 14 1891, Henri Gorceix left his beloved school in Ouro Preto. A peaceful revolution had forced the Emperor into exile. Henri Gorceix has always refused to let politics enter his school, and, to avoid any conflict with the new authorities, decided to resign. He returned to Limousin at the Mont estate in Bujaleuf near Saint Léonard de Noblat.

EUR 2.900,-