Theos-Talk Archives (November 2006 Message tt00863)

Carlos' reference to important reseach on Leadbeater's claims about
alleged rebellions and railways in Brazil can be supplemented by published
sources which show that the only railway line constructed in Bahia between
1855 and 1885 was that from Calçada to Paripe begun in 1856 and completed
in 1860 by the Bahia and S. Francisco Railway Company Limited. The company
was liquidated in 1901 and, indeed, had essentially been a British
company. See P.C. da S. Telles "A History of Brazilian Railways", transl.
By Paul E. Waters. Bromley, P.E. Waters & Associates, nd; J.S. Duncan
"Public and Private Operation of Railways in Brazil", New York, Columbia
University Press, 1932; Lucia Lamounier "The ?Labour Question? in
Nineteenth Century Brazil: railways, export agriculture and labour
scarcity" Working Paper No. 59/00 Department of Economic History London
School of Economics, London,  2000.
As I have previously commented, "historians" within Theosophical groups
tend to be either lazy or incompetent or both (or, perhaps, dishonest) and
don't bother doing basic research on readily available published sources.
A quick check of published sources - in English - on Brazilian history
would have dealt with the "rebellion" claim very quickly.

Dr Gregory Tillett