This scientific institution was established by a group of thirty-nine men connected to the fields of literature, law, sciences, the military, and politics, during a meeting held in the study of Luciano Cordeiro on Rua de S. Paulo , Lisbon, on the evening of 10 November 1875. At this meeting, the statutes and regulations for the proposed scientific society were discussed and approved. The constitution of the Society, with revised statutes required by the administrative authorities (in a meeting held on 31 December 1875), was officially sanctioned by a decree issued by the Civil Government of Lisbon on 29 January 1876.

The approved statutes stipulated that the Society's purpose was “the study, discussion, teaching, research, and scientific exploration of geography in its various branches, principles, relationships, discoveries, progress, and applications.” The Society was dedicated, “within the scope of its scientific activity, to the study and understanding of facts and documents relating to the Portuguese nation.” Its headquarters were to be established “in Lisbon and its name: Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa ” (SGL, 1876). The means outlined for achieving these objectives included organising sessions, conferences, lectures, open courses, competitions, and scientific congresses; publishing monographs and/or periodicals; establishing libraries, archives, and museums; and fostering correspondence and relationships with various national and international scientific institutions. On 3 April of the same year, the Founding Commission of the SGL convened in an Assembly, held in a room provided by the Medical Sciences Society. Luciano Cordeiro opened the session, which was followed by the election of the governing bodies of the SGL. The Board of Directors was composed of: Januário Correia de Almeida (General and Viscount of São Januário) as President; José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage as Vice-President; António Augusto Pereira de Miranda as Treasurer; Luciano Cordeiro as First Secretary; Rodrigo Afonso Pequito as Second Secretary; and João Cândido de Morais and Octávio Guedes as Members. The Central Council, presided over by the Viscount of Soares Franco, included 20 members, among whom were Francisco Benevides, Gerardo Pery, Henrique Midosi, Manuel Pinheiro Chagas, and Teófilo Braga. At this same meeting, the Board was tasked with inviting members of the Central Permanent Commission on Geography (CCPG), created by a decree on 17 February 1876 and overseen by the Ministry of Naval and Overseas Affairs, to join the Society.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | (Pdf)