The waters of the Uruguay, Rio Negro and other rivers of the interior have the property of petrifying animal and vegetable substances.
Along the 1,073 kilom. of maritime and fluvial coasts, which are counted from the mouth of the Cuareim River down to the River Chuy, are the principal ports of the Republic.
The most important ones are Maldonado, Montevideo and Colonia, on the coasts watered by the River Plate. There exist others of less importance, like those of Paloma, Coronilla, Castillos Grande, Buceo and also the bay, called the Englishman's Bay, (Ensenada del Ingles). Along the River Uruguay we find the ports Nueva Palmira, Carmelo, Independencia, Paysandu, Salto, Constitucion and Santa Rosa. Along the Rio Negro, those of Soriano and Mercedes; and along the San Salvador the port of San Salvador.
The principal port in the Republic is that of Montevideo. It is estimated as the best port on the River Plate, owing to its natural conditions. It has the shape of a horse-shoe, being the two extreme points, which form its entrance, some seven kilom. distant from one another.
The perimeter of the bay is ten kilom., and six hundred m. It offers ships a safe shelter, its entrance being towards the N. W. and its channel between 15 and 17 feet deep. The general depth of the bay is between 14 and 15 feet. The steamers cast anchor near the entrance of the port in the exterior bay where the depth gets to 25 feet.
The port of Montevideo is not only the anchoring ground of the ships that have to load and unload, but it is also the port where all of the ships stop on their way to the Pacific Ocean, and also all the men-of-war of the nations which have a naval station in the River Plate.
All the steamers of the rivers have their anchoring ground in front of the docks, where they all have their moorings at a distance of 125 m. from the wharf.
Being the principal port where the commercial and naval movement is most important, Montevideo counts with two beautiful dry docks, belonging to private persons, one of them is the Maua Dry Dock and the other one belongs to Jackson and Cibils. They have both been opened in the quick rock, and have for their service all the most modern machines, admitting ships of all tonnage.
Besides those two, there are a great many docks, dry docks and harbors, all over the bay and also in the ports of Salto and Colonia.