With nearly 20,000 nautical miles of coastline in climates ranging from equatorial to artic, command of the continent relied upon a strong navy and the knowledge and understanding of the coasts.  The coastal survey was vital to Napoleon’s South America and was a function of his navy long before the formalization of his government.

In 1826, the Constitution of les Républiques-Unis de l’Amérique du Sud was fully ratified and Napoleon’s South American government was realized.  At the same time, l’Institut de l’Amérique du Sud was established with the belief that coastal survey was under its mandate.

In 1835, years of rivalry and competition became all the more contentious when the Legislature passed laws transferring the coastal survey to the Institute of South America and created the Office of the Continental Survey, le Bureau Examen Continental, commonly known as ‘the Bureau.’  The Bureau's purpose is to carry out the expeditions commissioned by the Institute.

It was only with the creation of the Bureau that the Institute came into power as an entity unto itself.  Ship's and men loaned from the Navy to the Institute were assigned to the Bureau, placing these resources at the Institute's disposal.  For the men, it provided activity and training during times of peace and extra money in that they were placed on half-pay from the navy while drawing full pay from the Bureau.  Still, for many it was a bitter pill to be forced to change from the navy's blue and white to the Bureau's purple and gold.

Following is a summary of some of the Bureau’s Expeditions.