The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-10 00:00:00

THE OPENING OF THE AMAZON.

(From the Opinion National, Paris, Jan. 8, 1867.)
The Monitear cf yesterday publishes the decree relative
to the opening of the river Amazon. This measure, the
decree says, has for its object "the aggrandisement of
the empire by making its international relations more
easy, by encouraging the navigation and the com-
merce of this river and its affluents. This measure
will realise a wish often expressed by scientific com-
missions of the United States, England, and France.
It will be particularly agreeable to travellers in search of
novelties and the picturesque, but will not create a great
sensation in the commercial world. The Government at
Rio opens, or rather abandons, their deserted and un-
healthy regions under the Equator, to be better able to
concentrate all their power in the more fertile regions of
the South. With a free population, hardly equal to
that of Belgium, Brazil has a territory as large
as all Europe. Bahia was its first capital, later
Bombal had it transferred to Rio de Janeiro, and the
Brazilians, when they declared themselves independent,
wanted to transplant tboir capital to the shores of the River
Plate. They understood that for the sake of saving tho
empire it had to enlarge towards the south. The same
tendency is manifested now. The Imperial Government
feels the greater necessity of abandoning its inhospitable
shores in the north and to concentrate its forces in the
south, as one of her provinces, Matto-Grosso, is actually
in the possession of the Republic of Paraguay, which
will keep it as long as Brazil holds possession
of Monte Video; and another province, Rio Grande do
Sal, the most important province of the empire, is always
on the watch to reclaim the independence which she en-
joyed for ten years. The late act of the Brazilian Govern-
ment is so little due to liberal intentions that she closes the
affluents of the River Plate, on which the southern pro-
vinces lie, opening at the same time the navigation of the
Amazon and its tributaries. It is well known that
Brazil keeps the River Plate and its tributaries blockaded
in violation of the treaties of 1853, which stipulate the free
navigation to commerce even in "time of war." If inter-
national treaties do not prevent Brazil from closing the
navigation of the tributaries of the River Plate, how
can it be expected that she will respect the decree of the
7th of September at any future time, perhaps not very dis-
tant, wore she to find herself engaged in a war with
Peru and Bolivia ? Useless liberty in the North, slavery
and prohibition in the South, constitute the policy of the
Cabinet at Rio. Not only does Brazil not adhere to the
treaties of 1853, which stipulate the free navigation of the
La Plata and its affluents, but has prevented actually the
Republic Oriental of Uruguay to take part lb it. And it is
well known that the object of this war now waged against
Paraguay is, as stated in the treaty of the Allies themselves
to take from Bolivia its condition as a rivrine, from Paraguay
the right to maintain, according to the treaties of 1853, the
free navigation of the rivers, and from the great European
Powers the privileges these treaties give them. The decree
of the 7th of September would really have inaugurated a
new era in commerce for Brazil, if at tho same time the
navigation of the Amazon was thrown open to the worldl
and the Upper Paraguay, Parana, and trugtiay, te far as
they belong to Brazil, were likewiee opened. The free
navigation of those last named rivers is really required in
the great interests of the world's commerce. The valley
of the Amason, on the contrary, offers nothing but a dose-
o
f
thceoulintry, inhabited by anthrophagies. On both shores
ea:enmtiazonofnocotmowninercorilsoirtttematreat
Nbeevfoerthwtdiltlebaettsreaecnt
of over 100 vetmole the attention
penetrate its waters, to open,
plssaco tr Obliged°, and reachge as in
Ports of
and
E nctleara_rn
ohse,
by force of oannon, a passe
Corrientes, and Paraguay. These factst are sufficient to
prove that the decree of the 7th of Se plete, and not an act of liberal intentioPn."\byeer hisaviencoonml;
lveraert t:ngive
to add that if the opening of the Amazon
some practical advantage to the world,
to Peru and Bolivia, the honour of andhiO3n quie Particularly
longs to Paraguay, who have triumphed over the militar be-
and naval forces of Brazil at Curupaity, and has demony-
strated the impossibility of her retaining her imelonse
territory. It will be a great satisfaction to Europe to hear
of the cessation of the war and the peaceful development
of the vast resources of the various countries that have
been involved in a useless and unprofitable struggle.

•
-•
THE COMMON LAW COURTS.—To-morrow, the
first day of term, the courts will be re-opened at the
usual huur. On the 31st March next a portion of the act
ordering fees to be taken by means of stamps will be re-
pealed. The salaries are not to be deducted, but the
whole fees by stamps paid into the consolidated fund.

tIiEFERENCE MAIMS.
Great Northern, 5 per cent., not 11
FREFERENCE SHARES AND STOCKS.
London Brighton, &c., 5 per cent. 1865, 95

LINES LEASED LT FIXED RENTALS.
Brkenbead,
Chester and Holyhead,:—
Ditto, 5 per cent.. 113
London and Blackwall, 52
Wilts and Somerset, 79
FOREIGN RAIL WAYS.
Great LuxembhUrg, 121
Ottoman (Smyrna to .Aidin), 3
Recite and San Francisco, lim., gua. 7 per cent.. 10
South Austrian and Lombardo Venetian, 161

rou,kaoki Ammo§

PeetomernA 001 d, 0
st. JGlit del ltey, lim., tl
BANNS.

Alliance, lim.. 186
Anglo A ustrian,.66
Anglo Egyptian, lim., 111
British North American; 40 51
ChartcriA BMA dt Incßa. Australia. and Chins. 19 14
Chartered tier. of India, London, and China, 33; 21
City, 144 15
Consolidated Bank, lim.,
Ditto, new, 2;
English and American, Bra., 5:
Imperial Ottoman, lim.,
Lon en atti St;
Louth% and River Plate, 47
London Chartered Bang of Australia, 221 1;
London and County, 674 86
London Joint Stook, 436
London and South-Western, lim., 17;
London and Westminster, 9Sf
Soilth Australia 186
tandard di British ti diiihh Africa, Bra., 14
Union ci London, is 4i

MISCELLANEOUS:
Anglo-American Telegraph, 151;
A.tiantic Telegraph, —„
Ditto, 8 per Cent.; 711.
Berlin Water 'Works. um_ 121
City of Mosco* (1-s. , ib
City °Mess, lint., 4 *
Commercial Unioll, luduranoe,
Credit Fonder of England, Jim 3 1
Crystal Palace, 27 9 8
Ditto, Preference, 971 8
Fast Indian Land Credit a,nd Pittance; ilm.i 3
Nets, India IrriAiition add 19
EUbw Vale, • 0 Of
Gen. Credit and Discount, Um., 151
Hudson's Bay, 151
Indian Carrying, lim., f
International FinanCial Society, lim., 21
London General Omnibus Company, lim, 31
Madras Irrigation and Canal (guaranteed 6 per Cent, byin:
dian Government),
Ditto ;all), 181
National Discount Company. 141
Ditto, new, issued at 5 prem., of whioh 21 1s to pay, 111
New Consolidated Discount. lim 1$
New Zealand Loan and Hier. Agency, lim., 21 2
oriental Gas, lint.. 51
Peel River Land and Mineral, 371
Peninsula and Orenial steam, 69
Ditto, new. 08 71
RhYinney Iron, 25
Telegraph Construction and Maintenance, Um., ;;_-;.1
Ditto (.£l5), 131 •
Thames and Mersey Marine. Insurance, lim., 51
'United Kingdom Telegraph Co., Jim., f
Yleeroy of .Lgypt, Mortgage, Loan, 69 it