The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-11-19


three months is ct for gathering Tbus the nus
bandmsn there may gather four crops OF corn syear.
Its seasons are everlasting summer, Win per
| petua round Of harvesis
the policy ofheso United States, to open that river
TO steam and its valley TO settlement ard cutiva-
ton and it's EARTH air, and waters to the business
and wants Of trade and traffic, There, upon the
Atlantic slope of South America, in the valley of
\ the La Plata and in the valley Of the Amazon,
nature in all her ways has boon most bountifut
There the vegetable kingdom displays its forces in
their most perfect grandeur, and in all their might
and there too, the mineral kipgda in is most daz
zling with its wealth opened navigation, its
forests TO settlement, its pampas to cultivation.
What commerce has done for South America is
nothing TO what il win do. 1t has fringsd only the
sea coast Of that continent with settlement and
cultivation. The great interior has never been
touched; the heart of the country Is a commercial
blank; nor is it to be reached except through tho
powers Of steam, AID the free use Of its majestic
water courses
1t is of this country, of the Importance Of settling
ii up, Of sending there the immigrants, the steam
boat the axe, and the plough, with the messengers
OF commerce, that We wish to speak.
Let US therefore first see where it is how far of it
is and what its actual condition, ana then will
be GRABBED the better to judge to the true
of policy which it would be best for the commercial
nations of the earth to take with regard TO it. The
semi. continent Of South America is very nearly IL
shape that Of a right angled triangle It's hypothe-
muse rests on the Pacic ofits legs extends from
Cape Horn to Cape st. Rogue Here the right
angle is formed with the other leg, which extends
from Cape St. Rogue, 10 latitude 5 degrees south.
to Cabo La yela OF the Caribbean sea- in latitude IL
degrees north.
The longer leg is that between Capes Aven and
St. Rogue; it is $500 geographical miles in length,
The other leg has only 2 800; but the hypothenuse
which stands on the Andes ard rests on the Pacific
is more than 600 miles long
This confguration exercises powerful influence
upon the climates of South America, especially as
! regards its photography.
The great rivers Of that country, the mighty
Amazon and the majestic La Plata, are resultants
of this copfgurasOn. In consequence Of having the
sea front which rests upon the loug leg in the
southern hemisphere to look southeast the orheast
and the southeast trade winds, as they across
the Atlantic filed with moisture, 60 full charged
into the interior, dropping it in showers Us they go,
until they reach the snow capped SUBMITS Of the
| Andes, when the last drop that that very low
temperature can wiring from them is deposited. to
melt and feed the sources Of the Amazon and the
La Plata with their tributaries.
The northeast trade winds commence to blow
about the tropic of Cancer, and, coming from the
quarter they do, they blow obiquey across the
Atlantic. They evaporate from the sea as they 60.
and, impinging at right angles upon the South
! American shore line that extends from Cape st.
Rogue to Cabe La Vela they carry into the interior
the vapor that forms the clouds that give the rain
which supplies with water the Magdalena, the Oro-
noco. and the northern tributaries Of the Amazon
The volume Of water discharged by these rivers
into the sea is expressive of the quantity which
those northeast trade winds take up from the sea,
water shed that is drained by these streams. They
are but pipes and cutters which nature has placed
under the caves of the great water shed that has the
Andes for Iidge POLE the Caribbean sea and North
Atlantic for eastern.
The trade wind region of the North Atlantic af
fords the water surface when the evapor alton is
carried on that supplies, with rains, dews, aud
moisture, New Granada, Venezl ella, the three Guy
anas, and the Atlantic slopes of Ecuador.
On the other hand, the southeast trade winds
commence to blow about the parallel Of 30 or 30
degrees south They come. too, obiquely across
the Atlantic, and strike perpendiculary upon the
South American coast line, which extends from
Cape st. Rogue towards Cape Horn They pass
into the interior with their whole load of moisture,
crcss the Andes. The quantity of moisture which
is taken up from the sea and rained down upon this
wonderfully fruitful country, may be seen in what
the La Plata and the Amazon discharge back into
the sea.
Now, there is no tropical country in the world
which has TO windward. and SO xa,tly to wiudw md
OF It, such an extent of ocean in the trade wind
region consequently there is intertropical coun-
try in the world that is finely watered as is this
great Amazon country Of South nerica.
Along the Atlantic coast of the Uniel States,
along the COAT of China and the east Of New Hol.
land, the lsad trends along with the direction OF
the tIade-win5s Of those regions These wiads,
with their moisture travel along parallel with the
land; they do not blow perpendlcuary upon il, nor
push their vapors right across it into the interior,
as they do in South nerica. The consequence is.
none of these intertropical countries boast OF
streams and wateIcourses like those of South
America.
The 81 ore line OF Eastern Africa is arranged like
that OF the South American wa.er shed, but il has
not enough to wIndwsrd to supply the yapor to feed
springs enoggh to make largs rivers.
The sontheas. trade. winds, when the nonsoons Of
the Indian ocean will permit them to blow, strike
perpendicuarly upon the east coast Of South Africa
as they do upon that of South America In the
American case they blow peipetually; in the Af.i-
can ease Tor not half the year Tney therefore cln
not give Africa half as much rain as South America
receives.
At Cape Gusydafoi the right angle of the African
coast line is fJrmed, it is at Cape 81 Rogue for
America. But the winds which cross this line be-
tween Cope 81 Rogue and the lsthmus have ira
veTsed the Atlantlc ocean aud Caribbean sea,
heLce they reach the land dripping with moisture;
whereas in Africa the northeast trade winds, which
cross the coast line from Cope Guardafu to the
Isihnus OF Sue2, have sucked up vapors from the
Red Sea only; therefore the quantity OF moisture
which these winds carry into the interior of Africa
Is not by any means SO great as that which those OF
the Atlantic carry over ioto South America. The
difference is as great the difference OF the eva
iorating surtacs exposed to the northeast trade
winds, By the Atlantic on the one hand AMI the
Red Sea on the other.
The two 81 stems OF trade-winds the northeast and
riea, somewhere between the equator ana the 18th.
NUS This place OF meeting Is place Of Gains,
ana where il "a there il is RAINY.
This and other meteorological agents divide the
ses:oDs in the northern portions OF South America,
especially the valley Of the Oronoeo, the rainy
and the dry; Elk months Of constant rain, sir
months of blightipg drought Not so 10 the valley
Of the Amazon. There the weather is agreeable all
the year round and though mora rain falls there
in some months than in Others as it does hsrs with
us, ttil there as here, it may rain and does rain
any day in the year.
Now, ] think that any one who has folio we'd me
with map, viii perceive Why this Intercepted re
gon Of South America or that part Of lts water shes
Which, from Pausma TO shs parallel Of 30 degrees
/ OF 30 degrees south, slopes towards the Atlantic
has and ought 10 have the most remarkable climate
IN the world. We have ssen that Eastern Africa
and Eastern Africa alone resembles IL in con6gurs
ion Of shore ne alone for the evspora ing surface
and the supplies Of vapor wanting, aud there
i fore South Africa cannot 10 nnaru al