Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1852-12-09

The Amazon, and the Atlantic
slopes Of south America.


The policy OF commerce" and not the
"pohcy Of conquest" Is the pohc, Of the
United States. The spirit of the age, ami
mated by private enterprise Is every DAY
seeking new fields Tor IT'S peaceful trlumphs.
aud commerce eau accomplish throughout
tle world no achievement like those which
note its coming aud lis marches up aud
down the Amazon and other great rivers OF
that greatest of watersheds, the Atlantic
slopes of South America.
blen may talk about Cuba and Japan,
but, of all lhe diplomatic questions OF the
day, the free navigation of these majestic
water courses and their tributaries is To this
country the mos. valuable and important
1t surpasses them all. L, is paramount
The country that IS drained by the ANA.
ION, If reclaimed from the savage, the wild
beast, and the reptile, and reduced To cul-
uyaiion now, would be capable Of support.
ing with is produce the population OF the
Whole world. IL is rice coun,ry. RI,
common yield Of rice is forty for one.
Is reaped five months after planting, anl
may be planted at any time Of the wear
Thus the farmer may plant one bushel O
rice today ~ i've months hence he vii
gather forty from it, Planting these forty
be may IN another five months gather six.
teen hundred bushels. Ia ten months the
earth yields an Increase there Of thousand
fold Oh more.
Corn, too, may be planted at any time
and 40 three months It Is fat for gathering
Thus the husbandman there may gather
four crops of corn a year. Its seasons are
an everlasting summer, with a perpetual
round of haryests.
Il is the policy Of commerce, and com.
mcrce is the policy Of the United States, to
open that river to steam, aud its valley tc
settlement and cultivation, aud lis earth
air, and waters to the business aud wants O
tade aud traffic. There, upon the Allan
tlc slope of South America, in the valley o
the La Plata and in the valley Of the Ana.
ION, nature IN all her ways has been mos
bountilul. There the vegetable kingdom
displays it's forces IN the most perfect gran.
deur, aud in all their might; aud there
toe, the mineral kingdom Is most dazzling
with its wealth opened to navigation, it.
forests to settlement, ITS pampas to cullya
/ ton. What commerce has done for Soutl
America Is nothing to what II will do. /
1 has lrnged only the sea coast of that cont
ncut with settlement aud cultivation. III,
grCai interior has never been touched lh,
heart Of the country Is a commercial blank
nor Is IL to be reached except through Tho
powers Of steam, aud the Tree use Of It's ma
lesuc water courses.
II is of this country, Of the importance O
settling 1t up, of sending there the lmmi
grants, the steamboat, the axe, and th
plough, with the messengers OF commerce
that We wish to speak.
let Us therefore see where it is, how IA
of At IS, aud what MS actual condition, an
lhen we viii be enabled the better TO lndg
as to the true course OF policy which
would be best for the commercial nations {
the earth TO take WIKI regard to 1t. Tn
semi-contncnt of South America is yer
nearly IN shape that of right anglcd tr
angle. Its hypolhenuse rests on the 7.
ciic; one Of ITS legs extends from Cap
Horn to Cape 81. Rogue. Here the ngl
angle is formed by the other leg, which eN
tends from Cape ST. Rogue, IA latitude
degrees south. TO Cabo La Nela OF the Can
rlbbean sea, IN latitude II degrees north.
The longer leg is between Capes Ave
and ST. Rogue; 1t is $500 geographical
miles in length. The other leg has onl
$500 but the hypothenuse which stand
on the Andes and rests on the Pacific
more than 1000 miles long.
This coniguratIon exercises poweril
influence upon the climate Of South Amel
ica, especially as regards ITS photography.
The great rivers Of that country, III
mighty Amazon aud the majestic La Plat
are resullanls of this conhguralion.
consequence Of having the sea front who
rests upon the long leg IN the souiher
hemisphere to look southeast, the norlheai
end southeast trade winds, as they con
across the Atlantic filed with moisture, 9
full charged into the interior, dropping
IN showers as they 60, until they reach Il
snow capped SUBMITS of the Andes, wac
the last drop that that very low iemperalul
can wiring from them IS deposited, 10 me
aud feed the sources of the Amazon al
the La Plata with their tributaries.