Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-11-27

They get In this city drug IRON the Amazon called
guarana of which the consumption is enormous, and
which medicinal virtues the most astonishing are as
crbed.
On the head waters of the Cuyaba is the celebrated
diamond district Of Brazil and though in this day OF
sober realities cannot be said that the city of piamen
tno the principal village Of the district has its streets
paved with diamonds yet these jewels found there
mixed with the earth, like gold in the dggngs" Of
California.
Just before Castenau there man planting post
to which to tie his mule found diamond of nine carats
The children here wash the earth in the streets for gold
and diamonds times found in the crops Of the
| fowls
This stone is found at the bottom of the streams and
the celebrated for il the Ouro the Damentino
and the Santa Anna in their whole length the Areias
the San Franccos of which there three and the
Paraguay tselffor considerable distance down the main
stream.
Tie Sumidouro, which is the Amazonian side of
this ridge, is said also to be exceedingly rich in dia-
moIds.
Spanard, one Don Simon, with his slaves, washing
The Santa Anna during the dry only got in four
years 200 carats of diamonds
Castenau estimates the whole yield of diamonds from
Brazil to the end of ls49 at near $780, 100000.
the mineral wealth of this watershed between the
La Plata and the Amazon, operating with its gold and its
diamonds upon the cupdy of her counseors that has
been the curse of Brazil.
At first the diamonds belonged to the Crown, and no
person allowed to visit the diamond district unless
under the srctest surveillance Military posts
tabished throughout the whole region prevent people
from gathering its mineral wealth
| Suppose the United States had established military
posts in California prevent the people from going there
and digging for gold, what would have been the condition
of that State in comparison what it is? 1t would
have been like the interior of Brazil now is.
The policy of Brazil has been not only to shut out
commerce. but to shut from observation the wonderful
resources capabilities and capacities of the finest
try in the world; and, among the immense treasures
which lie dormant and undeveloped there, class the
precious stones and metals among the least of the
truly valuable.
There is in Rio the original of an order issued
when Humboldt was travelling in South America, order
ing that great be made prisoner should he
| set foot on Brazilian territory
And it has been but three years ago that app-
cation made by this Government that of Brazil for
permission to send steamer up the Amazon to explore
it. not for the benefit of the United States alone but for
the good of commerce. science, and the world. PERMITS
sion refused The consequence was, two officers Of
the navy ordered to the Andes from Lima
and descend the Amazon they might. One of these
officers Lieut. Herndon U. s. n.y. has just returned and
is now engaged with his report the other Lient Glib
bon) is still on his way down.
Thus in consequence of this Japanese spirit that still
fingers in Brazil officers, in the pursuit of science
and of knowledge for the benefit of the human family
were by this policy compelled to under
60 all sorts Of exposures and living monkeys and
cows, to descend that mighty river from its its
mouth rafts in dugous and upon such floating things
they could find.
On the ridge to the north of Damentno Castelnau saw
the waters of the La Plata and the Amazon flowing from
the same farm:
awe found says he) one of the very sources of the
Amola, IA tributary of the Cuyaba which rises in
vine of the plateau and flows toward the south it is
n. n. w. from the fork Of it, which they say is little
more elevated. The two sources unite almost immedi-
atey in the valley to form the Amoa which the
road of Kebo. The farm of Estivado where WERE
situated of the interesting points which this
continent presents There in fact, and o few steps
from the other arise the of OF the
est rivers in the world-the Amazon and the La Plata
1t may day be very easy TO establish communica-
ton between these gigantic streams for the master Of
the house. he told himself had attempted simply
for the purpose OF gang his garden TO turn the waters
Of river into the bed of the other The of the
river Estvado the branch Of the Arnos is found in
hollow in the plateau whose shed is turned toward
the north about $50 feet east Of the house Of the
name and 275 feet west of this appears in little grove
the source Of aiuent Of the Zombador, which is
known to be one Of the tributaries Of the Cuyaba.
The farm Of Estivado is therefore the dividing line
Of the waters which flow north and those which flow
south The phenomenon is observed Macu: in
the times Of great floods there is torrent whose waters
at certain point separate in such that the
hand they flow to the Cuyaba and the other to the
Tapajos.
IAN this great plateau is the dividing line Of the
waters. The superintendent Of Estvado told us that
had been carried from Cuyaba in the Avnos
by means of portage Of only four leagues the
Chapoa and the proprietor of Macu had proposed
tablish this communication"
Diamentino carries direct trade with Para by the
Arinas the Tapaos and Amazon The place OF embark
alton is ten leagues from the village and the voyage up
and down. thence to Para, occupies eight months The
Tapajos is said to be sickly.
The foreign merchandise that reaches Damentino by
this route is sold at advance on the average eight
hundred and fifty per cent its price in PARA which is
some fifty hundred per cent New York prices
We're this trade large present it is not and with
out steamboat navigation be- Pennsylvania no
doubt would rejoice in IL for iron in Diamentno and the
province Of Matte Crosse generally sells at 25 the 100
lbs.Ue hundred and fly dollar, the ton "a price which
ought surely to satisfy the iron of any country Salt
sells at Sl8 the 100 lbs -four at $40 per barrel
Castenau quotes the Para and Diamentino prices Of
Of the principal foreign articles Of trade be-
tween the places and the average advance in Da-
menno upon these Para prices is have stated $50
per cent
Passing from this benghted country over into Bolivia
Castenau to an entirely different sort Of people
Industrious and thriving the Bolivans they comtem-
plate their lovely rivers the Pilcamayo and the Madeira
sigh the and the free NAVIGATION Of the