The daily union., 1852-05-14
Tho Memorial OF M. F. maury,
A LIEUTENANT IN THE U. g. NAVY.
To s Ssaais and House Of Representatives IN Congre
assembled, respectfully sho0sth;'

Investigations concerning the winds and currents OF the
sea, particularly as il regards their bearings upon com
In the course OF these atons many facts and
considerations have been suggested which have prac
your memoralist hopes therefore. that he may be par
doned ior spreading before your hQnoable body some oil
the results and conclusions which he has been led
On account OF the currents which now through, and
the winds which blow over. the Gulf OF Mexico. the
Gulf OF Mexico s for many OF the practical purposes OF
commerce and navigation, closed sea- Hence COM
mercal men and navlgators have maintained that the
real outlet OF the Mississippi river 10 the ocean is not at
the Belize, but in the straits of Florida
Similar agents have placed the commercial mouth OF
the Amazon not where that river emptes into the ocean,
which is under the equator hut they have removed far
up into the northern hemisphere and placed il the
commercial gateway oi our own Mississippi
III drlft-wood from the Andes, in the interior oil South
America, be set aoat upon the headwaers OF the ANA
zon, and il another log be elled from the Rocky
alns IN the interior OF North America and Cast upon the
head waters OF the Missouri, these two pieces OF dnfI
taken to represent The of their rivers and OF the
seas into which they empty will EACH obeying the force
OF the winds and OF the currents be drled out upon
the broad ocean through the Florida pass.
The prevailing winds at the mouth OF the Amazon
the 8 4. trade Winds and vessel coming out OF the
mouth OF that river can stand to the southwark on ac
count OF the land nor 10 the eastward on account of the
winds and CURRENTS both OF which directly in the
teeth OF all sailing vessels that attempt to steer such
courses.
Passing few leagues 10 the north, the outward bound
Amazonian then enters the region OF the N. r. trade
winds which compel her, unless she be bound into the
Caribbean to stretch Oft TO the northward and west
ward unit, she has passed through the region OF the r.
trades and gained the parallel OF 25deg 80 deg north
by which time she finds herself OF our own coast.
Now, this is the course OF all vessels under canvass
from the Amazon. whether they be bound to Ro De
Janeiro in Brazil TO India, or to Africa, any OF the
markets OF the Pacific around Cape Horn. or to the CON-
mercial marts of Europe. BE their destination what II
may unless It be along the Spanish MAN, or through the
Caribbean they must first steer north to cross the
belt OF N E. trades. and in doing so they must pass by
our doors.
commerce and navigation there is but one highway from
The mouth OF the Amazon On that highway the south
Atlantic ports of the United States occupy The posi-.
ton OF halfway houses the great way that is
day to lead from the valley OF the Amazon TO the
rest Of the world. That market-way we overlook. The
winds and the have placed the keys OF It IN our
hands Let US not, by non-use suffer II to ial INTO Inc
Ii we regard the whole continent of America at one
view, observe that in the equatorial regions It Is
nearly cut in twain TO receive OF the sea, skirted
the by the chain of islands, the Great and Little
Antilles which extend from the peninsula OF Florida on
the north TO the mouth OF the Ornoco on The south that
cifc the west by narrow neck OF continent called
"the lshmus" On the north this same arm of the sea
receives the drainage from the valley OF the Rio Grande
the Mississippi, and the Alabama rivers; on the SOUTH
the surplus waters OF the Amazon, the Ornoco the Mag
dalena and Atraio emptied into il also This sheet
OF salt water may, therefore, be treated OF as an expan
sion OF the Mississippi the noth and oil the Amazon
on the south.
Regarding this magnificent marine basin as a CONNER
cia receptacle, may search the world in vain for
another such feature in physical cogaphy wherewlh 10
compare it, 1t is unique And tor it's commercial capa
biites. il must forever remain unsurpassed and une
qualled.
the south. When il is seed time on one side OF this con-
nenal receptacle OF agricultural and commercial wealth.
il is harvest time the other Being between the two
hemspheres, with their opposite seasons, II will have
round OF crops always in market. SIX months after the
rst delivery OF the crop takes place from the morrill,
fresh crop from The south will be in the OF coming
QTd MISQQ ri
commercial oue, TO the largest and the most fertile val
ley in the northern hemisphere The river basin OF the
Amazon for the Ornoco connected with II by nalu-
raj canal and therefore belongs the SYSTEM is the
largest and the most fertile in the world
The Mississippi taking its rise near the parallel oil 30
deg north latitude, south AT every step it changes
It's latitude with It's latitude its climates are CHANGED
with lis climates the productions on ITS banks are also
changed. Consequently the trader as he descends ihe
producesome fresh variety Of merchandise offering for
commerce And by the time he the ropic OF Can
cer and bounds through the commercial mouth oil this
river upon the blue waters OF the Atlantic ocean, he will
have crossed the climate and the region for every agri
cultural staple, and ranged through all the capacities OF
field and forest In the northern hemisphere, from barley
urs. and peiries, down TO the list OF tropical produc
tons
The Amazon on the other hand, runs east, and its navi
gable tributaries, flowing both from the north and the
SOUTH push the inieropical varieties from held and or
far down towards the circle OF Capricorn In the other
hemisphere
The Mississippi has but reached the sugar-producing
Where II expands out upon the OulI OF
The Amazon takes up the list where the Mississippi
leaves IT, and commencing with sugar. II yields in great
proiusion, and of fine quality, coffee cochneal, cocoa
and cotton, tobacco hemp and 20, indarubber, wax
gums, drugs, and resins. With cabinet woods and dye
sus OF great beauty and OF infinite variety this splendid
river basin completes the commercial round by the ad-
don TO the above list OF many other articles from the
eld the forest and the mne Of value great worth
In the commercial circle these two river the
supplements OF each oherwhai lacks, that the other
has 10 spare.
The foundations OF commerce rest upon diversity OF
climate for without diversity Of climate there can be no
diversity OF productions, and consequently no variety oil
produce which beges barter and thus gives rise to CON-
merce.
The continent OF Europe, extending from the Polar
Basin reaches further the south than the parallel oil
90 deg north consequently none OF the climates due any
Of the parallels between 80 deg north and the equator
to be found in Europe and il not the climates, GER
tainly not the productions
Now II is fact in physical geography that IS worthy
OF remark in this connexion: where the continent oil
Europe ends, at that degree OF latitude begin the river
basins OF india which, extending from the parallel oil 80
hemisphere, have enriched with their produce and their
every nation OF Europe that has venured
abroad with her merchantmen in search OF IT, And why
Simply because the attitudes and the climates and coDse
quenty the productions oil India, not to be found
in Europe and the Europeans wanting them, sent 10
wanted the productions OF Europe Hence barter and The
foundation OF all commerce may be referred TO difference
OF latitude and climate.
But to exchange the produce and the merchandise OF
the north fgid and north temperate for the north iorrd
zone, the European bad to encounter tedious and
such distance that the time taken for his vessel to go
and to come occupied the full year.
On the other hand have al our very doors this
great valley OF the Amazon. with all, and more than all