The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-11-19

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y us southern parts. and throughout the Banda Oriental
Rios, Correnies, and the Argentine republic. we
stances without bearing the necessary fuel even for
household purposes. Not SO in Paraguay. where added
70 suhciency for building fleets OF thousand
and useful woods
Beginning with the head waters of the river Para
quay we md the productions upon the Brazilian side 10
ue suu ana precious Stones sugar oasses hides OF
traordinary size, hair taow wax deer and tiger skins
WIN rice, corn, and the different manufactures OF the
slandloea roots n Bolivia gold and precious stones, sill
Ver coffee considered by good judges be equal Mo-
ena) and Peruvian bark. Though could undoubtedly
oam ltom these two countries many other productions
OF uopcal America, yet il is in Paraguay that we find
Inc greatest wealth OF all these Valleys
OF medicinal herbs they yield in great proiusion rhu
barb sarsapalla jaap. bezoDa indcl, sassaira, holy
wood, dragons blood basam of copaiba, nux yomica
liquonce. and gngernt
Here, toe, found dye stufs of the most exquisite
nts Among these he includes cochneal two kinds OF
indigo'a vegetable vermon, saffron golden rod. with
other plants, producing all The tns OF dark red black
and green."t
In the forests found sixty varieties of wood yaaa-
BILE Tor ship building. timber or for cabinet work
among them the " siebo tree" which, sswhen green
10 spongy and soft cork. and be cut like an apple
but when dry is so hard almost defy The action OF
steel the palo de Uuora, snake ee whose leaves are
an nallbe cure for the poisonous bites OF serpen,s the
pdio de edte, or milk tree-may be called vegetable
cow and the paio de bonaeho. drunken tree, vege-
table dstllery The cica resin is found the roots Of
trees under ground and is natural pitch ready prepared
TO pay the seams OF vessels"
Many Of them said to yield gems and drugs OF
the rarest virtues and of the most exquisite perfume
though, coming from far country. which commerce in
her loest flights has not yet been able to reach, many
Of these productions yet known to pharmacy or
the mechanic arts. "They COMPRISE" says Hopkins,
"some OF the most delicious perfumes and incense that
be imagined Others again. are like amber hard brittle
dinsoube in water Some cedars yield gum equal TO
gum arabic; others natural glue, which, when
dried is unaffected by wet or dampness"
Here, too in these wds, flourish side by side the In
da.rubber tree the VANILLA with it's sweet scented beam
and the pao saao. from which the gum guiacum OF our
| commerce is gathered.
Wild too in those wonderful forests, grow, mature,
and decay annually, and in large quantities, two three
kinds OF hemp the nux saponca soap nut the cocoa,
yerba matte of superior quality two kinds of cotton,
with vegetable oils and in vast quantities. The
pampas grazed by immense herds OF cattle and horses
and great quantities OF "hides, hair horns bones taew
Sc, lost for want Of transportation Upon the fertile
auval banks OF many large streams sugar cot
ton, tobacco OF superior quality, rice, mandoca Indian
corn, and thousand other productions, vegeate with
pofusion whilst varieties of the bamboo line the
river banks and dot the frequent lakes with isles OF
touching beauiy"' In Short this traveller thus sums
up his account of this glorious valley
I'VE have found Inc forest spontaneously pr oducing
everything necessary for the comfort and luxury OF man
kind, from the beautiful cotton tree, that affords him
clothing to the colors that suit his fancy as dye and
from the woods that furnish bis ship and house or or
his escritoe 10 the herb that his sickness
the incense that delights his olfactoes II is only
necessary to add tina! the climate is favorable TO all the
useful grains and table vegetables with delicious fruits
to support the frame and crafty the palate"
But from the republic Of Paraguay, where Hopki.s was.
to tae mouth OF the La Plata. there only some 500
miles OF river navigation Let therefore ascend higher
up the beautiful Paraguay, into Brazil as
cend tus river through the district Dos Damanles TO the
city Of "Diamono," and thence trace its sources no
their beds of bright jewels and golden sand, TO their
very fountain head they leap, spanged and sparkling
from the "Damond naountainsn Standing on these we
may contemplate the great divide which separates the
waters they be separated OF the Rio de la Plata from
the waters OF the Amazon.
This ridge extends from 10 over the distance
in straight line, OF than 1900 statute mile. Oo
one side the streams south, on The other they come
north, and on both sides they wash down from This
ridge gold, diamonds, and other precious stones Thi,
suiierous and rich mineral region embraces many de-
gees OF latitude and extends through 80 degrees of lon
gude. propose TO speak OF IT another time
II is question whether the waters OF the La Plata
and the Amazon do moi unite through natural canal as
those OF the Amazon and O.onoco do through The Cast
qaiarl, and thus AFFORD an inland navigation from Boeno
Ayres IS deg south to the mouth OF the Oronoco where
VI utb lHO the tdflD0ean IruIy
such a navigation would be bringing the commercial
drainage OF the Atlantic slopes OF South America not
only feet bat !, would be emptying lie treasures
into the very lap into which Mississippi pours
its waters, its surplus produce, and It's wealth At any
rate, whether there be natural cana here now OF not
may look forward 10 The time when settlement steam
and civilization shall have taken root upon the great
Amazon watershed, 10 canals and channels which,
| il Nature have not completed ar, WILL by which Ae La
Plata will be turned upside down and It's mouth placed
for all the practical purposes oil commerce, under the
equator, where the Amazon discharges itself into the sea
Castelnau, French saUant, who was sent BY Louis
Philippe in s43 to explore the interior OF the country
and who went from Rio along this "Divide" over 10
Bolivia thence TO Lima and then across the AIDES and
down the Amazon to its mouth gives much new and
valuable information concerning this whole country
lie gone four or five years, aad the FIRST part OF hi.
travels has just been published The principal object OF
bis expedition, be says, "was TO study in all it's bearings
the basin of The Amazon which ~ destined to play
grand par, ia the future history of America :; "or" he
adds, he utter neglect OF this river basin by nations
of Europe will day greatly astonish the political and
| commercial world"
"An excursion in the northern parts Of the province
OF Matte Crosse" says Castenau "aTorded us an
opportunity OF determining the position OF the sources
Of The Paraguay well as OF the Tapajos and we
could contemplate at the TINT the arms OF the two
greatest rivers in the world-the La Plata and the ANA
they leaped from the bowels OF the earth at our
feet and nierocked one with the other again and
1 IN pdc