The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-12-29
For tie Union.

| THE AMAZON AND THE ATLANTIC
SLOPES OF SOUTH AMERlCA-No. 2.
procced now to show the present condi-
tion. with the future resources and capabilities
of the great South American water sheds
| I will coufine my attention to the rivers ANA
ION and La Plata-to their tributaries and the
valleys drained by them.
| First let us rive our attention to The In fiata
and compare the extent Of country drained by
it with the extebt drained by rivers In the nor
thern hemisphere.
| The valley of the Amazon lies in both he
mischeres it is the largest river basin in the
world, but 1t belongs exclusively neither 10 the
| North to the South.
The Mississippi til N, it will be perceived.
drains the largest river basin in the nor hern and
the La Plata the largest in the southern, hem
sphere. Both these streams run from north
to south, each embracing great variety OF
productions, traversing many dversities OF clio
mae. -,
The areas of the principal river basins which
are drained into seas that accessible to ocean
commerce may be thus stated
| In Ameiica-The Amazon-area Gncluding
the Oronoco)2 ,04S, 480 square miles.
In North America-The Misslssippi-area
l9S2000 square miles.
In South America-The La Plata area $50,
l00O square miles oo,ooo
In Europe-The Danube - area $4,000
square miles.
I In Afrca-The Nile-area $4,000 square
miles
In Asia China-The Yangtse Keang-area
SAY 900 square miles.
In India-The Ganges area $4,000 square
miles.
1t will be observed that the valley of the La
Plata in area is the third in the world; that it is
twice as large the valley of the Ganges, and
more than three times large as the largest
river basin in Europe.
The basin Of the LaPlate embraces all the la
titudes-and more too-tha' are to be found IN
the valleys oflhe Indus, the Ganges, and the
lrrawaddy, the great riv,r basins OF India. 1t
consequently has all the agricultural capacities
and more, that are to be found in the climates
of India These great resources OF the La Plata
for the most part lie dormant. They are mo-
den in the rece sses OF the mountains.
: The waters of The La Plata flow through
climates that are favorable to the growth OF su.
gar, of tea and coffee, of rice, hemp andt bacco,
, of cotton and corn, of drugs, woods, dyes and
Spices and of almost all the agricultural staples
of the earth.
The Rio de la Plata lies wholly within the
. southern hemisphere, and it is the greatest river
that does so lie /: consequently it has opposite
seasons with those Of the northern when the
husbandman is sowing in the north, then ne VINO
ts the earth in this beautiful river basin will be
ter and the farmer, and the merchant Of the La
Plata, will have control of the northern markets
5 for six months of every year, without com
pettor.
The Rio de la Plate, properly speaking, is that
arm of the sea bel tween the parralles OF 50 deg.
and Sc deg of south latitude. Its breadth Is
, a hundred miles or more, according to the place
of measurement, and it is formed by the juno.
ton of the Parana and the Uruguay. treat OF
all the country drained by these rivers and their
5 tributaries as the Valley of the La Plata
The Uruguay is a beautiful stream. 1t takes
its rize in the Brazilian province OF "Santa lfata.
rina.' on the western slopes "Serra do Mar,
or the sea range of mountains Its course is
first westwardly and then sou,hwardly 1t Is
about 700 miles long; drains rich, fertile, ana
tolerably we'll settled country For part OF the
way it is the boundary between Brazil, with the
Randa Oriental on one side, and the Argentine
confederation on the other
The Parana is majestic river. 1t is formed
by the junction Of the two Brazilian streams, the
Rio Grande and the Paranahiba
The former takes its rise near the parallel OF
90 deg, south, not far from the seashore, ana
in the wealthy province of Mnas Geraes The
valley in which the head waters of this river are
gathered into the main stream is most magnih
, cent 1t is about 200 miles broad in the widest
: part, by 400 miles long.
/ The course of the Rio Grande, though 1t IS
due west and for about 500 miles, until 1t meets
the Paranahiba coming from the northward'
" here its sources interlop ana almost 'hte'hi'n
ole with the Amazon.
The Japanese-like policy which has been OBJ.
served with regard to scientific explorations OF
! the La Plata and it's tributaries has kept tne
world in the dark as to many parts OF that val
ley.
Dr.. Francia established in Paraguay, many
years ago. a government founded upon the ia
alto cd
, of this policy so long he was in p wer ana
Bra iii has always practiced it. So that geogra
; pher really knew very little as to the Brazilian
tributaries of the La Plat their navigabIllty,
and the commercial resources of the countries
which they drain.
According to the map "De hyperion de Bra
zil, published 1876, under the auspices OF the
Geographical society. Rio de Janero, which
is now before me, the Parana, ror the first on
3 miles below the junction of the Rio Grande and
: the Paranahiba, runs through the uninhablted
parts of the provinces Of Gayaz, Motto Crosse
and Sac Paulo.
= Passing these uninhabited parts, then runs
through and among the republics OF that region
for about twelve hundred miles, to its entrance
! in the Plata.
Along this part of the route the country il
pretty well settled and according to Montgo-
merry Martini whose authority is more recent
than that of the maps of the Geographical So
cety of Brazil, must be in high state OF cul-
tivation.
Writing last year upon this river, he says:
"During the six or eight months that the ia
, rama Plata rivers was recently opened to Eu-
ropean commerce, upwards of sixteen million
dollars worth of goods were exchanged for pro-
duce, and this, without any previously organlz'
ed mercantile establishments or system.
s.Two conveys of merchant ships-one OF one
e hundred and ten ard the other of seventy-six
vessels-came down tie with tull cargoes
1t is true that this extent of trade partly at
trbutable to the accumulation of property ow-
ing to the previous Introduction of commerce by
General Rosas, whose elusion policy is al im-
tation of that Of DIR. Francla, as he was himself
boosted. He is therefore entirely hostile to
mercantile, or, indeed. to any intercourse, espe'
clally with Europeans.
Were Rosas to succeed, he would form
D State such as Japan has been for the last two
centuries -