Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-03-05
Thc Valley of tile Amazon.
BY LIEUT.. ". J.. MAURY.


From a very able article in the November
number Of tue Southern Literary Messenger,
we extract the following fine description OF
this valley.
OF more than twice the size Of the Mlssis-
spp valley, the valley Of the Amazon is en-
tirev ntcrtropical. An everlasting summer
rcigns there. Up to the very base of the An
des, the river itself is navigahle for vessels Of
the largest class. The Pennsylvania II may
go there,
A natural canal through the Caciquiari con-
meets it with the Oronoco. Giving drainage
and fertility to immense plains that cover two
millions square miles. it receives from the North
and South nnumcraLlc tributaries, which, it is
said afford an inland navigation, up and down,
of not less than 70 or so thousand miles in eX-
tent. Stretched out in continuous hnc, the
navigablc streams of that great watershed
would more than cncirclc the earth around at
its largest girth.
All the climates of India arc there Indeed,
we may say, that from the month to the source
of the Amazon, piled up one above the other,
and spread out, Andcan.likc over strTpc after
stcpre, in beautiful, unbrokcu succession, are
all the climates, and the soils, with the capacl-
ties Of production, that are to be found between
the regions of everlasting summer ana eternal
SNOW
The valley of the Amazon lis the place Of
production of India rubber, an article OF COM
merce which has no parallel as TO the increase
OF demand for it, save and except in the history
of our own great staple, since the invention OF
the cotton gin. We all recollcct when the only y
uses to which India rubber WAS applied wcr"
to rub out pencil marks, and make trap bail,
for bows. But it is now made into shoes and
hats, caps cloaks, foot balls and purses, ribbons
ard cushions, boats, beds, tents and bags, pon
toons for pushing armies across rivers, and
camcls for lifting ships over shoals. 1t is also
applied to variety of other uses and purposes,
the mere enumeration Of which would make us
tedious. New application of it are continual
" being made BoundIcss forests of the Sa-
| rngo tree are found upon the banks OF this
river; and the expectation Of this gum from
the mouth of that river, is daily becoming a
business Of more and more value, extent, and
Importance. In lSIG-7, pontoons for the
British army in India, and tents for the AmcrI-
can army in Mexico, were made in New Eng
land from the India rubber Of the Amazon.
Il j. the bcs: in the world.
The sugar cane is found here in its most
luxuriamt growth, and of the ichcst sacc!arlnc
development 1t requires to be planted but
once in 90 yc:rs.
There are produced, also, Of excellent quail
ty. :nd in great profuson. coffee and tobacco,
rice and indigo, cocoa and cotton, with drugs
of virtues the most rare, dyes, OF hues tir most
briant, and spices Of aroma the most eXq0i.
site
Soils cf the richest loan and tic finest a'lu-
vions are there. TIE climate of India, of the
MolnccaS, and the Spice Islands, are a!I there.
And there, too, lying dormant. arc the h"nndl"Ss
agricultural and mineral capacities of the East
and West, I'll clustered together. If commerce
were bat once to spread its wings over that
valley. tie shadow Of it would be like the touch
of Il n,accirn's wand-thosc' immense re-
sources would spriug at once into life and ac-
tiyity
In the fine imagery Of their language, the
! Indians call the Amazon the" King of Rivers.
1t cmpiics into the Ocean under the Line.