Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-06-05
COMMERCE. WITH SOUTH AMERICA.

COMMERCE WITH SOUTH AMERICA.
The memorial of M. F. MAunY, Lieutenant in the
Navy Of the United States the Senate and House of Re-
Congress assembled respectfully showeth:
That he has for number Of years been engaged with
investigations concerning the winds and currents of the
sea, particularly as it regards their bearings upon
merce and navigation
In the course Of these investigations many facts and
considerations have been suggested which have practical
bearing upon of the great interests Of state and your
memoralis hopes therefore, that he may be pardoned
for spreading before your honorable body of the
suits and conclusions to which he has been led.
On account Of the which flow through and the
winds which blow over the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf
Mexico is for many Of the practical purposes of
merce and navigation, closed Hence commercial
and navgators have maintained that the real outlet
of the Mississippi river the is not at the Belize
but in the Straits of Florida.
Similar agents have placed the commercial mouth Of
the Amazon not where thst river sses into the
which 4 u he RqsatoE but they havs removed il far
ss| v S@* 5ss Hi.isslppi Espi " =
II din v5od Ion TIE Andes, in the interior Of South
Amerfcs bc Anoat upon the headwaters OF the ANA
zon and if another log be feed from the Rocky Noun
ans the interior Of North America and cast upon the
the Missouri these pieces of drift taken
represent the currents Of their rivers and OF the seas
into which they empty will each obying the force OF the
winds and Of the currents be dred out upon the broad
ocean through the Florida pass.
The prevailing winds the mouth of the Amazon are the
southeast trade winds and vessel coming out OF the
mouth Of that river stand to the southward on ac
count Of the land to 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 to the North, the outward-bound
then enters the region Of the northeast trade
Winds which compel her. unless she be bound into the
Caribbean Sea- stretch off to the northward and west
ward until she has passed through of the north
east trades and gained the parallel of 25o 3O north
by which time she finds herself off our own coast
Now this is the Of all vessels under canvass from
the Amazon whether they be bound to Rio de Janero
Brazil to india to Africa any of the markets Of the
Pacific around Cape Horn, the commercial mars Of
Europe Be their destination what it may unless it be
along the Spanish Main through the Caribbean Sea-
they must first steer north to the belt OF northeast
trades, and in doing they must pass by our doors
Therefore, for the peaceful and practical purposes of
commerce and navigation there is but highway from
the mouth of the Amazon On that highway the Southern
Atlantic ports of the United States occupy the position Of
halfway houses the great market that's some day
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 hands Let
not by suffer it to fall into the hands of others
If we regard the whole continent of America at
view observe that in the Equatorial regions near
y cut in twain to receive arm of the skrted on
the east by the chain Of islands, the Great and Little An
titles, which extend from the Peninsula Of Florida the
north the mouth of the Onoco the south that this
andocked Of the is separated from the Pacific
the west by neck of continent called the
Isthmus On the north, this same arm Of the sea re-
ceve the drainage from the valley Of the Rio Grande the
Mississippi and the Alabama rivers the south, the
surplus of the Amazon the 0rinoco, the Magdae
ma and Atrato emped into also This sheet Of salt
may therefore be treated Of expansion Of the
Mississippi the north and Of the Amazon the south
Regarding this magnificent marine basin as CONNER
cal receptacle may search the world in vain for
another such feature in physical geography wherewith to
compare it. 1t unique; and for its commercial capa
bes it must forever unsurpassed and unsquaed
1t has sem-connent the north, and another the
south When it is seed time side Of this contnen
tai receptacle Of agricultural and commercial wealth. il
harvest time the other Being between the two hemi
spheres with their opposite seasons 1t will have around Of
crops always in market Six months after the first de-
livery of the crop takes place from the north, fresh
crop from the south will be in the act Of coming forward
The Mississippi river gives drainage and commercial
outlet to the largest and the fertile valley in the
northern hemisphere The river basin Of the Amazon or
the Ornoco is connected with it by natural canal and
therefore belongs to the SYSTEM is the largest and most
fertile in the world
The Mississippi taking its rise near the parallel of 500
of north latitude south At every step it changes
its latitude; with its latitude its climates changed
with its climates the productions its banks also
changed Consequently, the trader he descends the
Mississippi beholds at every turn some new article OF
commerce. and by the time he the Tropc Of Can
and bounds out through the commercial mouth Of this
river upon the blue waters Of the Atlantic ocean, he win
have crossed the climate and the region for every agr
cultural staple and ranged through all the capacities
of field and forest in the northern hemisphere, from
barley rs and peltres down TO the list Of tropical pro-
ductons.
The Amazon the other hand runs east and its navi-
gable tributaries flowing both from the north and the SOUTH
push the ntertropca varieties from field and forest far
down towards the Circle Of Capricorn in the other hem
sphere
The Mississippi has but reached the sugarproducing
attudes where it expands out upon the Gulf of Mexico
The Amazon takes up the list where the Mississippi
it. and commencing with sugar it yields in great prou-
sion and Of fine quality coffee cochnea cocoa and cot
ton tobacco, hemp, and indigo nda-rubber 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 addition
the above list Of many other articles from the field, the
forest and the mine, Of rare value great worth.
In the commercial circle these two river basins are the
supplements Of each other what lacks that the other
has to spare.
The foundations Of commerce rest upon diversity Of c
mate for without diversity Of climate there can be
diversity Of productions and consequently variety Of
produce which beges barter and thus gives rise to
merce
The continent of Europe extending from the polar ba-
SIM reaches further the south than the parallel Of
86o north Consequently, Of the climates due any
Of the parallels between $50 north and the equator
be found in Europe and IL not the climates certainly
the productions.
Now it is fact in physical geography that is worthy
Of remark in this connexon Where the continent of
Europe ends at that degree Of latitude begin the river
basins Of India which, extending from the parallel Of $50
M far down into the interropcal regions Of this hemi
sphere, have enriched with their produce and their
merce every nation of Europe that has ventured
abroad with her merchantmen in search Of it. And why
Simply because the attitudes and the climates and