The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-12-03

The Amazon and the Atiantac sIepes ar sou,,,
America mo. D.
About one half Of Bolivia, two thirds Of PERM
threefour Of Ecuador, aud one half of Naw c.
NADIA, are drained by the Amazon and ia trih,,
taries For the want Of steamboat navigation o,v
these water courses the trade of al these parts AZ
those countries goes west by caravans of mules Ia
the Pacific There il is shipped, and after doubling
Cape Horn. and sailing eight or ten thousand miles
it is then oDlv off the mouth Of the Amazon on il
way to the United States Europe; whereas, If the
navigation of the Amazon were free to these cOuu-
tries, the steamers on that river would land their
produce Mt the mouth Of the Amazon for what ii
Pacific.
A question. therefore. of the greatest Importance
to these republics is the free navigation ofthat river
The Introduction Of the steamboat upon their tri-
butaries of it would be followed by the immigrant
up the Amazon, who would soon make Q perfect
garden spot the splendid provinces that are on ito
banks.
The distance between the sources of the Amaxon-
IN Peru, and her Pacific coast, is, at the Aearese
point, not more than sixty or seventy miles
The province of Caxamarcs, which is upon the
Amazonian water shed in Peru, has q population Of
10000 1t il said to be the healthiest part Of the
world 1t 1892 there we're eight persons in it whose
respective ages were ia, liz, III, l3l, 1872, al.
and l47 and one person Montgomery Martin) died
there at the age of la years, months and days.
leaving 800 living descendants The city Of Caxa-
There arc upon this water shed, in Bolivia, tho
cities of Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz;
In Peru, the famous city of Cuzco, Huancavelica,
celebrated for the richest quicksilver mines in the
In Ecuador, the celebrated city of Quito, besidex
numerous other towns, villages and hamlets in
them all
sage around the Cape of Good Hope made in the
trade of the East was not greater than that which,
the free navigation Of the Amazon would make in
the trade of these four republics 1t would make Of
Nhnvn vnnvvA ~ aud -
lation at present estimated between seven and eight
millions.
In May, 1861, Lieutenant Herndon set cut from
through him that derive mort Of my information
concerning the Peruvian watershed Of that river.
therefore introduce the reader upon that water
shed, by an extract from his journal, which he haa
kindly permitted me to make Standing in view Of
three beautiful lakes one Of them, Morococha, or
ssPain.ed Lake, being that from which the head
waters Of the Amazon how-he remarks
Though not yet sixty miles from the sea, We had
the Pacific from the wasrs Of the Atlantic. The Last
steps Of our mules had made striking change in our
We been cut of from all connection with the Paeinc and
placed upon waters that rppsd and sparksd joyouy
Of thu
our own dear land They whispered to me Of home an3
my heart went along With them thought Of Maury,
and rssollsetisg the Gloss physical connection pointed
eat BY him s1.tns between these the waters Of the
nasinsy pucieS bit Of gree. mos. rom the hillside.
the bosom Of the placid lake Of Morocoeha and
through the luxurious clnes the beautiful skies ana
enchanting scenery Of the tropics to the mouth Of the
the Carbbs.n SEA- through the Yucatan pass into the
Gulf Asxco themes aopg the Gulf stream and cut
apo. tns ocean OIL n: shores Of our own land q
east by the hands OF sympsthizng friends snd
sountrymsD high upon the head waters Of the Mississippi,
away in the far west upon the distant fountains Of the
Missouri.
It was indeed but bit Of that was floating upon
the water while unused But fancy, awakened and sa-
muated by surrounding circumstances had already
vsrtsd it into sk manned by airies and bound upon
mission Of nigh port bearing messages pea,e and
good win and telling Of commerce and navigation, Of
settlement and civilization OF religious and political
liberty from Ii. King q Rivers to the Father Of Watsrs
through rumest louder than the tempest spges sent
down by the naads Of Lake Iassa with greetings to Mo-
was now for the FIRST time fairly in the Geld Of my
operations
sound Its streams and report to their
commanded to examine It's fields its forests and
and dorm ant with the States Of
Chrstendom and make known to the spirit and entAr-
there wsiting civilization and the breath
OF the steam engine to give them animation life and PAL
Before us 10y this immense field dressed in the robes
Of everlasting summer and embracing area of thou
iands upon thcusands Of square miles, in which the
oot-fall Of civilized had been heard Be-
hind lowered in foIbddng grandeur the crest aud
peaked spmmt Of the AIDES clad in the garb Of eternal
winter.
The contrast wa. striking and the field inviting But
who we're the lsborers Gibbon and T. We were all.
The cleaners But it was well The ex.
petition had beer planned and arranged home with
mirabe judgment aud consummate sagacity; for had it
be- on grand scale CONNIE urate with its importancs
larger than 1t It would have broken down
with its weight.
Though the waters where stood were bound on ther
way to meet the streams Of northern hemisphere,
and to bring for all the practical purposes of
and navigation. the mouth Of the Amazon and tho
mouth of the Mississippi, into and place 1t before
own door; yet from the head Of navigation
stream to the head Of navigation on the other the
distance TO be sailed could not be ess than ten thousand
miles
Vast many, and great doubtless the varieties Of
climates rolls and productions, within such a range.
The Importance the world of settlement cultivation,
and commerce in the vsey Of the Amazon cannot be-
estimated With The climates Of India aud Of all
the bebabe portions Of the earth piled above the
other in quick succession tisgs and good hus5audry
here would the productions Of the to thu
magnificent river basin and place them within few
days esey sejl OF Europe and the United States.
Only few miles back Rad first entered the famous
mining district Ct Peru large portion Of the sivec
which constitutes the circulation Of the world dug
from the range OF mountains upon which we were stand
ing and most Of II from that slope Of them which
IL drained of into the Amszon Is 1t possible for COM
and navigation aud down this majestic wster
and its beautiful tributaries to turn back this
Of oliver from its western to the Pacific,
and conduct It, With steamers down the Amazon to the
United sstes there balance the stream Of gold with
which we are likely to be flooded from California and
Australia
questions which could not answer, and reflections
which could not Keep hack. crowded upon ms Op-
with their weight and the MAGNITUDE of the task
before turned slowly aud sadly away secretly Ia
menting my wsst OF ability for this great uuderta-
sincerely regretng that the duty before had
not been assigned to ADLER and better hands.
The Amazon in Perm is called the Marathon. 1t
takes ita rise in about IL deg south, and flows N
N. W. for about Eve husdrod miles; thence turning
cast, aud constituting, according to the maps, (but
the maps are wropg) the boundary line between
Peru and Ecuador, for about eight hundred miles, by
its windings Crossisg in Peru the head waters OF
the maiR stream, Lieut. Hsrnden reached the banks
Of the Husl'spa, nobls tributary, and embarked
upon it at lingo Maria. He descended 1t to iA
iur ction With the main stream, and thence to the
mouth Of che latter by river navigation Of not less
ism three thousand five hundred miles.
At Tarapoto he fell IN with clever New England
blacksmith, who had been in that country for many
years, and from whose valuable notes, touching tho
commercial Of the places visited by hin,I
derive the following