The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-06-15
SOUTH AMERICA.
Lieut. MAURY TO THE MEMPHIS CoNyLN

SOUTH AMERICA.
LiEur. MAURY TO THE MEMPHIS CoNyLS
The letter of Lieutenant Maury has, alrcad
been referred to, and its Importance and intere:
would authorize the publication OF il in ful
We give below some extracts
Turn to the map Of North and South America
| You will see there that our Continent has as
were, been stretched out until it has been near
| ly drawn in two, the two parts being hid to
gether in the middle BY quite narrow neck o
land After this pulling asunder, the southern
| appears to have been thrust over to the eastward
forming Of this neck OF land an elbow or blight
in which lies embossed, midway between ,h'
the two Americas, that beautiful sheet of waite
composing the Gulf Of Mexico and the Carrib
ian Sea, which have SO often described as ou
/" Mediterranean ~
Keep your eye still on the map, and you vii
see that South America is in shape beautiful
c0rnucopia. Consider its mountains, that they
are away TO the west look at the number and
extent Gifts rivers, that you may understand
how we'll watered the whole Atlantic slope o.
that country is, and you will see that literally
and truly, it is destined TO be great horn OF
plenty. Its mouth is turned right towards us,
as though it were ready to pour out of its vast
abundance an infinite variety of fruits When
ever it does pour them out it will empty them
into our commercial lap-ihat aforesaid mag
nificent Mediterranean Sea of America.
Turn steam, the emigrant and commerce,
with their influence upon that vast water shed,
and you will make of it one vast plantation
which will produce for us all that the climate
Of India affords, and being at our own doors, will
want from us in return everything which we
nd vv,ha j. hat
new country do not want The Rio de la
Plata is nearly as large as the Mississippi. The
valley it drains is proportionably great and
far more fertile, for lis inertropcal, and canal
Of few steps in length, by comparison, will
turn the Mississippi of the South completely
upside down, also bringing its mouth for all the
practical purposes of trade aud commerce, into
the Amazon. And the two will then, for many
other great purposes of State, be taken by the
physical agents OF the Creator-the winds of
heaven and the currents oflhe sea--and brought
to the straits Of Florida, there to be united in
their great outlet upon the high seas with the
mouth of our own Mississippi. What focus
The Amazon, as it now exists, gives drainage
to six nations. 1t is the natural outlet to the
Atlantic of mach of Brazil, of most of Bolivia,
Peru and Ecuador, and of large provinces in
New Grenada and Verezutll.
stion she now holds the mouth and will not let
the republics go up or down with their steam
boats They are our sisters. They want our
and need our assistance in their noble
efforts to introduce the principles of free trade
upon the Amazon. From the other hemisphere
these nations are stretching their republican
hands out over their AmaZonian tributaries, pro
claiming for the waters of that river the freedom
OF the seas, and inviting the world TO come up
with the steamboat and river craft, the ak and
the emigrants, and open commerce and naviga-
ton with their Armenian provinces, the richest
piedmon, country in the world. A spirit has
gone abroad there, andit is upon the waters Of
the Amazon.
A little more than two years ago the Federal
Government selected gallant officer OF the ma
Wy who was at that time serving in the Pacific,
detached him from his ship, first for special SER
vice in Lima, and afterwards directed hi,n TO ex
plore the Amazon from It's sources to its mouths,
to sound its depths, and to guage its capacities
present and prospective, tor navigation, trade
and commerce.
That expedition has stirred up the people in
the Spanish Republics of the Amazon, The
President of Bolivia has taken the lead in the
matter, and proved himself statesman OF the
first order He has thrown the Amazonian pro.
vinces of that republic open to the commerce of
the world; he has proclaimed the freedom of the
seas for the Amazon and its tributaries: and has
offered prize of $4,000 to the master Of the
tirt steamer that arrives there from the ocean,
Peru has caught the same spirit she too is
about to proclaim the freedom of the seas for
her AmaZonian water-courses. She is organi-
zing territories there, and has placed in the
hands Of the executive $210,000 for the purpose
Of encouraging immigration and settlement.
Ecuador, too, is moving in the same direction
and expect the next NATL to bring me good
Jews from her, and from New Grenada also.
Miller, from Mississippi, isin Bolivia; Cushing
of Indiana, is in Ecuador, and ]. Randolph Clay,
one of the most accomplished diplomaiists that
has the honor to represent this government al
any Court, is in Lima. These func'ionaries
are alive to the importance of this subject They
regard the opening up Of the Amazon to nav.-
CATION, trade and settlement as one OF the great
questions of the age; and We may rely upon j,
they will do their duty if we will do ours here.
The measures that propose are, that we lay
the foundations Of direct trade and close COM
meFciai relations with Brazil and the Atlantic
slope of South America generally, and with the
A mazon in particular, and that we set about i,
now.
The point to which the Convention should ad-
dress itself is the free navigation ofthe Amazon,
ana eSIaDIfSfliDent OF i!ne OF IUall
Para at the mouth of that river, and
Norfolk or Charleston, or some other Atlantic
port Of the Southern States
Brazil herself has just, come out of long and
perplexing war with Buenos Ayres-one OF the
objects OF which was this very question as to the
free navigation of a river owned by more nations
than one. The La Plata was that river Brazil
owned some of its tributaries, the Republic its
mouth; and she fought it open, and SO forced
her way down, with the high hand and strong
arm.
But, upon the Amazon, the Republics own
he upper waters-the Empire the lower-and
Brazil keeps them closed tight, Notwithstanding
some Of those Republics have thrown their ports
open to the world, and invited all nations to
come up and trade with them.
Brazil knows that, according to all the prin-
ciples of right, the navigation of the Amazon
should be free. Shall we force it open No
Let ms try diplomatic suasion for it may be
opened peacably and we desire, above all
things, to cultivate the relations of peace and
friendship with the nations of this continent.
I ~ do hat oft ipb