The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-09-03
THE AMAZON AND ITS TRIBUTARIES.
I'm, ediments to Their Sue sessful
Steam Navigation.
REMEDIAL MEASURES SUGGESTED.
Criticism on the Works of Lisutenants
Maury, Hsrndon and Gibbon.
Highly Interesting to Com IN cree,
DO, &C. 10.

Some months ago the Brazilian steamer Marajo
performed its first voyage between the city OF Barra
on the Rio Negro an the town of Nauta in the re-
public of Peru. On board o. the steamer was an
officer of the government, specially deputed to re-
por. on the various circumstances OF she voyage,
and generally on the feasibility Of mainsaing re
gular steam communication between these two
points on the Amazon and its tributaries. This
officer was Count Rozwado wski, a scenti6c man
a major on the engineer staff, and-as may be in
ferred from his name-a Pole by birth. He pre-
pared and presented to the President Of the pro-
vince yoluminous report, containing his ohserva.
lions and suggestions, extracts from " inch we find
published in the Correio M1cant,t OF Rio Janeiro
AS the commerce of the city and country is deeply
Interested in all that appertaus the progress and
future Of the vast territory watered by the Amazon
and its tributaries, present readers with the
following translation of the most important and in.
terestiDg points Of the report of the Count, for the
information OF all having Interest in the subject:
II appears to me eydeLt-says the Count in his
report that steam navigation will not realize in
the soIimoen and Amazon provinces the advantages
which II promises to attain, unless tue time con.
sumed ny The present 81 stem Of taking in fuel be
oonside ably Shortened and 80 long as the
steamers shall continue to asce and descend the
river without touching land for sixty leagues or
more, carrying besides passengers, nothing but
fuel for their own consumption. consider my po-
sition the point to be much strengthened by the
enlightened opinions of his Excelieney Francisco
Gonzales Martens in the intere chapter on inter
nal navigation of his excellent report, presented to
fhe General Legislative Assembly in the first session
Of the ninth Legislature.
Tn xla Of ev,; II bo;n
Bible for the company to procure at the different
Wharves people to attend to the putting wood on
beard with despatch, navigation imay be at any
time, and is always liable to be, interrupted for
want of fuel at place or other as for instance
Occurred to US at Quarry, and as may often occur,
particularly when the inhabitants Of the place may
have been prevailed on is the case at cert sea-
eons Of the year on the Solimoen to engage in she-
ries, mining, &C., and there will occur more than
one unforeseen case, where in small aud uupopuous
places such the stations this line are at PIE.
sent, the service of the steamer will be
paraiyzed. If fuel is required there will be q
want of people to supply it and put it on
board; and according to the present system
it will have to be carried by men bundle by bundle
it will be for years difficult thing to collect at
any moment sufi cient number of hands for the
purpose; that if ths of the vessel object to
subject themselves to this service-a very likely
thing in view Of the easy discipline enforced on
board merchant ships-that single circumstance
VIII be su lent to retard the voyages and to make
correct accoun. of the arrivals and departures at
the several points sboluteiy impossible.
II VIII be obvious, however, that a prudent COM
pany, aware that for gaot OF sufficient help at the
wharyes the nayig alton of the steamers win be ex
posed to such Inconvenience, may provide for this
contingency by estab ishing at the several stations
on tee liue workmen in its emplo 7ment, aud their
families, whom IL will be easy to collect from among
the thousands of colorists settled 10 the sixty colo
MES whch it is TO establish, according to the
18th section of decree No. l037 of the 30th August
1852, each colony must occupy portion Of ground
necessary for the support Of 1000 persons. The
Gist 7bution Of these employees / will allude
TO hereafter, merely femarking here that it
appears to me that The cust.m Of not paying
the Indians personally by the agents or off.
Gers Of the company for the wood whi,h
they supply, is wrong, and ought to be altered
1t s evident that 1t is not the Indians who receive
tie price of the wool, but soma cunnng white
man who goes abroad for the purpose, and who
paws the Inesns only small portion of their earn
inps aid If this system is allowed 70 60 on the
indians will become ciscontented and careless of
working in the future. The sup 3ly Of fuel in the
voyage OF tie Narsjo was entirely owing to the
immediate oIoers OF the government of the pro
vince but hereafter that duty will necessarily
6eyove the company Itself and therefore il will
b. desirable 10 conciate the good will of the 10.
disns to induce them to assist the nvgatoI of the
steamers by supplying fuel. by helping to ship or
dscl arga cargoes, ana in whatever other way they
can rtn1er themselves useful. II the navigation
could cmtrue as 10 the fl st voyage, in which
no cargo being Tlt on boafc-tbe vessel ha3 oaly
10 carry the fuel necessary fer its consumption,
and 4 u were not the Injection Of the government
TO make the occupants Of the lands par ticipate as
much a. possible in the benefits of steam naviga.
tioD, and Of TIE property which it will scatter
through the whole litora OF the Solmoen, it would
not be necessay 10 aod 70 the number OF stations
81 which we touched. Bat 1t would be absurd to
nothing but fuel. On the contrary, every
Ech enterprise will eneeayor TO reserve
Ne much space as possible for the carrying of pas
EDRers and cargoes, and wiz avail itself OF every
means 10 diminish the space occupied by fuel and
10 shorten time Necessary for takf l. on toard.
In view OF this difficulty, u Is recommended 10 have
boats laden with wood Stationed at certain points on
the line, which the steamer could take in TOW.
This arrangement would save time, AID allow space
IN board the steamer Tor passengers, cargo and
mails. II should therefore be established an i'm
mutsble principle that thee should be direct line
between two points estimated at from twelve 10
twenty bouss os'aBce With delays OF not more tsa1
i've minutes at TIE intermediary points, and geoeray
mt more than six hours DELAY az IN pouts where
PASSENGERS, mails and cargo TO be received.
As to tic ciyiizipg nauef the country aud the
beneficial iLhuen oS its inhabitants OF having the
Steamers, IN place II making long delays at snail
stations, make but brief delays, however frequent
1t is needless TO exund my remarks, for the i'm
portanoe OF facilitating ard accelefsting commerce
and the means OF Transportation for cargoes and
individuals appears evi1eDt in whatever conn.
try, and more particularly 80 In growing
province like that OF the Amazon, with
population devoid OF industrial resources, scat.
tered, and spread over a vast extent Of couH,ry.
The points recommended as intermediary ststions,
where stoppages are to be limited to five minutes,
are the following
Between the cty of Bayra and The nnouth of the