Washington sentinel., 1854-02-02

and descend the rivers at all times in the year;
because, if any accident occurs to a ship which
cannot descend in the low season, it involves q
detention Of six months up the country, which
il risk no merchant will run when he can
avoid it by getting his goods up in small YES,
sells, certain of being able TO ascend and de-
scend at all seasons Therefore, my narrative
will consider the river at the low season only.
Leaving Rosario, 80 miles bring ms to the
towns Of Sante Fe and Bajad; q but there are
three or four shadows in the way, which pre-.
vent vessels drawing more than 10 feet OF
water arriving here at all seasons of the year.
Leaving Bajada, l50 miles further up we
arrive at very bad shallow, called the Pass
of San JUAN Here vessels Of more than I
feet water are stopped in the dry season.
One hundred and eighty miles further up we
come to Corrientes, the most rising place after
Rosario on the Parana. .s,
The trade Of three great rivers, the Parana,
Paraguay, and Vermejo, meets here. Two
hundred miles further up, or $50 as the crow
flies, (for here the river winds very much, J
brings US TO the city Of Ascension, in Pa
raguay. fi3. 5
Further than that / have not been, and the
rivers at present are not opened beyond to other
than Paraguayan vessels but the river is said
to be navigable 800 miles above Ascension,
but to what class Of vessels, and if at all sea-
sons Of the year, have no personal knowledge,
and it is very difficult to arrive at the truth
through other persons reports.
The distance of Ascension from the Martin
Garcia channel is 800 miles as the river winds,
or 700 following the general course Of the
stream, but not the particular beds.
The pass Of San Juan is the pass which
stops the whole Of the upper rivers. Vessels
drawing more than q feet water cannot pass
that in the dry season; but over that barrier
they can get to Ascension, and certainly a
great distance beyond at all seasons of the
year.
The depth Of water which have given must,
think, satisfy you that Rosario is the only
town which can hope for direct trade to Eng
land, and that all the remainder Of the interior
of South America must still be content to re-
main purchasers at Buenos Ayres or Monteyi-
Adeo; and although vessels drawing III feet Of
water in particular seasons of the year can even
get as high as Ascension, yet | will mention
one fact which saw, which practically shows
that even then these large vessels cannot com
pete in these rivers against the existing river
craft.
Our steamer drew ten feet water. We had
sent up before lis three small craft, laden with
COAL to supply US. Not far. from the Pass o.
San Juan, one evening near sundown, we over.
took one sailing. The sun set; we anchored
because, drawing ten feet water, we were afraid
Of getting ashore. Our collier ran by us, and
ran on all night, because, drawing six feet
water, she was quite secure. Next morning we
weighed, and, steaming on, overlook her in a
few hours; but we found that, drawing ten feet
water, we were compelled to keep in the deep
est water channel, exposed to the full force OF
the current and following all its bends from
bank to bank, while our collier, drawing six
feet, kept outof the current, and kept straight
course along the shore. Now, five had both
been sailing-yessels, in twenty-four hours she
would have run full double the distance. Again
supposing two merchant vessels, one OF 40C
tons, the other Of 40 tons, got aground. which
is very common on the rivers, what occurs
Why the 400 ton vessel takes fortnight to un
load and tighten; the 40 ton vessel takes "a
hours and is off again.
Therefore, in my opinion, even iflarge ships
could always ascend, they would not find it to
answer, because they would always be beaten
in competition by the river craft. The average
of these vessels is from 35 tons to so tons.
come, therefore, generally, to the concl,l,
sion that, as faras saiing-vessels are concerned
the opening of the Parana will benefit MS very
little, but that the trade, with the exception
perhaps Of Rosario, will continue to be trans
shipped at Buenos Ayres or Monteyideo, and
sent up in river craft as before.