The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-04-15
The Amazon and its Tributaries.


the triumphs of science, navigation, skill
and civilization. And as an arena for these
glorious exertions, world-aye literally a
new world is, we confidently hope, about to
be opened to American speculation and en-
terprlse. We refer to the river Amazon
its vast and teeming valley-its giant arms
in the form of tributary streams, many as
great as itself, and all the fertile regions
a work of travel with more delight, than
the Valley of the Amazon, made under the
direction of the United States Navy depart
ment. Not only is the information of the
present interesting and gratifying, bat a
boundless prospect of the future is opened,
the wealth, industry and end of whichn man
can foresee Visions of greatness in COM
merce, tropical agriculture, mining, steam
boat building, lumber of the rarest kinds,
involun tarily arise before the Imagination
even with the Indifferent though contempla-
tive readers who examine the subject. And
such visions are the more agreeably indulg-
ed, because mingled with them, there is no
coyeting by annexation or otherwise, the
land or property of our South American
that the Amazon and its tributaries shall be
thrown free to American and European en-
terprise. In no other way can their i'm
menSe resources be opened. SO impressed
indeed, We're and are the governments Of
Peru and Brazil with this fact that they not
only granted passports and every facility to
Lleutenants Eerndon and Gbbon, (the lat
ter gentleman took different route from the
hos, ,,l \ \
to take deep interest in the success of the
exploration, the suggestions that would be
sure to follow it, and finally, it is believed,
in the results of steamboat traffic. settle
ments, plantations, and towns. Landing at
Callao, in the United States ship Vandalia,
and proceeding to Lima, we assembled with
Lieutenant Herndon to the summit of the
Corderilleras, through wild and mountain
scenes, marking every successive elevation
by the barometer or the boiling point, until
at no greater distance than sixty miles from
the sea, we cross the great divide" which
separates the waters of the Atlantic from
those of the Pacific Ocean. And here we
pause to reflect that while between the Andes
and Pacific there is but narrow belt of
South America, for thousands of miles, lie
bCN"CCi tHSSC SuIllC anu llIc AlldllllC
forming the vast valleys of the Amazon,
the 0ronoco. the La Plata, &c.-but above
all, for its fertility, that of the Queen of
Rivers-the Amazon. And on what eleva-
ton do we stand? Why in the mountain
pass of Autarangra, above which even Alp
upon Alp is piled, though the Pass itself is
To- 1879 feet above the sea-about 900 feet
higher than Mount Blanc, in Switzerland.
And yet the way across is not as difficult as
the Swiss Passes of the Simplon or st. Ber-
nard. Snow, icy cliffs, barren peaks, fearful
preciplces are everywhere around, while the
clear aad rarifed atmosphere produces some
difficulty in respiration. The small towns
and settlements that are passed, and where
our travellers We're on all occasions received
with kindness, were inhabited almost excu-
siveiy by Peruvian miners. Silver ore is
abundant, but the process and machinery for
extracting the metal are described by Lieut..
II. as so primitive and imperfect, that
should ever the rich beds in the hills be oper-
ated upon by the modern inventions in steam
and machinery, the yield will be abundant
and thus the treasures in the bowels of the
Andes are destined to enrich some future
generation. Many of the mountain streams
bring down their golden sands, showing that
there are stores of that metal in the volcanic
masses of rock. Silver is the chief mineral,
yet there are also copper, quicksilver and
u. T,1,P