The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-12-02
Forlhe Union.
LETTER No. IL.
Para, (south America. J Noyembe

since my last letter, have received intelligence nom
Peru assuring us that fyseyen of the California
godhuners had arrived there They had found no gold
and generally destitute OF the party that here
nearly all have gone home three of them sailing in the
f." VIM. ID. Miller for New York, to-morrow-Capt Bran
BILE, of Philadelphia; Mr. Riddles of Boston; and Mr.
Dennis Of New York The latter belonged TO Dr. Whit
mores party. Mr.. John w Huston who belonged 10 the
same party died here the 10th ut of attack Of
yellow fever
We have but little news from the upper river The Am
azon Steam Company required by their contract
to twice per month from the Barra of the Rio Negro
the new district of San Paulo the Rio Negro The lit
tie steamer Monarche recently went from the Barra
Nauta in Peru in twenty-seven and half days, her
running time being eighteen and half days for the
round voyage She brought down neither freight pas
sengers from Peru and found only few tons OF freight
her return in upper Brazil This consisted of salt fish,
(ptrarge salsa panha ehaptos de paa, (straw hats
hides hammocks small quantities of borrachd, (rubber)
'aaeiga Portuguese for br this is made of the eggs
of the araga turtle in which all OF the upper
abound) tarinha fused for bread,) coffee and Merira
This article is the flesh of the pexe BOZ sh-ox va
MARINA which is fried and put into jars in its oil
keeps well for years and very much reshed by the
traders and travellers This statement shows very plainly
that many of the antcipatons Of steam ON the Amazon
thus far unreazed and that instead of these rivers at
fordng good field of enterprise the very best portion Of
the whole valley is unable to sustain steamer of eighty
tons every three months only
The government at the Barra has sent missionaries and
opened missions the Madeira and Purus (propoo-roos
rivers for cviizing the wild tribes that nhabit those val
leys The government is making every effort to extend its
influence and laws the whole extent OF these great
valleysmore doubtless for the purpose of maintaining its
rights to the vast territory than anything else The effort
is however too dfuse and is great extent useessly
expended The present population is composed of Indians
almost exclusively and is rather diminishing than in
creas No foreip ia to utry
for the purpose of labor Development All Of the whites
above Santarene traders. Foreign aborers Who'll
y ndisposed to entering the country Those who survive
the difficult accimaton Of the country-and these
generally persons Of weak consutons-become faccd,
resolue and inefficient The inability of the 200 Ger
immigrants at Cabao Cocha to live in the country is
good evidence that it is wholly unadaped to Europeans
Americans and ought satisfy such unable see
that climate disease locality and natural obstacles must
for long period prevent the profitable settlement of the
Amazon.
The quarantine laws of Para have recently given great
dissatisfaction to the Americans and English here Some
days Since the Hcnrco of Boston, left port several
gentlemen, among whom the English consul, went
down with her and returned in small boat On the
turn the boat approached very the VIM. d. Miller,
of New York, and English vessel lying at quarantine
under range of the guns of the fort The officers of the
fort supposng that it the intention of the boat to
board the quarantned vessels doubtless it was fred
five six shots and very sinking the boat.
What the English consul has done with his wounded honor
am unable to learn But another affair connected with
the sailing Of the "Henrico is quite different nature
AS she passing down. the boats from both of the
sells in quarantine went alongside to hand board letters
for the United States They had idea that it a
breach of the quarantine laws regulations touching
quarantine had been left board their ships They were
Immediately fined sixty milreas each about S33 Yesterday
the MILLER preparing to sail for New York. the Al
cannot learn the pretext of the latter fine
The former was made by the health officer the latter
imagine, for breaking port laws they treat vessel in
quarantine precisely if port previous discharge
cept that in the latter the captain and
ashore.
These fines manifesy unjust and contrary to the
laws of nations In the first place. the quarantine is estab-
shed the ezeusiUe principle The vessel having foul
bill Of health is not permitted either TO enter the port
touch the land of the empire in any way by its own
boats Others communicate with it. The country seems
determined to be free from the Infection and establishes
quarantine not of aids and ree in other countries
but throws them back If she is thus thrown in
allegiance and returned to sea- if she is in the port OF
the city, or in any connexion with the land she certainly
is the "highway of nations and has perfect right
to speak other vessels she had before being 'visited
In this instance the ordinary port laws be extended
TO the vessel while she breaks quarantine law of JUS
tce because under obligation for quarantine aid in
any possible connection with the shore
The quarantine Itself is only annoying in the form
here imposed but exceedingly ridiculous In all civilized
countries vessels quaranned permitted to commune
cate freely with the shore to have the advantages of hos
pita change of condition from ship to shore change of
salt for fresh food and all the other aids including medi-
cal attendance necessary fitting the vessel and
for entering pert But here it is quite otherwise They
to suppose that voyage of forty days the salt
water is not sufficient to air the Ship and supposing
this is all that she needs they prescribe for her eight
additional when she has arrived here in fresh water Thus
quaranned in the river she thousand risks of dis
that she had at she suffers the malaria of the
shore and if the scurvy is beginning to appear she
must remain the eight days complete it, rather than go
to hospital get fresh provisions from the land to pre-
vent it No may leave the ship not so much as to
battle around its sides
The nonsense is practised with the mails Grant
ing that they know that pdics be communicated
through the mails it is strange that they take the
say trouble to cut your letters to pieces however valuable
and battle them in vinegar before delivery At the same
time that this is done with the letters the papers are
handed out ceremoie and ought to suppose
uncontaminated by any touch Of the letters during their
long companionship the voyage In many they
quarantine the papers in the post Office from which
they pass generally to Limbau suppose the owners it
is quite certain get them suppose that is hardly
possible that contdgon should be communicated by letter.
1t is not adapted to the reception of Infection while its su
6cient contact for that purpose by probable
Contagion is generally communicated, imagine by the
wearing apparel bedcohcs of the affected which have
long contact and receive the perspton of the diseased