The Cedar County advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Iowa) 1853-1856, 1854-03-11
Dessgtpstea q tt Amaxon River anA yzlacy..,
NJ Prodoet1eM. ke.

We make the following extract from
Lieut.. Herndon's Report on the the Ex.
ploration of the valley OF the Au'azon:
The river upon which we now entered
is the main trunk OF the Amazon, which
carries its Peruvian name OF Maranoa as
far rs Tabatinga, at the Brazilian tronilcr;
below which, and as far as the junction
Of the Rio Negro, it takes the name Of
the Solimoens; and thence to the ocean is
called Amazon. I, is the same stream
and, to avoid confusion. !
shall cali II Amaxvu from tlas N,isa, 20,
the sea. ..a.a
The march Of the great river in its 81
lent grandeur was sublime bot in the
untaned might Of its turbid waters as
they cut away its banks, tore down the
gigantic denizens of the forest, and bull,
up islands, it was awful. 1t rolled thro'
the wilderness with stately and solemn
air. Its waters looked angry, sulien, and
relentless; and the whole scene awoke
emotions OF awe and dread---such as are
caused by the funeral soiemnities, the
minute gun, the howl Of the wind, and
the angry tossing of the waves, when all
hands are called to bury the dead ia a
troubled sea. =... .... 81.
! was reminded Of our Mississippi at
it's topmos, food the waters are as mud
dy aud quite as turbid; but this stream
lacked the charm and the tacination which
the plantation upon the bank, the city up
Oh the bluff, and the steamboat upon its
waters, lend to its fellow Of the North;
nevertheless, felt pleased a, its sight.
/ had already travelled seven hundred
miles by water, and fancied that this pow
erful stream would soon carry me to the
ocean; but the water-travel was compar-
lively just begun; and many weary
month was to elapse ere l should again
look upon the familiar face Of the sen |;
and many time, when worn and wea.
ried with the canoe life, did lexclaim, this
river seems intermlnabie! -....#
Its capacities for trade and commerce
are exceedingly great. Its industrial fu-
ture is the most dazzling; and to the
touch OF steam, settlement, and cultiva-
ton, this rolling stream and its magnifi-
cen, watershed would start up into dis
play Of industrial results that would indi.
cate the valley of the Amazon as one Of
the mos, enchanting regions on the face
Of the earth.
From its mountains you may dig sill
yer, iron, coal, copper, quicksilver. link,
and tin from the sands of its tributaries
you may wash gold, diamonds, and pre-
cious stones; from its forests YOU may
gather drugs Of virtues the most rare, spi-
ces Of aroma the most exquisite, gums
and resins of the most useful and varied
properties, dyes of hues the most brill
liant, with cabinet and building woods Of
the finest polish and most enduring tex
ture.
Its climate is an everlasting summer,
and its harvest perennial. | translate
from book Of travels in these countries,
by Count Castelnau. (received since my
return to tie United States, an account
of the capacities of some Of the southern
portions Of this vast watershed:
"The productions Of the country are
exceedingly various. The sugar cane,
OF which the crop is gathered at the end
Of eight months from the time Of plant
ing, forms the chief source Of wealth OF
the province OF Cercado.
"CofIee is cultivated also with success
in this province, and in that OF Chiquitos
Yields its fruit two years after faving
been planted, and requires scarcely any
attention. Cocoa, recently introduced,
into these two provinces, gives its fruit
a, the end Of three or four years at most.
The tamarind, which thrives in the same
localities, produces its harvest in five
years. Cotton gives an annual CROP
there are two yarieties--the ono white,
the other yellow. Tobacco grows, so to
speak, without cultivation in the province
OF Vale Grand, where it forms the prin-
cipal article OF commerce. Indigo, Of
which there are three cultivated kinds and
one wild, is equally abundant. Maize
yields at the end of three months all the
year round ii is also cultivated in the
province of Cercado. The cassaye pro-
duces in eight months after planting; there
are two kinds OF it t-one sweet, aud the
other bitter, the first can replace the po-
tatoe, and even bread the second Is
good only for starch. There is an enor-
nous amount OF kinds OF varieties OF ba-
nanas, which produce Ia the year from
seed; they are specially cultivated in the
province vi Cercalo. Two kinds Of rice
-one white, the other colored-are cul-
tivated in the two provinces of Cercado
and Chiquitos. They produce every five or
SIX months they say j. is found wild in
the region 81 Chiqui,os.
"rhe grape, which grows well every
where, and especially III the province Of
Cordlleras. where il was cultivated in the
Missions up to the time OF the Independ-
ence, is nevertheless made no aIhcle Of
profit. 1t will some day, perhaps, form
one Of the principal sources oi eallh Of
this country. Wheat, barley. and shs po-
,a.oe nigh, be cultivated with advantage
in the provinces OF Chiquitos and Cordil-
leras; but I'LL now results have been ot.