The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-01-18

{ of stingiDg insects blind the traveller, am
render him frantic by the torments the
cause. Take handful of the finest sant
and throw it above your head, and yol
would then have but a faint idea of til,
number of these demons who tear the skin
to pieces. 1t is true, these insects dis
appear at night, but only to give place tc
others yet more formidable. Large bat:
(true, thirsty vampires) literally throne
the forests. cling to the hammocks, and
finding part of the body exposed, rest
lightly there and drain it of blood. The
alligators are so numerous, and the noise
they make SO frightful, that it is impos.
sible to sleep"
At Santarem they were told the tide
was perceptible, but did not perceive it
AT Gurupa it was very apparent. This
point is about FIVE hundred miles from the
sea. About tbirty-fve miles below Cur
upa commences the great estuary of the
Amazon. The river suddenly flows out
into an immense bay, which might ap-
propriately be called the ebay Of thous.
and islands" for it is cut up into innum-
cradle channels. The travellers ran for
days through channels varying from fifty
to FIVE hundred yards in width, between
numberless islands. This is the India
rubber country. The shores are low, in
deed one seldom sees the land at all, the
trees on the banks generally standing in
the water. The party stopped at one of
the establishments for making India-rub-
ber. The house was built of light poles,
and on piles, to keep it out of the water,
which flowed under and around it. This
was the store, and rude as it was, was
palace compared to the hut of the la
borer who gathers the India-rubber The
process is as follows: longitudinal cash
is made in the bark Of the tree with a
hatchet. A wedge of wood is inserted to
keep the cash open, and small clay cup
is stuck to the tree beneath the CASH.
The cups may be stuck as close together
as possible around the tree. In four or
five hours the milk has ceased to run, and
each wound has given from three to five
tablespoonful. The gatherer then col
lects it from the cups, pours it into an
earthern vessel, and commences the op-
Grafton of forming it into shapes and
smoking it. This must be done at once,
as the juice soon coagulates. A fire is
made on the ground and rude funnel
placed over it to collect the smoke The
maker of the rubber now takes his last,
if he is making shoes, or his mould, which
is fastened to the end of stick, pours the
milk over it with cup, and passes it
slowl y several times through the smoke,
until it is dry. He then pours on the 9TH
er coats, until he has the required thick
ness, smoking each coating till it is dry,
From twenty to forty coats make a shoe.
The soles and heels are Of course given
more coats than the body of the shoe
The figures on the shoes are made by
tracing them on the rubber while soft,
with a coarse needle or bit of wire This
is done two days after the coating. In a
week the shoes are taken from the last
The coating occupies about twenty-five
minutes.
The tree is tall, straight and has a
smooth bark. 1t sometimes reaches a
diameter of thirteen inches or more
Each incision makes rough wound on the
tree, which, although it does not kill it,
renders it useless, because smooth place
is wanted to which to attach the cups
The milk is white and tasteless, and may
be taken into the stomach with impunity.
Our travellers arrived at Para on the
18th of April, 1852, and we're most hos
pitably and kindly received by Mr. Nor
ris, the American consul.
Para is situated on a low elbow of
land at the junction of the river Guiana
with the river of Para, and at distance
of about eighty miles from the sea. The
harbor is fine one. There is an abun-
dance of water, and ships of any size may
lie within one hundred and fifty yards of
the shore. The population numbers a.
bout ten thousand free persons and five
thousand slaves. Para is infected with
yellow fever and smallpox, but these dis
eases are thought to have been introduced
from abroad, and there is reason to hope
that by increased attention to cleanliness,
as regards the vessels and their crews,
and the part of the harbor where they lie,
those diseases may be banished.
The climate is delightful. The sun is
hot till about noon, when the sea-breeze
comes in, bringing clouds, with rain,
thunder and lightning, which cools and
purifes the atmosphere, and washes the
streets of the city. The afternoon and
evening are then delicious. This was in
variable during the month of the lieuten
ants stay.
The rich vegetable productions of the
country enhance much the beauty of the
city. In nearly all the gardens grow
various kinds of palm, he cocoa nut, the
cinnamon, the bread fruit tree, and rich
green vines of black pepper. There are
a number of almond trees in various
parts of the town, which are very orna-
mental. The society of Para is also
agreeable. As is apt to be the case in
tropical climates, there is great disin-
clination to labor. The men of the up
per class are nearly all in the employ of
the government, with exceedingly small