The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-02-04


many Of the material graDdeurs of the old
have shriyeled and shrunk to secondary i'm
portance. Although this holds good con-
corning the ranges OF mountains and extent
of arabic land, it is in no other respect 80
marked as in the length and capacity Of
rivers Those streams which were famous
10 o.dcn story, are but brooklcts TO the
great waters Of modern commerce The
Tiber and 20, and Pactolus, Of an hundred
miles in length, can 10 no wise be COMPARED
with the Amazon and Mississippi and of
all those which stretch across the compara-
tive maps. there are none enjoying equal re-
sources. The Danube stands second only 10
the Noga in size while it is far more i'm
portant as q commercial avenue but the
Danube is only l,541 miles in length, or
granting the outside limits claimed, l,75O.
and drains but 2j0, 900 square miles, There
are thirty navigable streams pouring into it,
and ninety lesser ones. The Mississippi is
3,l00 miles long, including the Missouri,
which is 1900 miles long, and drains the
great basin Of the United States from the
Alle2hanies TO the Rocky Mountains. II
discharges more water in one year than has
issued from the Tiber in five centuries. and
swallows up fifty rivers which have no
name, each Of which Is larger than the
Thames. The Amazon, Maranon, or Orel.
lana, ar 1t is variously styled, is however in
some respects superior to the Mississippi
Its sources are rolled with the ashes Of Co
tapaNl, which looks over the Pacific. It's
mouth opens to the Atlantic. It's waters
spring from eternal snow, and roll through
the endless summer of the tropics. II is fed
by great tributaries from the north and
.uuth, which are themselves longer than the
Danube. The Guianas and Venezuela lie
above its reach to the north and are drain
ed by the OrnocO to the east, and the Mag.
dalena to the Spanish Main. Excepting the
region which pours into these channels, there
are no rivers east Of the Andes, on the whole
continent, but those which are tributary to
the Amazon, until, IN lG deg. south, the
head waters of the Rio Grande are reached.
Its sources are the Tunguragua and Yea.
yale, both rising in Peru; the former from
Lake Laurcocha, in latitude 10 deg. 20
min. south the latter formed BY the Apu.
rinlas and Beri, the headwaters of which
are between latitude l6 deg. and IS deg.
south. Its general course is north of east,
Of 4 600 miles in length. The depth of
waite has been stated at from thirty to
forty mthoms, fifteen hundred miles from its
mouth but the soundngs of Herndon leave
this an open question. Boat navigation
commences upon it at Jaen de Bracomoros,
in Quito aud runs down, through the usual
graduation of small draught steamers, schoon-
ers aud brigs, to that unobstructed channel
which permits the largest vessels to sail if.
teen hundred miles inland. The tide Gibbs
and flows through six hundred miles of its
course. In distance of 1860 miles, Con
darmine found its descent TO be but ,O2O
feet. or about G 4 inches to the mile.
The drainage, from north to south, in.
cludcs u territory OF about sixteen hundred
miles in length, and not less d an two hun.
dred rivers some Of which, as the Ucayalc.
are more than equal to the Danube The
Santiago, Morona, Pastszs, Tigre, Napo
Negro, Pu,umayo, Yupura. Yaguapiri,
Cumpatuba and lari, are the most notable
OF those from the north. From the south
dow the Guallaga, Ucayale. Cuchivara,
Madeira, Cayara, Topayas, Xingu, Guiana,
pal, Muu, and Others. The banks are
clothed with dense and lmpene,rable forests,
inhabited by tigers, leopards wild bears,
a great variety ofenormous snakes, serpents,
apes and birds Of glorious plumage. The
waters are populous with turtles, alligators,
and the most delicious fish. The wild pro.
ducts OF this region are more than tropical
in their abundance and value Cacao, Gin
namon, vanilla, pines and cotton Of pecu.
liar grade, flourish in their perfection and
the country il adapted to the growth of cot.
fee, sugar cane, rice, msze, pantains, lines,
lemons, and oranges. The forests are rich in
cedar, red wood, holly, pine. and other pre-
cious woods. Gold has been gathered TO
very considerable amount by the Indians, in
the Maranon and adjoining rivers. Da.
monds and precious stones are collected from
the whole country, and some OF the most
valuable in the world have been found by
the Indians and negroes who never knew
their worth. The pampas which skirt the
river banks are covered with wild horses
and cattle, and on the mountains, living back,
the lama and the condor enjoy freed )u,
The first European who VISITED the Am
azon was Francisco d Orellana and he gave
To it the name which it now bears. from hav-
ing seen naked women upon its banks, who
in the wild fancy Of his times. he imagined
to be the Amazons Of early history The
whole country is sparsely inhabited, and
chiefly by Indians, who are employed, under
the Spanish and Portuguese residents. for
chopping timber or collecting the precious
stones and metal. Cities i, has none only
the clusters Of huts where Portuguese or
Spanish enterprise. ard Catholic pety have
caused the natives to assemble The people
with the exception of a few tribes far in the
interior, are represented as pesceable, friend
ly, comely, and apt 10 learn. The climate
is the only grea, difficulty TO be conquered
and even in that resPec, there are no sufli.
ciont grounds for prsuming that the china
tolgy Of the Amazon is more fatal than that
which is TO be found along the soatherIy
shory of the Ni,sssippi