Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1866-11-08
path Of considerable dimensions or so mar
row that all the boat can do is to proceed
Ii II, 1a,1, x,omoto4;o,,


row that all the boat can do is to proceed
amidst the dank vegetation.
The whole surface not occupied by wa
ter is primitive forest and it is almost I'M
possible to penetrate through the dense
vegetation. There is q variety in the veg
citation which is wonderful. The waters
Of the main stream are turbid, somewhat
like a mixture Of coffee with large amount
of milk, and they carry along an immense
amount Of sediment which subsidies the
moment the water is still. Tie mouth Of
the Amazon where it enters the ocean is
100 miles wide, and it is all fresh water.
The turbid waters can be seen long before
the land is visible, and it is maintained
fifty miles beyond its mouth. Al the
great rivers which flow into the Amazon
from the high mountains share IN this col
or; but on the contrary, all the rivers how
ever large which rise in the woody plain
are black, containing in solution large
amount of vegetable substance. Notwith-
standing the amount Of black water pour
ed into the Amazon, it does not become
black There is no other water system IN
the world like this You may compare
the Mississippi, the St. Lawrence, or tue
large rivers Of Europe and Asia, with the
Amazon, but all are rivers which receive
a limited amount Of supply from their head
waters or from the head waters OF thalr
tributaries, and they do not drain such an
immense extent of land as does the Amaz-
on-a basin 1900 miles long and about
[ 200 miles wide.
One of the features Of the Amazon, Is
that the immense river has no delta for
which other great rivers are remarkable.
Yet it carries an immense amount OF mud
more than any other stream. This was
owing, the Professor said, to a very sing
ular combination Of circumstances, which
he had not quite unravellcd; but one thing
was certain-that the ocean encroaches
uron the continent and at a fearful rate.
This encroachment has gone on for ages
like the receding of Niagara Falls from
Lake Ontario towards Lake Erie, and 800
to 1000 miles Of the outline has already
disappeared from before the present mouth
Of the river. The fact Of the encroach-
ment is unmistakeable, whether owing to
the softness Of the material on which it
works or by the subsiding Of the land in
addition to the direct action of the sea, he
was unable to say.
The climate Of this region is most de-
lightful It is by no means hot, by no
means unbearable as the deserts Of Africa
or the regions Of Asia. BY reason Of the
trade winds and the character Of the land,
the Amazon running from West to East to
the Atlantic, cool breeze goes up river all
the time, SO that the average temperature
is $50 The maximum temperature of the
whole region is 92-the lowest 72o. The
average depression Of the thermometer dur
ing the rainy season is 1873, SO that the
changes of temperature are as much as
1913, the maximum not being more than
800, nor the minimum below 750, and a
fresh breeze being felt every evening
!, very sensibly. The circumstances Of eli
mate would therefore render it one of the
most pleasant and desirable tropical re
gfons, but no country has worse admin
istration, owing to the government Of the
provinces and the mode Of life Of the in
babitants Young men who have 30 ex-
3 perience in government are generally sent
as Governors, and owing to their ambition
and other reasons, they consider it place
! from which they desire to get away as soon
as possible, and they misrepresent the
country. The professor said that when he
expressed desire to enter that region he
was warned that he was running into re-
gion Of death, bat there were no dangers
and hardly any discomforts to be met with.
The people were indolent, with no ideas
of improving the land The Indians have
been made almost slaves to the few white
men. This country might be made Par
adise, SO rich is it in natural productions,
and immense wealth is to be obtained there.
Twenty million Of men could live there
with more of the facilities which We enjoy
by developing that which has hardly yet
been brought to market A better future
for the country could not be conceived than
for some Of our Eastern lunbermen to ex-
plorc the forests, which are full OF timber
in such exquisite variety that<we have nc
idea of such richness At a provincial ex-
hibition in Para, there was exhibited a col
lection Of III different kinds Of costly tim
Der, gathered from a piece of land half q
mile square. And yet in the whole Amaz-
:. on region, over an extent Of country 2,OGU
miles in length and POO wide, there is
not one saw mill. Large trees are cut down
and chopped off with hatehet in the form
OF hoe to make plank one inch in thick
ness There is want of skill and sagaci-
. ty in the population. The Amazon is still
closed country, but is soon to be opened
to the commerce of the world
: WHAT DOES IT MEANT
; The South is at this moment Ia the most
, profound quiet and repose There is mol
rebel In arms; there is not United States