Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-02-21

ing for moment what il would be
the shipping of England or Of France,
the United States were at once 10 decIal
that the Mississippi be open 10 their nav
gation-if the flags of Europe could Ho;
n Cincinnati, or st. Louis, and all q
tributaries Of the Mississippi, as well 9
the main river itself, should be allowe
to be navigated by fOreigH ships. 1t
that step which the emperor Of BraZ
has taken. Il is thus, that he opens h
country to the enterprise Of the worl,
and no nation is more likely TO be s
greatly benefited by il a. the pee
pie of the United States. Applause
Now, YOU may ask, How can it b
that a nation throws away its wealth j
that manner into the hands Of foreign
ers ~ Very serious considerations mus
have weighed in the scale to induce th
government to divest itself to that eX
tent of its external property. The cas
is simple The whole valley OF tn
Amazon has not yet been peopled. Tn
whole tract of this country, which il q
large as many empires in the first ran
in the old world-the whole Of tina
country drained by the Amazon doe
not nourish at this moment 80, 600 indi
viduals, including the Indians; anG D
thought that the only way of settlin
that rich country was to offer its treas
ures to all nations. Let me, therefore
say q few words Of the character of tha
country and the facilities which are OF
fered there for settlement, for com
merce, and for travel. Ia the frs
place, when We speak OF tn
valley of the Amazon, We ough
to at once divest ourselves Of the Ordi
nary idea which we combine with tn
word valley" There is not a bottom
with walls or banks rising on both side
( and forming an inclosure 70 the waite
! that runs in the bottom Of the valley
Here the basin Of the Amazon is an eX
/ tensive plain. 1t il so fiat that the slOp
/ is hardly more than q foot in ten miles
and over the whole Of this extent of $50
miles the slope is not more than 2lO feet
/ It Is only fOrty-tive feet from ObidOs Z
/ the sea shore, and it is only 2G0 feet from
( Sdbatinga 10 the sea shore, and yet th
distance Is, in a straight line, over 2OU
miles, SO that really the slope is hardly
a foot in ten miles. The impression
to the eye is that of an absolUt,
plain, and the flow of water is Il
gentle generally that in many parts
hardly seems to flow. It makes the i'm
preston of a fresh water ocean far NOR,
than a river, and the width Of this basiI
compares favorably TO its extraordinary
length. There Is nOtOne channel through
which the bulk Of the water flows, but s
multitudinOus number Of channels con
uected with one another in the most va
rious ways, so that instead of travelling
in a straight course, you may ascend tht
Amazon in any number Of parallel chan
nels, and pass from one to another By
any number Of intersecting cOmmunica-
tiOus. And this net work of river:
spreads over All area which is sometimes
80 81, 100, $50, or nearly 200 miles wide
In that region you have to travel fOl
about $50 miles from the mouth of the
MADEIRA before you come to the rising
Land oyer which the water falls in cas-
cades. At the Tocatius and TOpaiO.
ard Ninga You have to ascend
lJO or $50 miles before y0U
come to those higher grounds
which determine rapids into water
courses, and on the north side it j;
equally at a considerable distance from
the center Of the basin that the land
rises into gates. Over the whole eX-
panSe of the valley, IOr hundreds OF miles
on either side Of the main channel, the
bottom of the valley is as fiat at the side
as it is IN longitudinal direction; SC
that it is an inundated plain, rather than
q river. and if there are channels in
which water flows more constantly than
others, these channels are so frequently
0verii0wed by the rise of the water, you
have frequently, for q month at g time.
the water covering this vide eEpause
without break. But there is a great diff
ference in the character OF these water
courses, and great difference also in the
nature Of the water itself Before, how
ever. ! enter into details concerning the
river, let ae say a few words concerning
the climate. The valleF Of the Amazon
has a rather temperate climate. Though
under the equator, il is not among the
hottest parts OF the globe The hottest
point of the earth's temperature extends
to the north ofthe valley Of the Anna
zOn, along the northern shore Of Guiana,
and that part Of the continent referring
to map. The valley Of the Amazon is
Of milder temperature owing to two
circumstances the extent of submerged
land, with the constant evaporation, and
the regular flow of the trade winds,
which are constantly blowing in the face
Of the Amazon, aud sending an all
cooled by the amount Of moisture re
reived over the whole OF its surface
The trade winds blow in the mouth OF
the Amazon and over the whole valley,
so that there is an unceasing cool breeze
from The Atlantic TO the base Of the
Andes, reducing markedly the av-
erage temperature Of the val
lev. Indeed, the average tempera-
ture of the valley is only $40. The
maximum temperature is from 800 tO
g2 the minimum about 73' to 10. II
is only aGout TIE Mainas and the june
ton Of the Rio Negro that the tempera-
ture rises to So. The temperature be-
tween day and night is always percepJi-
bic, and toward morning the nights are
always remarkably cool. Under these
circumstances you see that from sharing
the intensity Of heat characteristic OF
tropical regions, the valley of the ANA
Zon is favored tn q degree which viii
make it a pleasant habitatlOn for the
people Of our race. During nearly a
year Of residence there, l do not
feel that the climate had the slightest
unpleasant inIuencr. My companions
enioyed it ~ well as / did and, in fact,
We found il was as agreeable a residence
as We could wish, preferable to the
intense heat of the dog days, and
so uniform as 10 save the inhab-
itants from those sadqen changes
If our climate that are so Injurious Il
health. II the bracing air Of our
northern climate has a more stimulating
influence upon the energies of man, We
know how many It kills it Is the strong
and healthy that survive and many
diseases which are the result of Oul
northern climate are only cured by 8
residence st the south, while the sonth is
saved from ali these inconyenieDces, if il
has some OF its own. / would sum ~
my description of the valley Of the
Amazon as a healthy cppntry, VhicE
will prove genial to the white race q:
much as any other part of the world
having a similar temperature. l know
that my statements are contrary to gen
erally -eceive5 nctioas, and tagt the
valley Of the AmazoD, in particular, has
a very bad reputation. But it does moi
deserve it and the origin Of this repu
tatiOn is one which ought to bt
explained, It is owing 10 the re
ports OF the officers of the gov
ernment Of Brazil, sent there to ad
minister the affairs Of the country, who
desirous of being relieved from &
kind Of exile In an unsettled land, anC
wishing to return to society, to the capi
i ttllr " W VIZ Ae+araTJ teANy may nave GlA
loved, IN order TO accomplish that end
represent the country as injurious tt
health, and their residence there IS
great sacrifice, deserving an advance il
their social position; and that this is
true explanation, have, by the acknowl
edgemept of some gentlemen who haC
been there, and who had themselve,
plaved that game. LApplaGsel Now
led us leok at The river and its banks
The average temperature OF the water il
SO. The maximum temperature is 50
the lowest temperature Of the river j
77a-7so so that the waters are constantly
tepid. 1t IL only the streams which flow
through the forests that are temPerat,
and cool. Where there is dense vege
fatiop land nearly the Whole sur
/ face Of the land Is covered with it, yol
NAV find at all times cool water
I Tbs whole Of this extensive area j
covered by vegetation. This plain ia not
] like other plains under the tropics, partl,
desert and partly covered with vegeta
tion-a vegetation so dense that it
almost impenetrable. OF its character