Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1867-07-05
ON COLONIZATION IN BRAZIL.
EY REV. d. M'NEILL TURNER, II. u.
LETTER :tD.

ADnErILLE, S. c., June 29, 1867.
MY DEAR poCToR: must turn aside from
the train Of remark with which / closed my
last letter, 10 tell you that l have just finished
reading " Il Hunt for Home in Brazil" by our
friend, DR.. Gaston. You may know how much
l have been entertained and instructed by it,
when l tell you, that although have boen
compelled to go without my 'hominy" Qhe very
staff of life with Ine) repeatedly for want of
cash. do not begrudge the $3.50 which l shall
have to pay for that book. If you have not
seen it. let me urge you, by all means, to send
to Prof Il. j. Brumby Marietta, Ga, for
! copy. To any person who contcmplates emf
grafton the information afforded by DR.. &. will
| be worth greut deal more than the cost o. ihe
book indeed. the entertainment and instruction
impaired will amply repay any one, whether lie
feel interested i'll emigration or not. The style
| of the Doctors narrative is so simple and there
| IS SO much life in his descriptions, that YOU are
made to feel as if you were d spectator of the
scenes that passed before his eye Ills nara
tive bears the impress of truth on the very face
| oil It, 1t is inanifestly the work Of u candid aud
| impartial, as we'll shrewd observer. l have
| known the Doctor from his boyhood, and am
aware that lie is regarded as very enthusiastic
But there are no traces in his notes Of travel
| Of any other enthusiasm than that which marks
| every man who accomplishes any good in this
world. lie certainly fulfilIs tho "cifnm tena
cc"s rropositi" of Horace. lie is SO Tenacious
of his purpose" that he heeds 10 obs aces in
| his path. His enthusiasm and his cheerful tenn
per carry him forward in spite of difficulties
You are obliged TO take what he Says ''sinc," hot
"e"'a yrano Sotis." for you read r, diary,
you fce' certain that he does not put too
much paint You see the dark as well as the
bright hues of every picture. lie holds it up
just AS be saw it, and leaves you to judge for
yourself But the advantages presented by
Brazil SO far cnunterbaIanced the disadvan-
tages, that the Doctor, after "hunting for
home" concluded that he had found one. Ac-
| cordingly, he left with his family, and about
three hundred other persons, in the steamer
| which sailed from New York for Rio Janeiro
on the 22d April last. Mr. Cousar, Of Chester
District, one Of the most practical men in that
District, went to Brazil last fall, and was ab-
! sent several months. On his return, in the
spring Of this year, he stated that notw ithstund.
ing all that Dr.. Gaston had written, the coul-
try far exceeded his expectations. lie was SO
favorably impressed by his explorations, that ho
bought plantation and returned to take his
family, as we'll as the families of several others
who had gone out. The opinion aud practice
of Mr.. c. will have great weight with his neigh.
bors. The reports Of General Wood, 0: Mssis-
sippi, Rev. Ballard Dunn, of New Orleans, Major
Meriwether. DR.. Shaw, ofEdgefeld, DR.. Warner,
of Tennessee, DR.. Wcsson, Of Tennessee, Mr.
Robert Brown, of Alabama, Mr.. Kernan Of
Florida, and others, representing several differ
ent States General Wood alone represented
seven States) have induced hundreds Of families
to embark for their new homes in Brazil. These
are 30 many conirmations Of DR.. Gaston's ex.
perience, and should excite in others tho desire
to know what he says in his narrative.
But if the inducements TO emigrants TO Brazil
were ever numerous and great, and the OBJ
jectons to the people, their language, their Gus.
toms, their religion, &C.. (matters which will
pass under review in a subsequent letter) could
be overruled, the want of means would seem
an insuperable obstacle to multitudes, who
might wish TO get away from This i'll. .fated land,
when they can never again feel that they have
my power to meet this difficulty. Suppose that
hundred families with their pastor, teacher,
physician, and blacksmith, were organized as a
colony, and ready to embark, having their tools,
clothing, cooking utensils, books DC, for future
use. Let them inform me Of it. should then
write to Senor Don Galvao, the Emperor's agent
of colonization at Rio Janeiro. to acquaint him
with the fact, and to Inform him as to the time
when these parties propose to be in New York.
He would write to Senor Bocayuva, the Emperor's
agent in that city, to give these emigrants the
preference over all others in taking passage on
board of the steamer to sail at the given date.
On payment of FIVE dollars in gold ito be refund
ed after having sailed,) the agent in New York
would furnish each individual with certificate Of
transportation. On arrival at Rio. the colonists
would be required to give bonds to the Govern
ment for the paymsn. Of fifty dollars caab, for
transportation. in Ave years. Free board would
be furnished them thsre, and transportation
FREQ Of cost to their place Of destination.
ought 10 have stated that one-half OF their ex-
peuses In getting to Now York would DO re-
funded by the agent in that city.
Mr.. Cousar aud his companions last fall OBJ
tsined thsIr tssnsp 'rta.ion in this way. All
hs money which they were required to ad.-