Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-06-14
The South American Mediterranean


in more than one direction if at all
and its slopes are altogether inappre
ciable by the senses. Even the cur
rent ofits waters is imperceptible, and
sometimes locally reversed; so that il
presents to the voyager no other ap
pearance that that of an inland sea
with long, low, distant shore. On
either side, the tributaries have sim
nargappearance; they are themselves
so enormous that the eye cannot span
their breadth; for example, there are
four rivers descending from the Guia
mas on the north, east of the Rio Ne
gro, hardly noticed on our common
maps, by name, yet of wonderful
size, one of them being no less thar
thirty miles wide at the mouth. MOI
to speak of the "great" affluents, the
Zlngu presents at its junction with
the main river front of forty miles
broad, and the Tecantins, sixty; and
OF all of them it must be remembered
that you ascend from the junction from
a hundred and fifty to two hundred
miles before any appearance of rising
ground, rocks or minerals can be
found. The front of the united rivers
with their nearly oceanic depth, at one
of the final outlets, is $50 miles
across, and its yellowish white hue
like coffee and milk tinges the ocean
far out of sight Of land.
Nor is the Amazon, when you have
imagined its seeming shoreles S
breadth, to be conceived as simple
stream or belt of water. 1t is water
system pervading the country with un-
numbered channels and branches hun.
dreds of miles in breadth. Independent
of the usual distractions and partings
of streams, this system has a structure
peculiar to itself, resulting from re-
markable causes. The swelling of
the waters will amount to from thirty
to fifty feet, every rainy season, and
the remarkable fact is that this takes
place from two opposite quarters, the
north and the south, not at the same
time but alternately.
The SHOWS Of the Andes melt in
August and September, and reach the
Amazon by October or November
The rains also begin on the south side
In September, and the swelling of the
southern tributaries pours into the
great bed about the last of November
Both inundations continue with in
creased volume until March, when the
entire sea rises sometimes at the rate
of foot in twenty-four hours. Al
the same time, the tributary rivers
from the North are at their Lowest
stage; and, bearing in mind the fac
that the fall of their channels for 6
long distance hardly exceeds that of
the Amazon, or ten feet in a hundred
miles, it is evident that rise of thirty
to fifty feet in the main river mus
not only send vast back-water VI
the northern tributaries for hundreds
of miles, but must follow the depres
sions of the ground in every direction
and create a network of innumerablt
water-courses.
At the height Of the freshet il
March, the rains begin on the north
As the southern rivers subside, tn,
northern rivers swell, and come dow
in full flood about June, to gorge il
turn the channels of their southern
rivals, and to press the swollen It'd,
up the south side OF its basin in tn
: summer, as it rose upon the nortl
2 side in winter. Thus the water sys
TEN we are describing resembles a.
4 ocean not only in extent and evennes
, but in its tides.
: The result is that all the roads i
this country are ready-made. The
/, are water-roads, or ship canals on th
7 grandest scale of nature, throug
e which the united navies of the worl
: might steam or sail in company, fo
1000 miles from east to west, and so
e miles on each side, or 1000 mile
from north to south; freely penetra1
t ing every portion of the country thrt
d the profusion of cross courses b
n which the rivers, swollen on both side
k as we have seen, twice a year, hav
y overfowed and run into each othe
e and, in short, have divided up th
d whole land into islands. Taking til
h into view with the fact that nearly a
o the countries of South America-Br
r zil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, New CIR
e NADIA, Venezuela = have their mai
J. drainage and the best portion of the
r. domain either in this valley or in ma
'r igable connection with it, the impo
'e tance and the justice of the late d
'e cree of the Emperor of Brazil openir
)r the Mediterranean of South Ameri(
n, as a free highway for all nations, al
a. seen at once in conspicuous ligh
rs The Amazon by nature belongs
< South America and mankind.
a. The treasures of commerce to
lie directly drawn from nature her
O. have already been brought in ge
70 eral way to the notice of our reader
er We may add to the three hundr,
re kinds of choice timber, remarkable f
ID density and beauty Of grain, whi
l cover the entire country with den
~ forests, an endless variety of strol
- and light textiles, a variety of frui
IS of the myrtle family, as numerous al
as fine as that of the rose family th
embraces all the choice kinds of o
st northern climate, another family ak
On to the magnolia embracing also
"a great variety of lucsious fruits, and st
n another family of which the charact
he was not defined, quantities of indigo
ng GUS cotton, probably the greatest