The New York herald., 1867-02-12

Leetare nv Professor Asa..ix.

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Professor Agassz lsst evening delivered one Of his
series Of lectures the Amazon The subdiyision n
the subject, following in is regular course VA T,
Climate aud Production Of the River Amazon Tho
lecture room OF the Cooper Institute aas almost nlled
by an audience brought together by great interest
that has Of excited with regard the regio,
or the Amazon and the explorations there by
the able lecturer himself
The Professor commenced by describing facili.as
afforded him In hts great undertaking 10 explore tho
Amazon, especially those put 1t his command by lha
Emperor Of Braz who fitted out vessel by which hs
was enabled 10 travel more In I'VE days than hs
could in many weeks with inferior facilities
zon where and his party remained Ten months aud
where he distributed bs company into squads and dis
enabled 70 observe the oondition and locality Of tho
aquatic animals the different seasons of which data
geologisis have meaare information Ne next gave
glowing description Of the sdvAntages 10 bo derived from
the opening Of the great river TO commerce, which
would be the OF developing the resources Of
richest of the earth whore this
OF all would meet and contend socially for tho
rich prizes Of that tropical country, . country
country, and peoped with not over two hun
rho lecturer then called attention the river
valleys The average Temperature Of the weather In the
region Of tho Amazon sishtyone degrees the maxi
mum eiQhty-four the lowest temperature being about
that the weather constantly tenn
perate The whole extent Of the area OF the valley 10
tropics partly desert and partly covered by vegetation
The whole Of the Amazon valley is covered with luxuri
dense that II Is almost mpenetrable and Of It's charac
testcs in this respect he would give sonelnccount The
river Amazon through three different regions each
presenting different aspect and characteristics
smother In the lower part OF It's course two trib-
ing in s'V the 'D h,ph table land or Gnayans.
the Rio Negro tho northern shore and the Rio Ma
deia on the southern shore and which latter has It's
source in the mountains OF Bolivia These tributaries
are OF great dimensions, and the whole basin OF tho
Amazon il full after having received their waters II IL
from the junction. OF these that the great river
itself receives s and from thence extends TO the
Atlantic ocean. That part OF the Amazon which
pies tho middle tract Of the continent called Soemoes
The southern shore Of the Amazon, below its junction
with the Madeira receives other rivers three OF which
flow the slope the table OF Brazil
To the OF the Rio Negro there are q number OF
other rivers flowing into the Amazon, hardly known
among us by name, and yet OF very great i'm
portance and remarkable for their peculiar character
There among those tributaries four rivers broad
that We have hardly any river 80 broad, though their
thirty mites widc and some of them over sixty
miles wide. Following the southern shore of the ANA
IL II the wide were spreading before you and
you passing from river 10 the open sea These
very light consequence that they carry
little material in suspension, and their waters are
tingsd BY vegetable substances 70 . greenish hue
Others Of these waters are tnged with gray and
n.a again esn y ~ caosr Ss rfcp from Ses.
It is very deep river flowing rapidly and carrying with
il large amount Of loose material giving the water
whtsh color from which circumstance the Madeira in
called 'swhe Water river" There three tributa-
called ..white Water river, but they diner mate
rally from the Madeira though. IKE H. very deep They
very tortuous and meandering, and destitute OF
islands, while the Madeira has numerous islands Ths
consequence s these rivers be navtgated 20 dis
Of i've hundred miles by large vesses drawing
fifteen or eighteen feet, with much ease they
could In the main stream Of tho Amazon. The Rio
Negro presents vsry diifsrsnt aspect; u b very
wide but less deep, and has very slow courss.
and is dark and Transparent owing 70 the large
amount Of vegetable matter held in solution in thu
water when from above u looks dark Ink
Therefore mot only the width and depth and bulk or
water in the characteFstics Of tho Wat ever
region Of the Amazon has It's peculiar chsractsr Ths
Amazon WHOLE u white water river. The mouth
Of tho Amazon where enters the Atlantic hun
dred and nfty miles wide It 10 the wdess largest ana
of the greatest volume OF all known rivera The
lecturer then proceeded 70 give brief description Of
the productions Of the region OF the Amason, epumer
ating the costly dyewoods, medicinal plants and the
valuable timber which grew IN great abundance in the
valley, and which at present formed but small and
meagre source OF traffic. The liberal policy Of tha
Emperor or Brazil would, however change all this and
be expected long TO the whole country Of the
Amazon and the Andes opened BY the enterprise Of the
Amercau people.
The lecture very interesting and listened
Att