Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-07-16
Tao Brazil Enterprise.

From the Nahyille Union and Dispateh.l
The following letter, written to friend
in this city, by young man formally
connected with the Qaartermaster's De-
partment at this point, and who left
Nashville some months ago for the
tropics, will be read with interest. The
accounts, il true, aud we do not doubt
them, will be apt to abate the South
American fever TO some extent in this
locality. We give it almost rerbatim:
Urea, NEW YoRK. June =. 1858.
DEAR -: You will probably be
somewhat surprised to receive letter
from me from the above place. have
been to South America, to Brazil, and
have Just returned from there. There
we're three families of us in company,
and we have all returned. We found
there was not word of truth in the re-
ports we heard in Nashville in regard to
| the Hastings colony at Santarem. When
we arrived in Para we found several of
the families from that colony there, and
| in the most destitute circumstances, try
ing to support their families by what
little work they could get to do, aud with
small pay, barely receiving enough to
keep from starving, living on the coarsest
kind of miserable food, such as dried
hsh, farinha, and the like.
Out Of one hundred and sirty families
that once composed the colony, only
four now remain, the balance having
left and scattered everywhere. The Pitts
family still remain, but are not doing
much. Hastings died and the colony
appointed his father-in-law, Mr.. Menden-
hal, his successor, but the govern ment
refused to recognize any successor, and
consequently the colony was left without
a head. The government withdrew all
assistance, refused to cut and make the
roads they had agreed to, stopped all
aid in the way of provisions, etc., and of
course those who bought land of Hast.
ings can get no title until the whole
tract purchased By him is paid for, which
fear will never be. Yet this colony is
| in no worse condition than every colony
we could get information of-every one
are failures. And why? Simply be-
cause it is no country for the American
people
We have here miserable set of un-
civilized beings, whose right to the title
of human is half questionable, being
mixture of number of unciviized races
! that should be classed as follows: First,
the Indian (Which predominates), then
the negro, then the native Brazilian,
which, in many instances are, but from
their degeneration, vastly inferior to
either of the former, and lastly, the
Portuguese, much inferior to the Brazil
huf N
Je,cs, as the only family Of Jews that ever
settled there actually starred to death.
/ attended the market in Para regu-
larly, and such marketl-cabbage the
size of door knob; a few miserable,
sickly-looking peas, with about two peas
in the pod; beans, the same; corn, the
ears about three inches long; eggs, five
cents each 1.-TWO dozen would glut the
market, and beef, my God, what beef
poor, black, thin and tasteless- not
worthy the name of beef; potatoes full as
large as marbles, not any larger; no
butter, milk or chickens, and, with the
exception of bananas, no fruit as good as
we find in any of our markets on almost
any day-I am speaking of tropical fruits.
The oranges are inferior, not near so rich
and juicy as ours; neither are the
lemons; besides, everything is brought
to market green. | did not see a dozen
pineapples in Para; yet, on my return
to New York, ! saw wagon loads.
We stopped at the first-class hotel in
Para, and found the fare not onehalf so
good as our common soldiers or sailors
have every day; but what was lost in
fare was more than made up in the COM
panionship of the pleasant (?) visitors,
such as lizards, vampire bats, scorpions
and ants. Some OF them were with US
all the time, and often iu the evening all
together. Gentlemen from Ssntarem
told us that it was impossible to make
living by tilling the soil, and that they
had been compelled to abandon their
farms on account of the prevalence of
innumerable reptiles. Tomatoes as large
as an egg have been taken off by the
lizards aud swallowed, and what the
lizards and grasshoppers left the ants
would be sure to "gobble up"
We only remained in the country a
short time, but think we know as much
of the prospects of American people in
that country as we would, had we re-
mained two years. am fully satisfied
that it is a perfect swindle, and that the
Brazilian government is not alone to
blame, for believe there are persons in
the United States as much and more
to blame than they, for they are de-
ceiving their own people by writing
such glowing descriptions of the couI-
try in order to entice them to go. L
think something ought to be done to stop
emigration to such an abominable coun-
try. Why, the sun is so hot, so exces-
sively hot, that none, save Indians and
negroes, can work under it. If our peo-
pie could stand collecting rubber, they
might do well, even make money at it,
but il grows only upon low, wet ground,
under water half of the time, and when
the water is not too deep, they have TO
wade up to their knees in mud to procure
it, which will kill any white man in a
very short time.
/ saw Mr.. Simpson, from Santaren.
He had little more money than most OF
the emigrants, and be had bought a
plantation, with some improvements.
he spoke eucouragingly of the country
at first, aud advised us to go TO Santa
rem. He said he liked the place
ever so much, but his family, who
were still in the States, would not
come to him, therefore he had about
made up his mind to sell out if be
could, aud join his family; and when he
found that we were coming back
anyrdy, be told us that it was the wisest
thing that we could do, and freely ac-
knowledged that it was no country for
Americans, and spoke Of his intention
Of leaving for the States whether be re-
ceivel any money for his place or not,
as soon as the government paid him his