The New York herald., 1869-04-07

storaX tragacanth, penzoln ana caoulcnous. lhe
latter-India rubber-ls very abundant and OF supe-
| rior quality.
A great variety OF balsams are also found-oopaoa,
| Peru, Tou and others unknown 10 commerce.
/ Sixty-iour different kinds or forest trees are
counted upon the banks of the Benz, the the
are many whose wood ! have seen polished
ana which Is OF exceeding beauty. They would
furnish Europe aud ourselves with rare cabinet
woods. Mandgany white aud red cedar, red and
black ebony, rosewoods, Brazil wood ana numerous
others unknown TO the world. Many Of the numer-
Gus trees Humboldt states, would be 'incompar-
able for shpbuldns."
and Cnlqutos provinces. ON the higher lands are
found the llama, the sheep goat and the yicuha
The wool OF The latter Is nearly as fine and compares
tiger skins made a source OF internal commerce:
ana upon the principal FEAST days the Indians OF tue
dressed without a tiger skin vest
THE MINERAL WEALTH
Of Bolivia Is already proyerb. From the single
famed silver mountain OF Potosi mas been taken
nearly enough silver to pay our national debt. There
were formerly opened IN Bolivia by the Old Spanlards
some TO- 600 silver mines, none OF which have been
worked with modern machinery. Even the great
| Potosi mines are simply burrows, which scarcely
reach below the water line, where thelr wealh Is lne
most prodigal. Besides silver, we ind gold, cinnal
bar tale lead, tin, copper iron, coal and fossil salts
The gold washings OF the mead waters Of the ailu-
enis OF the Madeira very justly celebrated and it
l. the prevailing opinion that the alluVal deposits
are far richer than any in California or Australia.
Across the whole north and northwest OF Bolivia are
| these rich gold fields. The OLD SpanardS worked
| them quite extensively, and even to-day large
amount OF gold irom the northwest OF Bolivia, pur-
chased Of tie Indians at ten dollars per ounce nds
| its way to Peru across the Anles Mount Iilamani
La PaZ and east of it, Is rich Ia this metal. while
valuable washings are found IN the streams That are
fed .rom lis sno.-coyecsd Slopes
FOREIGN TRADE
Tkis has OIL passed heretofore through the Boil
Wan port o. Cobna or the Peruvian port OF Area To-
house arrangement with Peru. Before thls arrange
ment there were imported at Co6iJa, according TO
the custom house statistics before ME, 81, S0l tons Of
freight. This passed the desert Of Atacama and the
AnaeS on the BACKS Of mules, ana was distributed at
immense cost throughout the country. From
Coba TO the nearest city Of Importance. Potosi lie
4S0 miles OF mountainous and desert sands, where
water is hard to OBTAIN and food Tor man ana beast
SUI more difficult. 1t is bad enough from Arlca IN
land and have here paid at times three silver dol
lars for loo pounds OF barley straw upon which to
feed nv mules.
All freight passing to the eastern slope has
10 climb to an elevation within short distance of
the Pacific OF a. 0o0 feet. With the scarcity OF for
age the length Of the Journey and the roughness OF
the road, 1t Is no wonder that the average cost OF
introducing goods and distributing them over Bo-
liva by this route Is $500, gold, per ton or ten
cents per pound. By the way of CoDiia 1t costs
more. The foreign European trade in imports
ln exports by the Peruvian bark CROP the guano OF
Meilones, the copper product Of the Pacific border
and a few other articles which count but lightly.
The balance OF trade against the country Is paid oy
part OF her silver product which Is including
s9lned, GO lao ooo uncolned ana smugg@d silver about
impossible to get her magnificent productions above
enumerated into the markets OF the world by the
way of the Andes, owing to the excessive cost of
transportation.
Since her organization q nation she has watched
her imports from Europe as they have passed
the mouth OF the Amazon and made the dangerous
and tedious passage OF Cape Horn. She has then
seen them landed in an open roadstead, and after
wards on mule back carried directly over the noun
tains, at an elevation OF l400o feet TO be de-
posted, finally, upon the navlgable branches
OF the river whose mouth they passed five
months before. No wonder that Bolivia mas
ever turned her eyes towards the Amazon as the
true outlet OF her vast and fertile territory. Two
millions OF people, occupying territory one-third
the size OF our Mississippi valley nine times the size
Of the State OF New York. eight times that OF Eng
land and twice the size Of France-a very paradise
OF wonderful productions, both mineral and yege-
the Andes for half Century. Brazil up to 1857 Eept
the KEY in her pocket and forced the trade over the
mountains. Our own government made strenuous
efforts for twelve years to break through this
barrier and reach the I'VE republics at the
head waters of the Amazon, but all to
no purpose. Brazil felt tnat its lower Amazon was
too unsettled and that the proper moment for open
ing the grandfather OF waters had not arrived olter
Ideas. broader ana more liberal views finally ami
mated the now keen and able statesmen OF the EN-
pre, and their far-seeing Emperor broke the barrier
in the DEGREES OF December, 1896, and the still
liberal measures OF september. 1867. The whole
Andean slope oil the Amazon then turned eastward.
touch and to-day have steamboat connection via
the Amazon with the world.
Bolivia was no less anxious Following the decree
OF December, 1866. she, In March, of 1857, made
treaty OF limits, commerce and navigation with
Brazil This was, late In 1865, ratified by both ma
tons, and the result Is we shall soon steamers
floating upon the great Bolivian aniuents OF the
Madeira.
ment 10 free navigation from the ocean to the heart
OF Bolivia The lower Is situated 2IO miles from
tue mouth OF the Madeira and $40 from the city OF
lower 10 the upper rapid IL $50 miles by curve In
the river, which is concave to the east. In this
curve seventeen cdctueids, the Indian
name for rapids. Heavily loaded canoes OF
from two TO three tons shoot and are
dragged up fourteen Of them. The other three are
more formidable; the canoes are unloaled and
dragged around them. The margins OF the river are
low on both Sides but straight line drawn from the
upper to the lower rapid the chord Of the river
arc would cut along the base OF ow range Of hills
aud form an excellent road line $50 miles long. 1t
along this line that the Brazilian engineers have
been making survey 10 estimate the cost Of rail.
way to tap Bolivia aud their own Matogrosso pro-
| vince Matogrosso has an immense ana productive
area, In inferior IN natural wealth to Bolivia
| IL contains about 100000 Inhabitants
IL Is believed by the engineers VINO have examined
the rapids that they may be canalized. The entire
fall a. near as can estimate lI9m tue engneerIng
or ten inches, average 10 the mile. fhe rapids are,
| however, separated by long stretches OF smooth
deep water, ranging from forty 10 $50 feet deep.
thorough examination Of the rapids viii suggest the
best method Of making their transit. In the great
canoes The average distance from the upper rapid
TO the different centres OF trade In Bolivia IL about
500 miles. Therefore from the mouth Of the Amazon
to the heart Of Bolivia have l,62o miles with no
interruption except the rapids.
ton OF goods, by slow freight steamers. can be
the lower rapid OF san Antonio for twenty dollars,
can make the transit OF the rapids by canoe or mule
back Tor forty dollars at most, and for ten dollars
more II may lie landed by steamer at Nnchuta near
Cochabamba, wsich gives cost Of seventy dol ars,
| gold. and fortT-iOur days time, against five
months VIA caps liorn and not less thaa s2l5 gold
Including freight from Europe or the United states
| 70 AREA al present rates.
| Cocbabamba Is a city OF $1,000 inhabitants Is al.
| ready the trade centre OF 100000 people aud Will
| eventually become the great commercial emporium
OF all Bolivia, furnishing La PaZ, with its 5000 IN
| habtants: Chiqusaca with it, 5000, ana Potosi
with It's 1900 the uxnres OF other nations. In ex.
change for these Bolivia has upon the yery banks Of
these rivers, the splendid products OF her soil. which
| are to-day almost yaueiess. She will longer he
required 70 pay the balance OF trade against ner IN
silver for, once the river Navigation opened by
| steam, the trade will be IN her IavOr.
| PRICES or BOLIVIAS PRODUCTIONS.
| on the banks OF the Beni and Mamore the crop OF
| Peruvian bark may be purchased for from ten 10
| twelve cents per pound; worth dollar gold, IN New
York aud Europe. India rubber for from twelve 10
eighteen cents: selling mere for eighty cents gold Ia