The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-03-12
THE COMING EMPEROR.

When the sovereign OF great country visits
a sovereign people, not imperialiy, to conquer
| or concibate, but as private gentleman, TO
| study their works and ways for the benefit of
| his own subjects, it is obvious that new
order of royal entertainments is called for.
The greeting which barbaric empire like
| India accords to its future ruler may fifty be
characterized by tarharic shows, parades,
| illuminations, and festive entertainments; but
| from a free people, to an enlightened sover-
| eign like the Em peror of Brazil such things
would be out OF place, and utterly distastef1l.
He comes for information, not to be bored
with windy speeche, or pretentious dinners.
| Our local cooks and office-holders have few
| charms for him, compared with the achieve
ments of our explorers and pioneers, our en-
gineers and Inventors, our scientific and in
dustrial leaders. We shall, therefore, en-
| terrain him most royalty by furshering to the
utmost the real objects of his visit, showing
him, in the most unObtrusive and sensible
| way, our physical and Industrial resources,
our works of internal improvement, the
| means by which great wilderness has been
conquered for man. The great region which
he is doing so much to improve is still very
largely similar in condition to what tina
Great West was few years ago-a land of fer
tile plains untitled, broad rivers barren of
commerce, mountains of precious metals un-
disturbed. He has railways to build, internal
navigation to develop, immigration to foster,
and a wild country to subdue and make tribu-
tary to the needs of men. His expressed de-
sire is to study on the spot the means and
methods by which this country has been so
rapidly and enormously developed, withal so
largely brought under the dominion of science
and civilization. And we msy be sure that he
will not thank us for any attentions which may
draw him away from the grand purpose of his
visit.
We may be equally sure that he will be
royalty grateful for any proper assistance that
may be given to the prosecution of his studies.
There Is talk of his entering the country by
way of the Mississippi That course would
be siugnlarly happy, since it would lead him
straight to an engineering enterprise in which
he can not but take the highest interest; and
at the same time his visit would give ecldt to
the completion of y work which may do very
much to increase the social and commercial
relations of the two countries. 1t il morally
certain that, by May, the Mississippi will be
open to navigation by vessels of the highest
class. aud nothing could be more appropriate
than for the ruler Of the Amazons 20 be the
first to demonstrate the freedom of the Mis-
sissippi to the commerce Of the world.
1t requires no prophet to foresee that the
largest river of the world and the longest are
market for the productions Of the other. The
one extends, from north to souto, almost
across the temperate zone, draining the heart
of the most productive valley-and likely to
be the most populou5-in the temperate re-
gions of the globe. The other drains vast
basin, almost wholly within the tropics, and
extending aross tropical belt covering thirty
degrees of longitude. Between the two there
can be no rivalry, for their products are
wholly diverse, yet each produces what the
other lacks. Before the next Centennial cell
ebration of our country, the trade between
these two regions will be vast beyond the
widest dreams of to-day.
A passage from New Orleans to st. Louis,
on one OF the floating palaces of the Missis-
sippi River, will show the Emperor, as no
other journey can, the future aspect Of his
own great river when it shall have become
the highway of boundless commerce. How
many of the cities of the West he proposes to
visit, we can not sey: enough, no doubt, to
enable him to study the working of our rail-
way system, and other great works OF internal
Improvement. Compared with these, the Ex-
hibition. great as it promises to be, will be
but secondary attraction
The termination of his visit may be as happy
as the beginning, for he will take his depart
ure from this city just about the time when
the He'll Gate improvement will be ready for
the Flushing stroke, and we venture to say
that no ceremony of state could give him half
the pleasure, as TO witness the final victory OF
Science over Nature, 10 opening up new and
better channel for the commerce Of our me-
tropolis. It is TO be hoped that obtrusive
placemen will respect his wish to travel as 4
private observer, and leave him free to enjoy
q most unconventional "royal" welcome by
the scientific and industrial magnates Of the
land-.scientife american.