The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-02-20
Our Yeans lnechspics and Brasil.
E.yttoru ~ The Da1tafar

! Our Young iMechaptcs and Brasil.
Editors Of the Register.
The party OF your Wheeling mechan.
les who contemplate smigrsting TO Brazil
had better get all the reliable data posi-
BILE concerning that country, and the
prospects In store for them, before en-
barking on 90 hazardous an undertake
ing. Shortly after the close OF the slate
imp. essantness" number Of American
families, principally Soutberners, were
induced to dispose of what effects they
still retained, and sail for Brazil, with
the hope of rebuilding their lost fortunes
in country 10 which, at that time, their
favorite institution existed, VIZ: slavery.
The representations made and induce.
ments offered were by agents Of Dom
Pedro's government or unscrupulons
SPECTATORS, who expected to reap great
benefits from the misery and
sufferings of others. What was
then the result2 Several ex-
petitions were provided with the
necessary outfits and saile1 for the
promised land. They had barely dis
embarked before the more thoughtful
and discerning ones saw how mythical
were the prospects Land in abundance
was granted to them but they could
make no use of it. 1t was wild, rocky
and mountainous. The people with
whom they mingled spoke different
tongue and were as incompatible to them
as one could imagine Their customs and
h4bits were entirely different from those Of
the Americans. They were mostly igno-
rant and simple, poor and indolent, and
of q contrary color and race. Added to
all this was the fact that their own
healthy climate of the temperate zone
was so vastly preferable to the scorching
sun and fearful rains of the torrid zone
the zone in which the greater part OF
that empire lies-thst tho realization
of the change was unindurable. The
effects OF all these unexpected and I'm
toward elements to thrift and happiness
were soon manifest. Tho more fortunate
who had sufficient funds left, removed to
the United States. The more delicate
and irresolute soon pined away, and their
remains we're Inferred in strange earth,
unwept, unhonored and unsung. There
we're others, bold, determined and strong,
who made q hard fight to prosper and
become satisfied with their new homes,
but alter year or two at farthest, they
succum bed to the insurmountable circum-
stances in their way. Some died, while q
few Others managed to get to seaports
where American consulates were estab-
lished, who assisted them in returning to
the United States. The writer of
this, in 1867, at Rio de Jaueiro,
the Capital of Brazil, saw with his own
ewes few of these broken-down rem
nants of the American expeditions to |
that country, and more Disguised and |
s 2irit broken men he had never talked |
to. All they prayed for was an oppor-
tunity to set foot once more on the soil |
of their birth, and the wealth Of CrGsus
would not induce them to return.
1t is very natural for an enterprising |
and liberal emperor like Dom Pedro OF
Brazil, who readily saw the dispsraging
contrast between the development OF his
own empire and the United States, when
he made his trip across the Continent, to
wish for more rapid improvement i'll
Brazil, and knowing how slim were the
chances fer any such result through the
efforts of his own people, to in
duce intelligent and skilled Amer
leans to settle among them. His
purposes from his standpoint were laud.
able enough, but it Is the wish OF the
friends of our young mechanics that they |
shall not leave their happy homes and
be gulled into heweTs of wood and
drawers of water for our dusky brethren
of Brazil. "A.