, 1878-04-24

jet against the pale iurquois of the
equatorial sky, the .irigate birds, motion
less winged shapes, were poised as the
black condor. still and aslant, hangs
poised over Chimborazo. lie looked on
the dark spectres OF the air, and on the
bright shapes which moved upon the
water with meditatons not now recover
! able, but which must have been spacious
enough To stir bis adventurous peninsular
spirit TO its deeps, IL caravels fur
rowed the Lin Plata afterward the first
kreIs which ycxed its waters-and he
remains great figure among the great
discoyercrs of that wonder age. While
| he was
| THE FIRST TO SEE
The river, the first to travel its length
was Avelana, who issued out Of conquer
ed Peru, leaving the savage swineherd,
Pizzaro, sucked, in his infancy by the
swine he afterwards tended, .hroned on
the golden chair OF the dead Atallallpa
and came down the flood, grinned at by
the apes and chartered at by the parrots.
and guped at by the crocodles OF 5000
miles. He lett his bones on its shores
atterward, with those OF 400 followers,
the river thus avcnging itself on the
hand that tore away its old vale of mys-
terry. Aguirrc, Texeira, Cabrera, and
Juan lie Palacios, were its next explOr-
crs, and it was more than 100 years he
fore La Andamine, the French astrono.
mer and sayan, descended it and gave to
the world the story of his journey, which
is yet Of undimnished intarest. Maire.
Peppig, Smith, Won Tschudi, Castleman
Herndon and Gibbon, Marcoy, Spix and
Martins, Bates and Wallace, Azcredo and
Pinto, Aggasiz and Prof. Urton, have
successively added to the now copious
literature of the river, but it is still in
many portions, virgin field, and almost
as fruitful OF undiscovered wonders as it
was when Pinz0n first drove the carved
prows of his caravels against its food.
PARA Is THE CAPITAL CITY
Of the river, and, with the exception of
Quito, the only considerable town in the
world on the equatorial line. Its popula
tion numbers about $4,000. and is made
up of native Brazilans, Portuguese. In
dans, half breeds few, many negroes,
and u small community of foreign mer-
chants representing all the commercial
nations. During mos; OF the year the
climate is uniform, and the weather OF
one day precisely like that of another.
The mornings ale clear and bright, but
before midday the showers begin, an1
ntcrmittenly till toward evening, when
they abate, leaving the remainder of the
day delightfully."- cool and refreshing. 1t
seems to be entirely healthy city and its
inhabitants have proyerb that those
who once take up their residence there
are sure to abide during their lives. The
river in front Of the town is 90 miles wide
hut the expanse is broken by numerous
islands, the waterways between which
seem in some Cas5s like lanes though
solid perpendicular walls Of green foliage
from so to 100 feet in height. Although
the Para River is shallw in comparison
with the Amazon, ships of any size will
float within l5U, yards of the shore, and
travellers usually see in its harbor craft
Of all sizes and ION every mali ime cor
ner of the world. The aspect Of the t,wn
seen from the liver is quite majestic. 1t
has six large churches, including the
Cathedral, Post Office and Custom
house OF impressive magnitude, and many
other structures oi a stately and impos-
ing appearance. 1t is regularly laid out.
There are number of handsome public
squares. Some of The streets in the
commercial quarters Of the town are ex-
cellently paved.
WIDE AND HANDSOME
Avenues, bOrdered with the silk cotton
tree, the cocoa palm, the a!mohd, and the
n,imosa, stretch way.toward the suburbs,
leading out o beutiiul rO iahOS or country
residences of one Story, surrounded by
spacious verandas. The Presidents house
is OF notable splendor, and its staircase of
sculptur,d marble is thought by the
Paianrse tn equal those which Be,rent .