, 1878-04-24
TO CONSTRUCT A RAILROAD

TO CONSTRUCT A RAILROAD
| Around the great falls of the Madeira,
/ 4S0 miles from its Junction with the
Amazon, but the work was for some years
abandoned. 1t is now about to he re
sumcd by an American finn, the Messrs
Collins, of Philadelphia, whose first step
| in the direction of the work met with So
disastrous Il check in the loss OF the
steamer Metropolis lew weeks ago
The completion OF this road will open
Bolivia, hitherto practically isolated, to
the markets of the world, and afford a
long desired outlet for her rich and var
ious products.
The Madeira is the largest affuent sfthe
Amazon. Where it joins that river it is
two miles wide ami has a depth of So
feet. Two hundred miles above it is u
mile in width and 100 feet deep. 1t is
about 1000 miles in length, one branch
taking its rise in Lake T,ticaca and the
other near the sources 0t the Paraguay.
| II it were hot for its cascade, large vessels
might sail into the heart of Bolivia, and
take on their freight almost under the
shadow OF the Andes The Madeira is,
like the Amazon, II river of unnumbeled
islands, which seem like rounded masses
of green foliage atioat upon its waters.
In the season OF floods it brings down
immense quantities Of timber, the spoil
of forest, which its current has under
mined and up rooted. A few years since
| steam saw mills "ere established ut its
mouth for the purpose of utilizing this
abundant and valuable hotsam. But. for
some reason, the enterprise did not
succeed. With the richest imaginable
supply OF native woods the Amazon
derives such timber as it requires from
foreign sources.
THE RIO NEGRO
Is next to the Madeira in magnitude, and
enters the Amazon from the other direc-
tion. Its head-waters are Joined with
those of the OrunOco by the Cassiquiare,
natural canal three.tOurths of mile
wide, and portage of only two hours
divides the head of its tributary, the
Branco, from the Essiqui5o Of Gniana.
1t yields TO commerce coffee, cocoa, farina
sarsaparilla, Brazil-nuts, pitch, piassaba,
and valuable woods. At its juncturu
with the Amazon stands the important
town OF Manaos, the largest on the river
above Santarcln, though Its population
IS only from 1000 to 5000. Its houses
are mostly low adobe structures, washed
white or yellow, with roofs and floors OF
red tiling, and having green doors and
shutters. The Presidents palace is OF
more pretension, being of two stories and
bearing an extra coat Of whitewash. The
foundation OF cathedral WAS laid about
score of years ago, but it still remains
only II foundation, and bright archidacG
root themselves in crevices, it for the
time being abandoned. In addition to
the Madeira and the Rio Negro, the
Amazon re, Gives the waters of the TocaI-
hus, the Ucayale, the Xingu, the Tap"jos,
the Purus, the Napo, the Putumayo, and
the Japura, all rivers of great volume,
and either of which IN any ether division
of the world would possess separate
renown equal to that of the Danube, the
Volgu, or the st. Lawrence.
THE LoCANTINs
Takes ivs rise but few hundred miles
from Rio de Janeiro, in the mountainous
Province of Minus Geraes, and flowing
due northward, like the Nile and the
Oxns, enters the main stream near Para.
1t is a river of iapids, and is therefore
only partially nuvigablr, but its "bilOws
roll ashore the beryl and the golden ore, "
aud mines OF diamond, emerald, opal,
amethyst, and sapphire ale hidden amid
the mountain fastnesses out OF which it
issues bearing its burden OF thunder and
foam. Most of the others named are
nayigable tor long distance, and each
opens broad avenue into regions rich
in al tue varied products Of the tropics.
Exploration has been busy with the river
and its tributaries since Vincent Ianez
Pinzon, Utmost 400 yeaIs ago, came upon
It's food yellow as an imperial Chinese
banner, rolling unbroken through the