The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1879-08-29
Maurice Mauris, in the MY. Tribune.

Maurice Mauris, in the MY. Tribune
Not unworthily, indeed, the Amazon ha
been termed " the Mediterranean of tn,
New World" Only after floating day
upon days over its majestic tide does one
reach conception of its vastness. 1t Is, il
fact, an immense water basin, rather thar
a river or system of rivers, that drains the
best portion of five Republics and of CO
lossal Empire. The area actually covered
| by the waters of the Amazon, is estimated
at 26, 900 square miles, and this figure in.
creases at least by fourth during the wet
season. The channel through which the
Amazonian waters flow for over 6, 600 miles,
is SO deep as to have suggested to the won
dering imagination of the earlier navlgators
only one epithet-fathomless At Obidso
its depth is 40 fathoms ; at other points it
reaches the marvellous depth of 70 fathoms
Half million of cubic feet of water pour
every second through the narrows of obidos,
and with such force does the Amazon enter
the ocean 600 miles below that fresh water
may be lifted from the bosom of the Allan
tic at distance which renders it impossible
to descry land on any side. Eighteen of its
tributaries are themselves rivers Of the first
magnitude, and several of these are over
1900 miles in length. "But vast as are
these tributary streams" fitly remarks
Orton, "they seem to make no impression
on the Amazon they are lost like brooks
in the ocean," The Madeira alone, with
its great afauents, Mamore, Bent, Itenez
and Gaupore, carries at mean level over
100000 cubic feet OF water per second
through an extent of over 5000 miles yet
this huge contribution is imperceptible
half way across the river. If the Mssis-
sippi poured into it at its mouth" says
Col. George Church, f" it would not raise it
six inches" Within the boundaries of
Brazil alone the Amazonian network of
rivers, canals and lakes offers "a, 600 miles
of steam navigation, distributed as follows:
Amazon, 2,302; main tributaries, 20,513 ;
secondary tributaries and lakes, 1,142 !;
total miles, %, 957. -t ..''-f
Twelve thousand miles are actually ira
versed by the vessels of the Amazon Navi-
CATION Steamship Company and other
steamers. The basin of the Amazon is
twice as large as the valley of the Mssis-
sippi, and "would hold 40 countries the
size of England" The natural wealth of
the country for over 1Oo, 900 square miles is
in proportion to the magnitude of the river.
The fora of Brazil is as rich as any in the
world, and as far as concerns the medicinal,
alimentary, ornamental and Industrial uses
of the vegetable kingdom, has no rival.
The mineral wealth of the country is SEEM
ingly inexhaustible the land yields almost
every product from the diamond to the
least valuable metal Bates and Agassiz
have related what wonders of animal life
are seen along the Amazon. The latter,
speaking Of fishes only, says that the river
nourishes twice as many species as the
Mediterranean, and larger number than
the Atlantic, taken from pole to pole. No
less cause Of wonder is the intensity with
which life Ia manifested in these waters.
All the rivers of Europe" he says, "uni-
ted, from the Tagus to the Volga, do not
nourish $50 species Of fresh water fishes a
little lake near Manaos, called Lake Hyan-
uary, the surface of which hardly covers
500 square yards, contains more than 300
distinct species, the greater part of which
have not been observed elsewhere @' "
However unmeditative he might be,
traveller could not forbear speculation upon
the prospective commercial importance of
such region, and asking himself: What
is to become Of this country, this great
system ofinland navigation, these thousand
productions of nature? What advantages
is North America to reap from the innu-
merable riches lying at her very feet? BY
what means can she improve her commercial
relations with this wonderful world of water
and verdure? How far dc Brazilians avail
themselves of the treasures nature has be-
slowed upon their soil To these questions,
which crowd with others into one's mind, I
hope to reply, in succeeding letters, after
careful personal study of the country and of
such statistics as have been able to gather
from official sources. a s@ ,.Es