National Republican., 1884-04-03
THE MIGHTY AMAZON.
How the River Was Discovered and Received
It's Present Name
Experience, Of Exploring Parties With
the Cannibalistic Natives.
Interesting Facts About Manoas, the Headquarters Of
the India Rubber Industry.
sketch OF "Monkcy Joe" and His Boa
Constructor Depository.
Spseinl Letter.

MARANHAM, Brazil, Feb 22.--In the year
1909 n Portuguese explorer Of some note,
named Orellana discovered the Amazon river
and assembled 1t to distance Of about two
hundred miles without making landing.
At several points along the river Oroluna at
tempted to land, but each time was warned
off by tho appearance of large bodies ofarmed
women, who, with lance in hand, stood ready
to contest the right of landing with Orollana.
The explorer returned to the open sea and
gave the great river the name of Amazon,
though it is still known throughout Portugal
and Brazil as the "Ro Orellana." This great
river is more than $50 miles wide at its
mouth and draining an area of moro than
2,30O,O0O square miles So immense is the
dow of fresh water that the sea is often dis
.olored for distance of more than 100 miles
bff shore.
Fifteen thousand miles on the Amazon"
is the title of q recent English publication
which gives most interesting detail of travel
by steam on the Amazon aud its tributaries.
The author started from Para on ono of the
steamers of the Amazon Steam Navigation
company, taking with him on board steam
launch 40 feet in length, with very light
draft, and fitted with small cabin and
kitchen. Leaving the large steamer near
the borders of Bolivia, ho proceeded in his
own blllhll DOht JThNCIbluR Jne upper hulhhOn
and its branches, going far into Peru and
Bolivia, southwark to within 100 miles of
the headwaters Of tho Paraua, which emptes
into the sea through tho Argentine Republic.
Returning via tho great Madeira river to
Manoas, the explorer assembled the Negro,
going well into the United States of Colom-
bia and Venezuela, and thence through
short natural canal, this daring adventurer
entered the Oronoco, and steamed its entire
)ength, coming out ut Demarara in British
Guiana. The time consumed was nearly
one year, and during this time the author
had traversed the Amazon and its tributaries
more than $4,000 miles. The writer has
never had such an experience, and few mon
live to-day who have.
The Indians of tho upper Amazon are q
wild, fierce, treacherous people, many of
whom are cannibals, and can only be civilized
by the liberal use of powder and ball. Gen.
Sherman once said of the American Indian
that Sthe only good Indian ever saw was q
dead Indian" The same may be said of the
Indians of this country, and 1t is a waste of
time and money to make an effort to civilize
them. They will not be civilized
Only last year q French exploring ex-
pedition set out to explore tho interior of
French Guiana. Before starting they OBJ
tanned permission to enter tho territory of
Brazil should occasion require. This per-
mission was, however, quite unnecessary, as
no one can define the boundary of either
country, and even if they could, there is no
one who could enforce any law or rule which
might be made by the imperial or the French
government However, the party proceeded
to the supposed western border of Guiana and
there divided into three sets, each to go by
the compass in different directions; to travel
four days, blaze their way, and return OH the
same route to the starting point. At the close
of the twelfth day two of the parties had re-
turned in safety, but the third did not come.
After awaiting q few days longer the returned
parties set out in search of their comrades
following carefully the blazed way through
the underground. On the third day
they came suddenly upon an open plain
wherein was camp Of Indian squaws and
old men, the young bucks evidently being
out on hunting expedition. The Indians
did not evince the slightest alarm, but
received the invaders with apparent kind
ness. The Frenchmen questioned them
through au interpreter as to the lost COM
rades, but were assured by the squqws that
they had not passed that way. However a
search was instituted, and in passing q
tripod wherein hung an iron kettle over a
slow fire, the Frenchmen discovered the
heads Of two of their lost comrades being boiled
whole, quite as q cook would prepare a calf 8
head. Further on they found the remains.
cut up and hanging in the sun, undergoing a
curing process preparatory for eating. The
Frenchmeu, quite Mortified, turned upon the
little camp with their Spencer rifles and
made short work of the wretched cannibals,
then hastily making their way back to
Cayenne, set sail for Europe.
A few years ago the writer had occasion to
stop in Para to await the arrival OF the mail
from the United States, and, to pass tho time,
boarded an English steamer bound from
Liverpool to Manoas, 1000 miles up the Anna.
zon. The steamer was of $500 tons register,
and had draft of twenty feet. The trip was
made in four days from Para, and might have
been an enjoyable one had it not beou for
the mosquitoes and flies, which swarm by the
millions and feast upon u newcomer. The ex-
perience, however, was one long to be remem-
bered. To travel inland 1000 miles on great
ocean steamer cannot be done every day. At
places one can hardly SEQ across the mighty
river, and slight wind against q current
will make choppy sea which quite reminds
one of old ocean.
Manoas has population of about 5000
though some claim that the population is
greater 1t is situated about 70 miles above
the mouth of the Madeira and is becoming
quito an important place for the deposit and
sale OF rubber, balsam, vegetable drugs and
tonca beans, all Of which are produced in
great quantities, and given in exchange for
all sorts of European manufactured goods,
provisions sc. Very little money is to be
found in the country; almost the entire
business being done by "barter and trade"
/ Lho iuulh fuubVA which htefnb 10
0enter at Manoas, is the main staple of ex-
port and is, us rule, very profitable TO the
exporter Year by year. however, the rub
ber tree disappears, and unless something is
done to regulate the tapping of tho trees SO
as to protect them, by giving them time to
recuperate after ono years flow, this country
will cease to produce this most valuable com
modify. The natives who gather and cure
the rubber year by year never think
lof planting new trees, but remain
quite content and see this valuable tree rap
idly and permanently disappearing, The
lcrude rubber is now worth in Manoas 81 ,25
per pound, where four years ago 1t could be
purchased for 80 cents.
When the rubber industry fails l hardly
know what the people will do particularly
those of Manoas, who have made this their
only business. But, as nature docs SO much
for this country, the natives easily drop back
10 their primitive condition and depend upon
wild fruit, fish, and game for food, and the
COCOA covering Ia natural cloth for clothing.
II is a mistake to suppose that tho country
klong the Amazon is at all suitable for sgri-
cultural purposes. The best is the country
surrounding Manoas, but 1t Is so poor that
hothing can be produced excepting the most
tropical of fruits. In Bolivia and Peru the
liable lands arc very FERTILE and may in time
IecOme rich, producing countries. On this
depends the rise or fall of the city OF Manoas,
In my last letter ! promised to take you
through =" "BoacOnstrictor Depository" In
Para there is q man named Monde2 who has
d hsided there for many years, and who Is
To-, on nlTasr Inab Ia ta thA