The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-20

| Selfridge has had some most important surveys
| intrusted to him by our government as that of
| the Amazon and the river Madeira in Brazil,
| in 1878, and the four surveys across the narrow
portions of our continent, already mentioned.
With these last his name will always be associ-
ated. They were as follows, viz: H. In 1870
he surveyed the route from the Gulf of San Bias
towards the river Chepo. r. In 1871 he made
several reconnoissances from Caledonia bay to
the waters of the Sucubiti and Morti, which are
afiuents of the Chucunaque. r. He examined
| the line Tuyra and Atrato via the Tanela
river; and AZ he went over the whole of the So
| called "Gogorza route" via Atrato Cacarca,
| Iuyra and Cue rivers In addition to these four
routes, which he thoroughly studied, he also be-
came acquainted with every possible canal line
| from Tehuantepec to Darien.
| DR.. Rodrigues gives an exhaustive account OF
| the various isthmian surveys made under Span
| ish, French, English, American and Hispano-
| American governments. and he to the
| conclusion "that the explorations in the isthmus
under the auspices of the American Union
are the only thorough studies that.
up to 1880, had ever been made" At the same
time he shows contrary to views put forward
| in France, that 'the deepest interest
was always evinced by the government of
| the United States in the building of a canaP
| somewhere between the waters Of the Atlantic
| and those of the Pacific. have known Dr. Rod
| rigues for about twenty years, and he is one of
| the most impartial men / have ever met. His
work. as l said, first appeared in English fnan.
| ciai journals, and when he says that as England
has little financial interest in the Lesseps
| enterprise and we can examine it with freedom
that cannot be said to be tinged with any degree
| of Partially or prejudice" he means just what
he says. And being most thorough and patri-
| otto Brazilian he can speak OF what the United
| States has done with an unchallenged impair
| TALLY.
This DR.. Rodrigues is q remarkable man. He
| is not physician, but an LII D. He is ma
| tive of Rio de Janeiro, and was educated at the
law college of San Paulo in southern Brazil
| where, at the age of nineteen he wrote COM
mentary on the Brazilian Constitution, which to
| this day is standard textbook throughout the
empire. In 1866 he came to the United States,
| and in short time made himself thoroughly
| acquainted with our language, and several most
! important religious works published by the
| American Tract Society were translated by him
| into Portuguese In order that this may be un-
derstood will say that In 1860, by the reading
| OF the New Testament in his native country he
became Protestant. and his translatons re-
| ferred to were made with the heart as we'll as
| the understanding.
| In 1870 he projected the "Novo Mundo" 1.-THE
Portuguese for new world which, with Dr.
| RodriSues's mastery editing and the beautiful
| engravings soon achieved great and deserved
success in Brazil, and, perhaps, had the greatest
| circulation of any paper in the empire 1t was
| issued monthly, and sent out by the steamers
from New York to Para Pernambuco. Batina
and Rio de Japeiro, and was read by all reading
people, from Emperor downward. And just
| here wish to correct an error or two In Mr..
Croffuts interesting letter. Mr.. c. says "A few
years ago the words, 'Nuevo Mundo' made one
| of the most conspicuous signs on the Times
Building, Park Row. The 'Nuevo Mundo was
| edited by DR.. Rodrigues, and had large circu-
| lation in Spansh-A American countries. When
Dom Pedro was here he took offense at the
paper, and when returning home he procured
| the adoption of special tariff taxing Nuevo
| Mundo out of existence" To begin with,
/ L ID
Portguese-American he had his sign begin with
J the Portuguese ''Novo," not "Nuevo." Next his
success was great in the one country of Portu-
| gese America Brazil. His attempt, in 1876. to
establish similar illustrated publication for the
| Spanish American countries, WERE after he had
/ laid out an enormous of money, q great
| failure, as the Hspano Americans are not much
| given to reading, and what want they do have of
| that kind is largely supplied from Spain. AS far
| back as 1865 / saw a large Spanish illustrated
paper in Madrid, and when inquiring of the pub
fishers who are your subscribers" they replied
| that they were mostly Cubans, Mexicans, Ven
| eZuelans-in short, Hispano-Americans. Next,
to the Emperor's relations with DR.. Rodrigues,
| they were of such an Enthusiastically cordial kind
| that DIR. II. while possessing the strongest
moral courage. yet is one of the kindest of menl
unwittingly excited the envy of many Braz;iaus.
| The Emperor Dom Pedro, they thought paid this
Protestant too much attention, in that he had
lAore to do with Dr. Rodrigues than with any
| other single person in the United States. Dom
Pedro liked Rodricuess downright earnestness
and his fearessness moral questions. The
Emperor arrived in New York Saturday.
the 18th of April, 1876. The next morning after
attending. with his suite, early service at the
Cathedral. he went with DR.. Rodrigues, at
O'Clock A. NJ, to the great Moody ard Sankey
meeting. where he spent an hour. and thence he
went still with DR.. Rodrigues. to the Newsboys'
Home. l could tell you much more in this vein
but this is sufficient to show that it is to
suppose that Dom Pedro. when he was here
New York; took offense at the paper 1.-THE Novo
Mundo).' and thus had special tariff adopted
to tax Dr. Rodrisuess journal out of existence
The fact u.s. certain editors of poor illustrated
papers in Brazil. and certain publishers at Rio
de Janeiro, found that in Portugal. ngland aud
the United States they were printing III Portu-
eueSe and sending TO Brazil better illustrated
journals than they could turn out in the Empire,
and so the Brazilian Parliament (which has al
interested parties to pass general law which
affected Lisbon, London and New York-most
of ALL New York. for Rodriguess Novo Mundo
surpassed in every way any other journal pub
lished in the Portuguese language. By the way,
the adoption of the special tariff which Mr..
Croffut referred to did not take form in fact
Ito use the language of Whittierl until more
than three years after the Emperors visit to
New York. Before leaving this subject, let me
say that such was the mastery ability of Dr.
Rodrigues in international questions that. at the
suggestion of the late Caleb Cushing DR.. r.
was employed by our government to prepare in
Portuguese the facts and the American line of
argument in the Alabama question for the Bra
lillian minister who was one of the arbiters in
the great arbitration court at Geneva
j. c. FLETCHER.
vANDERBILT'S RICHES.