Omaha daily bee., 1899-04-09

| OF the Amazon, and it is as far away from
| Rio almost as it is from the United States
l tell you, this is a big country. 1t is the
| Russia OF the South American continent.
| 1t is as big as the United States without
Alaska and our outlying possessions. 1t
| ranks fifth among the great countries of
the world. 1t is longer from north to south
| than from Pittsburg to San Francisco, and
wider from east to west than from New
York City to Salt Lake. 1t comprises about
half of all the land of South America and
it has in it more than half the people.
Portuguese Continent.
We look upon South America as Spanish
continent. 1t would be just as proper to call
it a Portuguese continent, for Brazil is
Portuguese, and its $4,000, 900 people speak
the Portuguese language. The Brazilians
are different from the other South Ameri-
cans. They have character and customs
of their own, and they are now for the
first time running their country for them
selves, and that upon republican methods
l find Brazil far different from what
supposed 1t to be. Many of you look upon
it as vast lowland forest with here and
there coffee plantation or rubber grove,
and all around and everywhere the ghost Of
the yellow fever. The real Brazil Is this
only in spots. 1t Is an empire with soil and
productions equal In their variety to those of
the United States. and a climate in many
parts as salubrious as that of any part of
our country.
Brazil is by no means all fiat The ANA
zon valley is a great lowland plain about as
wide as from New York to Cleveland and as
long as from Philadelphia to Denver, slop-
Ing gently from the Andes to the Atlantic
1t is covered with forests, but much of it
q fIl
weather Is cool for a great part of the year
South of the Amazon valley are highlands
some sterile and others afflicted with ter
riIbe droughts. Just below the Amazon val
ley they are having a drought now, and the
ships OF the Brazilian government are car
rying the starving people to the rubber
camps OF the Amazon, where they can get
work.
Below this there are other great plains.
varying from 900 to 1000 feet above the
sea and having a climate in which white
men can live. Upon these plains there are
rich farms, Many parts of them need only
shsht cultivation to make them produce.
Southern Brazil.
The southern half of Brazil is the most
healthful part of the country. There are
regions near here which are as healthful
as any part OF the world. / am now a half
mie aooFe the sea, ana this Is the nature
OF most of the land of this region. There
are about million and a half people in
the state of Sac Paulo. The state of Minas
Geraes, just above here, has 1000 600 peo-
pie, and just below is the well-settled state
of Rio Grande do Sui.
Rio Grande do Sui is an agricultural prov
ince. 1t raises wheat and meat 1t has
vast pastures upon which hundreds of thou
sands of cattle are feeding. 1t has beef fac
tories In which more than 81, 900 900 worth
or jerked beef was made last year. At the
town OF Pelotas alone 300 900 oxen are an
nually slaughtered and there are factories
mere making soap, candles and manure out
of the refuse
Rio Grande do Sui has a number OF cities
In which are street railroads, colleges and
daliy newspapers In the town of Rio
Grande there are five daily papers, in Porte
Alegre six and at Pelotes four. There are
good banks run by Engishmen, but nearly
all other businesses are managed by Ger.
mans There are German stores, cigar fac
tories and breweries About one-sixth Of
all the inhabitants are Germans and on this
account the country has been called West
deutschland OF late a large number of
Italians and Portuguese have come In, hut
the workshops and nearly all the export
trade are still in the hands OF the Germans
and they own, It is said. about one fourth