Year: 1867

The Valley Of the Amazon.


In recent lecture before the Brooklyn Mer-


camille Library Association, Professor Agnssiz


said:


Inc Amazon is not a stream ; it is a submerged


plain, about three thousand miles in length and
five hundred to seven hundred miles in width


and entirely occupied by fresh water basin


through which the river flows from the Andes to
the Atlantic, and which is overgrown by the


most luxurious vegetation upon earth. To form
| an idea of the Amazon we must discard the idea


of sloping valley in the centre of which flows a
| stream. 1t is but one extensive plain, even and


fiat. The slope of the plain or valley of the
Amazon does not exceed 240 feet from the borders


of Peru to the Atlantic Ocean. 1t ought rather
to be called fresh water ocean with innumerable
branches pouring into the Atlantic. And SO


combined is it with the Atlantic that it is diff
cult to tell where one begins and the other
ends. Sailing along the coast, and long before
you see any indications of a continent, you are
already in the turbid waters Of mighty stream.


Thirty miles off the coast you are in it, and as you
advance the blue waters of the ocean disappear


until at last you are in a broad expense of mud
dy waters. This is the Amazon. At the point
where it meets the ocean it is $50 miles wide
The mass of waters is so great that 1000 miles
above its mouth it contains innumerabe islands,
forming one great system, rendering it difficult
to tell which channel constitutes the river One
of the islands (Marajo) at the lower extremity of
the Amazon is half as large as Ireland, and a
channel Of the river on one side of this island is
so wide that in sailing up it you cannot see
either shore. You sail up the Amazon 200
miles before it has the appearance of channel,
with banks indicating that it is river. The
tide of the ocean is felt 400 miles above the city
of Para. The tributaries of the Amazon are as
colossal in their character as the river ITSELF
From Para to the borders of Peru is 900 miles,
and at the borders of Peru the Amazon has
tributaries that may be navigated by the largest
vessels for FIVE hundred miles above the point
where they intersect the Amazon. The Amazon


flows from west to east in nearly the same lati-
tude and nearly under the equartor. The tribu-
taries that intersect on the north bank are swol-
len different seasons from those that intersect it
on the south bank, owing to the different months


in which the rainy season occurs in the region
through which they flow, so that when the north
ern tributaries swollen by the rains the south
ern are low. The consequence of this is that the
main channel of the Amazon is sifted from right
to left Mt different seasons a distance OF eighty
miles. The whole of this immense plain or valley
of the Amazon is one uninterrupted forest, and
so dense is the vegetation that it may be said to
be impenetrable. The vegetation seems to arise
out of the water Scarcely anywhere in this valley
are hills or mountains to be seen-the highest is
Hot over one thousand Ieet. All Oh tnem nave
fat tops presenting a very remarkable appear
ance. The lecturer said he was curious to as
certain the origin of these hills, and visited
many of them for that purpose. He found them
composed mostly of gravel and sand deposited
in strata, and he became satisfied that they were
once far more numerous and extensive, and Oc-
cupied no inconsiderable portion of the valley
There was no other way of explaining these hills,
than on the theory that the water was at one
time so high as to cover them and had gradual
ly fallen away, leaving the hills, which had been
deposited under the water, standing. Thus the
whole basin of the Amazon, three thousand
miles long, and from FIVE hundred to seven hund-
red miles wide, was once flooded with water
lie considered these hills as standing witnesses
to the fact that extensive fields oc ice and glaciers
once occupied the region of Brazil and the
tropics, which showed what changes had taken
place between a comparatively recent date and
the present time. But to return to the Amazon
and its general aspect. The vegetation of the
Amazonian region consisted in part of tropical
forests, which unlike our forests, did not con-
tain clusters of the same family, but groups OF
various trees. There was not an oak, maple,
elm or poplar in the valley of the Amazon nor n
plant allied to those which form our forests.


There were remarkable specimens of trees
which belonged to the same family as the locust,
one of the peculiarities of which was to have
leaves that not simple, but along which are
leaflets. The myrtle, which was a small shrub
here, performed an important function in that
region, furnishing q variety Of fruit as diverse,
luscious, pleasant and refreshing as those of the
family to which our rose belonged with us-the
pear, cherry, apricot, peach, plum and almond
The great Brazilian chesnut was the first Of that
family. Its fruit was about the size OF two hsts,
contained q number of triangular nuts, and the
tree itself one of the colossi of the forests OF
Brazil it grew to a height of one hundred and
eighty or two hundred feet. Others allied to,
bore fruit of still large. dimensions, some which
were known as monkeys spoons and " mon
KEYS hats and these represented, as it were,
the almond of the rosebush family. Then there
were the guaya, also one Of the representatives
of the myrtle family. Its fruit was not unlike
the ounce. There was, too, variety OF plum
and cherry like fruits to be found. Let us now
advance a step further in describing the aspect
of the forests in these tropical regions. A re-
markable feature to the forests Of the Amazon
was the immense number of vines and parasitical
plants that were seen clinging to the trees and
interlacing all their branches. So dense do they
make the forest that it is almost impossible to
penetrate it outside of the Indian trails. And
then the beauty and regularity of these vines and
parasites was one Of the most charming features
Of the scenery. It will be for ever impossible to
build roads in the valley of the Amazon. The
natural roads are already built, and they consist
of the ianumerable streams of water that ramify
the whole country and which can be traversed
by steam or sail.


The present population of this valley is only
$50 900, including Indians, Europeans and Amer
leans. He thinks the time will come when it will
be inhabited by 25, 900, 900 people. lie desired to
correct a prevailing notion, that because the
country lay in the tropics it must therefore be
unhealthy. He says the trade winds send forth
constant gentle breeze through the whole year.
Except in the middle of the day the Temperature
was $40 and it seldom reached 900. The nign!s
were always cool. Where the climate Is war" -, :, |
is not uncomfortable to be wet and people pna T he
allow their clothing to get wet through ".;a anu
come dry upon them. All the rich productlons
which our country obtain from this region come
from the forests. India rubber IS oo.sineo ..om
a Wild tree which everybody taps The gather
ers Of India rubber 60 into the forests and sleep
upon the wet ground, living on badly prepared
Ssh and when they get malarious diseases it is
the climate and not their way of life which is
charged with being the cause.


TIE Sacramento Bee thinks John Bidwell will
undoubtedly be the Union candidate for Goyer-
nor, and that he will be elected BY at least 25,
- kAAh ~tnsA