RESUMÉ.
My report would be incomplete were I to fail to bring to the notice of
the department circumstances concerning the free navigation of the river
that have occurred since my return from the valley of the Amazon.
These circumstances are clearly the result of my mission, which appears
to have opened the eyes of the nations who dwell upon the banks of
the Amazon, and to have stirred into vigorous action interests which
have hitherto laid dormant. They have an important and direct bearing
upon the question, whether the United States may or may not enter
into commercial relations, by the way of the Amazon, with the Spanish
American republics, who own the headwaters of that noble stream.
The government of the United States had scarcely begun to entertain
the idea of sending a commission to explore the valley of the Amazon,
with a view to ascertain what benefits might accrue to its citizens
by the establishment of commercial relations with the people who dwell
upon its banks, when the fact became known to Brazil. That government,
thus awakened to its own (more apparent, however, than real) interests,
immediately cast about for means to secure for itself any advantages
that might arise from a monopoly of the trade of the river.
She accordingly despatched to Lima an able envoy, Duarte da Ponte
Ribeiro, with instructions to make a treaty with Peru concerning the
navigation of the Amazon; and, this done, to proceed to Bolivia for the
same purpose, while the Brazilian Resident Minister in Bolivia, Miguel
Maria Lisboa, was sent to the republics of Ecuador, Venezuela, and New
Granada, so as to secure for Brazil the navigation of all the confluents
of the Amazon belonging to Spanish South America.
Da Ponte succeeded in making with Peru a treaty highly advantageous
to his own government. It is styled "A treaty of fluvial commerce and
navigation, and of boundary," and has the following articles relating
to steamboat navigation:
"_Article 1._
"The republic of Peru, and his Majesty, the Emperor of Brazil, desiring
to encourage, respectively, the navigation of the river Amazon and
its confluents by steamboat, which by ensuring the exportation of the
immense products of those vast regions, may contribute to increase the
number of the inhabitants and civilize the savage tribes, agree, that
the merchandise, produce, and craft, passing from Peru to Brazil, or
from Brazil to Peru, across the frontier of both States, shall be exempt
from all duty, imposts, or sale duty, (alcabala,) whatsoever, to which
the same products are not subject in the territory where produced, to
which they shall be wholly assimilated.
"_Article 2._
"The high contracting parties, being aware of the great expense
attending the establishment of steam navigation, and that it will not
yield a profit during the first years to the shareholders of the company
destined to navigate the Amazon from its source to its banks ("litoral")
in Peru, which should belong exclusively to the respective States, agree
to give to the first company which shall be formed a sum of money,
during five years, which shall not be less than $20,000 annually for
each of the high contracting parties, either of whom may increase the
said amount, if it suits its particular interests, without the other
party being thereby obliged to contribute in the same ratio.
"The conditions to which the shareholders are to be subject, in
consideration of the advantages to be conceded to them, shall be
declared in separate articles.
"The other conterminous States which, adopting the same principles, may
desire to take part in the enterprise upon the same conditions, shall
likewise contribute a certain pecuniary quota to it."
The 5th clause of the 1st of the separate articles alluded to above
declares that the company to be formed shall arrange with _both_
governments touching the respective points on the river Amazon or
Marañon, to which the steamboats shall navigate, &c., &c.
Article 3d, of the separate articles, declares that the agents of
the Imperial government, _with those of the government of Peru_, duly
authorized, shall establish the enterprise ("contratarán la empresa")
upon the terms indicated in these articles.
The persons undertaking the enterprise shall agree with the said agents
touching the mode and place in which they shall receive the stipulated
sums.
Both governments, in their respective territories, shall take care of
the observance of the conditions agreed upon.
Immediately upon the conclusion of the treaty, and before the exchange
of ratifications, Brazil gives a practical illustration of the wisdom
of a remark attributed to her wily minister in Lima, which was probably
intended only for Peruvian ears, and directed rather at another
government than his own, viz: "that it was not expedient for a weak
nation to treat with one more powerful than itself; because, in the
interpretation of treaties, the stronger party always enforced its own
construction, and the weaker, as invariably, went to the wall."
By a decree of the Emperor, of date August 30th, 1852, Brazil gives
to Ireneo Evangelista de Souza, one of her own citizens, the exclusive
privilege of the navigation of the Amazon for thirty years, and arranges
with him touching the respective points on the Amazon, or Marañon, to
which the steamers shall navigate.
In the mean time, however, a new minister, Don Manuel Tirado, (more
awake to the interests of his country than the framer of the treaty,)
takes charge of the portfolio of foreign affairs of Peru. He thus writes
to the Brazilian minister of foreign affairs:
"MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, LIMA,
"_January 20 1853_.
"SIR: I have the honor, by direction of my government,
to inform your excellency that it has understood, by a
communication from Don Evarista Gomez Sanchez, our Consul
General, charged with the exchange of ratifications of the
treaty celebrated in this capital on the 23d of October,
1851, with the Señor Da Ponte Ribeiro, Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary of his Majesty, the Emperor, that
said exchange probably took place in Rio Janeiro, on the ——.
"Said commissioner informs me, at the same time, that the
government of his Majesty has conceded a privilege in favor of
Don Juan ('Ireneo') Evangelista de Souza for the establishment
of navigation by steam of the river Amazon, under the
stipulations of a contract celebrated by authority of his
Majesty, approved in his decree of the 30th of August of the
preceding year.
"Said privilege defines the course of the lines which are
to be established; the first to run from the city of Belen,
capital of the province of Pará, to the town at the mouth of
the Rio Negro, capital of the province of Amazonas; and the
second to continue on from this last city to Nauta, a town
situated on the Peruvian banks.
"The establishment of said navigation by steam upon the Amazon
is a point agreed upon in article 2d of the treaty; as also
the annual subsidy of $20,000 by each one of the governments
for the space of five years in favor of the company that will
undertake the enterprise; conditions to which this government
is bound, and which it is desirous of fulfilling.
"This government, then, being aware of the contract celebrated
with the above-mentioned Don Juan ('Ireneo') Evangelista de
Souza, it is fit that I should say to your Excellency that,
as according to article 3d of the separate articles of the
treaty, the contracts for navigation should be made by agents
duly authorized by both governments (the government of his
Majesty having initiated the formation of an enterprise to
this effect, and having also reference to that part of the
course of the river belonging to Peru, moved, without doubt,
by the desire of hastening the attainment of the great objects
to which this navigation is destined,) this government can
but hope that that of your Excellency will deign to inform
the company organized in Rio Janeiro, that, as respects the
Peruvian shores, the conditions of navigation, its course
and extent, and the obligations relative to Peru, cannot be
considered as existing or efficacious, except for the five
years agreed upon by the treaty, and by the celebration of an
agreement or contract with the same government whence these
obligations may arise.
"There being no evidence up to this time that our Consul
General, Commissioner Don Evarista Gomez Sanchez, has been
consulted in the agreement; and it being believed that, at
the date of it, he was not in Rio Janeiro, your Excellency
will see how proper it is to make to you this anticipation in
furtherance of the realization of that internal navigation
which, for so long a time, has yearned for a decided and
efficacious protection on the part of the States who share
these fruitful waters, destined to open to the world new
objects of speculation and of traffic, and to give to commerce
and civilization one more field for their efforts.
"In the mean time, as, according to the advices of the same
Consul General, the first trip of the new steamers is to be
made in the month of May next, this government—for the purpose
of avoiding difficulties in their running, and to contribute
to the important end which they are destined to accomplish,
until the opportunity occurs to arrange the conditions
obligatory in that navigation by a free contract on its part,
as I have already expressed to your Excellency, and according
to the mutual obligations contracted in the treaty—has thought
proper to direct, as a facility spontaneously conceded in the
mean time to the navigation, that the authorities who exercise
jurisdiction on those shores should permit the running of
the steamers on the corresponding waters of Peru, and assign
them points where they may touch, until the establishment of
an arrangement to which this navigation is to be definitely
subjected, by means of a contract which this government is
bound to make for five years according to stipulation, and
which it hopes your Excellency will deign to cause to be
offered for its free acceptance by the associates of the
company created under the authority of his Majesty, the
Emperor.
"With sentiments, &c., &c.
JOSÉ MANUEL TIRADO.
"To his Excellency, the MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF BRAZIL."
But whilst Tirado is penning this courtly caveat in Lima, Gomez Sanchez,
in Rio Janeiro, is giving his assent to the De Souza contract, extending
it in all its force to Peru, and entering into an agreement with De
Souza by which he gives him the right of exploring the Ucayali, and
other rivers of the west, from Rio, besides other privileges, which, if
acceded to by the Peruvian government, would give Brazil all power over
the navigation of those rivers, as well as over that of the main stream.
Fortunately for the interests of commerce in general, and for the
more speedy development of the great resources that lie hid in the
valley of the Amazon, Tirado practically disavows the action of Gomez
Sanchez, and obtains from the Council of State of Peru its assent
(subject, of course, to the approval of the legislative power) to the
appropriation of $200,000 towards the exploration by steamboat of the
Peruvian tributaries of the Amazon, and the colonization and settlement
of their fertile lands. He has already appropriated $75,000 of this sum
for the purchase of two small steamers, which are now in the course of
construction in the United States, and which will be delivered at Loreto
(the frontier port of Peru on the Amazon) by the 1st of January, 1854.
The enlightened and patriotic President of Peru, Don José Rufino
Echenique, approving and adopting the policy of Tirado, goes further,
and issues a decree relative to the opening and settlement of the
Amazon. It is dated April 5, 1853. I give a translation of some of its
more important articles:
_Article_ 1.
In accordance with the treaty concluded with the empire of Brazil, on
the 23d of October, 1851, navigation, trade, and commerce, on the part
of Brazilian vessels and subjects, is allowed upon the waters of the
Amazon, in all that part of its banks belonging to Peru as far as Nauta,
at the mouth of the Ucayali.
_Article 2._
The subjects and citizens of other nations which have treaties with
Peru, by virtue of which they may enjoy the rights of those of the
most favored nation, or to whom those same rights, as regards commerce
and navigation, in conformity with said treaties, may be communicable,
shall, in case of obtaining entrance into the waters of the Amazon,
enjoy, upon the Peruvian shores, the rights conceded to the vessels and
subjects of Brazil by the foregoing article.
_Article 3._
To carry into effect the two preceding articles, and in agreement
with them, the ports of Nauta and Loreto are declared open to foreign
commerce.
_Article 4._
In conformity to the law of November 20, 1852, no import or export
duties shall be paid in said free ports on merchandise or produce
which may be introduced or taken thence. This, however, does not extend
to dues merely municipal, which the people themselves may impose for
objects of local utility.
_Article 10._
The Governor-General (resident in Loreto) is empowered to concede
gratuitously to all, whether Peruvians or foreigners, who wish to
establish themselves in those countries under the national rule and in
subordination to the laws and authorities, titles of possession to land
(in conformity with the law of November 21, 1852,) from two to forty
_fanegadas_, in proportion to the means and ability of cultivation, and
number of individuals who may constitute the family of those who shall
establish themselves. He will give an account of these concessions,
so that the government may confirm them, and expedite titles of
proprietorship.
_Article 11._
The governors of the districts may make concessions of lands from two
to four fanegadas, informing the Governor-General, who shall also inform
the government.
_Article 12._
Larger grants of lands for founding colonies, towns, and estates, will
be made by the government gratuitously, but by means of agreements
with contractors, in which the conditions of this colonization shall be
established.
_Article 13._
All concessions of lands made to individuals or families, in conformity
with articles 10 and 11, shall be void, if, at the end of eighteen
months, no attempt has been made to cultivate or to build upon them.
_Article 15._
Over and above the reward which the law of the 17th of November, 1849,
concedes to vessels or contractors who may introduce colonists, the
government binds itself to give to those who may come with destination
to the lands or valleys of the Amazon and its tributaries in Peru,
a passage to the place, implements of husbandry, and seeds, all
gratuitous; for which purpose sufficient deposits shall be placed in
the hands of the Governor General at Loreto.
_Article 16._
A national vessel shall be detailed for the service of carrying
those who, whether citizens-born or emigrant foreigners, may desire
to establish themselves in those countries; and, after being landed
at Huanchaco, the Prefect of Libertad shall make provision for the
transportation of the immigrants to said places, by the route of the
Huallaga.
_Article 17._
In conformity with the law of November 21, 1832, the lands cultivated
and houses built shall be exempt from all contributions, and shall enjoy
the other privileges which the laws concede to the owners of uncleared
lands.
_Article 18._
The new population shall pay no contribution for the space of twenty
years; nor shall the Catholics pay obventional or parochial dues, the
cures that shall be there established being at the expense of the State.
The new population shall also be exempt from the impost on stamped
paper, being permitted to use common paper for their petitions and
contracts.
_Article 21._
It shall be permitted in the new settlements that the individuals who
form them may unite themselves in municipal corporations, under the
presidency of the governors of the respective districts or territories,
for the purpose of making laws relative to the local administration,
without giving the governors created by this decree any power to
interfere with rights, of whatever nature, in respect to individual
liberty; they only taking care for the preservation of public order,
and of the national authority, in conformity with the laws.
_Article 22._
Because this territory is a new establishment, and has no judicial
authorities, it shall be permitted, for the administration of justice,
that the new settlers shall name their own judges, electing them in the
form most convenient, until Congress shall legislate in relation to the
administration of justice and in municipal affairs.
* * * * *
The other articles divide the territory proposed to be settled into
districts: four on the Amazon, from Loreto upwards to Nauta; two on
the Ucayali, from the mouth to Sarayacu; and four on the Huallaga, from
the mouth of Tingo Maria—all under the direction of a governor general
established at Loreto. The _Intendente general_ of the missions of
Pozuzu, which are near the sources of the Pachitea, a confluent of the
Ucayali, is directed to observe the conditions of the decree; while the
governors of the Upper Mission, which is all the country on both sides
of the Amazon above the mouth of the Huallaga, are directed to exercise
their authority as before, in dependence on the prefecture of Amazonas,
until special decrees shall be issued for their guidance and government.
Article 25 appropriates the funds necessary to open roads from Cerro
Pasco to Pozuzu, and from Pozuzu to Mayro, at the head of navigation on
the Pachitea, under the direction of the intendente of Pozuzu. So that
my old chatty acquaintance of Huanuco, whom Col. Lucar designated as the
best animal magnetizer in the world, has at last carried his point and
accomplished his long-cherished purpose. If the country between Cerro
Pasco and Mayro be such, as he described it, this certainly will be the
best route of communication between Lima and the Atlantic; but earnest
and enthusiastic men see no obstacles to their favorite schemes; and
I much doubt if this road would, according to his account, run for the
greater part of its distance over a pampa or plain.
The portions of land granted by this decree are not sufficiently large,
a fanegada being only about two acres; but I have no doubt that a proper
representation to the Peruvian government would set this matter right,
and very much increase the size of the grants. No man would be willing
to undergo the exposure, privations, and hardships of a dwelling in the
wilderness whilst he was clearing his lands, unless with the prospect
of having a large and valuable estate, if not available for himself, at
least for his children. The government should make legal titles to each
adult male settler of a tract of land at least a mile square.
The decree says nothing in relation to toleration of creeds in religion.
The President could not grant toleration, for it would be contrary to
the constitution of Peru; but he knows as well as I do that there will
be very little trouble in that country from that cause. The country
will afford room for every shade of opinion and every form of worship;
and men will be too busy there for years to come to find leisure for
quarrelling on such trifling yet mischievous subjects. The decree refers
in several places particularly to Catholics, as if in contradistinction
to, and tacit acknowledgment of, a Protestant interest.
In his letter to the council of state, asking its concurrence in the
appropriation by the executive of the $200,000 towards the establishment
of steam navigation and exploration on the Ucayali and Huallaga rivers,
and the colonization and settlement of the lands upon their banks, Señor
Tirado thus expresses himself:
"Amongst the most urgent national obligations is that of procuring
the civilization of the savage tribes who dwell on the borders of the
Ucayali and in other parts of Eastern Peru; and also that which binds
the republic to lay the foundations of the prosperity which may be
expected from commerce and communication with the rest of the world, by
means of the navigation of the Amazon and its confluents.
"The Spanish government, and subsequently the independent, on account of
divers circumstances, has applied but feeble means to the accomplishment
of the first of these objects. The wants and spirit of the age now call
for the full and immediate application of the care and resources of the
nation towards these places, subject to the territorial sovereignty
of Peru, which will soon see an influx of foreign merchandise, and
in which, probably, an abundant emigration, and an extensive traffic,
will create towns of important commerce and a field for the efforts of
civilization and industry."
These are patriotic and statesmanlike views, which give ample testimony
to the truth of Ijurra's estimate of the character of this wise
minister, contained in a recent letter to me. He says:
"The minister Tirado is the man for the age in Peru. In nothing does
he resemble his predecessors or his cotemporaries. His travels in the
United States, and in some parts of Europe, have not been barren of
results. Endowed with an intellect that comprehends all at a glance,
and full of knowledge, he is entirely worthy of the appellation of a
true statesman. At the same time, possessed of a heart which is full
of enthusiasm and patriotism, he desires to introduce into my unhappy
country the institutions, laws, and manners, which have rendered
happy other countries that I have known, and which, doubtless, will be
adaptable to the necessities of our people, and conducive to the rapid
progress of the republic.
"He will commence by calling over industrious men of all professions and
creeds, of all ages, nations, and conditions, with the sole condition
that they shall be moral and laborious; he will endow them with those
fertile lands, with which you are familiar, to the eastward of the
Andes; he will supply them with tools, seeds, and domestic animals, and
will give them the necessary guarantees that they may live together like
brothers, with absolute liberty of action and of conscience."
All this, and more, has Tirado accomplished in the recent decree of
the Peruvian government. I think that I can also trace Ijurra's hand
in this action of the government, and fancy that it is the result of
many conversations we had on this subject during our long voyage. He is
now in high favor with the government, and has been sent to Loreto in
quality of sub prefect and military commandant, (second in authority
in the new province.) He writes me that he shall establish himself at
Caballo cocha, where he will labor with zeal and vigor in the great
cause, till death overtakes him. Long and late may it be in coming to
my faithful companion.
Fortunately for her own interests, the advancement of commerce, and the
progress of civilization, Bolivia refused to listen to the Brazilian
envoy; she knew that, even with the assistance of Brazil, she was not
able to undertake, with any prospect of success, the navigation of the
rivers, and the development of the resources of her great territory.
She preferred to entrust this enterprise to the energy and competition
of the great commercial nations of the world, rather than take it on
her own shoulders by a useless exclusiveness; and she therefore issued
a decree on the 27th of January, 1853, declaring several ports on each
and all of her rivers which communicate with the Atlantic, whether by
the La Plata or the Amazon, free and open to the commerce of the world.
This was a very important document; it put the Northern republics on
their guard, and excited a spirit of emulation in their governments. I
have heard nothing of the result of Lisboa's mission; but I know that
some of the most distinguished citizens of those republics have declared
themselves favorable to the project of opening their rivers and ports
to foreign trade, and are disposed to urge their respective governments,
if necessary, to demand of Brazil the right of way to the ocean.
Independently of the action of the Spanish American republics
concerning the free navigation of their tributaries of the Amazon, we
have a special treaty with Peru, negotiated by J. Randolph Clay, our
present minister, in July, 1851, which entitles us, under the present
circumstances, to the navigation of the Peruvian Amazon. The second
article of that treaty declares that, "The two high-contracting parties
hereby bind and engage themselves not to grant any favor, privilege,
or immunity whatever, in matters of commerce and navigation, to other
nations, which shall not be also immediately extended to the citizens
of the other contracting party, who shall enjoy the same gratuitously,
or on giving a compensation as nearly as possible of proportionate value
and effect, to be adjusted by mutual agreement, if the concession shall
have been conditional."
The concession to Brazil is conditional, but we shall find no difficulty
in "giving a compensation as nearly as possible of proportionate value
and effect;" that is a matter for Peru to decide, and there is little
doubt but that she will consider the presence of our people and our
vessels in her country, and upon her streams, as being of proportionate
value.
It will be thus seen that our citizens have a legal right, by express
grant and decree, to trade upon the interior waters of Peru and Bolivia,
and it is presumed that Brazil will not attempt to dispute the now
well-settled doctrine, that no nation holding the mouth of a river has
a right to bar the way to market of a nation holding higher up, or to
prevent that nation's trade and intercourse with whom she will, by a
great highway common to both.
But Brazil has effectually closed the Amazon by her De Souza contract;
she gives him the exclusive privilege for thirty years, with a bonus
of $80,000 per annum, besides guaranteeing to him the $20,000 of Peru.
This of course defies competition, though I very much doubt if the
contract will endure; the Brazilians are so little acquainted with
river steam navigation that De Souza will run his boats at great cost;
the conditions of the contract are also stringent and oppressive; and
under such circumstances, even _with_ the bonus of $100,000, I doubt if
the trade of the river for several years to come will support the six
steamers that he contracts to keep on the line.
Brazil, too, will soon see that in this matter she is standing in her
own light. The efforts of this company, though partly supported by
the government, will make little beneficial impression upon so vast
a country, in comparison with that which would be made by the active
competition of the commercial nations of the world.
Were she to adopt a liberal instead of an exclusive policy, throw open
the Amazon to foreign commerce and competition, invite settlement upon
its banks, and encourage emigration by liberal grants of lands, and
efficient protection to person and property, backed as she is by such
natural advantages, imagination could scarcely follow her giant strides
towards wealth and greatness.
She, together with the five Spanish American republics above named,
owns in the valley of the Amazon more than two millions of square miles
of land, intersected in every direction by many thousand miles of what
might be called canal navigation. As a general rule, large ships may
sail thousands of miles to the foot of the falls of the gigantic rivers
of this country; and in Brazil particularly, a few hundred miles of
artificial canal would open to the steamboat, and render available,
thousands of miles more.
This land is of unrivalled fertility; on account of its geographical
situation and topographical and geological formation, it produces
nearly everything essential to the comfort and well-being of man. On the
top and eastern slope of the Andes lie hid unimaginable quantities of
silver, iron, coal, copper, and quicksilver, waiting but the application
of science and the hand of industry for their development. The
successful working of the quicksilver mines of Huancavelica would add
several millions of silver to the annual product of Cerro Pasco alone.
Many of the streams that dash from the summits of the Cordilleras wash
gold from the mountain-side, and deposit it in the hollows and gulches
as they pass. Barley, quinua, and potatoes, best grown in a cold, with
wheat, rye, maize, clover, and tobacco, products of a temperate region,
deck the mountain-side, and beautify the valley; while immense herds
of sheep, llamas, alpacas, and vicuñas feed upon those elevated plains,
and yield wool of the finest and longest staple.
Descending towards the plain, and only for a few miles, the eye of the
traveller from the temperate zone is held with wonder and delight by the
beautiful and strange productions of the torrid. He sees for the first
time the symmetrical coffee-bush, rich with its dark-green leaves, its
pure white blossoms, and its gay, red fruit. The prolific plantain,
with its great waving fan-like leaf, and immense pendant branches of
golden-looking fruit, enchains his attention. The sugar-cane waves
in rank luxuriance before him, and if he be familiar with Southern
plantations, his heart swells with emotion as the gay yellow blossoms
and white boll of the cotton sets before his mind's eye the familiar
scenes of home.
Fruits, too, of the finest quality and most luscious flavor, grow here;
oranges, lemons, bananas, pine-apples, melons, chirimoyas, granadillas,
and many others, which, unpleasant to the taste at first, become with
use exceedingly grateful to the accustomed palate. The Indian gets here
his indispensable coca, and the forests at certain seasons are redolent
with the perfume of the vanilla.
It is sad to recollect that in this beautiful country (I have before
me the valley of the Chanchamayo) men should have offered me title
deeds in gratuity to as much of this rich land as I wanted. Many of the
inhabitants of Tarma hold grants of land in the Chanchamayo country from
the government, but are so distrustful of its ability to protect them
in their labors from the encroachments of the savages, that they do not
cultivate them.
About half a dozen persons only have cleared and are cultivating
haciendas. One of these, the brave old Catalan Zapatero, was building
himself a fire-proof house, mounting swivels at his gate, and swearing
in the jargon of his province that, protection or no protection, he
would bide the brunt of the savages, and not give up what had cost
him so much time and labor without a fight for it. It is a pity that
there are not more like him. The Peruvian government, however, should
assure the settlers of efficient protection. It should not only keep
up the stockade of San Ramon, but should open a road down the valley
of the Chanchamayo to some navigable point on that stream, or to the
Ucayali itself, establishing other stockades along the route for the
protection from the Indians of those whom liberal offers may attract
to the settlement and cultivation of that delightful country. I feel
confident that she will pierce the continent and open a communication
with the Atlantic with more facility and advantage by this route than
by any other.
The climate of this country is pleasant and healthy; it is entirely
free from the annoyance of sand flies and musquitoes, which infest
the lower part of the tributaries, and nearly the whole course of the
Amazon. There is too much rain for agreeability from August to March;
but nothing could be more pleasant than the weather when I was there in
June.
The country everywhere in Peru, at the eastern foot of the Andes, is
such as I have described above. Further down we find the soil, the
peculiar condition, the productions of a country which is occasionally
overflowed, and then subjected, with still occasional showers, to the
influence of a tropical sun. From these causes we see a fecundity of
soil and a rapidity of vegetation that is marvellous, and to which even
Egypt, the ancient granary of Europe, affords no parallel, because,
similar in some other respects, this country has the advantage of Egypt
in that there is here no drought. Here trees, evidently young, shoot
up to such a height that no fowling piece will reach the game seated on
their topmost branches, and with such rapidity that the roots have not
strength or sufficient hold upon the soil to support their weight, and
they are continually falling, borne down by the slightest breeze, or by
the mass of parasites and creepers that envelop them from root to top.
This is the country of rice, of sarsaparilla, of India-rubber, balsam
copaiba, gum copal, animal and vegetable wax, cocoa, Brazilian nutmeg,
Tonka beans, ginger, black pepper, arrow-root, tapioca, annatto, indigo,
sapucaia, and Brazil nuts; dyes of the gayest colors, drugs of rare
virtue, variegated cabinet woods of the finest grain, and susceptible
of the highest polish. The forests are filled with game, and the rivers
stocked with turtle and fish. Here dwell the anta or wild cow, the
peixi-boi or fish-ox, the sloth, the ant-eater, the beautiful black
tiger, the mysterious electric eel, the boa constrictor, the anaconda,
the deadly coral snake, the voracious alligator, monkeys in endless
variety, birds of the most brilliant plumage, and insects of the
strangest forms and gayest colors.
The climate of this country is salubrious and the temperature agreeable.
The direct rays of the sun are tempered by an almost constant east wind,
laden with moisture from the ocean, so that one never suffers either
from heat or cold. The man accustomed to this climate is ever unwilling
to give it up for a more bracing one, and will generally refuse to
exchange the _abandon_ and freedom from restraint that characterises
his life there, for the labor and struggle necessary even to maintain
existence in a more rigorous climate or barren soil. The active, the
industrious, and the enterprising, will be here, as elsewhere, in
advance of his fellows; but this is the very paradise of the lazy and
the careless. Here, and here only, such an one may maintain life almost
without labor.
I met with no epidemics on my route; except at Pará, the country seemed
a stranger to yellow fever, small-pox, or cholera. There seemed to be a
narrow belt of country on each side of the Amazon where bilious fevers,
called _sezoens_ or _maleitas_, were particularly prevalent. These
fevers are of malignant type, and often terminate in fatal jaundice.
I was told that six or eight days' navigation on each tributary, from
the mouth upwards, would bring me to this country, and three or four
more would pass me through it; and that I ran little risk of taking the
fever if I passed directly through. It appeared, also, to be confined
to a particular region of country with regard to longitude. I heard
nothing of it on the Huallaga, the Ucayali, or the Tapajos, while it was
spoken of with dread on the Trombetas, the Madeira, the Negro, and the
Purus. Filth and carelessness in this climate produce ugly cutaneous
affections, with which the Indians are much afflicted, and I heard of
cases of elephantiasis and leprosy.
I have been describing the country bordering on the Amazon. Up the
tributaries, midway between their mouth and source, on each side are
wide savannahs, where feed herds of cattle, furnishing a trade in hides;
and at the sources of the southern tributaries are ranges of mountains,
which yield immense treasures of diamonds and other precious stones.
It is again (as in the case of the country at the foot of the Andes) sad
to think that, excluding the savage tribes, who for any present purposes
of good may be ranked with the beasts that perish, this country has
not more than one inhabitant for every ten square miles of land; that
it is almost a wilderness; that being capable, as it is, of yielding
support, comfort, and luxury to many millions of civilized people who
have superfluous wants, it should be but the dwelling place of the
savage and the wild beast.
Such is the country whose destiny and the development of whose resources
is in the hands of Brazil. It seems a pity that she should undertake
the work alone; she is not strong enough; she should do what we are not
too proud to do, stretch out her hands to the world at large, and say,
"Come and help us to subdue the wilderness; here are homes, and broad
lands, and protection for all who choose to come." She should break
up her steamboat monopoly, and say to the sea-faring and commercial
people of the world, "We are not a maritime people; we have no skill or
practice in steam navigation; come and do our carrying, while we work
the lands; bring your steamers laden with your manufactures, and take
from the banks of our rivers the rich productions of our vast regions."
With such a policy, and taking means to preserve her nationality, for
which she is now abundantly strong, I have no hesitation in saving,
that I believe in fifty years Rio Janeiro, without losing a tittle of
her wealth and greatness, will be but a village to Para, and Para will
be what New Orleans would long ago have been but for the activity of
New York and her own fatal climate, the greatest city of the New World;
Santarem will be St. Louis, and Barra, Cincinnati.
The citizens of the United States are, of all foreign people, most
interested in the free navigation of the Amazon. We, as in comparison
with other foreigners, would reap the lion's share of the advantages
to be derived from it. We would fear no competition. Our geographical
position, the winds of Heaven, and the currents of the ocean, are our
potential auxilaries. Thanks to Maury's investigations of the winds and
currents, we know that a chip flung into the sea at the mouth of the
Amazon will float close by Cape Hatteras. We know that ships sailing
from the mouth of the Amazon, for whatever port of the world, are forced
to our very doors by the SE. and NE. trade winds; that New York is the
half way house between Pará and Europe.
We are now Brazil's best customer and most natural ally. President
Aranha knew this. At a dinner-party given by him at Barra, his first
toast was, "To the nation of America most closely allied with Brazil—the
United States." And he frequently expressed to me his strong desire
to have a thousand of my active countrymen to help him to subdue
the wilderness, and show the natives how to work. I would that all
Brazilians were influenced by similar sentiments. Then would the mighty
river, now endeared to me by association, no longer roll its sullen
waters through miles of unbroken solitude; no longer would the deep
forests that line its banks afford but a shelter for the serpent, the
tiger, and the Indian; but, furrowed by a thousand keels, and bearing
upon its waters the mighty wealth that civilization and science would
call from the depths of those dark forests, the Amazon would "rejoice
as a strong man to run a race;" and in a few years we might, without
great hyperbole, or doing much violence to fancy, apply to this river
Byron's beautiful lines:
"The casteled crag of Drachenfels
Frowns o'er the wide and winding Rhine,
Whose breast of waters broadly swells
Between the banks that bear the vine;
And hills all rich with blossomed trees,
And fields that promise coin and wine,
With scattered cities crowning these,
Whose far white walls along them shine."
Then might Brazil, pointing to the blossoming wilderness, the
well-cultivated farm, the busy city, the glancing steamboat, and
listening to the hum of the voices of thousands of active and prosperous
men, say, with pride and truth: "Thus much have we done for the
advancement of civilization and the happiness of the human race."
In making out this report, I have been guided by the letter and spirit
of my instructions, and have striven to present a clear and faithful
picture of the subjects indicated by them. These were, in brief terms,
the present condition of the country—its productions and resources—the
navigability of its streams—its capacities for trade and commerce—and
its future prospects. This must be my excuse for my meagre contributions
to general science. More, I fear, has been expected in this way than has
been done; yet the expedition has collected some valuable specimens in
each of the kingdoms of natural history, and I hope to obtain means and
authority to have them properly described and illustrated.
I have mentioned in various parts of my report the names of persons who
have assisted me by counsel or information. I shall close it with the
name of the last, the ablest, and the best. Whatever of interest and
value may be found in the report, is mainly attributable to the guiding
judgment and cheering heart of my friend and kinsman, M. F. Maury.
APPENDIX.
NOTES.
The elevations due to the atmospheric pressure, as indicated by the
barometer, are extracted from tables calculated, after the complete
formula of La Place, by M. F. Delcros, contained in a volume of
meteorological tables prepared by Arnold Guyot, and published by the
Smithsonian Institution.
Those due the indications of the boiling-point apparatus are taken from
a table in the same volume, calculated by Regnault, from his "Tables of
forces of vapor," published in the _Annales de Physique et de Chimie_,
t. xiv, p. 206.
The height of the barometer at the level of the sea is assumed at 30.00,
and the temperature of the air at 65° Fah.
I have added a column of heights, measured with the barometer by Don
Mariano Rivero, at places where they compare with mine.
At the pass of Antarangra we took our observations on the summit of a
hill about two hundred feet above the road at its highest point.
Morococha is situated near the line of perpetual snow, on the eastern
slope of the western chain of the Andes.
Tingo Maria is the place of embarcation on the Huallaga. The distance
from Callao to this point, by our route, is 337 miles. The distance
hence to the Atlantic is 3,662. If we add to these sums the 90 miles
of travel from Tarma to Fort San Ramon and back, with the 626 from
the mouth of the Ucayali to Sarayacu and back, we shall have the whole
distance travelled over—4,715 miles.
TABLE OF APPROXIMATE HEIGHTS AND DISTANCES FROM CALLAO TO THE ATLANTIC.
-------------------+-------+--------+---------+---------+----------+-----------
Names of places. | Dist- | Baro- | Boiling | Thermo- | Height, | Height by
| ance | meter. | Point. | meter. | in feet. | Rivero-
| | | | | | barometer.
-------------------+-------+--------+---------+---------+----------+-----------
Callao | | 30.000 | 212 | 65 | |
| | | | | |
Lima | 6 | 29.528 | | 75 | 476 | .505
| | | | | |
Pacayar | 12 | 28.580 | | 61 | 10,346 |
| | | | | |
Yanacoto | 10 | 27.568 | | 57 | 2,337 |
| | | | | |
Coca Chacra | 16 | 25.574 | | 58 | 4,452 |
| | | | | |
Moyoc | 15 | 23.027 | | 50 | 7,306 |
| | | | | |
Do. | 15 | 23.027 | 198.25 | 50 | 7,380 |
| | | | | |
San Mateo | 13 | 20.843 | | 59 | 10,200 | 10.232
| | | | | |
Do. | | 20.843 | 193.25 | 59 | 10,128 |
| | | | | |
Acchahuarcu | 9 | | 188.3 | 33 | 12,898 |
| | | | | |
Lower edge of snow | 3 | 17.836 | | 49 | 14,300 |
on western slope | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Pass of Antarangra | 3 | 16.730 | | 43 | 16,044 | 15.758
| | | | | |
Do. | | 16.730 | 182.5 | 43 | 16,199 |
| | | | | |
Morococha | 4 | 17.700 | | 46 | 14,409 |
| | | | | |
Pachachaca | 9 | | 188.5 | 40 | 12,786 |
| | | | | |
Oroya | 12 | 19.542 | | 36 | 11,654 | 12.270
| | | | | |
Do. | | 19.542 | 190.2 | 36 | 11,825 |
| | | | | |
Tarma | 18 | 21.144 | | 55 | 9,738 | 10.092
| | | | | |
Do. | | 21.144 | 193.9 | 55 | 9,770 |
| | | | | |
Palca | 11 | 21.972 | | 43 | 8,512 |
| | | | | |
Matichacra | 12 | 23.292 | | 61 | 7,091 |
| | | | | |
Huacapishtana | 4 | 24.482 | | 60 | 5,687 |
| | | | | |
Challuapuquio | 12 | 26.804 | | 68 | 3,192 |
| | | | | |
Fort San Ramon | 6 | 27.406 | | 76 | 2,605 |
| | | | | |
Do. | | 27.406 | 206.5 | | 2,953 |
| | | | | |
From Tarma to | 15 | | 192.5 | 37 | 10,539 |
Palcamayo | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Junin | 18 | | 188.2 | 32 | 12,947 | 13.330
| | | | | |
Ninacacca | 18 | | 187.8 | 40 | 13,171 |
| | | | | |
Cerro Pasco | 17 | | 188.7 | 45 | 13,802 | 14.279
| | | | | |
Chiquirin | 12 | | 190.7 | 54 | 11,512 |
| | | | | |
San Rafael | 18 | | 196.1 | 62 | 8,551 | 8.791
| | | | | |
Huanuco | 35 | | 200.9 | 65 | 5,946 | 6.284
| | | | | |
Chullqui | 8 | | 201.5 | 67 | 5,626 |
| | | | | |
Acomayo | 6 | | 198 | 74 | 7,518 |
| | | | | |
Cashi | 12 | | 199.8 | 58 | 6,540 |
| | | | | |
Atajo | 10 | | 204.7 | 71 | 3,910 |
| | | | | |
Chihuangala | 8 | | 205.6 | 74 | 3,421 |
| | | | | |
La Cueva | 20 | | 206.5 | 76 | 2,944 |
| | | | | |
Tingo Maria | 10 | | 207.8 | 75 | 2,260 |
| | | | | |
Tocache | 174 | | 209.1 | 77 | 1,579 |
| | | | | |
Sion | 58 | | 209.7 | 80 | 1,269 |
| | | | | |
Lupuna | 58 | | 210 | 84 | 1,109 |
| | | | | |
Chasuta | 87 | | 210.5 | 82 | 846 |
| | | | | |
Sta. Cruz | 220 | | 211.2 | 85 | 490 |
| | | | | |
Nauta | 353 | | 211.3 | 74 | 434 |
| | | | | |
Pebas | 197 | | 211.1 | | 537 |
| | | | | |
Egas | 707 | | 208.2 | 88 | 2,052 |
| | | | | |
River Bank | 131 | | 208.4 | 84 | 1,947 |
| | | | | |
Do. | 60 | | 208.5 | 82 | 1,890 |
| | | | | |
Do. | 168 | | 208.6 | 76 | 1,834 |
| | | | | |
Do. | 50 | | 208.8 | 78 | 1,740 |
| | | | | |
Barra | 14 | | 209.3 | 81 | 1,475 |
| | | | | |
Mouth of Madeira | 104 | | 209.8 | 80 | 1,212 |
| | | | | |
Villa Nova | 209 | | 210.3 | 76 | 959 |
| | | | | |
Santarem | 220 | | 210.5 | 78 | 846 |
| | | | | |
Para | 759 | | 211.5 | 80 | 331 |
| | | | | |
Do. | | 29.708 | | 81 | 320 |
| | | | | |
Sea | 93 | | | | |
| | | | | |
From mouth of | 313 | | 210.3 | 82 | 868 |
Ucayali to Sarayacu| | | | | |
| | | | | |
-------------------+-------+--------+---------+---------+----------+------------
METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL.
-----------+---------+-------+--------+----+---+-----+---------------------------------
Place. | Approx. | Date. | Time. | Thermometer. |
| height. | | +----+---+-----+ Remarks.
| | | | A. | W.|W. B.|
-----------+---------+-------+--------+----+---+-----+---------------------------------
| Feet. | 1851. | | ° | ° | ° |
Palcamayo | 10,500 | July 1| 6 p.m.|56 | | |Calm; sky white and beautifully
| | | | | | | clear.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 10,500 | 2| 6 a.m.|37 | | 34 |Remarkably clear.
| | | | | | |
Road | 11,000 | 2| 8½ a.m.|45 |53*| |*Temperature of a spring issuing
| | | | | | | from the rock.
Junin | 13,000 | 2| 6½ p.m.|45 | | |Light westerly breeze; light
| | | | | | | cirrus clouds.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 13,000 | 3| 7 a.m.|32 | | 28 |Clear and calm; stratus clouds
| | | | | | | covering the Andes.
| | | | | |
Road | 13,000 | 3| 12½ |46 | | |Snow squall, small round flakes;
| | | | | | | wind variable from northward
| | | | | | and westward to northward and
| | | | | | | eastward; western Cordillera in
| | | | | | the sunshine, the eastern
| | | | | | | covered with storm.
| | | | | | |
Ninaccaca | 13,200 | 3| 6 p.m.|40 | | 36 |Beautiful night; light air from
| | | | | | | the westward.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 13,200 | 4| 6 a.m.|39 | | |Calm; ground covered with hoar
| | | | | | | frost.
| | | | | | |
Cerro | | | | | | |
de Pasco | 13,800 | 9| Noon |45 | | |Hail and snow; wind from
| | | | | | | northward and eastward.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 13,800 | 10| 10 a.m.|46 | | 40 |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 13,800 | 10| 5 p.m.|42 | | 38 |Clear and calm.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 13,800 | 10| 10 p.m.|37 | | 34 |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 13,800 | 11| 8 a.m.|40 | | 36 |Light airs from northward and
| | | | | | | westward; cloudy.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 13,800 | 11| 10 p.m.|39 | | 36 |Cloudy.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 13,800 | 12| 8 a.m.|39 | | 36 |Light cirrus clouds.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 13,800 | 12| Noon |44 | | 37 |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 13,800 | 12| 6 p.m.|40 | | 35 |Wind northward and eastward;
| | | | | | | heavy stratus clouds; light
| | | | | | | snow.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 13,800 | 12| 10 p.m.|37 | | 34 |
| | | | | | |
Chiquirin | 11,500 | 13| 8 a.m.|39 | | 36 |Calm; light cirrus clouds.
| | | | | | |
San Rafael | 8,400 | 14| 6 p.m.|62 | | |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 8,400 | 15| 7 a.m.|56 | | |
| | | | | | |
Huanuco | 6,000 | 17| 4 p.m.|71 | | |Clear; strong breeze from north,
| | | | | | | which always sets in, at this
| | | | | | | season, about noon, and ceases
| | | | | | | about dark.
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 6,000 | 18| 9 a.m.|65 | | 57½ |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 6,000 | 18| 9 p.m.|69 | | |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 6,000 | 19| 9 a.m.|64 | | 56 |Clear; calm.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 6,000 | 19| 9 p.m.|68½ | | |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 6,000 | 20| 9 a.m.|63 | | 55 |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 6,000 | 21| 9 a.m.|65 | | 58½ |Cloudy, with appearance of rain;
| | | | | | | light breeze from the northward.
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Chullqui | 5,600 | 22| 7 p.m.|67 | | |Light breeze from northward and
| | | | | | | eastward; half cloudy.
| | | | | | |
Road | 5,500 |July 23| 10 a.m.|72 |62*| |*Mountain stream; cirrus clouds.
| | | | | | |
Acomayo | 7,500 | 23| 11 a.m.|74 | | |
| | | | | | |
Near top of| 8,000 | 23| 2½ p.m.|67 |51*| |*A spring in the woods.
Cerro de | | | | | | |
Carpis | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Casha | 6,500 | 23| 7 p.m.|58 | | |Calm; cloudy to the south; night
| | | | | | | quite cool.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 6,500 | 24| 6 a.m.|52 | | |Clear and calm.
| | | | | | |
Atajo | 4,000 | 24| 5 p.m.|71 | | 67 |Cirro-cumulus clouds; calm.
| | | | | | |
Do. | | 25| 7 a.m.|61 | | |
| | | | | | |
Chihuangala| 3,500 | 25| 5 p.m.|74.5| | |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 3,500 | 26| | | | |Heavy rain.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 3,500 | 27| 2 p.m.|78 | | 72 |Cumulus clouds; calm.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 3,500 | 28| 8 a.m.|64 | | |Calm; cirro-cumulus, rained all
| | | | | | | the latter part of the night.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 3,500 | 29| 8 a.m.|67 | | 67 |Calm; cloudy.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 3,500 | 29| 1 p.m.|78 | | |Breeze northerly; heavy clouds
| | | | | | | and thunder to the northward.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 3,500 | 29| 8 p.m.|69 | | |Calm; cloudy.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 3,500 | 30| 9 a.m.|69 | | |Calm; clear.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 3,500 | 30| 3 p.m.| | | |Heavy shower of rain, with
| | | | | | | thunder; most of the rain
| | | | | | | clouds came from the north.
| | | | | | |
Chinchay- | | 31| 8 a.m.|70 | | |Half cloudy.
vitoc | | | | | | |
Do. | | 31| 11 a.m.|71 |67*| |*Mountain stream.
| | | | | | |
La Cueva | 3,000 | 31| 5 p.m.|76 |68*| |*Huallaga river.
| | | | | | |
On the road| |Aug. 1| 7 a.m.|74 | | |Cloudy; close and hot in the
| | | | | | | woods.
| | | | | | |
Tingo Maria| 2,200 | 2| 9 a.m.|75 | | |River at Tingo Maria 100 yards
| | | | | | | broad, 2¾ fathoms deep;
| | | | | | | smooth and unbroken.
Do. | 2,200 | 2| 7 p.m.|72 | | 71 |Cloudy; light breeze from the
| | | | | | | northward.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 2,200 | 3| 8 a.m.|72 | | |Calm; cloudy; had been showery
| | | | | | | during the night.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 2,200 | 3| 4 p.m.|82 | | 76 |
-----------+---------+-------+--------+----+---+-----+---------------------------------
METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL.—Continued.