Part 15

The rich natural and agricultural productions of this valley must be poured out to the balance of the world. Upon the banks of each of the tributaries of the mighty Amazon city after city will as by enchantment arise to export the productions of the soil of this favoured country. The valley of the Amazon is yet to exercise a powerful influence on the political destinies of this Empire.

The future destiny of this valley is to be a glorious one; and fortunate the descendants of those who may now obtain a foothold and interest upon this soil. As already indicated the true elements of future greatness lie in the substratum of industry. The valley of the Amazon must have labour to develop its resources. The cities of North America and Europe are crowded with young men seeking employment.

The offices of European Consuls in the United States are crowded with foreigners, who have exhausted their last cent and are seeking for any kind of work.

Let them come to the valley of the Amazon with agricultural implements and obtain a home upon these fertile lands. Those who are lingering around the crowded seaports of poverty and vice, having no chance with others in the great world, should turn their attention to the valley of the Amazon, where a free homestead upon rich lands and with salubrious climate can be obtained.

The prosperity of this country is the future welfare of all civilised nations. This country has everything to hope for; nature has not been unmindful of its most precious gifts to this land.

In the selection of lands, upon which it is my purpose to establish a colony, I will be governed by the advantages offered by the lands at Brigança over those explored. If the lands at Brigança are well watered and rich its accessibility will decide me.

The migration to Brazil of energetic and agricultural population from the former Confederate States of North America is still going on, and may produce hereafter a most beneficial effect on the destinies of the Empire. On this topic General Hawthorn and Mr. W. T. Moore have addressed some interesting remarks to the Brazilian Minister of Agriculture. The following is the concluding paragraphs of the communication to which I refer:—

The people of the South must emigrate but how, and where to? These are questions that may well engage the earnest attention of every Government that desires to increase the number of its good and loyal citizens. Though there may be a few unworthy persons claiming to be from the late Confederate States who have imposed and forced their lazy carcases and worthless habits upon this kind and liberal Government, we desire to say in the most emphatic and unequivocal terms that the great body of the Southern people are not professional emigrants, who systematically cringe the knee and hypocritically kiss the feet of every monarch that will scatter among them the crumbs of charity; on the contrary, they are the remnants of a gallant race, who, having struggled in vain to save their country from destruction and themselves from slavery, will like Æneas and his Trojan followers gather round them their aged fathers and mothers, their wives, their children, their household gods, and, emigrating to some foreign land, lend their powerful aid in building up the country of their adoption and pushing it forward to a conspicuous place in the front rank of nations.

They will carry with them their statesmen, their orators, and their men of science, and though they may carry little gold and silver, and but a few of this world's goods, yet they will carry with them rich stores of great and active thought, vast mines of unflagging energy and industry, immense treasures of practical and scientific knowledge in planting, navigation, commerce, and the fine arts. They will carry with them stout hearts, untarnished honour, and unconquered manhood; but above all, for that Government which shall now extend its liberal hand and relieve them in this their hour of need, they will cherish that unshaken fidelity and loyalty that will uphold and maintain it in its prosperity and rally around and die for it whenever its day of trial and danger comes. They are a race that have won imperishable honours in every walk of life, and upon every field of action that has ever been opened to human enterprise, and wherever they go in large bodies they cannot fail to add wealth to the coffers and prosperity to the land of their adoption.

Having adopted Brazil as our future home, and believing as we do that it is better adapted to the wants of our people than any other country upon earth, we should rejoice to see the good and true people of the South emigrate in masses to this wonderful country. Hence our anxiety that this Government should fully understand the character, the capacities, and the habits of the Southern people. Since we have been in Brazil we have reflected deeply upon this subject, and the result of our observations and reflections is that the people of the late Confederate States, being, as they are, strangers to the language, habits, and customs of this country, cannot be completely prosperous or contented here unless they settle in colonies by themselves, and that too upon a scale sufficiently large to carry on successfully all the various trades and professions, to have their own schools and churches, in short, to relieve them from the necessity of learning a foreign language before obtaining complete success in their agricultural, manufacturing, or mercantile operations. We are also deeply impressed with the belief that in order to a full development of their energies as a people and a successful renewal of those glorious triumphs in every art and science that once rendered them so illustrious, it is necessary they should be left as free and untrammelled in their action as the safety and dignity of an enlightened and liberal Government will admit. We therefore respectfully suggest that (as an inducement for this heroic people to emigrate to Brazil in one vast body, bringing with them their greatest, their wisest, and their best men; bringing with them their household goods, their customs, their manners, their indomitable energy and unflinching courage; but above all, bringing in their bosoms the bright hope that their race is not yet run, but that a brilliant and a glorious future awaits them here) the Government cause to be set apart and reserved for their settlement and use large bodies of the public lands, which may be selected by judicious and intelligent men; that these lands be surveyed as occasion may require, and sold in limited quantities, at fixed uniform rates, to that people alone, or to such as they may desire to settle in their midst; and that they be allowed full and complete religious toleration, as also the full rights of citizenship, whenever they shall take the oath of allegiance to the Government; that each of these colonies, including such as are already established, as well as those that may be established hereafter, be made a congressional, military, and judicial district, which, when it shall have the requisite number of inhabitants, shall be entitled to representatives in the national and provincial assemblies, chosen from among themselves; that so far as possible all their officers placed immediately over them be men speaking their own language, and familiar with their customs and manners; that all professional men among them who shall produce satisfactory evidence of good character and a reputable practice in the land from which they came be permitted to practice their respective professions within the limits of the said colonies, without having to undergo rigorous examinations in a foreign language; in short, that every liberal concession be made that a true and loyal people could ask, or a wise and generous Government could grant.

Your Excellency need not fear the result. Ours is not a race that breeds either traitors or cowards. When we have once plighted our faith, dangers cannot weaken nor bayonets break its clasp. Every liberal concession which a generous prince may grant, or an enlightened people sanction, will but strengthen our loyalty and increase our gratitude. We sincerely trust that your Excellency will live to see the day when Brazil, renovated and strengthened by the infusion of this great Southern element, will assume among the nations of the earth the very first place in prosperity, glory, and power, as she now holds the first in charity and true kindness to a brave but unfortunate people.

That the policy of the Brazilian Government with regard to her territories on the Amazon is in the right direction no one can deny, and it is in striking contrast with the proceedings of the ruler of Paraguay, who could, in the erection of his formidable strongholds, have had no other object in view than that of impeding, if he did not absolutely obstruct, the passage of the River Paraguay. Paraguayan advocates have, indeed, endeavoured to show that the opening of the Amazon by Brazil was solely dictated by self-interested motives, but let the world look at the facts and judge accordingly.

Many years back the Government largely subsidised a steam company to navigate on the Amazon, which it continues to support notwithstanding the pressure of financial difficulties. This company goes on prospering, and adding to its fleet, and will now be still more useful in assisting foreigners to pioneer their way. Thus the country can be explored and settlements made. It is gratifying to hear the climate of the Amazon so favourably spoken of in the reports I have inserted, as at one time it was feared this would be a barrier to successful emigration. The emphatic language of the writers is not to be mistaken, and the Government of Brazil will do well to afford to the active and go-a-head Anglo-Saxon race every possible encouragement in their emigration work.

The city of Para is admirably placed and its trade has largely augmented of late. In fact, it promises ere long to become the emporium of the northern commerce of Brazil as Rio de Janeiro is of the southern, and when we glance over the map, and see the enormous tributaries of the Amazon extending as far as the waters of the great La Plata itself, it is difficult to say what new sources of wealth may not be opened up from the countries through which these rivers flow. There are natural obstructions to be overcome, and tribes of Indians to be encountered, but the strong arm and the willing heart can conquer these difficulties, clearing their pathway through the forests to the fertile plains beyond.

But little is yet known as to the Indian tribes scattered over the immense valley of the Amazon and its tributaries. That they are not numerous, however, is pretty certain, nor can they offer much resistance to the advance of the white man, when once the tide of emigration to that country is fairly set in. It would, of course, be politic to conciliate and make friends of the aborigines, but circumstances do not appear favourable to such an arrangement.

By a recent Rio paper it appears that a lightship is shortly to be placed at the entrance to Para, and that it had been successfully experimented upon outside the port of Santa Cruz in the presence of the Emperor.

Alluding again to Professor Agassiz, I have had the pleasure of perusing his valuable narrative, which, although containing much matter only of interest to naturalists and scientific people, conveys at the same time a wonderful amount of practical information, and from which a pretty correct idea may be formed of the probable or speculative future of the Amazon valley.

The Amazon, I may just observe, flows through the territory of the Empire for a distance of upwards of 500 leagues, and in its course towards the ocean receives no fewer than eighteen affluents of the first magnitude. The names are as follows: From the south, the Xingú, Tapajoz, Madeira, Purus, Coary, Teffé, Myuruá, Hyutuby, and Hyavary; and from the north, the Sary, Peru, Trombetas, Nhamunda, Uatuman, Uruba, Negro, Hyupurá, and Iça. These rivers, from above the falls which exist on the boundaries of the provinces of Para and Amazonas, are collectively navigable by steamers for 7,351 leagues, not going outside the Imperial territorial limits. In this total, navigation on the Amazon proper figures for 580 leagues; that on the basins of the principal affluents for 5,771 leagues; and that on the lesser tributaries, lakes, and canals for 1,000 leagues.

As I have already remarked the Amazonian network of navigable streams reaches to within a little of the La Plata riverine system. The sources of the Tapajoz, flowing into the Amazon, are only separated by an inconsiderable strip of land from those of the Paraguay, flowing into the River Plate, and were these two rivers connected by artificial means an immense section of the South American Continent would be insulated by ocean and fluvial waters. This great work may probably remain undone for many years to come, but that it will be eventually accomplished I do not at all doubt. The progress of commerce and the development of enterprise in these countries clearly point to the ultimate realisation of this magnificent result.

Before passing to other topics, I will briefly notice another noble river of Brazil—the San Francisco—which traverses the central portion of the Empire, and waters the extensive and important provinces of Minas Geraes, Bahia, Pernambuco, Alagoas, and Sergipe. The Rio das Velhas, Rio Verde, Rio Grande, and the Paracatu are amongst its tributaries, and are all of them streams which in Europe would be regarded as of very superior size. The San Francisco is notable for its famous falls of Paulo Affonso, which witnesses of both have pronounced to greatly excel those of Niagara in their imposing majesty and grandeur. Above these falls there is an uninterrupted navigation of about 230 leagues, and below to the mouth, nearly 50 leagues, there is not the slightest obstruction to vessels of respectable tonnage.

A large part of the immense basin of the Paraguay, in the River Plate, also belongs to Brazil, in whose territories most of the principal rivers of that system have their origin; and numerous other streams, of more or less consequence, permeate different parts of the Empire on their way to the sea. Several of these are capable of navigation by steamers for at least 100 leagues.

TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION.

The North American Continent has now for some time past been linked to Europe by the electric wire, inaugurating what may almost be termed a new era of civilisation; and the fact of laying the cable will live in history as long as the name of the leviathan ship through whose medium this great result was accomplished.

South America has yet to depend solely upon steam communication, but doubtless the means of magnetic intercourse will soon be supplied. Already a rival company has been formed to lay down a cable from Brest to America under privileges obtained from the French and American Governments, and the great ship, with her gallant commander, Sir James Anderson, is again to be called into requisition. It is very desirable that extra cables should be laid in case of accident to those at present existing.

I had hoped on my arrival home to find a company organised and a cable about to be laid from Falmouth to Portugal and the Azores, for which a concession had been obtained by Messrs. Rumball and Medlicott; but it appears that the stupidity of the Cortes prevented this important line being carried out—important to the world and to Portugal in particular, as it would have rendered that country the great centre of telegraphic communication, not only with her own islands, but also with North and South America, to which it was intended the line should eventually be carried. There would also have been a large and lucrative business between England and Lisbon, in connection with the mail steamers to and from Brazil, which at present is carried on under great disadvantage through Spain. Portugal and Spain are sadly in arrear as regards commercial progress and advancement, and Messrs. Rumball and Medlicott experienced the same fate as the South Eastern of Portugal Railway, which, though the Government had agreed to take it over, on equitable terms, the Cortes refused to ratify the agreement. All Messrs. Rumball and Medlicott required was an alteration in the law which prevented the Government granting concessions for more than twenty years. The concessionaries asked for ninety-nine years, which ought to have been readily granted, seeing the manifest advantage to Portugal of establishing such a facility for communication; but no, these _pés de chumbo_ (leaden feet), as they are designated in other parts of the world, would not quicken their pace even to promote the best interests of their country. Sordid motives would also appear to be at the bottom of these acts of repudiation, with which both Spain and Portugal are too familiar.

I think a line might be stretched across the Isthmus of Panama, passing from the West Coast and over the Andes to Buenos Ayres, where a telegraphic cable can easily be laid along the seaboard to Rio de Janeiro. The Argentine Government is now laying down wires from Buenos Ayres to Rosario, whence the Central Argentine Railway carries them on to Cordova, so that a communication with Valparaiso or some port on the West Coast would not be a very formidable work.

Nothing would tend more to consolidate and bind the Argentine provinces together than railways and electric wires. It is true the latter might be exposed to temporary injury, from political agitators and others, but this is no argument against the introduction of so great a civiliser, which even savages soon learn to respect, and look upon with a certain degree of awe. The onward march of civilisation and progress in the Argentine, as well as the Chilian Republic, would most certainly, under every circumstance, greatly tend to secure and keep open an agency so useful to both.

I understand that General Webb, United States Minister at Rio de Janeiro, has lately been authorised to submit an important scheme for the laying of an ocean cable to place Brazil in telegraphic communication with both Europe and North America; and I am glad to learn that there is great probability of something practical resulting from the negotiations in progress in respect to this proposal.

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS.

Spain and Portugal as a matter of course introduced the Roman Catholic religion in their South American conquests. The aborigines, being imbued with a veneration for forms, or imagery of some kind, soon fell under the influence of the priesthood. Volumes have been written on the power and grandeur of the Jesuits, who were assuredly the pioneers of civilisation in South America, and they certainly accomplished what the sword could never have done. Papal and monarchial jealousy led to their expulsion, but many substantial buildings still remain as evidence of their activity and influence. The district called Missions, lying between Paraguay, Brazil, and the Banda Oriental, which has long been a bone of contention between the ruler of Paraguay and the Argentine Republic, abounds with their ancient edifices, mostly in ruins, and Paraguay itself retains to this day many of the characteristics of the Jesuit rule, which was exercised in a despotic manner—half sacerdotal, half military.

Any one visiting South America must be struck with the enormous size of the churches and convents, so utterly out of proportion to what must have been the wants of the population at the period of their erection, and even at this moment many of these buildings are unoccupied, as stated in my notice of the Brazilian city of San Paulo. These churches and convents were endowed with enormous tracts of land, which in process of time have become very valuable, and if appropriated to State purposes would go a long way towards paying off the national debt of Brazil. Some measure of this kind will inevitably be adopted at some future period, as in most instances the property itself is unproductive of any national benefit, nor is it utilised for any national object. The power of the priesthood still predominates and subjects the masses, if not a majority of the enlightened population, to its influence, and little short of a social revolution can wrest from the Church what is no longer required for religious observances, or distributed in any way towards the spread of religious knowledge. Mexico is an instance of the pernicious and fatal effects produced by a dominant priesthood, and although the more liberal views of Brazilians have weakened the priestly trammels in which some other parts of South America are still held, few have come forward to propose divesting the Church of her nonproductive property.

The Roman Catholic religion is the religion of the State in Brazil, though all others are tolerated by law and treaties, nor has any difficulty ever arisen in this respect. At the same time it cannot be denied that open attempts at proselytism would be attended with danger. So long as foreign communities carry on their own religious ceremonies quietly and without ostentation all will be well, but too much demonstration might be productive of mischievous results.

As a body it cannot be said the Roman Catholic priesthood of South America is held in much esteem by the laity. Their stronghold is in the subserviency of the more ignorant and narrow-minded of their flock, precisely as we find it all over the world, and even at home.

In the River Plate, owing in a great measure to the scattered nature of the population, the influence of the priesthood has been less felt or exercised than in Brazil, besides which the large introduction of the foreign element in its towns and cities has led to greater freedom of thought and action. Nevertheless the church has large possessions in land, to which the same objections may be urged as in the case of Brazil, and the sooner they are appropriated to national objects the better. Cordova may be termed a city of churches and convents, the greater number of which are useless. A recent writer on Cordova says:—“In telling anything of Cordova it is impossible to omit to speak of her churches: there are over thirty of them, besides the Cathedral. A description of them and their riches and institutions would make a large book. I have neither the requisite information, inclination, nor the time to go into the details of this painful theme—the Church in Cordova being so manifestly an incubus on the advancement of the country. Immense capitals are locked up in massive buildings and lands, which the clergy will neither sell nor cultivate, and a small army of friars and nuns—unproductive men and women in every sense—is detached from the world to manage these great properties, which yield nothing to the people moral or material.” The great Republic of the United States presents a good example to those of South America by permitting free admission of every religion its citizens may choose to adopt without allowing the predominance of any one in particular.

THE AFFLUENTS OF LA PLATA.