Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 November 1868 — THE AMAZON VALLEY [ARTICLE]

THE AMAZON VALLEY

Owanlag or CaOMtrci om the A may on H|ver—A Company urlglaaled for *•*«< Pwrpo»a. (From Um> iTuvldt-uA# Journal.) The plate and obtocta contcmpUted .iu the forumlionjrf the National Bolivian Navigation OBNtouy, -tobe organized by Col. Georg* E. Uhufch, formerly of _lh.i**. m< i cry important in their relations to the gommorcial internals of thia country. A ' decree was made by the government of Hrto’il, in 18C7, oiynrag the £}ver_ ' ~praviouai to thia time, Peru and Bolivia,

lying at the head waters of the Amazon, wefe compelled to send their products’; aefoss the Andes, ship them from Pacific ports around Ope Horn, and again northward past th’' month of the very river which was the natural outlet for this commerce. TbA advantages resulting from the opening of the river were very promptly seized ; u(>on by Bolivia, and that country is already ' sending her exports along this highway at < »bOut Jialf the former cost for freight. | Thongn France, England and Holland im-! ' mediately offered topnt steamers upon the | Bolivian rivora; yet d|ffi?egnrding these projmishlh, Bolivia cEoim-d toc«tebnsiicou)mercial relations by this means "Uh the Cuiteil States alone. This gives the AmeridanS the commercial control of the head wate rs of the largest river on tho gfolie. Bud of a region of rare fertility somo two ' and a Ijalf millions of.aides in extent. Hitherto our commerce with Brazil bus ■ amounted to nothing directly, the foreign trade of the country having l»eeti entirely monejxiiited by Europe. Hie hi tides of (’.uiC' seK ii made by Bolivia to those who shall constitute the above named company

are published in a recent number oftheNew York Herald. By them it was provided, that the cotaPanv shall be organized with a capital of $1,000,000. It is moreover stipulated that it shall, within the pertpd of twenty-one months from tkft titne that certain privileges are obtaU)cd from Brazil, place two steamers on the rivor, Madeira, the principal tributary of the Amazon, and afeo sends engineers to euivey routes for ! canals around the rapids which constitute , the main obstruction to the passage of ves- | seta. Jh» Hohvian Government agrees to give to tho company a square mile of State lands in encl: of the populated parts and two s<|uar6 teaguea of tho same iiiciteh new port which inav bo opened; also, >IO.OOO in gold, tli-.- right-to cut wood for burning ’ or exploration in the forests which have no I private owner, and to collect 8,000 head, of ' 1 horned cattle from the State herd. The Gpyeniuient also guaraatees to the, CtelUr p;.uv the ti-ilstieu "f the ]>rodue(s of the country. The exoftaive pnvil. g« of navigating the wateis of Bolivia for 25 vears auu tiiv figEl t<» biiild canals unci roads beyond the centres of population. The company is to carry the mails under an equitable contract, aud to receive from tho Government all the protection it rc» quires. These concessions are, of couise, extremely liberal They ara made only beI cause from inability to practically open the navigation of its own rivers, the nation is brought to the verge of dissolution. Tho , country which these three, rivers drain is three times the size of Fiance, and has a J population of 1,000,000. Among tho pro- ' ducts of this vast region are Peruvian bark. gums. India-rubber medicinal roots, bulrante. the finest and th e rarest cabinet wwds, tobttero, coffc, andTdiOcoihte,.TilT of unsurpassed excellence, and to bs obtained at Pjiees fidmlotißly-sniiilL- A prefttable field for American enterjnise is thus opened which will doubtless be at once iceogj nized and speedily improved.