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| EXPLANATORY PREFACE. |
| Steam requirements of Anglo South American commerce anterior to 1850. How supplied then. Inadequacy of means to the general end, and to Lancastrian ends in particular. Subsequent supply. Liverpool still left out. Chartered liberty to help itself, and the consequence thereof. Paddle pioneer of the ocean fleet to the Plate. Dates and distances in a new line. What may be done by putting on the screw for three months. Fifteen thousand miles of steaming, with the Author’s notes thereon, and suggestions for the same being continued by other people. Epilogue apologetic. | 1 |
| INTRODUCTION. |
| Cursory retrospect of South American discoveries. Their difficulties then, how to be estimated at present. Their interest to this age as compared with that of ancient conquests. Cruelties of the early invaders. Retributive visitations. Columbus and his cotemporaries. Cortez and the conquest of Mexico. Subsequent position of the country. Santa Anna, his antecedents and prospects. Pizarro in Peru, and his Lieutenant, Almagro, in Chili. Condition of those republics since and now: their past gold and present guano. Modern commanders in those countries. Predominance of the Irish element in the fray. The O’Learys and O’Higginses in the Andes. San Martin and his aid-de-camp, O’Brien, and his auxiliary, M’Cabe. The Portuguese discoverers. Magellan and his Straits, and Peacock’s steaming to the Pacific three hundred years afterwards. Cabral and Brazil. De Gama and the Cape, and Camoens’ celebration of the achievement. Enrichment of the Iberian Peninsula from these causes. Subsequent impoverishment of mother countries and colonies. Exceptional position of Brazil in this respect, and reason thereof. Different results in North America, and why. Imperfect knowledge in Europe of South America. Works thereon. Characteristics of the several authorities: Prescott, Southey, Koster, Gardner, Humboldt, Dr. Dundas, Woodbine Parish, M’Cann, Edwards, Maury, and others. Want of information still on Paraguay and the region of the Amazon. Object of this volume to supply that void. Aim of the Author not political, but commercial. | 8 |
| CHAP. I.—LIVERPOOL TO LISBON. |
| Illustrations—The Argentina on her maiden voyage. Belem Castle, mouth of the Tagus. PraÇa do Commercio, Lisbon. Cintra, near Lisbon. Palace of Adjuda. | |
| The Argentina on her maiden voyage. Capacity and capability of the river boat at sea. From the Mersey to the Tagus in four days. Lord Carnarvon on Mafra and its marble halls. Aspect and Attributes of the Lusitanian Capital and its Vicinage. Portuguese Millers and the grinding process among the grain growers. Native memorabilia of the earthquake, and Anglo reminiscence thereof. The hic jacet of Tom Jones, and eke of Roderick Random. Portuguese peculiarities. Personal and political economy. Fiscal fatuities. Market-place notabilia. Lisbon society. Clubs and Cookery. Tea and turn-out. Friars, females, and fashions. Lusitanian fidalgos, or Portuguese peers in parliament. Portugal the Paradise of protectionists and poverty. Free Trade the only corrective of such calamities. Court circulars, Conventions, and Commanders. Few books about Portugal, and necessity for more. Hints from the newest, including the Oliveira prize essay. Diplomatic and consular memoranda. | 35 |
| CHAP. II.—LISBON TO MADEIRA. |
| Illustration—The Laurel Tree. | |
| Two more days’ pleasant paddling on the ocean. Approach to Madeira. Charming aspect of the island. Unique boats and benevolent boatmen. Pastoral progression in bucolic barouches extraordinary. Personal appearance of the inhabitants. Atmospheric attractions of Madeira, and absence of all natural annoyances. The vine-blight and its consequences, present and prospective, on the people at home and the consumption of their wine abroad. Funchal, and its urban and suburban et ceteras. Romance and reality of the history of the island. ‘Once Upon a Time.’ Importance of English residents to the place. Cost of living, and what you get for your money. Royal and illustrious visitors. Mercantile matters, and consular cordiality. Grave reflections in the British burial-ground. | 65 |
| CHAP. III.—MADEIRA TO CAPE VERDS. |
| Illustration—Interior of Hotel, Teneriffe. | |
| Oceanic sailing again. Halcyon weather, and modern steaming to the FortunatÆ InsulÆ of the ancients. A stare on the saffron-coloured singing birds. Touching Teneriffe, and Miltonic parallel to the Arch-Enemy. Approach to Porto Grande, and what we found there, especially its extensive accommodation for steamers. Deficiency of water the one drawback. Something concerning Ethiopic Serenaders under the line. Promethean promontory extraordinary. A memento of mortality midway in the world. Portuguese rewards honourably earned by an Englishman. Utility of Consuls in such places. First acquaintance with an earthquake. Verd grapes soured by a paternal government. Interchange of news between the Outward and the Homeward bound. A good propelling turn towards a brother of the screw. | 74 |
| CHAP. IV.—CAPE ST. VINCENT TO PERNAMBUCO. |
| Progress from Porto Grande to Pernambuco. Steam triumphs against trade wind. Further superiority of screw over sail. The Argentina in a south-wester. Apropos of malaria, and something sanitary about Brazil. The yellow fever: whence comes it, and what has become of it. Quarrels about quarantine. Brazil in advance of the old country in these matters | 82 |
| CHAP. V.—EMPIRE OF BRAZIL. |
| Illustration—Entrance to Pernambuco Harbour. | |
| Rather prefatory and not very particular, though somewhat personal. Books on Brazil should be in the Mediam Viam for the present route, avoiding the Scylla of extreme succinctness and the Charybdis of needless diffuseness. Object of the author to attain the golden medium. With what success, gentle reader, say? Discovery of the country by the Portuguese. Their subsequent disputes with, and final expulsion of, the Dutch. Extent and population; variety of soil and produce. Difficulty of communication between the provinces and the capital, in consequence of the extreme distance and imperfect means of travelling. Extraordinary instance of the round-about nature of news circulating in Brazil some time ago. Steam corrective of such sluggishness. A glance at the Brazilian littoral, beginning with the Amazon, and ending with Rio Grande do Sul. ParÁ and its productions. Rio Negro, and its recent political elevation. Maranham and its mercantile importance. Laird’s steam leveller, on the singular stream of the Itapecuru. Justice for England by Maranham magistrates. Piauhy and its products; also Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte, and Paraiba. Pernambuco revisited by the writer, and welcomed with a rythmetical sentimental something concerning ‘Long, long ago!’ | 88 |
| CHAP. VI.—PERNAMBUCO. |
| Illustrations—Pernambuco. Chora Meninas. De Mornay’s Patent Cane Mill. | |
| ‘That strain again!’ ‘It hath a dying fall.’ ‘Auld Lang Syne, or ’tis thirty years ago.’ Aspect of Pernambuco from the sea. Tripartite division of the city, Recife, St. Antonio, and Boa Vista. Note on the old town of Olinda and its new namesake, the steamer No. 2 of this A 1 line. March of improvement by land and sea, in respect to ships and city. Such Brazilian progress a lesson for West Indians. Frugality and personal activity on the one hand, prodigality and vicarial mismanagement on the other, being the real difference between the position of the planters in either place. Sugar-manufacturing improvements. De Mornay’s patent cane-crushing mill, and its merits. Exports of Pernambuco to United States. Peculiarities of the soil, population, and produce. Hygienic hints to the consumptive and the yellow-feverish. Initiation of the railway era, by the De Mornays, in Pernambuco, and the immense importance of the proposed line. Mr. Borthwick’s report on the project, and the writer’s anticipation of its success. | 100 |
| CHAP. VII.—ALAGOAS AND SEREGIPE. |
| Area, products, and population of Alagoas. Maceio, the principal seaport. Rivers navigable only by boats, except the San Francisco. Primitive condition of the province of Seregipe, and prospects of rapid improvement through railways. | 117 |
| CHAP. VIII.—BAHIA. | |
| Illustrations—Entrance to the port of Bahia. Chapel of San GonÇalo, Bahia. | |
| Bahia, its old name retained in a new place: the province and the city; present condition and splendid prospects of both. Intra-mural peculiarities and extra-mural properties. Prolific sugar produce. Historic, artistic, and archÆological attractions of Bahia. Souvenirs of the Jesuits. Relics of St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Francis Xavier. A Bahian church built in Europe. British Bahian clergyman and local railways. Health of the city. A Brazilian poet warbling native wood-notes very wild. Necessity for keeping a nautical eye in fine frenzy rolling towards the Abrolhos. Departure from Bahia, and approach to the Brazilian capital. Notes. | 120 |
| CHAP IX.—RIO JANEIRO. |
| Illustrations—Entrance to the Harbour. Organ Mountains and Sugar-loaf Rock. Aqueduct and Convent of St. Teresa. Convent of Nossa Senora da Penha. Falls of Itamarity. | |
| Night, upon the waters, and daybreak on the land. Beauty of the approaches. Apprehended retrogression, but real progression, in the city. The stag mania in the tropics, and some of its consequences. Notes on carriages, operas, snuff-taking, polking washerwomen, blacks, whites, odds and ends, and things in general, original and imported. Social, sanitary, and governmental matters of divers kinds. Composition of the Brazilian Chambers, and business therein. State of parties. Abolition of the slave trade. Sittings of the senate. No necessity for Mr. Brotherton in the Brazils. Character of the present Emperor. Wreck of the Pernambucano. Heroism of a black sailor. Rigorous regulations of the Rio custom-house. Suggestions for the extension of Brazilian commerce, and the prevention of smuggling. Revisal of the Brazilian tariff. Educational progress since 1808. French literature and fashion. Provisions in the Rio market. Monkeys and lizards articles of food. Oranges, bananas, chirimoyas, and granadillas. Difficulties of the labour question since the suppression of the slave-trade. Character of the Indians. State of feeling as regards the coloured people. Negro emancipation ‘looming in the future.’ An experimental trip on the Rio and Petropolis railway. | 136 |
| MEMOIR OF ADMIRAL GRENFELL. |
| Illustration—Portrait of Admiral Grenfell. | 185 |
| CHAP. X.—THE AMAZON. |
| Sources of the MaraÑon. Rapids and cataracts. Embouchures of the Amazon. Its volume, compared with the Ganges and the Brahmapootra. Its discovery by Pinzon. Expedition of Orellana. Gold-seeking expedition of Pedro de Orsua. Settlement of ParÁ, and discovery of the Rio Negro. The missions of the Jesuits, and their expulsion. Discovery of the communication between the Amazon and the Orinoco. Revolution of 1835. ParÁ: its streets and public buildings. Explorations of M. Castelnau and Lieutenant Herndon. Tributaries and settlements of the Tocantins. Lieutenant Gibbon’s exploration of the Madera. His interview with General Belzu. What is wanted to turn the stream of tropical South American commerce eastward. Herndon’s descent of the Huallaga. Tarapoto, and its future prospects. Chasuta: its trade with Lima and ParÁ. Yurimaguas, and the Cachiyacu. Steamboat communication between Nauta and ParÁ. Progress of a piece of cotton from Liverpool to Sarayacu. Estimated cost and profit of steam vessels on the Amazon. Trade of Egas. The new province of Amazonas. Exports of Barra. The Rio Negro and its tributaries. Communication by the Cassiquiari between the Amazon and the Orinoco. Productions of Amazonas. Santarem. The Tapajos, and its tributaries. Rapids of the ParÚ and the XingÙ. Climate and products of ParÁ. Benefits to be expected from the opening of the Amazon and European immigration. | 193 |
| DR. DUNDAS ON BRAZIL: ITS CLIMATE AND PEOPLE. |
| Salubrity of the Climate. Causes of, proofs of, objections to. Northern, southern, and central provinces. Equability of temperature. Heat, humidity, rain, winds, electricity, hail, ice. Tropical heat and light. Influence on Europeans. Acclimatization. Increase of certain diseases. Yellow fever; its probable disappearance. Physical, social, moral, and religious condition of the people. Prophylactic measures. | 214 |
| CHAP. XI. MONTE VIDEO. |
| Illustrations—Portrait of Sir W. G. Ouseley, K.C.B. View of Monte Video. The Lasso. The Stray Cow. Milk at a rial a glass. | |
| First impressions of the Uruguayan capital unfavourable. The New Custom House. An instance of enterprise without prudence. Commercial advantages of Monte Video. Prosperity obtained at the expense of Buenos Ayres. Revisal of the Buenos Ayrean tariff. Alluvial deposits of the Rio Plata. Gas from mares’ grease. Traces of a siege. Unprofitable ploughing by Oribe’s projectiles. Condition of the Streets. The horses of La Plata, and the Lasso. Commerce of London with Monte Video and Buenos Ayres. Mules for the Australian gold diggings. Diminution of the Customs. Bitter fruits of British and French intervention. Sir William Gore Ouseley and the British Loan. The market-place. Italian boatmen. Encouragement to foreigners. Aspect of the environs. The latest revolution. Sketch of the history of Monte Video. | 229 |
| CHAP. XII.—BUENOS AYRES. |
| Illustrations—Going to mass. View from the terrace of the quinta. Quinta, or country house. View of Buenos Ayres. Sweetmeat-seller. Palermo. Negro laundresses at Buenos Ayres. La Plaza Victoria. Apothecary’s shop. View on the river. Going to the ball. May-day in Buenos Ayres. | |
| Departure from Monte Video. Streets and buildings of the Argentine capital. The climate and the people. Prohibition of the slave trade. Characters of the dictator and his successor, Urquiza. Argentine Confederation. Foreign intervention and capture of Rosas’ feet. Capitulation of General Oribe, and fall of Rosas. Fluvial obstructions to trade and navigation. English residents. Railway projects. South American debate. Foreign shopkeepers and Irish servants. General Paz. | 260 |
| MEMORANDA ON ROSAS, URQUIZA, AND THE PAMPAS. |
| Illustration—Portraits of Generals Rosas and Urquiza. | 290 |
| CHAP. XIII.—UP THE PARANA. |
| Illustrations—San Nicolas. Corrientes. Rosario. Travelling Waggons. | |
| Preparations for an experimental trip up the Parana. Captain Sullivan’s descent of the river at a terrific pace. Island of Martin Garcia. Note on the confluents of the Rio Plata. A Scotch experimental philosopher in Corrientes. Alluvial deposits at the delta of the Parana. Signs of progress in the interior. An American pioneer of civilization. The steamer aground, and fired upon. Moonlight on the river and the woods. Geographical note on the Parana and the Plata. Obligado and San Nicolas. Mr. Mackinnon’s description of the scenery. Arrival at Rosario. Multifarious applications of hides and horns. Descent of the river, and arrival at Martin Garcia. Corrientes and the guachos. Difficulties of the navigation, and a word about the Uruguay. | 305 |
| CHAP. XIV.—PARAGUAY. |
| Illustrations—Portrait of Sir Charles Hotham, K.C.B. View near Assumption. View of Assumption. Portrait of General Lopez. Church of the Recoleta. | |
| Sources of information. General Pacheco. Inaccuracies of Sir Woodbine Parish. Navigability of the Parana by large vessels. Decrees of the government of Paraguay on the treatment of foreigners. Decrees relative to inventions and improvements. Mr. Drabble’s commercial mission, and its results. Cultivation of cotton. Drawbacks to its extension. Scarcity of labour. Provisions of the treaty between Great Britain and Paraguay. The commercial resources of that country little known in this. Navigability of the Paraguay and the Uruguay. Obligation of the Brazilian and Buenos Ayrean governments to remove impediments. Population of Paraguay. Public works undertaken by the Consular Government. Salubrity of the climate. Fertility of the soil. Pasturage illimitable. Character of the Paraguayans. President Lopez. Diplomatic mission of Sir Charles Hotham. General Lopez. State of the country at the death of Francia. First measures of the Consular Government. Revenue of Paraguay. Administration of justice. Revision of the tariff. Release of political prisoners at the termination of Francia’s Reign of Terror. Anticipations of intercourse with Europe. | 328 |
| MEMOIR OF SIR CHARLES HOTHAM, K.C.B. |
| CHAP. XV.—HOMEWARD BOUND. |
| Illustration—The Brazileira on her homeward voyage. | |
| Departure from Buenos Ayres. Arrival at Monte Video. Guano deposits of Patagonia. Bahia Blanca. Eligibility of the district for an overland route to Chili. Chilian grant for direct steam communication with England. Accessions to steam navigation on the Brazilian coast. Opening of the Amazon. Departure from Monte Video. Rough wind and heavy sea. Aspect of Raza under various lights and shades. Hotel accommodation of Rio Janeiro. A wet day at Bahia. Consular memoranda on Venezuela, Bolivia, and Equador. Arrival at Pernambuco. Meeting with the Olinda. Arrival at Porto Grande. Seven days’ steaming against the wind. Madeira in the distance. Arrival at Belem. Miseries and absurdities of the quarantine system. Towing the pilot astern. Passage up St. George’s Channel. Arrival in the Mersey. Loss of the Olinda and the Argentina. New ocean and river steamers. | 359 |
| THE FALKLAND ISLANDS. |
| Advantages presented as a convict settlement, as place of re-fit for merchantmen, and a naval depÔt. The Corporation of the Falkland Islands’ Company. Healthiness of the climate. The abundance of fresh water. Cost of transport less than that to other colonies. Geographical position and extent. Distance from the Main. The small naval force required. Causes of insecurity at other settlements not found here. Their detachment a provision against escape. Guard less required here than elsewhere. The cheapness of provisions: how supplied. Employment. The gradual supply of convicts not requisite. How first comers may be disposed of. Smallness of preliminary outlay, and its speedy return. Opinions of various servants of the Crown. Two propositions. The riddance of convicts. Relief to the mother country. Redemption of the pledge made to convicts. Facilities for reformation. Restoration of the penitent to society without risk to the innocent. Agricultural school for juvenile convicts. Complete depÔt for naval re-fit near Cape Horn. Saving of port charges and of freight. Easy performance of ships’ repairs, if patent slip laid down. Secure coaling station for steamers. First-rate naval station: ‘key of the Pacific’ in time of war. Testimony of Governor Rennie and Captain Matthews of the Great Britain. | 376 |
