A M A Z O N the east to find its way across a rocky barrier. Here is of Santa Cruz de la Sierra—a level sandy plain interventhe great cataract of Itamaraca, which rushes down an ing. The Grande is a river of enormous length, rising in inclined plane for 3 miles and then gives a final leap, a great valley of the Andes between the important cities of called the Fall of Itamaracd. Near its mouth, the Xingii Sucre and Cochabamba, and having its upper waters in expands into an immense lake, and its waters then mingle close touch with those of the Pilcomayo branch of the great with those of the Amazon through a labyrinth of canos river Paraguay. It makes a long curve through the moun(natural canals), winding in countless directions through a tains, and, after a course of about 800 miles, joins the Mamore near 15° S. lat. The Chapare, Secure, and wooded archipelago. The Tapajos, running through a humid, hot, and Chimore, tributaries of the Mamore, are navigable for unhealthy valley, pours into the Amazon 500 miles above launches up to the base of the mountains, to within 130 Para, and is about 1200 miles long. It rises on the miles of Cochabamba. The Beni has a fall, 18 miles lofty Brazilian plateau near Diamantino, in 14° 25' S. lat. above its mouth, called “ La Esperanza ”; beyond this, Near this place, a number of streams unite to form it is navigable for 217 miles to the port of Reyes for the river Arinos, which, at latitude 10° 25', joins the launches in the dry season, and larger craft in the wet one. Juruena, to form the “Alto Tapajos,” so called as low The extreme source of the Beni is the little river La Paz, down as the Rio Manoel, entering from the east. Thence, which rises in the inter-Andean region, a few miles southto Santarem, the stream is known as the Tapajos. The east of Lake Titicaca, and flows as a rivulet through the lower Arinos, the Alto Tapajos, and the Tapajos to the Bolivian city of La Paz. From this point to Reyes, the last rapid, the Maranhao Grande, is a continuous series of river is a torrent. The principal affluent of the Beni, formidable cataracts and rapids ; but from the Maranhao and one which exceeds it in volume, enters it 120 miles Grande to its mouth, about 188 miles, the river can be above its mouth, and is known to the Indians along navigated by large vessels. For its last 100 miles, it is its banks as the Mayu-tata. Its ramifications drain the from 4 to 9 miles wide, and much of it very deep. The slopes of the Andes between 12° and 15° of latitude. valley of the Tapajos is bordered on both sides by bluffs. It was long thought to be a tributary of the Purus, They are from 300 to 400 feet high along the lower river ; until the ill-fated Maldonado demonstrated that it bebut, a few miles above Santarem, they retire from the longed to the Madeira river system. It is navigable, in eastern side and only approach the Amazon flood-plain the wet season, to the base of the Andes, to within 180 miles of Cuzco. Its upper waters are separated by only some miles below Santarem. The Madeira has its junction with the Amazon a short transitable portage from those of the Ucayali. 870 miles by river above Para, and almost rivals it in When, however, the river is low, it is obstructed by the volume of its waters. It rises over 50 feet during several shoals, and violent, but surmountable currents, and the rainy season, and the largest ocean steamers its middle course has two rapids, each with the usual may ascend it to the Fall of San Antonio, 663 miles “ head, body, and tail.” It has sixty-three islands, great above its mouth ; but in the dry months, from June to and small, from its mouth to its principal affluent, the November, it is only navigable, for the same distance, Inambari, which joins it from the south, flowing along the for craft drawing from 5 to 6 feet of water. According to base of the Andes. Its bed is definitively formed, its the treaty of San Ildefonso, the Madeira commences at the banks are solid, and the country it traverses is picturesque confluence of the Guapore with the Mamore. Both of these and frequently of exceeding beauty. All of the upper streams have their headwaters almost in contact with branches of the river Maderia find their way to the falls those of the river Paraguay. The idea of a connecting across the open, almost level Mojosand Beni plains, 35,000 canal is based on ignorance of local conditions. San square miles of which are yearly flooded to an average Antonio is the first of a formidable series of cataracts and depth of about 3 feet, for a period of from three to four rapids, nineteen in number, which, for a river distance of months. They rival if they do not exceed in fertility the 263 miles, obstruct the upper course of the Madeira until valley of the Nile, and are the healthiest and most inviting the last rapid, called Guajara Merim (or Small Pebble), is agricultural and grazing region of the basin of the Amazon. reached, a little below the union of the Guapore with the The Purus, a very sluggish river, enters the Amazon Mamore. The junction of the great river Beni with the west of the Madeira, which it parallels as far south as the ^Madeira is at the “ Madeira ” Fall, a vast and grand falls of the latter stream. It runs through a continuous display of reefs, whirlpools, and boiling torrents. Between forest at the bottom of the great depression lying between GuajarA-Merim and this fall, inclusive, the Madeira the Madeira river, which skirts the edge of the Brazilian receives the drainage of the north-eastern slopes of the sandstone plateau, and the Ucayali, which hugs the base of Andes, from Santa Cruz de la Sierra to Cuzco, the whole the Andes. Chandless found its elevation above sea-level of the south-western slope of Brazilian Matto-grosso, and to be only 107 feet 590 miles from its mouth. It is one the northern one of the Chiquitos sierras, an area about of the most crooked streams in the world, and its length, equal to that of France and Spain. The waters find their in a straight line, is less than half that by its curves. It way to the falls of the Madeira by many great rivers, the is practically only a drainage ditch for the half-submerged, principal of which, if we enumerate them from east to west, lake-flooded district it traverses. Its width is very uniform are the Guapore or Itenez, the Baures or Blanco, the for 1000 miles up, and, for 800 miles, its depth is never Itonama or San Miguel, the Mamore, Beni and Mayu- less than 45 feet. It is navigable by steamers for 1648 tata, or Madre de Dios, all of which are reinforced by miles as far as the little stream, the CurumahA, but only numerous secondary, but powerful affluents. The Guapore by light-draft craft. Chandless ascended it 1866 miles. presents many difficulties to continuous navigation; the At 1792 miles, it forks into two small streams. Occasionally Baures and Itonama offer hundreds of miles of navigable a cliff touches the river, but in general the lands are subwaters through beautiful plains; the Mamore has been ject to yearly inundations throughout its course, the river sounded by the writer, in the driest month of the year, for rising at times above 50 feet, the numerous lakes to the a distance of 500 miles above Guajara-Merim, and found right and left serving as reservoirs. Its main tributary, never less than from 10 to 30 feet of water, with a current the Aquiry or Acre, enters from the right about 1104 of from 1 to 3 miles an hour. Its Rio Grande branch, miles from the Amazon. Its sources are near those of the explored under the writer’s instructions, was found navig- Mayu-tata. It is navigable for a period of about five able for craft drawing 3 feet of water to within 30 miles months of the year, when the Purus valley is inundated; 346
