August i, 1910.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD. 



383 



River Excursion near Manaos. 



At first I kept close tabs on the death rate in the daily papers, 

 through my Companion. I showed him the Portuguese word 

 for fever, and his statistics grew larger day by day. Finally I 

 discovered that he believed that Fevereiro (February) meant 

 fever. Therefore, if it happened to be the 20th of the month, 

 dispatches of the day before would appear throughout the paper 

 "Fevereiro 19." Adding them up he got a daily death rate of 

 something like 350 and sure to increase to the end of the month. 

 It speaks much for his self poise that he was not at all startled, 

 even if I was. 



One of my early visits was to the Governor, who impressed me 

 as most anxious to give his State a capable, businesslike admin- 

 istration. I attended all of the functions that made up that 

 notable week from the laying of the corner stone of the new 

 brewery to my own lectures in the Theotro Amazonas. I en- 

 joyed official breakfasts, private dinners, and "sing songs." But 

 of all the meals, some of which were magnificently served, none 

 tickles the palate of my memory like the turtle roasted in the 

 shell with farinka that my hostess prepared for me. It was in- 

 describably delicious. At last I could comprehend how an Indian 

 could stand day after day in a cranky canoe, in the broiling sun, 

 on the off chance of shooting an arrow up into the sky, that 



The EnnoR, Interpreter, and "Renault." 



it might drop, impale, and secure this most delicious of 

 crustaceans. 



PLANTING RUBBER IN A CITY PARK. 



It was my suggestion, and I am proud of it, that got the 

 Governor, his staff, and a dignified committee out of their beds 

 very early one morning to plant Hevea rubber trees in one of the 

 public parks. It seemed as if in that great city some one ought 

 to know how the tree that produced its wealth looked. Yet 

 few of the business men could tell me whether the leaves of the 

 Hevea Brasiliensis grew in clusters of three or thirty-three. So 

 I suggested city planting and they assented with enthusiasm. 



The Governor planted his tree, the President of the Associa- 

 tion his, I planted mine, then came Dr. Huber with many others, 

 and we sprinkled that beautiful park with thrifty seedlings that, 

 according to latest advices, "are doing well." 



The other proceedings of the convention, the eloquent speeches, 

 the discussions, the list of prize winners, the committees ap- 

 pointed — are they not all recorded in the published official re- 

 port, brought nut by the Commercial Association? So why 

 should I inscribe them here? 



THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. 



Manaos has direct sailings for the United States and Europe, 



Mr. Pearson. Mrs. Saxford and Child, Mr. Saxford. 



House for Clerks of "Casa Alden." 



