80 PARA. Chap. II. 



total inability to accommodate himself to new arrange- 

 ments, will infallibly lead to his extinction, as immi- 

 grants, endowed with more supple organisations, increase, 

 and civilisation advances in the Amazon region. But, 

 as the different races amalgamate readily, and the off- 

 spring of white and Indian often become distinguished 

 Brazilia,n citizens, there is little reason to regi'et the 

 fate of the race. Formerly the Indian was harshly 

 treated, and even now he is so in many parts of the 

 interior. But, according to the laws of Brazil, he is a 

 free citizen, having equal privileges with the whites ; 

 and there are very strong enactments providing against 

 the enslaving and ill-treatment of the Indians. The 

 residents of the interior, who have no higher principles 

 to counteract instinctive selfishness or antipathy of race, 

 cannot comprehend why they are not allowed to compel 

 Indians to work for them, seeing that they will not do 

 it of their own accord. The inevitable result of the 

 conflict of interests between a European and a weaker 

 indigenous race, when the two come in contact, is the 

 sacrifice of the latter. In the Para district, the Indians are 

 no longer enslaved, but they are deprived of their lands, 

 and this they feel bitterly, as one of them, an indus- 

 trious and worthy man, related to me. Is not a similar 

 state of things now exhibited in New Zealand, between 

 the Maoris and the English colonists ? It is interesting 

 to read of the bitter contests that were carried on from 

 the year 1570 to 1759, between the Portuguese immi- 

 grants in Brazil, and the Jesuit and other missionaries. 

 They were similar to those which have recently taken 

 place in South Africa, between the Boers and the Eng- 



