26 



PARA 



800,000 square miles ; the population of which is only 

 about 230,000, or in the ratio of one person to four square 

 miles. The country is covered with forests, and the soil 

 fertile in the extreme even for a tropical country. It is 

 intersected throughout by broad and deep navigable 

 rivers. It is the pride of the Paraenses to call the Amazons 

 the Mediterranean of South America. It perhaps de- 

 serves the name, for not only have the main river and 

 its principal tributaries an immense expanse of water 

 bathing the shores of extensive and varied regions, but 

 there is also throughout a system of back-channels, con- 

 nected with the main rivers by narrow outlets and linking 

 together a series of lakes, some of which are fifteen, twenty, 

 and thirty miles in length. The whole Amazons valley 

 is thus covered by a network of navigable waters, forming 

 a vast inland 'freshwater sea with endless ramifications 

 rather than a river. 



The city of Para was founded in 161 5, and was a place 

 of considerable importance towards the latter half of the 

 eighteenth century, under the government of the brother 

 of Pombal, the famous Portuguese statesman. The pro- 

 vince was the last in Brazil to declare its independence 

 of the mother country and acknowledge the authority 

 of the first emperor, Don Pedro. This was owing to the 

 great numbers and influence of the Portuguese, and the 

 rage of the native party was so great in consequence, 

 that immediately after independence was proclaimed in 

 1823, a counter revolution broke out, during which many 

 hundred lives were lost and much hatred engendered. 

 The antagonism continued for many years, partial in- 

 surrections taking place when the populace thought that 

 the immigrants from Portugal were favoured by the 

 governors sent from the capital of the empire. At length, 

 in 1835, a serious revolt took place which in a short time 

 involved the entire province. It began by the assassi- 

 nation of the President and the leading members of the 

 government ; the struggle was severe, and the native 

 party in an evil hour called to their aid the ignorant and 

 fanatic mongrel and Indian population. The cry of death 

 to the Portuguese was soon changed to death to the free- 

 masons, then a powerfully-organized society embracing 

 the greater part of the male white inhabitants. The 

 victorious native party endeavoured to establish a govern- 

 ment of their own. After this state of things had en- 



