156 



A VOYAGE TO 



it will be the greatest. Brazil is^ in fact, the body 

 and heart of South America; although covering a less 

 extent than the part which belongs to Spain, it pos- 

 sesses great superiority in being more compact, and 

 possessing greater facilities of internal communication. 

 It may seem premature at this day to institute a com- 

 parison between the Brazils and our country; but the 

 time will come, when such a comparison will appear 

 natural, and even unavoidable. The fate of the Spa- 

 nish colonies, contending for independence under the 

 banners of republicanism, is still enveloped in doubt 

 and conjecture. Should the contest with Spain ter- 

 minate fortunately, a much greater uncertainty hangs 

 over them, as to the extent and nature of their confede- 

 racy, whether they will form a republic on a territo- 

 rial scale, similar to that of the United States, or se- 

 parate into small unconnected republics. There is, 

 without doubt, in the countries now contending for in- 

 dependence, an infinitely greater tendency to anar- 

 chy among the members^ than prevailed with us, 

 with much fewer means of binding them together un- 

 der one common head. This is not the case with the 

 Brazils; it is one and indivisible^ and the probability 

 is, will continue so, unless the royal family should re- 

 solve to return to Portugal. Here then, when we con- 

 sider the vast capacities and resources of Brazil, it is 

 not visionary to say, that this empire is destined to be 

 our rival. If fornied by the mighty genius of a Peter 

 the Great, and developed on a scale commensurate 

 with its extraordinary extent, resources, and advanta- 

 ges, it would not be long before the truth of these ob^ 

 servations would be made evident. Looking at the 

 Brazils therefore as a rival, and in the nature of things 



