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“Scenes of mission ruins and Indians performing traditional dances. Shows the harvest, and preparation of mate leaves. Discusses the nations expanding export industry…”
Reupload of a previously uploaded film with improved video & sound.
Public domain film from the Library of Congress Prelinger Archives, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and one-pass brightness-contrast-color correction & mild video noise reduction applied.
The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original).
from
The New York Times, January 14, 1852:
– PARAGUAY
– Its Population, Agriculture, and Trade
– A LECTURE–by E.A. Hopkins
– Last evening the American Geographical and Statistical Society held a meeting at the Rooms of the Historical Society, to hear a paper read by E.A. Hopkins, Esq., upon the Population, Trade and Agriculture of Paraguay, and the upper waters of the Rio de la Plata.
– …Mr. Hopkins observed that strange events in that country had closed it from the knowledge as well as the curiosity of mankind for forty years…
– The vast territory, formerly known by the apellation of Paraguay, comprised all that portion of South America which was bounded on the North by the Northern frontier of the provinces of Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Charcas, in 16 deg. South latitude; on the South by the Straits of Magellan; by Brazil on the East; and by Chili and Peru on the West. But the country now distinguished by that name is entirely contained within the shores of the Paraguay and Parana Rivers, from an undefined boundary with Brazil in about 17 deg. S.L., to their junction in 27 deg. S.L. The maps of these regions are manifestly incorrect… The Rio de la Plata is formed by the confluence of the Uruguay with the Parana, and, from thence to the ocean, it is remarkable for its great breadth and shallow waters and should be properly considered an estuary of the sea.
– The River Parana rises in the western slope of the highlands near the sea-board, to the North-westward of Rio de Janeiro, and flowing westerly and south-westerly to its junction with the Paraguay, continues a southerly and south-easterly course to the ocean. In this course, through 16° of latitude, and as many of longitude, its navigation is only interrupted in at longitude 23° 40′. Here the river flows for thirty-six leagues through a narrow gorge, which it has burst through the chain of mountains running from the province of Sao Paulo in Brazil, westward till they are lost before reaching the Cordilleras. Probably no living white man has ever seen these extraordinary rapids. They were described in 1808, by D. Felix d’Azara, from hearsay; because, owing to domestic dissentions, barbarism has greatly encroached upon the frontiers originally conquered from the Aborigines by the Spaniards.
– These rapids probably form the most remarkable cataract in the world next to Niagara. The river Paraguay is the most perfect for the purposes of navigation of any in the world. On its East lies the rich Brazilian provinces of Matto Grosso–the population of which is estimated at 150,000. On the West, descending, we meet with the three most populous provinces of Bolivia, Moxos, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and Chiquitos, from whence the celebrated Peruvian bark is chiefly procured…
– …In Paraguay itself there are 1,200,000 souls. The country is intersected by many rivers, all more or less navigable from ten to fifty leagues. Of these the river Tibicuari is the most important; it was fully explored in 1785 by D’Zara, as well as last year by myself…
– …in 1811 [Paraguay] established on the ruins of the Spanish power a Government of her own, securing her independence from a colonial vassallage mainly by her isolated geographical position. This fact was one cause of the tyranny to which she was subjected under the Dictator Francia.
– …Beginning his career in 1811, in 1814 [Francia] was elected dictator for three years. He died on the 23rd of September, 1840. During this time he adopted as a principle non-intercourse with all the world… The reason why Paraguay still remains virtually in the same position as Francia left her is to be found in the history of the Dictator of Buenos Ayres, Manuel de Rosas… under his rule the country has decreased in population; the liberty of the press has been annihilated, and the public schools, colleges and hospitals are all gone…
