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Living conditions in Barra [Amazonas, Brazil]. Doggerel about fishing: “Here we work with Net and Trigger/By the famous river Nigger” (Watertown) Puns on local words: “All the ‘redes’ (nets) possess a title because they’re Barra-nets.”
Delays in finding new canoe crews each few days to go upriver, arrived at Bara 30th of December; took 34 days from Santarem. Plagued by mosquitos until reached Rio Negro, which deserves its name: waters are “black as ink”, but mercifully no mosquitos. Staying with Sir Henrique Anthony; Richard Spruce arrived there previous evening. Impossible to send live animals from here, would not pay to do so. Collected more umbrella bird skins, bell birds, and two new species of anacaris [aracaris?] (small toucans).
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ARW's younger brother Herbert had joined his adventure in Brazil but Alfred left him in the City of Rio Negro, a thousand miles from Para, and “has started today on his long journey up the Rio Negro.” Herbert decides to spend two months collecting specimens in the area in order to repay ARW's loan and cover costs of passage home; plans to time his return to England to be with mother and sister at Christmas.
Waiting for a passage to England; clothes left at Barra to be forwarded; speculation on Spruce's plans, regards to Mr King.
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Received post from Mr Stevens — the safe arrival of his Rio Negro birds; regards to his cousins George Wilson and Percy Wilson, brother John, mother and sister Fanny. Has not been idle since arriving in Guia 3 months ago but unsuccessful in collecting specimens. Travels upriver with Indian hunters, living on farinha and salt; unable to find Gallos de Serra, insects, or other birds. Plans to enter Venezuela near source of Rio Negro, then up the River Vaupes or Isanna to make anthropological and geographical observations. ARW plans to publish illustrated volume on fishes of Brazil, illustrated volume on palms, and map of the "Physical History of the Great Amazon valley, comprising its Geography, Geology, distribution of Animals and Plants, Meteorology & the history & Languages of the Aboriginal tribes," including description of his collection of butterflies. Misses home.
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Henry W. Bates conveys to ARW’s mother news of the death of her son Edward (Herbert Edward), ARW’s younger brother, who reached camp while ARW was away upriver. He had contracted yellow fever; Bates was with him, obtained physician’s care, but after a few days Herbert perished from the “black vomit,” the most lethal form of the disease. Bates reports that Herbert was well looked after to the end.
“Little town of Sonora, Tuolomne County, has grown into a city.” No chance of me “settling down with a Wife” at present. Doing moderately well working in the mines (5-6 dollars a day); working at own company brings no cash, so must hire self out as ordinary miner during slow season; cannot “stand idle in California.” San Francisco had fire on 4th of May “destroying nearly the whole City;” last year Stockton also burned down, “but such is the magical influence of Gold that both Cities are now nearly the same as before.” About a thousand miners live and work in this vicinity.
Has left nearest town “to be a sojourner in the wilderness.” Speculating on an immense construction project; joined 160 miners to build a canal or flume made of wood 20 miles long in steep rocky mountainous wilderness inhabited only by grisley [sic] bears, deer, and coyotes. It will convey water from Stanislaus River to Columbia region, which is rich in gold but requires water to extract it. Labor is furnished by unpaid miners, who also pay for equipment in exchange for shares in the Company; when system is operating, they will pay for use of the water to work their claims. As the only Surveyor here, it fell to me to engineer, design, and lay out the whole project. “There is no place like California for freedom of action and scope for enterprise.” Longs to hear more of the Great Exhibition and the Chrysal [sic] Palace in England “as every American paper is full of it.”
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Bates informs ARW’s mother of the death of youngest son Edward Herbert Wallace from yellow fever; his insect collections will be sent home by next vessel. Herbert didn’t realize “that his case was serious until a few hours before his death,” and then he remarked that it was “sad to die so young.” About a third of population here wiped out by smallpox.
One of a set of letters providing in-depth descriptions John Wallace's life in the gold mining town of Columbia, California, building a system to bring water to gold mining operations in the town.
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Not being able to work mines in rainy season “exploded as a fallacy.” Most miners depend on working during rainy season to make up for losses during dry months. Ditches are cut in mountain streams when rain is scarce to supply running water; we’ve been doing that for six months. Our water will supply well over 20 miles of mines. Now chief surveyor for the Company, working on alterations with new steam-driven saw mill, and has supervised design and building of 15-mile road, using ox teams and wagons. All 150 workers toil without pay for future shares of company, expecting big payoff at completion. None of us were aware of the great magnitude of project at beginning; it “will be one of the greatest works yet attempted in this country.”