Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 1, 1879

No. 72.
Mr. White to Mr. Evarts.

United States Legation,
Rio de Janeiro, March 25, 1879. (Received April 28.)

No. 81.]

Sir: In my No. 65 I referred to the importance of having solid American business houses established here.

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The great bulk of our goods are handled by foreign dealers who take them because they are forced to. A new element is needed here, a stronger national prestige must be impressed upon the markets. It is necessary that the merchants and manufacturers doing business with Brazil should be represented here. Selling by sample and consigning to commission houses of very limited capital will not bring about the equality of the exports and imports. We need here the real American reliability coupled with energy and sustained by financial strength. If some distinguished merchant (Hon. Elliot C. Cowdin, for instance) could be induced to visit Brazil he would impart more information and give better advice than could be crowded into one hundred dispatches.

I have, &c.,

JOHN C. WHITE.