Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Baron and da Cunha were matched in intellectual affinities. Both were devotees of
military history. The Baron had published topics in his twenties on the Platine military
foraysandhadvisitedandstudiedthebattlegroundsoftheParaguayan,Argentinean,and
Brazilianborders.HeshareddaCunha'sexperienceasareporter:hehadbeenawarcor-
respondentinthefinalphasesoftheParaguayWarandhadbeenacolumnistforthe Jor-
nal do Brasil 's historical section and a contributor to the Parisian journal L'Illustration .
He had taught history at the Pedro II Institute, a position that da Cunha yearned for. 31
Rio Branco's sensitivity to history and geography was one of the elements that had
underpinned his extraordinary diplomatic successes, and this intellectual kinship united
him to da Cunha's understanding of the subtleties of the border fight. With Rio Branco's
support, da Cunha was ultimately to develop a western Amazonian regional history that
would outline deeper dimensions of the dispute, as will be discussed further on.
Rio Branco was a cultivated bon vivant whose experience in the diplomatic corps had
polished his taste for good food and conversation. He enjoyed the company of writers,
pamphleteers, artists, and, of course, clever and beautiful women. While his glittering
salons seemed directed at mere sociality, Rio Branco had learned much in Paris about
using such events as means of developing and orienting public opinion. He was thrilled
to have da Cunha in his circle, especially for his usefulness in the delicate matter of
the particular demarcation expedition to which he was assigned, because of da Cunha's
fiery geopolitics and style of nationalism. In addition to being one of the most esteemed
authors of his day and a famous revolutionary, Euclides possessed the practical survey
skillsrequiredfordemarcationandtheethnographic,historical,andideologicalskillsfor
thetaskahead.Apersonofhistechnicalreliabilityandliterarycraftwouldbecrucialfor
supplying the scientific survey and ideological framing for public attitudes toward the
increasingly testy Peru-Brazil negotiations and the Bolivia-Peru adjudications in Argen-
tina. Da Cunha's newspaper writings were already setting the terms of the debate.
. . .
Domício da Gama had taken Euclides up to the Villa Westfália for their first meeting
at Rio Branco's country house in the elite resort of Petrópolis. He took da Cunha to the
Baron's famously messy office at nine o'clock in the evening, leaving him seated “con-
strainedandshylikeastudentinanexam.”TheBaronwaspleasedtofindsomeonewith
whomhecouldshareideasontopicsdeartohisheart:frontiers,Braziliandiplomatichis-
tory,internationalrelations.WhendaGamacamebackanhourlater,“DaCunhaseemed
if anything more uncomfortable and intimidated, as though oppressed by the respect the
Baron inspired in him, the great man, so simple and generous, but so unfamiliar.” Da
Gama came back again at eleven, “but the Baron kept him there until two in the morn-
ing. It was very much to his taste, this business of conversing until dawn, gossiping and
Search WWH ::




Custom Search