1! . .W V: MU ; :;, V • *) j f •.} t j, ij . J £r»xrrkr»«vMwrKat? i) 1 Digitized by the Internet Archiv e in 2016 https://archive.org/details/buenosayresargenOOhutc BUENOS AYEES AND ARGENTINE GLEANINGS. LONDON PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CO. NEW-STREET SQUARE BUENOS AYRES AND ARGENTINE GLEANINGS : WITH EXTRACTS FROM A DIARY OF SALADO EXPLORATION In 1862 and 1863. BY THOMAS J. HUTCHINSON, F.R.G.S. F.R.S.L. F.E.S. H. B. M. Consul for Rosario, Santa Fe ; Membre Titulaire de l’Institut d’Afrique ; Honorary and Corresponding Member of tbe Liverpool Literary and Philosophical Society ; Author of • ‘ Narrative of Niger, Tshadda, and Binue Exploration,’ ‘Impressions of Western Africa,’ ‘ Ten Years’ Wanderings amongst the Ethiopians,’ &c. LONDON: EDWARD STANFORD, 6 CHARING CROSS. 1865. [The right of translation is reserved.'] TO THOMAS BAZLEY, ESQ., M.P. CHAIRMAN OF THE MANCHESTER COTTON SUPPLY ASSOCIATION. ^Oo Sir, In dedicating, with your permission, the following pages to you, I do this as well because a principal part of the information contained therein was gathered during my mission through the e Salado ’ valley in search of wild cotton, as that I believe the manufacturing power which you represent, has a vital interest in the development of the Argentine Republic, as regards its Industrial Resources. I am, Sir, Your obedient humble servant, THE AUTHOR. British Consulate, Rosario, Santa Fe. PREFACE. Every author coining before the public now-a-days follows the usage of writing a preface. Mine shall be a short one. Possessing neither taste, leisure, nor opportunity for writing the history of the countries accessible by the River Plate, from its discovery by Don Juan de Solis in a.d. 1515 — through the wonderful labours of the Jesuits till their expulsion in a.d. 1767, and the con- tinuous civil wars of the people to later times, I never- theless hope the following pages will prove interesting. My chief object is to give a description of those parts of the Argentine Republic which I have visited, and to supply statistics as well as other details on the impor- tant subjects of immigration, sheep-farming, and cotton cultivation. Some of the matter comprised in this volume has already appeared in the 4 Liverpool Journal,’ under the title of 4 Letters from South America.’ But all this has been carefully revised — much addition made to it — whilst a portion has been expunged from the present arrangement. I feel much pleasure in bearing testimony to the un- varying willingness wherewith data have been supplied to me by the officials of the Argentine Government; more particularly by General Don Antonino Taboada, of Vlll PREFACE. Santiago, whose attention to my comforts when in the Salado Valley, as well as readiness to afford me infor- mation, no thanks of mine can sufficiently repay. It would be an omission of duty, as well as of grati- tude, were I not to acknowledge the kindness of Don Estevan Rams y Rubert, 1 Impresario of the Rio Salado Navigation,’ who not only, unsolicited, gave me an invi- tation to accompany his exploring expedition on the banks of the Salado, but placed at my disposal every convenience to alleviate the disagreeables of travelling across the Chaco, as well as over those parts of the pro- vinces in which I had his companionship. To Mr. J. C. Tilston, whose sketches are to the life, 'X. I owe much for the studious pains he has taken in draw- ing them from the descriptions of my manuscript ; Mr. John Coghlan, C.E., of Buenos Ayres, in the midst of his heavy work, lends the reader a helping hand by tracing the direction of my route on Doctor Burmeister’s chart, kindly placed at my disposal by that gentleman ; whilst for the details procured by Mr. Daniel Maxwell, of Buenos Ayres, and the statistical tables translated as well as drawn out by Mr. Richard B. Benn, of Rosario, this simple statement of indebtedness is but a meagre recognition. It would extend this preface to the length of many pages were I to enumerate the favours of all from whom I have received communications of interest ; but they will see, on perusing the work, that for facts or descrip- tions not gleaned by myself I have given full credit to my authorities. British Consulate, Rosario, Santa Fe. CONTENTS ♦ CHAPTER I. MONTE VIDEO. The Voyage out — Magnificent Embouchure of the River Plate— Quick Sail- ing and comfortable Accommodation of the ‘ Santiago ’ — Cold Weather at the Mouth of the River — Anchoring in Monte Video Harbour — Sensations on viewing the City — Contrast of the Wharf Fittings with those of the Docks in Liverpool— Cars in the Fashion of Irish Turf Creels — Irregu- larity of Street Pavement — The Cathedral and Plaza de la Constitucion — The Ladies at Mass and the Beau Monde in the Plaza — Drive into the Country — Omnibuses and Gfauchos — Mr. M*Coll’s Description of a Gaucho — Other Churches besides the Cathedral — Theatre — Hospital — Depart- ments of the Uruguayan Republic, or Banda Oriental — Medicinal Rivers — Ships, Steamers, Diligencias, and projected Railways — Products at the International Exhibition of 1862 — Statistical Table of Exports — To Buenos Ayres .......... page 1 CHAPTER II. BUENOS AYRES. View of Buenos Ayres from the Roadstead — The Plaza de la Victoria, Casa de Justicia, and Cathedral — Interior of the Latter — Bishoprics of the Ar- gentine Provinces — Foundation-stone of Buenos Ayres— The Camara or Parliament House, and its interior Arrangements — The University and its Museum — Contents of the Latter — New Market-place — Prices of Meat — The City Squares — The Bolsa — Foreigners’ Club House — Casa de Co- mercio — British Hospital — Cementerio — Recoleta — Asilo de Mendigos — - Irish Sisters of Mercy — Population Statistics of Buenos Ayres . . 10 CHAPTER III. BUENOS AYRES — SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. Other Parish Chapels in Buenos Ayres — The Chapel of San Domingo, with the British Flags taken in 1808 — Chapel of San Roque — Parish Church of Barracas — San Pedro de Telmo — English Episcopalian, Scotch Pres- byterian, and German Lutheran Churches — ‘ Sociedad de Benelicencia ’ — Its Foundation by President Rivadavia in 1823 — Its 1 Casa de Ejercicios ’ a X CONTENTS. Mode of Support and Government — Number of Schools and Pupils — Its special Charities after the Earthquake at Mendoza— ‘ Hospital General de Mujeres ’—Foundling House—' Residencia ’ and ‘ Convalescencia ’ Insti- tutions — Sisters of Charity amongst the Lunatics — Connection of Govern- ment Education with the Beneficencia Society— Statistics furnished by Seiior Acosta, Minister of Public Instruction — Latest Statistics of Educa- tion — Free Schools — Concession of the Provincial Government for 1864 — Progressive Statistics of Education in Buenos Ayres — Report of Seiior D. T. Sarmiento — Irish Convent of Sisters of Mercy — Irish College at Lotas — National College at Lobos — National College at Buenos Ayres page 19 CHAPTER IV. SCENES AT A MATADERO. Visit to the Boca— Peculiarities of its Appearance— Barracas Bridge— Saladeros —Chevalier de St. Robert’s Opinion about the Gauchos— Of the Opera- tions at a Matadero— Moaning of Animals about to be killed — Gauchos always galloping— Mistaken Notion of expecting humane Sympathy in their Work from the Slayers of Cattle— Visit to the Slaughtering Place at a Saladero — Peculiar Odour in the Neighbourhood — Cows and Bullocks kicking, although their Heads are off —Modus operondi of curing Beef — Cadiz Salt invariably used— Oil obtained from the Refuse — One Sight such as this enough for a Lifetime— Not agreeing with M. de Robert’s Theory, nevertheless — Brutality at Saladeros in Cordova in former times 27 CHAPTER V. AROUND BUENOS AYRES. To Moreno by Western Railway — Unprotected State of Streets through which the first Part of Line passes — Plaza 11 de Setiembre — San Jose de Flores— Its historic Associations — Station of San Martin, near the Battle- field of Caseros — Diligencias from Moreno to Mercedes — Statistics of Western Railway Company — Examples of how it has raised the Value of Land near Moron and Moreno — San Fernando Railway — Its future Ad- vantages to Buenos Ayres — Government Concession — A Drive to Belgrano — Lavadero del Pobre Diablo — Five Miles of Washerwomen — Palermo — Its present Condition — Railways to Boca, Chasocomos, and Ensenada — Steamers plying on the Plata — Parana — W ool Exports from Buenos Ayres — Increase of British Trade here— Board of Trade Statistics — Table of Ex- ports drawn up by Mr. Daniel Maxwell — Duty on Wool — Comparative Exports during 1861 and 1862 — Fluctuation in Freights . . .34 CHAPTER VI. ASCENT OF THE PARANi. My first Ascent of the Parana — Our Water-way in the S.S. ‘ Dolor^itas ’ — Physical Aspect of the Country — Gorgeousness of Birds encountered in our Passage — Point Obligado — On Shore at an Estancia — Horses making Bricks — Horses threshing Corn — A Horse churning Butter — Beggarmen on Horseback — A Dentist operating whilst on Horseback — Gallant Bearing CONTENTS. XI of the Gauclio Tribe — Peculiarities of Dress — Curious Stirrups — Component Parts of 1 Recado ’ — Skill and Agility — Sport of ‘ El Pialar ’ — Games of i El Pato ’ and 1 La Sortija ’ — Mode of Salutation — Drinking — Bravery — Enormous Spurs seen by Mr. Darwin at Chile exceeded by those at a City on the Parana — Accredited Feats of Gauclio Skill and Endurance — The ( Bolas ’ and 1 Lasso ’ — Origin of the Latter as described by Mr. Prescott in his History of the Conquest of Peru — What Mr. Coghlan saw of the Chaco Indians — Hunting Ostriches with the Bola . . . page 46 CHAPTER VII. LIFE IN SOUTH AMERICA. Dogs of the Argentine Territory — Their Characteristics — The 1 Serenos,’ or Watchmen — Peculiarities of their Cries — Heat of Parana Cities — Dust- storm — The 1 Tonnenta ’ — How the Dust covers and penetrates into every- thing — Pleasantness of a Dust ‘ Tormenta ’ when one is in Bed — Its acces- sory Noises — Keeping out the Dust — Tormenta at Buenos Ayres — Ride in the Camp — Bullock Carts — Definition of them by Mr. Mansfield — Troops of Mules — The Diligencia with its Gaucho Postillions — Don Louis Sausse, the Impresario — Experiences in a Diligencia fromTucuman to Cordova — Very unlike Tom Pinch’s Stage-coaching from Salisbury to London, chiefly on Account of Natural History Contingencies — The solitary Rancho audits Inhabitants — Women, Children, and Dogs — ‘ Yerba ’ and ‘ Mate ’ — Cow-skull for Chair — Paterfamilias in South America — Politeness and Hospitality — Truthfulness of Sketch — Not applicable to Gaucho Tribes, however . . . . . . . . . . .55 CHAPTER VIII. SAN PEDRO. San Pedro — Its early Foundation — Blocking up of the Deep River Channel opposite the Town by its early Inhabitants— No Relic of Jesuitical Build- ing here— Its old Chapel and its new unfinished one — Solitary Aspect of the Town — San Pedro a healthy Position — A ‘ Temporal ’ Storm here — Its Difference from a ‘ Tormenta,’ and exceeding Severity — Obligado Pass across which Rosas placed the Chain — Beauty of the River — Passage from hence to San Nicolas — This Town celebrated by the Convention of 1852 — Steam Flour Mill — Arroyo del Medio — Villa Constitucion — Arrival at Rosario 65 CHAPTER IX. ROSARIO. Geographical Extent of Santa Fe Province — Its Departments — Census of Population in 1858 — Rosario and its Districts — Boundaries of Rosario Department — Original Settlement here in 1725 — Importance of its Topo- graphical Position — 1 Differential Duties’ — Battles of Cepeda and Pavon — Beach at Rosario — Plaza 25 de Mayo — Church — Policia — Plaza de las Carretas — Saladeros and Mills — Carreta- racing on the Beach — * Inego a la Cincha’ — Game of ( Suerte ’ and ‘Culo’ — Number of Houses in Rosario — Municipality and 1 Tribunal de Commercio ’ — “Lyceum and School of Arts — Rivers in Santa Fe Province — Port Charges in Rosario . . 69 a 2 Xll CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. ROSARIO EXPORTS AND IMPORTS. Growth of Rosario — Custom-house Receipts from 1854 to 1862— First Year’s Revenue of Custom-house— Number of British Vessels at Rosario in 1859— Baron Du Graty’s Statistics of the Port Shipping— Senor de Campo’s Trade Statistics in 1861— Variety of Exports from Rosario- Copper in 1855, 1857, 1862 — Bullock-cart and Mule Traffic in 1860 and 18(32— The Differential Duties— Their Establishment and Abolition — Returns from the Rosario Custom-house for 1862— Charges of Freight on Mules and Bullock-carts to the various Provinces — The Rosario and Cordova Railway — Mr. Campbell’s Survey — Mr. Wheelwright’s Opinions Length of the Centro- Argentine Line— Extent of Territory to be pos- sessed by the Company — Mr. Campbell’s Calculations of its Traffic and p ro fit — Illustrated by the Copiapo Line — Fitness of Rosario for a Ter- minus — The Future connecting Link between England, New Zealand, and Australia ........... page < 7 CHAPTER XI. PARANA. Convent of San Carlos at San Lorenzo — First erected in place of San Miguel, the ancient Jesuit Monastery — Report on San Carlos by Padre Constantia — Original Grant of Land for this Convent by Don Feliz Aldao —Spaciousness of this Building — Extent of Cloisters, Library, and Gar- den — General San Martin’s great Feat at San Lorenzo — The Monument raised by him to Juan Bautista Cabral — Population of San Lorenzo Vil- lage — Once more on the Parana — 1 El Diamante ’ — Undulating Ground of Entre Rios Province — Approach to Parana City — Description of it by Captain Page — Geological Evidence of the Sea having been near Parana informer Times — The Bajada— The Church of San Miguel — The Plaza of Parana — Camara — Cathedral and Senate-house — Casa de Gobiemo — View from its Azotea — Theatre of Parana — Census of Population in 1858 — The Colony of Villa de Urquiza — The Road to it across the Rivers Espinillo and Las Conchas— Foundation of this Colony — Its Extent — Causes of Failure — Component Parts of its Community — Mode of obtain- ing Land here — Authorities of the Place — The Forest of Montiel . 86 CHAPTER XII. SANTA f£ — ESPERANZA. From Parana to Santa Fe — Position of the original City, according to Sir Woodbine Parish — First Notice of Santa Fe by Dean Funes — Its present Position — The. Plaza — La Matriz — Cabildo — Historic Associations con- nected therewith — Battering of its Front in 1840 by General Lavalle — Old Church. of San Ignatius Loyola — The Jesuits’ new College — Chapels of San Domingo and San Francisco — Solemn Antiquity in the Appearance of this City — Exports from Santa Fe — Laguna of Guadaloupe — Bridge at the Paso de Coronda — To the Colony of Esperanza — Its Foundation — CONTENTS. Xlll Present Population — Products in 1861-62 — Dwellings, Mills, and Peaping Machines — Catholic Chapel and Protestant Church at Esperanza — The Schoolmaster, Don Juan Caspar Helbling, and his Plan of Teaching — Poetic Feeling — Decent Decree of the Provincial Government in reference to this Colony — Some Advantages of Villa de Urquiza over Esperanza — Canton of 1 6 de Julio ’ — New Colony here — Example of this kind at San Xavier- — Drive round the Outskirts of the Colony — Entering the Chaco for my Salado Exploration— Extent of Santa Fe Province in this Di- rection page 97 CHAPTER XIII. EXPLORATION OF THE SALADO. Salado Explorations of former Times — Voyage from Matara to Santa Fd in 1775 — Commander Page’s Expedition in 1855 — Summary of Observations — General Taboada’s March across the Salado Valley to Santa Fe in 1856 — Don Estevan Pam’s first Expedition in 1857 — Mr. Coghlan’s Ascent in 1858 — Reasons for the Author’s proceeding up the Salado Valley in 1862- 1863 — Constituents of our Expedition — Starting from Santa Fe — First Night of Encampment — Estancia of Don Domingo Crespo — Picturesque grouping of Soldiers — Cows and Horses — Rumbling Bullock-carts — Why they are suffered to make Noise with the Wheels — View from our En- campment — Lighting Fires — Pitching Tents — Trumpet sounding to Bed — Mosquitoes 109 CHAPTER XIV. LIFE IN THE CHACO. Lassoing Horses for the Journey — Crossing the Paso de Miura, and through Esperanza Colony — First Day in the Chaco — Tapera of Dona Mariquita — Contrasts of Christian Civilisation — Our Progress impeded by stopping to arrange Cinchas — Knife-grinder from Esperanza — Captain Page’s Remarks - — Arroyo San Antonio — Biscachera — Unpleasantness of sleeping in open Air — Distress from want of Water— Fires made at Night by the Indians — Mistaken Romance of Camp-life — Ant Colony — 1 Saiiba,’ or Leaf- carrying Ant — The Chanar — Quebracho — Algarroba — Lassoing Horses in the Chaco — Pursuing a Horse the natural business of the Gaucho — Monte Aguara — Confluence of Salado and Rio de las Vivoras — Baron du Graty’s Military Fortifications — i Vestigia retrorsum ’—Ruins of Indian ‘Tolde- rias ’ — How these Dwellings are made — Suggestions of Change in har- nessing Horses — Valley of La Soledad . . . . . .114 CHAPTER XV. THE CHACO — CORDOVA. Christmas Eve in the Valley of La Soledad — Our Camping-ground — Divi- sion of Labour — Topographical Notice of the Arroyo de la Soledad — Baron von Humboldt and Mrs. Hemans on the 1 Southern Cross ’ — Con - trast between Christmas in the Chaco and Christmas in England— Ostriches XIV CONTENTS. Vultures, and Hot Sun versus Turkeys, Oysters, and Snow— Our Plum Puddinir' — The Marseillaise— Flying for Water— Lightning in the East— Temporal Ridiculous Termination of our Christmas Day — Sauce Town— Abipones and Moconisi Tribes— New Year in the Pampas— Retreat Forti- fication— Canton of Zarate— Sentinel up a Tree— Barrack Square— Romero — Siuns of Civilisation— The Canton of Quebracho— Concepcion del Tio —Monte Esquinita — Biscachas— Rio Segundo — Arroyito— Canton of Con- cepcion— Change in the Weather— 1 ‘Juna ’ Cactus— Arrope— Calzado a page 125 CHAPTER XYI. CORDOVA. The Cana of Coghlan’s Chart — Manantial — A Countrywoman’s Ideas about Cotton — Lions and Tigers— Taj aruses — Primitive Weaving Machine— The Railway Whistle Cicada — Sleeping in a South American Wood— Over the Rio" Primero — Pretty View — Varieties of Female Occupation — Other Bed of the Rio Primero — Rio Viejo — Aspect of the Woods here — Produce of Wheat — Anita Pozo — First Glimpse of the Cordova Sierra — Mosquitoes of various Classes — Dickens’ ‘ Summer Hum of Insects ’ — Capilla de En- crucijada — Hume — Cross Roads — Bolivian Indians from Tunguz — Privi- lege indicated by wearing plaited Hair — Various Species of Algarrobo — General Uses of it — Aloja — Puesto de Seca — Porongos Lake — Rio Dulce or Santiago — Marchiquita — Mystolos — Estancia del Seco— General Acces- sories of Scenery — Tajamares — Our usual Proceedings in stopping for the Night at a House .......... 134 CHAPTER XVII. CORDOVA. A ‘Ball’ at the Wake of an Angelito — Travellers’ Privileges — Imaginings about Dancing-Room, Orchestra, and other Terpsichorean Accessories — Wild Deer, Ostriches, and Indian Skulls — Regulating Cinchas — Dirty Water — Dirtier Children — Tormenta Brewing — Lions and Tigers in the Monte — Darkness of Night — Dogs having a Private Ball of their own — Of the Manner in which the Angelito was laid out — Flying Apparatus of Cherubim — Tinsel and Spangles — Lending dead Babies to constitute a Ball— Various Kinds of Dances — ‘ El Gato ’ — ‘El Escondido ’ — ‘ Los Aires,’ with Song — ‘ El Triunfo ’ — ‘ La Mariquita ’ — Peculiarity of Re- freshments — Particulars of Three Characters — The Old Indian Woman — The intoning Gaueho — The Venerable Funny Man — Burial of the Ange- lito — Comfort of a Tormenta in returning from the Ball — Consolations even in the Storm — The Insect World silenced — Horse falling — Dogs barking — Endurance of the Senora — Capilla de Sitou — ‘ Piquillin ’ — - Whistling Frogs — Poverty and Population — The Poor Family at Puesto de Castro— Miserable Dwelling — Strong Affection and high Religious Feeling nevertheless — Patay Troop of Carretas from Rosaria to Tucuman — Average of Voyage— Organisation of Troop — Corrientes Cana — ‘ Puesto del Guanaco ’ — ‘Las Salinas de la Aloma Blanca ’ — Other Saline Lakes — - Question of Intercommunication— ‘Candelaria’ — San Roque, Boundary- Line of the Province of Santiago 139 CONTENTS. XV CHAPTER XVIII. SANTIAGO. Peculiarity in the Province of Santiago — The Quichua Language introduced by the Tucas from Peru — Direct Line to Tostado— Concert at San Roque — Pueblito del Carmen — Estancia of Senor Zaravia — Lawlessness of Mili- tary — Heralds of the Algarrobo — Laguna ‘ Las Torres ’ — Rio Viejo — Wild Pigs and Partridges — The Cardon — 1 Cliagiiar ’ — La Soledad — 'Chapel of Sumampa — Statue on Rock in Centre of Chapel — Manchui — From Gra- millaco, pretty Road — District densely populated— Caravajal — Fanciful Group of Santiaginian People on Horseback — The Woman’s Terror at Sight of our Negro — Saladillo — Algarrobo Traffic — Turucupaurpa — Hire of Horses at the Post Houses — Arroyo Esquina — Arroyo Salavina — San- cudos — Rickety Church — Santa Lucia and Rafagos of Mosquitoes — Harp Manufacture — The Maritero — Yinagrilla — Tunita and new Variety of Shrubbery — Pichuna — Alamisca, small Leaves — Alvarillos — Maylui — The Bitter Algarrobo — Ceja — Gramilla — Picking Wool — To Matara — The Gramilla Cuckoo — Crosses marking the Graves of murdered People— The Church at Matara — Balls here — Ladies dancing without Shoes, Stockings, or Crinoline — Salado Navigation Company — Don Estevan Rams’ State- ment of the Rise and Fall of the Salado at Matara — Charratas — Pollito Zuzu — Ant Labour ......... page 150 CHAPTER XIX. SANTIAGO. Fortin Bracho— Other Agricola-Military Fortifications on the Salado Banks — General Don Antonind Taboada — Description of the Bracho — Barracks here — Site of the present Fort— General Taboada’s Discipline — Rebels making Roads — Population speaking Quichua — Plan used with Vagrants — Ab- stinence from Spirits and Tobacco — License on Festival Days — Punishment for Excess — Military Post-boys — Pursuit of Indians — Weapons of War — Tobas, Macoris, and Guaicuruses Tribes — Thickness of an Indian’s Skin — Eating 1 Churasco ’ — Plundering Alliance between the Indian Tribes — Marriage Ceremony of Indians — Mode of settling a Divorce Case — Repub- lican Government of Indians — Worship of the Sun — Heroism of Bracho — Female Captives — Fortins below the Bracho — Laguna de la Cruz, and the Old Witch with Hair Two Yards long — Indian Urns found at Gramilla and Navicha — Land near the Bracho to be given gratuitously to Emigrant Settlers 160 CHAPTER XX. SANTIAGO. From Fortin Bracho Northward — Gallegos of the Argentine Republic — Roads made by the Taboadas between the Rivers Salado and Dulce — Business at Guaype — Violent Hurricane tearing up Trees — Magnificent Condor — Estancia of San Jose — San Isidro — Mule breeding — Troop of Wild Horses — Provincial Adage about Rain : In JEnero poco , in Fevrero loco — Coco and Cabbage Palms — Extensive View at La Brandon — Quien sabe ?— School- XVI CONTENTS. master at Los Sanchos — Las Tres Cruces— Politeness of a Lady— Depart- ments of Santiago Province — Deputies to the Provincial Senate — Different Kinds of Bees— Where they make their Hives— Uniaj Tree, the Vegetable 1 barometer — Tigers in Santiago— Prescribed Keward for killing Tigers and Pumas— Mode of levying it— Limits of Santiago Province— The Pasaje (or Juramento) River— Origin of the latter Name— Sources of the Pasaje and Limit of its Course— From Latta to Oran— Chanar-Muyu and Wild Cotton— Mira Flores page 168 CHAPTER XXL TUCUMAN. Into Tucuman— Derivation of the Name— Foundation of its Capital — An- cient Division of Spanish Possessions— Geographical Boundaries of Tucu- man Province — Its Extent— No Connection with the Rio Salado — From Las Tres Cruces to Los Tres Posos — Garden of the Confederation — The Italy of the Argentine Provinces — Rich Pasture— Peak of La Timbo — Favorina — The Sali River — First View of Tucuman Churches — Position of this City — Population and Departments of the Province — Decay of Tucuman — Good Paving — Anniversary of Battle of Rio Colorado — The Matriz and Cabildo — View from Tower of the former — Camp of San Pablo — San Francisco Church and Convent with Garden — Other Chapels- — Sierra Nevada — Floods and Incessant Rains — Government and Private Schools — Price of Land — Project for Immigration — Indigo — Table of Profit on Exports from Tucuman 177 CHAPTER XXII. FROM TUCUMAN TO SANTIAGO. Trade of Tucuman — Statistics of Imports for 1861 — Produce of the Province in 1862 — First Cost of Productions — Visit to Sugar Manufactories — Sebil Redondo — Destruction of Cotton by Caterpillars — Desertion of Peon Labourers — Fawcett and Preston’s Work — Commerce of Tuna Fruit — Its ‘ Dulce ’ exchanged for Cattle — Posts from Tucuman to Salta — Earth- quakes in these Places — Sugar-loaf Mountains not crossed from Dread of a Monster — Supposition of this Monster being an Incipient Earthquake — Diocese of Salta — Chu-Chu, or Intermittent Fever — Return from Tucu- man — Crossing the River Sali — Adirette — Carnival at Los Tres Posos — Queer-looking Character — Bagnal and Posuelas — Unpacking the Luggage — Assault of Binchucas and Mosquitoes — Their Connection with the Quichua Language — Digging out the Diligencia — Post of Satalillo — Crossing the River — Effects of Carnival at Garostiago — Posts thence to the Capital, Santiago 183 CHAPTER XXIII. SANTIAGO. First Impressions of Santiago City — Attention of Governor Don Manuel Taboada and his Brother Gaspar — Old Church of San Francisco de Solano— The Saint’s Cell— Cross used by him in preaching to the Indians — His Fiddle — Other Relics in Sacristy of New Chapel — Orange Tree in CONTENTS. XVII tlie Patio — Miracles performed by San Francisco — First Capital of San- tiago Province (‘ La Ciudad del Barco ’) — Reasons attributed to the Saint for building the Chapel where now stand the Ruins — Churches of La Merced and Santo Domingo — Burning of the Cathedral in 1612 — Popu- lation of Santiago Province and Capital — Weather on setting out from this City — Privations at the different Pueblitas — Appeal to Tom Pinch — Geographical Error in making Roads from Tueuman to Santiago in a straight Line, as they appear in Charts — Crossing the Rio Dulce at the Paso de Guaychani — The Town of Loreto and its Poverty — Appearance of Beggars — Rio Pinto — Dry Bed of Rio Dulce — Posts passed from this to Atamisca — 1 Lluvia a Cantaros ’ page 190 CHAPTER XXIV. SANTIAGO AGAIN. Rain at Atamisqui — Fears of Second Deluge being at Lland — Yakuchili Lake — Berdolaga Flowers — Pleasure for Pigs or Young Ducks — Meeting the Diligencia from Cordova — Crossing the Rio Viejo — Again at Salavina — The jolly Cura — Scene Outside the Chapel — Parochial Departments of Santiago — Healthy Population of Salavina — Troop of Mules — Questions about Fighting in the Upper Provinces — Colonels Bicha and Generals Bincliuca — Crossing the Rio Dulce on a Chata — Turning to the Cordova Road — Quien sabe? again — Santiago Sierras — New Species of Algarroba — Cheap Peaches — Constructing Carrretas — Enter Cordova Province — Ter- ritorial Formation of Sierras — Rio Seco — Rio de lasTortejas — ‘Intiguasi/ or House of the Sun — Mountains of Guyakan — Hospitality at San Jose — Pretty View from the Sierra of Simbolar — Pueblito of Rosario — Dance — Looking out for Cordova City — Level Road — Pau de Azucar Mountain 195 CHAPTER XXV. CORDOVA. Agreeable Sensations on entering Cordova — Tortuosity of Road — Geogra- phical Position of this City — Period of its Foundation — Number of Churches — Cabildo — Cathedral — Church of San Domingo — Miraculous Statues — College of San Domingo — Chapel of the Jesuits — University — Time of its Erection — First styled University of San Carlos — Its old Li- brary — College of Monserrat — Its Foundation — Change of Locale — Code of Education — Ancient Position of the Jesuits here — Their first Persecutor — Number of Slaves and Estancias which they owned — Position of Jesuits’ College — View from Azotea of Monserrat — Chapel of Santa Catalina — Convent of St. Teresa — Other Chapels in this 1 City of Churches ’ — Chief industrial Feature of Cordova — Steam Mill of Senor Don Victor Roque — Cost of this Building — Its Manufacture and Export for the last Year — Absence of Fine Arts in Cordova — Municipal Music — Visit to the Alameda — Another Work of the Jesuits — Elegance of private Houses . . 204 CHAPTER XXVI. CORDOVA — ROSARIO. Sir Woodbine Parish’s Statistics of Population in Cordova in 1822 and 1823 — Captain Page’s Account of the same in 1855 — Census of 1858 — De- partments of the Province — Number of Provincial Deputies — Other CONTENTS. xviii Industrial Features of Cordova— Mines at Parais and Pocho— Manufacture of Cloth in Old Times — Low Price of Wool — Off for Rosario — Change of Weather as of Locomotive — Cordillera Range — Spinous Acacia — Rios Quarto and Segundo — Desgraciado — Battle-Field of Laguna Larga — Passing the Rio Tercero — Villa Nueva — Mendoza Road — Source and Course° of Rio Tercero — Its Non-Navigability — South American Tea— San Geronimo, alias Fraile Muerte— No undulating Ground here— Cactus Fortification at the Post of Saladillo — Stretches of Pampas Scenery — Murder of Spanish Officers near Sobaton — C-L-A-M-O-R — Village of Cruz Alta— Other Posts — ‘ Coming Home ’ — What the Wild Fox, Gama, and Owl think about it — Spires of Rosario Church — Arrival at Rosario page 212 CHAPTER XXVII. THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. Extent of the Argentine Republic — Its Boundaries — Superficies in Leagues Population according to the Census of 1858 — Arrangement of its Pro- vinces — The Rivers La Plata and Amazon — Aortas of South American Continent — Source of Paraguaya River — Its Tributaries to J unction with the Parana — The Parana to the River Plate — What Rivers flow into it — Home or Domestic Trade of the Republic — Exports from the Provinces to one another — Entre Rios and its Traffic — Cotton in Corrientes— Cochineal Trade in former Times — Catamarca and its Copper — The Eng- lish Traveller at London in Catamarca — Origin of ‘ Londres ’ here — Major Rickards’ Report on the Silver Mines of San Juan — Traffic in Mules — Profit on this Item of Commerce — M. Thiers on the La Plata Trade with France — Belief of what it may become in connection with England 218 CHAPTER XXVIII. THE CULTIVATION OF COTTON. Mr. Henry Ashworth’s Pamphlet on Cotton — Cultivation of this Article in the States of North America tending to the Exhaustion of Soil — Foreign Office Despatch about Prospects of Cotton Cultivation in 1863 — Argen- tine Territory in same Position South of Equator as Cotton Lands of United States are North — Explanation to Governors of Provinces and Owners of Land — Practices and Principles on which they might hope for the Aid of British Capital — Governor’s Opinions of Need for Immigration — Explanation of why it is indispensable for successful Cotton Cultivation — Advice to make a Beginning of 1 Self-help ’ — Ideas of General Don Antonino Taboada — Author’s Suggestions in connection with Agricola- Military Forts — Working Men, and Cost of Labour in Santiago Province — Upwards to Tucuman — Much of the Province uninhabited as unculti- vated — Cost of Workmen’s Labour here — Bad Plan of advancing Wages — Price which Cotton realises at Tucuman — Carriage Expense of it to a Shipping Port — Cotton Cultivation in former Times in Cordova and Catamarca — Interest shown by the Governors for the Cultivation of Cotton — Contrast of Premium offered by Governor of Cordova with that of Queensland Government to the successful Cultivator of Cotton — Excel- lent Quality of the Fibre produced formerly in Santa Fe — 1 Standard’ Cotton in Buenos Ayres — Cotton in Salta — No Faith in Wild Cotton — Cultivation of Cotton in Paraguaya ...... 223 CONTENTS. XIX CHAPTER XXIX. COTTON CULTIVATION. Immigration to the Argentine Republic — Opinions of the Governing Powers deserving of Consideration — Example of Colonia Esperanza — More Faith in the Agricultural than in the Mining Future of this Country — Objections to Cotton cultivated except by Negro Slaves — These Ideas negatived by Samples of Cotton from Queensland — Profits on Cotton Cultivation in Queensland — Considerations for British Capitalists before investing Money in Cotton Cultivation here — Accredited Proofs of good Quality of Cotton grown in the Argentine Republic — Cotton from Santiago — Cheapness of Labour there — Description of Labour I saw at Gramilla — Calculation of Expenses of Cotton Cultivation in the Republic of Ecuador — Comparative Diminution of Cost in Santiago — Mr. Hughes’s Opinion of Cheapness in this Republic — Question of Land Transport — Price of Cotton Conveyance on the Mississippi — Facilities for Transport in the River Parana — Reasons for advocating a Commencement in the Islands of the River — European Labour available here at all Times of the Year — Duty of Governors and Owners of Land to supply the possible Exhaustion — The good Results to which this may tend page 230 CHAPTER XXX. SHEEP FARMING. Camp Life in the Pampas of South America — Our Juvenile Notions of Shep- herds — What the Reality is out here — Advance of Sheep-Farming over the Business of Saladeros — Table of Mr. John Greenaway— Omissions in it — Price of Sheep in the Province of Corrientes — The same in that of Buenos Ayres — Modus operandi for Young Men without Capital becoming Sheep-Farmers — Mr. M^C oil’s Statistics — Their general Inapplicability — Report by Mr. Frederick Hinde — Number of 1 Puestas ’ in a League of Land — Increase of Progeny — Two Classes of Sheep-Camps — Poisonous Weed of 1 Mea-mea ’ — Caution in moving Sheep — Number of Acres in a square League of Land — Number of Sheep which that will support — Price of Sheep-Land in. Buenos Ayres — Varieties of Sheep — Periods of Lambing — Winter Lambs healthier than Summer ones — Time for Sheep-shearing — Caution needed against the 1 Flechilla ’ — ‘ Puesteros ’ — Mode of paying Shepherds — The 1 Tercero ’ and 1 Medianero ’ Arrangements — Mr. Hinde’s Table of Expenses and Profits in a Sheep-Farm — Cost of Shearing — Ex- pense of Freightage of Wool to River Port — ‘ Guia/ or Passport . 237 CHAPTER XXXI. EMIGRATION TO THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. Incentives to Immigration — Distress in Lancashire — Government Loan — Ne phis ultra of Cotton Manufacture — Difficulties of Immigration on a large Scale — Views of the National Government on the Subject — Minister Rawson’s Message — Attribute of Congress to promote Immigration — Cir- cular to Provincial Governments — General Tenour of Replies to this — Systems advanced by the Minister to be adopted — Private Contract and XX CONTENTS. Spontaneous Immigration— Government more in favour of the Latter — Cost of Colony at Esperanza — Causes of Failure of Colonies high up the River — Plan of measuring and dividing Land into Lots — Immigration Aid Society of Monte Video — Anxiety of Estan^ieros for European Labour — Wages in Country Parts of Buenos Ayres Province — Difficulty of Land Transport an Obstacle to Profitable Agricultural Investment— Uncertainty of Crops from Drought and Locusts — Immigration of Basques — Irish Immi- grants to Buenos Ayres — First Commencement of Colonial System — Con- di tions of Treaty — Its Failure — Colony of Germans to Patagonia — Colo- nisation of Messrs. Bemberger in Bahia Blanca — Position of Colonists in these Settlements — Sine qua non for Success — Number of Immigrants to Buenos Ayres — The Foreign Element in that City . . . page 247 CHAPTER XXXII. SALE AND RENT OF LAND. Average Price of Land — Revenue of Land Department of Buenos Ayres in 1861 — Division of Land in this Province by the Rio Salado del Sud — Price of Land in various Localities — Cost of it during last Year in Villa Mercedes Partido — Contrast of worth of Land to-day with what it was Twelve Years ago — Cost of Land in the Northern Part of Buenos Ayres — The same in Santa Fe Province, near Rosario — Estan^ia Land — Difference in Quality in that needed for Sheep, and that for fattening Cattle — Mr. Maxwell’s Account of the Land Laws — What existed in Spanish Times out here — * Enfitensis ’ — Mode of obtaining Grants of Land from Govern- ment — Decree of September 20, 1862 — Ordinance for stocking Land pur- chased from Government — Exemption of Settlers — Fact of Occupying and Stocking — Modification in Decree of December 4, 1862 — Form of Petition for Land — Cost of Stamps — ‘ Solares,’ ‘ Quintas ’ and ( Chacras ’ — Muni- cipality Arrangements of Rural Districts for the Sale of Land — Other Decrees — Extraordinary Rise in the Price of Land between 1859 and 1862 — Latest Land Law of Buenos Ayres — Holders of Fee-land obliged to serve in the National Guard 256 CHAPTER XXXIII. CONSTITUTION OF THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. Land-Laws of Santa Fe in 1855 and 1858 — Explanation of their Principles — Codigo Commercio — Appeal from Justice of Peace to Judge of First Instance — New Criminal Laws — Constitution of the Argentine Republic —Its First Creation— The Triple Power — Salaries of Senators and Depu- ties — Period of their Election — Executive Authority — Judicial Rights decreed to the Provinces — Original Constitution of 1853 — What it pre- scribed — Privileges to Naturalised Citizens — The Reformed Constitution of I860- — In what the chief Difference consists — Currency of the Argentine Republic — Difficulty of understanding it — Definitions of Paper Money — Impolicy of Decree of Congress of 9th August 1859 — Its Repeal — Senor Don Antonino Garson's Financial Revenue Statement to G eneral Mitre — Divis’on of the Public Debt — Proposal to pay it off — Centralisation of Inland and River Board Custom Houses — Uniformity of Tariff — Author’s Muddle of Arithmetic # t 266 CONTENTS. XXI CHAPTER XXXIV. THE CHACO INDIANS. Origin of 1 Indian ’ Nomenclature by Columbus in South America — My first Interview with the Chaco Indians — Their Clothing of ‘ Kesapi ’ — Con- trasts of Civilisation — Absence of Maternal Affection — Lack of Intellectual Expression — Mr. Perkins’s Ideas about Indian Elements of Labour — What Mr. Coghlan thinks of them — Thickness of Occiput in the Skull of a Chaco Indian — Opinion of Captain Page on their Powerful Industrial Agency —Ideas of M. Amedee Jacques about crossing the Indian Races — • Extermination of Indian Tribes by Progress of Commerce and Industrial Knowledge — No Proof of Intellectual Development, notwithstanding the remarkable Labours of the Jesuits — Utilitarian Civilisation of Indians — Impulses driving the Chaco Indians to Plunder — A Remedy provided by General Don Antonino Taboada’s Agricola-Military Fortifications — Concluding Reflections on Sheep-Farming — No ‘ Admirable Crichton ’ amongst the Gaucli os— Various Classes of the Gaucho — The Major-domo — -The Peon — The Carrero — The ‘ Chasqui ’ — The ‘ Gauchos Jugadores ’ — Gambling the moving Spirit of the Tribe — The real Camp Gaucho page 279 APPENDICES. I. Public Schools 287 II. Concession for the Ensenada Railway ..... 290 III. Concessions for the Rosario and Cordova Railroad . . . 294 IV. General Don Antonino Taboada’s Expedition across the Salado Valley 299 V. Rio Salado Navigation 300 VI. Examples of the Quichua Language 312 VII. Cotton cultivation in the Argentine Republic .... 313 VIII. Immigration and Colonisation to Buenos Ayres Province . . 316 IX. National Debt of the Argentine Republic . . . .319 X. Comparative value of Argentine currency .... 320 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS {Engraved by C. W. Sheer es). PAGE 1. Portrait of General Mitre ..... Frontispiece. 2. View of Monte Video from the Harbour 3 3. View of Buenos Ayres from the Inner Roadstead 10 4. A Corral 29 5. Operations at a Saladero ..... 30 6. Gaucho breaking in a Wild Ilorse 46 7. Hunting Ostriches with the Bola .... 54 8. ‘ Sereno ’ (Watchman) 56 9. A Rancho 62 10. River-side View of Rosario City .... 69 11. Plaza de las Carretas in Rosario .... 73 12. View of Rosario from high Bank near Central Argentine Railway Station . 77 13. Convent of San Carlos at San Lorenzo 87 14. Government House in Parana .... 92 15. Cabildo, or Government House, in Santa Fe 98 16. Church of the Immaculate Conception 100 17. Remains of a Tolderia in the Chaco 122 18. Christmas Eve in the Chaco .... 126 19. Christmas Night in the Chaco .... 130 20. Sentinel up a Tree 132 21. My First Ball in Cordova 141 22. Woman's Terror at Sight of our Negro 154 23. Our Quarters at ‘the Bracho ’ 161 24. Cordova City 205 MAPS. 1. A Map of the Argentine Republic between the 24th and 35th parallels In Pocket. 2. A Map of the Delta of the River Parana . . . to face page 1 3. Ensenada Harbour ,, 294 BUENOS AYRES AND ARGENTINE GLEANINGS. CHAPTER I. MONTE VIDEO. The Voyage out — Magnificent Embouchure of the River Plate — Quick Sailing and comfortable Accommodation of the ‘ Santiago ’ — Cold Weather at the Mouth of the River — Anchoring in Monte Video Harbour — Sensations on viewing the City — Contrast of the Wharf Fittings with those of the Docks in Liverpool — Cars in the fashion of Irish Turf Creels — Irregularity of Street Pavement — The Cathedral and Plaza de la Constitucion — The Ladies at Mass and the Beau Monde in the Plaza — Drive into the Country — Om- nibuses and Gauchos — Mr. M'Coll’s Description of a Gaucho — Other Churches besides the Cathedral — Theatre — Hospital — De- partments of the Uruguayan Republic, or Banda Oriental — Medicinal Rivers — Ships, Steamers, Diligencias and Projected Rail- ways — Products at the International Exhibition of 1862 — Statis- tical Table of Exports — To Buenos Ayres. Out of the Mersey and down the Channel ; across the Atlantic, with all its accompanying horrors of sea-sick- ness (Ancient Mariner though I be); in the latitude of the 4 roaring forties ;’ through the north-east trades, and across the Equator; amidst troops of flying-fish by day, and myriads of phosphorescent animalculse by night ; with squalls, rain, calms, gales, and all the meteorological accessories of an ocean voyage, I at length found myself, B 9 VOYAGE TO THE RIVER PLATE. Chap. I. as I was told, entering the River Plate, — described by the poet Thomson as — The sea-like Plata, to whose dread expanse, Continuous depth, and wondrous length of course, Our floods are rills. Brief as this recapitulation of the incidents of our transit may appear, it will suffice for a description of the speediest and most agreeable voyage 1 have ever made. Our vessel was the 6 Santiago ;’ and of the polite attention, as well as solicitude for the comfort of my family and myself, evinced by her commander, Captain Davidson, I shall ever retain a grateful remembrance. She made the trip from Liverpool to Monte Video in the unusually short run of forty-four days. Although we had reached the mouth of the Plate o river, I found myself utterly unable to realise the fact, for no land is visible on either side ; the dis- tance between the opposite Capes of Santa Maria and San Antonio being estimated at a hundred and fifty miles. The brownish hue of the water, and the occasional sight of a land bird, afforded indeed the only indications that we were approaching terra Jirma. The magnificent embouchure before us was worthy of a river which is known to flow, from its source of the Paraguay in the southern part of the Brazilian province of Goyaz, through a course of two thousand one hundred and fifty miles. For four days and nights, owing to a contrary gale, our ship was compelled to beat off the mouth of the river, and although we arrived in the middle of summer — that is to say, in the first week of December — we found the air cold and invigorating, a delightful change, truly, after the oppressive heat we had endured only a week or ten days before upon crossing the Equator. The keen and vigorous rushing of the breeze made the resumption of our flannels very comforting ; for it was that kind of stirring wind described by Dickens in his 4 Christmas Carol,’ as 4 cold, piping for the blood to dance to.’ Here we are within sight of the island of Lobos, and Chap. T. ASPECT OF MONTE VIDEO. o o our flag up for a pilot, who is soon on board. We ascend the river through the channel, between the floating light-ship and a lighthouse on the island of Flores. The navigation at this point is difficult and dangerous; and as night draws on our pilot comforts us with the intelligence that only ten days before three ships had been lost during a pampero. But a fair wind is with us now, and so, after nearly coming into collision with an outward-bound vessel, we soon sight the revolving light on the hill of Monte Video, and cast anchor in the harbour shortly after midnight. MONTE VIDEO. It was blowing great guns on the morning after our arrival as I went early on deck to have a look at the city. Monte Video bears the usual aspect of a Spanish town, with cathedral towers and Moorish architecture of flat-roofed houses ; having vari-coloured jalousies to the iron* barred windows. The smell of new-mown hay, bringing to the senses of a weather-beaten mariner an impression more agreeable than — the sweet South That breathes upon a bank of violets, Stealing and giving odour, b 2 4 MANNERS OF THE INHABITANTS. Chat. I. came over us from the shore, whither I proceeded as soon as the business of toilet and breakfast was corn- new wharves, all of a light, airy structure, adjoin the Custom-house, and give a fanciful aspect to the entrance of the city. One would almost expect that with such a breeze as we are enjoying these fragile-look- ing buildings would topple down, as a house of cards does from a puff of human breath. Perhaps, how- ever, the contrast between the wharves at Monte Video and the massive dock -fittings we had so recently seen at Liverpool, prevents our doing justice to the stability of the former. In the neighbourhood of the jetty at which I land, and stretching to the inside of the bay, were several small boats, chiefly cutter-rigged, and with latteen sails, such as are employed in fishing. I am in the streets, and feel at once the consciousness of being in a foreign town. At the first corner after leaving the Custom-house, I see before me several large wheels, with an article like an Irish turf-creel placed between every two of them. Looking at these equipages more closely, I remark that they have neither fronts nor backs to them, but are placed on a framework of car, to each of which three mules are harnessed. The wheels are made nearly as large as those affixed to timber-trucks in Liverpool, in order to allow of their being brought into, and drawn out of, very deep water, when used for transporting passengers or cargo from shore to ship, or vice versa . Walking along I find it necessary to guard my feet from stumbling, for the blocks of pavement are thrown together in the strangest confusion possible, as if, for- sooth, they had fallen from the clouds, with liberty to settle themselves in any way it might please them. The trottoir of each street is marked by a cannon buried in the ground at its corner, with the muzzle pointing up- wards. The shops in general have the appearance of American stores ; and although nearly every one we meet in the streets is smoking, I can recognise an atten- tion to business and an air of gentlemanly politeness pleted. Several Ciiap. I. SUBURBS. 5 wherever I go. A stranger passing through the streets of Monte Video — I say it without fear of contradiction — will meet no. disagreeable discourtesies or imper- tinences, but is certain to receive much more politeness as well as attention to any enquiries he may need to make, than in Great Britain or many parts of Continental Europe. The only symptom of idleness to be recog- nised anywhere is amongst a lot of cadgers, scattered through the city, who desire to sell lottery tickets for half a dollar each, with the assurance, if one be credulous enough to take their word for it, of a large gain by the venture. The cathedral of Monte Video is its most attractive public building. Here, as well as in the adjoining Plaza de la Constitucion, I can view all the fashion and elegance of the beau monde . To an Englishman, the sight pre- sented at mass-time is very curious. The men stand in the aisles, while the nave of the church is carpeted, and appropriated exclusively to the use of the fair sex, who sit or kneel upon the floor. A few have small carpets or rugs of a showy pattern, which are carried to the chapel by their peons,* whilst the infirm are furnished with chairs, that are likewise brought by their servants. The bright-coloured dresses of the ladies seated on the ground, the absence of bonnets, the graceful flow of mantillas, and the perpetual fluttering of brilliant fans, present altogether a striking picture ; but I saw nothing here, or at any other place of worship which I afterwards visited in the Rivers Plate and Parana, in the slightest degree corroborating Mr. Tilley’s assertion that the ladies come to church for the purposes of flirtation, and that ‘the aisles are filled with dandies in primrose gloves, honest artisans, and gentlemen of colour, all apparently there with the same object in view.’f Nothing, indeed, is more remarkable in Monte Video than the absence of any visible impropriety ; and the grace and affability of manner, bordering sometimes perhaps a little too much on ceremony, which pervades * ( Peon ’ is a generic name given t Japan, the Amoor, and the Pacific, to all servants out here. by Henry Arthur Tilley, p. 383. SUBURBS — GAUCHOS. Chap. T. society, gives a charm to social intercourse which, al- though difficult to describe, is none the less perceptible. Every other evening a military band plays on the Plaza, where all the youth, beauty, and fashion of the place are wont to assemble. Let the stranger go to the promenade on one of these occasions, and he will perhaps under- stand my meaning. Many of the ladies are alone and unattended, but even at this late hour — for the band does not begin to play until nine p.m. — the majority carry fans. Here, too, a solitary female is as effectually protected from rudeness by the atmosphere of native courtesy around her as if she were in the Queen’s draw- ing-room. Visiting one of the large horse establishments, wherein several hundred Bucephali are kept for hire, I take a carriage for a drive into the country, in order to obtain an idea of the rural scenery surrounding Monte Video. I pass along the Plaza de la Constitucion, and after skirting the new theatre, which seems a pretty but un- substantial building, ] am driven through suburbs where everything presents the appearance of novelty; and, passing the English burial ground,^ find myself in the country. It is Sunday, and multitudes of people are out in their holiday clothes. I meet numbers of horse- men in large or small parties, each troop accompanied by such a cloud of dust that they are close on me before I can perceive them. The road is very wide, and is occasionally very hard ; but it is evident no disciple of Mac Adam has ever had it under his management; for the carriage is over a hillock and into a hollow half a dozen times during the space of as many perches. I pass by some fields of wheat and barley ready for the sickle of the reaper. Here comes a large omnibus, open at the sides, like those one sees in the country districts of France, but so hidden in a mirage of dust, that it is difficult to know whether it is drawn by camels, mules, or horses, as well as perplexing to ascertain if its passen- * The Hon. Robert Gore, formerly Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires in this M.P. for New Ross, is buried here. part of the world. He died at Monte Video whilst Her Chap. T. URUGUAYAN REPUBLIC — STATISTICS. 7 gers, be men or women. Who are these magnificent cavaliers that I meet with now and then, their horses’ bridles, saddles, and clothes elegantly caparisoned with medals, chains, and buckles of silver ; their stirrups, too, being made of the same precious metal? No ancient knights riding to a tournay, no modern circus-riders of France or England, could sit their steeds with more grace and ease. These men are Gauchos, and may apparently be regarded as impersonations of that noble chevalier of the class drawn by Mr. John M 4 Coll.* But appearances are proverbially deceitful, so I shall reserve my opinion of these splendid horsemen until I have a better acquaint- ance with the tribe. Our road is fenced by hedges of the prickly cactus, as I am driven along past quintas and pulperias. Return- ing at an elevated portion of the district, I have a view of the sweep of country that stretches in a semicircle from the city to the 4 mountain ’ on which the lighthouse is situated. Much of this territory, though apparently uncultivated, and therefore unfruitful, is diversified by saladeros and odd groups of cows and horses, with here and there a lady and gentleman taking an evening 4 con- stitutional ’ on horseback. It was dark before I returned to the town, which is brilliantly lighted with gas. A few years back, it appears that mare’s grease formed the staple article for lighting the city ; but a severe epidemic having broken out in 1857, and attributed — so at least some people say — to this cause, gas was introduced instead. Besides the cathedral, Monte Video possesses three other Roman Catholic churches — San Francisco, La Caridad, and Los Ejercicios — with a few small 4 capillas’ in the suburbs. There is also a Protestant church in connexion with the British consulate, which was built by the British resi- dents in 1846. The city has likewise two forts, one of which is now employed for barracks, two theatres, two cemeteries, and one of the best hospitals in South America. * Life in the River Plate , by John M ( Coll. p 10. 8 URUGUAYAN REPUBLIC. Chap. I. The Banda Oriental, or Uruguayan Republic, of which Monte Video is the capital, is divided into thir- teen departments ; namely, Tacuarembo, Cerro Largo, Paisandu, Salto, Maldonado, Minas, Durazno, Loriano, Colonia, San Jose, Florida, Cam clones, and Monte Video. It encloses a superficies of 63,322 geographical miles, and contains, by the last census, 300,000 inhabitants. Half of these are reputed to be foreigners, and the majority of the foreigners Brazilians. The capital is variously estimated at from 40,000 to 70,000 souls. * Besides a large number of sailing vessels engaged in the coasting trade, there are several steamers connected with Monte Video which ply up and down the Parana and Uruguay, as well as to Paraguay and the southern part of Brazil. Thirty or forty Diligences carry mails and passengers through the interior districts ; and a rail- way from Monte Video to the harbour of Higueritas, near the mouth of the Uruguay, has been projected by a company of English capitalists. The proposed line will traverse a distance of nearly two hundred miles, chiefly in the district of Colonia. The exports from Monte Video are of the same species as those from the Argentine territories, at the other side of the River Plate. At the London International Ex- hibition of 1862, the wool, wheat, and dried beef of Uruguay received high commendation of the judges. With regard to the last-named, the following table may prove of interest : f — * Vide Mulball’s River Plate f I am indebted to Mr. C. T. Handbook , printed at tbe 1 Standard ’ Getting- of Buenos Ayres for this, as office, Buenos Ayres, and The Repub- well as the Tables Nos. 1, 2, and 3, lie of Uruguay , a Manual for Emi- referring to the Argentine capital. grants , published by Effingham Wil- son, London. Chap. I. STATISTICS. 9 Statement showing the comparative slaughter of horned cattle in the saladeros of the Banda Oriental, or Uruguayan Republic, and those of the provinces of Rio Grande, Entre Rios, Buenos Ayres, during the killing seasons 1857, i858, to 1861, 1862. Where slaughtered 1857 to 1858 1858 to 1859 1859 to 1860 I860 to 1861 1861 to 1862 Estado Oriental . Buenos Ayres Entre Rios . Rio Grande . 168,100 324,800 53,500 190,000 243.300 551.000 144.300 280.000 272.000 447.000 265.000 360.000 293.000 353.000 237.000 360.000 505.000 310.000 204.000 362.000 736,400 1,218,600 1,344,000 1,243,000 1,381,000 Estado Oriental Buenos Ayres Entre Rios . Rio Grande . Animals . 1,481,400 . 1,985,800 903,800 . 1,552,000 Total 5,923,000 10 CHAPTER II. BUENOS AYRES. View of Buenos Ayres from the Roadstead — The Plaza de la Vic- toria, Casa de Justicia, and Cathedral — Interior of the latter — Bishoprics of the Argentine Provinces — Foundation-stone of Buenos Ayres — The Camara or Parliament House, and its interior Arrange- ments — The University and its Museum — Contents of the latter — New Market-place — Prices of Meat — The City Squares — The Bolsa — Foreigners’ Club House — Casa de Comercio — British Hos- pital— Cementerio — Recoleta — Asilo de Mendigos — Irish Sisters of Mercy — Population Statistics of Buenos Ayres. The passage from Monte Video to Buenos Ayres is but as the voyage from Liverpool to Kingstown : on board a steamer at night, and in the morning we -find ourselves in front of the capital of the Argentine Republic. Viewed from the roadstead, the city of Buenos Ayres has a very pleasing appearance. Among the most prominent ob- jects visible from the deck are the domes of many beau- tiful churches covered with blue and white porcelain tiles. The eye is also attracted by the glaring red roof of the Colon Theatre. I am landed at the Mole, which abuts into the Calle Julio, having at its end two small guard-houses of the Customs, with cupola roofs, and the figure of a tiny steamer at the top of each. Turning up by the new Custom-house, with its square tower, having a light- house overhead, I cross the Plaza ‘25 de Mayo/ and enter the Plaza de la Victoria, through two large tri- umphal arches, leaving the Colon Theatre to my right. The roof of this building, which is said to be an admir- able work of art, was manufactured in Dublin. The Plaza de la Victoria is the chief square of Buenos Ayres city. On its eastern and southern sides the houses are laid out after the fashion of the quondam Regent Street colonnade. In its centre is a square monument, with a pillar surmounted by. a statue of Liberty; and on the BUENOS AYRES FROM THE INNER ROADSTEAD. ■ ■ ' Chat. IT. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 11 base of the monument are inscribed the simple words 4 25 Mayo 1810’ — the day on which the United Pro- vinces of La Plata shook off their allegiance to the Spanish crown. At the side opposite to the triumphal arches is the Casa de Justicia, which is labelled as 4 Cabildo 1711.’ It has a clock tower in front. The head police office is next door. In this Casa de Justi- cia, or Town Hall, the ordinary police cases are tried and adjudicated by the Gefe Politico, who holds here nearly the same position that is held by the mayor of a city in England, except that he is appointed by the Government and not by the municipality. The square is surrounded by cabs, and all over its centre are iron seats, shaded from the heat of the sun by Paradise trees. To the right of the plaza, as I cross over, is the Cathedral, with the bishop’s palace by its side. The former occupies more than half the northern part of the cuadra, and its external architecture is very imposing. This building was commenced by the Jesuits in the mid- dle of the seventeenth century. The portico is supported by twelve massive pillars, which have a fine effect when viewed from the opposite side of the plaza. In the architrave I observed a group of figures representing the return of Joseph and the meeting with his brethren. Rarely Have I been more impressed with the solemn feeling of which most minds are conscious upon entering a place of public worship, than on my first visit to this cathedral. The interior consists of a centre aisle of great length and breadth, leading to the grand altar, and of two side aisles, equal in length, but about half the width, with altars at the end. There are also six altars on each side of the lesser aisles. The roof is groined, a peculiarity common, I believe, to all the Jesuit chapels in South America. Sacred paintings are suspended near the altars, and these are the productions of native artists, educated by the early settlers. In the canon’s room are portraits of nine of the former bishops of Buenos Ayres. The episcopal throne is placed at the right side of the main altar, as you view it from the chief door, and down the middle 12 BISHOPRICS OF THE ARGENTINE PROVINCES. Chai*. II. are ranged half a-dozen chandeliers, lustrous with glass pendules. The bishop, with his chaplain and secretary, the provisor or vicar-general, and the canons, are the only part of the clergy who receive a stipend from government. The present bishop is the Most Rev. Dr. Mariano Jose de Escalada. The countries interior to the River Plate were for- merly divided into four dioceses: that of Assumption in Paraguay, created a.d. 1555; of Tucuman in 1581, whose seat lirst established at Santiago del Estero, was transferred to Cordova in 1700; that of Buenos Ayres, founded in 1G20; and of Salta in 1735. At first, the King of Spain had, through his deputy out here, the privilege of recommending the bishops for the pope’s approval. The dioceses in the present day are : Buenos Ayres, which is reputed as likely to be raised to an archbishopric ; Parana, including the provinces of Santa Fe, Entre Rios, and Corrientes; Cordoba, comprising those of Cordoba and Rioja ; Salta, embracing the provincial districts of Santiago del Estero, Tucuman, Catamarca, Salta, and Jujuy; and San Juan, which in - cludes Mendoza and San Luis. On issuing from the church, my eyes are attracted by a square flagstone, in the centre of that side of Rie plaza which passes the cathedral door, and goes into Rivadavia Street. I am informed that this is the original founda- tion stone of the city, placed there by Don Pedro de Mendoza in 1534, when, accompanied by 50 knights and 2,500 men he gave to it the title of Santa Maria de Buenos Ayres. * From the cathedral, I stroll to Calle Moreno — the Downing Street of Buenos Ayres — and enter the State Library, which is in the same pile of buildings as the Camara or Parliament house, where the senators and deputies hold their legislative sittings. This library is said to contain from twenty -five to thirty thousand * During the past year, in conse- been covered by an iron plate of a quence of some damage it received few feet square, from the car traffic, this stone has ChAP. TI. THE PARLIAMENT HOUSE. 13 volumes, chiefly ecclesiastical works. Sir Woodbine Parish says, it was founded on the books and manu- scripts sent here by the Jesuits at the time of the ex- pulsion of that body from their celebrated establishment at Cordoba in 1775. In a note to his remarks upon this institution, he observes, that a great number of manuscripts were in the archives of this library in 1830, amongst them, an unpublished portion of Father Guenara’s History. Opposite to the library is the Model College, the chief educational establishment of the province. Although entrance for the public to the Camara* (when Congress meets) is from Moreno Street, the senators and deputies enter from the Calle Peru, which is in the same cuadra. Amongst some carpenters and masons, I pass a small hall, on the right side of which are three rooms, containing tables and writing con- veniences for the members. Passing through two ante- rooms, furnished chiefly with charts and hat-stands, I And myself in the House, beside the president’s chair. The interior of the House is of a semi-circular form ; the room where the senators and deputies sit, though at separate times of meeting — not in two different houses as our Lords and Commons — much resembles the pit of a very small theatre, the front of the pit containing a table for reporters in the position where the orchestra is, and the president’s secretary having a seat, with desk on the front of the stage, between the president and the House. At the back are two rows of galleries, one overtopping the other. These are intended for the public, who are admitted without cards or other formality. Amongst the gallery boxes, is a private one for the foreign consuls, and another, faced by Venetian blinds, for the family or private friends of the president. There is no ornament in the house, save the Argentine National Arms over the chair, a lamp in the centre, and two * This, although hut the Camara of tion of a new Senate House at the the Province, is now being used for southernmost end of Plaza 25 Mayo. National Congress, pending the erec- 14 THE MUSEUM. Chap. IT. glazed frames hanging at each side of the president’s seat, one of which contains a copy of the Declaration of Independence in 1810, and the other, a copy of the Treaty of Peace between Brazil and Buenos Ayres, in 1852. Coining out of the Camara into Peru Street, I find the next door to be that of the old Tribunal of Com- merce and adjoining that building stands the office of the Topographical Department. At the right side of the latter is- a spacious edifice, marked ‘ Deposito y Departamento General de Esciielas,’ whence teachers are supplied by government to schools in town and province. The corner of the square here is bounded by the old college chapel, after passing the university and its museum. This museum is opened to the public only on Sundays, during one of which I paid it a visit. Amongst its curiosities is a lock of hair, two and a half yards long, from the head of a woman, a native of Teneriffe, who died at Buenos Ayres. Here likewise is a series of twenty-three designs on wood, interlaid with mother-of-pearl, representing the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, and accredited as a work of Indian art. It appears to me that even were this executed by the Indians, it must have been accomplished under Spanish guidance, for each square board has a Castilian inscrip- tion within a circle at top, giving a synopsis of the particular scene represented. I noticed also odd frag- ments of megatherium and whalebones, together with a small piece of very hard wood, labelled to show that it is a relic of the first Spanish fortress that was built by Don Hector Rodriguez at Corrientes, date April 3, 1588. A few Egyptian mummies, stuffed skins of boa constrictors, specimens of Paraguay wood, and about a dozen cases of preserved Italian as well as South American birds, complete the collection. This institu- tion was founded by Governor Rivadavia in 1825, and is now under the charge of Dr. Burmeister, a gentleman very eminent in osteology. Erom the museum I cross over to one of the markets, which contains a plentiful store of fish, flesh, fruit, and Chat. TT. THE EXCHANGE. 15 vegetables. The new market, which is a short distance off, occupying a cuadra between Cuyo and Cangallo Streets, is a much better arranged establishment than this. In Buenos Ayres, as well as through many of the provinces, the Italians arc the chief vendors and cultivators of vegetable products. Over the centre gateway, the inscription c lst October 1856,’ no doubt points out the period of its completion. A larger vege- table and meat market than either of those I have mentioned formerly stood near the Chapel of Monserrat, where now the plaza is converted into one of the agree- able squares wherewith Buenos Ayres abounds, and which are, in fact, so many lungs to the city. All of these squares contain comfortable seats for the public. There is also free access to the trees surrounding them, which are not locked in, as in the squares of London, Dublin, and Edinburgh. In the market here a good leg of mutton can be bought for a shilling. The very best beef is seldom higher in price than from a penny to three halfpence per pound, and except when there is an excessive seca or drought, vegetables are equally cheap. The chief market-places for the sale of country pro- duce, as of hides, wool, and so forth, are at the Plaza 1 1 de Setiembre and the Plaza de la Constitucion, the former being at the western, and the latter at the southern end of the town. In these markets are many bullock carts, containing various articles for sale; but in order to ob- serve how they are disposed of I must look in at the Bolsa (or Exchange) between one and three o’clock. This is a pretty little building in San Martin Street, erected in 1861. Here the daily exchange life of Bu- enos Ayres pulsates with vigour. Outside, the Bolsa, with its four prim lamp shades, has the appearance of a respectable village bank. Inside it seemed on my visit at two o’clock crowded to inconvenience. It is lighted from above, and in the centre of the main room is a small circle of sawdust, which is railed in, and which struck me at first as being intended for Lilliputian equestrianism, till I found it to be the circle around 16 THE CLUB HOUSE AND HOSPITAL. Chap. IL which the buyers congregate at the magic voice of the broker. There is a reading-room upstairs, and the light- ing as well as ventilation seem well cared for. In the same street of San Martin, but nearer to the cathedral, is the Foreign Club House. The Foreigners’ Club has been in existence for many years, and is the means of affording social intercourse to members of the various nations resident in the city.* There is likewise a British Library and Reading-room in Calle Defensa. The Commercial Rooms in Calle 25 de Mayo also de- serve mention. This useful establishment abuts close to the Mole, and is furnished with newspapers, telescopes, as well as an azotea, whence all vessels coming in or going out may be discerned. These rooms are the pri- vate property of Mr. Maxwell, who is most courteous to visitors requiring information. In the hall of this house a paper is posted up every morning notifying the arrival and departure of steamers or other vessels, with a list of the passengers. The British Hospital, which was originally established about seventeen years ago, stood then near the Plaza del Parque, in the neighbourhood of what is now the Wes- tern Railway Station, a distance of more than a mile from the river, and therefore very inconvenient for the use of sailors. The new building, which was opened in June 1861, is very elegant, and is within a short distance of the Plata. It is capable of affording internal accommo- dation to nearly a hundred patients, of whom there are four classes — namely, the very poor, of whom a limited number are admitted on the recommendation of a sub- scriber ; sailors attached to ships in the harbour, on whose account payment is secured through the sailing- master ; and two different classes of residents in Buenos Ayres or from the country, who are afforded accommoda- tion in the hospital (medical attendance being of course the same with all classes of the sick), proportionately to their means of paying for it. * Over the fire-place in one of its dent, Mr. Thomas Duguid, of Liver- rooms is a well-executed oil portrait pool, of its chief founder and first presi- Chap. II. PLACES OF INTERMENT. 17 The Protestant or rather foreign burying place, enti- tled the 4 Cementerio,’ is a very neat inclosure at the end of Potosi and Moreno Streets, of about a hundred and fifty yards in measurement, and is thickly planted with the conical pine, cypress, and paradise trees. The Ger- mans and Americans have each separate portions of ground allotted to them — a strange arrangement surely in a city of the dead, in which all classes and nations are equal, and should mingle without distinction. A small church, for the performance of the funeral service, stands in the centre of the ground. The gloom of the whole is increased by what appears to me a superabundance of arborescence. The old cemetery for foreigners was near the Plaza Marte, where the Retiro* (or infantry bar- racks) now exists, but it has been closed for several years in consequence of being filled up. A visit to the 4 Recoleta ’ impressed me with less sad- dening ideas in connection with death than did the place last described. One of the venerable chapels erected by the Jesuits, but which was not completed till 1782 (seven years after the expulsion of that body), stands between the graveyard and the Barranca, overlooking the river. It is at present under the care of the Fran- ciscan Friars, who support an Asilo de Mendigos along- side. The cemetery itself reminded me at first sight of Pere la Chaise. There are several gorgeous monuments of marble in it, erected to the memories of distinguished people, amongst whom is Governor Rivadavia. In the centre is an open sepulchre with a number of tiny cof- fins inside, having engraved on it the following inscrip- tion, 4 Sepulcro de los Ninos Expositos, debido a la munificencia del Ex“° Gobierno del Estado de Buenos Ayres, aho de 1855.’ Some of the neatest monuments in the place are those with the simple inscription, on a garland of immortelles, of the words 4 Mi espero.’ In his excellent work upon Buenos Ayres, Sir Wood- * The old slave-market of Buenos Ayres (opened in 1702) stood here. At later times it had an amphitheatre for bull-fights ; and now in its centre, opposite the barracks, stands an equestrian statue of the celebrated hero of South American independ- ence, General San Martin. 18 POPULATION OF BUENOS AYRES. Chap. II. bine Parish allows, from official data supplied by the celebrated writer Azara, the population of that province in 1800 to have been 71,668, making 40,000 for the city, and 31,668 for the country towns and villages within its jurisdiction. In 1824 the city was estimated to contain 81,136 inhabitants, and the country districts 82,080, making a total of 163,216. This calculation is believed by Sir Woodbine Parish to have been under the mark with reference to the period named, he him- self inclining to consider the gross total as 200,000 souls at least. The last work* which has been published in reference to this part of the world, gives the population (in 1860) of the province of Buenos Ayres as 330,000, an estimate which I believe to be considerably below the reality. I have been informed by the Peruvian Minister, Senor Seoane, that the population of the city is variously calculated at from 150,000 to 200,000, and of the province, including the city, at from 400,000 to half a million. He reckons one-third of the population to be foreigners — the most numerous being Italians, after which he ranks Germans, and then French. The immi- grants from the Basque countries are a most important body here ; but the most successful sheep-farmers in the camp have been, and are, Irishmen. * Description Geor/raphique et Sta- Only two volumes of this work have tistique de la Confederation Argcn- appeared, a third being still promised tine, par V. Martin de Moussy, Paris. by its author. Didot Freres, Fils & Cie", 1860. 19 CHAPTER III. BUENOS AYRES — SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. Other Parish Chapels in Buenos Ayres— The Chapel of San Do- mingo, with the British Flags taken in 1808 — Chapel of San Roque — Parish Church of Barracas — San Pedro de Telmo — English Episcopalian, Scotch Presbyterian, and German Lutheran Churches — ‘ Sociedad de Beneficencia ’ — Its Foimdation by President Riva- davia in 1823— Its 1 Casa de Ejercicios’ — Mode of Support and Government— Number of Schools and Pupils — Its special Charities after the Earthquake at Mendoza — ‘Hospital General de Mujeres’ — Foundling House — ‘ Residencia ’ and ‘ Convalescencia ’ Institu- tions — Sisters of Charity amongst the Lunatics — Connection of Government Education with the Beneficencia Society — Statistics furnished by Senor Acosta, Minister of Public Instruction — Latest Statistics of Education — Free Schools — Concession of the Pro- vincial Government for 1864 — Progressive Statistics of Education in Buenos Ayres — Report of Senor D. T. Sarmiento — Irish Convent of Sisters of Mercy — Irish College at Lobos — National College at Lobos — National College at Buenos Ayres. Independent of the cathedral there are ten parish chapels in Buenos Ayres. The largest of these sacred edifices is the College Church, now occupied and organ- ised in its religious ceremonies by monks of the order of St. Francis. Within the chapel of Santo Domingo, in Defensa Street, are preserved the flags that were taken from the British troops under General Whitelocke, in 1808, at the time of the disastrous attempt to obtain possession of this city. They are, however, exhibited only on festival days, and consist of five or six regimental banners, amongst which is one of the royal marines, and another of a Highland regiment. Not far from this is the chapel of St. Roque of Montpelier, in which Father Fahy and his staff of Irish clergymen officiate; high up in the town is a chapel of St. John, for the use of nuns of that order, and a like edifice for the nuns of St. Katherine is situated in San Martin Street ; near the latter is also a small chapel 'with a school-house attached, c 2 20 PUBLIC CHARITIES. Chat. III. built and endowed by a private person. Santa Lucia chapel of ease is in a district rapidly growing to impor- tance by increase of population on the road to Bar- racas, and there is a chapel called St. Carmen near the convent of the Irish Sisters of Mercy. The parish church of Barracas district, which has been consecrated under the title of Church of the Assumption, is just completed. It stands on the farther end of the main road which leads to the southern district of the province of Buenos Ayres. The Church of St. Peter Telmo near the Residencia is, I believe, the oldest parish chapel in this city; but although it was commenced some few hundred years ago by the Jesuits, it is still incomplete as regards its external architecture. Besides these places of worship, we have an English Episcopalian, a Scotch Presbyterian, an American Dis- senting, and a German Lutheran church, comprising the other religious edifices. The principal public charities of Buenos Ayres are under the protection and regulation of the 4 Sociedad cle Beneficence/ which was founded in 1823, when Senor Rivadavia, a man of most en- lightened character, was governor of this province. From its foundation it was charged with the construction and direction of schools for young girls, of hospitals and or- phan colleges. It is managed by a committee of ladies, of whom the principal officials are a president and secre- tary. The clergy or municipality are not permitted to interfere with their functions, and the chief source of their finances is procured from lotteries. Foremost amongst the adjuvant pillars of its constitu- tion is the Casa de Ejercicios/ a place of retreat for the pious of both sexes, which is superintended by a secu- lar order of religious ladies, entitled 4 Beatas.’ To this establishment refractory married women, condemned by the police magistrates to the punishment of incarceration, are sent for reformation. Supported and regulated by this confraternity of Beneficencia I found an orphans’ school and asylum at the corner of Cangallo Street, opposite the Merced Chapel. This institution had, according to a recent report of Chap. III. THE BENEFICIENCIA. 21 the society,* 3 mistresses and 134 pupils. Of the latter two-thirds receive education gratis, and half of those again are provided with board and lodging. I must explain that the Government helps the society in the character of a benefactor, without interfering with its laws or regulations. With its 44 schools in the camp districts and 1G in the city, the confraternity appears to have 2,076 female pupils amongst the former, and 1,893 amongst the latter. On the occasion of the earthquake at Mendoza, as well as during the recent civil war between the troops of Buenos Ayres and those of the National Government under General Urquiza, this society was very active. The women’s hospital, 4 Hospital General de Mugeres,’ supported by the Beneficeneia, is in all its arrangements a model of neatness and comfort. It is situated in Esme- ralda Street, and although subject to the supervision of three inspectors of wards (ladies), is managed by fourteen Italian religious sisters of the order of Mercy. It affords accommodation, with medical and surgical assistance, to nearly two hundred patients. This hospital was founded by Hon Manuel Rodriguez de la Vega, a native of Bar- celona, who died at Buenos Ayres in 1799, and of whom there is a portrait in the reception-room, facing a like- ness of Mother Jose, the first superioress, when the place was established. The Foundling House is an important institution in connection with the Beneficeneia; and I learn from a report before me that in addition to the 298 children which were under protection last year, 179 have since been added, and that of these 122 have died, 11 been released from the house, and 77 put out to ser- vice. Those released have had paid on their account to the funds of the society $6,035, whilst the labours of the others have produced $1965, added to which the sum of $28,000 balance from 1860, gives a total of $36,000 credit to the asylum. Another of the establishments is the 4 Convalescencia,’ or hospital for lunatics, on the road * Vide Buenos Ayres Standard, Feb. 1862. 22 HOSPITALS. Chap. III. between the chief Matadero of the city and the district of Barracas. There are two establishments for lunatics in this neighbourhood ; one for men, the other for wo- men. The chief male hospital of the city, which is, I believe, supported exclusively by the Corporation, was occupied at the time of my visit by 350 patients, of whom 183 were lunatics, detained here until their new asylum at Convalescencia be completed. The hospital is called the 1 Residencia,’ from its having been formerly the resi- dence of an order of Belamite monks. It is managed by eighteen religious ladies of the order of 4 Filles de Charite,’ and is situated at the upper end of Defensa Street, near the church of St. Peter Teimo, and opposite the establishment of the Faculty of Medicine. It con- tains a large ward for military patients, two wards for fever and chest diseases, one for smallpox, another for incurables, and a room for surgical operations. There are five medical attendants, beside a resident apothecary, attached to the establishment. The court-yards are planted with flowers, and the patients, as well as those who, being in a convalescent state, were sauntering about, had an appearance of comfort and content about them such as is usually recognised in the sick under the care of the 4 Sisters of Charity.’ It was a melancholy sight for me — the farthermost court -yard with its long vaulted ambulatories, where the maniacs were congregated in groups of twos and threes, with the passive expression of their varied imbecili- ties ; mayhap here and there a solitary patient communing with himself on imaginary wrongs, or building up ideal castles of fancies to be accomplished ; the high walls of the hospital house surrounding the square, and the over- shadowing dome of St. Peter Teimo hard by prevented any sunbeam from reaching them, although it was mid- day, and the sun was shining gloriousty. But another light of heaven was there, for the presence of these good sisters shed a hallowed influence around. The following statements in reference to public in- struction have been communicated to me by Senor Chap. III. EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS. 23 . Buenos Acosta, minister of public education in Ayres : — It is only from the year 1860 that the Government of Buenos Ayres, creating funds specially destined for the support of education, has undertaken the task of diffusing such, founding numerous Charity Schools in the capital, and in every town in the country districts. The Government at the same time distributes in profusion funds specially to be applied to the erection of school-houses, models of which can be seen, with observations thereon, in the ‘Third Report of the Corresponding Department for I860,’ 17 of which are com- pleted, and capable of containing 4,000 children, and a similar number are in course of construction or contracted for by the re- spective municipalities.* These, without taking into consideration many more buildings of a similar and with a like object, still are to be constructed in the remaining municipal departments. The method of instruction adopted in these schools is that of North America. The latest statistics on education, compiled in 1860, give 1 8,000 chil- dren of both sexes under course of education. It may be calculated at the same time that the half of this number belong to free schools, and as a matter of course their expenses are defrayed by the Pro- vincial Treasury ; it may be naturally inferred from this, that during the two subsequent yaars this amount of ‘ educandos’ will have greatly increased. This matter may easily be verified on com- paring and consulting the Statistical tables on Public Education, which the Ministry of the National Government, under this branch * is at this moment occupied in compiling. With this object the de- partment of Public Instruction of Buenos Ayres has given the necessary information respecting the same. The Provincial Government of Buenos Ayres has conceded a million of paper dollars for the support of public schools in country districts, and upwards of 600,000 for those of the capital of the Province. During a.d. 1864 the expenses in all probability will exceed these. The Journal ‘ Anales de la Educacion ’ and annual reports which are sent in, supply fuller information in reference to Public In- struction. (Signed) By authority, Manl. Pazos. Buenos Ayres: Sept. 2, 1863. * Vide Appendix No. 1, contain- ing Tables No. 1, 2, and 3 of the present state of education in the province of Buenos Ayres. t The table of statistics obtained for me by Mr. Maxwell, in reference to public and private instruction throughout the republic, includes only six provinces out of the four- teen, and gives but 19,113 pupils as a total ; of which Buenos Ayres pro- vince alone represents 13,618. I therefore deem it better to wait till the statistical tables above spoken of are completed. 24 PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS. Chap. III. The third report of Sehor Don D. J. Sarmiento, c Head of the Department of Schools/ supplies more of the 4 elo- quence of figures ’ than the foregoing, and from this I make a few extracts. From the statements which the Department of Education presents at the end of each scholastic year, which are returned with the information requested, the following is the result of the year 1860 Number of Schools in the Province .... 331 „ Scholars „ .... 17,479 The increase in the diffusion of education, compared with the above numbers, may be easily seen from former ones, namely: — In 1856 1858 1860 Number of Schools . . . 177 246 331 „ Scholars . . . 10,912 13,638 17,479 In 1801, to the programme of Cordoba University, was added a Professorship of Jurisprudence, and in 1809, Dean Funes provided for a Mathematical Pro- fessorship. When the University of Buenos Ayres was about to be established in 1822, Sehor Lozano, a mer- chant, was the only Legum Doctor residing there, Dr. Somellera being at that time in Paraguay. From 1773, in which year 775 children are repre- sented as learning the alphabet in the convents and in five parochial schools (without referring to the revolu- tionary period), we can pass to 1860, when the City of Buenos Ayres, independent of superior studies, affords the following data : — Schools Male Female Total Public 19 18 37 Private . 38 101 139 Total number of Schools • 176 Scholars Male Female Total Public . . 2,446 2,320 4,766 Private . . 2,893 3,549 6,442 Total number of Pupils . . 11,208 Chap. IIT. A HOUSE OF REFUGE. 25 Education in the Country Districts of Buenos Ayres in I860. Schools Boys Girls Total Free 45 44 89 Private 2G 40 66 Total number of Schools • 155 Scholars Boys Girls Total Free Schools 2,358 2,274 4,632 Private „ 702 937 1,639 Total number of Pupils 6,271 Thus showing (as already seen in the second ta that there are nearly 18,000 pupils in the Province of Buenos Ayres. Iso institution exists in the city more praiseworthy than the Irish Convent School and House of Refuge, of which Mrs. Fitzpatrick is the present superioress. This convent has from sixty to seventy female boarders, chiefly the daughters of Irish sheep-fanners in the camp. The edifice is spacious, airy, and well situated, being near the outskirts of the town. It was founded by the indefatigable Father Fahy, the Irishman’s friend, counsellor, and banker, as well as spiritual adviser. Besides a school for the poor, which has upwards of two hundred day pupils, and a hospital, these good sisters undertake the care and education of six orphans. The House of Refuge attached to the school is designed as O o a temporary home for Irish servants out of place. At Lobos, one of the southern partidos of Buenos Ayres, and situated about twenty-five leagues from the capital, a college was established in November 1862. Its principal was Doctor Fitzinion. This establishment was founded by the Irish sheep- farmers, who subscribed 90,000 paper dollars (say from 800£. to 900L) for its erection. In the middle of last year (1863) there were forty resident pupils in this institution, for each of whom is paid a pension of 300 paper dollars (or about 3/.) per month. The education here is chiefly of a secular character. The 4 National College ’ was established in the city 26 THE NATIONAL COLLEGE. Chap. III. (luring the last year likewise, under the management of two Frenchmen, Messrs. Jacques and Le Gant. Each province of the Republic is allowed by its constitution to send a certain number of pupils to this school for gratuitous education — the total number limited to forty — of course on the recommendation of a senator or deputy of the province in question. Boarders here pay 400 paper dollars per month; clay-pupils, 100. Its staff consists of a president, vice-president, three officials, and five professors. The general style of education, if I may judge from the programme, being more philo- sophical than practical. 27 CHAPTER IV. SCENES AT A MATADERO. Visit to the Boca — Peculiarities of its Appearance — Barracas Bridge — Saladeros — Chevalier de St. Robert’s Opinion about the Gauchos — Of the Operations at a Matadero — Moaning of Animals about to be killed — Gauchos always galloping — Mistaken Notion of expecting humane Sympathy in their work from the Slayers of Cattle — Visit to the Slaughtering Place at a Saladero — Peculiar Odour in the Neighbourhood — Cows and Bullocks kicking, although their Heads are off — Modus operandi of curing Beef — Cadiz Salt invariably used — Oil obtained from the Refuse —One Sight such as this enough for a Lifetime — Not agreeing with M. de Robert’s Theory, nevertheless — Brutality at Saladeros in Cordoba, in former times. Inviting the reader to accompany me in my peregrina- tions, I am off through Balcarce Street, past the Custom- house in an omnibus plying to the Boca. This is the mouth, as its name signifies, of the Riochuelo, into which all the small craft of Buenos Ayres enter, as to a dock, in order to convey cargo to and from the ships in the roads. Our track brings us close by the river’s side, under the British Hospital, and along a highway very much developed in the matter of ruts. Here the horse’s feet and the wheels of the omnibus have to plough through six inches deep of soft sand, mingled with no inconsiderable quantity of fine dust. On through a turnpike gate, which brings us into the Boca territory, and in a few minutes we find ourselves in a village con- taining stores of every nondescript kind for the purchase of sea-faring men. With the change of name the scene before us is a fac-simile of the illustration of Quilp’s Wharf in Dickens’ admirable tale of the 4 Old Curiosity Shop.’ A very large traffic exists on the road by which we have passed, such indeed as would give one reason to hope that the line of railway projected to extend from the Custom-house to this locality will prove a very pro- 28 SLAUGHTER-HOUSES. Chap. IV. fitable undertaking. The Boca, properly so called, in- cludes both banks of the river, from its mouth to Bar- racas Bridge, a distance of nearly three miles. It has an average of from 4 to 4 J- feet of water over the bar, but at high tides vessels drawing 14 feet can enter. Inside, the average depth, except in spring tides, does not exceed 9 feet. Along its banks the shipping and discharging of cargo, as well as the building and repairing of boats, are carried on with energy. Continuing our route on the left bank of the river whilst advancing towards Barracas Bridge — having quitted the omnibus at Boca village, and expecting to fall in with another about half a mile further on — we cannot avoid being im- pressed with the large extent of Barracas and Saladeros in places which a few years ago were nothing but swampy marshes. The operations at these Saladeros constitute, in con- junction with sheep-farming, the chief source of the country’s wealth. I was, therefore, anxious to witness the mode in which they are conducted. Moreover, look- ing at the matter from an ethnological point of view, I desired to see if the Gaucho character as displayed at these slaughter-houses agreed with Mr. M 4 Coll’s descrip- tion of it, which I have already mentioned, or whether it presented the sanguinary aspect described by M. Che- valier de St. Robert.* The latter authority says : 4 The readiness to shed blood — a ferocity which is at the same time obstinate and brutal — constitutes the prominent feature in the character of the Gaucho. The first thing that the infantile hand of the Gaucho grasps is the knife — the first thing that attracts his attention as a child are the pouring out of* blood and the palpitating flesh of expiring animals.’ Thence M. de St. Robert infers : — 4 He lifts his knife against a man with the same indif- ference that he strikes down a bullock ; the idea which everywhere else attaches to the crime of homicide, does not exist in his mind ; for in slaying another he yields not less to habit than to the impulse of his barbarous nature.’ * Vide Hadfield’s Brazil , River Plate, $c., page 302. Chap. IV. THE CORRAL. 29 However, it is too late to witness the operations of the Saladero to-day, as they are carried on before the sun comes out; so having made arrangements to visit an establishment now in full work, I set off on the follow- ing morning, accompanied by Mr. Getting, who kindly placed his carriage at my disposal. Starting at six o'clock, in the coldest atmosphere I have ever felt, we passed by one of the Mataderos, where they kill cows and bullocks for the markets, and halted to have a view of the proceedings. A flock of carnivo- rous birds was hovering about the place, and screaming, no doubt with satisfaction, at the feast of 4 offal ’ which they had in prospect. A CORRAL. There were three corrals* in a line, each containing a number of animals, while outside were half a dozen scaf- fold stalls, on whose hooks carcases were suspended in variously progressing conditions of being cut up. Men on horseback were galloping in and out, each rider now * A corral is an in closure fabri- trees — generally of the Nandubaya cated of the crooked branches of wood. 30 A GAUCHO’S HORSE. Chap. IV. and then throwing a lasso over the horns of a frightened animal, whose moaning misery — for they are all bellowing — seems to proceed from a consciousness of the horrible death before it. What a strange thing that a Gauclio’s horse when moving is almost always on the gallop ! His steed is even cantering now as it drags out that poor brute, which is scarcely outside the corral gate when it receives a gash in the haunch from the knife of a butcher standing there for the purpose, and who, seemingly quite alive to his business, as the beast is dragged on with its hamstrung limb, walks after it, till in a convenient place he thrusts the blade up to the hilt in its throat. The blood spurts out, and the animal becomes infuriated in its struggle for freedom, the chance of which is lessened every moment, owing to the triple influence of the lasso, the incised haunch, and the loss of blood. A like operation is being carried on at each of the corrals. A number of men are engaged in skinning, disembowelling, cutting up, and placing the carcases in carts that are standing by ; whilst the butchers, car-drivers, and gauchos are laugh- ing and telling funny stories to each other, with no more apparent feeling for the brutes they are slaughter- ing, than is shown by the dogs which are wallowing in the streams of blood that flow about. My humani- tarian reader will not, I trust, think the worse of me for saying that I did not expect any sensitiveness of feeling in those engaged in an occupation like this, with whom it occurs to me that it would be out of place, and is such a maudlin thing as not to be pos- sessed by butchers in any part of the world. Another mile of road, and after crossing the Barracas Bridge, we reached the part of the Saladero district whither we were bound. Even in this bracing morning air there came over me a gush of peculiar odour, such as I had never been cognisant of before. This, I was told by my fellow-traveller, arose from the putrid blood of thousands of slain cattle being allowed to stagnate in pits. A Buenos Ayrean flag over the office of the Saladero, to which we were bound, indi- SALADERO Chap. IV. SALADEROS. 31 cated to us the place of our destination. Leaving the carriage we walked, through the gate, and between several hundred yards of paling, fixed in the ground for the purpose of drying beef upon — past several clusters of cows’ horns, arranged in squares as a foundation for ricks of dried beef — by little heaps of hoofs, and bones, and tails — to the slaughtering place, where, under a shed, amidst a number of men and boys, semi-naked and wholly smeared with blood, I saw the operations in full vigour. A dozen or more persons armed with knives, were skelping away amongst cows and bullocks half skinned; some of these animals decapitated, yet kicking vigorously, whilst streams of blood flowed everywhere. A range of operating spaces, extending about a hundred yards, all covered overhead, save the small corral at the end, a frame on wheels for dragging the bodies out of the latter to the floor of a long shed open at its sides, where the skinners, bleeders, and dissectors were at work ; a shed farther on, enclosed all round, in which the cut-up meat was hanging upon hooks, and undergoing the process of cooling; a con- tinuation of this latter shed, where four men were dexterously carving the beef into large flat steaky pieces, which were first thrown into brine, and then heaped on the top of other masses already placed on the floor, with thick layers of salt between — such was the scene now presented to us. At the corral, standing on a platform of a single board, placed at the height of about four feet from the ground, the presiding gaucho throws his lasso in amongst a crowd of beasts. Xever missing his aim, he captures two together with a single cast over the horns. The other end of the lasso rope just thrown in is then fastened to a piece of wood, and pulled by two horses through a running block. On the capture of the animals, they are dragged by the horses to a narrow passage, leading from the corral to the shed, and directly under the platform, where the gaucho now stands knife in hand. In less time than I have taken to describe it, he pushes the knife into the spine of each captured brute, just where the skull 32 SALADEROS. Chap. IV. joins the back-bone. Down they drop. A bar which kept them inside till now is removed by an attendant boy ; the horses drag them underneath the first shed, by means of the wheeled frame on which they are lying, and whence they are at once tumbled off, bled, skinned, beheaded, cut up, and pickled. Amidst the gleaming of knives I observed some of these animals kicking, whilst their heads were lying in wheelbarrows hard by. The flesh is taken off the bones, though yet reeking in blood and vapour, and is sent off in barrows to the adjoining shed, to be hung up for a few minutes. The hide is wheeled off to the preserving pit adjoining. The tongues, hoofs, bones, tails, ears, and intestines are consigned to their respec- tive destinations ; and even the ordure is kept to be sold for mingling in the manufacture of bricks. In five minutes after the animal is slaughtered, its flesh is salted, its hide is in process of being cured, the refuse of its bones and the fat of its bowels are being boiled in order to extract oil from them ; and the work is going on with the same celerity and completeness of mechanical skill, all the day long. Such is the perfec- tion to which this manipulation has arrived, that they sometimes kill and convert into salt beef, a thousand cattle in a single day. The meat, after being salted, is left for twenty-four hours in a mass, then turned and salted again, after which it goes through two other saltings and turnings, at intervals of five days, when it is hung out on the palings to dry. In all these operations Cadiz salt is invariably used ; the Saladeristas finding it less soluble, and therefore more economical than that which comes from Liverpool. The oil, which is obtained by boiling the refuse of bones and other parts in large vats at the end of the salting place, is divided into two kinds. The first flows off by the simple action of heat; the second is obtained by pressure and is therefore of an inferior quality. The pressed refuse of the latter is used for fire material, and Chap. IV. REVOLTING SIGHTS. 33 purchasers are always required to take ten per cent, of the whole amount bought. Had I not been witness of it, I could scarcely have believed that, while hanging on hooks in the salting- room, there is sometimes evidence of life in these cut- up carcases discernible in the contractions of their mus- cular vitality. I recognised more than one instance of this in pieces of meat to which the salt had been applied. The most revolting sight I witnessed here was the headless trunk of an animal in a state of convulsions, whilst the action of the lungs was still vigorously performed ; and I left the saladero with an impression that, as regards ordinary humanity, one visit to an establishment of this kind would be sufficient for a life-time. Nevertheless I saw no ground for assenting to M. de Robert’s theory, which I am still inclined to doubt till it be proved to me, that the criminal statistics of civilised countries show a preponderance of market butchers amongst human murderers. For here I saw no children whose attention could be attracted by 4 the pouring out of blood ’ and the 4 palpitating flesh of expiring animals.’ Whilst on the subject of saladeros, I may mention that, having visited Cordova subsequent to the operations just described, I was informed the custom existed here in former times of skinning the neck and head of a cow or bullock whilst the animal was alive, in order to preserve the hide in its integrity. These parts having been first flayed, it was stuck in the usual place. But this ope- ration rendered the nervous function so feeble, that frequently cases occurred where they did not bleed when stabbed; consequently the meat was lost. The practice has happily been for some years abolished by an edict of the provincial government. D 34 CHAPTER V. AROUND BUENOS AYRES. To Moreno by Western Railway — Unprotected State of Streets through which the first Part of Line passes — Plaza 11 de Se- tiembre — San Jose de Flores — Its historic Associations — Station of San Martin, near the Battle-field of Caseros — Diligencias from Moreno to Mercedes — Statistics of Western Railway Company — Examples of how it has raised the value of Land near Moron and Moreno — San Fernando Railway — Its future Advantages to Buenos Ayres — Government Concession — A Drive to Belgrano — Lava- dero del Pobre Diablo — Five Miles of Washerwomen — Palermo — Its present Condition — Railways to Boca, Chasocomos, and Ensenada — Steamers plying on Plata — Parana — Wool Exports from Buenos Ayres — Increase of British Trade here — Board of Trade Statistics — Table of Exports drawn up by Mr. Daniel Maxwell — Duty on Wool — Comparative Exports during 1861 and 1862 — Fluctuation in Freights. A trip to Moreno by the Western Railway brings me into part of the country district of Buenos Ayres city. The station is in the Plaza del Parque, opposite the artillery barracks ; and as I leave by the first train on Sunday morning, I am surprised at the large passenger traffic. There must be a considerable sporting com- munity here; for a great number of my bourgeois fellow-travellers are provided with guns and other shooting tackle. Mr. Allen, the conducting engineer of the company (to whom I am indebted for much useful information in reference to the working of the line), informs me that they sometimes carry more than three thousand passengers a day to and from the different stations. Emerging from the terminus, we cross the plaza on a single line of rails, quite unprotected. A decided CiiAr. y. NOVEL MODE OF TRAVELLING. 35 curve round the corner of the artillery barracks brings us through the centre of Parque Street ; another deflec- tion to the left conducts up Corrientes Street; and crossing again at the end of Ouyo and Cangallo Streets we are soon at the first station — the 4 Plaza 11 de Setiembre,’ so called in memory of the revolution of 1852, when the people endeavoured to throw off the control of General Urquiza — a movement only con- summated at the battle of Pavon, on September 17, 1861. To travellers accustomed to the protection existing on European railways, a roaring engine, dragging a train of carriages after it, through streets so narrow that one can almost touch the houses on either side, is at first sight rather startling. But I have been assured that no accident has ever happened from this apparently dangerous mode of travelling, although more than a mile of streets is occupied in the journey to the plaza. The Plaza 11 de Setieinbre is one of the princi- pal market-places for country produce, and I notice a large number of the high- wheeled six-bullock carts about — some empty and all unyoked. In the neigh- bourhood of this place there is evidence of wealth and enterprise in granaries, breweries, and distilleries. Be- tween it and the next station we pass many beautiful quintas, and at the station of San Jose de Flores, a distance of only three miles from the city, is a pretty public garden, the property of the railway company. Here also is one of the old Jesuitical churches. San Jose is an historic spot. In 1842 President Kosas caused the road to it from Buenos Ayres to be made quite level, out of respect for the remains of General Quiroga, which were brought to this place from Cor- dova in an urn to be buried. Quiroga, who had the reputation of being one of the bravest men in the Argentine republic, was assassinated by Santos Perez in 1836. The next station is San Martin, not far from the site of the battle-field of Caseros, where Urquiza defeated Rosas on February 3, 1852. At the time of the 36 THE WESTERN RAILWAY. Chap. V. battle, the town, now called San Martin, was entitled Santos Lugares.* From hence to Moreno the scenery has no attractive features, and I may here give a few practical details about the line, which have been related to me by Mr. Allen. From Moreno a set of c diligencias 1 ply to Mercedes, forty-five miles further on, leaving the station twice and thrice a day, on the arrival of trains. Similar conveyances run in other directions, as to Lujan, Lobos, Arrecifes, Pergamino, Salta, Rojas, Veintey- cinco de Mayo, once a day, and twice or thrice a week southward to Azul, for further travelling to Punta de Independence, near the Sierra de Taudil. These dili- gencias travel throughout the province of Buenos Ayres, and are well organised; but the contemplated extension of this railroad to Mercedes, and the pro- jected railway to Chasocomos in the south of the province, will, when opened, render many of them un- necessary, as well as aid very much in benefiting the province. The Western Railway was commenced by a company organised in 1855, with a capital of three and a half millions of paper dollars (that is to say, about 28,000/. English money), but its operations had to be sus- pended on account of a deficiency of cash, until the go- vernment assisted the proprietors with a loan of three million paper dollars, or about 24,000/. This enabled them to have the line opened as far as San Jose de Flores, in 1857. At the time of my visit the traffic, including produce as well as passengers, was paying between six and seven per cent, on the whole of the capital. One of the conditions of agreement between the government and the company was to the effect that the former shall demand no interest on their money until nine per cent, be realised. Subsequently the government advanced a further loan of four million paper dollars (32,000/.) to aid in The Spanish for ‘holy places.’ Chap. V. THE LINE TO MERCEDES. 37 the continuation of the line as far as Moron, nine miles beyond San Jose, and afterwards a like sum to advance the railway to its present terminus of Moreno. First-class passengers are carried on this line at the rate of a penny per mile, and second-class for three farthings. The produce of the country, such as wheat, maize, hides, wool, and so forth, is transported for a freight not exceeding one penny per ton per mile. As an example of the extent to which this railway has raised the value of land in its vicinity, I may state that Senor Alcorta bought, at a little distance from the Moreno station, a tract of ground of two and a half leagues square at the rate of six hundred paper dollars (from 51 . to 6/.) per cuadra (150 yards). After the railway station was erected on the property, the land was sold by auction, being divided into lots for ' building ; and some of it realised the enormous amount of from thirty-five to forty thousand paper dollars (275/. to 315/.) per cuadra. At Moron likewise an enterprising miller, M. De la Boche, bought, in 1855, thirty cuadras of ground for sixteen thousand paper dollars. He then treated with the company to bring the line through his property, offering them a grant in perpetuity of three cuadras — room for a station — and the land occupied by the rails. After the inauguration of the line to Moron, he divided his land into building lots, and sold it by auction. Several cuadras were sold for a hundred thousand dollars each, and some lots of a yard square and sixty yards deep produced two thousand dollars per yard. The company have since obtained from the provincial camara at Buenos Ayres a guarantee of seven per cent, upon 8,000/. per mile for the prolongation of the line to Mercedes. This will be a most useful continuation for the agricultural interest in that part of the province, as the present expensive mode of land carriage renders the conveyance of grain to Buenos Ayres next to impossible. In the Chivilcoy district of Mercedes the maize is sometimes cultivated in such abundance as to 38 THE POOR DEVIL’S WASHING-HOUSE. Chap. V. be used for fire-material, at less loss than paying its expensive freight to the capital. The railway to San Fernando, which was opened in 1862, has its terminus near the gas-works, on the edge of the river. San Fernando, which may be entitled the Richmond of Buenos Ayres, is situated about eigh- teen miles north of the town, near to the spot where the little River Tigre falls into the Parana, as the latter debouches into the River Plate. Amongst the advantages expected from this line of railway are, the aid it will render in bringing daily to the Buenos Ayres market the products of dairy, vegetable, and fruit farms, as well as lowering the present enormous fare of omnibus con- veyance — six shillings in summer and ten shillings in winter for such a comparatively short distance as that to San Fernando. It is also an important con- sideration for the future of Buenos Ayres that, hear the terminus of San Fernando, goods will be landed or shipped, and that thus the dangers and delays now incurred by all kinds of sailing-craft in the exposed roadsteads will be avoided. By the government con- cession, bearing date July 18, 1859, a minimum divi- dend of seven per cent, is guaranteed on the capital of 150,000^. The operations and privileges of the com- pany were sanctioned by a special law of the legislature of Buenos Ayres, dated June 25, 1859. Driving out along the line, in company with its energetic contractor, Mr. Murray, I pass beneath the Recoleta, and by the residence of our worthy consul, Mr. Frank Parish, through one of the prettiest sub- urban districts of the capital. The first thing which attracts my attention as I drive along is an institution labelled ‘ Lavadero del Pobre Diablo,’ or the 4 Poor Devil’s Washing-house,’ owned, as I am told, by a man who has made his fortune in washing by machinery the clothes of every poor devil who has money enough to pay for them. Although I am rather doubtful with regard to a mo^eau of statistical information given to me by Mr. Murray, that there are 4 five miles of washerwomen on the beach at Buenos Ayres,’ still, as Chap. V. PROJECTED RAILWAYS. 39 we advance, the number of soap nymphs of all tribes and colours who are by the river’s side, mingled with clumps of dark earth, patches of green herbage, and 1 leaps of white clothes, seem to me sufficient to give Buenos Ayres the title of the 1 washerwomanest, ’ as Dublin is the 4 car-drivingest,’ city in all creation. The first place of note passed by on this road is Palermo, the former residence of General Rosas. It is now quite deserted, but the grounds bear ample evidence of the enormous expense bestowed on making it a most luxurious residence. Groves of orange and peach trees are still there. Weeds, however, are growing up on the once well-kept walks, and the silence of desolation reigns inside those walls, where once the Dictator and his charming daughter Manuelita reigned supreme. There is no doubt that Mr. Hadfield’s # prediction of the place soon going to ruin and decay would have been verified, but that it is about to be converted into an hotel and pleasure grounds by the enterprising Mr. Murray. There is to be a station not far from the house, between which and the river the line passes. Whilst on the subject of railways, I may mention that three new ones are projected — the first to the Boca, which will prove of great utility to the custom-house, as well as to the commercial interest of the town ; the second to Chasocomos ; and the third to Ensenada, the contract for which last has been given to Mr. Wheel wright. f On the other side of the main road is a square of cottage-looking houses, which I am told were stables in the time of the Dictator, but which are now tenanted by the prisoners condemned to work on the roads. The steamers now plying on the River Plate and its interior tributaries are the following: — The ‘Libertad,’ which goes twice a week to and from Buenos Ayres and Monte Video ; the 4 Pavon,’ from Buenos Ayres twice a week to Rosario and the intermediate ports; the 4 Dolorgitas,’ between the last-named place, Santa Fe, * Iladfield’s Brazil and Rivet' Plate, p. 271. t Appendix No. 2. Concession for the Ensenada Railway. 40 STEAMERS. Chap. V. and Parana; the 4 Espigador 7 and the 4 Esmeralda 7 like- wise ply weekly to Rosario, the former going on to Corrientes. For Asun^on, the capital of Paraguay, there are two steamers monthly — -the 4 Ipora 7 and the 4 Salto de Guayra . 7 The 4 Marques de Olinda , 7 a Bra- zilian steamer, likewise goes as far up as Curumba in the Brazilian territory, from whence there is also a small steamer plying to Cuyaba in the same empire. The national steamer 6 Changador 7 goes from Buenos Ayres up the Uruguay, transporting sheep to the Banda Oriental; and there is likewise the steamer 4 Corrientes , 7 that visits Bahia, Blanca, and Patagonia. Up the Uruguay from Monte Video there is the 4 Villa del Salto , 7 and likewise a steamer from Buenos Ayres, called the 4 Salto , 7 both of which ply to the same town of Salto. Sen or Llavarello has built a steamer, entitled the 4 Gran Chaco , 7 at Santa Fe, to explore and open trade with the Rio Bermejo, and the enterprising Estevan Rams y Rubert is in full progress with the Salado River Navigation Company, of which more hereafter. The national steamer 4 Caaguazu 7 plies between Buenos Ayres and Colonia in the Banda Oriental twice a week ; and the national steamer 4 Construction 7 also runs twice a week between Monte Video and Buenos Ayres. An approximate idea of the amount of trade between Great Britain and this part of the world may be formed from the following returns issued by the Board of Trade:— Board of Trade Returns — Great Britain. Value of Exports to tlie River Plate During tlie year 1858 )> 1859 1860 Value of Imports from the River Plate During the year 1858 „ „ 1859 „ 1860 £1,008,819 1,652,299 2,705,170 £1,718,367 2,375,197 1,968,956 Besides these there was a large amount of exports Chap. V. TRADE OF BUENOS AYRES. 41 from continental countries to the River Plate, as well as a considerable quantity of produce sent from that river to France, Holland, Hamburg, and the United States, chiefly drawn for by credits on England. Of the foregoing tables it may be presumed that this province has a very large share, if we may j udge by the returns of exports from Buenos Ayres in the last of the above-mentioned years : — Exports from Buenos Ayres , 1860. 454,303 salted ox-liides valued at 25/ each . 1,217,771 dry ditto n 20/ 285,099 salted horse -hides ii 8/ 60,048 dry ditto ii 5/ _ . 11,593 pipes of tallow ii £25 per pipe 8,757 boxes ditto ii £16 per box 48,766 hales of wool ii £25 per bale 3,046 bales of horsehair ii £50 „ 8,951 hales of sheep-skins ii £30 „ 499,788 quintals of jerked beef ii 10/ per ql. £ 567,878 1,217,771 114,059 15,012 231,860 140,012 1,219,150 152,300 268,530 249,894 £4,176,466 The first exportation of wool from Buenos Ayres mentioned in Sir Woodbine Parish’s work gives 32,417 arrobas, or in fact only 835 bales for the year 1822. How the exports have increased since that time may be imagined from the fact, that the Buenos Ayrean go- vernment returns for the first half of 1861 show the value of wool export over that of hides to be nearly 200 , 000 /. That the worth of British goods imported into Buenos Ayres has advanced in a like ratio is apparent from what Sir Woodbine Parish gives as an average for cottons, woollens, and yarns in this city during the years 1849-1850 — namely, 37,719,645 yards; for in the year 1861 it was represented by 47,350,856 yards from Eng- land alone. The year 1862, however, shows a depres- sion to 17,712,426 yards — a decrease no doubt materially owing to the injury received from the war in the United States by the cotton interest of England, and partially due to the war in this republic. The following table compiled by Mr. Daniel Maxwell 42 EXPORTS Chap. V. of Buenos Ayres shows the progressive increase of ex- ports since Sir Woodbine Parish’s work was published in 1852, chiefly exemplified in the article 4 wool.’ BUENOS AYRES. Comparative Table of Produce Exports from Nov. 1, 1854, to Oct. 31, 1862. Horsehair Dry Hides Salted Hides Bales Bags Ox and Cow Horse Ox and Oow Horse From Nov. 1, to Oct. 31, 1854, 1855 | 2,7921 1,407 905,525 21,176 394,556 146,593 Do. 1855 1856 2,759 1,519 800,775 28,412 413,997 143,913 Do. 1856 1857 3,167 2,070 968,776 51,503 440,525 227,037 Do. 1857 1858 2,993 1,600 1,055,374 59,585 317,251 113,021 Do. 1858 1859 2,190 1,176 973,063 57,538 535,839 131,231 Do. 1859 1860 2,681 1,301 1,189,709 96,152 423,421 213,888 Do. 1860 1861 3,209 1,044 1,071,276 48,138 367,074 161,411 Do. 1861 1862 2,454 1,256 1,200,791 54,033 350,590 123,095 Wool Sheep Skins Tallow and Mares Grease Bales Bags Bales Dozens Pipes ! Cases From Nov. 1, to Oct. 31, 1854, 1855 1 28,616^ 756 6,382 69f 15,050 7,978 Do. 1855 1856 32,142 225 6,466 52 12,8661 8,137 Do. 1856 1857 37,4051 832 7,836 92 12,968 19,968 Do. 1857 1858 35,869f 7651 8,247 3 7,2971 3,404 Do. 1858 1859 45,3411 974 8,107 13,002| 8,544 Do. 1859 1860 40,064 1,659 11,673 10 10,0731 7,931 Do. 1860 1861 57,969 2,586 9,419 n* 16,6761 16,267 Do. 1861 1862 66,795 1,829 10,579 13,7411 15,233 It will be seen that the average annual increase of wool during these eight years has been 237*8 per cent. On it there is an export tax of 15 per cent. The following statistics, given to me in Spanish by Mr. C. T. Getting of Buenos Ayres, and translated by Mr. R. Benn of Rosario, demonstrate the relative exporta- tion to the foreign countries named during the last three years, as well as the corresponding value and fluctua- tions in freights : — Ciiap. V. EXPORTS. 43 BUENOS AYRES. Exportation from Oct. 1, 1860, to Sept. 30, 1861. 1860-1861 Ox and Cow Hides Horse Hides "Wool Horsehair Sheep Skins Destination Dry Salted Dry Salted Bales Bags Bales Bags Bales 1 England . . 11,384 214,734 3,935 111,093 5,926 1,075 1,994 587 1,033 North America 152,753 480 4,217 10,688 366 371 228 1 Spain . . . 294,308 833 25,344 634 163 Havre . . . 73,772 42,854 6,698 47,014 11,710 1 31 392 84 1,152 Bordeaux . . . 1,426 50 2,521 1,438 105 34 610 Cette . . . 963 6,905 205 1,237 2,152 Marseilles . . 54,097 1,976 *3,064 2,604 14 72 2,219 Germany . . 38,195 17,286 1,300 . 2,726 21 15 Antwerp . . 278,946 66,334 5,653 14,792 24,983 ’ 321 361 42 278 Genoa . . . 184,045 1,406 2,259 7,978 298 13 19 176 272 Various parts 2,785 2,000 3,320 6,000 19 1,091,248 3o3,7 i 8 51,220 197,313 61,792 1,925 3,264 1,117 7,732 Increase o f Exports to the following Markets during 1860-1861. 1860-1861 Ox and Cow Hides Horse Hides Wool j Horsehair Sheep Skins Destination Dry Salted Dry Salted 1 Bales Bags Bales Bags Bales England . . , 96,817 36,377 # 1,116 . North America 4,217 293 51 1 Spain . . . 91,974 723 1,656 89 Havre . . . 27,608 1,942 42,929 1,127 30 Bordeaux . . 2,521 808 85 33 Cette . . . 6,905 135 748 Marseilles . . 16,232 794 2,280 503 14 13 Germany . . 22,643 1,270 980 21 15 Antwerp . . 3,863 12,148 32 . Genoa . . . 17,734 7,963 . 10 86 47 Various parts ’ 664 6,000 148,583 132,053 10,324 114,435 4,255 432 1,183 169 63 Total Increase of Exports during 1860 -1861. 42,857 113,988 76 188 261 Comparative Table of Exportation of Produce for the following Five Years. Exports from Spring to Spring Cueros (Ox and Cow) Hides Horse Hide Wool Horsehair Sheep Skins 1857 1858 1858 1859 1859 1860 1860 1861 1861 1862 Dry 1,054,541 1,001,991 1,207,344 1,091,248 1,268,192 Salted 320,808 551,433 449,579 353,778 310,921 Dry 61,556 61,946 73,001 51,220 53,281 Salted 102,722 140,946, 170,492 197,313 83,325 Bales 34,235 49,970 37,542 61,792 61,716 Bags 350 1,253 860 1,925 1,737 Bales 2,629 2,930 2,316 3,264 3,003 Bags 1,360 809 1,037 ] 1,117 I 1,163 Bales 8,530 8,927 11,006 7,732 12,272 5,623,316 1,986,519 301,004 1 694,798 245,255 6,125 14,142 5,486 1 50,476 44 INCREASE OE EXPORTS Chap. V, BUENOS AYRES. Exportation from Oct. 1, 1861, to Sept. 30, 1862. 1861-1862 Ox and Cow Hides Horse Hides Wool Horsehair i Sheep Skins Destination Dry Salted Dry Salted Bales Bags Bales Bags Bales England . . 83,524 117,917 14,982 74,716 6,165 1,191 878 785 1,561 North America 346,272 8,000 1,135 . 13,090 73 815 177 Spain . . . 202,334 110 23,688 781 74 4 10 Havre . . . 82,901 15,246 4,756 4,085 10,583 1 749 97 1,569 Bordeaux . . 2,134 2,000 160 630 20 1 4 1,924 Cette . . . 2,738 70 300 489 19 3,635 Marseilles . 37,865 4,721 1,182 784 2,181 59 2,761 Germany . 11,552 24,258 30 1,746 Antwerp . . 314,392 118,544 1,790 2,644 26,222 430 463 10 558 Genoa . . . 166,311 6,951 2,852 15 353 3 34 90 225 Various parts 14,169 13,174 2,656 263 29 1,263,192 310,921 53,281 83,325 61,716 1,737 3,003 1,163 12,272 | Increase of Exports to the following Markets during 1861-1862. 1861-1862 Ox and Cow Hides Horse Hides Wool Horsehair Sheep Skins Destination Dry Salted Dry Salted Bales Bags Bales Bags Bales England . . 72,140 11,047 239 116 198 528 North America 193,519 8,000 635 2,402 444 Spain . . . *147 4 10 Havre . . . 9,129 357 13 417 Bordeaux . . 2,134 574 110 4 1,314 Cette . . . 1,775 . # . 300 19 • • 1,483 Marseilles . . 4,721 542 Germany . . 6,972 Antwerp . . 35,446 52,210 . 1,239 109 102 280 Genoa . . . 55,45 *593 , 55 15 Various parts 11,314 11,174 244 29 325,527 89,196 12,385 447 4,179 244 922 215 4,603 Total Increase of Exports during 1861 -1862. 176,944 2,061 46 4,540 Exportation of Produce to Europe , with corresponding Value and Fluctuations in Freight llates. Chap. V. AVERAGE PRICES. 45 o o o to o o © © © © © © 8 o o iO 1- tp © tp © »p tp © p OS CO © 00 to 00 to t- cb CO 6s CM U CO o o o © © © © © ft 1-1 1-1 1-1 rH 1—1 1—1 pH r “ l r “ l 1-1 . >> CO wo (M 00 o 00 © CM CM © r-» o o o OS 00 OS CO © © © © © ° £ r— < r-H •— 1 o o © O o o o C> • cM to CM CM to CO © © rH to o g l>- r- l>- t- l- CO O to CM o to CM to CM to to a • OS CM r — 1 t— 1 1—1 i-H © © © © © CM CM CM • to tp p § »b OS t'- ft CM (M to 6s © 6s 6s Jh M CM CM CM rH © © Fh rH rH 1-1 1-1 rH 1—1 t “ l 1 1 of tH Hot HCt Cw > oo OS OS o © © t- to to rH 0 ) r-J rH rH to rH to to rH rH rH rH rH rH P3 02 o o o o o © to tO © © © 2 rH p tp CO to T“ 1 o CM tp CM p p I CO x^- © CM CM to 6s CM OS 00 to 00 OS O © © © rH rH CM l in old times of the melancholy ululatus of the ban- shee in Ireland; and this is the watchman, whose title is 4 sereno.’ A real old Charley he is too, as we see him pass our door on a winter moonlight night, with his grey top-coat, cap like a monk’s cowl, long spear, and lantern. It occupies him at least a minute and a half to drawl out — for he pronounces every letter — the cry of 4 L-a-s - d-i-e-z - han d-a-d-o - y - s-e-r-e-n-o’ — that is to say, 4 Ten o’clock has struck and it’s serene ’ — a melody which is repeated by every watchman in town at the same hour.* This refrain is chanted each half hour during the night, with no difference except as regards the time, and that occasionally the words 4 y sereno ’ are changed into 4 y nublado,’ indicating a brewing in the clouds of something tempestuous. Sun-heat and dust by day — watchmen and dogs throughout the night ! — these are strongly marked characteristics of cities on the river Parana. Every- one who has been for any time resident in a tropical climate must be aware of the intense heat caused by the sun. Although the Plate (like the Parana) is situated in parallels of latitude some degrees south of the southernmost limits allowed to the Tropic of Capri- corn, the temperature during our summer time is as intensely hot as I have ever felt it in the neighbourhood of the equator. * A very amusing illustration of sereno watchfulness is contained in the following sketch, copied from the Buenos Ayres Standard, June 27, 1863 : — ‘ A terrible row occurred, a few nights ago, between two u se- renos.” One fellow was shouting out “ Half-past eleven o’clock, and all serene ! ” when, just as he turned the corner, he met one of his companions, who was crying out “ Twelve o’clock, and cloudy!” The Calle Bolmar man demanded, in the most peremp- tory manner, what the other meant by shouting out such a lie ; and the answer received was the poke of a lance, and a blow on his bread- basket with an almost extinguished lantern. Then the fun commenced. The old lances were like needles without a point, and did not even suffice to tickle the jolly watchmen. After becoming mutually tired of the spearing game, and the night being very cold, they set to wrestle a little. Unfortunately there was a good deal of mud in the street, and the combatants acquired some real estate. Our informant, who was passing down at the time, observing the prostrate figures of the noctur- nal singers, inquired into the cause. The combatants, having explained the difficulty, agreed to leave the matter in dispute to the passers-by, who decided they were both in the wrong, as it was past four o’clock in the morning, and nearly as bright as day.’ 58 THE 4 TORMENTA.’ Chap. YIT. The dust from the Pampas and in the streets seems to me one of the most peculiarly indigenous products of this part of the world. It is not a heavy white sand, like that of the Sahara, but is a fine floury powder — nevertheless very far from being impalpable, as it is frequently mixed up with particles of gravel. The word 4 tormenta ’ is the Castilian term for thunderstorm and tempest, of which the quantity of dust is the most potent aggravation. Standing on the azotea (or roof terrace) of my house, I fancy it is a London November fog that has emigrated to the other side of the river, save that, instead of penetrating cold, which is the invariable accompaniment to that kind of thick weather in the modern Babylon, here we have an oppressive heat. Casting my eyes, whilst I have eye-sight to do it, in the direction of the Pampas, I see another instalment of the fog advancing rapidly; and, from what I have more than once experienced, I have reason to fear that, unless I go down into the house as speedily as I can, the chances are I may be smothered by a few tons of dust in as many minutes. This was not my earliest experience of the storm. I was in bed on the first occasion of my witnessing the 4 tormenta.’ I at once became sensible of small par- ticles of dust being wafted on the hot air, and driven into my eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. A general feeling of raspiness over the body was the next sensation. In double quick time I heard small pebbles rattling over the housetop, or beating, impelled by a furious wind, like hailstones against the windows. The dust was coming in everywhere — through the keyhole, by the tops and bottoms and behind the hinges of doors as well as windows. It covered all things in the room, and held me in temporary dread as to the possibility of its being a forewarning that chaos was coming again. Not satisfied with its assault on nose, eyes, ears, and mouth, it burrowed under the sheets, inside of my shirt, and down the back, making my linen feel as though it were made of sand-paper. Then I began to imagine Chap. VII. AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION. 59 my body was gradually becoming converted into a grind- ing stone, gritty enough to sharpen the household knives upon. Once I was caught by a tempest of this kind in the street. Crack ! bang ! rattle ! My first ideas were of a platoon of infantry, practising target shooting somewhere in the neighbourhood, or that a revolution on terra firma had broken out to equalise the balance of power with the meteorological one now in process of developement, till I see as well as I can (with my eyes half full of dust) that it is the shopkeepers who are barricading their doors and windows. This is done with a uni- versal spurt, as if they were all simultaneously under the influence of a galvanic battery, and is intended to keep out the dust. Keep out the dust indeed! To try and stop the current of the Parana with a gridiron would be as feasible ! From what I have already experienced, it appears to me as if a regiment of models of Hercules, with their Augean stable brushes, would fail in accom- plishing that object, for before I arrive at the corner of the street, which is only half a square from my house, I am powdered, pelted, and almost blinded with du st- and gravel showering about me, and filling my eyes and throat. I must be cautious of advancing, with the probable alternative of bumping my head against a wall, or driving it through a window. But a vivid flash of lightning and a roll of thunder preface the down-pouring of rain, which, mingling with the particles of dust in the air, covers me with a coating of mud, so that when I arrive at my own house I present the appearance of a sweep just out of his native element. At Buenos Ayres this variety of ‘tormenta’ is some- times aggravated in its disagreeableness by being mixed with clouds of thistle fibres, that are blown across from the camp, and give the luckless wight who is caught in the storm the semblance of having been dragged through a flour sack or feather bed, and then ducked in a muddy horse-pond. After a refreshing bath, however, and a night’s rest, the 60 MEANS OF LOCOMOTION. Chap. VII. air of the clay succeeding a storm of this kind imparts sensations of elasticity sucli as I have never experienced in any other part of the world. It induces me to be off for a ride, for I feel as if young blood were coursing through my veins. Into the fresh camp, where the wild alfalfa is glistening after yesterday’s rain, the scent of chamomile blossoms and wild verbenas comes stealing on the breeze, and the bright sun makes everything glad. I pass a line of twenty carretas on their road to Cordova, each drawn by six bullocks. These locomo- tives are graphically described by Mr. Mansfield * as 4 strange crosses between bathing machines and gipsy carts, with a touch of the pig-sty about them — small platforms of wood, mounted on enormous wheels, six or seven feet in diameter, and roofed over with hides, with walls of mattle.’ To observe the slow rate at which they crawl along — to know that from one port alone on the Paranaf — Rosario — they make at the rate of 8,000 journeys in the year through the Argentine provinces, carrying an amount of 15,000 tons of merchandise at the varying freights of 20 1 . to 36/. per ton — that from three to four months are occupied in a journey which a railway would accomplish in a few days — and to think over these things, in sight of such lumbering convey- ances, urges my mind to serious reflections about the future of South America. On this same road I meet troops of mules bearing panniers of fruit — generally preserved grapes, figs, and peaches, and also blocks of copper from the interior pro- vinces. I pull up awhile to gaze at a diligencia, which is coming along, and which has a picturesque savagery in its appearance. It is drawn by six horses going at a steady canter, each steed mounted by a postillion, who is dressed in the fanciful gaucho costume. There is no incumbrance of harness on these animals, for they are attached to the vehicle by long strips of leather rope, fastened to the leather cincture which goes around the body and constitutes the saddle-girth. The diligencia * Paraguay , Brazil , and the Plate , f See La Confederation Argentine. p. 186. By A. Du Graty, p. 185. Chap. VII. PAINS OF TRAVEL. 61 is accompanied by a cart of the London Parcels Delivery Company pattern, which is drawn by four horses capari- soned and mounted like those in the larger carriage, and is used for the conveyance of mail-bags, luggage of pas- sengers, as well as small 4 encomiendas ’ or parcels of goods. Both of these belong to the line of 4 iniciadores y correos nation ales,’ or, in plain English, mail and pas- senger coaches, for the organisation of which through the provinces arrangements are entered into between the government and private contractors.* The appearance of the locomotives leaving their stables at Rosario, however, bears about as much resemblance to what they are in the provinces as a ship going out of Liverpool or London docks to the same vessel in the fury of an equinoctial gale in the Bay of Biscay. Sub- sequent to this, I returned on one from Tucuman to Cordova, our journey of above one hundred and eighty leagues occupying fifteen days. From my journal I extract the following : — February 17. 4 The excitement of travelling with an express train through the darkest tunnel, in and out of the Menai bridge tube, or along the precipitous sea-cliffs of Wicklow, is trifling compared to the journey from Tucuman to Cordova in such weather as we have now — rain falling as if a drop never fell before, and this continuing day after day and night after night for more than a fortnight — the roads scarcely distinguishable with pools of mud and water. Ten riders on as many horses, the former shouting at and whipping the latter with their leather whips, the 4 rebenques ’ — the horses galloping and splashing up mud and water — a steed now and then stumbling on his knees ‘or hips, and lifted up by his rider as quickly as he falls down — another horse getting his leg entangled in the hide harness, called the 44 cuarto,” and disengaging himself unconsciously by a furious kick— whilst the * The present impresario of these the mails for five years to the pro- is Don Louis Sausse, who lives at vinces, and for this service he receives Rosario, and has a manufactory for a subsidy of three thousand Bolivian his coaches there. His contract with dollars per month, the national government is to carry A RANCHO. Chap. VII. 62 diligencia is rolling through the mud and water along the uneven roads like a heaving boat at sea/ Even in the best of weather it must not be supposed that a ride on such a conveyance will bear any resem- blance to Tom Pinch’s journey from Salisbury to London, were it from no other dissimilitude than the many contingencies of natural history encountered at the stopping places for the night — of which more here- after. A KANCHO. Somewhat further on, and as I approach the solitude of the camp, I come to an isolated rancho. As there is not the smallest portion of cultivation visible around it for as great a distance as the eye can embrace to the horizon’s boundary, one cannot avoid stopping to have a look at its inhabitants. It is a small hut about ten feet long by five in breadth, with walls of mud and roof of straw, but having neither chimney nor window, therefore possessing no means of ingress for the light of heaven save with its denizens through the door. These are a man dressed in the most perfect deshabille of a gaucho Chap. YII. VlPW OF AN INTERIOR. 63 garment, with a Castilian face, a woman having long black hair, heavy eyebrows, low forehead, with general scowl which characterises the South American Indian, and four young children of various ages, as dirty as needs be, and having the triste expression of counte- nance that is always associated in childhood with scanty fare. A draw-well is outside the door, and a horse stands near, from whose back, no doubt, the man of the house has been temporarily severed — for I am begin- ning to regard the gaucho and his steed as naturally inseparable. The woman is sucking from a long tube (a bombilla) placed in a little round cup (the mate), which contains an infusion of yerba or Paraguayan tea -the Ilex Paraguanensis * of botanists. This seems a universal condiment all through the River Plate countries, for it is drunk by the rich as well as by the poor. No furniture is in the house save two moveable beds — catres —' which are standing up against the wall, a trunk in the corner, containing God knows what, and a brazero with a little tire in it, having a kettle on the top. The woman is seated on a cow’s skull, which is the only seat on the premises. A huge piece of raw beef hangs from the roof, and outside are four dogs that barked on my approach with as much vigour as if they were guarding Her Majesty’s mint instead of the miser- able collection before me. On enquiry I find the man is peon-gaucho in charge of a flock of sheep for a gentleman, whose estancia is a few leagues off. Every day he rides with a piece of raw beef to his family, and this — of course cooked in some way, but without the accompaniment of bread, salt, or any kind of vegetable — constitutes the sole sustenance of * There are two qualities of this herb in Paraguaya, styled respec- tively the caa-guazu (large herb) and caa-mi (small herb). These are evidently names of the Guarani (Indian) dialect. When the leaves are fit to be pulled, they are gathered, toasted, and pulverised. This is done under a shed, made of posts and covered with the branches of trees. It is called a ‘ barbacua. The yerba is packed up in cow-hide bags, each of which is entitled a ‘ raido.’ Besides several plantations in the interior of the republic, there are four on the river’s bank, namely, Caa-Guazu, Igatumi, Saruma, and Ay, where it is cultivated. The quantity of yerba exported from Pa- raguaya in a year is incalculable. NATIVE POLITENESS, Chap. VIL 64 the family. Yet the cow’s skull was vacated for me, with an invitation to get off my horse. I was offered a mate, and had there been anything else in the house it would as surely have been placed at my disposal. Here I have before me a convincing proof of the politeness and hos- pitality evinced everywhere in South America. 4 No rough-shod equestrianism or treading on one’s neighbour’s corns is permitted in a country where “gents” are unknown and gentlemen universal; for the South American Spaniard of the Pampas, unlettered though he may be, retains all the instinctive politeness, the frank and self-possessed yet respectful bearing of the parent race. He exhibits a refinement of which masters of ceremonies and guides to etiquette only succeed in teaching a dismal burlesque in the land of gentility and Jenkins. Prone to anger amongst each other when provoked, and swift in their resentment of premeditated insult, the native herdsman of the plains, the gaueho and the peon, are simple and inoffensive ; courteous and cordial where civility is shown to them ; prompt to do as well as to acknowledge a kindness ; delighted with the life they lead — for ever in the saddle ; and eager that others should participate in the pleasures of an existence they relish themselves with a zest of which no length of years seems ever to abate the edge.’ I do not know who is the author of the foregoing ex- tract from a paper entitled ‘Paterfamilias,’ in the River Plate, sent out to me by Mr. Neill, Consul-general of the Uruguayan Republic in London, but I do know that it is vividly truthful, from many cases that have come within my experience whilst journeying through the provinces. Of course this does not apply to the pure gaueho of town or country. G5 CHAPTER VIII. SAN PEDEO. San Pedro — Its early Foundation — Blocking up of the Deep Diver Channel opposite the Town by its early Inhabitants — No Belie of Jesuitical Building here — Its old Chapel and its new unfinished one — Solitary Aspect of the Town — San Pedro a healthy Position — A 1 Temporal ’ Storm here — Its Difference from a 1 Tormenta/ and exceeding Severity — Obligado Pass, across which Bosas placed the Chain — Beauty of the Biver — Passage from hence to San Nicolas — This Town celebrated by the Convention of 1852 — Steam Flour Mill — Arroyo del Medio — Villa Constitucion — Arrival at Bosario. The first city on the river’s bank after quitting Buenos Ayres, upward bound, is that of San Pedro, reported to me as one of the most ancient, founded by the early Spanish colonists. Fronting the town is a spacious bay, in which the river has a depth of from six to nine fathoms close to the shore. There is no access to this now for large vessels, as, unfortunately, a deep passage which once extended from the mouth of the Baradero to Obligado Point, a distance of between fifteen and seventeen miles, and which swept the shore of San Pedro, was blocked up by the inhabitants before 1810 . This was done with the intention of trying to obstruct a Spanish squadron at the time, on its way up the river, chartered with the proposed object of destroying the germs of independence, then rapidly growing to maturity. There is no building here of the kind, or even evi- dence of a ruin of such a building, as is described by Mr. Hadfield* — ‘the convent of San Pedro, another re- markable establishment of the Jesuits, situated on a rising ground, and where a branch of the main river runs.’ The old chapel is a long building with a low azotea roof, its * Brazil and River Plate , page 323, F 66 A 4 TEMPORAL.' Chap. VIII. side with many- cloistered arches facing the river. Ad- joining it is a quantity of old bricks, mixed with clay, that are evidently the wreck of something, but of what no one could tell me. Like all other cities in South America, San Pedro is built in cuadras or squares on the plan of a chess-board. It has its plaza, with the usual Liberty column in the centre ; but this latter is as yet an unfinished brick pillar, devoid of plaster, and therefore unadorned by any inscription. At the upper end of the plaza, but within the square, is a large building intended for a new church, which, al- though commenced many years ago, is still unfinished, and has its doors bricked up. There is no evidence of life or business in San Pedro ; for standing at the corner of a street, during any time of the day or night, and looking up or down a vista of half a dozen cuadras, no sign of existence presents itself save now and then a tottering horse carrying a feeble native, and leaving one for the moment doubtful as to which in all propriety should be the bearer and which the borne. That San Pedro is a healthy position may be inferred from the fact that, although possessing a population of a few thousand, it has but one botica (apothecary’s shop) within its municipal boundaries. My first acquaintance with a 4 temporal’ was made at San Pedro. This form of meteorological outbreak differs in this respect from the tormenta — that it is always accompanied by rain as well as lightning and thunder. It differs also in the length of its duration. A ‘temporal’ may last from a few hours to as many days, and during its existence may be characterised by the most terrible elements of an inter-tropical tornado. Previous to the outbreak, there are generally two or three days and nights of rain, with a surly lowering atmosphere, that makes everything, every place, and everybody gloomy and depressed. Then, as if the clerk of the weather had made up his mind to prove his power, without further warning comes the terrible crash of a 4 temporal,’ knocking down ranchos, flood- Chap. VIII. SAN NICOLAS. 67 in g houses, unroofing stores, drowning sheep and lambs by dozens. To it generally succeeds a health-bearing breeze from the south-west, blowing over the Pampas — hence called a pampero — which dries up the earth very rapidly, infusing during its continuance a new life into all nature. Twelve miles higher up than San Pedro, and thirty miles before reaching San Nicolas, we pass by Obligado, rendered famous as the place where Rosas, in 1845, had a chain placed across the river to intercept the English and French fleet, which, under Sir Charles Hotham, soon cut its way through. Part of the mud- turret by which the chain was fixed still remains, and there is near it the pretty estancia of Senor Castra. Between this and San Nicolas the passage is very beautiful ; for with all its monotony of scenery, its odd algaroba or ombu tree here and there, its marshy islands and its low cliffs, there are views on this river that are enchantingly picturesque. I cannot say that the agreeable impressions of its scenery may be defined by any features that could be particularly described — believing, as I do, that the exhilarating influence of the morning or evening air, so delicious, cool, and refreshing, has much to do with one’s impressions. But here in the setting sun and from the deck of our steamer I am gazing at what appear many sheets of water, diversified with small islands of the brightest emerald hue, a gentle elevation on the mainland, a clump of lofty trees on an island, many birds warbling merrily, sails of ships going up or down the river, dotted about like phantom spec- tres — the whole forming such a panorama of beauty as is rarely to be met with in any other part of the world. San Nicolas, the next town passed by, is famous chiefly as having been the place where, on May 80, 1852, was signed the first declaration of republicanism, placing the government of the provinces under the form of a general congress. The resolutions at this meeting, which was attended by all the provincial governors, appointed General Urquiza commander-in- chief of the united armies of the provinces, with the 68 VILLA CONSTITUCION. CW. VIII. title of 4 Provisional Director of the Argentine Con- federation.’ The population of this town is between five and six thousand. On its southern side is a steam flour-mill. Five miles above San Nicolas the Arroyo del Medio, which is the dividing line between the provinces of Buenos Ayres and Santa Fe, flows into the Parana. Higher up we pass 4 Villa Constitucion ’ — a settle- ment founded by a private company on the bank of the river, at a place known as the Puerto de las Piedras ( 4 Port of Stones ’), about eleven leagues below Rosario, and not more than three leagues from the battle-field of Pavon. By the census of 1858 it appears to have contained only 397 inhabitants. At the time of its commencement in 1857, each settler was allowed 2,500 square yards of ground, on condition that he would have a dwelling, with a wall and a hedge around the ground, erected within a period of four months. Houses built in the plaza, or principal streets marked out in the plan of the town, were ordered to be built of brick and with azotea roofs. There is little or no trade done here. A very tortuous channel exists hence for thirty miles, when the spires of a church, a large block of building (the custom-house), a line of willow trees on the right bank, with several houses, ranchos, roads, and banks mingled in confusion, and a quantity of tiny shipping in the port, indicate to us the city of Rosario. CHAPTER IX. ROSARIO. Geographical Extent of Santa F6 Province — Its Departments — Census of Population in 1858 — Rosario and its Districts — Bounda- ries of Rosario Department — Original Settlement here in 1725 — Importance of its Topographical Position — 1 Differential Duties ’ — Battles of Cepeda and Pavon — Beach at Rosario — Plaza 25 de Mayo — Church — Policia — Plaza de las Carretas — Saladeros and Mills— Carreta-racing on the Beach — 1 J uego a la Cincha ’ — Game of ‘ Suerte ’ and ‘ Culo ’ — Number of Houses in Rosario — Municipality and ‘ Tribunal de Comercio ’ — Lyceum and School of Arts — Rivers in Santa Fe Province — Port Charges in Rosario. Haying now come to the most important river port in the Parana — for Buenos Ayres is in the La Plata — perhaps it may be as well to prefix a description of it by some details of the province in which it is situated. The province of Santa Fe, then, comprises within its limits a geographical extent of a hundred and fifty-five leagues from north to south, and fifty from east to west.* It is divided into four departments ; namely, its capital, Santa Fe, San Jose, San Geronimo, and Rosario. The whole of the province is a flat plain, and only in the neighbourhood of the River Salado, to the north, is there any appearance of forest. One-half of the ex- ports from its capital are represented by the charcoal obtained from that wood. In the census of 1858 this province was represented as possessing a gross total population of 41,261 inhabitants. Rosario is the southernmost of its departments, and is divided into fifteen different districts, namely — Northern Section. Fortin San Jose. Little River, canal of Luduena, suburb of Rosario, * This is on the authority of his Excellency Don Patricio Cullen, governor of the province. 70 TI1E DISTRICT OE ROSARIO. Chap. IX. Lower Desmochado, Upper Desmochado, Northern Saladillo, Lower Hondo. Southern Section . Upper Arroyo del Medio Central do. do. Lower do. do. Villa Constitucion. Upper Pay on. Central do. Southern Saladillo. At the end of 1859 the Rosario district was estimated to contain 250,000 head of cattle, and from 300,000 to 400,000 sheep. The census of 1858 computed the department as 22,751 inhabitants, or in fact more than half that of the whole province. It forms an imperfect parallelogram of about fifty-four miles SE. to NW. by seventy-two miles NE. to SW. ; bounded on the NE. by the River Parana, which separates it from Entre Rios. You must not, nevertheless, suppose, as the maps would lead one to believe, that you can cross over in a few minutes in a boat, as you could from Liverpool to Woodside or from Chelsea to Vauxhall; for there are several large islands here. The distance through this net of islets is represented to me as from thirty to forty miles across, and constitutes part of the Delta, described by Commander Page as extending from Buenos Ayres up to Diamante. Its south-western boundary is the pampa or desert, said to be occupied by Indians, who, however, to my belief do not exist within hundreds of miles of Rosario. To the NW. it is limited by the Cacaraha river, which joins the Parana about thirty-six miles above the city, and is the con- tinuation of the Tercero, having its source in the Cordilleras, behind and south of the city of Cordova. Its south-western boundary is the Arroyo del Medio — the dividing line between Buenos Ayres and Santa Fe provinces. According to Mr. Campbell, surveying engineer of the railway from this to Cordova, Rosario is situated in lat. 32° 55' S., and long. 60° 30' 50" W. This city was originally but a miserable hamlet, Chap. IX. THE CITY. 71 founded in 1725 by Don Francisco Godoy and some of the Calchaqui Indians from the frontier of Santa F6. It was created a parish in 1731, but continued little more than a village up to 1852, when the separation of Buenos Ayres from the other provinces made its geo- graphical position of importance for the exports from Cordova, Santiago del Estero, Tucuman, San Juan, San Luis, and Catamarca. The differential duties sanctioned by national congress are believed by most people to have been the main pillars of Bosarian com- merce during their existence. They levied an addi- tional duty on all imported goods landed at Monte Video or Buenos Ayres, and paid duty for these, whilst those that came across the sea without having been put on shore till they arrived here were exempt. These duties not having been made law until July 19, 1856, and July 29, 1858, it might puzzle one to imagine how Bosario could, according to Commander Page, have grown up from 4 a population of about 4,000 souls in 1853 to over 12,000 in 1855.’ Contrary to the general opinion, I am inclined to believe that the advantageous position of Bosario as a port of outlet had as much to do with its rapid rise as its differential duties. After the convention of peace signed at San Jose de Flores on November 10, 1859, subsequent to the battle of Cepeda, a law was sanctioned on December 24 in the same year abolishing these duties ; and this, with the battle of Pavon, which placed the national authority in the hands of the Buenos Ayreans, caused, for a time at least, a complete collapse in the commercial prosperity of Bosario. The returns of the custom-house, from its establish- ment in 1854 to the end of 1862 — three years, in fact, after the differential duties were abolished — will show that Bosario has within it an importance beyond the influence of any such prohibitory enactments. Moreover, during the past two years, the custom-house duties in Bosario exceeded those of Buenos Ayres in proportion to population : and this appears to me another convincing proof of the importance of its ‘interior 72 ‘PLAZA 25 DE MAYO.’ Chaf. IX. traffic. Goods paying duty in one place have nothing to pay in the other, pursuant to the regulation desig- nated removido . Even on the beach at Rosario, before ascending to the town, there is more stir of business than at any other city on the Parand. The towers of the cathe- dral high up, and the large unsightly-looking custom- house on the edge of the river, are the first objects that attract attention. There are two wooden moles, from which passengers can walk ashore or go on board the steamers coming alongside. Ascending a steep hill we find ourselves at the end of a long vista of street, passing two half squares of which brings us to the c Plaza 25 de Mayo.’ Every city on the Parana has either a street or square designated after that memorable date. The plaza before us is a spacious one, planted with double rows of 4 paraiso ’ trees, and having in its centre a Liberty column, on whose pedi- ment are painted inscriptions. On the side facing the cathedral, and looking down the river, is the figure of a glowing face, as of a rising sun, underlined by 4 the 25th of May 1810.’ The opposite side, facing the north, bears the date 4 9 de Julio 1816,’ the day on which the Independence declaration was signed by the provincial representatives assembled in solemn con- clave at Tucuman; whilst on each of the others are the inscriptions 4 30 Agosto 1856 — Jura de la Con- stitucion Provincial,’ and 4 12 Febrero 1860 — Instal- acion de la Munieipalidad.’ The column is enclosed by iron railings, at each inside corner of which is a plaster* of-paris statue on a small pillar rising about eight feet from the ground. The square of this plaza has a very pleasing appearance on a bright sun- shiny day or a clear moonlight night — more especially in the latter case, when one of the military bands is playing. The cathedral possesses two lofty towers, one having a clock, the other a bell in it. These towers, the church itself, the column in the centre, the small statues on pillars, the department of policia — in fine, the tout ensemble , glistening either day or night, as ♦ BULLOCK CARTS IN THE PLAZA DE LAS CARRETAS, ROSARIO. Chap. IX. PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS. 73 bright as whitewash can make them, have a very cheer- ful effect. A stroll through the town, laid out on the chess- board plan of all South American cities, will show a busy population, especially in Cordova and San Lorenzo Streets. The northern end of the former brings us to the Plaza de las Carretas, where are several hundreds of the large bullock-carts that trade to the interior provinces. Here on Sunday evenings is gene- rally congregated a crowd of mounted gauchos, who are either spectators of the horse-racing, or take part in the amusement. A neat little theatre, sometimes visited by an opera company from Buenos Ayres, a market-place neatly arranged and well supplied, a garden of recreation, a cock-pit and two ball-alleys, are the other public estab- lishments of the town. About a league to the north of the city is an extensive saladero, formerly the property of General Urquiza, but now unworked. On the southern side we pass a small hospital established by the Beneficencia Society, and further on in this direc- tion are three saladeros, only one of which is in ope- ration ; two flour mills outside, turned by the Biver Saladillo, and one in the city worked by steam. The stretch of strand adjoining the river often presents a very animated appearance. Between the custom- house and the first mole all the sailing craft have their cargoes put in as well as discharged; for vessels such as cutters, schooners, and other small sail can be brought alongside the bank, even when the river is at low water, and emptied or loaded by planks communi- cating with the shore. Every horse drawing a car here is ridden by a corrector, who generally drives with a heavy load of wool or hides, keeping along the strand at a full gallop. Sometimes we may see half a dozen of these men, who are specimens of the Gaucho tribe, on their horses yoked to the cars, racing at a furious pace round the custom-house corner and along the beach ; the various 4 colours of the riders’ ponchos ’ and sombreros presenting as motley an appearance as 74 HOESE-PLAY. Chap. IX. a gathering at Epsom. This race is for a bet as to who will be first at that part of the shore where the cargo lies, which they are occupied in taking away to the consignee’s store. When not at work the spirit of gam- bling is often exercised in what they designate 4 juego d la cincha.’ This is played by loosening two horses from the cars, and fastening a hide rope of three or four yards long by either end to the cincha around each horse’s body. Then a rider mounts his animal, the horses are turned tail to tail, whipped and whipped and sometimes spurred, till one, the victor, pulls the other beyond a certain marked distance. When I saw this sport at first I thought it very brutal. It is, however, nothing more than a wrestling match between two horses — in which, of course, my humanitarian friends say the horses are involuntary or rather forced actors. Yet, thinking of Tom Sayers and the Benicia Boy, as well as of the female Blondin and Leotard, I do not feel myself called on to censure this popular custom. Another gambling amusement which the peons have here is a sort of pitch-and-toss with the knuckle-bones of a horse’s anatomy — one side of the bone being en- titled 4 suerte ’ and the other 4 culo.’ This is played by heaving at a mark on the ground a few yards off, the chances of 4 ups ’ and 4 downs ’ being, one may suppose, equal to what they are in the game of 4 head’ and 4 harp’ with our mud-larks and juveniles of that class in England. By the census taken in 1858 the number of houses in llosario was calculated at 1,728, and, reckoning an average of eight persons to each, the population at the time was estimated at 13,824, This I believe to be an exaggerated mode of computation for any city in the Argentine territories with which I am ac- quainted. A superabundance of the foreign popula- tion in Bosario may be reckoned as represented by German, French, and Italians, taken in globo. The municipal authority created in February 1860, by a decree of the provincial government in Santa Fe, comprises a Gefe Politico or Mayor, a Gefe de Policia, Chap. IX. THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT. 75 a Judge of first Instance (a sort of stipendiary ma- gistrate) for civil and criminal cases, an Abogado or Lawyer to defend paupers and minors, and a tribunal of commerce, elected by the inhabitants. The city is divided into six sections, over each of which is a justice of peace and a staff of alcaldes. The old tribunal of commerce, established in 1855 before the municipality was created, allowed foreigners to be members of it; but in 1859 this permission was withdrawn, none but natives being allowed au- thority in its constitution. Everyone in business has a vote for the election of its executives, consisting of a prior and two consuls. The principal educational institution in Eosario is the 4 Liceo y Escuela de Artes y Oficios/ which was inaugurated by General Mitre on April 23, 1863, when his Excellency came to the town to turn the first sod of the railway to Cordova. The establish- ment is under the direction of Sen ores Don Tesandro Santa Ana and Don Jacinto Febres de Eovira, gentle- men who have occupied high positions in the teach- ing departments of scientific establishments at Mendoza and Madrid. Not only are the higher branches of mathematics taught in this school, with the modern classics of France, England, and Italy, but the me- chanical and industrial arts of carpentry and upholstery, sculpture and engraving. Boys are taken as apprentices to these trades, and they have a school for children of from three to six years of age, according to the plan of the celebrated Paul Montes ino. The chief rivers which exist in the Eosario district, inside the Parana, are the Cacaraha and the Arroyo del Medio, forming its northern and southern boundaries; three small permanent streams, the San Lorenzo, the Saladillo, and the Pavon; and three others, the Lu- duena, the Seco, and the Frias, which only serve as drains for morasses in the wet season; for, in summer time, these last- mentioned rivers are as dry as the high road. The port charges on vessels entering Eosario are 76 PORT CHARGES. Chap. IX. five Bolivian dollars for every ship under one hundred tons burden and ten dollars for any vessel exceeding one hundred. There are, besides, two reals for stamp of receipt of ship’s articles, four reals for a stamp on clearing out, and six reals for a stamped duplicate of manifest of cargo. To open register for loading, there is a like charge to that on entering, namely, five dollars for shipping under one hundred tons, and ten dollars for those exceeding. VIEW OF ROSARIO CITY FROM HIGH BANK NEAR THE CENTRAL ARGENTINE RAILWAY STATION. 77 CHAPTER X. ROSARIO — EXPORTS AND IMPORTS. Growth of Rosario — Custom-house Receipts from 1854 to 1862— First Year’s Revenue of Custom-house — Number of British Ves- sels at Rosario in 1859 — Baron du Graty’s Statistics of the Port Shipping — Senor de Campo’s Trade Statistics in 1861 — Variety of Exports from Rosario — Copper in 1855, 1857, and 1862 — Bullock- cart and Mule Traffic in 1860 and 1862 — The Differential Duties — Their Establishment and Abolition — Returns from the Rosario Custom-house for 1862 — Charges of Freight on Mules and Bullock- carts to the various Provinces — The Rosario and Cordova Railway — Mr. Campbell’s Survey — Mr. Wheelwright’s Opinions — Length of the Centro- Argentine Line — Extent of Territory to be possessed by the Company — Mr. Campbell’s Calculations of its Traffic and Profit — Illustrated by the Copiapo Line — Fitness of Rosario for a Terminus — The Future connecting Link between England, New Zealand, and Australia. 4 The growth of Rosario/ observes Commander Page,* 4 and the rapid increase of its trade and population in three years, are unprecedented in the history of Spanisli American cities.’ To prove this fact more clearly, by the eloquence of figures, I shall submit the following table of the custom- house receipts, from its foundation in 1854 to the end of last year, 1862 : — Custom-house Receipts for Stamps , Export and Import Duties , from 1854 to 1862 inclusive. Years Dollars, Bolivian Exchange & sterling 1854 435,424 68,074 1855 745,342 These 116,624 1856 837,435 calculations are reduced 130,400 1857 877,033 into English money 137,229 1858 1,030,141 at the 161,186 1859 1,093,393 exchange of 66/6 per oz., 171,081 1860 1,100,115 and the oz. in 172,135 1861 607,540 Rosario $21 2rls. 95,061 1862 837,884 131,103 See La Plata , &c. p. 429. 78 EXPORTS AND IMPORTS. Chap. X. Even in the last year’s statistics of this department there appears a statement of the value of produce ex- ported as well as imported, the united amount of which is 1,069,449 — the exports, particularly those that are free of duty, exceeding the imports by 40,211/. sterling. The custom-house here was not established until June 1854. Nevertheless, during the remainder of that year, i.e. for seven months, the table of 4 Producto de la renta de la Aduana ’ shows a revenue of 68,074/. In 1858, 1859, and 1860, its revenues exceeded 170,000/.; but the last-mentioned year was sensibly felt by the mercantile community of Rosario, opening as it did with the certainty of a war with Buenos Ayres, and the probability of the abolition of the differential duties. During the year 1859 this port was visited by sixty-five British vessels, having a united burden of 15,335 tons. From Baron du Graty’s work* I learn that the ex- port trade of Rosario in 1855 employed 241 vessels of the port, comprising an aggregate of 9,826 tons, and the import trade had used 370 ships of a total tonnage of 16,297 tons. In the same year there were imported into it 22,000,000 of foreign articles, and exported from it 14,000,000 of Argentine productions. The former of these may be supposed to mean bales and packages of manufactured goods, and the latter hides, bales of wool, bars of copper, and so forth. The quantity and value of exports respectively to the different parts of Europe as well as North America must needs only be imagined when we have but such tables as the following example from the trade statistics of 1861, compiled by Senor Don J. A. Campos, Gefe de la Oficina Estadistica: — Value for Nations to which Exports are consigned in First Quarter of 1861. Nations Bolivian Dollars Pounds Sterling Buenos Ayres . Monte Video . England . 645,188 65 112,908 0 34 61,215 51 10,712 14 3 - 21,257 57 3,720 2 2± $727,661 93 £127,340 16 8| * La Confederation Argentine. Chap. X. EXPORTS. 79 or half a million per annum, in a year when the coun- try was rife with civil war. It may be imagined, when I enumerate the productions of the provinces which pass through Rosario, that a very large quantity of them are sent to Buenos Ayres as well as Monte Video for transit to other parts of the world. The following comprise the chief exports passing through Rosario : — Hides dried and salted, wool, copper bars from Catamarca and Cordova, silver from Cordova and San Juan, horns and hoofs of cattle, mare’s grease, bone-ash, mares’, goats’, and beavers’ skins, horsehair, wheat, barley, bones, Cordova and Tucuinan leather, dried beef, dried peaches, 4 colchas ’ or bed quilts, country soap, maize, wild nuts, ponchos, beans, raisins, tigs, dried pears, algaroba wood, covers for saddles, Jafe cheese of Tucuman, linseed, water melons, tobacco from Tucuman, cedar wood from the same place, and so forth. In the year 1855 there were exported from Rosario 2,778 quintals of copper (each quintal 100 lbs. in weight) and 9,710 more of silver in bar. In 1857 the mines of Catamarca supplied the export of a considerable quantity of copper. It was valued when it reached Rosario at from 85 to 100 francs the 100 lbs. weight, and at this price it left good profit to the producer. In 1862 the amount of copper, as may be seen by the export table in this chapter, exceeded 14,000 quintals in weight. The following tables show what an important traffic with the interior provinces is carried on by mules and bullock carts : — 1860. CARTS AND MULES, Arrivals From the Interior. Tons 2.900 carts with . . . 6,192 8,724 mules . . . 1,365 Depastures To the Interior. Tons 2,016 carts with . . .4,275 9,852 mules . . . 1,539 7,557 5,814 80 THE DIFFERENTIAL DUTIES. Chap. X. Aggregate for the Year 1860. Tons 7,557 5,814 13,371 1862. CARTS AND MULES. Arrivals From the Interior. Tons 4,376 carts with . . . 8,791 1,256 mules . . . 169 8,960 Departures To the Interior. Tons 3,588 carts with . . . 7,208 1,194 mules . . . 158 7,366 Aggregate for the Year 1862. Arrivals Tons 8,960 Departures 7,366 16,326 The differential duties during their existence were, no doubt, the supporting pillars of Eosarian commerce with reference to its import trade. They were estab- lished by national congress at the capital, Parana, by decrees dated February 19, 1856, and July 29, 1858. Their principle, as I have said before, was to levy an additional duty on all goods landed at Buenos Ayres or Monte Video, and of course paid for in custom-house discharge there; whilst all such articles as came across the sea without being put ashore till they arrived at Kosario were exempt; that is to say, merchandise of British, American, or other foreign manufacture coming with a custom-house clearance either from Buenos Ayres or Monte Video, was charged an additional 6 per cent, to the established tariff of 15 per cent., whilst such as was liable to duty of 20 per cent, had imposed on it an additional 3 per cent., in case it came from the forbidden ports. The differential duties were abolished by a decree of December 24, 1859, after the convention of peace was signed at San Jose de Flores, in November of the same Exportation of Produce from Rosario de S ta Fe during the Year 1862. Chaf. X. STATISTICS. 81 C0«X0O<0®®®H«5 XNOXSO^HINNOO to f-H © -^ ©_ ©^ O^ ©~ r-T cT r-T io of to~ ©~ i-Tt-'T n-l © OS CO co t— *o OS^to^ of of 00 !>• CO 1-1 •zo jad olgg ‘S98I SuiJtip a)i3i aS^jeAy N(DON'#00«5t' l -'5O W5IQ^N^O0 ®tIT © CO to 1-H Tt< ^ CO ©~ ^ to to r-J^ of H TS 3 . 6 g o a> « m ^ r to to I-, 1 , qj r> to £ % 53 g ■ ?3 £ PS o o . ’ll ft H H(N© M H © CO © r-T Of r-f © OS «« ^ &0 PS cS r=S C3 -*f OS CO © os (NtJIH of to" ©" I-H © tH © r-H «5k r0 K 4J jj m © to" © 0 oi © CO CO © © of ©~ © CO co^co of ,-T *st to. • o TJ as 3,2 45 1, If ■^h r d 'is' •£ o T3 © o 2 2 6 p9-c-c3 G Custom-house valuation on goods imported, liable to duty . $3, 242, 33 7 Do. do. do. duty free . 188,460 3,430,798 ,, „ 514,619 Balance in favour of Exports . . $268,073 ,, „ £40,211 82 RAILWAYS. Chap. X. year, and although Rosario suffered some collapse thereby, as well as from the war, of which that 4 con- vention of peace ’ proved itself unfortunately but a re- generation, the last year’s custom-house returns, com- piled by Senor A. Garson, Administrador of the Aduana, show a favourable condition for a city whose commercial existence only dates from nine years ago. Charge of freightage by the mules and bullock-carts to and from the provinces is at the following rate : — From Rosario to Cordova . . $40 to $50 per each 150 arroba „ Santiago . . 9 reals „ „ „ Tucuman . 9 „ „ „ „ Mendoza, in carts 5 to 6 „ „ „ „ „ by mules 3 to 4 „ „ „ „ San Juan „ 3 to 4 „ „ „ „ ,, in carts none hence „ Salta „ 18 reals per arroba Cordova to Rosario . . $50 to $60 „ 200 arroba The remaining return freights are more or less the same from as to the above-mentioned places. With the foregoing statistics of the existing trade and the expenses of carriage it may be imagined what a commerce is likely to be established in Rosario on the opening of the centro-Argentine railway, the first sod of* which was turned on April 20, 1863, by his Ex- cellency General Mitre, President of the Argentine Republic. The incipient stage of this line from Rosario to Cor- dova — a distance of 247 English miles — was surveyed in 1855 by Mr. Allen Campbell, an American engineer, and his report presented to Doctor Don Santiago Derqui (Minister of the Interior) in the same year. The pri- mary concession was granted by the national govern- ment in the early part of the year anterior; for Mr. Campbell’s agreement to survey the line bears date October 5, 1854. The cession gave to the company half a league of land on each side of the railway from Rosario to Cordova; but a renewal of this law in 1857 increased the grant to a whole league on either side. Each of these concessions having had a limited time for the commencement of the works, the grant had again Ciiap. X. mr. Campbell’s report. 83 to be renewed by national congress at Buenos Ayres on May 23, 1863, when all the favourable conditions heretofore guaranteed were reassured by the govern- ment.* In a paper concerning this railway, which was read before the Royal Geographical Society on January 23, 1860, by Mr. William Wheelwright,! that gentleman described the entire length of this railway from Rosario in the River Parana (which communicates with the Atlantic) to Caldera on the Pacific Ocean — a distance of 1,000 miles, divided into the following sections : — Miles 1. Port of Rosario on the Parana to Cordova .... 250 2. Cordova to eastern base of Andes 350 3. Eastern base of Andes to junction with Tres Puntos railway . 320 4. Junction with Tres Puntos to Caldera 80 Total length 1,000 Without going any farther than the foot of the Andes, the important fact presents itself that the company will become possessed of about 3,600 square miles of ter- ritory. 4 The Parana and Cordova railway,’ observes Mr. Wheelwright, 4 the first section of a great trunk line, will concentrate the traffic of the provinces of Mendoza, San Juan, San Luis, Entre Rios, Tucuman, Salta, Jnjuy, and Rioja, before and on entering Cordova. These vast plains — an ocean of land — cannot be made available until railways overcome the distances ; and this is the great object in view: this will give life to those hitherto secluded regions.’ Mr. Campbell’s excellent report — a most lucid and masterly compilation — shows, by the help of the map accompanying it, the suitability of Rosario for the ter- minus of this work, in consequence of its position at the most westernly sweep of the River Parana, and there- fore being in an almost direct route from Cordova to * See Appendix No. 3, Concessions for the Rosario and Cordova Railroad. t Ibid. 84 THE COPIAPO RAILWAY. Chat. X. Buenos Ayres. The latitude of Mendoza is parallel with that of Rosario. By Mr. Campbell’s calculations, it appears that the traffic between Rosario and the interior provinces amounted, in 1855, to one and a half million arrobas, or 18,000 tons of 2,000 lbs. each. It may be seen by my tables that, although the traffic was considerably decreased in 1860, owing no doubt to the wars of the few years previous, it was again up to Mr. Campbell’s reckoning in 1862. 4 My desire,’ he observes, 4 has been to avoid ex- aggeration in any form, and perhaps in so doing I have undervalued the effect to be produced by a railway. If the actual experience of a similar work in a neighbour- ing country can be taken as a criterion, then results may be anticipated far exceeding any statement I have made.’ The ‘actual experience’ of which Mr. Campbell treats here is that 4 at and beyond the inland terminus of the Copiapo railway there are from 40,000 to 50,000 persons only, whilst here the population is fifteen times as great — that of the province of Cordova alone amounting to 150,000. The gross receipts of the Copiapo railway now come up to 60,000 dollars per annum, for which a dividend of 15 per cent, is made.’ This is a very important financial consideration con- nected with the railways in question. Further, Mr. Campbell very wisely adds — 4 Aside from the question of pecuniary value, this work pos- sesses an importance which cannot be too highly appre- ciated. Every measure which tends to identify and concentrate the interests of these widely-extended pro- vinces is a step towards their consolidation and peaceful union, and next to the navigation by steam of its noble rivers, there is certainly no work of material improve- ment within the country so worthy of attention as the railway which constitutes the subject of this report. It is neither sectional nor provincial in its character, but its blessings would be felt to the remotest extremities of the republic.’ These last-expressed ideas would seem to promise Chap. X. GATE OF THE PACIFIC. 85 advantages to the future emigrant — perhaps more im- portant to the government and people too than its affording another of Commander Pirn’s 4 Gates of the Pacific,’ by what Mr. Wheelwright proposes it to become, 4 the great connecting link between England and her colonies of New Zealand and Australia.’ 86 CHAPTER XI. PARANA. Convent of San Carlos at San Lorenzo — First erected in place of San Miguel, the ancient Jesuit Monastery — Report on San Carlos by Padre Constantia — Original Grant of Land for this Convent by Don Feliz Aldao — Spaciousness of this Building — Extent of Cloisters, Library, and Garden — General San Martin’s great Feat at San Lorenzo — The Monument raised by him to Juan Bautista Cabral — Population of San Lorenzo Village — Once more on the Parana — 1 El Diamante ’—Undulating Ground of Entre Rios Pro- vince — Approach to Parana City — Description of it by Captain Page — Geological Evidence of the Sea having been near Parana in former Times — The Bajada — The Church of San Miguel — The Plaza of Parana — Camara — Cathedral and Senate-house — Casa de Gobierno — View from its Azotea — Theatre of Parana — Census of Population in 1858 — The Colony of Villa de Urquiza — The Road to it across the Rivers Espinillo and Las Conchas - — Foundation of this Colony — Its Extent — Causes of Failure — Com- ponent Parts of its Community — Mode of obtaining Land here — Authorities of the Place — The Forest of Montiel. Pursuing our progress in the direction of the River Parana’s course, and making the first five leagues over- land, we come to the little village of San Lorenzo, where stands the venerable convent of San Carlos, so called in honour of his Catholic Majesty, Charles III. King of Spain, who advanced the first funds for its foundation. It was erected by the Franciscan friars, as being a better site than Sari Miguel, the ancient building of the Jesuits, three leagues to the interior. From a report of this convent, drawn up in 1860 by Padre Constantia, one of the order resident there, I learn that its erection was commenced in 1791, although Don Pastor S. Obligado * records its having been founded in 1786. Whichever date be correct, it can- not at all events be one of the establishments of Jesuits mentioned by Hadfield and Page, since that body was Vide Buenos Ayres Tribuna, April 9, 1862. Chap. XI. CONVENT OF SAN CARLOS. 87 expelled in 1775. From 1782 the Franciscans had been residing at San Miguel, and a votive offering from Charles III. for the repairs of that church was wisely employed by these men in the erection of this new building on the bank of the Parana. To the donation of his Catholic Majesty a few thousand dollars were added by some benevolent people at Buenos Ayres, and a quarter of a league of land along the river’s side, with a league in depth, having been presented to them by CONVENT OF SAN CARLOS. Senor Don Feliz Aldao, the work was commenced. The building was not, however, fitted for residence until 1796, when the monks removed into it. For many years the chapel had but a straw roof; and that the tower is of modern erection seems evident from the following inscription on its front : — d Se levanto esta Torre ano de 1850 y se bendijo, dia de San Pedro de Alcantara, 1851.’ Although the building is sufficiently spacious to ac- commodate several hundred persons, its occupants, when 88 GENERAL SAN MARTIN. Chap. XI: I saw it in August 1862, consisted only of twenty- two padres and three postulants. ^ The interior contains a great extent of cloisters. The library has a good collection, chiefly of Spanish, Italian, and Latin religious works. In this room, which possesses an arched ceiling, is a fine old picture of Saint Jerome, by one of the early Spanish masters, and op- posite to it is the skull of some holy man who died within the convent walls. Luxuriant orange and fig trees laden with fruit fill up an extensive garden, whilst two others are for the cultivation of vegetables, all horticultural work being performed by the monks. The chapel is chiefly lighted from the top through a lofty dome facing the high altar. It has besides six small altars, three at each side of its length, and is in all its arrangements, as well as in the order and cleanli- ness observed throughout, a very beautiful edifice. The majority of the padres as well as the president (Padre Francisco Fanolini) are Italians. The convent of San Lorenzo has had its share in the vicissitudes connected with the many wars of the Argen- tine provinces. General San Martin performed one of his most extraordinanr military achievements here pre- vious to the time when this country ratified the casting off its dependence on Spain. In 1813 he was at San Lorenzo with his regiment of cavalry — the bravest and best organised corps of fighting men ever seen in South America ; the struggle for independence was then going on through all the provinces, more especially in those contiguous to the rivers. A Spanish squadron came up the Parana and landed on the bank opposite the con- vent, within whose walls the General and his troops were concealed. This was on February 3. No doubt the invaders were impressed with the idea that the inmates of the convent, supposed to be solely a body of harmless padres, would offer no resistance, and that their building, so near the river, would afford an excel- lent point (Tappui from whence operations could be extended to the interior countries. But they had Chap. XI. SAN LORENZO. 89 scarcely formed into a body to march towards the monastery when the General with his soldiers rushed upon them, and in a few moments they were cut to pieces. During the heat of the battle, San Martin’s life was saved by the self-sacrifice of a Correntino, named Juan Bautista Cabral, to whom he afterwards raised a monu- ment in the convent cemetery. Such is the extent of ground comprised within this sacred building, that in 1848 General Mancilla, a bro- ther-in-law of Rosas, had more than four thousand soldiers sheltered within its precincts. The village of San Lorenzo contains not more than from forty to fifty houses, part of them being slanting- roofed, and the whole seeming, in relation to one another, like the pavement at Monte Video, as if they had been dropped from the sky. The census of 1858 gives a population of 1,359 inhabitants to the partido. According to the statistics of Rosario custom-house, it appears that in the year just mentioned there were exported from this district, for the markets at Monte Video and Buenos Ayres, the enormous number of a million and a half of water melons. The officials of this place are, a justice of peace, guard of the port, and four marines. As a general principle, travelling through this coun- try is less disagreeable in a steamer than by any land conveyance yet in vogue: so I am very glad to get from San Lorenzo on board the little packet 4 Dolor- 9 itas,’ bound to Parana and Santa Fe. Approaching El Diamante, on the Entre Rios or left side of the Parand, we come in view of an undu- lating camp, very pleasing by its contrast to the flat Pampas scenery the whole way up, but having the desolate wildness of all uncultivated land. There is a freshness, however, as well as a redundancy of vegeta- tion, as we go along, superior to what we are leaving behind. Nothing but two roads, a hut on the beach, and the straw roofs of a few houses high up, give evidence of 90 PARANA. Chap. XI. the town of Diamante, when we are close under its bank. We could not, even if we wished to do it, anchor here ; for a sailor who is on board, and who was in the Buenos Ayrean navy when a fleet of five French vessels was stationed here during the troublesome times of Rosas in 1840, tells me we have fifty fathoms of water under our keel. Stretching westward and north- ward from Diamante may be seen the same sloping style of country, with troops of horses and cows; here and there an estancia, and a few fields of corn. At about three leagues’ distance from it we come within view of the city of Parana — the late capital of the Argentine confederation — which presents an ex- tremely attractive appearance from the river. It is situated on the loftiest ground I have yet seen on this side of Monte Video, its large buildings of the government house, churches, and theatre being plainly visible. This city is located, according to Captain Page, in lat. 30° 42' 54" S., and long. 60° 32' 39" W. It is distant from Santa Fe fifteen miles by the winding of the river, and seven miles as the crow flies. It was founded in a.d. 1730 by refugees from Santa Fe, driven thence by the Payagu and Munos Indians. From March 24, 1854, till May 25, 1862, it was the capital of the Argentine confederation. At the time of Captain Page’s last visit in 1855 he recorded its popu- lation as estimated at 8,000 inhabitants, and described it as having 4 an air and bustle of life quite American.’ A very different aspect the city presented when I saw it in November last. A single steamer (the little man-of-war 4 Buenos Ayres’), with two cutters and a coal hulk, occupied the roadstead. Several lime-kilns are beneath the banks as we approach the anchorage, and I subsequently learned that these are the only evidences of manufacturing industry, if they may be called so, in what up to so recent a period was the capital/* of the immense Argentine territory. A large portion of this lime is obtained from shell accumulation. One perfect specimen of an oyster-shell, excavated here Chap. XI. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 91 in August last at a depth of thirty feet from the super- ficies, and presented to me by Senor Don Enrique Piantelli of Rosario, measures eight inches in length, five and a half in the breadth of its upper shell, and thirteen in its transverse rotundity. The weight amounted to three pounds ten ounces. It has all the appearance of petrifaction, and seems to me to bear indubitable testimony to the fact of the sea having been at some remote time in the neighbourhood of Parana city.* The bajada, or landing-place, has about half a dozen houses on it, including the captaincy of the port, which is the only custom-house here. Crossing a small suspension bridge placed over a marsh, a winding road up a steep ascent conducts us to a distance of more than a mile before we are in anything that may be styled a street. The first object worthy of notice is the church of San Miguel, which has a very imposing effect when viewed from the river, but close by it is an immense fabric nearly a hundred yards in length, of roofless and windowless wall, its high dome overtopping a few yards square that are enclosed for public worship. Quite an agreeable change from the monotonous flat- ness of the city streets, and camps elsewhere, is the wavy character of those hi Parana city. In the plaza we have the cathedral, the senate house, government house, and the president’s mansion. The two last were erected in 1856, when General Urquiza’s government reigned here. The cathedral has a low roof and a plain exterior, possessing two not very lofty towers. Within it is of a chaste and solemn architecture, having du- plex rows of Corinthian pillars on either side from the door to the altar. Close by the cathedral, to the south of it, is the senate house, which was erected in 1859. Like the camara at Buenos Ayres, situated at the * Specimens of fossil bones of Ayres, Santa Fe, and Entre Rios, those quadrupeds that existed here Many of them have been found in in former ages (vide Sir Woodbine the neighbourhood of Rosario at Parish’s work) are being frequently depths varying from twelve to twenty dug up in the provinces of Buenos feet from the surface. 92 GOVERNMENT HOUSE. Chap. XI. corner of a street, it has two entrances ; they are alike, however, in no other respect, for while the latter resem- bles a little country theatre, the former possesses in its fittings up, as in its architecture, all the comforts and elegances of a congress house. The large room for the meeting of senators is not quite so spacious, although arranged in the same style as our English House of Commons. It has a strangers’ gallery surrounding it, and an ante-room, as well as an apartment for the secretary. GOVERNMENT HOUSE. Separated from the senate house by Urquiza Street, which runs across the plaza, we find the former govern- ment house, wherein were contained the minister’s offices. Attached to it is a sala, originally intended for the pro- vincial deputies, but which during the existence of the capital here was used by the national representatives of this class. The whole compound is a spacious building, being likewise an 4 alto ’ house — that is, having apart- ments up stairs; for the majority of edifices of all kinds in this country have but the ground story, and flat (or, as they are called, ‘azotea’) roofs. The upper part of it is now occupied by the gefe politico, who is, in combination with the judge of first instance or crimi- Chap. XI. A CITY OF THE DEAD. 93 nal judge, holding a like position over the tribunal of commerce, the chief executive in the place. From the flat roof of this building there is a most extensive view across the River Par an 4 ; likewise, for miles and miles around, of the estancias and fertile plains of Entre Rios. Away to the south-west white spires reveal to me some of the churches in the city of Santa Fe. To the cathedral of Parana, twelve canons are allotted, but only two exist, and even these are supported by contributions from the faithful — not by either the pro- vincial or national government. Previous to the change of capital from this city to Buenos Ayres, Parana was the residence of the Pope’s nuncio, as well as of the diplomatic representatives of England, France, North America, Peru, and Brazil. Two flour-mills — one of them a windmill, the other once turned by horse-power, and both in ruins — are the only evidences of former industry in the place. The cathedral, the unfinished church of San Miguel, and the chapel of La Trinidad near the burying-ground, comprise the three religious establishments of the city. In Monte Caseros Street is a theatre, erected in 1852 ; it is quite as large as the Theatre Royal, Liverpool. There is a market-place too, which, like most of the market-places up here, is owned by a company. The city of Parana is reported to me as having in the census of 1858 a population of 10,300 inhabitants. It is divided into two parts by Urquiza Street, as Buenos Ayres is by the Calle Rivadavia. But here all the resemblance between the two cities ceases ; for while Buenos Ayres is a scene of life and bustle everywhere, Parana has no more appearance of animation in it than a city of the dead. From the city to the colony of Villa de tlrquiza is a distance of about twenty miles, the road making a circuit to the eastward, although the settle- ment lies to the north. The country is undulating and very rich in pasture, but sparse of arborescence till we arrive at the river of Las Conchas, where, in consequence of its water being very high at the usual passage, we were obliged to drive along the bank for a few miles to 94 VILLA DE URQUIZA. Chap. XI. another road, near where the river Espinillo forms a confluence with the stream of Las Conchas ; then through a monte (this is the title here given to a wood or forest) of algaroba and tala trees, variegated with the bright yellow flowers of the tunita (or dwarf cactus), and animated with the singing of birds in every direc- tion. The view of wood and plain over the monte and river in the valley of Las Conchas from the high ground, near the estancia of Senor Antela, is one of the prettiest I have yet seen in South America. Past flocks of sheep congregated under the shade of trees — for the day was very hot — across a sweep of plain, and through a smaller monte, we see a few white houses, and come suddenly upon a woman and boy reaping, whilst not far off are men winnowing corn in a circus, where it has been threshed by horses galloping over it, as I have before described. The Villa de Urquiza was founded in 1853 by a Colonel Clemente, who brought with him about twenty German soldiers, who had fought at the battle of Caseros on the side of General Urquiza. The national govern- ment gave to each colonist a hundred dollars (about 15£.), ploughs, spades, and other agricultural implements, as well as supplied them with corn, and even with the luxury of tobacco. A soldier is seldom qualified like a Cincinnatus or a Garibaldi — to turn his sword into a ploughshare — and very rarely is such an idiosyncrasy amongst military men to be found in the South American armies.^ These Germans did no work, and were therefore obliged to quit, having no means by which to live. Not one of these soldiers is on the land now. In 1855 Mr. Rosenbrok, a German, came here with his family from Buenos Ayres, and subsequently dropped in from time to time other Germans, Swiss, French, and Basques, some of whom were originally destined for the * Yet, in these remarks, I must nino Taboada (of which more here- except what I have seen since the after) in Santiago. But these men above was written — the agricola- were disciplined to agricultural edu- militarv forts of General I). Anto- cation. Ciiap. XL MODE OF OBTAINING LAND. 95 colony of Santa Ana del Puerto, higher up in the pro- vince of Corrientes. The extent of Villa Urquiza is hut a square league of ground. As yet only half of this is occupied and cultivated. Its population now numbers about seven hundred or thereabouts, and the ground held by them is divided into fifty plots. Each plot measures 200 yards in front and 400 in depth. The town consists of three azotea houses, and one in process of erection, ten brick houses, with straw roofs, and about a hundred ranchos of mud walls. Neither church nor clergyman, lawyer nor doctor, is in the colony. It boasts a school- master, who has about 40 pupils. There are about 2,500 cows, bullocks, and heifers, and nearly 300 horses belonging to the colonists. Amongst their com- munity are a few carpenters, masons, and brickmakers, the soil being of very good quality for brickmaking purposes. They have likewise a reaping machine, but are still in want of a threshing apparatus. During the last year this settlement produced more than 2,000 bushels of good wheat. Their other products of agri- cultural industry are potatoes, maize, cheese, and butter. The last-named article has been sold during the year that is gone by at Buenos Ayres for twenty-five paper dollars, or about 4 s. 2d. per pound. The mode of obtaining land at this colony is very simple. All that the immigrant needs to do is to pay to the gefe politico a sum of two reals, or about nine- pence, for a stamped form of application, in which he makes his request for one, two, or three suertes (plots), the extent of which I have already stated. This form pledges the applicant to have his ground enclosed within twelve months, as much of it as possible under cultiva- tion, and a house built on each plot. There is no more expense attendant on the purchase of the ground (for possession confirms the grant) save a registration fee of two dollars (65.) at any time within the twelve months, when the ground becomes the property for ever of the holder, and -he has full power to sell it. Nevertheless with these advantages I do not advise English or Irish, 96 FOREST OF MONTE IL. Chap. XI. Scotch or Welsh men, emigrating out here to venture on a purchase of land in this colony unless they can speak Spanish. There is, moreover, no British autho- rity within the jurisdiction of this province — no one, in fact, who has power or permission to protect British interests — nearer than Her Majesty’s charge d’atfaires at Buenos Ayres, three or- four hundred miles off. The Argentine officials here are a gefe politico, a juez de paz, and about thirty soldiers. The colony is situated quite on the edge of the main stream of the Parana river, upon which steamers pass twice a month up and down, to and from Buenos Ayres, Corrientes, and Para- guay. From Villa de Urquiza to the forest of Montiel is a distance of twenty-four miles northward, from whence that forest extends upwards for leagues not yet defined, including a considerable extent of Entre Rios province, and nearly half that of Corrientes. The wood contained in it is represented to me as very large and lofty, and amongst it is the handubay, of which the corrals are made. 97 CHAPTER XIE SANTA FE ESPERANZA. From Parana to Santa Fe — Position of the original City, accord- ing to Sir Woodbine Parish — First Notice of Santa Fe by Dean Funes — Its present Position — The Plaza — La Matriz — Cabildo — Historic Associations connected therewith — Battering t»f its Front in 1840 by General Lavalle— Old Church of San Ignatius Loyola — The Jesuits’ new College — Chapels of San Domingo and San Francisco — Solemn Antiquity in the Appearance of this City — Exports from Santa Fe — Laguna of Guadaloupe — Bridge at the Paso de Coronda — To the Colony of Esperanza-- Its Foundation — Present Population — Products in 1861-1862 — Dwellings, Mills, and Reaping Machines — Catholic Chapel and Protestant Church at Esperanza — The Schoolmaster, Don Juan Gaspar Helbling, and his Plan of Teaching — Poetic Feeling — Recent Decree of the Provincial Government in reference to this Colony — Some advantages of Villa de Urquiza over Esperanza — Canton of ‘ 6 de Julio ’ — New Colony here — Example of this kind at San Xavier — Drive round the outskirts of the Colony — Entering the Chaco for my Salado Exploration — Extent of Santa Fe Province in this Direction. Through a maze of islands, compared to which the intricacy of the labyrinth at Hampton Court is but a joke, my passage is made from Parand to Santa Fe. The Commodore’s ship, the 4 Guardia Nacional,’ pad- dle-steamer, is stationed at the Boca of the small stream coursing round by the city, and we steam up this chan- nel, between groves of the beautiful scarlet blossom of the cibo. Along this, the most tortuous conceivable of water passages, sailing vessels are towed in and out as boats are worked on British canals by horses. Many of the small islands passed are overflowed, and are only distinguishable as islets from a tree sticking up here and there. The city of Santa Fe is situated in latitude 31° 38' 34" S., longitude 60° 39' 40" W. According to Sir Woodbine Parish, the original Santa H 98 PUBLIC BUILDINGS Chap. XII Fe de Yera Cruz was commenced by the celebrated Spanish navigator, Don Juan de Garay, in July 1573. I learn from other authorities that its site was about sixty miles higher up the river than the present town. It was in the neighbourhood of San Xavier, near to which Messrs. Werner are about to bring out 20,000 Germans to colonise, pursuant to a contract which they recently made with the Santa Fe provincial government. Persecuted by the Indians, the original inhabitants re- moved to their present site in 1651. THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE. The first notice of Santa Fe which I can find in Dean Funes’ excellent c Essay on the Civil History of Parguay, Buenos Ayres, and Tucuman,’ is the men- tion of an attack made on it by the Chaco Indians in 1720. As it now stands, much of the barranca, where we are landing, is washed away, showing the soil to be of an untenacious sandy formation. The bank here is not more than a few feet above the river. The custom-house does not appear to be doing a very smart business, and Chap. XII. HISTORIC ASSOCIATIONS. 99 only a few schooners are near the mole. As we landed, one of my fellow-passengers pointed out to me the place where was built the steamer 4 Gran Chaco,’ now about to proceed on an exploring voyage up the Ver- mejo. Twelve cuadras from the landing beach is the plaza, one of the most venerable looking I have yet seen in any city of the Parana. On its eastern side is the parish church of La Matriz, the interior of which has a peculiarly solemn appearance, from the fact of the main altar being lighted only from one side by a stained glass window high up. This, through the refraction of the sun’s rays, casts quite a mellow refulgence all around. The building which stands here now was erected on the site of the old church (of whose age I am igno- rant), in 1834. At the opposite side of the square, and in front of La Matriz, is the cabildo or Government house, begun in 1814, and finished in 1821. The chamber in which the provincial deputies sit is up stairs, and is elegantly but simply furnished, having a rich Turkey carpet, two very fine glass chandeliers, and the Argentine arms painted on a large shield over the Governor’s chair. This room has historic associations connected with it. In 1831, during the sway of Rosas, the representatives of the provinces of Buenos Ayres, Santa Fe, Entre Rios, and Corrientes — in fact the Riverine portion of the Argentine territories — arranged in this room a re- publican code of edicts, which became law only after the expulsion of the Dictator. The first constitution of 1852 * was regulated here, and was reformed in the same chamber in 1859 — the same constitution being again remodelled by General Mitre’s Government in 1862. One of the doors in the lower part of the cabildo bears evidence of the battering it received from General Don Juan Lavalle in 1840, w T hen the French navy had the river blockaded. From the top of this building there is an enchanting panorama — the bed of the Salado * The father of Dr. Zubiria, late Minister of Santa Fe, was President of this Congress in 1852. 100 IMMACULADA CONCEPCION. Chap. XII. River at its mouth, the city of Par and away to the north- east, the many islands surrounded by river streams, on which are sails of vessels on their way from or to the city. On the southern square of the plaza stands the Jesuits’ old chapel, formerly dedicated to San Ignacio Loyola, but now devoted to the 4 Inmaculada Concepcion,’ and by its side is the Jesuits’ new college. The former was erected in 1654, ten years, I am told, before that of Cordova was built, and is a most majestic old building. CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. Previous to the expulsion of the Jesuits, in 1767, this place was a chief commissariat store for the estab- lishments of the order in Cordova as well as Paraguay. The compound of the establishment at first occupied two square cuadras, but a road has been run through part of it. Inside there is a very beautiful old garden, full of lofty orange trees; and in the four corridors surrounding it are suspended portraits of famous Jesuits. The college was opened in the middle of 1862, and is under the presidency of Rev. Padre Joaquin Suarez, who is superior of the establishment at Buenos Ayres, Chap. XII. EXPORTS. 101 as well as here. The Padre Pierre Yigna informs me that the school, only so recently opened, has one hun- dred and fifty daily pupils but only two boarders. There are but four padres and three postulants at- tached to the establishment; yet everything manifests the greatest order, regularity, and neatness. The other chapels of the town are that of San Do- mingo, San Francisco, and a small chapel for retreats. Besides the solemn antiquity of its churches and public buildings, Santa Fe is remarkable for the number and magnitude of its trees, as well as for the venerable appearance of its private houses. Silent and solitary is its plaza; as quiet and noiseless through the day as during the night. I cannot associate with my remem- brance of this city any impression of the poverty I have seen elsewhere, although I believe it to be poor, for there is an air of aristocratic listlessness and quiet about everything. This repose is more particularly impressed on the visitor by the fact of there being no 4 serenos,’ and no dogs disturbing the hours of rest. There is a gefe politico in Santa Fe, but no munici- pality, although a law has been sanctioned by the pro- vincial Government for the creation of the latter. For- merly there was a municipality here. The chief exports from Santa Fe are charcoal and the algarroba wood, for making spokes for cart-wheels. During the past year (1862) a mill has been erected about a league to the north of the city, and a few squares from the bank of Guadaloupe lake, for the purpose of extracting oil from fish, with which the laguna abounds. Nearer to the lake, and at a lesser distance from the city, stands the old chapel of Guada- loupe, never used now, except for the devotional exer- cises of some of the old families of the neighbourhood. This laguna, from its end at Santa Fe to where a branch of the Parana forms its northern boundary, is twenty-five leagues in length, but the widest part of it, about three leagues across, is only five leagues long. On its western side is the Laguna del Salado, near which the Rio Salado empties itself into the Parana. 102 ACROSS THE SALADO. Chap. XII. At times this is but a marsh, and often quite dry : but when I saw it in December 1862, it was a very large sheet of water. Between these two lagunas is the road to the colonies of Esperanza, San Geronimo, San Carlos and San Pedro ; whilst over a bridge, crossing the Salado, and erected in 1856 by Messrs. Forster and Co., is a road passing through Coronda to Rosario. The jdace where this bridge is erected is at the Paso de Coronda, only one and a half leagues from the city. It is a wooden structure, having a lifting portcullis to allow of boats passing up and down. It is three hundred feet in length, and has a width of twenty- four feet ; the pas- sage of the portcullis is thirty-five feet in width, suffi- cient for any steamers that are likely to be engaged in the Salado navigation. During my stay at Santa Fe I was told this bridge was entirely under water, and that horses needed to swim part of the way over, even on the day before I crossed it. So far from this being the case, every part of the bridge is more than six feet above the water, and Senor Don Gregorio Fuisino, the toll-taker here, told me that, to his knowledge, for three years it had not been overflowed. The tolls here are one dollar (3s.) for each carriage, four reales (Is. 6 ►>* *S w •rj © . so rP P 03 * p § ej bD® © S B bC Pi *©! *R P H • ^ p ’P 03 O pp p p .S^.S Hp ^ © 03 P ^ 4 2 7 11 7 4 6 7 10 3 7 7 94 (or about two hundred and eighty-two miles). Although I have not visited the province of Salta I obtained some details respecting it that I trust may be interesting to my readers. Tucuman and Salta are both within the earthquake limits. In 1844 a violent ‘terra- mota ’ did an immensity of damage to the former place. Nearly a hundred years ago, a city named Esteco, some vestiges of which still remain, was swallowed up with all its inhabitants in the province of Salta. It was situated at the foot of a sierra near Monte Flores, be- tween the Rios de las Piedras and Las Conchas. In the central part of the province of Salta are two sugar-loaf mountains in the middle of a vast plain. These are reputed never to have been crossed nor ascended by travellers, because the people believe when such an attempt has been made, the mountains tremble and groan as if from the convulsions of some large monster within. Possibly, I said to myself on hearing this story, it may have originated in the fact of some one of a poetic imagination having attempted to go across during the period of an incipient earthquake. The diocese of Salta includes that province as well as Tucuman, Santiago, Catamarca, and Jujuy. In Jujuy and Salta exists the 4 chuchu ’ or intermittent fever. It has the same periodical variety as the African malady 186 FROM TUCUMAN TO ROSARIO. Chap. XXII. of like type. Moreover it is met with, though in a less aggravated form than here, in Catamarca and Rioja. Muleteers going from either of the latter to one of the former provinces, and having already suffered from the mild species of this disease, are most predisposed to take it on coming within its sphere of germination. In such cases it proves fatal to a large per-centage. 4 Chuchu ’ is generally believed to banish organic diseases — be they of liver, lungs, or spleen. From my note-book, Feb. 1 §th . — 4 Away this morning at 10 A.M. with the diligencia bound for Rosario. In half-an-hour we were going over the u Paso de la Banda ” of the River Sali, which flows at a short distance from Tucuman. This is the upper part of the Rio Dulce. In its passage to Santiago it is called the Rio Hondo. The river is not so deep as when I came through it last week on horseback, but still its water is profound enough to frighten nervous ladies, had there been any with us, in such a lumbering conveyance as ours; for the 44 cuartos,”* to which four bullocks had been attached to aid the horses, broke twice, so deeply did the wheels sink in the sand. There we were for more than fifteen minutes in the middle of a current running at least five knots an hour, and were all six passengers obliged to get out on horseback before the diligencia could be pulled across. 4 There appears a very considerable passage of horses and bullock carts to and from both sides of the river at this point. I am therefore inclined to believe that if there be a perpetual current here, a bridge with a toll would pay. 4 At the southern side of the river is the suburb of Adirettes, where (this being carnival time) singing, drinking, and playing the guitar are carried on through the day, while the dancing is put off till night. Beyond this are a few tanneries, and a very pretty neighbour- hood in a campestral point of view. We made only thirteen leagues before night — to the post of Los Tres * ‘ Cuarto ’ is the name given to the leathern traces by which horses or bullocks draw cars or carriages. Chap. XXII. THE CARNIVAL. 187 Posos, although we had ten horses, and changed three times. Much of the road over which we travelled this day was so soft and slushy, that we had to get down several times and wait for the luggage to be unpacked and packed again, as well as whilst the wheels of the diligencia were being dug out. 4 At the post here the carnival was in full swing. Throwing flour in one another’s faces, drinking gin or cana, smoking paper cigars and dancing constitute the carnival in the provinces.* A harper was playing and dancing was going on as we went inside. In the com- pany was a most grotesque-looking fellow, who danced for some hours the various pas (already mentioned) without ever stopping to rest for a moment, as if he had discovered and were practising the 44 perpetual motion.” His clothing consisted of a dirty slfirt, trowsers and a paper fool’s cap ; the last named having long blue rib- bons flying from it; the shirt having no buttons, its sleeves went flapping about like sails ; and as the origi- nal material of his trowsers was dark, a white canvas patch on the whole breadth of his posterior added to the ludicrous effect of his appearance. 4 Four leagues from Tres Posos is the station of Bagnal, the dividing line between Santiago and Tucu- man provinces, across a camp of the same richness in pasture as all over which I have travelled in this last- jiamed province. The post of Posuelas is four leagues beyond this. Here we must stop for the night, as our eight leagues of progress to-day has been like that of yesterday — digging out the wheels of the diligencia, un- packing the luggage, and now and then trudging along on foot. 4 As we were eating our dinner of 44 asado” this even- ing outside the post-house in an interval of a few minutes’ respite from rain, our two candles were extinguished as quickly as they could be lighted, by regular armies of 44 binchucas ” and 44 mosquitoes,” which fell into our * The carnival in cities is only passing by," and pelting egg-shells, varied from this by throwing water tilled with plain, or sometimes scented oif the house-tops on those who are water. 188 CROSSING THE RIVER. Chap. XXII. brandy-and-water by scores, and made themselves gene- rally disagreeable by committing suicide in hundreds over our meat. This was the first palpable reminder that we had returned to Santiago. It occurs to me, as a worthy subject of enquiry, both in a philosophical and in an entomological light, to ascertain if these reptile-insects have any bearing on the Quichua language, or it on them., for outside the boundaries of Santiago provinces I have met neither Quichua nor binchucas.’ Feb . 18 th . — 4 The rain came down last night through the roof of the house as if it were pouring through a cullender, and saturated everybody. However, we are ofi* at about eight o’clock. Between that hour and noon we have had a few diggings out, and unpacking of lug- gage. Sick of this kind of progress, I had my saddle out, and getting a lforse from the postmaster of Posuelas, who had accompanied us, I rode on, whilst they were disinterring the wheels of the diligencia. ‘ Before arriving at the next station, which is our first passage across the Bio Dulce (here called by the name of the district, Satalille), I overtook Don Estevan Rams in his carriage; for he had come up from Santiago to Tucuman, and had left the latter place on the same day that I did. At this place the river is at least two hun- dred and fifty yards across, and a very rapid-flowing stream. They tell me, that last year in place of this rushing torrent there were only a few pools. c We crossed in a boat, Don Estevan Rams’ carriage and the diligencia having been brought over on a plat- form of branches fastened transversely a-top of two boats tied together. On the southern side of the river is a small house, consisting of nothing but the roof and eight posts that constitute its architecture, and a “catre.” Sandias, quesillas, and maize are sold here. 4 About a league from this is the rancho pueblito of “ Miranda,” and three leagues beyond is the post-house of Ohouchai or Chouchill. Two and a half leagues far- ther we pass the pueblito of Ximenes, which has a large population and is hot many cuadras from the right bank of the river. We stop for the night at the post-house of Chai*. XXII. ARRIVAL AT TIIE CAPITAL. 189 Tippero, three leagues beyond Ximenes, where there are the ruins of an old chapel. Tippero is about two leagues westward of the course of the Rio Dulce. 4 Next morning, at two leagues from Tippero, we pass Los Chules ; a league farther on, Morales ; and another league the post of Garastiago. Here I saw the effects of the carnival in the case of a young man, whose arm was nearly severed from his body by the cut of a G audio’s knife. With a needle and thread provided by his mother I stitched it, for the wound was nearly four inches in length. 4 At Garostiago the river passes within four or five cuadras of the road. In the old house where we rested whilst changing horses, I saw an ancient door of beauti- fully carved wood, a relic, no doubt, of some of the old Spanish artificers. 4 Since crossing the river at Satalille I have travelled along in the volante with Don Estevan Rams and Senor Fresco, expecting to be in Santiago city at least a day or two before the cliligencia. The weather yesterday and to-day has been very fine. The part of this province through which we are passing now seems much superior in its richness of soil to that on the banks of the Salado near Matara. 4 From Garostiago we make a march of two leagues and a half through Pean and Tarapaja, entering at noon into the capital of Santiago.’ 190 CHAPTER XXIII. SANTIAGO. First Impressions of Santiago City — Attention of Governor Don Manuel Taboada and liis Brother Gaspar — Old Church of Saint Francisco de Solano — The Saint’s Cell — Cross used by him in preaching to the Indians — His Fiddle — Other Relics in Sacristy of New Chapel — Orange Tree in the Patio — Miracles performed by San Francisco — First Capital of Santiago Province (‘ La Ciudad del Barco ’) — Reasons attributed to the Saint for building the Chapel where now stand the Ruins — Churches of La Merced and Santo Domingo — Burning of the Cathedral in 1612 — Population of Santiago Province and Capital — Weather on setting out from this City — Privations at the different Pueblitas — Appeal to Tom Pinch — Geographical Error in making Roads from Tucuman to Santiago in a straight Line, as they appear in Charts — Crossing the Rio Dulce at the Paso de Guaychani — The Town of Loreto and its Poverty — Appearance of Beggars — Rio Pinto — Dry Bed of Rio Dulce — Posts passed from this to Atamisca — ‘ Lluvia a Cantaros.’ My first impressions of Santiago should have been favourable, from the hospitality I met on its outskirts at the hands of Senor Don Santiago del Yillar and his amiable lady, at whose house I was feasted on grapes and peaches. But on entering the city it presents the appearance of a place lately sacked, many of its houses being perfect ruins. As the diligencia had lost time in consequence of the rain and the state of the roads, we remained here only for part of a day. Yet it was long enough to make me feel grateful for the courtesy and attention I received from His Excellency Governor Don Manuel Taboada, and his brother Don Gaspar, both of whom accompanied me to the ruins of San Francisco de Solano church, which I was anxious to see. This old place of worship consists of nothing but fragments of walls; but walls made of mud, and from eight to ten feet in thickness. The saint’s cell is a very Chap. XXIII. SAN FRANCISCO SOLANO. 191 small chapel to the east side of the ruins. Over its altar is a statue of San Francisco with a fiddle attached to his girdle. -It appears that he was much devoted to this instrument, and a considerable amount of his success amongst the Indians may be attributed to his excellent performance upon it. In the corner beside the altar is a large heavy piece of 4 quebracho Colorado, 7 which is reported to have been part of the cross used by the saint in his devotions.* Many pieces of this wood have been taken away from time to time as relics. In the sacristy of the new church, dedicated to San Francisco, and which is close by, we saw the girdle and vestment worn by the saint. The latter is a beautiful work of filagree gold, executed by the Indians, the fiddle being one of its chief ornaments. Up to a few years ago, when it was destroyed by drought, there existed an orange tree in the court yard opposite the cell, which was planted by his own hands. The chapel now in use is a plain one, and contains an organ fabricated by a native artist. Several miracles recorded of San Francisco are firmly believed in by the faithful of Santiago. Amongst others, that when he was having this church built, for it was done under his own superintendence, one of the rafters was found a yard and a half too short ; the saint, to save time and trouble in sending for another, gave it a stretch although it was hard heavy wood and made it long enough. Again, a large beam was falling in part of the building, where it would have killed two men; but San Francisco, looking on, stopped it in mid-air with a wave of his hand till the men got out of the way, when he let it fall. But the most wonderful thing of all was getting building materials of brick, mortar and wood brought from the other side of the river in large bullock-carts. The water at the time was at its highest, but the animals * This cross is reputed to have been found, some years ago, within a cell in the large wall of the church, and close by a large stone, which had two holes in it, apparently caused by the pressure of human knees, there- fore evidencing a never-ceasing de- votion. Marks of a human hand are said to be on many parts of the walls, believed to have been caused by the saint leaning against the fresh mud to rest; for he himself was the chief architect of the church. 192 FOUNDATION OF THE CITY. Chat. XXIII. walked over the surface of the water, and the wheels turned round as firmly on it as if they were on terra firma. The first capital of Santiago was at the opposite side of the river, about three leagues off, and was called c La Ciudad del Barco.’ It was originally built by Juan Nunez de Prado; and, on consulting Dean Funes’ his- tory, I find it was erected a short time before 1550. The city was founded in its present site under the name T Santiago del Estero by Captain Francisco de Aguirre n 1553. The church of San Francisco had been erected it the time of the transference. Indeed the people say die saint built the church here in order to place the river between the wickedness of the city of Barco and himself. San Francisco Solano had preached through much of the district of Tucuman and amongst the Chaco Indians before the first Jesuits came to this part of the world from Peru at the end of 1586. The church of La Merced in the Plaza is a complete wreck, its roof having fallen in about the year 1852. The present church of Santo Domingo was formerly the church of Ignacio Loyola, and the first-established Jesuit chapel in the Argentine territory. I have not been able to ascertain on which of these sites was the cathedral church recorded by Dean Funes as having been accidentally burnt in 1612. The province of Santiago contains 140,000 inhabi- tants, and the capital 10,000. In the latter is an army of 700 national guards, 150 of whom are merchants, a sort of special constable or volunteer force. I believe there is no municipality in the whole of this province, each district being governed by a comandante and a troop of soldiers. Feb. 2(M. — c Through slush, mud and rain we are off at 8 a.m., the weather adding a double gloom to the dreary and desolate aspect of this city’s suburbs. One league out we pass the ranchito pueblo of u Las Flores,” a u lucus a non lucendo ” name forsooth, as there is here no vegetation visible, except the green scrubby hume. A league farther on is the pueblito of Marcos, a collec- Chap. XXIII. WINDING ROADS. 193 tion of eight or ten ranchos, and two leagues beyond is the post-house of Cardoso. Not an egg nor bit of cheese or bread nor drop of milk is to be had here for love or money. The rain stopped for a few minutes, as if to tantalise us, whilst changing horses ; but we are no sooner up and off than down it comes again. Four leagues to the post of La Hera de Manogasta, three to Silipica, and two to Alpapuca, # where we stop for the night. Oh, Tom Pinch ! Tom Pinch ! how many times to- day did not I wish to be on your old London Road, with the wheels of your coach crackling on the firm-frosted ground as they rolled along, instead of our ten horses galloping furiously through the rivers that lay in our road, the riders lashing them with ‘rebenques’ and yelling like demons, our diligencia heaving from side to side like a boat at sea, bumping out of a hole over a hillock, and slashing away like a locomotive bewitched ! It is, to say the least of it, a geographical error to place the roads from Tucuman to Santiago, or from the latter place to Cordova, in a straight line, as they are done in charts; for their track is like that of a snake or of the most winding river. From north to east, from east to west, from west to south, ‘and back again and round about,’ making all points of the compass, and, diverging from the route of a semi-crescent in one place to the acuteness of a right angle in another, our diligencia twines itself along. Feb. 21. — Two leagues from Alpapuca we cross the Rio Dulce at the Paso de Guaychani. The river here is running at the rate of three to four knots per hour, and has a breadth of from 120 to 150 yards. The diligencia was taken over in a 4 chata,’ which is an ob- long launch of about twenty feet in length, square at each end, and worked in a very clumsy manner by two oars. Of course, having crossed the same river from the left bank to the right at Satalije, we now go over it in a * 1 Alpa ’ is tlie Quicliua name for earth, and ‘ puca ’ is coloured. There is a marly soil about here. O 194 ATAMISQUT. Chap. XXIII. reverse direction. One league farther on we pass the Posta de Guaychani. The country here is very bare and barren, the chief plant in it being the 4 cachiyuyu,’ * on which the cows, horses, and sheep grow fat. Four leagues beyond Guaychani is the town of Loreto, having the same poverty-stricken look that one recognises almost everywhere in the interior villages. This town, I am told, contains 2,000 inhabitants, but from the number of visible habitations, I should imagine that calculation to mean the department. Whilst standing at the post-house during the change of horses, I was informed of a river about a league to the westward of the town, called the Rio Pinto, which has a course of seven or eight leagues, rising my informant did not know how or where, but losing itself in a manner equally inexplicable, as the Rio Dulce does at Lake Porongos. Many beggars are at Loreto, and amongst them a few that are paralysed. About a couple of cuadras outside Loreto is a dry bed of the old Dulce. Near this place the Governor, Don Manuel Taboada, has now men at work to change the current of the stream. Between this and our next halting place are La Banda del Rio (one league), Pascual (two leagues), Mistol (one league), Matuda (one league), Campo de San Ramon (one league), Pitamhaloo (one league), Los Coroneles (two leagues), and Atainisqui, post-town (one league). We entered Atamisqui about an hour after nightfall, just as a tormenta from the south was brewing, and we had barely got inside the comfortable post-house when down came the rain in torrents — or, as it is styled here, 4 Liu via a cantaros.’ *j* * Quichua for ‘cacti/ salt, and i yuyu/ weed. t This expresses rain falling as if it were poured out of jugs or pitchers. CHAPTER XXIV. SANTIAGO AGAIN. Rain at Atamisqui — Fears of Second Deluge being at Hand — Yakuchili Lake — Berdolaga Flowers — Pleasure for Pigs or Young Ducks — Meeting the Diligencia from Cordova — Crossing the Rio Viejo — Again at Salavina — The jolly Cura — Scene Outside the Chapel — Parochial Departments of Santiago — Healthy Population of Salavina — Troop of Mules — Questions about Fighting in the Upper Provinces — Colonels Bicha and Generals Binchuca — Cross- ing the Rio Dulce on a Chata — Turning to the Cordova Road — Quien sabe f again — Santiago Sierras — New Species of Algarroba — Cheap Peaches — Constructing Carretas — Enter Cordova Province — Territorial Formation of Sierras — Rio Seco — Rio de las Tor- tejas — e Intiguasi/ or House of the Sun — Mountains of Guyakan — Hospitality at San Jose — Pretty View from the Sierra of Sim- bolar — Pueblito of Rosario — Dance — Looking out for Cordova City — Level Road— Pau de Azucar Mountain. February 22. — Raining this morning as it never rained before, to my knowledge at least, since the time of Noah. The street opposite our door has a stream in it, running at the rate of at least three knots per hour. An adventurous individual coming across on horseback — for the owner of the house, who is master of the post, has a shop containing everything from a needle to an anchor — shows us the water is deep enough for a steamer not drawing more than two feet. If I were a philosopher — which I am not — I suppose I should be satisfied and thankful for being under good shelter, compared with that we had a week ago at Posuelas, where the rain came down through the roof in as dense a manner as it fell outside. When I think of the dangers we have passed through since leaving Tucuman, I am horrified at the idea of what we may have to pass through to-day, covered as all the roads must be with the floods. What contrasts in this climate to be sure ! Exactly two months ago we were scouring the Chaco in search of water enough to cook with and to drink, whilst 196 DAMP QUARTERS. Chap. XXIV. here we are detained in our progress by a superabun- dance of it. 10 a.m. — I am beginning to think that the second de- luge, prophesied by Doctor Cumming or somebody else, is at hand. Rain still coming down in torrents — the house surrounded by large lakes and flowing streams. Our conductor is nevertheless getting ready to start. Mid-day . — The horses are put to, and we are off. Half a league outside Atamisqui is Yacuchiri* laguna, which is reputed to have water in it all the year round. It is not, of course, now discernible from the immense sea with which the whole country seems covered. Clearing up a little, and small portions of earth be- coming visible after a few leagues’ progress, we pass a plant called 6 berdolaga,’ with some purple-coloured flowers of the buttercup size and shape. These flowers when pressed give a purple tint to the fingers. Five leagues from Atamisqui to the post of Juanillo, where, the roads being impassable, we stop for the night. Twice to-day we were dug out. To be in bed — for sleep is out of the question — in a rancho where the rain is coming through the roof as it would pass through a sieve, as well as surging over the threshold in a puddle, is, I confess, by no means enjoy- able, even with the reputed salubrity of the Argentine territory. It might be less annoying did it destroy the mosquitoes, sankudos, and binchucas ; but these abomi- nations seem not only amphibious, but to have their nipping faculties whetted by the rain. One league from this post is the pueblito of Quemillo Grande, where a number of tall posts and some door frames on the ground show the wreck of a 4 capilla ’ f that once stood here. Two leagues farther on is Peraltes, and two leagues more brought us to Barrancas, where we met the diligencia from Cordova to Santiago, but received no news from 4 away down South.’ Nothing worth noting between Barrancas and Sala- vina, save that we crossed the bed of the Rio Yiejo three * This, in Quichna, means ‘ cold f Small chapel, water.’ Chap. XXIV. SAL A VINA. 197 times whilst passing through the single department of Santa Lucia. The town of Salavina appears as triste as if nothing short of cutting one’s throat would create a sensation in it. No wonder I should be of that opinion. Arriving there at 4 p.m., without having partaken of anything during the day except some mate, and wandering about to every house enquiring for something to eat — bread, cheese, milk, or eggs — the response at all was 4 no hay ’ (there is none). As good luck would have it, I stepped into the residence of the cura, who proved himself quite a jolly Pickwick in his hospitality, as he is in figure; for we soon had a nice dinner of ‘asado ’ and ‘puchero.’ I slept at his house very comfortably. Although the old chapel of Salavina is in a state of ruin, having literally no roof, except a few feet square over the altar, the cura says mass here every day. At one side of the altar is a statue of our Saviour in the act of giving his benediction, and on the other side is one of San Francisco Solano in the attitude of preaching. Outside the chapel door this morning (February 25) was the dead body of a poor man, stretched on a bier of branches, covered with a white sheet, and a rude cross placed between his hands. The scene struck me as sublime in its simplicity. The sun was shining brightly at the time — for we seem to be coming to fine weather at last — four or five of the relatives were kneeling around, as the priest ( with two acolytes, one holding a holy- water pot and brush, the other at the chapel door, holding a large cross) read the prayers for the dead. Very poor the man’s friends must have been indeed, for the cura’s fee was paid in sandias # and melons. Notwithstanding that the province of Santiago is now literally covered with water, it appears that during the last year many cows, horses, and sheep died of drought. ' The cura informs me that the parochial divisions of Santiago are only half the number of the Government ones.f The former are — 1, Matara; 2, Salavina; * Water-melons. f Already mentioned in Chap. XX. p. 173. 198 CIVIL WAR AN INSTITUTION. Chap. XXIV. 3, Sumampa ; 4, Loreto ; 5, Soconcho ; 6, Silipica ; 7, The Rectoral or capital. All the chapels between the capital and the boundary line of Tucuman in a northernly direction belong to the Rectoral. Here at Salavina there is a very healthy population. I have seen three or four hearty -looking people walking about who were beyond eighty years of age, and one hale old woman said to be a hundred and ten. Off at noon, and soon we passed over the two arms of the Rio Viejo traversed on coming up. We pass the pueblito of Doha Llena (one league), Tarucupampa* (four leagues), and Cerillos (two leagues). We stop here for the night, being now within a few leagues of the Saladillo, where we are again to cross the River Dulce. To-day passed a troop of carretas, bound to Rosario with a cargo of hides and leather from Tucuman. Feb. 26. — Previous to starting this morning, and as I was lounging along the road a little in advance, there came up a troop of 600 mules from Santa Fe, bound for Salta. The c arriero ’ f asked me if they were fighting in the upper provinces — for civil war is here looked upon as an indigenous institution. I answered that our whole progress from Tucuman to this was a battle — fighting in the day-time against mud and rain, which we were able to struggle through in some degree, but at night attacked by mosquitoes and sanku- dos — Colonels Bicha and Generals Binchuca — who got the best of us. Whether it was my bad Spanish or his stupidity, I know not, but he did not seem to compre- hend me, and I walked on with an 1 Adios, amigo ! ’ The weather clearing up, and the air becoming invigo- rating, have an effect in raising my spirits. It would be impossible to identify the part of the Rio Dulce where we are crossing this morning (Feb. 26) as the same location which Don Estevan Rams and I traversed on January 18 last, were it not for the post-house. Then there were not more than a few * This is Quichua for wild goat of f The title given to the man who the Pampa. has charge of a troop of mules. Chap. XXIV. GRUMILLACO. 199 feet of water in it, and the 1 barranca ’ on each side formed a steep declivity. Now the river is spread over either bank for a distance of at least a quarter of a mile. Whilst going over in^a chata — the passage of about half a mile occupying us at least two hours — I thought it a pity that General Don Antonio Taboada had not something to do with the discipline of the tuggers at the two oars and the pushers at the poles that propelled us across. In the centre of the stream, where the current ran strongest, one of these men dropped his oar to light a paper cigar. Consequently the ‘chata/ with the diligencia and all of us on board, went floating down the stream. We might have gone on to Lake Porongos had we not been checked by a large bunch of hume overtopping the water. Two leagues at the other side of the river is Polvo- deros, and three leagues farther on we reach Caravajal. I find the Comandante’s, where Don Estevan Rams and I stopped on our way up, is the post-house, and here we remain for the night. Although the rain has almost ceased, we find the roads in a very bad state, particularly where there is argillaceous soil. To-day (the 27th) the public dili- gencia, in which I was a passenger, overtook the private 4 galera 1 of Sen or Sausse, completely upset, and the wheels turned up towards the sky — the Sehora standing on the left barranca, with an umbrella to keep off the W et — for it was raining — and gazing on as calmly as a heroine. Four hours travelling as many leagues brought us to the post of Grumillaco. About two leagues beyond Grumillaco, after passing a place styled Futa Quemas, we turn off the road up which I came with Don Estevan Rams, and go along the straight track to Cordova. Four leagues farther we stop for the night at India Muerta, which is about four leagues westward of Su- mampa. Whilst at Grumillaco I ventured to enquire if we were likely to be detained long waiting for horses. The 200 BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. Chap. XXIY. answer was 4 Quien sabeV Turning to another indi- vidual, I asked 4 How many leagues to the next post?’ when the same reply of 4 Quien sabeV of course shut me up. One league from India Muerta are the ranchos of Yaio, where there is a small sjiapel and a considerable population. We are now coming into a change of scenery that is perfectly delightful, travelling between two ranges of the Santiago sierras — that to the left is the Sierra del Ohilca, on the other side of which is the estancia of Rumiposa, passed on our way up — that to the right is the Sierra de la Soledad. But the road takes so many turns, that at one time we seem approaching the range of hills to the right, at another that on the left. A league beyond Yaio are the ranchos of La Grana, and every step brings us into a country becoming more and more interesting from the variety of its landscape. This morning another species of algarroba was pointed out to me by one of my fellow-passengers. It has a pod of a corkscrew shape, and is called the 4 Quentitulo.’ At the ranchos of Los Amiloderos we bought some very fine peaches for three reals (about a shilling) per hundred. Here too are many gardens, in which the tuna fruit is cultivated. Half a league farther on we stop to change horses at the post of Alto Suncho or Durasnos. Around us are plantations of maize, with undulating hills and dales of varied vegetation. Much of the district through which we are passing to-day is of an arenaceous formation. This post is three leagues from Carmen, the estancia of Senor Don Zaravia, at which Don Estevan and I stopped for siesta on our upward journey. Whilst the horses were changing I walked over some few cuadras to where carretas were being fabricated. These vehicles have not a single nail in their whole construction, for where the parts of wood cannot be joined by wedging they are fastened with hide. A league or so beyond Alto Suncho we pass the Arroyo de Athanaja, the Chap. XXIV. RIO SECO. 201 southern boundary of Santiago, and enter the province of Cordova. For many leagues there was no perceptible difference of soil between the two provinces, such as that which is so strongly marked when leaving Santiago for Tucuman at Las Tres Cruces. The territorial formation of the Cordova mountains seemed enchanting to me, so long a dweller on the flat plains of Rosario in Santa Fe. In the midst of heavy rain our horses galloped down a ravine to the town of Rio Seco. The population here is represented to me as 1,500. In the plaza the church is ruinous and deserted, the inside being full of bats. This place is six leagues directly west from San Roque, the boundary line, it may be remembered, of the province of Cordova and Santiago, on the road which I travelled upwards. Rio Seco is situated in an amphitheatre of sylvan beauty ; but there was not much 4 seco ’ about it, as the rain fell through the whole night of our stay there. From this two leagues and a half to Gramilla, before reaching which we cross the Rio de los Tortugas, that rises in San Pedro mountain, about five leagues to the west, and empties itself over the land a few leagues lower down than where we traversed it. Here we have a view of the lofty mountain styled 4 Intiguasi.’ This is the Quichua for 4 Casa del Sol,’ or House of the Sun, from the poetic notion that when the sun sets, as he does behind this hill, he retires to his house for the night. We pass the pueblito of El Rodeo, where there is a numerous population, and several tuna gardens, besides observing here the first pasture I have en- countered for many leagues. Wild passion flowers are about. Pulling up at Sause alias Durasnos to change horses, we have at our right hand the lofty mountains of Guyakan. Three leagues from Durasnos we cross the Rio Piscoqussi, now a dry bed, but which is a large river when the rain falls in the sierras. Three leagues beyond 202 SAN JOSE. Chap. XXIV. this is the little town of San Jose, where we stopped for the night. Senor Don Antonio Cantosani showed me the gracious hospitality of getting a dinner for me when I went into his house, opposite the diligencia office. He and his wife, against my protest, insisted on giving up to me their bed ; I was really very tired, for, owing to our horses having broken down, and no fresh ones to be got, as night was coming on, my fellow-travellers and I had walked for more than a league and a half before we arrived here. There is a chapel at San Jose, but no resident padre; the one who occasionally officiates in saying mass comes from Tolumba, capital of one of the departments in this province. Outside this town is a solitary cross, without walls or anything else, marking the site of a cemetery. After a journey of two leagues to Stretchuras we cross the sierra of Simbolar, two leagues farther on, from which there is a charming and extensive view of wood, bounded by the Simbolar range of mountains, that divide Cordova province from that of Catamarca. We pass in this province no large plains of pasture, such as those observed in the Chaco, in Santa Fe, and Tucuman; but where pasturage does exist, it is very rich and dense. Our night’s rest (on March 2) was at the pueblito of Rosario, which is a pretty rural district, having exten- sive plantations of maize. A curious thing was pointed out to me here — that this place is surrounded by a perfect circle of natural montes. The night being a bright moonlight, and expecting to reach Cordova next day, we had a merry dance to the music of a guitar. March 3. — Looking out for the capital as noon ad- vanced, I paid little attention to the localities of Que- bracho, Coinitieza, Puesto de Toros, La Colonia, Monte Negro, and others by which we passed, save by noting their distances down in my diary. The road we travel along to-day is as level and smooth as that in St. James’s Park. To the right the range of mountains tending Chap. XXIV. APPROACHING CORDOVA. 203 southward seems to separate in two, the most attractive object in it being the Pan de Azucar (sugar-loaf), already mentioned as bringing me back in memory to the county of Wicklow.’ * * Chapter XVIII. p. 151. 204 CHAPTER XXV. CORDOVA. Agreeable Sensations on entering Cordova — Tortuosity of Road — Geographical Position of this City — Period of its Founda- tion — Number of Churches— Cabildo — Cathedral — Church of San Domingo — Miraculous Statues — College of San Domingo — Chapel of the Jesuits — University — Time of its Erection — First styled University of San Carlos — Its old Library— College of Monserrat — Its Foundation — Change of Locale — Code of Education — Ancient Position of the Jesuits here — Their first Persecutor — Number of Slaves and Estancias which they owned — Position of Jesuits’ College— View from Azotea of Monserrat — Chapel of Santa Catalina — Convent of St. Teresa — Other Chapels in this 1 City of Churches’ — Chief industrial Feature of Cordova— Steam Mill of Senor Don Victor Roque — Cost of this Building — Its Manufacture and Export for the last Year — Absence of Fine Arts in Cordova — Municipal Music — Visit to the Alameda — Another Work of the Jesuits — Elegance of private Houses. Rarely have I entered any place with more gratified feelings than I experienced on reaching Cordova. The first glimpse of the cathedral towers made me forget all my hardships of the last fourteen days and nights. As we drew near the city on its south-east side, the appear- ance of its many churches gave it quite an air of eccle- siastical dignity. The road entering Cordova from the north is like all the roads I have passed over, more resembling a snake’s track than a way planned out by human intelligence. We had to make a detour of more than half the extent of the city before we could cross the Rio Primero. Then, passing by the steam mill of Senor Don Victor Roque, we arrived at the Paris Hotel in the plaza, the comforts of which made me as sound as a trout by next morning. 4 The city of Cordova,’ Captain Page says, 4 stands on the right bank of the Rio Primero, in lat. 31° 24' S., long. 64° 09' W., on a plain 1,240 feet above the level Chap. XXV. LIONS OF THE CITY. 205 of the Parana at Rosario.’ Entering it from the northern road, it seems as though it were in a valley. This city was founded in 1573 by Don G. Luis de /Cabrera, Governor of Tucuman, in which division of the Spanish Argentine dependencies Cordova was then situated. From the plaza in which I am now standing any one of half a dozen churches can be reached in a walk of five minutes. Deeming it my first duty to pay my respects to Governor Posse, to whom I had a letter of introduction from the President of the Republic His Excellency General Mitre, I went to the Cabildo, in CITY OF OOKJJOVA. company with Dr. Gordon, H.B.M.’s Vice-Consul here. Our conversation (chiefly on cotton affairs, in which the Governor seemed to take much interest) having termi- nated, I left the Doctor, who went off on his professional rounds, and strolled about alone. First to the cathedral, which from the exterior ap- pears an enormous edifice, yet it is not so spacious within as that of Buenos Ayres. Situated two squares from the plaza is the new church of San Domingo, erected on the ruins of the old, which was the third edifice pertaining to the same order of monks, that had been built from time to time. The existing one was commenced in 1857, and so far finished THE UNIVERSITY. Chap. XXV. 20 6 as to be opened for public worship in 1861, although not yet perfectly completed. In this chapel, on one of the side altars, is a statue of 4 Nuestra Senora de Rosario,’ which is believed by the padres to have been the subject of an extraordinary miracle, thus related. During the time when the Spanish Government held the sovereignty of this country, the statue in question was sent as a present from Madrid through one of the sea- ports in Spain, and by a vessel bound to a port on the Pacific side of South America. The ship was wrecked near the coast of Lima, and all its cargo lost, except the case containing this statue, and another, having one of our Saviour, which is now at Satta, both having floated ashore to some place in the neighbourhood of Callao. Contiguous to this church — in fact on the same cuadra — there is a Dominican college, in which at the time of my visit there were fourteen pupils, all dressed in the sombre grey garb of the order. These are, of course, intended for priests, unless their mission should fail. The interior of the church has all the neat and pleasing appearance of a new building, the altar being of the Corinthian order of architecture, whilst the remainder of the building is composite. The cuadra adjoining this contains the chapel of the Jesuits, in whose sacristy is a beautiful painting by one of the old Spanish masters, representing San Francis de Xavier carried off to heaven by angels after his death in China. The inside of this chapel’s roof is ornamented with fresco painting and gilding, having the mellow tinge of age. Not far from this chapel is the University, having over its door the arms of the republic, as well as the effigy of the corporation seal. This establishment, ac- cording to Dean Funes,* owes its erection to the zeal of the Bishop, Don Fray Fernando Treja y Sanabria, when Don Luis de Quinones Osorio was Governor in 1610. Its schools were opened in 1613, but until 1622 it had not received the approbation of Philip III., King of Spain, or the confirmation of Gregory XV., then Pope * Essays, &c. vol. i. p. 363. Chap. XXV. COLLEGE OF MONSERRAT. 207 of Rome. The approval of these potentates was further ratified by their successors, Pope Urban VIII. and King Philip IV. The dean writes enthusiastically of its regulations for teaching Latin and the sciences. It was originally entitled the University of San Carlos, and was, I believe, an ecclesiastical establishment; now, however, it is a secular institution, and its president is Doctor Basques. Whilst walking through its deserted cloisters, and searching for the old library, my eyes fell upon a door, on which I read the following inscription, very clumsily painted on a square piece of board : c Biblioteca pub- lic a de esta Universidad de Cordova fundada por su Gobernador Visitador y Protector, Dr. Don Manuel Antonio de Castro, Ano de 1818.’ The door was locked, and I was told no person could obtain permission to enter. But the whole of its apartments are on the ground floor, and consist of only half a dozen small rooms, so that, whatever the merits of its literary collection in old times, they could not have been very extensive. Crossing a patio overgrown with weeds and grass and covered with broken bricks, I ascend some stone steps to the artist’s room, where are some statues as well as paintings — all having a sad appearance of neglect and desertion. In the same square as the university, and commu- nicating with it architecturally (I am informed there is no literary nor amicable connection between the staff of both), is the present college of Monserrat. This college, originally founded in 1685 by Doctor Ignacio Duarte y Quiros, was then established in what is now styled the College of Orphans in the next square. In its early days this institution could boast of youths being sent to it from Chili, Peru, and other distant parts of South America. Kow-a-days the College of Orphans is occupied by women, who are instructed for service. This change in the locale was made at the time of the expulsion of the Jesuits, under whose superintendence it had been always managed. Its existing President, Doctor Bedoya, is actively en- 208 THE JESUITS. Chap. XXV. gaged in its regeneration. Improvements are being made to render more convenient the sleeping and dietary rooms for the pupils, of whom there are alreadv seventy- five. This college educates youths for legal diplomas to be conferred by the university, but the President informed me he had made an application to the National Govern- ment for medical degrees to be established. It is a very spacious building. In its reception room is a portrait of the original founder. Wandering back again from the college to the uni- versity, and giving a longing glance at the old library, whose hallowed walls inside I desired to see, along cor- ridors full of dust and cobwebs, through patios replete with 'wild herbage, my thoughts reverted back to the time when these extraordinary men, the Jesuits, had such a powerful influence in this country. 4 For 220 years/ observes Captain Page, 4 the Jesuits held in South America what is styled a Christian Kepublic. And there can be no doubt that their temporal possessions, whatever they were, amassed through this time, were gathered at the price of blood and Christian self-denial.’ Yet what a sorrowful relic of all this was here around me! Don Juan Manuel Campero, who was appointed Governor in 1761, was the first man who began the persecution of their body. He drove them out of the university as well as the Monserrat College. In the college there were at the time 135 Jesuits, with 370 slaves. They owned five large estancias in the country. Senor Don Carlos Grande, of Cordova, informs me that at one of these establishments, called Jesu Maria, about fourteen leagues from the city, there is still a beautiful chapel. When it was occupied, they had here orange and nut groves, baths, water-pipes to supply the house, and all the accessories of comfort. Another was at Santa Catalina, and a third at Alta Grana, each of these being about eleven leagues outside the capital. At the whole of their estancias they had from 3,000 to 4,000 negro slaves at work. o The Jesuits’ college of the present day is in the street Chap. XXV. THE CITY OF CHURCHES. 209 leading from Monserrat to the cathedral. Within a square and a half of the first-named is the Bishop’s school for educating clergymen; and on the opposite side of the same street is an ‘Escuela 25° Mayo,’ sup- ported by the order of Beneficencia. I ascended to the azotea here, and from it the chief objects of attraction are the Achuli Sierra away to the west, the large gloomy-looking chapel of San Francisco, with that of San Roque and the hospital of the latter down to the south. The view north and west is shut out by the Jesuits’ chapel, and that of Santo Domingo hard by. The church of Santa Catalina is behind the cathedral in the adjoining square, and next to this, on the right side, are the chapel and convent of the nuns of Santa Teresa. Besides the cathedral, the Jesuits’ chapel, Santo Do- mingo, San Francisco, La Merced, Santa Catalina, Santa Teresa, El Pilar, and San Boque, all of which are in order for officiating, there are three or four unfinished places of worship in this capital. Indeed, Cordova may be literally entitled ‘ the City of Churches.’ The chief industrial feature of Cordova in the present day, is the large steam mill of Sen or Don Victor Roque (a Frenchman), whose building was begun in 1858, and completed in 1861. Its erection cost 150,000 patagons, or 30,000/. sterling. In 1862, the first year of its working, there were exported from it to Rosario 18,000 fanegas of flour. The grinding power is represented by six stones, and the mill can make from 200 to 250 quintals per hour. The wheat of Cordova, from which this is manufactured, is of a very superior quality. To the engine is likewise attached a saw mill for cutting planks and firewood. These are worked for hire, as well as for the owner’s private business. The proprietor is likewise making carretas to bring the flour to Rosario. At Cordova it is sold for four dollars the quintal, whilst at Rosario it brings six ; so that the expense of bullock- cart freight thus adds fifty per cent, to its original cost. This is a very cogent proof how valuable the railway p 210 THE ALAMEDA. Chap. XXV. will prove when it is completed between Rosario and Cordova. Attached to the mill are capacious stores for corn and flour, as well as neat and comfortable stables for horses. The fine arts do not seem to be much cultivated in Cordova. There is a theatre here, badly constructed and seldom occupied. When on rare occasions a per- formance has been attempted, I am told that it is almost an impossibility either to hear or see the play. March 5 th . — A beautiful moonlight night, and the band of the National Guard performing in the plaza in front of the Cabildo.* This building, with its white- washed front, though extensive, has the look of a parvenu alongside its aristocratic neighbour, the grand old cathedral. Many of the fair — and a few of the opposite — sex are walking about the plaza, which has no pillar in its centre, nor seats at its sides, but is planted with a row of acacia trees in each line of its square. So being a stranger, and having no person to talk to or walk with, I stroll up the Calle Paseo, and crossing a small neat bridge, turn to the left, coming suddenly upon a scene of fairy beauty — the Alameda ! a cuadra of placid water, in which are reflected by the moonbeams the branches of the most graceful weeping willows, and the tallest poplars I have ever seen. These are growing on each side of the square. Between every pair of trees is a comfortable seat. In the centre of the lake is a small Gothic house, with a cupola roof, which I was subsequently informed is for a band of music. On one side is a small paddle-wheel boat, that up to a few years ago was worked by hand, and plied on the water. Not a creature was walking about, except a few boys, and I felt grieved on perceiving so little taste amongst the inhabitants of the city, who it appears rarely visit the place. This was likewise one of the works of the Jesuits, of whose labours here every square that one visits has its monument to show. Were I not so fatigued from my recent journey, I could have walked about for hours, * By the way, the municipal music here seems to me to consist of only a solitary discordant drum. Chap. XXV. HOUSES IN CORDOVA. 211 musing over the wonderful works of these extraordinary men in Cordova — not the least of which, for it was so decidedly humanitarian, was the beautiful scene before me. The bridge over which I crossed in coming to the spot was erected in 1837 by owners of property in the neighbourhood, much of which was injured by the over- flowing of a river which runs by here only during the rainy season. An important fact for the pedestrian, as well as for those who desire to keep their houses clean, is, that in Cordova there is no mud, the streets being generally of hard sand. They are not paved. No private houses that 1 have seen in any part of the Republic equal for neatness, comfort, and convenience many of those in this city. Some of them have lofty 4 miradors.’ 212 CHAPTER XXVI. CORDOVA — ROSARIO. Sir Woodbine Parish’s Statistics of Population in Cordova in 1822 and 1823 - Captain Page’s Account of the same in 1855 — Census of 1858 — Departments of the Province — Number of Provincial Deputies — Other Industrial Features of Cordova — Mines at Parais and Pocho — Manufacture of Cloth in Old Times — Low Price of Wool — Off for Rosario — Change of Weather as of Locomotive — Cordillera Range — Spinous Acacia — Rios Quarto and Segundo — Desgraciado — Battle-Field of Laguna Larga — Passing the Rio Tercero — Villa Nueva — Mendoza Road — Source and Course of Rio Tercero — Its Non-Navigability — South American Tea— San Gero- nimo, alias Fraile Muerte — No undulating Ground here — Cactus Fortification at the Post of Saladillo — Stretches of Pampas Scenery — Murderof Spanish Officers near Sobaton — C-L-A-M-O-R — Village of Cruz Alta — Other Posts — ‘ Coming Home ’ — What the Wild Fox, Gama, and Owl think about it — Spires of Rosario Church — Arrival at Rosario. From Sir Woodbine Parish’s book,* I learn that the pro- vince of Cordova had, according to a census taken in 1822-23, L a population of something more than 85,000 souls, of which from 12,000 to 14,000 lived in the city.’ Captain Page, in 1855, estimated this province at 100.000 inhabitants, of which the capital was reputed to have 15,000. I am informed on reliable data, chiefly founded upon the census of 1858, that the province contains nearly 200.000 inhabitants, of which about 30,000 may be allotted to the capital. This census was, however, taken since Captain Page’s work was compiled. The province of Cordova is divided into the following departments, namely: 1, San Justo; 2, Rio Segundo; 3, Rio Tercero arriba; f 4, Rio Tercero abajo;J 5, Santa Rosa ; 6, Cruz del Eje ; 7, Punilla ; 8, San Xavier ; 9, San Alberto; 10, Rio Quarto; 11, Totoral; 12, To- * Op. cit. p. 279. t Upper. | Lower. Chap. XXVI, FROM CORDOVA TO ROSARIO. 213 lumba; 13, Pocho; 14, Mines; 15, Sobremonte; 16, Rio Seco; 17, Ariejos Norte; 18, Anejos Sud; 19, Colem- nichita, 20, Ischilin ; 21, The capital. By consent of the bishop, the clerical division of parishes is the same as the foregoing. The provincial Camara has twenty-one deputies. The other industrial features of Cordova, besides the mill already mentioned, are excellent wheat, as well as wool and copper. At a place called 4 Parais Mineral,’ about fourteen leagues south-west from the capital, Mr. Lafone has copper mines — until very lately in working order — and silver is likewise obtained at Pocho, say thirty-five leagues south of the city. When wool, as in times of old, was worth only from six to ten reals per arroba in this province, the manu- facture of cloth was extensively carried on. But since the raw material has advanced to 18 to 22 reals per arroba, this branch of industry has been done away with. There are still some very fine blankets made in Cordova, but they are enormously dear. March 6. — Away at 10 a.m., passing up town by the Parque or old barracks on the road to Rosario. Our diligencia is a more roomy and comfortable one than that which brought us from Tucuman to this place ; the weather, too, seems permanently set in for fine. Emerging from the city, I find that this road, like all the roads in the provinces, makes within the space of half a league a circumbendibus to every point of the compass. . To the right is that part of the Cordillera range, which separates the southern part of this province from that of San Luis. Dwarf brushwood of the prickly acacia forms the first monte through which we pass to half a league outside Cordova, where there is a road to the right, leading off to the pueblo of Rio Quarto, about fifty-four leagues south-west from the capital. After a journey of eight leagues we cross the Rio Segundo, which is here a pretty stream, with rich pas- turage, fields of maize, and flocks of sheep and goats, on either side. The country passed since morning presents no features of interest, save that we have had fine 214 LAGUNA LARGA. Chap. XXVI. weather, good roads, excellent horses, and are getting on famously. W e made twenty leagues to-day, stopping for the night at the post of Desgraciado. March 7. — Between the post-stations of Herradura and Esquina Ballesten, we pass within a short distance of Laguna Larga, where in 1831 was fought a battle between the Unitarians under General Don Jose Maria Paz, and the Federals under General Don Facundo Quiroja, in which the former were victorious. This battle was consequent on a previous battle fought in 1829, near Tabladas, one league north of Cordova, where there is a great mound over the bodies of about two thousand men killed during that tight. The last men- tioned, though first occurring contest, was gained by General Quiroja, who had on his side General Bustos, at the time Governor of Cordova. The Rio Tercero is passed one league at the northern side of Villa Nueva, which is a very pretty little town, founded within the last thirty years. It has a hand- some chapel in its plaza, and is likely to advance in business when the Cordova railway passes, as it will do, through it. The bullock cart as well as diligencia road — being one and the same — from Rosario to Mendoza, branches off here. This place is forty leagues from Cordova. The river which we have crossed to-day rises at the back of the Cordova cordilleras. In its course to the Parana, in which it disembogues about twelve leagues above Rosario, under the name of Corcorana, it also bears the title of Desmochado. I saw it again near the post of Sanjon, twenty leagues nearer to its mouth than where we have crossed it here, and I have no faith in its navigability, even for small boats. It looks like a respectable trout stream, nothing more. For watering the country through which it runs, I believe it to be very useful. At the southern side of this river, whilst waiting for the diligencia to come over (for all the passengers had crossed in bathing costume, the day being hot, and the Chap. XXVI. MURDER OF SPANISH OFFICERS. 215 water refreshing), I picked some branches of a plant said to be South American tea, and which is here re- puted as preferable to that which comes from China. It is said likewise to possess excellent stomachic pro- perties. The moon being now at full, we travelled all through the night, arriving at San Geromino, alias Fraile Muerte — about fifty leagues from Cordova — about day- break. For many leagues before we reached this post, I was looking out for the undulating camp,* described as existing between this and Cordova, as well as from here to Rosario, which road we subsequently traversed ; but the whole country is as flat as a pancake. Fraile Muerte has a considerable scattered population. It is likewise a military station ; and here we heard the first suspicion of invasion from the Indians of the pampas. At the post of Saladillo, thirteen leagues farther — after passing those of Sanjon and Barrancas — I find the remains of a Cordon cactus fortification, constructed by General Lopez, when he was Governor of Cordova in 1835. It is now in decay, and possesses no larger troop of soldiers than a single comandante. From one post to another along this road we have stretches of pampas, in which the only sign of life is now and then a wild fox or gama, with occasionally a few cows and horses. About half a league south of the post of Sobaton, where we have just changed horses, is a small bosque, or wood, near which, in the year 1810 (the epoch of 4 inde- pendencia’), five Spanish gentlemen were murdered, the earliest victims of the struggle at that period. Many people here, as well as all through this province, be- lieve that on the day succeeding their death, the word C-L-A-M-O-R, which represents the first letter of each man’s name, appeared as a sort of glory-halo amongst the chahar trees composing this grove. The martyrs were : — * Parish’s Buenos Ayres , &c., p. 279. 216 COMING HOME. Chap. XXVI. C-oncha, who was then Governor of Cordova. L-iniers, at the time Viceroy at Buenos Ayres, who had been hunted out of it by the revolutionary Junta. A-llende, a general in the Spanish army. M-oreno, Spanish minister of treasury. O-rellana, Bishop of Cordova. R-odriguez, Spanish minister of war. They were all murdered except Bishop Orellana, who was let off that he might confess the others in order to prepare them for death. He afterwards died at Seville in Spain. Only last year (1862), Her Catholic Majesty, Isabella II., Queen of Spain, sent for the remains of these vic- tims; and they were forwarded to Madrid, in an urn, by Sehor Fijol, Spanish Vice-consul in Rosario. The vil- lage of Cruz Alta, which has in the centre of its little Plaza the rude cross fixed in a wheel nave that had been for many years placed over the grave of these poor fel- lows, is distant about eight leagues from the scene of this tragedy. A few squares south of this post is an Arroyo, con- sidered the dividing line between the provinces of Santa Fe and Cordova. We stopped for the last night of our journey at the post of Guardia de Esquina, and next morning pro- ceeded on through the posts of Arequito, Desmochado, Candelaria, Correa and Ricardo, all of which appeared as so many spots of beauty to me ; chiefly because, after my three months and a half of journey, I was 4 coming home !’ 4 Tom Pinch/ said I to myself, 4 1 don’t envy you this morning.’ Everything around intoned into my ears the pleasant words, 4 coming home ! ’ Starting before dawn I saw in a short time the rising sun peering from behind a stratum of beautiful silver and gold ; it would be pro- fanation to style it cloud. He has 4 coming home ’ in his beams. Soon he shines over the pretty hamlet of Des- mochado, by which we pass, and one of whose white- washed houses says as plainly as house can speak, 4 coming Chap. XXVI. ROSARIO. 217 home.’ Owls, starting up from the Biscacha holes as the horses gallop by gaily, instead of their usual shriek, shout the welcome greeting. Who tells me to-day that the pampas over which we are cantering is but a desert waste ? For are there not flowers everywhere ? Even the wild fox and gama, scampering away, terrified at our diligencia, seem as if they too were 4 coming home when my gaze to the south showed me two white spots — day-stars they were against the pale blue sky — at once revealing to me the spires of Rosario cathedral, and proving that 4 coming home ’ was now to be a practical fact. At two o’clock in the afternoon I arrived at my own house, after a peregrination of three months and a half. 218 CHAPTER XXVII. THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. Extent of the Argentine Republic — Its Boundaries — Superficies in Leagues — Population according to the Census of 1858 — Arrange- ment of its Provinces — The Rivers La Plata and Amazon— Aortas of South American Continent — Source of Paraguaya River — Its Tributaries to Junction with the Parana — The Parana to the River Plate — What Rivers flow into it — Home or Domestic Trade of the Republic — Exports from the Provinces to one another — Entre Rios and its Traffic — Cotton in Corrientes — Cochineal Trade in former Times — Catamarca and its Copper — The English Traveller at London in Catamarca — Origin of 1 Londres’ here — Major Rick- ards’ Report on the Silver Mines of San Juan — Traffic in Mules — Profit on this Item of Commerce — M. Thiers on the La Plata Trade with France — Belief of what it may become in connection with England. The Argentine Republic of South America extends 22° to 41° of south latitude, and from 59° to 74° of west longitude. It comprises the whole of that pampas and sierra (or mountain) district which is bounded on the north by the Republic of Bolivia, the limits of the Grand Chaco, Brazil, and Paraguaya; on the east by Brazil, the Uru- guya Republic, and that part of the Atlantic ocean into which the River Plate debouches; on the south by the Rio Negro, which separates it from Patagonia; and on the west by the chain of Andes, dividing it from Chile and Peru. f According to the latest authority (Dr. De Moussy’s work, La Confederation Argentine) its extent is calculated at 80,000 square leagues, or a superficies of 675,000 geo- graphical leagues, i. e. more than four times that of France. The government census of 1858 — the last taken — gives it a gross population of 1,200,000 inhabitants. It is composed of fourteen provinces, arranged thus in four divisions : — Chap. XXVII. THE LA PLATA AND THE AMAZON. 219 Littoral or Riverine Provinces Central Provinces . Provinces contiguous to tlie Andes Northern Provinces f Buenos Ayres Santa Fe j Entre Rios f Corrientes f Cordova J San Luis j Santiago t Tucuman f Rioja J Catamarca J San Juan [ Mendoza f Salta l Jujuy. The magnificent rivers Rio de la Plata in the south, and Amazon in the north, constitute the aortas of navi- gation in the South American continent. Of these the former is the largest and most important. From its source of the Paraguaya in the diamond regions of Matto Grosso* district in Brazil, to where it meets the Parana near Corrientes, it receives as tributaries the Rio Prieto, Rio Vermutta, Rio Seputuba, Rio Cuyaba, which is formed by a confluence with the Rio San Lorenzo, the Rio Tacuary, Rio Mvotely, Rio Guachi, all of which flow into it from the Brazilian territory. Then entering into the Republic of Paraguaya at its northern boundary of the Rio Blanco, it receives from Paraguava the Rio Appa, the Aquidaban, the Ipape, Jujuy, Aguay, and Tihakari ; whilst from the opposite side, being the Upper Grand Chaco, we have flowing into it the Rios Timanas, Galan, Verde, Confuso, Pilcomayo (the last-named join- ing it opposite Asuncion), and the Vermejo. From where the Rio Paraguaya inosculates with the Parana at the southern boundary of the Paraguayan Republic, it assumes the name of Parana, which it holds till confluxing with the Uruguaya. The junction of these streams constitutes the Rio de la Plata. * A work recently published by Bartolome Bosse, describing bis travels in Cuyaba, shows on its map that the sources of the Cuyaba and Amular (which with the Colorado, Burin, and Diamante constitute the upper waters of the Paraguaya) pro- ceed from the opposite side of the Matto Grosso hills, whence flows the Rio Arino, one of the principal sources of the Amazon. So that these two noble streams may be said to be sisters from their first rise, though flowing in different direc- tions. 220 HOME TRADE. Chap. XXVII. The Parana, in its course downwards, receives from the Lower Chaco the Rio San Lorenzo and Arroyo del Rey; from the province of Santa Fe, the Salado, Car- carana, and Arroyo del Medio, which last is the dividing line between this province and Buenos Ayres. From Corrientes, its chief affluents are the rivers Corrientes, Bat el, and Sarandi ; whilst from Entre Rios, it gets Las Conchas, Paracao, and Gualeguaya. Buenos Ayres pro- vince sends it the Areco and Sujan; after it becomes La Plata, the Las Conchas (or Tigre), the Rio Chuelo (known as the Boca) near the city; and on its way to the sea, the Salado del Sud and Rio Negro. Having already enumerated the various articles of export for foreign countries from the Argentine Repub- lic, I may here submit the principal of those which form the home or domestic trade of the country. One of the chief imports coming to Rosario for all the interior districts is Yerba or Paraguaya tea. The main exports from the provinces to one another are cana, sugar, rice and tobacco, from Tucuman; ponchos and colchas (bed quilts) from Santiago; blankets and lace, as well as wheat and flour, from Cordova ; wine and fruit from Mendoza; fruit from San Juan ; butter and eggs, as well as charcoal, from Santa Fe; mules from the southern to the northern provinces; lime from Entre Rios. This last-named province also exports wool and prepared beef from the Saladeros, as well as lime from near its capital, Parana. During the past year 62,000 arrobas of wool were sent to Europe from the port of Gualeguaya in this province. Its lime is prepared chiefly in the neighbour- hood of the city of Parana, the former capital of the Argentine Confederation. In the year 1825, there were only 120,000 head of cattle between this province and the adjoining one of Corrientes; whilst in 1836, both contained between seven and eight millions. The province of Corrientes which adjoins Entre Rios, is chiefly a cattle fattening, and to some extent a beef- curing district, having a few Saladeros. In it are pro- duced excellent tobacco, and many tropical fruits. Corn is reported not to grow well here. Between the rivers Chap. XXVII. COPPER MINES OF CATAMARCA. 221 Batel and Corrientes (which flows through this province), the new agriculture of cotton is being extensively culti- vated by Senor Ximenes, of Goyo. I have previously described the products of Cordova, Tucuman, and Santiago. In former times cochineal formed an important item of export from the last-named province. It was sent to Peru and Bolivia. The culti- vation of this article is now given up, although the forests contain large quantities of the coccus insect on the wild cactus. Here they are styled 4 grana.’ From Catamarca, about twenty years ago, cotton of a superior quality was also largely exported through the provinces. The chief importance of this province in the present day arises from its rich copper-mines ; the greater part of copper passing through Rosario being from Cata marca. In U 62, as appears by the custom-house returns already given, there were sent through Rosario, chiefly from Mr. Lafone’s mines, above 550 tons of copper in blocks of 2 cwt. each. This is worth at Rosario from 80 to 100 francs the quintal, which leaves a good profit to the producer. These mines of Senor Lafone employ ten thousand mules in the various works about, as well as in carrying the smelted copper to Rosario. Connected with these mines there are, including, of course, the muleteers, upwards of 1,500 souls. An English traveller will be much surprised to find himself, on the eastern side of Catamarca province, halt- ing at a place called 4 Londres.’ The name had its origin at the time of the marriage of Philip II., King of Spain, to Queen Mary of England. The Governor, out of compliment to the sovereigns in question, selected two spots, one of which he entitled 4 Madrid,’ and the other 4 London.’ There is likewise a Londre§ita, or 4 Little London,’ in the neighbourhood of Mr. Lafone’s mines. Upon the silver mines of San Juan a most favourable report has been made in the course of last year to His Excellency Governor Sarimento, by Major F. Rickards, C.e.* This report gives encouraging statistics, not only * Since that time, Smith, Elder & Co. have published a volume by Major Rickards on the subject. 222' MULE BREEDING. CuAr. XXVII. of the superior quality of the metal, but of the small cost at which it may be raised. Even at present, and with the irregular process of elaboration which exists, the engineer calculates 133 ounces of silver to every ton of ley that is dug up. A very important traffic of the Argentine Republic between its upper and lower provinces, as well as to Chile, Peru and Bolivia, is the trade in mules. These animals are bred in Santa Fe, Santiago, Buenos Ayres, and Entre Rios. Bought likewise at from five to ten dollars per head in the Banda Oriental, whilst even before going higher than Salta, they realise a profit of from 150 to 200 per cent. Not having visited any of the extreme northern or Andine provinces, I feel a hesitation in entering upon their commercial details. More than ten years ago M. Thiers, in a speech before the Legislative Assembly of France, declared: — ‘The trade of Brazil has advanced, in twelve years, from a little less than thirty to sixty millions. The trade of La Plata has advanced in the same twelve years, from between four and five to forty millions.’ It may be needless for me to express my belief, that, with the continuance of peace and the extension of rail- ways, the trade of England with the River Plate is likely to double that of France. CHAPTER XXVIII. THE CULTIVATION OF COTTON. Mr. Henry Ashworth’s Pamphlet on Cotton — Cultivation of this Article in the States of North America tending to the Exhaus- tion of Soil — Foreign Office Despatch about Prospects of Cotton Cultivation in 1863 — Argentine Territory in same Position South of Equator as Cotton Lands of United States are North — Explana- tion to Governors of Provinces and Owners of Land — Practices and Principles on which they might hope for the Aid of British Capital — Governor’s Opinions of Need for Immigration — Explana- tion of why it is indispensable for successful Cotton Cultivation — Advice to "make a Beginning of ‘ Self-help ’ — Ideas of General Don Antonino Taboada — Author’s Suggestions in connection with Agricola-Military Forts — Working Men, and Cost of Labour in Santiago Province — Upwards to Tucuman — Much of the Province uninhabited as uncultivated — Cost of Workmen’s Labour here — Bad Plan of advancing Wages — Price which Cotton realises at Tucuman— Carriage Expense of it to a Shipping Port — Cotton Cultivation in former times in Cordova and Catamarca — Interest shown by the Governors for the Cultivation of Cotton — Contrast of Premium offered by Governor of Cordova with that of Queens- land Government to the successful Cultivator of Cotton — Excel- lent Quality of the Fibre produced formerly in Santa Fe — * Standard ’ Cotton in Buenos Ayres — Cotton in Salta — No Faith in Wild Cotton — Cultivation of Cotton in Paraguaya. Throughout all my journey of nearly three thousand miles in the Salado valley, across the rich soil of the Chaco, and over the fertile provinces of Santa Fe, San- tiago del Estero, Tucuman, and Cordova, the following passage from Mr. Henry Ashworth’s pamphlet on cotton frequently recurred to my mind : — 4 It is known that the cotton lands of the United States are limited in their extent, ranging principally across that countiy from 33° to 34i>° north latitude, and that the cultivation of them is leading ultimately to their exhaustion.’ Since my return I have read, in the c Manchester Re- porter’ of November last, a despatch to the secretary of the Cotton Supply Association, from Mr. Hammond, of the Foreign Office, by Earl Russell’s directions, in which 224 EXPLANATION TO LANDOWNERS. Chap. XXVIII. it is stated: — 1 If the war in North America should con- tinue, the land in 1863 will be cultivated for corn and not for cotton; and under any circumstances it will take the cultivators of cotton some time to recover from the state of disorganisation into which that cultivation has been thrown.’ When these facts are joined together with that of my late travels having been made within sight of several thousand square miles of virgin soil, in nearly the same latitude south, as the cotton lands of the United States are north, I trust the record of my observations will prove of mutual advantage to the cotton interests of England and to the prosperity of the Argentine Repub- lic. During my passage through the inhabited parts of the provinces — for (as will already have been seen by my readers) there are in these provinces immense dis- tricts as uncultivated as in the Chaco wilderness— I ex- plained to the landowners who questioned me on the subject my instructions from Her Majesty’s Government, namely, ‘to seek for wild cotton.’ To those who inquired if cotton cultivation were about to be introduced here by the British Government, I invariably answered ‘No.’ At the same time I consented to transmit to the Cotton Supply Association of Manchester, through the Foreign Office, any statement of their desires and opinions on the subject; merely suggesting that these should be founded on the following assurances: — 1. That the governors would lend their aid and authority to promote the cultivation of cotton, 2. That the estancieros and holders of land were willing to devote some of their time and capital to the same object. 3. If they thought well of attempting the work with the present population. Although they invariably expressed (without any interrogating in the slightest degree) a desire to com- mence a branch of agriculture which they look upon as a security for peace, as well as a source of wealth, the governors especially signified a dread of not being able to do much in the matter without immigration ; ‘ for,’ Chap. XXVIII. COTTON CULTIVATION. 225 they say, c the existing population does not understand the modus operandi of cotton cultivation; and, more- over, being brought up in the exciting work of Gauchos, amongst horses, bullocks, and Saladeros, it is to be feared there would be ’some difficulty in bringing them round to the tame labour of agricultural industry.’ My general reply to these observations was a sugges- tion to them to make a beginning, even with the labour which they had, and thus let English capitalists see that there was industry here, which, if so inclined, they might promote with a prospect of success. General Don Antonino Taboada, with whom I had many an interesting conversation on the subject, told me he was very anxious to have cotton cultivated in his province; that, as already explained, he had seven leagues of land near Fort B radio, on the right bank of the Bio Salado, which he would make over gratuitously to immigrants, and that he would give them all the aid and protection in his power. Connected with this I hinted an idea to him, bearing on his Agricola-military forts, that extend from Navicha to a distance on either side of the river of a couple of hundred miles, and that contain a few thousand soldiers. This was to give to each of these soldiers, say, ten grains of cotton seed, at the proper time for sowing. They can be planted with- out any additional labour or ground, their pods collected by the children ; and thus, calculating an average of 2 lbs. in weight to each plant for the first year, he would have a beginning of nearly 40,000 lbs. weight of cotton flock, even with a small allowance for waste. The produce, at the normal price of 6 A per lb., would realise from 2,000/. to 3,000/., besides providing seed enough for the whole province of Santiago. He said he would try it, if I sent him the seed in the first instance, which I engaged to do as soon as I should receive it from the Cotton Supply Association at Manchester. In this province there are at least 20,000 working men, out of a population of above 100,000 inhabitants — men who work for one real (4J>cZ.) per day, and whose Q 226 PRICE OF LABOUR. Chap. XXVIII. feeding on beef and maize does not cost more than another real per head per day. One bullock, with pumpkins, maize, or melon, is found sufficient for fifty men during five days, and this head of cattle costs only ten Bolivian dollars, or, in fact, thirty shillings. Going upwards through the Salado valley to Tucu- man, I find all through this last-named district a rich soil, like that of a well-manured garden. Much of it, as of the Chaco and the other provinces, is uninhabited and uncultivated, although very little is common or Government property; the greater part having been purchased from the Government, or given in free grant, in times gone by, and therefore inherited by the present owners from their forefathers. I believe there is little or no cotton cultivated in this province ; I saw, however, a few thousand plants of it, on the estancia of Serior Don Jose Frias, at Sebil Redondo, near the capital. The cost of workmen’s labour, as well as the expense and tediousness of transport by bullock-cart, must for a long time prove a double impediment to this province becoming a cotton-growing location. The hire of labourers here is from seven to eight Boli- vian dollars (i. e. from 21 s. to 24s.) per month, together with food. Employers must likewise suffer much from the existence of an arrangement by which it is indispensable to pay beforehand two months’ wages. So firmly estab- lished is this rule, that no peon will take the higher wage of ten to twelve dollars per month unless he gets the advance. Consequently the employer is at the mercy of the employed ; for the latter, after receiving his two months’ wages, without doing a stroke of work, may, as he often does, steal a horse and run away to a neigh- bouring province. Here he is safe from arrest or punishment, for there exists no extradition treaty on the subject. Cotton in Tucuman, of the same quality as accom- panied my report to the Cotton Supply Association of Manchester, is sold there for three reals (or about Is. 2d.) per pound, with the seed. When the seed is Chap. XXYIII. PREMIUM TO COTTON-GROWERS. 227 picked out — the only means they have of cleaning it — the staple is sold at the enormous price of twelve reals, or nearly 5. XXX. EXPENSES OF SHEEP BREEDING. 239 8 o §3 ^ s : e » •S s <>r o s* .8 e £ ^ 2 .» /-v 8 00 O <40 <40 S 00 a l Bs § o o icT *5 £ <50 <^4 ^ S3 .■« ±T< o o o o o o o © *o o 0 10*0 00 r* r-T r-T of CO *o o o o o o O VO o o o «5 N O CO o o VO VO c^t>- tjT co >-i VO Hov Ol o o c o 00^00 ocf 00 *“ CO I & o o o o o o o o o o VO © O 0^0^ of eo *o~ t-C 00 VO *0_ t-T *h 0 00^ 01 VO^ vO~ ^0: o o o o o VO O O O © 01*0 0*0*0 i-T r-T oT of of 0 o o o o VO o o o o 01 VO 0_«3*0 i-T h of of oo to, m •g &= ftpq p? n - o r o o © O 00 CO Ol VO VO set © © © Ol I 0 © © CO I © © © OO I © © © ^ 1 0 © © © 1 CO © 00 CO t)I Ol ^ -H Ol Tjl Ol Ol © © © © © <-1 CO Ol *0 1-1 Ol VO conh © Ol O CO © *0 © © OVOO© © vo © © Oiooco © *0 © O !» H ^ H OO i— I t+< O OO i-l -*< r-H 00 I — I — H 1 — I =0^^^ (§000 0)000 0000) 0000) 0000 rO . VO 5S % ® eg r* . © 03 fe <— I Ti 0^ c &0^ H CD ^Cf-, o xn o “Is © £ <9 © c i§ Ol c3 .Q •• .. o .... ^ . £4 t~> g e3 ® H C3 © >"s 03 R. • • • '%•■ •■■*■•• •*> la la 3 a |a « | ©) -o • .02 • o « .+3.0 . •<* • o • -eg • 5 • • 'wg * 5=5 S ewg S 'tsg 0 U ™ 0 ^2 0 n2 0 u 2 0 ^ 2 m cd £ cq xa>-a> S } • go 03 £L| go cq Ph Pj „ CO ^ m O CO £ Q 03 C O CQ c c f ^ S « fl g<® ft® fl ® g a® fi ©? as fl a» S ftS S £ Wf3p4lsJ§^f3p4mWW£pHmW W £p^5QWW£p4aQW Ol Ol Ol Ol COCOCOCO COCOCOCO vo *o VO VO 240 INCREASE OF PROGENY. Chap. XXX. of sheep being so partitioned, in regard of sexes, as to ensure a certain increase, it is ascertained that they double their number in three years — sometimes in two. Consequently a young fellow who is resolute enough to bear the roughs of camp life, and who maintains good steady conduct, finds himself, at the end of a few years, in possession of a flock of sheep, without having invested any capital. I had intended, on the first view of his calculations, to have extracted from Mr. John M ‘Coifs 4 Life in the River Plate/ the statistics by which that gentleman proves that with 15,000 sheep in three 4 suertes’ of land, embracing an outlay of 15,000/., the outlay of such an amount of capital can be doubled in four years ; but on reflecting that he makes no allowance for such casualties as deaths from 4 temporals/ drought, or frost, as well as that few immigrants come out to the River Plate with from 15,000/. to 20,000/. in their pockets, I deem it better to pass on. A league of land is capable of maintaining 10,000 sheep and their offspring for two years. The normal division of one league is into eight ‘puestas.’ For each of these a sum of 5,000 paper dollars per annum is paid in Buenos Ayres ; and on this a flock of from 1,000 to 1,200 sheep is supposed to double its progeny in three years. A farmer near San Pedro, Mr. Braham, told me of his having had, within the last year, 900 lambs out of a flock of 1,900 sheep. This is, however, an exceptional case. Land for sheep-farming is generally let on a lease of from three to six years. The following paper, drawn up for me by Mr. Frederick Hinde, gives, in the opinion of some knowing hands to whom I have submitted it — amongst them Mr. Daniel Maxwell, of Buenos Ayres — a very correct summary of the chief points to be known with reference to sheep-farming in the Argentine Re- public : 4 The camps or sheep-walks are divided into two classes, hard and soft grass camps. The hard camps are fur- nished with a long wiry dry grass, and are only suitable Chap. XXX. NOXIOUS WEEDS. 241 for sheep in proportion to the intermixture of soft grass, which consists of trefoil, gramilla (or spreading wheat- grass), and a few other succulent grasses, of which the best camps entirely consist. Although sheep when accustomed to these hard camps may thrive on them, yet they neither fatten so much nor yield such a quantity of wool as those grazed on soft camps. It often happens on these hard grass camps that great loss is experienced of the wool, sometimes of all the lambs, and frequently of many of the original stock. 4 The hard grass camps, when used as they ought to be for cattle grazing, become in the course of time better adapted for sheep. 4 Some camps contain large quantities of a poisonous weed called mea-mea or romerillo* which the sheep not accustomed to the camps whereon it grows are apt to eat, and which is generally fatal in its effects. Great caution is on this account required in moving sheep, not to allow their eating if passing through land where this exists. It is generally diffused over the Banda Oriental, and appears to exist only on half-fine, half- tender grassed camps, very little being found either upon thorough soft camps, or the really rough plains of the pampas. 4 Another weed very injurious to sheep- farming is the abrojo or large burr. This clings and mats itself into the wool, so as to make a separation almost impossible. Where this grows in large quantities, the land is totally unfit for sheep-farming. It is generally found on the banks of small streams and in low places. The burr from which the seed springs sometimes remains for one or two years beneath the soil before it grows, thus proving the difficulty of eradicating it. * I am not acquainted with the through which a troop of sheep has botanical name of this plant, al- to pass in migrating, it is the custom though having some of it in my of the vaqueana to go before, and possession. The symptom under having cut a quantity, to dry and set which sheep suffer after eating it is fire to it. Then, keeping the flock a spasmodic shiver, terminating in for some time within range of the death. Senor Don Emilio Ireas, of smell of the burning weed, they are Rosario, informs me that when mea- certain ever after to avoid eating it. mea is known to exist in a place — T. J. H. 242 MESTIZO SHEET. Chap. XXX. 4 A square league of good camp, containing 6,634 acres, ought to support from 18,000 to 20,000 sheep. 4 It is generally considered that the pastures of the Banda Oriental are not so good for sheep as those of Buenos Ayres or Entre Bios, being of a much harder kind. The Banda Oriental possesses likewise a draw- back in the high price of sheep and stock ; but it has the advantage of an unfailing supply of good water, which few camps in Buenos Ayres possess. In Buenos Ayres, however, water is met with in many places at a depth of from eight to fifteen feet. 4 Good sheep camps cannot be rented within forty leagues of Buenos Ayres for less than 250/. per square league per annum, and in some cases the rent runs as high as 400 /, per year for that extent. There is a great difficulty in renting good camps at any price, land- owners generally preferring to stock their own holdings. In Entre Bios the rent of good land for sheep-farming is from 60/. to 100/. per league per annum. In the Banda Oriental it is let from 100/. and upwards for a “suerteA* 4 The 44 freolla,” or native sheep, is a very coarse- wooled, scraggy, long-legged animal ; but, by dint of repeated crossings with imported Merinos, Saxons, and Negretas from Germany, and Bambouillets from France, a pretty good fine-wooled sheep has been produced, which are called Mestizos. The majority of large sheep-farmers keep a flock of well-refined ewes, with a few pure- blooded rams, for breeding other rams for the Mestizo flock. 4 Good Mestizo sheep are valued in Buenos Ayres, buying 44 al corte,” or by the cut (that is, a mixture of ewes, wethers, and lambs, old and young), from 5s. 8 d. to 8s. 4 d. each. In the Banda Oriental they are valued at about 10s. ; and in Entre Bios, say 7s. 6t/. Good rams cost from 50s. to 70s. each. 4 About fifty ewes are apportioned to one ram. A flock is generally begun with 1,500 sheep 44 al corte,” and allowed to increase to 2,000 or 2,500. Some per- * Three-fourths of a league. . Chap. XXX. SHEARING SEASON. 243 sons form flocks of 1,500 breeding ewes, and pick out all the lambs at from six to nine months after the lambing. Of these new flocks are formed. 4 The principal lambing time commences at the end of March, but another and a smaller lambing season comes on in November. Nearly all the care needed at this time is to prevent the flocks from being disturbed or running too far from the shepherd’s corral, so as not to tire the lambs, and cause the ewes to leave them behind. 4 March being in our autumn here, it will appear strange to people in England to have our principal lambing season beginning in that month. The autumn and winter lambs are, however, much healthier and stronger than the summer ones, which are generally small and stunted. The general plan is to allow the rams to run in the flock during the whole year, although some keep them apart during a portion of the latter part of winter and spring. This occasions the lambing to extend over two or three months at a time. 4 The shearing is generally commenced from about the middle of October to the beginning of November. In some parts much caution is needed to shear before a kind of grass, called the 44 flechilla” (i. e. 44 little arrow”) ripens. This obtains its name from the seed having a sharp barbed point, like barley, which is spirally twisted with jagged edges. It works its way into the wool and even into the flesh of the animal, often blinding and sometimes killing unshorn lambs. After ripening, it separates from the plant, and fixes itself upon anything that comes in its way. Wool containing this conse- quently suffers a great loss in its value. There are also other seeds, such as those of the “caretilla” (or trefoil), which are prejudicial to the wool, because, ripening shortly after shearing time, they get attached to the short wool on the sheep’s backs, and have only a suf- ficient hold to make the wool of the ensuing season rot and fall off. 4 Shearers of both sexes are readily obtained from small towns in the Banda Oriental as well as in Buenos Ayres province. Wool of Banda Oriental and Entre E 2 244 ' PAYMENT OF SHEPHERDS. Chat*. XXX. Rios fetches a higher price than that of Buenos Ayres, in consequence of its greater cleanness and being more free from dust. But what Buenos Ayres wool loses in quality, it more than compensates by extra weight. 4 The 44 puesteros” (shepherds) are generally paid by a 44 vale” (order) upon a “pulpero” (public-house man) in the neighbourhood. By this plan — whose advantages are questionable — the 44 pulpero” generally gives from three to six months’ credit, and then receives from the 44 estangiero” (proprietor of the sheep-farm) a 44 vale” in full upon a house in one of the large towns, such as Buenos Ayres or Monte Video, where he buys and pays for his goods. This arrangement has at least the advan- tage, that it obviates the necessity of an 44 estan^ero ” keeping money in his own house, therefore giving no incentive to the housebreaker — fortunately a rare cha- racter in this country, unless in time of war. No doubt the system has a very manifest disadvantage, in the fact that it may induce the 44 pulpero ” to sell his goods to the shepherd at a dear rate, as well as to throw tempta- tions in the ways of drink and gambling, 4 Some sheep -farmers, instead of paying wages to their 44 puesteros,” give an interest in the hock — such as one- third of increase and one- third of wool. This is called the 44 tercero ” system. Others pay from 5 d. to 7d. per lamb, when these reach to six months of age. A man who has a little money buys half the flock, tending the whole as payment for rent of land which is occupied by his sheep, paying half shearing expenses, and receiving half the wool, as well as half of increase. This is styled the 44 median ero ” agreement. 4 In leasing a sheep farm of rented land, the wool barely pays expenses for the first two or three years ; but after that a small and increasing surplus is received. The following calculation may be considered as correct of a party hiring a league of land in Entre Rios, and commencing with 5,000 sheep 44 al corte.” [Mr. Hinde wishes to add, that this table may be considered as a little under the usual average. — T. J. H.] Ciiap. XXX, PROFITS OF A SIIEEP FARM. 245 g *5 CO <50 CO £ © I ^5 £b N o o o o o \ © o o OO o o o o o o © rH © d O P- CO 30 Cl o 30 l> t-H © CO © b- r— H ® O ° ^ 11SOO © o o ^ _ •5 ip ao T3 d _ <-| O O x « © © © d °ooo p 0 «hO g 3 O oo m -t: «H o v^4 00 bo d • o bq '-’ I 's'l af ho ^ ce <» ^ a CD - d -rl o S o is ^ C c ®-D d *s o o 00 CO p s3 r— I 03 ao ao ao r c3 Is S k* k“ k* CO S ce *1 ® o bo ^ .S 5o -§ * d 03 jp a 'IS © © © © © © © © © © © © © =«©©©©©© © © © © © © © 30 © © o © © © Cl 1- Cl © l>. © b- 30 oo oo »o co Cl 30 CO rH © 00 30 00 Cl rH 1—1 Cl 1^ Cl d cu ao 03 ao d SO BS o' o Cl ® <30 . _, o ^5+H • r~l d fl OT +3 c3 O 03 So ® O p p oo g O bo Ph -d Cl * %} g”SS\S ^@‘3 1! ® ® o ® § 30 03 '~ L> *p • r^- O O O O *! © © © © GO 30 Cl O i— i Cl ® .9 03 d OO P-> <10 r0 03 53 03 , ^-1 bo o 'g • ®rir s * i d S@ 03 ^ S* g o'® S * ® 03^ ^ . ao g ao P-*’ ;/-) ; o o o o O Cl GO o o o o o CO o CO o 1—1 Cl §@a m 0^30 ^ GQ C3 4_i 5 1 03 g H ^ ° d rt •£ >% s ^ 5 i cl ^ O « d g-ao a .^h .a £ • 03 f-i O rP O 00 s ao <*-< ao h >< 2 ao w aT 2 d ‘ “ a p ao ,_E3 rd S3 ui m co P_, aT bo ao 5 .2 £ ® d § ao W ,S 3 rd 7 -h d ,— i 4-* Go q “ 02 P'3 § M OiB ^ d t-i ao ■S Ph •p X £ ® - 03 s* ^ 53 £ P K*% °d -4-3 p - 03 n „ O “H ao jh . a; qp ®.S 2 O 03 CO Oc3d ■ O - P °0 « ^ CO^ ® ’ g no' S ao u cs cp^d ao a d rd > d m^m o o o Cl .©e« Sg bO^ * ,P ao \fcm Cl «fl . . @co 03 'SftJ ao ^ - op ao os c3 f-i ao ^ 03 d o ao 1 ^ GQ 246 SHEARING IN BUENOS AYRES. Chap. XXX. 4 Although the first year’s outlay amounts to 2,787/., yet an estan^ia on this scale might be begun with 2,000/., because many of the expenses are not incurred until after receipt of the wool-money, which will be at the end of six months from the original purchase/ In Buenos Ayres province, from 35 to 45 paper dollars (65. to 85.) per 100 is paid for shearing. The freight of wool overland to the port of San Pedro, from a dis- tance of twelve leagues interior, costs 2 dollars (4c/.) per arroba (25 lbs. ) ; thence to Buenos Ayres it is charged 4 dollars per arroba in boat. Land held in fee must be paid for to the Government in a tax of 2 dollars per 1,000 dollars of its worth when its value exceeds 40,000 dollars. For rented land no tax is paid by the occupier. A 4 guia/ or passport, for which a fee of 10 paper dollars is to be paid to the nearest justice of the peace, is indispensable for the transporting of sheep from one 4 partido ’ to another. 247 CHAPTER XXXI. EMIGRATION TO THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. Incentives to Immigration — Distress in Lancashire — Government Loan — Ne plus ultra of Cotton Manufacture — Difficulties of Immi- gration on a large scale — Views of the National Government on the subject — Minister Rawson’s Message — Attribute of Congress to promote Immigration — Circular to Provincial Governments — General Tenour of Replies to this — Systems advanced by the Minister to be adopted — Private Contract and Spontaneous Immi- gration — Government more in favour of the Latter — Cost of Colony at Esperanza — Causes of Failure of Colonies high up the River — Plan of measuring and dividing Land into Lots — Immi- gration Aid Society of Monte Video — Anxiety of Estan£ieros for European Labour — Wages in Country Parts of Buenos Ayre3 Province — Difficulty of Land Transport an Obstacle to Profitable Agricultural Investment — Uncertainty of Crops from Drought and Locusts — Immigration of Basques — Irish Immigrants to Buenos Ayres — First Commencement of Colonial System — Conditions of Treaty — Its Failure — Colony of Germans to Patagonia — Colonisa- tion of Messrs. Bemberger in Bahia Blanca — Position of Colonists in these Settlements — Sine qua non for Success — Number of Immi- grants to Buenos Ayres — The Foreign Element in that City To a country like the Argentine Republic, possessing such an enormous area of uncultivated soil with such a limited population, the subject of immigration must present itself as a matter of vital importance, particu- larly when it is evident that here we have the finest climate in the world, and a soil capable of producing any vegetable growth. From the leading journal at home,* I learn that dur- ing last year (1862) the working hands in Lancashire were reduced from 500,000 to 250,000, thus leaving a surplus of 250,000 to be employed in some other way than at the cotton manufactories, or supported by elee- mosynary relief. To remedy this state of things there must be either a Government loan or emigration. O I have not preserved the date of this number of The Times. 248 VIEWS ON IMMIGRATION. Chap. XXXI. The question of a loan, advocated by the Lancashire people themselves, is opposed by 4 The Times ’ and other political economists, who profess to believe that the cotton manufacture had reached its ne plus ultra before the outbreak of the war in North America. A limit to the progress of the cotton trade, and to the consequent necessity of supplying the raw material, seems a thing very difficult to be defined ; for it would appear pro- bable, that in proportion to its increase of cultivation in Queensland, Egypt, India, Brazil, and the Argentine territories, the staple ought to be so reduced in price as to cause the production and manufacture of cotton to be doubled in a very few years. Immigrants of the distressed Lancashire operative class, coming out to the Argentine Republic, bring with them the fourfold advantages of relief to themselves — of exemption to the increased poor-rate on the part of those who have to support them — of finding a new field for cotton cultivation, and therefore lowering its cost — of progress in the development of this country’s indus- trial resources, and the consequent advancement of its civilisation. The primary difficulty of immigration on a large scale to this part of the world seems to me the question — Who is to pay for it ? Certainly not the tax-payers of the United Kingdom, who can derive no immediate benefit therefrom. And certainly not the poor immigrants themselves, for they have not the means of doing so. The views of the National Government on the subject of immigration are ably laid down by Dr. Rawson, Minister of the Interior, in a memorial presented by him to the National Congress in 1863. He ob- serves : — 4 One of the most important affairs that has attracted the attention of Government has been that of Foreign Immigration. It is a constitutional attribute of Congress to promote immigration through all lawful channels, as is explicitly laid down in the charter. The Executive had desired to have been able to prepare the necessary information collected by the present assembly, or at any Chap. XXXI. DR. RAWSON’S MEMORIAL. 249 rate to have decided upon a certain system which might in future serve as a basis, paying at the same time all due attention to home and foreign experience in these matters, as well as to the requirements and resources of the Republic. ’ In further illustration of these principles, a circular* was addressed to each of the provincial governors, soliciting their advice and suggestions on the conditions deemed by them most appropriate for the cession of land in each province to European immigrants ; requesting, likewise, data on the distances of such lands as were Government property from any port or fixed centre of population, the quality of the land, the productions of which it is capable, the kind of wood growing thereon, the facilities for irrigation, and the species of industry most appropriate for each province. The answers to this circular entered generally into explanations, those from Santa Fe and Salta being the most minute. Having first declared the intention of establishing at Rosario an asylum similar to that which exists at Buenos Ayres (established some years ago as a provisional institution, but now nationalised in conse- quence of the extent of its functions), the minister proceeds : — 4 As regards the system, which may be more prac- tically carried out by the nation, to promote immigra- tion on a larger scale, the Government has kept in view the three following points — ‘First, — The colonisation of Government property through the medium of private contract, with the privi- lege of receiving, as compensation, such or a certain amount of national land as may hereafter be agreed upon. ‘2nd, — Immigration, stimulated by payment on Go- vernment account of the whole or part of the passage- money, with or without an express condition, to return the same at certain stipulated dates or terms. 4 3rd, — Spontaneous immigration on its own account, * Bearing date November 22 ; 1862. 250 EMIGRATION AID SOCIETY. Chap. XXXI. or its expenses defrayed by private companies through virtue of formal contracts, celebrated by these with the intending immigrants.’ Colonisation as a system has, according to Dr. Raw- son’s views, been followed by an unfavourable result. He cites the opinion of Senor Tuvirea, Minister of Santa Fe, chiefly in regard to the colony of Esperanza as the most successful of the colonial establishments, which, although it has cost the National Government and the province of Santa Fe upwards of $300,000 (45,000^.), and has been seven years established, does not yet number two thousand inhabitants. The causes that have led to the failure of the colonies established by Doctors Lelong and Brougues in Corrientes, are attributable, he says, chiefly to their being placed in positions remote from Government protection. The second system holds more favour with His Excellency; but he doubts the possi- bility of the Government allocating a sum sufficient to pay the expenses of any large number of families. Spontaneous immigration seems to him the more im- portant; and he looks to the opening up of rivers, to steam navigation, and to the completion of such traffic lines as the 4 Centro- Argentine ’ railway for the due distribution, over the whole Republic, of voluntary emi- grants from Europe. He nevertheless suggests to the Government to follow the plans adopted in the United States and Australia — namely, to survey and measure the unoccupied land — to divide it into convenient lots, arranged so as to suit families of limited means. An Emigration Aid Society was established in 1852 at Monte Video. This was chiefly represented by a house fitted up as a sort of registry and temporary receptacle for immigrants. On their arrival, the name, age, and profession of each person was written down ; and it rarely happened that servants and agricultural labourers were left unemployed for more than a few days. In Buenos Ayres exists a somewhat similar institution — that spoken of in the Minister’s message (partly sup- ported by private subscription) — so that people arriving here, and not having the means of providing lodging or Chap. XXXI. UNCERTAINTY OF CROPS. 251 accommodation, are supposed to be afforded subsistence for three days. I would not, however, recommend any- one to venture out on this supposition, more particu- larly if he be ignorant of the Spanish language. To prove how anxious the owners of land in the in- terior provinces are to obtain fresh European labour, I may mention that Senor Don Jose Frias, of Tucuman, told me, when he was complaining of what he had suffered from the system of advancing wages to peons, that he would give fifteen dollars (2 /. 5s.) per month, with food, to any labourer he could get to the amount of twenty-five to thirty, paying their expenses of transport from Rosario or even from Buenos Ayres. The engage- ment should be for six years, at the end of which time he would give each man a cuadra, or about two acres of land, as a present, with as much more as he desired to have on very favourable terms. In the country places of Buenos Ayres province, ser- vants’ wages average from 20/. to 30/. per year, with their food. The existing difficulty of land transport, consequent, no doubt, on the paucity of population, does not permit agriculture to pay, unless on the banks of the Parana, or in one of its islands (where the market gardeners manage to make out a living), or for the farmer who works with his own hands. It requires at least 5/. per month (including his wages of from 2/. 10s. to 3/. 10s.) to support a labourer. There is also considerable un- certainty in the wheat and other corn crops, owing to the frequent occurrence of drought and the many visita- tions of the locust scourge ; against which latter no human ingenuity nor foresight can prevail. Alfalfa (or South American clover) and maize are considered the most lucrative crops ; but it is chiefly in the neighbour- hood of towns, where there is much feeding of horses, that these are most profitable. It has likewise been reported to me, by a very competent authority, that the question is not yet settled by Congress as to whether the National Government, or that of each respective province, has the a priori right of selling public lands. 252 FRENCH EMIGRANTS. Chap. XXXI. The most important immigration which has ever taken place in the Iiiver Plate districts was that of the Basques, chiefly carried on from 1837 to 1842, when some misunderstanding between the French Government and the authorities out here checked it. The Basques are employed in all the laborious work about Buenos Ayres, and are known to be the most temperate as well as hard-working of any foreigners coming to this country; they also possess the faculty of picking up the Spanish language very rapidly. The Irish emigration has been chiefly from the coun- ties of Wexford and Westmeath, to the Buenos Ayrean side of the river more particularly. Some of these emi- grants are now, as sheep-farmers and estangieros, the richest and most independent men in the Republic. The colonial system, in connection with this part of the world, was first commenced about ten years ago by a band of French emigrants, who came to a place to which was given the long-winded name of San Juan del Puerto de Santa Ana, but which is now called Santa Ana. It is situated on the left bank of the Parana, near its confluence with the Paraguay, and about eighteen miles above Corrientes. A treaty, ceding this ground, was made between the Provisional Government of Corrientes and Dr. Brougues, the representative of a company in France. This agree- ment provided, that within a period of ten years a thou- sand families of agriculturists — each family to consist of five persons — were to be brought out at the rate of two hundred every two years. The immigrants were declared to be from the south of France. Further, the treaty stipulated that each family was to have twenty cuadras of good land well situated, two bullocks for labour, a stallion and mare, eight cows and a bull ; with seeds of cotton, corn, tobacco, maize, and plants of sugar-cane. Moreover, every family was to have a small dwelling- house of two rooms, and six hundred kilogrammes of flour for the first year. There was likewise, to consti- tute an adjunct to the colony, a common, of twelve square miles, to be appropriated to cattle feeding for the Chap. XXXI. FAILURE OF THE COLONY. 253 whole community. In exchange for this grant, and the supply of stock, corn-houses, and so forth, the company, of which Dr. Brougues was the representative and re- sponsible manager, agreed to pay for each family to the Government of Corrientes a sum of a thousand francs after the expiration of the second year of occupancy ; or, if the crops failed, after the third. On their parts, the colonists bound themselves to give, during five years, a third of the soil’s produce to the company, who had managed the contract with the Corrientine Government, and had paid the afore -mentioned thou- sand francs as purchase-money for each family title. In 1854 the National Government, having fixed its capital at Parana, took upon itself the protection of this colony, having first reimbursed their outlay to the pro- visional authorities of Corrientes. The ground originally destined for the settlement was in the territory of Misiones, to the north and east of Corrientes province, between Paraguay and the northern parts of Entre Pios. Its site was changed to its present position because the grantees deemed it more secure to have the colonists settled in a place near some considerable centre of population, as the city of Cor- rientes. The greater part of this really resulted in little more than pen, ink, and paper ; for very few of the pre- scribed number came out, and nearly all of those who did are now at the Villa de Urquiza, already described^ as existing five leagues north of Parana city. The first instalment of immigrants consisted of 257 persons, who set out from Bordeaux in October 1854. Of this number, seventeen children died from smallpox on the passage ; some of the grown-up members parted from their companions at Monte Video when on their way up the river ; and those who arrived at Corrientes in March 1855 numbered only 130 souls. Of the colonies of Villa Urquiza and La Esperanza, and of their origin, I have already written. The latter owes its foundation chiefly to Sen or Don Aaron Castel- lanos, of Rosario, whose interest in the subject of immi- * See Chapter X. 254 VOLUNTARY EMIGRATION. Chap. XXXI. gration to the River Plate districts is very strongly put forth in a pamphlet published by him in 1855.* That this system of immigration finds favour with European capitalists, is evident from the fact of what is stated in Dr. Rawson’s message of a new colony, regis- tered by the Government, to be formed on the banks of the River Chubut, in Patagonia, and to consist of Welshmen, from Messrs. Werner f (a German house), having contracted with the provisional Governments of Cordova and Santa Fe to bring out 20,000 immigrants; and from the project of Herr Louis Bamberger, with reference to a colony of Germans, to be established in Bahia Blanca. J On the position and prospects of colonists, placed as the denizens of these settlements must be, it is not an easy matter to give an opinion ; but I fear that small communities of this kind will have many difficulties to contend with before they can become, as it were, assi- milated to the national family of the country, for this seems indispenable to their ample recognition and pro- tection by this Government. In this country, as in all others, the continuance of peace is an inevitable sine qua non for success or com- fort. The daily history of events shows us this is a thing which cannot be guaranteed as to its endurance in any part of the world in this nineteenth century of Christian civilisation. As a general rule, however, foreigners who do not meddle in the political distractions of the country seldom suffer from them, unless by the pressure on commercial enterprise. It appears to me that a very important difficulty has to be overcome with regard to the voluntary system of emigration, namely, how those emigrants are to be sup- ported till they obtain employment who arrive without friends to receive or money to maintain them. That this, however, is a secondary consideration with many, * Ligeros Apuntes sobre el Rio de out by Congress. la Plata. Paris: Imp. Bernard y J See Appendix No. 8. — Immi- Ca., suec. Lacrampe, 2 Calle I)a- gration and Colonisation to Buenos miette, 1855. Ayres province. t This contract has been thrown Chap. XXXI. EMIGRANTS IN BUENOS AYRES. 255 may be educed from the fact, that in the first four months of the present year (1863) the immigrants to Buenos Ayres (all belonging to the voluntary class) amounted to 2,647. No portion of the Argentine Republic shows so pal- pably the influx of immigration as the province of Buenos Ayres. Out of its population of 300,000, at least 120,000 may be said to represent the foreign ele- ment ; of these, one-half of the emigrants have arrived within the last twelve years. 256 CHAPTER XXXII. SALE AND BENT OF LAND. Average Price of Land — Revenue of Land Department of Buenos Ayres in 1861 — Division- of Land in this Province by the Rio Salado del Sud — Price of Land in various Localities — Cost of it during last Year in Villa Mercedes Partido — Contrast of Worth of Land to-day with what it was Twelve Years ago — Cost of Land in the Northern Part of Buenos Ayres — The same in Santa Fe Pro- vince, near Rosario — Estan^ia Land— Difference in Quality in that needed for Sheep, and that for fattening Cattle — Mr. Maxwell’s Account of the Land Laws — What existed in Spanish Times out here — ‘ Enfitensis ’ — Mode of obtaining Grants of Land from Go- vernment-Decree of September 20, 1862 — Ordinance for stocking Land purchased from Government — Exemption of Settlers — Fact of Occupying and Stocking — Modification in Decree of December 4, 1862 — Form of Petition for Land — Cost of Stamps — ‘ Solares,’ 1 Quintas ’ and e Chacras ’ — Municipality Arrangements of Rural Districts for the Sale of Land — Other Decrees — Extraordinary Rise in the Price of Land between 1859 and 1862 — Latest Land Law of Buenos Ayres — Holders of Fee-land obliged to serve in the National Guard. The majority of emigrants going to a country like that of the Argentine Republic would, as a matter of course, desire to know the average prices of land, as well as the laws by which it can be held. This knowledge seems to me of primary importance to small capitalists, inasmuch as it may guide and regulate the expenditure of their limited means, so as to secure the largest amount of comfort to their families, as well as the permanent tenure of their investments. By the message of His Excellency General Mitre, President of the Republic, at closing the Provisional Senate of Buenos Ayres on May 1, 1862, it appears that the public land department of this province had produced as an item of revenue, during the year 1861, seven millions four hundred and thirty-three thou- sand paper dollars (say 60,000/.) for sale and rent. As the greater portion of that year was war time, it may be Chap. XXXIL VALUE OF LAND. 257 inferred that sales of land were rather limited ; the largest amount of this being, therefore, probably for rent. I am informed by Mr. Daniel Maxwell, that the land of the province of Buenos Ayres is chiefly divided by the Salado River, which takes a sweep from north to south at a distance of about one hundred and twenty miles from the capital. All the Government lands between the city and the Salado are sold, or to be sold, at a rate of 400,000 paper dollars (or 2,000/.) per league square of nine miles square. Beyond this river, as far south as Bahia Blanca, and across the pampas to the territory of the Puelchis (or Eastern Indians), the price is only half that amount. About twelve years ago, the price of the best land in Buenos Ayres province was only from 45,000 to 50,000 paper dollars (or from 400/. to 500/.) per square league. This refers to land fitted for sheep farming, as a different and inferior kind is generally considered good enough for horned cattle. I learn from Father Fahy that during the past year, in the Villa Mercedes district of this province, land of medium quality has been sold for thirteen hundred thousand paper dollars per square league. From these facts it may be understood that a league of land, bought at the price given for it twelve years ago, now returns cent, per cent, for its purchase; whereas that obtained in the present day, according to the average cost of 8,000 dollars per league, and set out into puestas,* brings an annual interest of only five per cent. — ex- pressed by 40,000 dollars per annum of rental. Near the Arroyo del Medio, which separates the pro- vince of Buenos Ayres from that of Santa Fe, land averages from 8,000 to 12,000 Bolivian dollars*)* per league for its sale. Crossing this river, the value of land is the same through Villa de Constitucion, Pavon, and Monte de Flores, to Rosario. The price is, however, subject to * Vide Chapter XXX. f General average of 3 s. See Currency Table, Appendix No. X. S 258 PUBLIC LANDS. Chap. XXXII. variation, according to the quality of the soil and its propinquity to water. From Rosario northwards to the River Carcarana, it is sold at from 4,000 to 8,000 Bolivian dollars per square league. Captain Brandt, of Rosario, tells me that in the neighbourhood of that city, building lots are sold at from 20 reals to 3 Bolivian dollars for a space of 1 yard in front to a strip of 172 leagues behind, i.e., more or less, 10,000 dollars per square league. Reckoning for, say, from 10 to 15 cuadras from the Plaza, building lots fetch from 10 to 15 dollars per yard with 75 yards (or half a cuadra) of depth. Outside this distance the building ground is valued at from 200 to 1,000 dollars per cuadra of 150 yards square. In the matter of estanciero business, a league of land will support 2,000 head of cattle, supposing it to be a fair class of pasture ground. A larger quantity, and not in the established proportion of sexes, would tend to retard the increase, which is averaged at about one- fourth per annum ; so that in four years the stock doubles. When the cattle are once accustomed to their feeding-ground, it needs only two men to take charge of 2,000. But it must be remembered that horned cattle, much more than sheep, need water: the position of their pas- ture near a watering-place being an indispensable con- tingency to the certainty of an increase. 4 When the states of La Plata/ writes Mr. Daniel Maxwell * to me, 4 were under Spanish rule, the public lands were, in the earlier epochs, given to settlers gra- tuitously. At a later period no vacant lands could be obtained save by purchase. ‘After the declaration of independence, however, a new plan was adopted. By the decree of 14th July 1822, it was ordained that all public lands at the dis- * I hope I shall not he accused of unless his whole time were devoted an attempt at hook-making in giving to it, to pick up the information so such a lengthened extract, but after kindly placed at my readers’ disposal a residence of only two years it by Mr. Maxwell, would he impossible for any one, Chap. XXXII. DECREES RESPECTING LAND. 259 posal of Government should not be sold, but leased on the Emphyteutic* system. Since then a number of laws and decrees have been issued, many of them con- tradictory. In accordance with the provisions of some of the former, large lots were disposed of at different times. 7 I will now select from a synopsis of several of these de- crees, translated by Mr. Maxwell, beginning with the last, — the Decree of 25th June 1863, which defines the fron- tier line of Buenos Ayres province. This had been estab- lished by a decree of 19th July 1858, again modified by a decree of 30th July in the same year, and now again altered : — 4 Decree of 25th June 1863. From the present date, and until a new resolution should be adopted, no petition will be admitted or attended to which shall be presented for the purpose of obtaining lands which have been already ceded, and exist within the following limits: — Beyond the Salado from the Laguna del Chaiiar on this river up the stream 6 leagues; from the same lake to the S.W., 27 leagues; thence on a straight line to the S.E. as far as the Lake Blanca Grande, which line, in the direction thus traced, lies 27 leagues S.W. of Junin, 24 from the Bragado, and 12 from the Fort Cruz de Guerra. From the Blanca Grande the line follows to where the lands belonging to the Terreros terminate, at the extremity of the Liver Tapalquen, and thence, continuing along the sources of the rivulets Pillahunico Grande, Quenigual, Tetuan, Sauce Corto, and Curamaral, it proceeds along the outer shore of the last-mentioned stream until it reaches the sierra (ridge of mountains) of the same name; and thence in a line nearly parallel with the course followed by the rivulet Sauce Chico — distant from it about 3 leagues— till it reaches the sea. 1 Every concessionaire of public lands is bound to prove, in the Public Land Office, his entire fulfilment, * According to Webster’s Die- derived from emphyteueis, a kind of tionary (1849) emphyteutic is defined renting of ground under the civil ( taken on hire/ that for which rent law, resembling ground-rent. — JBou- is to be paid, as emphyteutic lands ; vier’s Blackstone. 260 DECREE OF 1863. Chap. XXXII. within the term stipulated, of all the conditions with which the concession was made, and is subject, in de- fault thereof, to the loss of his acquired rights ; no re- clamation whatsoever to the contrary being admissible. 4 Those who consider they have just claim to solicit a prorogation of the term specified for measuring the land, notwithstanding the provisions of the decree of 20th September 1862, must petition to that effect one month previous to its expiration. Should the petition be made after this time, the Chief of the Public Land Office shall return it, whatever the cause alleged may be. 4 Petitions for lands situated beyond the limits estab- lished in the first article, or for the purchase of public lands, will be admitted as heretofore. 4 The decree of 20th September 1862, above alluded to, provides thus : — 44 That the term allowed for stock- ing and building upon public lands, per decree of 1st June 1858, cannot in any way be prorogued, and is therefore peremptory. The conditions established by the decree of 1st June 1858 will only be considered to have been fulfilled one year after the house has been in existence and tenanted, and only then will the deed of concession be given.” 4 The settler who should have fulfilled the conditions expressed in the foregoing article will be exempted from the payment of rent for the term of the contract, even though the frontier line should be carried out beyond the land he has stocked [modified by decree of 4th December 1862]. 4 In order to prevent speculation and abuse, the Chief of the Public Land Office may, when he shall see fit, exact that the person who solicits land beyond the frontiers shall prove that he has the intention and the means to stock it. 4 No transfer of the foregoing rights will be considered valid until the concessionaire shall have fulfilled all the required conditions aforementioned. 4 The fact of occupying and stocking the land as aforementioned to be proved by a certificate from the justice of peace of the district, who, in order to issue Chap. XXXII. PUBLIC LAND OFFICE. 261 the same, must obtain all the necessary information, which must be attested by at least two respectable and well-known witnesses. 7 The modification just referred to in the decree of 4th December 1 862 is to the following effect : — 4 Persons occupying public lands beyond the frontier lines are bound to pay rent for it six months after it is defined by a new line of frontiers ; and the rent from that date to the expiration of the contract will be at the* rate of 2,000 paper dollars per annum, in the province of Buenos Ayres, in order to purchase public lands, or lease on Enfiteusis,* for estan^ias, the following steps must be taken : — 4 A petition is to be presented to Government through the Public Land Office, mentioning the extent of the land desired, the district in which it is situated (the pe- tition on stamped paper, price 3 paper dollars, or 6 A per half-sheet), and the names of parties owning or residing on the lands adjoining thereto; all these particulars are to be clearly stated. This petition, forwarded by the Land Office to the Government, is passed to the To- pographical Department, demanding any antecedents or knowledge that department may possess in regard to it. Then it is returned from the Topographical with the in- formation required, and afterwards submitted to the attorney-general for his opinion. He gives it ; when in view thereof, and the information furnished from the Topographical Office — should there be no impediment — the Government accedes to the petition; this resolution being made known to the party interested through the Public Land Office. 6 By the latest decree no petitions are admitted for any public lands previously petitioned for. 4 In regard to house or orchard lots (solares quintas, o chacras) in the several country towns, petitions are presented to the respective municipalities* who dispose of these per se; and after the conditions with which the * Enfttensis . — A species of aliena- right of property. — Sloane's Neuman tion by -which the use and usufruct and Baretti , by Velasquez, New are transferred, but not the whole York, 1860. 262 DECREE OF 1862. Chap. XXXII. concession was made are fulfilled, the parties interested present themselves to the Topographical Department with the necessary vouchers, which are forwarded to the Government, who then issue the title-deeds to the property. 4 By a decree of 5th October 1858, the municipalities of Villa de Lugan and other camp municipalities were authorised to sell all lands belonging to the state which are beyond the precincts of the town, but yet within the municipal boundaries, at rates not less than 300 paper dollars per square cuadra (150 yards x 150). The longest term for payment to be six months. Parties in possession to have the preference for six months, for the price at which the land has been appraised. 4 Lands such as the above not sold, may be leased by the respective municipalities at the rate of six per cent, per annum on the value of the appraisement ; the Go- vernment reserving the right to sell pending the term of contract. 4 There was established on the 1st September 1862 a decree, ordaining that the greatest extent of land which may be conceded as house, orchard, or farm lots in the country towns, or within their municipal boundaries, are : — 4 For solares, or house lots: the fourth part of a cuadra (square), say 50 yards by 50, if the town should have been laid out in squares of 100 yards, or 75 by 75 if in squares of 150 yards. 4 For quintas, or orchards, 4 cuadras, each of 150 yards square. 4 For chacras, or agricultural farms, 32 cuadras of 150 yards each, which will constitute a farm lot; but this may be divided into half or quarter lots. 4 Any concessions of lands by the municipalities above these limits to be null and void. All concessions what- ever to be subject to the condition of giving, without any compensation whatever, any lands which may be needed for public roads. 4 The executive was authorised by law of 7 th October 1862 to give gratuitously, on certain conditions of Chap. XXXII. DECREE OF 1858. 263 settlement which it would determine, as much as one quarter of the public lands belonging to the state, exist- ing within the municipal boundaries in the towns on the frontiers, divided into orchard or farm lots. 4 The executive is likewise authorised by law of 1 6th October 1857 to give on lease, for a term not exceeding eight years, the public lands which are held on enfiteu- sis, the state reserving the right of sale pending the contract ; but in this case the lessee to have the pre- ference. The rent not to exceed 10,000 paper dollars per annum per square league, for lands within the present frontier lines, according to zones to be fixed by Government. 4 Lands beyond said frontier line may be conceded for eight years, free of rent, under such conditions of occupy- ing and stocking as shall be declared by Government.* 4 No person or copartnership shall obtain or lease more than 3 square leagues inside of the Solado river, and 6 outside. 4 To parties to whom concessions of public lands’have been made beyond the present frontiers, it is ordained by decree of 1st June 1858, that within twelve months from the date of this decree they shall build thereon two ranchos at least, and make a well, — stocking the ground with not less than 300 head of horned cattle or sheep. The measureihent of the said land to be made at the cost of the party interested, within the above- mentioned term (twelve months), or within the following year. 4 The purchaser, having duly proved his fulfilment of the above conditions, and the measurement being ef- fected, the deed of cession of the land for the term which may have been stipulated (not to exceed that established by law) will be drawn up by the competent notary. 4 Individuals comprised in the ninth article of the law of 16th Oct. 1857 must establish the fact before the chief public notary, *j* notwithstanding any other infor- * Likewise modified by Decree of to, runs thus : — 1 Emphyteutes, or December 4, 1862. possessors of public lands situated be- t The 9th Article, above alluded yond the actual frontier-lines, who 264 VARIOUS DECREES. Chap. XXXII. mation to this effect, which the Government may see fit to demand. 4 Another decree of 24th March 1858 provides that . all public lands given on lease must be understood to be so, with the express condition of the right of sale by Government pending the term of contract — the lessee having the preference. 4 The rent per square league will be fixed by Govern- ment — the land being previously valued by the Prefect of the Department, in conjunction with two respectable neighbours appointed by him. The rent to commence from the date of the decree renting the land, and to be paid at the expiration of every half year. 4 In March 1862 a decree was passed, which pro- vides that every lessee of public lands must, within the first quarter, pay his half-yearly instalment of rent, so that by the 1st of April he shall have paid the first half-year’s rent, and by the 1st of October that of the second half-year. 4 The lessee who shall not have paid his rent within the periods mentioned will incur a fine of 20 per cent., no matter what excuse to the contrary. 4 The lessee who by the 1st of July shall not have paid his first half-year’s rent, and by the 1st of January the second half, shall, from these facts, lose his right as a lessee, notwithstanding his being prosecuted for the pay- ment of the sums he may owe. 4 The Provincial Government is authorised, by a law of 7th August 1857, to sell 100 square leagues of land inside of the Salado River, at prices not less than 200,000 (two hundred thousand) paper dollars per square league, or 125 dollars per square cuadra — 150 yards each way. 4 By a decree of 15th October 1859 Government is authorised to sell 100 square leagues of land outside the Salado at prices not less than 150,000 paper dollars per square league. have been obliged to abandon their rent, the preference right of lease or establishments, are also exonerated purchase being still preserved to from the payment of all arrears of them.’ Chap. XXXII. THE LATEST LAND-LAW. 265 ‘ Since these decrees were passed, another has been promulgated, bearing date of 3rd December 1862, by which the price of public lands inside of the Salado is fixed at 400,000 (four hundred thousand) dollars per square league, or 250 dollars per square of 150 yards each way, and 200,000 (two hundred thousand) dollars per square league outside of the Salado.’ The latest land-law of Buenos Ayres, sanctioned in this year of grace 1863, gives to the Government autho- idsation to grant in fee public lands which lie on the new line of frontier, — say a hundred and forty miles west of the capital, even though at present rented. The grant to each individual shall not exceed one suerte of estan^a — i. e. three-fourths of a square league of land. The conditions necessary to obtain this are : — to build on each plot a brick house with azotea roof, 5 by 4 feet in extent, and stock it with 1,000 sheep and 300 head of cattle. Of course the mode of application is that already stated.*' If within a year of concession the con- cessionaire shall have complied with the foregoing obli- gations, the Government shall have the ground mea- sured, as well as the legal documents made out and delivered. The fifth article of this law ordains 4 The concession- aire or person to whom the Government shall convey in fee such lands shall be liable to service in the National Guard, and if he afterwards sell or dispose of said lands, the parties who purchase the same shall incur a like obli- gation. 4 No contribution tax of any kind is to be levied on this land until after three years of its occupation. 2 66 CHAPTER XXXIII. CONSTITUTION OF THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. Land-Laws of Santa Fe in 1855 and 1858 — Explanation of their Principles — Codigo Commercio — Appeal from Justice of Peace to Judge of First Instance — New Criminal Laws — Constitution of the Argentine Republic — Its First Creation — The Triple Power- Salaries of Senators and Deputies — Period of their Election — Executive Authority — Judicial Rights decreed to the Provinces — Original Constitution of 1853 — What it prescribed — Privileges to Naturalized Citizens — The Reformed Constitution of 1860 — In what the chief Difference consists — Currency of the Argentine Republic — Difficulty of understanding it — Definitions of Paper Money — Impolicy of Decree of Congress of 9th August 1859 — Its Repeal — Senor Don Antonino Garson’s Financial Revenue State- ment to General Mitre — Division of the Public Debt — Proposal to pay it oft' — Centralisation of Inland and River Board Custom Houses — Uniformity of Tariff — Author’s Muddle of Arithmetic. The first land-law of the province of Santa Fe which 1 have been able to procure is dated October 5, 1855, and gives to the executive authorisation to sell all lands, being public property, given in fee under the conditions the law establishes, and those bought in virtue of supe- rior permission, as also those that at the present moment may be occupied in the service of the state, and whose sale the Government may consider indispensable. Of these sales the net proceeds were decreed to be as- signed towards the defrayment of expenses of the con- tracts of colonisation at San Carlos, San Geronimo, and Esperanza. In October 1858 another land-law was passed, con- firming the previous sales of public lands for financial necessities. This likewise, in consequence of claims having been made by private owners for the restitution of some land that was sold for public account (viz., de- fault of the non-existence of a topographical plan of the province), ordains such lands to be restored, if claimed Chap. XXXIII. COMMERCIAL CODE. 267 within eight months; but provides that improvements made thereon shall be compensated for to the actual possessors. The said law also provided that from the date of its promulgation, the executive power is authorised to dis- pose of all public lands in the following manner : — 1. The land to be offered by public sale in the Cabildo, by three or more Commissioners, named by the Executive, — this act being superintended by the Collec- tor-General of Finance, and authorised by the Govern- ment Notary. 2. The auction shall not last more than three days, being previously announced for fifteen days through the newspapers and placards, — * preference being given to the highest bidder. 3. The offers shall not be lower than 500 dollars (Bolivian) per estan§ia lot, as determined by law, — of 100 dollars for those of chacra,*' and 25 dollars for those of quinta f Such of this property as was already occupied was to be offered by private sale to the possessors before the auction took place. This law likewise sanctioned the appointment of a topographical committee, to see about drawing up a plan of the province; but I believe it has not resulted in anything. The existing ‘ Codigo Commercio,’ or Commercial Code, founded on the old Code of Bilbao, J is the amended form, which was passed into law by the Provincial Senate of Buenos Ayres on May 1, 1857. It became the National Code by the Law of Congress on Septem- ber 12, 1862. It treats of all matters coming under the head of mercantile agreements, and includes within it the provisions of the mercantile shipping law. Some of the provisions in this code may be decided by a Jus- tice of Peace, from whose adjudication an appeal can be * A chacra plot is four square J The provisions of this were cuadras of 150 yards each. based on the French 1 Code Mercan- t A quinta constitutes only one tile/ established in the reign of square cuadra ; of 150 yards. Louis XIV. 268 THE CONSTITUTION OF 1853. Chap. XXXIII. made to the Judge of First Instance. This latter func- tionary’s decision — T speak now of law in the provinces — can have no appeal from it, save to the higher courts at the seat of the National Government. No criminal code existed in the Argentine Republic until the Congress sanctioned on the 25th August (this year, 1863) the following: — No. 1, 4 A law which treats of the jurisdiction and exercise of national tribunals.’ No. 2, 4 A law defining the crimes to be tried by these tribunals, and establishing their penalty.’ — No. 3, 4 A law regulating the proceedings of said tribunals in civil and criminal matters.’ The Constitution of the Argentine Republic, formed, as is often confessed by the Government, on the model of that of the United States, was put into a living shape at Santa Fe, on May 1, 1853. It created a triple power, namely, the legislative, executive, and judicial. The first of these was to be divided into two chambers of senators and deputies — the former numbering twenty- eight (being two for each of the fourteen provinces), and the latter numbering fifty. At the beginning the senators were paid salaries of 3,000 silver dollars each per year, and the deputies only 2,400 ; but very soon at General Urquiza’s desire, they were brought to the same level for both, being that at which they now stand, namely, the latter sum. The senators were to be elected for nine years, with a re-election of a third every three years, and the deputies for the last-named period. Senators and deputies were both to possess the same privileges from arrest in civil actions that are held by our members of parliament in England. Although not provided for in the constitution, 4 suplentes ’ or substitutes are elected, whose duty it is to take place of a senator when absent from illness or other cause, to receive whilst they are acting the salaries due to their position as if they were bona fide elected, and to note or bring forward measures for legislative enactment. The executive power comprises a president and vice- president, the duration of whose offices is for six years. Chap. XXXIII. ITS PRIMARY FEATURES. 269 Added to these are five responsible ministers, namely, minister of the interior ; minister of foreign affairs ; minister of finance; minister of justice, religious wor- ship, and public education ; minister of war and marine. The salary of each ministerial secretary was fixed at 4,800 silver dollars per annum. The judicial power was to be framed by mutual accord of the legislature and executive, and constituted the High Court of Jus- tice. This was to be composed of nine judges, and two fiscal procurators, who were to exercise their functions in the capita], and of inferior tribunals that the Con- gress would establish in other parts of the Confedera- tion, where they were needed. To the provinces was decreed the right to elect their own governors, representatives in the provincial assem- blies, and other lesser functionaries, without the in- terference of the head Government. But by the fifth article the Congress reserved to itself the right of revising the enactments of the provincial authorities, or in effect their coming into action. Each province was allowed, moreover, to conclude treaties for commerce, immigration, construction of railroads, exploration of rivers, and so forth — of course with the knowledge and implied assent of Congress. Nevertheless on matters of national interest, as of establishing banks or custom- houses, instituting rights of tonnage, levying armies, or organising ships of war, the constitution reserved to the National Government solely the privilege of confirming these last mentioned matters. The Confederate principles of public acts and judicial proceedings accomplished in any one province giving a precedent of equal prerogative to any other, and of the citizens enjoying like immunities all through, were the primary features of this constitution. The Congress, whilst guaranteeing to each province the full exercise of its own by-laws, held under control the regulation of all tariffs for the national revenue. It gave free passage to all craft from port to port, and opened the navigation of the interior rivers for foreign vessels. It allowed liberty to the press, and abolished slavery. 270 THE CONSTITUTION OF I860. Chap. XXXIII. Admitting no prerogative of birth or blood, it bestowed on strangers the same civil rights as were enjoyed by its own citizens, and allowed them to obtain letters of naturalisation alter a two years 7 residence, or sooner if they desired to give their services to the republic. Although the native citizens were obliged, whenever called upon, to take up arms in defence of the constitu- tion, those naturalised were considered free of this obligation for a period of ten years after their enrol- ment. This constitution was reformed again at Santa Fe in 1860; and I shall here enumerate a few of the changes between the constitution of 1853 and that of 1860. The third article of the original constitution decreed that Buenos Ayres should be declared the capital of the Confederation by a special law, for it had existed as the capital of the vice-royalty of La Plata from 1776, and has ever been looked upon in Europe as the first city in the Argentine provinces, the first on account of its proximity to the sea, its commerce, wealth, and the in- telligence of its mixed population. But the third article of the reformed constitution left the position of the capital to be decided by special law of Congress. The first chapter of the constitution of 1860 has added to its provisions to the effect of not allowing the Congress any right to restrain the liberty of the press, or to establish over it any federal jurisdiction. Like- wise that any declarations, rights, or guarantees, which are enumerated by this constitution, shall not be under- stood as denying any other rights and guarantees not enumerated in it, but which proceed naturally from the principle of the sovereignty of the people, and the republican form of government. Two other additions are, that the judges of the Federal courts cannot act as such in the provincial courts, and that the federal ser- vice in civil and military departments shall give no right of residency in the province (therefore no right of hold- ing office), unless it should be the native province of the party in question. The most important change, however, was in Article Chap. XXXIII. THE CURRENCY OF THE REPUBLIC. 271 64 of the original constitution of 1853, which says that Congress shall have the right to enact laws in reference to the custom houses, as well as establish import and export duties. To which the new constitution adds, that such rates shall be uniform throughout thewhole nation, it being understood that these, duties, as well as all other contributions, may be paid in the money which forms the currency of the respective provinces, according to its exact equivalent. It shall also establish the duties of exportation until the year 1866, at which date all export duties, national as well as provincial, shall cease. Between the period of the first constitution and the reformed one was the establishment as well as removal of the differential duties of Rosario. The origin and nature of these duties have been already explained, when writing of Rosario. To understand properly the currency of this country is one of the greatest difficulties to strangers. Persons who have been here many years longer than I have, and whose lives are every day mixed up with monetary transactions, regard it as a puzzle. I, therefore, must crave pardon of my readers if I make any errors in reference to its intricacies. Amongst the provinces of the Republic, Buenos Ayres and Corrientes only have a circulation of paper money. At the latest quotations the doubloon, or ounce, was worth 41,972 Buenos Ayrean paper dollars, whilst the Corrientes paper dollars were valued at 250 for the ounce. Notes of Buenos Ayres Currency range from a single paper dollar — average value of two pence — to 5,000 dollars; the latter form of note varying its worth according to the exchange price of the ounce. The hard cash in circulation consists of doubloons and condors (a Chilian coin) in gold; of patagoons, Cordova and Bolivian dollars, half-dollars, two-real and one-real pieces, in silver; four centavos, two centavos, and one centavo in copper. The ounce, or doubloon, not being of fixed value, of course the minor coins have likewise a fluctuating price. 272 PAPER MONIES. Chap. XXXIII. Besides these, the late National Government issued a large amount of paper money to carry on the expenses of the recent wars. The national dollar at the time of emission being, as now, the Cordova dollar, and then valued at 17 to the ounce. These paper monies are : — 1. ‘Bonos’ — representing value from 10 to 100 dollars. They were sanctioned by a law of 30th Sep- tember 1859, and were taken to their full value in pay- ment of customs duties at the different ports on the Parand. They bear an interest of 2 per cent, per month. 2. ‘ Billetas de Tesoreria’ — sanctioned by a law of 1st October 1860, bearing an interest of 1 per cent, per month. 3. ‘ Libriamentos ’ — constituting a sort of exchange paper (after the fashion of English Admiralty Bills of former years), that were issued in payment of wages due to Government employes. These last, during a few years of late, were taken at the custom houses for a third of their value at each time tendered, until the whole amount was paid; each liquidation being allowed as so much ‘ Moneda Nacional.’ But they were only admitted as fractional payment of bills amounting to a limited sum, the remaining and larger portion of which needed to be discharged in the national currency of doubloons (ounces) or Cordova dollars. The dollar of Cordova was established as ‘ Moneda Nacional’ by General Urquiza’s Government soon after its constitution. Their amount — for they were coined in the city of Cordova — being very limited, they soon, with the increasing commerce of the country, came to be re- placed by the Bolivian dollar. The latter was a legal tender for payment at the Customs and other Govern- ment houses, till the National Government at Buenos Ayres prohibited it in that character. Whilst the war campaign was rife between the Na- tional and Buenos Ayrean Governments in 1859, the Con- gress of the former at Parana issued bonds (‘Bonos,’ ‘Bdletas de Tesoreria,’ and ‘ Libriamentos,’) on different Chap. XXXIII. DECREE PASSED BY CONGRESS. 273 occasions. The bills thus drawn by the then Minis- ter of the Interior, Doctor Santiago Derqui, were, dur- ing the existence of the late National Government, gradually, though slowly, being paid off by two-thirds — one-third, as I have already explained, being allowed for payment of dues on imported goods. The necessities of the war supplies, however, obliged the Government to raise a loan of a few million of dollars. This was obtained from Mr. Buschenthal, a banker of very high repute in Monte Video. The gua- rantees for this loan bear date May 10, 1859, and a Decree was passed by Congress on the 9th of August succeeding, which provided that no bonds be received at the custom-house of Rosario in payment of duties, except these of May 10, 1859 — that one-half of the receipts, after deducting in bonds the third part of the whole, was to be applied to the present necessities of the war; and the other half to be devoted to the payment of 4 bills on sufferance/ This Decree rather impinged upon the rights of holders of bonds issued before and after the 10th of May, and reduced two-thirds of the whole amount of revenue to one-half the amount to be employed in paying off the Government bills. An agitation was got up against this measure by the foreign merchants at Rosario, through their diplomatic agents, pointing out and protesting against what they believed to be the impolicy as well as injustice of the enactment. 4 For,’ they said, 4 many of the bills thus disallowed contain the clause — 44 To be received in full amount of duties .” ’ Whether it was in consequence of this agitation or not, the Decree of the 9th of August was repealed, and a law instead enacted on the 31st of the same month, which provided that 4 all the bonds now in circulation, as well as those which may be issued hereafter under the autho- rity of Congress, should be received in payment of duties as it is written on them. 7 Thus one-third of the duties was made payable in bonds issued before and on the 10th of May, one- third was applied to bills drawn on the customs, and the last T 274 FINANCIAL REPORT. Chap. XXXIII. third to bills of latest emission, which were of six months date. All these bonds bore 2 per cent, per month of interest. Still as by this arrangement the Government would have been left without resources for the exigen- cies of war, an additional 8 per cent, ad valorem was established on all imports throughout the confederation. This duty was to be paid in bills at two months, and was to be exacted after the promulgation of the law in the following rates of duties, that is to say : — in thirty days on all merchandise coming from the Paraguaya and Uruguaya districts ; in sixty days, on those from Brazil ; and in one hundred and twenty days, on such as were to be brought from foreign countries across the sea. Bearing on the financial question before me, a report was presented to General Mitre in December 1862, by Senor Don Antonino Garzon, Administrator of the Custom-house at Rosario. This report divides the subject into five points. These are — 1. Of the public debt, with examination into its origin and the mode of liquidating it.* 2. The law of moneys, and the nationalisation of the paper money of Buenos Ayres. 3. Centralisation of the in- land custom-houses. 4. Centralisation of the river- board custom-houses. 5. Uniformity of tariff. The public debt he classes thus : — 1. The debt contracted with Brazil in 1851 and 1852. Though Senor Garzon does not say so, I believe this debt to have its origin in connection with the expulsion of General Rosas from this country. 2. The debt contracted with Brazil in 1858. I may add that, at this period, there was established between the two countries an extradition treaty, by which the Argentine Government bound itself to deliver up to Brazil any fugitive slaves escaping from that country and taking refuge in this. 3. The coupons of foreign debt, recognised by this Government by special treaty with England, France, and Sardinia, made in 1859. * Appendix No. 9 — Table of Present State of Public Debt of the Argentine Republic. Chap. XXXIII. THE PUBLIC DEBT. 275 4. Four millions of consolidated debt created by the law of 1860. 5. Bonus, payable to bearers, created by various laws of Congress in 1857, 1858, and 1859. 6. Treasury notes, created by law of October 1, 1860. 7. Drafts at fixed date, with interest, drawn by the Treasury. 8. Drafts without fixed date, at interest, drawn by the Treasury. 9. Drafts drawn by Senor Derqui, in 1859, as Na- tional Commissioner at Rosario during the war between the National Government and Buenos Ayres. 10. Drafts drawn by Senor Derqui at Cordova, in 1861. 11. A species of emission of paper money, which was issued from Parana after the battle of Pavon. 12. Drafts drawn by Senor Andrade, Private Secre- tary of Minister Derqui. It appears that the law sanctioned on July 24, 1861, ordained an additional 3 per cent, and 6 per cent, on all goods coming into ports of the confederation ; and this 6 per cent, was intended to pay off the debts mentioned under the 5th, 6th, and 8th clauses. Those of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 7th were to be paid according as there were funds to liquidate them ; whilst from 9th to 12th may be considered as doubtful of being recog- nised by the present Government. Senor Garzon then proposes, if this law of July 24, 1861, be allowed, that the payments be made from Rosario, and ought to include consignments from the inland custom-houses. The other portions of the debt, of which he treats likewise, are to be the subjects of discussion in a future congress.. These foreign coupons he suggests to have paid every year in parts, centralising the payment likewise at Rosario. As the annual sum to be discharged on this class of debt will not be more than 40,000 dollars per annum for 34 years, he believes that, instead of prejudicing the holders, their condition 276 SENOR GAKZON’S REPORT. Chap. XXXIIf. will be improved. After speaking of the difficulties connected with the difference of value in Cordova and Bolivian silver and copper money, he deems indispen- sable a modification of the law obliging the payment of custom-house duties in national money. Then he pro- poses that gold, of which there is no form here but the doubloon (ounce), should be made the foundation cur- rency — giving to the Cordova and Bolivian dollar the value which they actually possess in relation to the ounce, and which has been established at the bank of Baron Mana & Co. at 20 dollars the Cordova and 22 the Bolivian for each ounce (doubloon). Further, he advises that all transactions be arranged with gold as a basis, at the rate of 17 dollars to the ounce. Nothing is proposed with reference to copper, except that no amount of this exceeding a dollar be a legal tender. But he recommends to make the Buenos Ayres paper money the national currency, in which case their bank should become a national, instead of a provincial one, as it is now. On the third point, as to the centralisation of the inland custom-houses, Senor Garzon suggests a central office for the collection of rents at Cordova, which should always be in direct communication with the inland custom-houses of Mendoza, San Juan, Catamarca, Rioja, Salta, and Jujuy. From the general funds, de- posited in the custom-house at Rosario, might be paid the national expenses of post-offices, colleges, schools, &c., by means of drafts drawn by the Minister of the Interior. He also deems it expedient that regular visits be made to the inland custom-houses by an inspector, who shall make his report to the Government of the province in which is situated the particular establishment. As publicity is one of the principal guarantees that any Government can offer to its subjects, he would desire a law obliging every custom-house to publish a weekly account of its expenditure and receipts. Referring to the point concerning those establish- Chap. XXXIII. THE UNIFORMITY OF TARIFFS. 277 merits in the river districts, he advises a head office at the capital for the time being * whether it be at Buenos Ayres, San Nicholas, Rosario, Santa Fe, or Parana. This office should be entirely under control of a special minister, doing away with what he styles the ridiculous abuse which existed under the late Government, of giving to the Finance Minister an undue interference with the custom-houses. Assistance to river navigation by tug steamers ; the appointment of an inspector, to voyage constantly up and down the Parana and Uruguaya; dictation of a general rule, which will render uniform the proceed- ings of all the custom-houses on the rivers as well as through the country; and the establishment of a com- mercial tribunal which, in all cases of difficulty, may remove the responsibility now resting on the adminis- tration of the Aduana; are the other features discussed on the points before us. On the uniformity of tariffs f — to the thinking of many people a most important point — Senor Garzon observes : — 4 The custom-house law which at present exists is that which was sanctioned by Congress on September 14, 1860, and is based on a similar code now carried out in Buenos Ayres; the only difference being the additional three and six per cent, created by the decree of July 18614 A very serious difference this is, too, he might have added, so far as British com- merce in Rosario is concerned; for, with the expenses and dangers incident to a long river passage, it must prove as much of a block to the interchange of commerce as did the iron chains which Rosas stretched across the River Parand at Obligado. The recommendation to General Mitre to make uniform the tariffs of all the custom-houses, without * When this report was being ficial observer that a uniformity of made out, and for several months tariffs with the interior provinces, afterwards, the Congress at Buenos from which goods have to be brought Ayres was occupied in debating on at so much cost of time and money, the locus in quo of the capital of the is fostering the monopoly of Buenos Argentine Republic. Ayres. ■j* It must strike the most super- 278 BOLD ADVICE. Chap. XXXIII. waiting for sanction of Congress, marks the bold and energetic advice of this report. 1 Suppressing in this manner,’ Senor Garzon says, 11 the additional three and six per cents., and taking an equivalent sum from other sources, as, suppose, from the amount which the law gives for the amortisation of the national debt; a measure that will infuse great activity and life into commerce at all ports of the river.’ The remainder of the report contains a classification of the style of ports open for foreign commerce, for deposits, and bonded goods, and therefore possesses no attraction for the general reader. 279 CHAPTER XXXIV. THE CHACO INDIANS. Origin of ‘ Indian ’ Nomenclature by Columbus in South America — My first Interview with the Chaco Indians — Their Clothing of ‘ Kesapi ’ — Contrasts of Civilisation — Absence of Filial Affec- tion — Lack of Intellectual Expression — Mr. Perkins’s Ideas about Indian Elements of Labour — What Mr. Coghlan thinks of them — Thickness of Occiput in the Skull of a Chaco Indian — Opinion of Captain Page on their powerful Industrial Agency — Ideas of M. Amadee Jaques about Crossing the Indian Paces — Extermination of Indian Tribes by Progress of Commerce and Industrial Know- ledge — No Proof of Intellectual Development notwithstanding the remarkable Labours of the Jesuits — Utilitarian Civilisation of Indians — Impulses driving the Chaco Indians to Plunder — A Remedy provided by General Don Antonino Taboada’s Agricola- Military Fortifications — Concluding Reflections on Sheep-Farming — No Admirable Crichton’ amongst the Gauchos — Various Classes of the Gaucho — The Major-domo — The Peon — The Carrero — The ‘ Chasqui ’ — The ‘Gauchos Jugadores ’ — Gambling the moving Spirit of the Tribe — The real Camp Gaucho. I had been a long time puzzled to know why the abo- rigines of North and South America should be entitled Indians, till I observed, in Washington Irving’s beau- tiful 4 Life of Christopher Columbus,’ that the great navigator named them so from the fact of having sup- posed that his first discoveries were made on islands at the extremity of India. Hence the appellation was given to all the inhabitants of the New World. During my stay at Santa Fe, when bound upwards on the Salado Exploration, I had my first interview with some of the Chaco Indians. Under date Decem- ber 8, 1862, I find the following entry in my journal: — c A number of Indian prisoners behind the Cabildo to- day would have reminded me no doubt of the time described by the poet, “ when wild in woods the noble savage ran,” but that there was no forest in the place, and certainly nothing resembling nobility amongst the 280 INTERVIEW WITH CIIACO INDIANS. Citap. XXXIV. group. They were from twenty to thirty in number, chiefly children, with one old woman, whose face bore a combined expression of discontent, imbecility, and savagery. Except a few that had some tatters of gar- ments given by the soldiers, they had no clothing save a girdle round the hips, generally made out of fox skin, and to which the title of 44 Kesapi” is given. One wo- man of the party had been recognised by her daughter, who is a servant in Santa Fe; and it appeared to me a curious contrast between them — this girl sitting on the ground beside her almost naked mother, whilst she, dressed in a glaring plaid gown with an enormous cri- noline, and a white satin shawl, was fondling her per- fectly naked brother and sister. Further on I saw amongst the prisoners a blind boy, between whom and his mother (a resident of Santa Fe) there had been a mutual recognition. On being asked by Major Nelson if he would prefer remaining with his parent, or going back to the woods, he at once preferred the latter — being thus deficient at all events in love for his mother. The older these savages were, the less expression they had on their countenances of anything approaching to the 44 human face divine.” They all had long flowing black hair ; their bodies a dirty brown ; and not the slightest appearance of that intelligence which is some- times recognised in the face of a negro.’ In an article upon cotton cultivation by Mr. Perkins, of Rosario, sent by me last year to the 4 Cotton Supply Association of Manchester 7 (in whose 4 Reporter ’ it was published at the time), the author observes : — 4 No doubt need be entertained that the semi-civilised tribes of Indians inhabiting the Jesuits’ old mission places, may be made use of as an element of labour.’ 1 am sorry to entertain very serious doubts on the subject, unless indeed the Correntino tribes be of a different race from these just described, as met by me at Santa Fe, and from those seen by Mr. Coghlan, O.E., in the Salado Valley, thus described by him : — 4 These Indians are wretched specimens of humanity ; half clad or wholly naked, as the case may be. They don’t present Chap. XXXIV. DOOM OF THE ABORIGINES. 281 anything of the native dignity of the savage, or that sort of thing, but are a most abject-looking race. The true Indian type is hideous— no forehead; the hair of the head and eyebrows all in one; very high cheek bones; immense mouth with prominent teeth, and worn emaciated bodies.’ To which he might have added, had he seen one of the four skulls which I sent to the Ethnological Society’s Museum, an occiput having a protuberance on it about half an inch outside the superficies of cranium, which, in the part just mentioned, is at least three quarters of an inch thick. Other advocacy in their favour is set forward by Captain Page,* who observes : — 4 Even the Indians who have heretofore made hostile descents upon the few settlements along its bank (i.e. the Salado) may be made, by kind and judicious treatment, powerful agents in developing the resources of the country.’ This, as well as the similar opinions previously recorded, seems to me but an assumed hypothesis, for which we have no inductive foundation. From an 4 Excursion au Rio Salado et dans le Chaco, par Amedee Jacques,’ I take an extract which advo- cates a crossing of the Indian races — I should imagine with Circassians ! — 4 En rapprochant de ce manque presqu’ absolu de capacite physique, le fait que ces In- diens, autrefois reduits, et longtemps en contact avec la vie civilisee, n’y ont absolument rien gagne ni rien appris, on arrive a partager cette triste conviction, que les mesures d’extermination sont envers ces barbares, co:nme envers les animaux feroces, les seules efficaces ; ou du moins qu’on n’arrivera que par le croisement des races a les faire entrer un jour modifies et adoucis dans la grande famille humaine.’ What we know of the Mulatto Indians gives me little faith in the last-mentioned theory. Like the Indians of North America, they will be ex- terminated by the moral force of commerce and indus- * La Plata, See., p. 434. 282 NECESSITY OF CONTROL. Chat*. XXXIY. trial knowledge, consequent upon an extensive Euro- pean immigration. We always judge of a tree by its fruit; in like man- ner may be adjudicated men’s labours by the results ensuing therefrom. The history of the Jesuits in South America shows a narrative of men of the noblest families in Europe — of the highest education — of the' purest and most sincere devotion, 6 even to the shedding of their blood’ (as Captain Page says), to the noble work of converting the Indians to Christianity ; and yet what results have we before us? or what was apparent even at the completion of the three hundred years of Christian labour out here? Chiefly that the Indian mind never emerged from the development of boyhood. These savages showed the imitative faculty of the animal in delving and ploughing — planting cotton and^ugar cane — weaving fabrics and making sugar, with a few other like manual operations. But what proofs have we of their reason and intelligence ever having advanced, not to say pari passu with the advancing progress of European civilisation, but even to such a point as to afford any evidence that their natures were in the slightest degree 4 sweetened ’ or 4 modified ’ by the Di- vine precepts and holy examples of the good Jesuits? Had the nature of their female population received any development tending towards the slightest 4 trait ’ of the humanity and tenderness which are the brightest attri- butes of women in the nineteenth century ? 4 None whatever ’ is the answer which I feel pained to give to the first question, and to my second the reply of 4 Not in the most trifling degree.’ The only civilisation that appears to me possible with these Indians is to have them under control; to make them useful to the state as well as to themselves, and to keep them out of temptation’s way, by having them at work. The Chaco Indian never goes to rob estan§ias for love of plunder, or to commit murder. It is only from sheer necessity and a want of something to eat. This necessity might probably be done away with, to a great extent, in the first instance, did the National Chap. XXXIV. GACCHOS. 283 Government sanction the plan proposed by General Don Antonino Taboada in his Agricola-military fortifications on the banks of the Upper Salado, Before concluding this, the last chapter of my book. I deem it a duty to my readers to submit the result of my two years’ observations with regard to one or two subjects treated of in these pages. First. That sheep-farming, whether in the Banda Oriental or the Argentine Republic, is a thing not to be calculated upon literally, from the tables of Mr. M c Coll, Mr. Greenway, or Mr. Hinde, but that it re- quires an apprenticeship to it to learn its accessories in the wages and number of peons — in the accidents from drought and from thunder-storms. Second. That I have met no such 4 admirable Crich- ton ’ of a gaucho as is described in 4 The Guide to Emigrants for the River Plate,’ published by the Monte- video legation, and which is read by everyone coming now-a-days to South America. Those whom 1 met at different parts of the Argentine Republic may be de- scribed as the gentleman-gaucho, who is not a gaucho, however, when he leaves his estan^a and goes to a city — the major-domo gaucho— the peon gaucho — the car- rero gaucho — the chasqui gaucho— all of these, with few exceptions, may be styled 4 gauchos jugadores ’ or gam- blers. For whether the stake be for ounces, paper dollars, or cigarritos, gambling is the moving spirit of existence and enjoyment in the real gaucho. Indeed the veritable camp gaucho is a sort of loafer, hanging about pulperias, looking out for gaucho -flats to fleece of whatever they have about them, drinking cana and gin, now and then ripping up somebody with his knife after a dispute of the most insignificant nature — sometimes even gratuitously , or without having had any altercation whatever — and shifting his quarters only when more prey has to be looked for, or when some 4 cuchillo ’ in- cident renders his removal expedient. APPENDICES. Public Schools erected in the Country Districts of the Province of Buenos Ayres , up to present Date. APPENDIX I 287 o o o o o e£ 1-3 rb 1-3 (2oo'c6ddb g+ J ^ r a r d p o5 p os r d r d'-b ' ij ta g §0000000© m ra O(MOCO(MO(MO § O* o> O O CM O PQ O O Q m o P O ° c3 oodo o o 0i o ro ®PjP(Op; mfl o' c o' o* PP p p 000 P P P cs -g PO 0 OOOO O O ^00 0 d 03 O O * 2 ®hh : P ^ l>- lO lO O IO rH : 00 jo 10 : 0 ® ‘O X X . X X X X X X .XXX . X 2 0 : S 00 00 • OOriOO 10 0 : 0 0 0 : 0 o 3 YNH > 00 CM r-H -rji lO CO 00 0 i — 1 CM 00 0 >s rQ O 3 p ^ g * O ft P -Tl 5S!| C. 2 -C E 3 S 3 02 o ^ o ^o 0 0 0 0 •88 • 0 0 • 0 0 •8 : • .£Po 0 0 0 0 00^ 0 03 rj o' o' : o''©*' • o' o' : P' • O « g • *>. 0 : co P o o 00 o 00 o 00 : r-T O' O' CM O 1— 1 OOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOO o' cT o' o' o~ of bo g § d £ 3 sTf s3 § 03 M CO 1-4 Cv O '■d 5*8 Note. — Tlie dollars above mentioned range from 2d. to 3d. each sterling. Public Schools at present in course of Erection. 288 APPENDIX I. Public Schools which it would be advisable to Build in the Country Districts. APPENDIX I 289 © © © © © . ® «3 co co co .© p O P P 3 © fl 2 2 2 2 2 -ft a ^ P3 P3 r* P3 O g 03 cS c5 c3 e .o .o .o „o ^ '-ft 2 S S 2 3 § p +3 +3 -m -m -u «p .p a a p p p „ © § ° ° 2 2 S ‘2 5 £ s O u H 5§' S * 1.0 03 © g £ GQ CE CfH K*^> . 0t> c$' cc cS c5 “ io Ph pH Ph ft Pft-g 00 +3 -4-^ 445 -M 4^> Ph r ""^ d d § § § ^ 13 g a g 3 £ o P ft P P P.OJ © S 3 . P © +3 ^ ^ © o -S 3 3 a 000 000 CO N CO ^Q. ^ ^ CO © K-J £ ft ^ Ph © rP © P Q O -. M H-H » t» e2 © +3 3 eg o H3 rP £ P © P Sit u> . P2 H3 © © © © o c o o o o 0 o o o -p pp l-p fp © 9 © © © 03 ® CO 0Q CQ c6 ft o3 p eg be so be bij be ce 2 2 .2 .3 .2 .3 .2 '-3 'p #r 3 ^3 ^3 £ boft m o .2 © M pH >L d O g o ^. 22 ° £ 4t s o 2 s fi p © ‘■+ 3 P M -e § © * a 5 ?h l H ° 8 £ P o ■+•> 3 P ft « ,a p ,0 p p P p 2 .3 .2 .3 .3 &B £j§ ppppp32 ^ P o P P nd no «4 -h Ph pj pH Ph rp rt3 ° § § § m ^ r* QQ O O Sh P 'Ph P3 ft P O © rP a fe ? is O p 22 OQ rj „ rP P, © Pi © p p Ph O P . © _4 -O © ^ © cp 0 ) 8 £ gns nO © © *• © © CO ft u ^ r -3 "P ’3 2 Ph Ph ho P £ ^ -p rP "e8 Ph ^H © Ph O o © Ph •- g o o .2 O PI Id £2 ^ ^ _ P ,2 8 o - © P „ n3 n-s ' R © a es -! oT c3 P 08 P P P P 3 P P § ^ <© rH © 02 P5 pH pH © 08 C3 © >h „ P4 O w Ip ’rP m co ® H H H H H P3 P5 P p P P Ph P 1 c3 P cn © © © © © © eg JP !"S nd © © « 3 «3 <3 §1 rP rft c3 P P P P2 -rH oT ■■s' 2 . © 3 Hft p P © rO P .2 Ph a* © c3 P ^h H3 Ph Ph P3 P3 fl P © Ph Ph ® O O g O O g co 22 © ^ .3 o o p ^ £ .3 eg P ,q e 2 eg £ bp bp'rg .3 .3 ^3 ^3 0 /P t/P C 31 c3 c3 o3 W W PJ p P2 P P j§ O © P 3 3 s. S.S.- co OOP ^ ^ PS CP O '«S >3 s © © PM Ph a © © nS . . 2 s ft -ft ^ S P o g O © U O r? c3 d P gg r Ji m p> PP hP O c3 bD^P 3 W g ^ Ph (SHN U Note— T he dollars in the above-named amounts range from 2 d. to 3 d. each sterling. 290 II. CONCESSION FOR THE ENSENADA RAILWAY. \_From the Buenos Ayres Standard.] The Provincial Government entered into a contract with Mr. William Wheelwright for the construction of a railway from Buenos Ayres to the port of Ensenada. By the ninth article of this contract, all articles necessary for the road shall be free of duty, and as the Provincial Govern- ment could not legally grant this, the contract was passed to the National Government, which in its turn sent it to Congress for approval. We believe that the Bill will be at once passed, having been recommended by both Governments ; besides, a railway to Ensenada would be of the greatest utility to the country. The port of Ensenada is the only port in this pro- vince capable of admitting vessels of heavy tonnage : connected with Buenos Ayres, it would soon spring into a place of great importance, more particularly so if, as is reported, the proposed Chascomus Bailway will ultimately be given to Mr. Wheel- wright, in order that he may, by being the concessionaire of ^ the two roads, make them both into one. The following is a translation of the contract : 4 Art. 1. The Government concedes permission to William Wheelwright to construct and run for ever a railway, which shall start from the Paseo Julio, where the Northern Bail way terminates, to the Boca de Biachuelo, Barracas, and Ensenada. 4 2. The works have been commenced by the concessionaire since the 23rd February of this year, according to the certifi- cate of the Chief of Police received by the Governor, said concessionaire obliging himself to open the first section of the road to the Boca and Barracas before the 1st of March 1865. 4 3. The road to Ensenada must be concluded before the 1st March 1867, unless, in view of the great importance of making a previous survey of the capabilities of that port to adapt it to the necessities of Buenos Ayrean commerce, it should be agreed on between the Government and the concessionaire to make of this a practical experiment. In such case the concessionaire shall do so at his own cost, and during a period which shall not APPENDIX II. 291 exceed one year, with a drag , which for that purpose the Government shall place at his disposal in working order, and the time so employed shall not be included in the four years agreed upon for the construction of the road. ‘ 4. In case that Ensenada will admit of being made to meet the necessities of the commerce of Buenos Ayres, such as a port of loading and discharging vessels, and that the Govern- ment approves of the plans, it is agreed that the concessionaire of the railway shall take charge of the work, having first arranged with the Government. 4 5. The plans and sketches of the proposed road shall also be submitted to Government for approval. ‘ 6. The concessionaire shall have the preferential right to extend the proposed line of railway to whatever places he or his legal representatives may think proper, enjoying the same privileges which at present are conceded to any part or section of the road to the Boca, Barracas, or Ensenada. £ 7. The concessionaire binds himself to carry the mails free, but on no account to detain the trains after the hour published for starting. In the ordinary trains, munitions of war and troops shall be taken at half the usual fare, excepting gun- powder, for which a special agreement shall be made. ( 8. The Government guarantees to the concessionaire that for the term of 20 years no other railway, from the custom- house to the Boca, Barracas, and Ensenada, whether propelled by steam or otherwise, shall be permitted. £ 9. All materials for the construction and working of the road, stations, buildings, furniture, all machinery of every class for said road or its accessories, or for the making of a port, as also all necessaries for the use of such establishments, shall be exempt from all class of taxation, whether provincial, local, or municipal ; also from all duties. This latter clause shall be subject to the approbation of the National Government. * 10. These privileges shall be void if, after construction, the railway should remain one entire year without working. ‘ 11. The concessionaire shall have the right to construct and run the road in sections ; thus the fact of any section of the road remaining unfinished shall not cause a forfeiture, nor fine, nor the expropriation of any sections already finished. £ 12. All disputes, & c. shall be arranged and decided by the tribunals of the country. ‘ 13. The concessionaire shall have the right to place rails over the Biachuelo Mole. £ 14. He shall also have the right to establish an electric telegraph for the use of the road, of the Government, and of the public, at a moderate tariff. c 2 292 APPENDIX II* c 15. He shall also have power to form a joint-stock com- pany, or any kind of private company he shall deem fit. ‘16. If through any cause it shall appear necessary, before the conclusion of the road, or of any section or branch thereof, to use animal power, the concessionaire is authorised so to do until such difficulty shall be removed. ‘ 17. The Government, being desirous to facilitate the un- loading of foreign goods at the Riachuelo, shall use its influence so to do, adopting the necessary means to accomplish same, both in the Boca and in the custom-house of Buenos Ayres, with the consent of the National Government, and engage that the trains shall pass free by the custom-house to the Paseo Julio, where the Northern Railway terminates, so that the two railways join, and thus combine many facilities for public convenience. ‘ March 20 , 1863 .’ The above contract varies slightly from the original con- cession, which has been transferred to Mr. Wheelwright. The Government has approved of all these alterations ; the National Government has also approved of them ; so it only remains for Congress now to sanction the contract, to be a law. Besides the foregoing, and the first part of the Centro- Argentine Railway from Rosario to Cordova, Mr. Wheelwright has received a concession from the Government for a line of electric telegraph between Rosario and Buenos Ayres. The importance of the Ensenada line may be imagined from the following sketch of its harbour, prepared for me by Mr. John Coghlan, C.E. More particularly by those who know that the largest number of vessels coming into Buenos Ayres Roads have at present to discharge their cargo into small boats at a distance of eight miles from the land. For the better explanation of the foregoing plan I submit the following letter ‘ Btjexos Ayres : ( 2\st October , 1863 . ‘ To Thomas J. Hutchinson , Esq., H.B.M. Consul, Rosario. 6 My dear Sir, — I forward, at your request, a tracing of a plan of the port of Ensenada, prepared from my survey of the place, and from the chart of Mr. Hunter, of H.M.S. “ Dotterel,” and the Admiralty chart, No. 2,544. c As you are aware, much attention has been of late called to the “ Ensenada,” on account of the ever-increasing difficulties to APPENDIX II. 293 commerce caused by the want of a safe and sheltered harbour at Buenos Ayres. f The distance from shore of the anchorage at the city, the absence of any shelter, and the shallowness of the water along the beach, now* cause losses and delays of the most serious nature. The vessels in the roads discharge their goods in fine weather into lighters, which approach the shore as near as the depth will allow, and from which the cargo is transferred to carts, which draw up alongside them in the water. 4 Freight going outwards is generally shipped at the Boca del Riacliuelo, a stream at the south side of the town, into lighters which carry it to the vessels in the roads. The difficulties attending these operations are so great, that it may be calcu- lated that the unloading and loading of a vessel of 250 tons takes three months. The losses from robbery and damage to goods in the lighters and carts are incalculable. It not un- frequently happens that the lighters are driven by stress of weather to take shelter in the River Parana, and remain out three or four days, the owner of goods on board not knowing where they are. 4 Measures have been proposed for the improvement of the harbour, but from the difficulties caused by the enormous out- lay required, and the necessarily tentative and speculative character of such works, as well as by the form of the govern- ment, of which the members and projects are frequently changed, these schemes have by degrees been abandoned, whilst the administration and leading merchants have come to the conclusion that the proper remedy for the present evils is the construction of a railway to the natural harbour of Ensenada, and the erection of wharves along its shores. 4 The distance from Buenos Ayres is about 28 miles, and the proposed railway would traverse the populous towns of the Boca, Barracas, and Quilmes, with which there is a very large existing traffic. All the export and a great amount of the import trade of the city is carried on through the two former, which are on the Riachuelo before referred to. Barracas is the centre of the Saladeros, and Quilmes a prettily-situated suburban town, surrounded by country houses and farms. 4 The harbour of Ensenada is a sheltered basin, formed by the projecting neck of land ending in Santiago point ; the deep water being about two miles long by 600 to 800 feet wide, and running close up to the shore at each side. The depth varies from 12 to 17 feet at low water. The harbour inside the deep water is about three square miles in extent, but shallow and interspersed with banks of rushes. The entrance is wide and straight, but crossed by a bar, on which the depth at low 294 APPENDIX III. water is 8 feet. The range of the tide, which is irregular, being chiefly influenced by the wind, is 8 feet. Vessels drawing 14 feet of water entered the port during the French blockade of Buenos Ayres when it was much frequented. By a slight amount of dredging (about *to'be commenced immediately by Mr. Wheelwright), the depth may be increased 18 inches, and ultimately, with some further outlay, to about 12 feet at low water and 20 at high. This would be sufficient to admit almost any vessel trading to the River Plate, which is of itself a great estuary of shallow waters, adapted only to vessels of little draught. The vessels actually trading here seldom draw more than 14 feet. f Outside the bar lies a spacious anchorage with first-rate holding ground (sheltered from the SE. and SW., the only points from which storms are dangerous), where vessels can lie in far greater security than at Buenos Ayres or Monte Video, and nearer the shore, while waiting to cross the bar,* or to do lighterage, if necessary. 4 The land round the harbour, for about half a mile in width, is swampy, filled with underwood, and cut up by small creeks and gullies, but the bottom is hard at a few feet from the sur- face (2 to 6 feet), and well suited for the erection of wharves. In the immediate neighbourhood are inexhaustible beds of 66 conchilla,” a mixture of gravel and shells, well known in Buenos Ayres as an excellent road material. c The country between Buenos Ayres and the “ Ensenada ” is generally level (with some slight undulations), presenting every facility for railway making. ‘ The Buenos Ayreans, in general, look out with much interest for the realisation of Mr. Wheelwright’s project, which both the National and Provincial Government are anxious to promote. — I remain, dear Sir, yours very sincerely, 6 John Coghlan, F.R.G.S., c Civil Engineer.’ III. CONCESSIONS FOR THE ROSARIO AND CORDOVA RAILROAD. The official documents connected with the Rosario and Cor- dova Railway seem to me of such national importance, that I think it well to append them. They are : — 1. Contract between the Minister of the Interior and Mr. Wheelwright ; 2. Sanction of Congress to the foregoing contract : 3. Concession of free grants of land for the Railway from the Provincial Government APPENDIX III. 295 of Santa Fe; 4. The same from the Provincial Government of Cordova. No. 1. CONTRACT BETWEEN THE MINISTER FOR THE INTERIOR OF THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC, IN THE NAME OF THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT, OF THE ONE PART, AND WILLIAM WHEELWRIGHT, ESQ. OF THE OTHER PART. e Art. 1. The National Government authorises Mr. Wheel- wright to form a joint-stock company, under the name of the “ Argentine Central Railway,” for the purpose of constructing and working by steam locomotive a single railroad, which shall start from the city of Rosario, in the province of Santa Fe, and terminate at the city of Cordova, following the line marked out by the engineer, Mr. Allen Campbell, and contained in his report and plans, dated 30th November 1855, which professional labour will be given to the company gratis. No alteration can be made in the route, without the mutual consent of the Government and the company. c 2. The legal residence of the company shall necessarily be in the Argentine Republic, and its capital 1,600,000/. sterling, or 8,000,000 silver dollars, distributed in 80,000 shares, each of the value of 20/. sterling, or 100 dollars silver. f 3. All lands, whether national, provincial, or private pro- perty, necessary for the line, stations, wharves, coal deposits goods’ stores, offices, tanks, and the like railway requisites, shall be given in gift by Government to the company, which shall be put in possession of the same whenever required ; the Government obliging itself to defend and preserve at all times such property against whatever claims may be alleged. * 4. The materials, instruments, and articles imported from abroad, for the construction and sole use of the railway, shall be free of all duty for a period of forty years ; likewise the property and dependencies of the line shall be free of tax or impost for the same term. e 5. Government grants to the company the right to cross all roads with the railway, provided the traffic be not impeded ; to use all water-currents, when required for the * service and benefit of the line ; to cut down timber and forests of public property for the service of the railroad or its traffic, all free of charge and without compensation. e 6. All persons employed in the construction or business of the line shall be exempt from any military service. e 7. Government allows the company the right to prolong thue railway towards the Andes, taking whatever route is found 296 APPENDIX III. most favourable, granting to all such prolongation the same rights, privileges, and exemptions as cited in this contract, respecting the line from Rosario to Cordova, but without the guarantee. ‘ 8. The company shall have the right to prolong the railroad to the port of Las Piedras, and to lay down branches as may be thought fit ; but they shall also be obliged to admit branches by any other enterprise, and to convey the materials for such constructions at a reduction of 25 per cent, on the usual fares ; likewise to carry passengers and cargo for such other branches at the established rate of tariff per mile. ‘ 9. The mail bags shall be carried free by the company, but in no case shall the trains be detained beyond the hour fixed for starting. Military baggage and soldiers shall pay in the ordinary trains half price, but the carriage of powder or use of special trains will form the subject of particular arrangement. ‘ 10. Government agrees to facilitate and protect the intro- duction of immigrants by the company into this country, granting to said company all advantages and prerogatives hitherto ceded, or to be hereafter ceded, in favour of immigration. ‘11. Government allows the company the right to build churches and schools for the use of the immigrants and em- ployees of the railway. ‘ 12. Government grants the company in full property one league of land on each side of the line for its whole length, beginning at a distance of four leagues from the stations of Rosario and Cordova, and at one league from the towns of San Jeromino and Villa Nueva, through which the line passes. These lands are over and above what is stipulated in Art. 3, whenever the former are not contained in the latter, and are bestowed to the company on condition of populating them. Moreover, the Government engages to procure four leagues square in the province of Santa Fe, and four in that of Cor- dova, out of the public land belonging to these provinces, in order to cede them to the company. ‘ 13. The company will only acquire the property of the lands granted in the preceding article, in proportion as they go on constructing the railroad and forwarding the works. ‘ 14. All buildings and cultivated lands actually contained in the area ceded in Art. 12, on either side of the line, shall be purchased by the company of the owners for a fair price, or else excepted from the donation, and recognised by the com- pany as private property. ‘ 15. Government guarantees to the company in the working of the line an annual interest of seven per cent, on the fixed outlay of six thousand and four hundred pounds sterling per mile, satisfying each year the difference between this interest APPENDIX III. 297 and the nett proceeds of the line, whenever the latter should be less ; but if afterwards, the proceeds shall exceed the interest, such excess shall be applied to reimburse whatever sums Government may have so paid. ‘ 16. It is understood that in the outlay of six thousand and four hundred pounds per mile, stipulated in the preceding article, is included the interest of seven per cent, which the company shall have to pay for capital invested in the line during its construction. ‘ 17. The guarantee of seven per cent, on the part of the Government will commence to have effect, according as the several sections of the line shall be opened to public traffic. ‘ 18. For the liquidation of the guarantee engaged to be made at the close of each year, there shall be deducted fortv-five per cent, from the gross receipts for the expenses of working, and on the remainder shall be calculated the proceeds per mile. ‘ 19. The company shall have no right to the guarantee assigned, whenever through their own fault the working of the line shall be stopped or interrupted. ‘ 20. The term of guarantee shall be forty years, to count from the date of commencing to run, after which all obligation on the part of the Government shall cease. ‘21. The width of the line of railroad between the rails shall be the same as those of the present Western and Northern Railways, in the Province of Buenos Ayres, that is to say, five feet and six inches (English measure). ‘ 22. The company obliges itself to have finished and ready for public traffic at least ten miles of railway, within eighteen months after the ratification of this contract by Congress. The rest of the line must be finished within five years, excepting grave events or insuperable difficulties clearly established, under penalty of forfeiting the concession for its continuance. ‘23. Government shall have the right to interfere in regu- lating the tariffs, whenever the dividends shall exceed fifteen per cent, on the capital. ‘ 24. The company shall submit its statutes for the approval of Government. ‘ 25. Any questions arising between Government and the company shall be submitted for decision to arbitrators, named by either, according to the laws of the country. ‘ 26. This contract shall be duly presented to Congress for approval, which being obtained, it shall be registered as a state document. ‘ Buexos Ayres : March 16 , 1863 . (Signed) ‘William Rawson. (Signed) ‘ Wm. Wheelwright.’ 298 APPENDIX III. 6 March 29, 1863. — The above contract is approved in every particular; let it be laid before Congress in fulfilment of Art. 26. ‘ Mitre. f William Rawson.’ No. 2. c The foregoing was confirmed by Law of Congress, 23rd of May 1863, with the modification of Art. 21, to the effect that “ the width of the line within the rails shall be fixed by the Executive power .” 9 No. 3. CONCESSION OF LAND FOR THE ROSARIO AND CORDOVA RAILWAY FROM THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF SANTA FE. ‘ Province of Santa F£ : Hall of Sessions , March 6, 1863. c The Chamber of Representatives of the Province of Santa Fe sanctions with the force of law : — c 1. The Executive is hereby authorised to place at the disposal of the National Government the public lands of the province,* so far as may be necessary for the purposes of the contract about to be concluded with Mr. Wheelwright, for the construction of a Railway between Rosario and Cordova. 6 2. Let it be communicated to the Executive. ‘ J ose Maria Echague, President . ‘ Olayo Meyer, Secretary . c Therefore let it be executed, communicated, published, and officially registered. ‘ Cullen, 4 Jose Maria Tuviria.’ No. 4. CONCESSION FROM THE PROVINCE OF CORDOVA. 1 Province of Cordova : Hall of Sessions, April 12, 1863. c The Representatives of the Province in general assembly sanction the following with force of law : — - 6 Art. 1. The Provincial Executive is hereby authorised to cede to the National Government all lands lying within a league on either side of the projected line of Railway from Rosario to Cordova, so far as may be included within the frontier of this province, to be given to the concessionaire of this enterprise for the purpose of immigration. ‘ 2. It is moreover authorised to acquire possession of all the APPENDIX IV. 299 above-mentioned lands which may be private property, either by giving in exchange for them public lands of equivalent worth, or by means of expropriation for the public good. ‘ 3. In case of exchange or expropriation as above, a com- mission will be formed of two umpires severally named by Government and the interested party, and a third by both ; these shall proceed to value the lands so taken in exchange or expropriation. c 4. The total outlay caused by expropriation shall be satisfied out of the product of public lands sold by the Executive, con- formably with the law of the 6th October 1862, in the propor- tions requisite, without however infringing on the sum fixed in the budget of the current year. ‘ 5. If the product of such sales should prove insufficient to cover the total amount of indemnisation, the Executive shall apply to the Provincial Legislature to make good the difference in any other way they deem fit. f 6. Let this be communicated to the Executive. ( J OSE M. Mendes, President. ‘ Benjamin Igurzabal, Secretary. c Let the above be held law of the province, communicated, published, and officially registered. e Posse, ‘ Saturnino M. Laspear.’ IV. general don antonino taboada’s expedition across the salado yalley. Department of War and Marine. [Translation.] No. 20. 1 Parana : December 17, 1859. e The Vice-President of the Argentine Confederation, in charge of the Executive Pqwer : e Considering : — ‘ 1 . That the military force of the Province of Santiago del Estero, under the command of General Don Antonino Taboada, has effectuated the exploration of the “ River Salado,” from Matara to the city of Santa Fe ; and that it is the first since our emancipation which has crossed the desert. 6 2. That the object of said exploring expedition, resolving the problem as to the navigability of that river, possesses a national interest of the highest importance. 300 APPENDIX V. ‘ 3. That in this expedition General Taboadahas given a bril- liant proof of his skill and ability for conducting such-like undertakings ; as also the small force which accompanied him, of discipline and bravery, equally necessary in such an arduous exploration. 4 4. That it is only just to acknowledge, by sound public and lasting means, the importance of the valuable services which, in an exceptional sphere. General Taboada and the force under his command has rendered. ‘ Has accorded and decreed : ‘ 1. That a medal of honour be awarded to the general, chief, officers, and privates, who took part in the exploring expedition of the River Salado, under the orders of General Don Antonino Taboada. ‘ 2. This medal will bear on its obverse the arms of the Confederation, and on the reverse the inscription, “ Rio Salado, 1856 ; ” the one for the general, commander of said force, to be of gold ; and of silver for those of the chief, officers, and privates ; and to be worn on the left breast, attached to a blue and white ribbon. ‘3. By the Ministry of War let it be ordered, that said medals be struck with as little delay as possible, and be presented to the above-named meritorious persons, with the corresponding diplomas, gratis. ‘ 4. Let this be communicated, published, and given to the National Registrar. ‘ Carril, ‘Jose Miguel Galan. ‘ Correct Copy of the Decree. ‘Jose Antonio Alvarez de Condarco, ‘ 1st Official.’ V. rio Salado navigation. I have before me a letter from Captain Page to Don Juan Maria Gulievrez, Minister of the Confederation, bearing date the 2nd of April, 1859, which speaks enthusiastically of the Rio Salado navigation, although the writer confesses that he did not examine, ‘ with the critical eye of an engineer,’ the country which it traverses. It seems to me, therefore, more advisable to submit the observations of Mr. John Coghlan, C.E., APPENDIX V. 301 of Buenos Ayres, who spent nearly three months in an examina- tion of the river as far as the town of Guaype, in the province of Santiago. He says 4 Accompanied by two assistant-engineers, in the month of November 1858, I made a detailed section of the river, from the waters at Santa Fe to the point marked on the accompanying plan as the Boca del Rio de Matara, and coming down in boats, I made a track survey of its course, and carefully sounded the entire.’ The results of this examination are detailed in the plans, sections, designs, and estimates prepared from them, and may be summed up as follows : — ‘ 1. From the River Parana to the Paso de Muira, distant about 32 miles above Santa Fe, the Salado is a wide and deep river, its level depending on that of the Parana, and it is almost constantly navigable for good-sized steamers. c 2. From the Paso de Muira to Monte Aguara, a distance by the river of 220 English miles, the Salado is navigable in seasons of ordinary high water for vessels of light draught. This had been already proved by the trips to Monte Aguara of the steamers Salado, drawing 2 feet, and the Santa Fe, drawing 3 feet 6 inches of water ; the former made in the month of July, a season when the water is comparatively low. 6 In the ordinary season of low water, however, the navigation is impossible, the depth diminishing to a foot and even to nine inches on some shoals. This part of the river is of considerable width; for about half the distance to Monte Aguara, from 160 to 200 feet; and for the upper half, from 80 to 120 feet. Its fall is very regular, and averages five inches per mile. e The banks are high, generally about 12 feet; the bottom, where deep, is mud, and in the shoals “ tosca,” or indurated clay. The course of the river is tortuous, the distance in a direct line from Santa Fe to Monte Asmara not exceeding; 110 o o miles. The country is fertile and well wooded. e 3. At Monte Aguara the Lower Salado is found to derive its waters from the streams which there unite ; one, the most considerable in volume, coming from the Laguna de las Yivoras, in the Chaco ; the other, the Salado, flowing from the province of Santiago. ‘ For a distance of twelve English miles above the junction the inclination of the bed of the Salado, although still incon- siderable (18 inches per mile), is greater than in any other part of its course ; and the consequent want of depth is such as to render it impossible to navigate this part of the river, except in seasons of flood. e This is also the narrowest and most tortuous reach of the Salado, notwithstanding which, the Santa Fe, a steamer 90 302 APPENDIX V. feet long, and 28 feet wide over all, passed through some five miles of it, rounding without difficulty the sharpest curves. c 4. From above Monte Aguara to Navicha, distant 120 miles from the city of Santiago del Estro, a length of 360 miles, the river is admirably adapted for navigation in suitable vessels. Its depth at the season of its lowest water is from 3 feet 6 inches to 5 feet of water.* Its breadth is much smaller than that of the lower river, being about 35 to 50 feet at the surface level of low water. Its course is very tortuous, the length by river, from Monte Aguara to Navicha, being double of that over land ; but the curves are so regular, and the banks so perfect, as to present a striking resemblance to an artificial canal. No curves are found so sharp as those mentioned in the last paragraph, as having been passed by the Santa F e. ‘ The inclination is similar to that of the lower river, averaging five inches per mile, and the current in low-water season does not reach a mile an hour. The banks are high, and the country well wooded. 6 5. Above Navicha the natural phenomena presented by a change of the river from its original course are such as to render necessary the formation of special works. At Matara, distant 60 miles above Navicha, the Salado is a stream of great size, bringing down a considerable body of water from the mountains of Salta, and the plains of Tucuman and Santiago. At the Boca de Matara, six leagues lower down, it spreads into a marsh, where at the season of low tvater its supplies are totally lost by evaporation, and fail to reach the lower river. As the marshes fill with the summer floods, the waters gradually reach the Laguna de San Jose, and from thence pass over the land in a wide stream, with no very distinctly marked channel, to the river bed at Navicha; swell the lower river for a period of four or five months, and fill the lagunas about its course. c As the dry season advances, the evaporation in the Bracho Marshes is sufficient to consume the supply of the Matara Biver, and none of the upper waters pass to Navicha. The river below is fed by the filtrations from the lagunas and the drainage of its own district, which are sufficient to maintain it at a depth of from 3 feet 6 inches to 5 feet, as before stated. The channel from the Boca de Matara to the Laguna San Jose is well defined, and was navigated by Captain Page in a boat, * I must confess the truth that Mr. Cock, the engineer, who visited parts of the Salado, near Monte Navicha a month afterwards, that he Aguara, when I was there in Decern- found grass three feet high growing her 1863, had not a drop of water in in the bed of the river there, and no them. It was reported to me by water in it. — T. J. II. APPENDIX V. 303 drawing 18 inches of water, the only difficulties resulting from the dense growth of weeds. ‘ Above the point of junction with the Salado of the flood waters, and lying to the west of the course followed by them, exists the continuation of the lower river course, perfectly well formed, about 8 feet deep, and similar in all its features to the river below Navicha. It extends as far as the foot of the Bracho, above which it is gradually obliterated, and the part of its former junction is undefined. e At a point called “La Fragua,” five miles below the Bracho, this bed is separated from that, extending down from the Boca de Matara to San Jose by a plain of 2f miles in width, the bottom of the former being’ 1J foot lower in level than that of the latter. At this point, as I shall explain in the description of works to be executed, it is proposed to form a junction canal uniting the two rivers. c Although I have used the term marsh in speaking of the lands below the Boca de Matara, the land is more properly a plain, with, in places, patches of rushes, the bottom being sufficiently hard to be ridden over when the depth of water allows it. e 6. Above the Boca de Matara my investigation of the Salado extended only as far as Guaype, about 40 miles; but was sufficient to satisfy me of its importance. At the period of my visit, which was at the commencement of the periodical flood, the river was 72 feet wide on the water surface, 4 feet deep, and the discharge 10,000 cubic feet per minute. c At a point called Sepulturas, higher up, a certain portion of the waters is lost in a manner somewhat similar to that which takes place at Matara, but on a much smaller scale ; and it is stated, that by the construction of a simple dam, of short length, the waters flowing down to Matara may be considerably in- creased. ‘ Captain Page examined the Pasaje* as far as Salta, and states that it may be navigated for steamers of light draught to San Miguel for the greater part of the year. 4 From this general recapitulation of the character of the river in its different reaches it will be perceived that, although at seasons, when the floods at Monte Aguara are sufficiently high for the passage of that impediment, the Salado may be navigable as far as Navicha, yet some engineering works will be necessary to ensure its efficient and constant navigation. * This name, as already stated, is boundary of Santiago Province, borne by the river only from Salta Thence to Santa Fe it is the ‘ Salado.’ City .to San Miguel, the northern 304 APPENDIX V. 4 Between the Paso de Miura and the Boca de Monte Aguara the total rise in the bed of the river is 91 feet, being at the rate of five inches per mile. As before stated, this part has been navigated without difficulty by a steamer drawing 3 feet 6 inches of water ; but in seasons of low water it runs as low as 1 foot in places with a width of 90 to 150 feet, and a discharge, as measured, of 28,000 cubic feet per minute. 4 In order to deepen the water in low seasons, I propose to erect flash or partial weirs, narrowing the passage of the water in certain parts, and thus breaking it up over the shoals. For this, its very slight fall and never failing supply offer remark- able facilities ; and by the erection of thirty such weirs I expect to ensure a constant navigation. They will be very simple in construction ; formed of piles, sunk into the bed of the river, connected by planking, and filled behind with fallen timber, and other debris from the banks. Their length is cal- culated at 250 feet each, including both sides of the river; their height will average four feet ; and in the accompanying estimate, provision is made for forming them of a double row of piles, with plank sheeting at the sides and top, confining a heart of tosca, the indurated clay of the country, which petrifies to a depth of several inches by the action of the water. The rougher mode of construction just indicated will, however, be probably in most cases found sufficient. 4 The passage of Monte Aguara, where the first serious per- manent obstacle presents itself, I propose to overcome by two weirs and locks. These I purpose to construct of frames and planking of the indestructible timber of the country, filled with tosca hearting. 4 From the passage of Monte Aguara to Navicha, the clearing of the river having been effected by the former expeditions of Don Estevan Rams, one visit of a steamer or of boats will suffice to remove any obstacles which may have since accumu- lated. 4 In the outlets of some of the principal large lagunas along this reach, I propose to place dams and sluices, in order, if found desirable, to store up water for regulating a uniform depth at various seasons of the year. The sluices will consist of a wooden frame with a lifting board, and can be put in place by the same expedition just referred to. 4 Between Navicha and Matara I propose to open the navi- gation, and at the same time materially improve the depth of the lower river, by re-establishing the natural junction between the two rivers here. 4 This will be effected by cutting, from La Pragua to the APPENDIX V. 305 upper stream, a canal of less than three miles in length, of suf- ficient depth to underdraw the inundated plains. c It will form a navigable link of connection, and at the same time increase the depth of the river down to Monte Aguara, by the addition of the upper waters. This canal will be 18 feet wide at bottom, with side slopes of 1^ to 1 foot. The average depth of cutting will be 9 feet. It will not be sufficient to carry off the flood waters of the Salado, which will spread over the Bracho plains, but from its depth will always insure a suf- ficient supply. f Above . the junction of this canal, as far as the Boca de Matara, the course of the old river will require some deepening and straightening, involving an amount of earthwork even greater than that in the canal. f The works on the lower river will require a small body of labourers, with a few skilled men for their direction ; and the materials for the proposed work being found in the immediate neighbourhood, they would proceed with facility and despatch. f For the locks at Monte Aguara, the more important parts, such as gates, hollow quoins, &c., would be prepared and filled at Santa F e, and sent up by steamer for erection. f A period of two years ought to be amply sufficient for this, and at the same time the Matara Canal would be proceeded with. This being simple excavation, in a district which is pretty thickly populated, would be performed by the labourers on the spot, under proper directions. Labour in Santiago is plentiful and good ; the Santiaginians being in the habit of emigrating to look for work in the other provinces, where they are known as a labouring, temperate, and saving class. e The hire of a labourer in the upper provinces at present, including his feeding, is about 21. per month.* 6 Allowing for the delays which may occur from the sending up of tools and superintendents to Santiago, and unforeseen obstacles, I estimate the time necessary for the completion of the entire navigation from Santa Fe to Matara at three years. During this period a considerable trade may be carried as far as Navicha, during several months of the year, by boats of light draught, which could be increased in tonnage as the works advanced. 6 On the opening of the navigation, the following would be the distances from Santa Fe: — * Including the feeding of a than 1/. 10$. per month. In Tucu- labourer in Santiago : when I was man and Salta I believe it to be there, in January 1863, his cost much higher than the amount stated might be estimated at little more by Mr. Coglilan. — T. J. H. X 306 APPENDIX V. To Santiago , By river to Matara By land from ditto • 264 leagues 25 „ 289 „ Actual distance by land To Tucuman , By river to Cruz Grande . By land from ditto * • 140 „ 329 leagues 35 „ 364 „ Actual distance by land To Salta , By river to San Miguel By land from ditto • * 180 „ 374 leagues 45 „ 419 Actual distance by land . ~270 „ e The journey from Santa Fe to Santiago would be made easily in fourteen days, to Tucuman in nineteen, and to Salta in twenty- two ; the navigation being effected by small steamers, tugging barges with merchandise. ‘ The round journey from the Upper Provinces to Fosario and back, by trains of bullock carts, now consumes from six to nine months. 4 The estimate for the proposed works is as follows : — Lower River , Paso de Miura to Monte Aguara, 30 flash weaves at £500 . £15,000 Double Lock, Monte Aguara 12,000 Clearing out fallen trees, &c. 6,000 Sluices at Lagunas 3,000 Total to Navicha Navicha to Matara , Clearing bed of river below New Cut New Cut ...... Straightening and improving between New Cut and Boca de Matara Cubic yds. 20,533 166,320 394,267 . £36,000 Say 600,000 cubic yards at 1/ Plant and extras 581,120 £30,000 5,000 Contractor’s profit, 15 per cent 2 light draught steamers at Liverpool, £1,600 each Add 30 per cent, for carriage .... Barges, &c Management, engineering, and unforeseen expenses £3,200 9G0 5,840 35,000 10,650 10,000 8,350 £100,000 APPENDIX V. 307 c The probable returns to be obtained from this navigation may be deduced from the actual traffic, although there can be no doubt that would be materially increased by facilities of communication, and by the absorption of the considerable trade of Salta, Jujuy, and a large portion of Tucuman, which is now carried on with the Pacific. ‘ A return obtained from nine mercantile houses of Rosario of their trade in 1858 with the Upper Provinces shows a transport of 3,800 tons. f This coincides very closely with the returns obtained by the traffic-takers for the Cordova and Rosario Railway, whose return for six months of the same trade is slightly over 2,000 tons. f The amount per ton allowed by the terms of the concession to be taken for freight is 161 . ; and no doubt exists that this amount would be gladly paid, as it is smaller than the amount actually charged for land carriage, and as the merchants ship- ping by the Salado are allowed an exemption from half the customs dues payable on their goods. ‘ Taking the actual traffic then at 4,000 tons, that amount might be carried to Matara by the two steamers provided for in the estimate. The expenses of working and management have been carefully calculated, and are estimated at 20,000£. per annum, which comes to about l^d. per ton per mile — a very large figure for water carriage in a country where fuel is plentiful. f The revenue account would thus stand : — 4,000 tons at £16 £64,000 Deduct working expenses 20,000 44,000 Allow for depreciation, Reserve Fund, &c., 25 per cent. 11,000 Nett income .... £33,000 ‘ On the estimated amount of 100,000£. necessary for the completion of the navigation to Matara, a 9 per cent, annual guarantee has been given by the Argentine Confederation. It is understood that the Government would not object to increasing it to a sum of 200,000L, with a view of extending the naviga- tion to the Pasaje ; and in the case of the formation of a Company, I would recommend that the capital should be fixed at that sum, which would admit of improvements of the upper river, and of the land communications. No expenditure on these objects would, of course, be undertaken, without sub- 308 APPENDIX V. mitting to the Company and the Government proper surveys and designs. ‘John Coghlan, C.E., ‘ Government Engineer of Buenos Ayres.’ During our journey through the Salado Valley, Don Estevan Earns informed me that it was his intention, had the ‘ Diver Salado Navigation Company ’ (whose prospectus was issued in 1858) been carried out, to have cotton and ashes of the hume plant for making potash brought down by the steamers for ten years without paying freight. Copper, which now costs 12 reals (5s.) per arroba for its freight, from Catamarca to Rosario, he intended to have brought down for 2 reals (9 d.') per arroba. With this difference, however, that what he proposed to carry was the ore, whereas now it comes in smelted blocks. The Company further intended to pay a dollar for each arroba of wax, instead of charging freight on it. Seiior Rams writes to me, under date of October 6, that the work of canalisation was to be begun on the 1st of December, at Matara, for the Baron de Maua, of Rio Janeiro, is now taking the matter in hand. During my stay at Gramilla, I was presented with a lance belonging to the Guaycuruse tribe of Indians, and with it was conveyed the information, that it had been made with others on board the Santa Fe steamer, when she was at Monte Aguara in 1857. Don Estevan Rams, naturally annoyed at being charged with supplying such weapons to them, wrote to me de- claring the statement to be untrue. The exordium of his letter I omit, because it was only a denial of the charge, a thing very needless with all who know the Christian character of the man. But the main parts describe very succinctly a history of his connection with the Salado, and I therefore give them : — ‘ T. J. Hutchinson, Esq., H.B.M. Consul, Rosario. ‘ Buexos Ayees : 2 8th of August, 1863. ‘ My esteemed Friend, — ***** ‘ In the year 1850, I was informed of the River Salado but could do nothing, every class of industry being at the time in a dormant state, as may be imagined from the fact, that a letter from Buenos Ayres to Mendoza or Santiago had to be sent by special couriers, as by the ordinary post a delay of two or three months was inevitable. ‘ Then came the year 1852, during which I was named, by the Government of Buenos Ayres, Pro vidor of the entire APPENDIX V. 309 province, and of the army, under General Urquiza ; and I can assure you, my friend, that all my proceedings were those of a man desirous of protecting the interests of the State. I paid cash for all I required, it is true, though at that time I had ten millions of paper dollars in my safe, as well as an unlimited credit. c On the 2nd June 1856, I compromised myself with the National Government to make the River Salado navigable. I undertook this compromise, as I had been given to understand that the necessary outlay would not exceed 150,000 to 200,000 hard dollars ; and I may add, that I accepted the undertaking more from the spirit of patriotism than from the vague profit that might accrue, as had unfortunately ever been the case in every undertaking any friend of Buenos Ayres proposed. ‘In the month of July 1856, I despatched a person to Santiago, with instructions to return by way of river in a small boat, and accompanied by an escort on shore. This party did not fulfil my orders ; but I had now in readiness our large flat- bottomed boat, and three steamers, which were to start at the beginning of January 1857, under the command of Brigadier Don Pedro Ferre ; and at the time, being occupied with business matters in Buenos Ayres, I was obliged to leave them in con- sequence of some misunderstanding having arisen between the Governor of Santa Fe province and my Commissioner. I had thus no other alternative than to abandon my large commercial operations, and place myself at the head of the exploring expedition, which I did, being accompanied by ten soldiers, two corporals, and a sergeant, taking with me the amount of 22,800 hard dollars in British manufactured goods (without even a single pound of iron, or a knife), and 4,000 hard dollars in cash. All this with the intention of making presents to the natives; but experience had taught me that it would be ex- pedient to clothe all who might present themselves to me, and who did so to the number of 450 armed Indians (with lassoes and bolas), and about 200 women and children, and we agreed to trade — purchasing Nutria hides, giving them work, such as cutting timber. All this I did with the sole object of keeping them employed, even should I have to throw away what I might buy- ‘ The Nutria hides I bought at 12 rls. the dozen; in Buenos Ayres I sold the same at 8 rls. the dozen. Of the timber they cut, little or nothing in the shape of profits came into my purse ; the manufactured goods I sold them at cost price, as it was my first intention to present them with everything I took with me ; I did not wish that any of the Indians who might 310 APPENDIX V. come from Santa Fe, and who lived with them, should say that I was taking or wished to take advantage of them. Rather than this, I desired that the more civilised amongst them should consider the manner in which I treated them, so that they might place more confidence in me. Thus it proved, for the first child that was baptized was a son of the Cacique Bonifacio, specially besought by himself and his wife. Upwards of 620 were subsequently baptized by the Rev. Missionary Fathers, Constancio, F eraro, and Satoni ; these worthy priests accom- panying me in my arduous exploration. ‘ At the expiration of four months’ sojourn in the desert, there scarcely remained a single Indian who did not possess a token of his being a Christian, even those who had not been able to be baptized wore the same. Before the ceremony they washed themselves from head to foot, and clothed themselves also. ‘ During the whole course of my experience I became more and more convinced that the hearts of these unfortunate beings had been more captivated by the ceremony of baptism than by all the presents I made them. c During the month of July 1857 I ran short of provisions ; I had not even a single biscuit, no rice, no liquor of any descrip- tion, there remaining only a box of maccaroni, a keg of salt beef, and 400 dried fish. For more than a month our food con- sisted of what the carpenter Don J ose Masaden’s skill with the gun could procure for us, and the fish which the soldiers off duty were able to catch : when one day the son of the deceased Cacique Pedrito, nephew of Colonel Jose, accompanied by a Santa Fecinian, came to ask me for a bottle of gin, to make some sort of medicine for the colonel, who was rather unwell. I told him that I had no sort or description of spirituous liquor, and was also on short provisions ; but, that so soon as those I was expecting should arrive, I would allow him a share ; and that if they did not arrive soon from Santa Fe, I should have to suffer much, not so much on my own account as for the labouring men. The youth left me without saying a word, and returned two days afterwards with Colonel Jose, the Cacique Dorado, and upwards of a hundred or more Indians, and without even asking my permission, brought on board the steamer four carcases of deer ; Colonel J ose seating himself on my right-hand side, and the Cacique Dorado on my left, to- gether with one of his captains, the Indians, their wives and families following their example, each one presenting me with a slice of venison, some Nutrias and Mulitas, and others with ostrich eggs. On perceiving the ceremony with which these various presents were made, I felt ready to shed tears of grati- APPENDIX V. 311 tucle, and I promised them that I would ever be their friend and protector. On witnessing my emotion, the colonel arose and embraced me, beseeching me at the same time to procure clergymen, in order to instruct them and lead them into the paths of civilisation, so that the inhabitants of Santa Fe province should no longer regard them in the light of bar- barians. ‘ Two months after this 1 went to the capital, accompanied by the Rev. Father Constancio. ‘ During my stay in Parana, I was visited by several caciques and petty chiefs, with their families, expressing their gratitude towards me, and presenting me with skins of various classes. I devoutly hope that whilst the works for the canali- sation are being prepared, the civilisation of these unfortunate fellow-beings may be attained, through the medium of four or six priests. ‘ This hope on my part, my friend, is based on the immense advantages which would result to the ‘ Rio Salado Navigation Company,’ according to contract celebrated with the National Government. That river, as you are aware, runs through the provinces of Santa Fe, Santiago, and Salta. ‘ By ivhat I have already related, Mr. Consul, you will perceive that my views in reference to the natives have been pacific, avoiding carefully everything of warlike tendency, in order that their reduction and subsequent civilisation might present less obstacles. f As regards the cotton plantation on the banks of the River Salado, the seed I distributed last year has had a very favour- able result, and I sincerely hope that in 1864, through the generosity of Consul Hutchinson, in having sent so much seed to the governors of provinces, we may hope to have many millions of plants. The whole country will owe much to you, Senor Consul, for the activity you have displayed in favour of its prosperity. In fifteen days I intend starting for Santiago : the 1st of December is the day appointed for the inauguration of the work of canalisation ; I have been informed that land has risen 1,000 per cent, in value, especially on the banks of the Salado. f Yours very sincerely, (Signed) ‘ Estevan Rams y Rubert.’ 312 APPENDIX VI. VI. EXAMPLES OF THE QUICHUA LANGUAGE. Senor Don Santiago de Villar, of Santiago, through whose aid I have obtained the following examples of the Quichua, informs me that the language is not spoken in its purity except at Cuzco, in Peru, from whence it is reputed to have been first brought by the early Incas to the Argentine territory. It is said by the natives here to resemble English, inasmuch as many words have two letters of the same sound, such as 4 Britannia ’ (with its two n’s), ‘ commandment ’ (with two m’s together), and others — whereas this never occurs in the Castilian. Months in the year are counted by the first, second, third, and so on to the twelfth moon. Of course there is a considerable mixture of Spanish with the Quichua spoken in the province of Santiago, for nowhere else is it heard ; and it may be inferred that much of this is grafted into its vocabulary, because of the non-existence of like things to be expressed by words in their idiom. The letters j and g, when at the end of a word, are always expressed as a hard guttural : — English Qhichua Man . Ceari Woman . . Huarmi House . . Huasi Head . . Uma Eyes . . Naui Nose . Seneca Mouth . . Simi Hand . . Maqui Foot . Chaqui Dog . Allco Cat . Misi Hen . Hualpa A new year . . Huata-mosoc Feather. . Putrua Ostrich . . Suri Hair . . Chuccha Much . . Ahska Little . . Aslla Less . Utulita Neck . . Cunca Water . . Yacu Fire . Nina Wood . . Ccullu Hide . . Ccara Dirt . Uecca Earth . . Alpa To-morrow . . Ccaya English Qhichua Wind . . Huayra Mouth . . Simi River . Mayu Infant . . Huahua Wall . . Perka Black . . Yana White . . Yurac Blue . Ankas Green . . Ccomer Crimson . Puca Good . Alii I . . Noka Thou . Camca He • Pa y, . We . Nocaide You . Cam They . . Raica Numerals — 1 Hue 2 Yhscay 3 Qiiimsa 4 Ttahua 5 Pichca 6 Socta 7 Ccanchis 8 Pussac 9 Yyscun 10 Chunca APPENDIX VII. 313 -English Numerals — Ten times over Smoke Ankle Rain Fat Bone Long Beep Broad Late Something Nothing Pig . Carobs tree Very much Bark Light (in wei Heavy Light (of day Give me fire Cricket Liver When? How? Hard Soft High Low Why? To speak The sun Moon or month* Star Qfiichua 20 Yhseay chunca 30 Quimsa chunca 41 Itahua-Huc 1,000 Huranca 10,000 Chunca huranca ht) . Chunca cuti . Ccorsni . Mocco . Para . Raccu . Tullu J Suni . Quimray . Chisi . Imapas . Mana-imapas . Cuchi . Tako . Anchaska . Tula . Manalassaj . Lassaj , Kauchaj Nina-ta-taripay Chillicutu Cucupi , Maypos ? , Ymaynam? Anac Llampu Anaj Uraj Yma-raycu ? Rimani Ynti Quilla Ccoyllur English Night . Day Early . God . Our God Ant Bread . Door Window A flower Saucepan Breast . Silver . Wool . Cotton . The face The ears The teeth The tongue The stomach The heart Eye-lashes To bake To go . To come To run . To have Meat Water . Stone Country Youth . Boy Knee Behind . Before . Backbone Bone * The letters q and j are guttural. Qhichua . Tuta . Punchau . Pachallampi . Pachacamac . Yaj a-anchis . Schischi . Ttanta . Puncu . Ccahuacana-tuco . Ttica . Manka . Nunu* . Collque . Millhua . Utcu . Ricchay . Rincri . Kirus . Ccallu . Uicsa . Soncco . Pullurqui . Amkar . Rini . Hamuni . Huayracachani . Apiir . Aycha . Yacu . Rumi . Pampa . Huayna . Macta . Cconcor . Ccepi . Naupac . Huasa-tullu . Tullu In consequence of the absence of Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. Bollaert has corrected the' examples from Markham’s Dictionary (Triibner, London, 1864). VII. COTTON CULTIVATION IN THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. From the following letters, no one need doubt the interest manifested by the existing National Government in the culti- vation of cotton. The first was obtained for me by Mr. Doria, Her Majesty’s Charge d’ Affaires at Buenos Ayres, before I had received Don Estevan Bams’ kind invitation to accompany 314 APPENDIX VII. him, and was addressed to the Governors of Santa Fe, Cordova, and Santiago respectively : — 1 Buenos Ayres : September 9, 1862. ( To the Governor oj . ‘ Senor Don T. J. Hutchinson, H.B.M.’s Consul at Rosario, bearer of the present, purposes exploring the Salado Valley for the practical object of ascertaining if the country be adapted in that part for the cultivation of cotton. Your Excellency understands how useful the introduction of a branch of agriculture, of such great importance, would prove to the Republic at large, and particularly so to your province. For this reason, I doubt not your Excellency will use every endeavour in order that Senor Hutchinson may be enabled to accomplish his interesting expedition. F or my part, I shall feel much gratified for what your Excellency can do in this matter. c With this motive, I renew to your Excellency the secu- rities of my especial esteem. c Bartolome Mitre.’ A worthy sequel to this recommendation, from the Pre- sident of the Republic, was the circular addressed by Dr. Rawson, Minister of the Interior, to the Governor of each province, and which ran as follows : — [Translation]. Circular. Ministry of the Interior. ‘ Buenos Ayres : December 27, 1862. ( To His Excellency the Governor of the Province of . c The cultivation of cotton in our country occupies at the present moment the attention of everyone interested in the fomentation of the public wealth ; and the National Govern- ment, following up this general movement, desires at the same time to extend the cultivation of this new branch of industry, which, on once taking root in the Republic, offers a brilliant result for the future. £ On this account I remit your Excellency a small quantity of cotton seed, as also a manual with instructions for its planta- tion, begging your Excellency will distribute it, in order that various trials may be made, bearing reference to the ultimate probable profit to be derived in its cultivation. APPENDIX VII. 315 ‘ At an early date I shall have much pleasure in forwarding to your Excellency a larger quantity of seed, Government expecting to receive a considerable amount, and of the first quality ; and so soon as a treatise in course of publication is extant, a copy will be remitted to your Excellency, wherein may be found the best and latest methods adopted in said cultivation. ‘ God preserve your Excellency. ‘ G. Rawson.’ But better, because more to the point, than either of these is the ensuing law, introduced to the Legislature of the province of Corrientes on the 13th of August in this year (1863): — ‘ Law. c Article 1. — Every inhabitant of this province who shall plant cotton upon Government land shall become owner in fee and in perpetuity of such land, including also the land necessary for houses, machinery, and all things essential for the cotton planter. Article 2. — In order to be entitled to the privileges con- tained in the preceding Article, it shall be necessary for the cotton planter to preserve said cotton plantation in good order for three years. ‘ Article 3. — Every private estancia, chacra, or establishment dedicated exclusively to cotton planting, shall be free from all impost, tax, or duty now established, or hereafter to be created, for the term of three years from the date of this law. c Article 4. — The Executive, after the passing of this law, shall designate the localities referred to therein. ‘ Let it be published, &c. ‘ Jose Maria Aguilar.’ At Parana (in Entre Rios province), the former seat of the National Government, a society, consisting of nine persons, has been formed for the cultivation of cotton. Each subscribes a capital of 250 dollars, with the agreement not to draw any profit for three years. Senor Don Pedro Calderon, the secre- tary of this society, informs me that they have purchased twenty-four cuadras of land (a little more than half a league), to be planted this year, and that they have in contemplation to engage a hundred and forty cuadras for next year, should this succeed. Each of the colonists at Villa de Urquiza is sowing from one to four squares with seed that I have sent there ; but 316 APPENDIX VIII. what they all desire is some person to show them the proper mode of planting, cultivating, and curing it to perfection. A similar society to this has been formed in the province of Corrientes. VIII. IMMIGRATION AND COLONISATION TO BUENOS AYRES PROVINCE. A Project of Colonisation , presented by Messrs. Luis Bamberger 8f Co., in the name or on behalf of a Philanthropic Pro- tection Society of German Immigrants , under the imme- diate authority of one of the Governments of Germany. Messrs. Luis Bamberger & Co. compromise themselves, in behalf of said Company or Society, to adhere to the following Articles, so soon as they may have been sanctioned and accepted by the Provisional Government of Buenos Ayres : — 1. This company will bring to the district and port of Bahia Blanca, in the province of Buenos Ayres, within the term of ten years, a certain number of agriculturists, in order to form colonies on certain land, which may be agreed upon with Government. During the first five years of this contract, 200 to 300 families shall be brought each year ; and during the following five, from 300 to 500 families per year — with this reserve, that, should the company or circumstances permit it during the term of ten years allowed by this contract, said company shall have the right to bring even 1,000 families per annum. 2. Each family shall comprise at least three industrious and moral persons. 3. The company compromises itself to bring on private account immigrants as far as the port of Bahia Blanca. 4. Each immigrant family shall receive from Government, for each person comprising such, 4J cuadras (square cuadras) of cultivatable land; as also to every colony counting 100 families, 200 square cuadras, for the use of and as municipal property. 5. The Government of Buenos Ayres will give to the com- pany, for every 100 families, 1,600 square cuadras of land adjoining those of the colonies. This land shall be freehold property of the company, as also of the colonists ; and the title-deeds for both shall be given by the Provincial Govern- ment of Buenos Ayres free of expense or charges. APPENDIX VIII. 317 6. The Provincial Government of Buenos Ayres shall give to every family of four persons 2 milch cows, 4 bullocks (used to ploughing), 2 horses, and the implements necessary for cultivation— such as 1 plough, 1 harrow, 2 scythes— as also up to the amount of #1,500 provincial currency (paper money), in such seeds as may be requisite for the sustenance of such family for the first six months, in the same proportion as that allowed to the army, excepting only brandy, yerba, and tobacco. 7. The immigrants shall be bound to pay to the Govern- ment (Provincial) of Buenos Ayres for the articles named in the preceding Article the sum of 340 F. patacones, or hard dollars, payable as follows : — During the 2nd year „ 3rd „ „ 4th „ „ 5th „ fp x Luiicuuy Amountino' to 2,500 . 2,500 . 2,500 . #8,500 which, at #25 currency per hard dollar, is equal to the 340 F. above mentioned. 8. One month after the arrival of the colonists, they shall receive, gratis, their title-deeds, in which shall be laid down the respective receipts (of amounts named in Article 7); and for the respective security of the Provincial Government of Buenos Ayres, the colonists shall mortgage their property, agreeing at the same time not to leave the country until the amount due to Government of 340 F. shall have been paid ; neither shall they be permitted to dispose of any implement received from Government, save grain, &c. the harvests may produce ; and oblige themselves to cultivate each year one- fifth part of the land conceded to the colonists per annum. 9. If, unfortunately, the amounts due by the colonists should not have been paid, owing to unforeseen circumstances, such as inundation, hail, destruction of crops, &c. &c., they shall not be obliged to pay, during the year of any such calamity, anything ; payment for any such year shall be deferred until the following one, without interest. 10. For the first ten years after the arrival of the colonists, their property shall be exempt from all taxes. 11. These communities shall be governed by the provincial laws of Buenos Ayres — namely, by justices of the peace and municipal authorities, who must possess the two languages (German and Spanish). 12. All civil and military employes and schoolmasters shall 318 APPENDIX VIII. be nominated and paid by the Provisional Government of Buenos Ayres. 13. The Government shall keep at this company’s disposal land adequate for five colonies of 100 families each, allowing four leagues of land to intervene between each. All land adjoining such colonies should be ( common ’ for at least two years ; and if afterwards, in event of probable sale, the colonists shall have the first refusal. 14. The Provincial Government of Buenos Ayres shall allow the colonists to introduce their personal effects, instru- ments, machinery, and every utensil for private or public good of the colony, free of all duty. 15. The construction of school-houses shall be on Govern- ment account, according to law ; and as regards other public edifices destined for the general use and welfare, the Govern- ment shall assist the colonists in so far as it may lie in its power. 16. In the possible event that on the area of land designated for the establishment of these colonies sufficient timber for build- ing purposes should not be found, the Government shall allow the colonists full right to appropriate all timber necessary for such, and which may be found in the neighbourhood on ‘ com- mon’ property, for the special benefit of the different colonies. 17. These immigrants shall be free from all military service. 18. All land-surveying expenses shall be defrayed by Government. 19. This contract shall be null and of no effect if the com- pany shall not have introduced in the province of Buenos Ayres at least 200 families within eighteen months after this contract shall have been signed by the Provincial Government of Buenos Ayres. (Signed) Luis Bamberger. Letter. ‘ Buenos Ayres : March 26 , 1863 . c Most Excellent Sir, — Don Luis Bamberger, residing in this city before your Excellency, sets forth — * The bases and conditions of a German Immigration Con- tract, concorded with your Excellency in representation of a Protectionist Philanthropical Society of Immigrants, oblige myself to present to your Excellency, in the term of eight months, the official authorisation of one of the German Govern- ments, under whose protection this contract shall be realised, the aforesaid contract remaining null and void, if these con- ditions should not be fulfilled on my part. The term of eight APPENDIX IX. 319 months shall be reckoned from the date of the arrival in Europe of any such contract being celebrated with your Excellency. ‘ Therefore , I beseech* your Excellency to accept this mutual obligation in accordance with justice. — Most Excellent Sir, ‘ Luis Bamberger.’ Decree. March 28, 1863. ‘ Let the proposition made by Don Luis Bamberger be accepted, to introduce German colonies in the district of Bahia Blanca, with the express condition that the proposer shall present, in an authenticated form, the guarantee he offers. ‘ Let this pass to the Government Notary’s office, whence it may be made known to those interested, and copies of the proposed contract and the present decree be given, if required. Let this be also communicated to the Ministry of the Pro- vincial Home Department, to the Office of Public Lands, and to the Topographical Department. ‘ Saavedra. ‘Luis L. Dominguez.’ Notification. ‘ On this same day I notified Don Luis Bamberger. (Signed) ‘Luis Bamberger. (Signed) ‘Araujo.’ ‘ This is a correct copy of the original, from pages 2 to 5, and from pages 9 to the project brought forward by Don Luis Bamberger upon Colonisation in Bahia Blanca, now before the Minister of Finance of the Provincial Government, at present in the Government Notary’s office, and to which I refer. By express order, I sign and seal this, in triplicate, in Buenos Ayres, on the 30th day of March, 1863. (Signed) ‘ Alessandro Araujo, ‘ Government Notary.’ IX. NATIONAL DEBT OF THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. Extracted from the statement of 1863 by the National Finance Minister, Doctor Don Dalmacio Velez Sarsfield, is the following : — 320 APPENDIX X. Table showing the State of the Foreign Debt in April 1863. Sum total of debt recognised by the Government at Parana, payable in 33^ annuities in the following manner : — 1st Annuity, 1860 .... 2nd „ 1861 .... 3rd „ 1862 .... 30 Annuities at $60,122, 67 each . Last ditto in 1893 as balance Amount paid by Government at Parana up to the date of its dissolution Amount paid by the Custom Houses during recess of Government . Amount paid by the actual National Government . $70,790 95 70,790 95 60,122 67 1,803,680 10 20,040 79 $2,025,425 46 $45,466 93 56,395 31 88,191 27 $190,053 51 Amount still pending . . $1,835,371 95 (Signed) (Signed) (Signed) National Accountant’s Office : April 1863. PEDRO C. PEREYRA. JUAN P. ALDAMA. PEDRO POUDAL. X. COMPARATIVE VALUE OF ARGENTINE CURRENCY. Tiie standard coin in this country is the ounce of gold of 16 silver dollars or patacones, which is divided into the following coins : — 16 silver dollars. \ a dollar in silver. £ an ounce in gold. \ „ „ 1 A 4 » » 8 v 8 n r> Besides these, the ounce is divided into an imaginary coin of 17 dollars each. The actual or real currency is the Bolivian dollar (silver) of eight reals each, which, in reference to the gold ounce, has fluctuated in value — say from 21 to 22 dollars during the past two years. The new Bolivian dollar of six reals each is, in Bosario, received at or for seven reals ; in Buenos Ayres, this money 7 is at par with the old Bolivian dollar of eight reals. 320 Sui 33^ a 1st 2nc 3rd 30 Las An u An c An ( Na Tin silve coin; B 17 c doll* gold duri reals Bue of ei / —