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LA PLATA, 
 
 THE 
 
 ARGENTINE CONFEDERATION, 
 
 AND 
 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
 being a narrative op the exploration of the tributaries op the 
 river la plata and adjacent countries during the years 
 
 1853, '54, '55, and '66, 
 under the orders of the united states government. 
 
 BY THOMAS J. PAGE, U. S. N., 
 
 OOMMANDEK OF THE EXPEDITION. 
 
 tiJitl) Map anb Numerous (l^ngraoings. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 HAEPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 
 
 FRANKLIN SQUARE. 
 
\3 
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight hundred 
 
 and fifty-nine, by 
 
 HARPER & BROTHERS, 
 
 in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York. 
 
S*rcroH Llfcrtry 
 
 DnfvsMfy of ColrtcMOi* 
 
 Wl 'M DRAWN 
 
 ^C 3 p t 
 
 CIUMPTON ACCE^SiOtt 
 MAHCRQFl UBSAfiY 
 
 5i^ 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Urquiza's Decree, opening tlie Waters of La Plata. — The Expedition. — Its Ob- 
 jects. — The Water Witch. — Her Sea Quah'ties. — The Voyage. — Arrival at Rio 
 de Janeiro. — Correspondence with the Government. — Permission granted to as- 
 cend to Albuquerque. — Further Extension of this Privilege. — Pamperos. — The 
 Morgan Wheel. — French Charts. — Arrival at Montevideo. — Quarantine. — Yellow- 
 Fever. — Montevideo. — Its Trade and Population. — Colonel Paunero....Page 25 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Arrival at Buenos Ayres. — Its Site. — Winds. — Higueritas. — Trade. — Buildings. — 
 Fruits and Flowers. — Landing at Buenos Ayres. — Besiegers and Besieged. — Our 
 Ministers. — Treaty with President Lopez. — Urquiza's Army. — Visit at Head- 
 quarters. — Personal Appearance of the General. — He interests himself in the 
 Expedition. — Detention at Buenos Ayres. — Letter from Mr. Pendleton. — Treach- 
 ery in the Squadron. — Joint Treaty of Navigation. — Martin Garcia Channel. — 
 New Channel discovered. — Letter from Messrs. Schenck and Pendleton. — Break- 
 ing up of the Siege. — Senor Urquiza and Staff on board the Water Witch. — Pa- 
 lermo, the former Residence of Rosas. — The Dictator and his Daughter Manu- 
 elita. — Urquiza's Dog. — The Director's Demeanor. — The Voyage. — Ladies on 
 board. — Temperance of Urquiza. — He leaves the Water Witch. — Return to 
 Buenos Ayres. — Tribute to British Officers 35 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Letter from Mr. Schenck. — Visit to the Estancia of General Urquiza. — ^Framing 
 of the Treaty. — Marking Cattle. — Farm and Residence of the Director. — Os- 
 triches, Partridges, and Deer: Mode of hunting them. — Horses. — Return to 
 Buenos Ayres. — The Galera. — Reception at Concepcion. — The College. — The 
 Ball. — Native Grace of Spanish American Women. — Leave Concepcion. — The 
 Water Witch. — Coaling at Buenos Ayres. — Final Departure for the Ascent of 
 the River 51 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Chronometers. — Determinations of Latitude and Longitude. — Construction of 
 Charts. — Delta of the Parana. — Diamante. — Fruits. — Oranges. — Peaches. — 
 Beautiful Scenery. — Mouths of the Parana. — The Parbon. — The Gualaguay. — 
 TheRepunte. — Periodical Risings of Water. — Islands. — The Seibo and Sause. — 
 San Pedro. — Obligardo. — Passage forced by the English and French.— Island 
 Formations. — Variations of Channel. — Pilots. — Estancieros. — San Nicholas. — 
 Rosario. — Its commercial Importance. — Advantages over Buenos Ayres. — Winds. 
 — Letter of R. B. Forbes, Esq. — Banks of the River. — Convent of San Lorenzo. — 
 The Tercero. — Mr. Campbell's Sui-vey. — The Chaco Hills. — Scenery. — Diaman- 
 te. — Ferries. — Trees. — The Algarroba and Espinilla 64 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Left Bank of the Parana. — Survey made by Lieutenant Powell. — Climbing the 
 Tree. — Victoria. — Descending the Parana Cito. — Puerto de los Bues. — Guala- 
 guay. — El Puerto de Ybicui. — A Canal. — Paciencia. — Physical Changes. — The 
 Colastine. — Capella de San Jose. — Santa Fe. — The Chaco. — Its Inhabitants. — 
 Parana. — Bajada. — Progress. — Pine Lumber. — Commercial Prospects. — Cedar. 
 — Surface Soil. — Dr. Martin de Moussy's Report. — Plan of Parana. — Buildings 
 and Population. — River Banks. — Estancia of an Englishman. — Feliciana. — La 
 Paz. — The Jefe de Politica and the Curate. — Fuel. — Pass of San Juan. — Course 
 of the River. — Sullivan's Charts. — "Wild Fowl. — The Espinilla. — Capibaras or 
 Capinchas. — Locusts. — Catching a Deer. — Riacho Caraguatay. — Riacho San 
 Geronimo. — Goya. — Capincha Chase. — Bella Vista. — Productions. — Fishing. — 
 Tobacco Island. — Hunting for Specimens. — Taquari Chico. — An Orange Estan- 
 cia. — The Camilote. — Arrival at Corrientes. — Visit to the Governor. — Visit from 
 the Governor. — City of Corrientes. — Easy Navigation of the River. — Fine Woods 
 for Fuel. — Resources of the River Provinces. — Table of Distances Page 79 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 The Waters of the Paraguay and Parana. — Affluents of the Paraguay. — Enter 
 the Territory of Paraguay. — Salute to the Admiral of the Navy of the Republic 
 of Paraguay. — Visit from the Admiral. — Boundaries of the South American Re- 
 publics. — Banks of the Paraguay. — Palm-trees and beautiful Scenery. — Guardias 
 and Piquetes. — Tres Bocas. — Guardia Humaita. — President Lopez and the Bra- 
 zilian Squadron. — Vermejo River. — Pillar. — Caiia. — Caranday Palm. — The Ti- 
 biquari. — Salute of Musketry. — Villa Franca. — The Commandante. — The Las- 
 so and Bolas. — Oliva. — Villa Villeta. — A Cigar with the Commandante. — San 
 Antonio. — Mount Lambare. — Arrival at Asuncion. — Rise and Fall of the Para- 
 guay 105 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 Interviews with President Lopez. — Negotiations. — Residence at Asuncion. — The 
 City. — Buildings. — Francia's Tomb. — Francia's Cruelties. — Isolation of Para- 
 guay. — Francia's System. — Dahlgreen's Howitzer. — The American Company. — 
 Celebration of Lopez's Birth-day. — Reception at the Government House. — Grand 
 Ball at the Residence of the Chief Justice. — The Speech 116 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Departure from Asuncion. — The President's Quinta. — Salinas. — A Hill. — The Con- 
 fuso. — The Salado. — Estancia of Lopez. — Variety of Woods and Fruits. — Que- 
 bracho. — Capiepomo. — Guazu. — Cattle. — Hospitality. — River Scenery. — An 
 Accident to Engine. — Piquete Ytati. — Wood for Steamers. — Plants and Shrubs. 
 — River Jejui. — San Pedro. — Another Accident to Engine. — Guaycuru Rembiu. 
 — Government Estancia. — The Pacu Fish. — River Changes. — The Ypane. — Ar- 
 rival at Concepcion 128 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Concepcion. — ^Yerba. — Government Monopolies and Restrictions placed upon Trade. 
 — Favorable Reception. — Guembe and Guembetaya. — The Water Witch. — A Ball 
 at the Comraandante's House. — A Quandary. — Danced down. — Senor Tachiera. 
 — Costumes. — Wood for Steamer. — Rio Saladillo. — Salinas. — Indians. — The 
 Caciques. — A Shaking of Hands and a Smoke. — Palm Forest, — Salvador. — Heat. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 XI 
 
 — State of the Conntry. — The Abatiguaniba. — Caragtiatay Guazu. — Mannfactures 
 of its Thread. — Thorns converted into Needles. — The Datil. — Reptile Hunting. 
 — Supplies. — Value of Hide. — Piquete Arracife. — Heat. — Paso Melo. — Mount- 
 ed Indians from the Chaco. — Piquete Judiarte. — Guardia Apatuya. — Beautiful 
 Scenery. — The Morada and Ytapucu Guazu. — The Children of the Gran Chaco. 
 — Equestrian and Pedestrian. — Size, Strength, and Longevity. — An Octogenarian 
 in the Flower of his Age. — Nabidigua. — TheMbayas. — Their Slaves. — The Gua- 
 rani. — Spiritual Notions of the Aborigines. — No Word for God or Divinity. — Ahar- 
 aigichi. — Jupa. — Inferior Creatures or not? Page 136 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Rio Appa. — A Tapir. — Differences between Brazil and Paraguay as to the Boixnda- 
 ries. — Letter from Mr. Hudson. — Point Rock. — Sierra Siete Punta. — Pan de 
 Azucar. — Ascent of the Mountain. — The View. — Speculations on the Future of 
 this Country. — Round Top. — Fort Bourbon. — Claims of Bolivia and Paraguay. 
 — Bahia Blanca. — Vuelta Pariquito. — Capon Chico. — A Boa. — Dorado, Pacu, 
 and Palometa.— Ascent of the Bahia Blanca. — Camelotas. — Suspending of the 
 Bottle to a Tree. — Proposition of Don Manuel Louis de Oliden. — Grant by the 
 Congress of Bolivia. — Decree of the Supreme Government. — Importance at- 
 tached to the Navigation of the Otuquis. — Extract from a Pamphlet by Mauri- 
 cio Back. — Fort Coimbra. — Flattering Expressions of the Commandante. — The 
 Guaycurus. — Policy of Brazil toward the Chaco Indians.^ — The Canoe 160 
 
 CHAPTER XI. * 
 
 The Moro Dorito. — Curalo Todo. — Tea, Coffee, and Milk. — Position of Anchorage 
 off Albuquerque. — The Miranda. — The Tacuary. — Azara's Maps. — The Cam- 
 barasa. — The Paraguay Mini. — Corumba. — The Guatambu. — Hunting the Ja- 
 guar. — Fruits. — Return to Albuquerque. — Village of Mbayas. — An Indian Mis- 
 sion. — Rice and Cotton. — Schools. — The Padre. — A Dance. — Missionary Effort. 
 — The Jesuits. — The Dinner on board the Water Witch. — Trade of Cuyaba. — 
 Bolivian Refugees. — The Grotto Inferno. — Capture of a Sentinel. — Fate of the 
 Refugees. — Birds. — The Jaguar. — Its Ferocity. — Lenguas Indians. — The Com- 
 mandante wears a long Face. — The Yellow Parrot. — Anchored off Asuncion. — 
 A Storm brewing 182 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 The Captain of the Port. — Momentous Question. — A Call at the Government 
 House. — The Secretary of State. — Visit to the President. — The Anniversary of 
 Paraguayan Independence. — Minor Explorations. — Congress of 1812. — The 
 Consuls. — Francia. — Provisional Junta. — Another Congress. — President Lo- 
 pez. — The Constitution. — Ignorance of the People. — Society. — Sefioritas and 
 Flowers. — Paraguay Tobacco and Smokers. — The Siesta. — Another Call upon 
 the President. — The Vaquerano. — A Tour into Paraguay. — Sefior Don Jaimi Cor- 
 vallan. — Perijii. — Sefiora Dalmacia. — Villa Rica. — Don Louis Homan. — The 
 Tebiquari. — The Recado. — Puesta del Estado de Jesus Maria. — The Dinner. — 
 The Peripo. — Mr. Francis Wisner. — Sefior Sergente Lopez, — Sefiora Clara. — 
 Manufacture of Cigars. — The Taquari. — Fertility of the Country. — Medical Men. 
 — Healthful Climate. — Puebla Carmen.— ^Don Mariana. — The Yiin. — El Secre- 
 tario. — Ytapua 198 
 
xii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Francia. — Religion and the Churches. — Ytapua. — The Commandante and Soldiers. 
 — Navigability of the Parana. — Carmen. — Equipments of Horses. — Mission of San 
 Cosmi. — Estancia San Rafael. — Mate. — Frescoes. — D. Ignacio's Horse. — CapiUa 
 San Martin. — The Supper. — Missions Santa Maria and Santa Rosa. — Estancia 
 of Sefiora Casara. — The Merchant President. — Seiior Cabenas. — Capilla Caa- 
 pucu. — Senor Vasconcellos. — The Diezmo. — Public Lands. — Seiior Bergarran. 
 — Iron Works. — The Waiter. — The Superintendent. — Ibicui. — Mineral Districts. 
 — Products and Exports of Paraguay. — The Surgeon of the Water Witch. — 
 Beauty and Fertility of the Country. — Presidential Election. — No Admittance. 
 — A Motion to make the President Emperor. — The Constitution. — Individual 
 Wealth. — Cotton. — Lists of Exports from Asuncion Page 224 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Expedition under Geronimo Metorras. — Colonel Arrias. — Murillo and Lapa. — 
 Colonel Ariadne Cornejo. — Don Pablo Soria. — Steamer Pilcomayo. — Lieutenant 
 Powell instnicted to enter the Interior of Paraguay. — Want of Game and Fish. 
 — Force of the Current. — Tobas Indians. — Nacurutu. — Palms. — Rio Saco. — De 
 loi Carui. — Visit to the Toldo — Paso da Lurbi. — River ascended one hundred 
 and twenty Miles. — Channel. — Descending a Cascade. — A Hunt with Dr. Car- 
 ter. — Lost. — Signals. — The Howitzer replies. — Safe Return. — Descending the 
 River. — Mr. -Hickman. — Letter from Mr. Dana 243 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Visit to the President. — Boat-cruise up the Riachuelo. — Victoria Regia or Mais 
 del Agua. — Orange Groves. — The Plow. — Posta Contaro. — San Cosmi. — Ytati. 
 — Hacienda Yrisbugua. — Race with an Ostrich. — Breaking a Horse. — Troubles 
 at Asuncion. — Visit to the President. — Consultation with Mr. Hopkins. — Return 
 to the Government-house. — Last Interview with his Excellency. — The Permit. 
 — Correspondence with Mr. Falcon. — Council at Head-quarters. — Americans on 
 board, descending the River. — The Navy heaves in Sight. — Passing the Admi- 
 ral. — The President's Indignation and the Seminario. — The Treaty. — Mr. Fal- 
 con's extraordinary Letter. — False Charges in the President's Message. — The 
 French Colony. — The Brazilian Squadron. — Outrage committed upon the Water 
 Witch. — What our Policy with South American States should be 263 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Lieutenant Powell dispatched to Montevideo. — Mr. Murdaugh ordered to explore 
 the southern and western parts of the Province. — Extract from Journal of Lieu- 
 tenant Murdaugh. — Cotton. — Saladas. — Sugar. — San Roque. — Return to Bella 
 Vista. — Goya. — Rincon de Soto. — A Tour in the Governor's Galera. — A Bivou- 
 ac. — Curuzu Quatia. — Return. — River Mirinay. — Estancia Bonpland. — Res- 
 tauracion. — Uruguayana. — Note from M. Bonpland. — Imprisonment of the Nat- 
 uralist. — Tobacco. — Coffee. — Lagoon of Ybera 288 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 The Dinner at Corrientes. — The Address. — Toasts and Wine. — A Cargo of Lum- 
 ber. — The Saladero. — The Water Witch dispatched ivp the Parana. — Sudden 
 Return of Lieutenant Jeffers. — The Steamer run aground by the Pilot. — Fired 
 into from the Fort, killing the Helmsman. — False Claims of President Lopez to 
 the Channel. — Erroneous Statements and Fancy Sketches of the President of 
 
CONTENTS. xiii 
 
 Paraguay. — Affection for the Salto Grande. — Dispatch to our Government. — Its 
 Contents refuted. — Return to Buenos Ayres. — Lieutenant Powell dispatched to 
 Rio. — Arrival of the Savannah. — Indecision of the Commodore. — Refusal to 
 grant the Guns. — United Stales Legation versus United States Squadron. — What 
 should have been done. — Dispatch from Sefior Vasquez. — The Commodore im- 
 pressed with the Fact of the Parana containing sufficient Depth of Water to ad- 
 mit a Sloop of War Page 301 
 
 CHAPTER XVIIL 
 Island of Martin Garcia. — Pass of San Juan. — Town of Higueritas. — The Brasso 
 Bravo. — Rio Negro. — The Gualaguaychu. — Concepcion. — Frey Bentos. — Fine 
 Pasturage. — Herds of Cattle. — Arrival at Concepcion. — College. — Saladeros. — 
 Town of Paisandu. — An Englishman's Estancia. — Current of the River. — Palm 
 Forests of Eutre Rios. — The Arroyo Grande. — Paso Heredera. — Town of Con- 
 cordia. — Trade. — Salto. — The Salto Grande. — Killing a Partridge. — Rise of Wa- 
 ter. — Tide. — Track Sur^'ey of the Rio Negro. — Town of Soriana. — Mercedes. — 
 Sarsaparilla. — Fossil Remains. — Megatherium and Glyptodon. — Health of this 
 Region of Country. — Cattle and Estancias 318 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 Chartering of the little Steamer. — Arrival at Santa Fe. — Province of Santa Fe. — 
 Civil Wars and Independence. — Wood. — Ascent of the River. — Animal Life. — 
 Ducks, Jaguars, Capibaras, and Armadillos. — The Diver, Podiceps leucopterus. — 
 Planting of sweet Potatoes. — The Crucito. — The Saladito. — La Cruz. — The Bed 
 of a Lagoon. — Monte Aguara. — The Return. — Current and Width of the River. — 
 The Jaguar. — Density of the Salado Water. — Journey by Land to the upper Wa- 
 ters. — A Tatu. — Quebracho. — The Mirage. — The surly Officer. — The Tongue of 
 the taciturn Argentino loosened. — The Segundo. — Tio or Concepcion. — Algor- 
 roba and Soil. — Arrival at Cordova. — List of Distances 332 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Cordova. — De Garay. — Population of the Province. — The City of Cordova. — Trade. 
 
 — Rail-road surveyed by Mr. Campbell. — Madam . — Cathedral and Public 
 
 Buildings. — The Colegio Maximo. — Paintings. — Dr. Hawling's Tannery. — The 
 Market. — Copper in the Sierras of Cordova. — Sefior Zuverir. — Mineral Districts. 
 — A Journey to Santiago. — Appearance of the Horses : their Powers of Endur- 
 ance. — Valley of Jesus Maria. — Shepherds' Dogs. — Divisidero. — Posta San Pe- 
 dro. — Rosario. — Hard Riding. — Posta del Monte. — Bed of the Rio Dulce. — 
 Quichua Language. — Perqui. — The Harpist. — The Tropero. — A Dance and no 
 Supper. — Cana. — Another Tropa. — Arrival at Santiago 348 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 Santiago. — Government House. — Trade and Population. — No Hotels. — Pair of 
 Gloves. — Visit to the Governor. — Don Taboado. — The Boat. — Quintas and 
 Fruits.— Chills at Santiago.— The Pic-nic— The Dulce.— Bed of the Salado. — 
 The Saladillo.— The Fjor del aria.— The Ulna.— Luxuriant Foliage.— The Slevre. 
 — Bees. — The Toisini. — Yana. — Moso Moso. — Mestiso Quilaya. — Cani. — Quella 
 and Alframisqui. — The Eyrobana. — Wax. — The Cochineal. — Lassoing a Mule. — 
 Price of Mules. — Launching the Boat. — A Bivouac. — Arrival at Salvador. — 
 Banks of the Salado. — Birds. — Estancia Figarra. — "Que Animal." — Arrival at 
 Matara. — The Dance and the little Child. — The Priests. — Incursions of the 
 Chaco Indians. — List of Trees. — Quebracho. — Algorroba. — Vinal. — Quilin. — 
 Chaiia.-Mistal.— Vinay.— Tola.— Puna.— Gumi.—Quimel.—Cardon 361 
 
Xiv CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Bajada Sause. — Women pursued by Indians. — Laguna Toma Caphuyan. — Estancia 
 Gramilla Bracho. — A Night's Sleep interrupted by the Governor's Troop in pur- 
 suit of Indians. — Fording the Lagoon. — The Scouts on the Trail. — Indians in 
 Sight. — The White Men defied. — A Charge. — Another Pursuit. — Disappearance 
 in the Forest. — Hunger, Thirst, and a sound Sleep in the Eain. — The old Es- 
 tancieros. — Hostility of the Indians. — Navicha. — Paso Sandia. — Pastures. — 
 Monte Aquara. — Monte Tigre. — Arrival of an additional Force. — Musquitoes 
 and Eain. — Farther Advance of the Party. — On another Trail. — Swimming the 
 River. — The Volleys. — Indians. — The would-be Captive. — The dying Soldier. — 
 The Bullet and a Cigar. — Mente del Muerta. — The Current running up. — The 
 Return Page 374 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Crossing at Paso Mistol. — A Cordon of Posts. — Paso la Torre. — A Wild-goat 
 Chase. — Navigation of the Salado. — Seiiora Mendez. — Sleep in the Open Air. — 
 Reservoirs of Water. — Drought. — Arrival at Santiago. — A Ball. — Toasts. — 
 Fine Dancing. — JRiver Dulce. — Road to Tucuman. — Approach the Andes. — 
 Woodland. — Rio Tala. — Mountains. — Scenery. — Arrival at Tucuman. — Hotels 
 in La Plata. — Dr. Priestly. — Sugar-Plantation. — Molasses, Sugar, and Rum Es- 
 tablishment. — Cultivation of the Sugar-cane. — A Dinner at Sefior Zavalier's. — 
 Seiiora and her Daughters. — A Ride into the Country. — Scenery. — Dinner and 
 Ball at the Governor's. — Beauty of Spanish- American Women. — Province of 
 Tucuman. — The Capital. — Progress. — Statistics. — Cultivation. — Start for Salta. 
 — Valleys. — Productive Capacity of the Soil. — Wheat. — Mountain Road. — Posta 
 Romero. — The foiled Post-master. — Alimafia. — Grassy Basin. — Destitute Post- 
 master. — Valley Chiguano. — Upper Waters of the Salado. — Products of Valley 
 Chiguano. — River Rosario. — Ford the Arrias. — Arrive at Salta 394 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 A Night at a Zambo. — Messrs. Pelacio. — Acts of Courtesy. — Province of Salta. — 
 Population. — Products. — Salinas. — The Capital. — Advantages of Salado Nav- 
 igation. — Mules. — Leather and Wool. — Trees. — The Pacaray. — Silk Rolls. — 
 Wheat. — Copper. — Governor. — Music and Dancing. — Exiled Bolivians. — Revo- 
 lutionary state of Bolivia. — Departure from Salta. — Tropas of Asses. — Lake 
 Cabo. — Simbola. — Rivers Pasaje and Las Piedras. — Forests. — Little Use of Milk 
 in La Plata. — Forest of Sevil. — Don Martin Giiemes. — Breakfast in the Forest. — 
 Stage-coach. — Ferry-boats. — Beauty of Country. — Arrival at Tucuman. — Horse- 
 back Travel. — Gaucho Life. — Visit from the Governor. — Map of the Province of 
 Tucuman. — Farewell to Friends in Tucuman. — Day's Ride. — Dulce Boat. — San- 
 tiago and Reception at the Governor's. — Head Waters of the Salado. — Laboring 
 Classes in Santiago. — Hospitality of Spanish- Americans. — Harvest. — Narrow 
 Escape. — Horses. — A Cordova Posta. — Fined for fast Riding. — Leave Cordova. 
 — Return Route across the Pampas. — Galera from Rosario. — Diligcncia. — River 
 Tcrcero. — Tropa of Mules from San Juan. — River Quarto. — Fording the Quarto. 
 — Pop-corn Party. — Division Line between Cordova and Santa Fe'. — Postillion. 
 — Growth of Rosario. — British Consul. — Farther Examinations of La Plata 
 Channels. — Preparations for Departure. — Letters of Recall. — Boatswain's Call. 
 — Germantown. — Lieutenant Ridgely. — Home 412 
 
CONTENTS. XV 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 Extent of Exploration. — Depth of Water in the Paraguay. — Sources of that River. 
 — Junction with the Parana. — The Parana River. — Tributaries of the Paraguay. 
 — The Confuso and Otuquis. — Expeditions up and down the Pilcomayo. — North- 
 ern and Southern Branch. — Little Success at its Navigation. — The Vermejo. — 
 Its Navigability confirmed. — The Salado. — "River Bottom." — Falls of Apipe. 
 — The Gran Salto. — The River above. — Islands and Rapids. — The Uiniguay. — 
 The Salto Grande. — Beauty of adjacent Country. — La Plata. — Its Mouth at the 
 Capes. — Structure of the Parana Banks. — Tosca. — Rock Formation on the Par- 
 aguay. — Entrance to a Mountain Region. — The Great Gulf — Birth of Rivers. 
 — Callera do Arriola. — Retirement of the Sea. — Fossil Remains and* Estuary 
 Mud. — Diluvial and Alluvial Periods. — Encroachments of Land and Water. — 
 Harbor of Buenos Ayres. — Fertility of Soil. — Fruits and Vegetation. — Medic- 
 inal Plants and Woods. — Climate. — Navigation of the Rivers. — Letter fi-om the 
 Governor of Santiago. — Exclusive Privileges granted to Companies. — Suitable 
 Vessels. — Paraguay. — Products and Advantages for Trade. — Interests of Boli- 
 via. — Immigration. — Brossard. — Thiers and Guizot upon the Country of La Plata. 
 — What foreign Governments have done. — What our Policy should be... Page 431 
 
 CHAPTER XXVL 
 
 First Discovery of the River La Plata by Solis. — Death of Solis. — Sebastian Cabot. 
 — First Settlement in La Plata. — Explorations of Cabot. — Indian Hostilities. — 
 Highway to El Dorado. — Don Diego Garcia. — Cabot's Dispatch to the Emperor. 
 — Pizarro. — Cabot superseded. — Don Pedro de Mendoza. — His Expedition to La 
 Plata. — Founding of Buenos Ayi"es. — Hostility of the Indians. — Attack upon 
 Buenos Ayres. — Ayolas. — His Expedition up the River. — Death of Mendoza. — 
 Destruction of the Spaniards under Ayolas. — Don Dominguez Yrala. — Founding 
 of Asuncion. — Indian Conspiracy. — The Spaniards and the Natives. — Don Al- 
 varo Nunez de Vaca. — His Journey across the Continent. — Administration of 
 De Vaca. — He is sent back to Spain. — Yrala appointed Adelantado. — Asun- 
 cion erected into a Bishopric. — Disasters of the first Adventurers. — Successful 
 Administration of Trala. — Commanderies. — Death of Yrala. — Zarate and Garay. 
 — Victory over the Indians. — First export Cargo. — Death of Garay. — Final Con- 
 quest of La Plata. — Separation from Paraguay 449 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIL 
 
 Arrival of the Jesuits in South America. — A pious Fraud. — Early Missionaries. — 
 St. Francis Solano. — Chaco Indians. — Fathers Cataldino and Marcerata proceed 
 to Guayra. — Foundation of Loreto. — St. Ignatius, St. Thomas, and the twelve 
 Missions. — Establishment and Destruction of the Uruguay Reductions. — Mame- 
 lucos of St. Paul. — Persecutions of the Indians. — Attack upon Guayra. — Retreat 
 of the twelve Thousand to the Salto Grande. — Descent of the Falls. — Peace at 
 last. — Renewal of the Uruguay Reductions. — Bickerings between Ecclesiastics 
 and Laymen. — Retreat of another twelve thousand. — Fathers De Montoya and 
 Tano are dispatched to the Continent : their Missions are crowned with Suc- 
 cess. — Fire-arms and papal Briefs. — Another Attack of the Mamelucos. — Battle 
 of Acaray. — ^Triumph of the Reduction Indians. — DonBernardin de Cardenas. — 
 Excommunications. — Penitence of the Governor. — Deposition of the Bishop. — 
 Return to Asuncion. — The Dictator. — Cardenas is relieved of his assumed Au- 
 thority and retires to La Plata. — Defeat of the Mamelucos and Guaycurus. — 
 Services of the Reduction Indians 465 
 
xvi CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Fathers placed in charge of the Missions: their Duties and Power. — Opinions and 
 Researches of Azara. — Foundation of St. Joachim and of Belen. — Means and 
 Measures adopted. — Jesuit Reduction. — College. — Dispensary, Gardens. — The 
 Arsenal and Soldiery. — Sham-fights. — The Church: its Splendor. — Music. — 
 Attendance at Church Service. — Fetes and Processions. — Clothing. — Schools. — 
 Police System. — Daily Life. — Labor in the Fields. — Christian Republic. — Social 
 Equality. — Mercantile Restrictions. — God's Inheritance Page 493 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Tarija Missions. — Failures. — Confided to Franciscan Friars. — Spanish Settlement 
 in the Province of Chiquitos. — Foundation and Removal of Santa Cruz Missions. 
 — First Establishment by Father Arce'. — Successive Reductions. — Native Of- 
 ficials. — Jesuit System. — Abipones. — Concepcion and the Rosary. — Dobrizhoffer. 
 — Voyage along the Coast of Patagonia. — Patagonia Missions. — Revolt of In- 
 dians. — Cangapol 506 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Stability of the Christian Church. — Contest for the Governorship of Asuncion. — 
 Antequera. — Expulsion of the Jesuits. — Defeat of Don Balthazar Garcia Rosas. — 
 Zavala. — Flight of Antequera, his Arrest and Execution. — Appointment of Don 
 John de Barua. — Return of the Jesuits. — Rebellion in Paraguay. — Communeros 
 and Contrabandos. — A President. — Another Expulsion of the Jesuits. — Don Man- 
 uel de Ruiloba, Governor of Asuncion. — A Defender. — Zavala enters Asuncion. 
 — Contest at the Court of Madrid. — Triumph of the Jesuits. — Their exclusive 
 Policy. — Suspicions revived. — The Contest renewed. — Sebastian Carvalho, Mar- 
 quis of Pombal. — The boundary Line. — Attempt to assassinate King Joseph. — 
 Expulsion of the Order from Portugal and France. — Squillaci. — Charles III. — 
 Aranda. — The Jesuits driven from Spain. — A Cruise at Sea. — Final Landing at 
 "Corsica. — Letter of the Pope. — Bucareli. — Viceroy of Buenos Ayres, his Mes- 
 sengers and Dispatches. — Plans thwarted. — Sudden Arrest of the Fathers. — 
 Destruction of the Cordova Library. — Memorial of the Indians in behalf of the 
 Order. — Alarms of the Viceroy. — Expedition against the Parana and Uruguay 
 Reductions. — The Fathers shipped for Europe. — Fate of the Missions 526 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 False Policy of Spain toward the Colonies. — Treaty of Utrecht. — Foundation of 
 Montevideo. — Contrabandists. — Treaty of 1750. — Viceroyalty of Buenos Ayres. 
 — Treaty of St. Ildefonso. — Final Concessions of the Mother Country. — Expedi- 
 tion nnder Sir Home Popham. — Capture of Buenos Ayres. — Assault of Monte- 
 video. — Defeat of General Whitelock. — Liniers. — Joseph Bonaparte. — A Portu- 
 guese Pretender. — Cisneros. — Assembly of July 9th, 1816. — Independence of 
 Paraguay, Bolivia, and Buenos Ayres. — Disadvantages the South American 
 People labored under for forming a good Government. — The Banda Oriental. — 
 Urquiza. — Oribe. — Battle of Monte Caseros. — Convention at St. Nicolas. — 
 Courtesy extended to our Minister. — Disaffection of Buenos Ayres. — Siege of 
 that City 552 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Map of the Basin of La Plata at the end of the volume. 
 
 The Steamer Water Witch Frontispiece. 
 
 Montevideo, from the Fort on the Mountain , 33 
 
 Portrait of President Urquiza 41 
 
 -Marking Cattle 54 
 
 San Jose, the Estancia of Urquiza 56 
 
 The Galera 58 
 
 College of Concepcion 60 
 
 Corrientes — Upper End 102 
 
 Corrientes — Lower End 102 
 
 Use of the Lasso and Bolas 112 
 
 Portrait of President Lopez 117 
 
 Asuncion — First View 121 
 
 Asuncion — Second View 121 
 
 The Cabildo, Asuncion 123 
 
 The Cathedral, Asuncion 124 
 
 Curing Yerba I37 
 
 Meeting Indians on the Chaco 149 
 
 Termination of Spur of Ytapucu Gazo 153 
 
 Pan de Azucar 163 
 
 Fort Bourbon, or Olimpo 168 
 
 Fort Coimbra 178 
 
 Saddle-shaped Mountain 185 
 
 Corumba 187 
 
 Plaza of Albuquerque 189 
 
 Lengua Indians at Salvador 197 
 
 Portrait of Francia, the Dictator 202 
 
 Costumes of the Interior 209 
 
 Dinner at the Puerta del Estado 214 
 
 Crossing the Taquari 219 
 
 Mate and Bombilla 227 
 
 Supper at San Martin 230 
 
 Steamer Pilcomayo and Paraguay Guardia 246 
 
 Indians fishing in the Vermejo 252 
 
 Passing the Guardia Tres Bocas 278 
 
 Attack upon the Water Witch 306 
 
 Chart of the Mouth of the Parana 309 
 
 Shooting a Jaguar 341 
 
 Tropa of Carretas encamped 357 
 
 Pursuit of the Indians 379 
 
 Attack at the Paso Mistol 390 
 
 A Gaucho 396 
 
 An Estanciero 420 
 
 Sierra Siete Punto 438 
 
 Portrait of Ignntius Loyola 465 
 
 Diagrams of Observations 605-6 
 
 2 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 There are circumstances connected with the origin and organ- 
 ization of the "La Plata Expedition" which may be interesting 
 to the reader, as an Introduction to the Narrative of the Expe- 
 dition. 
 
 In the year 1851 I returned from a cruise on the East India 
 Station, having spent the greater portion of three years in the 
 Chinese waters. While in the neighborhood of Canton I often 
 enjoyed the society and conversation of my friend, Mr. E. B. 
 Forbes, at that time the head of the house of Russell and Com- 
 pany, whose experience in the navigation of the Chinese seas had 
 made him aware of the great defects of our best charts of those 
 waters. One day, while seated in his veranda at Macao, indulg- 
 ing in a Manilla cheroot, and admiring the scenery around the 
 harbor, he remarked that, considering the importance and value 
 of our trade with China, we needed more accurate surveys to 
 point out the dangers that beset the navigator at every league in 
 those waters. 
 
 I was impressed by the suggestion, and replied that I would 
 gladly undertake the work, under the orders of government. It 
 was agreed that, upon our return home, we should make a joint 
 effort to induce the government to carry our views into effect. 
 The importance of the subject was perceived by Congress and the 
 Navy Department; and when it became evident that the project 
 was to be carried out, I was informed by Mr. Graham, then Sec- 
 retary of the Navy, that I was to be intrusted with the execution 
 of the survey. 
 
 I thereupon, after consultation with Mr. Forbes, presented to 
 Congress a statement as to the number and kind of vessels re- 
 quired, and the amount needed for their construction. A pro- 
 peller and two schooners were recommended, and the appropria- 
 tion was made, in accordance with my estimates. 
 
 A change took place in the Navy Department. Mr. Graham 
 resigned, and Mr. Kennedy was appointed Secretary of the Navy. 
 
XX 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Meanwhile the " China Sea and Behring's Strait Survey"* was 
 expanded from its original unpretending design into an expedi- 
 tion upon a large scale for the investigation of every branch of 
 natural science, involving the employment of a squadron of five 
 vessels, with a sloop of war as "flag-ship," and a corps of scientific 
 persons. 
 
 My position on the Naval Eegister was that of lieutenant. 
 This was urged as a bar against my appointment to this impor- 
 tant command, which was accordingly assigned to one of higher 
 rank — a commander. I was somewhat annoyed that my bantling- 
 had grown entirely beyond my control, and asked to be excused 
 from occupying the position of second in command, which was 
 tendered to me by the Secretary. In doing this, I made known 
 my agency in originating and prosecuting the measure. 
 
 A few days after, I was offered the command of an expedition 
 for the exploration and survey of the Eio de la Plata and its 
 tributaries. The same day's mail brought me another offer of 
 service, made through the influence of friends, and highly flatter- 
 ing to me personally and professionally. I accepted the former. 
 
 Congress made no special appropriation for this work. To Mr. 
 Fillmore, then President, and to Mr. Kennedy, the Secretarj^ 
 of the Navy, belongs the credit of assigning this particular duty 
 to the Water "Witch, as one of the vessels of the squadron on the 
 coast of Brazil. She was of&cered, manned, and equipped in the 
 usual manner of vessels of her class, with the exception that her 
 armament was changed to three bronze howitzers. She was also 
 furnished with a few astronomical instruments, and a small pro- 
 vision of materials for the collection and preservation of speci- 
 mens in Natural History. 
 
 The explorations, a narrative of which is contained in the fol- 
 lowing pages, embraced an extent of about three thousand six 
 hundred miles by water, and of four thousand four hundred miles 
 by land through Paraguay and the Argentine Confederation. In 
 connection with the other duties assigned to me by my instruc- 
 tions, I was intrusted with diplomatic powers to negotiate a treaty 
 of friendship and commerce with the government of Paraguay. 
 Although no naturalist accompanied the expedition, the letters 
 
 ■ 
 
 * The Behring's Strait clause was an addition suggested hy the intelligent Su- 
 perintendent of the National Observatory, whose investigations into the various 
 whaling regions of the globe had led him to see the defects of our charts of that 
 region. 
 
INTRODUCTION. Xxi 
 
 and reports of scientific men, to whose inspection some of tlie col- 
 lections have been submitted, will show to what extent my in- 
 structions in this respect have been carried out. 
 
 When I presented to the Secretary of the Navy my " Eeport 
 of the Exploration and Survey of the River La Plata and its Trib- 
 utaries," I anticipated making one more full and copious at a sub- 
 sequent period. The Secretary, however, expressed himself sat- 
 sfied with that document ; but I was not. I found that a desire 
 had been awakened for a knowledge of that country which could 
 not be comprised within the limits of a preliminary report. This 
 having been published in some of the leading journals of this 
 country and of Europe, I received many letters asking " for more 
 detailed information respecting that section of South America." 
 But for these inquiries, I believe I should have shrunk from the 
 task of preparing a work for publication during my only hours of 
 leisure after discharging the duties of " an office for the construc- 
 tion of charts of the La Plata Expedition," and amid other inter- 
 ruptions of an official character. But my journals contained am- 
 ple materials for a book, and it seemed more easy to arrange this 
 material into a narrative of the expedition, than to answer the nu- 
 merous letters which continued to pour in upon me. Accompa- 
 nying the narrative are a few chapters giving an outline sketch 
 of the history of La Plata, and an account of the Jesuit missions 
 in the country. 
 
 In presenting this volume to the public, I can claim for it no 
 special consideration on the ground of artistic arrangement or lit- 
 erary merit. For its favorable reception I rely mainly upon the 
 importance of the matters of which it treats. 
 
 To the Smithsonian Institute I am indebted for aid in provid- 
 ing the means necessary for the collection and preservation of 
 specimens in Natural History, and for valuable information as to 
 their application. Also to M. F. Maury, U. S. N., Superintend- 
 ent of the Naval Observatory, for the selection of instruments, and 
 for valuable suggestions in the prosecution of several important 
 portions of our work. Special thanks are also due to Mr. George 
 W. Blunt, of New York, and Mr. R. B. Forbes, of Boston, men 
 who are always prompt in the advocacy and support of all meas- 
 ures having for their object the extension of the bounds of science 
 and of commerce ; to the officers attached to the expedition, who 
 labored with intelligence and energy until its results were embod- 
 ied in well-executed charts ; and to Lieutenant H. N. Harrison, 
 
xxii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 who, in connection with, other office duties, reduced the meteoro- 
 logical observations presented in the Appendix. The American 
 Greographical and Statistical Society took an early interest in the 
 exploration of the Eiver La Plata. At a meeting held May 11th, 
 1852, a memorial upon this subject, prepared by S. De Witt 
 Bloodgood, Esq., was adopted, and ordered to be transmitted to 
 the Secretary of the Navy. This will be found in the Appendix.* 
 
 Fully impressed with the importance, commercially as well as 
 scientifically, of extending the examination, already so successful- 
 ly carried on, into the principal tributaries of the central waters of 
 La Plata, which neither time nor events permitted during the late 
 exploration, I set to work, after my return home, immediately on 
 the meeting of Congress, and, through the interest taken in the 
 matter by the able Senator from Louisiana, Mr. Benjamin, pro- 
 cured the passage of an act appropriating a small sum for the far- 
 ther prosecution of my late work. Under a contract with the 
 N"avy Department, a suitable iron steamer was built by Mr. K. B. 
 Forbes of Boston, and chartered to the government. Although 
 of small dimensions — length 98 feet, beam 16, and draught 4 — she 
 was taken out to Montevideo under sail, rigged as a " three-mast- 
 ed schooner," and arrived safely early in the month of March of 
 the present year (1858), after a passage of about 70 days. The 
 officers associated with me in this expedition sailed in February, 
 and arrived out in time to receive the little steamer, which I have 
 named Argentma. 
 
 My duties in connection with the construction of the charts of 
 the previous expedition claimed my attention at this time, and, 
 before their completion, my services having been required by the 
 Navy Department in the organization of the force designed to op- 
 erate against Paraguay in the demand for redress against that gov- 
 ernment, I was detained by order of the Secretary for this duty. 
 
 The position assigned me — under the gallant senior officer of 
 the navy, Wm. B. Shubrick, flag-officer — as Captain of the Fleet 
 of the Brazil Squadron and Paraguay Expedition, will enable me 
 to apply my best energies to the accomplishment of the great ob- 
 jects in view ; and when these shall have been obtained, I look 
 with sanguine hope to the final completion of that not less impor- 
 tant work, the continuation of the exploration of the tributaries of 
 
 La Plata. 
 Washington, October, 1858. 
 
 * See Appendix I. 
 
LA PLATA, 
 
 THB 
 
 ARGENTINE CONFEDERATION, 
 
 AKD 
 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
LA PLATA. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 Urquiza's Decree, opening the Waters of La Plata. — The Expedition. — Its Ob- 
 jects. — The Water Witch. — Her Sea Qualities. — The Voyage. — Arrival at Rio 
 de Janeiro. — Correspondence with the Government. — Permission granted to as- 
 cend to Albuquerque. — Further Extension of this Privilege. — Pamperos. — The 
 Morgan Wheel. — French Charts. — Arrival at Montevideo. — Quarantine. — Yel- 
 low Fever. — Montevideo. — Its Trade and Population. — Colonel Paunero. 
 
 The historical chapters appended to this narrative will present 
 a detailed account of the political affairs of the countries adjacent 
 to the River La Plata. At present it is only necessary to premise 
 that in the movement against Oribe, Urquiza and the Emperor of 
 Brazil had in view one great object — the opening of the river 
 communications of La Plata to commerce. After the deferjt and 
 flight of Rosas, and the election of Urquiza as Provisional Direct- 
 or of the Argentine Confederation, one of the first measures of his 
 administration was a decree, issued August 28th, 1852, declaring 
 the navigation of the rivers of the Confederation free to all flags, 
 the decree to take effect the 1st of October of the same year. The 
 seal of many navigable waters, offering communication with the 
 Atlantic to a region of country embracing not less than 800,000 
 square miles, was thus broken. A vast territory was not only 
 opened to commerce, but the most liberal inducements were given 
 to immigration. Results, even at this early period, attest the sa- 
 gacity of Urquiza, and foreshadow the prosperity to which that 
 portion of South America will attain under his enlightened ad- 
 ministration. 
 
 The government of the United States was the first to avail it- 
 self of the opportunity thus offered to all maritime nations to ob- 
 tain a more extended knowledge of La Plata. An expedition 
 charged to explore its rivers, and to report upon the extent of 
 their navigability and adaptation to commerce, was placed under 
 my command in February, 1853. 
 
26 THE WATER WITCH. 
 
 These were its first objects ; but my instructions covered a 
 much, wider field. I was ordered to penetrate into the interior of 
 the countries of La Plata, to examine their agricultural resources, 
 and to make such collections in Natural History as the means at 
 my disposal would permit.* In addition to this service, I was 
 honored by the President, Mr. Fillmore, with a commission to 
 negotiate individually, or jointly with Messrs. Schenck and Pen- 
 dleton, our ministers to Brazil and the Argentine Confederation, 
 a treaty of commerce and navigation with the Republic of Para- 
 guay : an honor I highly appreciated, for it was entirely unsolic- 
 ited. 
 
 The Water Witch, a steamer of four hundred tons and nine 
 feet draught, was placed under my command to carry out these 
 instructions. She was not altogether adapted to the work of the 
 expedition, but was better suited to it than any other vessel then 
 at the disposal of the Navy Department. She was, in some meas- 
 ure, an experiment ship, to test the adaptation of the " Morgan 
 wheel" to steamers, an experiment which caused delay and em- 
 barrassment throughout the prosecution of the work. The oper- 
 ations of the expedition were circumscribed by graver obstacles, 
 to which I shall allude in the course of my narrative. It never- 
 theless embraced a river and land exploration of a little more than 
 nine thousand miles in a country almost unknown, and established 
 the navigability of waters of which the natives themselves were 
 ignorant. 
 
 Owing to the peculiar construction of the wheels of the Water 
 Witch, we found it impracticable, even with the most favorable 
 wind, to dispense with steam ; consequently, our course was so 
 shaped as to render accessible, at short intervals, those ports 
 known to be depositories of coal. We touched at the island of 
 St. Thomas, at Demarara, English Guiana, Cayenne, French Guia- 
 na, Maranham, Pernambuco, and Rio de Janeiro. 
 
 At Maranham it became necessary to raise the shaft "into 
 line," it having sunk to such a degree as to affect the movements 
 of the engine very sensibly. The weight of the wheels, twenty- 
 four tons, added to that of the shaft, rendered this a somewhat dif- 
 ficult operation with the limited means to be found on board a 
 vessel of the size of the Water Witch. Necessity seldom fails to 
 quicken one's ingenuity, and, fortunately, we discovered a way of 
 repairing the defect. 
 
 * See Appendix A. 
 
DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE. 27 
 
 A large lighter — an open, flat-bottomed boat of the capacity of 
 twenty-five tons — was secured abreast of one of the wheels, and 
 filled with water. Two pieces of hard, strong timber, laid trans- 
 versely across the lighter, passing under the centres and be- 
 tween the arms of the wheel, and resting on the " outboard sheer 
 plank" of the steamer, were there lashed. They were secured in 
 the same manner to the centres and arms, and the intermediate 
 spaces filled in with hard wood, thus forming a solid mass of tim- 
 ber. The water was then pumped out of the lighter, which, nat- 
 urally rising from its almost submerged state, raised the wheel and 
 shaft sufficiently to admit the insertion beneath the " outer pillar 
 block" of a plate of sheet iron, by which it was brought in place. 
 The same means were used in raising the opposite end of the 
 shaft. 
 
 Having remedied this derangement, and received on board a 
 supply of coal, we sailed for Eio Janeiro, touching at Pernambuco 
 on our way. 
 
 For a successful and complete exploration of the Paraguay and 
 Parana Elvers, it was necessary to obtain from the Emperor of 
 Brazil permission to enter that part of his empire bordering on 
 these waters. In the absence of our minister, Mr. Schenck, I ad- 
 dressed a note to Mr. Ferdinand Coxe, Secretary of Legation, re- 
 questing him to present the subject to the Emperor, and solicit his 
 favorable consideration of the work, so far, at least, as to insure to 
 it the exploration of those tributaries of the Eiver La Plata over 
 which the imperial government exercised exclusive jurisdiction. 
 The following correspondence between our minister, his secretary 
 of legation, and the minister of foreign affairs, will show the 
 grounds upon which this request was made, and those which in- 
 fluenced the Brazilian government in declining to accede to it. 
 
 " United States Steamer Water "Witch, ) 
 Rio de Janeiro, April 2(ith, 1853. ) 
 " Sir, — The expedition on which the Water Witch has been ordered by 
 the President of the United States, having purely for its object the ad- 
 vancement of commerce and promotion of science — objects interesting to all 
 civilized nations, but more especially to those on whose borders or in whose 
 territories its operations may extend, I wish, through the legation of the 
 United States, to call tjie attention of the Brazilian government to this ex- 
 pedition, with the hope that, through its enlightened policy, it may be dis- 
 posed to forward the work with which T am intrasted, whensoever its opera- 
 tions may border upon or extend into the territory of Brazil. 
 
-28 DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 " Facilities might be afforded and difficulties removed by the simple act 
 of approval and commendation on the part of Brazil, of which her frontier 
 and inland posts could be notified in advance of the expedition. 
 
 " You are too well aware of the good likely to result from the work we 
 have in hand to require any argument from me. I therefore leave the mat- 
 ter in your keeping, with the hope that your efforts to advance the aim and 
 object I have in view may succeed to our entire satisfaction. 
 
 "THOMAS J. PAGE, Lieutenant Commanding. 
 
 "Mr. Feedinand Cope, Secretary of Legation." 
 
 "Legation of the United States, ") 
 Rio de Janeiro, April 2Gth, ISHS.) 
 
 *' Sir, — In the absence of Mr. Schenck, I have the honor to inclose to your 
 excellency a copy of a letter just received from Lieutenant Thomas J. Page, 
 commanding the United States Steamer Water Witch now in this port. 
 This officer has been ordered by the President of the United States upon 
 the highly interesting and important duty of exploring and surveying all the 
 rivers running into the Kiver La Plata, and it is not doubted that the re- 
 sults of the expedition will be of the highest import;^, nee to the commercial 
 and scientific world, and that Brazil, as bordering upon, and at some points 
 entirely inclosing the rivers it is proposed to ascend, wiU not be the nation 
 least benefited by the operations of the expedition. 
 
 " Your excellency will perceive, from Lieutenant Page's letter, that he 
 asks from the imperial government such assistance in the object he has in 
 view as may be given by orders of friendly co-operation to the imperial of- 
 ficers and agents he may meet when his operations may border upon or ex- 
 tend into the territory of Brazil. 
 
 " Your excellency knows too well what these orders should be, and to 
 whom they should be given, for me to do moi'e than communicate Lieuten- 
 ant Page's request, as I am confident that the enlightened views of your 
 excellency will lead you to further the aim and object of the expedition by 
 all the means in your excellency's power. 
 
 " The Water Witch will leave here for Montevideo and Buenos Ayres on 
 the ;50th instant, and I will have much pleasm-e in forwarding any com- 
 munication which your excellency may desire to send to those points ; and 
 I avail myself of the occasion to renew to your excellency the assm'ance of 
 my high respect and distinguished consideration. 
 
 "FERDINAND COXE, Secretary of Legation. 
 "To H. E. Paulino Jose Scares de Souza, of tlie Council of H. M. the 
 Emperor, Minister and Secretaiy of State for Foreign Affairs. 
 
 [Translation.] 
 
 "Foreign Office, Rio dc Janeiro, May 4th, 1853. 
 " I received, after some delay, the note which, in the absence of Mr. 
 Schenck, was addressed me by Mr. Ferdinand Coxe, Secretary of Legation, 
 
BRAZILIAN POLICY. 29 
 
 under date of the 26th of April last, inclosing a copy of a letter he had re- 
 ceived from Lieutenant Thomas J. Page, who, having been charged with 
 the duty of exploring the different rivers, affluents to ' La Plata,' asked from 
 the imperial government all the assistance in its power, by means of orders 
 and recommendations for a friendly co-operation on the part of the respect- 
 ive authorities of the empire. In reply, I have to say to Mr. Coxe that the 
 imperial government, having opened to foreign conamerce, in the River Para- 
 guay, the port' of Albuquerque, it makes no objection to Lieutenant Page 
 canying his explorations to that point, and will send the necessary orders 
 to the President of Matto Grosso, and other imperial agents, that they may 
 give to Lieutenant Page all co-operation in their power ; but the imperial 
 government, not having yet opened to foreign nations other ports above Al- 
 buquerque, and not having yet agi'eed as to the navigation of these interior 
 rivers with the nations on their banks [^nacoes inberinhas^, it can not per- 
 mit foreign vessels to enter them, and thus establish an example and prec- 
 edent which might be prejudicial to the empire, as the right to the navi- 
 gation of these rivers has not been settled. 
 
 " I avail myself of this occasion to offer to Mr. Coxe the assurance of my 
 esteem and consideration. 
 
 "PAULINO JOSJS SOARES DE SOUZA. 
 "Mr. Ferdinand Coxe, Secretary of Legation.'^ 
 
 It will be observed that this refusal was not absolute, but that 
 permission was given for tlie Water Witch to ascend the Para- 
 guay as high as Albuquerque, a town some distance within the 
 territorial limit claimed by Brazil. On our arrival at Coimbra, 
 the first imperial military post on the Paraguay, I was informed 
 that the privilege of ascending the river had been extended to 
 Corumba, a small post about sixty miles above Albuquerque. 
 
 Permission was, however, subsequently granted to extend the 
 work throughout the Paraguay, and to any of its tributaries with- 
 in the empire. It is a source of deep regret that this was received 
 when circumstances beyond my control rendered it entirely im- 
 possible for me to act upon it. An arbitrary decree of the Presi- 
 dent of Paraguay forced me to abandon the exploration of the 
 higher waters of the Parana and Paraguay, with their western and 
 eastern tributaries, at the moment that our labors had reached the 
 most interesting point. The events which led to this decree will 
 be given in another chapter of this work. 
 
 The able advocacy of our minister to Brazil, Mr. Schenck, 
 followed by that of Mr. Trousdale, doubtless brought about this 
 change in the policy of the imperial government.* I was unwill- 
 
 * See Appendix B. 
 
30 A PAMPERO. 
 
 ing to believe tliat it was tlie fixed determination of Brazil to keep 
 closed water-courses whose navigability, once established, would 
 bring into easy communication with the Atlantic some of the 
 lichest of her northwestern provinces. I had confidence, too, in 
 the reputation for learning and appreciation of science which dis- 
 tinguished his imperial majesty, and therefore sought the earliest 
 opportunity, by correspondence with our minister at Rio de Janei- 
 ro, to bring the subject before him again. 
 
 An appropriate occasion seemed to offer itself in the change of 
 our representation at that court. Mr. Trousdale, who succeeded 
 Mr. Schenck, renewed the application, urging the same arguments 
 that had been set forth by his predecessor. The request was 
 granted ; and although, as I have stated, I was unable to avail 
 myself of it, the concession proves the enlightened views of the 
 emperor for the promotion of science. 
 
 We remained in the harbor of Rio long enough to receive on 
 board such quantities of coal and provisions as the capacity of our 
 steamer would allow. It was important to enter the Parana with 
 as full a supply as possible ; and with the hope of slipping into 
 " La Plata" in the interval of those prevailing gales called " pam- 
 peros," which blow at times with great violence, I had burdened 
 the little craft somewhat beyond the draught designed in her con- 
 struction. This brought her rail nearer the water's edge than 
 would be desirable, should she have to contend with a "pampero," 
 As we approached the latitude of those winds, her qualities as a 
 "sea-boat" were fully tested; for she encountered one of these 
 gales, as if it had been intended that she should prove false 
 the various knowing predictions made previously to her sailing 
 from the United States, that she would "never reach her desti- 
 nation." 
 
 These winds, coming from the Andes, sweep over the pampas 
 unobstructed, and break upon the coasts with the terrific force of 
 hurricanes. 
 
 The waves broke over the "Water Witch like a cataract, first over 
 the bows, then over the stern, the water finding an outlet through 
 the ports ; she, notwithstanding, struggled through them with an 
 even movement of the engine, which made evident the superi- 
 ority of the Morgan "action" over that of the common "radial 
 wheel" for sea-steamers. Although at times nearly submerged to 
 its centre, the vertical entry of its buckets into the water enabled 
 it to move with uniformity, and without derangement or strain to 
 
THE MORGAN WHEEL. 31 
 
 the macliinery. The principle is undoubtedly a good one ; and, 
 with some few changes in its application (as made to the Water 
 Witch) which experience pointed out as important, it could be 
 made much more effective. 
 
 The question may nevertheless be asked, Are not the advant- 
 ages of the vertical over the diagonal action counterbalanced by 
 the liability of the former to derangement in the constant abra- 
 sion of the bushings and casings peculiar to its eccentric arrange- 
 ment ? As it was an experiment in our service, we were not pro- 
 vided with the means of immediate remedy for every case, which 
 caused, as I have before stated, delay and embarrassment. Expe- 
 rience proved that the abrasion was tenfold greater in rivers than 
 in the ocean, caused doubtless by the earthy matter afloat in fresh 
 water. With a change of the eccentric from the guard (the posi- 
 tion of it on board the Water Witch) to the shaft,* where any ir- 
 regular movement in the latter would be common to both, and a 
 substitution of steel for the composition bushings, f the disadvant- 
 ages we experienced would be much diminished. It should nev- 
 er, I think, be applied to steamers designed for river navigation 
 unless wooden bushings be used. But its advantages at sea and in 
 stormy weather were fully demonstrated in this pampero, where 
 the movements of the engine, though slow, were as uniform as 
 they would have been in a placid river. 
 
 Eunning along the southern coast of Brazil near enough to 
 shore to render objects on land well defined, we had an opportu- 
 nity of testing the accuracy of our charts. Some proved to be 
 greatly in error. I have seen no Enghsh surveys of this coast, 
 but I must avail myself of this opportunity to express my high 
 appreciation of the French charts over all others that have come 
 under my observation. I can not give a better evidence of my 
 confidence in them than to state that, though no one on board the 
 Water Witch had ever before entered the estuary of St. Catharine, 
 yet, guided solely by one of them, we ran in through the southern 
 entrance and anchored, on a very dark night. We had " made the 
 headlands" before the closing in of day, and while " standing into" 
 the harbor, the roar of the breakers on either side warned us of the 
 
 * Since writing the above, Mr. Brown exhibited to me, December 15, 1857, in 
 "Washington, a patented invention of his, made in 1853, with the eccentric applied 
 to the shaft inside of the wheel. 
 
 t It has been satisfactorily determined that wooden bushings of lignum-vitae, 
 locust, or any such woods, are preferable to either brass or steel. 
 
32 MONTEVIDEO. 
 
 narrowness of the pass. On the following day we passed up the 
 estuary, the harbor chart being our only pilot through the wind- 
 ings of the channel, the depth of which in many parts was only 
 from one to two feet greater than the draught of the steamer. 
 
 A few days after the gale which tested so fully the powers of 
 our little craft, we bade adieu for a time to old ocean, and, under 
 the cheering influence of a bright morning sun, passed Santa 
 Maria, the northern cape of the mouth of "La Plata." Our feel- 
 ings may be imagined on entering this vast reservoir of great 
 rivers and a multitude of smaller waters, which coursed through 
 lands so invested with the interest of the unknown that, in con- 
 templating them as the scene of our labors for some years to come, 
 we felt all the enthusiasm of explorers, hoping to add largely to 
 geographical knowledge. The Eiver " La Plata" should be called 
 an estuary, being 170 miles wide at its mouth, and 180 in length. 
 
 We continued our course, and toward midnight, guided by the 
 revolving light of the " Mount" (from which the city derives its 
 name) and the lights of the town, we reached the anchorage safe- 
 ly. Pounding close under the stern of a large ship, though it 
 was very dark, I became satisfied of her identity, reported the ar- 
 rival of the steamer Water Witch, and asked, " Is that the frigate 
 Congress ?" The reply from the officer of the deck was in the 
 affirmative. We exchanged the usual compliments, and soon 
 the little craft was at anchor " alongside the flag-ship" of one of 
 the most gallant officers of the navy, the late Commodore Isaac 
 M'Keever. 
 
 We had sailed from an infected district (Rio Janeiro), where the 
 yellow fever was raging, and had escaped without a single case ; 
 but there is no appeal from the laws of quarantine, and, notwith- 
 standing the perfect health of officers and crew, we were subject- 
 ed to the usual imprisonment. Few so well as sailors know the 
 pleasure and eagerness with which ships from " home" are greeted 
 by those on foreign stations ; but we could not communicate with 
 our friends on board the " frigate" without subjecting them to the 
 detention which awaited us ; therefore, after the lapse of a few 
 hours, we entered the harbor, and anchored in that quarter as- 
 signed to vessels in quarantine. 
 
 Until within a few years, the health of Eio de Janeiro, next 
 to the security and magnificence of its harbor, had formed 
 its greatest attraction to vessels trading or cruising on the Bra- 
 zilian coast; but in 18-19 the yellow fever was brought to this 
 
MONTEVIDEO. 
 
 88 
 
 beautiful region from tlie 
 coast of Africa, and it has 
 increased vastly the mortal- 
 ity. It is said, however, now 
 to be on the decrease. Per- 
 haps I am hasty in adopting 
 the most generally received 
 opinion of its origin by ships 
 from the African coast, for 
 medical men are by no 
 means agreed on this point, 
 some attributing it to lo- 
 cal influences, there having 
 been, during the prevalence 
 of this fever, not only a ces- 
 sation of storms, great stag- 
 nation in the atmosphere, 
 and other meteorological 
 changes, but, of late years, 
 an increased malignancy in 
 the types of fever preva- 
 lent. Again, it is worthy 
 of note, that from Eio it has 
 extended in a northerly di- 
 rection, visiting all the cit- 
 ies of the coast of Brazil, 
 "La Plata," so far, has been 
 exempt. Montevideo and 
 Buenos Ayres, with a pop- 
 ulation, the former of one 
 hundred and twenty, the lat- 
 ter of forty thousand souls, 
 have never been troubled 
 by this scourge."^ 
 
 M o n t e vi d eo, the chief 
 town and capital of Uru- 
 guay, is the first consider- 
 
 * The above had scarcely been 
 written when the intelligence ar- 
 rived that the fever had reached 
 Montevideo in the spring of 1857. 
 
34 MONTEVIDEO. 
 
 able port on "La Plata," on entering from sea, thongli a portion 
 of the trade is shared by Maldonado, about 70 miles east of it, 
 and on the same side of the river. It is situated on a peninsula, 
 rising gradually to a level, with a gently rolling country, which 
 extends to the "sierras" on the confines of Brazil. The extrem- 
 ity of this peninsula forms the southern point to the entrance of 
 the harbor. On the opposite side stands " the Mount," rising from 
 the water's edge to a height of about 490 feet, and crowned by a 
 small fortress, now in ruins, in the centre of which is the revolv- 
 ing light to which I have alluded. The harbor, although not very 
 spacious, is protected from all winds save those from the south- 
 west, the quarter whence come the "pamperos." Although they 
 burst over "La Plata" at this point with great violence, grave 
 marine disasters seldom occur, for the " holding-ground" is good, 
 and the " under tow" enables vessels to resist the force of the 
 wind and ride easily at their anchors. From the mouth of the 
 harbor to the inner anchorage, the depth varies from 12 to 18 
 feet. 
 
 Notwithstanding the depressed state of trade, in consequence of 
 the nine years' siege of Oribe, its occupation by foreign troops, 
 and the destruction of the cattle — one great source of wealth to 
 the province — Montevideo has increased in population, and in its 
 domestic architecture there has been great improvement. For- 
 merly the buildings were uniformly of one story, with " azoteas ;" 
 now they are of two and three, and finished in the handsomest 
 modern style. The usual materials for building are brick and 
 stone. The latter is generally covered with stucco, which the 
 equable climate preserves in peifection. The city has extended 
 far beyond its original limits defined by the old wall and ditch ; 
 and when civil and foreign wars shall cease to distract this coun- 
 try, I can well imagine that it will offer many attractions as a res- 
 idence, both socially and commercially. 
 
 Before sailing from Montevideo I called on Colonel Wincheslao 
 Paunero, an officer of the "War Department, and brother-in-law of 
 the late President Bolivian of Bolivia, and obtained from him the 
 loan of a very handsomely executed map of that state, from which 
 I took a tracing, as it seemed to be authentic, and of more recent 
 date than any I had seen. This map was executed under the ad- 
 ministration of General Bolivian. Colonel Paunero remarked that 
 he would take much pleasure in presenting it to me for the ben- 
 efit of the expedition ; but as it was left to him as a legacy by his 
 
ARRIVAL AT BUENOS AYRES. 35 
 
 deceased friend and relative, he must forego the gratification of 
 doing so. He seemed greatly interested in our work, and sent 
 me a letter of introduction to the Bolivian charge at Buenos Ayres, 
 Seiior Don Juan de la Cruz Bennavento, whom I found enthusi- 
 astic on the subject of our expedition, hoping that it might be 
 the means of establishing the practicability of some outlet for 
 the products of his isolated country through the waters of "La 
 Plata." 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Arrival at Buenos Ayres. — Its Site. — Winds. — Higueritas. — Trade. — Buildings. — 
 Fruits and Flowers. — Landing at Buenos Ayres. — Besiegers and Besieged. — Our 
 Ministers. — Treaty with President Lopez. — Urquiza's Army. — Visit at Head- 
 quarters. — Personal Appearance of the General. — He interests himself in the 
 Expedition. — Detention at Buenos Ayres.- — Letter from ]\Ii-. Pendleton. — Treach- 
 ery in the Squadron. — Joint Treaty of Navigation. — Martin Garcia Channel. — 
 New Channel discovered. — Letter from Messrs. Schenck and Pendleton. — Break- 
 ing up of the Siege. — Senor Urquiza and Staff on board the Water Witch. — Pa- 
 lermo, the former Residence of Rosas. — The Dictator and his Daughter Manu- 
 elita. — Urquiza's Dog. — The Director's Demeanor. — The Voyage. — Ladies on 
 board. — Temperance of Urquiza. — He leaves the Water Witch. — Return to 
 Buenos Ayres. — Tribute to British OflScers. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 24th of May we sailed from Monte- 
 video, and arrived the following morning at Buenos Ayres. We 
 had gained time, and, from the width of the river, and the unat- 
 tractive character of its shores, had lost nothing by passing this 
 distance — one hundred miles — in the night. Admirable surveys 
 of this part of " La Plata" have been made by the English, and the 
 navigation between the two cities is attended with no difficulties, 
 provided due attention be paid to the tides and the lead. Vessels 
 of eighteen feet draught may with safety reach the outer roads of 
 Buenos Ayres — the anchorage of all men-of-war, and merchant- 
 men drawing more than twelve feet. However, the distance of 
 this anchorage from the city (four miles) renders the labor and 
 expense of discharging cargo very great. Sometimes a detention 
 of months at a time is caused by wind and weather. 
 
 The trade of Buenos Ayres should be confined to vessels not 
 exceeding a draught of twelve feet, for such could enter the inner 
 roads at ordinary high water, and no danger need be apprehend- 
 ed even should they take the bottom. The southeast winds, 
 
36 SITE OF BUENOS AYRES. 
 
 whicli alone produce a sea at all to be apprehended, cause a rise 
 of the water whicli increases its depth some six or eight feet; 
 and the north wind, which diminishes the depth, will not produce 
 a sea sufficient to cause a vessel to thump, although she may be 
 resting on the bottom. 
 
 The explorations of the first settlers of La Plata were to the 
 west, seeking the auriferous lands which the Indians described as 
 in that direction, or to open a communication with the conquests 
 of Pizarro and Almagro. The hope of ultimately effecting this 
 great object undoubtedly influenced Mendoza, and subsequently 
 De Garay, in selecting the site of Buenos Ayres. They were cer- 
 tainly not wholly influenced by considerations of its advantageous 
 position as the great commercial city of the country, for a more 
 thorough examination would have revealed to them a point on 
 the Uruguay, about fifty miles distant, in every way adapted to 
 the wants of an extended commerce ; a port (Higueritas) at which 
 vessels could ride safely at anchor, discharge and receive cargo 
 at all times. We must, however, remember that in their wild- 
 est dreams of the future, even to the close of the eighteenth cen- 
 tury, the colonists of La Plata could not have foreseen the trade 
 of the world as it is now carried on, in ships and steamers of ten 
 and twenty times greater tonnage than the small craft in which 
 the Spanish mariners so boldly launched forth in unknown seas. 
 To reach Higueritas, vessels must first pass the bar of San Juan, 
 over which there will not be found more than fifteen feet water, 
 unless when the southeast winds are blowing. 
 
 Notwithstanding the unfavorable position of Buenos Ayres as 
 a commercial town — which, to some extent, would have been rem- 
 edied by a more enterprising peoj^le — as the port of entry for the 
 exjDorts and imports of the whole Argentine Confederation, it has 
 steadily progressed in population and commerce. Its importing 
 and exporting trade is chiefly in the hands of foreigners, English, 
 Americans, and French ; and though the civil wars which have 
 distracted the provinces since their independence have dimin- 
 ished the number of horned cattle, and the frequent blockades to 
 which it has been subjected have equally interrupted all foreign 
 importations, the resources of the interior provinces are so ex- 
 haustless, the foreign population of the city so large, that it seems 
 only destined to encounter these disasters to recover from them 
 with renewed energy. The rearing of sheep has vastly increased 
 
THE CITY.— LANDING. 37 
 
 the trade in wool, and the cultivation of wheat now falls little short 
 of the home demand. 
 
 A minute description of Buenos Ayres would be a twice-told 
 tale, but it is rapidly passing through changes which will in a few 
 years make it one of the finest cities of the continent. 
 , In extending it, successive generations have followed the plan 
 prescribed by the laws of the Indies to all the first cities of Span- 
 ish America, and the Buenos Ayres of 1857 is only the city of De 
 Garay embellished and extended; its rectangular streets com- 
 mand in every direction long vistas, and now embrace within 
 their limits dwellings possessing all the elegancies and comforts 
 that Europeans and Americans have made essentials in domestic 
 architecture. 
 
 Few or no structures of great architectural merit strike the eye, 
 unless we may except the churches and convents ; the former, 
 built principally by the Jesuits, though massive, add nothing by 
 exterior decoration to the beauty of the city. The streets are well 
 paved with granite, and the environs are pleasantly dotted with 
 the quintas (country-houses) of the native and foreign merchants. 
 The Portefios are extravagantly fond of flowers, and at these coun- 
 try residences indulge their taste by cultivating in perfection the 
 gorgeous flora of tropical and temperate regions. 
 
 We also find many of the fruits and vegetables known to our 
 horticulture, such as peaches, melons, tomatoes, asparagus, etc., 
 grown with great success. The apples and pears of Montevideo 
 are superior to those of Buenos Ayres, which must arise more from 
 difference of soil than climatic influence, the regions in which these 
 fruits are cultivated being very much in the same latitude ; but the 
 Banda Oriental is more rolling in its surface, and thus, having a 
 drier soil, is of course better adapted to such cultivation. 
 
 The visitor of former years, who made his first appearance be- 
 fore the gay crowds of the Play a in a wagon of rough boards open 
 at each end, driven by a half-naked native belaboring the poor 
 beasts attached to the pole by a ring, which enabled him to liter- 
 ally put the "cart before the horse," can now reach the new mole 
 in a boat, and ascend by flights of steps. 
 
 The old mode of landing arose from the formation of the shore 
 in front of the city, a flat tufa bottom, which extends far out, and 
 renders it at low water even impossible for boats to approach 
 within a quarter of a mile of the Playa. Before the mole was 
 constructed hundreds of carts might have been seen waiting out 
 
38 NEGOTIATIONS OPENED. 
 
 in the waters of La Plata to convey passengers and freight on 
 shore, and the shouts — indeed yells of the drivers, the plunging 
 of the beasts up to their bellies in the water as each boat would 
 approach, made a din and confusion to which the noisy rivalry 
 of hackmen at our railway stations or wharves would be com- 
 parative quiet. ^ 
 
 On entering the "outer roads" Our attention was drawn to 
 the blockading squadron, under the " Argentine" flag, com- 
 posed of three steamers, a brig, a three-masted schooner, and 
 several smaller vessels, co-operating with the besieging army of 
 Urquiza. 
 
 As our steamer had only a draught of nine feet, we passed on, 
 and rounding the northern end of the shoal which separates the 
 "outer" from the "inner" roads, entered the latter, where lay the 
 squadron of the "inside" party. This was inferior to that of the 
 " outside" party, and found its protection more in the presence of 
 foreign men-of-war and merchantmen than from the water-bat- 
 tery which guarded the inner aDchorage. A marked considera- 
 tion for the lives and property of foreigners characterized the 
 course of Urquiza throughout this siege. His great object seem- 
 ed to be to reduce the city by cutting off supplies, and thus avoid 
 the fearful loss of life and destruction of property which a bom- 
 bardment or assault would have caused. 
 
 Arrived at Buenos Ayres, I felt that we had reached the initial 
 point of our work. My first duty was to visit Mr. Pendleton, of 
 Virginia, the representative of our government near the Argen- 
 tine Confederation, and the public authorities of the place. In 
 co-operation with Mr. Schenck, of Ohio, our minister to Brazil 
 (who had visited Buenos Ajrres for the purpose), Mr. Pendleton 
 was engaged in negotiating a treaty with the "Provisional Di- 
 rector." I informed them of my letters of credence to the Presi- 
 dent of Paraguay, and my joint commission from the President 
 of the United States, wherein Mr. Pendleton, Mr. Schenck, and 
 myself were authorized and empowered to conclude a "treaty of 
 commerce" with that republic. 
 
 My letters of instructions invested me with full powers to act 
 individually, should it not be proper or convenient for these gen- 
 tlemen to absent themselves from Buenos Ayres, the scene, as we 
 have shown, of important events at this time. Mr, Pendleton in- 
 formed me that, having been invited by Sir Charles Hotham, the 
 British minister at Buenos Ayres, to accompany him to Para- 
 
VISIT TO SAN JOSE. 39 
 
 guay, lie had accepted tlie invitation, and availed liimself of the 
 opportunity, at the same time, with the ministers of England, 
 France, and Sardinia, to negotiate and sign a treaty of navigation 
 and commerce with President Lopez. 
 
 I was naturally anxious to see the distinguished author of a 
 decree which had opened^ for the first time, the valuable re- 
 sources of so fruitful a region to the commerce of the world. Re- 
 garded only as a political move, it gave evidence of forecast and 
 sagacity far in advance of the age of " his people ;" added to this, 
 it was a very essential point to obtain his good- will and favorable 
 consideration for the objects of the expedition, so that no impedi- 
 ments should embarrass its progress while operating within the 
 territory of the Argentine Confederation. 
 
 I expressed this wish to Mr. Pendleton, who immediately offer- 
 ed to call with me at San Jose de Flores, a quinta but a short 
 distance beyond the suburbs of the city, where General Urquiza 
 held his head-quarters. 
 
 Having obtained the necessary permission, granted only to 
 the representatives of foreign powers, we started for San Jose, 
 accompanied by Mr. Schenck. After riding through many bar- 
 ricaded streets, a ponderous gate swung back to give us egress; 
 in going through which, we passed over a subterranean mine with 
 train laid. The marks of war were upon the deserted and batter- 
 ed houses, which, standing between the line of the besieging army 
 and city, had suffered in the skirmishing that occasionally took 
 place. After riding a mile and a half in the country, we ob- 
 served a group of officers lounging before a quinta. There was 
 little of the pomp and circumstance of war about the quarters 
 of Urquiza, and yet he commanded an effective army of gauchos. 
 Climate and the habits of these soldiers rendered an elaborate 
 commissariat entirely unnecessary ; their food was beef, and beef 
 only, without bread or vegetables ; the forage of their horses the 
 grass of the pampas. From the spirit with which many groups 
 seemed to be amusing themselves, and the careless indifference 
 of others lounging and sleeping on the ground, one might have 
 supposed it the bivouac of a victorious army. 
 
 As we approached the quinta, several officers came forward to 
 meet us, and said that our visit would be immediately announced 
 to the general, who had not yet risen, having the night before 
 given a ball, at which the dancing was kept up until daylight. 
 While waiting for him, we sauntered through the grounds, where 
 
& 
 
 40 UKQUIZA. 
 
 we were joined by four other gentlemen, introduced as deputies 
 from the Congress of Santa Fe, who had brought to the Provis- 
 ional Director the Constitution which was to be submitted to the 
 provinces for their adoption. It was modeled, they told us, upon 
 that of the United States, save in a few points, where it would 
 have been totally inoperative. 
 
 We were soon summoned to the presence of Urquiza, a stout, 
 well-formed person, of medium height, with fine, piercing eyes, 
 and frank countenance. His dignified but highly courteous man- 
 ners at once impressed me favorably. If " without education," 
 " a mere gaucho," as I was told by many, he has a natural intelli- 
 gence and bold capacity which will enable him to administer with 
 ability the responsible duties imposed on him by the people of 
 the Argentine Confederation. 
 
 Our minister was unbounded in his expressions of admiration 
 for this " man of the times ;" an opinion which impressed me 
 favorably, knowing his familiarity with the political events which 
 had brought Urquiza into so distinguished a position before the 
 world. 
 
 After some general conversation upon local questions, the sub- 
 ject of the expedition was introduced, and I was exceedingly 
 gratified at the interest he expressed for its success. He seemed 
 readily to comprehend the benefit which La Plata would derive 
 from my anticipated surveys ; and, as an evidence of his approval 
 of the work, and of his good wishes for its success while operating 
 within the jurisdiction of the Argentine states, he sent for his 
 secretary, and directed him to make out the following instructions 
 to the authorities of the Riverine Provinces : 
 
 [Tkanslation.] 
 
 " Long live the Argentine Confederation." 
 " The Provisional Director of the Argentine Confederation." 
 
 " The American steamer of war Water Witch, from the United States 
 of North America, having arrived in the River La Plata, and her captain, 
 Thomas J. Page, having expressed his desire to navigate the rivers of the 
 Argentine Confederation for scientific purposes, I enjoin and command the 
 authorities of the Riverine Provinces that they will not present any impedi- 
 ments to his exploration, but afford him all the assistance he may need or 
 require. "JUSTO J. URQUIZA. 
 
 ''San Jose de Flores, May 27, 1853." 
 
 The promptness with which this order was issued gave me an 
 
URQUIZA. 
 
 41 
 
 JUSTO J. UKQCrlZA, PKE8IDENT OP THE AKGENTINE CONFBDEKATION. 
 
 insight into his quick and decisive manner of transacting busi- 
 ness. In returning to the city, though no danger could be appre- 
 hended, as an act of courtesy he ordered an escort, commanded 
 by one of his favorite officers, to accompany us beyond the lines 
 of the besieging army. 
 
 I anticipated no detention in Buenos Ayres beyond what might 
 be necessary in examining and procuring papers and documents 
 which I deemed of importance towaTd facilitating our progress 
 in the exploration of rivers over wliich, at different points, the 
 neighboring nations — Brazil, the Argentine Confederation, Para- 
 guay, Bolivia, and Uruguay — claimed jurisdiction, some concur- 
 rent, others exclusive ; but an unbroken chain of circumstances 
 
42 DELAYS. 
 
 occurred to keep us for some mouths, during wliicli tlie Water 
 Witch was entirely diverted from the original objects of the ex- 
 pedition. 
 
 I appointed, at different times, a day for sailing, supposing her 
 services would no longer be required ; but before that day would 
 arrive, unlooked-for emergencies arose, causing a still longer de- 
 tention. I consoled myself with the reflection that she was en- 
 gaged in important pubhc service in facilitating treaty negotia- 
 tions, which, as represented by Mr. Schenck to the State Depart- 
 ment, "could not have been concluded without her."* There 
 was no other vessel of war in port, and, from the state of contend- 
 ing parties, the services of one might be required at any time, to 
 afford protection to American citizens. 
 
 At last an early day in July was fixed upon to begin our work, 
 and, on informing General Urquiza of this determination, and of- 
 fering to take charge of any communications he might desire to 
 have delivered in our route, I received from him a letter of intro- 
 duction to President Lopez, in which he alluded to the expedi- 
 tion as a work designed for scientific purposes, and commended it 
 to his favorable consideration. 
 
 The officers looked forward with impatience to the commence- 
 ment of the legitimate work of the exj^edition, and I had com- 
 pleted every arrangement for leaving Buenos Ayres, when I re- 
 ceived the following letter from Mr. Pendleton : 
 
 "Legation of the United States," 
 Buenos Ayres, July 3d, 1853. 
 
 " My dear Sir, — I am aware of your great anxiety to proceed up the 
 river in pursuance of the objects of the expedition under your command, and 
 it is therefore with very great reluctance that I take leave to suggest to you 
 
 * Extract of a dispatch from E. C. Schenck, Esq., to the Secretary of State: 
 
 ^ " Legation of the United States, ) 
 
 Rio de Janeiro, August 23d, 1853. / 
 " I desire also to express to you a very high sense of the important services ren- 
 dered to us by Lieutenant Thomas J. Page, commanding the U. S. steamer ' "Water 
 Witch.' Without his various services and assistance in carrying General Urquiza 
 and his staff, when they retired from Buenos Ayres ; in conveying Mr. Pendleton 
 and myself afterward to Entre Kios, and in other duties which he, with his ship, 
 was able to perform, I hardly know how we could have succeeded in bringing our 
 negotiations to so successful a conclusion. The presence of the ' Water Witch' for 
 several weeks, at that particular juncture, was invaluable, and all her movements 
 strikingly exemplified the necessity of having a vessel of her kind and class, on al- 
 most all occasions, in the Kiver Plate." 
 
SIEGE OF BUENOS AYRES. 4.3 
 
 that it is very desirable you should remain a few days longer in the port of 
 Buenos Ayres. 
 
 " Events of importance, and of a decisive character, in respect to the con- 
 dition of this city and province, are, in my opinion, at hand. No American 
 man-of-war is in the river ; Captain Downing, with the Jamestown, having 
 suddenly, and without any correspondence or consultation with me on the 
 subject, cleared out, as I have informally learned, to proceed to Rio Janeiro 
 for the alleged purpose of having his ship caulked. 
 
 " I would not make this request but for the strongest conviction on my 
 own part that the events referred to are almost certain, and for the farther 
 fact that I am virged to do so by many American citizens resident in Buenos 
 Ayres, and that I have also the concurrence of ]\Ir. Schenck, who desires me 
 
 to say so to you. JOHN S. PENDLETON. 
 
 "Capt. Thomas J. Page, commanding U. S. steamer Water Witch.''^ 
 
 I felt it my duty to accede to this request, as tlie event alluded 
 to in tlie letter of our Charge was that some movement of the be- 
 sieging army against the city was imminent ; that foreigners, and 
 all neutral persons, would be informed, in a day or two, of the in- 
 tention of Urquiza to bombard the town ; but an extraordinary 
 occurrence saved Buenos Ayres from this infliction. 
 
 Our greatest amusement, after this new and unlooked-for aspect 
 of affairs, was to watch the movements of the blockading squadron, 
 and those of merchantmen seemingly running the blockade. Yery 
 perplexing were the efforts of the first in pursuing and never over- 
 taking vessels deeply laden with flour and many other creature 
 comforts, which would undoubtedly enrich the lucky merchant to 
 whom they were consigned, and feed the hungry population whom 
 Urquiza hoped to starve into terms. The skill was wonderfid 
 with which this squadron fired only to miss those running store- 
 houses ; and its manoeuvres not to intercept ships — ^to which, for 
 an ample " quid pro quo," permission had been already given to 
 enter — most amusing. 
 
 There was treachery somewhere, but, before Urquiza was aware 
 of it, all was consummated by the commander-in-chief; and in full 
 view of the foreign, national, and commercial ships in the inner 
 and outer roads, and an immense concourse of people evidently 
 gathered on the Plaza to witness the scene, the squadron was de- 
 livered up to the " inside" party. 
 
 We at first watched the movements of these vessels with inter- 
 est and excitement as they came in one after the other, expecting 
 to witness a fair fight; but, as we saw the rigging manned, and 
 
 \ 
 
 \ 
 
44 MEDIATION OF FOEEIGN MINISTERS. 
 
 listened to tlie hearty cheers of both sides, as each steamer and 
 vessel entered and anchored ; when we had seen the officers go 
 deliberately on shore, where they were received with the most en- 
 thusiastic demonstrations of joy, our contemptuous indignation 
 may be imagined. 
 
 Public rumor pronounced this act the consummation of a bar- 
 gain, and even went so far as to specify the sum of 13,000 ounces 
 as the share of the commanding officer, with an equal amount di- 
 vided among the officers and crews. For the truth of this I do 
 not pretend to vouch. I give it as a rumor of the time, generally 
 credited. " The game was well worth the candle," The players 
 knew well that, without the co-operation of the blockading squad- 
 ron, there could be no reduction of the city. By its defection, a 
 wide gate was opened for the introduction of supplies. 
 
 Though a bombardment of Buenos Ayres had been considered 
 imminent, it seems never to have been the intention of Urquiza to 
 resort to so desperate a measure. By interrupting trade and cut- 
 ting off supplies he had hoped to bring the authorities to terms. 
 
 A fair opportunity was now presented for the mediation of the 
 representatives of foreign powers. It was offered and accepted by 
 the belligerent parties, and ended by the withdrawal of the be- 
 sieging army. Messrs. Pendleton and Schenck took an active part 
 in the negotiations, thus terminating a civil contest which, to one 
 side or the other, must ultimately have been highly disastrous. 
 
 A little before the cessation of hostilities, our representatives, 
 at the same tune with those of England and France, concluded a 
 treaty relating especially to the navigation of the Martin Garcia 
 Channel, through which the Uruguay and main branches of the 
 Parana empty into La Plata. It was supposed to command ef- 
 fectually the entrance of the upper waters, all vessels of more 
 than eight feet draught being obliged to pass within pistol-shot 
 of its shore.* 
 
 This treaty guaranteed the free navigation of the channel to all 
 foreign flags, the governments who were parties to it agreeing to 
 use their influence to prevent the occupation or possession of this 
 
 * Article 5 of treaty for the free navigation of the Eivers Parana and Uruguay, 
 concluded on the 13th Jvily, 1853: 
 
 "The high contracting parties, considei-ing that the island of Martin Garcia 
 may, from its position, embarrass and impede the free navigation of the confluents 
 of the River Plate, agree to use their influence to prevent the possession of the said 
 island from being retained or held by any state of the River Plate or its confluents 
 which shall not have given its adhesion to the principle of their free navigation. 
 
FREE NAVIGATION. 45 
 
 island by any nation tliat should attempt to close the navigation. 
 At the time of this treaty it was in possession of the Argentine 
 forces, but, by the defection of their squadron, jurisdiction over it 
 passed into the hands of Buenos Ayres. The surveys of the Wa- 
 ter Witch subsequently disclosed a channel on the other side of 
 a greater depth by two feet, and so distant as to lessen its import- 
 ance as a military position. The new channel will also divide 
 the jurisdiction over the passage between Uruguay and Buenos 
 Ayres so long as the island shall be retained by the latter : a 
 possession acquiesced in by the former, but never conceded as a 
 right. 
 
 The entire trade of those countries, save that which might be 
 carried on in vessels of small draught by Las Palmas, must pass 
 through one or the other, either or both of which might easily be 
 blockaded by a very small naval force in co-operation with bat- 
 teries on the island. The importance of this new channel was 
 strikingly exemplified in a correspondence between the ministers 
 of Brazil and the government of Buenos Ayres a short time before 
 its discovery. 
 
 In February, 1855, a large Brazilian squadron passed through 
 the channel of Martin Garcia on its way to Paraguay. Buenos 
 Ayres complained of this as an infringement of her sovereignty, 
 permission not having been obtained for the passage of these 
 ships ; for, upon the ground of holding territory on both sides of 
 the channel, Martin Garcia being on the east, she based her right 
 to prohibit the passage of a foreign fleet. Whether, under exist- 
 ing treaties, she possessed this right, is a question to be settled by 
 diplomatists; but by the discovery of the new channel, even 
 should the justice of her jurisdiction over Martin Garcia be fully 
 recognized, it would avail her nothing more than closing the old 
 highway, leaving a better passage, over which, at most, she could 
 exercise but a concurrent power. 
 
 An acquaintance with the unbounded resources of the basin of 
 La Plata can alone impress us with the importance of maintaining 
 the free navigation of its interior waters to all flags, and^the treat- 
 ies between Urquiza, England, France, and the United States were 
 only a consummation of the decree of August, 1852, declaratory 
 of this fact. 
 
 Buenos Ayres will scarcely be permitted by the upper repub- 
 lics to renew the old exploded system of closing the rivers ; but 
 she is doubtless annoyed that so enlightened an act should have 
 
46 NEGOTIATIONS. 
 
 been among the first of Urquiza's administration, and is conse- 
 quently disposed to regard it as one of usurpation. Slie surely 
 can not be so blind to her own interests as not to discover that it 
 is freighted with immense benefits to herself. Her geographical 
 position at the very portal of these tributaries will enable her, 
 with her present population and capital, not only to maintain the 
 ascendency she has always held as the emporium of La Plata, 
 but to become one of the greatest cities of the American conti- 
 nent. 
 
 The detention of the Water Witch was not at an end with the 
 siege of Buenos Ayres ; her presence was deemed essential in facil- 
 itating and carrying out some diplomatic movements to which the 
 new aspect of pohtical affairs had given rise ; and though the con- 
 nection between these duties and those prescribed by my letter of 
 instructions from the Secretary of the Navy may not appear at 
 first sight, the sequel will show that the service was not only one 
 of deep interest to our government and people, by aiding in estab- 
 lishing a foundation on which individual rights in connection with 
 commercial enterprises might be maintained, but at the moment 
 and for all time to come it created a deep feeling of respect on 
 the part of the people of the Argentine Confederation for the flag 
 borne by the Water Witch. It subsequently facilitated the work 
 of the expedition, and caused the ofl&cers to be received within the 
 Confederation with special marks of respect and hospitality when- 
 ever they were brought in contact with the authorities or people 
 of the country. 
 
 Before the close of the negotiations which resulted in an adjust- 
 ment of the diflfi.culties between the contending parties, besiegers 
 and besieged, I received the subjoined note from Messrs. Pendle- 
 ton and Schenck : 
 
 "Legation of the United States, > 
 Buenos Ayres, July 10th, 1853.) 
 
 " Sir, — We are engaged in some confidential negotiations at present 
 which are likely to result in an accommodation of the difficulties existing 
 at Buenos Ayres between the parties to the civil war. There is no absolute 
 certainty as to the event, but there is a sufficient probability of success to 
 justify us in requesting that you will not leave the place for a few days. 
 We make this request because it is a part of the present plan that the for- 
 eign men-of-war in port may convey the Provisional Director and his escort 
 to the neighboring town of Gualaguaychu. 
 
 " As important objects connected with our duty here are likely to be at- 
 tained more readily by the participation of the United States flag in this 
 
THE DAUGHTER OF ROSAS. 47 
 
 transaction, we think it very important you should remain, there being no 
 
 other United States vessel in port. 
 
 "ROBERT C. SCHENCK, 
 "JOHN S. PENDLETON. 
 "Capt. Thomas J. Page, United States Steamer Water Witch." 
 
 I assented to this request, and tlie Water Witcli participated 
 witli two of her Britannic majesty's steamers in the conveyance 
 of the Provisional Director and his suite to the province of En- 
 tre Eios. 
 
 The representative of France likewise offered the "Provisionai 
 Director" the use of a national vessel, but, on repairing with the 
 others to Palermo, the point of embarkation, the French steamer, 
 being totally unprepared for the service, did not join the escort. 
 The duty consequently devolved on H. B. M. steamers Trident, 
 Lieutenant Commanding Harvey, Locust, Lieutenant Day, and the 
 U. S. steamer Water Witch. Only the staff, a few civil officers 
 who were with General Urquiza, and such of the forces as had 
 formed his escort, in all four hundred persons, were conveyed by 
 these vessels, while the main body of the army marched by land 
 to their respective destinations. 
 
 The " Provisional Director" selected the Water Witch for the 
 passage of himself and suite. 
 
 We repaired at the appointed time to the anchorage off Paler- 
 mo, the celebrated and once beautiful residence of the Dictator 
 Kosas and his fair daughter "Manuehta." It is about two miles 
 north of the city, and is now occupied as a barrack for soldiers. 
 Shghtly elevated above the river, nature had done nothing for 
 Palermo, but the taste and wealth of Kosas had made it a paradise. 
 The dictator was capable of one tender emotion, love for his fair 
 and only child, and in seeking to manifest this affection, a sense of 
 the beautifal in art and nature seems to have been awakened in 
 the breast of this hard man. Nothing was spared that could adorn 
 either dwelling or grounds. There were extensive groves of 
 orange-trees, and some idea of the labor and expense bestowed on 
 this domain may be gathered from the fact that hundreds of sol- 
 diers cleaned their foliage leaf by leaf The road leading to the 
 city was made with care, and being adorned and shaded by large 
 trees, had become the fashionable afternoon drive. Some of the 
 former visitors to Palermo assured me that the graceful manners 
 of the Senorita Manuelita lent a charm to this residence which nei- 
 ther art nor the lavished money of Eosas could ever bestow. 
 
48 URQUIZA ON THE WATER WITCH. 
 
 Not only the gay and fashionable claimed her society as that 
 of an accomplished and elegant person, but some of the broken- 
 hearted victims of Eosas' policy sought her protection and inter- 
 cession, as one endowed with all the tenderest and noblest impulses 
 of a woman's character. 
 
 On the 13th of July the "Water Witch anchored off Palermo, 
 and on the same day Urquiza, accompanied by Mr. Pendleton, 
 came on board. He had with him a noble dog, and I was amused 
 at his solicitude for the safe embarkation of this animal, which he 
 saw in the boat before he would himself leave the shore. He had 
 been his constant companion for many years, and the stories of 
 his sagacity and fidelity were really marvelous. 
 
 Immediately preceding the arrival of the general, under a sa- 
 lute from the English and French ships, his suite, composed of 
 military and civil officers, in all forty-five persons, with thirty- 
 three soldiers, had embarked on board the "Water Witch. The 
 folio whig day the remainder of the party was conveyed on board 
 the English steamers. 
 
 Intending to land Mr. Pendleton and receive Sir Charles Hotham, 
 the British minister, who desired to visit General Urquiza, I got 
 under way, and stood for the inner anchorage off the city, as the 
 speediest means of accomplishing both objects. The " Provisional 
 Director" sat on the quarter-deck, immovable as a statue: he 
 surveyed with impassible countenance the people, who, having 
 followed the movements of the Water Witch, crowded the Play a, 
 house-tops, and the shores of the river, to obtain a glimpse of him. 
 In "rounding to" for the purpose of standing out of the "Roads," 
 we passed in full view of the "naval" force which had distin- 
 guished itself in so extraordinary a manner. We can not but 
 suppose that his breast was full of honest indignation, but not the 
 movement of a muscle betrayed it. 
 
 The English steamers had stood on their way from Palermo to 
 the entrance of the Martin Garcia Channel, but ere they reached 
 it the Water Witch came up with thpm, and led the way into the 
 Uruguay. We were bound for the port of Gualaguaychu, or the 
 nearest landing we could make on the river to General Urquiza's 
 " estancia:." 
 
 I can well imagine that the deck of the Water Witch presented 
 the appearance of a California steamer when the gold fever was at 
 its height. Before we had become " shaken down," it seemed im- 
 possible that her expansive power could meet the requirements 
 
THE VOYAGE. 49 
 
 of her human freight. My little cabin had been arranged for the 
 "Provisional Director," but, with becoming gallantry, he took a 
 berth in the ward-room, yielding the claim of rank to the preroga- 
 tive of " woman's rights." The wife of one of his generals, with 
 her daughter, had for some months shared the dangers and discom- 
 forts of the besieging army, and they now sought the protection 
 of our flag. The cabin was a %ee bit of a " sailor's snug harbor." 
 No crinolined lady could have found room in it for the amphtude 
 
 of her skirts, but Senora and her daughter, during the five 
 
 days they were with us, made themselves comfortable within its 
 narrow Hmits. The officers cordially united with me in yielding 
 their berths to our guests ; but so limited were the accommoda- 
 tions of the Water Witch, that the mess-table presented a contin- 
 uous scene of " fire and fall back," and, though somewhat worsted 
 in the attack, maintained its ground, and stood ready to meet each 
 charge. 
 
 I was much struck with General Urquiza's extreme temperance 
 in eating and drinking, a habit acquired probably in his military- 
 career. At an early hour a negro servant* took him his mate, 
 and at noon he dined, using water as his only beverage. The re- 
 mainder of the day he ate nothing. Our guests, notwithstanding 
 the crowded state of the boat, seemed to enjoy themselves, and on 
 the fifth day from their reception on board we reached the an- 
 chorage for Gualaguaychu, the pilot assuring us that beyond this 
 we could not pass. Subsequently, when our surveys extended to 
 this river, I discovered that we could have ascended to Concep- 
 cion del Uruguay, where General Urquiza wished to land. 
 
 With several of the officers I accompanied him on shore, his 
 suite and escort having been landed the day before. On leaving 
 the steamer, under a salute from the Locust, we were joined by 
 Captain Day, and the Argentine flag was hauled down from the 
 mast-head of the Water Witch, I explained to the " Provisional 
 Director" my reason for not saluting — the fear of injury to the 
 chronometers, upon which the success of our fature work de- 
 pended. 
 
 The whole party were safely landed, and the general, in true 
 Spanish style, embraced me in saying farewell, and begged that I 
 would always consider him my friend. His officers also left us 
 with many expressions of gratitude, and I had the satisfaction to 
 
 * This man had for many years been the body-servant of Urquiza, and at the 
 battle of Monte Caseros came well-nigh capturing Rosas. 
 
 4 
 
50 ENGLISH STEAMERS AGROUND. 
 
 know tliat every effort had. been made for their comfort wliile the 
 recipients of our country's hospitaHties. 
 
 The steamer Trident had not arrived, which (anticipating no 
 difficulty) we attributed to her being a " slow craft." By the time 
 we returned to the Water Witch it was quite dark, and as our 
 pilot was rather inexperienced, and the navigation of this part of 
 the Uruguay intricate, I determined to remain at anchor until day- 
 light ; however, about ten o'clock, I had a visit from Captain Day, 
 who had heard from the "Trident:" she was "hard and fast" 
 aground, and he requested me to accompany him, and give her 
 immediate assistance. My pilot was unwilling to take the respon- 
 sibility of running the steamer at night ; but, as Captain Day ex- 
 pressed confidence in his man, I told him to take the lead, and I 
 would follow. 
 
 We agreed upon a signal — a gun — should the Locust run 
 aground ; and, with this understanding, we moved on swimming- 
 ly for some time, congratulating ourselves that the worst had been 
 passed, when the concerted signal was made. On slowly coming 
 up to the Locust, we discovered that she was aground. 
 
 A hawser was made fast to her, taken on board the Water Witch, 
 and with a few revolutions of the engine she was again afloat, 
 when we proceeded on our way with the same arrangement of 
 signals. 
 
 A very few minutes elapsed when the gun warned us that she 
 was again aground. An effort similar to the first was made to 
 give her rehef, but to no purpose ; under a full pressure of steam, 
 she had driven her bows on a sand-bank. We came to anchor, 
 and our men turned in for a few hours' rest. 
 
 In the morning we left the "Locust" to wait for a rise of the 
 tide, and proceeded to the relief of the " Trident." After making 
 an ineffectual pull, we relieved her of as many of the Argentine 
 soldiers as could be received on the deck of the Water Witch, and 
 landed them at the same point where Greneral TJrquiza disem- 
 barked. 
 
 Again we returned to the relief of the two steamers. Finding 
 the tide rising, we went first to the "Trident," and commenced 
 the process of tugging ; in a short time she was afloat, and pro- 
 ceeded on her course to land the remainder of the troops. The 
 Locust was now free ; and, congratulating our friends upon their 
 release, we made all speed on our return to Buenos Ayres. 
 
 It gave me pleasure to be able to render even these small offices 
 
LETTER FROM THE MINISTERS. 51 
 
 to our brother sailors of Old England ; for, in the various parts 
 of the world where my professional duties have called me, her 
 representatives, whether diplomatic, naval, or military, have uni- 
 formly manifested respect for our flag, and extended to myself 
 personally every courtesy as an ofl&cer of the United States Navy. 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 Letter from Mr. Schenck. — Visit to the Estancia of General Urquiza. — Framing 
 of the Treaty. — Marking Cattle. — Farm and Residence of the Director. — Os- 
 triches, Partridges, and Deer : Mode of hunting them. — Horses. — Return to 
 Buenos Ayres. — The Galera. — Reception at Concepcion. — The College. — The 
 Ball. — Native Grace of Spanish American Women. — Leave Concepcion. — The 
 Water Witch. — Coaling at Buenos Ayres. — Final Departure for the Ascent of 
 the River. 
 
 Upon our arrival at Buenos Ayres I found another letter await- 
 feig me from Messrs. Pendleton and Schenck. It ran as follows : 
 
 "Legation of the United States, ) 
 Buenos Ayres, July 22d, 1853. ) 
 "To Captain Thomas J. Page, U. S. Steamer Water Witch. 
 " Dear Sir, — We wish very much that you would take us to-morrow to 
 Gualaguaychu, or ' Concepcion del Uruguay.' There is no other mode of 
 conveyance by which it is possible for us to accomplish a highly important 
 public object, no less than the making of a treaty of friendship and com- 
 merce, which, if made, will f uUy accomplish the purposes of the special mis- 
 sion to the Argentine States. 
 
 " It is indispensable that one of us — Mr. Schenck — leave for Rio in the 
 packet to sail ten days hence. With the aid of the Water Witch, we think 
 the business may be done. Without it, there is no possibility of our co- 
 operation in this work. Very respectfully, &c., 
 
 "ROBERT C. SCHENCK, 
 "JOHN S. PENDLETON." 
 
 I could not hesitate as to the response, and early the following 
 morning we were steaming for Gualaguaychu. In two days we 
 reached the nearest point to which the Water Witch could ap- 
 proach, and' anchored off the mouth of a river of the same name. 
 I accompanied the ministers in a boat to the town, a distance of 
 eighteen miles. 
 
 Senores Carill and Gorostiaga, appointed by General Urquiza 
 as negotiators on his part, were awaiting the arrival of our minis- 
 ters. Under instructions from the Provisional Director, handsome 
 
52 THE TREATY. 
 
 preparations liad been made for their reception and entertainment 
 at the government house. 
 
 Accompanied by the Argentine ministers, we started the fol- 
 lowing morning for the estancia* of Urquiza. Our conveyance 
 was a galera, a vehicle not unKke an omnibus, and capable of 
 holding comfortably ten or twelve persons ; the door behind ; it 
 was drawn by four horses, each mounted by a gaucho, and at a 
 gallop we passed through a gently undulating country, clear of 
 wood save on the margin of the river, but covered with a luxu- 
 riant growth of grass. After traveling about fifty miles, the dwell- 
 ing of Urquiza appeared in sight. 
 
 Throughout the whole distance since leaving Gualaguaychu we 
 had been driving through his estancia, which extended some ten 
 miles farther, embracing in one unbroken section of Entre Eios 
 several hundred square miles. The soil is highly fertile, and the 
 cattle, horses, mules, and sheep are superior to those of any other 
 province in the Confederation. A part of this estate was tenant- 
 ed out, and is appropriated almost exclusively to grazing ; but d 
 fine field of wheat and thriving nursery of fruit-trees proved its 
 equal adaptation to agriculture. 
 
 On reaching the house, a cordial reception awaited us from the 
 general, who came forward as we descended from the galera, and 
 received our party with many kind and courteous expressions of 
 welcome. He knew that our time was limited, and instructed his 
 ministers to use all possible dispatch. The work was conducted 
 in good faith, with an eye to the benefit of both countries, and 
 ended in the conclusion of a "treaty of friendship and com- 
 merce," signed immediately by the "Provisional Director," and 
 since ratified by our government. 
 
 While the treaty was being copied, we were much amused and 
 interested by visits to various departments of this great estate. 
 The day after our arrival, the general proposed that we should 
 ride out and see the process of marking cattle. 
 
 Mounted on beautiful horses, a gallop of a few miles brought us 
 in sight of a large herd, around which were stationed mounted 
 gauchos, each equipped with lasso and bolas.f The marking was 
 
 * A cattle-farm, but not exclusively so, where there is some cultivation of the soil. 
 
 t The lasso is of platted hide-rope, about sixty feet in length, and three quar- 
 ters of an inch in diameter, attached to the cincka, or surcingle of the recado or 
 saddle at one end, and has an iron ring in the other, through which a noose ia 
 formed when it is to be thrown. 
 
 The "tolas'^ is of two kinds: that used for catching cattle consists of three 
 
MARKING CATTLE. 55 
 
 effected by branding with a bot iron upon the rump of an animal 
 a letter or cbaracter, wbicb made it the indisputable property of 
 a certain estanciero. These are registered in each district, with 
 the names of the owners attached. 
 
 When an animal is to be caught, a gaucho approaches the herd, 
 with one end of the lasso attached to his cincha^ holding the oth- 
 er, which has a large running noose, in his right hand ; and, giv- 
 ing it impetus by whirling it round his head, dexterously keep- 
 ing the noose open, he throws it with unerring aim over the horns 
 of the beast, and, wheeling quickly, drags hun out to receive his 
 brand, the whole operation not occupying a minute. But it must 
 not be supposed that this is always accomplished without a strug- 
 gle ; at times the " marking" affords great amusement, at others 
 excitement and even danger. A bullock escapes from the herd, 
 chase is given, and often continued for some time before the rider 
 can get within throwing distance, such is the fleetness of the wild 
 cattle of the country. As the gaucho casts the lasso, he suddenly 
 reins up his horse, while the animal instinctively braces himself to 
 receive the shock, and the bullock is often thrown to the ground 
 with such force as to make it a wonder how he escaped a broken 
 neck. Then, again, on finding himself a prisoner, he will run 
 round and round, dash first to one side, then to the other, plow up- 
 the ground, or turn and furiously attack the pursuer, who, on such 
 occasions, never parts with his lasso, which he would inevitably 
 lose if detached from his cincha ; and as he can not disengage it 
 from the horns of the animal, he manoeuvres his horse with in- 
 conceivable skill, watching, following, and anticipating every 
 movement of his prisoner with the rapidity of lightning, until re- 
 lieved from his perilous position by a brother gaucho, who throws 
 the lasso romid the hind legs of the beast. 
 
 After being greatly amused with the "marking," we rode over 
 to see the general's field of luxuriant wheat, then visited his nurs- 
 ery of choice fruits, and a garden where many vegetables known 
 to our markets were growing in perfection. 
 
 His dwelhng is built of stone, and in the massive style of the 
 
 wooden balls, or stones, about tbree inches in diameter, covered with raw hide, 
 each joined to the other in a common centre by a thong of the same of about three 
 feet in length. The other is of two balls, smaller, and is used to catch ostriches. 
 The gaucho holds the smallest ball in his right hand, and, giving the other two a 
 rapidly whirling movement, throws them with great velocity and unerring aim at 
 the legs of the animal ; and the more he struggles to extricate himself, the more he 
 becomes entangled. 
 
56 
 
 URQUIZA'S ESTANCIA. 
 
 houses of Buenos Ayres. It is of one story, forms a quadrangle 
 of about eighty feet, and contains eight or ten spacious and lofty 
 
 BAN JOSi;, THE BSTANOIA OP tTKQiriZA. 
 
 rooms : from the roof rose two handsome turrets, commanding ex- 
 tensive views of his estancia. In every direction, his own lands 
 extended far beyond the horizon ; and this was only one of sev- 
 eral estates. Within a few miles of his house he had forbidden 
 his grounds to all sportsmen ; . consequently, herds of deer, ostrich- 
 es, and innumerable partridges, large and small, were seen in ev- 
 ery direction. I counted as many as fifty ostriches in a flock, 
 some of them in the court of the dwelhng, and as tame as barn- 
 door fowls. They are caught in great numbers ; the ostrich with 
 the bolas, the small partridge with the noose, and the larger spe- 
 cies with dogs. The small partridge crouches close to the ground ; 
 a man on horseback, with a long stick, at the end of which is a 
 noose, approaches, and rides in a circle round the frightened bird. 
 As if under the influence of a spell, or charmed by the man's eye, 
 it sits quietly while the rider gradually contracts the circle, until 
 near enough to sHp the noose over its head. 
 
 The large partridge usually makes two, but occasionally three 
 flights. On first rising it is pursued at full speed by the mounted 
 gaucho and his dog ; for, while on the wing, there is nothing to 
 hide it from the eye of the sportsman ; and scarcely has it touched 
 

THE GALEEA. 59 
 
 the earth, wlien again it is "put up," and, flying until exhausted, 
 it conceals itself in the long grass, where it is ferreted out by the 
 dog. 
 
 Some idea of the income of such an estancia as Urquiza's may be 
 formed when I state that upon this of San Jose there were 70,000 
 sheep, 40,000 head of cattle, and 2000 horses. Among the latter 
 were several Manadas^ of a beautifal mouse color, called Lohuiios^ 
 or "otter-like;" others of Overas, or "piebald." These studs 
 were carefully kept apart, to avoid any mingling of color or char- 
 acteristic. I can not imagine a more beautiful sight than the herds 
 of these fine animals coursing over the rich lands of San Jose. 
 The value of each in the United States would reach some huud- 
 re<ils of dollars ; here one could be bought for sixteen. 
 
 On the third day after our arrival at San Jose, the treaty hav- 
 ing been concluded and signed by the " Provisional Director," we 
 prepared for our return to Buenos Ayres. The promptness and 
 good faith shown in this negotiation are worthy of praise, when 
 we remember that diplomacy is the forte of the Spanish American, 
 and that one of their marked characteristics is to postpone for the 
 morrow that which should be done to-day.* 
 
 General Urquiza earnestly desired that in our return route we 
 would stop a night at Concepcion del Uruguay, the place of his 
 birth and early life, assuring us that, though the distance was 
 greater, we could spend a night at Concepcion, and yet reach 
 Gualaguaychu at the time appointed for our embarkation. He 
 had well calculated the speed of his own horses, and his assurance 
 was reahzed in our arrival at the appointed time. 
 
 A galera, drawn by four beautiful mouse-colored horses, each 
 mounted by a gaucho in full costume, was brought to the door, its 
 lockers abundantly supplied with wines and other creature com- 
 forts. With mingled feehngs of respect and esteem, we bade adieu 
 to our distinguished host, and, accompanied by Senores Carill and 
 Grostiaga, and escorted by a son of General Urquiza on horseback, 
 we moved rapidly over the undulating pampa, stopping only to 
 change horses from the herd of" lobunos" driven for this purpose 
 ahead of us. 
 
 On our arrival at Concepcion, a pretty town of about 4000 in- 
 habitants, on the Uruguay Eiver, and distant about eighteen miles 
 from San Jose, we were met by the municipal authorities and 
 principal inhabitants, and conducted to a spacious house prepared 
 
 * See Appendix C and D. 
 
60 
 
 COLLEGE OF CONCEPCION. 
 
 for oiir reception, Over wMch was immediately hoisted tlie Amer- 
 ican flag. As we entered, a band of music in the court played 
 our national air, and continued afterward with operatic pieces in 
 admirable style. In short, every preparation had been made to 
 give us a distinguished reception. We accepted these honors in 
 the spirit that dictated them, as a tribute of respect and amity for 
 the United States. 
 
 Our first visit was to the College, established by Urquiza, where 
 youths are educated at the expense of the province. The build- 
 
 COLLEGB OF OONOBPOION. 
 
 ing is handsome and commodious, and the benefits of this institu- 
 tion are shared without partiality by rich and poor ; indeed, the 
 latter are more highly its recipients, for, in addition to a liberal 
 education, they receive gratis both food and clothing. The pres- 
 ident of the institution is Mr. La Eoque, a Parisian, and the Pro- 
 fessor of English Mr. Clark, a graduate of an English college. 
 These gentlemen, with ability, perseverance, and untiring zeal, 
 give their best energies to the work, and would, from their per- 
 sonal standing alone, offer a guarantee for its success, did we not 
 know that their exertions are seconded by other professors, well 
 qualified for their respective posts. It is now considered the first 
 institution of the Confederation, that of Cordova, formerly so cel- 
 ebrated, having dwindled to a mere provincial school. 
 
 We were conducted through the buildings, and saw enough to 
 convince us that the arrangements and system were as admirable 
 
KECEPTION AT CONCEPCION. Qi 
 
 for the moral and j)hysical as for tlie mental training of the youth 
 — indeed, quite equal to some of the institutions of our own coun- 
 try. The philosophical and mathematical apparatus seemed full 
 and complete, and the illustrations of the various mechanical pow- 
 ers excellent. The higher branches of mathematics are careful- 
 ly taught, together with the classics, English and French, and all 
 those branches with us comprehended in the expression " good 
 English education." Attached to the college is a primary school. 
 
 The Secretary of the Navy had permitted my second son, a 
 youth twelve years old, to accompany the expedition. I afterward 
 placed him at this college, and was gratified with his progress. 
 
 The benefits of a liberal education are now eagerly sought by 
 all classes, and so numerous are the apphcations for admission to 
 this estabhshment, which has ample accommodations for 160 pu- 
 pils, that large additions will probably be made to its buildings, 
 or similar institutions may be opened in other provinces. Music 
 is one of the branches taught, and we were both surprised and de- 
 lighted with the performances of a band of forty boys. Among 
 them was a youth whose genius was extraordinary. He composed 
 with great facility, played upon sixteen instruments, and yet he 
 had never been out of the province of Entre Eios. 
 
 This institution will ever remain a noble monument of the en- 
 lightened views of Urquiza. In educating its youth, he is giving 
 stabihty to the government of a country hitherto at the mercy of 
 each military chieftain who in turn aspired to rule. I must not 
 omit to mention one fact communicated to me by the president of 
 the college, which reflects high honor on its founder. Occasion- 
 ally the funds of the institution are not adequate to its demands ; 
 and when its wants have been made known to General Urquiza, 
 he has invariably, from his private resources, made ample provi- 
 sion to meet them. 
 
 On returning to the house arranged for our reception, we found 
 a sumptuous dinner, with abundance of fine wines and cigars, 
 awaiting us. This was followed by a ball, at which was assem- 
 bled all the beauty of the place. The dress of the fair senoritas 
 showed that, the prohibitory edicts of Eosas, however severely 
 they may have operated upon commerce, had availed nothing in 
 secluding them from a knowledge of the fashions. 
 
 The Spanish American women have little knowledge of the 
 conventionalities of other countries, but they are weU bred and 
 handsome. With indescribable grace and precision, these ladies 
 
62 EETUKN TO BUENOS AYRES. 
 
 of Concepcion (many of wliom had never been out of Entre Eios) 
 went through all the fashionable dances of the day, varying them 
 two or three times in the course of the evening by the Spanish 
 contra-dance. 
 
 It was expected that we should be not only spectators, but ac- 
 tive participators in the festivities of the evening. Not to dance, 
 and dance well, would expose us to the suspicion of neglected 
 education. As the diplomatic and naval representatives of the 
 great republic of the North, it was necessary to avoid such an im- 
 putation. We made the effort, though we feared in doing so that 
 what might have been a conjecture would remain among the fair 
 women of Entre Eios " a fixed fact." 
 
 We left Concepcion del Uruguay at an early hour the follow- 
 ing morning, and, at full gallop, continued our journey in the 
 galera. Our way still lay through the estancia of General Ur- 
 quiza, but in a different direction from that by which we entered. 
 The character of the country was materially the same, herds of 
 deer, flocks of ostriches, and innumerable partridges alone break 
 ing the monotony of the pampa scenery. 
 
 Arrived at Gualaguaychu, we lost no time in procuring a sail- 
 boat, hoping to reach the Water Witch that night ; but, on getting 
 to the mouth of the river, we found the wind too high to attempt 
 a " dead beat," our steamer being near the opposite shore of the 
 Banda Oriental,* distant about six miles. 
 
 It was the last of July, the second winter month of this lati- 
 tude ; strong south winds made the night really cold, and our 
 situation in the open boat for many hours was not only one of 
 discomfort, but positive suffering. On reaching the Water Witch 
 the next morning, and finding all ready, we weighed anchor for 
 Buenos Ay res, with the earnest hope that nothing would again 
 occur to divert us from the objects of the expedition. 
 
 The Water Witch was nominally one of the vessels of the 
 squadron on the Brazil station, and, though really detached for 
 specific purposes, it has been shown that circumstances made it 
 imperative that she should perform the duties of one in the ab- 
 sence of all other vessels, and in cases where public interests were 
 deeply involved. Mr. Kennedy, then Secretary of the Navy, 
 with enlightened views, and a liberal exercise of the authority 
 vested in him, detailed her for the scientific work on which she 
 
 * The East Side, another name for the State of Uruguay. 
 
UNDER WAY. go 
 
 was about to enter witli simply such additions to her ordinary 
 outfit as a few books, instruments, and materials for the preser- 
 vation of specimens of natural history, which could be supplied 
 from the contingent fund of the department, in the absence of 
 any appropriation by Congress. With no scientific corps on 
 board, and only one or two officers over and above her ordinary 
 complement, in a few weeks after she was launched from the 
 navy yard of Washington we were steaming for La Plata. 
 
 On reaching Buenos Ayres, I learned from the "consul" the 
 arrival at Montevideo of a cargo of coal, sent out by the govern- 
 ment for the use of the expedition, and at once j)roceeded to that 
 place. We entered the harbor in the midst of a violent pampero, 
 which continued for some days. After the storm, we took on 
 board as much coal as the steamer could carry, deposited a small 
 quantity on shore, and made arrangements for the transportation 
 of the remainder to some point on the Parana. The freight de- 
 manded for this latter service was so exorbitant — $12 per ton — that 
 I found it cheaper to purchase a hulk of sufiS.cient capacity to re- 
 ceive it all. Taking this in tow, I afterward established it as a 
 depot at the town of La Paz, in Entre Eios, distant about four 
 hundred miles above Martin Garcia. This we found to be a con- 
 venient point for coaling, either in ascending or descending the 
 river. 
 
 After a diversion of nearly four months from the legitimate 
 work of the expedition, I now, for the first time, realized that we 
 were fairly under way for the scene of our labors. I had the sat- 
 isfaction of knowing that the time had been usefully spent in for- 
 warding the diplomatic aims of the government, and in protecting 
 the interests of American citizens. 
 
64 TAKING OBSEEVATIONS. 
 
 CHAPTER lY. 
 
 Chronometers. — Determinations of Latitude and Longitude. — Construction of 
 Charts. — Delta of the Parana. — Diamante. — Fruits. — Oranges. — Peaches. — 
 Beautiful Scenery. — Mouths of the Parana. — The Parbon. — The Gualaguay. — 
 TheRepunte. — Periodical Risings of Water. — Islands. — The Seibo and Sause. — 
 San Pedro. — Obligardo. — Passage forced by the English and French. — Island 
 Formations. — Variations of Channel. — Pilots. — Estancieros. — San Nicholas. — 
 Rosario. — Its commercial Importance. — Advantages over Buenos Ayres. — Winds. 
 — Letter of R. B. Forbes, Esq. — Banks of the River. — Convent of San Lorenzo. — 
 The Tercero. — Mr. Campbell's Survey. — The Chaco Hills. — Scenery. — Diaman- 
 te. — Ferries. — Trees. — The Algarroba and Espinilla. 
 
 Taking our departure from Buenos Ayres, tlie point to which 
 all determinations of longitude were to be referred, we passed the 
 island of Martin Garcia September 1st, 1853. The rates of the 
 chronometers had been repeatedly verified, and they were found 
 to be uniform in every instance. The work was consequently be- 
 gun with every confidence in the excellence of the instruments. 
 These chronometers, five in number, had been selected by the Su- 
 perintendent of the Naval Observatory for this special service. 
 
 That the character of the work in its explorations and surveys 
 may be fully understood, even by those unpracticed in such oper- 
 ations, it may be proper to explain somewhat in detail the manner 
 in which it was conducted. 
 
 That portion of it under the head of " Surveys," which may be 
 seen on the map, is established on points of latitude and longitude 
 determined with care by ofiicers who were competent observers, 
 and with nicely-adjusted instruments. The latitude of these points 
 is derived from observations of north and south stars on the merid- 
 ian, their longitude by chronometer from stars east and west of the 
 meridian and from the altitude of the sun, and the variation of 
 the compass from observations of the sun. These were made with 
 the sextant and artificial horizon. Those made during the day 
 were always taken on shore ; but at night, so perfectly motionless 
 was the steamer that no difficulty was experienced in observing 
 the stars with the artificial horizon on the hurricane-deck. The 
 place of anchorage was thus determined every night, whensoever 
 the weather would allow ; and none of the principal points were 
 passed without coming to anchor, and obtaining satisfactory re- 
 
CONSTRUCTION OF CHARTS. 65 
 
 suits for tlie establisliment of their geographical position and va- 
 riation of the compass. We arrived at the distances between the 
 points thus determined by reference to a uniform number of rev- 
 olutions of the engine, which, in a given time, had been ascertain- 
 ed to be equal, or nearly so, to a certain distance. Any erroneous 
 estimate that had been made could not extend beyond the jDoint 
 of observation, so that there was at all times a check upon any 
 error of judgment or irregularity in the speed of the steamer. 
 
 That the charts should give as faithful a representation of the 
 rivers and adjacent country as the character of the work would 
 admit of, there were at all times, when the steamer was under way, 
 two officers engaged in it exclusive of myself 
 
 An elevated position on the hurricane-deck, which gave an un- 
 obstructed view, was selected for this purpose. One of the ob- 
 servers, with the chart-paper before him, projected the course and 
 distance, the width and depth of the river, delineating the topog- 
 raphy on either bank, while the other recorded the same in his 
 note-book, together with all such remarks as would illustrate more 
 clearly any peculiar characteristic, such as the growth on the banks, 
 whether suitable for steamers or for other purposes. The sound- 
 ings were made at intervals of five minutes when in deep water, 
 but when in shoal as often as they could be had. The velocity of 
 the current, which varied with the locality, was repeatedly ascer- 
 tained. 
 
 I have before alluded to the island of Martin Garcia as a mili- 
 tary position of some importance, from its commanding what was 
 supposed to be the most considerable channel of communication 
 between the waters of the Parana and La Plata, It is of granitic 
 formation, and occupies a position at the head of "La Plata" where 
 this river is twenty-five miles wide, and yet at its narrowest point. 
 Here also it receives its two great affluents, the Parana and Uru- 
 guay, their waters uniting about twenty-four miles above this isl- 
 and, and retaining the name of the latter until lost in that of " La 
 Plata." 
 
 The Parana is the more important of the two, and possesses 
 already a far more extended navigation, and affluents that present 
 a vast field for exploration. We first entered its waters through 
 the main branch, " Parana Guazu." 
 
 All vessels " bound up" either the Parana or Uruguay by this 
 channel must pass within range of " Martin Garcia." Exclusive 
 of this and the one of greater depth subsequently revealed by the 
 
 5 
 
QQ DELTA OF THE PARANA. 
 
 surveys of the "Water Witch, there are two other branches, the 
 " Brasso Bravo" and " Brasso Largo," farther north, through which 
 this river flows into the Uruguay, and others of less importance 
 to navigation, through which it communicates directly with La 
 Plata. The principal, and only one of these latter worthy of note, 
 and which wi]l become, when its entrance shall be better known, 
 generally used by vessels of six and seven feet draught, is the 
 passage of Las Palmas, the branch through which Sebastian Cabot 
 entered the waters of the Parana, and to which he gave the name 
 it now bears. 
 
 A delta of vast extent is formed by the various branches of this 
 river. Its apex, at the town of Diamante in Entre Rios, is distant 
 from its base in a right line one hundred and seventy-eight miles, 
 while its base, the line on which these branches empty into the 
 River La Plata and Uruguay, is about forty miles in extent. 
 
 Diamante is assumed as the apex of this delta, because at that 
 point, in ascending, we find, for the first time, by the approach of 
 the firm, elevated lands, the width of the river contracted to one 
 mile. To give a minute description of the innumerable small 
 branches up to this apex, to follow them through their windings, 
 would tend only to perplex the reader. They nevertheless serve 
 a useful purpose by giving access to a labyrinth of islands, the 
 wild fruits and charcoal of which lead to quite an extensive trade 
 with Buenos Ayres. 
 
 During the season, the fruiterers lay their barks against the 
 banks, and load from the overhanging peach and orange trees. 
 This latter fruit is bitter, and used only for preserving, or making 
 a very popular drink, which, in the course of time, becomes pleas- 
 antly acidulated. 
 
 The peaches are of excellent quality, and constitute a large por- 
 tion of the supply of the Buenos Ayrean market. These fruits 
 are not found on the low and frequently submerged islands which 
 border the main channel-way — the Parana Guazu — but grow 
 abundantly upon those in the vicinity of the pass of Las Palmas, 
 and near the various other branches used only by small vessels. 
 
 In the province of Buenos Ayres the peach is much cultivated 
 for fire-wood, and a tree of three years yields no indifferent supply 
 of both fruit and fuel. Its growth in the wild and free islands of 
 the Parana, and the perfection of its fruit without culture, are facts 
 too extraordinary not to impress a stranger, who naturally asks 
 the origin of trees well known not to be indigenous. My inquiries 
 
FRUITS.— SCENERY. (57 
 
 on this point were invariably answered by Qiden sahef — "Who 
 knows?" Some of the more intelligent natives trace them to the 
 forecast of the Jesuits ; others to the boatmen who, prior to the 
 Jesuits, frequented these islands, and may, without jjurpose, have 
 cast around the seeds. Again, their propagation is ascribed to the 
 migration of birds and beasts from the main land. This we doubt, 
 for among the many isles of the Parana delta there are others of 
 the same formation and age — -judging from their strata — on which 
 no fruits are to be found. So vast is the yield of th^ trees, that 
 Buenos Ayres is not only supplied with fresh fruit during the 
 season, but quantities are dried. Some enterprising citizens have 
 also manufactured from them brandy of excellent quality; but 
 this, like many other industrial projects in that country, has not 
 been continued with perseverance or energy. When improved 
 by grafting, inoculation, or the smallest degree of culture, the fruit 
 matures to very great perfection. 
 
 Toward the close of our work, these branches of the Parana be- 
 came the scene of operations during fruit season. A more en- 
 chanting spectacle than was presented at that time by these isl- 
 ands can scarcely be imagined. Poets would have reveled in it 
 as a scene of paradisiacal beauty. The lower banks were fringed 
 with aquatic plants ; the little channels were shaded by the wil- 
 low, whose long, drooping branches dipped gracefully into the wa- 
 ters, and formed archways, under which the boatmen moored their 
 craft for the convenience of the siesta. On all sides the vegeta- 
 tion was tropical in its luxuriance, and the air was laden with del- 
 icate odors. The eye would have been fatigued by the gorgeous 
 mingling of colors presented by the rich foliage of the *' seibo," 
 the flower and fruit of the orange-tree, the ripe tints of the peach, 
 the brilliant bloom of various shrubs and parasitical jDlants, had it 
 not been reheved by a verdure as refreshing as it was varied in 
 its shades. 
 
 The general course of the Parana from its mouth to the town 
 of Rosario in Santa F^ — one hundred and eighty-eight miles — is 
 northwest ; thence, up to its confluence with the Paraguay — six 
 hundred and ninety miles — north, and a little easterly. 
 
 We began our work, as before stated, by ascertaining its main 
 channel, the Guazu, which, at its confluence with the Uruguay, 
 may be said to bisect the base of the Delta, there being north of it 
 the Brasso Largo and Brasso Bravo, and south of it the pass of 
 Las Palmas and Arroyo Capitan. This last branch, though nar- 
 
68 AFFLUENTS OF LA PLATA. 
 
 row and shallow, is important as offering a water-communication 
 to the main or firm lands of the State of Buenos Ayres, which it 
 skirts for some distance northward, enters the pass of Las Pal- 
 mas, and thence becomes the most southern branch for miles. 
 A narrow canal-like stream sets off from it, under the name of 
 the Baradero, and, washing the firm lands, joins the main river 
 a mile or two below the town of San Pedro, distant from Martin 
 Garcia about one hundred and two miles. 
 
 From thia^ pomt to the apex of the Delta the main river be- 
 comes its southern and western boundary. The most northern 
 branches, forming at different distances the northern side, which 
 is bounded ia that direction by the province of Entre Kios, are, 
 beginning from the Eiver Uruguay, the Brasso Largo and the 
 Brasso Bravo ; the main river to the distance of twenty -five miles 
 is the " Parbon," and the " Parana Cito." This last, though tortu- 
 ous, narrow, and shallow, possesses advantages similar to those of 
 the Arroya Capitan and Baradero, and branches ofi" from the main 
 river at the point we have assumed as the apex of the Delta, a 
 few miles below Diamante. . 
 
 The Parbon is of great importance, being of sufficient depth for 
 any class of vessels that could possibly enter the river, and skirts 
 throughout its extent the firm lands of Entre Kios. 
 
 The Kiver Gualaguay, which takes its rise in the interior of the 
 province, and empties into the Parbon, affords navigation for ves- 
 sels of six feet draught up to the port of entry of the town of 
 Gualaguay, which is about thirty-five miles from its mouth. It 
 passes through a portion of the province particularly rich in pas- 
 ture-lands and stocked with fine breeds of cattle. 
 
 We entered the Parana at the season of loio water; and 
 throughout the distance known as the Delta, which by the course 
 of the river is two hundred and forty -five miles from its mouth, 
 the least depth of water was sixteen feet, from which it varied 
 to one hundred and five feet; the width is from one half to 
 two and a half miles, exclusive of its various branches, which at 
 some points extend it, from firm land to firm land, twelve miles. 
 The character of the bottom is sandy, saVe where the current is 
 too weak to retain its detritus in a floating state. The velocity of 
 the current is two and a half miles the hour. The rise begins in 
 December, and continues at the daily rate of two inches until 
 about the middle of February, when it will have attaiaed its max- 
 imum, remaining, with a httle variation, at this state for a month 
 
BRANCHES AND ISLANDS. 69 
 
 or more, when it begins to fall, and descends to its minimum 
 point in June or July, at wliicli it remains until the month of Oc- 
 tober. 
 
 During this month there is a partial rise of about six feet, called 
 the "Eepunte;" this continues about a month, when the river 
 subsides again to its lowest state. These periodical changes are 
 caused by the tropical rains of a vast region of Brazil, where 
 many of the tributaries which swell the main river take their rise. 
 
 It is well for all the practical purposes of navigation that the 
 waters of the Parana are so subdivided: its numerous branches 
 of course diminish the strength of the current, which, if not weak- 
 ened by this distribution, would be a great obstacle in its ascent. 
 Steam, but recently introduced upon its waters, will give a vast 
 impulse to navigation, reducing a passage of eighty days by sail- 
 ing vessels to twelve by this powerful agent. 
 
 These branches constitute, exclusive of many of very minor im- 
 portance, the prmcipal courses through which the Parana dis- 
 charges its great body of water into La Plata. 
 
 I have alluded to its numerous islands, some of them %f such 
 recent formation as to be nameless. They gradually rise with the 
 dej)osits of successive inundations and the accumulation of vege- 
 table matter until they present a surface above high water. Those 
 in the vicinity of "Las Palmas" are, as I have stated, valuable for 
 their fruits; and as we ascended, those of older formation were 
 found well wooded. Besides these, there are many frequently sub- 
 merged, but covered with a thick mass of the shrubs, plants, and 
 trees only that love humidity, such as the "seibo," willow, alder; 
 the latter not only remarkable for its impenetrable foliage, but as 
 being the shrub — it can scarcely be called a tree — which succeeds 
 the paja grande^ a wiry grass, the first growth of the newly-formed 
 island. The seibo,* though a spongy wood, useless for fuel, adds 
 vastly to the beauty of the vegetation ; its rich blossoms would 
 make it, with us, the pride of ornamental grounds. The sause, 
 or willow, is considered inferior for fael, though used for that pur- 
 pose, and is the third indigenous growth, rooting out the alder 
 and taking its place. 
 
 * Dobrizhoffer says of this tree, vol. i., p. 399, " A spongy weed, as soft as that of 
 the cork-tree, so that when fresh it may be cut with a knife like an apple, but after 
 it is dry axes are not sufficient to hew it. * * * * Whenever the tiger feels 
 his claws burn, he is said to rub them against the bark of this tree to relieve the 
 pain." 
 
70 SAN PEDRO.— OBLIGADO.' 
 
 In tlie ascent of the river up to tlie vicinity of San Pedro, a dis- 
 tance of one hundred and thirty miles from its mouth, the view is 
 bounded by this labyrinth of islands. From the mast-head of the 
 steamer, an elevation of sixty feet, nothing else was to be seen. 
 It was a wilderness of fohage and flora. Enriched by an exuber- 
 ant vegetation and enlivened by innumerable water-fowl, these 
 islands were imposing features in the Parana scenery. 
 
 Approaching San Pedro, we came in sight of the firm lands of 
 the province of Buenos Ayres, a continuation of the argillo-calca- 
 reous plateau upon which that city stands. The town is upon 
 this high land, the level of a surrounding pampa country of vast 
 extent. Though its existence dates from the middle of the sev- 
 enteenth century, it has but a population of two thousand souls, 
 and contains nothing of note, unless we may except a church 
 erected by the Jesuits. 
 
 The position of San Pedro is by no means inviting to trade, be- 
 ing on an arm of the river which will not admit of approach to the 
 shore save in very small craft. It can never, I think, rise to the 
 rank of a commercial port ; its intermediate position between two 
 cities, which will probably monopolize a vast deal of the trade of 
 La Plata — Rosario and Buenos Ayres — will make it only a con- 
 sumer of their importations. 
 
 On leaving San Pedro, this elevated land — as it appears from 
 the river, though on a level with the surrounding pampa — contin- 
 ues on to the northward and westward, at times diverging, again 
 approaching the river, from which it appears a high bluff. 
 
 At Obligado, eleven miles above San Pedro, the river contracts 
 to a width of less than half a mile, bringing the channel within 
 musket-range of the right bank. Again, from this point, the land 
 is depressed, presenting a gently undulating surface richly covered 
 with native clover and grass, on which were grazing vast herds of 
 cattle and horses. 
 
 The commanding position of Obligado was not overlooked by 
 Rosas, who, intent upon carrying out his scheme of effectually 
 closing these rivers, and determined to present a formidable re- 
 sistance to a forced navigation, erected in 1845 a battery on the 
 right bank, which was placed under the command of his brother- 
 in-law, General Mancilla. But neither the defenses on land, nor 
 the iron obstruction — a chain thrown across the river — could with- 
 stand the courage and determination of the French and English. 
 Mancilla obstinately disputed the passage to the steamers of the 
 
ALTERATION IN CHANNEL. 71 
 
 combined squadrons, which had under convoy a large fleet of mer- 
 chantmen, with rich cargoes, destined for Corrientes. An Enghsh 
 vessel steamed up to the chain stretched from shore to shore, and, 
 under a deadly fire from the batteries, lifted it to her bows and 
 severed it, while the captain of the French steamer, acting in strict 
 accordance with his instructions " not to land an armed force," laid 
 his vessel close alongside the most eflQ.cient water-battery, and with 
 shell and grape drove its defenders from their guns. The passage 
 was effected, but with the loss of many lives, and the convoy pro- 
 ceeded on to its destination, where the merchantmen made a prof- 
 itable exchange and sale of cargo. 
 
 To carry the reader through the labyrinth of channels and isl- 
 lands — to enumerate the latter, or describe the changes which take 
 place annually, would afford little interest. Some of these, how- 
 ever, are too remarkable not to deserve special notice. 
 
 About five miles above San Nicholas there is a small island of 
 such recent formation as to be nameless. A few years since it was 
 joined to the main land, on the right bank, by a low, marshy slip 
 of land; now there is a wide separation, and a channel of eighteen 
 feet water. A few miles above, it was necessary for the Water 
 Witch, when we ascended the river, to pass east of the island of 
 Montiel, around which the river flowed in a semicircle ; in less 
 than two years subsequently the passage west of that island had 
 become a channel of thirty feet depth. 
 
 These changes facilitate the navigation of the river as often as 
 they embarrass or retard it. In the instance just cited, the first 
 circuitous route embraced sixteen points of the compass, and a 
 distance of sixteen miles, while the latter is accomplished by one 
 course, and a distance of one and a half miles. Our charts will 
 exhibit the changes which took place between the years 1847 and 
 1853. In the former year her Britannic majesty's steamer Philo- 
 mel, under the command of Captain Sullivan, ascended the Parana 
 to Corrientes. These changes are caused by the periodical inun- 
 dations, and, as I have before stated, embarrass the navigation less 
 than might be expected. 
 
 The pilots are generally skillful, and from habit observant. 
 They sometimes exhibit wonderful acuteness of perception in de- 
 tecting, simply by inspection, any change that may have occurred 
 in the direction of the channel. 
 
 From San Pedro to Kosario, a distance of ninety miles, the char- 
 acter of the river remains unchanged. The right bank is a con- 
 
72 SAN NICHOLAS.— EOSARIO. 
 
 tinuation of the higli land of wlaicli I have spoken as extending 
 from Buenos Ayres. It is approached at short intervals by the 
 windings of the river, and presents precipitous banks of indurated 
 clay, varying in height from fifty to one hundred feet ; the sur- 
 face soil one and a half to two feet in depth, of rich black earth, 
 covered with luxurious pastures, upon which roved herds of cat- 
 tle and horses — diminished, it is true, by the internal dissensions 
 which for many years have agitated the country, but still existing 
 in vast numbers, and constituting the wealth of the estancieros, or 
 graziers. 
 
 The richest of these extensive land-holders luxuriate in the en- 
 joyment of city life at Buenos Ayres, leaving the entire manage- 
 ment of their estancias to capitazes* Each estancia embraces 
 many square leagues, extending along the firm lands of the river : 
 they are indicated by the cattle, and by the very humble tenements 
 of the capitaz and his herdsmen. 
 
 Intermediate between the two towns San Pedro and Rosario, 
 stands the unimportant village of San Nicholas, the most northern 
 frontier settlement of Buenos Ayres upon the river. The little 
 stream of Arroyo del Medio, which is about two miles north of it, 
 forms the boundary, so far as it goes, between the states of Buenos 
 Ayres and Santa Fe, the most southern province of the Argentine 
 Confederation, bordering on the right bank of the Parana. On the 
 left are low lands, broken by picturesque lagoons, enlivened occa- 
 sionally by a cloud of aquatic birds. The black-necked swan, 
 geese, and ducks abound in great variety, 
 
 Rosario, fifty-two miles from San Nicholas, is eligibly placed on 
 the same plateau to which I have alluded so often, an elevation 
 remarkable in the uniformity of its character. It is in the prov- 
 ince of Santa Fe, and, I think, destined to become a place of great 
 commercial importance. 
 
 At the commencement of our survey, in September, 1853, this 
 town, like all others of the Confederation, was only tributary to 
 Buenos Ayres. It then contained a population of four thousand 
 souls. Before the expedition had left the waters of La Plata in 
 1855, it had increased to twelve thousand, an augmentation which 
 shows the healthful influence of trade upon the prosperity of this 
 country. Upon the reorganization of the Confederacy, Buenos 
 Ayres refused to join it, and Rosario was then declared a port 
 of entry. Its position will probably make it a mart for all the 
 
 * Stewards or overseers. 
 
EOSARIO. 73 
 
 imports and exports of the eleven provinces west of tlie Pa- 
 rana. 
 
 Without due reflection or accurate geographical knowledge of 
 the country, the interior position of Rosario — two hundred miles 
 from Buenos Ayres, and nearly four hundred from the ocean — 
 might be alleged, with some reason, as excluding it from a suc- 
 cessful competition with that city ; but when we consider the va- 
 rious influences affecting both places, Rosario, even with less cap- 
 ital, a small population, and without the habits or antecedents 
 of trade, bids fair to compete successfully for a portion of the for- 
 eign commerce, and certainly ofiers larger returns to those whose 
 enterprise may tempt them to become commercial pioneers in that 
 quarter. Its interior position can present no permanent obstacle 
 to the direction of trade ; and, aided by governmental influence, 
 and by the certain prospect of connection by railway with Cor- 
 dova, more than three hundred miles west, Buenos Ayres may 
 well regard its future with watchful jealousy. 
 
 By the introduction of steam, distance is annihilated ; and Bu- 
 enos Ayres, though she may become the first city of South Amer- 
 ica, with only a share of the trade of La Plata, can no longer ex- 
 pect to monopolize the business of a country whose extent and re- 
 sources are sufficient to support hundreds of flourishing commer- 
 cial towns. 
 
 The route of the railway to Cordova* has already been surveyed 
 by Mr. Allen Campbell, of the United States, who has had much 
 experience as an engineer in Spanish America, where he enjoys a 
 high reputation. He pronounces it not only practicable, and of- 
 fering a profitable investment of capital, but as one of the most 
 effectual modes of developing the resources of the fruitful provinces 
 of the West, heretofore almost unknown, not only in the trade, 
 but in the geography of the world. It would be an iron bond 
 between the eastern and western provinces not easily severed. 
 
 There are considerations which would make Rosario, even when 
 approached by sailing vessels, quite as accessible from the Atlantic 
 as Buenos Ayres. The difference of time in loading and dis- 
 charging cargo is decidedly in favor of the former. These diffi- 
 culties at Buenos Ayres are too well known to the commercial 
 community to need from me much illustration. The southeast 
 winds, agitating the wide expanse of the river at that point, pro- 
 duce so high a sea that, during their prevalence, no vessel can ei- 
 ther discharge or receive cargo. 
 
 * See route of this road on map. 
 
74 EOSARIO. 
 
 The winds wliicli create this sea are the fairest for the ascent of 
 the river, and good for the beat down with the current. In forty- 
 eight hours, or less, a vessel with a southerly wind should reach 
 Rosario from the latitude of Buenos Ayres, off Martin Garcia, or 
 any neighboring anchorage. Arrived there, no detention depend- 
 ent upon the winds can occur. With anchor in the stream and 
 breasting-lines upon land, a vessel may be laid near enough to 
 shore to make a plank a safe pathway. With the erection of 
 wharves, the town would be as accessible as any of our commer- 
 cial cities. The Parana, from its mouth to Rosario, is not very tor- 
 tuous, having a general course of N.N. W. The prevailing south 
 wind is, therefore, fair in the ascent throughout this distance. I 
 must not omit to state that such a wind is necessary to all sailing 
 vessels, because the current of two to two and a half miles per 
 hour will baffle all efforts to contend with it by beating. The 
 Argentine government, with a view of promoting direct tirade, has 
 laid a discriminating duty on all articles imported from or export- 
 ed to Buenos Ayres, which may induce vessels to proceed direct- 
 ly to Rosario for the sale or purchase of cargoes, rather than buy 
 goods encumbered not only with a double export and import, but 
 with the differential duties. 
 
 In descending the river no detention need ever occur, its width 
 being sufficient to admit of beating down during contrary winds. 
 
 The trade with Rosario should be carried on in vessels of the 
 class and size of the largest three-masted schooners. This con- 
 struction and rig, which are peculiarly American, will be found 
 well adapted to this river navigation. Such vessels are quickly 
 turned to windward, and easily handled. Experience has shown 
 that this rig is not incompatible with suitable size or capacity. 
 Their draught of water should not exceed twelve feet when laden, 
 the mean depth on the bar of San Juan, below Martin Garcia, not 
 admitting vessels of a greater draught. 
 
 During the prevalence of north winds, the depth of water is so 
 diminished as to leave ships, in both inner and outer roads of Bu- 
 enos Ayres, resting on the bottom. These winds, being from the 
 land, produce no sea, therefore vessels are in no danger, although 
 aground. The south winds, fair for the ascent of the river, inva- 
 riably produce a rise of the water, increasing its depth according 
 to their force and duration. The depth of water to which I have 
 alluded on the bar of San Juan is that of the old channel of Mar- 
 tin Garcia. 
 
EOSARIO. 75 
 
 The new channel, made known, as before stated, by this expe- 
 dition, east of the island, has a greater depth by two feet. The 
 development of this channel has not been hailed by the Buenos 
 Ayreans with the enthusiasm which usually meets all discoveries 
 that may facilitate the trading operations of a country. In de- 
 priving Martin Garcia of its political importance, it obviates the 
 necessity of treaty stipulations with Buenos Ayres for entrance 
 into the upper waters. 
 
 While engaged upon this work, I have been gratified to learn, 
 by a letter from my esteemed friend, E. B. Forbes, of Boston, that 
 a commercial firm in that city have, with eminent success, become 
 the pioneers to our trade with the interior countries of La Plata. 
 I quote from his letter, alluding to the first shipment that had 
 been made from the United States directly to the port of Rosario. 
 He gives, in a few words, the report of the captain of the vessel 
 to his owners in Boston. 
 
 The captain says "he got to Eosario without any difficulty, dis- 
 charged his cargo, and got his freight money. That Chistopher 
 Columbus did not excite more curiosity than did the arrival of 
 his vessel ; that goods can be put on board at Eosario from 15 to 
 20 per cent, cheaper than at the port of Buenos Ayres, and that 
 he expected to bring home some passengers, with means to buy 
 goods, domestics, lumber," &c. 
 
 This is a beginning, to be followed, I hope, by hearing that the 
 waters of the Parana are covered with vessels bearing the stars 
 and stripes. 
 
 The right bank of the river from Eosario to the mouth of the 
 Cacarana, a distance of eighteen miles, presents an unbroken and 
 precipitous elevation of from fifty to eighty feet of reddish clay ; 
 beyond this it recedes into the interior; and thence, throughout 
 the extent of the river to its confluence with the Paraguay, the 
 same bank assumes somewhat the appearance of the other. Up 
 to this point the shores are low and marshy, and the course of 
 the river is broken by densely wooded islands of recent formation. 
 
 We had remained at Eosario, hoping for clear weather, to make 
 observations for latitude and longitude, as it was my habit to es- 
 tablish the positions of all prominent places, independent of the 
 observations that were made nightly whenever the weather would 
 permit. Finding from appearances that we should be unneces- 
 sarily detained, and knowing that I should have subsequent op- 
 portunities of determining this place, we pushed on and anchored 
 
76 SAN LORENZO.— THE TERCERO. 
 
 off the convent of San Lorenzo, about twelve miles above Eosario, 
 on the same range of high land. 
 
 This is one of the old establishments of the Jesuits, and now 
 held by the Franciscans. Substantially built, like all their struc- 
 tures, it presents a conspicuous but isolated mark on the plateau. 
 
 The historical associations of this vicinity are full of interest. 
 Before the Jesuits entered upon their missions, Sebastian Cabot, 
 and Ayolas, serving under the banner of what was the then great 
 temporal power of Christendom, charmed with the beauty of the 
 country and the hospitality of the neighboring Indians, had se- 
 lected it for the first settlements of the white race in La Plata, 
 " San Espiritu," and " Corpus Christi." 
 
 We were disappointed in our expectations of astronomical ob- 
 servations. My journal says, " September 8th, 10 o'clock A.M., 
 at anchor off San Lorenzo. Temperature of air 49°, water 67° ; 
 velocity of current two and a half miles per hour. Last night 
 strong gales from the southeast, with rain ; tliis morning appear- 
 ances of clearing. Remained at anchor until 10 o'clock, hoping to 
 get observations for latitude and longitude, but without success. 
 Proceeded on our course, the weather only preventing astronomi- 
 cal observations. This southeast wind has prevailed for several 
 days. Six miles above San Lorenzo the River Cacarana empties 
 into the Parana ; it retains this name only within the province of 
 Santa Fe. From its source in the sierras, it is known as the Ter- 
 cero, and it is joined by the River -Cuarto at the distance of one 
 hundred and twenty miles from its confluence with the Parana." 
 
 I am indebted to Mr. Allen Campbell for the most reliable in- 
 formation relative to this river. In the prosecution of his survey 
 of the route of the railway from Rosario to Cordova, which lay 
 very much along the course of the Tercero, it became necessary 
 for him to make a very thorough examination of it. The inform- 
 ation he was thus enabled to give me precluded the necessity of 
 farther examination than had been previously made by Lieutenant 
 Murdaugh and myself It was my intention, before meeting Mr. 
 Campbell, from the cursory notice we had made on our land trip 
 from Cordova to Rosario — the road occasionally taking us near the 
 river — to explore it thoroughly. We had seen it at its lowest state, 
 when the strength of its current was diminished, but were unable 
 to judge, simply by inspection, of the declivity of its bed through- 
 out a distance of three hundred miles. The examination made by 
 Mr. Campbell left no doubt in my mind of the impracticability of 
 
THE PAMPAS. 77 
 
 its navigation ; if for no other reason, because of its great declivity 
 — two and a half feet to the mile — sufficient to produce a current 
 which it would be impossible to overcome during the season of 
 high water. 
 
 This difference of level is a foot for every inch in the Mississippi. 
 I quote the words of Mr. Campbell. " The ' Tercero' is not navi- 
 gable in its natural state, neither is it susceptible of being made so 
 by artificial means, at least for any practical or useful purpose." 
 
 It is not unusual to hear the navigability of many of the small 
 rivers of La Plata mentioned as being established, and even to see 
 such statements in books, when no evidences are adduced, nor the 
 names of explorers given in confirmation of such assertions. This 
 has not only been said, but written of the Tercero. In a work 
 upon the country, the author declares that it is navigable from its 
 mouth to the town of Villa Nueva, a distance by the windings of 
 the river of two hundred and fifty miles. Mr. Campbell says, 
 " These ideas are entirely illusory ;" and, as his assertion is based 
 upon reliable data, no better authority could be given. I have no 
 doubt, however, that the same means which once constituted the 
 only mode of transportation downward, on the Mississippi, may be 
 resorted to with success on the Tercero, when immigration and the 
 friction of trade shall have awakened some degree of enterprise 
 among the people, and taught them that time is money. 
 
 Passing the mouth of the Cacarana, the elevated pampa country 
 of the right, as before stated, recedes gradually to the interior ; and 
 not until we have ascended one thousand miles above, on that bank, 
 do we again see high lands, and then not a plateau or elevated pam- 
 pa, but isolated mountains and hillocks from one half of a mile to 
 two miles in length, and rising several hundred feet above the level 
 of the " Gran Chaco" — monuments, apparently dropped from the 
 clouds or upheaved by some convulsion of nature in the midst of 
 a vast domain, claimed by the neighboring republics, and divided 
 among them by imaginary lines, but stiU occupied by aboriginal 
 tribes who have never been subjugated or even disturbed by the 
 white race. 
 
 Between the town of Diamante and Cacarana, a distance of 
 thirty-three miles, the river courses among low islands of recent 
 formation, but wooded, and with an almost impenetrable under- 
 growth. As we ascended at the period of low water, I had an 
 opportunity of observing their formation, which was composed of 
 strata of black argillaceous earth and sand, showing at different 
 
78 RIVER SCENERY.— DIAMANTE. 
 
 periods of inundation the character of the deposit. The bottom 
 of the river, brought up by the lead, was invariably sandy wher- 
 ever it had been subject to the action of the currents; in slack 
 water it was uniformly muddy. 
 
 The scenery of this noble river was throughout, to its junction 
 with the Paraguay, imposing and picturesquely beautiful. Islands 
 continue a characteristic feature forjuany hundred miles, differing 
 only, I observed in ascending, from those of the lower waters in 
 the improved growth of trees, or even greater exuberance of veg- 
 etation. They were enlivened by monkeys, capinchas, and birds 
 of brilliant plumage, and the atmosphere was redolent of the fra- 
 grance of chmbers and parasites that enwrapped trunk and branch- 
 es of many a huge tree, their bright floral clusters blending har- 
 moniously with the varied hues of the foliage. The finest gardens 
 of less favored zones would offer but a penury of vegetal beauty 
 when compared with these fair Edens of nature. 
 
 At Diamante we meet, for the first time, a change in the char- 
 acter of the left bank of the Parana. We are approaching the 
 high and rolling lands of Entre Eios, washed by the windings of 
 the river, above which they rise from ninety to one hundred and 
 fifty feet. On the beginning of this elevation, prettily situated, 
 stands a town or village of about one thousand inhabitants, for- 
 merly known as Punta Gorda, but changed by Urquiza to Dia- 
 mante, or Diamond. 
 
 In 1852, in preparing for his invasion of Buenos Ayres, which 
 ended with the battle and victory of " Monte Caseres," Greneral 
 Urquiza selected this point of the Parana for the passage of his 
 army. The contraction of the river and the firm lands of the 
 opposite bank in Santa Fe made it the most eligible place for this 
 purpose. The passage of the whole army on boats and rafts was 
 made without the loss of a single man, beast, or charge of ammu- 
 nition. Gratified at his success here, and subsequent victory, Ur- 
 quiza conceived this point of Entre Eios, from which he took his 
 departure, worthy the name which he bestowed upon it. 
 
 The mildness of the climate, the frequent intersection of the 
 lands in every direction by small rivers, and the absence of ferries 
 and bridges, oblige the people of the country to become expert 
 swimmers. The gaucho, stripped to the loins, springs into the 
 water with his horse, as if it were the natural element of both ; 
 holding the animal by the mane, he swims alongside, guiding him 
 "by an occasional slap on the head, and encouraging him by deaf- 
 
LEFT BANK OF THE PARANA. 79 
 
 ening yells and whoops. In the few places where ferries are es- 
 tablished, canoes are provided, which the traveler enters, holding 
 his horse by the bridle. The canoe is guided by the ferry -man, 
 but carried over by the direct power of the horse swimming along- 
 side. 
 
 Diamante is an important place for steamers ascending the riv- 
 er. There, for the first time,»will be found excellent fuel, the 
 wood of the lowlands and islands being unfit for this purpose. 
 On the firm lands of Entre Eios are found the algarroba and es- 
 pinilla, trees of slow growth ; the former attains, with age, a great 
 size ; both are remarkable for their solidity, and afford the best 
 fuel for steamers, one cord being fully equal to a ton of coals. 
 There are several other woods scarcely inferior to these, all of 
 which skirt the river courses only ; they never, in the lower paral- 
 lels of La Plata, grow in extended forests. 
 
 CHAPTER y. 
 
 Left Bank of the Parana. — Survey made by Lieutenant Powell. — Climbing the 
 Tree. — Victoria. — Descending the Parana Cito. — Puerto de los Bues. — Guala- 
 guay. — El Puerto de Ybicui. — A Canal. — Paciencia. — Physical Changes. — The 
 Colastine. — Capella de San Jose. — Santa Fe. — The Chaco. — Its Inhabitants. — 
 Parana. — Bajada. — Progress. — Pine Lumber. — Commercial Prospects. — Cedar. 
 — Surface Soil. — Dr. Martin de Moussy's Report. — Plan of Parana. — Buildings 
 and Population. — River Ba,nks. — Estancia of an Englishman. — Feliciana. — La 
 Paz. — The Jefe de Politica and the Curate. — Fuel. — Pass of San Juan. — Course 
 of the River. — Sullivan's Charts. — Wild Fowl. — The Espinilla. — Capibaras or 
 Capinchas. — Locusts. — Catching a Deer. — Riacho Caraguatay. — Riacho San 
 Geronimo. — Goya. — Capincha Chase. — Bella Vista. — Productions. — Fishing. — 
 Tobacco Island. — Hunting for Specimens. — Taquari Chico. — An Orange Estan- 
 cia. — The Camilote. — Arrival at Corrientes. — Visit to the Governor. — Visit 
 from the Governor. — City of Corrientes. — Easy Navigation of the River. — Fine 
 Woods for Fuel. — Resources of the River Provinces. — Table of Distances. 
 
 Considering Diamante as the apex of the Delta of the Parana, 
 I have, up to this point, given a sketch of its right bank. I will 
 now endeavor to give some idea of the left, which, in ascending, 
 was rarely visible from the Water Witch. I shall quote, in part, 
 from the journal of Lieutenant Powell, who, at a subsequent pe- 
 riod of the exploration, surveyed the eastern branches of the 
 Parana, skirting the shore of Entre Rios. This was done in a 
 small steamer, La Yerha^ of two feet draught, which I chartered 
 from the "United States and Paraguay Company" for the pur- 
 
80 THE TIMBO.— THE PARANA CITO. 
 
 pose of exploring the Salado and other tributaries inaccessible to 
 our " ocean steamer." ' 
 
 On the left bank, the branches which leave the main river, be- 
 tween Kosario and Diamante, are the Parbon, Timbo, and Parana 
 Cito. To ascertain their navigability through a very interesting 
 part of Entre Eios was the object of the work assigned to Lieu- 
 tenant Powell. ^ 
 
 Leaving Diamante and proceeding south, he found the mouth 
 of the Parana Cito obstructed by snags, and, descending the main 
 river a short distance, he entered the Timbo, which, though nar- 
 row — from fifteen to twenty-five yards — maintained throughout 
 a depth of from nine to twelve feet. He followed it in its mazy 
 windings through the alluvial soil of the Delta to its junction 
 with the Parana Cito. 
 
 To obtain a distinct view of the country, and satisfy himself 
 as to what course he should take among the numerous branches 
 which spread off in every direction, he brought into requisition 
 an accomplishment of his juvenile days, and climbed the highest 
 tree he could find. His examination determined him to follow 
 up the Parana Cito, which has a width of from forty to sixty 
 feet, and a depth of from eighteen to ninety-five, to a point called 
 Tres Bocas — " Three Mouths," where, entering a branch called 
 Victoria, and ascending it half a mile, he came to the Puerto de 
 los Sauses — " Port of the Willows," where there were several 
 small craft discharging and taking in cargo. This is the port of 
 the town of Victoria. I now quote from his journal. 
 
 " The position of Puerto de los Sauses was established by obser- 
 vation, the church in the town of Victoria bearing north three 
 and a half miles distant. Situated on the top of the elevated 
 ridge which bounds the Delta, it is a flourishing place of about 
 four thousand inhabitants, and has a considerable trade in hides, 
 wool, and lime. I found it impossible to procure reliable statis- 
 tics of this, as well as of other ports of the province ; and, having 
 made the same inquiry at Parana subsequently, was told 'the 
 government had not, as yet, been able to procure any such in- 
 formation.' 
 
 " As the Yerba was the first steamer, and the flag she bore the 
 first of our nation that had appeared in those waters, we were 
 soon honored by a number of visitors. In visiting the govern- 
 ment oflicials, and in the exchange of courtesies with the inhab- 
 itants, we made many agreeable acquaintances, and hope we left 
 
PUERTO DE LA CRUZ.— GUALAGUAY. 81 
 
 as many pleasant reminiscences of their fellow- Americans of the 
 North." 
 
 Ketracing their steps through the Victoria into the Parana Cito, 
 at the distance of eleven and a half miles from Tres Bocas, they 
 found the Puerto de la Cruz — "Port of the Cross," where it is 
 necessary, during the periods of very low water, to ship and dis- 
 charge. At the distance of nine miles from the last place is Puer- 
 to del Kubio — " Bed Port," situated, like La Cruz, on a range of 
 twenty feet elevation. Vessels whose cargoes are for and from 
 Victoria discharge and load at these ports when the state of the 
 river will not permit them to proceed higher. At the season of 
 high water, vessels of ten feet ascend within one mile of Victoria. 
 
 In descending the Parana Cito to its junction with the Parbon, 
 a distance from Victoria of about seventy -five miles, they passed 
 through a beautiful rolling country, covered with estancias and 
 fine herds of cattle and horses. They saw occasionally patches 
 of espiniLla and tala, both excellent fuel for steamers. A short 
 distance below the confluence of the Parana Cito with the Parbon 
 the latter is contracted to the width of about two hundred yards. 
 Here Rosas, in the year 1845, during his dif&culties with England 
 and France, threw a chain across, to obstruct the ascent of the 
 river. At a distance of ten miles from this 'point the steamer 
 entered the Gualaguay Eiver, which was ascended for twenty 
 miles to El Puerto de los Bues. 
 
 This river passes through a beautiful country, and some of the 
 most valuable lands of Entre Rios ; it was sparsely wooded with 
 algarroba and espinilla, and the estancias on both sides had herds 
 of cattle and horses. At El Puerto de los Bues, the port of Gua- 
 laguay, several vessels were discharging and loading cargo. In 
 consequence of the low state of the water, he was unable to reach 
 El Puerto de los Barillos, the port immediately at the town, which, 
 by the course of the river, is eighteen miles distant from El Pu- 
 ertp de los Bues. 
 
 Ascending to within six miles of the town, but finding the water 
 falling, Mr. Powell thought it advisable to return to the latter port, 
 whose position he determined by observations, from which he es- 
 tablished that of Gualaguay, bearing N.N.E., and distant six miles. 
 Gualaguay is larger than Victoria, having five or six thousand in- 
 habitants. It has a lively trade in hides, wool, timber, and fire- 
 wood ; the former the product of the herds and flocks of one of 
 the best grazing districts of the province, the latter from the 
 
 6 
 
82 HOSPITALITY.— A CANAL. 
 
 abundant growtli of the espinilla and algarroba. In the effort to 
 procure statistical information, he encountered the same difficulties 
 as at Victoria. 
 
 "La Yerba," says Lieutenant Powell, "continued to be an ob- 
 ject of great interest, notwithstanding her distance from the town 
 — six miles. No mark of hospitality was omitted, and every fa- 
 cility was afforded in procuring provisions and wood. On visiting 
 the town and calling on the government officials, we were re- 
 ceived with every mark of hospitality by the family of the com- 
 mandante, he being at the time unwell, and, in a walk through 
 the town, were shown by the Jefe Politico the lions of the place, 
 most prominent among which was the cafe, lighted with gas, the 
 only gas-light at this time in the Argentine Confederation, and the 
 work of an enterprising Italian, the proprietor of the cafe." 
 
 Eeturning into the Parbon, and descending thirty-one miles, he 
 touched at El Puerto de Ybicui, a port established for the conven- 
 ience of the neighboring estancieros, and having its custom-house 
 business conducted in Gualaguay. There are several ranchos here, 
 but it is not known as a village. I think its importance has been 
 exaggerated by giving its name, as on Captain Sullivan's charts, 
 to the " Parbon" from this place to its junction with the Parana, 
 a distance of ten miles. Ybicui is not recognized as the name of 
 this branch by the inhabitants of either of the towns above men- 
 tioned. It is common for the pilots and people of the country to 
 speak of the Parana Cito from the point at which it, branches off 
 from the Parana, near Diamante, to Victoria, as the " Eiacho Vic- 
 toria," but I have confined this latter name to the riacho* which 
 courses off from the Parana Cito, and on which is the town of 
 Victoria. 
 
 On entering the Parana Guazu through the Parbon, Mr. Powell 
 had an opportunity of examining a miniature piece of canaliza- 
 tion, executed by an enterprising citizen for the purpose of facil- 
 itating a charcoal and wood business, which he carried on to a 
 considerable extent with Buenos Ayres. Near the island Biscaino 
 the main river is separated from Las Palmas by a narrow strip of 
 land of about seventy -five yards. Senor Mercadel, the person al- 
 luded to, by way of avoiding a circuit of fifteen miles, one half of 
 which would be against the current, has nearly completed a cut 
 of ten feet width and depth through this narrow strip of land, by 
 which he will be enabled to pass from the main river into Las 
 * Riacho, stream. Riachuelo, small stream or creek. 
 
THE RIVER BANKS. 83 
 
 Palmas, feeling assured that in giving the current an inch it would 
 take an ell, and very soon open a channel of sufficient capacity 
 for the largest vessel in the trade. 
 
 Having traced out those arms of the Parana through which a 
 very interesting portion of Entre Eios is approached, and desig- 
 nated the different points accessible to navigation at periods of high 
 and low water, I proceed with my narrative of the river courses 
 from Diamante upward. 
 
 I have shown that here for the first time we have in full view 
 from the channel both sides of the river. The left now assumes 
 the character which has up to this point distinguished the right. 
 It is formed by the high land of Entre Eios, and is even more ele- 
 vated than the right bank up to Diamante ; it is an undulating 
 ' pampa, skirted on the river by a noble growth of timber. The 
 country on this side of th^; Parana for four hundred and forty miles, 
 ascending, bounds parts of the provinces of Entre Rios and "Cor- 
 rientes," and affords throughout an abundant supply of fiiel. The 
 inhabitants will contract to furnish it for steamers, placing it at 
 suitable points easy of access. 
 
 Intervening islands intercept, at intervals, the view of the main 
 land ; but, wherever it is washed by the main river, estancias and 
 settlements are to be <seen upon its borders. The course of the 
 river, winding among islands from Diamante to Paciencia, a dis- 
 tance of twenty-two miles, is north; there it turns nearly at right 
 angles to the east. Its name admonishes those ascending in sail- 
 ing craft, dependent exclusively on the winds, to be patient. There 
 are instances of vessels having been detained here for weeks. 
 
 Among the physical changes which were occurring during our 
 work in these waters, one of the most important was at this point. 
 The Riacho Paracan (which will not only reduce the distance, but 
 make what was a circuitous route a straight line) was doubtless 
 becoming the main channel. Its depth had very much increased 
 previously to our leaving the river. During the latter days of our 
 work, in rounding the point of Paciencia, it was discovered that 
 in the main channel the depth had become reduced from twenty- 
 seven to eighteen feet, and that a new and deeper channel had 
 broken through the flat which separated the main land from the 
 island of Paracan, passing east of the island of " Toro." 
 
 The Colastine here unites with the Parana. About thirty miles 
 above it branches off from the main river, and, pursuing a very 
 winding course, receives, among other minor streams, the waters 
 
84 KING ON.— SANTA FE. 
 
 of the Santa Fe, whicli is a continuation of the Salado, although 
 much of the water of this latter river finds its way into the Parana 
 through the shallow "riacho" called Coronda, which is only navi- 
 ' gable for very small craft. The Colastine retains at low water a 
 depth of not less than eleven feet, and throughout a width of from 
 one hundred to two hundred and fifty yards. It receives, at a short 
 distance from its branching off from the Parana, through the nar- 
 row creek called Cayesta, the waters of a lake of the same name, 
 which, from the immediate vicinity of Santa Fe, extends north 
 about ten miles with a width of three. 
 
 The country bordering on the Colastine to the west, and extend- 
 ing for many miles north of the town of Santa Fe, is known as 
 Rincon^ " Corner." It is a narrow strip of rolling land, bounded 
 on the west by Lake Cayesta, and on the east by the Colastine ; is 
 well populated, highly fertile, and furnishes the market with large 
 supplies of vegetables. 
 
 The Capilla de San Jose — " Chapel of St. Joseph" — is prettily sit- 
 uated on the right bank of the Colastine, about twenty miles north 
 of Santa Fe. This chapel and a few adobe houses form the north- 
 em limit of civilized occupation bordering on the Chaco. 
 
 There is north of Rincon a settlement of demi-civihzed Indians 
 who will permit no direct trade or intercourse between their more 
 savage brethren and the white traders, but act as their brokers in 
 the exchange of arrow-heads, knives, hatchets, beads, etc., for the 
 skins of animals brought in from " El Gran Chaco." 
 
 The town of Santa Fe (latitude 31° 88" 84'' S., longitude 60° 
 39' 48" W.) is placed upon a peninsula formed by the River Sa- 
 lado, on the west and south, and the Santa Fe on the east, the 
 latter, as I have shown, being only a continuation of the former. 
 In abandoning the old city of the same name, founded by De 
 Garay and eighty-four followers in 1573, on the borders of the 
 Lake Cayesta, in latitude 31°, the inhabitants selected the site of 
 the present town from the admirable natural defenses it seemed to 
 present against the inroads of the savages ; also for the communi- 
 cation it offered by the Salado with the settlements of the interior. 
 Their expectations were not reahzed. Although almost an island, 
 few towns of the Parana have suffered more from Indian aggres- 
 sion. It stands upon the verge of their vast domain, " El Chaco," 
 which, from here, borders the river on the west, embracing an 
 extent of twelve degrees of latitude. 
 
 "With the Salado as its southern, the Parana and Paraguay its 
 
THE CHACO.— PAEANA. 85 
 
 eastern boundaries, the Chaco covers an area of two hundred 
 thousand square miles. Partitioned by imaginary lines among 
 neighboring governments, it is yet in possession of hordes of in- 
 hospitable Indians, acknowledging allegiance to no power but that 
 of caciques, who rule their respective tribes with an authority 
 both unlimited and unquestioned. Neither intercourse with the 
 whites nor time has dissipated, among the more warhke Lidians 
 of the Chaco, a deep feeUng of hostility for the wrongs endured by 
 their race. They manifest it by continual inroads upon the bor- 
 der settlements, occasionally carrying off prisoners and committing 
 the most atrocious crimes. Generally, however, these incursions 
 are merely predatory in their character, leaving the estancias mi- 
 nus fine herds of cattle, sheep, horses, etc. 
 
 We have before alluded to the agricultural tribes. Experience 
 has shown that from this class of Indians may be derived the most 
 valuable aid in brmging the country under cultivation. On the 
 western borders of the "Chaco" they have been employed by the 
 estancieros, and found highly efiicient as laborers and herdsmen. 
 They do not abandon their homes or habits, but, after the crops 
 are seeded or gathered in, return to their families, carrying with 
 them the proceeds of their labors. Under kind and judicious 
 treatment, and with the protection of just laws, a useful jDopida- 
 tion could be formed from these tribes, and the Argentine States 
 would do well to adopt the policy of Brazil in trading with the 
 savages bordering upon their territory. 
 
 The Parana maintains an easterly course from the Banco de 
 Paciencia for fifteen miles, intermediate between which two j^oints 
 is the city of Parana, the capital of the Argentine Confedera- 
 tion, one mile from the Bajada, or " Landing," the name orig- 
 inally held by the city. The Bajada was ascertained by a series 
 of observations to be in latitude 31° 42' 54'' south, and longitude 
 60° 32' 39" west. It was founded in 1730 by colonists from 
 Santa Fe, who, having been driven from this place by the Paya- 
 gua and Munos Indians, retired to the spot now occupied in the 
 capital by the Plaza 2^rimero de Mayo — " The Square of the 1st of 
 May." Here they intrenched themselves, constructed a few huts 
 and a small fort, and succeeded in maintaining this position until 
 sufl&cient accessions to their numbers were made to enable them 
 to act on the offensive against their savage neighbors. They 
 nearly annihilated the Munos ; and the Payaguas, unable to cope 
 alone with them, ceased their hostile incursions. Under the Con- 
 
86 GEOWTH OF PARANA. 
 
 federation of 1852, it was made the seat of the general govern- 
 ment ; since wliich, up to 1855, its population has trebled. 
 
 Parana is not advantageously placed as a commercial city, and 
 its trade, except for imports, is of little value. The construction 
 of a mole and wharves would give facilities to lading and discharg- 
 ing cargo which it does not naturally possess. The exports of 
 the province of Entre Eios are mainly from the ports on the Par- 
 bon and the Uruguay, in the vicinity of which are the most val- 
 uable estancias. The lands around the capital are not so well 
 adapted to agriculture as those of other parts of the province, but 
 they are undoubtedly rich, and the rapid increase of the popula- 
 tion will soon cause them to be industriously cultivated. 
 
 We could scarcely realize the change in the aspect of the town 
 between 1853 and 1855, the period of the arrival and departure 
 of the expedition. When we first visited it, a noiseless inertion 
 seemed to pervade all things ; before our departure, the construc- 
 tion, not only of government buildings, but of fine private dwell- 
 ings, gave it an air of bustle and life quite " American/" The 
 saw and hammer were busily plied in every street, and they were 
 preparing for use, not only the hard woods of the country, but 
 American pine. Even in the short period which had elapsed 
 since the opening of the rivers, this lumber had worked its way 
 six hundred miles in the interior, not only against the currents 
 of the river, but the prejudices of the people, who previously im- 
 agined no woods, for any purpose, equal to their own. Pine was 
 not only extensively applied for doors and window-sashes, but, 
 as flooring, was actually superseding tile and brick. 
 
 It must be remembered that only three years had elapsed since 
 the opening of these waters to commerce, and as yet there was 
 no direct trade with the United States. This lumber had paid 
 not only import duty at Parana, but both import and export duty 
 at Buenos Ayres or Montevideo, and yet was sold here with profit. 
 It can therefore be well understood how much our merchants 
 would gain by a direct trade, in their own ships, with Eosario or 
 Parana, where their cargoes will be subject to but one import duty 
 before they get into the hands of the consumer. I hazard noth- 
 ing in saying that I believe the trade in lumber to those interior 
 provinces of La Plata will be one of considerable importance to 
 this country. 
 
 The growth of Eosario and Parana in three years is not sur- 
 passed by the strides of some of our western cities. The rise in 
 
THE LUMBER TRADE. 87 
 
 the value of real estate, tlie demand for houses caused by the in- 
 creased population, seem to promise a permanent prosperity, which 
 will make their trade of great value to those who may secure it. 
 
 It undoubtedly sounds like "sending coals to Newcastle" to 
 write so confidently of a remunerative trade in lumber which must 
 make a voyage of six thousand miles, and then go up stream from 
 four to six hundred miles iato the interior-of a country which, but 
 a short distance above where I would land it, boasts of the supe- 
 riority of its woods over those of the world. 
 
 For some purposes, the superiority of South American timber 
 will remain unquestioned, that is, for parts of ship-building where 
 hard and durable woods are requisite ; for cabinet-work, where 
 fineness of texture is essential; and for joists and beams of build- 
 ings, where heavy woods could be advantageously applied ; but 
 neither pine nor its equivalent has yet been discovered.* The 
 cedar is applied to purposes approaching most nearly to our use 
 of it, and grows abundantly in Paraguay and the northwestern 
 provinces of the Argentine Confederation, Tucuman, Santiago, and 
 Salta. It attains to a great size, with a trunk of such height as to 
 afford planks of the greatest required length. I saw one of four 
 feet diameter, but was told they often exceeded six. The price of 
 one-inch boards of cedar — the only wood ever sawed by them in 
 that way — at Asuncion, was twelve and a half cents the foot. 
 Harder woods, squared for joists, beams, etc., fneasuring from eight 
 to ten inches throughout their length, could not be bought at Cor- 
 rientes for less than seventy-five cents the vara — thirty-four inches. 
 
 It needs no extraordinary calculation to show that American 
 pine can, at least for some years — until enterprise and industry 
 have introduced greater facilities in sawing — compete successfully 
 with these woods at their own market ; and its superiority for cer- 
 tain uses is apparent. I purchased pine boards at Corrientes, and 
 paid twelve and a half cents the foot. This lumber had been re- 
 shipped for the latter port, and saddled with all the expenses of 
 import and export duty to which I have before alluded. 
 
 The plateau upon which the city of Parana stands is a continu- 
 ation of the high lands of the left bank, first seen at Diamante. 
 They present an interesting subject of study to the geologist. I 
 give in Ms own language the result of an examination made by 
 
 * There is a tree called the Pino alluded to by some of the old writers as being 
 found in the upper waters of the Parana, but its description does not correspond 
 with that of ours, and it has not been brought into use. 
 
88 GEOLOGICAL FEATURES. 
 
 an eminent scientific man, Dr. Martin de Moussy, employed by tlie 
 government to make a geological survey of the country : 
 
 "This vegetable earth (the surface soil) has in considerable quan- 
 tities oxyd of iron and magnesia, which give it a dark yellow or 
 violet appearance. It is unctuous to the touch, because of a cer- 
 tain quantity of clay which it contains. It readily receives, and 
 as readily gives out moisture. Beneath this is a reddish-yellow 
 argillaceous stratum, containing a quantity of oxyd of iron ; it is 
 of the same character as that of the pampas and the borders of the 
 Eiver La Plata, called by D'Orbigny and Darwin Limo Pampero — 
 ' pampa mud.' In this stratum, which is diluvium^ are found nu- 
 merous fossils of mammiferous animals of a class now extinct — 
 the Megatherium, Glyptodon, Milodon — which are abundant in the 
 toscas^ a compact calcareous clay in the lower part of the river. 
 We are not aware that any such fossils have been found in Butre 
 Rios, but we confidently believe they may be. The third stratum, 
 counting from the surface, is calcareous. This bank, which begins 
 at Diamante, and extends northeast to a distance unknown, con- 
 tains great quantities of shells ; nevertheless, there are points at 
 which they disappear altogether. Above the city the calcareous 
 bank is less shelly, but, in consequence of its mixture with sand, 
 it approaches the character of chalk, having at the same time a 
 harder consistency. 
 
 " The thickness of this stratum is from six to eighteen feet. 
 The lower part rests on a stratum of potters' earth, beneath which 
 is a perfect sandy limestone, useless in the production of lime, but 
 excellent as a building-stone. This sandy limestone contains no 
 shells. At different points northeast of the rising ground of ' Man- 
 ga' the carbonate of lime has undergone a remarkable change into 
 sulphate of lime or gypsum, which is found in large quantities, 
 beautifully crystallized. 
 
 " The fourth stratum is pure clay, containing in parts small al- 
 ternating veins of ferruginous sand, argillaceous marl, 'and minute 
 particles of shells. It is exceedingly variable in its form and thick- 
 ness. Considering it in an industrial point of view, this stratum 
 becomes an interesting subject of study in connection with the art 
 of pottery. It contains the best material for the manufacture of 
 the finest as well as the common china, and for the making of 
 bricks and square tiles, for which there is great demand at all 
 times in Parana and towns on the river. Potters' clay of extreme 
 fineness is found in great abundance ; it is unctuous to the touch, 
 
CITY OF PARANA. 89 
 
 and may be used with success as ' fullers' earth.' An argillaceous 
 marl, perfectly white, forms in the midst of these strata perpendic- 
 ular veins, which have a very singular effect contrasted with the 
 horizontal veins of red and yellow ferruginous sand. Finally, the 
 fifth stratum consists entirely of a yellowish-green sand." 
 
 The plan of the city of Parana is a quadrangle, divided into 
 squares of one hundred and fifty yards, the streets intersecting 
 each other at right angles. Tlie principal public buildings are 
 the governor's palace — a plain house, but in good taste ; several 
 churches — one of which, San Miguel, has been fifteen years in 
 course of construction, and is yet unfinished ; and a pretty theatre. 
 
 The new houses are all of brick, plastered and whitewashed, 
 with azoieas, which afford a pleasant place for evening resort and 
 the flirtation of the senoritas, or even for a promenade ; families 
 sometimes visiting each other by these airy passages. I missed, 
 however, the miradores, or turrets, which are so gay and orna- 
 mental, and to be found on almost all the better class of dwell- 
 ings in Buenos Ay res and Montevideo. In Parana they would 
 afford an extended view of a beautiful country, embracing in one 
 direction the city of Santa Fe. The theatre contains two tiers of 
 boxes, is sufiiciently commodious, and the decorations are in good 
 taste. The gardens are numerous and well arranged. The fruits 
 — orange, peach, pomegranate, fig, grape — are excellent, and their 
 rich foliage contrasts pleasantly with the whitewashed walls of the 
 dwellings. 
 
 In 1855 the city contained eight thousand souls, and the popu- 
 lation was rapidly increasing. In addition to its kilns, which sup- 
 ply the towns of La Plata with quantities of lime, there are near it 
 extensive tanneries, where the barks of the "cascara" and "tim- 
 bo Colorado" are used ; the latter is also excellent fael for steamers. 
 An admirable road is being constructed from the city to the port 
 — a work of some labor, as it grades an ascent of one hundred and 
 fifty feet. Associating, as we are apt to do, stagnation or a retro- 
 grade movement with all things in the interior of South America, 
 the healthful, progressive aspect of Parana is not less pleasing than 
 astonishing. 
 
 " We have made observations for latitude and longitude, also for 
 height of bank, which was found to be one hundred and twenty- 
 four feet ; also observations with the micrometer for the width of 
 the river, which is here sixteen hundred and forty yards, the ve- 
 locity of the current being three miles the hour. Six miles above 
 
90 CHAPITAN.— FELICIANA.— LA PAZ. 
 
 Parana tlie river takes a general direction of N.E., the sinuosities 
 of the channel, caused by numerous islands, making the only de- 
 viation from this course, which it maintains up to Piragua, a dis- 
 tance of about eighty miles. The character of the river, its shores 
 and islands, remain unchanged up to this point. The high, firm 
 lands of the left bank range from one hundred to one hundred 
 and sixty feet above the water, and are washed throughout this 
 distance by the main river, except at three points, where it is 
 broken by islands. At Chapitan Island, seventeen miles above 
 Parana, we saw, for the first time, detached masses of coarse brown 
 sandstone. Here the islands of the Parana afford excellent fuel 
 for steamers, which may be had for the trouble of cutting it. 
 
 " Above, but near Chapitan, is the estancia of an Englishman, 
 which runs for twenty miles along the river. The improvements 
 around the dwelling, the wire fence protecting well-cultivated 
 grounds, gave the impression that, with the enjoyment of an un- 
 rivaled climate, this estanciero had brought around him all the 
 order and comfort of a British homestead. Three miles beyond 
 we passed the point where the Colastine branches off from the 
 Parana, and, anchoring off the lower endof the islands Tres Cruces 
 — 'Three Crosses,' obtained observations for latitude and longi- 
 tude. 
 
 " Thirty-five miles above begins the bank of Feliciana. It ex- 
 tends twenty-two miles, and is broken only by some small streams^ 
 among which are the Arroyos Gonzales, Hondo, and Verde, 
 which take their rise within the province of Entre Eios. Its 
 strata of limestone, white clay, sand, and yellow clay, retain a re- 
 markable uniformity of depth throughout to Piragua Point ; and 
 though the bank is broken, as aUuded to, it reappears with the 
 same formation in the continuation of the range. 
 
 " Three miles beyond the last point at which observations were 
 obtained there is in mid-channel an isolated ledge of rocks three 
 feet below the surface at low water, and yet there is no appear- 
 ance on either shore of any such formation. It does not, however, 
 in the least impede navigation, the channel being wide on each 
 side, with a depth of ninety-six feet. 
 
 "La Paz is a village of two hundred inhabitants; made obser- 
 vations to determine its position ; it is just within the boundary - 
 line which separates Corrientes and Entre Kios — a miserable place ! 
 The buildings all of adobe ; not even a plaza, the pride and de- 
 light of Spanish villages. It contains a chapel of adobe, the bel- 
 
LA PAZ.— SAN JUAN. 91 
 
 fry, formed of a piece of timber laid across two upriglit posts, 
 boasts three bells, whicb. make a pleasant chime, and summon the 
 people to morning and evening prayer. I called on the highest 
 dignitary of the place, the ' Gefe de Pohtica.' After the usual 
 offers of civihty, cigars were passed round; took leave, and called 
 on the second dignitary, the curate, who was a native of Madrid, 
 and had only been in the country nine months. He was hand- 
 some, intelligent, and polished, and seemed contented in the dis- 
 charge of his duties as pastor to these simple people. He had a 
 garden, the only one of La Paz, and in it he had brought to per- 
 fection a hmited variety of vegetables, among which was the 
 cauliflower, the finest I have ever seen ; but his success had not 
 stimulated the villagers to a similar experiment. The people 
 Uve on beef every day of the year, and every year of their lives, 
 and care too little for fruits and vegetables to begin their culti- 
 vation. 
 
 "The pastures of this neighborhood are very fine; the horses 
 and horned cattle of the surrounding country celebrated. The 
 growth of wood is not confined to the borders of the main river, 
 but extends for some distance into the interior, and skirts all the 
 small streams that find an outlet iato the Parana. By agreement 
 with the people of the country, an abundant supply may be ob- 
 tained for steamers. 
 
 " Senor Antonio Descalso supplied the Water Witch, and would 
 gladly enter into similar contracts. This port is not unlike that 
 of Parana — Bajada — with this advantage, that the shore may be 
 more nearly approached. A chain of low sandy islands between 
 the channel and the main land protects it from the strength of the 
 current. As the anchorage was good, we ' cast off' the coal-hulk, 
 which had been thus far in tow of the Water Witch from Monte- 
 video, secured her here as our coal depot, and, having made the 
 usual observations, proceeded on our voyage up the river. 
 
 " Three and a half miles from La Paz we reached the pass of 
 San Juan, and found a depth of but ten feet water, caused by nu- 
 merous islands, which extend for some distance, and form various 
 channels, making this the most difficult pass we encountered, and 
 subsequently ascertained it to be the worst in the river. Howev- 
 er, a shoal with a depth of ten feet at low water can scarcely be 
 considered a serious obstacle in river navigation. San Juan is 
 four hundred and forty-five miles from Buenos Ayres. Up. to this 
 place the least depth we had obtained was fourteen feet ; and it is 
 
92 CHANGES OF CHANNEL. 
 
 fair to infer that at tliis time the Water Witch was not in the chan- 
 nel, for but one or two casts of the lead gave so little water." 
 
 In this neighborhood the officers had fine opportunities of show- 
 ing their skill as sportsmen. We were now dependent upon guns 
 and fishing-lines for a supply of fresh provisions ; and so teeming 
 with animal life was both land and water, that the mess-table was 
 not only abundantly supplied with delicious game and fish, but, 
 with encouraging success, we added to our collections in natural 
 history. 
 
 Near La Paz, Lieutenant Amen brought down a fine swan ; it 
 was our first, and secured as a specimen. The Perdiz grande — large 
 partridge, Pavo del Monte — wild turkey, or turkey of the woods, 
 and the Oallina del Mo/ite — wild hen, were found in quantities, 
 and would be esteemed as delicacies on a Lucullian table ; but, 
 forced to live upon them for some weeks, we would gladly have 
 exchanged them for a good butcher's joint. 
 
 From latitude 30° 44' 8", four miles beyond La Paz, the general 
 course of the river is north up to 29° 11' south, ninety-three miles 
 by difference of latitude, and ninety-eight by the sinuosities of the 
 channel ; a remarkable directness, its windings differing from a 
 right line only five miles. Atiihis point, Yuelta del Norte — " Bend 
 of the North," the river, as if wearied of a direct course, winds 
 about in a most extraordinary manner, now north, here south, 
 through sixteen pomts of the compass. Among the islands which 
 cause the shallow channels of San Juan, numerous changes are 
 constantly taking place. This may be discovered by comparing 
 the charts of Captain Sullivan, K.ISr., who made, in 1847, a running 
 survey of the Parana to Corrientes, with the charts of our expedi- 
 tion, the surveys for which were made in 1853 and 1854. Not 
 only the channels, but the appearance of the river were in some 
 places materially changed. Islands have been enlarged, others 
 reduced in size ; some have disappeared altogether, and their po- 
 sitions, as marked upon his chart, are now, in some instances, the 
 channel of the river. The track of the Water Witch at the lower 
 pass of San Juan passes directly over the position of an island 
 marked on Sullivan's charts. This proves nothing wrong in his 
 surveys ; but it is an interesting fact, showing the remarkable phys- 
 ical changes constantly produced by the action of the currents, 
 which, if watched and studied with care, would doubtless develop 
 some interesting law of nature governmg and controUing the move- 
 ment of these waters. 
 
CAPINCHAS.— LOCUSTS. 93 
 
 On leaving La Paz, we had on the left bank the province of 
 Corrientes, on the right " El gran Chaco." In latitude 30° 20', the 
 Eiver Espinilla, an unimportant stream, that takes its rise in the 
 province of Corrientes, disembogues in the Parana ; and near this 
 place we saw two capibaras or capinchas on the bank, which our 
 carbines soon enabled us to secure as specimens. Thej were male 
 and female ; the former weighing one hundred pounds, and meas- 
 uring- in length three feet seven and a half inches ; the female nine- 
 ty-one pounds, and three feet seven inches in length. It seems to 
 form a link between the hare and the hog, having the mouth and 
 teeth of the former, and the head, skin, and hair of the latter. A 
 thick membrane unites four toes on the fore, and three on the hind 
 foot, making them semi- web-footed. The male may be distinguish- 
 ed from the female by a horny protuberance of an inch and a half 
 on the nose. Both have a similar prominence on each hind leg 
 from three to four inches in length. It feeds on vegetables, and is 
 never seen at any distance from a lake or river, into which it dash- 
 es at full speed when pursued ; sometimes precipitating itself from 
 banks of twenty feet elevation, and diving under the water, where 
 it will remain for several minutes. When not in motion, it is in- 
 variably seen in a sitting posture, and its inactive, clumsy move- 
 ments on land would make it an easy prey to the jaguar, did not 
 its instinct teach it to seek protection in the water. The flesh of 
 this animal is similar in appearance to that of the hog, and, had we 
 not been supphedwith such abundance of game and fish, we might 
 have regarded it as a dehcacy ; it was served up by some of the 
 men at their messes, and its savory odor made it quite a tempting 
 dish. 
 
 '•'■ September &h. Atmosphere clear, sky cloudless. Witnessed an 
 extraordinary spectacle. I called the pilot's attention to a black 
 cloud in the northeast which seemed to be rapidly approaching. 
 Eyeing it attentively for a minute through the telescope, he pro- 
 nounced it a swarm of locusts. They came at last in mjrriads, 
 darkening the air. Some fell on deck, or were caught by the rig- 
 ging and spars. They were migrating from a part of the country 
 which they had denuded of all vegetation, to new fields or orchards 
 destined to share the same fate." Subsequently, in Paraguay, I had 
 an opportunity of witnessing their destructive power. A swarm 
 took possession of an orange grove, which in a short time was left 
 as leafless as the orchards of northern latitudes in mid-winter. 
 The young locusts, before they make their first flight, are the most 
 
94 DEER CHASE 
 
 destructive. Fortunately, for tlie labors of man would be of little 
 avail did a contrary law prevail, these visitations are not frequent 
 or even annual; the inhabitants of the country, from observation 
 of the habits of these insects, know when they may expect to suf- 
 fer from their ravages. The beginning of October is the season at 
 which they usually appear. They swarm in myriads, having the 
 appearance, as we saw them, of a dark, threatening cloud ; and on 
 their approach, a number of persons collect, who, with whoops, 
 yells, and deafening noises, sometimes succeed in driving away the 
 plague ; but should they settle upon a tract of uncultivated land in 
 the vicinity, it is then well understood that the surrounding vege- 
 tation will suifer. They deposit their eggs ; in December the young 
 locusts appear, and before the first flight in February, spread over 
 neighboring orchards and fields, feeding continuously for several 
 weeks. 
 
 My journal reminds me that this is the first night we have suf- 
 fered from musquitoes, but we are well supplied with nets and bars. 
 
 ^'■September 7 th. No longer in sight of the high lands of Corrien- 
 tes. The course of the river is interrupted by numberless and 
 nameless islands, also the mouths of various riachos, some of which 
 course through the firm lands on the left bank before again unit- 
 ing with the main river, thus affording convenient access to the 
 estancias. In latitude 29° 50', at Riacho Timbo, got one cast of 
 the lead often feet, there being immediately below and above it a 
 depth of fourteen and twenty-one feet. I designate only the shal- 
 lowest points of the river, which call for vigilance on the part of 
 the pilot. Throughout, with these exceptions, the invariable depth 
 was from twenty to seventy feet. At Paso Patil it is again divided 
 into many branches. Here we, found a depth of but ten feet." 
 
 While in the act of anchoring to ascertain the direction of the 
 channel, we saw a deer swimming majestically from the east to the 
 west bank. It offered an occasion not only of securing a specimen, 
 but fine sport for ofl&cers and men. A boat was soon engaged in 
 the chase, which was kept up for some time with great spirit, and 
 infinitely to the amusement of those looking on from the Water 
 Witch. Its movements and speed were wonderful, calling forth 
 our admiration as it turned first to the left, then to the right, or 
 again dashed forward, but evading capture by the most skillful 
 manoeuvres. As we were anxious to secure it alive, that its skin 
 might be preserved perfect, the chances of escape for the noble an- 
 imal were great. The lasso, thrown in gaucho style, at last did its 
 
THE DEER.— RI AC HO CARAGUATAY. 95 
 
 work ; a desperate struggle then commenced, but was soon ended 
 by a skillful blow dealt a la matador by one of the party. Because 
 of its enormous size, it was with difficulty gotten into the boat. 
 It weighed two hundred and sixty-eight pounds, and measured in 
 length eighty inches without the tail ; around the body forty-eight 
 inches, and forty -four in height. Its color was a reddish-brown, 
 hair long and thick ; in many points answering to the guazu pucu 
 of Azara, but again there were striking peculiarities in which they 
 differed widely. There was a remarkable cavity of three fourths 
 of an inch under each eye, emitting a powerful odor of musk ; also 
 a cheese-like substance of most offensive smell on each side of the 
 upper jaw, in a sack, with a conduit into the nostrils. The people 
 of the country told us that, to make the flesh of this deer palatable, 
 it was necessary to cut out these offensive parts before life was ex- 
 tinct. We had no opportunity of making the experiment, but a 
 saddle of this specimen, served up in good style at our table, set at 
 defiance the keenest appetite, so strongly did it savor of musk. 
 We were also told that, as a means of defense when pursued, it 
 exhales, at intervals of a few seconds, an odor so offensive as to 
 deter both men and dogs from the chase. We know that nature 
 provides some animals with a similar power of protection, and it 
 is not improbable that this species of deer may possess it ; but in 
 its pursuit, which was on water, this peculiarity was not perceived 
 by the party from the Water Witch. 
 
 Fifteen miles above, we anchored to examine the Paso Patil, lat- 
 itude 29 °15'. We passed the junction of the Eiacho Caraguatay, 
 which branches off from the main river thirteen miles by its course, 
 but in a right line five. It takes its name from an aloe (so called 
 by the Guarani Indians), which, in treating of Paraguay, I shall de- 
 scribe. It is there found in gTeat abundance ; is one of the most 
 valuable indigenous products of that rich country, and will doubt- 
 less become, in course of time, an article of trade. 
 
 We had advanced two miles when we passed the mouth of the 
 Eiacho San Geronimo, flowing into tte Parana from the Chaco. 
 It branches off from the main river seventeen miles above, and is 
 named from a Jesuit establishment, formed at that point in 1748, 
 among the celebrated Apibones. Not a vestige of it remains, al- 
 though it nmnbered at one period four hundred and eighty souls. 
 
 The river here makes the Vuelta del Norte, to which I have al- 
 luded, and describes an S ; then takes a direction of N.N.E., which 
 it maintains to latitude 28° 40' south, and thence, to the town of 
 
96 GOYA. 
 
 Corrientes, the general course of north. The country is low on 
 both sides up to latitude 29° 01' south, when the firm lands again 
 have an elevation of forty feet. 
 
 Sixteen miles, by the course of the river, from the Vuelta del 
 Norte, we anchored off the mouth of the Goya, on which is situated 
 a town of the same name three miles above; at the season of low 
 water vessels of more than four feet draught can not make a nearer 
 approach. I visited the authorities of Goya, and received the usual 
 civilities, which every native of this country, however humble his 
 position or deficient in education, knows how to offer in the most 
 pleasing manner. 
 
 The town has 7000 inhabitants, and possesses considerable trade. 
 It is an outlet for the products of a fine back-country — the in- 
 terior of Corrientes — which receives, in return, supplies of mer- 
 chandise. There is nothing prepossessing in the appearance of 
 Goya, or the immediate surrounding country ; it is low, and the 
 pastures are less rich than those of other parts of the province. 
 Civil wars have left their desolating mark upon this part of Cor- 
 rientes. Cattle have been destroyed, and the people diverted from 
 agricultural and pastoral pursuits to fighting among themselves. 
 A happier system will doubtless prevail under the existing Con- 
 federation. Even at this time, the trade in hides and tallow is 
 very considerable. Having accomplished our business in the town, 
 in descending the river to the Water Witch, we saw two capinchas 
 seated upon the bank. They allowed the boat to approach with- 
 in half of its length, when, with the grunt of a hog, they dashed 
 into the thicket. The boat's crew were soon in pursuit, but had 
 scarcely entered the bushes at different points, when the animals 
 bounded forth, and precipitated themselves into the river. With 
 some management, the capincha might easily be secured on land, 
 as its movements are awkward and slow. Each man, on this oc- 
 casion, thought that another had allowed the game to escape ; but 
 all had some sport, and a capincha chase will doubtless serve as 
 the foundation for a long yarn in their next man-of-war cruise. 
 The usual observations were made to determine the position of 
 the mouth of the Goya. 
 
 We had ascended about eight miles, where the left bank of the 
 river attains an elevation of from forty to one hundred and twenty 
 feet, which continues unbroken to the town of Bella Vista, in lati- 
 tude 28° 29' south, longitude 59° 07' 02" west. On this range are 
 some fine estancias. The dwellings on these estates are generally 
 
BELLA VISTA.— PRODUCTIONS. 97 
 
 of adobe, tliatclied, with neither gardens nor ornamented grounds 
 about them, but lovely orange-groves. These are not only profit- 
 able, but the delicious shade they aflbrd renders them the favorite 
 resort for the siesta. On the right bank the lands of the Chaco 
 rise from twelve to fifteen feet, and continue at this height for 
 some miles, when they are again broken by low islands. This 
 elevation characterizes generally the banks of the Parana and 
 Paraguay throughout the Chaco. 
 
 Twenty miles above Goya we foimd a remarkable change in 
 the channel from the west to the east of the island of Tunas. It 
 thence skirts the left bank until within a few miles of Bella Vista, 
 where its course is again broken by*a number of islands. Two 
 miles above Tunas we were compelled to anchor and make an ex- 
 amination of its course. Here is a pass, throughout which the 
 channel is narrow and tortuous, with a depth of but ten feet ; it 
 extends for a short distance only. Just below Bella Yista, the 
 left bank rises one hundred and thirty feet, forming a bluff called 
 Guayana, from an aboriginal tribe of that name, who formerly 
 claimed the surrounding country. A remnant of these Indians, 
 now quiet and demi-civilized, still occupy a few huts in the vicinity. 
 
 Bella Vista has about one thousand inhabitants, and boasts a 
 Plaza, a church, and commandancia, or of&ce of the commander of 
 the district. I found here one of our countrymen, who had estab- 
 lished himself in the neighborhood for the purpose of cultivating 
 cotton, which is a perennial plant, and is said to produce abmi- 
 dantly for fifteen years ; that of the best quality is the product of 
 the first and second years. I learned subsequently that he did 
 not succeed in his enterprise. There is also residing here an En- 
 glishman, engaged largely in the manufacture of molasses and 
 aguardiente. Corn is the principal cereal, but grown only for 
 home consumption, though it might be made an article of profit- 
 able trade. The oranges and peaches are of excellent quality. 
 Indeed, Nature seems to have exhausted her bounty upon these 
 Argentine States. They have the products of temperate and trop- 
 ical zones ; their woods and flora are rarely equaled ; the climate 
 is neither enervating nor severe, and the atmosphere never laden 
 with miasma. What a land of promise to European emigrants ! 
 
 So anxious are the government and people to induce immigra- 
 tion, that lands are freely given. The fertility of the soil is every 
 where made available to trade, through the natural canalization, 
 formed by branches which, diverging from the main rivers, and 
 
 7 
 
98 FISHING.— MONKEY-HUNTING. 
 
 coursing for a long distance through, the interior country, again 
 find an outlet in the central waters. With the mechanical aids of 
 this progressive age, the labor of one man would be equal to that 
 of ten in regions less favored. The agricultural tribes of the Chaco 
 might furnish herdsmen and farm-assistants. I have alluded to 
 the successful experiments on the western borders, with these In- 
 dians as laborers. 
 
 While at anchor off Bella Vista for a night, the officers amused 
 themselves by a mode of fishing familiar to me, from having seen 
 it practiced along the shores of York Eiver, in Virginia. Vast 
 quantities of a species of fish, known in the Chesapeake as the 
 "Jumping Mullet," are found in this part of the Parana. Push- 
 ing quietly up stream after dark, with the shoal between the fish- 
 ing-party and the shore, the men rapped on the sides of the boat, 
 the frightened fish leaped out of the water in every direction, 
 hundreds at the same time jumping into the boat. In an incredi- 
 bly short time the whole shijj's company were in this manner sup- 
 plied with a mess. In York Eiver the fishermen carry a light 
 elevated some three or four feet, and cover their boats with twigs 
 to prevent the escape of their prisoners. 
 
 The numerous islands above and below Bella Vista cause sev- 
 eral difl&cult passes, where we found a depth of but ten feet. The 
 most intricate is three miles above, where the channel, with a 
 width of three quarters of a mile, forms a serpentine figure. Pass- 
 ing near the island of Tobaco, fifteen miles above Bella Vista, one 
 of the crank straps broke, which obliged us to anchor for repairs. 
 
 I landed on Tobaco Island with my gun in search of specimens. 
 Monkeys chattered in the trees above our heads. I shot four, cor- 
 resj)onding to the species " Caraza^'' described by Azara. One of 
 them lived for some minutes ; it touched its wound, looked at the 
 blood, then at me with a glance piteous and reproachful ; its moans 
 were plaintive, and really touching from their resemblance to those 
 of a human being. I resolved never again to shoot a monkey. 
 The pilot, who was with me, shot a Ciconia, an enormous bird, a 
 species of stork. One of the sailors, from a nest on the top of a 
 lofty tree, secured two young ones, and, hoping to preserve them 
 alive, we took them on board. For a few days they thrived, and 
 I imagined that we should have no difficulty in rearing them, but 
 I was disappointed. The skins of the monkeys and old birds 
 were brought home in good condition ; those of the young ones 
 were too delicate for preservation. 
 
ORANGE ESTANCIA. 99 
 
 "Our damage repaired, we proceeded. Passed the Eiaclio Natu 
 on the Chaco side, in the same parallel as Tobaco Island. The 
 river now courses east for ten miles, when it again assumes a 
 northerly direction. The right bank within this distance is known 
 in the country as Chimbola coast." 
 
 I could not learn the origin of this designation, but it is very 
 usual to find different sections of the banks distinguished by some 
 particular name, occasionally derived from that of the present or 
 former owners. 
 
 At the point where the Parana pursues a northerly course, the 
 Eiacho Natu branches off, and two miles above we passed the 
 mouth of the Taquari Chico, which rises in the Chaco. Its banks, 
 so far as we could judge, were well wooded, and there was a 
 quantity of timber cut, ready for use. I found imfformly great 
 difficulty in procuring any information of the interior of the Chaco; 
 but, from the appearance of its banks, and the growth upon them, 
 I decided that the Taquari Chico was not a riacho, but a river. 
 Opposite its mouth is an island of the same name, and five miles 
 above is the little village of Capilla del Senor — " Chapel of the 
 Lord," on the elevated land of the left bank. An island inter- 
 cepts the view when on the same parallel ; and between it and the 
 main land courses a riacho of equal width with the main channel, 
 which some years past was navigable for vessels of the iisual size, 
 but it now admits only of the passage of boats. 
 
 Passing this island, we had again the firm lands of Corrientes, 
 washed by the waters of the lifain river for a distance of fifteen 
 miles, to the estancia Domingo de la Torre. This is the property 
 of Don Pedro Domingo de la Torre, and is reputed to be one of the 
 finest estancias in the province. It is famous for its orange-groves, 
 in which there are five thousand trees in full bearing, and the same 
 number coming on ; the net profit from it is, as I learned, five 
 thousand dollars per annum, for the facilities of navigation ren- 
 der the cultivation of this fruit profitable ; and though the oranges 
 of Corrientes are not equal, either in size or quality, to those of 
 Brazil or Paraguay, they are good, and meet with a ready sale, 
 not only in the markets of Buenos Ayres, but in all the villages 
 and towns of the country. Next to beef, it is among all classes 
 the principal and favorite article of food, and my only astonish- 
 ment is that groves are not to be found on all the estancias of the 
 country, where soil and climate both favor their propagation. 
 
 For the first time, we met with the Camiloie^ a species of water- 
 
100 ARRIVAL AT CORRIENTES. 
 
 lily, which floats with the current, and is a sure indication of the 
 rising of the waters in the higher parts of the river. This plant 
 grows with great rapidity during the season of low water, near 
 the banks, but at the rise it is rooted up and carried down by the 
 current. Here, too, we could see the effect of the mingling of the 
 waters of the Parana and Vermejo. The latter, flowing through 
 a more recent alluvial formation, and with a current of one third 
 greater velocity, rushes into the comparatively limpid waters of 
 the Parana, carrying an immense quantity of detritus. 
 
 Corrientes is twelve miles above the Estancia Domingo de la 
 Torre. Between these two points, on the right bank, a riachu- 
 elo and a more important stream, the Eio Negro, flow into the 
 Parana from the Chaco. The latter, it is said, affords good'boat 
 navigation for a long distance into the interior. Fine timber is 
 found on the banks, which is floated down to its mouth, and re- 
 ceived on board of vessels below. 
 
 We anchored off Corrientes on the 23d of September. My first 
 visit was to the governor, Seiior Don Juan Pujol. As it was an 
 ofl&cial call, it was made at La Gasa delEsiado — " The State House," 
 a one-storied quadrangular building of brick, with a wide entrance 
 leading to a court, upon which opened all the reception rooms 
 and ofl&ces. As my name was announced in entering, the gov- 
 ernor, who was seated at a long table covered with business-look- 
 ing documents, rose, and advanced with many courteous expres- 
 sions of welcome. Placing me upon a sofa, he seated himself, and, 
 after the usual civilities, turned the conversation to the explora- 
 tion of the rivers. He spoke with deep interest of the benefit it 
 would confer upon the Argentine States, and alluded to the iso- 
 lated condition which the selfish policy of Eosas had imposed 
 upon them, and the consequent ignorance of the people as to 
 the wealth of their own resources. Our expedition, he hoped, 
 would stimulate immigration and commercial enterprise toward 
 La Plata, Governor Pujol showed himself to be a man of intel- 
 ligence and education; and after an interview and conversation 
 protracted far beyond the limits of an official visit, by a manifest 
 disposition on his part to do so, I left him, with the assurance 
 that any aid in his power for the advancement of our work would 
 be given. These professions were made with apparent sincerity, 
 and I afterward had the satisfaction to find that they were acted 
 out in good faith. 
 
 The following day the governor, accompanied by a friend, re- 
 
NAVIGATION OF THE PAKANA, 103 
 
 turned my visit, and was welcomed on board the first United 
 States man-of-war that ha^ touched at Corrientes. I explained 
 to him that, fitted up for an exploring expedition, we hesitated 
 to call her a war steamer, but could show him some fire-arms of 
 the latest improvement, in the examination of which he ex- 
 pressed great interest. 
 
 Corrientes has twelve thousand inhabitants, and is on the left 
 l^ank of the Parana, twenty miles below its junction with the 
 Paragiiay. It has an extended water-front, and the anchorage 
 admits of a near approach to the shore, where vessels are re- 
 moved from the influence of the currents, ^e town is laid out 
 in the usual style of Spanish American cities, with streets inter- 
 secting each other at right angles. There are several churches 
 of some architectural pretension, but generally the buildings are 
 one-storied, with " azoteas." The better class of private dwell- 
 ings are of brick, very spacious, with open courts adorned with 
 orange-trees and gay flowers. They are all neatly plastered and 
 whitewashed on the exterior. The interior arrangements, with- 
 out any effort at decoration, are comfortable. The rooms are 
 constructed with a special regard to the climate, and, with the 
 same consideration, simply but appropriately furnished. I shall 
 again allude to this place, as the operations of the expedition 
 obliged us subsequently to visit it. 
 
 Before proceeding farther, it may not be unimportant to note 
 one or two facts connected with our passage up the " Parana," 
 and to sum up the names and distances of the most prominent 
 points, from its mouth at Martin Garcia to its junction with the 
 Paraguay. It must be remembered that the Water Witch, with a 
 draught of nine feet, ascended the Parana in the month of Sep- 
 tember, the season of low water, when the pilot pronounced the 
 river lower than usual ; that she encountered no shoal which she 
 could not pass over with that draught, and that the least depth 
 ever shown by the lead in the channel was nine feet. The navi- 
 gation is attended with no danger; there are neither rocks nor 
 sunken trees to impede the way, and, notwithstanding the shiftmg 
 of the channel which annually takes place at some points, there is 
 always one open with the usual depth of water. The velocity of 
 the current is two and a half miles the hour. The rise of the wa- 
 ter, which begins in December, is about twelve feet. It reaches 
 its maximum in February and March, and its minimum in August. 
 There is also a partial rise of six feet in October, which, rapid and 
 
104 THE EIVER PROVINCES. 
 
 transient, continues one montli, then falls to its former level in tlie 
 same space of time. From Diamante Upward there are fine woods, 
 and much of it is excellent as fuel for steamers ; beef and fruits 
 may be purchased at all the towns, and game and fish had for the 
 trouble of seeking them. But the Spanish Americans care little 
 for this latter food— indeed, they are prejudiced against it; and 
 above Buenos Ayres, where a large foreign population gives rise 
 to a demand for it, the people, neither for trade nor amusement, 
 employ themselves in fishing. ^ 
 
 The confluence of the Parana and Paraguay is about one thou- 
 sand miles from tha Atlantic. The country on both sides is fer- 
 tile, and above Buenos Ayres, on the firm lands, there are nu- 
 merous estancias, extending from the river banks for many miles 
 into the interior. I have been filled with amazement at the re- 
 sources of these " riverine" provinces, and their availability, with- 
 out the construction of roads, canals, or even the usual obstruc- 
 tions of river navigation, for direct trade with foreign countries. 
 In this course of one thousand miles, the cereals, vegetables, fruits, 
 woods, and flora of almost every zone may be grown to perfection, 
 as is proved by the actual products under the present primitive 
 system of culture. The horned cattle, horses, and sheep are re- 
 markably fine, and their existing numbers, spite of the civil wars 
 which have distracted the country, show the extraordinary adapt- 
 ability of the climate and natural pastures to their increase. The 
 population is sufficient to form the basis of an extended and im- 
 mediate trade ; and the Indians, with the exception of the warlike 
 tribes of the Chaco, are quiet or semi-civilized. The climate is 
 benign, even in low, marshy neighborhoods, as experienced by 
 ourselves, and attested by many writers, particularly Azara, who 
 was employed by the Spanish government to run the boundary- 
 line between its possessions and those of Portugal, and spent 
 twenty years of his life in this work. The Spanish Americans 
 and Mestizos we met with were uniformly friendly and hospitable, 
 and the cities and small towns offer some agreeable society. Be- 
 yond or above Buenos Ayres there are neither Protestant schools 
 nor churches, but there is nothing forbidding them in the Consti- 
 tution of the Argentine Confederation. 
 
 The distances of points alluded to in the ascent of the Parana, 
 between its mouth or "Martin Garcia" and " Cerito," at the 
 mouth of the Paraguay, are, in statute miles, as follows : 
 
TABLE OF DISTANCES. 105 
 
 From ]\Iartin Garcia to the Guazu 24 miles. 
 
 « Guazu* to San Pedro 88 " 
 
 « San Pedro to San Nicholas 40 " 
 
 " « " to Obligado . 10 " 
 
 " San Nicholas to Arroyo del Medio .... 2 " 
 
 « « " to Rosario 52 " 
 
 " Eosario to San Lorenzo 14^ " 
 
 " " to mouth of the Cacarafia 22 " 
 
 « " to Diamante 67 " 
 
 " Diamante to Parana 36 " 
 
 '• Parana to La Paz 102 " 
 
 '• La Paz to Goya 145 " 
 
 '• Goya to Bella Vista 53 « 
 
 (( 
 
 " Bella Vista to Corrientes 81 
 
 « Corrientes to Cerito 18 « 
 
 CHAPTER YI. 
 
 The Waters of the Paracruay and Parana. — Affluents of the Paraguay. — Enter 
 the Territory of Paraguay. — Salute to the Admiral of the Navy of the Republic 
 of Paraguay. — Visit from the Admiral. — Boundaries of the South American Re- 
 publics. — Banks of the Paraguay. — Palm-trees and beautiful Scenery. — Guardias 
 and Piquetes. — Tres Bocas. — Guardia Humaita. — President Louez and the Bra- 
 zilian Squadron. — Vermejo River. — Pillar. — Caiia. — Caranday Palm. — The Ti- 
 biquari. — Salute of Musketry. — Villa Franca. — The Commandante. — The Las- 
 so and Bolas. — Oliva. — Villa Villeta. — A Cigar with the Commandante. — San 
 Antonio. — Mount Lambare. — Arrival at Asuncion. — Rise and Fall of the Para- 
 guay. 
 
 After remaining tliree days at Corrientes, we obtained observa- 
 tions for determining its geographical position and variation of the 
 compass, I also commenced here a series of observations, to be 
 pursued at suitable points, for determining the characteristics of the 
 waters of the eastern and western affluents. "While those from 
 the east are generally pure, those flowing from the west, through 
 the Chaco, are, with few exceptions, saline. Azara says that m 
 summer, at the season of low water, nearly all the springs, lakes, 
 and streams of that region are " more or less brackish." Accord- 
 ing to Father Patino, a Jesuit, who in 1721, accompanied by sev- 
 eral of his order and sixty Guarani Indians, made a partial ex- 
 ploration of the Pilcomayo, with the hope of discovering a water 
 communication between the missions of Chiquitos and those of the 
 
 * ^louth of the Parana. 
 
106 ENTER THE TERRITORY OF PARAGUAY. 
 
 east, the lands through which this river courses are in many 
 places strongly impregnated with salt, "saZ comun bueno, en varias 
 partes de las harrancai'' — " Grood common salt in various parts of 
 the banks." 
 
 Much to my surprise, I found that the graduation of the hy- 
 drometer sunk entirely below the surface of the water, thus giving 
 no reading. I was unwilling to believe that the mingled waters 
 of the Parana and Paraguay were of less specific gravity than dis- 
 tilled or pure rain water. The standard temperature of the instru- 
 ment was 60° Fahrenheit, some degrees below that of the water 
 we were now endeavoring to test : in that lay a solution of the 
 difficulty. 
 
 To the junction of the Parana and Paraguay, twenty miles above 
 Corrientes, the course of the former river is interrupted by low 
 islands. Here it takes a general direction east, and the Paraguay 
 a tortuous course north. Three miles above Corrientes are the 
 islands Medio and Mesa, on the left. There the water, hitherto 
 comparatively clear, becomes turbid from commingling with that 
 of the Vermejo, or Ked River, so called from the discoloration 
 caused by the detritus borne along by it during the periodical 
 floods. Some distance above, the Vermejo flows into the Para- 
 guay. Opposite the upper end of the island Mesa is the mouth 
 of a small arm of the Paraguay, Riacho Atajo, which branches off 
 from the main river three miles above its confluence with the Pa- 
 rana. 
 
 A continuous chain of low islands now skirt the west bank of 
 the Parana up to that 'of Atajo, at the confluence of the Parana 
 and Paraguay. This island is claimed as the territory of the Ar- 
 gentine Confederation, but Paraguay has possession, and maintains 
 it, not by diplomacy or argument, but by the establishment of 
 a military post upon it — "Guardia Cerito," latitude 27° 17' 32'', 
 longitude 58° 37' 32". 
 
 If it had not been the established rule of our work to anchor 
 and take observations at all important points, custom, or, indeed, 
 the laws of Paraguay, made it obligatory to stop here and commu- 
 nicate with the commandante before continuing the ascent of the 
 river. Immediately on anchoring, the Water Witch was visited 
 by two ofiicers with the compliments of the admiral. This was a 
 naval station, and the officer in command, with the imposing title of 
 "Admiral of the Navy of the Republic of Paraguay,!' had a squad- 
 ron of five small vessels. We had heretofore, on all public occa- 
 
THE ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET. 107 
 
 sions since entering La Plata, avoided firing salutes on account of 
 our chronometers, upon which the accuracy of the work depended. 
 I considered it now useless to offer explanations or 'excuses, and 
 fearing that my motive might be misinterpreted, we took the usual 
 }-)recautions to protect the instruments, and saluted the admiral (the 
 Paraguay flag " at the fore") with thirteen guns, which was immedi- 
 ately returned with a corresponding number. Salutes having thus 
 been exchanged, the admiral came on board, and expressed mueh 
 pleasure at our arrival, assuring me that a cordial welcome await- 
 ed the expedition at Asuncion. He had received, a month previ- 
 ously, instructions from the President to offer me every facility for 
 Tiscending the river ; to supply us with any provisions we might 
 need, and an experienced pilot. This first reception in the waters 
 of Paraguay was certainly cheering ; for, from what we had heard, 
 we knew that President Lopez was here the government supreme, 
 from whose orders there could be no appeal or deviation. 
 
 We found the river full at its highest point, verifying what I 
 liad heard, that the seasons of high and low water in the Parana 
 and Paraguay were the reverse. 
 
 Observations having been taken, the ascent was continuedjj the 
 admiral and some of his officers being on board, and their canoe in 
 tow. He wished to witness the working of our steamer, the first 
 United States man-of-war that had ever entered the waters of the 
 Paraguay. After ascending a mile, our friends took leave of us, 
 and returned to Cerito Guardia. 
 
 The appearance of the Paraguay offers some striking contrasts 
 to the Parana. Its general width rarely exceeds half a mile ; it has 
 comparatively few islands, a tortuous course, and a more open chan- 
 nel. The current is from two to two and a half miles the hour. 
 
 The country on the left bank is undisputed Paraguay territory ; 
 that on the right is "El gran Chaco." The Argentine Confeder- 
 ation claims the latter for a distance covering the mouth of the 
 Vermejo, but Paraguay does not recognize this right, and main- 
 tains her jurisdiction over that part of the river by a naval and 
 military force, established not only at Cerito Guardia, but at va- 
 rious other points. It is very difficult to obtain any reliable in- 
 formation as to the grounds upon which these territorial limits in 
 the Chaco are based. All the republics of La Plata have among 
 them unsettled questions of boundary, but those relating to this 
 country are founded upon original treaties made when the entire 
 southern hemisphere was divided between Spain and Portugal. 
 
108 BANKS OF THE PARAGUAY. 
 
 The ground in dispute between the Argentine States and Paraguay- 
 has only an extent of twenty-seven miles in latitude and forty by 
 the course of the river, scarcely the length of many estancias; and 
 in La Plata, where there are extended regions of fertile but waste 
 lands, would be of no consequence but for its geographical features. 
 It gives Paraguay command of the mouth of theVermejo, a river 
 known to be navigable to the northwest provinces of the Argent- 
 ine Confederation, Salta and Jujui. 
 
 The banks of the Paraguay are less elevated than those of the 
 Parana ; up to Asuncion, they rarely exceed twenty-five feet. To 
 within a short distance of the capital their geological formation is 
 unvarying: a substratum of yellowish sand of about ten feet thick- 
 ness, a middle stratum of earthy clay, and a surface virgin soil of 
 about three feet. The timber is abundant, and of excellent quality. 
 
 "In the isles of the Parana," says my journal, "we have seen 
 the lovely gardens of La Plata, we have now before us her parks. 
 It is the region of the palm, which here rises to a great height. 
 The grass is green, luxuriant, and clean as a well-kept lawn ; deer 
 gambol under the trees, and it needs not a vivacious imagination 
 to conceive that, at each bend in the river, some noble mansion, to 
 which these parks pertain, will appear. A few habitations are 
 alone wanted to animate the landscape, and complete the pleasant 
 association of homes in this fair land. There are extended for- 
 ests of these palms, so symmetrical, fresh, free from all that could 
 detract from their beauty ; growing apart at such exact, apparent- 
 ly measured distances, that we are filled with astonishment and 
 admiration." 
 
 The eastbarre: of the river is defended by (j'warc^^'as oxidi piqueies 
 throughout the extent of Paraguay, each occupied by from six to 
 twelve men ; the piquetes being placed at intervals of three miles, 
 while the guardias are more distant apart. They are the stations 
 of a river police for the detection and prevention of smuggling, 
 and also dispatch offices for the rapid transmission of intelligence 
 to the capital. On the west bank there are no guardias ; and in- 
 asmuch as the Indians of the Chaco have no canoes, the river is 
 considered a sufiicient barrier to prevent, on their part, any hostile 
 or predatory incursions. 
 
 Great as was the luxuriance of vegetation upon the Parana, as 
 we approach the equator I find it enriched by a more varied and 
 brilliant flora. Flowering shrubs abound, and delicately fragrant 
 epiphytes. The trunks of large trees are enwrapped by climbing 
 
GUAKDIAS AND TIQUETES. 109 
 
 plants, their long tendrils pendent, or festooning tlie lowest witli 
 the topmost branches, and enameling the dark foliage with their 
 many-hued blossoms. 
 
 The most unportant guardia above Cerito is that of Tres Bocas 
 — " Three Mouihs^^^ so called from there being at that point two 
 branches from the main river, the Atajo, to which I have alluded, 
 and the Pires, which flows into the Parana some few miles above 
 its junction with the Paraguay. Though distant from Cerito five 
 miles, these two guardias are often confounded with each other 
 under the name of Tres Bocas. Around the larger "guardias" 
 there is some little cultivation of corn and mandioca, but as abodes 
 they are generally desolate places. The houses consist merely of 
 posts planted in the ground, interlaced with bamboo, filled in 
 with mud, and thatched with common grass. The look-out is a 
 platform of about sixty feet in height, open at the sides, and 
 thatched with straw. It is generally so placed as to command an 
 extensive view up and down the river. The piquetes are simply 
 thatched sheds, with raw-hide hammocks for the men, suspended 
 so as to be protected by the roof from rain. Of these, the Guar- 
 dia Humaita occupied one of the most commanding points on the 
 Lower Paraguay, and there President Lopez, in 1855, erected quite 
 a formidable battery, in anticipation of troubles with Brazil, and 
 probably — certainly with good reason — with the United States. 
 
 The imperial government felt aggrieved at some indignities 
 offered to its minister at Asuncion, and sent a large naval force, 
 consisting of several war steamers and transports, under the com- 
 mand of Admiral , to demand satisfaction. We are left to 
 
 infer, from a subsequent debate in the Imperial Legislature at 
 Eio de Janeiro, that this officer was sent with discretionary power 
 to fight or negotiate, as circumstances might render necessary. 
 Negotiation was first resorted to, pending which the battery at 
 Humaita was erected, and the imperial squadron, with the excep- 
 tion of the admiral's flag-ship, in which he ascended to Asuncion, 
 was kept below. This river defense was pushed on with great 
 rapidity, and is of such strength that I believe it might have ar- 
 rested the ascent of the squadron. The delay incident to this ne- 
 gotiation was a move on the diplomatic chess-board showing abil- 
 ity and astuteness on the part of President Lopez. The expedition 
 was at that time a failure ; it, however, led to some after-proposi- 
 tion which resulted in an amicable settlement of the differences, 
 and the opening of the Paraguay to Brazilian vessels up to the 
 
110 THE VERMEJO.— PILAK. 
 
 northwest province of the empire, whose natural outlet is un- 
 doubtedly this river. This act of President Lopez, if extended 
 to all flags, might be classed with the decree of Urquiza which 
 opened the Argentine waters to the commerce of nations.* 
 
 In latitude 26° 51' 52" south, longitude 58° 28' 21'' west, forty- 
 eight miles above Cerito, the Eiver Vermejo pours its muddy 
 waters into the Paraguay from the west. It rises in the Cordil- 
 leras of the southern parts of Bolivia, and receives, in addition to 
 many minor tributaries, the more important river Jujuy, or Lava- 
 yan, which flows from the western ranges of Salta. From Palca 
 de Soria, where the Vermejo may be said to enter the Chaco, it 
 takes i,he general direction of southeast, under a very tortuous 
 course, to its junction with the Paraguay, directly opposite to a 
 guardia of the same name, undoubtedly placed there to give the 
 republic exclusive control over its mouth. 
 
 All the villages and guardias of Paraguay that have been or 
 may hereafter be mentioned, it must be remembered, are on the 
 east side of the river, with the exception of Cerito, which is upon 
 an island. Pilar, in latitude 26° 51' 9", longitude 58° 22' 85", is 
 the first village we meet with in ascendmg. In the time of Fran- 
 cia, and before the opening of the river to Asuncion, this town, 
 known as Nembucu, was a place of some commercial activity; 
 that is, it was the only port on the Paraguay open to trade, and 
 even to this point only those vessels that had received especial 
 permission could ascend. 
 
 We called upon the commandante, from whom I received many 
 assurances of his desire to serve us. Cigars of the native tobacco 
 were handed around, and cana — a liquor extracted from the sugar- 
 cane, of which each member of the company was expected to 
 take a sip. This hquor is usually taken without water, and is the 
 most potent tipple that I have ever tasted. As soon as good-breed- 
 ing would permit, I reheved my mouth of the burning sensation 
 it produced by a glass of water. Pilar has two thousand inhab- 
 itants, and is prettily placed on a fertile plain, elevated some 
 twenty feet above the river. The streets are at right angles, and 
 the houses, of one story, plastered and whitewashed, are roofed 
 either with tile, the trunks of palm-trees, or thatched. 
 
 This species of palm, the Caranday {Copernicia cerifera)^ forms 
 an excellent covering in this climate, and will last for thirty years. 
 The trunks of the trees are divided, and the interior wood, which 
 
 * This has more recently been done. 
 
THE TIBIQUARI.— VILLA FRANCA. HI 
 
 is very fibrous, taken out, leaving a shell of from one and a half 
 to two inches in thickness, which becomes hard and flinty when 
 dry. These are placed side by side, with the convex surface up, 
 extending from the pitch to the eaves ; their edges, when brought 
 together, are covered by a third trunk, forming a roof not unhke 
 tile, and quite as impervious to rain. This is the usual mode of 
 covering the quintas and ranchos on the river, and the Chaco op- 
 posite furnishes an inexhaustible supply of material. 
 
 I found great difficulty here, as in every part of Paraguay, in 
 obtaining any statistics, and can scarcely say whether this was to 
 be attributed to the ignorance of the people, or to suspicion of my 
 motive in making such inquiries. Some of the officers of the 
 Water "Witch occupied themselves with observations for geograph- 
 ical determination, while others added to our collection by obtain- 
 ing specimens of rare fish, and supplied our table with several va- 
 rieties of excellent quahty. 
 
 Thirty miles above Pilar the Tibiquari empties into the Para- 
 guay on the left bank. It rises in the central sierras of Paraguay, 
 and in a westerly course passes through the most populous and 
 fertile districts of the country. It could, at a mere nominal ex- 
 pense, be made navigable at all seasons for steamers of two feet 
 draught. The principal products of the interior, corn and tobac- 
 co, now transported in wagons carrying one and a half tons each, 
 could be conveyed to the capital in steamers of the capaQJty of 
 fifty wagons in half the time, and at one third the cost. This 
 river separates the two provinces, Villa Franca on the north, and 
 Pilar on the south. The former is remarkable for its fertihty, and 
 its prmcipal town, of the same name, is on the Paraguay, fifty- 
 nine miles above Pilar. 
 
 On approaching Villa Franca, I discovered, from the movements 
 of the guard, that we were expected to land ; I consequently came 
 to anchor. The bank leading to the town is ascended from the 
 river by a flight of steps, and, as we reached the top, a squad of 
 soldiers drawn up honored our arrival by two rounds of musketry. 
 The novelty of this salute was rather startling, but we acknowl- 
 edged it with due gravity, as a mark of respect for the " flag." 
 The commandante received us with the usual ceremonies and 
 hospitality. 
 
 General Lopez, the son of the president, who is conunander-in- 
 chief of the army, was, at the time of our arrival in Paraguay, ab- 
 sent on a diplomatic mission to the leading powers of Europe. 
 
112 
 
 LASSO AND BOLAS. 
 
 The good commandante spoke witli enthusiasm of his absent gen- 
 eral. He seemed to have a vague idea that he had been dispatch- 
 ed to a great distance on very important business, but was rather 
 at a loss to know whether that journey extended beyond the lim- 
 its of Paraguay. He had magnificent ideas of the vastness and 
 pohtical importance of his country, a delusion, I afterward discov- 
 ered, not peculiar to himself. 
 
 08E OF THE LASBO AUD BOLAS. 
 
 At his earnest request I accepted a beef for the ship's company; 
 for a bullock is here taken from the herd, slaughtered, and por- 
 tions served up at table in less time than it would take to kill and 
 cook a fowl with us. In an incredibly short time after my ac- 
 ceptance of his offer, a bellowing, plunging animal was brought 
 
OLIVA.— VILLA VILLETA. II3 
 
 under the lasso, to the bank in front of the steamer, and there 
 slaughtered for our use. 
 
 Twelve miles beyond Yilla Franca, and a quarter of a mile 
 from the banks of the Paraguay, is the village Oliva. Here the, 
 ] iver takes a. serpentine course, and, for the first tune, the banks 
 on the Chaco side rise to the height of twenty feet, presenting a 
 deep stratum of reddish clay beneath the vegetable surface-soil. 
 They are well timbered with lapacho, quebracho, urunday, and a 
 variety of other woods. Again this forest is succeeded by palms, 
 which, like those of Paraguay, rise from vigorous and verdant 
 plains of grass, without under-growth. Oliva stands on a plain 
 twenty feet above the river, which has here overflowed the low 
 lands in front, although this is not the reputed season of high wa- 
 ter ; for the same uniformity which marks the periodical changes 
 of the Parana does not prevail in the Paraguay. Twelve miles 
 above this village, on the Chaco side, is Monte Linda, a beautiful 
 grove of catigua. 
 
 From Oliva to Villa Villeta, the next small town on the Para- 
 guay, the distance is sixty-two miles. We anchored here after 
 dark. As I was anxious to proceed early the next morning, not- 
 withstanding the hour, I called to pay my respects to the chief 
 chgnitary of the village, whom I found seated under the project- 
 ing roof of his house, surrounded by his family. While the offi- 
 cers amused a group of villagers who had gathered around them 
 with tales of the dangers they had passed, I smoked a cigar with 
 the commandante by the dim light of a lantern that hung in front 
 of his dwelling, designed as much to attract the musquitoes from 
 within as to give light to the company without. Nearly all the 
 houses of Villa Villeta are constructed with these projections, 
 which serve the double purpose of protecting them from the 
 scorching rays of the sun, and in the evening as places of resort 
 for the inhabitants, who there sit, gossip and smoke — the latter 
 an accomplishment not limited to age or sex. 
 
 A short distance above this village the fine rolling lands of 
 Paraguay opened before us, with inclosed and well-cultivated 
 fields of corn, tobacco, and mandioca, alternated by beautiful palm 
 groves. Nothing could be more picturesque or verdant than the 
 country on both sides, and we had here what alone was needed 
 to perfect the landscapes below — habitations and culture. Eanchos 
 and quintas, surrounded by orange groves, were dotted here and 
 there, multiplying as we approached the capital. 
 
 8 
 
114 ARRIVAL AT ASUNCION. 
 
 Six miles above Yilleta is the guardia of San Antonio, whicli 
 was occupied in 1853 by " the American Company" established in 
 Paraguay. Beyond this guardia we passed Mount Lambare, an 
 isolated, conical wooded hill, of basaltic formation, rising abruptly 
 from the river bank to the height of three hundred and twelve 
 feet. On the opposite or Chaco side is the Eiacho Yaguare, into 
 which empties the Eiver Ypita, considered by some one of the 
 two mouths of the Pilcomayo. 
 
 A mile or two below the capital, the left banks become quite 
 precipitous, presenting a stratum of reddish chalk beneath the 
 surface-soil ; and immediately opposite is an island, across which 
 is seen the upper branch or mouth of the Pilcomayo. Here the 
 Paraguay turns abruptly east, and a mile above, on the left bank, 
 stands Asuncion. 
 
 We anchored oif the town on the 1st of October, and received 
 a visit from the captain of the port. Preliminaries arranged, a 
 national salute was fired from the Water Witch, with the Para- 
 guay flag at the fore, which was returned by the field-pieces of 
 the garrison at the government house. 
 
 The general width of the Paraguay up to the capital is half a 
 mile, at some points less than a quarter. The least depth found 
 was twenty feet, the greatest seventy -two, and " no bottom." 
 Yelocity of current in general, two miles per hour. There seems 
 to be less uniformity in its rise and fall than in those of the Pa- 
 rana. It has now reached its maximum height, which it ordi- 
 narily attains in December, and this is but the beginning of the 
 "rising season." With a view of determining, with some degree 
 of accuracy, its rise and fall, a graduated staff was "planted" in 
 a suitable place, and the fall of the river observed from the 24th 
 of October, 1853, to the 81st of March, 1854, throughout one en- 
 tire period of falling, and a portion of its rise. It was estimated, 
 at the time of the erection of the staff, that the waters had fallen 
 two feet, and, judging from the rate at which it fell, the river must 
 have been at its highest point the 1st of October. The greatest 
 fall from October 1st to February 5th was thirteen feet three 
 inches. 
 
 To a clear comprehension of the fluctuation in the river during 
 the time embraced, I take from the journal the following table 
 kept by Lieutenant Ammen. 
 
RISE AND FALL OF THE PARAGUAY. Hg 
 
 Statement of the fall and nse of the River Paragxmy, at Asuncion, from 
 October \st, 1853, to March 31s/, 1854. The river was above its ordi- 
 7iary high water on the \st of October. 
 
 Ft. In. 
 
 From October 1st to 24th, supposed fall by marks ... 2 00 
 
 « " 24th to 31st, by staflP, river fell 08 
 
 « « 31st to 29th Nov. " " 2 06 
 
 « Nov. 29th to 2tth Dec. " « 4 00 
 
 « Dec. 2tth to 5th Jan. « " 2 05 
 
 « Jan. 5th to 12th « « " 08 
 
 Fall of river from October 1st to Jan. 12th 12 03 
 
 From January 12th to Jan. 21st, river rose ....... .011 
 
 Difference of level from Oct. 1st to Jan. 21st 11 04 
 
 rt. Tn. 
 
 From Jan. 21st to Jan. 30th, river fell 09 
 
 « " 30th to Feb. 5th « « 1_02 
 
 fTi— 1 11 
 
 Greatest fall from Oct. 1st to Feb. 5th 13 03 
 
 On February 28th, same level. 
 
 From " 28th to March 31st, river rose 5 09 
 
 Difference of level from October 1st to March 31st 1 06 
 
 The width of the river at Asuncion by calculation was found 
 to be six hundred and five yards. It has, up to the capital, few 
 islands, and the navigation is less difficult than that of the Parana. 
 Its waters are confined within narrower limits, and its channel 
 has more uniformly the same depth. It has no such obstructions 
 as rocks or sunken trees, but sufficient depth throughout the year 
 for the largest river steamers, and enough at certain seasons for 
 vessels of sixteen feet — the greatest draught that could be carried 
 over the bar at Martin Grarcia Island, under the ordinary rise of 
 the tide at that point. The banks are wooded with fine timber 
 throughout, save at limited sections subject to inundation. Much 
 of this wood is valuable for building and ornamental purposes, 
 and also as fuel for steamers, and the waters contain a great vari- 
 ety of excellent fish, that may be caught either with seine or hook 
 and line. 
 
116 INTERVIEW WITH LOPEZ. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Interviews with President Lopez. — Negotiations.^Residence at Asuncion. — The 
 City. — Buildings. — Francia's Tomb. — Francia's Cruelties. — Isolation of Para- 
 guay. — Francia's System. — Dahlgreen's Howitzer. — The American Company. — 
 Celebration of Lopez's Birth-day. — Reception at the Government House. — Grand 
 Ball at the Residence of the Chief Justice. — The Speech. 
 
 On the day of our arrival I called on tlie Minister of Foreign 
 Affairs, and presented my letters of credence from the Secretary 
 of State, Mr. Everett. In this interview, " El Secretario" betrayed 
 more curiosity than intelligence as to the objects of our expedi- 
 tion. My visit ended with an appointment to call on the Presi- 
 dent the same day at 4 o'clock. 
 
 I was punctual to the hour, and found the corridor that sur- 
 rounds the government house filled with soldiers, who gave the 
 usual military salute as we passed. On entering the vestibule, 
 where was stationed a small guard, an officer received my card, 
 and taking it in to the President, I was, without a moment's de- 
 tention, admitted to his presence. A door, on each side, of which 
 was stationed a soldier, gave access from the vestibule to a long, 
 plainly-carpeted room, against the walls of which stood a row 
 of cane-seat chairs, arranged with military precision. At the 
 upper end was a circular table, where sat, with one arm resting 
 upon it, " His Excellency Senor Don Carlos Antonio Lopez," 
 President of the Republic of Paraguay. The engraving on the 
 opposite page will give the reader a more vivid impression of His 
 Excellency's personal appearance than any description I could 
 possibly offer. 
 
 A chair was placed (I presume purposely) at the table before 
 him, and, slightly raising his hat, without rising, as I approached, 
 he requested me to be seated, and to place my hat on the table, 
 which I afterward discovered was an act of condescension not to 
 be too lightly esteemed. I showed him my commission from the 
 President of the United States, of which he requested a copy, and 
 explained to him the objects of the expedition under my com- 
 mand. This reception was very unlike the unpretending but 
 courteous style of the Provisional Director of the Argentine Con- 
 federation. I afterward learned, however, that it was the usual 
 
LOPEZ. 
 
 117 
 
 etiquette observed by tlie President of Paraguay on all official oc- 
 casions to remain seated with his hat on. The higher the rank 
 of the visitor, the more particular is he in this observance. Sub- 
 sequently I had frequent interviews with him, and occasionally I 
 have known him to relax somewhat, and even to take his hat off; 
 a mark, I was assured, of extraordinary personal favor toward 
 myself. He is about fifty-four, and has never been out of the 
 confines of Paraguay, where, though ruling under the title of 
 President, his authority is despotic and unquestioned. He is 
 highly intelligent, well read, and familiar with the polity .of for- 
 eign governments; he is also an accomplished, but, as I after- 
 ward discovered, unscrupulous diplomatist. 
 
 CAELO ANTONIO LOPEZ, PRESIDENT OP PAEAGUAT. 
 
 Owing to the isolated position of his country, and her freedom, 
 so far, from friction with governments foreign to La Plata, or from 
 checks at home, he is rather defiant of the laws of nations. I 
 found him, in conversation, far more agreeable and affable than I 
 
;|^]^8 NEGOTIATIONS. 
 
 had been led to suppose. He talks mucli, and well. After an 
 interview of more than an hour, protracted by himself, he rose, 
 and I took leave, impressed with his favorable disposition toward 
 the expedition. 
 
 After the lapse of a few days I called again, and presented the 
 President with the plan of a steamer we wished to construct at 
 Asuncion for the survey of the smaller tributaries of the river. 
 I also gave him an estimate of the timber required for this purpose 
 ^for this is one of the national monopohes — and President Lo- 
 pez being the government, all business to which it can be a party 
 must be transacted with him. He examined the plan, read with 
 care our hst of requisites, and promptly said that instructions 
 should be immediately given to supply us with the articles enu- 
 merated, and any others that might be necessary for our purpose. 
 We at once made preparations for building our little craft. 
 The whole was intrusted to Lieutenant Ammen, who had drawn 
 the plan, and now, with the assistance of one of the engineers, 
 Mr. Lambden, began the work with energy. In the mean time 
 I occupied myself with arrangements for continuing the explora- 
 tion of the Paraguay. To obtain the necessary permission for 
 this required some diplomacy, for in the treaty of commerce and 
 navigation concluded before my arrival it had been stipulated 
 that the navigation of the river should be limited to Asuncion. 
 
 There were unsettled questions as to territorial limits on the 
 northern borders between Brazd and Paraguay, and the prohibit- 
 ory decrees of President Lopez, in reference to the navigation of 
 the river above the capital, were made with the view of forcing 
 Brazil to terms. In excluding other nations, without any posi- 
 tive demonstration of hostility toward his Imperial Majesty, he 
 deprived him of access through the Paraguay to the richest 
 mineral districts of the empire. He said that, should he permit 
 the Water Witch to ascend the river, Brazil would make the 
 same demand, and he was resolved not to grant her that privilege 
 in the present state of their political relations. I argued the char- 
 acter of our expedition ; its manifest objects, which should not be 
 considered in connection with others of a speculative or solely 
 trading character. I suggested the possible value of its results to 
 science, which I knew his intelligence enabled him fully to under- 
 stand ; 'that, in giving to the world a knowledge of waters "so little 
 known," our explorations would confer a positive and immediate 
 benefit'upon his own and neighboring countries, while the people 
 
NEGOTIATIONS. 119 
 
 of the United States, and others at a greater distance, could be 
 only remotely or incidentally interested. 
 
 The point was conceded, and I was, of course, disposed to put 
 upon it the most latitudinous construction ; that is, to ascend as far 
 as I could in an ocean steamer. I understood uniformly, in my 
 conversations with President Lopez, and from an ofiicial paper 
 sent me relating to this subject, that I could carry our surveys 
 throughout the Hmits of Paraguay north, or, indeed, beyond them, 
 for permission was given me to ascend to Bahia Negra, in latitude 
 20° 10' 14". 
 
 Bahia Negra is conceded to Bolivia by both Brazil and Para- 
 guay. From that point the President could neither direct nor 
 check our operations, for I had already received permission from 
 BoHvia to enter her waters, and from Brazil to ascend to Albu- 
 querque, which was some distance within the acknowledged limits 
 of the empire. I in fact ascended to Corumba, and should have 
 gone farther but for the hmitation designated by Brazil, and yet 
 have felt that I had not placed too wide a construction upon the 
 concession of the President of Paraguay. 
 
 Before beginning the ascension of the river, I was obliged to 
 contract for the dehvery, at different points, of steamer fuel. This 
 was again an ofl&cial affair, and led to several visits to the govern- 
 ment house. The agreements were all satisfactorily carried out ; 
 but the cutting of woods for such a purpose being a new branch 
 of industrial enterprise in those remote parts of Paraguay, I paid 
 high, considering its extensive forests — that is, from four to five 
 dollars per cord. The quality, however, was excellent, one cord 
 proving fully equal to a ton of coal. 
 
 When we arrived at Asuncion, I was aware that the business 
 to which I have alluded would detain me some time; I antici- 
 pated, indeed, unnecessary delay, and knew, from experience, that 
 it was useless to complain. One must enter upon every work in 
 Spanish America with rather a patient, philosophical spirit ; but I 
 soon discovered that, even with the Paraguayan, the almighty dol- 
 lar had its influence, and believe that I eventually expedited the 
 operation of my wood-cutters by adding a few additional pennies 
 to the price per cord. 
 
 Pending these preparations, and to avoid, in some degree, the 
 
 excessive annoyance from musquitoes, I moved to an apartment in 
 
 the " Calle del Sol." The rooms were nicely whitewashed, and, 
 
 . to rid them of the army of fleas, common enough to every house, 
 
120 MFE IN ASUNCION. 
 
 my servant waged a successful war against them by flooding the 
 tile-floors daily with water. The furniture was simple. There 
 was a cot, with a snowy musquito-net, which had done good serv- 
 ice during a long cruise in the China seas ; two cedar tables, two 
 feet by four, served, one for dining, the other for books and writ- 
 ing materials ; some crockery from the Water Witch, arranged by 
 my boy in a cupboard, made a brilliant display, but a dozen rich- 
 ly-carved, high-backed chairs, which dated from the time of the 
 Jesuits, were the pride of the establishment, for in art those mis- 
 sionaries were the Medici of La Plata. My " boy" was chamber- 
 maid, butler, and cook. Roast beef, chickens, mandioca — a vege- 
 table that would in any country be pronounced delicious — oranges 
 at all times, grapes and figs in their season, were the luxuries of 
 the table. Fine fish might have been added but for the indiffer- 
 ence, indeed dislike of the Paraguayans, like all Spanish Ameri- 
 cans, for that food ; for in towns rarely visited by strangers it is 
 not often seen in their markets. Perhaps these may be considered 
 triviahties ; I allude to them in illustration, for my style of living 
 was not surpassed, if equaled, by that of the best houses of Asun- 
 cion. There is no lack of neatness in their domestic arrange- 
 ments, but no people are more simple in their habits ; indeed, one 
 needs so little in that delicious climate, the costly and elaborate 
 furniture, considered now a necessity in our country, would be here 
 an annoying superfluity. Imperial carpets and brocaftelle hang- 
 ings would be as much out of place in Paraguay as a costume of the 
 dog-days upon a Broadway pedestrian in the middle of January. 
 Asuncion was first settled in 1536. It contains now about twelve 
 thousand inhabitants, and is, according to our determinations, in 
 latitude 25° 16' 30" south, longitude 57° 42' 42". It is prettily 
 placed, the land rising, at the point where the city stands, some 
 fifty feet above the river. With a few improvements, its position 
 for commercial purposes would be eligible, but individual enter- 
 prise has little scope, for the playa or landing is government prop- 
 erty. During our stay in the country a quay of stone was built, 
 and, though undoubtedly an important work, it would by no 
 means sufficiently facilitate the dispatch of business should Asun- 
 cion ever have an extensive foreign trade. The people are wedded 
 to old habits, and will forever discharge and load vessels by canoes, 
 should not some enterprising foreigner suggest a change. Owing 
 to the extraordinary edicts of Francia, the streets are regular, and 
 the frontage of the houses even ; for any luckless proprietor whose 
 
ASUNCION. 
 
 123 
 
 building impaired this -uniformity during liis administration had 
 the satisfaction of having it, without previous intimation, under- 
 mined, halved, or quartered, as the exigencies of the case might 
 require. A piece was nicely sliced off, leaving saloons and bed- 
 rooms minus half their previous dimensions. Some of these un- 
 fortunate tenements are still standing, looking like a "big loaf" 
 after dinner. 
 
 The dwellings are uniformly of one story, some of them be- 
 ing large and well-constructed, containing six, eight, or ten airy 
 rooms opening upon a court. The bricks of which they are built 
 are peculiar in form and size, being from twelve to fourteen inches 
 in length, eight in breadth, and about two in thickness. The bet- 
 ter houses are tiled, the roofs projecting some three or four feet 
 beyond the eaves, but, in the erection of others more ordinary, 
 the roof is the first part completed ; posts are driven into the 
 ground, on these are placed sleepers to support the joists and 
 rafters, strips of the cana or bamboo are placed transversely 
 across, sufficiently close together to retain the mud *or mortar, 
 which serves to cement the joinings or unite the tile. In such 
 houses the trunks of palm, prepared as I have described, are more 
 frequently used than tiles. 
 
 The principal public buildings are the "Cabildo," the Cathedral, 
 
 THE OAlilLUO, ASUNCION. 
 
124 
 
 FRANCIA. 
 
 THE CATHEDRAL, ASUNCION. 
 
 and two or tliree other churches, the latter dating from the time 
 of the Jesuits. In the Cabildo the national Legislature meets. The 
 churches are kept in good condition, but one was evidently less re- 
 sorted to than others. The good people rarely allude to this, for 
 a fearful mystery overhangs its sacred precincts ; it contained at 
 one time all that was mortal of the Dictator Francia. There he was 
 undoubtedly interred,- and a monument erected over his remains. 
 One fair morning the church was opened, as usual, for prayer ; this 
 monument was scattered in fragments upon the floor, and the bones 
 of the tyrant had disappeared forever — nobody cared how, nobody 
 asked where. It was only whispered that the devil had claimed 
 his own, body and soul. 
 
 No modern era has produced a parallel to his iniquitous rule. 
 For a quarter of a century, unchecked by the fear, reproaches, or 
 notice of other governments, Francia tyrannized over this lovely 
 country, and perpetrated a series of crimes, the recital of which fills 
 us with horror. At his death, spite of the numberless executions 
 which disgraced his administration, and which must have been his 
 pastime, the prisons of Asuncion were gorged with more than sev- 
 en hundred poor creatures, some of whom had been there twenty 
 
SYSTEM OF FRANCIA. 125 
 
 years. They were broken down physically ; some were reduced 
 to hopeless idiocy, and all were given back to the world to find 
 that homes and families had been swept away during that fearful 
 deluge of tyranny. 
 
 It will be seen in another chapter that it was the policy of Spain, 
 in her colonial government, to keep her transatlantic subjects from 
 all communication with the outer world, while, at the same time 
 — for this was the object of that system — the extent and resources 
 of her possessions upon the American continent were carefully 
 veiled from the knowledge of European nations. Paraguay, be- 
 tween the parallels of 21° and 27° south, distant by the course of 
 the river about one thousand miles from the Atlantic, and shut out 
 from the Pacific by the Andean barrier, remained a terra incognita 
 to all but Spanish officials. Aided by her geographical position, 
 she was the first of the colonies to assert her independence ; but 
 soon passing under the sway of Francia, who inflexibly maintain- 
 ed non-intercourse with other nations, she has continued a region 
 of the unknown. 
 
 "While the other republics of La Plata were, after their emanci- 
 pation from Spanish rule, distracted by anarchy, Paraguay was 
 comparatively tranquil ; it was not the quiet of progress and good 
 government, but that of a political and social paralyzation, pro- 
 duced by the system of Francia — a system that debased the na- 
 tional mind, leaving it submissive to any rule, without moral or 
 physical courage to resist oppression. 
 
 He established, in time, such a compound system of espionage — 
 spy placed over spy — and coerced the simple Paraguayans during 
 his twenty-six years' rule into such timorous silence, that death 
 seems scarcely to have released them from his thraldom. The 
 people of the lower countries of La Plata will tell you that a Par- 
 aguayan never mentions the name of the Dictator without looking 
 behind him. His adherents and the instruments of his iniquity 
 were the soldiers ; his victims, landed proprietors ; but, above all, 
 those of Spanish origin, from confiscations of whose property his 
 principal revenue was derived. 
 
 When at Asuncion I saw much of Seiior , whose family 
 
 had suffered greatly during that reign of terror, and in his con- 
 versations with me he frequently alluded to their wrongs. He 
 was an amiable, gentlemanly, and intelligent person ; but he al- 
 ways mentioned the name of Francia with reserve, in a half whis- 
 per, glancing stealthily around the room, as if fearful that the grave 
 
126 THE DAHLGKEEN GUN. 
 
 would give up its dead. I afterward discovered tliat tlie manner 
 was not peculiar to him, but to all Paraguayans in alluding to the 
 Dictator. His name is rarely pronounced. In life he was El Su- 
 premo ; since his death, they allude to him and to his deeds as 
 those oi El Defunto. 
 
 The United States government sent out by the Water Witch 
 one of my friend Dahlgreen's " twelve-pound howitzers," to be pre- 
 sented to the President of Paraguay. A day was appointed for 
 its delivery, and the second son of the President, Don Benancia, a 
 major in the army, was deputed to receive it. Many of&cials and 
 quite a concourse of people assembled at the point chosen for its 
 reception. Mounted on its field-carriage, and manned with a good 
 crew from the Water Witch, it was loaded with its "fixed ammuni- 
 tion" in double-quick time, pointed across the river to the Chaco, 
 and fired in rapid succession, keeping two shrapnells at the same 
 time rolling on the water, while the contents and fragments of those 
 that preceded them and exploded had demonstrated the deadly ef- 
 fect of this modern missile of war. The assembled crowd looked 
 on in wonder. The firing over, the men dashed oflP with the gun 
 at fall speed, thus exhibiting its facility of locomotion as well as 
 rapidity of discharge. Major Lopez expressed himself delighted, 
 and declared that, with a battery of half a dozen such pieces, he 
 could defend the approach to Asuncion against vast odds. 
 
 I quote from my journal : 
 
 " October 11th. Arrived from Buenos Ayres a steamer called the 
 ' Fanny,' sailing under Monte videan colors, having on board Mr. 
 E. A. Hopkins, United States Consul for Asuncion. He is also 
 agent for ' the American Company,' several members of which are 
 on board, having come to Paraguay with the view of establishing 
 themselves for commercial purposes, and, judging from the re- 
 sources of -this country, they should meet with great success." On 
 the day appointed for Mr. Hopkins to present his credentials to the 
 President he was accompaniedby myself and many of the ofl&cers 
 of the Water Witch. 
 
 All was ready to proceed up the river, but I was requested to 
 remain a few days and witness the great fete of Asuncion, the an- 
 niversary of his Excellency's birth-day, the 4th of November, on 
 which occasion there is a public reception. But one class of func- 
 tionaries or visitors is received at a time ; the clergy had preced- 
 ed us. As they retired we entered, and found " President Lopez," 
 as usual, at the end of the long room I have described, seated be- 
 
THE PRESIDENT'S FETE. 127 
 
 fore tlie circular table, dressed in a uniform of buff and gold ; 
 wearing in place of the usual round beaver a cocked hat with gold 
 lace and ostrich feathers. After offering him our congratulations, 
 we retired to make room for others, and were conducted into an 
 adjoining apartment to partake of refreshments, provided in great 
 profusion, and consisting of excellent confectionery, cakes, Cham- 
 pagne, English ale, coffee. We were treated with much kind at- 
 tention by the different officials, and the occasion seemed to be one 
 of enjoyment to all classes. 
 
 The day concluded with a ball given by the Chief Justice, at 
 which were present not only all the beauty and fashion of Asun- 
 cion, but the President and his family. Seats were especially pre- 
 pared for them at one end of the room ; that for his Excellency was 
 on a carpeted platform elevated about one foot above the floor. 
 Opposite were rows of chairs for the matrons, who seemed to have 
 attended for the sole purpose, and to find full occupation in watch- 
 ing their fair daughters ; for the Spanish American girls, like those 
 of the European continent, are never seen, even by their lovers, 
 out of the presence of mamma, or some matron to whom their care 
 is delegated. Madam Lopez and her daughters were pleasing and 
 ladylike; the latter, like all women of the country, extravagantly 
 fond of dancing, but the ill health of the younger on this occasion 
 deprived her of this enjoyment. At an early hour of the evening 
 the music suddenly ceased, and there was perfect silence. A tall 
 personage — we were told that he was an LL.D. — moved to the 
 centre of the room, made a profound bow, and then, with vigorous 
 gesticulation and imposing solemnity of mien, delivered an address 
 highly flattering to the chief magistrate of Paraguay, who received 
 it with calm, unmoved countenance, and at its conclusion retired. 
 The company, all standing, listened to this rather flowery effusion 
 with gravity and respect ; but as the door closed upon his Excel- 
 lency, dancing recommenced, and was kept up until the dawn of 
 day. 
 
128 DEPARTURE FROM ASUNCION. 
 
 CHAPTER YIII. 
 
 Departure from Asuncion. — The President's Quinta. — Salinas. — A Hill. — Tlie Con- 
 fuso. — The Salado. — Estancia of Lopez. — Variety of Woods and Fruits. — Que- 
 bracho. — Capiepomo. — Guazu. — Cattle. — Hospitality. — River Scenery. — An 
 Accident to Engine. — Piquete Ytati. — Wood for Steamers. — Plants and Shrubs. 
 — River Jejui. — San Pedro. — Another Accident to Engine. — Guaycuru Rembiu. 
 — Government Estancia. — The Pacu Fish. — River Changes. — The Ypane. — Ar- 
 rival at Concepcion. 
 
 I QUOTE from my journal : 
 
 " November Ith^ 1853. We left Asuncion this morning at half 
 past five o'clock, upward bound. The reply of the President of 
 Paraguay to my letter requesting permission for the expedition to 
 pass through the territory claimed by his government is all I could 
 desire ; he attaches no limits to the extent of our explorations on 
 the river. Have in view the President's quinta ; it extends for 
 six miles along the river ; all is verdant and enameled with culti- 
 vation. At the highest point of the rolling land, which rises in 
 wave-like ridges from the river, is placed the dwelling, command- 
 ing an extensive view, including the salinas, which at times present 
 a busy scene ; for here, in small huts, the salt-gatherers establish 
 themselves during the season of low water, and, by a rude and prim- 
 itive process, manufacture an extensive supply for the Asuncion 
 market : it is inferior to the imported article, but for cattle or ordi- 
 nary purposes serves very well. Extensive saline districts exist in 
 the Chaco ; the rivers that flow through that country are, with few 
 exceptions, brackish, but this is the Second instance in which we 
 have met with this formation east of the Paraguay ; the first was 
 below the capital, near Mount Lambare. The earth, when first turn- 
 ed up, exhibits no evidence of the presence of salt, but after being 
 for some time exposed to the sun, it becomes covered with a crust, 
 looking like a white frost. The people collect this efflorescence 
 carefully, but it is from the water, through which the earth is re- 
 peatedly washed to extract all saliferous particles, that the princi- 
 pal supply is obtained. In a country rich in pasture-lands, and so 
 far from the ocean, this provision of Providence is only one among 
 the multiplied evidences of bounty to these fair regions of creation." 
 
 On the President's lands is the port Lasararaxas — the family 
 name of Madame Lopez — and in operation near it are several ex- 
 
THE CONFUSO.— PINON. 129 
 
 tensive brick-kilns. Twelve miles above Asuncion there is, on the 
 Chaco bank, an isolated conical hill of mica schist rising to the 
 heisfht of one hundred feet, the first elevation on that side exceed- 
 ing twenty feet since leaving " Santa Fe, seven hundred and twenty 
 miles below. It furnishes a quarry of building-stone from which 
 great blocks are rolled down by a gradual descent to the water's 
 edge. 
 
 Immediately above this quarry, the Eiver Confuso, a narrow, 
 tortuous stream, taking its rise no one knows where, discharges 
 itself into the Paraguay. At a subsequent period Lieutenant Mur- 
 daugh ascended it for twenty -four miles, encountered some diflEicul- 
 ties in the navigation, and made slow progress, though in a steam- 
 er of but two feet draught. From his account of it we must con- 
 clude that it has its source in the eastern Cordilleras of Bolivia. It 
 has been supposed to be a branch of the Pilcomayo, and is marked 
 on some maps as such, but the difference in the character of their 
 waters must set at rest this idea. That of the Pilcomayo is brack- 
 ish only when the river is unusually low and sluggish, while that 
 of the Confuso is decidedly bitter and saline. The Confuso, like 
 many other rivers of the Chaco, is probably pure at its source, and 
 becomes impregnated from flowing through saliferous districts. 
 Considered as a branch of the Pilcomayo, the distance through 
 which it would course before reaching the Paraguay is not suffi- 
 cient to produce so great a change in its waters. If a distinct river, 
 rising, as I believe, in the high lands of Bolivia, it is but a new link 
 and another evidence of the beautiful river system which charac- 
 terizes the basin of La Plata. 
 
 Four miles above the quarry, on the Chaco side, a conical rock, 
 called the " Pinon," rises about twenty feet above the water, in the 
 middle of the river. It is surmoimted by a block of red sandstone 
 of about six feet diameter at the top, so symmetrical and so nicely 
 adjusted that one might suppose it to have been designedly placed 
 there by some skillfiil hand. Directly opposite, a small stream, 
 the Salado, which flows from the Lake Ypacaray, discharges its 
 waters into the Paraguay. The country around the lake and bor- 
 dering this little river is populous and fertile ; during a season of 
 extreme drought the Salado is slightly brackish, as its name indi- 
 cates. 
 
 At Quatros Bocas — " Four mouths," four miles above the rock 
 Pinon, the character of the banks on either side is the same, but 
 some distance inland the scenery changes. There is in view a 
 
 9 
 
130 WOODS OF PAKAGUAY. 
 
 sierra, or beautiful range of high land, which is known to extend 
 easterly from the Paraguay nearly to the Parana. 
 
 Near the Guardia Arigutigua, twenty miles from Asuncion, the 
 "Pirebeby" flows into the Paraguay, andforms the southern bound- 
 ary of an estate belonging to President Lopez, which has its north- 
 ern limit on the Eiver Paraguaymi. This estancia extends four- 
 teen unbroken miles on the Paraguay, is particularly fertile, and 
 well stocked with horned cattle and sheep ; mandioca and com 
 are cultivated upon it to a hmited extent, as provision for the cap- 
 itaz and peons — manager and laborers. Two miles above Pirebe- 
 by, and about the same distance inland, is the little town of " Am- 
 buscada," at the foot of the sierra. 
 
 In latitude 24° 54' 32" south, longitude 57° 21' 15," forty mUes 
 from Asuncion, we reached the first point at which the wood-cut- 
 ters agreed to farnish us with fael for the steamer. I found them 
 punctual to the time, and the wood was all corded, and conven- 
 iently placed for being received on board. The bunkers were half 
 fiiU of coal, but we were able to take in thirty -nine cords. In this 
 lot were some ten or a dozen varieties : the Palo bianco, Curupi- 
 na, Curupay, Arahan, Yrapipe, Espiua de Corona, Yrapita, Nanga- 
 pare, and many others of fine texture are found throughout this 
 country, such as the Algorroba, Espinilla, and Quebracho, or "axe- 
 breaker," as its name indicates. All of these trees furnish good 
 fuel for steamers, but in ship-building or for ornamental purposes 
 they would be invaluable. 
 
 Some of them are giants even in the La Plata forests ; others 
 present great floral beauty ; some are valued for their fruits, oth- 
 ers for their barks ; indeed, familiar as I am with the woodlands 
 of the northern section of this hemisphere, as we advanced in the 
 ascent of the river, I was filled with wonder at the surpassing wealth 
 of the forest regions of the south. An accomplished arborist would 
 find in Paraguay an unlimited field of interest and study. The 
 fruits of the Arahan and Nangapare are both pleasant and nutri- 
 tious. The Algorroba, one of the mimosae, produces a fruit simi- 
 lar in taste (though smaller) to our honey -pod. It contains a quan- 
 tity of saccharine matter, and is carefully gathered by the Indians, 
 who dry, pound, and preserve it in skins ; they also make from it 
 a fermented liquor of which they are very fond, but to me it was 
 unpalatable. This tree flourishes in the Argentine Confederation, 
 where its fruit, considered very precious food for cattle, is gather- 
 ed, and generally put aside for favorite horses. These animals 
 
THE PRESIDENT'S ESTANCIAS. 131 
 
 when fed iipon it, if not severely exercised, become too fat for ac- 
 tive service. 
 
 The width of the river at this point, as ascertained by the mi- 
 crometer, is one thousand and seventy-six yards. Its general 
 width from Asuncion to this place is from a half to one mile ; 
 least depth twenty feet, greatest seventy -two. The banks have 
 an elevation of fifteen feet at the present state of the water, which 
 is four feet below the highest rise. They are well timbered ; the 
 woodland extends some distance back, with intervening sections of 
 palm and grass. Between the towns few houses are to be seen ex- 
 cept the guardias, near which are always extensive estancias. 
 
 Fourteen miles farther (latitude 24° 48' 27'') we passed another 
 estancia of President Lopez, called Capiepomo Guazu. The dwell- 
 ing is in the usual style of the better class of country houses in 
 Paraguay, of one story, very capacious, and built round a court ; 
 it stands about half a mile from the river, in the midst of a palm 
 plain, skirted with magnificent and lofty trees. The corrals upon 
 these estates are an invariable evidence of the wealth of the estan- 
 ciaro, and here they were large and numerous. 
 
 We anchored as the sun was sinking below the horizon in a sea 
 of gorgeous tinges; and as night approached, with little or no inter- 
 val of twilight, flocks of sheep, by thousands, might be seen gath- 
 ering under the shelter of the corrals. The number of horned cat- 
 tle on some of these estancias is enormous, and, with a free com- 
 munication to the Atlantic, we can understand how great a revenue 
 they would afford. Found at our anchorage forty-eight feet of 
 water, the width of the river being half a mile, the least depth 
 twenty-four feet ; current at anchorage two and a half miles per 
 hour. Engaged a bullock and a quantity of fresh milk for an 
 early hour the next morning. The cows are milked but once a 
 day — in the morning always. The capitaz would receive no pay 
 for either, and, on inquiring, found that this was in accordance with 
 the orders of the President. This is only one of what I consider a 
 series of national civihties, offered with a delicacy which reflects 
 high honor upon his excellency. Indeed, government hospitality 
 represents a characteristic of the Paraguayans, A more generous, 
 single-hearted people it is impossible to find, and they have a native 
 tact which rarely offends even the conventional ideas of those who 
 have associated more with the outer world. 
 
 Much as I was obliged afterward to disapprove and deprecate 
 the course of President Lopez toward the Americans who had set- 
 
132 LOPEZ'S HOSPITALITY. 
 
 tied in Asuncion, and in the unprovoked attack upon tlie Water 
 Witch while ascending the Parana, the reception of the expedition 
 in his waters, and his entire course toward us, until his outbreak 
 with the consul, was characterized throughout bj generous hos- 
 pitality. 
 
 At an early hour our bullock was dragged by the lasso from 
 the corral to the river bank, and in an incredibly short time served 
 up on board ship. We soon passed the grass-lands of Capiepomo, 
 where the banks are low, and covered with forests of lofty trees ; 
 parasites and epiphytes, with brilliant an(^fragrant bloom, entwin(3 
 themselves around the huge trunks, here presenting a floral col- 
 umn, there running over branches, and from tree to tree, forming 
 hanging gardens. To complete the enchantment, birds of gay 
 plumage flit about, enlivening the woods with their merry songs. 
 
 We passed another estancia near the Guardia Caraguatay. The 
 left bank again rises to the height of fifteen feet, and is well wood- 
 ed ; beyond, a boundless plain of palms and grass. Saw many 
 fowl, among which were the Pa to real — "EoyalDuck," andBigua 
 bay — " Snake-head." The starboard crank-strap broke, and we an- 
 chored to repair damages. In an hour we were under way, and 
 passed the mouth of the Eiver Quarepoti, seventy-two miles from 
 Asuncion. On this stream, three miles from the Paraguay, is the 
 town of Eosario, but hid from our view by the woods. Passing an 
 estancia of General Lopez, son of the President, and commander-in- 
 chief of the army, we anchored off the Piquete Ytati, our second 
 depot of wood, one hundred and two miles from. Asuncion, 
 
 The President's orders were carried out as to the quantity and 
 size of this wood, and there was a punctuality in its supply which, 
 I feel assured, without his instructions, neither love nor money 
 could have procured. I found here fifty-two cords well cut and 
 put up ; a familiar sight to us, but a novel one to Paraguayans. 
 Our experience demonstrates fully not only the possibility of ob- 
 taining abundance of wood in these waters for steamers, but the 
 fact of its superiority to all used similarly in our own country. 
 In ruiining from 5 to 10 o'clock A.M. — five hours — and from 1 
 to 5f P.M. — in all, nine hours forty -five minutes — we consumed 
 five and a quarter cords of wood, a little more than half a cord per 
 hour, keeping up twenty pounds of steam, making from eighteen 
 to twenty revolutions, and giving a speed of six miles over the 
 bottom, against a current of from two to two and a half miles per 
 hour. An accurate account of the consumption and careful meas- 
 
FRUITS AND PLANTS. 133 
 
 urement of the wood were kept and made by the senior engineer, 
 R. C. Potts, with the view of testing its quahty. The result proved 
 what I have before affirmed, that a cord of this wood was fully 
 equal to a ton of the best anthracite coal. 
 
 The width of the river at our anchorage by micrometer was six 
 hundred and nineteen yards ; the general width from our last an- 
 chorage from a third to a quarter of a mile ; least depth of water 
 seventeen feet. 
 
 Employed the morning while wooding in a stroll through the 
 forest skirting the river, from which our supply of fael had been 
 cut, in search of botanic specimens. Gathered a few, among which 
 was the Guayava blanca, a shrub bearing a beautiful white flower 
 very like the orange blossom ; its fruit is delicious, and its twigs 
 were covered with nodules of white wax, deposited by a species of 
 ant in such quantities that the people of the country collect it and 
 mould it into candles. We saw also the lofty Yarumu, or Hiva- 
 puru, which bears a violet-colored fruit about the size of a plum, 
 and much hked by the natives ; we thought it indifferent. It is 
 directly attached to the trunk and branches, without a peduncle. 
 Saw numberless epiphytes ; they are found in every part of La 
 Plata, and generally near a dead tree, around which they entwine 
 themselves, making what would be otherwise an unsightly skele- 
 ton the most beautifol object of the forest. This is a favorite plant 
 in all city gardens, requiring no care, as it finds its nutriment in 
 the air. Some are selected for their brilliant flowers, others for 
 their fragrance, which exceeds in delicacy that of most flora. 
 
 Having wooded, pushed on, and about two and a half miles 
 above the Piquete Ytati, passed the mouth of the Jejui, a small 
 river which flows from the left bank. It rises in the Cordilleras of 
 Paraguay, courses through apart of the Yerbales, and offers an easy 
 communication for the conveyance of this product to San Pedro. 
 After the construction of the small steamer, it was used by Lieu- 
 tenant Ammen in the examination of this stream, but, as he ascend- 
 ed at the season of low water, he found it impracticable to proceed 
 farther than a few miles beyond the port of San Pedro, latitude 
 24° 5' 26'', longitude 67° 13' 7'\ The village of San Pedro is two 
 miles north of the port. The note-book of Lieutenant Ammen in 
 reference to it says : 
 
 " We had a succession of sand-bars up to this port, on an aver- 
 age one to every four hundred yards. A steamer navigating the 
 river even to San Pedro should not have a length greater than 
 
134 AN ACCIDENT. 
 
 eighty feet, should be fiat floored, and be capable of making 
 eight statute miles, the average current being equal to 'three and 
 a half. Arrived at the port of San Pedro April 16th, 1854 ; visited 
 the commandante, who received me with every possible kindness, 
 and supplied me with horses to go to the villa of San Pedro, two 
 marine miles due north. We were met by Don Louis Cara, the 
 priest, the captain of the port, and ten or twelve others. They 
 expressed a desire to visit the vessel. After an examination into 
 and explanation of every thing, we accompanied these personages 
 to the villa, and stopped at the house of Don Louis Cara. The day 
 following, the vessel was overrun with visitors. The commandante 
 gave us a grand ball that night, at which all the ladies wore shoes. 
 The authorities and grandees were overwhelming in their polite- 
 ness. On the day after the ball, with a party consisting of the 
 officials and the ladies on board, we proceeded on, taking the canoe 
 in tow for their return. They went up with us a mile, and left, 
 highly gratified that they had seen a steamer fanction." 
 
 My own journal says, 
 
 '■'■Novemher 10th. Observed on the bank a wooden cross ; was 
 informed by the pilot that it was the grave of a poor woman who 
 had died there suddenly. Surely we, in our boasted civilization, 
 might borrow from the primitive customs of this country; no 
 grave, however humble the former position of its occupant, is here 
 unmarked by this symbol of Christianity. For the second time 
 since leaving Asuncion the engine is 'hors de combat' by the 
 breaking of another crank strap. While this damage was repair- 
 ing we went on shore, and making our way up the bank (which 
 was here about fifteen feet above the water), and through an al- 
 most impenetrable fringe and network of vegetation, we spent the 
 few remaining hours of daylight in searching for specimens. Col- 
 lected a few plants, among which was the Guaycura remhiu^ a creep- 
 er, bearing a pretty white, waxlike flower ; its fruit is highly es- 
 teemed by the Indians, who collect it when green, and roast it. 
 When ripe it bursts its shell, and exposes beautiftil and dehcate 
 silklike fibres, to each of which is a seed. 
 
 ^^ Novemher Wth. Under wa}?" at eight o'clock this morning, hav- 
 ing made a strap with the best iron on board, one of the awning 
 stanchions. The government owns extensive estancias and im- 
 mense herds, which furnish the army with beef. For some hours 
 this morning we were steaming past one of these estancias, well 
 stocked with the finest cattle : it is known as Estancia Potreropora. 
 
RIVER CHANGES. 135 
 
 Found liere a large quantity of wood conveniently corded. Wher- 
 ever the pampa is unbroken by a mountain spur, or the banks pre- 
 sent a sectional view of their formation, they show a stratum of 
 white clay, with a surface-soil of rich black earth from two to four 
 feet in depth. 
 
 " Anchored near the Piquete Caruy parti, and off the estancia of 
 Don Francisco Antonio Garcia, near which is the port Piedrenal. 
 The following morning detained by a rain, which here not only 
 pours, but falls in sheets. Measured the river by micrometer, 
 and found it to be one thousand one hundred and seventy yards 
 wide. Caught some fish, the pacu, the best in these waters. In 
 six hours from Puerto Piedrenal we arrived at the town of Con- 
 cepcion. In the depth of river and character of its banks up to 
 this place found no material change save at the island Toro, about 
 five miles from Puerto Piedrenal, where there are two islands, the 
 one near the Chaco side formed since 1842. The channel has shift- 
 ed more to the east, and has fifteen feet water, the least depth as 
 yet found between Asuncion and Concepcion. 
 
 "Many seals have been seen during the last two days. There 
 is one feature in the character of these rivers worthy of note — the 
 apparent inclination of the waters to encroach upon the east bank : 
 a question suggests itself. Has the revolution of the earth any agen- 
 cy in this change ? The newly-formed islands are uniformly on 
 the Chaco side ; so far, the channel inclines undeviatingly to the 
 east. If influenced by the earth's revolution, the effect should be 
 as it here appears. Eising in the equatorial regions, and coursing 
 south through a vast extent of pampa, this river, in conjunction 
 with the Parana, presents the fairest opportunity of arriving at a 
 solution of this question. Ten miles below Concepcion we passed 
 through a narrow arm of the river on the east, at this time the 
 main channel ; it has a depth of twenty -two feet, and a width of 
 from sixty to seventy yards. The water is fast deserting the old 
 bed of the river, which, though half a mile wide, has scarcely depth 
 enough for a boat. "We passed the mouth of the Ypane, about five 
 miles below Concepcion ; though it rises in the distant sierras of 
 Paraguay, it is only navigable for boats. Directly opposite its 
 mouth is the Riacho Lingua Passo, formed by an island of the same 
 name. This riacho was in 1842 the main channel, which is now 
 east of it — another evidence of the movement of the river in that 
 direction. 
 
 "As we approach Concepcion the formation of the bed of the 
 
136 CONCEPCION. 
 
 river changes, and the channel is contracted by rocks on either side. 
 There is, however, neither danger nor difficulty in the navigation, 
 for we found never less than twenty feet water. 
 
 " Anchored in front of the town, and by measurement ascer- 
 tained the river to be at its narrowest point three hundred and 
 forty-four yards ; velocity of current two and a half miles per 
 hour ; temperature of air at meridian 81°, of water 84:°. Found* 
 here two small craft taking in yerba for Asuncion." 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Concepcion. — Yerba. — Government Monopolies and Restrictions placed upon Trade. 
 — Favorable Reception. — Guembe and Guembetaya. — The Water Witch. — A Ball 
 at the Commandante's House. — A Quandary. — Danced down. — Seiior Tachiera. 
 — Costumes. — Wood for Steamer. — Rio Saladillo. — Salinas. — Indians. — The 
 Caciques. — A Shaking of Hands and a Smoke. — Palm Forest. — Salvador. — Heat. 
 — State of the Country. — The Abatiguaniba. — Caragiiatay Guazu. — Manufactures 
 of its Thread. — Thorns converted into Needles. — The Datil. — Reptile Hunting. 
 — Supplies. — Value of Hide. — Piquete Arracifc. — Heat. — Paso Melo. — Mount- 
 ed Indians from the Chaco. — Piquete Judiarte. — Guardia Apatuya. — Beautiful 
 Scenery. — The Morada and Ytapucu Guazu. — The Children of the Gran Chaco. 
 — Equestrian and Pedestrian. — Size, Strength, and Longevity. — An Octogenarian 
 in the Flower of his Age. — Nabidigua. — TheMbayas. — Their Slaves. — The Gua- 
 rani. — Spiritual Notions of the Aborigines. — No Word for God or Divinity. — Ahar- 
 aigichi. — Jupa. — Inferior Creatures or not? 
 
 Concepcion, in latitude 23° 23' 56'', longitude 57° 30' 39", con- 
 tains about two thousand inhabitants, and stands on a plain, which, 
 at the ordinary height of the river, is twenty feet above its level. 
 It was at one period a flourishing town, and should now be an im- 
 portant port for the export of yerba and caoutchouc, but the policy 
 of the Paraguayan government, in monopolizing the trade in all 
 native products of value, tends to check any spirit of enterprise 
 which might tempt individuals or companies to build up a com- 
 merce in these articles. All trade is centralized at Asuncion. 
 The government is the principal merchant, in virtue of its own 
 decree, and the prices paid by this factor are not sufficiently re- 
 munerative to induce laborers to enter the field, fruitful as it is. 
 There are Yerhales^ or "Yerba Districts," in the interior, some sixty 
 or seventy miles from Concepcion, to which place their product is 
 transported in ox-wagons. 
 
 In the gathering and preparation of this yerba for market, there 
 are two modes of procedure ; either to instruct the commandante 
 
YERBA. 
 
 187 
 
 OUPaNG YEBBA. 
 
 of the district to enter tlie yerbales with the force at his command, 
 or to grant permission to certain contractors to do so. In the first 
 case, the laborers are paid in goods from the public stores at the 
 rate of twenty-five cents the arK)ba ; in the latter, the agent or 
 contractor delivers at Asuncion two thirds of the whole quantity, 
 packed in hide sacks, containing eight arrobas each, called tercias ; 
 he bearing all the expenses of labor, transportation, and cost of 
 the hides for the tercias. This yields a handsome income to his 
 Excellency. The export amounts annually to not less than ninety 
 thousand arrobas, and he sells it at about four dollars the arroba ; 
 he therefore receives about three hundred and sixty thousand dol- 
 lars from this one article, and without the expenditure of a dollar; 
 to which should be added a revenue from hides, timber, horse- 
 hair, etc., amounting also to a large sum.* 
 
 There is no restriction on the home consumption, but the mer- 
 chant who wishes to export this "tea" must purchase from the 
 state. The rulers of this fine country have many valuable les- 
 sons to acquire in political and financial science. By opening 
 
 * The process of preparing the yerba will be found fully detailed in Lieut. Powell's 
 "Journal of a Tour through the Yerbales of Paraguay." See Appendix E. 
 
138 NATIONAL CHAEACTERISTICS. 
 
 their waters to foreign flags, and encouraging home industry, 
 even in the collection of indigenous products, and without the 
 application of agriculture, the revenue from import and export 
 duties would far exceed that of any monopoly now usurped. 
 Under the present system, there is a stagnation of all trade at 
 this place, and the people are poor, and evidently inert, but, like 
 all Paraguayans, hospitable. We can only hope that the reac- 
 tionary spirit which has crept into the Argentine Confederation, 
 and the enlightened ambition of General Urquiza to elevate his 
 country, politically and socially, by a liberal constitution, educa- 
 tion of its youth, and direct foreign trade, will prove contagious, 
 and work their course toward the northern republic of La Plata. 
 
 Soon after anchoring I called at the commandante's, where I 
 met the principal personages of the place, who were emphatic in 
 their offers of service, seeming to consider it a point of national 
 honor to give us a distinguished reception. Isolated as the Para- 
 guayans have been, they are animated, I observed, by a strong 
 nationality, intense love of country, though not awakened to any 
 application of its surpassing natural wealth to the requirements 
 of trade. To express appreciation of Paraguay, we discovered, 
 was a sure avenue to the hearts of these people ; and this tribute 
 we could offer them in all truth and sincerity. Horses were ten- 
 dered us, with the assurance that they would continue at our dis- 
 posal while we remained at Concepcion ; and, as sailors rarely de- 
 cline such an opportunity of exercise, we availed ourselves of the 
 tempting favor, and visited the adjacent country, which is flat, 
 sandy, and uninteresting. 
 
 We passed an indifferent house here and there, surrounded 
 with little and poor cultivation, but collected a few plants, among 
 which was the parasite guembepi or guembe. I pulled one from 
 the limb of a quebracho, thirty feet from the ground, to which 
 its tendrils had descended, and taken root in the earth. This is 
 one of the most useful plants in Paraguay, for from its fibre is 
 manufactured an admirable rope, of which all the hawsers and 
 tow-lines used by vessels in the river-trade are made ; indeed, be- 
 fore the Eevolution, it was extensively used in the navy of Spain. 
 The guembe and the guembetaya are so similar in appearance 
 that they are often confounded, but they have very different 
 characteristics, as I ascertained by observation, which was con- 
 firmed by information derived from an intelligent Paraguayan, 
 who had given some attention to the natural products of his coun- 
 
THE GUEMBE AND THE GUEMBETAYA. I39 
 
 try, and who had opportunities of observing these plants at all 
 seasons. The guembe is valuable for its bark only, the guembe- 
 taya for its fruit. The latter takes root in the earth, generally 
 near some large tree, around which it will entwine, and climb to 
 the utmost branches with such a grasp as not unfrequently to 
 destroy it. It bears a beautiful trumpet-shaped flower of a deli- 
 cate straw-color, which is succeeded by a fruit highly prized by 
 the Indians. It is similar in appearance and taste to Indian corn, 
 and is prepared and used by the natives in the same manner for 
 bread. I had an opportunity of seeing both these plants growing, 
 and have been thus particular in drawing the distinction between 
 them, because Azara, generally an excellent authority, so far as 
 he touches upon the botany of La Plata, speaks only of the guem- 
 be, and assigns to it the characteristics of both plants. 
 
 "While off Concepcion, the Water Witch was an object of great 
 curiosity and interest, not only to the inhabitants of the town^ but 
 to those of the surrounding country ; for none except a few who 
 had visited Ascension when a steamer — a rare sight even there — 
 happened to be in port had ever before seen one. People from a 
 long distance in the interior flocked to see the wonderful bark. 
 Men, women, and children crowded on board, and would sit for 
 hours under the awning of the deck, seemingly astonished and 
 delighted at all they saw, and eagerly questioning the old Gua- 
 rani pilot as to the meaning of many things to them so incompre- 
 hensible. 
 
 We were invited on the first evening of our arrival to a ball at 
 the commandante's, where were assembled all the beauty and dis« 
 tinction of the place. The floor of the ball-room was of tile, the 
 lights tallow ; indeed, there was little to meet a cosmopolitan 
 standard of elegance, but the good-breeding and native tact of 
 the people made it an occasion of enjoyment to us all. There is 
 no village or region of the earth so small or remote as not to have 
 its " upper ten." The knowledge of this fact placed me in a di- 
 lemma. Being the "Senor Commandante," I was expected to 
 select, as a partner for the waltz, the most distinguished lady 
 present. When all looked alike, it was impossible to discrimi- 
 nate: a mistake would have been a national insult. In this 
 quandary, I placed m37self in the hands of the commandante, who 
 dashed off to a formidable row of females at the upper end of the 
 room, from whence he brought forth a partner, assuring me she 
 danced divinely. This I could not doubt, for what woman in 
 
140 A BALL AT CONCEPCION. 
 
 Spanish America can't waltz, and waltz well ? but was slie one 
 of a class so often found in this country, that "never tires?" 
 
 The music began ; off we started, followed by the officers of 
 the Water Witch, and all the belles and beaux of the town. 
 Bound and round, whirl and whirl — "Bravo, Senor Comman- 
 dante !" — the invariable exclamation of our host as we passed — 
 began to sound faintly in my ear; on, on we flew; I no longer sup- 
 ported the lady ; she carried me round. Was I about to reahze 
 the theory of perpetual motion ? Sights and sounds were grow- 
 ing dim and, confused, when, perhaps aroused by the noisy 
 "bravo" of the commandante, I gathered my failing strength, 
 broke away from the fair lady, and beat a retreat from the room. 
 I was fairly danced down. 
 
 When I returned after a few moments' absence, the senorita had 
 found another partner, and was whirling again, looking as fresh 
 and smiling as if just beginning the dance. The refreshments 
 consisted of cakes, red wine, caiia, and, above all, the important 
 and refreshing mate. 
 
 The following evening was passed in a similar manner at the 
 house of " Senor Tachiera," a Brazilian. Senor Tachiera had been 
 a detenu of Francia, and spoke feelingly of his efforts, and the con- 
 suming desire, during that detention, to return to Brazil. At last 
 he resigned himself to his fate, married g, Paraguayan, and had a 
 large family around him. "Now," said he, "I have taken deep 
 root in the soil, and shall never see Brazil again." Indeed, the 
 laws oblige him, even now, to take root in the soil, or " abandon his 
 #wife;" for no woman can leave the country without permission 
 of the President, a favor not easily obtained. He gave me a small 
 box of the resin of the " Palo Santo" for the President of the 
 United States, neatly put up and accompanied by a note, which 
 I forwarded by the first opportunity to the Navy Department. 
 This kind-hearted Brazilian and his family were indefatigable 
 in their efforts to amuse us: the daughter danced and smoked 
 with a vivacity that were charming ; for the usages of the coun- 
 try make smoking admissible to all, men, women, and children ; 
 and dancing is the amusement of Spanish America. 
 
 These simple hospitalities are recalled as agreeable social remi- 
 niscences of life in that interior country, and were, at the time, a 
 pleasant relief from the labors of the expedition. 
 
 We were astonished to find the women of these remote regions 
 so handsomely and appropriately dressed; and, in contradiction 
 
FIREWOOD AND TIMBER. 141 
 
 to all previous reports, their pretty feet were covered with shoes 
 and stockings. lu fact, there is no fever so contagious as fashion ; 
 and as there was a rumor that the President's daughters drew upon 
 French art, can it be doubted that the fair ladies of Concepcion 
 had received an inspiration from those importations ? Occasion- 
 ally in these parts, so distant from Asuncion, the centre of Para- 
 guayan distinction, we see a costume of Francia's time, the short 
 jacket and vest scarce covering the shoulder-blade, and the point- 
 ed hat from fourteen to sixteen inches high ; but an individual 
 who should appear at the capital in such a costume would incur 
 the indignation of the President and the openly-expressed ridicule 
 ofaU. 
 
 Concepcion was one of the points at which I expected wood, 
 and I found sixty cords of the best quality well cut and corded. 
 In this lot no less than twelve persons were interested, but they 
 permitted us to receive it at our own measurement. Four dollars 
 per cord was the price demanded. In a land of endless forests, 
 this was perhaps too much; but it was cheap fuel when it is 
 considered that with it the steamer was run at the rate of two 
 dollars the hour. It was a new business to these people, and I 
 could afterward have contracted for any quantity at the rate of 
 from two and a half to three dollars the cord. When a trade 
 shall spring up with Brazil and Bolivia via the Paraguay, the cut- 
 ting and sale of wood at this point will of itself give profitable 
 employment to hundreds of the inhabitants of this town. 
 
 " On the 15th," says my journal, " we were again under way. 
 Crowds of people assembled on the banks to see the Water Witch 
 move under steam. Soon passed a salina — salt-field. The water 
 is not affected ; to the taste it is pure. Arroyo la Patria is a wide 
 riacho ten miles above Concepcion, which extends about twelve 
 miles into the Chaco. On its banks are noble trees of la pacho 
 and quebracho, considered the hardest and most durable of all the 
 arboreal treasures of Paraguay. They would be- invaluable for 
 ship-building, and small quantities are cut for this purpose annu- 
 ally for the government, and transported to Asuncion. The banks 
 of the Paraguay are here on both sides low and marshy, but some 
 distance inland well wooded. Near the mouth of the Kio Saladil- 
 lo is a rock in mid-channel ; on either side deep water. This is an 
 unimportant stream, rising in the interior of Paraguay. At the 
 season of low water it is so strongly impregnated with salt that it 
 can not be drunk. The channel of the Paraguay a httle above 
 
142 INDIANS OF THE CHACO. 
 
 here is diverted from wliat would seem to be the main bed of the 
 river by rocky obstructions, and has taken a course west of the 
 island Uriate, where it is deep, but narrow. Less than a mile 
 above the island Zapepa, and about twenty from Concepcion, are 
 Salinas^ and near them many huts of salt-gatherers. I am partic- 
 ular in noting these instances of salinas and salados to the east, 
 because most writers assert that they exist only west of the Para- 
 guay and Parana. Thirty miles from Concepcion passed the mouth 
 of the Arquidaban, which rises in the Cordillera Maricayu, and 
 empties into a riacho of the same name." 
 
 Four miles above, for the first time, we saw a number of In- 
 dians on the Chaco side. Only a few presented themselves im- 
 mediately on the bank, but we observed a large body half con- 
 cealed — they imagined wholly so — by the long grass and palm. 
 Accompanied by some of the ofiicers and men, all armed, to show 
 that we were prepared to be either friends or enemies, I went on 
 shore. The savages had placed their bows and arrows at a dis- 
 tance, and as we landed one of them pointed to their cacique. 
 Our Guarani pilot called their attention to ' our cacique,' when a 
 great shaking of hands took place, the Indians uttering deep gut- 
 tural sounds. I gave the cacique a lighted cigar, of which he took 
 a whiff, and passed it to his companions. Soon the whole party, 
 men, women, and children, came rushing from their hiding-places, 
 eager to shake hands with us. They were without paint or orna- 
 ments- of any kind, and perfectly nude, except a small piece of cot- 
 ton or woolen cloth, or skin of wild animals, around the loins. 
 They proved to be a part of the famous Lengua tribe : the men 
 were good-looking, well made, and above the ordinary stature; 
 their eyes long, not unlike the Chinese, but larger ; the mouth 
 wide. The women were disfigured by the hideous tattooing which 
 is, according to Azara, their preparation for marriage. These In- 
 dians have horses and sheep, cultivate a little corn and cotton, 
 and their women spin with the distaff', and weave a coarse wool- 
 en and cotton cloth. 
 
 Hoping to satisfy the cacique that our intentions were pacific, 
 and presuming that he would communicate this impression to 
 other tribes with whom he might fall in, I invited him and some 
 others to go on board the Water Witch. It must have been to 
 them a wonderful sight, for not only no steamer, but no vessel ap- 
 proaching the size of our craft had ever before passed over these 
 waters ; but not a sound or movement betrayed either astonish- 
 
HIGH LANDS.— SALVADOR 143 
 
 ment, admiration, or fear on the part of tlie chief Some of those 
 who accompanied him had less command over themselves, and 
 manifested a little uneasiness ; no persuasion could induce them 
 to go below, after having been shown every thing on deck. We 
 gave them a few trinkets, fish-hooks, cigars, with which they seem- 
 ed pleased, offering us, in return, some balls of yarn spun by their 
 women. The point in the Chaco at which we landed for a parley 
 with these Indians was a verdant plain elevated some ten feet 
 above the river, and studded inland with stately palms so far as 
 the eye could reach. 
 
 At the close of day we anchored fifty-two miles above Concep- 
 cion, at a point where the Riacho No via unites with the main river. 
 Width one third of a mile ; least depth since leaving Concepcion, 
 fifteen feet ; greatest, sixty of line, and " no bottom." Temperature 
 of the air at meridian, 92° ; water, 86|-°. 
 
 ^'■November 16ih. Under way at an early hour this morning, and 
 had made but little progress, when we came to the most extensive 
 palm-forest as yet seen. It reached nine unbroken miles along 
 the Chaco bank, and extended back to the very verge of the hori- 
 zon ; the grass was green and vigorous. At the termination of this 
 plain the banks rise to the height of fifteen feet, covered for several 
 miles with lapacho and quebracho. This is the greatest elevation 
 we have met with since leaving Concepcion ; the more remarka- 
 ble for being on the west. Saw another party of mounted Indians 
 approaching the river at full speed, but they proved to be a part 
 of the same tribe we had already seen, and wanted presents. 
 
 " Before us the first rolling land — in rear of the town of Salvador 
 — was seen since leaving Concepcion. The estancias and quintas 
 of this range look well in the distance, and add much to the cheer- 
 fulness and picturesque beauty of the country. The town stands 
 half way up this ridge, which rises gradually from the water to 
 the height of about one hundred feet, and forms a plateau extend- 
 ing back about half a mile. The approach to it by the river is 
 very pretty ; shore line crescent-shaped. Anchored in thirty feet 
 water. 
 
 " Salvador, in latitude 22° 48' 45'' south, longitude 57° 54' 33" 
 west, has about one thousand inhabitants, and is, by the course of 
 the river, seventy miles from Concepcion, and the most northern 
 town or settlement, except guardias, in Paraguay. , Least depth 
 of water to this place fifteen feet, and this at a season when the 
 river is supposed to be eight feet above its lowest point and six 
 
144 TEMPERATURE.— CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY. 
 
 below its highest. We are now five hundred and twenty miles 
 from the mouth of the Paraguay, and have encountered no obsta- 
 cles to a clear and easy navigation of its waters. An experienced 
 boatman of our Western rivers could discover, by inspection only, 
 the course of deep water. The temperature of the water, 86°, is a 
 mean between the daily extremes of the atmosphere. Since leav- 
 ing Concepcion the thermometer has ranged from 75° to 95°, the 
 minimum being at 8 A.M., rising and falling at both points with 
 the influence of north and south winds. The heat is always more 
 or less tempered by breezes. In our gradual approach to the 
 equator we have perhaps become somewhat acclimated ; for, spite 
 of the fatigue of watching ten or twelve hours of the twenty -four 
 on the hurricane deck, where we are brought in close proximity to 
 the smoke-stack, with only an awning to protect us from the effects 
 of a vertical sun, we have not found the heat insufferable. Our 
 thermometer, as much removed as possible from the influence of 
 artificial heat, was no index to the temperature of our working 
 position, selected for the purpose of giving an uninterrupted view 
 of the river and adjacent country." 
 
 Soon after anchoring we visited the commandante. In the at- 
 tentions paid to us here, and at every point on the river, the influ- 
 ence of government orders is apparent. Our arrival was evident- 
 ly anticipated by instructions from the capital, and both officials 
 and villagers offered us every facility in the prosecution of our 
 work. Apart from this influence, the inhabitants of Paraguay 
 manifest an unmistakable disposition to exercise hospitality toward 
 strangers. 
 
 Though surrounded by great natural advantages, the people of 
 Salvador are poor. Their condition is a silent but expressive re- 
 proach to the policy of Paraguayan rulers ; for to supply their im- 
 mediate and absolute wants, and to meet punctually the exactions 
 of the government, are all they are taught or permitted. I ac- 
 cepted the commandante's offer of horses, and, accompanied by 
 several of the ofl&cers of the Water Witch, rode over the neigh- 
 boring country. The estancias were small, and the stock neither 
 in number nor quality very great ; the soil, though sandy, seemed 
 to be highly adapted to the most varied products. Corn, rice, 
 sugar-cane, tobacco, mandioca, water-melons, cabbages, pimipkins, 
 and several varieties of beans were growing luxuriantly. The 
 rice was the upland species, cultivated in rows, at an elevation of 
 eighty feet above the water ; it required no irrigation, and prom- 
 
THE CARAGUATAY GUAZU. 145 
 
 ised an abundant harvest. The indigenous products of this region 
 are also valuable. The wild maize, the Abatiguaniha of the Gua- 
 rani, is a bountiful provision of nature, for it is parched or pound- 
 ed into meal by the natives,, and much liked by them when made 
 into bread. The grain is not unhke millet, with blades one third 
 of the width of common Indian corn. 
 
 In this vicinity the most useful species of the aloe tribe abounds, 
 xhe Caraguatay guazu: from its filamentous tissues the people of 
 the country make ropes, fishing-lines, etc. Careful experiments 
 have proved it to be both stronger and more durable for cordage 
 than hemp, while, at the same time, it may be manufactured into 
 the finest fabrics. The Spaniards used it for caulking, and pre- 
 ferred it to every other material ; and Don Josef de Bustamente y 
 Guerra, a friend and contemporary of Azara,* experimented with 
 ropes of it and of hemp — the latter made at a Spanish arsenal — 
 and his trial proved that of caraguatay to be the stronger. 
 
 Under the direction of the Jesuits, the Indians spun and wove 
 it into cloth, and, according to Dobrizhoffer, such beautiful stock- 
 ings were made of its thread, that in France, both for strength and 
 softness, they were preferred to silk ; but he also tells us that " no 
 time or art can make these threads white, nor will they hold color." 
 We have only to remember that this intelligent Jesuit wrote more 
 than a century ago* and that now art and science, applied to man- 
 ufactures, seeni to make all things possible. The Styrian Father 
 continues in his quaint style to dwell upon the uses of the different 
 species of this plant : 
 
 " Their leaves supply the place of flax in making thread. The 
 Indians look upon the various fruits of the caraguatay as food. 
 From their leaves, when scraped with a knife, flows a sweet liquor, 
 which is thickened on the fire, and condensed into sugar. This 
 liquor of the caraguatay, mixed in water with the seeds of oranges 
 or lemons, undergoes a vinous fermentation ; exposed to the sun, 
 it turns to vinegar. By what method and in what cases wounds 
 are healed by the juice of the caraguatay would be long to tell. A 
 polypodium, preferable in the opinion of physicians to any Euro- 
 pean one, grows on the caraguatay." 
 
 In this vicinity is found the "datil," one of the numerous palms, 
 
 * Azara : " Mon ami Don Josef de Bustamente y Guerra, fit fabriqner avec du 
 caraguata un bout de corde de la grosseur du pouce ; et I'ayant compare avec un 
 autre de la meme grosseur, fabrique' dans nos arsenaux avec du chanvre, celui de 
 caraguata se trouva plus fort." 
 
 10 
 
146 EEPTILE HUNTING.— USES OF HIDES. 
 
 Its fruit grows in clusters, looking like a colossal bunch of grapes ; 
 the outer shell is thin, and envelops a sweet, yellowish, stringy- 
 substance, of which the natives are very fond, covering a nut 
 about an inch in diameter, containing the kernel from which the 
 oil is extracted either by pressure or boiling. The appearance 
 and size of this nut are similar to that of the filbert, and in taste 
 it is very like the cocoanut. 
 
 Although little accustomed to trade,' we found the people quite 
 ready to dispose of any article for cash. I employed a boy to pro- 
 cure reptiles, and for this purpose gave him two large specimen- 
 jars half filled with cana, charging him to omit no species, how- 
 ever common in the country. He soon returned with a quantity 
 of diminutive toads, enough to have stocked every collection in 
 the United States. I discontinued his services, but found that I 
 had started a new branch of trade in Salvador, for a goodly por- 
 tion of the population turned out reptile-hunting ; and had I not 
 left the following day, I might unintentionally have worked one 
 of the miracles of Saint Patrick for this neighborhood. 
 
 In a chmate where the thermometer ranges from 76° to 96° the 
 lightest clothing is alone comfortable ; many altogether despise 
 this essential of civihzation; and half-grown boys and girls, whose 
 limbs had never been girded, ran about the country, or, plunging 
 into the river as if it were their natural element, swam around the 
 Water Witch, looking as innocent and unconscious as our first pa- 
 rents before the fall. 
 
 Having received wood and supplies of fresh provisions, consist- 
 ing of molasses, beef, figs, chickens, eggs, corn, milk, mandioca, 
 cabbages, onions, and pumpkins, we bade adieu to the people of 
 the town, who came down to see us off — to wish us success and 
 a speedy return. The molasses, made in the neighborhood, was 
 of excellent quality, and we paid for it at the rate of twelve and a 
 half cents a gallon. I purchased a quantity for the ship's compa- 
 ny, which was brought on board in an ox-hide, having its four 
 corners drawn together and fastened so that it could be swung 
 upon a pole and carried by two men. It was poured into some 
 empty casks in the " spirit- room," and the hide returned to the 
 men who brought it. They expressed much astonishment at our 
 generosity, and evidently considered it of more value than the mo- 
 lasses. We had been too long in the country not to have discov- 
 ered that, though abounding in wood and iron, hide was the favor- 
 ite substitute for both, as well as for rope and a variety of other 
 
ASCENT OF THE RIVER.— PASO MALO. 
 
 147 
 
 articles considered by \is essentials in the ruder mechanical arts. 
 If yerba, the staple of the country, is to be transported thousands 
 of miles, it is neither packed in barrels nor boxes, but in hide bags 
 {tercias)^ sewed up with strips of the same material. 
 
 There was a little craft at the landing, receiving on board hides 
 and yerba, the only articles of trade from Salvador. The "yer- 
 bales" are seventy miles from this place, but, owing to the monop- 
 oly of their product by the government, the population in the vi- 
 cinity of them has diminished, and the annual shipment decreased 
 from six hundred thousand arrobas to fifty thousand. 
 
 " Under way," says my journal. " Have advanced three and a 
 half miles, and are passing a government estancia extending three 
 leagues on the river, and containing a herd of six thousand head 
 of horned cattle, some hogs and sheep ; the two first very supe- 
 rior, the sheep mdilFerent. These government estancias are to be 
 found in every part of Paraguay, but more particularly along the 
 river and in the vicinity of guardias. Seven miles above Salva- 
 dor, encountered a ledge of rocks which extends across two thirds 
 the width of the river, forcing the channel on the Chaco side. 
 There is no appearance of rock formation on either bank, both be- 
 ing here low and marshy. This characteristic continues for five 
 miles to Piquete Arracife, in latitude 22° 45' 33'', and longitude 
 57° 57' 31", distant from Asuncion two hundred and sixty-two 
 nules. Except piquetes and guardias, there is not, beyond, a sin- 
 gle habitation on Paraguay territory, and this is the last place at 
 which we have contracted for the deUvery of wood. 
 
 " The weather to-day, November 17th, has been intensely hot, 
 thermometer ranging from 75° at three A.M. to 99° at three P.M. ; 
 at midnight thermometer showed 86°, and at six A.M. 79°, the 
 wind being north and northwest, the point whence come winds 
 charged with the radiated heat of a vast pampa. The fires of the 
 furnace having been extinguished while wooding at midday, the 
 reading of the thermometer at three P.M. was uninfluenced by any 
 current of artificial heat. Half a mile below Arracife is a ledge 
 of rocks on either side of the channel, but navigation is neither 
 impeded nor endangered by them. 
 
 " One mile above is Paso Malo — " Bad Pass," so called from 
 there bemg less water than at any point between Asuncion and 
 Albuquerque ; and yet, even here, the least depth is twelve feet, 
 and this we found at only two casts of the lead, equivalent to six 
 feet when the river is at its lowest state. Both banks continue 
 
148 WARLIKE INDIANS. 
 
 low, with extensive plains of palm and grass on the Chaco side. 
 Advanced twelve miles ; the river turns east, and the Sierra Yta- 
 pucumini, which is first seen in the distance at Piquete Tobas, six 
 miles below, terminates on the left bank, in a bluff of limestone 
 forty feet high, covered with a growth of valuable woods. This 
 wooded limestone plateau continues for some miles on the east 
 bank, while the opposite or Chaco side presents the same low 
 plain of palms. The Sierra Ytapucumini is a continuation of the 
 distant high lands first seen in approaching Salvador. All the 
 limestone used at Asuncion, and other places on the river, is taken 
 from this neighborhood." 
 
 Five miles above Arracife, while running close to the right 
 bank, we saw a host of mounted Indians in the distance. They 
 came dashing at a full gallop over the plain, looking like Cen- 
 taurs, as they gracefully guided their horses through the windings 
 of a dense palm forest, and undeviatingly directed their course to 
 the river, without for an instant checking speed. On they came, 
 men and women, in all their nudity ; no garments of any descrip- 
 tion, except a piece of stuff about the loins ; neither paint nor or- 
 naments, neither saddles nor bridles, but controlling their animals 
 with a rude rein of hide passed over the lower jaw, and confined 
 by a thong of the same material. 
 
 Arrived on the bank, they made signs for a "talk." The 
 steamer was stopped, and some of us landed. They proved to be 
 a part of one of the most warlike tribes, the Angaite, and were 
 noble-looking creatures, above the ordinary stature, and well 
 formed : their teeth were white and regular ; hair luxuriant, •and 
 cut square upon the forehead. We gazed with interest upon 
 these savages, for the warlike Chaco tribes have alone, amid the 
 degradation and extirpation of the nations of their race upon the 
 American continent, defied, for more than three centuries, the 
 power of the white man. They still maintain their wild independ- 
 ence, not in mtricate and inaccessible passes of mountain ranges — 
 not in great sterile plains, or among death-exhaling morasses, 
 where the ingenuity or industry of the white man could obtain 
 no remunerative return, but over a vast domain of two hundred 
 thousand square miles, spreading out into noble forests of precious 
 woods, lovely plains, accessible by navigable rivers, and irrigated 
 by hundreds of their tributary streams ; a land not figuratively, 
 but literally flowing with milk and honey.* They have a salu- 
 * The honey of the Chaco is celebrated in La Plata. 
 

 f/i I Kill ^^H\ T,^^' -"^''-^1 ^1^. 
 
COURSE OF THE RIVER. 151 
 
 brioiis climate ; a remedio, iu tlieir indigenous products, for every 
 disease and wound ; amid a perfection of vegetal beauty, they 
 live, attaining a longevity almost unknown to the white man, 
 without the physical decay of his old age. 
 
 After a talk, and presents of tobacco and beads, we left them, 
 with a promise, on their part, to meet us on our return, with skins 
 of wild animals, specimens, etc. ; but we never saw them again. 
 
 " Four miles to the Piquete Judiarte ; river more tortuous, 
 winding through twenty points of the compass. This piquete is 
 twenty-two miles from Salvador by the river, and nine by land. 
 Extensive palm plains begin on the east, and disappear on the 
 west. I have observed that rarely or never do those plains ap- 
 pear on both banks at. the same time. At the Vuelta Caapucu 
 the course of the river is diverted by rocky obstructions, and the 
 west bank becomes more elevated. After passing the last piquete, 
 the Sierra Caapucu may be seen at intervals at some distance in 
 the interior. Twenty miles above, it approaches the Paraguay, 
 and presents a precipitous rocky bluff, known to the natives as 
 Piedra Partida — ' Freestone.' This range extends five miles on 
 the river, and throughout the whole distance is covered with fine 
 timber. It then recedes again, and terminates about half a mile 
 in the interior, in a beautiful cone — Mount Pina Hermosa,* which 
 is twenty-six miles from Piquete Judiarte. 
 
 ^^ November 18ih. Continue to ascend; in view upon the left, 
 mountain ranges well timbered, contrasting strangely with the 
 boundless palm plains of the right bank. At three points in this 
 day's work have observed an inclination of the channel to the 
 west ; the only deviation from an easterly direction, which it has 
 heretofore maintained with great uniformity. May not this arise 
 from the physical changes to which I have alluded, and the bar- 
 rier which the rocky abutments of the east bank oppose to the 
 working of the river in that direction ? 
 
 " November 19th. With intervals of a few minutes for meals, I 
 have worked to-day incessantly for "ten hours. This, with the 
 debilitating influence of the weather, has produced excessive fa- 
 tigue and lassitude. In these latitudes I believe the siesta is es- 
 sential to vigorous health. Thermometer has ranged from 84° to 
 96° at 3 P.M. Wind K, N.E., and N.AV. At 6 P.M., wind 
 S.E. ; thermometer 76° : the influence of the wind, in this in- 
 stance, producing, in three hours, a change of temperature great- 
 
 * So called from a stone of fine texture found in it. 
 
152 BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. 
 
 er than is here caused bj the seasons ; and this is the uniform 
 result, 
 
 " Passing a rocky bluif on the left bank, where stands the Guar- 
 dia Apatuya : it is sixty miles above Salvador, and the last 'of 
 these posts but one in approaching the northern frontier. 
 
 " Having broken another crank strap, anchored two miles be- 
 yond, at the mouth of the E,iacho Toldocue, which takes its name 
 from a tribe of Indians that formerly occupied the adjacent coun- 
 try. There is an absence of every mark of civilization, but the 
 scenery is surpassingly beautiful ; the distant ranges and spurs of 
 sierras on the left, although of no great height, present ever- varying 
 landscapes ; and as the steamer passes her length upon the waters, 
 picturesque views open upon us in the east with increased beauty. 
 From our anchorage, a distant view of Mount Galvan. Cloudy 
 weather prevents the usual observations for geographical determ- 
 ination. 
 
 " November 20th. Throughout this day the beauty of the face 
 of the country has called forth the admiration of all on board. 
 On both sides, mountains. On the east, the spurs of the Sierras 
 Morada and Ytapucu Guazu, crowned with forests of noble tim- 
 ber, approach the river in precipitous, sections of stratified rock, 
 of from sixty to one hundred feet elevation, and inclose between 
 them palm plains, with grass green and fresh as a hay-field in 
 June. On the Chaco side, the lofty conical Galvan stands like a 
 watch-tower over the plains. Isolated, it rises from a sea of palm 
 and grass, which stretches easterly to the river, and on the north, 
 south, and west to the verge of the horizon. 
 
 " November 21st. Scenery continues very beautiful. On the 
 east, the spurs of the sierras still approach and recede from the 
 river, the dark verdure of their forests enameled by the brilliant 
 flora of parasite and epiphyte. Our crew, about fifty souls, many 
 of thorn rude seamen — 'they that go down to the sea in ships, 
 and occupy their business in great waters' — gaze around them in 
 silence, and, from their unusually subdued manner, we may be- 
 lieve with hearts touched by the wondrous beauties of creation 
 hourly unfolded. They are many hundred miles from the sea, in 
 a vessel diminutive, it is true, but one in which they had trav- 
 ersed seven thousand miles of ocean before entering these waters. 
 Their rugged natures are still disciplined by the laws and regula- 
 tions of a national ship, ' afloat,' not upon the broad ocean, but 
 upon a river ; not watching the sporting of the Great Leviathan, 
 
YTAPUCU GUAZU. 
 
 153 
 
 or the plienomena of a vast expanse of sea and sky, but cruising 
 through verdant plains, flower-gardens, parks, forests of gigantic 
 trees, mountain ranges, their wild grandeur contrasting impress- 
 ively with the green fields nestling under and between them. 
 There is a pervading woody aroma; all the depth and brilliant 
 tints of tropical regions ; new and beautiful species of animal life 
 swim across the steamer's track, or appear upon the banks, or 
 dash through the bordering forest ; the day is enlivened by con- 
 certs of birds of gay plumage ; the stillness of the night is broken 
 by strange sounds from the shores, as if all animated life was 
 startled by the appearance of this new force of civilization dis- 
 turbino; the solitude of their domain. 
 
 TBEMINATXON OP A SPHE OP YTAPDCD GUAZU. 
 
 " We have now in full view the rocky spurs, of the Morada and 
 the ' Ytapucu Guazu ;' they contain quarries of a sandstone of 
 fine texture, said to be of unequaled quality when worked into 
 hones for fine edged tools. On the Chaco side, small patches of 
 pumpkins, but no Indian near them ; even on this limited scale 
 it is the first cultivation we have seen on that bank. 
 
 " Anchored off Guardia Concluencia. It stands on the slope 
 of a section of the ' Ytapucu Guazu,' and is the northern frontier 
 guardia of Paraguay, distant from Asuncion three hundred and 
 fifty miles. The encroachments of Brazil and the hostilities of 
 the Chaco Indians are here alike feared." 
 
154 INDIANS OF THE CHACO. 
 
 Soon after landing we received a visit from the commandante, 
 who proudly speaks of his guardia as the northern key to the re- 
 public. An irreconcilable feud seems to exist between the Para- 
 guayans and the warlike Indians of the neighboring territory. 
 The savages have few or no canoes, and rarely go upon the water ; 
 but the Paraguayans owe their exemption from all hostile incur- 
 sion less to the barrier which the river presents than to the divi- 
 sions and jealousies existing among the tribes, and to the absence 
 among them of all arms that could be effective in invading the 
 opposite country ; for, on foot, the bow and arrow, and, mounted, 
 the lance, are still their only implements of war. The immensity 
 of their territory and their nomadic habits render them, in return, 
 safe from all pursuit. Mounted upon fleet horses, with their wives 
 and children, and driving flocks and herds before them, they have 
 only to plunge into the unexplored regions of their domain. 
 
 Though the white population of La Plata dwell with enthusiasm 
 upon the beauty and fruitfulness of the Chaco, few or none but 
 the Jesuits have ever attempted to explore the mysteries of its 
 interior. We have for some days been passing the lands still 
 occupied by Mbayas, Lenguas, Angaite, and Guanos, names famil- 
 iar to us from the contests of their progenitors with the Spanish 
 conquerors; "nations comprehending innumerable divisions, or 
 small tribes, who add to their names with time, and, when ques- 
 tioned on this subject, give the new additions without dispensing 
 with the old. It is beyond question that the charts of the Jesuits 
 scarcely have space for the insertion of their different names, so 
 numerous are the tribes."* 
 
 I should judge by my own observation, and from information 
 given me by inhabitants of the country, that these unsubjugated 
 Indians, with the exception of the domesticity of birds and quad- 
 rupeds among them — a thing unknown at the time of the Span- 
 ish invasion — still retain the habits and physical characteristics 
 which the early writers upon this country, a little later the Jesu- 
 its, and more recently Azara, have ascribed to them. A Jesuit 
 divides them into " Equestrian" and " Pedestrian" tribes, but 
 Azara more justly distinguishes them as "Warlike" and "Agri- 
 cultural." Though they are now, and were at the time of the 
 Jesuitic influence, skillful horsemen, it was an art acquired from 
 the Spaniards, who, as is well known, introduced the horse upon 
 that section of the continent ; agriculture was, at the time of the 
 
 * Azara, 
 
THEIR PHYSICAL VIGOR. I55 
 
 invasion, pursued with success by some of the tribes, while oth- 
 ers, warhke and ferocious, Hved by the chase or fishing. 
 
 Though many of them now possess horned cattle, sheep, and 
 horses, except for the latter, which have, from habit, become nec- 
 essary to them, they give to their increase little or no attention. 
 Mounted, they course over the Chaco, preferring the precarious 
 subsistence of the chase to pastoral or agricultural pursuits, which 
 the fruitfalness of the soil, the fine natural pastures, and the con- 
 stant recurrence of saliferous lands and waters would make so sure 
 and easy a source of supply for all their physical necessities. 
 
 The most extraordinary accounts are given by the Jesuits of 
 the size, strength, and vigor of the warlike Chaco Indians. I have 
 alluded to the Abipones, a few of whom, in a semi-civilized state, 
 we saw near Santa Fe. Dobrizhoflfer speaks of them as a nation 
 of Masanissas. "If," says this author, "a man dies at eighty, he 
 is lamented as if cut oflp in the flower of his age." He mentions 
 men of a hundred mounting fiery horses like boys of twelve years; 
 and adds, " Women generally live longer than men, because they 
 are not killed in war." He proceeds to account for this lon- 
 gevity without physical decay, and their organization, "muscu- 
 lar," "robust," and "agile," which he ascribes somewhat to cli- 
 matic influence, but still more to the instinctive avoidance by 
 youth, both males and females, of licentious courses' and to tem- 
 perance through life in food and all sensual gratification. What 
 Tacitus says of the ancient Germans he applies to them : " Cibi 
 simplices, agrestia poma, recens fera, aut lac concretum, sine appa- 
 ratu, sine blandimentis expellunt famem." 
 
 Azara, who wrote many years after the Styrian Jesuit, in speak- 
 ing of Lenguas, Mbayas, and other warlike tribes, says, " Their 
 height, the grandeur and elegance of their forms and their pro- 
 portions are not equaled in the world." He refers constantly to 
 Indians, vigorous, athletic, and possessing perfect hair and teeth, 
 who had numbered several years over a century. 
 
 A cacique of the Mbayas, Nabidigua, six feet two inches high, 
 was, in 1794, asked his age. He replied, " I do not know ; but 
 when the Cathedral in Asuncion was begun, I was married and 
 had a son." This Cathedral was built in 1689, and, supposing the 
 cacique to have been fifteen at the time of his marriage, he must 
 have been, in 1794, one hundred and twenty years old, and yet he 
 then " mounted his horse, handled his lance, went into war, or fol- 
 lowed the chase with the youngest." 
 
156 THE MBAYAS AND LENGUAS. 
 
 Of all the tribes, the Mbajas continued to give most trouble to 
 the white population, crossing the Paraguay and waging war for 
 many years so successfally, to the very neighborhood of Asuncion, 
 that the Spaniards were forced, in 1746, to conclude a formal treaty 
 of peace with them. They are still seen in those parallels of the 
 Chaco, 20° and 22° south, which they originally occupied, divided 
 into iolderias, or wigwams. Azara, in writing of them at the close 
 of the eighteenth century, says, " They had with them many Gua- 
 nos, part of an agricultural tribe, who served them, cultivating 
 their lands without remuneration ; for this reason the Mbayas 
 call them their slaves, but their servitude is gentle, because the 
 Guanos submit to it voluntarily and renounce it at will. Added 
 to this, their masters give few orders, they never employ an imper- 
 ative and obligatory tone, and they partake of all things, even 
 their carnal pleasures, with the Guanos, for the Mbayas are not 
 jealous." 
 
 The Chaco was both the Elysium and Palestine of the Indians 
 in that section of the continent. Undoubtedly occupied by indig- 
 enous tribes, it yet became the hiding-place or refuge-home of all 
 who fled from the Spaniards of Peru, or from those east of the 
 central rivers, but, above all, from the Portuguese slave-hunters ; 
 "for there they had mountains for observatories, trackless woods 
 for fortifications, rivers and marshes for ditches, and plantations 
 of fruit-trees for store-houses."* And there their descendants still 
 live, in wild independence, bidding defiance to the white popula- 
 tion of the opposite shores of "La Plata." 
 
 I have alluded to our parleys with Lenguas, or Guaycurus, and 
 Anguites, and can add my testimony to the assertions of the Jes- 
 uits and Spanish authors as to their extraordinary physical organ- 
 ization, superior stature, teeth, perfection of limb ; those relating 
 to their health and longevity without decay are fully confirmed 
 by the people of the country. 
 
 The Paraguay Eiver was generally, but not invariably, the 
 boundary between the warlike and agricultural nations. The 
 Guanos, to whom I have alluded as the slaves or laborers of the 
 Mbayas, were found west of the river, while the innumerable 
 tribes comprehended in the Guarani nation occupied a large part 
 of Brazil and the country east of the Paraguay and Parana. 
 
 They possessed, at the time of the Spanish invasion, a compar- 
 ative civilization, raising corn, rice, and many vegetables ; gather- 
 
 * Dobrizhoffjr. 
 
THE GUANOS AND GUARANIS. 157 
 
 ing wild honey and fruits, distilling a liquor which became popu- 
 lar among the Spaniards, and cultivating cotton, from which they 
 spun and wove a simple covering for their nakedness. 
 
 Before the revolution, parties of Guanos, in troops of fifty and a 
 hundred, descended the Paraguay and Parana, going even to Bue- 
 nos Ayres, where they hired themselves, for a limited period, to 
 the estancieros ; always choosing to work by the task, leaving their 
 arms with the alcalde on entering a village or district, and claim- 
 ing them again when ready to return to the Chaco. The descend- 
 ants of these agricultural Indians still go forth as laborers in the 
 Argentine Confederation, returning at stated periods to their wilds. 
 
 The Guarani nation not only possessed a large part of the coun- 
 try now known as Brazil and the basin of La Plata, east of the cen- 
 tral rivers, from the sixteenth to the thirtieth degree of latitude, 
 but, crossing the upper waters of the Paraguay, they even penetra- 
 ted west to the province of Chiquitos, where, at the foot of the An- 
 des, numbers of them, under the name of Chiriguanos, were found. 
 They acknowledged no one head or chief, but were divided into 
 numerous small tribes, designated by the name of its cacique or 
 the section of the country they happened to occupy ; recognizable, 
 however, not only by general characteristics, but by their language, 
 precisely the same throughout the tribes of their nation, however 
 geographically placed, and yet entirely different from all others of 
 the many Indian idioms of the Southern continent. 
 
 With a knowledge of Guarani, one could pass through the ex- 
 tent of their territory ] that is, travel through Brazil, enter Para- 
 guay, descend to Buenos Ayres, and journey into Peru, without 
 finding such changes in the language as might arise from local 
 causes. 
 
 But, if the most civilized and the most numerous of all the La 
 Plata nations, so were they the most easily conquered, for warlike 
 pursuits- were distasteful to them. It was among this people that 
 the Spaniards formed their largest commanderies, the Jesuits their 
 I first neophytes; while vast numbers, not only the tribes occupjdng 
 Brazilian territory, but those of the " reductions" of the Jesuits, 
 were carried off by the Mamelucas. 
 
 These Indians evinced a wonderful obedience and docility to the 
 instructions of the Jesuits ; became, under their military training, 
 excellent soldiers ; and, to the honor of the Fathers — upon whom, 
 notwithstanding, many of the Spanish writers have exhausted the 
 asperities of their language — gave evidence of such submission and 
 
168 THEIR RELIGIOUS OPINIONS. 
 
 fidelity to the Spanisli monarcliy that they participated in many 
 of their wars, both against foreign and domestic foes, contributing 
 largely to their victories, and saving them from injury, if not ex- 
 tirpation, by more than one wide-spread and well-designed Indian 
 insurrection ; services which were noticed in 1665 and 1666 by 
 gracious letters from the "Catholic king," still preserved in the 
 archives of Santa Fe. Amid all the hmniliation and degradation 
 of this aboriginal nation, one great triumph awaited it. In the 
 western parts of Brazil, and in all Paraguay, their language was 
 preserved, indeed substituted for that of the conquerors, and is to 
 this day almost exclusively spoken in the latter country. 
 
 Though entertaining rather absurd ideas of a spiritual existence, 
 some few of the La Plata Indians believed in the immortality of 
 the soul ; and we have seen that there was even a tradition, the ori- 
 gin of which the Spaniards ascribed to the Jesuits, that St. Thomas 
 had labored on the American continent. But both laymen and 
 Jesuits unite in telling us that among many tribes they discovered 
 no traces of a knowledge of God. The contemplation of terrestrial 
 or celestial objects had never inspired them with an idea of a cre- 
 ative Deity, Father Penafiel declares that many Indians, when 
 questioned as to whether they had ever thought of the existence 
 of a Supreme Being, replied, "No, never." Dobrizhofifer, who com- 
 pleted his theological course in the University of Cordova, says, 
 "I finished the four years of theology commenced at Gratz in 
 Styria, and defended warmly the opinion that no man in the pos- 
 session of his reason can, without a crime, remain ignorant of God 
 for any length of time. On removing thence to a colony of Abi- 
 pones, I found, to my astonishment, that the whole language of 
 these savages did not contain a single word which expresses God 
 or Divinity." And yet these Abipones watched with reverence 
 the appearance and disappearance of the Pleiades, as the repre- 
 sentative of the common ancestor of Spaniard and Indian, the 
 grandfather Aharaigichi, who transmitted gold and silver to the 
 one and valor to the other. The Guaranis alone had a word for 
 God, " J^pa" — Tu^ an expression of admiration ; pa, of interro- 
 gation. 
 
 This may explain, but not excuse, the extraordinary prejudices 
 and inhumanities of the conquerors toward the indigenous inhab- 
 itants of the south, whom they pretended to regard, notwithstand- 
 ing their extraordinary physical beauty, as a species intermediate 
 between man and brute. Such an opinion was not only obstinate- 
 
TREATMENT BY THE SPANIARDS. 159 
 
 ly uj^held by laymen, but by many learned and respectable eccle- 
 siastics, wlio passed over to the new continent. Thomas Ortez, 
 bishop of Saint Martha, addressed an elaborate article on the sub- 
 ject to the Supreme Council of Madrid, stating that the experi- 
 ence derived from a long and frequent intercourse with the In- 
 dians led him to regard them " as stupid beings, incapable as brute 
 beasts of comprehending our religion or observing its precepts." 
 We know how able an apologist and defender rose up in the per- 
 son of Bartolomeo de las Casas, who declared them fully capable 
 of understanding all the truths of Christianity. Other ecclesias- 
 tics considered them an inferior creation, to whom could be ac- 
 corded but one sacrament — baptism. Las Casas boldly alleged 
 that both of these positions were assumed only as an excuse for 
 the atrocities exercised against the aborigines by the conquerors, 
 and obtained in 1537 a bull from Paul III., declaring them human 
 beings, who could receive all the sacraments of the Church. Pow- 
 erful as were the popes of the sixteenth century, both in temporal 
 and spiritual affairs, they could not vanquish the prejudice, real 
 or pretended, of priests and laymen. Elaborate treatises were 
 written to prove the inferiority of the Indian race ; and, for a cen- 
 tury after the conquest of Peru, its curates, with the sanction of 
 their bishops, persisted in refusing them the Eucharist, upon the 
 pretext of incapacity to comprehend the great mystery of the 
 Church. This prejudice vanished only with time, and before the 
 authority of more than one ecclesiastical council, assembled in the 
 cities of Peru and La Plata to decide the question. The poor 
 Indian obtained one advantage by this doubt — exemption from 
 the fearful tribunals of the Inquisition. 
 
160 RIO APPA.— A TAPIR. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Rio Appa. — A Tapir. — Diiferences between Brazil and Paraguay as to the Bounda- 
 ries. — Letter from Mr. Hudson. — Point Rock. — Sierra Siete Punta. — Pan do 
 Azucar. — Ascent of the Mountain. — The View. — Speculations on the Future of 
 this Country. — Round Top. — Fort Bourbon. — Claims of Bolivia and Paraguay. 
 — Bahia Blanca. — Vuelta Pariquito. — Capon Chico. — A Boa. — Dorado, Pacii, 
 and Palometa. — Ascent of the Bahia Blanca. — Camelotas. — Suspending of the 
 Bottle to a Tree. — Proposition of Don Manuel Louis de Oliden. — Grant by the 
 Congress of Bolivia. — Decree of the Supreme Government. — Importance at- 
 tached to the Navigation of the Otuquis. — Extract from a Pamphlet by Mauri- 
 cio Back. — Fort Coimbra. — Flattering Expressions of the Commandante. — The 
 Guaycurus. — Policy of Brazil toward the Chaco Indians. — The Canoe. 
 
 ^^November 19/A, 1853. Ancliored off the mouth of the Rio Appa. 
 known to the early Spanish settlers as the Corrientes, but changed 
 to its present name by the Mbayas when they overran this entire 
 region. It rises about thirty miles in the interior of Paraguay, in 
 the Cordillera Amambay. On anchoring, took a boat, and, accom- 
 panied by several of the officers, pulled six miles up this river ; 
 found its general width about three hundred yards, with a depth 
 of not less than nine feet; banks low. We were prepared to 
 make additions to our collection of animals, birds, and plants, but 
 met with no great success. Not a bird was to be seen of which 
 we had not already j^rocured a specimen. The plants were few, 
 the flora consisting principally of the rich clusters of a variety of 
 creepers, which, by their varied tinges, gave a gay relief to the dark 
 foliage of a shrubby growth around which they were entwined. 
 
 " Saw several capibara and tapirs. The first we secured ; the 
 latter escaped us, for its tough skin defied a volley from our party 
 that would have brought down a dozen ordinary animals. We 
 first saw it swimming across the river, showing only its head. 
 One pronounced it a log, another a tiger; but, soon discovering it 
 to be a strange animal never before seen, every gun was pointed, 
 and the men plied their oars in eager pursuit. It was impossible 
 to intercept him before reaching the shore, where he disappeared 
 in a thicket. We beached the boat, and each man, with his gun, 
 made a rush to the nearest point. The animal was tracked for 
 some distance, but the impenetrable thorny undergrowth formed 
 a barrier to the chase, but not to the escape of the tapir, who to a 
 
DISPUTES BETWEEN BRAZIL AND PARAGUAY. IQl 
 
 tliick skin adds fleetness equal to that of the horse, and strength 
 which enables him to break through any thicket, however matted, 
 dense, or thorny." 
 
 I afterward procured one alive, which was shipped for home, 
 but he died on the passage. We found two varieties of wild 
 fruit, the " No hace," about the size of a large plum, growing on 
 a lofty tree, and the " Evepina," similar in appearance to a cherry. 
 
 The Eio Appa has been considered the northern boundary be- 
 tween Brazil and Paraguay ; at least, the Imperial Government so 
 regards it ; but the Paraguayans protest against any such limita- 
 tion of their territory, and claim to the Bahia Blanca. This ques- 
 tion of limits has been for years one of diplomatic discussion, ne- 
 gotiation, and bad feeling between the two countries, and has, un- 
 til very recently, excluded Brazil from all communication, by the 
 lower waters of the Paraguay, with Matto Grosso. Paraguay, by 
 what right does not appear, claims both banks up to Bahia Blan- 
 ca, and, as a consequence, control over the navigation of the river ; 
 the very course the Imperial Government has pursued toward its 
 hemmed-in neighbors, Peru and Bolivia. 
 
 President Lopez perfectly comprehends the importance of this 
 highway to Brazil, and knows that it presses more and more upon 
 her annually. In the management of this question he has dis- 
 played astuteness, foresight, and accomplished diplomacy ; uni- 
 formly quoting to the Imperial Government its own policy in 
 closing the Amazon and its confluents to the northwestern repub- 
 lics. It therefore can not consistently demur to the exercise of 
 this right by ajiother power. The territory in dispute would be 
 of little value but for the points within it bordering upon the 
 Paraguay, which are important as military positions, for they 
 would give any nation holding them entire control over that riv- 
 er. Imperial guns mounted at the Pan de Azucar, or at Olimpo 
 (Fort Bourbon), might well occasion uneasiness to Paraguay. 
 They would not only command her frontier, but might prove the 
 beginning of a system of inclosure, contracting its circle until 
 there would appear an impermm in imperio ; not a "sick man," 
 who must, by reason of his infirmities, be put aside, but a weak 
 child, needing for its safety and nurture a strong protecting arm. 
 In short, Paraguay would be absorbed and incorporated as an in- 
 tegral part of the " Empire of South America." On one ground 
 alone is President Lopez willing to settle this question : that is, to 
 leave the territory in dispute entirely unoccupied by either country. 
 
 , 11 
 
162 ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY. 
 
 The exploration of the "Water Witch" demonstrated the prac- 
 ticability of sending large steamers up the river, beyond the lim- 
 its of Paraguay, and probably induced Brazil in 1855 to push this 
 question to an issue. It was then that she sent up the fleet to 
 which I have alluded. On what grounds the concession was 
 - finally made I have not learned, but it has been granted, as I am 
 informed by letter from Mr. Hudson, our consul at Buenos Ayres.* 
 
 " November 19th. A very remarkable change in the temperature 
 has taken place within the last twenty-four hours. Yesterday, 
 the 18th, wind north ; at 3 P.M. thermometer stood at 97°. To- 
 day at same hour it has fallen to 79°, wind W.S.W., and at mid- 
 night to 68°, wind south. Although within the tropics, and ap- 
 proaching the mountainous regions of Brazil and Bolivia, we ob- 
 serve constantly the influence of south winds in lowering the 
 temperature. 
 
 " The country, after leaving Eio Appa, to Point Eock, a distance 
 of about fifty miles, is on both sides elevated but a few feet above 
 the river, and has the usual growth of palm and grass. Point 
 Rock, an isolated granitic hill, or mount, is on the left bank, and 
 rises to the height of ninety feet, throwing out a rocky ledge half 
 way across the river, and forcing the channel toward the west, 
 where it forms the Paso Taruma. Upon the same side we have 
 had, since leaving "Rio Appa," a distant view of the "Sierra da 
 Amarbay," which stretches south about thirty miles inland. In 
 tbe Chaco, the horizon is bounded by the Sierra Siete Puntas, itf 
 nearest point to the river being a detached, rounded, and wooded 
 mount, which rises <ibruptly from the plain in latitude 21° 47' 
 south. 
 
 " After leaving Point Rock the face of the country again changes ; 
 we have no longer the monotony of flat plains, but the most divers- 
 ified and picturesque landscapes. On the east are many isolated 
 mountains, some rising directly from the river banks, others at a 
 distance in the interior, all overtopped by the giant Pan deAzucar, 
 a conical volcanic peak 1350 feet high. The river is now divided 
 by a wooded island which rises about eighty feet above the water- 
 level. • We passed through the west branch, which has a width of 
 
 * ^^ January 27th, 1857. A steamer Cor9a, from Rio, has gone up to Matto Gros- 
 so, towing three vessels with cargoes. Lopez, in spite of his treaty with Brazil, is 
 throwing every impediment in their way. The first cargo — the Madrugas — that went 
 up to Matto Grosso paid four hundred per cent, profit. Salt sold for twenty-two 
 silver dollars the fanega — three and a half bushels." 
 
ASCENT OF PAN DE AZUCAR. 
 
 163 
 
 PAN DE AZUCAR. 
 
 one hundred and fifty feet, depth seventy, and anchored one mile 
 above, having Pan de Azucar east of the anchorage. These de- 
 tached, rounded elevations to which I allude are all on the east. 
 The monotony of the west plain is unbroken but by a solitary 
 mountain, rising directly from the bank of the river, as if detached 
 by a convulsion of nature from its opposite neighbor." 
 
 Koremher 21s^, 5 o'clock A.M. Accompanied by Lieutenant 
 Powell, Dr. Carter, and the pilot Bernardino, I started for the as- 
 cent of Pan de Azucar. After wading for about a mile and a half 
 through a sea of grass, we reached the foot of the mountain, and 
 commenced the ascent. Making our way over volcanic rocks pro- 
 truding beyond a shrubby growth, and at times through closely 
 matted and almost impenetrable masses of vegetation, we had ad- 
 vanced about two thirds of the distance, when the doctor and pilot 
 gave out, and decided to remain and keep each other company. 
 Spoiled in a cruise of several months, where we had only to " dip 
 alongside" for the luxury of fresh water, not one of us had thought 
 of bringing a single bottle of the essential element. Thirst was 
 excessive; but we continued the ascent, and by 8 o'clock A.M. Mr. 
 Powell and myself were «tanding upon the rounded summit, where 
 
164 VIEW FROM THE MOUNTAIN. 
 
 a stunted and scattering growth offered no obstacle to a clear and 
 uninterrupted view of the country in every direction. 
 
 The day, fortunately for us, was not intensely hot. At 8 A.M. 
 thermometer stood at 79°. The wind was then south ; it had been 
 prevailmg during the last two days from southeast and southwest, 
 within which time the lowest tem|)erature was 65°, on the 20th at 
 6 A.M., and the highest 79° ; a remarkable change from the read- 
 ing of the 19th, which gave as a minimum and maximum 84° and 
 97°. We obtained a reading of the barometer, which, in connec- 
 tion with simultaneous observations made on board ship, gave the 
 height of the mountain at thirteen hundred and fifty feet above 
 the river. According to our observations, it is in latitude 21° 25' 
 10", longitude 57° 55' 54" west, three quarters of a mile from the 
 river on the east bank, sixty-three from the Eio Appa, and three 
 hundred and ninety miles from Asuncion. 
 
 On all sides below us was a grassy palm-plain, relieved here 
 and there by dark belts of forest, and by insulated mountains or 
 hills, some peaked, others rounded, some rising precipitously for 
 several hundred feet, others sloping gracefully to the plain. The 
 southern horizon was bounded by the wavy undulations of the 
 Cordillera de Amarbay and the sharp outlines of the SietePuntas 
 — Seven Peaks, In the Chaco, far away to the north, was the Te- 
 cho da Morro. 
 
 There were no estancias in view, with their sleek herds, no or- 
 ange groves, no green promise, no golden tints of ripening or ma- 
 tured cereals ; not a habitation or sign of civilized or savage life. 
 The solitude would have been oppressive but for the beauty of 
 the face of the country, and the exhilaration caused by the deli- 
 cious atmosphere, tempered by southern breezes. 
 
 May I be excused if, under its influence, or an imperious in- 
 stinct of our nature — American nature — I found myself speculat- 
 ing upon the future of these favored regions ; a great predestined 
 future, none could doubt, who for many months had voyaged 
 through such a valley ofbeauty, presenting, with the exception 
 of that of our Mississippi, tlie fairest unbroken extent of cultiva- 
 ble land in the world. Is this wealth of creation to remain una- 
 vailable for the comfort and happiness of men, while the powers 
 holding dominion over it invite immigration, and the over-crowd- 
 ed cities of Europe teem with millions whose cry is bread ? When 
 the dungeons of Southern Italy re-echo the sighs of men who have 
 dared to aspire to political independence? and while the indus- 
 
THE FUTURE OF LA PLATA. Ig5 
 
 trial nations are seeking new sources of supply in raw material 
 and new outlets for their manufactures ? and while, even in Con- 
 stitutional England, in underground dens, or within the shadow 
 of palatial precincts, are hid, not sheltered, men, women, and chil- 
 dren, crushed, not by vice, but a poverty that generates crime? 
 Emigrants to the valley of La Plata may reach their homes in 
 ocean steamers. No barren wildernesses are to be traversed. 
 No lono- winters or autumnal exhalations are to be feared. There 
 
 O 
 
 is much to allure, nothing to repel. No warring, as in the valley 
 of the Amazon and Orinoco, with Indian, beast, and reptile, and, 
 above all, with the great dragon, tropical miasma, which the mind 
 and strength of the white race are impotent to conquer. If Bo- 
 livia, Paraguay, the States of the Argentine Confederation, and of 
 Buenos Ayres, would unite and form, for great purposes, a com- 
 munity of nations, neither filibustering hosts nor imperial armies 
 or fleets could be feared. Under the segis of a liberal Constitution, 
 which would reject all bigoted exclusiveness of political or relig- 
 ious doctrine, added to the facilities which climate and soil offer to 
 new populations — above all, to cultivators and artisans — the face 
 of these wilds would be transfigured into prosperous states, the 
 parts of a South American Eepublic, which would advance to a 
 zenith of unprecedented power. Spanish galleons, freighted with 
 the "fifths" of majesty; the ships of Portugal and Great Britain, 
 laden with the profits of illegal trade, will never again sail from 
 La Plata. But the steamers of maritime nations, bearing the prod- 
 ucts of industrial power, will cover her interior water-courses, and, 
 in return, pour into the lap of those nations the indigenous agri- 
 cultural and mineral wealth of the Western Indies. No over- 
 throw of existent governments, no political revulsions are neces- 
 sary to place the inhabitants of these regions under the beneficent 
 influences of a great republican civilization. 
 
 But my dreams and speculations were at an end as we went 
 pitching down the steep, in many places precipitous sides of the 
 mountain, here catching at a shrub, there resting against a rock. 
 The descent proved far more difficult than the ascent had been. 
 We found the doctor and Bernardino where we had left them. 
 The former, oppressed with drowsiness, had kept awake, not rel- 
 ishing the idea of being caught napping by a jaguar, while the 
 pilot philosophically refreshed himself with a long sleep. At last 
 we reached the river, and relieved our thirst and fatigue by rush- 
 ing into its waters. 
 
166 FORT BOURBON. 
 
 We returned with some additions to our ornithologic collection 
 — a few birds not before seen, among them a toucan ; also some 
 fruit of the '■'■yatay giiazii,^^ a palm not found south of the Pan de 
 Azucar, and differing somewhat from the trees of that family 
 growing so extensively on the plains, being less lofty, and the 
 trunk of greater diameter. 
 
 The width of the river at our anchorage off Pan de Azucar was 
 about one third of a mile ; temperature of water 84°. From Sal- 
 vador, the general width is from a quarter to one third of a mile. 
 Least depth since passing the Malo Paso, eighteen feet ; greatest, 
 ninety feet of line, and no bottom. 
 
 " November 22d. The character of the river, height of banks, 
 and their growth, have varied but little to Olimpo, or Fort Bour- 
 bon, thirty-three miles from Pan de Azucar. Two miles above 
 our last anchorage, near the mountain in view from the Chaco 
 side, and distant about three miles from the river, was Pound 
 Top — TecJ/o da Morro ; opposite were a few detached hills. With 
 these exceptions the country is low, with palms and grass. Here 
 and there, where the banks are slightly elevated, are patches, but 
 no extended reaches of good timber. Twenty-four miles above the 
 mount, half concealed by a small island on the west bank, which 
 rises twelve feet above the water, we saw on the east a toldo or 
 wigwam, but no Indians — a good position whence to escape to 
 the Chaco if molested by Paraguayans; of this, however, they 
 could have but little apprehension, as no force has yet ventured 
 such a distance — ninety-three miles from a frontier guardia. The 
 range of the Sierra Olimpo, as here represented, is seen at the 
 distance of two miles, bearing north by west in the Chaco. Upon 
 its northern extremity, which slopes to the river, stands Fort 
 Bourbon, according to our observations in latitude 21° 01' 39", 
 longitude 57° 55' 40", and variation 1° east. Passing half a mile 
 above, we anchored with the fort bearing S. 5° E." 
 
 Soon after coming to anchor we visited the now abandoned 
 fort. It stands on the lowest point of the Olimpo range, not more 
 than forty-five feet above the river, here one third of a mile in 
 width, and forms a square of one hundred feet, having at each 
 angle bastions, which alone were intended for guns, as the walls, 
 fourteen feet high, and two and a half in thickness, are without 
 embrasures. It is built of a sandstone found in the neighboring- 
 sierras, and its position is admirably chosen for commanding the 
 channel, of the river ; but it is commanded, in turn, by the heights 
 
DISPUTED JUKISDICTION. 169 
 
 in its vicinity. It was constructed in 1798 by order of Charles 
 III. of Spain, as a barrier against the encroachments of the Por- 
 tuguese of Matto Grosso and the hostihties of Chaco Indians. In 
 1822 it was garrisoned by order of Francia ; ' was abandoned by 
 President Lopez in 1850 ; but was reoccupied by Paraguay after 
 the opening of the river to Brazilian vessels in 1856. 
 
 Upon the sierra, immediately adjoining the fort, is an enormous 
 corral, encircled by a wall six feet high, in good preservation, 
 which was formerly used to protect the cattle of the fort from In- 
 dian depredation. 
 
 Fort Olimpo, with the adjacent country, is claimed by Bolivia, 
 on grounds apparently more tenable than those upon which are 
 based the rights of Paraguay. By a decree of the government in 
 1852, it was made one of three free ports of entry, to which they 
 invited the flags of all nations, offering a prize of ten thousand 
 • dollars to the first commercial expedition that might enter either 
 one of them. 
 
 President Lopez considered this step as an insult to Paraguay, 
 and an attempted infraction of her territorial rights, but proceeded 
 to no active measures for setting it aside, trusting to the distance 
 of Olimpo from the populous provinces of Bolivia, and the in- 
 ability of that republic to support here a garrison adequate to the 
 enforcement of her decree. Again, there are other claimants — 
 the caciques of the warlike Chaco tribes. Their claim is based 
 on priority of title and present occupation ; for, with the excep- 
 tion of this fort and a few dilapidated huts, the former quarters of 
 officers, there is nowhere around or in its vicinage, for many miles, 
 a vestige of occupation by the white race. It stands as isolated 
 from all civilization as a desert island of the ocean, far from a hab- 
 itable coast. 
 
 The Sierra Olimpo is covered with noble timber, and affords 
 fuel of excellent quality for steam, which we can readily believe 
 to be one of the predestined agents for the development of this 
 country. ' I have constantly alluded to the vast palm plains, but, 
 since entering the Paraguay, we have never run a single day 
 without passing broad forests, or points sufficiently wooded to 
 furnish material for all the purposes of navigation. I was aston- 
 ished to find within the walls of the fort, which had been aban- 
 doned for more than three years, a cotton plant, growing with 
 vigor, blooming and bearing matured cotton of the finest quality. 
 
 Five miles from Olimpo we reached Bahia Blanca — "White 
 
170 SALT LAKE. 
 
 Bay," into whicli empties tlie Eio Blanco, an insignificant stream. 
 This point is only important from being claimed by Paraguay as 
 her northern boundary. All the territory beyond, on the east, is 
 owned, without question from neighboring powers, by Brazil, and 
 on the west by Bolivia and Brazil; and, though no limits are 
 clearly assigned to imperial jDOSsession south, or to Paraguay 
 north, they are probably inclined to leave Bolivia a small outlet 
 by which to reach the great central highway through the Eiver 
 Otuquis, which flows into the Bahia Negra, and thus connects 
 with the Paraguay. A short distance beyond the fort, the coun- 
 try bordering the river on both sides assumes a remarkable 
 change. So far as the eye can reach, there is a sea of vigorous 
 grass, with no trees, save here and there a cluster of willows and 
 alders. The grass encroaches upon the river, apparently floating 
 upon the water, where the banks are not precipitous, and there is 
 little or no current. 
 
 At the Vuelta Pariqueti, forty-eight miles from Olimpo, the 
 lands adjacent to the river on the right bank again are elevated, 
 and skirted by a noble growth of lapacho, nandubay, and al- 
 garroba. The left side continues low and marshy for a mile or 
 two beyond, where it is broken by a riacho, the banks of which 
 for some distance are well timbered ; an evidence generally, if not 
 uniformly, of land exempt from periodical inundations. The riv- 
 er from Olimpo to this point is tortuous, embracing, by its course, 
 sixty-two geographical miles, with a difference in latitude of only 
 twenty-five, and ten in longitude. 
 
 We anchored off Lake Salinas, latitude 20° 86' 24'' south. It 
 is a lagoon, which at the dry season becomes a saline flat. A few 
 huts stand upon the edges of the lagoon, and are occupied during 
 the " season" by Brazilians from Albuquerque, Corumba, and even 
 Cuyaba. Salt is one of the requirements of northwestern Brazil 
 not found in the country, and large parties, in long canoes, come to 
 these Salinas from Cuyaba, the capital of Matto Grosso, a distance 
 of five hundred miles, and return with deeply -laden boats against 
 a current of two miles the hour. This is the principal source 
 from which a supply is obtained, and, as may be well understood, 
 it is of indifferent quality. Under the effects of solar evaporation, 
 the efflorescence is so abundant that no inconsiderable quantity is 
 obtained from the surface. The profits of a trade in this one ar- 
 ticle may be estimated from its scarcity.* 
 
 * See the letter quoted from Mr. Hudson, p. 162. 
 
BAHIA NEGRA.— FISHING. 171 
 
 ^^November 24/A, 6 o'clock A.M., temperature of air, 88° ; water, 
 86° ; wind north. Past night oppressively hot in cabin ; tempera- 
 ture throughout the night, 82° ; on deck, 81°. Calm on the pre- 
 ceding day ; on the 23d, temperature 76° at 6 A.M ; 93° at 3 P.M. 
 
 " November 26ih. Have this day steamed from the saline lagoons 
 forty-eight miles. Found little change in the physical features 
 of the river or adjacent countrj^ Northern borders of the salinas 
 are covered with firm timber, and twenty miles above it, at Capon 
 Chico, the Chaco side is well wooded. Fourteen miles bevond 
 this, on the same side, a forest of quebracho. Anchored off the 
 mouth of the Bahia Negra. The appearance of this 'bahia' is 
 that of a river, and I have determined to explore it. The color of 
 the water, and its current, satisfied me tliat what we saw was not 
 the discharge of a bay, formed by the backing up of the waters of 
 the Paraguay during the season of inundation, but of a tributary, 
 and one of great interest, as flowing from the west, through which 
 might be opened a communication with the eastern borders of 
 Bolivia. 
 
 " We caught in the river near our anchorage a boa seven feet 
 in length. Found some difficulty in putting the huge reptile alive 
 into alcohol without injuring it, as a specimen." 
 
 On approaching the entrance of Bahia Negra, we were aston- 
 ished at the number of fish, apparently myriads. We anchored 
 at the confluence of the two waters, to give the officers and men a 
 little sport, and an opportunity to obtain food and specimens. I 
 have caught the Red Snapper and Grooper on the coasts of Flor- 
 ida and Mexico, where one might haul in the sluggish, inactive 
 fish as lazily as an " old soldier of a tar" would take in the " slack 
 of a rope," but I have never witnessed fishing such as this, at the 
 confluence of the Bahia Negra and Paraguay. In an incredibly 
 short time, hooks baited with pork were floating by dozens astern ; 
 and scarcely had they touched the water, when hundreds offish 
 would spring eagerly at each bait. Dorado, Pacu, and Palometa 
 (all delicious for the table) were among the varieties caught. The 
 Dqrado, so called from its golden color, is from two to three feet in 
 length, and weighs from eighteen to twenty-four pounds ; its flesh is 
 white and solid. The strength of this fish is wonderful. When 
 hauled in, it would spring into the air some fifteen or twenty 
 feet, not unfrequently detaching itself, or severing the hook from 
 the line, and looking, as it darted upward, like a huge golden vessel 
 incrusted with gems. The Pacu is of a dark grayish color; its 
 
172 ASCENT OF THE EIO NEGRO. 
 
 breadtli is about two thirds its length, and the largest caught 
 weighed twenty-two pounds. The Palometa is of very much the 
 same form as the Pacu, though not so large ; in color, a light 
 gray, with yellow belly. This latter is more formidable to swim- 
 mers than any other inhabitant of the La Plata waters. Each of 
 its jaws is armed with a row of triangular teeth, which cut like 
 the sharpest knife. 
 
 We have uniformly noticed a great gathering offish at the con- 
 fluence of the tributaries with the central waters : this is doubtless 
 owing to the quantity of young ones brought down by the small- 
 er streams. 
 
 '•'• Novemiher loth. Ascending the Bahia, or Rio Negro. I call it 
 a river, because, until lost in a sea of grass, it has every appear- 
 ance and characteristic of one. 
 
 " After proceeding twenty-five miles, the crank strap broke for 
 the fourth time since leaving Asuncion. Anchored in fourteen feet 
 water. Banks low, covered with a scattered and inferior growth 
 of trees ; grass vigorous and green ; width of river at anchorage, 
 six hundred yards ; temperature of air at six P.M., 92° ; water, 
 85° ; wind N.B. Greatest depth since entering this water, thirty 
 feet; least, twelve. Position of anchorage on the night of the 
 26th, latitude 19° 52' 42" south, longitude 58° 16' 84" west. 
 
 " To the northeast, mountains of Coimbra and Albuquerque ; in 
 every other direction, grass and water as boundless as the ocean. 
 Horizon so clearly defined that the altitude of a heavenly body 
 might be taken during the day with the same accuracy as by ob- 
 servation made with a sea horizon. 
 
 " November 21th. Under way at an early hour. The river con- 
 tracted rapidly in width, so much so as to make it difficult to 
 round the points without running the bows of the steamer into 
 the grass. Continued to advance for two hours, when the channel 
 was so narrowed by grass that both wheels were in it, and yet we 
 had a depth of twelve feet water. Anchored and took to a boat, 
 determined, if possible, to see whither the stream would lead or 
 from whence it came. Ascended six miles above the position of 
 the Water Witch. Here the river was entirely closed by came- 
 lotes and grass, and yet we still had nine feet water. A solitary 
 dwarfed tree, of the mimosa family, was standing six feet above 
 the water level, where its depth was five feet. 
 
 "We suspended to one of its branches a bottle by copper wire; 
 it contained the name of the steamer, her position, and names of 
 
A SEA OF GRASS. 173 
 
 officers. "We had still to the east the blue outlines of the Brazil- 
 ian mountains, the nearest, in a right line, distant twenty -two miles. 
 Northwest, the direction whence I supposed this river to flow, 
 grass, water, and sky. We pulled up some of this grass; it meas- 
 ured in length twelve feet, and from a quarter to half an inch in 
 diameter. -The point reached was in latitude 19° 50' 53" south, 
 longitude 58° 15' 29" west, thirty-one miles from its confluence 
 with the Paraguay ; general direction thus far, north. The dis- 
 tance in a right line between these two points, it will be seen, is 
 about twent}^ miles. Temperature, maximum meridian, 95°, wind 
 N.N.E. ; at 3 P.M., 94°, wind N.N.W. ; minimum, at 3 A.M., 80° ; 
 water at meridian, 88|-°. 
 
 "It is with deep regret that I am obliged to leave this ' Bahia' 
 without having satisfied myself whence come its waters. I am 
 convinced that it is not the backing up of the Paraguay, The 
 current forbids that idea, and the color, even at its junction, is in 
 strange contrast with that of the latter. Between the seasons of 
 high nnd low water I can not believe that the waters of the Para- 
 guay could back into this bay, deposit detritus, and receive a color 
 unvarying from its mouth to the jDoint of ascent, black, and yet, in 
 a glass, perfectly limpid, more so than the water of the Parana, 
 while that of the Paraguay is uniformly turbid. This alone would 
 convince me that it flows from the high lands of Bolivia, and may 
 be a na\ngable stream into the interior of that country. If this 
 fact could be established, it would prove of inestimable value, not 
 only to the mediterranean state, but to the whole civilized world. 
 So far as my observation enables me to judge, I perceive no insur- 
 mountable obstacle to the navisration of this river. I am convinced 
 that a steamer properly constructed could skim over or cut through 
 this sea of grass." 
 
 We retraced our steps, after some difficulty in getting the steam- 
 er's bows down stream. She was at last pointed in the right direc- 
 tion, and cutting through the grass which surrounded her, first on 
 one side, then on the other, we descended, and again entered the 
 Paraguay. Before leaving the Bahia, observed a noble deer on 
 the left bank : it stood for a minute perfectly still, as if paralyzed 
 by the appearance of the Water Witch. We thought ourselves 
 sure of a fine specimen, but, before we had gotten within gunshot 
 distance, with one bound it cleared the bushes that skirted the bank, 
 and was in an instant hid from view in a neighboring thicket. 
 
 From the following extracts may be gathered the importance at 
 
174 NAVIGATION OF THE OTUQUIS. 
 
 one time attaclied to a navigable outlet from that part of Bolivia 
 througli which the Otuquis flows, and the measures taken to es- 
 tablish it. 
 
 Senor Don Manuel Luis de Oliden made a proposition to the 
 Congress of Bolivia to open the n:s,vigation of the Eiver Otuquis 
 to its confluence with the Paraguay, in consideration of which the 
 Congress passed the following act on the 5th November, 1832 : 
 
 "The Executive will grant to Citizen Manuel Luis de Oliden such aids 
 as it may think proper, in order to enable him to establish a port at the 
 confluence of the rivers Otuquis, Tucabaca, and Latiriquiqui, or at such point 
 as may be most suitable, in order to open the navigation of these into the 
 River Paraguay, conceding-, in addition, those privileges which are due to 
 him as the originator of this entei-prise. 
 
 (Signed), "I. EUSTAQUIO EQUIBAR, President. 
 
 "DIONISIO BASSIENTOS, Secretary." 
 
 This was followed by the subjoined decree of the "Supreme 
 Government," issued on the 17th November, 1832 : 
 
 " Tlie government being authorized by the foregoing act of Congress of 
 November 5th, 1832, to grant to Citizen Manuel Luis de Oliden such aids 
 as it may think proper, in order to enable him to establish a port at the con- 
 fluence of the Rivers Tucabaca, Otuquis, and Latiriquiqui, in the province of 
 Chiquitos, and to accord to him such privileges as he may be entitled to ; and, 
 the said Manuel Luis de Oliden, having bound himself to the accomplish- 
 ment of this undertaking in the terms of the following articles, concedes to 
 him privileges, immunities, and guaranties in the following terms, viz. : 
 
 "Art. 1. There is granted to Citizen Manuel Luis de Oliden, from the 
 point he may select at which to establish a port on the River Otuquis, south 
 of the province of Chiquitos, twenty-five leagues of ten-itory, in every direc- 
 tion, for himself and his heirs. 
 
 " Art. 2. The port he may establish shall be his property for the term 
 of fifty years, at the expiration of which time it shall revert to the ' nacion.' 
 
 " Art. 3. All the foreign goods and products introduced through this port 
 during the above-mentioned fifty years shall pay not more than five per 
 cent, duty, which shall be collected at the points where the articles are con- 
 sumed, under appraisements according to the tariff" of the republic. 
 
 " Art. 4. During the aforesaid term of fifty years, the government will 
 not appoint any ofiicer or employe ; and those that may be necessary will 
 be appointed and paid by the contractor. Nevertheless, should the govern- 
 ment deem it advisable to make any appointments, it may make only such 
 as shall be deemed necessary to facilitate the collection of the duties on ar- 
 ticles introduced into the interior of the republic, and these shall be paid by 
 the government. 
 
THE OLIDEN GRANT. 175 
 
 "Art. 5. This establishment shall be governed by the Constitution and 
 laws of the republic. 
 
 " Art. 6. The privileges and grants which the government concedes and 
 guarantees to Manuel Luis de Oliden and his successors may be transferred 
 to and enjoyed by such persons to whom he may convey his right of proper- 
 ty, under the same conditions as set forth in this decree. 
 
 "Art. 7. This establishment will be under the authority and protection 
 of the Supreme Government, with which the contractor (el empresario) will 
 communicate through the minister of the interior. 
 
 " Art. 8. If, at the end of four years from this date, this establishment 
 and the opening of navigation be not made, although it may not be in oper- 
 ation, this decree shall be null and void." 
 
 Copies of the papers from which these extracts have been made 
 were sent to me after the publication of my Synoptical Report to 
 the Secretary of the Navy on the La Plata Expedition. I. was 
 not before aware how great an interest was felt in estabhshing the 
 navigability of the Otuquis, and its connection with the Paraguay. 
 An intelligent and highly respectable Englishman, who had for 
 many years resided in Buenos Ayres, was at that time in London 
 to establish a company for the settlement of the "Oliden Grant." 
 I have since been gratified by receiving letters from England and 
 France stating that my allusion to the possibility of opening a 
 water communication from the Paraguay to Bolivia had inspired 
 many with such confidence that a colonization company was 
 forming for that republic. 
 
 The decree of Congress, followed by the executive proclama- 
 tion, will explain the terms of agreement between Mr. Oliden and 
 the government of Bolivia. Chiquitos is described as being the 
 richest of her provinces. It was the scene of the labors of the 
 Jesuits, and the seat of some of the most celebrated missions of 
 that order. D'Orbigny speaks of it as " abounding in Nature's 
 gifts." 
 
 The Oliden Grrant in this province, between the parallels of 
 17° 45' and 20° 15' south, is bounded on the east by the Paraguay 
 River, and extends one hundred and fifty miles west. This, it 
 will be seen, includes the settlements and military posts now held 
 by the Brazilian government; but as the territory claimed by 
 that empire reaches but a short distance west of the Paraguay, and 
 does not embrace any portion of the Otuquis River or Bahia Ne- 
 gra, even should this claim be persisted in and conceded by Boliv- 
 ia, it can not materially affect this grant. The agricultural ex- 
 
176 OLIDEN'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 periments upon the lands of Oliden were interesting, and show 
 what has been accomplished within these limits, I quote from a 
 "Descripcion de la Nueva Provincia da Otuquis en Bolivia: par 
 Mauricio Back." 
 
 " The village of Santiago, whickMr. Oliden made in 1833 the centre of 
 his operations, on the southern border of the province of Chiquitos, and sit- 
 uated on the Cordillera of the same name, has a population of 1380 souls, 
 and enjoys a temperate, salubrious climate. This Cordillera, whence issue 
 many small streams, which form tlie Kiver ' Otu.quis,' contains, according to 
 reliable authority, mines of gold, silver, quicksilver, and precious stones. 
 In the mountains are most valuable woods and medicinal plants. On the 
 plains south of this Cordillera are skirts of wood, palm, and grass lands, 
 suited for grazing. The soil is of remarkable fertility. 
 
 " At a distance of seven leagues from the above-mentioned point Mr. 
 Oliden formed his first settlement on the ' Rio Agua Caliente' — Hot River 
 — over the ruins of the old town of Santiago, founded by the Jesuits, which 
 is now called ' Florida.' The ' Agua Caliente' takes its rise in a warm lake 
 five leagues south of Santiago. This settlement was composed in the year 
 1836 of several handsome houses, which had been erected by order of the 
 ' empresario,' and is the point which he had selected for his own residence. 
 He established large farms, which were cultivated with great success : corn, 
 of which two crops were made annually ; rice equal to that of Bengal ; 
 mandioca of extraordinary size ; cofiee of superior quality ; cocoa, sugar-cane, 
 and tobacco — this last the best known — sweet potatoes, peanuts, beans of 
 every variety, and every class of vegetables. 
 
 " He established estancias south of this town, on rivers of never-failing 
 water, where the grazing was abundant for the rearing of cattle, sheep, and 
 mules. From Florida he opened a road to the great salina, distant fifty 
 leagues, from which, by way of the Cordillera ' de Lances,' it may be con- 
 tinued to ' Chuquisaca' and ' Tarija.' Another road was opened from Flor- 
 ida to Oliden, the central point of the new province, and distant sixteen 
 leagues east. This was the situation of the old town of ' Corezon de Jesus,' 
 founded by the Jesuits on an elevated plain by the side of the 'RioTucu- 
 baca,' in latitude 19^ 04' south, longitude 61° 03' west from Paris. An- 
 other road has been opened from Oliden to the town of ' Santa Corezon,' 
 distant twenty-two leagues N.N.E. This town has a population of 1106 
 souls, and its climate is rather hot than temperate. On this road, and at 
 the distance of fifteen leagues from ' Oliden,' the empresario established a 
 ' hacienda' — a farm, which he called ' Sietos,' for the cultivation particular- 
 ly of cotton and sugar-cane. Its product in the year 1836 was very consid- 
 erable. 
 
 " In the vicinity of the town of ' Santiago,' on the Serrania of the same 
 name, and in the valley formed by the same, he established another hacien- 
 
h,^^, »'<•'»■'% hi 
 
 a 
 
 a 
 
 a 
 
 \# ^!Pl»V^l-l||t« 
 
FORT COIMBRA. 179 
 
 da called ' Eiiiconadra,' for the cultivation of the sugar-cane. Its product 
 in the same year was equal to that of ' Sietos.' " 
 
 As the luivigability of the Otuquis is supposed to be establish- 
 ed from the high lands of Bolivia for a long distance in its course 
 southeast, and as the expedition under my command examined it 
 for thirty-one miles above its confluence with the Paraguay, it 
 only remains to determine the connection between these two 
 points. 
 
 The government of Bolivia has always been liberal in offering 
 inducements to immigration, feeling perhaps assured that through 
 the energy of foreign populations alone can the riches of that re- 
 public — the " golden" and the " garden" spot of La Plata — be 
 brought to light. It is a source of gratification to know that the 
 late explorations of the Water Witch have contributed something 
 toward the consummation of such a point, by establishing the fact 
 of an easy and safe navigation for ocean steamers from the At- 
 lantic to Bahia Negra, a fact not before practically demonstrated, 
 therefore not confidently believed. 
 
 '■'•November 21 th^ 1853. Again under way ; beyond'Bahia Negra, 
 little change in the aspect of the river or adjacent country to Fort 
 Coimbra in Brazil, thirty -three miles from Olimpo, where we an- 
 chored after dark, and immediately received a visit from the com- 
 mandante, who had overland orders from his government anticipa- 
 tory of our arrival. This gentleman, Antonia Peixoto de Azevido 
 liavim Capite, said that he had for some time been watching for us, 
 and at last, with strange emotion, saw the smoke and lights of the 
 little steamer as she plowed the waters of the wilderness." 
 
 Fort Coimbra is the first Brazilian settlement south on the Par- 
 aguay, and it is the first on the right bank since leaving Santa F^, 
 twelve hundred and eighty miles below. In all that extent of 
 country, though habitable, fertile, and salubrious, we have not seen 
 one white soul. The entire province of Matto Grosso is divided 
 into three military districts, embracing fourteen commands — Matto 
 Grosso, Santa Maria, and Baxo — Paraguay. This last includes that 
 portion of the empire into which our expedition entered. I called 
 on the commandante, who received me in a small room with no 
 superfluous furniture; for we must remember that Coimbra at that 
 time could only be approached from Rio de Janeiro by Cuyaba, a 
 distance of twelve hundred miles land travel and five hundred of 
 river navigation ; the land journey is over mountains, their passes 
 in many places accessible only to mules. I should have been as- 
 
180 COIMBRA. 
 
 tonished to find here an officer of sucli intelligence and polished 
 manners had I not learned that the " commands" of this rich fron- 
 tier province are posts of distinction, for with the military duties 
 are united high civil functions. The commandante said that he had 
 been charged by his government to afford me all possible facilities 
 in forwarding the objects of the expedition, but that, for reasons al- 
 ready given by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the United States 
 Minister, I could not ascend above Corumba, a military station one 
 hundred and twenty miles beyond Coimbra. 
 
 It was a slight extension of " my limits," which had first been 
 fixed at Albuquerque. This officer was enthusiastic in dwelling 
 upon the progi'ess of the exploration, "fruitful," he said, "with glo- 
 rio\is results, and worthy of commemoration by a marble pillar. 
 The little Water Witch," he added, " would hve in the memory of 
 the Brazilians." 
 
 While flattering us with these expressions, he frankly and un- 
 reservedly regretted that any hmit should have been placed to our 
 exploration. A steamer was a familiar sight to these Brazihans ; 
 the novelty was to see one at Coimbra. In visiting us, the com- 
 mandante, as a military man, was particularly interested in the ex- 
 amination of our little armament, consisting of three howitzers. 
 " They were," he said, " perfect pieces of ordnance of their class, 
 and admirable for the field operations of his frontier position." 
 
 Coimbra, in latitude 19° 65' 43", longitude 57° 52' 32'', stands 
 on a spur of a mountain of the same name, which here slopes to 
 -the river, rising not more than forty feet above it at the point upon 
 which is placed the fort, a solid stone structure, which could, with 
 some few additions, be made a place of great strength. It mounts 
 six guns, long twelve-pounders, most of them of brass, and very 
 fine pieces. They completely command the channel of the river, 
 which is here one third of a mile wide. Vessels in passing are 
 within point-blank shot. The interior of the fort was in admira- 
 ble order, and great improvements were contemplated, some of 
 •which were in progress. Within the walls were small stone houses 
 thatched with straw, the quarters of the commandante, three offi- 
 cers, and a part of the garrison ; the remainder live without the 
 walls, where are fixed the families of some of the soldiers. Madame 
 Peixoto de Azevido had given up all the comforts and luxury of 
 a life in the capital to share this frontier home with her husband. 
 
 All supplies are -obtained from Albuquerque or the neighboring 
 Indians. The mountains and pampa adjacent afford little scope 
 
THE CACIQUE OF THE GUAYCURUS. 181 
 
 for cultivation or grazing, the latter not being exempt from in- 
 undation, while the former offers little arable land. The new 
 commandante had not been here long enough to carry out his con- 
 templated unprovements, which embrace gardens, as well as addi- 
 tional military defenses, by placing guns upon the heights of the 
 sierra, commanding the fort in the rear. The low lands, for some 
 distance above Coimbra, are subject to inundation ; but, at the 
 same time, there are reaches of firm land, covered with excellent 
 woods, and never overflowed exceijt in seasons of extraordinary 
 rise. 
 
 The mountains are still insulated peaks or short ranges, proba- 
 bly spurs of the Bolivian sierras, which extend through Chiquitos. 
 
 As at Pan de Azucar, so likewise at Coimbra, two insulated 
 hills face each other on opposite sides of the Paraguay ; that on 
 the west we ascertained to rise four hundred and fifty feet above 
 the level of the water, its formation being of lime and sandstone, 
 with moss -like impressions resembling arborescent marble, of 
 which we got some very pretty specimens. 
 
 The temperature on the 28th of November was, at 6 P.M., air 
 81°, water 88°. 
 
 The neighboring Chaco is here occupied by the warlike Guay- 
 curus. While the attitude of Paraguay toward her wild neighbors 
 has been one of hostility or non-intercourse, that of Brazil is now, 
 and always has been, conciliatory. ' The great cacique of the 
 Guaycurus, Tacalaguana, holds a commission from the Imperial 
 Government as an officer of rank, and receives frequent presents 
 for himself and tribe. He is always treated with marked civility 
 and distinction by the commanders of this frontier province. His 
 manner, not only to his own people, but in all intercourse with 
 strangers, is lofty and exacting ; he receives no present, not even 
 a cigar, except from the hands of an attendant, and in return 
 makes no sort of acknowledgment, considering his acceptance of 
 the offering a favor and condescension. The wisdom of the Bra- 
 zihan policy toward these Indians is apparent ; it enables her to 
 maintain upon her frontier a formidable force at little or no ex- 
 pense. 
 
 After placing a current-gauge, to mark the fall of water per 
 day until our return, we were again under way. The commander 
 accompanied us for a short distance, and returned in his canoe. 
 It had been the intention of Madame de Azevido and himself to 
 accept my invitation of a passage to Albuquerque, but her illness 
 
182 THE CURALO TODO. 
 
 deprived us ©f this pleasure. At a short distance above Coimbra 
 we passed a huge canoe floating down lazily with the current, 
 and filled with what looked like an emigrating host. It was a 
 party of Brazilians bound for the salinas. As we passed them 
 the men rested upon their oars, and all gazed as if lost in aston- 
 ishment at the appearance of oiir little steamer in these distant 
 waters. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The Moro Dorito. — Curalo Todo. — Tea, Coffee, and Milk. — Position of Anchorage 
 off Albuquerque. — The Miranda. — The Tacuary. — Azara's Maps. — The Cam- 
 barasa. — The Paraguay Mini. — Corumba. — The Guatambu. — Hunting the Ja- 
 guar. — Fruits. — Return to Albuquerque. — Village of Mbayas. — An Indian Mis- 
 sion. — Rice and Cotton. — Schools. — The Padre. — A Dance. — Missionary Effort. 
 — The Jesuits. — The Dinner on board the Water Witch. — Trade of Cuyaba. — 
 Bolivian Refugees. — The Grotto Inferno. — Capture of a Sentinel. — Fate of the 
 Refugees. — Birds. — The Jaguar. — Its Ferocity. — Lenguas Indians. — The Com- 
 mandante wears a long Face. — The Yellow Parrot. — Anchored off Asuncion. — 
 A Storm brewing. 
 
 " November IWi. Under way. After passing the Moro Dorito, 
 a round wooded hill on the left bank, about two and a half miles 
 above our last anchorage, the lands on that side are low, while 
 opposite, short ranges or isolated peaks, alternating with plains of 
 grass, are continuous. The most elevated and remarkable in ap- 
 pearance of these mountains is the Sierra Consello, twenty-two 
 miles above the Coimbra. It rises near the river bank, fifteen 
 hundred feet above the level of the water, and is covered with 
 fine timber. The country on the left is higher than that between 
 Olimpo and Coimbra, but is not entirely exempt from inundation 
 at the greatest rise of the river. Many points, however, are well 
 wooded. 
 
 " Thirty-five miles above Coimbra, on the left, a lovely grove of 
 the aguaraibay, familiarly known in the country as Curalo todo* 
 or Para iodoJ'' 
 
 This tree abounds in the neighborhood of the Uruguay mis- 
 sions, and from its leaves, gathered at any season, but usually 
 when the tree is in flower, is extracted, by boiling, a sirup known 
 as the " Balm de Aguaraibay," or " Balm of the Missions." Be- 
 fore the revolution, each Indian village was obliged to furnish 
 two pounds of this balm annually to the royal pharmaceutist at 
 
 * Universal remedy. 
 
COFFEE AND MILK. X83 
 
 Madrid. The medicinal properties of the leaf of the para todo 
 were first made known by a Hungarian Jesuit, Sigismund Asper- 
 ger, who spent forty years among the missions of La Plata, and 
 died after the expulsion of his order, at the advanced age of one 
 hundred and twelve years."^ Asperger, who had in early life been 
 a physician, was indefatigable in botanic research, and an accom- 
 plished pharmacologist. He left a manuscript of medical recipes 
 and examples of acute cases which he had successfully treated 
 with medicines prepared from the indigenous vegetation of the 
 country. Several curanderos — the only physicians of Paraguay, 
 have copies of this valuable manuscript. 
 
 "Least depth of water to-day (fifteen feet) since leaving Pan de 
 Azucar. Anchored before sundown off Albuquerque ; saw near 
 the river only two huts, for the town is three miles inland, at the 
 foot of a sierra of the same name. As the water is falling, I have 
 determined to push on to Corumba, and visit the authorities of 
 Albuquerque when I return. Strolling along the banks before 
 dark, we saw at a short distance a rancho, and near it a corral 
 filled with cattle, the first seen since leaving the frontier guardia 
 of Paraguay. Endeavored to procure some milk, a luxury not 
 appreciated by the people of this river country ; indeed, it is nev- 
 er used by the Argentinos or Paraguayans except with hominy." 
 
 Bi moving from one nation to another, bordering on the same 
 great water-course, it is curious to observe how circumstances, 
 habit, and local influences make certain articles essentials of life. 
 We have left behind us the region of mate, and here, on the very 
 confines of Brazil, far from her coffee districts, the decoction of 
 this berry is the favorite drink of all who can procure it. "We 
 got our milk fi^esh from the cow, procured a novel and primitive 
 vessel in which to carry it to the steamer, and on that evening 
 feasted with tea, coffee, and milk. 
 
 " Temperature of air at six P.M., 81° ; water, 88° ; maximum, 
 meridian, 90° ; minimum, midnight, 76°. Position of anchorage 
 off Albuquerque, latitude 19° 26' 53" south, longitude 57° 28' 51" 
 west ; distance from Coimbra forty-seven miles. Put up a gauge 
 to ascertain the fall of the water during our absence. 
 
 '^November 30//i, 1853. At an early hour this morning under 
 way. Four miles above our last anchorage, the Eiver Miranda, 
 or, as it is marked on Azara's map, Mbotetey, empties mto the 
 Paraguay on the east by two mouths: one only, the lowest, is 
 
 * Azara. 
 
184 MAPS.— MALO PASO. 
 
 navigable. It rises in the Cordillera San Jose, a range which, 
 under various names, extends through many degrees north and 
 south, and is the watershed for several of the western tributaries 
 of the Parana and the eastern tributaries of the Paraguay. The 
 Miranda is, I am told, navigable to a town of the same name, one 
 hundred and sixty miles in the interior; but as the Paraguay is 
 falling rapidly, and I do not wish to be caught here, a fixture for 
 some months, I can not spare the time for its examination. 
 
 " To the right the sierras are continuous, extending west be- 
 yond the horizon : they are, without doubt, part of the Bolivian 
 range of San Pantaleon. Six miles above the Miranda is the mouth 
 of another eastern tributary, the Tacuary, which also rises in the 
 Cordillera of San Jose. I can not at this time explore these trib- 
 utaries, and find it difficult to obtain any reliable information of 
 their characteristics. Even upon the Paraguay we find in this 
 vicinage but one settlement of the white race, an estancia belong- 
 ing to a gentleman of Albuquerque, about six miles above the 
 mouth of the Tacuary : it is well stocked with cattle." 
 
 On the east, back to the Cordillera of San Jose, is a fine rolling 
 country, marked on several maps as the Lake of Xarayes. This is 
 a geographical error, but not greater than many I have had occa- 
 sion to remark, in the course of my professional experience, in 
 various parts of the world, and this, too, in an age when the per- 
 fection of instruments leaves no excuse for inaccuracy. There 
 are no indications here of a lake. The land is low, and doubtless 
 not exempt from inundation at the season of high water. The 
 growth on the banks is shrubby, but back, and immediately ad- 
 jacent, is a dense forest, which looks as if it might be the growth 
 of ages. 
 
 In alluding to received errors in the geography of this country, 
 I must except the maps of Azara. His latitudes are remarkably 
 correct, and his longitudes are as much so as we have a right to 
 expect, when we remember the period at which he worked, and 
 the perfection which three quarters of a century of improvement 
 has given to the construction of instruments. On his map the 
 southern border of this lake is fixed at 18°. 
 
 '■^November SOth. Twenty-one miles above Albuquerque. Anoth- 
 er malo paso. It really offers no obstacle to a continuous naviga- 
 tion of the Paraguay, but there is a shoal extending from the right 
 bank, and rocks on the left, which contract the width of the chan- 
 nel, and reduce its depth to twelve feet, when it still has seven to 
 
SADDLE-SHAPED MOUNTAIN. 
 
 185 
 
 fall. This pass is called Cambarasa, from a beautiful grove on tbe 
 left bank. The cambarasa is one of the finest trees of this lati- 
 tude ; the trunk, without limbs, rises to the height of about forty 
 feet ; it then shoots out a multitude of branches covered with rich 
 dark foliage, the whole forming an umbrella-shaped crowning. 
 
 " Three miles above, on the opposite side, a mountain range ap- 
 proaches the river, and from its base, extending quite down to the 
 water, is a fine growth of lapacho. Two miles above this, on the 
 east, is the mouth of the Omigara, said to be only a branch of the 
 Tacuary. Beyond, on the same side, begins an extensive and 
 beautiful forest of cambarasa, distant from the river, at different 
 points, from one quarter to two miles. 
 
 "Have advanced some distance, and observe, eight miles in- 
 land, a saddle-shaped mountain, here represented in the sketch ; it 
 
 SADDLE-SHAPED -MOUNTAIN. 
 
 slopes gradually in rounded hills and rolling wooded lands to the 
 west bank of the Paraguay, and is one of a broken range extend- 
 ing northward for forty miles from Albuquerque. On the east is 
 a similar wooded range, broken by plains and perpendicular sec- 
 tions of a rocky formation. This mingling of mountain, forest, 
 plain, and rock is inexpressibly beautiful. 
 
186 ASCENT TO CORUMBA. 
 
 " The Parcaguay Mini — Little Paraguay, liere empties into the 
 main river. It is said to shorten, by thirty miles, the ascension to 
 Cuyaba, but has less depth than the main river. 
 
 " Fifty-five miles above Albuquerque. For the first time an 
 appearance of a lake upon the east. It is a narrow, shallow strip 
 of water, running parallel with the river, and there is a mountain 
 about two miles in the interior, with a low plain between it and 
 this lagoon. As we approach Corumba, the country presents the 
 appearance of a beautiful and recently-mown meadow, bounded 
 by wooded mountains, artificially terraced to the plain. The si- 
 lence and solitude is that of a desert. Not a sign of human life, 
 not a vestige or germ of civilization, except our little craft; she 
 puffs over the waters; at her peak the "stars and stripes" are spread 
 by a gentle southern breeze. We are opening, I sanguinely hope, 
 a new path to commerce and civilization. 
 
 " In sight of the little settlement of Corumba. As we approach 
 we find the passage of the river intricate ; as httle as ten feet wa- 
 ter. We have on board several men sent by the commandante to 
 pilot us up. There is a vast deal of disputing in Spanish, Portu- 
 guese, and Guarani, evidently a diversity of opinion, creating 
 such confusion that the Water Witch has narrowly escaped being- 
 run ashore. 
 
 " Minimum temperature at 8 A.M., 75°, wind N.N.W. Maxi- 
 mum, 3 P.M., 91.5°, wind south. Width of river, six hundred 
 yards ; depth, fifteen feet. 
 
 "We have now reached the utmost limit to which Brazil will 
 permit us to ascend." 
 
 Permission was subsequently given for the expedition to ex- 
 tend its operations throughout the Brazilian affluents of La Plata, 
 a result I confidently expected from the well-known intelli- 
 gence and enlightened spirit of the Emperor, notwithstanding the 
 first refusal. 
 
 This conviction did not lessen my regret at being obliged to 
 abide by the decision of the Imperial Government. A few days 
 would have taken us to Cuyaba. From that point I could have 
 concluded the survey of the river to its source in a boat, and 
 have sent the steamer so far down as to pass in time all shoal 
 places. 
 
 " The west banks here rise fifty or sixty feet to the level of a 
 plain which stretches back to a range of wooded mountains. It 
 has extended forests, with alternations of grass-land. The soil is 
 
CORUMBA. 
 
 187 
 
 undoubtedly fine, but, witli the exception of one solitary estancia 
 well-stocked with cattle, and yielding excellent crops of corn and 
 mandioca, there is no attempt at culture in any direction. Aloes 
 and cacti abound ; and in our walks through the country we rec- 
 ognized woods seen several degrees south, such as the sabinata 
 (soap-tree), pala bianco, etc. I procured sections of others not in- 
 digenous to a lower latitude ; above all, the guatambu. This has 
 the finest unaginable texture, is of a delicate straw color, receives 
 a high polish, and would be, undoubtedly, in cabinet-work, the 
 most precious of arboreal treasures. Gathered four varieties of 
 edible fruits not before seen. 
 
 " Shot two vampire-bats ; one was flying with young in its 
 claws. Fine specimens of patos reales, a duck very like our do- 
 mestic Muscovy, but far more delicate for table use, have been 
 added to our collections." 
 
 The station or village of Corumba is merely a collection of 
 thatched huts forming two sides of a plaza, at one end of which is 
 a chapel, distinguishable only by its cross from the humble tene- 
 
 COBUMBA. 
 
 ments. A commander, fifteen soldiers, and about thirty women 
 and children, apparently mixed breeds of whites, Indians, and ne- 
 
188 JAGUAR-HUNTING. 
 
 groes, are the inliabitants of this place, whicli has the appearance 
 of a forlorn settlement of squatters. 
 
 The neighboring forests abound in jaguars, said to be equal in 
 ferocity to the Bengal tiger. Having heard that the commander 
 was a Nimrod, I proposed a hunt, to which he readily assented, 
 and both time and place of meeting were arranged. "We were 
 punctual to our appointment, but by some mistake spearmen and 
 dogs started before us ; as the latter failed to strike the trail of a 
 beast, we lost nothing. The commandante showed us a fierce pack 
 of dogs, with each one of which was associated some fearful story 
 of hairbreadth escape. He gave us also a spirited account of his 
 hunting adventures, always perilous where the jaguar is the ob- 
 ject. He goes out armed with a double-barreled gun, and attend- 
 ed by two spearmen or lanceros, each famished with a long lance 
 and knife. The lance is pointed with iron, and on either side, 
 about fifteen inches from the end, is a projection of the same metal, 
 forming a cross ; this is to keep the tiger at a safe distance as he 
 receives a thrust ; for, if not wounded in some vital point — heart, 
 head, or spine — he never falls or attempts to escape, but, infuriated, 
 springs, with wonderful strength and the agility of a cat, at the 
 hunter. The arm of the spearman must be strong and steady, and 
 the second fire fatal, or the result of the battle is doubtful. On 
 one occasion a powerful beast, enraged by a slight wound, in an 
 incredibly short time laid eight dogs dead around him, and made 
 a dash at the commander, who had ventured out without his lan- 
 ceros, and only saved himself by a precipitate retreat. 
 
 " December 2d. During the last forty-eight hours the river has 
 fallen 3-| inches. We gathered some wild fruits to-day while 
 strolling through the woods near the settlement — the guacupari, 
 pleasantly acid ; cacan, mangarba, cipata. 
 
 " Albuquerque, December 3c?, 1853. Fearing to be caught in the 
 upper waters, I returned to Albuquerque, making the run in seven 
 hours and a half ; on board, the Commandante of Corumba and 
 his wife, who wished to visit this station. 
 
 " Temperature of air at 6 o'clock A.M., 75° ; at three P.M., 92°; 
 calm ; water, 89°, the highest temperature yet felt. In passing 
 again the Paso Cambarasa, to which I have alluded, we inclined 
 more to the right, and found deeper water, proving that in ascend- 
 ing we were out of the channel." 
 
 Albuquerque takes its name from a mountain, evidently a de- 
 tached range of the Sierra Dorado, known also to the Bolivians as 
 
ALBUQUERQUE. 
 
 189 
 
 the Sierra Santa Lucia. It is the central and principal post on the 
 Paraguay frontier, and is embraced in the command of Captain 
 Peixoto de Azevido, whom we found here upon our arrival. On 
 this occasion we visited the village, beautifully situated, about 
 three miles from the river, amid a grove of tropical trees, which 
 concealed it entirely from view as we approached. 
 
 
 PLAZA OF ALBUQUEEQTTE. 
 
 The whole aspect of the place was cheerful and pleasant ; it 
 consisted of sixty or seventy adobe houses, built round a plaza, 
 at one end of which, as usual, stood the chapel, with its white- 
 washed gable and cross. In the centre of the square were several 
 guns, and in the immediate vicinity a number of huts occupied 
 by Guanos Indians, part of the agricultural tribe to which I have 
 alluded in connection with the Mbayas. 
 
 I accepted an invitation from our friend the commandante to 
 breakfast with him, and spend the day in visiting the various In- 
 dian settlements of the neighborhood. After an abundant repast, 
 to which all the oi!icers of the Water Witch and some of the prin- 
 cipal personages of the village were asked, we called at two es- 
 tablishments of Guaycurus. They live in neat huts, and occupy 
 themselves so successfully in cultivating the ground as to supply 
 nearly all the vegetables used at Albuquerque, and many of those 
 sent to Coimbra and Corumba. The following day we visited the 
 "Missao da Nossa Senhora de bom Consuelho, no Baixo Para- 
 guay," about eight miles from Albuquerque, which is still more 
 interesting, as exhibiting the aptness of the Indian for civilization. 
 
 The subjects of this mission are Guanos, under the immediate 
 
190 MISSION OF OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL. 
 
 charge of a li'ranciscan friar, wlio labors zealously both to Chris- 
 tianize and improve their temporal condition. In witnessing the 
 results so far, we were involuntarily impressed with respect for the 
 religion and for the order. A few years past, these Indians, now 
 forming a Christian community, were wandering among the wilds 
 of the Chaco. 
 
 Our ride extended through a fine rolling country, but we were 
 scarcely prepared for the neatness, order, and cultivation imme- 
 diately around the mission. One end of the large plaza was oc- 
 cupied by the church and school-house, and on two sides were the 
 dwellings of the Indians, merely thatched huts, but admirably con- 
 structed for health and comfort in a tropical climate. Twenty feet 
 was the width allowed to each house, which, with a door at either 
 end, and partitioned within by cotton curtains, had all the neces- 
 sary advantage of privacy, with free circulation of air ; some sim- 
 ple cooking utensils, two or three cots, and a raised platform on 
 one side completed the interior arrangements. The platforms 
 served during the day for tables or seats, and at night, where the 
 family was large, as places of repose. 
 
 To each house was attached a garden, whei'e vegetables were 
 grown; but surrounding, and at some distance from the village, 
 were plantations and fields of corn, sweet potatoes, mandioca, 
 beans, rice, etc. In the lowlands of the vicinity, called Pantanos, 
 is found a native rice, not so white as the Carolina grain, but nu- 
 tritious, and excellent to the taste. It is regularly harvested by 
 the Indians, who thrash the grain from the stalks into their canoes. 
 Cotton of fine quality grows abundantly and spontaneously in the 
 neighborhood. This the women spin with the distaff, color with 
 dyes extracted from the barks of the neighboring forests, and 
 weave into the fabrics which form the material of their simple gar- 
 ments. These, for the females, are long chemises confined at the 
 waist, and for the men, pantaloons and ponchos. 
 
 Men and boys are trained for a few hours each day by a cor- 
 poral in military exercises ; and in the school were about eighty 
 pupils who had mastered not only the rudiments of a common 
 education, but made some progress in music and dancing. Their 
 proficiency in music reminded me of the assertion of the Jesuits, 
 who allude frequently, and with enthusiasm, to the genius of the 
 Plata Indians for this beautiful art. All the performers in the 
 band, with the exception of the leader and instructor, who is a 
 Brazilian, were Indians. 
 
INDIAN MISSIONS. X91 
 
 We dined witli the Padre, and found assembled quite a large 
 party, several gentlemen of Albuquerque having been invited to 
 meet us. The dinner was admirably cooked, and served by In- 
 dian servants, and we had the pleasant enlivenment of excellent 
 music from the band which was stationed before the house. The 
 dinner was followed by another entertainment, one not anticipated 
 in these wild regions, but, above all, at the good Padre's domicil. 
 This was a dance. While chatting over our cigars, a number of 
 men and women, neatly dressed, came with presents for "Padre's 
 guests," and the young people of the mission assembled in an ad- 
 joining room, where, without the least confusion or embarrass- 
 ment, they arranged themselves into quadrilles, and danced with 
 a spirit and grace that astonished us. 
 
 When Captain Azevido proposed our joining them, the officers 
 were quite ready, and, with the others, I soon found myself wind- 
 ing through a quadrille with a handsome Chaco girl, who was 
 much more at home in the figures than her partner. These young 
 Indians were all well formed, and some of them really handsome, 
 with countenances guileless and intelligent ; their manner, though 
 subdued and gentle, was perfectly self-possessed. 
 
 It was touching to see the love and veneration with which they 
 all, old and young, seemed to regard the Padre. 
 
 In our own country enormous and annually increasing sums 
 are absorbed by foreign missions, but we hear little of extended 
 and united efforts among Christian societies for the evangelization 
 of the Indian. Acting upon the healthful maxim of "justice be- 
 fore generosity," surely the first thought of our missionaries should 
 be for the aboriginal inhabitants of this continent. Some of the 
 forest tribes, driven from State to Territory, from our fertile Terri- 
 tories to the wilds of the Eocky Mountains, are threatened with 
 extirpation ; they have been the victims rather than the enemies 
 of a rude border population, who have enriched themselves from 
 annuities, the price of their birthright, and initiated the savages 
 only into all the vices of civilization. 
 
 The capacity of the American savage for a high civilization has 
 never been fully demonstrated. No enlarged and well-digested 
 poHcy has yet been essayed which accorded them spiritual instruc- 
 tion, with political rights and personal freedom. Greatly as hu- 
 manity and religion must ever deplore the hasty and forced aban- 
 donment of the Plata missions by the Jesuits, admirable as was 
 the secular administration of the fathers, and extraordinary as 
 
192 PRICES AT ALBUQUERQUE. 
 
 was the proficiency of the Indians in many of the arts, their " Ee- 
 ductions" were but rehgious communities, governed each by two 
 or three feeble men. They were desolated by fierce marauders, 
 disturbed by the interference of government officials, who pretend- 
 ed to discern in them the germs of an independent empire, jeal- 
 ously watched by ecclesiastics, and surrounded by a white popula- 
 tion eager to enslave their neophytes. It is therefore no reproach 
 to the labors of Jesuits that the condition of the Indian, to the last, 
 was one of pupilage. And we can not wonder that when sudden- 
 ly exposed to reactionary influences, separated from his paternal 
 governors, and subjected to the capricious and jarring tyranny of 
 civil and ecclesiastical rulers, he should have again sought the 
 wild freedom of the forest. 
 
 It was not only a pleasure, but a duty to return the hospitalities 
 of our Brazilian friends, and this in the best manner that the limit- 
 ed and nearly exhausted stores of the Water Witch would per- 
 mit. Invitations were immediately given, limited only by our 
 accommodations ; and if the table could not present a sumptuous 
 bill of fare, it boasted a few bottles of good cheer, reserved for 
 such occasions. " His Imperial Majesty," "the Stars and Stripes," 
 "our glorious Union," and lastly, but enthusiastically, by our 
 guests, "the Explorations of the Water Witch," were all subjects 
 of toast. Sentiment and song, anecdote and tale of adventure, 
 followed each other in quick succession. The western wilds of 
 Brazil never before re-echoed the song and laxighter of a merrier 
 party, all natives of the American continent. 
 
 To give some idea of the profits of trade to Cuyaba, I append 
 the prices of certain articles at the time the Water Witch was in 
 those waters. Salt sold at ten dollars the Brazilian arroba (thirty- 
 two pounds), flour at fifteen dollars the arroba. The former is an 
 essential of life, which never can be supplied from the natural re- 
 sources of the country.* 
 
 I purchased at Albuquerque, for the ship's company, brown 
 sugar at five and a half cents a pound. It was made in the neigh- 
 borhood, and neatly moulded into blocks, each weighing one and 
 a half pounds. The caterer of the mess bought refined white 
 sugar, also made at Albuquerque, and moulded in the same form, 
 for thirteen and a half cents. For cofPee brought from Cuyaba 
 
 * Mandioca is at present, in the north of La Plata, a substitute for bread, and, 
 while travelinj:^ in the eastern wilds of Paraguay, I have eaten bread made from 
 flour of the bitter mandioca equal to the finest wheaten loaves. 
 
BRAZILIAN REFUGEES. , 193 
 
 we paid twenty -seven cents per pound. It is said that planta- 
 tions of coffee would succeed admirably in this region of the 
 country, but the population is small, and the impossibility hereto- 
 fore of finding a market has alone prevented its cultivation. The 
 hign price we paid arose from a temporary scarcity of the article 
 at Albuquerque, and the unusual demand of a quantity for a for- 
 eign ship's crew. 
 
 The steamer was overrun with Indians bringing presents of pigs, 
 poultry, sugar-cane, bananas, and vegetables, expecting in return, 
 not money, but salt. The steward was not allowed to impose 
 upon their ignorance, and when they received a pound in return 
 for two chickens or a pig, they were amazed at our liberality. 
 The supplies brought were greatly beyond our wants, and obliged 
 us to decline them at last, giving all who came, however, a little 
 salt. 
 
 " The river has fallen within the last three days seven inches, 
 as shown by the gauge. Temperature of air varying from 75° to 
 96°; that of the water, 89°. 
 
 ^^ December Ith^ 1853. When about to get under way for Coim- 
 bra, with its commandante on board as our guest, we were ap- 
 proached by a long, unwieldy open boat, containing four refugee 
 Bolivian officers, who had brought letters from the Grovernor of 
 Matto Grosso to Commandante Azevido. I released them from 
 their confined position by offering them a passage to Coimbra, and 
 took the boat in tow. They were making their way to Buenos 
 Ayres, or some town in the Argentine Confederation, and could 
 they have escaped over the southern borders of Bolivia, they 
 might have reached Salta in five days ; but by that route capture 
 was almost inevitable, and as they had taken a leading part in the 
 late revolution, which had failed, they would have paid the pen- 
 alty with their lives. There was but one road open to them 
 — through the north to Cuyaba ; following this, they had traveled, 
 when we met thern, two thousand two hundred miles by land and 
 river. 
 
 ^'■December 9th. Have just returned from a visit to the 'Grotto 
 Inferno,' which is north of the fort, in the same range of hills, and 
 about a mile and a half from the river." 
 
 For the convenience of carrying instruments, hydrometer and 
 barometer, and for securing any specimens to be found of an in- 
 teresting character, we went in boats, which made the distance 
 three miles. We could not approach within half a mile of the 
 
 13 
 
194 THF GKOTTO INFERNO. 
 
 base of the hill with the boats, but, plunging through mud and 
 water, we at last stood at the entrance of the grotto — a fissure or 
 mouth in the limestone barely wide enough to creep in. 
 
 The general inclination in the line of descent was about 30° 
 from the perpendicular, with a shaft of sixty feet. Descending 
 cautiously upon hands and feet, we reached the margin of a lake, 
 and found ourselves in a magnificent irregularly shaped hall, em- 
 bracing an area of about two thousand feet. Its roof, varying 
 from twenty to forty feet in height, rested on columns, symmetrical 
 and grand, as if designed and placed there by accomplished archi- 
 tects and skillful workmen. Between the columns were stalag- 
 mites, rising in the form of pillars, four, five, and six feet in height, 
 standing at regular distances, like sentinels suddenly transformed 
 into stone ; the stalactical depositions were of the most beautiful 
 and fantastic forms ; and as the crystallized surfaces of sides, roof, 
 and pillars reflected the blue lights and torches of our men, they 
 glittered and shone with all the brilliancy and varied hues of 
 gems. What ages must have elapsed while the great work had 
 been going on for the meeting, drop by drop, of ascending and 
 descending points, imtil those stupendous columns were formed ! 
 Ours was a noisy party, but in the momentary intervals of silence 
 we heard the unceasing drip. 
 
 Entrances, half concealed below the water, led to lateral branch- 
 es, which we did not attempt to explore. Our men bathed in the 
 sweet, limpid water of the lake, which had a depth of eighteen 
 feet ; temperature above the standard of our hydrometer, 75° 05', 
 while that of the air was 80° ; the latter, however, undoubtedly 
 increased by the heat of the torches and the number of our party. 
 The commandante assured me that this lake rises and falls with 
 the periodical variations of the Paraguay. We toasted the divin- 
 ities of the spot, until, warned by the waning lights, we gathered 
 up specimens, and began a scramble for the mouth of the grotto. 
 
 It was an undertaking, with the encumbrance of a few stalac- 
 tites ; but the commander, having heard me express a desire to car- 
 ry off one of the " sentinels," had assigned to his men what seemed 
 an impracticable task with the means at hand — that of raising one 
 of those stalagmites to the mouth of the grotto. The feat was ac- 
 complished in safety ; and the column, weighing two hundred and 
 fifty pounds, was carried in triumph to the Water Witch. 
 
 One of the Bolivian ofiicers accompanied us in quite an elegant 
 toilet, embracing a pair of patent-leather boots. Such parts of 
 
DEPARTURE FROM COIMBRA. 195 
 
 these as stood by him after the descent and ascent oi the grotto 
 were totally "used up" in the tramp to the boat. Misfortune and 
 companionship in the wilderness had made us intimate. His woe- 
 fal appearance was a fruitful subject of merriment and jest, which 
 he bore with such philosophy and good-humor as to join heartily 
 in the laugh against himself. 
 
 From barometric measurement, the highest point of the ridge 
 overlooking the fort was four hundred and fifty-one feet above the 
 level of the river. The temperature ranged from 75° to 93° ; by 
 gauge, water fell 2.4 inches per day. 
 
 When about to leave Coimbra, I received a letter from General 
 Gregorio Perez, Colonel Hilarion Ortiz, Lieutenant Colonel Ysi- 
 doro Reyes, and Doctor Antonio Zaveo, the four Bolivian officers, 
 asking a passage in the Water Witch to Asuncion. It was a 
 pleasure to accede to this request, for their position was truly for- 
 lorn ; but in doing so, I asked the general to report their presence 
 at the first Paraguayan town. In Francia's time they would in- 
 evitably have been detained, but under the present government 
 the result was what I anticipated ; they were stopped at Salvador 
 until the President could be notified of their arrival, but were 
 eventually permitted to leave the country, and went down to 
 Buenos Ayres in the Water Witch when she descended for sup- 
 plies.* 
 
 On the 11th of December, we parted, with regret, from our friend 
 the kind and gentlemanly Commandante of Coimbra, but with 
 the hope of seeing him again when we return in a small steamer 
 to complete the exploration of the upper waters. He presented 
 us with a half-grown jaguar, and several rare birds ; one, the 
 " Motu" — of the pheasant family, about the size of a small turkey 
 — female brown, with brown and white crest; male black, with 
 black crest — is easily domesticated, and dehcious for the table ; it 
 may prove a valuable acquisition to our domestic fowls. The 
 jaguar is fawn-colored, with dark spots encircled by a black ring, 
 which, at a glance, distinguishes this animal from the leopard. 
 In this specimen the marks are bright and well defined. 
 
 These, with several interesting animals, were sent home ; some 
 died on the passage, others after their arrival in the United States. 
 The instructions of Mr. Kennedy gave me a hope that my contri- 
 butions might form the nucleus of a national zoological collection, 
 and I made such a suggestion to his successor, but it met with no 
 
 * By the last revolution, September, 1857, this party is now in power. 
 
196 DESCENT OF THE RIVER. 
 
 encouragement, as Congress had made no appropriation for sucli 
 an object. The tiger is now ahve at the farm of the Insane Asy- 
 lum near "Washington, and exhibits every evidence of untamed 
 ferocity. 
 
 On one occasion the Water Witch was visited by a lady, ac- 
 companied by a lovely little girl. The jaguar was lying in her 
 cage, quietly as usual when undisturbed or not hungry ; but at 
 the sight of this child she sprang up with a fury that startled 
 us. Each time as the child passed and repassed we witnessed the 
 same exhibition of ferocity. 
 
 " Reached the Salinas, to which I have alluded in ascending the 
 river ; saw many Guaycuru wigwams swarming with busy occu- 
 pants, for this was the season for making salt. 
 
 "Anchored, as the sun was setting in glorious majesty, amid a 
 sea of crimson, gold, blue, rose. How gorgeous are these tropical 
 sunsets, and how solemn, as all nature, with short interval, sinks 
 into shadow of night ! 
 
 " Many Guaycurus came on board ; they had never seen a 
 steamer, but manifested no astonishment. The women were of the 
 ordinary stature ; men above it, with fine muscular development." 
 
 '■'■December 14:th. Anchored off Salvador." As I expected, the 
 Bolivian officers were detained for instructions from Asuncion. 
 "Met here a cacique, and some men of the Lengua tribe. I per- 
 suaded the cacique and several of his companions to sit for their 
 daguerreotypes. At the sight of them they showed both wonder 
 and delight ; it is the first time that I have seen the La Plata In- 
 dians exhibit an emotion." 
 
 " Co7icepcion, December Ibth. I have endeavored, but in vain, 
 to procure horses for the officers and myself to visit the ' Yer- 
 bales.' The commandante, in our ascent of the river, was all ci- 
 vility ; now he wears a long face, and makes many excuses for not 
 complying with my request. 'The horses,' he said, 'were away.' 
 I extended the time for our excursion ; the commandante extend- 
 ed the distance to which the horses had been sent. I am puzzled, 
 but have been long enough in the country to know that the coun- 
 tenances and deportment of officials reflect that of the government. 
 Something is wrong. It would be less dangerous for the poor 
 commandante to spend a few days among the Indians of the Chaco 
 than to show us civility, if I have, however unintentionally, in- 
 curred the displeasure of the ' great heart of Paraguay ;' for that 
 influence penetrates every artery of the body politic. 
 
SOMETHING WRONG. 
 
 197 
 
 1,ENG0A FNDIANS AT SALVADOR. 
 
 " It is astonishing with what rapidity the commands and wishes 
 of government are here transmitted to every part of the repubhc. 
 From guardia to piqueta, from piqueta to guardia, these Para- 
 guay couriers move with a rapidity that would rival the speed of 
 an express locomotive. I have been more successful in procuring 
 specimens than horses, and have added many fine birds to our 
 collection. 
 
 " The weather during the last few days has been intensely hot ; 
 thermometer varying from 73° to 99° ; and this heat is neither de- 
 bilitating nor oppressive, tempered as it is by constant breezes, 
 south, southeast, southwest. Thermometer at 9 A.M., 93° ; wa- 
 ter, 87°. , 
 
 " Anchored at one of our wooding points off the estancia of 
 Sefior Antonio Garcia. The Water Witch has been visited by 
 his family, and many others of the neighborhood. One of the la- 
 dies brought with her a yellow parrot. It is known that the In- 
 dians of Paraguay have sometimes succeeded in changing the col- 
 or of the parrot by plucking the feathers of the young bird, and 
 pressing into the pores a fluid, which imparts its hue to the new 
 plumage ; but senora assured me that hers was a genuine and 
 
198 ASUNCION.— A STORM BREWING. 
 
 rare species ; so rare that she knew of but one other in all the 
 country. The bird was blind, and had been so for twelve years, 
 I was anxious to procure a specimen, but no money could pur- 
 chase this. It is true, the lady presented it to me. I, however, 
 fortunately understood that it was a Spanish offer, and declined it. 
 
 " At one or two of the bad passes we have discovered that our 
 descent was well-timed. The water has fallen four and a half feet 
 since our upward passage, and yet there is sufficient depth for a 
 vessel of nine feet draught. Four feet more, and the river will 
 have reached its minimum. It is subject in the month of January 
 to a partial rise, similar to the Repunie of the Parana, which oc- 
 curs in November, and is equal to five or six feet. While at 
 Asuncion in January, 1854, between the 12th and 21st of the 
 month, it rose eleven inches, continuing from that time to Febru- 
 ary to decrease, as previously shown. 
 
 " December 20th, 1853. Anchored off Asuncion ; visited almost 
 immediately by the port captain, whose countenance, like that of 
 the Governor of Concepcion, is ominous of a brewing storm. 
 "What can it be ?" 
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 The Captain of the Port. — Momentous Question. — A Call at the Government 
 House. — The Secretary of State. — Visit to the President. — The Anniversary of 
 Paraguayan Independence. — Minor Explorations. — Congress of 1812. — The 
 Consuls. — Francia. — Provisional Junta. — Another Congress. — President Lo- 
 pez. — The Constitution. — Ignorance of the People. — Society. — Senoritas and 
 Flowers.— Paraguay Tobacco and Smokers. — The Siesta. — Another Call upon 
 the President. — The Vaquerano. — A Tour into Paraguay. — SeiiorDon Jaimi Cor- 
 vallan. — Periju. — Senora Dalmacia. — Villa Rica. — Don Louis Homan. — The 
 Tcbiquari. — The Recado. — Pucsta del Estado de Jesus Maria. — The Dinner. — 
 The Peripo. — Mr. Francis Wisner. — Sefior Sergcnte Lopez. — Senora Clara. — 
 Manufacture of Cigars. — The Taquari. — Fertility of the Country. — Medical Men. 
 — Healthful Climate. — Puebla Carmen. — Don Mariana. — The Yiin. — El Secre- 
 tario. — Ytapua. 
 
 The captain of the port is an important personage at Asuncion ; 
 he not only notes all arrivals and departures by water, but is a 
 confidential friend of the President. His every look and act are 
 watched by the Paraguayans as reflecting that of his Excellency. 
 I found him, on my return, not wanting in ofi&cial courtesy, but 
 depressingly solemn. At last he asked a great and momentous 
 question. 
 
A MOMENTOUS QUESTION. I99 
 
 " How far did you go?" 
 
 " I ascended to Corumba in Brazil." 
 
 " Then you went beyond the limits of Paraguay ?" 
 
 Ilere was a key to the mystery. I now understood why all the 
 horses of Concepcion had so suddenly disappeared ; why the good 
 commandante, so zealously anxious to serve us in ascending, was 
 so officially cold in descending. 
 
 I have alluded to the celeritv with which intellio;ence is trans- 
 mitted through Paraguay, by means of guardias and piquetes. 
 The port captain knew very well that the expedition had entered 
 the Brazilian waters, and I understood that, in questioning me as 
 to the extent of our explorations, he only acted under instructions, 
 and that my answer would be duly reported. 
 
 I said, " having completed the survey of the river throughout 
 Paraguayan territory, and finding that we were on the borders of 
 Brazil, I availed myself of the imperial permission, and ascended 
 to Corumba. It is true, that in my interviews and conversations 
 with the President on this subject, he raised objections to my going 
 beyond the limits of Paraguay, but I always combated them, and 
 as this official letter was sent after my last conversation with him, 
 I concluded from its tenor that he had yielded the point. I know 
 that his Excellency will be gratified at the result of my work, for 
 I can give him information as to neighboring territories which he 
 has never before received." I then showed the official the Presi- 
 dent's letter. He looked disturbed, and bade me adios. 
 
 I called as soon as possible at the government house. The offi- 
 cer in attendance announced my visit, but returned immediately, 
 saying, 
 
 " His Excellency is too unwell to receive you, but requests that 
 you will call on the Secretary of State." 
 
 " Express to his Excellency my regret at his indisposition, and 
 say that I have no official business with the Secretary of State ; 
 but I will call on him." 
 
 The Secretary of State was profoundly polite, but as solemn as 
 if under condemnation to be shot for treason. 
 
 " He hoped that I had enjoyed the trip." The secretary was 
 disposed to regard it as a pleasure excursion. 
 
 I replied, " I have received pleasure from the exploration of 
 the river beyond Asuncion, and much of this pleasure arises from 
 a knowledge of the success of the work so far ; for this success I 
 owe much to the liberality of the Paraguayan government, and 
 
200 INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT LOPEZ. 
 
 avail myself of this occasion to express my thanks for the hospi- 
 tality and official consideration with which we have been received 
 at every point upon the river. I regret that the indisposition of 
 his Excellency the President, obliges me to wait for the pleasure 
 of expressing to him my gratitude." 
 
 The secretary relaxed somewhat from the rigidity of counte- 
 nance and manner which he had maintained since my entrance. 
 At this propitious moment I rose and said " good-morning." 
 
 I understood now the whole question; in entering Brazilian 
 territory I had touched the dignity of the republic, periled its 
 peace, and it was considered necessary to make me aware of this. 
 
 After the lapse of a day or two the President's recovery was in- 
 timated to me, and I called at the government house, was admit- 
 ted, and found his Excellency seated as usual at the circular table. 
 The conversation soon turned upon the extent of our explorations, 
 when his Excellency became excited. One would have supposed 
 that I had let " Los Portugases^' — as he called the Brazilians — in 
 upon him. 
 
 He "knew," he said, "that the imperial government would de- 
 mand the privilege accorded to the United States expedition." 
 
 I said, " I think your Excellency takes a mistaken view of the 
 question. Our explorations can not be assumed as a precedent to 
 do more than the expedition has aimed to accomplish, and if Bra- 
 zil should demand the same privilege it would be absurd. The 
 surveys of the river have been carefully made. The results will 
 be published, and the imperial government will receive the same 
 benefit that any other might expect." 
 
 I reminded him of our last conversation on the subject, also of 
 his official letter, which L regarded as an abandonment of all ob- 
 jections to my ascending as far as I could, and then said, 
 
 " I am happy how to present your Excellency with a sketch of 
 the river, throughout the limits of Paraguay, of perhaps far great- 
 er accuracy than any thing you have before seen." 
 
 He assured me repeatedly, during this visit, of his high consid- 
 eration for me officially and personally ; and from this time my re- 
 lations with him, until again disturbed, were of a far more friendly 
 and confidential character than they had previously been. A few 
 days later I had an interview with him on some other business ; 
 he adverted playfully, to the subject of our difficulty, and said, 
 "We are now as good friends as ever." 
 
 The 25th of December is- the anniversary of Paraguayan inde- 
 
ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE. £01 
 
 pendence, and is therefore, in that country, both a political and 
 religious festival. Accompanied by some of the officers of the 
 Water Witch, I called to pay my respects to the President, who 
 was, as usual, before the circular table, and in full uniform. He 
 requested us to be seated on his right ; and we took possession of 
 one of the rows of chairs, to which I have previously alluded as 
 being always stationary. Opposite, on a corresponding row, were 
 seated some Paraguayans. All was solemn and still. I ventured 
 to break the silence by congratulating his Excellency upon the 
 prosperity and peace of Paraguay. In reply he referred, in com- 
 plimentary terms, to the United States, to their rapid advance- 
 ment, and their prominent position among the powers of the earth. 
 Neither on this or any similar occasion did I observe the presence 
 of ladies ; strong-minded women have then here both political and 
 social wrongs. 
 
 The wheels of the Water Witch had become so much damaged, 
 that it was necessary to make some temporary repairs before she 
 could attempt the passage to Montevideo for provisions, and a 
 more thorough overhauling. When ready she was dispatched 
 with such officers as were absolutely necessary, while others were 
 detailed for various duties of the work in Paraguay. 
 
 The small steamer was now completed, and assigned to Lieu- 
 tenant Murdaugh, who was to explore a river which was said to 
 flow from the Chaco into the Paraguay, sixty miles from Asuncion. 
 Finding no such stream he entered an arm of the Paraguay, some 
 distance above ; ascended it for fifteen miles, and discovered that 
 it there terminated in grass and camelotes, having no current to 
 indicate it being a river. This was doubtless the supposed tribu- 
 tary, and is but another evidence of the prevailing ignorance of 
 the geography of the opposite territory, even in the vicinity of the 
 capital. 
 
 To obtain some information as to the resources and cultivation 
 of this country, I determined to go into the interior ; following a 
 route that would lead through the most populous districts, and to 
 some of the old settlements of the Jesuits, among them Ytapua, 
 now called Encarnacion — from which point, north, the Parana 
 forms the eastern boundary of the republic. While engaged in 
 preparation for these new movements of the expedition I had 
 again an opportunity of seeing something of the capital, the cen- 
 tre of trade, politics, and social life. Its population is estimated 
 at from ten to twenty thousand — certaialy a wide difference in 
 
202 
 
 CASPAR FRANCIA. 
 
 numbers ; but, from tlie absence of statistical information, or ratli- 
 er from the objection to making any thing known to strangers, a 
 foreigner is left very much to the result of his own observations. 
 I should say that it contains about twelve thousand inhabitants. 
 The non-intercourse policy of Francia and Eosas has operated here 
 as banefully as in many other towns of La Plata. With no motive 
 for exertion, the habit is lost, and yet I found the Paraguayans 
 quick to avail themselves of the information and intelligence of 
 others. 
 
 GASPAK PRANCIA. 
 
 The independence of this country was acknowledged by Buenos 
 Ayres in 1811 ; a Congress assembled in 1812, and confided the 
 administration of affairs to two consuls, Yegros and Francia. 
 Yegros possessed some military talent, but was idle and illiterate. 
 He left the management of affairs entirely in the hands of Francia, 
 who regulated the finances, the military, and the administration 
 of justice with so much address, filling every public place with his 
 
POLICY OF FRANC I A. 203 
 
 own creatures, that, in 1814, he succeeded in having himself 
 named as dictator for three years, and at the expiration of that 
 time for life. He was intended for the Church, and graduated at 
 the University of Cordova; but, having more taste for jurispru- 
 dence than for theology, he took the degree of Doctor of Laws, in 
 which profession he attained both popularity and distinction. 
 Providence granted him a long life. He was fifty when he was 
 made supreme ruler of Paraguay, and had, by some years, passed 
 the period assigned to man when death closed his career.* The 
 iniquity of his rule was progressive, and his apologists — for even 
 Francia has found them — declare that, as a lawyer, and during the 
 first years of his dictatorship, he displayed integrity and generous 
 traits ; that the excessive severity of his character was developed 
 by, or was the consequence of the conspiracies that, constantly 
 menaced his political power. It is almost impossible to arrive at 
 the ruling princij)le of his action, or even to obtain reliable infor- 
 mation as to the acts of the later years of his dictatorship. No 
 records were kept, and all orders were returned to him, with " ex- 
 ecuted" marked on the margin, and were then destroyed. We 
 can only believe that cunning, not principle, restrained his de- 
 signs, until the habit of submission on the part of the Paraguay- 
 ans was fixed. 
 
 It was his favorite maxim that " liberty should be proportioned 
 to civilization, and that the exercise of it was prejudicial where 
 not demanded as a public necessity." The, doctrine of non-inter- 
 course was adopted, he declared, to save Paraguay from the 
 anarchy that decimated the population of other parts of La Plata, 
 and from the ambitious designs of Buenos Ayres, who sought to 
 exercise a dominating influence over the whole basin. 
 
 Ytapua on the Parana, and Nembucu on the Paraguay, were 
 open to trade, or rather to change of commodities, by special li- 
 cense, Francia being the principal, or, in fact, the only merchant. 
 When he needed foreign articles, a permit was sent to Corrientes 
 for a vessel to enter Nembucu. An invoice of the cargo was for- 
 warded to him, upon which he placed his own valuation; and 
 payment was made in yerba, an article in such demand in the 
 lower provinces that the people were glad to get it upon any terms. 
 ■'. After his death, which occurred on December 25th, 1810, a 
 Provisional Junta was appointed to administer the government 
 
 * After his death there was found among his papers a list of fifty persons to be 
 executed. 
 
204 RISE OF LOPEZ. 
 
 until a Congress could be convoked. At tlie end of four months, 
 finding the members of this body indisposed to yield up the au- 
 thority confided to them, the people rose, went to the government 
 house, and forced them to resign. At the end of eighteen days 
 an extraordinary Congress of four hundred members was assem- 
 bled, and the administration of affairs was confided to two con- 
 suls, Carlo Antonio Lopez and Marianna Eoque Alonzo, The 
 new magistrates entered upon the exercise of their functions in 
 May, 1841 ; the first with a salary of fonr thousand dollars per 
 annum, the second with three thousand. In 1844, Congress hav- 
 ing decided that the consular government should be replaced by 
 a president as chief magistrate, Seiior Lopez was elected for ten 
 years, and installed March 13th, 1845, with a salary of $8000 per 
 annum. There wa^ no provision limiting the re-election of the 
 same individual. Consequently, in 1854, he was again chosen for 
 another term. The age of the candidate, before fixed at forty -five, 
 was changed to thirty -three ; a move made, it is supposed, by the 
 President by way of securing the succession for his eldest son, 
 General Lopez. 
 
 Paraguay had a Constitution when Francia was made dictator. 
 She has one now, perhaps, for I could learn nothing ofiicially. 
 But that avails nothing. The Constitution is interpreted ; the ju- 
 diciary, elections, and congresses are alike controlled by the Pres- 
 ident, who governs with an authority as unquestioned as if he 
 were supreme Dictator. The commandantes of each jurisdiccion 
 are appointed by him. These officers, in turn, nominate the dele- 
 gates for Congress, allowing a certain representation to each ^jar- 
 tido ; and the Congress chooses the President, who is thus elected 
 per se. 
 
 There are few in this country who comprehend the first princi- 
 ples of civil liberty. Pitilessly, and with wonderful astuteness, 
 Francia first debilitated the organic springs of their political sys- 
 tem, feeble at best, and eventually destroyed its strength and 
 life. So far as I could learn, the administration of President Lo- 
 pez is unstained by crime ; but there is no opposition to his au- 
 thority ; there are no political conspiracies to test the temper or 
 integrity of his rule. An unquestioning and timorous submission 
 to his decrees, a reverential awe and demeanor in his presence, are 
 observed by all, however high their official or social position. 
 Paraguay has no precedent, historic or traditional, on which to 
 base a more enlightened government ; and her chief magistrate, 
 
POLICY OF LOPEZ. 205 
 
 though a man of natural abilities and some education, loves pow- 
 er, and is waiy and unscrupulous in the exercise of it. He talks 
 much of "the Eepublic," and of his desire to improve the condition 
 of the people; but he needs the experience which must come from 
 friction with foreign governments, the instruction of rebuke, and 
 the bold imsellish energy of Urquiza, to become an enlightened 
 nder. He has made some effort for the establishment of schools, 
 at least in Asuncion ; but it is a favorite theory with him that a 
 sudden or rapid transition from the present primitive state of the 
 Paraguayans would operate unfavorably to the harmony of the 
 government and the peace of the Republic. He gives them a 
 little learning cautiously and slowly. 
 
 The better class of society in Asuncion consists of a few families 
 of Spanish origin, among whom there are not many individuals 
 who could meet, according to our ideas, a good educational stand- 
 ard, though the men possess a vast deal of suav iter in modo, and 
 the women are graceful and talk amazingly well. They have 
 much talent for narration, and will give jaguar and Indian stories 
 with infinite spirit. 
 
 Madam Lopez resided at a quinta, about six miles from the 
 town. The distance afforded a pleasant ride, and we were always 
 kindly received by the seiiora and her fair daughters, who have 
 all the ease of manner and tact which is so attractive in the Span- 
 ish-American women. In the half dozen families of the city that 
 formed the circle of our acquaintance we were always hospitably 
 received, and with several of them our social intercourse was truly 
 agreeable. Foreign articles of female attire are replacing the prim- 
 itive fabrics, which the arbitrary decrees of Francia obliged all to 
 use. The laces of France and Belgium are superseding the elab- 
 orate domestic cotton productions of earlier days, which are now 
 only used as trimmings for bed furniture, or are bought by for- 
 eigners as curious sj)ecimens of female handicraft. In the houses 
 of the wealthy, at Asuncion, the house-linen is tastefully decorated 
 with these domestic laces. 
 
 At the capital, and indeed at all the river towns of La Plata, a 
 pretty custom prevails among the senoritas, of presenting every 
 visitor wit^ flowers. Their gardens may not display a large col- 
 lection, but if they produce but a single sprig of sweet odor it is 
 given to the first comer. In calling at different houses in the 
 course of the afternoon, the visitor would accumulate quite a num- 
 ber of bouquets, did he not learn from experience that, to save 
 
206 SOCIETY IN ASUNCION. 
 
 himself from a broadside of graceful reproaches, it would be ad- 
 visable to conceal or part with the flowers of Senorita Maria be- 
 fore entering the presence of Senorita Theresa. Each lady must 
 suppose that she is the sole object of the afternoon's homage. 
 
 We were invariably offered refreshments, either mate or En- 
 glish ale, which is very -popular among the Paraguayans, and 
 throughout the river towns — or the panales^ a very refreshing do- 
 mestic drink, made of the white of eggs and sugar beaten togeth- 
 er, and formed into cakes of a cylindrical shape, looking like a 
 delicate honeycomb. A little negro presents the visitor with a 
 plate of these, always with a glass of water ; the panales immersed 
 in the water dissolves immediately, and affords a simple but de- 
 licious beverage. The servant after offering this goes out, but 
 soon returns with ih&hrasero — a small brass vessel containing a 
 few coals of fire — and a plate of cigars. This last hospitality is 
 offered in every house, however humble its pretensions in other 
 respects ; and all men, women, and children — delicate, refined girls, 
 and young masters who would not with us be promoted to the 
 dignity of pantaloons — smoke with a gravity and gusto that is ir- 
 resistibly ludicrous to a foreigner. My son sometimes accompa- 
 nied me in these visits, and was always greatly embarrassed by 
 the pressing offer of cigars. I made his excuses by saying, " Smok- 
 ing is a practice we consider injurious for children." " Si, seiior," 
 the Paraguayan would, reply, " with all other tobacco, but not 
 with that of Paraguay." 
 
 On no occasion, while in Asuncion, were we invited to " dine 
 out," or take tea; and dinners by invitation, or meals taken 
 socially with other families, are unknown. I had frequently visit- 
 ors while at breakfast, but never could prevail on one to join me 
 at table. The Paraguayans rise early, take mate and cigars, then 
 visit or transact business during the cool of the morning. At 
 midday they dine, then retire for a siesta^ during which the streets 
 are deserted, every store and dwelling closed, and a profound still- 
 ness reigns through the town. After a few hours the houses are 
 reopened, cigars and mate are again served, and each one goes to 
 his daily vocation. Eiding, visiting, or walking occvipies the time 
 from sundown till nine o'clock, when supper finishes the labors 
 and enjoyments of the day. 
 
 I called to inform the President of my desire to visit the inte- 
 rior of his beautiful country ; he replied, courteously, that a kind 
 reception awaited me. 
 
TRIP TO THE INTERIOR. 207 
 
 "Will your Excellency tell me whetber a passport is neces- 
 sary ?" 
 
 He hesitated — " Not necessary, but it may facilitate your move- 
 ments if questioned by some official, who would understand noth- 
 ing you could say so well as a passport." 
 
 The paper was prepared, but demanded only on one occasion, 
 on the extreme eastern frontier of the Republic, where, as the 
 President had foreseen, it was more useful than words. 
 
 Our next step was to engage a vaqueano^ an indispensable at- 
 tendant to a traveling party ; for he is guide, hostler, banker, and 
 interpreter. The last is a very important service, for in many 
 parts of the interior of Paraguay Spanish is as little understood as 
 English or any other foreign language. Guarani is almost uni- 
 versally spoken, and even the higher classes, who use Spanish 
 habitually, understand and speak the Indian tongue with facility. 
 
 " Cargaro" horses were also an absolute requisite for carrying 
 our instruments for latitude and longitude, barometric measure- 
 ments, daguerreotypes, and portfolios for botanic specimens ; to 
 say nothing of a change of clothing and bedding for each individ- 
 ual of the party. The latter, however, was not very bulky, being 
 merely an India-rubber poncho. 
 
 A hint from the President would be quite sufficient to insure 
 kind treatment to strangers at the hands of every Paraguayan. 
 But, independent of any influence the expression of his Excel- 
 lency's will might have, I really believe hospitality to be a na- 
 tional virtue. As there are no public houses, travelers must de- 
 pend exclusively on private entertainment. I instructed the va- 
 queano to make remuneration on all occasions in the course of 
 our route. It was invariably offered, but in a majority of instances 
 declined. 
 
 On the 6th of February, 1854, in the afternoon, our party 
 moved off, much to the amusement of a crowd of men, women, 
 and children, who had assembled to see sailors on horseback. A 
 gentleman who knew the country thoroughly had given me some 
 general written directions as to the best places for siesta and for 
 stopping at night. The first named was the Estancia Corvallan, 
 about eighteen miles from Asuncion. Many estancieros in Para- 
 guay reside permanently in the country, where they have spacious 
 adobe houses. Don Jaimi Corvallan was one of this class of 
 country gentlemen, and one of wealth and respectability. A 
 friend having notified him of our intended visit, he came out to 
 
208 I>ON JAIMI CORVALLAN. 
 
 meet us as we rode up to the house, invited us cordially to enter, 
 and presented us to his wife and daughter, who welcomed us 
 kindly, and busied themselves with the preparation of what 
 proved a sumptuous supper. 
 
 Paraguayans of all classes observe the sensible and economical 
 habit of serving one dish at a time, though sometimes a single ar- 
 ticle of food will furnish material for half a dozen courses. All 
 are varied by nice cookery. 
 
 On the present occasion we had " pucharo" (stewed beef with 
 vegetables), "asado" (roast beef), poultry, mandioca, and a "dulce" 
 — a term comprehending a variety ^of sweet things — in this case 
 a simple but very nice preparation of milk and sugar. After ci- 
 gars and a chat with Don Jaimi we were shown to our sleeping 
 apartments, where we found beautifully clean beds and white cot- 
 ton hammocks, with elaborate net- work trimmings. 
 
 At an early hour the following morning we were astir and 
 ready for a start. The servant who awakened us served at the 
 same time a mate ; and when we were ready to mount, a little ne- 
 gress came forward with a large goblet of foaming milk, fresh and 
 warm from the cow. Our kind host accompanied us for some 
 distance. And now realizing that we had fairly commenced our 
 journey into the interior of the country we felt much pleased with 
 this first experience of its hospitalities. 
 
 The road we followed was good, but sandy, and lay through a 
 populous caynpo* After passing Ytigua, a pueUita^ with a neat 
 little chapel, we reached Periju in about three hours, and stopped 
 for breakfast. This village is beautifully situated at the base of a 
 ridge of wooded hills, and has its plaza and church. To the east 
 ranged lofty sierras, and between them and the serranias lay the 
 fertile campo through which we had traveled, winding beyond 
 reach of the eye, and dotted with estancias and herds of horned 
 cattle, or with small fields of corn, tobacco, and mandioca. 
 
 The meal at Periju, which served both for breakfast and din- 
 ner, consisted of beef, chickens, and mandioca ; the latter a gen- 
 eral substitute through the country for bread. Our route from 
 this place still lay through a level grazing country, its monotony 
 relieved by superb woodlands. Passing the village of Paraguayri, 
 we stopped for the night at the house of Seiiora Dalmacia Fernan- 
 dez. Festive sounds reached us as we approached — the jingling 
 
 * Campo, level country, in contradistinction to sierra, mountains, and serranias, 
 hills, or spurs. • t Puehlita, hamlet. 
 
SENORA DALMACIA FERNANDEZ. 
 
 209 
 
 of guitars and dancing. We had disturbed a merry-making, and 
 met with a. cold reception. It was too late to look for other 
 quarters, and, fatigued by a long day's ride, I was indisposed to 
 excuse this want of hospitality by remembering that our arrival 
 had interrupted the dance. I revenged myself by an exhibition 
 of independence, which was, I fear, all lost on the seiiora ; for, re- 
 
 COSTtTMES IN THE INTEKIOR. 
 
 freshed by a bath in a small river that meandered through the 
 campo, and wrapped in poncho and shawl, I settled myself for the 
 night, quite unmindful of after invitations to supper and bed. 
 The vaqueano had especial instructions to pay for all accommoda- 
 tions which the party received; and at five o'clock the next morn- 
 ing we left with a smile, a courtes}^, and an adios senor, from 
 
 14 
 
210 DON LOUIS HOMAN. 
 
 Senora Dalmacia, that would have " taken aback" an old Span- 
 iard. But I was unmoved, and went on my way with, a stiif bow, 
 and a determination never again to seek shelter from storm or 
 starvation at the house of this fair widow. 
 
 We passed a wooded spur of the sierra, and, after a ride of 
 twenty-one miles, hungry and fatigued, stopped at the Estancia del 
 Estado, about one mile from the Eio Hondo, a small tributary of the 
 Tibiquari. Here two of our cargaro horses, with the daguerreo- 
 type instruments, broke down, but we were furnished with fresh 
 animals to take us to the house of Senor Jose Dolores, our rest- 
 ing-place for the night. 
 
 Passing the Capilla* Ybitimi, we arrived, about dusk, at Don 
 Jose's. He was absent, but we were kindly received by the son, 
 who hired us fresh horses to Villa Eica. As early on the follow- 
 ing morning as the laziness of our vaqueano would allow, we were 
 on the road, and in a short time reached the Tibiquarimini (Little 
 Tibiquari), the principal branch of a river of that name. After 
 fording this stream, which was two hundred yards wide, and from 
 two to three feet deep, we entered the Partido Ytape, and break- 
 fasted at the estancia of Senor Manuel Vasquez. Three hours later 
 .we arrived at "Villa Eica." 
 
 Having letters for a Portuguese merchant, Don Louis Homan, 
 I at once sought his residence, wishing to consult him about quar- 
 ters for our party. He insisted that as many as could be accom- 
 modated should remain at his house ; while for the others he found 
 lodgings. I had no wish to impose upon his kindness, but he 
 would only compromise matters by agreeing to find rooms for us 
 elsewhere, provided we would take our meals with him. The 
 hospitality of Don Louis was only surpassed by his industry and 
 intelligence. Though an active merchant, horticulture, mechanics, 
 and the rearing of horses occupied his leisure hours. A garden 
 well stocked with delicious fruits, improved machinery for crushing 
 sugar, and some fine horses, were shown us with evident pride. 
 His racers were really noble animals, though they may not have 
 possessed the "blood and heels" of Eclipse or Henry. Senor 
 Homan also takes an intelligent interest in the native products of 
 the country. His house, like all those of the better class at Villa 
 Eica, was of adobe, and of one story. The furniture was made of t 
 Paraguay woods, such as Morosimo, and Tatayba, both of which 
 have a very fine texture, and are susceptible of a high polish. 
 
 * Capilla, a chapel surrounded by a few dwellings. 
 
VILLA RICA. 211 
 
 The Morosimo is not -unlike maliogany ; the Tatayba is of a deli- 
 cate straw color. I am indebted to him for some beautiful spe- 
 cimens of the gum " Mbatitimbaby," which is amber -colored, 
 clear, and apparently as hard as crystal. It is soluble only in 
 nitric acid. 
 
 Villa Eica is equidistant from the river Tibiquari on the east, 
 and its tributary the Tibiquarimini on the west. Its position is 
 picturesque, being surrounded by fertile plains, while to the east 
 and west range low mountains covered with noble forests. It has 
 about two thousand inhabitants, and is the principal depot for all 
 the products of the neighboring country. These are purchased by 
 its merchants, and conveyed to Asuncion in ox-wagons at the 
 rate of 12|- cents the aroba. Each cart carries one hundred arobas, 
 and consumes twenty days in the travel to and from the capital, 
 without allowing for any detention there or upon the road. Ow- 
 ing to these embarrassments, and the exactions and monopolies of 
 the government, the resources of this region are undeveloped. 
 
 The Jesuits had here an important establishment, but the church 
 and other buildings were destroyed by Francia's orders, and upon 
 their ruins was erected an unpretending chapel. The shops, the 
 principal of which was that of our friend Don Louis Homan, were 
 gayly decked with goods. 
 
 The country through which we had passed, from Asuncion to 
 Villa Rica, one hundred and eight miles by the road, is through- 
 out populous, picturesque, and fertile ; the campo has the appear- 
 ance of a lovely meadow, and the fine condition of the cattle 
 proved the excellence of its grasses. Skirting the plains are the 
 serranias, and upon these are built the^9z«e5/o6',^;Mei?ito.s,* cajyillas, 
 and dwellings of the country people. Some of the latter are of 
 adobe, and are spacious ; others are low thatched huts. The roll- 
 ing lands rise in gentle slopes to a background of wooded mount- 
 ains, which form a beautiful and effective setting to the hills, and 
 green pastures below. 
 
 There were no large plantations, but many small fields of corn, 
 tobacco, mandioca, and a little sugar-cane. 
 
 In the time of Francia, cotton was extensively cultivated for 
 home consumption. I saw but a few plants, the growth of two or 
 three years ; for even since the opening of the rivers in 1852, the 
 foreign-manufactured article has worked its way into these inte- 
 rior regions, and the people will no longer pay seventy -five cents 
 
 * Pueblos, villages. Pueblitas, hamlets. 
 
212 THE TIBIQUARI. 
 
 per yard for the domestic fabric, when they can purchase the im- 
 ported for ten. So much for trade, even in Paraguay. 
 
 The Tibiquari and Tibiquarimini, which course through fertile 
 lands, might be made channels of communication to the river Par- 
 aguay ; but the Tibiquari disembogues one hundred and forty -two 
 miles below Asuncion, and one hundred and eight above Corri- 
 entes. The products of the country would of course follow the 
 current, and find their market in the latter city, and draw proj)or- 
 tionably Jrom the trade of the capital. This would not at all ac- 
 cord with the aim of President Lopez, which is to make the trade 
 of the Kepublic centre where he has the collection of the revenue 
 under his direct supervision. It is natural that he should wish to 
 make the ports of Paraguay the seat of their own import and ex- 
 port trade ; but more enlarged views would suggest the naviga- 
 tion of the Tibiquari by small steamers, or even boats ; and the 
 building of a village, which would soon grow to a city, at its 
 mouth. The aggregate products of the whole country through 
 which this river flows are even now considerable, and could, from 
 its natural fertility, be increased a hundredfold. 
 
 We remained several days at Villa Eica to make observations 
 for determining its latitude and longitude, and the variation of 
 compass. Its position, as established by Lieutenant Welsh from 
 altitudes of the sun, and of stars east and west, and north and 
 south with pocket chronometer, sextant, and artificial horizon, is 
 latitude 25° 47' 10" south, longitude 56° 80' 20" west; variation 
 7° 84' east ; height above Asuncion 823 feet ; and above Buenos 
 Ayres 580. 
 
 We also hoped during this delay to refresh our cargaro horses, 
 which were now quite useless from the state of their backs, caused 
 more by the clumsy saddle of the country than the weight of the 
 instruments. This recado (saddle), used every where, is not only 
 uncomfortable to the rider, as I had a fair opportunity of judging, 
 but injurious to the horse. Indeed you scarcely see an animal 
 much used in La Plata whose back does not show its bad effects. 
 It serves the double purpose of saddle and bed ; and were our 
 saddles encumbered with an equal number of skins or cloths 
 placed under and over, they would answer as well ; but the people 
 of these countries trouble themselves little with improvements ; 
 old things are preferred because they are old. 
 
 From the difficulty of obtaining horses, and accommodations for 
 so large a party, I determined to divide it at Villa Eica. Lieu- 
 
TEAVKLING IN THE INTERIOR. 213 
 
 tenants Ammen and Welsh were directed to take another route, 
 
 while I, abandoning the daguerreotype instrument, and encum- 
 bered only with such as were necessary for geographical determi- 
 nation, pursued my course east, accompanied by Lieutenants Pow- 
 ell and Henry, and Mr. Bushell. 
 
 Travelers are almost unknown in the interior of Paraguay ; and, 
 in the absence of all hotels or public houses, it is difficult to pro- 
 cure a change of horses, accommodation, or rather provisions, for 
 a large party. The grazing is every where fine, but an animal 
 turned out at night is not fit for the next day's travel. At least 
 this can not be followed up for many days successively. The 
 people cultivate only the essentials of life. Corn, though abund- 
 ant and cheap, is never stored, but sold, as soon as gathered, to 
 the merchant of some neighboring village. One rarely sees bread, 
 except in certain thrifty families, where is found the cMjm, made 
 of the flour of the bitter mandioca, an excellent substitute for that 
 of wheat. 
 
 At our first stopping-place, after leaving Villa Pica, the dwell- 
 ing wore an unusual air of comfort, and the dinner was both 
 abundant and well cooked. It consisted of soup, chickens, stewed 
 beef, hominy, eggs, and milk ; all served in as many courses, but 
 in one and the same earthen dish, out of which we ate with 
 wooden spoons. Plates, dishes, and knives are the luxuries only 
 of the higher classes. 
 
 We spent the night at Capilla Yacaguazu, the house of Senor 
 Dorothio Duarte, about thirteen miles from Villa Pica. The next 
 day, after some trouble with one of the cargaro mules which we 
 had hired at Villa Rica to replace our worn-out horses, we crossed, 
 about nine miles from the Capilla, the little river Yacaguazu, a 
 tributary of the Tibiquari, and twelve miles beyond arrived at 
 the village of San Francisco, in the department of Caasapa. The 
 physical features of the country to that point continued unchanged ; 
 mountains and hills, covered with superb forests, inclosing fertile 
 and populous campos. 
 
 All the lands from the Yacaguazu to the Parana, eastward, are 
 the property of the state. The inhabitants, who are tenants of the 
 Republic, pay an annual rent of two dollars the square league, 
 and a tenth of the produce. The resources of the country under 
 such a system can never be fully developed ; and it is said that 
 President Lopez, aware of this, will propose to Congress a law au- 
 thorizing the sale of these lands. But one can scarcely imagine the 
 
214 
 
 PUESTA DEL ESTADO. 
 
 action of that body necessary to enable bim to carry out bis wilb 
 The proclamations and edicts of bis Excellency are tbe laws, and 
 tbey command tbe strictest observance. 
 
 Leaving San Francisco, we reacbed tbe Puesta del Estado de 
 Jesus Maria, one of tbe nurnerous government estancias, after a 
 travel of six bours, very bungry and tired. In tbis journey 
 tbrougb Paraguay, wberever we were not tempted to enter by tbe 
 neatness of a dwelling, our dining and sleeping room was always 
 under tbe projecting roof common to all country -bouses. We now 
 occupied tbe usual place, feasting eye and imagination upon tbe 
 landscapes before us, but impatiently watcbing for tbe appearance 
 of food for tbe material man. At last a servant of tbe state ap- 
 peared, and announced witb dignity, " Dinner is ready." We rose 
 
 DINNER AT THE I'UESTA DEL ESTADO. 
 
SCANTY DINNER.— A STORM. 215 
 
 from our seats, looked around and within, but could sec nothing 
 of the mysterious dinner. Presently out stepped two of the gal- 
 lant defenders of the Puesta del Estado, each holding a long stick, 
 upon which hung a piece of asado. They moved before us, 
 grounded arms, and stood at rest. 
 
 " Is that our dinner?" 
 
 " Si, Senor," was the answer, accompanied by a profound obei- 
 sance, but uttered with an air and voice which impHed 
 
 " What more would you have ?" 
 
 We drew our knives, and, without salt, bread, or vegetables, 
 commenced the attack, only to experience the mortification of a 
 defeat. The meat must have been taken from a bullock as old as 
 a Chaco Indian. Our knives were sharp, and we assaulted vigor- 
 ously only to be repulsed, and this too while our hungry eyes 
 wandered over the luxuriant campos, where two thousand sleek 
 beeves were tranquilly grazing. Surely I had offeuded Jupiter. 
 I had let in "Los Portugases," and this was my punishment; but 
 it was not everlasting. A few fowls were running about; and 
 one of our party, in a happy fit of inspiration, suggested eggs, on 
 which, with a little Villa Kica bread found among the baggage, 
 we made our dinner. For this luxurious meal and corn for our 
 horses, the charge was one dollar. I never reported the capitan 
 of this puesta, or he would probably have lost his place. 
 
 Six miles from this hospitable posta we crossed a tributary of 
 the little river Peripo, and dissipated our ill-humor and disap- 
 pointment by taking a delicious bath, little thinking that we were 
 soon to taste the same luxury in another way. Night closed in 
 before we reached any habitation, and with it came a terrific 
 storm. The pitchy darkness was only reheved by blinding flash- 
 es of lightning, and we moved on step by step, not knowing where 
 the next would lead or end; for the vaqueano, unable to see the 
 road or even the head of his horse, had lost his way. The rain 
 fell in a continuous torrent, while the lightning flashed only to 
 leave us again in more profound darkness. Hark! the bark of 
 a dog. Following the sound, we found ourselves before a miser- 
 able thatched shed, or hut, open on one side. It could scarcely 
 be called a house, but it sheltered kind hearts and innocence : a 
 man, two womqo, and a young child. Any port in a storm, where 
 there is safe anchorage, is to a wearied mariner preferable to drift- 
 ing he knows not where. We "came to," and asked for shelter. 
 The man sprang from his bed, and without hesitation gave us a 
 
216 A HUNGAEIAN EMIGEANT. 
 
 kind welcome, while the women soon busied themselves in kin- 
 dling up some slumbering embers in the centre of the earthen floor, 
 over which stood a pot. "Wet and weary, we gathered round the 
 fire, and regaled burselves with mate. The man offered me his 
 onlj bed, a well-stretched hide ; but, dechning it, I slung up a 
 hammock, wet as my clothes, and turned in " all standing." Light 
 repasts, fatigue, a good conscience, are the best opiates, and under 
 their influence I was soon asleep, dreaming of home, airy cham- 
 bers, and soft couches. 
 
 Nothing could be more lovely than the appearance of the coun- 
 try through which we traveled the following day. The storm 
 had freshened and enlivened all vegetation. The air was soft and 
 balmy ; the sun cast a flood of radiance -upon the grassy plain, 
 which was inclosed on all sides, apparently without outlet, by 
 wooded mountains, and overspread by herds of horned cattle, ex- 
 ceeding in size and fine condition any we had seen. The district 
 was as populous as that immediately around Asuncion. Every 
 hill-side had its adobe houses, orange-trees, and little fields of corn, 
 tobacco, and mandioca. 
 
 Amid all this wealth of pastoral agriculture we came to the res- 
 idence of a man of refinement and education — a Hungarian en- 
 gineer, Mr. Francis Wisner, who had here, with his young wife and 
 children, probably pitched his tent for life. Mr. Wisner reached 
 Paraguay in 1845, and rendered good service to the people by as- 
 sisting them in preparing their defenses against an expected inva- 
 sion from Corrientes. His labors were poorly requited after the 
 danger was passed. He had made a topographical survey of the 
 country bordering on the Tibiquari, and, at the time of our visit, 
 was working out a beautiful map for the President, My only as- 
 tonishment was that so intelligent* a person should, without the 
 protection of any nationality, be wilhng to live under such a gov- 
 ernment. But a strong tie connects him with the coimtry: his 
 wife is a Paraguayan. The laws permit no woman to leave the 
 republic without permission of the President ; and the well-known 
 and useful accomplishments of Mr. Wisner would probably only 
 increase the difiiculty of obtaining it. He enjoys, however, the 
 privilege of an estate, a league square, in one of the finest regions 
 of the earth, for which he pays the established rent of two dollars 
 per annum, and the " diezmo." 
 
 Prom this quarter of Paraguay the cost of transportation to the 
 capital is twenty-five cents the aroba. Taking the one article 
 
SENOB SERGENTE LOPEZ. 217 
 
 tobacco, we find it encumbered with the following charges : Trans- 
 portation to Asuncion, twenty -five cents the aroba; exportation 
 duty, twelve and a half cents; the "diezmo," or tenth, fifteen 
 cents. Net proceeds, at the present price of tobacco (one dollar 
 and fifty cents the aroba), eighty-three cents the aroba. The profit 
 would be three and one third cents the pound. 
 
 I was anxious to determine the position of Mr. Wisner's house, 
 but the weather would not permit. We however estabhshed, by 
 barometric measurement, its height above Asuncion, which we 
 found to be 71 feet, and above Buenos Ayres 328 feet. It will be 
 seen by comparison with the observations at Villa Eica and Asun- 
 cion, that the former is the highest of these three points, and that 
 after passing it there is a slight though gradual descent eastward 
 to the Parana ; but the country bordering on the Parana, in the 
 same parallel with Asuncion, is ijiore elevated than that on the 
 Paraguay. 
 
 After dinner and a few hours of pleasant conversation, we con- 
 tinued our journey, and before dark reached the residence of 
 Senor Sergente Lopez, distant fifteen miles, making in all thirty 
 traveled this day through the partido (district) of Bobi. The 
 limits of the various partidos, unless defined by some natural 
 boundary, are difiicult to ascertain ; and from the difference of 
 opinion on this subject among the inhabitants, we came to the 
 conclusion that they troubled themselves but little to arrive at the 
 truth. 
 
 We were kindly received by Don Sergente, who gave us a sub- 
 stantial supper of roast and stewed beef, with the after luxury of 
 cots and neat bed-hnen in our usual airy sleeping apartment 
 under the projecting roof. I missed in this journey the refreshing 
 luxury of a cup of tea. Although a lover of mate, and a believer 
 in its virtues, it was to me a poor substitute for the China leaf, 
 which in Paraguay is sold only as a medicine in the druggists' 
 shops of Asuncion. The mate is never served at meals, as tea is 
 with us, but is always the accompaniment of a cigar. 
 
 At an early hour the next morning we crossed the little river 
 Uputa, a tributary of the Aguapay. Eight miles beyond is the 
 dividing line between Bobi and San Casmi. Seeing a house with 
 fine patches of corn around it, we thought it a good place for 
 breakfast. It proved to be the residence of an old lady, who, un- 
 like Senora Dalmacia, gave us a kind reception. The dwelhngs 
 of the country people are uniformly on the public roads ; and by 
 
218 SWIMMING A EIVER. 
 
 keeping a briglit look-out for tlie significant indications of good 
 cheer, cattle, small fields of corn, and mandioca, a traveler may 
 generally, without fear of disappointment, find enough to satisfy 
 his appetite. We had been but a short time at the Senora's when 
 an agitation among the chickens, and certain, other unmistakable 
 signs, gave a pleasant forewarning of dinner. The good woman 
 soon placed it before us, then placidly seated herself at a table 
 near, and continued her work, making cigars from tobacco which 
 hung from the roof, and had only a month or two before been cut 
 from the field. To all appearance the leaf was of a fine quality ; 
 and after rolling one up in the neatest manner, she gravely placed 
 'it by my plate, with a request that I would smoke it. I asked 
 her to make me a few, and though so fresh they proved ex- 
 cellent. 
 
 Until the arrival of the Am^ican Company there was not, even 
 at Asuncion, an appointed place for making or selling cigars, 
 though many thousands were exported monthly. Individuals who 
 bought for their own use, or merchants requiring them for do- 
 mestic trade or exportation, ordered them from different country 
 families, and they were always punctually delivered — their shape 
 and size varying according to order. 
 
 Twelve miles beyond Dona Clara's we reached the Taquari, a 
 tributary of the Parana, and the dividing line between the partidos 
 San Casmi and Carmen. It was so much swollen by the backing 
 up of the waters of the Parana that we were obliged to cross in 
 canoes ; the horses swimming alongside and literally carrying us 
 over by " horse power." After passing this river we came to our 
 resting-place for the night, the " Capilla Carmen," where we were 
 well received by the commandante, Mariano Senturian, at whose 
 house we had been advised to stop. 
 
 The country from Villa Pica is generally campo, intersected by 
 several streams and skirted by wooded ridges of rolling lands. 
 The soil of the latter is argillaceous, while that of the plain is a 
 rich dark loam. The estancias are not so numerous as between 
 Asuncion and Villa Rica, the largest being those of the govern- 
 ment ; but the herds of cattle are superb. 
 
 There was no great variety in the articles cultivated. Every 
 where we saw tobacco, corn, mandioca, pumpkins, onions, oranges, 
 and melons. The latter, though small, were of delicious flavor. 
 This poverty in the variety of fruits and vegetables arises only 
 from the extreme indifference of the people, who have no market 
 
':'i§mW-'"''^ 
 
CLIMATE AND PRODUCTIONS. 221 
 
 for such products, and care little for what we consider the luxuries 
 of the table. 
 
 It is almost impossible to name a tropical fruit which, if^lanted 
 here, does not thrive with the least possible care. Bananas, plant- 
 ains, and pine-apples are cultivated on a hmited scale ; but in no 
 country do they mature in greater perfection. So with coffee. I 
 saw it growing in one place only, but it was particularly fine. 
 
 Give the Paraguayans mate, beef, and mandioca, and they are 
 satisfied. Their forests 3deld the first, and the native pastures 
 support their cattle. Shut out, first by the policy of Spain, and 
 again by the tyranny of Francia, from all communication with 
 other lands, they neither know nor desire their luxuries. The 
 climate is deliciously soft ; and with the festivals of the Church, 
 and an occasional " dance," to break the monotony of existence, 
 ■ they dream it away, imagining that the true and only Elysium is 
 Paraguay. 
 
 We saw a few deer. Among the domestic animals are sheep, 
 but no hogs. The woodlands are probably rich in flora and birds ; 
 but traveling almost continuously through a level open country, 
 we saw very few. Jaguars are rarely seen in this part of Para- 
 guay, but infest the forests bordering on the rivers. Among the 
 birds, the most common was the small partridge. 
 
 As we approached the Parana the country continued fertile, 
 populous and picturesque ; beautifully diversified by plains and 
 wooded ridges. Under beneficent legislation, with such a wealth 
 of soil and climate, surely the happiness of a golden age might 
 here be realized. 
 
 In all Paraguay I have not yet met a medical man. At Asun- 
 cion, and a few of the towns only, "curanderos" are found. 
 These are men supposed to be skilled in the knowledge and ap- 
 plication of the remedios drawn from the vegetation of the country. 
 Falconer,* both physician and botanist, says : " Paraguay is en- 
 riched by the bounty of nature with so many wholesome plants, 
 roots, gums, woods, and fruits, that whoever is skilled in the knowl- 
 edge of these things would have no occasion for European drug- 
 gists to cure any disease." Nearly all families of the country un- 
 derstand the power and use of these remedies. 
 
 We made this journey in February, the last summer month, the 
 
 * An English Jesuit. When he wrote, all La Plata was called Paraguay, but 
 the Jesuits were particularly acquainted with all the northern and western prov- 
 inces. 
 
222 ENCARNACION,— CARMEN. 
 
 hottest of the year. In the course of each day and night we 
 , entered three or four different houses, and yet heard of no sick 
 individuals or families. Malignant fevers are imknown. On sev- 
 eral occasions we met with men over eighty, vigorous in mind 
 and body, who assured us they had never experienced a day of 
 indisposition. We generally slept under the projecting roof, and 
 I remember no night that was not deliciously cool — so much so, 
 that my blanket-shawl was always an essential covering. 
 
 The barometer and thermometer were both accidentally broken, 
 which I regretted, as I wished to measure the height of Ytapua — 
 now Encarnacion — with Asuncion, and continue meteorological 
 observations. Our register of temperatures up to the 17th, in- 
 clusive, gave a maximum of heat, at 3 P.M., of 94°, minimum 
 86° ; and yet, with the wind from the north — for it is only from 
 that quarter that so high a range is produced — this temperature 
 was not oppressive. The position of Carmen, latitude 27° 12' 30" 
 S., longitude 56° 14' 21'' W., was determined by Lieutenant Powell 
 at a subsequent period. In consequence of an accident to the 
 pocket - chronometer before my return to Asuncion, which pre- 
 vented a comparison and verification of its error and rate with our 
 standard, I was unwilling to assume the results of our work as 
 correct. Lieutenant Powell, who afterward visited the interior 
 of the country, was directed in his returning to take the same 
 route from and after his arrival at Villa Rica — a place satisfactorily 
 determined — and to make all necessary observations at each of 
 the prominent points where they had been previously made, and 
 the geographical positions of which I deemed it important to es- 
 tablish with every degree of accuracy. 
 
 The Puebla Carmen is a new place, built after the abandonment 
 of Ytapua, and contains about one thousand inhabitants. "Why 
 was Encarnacion deserted ? After considerable negotiation with 
 foreign powers, Paraguay opened a port on the Parana. She re- 
 gretted the concession ; but there was only one way of avoiding 
 the stipulations of the treaty and keeping the portals closed. This 
 was by building up a new village twenty-one miles in the interior, 
 and making it the centre of trade for all the neighboring country. 
 President Lopez proved in this instance that if he can not move 
 mountains he can change the position of towns. He who dares 
 look back to Encarnacion will be turned into one of the pillars of 
 the state — a soldier. 
 
 Nothing could have been kinder than our reception by Don 
 
EL SECRETARIO.— YTAPUA. 223 
 
 Mariano. He added to our obligations by the offer of fresh horses 
 to Ytapua. We started in great spirits, and soon came to the 
 river Yiin, a tributary of the Parana, which was crossed in a canoe, 
 the horses as usual carrying it over by swimming alongside. This 
 river is the dividing line between the departments Carmen and 
 Encarnacion, being distant from the former fifteen miles. One 
 mile beyond this we passed over the Boicaja, also a tributary of 
 the Parana. The country from Carmen to Ytapua is rolling, with 
 an argillaceous soil, bearing a little wheat of indifferent quality. 
 
 When within a mile of Ytapua we missed one of our party, 
 " El Secretario" of the Paraguayans, the " Colonel" of the younger 
 officers, and, in, truth, the captain's clerk. He was a son of the 
 Emerald Isle; one more "skilled in the tongues" than in horse- 
 manship. Mounted on rather a mettlesome steed, with dragoon 
 saddle and holsters, containing a formidable pair of horse-pistols ; 
 with feet barely touching the stirrups, lengthened to the last hole, 
 the colonel was, when mounted, a true knight — a scion of the royal 
 O'Neals. From the first elevation we looked back anxiously for 
 our missing companion. A riderless horse was flying over the 
 plains, lashed at every step by holsters and saddle-skirts ; while on 
 foot, and in hot pursuit, was the colonel. Judging from his agile 
 movements that the physical frame was unharmed, and knowing 
 that both rider and steed must "bring up" at some neighboring 
 corral, we quietly pursued our way. While hob-nobbing over a 
 glass of cana with the commandante, in walked our friend, a little 
 worn from his exercise under a temperature of 90°, but declaring 
 earnestly that he had only dismounted to arrange the equipments 
 of his steed, when he gave him the slip. 
 
 Ytapua was one of the most famous of the Jesuit reductions ; 
 but its glory has passed away ; that is, the glory of Jesuitic civil- 
 ization ; yet nature is still beautiful. The Parana — already by the 
 accumulated waters of many navigable streams a mighty river, one 
 mile and a quarter wide — rolls on majestically between a border- 
 ing of lofty trees. It will probably be found navigable from 
 Ytapua to the ocean for river steamers, for the Jesuits descended 
 to Corrientes from this point in vessels of four and five feet 
 draught. The falls of Apipd, one thousand miles from the capes 
 of La Plata, obstruct, for the first time, its navigation by large 
 vessels ; such, at least, is the generally received opinion ; but 
 having reason to doubt this fact, I sent the Water Witch to ex- 
 amine those rapids, while I was engaged in prosecuting another 
 
224 WEALTHY CHURCHES. 
 
 branch of the work. In passing the Paraguayan fort of Itapiru, 
 she was dastardly fired into, and one man killed. 
 But I am anticipating. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Francia, — Religion and the Churches. — Ytapua. — The Commandante and Soldiers. 
 — Navigability of the Parana. — Carmen. — Equipments of Horses. — Mission of San 
 Cosmi. — EstanciaSan Rafael. — Mate'. — Frescoes. — D. Ignacio's Horse. — Capilla 
 SaiL Martin. — The Supper. — Missions Santa Maria and Santa Rosa. — Estancia 
 of Seiiora Casara. — The Merchant President. — Senor Cabenas. — Capilla Caa- 
 pucu. — Senor VasconcelloS. — The Diezmo. — Public Lands. — Senor Bergarran. 
 — Iron Works. — The Waiter. — The Superintendent. — Ibicui.— Mineral Districts. 
 — Products and Exports of Paraguay. — The Surgeon of the Water Witch. — 
 Beauty and Fertility of the Country. — Presidential Election. — No Admittance. 
 — A Motion to make the President Emperor. — The Constitution. — Individual 
 Wealth. — Cotton. — Lists of Exports from Asuncion. 
 
 The ruins of a church and a few dilapidated houses are all that 
 remain of one of the most celebrated of the Parana missions. 
 Francia finished what the immediate successors of the Jesuits 
 spared. The Dictator was no hypocrite in religion. On all oc- 
 casions he manifested an indifference to its outer observance and 
 contempt for the priests, who, he was repeatedly heard to say, 
 "rather tend to make these people believe in the devil than in 
 God." Even within the memory of living Paraguayans, some of 
 these churches were rich in vessels of precious metals, statuettes of 
 the twelve apostles in solid silver, paintings, and carving. The 
 church of Ytapua was one of the most beautiful of these. A 
 massive foundation, three hundred and twenty feet by eighty, and 
 a few feet of the superstructure, are all that remain of this edifice. 
 It was despoiled, but not demolished, by Francia. In 1846 serv- 
 ice was still held within its walls. They were taken down in 
 this year by order of President Lopez, who was told that the con- 
 dition of the building made it unsafe. But the work of demo- 
 lition showed its strength; and the President, I was informed, 
 greatly regretted his agency in the destruction of one of the finest 
 Jesuitic monuments of the country. The residences of the Fathers, 
 built of stone and brick, were in excellent preservation, and seem- 
 ed to defy the ravages of time. One of them was occupied by the 
 commandante, who assured me that it had never, within the 
 memory of living man, been repaired, and yet the wood-work, 
 especially those parts that had not been exposed to the elements, 
 
NAVIGABILITY OF THE PARANA. 225 
 
 was perfect ; the bamboo slats, laid transversely across the rafters 
 as a support for the tiling, looked untouched by time. 
 
 The commandante was hospitable, and celebrated our arrival 
 by making himself gloriously happy with cana. He entertained 
 us with marvelous stories of battles fought and won by Para- 
 guayans ; of his own deeds of valor and single-handed combat ; all 
 of which impressed us profoundly with the vivacious imagination 
 and talent for military narration of this officer of the republic. 
 Tired, sleepy, and fearing that he might mistake us for the eneniy, 
 we retreated at an early hour to our hammocks. 
 
 When Bucurelli carried out the instructions of the Count of 
 Aranda, the Jesuits were constructing a church at the " Mission 
 Jesus," near the Pueblo Trinidad, about twenty miles above on 
 the Parana — the highest point on that river to which the Paraguay 
 missions extended. But neither the magnificence of its design nor 
 the beauty of the masonry and wood-work — much of which was 
 completed — could save it from the vandalism of Francia, who 
 ordered it to be destroyed. Some few of these churches — San 
 Cosmi, Santiago, Santa Rosa — were spared, and we visited them in 
 the return route to Asuncion. 
 
 On the 22d of February — a day remembered by all Americans, 
 wherever they may be — we left for Carmen, carrying with us, as 
 a souvenir of Ytapua, a bit of the stone of the old church, which 
 seems to be veined with copper. With the exception of one dis- 
 trict, and this extending but a few miles, the country was as thickly 
 populated as that immediately around Asuncion. The dwellings 
 were of a better order, and the cultivation very fair. The Para- 
 na, unobstructed to the Atlantic, is an outlet for all Eastern Para- 
 guay. I have several times alluded to the determination of the 
 President to concentrate the whole trade of the country at the 
 capital ; and if he tells the people of the East that the Parana is 
 not navigable to Corrientes, no charts based upon the most reliable 
 data could convince them that his Excellency's assertion was in- 
 correct. When I told them of the floating palaces carrying mil- 
 lions of freight over our interior water-courses, with a draught of 
 only two or three feet, they looked as if they thought I was en- 
 tertaining them with a "yarn." The cataract of La Guayra.and 
 the rapids of Apipe are regarded by President Lopez only as 
 magnificent fortifications provided by nature for Paraguay, against 
 all outside enemies; more particularly against her neighbors, " Los 
 Portugases." The resources of this district are as unbounded as 
 
 16 
 
226 MISSION OF SAN COSMI. 
 
 those of tlie West ; and the wealth of the Jesuits, derived from 
 their agricultural labors in a small part of it, is the best evidence 
 of its fertility. The soil of the hills between Encamacion and 
 Carmen is a reddish clay, while that of the flat lands is a black 
 argillaceous loam, resembling alluvial deposit. 
 
 The Paraguayans, like all Spanish Americans, take much pride 
 in the equipments of their horses. The Bolivian officers whom 
 we met in Brazil had presented me with a saddle-covering, made 
 of the skin of the " pareroso" (the sloth), an animal not found in 
 Paraguay, It had apparently excited the admiration of many 
 during this journey. On leaving Carmen, I gave it to Don Mari- 
 ano, as a souvenir of our party. My offering was received with 
 unaffected pleasure, and we parted with many expressions on his 
 part of esteem for us all. 
 
 As I had determined to return to Asuncion by a more southern 
 route, we started for San Cosmi, another of the abandoned mis- 
 sions. It is but twelve miles from Carmen, and in that distance 
 we passed in canoes over two small tributaries of the Parana, the 
 Taquari, and the Aguape. This mode of crossing was trouble- 
 some, for it always involved the unloading and loading of the 
 cargaro mules. This mission, according to our observations, is 
 in latitude 27° 19' 9'' south, and longitude 56° 24' 48"; variation 
 7° 35' east. It is within half a mile of the Parana, of which and 
 the neighboring country it commands an extensive view. The 
 church and other buildings were in excellent preservation ; but 
 the jefe was absent, and the next dignitary, " el secretario," would 
 not take the mighty responsibility of opening the sacred edifice, 
 so we were obliged to content ourselves with admiring the exte- 
 rior. It was three hundred feet by seventy ; constructed of a red 
 sandstone of fine grain, not unlike that so much used in our coun- 
 try at present, but of a lighter hue. The front entrance was sup- 
 ported by octagonal columns of the same stone, twenty feet in 
 length, two in diameter, each of one piece, and beautifully cut. 
 " El secretario" told us that the columns and flagging of the inte- 
 rior were of this material, which had been taken from a neighbor- 
 ing quarry on the Parana. 
 
 Leaving San Cosmi the following morning, we stopped, after a 
 ride of five hours, for siesta, at the Estancia San Eafael. Be- 
 tween the two missions, distant from each other thirty miles, we 
 crossed one stream, the Arroyo Atingi, nine miles east of Santia- 
 go. The first part of the day's travel was made through a campo, 
 
DRINKING MATE. 
 
 227 
 
 but before reaching tbe mission we entered a rolling country. 
 On one of its wooded elevations, twenty -seven miles from the Pa- 
 rana, stood the buildings of Santiago. Eiding into a large court, 
 formed by the church and adjoining houses, we were most kindly 
 received by the jefe, Senor Don Francisco Ignacio Silvero, who 
 ushered us into a clean, comfortable dining-room, where mate and 
 cigars were soon followed by an excellent supper. I was much 
 impressed by the extreme neatness of the jefe's dwelling, and the 
 simple manners, but perfect ease and good-breeding, of his wife 
 and daughter. After supper we retired to sleeping-rooms, where 
 were snowy beds and hammocks — another evidence Of the comfort 
 and refinement of this home, not less refreshing than astonishing, 
 when we reflected that we were in a remote corner of an isolated 
 country. 
 
 Early rising is a fixed habit with the Paraguayans. 
 The next morning, before we were aware of the hour, 
 there was a tap at the door, followed by the entrance of 
 a little negro holding in each hand a mat^. Tliis nation- 
 al beverage is served in a gourd, often richly ornamented, 
 and is imbibed through a bombilla, a metallic tube, which 
 at the bottom expands into a bulb, pierced with holes to 
 act as a strainer. As often as these were emptied they 
 were replenished by the darkey, until we remembered 
 the custom of the country, and said " Gradasy In all 
 well-regulated houses the servant continues to serve the 
 national beverage, regardless of quantity, until this word, 
 which means both " Thanks" and " Enough," is uttered. 
 
 Eefreshed by this tea, and 
 well supplied with fine cigars, 
 the breakfast of the early morn- 
 ing was made. Accompanied 
 by our host, we went to visit 
 the church, a grand old build- 
 ing three hundred feet long 
 and in excellent preservation, 
 so far as time and the elements 
 had worked ; but cupidity and 
 vandalism had despoiled it of its 
 ornaments. The ceilings were 
 elaborately frescoed, and there was a vast deal of gilding, statuary, 
 and carving in wood ; but, mutilated and defaced as they were, only 
 
 MATE AND BOMBILLA. 
 
228 CHURCH AT SANTIAGO.— YERBA, 
 
 the eye of an artist or connoisseur could liave traced any beauty, 
 in subject or outlines. It must be remembered that I had neither 
 written record nor garrulous guide to aid my eye or imagination ; 
 and, having little knowledge of art, I will not mislead by attempt 
 at description. This was the second church erected by the Jesuits 
 in Paraguay, the first being that of San Ignacio. It must, there- 
 fore, have stood over two centuries, and yet its solid stone walls 
 looked as if they might battle with time for a thousand years to 
 come. Enough remained to fill the most indifferent observer with 
 wonder, in remembering that a half-dozen Jesuits and their Indian 
 neophytes were the architects, builders, sculptors, and painters of 
 this wilderness. The people of the country dwell much upon the 
 wealth and beauty of these churches, even to the time oi'-'- El De- 
 funto f and in the course of this journey we saw frequently 
 pieces of plate that looked suspiciously like ^'sacred vessels." 
 
 The surrounding buildings were in good order, and generally 
 occupied by Meztizos, whose physiognomies were much more 
 Guarani than Spanish. The church, its columns and flagging, as 
 well as the adjoining buildings, were of the red sandstone to which 
 I have before alluded. In one of the latter were several hand- 
 looms, the property of the government, for weaving cotton cloth. 
 
 Our next visit was to a grove of "yerba," the ^'- 1 lex Paraguay- 
 ew5Z5," which is not indigenous to this part of Paraguay. In size 
 and foliage it resembles the orange-tree ; its flowers grow in clus- 
 ters, are white, and closely resemble those of our elder. When 
 matured, the seeds are perfectly black, and very like grains of 
 pepper. I procured some, and sent them, carefiilly sealed in a 
 tin box, to the United States, but have never been able to learn 
 any thing of them since my return. The yerba is found in Bra- 
 zil, but the Paraguay leaf is considered greatly superior, and is so 
 eagerly sought in every part of Spanish America that it might 
 become a source of large revenue both to the government and 
 people, were it not that at present the trade is monopolized by 
 the former, and the supply for export consequently very much 
 diminished. The Jesuits made plantations of this tree, had sev- 
 eral varieties of it at all their missions, and found the quality im- 
 proved by culture. This little grove had been propagated from 
 the old stock, and yielded enough for the wants of the few fami- 
 lies at the mission. 
 
 We made the usual observations, which, for reasons before 
 given, were imperfect ; but this was among the places subsequent- 
 
DIKNER AT THE CAPILLA SAN MARTIN. 231 
 
 ly determined by Lieutenant Powell, and found to be in latitude 
 27° 7' 39" south, longitude 56° 50' 21'' west, variation 7° 4' east. 
 The position of Santiago is perhaps not so attractive as that of 
 either San Cosmi or Ytapua ; but from the better condition of the 
 church and other buildings, and from the fine cultivation of the 
 surrounding country, it was far more interesting. I thought I 
 could see the influence of the jefe's example, and that presented 
 by the order of his household, upon the whole community. 
 
 Wheat was growing in this neighborhood, but the grain was not 
 well matured. The morning's work was followed by an excel- 
 lent dinner; and when about to continue our journey, Don Igna- 
 cio asked my acceptance of a horse : I begged him not to add to 
 my obligations ; but he said the animal should be sent to Asun- 
 cion, where he would himself again see us, as he was one of the 
 representatives of the new Congress to assemble in March for the 
 election of President. He was true to his word. Only a few 
 days had elapsed after our arrival at the capital, when one of the 
 finest horses I had yet seen in Paraguay was brought to my quar- 
 ters, with the compliments of Don Ignacio. 
 
 At sunset we reached the "Capilla San Martin," our resting- 
 place for the night, after a ride of eleven miles through a country 
 sparsely wooded, but cultivated and populous. The soil is a red- 
 dish clay. The occupant of the one house at this place met all 
 the demands of hospitality by giving us the best his larder afford- 
 ed. This was a supper of stewed beef served in a large earthen 
 dish, which was placed in the centre of a small round table, with- 
 out knives, forks, or plates. But armed, as each was, with a 
 wooden spoon, and aided by good appetites, and a little instruc- 
 tion from our host, Don Antonio, we made an excellent supper. 
 At its conclusion, a negro boy, who had stood during the repast 
 like a statue behind the chair of his master, suddenly clasped 
 his hands, and with the gravity of a bishop returned thanks in a 
 clear, distinct voice. Cigars followed the " grace," and soon after 
 we retired to our hammocks, slung up as usual outside of the 
 house. 
 
 In the morning, before day had fairly dawned, I was awakened 
 by voices near me. Some ten or twelve peons, or laborers of the 
 estancia, were standing before the entrance of the dwelling. One 
 of them knocked upon the door, giving the saluta'tion ^^ Ave 3Ia- 
 'na." — " Sin pecado concehida^^'' said Don Antonio solemnly, as he 
 stepped out to give them a blessing, in Guarani; after which they 
 
232 MISSIONS OF SANTA MARIA AND SANTA ROSA. 
 
 dispersed. I afterward learned that this was the daily custom of 
 many estancieros of the neighborhood. 
 
 We were yet within the limits of the Missions. The old church- 
 es with their surroundings, and these domestic religious observ-' 
 ances, are the only traces of an order that dominated over this re- 
 gion for a century and a half 
 
 Starting at an early hour from the Capilla San Martin, we trav- 
 eled for twenty-seven miles through a fine, fertile, populous coun- 
 try, diversified by rolling lands and plains. On the route we vis- 
 ited two other abandoned missions, Santa Maria and Santa Eosa. 
 The church of the first was of the same material and dimensions 
 as those we had already seen; the frescoes, carving, and gilding 
 were even more elaborate. A few pictures still hung around the 
 sanctuary, and what remained of the wood-work was extremely 
 beautiful. The exquisite color and fine texture of the Paraguay 
 woods make them invaluable for such a purpose. Santa Eosa 
 was also constructed of fine sandstone, and differed only in size 
 from those already described, being rather smaller. It was in such 
 admirable condition that I regretted the loss of our daguerreo- 
 type instruments, which would have enabled me to present some 
 representations of its frescoes. Ulloa tells us that the churches of 
 these Paraguayan missions equaled the finest ecclesiastical struc- 
 tures in Peru ; and other writers give us the impression that those 
 of Peru were unsurpassed by many of the finest in Spain. 
 
 We met with a hospitable reception at the estancia of Seiiora 
 Maria Petronella Casara, in the Partido of San Juan, where we 
 stopped for the night. The position of her dwelling, on a wooded 
 hill, was beautiful, and the improvements within and around it 
 were superior to any we had yet seen. There were touches of 
 foreign taste and comfort, which were explained when Seiiora Ma- 
 ria informed me that she was the widow of a " Frenchman," as 
 all foreigners are called in Paraguay, the people troubling them- 
 selves little with geographical science. We were repeatedly ask- 
 ed if we were Frenchmen, and were regarded doubtfully when we 
 answered in the negative. It is whispered that President Lopez 
 is both a sleeping and wide-awake partner in a "Paraguay House" 
 at Paris, and that the periodical arrival of certain gay fabrics and 
 fashions serves to keep alive this impression of French ascendency 
 among the female portion of the population. Senoi^a Maria gave 
 us an excellent supper, but was much annoyed at not receiving 
 more assistance in its preparation from her two fair daughters, 
 
SENOR CABENAS.— CAAPUCU. 233 
 
 who evidently found the society of the young officers of my party 
 more agreeable than household duties. The next morning, after 
 being served, as usual, with mate, we said " adios''' to the ladies, 
 and continued our journey. For twelve miles this lay through 
 an unbroken plain, without apparently any unoccupied spaces, so 
 numerous were estancias and farms. Near the Capilla San Miguel 
 we crossed the Tibiquari, which at low water has a depth of from 
 three to four feet. This river forms the northern and western 
 boundary of the " Missions." 
 
 Six miles beyond we stopped for dinner and siesta at the house 
 of a rich estanciero, Senor Cabenas, where we met with unusual 
 luxury. Dinner was served on massive plate ; water-goblets and 
 salvers were also of pure silver. All other appointments of this 
 establishment, though simple, were exceedingly comfortable. In 
 Paraguay the siesta follows dinner as naturally as day is succeeded 
 by night. So, after cigars and a chat with our host, who was a 
 man of intelligence and polished manners, we were shown to sleep- 
 ing apartments, where the extreme neatness of beds and ham- 
 mocks invited repose. 
 
 Our next resting-place for the night was the Capilla Caapucu, 
 distant from the estancia of Senor Cabenas nine miles. Since 
 leaving the Tibiquari we had found the lands fertile. Mountains, 
 forests, and plains, all brilliant with verdure, made the aspect of 
 the country impressively beautiful. 
 
 In Paraguay foreigners are a " sight," and when we reached 
 Caapucu all occupants of the surrounding houses collected to see 
 us dismount. We were well received, but I thought the poor jefe 
 looked embarrassed at the arrival of so large a party. However, 
 relief was at hand. A gentleman rode up on a fine spirited horse, 
 and, from a whispered conversation, witk many glances at us, I 
 " guessed" that we were the subject of a talk. The horseman dis- 
 mounted, came forward, and invited us cordially to return with 
 him to his estancia, which he represented as being near. We 
 were very tired ; but presuming that this arrangement was made 
 to relieve the jefe, who found it inconvenient to accommodate so 
 many persons, we followed Senor Vasconcellos. His dwelling, 
 which I had supposed within a short distance of the Capilla, gave 
 us a ride of six miles ; but the jovial conversation of our new 
 friend, the courteous reception given us by his wife and daughter, 
 and a bountiful supper, fully compensated for the trouble. He 
 was a Portuguese, who, thirty years before, had stepped over from 
 
234 SENOR VASCONCELLOS. 
 
 Brazil into Paraguay, liad married a daughter of the republic, be- 
 coming one of its citizens, and tbe father of a large family. It was 
 novel and refreshing to meet a man of intelligence who seemed 
 neither disturbed by the ghost of Francia, nor the living power of 
 Lopez, and who could converse freely and with spirit upon the 
 state of the country. The absence of statistics, and the timid re- 
 serve of the inhabitants in alluding to the government, made it 
 very difS.cult to arrive at a fair estimate of the condition and re- 
 sources of Paraguay. The people always spoke with hesitation 
 and in a low voice, as if they feared that the walls had ears or we 
 were spies. 
 
 Seuor Yasconcellos was surrounded by much to make him 
 happy. It is true his lands were the property of the state, but he 
 had fine herds of cattle, a garden, a spacious stone house, pleasant 
 family circle, and a daughter happily married, and residing upon 
 an adjoining estancia. 
 
 Bad weather detained us three days, and gave me the oppor- 
 tunity of visiting his son-in-law, whose house and grounds were in 
 better condition than many we had seen, and showed, I thought, 
 the influence and energy of the father-in-law. 
 
 While strolling over his land I observed indications of iron, and 
 said to him, " I think you have a vein of iron ore on your estan- 
 cia?" 
 
 He replied gravely, " My dear sir, it is the last thing I should 
 care to find; for my land is public domain, and if ore is discovered 
 I must be forced to relinquish it to the government, and make 
 another home." 
 
 In the course of our walk, I saw a magnificent copaiba ; the 
 ground beneath was covered with its seeds, a few of which I col- 
 lected and sent to the United States. From a small tree in the 
 yard of Senor Yasconcellos I also gathered seeds of the hurucu, 
 which were likewise sent home. The latter yield a fine red paint, 
 greatly sought by the Indians to adorn their bodies, and occasion- 
 ally used in Paraguay for painting the interior wood-work of 
 houses. The natives extract the color by the very simple process 
 of soaking the seeds for some days in glue water. I experimented 
 by leaving them in a glass of pure water for twenty-four hours, 
 when, finding the coloring matter well extracted, I poured the 
 whole through a piece of gauze ; the sediment remained, a fine 
 powder of brilliant hue. 
 
 Though two dollars the square league is the fixed price for the 
 
THE DIEZMO. 235 
 
 rent of these lands the diezmo is a heavy impost. It is, in fact, 
 half of the '■'■royal fifihJ^ Among the last and very few good de- 
 crees of Francia was one abolishing this tax, but it was imposed 
 anew by Lopez. A tenth part of the increase of the herds I saw 
 upon these two estancias would be no inconsiderable rent, and the 
 revenue of the government from this source, though not made 
 known, must be very considerable, for the tenth of every product, 
 even that of vegetables and fowls, is exacted. As the actual col- 
 lection and sale of the diezmo in kind would be a troublesome 
 business, each partido is farmed out to the highest bidder, who 
 again bargains with the producer, or estanciero, for his portion, or 
 its equivalent. The small farmers rarely have money, therefore 
 their produce is sold at the nearest village. 
 
 The people, as might be expected under such a system, evade 
 the law by the most amusing and ingenious expedients, such as 
 planting nine rows of mandioca, and declaring that there can he 
 no tenth. If government would pursue a more enlightened policy, 
 sell the public lands, reduce the export duties, abolish the diezmo, 
 the monopolies in timber, yerba, caoutchouc, etc., the enterprise of 
 the Paraguayans would be awakened by the stimulus of trade, 
 and the public revenue would probably greatly exceed its present 
 amount. There might be, even for Paraguay, a "manifest des- 
 tiny." Lopez has the ability, if he had the will, to imitate Ur- 
 quiza, and put the ball in motion. 
 
 The public lands embrace three fourths of the whole country, 
 and there is a governmental control even over the actual products 
 of each partido. The commander of a district may order one 
 tenant to cultivate tobacco, another com, making them all in fact 
 but laborers of the state. 
 
 I parted with regret from our new friends, but with the expect- 
 ation of meeting Senor Vasconcellos soon at Asuncion, as he had 
 been chosen a member of the ensuing Congress. 
 
 Our road, for twenty miles, lay through a fine'roUing country, 
 and at noon we reached the Estancia Bergarran. I proposed 
 stopping at this place for dinner and siesta. As we approached 
 the dwelling, which was placed upon a hill and embowered by 
 magnificent trees, a venerable old man, who was seated before the 
 entrance, came forward, and with a dignified but courteous man- 
 ner, said, " Pa^a adelante, Senoresy How pleasantly that greeting 
 of Senor Bergarran sounded to our tired party ! and yet literally 
 it meant but "Walk in, sirs." 
 
236 SENOR BERGARRAN.— IRON-WORKS. 
 
 Books are rarely numbered among the luxuries or resources of 
 Paraguayans ; I was therefore somewhat astonished to find that 
 our host possessed a small but admirable collection. The title of 
 a little Spanish pamphlet attracted my attention. It was the 
 " Articles of the Confederation of the Thirteen Original States of 
 North America : December 4th, 1776." Senor Bergarran has 
 been a prominent man in Paraguay, and is said to be still very 
 popular with a large party, who, after the death of Francia, wished 
 to place him at the head of the government. He was very cau- 
 tious in alluding to the present condition of his country, but was 
 evidently a man of more than ordinary intelligence. 
 
 Our next resting-place was to be at the Government Iron Works, 
 the buildings of which are at the foot of the Sierra Mbonaypey, 
 upon the banks of a small river navigable for boats to the Tibi- 
 quari. The mountains were covered from base to summit with 
 forests of gigantic trees, and the superintendent of the works — a 
 Swede, Senor Don Augusto Lidiedat — told me that they teemed 
 with a precious vegetation, rare medicinal plants, gums, resins, 
 dye-stuffs, and woods valued for all mechanical or ornamental 
 purposes. He had made a collection of plants, studied their prop- 
 erties, and now used them exclusively and successfully in medical 
 practice among the workmen of the mines. With all the eager- 
 ness and the indomitable perseverance that characterized the Span- ' 
 ish conquerors in their search for gold, and all the energy of the 
 Jesuits in developmg the resources of Paraguay, it seems inex- 
 plicable that they should have totally overlooked its mountain 
 ranges. No scientific explorations have yet been made in these 
 districts, and up to this time iron ore and zinc are the only dis- 
 coveries.* Like the ranges of Northwestern Brazil, they will 
 probably be found rich in a variety of minerals. 
 
 The ore of Caapucu yields seventy-four per cent. ; that of San 
 Miguel forty-eight. The latter, though smaller in quantity, is 
 said to be unequaled in quality. The superintendent gave me 
 specimens of these ores, also some of zinc ; and though the lands 
 yielding the last have been but partially examined, they indicate 
 an abundant supply. Properly worked by private enterprise, the 
 mines already opened would probably supply not only Paraguay, 
 but the lower states of La Plata. All works of this kind must 
 necessarily be initiated by foreigners; but their labors are not 
 
 * And these have been pronounced, by former writers on Paraguay, as not ex- 
 isting within its territory. 
 
A WEALTHY CONVICT.— IBICUI. 237 
 
 properly appreciated or rewarded. The machinerj for this place 
 was commenced by an Englishman, who died before its comple- 
 tion ; and the present superintendent, though a man of ability 
 and energy, was, before we left the country, coolly informed that 
 his services were no longer needed. Don Augusto made some 
 additions to our botanic collections, and seemed delighted to have 
 an opportunity of unreserved conversation with foreigners, who 
 could appreciate and understand his labors. 
 
 My attention was attracted by the appearance of a man who 
 waited on the table during dinner ; his dress was more that of a 
 country gentleman than a servant, and his countenance peculiarly 
 sad and subdued. I found my eyes continually wandering toward 
 this individual, whose manner disquieted me, for he moved about 
 heavily, and as if his task was a weary one. 
 
 After dinner the superintendent asked me if I had observed the 
 waiter. 
 
 " Yes. What is he ? "Who is he ?" 
 
 " The richest man in Eastern Paraguay. He has a very large, 
 well-stocked estancia." 
 
 " And yet is here as a servant?" 
 
 " Yes ; he was guilty of the ungallant act of whipping a woin- 
 an, and the President has degraded him to be a servant at the 
 Iron Works. He will, at last, liberate himself only by paying a 
 large sum, or its equivalent in cattle." 
 
 So much for the rights of women and the summary administra- 
 tion of the law. 
 
 The next morning, after a cup of coffee — an unusual luxury in 
 Paraguay — we continued our journey. The rain poured in tor- 
 rents; and, thoroughly drenched, we arrived at Ibicui, unfortu- 
 nately at the hour of siesta. We called first at the house of the 
 juez. He was asleep, and could not be disturbed. We rode on 
 to the " Padre's ;" and as I told the vaqueano that shelter must 
 be found, he assumed the great responsibility of having the rev- 
 erend gentleman awakened, and we were shown by his orders to 
 a vacant house. The horses were turned into the plaza to graze ; 
 and the vaqueano, who went in search of supplies, returned fol- 
 lowed by a woman who undertook to cook a supper of asado and 
 pucharo. Then slinging up hammocks, or settling ourselves upon 
 the brick floor, with saddles and ponchos for bedding, we prepared 
 to spend the night. Ibicui was one of the few places at which we 
 met with inhospitable treatment ; and this I attributed to our un- 
 
238 PRODUCTS AND EXPORTS. 
 
 fortunate arrival at the time of siesta. One might arouse a Par- 
 aguayan at any hour of the night, and find him good-natured; 
 but at the hour of siesta, never. 
 
 The next morning we left this village, the position of which, 
 at the base of the Si'ejra Tatuqua, a truncated cone, was very 
 beautiful. Traveling through a fine campo, watered by the small 
 stream Canavaz, we reached the house of Senora Maria Patrone 
 Aldena, where we breakfasted. From this place our "road lay 
 through a narrow valley, hemmed in on either side by high 
 mountains, their low ridges covered with the adobe houses, or 
 thatched huts, of a comparatively dense population. Passing the 
 Pueblo Paraguayri — the nearest approach we had yet made to 
 our outward-bound route-^we arrived for the night at a govern- 
 ment posta, and with difiiculty obtained provision for man or 
 beast. Our next and last day's journey to Asuncion, 45 miles, 
 was through a fertile, populous, rolling country, with magnificent 
 forests. The soil is sandy. 
 
 I had now, by a circuitous route, traveled 600 miles, through 
 what was represented to me as the most populous districts of 
 Paraguay, and found them every where abounding in natural re- 
 sources. Science has made no progressive innovations in the 
 processes of culture. The agricultural and mechanical imple- 
 ments are still of the rudest description ; the plows are of wood ; 
 cotton is spun and woven by hand-looms ; sugar-cane is pressed 
 in wooden mills ; and cigars are manufactured by families at their 
 own dwellings. The actual products are undoubtedly meagre, 
 when we consider the adaptation of both soil and climate to agri- 
 culture ; and yet the aggregate amount, even under the present 
 primitive system, is considerable. The indigenous vegetation is 
 extraordinarily prolific. Forests and plains teem with medical 
 and edible plants, gums, resins, and dye-stufis. Many woods pos- 
 sess the value of metals, in their power to resist the action of 
 water and atmosphere. The fibrous tissues of several abundant 
 species of aloe furnish a new raw material for manufacturing en- 
 terprise. The yerba, as the experiments of the Jesuits proved, 
 can be grown in quantities to meet any demand. I might be 
 suspected of exaggeration if I should enumerate the many articles, 
 such as caoutchouc, wax, palm oil, indigo, cotton, rice, sugar, and 
 coffee, that could be added as staple commodities to those named, 
 as legitimately recognized in the trade of this country. Indigo, 
 though cultivated to a most limited extent, might become one of 
 
CLIMATE AND PRODUCTIONS. 239 
 
 the most valuable articles of export. There are several varieties 
 growing wild, and their quality, so far as tested, seems little infe- 
 rior to the cultivated plant. According to Azara, silk could be 
 produced, as the mulberry is indigenous. 
 
 Before the Revolution the exports of Paraguay to Buenos 
 Ayres and the interior provinces of La Plata reached nearly a 
 million and a half of dollars. Among them were eight million 
 pounds of yerba and a million pounds of tobacco. After the mo- 
 nopoly of the sale of tobacco by the "Regia" of Spain, the supply 
 for the mother country fell from 15,000 to 5000 quintals. I have 
 made no allusion to the culture of the sugar-cane. It grows 
 readily, but receives little attention ; a few rows yield molasses 
 enough for home consumption and a small quantity for exporta- 
 tion. Though "yerba" is found in the humblest hut, the people 
 generally prefer " mate amargd'' (bitter mate). 
 
 Though our journey was made during the last summer month, 
 February, we found it warm, but not oppressive. The nights 
 were uniformly pleasantly cool, and I avoided the heat of a me- 
 ridional sun by stopping for siesfa and dinner. The temperature 
 ranged from 76° to 90° — not often above the first. These ex- 
 tremes are produced more decidedly by the shifting of the wind 
 than by a change of seasons; those from the south causing a 
 rapid fall in the thermometer, while those from the equatorial 
 regions produce the reverse effect and the greatest degree of heat. 
 I often slept in the open air, but experienced no bad effects. The 
 usual sleeping-place of both officers and crew of the Water Witch 
 was on deck, under an awning, yet we had but a few cases of 
 slight chills, which yielded readily to the usual medical treatment, 
 and very often were escaped altogether by avoiding unnecessary 
 exposure and too great indulgence in fruit. In referring to my 
 journal for the months of March and April, my attention is par- 
 ticularly attracted by the very great range of the thermometer 
 for this latitude — 25° south. It says : 
 
 '' March Z\st. 4P.M. Wind north; thermometer 80° ; cool and 
 pleasant. A-pril ^ili. Yesterday and to-day, at 7 A.M., thermome- 
 ter 63° ; wind northeast ; weather clear. Ajpril 1th. Thermome- 
 ter 93° ; wind northeast ; weather clear." 
 
 Such changes are sensibly felt, and would doubtless produce 
 sickness were not the variations from a high to a low tempera- 
 ture of very short continuance. 
 
 In no part of Paraguay that I visited, not even at Asuncion, 
 
240 COTTON.— SCENERY. 
 
 could a physician find full occupation or obtain a maintenance. 
 When at the capital, the surgeon of the Water Witch was occa- 
 sionally sent for ; but he made no charge, not even the established 
 one of twelve and a half cents the visit. So unusual is such at- 
 tendance that, when he gave a prescription, he was frequently 
 questioned by the patient or a member of the family as to the 
 price of the medicine. 
 
 There is little individual wealth. The property of the richest 
 man would scarcely bring $50,000. But there are few or none 
 positively needy ; for Nature, with wondrous bounty, supplies the 
 necessities of her children almost without exertion, and the com- 
 forts essential to health under the seasonal vicissitudes of other 
 latitudes are here unnecessary. The principal exports at present 
 are yerba, tobacco, oranges, mandioca (cor^verted into starch and 
 sweetmeats), ground-nuts, molasses, cana, and rum. It will be ob- 
 served that cotton is not enumerated, and yet Ulloa says, in speak- 
 ing of the resources of Paraguay: "Cotton contributes consider- 
 ably to their riches, growing here in such quantities that every 
 little village gathers of it annually above two thousand arobas, 
 and the industrious are very ingenious in weaving it into stuffs 
 for exportation," Both climate and soil are admirably adapted to 
 its growth ; but the low rate at which merchants are enabled 
 profitably to introduce the foreign manufactured article, which 
 now, in value, exceeds the aggregate amount of all other importa- 
 tions, has caused the abandonment of its culture. The retail price 
 of domestic cottons, previously to the opening of the rivers, va- 
 ried, according to its quality, from fifty cents to one dollar and 
 fifty cents per yard. Now the foreign article sells from 6^ to 20 
 cents, and the raw product, in very small quantities, for 12^ cents 
 the pound, in the seed. It is spun with the distaff, woven in hand- 
 looms, worked into embroidered skirts and house-linen, which are 
 sold abroad only as specimens of Paraguayan handiwork. 
 
 I can convey no faithful impression of the beauty of the face 
 of the country. It presents throughout, from river to river, the 
 most varied physical features ; fine alternations of mountains, 
 forests, and plains. The lofty Mbenaypey, crowned by primeval 
 forests, and the Ytagua with its truncated cone, though but hil- 
 locks compared with the majestic eminences of the Andean range, 
 are imposing objects in the mountain system. Through whole 
 districts the sierras are covered by forests of gigantic trees, and 
 slope by rounded wooded hills to the broad sunlit plains, which 
 
GOVEENMENT AND THE PEOPLE. 241 
 
 were every where brilliant with verdure, and intersected by peren- 
 nial streams. The hill-sides were enlivened by the habitations of 
 a numerous population, and the plains were covered by herds and 
 flocks, which, with the approach of night, could be seen seeking 
 the protection of corrals that dotted the campos. We saw no 
 sterile wastes. The whole land seemed to be enriched by the 
 vegetable tribes of tropical and temperate zones. The air was 
 laden at times with the rich odors of orange blossoms and aromatic 
 shrubs ; and yet the climate there, as in every part of the basin of 
 La Plata that I visited, is free from the humidity and excessive 
 heat, which, in other sections of this continent, exhaust the powers 
 of man, or increase those of nature beyond his control. All that 
 fine country is occupied by a people simple, kind, and hospitable. 
 Thefts are not unfrequent, but a higher degree of crime is rare. 
 The administration of President Lopez is, so far as I could learn, 
 unstained by bloodshed. Though the Paraguayans groaned for a 
 quarter of a century under the sanguinary tyranny of Francia, 
 they have been saved from the demorahzing civil contests that 
 have almost depopulated other states of La Plata. 
 
 But let not this beauty or fertility tempt foreigners to enter Par- 
 aguay for permanent occupation without the protection of treat- 
 ies. The government owns three fourths of the land, and has nu- 
 merous estancias ; yet when beef is required for the army or public 
 laborers, it not unfrequently draws on the stock of a private es- 
 tate, allowing the owner half the value of each hide, for which he 
 must receive, as payment, one third in paper* money, one third in 
 cotton goods, and the remainder in silver. Store-houses are also 
 established in every district. These are another source of public 
 revenue ; but they interfere at the same time with individual 
 rights. The commandantes of partidos are but the stewards or 
 agents of the principal merchant, the sub-venders of government 
 stock in cattle and goods. 
 
 The period of the presidential election was approaching (the 
 4th of March, 1854), but among the members of the new Congress 
 I missed our hospitable friend Senor Vasconcellos. He is, I pre- 
 sume, too independent in his views to please the party in power, 
 and upon second thoughts was permitted to stgiy at home. I was 
 anxious to be present at the sittings of the National Legislature, 
 but to my inquiry, "Will strangers be admitted?" I received 
 only a mysterious shrug of the shoulders, and a " iVb se, Senor ^^"^ 
 
 * Equivalent to specie. 
 
 16 
 
242 MEETING OF CONGRESS. 
 
 (I don't know, sir). I intended to ask tke President, but it was 
 intimated to me that the request would not be acceptable, as none 
 of the citizens were allowed to enter. His Excellency presided 
 in person, and read a well-written message, afterward published, 
 which gave, or professed to give, a minute history of the country 
 since the last Congress in 1849. He represented in strong lan- 
 guage its prosperity, which, with consummate tact, he attributed 
 not so much to the ability of the executive as to the wisdom of 
 the honorable Eepresentatives. They had not met to legislate. 
 His Excellency relieves them of that responsibility. So, dutifully 
 giving their votes without a dissenting voice, after a sitting of three 
 days they adjourned sine die. 
 
 One member had moved a resolution to make the President 
 Emperor, with the honor hereditary in his family. This he wisely 
 declined. In grasping the shadow he might have lost the reality. 
 He is de facto Emperor, and the succession is probably secured to 
 his son. The struggles of the Eevolution are perhaps not forgot- 
 ten, and imperial or royal titles might alarm even the simple 
 Paraguayans. 
 
 I asked the President, on one occasion, if he could furnish me 
 with a copy of their constitution, alleging, as a reason for the re- 
 quest, my ignorance of the existence of any such state paper, and 
 my desire to become acquainted with the fundamental law on 
 which their government was based. With some hesitation, he 
 replied, " The constitution is not complete ; it is now under re- 
 vision." I had before made attempts to procure a copy, but 
 without success ; indeed, all my efforts to obtain information as to 
 the state of the country were met by a timid hesitancy. I really 
 believe that the habit of unquestioning submission is so fixed 
 that few know themselves how they are governed. Still without 
 political aspirations, as in the time of Francia, they humbly, and 
 seemingly with confidence, confer upon the President the admin- 
 istration of all political affairs, a power the present incumbent is 
 as prompt in taking upon himself as he is unscrupulous in its ex- 
 ercise. "Bandos" are issued as occasions call for them, having a 
 retrospective as well as prospective bearing. 
 
 The following table gives the exports from Asuncion during 
 the year 1854 : 
 
EXPORTS FROM ASUNCION. 
 
 243 
 
 Yerba 
 
 Tobacco 
 
 Cigars 
 
 Timber 
 
 Raw hides 
 
 Tanned hides 
 
 Horse-hair 
 
 Tan-bark 
 
 Starch 
 
 Oranges 
 
 Sweetmeats , 
 
 Molasses 
 
 Sugar 
 
 Sugar-cane 
 
 Rura 
 
 Maize (corn) 
 
 Rice 
 
 Beans 
 
 Meal (mandioca). 
 
 Ground-nuts 
 
 Algarrobilla 
 
 Paddles 
 
 Bamboos 
 
 Lime , 
 
 Earthenware , 
 
 85,670 
 
 103,868 
 
 5,264 
 
 30,313 
 
 38,957 
 
 15,506 
 
 3,205 
 
 15,920 
 
 23,325 
 
 266,893 
 
 29,588 
 
 30,068 
 
 7 
 
 35,600 
 
 12,534 
 
 29,992 
 
 54 
 
 3,394 
 
 706 
 
 6,264 
 
 775 
 
 196 
 
 3,724 
 
 ^ 200 
 
 I 1 
 
 arobas. 
 
 (( 
 
 thousand. 
 
 varas. 
 
 pesadas. 
 
 hides. 
 
 arobas. 
 
 almudas. 
 
 arobas. 
 
 asumbres. 
 
 arobas. 
 
 canes. 
 
 frascas. 
 
 almudas. 
 
 arobas. 
 
 dozens. 
 
 fanegas ( = 
 2 almudas). 
 
 Total amount of exports in 1854.. 
 " 18.53.. 
 
 " 1852.. 
 
 " 1851.. 
 
 (1 
 
 $282,489 
 
 148,164 
 
 12,508 
 
 49,050 
 
 150,287 
 
 00,0.50 
 
 9,833 
 
 2,719 
 
 10,596 
 
 11,288 
 
 19,086 
 
 1,279 
 
 20 
 
 53 
 
 3,108 
 
 597 
 
 17 
 
 984 
 
 179 
 
 1,164 
 
 96 
 
 472 
 
 235 
 
 500 
 
 63 
 
 $777,557 
 691,932 
 474,499 
 341,380 
 
 Number of vessels that 
 arrived in Asuncion during 
 the year 1854 was 160, 
 with about 8000 tons ; of 
 which 2 were British, 31 
 Paraguayan, 116 Argen- 
 tine, and 11 Oriental. 
 
 The export duty is 10 
 per cent, on almost every 
 article, excepting starch, 
 which pays 6 per cent. 
 
 Of the exports of 1854, 
 82,882 arobas of yerba, 
 2074 pesadas of raw hides, 
 52,670 varas of timber, and 
 311 arobas of horse-hair, 
 paid no duty, being ex- 
 ported or sold by the gov- 
 ernment. 
 
 The value of these articles 
 is about $300,000, leaving 
 only about $477,800 worth 
 of produce exported by 
 the trade, making a bal- 
 ance against the market 
 of $222,500, assuming 
 $700,000 as the actual 
 value of the imports. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Expedition under Geronimo Metorras. — Colonel Arrias. — Murillo and Lapa. — 
 Colonel Ariadne Cornejo. — Don Pablo Soria. — Steamer Pilcomayo. — Lieutenant 
 Powell instructed to enter the Interior of Paraguay. — Want of Game and Fish. 
 — Force of the Current. — Tobas Indians. — Nacurutu. — Palms. — Rio Saco. — De 
 loi Carui. — Visit to the Toldo — Paso da Lurbi. — River ascended one hundred 
 and twenty Miles. — Channel. — Descending a Cascade. — A Hunt with Dr. Car- 
 ter. — Lost. — Signals. — The Howitzer replies. — Safe Return. — Descending the 
 River. — Mr. Hickman. — Letter from Mr. Dana. 
 
 Our next field of operation was the Yermejo River. Even up 
 to the last quarter of the eighteenth century the spirit of enter- 
 prise which distinguished the early Spanish settlers was not dis- 
 sipated; and the navigation of the Vermejo — supposed to offer a 
 communication between the eastern and western borders of the 
 viceregal governments of Peru and La Plata — became a subject 
 of absorbing interest to many of the most intelligent of the Span- 
 ish colonists. 
 
 Senor Don Geronimo Metorras, Governor of Tucuman, which 
 then embraced a large portion of the territory now known as the 
 
244 EARLY EXPLORATIONS OF THE VERMEJO. 
 
 Argentine Confederation, was the last and most successful explor- 
 er by land in that part of the Chaco through which the Yermejo 
 flows. His object was to establish, if possible, a friendly under- 
 standing with the numerous Indians living upon or frequenting 
 its borders, from Salta to Corrientes, and thence, by the Parana, 
 to open a communication between the former town and Buenos 
 Ayres, 
 
 In 1774 he began this exploration, escorted by one hundred 
 and ninety-six Indians, under the command of Don Francisco 
 Gabmo Arrias, a colonel of the army. He followed the right 
 bank of the river for two hundred and forty leagues ; received no 
 annoyance from the savages, but was induced by a council of his 
 escort to abandon the further prosecution of the enterprise when 
 he was, according to his own estimate, within sixty leagues of 
 Corrientes. This success inspired him with confidence in the 
 practicability of forming new reductions, and opening a safe pas- 
 sage through the Chaco from east to west. He died when his 
 hopes were most buoyant. His successor. Colonel Arrias — a man 
 of great force of character, and fully imbued with that spirit of 
 enterprise which had distinguished his predecessor — continued 
 the work, and the following year formed two "reductions" among 
 the Tobas and Macobi tribes; one of these at the "Lake of 
 Pearls," and the other at Cangaye, both in the vicinity of the 
 river. In an incredibly short time several thousand Indians were 
 assembled at those places, under the "banner of the cross and the 
 tuition of the church." 
 
 In 1778 these successes were followed up by two Franciscan 
 friars, Murillo and Lapa, who, in a canoe, and accompanied by 
 only four men, floated down the Vermejo from the junction of the 
 Senta to the new reductions. This exploration was continued in 
 1781 by Colonel Arrias, who, with a large escort, in a number of 
 canoes, descended throughout the remainder of the river to its 
 junction with the Paraguay, and thence to Corrientes. Journals 
 of these expeditions were kept, and transmitted to the Viceroy of 
 Buenos Ayres, who carefully buried them. It was in vain that 
 Arrias urged the opening of this river communication through 
 the Chaco. His entreaties were disregarded; but so impressed 
 was he with its importance, that before his death he enjoined 
 upon his son to carry out the work in which he had so zealously 
 labored. 
 
 These efforts were followed by several others for civilizing, or 
 
EXPEDITIONS OF CORNEJO AND SORIA. 245 
 
 rather subjugating the Indians , but no farthei attempt was made 
 to verify the navigability of the Vermejo until 1790, when Colonel 
 Adriane Cornejo, a citizen of Salta, accompanied by thirty persons, 
 descended in a boat from the junction of the Senta to its mouth, a 
 distance, according to his own estimate, which is probably exag- 
 gerated, of four hundred leagues. The account of this descent, 
 accomplished in fifty-live days, during the months of July and 
 August, is more authentic and detailed than that of any that pre- 
 ceded or followed. The navigation was reported as practicable 
 throughout, and the Indians as having exhibited no hostile spirit. 
 
 No farther attempt was made under the colonial government 
 to open this river. The reductions upon its borders were aban- 
 doned, though, as may be well understood, the civilization of the 
 savages and the addition of their territory to the viceregal gov- 
 ernments were measures freighted with honor and profit to Spain. 
 
 In 1826, and at the season before chosen by Cornejo — July and 
 August — Don Pablo Soria, the agent of an association in Buenos 
 Ayres, set out in a boat fiftj^-two feet long and of two feet draught. 
 He descended the Vermejo in fifty-seven days, from Senta to its 
 junction with the Paraguay, where he. was entrapped by the sol- 
 diers of the opposite guardia. His papers were taken from him, 
 and he was sent a prisoner to Asuncion, where he was detained 
 five years by Francia. His journal, which had been kept with 
 great care, was never returned to him ; and the only record known 
 of it is a narrative and map, drawn from memory, five years later, 
 when the commander, having been liberated, returned to Buenos 
 Ayres. He describes the descent as having been attended with no 
 obstacles or difiiculties except such as arose from the hostilities of 
 the Indians. 
 
 Such had been the expeditions down the Vermejo when we 
 made the attempt to ascend it. The accounts given of them, 
 tliough vague and unsatisfactory as to the peculiar characteristics 
 of the river, agreed somewhat in representing the current as " muy 
 mansd''' (very gentle). Nothing is said as to the means used to 
 test its velocity, and it is easy to understand the origin and con- 
 tinuance of this error. Those parties only floated down, and, 
 dreading or actually pursued by hostile Indians, we can imagine 
 their anxiety to move a little faster. The current was only too 
 sluggish for their impatience. 
 
 So soon as the necessary arrangements could be made, after the 
 arrival of the Water Witch from Montevideo, I went on board the 
 
246 
 
 THE STEAMER PILCOMAYO. 
 
 Pilcomayo, and on the 18tli May, 1854, started for the Vermejo, 
 accompanied by the following officers: Acting Lieutenant G. P. 
 Welsh, Acting Master W. H. Murdaugh, Passed Midshipman E. 
 W. Henry, Assistant Surgeon Kobert Carter, Third Assistant En- 
 gineer Stump, and a crew of eighteen men. 
 
 The boat, built of the cedar of Paraguay, was sixty -five feet in 
 length, fourteen feet beam, twenty-three inches draught, flat bot- 
 tom, depth of hold three feet, deck laid in hatches, sides of deck- 
 house of half-inch cedar boards to the height of five feet, and cov- 
 ered with painted canvas. Upon this deck the officers and men 
 
 8TEAMEB PILOOMATO AND PABAGUAY QITABDIA. 
 
 slept. A table, four feet by two and a half, on movable legs, 
 served on one side as a drawing-board, while on the other we took 
 our meals. The seats, which were boxes fourteen inches square, 
 served as lockers for clothes. Two small high-pressure engines 
 of six-inch cylinders, eighteen inches stroke, with two locomotive 
 boilers, which proved worthless, and wheels of twelve feet diame- 
 ter, constituted the propelling power. Such were our equipments. 
 . Judging from the performance of the little craft, which had 
 been tried several times in the Paraguay off Asuncion, I supposed 
 she could make five knots in slack water, and, anticipating a cur- 
 rent "wM?/ manso^''^ we started upon the work in fine spirts. 
 
 I instructed Lieutenant Powell to visit, in my absence, an in- 
 teresting section of Paraguay, embracing a part of the "Yerbales," 
 to observe the process of gathering the leaves and preparing the 
 
ASCENT OF THE VERMEJO. 247 
 
 yerba, and to note the cultivation and general resources of that 
 quarter of the republic. He was also directed to determine the 
 geographical positions of the principal points in his route ; and, in 
 returning, to re-determine those in the interior, the positions of 
 which, on account of the accident to the instruments during my 
 journey, were unsatisfactory. Extracts from his report will be 
 found in the Appendix. 
 
 The Water Witch remained at Asuncion to undergo extensive 
 repairs to her engine and wheels, notwithstanding those so recently 
 put upon her at Montevideo. 
 
 With four months' rations for twenty-four persons, ten tons of 
 coal, and one and a half cords of wood, we entered the Vermejo, 
 May 22d, 1854. 
 
 Expecting to find the river and adjacent country teeming with 
 animal life, I thought I had made unnecessary provision for food, 
 but I was mistaken. What may be the resources in this respect 
 of the upper and middle sections of the Vermejo I can not say, 
 but up to the point of our ascent — one hundred and twenty -two 
 miles — there was little game, and very few fish. At one place 
 only — the mouth of a small tributary stream, which I afterward 
 named "Acacia Eiver" — we saw a great number offish. 
 
 The scarcity of game is doubtless owing to the hordes of neigh- 
 boring savages, who subsist by the chase. Their skill with the 
 bow and arrow and with the lance is extraordinary, and a vast 
 number of skins of various animals are annually sold by the more 
 civilized of them at Corrientes. 
 
 The mouth of the Yermejo is marked by no striking peculiari- 
 ties. Its banks, are low, and covered with a stunted scattering 
 growlh. After advancing three or four miles, we found, on either 
 side, an older formation, and fine skirts of curupayna, curupay, 
 algarroba, and espinilla; while beyond, inland, was the pampa, 
 with its usual characteristics in this latitude — palms and grass. 
 For a few miles the river maintains a width of from one to three 
 hundred yards, with a depth of from twelve to eighteen feet. 
 Tortuous, turbid, confined within narrow Hmits, we soon discover- 
 ed that the current, so far from being "wwy manso,^^ was even then, 
 at its near approach to low water — and from the appearance of the 
 banks it had little more to fall — not less than three knots ; it would 
 doubtless reach at some places from four to five. At times we 
 found it impossible to stem the current, or avoid being carried 
 down with it, when working with full steam, and a pressure of 
 
248 DIFFICULTIES AND DELAYS. 
 
 one hundred and twenty pounds. To keep out of it was an ob- 
 ject, and when this was impossible we only advanced by the aid 
 of a line made fast to some tree ahead. 
 
 In addition to the usual means for ascertaining its velocity, it 
 was tested on two occasions by selecting suitable ground, meas- 
 uring a base line of four hundred feet, and noting the time in 
 which a chip cast upon the waters would pass from one end of 
 the base to the other. They agreed within a very small fraction, 
 making the current three sea-miles, or from three to four statute 
 miles an hour ; and, judging from the width, uniform depth, and 
 appearance of the river at those two points, I believe the current 
 was there weaker than in many other places. 
 
 Perhaps I have been more minute in dwelling upon this than 
 its importance at first glance would seem to authorize ; but should 
 the Vermejo become, as I believe it very soon will, a channel of 
 communication with the West, upon a proper understanding of 
 its currents will depend the success of the first enterprises for its 
 navigation. 
 
 It would weary the reader to follow us step by step through 
 the thirty-two days of perplexing, toilsome duty in our fruitless 
 attempt to ascend this river in a boat with the power of the Pil- 
 comayo. I will only give some extracts from my journal for the 
 benefit of those who may feel a particular interest in the subject. 
 Each morning we resumed our labors, only to find with the set- 
 ting sun that we had made little or no progress. 
 
 " May 21 ill. Under way at 6 A.M. Soon came to anchor to get 
 up steam; unable with eighty pounds to stem the current. At 
 9-| had made two miles ; saw a few ' patos reales.' Width of river 
 from one to three hundred yards. On either side, grass and^mag- 
 nificent lofty palms. This palm timber is in demand at Corrien- 
 tes, and it could easily be carried down on rafts. Made several 
 inefiectual efforts to round a bend, with eighty pounds of steam. 
 Our little boat went, crab-like, against the banks by the force of 
 the current, and had five arms of the starboard wheel broken ; a 
 vexatious accident, but one against which the utmost precaution 
 will not guard us in such navigation as this. Cut from an algar- 
 roba on the right bank atms for the broken wheel. This wood, 
 which is as easily cut, split, and worked as Southern pine, is very 
 durable, and unequaled, even in its green state, as fuel for steam- 
 ers. In five hours the arms were replaced, and we were again 
 under way. 
 
, SLOW PROGRESS. 249 
 
 " Ancliored at sunset, and determined our position by stars 
 nortli and south, east and west. Our men have thus far failed to 
 catch fish with the seine or line. Shot five pavos del monte — 
 mountain turkeys — a delicious bird. Nothing could be more ac- 
 ceptable, as our breakfast for some days has been hominy and 
 coffee, and our dinner pork and beans, the last a diet of which 
 even sailors tire when forced to live upon it for many days con- 
 secutively. 
 
 "29^/i. Creeping along, we keep as much as possible t)ut of the 
 current. Banks rise abruptly twenty-five feet, presenting strata 
 of argillaceous earth, estuary mud, and reddish clay, with a sur- 
 face soil from one to two feet in depth. Whenever they rise to 
 the same height, the formation is very uniform. Several mounted 
 Indians have presented themselves on the right bank. They 
 manifest a friendly disposition, and say they belong to the Tobas 
 tribe. They are fine-looking men, without paint or covering ex- 
 cept a piece of cloth around the loins, and are armed with bows, 
 arrows, and lances. They subsist by the chase and fishing, and 
 hold some communication with Corrientes, where they dispose of 
 their skins, principally those of the jaguar, deer, and nutria. We 
 gave them tobacco, fish-hooks, and a few trinkets, with which they 
 were pleased. But, much to our astonishment, the steamer seem- 
 ed to awaken among them neither fear nor curiosity. 
 
 " SOth. Made four and a half miles this day, and have been 
 compelled to stop four times to get up sufficient steam to stem the 
 current. We started with one hundred and twenty pounds, and 
 as soon as it worked down to eighty we were obliged to anchor. 
 Weather cloudy, with rain at intervals. 
 
 " Slst. Reached Nacurutu, a small, thickly-wooded island, rising 
 thirty feet above the water. A good channel on either side, the 
 eastern being the deeper. In nine days our efforts to advance 
 have been unflagging, and yet we have made but thirty-five 
 miles. Saw to-day a jaguar on the banks, but he escaped before 
 we were within shooting distance ; also a few motus and pavos del 
 monte. We have made two and a half miles ; this is encourag- 
 ing. I am disappointed in the scarcity of flora, animals, and birds. 
 Anchored for the night near the island in a heavy rain, accom- 
 panied with thunder and lightning." 
 
 During this ascent of the Vermejo it was the habit of the offi- 
 cers at our stoppages to " get up steam" to go on shore in search 
 of specimens. From the aspect of the country one might suppose 
 
250 PALM FORESTS. 
 
 it a tolerable field ; but we met with poor success. "We saw only 
 a limited number of the small partridge, moving always in pairs — 
 the habit also of the larger species, of which there were very few. 
 It is probable that many are annually destroyed by the habit the 
 Indians have of firing the grass, a few months after which the 
 pampas present the appearance of fine wheat-fields in May. 
 
 '''•June 1. Weather misty. Underway at 6 A.M.; at 10 A.M. 
 had stopped three times to get up steam. Channel contracted 
 somewhat by imbedded drift-wood. While at anchor I went 
 ashore, and, passing through the woods that skirted the banks, 
 found myself on the borders of the pampa, with a boundless ex- 
 tension of palms — those ' kings among grasses' — before me." 
 
 It was a vast temple to the Living God, that palm forest, with 
 its long aisles and noble colonnades; its symmetrical columnar 
 trunks rising to the height of more than seventy feet, with their 
 feathery-foliaged capitals. The plain from which they sprung 
 was unbroken by the smallest inequality except the conical 
 structures of the ant, rising some three or four feet in every di- 
 rection above the grass. Though this fair region has a varied 
 zoology, and is the domain of fierce unsubjugated nomads, scarce 
 the buzz of an insect was heard; not a form of animated life 
 crossed my path. Yet the whole aspect of nature was indescrib- 
 ably cheerful. There were pleasant illusions, too, of picturesque 
 villages ; for, as we turned from the palms and followed the 
 course of the river, marked by its wooded belt, in the varying 
 height of branching trees we descried houses, pointed roofs, and 
 miradores, so sharply defined that it was impossible to believe 
 them unreal. What a crowning glory the palm forests offer to 
 the vegetable system of this basin of La Plata ! The varieties seen 
 by us in the last few months would furnish supplies of nourishing 
 farinaceous food, drink, medicine, arms, lodging, and clothing, to 
 a vast population. We have seen them, not in patches, or groves, 
 or park-like groupings, but in vast forests, extending many miles 
 upon the rivers, and inland far beyond the reach of the eye. 
 
 " In this Vermejo pampa, though the palms are extraordinary 
 in size and beauty, the variety in the species is appparently 
 limited; but, owing to varied professional duties, my investiga- 
 tions into all subjects pertaining to natural history are at best 
 superficial; and so teeming is the wealth of unexplored nature in 
 La Plata that each department would furnish a study for years, 
 or for a long life. 
 
PATIENCE AND TO-MORROW. 253 
 
 " The position of the Rio Saco, as given on Descalzi's map, 
 near the Island Nacamtu, is erroneous. There is no trace what- 
 ever of a river at that place. Sixteen miles above there is the 
 dry bed of a very small stream, which, during the seasons of rain, 
 may be a river, or have the appearance of one, for the waters of 
 the Vermejo would back into it. 
 
 " Jwjie 4:th. Had a talk with a group of Indians — ^men, women, 
 and children. In stature and form the women are inferior to the 
 men, and are much disfigured by tattooing, which is their prepara- 
 tion for marriage. Some of the men sported old cloth jackets, 
 picked up probably in their trade with Corrientes, but the women 
 and children were entirely naked except a piece of cloth about 
 the middle. They had a few sheep, which they drive from place 
 to place as they move their toldos. 
 
 " 10 A.M. Anchored, with forty -five pounds of steam, unable 
 to stem the current ; though not exposed to its strength, we had 
 worked down from one hundred and twenty pounds. Again un- 
 der way at 11 5 A.M., with one hundred and twenty pounds of 
 steam. Worked down to forty-five; throttle closed as much as 
 possible. • At 1 50, under way ; in twenty minutes at anchor for 
 want of steam. How can headway be made at this rate ? Re- 
 mained at anchor one hour and a half; moved twenty minutes, 
 making each time from two to four hundred yards, and now and 
 then dashing into the bank, when off would fly from two to four 
 arms of the wheels. Hoping for better, times, we will not give it 
 up yet. ' Paciencia y raananaJ^ 
 
 " June 6th. Stopped to communicate with a number of Tobas 
 Indians, who appeared on the banks, mounted on fine horses." 
 The cacique " de Soi Carui" seemed to be regarded with profound 
 respect by the whole party. He was dressed in a blue jacket, 
 scarlet trowsers, and red conical cloth cap, measuring about 
 eighteen inches in height, and having on its front a brass plate, 
 with the motto of Rosas, " Murien los salvages Unitarios r (Death 
 to the savage Unitarians !) I sent a boat for him, and with a few 
 attendants he came on board. " The Tobas live in toldos, which 
 they move at pleasure ; for they possess neither cattle nor sheep, 
 and subsist by the chase and fishing. They mentioned a tribe of 
 Indians some distance west, rarely seen by the white man, who 
 have the hair and color of the negro."f 
 
 * " Patience and to-morrow !" — the Spanish cure for all ills of disappointment. 
 + At Asuncion I was informed that there existed in the northeastern part of 
 Paraguay a tribe of caudated savages. 
 
254 INDIANS. 
 
 "While wooding, I pulled ahead a short distance in the boat. 
 The river is very tortuous, and seems to have undergone great 
 changes. At one place it had formerly coursed in a semicircle, 
 cutting into the left bank, while a point of land from the opposite 
 side projected a considerable distance into this semicircular bend, 
 at right angles to the course of the stream above. The action 
 of the current had severed this neck from the main land, and, 
 leaving the curve for the more direct course, had formed shoals 
 at each end, which, with accumulated deposits, had in time joined 
 the island to the opposite main land, and made one unbroken 
 bank, leaving in the abandoned bed of the river a crescent-shaped 
 lake of clear water.* 
 
 I landed near two Indians, who were fishing. They manifest- 
 ed no alarm, and gave me some nutria skins, which they called 
 chiquisi. I offered them in return a few cigars, the only thing I 
 had with me. The formation of the banks and the face of the 
 country are unvarying, so far. From time to time bodies of 
 mounted Indians, or small groups engaged in fishing, are seen. 
 
 The zoology of this'pampa differs very little from that of the 
 shores of the Paraguay. We have seen the jaguar, capibara, 
 deer, nutria, and in a few instances the tracks of the tapir. The 
 noise of our high-pressure engine may have driven some animals 
 into the interior, but I think the scarcity may be ascribed to the 
 skill and activity of the Indian hunters, and the trafiic in skins 
 carried on with Corrientes. The algarroba and espinilla are 
 abundant upon the banks, but the flora — principally creepers — 
 offers no new species. 
 
 " l^th. Another party of mounted Indians were seen on the 
 right bank. They resemble physically those before seen, and are 
 indeed of the same tribe. Eeceived an invitation to visit their 
 toldo, distant some miles from the river. Three officers and five 
 men accompanied me, and after a tramp through the long grass 
 we reached their habitations, a collection of hide and grass sheds, 
 closed only upon the south side. In this toldo were five men, 
 as many women, and ten children. The women were prepar- 
 ing the seed of the caraguatay, an important item of food with 
 them. It resembles parched corn, and is not a bad substitute 
 when roasted. They gave us fruit of the algarroba and guayca- 
 
 * Lyell's description of the curves of the Mississippi — "Principles of Geology," 
 p. 212 — could not illustrate more truly the above and similar changes in the Ver- 
 mejo had it been designed for them. ^ 
 
INDIAN MANUFACTURES. 255 
 
 rurembaj^u, as it is called in Guarami, but these savages call it 
 loquerai. They reduce the first to a fibrous powder, and find it 
 so nutritious that it will alone sustain them on a march of many 
 days. Mixed with the meal of parched corn it makes an excel- 
 lent article of food, which is much used in the province of Santia- 
 go. These Indians had a few sheep and chickens ; but they pre- 
 fer horse-flesh to beef, and mules to either. A quantity of the 
 former, cut in long thin slips, was hung up to dry. We gave 
 them hatchets, knives, and a few yards of cotton cloth, in ex- 
 change for two sheep and some chickens. The former, in size 
 and quality, were fully equal to any I had seen in Buenos Ayres 
 or Entre Eios. 
 
 " All the women wore about the middle a piece of woolen cloth, 
 blue, white, and red. The yarn is spun with the distaff, and very 
 well done. It is woven by fastening the warp at each end to a 
 stick, and confining it horizontally by four others driven into the 
 ground. The woof is passed between the threads by a shuttle of 
 the rudest contrivance, and driven into its place by the blows of a 
 flat board. Such is their primitive mode of making what appear- 
 ed a coarse but durable article. The colors were particularly 
 bright. 
 
 " One mile above this the banks rise twenty-five feet, showing 
 a deep stratum of ferruginous clay, and a sandy loam. 
 
 "A nest, built eight feet below the surface, and exposed by the 
 caving in of the bank, gave us a curious evidence of the instinct 
 and intelligence of the bee. A little beyond this I saw a vein of 
 small fresh-water fossil shells, Planorbis, in a stratum of sandy 
 mould, and on the opposite bank, imbedded horizontally, and 
 projecting fifteen feet, was the trunk of a large tree twenty inches 
 in diameter, hollow, and much worn on the outer side, leaving a 
 shell five inches thick. It lay about twenty feet from the sur- 
 face, and seventeen above the level of the river, in a stratum of 
 sandy clay. It was so hard that for some time it resisted the axe. 
 Again saw three other imbedded trees ; the first lying horizon- 
 tally in dark argillaceous earth, five feet from the surface; the 
 second standing vertically; and the third twenty feet under 
 ground, lying horizontally, the roots projecting from the banks. 
 
 " 19th. Came to a pass, a narrow rocky reef, tosca^ extending 
 across the river, having on it a depth of three feet, with deep wa- 
 ter immediately above and below. 
 
 "This, I presume, is the 'Paso da Lurbi' of'Descalzi's map. 
 
256 INDIAN FISHERY. 
 
 for it approaches more nearly to his description of it than any 
 thing I have seen, although it does not correspond in position, 
 which is, according to our determination, in latitude 26° 12' south, 
 longitude 59° 38' west; variation 10° 52' east. Many physical 
 changes have doubtless taken place since Soria's descent of the 
 Vermejo in 1826. 
 
 " 23d. While wooding the vessel I pulled ahead and saw two 
 Indians fishing ; they were alarmed, and moved off when they saw 
 us ; but I reassured them by calling out ' Amigo P They stopped, 
 and as we approached one of them said piteously, ' Mi amigo^ mi 
 Tnalo.""^ I administered a few cigars, which had an instantaneous 
 and salutary effect upon the frame and nerves of the poor savage, 
 who, in return, insisted upon my acceptance of two large cat-fish. 
 In their trade with Corrientes some have picked up a few words 
 of Spanish, and ' amigd would probably be found, on all occa- 
 sions, a safe pass- word with them. 
 
 " They exhibit both skill and ingenuity in their modes of fish- 
 ing. A wattling breakwater is extended from the shore for about 
 six feet, at a right angle to the current, forming a small space of 
 slack water below it. Here the fish resort to avoid the current, 
 and are caught by the well-baited hooks of the Indians. Again, 
 they shoot them with the bow and arrow, and generally with un- 
 erring aim. 
 
 " May 24:th. Latitude 26° 10' 09" south, longitude 59° 39' 08" 
 west. We have ascended the river by its course one hundred and 
 twenty -two geographical miles; the aggregate distance, by the 
 various points of observation, of which there were nine, being 
 eightjr -three, and in a right line seventy-six. Having persevered 
 for thirty-two days, at an average of less than four miles per day, 
 and not made more than one tenth of the distance I anticipated 
 in this time, I have determined to return, make some changes in 
 the boat, and additions to the steam space of the boilers ; their 
 defects being the cause of all this toil and disappointment. The 
 failure of the attempt, and the experience gained, only give me 
 confidence in the practicability of ascending this river with a 
 steamer of suitable construction and ordinary power. 
 
 " Though there may be sections of the Vermejo where the wa- 
 ters on either side expand into lagoons, wherever confined by 
 high banks, the current is rapid, and those expecting to navigate 
 this river must not be deceived by the ' 77iiiy mansd' of Spanish 
 
 * I am a friend, I am sick ! 
 
THE VERMEJO. 257 
 
 Americans, an expression they use lightly on all occasions. Our 
 dear-bought experience in thirty days' work is sufficient proof of 
 the difficulties of the navigation. Nor is it probable that they 
 decrease in advancing; for it can flow through no country pre- 
 senting a more unbroken level than this. 
 
 " Our examination shows a current from 3 to 8f sea miles the 
 hour, or from 8^ to 4^ statute miles, and at some points an in- 
 crease upon this : a force to meet which the defective machinery 
 of our little boat is not equal. 
 
 "We have advanced some distance above the ' passes' (the ' Paso 
 de Lurbi' and ' Salta de Iso') mentioned by Soria, as offering the 
 principal and only obstacles to the navigation at low water. The 
 river has ceased falling, and I can discover no trace of the latter 
 point, and but a faint correspondence with his description of the 
 Paso de Lurbi, which may be accounted for by the great physical 
 changes constantly going on." 
 
 The least depth in the channel was three feet; and the esti- 
 mated rise, judging from unmistakable marks on banks and 
 trees, was ten. The season of least water is July and August, 
 which continues until the rains of November in the region of its 
 source and those of its tributaries. I have before mentioned that it 
 was impossible to obtain any data relative to the Yermejo, therefore 
 its periodical changes beyond what I actually observed are un- 
 known to me ; and to repeat what has been given at various times 
 as positive and reliable information would mislead others as it did 
 me. The physical changes to which I have alluded, as occurring 
 within a few years in the Parana, will explain those of the Ver- 
 mejo in a quarter of a century. The simple fact of its having wa- 
 ter at all seasons for vessels of two and a half feet draus^ht, must 
 set at rest any anxiety about its rise and fall, inasmuch as few 
 would care to navigate it with a greater draught were its depth 
 twenty feet throughout. The advantage gained at high water 
 would be a slight increased width of the channel, which would, 
 however, be counteracted by the increased velocity of current ; at 
 other seasons obstructions, such as trees fallen or imbedded in the 
 bottom, would be exposed to view. 
 
 We made our mark at the point of return by felling a noble 
 algarroba, measuring three feet through the stump, from which 
 the little Pilcomayo was loaded with fuel to her utmost capacity, 
 leaving a good supply for the next party of explorers, and hoping 
 it would be our own. 
 
 17 
 
258 DESCENT OF THE VERMEJO. 
 
 On the 25tli we commenced the descent, and four miles below 
 anchored to examine a small tributary stream from the left, to 
 which I have before alluded. Accompanied by some of the offi- 
 cers, I followed the bank on foot, while Lieutenant Henry, with 
 two men in the dingie, entered its mouth. The current was there 
 strong, and a hundred yards beyond, a fall of about three feet pre- 
 sented itself, with rapids extending a hundred yards — a foot for 
 every ten. One of the boys in the boat, hearing the noise, turned 
 to Mr. Henry, and said laughingly, " That looks, sir, as if it would 
 stop us." "It will take more than that to stoj? us," replied the 
 officer, and over the stern he sprang, in mud and water to the 
 waist. The men followed his example, and, by great exertion, they 
 drew the boat up the little cascade and through the rapids into 
 the comparatively still water beyond. Mr. Henry again took the 
 tiller, the boys the oars, and they continued the ascent for a mile 
 or two. The sluggish current above the rapids, and the general 
 appearance of this stream induced the belief that it had its source 
 in some neighboring lagoon; that it was, in fact, the river de- 
 scribed by Cornejo as flowing from a lake five miles from the Ver- 
 mejo. The water was limpid and sweet. 
 
 We determined to return in the boat, thinking the pleasurable 
 sensation of gliding down the cascade would be worth a capsize. 
 On both banks were large acacia trees in full blossom, their 
 branches in many places meeting and forming a bower over the 
 water. The whole atmosphere was filled with their delicious 
 perfume. It was, in truth, a scene of rich beauty. Gliding be- 
 yond this lovely avenue, with Mr. Henry, oar in hand, in the 
 stern, and one of the boys in the bow, we dashed into the rapids. 
 The little craft went like a shot, "straight on end," and in an in- 
 stant we were pitching at an angle of forty -five degrees down the 
 cascade. The boat seemed to be turning "end for end." Her 
 bows went under, but in another moment she glided gracefully 
 into the current beyond, and we quickly passed into the Vermejo, 
 through numberless fish, among which were the golden dorado, 
 leaping and dashing about as if defying the skill of our men, who 
 were in vain trying to bait a mess. They were dainty, sensible 
 dorados, wisely preferring the delicate provision brought down 
 from Acacia Eiver, as I shall call this stream, to the " salt grub" 
 of the Pilcomayo. After some hours of angling, a few cat-fish 
 alone rewarded our patience by taking to the pork baits. 
 
 The next day we made little progress, A short time after get- 
 
LOST ON THE PAMPA. 259 
 
 ting under way, the boat became unmanageable and was carried 
 by the force of the current against a snag, from which she was 
 with difficulty extricated. After getting off, it was too late to 
 fire up, and I determined to pass the hour before sunset on shore 
 with my gun. 
 
 Dr. Carter and myself started off, marking the point of our de- 
 parture from the bank opposite the -boat by what we considered 
 easily recognizable objects ; but in the sameness of the woods 
 skirting the river, not found again so readily as one might sup- 
 pose. After walking some distance, occasionally turning to mark 
 the starting-point — a clump of lofty trees — our attention was at- 
 tracted by a vast number of birds very like plover, and apparent- 
 ly confining their movements to a low marshy piece of ground 
 some distance before us. We forgot starting-point and courses 
 in the pleasurable excitement offered by this shooting-ground. 
 It was a wild-goose chase. The birds, like the fish of Acacia 
 Kiver, were too wary for us. At last we looked back for the 
 clump of trees. It was undistinguishable, and there was not the 
 smallest object to indicate our position or that of the boat. By 
 our own estimate we were one or two miles from the river, with 
 grass two feet high to tramp through, the shades of night upon 
 us, and the comforting thought of savages and wild beasts for 
 neighbors. 
 
 When we reached the Yermejo it was night, and no Pilcomayo 
 was in sight. We hailed. The sound ran along the river, and 
 Echo answered from the opposite bank. A second time we 
 shouted, with the same response. The doctor and myself differed 
 in opinion as to the position of the boat. Now following the bank 
 for about half a mile, pitching occasionally over ant-hills three 
 or four feet in height, with which the pampa was covered, we 
 arrived at what the doctor had considered the point of our depart- 
 ure, but no Pilcomayo was there. We shouted and fired our guns. 
 Again that provoking Echo responded. Jaguars and Indians 
 were the only enemies we feared, but they were formidable ones, 
 and might be lurking in the luxuriant grass ; and it was ques- 
 tionable whether the report of our guns would invite or deter the 
 approach of these inhabitants of the Chaco. I must confess that 
 the prospect of being, within the next hour, the supper of one or 
 prisoner of the other was by no means a comforting reflection. 
 The doctor proposed that we should spend the night among the 
 branches of the algarroba ; but not caring to be treed like a coon, 
 
260 RETURN TO ASUNCION. 
 
 I preferred a running figbt, and kept to tlie banks. We retraced 
 our steps, passed " my point," meeting with no incident more 
 alarming or noteworthy than an occasional tumble over the ant- 
 hills. Again we fired. Hark ! the one "howitzer of the little 
 steamer replied, fainter and more distant than we could have im- 
 agined possible, but it was cheering. The doctor thought his 
 eyesight better than mine, ^nd proposed to lead, while I was to 
 keep him in line by a star I had taken as the direction of the re- 
 port. The pilot proved an indifferent one, for he suddenly disap- 
 peared, and a pair of heels above the sea of grass showed that he 
 had pitched over an ant-hill. I again became the guide, and an- 
 other gun from the boat assured me that we were in the right di- 
 rection. We came to a bend in the river. The bank was high, 
 and densely covered with lofty trees. Turning it, we saw the 
 light of the Pilcomayo, and hailed her. 
 
 Officers and crew were anxious for our safety, and a detach- 
 ment was about starting off in search. They had burned blue 
 lights and fired small-arms repeatedly ; but the height of the 
 banks and the skirting of wood had hidden the first and deadened 
 the sound. We had a hearty laugh over our adventures, and 
 joked the doctor unmercifully for his " tree proposition." He 
 had been a great coon hunter down in Old Yirgkiia, had a vivid 
 recollection of the difficulties of the siege, and thought that from 
 such a leafy fort as an algarroba a garrison of two men might bid 
 defiance to the jaguar and Indian of the Chaco. 
 
 At an early hour the next morning we were moving down 
 stream, and in the afternoon of the following day again entered 
 the Paraguay. In twenty and a half working hours we had de- 
 scended the distance it had taken thirty-two days to ascend, and, 
 stopping only at three points to wood, we arrived on the 5th of 
 July at Asuncion. 
 
 I had not been unmindful of the 4th. One bottle of cheer had 
 been kept for the occasion. It was passed round, and "Jack," 
 with patriotic promptitude, responded to the call of " All hands 
 splice the main brace." 
 
 We made the run from the mouth of the Vermejo to Asuncion 
 in ninety-one running hours against a current, ascertained to be 
 from two to two and a half sea miles an hour. In both rivers we 
 had kept out of the currents as much as possible, but working by 
 night the boat was doubtless contending with that of the Para- 
 guay the greater part of the time. This was conclusive evidence 
 
MR. HICKMAN'S EXPEDITION. 261 
 
 that the Pilcomayo, bad as she was, had made from four to four 
 and a half sea miles an hour ; and yet in the Vermejo we could 
 make no headway with the greatest pressure of steam. I may 
 then justly conclude that those who navigate it must encoun- 
 ter a current of four sea miles an hour in those parts confined be- 
 tween banks, and this, too, at low water. 
 
 About the time of our ascent of that river, some American and 
 English merchants of Buenos Ayres entered into a commercial 
 enterprise. They intrusted the execution of some preliminary ar- 
 rangements to Mr. Hickman, a citizen of the United States, par- 
 ticularly enthusiastic and energetic in all transactions relating to 
 trade. Their object was to open intercourse with the northwestern 
 provinces of the Argentine States and Bolivia by the navigation 
 of the Vermejo. Accompanied by four men Mr. Hickman set out 
 by land, hoping to meet us at the town of Oran, and expecting 
 from my party facilities and aids which would certainly have been 
 rendered. 
 
 His purpose was to inform hiniself of the resources of the coun- 
 try accessible by this river ; to construct a small boat, load it with 
 samples of such articles as might enter into immediate trade, float 
 down the river to Corrientes, and thence descend to Buenos Ayres. 
 He reached Oram, built his boat eighty feet in length, sixteen feet 
 beam, and five feet depth ; loaded her with hides, wool, chinchilla 
 skins, specimens of copper and lead ores, and left Oran on the 12th 
 of March, 1855. The current dashed the boat against the bank 
 near the point called Lima Muerta, about twenty -five leagues be- 
 low, where he was detained until the 4th of April to repair damages. 
 He^ died on the 6th of May, and was buried near the old " reduc- 
 tion" of San Bernard. The boat arrived safely at Corrientes on 
 the 2'ith of the same month. According to a journal kept on 
 board, she was under way two hundred and fifty hours, and float- 
 ed a distance of three hundred and fifty leagues. This would 
 make the current four miles an hour. The most intelligent men 
 of this party were of the opinion that steamers of three feet draught 
 could ascend within twenty miles of Oran at any season of the 
 year. Having to cut lumber from the woods, they were ten 
 months engaged in the construction of this boat and in prepara- 
 tions for leaving Oran. 
 
 By Mr. Hickman's death the projectors of the enterprise proba- 
 bly lost much valuable information that would have hastened the 
 development of trade in that direction. But the time is only post- 
 
262 ME. DANA'S DISPATCH. 
 
 poned when steamers will enter Corrientes, Rosario, and Buenos 
 Ajres, freighted with the products of the North and West, a ton 
 for every ounce that now finds its way into those markets for for- 
 eign shipment. To effect this, however, one thing is essential : 
 the free and uninterrupted navigation of the river ; that is, free- 
 dom from obstacles and annoyances arising from the territorial 
 differences of neighboring nations. As to the Indians, they may 
 become valuable aids in opening this new avenue of trade. 
 
 To show the resources of the country accessible by the Verme- 
 jo, and the immediate trade it offers, I quote from an interesting 
 dispatch of Mr. J. W. Dana, our minister to Bolivia, addressed to 
 the State Department. 
 
 " The whole region of country in the vicinity of the Vermejo, both in Bo- 
 livia and the Argentine States, including the cities above named (Oran, Ju- 
 juy, and Salta), abounds in horses, cattle, and sheep, and produces cotton, 
 sugar-cane, tobacco, rice, cocoa ; and at points a little more distant the al- 
 paca is found in great numbers. The Rio Grande, a branch of the Verme- 
 jo, which enters it a little below Oran, is navigable to a point forty leagues 
 distant from each of the cities Jujuy and Salta 
 
 " Estimates by the leading merchants in various parts of the country, 
 which I have heretofore obtained, compared, and corrected, one by another, 
 indicate the sum of $5,000,000 as an approximation to 4\ie amount of im- 
 ports. These may be reclassed as follows : Ii"on and steel, all that is used 
 in the country for mining and other purposes ; large quantities of brandy, 
 wine, and ale ; all the table-service, cutlery, etc. ; nearly all the good fur- 
 niture, pianos, for which there is a very great demand ; carpetings and pa- 
 per-hangings ; jewelry, watches, etc. ; a large quantity of our coarse brown 
 and blue cotton for outer clothing in warm climates ; a large quantity of 
 thick heavy baize, from England, which is universally used for the Indians 
 and lower classes in the high cold regions ; silks, broad-cloths, and all the 
 various materials for male and female dress used in Europe and the United 
 States. Hats, boots, and shoes are imported to some extent, but they are 
 manufactured here, though badly, and at very high prices. In fact, all the 
 necessaries and luxuries of a civilized society are brought from abroad, ex- 
 cept the productions of the soil 
 
 " The exports of the country, a series of years considered, must of course 
 be regarded as at least equal to the imports. These consist of copper, tin, 
 silver coined, gold coined, cascarilla and Peruvian bark ; to which may be 
 added a small quantity of wool. Copper mines are abundant throughout 
 Bolivia, including the region that would conveniently centre at Sucre ; but, 
 on account of the great cost of transportation, none are worked except those 
 nearest the coast. They are so productive, however, that it is a very prof- 
 
FARTHER EXPLORATIONS. 263 
 
 itable business when the transportation does not exceed seventy-five 
 leagues. The same cause, distance and transportation, operates upon the 
 mines of tin. When tin is high, they are worked to a considerable extent ; 
 when it is low, the works are in a great measm-e suspended. Those which 
 are now worked are chiefly situated in the vicinity of Oran, between that 
 and Sucre. The most productive silver mines are also in the region of 
 Sucre, or properly of Potosi. One establishment near there produced 
 $360,000 in the year 1856. But the cost of machinery, brought from 
 abroad over the Andes on mules, is so immense that most of the mines are 
 worked in the most primitive manner ; and, consequently, only those which 
 are very rich afford a remunerative business. As an illustration I will 
 state that a company that has recently introduced European machinery is 
 now working over a second time the substance from which the silver had 
 been previously extracted, and doing so at great profit. If facilities were 
 afforded for the introduction of miproved machinery, I have no doubt that 
 it would immensely increase the production." 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Visit to the President. — Boat-cruise up the Riachuelo. — Victoria Regia or Mais 
 del Agua. — Orange Groves. — The Plow. — Posta Contaro. — San Cosmi. — Ytati. 
 — Hacienda Yrisbugua. — Race with an Ostrich. — Breaking a Horse. — Troubles 
 at Asuncion. — Visit to the President. — Consultation with Mr. Hopkins. — Return 
 to the Government-house. — Last Interview with his Excellency. — The Permit. 
 — Correspondence with Mr. Falcon. — Council at Head-quarters. — Americans on 
 board, descending the River. — The Navy heaves in Sight. — Passing the Admir- 
 al. — The President's Indignation and the Seminario. — The Treaty. — Mr. Fal- 
 con's extraordinary Letter. — False Charges in the President's Message. — The 
 French Colony. — The Brazilian Squadron. — Outrage committed upon the Water 
 Witch. — What our Policy with South American States should be. 
 
 I NOW remained at Asuncion merely to make all necessary ar- 
 rangements for the alterations of the Pilcomayo, and to bring up 
 a fair copy of parts of the v^ork of the expedition, to be sent to 
 the Navy Department. The latter duty was assigned to Lieuten- 
 ants Murdaugh and Henry, and the former to Engineers Stump 
 and Taylor, who furnished a plan for the proposed changes. 
 Lieutenant Welsh had been suffering from a severe attack of 
 neuralgia, aggravated by exposure in the Vermejo; and his gen- 
 eral health was so much impaired that I felt reluctantly obliged 
 to dispense with his services, and gave him ordeTs to return 
 home. I then determined to proceed to Corrientes, with the view 
 of examining the northern and western parts of the province, and 
 
264 VISIT TO THE PKESIDENT. 
 
 to obtain the aid of a macliiiiist for some repairs needed by tlie 
 Water Witch. 
 
 I was going to a state for which the President of Paraguay had 
 no friendly feelings ; but in nry visit of leave the manner of his 
 Excellency was not only civil, but actually approached to cordial- 
 ity. He desired me to call upon the government, without reserve, 
 for any aid needed in the reconstruction of the small steamer, and 
 to remember that my requests would always meet with a favor- 
 able reception. So entirely did he relax from his usual reserve 
 on this occasion, that he accompanied me to the door, and taking 
 my hand, expressed himself kindly for my success and speedy 
 return. 
 
 Arriving at Corrientes, I called on Governor Pujol, who met 
 frankly my request to visit the interior of the pro^dnce, and said 
 he would have orders issued from the postal department to afford 
 every assistance. In the Argentine States, as in Paraguay, postas 
 (post-houses) are established at distances of one, two, or three 
 leagues throughout the country, and a sufficient number of extra 
 horses are kept at them to meet any emergency that may occur. 
 The traveler will always find his movements expedited by adding 
 a few pennies to the usual charge per league ; for the master of 
 the post has generally some good animals, his private property, 
 while those of the government are often so much broken down 
 that I was compelled, at times, to turn my horse upon the road, 
 and procure another from the nearest house. 
 
 Wishing to see the country adjacent to the river during the 
 rainy season, and with the hope of adding something new to our 
 collections, I determined to make a little boat-cruise up the Eia- 
 chuelo, a small stream that rises in the interior and empties into the 
 Parana nine miles below Corrientes. I was fortunate in obtain- 
 ing some rare birds, and in seeing — what alone would have repaid 
 for a longer journey — the " queen of the nymphasaceee" upon its 
 native waters. Extensive shallow lagoons, pure and limpid, were 
 gemmed with islands of the "Victoria Eegia," or "mais del agua" 
 (corn of the water), as it is called in the country ; for it is not 
 only the queen of the floral tribes, but ministers to the necessities 
 of man. Its seeds, which are about the size of large buck-shot, 
 consist of a thin shell inclosing a white mealy substance. They 
 are gathered by the Corrientinos and pounded into meal, from 
 which they make excellent and nutritious bread. I procured a 
 quantity, and sent them carefully sealed to the Navy Department. 
 
THE VICTOKIA REGIA. 265 
 
 I did not perhaps see the "regia" in all its glory, for the season 
 of full flower, May and June, had passed ; but it was still budding 
 and blooming in sufficient perfection to delight the eye. A plant, 
 with some of its native soil and water, was placed in a cask, but 
 with all my care it died. What infinite study is found in its 
 leaves — those great pages of Nature's book ! I never wearied in 
 examining their mechanism. Here, spreading over the lagoons, 
 they looked as if they would bear the weight of men, and were 
 covered at all times after dawn with myriads of water-fowl, glean- 
 ing the "corn," unless anticipated by the natives. The descrip- 
 tion given of this plant by Mr. Schomburgk, its discoverer, while 
 exploring the river Berbice in 1837, renders unnecessary any de- 
 scription from me of the " mais del agua" of the Riachuelo of Cor- 
 rientes. The regia of the former is of superior size to that of the 
 latter place.* 
 
 I frequently left the boat and walked over the neighboring 
 country. The soil is a rich dark loam, covered with fine grass. 
 The sod had in many places perhaps never been turned, but where 
 attempts at cultivation had been made, the product of corn and 
 tobacco was excellent. 
 
 The orange-groves were generally neglected. I must except, 
 however, a superb orchard of six thousand trees, one half of 
 which, too young for bearing, were growing vigorously, while 
 three thousand were bending under the weight of their golden 
 fruit, and yielded an income, I was told, of $2500 per annum. 
 These oranges are inferior to those of Paraguay. Indeed, those 
 grown on the Parana, east of the capital, are not so fine as the 
 fruit of the opposite shores. 
 
 * Schomburgk says : " The leaf, on its surface, is of a bright green, in form 
 orbiculate, with this exception, opposite its axis, where it is slightly bent in : its 
 diameter measured from five to six feet : around the margin extended a rim about 
 three to five inches high: on the inside light green, like the surface of the leaf; 
 on the outside, like the leaf's lower part, of a bright crimson.' The stem of the 
 flower is an inch thick near the calyx, and is studded with sharp elastic prickles 
 
 about three quarters of an inch in length The diameter of the calyx is 
 
 twelve or thirteen inches : on it rests the magnificent flower, which, when fully 
 developed, covers completely the calyx with its hundred petals. When it first 
 opens, it is white, with pink in the middle, which spreads over the whole flower 
 the more it advances in age, and it is generally found the next day of a pink color ; 
 as if to enhance its beauty, it is sweet-scented ; and, like others of its tribe, it pos- 
 sesses a fleshy disk, and petals and stamens pass gradually into each other, and 
 many petaloid leaves may be observed which have vestiges of an anther." 
 
 1 The color of those I saw waa very much the same on both sides, a light green ; and the size four 
 feet in diameter. 
 
266 A. FRENCH AGRICULTURIST. 
 
 Civil wars liave so desolated this part of the province and so 
 diminished the cattle that now the orange-groves form the princi- 
 pal source of income to landed proprietors. They require little 
 attention, and a ready sale is afforded by the fruit- vessels that ply 
 up and down the river. As the best estancias are generally 
 owned by wealthy individuals residing at the capital, their only 
 buildings are the rude dwellings of the capitazes or herdsmen. 
 At these or in some abandoned hut we generally slept, spending 
 the days in seeking ornithological or botanical specimens, and 
 taking our meals wherever chance found us. 
 
 In our wanderings we came to the land of an industrious French 
 immigrant, who, with a large family, had established himself on 
 the Parana. He was breaking up his ground with a modem 
 plow after the most approved system ; and, from the appearance 
 of the rich, dark soil, his labors were probably well remunerated 
 by the return crops. From this farm we passed to that of a na- 
 tive, who was standing lazily looking on, while a boy with a fine 
 yoke of oxen and a wooden plow, probably such as was used in 
 the days of the Conquest, was scratching the surface of a piece of 
 ground about fifty yards square. 
 
 "Did you see my neighbor plowing?" asked the Corrientino. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 He broke into a long, loud laugh. "What a plow! Ha! ha! 
 na ! that fool of a Frenchman ! He's crazy, sir ! Why, sir, he is 
 opening the ground as wide as the streets of the capital !" 
 
 The Frenchman's crops will, I presume, prove an unanswerable 
 argument upon the merits of the two plows, and turn the laugh 
 against his neighbor. 
 
 The Riachuelo did not extend far into the interior ; but in fol- 
 lowing its course I was enabled to see a part of the province south 
 of the capital, much better adapted to agriculture than that bor- 
 dering the Parana, east of it. Population is alone wanting here, as 
 in all parts of the Confederation. What homes these expanded 
 plains and the delicious climate offer to immigrants! What a 
 percentage on labor and capital might be drawn from these fertile 
 wastes ! 
 
 We returned to Corrientes ; and with our saddle-bags (alforjas) 
 packed with tea, sugar, bread, and a little cana, recommended as 
 " cooling in summer and warming in winter," were soon equip- 
 ped for a longer journey in the interior. 
 
 Upon a fine September morning, the doctor and myself, mount- 
 
SAN COSMI.— YTATI. 267 
 
 ing our rather sorry horses, started eastward, seeking science and 
 adventure. Our first stopping - place was Posta Contaro, about 
 twenty miles from the capital, where we were kindly welcomed, 
 refreshed with supper of " asado" and mandioca, and, after cigars, 
 made quite members of the family by having our hammocks 
 slung up in the same room with the master of the post, his wife, 
 three other women, and five children ; one of these an infant, who 
 entertained us during the night with solos and snatches of song 
 that indicated good lungs. These poor people did their best to 
 accommodate us, for this little adobe house had but one room, 
 with a couple of benches, two chairs, and a rickety table for its 
 fui'niture. Surrounding it was an iuclosure with a few rows of 
 corn, mandioca, and tobacco. 
 
 The following day we reached San Cosmi, and, by the activity 
 of the Juiz de Paz, were assigned an empty room, which was 
 transformed into a cheery, comfortable apartment by the thought- 
 fnl kindness of a lady, Seiiora Casales, to whom we had letters of 
 introduction. Two cots, tables, and chairs soon made their ap- 
 pearance, followed by what we could not have expected, meals at 
 stated hours. These consisted of beef, bread, chickens, eggs, and, 
 what was really a luxury, snowy table-linen with plates, knives 
 and forks, all temptingly clean. The hospitality of this place was 
 repeated wherever we traveled in the Argentine States, and nev- 
 er hmited but by the means of our entertainers. San Cosmi has 
 about four hundred inhabitants, with a plaza, around which stand 
 the church and the best dwellings. The latter are generally adobe 
 houses of one story, either tiled or thatched. From a hedge in 
 this neighborhood I procured the silk of a small black spider, 
 long, exquisitely fine, and yet so strong that, as I wound it upon 
 a card, the branches of the hedge would bend without breaking 
 the web. 
 
 Our next ride was to Ytati, a village of several hundred inhab- 
 itants, twenty miles from San Cosmi, and in the immediate vicin- 
 age of the Parana, of which it commands an extended view. We 
 went first to the house of the Juiz de Paz, whose pretty young 
 wife received us with all the tact and ease innate to the women 
 of that country, however humble their position. She chatted 
 without embarrassment, and, probably discovering from our hun- 
 gry faces that we had fasted for twelve hours, soon busied herself 
 earnestly in preparing a supper which, to my surprise, comprised 
 not only beef, chickens, and honey, but cow's milk and tea. The 
 
268 THE HACIENDA YRISBUQUA. 
 
 last was a delicate attention that we appreciated. A native of tlie 
 capital, the senora had perhaps" there learned that this was the fa- 
 vorite evening beverage of foreigners. The plaza and its adobe 
 houses were, in this place, overshadowed by an old Jesuitic church, 
 then dilapidated, but which was about to undergo repairs that will 
 make it one of the finest buildings of the province. 
 
 The appearance of the country thus far — forty miles east of the 
 city of Corrientes — was singular but picturesque, and needs but 
 dwellings and culture to make it extremely beautiful. It was not 
 low or level, but broken by verdant lomas (hillocks) and gentle 
 undulations, intersected by lakes, some insulated, others connected 
 by miniature straits. These lakes were covered with myriads of 
 water-fowl, and, as we looked back upon them from some ridge 
 of land, their waters sparkled in the §unlight, and the birds sport- 
 ed as if alive to the beauty and security of haunts rarely or never 
 invaded by man. 
 
 Civil wars have desolated this land. Hedges alone marked the 
 inclosures where once stood the buildings of a now abandoned 
 estancia. The soil was rich and light; the corn and tobacco in 
 quality quite equal to the best of Paraguay; and the yield, in 
 proportion to the extent of ground cultivated, is the best evidence 
 of adaptation for such produce. I thought the pastures of the lo- 
 mas better adapted to the rearing of sheep than of horned cattle. 
 
 A visit to the Hacienda Yrisbuqua, about twenty miles from 
 Ytati, enabled me to see the management of one of the largest 
 grazing estates in the province, its owner, Don Anjel Bedoya, hav- 
 ing given us letters to his capitaz. In approaching it, the low- 
 lands were much under water, but the general appearance of the 
 country was improved. The dwellings were placed upon the lo- 
 mas, above the influence of inundation, and, though few and far 
 between, were substantially built either of burned brick and tiled, 
 or of adobe and roofed with palm. There was no cultivation ; but 
 the pastures were fine, the cattle, horses, and sheep superior in 
 number and size to any yet seen in Corrientes ; and the growth 
 of algarroba and espinilla, the only woods there of any value, 
 abundant. A hacienda, or grazing farm,* embraces generally an 
 area of six miles square, with about 6000 head of cattle, 500 
 sheep, and a few hundred horses. Although a great proportion 
 of the land seemed to be not only arable, but of superior quality, 
 
 * A hacienda is exclusively a grazing farm, while on an estancia cultivation is 
 combined with grazing. 
 
HOESE-BREAKING. 269 
 
 we did not observe on one of them a yard square under culture ; 
 not even a garden around the dwelUng of the capitaz. 
 
 In riding over the property of Don Anjel I had quite a novel 
 amusement. An ostrich crossed my path, and, as I was well 
 mounted, with an extended plain before me, I determined to try ^ 
 its speed with that of my horse. I kept up the chase for more 
 than a mile, when I abandoned the pursuit; for it was evident 
 that the ostrich "had the heels" of the horse. 
 
 Mares were not worth more than fifty cents a head, there being 
 an absurd prejudice against their use, even as beasts of burden; 
 and a man mounted on one would create as great a sensation and 
 excite as much ridicule as a dandy upon a donkey in one of our 
 thoroughfares of fashion. They are kept for breeding, and the in- 
 crease is so enormous that they are slaughtered by hundreds, 
 merely for their hides and grease, the latter being esteemed, for 
 some purposes, superior to beef's tallow. The hair is worth about 
 one dollar fifty cents the aroba, or six cents the pound; and 
 large herds are driven into corrals exclusively for the shearing. 
 A mounted gaucho throws the lasso over the neck ; another on 
 foot secures the hind legs, when the mare is brought to the ground; 
 a third seizes the mane, a fourth the tail ; and thus, in an incredi- 
 bly short time, the poor animal is despoiled. 
 
 We also witnessed the " breaking" of saddle-horses and milch 
 cows, the latter by no means a common operation ; for few things 
 are less cared for than milk by the natives of La Plata. 
 
 A wild horse is taken, by lasso, from a troop in the corral, to a 
 post where, with his head closely confined, he is left for some 
 hours kicking and pitching. To accustom him to the touch, the 
 domador (horse-breaker) from time to time throws a lasso about 
 his legs, which so maddens the animal that his struggles become 
 frightful, and end in his falling exhausted upon the ground. The 
 guacho then bridles him, and, as the horse regains his feet, puts 
 on the " recado," while another releases his head and springs upon 
 his back. This is all the work of an instant. Now the battle be- 
 tween rider and animal begins. The latter plunges, pitches, and 
 rears, but in vain. There is no unhorsing the domador, who 
 dashes on at full speed, whipping and spurring until, completely 
 subdued, the horse is brought back to the post, to be exercised 
 in the same way the following day, and again and again, until he 
 is pronounced muy maiiso^ broken, but rarely gentle. 
 
 The cow is caught and thrown down by the lasso, when a worn- 
 
270 riEST DIFFICULTY IN PAKAGUAY. 
 
 an tramples upon the udder to cause a discharge of milk. The 
 animal is then led to a post, where she is bound head and legs 
 while the milking goes on. In a few days' she is sufficiently 
 tamed to be classed among domestic animals. 
 
 On returning to Ytati I found a letter from Lieutenant Powell 
 requesting my presence in Asuncion, where a serious difficulty had 
 arisen between the United States Consul and President Lopez. 
 
 This controversy had passed through many phases when I ar- 
 rived at the capital, and I have no idea of entering into details, 
 farther than to state that the immediate cause of its outbursting, 
 at that particular time, was an assault made by a soldier on the 
 person of the brother of Mr. Hopkins while riding with a lady, 
 also a foreigner. The man was driving cattle to the city, and on 
 being met or overtaken by the riding party the herd was dis- 
 persed into the woods. 
 
 There was no personal injury to the lady or gentleman, but the 
 insult was to be considered, and justly made a subject of com- 
 plaint. In other countries it could have been settled without be- 
 ing a government affair ; but here the President, as I have before 
 so often stated, is the law, judiciary, and, defacto^ head of all things. 
 
 President Lopez took exception to the language in which the 
 complaint was made. A paper war ensued ; crimination followed 
 recrimination. The consular exequatur was revoked, and the 
 wrath of the Chief Magistrate extended to the members of the 
 American Company, of which Mr. Hopkins was agent. They had 
 been permitted to occupy the quartel of San Antonio ; had im- 
 proved the grounds, purchased some adjoining lands, erected a 
 saw-mill, and established a cigar-factory. They were now forced 
 to give up the quartel. The controversy waxed hotter and hot- 
 ter. Decrees or handos intended to embarrass their operations 
 were issued, and at last the cigar-factory was closed, thereby vir- 
 tually closing the business of the company in Paraguay. I give a 
 few of the handos^ which, though applied to all foreigners, were at 
 this time issued for the special embarrassment of the Americans. 
 
 " 1. No servant shall engage in the service of a foreigner vrithout a writ- 
 ten agreement or notification given and approved by the government, as to 
 the amount of wages. 
 
 " 2. All meetings of foreigners, except for the ostensible object of visit- 
 ing and innocent diversion, are forbidden, by day and by night. 
 
 " 3. All foreigners must take out a license to engage in any commercial 
 or industrial ursuit." 
 
INTERVIEW WITH THE PRESIDENT. 271 
 
 This last article was reasonable ; but tlie company, thougli go- 
 ing on for a year, liad not before been required to take out a li- 
 cense, and when Mr. Hopkins made an application for it, in the 
 character of "general agent," having paid sixteen dollars for the 
 stamped paper, it was refused on the ground of his being "gen- 
 eral agent." This title was objectionable to the government, and 
 would not be recognized. He must apply as " agent," without 
 the "general." 
 
 I am to this day mystified by this phase of the difS,culty. There 
 was but one General in Paraguay, the son and heir of the Presi- 
 dent; but by what process of reasoning the title of the " General 
 Agent" reflected upon the head of the military arm I am unable 
 to say ; neither do I see why it should not have been relinquished. 
 There were other petty annoyances, seemingly of a general bear- 
 ing, but in fact aimed at the American Company. 
 
 Affairs had reaiched this crisis when I arrived at Asuncion, and 
 found Mr. Hopkins determined, by reason of the course of the 
 government, to leave the country with the members of the com- 
 pany and such of their effects as coiild be conveniently removed. 
 
 To show my course in this controversy, and the part I took to- 
 ward effecting a restoration of the former state of things, to enable 
 the company to proceed with its operations, I shall quote from 
 my journal : 
 
 " Sept. 21si', 1854. This morning, at 9 A.M., I called on Presi- 
 dent Lopez ; was courteously received, and discussed the difficulty 
 between the government and Mr. Hopkins at some length. The 
 President said the soldier had been severely punished by the in- 
 fliction of three hundred stripes in " running the gauntlet" through 
 the regiment to which he was attached. He complained of the 
 intemperate language of Mr. Hopkins. It was, he said, insulting 
 to him, and he had in consequence withdrawn his exequatur. 
 
 " I desired to be informed if the American Company would be 
 allowed to carry on its operations under a guarantee of protection. 
 He assured me that it would, and that it should receive every 
 protection enjoyed by other business associations, whether foreign 
 or native ; but that the agent, Mr, Hopkins, was personally ob- 
 noxious to him, and he would not consent to his engaging in any 
 business in the country. 
 
 " I informed him that other Americans belonging to the com- 
 pany had complained to me of insulting remarks made to them 
 since that occurrence, even by officials ; and said, ' I wish to know, 
 
272 THE AMERICAN COMPANY. 
 
 Sir, if, in the event of tkeir remaining, tliey will be treated person- 
 ally with respect, and shielded from the possible recurrence of in- 
 sult or indignities.' He replied, ' They shall.' 
 
 " I met Mr. Hopkins by appointment, and informed him of the 
 result of my interview with the President, He then informed me 
 that the business of the company had been broken up by the ac- 
 tion of the government, regardless of all pre-existing contracts ; 
 and that he should hold it responsible for the damages, looking 
 to the United States Government for the enforcement of the rec- 
 lamation ; that, under these circumstances, he wished, with the 
 company, to withdraw from Paraguay, but that no trading vessel 
 would take them, the master fearing that the odium in which he 
 was held by the government would be visited on them. 
 
 "I replied, 'I will see the President, and if no arrangement 
 can be made for your leaving the country by a trading vessel, I 
 will receive the members of the company and their effects on 
 board the Water Witch, and convey them to Corrientes' — this 
 being the point at which he wished to establish them. 
 
 " I called again at the government-house, stated to the Presi- 
 dent the apprehensions of Mr. Hopkins, and suggested that he 
 should allow the Captain of the Port to procure a vessel, which 
 would at once set at rest the fears of any shipmaster as to the 
 consequences of receiving the Americans. He said, ' This shall 
 be done.' ' Now, Sir,' I asked, ' what forms must be complied 
 with to enable the company to leave Paraguay with their prop- 
 erty?' He replied, 'They will simply be required to procure 
 passports, and a "permit" from the custom-house for the shipment 
 of their effects and merchandise, all of which they are at liberty 
 to take with them, pa3dng the export duty on such articles as are 
 products of the country,' They had about eight hundred arobas 
 of superior tobacco, 
 
 " A vessel was engaged, passports obtained, and I concluded 
 that all was satisfactorily arranged for the departure of the com- 
 pany, when one of its members came on board the Water Witch 
 and complained of fresh insults by the Chief of Police. 
 
 " Again I called on the President. It was my last interview 
 with his Excellency. I reminded him of the assurances he had 
 given me as to the personal treatment of the members of the com- 
 pany, and stated the new complaint, informing him, at the same 
 time, in decided but courteous language, that my duty obliged 
 me to watch over the rights of American citizens wherever I 
 
PROGRESS OF THE DIFFICULTY. 273 
 
 should meet them abroad. The Chief of PoKce was summoned, 
 and in a few minutes was announced as waiting the orders of 
 his Excellency. He was directed to enter. The door opened, 
 the Chief of Police stood on the threshold, and made a low bow. 
 * Approach,' said his Excellency. The Chief of Police approached. 
 ' Take a seat.' He sat down, but uneasily. It was an unusual 
 honor accorded him. The President stated the charge made 
 against him. He of course denied every word, rising to his feet 
 as he spoke. 
 
 " ' Be seated. Sir,' said the President. 
 
 " The Chief pf Police could not be kept seated, and rose at 
 every word addressed to his Excellency. He was at last ordered 
 to withdraw. The President was apparently as well satisfied of 
 the truth of his statement as I was of the contrary. He then said 
 that as the American in question had been the superintendent of 
 the factory, he wished him to remove the sign (a piece of tin) and 
 take a receipt for it, as he did not wish to give the company occa- 
 sion to say that any of its property was withheld. I told him the 
 individual in question could not do this, but I would relieve his 
 Excellency from all embarrassment by directing one of my boat's 
 crew to receive it. With some hesitancy, he acceded to this ar- 
 rangement. 
 
 " In this interview I expressed myself very decidedly, but with 
 the courtesy due to the President's position, and we parted appar- 
 ently without any rupture of our friendly relations. 
 
 " I had scarcely got on board the Water Witch, congratulating 
 myself that the difficulties were over, when another note was re- 
 ceived from Mr. Hopkins. On applying for a ' permit' to ship 
 the goods, it had been refused until he should surrender the pa- 
 pers, deeds, etc., which secured to the company certain lands, pur- 
 chased and paid for. 
 
 " Before taking any farther steps I sent my clerk to ascertain 
 from the Collector if I must understand that he refused a ' permit' 
 for the dispatch of the company's merchandise on the grounds 
 mentioned. He returned with a reply in the affirmative. 
 
 "I had been long enough in the country to know that the Col- 
 lector would not dare to take such a step without instructions 
 from the President. It was in direct violation of every promise 
 his Excellency had given me, and I saw clearly that the moment 
 had arrived when my action in this difficulty should be matter of 
 record. I addressed a note to the Minister of Foreign Eelations, 
 
 18 
 
274 RETURN OF LETTERS. 
 
 Stating the facts of the case, repeating the assurances of the Presi- 
 dent, and telhng him what would be my course for the relief of 
 the members of this company if they were not allowed to depart 
 by the usual mode of conveyance. 
 
 " On the afternoon of the same day I had received no reply ; 
 but a verbal message came from the Minister of Foreign Eelations 
 to the captain's clerk, desiring him to call at his ofl&ce. I gave 
 him permission to go ; but, suspecting that the object of this call 
 was to question him as to my correspondence, I enjoined silence. 
 The secretary desired him to take my notes and request me to 
 have them translated. I replied verbally that I must correspond 
 with the government in my own language, and could not allow 
 my letters to be translated by any one associated with me. Ac- 
 companying the note in question was one informing him that I 
 had just received dispatches from our Minister at the Court of 
 Brazil inclosing permission from his Imperial Majesty's Govern- 
 ment to explore the Paraguay and its tributaries, within the lim- 
 its of the empire, and expressing the hope that his Excellency 
 would allow me again to pass through the waters of his territory 
 to reach those of Brazil. This note shared the fate of the others. 
 But that the contents of both were known to the President is evi- 
 dent from the tenor of subsequent articles in the Seminario, the 
 government organ, published at Asuncion. 
 
 " President Lopez, I am told, reads both French and English ;* 
 added to this, there is an intelligent Englishman residing at 
 Asuncion who translates for him, and much more correctly than 
 I, my clerk, or any one associated with me could possibly have 
 done. 
 
 " Failing to coerce me into this measure — the sole object of 
 which was to exhibit to the people of Paraguay his authority over 
 a foreign officer — my notes were returned the following day, with 
 one from the Minister of Foreign Relations, Mr. Jose Falcon, in- 
 forming me that the President did not read English, and desiring 
 that I would translate them into Spanish, when they would re- 
 ceive proper attention. 
 
 " I replied to Mr. Falcon,f stating that the contemptuous treat- 
 ment of my official communications, addressed in courteous lan- 
 guage, was a thing unprecedented in this age of civilization ; that 
 it deprived me of the means of arriving at the intentions of his 
 government relative to the departure of the Americans, and forced 
 
 * But imperfectly, I presume. t See Appendix F. 
 
DEPARTUEE FROM ASUNCION. 275 
 
 upon me the inference that my request had been refased, thus 
 making it an imperative duty to remove them from Paraguay in 
 the Water Witch. At the same time I informed the Captain of 
 the Port that I should receive them and their effects on board, 
 and leave Asuncion at a certain hour. 
 
 " Scarcely had this announcement been made when President 
 Lopez issued the ' permit,' showing conclusively that his Excel- 
 lency was fully informed of the contents of my notes, if he did not 
 read English." 
 
 It was late. The Americans were in the act of coming on 
 board before its issue was made known. It expedited matters, 
 however, for it was accompanied by an order to the Port Captain 
 to afford them every facility in shipping their goods. 
 
 My last written communication to the Government of Paraguay 
 was returned, accompanied by a note, of the same tenor as the 
 previous one, from Mr. Jose Falcon. This was sent by an officer 
 or employe in the office of the Captain of the Port, who, without 
 coming on board, delivered the papers at the gangway, and made 
 off in an instant, as if he feared infection or capture. I gave them 
 in charge of an officer of the Water Witch, and directed him to 
 return them to the Captain of the Port; and should he object to 
 receive them, to place them in his office. The officer reported 
 that he had acted in accordance with my orders. 
 
 Before getting under way, having occasion to pass through a 
 good portion of the town, I observed that it presented an unusual 
 appearance ; not a soul was abroad. Asuncion was not at siesta, 
 for it was not the hour ; moreover, heads were peering through 
 half-opened doors, showing that curiosity was stronger than fear 
 or sleep. Something was wrong, and the people were anxious to 
 know what difficulties were brewing with the " supreme govern- 
 ment." 
 
 The plaza, usually the gayest and noisiest place imaginable, 
 was deserted. I missed the picturesque groups of market women, 
 with their white cotton mantas, seated upon the ground, encircled 
 by fruits, vegetables, and an eager crowd of buyers. Not a man, 
 cart, or horse was to be seen, except a few conveying the effects 
 of the American Company to the beach. What was feared ? The 
 following explanation was made : 
 
 "Last night (the 28th), at midnight, the President called a con- 
 sultation of his advisers, at which your letter was considered. 
 The wise ' heads' thought they saw in it another ' Greytown af- 
 
276 ASPECT OF THE CAPITAL. 
 
 fair.' His Excellency thought, as heavy bodies move slowly, it 
 would be prudent to be prepared ; so he sent for a machinist to 
 examine his carriage, and see that all was in good running condi- 
 tion. Orders were issued that no one should appear in the plaza 
 or streets after eleven o'clock this morning, and not a horse or 
 cart, except those engaged in transporting the goods of the Amer- 
 ican Company, was to be seen." 
 
 I had observed, as I have before stated, an unquestioning sub- 
 mission to the authority of the President ; and in giving another's 
 statement, I do so without adding my own indorsement of the 
 suspicion. 
 
 " The submission of the people to the present grinding system 
 is only simulated. They are not insensible to their thralldom, 
 and the President really feared that if you fired at the govern- 
 ment-house, the people might avail themselves of the opportu- 
 nity to rise and change the order of things. He was prepared to 
 run." 
 
 I had held pleasant social intercourse, while at Asuncion, with 
 the Brazilian Consul, an amiable, gentlemanly person, who came 
 on board the "Water "Witch and expressed, with much anxiety, 
 the hope that I was not really about to fire into the town. I as- 
 sured him that I had no such intention, and had never by word 
 or deed intimated that I would do so ; but that it was utterly im- 
 possible for me to be responsible for the gossip of others, or per- 
 haps the inspiration of some wag who wished to frighten the 
 President. My language and conduct, up to that moment, had 
 been studiously respectful to the government ; and as it had 
 yielded every point, as the Americans personally were safe and 
 on board the "Water "Witch, and the " permit" had been issued to 
 facihtate the shipment of their goods, there was no possible ex- 
 cuse for so extreme a measure. I was not at all ambitious of the 
 inglorious achievement of firing into a town, destroying the prop- 
 erty of unoffending citizens, perhaps the lives of women and chil- 
 dren, and disturbing the course of a government with which I had 
 been directed to treat for commercial intercourse. The prepara- 
 tion of the steamer, with her three howitzers, placed on board as 
 a protection against savages, was simply a duty to meet any con- 
 tingency that might occur. I pointed out to him a field-piece, 
 apparently a nine-pounder, on a very beautiful and commanding 
 position, near a well-stored magazine, and within good howitzer 
 range, aroimd which were a number of soldiers ready to apply 
 
PASSING TRES BOCAS. 279 
 
 the matcli ; and said to him, " Should not that admonish me to 
 be ready ? I shall certainly defend my flag." 
 
 I had, it is true, resolved that if the property of the Americans 
 was retained by the President, or placed where it was beyond the 
 reach of our guns, to return the compliment by capturing his 
 " navy" at Tres Bocas. But I had made no such threat, had no 
 excuse for such an act at that time, and did not regret it. Under 
 the " permit" finally issued, the effects of the company which could 
 not be taken on board the Water Witch were placed in the hands 
 of an agent, to be shipped to Corrientes, 
 
 With the Americans on board I left Asuncion the 29th of Sep- 
 tember. On reaching Tres Bocas we observed an unusual array 
 of soldiers, and the little navy of five vessels, with their arma- 
 ment, ranging from two to six guns, all doubly manned, and 
 ready, as the President had said, to " salute or fight." The ves- 
 sels were moored so close to the bank that a plank from each 
 would have enabled the personnel of the marine to make an ex- 
 cursion into the interior of the country at the shortest possible no- 
 tice. On the deck of the flag-ship, a prominent figure in the pic- 
 ture, stood my old friend the " Admiral." Salutes would have 
 been dangerous; for, from the evident state of hostile preparation, 
 the first flash of one of their guns might have been returned by a 
 fire from our howitzer, without delay for explanation. We passed 
 slowly and in silence ; many a soul on the Water Witch devoutly 
 hoping, perhaps, that some brave son of Paraguay would provoke 
 a fight. 
 
 I was glad that we were able to leave Paraguay peacefully. 
 From our first entrance into her waters and the " Admiral's" re- 
 ception at Tres Bocas ; in our cruise to the northern frontier ; 
 during my land journey through the interior from west to east, 
 from river to river, and in that subsequently made by Lieutenant 
 Powell through the Yerbales, we had been hospitably and kindly 
 received. And, indeed, the course of the President toward us, 
 until his outbreak with the Consul, was characterized by extreme 
 consideration. In all my official intercourse with him, in applica- 
 tions for facilities which the government alone could grant in 
 forwarding the expedition — and it has been seen that they were 
 not unfrequent — he met my propositions readily and observed his 
 promises to the letter. I was aware of the faults of his political 
 system, but even that was better than I had been led to anticipate 
 before entering the country. My business there was not that 
 
280 COURSE OF THE EXPEDITION. 
 
 of a regenerator. On the contrary, while acting firmly and, to 
 the best of my ability, conscientiously, for the protection of the 
 American Trading Company, the dignity of our flag, and with a 
 due regard to our national interests, I studiously avoided wound- 
 ing the susceptibilities of the people and rulers. 
 
 Paraguay had scarcely joined the family of nations. Our peo- 
 ple in the United States knew nothing of her social or political 
 condition. We had never, until 1853, been represented there by 
 even a Consul. I should, therefore, under all circumstances, with- 
 out any personal feeling toward the President, and without refer- 
 ence to him as a man, have deemed it as much my duty to give 
 the result of my observations upon the political state of the coun- 
 try as I should upon the rocks and shoals of her rivers. I be- 
 lieve my impressions to be correct. They were formed without 
 prejudice, and may possibly assist us in directing our future dip- 
 lomatic and commercial relations with Paraguay. 
 
 For trade, Paraguay was unoccupied ground. I had been sent 
 there to negotiate a commercial treaty, to examine her rivers, and 
 report upon her resources. I thought at the time, and still be- 
 lieve, that a valuable commerce might grow up with the United 
 States. For manufactured articles it must be for many years a 
 considerable market. 
 
 Again : the long-sought and much-desired permission of Brazil 
 to explore her waters — the result of a negotiation upon the part 
 of two of our Ministers for eighteen months — reached me in the 
 midst of these (^fficulties. My future labors there and in Bolivia 
 I had contemplated as the most interesting, and the most fruitful 
 in results for science and commerce. Paraguay controlled the 
 entrance into their rivers, and could embarrass my anticipated 
 movements. I had every reason, official and personal, to use for- 
 bearance and discretion ; and yet President Lopez, in his dispatch 
 to our government, complains of the hostile attitude I assumed. 
 The position of the President is perhaps an uneasy one. His 
 people know nothing of other countries. He governs them by 
 maintaining an impenetrable reserve, and impressing them with 
 the infallibility of his own acts and his commanding position 
 among "rulers." He forgot that the members of the American 
 Company were not Paraguayans, and that I was the representa- 
 tive of a republic where there are no "state secrets." He could 
 not give my notes to a third party for translation. They were 
 couched in respectful but decided language ; their contents would 
 
DECEEES OF LOPEZ. 281 
 
 have become known to the citizens ; and the declaration to pur- 
 sue a certain line of conduct, "with or without the permission of the 
 "supreme government," was an assertion of independence, even 
 on the part of a foreign officer, that the President did not care 
 should be known. 
 
 I have been as concise as possible in the foregoing statement. 
 It unfortunately led to a radical change in the feelings of Presi- 
 dent Lopez toward myself, and placed me in a position of antago- 
 nism which, as will be seen, I carefully endeavored to avoid. His 
 vials of wrath seemed, like the widow's cruse, inexhaustible. On 
 the 3d of October he issued a decree designed to break up my 
 intended exploration of the waters of Brazil and Bolivia,* and, 
 through the columns of his organ, the /Seminario, poured forth his 
 indignation in language marked by great asperity — a tone and 
 style recognized in the countries of La Plata as peculiar to his 
 Excellency. 
 
 On the 15th of October Mr. E. C. Buckalew arrived at Corri- 
 entes in a river steamer, the Buenos Ayres. He was bearer of the 
 exchange of ratifications of the treaty of the 4th of March, nego- 
 tiated by Mr. Pendleton, and ratified by the Senate of the United 
 States. He also brought letters from the Secretary of State, Mr. 
 Marcy, instructing me to propose the exchange. The treaties ne- 
 gotiated at the same time by the Ministers of France, England, 
 and Sardinia had long since been ratified, and their consuls for 
 Asuncion were on board this steamer. 
 
 As the Water Witch was excluded from entering Paraguayan 
 waters by the decree of the 3d, I dispatched Lieutenant Mur- 
 daugh and Doctor Carter by the Buenos Ayres, with a note to 
 the Minister of Foreign Relations informing him that I was com- 
 missioned to exchange ratifications, and desiring to know when 
 and where I should meet a person duly authorized to act on the 
 part of the Government of Paraguay. On delivering the paper, 
 Lieutenant Murdaugh, as instructed, informed him verbally of 
 its contents. He received the following reply, with my note re- 
 turned. I insert it as a specimen of diplomatic writing : 
 
 * The following is a translation of this decree : 
 
 " Article 1st. In the navigation of the rivers of the republic, foreign vessels of 
 war are excluded. 
 
 "2d. The exploration of the rivers of upper Paraguay, which are embraced 
 within the territory of the republic, or of other neighboring states, can not be made 
 through the lower Paraguay, pending the settlement of limits with the neighboring 
 powers, Brazil and Bolivia." 
 
282 STATEMENTS OF LOPEZ. 
 
 [translation.] 
 
 "Asuncion, October 21st, 1854. 
 
 " Mr. Thomas J. Page, Commander of the Water Witch. 
 
 *' In accordance with the conditions of my previous dates of the 29th 
 
 and 30th* of the past, I return you your note dated the 16th of October 
 
 in Corrientes, written in English, without accompanying it with a signed 
 
 translation ; astonished that you should persist in your idea of mortifying 
 
 me. 
 
 " De V. L. atento servidor, 
 
 (Signed) " JOSt FALCON.' 
 
 "When we remember that the Spanish Americans are scrupu- 
 lonslj observant of all form and ceremonial in official correspond- 
 ence, the quo animo which dictated the above note is manifest on 
 its face. It does not concede to the Water Witch her nationality ; 
 it is addressed to no particular place, and is not concluded in ac- 
 cordance with diplomatic usage. 
 
 Every effort on my part, consistent with a proper consideration 
 of the position I occupied, to effect an exchange of ratification 
 having been made without success, I reported the result to the 
 State Department. After my return home, Colonel Eichard Fitz- 
 patrick was deputed Special Commissioner to Paraguay for the 
 same purpose, but failed in the effort. 
 
 President Lopez repeats, in his message to the Paraguay Con- 
 gress of 1857, certain statements relative to the part I took in the 
 " American Company's affair" which he had made in a dispatch 
 to the United States Government, dated October 3d, 1854. 
 
 He says, in alluding to passports taken out by the Americans 
 when they expected to leave in a trading vessel : " Commander 
 Page dashed those passports into the office of the Captain of 
 the Port, saying that Americans had no occasion to carry them."t 
 
 I neither saw the passports nor gave any directions about them; 
 and, as far as my memory serves me, I heard nothing of them. 
 If this vulgar and unnecessary exhibition was made by any 
 American it never came to my knowledge, or it would have re- 
 ceived a merited rebuke. 
 
 Again, the dispatch says : " At the same tune he ordered the 
 
 * These two I am unable to insert, as they were returned, in retaliation for the 
 treatment my previous notes had received. 
 
 t " El Commandante Page hizo arrojar esas pasaportes en la Capitania del 
 'Puerto, deciendo no las necesitaban para llevar Americanos." 
 
THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN RELATIONS. 283 
 
 notes of the Minister of Foreign Eelatious to be dashed down 
 with the passports."* 
 
 I have before stated that the notes alluded to were given to an 
 officer, who was directed to deliver them to the Captain of the 
 Port, and to say that I desired no longer to continue communi- 
 cations with the government, as my notes were returned unan- 
 swered. And should the Captain of the Port object to receive 
 them — which I thought probable, judging from the manner of 
 his messenger to the Water AVitch — the officer was directed to 
 place them on his table, and return. This officer was also accom- 
 panied by the captain's clerk, Mr. Bushell, who spoke the Span- 
 ish language. I can not believe that either of them would have 
 been guilty of so great a breach of respect. Whatever might 
 have been their feelings toward President Lopez personally, they 
 perfectly understood the respect due to an official correspondence ; 
 added to this, I believe that all of the officers of the Water Witch 
 entertained the most friendly feeling toward the Port Captain. 
 
 I have alluded to our final departure from the waters of Para- 
 guay. In referring to this, the Minister of Foreign Eelations says, 
 in his dispatch of February 4th, 1855 : " It is known throughout 
 the world, f the surprising departure of Senor Commandante Don 
 Thomas J. Page, who left highly offended and irritated at the 
 people:|: of Paraguay. On the 80th of September last, from early 
 dawn of the day there was evidence of fire proceeding from the 
 smoke-stack of the steamer. Her guns were ordered to be load- 
 ed ; and being asked by a certain stranger relative to this hostile 
 preparation, he had the coolness to say it was to prevent any im- 
 pediment to the departure of the Americans in the steamer. Page 
 knew well that Hopkins and other Americans obtained passports 
 on the 27th of the aforesaid September. Hopkins, in addition to 
 his passport, took out a permit for his effects, tobacco and cigars," 
 
 In giving the date when they " obtained passports," why should 
 the date " when he took out a permit" be omitted ? Because, if 
 dated at all, it would have borne that of the day on which the 
 Americans came on board ; and President Lopez thought to pre- 
 serve his prestige intact by granting permission to do what he had 
 failed to prevent. 
 
 * " Tambien mando arrojar con las pasaportes las notas que le ha despidido el 
 Ministro de Relaciones Esteriores." 
 
 t What an extensive circulation he imagines the Seminario to have ! 
 X He is mistaken : he should have said government. 
 
284 LOPEZ AND FOREIGNERS. 
 
 I think all will agree with me that such inaccuracies become a 
 national insult when introduced into an official correspondence. 
 
 If the government of the United States desire to establish and 
 maintain commercial relations with Paraguay, if it intend that 
 the citizens of our country shall peaceably reside there in carry- 
 ing out the pursuits of trade, shall enjoy the privileges and im- 
 munities usually secured to foreigners in other states of South 
 America, its course toward that republic must be decided, or it 
 should abandon the idea of intercourse, and let our commercial 
 community understand its policy. 
 
 The respect entertained by President Lopez for any foreign 
 government is measured by the estimate he attaches to its power 
 and determination to enforce its just rights. This opinion is not 
 speculative. It is based upon facts ; upon acts of that govern- 
 ment which have occurred within a very recent date, to my own 
 knowledge. Its disregard of treaties, contracts, and obligations, 
 regarded as binding in honor as in law, is established by numer- . 
 ous instances of bad faith. 
 
 A treaty was signed, without due consideration, by General 
 Urquiza, granting to Paraguay the exclusive right to navigate 
 the Yermejo ; but when submitted to the Congress of the Argen- 
 tine Confederation, it was rejected. What was the course of 
 President Lopez in this case? The rejection of the treaty ren- 
 dered it null and void, and one would suppose that the question 
 remained in statu quo. But, instead of acting on this principle, 
 his Excellency claimed the power which a ratification would have 
 given him, and closed the navigation of this river to "all, but 
 especially to vessels under the Argentine flag." This is his mode 
 of treating where he possesses the power. 
 
 A French colony was brought over in 1854, under the guaran- 
 tee of a solemn contract, and established — not, as its deluded 
 members supposed, in Paraguay proper — but opposite, in the 
 Chaco, a territory in dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay, and 
 actually in possession of the aborigines. Such was the treatment 
 of these foreigners by President Lopez, that before the expiration 
 of one year they broke up, and many of them escaped — not by 
 the river, for the vigilance of its chain of guardias is not easily 
 eluded, but through the Chaco, preferring to run the gauntlet of 
 Indians, jaguars, and starvation to living under such oppression.* 
 
 * France has a treaty of friendship, commerce, and navigation concluded with 
 Paraguay, and has a resident consul at Asuncion. 
 
PARAGUAY AND BRAZIL. 285 
 
 In 1855 the Emperor of Brazil sent a squadron of eleven men- 
 of-war and as many transports, all well appointed, to adjust sev- 
 eral questions between the two governments. Among the most 
 important was that of territorial limits and the right of way to the 
 Brazilian province of Matto Grosso. The squadron was stopped 
 at Tres Bocas ; only one steamer, the Admiral's, being permitted 
 to ascend to Asuncion. Negotiations were entered into ; some 
 minor points were settled ; and the expedition returned, foiled in 
 its main object by the superior generalship and diplomacy of the 
 President of Paraguay. The press of Brazil and the Imperial 
 Legislature thundered their invectives not only against the Para- 
 guay government, but against their own, for the failure. What 
 was the course of President Lopez ? After constructing a battery 
 which would give some trouble to the Brazilian navy, with his 
 usual astute diplomacy, and with a view of allaying the wounded 
 feelings of his neighbors, and to lull their government into a con- 
 fiding belief as to the sincerity of his motives, he dispatched a 
 minister to Rio Janeiro to renew negotiations. 
 
 A treaty was concluded, granting to Brazil the right to navi- 
 gate the Paraguay throughout, and reserving the question of 
 limits for future adjustment. The Imperial papers were full of 
 this treaty ; honors were showered upon the successful diplomat ; 
 the struggle of years with Rosas and with Lopez was ended; 
 Brazil had access by water to her northwest provinces, and ves- 
 sels well freighted were dispatched to Cuyaba. But what is the 
 end of it ? Every imaginable obstacle is thrown in the way by 
 the government of Paraguay. Vessels are unnecessarily stopped 
 at guardias and towns ; passports are vised and re-examined at 
 each and all ; pilots are changed and cargoes examined — involv- 
 ing not only delay but expenses not anticipated. The treaty from 
 which so much was expected turns out a nullity. Brazil then 
 sends an embassador to Asuncion with special instructions to re- 
 move all difficulties. What is the result? He returns, having 
 effected nothing.* 
 
 And yet the government of Paraguay is suffered to pursue this 
 course. Well may the President imagine himself irresponsible, 
 and hnpress upon his people the " supremacy of the republic." 
 But the greatest of all outrages has been perpetrated upon our 
 flag. While peacefully pursuing the objects of the expedition, 
 
 * Brazil, with certain warlike preparations, subsequently sent a minister to Para- 
 guay, who brought that government to terms. 
 
286 OUTRAGE UPON THE WATER WITCH. 
 
 wlien her commander, all the officers (save the first lieutenant and 
 engineers), and the better part of the crew, were engaged upon a 
 distant work, the Water Witch was wantonly fired into from the 
 Port of Itapiru, one of her men killed, and the steamer damaged. 
 It will be seen, in the sequel, that the vessel was in neutral wa- 
 ters, and engaged only in the legitimate work of the expedition. 
 It was the moment to give Paraguay a spirited rebuke that would 
 have been remembered. In vain I sought the means of avenging 
 the outrage without possibility of failure ; but it remained un- 
 noticed until President Buchanan, in his first annual message, 
 called the attention of Congress to our relations with Paraguay, 
 and requested that means should be placed at his disposal to de- 
 mand redress for the insult to our flag and for the wrongs inflicted 
 upon American citizens.* 
 
 It is made manifest by this enumeration of offenses that the 
 Argentine States, France, Brazil, and the United States have tol- 
 
 * ' ',1 regret to inform you that the President of Paraguay has refused to ratify 
 the treaty between the United States and that state as. amended by the Senate, the 
 signature of which was mentioned in the message of my predecessor to Congress at 
 the opening of its session in December, 1853. Tlie reasons assigned for this refusal 
 will appear in the correspondence herewith submitted. 
 
 " It being desirable to ascertain the fitness of the river La Plata and its tribu- 
 taries for navigation by steam, the United States steamer Water Witch was sent 
 thither for that purpose in 1853. This enterprise was successfully carried on until 
 February, 1855, when, while in the peaceful prosecution of her voyage up the Pa- 
 rana river, the steamer was fired upon by a Paraguayan fort. The fire was re- 
 turned ; but as the Water Witch was of small force, and not designed for offensive 
 operations, she fetired from the conflict. The pretext upon which the attack was 
 made was a decree of the President of Paraguay of October, 1854, prohibiting for- 
 eign vessels of war from navigating the rivers of that state. As Paraguay, how- 
 ever, was the owner of but one bank of the river of that name, the other belonging 
 to Corrientes, a state of the Argentine Confederation, the right of its government 
 to expect that such a decree would be obeyed can not be acknowledged. But 
 the Water Witch was not, properly speaking, a vessel of war. She was a small 
 steamer engaged in a scientific enterprise intended for the advantage of commer- 
 cial states generally. Under these circumstances I am constrained to consider the 
 attack upon her as unjustifiable and as calling for satisfaction from the Paraguayan 
 government. 
 
 "Citizens of the United States also, who were established in business in Para- 
 guay, have had their property seized and taken from them, and have otherwise 
 been treated by the authorities in an insulting and arbitrary manner which requires 
 redress. 
 
 " A demand for these purposes will be made in a firm but conciliatory spirit. 
 This will the more probably be granted if the Executive shall have authority to use 
 other means in the event of a refusal. This is accordingly recommended." — Mes- 
 sage. 
 
OUR TRUE POLICY. 287 
 
 erated indignities and wrongs of far greater magnitude than those 
 which have often been the cause of war. We must at least ad- 
 mire the boldness of President Lopez, and the ability which char- 
 acterizes his diplomatic course. At this moment he invites im- 
 migration. His offers to foreign companies wishing to engage in 
 industrial and commercial enterprises are specious and plausible. 
 I believe that under the guarantee of treaties, followed by able 
 representation, a great and annually increasing trade could be 
 established with all the interior states of South America, even 
 with Paraguay. But, at the same time, a strict observance of the 
 spirit and intent as well as of the letter of treaties must be exact- 
 ed. The trimming and evasive policy, the constant effort to gain 
 some advantage without the commission of open and avowed acts, 
 which characterizes the course of the Paraguay government, 
 should be arrested. That clause in treaties which secures to the 
 resident foreigner the privileges and immunities extended to the 
 natives would generally throw around him all needed guards 
 against oppression. But what are the privileges of citizens of 
 Paraguay ? Isolated, ignorant of the political or even geograph- 
 ical divisions of the world ; unable to contrast the operations 
 of other governments with their own, they submissively acquiesce, 
 and say " amen" to all the mandates of the " supreme govern- 
 ment." A foreigner, familiar with constitutional laws and indi- 
 vidual rights, is naturally restive in Paraguay. 
 
 But, on the other hand, " filibustering" will not create for us, 
 as a nation, respect in the South American Republics. Neither 
 will it promote our commercial interests nor advance civilization. 
 The most brilliant oratorical efforts in our National Legislature 
 upon the " Monroe doctrine" will be unavaihng if we fail to con- 
 vince them that our policy is genial and sympathetic. It is easy 
 to have our flag respected without making it suspected. Among 
 the states of La Plata there is a manifest struggle to advance. 
 The course of Urquiza toward our representative, Mr. Pendleton ; 
 the Constitution of the Argentine States, modeled upon our own ; 
 the dispatches from Bolivia, show that they look for political sym- 
 pathy, and at the same time earnestly desire to enter into com- 
 mercial intercourse with us. I believe that President Lopez, from 
 his reception of our expedition, desires it. A few rebukes and 
 able diplomatic representation will soon make known to that as- 
 tute personage the terms upon which it can be maintained. 
 
288 LIEUTENANT MUEDAUGH'S EXPEDITION. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Lieutenant Powell dispatched to Montevideo. — Mr. Murdaugh ordered to explore 
 the southern and western parts of the Province. — Extract from Journal of Lieu- 
 tenant Murdaugh. — Cotton. — Saladas. — Sugar. — San Roque. — Return to Bella 
 Vista. — Goya. — Rincon de Soto. — A Tour in the Governor's Galera. — A Bivou- 
 ac. — Curuzu Quatia. — Return. — River Mirinay. — Estancia Bonpland. — Res- 
 taur acion. — Uruguayana. — Note from M. Bonpland. — Imprisonment of the Nat- 
 uralist. — Tobacco. — Coffee. — Lagoon of Ybera. 
 
 I HOPED that nothing more would or could break in upon the 
 legitimate work pf the expedition. 
 
 Lieutenant Powell was dispatched to Montevideo, with the 
 Water Witch, for money, provisions, and ship-stores ; Lieutenant 
 Murdaugh was sent to make a detailed survey of the Pass of Bel- 
 la Vista, one of the most difficult on the Parana ; and to Acting 
 Master Henry was assigned the continuation of the chart- work ; 
 also the astronomical and meteorological observations at Corri- 
 entes. 
 
 The Meteorological Journal given in the Appendix will show 
 the daily state of the weather, but I quote from my own private 
 journal its changes, and the temperature of the 2d December 
 throughout the coolest and warmest hours of the day. This is 
 the first summer month, and although the day selected does not 
 exhibit the highest rise of the thermometer, it may be assumed as 
 one of the hottest of that climate, and as showing the most sudden 
 changes and greatest extremes of temperature. 
 
 " At 6 A.M., thermometer 80° in the coolest part of the house ; 
 at 9 A.M., in the patio, where there is a free circulation of air, 
 it stands at 89°, wet-bulb 79° 5' ; clear light air from N.N.E. ; op- 
 pressively warm. At 12 M., thermometer 92°, wet-bulb 79° 5' ; 
 partially cloudy ; wind N.N.E, At 12 45 P.M., a few drops of 
 rain, cloudy ; thermometer 90° 3', wet-bulb 79° 5'. At 2 P.M., 
 showers of rain ; wind east. At 4 P.M., thermometer 78° 5', wet- 
 bulb 73° ; cloudy ; wind S.S.E." 
 
 After completing the examination of the Bella Yista Pass, Mr. 
 Murdaugh was sent on a tour through the southern and western 
 part of the province. His course was south to Goya ; east to the 
 Uruguay River, passing through Curuzu Quatia; north, along 
 
TEAVELING AND TRANSPOKTATION. 289 
 
 its banks, to Eestauracion ; and tlience to San Eoque, on liis re- 
 turn to tlie capital : tlius passing through the finest land of Corri- 
 entes. He traveled by post — the most convenient way of passing 
 through the country, notwithstanding the miserable horses usually 
 found at the postas. By paying a small sum extra, good ones, 
 which are generally the private property of the master of the 
 post, can be had. 
 
 I quote from Mr, Murdaugh's journal : 
 
 " From the Kiachuelo (about nine miles from the capital) to the 
 Arroyo Empedrado, the country is flat, with considerable wood- 
 land in patches. These are happily called in Spanish islas (isl- 
 ands). The road good. The Emepedrado is now about two 
 feet deep, but at times it is not fordable. There is much fine 
 timber, principally quebracho, on its banks, but it is never trans- 
 ported by the river. 
 
 " These countries have an extensive system of natural canaliza- 
 tion in the riachos (streams) and riachuelos (rivulets) that course 
 through the interior provinces. Yet it is wonderful to observe 
 how carefully they are avoided as means of transportation or 
 communication, while the ox-wagon, the vehicle of centuries, 
 moves lazily on — so slowly that at a distance an observer can 
 scarcely detect its movement ; carrying comparatively little, and 
 consuming time, money, and labor unnecessarily. 
 
 " About five miles south of this river the country becomes un- 
 dulating, which is a great relief to the monotony of the pampas. 
 At the distance of about eight miles from it stands the Capilla del 
 Senor, on the banks of the Parana, containing about 500 inhabit- 
 ants. At the port were several vessels loading with timber (que- 
 bracho), which is brought from about eighteen miles in the inte- 
 rior, in ox-wagons drawn by six oxen, with a relay of the same 
 number. Each wagon carries three or four pieces of this timber. 
 Each piece is eighteen feet in length and nine inches square ; three 
 feet of which weighs one hundred pounds. The quality of the 
 soil is much better than that generally found on the Parana. 
 Considerable quantities of sugar-cane and corn are cultivated. 
 At the posta, seven miles south of the Capilla, we stopped for the 
 night. We managed to get a couple of little chickens for supper, 
 and room enough to stretch our hammocks. Fifteen miles south 
 of the Capilla we passed the Arroyo San Lorenzo, in the neigh- 
 borhood of which the scenery is the finest I have seen in the prov- 
 ince. The lands, sloping gradually to the river, remind one of 
 
 19 
 
290 CULTIVATION OF COTTON. 
 
 those pretty localities about Asuncion del Paraguay. For tlie 
 same distance south of San Lorenzo the scene changes ; the coun- 
 try is rather desolate, and so continues until reaching the neigh- 
 borhood of Bella Vista. 
 
 " Here we were warmly welcomed by our friend Mr. Henry 
 Hall, one of an English firm engaged in dry-goods and hardware 
 trade. This little town has the prettiest situation on the Parana, 
 and bids fair to become a place of consequence. 
 
 "Corn, tobacco, and sugar-cane are cultivated more extensively 
 than in any other part of the province. Hides and timber are 
 shipped from here ; the latter is brought from a distance of 18 
 to 36 miles in ox- wagons, at a cost of 20 cents the yard. Our 
 countryman, Mr. Yeatman, is struggling hard against weeds, 
 thistles, want of labor, etc., in the cultivation of cotton. He has 
 been at work for a year and a half, and thus far has failed entire- 
 ly. He is now planting American cotton, with the hope of better 
 success. He intends planting every year. He found that the 
 perennial plant, after it has attained a growth of a year or more, 
 deteriorates, and if not worked the annual product would be less 
 and less. I am satisfied, after all that has been said in favor of it 
 because of the economy of labor, that the cultivation of the annual 
 plant would prove much more profitable, notwithstanding the 
 necessary yearly preparation of the ground. The best yield of a 
 perennial plant is said to be four pounds of cotton in the seed. 
 
 " Mr. Yeatman's selection of ground was, doubtless, unfortunate; 
 and yet, so far as we have seen and heard, cotton is a product to 
 which the soil of Corrientes is well adapted. No man should at- 
 tempt its cultivation in these countries without first securing the 
 necessary labor, for it is not to be had on an emergency. If the 
 work could be done by a gaucho on horseback, there would be no 
 dif&culty. All inclosures must be made of iron wire, there being 
 no timber in the province suitable for such a purpose. 
 
 "Outside of Bella Vista the horizon is as unbroken as that at 
 sea. The town is hid among orange-groves. A good tree here 
 is worth several dollars per annum; so that any one who has a 
 grove of a thousand trees possesses a respectable fortune. Yet, 
 because they do not pay for eight years, an orange-grove is rarely 
 seen, save on the estancia of some foreigner. 
 
 " To pass through the little town of Saladas, we had to retrace 
 our steps nearly to the San Lorenzo. At the posta just before 
 reaching the town, a miserable rancho, the wife of the master is a 
 
SALADAS.— SAN EOQUE. 291 
 
 ridna — a woman witli liglit hair and eyes. She is a native-born 
 lady ; the most pleasing woman of her class I have ever met with 
 in the provinces. She never allows her children to speak Gua- 
 rani, and always addresses them in Spanish — and very clear and 
 pretty Spanish it is. Children of the pampas will mount a horse 
 as soon as they are able to walk ; but here is her son, a boy but 
 four years of age, who has never done so. He shows an aversion 
 to horses, and insists upon being a sailor. Living fifteen miles 
 from the river, I doubt very much if he ever saw a vessel. This 
 looks like natural adaptation. His mother's opportunities for ac- 
 quiring such good manners were not superior to his for being a 
 sailor in embryo. 
 
 " Saladas is situated amid islas of wood and surrounded by ex- 
 tensive lagoons, with fine fertile lands between them. These la- 
 goons are the homes of innumerable wild fowl ; and the land, 
 where cultivated, produces most luxuriantly. 
 
 " Saladas is a very pretty place, containing about 500 inhabit- 
 ants, principally employed in timber-cutting. A number of mag- 
 nificent orange-trees around the town are each worth $2 per year. 
 The soil is well adapted to corn and sugar-cane, but rather wet 
 for cotton, although the plant is said to bear well for five years, 
 yielding four pounds in the seed. The only cultivation is a little 
 clearing around the roots. 
 
 " The making of sugar here would be a very profitable busi- 
 ness. Labor, though scarce, may be had at four dollars the month. 
 There is not a pound of sugar made in the country. All the de- 
 mand is supplied with the most indifferent Brazilian, at prices 
 that would pay well. Mr. Hall, in Bella Vista, makes molasses 
 and rum of all the cane he can procure. Here is a fine field for 
 immigration. The country must become agricultural, for the 
 scarcity of cattle has made the raising of them in certain parts of 
 Corrientes a thing that was. 
 
 " Steam saw-mills also should pay well in this part of the coun- 
 try. The large trees have been left standing because of the difii- 
 culty in their transportation. These could easily be reduced to 
 transportable timber, and by the Santa Lucia Eiver, distant nine 
 miles, floated into the Parana; instead of, as now, carting it 36 
 miles at an expense of 20 cents the vara. 
 
 " Arrived at San Eoque, distant from Saladas 24 miles. This 
 village, situated on the left bank of the Santa Lucia, has about 
 300 inhabitants. The houses, as in all other towns of its size, are 
 
292 BELLA VISTA.— GOYA.— SANTA LUCIA. 
 
 built of adobe or of a net-work of poles, plastered and white- 
 washed both inside and out; the roof thatched or covered with 
 the trunks of palms. They generally have corridors, under which 
 are the sidewalks. The plaza is large and the streets are narrow. 
 I am told that at the lowest state of the river the Santa Lucia has 
 four feet of water from here to the Parana, with a current of one 
 and a half knots. The water is clear and limpid, but is said to 
 be a little brackish when the river is low. 
 
 " The commandante told me that about three months past cir- 
 culars were issued to all the commandantes, that in case of a visit 
 from Captain Page they were to do all in their power to forward 
 his views." 
 
 From San Roque Mr. Murdaugh returned to Bella Yista. He 
 found the country between the two places very much intersected 
 by lagoons, the road for miles in extent being six inches under 
 water. There was very little cultivation, and it is altogether a 
 desolate portion of the province. He says : 
 
 "Just before dark the postillion got so far ahead that I lost 
 sight of him, and for an hour was floundering about in the high 
 grass and water by myself, under the expectation of seeing my 
 horse give out at any moment. But as there was no dry spot, I 
 determined to ride him till he fell, and then lie upon him until 
 he should get up again ; or, should he lie so long, until daylight. 
 I blessed the Spanish race. Three hundred years have these peo- 
 ple occupied the country, and not one hand's turn have they done 
 toward making a road. I managed to get out, fortunately, where 
 the postillion was waiting for me. My remaining wrath was ex- 
 pended on him. We reached Bella Vista at 9 P.M. 
 
 " From this place to Goya — a distance of 54 miles — the country 
 presented the same aspect : flat elevations (lomas), here and there 
 a house, with half an acre under cultivation with corn, a little to- 
 bacco, and a few pumpkin vines, and no trees save a few umbus. 
 The post-horses were wretched. I hired better ones from the 
 master of the post. At 49 miles reached the town of Santa Lucia, 
 about seven miles north of the river of the same name. It is one 
 of the old Jesuit establishments, and has the best church I have 
 seen in the province. Five leagues to Goya ; hired good horses 
 and a vaqueano at seven paper dollars ($1 60). In crossing the 
 Santa Lucia River (75 yards wide, current 1-| knots) the water 
 was up to the horses' backs. Two and a half leagues to Goya ; 
 land level, with espinilla growth. 
 
GOVERNOR PUJOL. 293 
 
 " Goya is a thriving place. It is rapidly overhauling Corrientes 
 and will soon be ahead of it. A large quantity of cheese and 
 many hides are shipped from here for Buenos Ayres and Monte- 
 video. Through it the back country to the Uruguay is supplied 
 with all its necessaries. Many houses are better than those of the 
 capital, and there is an air of life and activity that is refreshing in 
 such a backwood country. 
 
 " Visited the governor, Sefior Don Juan Pujol, who is spending 
 a few days here in his tour of the province. He is a man of easy 
 and pleasing manners, and is agreeable in conversation. 
 
 " The Eincon de Soto, a commanding promontory just above 
 the mouth of the River Santa Lucia and on the Parana, is the lo- 
 cation selected by the governor for the establishment of the colo- 
 ny of French immigrants who are e2:pected to arrive soon at 
 Montevideo. 
 
 " On Christmas eve we went at midnight with two senoritas to 
 the ' Mass of the Cocks' {Mesa da las GaUas), and on Christmas 
 night we attended the Club Ball, where we saw many very pretty 
 girls, of graceful manners and dressed in good taste. 
 
 "Having accepted the invitation of the governor to accompany 
 him in his tour, at least so far as across the province to the Uru- 
 guay, we took our seats in his galera. In this omnibus-like equi- 
 page were four of us inside — the governor, his secretary, Johnny 
 Page, and myself. We were drawn by six horses mounted by 
 gauchos, with attendants on horseback. We numbered four offi- 
 cers, two clerks, thirty-six soldiers, and three servants. Off we 
 dashed at half speed, trumpets sounding, sabres clashing, ladies 
 waving their adieus from windows and balconies. Each soldier 
 carries a carbine, sword, cartridge-box with twenty rounds, a 
 valise, and any quantity of nick-nacks useful on a journey. At 
 two leagues from Groya we left the low flat lands and entered upon 
 the lomas, with lagoons and palms. Stopping for siesta at the 
 estancia of Don Jose Fernandez, we partook of a beautifully pro- 
 vided dinner, which was concluded with a draft upon the gover- 
 nor's cake and wine from the locker of the galera. The soldiers 
 soon had a fat bullock converted into asados, round a blazing fire, 
 each one laying in store a ration for supper, which was strung 
 under the neck of his horse. 
 
 " We moved on after the refreshments of dinner and siesta, and, 
 passing through a park-like country of palms, covered with fine 
 fat cattle that had kept the grass short, we were overtaken at a 
 
294 RIDE WITH THE GOVERNOE. 
 
 ranclio by a heavy rain. Here we stopped for the night. The 
 governor and secretary took the rancho, running the risk of being 
 not a little annoyed ; the two clerks took a covered cart, while 
 Johnny and myself occupied the galera. Each soldier, having 
 picketed his horse, procured a dry hide, and, bending it into a 
 roof-like shape, crawled in for protection from the rain. 
 
 "We started early in the morning, and soon reached Corrientes 
 Eiver, over which, from its depth, we were obliged to swim the. 
 horses, and transport the galera on canoes. Trunks of palms were 
 passed under it, resting across two canoes, one on either side. 
 Three horses, made fast to it by 'lassos' from their tails, were 
 started for the opposite shore by about twenty soldiers, who, 
 swimming and shouting, kept them in the proper direction. The 
 river here — the Santilan Pass — is about two hundred yards wide, 
 with a current of two knots. The country in the immediate vi- 
 cinity of the river is like an immense sweet-potato patch, of ant- 
 hills from two to three feet in height, which greatly impeded our 
 progress. It was necessary to level them for the galera to pass. 
 This required the use of the pick axe, so hard and well-constructed 
 are these dwellings of the ant. 
 
 " Passing this ' Malisal,' we got upon a fine rolling country, in- 
 tersected by arroyos and skirted by espinillas. The soil is dark 
 and rich. The grass here, called flechilla, is short, with a stem 
 bearing seed similar to oats. The governor says that for cattle it 
 is superior to the alfalfa, and, judging from the appearance of the 
 animals, nothing can be better. This grass extends to the Uru- 
 guay. It is not found west of the Corrientes, nor in Paraguay. 
 I regretted that it was not the season of bearing seed. The gov- 
 ernor promised to have some of it gathered for our collection." 
 
 There is a gradual elevation of the land from the Corrientes to 
 Curuzu Quatia, from whence it gently descends again to the Uru- 
 guay. This is certainly the most valuable part of the province ; 
 but, like most others, it is better adapted to grazing than cultiva- 
 tion. There are, however, wide fields of fine lands open to both. 
 Cattle are now selling at $10 the head, and horses, equal to any 
 in South America, at $16 for the best. Very favorite animals at 
 times sell for as much as $30. Mares are valued only for their 
 hides and tallow, and sell at about fifty cents per head. We found 
 rich milk through the country, but it is used only for making 
 cheese. Mr. Murdaugh speaks of the quality of beef as being su- 
 perior to any he has eaten in South America. 
 
PARTING WITH THE GOVERNOR. 295 
 
 "Soldiers had been sent on ahead; and on our arrival at the 
 posta we found a fat beeve stripped of his hide, and ready for the 
 asado. On the arrival of the galera the troops form a line to re- 
 ceive the governor as he alights ; and at the sound of the trumpet 
 each man dismounts, and in the shortest time imaginable his horse 
 is divested of his trappings, and let loose. Four men at a time 
 enter a well-stocked corral, and each man lassos his horse, and 
 pickets him outside to be ready for the morning. The soldiers 
 then collect in groups, light fires, prepare the asados, and arrange 
 the beds out of the various parts belonging to the recado. All 
 this, mmgied with neighing of the liberated horses, the clatter of 
 those in the corral, and the shouts of the men, presents a lively 
 and exciting scene, to the enjoyment of which the savory odor of 
 the asado adds not a little. 
 
 " "We reached Curuzu Quatia in the afternoon at 4 P.M., near 
 which the governor was met by all the principal men of the 
 place, and escorted into town under salvos of fire-crackers, rock- 
 ets, ringing of bells, etc. Curuzu Quatia is one of the oldest 
 Jesuit stations. It has been several times destroyed during the 
 civil wars, and now contains not more than two hundred inhabi- 
 tants. 
 
 " Finding that the governor will be detained here longer than 
 he anticipated I shall be constrained to leave him, and shall return 
 to the capital, coasting a short distance along the Uruguay, leav- 
 ing Johnny,* at the earnest solicitation of the governor, who has 
 taken a great fancy to him. How far in advance of his country- 
 men generally is the governor ! He is a liberal, intelligent gen- 
 tleman. His politeness and kindness during our short journey 
 together will not soon be forgotten. He has ordered a soldier to 
 accompany me, with letters to the different commandantes on the 
 route, and orders that I shall be famished with the best horses. 
 
 " Set out January 1st, 1855, for Eestauracion, via Santa Ana. 
 At ten leagues crossed the Eiver Mirinay, a tributary of the Uru- 
 guay, and taking its rise in the Lake Ibira. Its depth is four feet, 
 width twenty-five yards, current IJ knots. The country passed 
 through very much the same. At sunset stopped at the estancia 
 of Mr. Bonpland — the former companion and friend of Humboldt 
 
 * The governor's kindness to my son was truly paternal ; he presented him ^ith 
 a horse, and, while indulging him in every roguish amusement, made him write 
 Spanish daily. When he returned, after an absence of some weeks, it was under 
 the protection of a soldier ; and they made on horseback seventy- five miles in one 
 day ; quite a ride for a boy of thirteen, who complained of no fatigue. 
 
296 RESTAUEACION.— ME. BONPLAND, 
 
 — and was warmly welcomed by him. The governor had given 
 me a letter to him. His conversation was exceedingly interesting. 
 He talked much of the great Humboldt and his travels. His age 
 is eighty-two, but he is still active ; will mount a horse, and ride 
 twelve to fourteen leagues a day ; but says he does not now gal- 
 lop. He has a house full of children by a native wife ; possesses 
 two estancias — one near San Boja, in Brazil, well stocked with 
 cattle and sheep. He takes great care of his garden, in which 
 he has growing some little of almost every thing, even to the tea 
 plant. The soil is light. Cotton, he says, is not worth cultivat- 
 ing on the Uruguay ; neither is the land east of the Corrientes 
 Eiver adapted to it. His Irish potatoes are very good. His house 
 is situated about one mile from the right bank of the Uruguay. 
 
 "He accompanied me as far as the little river Santa Ana, on 
 my way to Restauracion. He had received Captain Page's invi- 
 tation, and expressed a strong desire to be with us in an explora- 
 tion of the Upper Parana. ^ 
 
 "Restauracion is a thriving little town of 500 inhabitants, situ- 
 ated on the right bank of the Uruguay, which at this point is 
 about one mile wide, six to eight feet deep, current 1^ knots, 
 banks sixty feet high. At the season of high water hides and 
 yerba are shipped to Buenos Ayres or Montevideo, and merchan- 
 dise is brought up in return, for the northeast part of the prov- 
 ince. The fall (salto) between this place and Concordia, below, 
 can be passed only at high water. There are a number of vessels 
 waiting for the rise, for which there seems to be no invariable 
 period. 
 
 " Just opposite is the town of Uruguayana in Brazil, containing 
 about 1500 souls. The houses are well built, very superior to 
 those in Restauracion. It is apparently a growing place. Wish- 
 ing to recross the river, I was stopped by the custom-house offi- 
 cers, and told that it was after the hour when communication with 
 the other side was allowed. On going to the commandante and 
 collector they both promptly issued permission for me to cross. 
 
 " On my return to the capital, from which this place is eighty 
 leagues, I took the route through the little village of Mercedes — 
 of 150 souls. Crossed the Mirinay ; depth 2| feet, rocky, current 
 stif)ng. Made 72 miles — horses bad; and passed through San 
 Roque, Saladas, and Capilla del Senor, where I entered the road 
 already traveled. The Rio Corrientes, where I crossed it, was 
 deep, with about a two-knot current. 
 
LETTER FROM BONPLAND. 297 
 
 " The country through which I had passed from Eestauracion 
 to San Eoque is very much the same as that already spoken of 
 between Goya and Curuzu Quatia." 
 
 On reference to the map the route taken by Lieutenant Mur- 
 daugh will be seen. It was so directed as to embrace different 
 sections of the province, and give a comprehensive idea as to their 
 agricultural and pastoral resources. 
 
 It will be observed that Mr. Murdaugh alludes to my invitation 
 to Bonpland, whose presence as a member of our party would 
 have been a pleasure, and a great privilege. I thought he would 
 feel some interest in participating in our explorations, and ad- 
 dressed a letter asking him to join us, and go over again for a 
 time the life of his early days. He now (January, 1855,) accepted 
 the invitation; and we should have had the benefit and enjoy- 
 ment of his company but for the occurrences that arrested our 
 work on the Parana. Driven out of Paraguay by the Dictator 
 Francia — for it could not be regarded as a release — Mr. Bonpland 
 continued to reside in La Plata ; and, being now over eighty, will 
 probably never leave the country. 
 
 I subjoin a translation of Mr. Bonpland's letter in reply to my 
 invitation to him to join our party in the exploration of the Pa- 
 rara. 
 
 " Santa Ana, January 2d, 1855. 
 " To Th. J. Page, Commander of the Steamer Water Witch : 
 
 " Sir, — I must appear very culpable in your eyes for not having before 
 answered the letter you did me the honor to write to me from the town of 
 Concepcion, November, 1853. Permit me, then, to state some circum- 
 stances which will lessen my culpability. 
 
 " I must first thank you for your obliging offers ; they are in consonance 
 with my wishes, and I had firmly resolved to accept them, when I left for 
 Montevideo, where I was obliged to remain for a few days. On my return 
 to San Boja I intended to proceed to Paraguay, and avail myself of your 
 polite invitation, as well as your agreeable society, and that of the officers 
 who accompany you. 
 
 " T\^hile engaged in preparation for my journey a report reached me that 
 you were not in Paraguay, and that the Water Witch was commanded by 
 another naval officer. 
 
 " You will see in these few words, Captain, the cause of my silence," and 
 the suspension of my journey to Paraguay. 
 
 "Yesterday evening I was agreeably surprised by Mr. William Henry 
 Miirdaugh, who honored me by a visit at my humble cottage. I am now 
 
298 FRANCIA AND BONPLAND. 
 
 certain that you command the Water Witch, and that you propose to 
 ascend the Parana, for which reasons I hasten to address you these lines. 
 
 " From your invitation and the conversation I have had with Mr. Mur- 
 daugh I am going to ask the consent of his Excellency, Governor Pujol, to 
 accompany you in the Parana, and if, as I hope, he shares my opinion, I 
 will hasten to notify you, and ask beforehand if it will be agreeable to you. 
 During fifteen years I have had in my service an Indian of the Guayana 
 tribe, who has ascended the Parana above ' Corpus,' and with your consent 
 he will accompany me, and he will perhaps be found of some assistance. 
 He is a reliable Indian, faithful, honest, and possessed of good qualities. 
 If I should be so happy as to accompany you, we will, I hope, be able to 
 make some useful collections for the museum of your inimitable country. 
 
 " I have the honor to salute you. Captain, and beg you to accept the as- 
 surance of my respect. 
 
 " Your obliged and devoted servant, AMADifi BONPLAND." 
 
 Bonpland's association with Humboldt in his travels, and his 
 detention in Paraguay, are facts known to the whole scientific 
 world. 
 
 Sir Woodbine Parrish mentions that, upon his arrival at Buenos 
 Ayres, in 1824, in applying to Francia for the release of British 
 detenues, he also interested himself in behalf of foreigners whose 
 governments were unrepresented in La Plata. Among them were 
 Eengger and Longchamp, but above all, Bonpland, who, when 
 residing in an Argentine state, pursuing his botanic studies, had 
 been seized and carried off a prisoner by an armed force sent for 
 that purpose across the Parana. He was residing within the ter- 
 ritory of a state at peace with Paraguay ; but he was cultivating 
 the yerba. This was a grievous offense to the dictator, who re- 
 garded the South American tea as his peculiar monopoly. 
 
 After a time the naturalist was kept as a prisoner at large; 
 that is, restricted to a few leagues around the town of Santa Ma- 
 ria, where, with the philosophy of the French character, and un- 
 daunted by misfortune, he employed himself so actively, useful- 
 ly, and acceptably to the simple Paraguayans, whose condition 
 he endeavored to improve and ameliorate, that he at last excited 
 the distrust and envy of the dictator, who sent him out of the 
 country, as summarily as he had been made a prisoner, after a de- 
 tention of nine years. Mr. Grandsire, the special agent of the In- 
 stitute of France, and the British charge d'affaires, had previously 
 in vain sought to effect his release. An order finally came from 
 Asuncion to the commandante of Santa Maria to remove him ; and* 
 
CORRIENTES. 299 
 
 * 
 
 on the same night he was placed in a canoe, paddled across the Pa- 
 rana to Corrientes, and there left, with nothing but a few clothes. 
 
 We find that he is again, at the ripe old age of 82, actively en- 
 gaged in agricultural pursuits in Corrientes, with a Spanish Amer- 
 ican wife, and a large family of children. 
 
 Though the territory of Corrientes comprises an extent, from 
 north to south, of nearly five hundred miles, with more or less 
 width from east to west, its population, inclusive of that of the 
 capital, which has from twelve to fifteen thousand inhabitants, 
 does not probably exceed fifty thousand souls. It is intersected 
 by several navigable rivers, and has a large number of lakes. Its 
 lowlands, as well as the lomas, are highly fertile. 
 
 The city of Corrientes, one of the oldest of La Plata, founded 
 in 1588, soon after the settlements of Buenos Ayres and Santa 
 Fe, is admirably placed near the confluence of the Parana and 
 Paraguay, and about seventy miles below the mouth of the Ver- 
 mejo. It is the principal market of the Chaco Indians for furs. 
 In addition to the resources of the province, which would un- 
 doubtedly be great under an improved system of culture, it has, 
 by the rivers, a communication with the eastern and western 
 shores of Paraguay and the western borders of Brazil ; by the Ver- 
 mejo with Bolivia ; and again south by Buenos Ayres, its Atlantic 
 outlet. The men are great horsemen, active and temperate, but 
 disinclined to work. Inducements are held out to immigration ;* 
 and, under the present Constitution and the stimulus to trade pro- 
 duced by the opening of the rivers, it offers an admirable field for 
 enterprise and industry. This province has suffered greatly from 
 the civil wars that have distracted the country, and the decrease 
 of cattle is enormous. In every direction we noted the marks of 
 abandoned estancias, possessing an adaptability for grazing and 
 agriculture apparent to the most casual observer. 
 
 With careful culture, the tobacco will probably prove, in quan- 
 tity and quality, quite equal to that of Paraguay, and with the 
 introduction of agricultural implements, both cotton and sugar 
 may be grown with success. Indigo and cochineal have been ex- 
 ported in small quantities, and a new species of the former, called 
 "yuzo," was some years since made known by Bonpland as an 
 article that might become very valuable as an export. I have 
 alluded to the silk of a small black spider, a specimen, of which I 
 collected from a hedge and brought home with me. Bonpland 
 
 * See Appendix G. 
 
300 LAGOON OF YBERA. 
 
 sent some of it to France, where it was pronounced unfit for man- 
 ufacturing purposes ; but the cocoons of another spider, some of 
 which I also brought home, are, from their appearance, undoubt- 
 edly equal to those of the silk- worm, which they resemble in form 
 and size. They are spun upon the orange-trees, and are exactly 
 the color of its ripe fruit. 
 
 As an experiment, coffee has been cultivated, with success. I 
 have alluded to the orange-groves. The fruit is not equal to that 
 of Paraguay, but no product finds a readier sale. Parts of the 
 province are well timbered, and the bark of the curupay is con- 
 sidered invaluable in tanning. Under the present system, hides, 
 tobacco, timber, for Buenos Ayres, and wool, may be considered 
 the staples. 
 
 The most extraordinary physical feature of this province is the 
 Lagoon of Ybera, which I regretted that I was unable to examine. 
 According to Azara, it is fed by filtration from the Parana ; and 
 yet is itself the source of four consideralple rivers — the Mirinay, 
 which flows into the Uruguay, the Santa Lucia, the Bateles, and 
 Corrientes, which disembogue into the Parana. There are parts of 
 it, inaccessible either to boats or horsemen, that are covered with 
 aquatic plants, and even considerable trees. It was Azara's opin- 
 ion that the Parana itself once coursed through this lake, and that 
 it will, in the course of ages, resume its ancient channel. 
 
 It is difficult to explain the origin of the name yhera (brilliant 
 water),* handed down among the Guarani race from the remotest 
 ages, before the Conquest. Some convulsion of nature may have 
 brought to its present marshy state what was once a beautiful ex- 
 panse of water ; or, probably, y-hera may yet be applied in no in- 
 appropriate sense to its unexplored interior. D'Orbigny, under 
 extraordinary difficulties, though at a dry period, forced a pas- 
 sage some distance into this lagoon. So far as his experience 
 went, he discovered it to be not so much one monotonous and ex- 
 tended marsh as a succession of lagoons, two or three miles in 
 width, which seemed to have a uniformity of direction, and so 
 confirmed, in some degree, the suppositions of Azara. The depth 
 of water, though varying, was at no time very great, until reach- 
 ing what was supposed to be the heart of the lake. "What lies 
 beyond has always been with the Indians a fruitful subject of su- 
 perstition and marvel. 
 
 * y_« water;" Jera— "brilliant." 
 
DINNER AT CORRIENTES. gQl 
 
 CHAPTER XYII. 
 
 The Dinner at Corrientes. — The Address. — Toasts and Wine. — A Carp;o o^ Lum- 
 ber. — The Saladero. — The Water Witch dispatched up the Parana. — Sudden 
 Return of Lieutenant Jeiters. — The Steamer run aground by the Pilot. — Fired 
 into from the Fort, killing the Helmsman. — False Claims of President Lopez to 
 the Channel. — Erroneous Statements and Fancy Sketches of the President of 
 Paraguay. — Affection for the Salto Grande. — Dispatch to our Government. — Its 
 Contents refuted. — Return to Buenos Ayres. — Lieutenant Powell dispatched to 
 Rio. — Arrival of the Savannah. — Indecision of the Commodore. — Refusal to 
 grant the Guns. — United States Legation versus United States Squadron. — What 
 should have been done. — Dispatch from Seiior Vasquez. — The Commodore im- 
 pressed with the Fact of the Parana containing sufficient Depth of Water to ad- 
 mit a Sloop of War. 
 
 Some of the crew asked permission to give a "dinner to their 
 foreign friends, principally the carpenters of Corrientes who had 
 "been engaged in the repairs of the small steamer. The request 
 was of course granted, and a busier, happier set of souls can not 
 be imagined than they were in their preparations for this feast. 
 Pantry and stores were thrown open to them, but the best table- 
 cloth the steward could produce was not equal to the dimensions 
 of their table, which was set in the patio of the house we occu- 
 pied, and made of planking designed for the repairs of the Pilco- 
 mayo ; but some yards of bleached cotton supplied the deficiency, 
 and the purchase of a few glasses, added to our stock, completed 
 the preparations. By their own arrangement nothing stronger 
 than wine was allowed, and a bottle or two from my nearly ex- 
 hausted supply was sent, with a message that it was from "home," 
 for none like sailors on foreign stations realize the magic of that 
 word. An awning, which extended over nearly the whole patio, 
 excluded the sun, and, with the assistance of our steward and 
 cook, a substantial and excellent dinner was set out, not even 
 lacking the elegant little adornments of grander occasions ; for 
 there were many bouquets of the prettiest flowers to be found in 
 the city of Corrientes ; and the American flag — considered an in- 
 dispensable decoration in all foreign entertainments— was festoon- 
 ed between the columns of the patio at one end of the table, while 
 that of the Argentine Confederation graced the other. 
 
 Toward the close of the dinner a deputation came and invited 
 
302 PROGRESS OF TRADE. 
 
 me to look out upon the party in their enjoyment. I was in 
 doubt as to the object of this call, but accepted the invitation, 
 and found a chair ready for me at a little distance from the table. 
 One of the company moved that Mr. Meredith should read the 
 address. Mr. Meredith, a lad eighteen or nineteen years of age, 
 from Baltimore, rose and from some sheets of foolscap read a 
 speech, which would have been a little embarrassing — for, like 
 the President of Paraguay at the ball of the Chief Justice, I was 
 obliged to listen to my own praises — had I not been so much as- 
 tonished at its admirable phraseology and style. I expressed 
 gratification at seeing them thus rationally enjoying themselves, 
 and retired. Then followed songs, toasts, and sentiments, which 
 were unsparingly served out with wine and cigars. 
 
 On similar occasions in "high life," the "proprieties" could not 
 have been more strictly observed ; and there were " sentiments" 
 indicative of good sense, wit, and intelligence, sometimes lacking 
 at such festivities. 
 
 These men had been under my command for nearly two years, 
 without a death or casualty. Some had been confided to me as 
 "hard cases" by tearful mothers, who had always known a grace- 
 less " Hal" or " Bill" to mislead their Jack, who " had a good 
 heart, but would be led astray ;" and a " man-of-war" is consid- 
 ered an asylum for all such. But I must do them the justice to 
 say that the conduct of this crew had been highly creditable, and 
 to the end of the cruise — three years and five months — with one 
 or two exceptions, all that could be desired. 
 
 The arrival of the Water Witch from Montevideo now expe- 
 dited my movements. On board of her was Lieutenant Jeifers, 
 who, on application to join the expedition, had been ordered by 
 Commodore Salter to report to me. 
 
 One fact I must notice, to mark the progress of trade since the 
 opening of the rivers. A vessel of the country arrived with a 
 small lot of American pine boards and scantling, which was sold 
 at 12^- cents the foot— the price I paid both here and at Asun- 
 cion per yard for sawing plank of native woods. This lumber 
 had been shipped to Buenos Ayres from the United States, dis- 
 posed of, purchased again, and re-shipped to Corrientes, where it 
 sold for less than native lumber, paying at each change of hands 
 a reasonable percentage. And yet timber is one of the export 
 articles of this Province. Quebracho sells here, in stocks of eight 
 inches square, at 75 cents to 87 cents the vara, or 25 to 29 cents 
 
THE SALADERO. 3O3 
 
 the foot. The operations of a steam saw-mill, nearly completed 
 by an enterprising Frenchman, will do away with the old whip- 
 saws now lining the beach. 
 
 I visited the saladero (slaughter-house) of an Englishman, which 
 was just opened near the city, on the banks of the Parana, to 
 witness the operation of converting cattle into jerked beef, hides, 
 and tallow.' 
 
 Each animal is brought up to the "bull-ring" by the lasso, 
 pierced at the back of the head by a sharp-pointed knife, and 
 rolled off on a rail-car, to be skinned. The corral was large and 
 well stocked, Mr. Hughes having a few days before purchased 
 from the southern part of the province a fine lot of cattle, for 
 which he paid $9 the head, a threefold increase in price within a 
 few years. In the Buenos Ayres market the hides were worth 
 $6 50 each ; the jerked beef — about 200 lbs. to the animal — $12 ; 
 and the tallow — from 25 to 50 lbs. — about $3 ; the latter, intes- 
 tines, bones, head, and feet, are thrown into immense wooden 
 vats, and subjected for some time to steam pressure, which ex- 
 tracts nearly every particle of grease ; it is then drawn off clean 
 and put in hogsheads ready for shipping. The refuse of the vats 
 is used for fuel. 
 
 On the 30th of January, the Taquari, a Paraguay steamer, half 
 man-of-war, and half merchantman, with an armament of five 
 medium 32-pounders, arrived at Corrientes ; she received from 
 the Water Witch the usual official visit and offer of service. 
 This vessel was built in England, and purchased by General Lo- 
 pez, son of the President, who had been on a general mission to 
 several of the European Courts, and was now on his return to 
 Asuncion, having crossed the Atlantic in her. 
 
 Hoping that the alterations in the small steamer would make 
 her suitable for the exploration of the Salado, and intending to 
 form there two parties, I detailed for the service all the surveying 
 officers, with the exception of Lieutenant Jeffers. He was left in 
 charge of the Water Witch, with instructions to ascend the Para- 
 na so far as the island Apipe, a distance of over one hundred 
 miles from its juncture with the Paraguay, at which point there 
 were supposed to be rapids — ^the first obstruction met with from 
 the Capes of La Plata. Lieutenant Jeffers was instructed to de- 
 termine their character. This short work, of a hundred miles or 
 more, I felt assured could be accomplished before my return. 
 
 With Lieutenants Powell, Murdaugh, and Henry, Assistant 
 
304 ATTACK UPON THE WATER WITCH. 
 
 Surgeon Carter, Assistant Engineer Stump, and eigliteen men, I 
 left Corrientes on the 81st of January, 1855, for tlie Salado, ex- 
 pecting to encounter, from all I could learn, numerous inhospi- 
 table and daring bands of Indians. The performance of the Pilco- 
 majo was miserable — worse than before the alterations were made 
 in her. She -was, in fact, worthless. This I had feared, and con- 
 sidered possible, and, as a reserve for surveying purposes, I had 
 in tow two metallic boats. But I was not prepared for the new 
 troubles that were brewing. The vials of President Lopez were 
 not exhausted. 
 
 On the 3d of February, when we were about two handred miles 
 below Corrientes, the Water Witch hove in sight. What could 
 be the matter? Speculation ran wild in our little boat. The 
 suspense was soon over. 
 
 The Water Witch had been stopped in her ascent of the Pa- 
 rana ; fired into from the Fort of Itapiru ; the man at the helm 
 killed, and the steamer slightly damaged in her hull. My feel- 
 ings may be imagined at this outrage to our flag, while borne by 
 a vessel under my command ; for absence from her made me not 
 less sensible to the insult. In a few words the tale was told. 
 For a particular account of it, I append Lieutenant Jeffers's official 
 report.* 
 
 The steamer had a native pilot on board, who was as well ac- 
 quainted with the river as the wood-cutters of Apipe, or the 
 orange-dealers along the shores of Corrientes usually are. Lieu- 
 tenant Jefiers had advanced but a short distance above the junc- 
 tion of the Parana and Paraguay, plotting the work as he pro- 
 gressed, when, from very deep water, the vessel was run upon a 
 sand-bank in six feet water, the lead at the gangway indicating 
 no material change in the depth. While in the act of getting the 
 steamer afloat, a boat came alongside from a fort on the Paraguay 
 shore, where was a flag-staif, but no flag flying, and presented a 
 paper to Lieutenant Jeffers, who returned it to the messenger, in- 
 forming him that he did not read Spanish. This, with the sub- 
 stitution of the word "Spanish" for "English," was President 
 Lopez's reply to my communication in behalf of Americans in 
 Asuncion. 
 
 He observed some bustle and activity at the fort, and, to be 
 prepared for any emergency, put the vessel in the best state of 
 defense he could, but scarcely admitting even to himself the pos- 
 sibility of attack. 
 
 * See Appendix H. 
 
iii|i|lili|y],,ili|l!iii*^^^ r^ 1,1,11, i,r 
 
 I'll" III iiiiiii I 1 1 I Pii'' ^ ' 
 
ATTACK UPON THE WATER WITCH. 307 
 
 She was got afloat, and on asking the pilot where lay the chan- 
 nel, he unhesitatingly said that it was near the Paraguay shore ; 
 but he had supposed the river high enough to enable the Water 
 Witch to pass over the shoals near the left bank, and made the 
 attempt without informing the commanding officer. 
 
 The pilot, like many other Argentines of the same class, looked 
 upon Paraguay as a semi-civilized country, and was anxious to 
 put a great distance between the Water Witch and Fort Itapiru. 
 He was ordered to change the course of the vessel, and the nature 
 of the work was again intelligibly explained to him, that he might 
 understand the importance of keeping her in mid-channel, regard- 
 less of its vicinity to the Paraguay shore, or whether or not there 
 was water enough outside of it. 
 
 I beg to call especial attention to the two drawings of the river 
 at this point — the fancy sketch sent by President Lopez to our 
 government and one from the actual survey. I do not hesitate 
 to assert that they never would be recognized as representing the 
 same locality. When the Water Witch was within close shot, 
 two or three blank cartridges were fired from the fort in quick 
 succession, followed by a shot. At what part of the vessel it was 
 aimed I can only judge from President Lopez's dispatch to our 
 State Department, where he magnanimously says it was directed 
 so as to "pass ahead," If so, it struck wide of the mark, and 
 was unfortunately effective ; for it passed through the after port, 
 cut away the wheel, and killed the helmsman. Lieutenant Jeflfers 
 had disregarded the blank cartridges, and up to this time had 
 withheld his fire. Indeed, his means of defense, with three how- 
 itzers — one 24-pounder and two 12-pounders — were small against 
 a brick or stone fort. But when this shot came, he returned it as 
 rapidly as the reduced number of officers and crew and the dis- 
 abled condition of the helm would admit. The accuracy of the 
 fire was seen in cutting away the flag-staff and in the shrapneU 
 grazing the .low wall ; for the guns were mounted en barbette. We 
 learned afterward that several Paraguayans were killed ; some 
 reports said eleven, others fifteen. The Water Witch was struck 
 ten times, but the first was the only shot that did any execution, 
 though we learned that the firing from the fort was directed by a 
 person formerly of the French navy, who had entered the service 
 of Paraguay. 
 
 The pilot, very much alarmed, ran below ; and during the 
 shipping of the spare tiUer the steamer drifted with the current 
 
308 TRUE AND FANCY SKETCHES. 
 
 to the edge of the narrow channel into ten feet water. When 
 hauled upon deck, he declared she would be aground if the at- 
 tempt to proceed were persevered in, and insisted upon backing 
 her down. 
 
 She had by this time passed all but one of the six guns, and 
 would soon have been out of range, but, in backing, was again 
 exposed to the fire of the fort. 
 
 My first feeling of regret was that I had not, with the full com- 
 plement of of&cers and crew, undertaken this corner of the work. 
 Had it been so, this affair would never have taken place ; for the 
 detachment of officers and men from the Water Witch was 
 doubtless as well known in Paraguay as to myself, and this hos- 
 tile proceeding explained what had, I confess, claimed but a 
 passing notice. For a day or two before our departure, a small 
 Paraguay boat had been hovering about Corrientes, and as the 
 Pilcomayo steamed off, this little craft passed close to us, and 
 pulled rapidly up the river. She was doubtless a spy, and gave 
 immediate information as to the division of our party. 
 
 That this outrage may appear in its true light, it must be borne 
 in mind that the decree of the 3d of October, 1854, can not pos- 
 sibly be made to include those waters in which the Water Witch 
 was when she was fired into. Indeed, no part of the Eiver Pa- 
 rana is exclusively under the jurisdiction of Paraguay ; and up to 
 the fort Itapiru, and for one or two hundred miles beyond, that 
 river is the common boundary between the Argentine Confedera- 
 tion (on the northern border of Corrientes) and Paraguay. The 
 insult in itself is one that can not be tolerated ; it is, however, 
 eclipsed by the fraud which President Lopez attempts to impose 
 upon the public through the columns of the Seminario^ but, above 
 all, in a dispatch to the United States government, inclosing a 
 fancy sketch of the river, fort, and environs, representing the shots 
 fired in defense by the Water Witch, after her helmsman was 
 killed, as a hostile movement against the fort, and gravely re- 
 quests that the officers in charge may be " severely punished.''^ 
 
 On the opposite page is a reduced copy of this sketch made by 
 the order of President Lopez, and a true sketch of the Eiver 
 Parana, near the mouth of the Paraguay, from the chart of the 
 Water Witch. The " fancy sketch" here offered is doubtless the 
 work of a foreigner ; for there is, I presume, not a native capable 
 of making such a one, either from a survey or dictation ; it was 
 probably drawn by the ordnance officer of Itapiru, who, however 
 
FANCY AND TRUE SKETCH. 
 
 309 
 
 El Canal esclusivo del Campamento general del Passo de la Patria 
 pertenece de costa a costa a la Repubbca, y cubre el Camparnento, su 
 ^ transito estd prohebido aun a los Buques mercantes Nacionales. 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 
 4 r> ^'y^m 
 
 Ay 
 
 
 Txue North. 
 
 "fe. 
 
310 JURISDICTION OF THE PARANA. 
 
 skillful lie may be in directing sliot, shows that he knows little of 
 hydrographic surveys. The President did not care to represent 
 Nature's work, but to illustrate an Idea ; and from his office, far 
 removed from the scene, he dictated to the pliant draughtsman a 
 drawing of a winding river, in which he was directed to intro- 
 duce certain banks and shpals, until the "fancy sketch" repre- 
 sented a locality to suit the " Idea" he intended to present to the 
 United States. But his Excellency, though an admirable diplo- 
 matist, is unfortunately as ignorant as his draughtsman of the 
 first principles of hydrography. He neglects to put down the 
 soundings, to run the line of the "Water Witch aground on sand- 
 banks instead of ending it in water of unknown depth, or to 
 show how he has arrived at the peculiar obstructions of the Pa- 
 rana at that part of its course. 
 
 In continuing the exploration of that river, I do not suppose the 
 idea had ever suggested itself to any human being out of Para- 
 guay that the Water Witch would meet with the least opposition. 
 However defiant the policy of that government to neighboring 
 powers, even in Corrientes, it was not suspected of the monstrous 
 pretension of controlling exclusively the navigation of the Parana. 
 Our expedition had not only the sympathy of the Argentine Con- 
 federation, which claims concurrent jurisdiction over it, but I had 
 a circular from General Urquiza to all persons in authority, di- 
 recting them to offer me every facility in prosecuting the work ; 
 and from Senor Pujol, the governor of Corrientes, I had received 
 only the day before my departure, expressions of deep interest in 
 our labors, and the anxious hope that the exploration would de- 
 velop a channel practicable for all purposes of commerce, with- 
 out making the slightest reference to the decree of October 3d, or 
 to the possibility of Paraguayan interference. 
 
 As I had, then, the full permission of the Argentine States to 
 explore her waters, and the Parana was established and recognized 
 as the common boundary between their territory and Paraguay, 
 up to and beyond the Falls of Apipe, the propriety of my course 
 in ordering a party from the expedition there will not admit of 
 question. 
 
 I had on former occasions repeated conversations with President 
 Lopez relative to our contemplated explorations in that quarter, 
 but he never let drop the semblance of pretension to control or 
 prohibit its navigation. He did on one occasion congratulate "the 
 Eepublic" (for he is fond of using that word in speaking of Para- 
 
PRESIDENT LOPEZ'S ACCOUNT. gn 
 
 guay) that tlie " Salto Grande" (Falls of Guayra) was an insur- 
 mountable obstruction to the navigation of the river; and, as it 
 was the first time that I had ever heard the idea advanced that an 
 insurmountable obstacle to the navigation of a great river was 
 a national blessing designed by Heaven, it made an impression 
 upon me. I knew that he alluded to the much-feared encroach- 
 ments of "Los Portugases," and looted to the Salto Grande as a 
 bulwark against all attacks from that quarter. 
 
 As he does not presume to assert any entire jurisdiction over 
 the river, it will naturally be asked on what grounds does he jus- 
 tify his act of firing into the Water Witch ; for he admits that it 
 was by his orders to the commander of Itapiru. 
 
 He says in his dispatch to our government, and in his message 
 to the Congress of Paraguay, 
 
 " The Water Witch ascended the Parana by the channel that is common 
 to the Republic and the Argentine Confederation ; but, having stopped al- 
 most in front of Fort Itapiru, the commander observed that from that point 
 the Americans seemed occupied in taking some measurements, and then pro- 
 ceeded on, through the same common channel, to beyond the general en- 
 campment at the Paso de la Patria, and nearly to the upper point of the 
 Island ' Ceraya,' whence she returned through the same channel, passing 
 below Itapiru, and, turning the point of the south bank, which here exists, 
 took that which leads directly by the Fort Itapiru to the port of the gen- 
 eral encampment," etc.* 
 
 This explanation answered his purpose perfectly in Paraguay, 
 for he wished to prove that the Water Witch was seeking the 
 Fort Itapiru, and not the main channel of the river ; that she was 
 bound on a fighting, and not an exploring expedition ; but he 
 should have made out a stronger case ; should have added a few 
 more operations — it matters not what — to complete the romance. 
 His after-mistake was a great one, in repeating the same state- 
 ments to the Government of the United States. 
 
 It is needless to explain that the value of a survey depends 
 
 * Extract from President Lopez's Message, 14th March, 18r)7. 
 
 "El 1 de Febrero de 1855, predicho Vapor Water Witch subio al Parana por el 
 Canal comun de la Republica y de la Confederacion Argentina, pero habiendose 
 detenido casi en fronte de la fortaleza de Itapiru, observa el Commandante de ese 
 puerto que los Americanos paracien ocuparse en tomar algunas dimenciones, y lue- 
 go seguieron por el mismo canal comun hasta mas ariba del campamento general 
 del paso de la Patria, y casi hasta la punta superior de la Isla de Carya, de donde 
 vulvio a bajar por el mismo canal hasta mas abajo de Itapiru, y volviendo la punta 
 de arena del banco qui alii existe, tomo el que conduce por la misma fortaleza de 
 Itapiru al puerto del espresado campamento general." 
 
312 ATTEMPTED JUSTIFICATION. 
 
 upon its accuracy, and the course, depth, current of the Parana 
 channel could alone be determined by the Water Witch's enter- 
 ing it. She had a pilot who attempted to pass up near the Cor- 
 rientes shore, in what President Lopez designates as the Canal 
 Comun (" Common Channel"), and there ran aground. Is it rea- 
 sonable to suppose that, had there been a channel on that side, the 
 frightened pilot would have sought the other, of which he seems 
 to have had a great dread? and when asked " where lay the main 
 channel," would he immediately have pointed to that which led 
 to the " General Encampment," instead of the Canal Comiin? 
 
 Suppose there had been more than one channel — and the pilot, 
 who should have known, said there was not, for he certainly 
 made the effort to find another way — how would this have justi- 
 fied the attack ? If the river is a common highway for the two 
 countries, the whole of it is common throughout the extent of the 
 territories. It is not a highway if President Lopez appropriate 
 the available channel, where alone a vessel can pass up, and say, 
 " You shall not come on my side of the river," 
 
 As to the actual course and distance made by the Water Witch, 
 the accompanying " real sketch" will show ; and until informed 
 upon what data President Lopez constructed his chart, or until 
 he produces the observations made by his surveyor on shore, to 
 determine the track of the Water Witch, and establish beyond 
 doubt the superior accuracy of his work to ours by a fair com- 
 parison, I must pronounce one a "fancy sketch," the other a re- 
 liable piece of "track survey." 
 
 The President of Paraguay was evidently alarmed in anticipa- 
 tion of retaliation for this insult, and thundered forth in his little 
 weekly organ, the Seminario. Its articles, intended to impose 
 upon the credulity of Paraguayans, generally excite much amuse- 
 ment in La Plata. Personal attacks upon myself — the burden 
 of its editorials since the removal of the Americans — I did not 
 notice, for I rather suspected that his Excellency wished to draw 
 me into a paper war. But when, awakened to a sense of the 
 enormity of his act, as one utterly in defiance of the law of na- 
 tions, he attempted its justification by boldly claiming jurisdic- 
 tion over the main channel of the Parana because it ran near his 
 shores, and when he endeavored to make it appear that the 
 Water Witch, in entering it, had violated a national right, I de- 
 termined to expose this evasion or misinterpretation of every 
 principle of international law, and in one of the leading papers 
 
THE LAW OF NATIONS. 313 
 
 of Buenos Ayres gave a statement of the position of tlie steamer 
 wlieu fired upon, and quoted fully from Wheaton on the " Law 
 of Nations." From my references in that article, I here insert 
 one paragraph to show the extent to which rights under a com- 
 mon boundary are very fully recognized. 
 
 *' It was a principle that the right to a thing gives a right to the means 
 without which it could not be used ; that is to say, that the means follow 
 the end. Thus a right to navigate a river draws to it a right to moor ves- 
 sels to its shores, to land on them in cases of distress, or for other necessary 
 purposes, etc., etc. This principle was founded in natm-al reason, was evi- 
 denced by the common rule of mankind, and declared by the writers before 
 quoted."*— P. 357. 
 
 I have stated that I was overtaken by the Water Witch two 
 hundred miles below Corrientes. The information she brought 
 disturbed all my plans for the immediate exploration of the Sala- 
 do, for I could not rest quietly under this insult to our national 
 honor ; and as the steamer was slightly disabled, and her arma- 
 ment not such as could enable me to act effectively and surely 
 against a fort of six guns, I determined to proceed to Buenos 
 Ayres or Montevideo, in the hope of procuring from a ship of our 
 squadron two large shell guns, which would enable me to return. 
 
 On arriving at Parana, we found at anchor quite an imposing 
 Brazilian squadron, consisting of eight steamers — the Amazon, the 
 admiral's flag-ship, three sloops of war, and eleven transports, 
 bound for Paraguay. Such a demonstration from Brazil had been 
 for some months anticipated, not only to settle the question of 
 boundary, but to open a way, by the Paraguay, to Cuyaba. This 
 mode of backing negotiation by a squadron is, it seems, not con- 
 fined to England at this day ; and, however much it may be looked 
 upon as an act to intimidate, it must be resorted to in dealing with 
 governments that can not be reasoned into an observance of the 
 rights of nations. 
 
 I hastened to Buenos Ayres. A great disappointment awaited 
 me : but three days before the Germantown had sailed for Eio Ja- 
 neiro. I had been buoyed up with the hope of meeting this par- 
 ticular ship. Her commander. Captain Lynch, is an ofiicer who 
 would, I knew, fully sjmapathize with me in a sense of the outrage 
 to our flag, and afford me every assistance in his power to avenge 
 the wrong. 
 
 I proceeded to Montevideo, and finding there an American clip- 
 
 * The principal writers on national law. 
 
314 PROPOSED RETALIATION. 
 
 per bound for Eio, dispatched Lieutenant Powell witli a report of 
 the affair to the commander of the squadron, Commodore W. D. 
 Salter, and with an earnest appeal for aid. I begged that he would 
 order the German town to Paraguay ;* and at the same time sent a 
 report of the attack to the Secretary of the Navy and to the min- 
 ister resident at Buenos Ayres.f 
 
 On the 19th the Germantown arrived off Montevideo, bound for 
 Buenos Ayres, but with no satisfactory reply from the Commo- 
 dore, except that he would sail soon for La Plata. 
 
 I here quote from my journal : 
 
 ^^ 31st March, 1854:. The Savannah, flag-ship, has arrived. I im- 
 mediately visited the Commodore, and informed him I was ready, 
 and the Water Witch was in order for any service he might de- 
 sire of me (alluding to her towing the Germantown up the Para- 
 na) ; or, if he had no other work for me, would proceed to the 
 Uruguay. I still hoped there was more important service, for I 
 was unwilling to beheve that this outrage could long be suffered 
 to go unnoticed. He desired me to remain for a few days, as he 
 wished to confer with our resident minister at Buenos Ayres. 
 
 " April 5th. Have had a conversation with the Commodore 
 since my visit of the 31st, and urged the propriety of sending the 
 Germantown up, towed by the Water Witch, to knock down 
 Itapiru." 
 
 Captain Lynch, in a noble, generous spirit, which I fully appre- 
 ciate, had proposed to the Commodore to take the Germantown 
 up, or relinquish the command of the ship to me for that pur- 
 pose. 
 
 " April 6th. Again called on the Commodore ; found him in 
 close conversation with Mr. Peden — as I supposed, about the Para- 
 guay affair. I left immediately." 
 
 " A23ril 8th. Called again on the Commodore to know his de- 
 termination about my towing up the Germantown. He said, ' I 
 
 * Extract from report to Commodore Salter : 
 
 "The Water Witch, with the Germantown or a brig in tow, will be amply suffi- 
 cient to inflict such punishment on Paraguay as the insult demands — not only knock 
 down the fort, but capture the squadron also. Should additional steam power be 
 required in towing, it can easily be obtained here. The more promptly this is done, 
 the more easily and effectually it may be done. 
 
 "I can not express to you how deeply I regret not finding either yourself or Cap- 
 tain Lynch here. I shall proceed to take in coals, and have some slight repairs to 
 the engine, hoping for your arrival meantime." 
 
 t Mr. Pendleton had been recalled, and this place was filled by Mr. Peden, of 
 Florida. 
 
ASSISTANCE KEFUSED. 3I5 
 
 can not move in this matter. Tlie affair is referred to tlae gov- 
 ernment, and I shall await instructions.' I then said, ' Will 
 you, Sir, supply the Water Witch with two large guns, either 
 from the Savannah or the Germantown ? I desire to return and 
 carry on the work, but I do not feel justified in doing so with 
 the steamer in her present defenseless state. He said, ' No, there 
 are other fields for the expedition, and you had better not re- 
 turn to that part of the river until instructions are received from 
 home.' 
 
 " The Commodore and minister have been in conference. It 
 was a labor that brought forth nothing." 
 
 This was to me a bitter disappointment and mortification. I 
 clearly saw that the Commodore had assumed a responsibility in 
 not acting of far greater magnitude than if he had pursued the 
 most vigorous and decisive measures. It was evident to me that 
 the responsibility lay in doing nothing. 
 
 If a national vessel is fired into, unless the mistake is manifest, 
 for the honor of the flag and the credit of her commander, the 
 fire must be returned. The beautiful Christian precept of turning 
 the left cheek when the right is smitten, is not observed, and per- 
 haps not understood in national intercourse. If a man receives 
 a blow, he rarely folds his arms and waits for explanation : he re- 
 turns the blow ; and if in the wrong, he will discover it in proper 
 time, and make amends. 
 
 The fort of Itapiru ought to have been knocked down, and 
 we should now be even with the Paraguay government. I beg- 
 ged but for two guns, and I would have pledged my life in the 
 effort. 
 
 There were neither women, children, nor property of peaceful 
 citizens or foreigners to be injured, or involve us in endless ne- 
 gotiation for reclamation. 
 
 It was a difficulty for the Commodore, and for him alone, to 
 settle. A consultation with the minister was all well enough ; 
 he is generally presumed to be a person of standing at home, and 
 competent abroad to advise in such an emergency ; but confer- 
 ences can never shift responsibility. The obligations and duties 
 of a United States legation and a United States squadron are not 
 blended, neither can they possibly conflict. Each is alone an- 
 swerable to the government for a proper performance of its re- 
 spective duties. 
 
 To refer the matter home was an effectual way of getting rid 
 
316 SHIFTING THE RESPONSIBILITY. 
 
 of, or of indefinitely postponing it. There are extraordinary occa- 
 sions, and I consider this one, where the authority of a commander 
 on a foreign station exceeds even that of the Executive Department. 
 
 He has the right, the power, and it is his duty to resent and 
 avenge all and every outrage committed upon American vessels 
 within the limits of his station. How much more must he feel 
 the necessity of exercising this power when a vessel of his own 
 squadron has been msulted. He is not merely to report occur- 
 rences, and await answers, but is presumed to possess some natural 
 ability — some knowledge of the law of nations, and some sense of 
 honor, blended with a discretion which will enable him to assume 
 the responsibility of evident duty. 
 
 Paraguay was not considered a territory occupied by wild In- 
 dians, or as a den of pirates. "We had negotiated a treaty of 
 friendship and commerce with her, and that treaty had been rati- 
 fied by our Senate.* To order the Commodore to proceed there 
 and chastise her would have been making war upon a republic 
 recognized as belonging to the family of nations, and this is a 
 power which the Executive does not possess. When the egre- 
 gious mistake is made of supposing one's duty fully discharged 
 by merely reporting outrages to the Department, we embarrass its 
 movements. An ofl&cer can prevent this by avenging at the mo- 
 ment all insults, without placing the Executive in the humiliating 
 position of bearing them passively until an appeal can be made to 
 Congress for powers to act. 
 
 I have no desire to criticise or censure the course of the Com- 
 modore, but it is due to myself and to the navy to make a full 
 statement of this affair. 
 
 Had the Water Witch been in error, which can not be sustained 
 by the most specious arguments, how could it justify this insult 
 to our flag? It is clear she meditated no attack, assumed no 
 threatening attitude, and did not fire a gun until the evidence of 
 a shot from the fort showed itself in cutting down one of her crew 
 and carrying away her wheel. Was the of&cer in charge to sub- 
 mit to this ? It is no justification of the act to say that blank 
 cartridges were fired and a message from the fort delivered along- 
 side, for we do not recognize the right of Paraguay to control the 
 explorations of that river. The prohibition of her President was 
 an unwarrantable assumption of power, and its enforcement by a 
 shot, in every way that we can view it, a gross outrage, 
 
 * The Paraguay government subsequently refused the exchange of ratification. 
 
OUR TRUE COURSE. 3;[7 
 
 I had taken some trouble to inform myself, from every available 
 source, of the rights, exclusive and concurrent, over the naviga- 
 tion of the rivers of La Plata, because I studiously designed to 
 keep the expedition aloof from any semblance of interference in 
 the diiferences of neighboring powers ; and it entered those wa- 
 ters only where the jurisdiction of the government granting per- 
 mission was unquestioned. 
 
 I believe I understand President Lopez well enough to say that, 
 had he received at the proper time a spirited rebuke, had Itapiru 
 been knocked down or his squadron captured, we should now be 
 on the best possible terms. He would not, a year later, have 
 met our special commissioner on the threshold of his mission by 
 demanding to be informed what resolution this government had 
 made to give satisfaction for the outrages and hostilities commit- 
 ted by the commander of the Water Witch, " in order to see if 
 the case was such as to justify the exchange of ratification of the 
 treaty of the 4th of March, 1853, and to this intent you will be 
 pleased to reply to this note."* 
 
 In an official dispatch to our Secretary of State, dated Asun- 
 cion, November 29th, 1856, Seuor Vasquez says : 
 
 " His Excellency, President Lopez, will be found well disposed to renew 
 the negotiation of a treaty of friendship, commerce, and navigation, so soon 
 as his Excellency the President of the United States may desire to send to 
 this city a Plenipotentiary with suitable instructions, which will afford an 
 appropriate occasion to settle the questions I have cited to the Seiior Com- 
 missioner in my note of the 8th of this month."! 
 
 Again, in the correspondence of the Minister of Foreign Rela- 
 tions, , Seiior Nicholas Vasquez, with our special commissioner, 
 Mr. Richard Fitzpatrick, under date Asuncion, November 26th, 
 1856: 
 
 " His Excellency the President of the Republic ratified fully and com- 
 pletely on the 12th of March, 1853, with the consent of his Council of 
 
 * Extract of note from Secretary Vasquez to Commissioner Fitzpatrick, Novem- 
 ber 8th, 1856: 
 
 " Para ver si es llegado el caso de verificar lisa j llanamente el cange de las 
 ratificaciones del Tradado de 4 Marzo de 1853, y al efecto se servira U. S. respon- 
 der a esta nota." 
 
 t " Que S. E. se halla en la major disposicion de renovar la negociacion da un 
 Tratado de amistad, commercio, y navigacion, desde que el Exmo. Senor Presi- 
 dente de los Estados Unidos qniera enviar efecto a esta Ciudad un Plenipotencia- 
 rio, con instrucciones convcnientes ; y que contal oportunidad se podra definir las 
 questiones pendientes que he citado a S. S. en la citada nota des 8 de este mes." 
 
318 PARAGUAYAN DISPATCHES. 
 
 State, the treaty referred to of the 4th of March, as I explained to you at 
 our official interview, and in this aspect it is not possible for his Excellency 
 the President of the Republic to submit to a new ratification on the terms 
 you propose ; and in this view of the question I inform you of the receipt 
 of your note of the 18th, reaffirming mine of the 15th, and closing the cor- 
 respondence."* 
 
 I remained but a few days at Buenos Ayres, to obtain a verifi- 
 cation of tlie clironometer before entering tbe Uruguay, but kept 
 tlie Commodore advised by letter of tlie state of tbe Parana. I 
 was enabled to show him that the river had continued to rise 
 since I descended it in February, and at that time there was not 
 less than sixteen feet of water over the worst passes. I was re- 
 solved that he should entertain no doubts as to the practicability 
 of having the Germantown towed up from a want of water ; and 
 in my last note to him from Buenos Ayres, dated April 20th, 
 1855, 1 say : "I yesterday learned from an acquaintance from La 
 
 Paz that the Parana is very high, there being four fathoms 
 
 of water at this time on the worst shoals." 
 
 Previously, at his own request, I had given him a statement, 
 not simply as to the condition of the river at the present season, 
 but details as to its periodical changes. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Island of Martin Garcia. — Pass of San Juan. — Town of Higneritas. — The Brasso 
 Bravo. — Rio Negro. — The Gualaguaychu. — Concepcion. — Frey Bentos. — Fine 
 Pasturage. — Herds of Cattle. — Arrival at Concepcion. — College. — Saladeros. — 
 Town of Paisandu. — An Englishman's Estancia. — Current of the River. — Palm 
 Forests of Entre Rios. — The Arroyo Grande. — Paso Heredcra. — Town of Con- 
 cordia. — Trade. — Salto. — The Salto Grande. — Killing a Partridge. — Rise of Wa- 
 ter. — Tide. — Track Survey of the Rio Negro. — Town of Soriana. — Mercedes. — 
 Sarsaparilla. — Fossil Remains. — Megatherium and Glyptodon. — Health of this 
 Region of Country. — Cattle and Estancias. 
 
 On the 24th of April, 1855, we left the inner roads of Buenos 
 Ayres, and, passing through the shipping in the outer roads, stood 
 
 * "El Exmo. Senor Presidente de la Republica ha notificado lisa y llanamente 
 el 12 de Marzo de 1853, con dictamen de su consejo de Estado, el Tratado referido 
 de 4 del propio Marzo, como he manifestado a U. S. en nuestra conferencia oficial, 
 yen esta positura no es dable que S. E. el Sr. Presidente de la Republica se someta 
 a nueva ratificacion en los terminos que U. S. el presente aviso de racibo de su 
 nota reforida del 18, reproduciendo mi anterior del 15, y dando por cerrada esta 
 correspondencia. " 
 
EXPEDITION TO THE URUGUAY. 3I9 
 
 for the entrance to the Martin Garcia Channel. I quote from my 
 journal of this date : 
 
 " Steered a N.E. course per compass from the man-of-war an- 
 chorage, carrying not less than fifteen feet water, until the high 
 lands of San Juan (on the Banda Oriental side) were made on the 
 same bearing, and with Martin Garcia N.W. by W. ; a single 
 ombu south of San Juan, E.N.E., and two ombus near Colonia, 
 E.S.B. We passed the bar of San Juan with not less than four- 
 teen feet of water, although I am confident we were not in the 
 channel, as the pilot also thought." 
 
 In returning, after having completed the survey of the Uruguay, 
 I find the following entry in my journal : 
 
 " Left the island Martin Garcia, having obtained all the required 
 observations, and when the high lands of San Juan bore N. 42° 
 E., and Martin Garcia N. 60° W., stood across the bank, steering 
 S.S. W., to the outer roads of Buenos Ayres ; least water at low 
 tide ten feet. Martin Garcia was plainly in sight, distant about 
 twelve miles, where the course was shaped for the outer roads." 
 
 The bank here alluded to is that immense shoal between the 
 Palma Pass and the Guazu, formed by the gradual accretion of allu- 
 vial matter brought down by the branches into which the Parana 
 is divided by the numerous islands forming its delta. It extends 
 from the base of the delta south and east, gradually diminishing 
 and the depth of water increasing, until it is lost in the main 
 channel of La Plata. The new channel discovered in our work 
 gives a greater depth, by two feet, into the Parana and Uruguay, 
 showing that sixteen feet water may be carried into either of 
 those rivers, over the bar of San Juan, at the ordinary low state 
 of the tide. B}^ tidal observations, made at Martin Garcia during 
 the month of August, 1855, the ordinary rise was two to three 
 feet ; that produced by the wdnd at southeast, when not blowing 
 fresh, varied from three to four feet. 
 
 "Anchored at Higueritas, about four hundred yards from the 
 shore, in fifteen feet of water. This little town in the Banda Ori- 
 ental is the first met with on entering the Uruguay. It stands 
 half a mile inland, upon a ridge that slopes to the plain bordering 
 the river. The shore line is crescent-shaped, the horns protecting 
 the anchorage from those southeast winds which often delay for 
 months the discharge and loading of vessels at Buenos Ayres. 
 Cabot entered the mouth of the Uruguay, and may have been de- 
 terred from forming any settlement upon its banks by the fero- 
 
320 HIGUERITAS. 
 
 cious character of tlie Indians, wlio massacred a boat party that 
 had, under the command of Alvarez Eamon, ascended some dis- 
 tance ; but in recognizing the superior advantages of Higueritas as 
 a port, we wonder that it should have escaped the keen eye of De 
 Garay when seeking the site of a commercial town near the At- 
 lantic. The anchorage is open from S.W. to N.W., the width of 
 the river, and its waters could be agitated by no sea that would 
 delay the dispatch of vessels. Within the bar of San Juan the 
 depth varies from three to ten fathoms, and off this place, at a dis- 
 tance of from three hundred yards to three quarters of a mile, from 
 two to six fathoms, with a gradual inclination of the bottom to the 
 shore. In the neighborhood are fine granite quarries, from which 
 exhaustless supplies of building material could be obtained. The 
 Braso Bravo, one of the branches of the Parana, which is equally 
 navigable with the Guazu, empties into the Uruguay directly op- 
 posite Higueritas, and the Braso Largo, another arm, a little 
 above. This river is the dividing line between the Banda Ori- 
 ental and Entre Eios, and the aspect of the country upon the right 
 and the left presents for some distance in ascending a striking 
 contrast. The shores on the left rise precipitously from the wa- 
 ter, and the interior country, so far as the eye can reach, is a series 
 of grassy undulations clear of wood. The right banks are low 
 and wooded. As we advance, the bright green turf lands of En- 
 tre Eios gradually rise from the very margin of the river some 
 sixty feet, the general elevation of the country. On the left the 
 banks of the Uruguay and its small tributary streams from the 
 Banda Oriental are skirted with quebracho, urunday, etc., while 
 clumps of espinilla give a park-like appearance to the interior 
 country." 
 
 The width of the river varies from four to seven miles ; its 
 waters are turbid, and the channel not so well defined as that of 
 the Parana ; but there is ample depth for the Water Witch. The 
 first affluent of any importance is the Eio Negro, which rises in 
 the interior of the Banda Oriental, and empties by several arms 
 into the Uruguay, the vast expanse of which is here interrupted 
 by low wooded islands : Islas Boca, Falsa, Eondo, Lobos, Jaguar, 
 Jaguar Chico, and Biscaino. 
 
 Twelve miles above Eio Negro, the Gualaguaychu empties into 
 the Uruguay from the right ; opposite, and six miles distant — the 
 width of the river at this point — is Frey Bentos, an anchorage for 
 all large vessels engaged in the trade of Concepcion del Uruguay 
 
GUALAGUAYCHU. 821 
 
 and the town of Gualaguaychu, which latter is situated on the 
 right bank of a stream of the same name, and nine miles above 
 its mouth. Vessels of considerable size can go up to Concepcion, 
 but they drop down here to complete cargo. 
 
 Nine feet can be carried within a mile of the mouth of the 
 Gualaguaychu, but at this point is encountered a bar over which 
 there is but six feet at low water, and from eight and a half to 
 nine at high. This depth may be carried up to the town, which, 
 as the centre of a rich grazing state, must become — indeed is — a 
 place of commercial activity, notwithstanding the inconvenience 
 of ti-^ishipment, fifteen miles from the port. Its exports — hides, 
 tallow, jerked beef, and bone manure, are brought down to Frey 
 Bentos in large sail-boats and small-decked craft. In 1849 it 
 contained but 7000 inhabitants, but under the benign influence 
 of constitutional government its population and trade have in- 
 creased a hundred per cent. Two years have elapsed since my 
 first visit, and I not only find its extent doubled, by new squares 
 and streets, but the pubhc and private buildings are handsome and 
 substantial structures. Among them are a government house, 
 theatre, and a private dwelling for General Urquiza. American 
 pine lumber, now extensively used in the growing towns on the 
 Parana, is also in demand here. 
 
 Settlers are availing themselves of the liberal policy which 
 governs the distribution or sale of public lands. The payment 
 of a few shillings for recording the title will secure a fine chacra 
 (farm), or even lots within the limits of a town, with the sole ob- 
 ligation that the receiver shaU occupy it himself, or by proxy, if 
 a town lot ; or if a farm, inclose it within six months. 
 
 The territory of this department extends from the Gualaguay 
 River — coasting the Parana, to its entrance into the Uruguay, 
 thence along the river to the Gualaguaychu, embracing ten judi- 
 cial districts. Independent of its foreign commerce, which is 
 steadily iacreasing, it has considerable trade with Buenos Ayres 
 and Montevideo. This is carried on in vessels of light draught. 
 The discriminating duties, recently imposed by the Argentine 
 government upon interior trade, will necessarily induce foreign 
 ships to its ports. This will prove a great gain to both buyer and 
 seller. The estimated amount of exports from Gualaguaychu 
 for the year 1851 was $447,273 ; and that of imports $179,929. 
 
 Ascending from Frey Bentos, the course of the river changes 
 from north to east, washing on two sides the Pincon de GaUinas 
 
 21 
 
322 CONCEPCION. 
 
 — a corner of Banda Oriental, embracing many square leagues, 
 and almost insulated by the Rio Negro and tlie Uruguay. It is 
 entirely unoccupied, except by tbe huts of a few woodmen, who 
 pay a small sum for the privilege of cutting its espinilla for the 
 Buenos Ayres market, and yet it presents one of the most desir- 
 able points on this river for the establishment of estancias. A 
 fence across the narrow neck, connecting it with the main land, 
 would effectually prevent one of the embarrassments complained 
 of by the estancieros — the straying of young cattle before they 
 have received their " mark." Its verdant ridges afford extended 
 views of land and water, and would be beautiful sites for dwel^ngs. 
 
 Between Frey Bentos and Concepcion — a distance by the course 
 of the river of 50 miles — the lands of Entre Rios, where seen from 
 the channel, were undulating, ranging some 60 or 60 feet above 
 the river. The pasturage was fine, and herds of cattle, droves of 
 horses, and flocks of sheep covered its green slopes. The view 
 of the main land was sometimes intercepted entirely by high 
 islands, many of them covered by a dense but indifferent vegeta- 
 tion ; others had a large number of peach-trees ; willows abound- 
 ed, and, in the absence of better wood, are burned for charcoal. 
 
 We left the main channel, which continues near the shores of 
 the Banda Oriental, to test the practicability of one between the 
 islands Bopigua and Laguna. Though contracted, it is perfectly 
 safe and unobstructed. We elitered a riacho, and 'passing the 
 mouth of the Arroyo da China, upon which stream is estabhshed 
 a vast saladero, we anchored off Concepcion. 
 
 Our reception now — as on a former occasion, when I visited 
 this town with Messrs. Pendleton and Schenck — was extremely 
 flattering, and showed that the services of the Water Witch were 
 remembered gratefully. Beef and vegetables were sent by the 
 authorities for the use of the crew, and every possible courtesy 
 was extended to the officers. Among other civilities we received 
 and accepted an invitation to a ball given in celebration of the 
 anniversary of Urquiza's proclamation against Rosas in 1851. 
 
 Concepcion has 5000 inhabitants, and is prettily situated on 
 high land, about half a mile from the river. I have before allud- 
 ed to its primary school and college, established by Urquiza. 
 Both these institutions were at this time in the most flourishing 
 condition. General Urquiza is a native of Entre Rios, resides 
 much at San Jose,* and takes great interest in the growth and 
 * The estancia visited by me in 1 853. 
 
THE BANDA ORIENTAL. 323 
 
 prosperity of this place. It is the principal town in the Uruguay 
 Department, which comprehends five judicial districts, and em- 
 braces all the territory from the Gualaguaychu, coasting the Uru- 
 guay Kiver, to the Arroyo Grande. 
 
 The saladero at the mouth of the Arroyo da China is con- 
 ducted on a vast scale. At the shipping season, when the estab- 
 lishment is in full operation, they slaughter, salt up, stow away 
 the beef, hides, and try out the tallow of five hundred head of 
 cattle per day. The arroyo is deep, and there were at the time 
 of our visit three vessels — a bark, and two brigs of two and three 
 hundred tons burden — lying close to the shore. Two of them 
 were taking in cargoes of hides and tallow, while the third was 
 loading with horns, bones, and bone-ashes for England. The 
 economy of the establishment was perfect. Parts formerly thrown 
 away — entrails and carcasses — are now subjected to a steam press- 
 ure, by which every particle of fatty matter is extracted ; the 
 residue is dried as fuel for the furnaces ; the ashes of this fuel are 
 shipped for England, and there greatly valued for fertilizing pur- 
 poses. They told me at this saladero, that notwithstanding the 
 fine appearance of the Entre Eios cattle, those of the Banda Ori- 
 ental, bordering the Uruguay, were superior, and with this remark- 
 able difference that hides from animals of the same size weighed 
 several pounds more. 
 
 " Nineteen miles above Concepcion is Paisandu, a town of 2388 
 souls, and the only one on the Banda Oriental shores since leav- 
 ing BQgueritas, distant 130 miles. It is a forlorn, dilapidated 
 place. The houses are deserted, the gardens overgrown with 
 weeds — the marks of civil war, from which that state had just 
 been delivered. The grass of the surrounding country is good, 
 but the number of cattle is greatly diminished. Not a tree or 
 sign of cultivation meets the eye. Statistics of this department 
 rate the cattle at 350,000 ; horses, 3060 ; sheep, 56,000 ; hogs, 
 1558 ; jackasses, 2000 ; and a few goats. There are 134 pastoral 
 establishments {establicimentos de pastord)^ two of which formerly 
 furnished as many cattle as can now be found in the whole de- 
 partment. The population of this district, exclusive of that of 
 the town, is 3859. A few miles above Paisandu is the Saladero 
 Madelaso, where a large number of mares are slaughtered annu- 
 ally. 
 
 " In the Banda Oriental a series of grassy ridges run parallel 
 with the river, and upon them are several quintas ; near one is a 
 
324 MR. CAMPBELL'S ESTANCIA. 
 
 field of wheat. The interior country is open, witli clumps of 
 mimosae. Friable limestone abounds. On the opposite side, in 
 Entre Eios, the river is skirted by a dense growth of wood ; and 
 near the mouth of the Arroyo San Francisco, which there empties 
 into the Uruguay, is a lime-kiln, the stone for which is found in 
 the immediate neighborhood. 
 
 "Anchored 25 miles above Paisandu, off the estancia of an 
 Englishman. Quantities of espinilla are cut and corded for the 
 Buenos Ayres market. The site of Mr. Campbell's dwelhng is 
 well chosen, and, before learning the name of the owner, I knew, 
 from the appearance of a fine vegetable garden, that it must be 
 the property of a foreigner. There was, however, even here, no 
 other cultivation ; for cattle-breeding is so easy, rapid, and certain 
 a road to fortune, that foreigners, like the natives of the country, 
 overlook the productive capabilities of the soil. This estancia 
 contains five square leagues, and has the desiderata of a cattle- 
 farm, fine pasturage, and abundance of water, being intersected 
 by several arroyos. A few years since it was purchased for 
 $17,000 ; it had then 16,000 head of cattle, and now, with 18,000, 
 it is valued at .$60,000. This shows a considerable increase in 
 the price of cattle, for the land, when stocked, is rated at nothing. 
 
 " The current is here two knots, and increasing as we go up- 
 ward ; the least depth of water so far is 13 feet ; shoals, where 
 they exist, are sand, or sand and gravel. 
 
 " Above Estancia Campbell a belt of wood follows the course 
 of the river on both shores, and inland are seen clumps of mimosse. 
 The grass of the Banda Oriental is of a deeper hue than that of 
 the opposite state, which, from the character of its soil — light and 
 sandy — is more affected by drought. 
 
 " Three miles above this estancia is the Arroyo Palma; on the 
 right, palmse ; on the left, espinilla. 
 
 " Yuelta San Jose, Campo San Jose — upon it a fine stone cor- 
 ral, made by the Brazilians during their invasion of the Banda. 
 The palm forests of Entre Rios are dense, and the ground beneath 
 is carpeted with a turf of bright green. Herds and flocks on that 
 side are always in sight. These quiet pastoral landscapes are very 
 beautiful, and we all have stocked estancias and built a hund- 
 red air castles upon the verdant ridges. I never knew a sailor 
 whose snug harbor, after the toils and dangers of a sea-life were 
 over, was not a farm, and here it may be had without the de- 
 sideratum in older countries — money. 
 
CONCOEDIA.— SALTO. 326 
 
 "Arroyo Grande, tlie dividing line between the departments 
 Uruguay and Concordia, empties from the right bank opposite 
 the island Guaviu. This stream is skirted by fine timber, que- 
 bracho, etc, A quarter of a mile above, another stream, the Ar- 
 royo Chapiqui Chico, flows into the Uruguay from the same side. 
 At this point the palm plains of Entre Eios terminate seventy -five 
 miles above Paisandu. Eocks on both sides contract the channel, 
 making a narrow and intricate pass, known as the Paso Heredero. 
 On the left a saladero, and above, another estancia owned by Mr. 
 Campbell ; it is stocked with a small herd of cattle and 30,000 
 sheep. 
 
 " Twenty -five miles above Heredero Reef anchored off Concor- 
 dia in 22 feet of water. This town, of 2500 inhabitants, dates its 
 existence from 1831, and is the capital of a department of the 
 same name, which extends from the Arroyo Grande to Mocorita, 
 and comprehends ten judicial districts. It boasts a flourishing 
 free-school, established in 18-47 by Urquiza. In consequence of 
 the obstruction to navigation offered by the Salto Grande, twenty 
 miles above this, Concordia is the last town in Entre Rios from 
 which an uninterrupted river communication may be maintained 
 with the cities of the Parana and La Plata, As the shipping port 
 for the missiones and a vast interior country, it has considerable 
 trade.. The principal exports are hides, tallow, and yerba. In 
 1850 there was received here, in transitu for other places, among 
 a variety of articles, the following: 10,624 tercias* of yerba, 1694 
 arobas of wool, 1070 cheeses of 6 lbs. each, 2643 fanegasf ot 
 salt, 132 pipes and 54 barrels of tallow and beef grease, 1962 aro- 
 bas of horse-hair, 1300 arobas and 164 barrels of rice, 17,272 dry 
 hides of cattle, 2289 ditto salted, 2109 hides of mares, 1506 quin- 
 tals of jerked beef. 
 
 " Three miles above, on the opposite shore, which rises sixty 
 feet above the level of the river, stands Salto, the principal town 
 of a department of the same name. It is rather a bustling place 
 of 2800 inhabitants, and the last port on the Oriental side before 
 reaching the fall. Between Concordia and Salto, a little above 
 the anchorage of the first place, is a rocky ledge, Coralitas, which 
 endangers the navigation somewhat; but between its projecting 
 rocks there is sufficient width and depth, even at low water, for 
 any steamer or vessel that may ascend the river — that is, from 
 
 * Terdas, the hide sacks in which yerba is packed, containing 8 arobas of 25 
 lbs. each. f A fanega, 2i bushels. 
 
326 SALTO GRANDE. 
 
 six to seven feet could be carried with, safety to Salto. Tlie least 
 depth we have named continues but a short time, and even up to 
 this point is increased by south winds. / 
 
 " The exports of Salto would be limited to a few hides and a 
 small quantity of tallow but for the products of the interior coun- 
 try, which are transported from Uruguayana and other Brazilian 
 towns in carretas (ox wagons). Thirty thousand arobas of yerba 
 are shipped annually, but it is inferior to the Paraguay leaf. 
 This department has suffered much from the wars that have af- 
 flicted this unfortunate country, and has now, including the city, 
 but a population of 7364 souls. Statistics give the following as 
 its stock in 1852 : 262,000 head of cattle, 17,000 horses, 25,000 
 mares, 500 mules, 4000 hogs, 118,000 sheep. There are now 404 
 pastoral establishments. 
 
 "Though the navigation of the Upper Uruguay is a question 
 of vital importance to the inhabitants upon its borders, I can ob- 
 tain no information as to the condition of the water upon the great 
 falls, and can only guess, from a variety of contradictory state- 
 ments, that vessels of light draught may pass over them during 
 the months of October and November. The passage, even during 
 those months, must be difficult, if not dangerous, on account of 
 the rapidity of the current. An attempt was made in a small 
 steamer a year or two since, and in the failure, from lack of pow- 
 er in the boat, she was near being lost. 
 
 "Judging from all that I see and hear, the river is too low to 
 pass over the Salto Chico (Little Fall), at this time with the Wa- 
 ter Witch." 
 
 I engaged a boat, and proceeded to examine the Salto Grande. 
 To avoid the current as much as possible, we kept near the Entre 
 Eios shore, intending to return by the channel. After a pull of 
 five hours we reached the Salto, a picturesque spot, but misnamed 
 a fall. There is no one great perpendicular descent, but for about 
 one third of a mile the river from shore to shore presents a foam- 
 ing surface, broken by verdant islets and innumerable rocks of a 
 reddish sandstone, over and through which the waters dash with 
 inconceivable force. The rocks are of every shape and size. 
 Some rise smooth and rounded for several feet above the water ; 
 others project sharply, presenting the most fantastic shapes. The 
 rush and roar of this mighty river, boiling and foaming through 
 its green pastoral banks, was a magnificent spectacle. The banks 
 on both sides rise some thirty or forty feet above it, and are skirt- 
 
DESCENT OF THE RIVER. 327 
 
 ed with indifferent wood, but the want of a nobler vegetation is 
 supplied by the luxuriance of a number of climbing plants. The 
 hmnid atmosphere was redolent with their delicious odor, and the 
 eye was charmed by the beauty of the white trumpet-shaped flow- 
 ers of an epiphyte that encircled the trunks and covered the limbs 
 of every dead tree, as if all association of decay must be banished 
 from the imposing features of nature here presented. We found 
 a river craft, snugly moored out of the influence of currents, at 
 the mouth of a small arroyo, where it was quietly awaiting a rise 
 of the waters. The skipper seemed to be philosophically indiffer- 
 ent as to whether this would occur in a week or year ; he thought 
 release was possible in one month by the transient rise in June. 
 From that time the Uruguay fluctuates until October, and in No- 
 vember has attained its maximum, after which it falls rapidly. 
 There must yet be a rise of twenty feet to allow the ascent of 
 vessels of the draught of the Water Witch. 
 
 I went on shore with my gun ; saw deer, capinchas, and many 
 partridges. Nothing could exceed the amazement of the pilot 
 when I brought down one of these last. He looked at the flut- 
 tering bird, then at me, exclaiming, " I have never seen any thing 
 to equal that."* 
 
 In descending through the channel, the least depth of water was 
 ten feet on the Salto Chico ; width of river from a half to three 
 quarters of a mile. Physical features of the country on both 
 sides unchanged — rolling grass lands. We made, in descending, 
 the same distance in two hours through which it had taken five 
 to ascend. I found that the river had fallen fifteen inches in 
 twenty-six hours. It is a little above its ordinary level, which 
 accounts for this rapid decrease. 
 
 "Descending, anchored off Concepcion, that we might obtain 
 observations of comparison for the chronometers in connection 
 with those made during our ascent. 
 
 " Stopped off Mr. Campbell's estancia to purchase espinilla for 
 ship's use. This wood, sawed and split into pieces of twelve 
 inches by four, cost half a cent each stick, of which there were 
 about 1600 in a cord, making $8 per cord. Purchased a beeve, 
 for which we paid $10, without the hide. Mr. Campbell says 
 that the interior streams are bordered by valuable woods, such 
 as quebracho, curupay, nandubay, etc. 
 
 * The partridge is caught in this country with the lasso, or a small running 
 noose. 
 
328 IN THE MUD. 
 
 " I regret tliat we have no time to examine the neighboring 
 plains, which are particularly interesting from the number and 
 character of fossils that have been recently disimbedded from 
 them. One — an osseous-armored animal, found six feet below 
 the surface in the banks' of a neighboring arroyo — must, I think, 
 from Mr. Campbell's description, be a gigantic prototype of the 
 armadillo. I hope, before leaving La Plata, to be able to give 
 some attention to this subject; but the more important objects 
 of the expedition must first be carried out. 
 
 " Anchored off Frey Bentos ; or rather, unintentionally, laid 
 the "Water Witch on a mud-bank, by leaving the channel to make 
 a detailed survey in crossing from the Banda Oriental side to the 
 mouth of the Gualaguaychu. As bad luck would have it, we have 
 one of those northeast winds, which at times leave little water in 
 the river, and our craft is as snug in two feet of mud as if in 
 dock ; while we go on with the designed work in boats, calcu- 
 lating from the law of probabilities that by the time it is finish- 
 ed, if not before, the wind will haul south. The result of this 
 survey was a good channel of ten feet, to within two miles of the 
 mouth of the Gualaguaychu. 
 
 "While in the mud we have had a striking instance of the effects 
 of southerly winds upon the tide, or flow of water in this river. 
 The wind for four days has been blowing northeast. Hauling 
 suddenly to southwest, in one hour the water rose three feet. 
 This change is caused more by the removal of a pressure driving 
 the waters out than from a power forcing them in ; for it is a 
 southeaster that produces the greatest and most sudden rise. 
 Above Concepcion the river rises twenty -four feet, a height main- 
 tained but a short time because of the greatly -increased width 
 below and its approach to La Plata. As an illustration of the in- 
 fluence of the tide, I may state that I find on the Paso de Tala, 
 a distance of one hundred and ten miles below Salto, one foot 
 greater depth of water than when we ascended, notwithstanding 
 the fall at the latter point of four feet during the three days that 
 I remained. 
 
 " Anchored off the Eio Negro ; having sent Mr. Henry to run 
 out a supposed channel along the Banda Oriental shore from 
 Frey Bentos to this point. He found it direct and often feet, 
 making three in this reach of the river ; the one best adapted to 
 large vessels being near the Entre Eios shore. 
 
 " Accompanied by Mr. Murdaugh, I left the steamer to make a 
 
FOSSILS. g29 
 
 track survey of the Eio Negro to Mercedes. Five miles from its 
 mouth passed Soriana, a small town on the left bank. Encamp- 
 ed for the night at Port Cerito. While the men were pitching 
 their tents we started over the plains with our guns ; saw many 
 partridges ; supped on ' hard tack,' made soft by soaking ; found 
 shawl and poncho no effectual protection against damp grass and 
 the chilliness of the night. At early dawn again on the move, 
 and reached Mercedes at meridian." 
 
 This town of 7000 inhabitants stands on high land about half 
 a mile from the river, and presented the most attractive appear- 
 ance as we approached. Above it the Rio Negro is not naviga- 
 ble ; but up to this place we found a channel of seven feet, which 
 is increased to ten by a south wind ; width of river from three 
 quarters to one mile. 
 
 The vast growth of sarsaparilla upon the borders of this river 
 discolors its waters, and imparts to them at the same time such 
 medicinal properties that invalids resort to Mercedes for the 
 benefit of their curative power. Here, as elsewhere in all this 
 country, the principal exports are hides and jerked beef; lime 
 and fire-wood, in small quantities, are sent to Buenos Ayres. 
 
 " We spent the afternoon in riding over the neighboring plains. 
 Soil a tenacious black loam; grass vigorous. We saw neither 
 cattle nor cultivation ; and every where in this unfortunate coun- 
 try we hear the same story : ' Civil wars have desolated and de- 
 populated it.' 
 
 " The number of gigantic quadrupeds imbedded in these plains 
 is extraordinary. Mr. Stoddard, an English gentleman residing 
 at Mercedes, has made a valuable collection, which includes what 
 he supposes to be a glyptodon, and many very perfect parts of a 
 megathereum. The developments that have been more recently 
 made fully sustain Darnin in saying, that ' the number of the re- 
 mains imbedded in the grand estuary deposit which forms the 
 pampas and covers the granite rocks of the Banda Oriental must 
 be extraordinarily great.' * 
 
 " Another individual of this place tells me of a fine collection 
 of petrifactions found in the neighborhood — a horse's hoof, cow 
 dung, birds' eggs ; and on the Gualaguaychu trunks, branches of 
 silicified trees are found, exhibiting every stage of petrescence." 
 
 Having accomplished the object of our visit to Mercedes, we 
 proceeded to Higueritas, where a more detailed survey was made 
 
 * Darnin, vol. i., p. 199. 
 
330 STATE OF ENTEE RIOS. 
 
 of the ancliorage. From thence I once more returned to Buenos 
 Ayres, and prepared for an exploration of the Salado. 
 
 It will be seen that to Salto, fifteen miles below the Great Fall, 
 and two hundred and ninety from Martin Garcia, we ascended 
 the Uruguay in the Water Witch at the season of low water. It 
 therefore may be inferred that the ascent of this river is easy and 
 practicable at all times to vessels of nine feet draught. In the 
 upper part there is a slight current ; but that is often neutralized 
 by the flood tide, which is perceptible with every south wind. 
 Its channel, though not so well defined as that of the Parana, is 
 not changed by every inundation, and is wide enough to admit 
 of vessels beating up and down. By a short canal, of about three 
 locks, the navigation of this noble river could be opened several 
 hundred miles beyond the Salto Grande, where it flows through 
 a fertile and comparatively populous country. Numerous islands 
 and islets of every size and form rise many feet above the high- 
 est water level, but add little to its beauty. Many of them ex- 
 tend for miles, and intercept entirely a view of the main land ; 
 but they are without the splendid vegetation, the brilliant flora, 
 that render so enchantingly beautiful those of the Parana Archi- 
 pelago. With the exception of the willow and peach, their growth 
 is generally shrubby, and, so far as I could judge, valueless. 
 
 For half a century the Banda Oriental, with few intervals of 
 peace, has been afflicted by calamitous wars, civil and foreign. 
 The decrease of cattle — its only source of wealth — is enormous ; 
 and the condition of its territory upon the Uruguay, as compared 
 with that of Entre Eios opposite, offered the most impressive 
 illustration of the influence of peace and just government upon 
 the progress of these countries. Entre Eios, in the revolutionary 
 struggle, was devastated by Artigas; and as a neighboring state 
 it has suffered from the occupation of the Banda Oriental by 
 Brazil. At the period of our visit but two years had elapsed 
 since the opening of the rivers to foreign commerce, and the 
 establishment of the Argentine Confederation under a constitu- 
 tional government ; but in this short time the towns of this state, 
 upon the Uruguay, like those of the Parana, had doubled their 
 population ; free-schools, and a college were flourishing ; estancias 
 were numerous and well stocked; ships were loading for Euro- 
 pean ports; and with the continuance of peace Entre Eios is 
 destined to be one of the most prosperous states in La Plata. 
 Throughout its length and breadth it has not an infertile or insa- 
 
THE GAUCHOS. 331 
 
 lubrious district ; it is intersected by numerous perennial streams, 
 tributaries to the Parana and Uruguay — the central lines of com- 
 munication with the Atlantic. Nature unaided produces fine 
 pastures ; and the luxuriant herbage is but the covering of a vast 
 gold mine — a varied and productive soil. Formerly the wealth 
 of the estanciero consisted entirely in herds of horned cattle ; but 
 this property is easily appropriated in time of war ; and many of 
 them, having suffered severe losses, have of late years given much 
 attention to the rearing of sheep, which is attended with such 
 success that wool is, or will become soon, a staple. To the gau- 
 cho soldier carnero (mutton) is not came (beef) ; neither is the 
 skin of the former so available as the hide of the latter to the 
 commanding general, who enters the war poor, and leaves it rich, 
 by possessing himself of the herds of some individual of the oppo- 
 site party. 
 
 The grazing farms {establicimenios pastoros) are generally owned 
 by capitalists, who leave the entire management of their estates 
 each to a capitaz, who lives in a thatched hut, with no comforts 
 — not even those for the table that might be derived from the 
 rudest culture of the soil. A few proprietors reside upon their 
 estancias, in excellent adobe houses, and possess generally great 
 popularity and influence over the gauchos, the only laborers of 
 the Eiverine Provinces. Muscular and athletic, scarcely a shade 
 hghter than the Indian, with long uncombed black locks, the 
 appearance of the gaucho in his picturesque costume is unposing. 
 When we glance at the training of these men, and know that in 
 the military agitations of the country they are the soldiers, and 
 that many of the chieftains who have figured prominently in the 
 strifes of the land belong to this class, we cease to be astonished 
 at the sanguinary character of their contests. The whole educa- 
 tion of the gaucho is physical. The long sheath-knife — the toy 
 of his infancy — is the prized weapon of his matured years ; the 
 pastimes of youth are feats of horsemanship, trials of skill with 
 the lasso and bolas ; the most peaceful occupation of his manhood 
 is to figure in the spectacles of the country — the corrals — as a 
 " domador" or marker of cattle, or to be an active laborer in its 
 only industrial establishments, saladeros. Such pursuits leave 
 their mark. Many of them become imbued with a brutal ferocity 
 — a fearful indifference to the shedding of blood, which exhibits 
 itself in the atrocities that characterize the civil wars of La Plata. 
 
332 EXPLORATION OF THE SALADO. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Chartering of the little Steamer. — Arrival at Santa Fe. — Province of Santa Fe. — 
 Civil Wars and Independence. — Wood. — Ascent of the River. — Animal Life. — 
 Ducks, Jaguars, Capibaras, and Armadillos. — The Diver, Podiceps leucopterus. — 
 Planting of sweet Potatoes. — The Crucito. — The Saladito. — La Cruz. — The Bed 
 of a Lagoon. — Monte Aguara. — The Retiu-n. — Current and Width of the River. — 
 The Jaguar. — Density of the Salado Water. — Journey by Land to the upper Wa- 
 ters. — A Tatu. — Quebracho. — The Mirage. — The surly Officer. — The Tongue of 
 the taciturn Argentino loosened. — The Seguudo. — Tio or Concepcion. — Algor- 
 roba and Soil. — Arrival at Cordova. — List of Distances. 
 
 Immediately on my return I cliartered from the agent of the 
 American and Paraguay Company a small steamer, which had 
 been shipped from the United States in detached pieces, and was 
 now being put together in the " Tigre" for the purpose of explor- 
 ing the Salado.* Her length was 112 feet, draught 26 inches, 
 with all on board — twenty-five souls, two months' provisions, six 
 tons of coal, and two cords of wood. 
 
 On the first day of July, as she was in a running condition, and 
 her accommodations sufiiciently advanced to afford protection from 
 the weather, I took possession of her, and on the 2d started for 
 the scene of our future operations, accompanied by the following 
 officers : Acting Lieutenants William L. Powell and W. H. Mur- 
 daugh, Assistant Surgeon Robert Carter, Assistant Engineer T. B. 
 C. Stump, and a crew of twenty men. 
 
 Previous to this move the entrance to the Palma Pass had been 
 surveyed, and to Lieutenant Jeffers was assigned the charge of the 
 Water Witch, with instructions to complete the work at Martin 
 Garcia, the result of which has already been given. 
 
 We proceeded through the Arroyo Capitan, the Palma Pass, 
 and Baradero, which, in connection with the work subsequently 
 done by Lieutenant Powell on his return in the Yerba, completed 
 the survey of the various branches of the Parana within its delta 
 to the town of Santa Fe, the starting-point of our Salado expedi- 
 tion. 
 
 Our arrival quite disturbed the quietude of Santa Fe, and ex- 
 cited a vast deal of enthusiasm ; for, should the Salado prove nav- 
 * The Salado, that empties into the Parana at Santa Fe. 
 
SANTA FE. ' 333 
 
 igable to tlie western provinces, great prosperity miglit be antici- 
 pated for this town and province. To verify the predictions of 
 some and realize the hopes of others depended upon contingencies 
 in the future of the work that gave rise to endless speculation. 
 Our reception, both by officials and individuals, was very flatter- 
 ing, but none could give us any information as to the state of the 
 river ; indeed, all accounts were discouraging. We were told by 
 those who were supposed to be the best informed that we might 
 possibly ascend about 45 miles ; by some that it was no river ; 
 and by others that it took its rise in one of the numerous lakes in 
 that region of country. 
 
 We dined with the governor, and accompanied his family to a 
 ball, where we were agreeably impressed with the tact and good 
 breeding of the men and women. The latter were generally 
 handsome and well dressed, and danced with the inimitable grace 
 and precision which I have alluded to as distinguishing their coun- 
 trywomen. 
 
 At the period of our visit the aspect of Santa Fe was rather des- 
 olate, for both country and city had suffered in years past from 
 the hostilities of the Chaco Indians, and the latter was not yet, 
 like its neighbor Eosario, revivified by the opening of the rivers. 
 Before the Revolution this province was considered as forming 
 part of the jurisdiction of Buenos Ayres, and as no expense was 
 spared in protecting it from the incursions of the savages by forts 
 adequately garrisoned, it was one of the most prosperous towns in 
 the viceroyalty, a point of distribution not only for the products 
 of the west and northwest, but of Corrientes and Paraguay, for 
 Chih and Peru. Its estancieros alone, from their herds in this and 
 the province of Entre Rios, were able to furnish 50,000 mules an- 
 nually for the Alto Peruvian market, and the amount of one item, 
 yerba, received in transitu, reached 125,000 arobas. 
 
 In the civil wars which distracted the country after its separa- 
 tion from Spain, Santa Fe declared itself independent of the cen- 
 tral government, and drew the line of division at the Arroyo del 
 Medio. 
 
 But by this act was sown the germ of its decadence, for to 
 maintain garrisons and establish posts for the protection of a long 
 line of frontier, as well as to guard against invasion from other 
 quarters, were more than the resources of the new state would ad- 
 mit of Outposts were driven in from time to time, estancias, the 
 richest in La Plata, were robbed of cattle and deserted by their 
 
334 ASCENT OF THE SALADO. 
 
 owners, while, emboldened by success, the Indians at last advanced 
 to the vicinity of the town, and on several occasions entered it 
 and committed horrible excesses. The finest districts of the coun- 
 try were finally abandoned, and the whole population of the state 
 reduced to about sixteen or twenty thousand souls, of which the 
 towns of Rosario and Santa Fe embraced nearly one half within 
 their limits, the former containing about 8000 and the latter 6000 
 souls. 
 
 The position of Santa Fe, on an arm of the Parana, makes it 
 less accessible to sailing vessels than other towns of that river. 
 But all difficulties will be obviated by the introduction of steam- 
 ers of suitable construction ; and now that the navigability of the 
 Salado for 900 miles is established, its facilities for communica- 
 tion with the western states are so increased that it must not 
 only re-attain its old. prosperity and consideration, but become the 
 rival of its neighbor Eosario, which is now the emporium of trade 
 in the Confederation. The same elements that have so far ex- 
 panded and enlivened the once contracted and silent streets of the 
 latter will also build up the vacant squares of this town, and line 
 its bold water-front with store-houses for the receipt and dispatch 
 of the products of the country. 
 
 To obtain the necessary fuel for our craft we were obliged to 
 intercept, early in the morning, carts bringing in the daily sup- 
 ply ; which sometimes embarrassed, I fear, the domestic economy 
 of many a housewife, who doubtless wished us, in return, a speedy 
 departure. This wood, principally algorroba, was bought for half 
 the price paid at other parts of the Parana. 
 
 On the 13th July, 1855, with the governor, his family, and a 
 few friends on board, who desired to accompany us a short dis- 
 tance, we commenced our ascent of the Salado. 
 
 Although it was the season of low water, the river, for some 
 miles above its mouth, was very full, and the low lands on either 
 side inundated. Its width was from one to two hundred feet; 
 depth, twelve to eighteen ; current, about one and a half miles the 
 hour; windings between any two points equal to four times the 
 distance on a straight line ; banks well wooded with algorroba. 
 
 We had gone, by the course of the river, about eighteen miles, 
 when, coming to a point at which the governor had ordered con- 
 veyances, we parted with our guests, and, cheered by a bright, 
 pleasant morning, were now fairly under way. 
 
 '''■July 16. By the course of the river we have advanced 75 
 
THE PAMPAS OF THE CHACO. 335 
 
 miles, and are near the last frontier post of Santa Fe, distant, in a 
 direct line from the city, 20 miles. Passing this point, all civili- 
 zation is behind us ; we are entering the undisturbed possessions 
 of the Chaco tribes. The river presents a more decided and de- 
 fined character, with a gradual diminution of current, which arises 
 from the fact that it is here supplied only by its main source and 
 tributaries, without the additional discharge of numerous over- 
 flowing lakes. It courses through a bottom or flat, from one to 
 four miles in breadth, in some places sparsely and in others dense- 
 ly wooded. The banks rise from twenty to fifty feet, to the level 
 of a pampa, which presents a vast grassy expanse without any in- 
 equalities of surface. As the eye wanders over it, a dark wavy 
 line in the distance alone breaks the monotony of the plain, and 
 marks the windings of the Salado with its fringing of algorroba. 
 
 "Although we are but little more than twenty miles from a 
 town of five thousand inhabitants, there is not a vestige of civili- 
 zation or the track of a human being ; even the footprint of an 
 Indian is nowhere visible ; but the manifestations of animal life 
 are extraordinary. Eiver and plain are enlivened by fowl and 
 quadruped in endless variety. It is the domain of the jaguar, the 
 shielded armadillo, ducks, geese, flocks of the black-necked swan, 
 plover of different species, partridges, pigeons of extraordinary 
 size, the guanaco, the ostrich, the hare, the deer, the clumsy capi- 
 bara ; while the waters teem with fish and the air is darkened by 
 flocks of the small white gull. 
 
 " We occasionally rob the nests of ducks and geese. Having 
 taken some of the first in the moulting state, it gave rise to an 
 amusing discussion among the officers ; some contending that 
 they were pichones (young ones) ; but when they were served 
 up for dinner the impossibility of masticating the most delicate 
 morsels decided the question. It is our habit to stop before sun- 
 set for wood ; and so abundant is the growth that in two hours 
 our axemen obtain an ample supply of the best algorroba for 
 the next day's work. These are also our opportunities for bo- 
 tanic and zoological research. 
 
 " July 18. "While getting up steam at an early hour, I strolled 
 a short distance inland and shot some partridges. The pampa is 
 now broken by lagoons dotted with islets and gay with water- 
 fowl. Up to this point, we are distant, by observation, from 
 Santa Fe — in a right line bearing south by east — thirty-three 
 miles ; and by the river one hundred and fifty — which will give 
 
336 THE SAL ADO. 
 
 some idea of its windings. A heavy frost this morning covered 
 the ground hke a fall of snow. Thermometer, at 4 A.M., 35°. 
 By the gauge we find the water has fallen, in the last twelve 
 hours, only one inch. 
 
 ^'■July 19. The pampa is belted by lofty trees, generally que- 
 bracho, and slopes gently to the 'bottom,' which is now narrowed 
 to half a mile on either side of the river. There is no under- 
 growth, the grass is fresh and green, and no meadow could pre- 
 sent a more refreshing aspect. It is the second winter month, 
 but the air is soft and balmy as a May day in temperate zones. 
 The river and land still teem with animal life, and yet we can not 
 trace a -sign of human occupation. 
 
 ^'- July 20th. Eiver less tortuous; depth from fifteen to eighteen 
 feet. Passed an arroyo on the right bank, which runs through a 
 broad flat, extending north and west ; water too brackish to be 
 drinkable. At the junction of this little stream the Salado washes 
 the base of the high land, here densely wooded ; the banks show 
 a stratum of yellow clay resting on tosca, and above, a surface-soil 
 of rich vegetable earth from two to four feet in depth. The 
 river has fallen within the last twelve hours six inches — very dif- 
 ferent from its state a few days past ; for there are now but few 
 lagoons to feed it. Its windings carry us quite round the compass. 
 Passed what I supposed to be an arroyo on the left bank ; but 
 on rounding a bend of about three miles, which brought us nearly 
 back to the same point, found it nothing more than a ' break 
 through' of the main river, which will doubtless become soon the 
 principal channel. The distance across, through which it had 
 made its way, is not more than one hundred yards; 
 
 " Opening, at the season of low water, canals across the various 
 necks of land, would shorten the distance quite one third ; for, 
 with the least excavation imaginable, the Salado would in a short 
 time make for itself a new and more direct channel. Passed the 
 Esquina Grande, where stood in former days a Spanish fort, not 
 a vestige of which now remains. We continue to see deer, cap- 
 inchas, geese, ducks, plover, snipe, in vast numbers. Among the 
 ducks was a beautiful diver, the Podiceps leucopterus^ that attracted 
 our admiration and particular notice. It carries its young upon 
 its back ; and it was amusing to see the little creatures dive, and, 
 on rising to the surface, again resume their place upon the ma- 
 ternal back. Here are evidences that the river has fallen from 
 the highest point about six feet, and stiU we find a depth of fif- 
 
THE SALADITO. 337 
 
 teen ; banks from five to eight feet in height, with indications of 
 overflow ; current one mile ; average width one hundred feet. 
 
 " Saw a large herd of wild horses. Affrighted by the appear- 
 ance of the steamer, and perhaps still more by the noise of our 
 high-pressure engine, they dashed over the plains as if mad, and 
 were soon hid among the algorrobas. We have seen no Indians, 
 and no immediate trace of them, save a well of fresh water not 
 far from the bank, and evidently not very recently dug. I have 
 left my mark in this country by planting a few orange seeds and 
 some sweet potatoes. Soil a dark alluvium, with a rich growth 
 of grass ; the water is more brackish as we progress. 
 
 " July 23d During the last twelve hours the river has fallen 
 five inches.' The frost this morning again covered the plain like 
 snow. Thermometer during the night 29° ; at 7 A.M., 32° ; at 
 8, 42° ; at 12 M., 60° ; at 4 P.M., 58° ; at 8 P.M., 52° ; at mid- 
 night 41°. The least depth, up to meridian, nine feet ; but be- 
 fore the close of the day's run we had as little as five, with a tosca 
 bottom. I fear that I shall be compelled to retrace my steps much 
 sooner than I had anticipated. I was aware that it was the period 
 of low water ; but the inundated banks near the mouth of the 
 Salado induced the hope that an extraordinary season had kept 
 up a supply. We are about seventy-five miles in a right line 
 from Santa F4 bearing S. by E., and three hundred by the river. 
 Its course is now less tortuous, and as we ascend, the navigation 
 is not so impeded, and the ' bottom' narrowed by the approach 
 on either side of the more elevated lands of the pampa. 
 
 " July 24:lh. The river has fallen in the past twelve hours three 
 and a half inches ; twenty-four hours previously within the same 
 time it fell five inches. From the right a small stream, the Cru- 
 odto, flows into the Salado ; water dark, but clear and sweet. 
 Pulled up it in a boat half .a mile. It is very narrow, with five 
 feet depth, and is doubtless the outlet of some lake — probably the 
 Porongas. Before the close of the day had but four feet water, 
 muddy bottom ; river inclines more to the northwest, and is less 
 tortuous ; banks well wooded with algorroba. Were the river 
 not falhng, I should feel much encouraged to proceed with this 
 exploration, for I am more and more impressed with the belief 
 that it is a channel of vast importance. Made fast to the right 
 bank near the mouth of a small stream of turbid, brackish water, 
 which I called Scdadito (little Salado). Pulled up it a mile or 
 two ; found a depth of three feet and considerable current. It is 
 
 22 
 
338 EIVER FALLING. 
 
 undoubtedly fhe outpouring of some saline lake. At its junction 
 there were myriads of cat-fisli, of which the men at one haul with 
 our net filled the little boat. Near the same point were countless 
 numbers of small white gulls. Position of the mouth of the Sal- 
 adito, latitude 30° 14' ; longitude 60° 41' W. ; variation 9° ; dis- 
 tant from Sante Fe eighty-five miles m a right line, by the river 
 840. 
 
 " July 25th. At 6 A.M., thermometer 38°. Eiver has fallen in 
 the last twelve hours half an inch ; this gives me hope that it has 
 reached its lowest point here and above. There was ice this 
 morning. Thermometer at 4h. 81° ; at 8h. 87°. 
 
 " The men amused themselves with setting fire to the grass to 
 give the immigrants next year richer pasturage. 
 
 " A mile or two above the Saladito came to the mouth of an- 
 other small tributary from the same bank, which at first per- 
 plexed me, for I was in doubt as to which was the principal river. 
 I pulled up it a mile or more ; found it very narrow, with some 
 current ; water dark and sweet, from which I concluded that it 
 could not be the Salado, but ' La Cruz' (the Cross). We continu- 
 ed to ascend what I considered the main river, having a slight 
 decrease in the depth and a width less than the length of the 
 steamer. I took a small boat and pulled ahead a few miles. The 
 water was as salt as that of the ocean, and its general characteris-. 
 tics satisfied me that it was the veritable Salado. I mounted the 
 bank' — here fifteen feet to the level of the pampa ; observed a 
 lake or river in the distance, and, approaching, found that it was 
 the dry bed of a lagoon, now covered with a saline efflorescence 
 which sparkled and shone like a sheet of beautiful water. As 
 far as the eye could reach the monotony of the pampa was broken 
 by two wooded belts, one extending north, the other west. The 
 first I believe to be the course of the Salado, the other of La 
 Cruz. I proceed north with the steamer. 
 
 '■'■Juhj 1'otli. In the last fifteen hours the water has fallen three 
 and a half inches. Not very encouraging, but we go ahead. 
 Have advanced eight miles ; depth decreasing ; took to the little 
 boat ; pulled up two miles ; found only two and a half feet, and 
 the obstruction of a fallen algorroba, which will interrupt the pas- 
 sage of the boat. This should not prove an insurmountable ob- 
 struction had the river ceased falhng, or were there water enough 
 beyond. Indeed, neither of these difficulties should turn me back 
 did I not hold the ' Yerba' under a contract by which I am to re- 
 
LIMIT OF THE EXPLORATION. 339 
 
 turn "her in little more than one month. I should, under other 
 circumstances, remain here until the rise, which should begin in 
 November, and may be hastened by local rains. 
 
 " This point — Monte Aguara — must then be the extent of the 
 exploration in the Salado with the steamer Yerba. It is in lati- 
 tude 31° 10' 60" south, longitude 60° 38' 47" west; distant from 
 Santa Fe by river 340 miles, and in a right line 96. On the 
 right bank, which rises about twenty feet to a wooded skirt, stands 
 a large guaranina-tree. On this we cut a cross and the letters TJ. 
 S., and about ten feet from it buried a bottle containing latitude, 
 longitude, names of officers and steamer. 
 
 " With regret I retrace my steps ; but in ascending and demon- 
 strating the navigability of the Salado to Monte Aguara we have 
 achieved something. Its uniform character, unchanging course, 
 and well-defined banks ; its rise, as indicated by marks on trees ; 
 the unbroken plain through which it flows, all induce the belief 
 that it is a river capable of being navigated to a great distance be- 
 yond the point reached. Its complete exploration is of import- 
 ance, not only to the Argentine Confederation, but to the whole 
 commercial world. 
 
 " To set at rest all doubt as to its navigability I will return to 
 Santa Fe, and by land proceed to some point in the Province of 
 Santiago, from which I can descend by some means to Monte 
 Aguara." 
 
 It will have been seen by these extracts from my journal that, 
 when scarce beyond the smoke of Santa Fe, we had passed every 
 habitation of man, even the scattered huts of a few charcoal-burn- 
 ers, and entered the domain of those fierce aboriginals of the Cha- 
 co, the Indian and the jaguar; that we followed the windings of 
 a navigable river for three hundred and forty miles in a steamer 
 of two feet draught without meeting with even the obstruction of 
 a fallen tree ; that the pampa rises from twenty to fifty feet above 
 the " flat" through which the Salado flows, presenting at times a 
 boundless plain, over which the eye wanders without discerning 
 the slightest inequality of surface. Again, after penetrating 
 through a magnificent bordering of quebracho or algorroba, we 
 find the interior country diversified by park-like groupings of al- 
 gorroba, by the wooded belting of some tributary stream, or by 
 lakes and salinas, the first darkened by myriads of water-fowl, 
 while the latter are glistening in the sun with saline efflorescence. 
 
 We found at tunes little or no current; the least depth was 
 
340 SHOOTING A JAGUAR. 
 
 thirty inches when the water had ceased falling ; and its greatest 
 rise, as indicated bj marks on the bank, was twelve feet. Its 
 width did not much exceed thirty yards, and above La Cruz, 
 though the river was brackish, we generally found water fresh 
 and sweet by digging a few feet below the surface at a short dis- 
 tance from the banks. I think it probable that both the Crucito 
 and La Cruz have their rise in the LaKc Porongas, which receives 
 an immense volume of water from the Eio Dulce, independent of 
 other sources, and, like it, are perfectly free from saliferous de- 
 posits, which would not probably be the case were they fed by 
 the draining of other lagoons, most of which are saline. 
 
 As an illustration of the physical character of the basin of La 
 Plata at its various points, it is worthy of note that between these 
 two little rivers there flows the Saladito, which empties into the 
 Salado not more than one mile from the mouth of La Cruz, and 
 yet its water is as salt as the ocean ; this stream is doubtless the 
 outpouring of a saline lagoon. 
 
 Throughout this exploration we saw no Indians, and, except a 
 few wells, beaten paths, and marks of encampment, no traces of 
 them ; and yet the verdant meadows and plains, the rich dark soil 
 conveyed an undoubted impression of fertility. I found that offi- 
 cers and men were indulging in the old habit of selecting estan- 
 cias and covering them with flocks and herds. , 
 
 The botany of this region offered us nothing new, but from its 
 zoology we made many interesting additions to our collections. 
 The number and varied species of animal life were extraordinary. 
 An army could have subsisted for a time upon the resources of 
 the plain and river. 
 
 In descending we shot a magnificent jaguar — the largest I have 
 ever seen, measuring from its nose to the root of the tail five feet 
 two inches. He was walking on the left bank, doubtless bound 
 on a fishing excursion. Instead of escaping inland when he saw 
 us, he dashed into the river, as if to swim to the opposite shore ; 
 but midway the stream he suddenly turned, as if to battle with 
 the steamer. Several men came forward, eager to have a shot at 
 the enemy, who approached rapidly, apparently undaunted by the 
 appearance or noise of crew or vessel, and snarling as if impa- 
 tient to make ab end of us. Anxious to secure it as a specimen, 
 and of course with as little mutilation as possible, I directed the 
 men to wait for the word " fire," giving the first chance to Kelly, 
 the best shot on board. I told him to lodge the ball " abaft" the 
 
HYDROMETRIC MEASUREMENTS. 
 
 341 
 
 SHOOTING THE JAGUAE. 
 
 ear. He raised his musket, took deliberate aim, and fired. The 
 .huge creature floundered in the water, and when the men in the 
 boat reached him a mmute or two hater he was not quite dead, 
 but bleeding profusely, and so far gone as to be harmless. With 
 a ship's musket, and a charge of "buck and ball," Kelly had se- 
 cured one of the finest specimens of the South American tiger, 
 perhaps, ever seen in the United States. The skin was carefully 
 preserved in salt, and sent home, where it arrived in good condi- 
 tion, and may be seen in the collection at the Smithsonian In- 
 stitute. 
 
 Among the swimming birds secured are several species of teals, 
 differing but little, and yet with distinctive marks in plumage. 
 
 The density of the Salado water at two points— one below the 
 tributaries alluded to, and the other at Monte Aguara— also that 
 of the Crucito and La Cruz, was tested by hydrometric measure- 
 ment, and found as follows : 
 
 Density of Salado below the tributaries by hydrometer 
 
 (No. 7) 8^5 
 
 Temperature of water (Fahr.) 54°. 5 
 
 « air « 38° 
 
342 RETURN TO SANTA FE. 
 
 Density of River Crucito 2°. 3 
 
 Temperature of water 52°. 5 
 
 " air 59°.5 
 
 Density of River La Cruz 6°. 3 
 
 Temperature of water 4*1°. 5 
 
 " air 48°.5 
 
 Density of the Salado at Monte Aquara 21°. 88 
 
 Temperature of water 54° 
 
 " air 69° 
 
 It will be seen 'that the difference in density between the two 
 points of the river at its present low state, below and above the 
 fresh-water tributaries, is very great, and can alone be attributed 
 to their influence. 
 
 On the 26th we began to retrace our steps. The season of fall 
 in this river is from May to November ; and boats adapted to its 
 navigation during the greater part of the year should not have 
 length exceeding 90 feet, beam 16, draft 2 ; and with the addition 
 of a rudder in the bow a steamer could be more effectually con- 
 trolled through its tortuous windings. 
 
 During our return it was "touch and go," on several of the 
 shoalest places, showing that it was well we had not postponed a 
 day later. The water had reached nearly its lowest point, and 
 though in some parts it had decreased eight feet in twelve days,, 
 it was now falling only at the rate of two inches in twenty -four 
 hours. Exposed sections of the banks at various points showed 
 invariably a substratum of indurated clay, with a deep surface-soil. 
 
 We reached Santa Fe on the 6th of the month, and on the 
 12th, having competed the necessary observations, the Yerba was 
 given in charge to Lieutenant Powell, with instructions to explore 
 such branches of the Parana as had not been already surveyed ; 
 and then to deliver up the steamer to the parties from whom she 
 had been chartered, and rejoin the Water Witch. 
 
 I detached Lieutenant Murdaugh, and Cornelius, one of the 
 most reliable men of our crew, to accompany me in a land jour- 
 ney to the head- waters of the Salado, and if possible to those of 
 the Pilcomayo. To establish the navigability of this latter river 
 was with me a work of absorbing interest; and as the "Lopez 
 decree" would not let us ascend it from the Paraguay, I thought 
 that we might, with such means of defense against Indians as the 
 Bolivians would gladly afford, work our way down it with the 
 current, or even alone, on some craft that would float. 
 
LAND JOURNEY UNDERTAKEN. 343 
 
 I determined to proceed direct to Cordova, thence to Santiago 
 del Estero, and so on to Bolivia. The route from Sante Fe to the 
 west was now entirely abandoned, and that from Kosario adopted, 
 in consequence of the inhospitable character of the Indians in that 
 section of the province. But the governor, with his usual zeal 
 to forward our work, offered me a small military escort, and with 
 our three carbines, and thus re-enforced, I thought we could make 
 our way through any party of wandering savages ; for they never 
 encamp or establish toldos on this road, as their principal object 
 is to plunder the tropas* of oxen, horses, or any portable effects, 
 and retire to the interior of the Chaco. 
 
 I also timed my departure to suit that of the mihtary com- 
 mander-iu-chief of the province. Colonel Eodriguez, who was 
 going to examine Romero, twenty -two leagues from Santa ¥6, 
 for the purpose of establishing a new military post, which would 
 extend the frontier line of defense twelve leagues, 
 
 Sause, ten leagues from Santa Fe, was then the last post, and 
 our stopping-place the first night. Near it is a pueblito of six or 
 seven hundred civilized Abipones, one of the most desolate and 
 comfortless villages we had seen. For this no possible reason 
 could be assigned, other than the indolence and improvidence of 
 its inhabitants; for the surrounding country is fertile, and offers 
 excellent pasturage. We were kept awake the beginning of the 
 night by the unceasing howling and barking of dogs, apparently 
 quite equal in number to the pojDulation ; and toward day by the 
 crowing of as many game-cocks. At 4 A.M. I roused up Cornel- 
 ius, who had become quite an adept in making mate, and we for- 
 tified ourselves for a long day's ride with this beverage. 
 
 We started at an early hour, and expecting to travel sixty -seven 
 miles without changing horses, our progress was necessarily slow 
 — generally a walk, the most unusual and fatiguing gait in a 
 horseback journey over the plains. At 4 o'clock P.M. we reach- 
 ed Eomero, a point distinguished in the unbroken level of the 
 pampa by four quebracho-trees and a small lagoon. Before we 
 had reached our halting-place, one of the soldiers branched off, 
 and seemed to be hunting for something over the plain. He 
 soon reappeared with a " tatu," an animal of the armadillo family. 
 It was roasted in its own shell, and proved as delicious a morsel 
 as could delight the palate of an epicure. After halting an hour 
 we continued our journey, accompanied by an Argentine officer 
 * A number of wagons transporting produce or merchandise. 
 
344 SAUSE.— QUEBRACHO. 
 
 and two soldiers as escort,' and at 8 P.M. reached Quebracho Solo, 
 a spot, as its name indicates, marked by a single tree. Here we 
 halted, as one of our soldiers pretended to be ill. I was pro- 
 voked, for I had hopes during the night to reach the next military- 
 post, and almost wished for the yell of an Indian, which I knew 
 would prove a panacea for the man's feigned illness. But it was 
 useless to remonstrate ; so, settling ourselves upon the plain, with 
 saddle-blanket for bed, and saddle for pillow, with poncho for 
 over-all^ aud the starry heavens for canopy, we soon dropped into 
 a sleep not disturbed so much by fear of Indians as by cold, mus- 
 quitoes, and innumerable insects. By 4 A.M. the sick soldier had 
 entirely recovered, and, continuing our journey, we reached Que- 
 bracho at 9 o'clock A.M., distant from Komero thirty-six miles, 
 and from Sause sixty-seven. 
 
 We were now within the Province of Cordova, but none could 
 inform us where lay the dividing line. One declared it to be 
 near this post, another that it was twelve miles east. At Sause we 
 saw a domesticated guanaco — a beautiful animal, and easily tamed 
 when young. They are highly valued for their wool and hides ; 
 but the country people consider their flesh indifferent food. Vast 
 numbers of them are found in the west provinces, but up to 
 Quebracho we saw but one flock, and that was flying over the 
 plain as if pursued by mounted Indians or gauchos, from which 
 we presumed that the watchman on duty espied us before we saw 
 his charge.* 
 
 Arriving at Quebracho we had made one hundred and twenty- 
 seven miles from Santa Fe, traveling the whole distance through 
 an unbroken plain. Its solitude was undisturbed except by the 
 military post and Abipone village to which I have alluded, and 
 the passage occasionally of a deer, ostrich, partridge, or a herd of 
 guanaco. There was no impression of space ; it was a shoreless 
 sea of grass, the eye alone finding a resting-place upon the hori- 
 zon, from which the sun rose as from the ocean. The refraction 
 was very great; as in the African deserts, there were "Lakes of 
 the Gazelle" — waters that never fail ; and upon these grassy sa- 
 hferous pampas water is so scarce as to make these illusions of 
 mirage both refreshing and tormenting. 
 
 Quebracho is a desolate spot, without trees or cultivation. 
 Soldiers shifting from gable end to front, and back, from side to 
 
 * A male guanaco is said to be always on watch when they descend to the plains 
 from the mountains. 
 
A SURLY OFFICER. 345 
 
 gable end, to seek shade from a mid-day sun, presented a com- 
 plete scene of lazy discomfort. A kid, chickens, and eggs, how- 
 ever, furnished us with an excellent breakfast, during the prep- 
 aration of which Mr. Murdaugh excited the astonishment and 
 delight of the military by an exhibition of the power of one of 
 Colt's revolvers. They had never imagined or dreamed of such 
 an improvement in fire-arms. The ten hours' ride of the previous 
 day, a night on the pampa, and five hours in the saddle that 
 morning before reaching the posta, was not a very go«d prepara- 
 tion for another ride of forty-two miles and the grass for a bed 
 when it was over. But, refreshed by our breakfast, we mounted 
 horse, and started for the " Posta Tio," again escorted by a lieu- 
 tenant and two soldiers, the latter seemingly much better fitted to 
 command than their ofiicer, who, silent and surly, lurked behind 
 or rode ahead, seldom bestowing upon us the pleasure of his com- 
 pany or conversation. As we approached a grove of trees, he 
 dashed ahead, dismounted, and disappeared, only to rejoin us late 
 in the day. He had spent the previous night gambling, and had 
 availed himself of the shade of the grove for a siesta. Gaming 
 is the vice of these people. 
 
 The afternoon was oppressively hot. This, it will be remem- 
 bered, was the last winter month, and, with the sun in our faces, 
 we suffered so excessively from thirst that my recollections of this 
 stage of the journey are by no means pleasant. The ofiicer knew 
 of no water within reasonable distance of our route ; " none could 
 be had nearer than Tio," still twenty -five miles distant. Having 
 quietly ascertained from one of the soldiers that there was a la- 
 goon {las vivoras) a mile or two ahead, I rode to it, found the wa- 
 ter brackish but drinkable ; and close to were some dead buslies, 
 out of which we made a fire, and settled ourselves for the night. 
 The lieutenant was still shy, and the soldiers looked perplexed, as 
 if in doubt whether their duty was near us or their commander. 
 A bright fire, an excellent mate, coffee, and some of the treasures 
 of our saddle-bags in the shape of cold sausage and ship's biscuit, 
 touched the heart and loosened the tongue of the hitherto taciturn 
 Argentino, who drew up, and, under the influence of good fare, 
 became quite agreeable. I intimated to the gentleman that his 
 " command" must assist in collecting food for the fire, or dispense 
 with it. In this pampa apartment we were at least free from the 
 annoyance of barking dogs, crowing cocks, bed-bugs, and other 
 plagues of postas, and slept soundly until three o'clock A.M., 
 
346 SALINE DEPOSITS.— TIO. 
 
 when I was awakened thorouglily cliilled by the ice on my pon- 
 cho. I turned out, roused up Cornelius ; and when the sun was 
 rising, as from an ocean horizon, we were again galloping toward 
 Tio, greatly comforted by the all-refreshing mate taken before 
 starting. "We soon entered a section of the pampa diversified by 
 isJas del monte (wooded islets). There is more or less saliferous 
 deposit throughout the distance from Santa Fe to Quebracho, but 
 from, this last post to Tio its presence is excessive ; extensive sec- 
 tions are .white with the efflorescence of salt or saltpetre. No 
 traveler should follow this route over the plain without a provi- 
 sion of water as well as food, and should be prepared to pass his 
 nights upon the grass ; for where a little fuel is to be found, it of- 
 fers a much more comfortable bed than the floor or hide cots of 
 the wretched postas. As our journey was made in the last win- 
 ter month, we suffered somewhat from cold, but an additional 
 blanket or two would remedy this inconvenience. 
 
 Three quarters of a mile from Tio we forded the Segundo, the 
 water up to the bellies of the horses, and saw on the left bank the 
 remains of the old town of Tio, removed to its present position in 
 consequence of the inundations of the river, which, according to 
 the commandante, has its outlet in a large lake, i/ar Chico (little 
 sea), twenty -five miles from this place. 
 
 Tio, or Concepcion, as it is now called, is a neat little village of 
 about thirty whitewashed and thatched adobe houses, placed as 
 usual around a square, at one end of which was a chapel. There 
 were in this neighborhood very few cattle, but fine flocks of sheep. 
 The first are worth from twelve to sixteen dollars the head, the 
 latter from seventy-five cents to one dollar. Horses could be pur- 
 chased for eight dollars, and mares for two. 
 
 The commandante received us kindly, and the well-bred civili- 
 ties of his wife and daughter made our short stay at this place a 
 pleasant moment in this ride over the pampa. From here our 
 journey to Cordova was much facilitated by the addition of two 
 cargaro horses, for which we paid, inclusive of the services of a 
 man in charge of each, 18f cents the league, and for saddle-horses 
 6 cents the same distance. 
 
 We now entered upon a comparatively populous and well-cul- 
 tivated country. The houses in view from the road had a clean, 
 comfortable appearance, and wheat-fields were a charming sight 
 after the monotony of the uncultivated plains. "We were once 
 more amid an agricultural people, and the yield of wheat, even 
 
DISTANCES. 347 
 
 under tlieir system of culture — by no means tlie best — averages 
 thirty bushels per acre. Our journey from Tio to San Francisco, 
 the next posta, was made at a full gallop, the usual and least fa- 
 tiguing gait in traveling over the pampas. 
 
 After leaving San Francisco, and about thirty-six miles from 
 Tio, we came to the dry sandy bed of a river ; its banks were from 
 five to ten feet in height, with the usual wooded belting, and, in 
 fact, every characteristic of a considerable river but the most es- 
 sential one — water. It proved to be El Segundo, which here 
 again, in its windings, crossed our path. The country between 
 San Francisco and Monte Redonda is populous, with fine inclosed 
 wheat-fields, algorroba abundant, and soil a light but rich alluvi- 
 um. I took from the river bank, three feet from the surface, a 
 specimen of earth highly impregnated with saltpetre. 
 
 Beyond this posta we entered an undulating country, soil light, 
 and vegetation much parched by drought. Approaching Cordo- 
 va, we found the dwellings of the country more ambitiously con- 
 structed, but the cultivation poor, and the people less civil than 
 in districts remote from town. I had noted this throughout the 
 basin of La Plata. In the vicinage of cities and towns the hospi- 
 table impulses of the people seemed to be checked by distrust or 
 fear. From Consejo, the last posta of this route, the sierras of 
 Cordova were in view ; and there was a perceptible ascent to the 
 rolling lands which begin a little east of the low broken ridges 
 that concealed the capital. Wearied with the monotony of the 
 plains, we hailed with delight the appearance of these outposts of 
 the Andean ranges. It was quite dark when we reached the siun- 
 mit of the last ridge in approaching the city. Eighty feet below 
 were the lights of the Athens of La Plata, and in a few minutes 
 we were following the vaqueano into the court-yard of a French 
 fonda upon the plaza. 
 
 Eight glad were we to rest for a day or two after our horseback 
 journey ; for, though sailors, we had made the distances of the 
 gaucho, and yet our feats of horsemanship had not begun. 
 
 In a right line west — from Santa Fe to Cordova — we had trav- 
 eled two hundred and forty miles. 
 
 From Santa Fe to Sause, the frontier post 30 miles. 
 
 " Sause to Romero 31 " 
 
 " Romero to Quebracho, first post of Cordova East 36 " 
 
 " Quebracho to Tio or Concepcion 35 '' 
 
 " Concepcion to Cana 9 " 
 
348 CORDOVA. 
 
 « 
 
 From Caiia to Arroyo Cito 12 miles. 
 
 " Arroyo Cito to San Francisco 15 " 
 
 " San Francisco to Monte Redonda 18 " 
 
 " Monte Redonda to Uruguay 12 " 
 
 " Uruguay to Canada 9 " 
 
 " Canada to Consejo 9 " 
 
 " Consejo to Antonio Francisco 12 " 
 
 *' Antonio Francisco to Cordova 12 " 
 
 Total 240 " 
 
 The first three are military posts. From Tio to Cordova the 
 postas are for the benefit of travelers, who may find at them all 
 the usual accommodations — an empty house, scanty fare, hide 
 cots without bedding, and indifferent horses. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Cordova. — De Garay. — Population of the Province. — The City of Cordova. — Trade. 
 
 — Eail-road surveyed by Mr. Campbell. — Madam . — Cathedral and Public 
 
 Buildings. — The Colegio Maximo. — Paintings. — Dr. Hawling's Tannery. — The 
 Market. — Copper in the Sierras of Cofdova. — Seiior Zuverir. — Mineral Districts. 
 — A Journey to Santiago. — Appearance of the Horses : their Powers of Endur- 
 ance. — Valley of Jesus Maria. — Shepherds' Dogs. — Divisidero. — Posta San Pe- 
 dro. — Rosario. — Hard Riding. — Posta del Monte. — Bed of the Rio Dulce. — 
 Quichua Language. — Perqui. — The Harpist. — The Tropero. — A Dance and no 
 Supper. — Cana. — Another Tropa. — Arrival at Santiago. 
 
 Cordova is one of the Western States of the "Confederation," 
 one of " Las Provincias Arribenas" — a region conquered and set- 
 tled by the Spaniards of Peru ; a party of whom, commanded by 
 Don Diego Rojas, reached it in 1543. Don Luis de Cabrera, ap- 
 pointed in 1573 governor of those districts, founded the city of 
 Cordova, with the hope and ultimate design of opening a com- 
 munication to the Parana. While De Garay was engaged in 
 establishing the settlement of Santa Fe, a man, from the mast- 
 head of his little vessel, which was moored at the mouth of the 
 Salado, observed signal-fires lighting over the plain and a great 
 movement among the Indians. Expecting to be attacked, De 
 Garay was preparing to 'make the best defense he could, when the 
 " look-out man" descried in the distance a cavalier ; another, and 
 yet another, until a number of horsemen appeared charging the 
 savages in their rear. It was a party of Cabrera's followers, who 
 here met for the first time the conquerors of La Plata. These 
 
POPULATION.— COMMERCE. 349 
 
 nortliwest provinces remained a part of tlie Viceroyaltj of Peru 
 until 1776, when tliej were annexed to that of Buenos Ay res. 
 
 The city of Cordova, the capital, stands near the right bank of 
 the Primero, in latitude '31° 2^' south, longitude 64° 09' west,* 
 on a plain 12-10 feet above the level of the Parana at Kosario. It 
 is the principal and only considerable town of the state, which is 
 bounded on the north by Santiago del Estero, east by Santa Fe, 
 south by Buenos Ayres, and west by the Sierras de Cordova ; 
 their highest point, " La Cuesta," rising 2500 feet above the plains. 
 Numerous rivers — the principal of which are the Primero, Segun- 
 do, Tercero, Quarto, and Quinto — that intersect the state, fertilize 
 a large extent of country, and flow east until lost in the sandy 
 plains or in the "Mar Chico." Only one, the Tercero, disem- 
 bogues in the Parana, under the name of Carcarana. 
 
 The population of the state may be estimated, in the absence 
 of all reliable data, at 100,000 souls, of which the capital contains 
 15,000, This is a lower estimate than is assigned it by some, and 
 yet it would seem to be too great when we remember that thirty 
 years ago it was given by census at 85,000, and that portions of 
 the country since that time have been almost depopulated by civil 
 wars and the persevering hostility of the Chaco tribes. Hides 
 and wool — the latter very superior — have been the only exports, 
 though the products of the state are as varied as its physical fea- 
 tures : wheat and the sugar-cane attain great perfection, but the 
 difficulties of transportation have limited their culture to the de- 
 mands of a home population. 
 
 Cordova is a depot for the staples of the northwest provinces — 
 Catamarca, Mendoza, San Luis, San Juan, Eioja — in transitu for 
 Eosario and Santa Fe. In 1855, this trade reached within a frac- 
 tion of 1,400,000 arobas, or 1700 tons ; at a cost in transportation, 
 by ox- wagons or mules, of 31 J cents the aroba, or $25 the ton ; 
 and employing more than 6000 carretas (carts), 17,000 mules; the 
 carts transporting 190 arobas each, and mules 14, The trade with 
 Mendoza has heretofore been carried on exclusively by mules, at 
 the rate of from fifty to sixty dollars the ton. But the spirit of 
 progress has reached even this remote region, and a little — very 
 
 * The pocket chronometer had lost its uniform rate, consequently the meridian 
 difference between Santa Fe and Cordova, as shown by it, could not be relied on; 
 but we have, through the kindness of Mr. Campbell, the best means of determining 
 its longitude, wlaich is deduced from actual measurement, applied to our determin- 
 ation of Kosario. 
 
350 EECEPTION AT CORDOVA. 
 
 little — ^intercourse with foreigners would give a great impetus to 
 the development of their resources. They had heard of Conosto- 
 ga wagons and improved agricultural implements ; during our 
 short stay the subject of importing them was agitated, and the 
 result was an order to the amount of $50,000, which was filled in 
 Boston. I have alluded, in a previous chapter, to the arrival of 
 the ship at Eosario with this cargo. 
 
 The route of a rail-road has been surveyed from the city of 
 Cordova to Eosario, which will, when completed, not only pro- 
 mote enormously the facilities of trade, and do much toward 
 strengthening the political fabric, but will rid the country through 
 which it passes from the predatory incursions of the Indians. My 
 reception was perhaps less cordial here than in other cities of the 
 west ; for the Cordo vases feared that the navigation of the Salado, 
 if established, would divert from their town much of the trade they 
 hoped to monopolize. But, if the capital is not to be immediately 
 benefited by the opening of that river, the northern and eastern 
 parts of the state are ; for the Salado is the southern boundary of 
 the Chaco, and its navigation will be more effectual than a hund- 
 red military posts in confining the Indian within the limits of his 
 legitimate domain. A glance at the map will show that both 
 these highways extend through and reach into remote and wide- 
 ly-separated districts of the Confederation, and will offer an easy 
 transit for valuable products which heretofore, from the distances 
 to be traversed and the expense of carriage, have not entered intQ 
 their trade. This road, the first work of the kind in La Plata, is 
 considered by the Cordovases — and very justly so, when we re- 
 member the past history of the country — a gigantic enterprise. 
 The prospect of opening the Salado had awakened even greater 
 hopes in other states ; and, as I progressed to its head- waters, 
 through Santiago, Salta, and Tucuman, I was greeted enthusias- 
 tically, for news of our success in the work below preceded us, al- 
 though I often traveled with the speed of the post from city to city. 
 
 Cordova is laid out upon the plan prescribed by the laws of the 
 Indies. Straight, narrow streets intersect each other at right an- 
 gles, forming 'quadras (squares) of 150 yards each. The better 
 houses are of stone, one-storied, and built around paved courts, 
 upon which all the rooms open. Neither in going or returning 
 had I much opportunity of seeing the domestic life of its inhabit- 
 ants ; but, if I may judge from the appointments of Sen or 's 
 
 dwelling, they are in the enjoyment of all the luxuries usual in 
 
THE JESUIT COLLEGE. 351 
 
 towns of the same size ; indeed, there were manufactured articles 
 of other countries, the transportation of which must have cost a 
 little fortune. 
 
 I accompanied Madame and her two pretty daughters 
 
 in a paseo to the Alameda, a square of about 150 yards, adorned 
 by a miniature lake and fine trees. A band of music and a crowd 
 of people, among whom were many handsome women, presented 
 an animated scene. The anticipated launching of a small boat 
 upon the lake seemed to be a general and absorbing topic of inter- 
 est and conversation. 
 
 The principal public buildings are a cathedral and some nine 
 or ten churches, to each of which is a square of 150 yards. There 
 are also several convents, with grounds inclosed by walls twenty 
 feet in height. Many of the Spanish writers allude to the relig- 
 ious fervency of the Cordovases, a character they perhaps still 
 merit ; for I was told that the wealth of the churches and con- 
 ventual establishments was very great, arising generally from the 
 donations and legacies of females. 
 
 The possessions and revenues of the Jesuits in this province 
 were vast. Here was their Golegio Maximo, for more than a centu- 
 ry the principal seat of learning in La Plata ; and here also was the 
 famous hbrary so wantonly destroyed or scattered at the time of 
 their expulsion. From their confiscated property the University 
 of Buenos Ayres was established, while that of Cordova has dwin- 
 dled to a mere provincial school, known as Golegio Montserrat. I 
 was conducted through it by one of the professors, and was amazed 
 at the extent and imposing character of the buildings. After pass- 
 ing through a number of empty rooms, we entered the church, 
 the interior of which showed the remains of great splendor. The 
 ceiling was richly frescoed, and the walls, indeed every available 
 space, were covered by pictures, many of them blackened and de- 
 faced, less, perhaps, by time than neglect. A "Crucifixion" and 
 "Last Supper" were in good order, and works of great merit. 
 Around the entire church, in elaborately carved and gilded fram- 
 ings, with an armorial bearing and Latin inscription to each, were 
 impaneled portraits of distmguished Jesuits. I could learn noth- 
 ing of the history of these paintings, which I much regretted. 
 Among them there may be, and doubtless are, gems of medigeval 
 art ; for not only was the basin of La Plata settled by members of 
 the noblest families of Spain, who may have carried with them 
 many artistic treasures, but the ecclesiastics, the Jesuit missiona- 
 
352 MANUFACTURES. 
 
 ries especially, represented every European kingdom, and consid- 
 ered no decoration too costly and no wealth too vast to be lavish- 
 ed upon their church edifices. Noble monuments of Jesuit in- 
 dustry and genius are to be seen in ever}'- part of the country. 
 In the lovely valley of "Jesus Maria," about fifteen miles from 
 the city of Cordova, I visited another establishment, which, after 
 their expulsion, passed into the hands of the Franciscans. The 
 buildings and gardens are extensive, and in the latter were some 
 half dozen English walnut-trees, planted by the fathers, of superb 
 size and foliage, their freshness contrasting strangely and impress- 
 ively with the dilapidated walls and inclosures. The adjoining 
 estancia is now the property of the Colegio Montserrat. 
 
 The aspect of the country surrounding the town of Cordova is 
 picturesquely beautiful. Timber and lunestone of the finest qual- 
 ity abound ; tree-embowered dwellings of excellent construction 
 and dazzhng whiteness dot the plain, which, sheltered by the first 
 steps of the sierras from north and south winds, is not visited by 
 severe vicissitudes of temperature, and an admirable system of ir- 
 rigation gives to vegetation a luxuriant freshness. The banks of 
 the Primero were enlivened by several industrial establishments, 
 among which were a large grist-mill, where excellent flour was 
 made from wheat grown in the state, and a flourishing tannery, 
 owned by a citizen of the United States, Dr. John S. Hawling, 
 a native of Loudoun County, Virginia. The specimens I saw of 
 varied colored moroccos were admirable. Calf, goat, and guanaco 
 skins are dressed at this tannery, and a ready sale is found for 
 them at Rosario and Buenos Ayres; indeed, from the difficulty 
 of obtaining efficient operatives. Dr. Hawling could not meet the 
 increasing demand. His best workmen were foreigners, and sev- 
 eral were from the United States. Goat-skins were worth SIJ 
 cents, kid 6^ cents, calf $1 50 to $2 in the raw state ; manufac- 
 tured, they commanded, goat-skins, morocco, from ten to fifteen 
 dollars per dozen, kid eight, and calf from five to six apiece. He 
 considered the guanaco* hides equal to calf, and they were worth, 
 in the raw state, fifty cents ; manufactured, five dollars. 
 
 The bark of the algorroba, the leaf of a shrub, the molle — both 
 abundant in the province — and the bark of the cevil, which is 
 superior to all, but expensive, as it is brought from Tucuman at 
 fifty cents the aroba, are used in this establishment. 
 
 * Vast herds of this animal frequent the plains as well as the highest mountain 
 ranges. 
 
COPPER MINES. 353 
 
 I visited the market, where, as in Asuncion, women were seat- 
 ed upon the ground encircled by vegetables and fruits, while cov- 
 ered carts served as the stalls of butchers and poulterers. A well- 
 dressed man was going the rounds, presenting to many of the 
 country people a small silver crucifix, which they reverently 
 touched with their lips, giving the bearer in return a real — 12^ 
 cents — perhaps half the earnings of the morning. Neither the 
 kiss nor the money were ever withheld, though I observed on 
 the countenance of more than one burly butcher an expression, 
 as I thought, of dissatisfaction. I afterward asked a citizen the 
 meaning of this custom. He replied frankly that it was a great 
 imposition, but one frequently practiced to raise money ; for a 
 Cordovase would starve before refusing this tribute to the symbol 
 of Christianity when presented. 
 
 The sierras of Cordova abound in copper, of which Senor Zu- 
 verir, the brother of the Minister of Foreign Relations, gave me 
 eight or ten specimens from as many veins upon his own prop- 
 erty, some indicating great richness. 
 
 With the prospect of a more stable government these mines 
 had, even at the period of my visit, attracted the attention of 
 foreign capitalists. In returning from the upper states I met a 
 party of miners, principally Englishmen, but recently arrived from 
 Lake Superior, who were sent out by Mr. La Fon of Montevideo 
 to work copper-lands which he had just purchased in Catamarca 
 for $96,000. It is the opinion of many that the mineral treasures 
 of the northwestern states are unbounded ; and resident land- 
 holders would gladly avail themselves of the energy and experi- 
 ence of foreigners in developing them. I believe myself that a 
 fine harvest awaits the reaper. 
 
 On the 25th of August, 1855, 1 started for Santiago del Estero, 
 distant from Cordova 860 miles, according to the postas of the 
 government, of which there are twenty-one, from three to eight 
 leagues apart. I must confess that I felt discouraged by the ap- 
 pearance of the wretched horses brought out to begin the jour- 
 ney ; poor, panting, ungroomed creatures, dragged by the lasso 
 from a corral, whither they had been driven after an hour's race 
 over the pampas. It seemed impossible that they could make 
 twelve miles a day, much less an hour, and this over a hilly coun- 
 try. But much as I thought I had learned, my experience and 
 knowledge of the power of horses in La Plata were yet to be 
 gained. I complained to the master of the first posta for giv- 
 
 23 
 
354 SHEEP-DOGS. 
 
 ing us such miserable animals. He looked most provokingly un- 
 moved, saying, 
 
 " jE's buen cavallo, Senor ; es muy manso''' (It is a very good 
 horse, Sir ; it is very gentle). 
 
 " Muy manso the d — 1 ! what do I want with a horse muy inan- 
 sof You will never see this again ; it will drop on the road." 
 
 " Muy hien^ Senor''' (As you please), said the man, bowing com- 
 placently. 
 
 This was too much. Off I dashed at half-speed, never breaking 
 a gallop for twelve miles. Instead of being broken down or dis- 
 tressed, the sorry -looking beasts, after a half hour's rest, were to 
 be driven back, I was told by the postillion, at the same speed, and 
 then turned out to pasture upon the pampa. At all the postas I 
 was detained nearly an hour, while the horses were driven from 
 the pastures into the corral to be saddled, and yet, in all this jour- 
 ney, I never made less than ten, and commonly twelve miles the 
 hour, and often proceeded to the distance of twelve to twenty- 
 four miles, at full gallop, on the same horse. 
 
 The face of the country was very unlike the pampas of Santa 
 Fe. We were fairly among the low sierras, the connecting links be- 
 tween the plains and the Andean ranges. After leaving the calcare- 
 ous plain on which stands the capital, we entered upon a granite 
 formation. Owing to the drought,* all verdure had disappear- 
 ed. From this district our road led into the valley of Jesus Maria, 
 which was enameled with wheat-fields, and enlivened by several 
 grist-mills in active operation. The herds of cattle were small, 
 but the flocks of sheep and goats were large. The sheep were 
 guarded only by dogs ; a feature in the pastoral life of this coun- 
 try mentioned by Azara, but which I saw here for the first time. 
 
 The protection of the dog is said to be ample. In the morn- 
 ing, when about to lead the flock out to pasture, a piece of meatf 
 is hung about his neck to prevent all temptation to stray off for 
 food, and most faithfully he remains at his post during the whole 
 day. The sheep recognize their canine guardian by closing be- 
 hind him at the approach of a supposed enemy, and by following 
 readily as, punctually at sundown, he leads them to the protection 
 of the Qorral. The dog is trained for this duty by separation, soon 
 after its birth, from the bitch, and by being placed upon a nest of 
 wool in the sheep-fold, where it receives nourishment three or four 
 
 * The rainy season begins the 1st of October. 
 
 t Azara says if this meat is mutton the dog will never taste it. 
 
PALMS AND CACTI. 355 
 
 times a day from a ewe. It is afterward castrated, and kept apart 
 from other dogs, and even from the children of the family. Thus 
 cut off from all connection with its own kind, and from the do- 
 mesticity of human association, it affiliates readily with the sheep, 
 and, as their shepherd, shows a sagacity and fidelity quite extra- 
 ordinary. 
 
 From this district, which abounds in friable limestone of excel- 
 lent quality, we entered a sandy, gravelly region, with but poor 
 vegetation, save a species of palm, the filamentous tissues of which, 
 I am confident, would prove an excellent raw material for cordage, 
 canvas, or other coarse fabrics. 
 
 Near Divisidero, 75 miles from Cordova, grow vast quantities 
 of a gigantic cactus, which bears a rich, luscious yellow fruit, much 
 prized by the people of the country, who make from it a delicious 
 jelly, dark as molasses. 
 
 At San Pedro, the next posta, were clustered a few neat and 
 well-constructed houses, around a small church, recently built ; 
 and immediately in the vicinity were thriving orchards of apple 
 and peach trees. The soil of the neighboring country was sandy, 
 gravelly, with but little cultivation, and its predominant growth 
 was an inferior species of palm. 
 
 I reached Eosario, the next halting-place, distant nine miles, in 
 fifty minutes. Here the usual empty prison-like room assigned 
 to travelers was made quite comfortable by water and towels sent 
 to us by a lady of the posta. 
 
 From Eosario we traveled through a poor, uncultivated, and un- 
 dulating country to Changa, a pueblo of twenty or thirty houses, 
 and from thence to El Paso de Tigre, where we spent the night. 
 At this last place was a hideous object, the corpse of a man who 
 had died from the poison of a spider. He was bitten upon the 
 lip, and the swelling was so excessive that it was impossible to 
 distinguish his features. 
 
 The next f osta, of 18 miles, was made in one hour and forty 
 minutes; the road passing the whole distance over a table-land 
 of limestone. From a wild, rugged ravine, intersected by a small 
 stream, it next entered a desolate region, without native or cul- 
 tured vegetation, save a few thorny scrubby bushes. Granite and 
 coarse sand were its prominent geognostic features. 
 
 We had made 165 miles from the capital, and were near the 
 dividing line of the states of Cordova and Santiago del Estero ; 
 but where or what direction it took none could tell. 
 
356 THE DULCE. 
 
 From this point the country was hilly, but fertile, with fine 
 fields and noble forests of quebracho bianco and algorroba. I 
 saw few horned cattle, but large flocks of goats and sheep brows- 
 ing upon every hill-side. On reaching our resting-place for the 
 night we had made during the day 72 miles, and yet had been 
 detained at least one half the time at the different postas, thus 
 averaging twelve miles the hour, without feeling particularly 
 fatigued or observing any sign of failing on the part of the mis- 
 erable-looking horses. The promise of an extra real to the postil- 
 lion will always insure an average speed of ten miles the hour 
 throughout the day. 
 
 The Posta del Monte is half a mile from the River Dulce, there 
 known as the Saladillo, for it flows along the edge of the Salinas, 
 or travesia, a vast zone of saliferous sand, extending over parts of 
 four states — Cordova, Santiago, Rioja, and Catamarca. 
 
 This arid district must nevertheless possess some nutritious 
 herbage, for the few horses and cattle that we saw were in re- 
 markably fine condition ; but in passing its eastern extremity, 
 where it has a width of not more than twelve miles, we saw only 
 a . few stunted succulent plants, and a dense growth of salsole, 
 which extended several miles; the earth being white with in- 
 crustations of salt and pure saltpetre. 
 
 The general direction of the Dulce was formerly south-east 
 from its source to the Lake Porongas; but in 1823, in conse- 
 quence of a great accumulation of drift-wood, which obstructed 
 its passage about eighteen miles from Santiago, during a periodical 
 rise it broke through the banks; and taking a circuitous course 
 south-west along the borders of the travesia, became so strongly 
 impregnated with saliferous deposit as to forfeit all right to a 
 name which formerly indicated the purity of its waters. 
 
 Unaware of these physical changes, and knowing the Dulce 
 only from the position heretofore assigned it by geographers, I 
 applied to the master of this posta to learn something of the char- 
 acteristics of the Saladillo, which I sujjposed to be one of the 
 many rivers that flow from the eastern slopes of the Andes, and 
 are lost by evaporation or in the swamps and lagoons of the pam- 
 pas. He could give me no information whatever. He knew it 
 only as the Sakdillo, " which begins to rise in October, and reaches 
 the highest point in April, when it overflows the lands immediate- 
 ly adjacent," In fording it I found a depth of from three to four 
 feet, with banks on either side ten feet above the water-level. 
 
THE QUICHUA LANGUAGE. 357 
 
 Notwitlistanding the indifference and ignorance of the post- 
 master as to the course of the Dulce, its new direction had com- 
 pletely changed the character of a large district of country ; a 
 district which, once rich in pasture-lands, teeming with luxuriant 
 crops and a considerable population, is now comparatively a ster- 
 ile desert. 
 
 Subsequently, in conversing upon this change with the Gover- 
 nor of Santiago, a man of great intelligence, he dwelt hopefully 
 upon a project in view for restoring the river to its old channel, 
 and he told me that nothing but their intestine troubles had caused 
 a ppstponement of the work. I suggested to him another enterprise, 
 which would be attended with very little expense ; an examina- 
 tion of the Dulce for boat navigation, from the central districts of 
 Santiago to Lake Porongas, and from that point to the Salado. 
 
 After passing this river I heard for the first time, at the Posta 
 Chilque, the Quichua language. It is spoken in only one section 
 of Santiago, that is, north of the Dulce, in a region of country oc- 
 cupied principally by Mestizos ; while south of the same stream 
 French or English would be as comprehensible to the people. 
 But a more extraordinary fact still, in connection with the range 
 of this language, is that though it comes from the north — from 
 the Empire of the Incas — it is not spoken or understood in Jujuy, 
 Salta, or Tucuman, 
 
 The Jesuits published a grammar and dictionary of it, but the 
 only book I saw was an octavo volume of six hundred pages,* 
 presented'to me by General Taboado. It was published in Lima 
 in 1631, and contains, with instruction to the curates for adminis- 
 tering to the natives baptism and confirmation, the catechism, 
 prayers, and offices of the Eomish Church. 
 
 From Chilque to the Pueblo Atamisque the country was cov- 
 ered with fine forests of quebracho bianco and quebracho Colora- 
 do, but beyond this to Palumbala it presented the aspect of an 
 arid waste ; the dust rose in clouds, as from a Macadamized and 
 much-traveled road. The soil, a brown loam, was apparently good, 
 but there was no grass, not a shrub or tree, to give momentary 
 shelter from the burning rays of the sun : yet this dreary district 
 was part of the once lovely, fruitful basin of the Dulce: I can 
 not offer a better illustration of the importance of irrigation in 
 these regions, only visited by periodical rains. 
 
 * " Ritual forinulario e institucion. dc Ciiras, para administrar d los Naturalen de 
 este Reyno, los Santos Sacramentos del D'ij>tis7no, Conjirmacion, Eucanstia," &c. 
 
858 
 
 A MEREY-MAKING. 
 
 We stopped for the night at Perqui, near the little village of 
 Loreto, having made a day's ride of seventy miles. 
 
 A merry-making was on foot ; the daughter of the post-master 
 was gaily attired, and tuned up a rude harp, upon which she was 
 to play for her expected guests to dance ; but the master himself 
 was in his cups, and declared he could give us no supper, for the 
 flocks had not come up. A ride of seventy miles without dinner 
 was no excuse for our not joining the dancers, for beaux were 
 needed. I could not agree with him ; so, drawing out a reserve 
 of bread and a bottle of milk from our saddle-bags, we made a 
 supper and retired to hide cots, with the heavens for a canopy.* 
 
 TEOPA OP 0AEEETA8 ENCAMPED. 
 
 We were soon disturbed by an arrival, a tropa of ten carretas 
 from Eosario, bound for Tucuman. This was a welcome event 
 to the dancers ; the tropero and his companions, fine dashing-look- 
 ing fellows, were soon whirling in the waltz, caring neither for 
 supper nor rest after a long day's travel. The passion of these 
 people, both men and women, for the dance is marked. Within 
 doors it supersedes all other amusements ; and as every village 
 and posta has its rude guitarist or harpist, and the only refresh- 
 
 * In traveling in La Plata I rarely slept in a house. 
 
COST OF TRANSPORTATION. 359 
 
 ment, a sip of cana, is readily obtainable, to give a ball is with 
 them but to collect a few neighbors. 
 
 From the tropero I learned that each of his ten wagons carried 
 180 arobas, for which the charge from Tucuman to Eosario was 
 $1 25 the aroba ; for the return trip, 75 cents for every wagon. 
 Several relays of six oxen are required. He spoke of this season 
 as one particularly severe for the animals on account of the scarcity 
 of water, the unusual drought having dried up the pasturage. In 
 these unwieldy wagons the produce of the upper states is carried 
 to Eosario, and all foreign goods are, in return, thus forwarded to 
 the interior. The time occupied in the trip, including halts and 
 incidental delays, is from ten to twelve months. 
 
 The morning after the ball we were up before the sun. The 
 master of the posta was quite sobered by a long sleep, and accept- 
 ed gratefully an offer of yerba, for I traveled with a supply for 
 our own use ; and on this occasion a mate prepared by Cornelius 
 was the only refreshment preparatory to a ride of eight leagues. 
 Drunkenness is a rare vice in La Plata, although the native liquor, 
 cana, is the most potent I have ever tasted ; but the people in all 
 parts of the basin and in every class of life eagerly seek a matd. 
 No Chinaman sips his tea and no Turk his coffee with more en- 
 joyment. After taking it in the morning, I could ride for nearly 
 the whole day without food and without feeling troubled by 
 hunger. 
 
 At midday we reached the town of Santiago del Estero, sixty 
 miles, having changed horses but twice. We met on the road 
 another tropa of twenty wagons, bound to Tucuman. 
 
 Eighteen miles from Santiago we again forded the Dulce, and 
 found its waters as fresh and sweet as those of a mountain spring ; 
 depth, three feet ; width, quarter of a mile ; course, southwest. 
 
 We passed that morning, in our ride from Perqui, a country 
 fertile and admirably diversified by wood and arable lands ; the 
 wheat-fields were fine, especially as we approached the river, where 
 the yield is sixty almudes to one of seed. 
 
 The forests of quebracho and algorroba are large, and the mimo- 
 sas contribute almost as much to the comfort of man, in these 
 western states, as the palm in other parts of the basin. One spe- 
 cies of algorroba is unequaled as fuel, or as a material for char- 
 coal ; and the bark, foliage, and fruit of others enter into the do- 
 mestic economy of every household. The fruits of the "blanca" 
 and " negra" are much prized both for preserving and drying ; in 
 
360 
 
 TABLE OF DISTANCES. 
 
 the latter state they are not unlike dried peaclies : and fresh from 
 the tree, sell readily at thirty -seven to fifty cents the almude. 
 
 The following are the postas between Cordova and Santiago 
 del Estero, with the distances established by the respective prov- 
 inces — on which is based the charge for horses and postillions — 
 and the time occupied by us in the travel from one to the other. 
 The charges are not uniformly the same in all the provinces. In 
 some they are, for each saddle-horse, half a real — six and a quar- 
 ter cents — per league, and double this sum for a postillion and 
 cargaro horse ; while in others the charge for the latter is one and 
 a half reals. 
 
 1st day. 
 
 2d day. 
 
 3d day. 
 
 4tli day. 
 
 5th day. J 
 
 From Cordova to Posta Moyen, in 
 Moyen to Guerra . . 
 Guerra to Salitra . 
 Salitra to Las Talas . 
 Las Talas to Divisidero 
 Divisidero to Yinta Guasi 
 Yinta Guasi to El Sala 
 El Sala to San Pedro . 
 San Pedro to Rosario . 
 Rosario to Las Piedras 
 Las Piedras to Paso del Tigre 
 Paso del Tigre to Porto Suelo 
 Porto Suelo to Orquetas . 
 Orquetas to San Antonio . 
 San Antonio to Guardia . 
 Guardia to Pueste del Monte 
 Pueste del Monte to Chilque 
 
 Chilque to 
 
 to Palumbala 
 
 [ " Palumbala to Perqui . 
 Perqui to La Egira 
 La Egira to Cordero . 
 Cordero to Santiago 
 
 Hours. 
 
 3 
 1 
 
 3 
 1 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 1 
 2 
 1 
 1 
 2 
 1 
 1 
 
 Arin. 
 
 00 
 30 
 30 
 10 
 15 
 15 
 50 
 00 
 52 
 45 
 15 
 40 
 05 
 40 
 35 
 30 
 30 
 15 
 30 
 25 
 40 
 10 
 20 
 
 T-eagueg, 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 2 
 8 
 5 
 
 3 
 6 
 3 
 
 6 
 4 
 
 6 
 4 
 
 2 
 5 
 
 1 
 4 
 1 
 6 
 6 
 8 j 
 4 I 
 4J 
 
 Postas 
 in Cor- 
 dova. 
 
 Postas 
 in San- 
 tiago. 
 
SANTIAGO. 361 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Santiago. — Government House. — Trade and Population. — No Hotels. — Pair of 
 Gloves. — Visit to the Governor. — Don Taboado. — The Boat. — Quintas and 
 Fruits. — Chills at Santiago. — The Pic-nic. — The Dulce. — Bed of the Salado. — 
 The Saladillo.— The Flor del aria.— The Ulua.— Luxuriant Foliage.— The Slevre. 
 — Bees. — TheToisimi. — Yaiia. — Moso Moso. — Mestiso Quilaya. — Cani. — Quella 
 and Alframisqui. — The Eyrobana. — Wax. — The Cochineal. — Lassoing a Mule. — 
 Price of Mules. — Launching the Boat. — A Bivouac. — Arrival at Salvador. — 
 Banks of the Salado. — Birds. — Estancia Figarra. — "Que Animal." — Arrival at 
 Matara. — The Dance and the little Child. — The Priests. — Incursions of the 
 Chaco Indians. — List of Trees. — Quebracho. — Algorroba. — Vinal. — Quilin. — 
 Chafia. — Mistol. — Uinay. — Tala. — Puna. — Gumi. — Quimel. — Cardon. 
 
 Santiago, the capital of tlie state, stands some half mile from 
 the Dulce, in latitude 27° 46' 20'' south, longitude 64° 22' 15" 
 west,* and contains about five thousand inhabitants. It present- 
 ed an aspect of decay. Deserted, dilapidated houses and silent 
 streets only offered the pleasant enlivenment of business with the 
 periodical arrival or departure of tropas. The public buildings 
 are a government-house and three churches. One of the latter 
 and many dwellings are built of tapia\ in that district of country 
 — a perishable material, from the strong impregnation of the soil 
 with saltpetre. Buildings and inclosures of it were crumbling 
 under the action of the elements, antl yet a church in Santa Fe, 
 constructed of this same material, looked as if it might stand for 
 ages : indeed it had become, by time and exposure, as hard as 
 granite. The government house is a substantial brick structure, 
 with spacious apartments, some of which were occupied as public 
 offices: the reception-room was well furnished and hung with 
 pictures, many of them portraits of distinguished men of the re- 
 public. 
 
 Six hundred and fifty miles from Rosario, and five hundred 
 and ninety from Santa Fe — the outlets of this country upon the 
 Parana — distracted by political factions, and devastated by the 
 forays of Indians, it creates no astonishment to hear that San- 
 tiago has retrograded since the establishment of independence ; 
 
 * Determined by meridional difference from Cordova, with pocket-chronometer 
 rated at the latter place. 
 
 t Enormous adobes, several feet in length by some two or three in thickness. 
 
362 GOVERNOR TABOADO. 
 
 and yet it has a population of 50,000 souls, distinguislied in La 
 Plata as industrious and enterprising. As its resources are great, 
 we may fairly conclude that it only awaits a development which 
 it must receive under the Confederation and the administration 
 of its present governor, Don Manuel Taboado, who is a man of 
 integrity and energy. He was ill at the time I arrived ; but my 
 reception by Don Juan F. Borjas, the gobernador delegado (deputy 
 governor), was marked by civility. Apartments, for there are no 
 hotels in Santiago, were assigned us at the Government House, 
 where, as the guest of the state, not only was every want antici- 
 pated by servants in constant attendance, but all the luxuries and 
 comforts that the town afforded were unostentatiously supplied. 
 I was afraid to attempt the purchase of the smallest article, for it 
 was promptly famished, and the money invariably returned. I 
 sent Cornelius for a pair of gloves ; he brought me some of ex- 
 cellent quality, together with the money which I had given him. 
 
 "But how is this? Why did you not pay for them?" I in- 
 quired. 
 
 " You can pay for nothing here, Sir," was the reply. 
 
 I called at the governor's private residence, and found him con- 
 fined to his bed. It was quite unnecessary to explain the object 
 of my visit to Santiago. He anticipated an exploration of the 
 Salado with impatience, as a work the success of which would 
 insure the prosperity of all the western states. I told him that 
 a raft or boat of some kind was necessary. 
 
 " There is a skiff" eighteen* feet by three in the Eio Dulce. Will 
 it answer your purpose ?" he kindly suggested. 
 
 " But we are forty or fifty miles from the Salado." 
 
 " The boat shall be transported to the river by ox-cart, and 
 I will follow with a military escort. If agreeable to you, my 
 brother. General Antonio, will accompany you, for he speaks the 
 Quichua, and may be useful in communicating with the people." 
 
 Such were the encouraging offers of Governor Taboado. 
 
 While awaiting the return of the general, who was at his es- 
 tancia, I accepted the hospitalities of several families of the city, 
 and visited some of the really pretty quintas that dot its envi- 
 rons. Notwithstanding the severe drought of six month's dura- 
 tion, the alfalfa, or alfa, was most luxuriant; for the lands gen- 
 erally were well irrigated by the waters of the Dulce, which was 
 conducted through them by a main and lateral canals. A quinta 
 (country seat) of ten acres pays a low tax of two dollars per an- 
 
A PIC-NIC— DEPARTURE. -ggg 
 
 num for the use of this water, whicli is let into the canals at in- 
 tervals of two weeks. • 
 
 Peach, fig, pomegranate, and orange trees were growing vigor- 
 ously, side by side, in the same garden, and bore, I was told, in 
 their season, fruit in great perfection. The fig-tree attains a con- 
 siderable size ; some were ten inches in diameter, through the 
 trunk, and from thirty to forty feet in height. Cotton is peren- 
 nial, and yields abundantly for ten years ; but I saw only a few 
 straggling plants, for the cultivation has entirely ceased since the 
 introduction of the manufactured article. 
 
 The salubrity of the climate is unequaled. Fevers of a malig- 
 nant type are unknown. In the whole state there is neither phy- 
 sician nor apothecary ; for here, as in Paraguay, the indigenous 
 vegetation furnishes remedios for all diseases known. One day 
 during my stay I was ill, and certainly thought I had a chill ; but 
 this was considered impossible. 
 
 *' Ah, no, Senor," said my visitors, earnestly, " the ague is un- 
 known in Santiago." 
 
 We were invited by several prominent citizens to a pic-nic at a 
 short distance from the town on the banks of the Dulce. Our 
 conveyance was the governor's little boat, in which we pushed 
 off, and made all sail up stream ; but the craft, governed more by 
 the current than sail or rudder, would run bows mto the bank on 
 one side, and stern on to a fiat the other, until, heartily weary, 
 we landed, and, with our guns, followed the picturesque banks of 
 the river. An ample collation was afterward spread under the 
 shade of an algorroba. Among other luxuries provided, and 
 they were many, was English ale, which is so greatly relished in 
 every part of La Plata. British enterprise had sent it over the 
 ocean and up the river to Rosario, from whence it had been 
 brought six hundred and fifty miles across the pampas in wag- 
 ons. 
 
 On the 8th of September, the day fixed for our departure, the 
 boat, lashed upon an ox-cart, was dispatched across the country ; 
 and we followed in the governor's carriage, a barouche drawn by 
 four horses, each mounted by a postillion. We forded the Dulce, 
 about a mile from the town. At that point its width was four 
 hundred yards ; depth four feet, which, by marks on the banks, 
 I knew to be ten feet below its highest rise. The water was per- 
 fectly fresh and sweet, although the constant recurrence of the 
 efQorescences of saltpetre, showed how strongly the adjacent 
 
364 EIVER CHANGES. 
 
 lands were impregnated. Before reaclimg tlie river, we passed a 
 belting of sandy hillocks, irregularly thrown up, as if by the wind, 
 and partially covered with vegetation. They reminded me strik- 
 ingly of the sand-dunes of our .east coast. Can it be possible that 
 these lands, more than seven hundred miles from the ocean, once 
 bordered a great estuary ? 
 
 Having left the capital at rather a late hour of the day, we 
 stopped for the night at the estancia of a friend of General Tabo- 
 ado. Although it was one of the better order of country houses, 
 our cots were placed out of doors ; for to sleep in the open air 
 seems to be the universal habit of all classes in good weather, and 
 so deliciously pure is the atmosphere that no apprehension of risk 
 to the health need be entertained. 
 
 On the 9th, at an early hour, after having, as usual, taken mat^, 
 we continued our journey, and soon passed the ox-cart, lumbering 
 along slowly with the exploring craft. Three leagues from Estan- 
 cia Taboado we crossed a wide flat, which twenty years ago was 
 the bed of the Salado ; now that river courses four leagues farther 
 north of it. The structure of the land is promotive of these 
 changes, but the direct cause is found in the undisturbed accumu- 
 lation of drift-wood which at certain points so entirely obstructs 
 the channel that, during the season of flood, the waters assume a 
 new direction. Again, they may be ascribed to the harricados^ 
 the primitive bridges of the country, which are formed by fell- 
 ing trees on both banks; these, falling in the river, collect all 
 floating material, and in time quite a substantial passage-way is 
 formed. 
 
 The Saladillo, now called a branch of the Salado, though a few ■ 
 years since it was the principal channel, separates from the main 
 stream ten miles above the Estancia Taboado, and unites with it 
 twenty-seven mUes below, forming an island thirty-six miles in 
 length by from three to six in breadth, which has a population of 
 3600 souls, and furnishes six hundred fighting men. It is well 
 wooded, and the soil, a dark alluvium, yields fine crops of wheat 
 and corn. 
 
 On reaching the estancia, we had passed a distance of fifty -three 
 miles from the capital, over a sandy level country ; some districts 
 of it are populous and well cultivated in wheat and corn, while 
 others were intersected by fine forests. In riding through the 
 woodlands I saw some of the noblest forms of the mimosas, such 
 as the white and black algorrobas, the thorny vinal, the quilin, 
 
VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL LIFE. 355 
 
 and chaua ; also tlie uinay, with its floral barometer,* tlie jumi,f 
 and a variety of other shrubs, which, if less useful, yet enriched 
 the woods by their clusters of bright flowers. Many a tree was 
 inwrapped and festooned with the most delicately fragrant and 
 beautiful of all epiphytes, pointed' out to me as the Jhr del aria, 
 and by the climbing cactus ulua, with its creamy white and trum- 
 pet-shaped flowers. The cardon of the toisimi bee, the tuna of 
 the cochineal, and other gigantic cacti covered the plains, all so 
 luxuriant and verdant in this first spring month that it was difii- 
 cult to realize a periodic stagnation. It was a striking feature, 
 and one that could not fail to impress a casual observer or the 
 most careless mind, that all the powers of this nature were made 
 tributary to the wants of the people of the country ; every tree, 
 every shrub and flower, bark, foliage, and fruit, seemed to enter 
 into their domestic economy. 
 
 If there was less afiiuence in the animal life, it nevertheless of- 
 fered new and varied objects of interest. I shot with my carbine 
 a llevre, the hare of La Plata, and the first that I had seen ; it was 
 of a glossy bright squirrel -gray, with yellowish-white belly, and 
 measured two feet from nose to tail. I also brought down a par- 
 tridge, bearing a strong family resemblance to the large bird of 
 Entre Rios, but in certain points differing very materially. It 
 is larger, the neck much longer, the legs shorter, and upon its 
 head is a crest of a few long feathers ; its eggs, about the size of 
 those of a hen, are a rich dark green, and as smooth as the finest 
 and most highly-glazed porcelain. Scarcely had we gotten be- 
 yond hearing of the shrieking chuna, a quail we had seen in Para- 
 guay and Corrientes, when we were saluted by the shrill notes of 
 another bird of the same family, but differing in size and plumage. 
 
 The bee abounds, and eight distinct species are recognized : the 
 tiosimi, yana, moso moso, mestiso quilaya, cani, quella, and alpa- 
 misqui. These Indian names are significant of the characteristics 
 of these industrious and useful insects. The people of the country 
 revel in the rich supplies they afibrd of a delicious and invigorat- 
 ing food. I ate of several of these varieties of honey, and pre- 
 ferred above all others that of the toisimi bee, known as the car- 
 don honey ; for it is only found in the trunk of that cactus. Ex- 
 pressed from the comb, it becomes after a few months perfectly 
 
 * The country people note the opening and closing of the flower of the uiflay as 
 an unfailing indication of atmospheric changes, 
 t From which potash is obtained. 
 
Se6 VARIETIES OF HONEY. 
 
 white and granulated; and when eaten with bread or parched 
 com* is considered delicious and sustaining. The Santiaganians 
 prefer the cardon, but they also highly prize the lechiguana, 
 the product of a bee which makes its hive in trees, and feeds 
 upon the first spring flowers ; for the flavor of the honey depends 
 upon the food of the insect ; the comb looks as if formed of the 
 finest tissue paper, and has no admixture of wax. Myriads 
 of bees exist in the Chaco, bordering the Salado ; and large par- 
 ties, provided with wide sacks and a provision of parched corn, 
 cross over in the month of December to collect the produce of the 
 wild hives. They take very good care, however, not to venture 
 beyond the woods and plain immediately adjacent to the river; 
 for with the Indians also honey is a staple article of food, and they 
 prefer above all other varieties one that is found in that region — 
 the eyrobana, which is the deposit of a bee that feeds upon the 
 fragrant ybirapaye. Forlorn, emaciated invalids join these par- 
 ties, and, after an absence of a few weeks, return fat, well, and so 
 changed that it is like the working of a miracle. This is ascribed 
 to the properties of the wild honey, which, with parched corn, is 
 for the time the only food of those engaged in these expeditions. 
 
 A considerable quantity of wax is still sold to the village mer- 
 chants, and finds its way to the neighboring provinces; but the 
 trade in this article must have diminished ; for, according to Aza- 
 ra, ten thousand pounds were collected annually in Santiago be- 
 fore the Eevolution. The process of preparing it for sale is simple 
 enough. The comb is boiled in water, which is frequently stirred, 
 and as the wax rises to the surface, a bunch of twigs is immersed, 
 to which it adheres; it is then bleached by a daily exposure to 
 the action of the sun for some weeks. 
 
 Cochineal was, before the Eevolution, a staple export from San- 
 tiago ; ten thousand pounds having been sent annually to Chili 
 and Peru. Now it is gathered only for home consumption, and 
 may be readily recognized in the brilliant scarlet ponchos and 
 coarse woolen goods of the country. I believe that any amount 
 could be exported ; for the cactus opuniia, or tujaa, upon which it 
 is found, abounds in every part of the state. The Jesuits discov- 
 ered that the quality of the cochineal was improved and the 
 quantity increased by cultivating the tuna. 
 
 The Estancia Taboado embraced several square leagues ; but 
 this was a very small part of the landed estate of a family of three 
 
 * There is a small corn or maize planted expressly for this purpose. 
 
MULE-BREAKING. 367 
 
 brothers and two sisters, wlio hold their property of every de- 
 scription in community of interest. There, for the first time, I 
 saw mules broken for service ; the general having, at the time of 
 my visit, just received a lot from Buenos Ayres. The mule was 
 lassoed and dragged forth from the corral to a short post, around 
 which the lasso was skillfully wound, as the animal attempted to 
 escape. A cloth was then thrown over the eyes, and the head 
 drawn close to the post ; one man gave the ear a violent twitch, 
 another girded on the ricado with great force, and fixed a very 
 primitive hide bridle, without a bit, to the lower jaw. The do- 
 mador, equipped with enormous spurs, then sprung upon the ri- 
 cado ; and at the same moment, the mule released from the post, 
 and relieved of the bandage over his eyes, dashed off with arched 
 back, head between his legs, leaping, bounding, kicking, or turn- 
 ing as on a pivot. All was of no avail in unseating the rider, 
 who, at every vicious movement, only plunged his enormous 
 spurs deeper into the creature's side. At last the battle ended ; 
 they re-entered the corral ; the man cool and unmoved, the mule 
 utterly exhausted and completely under the control of the rider. 
 
 This operation is severe; but after a few trials the beast is 
 tamed, and soon learns to associate the will of its rider with the 
 rein. The domador is, as may be supposed, an important charac- 
 ter in all pastoral establishments ; and without appearing to exer- 
 cise any great muscular force, his feats of horsemanship and his 
 skill in breaking the wildest animals are marvelous. 
 
 These mules at Estancia Taboado were purchased in Buenos 
 Ayres for five and a half dollars apiece, and brought to Santiago 
 by a capitaz, assisted by several peons. Forty dollars to the capi- 
 taz, twelve to each peon, and one per mule, were the expenses oi* 
 the road. On the day after their arrival the general sold two 
 thirds of them at eighteen dollars apiece. The animals, when 
 fattened and tamed, are driven to Salta and Bolivia, where they 
 are sold at trebled and quadrupled prices. The demand for them 
 is constant, and it will always continue to be a profitable trade, as 
 they furnish the only means of transportation across the Andes 
 for the produce and merchandise of Bolivia to and from her Pa- 
 cific port, Cobija. At the period of my visit horned cattle in 
 Santiago were worth from nine to ten dollars, and hides four. 
 
 Although the population and exports of Cordova are greater 
 than those of Santiago, I observed in the latter state that the cul- 
 tivation of the soil was pursued with greater skill ; indeed, this is 
 
368 FIRST BOAT ON THE SALADILLO. 
 
 more of an agricultural tlian a grazing country, and one in whicli 
 I met, almost for the first time in the Argentine Confederation, a 
 laboring class, industrious, robust, and civil to strangers. But 
 without a market for his produce, the Santiaganian farmer has no 
 stimulus to do more than meet the demands of the inhabitants of 
 his own state. 
 
 Septemher llth^ 1855. Our little craft arrived in the afternoon, 
 and was launched upon the Saladillo in the presence of a number 
 of admiring but greatly astonished peons ; for in the whole coun- 
 try it was the only boat, and the first within the memory of liv- 
 ing man, that had floated upon the waters of the Salado, 
 
 September 14tih. All preparations were completed, and having 
 made the necessary astronomical observations, which placed the 
 Estancia Taboado in latitude 27° 20' 25'' south, longitude 64° 08' 
 25" west, I commenced my exploration, accompanied in the little 
 boat by General Taboado, Acting Lieutenant Murdaugh, Cornehus, 
 and three peons. 
 
 As the governor had ordered the commander of the river dis- 
 tricts to afford any required assistance, we found parties of men 
 at different points ready and willing to remove all obstructions. 
 The united labor of ten, fifteen, and even twenty men was some- 
 times required to cut a passage through the barricados (bridges) 
 of trees; but the peons, singing and joking, with axe in hand, 
 dashed into the river, and, with the water sometimes up to their 
 waists, worked with a vigor and will that quite astonished me. 
 It can not be supposed that these laborers comprehended ftilly 
 the importance of opening this channel, but they evidently enter- 
 tained a high respect for their governor and general, and were 
 anxious to please them. At every stopping-place crowds of men, 
 women, and children came down to the river with offerings of 
 chickens, eggs, and honey. 
 
 By sunset we had accomplished sixteen miles, and finding at 
 this point but twelve inches water, I determined to make a pas- 
 sage across the island to the main stream. In a short time — for I 
 would listen to no mafiana (to-morrow) — an ox-cart was moving 
 overland freighted with the little craft, and we bivouacked around 
 a comfortable fire, for the nights were yet quite cool, Eefi:-eshed 
 by a mate and a supper of asado, cut from a bullock which was 
 a few minutes before grazing upon the adjacent pastures, with 
 ricado for pillow, feet to the fire, and an aspect of the heavens 
 above us that would have delighted any cloud-weary reader of 
 
KIVER NAVIGATION. 359 
 
 the starry worlds, we dozed away, thinking the soft grass no bad 
 bed. 
 
 At dawn the next morning, the 15th, we started across the isl- 
 and, and, taking a southeast direction, passed several villages, and 
 found the country fertile and populous. 
 
 At Salvador, four leagues from our stopping-place of the 14th, we • 
 reached the Salado, and again launched our little boat. The width 
 of the river at this point was fifty feet ; at high water it is one 
 hundred and iifty. It had a depth of twelve inches on the shoal- 
 est places, and a current of one mile the hour. The banks rise 
 abruptly from twenty to thirty feet, and were belted by the finest 
 algorrobas, vinals, and sauses that I had yet seen in La Plata. 
 From this vicinity is taken the alcaparosa, a metalline substance 
 which, when boiled with the leaves of the molle, yields an une- 
 qualed black dye. Quantities of cochineal are also collected here. 
 
 Making four miles an hour we reached the mouth of the Sala- 
 dillo in one hour and a half. After passing this point the river 
 becomes wider, less tortuous ; and the obstructions were only 
 such as could be readily removed by half a dozen men armed 
 with axes and lassos. We passed a chain of sweet-water lakes 
 about half a mile north, named, as they appeared, Salvador, Mir- 
 avilla, Tigeroa. A small branch of the Salado flows into this lat- 
 ter, and again reunites with the main river some distance below 
 by a fall of ten feet.* 
 
 We saw vast numbers of the charata. The same bird is found 
 on the Paraguay and Vermejo, where it is known as the " gallina 
 del monte." Its note is very peculiar. When startled it makes 
 a shrill shrieking cry, which is instantaneously taken up and 
 responded to by many others, as if to give warning of the 
 approach of an enemy. At Cruz Bajada we stopped at sunset, 
 and around a good fire, kindled upon the banks, passed the 
 night. 
 
 September 16ih. As our crew, who never before saw a boat, were 
 not very skillful navigators, we were obliged to stop for an hour 
 or two at the Estancia Figarra and repair the rudder, which had 
 been injured in running foul of a snag. Here we obtained a 
 meridian altitude, which determined the bajada (landing) of this 
 estancia to be latitude 27° 42' 24" south. From this point the 
 river increased in width, depth, and current ; the adjacent coun- 
 try was fertile and comparatively populous. We passed several 
 
 * At the state of the river when I examined it. 
 
 24 
 
370 ASTONISHING THE NATIVES. ^ 
 
 estancias, tlie largest of wliich, Candelaria, is quite a village. 
 Having made thirty miles, we stopped for the night at the Estan- 
 cia Catchi, where we feasted on cardon honey and popped corn,* 
 sent us by the master of the estate. 
 
 Septemher 17 ih. The general course of the river was southeast, 
 , with, as yet, no obstructions but those arising from fallen trees, 
 through which a passage was cut for the boat. Its characteristics 
 and those of the adjacent country were very unvarying. The 
 surface-soil of the latter is a rich vegetable deposit of from two to 
 four feet, resting upon an argillaceous formation of remarkable 
 uniformity. For two days I had traced a stratum of green clay, 
 without a break in it, from three to six inches thick, and contain- 
 ing innumerable minute shells : it varied in distance below the 
 surface from fifteen to twenty feet, and was at that time just 
 above the water-level. 
 
 The appearance of the Conquistadores among the aborigines 
 could scarcely have excited a more lively curiosity than did our 
 little exploring craft. At the Estancia Lojlo, where stand a 
 chapel and several dwelling-houses, a number of people had as- 
 sembled from far and near to see the boat. It was the wonder of 
 the country. ' A horse, mule, ox-cart, or hide balsa were the only 
 modes of conveyance familiar to these simple people, who would 
 laugh, look at the skiff, then at each other, and exclaim ' Que 
 animal r Several times, in rounding a bend of the river, we 
 came suddenly upon parties of men and women fishing or wash- 
 ing, who had heard nothing of the expedition. At sight of us 
 they would dart off into the woods as if pursued by a legion of 
 evil spirits. The general would call out some reassuring words 
 in their own language, when one would timidly appear, then an- 
 other. How they laughed and gesticulated, and what a volume 
 of rich Quichua they poured out in explaining how, at our ap- 
 proach, none had stopped for a second look ; for one had taken 
 the boat for a huge beast, others supposed that we were hostile 
 Indians in a novel disguise. As we advanced, numerous other 
 visitors, who, like those at the Estancia Lojlo, had heard of us 
 and had traveled from a distance, brought with them offerings of 
 honey, popped corn, eggs, and chickens. 
 
 We saw quite a number of estancias which, from their dilapi- 
 dated jJnd abandoned condition, showed that the marauding In- 
 
 * A small grain is cultivated expressly for this use. When roasted it bursts and 
 expands to tenfold its original size. With wild honey it is delicious. 
 
MATARA. 371^ 
 
 dians had carried tlieir forays and depredations even to this high 
 point. 
 
 Septemher l^th. Our first obstruction was a barricado, where we 
 found twenty men, with axes and lassos, busily cutting a passage. 
 They were working with a will, though up to their waists in wa- 
 ter. At 3 P.M. we arrived at Matara, having accomplished that 
 day twenty-three miles. 
 
 To this point we had made ninety-six miles from Salvador, and 
 had found no grave difficulties in the navigation. The banks 
 rose from twenty to thirty feet above the water, and at that sea- 
 son showed no indications of recent washing, such as might arise 
 from a strong current. The course of the river generally was 
 marked by a wooded belting, and the adjacent country was pop- 
 ulous and well cultivated. ; 
 
 Should the Salado prove navigable to the Parana, Matara must, 
 from its central position, be a place of some trade. It is about 
 three quarters of a mile, west-northwest, from the point at which 
 we landed, and is, by our determination, in latitude 28° 07' 14" 
 south, and longitude 63° 43' lb" west. It has now a population 
 of only five hundred souls, although twenty years ago it was a 
 place of consideration, and the residence of some of the wealthiest 
 famihes of the province. The repeated incursions of the Indians, 
 and the constant apprehension in which even the inhabitants of 
 the town Hved, have caused the abandonment of estancias, and 
 the removal of families to other parts of the state, 
 
 Septemher 19th. The weather was too cloudy for observations 
 when we arrived at Matara ; and, being anxious to determine its 
 position satisfactorily, I accepted the commandante's offer of hos- 
 pitality, and took possession of one of the many deserted houses 
 of the place. 
 
 It was the conceit of an old Italian painter,* in his picture of 
 the " Judgment Day," to represent men and women entering 
 heaven with the faces of infants. At Matara I witnessed a more 
 curious illustration of the idea that "of such is the kingdom of 
 heaven." On the evening of our arrival we were invited to a 
 dance. The ball-room was a -^ell-swept, well-beaten yard ; the 
 orchestra a bench ; and its one musician a harpist, whose instru- 
 ment was quite as primitive as that of the maiden at Posta Per- 
 qui. The guests were the inhabitants of the town generally ; the 
 refreshments a jug of cana, from which all took a pull in turn. 
 
 * Fra Angelico, of Fiesole. 
 
372 THE ANGEL'S DANCE. 
 
 The occasion of tlie fete was the death of an infant. The child 
 had been taken to form one of the choir of rejoicing angels, and 
 the parents must manifest their gratitude to the Omnipotent. So 
 friends were summoned ; and with the little body gayly attired, 
 and placed upon a platform covered with fragrant flowers, moth- 
 er, father, and relatives danced merrily, as upon a festive occa- 
 sion. General Taboado told me that the body would be borrow- 
 ed by the intimate friends for other dances, until, touched by de- 
 cay, it would be " sown in dishonor" to be " raised in glory." 
 
 Our visit to the town was also the occasion of a ball, given the 
 next evening, in the inclosure fronting the house which I occu- 
 pied. The arrangements were not more ambitious than those of 
 the " angel's dance." The guests were barefooted generally ; and 
 our ball-room was lighted by tallow candles stuck on boards. 
 This was primitive enough ; but there was no vulgarity. Drunk- 
 enness never disgraces these festive meetings, and the presence of 
 a rowdy inebriate would have caused more sensation here than 
 in more civihzed regions. Men and women, utterly uneducated 
 as most of them were, had yet a native dignity of manner that 
 imparted something of elegance even to a Salado ball. Here, 
 bordering on the wilds of the Chaco, where the party may be 
 broken up at any moment by the war-whoop of the savage, danc- 
 ing is the favorite amusement of the people, and the village belle 
 and the leaders of ton are not the pretty or the rich, but the most 
 graceful in the dance. r 
 
 Matara has a church ; but, until within a few days of our ar- 
 rival, the inhabitants had been without clerical aid for two years. 
 A priest, who accompanied Governor Taboado with the hope 
 of forming a mission in the Chaco, finding this the case, had re- 
 mained. The present Pope Pius IX., in the earlier years of his 
 career, labored in La Plata ; and many of the clergy at this time 
 are educated foreigners, who, in the work of God, exhibit a noble, 
 self-sacrificing, missionary spirit, and deservedly enjoy great in- 
 fluence. The padre is the friend and adviser of all classes ; his 
 house is the radiating point of every village. He is supposed to 
 be incapable of wrong; but when "found wanting," he is most 
 summarily dealt with. The last priest at this village had been 
 banished the state for malpractices. 
 
 There were many persons at Matara who had recently fled from 
 the estancias below. The forays of the Indians had at that time be- 
 come almost monthly occurrences, the savages generally selecting 
 
TREES AND SHRUBS. 373 
 
 a moonliglit niglit, and moving in parties large enougli to overawe 
 any hastily collected force. They swim or ford the Salado, de- 
 scend suddenly and noiselessly upon the country ; drive off horses 
 and cattle ; kill all who oppose them ; dash into the river, driv- 
 ing the stolen animals before them; regain the opposite shore, 
 and disappear in the wilds of the Chaco before the dawn of 
 day. 
 
 It seems unaccountable that the population upon this river, ap- 
 parently industrious and physically capable of defense, should not 
 unite to protect themselves ; but generally they are without lire- 
 arms, and the predecessor of Governor Taboado, appointed by 
 Eosas, had done nothing to assist them. At the period of my 
 visit the new Confederation had organized no system of protec- 
 tion, and the few military posts established were sustained entirely 
 by the energy and patriotism of the Taboados and a few kindred 
 spirits. 
 
 I append to this chapter a list of the trees and shrubs that I saw 
 in the ride from the town of Santiago to the Salado, and to which 
 my attention was directed by General Taboado. 
 
 The Quebracho Colorado and Blanco. The Algorroha Blanca and 
 Negra; of these some account has been given. The Vinal. the 
 same genus as the algorroba, similar in wood and fruit, but un- 
 like in leaf: an infusion of the latter is a remedy for inflamed 
 eyes, and for this purpose they are sent to Buenos Ayres in con- 
 siderable quantities for sale: from the trunk and branches pro- 
 ject long sharp thorns. The Quilin, another of the mimosae ; 
 thorny, as the vinal ; foliage and fruit similar to that of the al- 
 gorroba. The Ghana; fruit yellow; as timber, suitable for all 
 purposes where great tenacity is required. The Mistol^ hard, dur- 
 able timber. The TJinay^ bearing a remarkable flower, which in- 
 dicates an approaching change of weather. The Tal/i^ good tim- 
 ber. The Puna^ sause, our willow ; molle, a shrub, the leaves of 
 which are used as tea. The Jumi^ the shrub producing potash. 
 The Quimel, cactus ; large leaf, on which the cochineal feeds. 
 The Cardon^ cactus ; trunk short, but large ; branches octagonal. 
 The bee toisimi builds its hive and deposits its honey, which is 
 superior to that of all others, in this cactus. Many varieties of 
 the cactus ; among them is one called the ulua, a climber, with 
 large white trumpet-flower. Also a variety of shrubs in bloom, 
 and a delicate species of the epiphyte, the " Flor del Aria," of de- 
 licious odor. 
 
374 ^ INDIAN FORAYS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Bajada Sause. — "Women pursued by Indians. — Laguna Toma Caphuyan. — Estancia 
 Gramilla Bracho. — A Night's Sleep interrupted by the Governor's Troop in pur- 
 suit of Indians. — Fording the Lagoon. — The Scouts on the Trail. — Indians in 
 Sight. — The White Men defied. — A Charge. — Another Pursuit. — Disappearance 
 in the Forest. — Hunger, Thirst, and a sound Sleep in the Rain. — The old Es- 
 tancieros. — Hostility of the Indians. — Navicha. — Paso Sandia. — Pastixres. — 
 Monte Aquara. — Monte Tigre. — Arrival of an additional Force. — Musquitoes 
 and Rain. — Farther Advance of the Party. — On another Trail. — Swimming the 
 River. — The Volleys. — Indians. — The would-be Captive. — The dying Soldier. — 
 The Bullet and a Cigar. — Monte del Muerta. — The Current running up. — The 
 Return. 
 
 On tlie 20t]i I left Matara, and at sunset readied Bajada Saiise, 
 having made sixteen miles. The men, who moved some hours 
 in advance, had cut a passage through the fallen trees, which were 
 still the only impediments to navigation. The course of the Sa- 
 lado and the physical features of the adjacent lands were precisely 
 those that have been noted above Matara. At the night's bivouac 
 upon the banks our sympathies were strongly excited by finding 
 two distressed women who were hiding from the Indians. Eight 
 weeks before the savages descended upon the neighboring estan- 
 cias, killed one man, and drove off all the stock they could find. 
 The inhabitants offered no resistance, but fled to the woods, where 
 these two women had been wandering ever since, rarely remain- 
 ing twenty-four hours in any one place, spending their days upon 
 the banks of the river, and their nights among the thickets of the 
 forests. The only property they had saved was a very small 
 flock of sheep ; these, they told us, would at night creep close 
 to them without making the least noise, as if conscious of the 
 vicinage of danger. 
 
 From Bajada Sause the bordering lands became more and more 
 depressed, until, about eight miles below, they merged into a vast 
 lagoon called Toma Caphuyan (Tom's Hole), from five to six 
 miles in width, three to four feet deep, and covered with a dense 
 growth of tortora, a species of flag common in the marshes of 
 Eastern Virginia. The men had cut a passage through it wide 
 enough for the boat, but without following the river channel, 
 which was, wherever our course crossed it, two feet deep. 
 
NAVIGATING THE LAGOON. 875 
 
 I determined, by taking a land circuit, to avoid, if possible, the 
 labor and time which must be given to cutting through it ; for I 
 had satisfied myself as to the nature of the difficulties here pre- 
 sented. The men were accordingly sent ahead for oxen or horses 
 to carry us ashore, where we were fixtures for the night. Our 
 little craft — three feet by eighteen — was rather confined quarters 
 for seven men; but it was better than wading through tortora 
 and water three feet deep. We had a cold, disagreeable time, 
 and at dawn gladly hailed the reappearance of the men. One 
 party attached a strong rope to the boat in front, another was 
 placed behind, and, with a continuous song and shout, bearing 
 down grass and tortora, they pulled and pushed us through near- 
 ly three miles of the lagoon to the Estancia del Estado. We had 
 touched dry land upon the property of the State of Santiago — at 
 one time that of the crown of Spain— where now a small herd of 
 cattle alone represented the hundreds of thousands that once 
 ranged over its rich pastures. 
 
 September 22c?. We needed an observation for time, and were glad 
 to reach this estancia early enough for a meridian altitude, which 
 gave our position, latitude 28° 19' b^" south, longitude 63° 28' 58" 
 west. Again the exploring craft was sent by ox-cart two miles 
 across the country, to the Estancia Gramilla. In following it on 
 horseback we passed through a dense growth of jumi ; the ground 
 was white with an incrustation of saltpetre, 
 • At Gramilla the boat was launched, not, as I had hojDed, upon 
 the clear waters of a well-defined river, but again upon those of 
 the lagoon, which extended east like a sea. The channel of the 
 Salado was, however, distinguishable, and had a depth of four 
 feet. There was assuredly here a subsidence of the land ; for the 
 channel and course of the river had not changed within the mem- 
 ory of man, and yet we passed a house with several feet of water 
 around it, which not many years since stood on comparatively 
 high ground, and was known in the country as Casa Alta ; and 
 some distance beyond we glided in four feet water over what 
 was once the site of a flourishing town, Guanagasta. The only 
 remains of it were posts of the indestructible woods of the coun- 
 try, standing like skeletons above water and grass. Thirty years 
 ago this was a place much resorted to by agents of the merchants 
 of Buenos Ayres and Santa Fe, and by the Indians of the Chaco, 
 who exchanged their peltries and honey for tobacco, knives, and 
 hatchets. The skin of the nutria was. brought here in vast num- 
 
376 APPROACH OF TROOPS. 
 
 bers; but during the excessive and long-continued drought of 
 1827, '28, and '29,* this useful little animal perished or migrated. 
 
 At sunset we reached Sause Esquina, once an extensive and 
 well-stocked estancia, now a grassy wilderness, without a marl<,to 
 indicate its former occupation. The musquitoes not only kept us 
 from sleeping, but swarmed in such numbers that it was with dif- 
 ficulty we got an observation. Our position, distant eight miles 
 from Guanagasta, and one and a half west of the river, was in 
 latitude 28° 26' 21" south, longitude 63° 18' 01" west. The la- 
 goon was still so filled with grass and tortora that we remained 
 at this place during the 23d to enable the men to get somewhat 
 ahead in cutting a passage through it for the boat. 
 
 September 24^th. At 3 P.M. we again overtook our men, who were 
 cutting a passage. This was very hard work, and now unneces- 
 sary, for I understood perfectly the character of the lagoon. Al- 
 though we had not yet reached its eastern extremity, we had 
 tracked through it twenty miles of the Salado in a southeast di- 
 rection. The only difficulties in its navigation arise from grass 
 and tortora, which could be removed in a short time by the labor- 
 ers of the country, who work for twelve and a half cents per day 
 and a ration. At a rise of six feet above the present level of the 
 river, the tortora would offer no impediment to the passage of a 
 steamer of proper construction, for she could skim over or cut 
 through it without difiiculty. I directed the men to make for the 
 nearest point, where we landed and proceeded a mile or two east 
 to " Old Bracho," the position of an abandoned military post, 38 
 miles from Matara in a right line and one third more by the 
 course of the river — this difference being embraced between Ma- 
 tara and Estancia del Estado. We were now fairly beyond the 
 limits of civilization, and slept with fire-arms by us. 
 
 September 25th. "We had scarcely settled ourselves for a night's 
 sleep when we were aroused by the sound of an approaching body 
 of horsemen. It proved to be the governor with a detachment 
 of forty cavalry, and as many mounted infantry, in actual pursuit 
 of a large body of Indians, who had, the very day after we left 
 Matara, made a descent upon the estaucias of the neighborhood, 
 killed several persons, and driven off herds and flocks. They 
 had crossed the Salado at Bajada Sause, where we met the two 
 women, who again escaped, and had probably watched the move- 
 
 * This period is' always referred to in the country as the Gran Seco — Great 
 Drought. 
 
PURSUIT OF INDIANS. 377 
 
 ments of our party. All was excitement and liurry ; the govern- 
 or would not dismount, for he hoped to intercept or overtake the 
 marauders by passing over to the Chaco through the lagoon, as 
 they would be obhged to follow the bordering plain opposite after 
 recrossing the river. 
 
 I requested and obtained permission to join in the chase, as we 
 should be compelled to await the return of the general, who de- 
 termined to accompany his brother. The military passed on, and 
 we followed as soon as horses could be found. At 9 P.M. we 
 were mounted, and, guided by two soldiers, commenced fording 
 the lagoon through which we had been toiling for some days in 
 the boat. Our horses floundered through mud and water, at times 
 up to the saddle-skirts. Now the guide almost disappeared ; then 
 my own horse plunged to such a depth that, ungaucho-like, I 
 would dismount or step aside in water over my long boots, leav- 
 ing the poor animal to extricate himself.* For a few yards we 
 had a firm bottom, and this, in the darkness, I presumed to be the 
 channel of the Salado. 
 
 At 11 P.M. we touched the firm land of the Chaco, and found 
 the governor only awaiting our appearance to begin the march. 
 Anxious to see all the manoeuvres in this pursuit of the savages, 
 I took position near General Taboado, who, at the head of the 
 cavalry, moved a little in advance of the infantry, which was led 
 by the governor. In darkness and profound silence, unbroken 
 except by some order given in an undej: tone, we passed over the 
 plain at a.walk. We were on the trail, for the scouts reported, 
 first, a bullock that had strayed from the stolen herd, then re- 
 mains of a mule, and soon after the tracks of many animals, say- 
 ing confidently at what hour they had passed a stated point on 
 the preceding day.f 
 
 At 5 A.M. on the 26th the order was given to proceed at a fast 
 trot. We passed a smouldering fire, with the remains of a roast- 
 ed bullock, and a moment later a cloud of dust was observed in 
 the east about a mile ahead. This was caused by the Indians fly- 
 
 * When the horse of a gaucho sinks in the mud of a pantano he never dismounts, 
 nor urges him on with either whip or spur, but draws up his legs, and keeps his 
 seat until the animal, by his own struggles, is released. 
 
 t The natives of the country have such an acute perception in distinguishing the 
 tracks of animals that, without hesitation and with precision, they will state the 
 time at which they were made, and will discriminate between those of the herds 
 of diiferent estancias, and the proportion of bulls, bullock's, or cows, liorscs or 
 mules. 
 
378 THE FIGHT. 
 
 ing over tlie plain at Ml speed, witli a drove of horses in advance. 
 The general followed at a rapid gallop, passing abandoned horses 
 and many cattle that had strayed out from the woods, whither 
 they had been hurriedly driven. Twice during this run of three 
 hours the Indians lassoed and mounted fresh horses from the 
 herd. It seemed to be the work of a minute, but each time we 
 gained a little upon them ; and after the second change, when 
 within less than a quarter of a mile, a party of the savages turned, 
 rose to their full height upon the bare backs of their animals, as 
 if to count the force in pursuit, and then, with defiant whoop and 
 gestures, challenged them to come on. Up to this moment we 
 had kept pace with the general ; but not considering it my duty 
 to be speared, I now took a position aside to watch the fight. 
 There was no hesitation on the part of the handful of soldiers in 
 advance of the main body. They charged at a gallop. The In- 
 dians shook their long lances,* dashed into their midst, spearing 
 right and left, and wheeling suddenly, followed at full speed the 
 rest of their party, now almost out of sight. The cacique was 
 wounded, and lost his horse ; but seizing that of a wounded sol- 
 dier, he fled into the forest, followed by some of his men. 
 
 Orders having been given to make provision for the safety and 
 comfort of the soldiers who had sufifered in the skirmish, the gen- 
 eral continued the pursuit at half speed. We passed ricados, 
 horses lanced and abandoned, f cattle, the skins of animals and 
 other trappings ; but as ^e were a second time gaining on the 
 Indians, they suddenly wheeled, and dashed into the fcffest, which 
 they had closely skirted during the chase, abandoning their hors- 
 es, and disappearing as completely as if the earth had opened to 
 receive them. This great body of wood, extending a three days' 
 journey, was indeed an impregnable fortress, for its walls of vege- 
 tation rendered farther pursuit impossible. The result of this 
 skirmish and chase was the recapture of two hundred horses and 
 two hundred and fifty horned cattle. 
 
 As may be supposed, our horses, after floundering through a 
 morass, traveling all night, and without a moment's rest making 
 a run of 36 miles at an unbroken gallop, were fatigued. But five 
 minutes were allowed for a halt ; and again at 9 A.M., under a 
 sun of tropical intensity, we were retracing our steps over the 
 
 * The Chaco Indian never throws the lance. 
 
 t A few Indians have ricados, generally the sjioils of their forays. When they 
 abandon a horse broken down, under such circumstances, he is invariably lanced. 
 
A SLEEP IN THE RAIN. 381 
 
 plain. Now tliat tlie excitement of the pursuit was over, we 
 were tormented by thirst. No water was to be had on the march 
 of that long, hot spring day ; and our bivouac for the night was 
 near a slightly saline marsh, in which the deep tracks of stray 
 cattle alone afforded a little brackish water. The sufferings of the 
 horses may be imagined, for they had been under the saddle 
 twenty hours, and in that time, with only a rest of five minutes, 
 had made one hundred and twenty miles. Tethered by a lasso, 
 the pasturage of a circle of about one hundred feet across was 
 now their only food. As for ourselves there was neither water, 
 mate, nor food ; but spite of hunger and thirst we spread our pon- 
 chos on the grass, and slept soundly. At daylight we were again 
 moving along the plain at a walk, for there were no fresh horses, 
 and of those recaptured from the Indians, some were unbroken, 
 while others were in a worse condition than our own. 
 
 This day's travel brought us to the Salado, where we had pure 
 fresh water and a supper of asado, the first food we had tasted for 
 forty hours. This was scarcely ended when the rain poured in 
 such torrents as to drive us to the shelter of a deserted ranch, 
 where we remained for some hours like packed herrings. This 
 close stowage was far less comfortable than the wet grass ; and at 
 midnight, finding the rain was over, I sjDread my India-rubber 
 blanket on the pampa, and soon fell into a sound sleep. In the 
 morning I awoke refreshed, as if my night had been passed in the 
 most luxurious apartment. So much for habit and the health of 
 this climate ! 
 
 I was much impressed by the hardy, patient, endurance of the 
 Santiago soldiers. Their only compensation is a suit of clothes, 
 a ration of beef, and a little tobacco ; and yet the general told 
 me that they served most cheerfully, rarely deserted, and would 
 make a march of two or three successive days without food or 
 water ; and with a sack of pounded parched corn, which each 
 man carries behind him, would uncomplainingly pass through a 
 campaign of two weeks. But when meat is placed before them, 
 they consume the most' enormous quantities. A beeve is the 
 usual daily ration for twenty -five men. 
 
 In this Indian chase we passed through one hundred and thir- 
 ty-five miles of the Chaco over a plain or strip of rich pasture-land 
 five miles in breadth, which is bounded on one side by an un- 
 broken forest extending about one hundred and fifty miles north 
 and south, and on the other by the Salado. In returning from their 
 
882 INDIAN DEPREDATIONS. 
 
 incursions into Cordova and Santiago, tlie Indians drive before 
 them large herds and flocks, the plunder of different estancias. 
 Pasturage and water are therefore all-essential; and, to secure 
 these thej invariably pass along this plain, coasting the Salado 
 as far as the lake Tostado, where they double the southeastern 
 termination of the forest, and taking their last draught of sweet 
 water, push across north to the Vermejo. 
 
 The opposite or Santiago side of the Salado was, before the 
 Eevolution, one of the most populous in La Plata. For hundreds 
 of miles pastoral establishments bordered the river, several of 
 them being the property of the crown, and, within the recollection 
 of many, the estancieros resided upon these estates. The Indians, 
 always defiant and hostile, were yet held somewhat in check by 
 the power of Spain. But after the Eevolution, encouraged by a 
 knowledge of the civil factions that disturbed the country, and 
 not unfrequently guided by army-deserters or refugees from jus- 
 tice, not only the tribes bordering on the Salado, but migratory 
 hordes from the north, poured down upon these frontier estan- 
 cias, killed the men, carried their wives and children into hope- 
 less slavery, and, driving before them herds of cattle, regained, 
 without molestation, the interior of the Chaco. These Indians 
 have never learned the use of fire-arms, and, by examining the 
 map, it may be seen how easily a chain of small military posts 
 could have protected the whole Salado country. 
 
 Fort Bracho, the eastern frontier post of Santiago, about one 
 and a half miles west of the old position, and in latitude 28° 21' 
 15" south, longitude 63° 12' west, is simply a collection of well- 
 constructed mud houses, surrounded by a palisade of stout que- 
 bracho trunks fifteen feet high. It is commanded by a major, 
 but its use as a military post may be doubted in witnessing the 
 impunity with which the savages continue their forays. The 
 revenues of the state estancias, formerly the crown property, on 
 this river, would at one time have been fully adequate for the de- 
 fense of the frontier, had they been properly applied by the last 
 governor under Rosas, 
 
 The boat was again transported to ISTarvicha,* six leagues south- 
 east from Fort Bracho and the eastern extremity of the lagoon. 
 From thence I proposed to continue my exploration, accompanied 
 by the governor and a detachment of fifty mounted infantry. 
 
 * All proper names here introduced indicate points in the wilderness once known 
 as estancias. 
 
THE SALADO. 383 
 
 "We reached it at sunset on the 1st of October. Instead of an 
 asado of beef we had for supper delicious wild fowl, which abound 
 in the islets of the lagoon. 
 
 October 2c?. We again launched our craft on the Bocaron de 
 Narvicha, a stream which branches oif from the Salado, in the la- 
 goon, and rejoins the main channel at Sandia Paso, in latitude 
 28° 43' 08", longitude 62° 58', nine miles by land and double that 
 distance by water. It had five feet water, but was much obstruct- 
 ed by fallen trees. The banks on both sides were fringed with 
 algorrobas, vinal, and chanar.* Unmistakable marks on banks 
 and trees indicated a rise at high water of six feet above the pres- 
 ent level. We soon overtook the men dispatched ahead to make 
 an opening for us, but from that time till sunset advanced slowly. 
 We enjoyed amazingly our asado and the warmth of the bivouac 
 fires around which we settled for the night ; but the rain soon 
 after poured in torrents, and obliged us to seek shelter under the 
 dense fohage of the trees, which were a poor protection against 
 such an outpouring of the clouds, continuuig throughout the 
 night. 
 
 October Sd. Under way at an early hour, we soon reached Paso 
 Sandia, the encampment of the general, who honored our arrival 
 with a " came con ci^ero."f A little beyond this the Salado flowed 
 on, a weU-defined and unobstructed stream, about sixty feet wide 
 and from four to six in depth ; current half a mile ; banks low, 
 abrupt, and indicating a rise of five feet above the present level 
 at the season of high water. At Paso Sandia I found in the sur- 
 face-soil vast quantities of the minute fresh- water shells seen fif- 
 teen and twenty feet below it at Matara. I had now passed over 
 the most difficult part of the Salado in a boat, and had seen enough 
 to convince me of the practicability of its navigation. But this 
 cutting a passage through overhanging and fallen trees promised 
 to be a work of more time than I could well spare ; so, relying 
 upon the assurance of the governor's guide, that our course lay 
 directly along it, and that I could touch it at any point, I determ- 
 ined to join his Excellency's party, and proceed by land. We 
 moved along on the right bank, and occasionally tried the depth 
 of the stream by fording or bathing. 
 
 October Ath. The Salado was now a beautiful and well-defined 
 stream, following a general direction of southeast, through a gi-assy 
 
 * An infusion of the leaves of the chanar is considered in that country an infal- 
 lible cure for dropsy. f Beef roasted in the skin. 
 
384 THE PAMPA. 
 
 pampa, belted for miles by noble mimosge ; again its banks were 
 not wooded, but fringed with luxuriant alfalfa, the bright yellow 
 blossoms contrasting gayly with the deep rich green of the grass. 
 At sunset we had made twenty-five miles in a right line, which 
 might be estimated at double that distance by the course of the 
 river. As we advanced, the adjacent lands were undulating, 
 presenting considerable grassy elevations for a pampa country. 
 Winding through it was a broad, verdant, and meadow-like belt, 
 which looked as if it might once have been the bed of a river. 
 
 October 6th. We passed over a fine undulating pampa, carpeted 
 as far as the eye could reach with the most luxuriant alfalfa, the 
 Salado winding through it, a bright placid stream skirted by trees. 
 The algorroba, in some parts of La Plata a small bushy tree, 
 was here superb in size and foliage, and as clear of undergrowth 
 and dead limbs as if carefully trimmed. I enjoyed the sunset 
 glories of that spring day, and an hour's rest upon a grassy eleva- 
 tion, from which I viewed the picturesque groups of dark-visaged 
 gauchos. Some were bringing water from the river, others seek- 
 ing fuel, and many gathered around the bivouac fires watching 
 the asado. The atmosphere was resplendently clear, and the air 
 soft, balmy, and redolent of the fragrance of alfalfa, through which 
 the horses and cattle waded to their bellies. I thought I had nev- 
 er seen a fairer pastoral region. It was once inclosed as the Es- 
 tancia Dona Lorenza, one among the most celebrated in La Plata. 
 Posts dotted the plain, and traces of canals, by which the water 
 of the Salado was conducted through the lands for irrigation, were 
 the only vestiges of former occupation. Except some miserable 
 captive, not a white man had passed here within the last quarter 
 of a century. 
 
 October 6th. From the Estancia Dona Lorenza, which is in lati- 
 tude 29° 05' 13" south, longitude 62° 48' west, we traveled twen- 
 ty-three miles, making eighty-three from Fort Bracho. I found 
 the characteristics of river and bordering land varying but little 
 from those noted the 5th. In the course of the day it was repeat- 
 edly crossed by fording, touched at every bend, and bathed in at 
 the close of the day's work. It has a width of about eighty feet, 
 and a depth of from four to six. The banks showed no washing ; 
 I therefore concluded that, even at the season of high water, there 
 is very little current, and now it was scarcely perceptible. But 
 this may be ascribed somewhat to the early rains eastward and to 
 the "repunte" of the Parana, which had backed the waters up so 
 
ABANDONED ESTANCIAS. 385 
 
 far as to neutralize the current and increase the depth of the Sa- 
 lado to nearly its maximum. 
 
 October 1th. Our bivouac fires for the night were close to the 
 river, and near a skirting of fine quebrachos, one mile below 
 Paso de Coria, in latitude 29° 13' 42" south, longitude 62° 34' 30" 
 west. I observed during the day no obstructions to navigation. 
 There was scarcely any current ; the waters were clear ; and as 
 the river coursed through its green banks, so uniform was its 
 width that it looked like a grand canal. Could we have remain- 
 ed one month longer at Monte Aguara, I beheve we might have 
 ascended to Sandia Paso in the Yerba. The plain abounds in a 
 plant, the "caqueja;"* and in other parts of the province there 
 grows a small tree, the "melancillo," which is highly valued for 
 the medicinal properties of its root in cases of diarrhoea. 
 
 October 8th. Bivouacked at Monte Tigre, latitude 29° 22' 32" 
 south, longitude 62° 22' west, near a grove of nandubay, the first 
 I had seen upon this river ; it is of the mimosa family, and not 
 unlike the algorroba in foliage, but the trunk is larger and straight- 
 er, and the bark is very rough. 
 
 We passed at every mile or two marks of abandoned estancias. 
 At Viuda, formerly a rich cattle farm, we met a detachment of 
 twenty soldiers from a military post of the Dulce. The governor 
 had ordered them to join him here, for he was now in pursuit of 
 the Indians who had made the last foray into Santiago. Among 
 the soldiers was one who acted as guide or vaqueano. He knew 
 every bend and ford of the Salado, having recently escaped from 
 the Chaco after a captivity of many years among the Indians, who 
 carried him off when he was quite a child. 
 
 In the evening the wind was from the south, very fresh, and 
 the rain continuous, pouring in such torrents that ponchos, horse- 
 blankets, etc., formed into a tent, under which the general, Mr. 
 Murdaugh, and Cornelius crept with us, made but a poor pro- 
 tection. Musquitoes, close stowage, and a leaky roof were no 
 provocatives to sleep ; but in such sheets did the water continue 
 to fall, that we kept in our quarters until 10 o'clock A.M. of the 
 next morning. 
 
 On the 9th we made but fifteen miles, passing numbers of aban- 
 doned estancias. The whole country was entirely destitute of 
 wood ; not a bush was to be seen, but the alfalfa was rich and 
 
 * A tea made of its leaves is, the governor tells me, an infallible remedy for ve- 
 nereal diseases. 
 
 25 
 
386 THEOUGH THE MUD. 
 
 fresli; as in a sea we waded through it. This was the beginning 
 of the rainy season, which had set in much earlier than usuaL 
 As we advanced southeast the river was full and the lands im- 
 mediately adjacent almost impassable. The beginning of the 
 night was clear. We had no supper, not even a mate ; for there 
 could not be found fuel enough to boil a little water. Not so, 
 however, with our horses ; it was pleasant to see them luxuriat- 
 ing in the alfalfa. Myriads of musquitoes and rain — such floods 
 as pour down in these countries during the season — drive away 
 sleep ; but on a clear night these pampa apartments, with their 
 starry frescoes, are not bad. A man could scarcely desire a soft- 
 er bed than the fragrant clover. Our rest was short. At 1 A.M. 
 on the 10th we were in the saddle. Again the rain poured in 
 torrents, and, although it was the second spring month, I shiver- 
 ed ; for my India-rubber poncho was a good protection from rain, 
 but a very poor one from cold. 
 
 The object of this early move was to surprise a toldo near La- 
 guna Abipones. We had gone but a short distance when we 
 reached the borders of a pantano. As it was very dark and rain- 
 ing hard, the guides thought it prudent to wait for daylight be- 
 fore attempting to cross ; so we remained, even in the darkness a 
 black shadow on the borders of the morass. With the first streak 
 of day we were floundering through mud and water, one taking 
 his own way, another closely following the guide. On we went, 
 plunging, whooping, yelling, laughing at our own or others' mis- 
 fortunes ; for some were fixtures, imbedded like fossils, or so 
 firmly planted that they looked as if destined to remain, like the 
 estancia posts, monuments of the life that had passed away ; oth- 
 ers turned somersets over their horses' heads, regaining their feet 
 only to sink knee-deep in the soft mud. After toiling for two 
 hours through the swamp, we touched terra firma, and reached 
 our halting- place, Islita Chanar,* at 7 A.M. on the 11th, having 
 been in the saddle six hours. Here it was deemed expedient to 
 refresh both horses and men, preparatory to another Indian chase. 
 Fearing that the savages would discover our approach the cook- 
 ing fires were kindled behind a grove of chanar and kept very 
 low. 
 
 After a rest of a few hours we were again in the saddle, and 
 following as closely as we could the windings of the river. Islas 
 of wood, generally chanar, alone broke the monotony of the pam- 
 * Groves of wood which, on the naked pampa, have the appearance of islands. 
 
FIGHT AT THE PASO MISTOL. 387 
 
 pa ; the alfalfa was every where exuberant in its growth. Al- 
 though the governor antieipated a fight with the Indians, before 
 leaving Islita de Chanar he nailed his card against a tree, invit- 
 ing a jMrlamento (talk) — a mode of invitation well understood b}^ 
 the savages. 
 
 After advancing six miles the scouts returned and reported 
 stray cattle and horses. We were undoubtedly on the trail. 
 " They passed day before yesterday toward the Paso de Tostado," 
 said the vaqueanos. The men judged from tracks of the animals, 
 and spoke without hesitation. The general based his movements 
 as confidently on their report as if they had come from the midst 
 of the savages. 
 
 We had made about eight miles when, passing a fire, it was 
 presumed that the Indians were in our neighborhood; and the 
 soldiers were ordered to advance at a full gallop to Palo Negro, 
 a belting of that wood. Here we came in sight of a number of 
 horses and cattle on the Chaco side of the Salado. The men dash- 
 ed down to the river, stripped off their clothing, again mounted, 
 lance in hand, swam across, encircled the animals, and, driving 
 them ahead, regained the opposite bank at the moment that a 
 party of about forty Indians, with a war-whoop, issued from be- 
 hind a grove of chaiiar, and made for the Paso Mistol. The grove 
 of chaiiar in which their toldo was pitched had concealed from 
 them our approach. Extending for some distance on the Chaco 
 bank was a thin growth of bushes, and beyond, parallel with it, 
 a slight elevation. Op. nearing the Paso the Indians threw them- 
 selves down behind the bushes, which, with the long grass, pro- 
 tected them from the unskillful firing of the soldiers, although the 
 distance was not more than thirty yards. Volley after volley was 
 fired into their midst, and after each, one, two, or three of them 
 would rise, and with lightning speed escape amid a shower of 
 buUets, seemingly unharmed. After blazing away for some time 
 the general directed the interpreter to ask them if they would 
 surrender. "Never! San Antonio for ever!" was the cacique's 
 reply. The firing was kept up, and the Indians, apparently un- 
 touched, continued to disappear over the hill. I began to think 
 that the whole party had escaped, when one rose up, whose appear- 
 ance was hailed by a shout and a volley; he fell flat upon his 
 face, as if struck, but in another instant was upon his feet. There 
 was a second round, and again he fell, only to rise again untouch- 
 ed. Up to this moment I remained quietly on my horse, rather 
 
388 THE WOULD-BE CAPTIVE. 
 
 an amused spectator of the firing, for the gaucho soldier is more 
 skillful with the lasso than with the gun, and the Indians believe 
 that their musket-balls may be dodged. The general now turned 
 to me, and said hurriedly, 
 
 " Commandante ! that is a Cordovase, and a noted reprobate, 
 a villain, a traitor !" 
 
 I raised my carbine, and, as the man gained the top of the 
 grassy hillock behind which he would have escaped in another 
 minute, fired, not to kill, but to stop his headway. In an instant 
 he fell upon his knees, and the same moment, throwing up his 
 arms, implored mercy, exclaiming "50^ cautivd''' ("I am a cap- 
 tive") — meaning that he had been carried off by the Indians. 
 
 The soldiers were now ordered to the Chaco, and the next min- 
 ute the river was covered with half-naked gauchos swimming 
 over. After all this expenditure of ammunition, but two dead In- 
 dians were found, and the white man, who was wounded in the 
 fleshy part of the thigh, and who at the approach of the soldiers 
 exclaimed, " Spare me ! I am a captive." This announcement 
 was received by the men with a loud and derisive laugh. He 
 was known as a native of Cordova ; and when dyed with crime 
 had escaped justice by joining the Indians, for whom he had acted 
 as guide in several recent forays. Parties sent out to scour the 
 country on the Chaco side found the toldo, which, from its size, 
 indicated a greater number of Indians than we had supposed, and 
 the articles left behind showed that they had been surprised. 
 This explained the game of the savages at the Paso Mistol, who 
 engaged the attention of their pursuers to insure the escape of 
 the women and children. 
 
 The alfalfa of this section of the country was extraordinarily 
 rich, and the Indians had probably anticipated remaining here a 
 long time with their herds, little dreaming of the least disturbance 
 after having for more than a quarter of a century enjoyed the un- 
 interrupted range of the pampa across the Salado. A number of 
 earthen utensils were found, and some few articles recognized as 
 the spoils of their recent expedition ; for as the guides asserted, 
 they were the marauders who watched the movements of our 
 party at Bajada Sause, and had advanced two days ahead of us. 
 Among other articles found in their tents were a manta and a 
 head-dress of the cacique. The latter was a sort of helmet, sur- 
 rounded by ostrich feathers ; the manta was made of a soft flexi- 
 ble hide, and covered with feathers. 
 
BUKIAL OF THE DEAD. 39I 
 
 The day's work closed with the capture of about one hundred 
 horses and thirty milch cows, attended, however, with the loss of 
 one of the soldiers, who had engaged in the j)ursuit, and was 
 mortally wounded in single combat with a powerful Indian. I 
 shall never forget the expression of that poor dying man's face, 
 as with glazed eye and drooping head he was brought on horse- 
 back to the Paso, seated behind a comrade. Young, of fine mus- 
 cular development, and full of fire, he had been among the first 
 to reach the Chaco. In less than an hour the spirit had fled, and 
 the soldier was buried beneath a quebracho. The two bodies 
 of the Indians were put into a hide "balsa,"* as if they had been 
 slaughtered bullocks, and then thrown out on the opposite pam- 
 pa, for on the part of the gaucho there is toward the Indian a 
 deeply-seated hatred. The wounded Cordovase was carried over 
 with very little more ceremony. The creature appealed to me in 
 the most beseeching terms to extract the ball from his thigh; 
 finding that impossible, he, with the same voice and manner, im- 
 plored me to give him a cigar. At sight of the bodies of the 
 Indians he broke out into wild and fearful curses. " They had 
 brought him," he said, "to this state," by forcing him to act as 
 their guide. He was an admirable actor, but did not at all im- 
 pose upon the general, who knew that he was a " vaqueano volun- 
 tarioy The youthful captives of the savages are sometimes forced 
 into their service as guides, but our prisoner, being well known, 
 was delivered up for punishment to the Governor of Cordova. 
 
 We encamped for the night under a skirting of wood near Paso 
 Mistol, which is in latitude 29° 16' 03" south, longitude 61° 15' 
 west. The rain fell in torrents, but I slept through the whole of 
 it under cover of my India-rubber poncho, and on the morning 
 of the 12th was astir at an early hour, and ready for another day's 
 ride. 
 
 12th. A short distance below the Paso the Salado makes a re- 
 markable circuit : from east it winds to southwest, north to north- 
 east, making .within four points every course of the compass ; its 
 general direction is southeast. After progressing eight miles, we 
 halted for breakfast at Monte del Muerte, so called because a short 
 time before our visit a female captive had been put to death for 
 attempting to escape. The frame-work of an abandoned toldo 
 here was tied together by the long hair of a white woman. At 
 
 * A Salado balsa is a hide caupjht up at the four corners by a rojie of the same 
 material, or a polo, and guided across the river by madadores (swimmers). 
 
392 THE LOWER SALADO. 
 
 sunset we halted near the Monte Cueva de Lobo.* It was evident 
 that we were to pass another rainy night ; but, making a joint pro- 
 tection of ponchos, we covered a snug tent, under which we slept 
 soundly. 
 
 This was the lowest point that we reached on the Salado ; a 
 great disappointment to me, for I was anxious to join my work 
 with that completed to Monte Aguara. I have alluded to one of 
 our guides as having lived for many years among the Indians. 
 The governor expressed perfect confidence in the veracity and 
 intelligence of this man, who, during his captivity, had passed re- 
 peatedly along the banks of the Salado from Sandia Paso to Monte 
 Aguara, and had crossed and recrossed at various parts of it. I 
 accepted his declaration that the characteristics of the river to the 
 latter point were similar to those noted in the last two days ; but 
 to assure myself doubly, I questioned him as to its appearance at 
 and a little below Monte Aguara. His answers corresponded per- 
 fectly with my notes. From Sandia Paso to Monte Cueva de 
 Lobo, 134 miles, I had kept along the right bank, and followed 
 nearly every bend of the river south. I forded it repeatedly, 
 halted near it each night, and in returning crossed at Paso Mistol, 
 and followed the left or Chaco bank in the same manner; had 
 there been any obstacle to a continuous navigation, it could not 
 have escaped me. The formation of the country through which 
 it courses forbids the idea of reefs or falls.f 
 
 But I have not explained why it was impossible to proceed. 
 The rains had not only set in very early, for they begin generally 
 in November, but, eastward, were unusually heavy. The govern- 
 or, anxious as myself to unite the two explorations, sent an officer 
 with a detachment of soldiers, guided by the man before mention- 
 ed, to note the condition of the country. After an absence of 
 twenty-four hours they returned and reported the river full al- 
 most to the level of its banks, and the adjacent pantanos impassa- 
 ble. With great difficulty they had extricated two of their horses. 
 To have followed a circuitous route would have defeated the ob- 
 jects in view ; added to this, the governor's provisions were low, 
 and the men on half rations. The heavy rains east had complete- 
 ly neutralized the current of the Salado at this section of it ; but 
 
 * So called from a small animal, the loho (seal), which abounds in this place. 
 
 t While engaged in writing these lines I received the letter that is given in an- 
 other chapter from Governor Taboado. It will be seen that the Salado is, as I 
 declared, navigable thronghoxit its course. 
 
THE RETUKN. 393 
 
 I was not quite prepared for the statement of a scout, wlio, before 
 we set out on this exploration, had been sent to watch the move- 
 ments of the Indians, and who stated that not far from Sandia 
 Paso " the current was running up." I presumed that the man 
 had been perplexed by the sinuosities of the river, and had mis- 
 taken doicn for up, but I afterward discovered that the assertion 
 had some truth in it. The rains east were so heavy that the sup- 
 ply of water from that direction was far greater than from its up- 
 per sources in the western Cordilleras of Salta, and for a time — so 
 little declivity has the bed of the Salado — that the movement 
 seemed to be not from the west, but the east. The estimated di- 
 rect coui'se from Bracho to Monte Cueva de Lobo was 168 miles, 
 and by the windings of the stream double that distance. 
 
 By observation the following are the distances in a right line 
 between the jDoints made by uS : From Estancia Taboado to Ma- 
 tara, 51 miles ; from Matara to Bracho, 88 ; Bracho to Narvicha, 
 17 ; Narvicha to Mistol, 69 ; Mistol to Monte Aguara, 81 ; Monte 
 Aguara to Santa Fe, 88. 
 
 The relative distances in a right line and by the course of the 
 river may be thus estimated : From Estancia Taboado to Matara, 
 in a right line, 51 miles ; by the river, 110. This may be as- 
 sumed as a very good standard by which to judge of the others, 
 with the exception of that between Monte Aguara and Santa Fe, 
 which by the river is within a fraction of being four times greater. 
 
 On the 14th of October — one month from the time we had 
 launched our boat upon the Salado at Estancia Taboado — we be- 
 gan to retrace our steps from Monte Cueva de Lobo. 
 
394 A CORDON OF PORTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Crossing at Paso Mistol. — A Cordon of Posts. — Paso la Torre. — A Wild-goat 
 Chase. — Navigation of the Salado* — Sefiora Mendez. — Sleep in the Open Air. — 
 Reservoirs of Water. — Drought. — Arrival at Santiago. — A Ball. — Toasts. — 
 Fine Dancing. — River Dulce. — Road to Tucuman. — Approach the Andes. — 
 Woodland. — Rio Tala. — Mountains. — Scenery. — Arrival at Tucuman. — Hotels 
 in La Plata. — Dr. Priestly. — Sugar-Plantation. — Molasses, Sugar, and Rum Es- 
 tablishment. — Cultivation of the Sugar-cane. — A Dinner at Senor Zavalier's. — 
 Sefiora and her Daughters. — A Ride into the Country. — Scenery. — Dinner and 
 Ball at the Governor's. — Beauty of Spanish-American Women. — Province of 
 Tucuman. — The Capital. — Progress. — Statistics. — Cultivation. — Start for Salta. 
 — Valleys. — Productive Capacity of the Soil. — Wheat. — Mountain Road. — Posta 
 Romero. — The foiled Post-master. — Alimana. — Grassy Basin. — Destitute Post- 
 master. — Valley Chiguano. — Upper Waters of the Salado. — Products of Valley 
 Chiguano. — River Rosario. — Ford the Arrias. — Arrive at Salta. 
 
 October 15th. At Paso Mistol a hide taken from the frame-work 
 of a toldo was in a few minutes converted into a balsa, in wliicii 
 we crossed the Salado, having determined to follow the Chaco side 
 some distance in order to avoid patanos and observe the north- 
 ern vueltas of the river in returning to Santiago. 
 
 The men swam over with the horses. We found a few half- 
 starved howling dogs still hanging around the deserted toldo, and 
 the skeletons of the two Indians who had been killed in the fight 
 with the governor's soldiers bleaching upon the plain. The ca- 
 ranchas had stripped them of every particle of flesh. Six miles 
 from the Paso we reached the little lake Tostado, which, from be- 
 ing one of the never-failing sources of fresh water in the country, 
 is invariably passed by the Indians during their incursions into 
 the provinces. This is the point for a strong military post. After 
 I had completed the exploration of the Salado I addressed a note 
 to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Argentine Confedera- 
 tion, Don Juan Maria Gutierrez, expressing my views as to the 
 importance of a cordon of posts to extend from the Parana, nine 
 miles below Groya, to this lake, which would, I think, effectually 
 confine the Indians to the Chaco north of that line, and reclaim 
 from their devastations the finest districts of three states. Such 
 an establishment would render entirely unnecessary the mainten- 
 ance of those now existing, and would therefore entail no addi- 
 tional annual expenditure upon the government. Senor Gutier- 
 
NAVIGATION OF THE SALADO 395 
 
 rez wrote in reply, thanking me in tlie name of tlie President for 
 my suggestions, which he thought would be adopted, as they ac- 
 corded with his Excellency's preconceived notions on the subject. 
 
 From the lake — our road being one usually taken by the In- 
 dians — was a well-beaten track through a plain clothed with the 
 finest grasses, and, both inland and skirting the Salado, wooded 
 with algorroba and quebracho. There was not a sign of human 
 occupation or a sound to indicate an appro'ach to the scenes of 
 man's industry. The rainy season had fairly set in, and for sev- 
 eral nights we slept upon the ground with only the protection of 
 India-rubber ponchos. The incessant drenching to which I was 
 exposed disturbed me, however, less than the myriads of musqui- 
 toes that swarm the river courses of the pampas at that season. 
 
 On the 16th we still followed the grassy campo, here about 
 seven miles wide, and bounded west by the great forest to which 
 I have alluded ; while to the left flowed the Salado, its course 
 marked by a wooded belting. Toward evening we reached that 
 part of the plain to which the soldiers pursued the Indians on the 
 25th of the past month, when they so suddenly disapj)eared in the 
 depths of the wood. 
 
 Before crossing the river at Paso la Torre we chased a " cor- 
 zuela," the wild goat of the country, which so closely resembles 
 the small deer that, at a short distance, it might be readily mis- 
 taken for one.. Notwithstanding the jaded condition of our horses 
 we kept up with the gauchos, who, the moment they espied the 
 little animal, dashed after it at full speed. But, fleet as the deer, 
 it sped over the plain, gaining the river and swimming to the op- 
 posite bank before the horsemen were once near enough to throw 
 the bolas or lasso. 
 
 On the 17th, with fresh horses and two guides furnished by the 
 governor, we started at an early hour in a heavy rain, and reached 
 Bracho the middle of the same day. 
 
 I here ended my examination of the lower waters of the Salado, 
 and feel no hesitation in saying that a steamer properly construct- 
 ed for this river navigation could ascend, the greater part of the 
 year, from Santa Fe to Navicha. The only obstructions — grass 
 or fallen trees — could be readily removed, without great loss of 
 time, by a boat's crew. But there is no reason why Navicha 
 should be the head of navigation. By removing tortora and bar- 
 ricados, Matara would be quite as accessible and a much more 
 central point, being but forty-one miles from the town of Santia- 
 
396 
 
 DON PESADO MENDEZ. 
 
 OATIOHO. 
 
 go, in a right line, one hundred and fifty-three from Tucuman, 
 and one hundred and twenty-eight from Sandia Paso by the river, 
 making the entire distance from Santa Fe to Matara five hund- 
 red and eighty-seven nautical miles. By ascending the Salado 
 even to Navicha, the time now consumed in the land route from 
 Santa Fe to Tucuman would be diminished at least three fourths, 
 and the expense of transportation — deducting a large profit — one 
 half. 
 
 After obtaining observations of verification we left Bracho, and 
 on the same evening arrived at the ranch of Don Pesado Mendez. 
 We found a humble little thatched house of one room, with a 
 shed in front ; for here, as in other districts of Santiago, the in- 
 habitants during the dry season sleep in the open air, and trouble 
 themselves little about in-door arrangements. Senora Mendez 
 gave us an excellent supper of hominy and lamb, and the Don 
 offered me the use of his hide cot. We passed, in our ride from 
 Bracho, some fine fields of wheat and corn, but many of the 
 ranchos were deserted, their owners being still at Matara or con- 
 cealed in the wood, whither they had fled from the last attack of 
 the Indians. It was a melancholy spectacle to see a country thus 
 
AKRIVAL AT SANTIAGO. 397 
 
 desolated, and after witnessing tlae courage with whicli the San- 
 tiaganians pursued the Indians and received a charge from them 
 on the plain, I may repeat what Dobrizhoffer noted a hundred 
 years ago : " The mhabitants of the district of Santiago are dis- 
 tinguished ahke for the greatness of their valor and the scantiness 
 of their means in war against the savages." 
 
 After some little detention at Matara, arising from the difficulty 
 of obtaining horses, we continued our journey, and at two o'clock 
 arrived at the ranch of an old man, who, though disturbed in his 
 first nap, proved good-natured and hospitable to the extent of his 
 means. Fortunately, at this moment one of the postillions, a good 
 fellow and a shrewd provident caterer, produced from his trav- 
 ehng stores half of a kid, upon which we made a sumptuous 
 feast. The master of the ranch offered me his cot, but I preferred 
 the grass. The rain beating in my face awakened me at 4 A.M., 
 and with the dawn we were in the saddle, Cornelius having first 
 performed the important function of ministering to us the mate. 
 
 October 18th. We had now entered a region neither artificially 
 irrigated nor as yet refreshed by the commencement of the peri- 
 odical rains. The grass was brown and the vegetation generally 
 so blighted that the country would have presented a desolate ap- 
 pearance but for the fine woodlands that intersected it. The 
 quebracho-trees were the loftiest I had yet seen in the Confedera- 
 tion. In this district I saw for the first time enormous reservoirs 
 for the collection of rain-water. They are mere excavations pro- 
 tected by embankments of earth ; one of a hundred feet in diam- 
 eter, by a depth of twelve, affords an unfailing supply to a large 
 number of cattle. At the estancia of Don Francisco Santiago, 
 who was largely engaged in rearing mules, was one of still great- 
 er dimensions,. "We dined with this gentleman, whose household 
 was most comfortably arranged, and presided over by a wife and 
 two pretty daughters. 
 
 Through some mismanagement the governor's orders to furnish 
 us with fresh horses had not been received, and we were compelled 
 to make the last fifty-one miles of this journey upon the same 
 animals which, unaware of the difficulty in obtaining others, we 
 had ridden in the early part of the day twenty miles at half speed. 
 They held out, however, and on reaching Santiago at 9 P.M. we 
 rode directly to the residence of the governor, who had not yet 
 arrived, but we were most kindly received by his brother Don 
 Gaspar. 
 
398 START FOR TUCUMAN. 
 
 No representation of a want of time or dress appropriated to 
 such an occasion would be received by the Santiaganians as an 
 excuse for declining the honor of a public ball. On the 24th I 
 met at the government-house all the beauty and fashion of Santi- 
 ago, and most lovely were some of the women. The music, re- 
 freshments, indeed all the arrangements of this ball were admira- 
 ble ; and when daylight peered through the latticed blinds the 
 gay assembly had by no means diminished. Waltzes, polkas, and 
 mazurkas were all introduced in the course of the evening ; but I 
 was charmed with the fedral, the gario, and other Spanish dances, 
 in which the grace of the women was inimitable. At the supper- 
 table Don Francisco Archibal, in referring to the occasion of the 
 ball, alluded also to the progress and prosperity of the United 
 States, and the obligation our government had conferred upon 
 their country by the happy results of the expedition sent to ex- 
 amine into its river system. 
 
 On the 27th I started for Tucuman, accompanied for a short 
 distance by some of the most prominent citizens of Santiago. Our 
 road for six leagues lay along the south side of the Dulce, which 
 throughout that distance is very unvarying in width and other 
 characteristics. It is a quarter of a mile wide, and intersected by 
 numerous sand-flats, which interrupt the regular course of the 
 channel ; current two miles ; banks low. During the rise, which 
 is from ten to twelve feet, the bordering lands for some distance 
 on both sides are often inundated. Judging from the appearance 
 of its bed and the number of streams that disembogue in this riv- 
 er, its volume of water must exceed that of the Salado, and yet it 
 is represented as losing itself in the Lake Porongas. The adjacent 
 country is well wooded with algorroba, vinal, and quebracho ; the 
 open lands are populous and cultivated ; the soil is a rich dark 
 alluvium, covering a friable limestone. 
 
 Leaving the river, we passed through a sandy district abound- 
 ing in Salinas — shallow, being lakes which are, during the season 
 of drought, converted by solar evaporation into fields of a fine 
 quality of snow-white salt. At 9 P.M. we reached Gramilla, hav- 
 ing made twenty-two leagues. It was a clear Ibright night, and, 
 as usual, we slept in the open air, with poncho and saddle for bed 
 and bedding. But our rest was disturbed by a party of musi- 
 cians at the posta, who, with an untuned harp, a rustic guitar, and 
 singing, made more noise than harmony. 
 
 October 28th. After mate and milk fresh from the cow we were 
 
APPROACH THE MOUNTAINS. 399 
 
 again in the saddle at 6 A.M., and at the distance of four leagues 
 made Bargual, a settlement of a few houses near the dividing line 
 between Santiago and Tucuman. From Gramilla to Bargual there 
 was some wheat growing, of apparently ^cellent quality, which 
 yielded, I was told, fifteen bushels to the acre. Where not in- 
 closed for culture, the face of the country was verdant with fine 
 pastures, which were overspread with herds of cattle and flocks 
 of sheep — a change not due to artificial irrigation, but to the prox- 
 imity of the mountains. 
 
 From Bargual we approached in a westerly course the mount- 
 ains. They are a continuation of the range known as the Sierras 
 of Cordova, at the base of which, upon a broad, well-watered, and 
 fruitful plain, is the capital of Tucuman. In the distance rose the 
 mountains of Catamarca, presenting at first the appearance of a 
 heap of clouds ; and again, as we advanced, of an island at sea, 
 the base of which is yet hid below the horizon. 
 
 Before crossing the Dulce, or Tala, which courses a mile and a 
 half east of the city of Tucuman, we passed through a fine tract 
 of woodland. The air was redolent with the perfame of acacias 
 through a natural avenue of which the road lay. But rising 
 above all minor growth of mimosoe was the cevil — as embellishing 
 to its native forests as useful in the industrial establishments of 
 the country. Its smooth, tall, limbless trunk has an umbrella- 
 shaped crowning, every bough and twig of which is completely 
 hidden by a mass of deep green fringed foliage, and at the season 
 of bloom by clusters of delicate white flowers. In this forest ride 
 we had the enlivenment of nature's, gay -plumaged vocalists, and, 
 as in many parts of La Plata, trunks and limbs of trees were 
 inwrapped and festooned with beautiful climbing plants. The 
 dews are very copious, and their refreshing influence, as well as 
 that of an admirable system of natural and artificial irrigation by 
 a distribution of the waters of the Dulce, or Tala, was very ap- 
 parent in the increased exuberance and activity of vegetation. 
 
 Weary of the monotony of grassy levels, imposingly grand, re- 
 freshing to all the senses was the panorama of mountains that 
 opened before us as we emerged from the forest. These were not 
 the insulated masses or the hillocks of the pampas, but parts of a 
 , great system — a section of the Andean ranges. Now clearly de- 
 fined, the Sierras of Catamarca, their highest summits white with 
 perpetual snows, bounded the horizon west, and from them ex- 
 tended east, diminishing in height with the regularity of successive 
 
400 TUCUMAN. 
 
 steps, a series of sierras and serranias. ISTortli, and some two or 
 three miles from the city, opened a broad longitudinal valley, in- 
 closed west by the principal range, and east by a detached ele- 
 vation. The serranias, with their bare but verdant summits and 
 slopes clothed with majestic forests, had all the stately proportion 
 of mountains ; and between them were grassy ridges several hund- 
 red feet in height, sloping gently to lateral valleys, watered by 
 many small rivers which find an outlet in the Tala at distances 
 varying from one to twelve leagues. These tributaries, named in 
 succession from Tucmnan south, are the Lules, Colorado, Farma- 
 illa, Aranilla, Mondolo, Montaro, Pueblo, Viego Seco, Conven- 
 tilla, Eamado, Medcinas, Chico, Marapa, and Senor Francisco. It 
 is at the confluence of this last named stream with the Dulce that 
 this river assumes the name of Hondo, which it retains until it 
 enters the province of Santiago. 
 
 Fatigued by a long day's ride under an almost vertical sun, we 
 entered the city of Tucuman, rode directly to the plaza, and in- 
 quired for the fonda (tavern). After some hesitation we were di- 
 rected to a gloomy -looking building, distinguished by the sign of 
 a chicken-cock ; but our disappointment may be imagined when 
 we were told that no quarters were to be had. There are few 
 hotels in these provinces, and it is the custom for travelers to be 
 passed from one town to another by friends and acquaintances 
 through letters of introduction. I had been furnished with many 
 such passports from Santiaganians, and though enjoined to present 
 them, I was unwilling to impose a party of three on the hospi- 
 tality of a private family without first trying to procure rooms. 
 
 Having heard that there was an English physician residing in 
 Tucuman, to his house I next turned from the sign of the chicken- 
 cock. We found the residence of Dr. Priestly, and of a person 
 who opened the door I inquired for '■'■el Senor Medico^ Softer 
 and more grateful than the Pasa adelcmte of the Spanish was the 
 cheerful " Walk in. Sir" of an honest-faced Enghshman, To make 
 any port in a storm was with me, in my wanderings, an establish- 
 ed rule; but here we "came to" in a snug harbor — the home of 
 as fine a specimen of an English gentleman as can be found among 
 the lady sovereign's subjects. Most noble, and beautiful, and im- 
 pressive was our mother tongue in those remote regions, from the . 
 lips of a perfect stranger, who invited us with such unhesitating 
 cordiality to " share the discomforts of my temporary bachelor 
 estabhshment." 
 
A SUGAR PLANTATION. 401 
 
 A few montlis before our arrival, Dr. Priestly, in crossing the 
 continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, had stopped at 
 Tucuman, where he was induced to establish himself for the prac- 
 tice of his profession. He is a man of finished education and fine 
 manners, and so popular was he personally, and so esteemed as a 
 surgeon, that the calls upon him for professional service day and 
 night would have given full occupation to two more physicians. 
 He was well and punctually paid; and although he considered 
 himself but a temporary resident, the really pleasant society of 
 the mountain city and its fine climate will probably enchain the 
 doctor for many years to come. 
 
 I had scarcely shaken off a little of the dust of travel, when 
 several of the most prominent of the citizens of Tucuman called 
 and begged me to consider their " houses at my disposition." At 
 a later hour two gentlemen came to invite us to a ball at the gov- 
 ernor's — an honor which, from fatigue, I declined. 
 
 October 29th. Visited the governor, Don Jose Maria de Campo, 
 and was presented by the Minister of State, Senor Posd. Here, 
 as in Santiago, I found it quite unnecessary to enter into any ex- 
 planation as to the object of my visit to the western states, for 
 news of the expedition had preceded my arrival, and the recep- 
 tion given me by his Excellency was most flattering. 
 
 On the afternoon of the same day I rode some two and a half 
 miles in the country to visit the sugar-plantation of a wealthy 
 citizen of Tucuman. This property is between the first step of 
 the sierra, west, and the city ; and though the road to it lay 
 through what was to the eye a horizontal plain, by observing the 
 streams of water, I found that it sloped upward the whole dis- 
 tance. After riding over a large part of the estate, which em- 
 braced several square leagues, and was irrigated by a network of 
 miniature aqueducts, we visited the estabhshment connected with 
 it, from which the Tucumanos derive their chief supplies of sugar, 
 rum, and molasses. The machinery used was of the rudest de- 
 scription; indeed there was none save upright wooden rollers, 
 and there was not only great loss in expressing the saccharine 
 matter, but very unnecessary labor and expense incurred in ob- 
 taining fuel and removing the refuse cane to a distance. The 
 owner of this property seemed to be unaware of a more economi- 
 cal system, and expressed some astonishment when I told him 
 that in other countries the refuse cane constituted the chief fuel 
 on the largest sugar-plantations. The sirup was poured into 
 
 26 
 
402 DINNER AT SENOR ZAVALIER'S. 
 
 conical jars, placed with the apex downward, and open, but suf- 
 ficiently obstructed to admit of the filtration of the treacle ; leaving 
 the sugar a solid mass moulded to the form of the jar, and ready 
 for use. The cane is planted in May, and first crop cut in July, 
 the following year ; but from this product molasses and rum alone 
 are made. 
 
 The country between the Dulce and the serranias west of it is 
 most admirably adapted to the culture of the sugar-cane and rice, 
 not only from soil and cHmate, but also from the many and never- 
 failing rivulets that intersect it, and from which the most exten- 
 sive system of irrigation could be carried out. In the immediate 
 vicinity of the city, plantations of one and a half to two leagues, 
 possessing every advantage of wood and water, are valued at 
 $3000, and they diminish in price in proportion to their distance 
 from the capital. Sugar made in the neighborhood is sold in 
 Tucuman at twelve and fifteen cents the pound ; but the supply 
 is inadequate to the demand. Laborers are as much needed here 
 as in other parts of the Confederation, save Santiago ; and, with 
 their introduction and that of improved machinery,* the State of 
 Tucuman could not only supply the home demand, but that of 
 neighboring provinces with sugar and rice. The value of land is 
 said to have greatly increased since the adoption of the present 
 constitution and the union of the states. Laborers command six 
 dollars per month. 
 
 October SOth. I received a visit from Don Sebastiano Zavalier, 
 which was followed by an invitation to a dinner at his house, 
 where, on the SOth, I met a large company of the leading citizens 
 of the place. The remoteness of Tucuman from all other centres 
 of civilization, even in La Plata, must be my excuse for alluding 
 specially to this entertainment, all the arrangements of which were 
 as elegant as could be met with in the well-appointed mansions of 
 any country. A variety of native and foreign wines of fine qual- 
 ity circulated freely. Our host gave us his toast: "The three 
 great epochs in the country's history : the independence, the fall 
 of Kosas, and the discovery of the navigability of the Salado." 
 Other complimentary speeches and sentiments followed. The 
 Constitution of the United States was named as the model after 
 
 * In compliance with a. promise made at the time, I have, since my return, sent 
 to a gentleman of Tucuman, who was anxious to introduce improved machinery for 
 making sugar, cleaning rice, etc., the published catalogue of one of the most ex- 
 tensive manufacturers of machinery in this country. 
 
A RIDE IN THE COUNTRY. 403 
 
 which their own had been framed ; our government as the earli- 
 est to recognize their independence ; and our explorations as the 
 first to establish the fact of their possessing an outlet to the At- 
 lantic by a navigable river. I replied in a speech which was, I 
 fear, only remarkable for the indifferent Spanish in which it was 
 expressed. After cigars and coffee we repaired to the drawing- 
 room — a cool spacious apartment opening upon the patio — where 
 I was presented to Senora Zavalier and her two pretty daughters. 
 The musical talent of the latter astonished me, for I understood 
 the senora to say that these ladies had been educated in Tucuman. 
 Their instrumentation was such as is rarely heard in the private 
 circles of the United States ; and the piano, which had been trans- 
 ported some nine hundred miles or more by ox-wagons, was in 
 admirable condition. 
 
 October ?,lst. By appointment I joined Senor Pose, our friend 
 the doctor, and several other gentlemen, in an excursion to the 
 country. A ride of two or three miles over a part of the plain, 
 dotted by a few dwellings, which were generally shaded by fine 
 trees, and surrounded by cultivated fields, brought us to the base 
 of one of the steps of the Cordillera. Passing through a forest of 
 noble trees, which looked as if they might represent a growth of 
 many centuries, we reached the unwooded but grassy summit of 
 the mountain. Here the landscapes spread out around us, brill- 
 iant with the many tints, the light and shadows which in tropical 
 countries so enrich the views of nature, were extraordinarily va- 
 ried, and in their characteristic elements we recognized much both 
 of the majesty and beauty of creation. West, the snow-capped 
 summits of the Catamarca Mountains towered majestically above 
 all lesser eminences ; north and south extended a lower range 
 longitudinally ; and east was the plain of Tucuman, stretching 
 out to those vast and grassy levels through which we had wan- 
 dered for so many months. Southward through it flowed the 
 Tala or Dulce, its windings marked by a belt of wood, narrowing 
 to a mere dark, thread-like Une, until, with all other objects, it 
 was lost in the blending of clouds and plain in the azure that 
 bounded the horizon. At one point only, where the river makes 
 a sudden bend east, were its waters visible, sparkling like bur- 
 nished metal in the intense light that flooded the plain. The eye 
 embraced, within the limits of a few miles, the vegetation of all 
 zones. We looked down upon fields of ceralia, sugar-plantations, 
 and orange-groves ; upon rich pasture-lands overspread with herds 
 
404 ENTERTAINMENT AT THE GOVERNOR'S. 
 
 of cattle ; into a series of valleys, with their miniature nver sys- 
 tem — a beautiful physical feature, and a beneficent provision for 
 the economy of nature in these regions of periodical rains. The 
 air was dehciously temperate ; we inhaled the delicious tropical 
 aromas ; yet within a short distance of us were regions exhibiting 
 all the dreary phenomena of perpetual winter. 
 
 Passing over the serranias by a winding road, we descended 
 into a valley watered by a small river, along which extended the 
 Estancia San Javier, the property of one of the gentlemen of our 
 party, where I passed the night. We bagged several brace of the 
 large partridge, which seemed to be a characteristic bird of the 
 country. 
 
 November 2d. Dined at the governor's, where I met several of 
 the principal citizens of Tucuman. The dinner was followed by 
 a ball. Three rooms were crowded to excess, and many of the 
 fairer portion of the guests were well dressed and handsome, 
 fully meeting the noblest and most popular idea of the Spanish 
 type of beauty. But it is the grace of the women, the suaviter in 
 modo of the men, that most astonish a traveler in La Plata ; for 
 few of the inhabitants of the interior provinces had enjoyed even 
 that intercourse with foreign society which a visit to Buenos 
 Ayres would give ; and as books, and especially new books, were 
 not among their luxuries, they had not even the opportunities 
 which they would afford of acquiring a knowledge of the conven- 
 tionalities of other countries. ^ 
 
 That vast region conquered by the Spanish of Peru, which ex- 
 tended north to the district of Tarifa, south to the Magellanic 
 plains, east to the territory of Buenos Ayres, and west to the 
 mountains of Chili, now covers the limits of some half dozen of 
 the western states of the Confederation. It was first entered in 
 1543 by Don Diego Eojas, and some years later by Juan Nunez 
 de Prado, who called it Tucuman in honor of Tucumamahao, a 
 principal cacique of one of its aboriginal tribes, with whom he 
 formed an alliance. The present state of Tucuman is one of the 
 smallest in the Confederation ; but from its varied and productive 
 soil, noble physical features, and amenity of climate, it perhaps 
 merits the proud appellation it enjoys, " Garden of the United 
 Provinces." The hostility of savages and intestine wars have not 
 been the only calamities of the western provinces. They have 
 been disturbed by convulsions of nature — inundations and earth- 
 quakes — which have caused many changes in the face of the coun- 
 
THE CITY AND PKOVINCE OF TUCUMAN. 405 
 
 try. San Miguel de Tucuman was founded in 1565 by Don Diego 
 de Villaroel on a branch, of the Dulce, about twelve miles from 
 the site of the present town, whither the inhabitants removed in 
 1685, in consequence of an inundation which swept away a large 
 part of the old capital. 
 
 In 1841: an earthquake, which was felt over an immense tract 
 of country, extending through two or three of the west provinces, 
 did some injury to the city of Tucuman, which stands on a well- 
 wooded fertile plain, in latitude 26° 51'* south, longitude, ap- 
 proximately, 66° west, and is supposed to contain at this time 
 twelve thousand inhabitants. Its narrow streets intersect each 
 other at right angles. Many of the houses are brick and very 
 spacious, inclosing patios or courts ; some few have alios^ or second 
 stories. The cathedral, which is upon the plaza, is being remod- 
 eled ; and, judging from the design, it will, when completed, be an 
 imposing church edifice. There were also several private resi- 
 dences in course of construction. Indeed, the whole town pre- 
 sented an aspect of progress and prosperity ; and I was induced 
 to believe, from the tone which seemed to pervade society, that 
 there was a fixed determination among the most respectable mem- 
 bers of the community to sustain a constitutional government, a 
 union of the states, the maintenance of peace, and the adoption of 
 energetic measures to develop the resources of the state. The 
 first step was to encourage the immigration of an industrial popu- 
 lation. 
 
 Among other new enterprises, a vivacious, energetic French- 
 man, notwithstanding the expense and difficulties of obtaining ice 
 from the mountains by mule transportation, furnished the Tucu- 
 manos with an abundant supply of excellent water and eream ices. 
 
 The province is divided into nine departments or districts, the 
 aggregate population of which, at the present time, amounts to 
 88,511 souls, of whom there are 23,128 men, and 27,877 women, 
 an excess of 4749 women.f This arises from the numerous civil 
 wars in which the Confederation was involved from the period 
 of its independence to the downfall of Rosas. Among the chil- 
 dren, the excess, though small — 700 — is in favor of males. The 
 value of products for the year 1854 was 1,755,250 dollars, of 
 which the value of 847,000 dollars was consumed in the prov- 
 ince, and the remainder in the neighboring states. The principal 
 
 * Determined by Mr. Murdauph. 
 
 t From statistical information furnished by the Minister of State. 
 
406 TOBACCO CULTURE. 
 
 products are corn, tobacco, wlieat, sugar, rice, rum, hides, sole- 
 leather, tanned calf-skins, cattle, woolen fabrics, oranges, cheese, 
 carretas, and a number of minor manufactured articles. The mar- 
 ket price of some of these articles for 1854 was kindly furnished 
 me by the^ governor's minister, Don Jos^ Pose : Corn, 50 cents 
 per bushel ; tobacco, 8 cents the pound ; wheat, 80 cents the bush- 
 el; sugar, 12 cents the pound; rice, 3 cents; rum (cana), $17 the 
 barrel ; hides, $1 50 each ; sole-leather, $4 the skin ; calfskin, 
 tanned, $2 ; carretas, $50 each. Of these the principal articles of 
 trade with the neighboring provinces are cattle, hides, leather, 
 carretas, manufactured articles of wool, tobacco, corn, rum, and 
 sugar. 
 
 I present also an estimate, derived from a reliable source, of the 
 expenses incident to the purchase and cultivation of a quadra^ of 
 land, inclosed in the usual manner by a ditch or cactus hedge, 
 and the probable receipts of the same from the cultivation of to- 
 bacco. The cost of the land assumed in this case is unusually 
 great, and must be received as an indication that the position is 
 very desirable. 
 
 Cost of land inclosed $50 00 
 
 Four plows complete, at $4 16 00 
 
 Eight oxen accustomed to plow, at $20 . . . 160 00 
 
 One carreta, or wagon 30 00 
 
 Two sheds for tobacco 120 00 
 
 Necessary implements 2400 
 
 Total cost $400 00 
 
 Charges on $400 at 12 per cent $48 00 
 
 Three laborers, 8 months, at $8 per month . . . 192 00 
 One laborer during the year, $8 per month . . . 96 00 
 
 Storage of tobacco 100 00 
 
 Tax on a quadra of land 2 00 
 
 Total expenses $438 00 
 
 The product of a quadra of land in tobacco, 500 arobas, at ) ^^ ^-^^ -^^ 
 $2, or 12,000 pounds at 8 cents \ ^^^^^ ^" 
 
 From which deduct the expenses 43800 
 
 And we have the net remainder $562 00 
 
 After a week's sojourn at Tucuman, having obtained such ob- 
 servations as the means at my disposal admitted — for the chro- 
 nometer had failed to maintain such a regularity of rate as to give 
 
 * One hundred and fifty yards square. 
 
JOUKNEY TO SALTA. 407 
 
 satisfactory results — on tlie 4tli of November, at 10 o'clock A.M., 
 I started for Salta, 
 
 In my journeys in those provinces I observed that tbe most 
 wretched-looking horses were furnished us in starting from the 
 large towns. Those given us at Tucuman were no exception; 
 but I had learned to disregard appearances. With the sierra of 
 Candelaria upon the right, our road lay through the broad valley, 
 which was seen at a distance in approaching Tucuman ; it was 
 intersected by several streams ; soil sandy, with some cultivation 
 of wheat; but country sparsely populated for fourteen leagues. 
 From this we passed into a second valley, Bepos, verdant, fertile, 
 well watered, and enameled by luxuriant fields of wheat ; its 
 whole aspect contrasting impressively with the rugged sierras 
 which bound it on either side. The habitations of adobe, thatch- 
 ed with grass, resembled country houses of Santiago, but were 
 entirely unlike those in the southern part of the province. 
 
 At sunset we reached the Posta Asequion, having thus, not- 
 withstanding the late hour at which we left Tucuman — 10 o'clock 
 A.M. — made twenty leagues. The soil between the two last 
 postas, a distance of six leagues, was light and sandy. I was; 
 therefore astonished to learn from the master of the posta that 
 the product of wheat was about fifty-six for one, that is, from the 
 seed of one almude they reap seven cargas.^ I suppose my man- 
 ner implied a doubt, for he enforced his assertion with great ear- 
 nestness : " Si^ Senor, es verdad.^^ 
 
 It is very difficult to obtain information from the country peo- 
 ple themselves as to the capacity of the soil. When I asked the 
 simple questions, "What quantity of wheat will you reap from the 
 seed of an almude or fanega ? Upon how much land will you sow 
 that quantity of seed?" they were generally answered with an im- 
 patient " Non se, Senor ;" while the countenance of the individual 
 questioned, indicated either astonishment or irritation. My own 
 impression is that, where naturally or artificially watered, the 
 fruitfulness of the valleys is excessive, though the soil is light. 
 
 At Asequion I fixed my bedding, horse-blanket and poncho, 
 upon a bench made of half a tree, within the posta, a miserable 
 ranch of one room, ten by twelve, where I had as neighbors the 
 master, his wife, cat, chickens, etc. But I soon repented of my 
 boldness, for though assured that there were no fleas, I was at- 
 tacked on all sides by vermin, and gladly made my escape with 
 
 * A carga, in this province, is equal to eight almudes. ' 
 
408 DISCOMFORTS OF TRAVELING. 
 
 the dawn of day. The total absence of every comfort and neglect 
 of the smallest preparation for the accommodation of travelers at 
 these postas is a reproach to the beautiful province of Tucuman. 
 The horses furnished us were the most wretched-looking animals 
 I had yet seen in the Confederation ; but, as an evidence that the 
 stock is not bad, I must observe that when they did not actually 
 break down they exhibited both strength and speed. The in- 
 habitants of the country seemed to have no idea of time, and, 
 when assured that horses would be ready at daylight, I always 
 knew that we might expect them four hours later. I have often 
 thought that if some enterprising Yankee clock -peddler would 
 penetrate into those regions, and induce the purchase of his 
 wares, he would be a national benefactor. 
 
 We got off at half past seven, although we had ordered the 
 horses at four, and reached Tala, six leagues, in one hour and a 
 half. A few minutes before arriving at this place, we forded the 
 river of the same name, in the characteristics of which, at this dis- 
 tance west, I found but few changes. Its wide bed was intersect- 
 ed by sand-shoals, and the banks on either side were fringed with 
 a dense growth of algorroba and tala. We had, before reaching 
 this stream, entered the province of Salta, but what course the 
 division line takes I was unable to learn ; for unless the bounda- 
 ries of the provinces are defined by some prominent physical fea- 
 ture, they are entirely unknown. 
 
 From this point we had the choice of two routes to Salta ; one 
 through the plains, the camino carril (cart road) ; the other, el ca- 
 mino de las cuesias (road of the hills). With the assurance that 
 there was no difficulty in procuring horses I took the latter, in- 
 tending to return by the plains. At the Posta Antonio Lopez, 
 said to be three leagues from Tala, actually but two, we began 
 the ascent of the mountains, but a thick mist that enveloped us 
 like a mantle, and a. drizzling rain, deprived me of the enjoyment 
 I had anticipated from the scenery. The path, at the beginning 
 of the ascent narrow and slippery, became more difficult as we 
 advanced, and toward the summit was in some places really 
 frightful. Our horses frequently lost foothold upon the smooth 
 rocK, and would slide some distance before regaining their feet. 
 Sometimes the path was barely wide enough for a single horse- 
 man, with a perpendicular wall of rock rising for several hund- 
 red feet on one side, and a precipice of equal depth on the oth- 
 er ; here the animals seemed to brace themselves, and cautiously 
 
ROMERO.— SAUSE. 409 
 
 moved on as if fally aware that one false step would precipitate 
 us into tlie depths below. After an unpleasant ride of two hours 
 and a half, with the constant apprehension of a slide that would 
 send us into the abyss, we reached at sunset the summit of the 
 mountain, and stopped for the night at the Posta Eomero. Cold, 
 wet, and tired, I had made a miserable anchorage, but improved 
 matters a little by the promise of ample pay to the old woman at 
 the posta, and a good supper to our postillions, who preferred 
 this port to a night's ride in returning. They soon built up a 
 blazing fire, and with a kid from the post-master's flock, coffee and 
 cigars from our stores, we had a good supper, and smoked our- 
 selves and the whole party into good humor. 
 
 An accomplished entomologist would have found varied objects 
 of interest in this ranch, within which the heavy rain obliged us 
 to spread our blankets. Insects innumerable, armies of vermin, 
 attacked us front, flank, and rear, until, maddened by the on- 
 slaught, I charged into the open air, and escaped the enemy by 
 making my bed upon the wet ground. 
 
 At an early hour we continued our journey, passing along the 
 ridges of the cuestas, with a bright, clear, invigorating atmosphere, 
 and enjoyed excessively the varied scenery of mountains from 
 base to summit clothed with grass, of valleys bright with herbage 
 and watered by many rivulets, over which projected huge masses 
 and cliffs of reddish sandstone. 
 
 Four leagues from Eomero we reached Sause, where we met 
 the most uncivil people jet seen in the course of my travels. A 
 post-road formerly passed this place, and, although abandoned by 
 the government, it is still used by travelers, and we had been as- 
 sured that we would here meet with better horses than any yet 
 seen. But there were none for us. I saw through this move ; 
 it was an attempt — and one of rare occurrence — to extort money ; 
 for the sum I offered, although double the postal charge, did not 
 meet their expectations. Directing the postillions to follow, I 
 coolly moved off on the Eomero horses, leaving our friend the 
 the post-master, with folded arms and an astonished air, to medi- 
 tate upon my obstinacy. The postillion complained, but with the 
 promise of extra pay became reconciled to extra duty. 
 
 Five leagues from Sause we entered a grassy valley, or, more 
 properly, a basin ; for although a league in diameter, viewed from 
 any point, it seemed entirely surrounded by mountains. Through 
 it flowed eastwardly a considerable stream, the "Eio del Pampa," 
 
410 CHAKIQUI.— SAUSE. 
 
 wMch, from its course and volume of water, I should suppose 
 must be a tributary of the Salado. 
 
 We arrived at the Posta Chariqui early in the afternoon ; but, 
 owing to the absence of the master, who did not reach home until 
 after night, we were unable to proceed; for I was unwilhng to 
 subject to a more severe test either the temper of our postillion 
 or the strength of the horses, upon which we had traveled over 
 mountain roads ten leagues. In this neighborhood I saw some 
 excellent fields of wheat, good houses, and small flocks of sheep. 
 The post-master was civil, obliging, and punctual to his word ; for 
 at dawn he was off in search of horses, and in a reasonable time 
 we were ascending a rugged sierra, near the summit of which was 
 a miserable hovel, the Posta Alimana. The appearance and man- 
 ners of the master were as rugged as the rocks among which he 
 was domiciled. He was, he said, wretchedly poor, could give us 
 nothing to eat, and could furnish no horses. When informed that 
 we would pay for all accommodation ; that for five horses, three 
 saddle and two cargaro animals, with a postillion to each, I would 
 pay — " How much?" he asked, eagerly, " One real" — double the 
 usual charge — his memory was suddenly refreshed, and he re- 
 membered that he could give us all we wanted. A boiled fowl 
 defied knives and teeth ; but with soup and masamora (hominy), 
 served in a wooden bowl, we made a satisfactory meal. In fine 
 spirits we began the descent of the mountain, through rocky ra- 
 vines ; and at a distance of six leagues entered the plain, and were 
 again upon the regular line of postas. 
 
 No traveler should follow this route during the rainy season, 
 for a slip or false step of his horse at certain points — and of these 
 there are several — would inevitably be certain death. For the 
 same reason he should so regulate his departure from the postas 
 as not to be on the road at night. 
 
 Soon after reaching the plain we passed the settlement of Sause, 
 and, two miles beyond, entered a broad, lovely valley, Chigua- 
 no, bounded west by the main sierra, a continuation of the range 
 seen at Cordova and afterward at Tucuman, and east by a spur 
 of the first. Through this valley flowed the upper waters of the 
 river we had been exploring — the Salado — here known as the 
 San Carlos ; a little lower as Guaychipas ; lower still as the Pasa- 
 je ; and finally Salado — a name which, as we have shown, it main- 
 tains from the Province of Santiago to the Parana. The whole 
 country exhibited the most cheering evidences of man's industry. 
 
ARRIVAL AT SALTA. ^n 
 
 The cultivation of wlieat was extensive, and near Guaycliipas — a 
 village of well-built houses — figs, grapes, and peaches were grow- 
 ing in perfection. 
 
 November 8th. Forded the Guaychipas, here divided by a nar- 
 row strip of land, which at the season of high water is inundated. 
 The main branch has a width of about eighty yards ; banks six 
 feet above the water-level. 
 
 After passing this stream our road lay north through the same 
 valley for a distance of fourteen leagues. The country was well 
 watered and cultivated in wheat, corn, tobacco, sugar-cane, and 
 cotton. Wheat, owing to the humidity of the atmosphere, is sub- 
 ject to a disease similar to that known with us as the rust ; but 
 in good seasons the average yield is from twenty to thirty for one, 
 and for home consumption it commands readily one dollar and 
 sixty cents the bushel. The other articles named as products 
 were cultivated to a limited extent, but with such success as to 
 demonstrate fully the admirable adaptation of soil and climate to 
 their growth. 
 
 November 9 th. Near the Posta las Percas, distant eight leagues 
 from Salta, we crossed the dry bed of the Eiver Rosario, which is 
 during the rainy season a rapid stream ; it is a tributary of the 
 Guaychipas. The direction of the valley was still north. 
 
 The sun was setting when we left Percas, but by a little extra 
 compensation I persuaded the master to allow us to continue on 
 with the same horses to Salta. When within one mile of the city 
 we forded the River Arias, another tributary of the Guaychipas. 
 It was too dark to obtain any correct idea of its characteristics, 
 except that it seemed to be a considerable stream. We reached 
 Salta at 10 o'clock P.M. 
 
412 A NIGHT AT A ZAMBO. 
 
 CHAPTEK XXIV. 
 
 A Night at a Zambo. — Messrs. Pelacio. — Acts of Courtesy. — Province of Salta. — 
 Population. — Products. — Salinas. — The Capital. — Advantages of Salado Nav- 
 igation. — Mules. — Leather and Wool. — Trees. — The Pacaray.-^Silk Rolls. — 
 Wheat. — Copper. — Governor. — Music and Dancing. — Exiled Bolivians. — Revo- 
 lutionary state of Bolivia. — Departure from Salta. — Tropas of Asses. — Lake 
 Cabo. — Simbola. — Rivers Pasaje and Las Piedras. — Forests. — Little Use of Milk 
 in La Plata. — Forest of Sevil. — Don Martin Giiemes. — Breakfast in the Forest. — 
 Stage-coach. — Ferry-boats. — Beauty of Country. — Arrival at Tucuman. — Horse- 
 bacTc Travel. — Gaucho Life. — Visit from the Governor. — Map of the Province of 
 Tucuman. — Farewell to Friends in Tucuman. — Day's Ride. — Dulce Boat. — San- 
 tiago and Reception at the Governor's. — Head Waters of the Salado. — Laboring 
 Classes in Santiago. — Hospitality of Spanish- Americans. — Harvest. — Narrow 
 Escape. — Horses. — A Cordova Posta. — Fined for fast Riding. — Leave Cordova. 
 — Return Route across the Pampas. — Galera from Rosario. — Diligencia. — River 
 Tercero. — Tropa of Mules from48an Juan. — River Quai to. — Fording the Quarto. 
 — Pop-corn Party. — Division Line between Cordova and Santa Fe. — Postillion, 
 — Growth of Rosario. — Bi-itish Consul. — Farther Examinations of La Plata 
 Channels. — Preparations for Departure. — Letters of Recall. — Boatswain's Call. 
 — Germantown. — Lieutenant Ridgely. — Home. 
 
 There is no hotel in Salta, and, profiting by tlie experience of 
 tlie past, I determined at once to deliver the letters of a Santiago 
 friend to his relatives, the Messrs. Pelacio. On riding up to their 
 residence we were told that all the gentlemen' of the family were 
 at the theatre. The postillion then suggested a zambo, a sort of 
 " drover's stand," where mule-drivers stop for shelter only, as they 
 travel with their own supplies of food, blankets, etc. It was a 
 large one-storied building, surrounded by a court, upon which 
 opened all the rooms, which were evidently designed originally 
 for a more elegant purpose. _With an air of great self-satisfaction 
 the master showed us an apartment carpeted with the accumula- 
 ted dust of months, gracefully hung with cobwebs, and luxuri- 
 ously furnished with an old table on three legs, to which were 
 added, for our particular accommodation, two chairs. With this 
 service he seemed to think he had met every reasonable demand, 
 and I had been too long a wanderer in the wilderness to be dainty ; 
 so we took possession, spread our blankets on the bricks, and then 
 sallied forth in search of a caf6, where we obtained an excellent 
 supper. 
 
 November 11th. Don Santiago Pelacio and his brother, who call- 
 
PROVINCE OF SALTA. 4I3 
 
 ed at an early hour, were mucli amused and provoked at the 
 wretched accommodation of our first night in Salta, and insisted 
 upon my returning with them to their house. This visit was fol- 
 lowed immediately by one from the brother of Senora Zavalier, 
 whose husband was absent, claiming us as her guests ; for, having 
 heard of my intended visit, she had prepared rooms for us. This 
 lady had, two years before the period of my visit to Salta, been 
 offered a passage on the Water Witch from Eosario to. Parana, 
 and now desired to show her appreciation of this little act of 
 courtesy. After much amicable discussion between the two par- 
 ties, it was arranged that I should go to Senor Pelacio's, but 
 each day of my stay at Salta should breakfast, dine, or sup with 
 the senora. 
 
 Salta is divided into three departments, Salta, Jujuy, and Oran, 
 and is supposed to contain a population of sixty thousand souls. 
 The climate of the valleys is more humid and perhaps less salu- 
 brious than that of Tucuman ; but the Saltenos likewise boast 
 that, within the limits of their state, they possess the vegetation 
 of all zones. While one department yields the products of the 
 tropics, another has the fruits and the grains of a temperate re- 
 gion ; and again, there are districts where the cold is intense, and 
 mountains rise to the height of perpetual snow — districts extra- 
 ordinarily rich in mineral treasures,* and abounding in many 
 species of animal life particularly useful to man, such as the ala- 
 paca, vicuna, guanaco, and chinchilla. This state has also vast 
 Salinas, from which the salt, hard and granulated, is cut in great 
 blocks. But the most productive mines have been, and still are, 
 its pasture-lands, watered by mountain streams. To this prov- 
 ince, as to Santiago, are brought vast numbers of young mules 
 from the eastern states, to be fattened for the Bolivian and Pe- 
 ruvian markets — a business yielding enormous profits where pur- 
 sued with energy. 
 
 The capital contains about ten tho.usand inhabitants, and is situ- 
 ated in the valley through which we had traveled for four days 
 (Chiguano), which extends beyond it with still a direction north, 
 and a scarce perceptible rise. With its tile-roofed and stuccoed 
 houses of two stories Salta presents very much the appearance of 
 an old Spanish city ; but it is by no means in a state of dilapida- 
 tion, for, in point of commercial activity and enterprise, notwith- 
 
 * Gold is said to be abundant in the elevated districts of this province bordering 
 on Atacarma. 
 
414 TRADE OF SALTA. 
 
 standing its remote position, it is ahead of all other towns of tlie 
 Confederation except Eosario. 
 
 The opening of the Salado had excited here even more enthu- 
 siasm than in other places, and so well satisfied were the inhabit- 
 ants of the advantages to arise from it, that before I left an asso- 
 ciation was formed for the purchase of suitable boats, to memo- 
 rialize the general government to remove all obstructions to nav- 
 igation, and to purchase lands at suitable points on the river. 
 
 Although it is not possible to bring navigation to their door, 
 it will shorten the land carriage four fifths, compared with the 
 present transportation to Eosario, reduce the round trip from 
 eight and ten months to two, and the expenses to one half the 
 present rate. It will enable this province to send to market many 
 valuable articles, such as hides and wool, which now, from their 
 bulk, form no part of her exports, and will also induce the whole 
 of her trade, whether of imports or exports, to be conducted 
 through the ports of the Confederation ; whereas now the chief 
 portion is carried on through Cobija. The time consumed, and 
 the expenses of trips from this Pacific port are less than from 
 Eosario ; and English goods designed for these interior markets, 
 by way of the west coast, are put up in bales specially adapted to 
 mule carriage. The expenses from Cobija are $1 50 to $2 00, 
 from Eosario $2 00 to $2 50 the aroba. The load of each mule is 
 generally from twelve to fourteen arobas (300 to 350 pounds) ; 
 some will bear eighteen arobas. Most marvelous accounts were 
 given me of the strength and power of endurance of these little 
 animals; one carried a piano from Cobija to Chuquisaca, now 
 Sucre; another, a printing-press, weighing twenty-three arobas, 
 from the same port to Salta. 
 
 The staple export of this province is leather ; but its wool will 
 probably be much in demand for foreign markets. North, bor- 
 dering on Jujuy, where the country is undulating, the lomas, 
 dry, bare of trees, and covered with short grass, the sheep are 
 of extraordinary size, and yield a wool of very superior qual- 
 ity. I ]3urchased a skin, and although it was larger than any I 
 had ever before seen, with a fine staple six inches long, I was told 
 by several persons that it was an indifferent specimen, that the 
 wool was usually eight inches in length, and that an ordinary 
 sheep would yield six poimds of washed wool, and frequently 
 eight or ten pounds, the price of which for home consumption is 
 six dollars per hundred. 
 
WOODS AND MINERALS. 415 
 
 Among tlie varied arboreal treasures of this state may be named 
 tlie pacaray, a lofty, noble tree, the wood of which is said to be in- 
 destructible in water, and yet its speciiic gravity is scarcely great- 
 er than that of our white pine. The lapacho, urunday, and que- 
 bracho also abound ; and to these may be added the palo boracho 
 or yachun, which, though not valuable as timber, yields a material 
 that may at some fature day enter extensively into manufacturing 
 enterprises. This tree is covered with large silken bolls, in ap- 
 pearance very like the cotton-boll, but quadruple its size. I 
 brought home some and a table-cover of it, which, though made 
 by hand in Bolivia, will give a fair idea of the fabrics into which 
 this material could be converted.* In the manufacture of hats it 
 will doubtless be much prized. The inner bark of the tree has 
 the properties and answers the purpose of the finest quality of 
 soap. Its trunk is shaped very like a wine-pipe, the difference in 
 the lesser and greater diameter being much greater in the tree than 
 in the pipe. 
 
 Wheat, sugar-cane, cotton, tobacco, etc., are all produce'd, but 
 only for home consumption. From the excessive humidity the 
 wheat is indifferent and subject to pulvo (rust). 
 
 No geological survey has yet been made of the mineral districts 
 of the state, but the copper ore in the neighborhood of Oran is 
 known to be abundant and rich. The opening of the Salado will, 
 as I have shown, doubtless benefit Salta ; but its direct outlet to 
 the Parana is by the Vermejo,f when the President of Paraguay 
 will abandon his assumed opposition to its navigation. 
 
 I remamed at Salta five days, but the weather was such that 
 neither by day nor night could observations be obtained. 
 
 On the 11th, the day after my arrival, I called upon the gover- 
 nor, who, being ill, regretted much that he could not offer me the 
 hospitalities of the government-house, I saw much of Senora 
 Zavalier, at whose hospitable residence our visits were made pap 
 ticularly agreeable by the frequent reunion of a large and inter- 
 esting family circle. The nieces of my kind entertainers, the 
 Messrs. Pelacio, played most charmingly on the piano. These 
 young girls had not only superb voices, but sang like artists; 
 and yet their mother told me that the only ppportunities of mu- 
 
 * This cover is now in the possession of a friend. 
 
 t By a letter from Bolivia I have learned that a company has been formed for 
 the navigation of the Vermejo, having received special privileges from the Argen- 
 tine Government. 
 
416 EXILED BOLIVIANS. 
 
 sical education afforded tliem had been those attainable at Salta 
 and Tucuman. 
 
 I have several times, in the course of this narrative, alluded to 
 the excessive love and talent for dancing common to all classes in 
 La Plata. A taste for music must likewise be a characteristic ; 
 for not only had each town its well-trained baud, but every vil- 
 lage and posta its guitarist or harpist. Yet there are undoubted- 
 ly fair ladies in the Confederation who neither dance, play, nor 
 sing, by inspiration. My son, when at the College of Concepcion 
 del Uruguay, saw one of the belles of the neighborhood, at an 
 early hour of the morning, practicing the dance, under the direc- 
 tion of her mother ; and the instrumental and vocal accomplish- 
 ments of the ladies of Tucuman and Salta were such as could 
 only have been acquired by the union of talent and hard study. 
 Neither are the women of that country inactive in domestic life. 
 In Paraguay, as in the states of the Confederation, the wives and 
 daughters of the richest estancieros seemed to occupy themselves 
 energetically in all household duties. The wealthy proprietor of 
 the sugar-plantation which I visited near Tucuman told me that 
 during the busy season he resided entirely in the country, where 
 his two daughters alternately passed a week with him and took 
 charge of the domestic department, and on the occasion of my vis- 
 it, one of them, a handsome girl, with unaffected grace handed us 
 the mat^. 
 
 Eesiding in Salta were several distinguished exiled Bolivians, 
 among whom was General Santa Cruz, who had for some years 
 represented his country at the French court. A revolution had 
 occurred during his absence, and President Belzu would not per- 
 mit him to return to Bolivia, but had again offered him the mis- 
 sion to France, which he declined, and was now awaiting the op- 
 portunity to return which some expected political changes would 
 offer. I also again met here Colonel Hilarion Ortiz, one of the 
 officers who had descended the Paraguay with us. Colonel Ortiz 
 seemed to remember gratefully this little act of kindness. 
 
 Though told at Tucuman that Bolivia was threatened with an- 
 other revolution, that Linares* was upon her borders, and that a ' 
 strong party favorable to him was merely awaiting the oppor- 
 tunity to overthrow those in power, I had, even up to the pe- 
 riod of my arrival at Salta, indulged the hope of proceeding to 
 explore — ^by descending — the Kiver Pilcomayo. But the infor- 
 
 * This gentleman is now President of the Republic. 
 
DEPARTURE FROM SALTA. 417 
 
 mation now obtained of tlie condition of tlie country induced me 
 to abandon this intention. To liave carried out my views suc- 
 cessfully would have required all tbe facilities and security the 
 government could afford ; and though each and all parties might 
 favor a design which would confer a great national benefit, I knew 
 well the difficulties I must contend with, from the jealousies of op- 
 posing factions, and the distraction of an actual revolution. 
 
 On the 14th of November I again turned my face eastward by 
 the Camino Carril, accompanied for some miles from Salca by 
 several of its citizens and Colonel Ortiz. Crossing a spur of the 
 sierra, which forms the eastern boundary of Chiguano, we passed 
 into another pretty valley and stopped at the Posta Sagmnilla, 
 which is distant three leagues from the capital. 
 
 On the way we saw a large tropa of burros (asses), some stag- 
 gering under loads of sevil bark, others with fire- wood, bf which 
 each animal carried fifty sticks of two feet by about three inches, 
 worth, on reaching the city, twenty -five cents the load. 
 
 One of the most pleasing interruptions to the monotony of our 
 return journey across the pampas was to meet vast tropas of these 
 animals waddhng along under loads of produce or merchandise, 
 and so completely enveloped in packs that nothing but heads and 
 legs were visible. 
 
 By a rough road we descended into another pretty valley, and 
 stopped at the dirty village of Cabo, where a little sugar is made 
 in the most primitive manner; and from the sugar-cane is pro- 
 duced a pleasant fermented drink called guarapi. The surround- 
 ing country was sparsely cultivated, but clothed with a luxuriant 
 indigenous vegetation. 
 
 After much delay in obtaining horses we started at sunset, and 
 by 8 o'clock A.M. had made our stopping-place for the night at 
 Simbola, four leagues from Cabo. The postas of Salta are the most 
 wretchedly comfortless places that can be imagined, and the horses 
 very indifierent ; for, at the period of our journey, they were but 
 little used save for the transmission of the mail. Those who can 
 afford it — which class includes all who travel — do so with their 
 own horses, servants, and cargaro animals. They select a shady 
 spot for the noonday meal and siesta, and stop for the night at the 
 pleasantest place they can find. 
 
 The ground around Simbola was so broken and rocky that we 
 could with difficulty find six feet of level upon which to spread 
 
 27 
 
418 MILK A POISON. 
 
 our blankets. After a miserable night, started for Pasaje (nine 
 leagues), wbicli we made in two hours. 
 
 November 16th. Got off at 7 o'clock and crossed the Eiver Pasa- 
 je, which courses a few hundred yards from a posta of the same 
 name. I saw this river at low water, but its depth was from two 
 to ihree feet, with evidences of a rise when swollen of over twelve. 
 The road lay very much along its south bank, in an easterly di- 
 rection for nine leagues, when it turned more directly south, and 
 we crossed a narrow but rapid stream, " Las Piedras," which a 
 little beyond this empties into the Pasaje. 
 
 Learning from the post-master that the country bordering the 
 upper waters of the Salado was populous and well cultivated, I 
 sent Mr. Murdaugh from this place, with directions to follow the 
 course of that river from Miraflores — a capilla four leagues below 
 Las Piedras — to the Estancia Taboado,* and to rejoin me at Sant- 
 iago. 
 
 November 17th. From th*e Posta las Piedras we had a view — 
 north of the Pasaje — of the eastern termination of the sierra whose 
 spurs and valleys we had been passing since leaving Salta : from 
 this point the Pasaje enters the pampas. 
 
 The mountains were here behind us, and for some leagues our 
 way lay through a level country, extensively wooded with que- 
 bracho Colorado and cevil. There was no undergrowth in these 
 forests, and the earth was clothed with the freshest young turf. 
 At a distance of five leagues we made Pueblito Conchas, a little 
 posta on the north side of a stream of the same name. In this 
 neighborhood was some cultivation of sugar-cane ; and in the vil- 
 lage, to my astonishment, a large tannery in course of erection by 
 an enterprising Frenchman. I wished to purchase a bottle of 
 cana ; the price was one dollar for the liquor and fifty cents for 
 the bottle, from which I judged that both bottles and cana were 
 scarce articles in this district. We made a hearty breakfast on 
 bread and milk, the latter to me always a luxury, and in La Plata 
 not always obtainable. 
 
 In these pastoral regions nothing astonished me more than the 
 small use of milk, and even its avoidance in the preparation of 
 food. Among the cattle recaptured by the soldiers in their ex- 
 pedition against the Indians were some milch cows; but in all 
 that body of men — about one hundred and.fifty — Murdaugh and 
 Cornelius were the only individuals, besides myself, who tasted 
 * It will be remembered that our little boat was launched at this estancia. 
 
AN ESTANCIERO. 419 
 
 milk. Upon one occasion I told a lady of Santiago that peaches 
 (they are excellent in the neighborhood of that city) served with 
 cream were a delicious and favorite dessert in the United States. 
 Had I assured her that a dish of rattlesnakes was with our peo- 
 ple the greatest table delicacy possible, her countenance could not 
 have expressed more perfect horror and astonishment as she ex- 
 claimed, '■'■ Senor Comniandante^ no es possible! Es venino (It is not 
 possible ! It is poison)." My pretty young friend was so ear- 
 nest that I laughed heartily, then discussed the subject with all 
 due gravity, and the fair senorita promised me that at the next 
 season of peaches she would try the smallest bit of one with cream. 
 
 From Conchas to Paso Grande the country was level, fertile, 
 and intersected by two small streams, the Mitan and Yatasto, nei- 
 ther of which reaches the Pasaje except during the rainy season, 
 which had now set in. In this district no artificial irrigation is 
 necessary for the sugar-cane. For many miles the road lay through 
 a magnificent forest of cevil, where trees of great size and unen- 
 cumbered by undergrowth or climbing plants were growing with 
 all the regularity and symmetry of plantations. The ground be- 
 neath, as far as the eye could reach, was clothed with the bright- 
 est, freshest, cleanest turf, upon which the sun, glancing through 
 the dense masses of foliage, fell in golden lines and many-tinted 
 figures, relieving the forest from all gloom, without detracting from 
 its imposing grandeur. 
 
 Before leaving the last posta I overtook a traveler with his 
 servants and cargaro mules. From his appearance and the style 
 of his equipments I at once recognized him as an esiandero (a 
 country gentleman). As if moved at the same moment by the 
 same impulse — a desire to join company — he quickened his pace 
 and I slackened mine, until we were side by side ambling along 
 through these magnificent natural parks. He seemed to know 
 who I was, introduced himself as Don Martin Gliemes, and invited 
 me to stop on the road at the Yatasto river, and join him in an 
 " asado of coiderd''' (roast kid). Sending Cornelius ahead with the 
 postillion to Yerde, the next posta, to -get his breakfast and have 
 fresh horses ready, I accepted the invitation. Having reached the 
 appointed spot, we seated ourselves upon the grass round quite 
 an elaborate repast, consisting of a well-cooked asado, cheese, 
 bread, and dulces fr(5m the stores of Don Martin, who presided 
 with all the dignified gravity of a hidalgo dispensing the hospital- 
 ities of an ancestral mansion. This gentleman was young, hand- 
 
420 
 
 THE FIRST STAGE-COACH. 
 
 some, and, as I afterward learned, an estanciero of very large pos- 
 sessions. His mode of traveling illustrates that of the inhabitants 
 generally. At Verde I parted from my friend of an hour, and, 
 finding horses ready, mounted, and was off in a few minutes. 
 
 AN ESTANCIERO. 
 
 Two leagues from this crossed the Eosario, a small stream, show- 
 ing unmistakable marks of being a considerable river during the 
 rainy season. A league farther on was the pueblito of Eosario, 
 consisting of a few scattering houses, a plaza, and church ; and 
 three leagues beyond this was the estancia of my friend Don 
 Martin Giiemes. At eight o'clock we reached the Posta Arenal ; 
 the country in its vicinity sandy, as the name indicates. A few 
 minutes before I had met the stage-coach from Tucuman for Salta, 
 the first attempt at this description of conveyance as yet ever made 
 in this province, all travel between the two cities having hereto- 
 fore been made on horseback. This will necessarily lead to an- 
 other innovation and improvement, the establishment of a ferry- 
 boat at the Pasaje, for during the season of high water the river 
 can not be forded. I described to some persons at Salta the means 
 used where the current is made the motive power. The simplici- 
 ty of the contrivance seemed to please them much ; a ferry-boat 
 
EETUEN TO TUCUMAN. 421 
 
 of sucli construction will probably supersede tbe unsafe bide balsa, 
 and make the Pasaje passable at all seasons of the year. 
 
 After an excellent supper we spread blankets and saddle-gear 
 on the young grass, and though spared the annoyance of musqui- 
 toes or posta vermin, found it so chilly that I could not sleep ; 
 for, notwithstanding the intense heat of the day, the nights were 
 very cool. 
 
 November 18ih. The air was deliciously fresh, and under its in- 
 vigorating influence we were astir at an early hour of the morn- 
 ing, and dashing at full speed over the lomas. Thence we passed 
 into a pretty green valley from which the lands rose west, with 
 the regularity of steps, in successive eminences to the sierra, 
 while a detached range bounded the valley east for a distance of 
 six miles. Here our road again led over broken lomas — to the 
 Posta Tala, the point of junction of the Camino de las Cuestas 
 and El Camino Carril; the first being the route taken on our 
 road to Salta, From this point we made directly for Tucuman, 
 where I arrived at 9 P.M., having ridden one hundred and five 
 miles since leaving Arenal in the morning. The distances were 
 generally six leagues, but twice during the day I rode from posta 
 to posta, eighteen miles, in one and a quarter hours. 
 
 I had imagined that I was beginning to like the wild indepen- 
 dence of the gaucho life — grassy bed, saddle-gear bedding, cano- 
 pied by the heavens — ^but I must confess that, after a ride of the 
 above distance for two successive days, most thankfully did I ap- 
 preciate and enjoy all the comforts of Dr. Priestly's house, and most 
 gratefally do I recall his cordial welcome. 
 
 November 19ih. At an early hour paid my respects to the gov- 
 ernor and minister, and when I returned to the doctor's found 
 that several citizens had already called, and in the course of the 
 morning came all the acquaintances made during my first visit to 
 welcome me back. 
 
 November 20th. Eeceived a visit from the governor and his 
 minister. I had been advised to return to Santiago through the 
 south of Tucuman, a district watered by the Dulce, and represent- 
 ed to me as not only beautiful in natural scenery, but as populous 
 and highly cultivated, and was told that if I would adopt this 
 route the government would provide me with horses and other 
 facilities for travel within the limit of its own province, and would 
 also arrange for them with that of Santiago. The governor now 
 expressed his regret that for want of time only these arrange- 
 
422 SANTIAGO. 
 
 ments liad not been made, and gave me statistics of the popula- 
 tion, products, and a rough pen-sketch of the rivers and mountain 
 streams that empty into the Dulce within the limits of the prov- 
 ince. He also showed me a chart exhibiting the different dis- 
 tricts, which, though roughly made, gave a very fair idea of the 
 physical features of Tucuman. 
 
 November 21st. Yesterday said farewell to my friends, and this 
 morning, for the last time, shook the hand of Dr. Priestly, feeling 
 all the regret of parting with an old friend. At 8 o'clock A.M. 
 we dashed off from Tucuman at the rate of twelve miles an hour, 
 which speed we maintained from posta to posta throughout the 
 day. At sunset we had made one hundred and five miles, and 
 would have reached Santiago, only thirty-five miles distant, the 
 same evening but for the swollen state of the Dulce, which I 
 should have been compelled to cross in a hide balsa, and at that 
 hour would have found some difficulty in getting men from the 
 opposite side to ferry me over. I did not feel fatigued, which 
 may be attributed more to the exceeding purity of the air than to 
 the easy gait of the horses, and could have made the whole dis- 
 tance between the two cities, one hundred and forty miles, by sun- 
 down, had I left Tucuman at an earlier hour in the morning. I 
 was told that this ride had been made but once before, and then 
 in the transmission of some important political intelligence. 
 
 November 21d. The horses swam over, and we crossed the Dulce 
 at an early hour in the one boat of the western province — our pic- 
 nic yacht, the " Animal of the Salado^^ — the little craft in which 
 we had toiled so many days in descending the Salado from Estan- 
 cia Taboado. It had been brought back to Santiago from Sandia 
 Paso on a carreta. By 9 o'clock I was once more at the govern- 
 or's, where I was received, not as a stranger, but with the cordial- 
 ity and confidence of a member of the family. 
 
 On the 25th Mr. Murdaugh reached Santiago, having, according 
 to my instructions, followed the course of the Salado from Mira- 
 flores to Estancia Taboado. He thought that the fall of the land, 
 the consequent rapidity of the current, and many sand-banks, sim- 
 ilar to those in the Dulce, that intersect the bed of the Salado, 
 would impede navigation from Miraflores to San Miguel. From 
 San Miguel to Taboado — where it will be remembered my ex- 
 ploration of the river commenced — there was less current and 
 greater width than below ; the stream flowed tranquilly between 
 high and well- wooded banks ; the adjacent country being level, 
 
HOSPITALITY OF THE TEOPLE. 423 
 
 tolerably well peopled, and cultivated to a limited extent; the 
 people were civil. 
 
 It thus appears that from Santa Fe, on the Parana, to San Mi- 
 guel, within the limits of Salta (for this village is claimed by that 
 province), there are no obstructions to the navigation of the Sa- 
 lado that could not be removed by manual labor at a small ex- 
 pense; and where the impediments are greatest, there is an am- 
 ple population in the immediate vicinity. The Santiaganians of 
 the poorer classes are more civil, as well as more industrious than 
 those of any other of the west provinces ; the Tucumanos resem- 
 ble them ; the Saltenos were perhaps less gracious, but at the pos- 
 tas of Cordova the manners of the people were particularly rough 
 and forbidding, 
 
 Novemher 11th. Last night we attended a farewell party at Senor 
 Archibal's, where was a fine gathering of senores and senoritas ; 
 and this morning at an early hour we were astir, eastward bound. 
 A number of inhabitants called to see us off, and we were ac- 
 companied to the river by the governor and his secretary. The 
 ladies of the Taboado family had not been unmindful of our com- 
 fort; a large bag was so amply filled with bread and other arti- 
 cles of food prepared by the governor's sister, that it was as much 
 as Cornelius could carry upon his ricado. 
 
 I can not too often bear testimony to the hospitality that char- 
 acterizes all classes in La Plata. Dread of exposing the pover- 
 ty or simple arrangements of their households never seemed to 
 check a kind impulse. At a ranch where a hide cot was the best 
 piece of furniture, and a wooden bowl of hominy the most luxu- 
 rious supper, we were always kindly welcomed. Our reception 
 in all the cities of the Argentine Confederation, the notices of the 
 press, the enthusiasm of the men and women in anticipation of 
 benefit to their country from a development of its river system, 
 were most grateful. Those few days of recreation repaid me for 
 many vexatious disappointments in carrying out the objects of the 
 work confided to me. With pleasure do I recall my intercourse 
 with these Spanish- American friends, and physically able as I was 
 to endure all the discomforts of an explorer's life, most refreshing 
 did I find the comforts of their city homes. 
 
 The governor, with his usual forethought, sent a messenger 
 ahead to have horses ready at the first posta ; and, by crossing the 
 Bulce near the town in the boat, we avoided the detention and 
 annoyance of any other mode of passing over the now swollen 
 
424 ^ NARROW ESCAPE. 
 
 stream. We followed the same route in returning that I had be- 
 fore made between the two capitals. 
 
 It was the season of harvest, and hear the close of the day we 
 met a number of women, among them many a pretty dark-eyed 
 girl with a bundle of wheat daintily poised upon her head. As 
 I saw these women tripping along, I thought of some Euth from 
 a distant province who had " kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to 
 glean until the end of the barley harvest and of wheat harvest." 
 As soon as the grain is ripe, men, women, and children of the neigh- 
 borhood unite in gathering it in, and their compensation is the 
 gleaning of the fields. The laborers probably take care of their 
 own supplies, for each woman whom I saw carried more than the 
 " ephah" of Ruth. The harvest is here, as in all countries, a sea- 
 son of rejoicing and plenty, and at the close of the day's work ev- 
 ery Boaz feasts his laborers upon the best his means can afford. 
 
 Novemher SOth. Reached Posta Rosario after a day's ride of 
 ninety-six miles. Our speed was generally twelve miles an hour, 
 sometimes greater. In the course of the morning I made a nar- 
 row escape. I was alone, some distance ahead of my party, and 
 when at a full gallop observed a sudden turn in the road. Aware 
 of the danger — for the ground was wet and slippery — but know- 
 ing there was more risk in suddenly checking the horse, I dashed 
 on. It was too much ; the animal slipped all fours at the same 
 time, coming broadside to the ground, in which position he slid, 
 with the impetus of the fall, twice his length, and caught my left 
 leg under him ; fortunately it was protected by a heavy boot. 
 While the beast was rising I attempted to get off, but found my- 
 self a prisoner, with the left foot fast jammed in the stirrup-iron. 
 The horse, fortunately, was well broken ; and, fatigued from a long 
 gallop, he now moved off at a slow walk, carrying me by one leg, 
 while with the other, and my hands as a " drag," I in vain tried 
 to "bring him up," singing out first in English, then in Spanish, 
 but all to no purpose. Neither would the drag hold, though I 
 made deep furrows in the ground with my fingers. Mr. Murdaugh 
 and the postillion coming up, dismounted, and stopped his headway. 
 In the course of the same journey I met with a somewhat simi- 
 lar adventure, but on the second occasion the horse merely came 
 to the ground with his legs doubled under him — a movement that 
 did not much disturb me, for I quietly kept my seat, gaucho 
 style, until he regained his feet. The horses of the western prov- 
 inces are almost as sure-footed as mules, and never trip ; but, from 
 
UNCOMFORTABLE QUARTERS. 425 
 
 not being shod, they sometimes fall during the rainy season when 
 the roads are wet and slippery. 
 
 December 1st. At the first posta of Cordova, even if ignorant of 
 the fact of having passed the dividing line, we should have been 
 reminded of it by the uncivil manners of the people, who are so 
 
 unlike the simple Santiaganians. We did not reach last 
 
 night until nine o'clock, but neither supper nor accommodation 
 for sleeping awaited us, for the family, who filled the ranch to its 
 utmost capacity, had retired, and would not be disturbed in their 
 rest. In the centre of what once might have been a dwelling, but 
 which now served as a stable, kitchen, and hen-roost, we kindled 
 a fire and prepared our mate, after which we spread blankets on 
 hide cots placed without under a tree, and lay down with the hope 
 of enjoying a sleep undisturbed by rain or vermin ; but the first 
 came in such torrents that we were obliged to retreat to the hovel. 
 We soon became aware that during bad weather it was the resort 
 of divers animals ; for by the time we lay down a second time 
 in rushed a flock of sheep, leaping over and upon us as we lay 
 concealed in the darkness, producing instantaneously a scene lu- 
 dicrous, but very annoying at the time to tired, sleepy travelers. 
 One half the flock had made sure their passage over us before 
 they could be arrested. We were now between two fires. What 
 with the bleating of those without, responded to by those with- 
 in, there was a serenade that defied all sleep. We succeeded in 
 dislodging the inside party that had taken position in the rear, 
 and at last got a few hours' sleep before dawn of day, when the 
 tramping of horses announced that the postillions were ready for 
 a start. 
 
 Early on the 20th of December we reached Cordova, having 
 made the distance — about three hundred and sixty miles, as es- 
 tablished by the postas — in less than four days. 
 
 Our reception here was less cordial than in any city of the Con- 
 federation — a fact which seemed to stir the patriotic feelings of 
 our countryman. Dr. Hawling, who threatened to inform the 
 governor of our being stopped and fined two dollars for fast rid- 
 ing within the city limits. I had reined in my horse to a walk 
 after passing the first suburb, but the postillion, perhaps glad to 
 get into town, or anxious to show off his riding to some maiden 
 of the place, kept up the same pace until he was suddenly stopped 
 by a policeman. I paid the two dollars, assuring the ofiicial that 
 I was anxious to show all respect to the laws of Cordova ; and 
 
426 RETURN TO THE PARANA. 
 
 wliile lie was endeavoring to work up a fine dramatic rendition of 
 indignant feeling against the postillion, I ordered the lad to lead 
 the way to the fonda. 
 
 December 3d Failed in hiring horses from the posta ; but with 
 Dr. Hawliug's assistance procured them from a private source, 
 and started for Rosario by the main postal route, on which now 
 runs regularly once a fortnight a diUgencia (stage-coach). To look 
 at one of those ponderous unwieldy structures, we could well im- 
 agine it, unoccupied, a good load for four horses, but it is often 
 crowded and invariably moves at the rate of forty and forty-five 
 leagues per day, changing horses every four leagues. 
 
 The characteristics of pampa scenery are very unvarying ; 
 therefore I give but a few quotations from my journal of the 
 return to the Parana, though our route was very distant from 
 the one followed in reaching the western provinces. 
 
 " Eight leagues from Cordova crossed the Segundo by fording, 
 where it was two feet deep. This stream, which courses due east 
 and west, is one of the rivers lost in the pampas. Our road lay 
 very much along the route surveyed by our countryman, Mr. 
 Campbell, for the railway between Cordova and Rosario, and of 
 which he says: 'Probably, up to this time, there has not been 
 constructed a rail-road of equal length, about two hundred and 
 fifty miles, over a surface so level.' We had scarcely fixed our- 
 selves for the night at Disgraciada, after a travel of nineteen 
 leagues since 9 A.M., when a crowded galera, from Rosario for 
 Santiago and Tucuman, arrived. Soon every square inch of the 
 quarto was filled with these passengers and their baggage, which 
 embraced. an amount and variety of articles inconceivable: mat- 
 tresses, bedding, pillows, boots, hats, boxes, and baskets of eatables 
 and drinkables were strewed about in every direction, without 
 and within the house. The travelers on this occasion were all 
 men, and, hearing that we came directly from their respective 
 cities, were eager for a talk about home. These galeras, when 
 under way for a journey across the pampas, with their four and 
 six horses, each mounted by a gaucho-rigged postillion, and dash- 
 ing at half speed over a plain bounded only by the horizon, pre- 
 sent a spectacle as interesting as novel. 
 
 " Decemher 4:th. Detained until nearly the middle of the day by 
 a pouring rain. At last, after a miserable breakfast on a poor 
 coidero, we were off on fine horses and with a prospect of better 
 weather. Country open ; pampa grass abundant. At Tio Puijo 
 
FACE OF THE COUNTRY. 427 
 
 met tlie diligencia, two days from Rosario, it having made yester- 
 day, the 3d, forty-six leagues. Preparation for our comfort was 
 suspended by the arrival of this public conveyance, to which all 
 things must give way at the stopping-places. It draws up, not at 
 the door of the posta, but at the corral, where in a minute four or 
 six panting animals are detached, and others fresh from the corral 
 are put in their places. The postillion, without even touching 
 stirrup, springs into the saddle, rolls his tongue, casts impudent but 
 gleeful glances at the people standing near, and dashes off at half 
 speed. After the coach was off we were famished with excellent 
 horses, which carried us at the usual rate — a full gallop — to Villa 
 Nueva, five leagues. Just before reaching this place we crossed 
 the Tercero, which was here three hundred yards wide ; water 
 low, two or three feet deep ; current, at this season, one and a 
 half miles the hour. Sjoent the night at this posta, the best we 
 had seen in the country. Master and family, kind and accom- 
 modating, furnished us with an excellent supper and abundance 
 of delicious milk. 
 
 " December bth. At sunrise on the road to Herradura, which is 
 on the south side of the Tercero — four leagues. Some little cul- 
 tivation of wheat ; but here, as in Tucuman, it is subject to the 
 pulvo. 'Met a tropa of sixty carretas from Rosario for Cordova. 
 At the little village of Ballesteras, twelve miles from Herradura, 
 the post-road for Mendoza branches off; and nine leagues beyond 
 we passed through the little pueblo Fraile Muerto, situated near 
 the river. The inhabitants of this village, as well as many Cor- 
 dovases, believe the Tercero navigable from Rosario to this point, 
 but no effort has been made to establish the fact.* It .could un- 
 doubtedly be descended by flat boats. At the posta we met a 
 tropa of mules from the Province of San Juan, bound to Rosario, 
 laden with flour, dried and preserved fruits, peaches, figs, raisins. 
 It made ten leagues per day, each little animal having a burden 
 of from fourteen to seventeen arobas. To Saladillo — eight leagues 
 — a desolate dilapidated village of mud houses, the banks of the 
 Tercero were sparsely wooded with algorroba, with long intervals 
 of a scrubby growth which marked its windings. This place is 
 surrounded by a mud wall and ditch, intended in years past as a 
 protection against Indians. The savages, however, no longer 
 make incursions into this district, for neither village nor surround- 
 
 * I have already stated the grounds on which Mr. Campbell based an opinion 
 that it is inipiucticable. 
 
428 INHOSPITALITY. 
 
 ing country now offer any plunder. It is situated one mile from 
 tlie Eiver Quarto, here called the Arroyo Saladillo, and at this 
 time so much swollen that the postillions were obliged to carry 
 the saddle-bags with the instruments on their heads, while they 
 swam their horses over. Mounted on an animal tall enough to 
 wade, I knelt on the saddle by way of keeping dry, and plunged 
 in, expecting to be pitched head foremost at every step. How- 
 ever, much to our astonishment, we reached the opposite side 
 without accident or other inconvenience than wet knees; but 
 I was excessively provoked that the master of the neighboring 
 posta had not notified us of the state of the river, which would 
 have saved detention and confusion. It was quite dark by the 
 time we were under way for Lobaton, distant five leagues. Fol- 
 lowing the lead of the postillion we made it at a gallop, and ar- 
 rived safely, but, as may be well imagined, hungry and tired ; 
 for, from an early hour in the morning, with no refreshment but 
 a cup of coffee and a little bread, we had ridden one hundred and 
 five miles. On dismounting, guided by a dim light and the sound 
 of a guitar, we made our way to a part of the yard where, around 
 a fire, over which was placed an earthen vessel filled with corn, 
 was seated a party of men and women, dexterously catching the 
 toasted grains as they popped out, while a gaucho musician kept 
 up an active accompaniment upon his cracked half-stringed in- 
 strument. Our entrance did not at all disturb the party, for all 
 were intently watching the corn. I asked for something to eat, 
 and received an ungracious answer, delivered with a still more 
 ungracious manner. ' There was nothing to eat, and if there was, 
 there was no wood to make a fire.' Unable to make an impres- 
 sion, and apprehending rain during the night, we spread our blank- 
 ets in the hovel ; and to the gnawings of hunger were added the 
 torments of musquitoes and fleas. 
 
 ^'■Decemher 6th. At dawn astir, in bad humor and bad plight for 
 horseback travel, but in a heavy rain rode on, five leagues, to Ca- 
 beza del Tigre, where we found in the domicil of the post-master 
 a kindly disposition to meet the wants of travelers. "We had an 
 excellent breakfast, with coffee and milk. As it was raining hard, 
 with a prospect of continuance, I determined to remain in our 
 snug quarters until the following day. Met at this place a tropa 
 of mules laden with merchandise from Eosario bound to San 
 Juan. 
 
 " December 7th. Left Cabeza del Tigre at an early hour, in a 
 
EETUKN TO ROSAKIO. 429 
 
 slight mist, and four leagues beyond, at the little mud village of 
 Cruz Alta we reached the last posta in Cordova going east, or the 
 first west from Eosario, the line of division between the two prov- 
 inces, Cordova and Santa Fe, passing between this and Esquina 
 Grande a mud village four leagues east. Up to this point the 
 road follows very much the course of the Tercero, all the postas 
 bemg upon or near its south bank. From Cruz Alta the river, 
 having a previous direction southeast, takes a course of north- 
 east, under the name of Cacaranal, to its junction with the Para- 
 na. Its banks, which we have followed during the last two days, 
 are as clear of wood as the adjacent pampa, where scarce a tree is 
 to be seen, except a few planted for shade. After the superb 
 forests of the western provinces these looked but the shadows of 
 trees. At our next stopping-place, Arequita— five leagues — found 
 civil people, who gave us a good asado ; but again, four leagues 
 farther on, at Desmochedo, met with but a rude reception — noth- 
 ing to eat, not even a little hot water for mate procurable. The 
 country between the last places was undulating, uncultivated, and 
 bare of trees, but clothed with luxuriant grass. To Candelaria — 
 six leagues — ^face of the comitry unchanged. At this place, where 
 the people were civil, we procured hot water for mate. At Cor- 
 rea — five leagues — found a good two-story brick house, and its 
 owner largely engaged in raising sheep for the wool. 
 
 It was sunset when we started from El Estado for Eosario, and 
 it soon became excessively dark, but at a full gallop we followed 
 with confidence the lead of the postillion, until suddenly that in- 
 dividual and his steed lay broadside on the pamj^a, at some dis- 
 tance from each other — a manoeuvre I did not exactly care to fol- 
 low. No damage ensued ; the postillion was soon mounted again, 
 off we dashed at the same rate, and reached Eosario at 9 P.M. all 
 safe, after a day's ride, from Cabeza del Tigre, of one hundred and 
 five miles. The fonda was crowded, and after supper we gladly 
 accepted the hospitality of Mr. Dale, the British consul. 
 
 The growth of Eosario and the rapid increase of its population 
 and trade in three years are unprecedented in the history of 
 Spanish- American cities. I have in a previous chapter alluded 
 to its many advantages as a port of entry ; I now refer to it as an 
 important point for the residence of a consul ; for we should not 
 wait for trade before appointing such an ofiicer, but should place 
 one there to secure commercial advantages for our people. A 
 British consul was placed there at the earliest moment. 
 
430 RECALL TO THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 In a few days a conveyance by steamer offered to Buenos 
 Ay res, where I arrived on the 12th of December. As the Water 
 Witch was still undergoing repairs to her engines, which would 
 occasion a detention of some weeks, I proceeded in the steamer off 
 San Isidro, and, with the two cutters and a large sail-boat hired 
 for the purpose, sounded out the channel-way, from the inner an- 
 chorage to the Arroyo Capitan, also the entrance to the Palma 
 -Pass. I found a depth gradually diminishing from twenty-four 
 feet within the Palmas to eight off its entrance, reduced to low 
 water, showing that vessels of six feet draught, bound up the Pa- 
 rana, may enter the pass at ordinary low water without appre- 
 hension of taking the bottom. The only 'difficulty in the naviga- 
 tion would arise from the want of discernible objects on shore, 
 the land being so low near the mouth of the river as to be indis- 
 tinctly seen at the distance of five miles from the deck of an or- 
 dinary ship. 
 
 This completed the work assigned me by my instructions, so 
 far as the means at my disposal, time, and the occurrences I have 
 related would allow. I leave the j)ublic to judge of the embarrass- 
 ments under which I sometimes acted. There were many others, 
 as well as manifold labors entirely foreign to my legitimate duties, 
 to which I have not deemed it necessary to allude. 
 
 On the 2-ith of January, 1856, with caulked decks, boilers 
 patched, and engines mended, the steamer descended the river to 
 Montevideo, where I had reason to suppose a letter of recall await- 
 ed me. This letter read thus : 
 
 " Navy Department, December 20th, 1855. 
 " Sir, — The Department is gratified at the energy displayed by you in 
 your endeavors to accomplish the explorations and surveys for which you 
 were sent out, in the midst of many difficulties. 
 
 " I am of opinion that the public interests require the return of the ex- 
 pedition. You will, therefore, so soon after the receipt of this as practi- 
 cable, return with the Water Witch to the United States and to the port 
 of Washington. 
 
 " Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 "(Signed), J. C. DOBBIN. 
 
 "Commander Thos. J. Page, commanding U. S. Steamer ) 
 Water Witch, Buenos Ayres, Rio de La Plata." > 
 
 When we remember merely the social and political changes of 
 one year, we may imagine what anxieties and fears, what hope 
 and happiness move the heart of the sailor, who after more than 
 
EXTENT OF EXPLORATION. 4gl 
 
 a three years' cruise in foreign waters, at last hears the boatswain's 
 call, " All hands up anchor for home !" 
 
 The Water Witch was detained some days at Montevideo by the 
 necessity of additional repairs to her wheels, and it was not until 
 the 8d February, 1856, that we stood out of the harbor. Pass- 
 ing close under the stern of the sloop of war Germantown, we re- 
 ceived from her crew three hearty cheers — the sailor's " God-speed 
 homeward," Captain Lynch was on shore, but I recognized the 
 clear, shrill voice of the first lieutenant, who wished us " a pleasant 
 passage and a happy meeting with friends." It was my old friend 
 and shipmate Eidgely. 
 
 Homeward bound ! Once more the little craft was puffing free 
 over old ocean : she had done good service in a foreign clime, and 
 was now to bear to their native shore the crew of stout ready 
 hearts that had stood by her from the beginning to the end. 
 
 After an absence of three years and four months she came to 
 anchor, on the 8th of May, 1856, at the Washington Navy Yard, 
 the place of her original construction. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Extent of Exploration. — Depth of Water in the Paraguay. — Sources of that River. 
 — Junction with the Parana. — The Parana River. — Tributaries of the Paraguay. 
 — The Confuse and Otuquis. — Expeditions up and down the Pileomayo. — North- 
 ern and Southern Branch. — Little Success at its Navigation. — The Vermejo. — 
 Its Navigability confirmed. — The Salado. — "River Bottom." — Falls of Apipe. 
 — The Gran Salto. — The River above. — Islands and Rapids. — The Uruguay. — 
 The Salto Grande. — Beauty of adjacent Country. — La Plata. — Its Mouth at the 
 Capes. — Structure of the Parana Banks. — Tosca. — Rock Formation on the Par- 
 aguay. — Entrance to a Mountain Region. — The Great Gulf. — Birth of Rivers. 
 — Callera de An-iola. — Retirement of the Sea. — Fossil Remains and Estuary 
 Mud. — Diluvial and Alluvial Periods. — Encroachments of Land and Water. — 
 Harbor of Buenos Ayres. — Fertility of Soil. — Fruits and Vegetation. — Medic- 
 inal Plants and Woods. — Climate. — Navigation of the Rivers. — Letter from th ; 
 Governor of Santiago. — Exclusive Privileges granted to Companies. — Suitable 
 Vessels. — Paraguay. — Products and Advantages for Trade. — Interests of Boli- 
 via. — Immigration. — Brossard. — Thiers and Guizot upon the Country of La Pla- 
 ta. — What foreign Governments have done. — What our Policy should be. 
 
 With my map and charts I present to the public, if not an in- 
 teresting, at least an unexaggerated account of my exploration of 
 countries bordering the fluvial avenues that intersect the basin of 
 La Plata. 
 
 We ascended from Buenos Ayres — the initial jDoint of our work 
 
432 THE PARAGUAY. 
 
 —to Corumba, in latitude 18° 59' 4.S" south, longitude 57° 44' 36" 
 west, to which, jjlace the exploration of the Paraguay was at this 
 time limited by the Brazilian Government.* That settlement is 
 in a right line about one thousand miles from Buenos Ayres, and 
 by the course of the rivers two thousand from the ocean. The 
 first half of this distance was ascended at the season of low water 
 in the Parana without encountering shoals, rocks, or any obstacle 
 to a continuous navigation, in an ocean steamer of nine feet 
 draught. 
 
 In the Paraguay the depth of water was at that time not less 
 than twelve feet, and, according to our register kept at Asuncion, 
 at no season less than five. These rivers, augmented in volume 
 of water above their junction by a wonderful ramification of nav- 
 igable streams, form the central water-courses of La Plata. 
 
 From three small lakes in the northwestern mountains of Bra- 
 zil, between the parallels of 13° and 14°, the Payaguas Eiver — a 
 name euphonized to Paraguay by the Spanish conquerors — is 
 supposed to have its source. These mountains, which almost 
 meet the last spurs of the Peruvian ranges, are likewise the wa- 
 ter-sheds of several streams that swell the great tributaries of the 
 Amazon ; and, according to a generally received opinion, a short 
 portage alone intervenes between the navigable head waters of 
 these rivers. Flowing generally south, the Paraguay, in latitude 
 27° 17' 32," longitude 58° 39' 32," forms its junction with the 
 Parana, which also rises in the northwestern mountains of Brazil, 
 between the parallels of 17° 30' and 18° 30'. Coursing first west, 
 then south, its waters continually increased by the outpourings 
 of many large streams, the Parana is a mighty river, one and a 
 quarter miles wide when it enters Ifisswnes (a country so called 
 from having been the seat of the first Jesuit missions), from whence 
 it rolls again westward to the point at which it commingles its 
 waters with the Paraguay. The two rivers made one, under the 
 name of Parana, flow on to La Plata, or Parana Guazu (Great Pa- 
 rana), as it is still called by the Indians. 
 
 In ascending the Paraguay, while tributaries from the east are 
 constantly recurring, there are comparatively few from the west. 
 From the Confuso, in latitude 25° 8', to the latitude of 19°, a dis- 
 tance by the river of six hundred and fifty miles,' there is but one 
 affluent from the west, the Otuquis, or Bahia Negra. Between the 
 
 * Subsequently permission was granted to extend the exploration into all the 
 Brazilian tributaries of the Paraguay. 
 
THE PILCOMAYO. 433 
 
 Confiiso and its junction with the Parana the Paraguay receives 
 the waters of two considerable rivers — the Pilcomayo and Ver- 
 mejo — the former in latitude 25° 16', the latter in 26° 52 'south. 
 
 The Otuquis, which is considered the northern limit of the Cha- 
 00, rises in the Sierras de Santiago, in the Province of Chiquitos, 
 and coursing through Bahia Negra, empties into the Paraguay in 
 latitude 20° 10' south, longitude 58° 17' west. Of the practica- 
 bility of its navigation I have not a doubt ; and when established, 
 it will open a channel of communication with Chiquitos, a region 
 of Bolivia, far removed from that watered by the Pilcomayo, but 
 equally rich in products. 
 
 Of the Pilcomayo I can give no information derived from my 
 own knowledge. Circumstances that have" been related closed 
 this river to the expedition ; all that we know of it, therefore, is 
 derived from several abortive attempts at its exploration: the 
 first, by Father Patino, in 1721 ; the second, by Casales, in 1735, 
 who gives but a vague account of his attempt to ascend through 
 what he terms the southern channel, the northern one being pro- 
 nounced by him impracticable ; the third, by Castanares, in 1741 ; 
 and a fourth by Colonel Magarinos and a Mr. Thompson, said to 
 have been an American. 
 
 This latter was an attempt to descend the river in 1844 under 
 the auspices of the Bolivian Government, General Bolivian being 
 President ; but it was likewise unsuccessful. Azara, who, so far 
 as he goes, gives the most reliable account, ascended this river 
 through the northern branch about forty miles, according to his 
 estimate of the distance, when. he returned under the apprehension 
 that he could not reach Potosi, the point aimed at, although the 
 least water given by him in the month of August was six feet. 
 His difficulties seem to have arisen from the strength of the cur- 
 rent ; but, like other explorers, he was illy provided with suitable 
 means. 
 
 The Pilcomayo has its source in a spur of the Cordillera de los 
 Andes, northwest of Potosi in Bolivia, and after receiving the 
 Cachimayo, which rises within a short distance of Chuquisaca, is 
 joined by the Pilaya from the southwest. This latter, fed by 
 numerous tributaries, greatly augments the volume of the Pilco- 
 mayo, which, at a short distance from this junction, enters the 
 Gran Chaco, and flowing under the general direction of southeast, 
 empties into the Paraguay at Asuncion. The only attempts at 
 navigation upon this stream which seemed to promise success, are 
 
 28 
 
434 THE VERMEJO AND SALADO. 
 
 stated to liave been made through, the branch at or near Asun- 
 cion. Oar chart does not lay down the supposed southern mouth, 
 because we discovered no evidence of its existence near the lo- 
 cahty assigned it. Inasmuch, however, as it may discharge it- 
 self into some one of the numerous riachos, and thus be concealed 
 from view to one ascending the Paraguay, I would not pronounce 
 upon its non-existence. 
 
 The efforts that have been made to determine the navigability 
 of the Pilcomayo seemed to have failed — so far as we are able to 
 judge from the vague accounts given of them — more in conse- 
 quence of the want of proper boats and provision for such an un- 
 dertaking than from the opposition of the Indians or insurmounta- 
 ble obstacles in the river. The chief embarrassment seems to be in 
 the western portion of the Chaco, where the channel is reported as 
 losing itself in a vast laguna, offering no direct or navigable course. 
 
 The Vermejo flows from the northwestern provinces of the 
 Argentine Confederation, and notwithstanding the comparatively 
 short distance through which I ascended it in a steamer of twenty- 
 six inches draught, and at the season of low water, the point reach- 
 ed, according to my determination, is above the position given 
 the most difficult passes by Comejo and Loria. The last descent 
 of it, made in the corresponding month of the succeeding year by 
 Mr, Hickman, an enterprising citizen of the United States, then 
 a resident of Buenos Ayres, in a boat of three to four feet draught, 
 confirms my opinion of its navigability. 
 
 The Salado rises in the western Cordilleras of the Province of 
 Salta, and after a very tortuous course, under the general direc- 
 tion of southeast, empties into the Parana at Sante Fe, latitude 
 31° 38' 34" south, longitude 60° 89' 48'' west. 
 
 We ascertained and established the navigability of this river 
 for a distance of eight hundred miles, and exhibited upon it the 
 great lever of modern civilization, steam. It flows through a 
 country imequaled for pastoral and agricultural purposes, and 
 brings into communication with the Atlantic some of the richest 
 and most populous provinces — Santiago del Estero, Tucuman, 
 Salta, Jujuy, etc. — whose products have heretofore been convey- 
 ed to the port of Eosario by ox- wagons, occupying a period often 
 months to go and return ; but which can now, by boats, reach 
 the same port in fifteen days, and a return cargo of merchandise 
 be made in twenty -five. 
 
 Even the Indians, who have heretofore made hostile descents 
 
THE PARANA. 435 
 
 upon the few settlements along its banks, may be made, by kind 
 and judicious treatment, powerful agents in developing the re- 
 sources of the country.* 
 
 Immediately adjacent to the river extends, from one to about 
 five miles in width, a " river bottom" well wooded and densely 
 covered with grass, from which the more elevated land, skirted 
 with timber of superior quality, rises gradually to a level with 
 the surrounding pampa. The wood on this bottom is of excel- 
 lent quality as fuel for steamers, and may be had in great abund- 
 ance. In its green state we experienced no difl6.culty in keeping 
 up the requisite quantity of steam. 
 
 In my visit to the western districts of Paraguay we touched 
 the Parana where it flowed through " Missiones," but my exami- 
 nation of this noble river extended only from the mouth to its 
 junction with the Paraguay. From all the information arrived at, 
 though unsatisfactory, I was induced to beheve that its navigation 
 would be found practicable to a considerable distance above Cor- 
 rientes. The falls of Apipe, situated in latitude 27° 27', longi- 
 tude 56° west, probably offer no serious obstruction at the pe- 
 riod of high water.f Hence for several hundred miles up to the 
 Curitiba, a large navigable river, its course is represented as per- 
 fectly free. Above this point begins a remarkable series of falls 
 and cataracts, which extend a distance of one hundred miles to 
 the Salto Grrande. Around this fall the Jesuits, with their twelve 
 thousand converts seeking a land of peace from the inhuman per- 
 secutions of their Portuguese foes, effected a toilsome, struggling 
 descent, in which many of their numbers perished. Azara, one of 
 the few fortunate and adventurous travelers who have ever reach- 
 ed this Salto, has pictured its sublimity in enthusiastic terms. The 
 river suddenly narrows from a width of over a mile to less than 
 forty yards, pouring its solid mass of waters over a height of six- 
 ty feet into a rocky basin.:j: 
 
 From what we glean in Jesuit writings the river above this 
 again becomes navigable, at least to the Parana Pane. Very lit- 
 tle is known of the upper waters of the Parana ; for beyond a cer- 
 tain point even the track of the intrepid missionary is lost, and 
 this great water-course, with a probable navigation of at least two 
 
 * See extract from letter of Governor Taboado, p. 444. 
 
 t In my narrative I have given in detail an account of the hostile interference 
 the expedition met with while proceeding to examine this point. 
 X Azara, vol. i., p. 71, 72. 
 
436 TUE UKUGUAY. 
 
 thousand five hundred miles, flows for a great distance in undis- 
 turbed possession of the Indian. 
 
 From Missiones begins that series of islands which thence char- 
 acterize this river to its mouth. Some of these are small, others 
 embrace many square leagues ; some are low, of recent formation, 
 and frequently submerged ; others are high, well wooded, and add 
 much to the beauty of the scenery. 
 
 " The laws which govern the rise and fall of the Parana are in- 
 variable. Its inundations, like those of the Nile, are periodical, 
 and are blessings rather than causes of disquietude ; for, always 
 expected and progressively slow, they never surprise the vigilance 
 of the inhabitants, and decrease, leaving vegetation not only un- 
 harmed, but improved by their deposit."* 
 
 The Uruguay, which has its source in the Sierra Catalina, lati- 
 tude 27° 30', is also increased by numerous tributaries, many of 
 which, when they shall have been explored, may prove important 
 streams. It flows first west to the confines of the " Missiones," 
 then south, and disembogues into La Plata immediately after its 
 junction with the Parana in latitude 84° south. It bounds Entre 
 Eios and Corrientes on the east, separates those two provinces 
 from the Banda Oriental and Brazil, and is navigable at all times 
 for a distance of two hundred and fifty miles up to the Sal to 
 Grande. Here is a ledge of rocks stretching across the river, pre- 
 senting more the character of rapids than of a fall, as its name 
 would indicate. For a very short time in the year, during the 
 month of October, the Uruguay rises to the height of from fifteen 
 to twenty feet, forming over the fall a raj)id current, but of suffi- 
 cient depth to allow of its ascent under an extraordinary steam 
 pressure. Beyond the " Sal to" it again becomes navigable for 
 small vessels of five feet draught to the distance of from one to 
 two hundred miles. When the population of the country above 
 shall have increased and have felt the want of water transporta- 
 tion, they will see the propriety and practicability of overcoming 
 this obstruction by means of locks. 
 
 The scenery on this river, especially on the left bank — the Ban- 
 da Oriental — is very fine. At the distance of one hundred miles 
 above its mouth the country on the right bank — Entre Eios — 
 changes from the flat wooded to the undulating grassy, with 
 skirts of quebracho and palm groves here and there fringing its 
 margin. The left bank — the Banda Oriental — is beautiful through- 
 
 * Ygnaoio Nunez. 
 
EIVER BANKS. 437 
 
 out. The land is higli and rolling, with wooded ridges and grassy 
 hill-sides, gently sloping to meadows of surpassing verdure. 
 
 Now the reservoir of many streams, equaling in its mass of wa- 
 ters all the rivers of Europe, La Plata, at the narrowest point 
 twenty-five miles wide, flows on majestically until it commingles 
 its waters with those of the ocean between the Capes of Santa Ma- 
 ria and San Antonio, the hmits generally assigned to it by geog- 
 raphers ; for though it attains a width of one hundred and eighty 
 miles at its mouth, and has very much the appearance of an estu- 
 ary, it also retains to the capes many of the characteristics of a 
 river. 
 
 I have named but a few of the principal navigable tributaries 
 of the central water-courses. From the eastern slopes of the An- 
 des flow many others, which, after tortuous meanderings for hund- 
 reds of miles, are lost by filtration or evaporation during the heats 
 of simimer. Others form shallow lakes and become the sources 
 of streams of less magnitude. 
 
 From the west the Parana and ..Paraguay also receive the out- 
 pourings of a great number of minor rivers, many of which are 
 navigable to the very heart of some of the finest regions of the 
 basin. There are also innumerable riachos which wind through 
 estancias and forests, forming a perfect net- work of natural canal- 
 ization, and again find an outlet in the parent streams. 
 
 The structure of the lands forming the east and west banks of 
 the Parana up to the confluence of the Paraguay, and again iipon 
 those of this latter river up to the Appa exhibits a remarkable con- 
 trast. Beginning with the shores of the Banda Oriental and pro- 
 ceeding north we find clay slate, gneiss, and granite, as at Martin 
 Garcia, whose quarries furnish all the materials for building and 
 paving in Buenos Ayres. Here is a break in this chain by the 
 intervention of the flat lands of the Parana Delta. At Diamante 
 a calcareous formation is presented in a conglomerate of fossil 
 sea-shells, which continues for a long distance northward on a 
 range elevated from sixty to one hundred feet, and exhibiting at 
 some points crystallized carbonate of lime, of which we procured 
 very perfect specimens. A coarse reddish sandstone and indu- 
 rated argillaceous earth of the same color characterize the high 
 banks of the Province of Corrientes. Leavinsj the Parana River 
 where it turns abruptly eastward, and following the Paraguay, we 
 observe at some distance in the interior ridges and rolling lands ; 
 but bordering the banks of the river a level country offers no 
 
438 
 
 TOSCA. 
 
 appearance of rock formation, until we reach tlie isolated Mount 
 Lambare, where basaltic rock shows itself. From Asuncion 
 throughout Paraguay up to the Kio Appa we find, at various 
 points, banks presenting argillaceous strata and precipitous sec- 
 tions of silex and limestone. 
 
 On the other hand, assuming Buenos Ayres as our starting- 
 point, and moving northward, on the west bank of the Parana and 
 Paraguay, we find a continuous pampa throughout the extent of 
 thirteen degrees of latitude, interrupted only at one point, and that 
 an isolated hill of mica schist one hundred feet in height, with a 
 base of not more than three hundred in diameter. This occurs at 
 the distance of about twelve miles above Asuncion, and contains 
 the quarry which is alluded to as furnishing a good quality of 
 stone for building. 
 
 The country south of the Salado is more elevated, and appar- 
 ently of older date than that north of this river, which we assume 
 as the southern boundary of the Chaco. But the nearest approach 
 
 SIERRA SIETE PtTNTA, IN THE CHAOO. 
 
 to rock formation throughout the whole extent of this region is 
 " tosca," which is found in great quantities on the shores of La 
 Plata, near the city of Buenos Ayres ; at various points in both the 
 Salado and Vermejo, it forms the beds of those rivers. Beyond, 
 or north of the Kio Appa, the country both east and west of the 
 
KETIREMENT OF THE SEA. 439 
 
 Paraguay assumes very mucli the same claaracter, low and of re- 
 cent date, broken only by isolated hills, some of them rising al- 
 most to the proportions of mountains from the water's edge. At 
 Pan de Azucar the formation is syenite ; at Olimpo, basaltic rock ; 
 at Coimbra, limestone, white marble, and sandstone, with appar- 
 ent impressions of moss resembling arborescent marble ; at Co- 
 rumba, limestone. 
 
 Here we had evidently, however, entered upon a formation 
 differing from that of the Chaco. Detached spurs and isolated 
 ranges of mountains west of the river, divided and intersected by 
 low fiat lands, quite submerged at the season of high water, lead 
 the imagination to picture thera,^ at some anterior date, as islands 
 in what we may conceive this vast region of La Plata once to 
 have been — an inland sea. 
 
 From the north of Patagonia along the eastern slopes of the An- 
 dean range, skirting the pampa northward to within the Province 
 of Chiquitos, turning east, along the sierras which divide the val- 
 ley of the Amazon from that of La Plata, to the Paraguay, descend- 
 ing the latter to its tributary, the Appa, and ascending this to its 
 source, following the Cordillera de Maracayn to the Salto Grande 
 of the Parana ; descending this river to Missiones, thence across to 
 the Uruguay throughout its course, and to the capes by which 
 the great estuary pours its waters into the Atlantic, we trace out 
 what is supposed to have been the limits of a great gulf 
 
 Then came a gradual subsidence, and water-courses found their 
 beds in valleys and in the gentle lowlands of the Chaco. We 
 may regard this as a distinct period in the retirement of these 
 waters, for as yet we suppose the sea to be far above its present 
 shore-line. The rivers of La Plata were then born, and Sir 
 Woodbine Parrish finds their outlet in the Call era de Arriola, where 
 the fossil remains he procured for the British Museum were dis- 
 covered. From this point, in the lapse of time, as the earth en- 
 croached upon the sea, these riverine waters found a more ex- 
 tended course, and may yet, with the fiight of years or ages, over- 
 flow the limits assigned them by modern geography. Strata of 
 marine shells found at various depths attest the revolutions that 
 have been going on for ages. And upon a vast section of the 
 bed of this ancient sea has been formed the alluvial structure of 
 the pampas. 
 
 Near the shores of La Plata marine remains are frequently vis- 
 ible, but as we ascend from its mouth the alluvium increases in 
 
440 THE FAMPA COUNTRY. 
 
 depth. Near Santa Fe, three hundred miles from the ocean, Mr. 
 Darwin discovered a stratum of marine shells, over which was an 
 alluvial bed, forty or fifty feet deep, containing remains of ex- 
 tinct mammalia. Then again, as he remarks, " On the cliflt-bound 
 shores of Entre Eios the line can be distinguished where the estu- 
 ary mud first encroached upon the deposits of the ocean." 
 
 But in no place is this alluvial deposit more distinctly marked 
 than upon the Yermejo, with its banks rising to the height of 
 thirty and forty feet in the level country of the Chaco. Three 
 beds or strata were always distinguishable; the upper and the 
 lower varying in color and character, while the centre was at all 
 points the same ; a vein of estuary mud, ordinarily at the depth 
 of fifteen or twenty feet below the surface, at times forming a 
 thick deposit, at others thinning out to a mere line. At one point 
 of the river I obtained, ten feet from the surface, from a stratum 
 of indurated clay, a specimen which has the appearance of roots 
 and grass, and at another we found fresh-water fossil shells of 
 very minute size. 
 
 The formation of the pampa country of La Plata has scarcely 
 received the consideration and analysis to which its peculiar fea- 
 tures may certainly lay claim. Travelers have noted and sur- 
 mised, and writers have surmised from these, but a satisfactory 
 treatise would seem still to be wanting, to establish with some re- 
 liability how and when occurred the physical changes in this great 
 alluvion, some of which are of very recent date. The origin of 
 its saline deposits is a subject of interesting inquiry. Bland, one 
 of the United States Commissioners in 1818 to Buenos Ayres, 
 says the pampa formation "may have been gently lifted just 
 above the level of the ocean, and left with a surface so unbroken 
 and so flat as not yet to have been sufiiciently purified of its salt 
 and acrid matter either by filtration or washing." It is admitted, 
 however, that a more reasonable hypothesis for the saline impreg- 
 nation of various portions of the Chaco may be found in the wash- 
 ing, during the season of rains, from the extensive salt-fields in the 
 valleys and on the eastern slopes of the Cordilleras. Hence flow 
 the head waters of the rivers, which, by filtration or evaporation, 
 impregnate the adjacent soil and form saline lagoons, the sources 
 of other streams of less magnitude. We know that salts on the 
 outer crusts of the earth have been continuously found in lowlands 
 and highlands, in springs and pools, at considerable elevations. 
 Shells and marine remains similar to those found throughout this 
 
SEA AND LAND CHANGES. 441 
 
 vast basin liave been discovered from the tops of the Andes to 
 the mountains of China, All creation tells of a diluvial, and 
 again points out to us an alluvial period. 
 
 That the Chaco country is an alluvial formation rests beyond a 
 doubt. Mr. Darwin enumerates nine distinct quadrupeds, the re- 
 mains of which he discovered at Bahia Blanca in the province Of 
 Buenos Ayres. The state of preservation in which they were 
 found, and other minor circumstances, prove that they were not 
 tossed and swallowed up by some internal convulsion of nature, 
 but were slowly and gradually entombed by the earthy matter, 
 still encroaching upon the sea and rescuing from its waste of wa- 
 ters a land of fertility. 
 
 The physical revolutions the surface of the earth has been un- 
 dergoing were long ago proved from the accounts of Strabo, of 
 Herodotus, and a host of ancient writers. The land has contin- 
 uously encroached upon the sea, and in turn the sea has encroach- 
 ed upon the land. Herodotus thought that Egyj)t might once 
 have been a long and narrow galf There are certainly undoubted 
 proofs here, as in many places elsewhere, of the receding of the 
 water. Strabo discussed the possibility of the coast of Asia Minor 
 having in course of time considerably extended itself into the sea, 
 and Admiral Beaufort has pointed out the inlets that have been 
 filled up and the islands that have joined to the main land since 
 the days of that ancient geographer. Eavenna, Notre Dame des 
 Ports, and numerous other towns, which were once sea-ports, are 
 now several miles inland. The ancient town of Port Valois, 
 the Portus Valesise of the Romans, was once situated at the mouth 
 of the Rhine, but, from the extensive delta formed by the sedi- 
 ment brought down that river, now stands a mile and a half from 
 the water. On the other hand, the temple of Serapis and other 
 structures in the Bay of Baise are remarkable Evidences of the 
 fall o'f the earth and the rise of the sea. 
 
 The filling up of the River La Plata and the extension of the 
 delta of the Parana are changes that have not totally escaped ob- 
 servation, although they have not been noted with any degree of 
 accuracy. Buenos Ayres may yet, like the cities just mention- 
 ed, become an inland town. 
 
 The author of the Argentina, speaking of the depth of water 
 between San Gabriel and the present site of Buenos Ayres, says, 
 
 "De ancho nueve leguas o mas tiene 
 El rio pora qui y muy hondabte, 
 
442 FERTILITY OF THE SOIL 
 
 La nave hasta aqui segura viene 
 
 Que como el ancho mar es navigable." 
 
 "The river 's here nine leagues or more, 
 And very deep 'twixt shore and shore, 
 So far the navigation's free, 
 As though 'twere an open sea. " 
 
 "We are left to conjecture what the poet's notions were of the 
 depth of water ; but it is not probable that he would have applied 
 the term " muy hondabk" to eighteen or twenty feet of water,* al- 
 most in an open sea ; and we may fairly infer that since the pe- 
 riod when Centenera ascended the river, about three centuries 
 ago, the detritus brought down by its current has gradually filled 
 up the bed to its present level. What the amount of this deposit 
 can have been we are left to imagine. Little doubt, however, can 
 be entertained but this filling up has been and still continues the 
 silent work of time, and that as each day La Plata pours its sea 
 of waters out into the ocean, layers of mud and vegetable matter 
 sift to its shallow bottom. 
 
 All the great rivers of La Plata flow from the finest mineral 
 districts of the world ; but this valley has yet richer mines in its 
 varied and fertile soil, and in the wealth of the vegetable king- 
 dom, which is marvelous. In ascending continuously from the 
 Capes of La Plata to Martin Garcia, from the fragrant isles of the 
 Parana to the fruitful wilds of Brazil, in river and land explora- 
 tions of over eight thousand miles, we found every indigenous va- 
 riety of trojiical vegetation ; passed forests of precious woods, in- 
 terrupted only by extended j^lains carpeted with vigorous grass- 
 es and capable of supporting an incalculable number of horned 
 cattle. Again : I entered populous districts, and witnessed a 
 demonstration of all the capabilities of the soil for agricultural 
 wealth; but the inhabitants of these districts, not stimulated to 
 exertion by exterior commerce, have heretofore pursued agricul- 
 ture only as a means of supplying the demand for home consump- 
 tion. When small fields of cotton, tobacco, and sugar are suf- 
 ficient for the wants of a few families, there is no inducement to 
 form great plantations; but having seen these articles grown to 
 the perfection of maturity, with but little culture, and even spon- 
 taneously, I can readily imagine that in a few years they would 
 become staples. 
 
 We brought home sections of a variety of woods, and of their 
 indestructible qualities I had some opportunity of judging in my 
 
HEALTHFUL CLIMATE. 443 
 
 frequent visits to the abandoned missions of the Jesuits in Para- 
 guay, where the finest wood-work — columns, statuary, and roofing 
 — exposed to the action of the elements for more than two centu- 
 ries, were as untouched by time as granite or iron. " A ship built 
 of Paraguay wood," says Azara, " will outlast four of European 
 timber." The economy of nature also is most wonderful and beau- 
 tiful. In the edible fruits, foliage, barks, fibres, and juices of its 
 great forest trees, as well as in those of every species of minor 
 vegetation, we find farinaceous food, a stimulant, or tea, more 
 healthful than that afforded by the Chinese leaf, precious medi- 
 cines,* raw materials for the finest tissues and the most useful 
 fabrics, dye-stuffs offering varied and unfading tinges, gums, res- 
 ins. This exuberance of vegetable life is united with a climate 
 as delicious as it is salubrious. 
 
 The exposure incident to works of this character is calculated 
 generally to give a correct idea of the health of the country in 
 which they are prosecuted. And such was the unusual absence 
 of sickness among both officers and crew of the Water Witch, not- 
 withstanding the exposure to which they were subjected, that I 
 am constrained to pronounce Paraguay and those provinces of the 
 Argentine Confederation which constituted the field of our opera- 
 tions among the healthiest regions of the earth. Its j)roximity to 
 the tropics and physical character, judging from analogy, might, 
 on a superficial knowledge of it, convey a very different idea. 
 
 But, in giving this as an opinion, I do not judge solely from 
 the effects of the climate upon our exploring party, but from facts 
 indisputable. In Paraguay there is no practicing physician. It 
 is not an uncommon occurrence to meet with aged persons who 
 will say they have never been sick. In the Province of Santiago 
 del Estero there is no professional physician. One will often hear 
 the remark, " There has never occurred in Santiago a case of in- 
 termittent fever." It was in this province that I tested my own 
 power of endurance, and at the same time the salubrity of the at- 
 mosphere, by the exposure to which I was subjected both by day 
 and night. During the greater portion of the year the country 
 people sleep in the open air, never " in doors" unless driven in by 
 rain. 
 
 This condition of climate prevails, although in a less degree, 
 throughout the Confederation. Had the great delineator and in- 
 
 * Amonf:^ the botanical specimens collected in Paraguay alone are sixty-six va- 
 rieties of medicinal plants, and yet the collection is incomplete in this branch. 
 
444 RIVER NAVIGATION. 
 
 vestigator of South American nature visited La Plata, he would 
 have made it an exception in penning the following passage: 
 " Extreme fertility of soil and insalubrity of atmosphere are as in- 
 separably connected in South America as in Southern Asia."* 
 
 The progress made in those countries even during the short pe- 
 riod of the operations of this expedition — the Constitutional Gov- 
 ernment having been established in 1853 — was too manifest to 
 escape the most uninterested observer, and it has demonstrated 
 practically to the comprehension of the people the wonderful 
 blessings of peace and good government over civil wars and des- 
 potism. 
 
 A company, with a large grant of land from the General Govern- 
 ment, was soon formed for the navigation of the Salado, and Don 
 Manuel Taboado, Governor of Santiago del Estero, writes to me, 
 under date of September 1st, 1857 : " Two years have elapsed 
 since the exploration of the Salado, which, under your direction, 
 has given such good results. Yesterday — the anniversary of your 
 arrival in Santiago — came Captain Benetti, of the steamer Salado, 
 now aground at Monte Aguara, he having ascended the river in 
 a boat, which he left at Navicha.f .... Captain Benetti noted, 
 between Aguara and Navicha, about forty fallen trees, and it now 
 remains only to complete the work you began 
 
 " I have before advised you of our successes on the frontier 
 against the Indians. We have defeated them in several engage- 
 ments, and they, having since made peace and conducted them- 
 selves well, are now employed in the transmission of our corre- 
 spondences by canoes from Bracho to Aguara." 
 
 On the faith of evidence given that the Vermejo is navigable 
 in its ascent by steamers, a company, composed in part of some 
 enterprising Englishmen, was formed for this purpose ; and hav- 
 ing obtained from the government of the Argentine Confeder- 
 ation exclusive privileges, procured from England four small 
 steamers. Entertaining a deep interest in all such enterprises — 
 the fruits of our work — I strongly advised that the steamers re- 
 quired for the navigation, especially of the small tributaries of the 
 central rivers, should be procured in the United States ; for, apart 
 from a national feeling, and without reflecting upon the skill of 
 English ship-builders, I do not hesitate to assert that in no part 
 
 * Views of Nature. 
 
 t Distant from Bracho, the first military post in Santiago on the Salado, fifteen 
 miles. 
 
INDUCEMENTS FOR IMMIGRATION. 445 
 
 of the world lias the construction of boats of small draught been 
 carried to the same extent or brought to such perfection as in 
 the United States ; and for the simple reason that here we have 
 an inland navigation of vast extent and of great value, which has 
 excited the ingenuity of ship-builders to devise such construction, 
 and so to apply the means of propulsion as to admit of the least 
 possible draught. 
 
 Paraguay promises a lucrative commerce to any people that 
 may become engaged in it ; producing tobacco, hides, yerba, cot- 
 ton, medicinal plants, dye-stuffs, indigo, and a variety of woods 
 for ship-building and ornamental purposes. So superior is the 
 quality of her tobacco, to which both climate and soil seem pecul- 
 iarly adapted, that it would alone become an article of extensive 
 trade. She would seek eagerly in return salt and manufactured 
 goods. 
 
 In ascending the Paraguay two thousand miles from the At- 
 lantic we reached the frontiers of some of the richest provinces of 
 Brazil, provinces whose products had before no outlets but the 
 port of Eio Janeiro — a port reached by a laborious, dangerous, 
 and costly land travel, over mountain paths accessible only to the 
 sure-footed mule. 
 
 A part of the ancient empire of the Incas — the State of Bolivia 
 — has vital interests in the results of this exploration. Possessing 
 but one indifferent port on the Pacific, Cobija, and from this sepa- 
 rated by the Cordilleras of the Andes, it is only by her rivers that 
 the wealth of her mines and the fruits of her forests, teeming with 
 many of the products of the Indies, can be brought into the trade 
 of the Atlantic. 
 
 From being one of the best populated as well as the richest of 
 the South American States, a field is at once opened for the manu- 
 factures of Europe and the United States. At simply a nominal 
 expense, when we look to the vastness of the interest involved, 
 might she effect this outlet into the Paraguay, through the river 
 Otuquis, now obstructed by a dense growth of grass. 
 
 With the navigability of her great interior water-courses once 
 established. La Plata will have received a development of cen- 
 turies, and we may safely anticipate the tide of immigration which 
 will set into that valley, and, without being visionary, we foresee a 
 future which, in the history of the world, will only be surpassed 
 by the growth of the United States of North America. In offer- 
 ing to immigrants the temptations of a country even richer in 
 
446 EMIGRATION FROM EUROPE. 
 
 all natural, mineral, pastoral, and agricultural resources than the 
 great basins of the Orinoco and Amazon, we have shown that 
 she offers a climate genial and unrivaled for its salubrity, and a 
 population sufiiciently large and advanced in civility to form at 
 once the basis of extensive commercial operations. 
 
 Brossard, a French diplomatist, says, in writing on the immigra- 
 tion from France into that country: "In 1838 the number of 
 French registered at the French Consulate at Montevideo amount- 
 ed to five thousand ; at the end of 1812 it had increased to nine 
 thousand ; but it must be remembered that this register embraced 
 only adults ; and the best authorities compute the whole number, 
 inclusive of women and children, at not less than fifteen thousand. 
 During the first months of the year 1841 there arrived at Monte- 
 video more than thirty-five hundred persons from the Basque 
 Provinces, and it is estimated that not less than 28,245 EurojDean 
 iromigrants arrived from 1838 to the close of 1841." This tide 
 of immigration flowed in when these countries were distracted by 
 civil wars and revolutions, which have given place to more settled 
 governments and commercial treaties with the United States and 
 some of the great powers of Europe. 
 
 The leading governments of Europe have manifested for many 
 years an active interest in the affairs of La Plata, and my opinion 
 of its immense resources for commerce are more than sustained 
 by some of their most eminent statesmen. Austria, at an early 
 period, acknowledged the independence of the La Plata Eepub- 
 lics. Proverbially sagacious and far-seeing as her statesmen are 
 known to be, they have doubtless discovered in that region a 
 healthy outlet for the disaffected population of the Lombardo-Ve- 
 netian States. 
 
 M. Guizot comprehended the importance of opening the coun- 
 tries of this great basin to European enterprise. In a dispatch to 
 M. de St. Aulaire, then the French Ambassador at London, he 
 says, in writing of the intervention of France and England in the 
 affairs of La Plata: "We must ask, as an accessory consequence 
 of our intervention, the application of the principles established 
 by the Congress at Vienna for the free navigation of rivers, in re- 
 lation to those which, flowing from the frontiers of Brazil and 
 Paraguay, throw themselves into the Atlantic." 
 
 M. Thiers, in a speech before the legislative assembly of France, 
 delivered January 6th, 1850, says of the commerce and brilliant 
 future of La Plata: "Your trade with the two Americas is enor- 
 
M. GUIZOT ON SOUTH AMERICA. 447 
 
 mous ; larger than with any other region of the globe. It repre- 
 sents nearly five hundred millions, of which North America ab- 
 sorbs the greater part. Of these five hundred millions North 
 America receives three hundred and fifty ; South America one 
 hundred and fifty, which is not quite a third ; but you deceive 
 yourselves strangely if you appreciate this hundred and fifty mil- 
 lions of commerce only by the cypher by which it is represented. 
 The trade of North America, which apparently presents such 
 great advantages, and which you regard with such solicitude, has 
 two great drawbacks : First, it is exposed to the tariff, which the 
 manufacturing classes {parti industriel) demand. Secondly, they 
 have the advantage of you in navigation 
 
 ^'Now let us look at South America. You there trade with 
 nations whose growth surpasses even that of North America. 
 The census of North America represents the population as doub- 
 ling itself nearly in twenty years, I can prove to you that there 
 are states in South America where the population has tripled in 
 twelve years. 
 
 " The trade of Brazil has advanced in ten years from a little 
 less than thirty to sixty millions ; the trade of La Plata has ad- 
 vanced, in twelve years, from between four and five millions to 
 forty milhons. 
 
 " You may judge from this of the progress of trade in those 
 countries. 
 
 " I am profoundly convinced that without this war, which your 
 energy alone can terminate, the trade of South America — and I 
 speak without exaggeration — will reach to two hundred millions. 
 
 "Again: you encounter there no manufacturing party {parti 
 industriel). She can not menace you for a long period with the 
 industrial rivalry which now threatens you in the United States ; 
 the people of South America are at best an agricultural people. 
 And, lastly, you have the certainty that your flag will there de- 
 velop itself immensely ; and there is only that region for its de- 
 velopment {et il n^y a plus que cette region pour le deveIopper)J^ 
 
 In a memorial addressed to the King of Prussia, advocating 
 the establishment of a line of steamers to South America, the 
 views of Thiers for France are apj^lied to Germany. The writers 
 say : " Brazil will never become a manufacturing country, and 
 the products of Germany will there, m all time, or forever, find an 
 assured outlet or market. After Brazil the states of the Rio de 
 la Plata merit the greatest attention among the countries of South 
 
448 OUR TRUE POLICY. 
 
 America, and an extended commerce with Brazil will secure to 
 Germany relations with these states. The vast territories which 
 form the basin of the Parana, the Paraguay, and the Uruguay, 
 and their tributaries, contain the elements of a prosperity and 
 wealth the most varied. What a future do these countries not 
 offer!" 
 
 While benefiting these neighboring and weaker republics by 
 developing their river system, we have opened a vast field for 
 trade in all the products of temperate and tropical zones ; and 
 these, with the mineral treasures of the Andes, can find a rapid 
 and safe river-transit to the Atlantic. Protected by the flags of 
 the great maritime powers, this excess of wealth will be poured 
 into the lap of nations. WiU not our people seek a fair commer- 
 cial intercourse with these states of our own hemisphere ? We 
 can apply to ourselves with equal force the arguments of Thiers 
 and the (jerman memorialists. We are not there menaced by the 
 rivalry of a manufacturing people, and our flag may find a field 
 of extensive development. If the government of the United 
 States be true to its interest ; if it desire to cherish and maintain 
 a feeling of national friendship with those countries ; if it desire 
 to secure any benefits likely to arise from its commerce — destined 
 to be of inestimable value — it must step in while the " waters are 
 troubled," it must move ere alliances are made elsewhere. 
 
 The most flattering compliment has been paid this government 
 by the people of the Argentine Confederation, through their rep- 
 resentatives, that could possibly be bestowed by one nation upon 
 another. They have adopted our Constitution as the model of 
 theirs, in every particular, save some few where it would have 
 been totally inoperative. They point to our progress as an exam- 
 ple to their own people ; they copy and circulate the writings of 
 our statesmen ; they desire to imitate us so far as it may be pos- 
 sible, and to this end they look for a continuance of peace. 
 
 I have carefully noted in my narrative the reception of the ex- 
 pedition and the courtesies extended to myself and ofiicers by the 
 inhabitants of La Plata as an evidence of their disposition to fra- 
 ternize with our people. These countries are worthy of our high- 
 est consideration, and if, in diplomatic relations, we are not ably 
 represented, then we are not fairly represented, and we do injus- 
 tice to ourselves. 
 
FIRST DISCOVERY OF LA PLATA. 449 
 
 CHAPTEE XXYI, 
 
 First Discovery of the River La Plata by Solis. — Death of Solis. — Sebastian Cabot. 
 — First Settlement in La Plata. — Explorations of Cabot. — Indian Hostilities. — 
 Highway to El Dorado. — Don Diego Garcia. — Cabot's Dispatch to the Emperor. 
 — Pizarro. — Cabot superseded. — Don Pedro de Mendoza. — His Expedition to La 
 Plata. — Founding of Buenos Ayres. — Hostility of the Indians. — Attack upon 
 Buenos Ayres. — Ayolas. — His Expedition up the River. — Death of Mendoza. — 
 Destruction of the Spaniards under Ayolas. — Don Dominguez Yrala. — Founding 
 of Asuncion. — Indian Conspiracy. — The Spaniards and the Natives. — Don Al- 
 varo Kunez de Vaca. — His Journey across the Continent. — Administration of 
 De Vaca. — He is sent back to Spain. — Yrala appointed Adelantado. — Asun- 
 cion erected into a Bishopric. — Disasters of the first Adventurers. — Successful 
 Administration of Trala. — Commanderies. — Death of Yrala. — Zarate and Garay. 
 — Victory over the Indians. — First export Cargo. — Death of Garay. — Final Con- 
 quest of La Plata. — Separation from Paraguay. 
 
 To the Narrative of the American Exploring Expedition I ap- 
 pend a few chapters giving an abstract of the early history of La 
 Plata and the proceedings of the Jesuits in that region. 
 
 The basin of La Plata is one of the three geographical divisions 
 of the southern section of our hemisphere, and takes its name from 
 the river discovered by Juan Diaz de Solis, great pilot of Castile, 
 who, having received from the Spanish Crown command of an 
 expedition to follow up the discoveries of Vincent Yannes Pinson 
 upon the Brazilian coast and southward, started in the month of 
 September, 1515, with three vessels, one of sixty and two of thirty 
 tons, all provisioned for two and a half years. 
 
 Solis, in the same year, reached the entrance of a supposed es- 
 tuary, which he ascended for some distance ; discovering it to be 
 a river, and finding the navigation intricate, he left his vessels, and 
 in a boat ranged the western shores as high as the island of Mar- 
 tin Garcia. Here, deceived by the submissive movements of In- 
 dians who placed at their feet provisions and other offerings, the 
 explorer, with a few men, ventured to land without due precau- 
 tionary measures to guard against the treachery of the savages, 
 
 "who," says Charlevoix, "killed him and all his attendants 
 
 and, stripping the dead carcasses, roasted and ate them in sight 
 of those who had remained in the boat, or had taken refuge in it, 
 and who had now no other course to take but to return to Spain," 
 The right of Spain to one of the fairest regions of the earth was 
 
 29 
 
450 SEBASTIAN CABOT. 
 
 thus sealed by tlie blood of tbe great pilot of Castile, wlio was, 
 according to Herrera, one of the boldest navigators of the day ; 
 but for some years no steps were taken to follow up bis discovery. 
 
 Sebastian Cabot, having left the service of England, entered that 
 of Spain in 1512. He was received with every mark of consid- 
 eration by Ferdinand, and in 1618 given the post oi piloto major. 
 It was reserved for this explorer to reveal the wonderful river 
 system of La Plata. Ten years after the death of De Solis he was 
 charged by Charles V. to pass through the Straits of Magellan 
 and open a communication with the Spice Islands. This expedi- 
 tion, consisting of four small vessels and a caravel, sailed from 
 San Lucar April 8d, 1526. Cabot lost his largest ship on the 
 coast of Brazil, and observing among his crew a spirit of disaffec- 
 tion, which soon ripened into an open mutiny, headed by Martin 
 Mendez and Michael Eoxas, two officers next to himself in rank, 
 he determined to abandon the voyage to the Moluccas. 
 
 Landing the mutineers at the island of St. Catharine, he, with 
 about two hundred brave followers, among them three brothers 
 of Vasco Nunez de Balboa, sailed for the Parana Guazu, which 
 he ascended to the scene of Solis's disaster. Leaving here his two 
 largest vessels, thirty men, and twelve soldiers, Cabot, on the 8th 
 of May, 1527, with a brig and caravel, passed through the chan- 
 nel which still bears the name he gave it — Las Palmas — and en- 
 tered the mouth of the Uruguay ; from thence a boat party was 
 sent up the river under the command of Juan Alvarez de Kamon, 
 who, after a navigation of three days, ran aground on a sand-bank, 
 where he was attacked by the savages, Eamon was killed, but a 
 few of the men escaped by swimming, and succeeded in rejoining 
 their ships. The expedition next entered the central river — the 
 Parana — and off the mouth of the Carcarana, or Zacarania, now 
 known as the Tercero, latitude 82° 50', came to anchor. Finding 
 the natives, who throughout his ascent flocked in crowds to the 
 shore, disposed to be friendly, and enchanted with the beauty of 
 the country, Cabot ordered up the remainder of his ships, and 
 commenced the first settlement of La Plata, San Espiritu, which 
 was, when completed, garrisoned by an officer and sixty men. 
 
 On the 22d of December, 1527, Cabot recommenced his explo- 
 ration of the Parana, which he ascended for nine hundred miles 
 to latitude 22° 27' 20", longitude 59°, at which point navigation 
 was obstructed by the Falls of Apipe. Here the expedition re- 
 mained for thirty days, during which time its commander fre- 
 
DIEGO GAKCIA. 45I 
 
 quently communicated witli tile Indians of the bordering coun- 
 try, who exhibited an amicable spirit, and gave in exchange for 
 articles of little value pieces of gold and silver, which were brought, 
 they said, from lands to the west. The explorers next retraced 
 their steps to the confluence of the Parana and Paraguay, entered 
 the latter river, and ascended to the mouth of the Vermejo, where 
 they were attacked by several thousand Payaguas Indians, who 
 bore down upon them in three hundred canoes, and were only re- 
 pulsed with considerable loss on the part of the Spaniards. The 
 second in command, Michael Kifos, and the treasurer of the expe- 
 dition were both killed. Seeing the resolufe spirit of the invad- 
 ers, the savages next made pacific overtures by bringing to them 
 provisions and ornaments of precious metals, which, like the Pa- 
 rana Indians, they described as coming from the west. Herrera 
 says they were the spoils of war taken by the Payaguas in a re- 
 cent inroad into the dominions of Huana Capuc. Charlevoix be- 
 lieves them to have been part of the effects of the unfortunate 
 Portuguese adventurer, Alexis Garcia, who a short time before 
 this date had traversed the continent from Brazil to Peru, obtain- 
 ed a considerable treasure, and in returning reached the borders 
 of the Paraguay, where he was put to death by the Indians. 
 
 Cabot was at this time unaware of the journey of Garcia, but 
 Balboa's letters from the Pacific mentioning a region in the south 
 teeming with the precious metals, had reached Spain before the 
 saihng of this expedition, and he probably received from the sav- 
 ages some definite information of the existence of the Peruvian 
 empire. Undoubtedly believing the great river he was explor- 
 ing to be a highway to El Dorado, he named it " Eio de la Plata." 
 
 The jealousy of the conquerors, and the avarice of the mer- 
 chants of Seville and Lima, who afterward obtained a monopoly 
 of the trade of the Pacific provinces, the want of enterprise, and 
 the distracted state of the Plata republics since their separation 
 from Spain, have left the problem unsolved. It may be among 
 the developments of the nineteenth century to prove that Cabot's 
 conjectures were correct. The Paraguay may yet be established 
 as the most direct communication between Europe and the finest 
 districts of the Peruvian empire. 
 
 A rival now appeared in the field. At the mouth of the Ver- 
 mejo the explorers met Don Diego Garcia, who, uninformed of the 
 course taken by the expedition of Cabot, had intended to follow 
 up the discovery of Sohs. Agreeing to continue their work in 
 
452 PIZARRO. 
 
 amity the two commanders return-ed to San Espiritu ; but having 
 afterward a misunderstanding, and Garcia's party being greatly 
 inferior in numbers, he left the river. Ferdinand Calderon and 
 George Barlowe (the latter an Englishman) were dispatched to 
 Spain with rich specimens of the precious metals and several Gua- 
 rani Indians, whom they were instructed to present to his Spanish 
 Majesty, and solicit aid and authority for Cabot to extend his ex- 
 plorations westward. 
 
 The messengers, with their human and metallic credentials, 
 were well received by the Emperor ; the course of their com- 
 mander was approved, and promises were given of assistance. 
 But their arrival was immediately followed by that of Francisco 
 Pizarro, who reached Spain in May 1528. Cabot had only offered 
 conjectures of a golden region west of the Paraguay. Pizarro, 
 after incredible hardships, the very recital of which moved his 
 Majesty to tears, had reached the borders of Dorado. One asked 
 both authority and means to continue his explorations ; the other 
 sought only the royal permission, relying upon his own resources. 
 He had brought with him material proof of his discoveries. Bal- 
 boa had sent home drawings of the lama ; Pizarro now exhibited 
 to the Spaniard the wonderful animal itself, with fine fabrics of its 
 wool. There were also valuable and artistically-wrought speci- 
 mens of the precious metals. The golden empire of the south was 
 no longer a chimera of the imaginative adventurers, for they had 
 entered the temple of Tumbez and could testify to its exceeding 
 riches ; its coating of gems, gold, and silver ; they had visited the 
 gardens of the Inca's brides, resplendent with the precious met- 
 als ; had actually seen and watched the artisans engaged in the 
 formation of its costly decorations. 
 
 Charles was on the eve of starting for Italy to receive the im- 
 perial crown from the Eoman Pontiff. Before his departure he 
 commended the cause of Pizarro to the General Council of the 
 Indies ; the promises made to the messengers from La Plata were 
 forgotten. Impatient for their return, uncertain even as to their 
 fate, Cabot determined to submit in person his cause to the em- 
 peror, and, leaving a garrison of one hundred and ten men at San 
 Espiritu, under the command of Nino de Lara,* he sailed for Spain, 
 
 * A cacique of one of the neighboring tribes, having conceived a passion for the 
 young and beautiful wife of a Spanish officer, carried her off in the absence of her 
 husband and a large part of the garrison of San Epiritu. This led to conflicts with 
 the Timbres, and San Espiritu was finally abandoned. 
 
PEDKO DE MENDOZA. 453 
 
 ■where lie arrived in 1530, after an absence of nearly five years, 
 only to learn the good fortune of Pizarro and his own disappoint- 
 ment. As some compensation, he was offered and accepted his 
 old post of pilot of Castile. 
 
 K fervently impressed with the value of his discovery, the great 
 navigator quietly abandoned to others the right of forther exami- 
 nation ; but we must remember that the whole future expense of 
 the discovery and settlement of these countries was borne by the 
 conquerors from their private resources, or those amassed in the 
 course of their explorations. Cabot was not rich, and is repre- 
 sented by contemporary writers as singularly gentle and disinter- 
 ested in character. He was doubtless totally unfitted for the in- 
 trigues of a court, and as the emperor was unwilling or unable 
 to afford him assistance, he probably found it difficult, if not im- 
 possible, to obtain credit from other sources for a sufficient sum, 
 especially when he could offer no proof of the existence of golden 
 regions in La Plata, or a connection with Peru more definite than 
 that afforded by the reports of the Indians, wto gave five hund- 
 red leagues as its distance from the Paraguay. 
 
 Don Pedro de Mendoza, a wealthy gentleman of Andalusia, 
 who was attached to the Emperor's household, and had served 
 with distinction in the Italian wars, next offered to defray all the 
 expenses of an expedition to La Plata of a thousand men furnish- 
 ed with provisions and equipments for one year. In return he 
 was to be endowed with the title of adelantado, and to have a ju- 
 risdiction limited only by tlje concessions already made to Pizarro 
 and Almagro. His salary of two thousand ducats was to be de- 
 frayed from the lands discovered by Cabot, or from the revenues 
 of new conquests; great privileges were likewise conceded to 
 those who should accompany him. 
 
 Not only was Mendoza impressed with the anticipation of find- 
 ing a direct route to Peru, but the terms of the asiento^ " If any 
 sovereign prince should fall into their hands the whole of his ran- 
 som was to be the reward of the conqueror after deducting the 
 royal fifth," suggested a hope of other and neighboring empires 
 of equal wealth and civilization. 
 
 A large number of individuals of distinction, among them thir- 
 ty noblemen, the eldest sons of their families, and several Flemish 
 ofiicers, joined the expedition ; there was, indeed, so great a mul- 
 titude of all classes* that, instead of a thousand, at the last it was 
 
 * Charlevoix. 
 
454 INDIAN HOSTILITY. 
 
 found that the number composing it had increased to two thou- 
 sand five hundred Spaniards, and one hundred and fifty Germans. 
 Don Diego de Mendoza, brother to the adelantado, was appointed 
 admiral of the fleet; Don Juan de Osorio, an officer who had 
 greatly distinguished himself in Italy, was made commander of 
 the troops; and Don Juan de Ayolas. was appointed alguazil 
 major. Others went out with official appointments from the 
 crown, while many of high birth, among them Don Martin de 
 Yrala, a Biscayan hidalgo, who subsequently made a name in the 
 colony, were satisfied with merely volunteering their services. 
 
 A fleet of fourteen ships with their crews, carrying seventy-two 
 horses, completed the expedition, which sailed from San Lucar in 
 August, 1534, and after a favorable voyage entered La Plata in 
 January, 1535. 
 
 Ascending the river to the Isle of San Gabriel, the ships came 
 to anchor ; and on the 2d of February the Spaniards began their 
 first settlements on the banks of the Eiachuelo, which they called, 
 in honor of the day, and as an expression of their delight with the 
 fine climate, " Santa Maria de Buenos Ayres." 
 
 On disembarking the stores it was found that, owing to waste, 
 bad management, and the numbers who at the last moment had 
 been permitted to join the expedition, the supplies intended for one 
 year were nearly exhausted. The savages of the pampas, at first 
 allured by the presents of the invaders, brought them abundance 
 of provisions ; but as these were exhausted, and familiarity dissi- 
 pated the feelings of awe which their first appearance excited, or, 
 perhaps, wearied with the task of furnishing food for such num- 
 bers, they retired some leagues from the settlement. There was 
 but one alternative — to oblige them by force to continue what 
 they had voluntarily begun. 
 
 Unfortunately for the adventurers, the first movements to carry 
 out this resolution were characterized by neither prudence nor 
 sagacity. The admiral, Don Diego Mendoza, who was sent to 
 scour the country in command of a small body of cavalry and 
 three hundred foot, on the second day discovered a large body of 
 savages and essayed a parley ; but, finding that they declined to 
 listen to any pacific overtures, the admiral, despising their naked 
 strength and rude implements of war, rushed eagerly to the at- 
 tack without noting their admirable position on the borders of 
 a morass, in which the foot-soldiers soon became entangled, and 
 were for a time defenselessly exposed to the arrows of the Que- 
 
EXPEDITION OF AYOLAS. 455 
 
 randis. The cavalry made a bold charge, and the battle ended in 
 the retreat of the savages leaving a thousand slain, but also with 
 a loss on the part of the Spaniards of one hundred and sixty men, 
 including Don Diego Mendoza, Don Pedro de Guzman, and five 
 other gentlemen of distinction — a sacrifice which led to no good 
 result. The Indians, for some months after this battle, kept at a 
 distance ; they neither brought provisions nor offered submission 
 to the invaders, who were soon reduced to the most fearful straits 
 through starvation and sickness. 
 
 Ships were ordered to the coast of Brazil for relief; and another 
 party, under the command of Ayolas, was sent up the Parana for 
 the same purpose. The first returned after poor success, but 
 reached Buenos Ayres in time to assist in defending it from the 
 attack of twenty thousand Indians, who boldly approached close 
 to the mud-walls, over which they threw bolas with matches at- 
 tached, threatening entire destruction to the hastily-erected and 
 thatched-roof huts within. Fortunately, the guns of several ves- 
 sels were brought to bear on the savages, and made such hav- 
 oc that they were forced to retreat ; not, however, before several 
 houses and vessels were destroyed. 
 
 The return of Ayolas from the Parana with a supply of maize 
 gave only temporary relief. This commander, like the great pi- 
 lot, was so charmed with the beauty of the upper country and the 
 seeming hospitality of the Timbii Indians that he left a hundred 
 men to build a new fort. Corpus Christi, near the site of San Es- 
 piritu, whither it was resolved by the adelantado to remove the 
 remainder of his followers, who were now too glad to abandon 
 the scene of so much suffering. From Corpus Christi Ayolas was 
 again ordered to explore the upper waters of the Paraguay, and 
 ascended to latitude 25° 88', where he .was attacked by a large 
 body of Payaguas in boats, whom he beat off, but with the loss 
 of fifteen of his men. Continuing his ascent for a few leagues, 
 but finding the natives neither disposed to treat nor bring pro- 
 visions, Ayolas determined to land and give them battle. A de- 
 cisive victory established the superiority of the Spaniards, and 
 the savages testified their submission, not only by promising fealty 
 and obedience, and bringing abundant supplies of provisions, but 
 by offering as presents a number of young Indian girls. 
 
 The conquerors commenced, August 15th, 1536, on the left 
 bank, the construction of a fortified house — the first of Asuncion. 
 Leaving in it a small garrison, Ayolas continued his exploration 
 
456 MARTIN DE YRALA. 
 
 of the river to Puerto de Candelaria, in latitude 21° 05', where lie 
 disembarked and penetrated into the interior, with the hope of 
 reaching Peru. 
 
 Mendoza determined to return to Spain. Charging Francisco 
 Ruiz with the shipping and one hundred and fifty men left at 
 Buenos Ayres, and also with an appointment for Ayolas to act 
 as his lieutenant, the unfortunate adelantado, ill and broken- 
 hearted, sailed from La Plata. He died on the passage home, 
 but with his last breath urged those around him to have succor 
 sent to the suffering colonists. 
 
 Don Dominguez Yrala, who had been left at Candelaria in 
 charge of the vessels of Ayolas, after waiting nine months with- 
 out news from his commander, was forced by want of provisions 
 to return to Asuncion. While engaged in strengthening that 
 settlement, ships arrived with several hundred men and supplies 
 for two years. About the same time Francisco Ruiz left Buenos 
 Ayres to proceed up the river in search of Ayolas. Joined by 
 the garrison at Corpus Christi, which he found driven to great 
 straits by the repeated attacks of the Indians, he reached Asun- 
 cion soon after the arrival of the relief from Spain. Thus the 
 whole of the Spaniards of La Plata, in all six hundred souls, 
 were assembled there. The fate of Ayolas and his men had 
 been ascertained. Traversing the Chaco and Chiquitos, they had 
 reached the borders of Peru, obtained a quantity of the precious 
 metals, but in returning were massacred by a party of Payaguas 
 Indians near Candelaria. 
 
 The Emperor had ordered the colonists to elect a governor 
 should Ayolas not return. Their choice fell upon Yrala, who 
 was in all due form proclaimed Captain General of the Rio de la 
 Plata, August, 1538. He at once applied himself with energy 
 and ability to strengthening the settlement and completing the 
 subjugation of the neighboring Guarani tribes. The lines of a 
 city were drawn, each individual of the community receiving an 
 apportionment of land ; the whole was surrounded by a palisade. 
 Alcaldes and police were appointed, municipal laws framed, and 
 a church and several substantial buildings for public use erected. 
 Asuncion was the first, and remained for some time the most con- 
 siderable city of La Plata. 
 
 The Spaniards congratulated themselves upon their escape from 
 Buenos Ayres to Paraguay, that " blissful country," as Muratori 
 calls it, where the climate was benign and the aborigines more 
 
EXrEDlTION OF DE VACA. • 457 
 
 docile and civilized than those of the pampas ; for the Guarani 
 industriously cultivated their land and raised large crops of 
 maize, cassava, and sweet potatoes, which, with honey, fish, fowl, 
 and wild animals, gave them abundance of food. They had also 
 a wild cotton, from which the women wove such light garments 
 as were needful in that climate. 
 
 Some of the natives took refuge with the fiercer tribes of the 
 Chaco, others made fruitless attempts at resistance, and, about a 
 year from the establishment of Asuncion, a conspiracy to massacre 
 the whites during Holy Week was revealed by an Indian girl. 
 The leaders were executed, and from this time the neighboring 
 tribes east of the river resigned themselves submissively to their 
 fate. The women became willingly, indeed eagerly, the wives 
 and concubines of the settlers, and a new generation rose, asserting 
 nature's claims on both races. The Guarani language was gener- 
 ally spoken, and to this day is more generally used than Spanish 
 in Paraguay. • 
 
 After the death of Mendoza, Don Alvaro Nunez Cabeza de 
 Vaca, who had been many years prisoner among the Indians of 
 Florida, volunteered to expend eight thousand ducats in equip- 
 ping an expedition for La Plata. His offer was accepted, and 
 with the title and privileges previously accorded to the deceased 
 adelantado, he sailed from San Lucar, November 2d, 1540, with 
 four hundred men and forty-six horses. At St. Catharine, March, 
 1541, he received the first intelligence of the death of Ayolas and 
 the removal of the colonists to Asuncion, and conceived the ex- 
 traordinary project of reaching that place by traveling across the 
 continent. Sending his vessels round to La Plata under the com- 
 mand of Don Philip de Carceres, De Vaca supplied himself with 
 beads, hatchets, knives, scissors, and other articles which his ex- 
 perience of Indian life had taught him would be useful accesso- 
 ries in a march through a country entirely in the possession of the 
 savages; and on the 2d November, 1541, accompanied by two 
 hundred and fifty men, and with only twenty horses — all that 
 had survived the voyage — he began this extraordinary journey. 
 
 After toiling through the forests of the mountainous regions of 
 the coast, the adelantado entered upon a magnificent plain, wa- 
 tered by the great river Curitiba, and covered, as far as the eye 
 could reach, with the villages and fields of Indians, who received 
 him with great hospitality, supplying his party with abundance 
 of provisions in return for trinkets of little value. Charmed with 
 
458 . SUCCESSIVE GOVERNORS, 
 
 the beauty and fertility of the land, De Vaca took possession of 
 it, in right of discovery, for Spain, and called it Vera, from his 
 own family name. Continuing their journey without any discour- 
 aging incidents, the Spaniards reached Asuncion after a traverse 
 of more than a thousand miles, which was made in one hundred 
 and thirty days, and with the loss of only one man, who was 
 drowned by the upsetting of a canoe in crossing the Parana. 
 
 This was undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary exploits 
 of the conquest of La Plata ; but the administrative talents of the 
 new adelantado were not equal to the courage or address he had 
 shown in this journey, or rather not equal to the control of the 
 turbulent spirits of Asuncion. He became involved in difficulties 
 with them, which ended in their sending him home, after a close 
 imprisonment of ten months, upon charges of maladministration. 
 During the short period that he ruled over Paraguay De Vaca 
 succeeded in impressing several of the most warlike tribes of the 
 Chaco — the Guayc^rus and Agaces — with a due sense of the 
 power of Spain, and energetically sought to accomplish, what was 
 a prominent object with all the first governors, the opening of a 
 communication with Peru. He ascended the Paraguay to the 
 lagoons of Xarayes, but the periodical inundations obliged him to 
 retrace his course, after having penetrated some distance west. 
 It was upon his return from this expedition, in April, 1544, that 
 he first encountered the open hostility of a party who, during his' 
 absence, had assiduously endeavored to undermine his authority. 
 Taking advantage of the absence of Yrala, the most energetic and 
 popular man of the colony, who had always acquiesced in the 
 measures of De Vaca, they dragged the adelantado from a bed 
 of sickness, and placed him in irons until a vessel could be pre- 
 pared to send him to Spain for trial. The Council of the Indies, 
 to whom his case was submitted, after keeping him in suspense 
 for nearly eight years, acquitted De Vaca of the charges, but never 
 permitted him to return to La Plata. 
 
 Some fatality seemed to attend the governors of this region. 
 Don Diego Centino, who had assisted La Gasca in suppressing a 
 rebellion in Peru, next received the appointment as adelantado 
 of La Plata, when on his death-bed at Chiqusaca. Don Juan de 
 Sanabria, his successor, died while engaged in preparations for 
 his departure from Spain, and the son of Sanabria, who was next 
 appointed adelantado, perished by shipwreck after entering the 
 waters of La Plata. 
 
BISHOPKIC FOUNDED. 459 
 
 The claims of Yrala could no longer be overlooked. Twice, 
 subsequent to the death of Ayolas and the deposition of De Vaca, he 
 had been chosen governor, and, when superseded, had shown him- 
 self a loyal subject by giving the new adelentado the benefit of 
 all his great experience. He was not without enemies. Some 
 accused him of abandoning Ayolas, without an energetic effort to 
 save him from the treachery of the Payaguas; others asserted 
 that he cunningly instigated the intrigues against De Vaca ; but 
 there is nothing to support these charges, and evidences of his 
 courage, administrative talent, and general popularity meet us on 
 all sides. He ascended the Paraguay four successive times; he 
 penetrated to the very borders of Peru, though not permitted by 
 La Gasca to enter the country ; and, returning from this memo- 
 rable journey after an absence of eighteen months, brought with 
 him twelve thousand Indian prisoners. 
 
 On the other side, he had traversed Paraguay, crossed the Pa- 
 rana above the great falls, and ascended its left shore to the Tiete, 
 whence he overran the Province of La Guayra, and gave a check 
 to the Mamelucos by founding the town Ontiveros. 
 
 The Portuguese had instigated the Tupi Indians to make de- 
 scents upon the less warlike tribes of Paraguay and carry off their 
 prisoners to be sold as slaves to the dealers on the coast. Yrala's 
 energetic measures had checked these iniquitous proceedings, and 
 from the borders of Peru to the confines of Brazil he made the 
 authority of Spain acknowledged and respected. The appoint- 
 ment which he received from the crown, in 1555, of adelantado, 
 by the hands of Father Pedro de la Torre, the first titular bishop 
 of Paraguay, was only a well-earned honor. 
 
 In a consistory held in July, 15-17, Asuncion was erected into 
 a bishopric, and Father Juan de Barros, of the order of St. Fran- 
 cis, was appointed to it. On his nomination to another see with- 
 out having entered upon the duties of that in La Plata, Pedro de 
 la Torre, of the same order, was named to succeed him and sailed 
 the following year. The arrival of the bishop was anticipated 
 with delight ; Yrala and the whole Spanish population of Asun- 
 cion, who went out to meet him, knelt as he approached and im- 
 plored his benediction. He was accompanied by a retinue of 
 priests and friars, who were as a " fountain in the desert to the 
 poor colonists," thirsty and perishing for spiritual refreshment. 
 
 A series of tragical occurrences marked the discovery and settle- 
 ment of La Plata. The bones of the noblest sons of Spain — the 
 
460 PROGRESS OF SETTLEMENT. 
 
 gallant cavaliers wlio had served with, distinction in the Italian 
 wars — were bleaching upon its pampas; massacres had ensan- 
 guined its soil ; disappointment, famine, and its consequence, pes- 
 tilence and death, had alone formed the burden of reports to the 
 mother country. These sacrifices were unrelieved by brilliant 
 conquests, or by the reports of auriferous regions. Gold ! was the 
 cry of the Spanish adventurers ; its discovery was with them the 
 great -incentive to action. The name, La Plata, was alluring, and 
 the wording of Mendoza's asiento shows that the band of cavaliers 
 who joined his expedition were perhaps animated by the expecta- 
 tion of finding such empires as 
 
 " Rich Mexico, the seat of Montezuma, 
 And Cusco, in Peru, the richer seat 
 Of Atabalipa, and yet unspoiled 
 Guiana, whose great city Geyron's sons 
 Call El Dorado," 
 
 or royal captives, whose ransom would be rooms heaped with the 
 precious metal and gems of fabulous size. These hopes vanished 
 like the illusions of the mirage. But the climate was benign; 
 land and water teemed with animal life ; there were no inhospita- 
 ble elements to contend with, save the hostility of the aborigines ; 
 and when we remember that a few years later Cabeza de Vaca, 
 with a comparatively small party, traveled the continent from the 
 Brazilian coast to Asuncion, and passed through hordes of Indians 
 unharmed ; and that De Garay afterward, with so little loss, ob- 
 tained a decided victory over the Querandis, when aided by the 
 fiercest pampa tribes, we can readily believe that the disastrous 
 issue of the first attempt to settle Buenos Ayres arose from the in- 
 experience and mismanagement of Mendoza and his chief ofl&cers. 
 
 But, thanks to the vigorous administration of a Biscay an hi- 
 dalgo, a social and political fabric was at last permanently estab- 
 lished north of the confluence of the Parana and Paraguay, and a 
 brighter day dawned for the unfortunate settlers, who discovered 
 that in the products of the soil were their best and only resource ; 
 that its fertility, genial climate, and the exacted but comparatively 
 reasonable labor of the Indians promised them homes offering an 
 abundance of the comforts of life. As the earth yielded its fruits 
 with the smallest possible labor, there was no temptation to an 
 abuse of aboriginal labor. 
 
 Policy as well as duty dictated a considerate course toward the 
 Indians ; and the laws of Yrala, who was assisted by the counsels 
 
TKEATMENT OF THE INDIANS. ^Ql 
 
 of the bishop, for their entire subjugation, though vigorous, were 
 made with all due regard for their physical and spiritual wel- 
 fare. Many voluntarily offered themselves to the Spaniards as 
 domestics ; others, prisoners of war, were divided into a class of 
 commanderies, called yanaconas ; each commander receiving the 
 control of a certain number of both sexes and all ages ; and in 
 accepting them he assumed the obligation to feed, clothe, and take 
 proper care of them when sick or disabled from labor by age or 
 infirmity, and to afford them due spiritual instruction. An ex- 
 amination was made into their condition each year by the govern- 
 ment, and where the Indian considered himself aggrieved he had 
 the right to be heard. 
 
 Another class, called mitayos^ was formed of such tribes as had 
 capitulated in war, or voluntarily offered their submission to the 
 government. These were collected in villages, controlled by mu- 
 nicipal laws and an alcalde, generally selected from among their 
 caciques. But the whole were subject to the supervision of Span- 
 ish officers. In these commanderies all females, caciques, eldest 
 sons, and children were exempt from forced labor; males only, 
 from eighteen to fifty-one, being compelled to "work one-sixth of 
 their time for the whites. Even this time was given in rotation. 
 The conquerors received this service for two lives only, during 
 which period the Indian could neither be sold nor alienated, and 
 at its expiration he was free. In 1612 a new code was promulgat- 
 ed, aboHshing all forced servitude. 
 
 The Governor of Asuncion extended his system to Guayra ; a 
 Spanish force was sent to take possession of the country, and forty 
 thousand Indian families were divided into commanderies. The 
 site of Ontiveras proving sickly, the town of Ciudad Keal was 
 founded higher up the river. On the Paraguay settlements were 
 made in the lands of the Xarayes to facilitate communication with 
 Peru ; and one was attempted — though afterward abandoned in 
 consequence of the hostility of the Charruas Indians — on the east 
 side of La Plata at its confluence with the St. Juan, nearly oppo- 
 site to the site of Buenos Ayres. In short the conquest of all 
 Paraguay was completed. 
 
 While Yrala was taking advantage of this happy healthful con- 
 dition of affairs, to devote his energies to the embellishment and 
 extension of the capital, Asuncion, he was carried off by a fever 
 (1557) at the ripe age of seventy, and lamented by the whole 
 population, aboriginal and Spanish. Twenty years of his life had 
 
462 JUAN DE GARAY. 
 
 been spent in a series of enterprises for the conquest and settle- 
 ment of the country. Daring, generous, kind to his people, full 
 of resources, of extraordinary personal prowess — displayed on one 
 occasion by slaying twelve Payaguas Indians who at once attack- 
 ed him — Yrala is justly considered one of the ablest and most for- 
 tunate of the conquistadores. 
 
 After the death of this governor Paraguay was distracted for a 
 long time by the dissensions of parties who were striving to ob- 
 tain a controlling influence in the affairs of the colony ; but the 
 rivalries of factions rather stimulated than crushed the indomita- 
 ble spirit of enterprise that characterized the Spaniards of that 
 age, and towns and cities rose in the most distant corners of the 
 basin of La Plata. In 1560 Chaves founded Santa Cruz de la 
 Sierra, the farthest settlement northwest of the Paraguay; and 
 after the conquest of the Querandis of Buenos Ayres, Spanish do- 
 minion was established from the mouth of the Plata to Parana on 
 the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 In 1557 Don Juan de Garay, while founding a settlement at 
 Santa Fd, in the vicinity of Cabot's old fort, San Espiritu, heard 
 of the arrival on the coast of what is now the Banda Oriental of 
 the adelentado Don Juan Ortiz de Zarate, who, having received 
 the appointment from the Viceroy of Peru, had visited Spain for 
 the purpose of obtaining its confirmation. He had succeeded in 
 his mission, and sailed in 1572 with nearly five hundred volun- 
 teers, half of whom died before reaching La Plata from the priva- 
 tions and hardships of the voyage, while the remainder, having 
 landed on the east coast, were surrounded by the warlike Char- 
 ruas. De Garay, fighting his way through hostile tribes, at last 
 succeeded in giving assistance to the adelantado and his besieged 
 party, who, under his guidance, reached Paraguay in safety. Za- 
 rate died in 1575, a few months after his arrival at Asuncion, 
 but testified his gratitude to the bold De Garay by leaving him 
 guardian of his only daughter — who, in right of the law confer- 
 ring the adelantasgo for two lives, was his successor — and appoint- 
 ing him captain general and lieutenant governor during her mi- 
 nority. The honest zeal displayed by the lieutenant governor 
 for the welfare of Zarate's daughter, his success in reconciling 
 many rival parties, and the energy with which he promoted the 
 general interests of the people, proved that he was in every way 
 worthy of the trust reposed in him by the deceased adelantado. 
 
 After restoring peace among the colonists and successfully car- 
 
FOUNDING OF BUENOS AYRES. 463 
 
 rying out many of Yrala's original projects for extending Spanish 
 authority over neighboring countries, by forming reductions and 
 founding villages and towns, De Garay, hearing that the Pampa 
 Indians were distracted by tribal dissensions, thought it a propi- 
 tious time to descend the river and found a town near the mouth 
 of La Plata. The frequent disasters to vessels from Spain had 
 shown the absolute necessity of a port where ships and boats as- 
 cending and descending the river might find a safe harbor, or rest 
 and refreshment after a long voyage. He effected a landing with- 
 out opposition near the Eiachuelo ; selected a site in the vicinity 
 of Mendoza's former settlement for the new city, which was com- 
 menced on the festival of the Holy Trinity, 1580, with the name 
 of " Cuidad de la Santissima Trinidad." For the port the name 
 given by Mendoza, of " Santa Maria de Buenos Ayres," was re- 
 tained. 
 
 It must not be supposed, however, that the works of the town 
 were continued without molestation from the savages. Though 
 absent when the expedition first arrived, the Querandis, when 
 they learned of this .fresh invasion of the white man, assembled 
 all the tribes in alliance with them from far and near; and, led 
 by Taboba, the greatest warrior of the country, bore down upon 
 the founders of the new city. De Garay's men boldly sallied forth 
 from their intrenchments, and a fierce sanguinary battle followed, 
 the savages only giving way when they saw the fall of their chief. 
 They then fled in every direction, closely pursued by the Span- 
 iards ; and so great was the slaughter, that the scene of the conflict, 
 near the Barracas, upon the Eiachuelo, is to this day known as 
 Matanza^ or the " Killing Ground." The lands on the river side, 
 from Buenos Ayres to Baradero on the Parana, with the neigh- 
 boring Indians, who soon gave in their submission, were divided 
 among sixty -five of De Garay's followers. 
 
 For three years the governor continued to occupy himself 
 with great energy in strengthening the new settlement and regu- 
 lating its affairs ; and before his return to Paraguay he had the 
 satisfaction of dispatching a vessel to Spain with an account of 
 his conquest ; but, above all, freighted with a cargo of the first 
 products ever exported from La Plata — hides and sugar ; the first 
 as an evidence of the extraordinary adaptation of the pampa 
 country for the raising of horned cattle, the original stock having 
 only been introduced thirty years before. 
 
 In returning to Asuncion in 1553, De Garay, having incautious- 
 
464 SEPARATION FROM PARAGUAY. 
 
 \j ventured to sleep ashore, near the site of San Espiritu, was 
 murdered by a party of Minuas. His death was greatly deplored 
 throughout Paraguay, and his name is associated with that of 
 Yrala as one of the bravest, discreetest, and most beneficent of the 
 first rulers of that country. From the permanent establishment 
 of the town of Buenos Ayres the conquest of La Plata may be 
 regarded as achieved, the foundation of towns which still exist in 
 its various provinces having previously been made. But for 
 many years the colonists were disturbed by the open hostility or 
 treacherous attacks of the Indians. 
 
 Owing to the rapid increase of European population, all the 
 country south of the confluence of the Paraguay and Parana was 
 in 1620 separated from Paraguay, and the government of the 
 " Eio de la Plata" established, with Buenos Ayres for its capital. 
 At the same period Pope Paul V., at the request of the Spanish 
 sovereign, Philip III., made it the seat of a bishopric. 
 
THE JESUITS. 
 
 465 
 
 IGNATIUS LOYOLA. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXYIL 
 
 Arrival of the Jesuits in South America. — A pious Fraud. — Early Missionaries. — 
 St. Francis Solano. — Chaco Indians. — Fathers Cataldino and Marcerata proceed 
 to Guayra. — Foundation of Loreto. — St. Ignatius, St. Thomas, and the twelye 
 Missions. — Establishment and Destruction of the Uruguay Reductions. — Mame- 
 lucos of St. Paul. — Persecutions of the Indians. — Attack upon Guayra. — Eetreat 
 of the twelve Thousand to the Salto Grande. — Descent of the Falls. — Peace at 
 last. — Renewal of the Uruguay Reductions. — Bickerings between Ecclesiastics 
 and Laymen. — Retreat of another twelve thousand. — Fathers De Montoya and 
 Tano are dispatched to the Continent : their Missions are crowned with Suc- 
 cess. — Fire-arms and papal Briefs. — Another Attack of the Mamelucos. — Battle 
 of Acaray. — Triumph of the Reduction Indians. — Don Bernardin de Cardenas. — 
 Excommunications. — Penitence of the Governor. — Deposition of the Bishop. — 
 Return to Asuncion. — The Dictator. — Cardenas is relieved of his assumed Au- 
 thority and retires to La Plata. — Defeat of the Mamelucos and Guaycurus. — 
 Services of the Reduction Indians. 
 
 The Frencli soldier who, at the siege of Pampeluna, brought 
 to the ground its gallant defender, little thought what a work he 
 
 80 
 
 ^ 
 
466 THE JESUITS IN LA PLATA. 
 
 was consummating. The wounded, disabled, suffering founder of 
 the Jesuit order, while perusing the holy and miraculous life of 
 the Savior, instead of the adventures of knights-errant, could 
 have had but a faint consciousness how deeply the new spirit was 
 moving him, and how perfect a regeneration he was about to im- 
 part, not only to his own inner being, but to thousands and ten 
 thousands of God's unredeemed creatures. But the same voice 
 that arrested the persecutor on his way to Damascus here spoke 
 through the pages of Holy Writ, and converted a brave soldier 
 and his few followers into the most dauntless champions of Chris- 
 tianity the world has seen since the days of Paul. And thus Ig- 
 natius Loyola founded an order, probably the most complete and 
 united in itself on record, but into the history of which enter dif- 
 ferences, divisions, and disputes, inviting either to the partisan who 
 would unite in the enthusiasm or bitterness of one cause or the 
 other, or to the impartial writer who would censure or applaud in 
 an equal meastire of justice. For where one has found pious zeal, 
 unwearying devotion, and every worldly sacrifice wherewith to 
 stamp an imperishable glory upon the deeds of Loyola's sons, an- 
 other has presented a picture of selfish designs, base intrigues, se- 
 cret plottings, and inordinate ambition. 
 
 That portion of the history of the Jesuits to be considered here 
 conveys a very favorable sense of the mission marked out for many 
 of the fathers. Whatever their European wranglings may have 
 been, they scarcely extend to the reductions of South America. 
 How low soever may have been their court intrigue, according to 
 writers well informed or not, in the supplanting of ministers and 
 strife for offices of power, a lofty calling awaited the Jesuits in 
 the vast region of Paraguay. Pascal, Pombal, Choiseul, Aranda, 
 Louis XY., Madame de Pompadour, Charles III., and the like, may 
 have applied all the asperities of their respective languages to de- 
 preciate the Jesuit influence, but on this side of the Atlantic their 
 work was holy. 
 
 Montesquieu, in speaking of the company of Jesus, says : "It 
 is to its glory to have been the first to associate in those regions 
 the idea of religion with that of humanity ; in repairing the devas- 
 tations of the Spaniards it undertook to cure one of the greatest 
 sores that have ever infected the human race."* 
 
 Yoltaire admits, that, " The establishment in Paraguay of the 
 
 * Esprit des Lois, liv. iv., chap. vi. 
 
PIOUS FRAUDS. 467 
 
 Spanisli Jesuits alone seems, in some respects, to be the triumph 
 of humanity."* 
 
 Then let the means serve the end, and though the fathers may 
 at times be found erring from a path strictly scrupulous, let it be 
 borne in mind that it is for purposes not unworthy of good men. 
 
 About half a century from the discovery of the western con- 
 tinent, and nine years after the followers of Loyola had been or- 
 ganized into a religious body, a few Portuguese Jesuits accom- 
 panying the expedition of Don Thomas de Soza, Governor of 
 Brazil, landed at Bahia de todos los Santos. They were the first 
 of that order destined to fulfill the duties of the missionary among 
 the aborigines of South America ; and, faithful to their vocation, 
 they were soon engaged in the arduous task of converting them to 
 Christianity. These fathers are supposed to have facilitated their 
 labors by a pious fraud. They came as the descendants of St. 
 Thomas, the apostle of Christ, as chosen delegates to proclaim 
 eternal peace and happiness to all those who would bow to the 
 cross and come within the pale of the great Mother Church. 
 
 The supernatural and the marvelous are alluring to minds 
 darkened by ignorance and superstition. Savonarola compre- 
 hended the springs of human impulse when he declared to a big- 
 oted multitude that he was gifted with something more than the 
 ordinary powers of man, for strange was the devotion of his fol- 
 lowers even to the fiery ordeal. So also did the Indians believe 
 that St. Thomas, the subject of every missionary's discourse, had 
 assumed the guardianship of the land. So did they credit and 
 adopt, as one always familiar to them, the tradition to which the 
 Jesuitic teachings gave rise — that St. Thomas had landed on the 
 coast of Brazil, journeyed throughout the vast country of the Grua- 
 rani race, preaching, cross in hand, Christianizing savages, and tam- 
 ing wild beasts ; then, that he traversed the grassy deserts of the 
 Grand Chaco ; and finally crossed the Andes into Peru, when he 
 must have descended, like the setting sun, into the Pacific, as we 
 hear of him no farther. There was still another mystery con- 
 nected with this mission of the apostle. It was taught and be- 
 lieved, that the cross he bore had been hidden by some uncon- 
 verted Indians in a lake near Chiquisaca, and there found by a 
 Padre Sarmiento.f 
 
 * Essai sur les Mceurs. 
 
 t Don Pedro Alvear, commissioner appointed for adjusting the boundary line 
 between Spanish America and Brazil. 
 
468 ST. FRANCIS SOLANO. 
 
 Thus the Jesuits began their early teachings.- Physically, mor- 
 ally, and spiritually dauntless, their boldness of speech was soon 
 made practical in an equal boldness of action ; and so early did 
 they succeed in engaging the reverence of the natives that, from 
 the outset, not all the panoply of Mars could have given them 
 such sense of security as did their humble garb and sandal-shod 
 feet. A way was forced into the depths of the forest that stretch- 
 ed westward, and in this direction they pursued a perilous course 
 until the Parana rolled majestically before them, and the hardy 
 fathers found themselves in Spanish territory, brought into con- 
 tact with the settlers of La Plata, who received them with all the 
 marks of consideration their good intentions could claim. 
 
 We read much of the spiritual thirstings of the first conquista- 
 dores. The discovery of Peruvian gold never elicited more joy- 
 ous demonstrations than the arrival, during the early stages of 
 the conquest, of a few ecclesiastics. The slackened zeal of mod- 
 ern times conveys no sense of the religious spirit of that age, 
 and the Church was careful to make an early recognition of this 
 devotion in the elevation of Asuncion to the dignity of a bishop- 
 ric, an honor conferred upon the rising capital of La Plata by 
 Pope Paul III. Indeed similar appointments were soon after 
 made for Tucuman, Cordova, and several other cities of New Spain 
 noted for their fervency. 
 
 Yet, notwithstanding the establishment of these bishoprics, they 
 were at first but feebly sustained. Very few of the Jesuits who 
 had landed on the South American Continent had at that period 
 reached this interior portion of it, and as missionaries their want 
 was severely felt. The ecclesiastics who administered religious 
 instruction and the holy mysteries in the provinces of Paraguay* 
 up to the latter part of the 16th century were mainly of the Fran- 
 ciscan order ; men of zeal, but endowed with little of the nerve 
 and indomitable perseverance so conspicuous in the Jesuit, whose 
 advent in these times was soon to be the dawn of a new religious 
 era. 
 
 Among the Franciscans the most deservingly prominent is St. 
 Francis Solano. He came from Peru for the purpose of convert- 
 ing the wild nomads of the Chaco, a project attended with no lit- 
 tle success, notwithstanding its uninviting prospects. Solano's 
 career, according to Charlevoix, was that of " a saint whose zeal 
 knew no bounds, and whom God invested with the gift of mira- 
 
 * The name of Paraguay was then given to the whole of La Plata. 
 
THE JESUITS AND THE INDIANS. 459 
 
 cles to sucli a degree that the inliabitants considered him as some- 
 thing more than a mortal being." His name grew into a watch- 
 word to those who languished in the service of the Church, and 
 many flocked eagerly to his banner ; but while unceasingly en- 
 gaged in this holy work he was recalled b}^ his superiors from the 
 field of his labors.* The soul of the enterprise for redeeming the 
 tribes of the Chaco, its existence ceased at his departure, and a 
 temporary check was given to any further advancement. The 
 Bishop of Tucuman, however, thought to give a new impulse to 
 the missionary work, and secure the conversions Solano had al- 
 ready made. There were evidences of a rich spiritual harvest 
 which needed but the reapers, and he judiciously concluded that 
 more faithful and more successful instruments could not be found 
 than the members of the Jesuit order. The experience of thirty 
 years had shown that they alone were in every way fitted for the 
 hardships and reverses of a missionary's life. 
 
 So the bishop sought in Brazil and Peru this much-needed as- 
 sistance, imploring them in somewhat vehement style, "by the 
 entrails of Jesus Christ" to grant the request. There was no dif- 
 ficulty in complying. Ee-enforcements from both countries arrived 
 in 1586 to appease the religious hunger of the land, the fathers 
 from Peru settling in Santiago, then a town of about 2500 inhab- 
 itants, and those from Brazil entering Cordova amid acclamations 
 that testified to their heartfelt welcome. The gushing of water 
 from the rock could not have been received more gratefully than 
 the arrival of these Jesuits. They came as " angels from heaven," 
 says a writer of their order, hailed by the shouts of the people 
 and the Te Deum of the Church. 
 
 But there are schemes and designs lurking beneath the surface 
 which gradually develop themselves. The Jesuit's vocation be- 
 gins to stand out prominently before the world, and it is to ben- 
 efit the native, whose interests are early and faithfully taken to 
 heart. This course, as politic as just and generous, soon proved a 
 source of exacerbated feeling between the Spanish population and 
 the fathers. 
 
 The various tribes bordering on the Chaco had bidden fair to 
 receive the baptism of the Church under the teachings of Solano, 
 but their hostile disposition was found to permit of little success 
 after his departure. Living mostly on horseback, subsisting by 
 the chase, and continually wandering from one portion of the 
 
 * Charlevoix, vol. i., p. 194. 
 
470 Opposition of the colonists. 
 
 country to the other, each lord of all he surveyed for the time be- 
 ing, they could not be led to settle quietly into a religious com- 
 munity. Other more favorable localities were sought and discov- 
 ered. The tribes east of the Parana and Paraguay, supposed to 
 be of Peruvian origin, and especially those in the neighborhood 
 of Asuncion, were found to be more docile and in the enjoyment 
 of comparative civilization. The attention of the fathers was 
 therefore given to this quarter of the continent as the most open 
 to the spiritual conquests they had been so long anticipating. 
 The Province of Guayra was looked upon as possessing inviting 
 prospects ; thither the chosen fathers, Ortega and Fields, the former 
 a Portuguese, the latter a Scotchman, directed their steps. Pro- 
 ceeding to Ciudad Eeal — founded first in 1557 by Eui Diaz Mel- 
 garejo, under command of Yrala — they boldly advanced into the 
 wildest districts of the country, and in a short time gathered 
 around them " two hundred thousand Indians quite ripe for the 
 kingdom of God."* Charlevoix must be in error with regard to 
 the number, but they doubtless laid extensive foundations for the 
 missions that ere long dotted the province. 
 
 The Jesuit name began in the mean time to grow in favor 
 among the natives, for most zealously did the order espouse their 
 interests, in doing which it could but incur the enmity of the 
 Spaniards. The larger portion of the population regarded it as a 
 right, a privilege in virtue of conquest, that they should enslave 
 the Indians or force them to their service, and would compromise 
 for nothing less. The fathers, to diminish this servitude, but un- 
 doubtedly aiming also to establish church communities which 
 should be separate from and independent of the cities, reasoned 
 against this right. Thus there was soon sufficient ground for the 
 growth of a fature contest. The two parties had been for some 
 time nursing this enmity, and on the arrival of the " Provincial" 
 did not hesitate to make open hostile advances the one against 
 the other. 
 
 It was in 1607 that the Father Diego de Torres, of Rome, at- 
 tended by fifteen clerical assistants, arrived in South America in 
 the quality of Provincial of Peru and Chili. He immediately 
 placed himself at the head of those who had opposed the cruelties 
 at all times exercised over the natives. He made it his chief aim 
 and duty to alleviate their sufferings and to put an end to the 
 bloody strifes that had year after year been waging between the 
 
 * Charlevoix, vol. i., p. 155. 
 
DIEGO DE TORRES. 471 
 
 conquerors and tlie conquered. Oftentimes the taunted spirit of 
 the latter had goaded them on to some desperate act of revenge, 
 or carried fire and destruction into infant settlements. This, too, 
 the fathers sought to check. 
 
 " Nor would, with all their power, the King of Spain, 
 Austrian, or Bourbon, have at last availed 
 This torrent of destruction to restrain, 
 And save a people every where assailed 
 By men before whose face their courage quailed, 
 But for the virtuous agency of those 
 Who, with the cross alone, when arms had failed, 
 Achieved a peaceful triumph o'er the foes 
 And gave that weary land the blessings of repose."* 
 
 The Provincial crossed from Peru into the country now known 
 as the Argentine Confederation, passing through Jujuy, Salta, 
 Santiago, and visited all the important cities west of the Para- 
 guay. His arrival was every where hailed with the most enthu- 
 siastic demonstrations, and every grateful acknowledgment was 
 lavished upon him. But even the limited number of individu- 
 als composing his retinue, at first a subject of regret, was soon 
 found sufficient to create distrust, and indeed not a little startle 
 the people of Tucuman by the lenient and indulgent course they 
 proposed pursuing toward the much-aggrieved Indians. It was 
 not expected that De Torres should advocate such a cause, and 
 it proved too much at variance with their preconceived ideas of 
 the treatment due to these people to at all elevate the Provin- 
 cial in their good opinion. When, upon one occasion, he gave 
 pecuniary compensation to a number of native laborers who had 
 assisted in the erection of a church at Cordova, it was considered 
 a grievous offense, and met only with the most vehement clamors 
 against its injustice. 
 
 The Provincial, having made by such examples many enemies 
 on the west of the Paraguay, found his way to Asuncion ; but a 
 rumor of his preachings had preceded him, and roused a by no 
 means amicable spirit in his behalf Such indeed were the hostile 
 feelings entertained toward him, that he entered the city only by 
 the intercession of the governor and bishop. 
 
 These later demonstrations signally failed in their desired ef- 
 fects; for, about this time, that is, toward the latter part of 1609, 
 new instructions were received from his Spanish Majesty which 
 entirely conformed with the views of the Provincial. Commands 
 
 * Southey : Tale of Paraguay. 
 
472 LABORS OF THE JESUITS. 
 
 for the conversion and liberation of the Indians were so urgently 
 conveyed that the authorities of Asuncion deemed it proper to 
 immediately comply, although they had not unfrequently disre- 
 garded such royal ordinances, trusting for security in their dis- 
 tant and isolated position. To carry into effect the new decree, 
 particular attention was, as heretofore, given to the Guarani race, 
 stretching over the immense tract of country lying between the 
 Parana and Paraguay Kivers and the Atlantic Ocean, and resem- 
 bling in nothing the warlike Charuas and Abipones in the vicinity 
 of the western cities. 
 
 Lewis de Bolanos, a disciple of Solano and translator of the 
 Catechism into the Guarani language, was among the first actively 
 engaged in the conversion of these natives. He had confined 
 himself, however, to the neighborhood of Asuncion. The Pro- 
 vincial proposed to extend the benign influence of the Church 
 into more interior regions, to immediately follow in the footsteps 
 of Ortega and Fields, and reap the reward that seemed there to 
 await them. For this duty were chosen Fathers Cataldino and 
 Marcerata. They consented to accept it under certain conditions, 
 and these conditions embodied the policy of the Jesuits : they 
 must be permitted to build churches and incorporate towns inde- 
 pendent of all Spanish influence or control, and the privilege 
 should moreover be extended to them of opposing in the king's 
 name all those who should attempt to reduce the natives to per- 
 sonal servitude. These demands were finally acceded to, though 
 at first somewhat ungraciously received. 
 
 The destination of the fathers was the Province of Guayra, at 
 that time, as now, after a lapse of two centuries and a half, very 
 little known. We can readily imagine that there were many im- 
 pediments of a very serious character in the journey of these two 
 Jesuits. Though passing through a country neither mountainous 
 nor inhospitable, as regards climate, it presented other features of 
 obstruction : its thickly -grown and trackless forests, its broad in- 
 undating rivers,* and hordes of uncivilized Indians, were alone 
 sufficient to daunt the boldest travelers. It may be noticed at 
 this point that intrigue and cunning are words familiarly and un- 
 hesitatingly associated with the Jesuit; but nothing is hazarded 
 in saying that in their labors among the La Plata savages an en- 
 ergy, piety, zeal, and perseverance worthy of the best cause are 
 
 * Several of Ortega's companions, when traveling among the Guarani, perished 
 by one of these sudden overflows of water, and the father barely saved his own life. 
 
THEIR PREACHING. 473 
 
 eminently conspicuous. It may be safely added that no historical 
 church order can boast among its members of such activity, devo- 
 tion, and self-sacrifice as have distinguished the sons of Loyola 
 in their missionary labors over the entire surface of the globe. 
 There was in this order that unity of thought and action which 
 gave its every step an irresistible momentum — a secret, invisible, 
 but iron link, that bound all its parts into unison and harmony. 
 The same spirit moved and had its being in the Jesuit, whether as 
 keeper of kings' consciences and ruler in the councils of nations ; 
 whether superintending the observatory at Eome or that of Pekin, 
 in the mandarin's garb ; whether in Japan or Paraguay ; whether 
 engaged in heated controversy with Pascal and Pombal, or devot- 
 ing a life to the savages of Africa and America, in explanation 
 of the signs, symbols, and mysteries of the Holy Church, of the 
 rotation of the heavenly .bodies and the wonders of the universe. 
 Fathers Cataldino and Marcerata were equally in their proper 
 sphere, whether in the thickets and woods of Paraguay and the 
 pampas of the Chaco or at the court of Madrid. A buoyant un- 
 tiring zeal bore them on, as it did their predecessors and their 
 successors, in whatever duties and charges fell to their share, 
 
 Ciudad Eeal and Villa Rica lay in their way, but the inhabit- 
 tants of these two towns had grown as sensitive as the rest of the 
 Spanish population in the country with regard to the encroach- 
 ments of the fathers upon their imaginary rights, and so with- 
 drew their previously proffered assistance. They found little or 
 no sympathy among their own countrymen, but, thankful that 
 they were held in better esteem by the natives, they pushed on for 
 Guayra ; journeying by land until reaching the Paranapane, they 
 embarked upon this river (a beautiful and well-wooded stream), 
 and ascended to the mouth of the Pirape, one of its tributaries. 
 Like a vision, they now beheld the banks crowded with Indians 
 in expectation of their arrival, and prepared to welcome them in 
 their midst. Drawing their boats to shore, they landed.* 
 
 Entering into an explanation of their mission, no difficulties were 
 experienced in reconciling the natives to the destiny thus shaped 
 out for them. And 
 
 "Then the black-robe chief, the prophet, 
 Told his message to the people — 
 Told the purport of his mission ; 
 Told them of the Virgin Mary, 
 
 * Charlevoix, vol. i., p. 247. 
 
474 THE FIRST MISSION. 
 
 And her blessed Son, the Saviour, 
 
 How in distant lands and ages 
 
 He had lived on earth as vee do ; 
 
 How He fasted, prayed, and labored ; 
 
 How the Jews, the tribe accursed. 
 
 Mocked Him, scourged Him, crucified Him; 
 
 How He rose from where they laid Him, 
 
 Walked again with his disciples, 
 
 And ascended into heaven." 
 
 No doubt 
 
 " The chiefs made answer, saying : 
 We have listened to your message, 
 We have heard your words of wisdom, 
 We will think on what you tell us : 
 It is well for us, brothers ! 
 That you came so far to see us." 
 
 They liad conceived a reverence for the missionaries, as unex- 
 pected as it was sincere ; and from the assurances that had been 
 held out, did not doubt but that life, under their guidance, would 
 be most happy. Voluntarily and eagerly yielding to their direc- 
 tion and commands, baptism was administered to young and old, 
 and the whole assembly, consisting of several hundred families, 
 submit in peaceful obedience to Christian rule. Means are de- 
 vised by which the wants of this new people may be supplied. 
 The immediate project is to lay out the foundations of a perma- 
 nent mission, and the present locality, hallowed by the scenes that 
 had just transpired, seemed suited to this purpose. It is chosen. 
 Here, then, at the mouth of the Pirape, the few workmen who had 
 accompanied the fathers, assisted by the natives, begin their labors 
 toward the construction of this Christian village ; it is called Lo- 
 reto, the first of the famed Paraguay missions, and stands out a 
 bright and redeeming spot in the savage country that surrounds it. 
 
 Huts were hastily erected to shelter the people from the inclem- 
 ency of the weather, and soon the church, and other public 
 buildings rose up in stately proportions from their foundations. 
 Loreto increased in wealth and prosperity ; it had well-cultivated 
 fields, a peaceful and diligent population, among whom were num- 
 bered agriculturists, mechanics, and artisans. The training of the 
 rising generation was not neglected ; it grew up impressed with a 
 perfect sense of the obligations due the missionary. Many were 
 the benefits bestowed, and there was no want of followers in re- 
 turn. The embassy of the fathers was one of peace ; they used 
 no arms but those of words ; they had apparently but one object, 
 and that was the welfare of the Indian. 
 
PROGRESS OF MISSIONS. 475 
 
 Reports of this success reached Asuncion, and it was responded 
 to by the departure of several fathers and assistants for the new 
 field. Such were, in the mean time, the number of natives that 
 flocked to the mission or reduction, as it was styled, that the 
 fathers probably found it difficult to enforce the regulations that 
 entered into their peculiar government. It seems to have always 
 been their policy, and it may in most instances have arisen from 
 necessity, never to allow a larger population to accumulate in one 
 town than could be intrusted to the care of two or three of their 
 order; hence other localities were sought for new missions, and 
 the arrival of assistance hastened these measures. The second 
 reduction was called, in honor of the father of the order, St. Ig- 
 natius. Others followed in rapid succession until the province 
 counted no less than twelve. One received the name of St. Thom- 
 as, for by a tradition of the Indians or Jesuits — it would be dif- 
 ficult to say which — in the mound upon which it was built that 
 apostle had interred a number of Christians. 
 
 This success in Guayra awakened a missionary spirit in every 
 Spanish city and town. Besides some scattering reductions along 
 the Parana, we find them in 1627 rising on the banks of the Uru- 
 guay, amid warhke tribes of Indians who had again and again 
 baffled the arms of Spain, but appeared for the moment to lean to 
 the more moderate rule of the Church. Father Gonzalez is the 
 indefatigable character here presented to us. Attended by two 
 assistants he found his way to the Uruguay, and succeeded in 
 establishing two or three small missions with every prospect of 
 future prosperity. With rare enterprise he undertook at the same 
 time to survey the unknown regions of country that stretched far 
 around him ; he entered the Province of Tapey and would, had 
 not an untimely death sealed his fate, have extended his labors 
 throughout the Uruguay basin. It was while thus engaged, and 
 at the same time watchfully guarding his small but growing 
 towns, that he was called upon to battle with rebellious proselytes 
 and neighboring unfriendly tribes. Adherence to a determination 
 not to abandon his flock cost him his life. The reductions were 
 attacked and the inhabitants ruthlessly murdered. The fathers 
 aU perished — one was stoned to death. Gonzalez is regarded as 
 one of the missionary martyrs. He did indeed apply all his ener- 
 gies and devote his whole soul to the great work of conversion 
 which was illuminating the many dark places of Spanish and 
 Portuguese rule with the lights of Gospel truth. Every danger, 
 
476 OPPOSITION OF THE MAMELUCOS. 
 
 every sacrifice seems to have been met by him witli a stoic calm 
 that marked him the divine instrument he was. Father Tanner, 
 in his Sucietas Jesu usque ad sanguinis et vitoe, profusionem^ enumer- 
 ates tersely the many trials of the father — " incredibile dictu est," 
 says he, " quanta in hisce molitionibus dura atque ad versa tolera- 
 nt, edendi bibendique penuriam, lecti, testi ac vestium inopiam, 
 gestum, lassitudinem, sudorem et defectionem virium." He was 
 born in Asuncion, according to the same writer, "parentibus His- 
 panis et nobilitate et virtute claris." 
 
 This was the sad beginning of a succession of severe trials and 
 hardships, which required all Christian fortitude and Jesuit reso- 
 luteness to face. The warlike Indians proved unfortunately not 
 to be the only obstacles to the missionary's work : an ill-forbod- 
 ing storm arose in another quarter, the town of San Paulo, taking 
 us back to Guayra. 
 
 The city of San Paulo was at this time a den of pirates and 
 marauding gangs, the safe retreat of all outlawed Spanish or Por- 
 tuguese adventurers, who chanced to find their way to the Bra- 
 zilian coast. Slave-dealers by profession, they speedily overrode 
 the influence and power of the Church, and drove out its minis- 
 ters. Their town became the great slave-mart whence issued 
 thousands and ten thousands of Indians to be bartered away on 
 the public squares of the Atlantic cities. Here they assembled 
 day after day, as party after party returned from its inhuman ex- 
 pedition, the crowds of trembling, bleeding wretches that had 
 been hunted and captured in some distant wilds never before 
 trodden by the white man. Their passage was every where mark- 
 ed with destruction and depopulation without check or remon- 
 strance. The intricacies of the forest were pierced in their savage 
 pursuit, and the natives followed to their most secret hiding- 
 places. 
 
 These well-trained, well-armed, roaming, pillaging Paulistas or 
 Mamelucos, as they were popularly called, became the dread and 
 scourge of this beautiful land. Many of the persecuted Guarani 
 by good fortune found their way to the newly-established mis- 
 sions of Guayra, and took refuge under the government of the 
 Jesuit fathers ; indeed the tide of population, like a retreating 
 army, had gradually receded to this point, the hungry enemy 
 still hanging on its flank. The Jesuits embraced earnestly the 
 opportunity of affording these natives, under such trying circum- 
 stances, every assistance and protection, and so brought upon 
 
MISCONDUCT OF CESPEDEZ. 477 
 
 themselves and their missions the Mamelucos' merciless revenge. 
 Notice soon arrived of their but too rapid advance, foreshadowing 
 a general onslaught upon the hapless reductions. The accounts 
 of coming danger were quickly confirmed by an attack upon the 
 two frontier missions, St. Anthony and St. Michael ; many inhab- 
 itants perished, but the greater number remained the prisoners 
 and property of the enemy. The retreating few fell back upon 
 the " Incarnation," which in turn underwent its ordeal of fire and 
 sword. 
 
 Unfortunately for the Jesuits and for Spain herself, Don Lewis 
 Cespedez was at this time Governor of Asuncion. His wife, a 
 Portuguese woman, bore an ill-will to the Spanish, which was only 
 surpassed by her hatred of Loyola's order. The governor, acting 
 under this influence, as well as from entertaining of his own oc- 
 cord no very amicable feelings for the fathers, turned a deaf ear 
 to their entreaties for succor against the invading bandits of St. 
 Paul. He showed in this matter a dereliction of duty as weak as 
 it was infamous — injurious to himself and treacherous to his gov- 
 ernment. Personal aversions were indulged, and personal dislikes 
 satisfied, that he might play away Spanish territory into the hands 
 of Spain's most inveterate rival and enemy on the southern con- 
 tinent. It was not a difficult game, and the loss and gain are 
 easily traced. To-day the Portuguese or Brazilians embrace with- 
 m the limits of their empire far more territory than they were 
 virtually entitled to, and all that they have acquired in addition 
 to their original possessions, was permitted to slip through Span- 
 ish fingers by the imbecility of Spanish governors. The whole 
 vast Province of Guayranow belongs to Brazil, and her possession 
 of it may be traced to this refusal of Cespedez to tender any assist- 
 ance to the missions in their present critical condition. It was 
 false to imagine that these reductions would not prove loyal to 
 Spain ; it was short-sighted, indeed, not to perceive that Jesuit 
 influence, in this its legitimate missionary sphere, more powerful 
 and more stable in itself than all the arms of the mother country 
 could have made it, was the proper instrument to permanently 
 secure the extension of the boundaries of New Spain. 
 
 Thus indirectly seconded, and even at times openly counte- 
 nanced by this faithful governor, fresh incentives were afforded 
 the Mamelucos for continuing their cruel and unwarranted depre- 
 dations upon peaceful missionaries and their still more unoffending 
 flocks. An extensive but secret expedition was in fact fitted out 
 
478 CRUELTIES OF THE MAMELUCOS. 
 
 witli a view to complete the extinction of tlie Guajra. reductions. 
 Before proceeding to extreme measures the Paulistas resorted, ac- 
 cording Charlevoix, to a sacrilegious piece of trickery which met 
 with some success. Clothing themselves in the humble habili- 
 ments of the Jesuit, they dispersed, in various directions, to visit 
 those places which had been already frequented by the fathers, 
 distributed presents in more than necessary profusion, erected 
 crosses, and with mock piety, aided by a perfect fluency in the 
 Guarani language, explained the principal articles of the faith. 
 Then came in due form a proposition to add another to' the pres- 
 ent happy and prosperous reductions, by establishing themselves 
 into a settled and permanent body, to whom the blessings of per- 
 fect peace should not be wanting. The delusion was success- 
 ful, and vast numbers were entrapped. These wolves in sheep's 
 clothing bound or murdered the victims as best suited their con- 
 venience, summarily disposing of those that proved an encum- 
 brance, and driving the rest to the market.* 
 
 But this drama proved too slow a mode of procedure for the 
 Mamelucos, who soon doffed their gowns, and once more the steel- 
 clad pestilence swept the country. They made a sudden and un- 
 expected appearance at the mission of St. Paul, their leader's en- 
 tering the house of Father Suarez being the first announcement 
 of their arrival. This ungracious surprise, the fierce aspect of the 
 bandit chief, and his offensive weapons roused all the fears of the 
 good Jesuit, who fell upon his knees and implored, with tears, that 
 the few unoffending Christians under his guardianship might be 
 spared. But finding his supplication unheeded, he calmy bared 
 his breast and said he was satisfied to lay down his life for his 
 flock, but implored, in the name of Jesus, that it might be a pro- 
 pitiation for all ; that his people might be allowed to disperse in 
 peace. Saurez's resignation disarmed the Paulista, and saved his 
 own life, but the natives shared their usual miserable fate. It was 
 to them a choice between slavery or death. Some yielded to the 
 former, others preferred the latter, and a few only escaped to the 
 neighboring missions to tell their tale of despair. The marauders 
 passed to other settlements, and marked their steps with blood 
 and desolation. Emboldened by a reiterated refusal, on the part 
 of the Governors of Asuncion, to afford any assistance to the mis- 
 sions, they had little regard for any one or any thing ; their object 
 was to drive the Jesuits out of Guayra, and they had few scruples 
 
 * Charlevoix; Dobrizhofter, vol. i., ]>. I GO. 
 
DESTRUCTION OF THE MISSIONS. 479 
 
 as to the means employed. St. Xavier and most of the reductions 
 were razed to the ground ; houses were ransacked, churches pil- 
 laged, altars polluted with innocent blood, and the whole given to 
 general conflagration when its treasures had enriched and over- 
 laden the successful enemy. Loreto and St. Ignatius, the first and 
 last of the Guayra missions, now stood alone in the enjoyment or 
 the misery of a momentary existence. Here a consultation was 
 held among the surviving fathers and natives, who had retreated 
 to this their last place of defense. Some proposed a united and 
 desperate attack upon the Mamelucos, trusting for victory to the 
 superiority of their numbers. Others, whether more judiciously 
 or not it would be difficult at this distance of time to say, advised 
 an immediate retreat from the dangers that surrounded them, sug- 
 gesting that there were brilliant hopes in other lands, and nothing 
 cheering in their present condition. This latter course was ap- 
 proved. Over twelve thousand people, men, women, and chil- 
 dren, were hastily assembled together, bearing with them whatever 
 portable property they had secured from the general wreck, and 
 provisioned as time and circumstances would permit. Organizing 
 themselves with that order to which they had been trained, and 
 entreated by the Provincial, who was in the country throughout 
 this contest, to obey their pastors, this motley army was marched 
 to the Parana. Meantime the Paulistas were in pursuit, for scarce- 
 ly had Loreto been abandoned when they entered the now de- 
 serted town. That mission and St. Ignatius were soon a heap of 
 ruins. 
 
 What fortunate traveler will be the first to find his way into 
 this old Province of Guayra, and, descending in his canoe the al- 
 most fabled river of Paranapane, gaze upon those interesting ruins 
 which tell of a civilization due to the sacrifices and Christian de- 
 votion of Jesuit missionaries? Or perhaps time may have effaced 
 every lingering vestige. It is sad that the servants of God should 
 have met with such rewards, and a foul blot to Spain and Por- 
 tugal to have permitted the inhuman depredations here practiced. 
 An industrious and peaceful population was in a moment of time 
 swept from the land. It has been estimated by several good au- 
 thorities that no less than sixty thousand Indians were sold in the 
 public square of Kio Janeiro between the years 1628 and 1630, 
 the period of this succession of invasions ; and it was not the sav- 
 age Indian that suffered thus, but men who had received the light 
 of the Gospel and come within the pale of Christianity. 
 
480 SUFFERINGS OF THE FUGITIVES. 
 
 The retreating army reached the Parana in safety, startled now 
 and then by a false report of pursuit, A number of balsas or 
 rafts were there constructed to descend the river ; they reached 
 the Salto Grande, but here they were called upon to endure re- 
 newed hardships. These rapids extend for many miles down the 
 river, and the passage by land to their base is both difficult and 
 dangerous. As an experiment to test the force of the fall, some 
 of their boats were given to the current, and dashed to atoms in 
 descending. Then old and young, mothers and children, fatigued 
 by eight days' marching, slowly commenced the painful journey 
 by land. A scarcity of provisions next added to their trials ; 
 they subsisted as they could upon roots and upon whatever wild 
 fruits could be found in the surrounding country. Many deaths 
 occurred ; and, to avoid the horrors of a general starvation, they 
 were, for a short time, divided into four sections, and directed 
 to take different courses. A number, unable to proceed, were 
 left in the country on either side of the falls, where they remained 
 for upward of four months. Finally, Father Montoy a assembled 
 these scattering remnants of a once numerous population, and 
 formed them into two missions near a little river called Jubabur- 
 rus, flowing into the Parana on its left bank. These new mis- 
 sions were called Loreto and St. Ignatius.* 
 
 The unholy work was thus consummated. Though deplored 
 by many, it found favor among the usual enemies of the Jesuit 
 missionaries ; their exultation, however, was but short-lived. The 
 important fact at last revealed itself to their blinded and preju- 
 diced minds that they had been false to themselves; for the 
 Mamelucos, after every possible pillage and depredation had been 
 committed in Guayra, assembled their forces, marched successive- 
 ly upon the Spanish towns of Yilla Pica and Ciudad Keal, and 
 destroyed them both. To this startling news was soon added 
 that of the expected advance of the Portuguese upon Asuncion. 
 Much to the relief of that city, these dismal expectations were not 
 fulfilled, for other and more attractive inducements had given a 
 different course to their aims for the enslavement of the Indian. 
 
 The death of Gonzalez had by no means thwarted the indomit- 
 able purposes of the fathers. The country of the Uruguay, though 
 settled by warlike tribes, was found to be advantageous in many 
 respects for the establishment of missions. The places of those 
 who fell martyrs to their devotion were filled by others equally 
 
 * Charlevoix, vol. i., p. 350. 
 
FURTHER OUTRAGES. 481 
 
 enthusiastic. Father Ranconnier was the soul of this new attempt, 
 and, under his direction, in one year four reductions* sprang up 
 as from some enchanter's wand. About the same time, in 1633, 
 as if to ruin every good project, the bickerings between laymen 
 and Jesuits were again renewed. The Bishop of Asuncion, con- 
 sidering the reductions as coming within his diocese, complacently 
 convinced himself that Franciscans, or rather ecclesiastics, would 
 better supply the places of the present Jesuit beneficiaries, and he 
 undertook to make known his impressions on this point some- 
 what energetically. The Governor of Buenos Ayres hazarded 
 next in turn to entertain the design of establishing a Spanish city 
 in the midst of the Uruguay reductions, but was speedily request- 
 ed by Philip lY. of Spain to banish all such thoughts from his 
 mind. 
 
 In revenge for such unexpected opposition to their schemes 
 against the Jesuits, governors and bishops declined assisting the 
 missions in. their continuous defense against the Pauhstas and un- 
 friendly Indians. From the Province of Guayra the attention of 
 both these latter had been turned to the Uruguay, The port of 
 San Pedro was one of the slave-markets of the Paulistas, and the 
 missions were so conveniently approachable from this point that 
 it required but short consultation to decide upon their annihila- 
 tion. 
 
 Father Romero had received early intelligence of the expected 
 attack upon the missions, and being stationed at Jesus Maria, the 
 most easterly, made every possible preparation for defense. The 
 hounds were soon upon him, and though his people gallantly 
 stood at bay for a while, they were eventually forced to cajjitu- 
 late. The church and houses were burnt, many Indians butch- 
 ered, and the rest taken prisoners. A general abandonment of all 
 the neighboring towns took place in consequence, for to resist the 
 Mamelucos was always looked upon as little short of madness ; 
 yet they smarted not a little under this new triumph. The mis- 
 sionaries with their Indians retreated in safety, and even burnt 
 some of their reductions in so doing, to prevent them from falling 
 into the hands of the enemy. The Provincial had in the mean 
 time been entreating for aid at Asuncion, but without success, 
 Buenos Ayres and Corrientes equally declined. Abandoned to 
 their own unaided ejQforts, the fathers, marshaling with all speed 
 whatever force they could bring together, obliged the Mamelucos 
 
 * St. Joseph, The Angels, St. Peter, and St. Paul. 
 
 31 
 
482 EXPULSION OF THE JESUITS. 
 
 to retreat with their present rich booty. Spain never regained 
 this lost territory, as she never regained that of the Province of 
 Griiayra. They are both embraced within the Empire of Brazil, 
 both undoubtedly rich and fertile tracts of country, coursed by 
 broad and navigable streams, but uncultivated, without popula- 
 tion, and very little known. 
 
 The Paulistas, however, did not altogether retire from the 
 country ; a few sudden attacks and some considerable skirmish- 
 ing still warned the people that there was cause for alarm. In 
 the early part of 1638 the reductions of St. Charles and the 
 Apostles were abandoned, A slight success at first favored the 
 Indians in the field; the Mamelucos were for a moment check- 
 ed in their march, but, profiting by the indecision of the natives 
 — surprised at their own good fortune — they made a vigorous 
 attack that placed the whole country at their discretion. A gen- 
 eral evacuation of all the missions* took place ; twelve thousand 
 Indians, f exclusive of women and children, crossed the Uruguay, 
 settled in the country between that river and the Parana, and 
 were afterward numbered among the thirty Parana missions. 
 
 Thus after a contest of several years and the destruction of 
 twenty-one reductions, the Jesuit missionaries were gradually 
 forced and driven into the territory now called Missiones, hem- 
 med in on every side by Spanish, Portuguese, and Indians, and 
 pursued by the enmity of their own countrymen as by the arms 
 of the Paulistas. They had been engaged in a fearful and bloody 
 strife for the Church as well as for Spain, and yet found no relief 
 beyond the limits of their own reductions. A hundred thousand 
 Christian natives had been either butchered or enslaved, while 
 the governors of provinces and bishops of dioceses looked calmly 
 on, the latter threatening all the while, in the face of the king's 
 edict, to purge the land of Jesuits, the former ^proposing to lend 
 thereto the more substantial means at their command. Brothers 
 of the order had nobly perished at the hands of savages they 
 sought to convert, but outside sympathy was yet withheld. We 
 know that all their interests were at variance with those of the 
 Spaniard, and therefore the fathers keenly felt the want of more 
 faithful allies and more trustworthy friends. Thwarted in their 
 labors, and unnoticed in their earnest appeals for aid to the high- 
 
 * St. Joseph, the Angels, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Christopher, Jesus Maria, St. 
 Anne, St. Joachim, St. Theresa, St. Charles, the Apostles, and St. Nicholas, 
 f Charlevoix, book i., p. 382. 
 
APPEAL TO THE KING. 433 
 
 est authorities on this side of the waters, abandoned to their own 
 resources, and left to carve out their own destiny, they had re- 
 course to the final tribunal — the Spanish monarch and the Pope. 
 For although fortune once more began to smile upon the reduc- 
 tions they had so industriously established out of the remnants 
 of the former missions, yet their late reverses were remembered 
 with grief and wounded spirits. Their present proximity to the 
 Spanish towns was a check upon all their movements and meas- 
 ures ; and to secure the prosperity, wealth, power, and independ- 
 ence they sought to attain, other privileges and immunities must 
 be first secured. The Spaniards had declined to assist them; 
 they would no longer succumb to this unnatural opposition. They 
 would now have arms of their own, and would fight their own 
 battles. 
 
 Fathers De Montoya — one of the most learned men of his day 
 — and Tano sailed for Europe, the former accredited to the court 
 of Spain, the latter to the Pope. Both were eminently successful 
 in their missions. De Montoya forcibly represented the necessi- 
 ties of the missionaries : they were laboring, he said, only for the 
 conversion of the Indians, for the success, prosperity, and safety 
 of their reductions ; and the king, favorably disposed to his In- 
 dian vassals, under the good and loyal guidance of the fathers, 
 granted his every request. The law of 1611, forbidding the Span- 
 ish settlers to enslave the natives unless captured in a just war, 
 had, like many others, been little heeded. 
 
 Often had kings essayed to check the ill 
 
 By edicts not so well enforced as meant ; , 
 A present power was wanting to fulfill 
 
 Kemote authority's sincere intent. 
 
 De Montoya asked that it should be strictly carried into execu- 
 tion ; he also succeeded in obtaining from the king an edict which 
 not only commanded the Mamelucos to set at liberty those who 
 had been captured by them, but which was to find guilty of high 
 treason any who might attempt to renew this unlawful traffic. 
 This ordinance, though of a more humane character than that of 
 his grandfather, Philip II., when he condemned to death the whole 
 population of the Netherlands, rivaled it in its utter impractica- 
 bility. De Montoya did not blind himself to the fact that little 
 confidence could be placed in these parchment scrolls unless ac- 
 companied by a siuord of justice^ the unfailing instrument which 
 could alone sever the Gordian knots of future dissensions. 
 
484 APPEAL TO THE POPE. 
 
 An all-important object was to obtain a grant wbicb should al- 
 low the reduction Indians to have fire-arms. This was the main 
 proposition made by the Jesuit envoy. It was objected that the 
 natives once finding themselves in the possession of such power, 
 would use it to endanger the stability of Spanish authority. 
 These fears were dissipated by the agreement that they should 
 not be permanently supplied with arms except in cases of urgent 
 necessity, and by the assurance furthermore that the fathers would 
 be responsible for their conduct. De Montoya overcame all ob- 
 stacles ; he received a grant, with the seal of Spain upon it, which 
 established the perfect independence and future power of the mis- 
 sions. 
 
 Tano had equal reason to be elated with his success. He was 
 received at Eome with every kindness and regard. His story of 
 the hardships, reverses, and sacrifices of the Jesuit brothers in the 
 wilds of South America, of the cruelties and butcheries of the 
 Mamelucos, and of the inimical disposition toward them even 
 of the Spanish settlers themselves, was full of thrilling interest 
 and the tenderest appeal. The sympathies of the Church were 
 with him. Pope Urban VIII. was much affected at his recital of 
 all that had transpired in the brief history of the missions, and 
 the anathemas of the Holy See went out against the actors and 
 abettors in the heinous offenses committed against Loyola's de- 
 voted sons. The Pope accorded all that could in any way tend 
 to the tranquillity and security of the new missions, and, says 
 Charlevoix, "would have made him (Tano) completely happy, 
 could that missionary answer for the thunders of the Vatican 
 being sufiicient to put an end to all the evils of which he had 
 given his Holiness an account."* But among the Mamelucos the 
 thunders of the Vatican, like the thunders of the heavens, rolled 
 on with an imposing noise and then died out, harming none. 
 
 Father Tano, on returning to Madrid from Eome, found a num- 
 ber of missionaries assembled at the instance of De Montoya, and 
 prepared to accompany him to the western continent. He sailed 
 shortly, but adverse winds forced him into Eio Janeiro. Here, mak- 
 ing known the edicts of the Spanish monarch and the papal briefs, 
 a shout of indignation, and even violent demonstrations, rose up 
 against him and his attendants. Spiritual condemnations bore 
 lightly upon the shoulders of the Mamelucos, but they were not 
 easily composed with regard to a law which so materially affected 
 
 * Vol. i., p. 391. 
 
THE GUARANI ARMED. 435 
 
 tlieir temporal goods ; they lived by the slave-traffic, and it would 
 take a powerfnl^force to bring them to renounce it, to compel them, 
 at that late day, to give up the fruit of their bloody toils in Guayra 
 and Tape. Their exasperation was not slight nor to be disregard- 
 ed ; several tumultuous outbreaks convinced Father Tano that his 
 sacerdotal robes might not possibly prove a sufficient protection 
 to his person. At the same time, the revolution which had taken 
 place in Portugal, and which placed the Duke of Braganza on the 
 throne, warned him against a longer stay in his present perilous 
 position. He reached Buenos Ayres in safety in November of 
 1640. Father Montoya passed the rest of his days in Peru and 
 Tucuman, performing many important and useful duties in the 
 service of his order, and especially engaged in furnishing arms, for 
 the grant of which the missions owed him every indebtedness. 
 
 The Mamelucos were still gathering strength. They probably 
 never had a greater encouragement for renewing their inhuman 
 conquests than that offered by the late Portuguese revolution. A 
 declared hostility to Spain, arising from that event, only confirmed 
 them in a bold determination to reach the Paraguay. Considering 
 the countless hordes that composed the Guarani family, it is a mat- 
 ter of astonishment that this their mortal enemy ever should have 
 advanced with impunity so far as he had ; but gentleness, meek- 
 ness, and unwarlike habits were the characteristics of their nature.* 
 Yet a docile spirit may be spurred to despair. Pillaged churches 
 and burning houses would stir even stagnant blood. Mothers, 
 fathers, brothers, sisters, wives, and children mercilessly butchered, 
 or bound and carried off to be sold in the market of some distant 
 city, leaves its impress upon the Indian mind. To be pursued 
 from place to place, hunted from wood to wood, with the prospect 
 of eventual extermination, would make the dullest nature revolt. 
 The Indian felt at last that he had the sinews wherewith to fight ; 
 fight he must, or there was an end to him ; but his light lance and 
 erring shng might even at this time liave proved of no avail but 
 for the gunpowder about to greet the Paulistas. 
 
 Due notice had been received of the expedition that was ad- 
 
 * M. Cretineau Joly is in error when he asserts (Histoire de la Compagnie de 
 Jdsus, vol. iii., p. 312): "Les Jesuites avaient trouve les Guaranis cnjels, vin- 
 dictifs, enclins a tous les exees, sauvages par nature et avec volupte." Next to the 
 Peruvians they were probably the most civilized people in South America, and their 
 future amalgamation with the white race, while other tribes held their own in the 
 deserts of the Gran Chaco, shows conclusively that they were above the ordinary 
 level uf the savage. 
 
486 DEFEAT OF THE MAMELUCOS. 
 
 vancing against the reductions. The fathers made every effort to 
 give their visitors a warm reception, and raised'^n army of four 
 thousand men, mostly armed with bows and shngs, for three hund- 
 red muskets were all that could possibly be obtained at the time ; 
 these were distributed among the chiefs, and they did effectual serv- 
 ice in the coming engagement. The Paulistas, numbering four 
 hundred, and joined by as many Tupis Indians, ascended the Aca- 
 ray River in a fleet of boats. Abiaru, chief of the native army, ad- 
 vanced to meet them, and, stationing himself at the head of a small 
 arm of the river, awaited their approach. 
 
 After a short and useless interview with the Paulista chief, he 
 retired to draw up his force ; soon the two boat fleets were seen 
 steadily advancing to the shock. The banks were lined with men, 
 women, and children, watching with intense anxiety this measur- 
 ing of strength, and "invoking with a loud voice the Apostle 
 of the Indies." The discharge of a small cannon, as unexpected 
 as a stroke of lightning to the Paulistas, sunk three of the enemy's 
 pirogues, and threw the rest into no little confusion. The three 
 hundred muskets were also used with such deadly effect that the 
 invaders pulled for the shore, determined to try their strength on 
 terra firma. Here again they were vigorously met ; a united at- 
 tack of the whole Guarani force for once broke their line and com- 
 pletely dispersed them. Hotly pursued, they skirmished for a 
 while, but finally secreted themselves in the thickets or sought 
 shelter in the neighboring forests. Collecting the next day their 
 scattered and much-diminished forces, and still despising the 
 clouds of Indians that now began exultingly to hover around, they 
 thought yet to drive them from the field, or at least gain time to 
 be re-enforced. A rapid and murderous charge made by the Gua- 
 rani exploded all these hopes. But few of the invaders escaped.* 
 
 For the first time the Mamelucos were worsted in their long-con- 
 tinued persecutions of the Indians. They had at last been checked 
 and beaten in open fight, forced back into their own territory, and 
 cut off almost to a man. It was a severe and withering blow, one 
 from which they were long in recovering. The cobweb defense 
 behind which the missions had heretofore fought was replaced by 
 a sterner front, and the scales of fortune were completely turned. 
 Hope and assurance relieved their old and habitual fears of the 
 Paulistas. Twenty-nine reductions, banded together and supplied 
 with arms, began to feel their power. The battle of Acaray made 
 
 * Cliarlevoix, vol. i., p. 407-8. 
 
. BISHOP CARDENAS. 487 
 
 a liundred tliousand natives, all weak and trembling until now, 
 conscious of their strength. They now sprang, like the god, into 
 the panoply of war and might. Yet scarce had the dreaded foe 
 from without been vanquished when a domestic broil ensued — 
 the old clashing between Jesuits and laymen is renewed. The 
 Bishop of Asuncion wages war against them. 
 
 Don Bernardin de Cardenas is a prominent character in the 
 history of Spanish America. He was a native of La Plata (or 
 Chiquisaca), early distinguished himself as a preacher and a mis- 
 sionary, and when still young was elevated to the bishopric of 
 Asuncion. Here his excitable disposition and executive qualities 
 developed themselves. Looking upon himself as a head supreme 
 to the government of church and province, utterly regardless of 
 the separate and distinct powers vested in other officials associated 
 with him, all affairs brought to the consideration of the city au- 
 thorities underwent the ordeal of his consent or dissent. His was 
 a temporal as well as a spiritual administration — a combination 
 not unexampled, but inconsistent in this case, and injurious under 
 any circumstances. Those hazardous enough to thwart this am- 
 bitious prelate's designs learned the violence of his displeasure. 
 The bishop held within his grasp a mighty power — excommuni- 
 cation — one which he wielded mercilessly. From the governor 
 down, all underwent this mark of his resentment, not once, but 
 again and again. Day after day lengthened lists of excommuni- 
 cated individuals were framed, whole columns of condemned were 
 placarded about the town. No penitence was too severe to re- 
 move the mark of sin, though its blasting effect had been some- 
 what tempered here by its too frequent and continuous occurrence. 
 The anathematized grew bold in their numbers ; a rebellious 
 spirit showed itself; a din of tumult and disorder reached the 
 bishop's ears, and in the midst of it he wisely retired to Yaguaron, 
 a considerable Indian village about thirty miles distant. His last 
 instructions were that there should be no intercourse with the ex- 
 communicated, and that divine service should be performed in no 
 church in presence of the governor, Don Gregorio de Hinisti'osa. 
 Hinistrosa's devout head bore heavily and sadly the excommuni- 
 cation that rested upon him ; he calmed his anger and softened 
 his jealousies that he might undergo the necessary penalties for its 
 removal. For this purpose he found his way to Yaguaron, as an 
 humble pilgrim come to atone for his sins. There was not a door 
 but was closed against him, not a hand raised in his behalf He 
 
488 THE BISHOP AND THE GOVERNOR. • 
 
 sought tlie presence of the haughty bishop, who received him 
 with a demeanor and in a manner worthy of Gregory VII. Hin- 
 istrosa fell at his feet and asked forgiveness ; it was purchased by 
 consenting to pay a heavy fine. 
 
 Cardenas, in this retreat at Yaguaron, while forcing the peni- 
 tent governor and people of Asuncion to humble themselves be- 
 fore him, was also engaged in concocting and planning schemes 
 by which he was to bring about the overthrow of the Jesuits. 
 Already had he forbidden many of the fathers to preach, and 
 closed their schools in Asuncion. He had probably, among ma,ny 
 other reasons, felt aggrieved because he lacked the power to exact 
 from them certain tithes ; for, through Jesuit influence at Madrid, 
 their payment of royal tribute was postponed until 1549. The 
 missions were increasing in wealth and power, independent of 
 outside control, and contributing nothing as yet either to the 
 king's coffers or to the Church. These were extreme privileges 
 which excited this bishop's wrath. Upon one occasion he thought 
 to drive them by force from their college in Asuncion, but desist- 
 ed on learning that his purpose was anticipated. Meantime an- 
 swers began to pour into the country to the numerous communi- 
 cations which at the outset of these difficulties had been forward- 
 ed to the viceroy and the Audience of Charcas. Cardenas was 
 severely censured. The governor, too, was greatly blamed for 
 allowing himself, the representative of his Majesty, to be outwit- 
 ted and overruled by a prelate whose business it was to attend to 
 his own spiritual affairs. Don Gregorio's confidence and courage 
 were restored; his devotion was temporarily laid aside that he 
 might strike an effectual blow to regain his legitimate authority. 
 
 Leaving Asuncion, attended by thirty men, he was met not far 
 from the city by a body of Indians, whom he had been expect- 
 ing. A night's march brought them to Yaguaron, and the bustle 
 of their arrival soon awakened the peaceful town. Cardenas, 
 startled at the disturbance, was hurriedly dressing when the gov- 
 ernor entered his apartment. Attempting to retreat by a private 
 door, he was quickly followed, until Don Gregorio found himself 
 standing upon the steps leading to the high altar of the church. 
 The excited people, soldiers and Indians, fast crowded in. Car- 
 denas, from his place in the sanctuary, inquired of the governor 
 the cause of his unexpected appearance, "To serve you, by or- 
 der of the viceroy, with a sentence of banishment from this prov- 
 ince, and a seizure of your goods, for having usurped the jurisdic- 
 
THE BISHOP'S INTRIGUES. 
 
 489 
 
 tion which I hold from our sovereign lord the king," was the reply. 
 Cardenas answered, unmoved, " I promise to obey, and take this 
 congregation to witness my promise." Then, giving way to his 
 pent-up animosities, he violently denounced the governor and his 
 associates, and served them in turn with a renewed excommuni- 
 cation. He was forced to return to Asuncion, but there finding 
 his power lost and his personal liberty restrained, he writes with 
 exquisite disgust to the governor that he could not prevail upon 
 himself to remain in" a country inhabited almost entirely by an 
 excommunicated people. Amid public displays and ringing of 
 bells the humbled bishop took leave of the city and descended 
 the river to Corrientes. 
 
 The old spirit of authority and mania for anathematizing ac- 
 companied him in this banishment. Bishop of Paraguay he still 
 was and would be, but his thunders now fell comparatively harm- 
 less upon his offending children. The Jesuits haunted him ; he 
 bore them earnestly and perseveringly in mind, nursing the while 
 a fixed resolve that at some period, sooner or later, the order 
 should be driven from the country. He bitterly complains of 
 them in all his letters, and his epistolary correspondence increases 
 as his case grows desperate. To the Bishop of Tucuman he ap- 
 peals in the strongest language, pleading his commiseration in a 
 world of humble regard. The bishop's reply could not have 
 healed many wounds or afforded much satisfaction : his sympa- 
 thies were with the fathers, and he rejoiced that they had stemmed 
 the current of Don Bernardin's wrath. He writes that his power 
 does not consist " in splendore vestium sed morum, non ad iram 
 sed ad omnimodam patientiam." The deposed but overbearing 
 bishop had but little patience; his temper was superabundant; 
 his prejudices and perseverance were unfailing, and, though re- 
 pulsed in this quarter, he was more successful at La Plata and in 
 his influence with the Audience of Charcas. From the latter he 
 finally obtained permission to return to Asuncion under the plea 
 of settling his much-deranged affairs. He was enthusiastically re- 
 ceived by his friends in that city, for there was still a party in his 
 favor, and the governor deemed it impolitic to interfere, although 
 he could not have but foreseen that his welcomed guest might 
 prove a dangerous enemy. Judging from his prolonged stay, the 
 prelate's affairs must have been in a most deplorable condition. 
 He, however, declared his disinterestedness in all public measures : 
 spiritual, not temporal, matters engaged his thoughts. During 
 
490 THE BISHOP AND THE JESUITS. 
 
 this visit tlie governor died (1649). Who shall succeed hiui? 
 Surely not the prelate, on a mere visit to the city, apparently lost 
 in the mazes of his pecuniary embarrassments. Yet it was so. 
 The people held a clamorous meeting to decide for themselves ; 
 for with them Cardenas was popular, and, under the shadow of 
 an ancient edict of Charles V. — a piece of parchment the bishop 
 had been hunting for all his life — they declared this their right. 
 Don Bernardin was proclaimed governor, bishop, captain-general 
 — dictator, in a word. 
 
 This power was wielded with crushing effect upon the Jes- 
 uits ; he held them in his grip, and they would have felt the hold 
 " through bars of brass and triple steel." The blow came at last. 
 Says the worthy bishop, while preaching in the cathedral, " Be 
 firmly persuaded that I have an order from the king to drive the 
 Jesuits out of this city."* He may have persuaded himself to this 
 effect, but certainly not the fathers. The only consideration with 
 him now was as to what were the most expedient and summary 
 means for ridding Asuncion of their presence. He issued an order 
 compelling all good citizens of the city capable of carrying arms, 
 under pain of excommunication, to join the standard of Villejo 
 Villasanti, lieutenant to the king, and obey his instructions. On 
 the 10th of March, 1649, this rabble marched to the college ; find- 
 ing it closed they summoned its inmates to open the gates, but 
 received no answer. Gates and doors were easily forced open and 
 the chapel abruptly entered. Here the lieutenant made known 
 the object of his mission. The rector stoutly replied that the col- 
 lege of Asuncion had been erected by permission of Philip II., 
 that they exercised their privileges by grant of the king, and that, 
 of their own accord, they would neither abandon the one nor re- 
 linquish the other. Villasanti, being a man of action, not of words, 
 retorted by a signal to his men, who made a disorderly attack upon 
 every thing that came within their reach ; the fathers were driven 
 out of the college, the sick dragged from their beds ; all were hur- 
 ried to the boats that awaited them on the river, and, cast adrift 
 with few provisions, and many without oars, were exposed to the 
 mercy of the current. 
 
 The college was ransacked and plundered throughout, the plate 
 on the high altar stolen, and every thing of value pillaged from the 
 chapel. Two statues, representing St. Ignatius and St. Xavier, the 
 great missionary of Japan, after going through a sufficiently disfig- 
 
 * Charlevoix, vol. ii., p. 30. 
 
DOWNFALL OF THE BISHOP. 49I 
 
 uring process, were thus converted into St, Paul and St. Peter, re- 
 maining about as resemblant, perhaps, as the antique busts of the 
 Roman emperors resemble their great originals. A picture of the 
 Savior, clothed in the habit of a Jesuit, a. fancy' which the writers 
 of the order excuse or account for by saying that he appeared so 
 " to the famous Donna Maria de Escobar, whose memory is still 
 held in veneration all over Spain" (Charlevoix), was severed at 
 the neck so as to preserve the head, and the rest burned. Finally, 
 after making a wreck of the interior of the building, an attempt 
 was made to pull down the wooden steeple, but they succeeded 
 no farther than in drawing it from its perpendicular position. 
 
 This triumph was very short-lived. Don Bernardin must an- 
 swer for these high-handed measures, a. consequence of which he 
 was perfectly aware, but no one knew better than himself how 
 to act under such circumstances. He was prompt in making his 
 own representations to the Audience of Charcas ; he wrote volu- 
 minously to that body, and so far fortified himself as to send a 
 special envoy to Madrid ; he had a voice in every assembly or de- 
 Hberation which was to pass censure or approval upon his conduct ; 
 but in this instance all his endeavors were futile. He was baffled 
 in every manoeuvre ; he failed in every attempt, and was sum- 
 moned to Peru ; while Don Sebastian de Leon was appointed to 
 see that the summons was obeyed. That functionary approached 
 Asuncion, followed by several thousand reduction Indians. Hear- 
 ing of this expected force sent against him, Don Bernardin was 
 rash enough to oppose it ; the two forces met, but the bishop lost 
 the day. It remained for him to yield, with the best possible grace, 
 at a time when he thousfht, 
 
 "Good, easy man, full surely 
 His greatness was a ripening." 
 
 But, like the cardinal, he had ventured in a sea of glory far be- 
 yond his depth. In March, 1651, he returned to La Plata, enter- 
 ing his native city in triumph. There, in retirement, he passed 
 the rest of his days, after a restless and scheming career, excused 
 by no wholesome purposes and attended with little ultimate suc- 
 cess. 
 
 The first step of the party now in power was to recall the Jes- 
 uits. The edicts fulminated against them by Don Bernardin were 
 publicly burnt; the censures passed upon them were removed; 
 their much-derange'd temporal affairs were restored to a more 
 healthy condition ; the college, almost a rum, underwent the nee- 
 
492 TRIUMPH OF THE JESUITS. 
 
 essary repairs ; tlie statues, pictures, vases, candelabras, and col- 
 umns that had been carried off were restored ; all the pillages and 
 spoliations they had suffered were handsomely remunerated. 
 
 As one enemy disappeared another rose up against the perse- 
 cuted Jesuits. At this time Spain and Portugal were still at war. 
 King John, desperately fighting for a nation's independence and 
 a throne, was not scrupulous as to the means to be employed, 
 and so gave his nod of assent to the Mamelucos in a fresh attempt 
 they were about to make to reduce the missions. At the latter 
 part of 1651, this expedition, composed of four separate divisions, 
 was put in motion. The Spanish authorities, now conscious that it 
 was their best and only policy to oppose these bandits, prepared 
 to resist them, and sent word to the reductions to assist them with 
 whatever force they could collect. Happily the country was in a 
 state of internal quiet, and the authority of the Jesuits such as to 
 enable them to act promptly and decisively. Before any of the 
 government forces from Asuncion appeared in sight of the enemy 
 the fathers had assembled their neophytes, furnished them with 
 fire-arms, advanced against the Paulistas, and repulsed them in 
 every direction ; then, sharply wheeling upon the Guaycurus, who 
 had taken advantage of the occasion and thought to join in the 
 plunder, they annihilated them at a blow. 
 
 This was neither the first nor the last occasion upon which 
 these Guarani Indians rendered eminent services to the govern- 
 ment. They drew even from the gold-thirsty, fortune-seeking 
 Spaniards a tardy acknowledgment of their good and loyal con- 
 duct, and an acquiescence in whatever grants and privileges the 
 king may have been pleased to grant them. Indeed their services 
 were not to be despised, for they formed a strong defense along 
 the boundary of Spanish America most open to attack. Under 
 the strict discipline of the fathers many had conceived a fondness 
 for and become adepts in the art of war; in all their engagements 
 with the Paulistas since the return of the deputies they had been 
 successful. The last repulse settled the question of superiority, 
 and associated with the reductions quite a military prestige. At 
 later periods these natives distinguished themselves not a little as 
 allies of the Spanish. More than once the Portuguese, before 
 Buenos Ayres, had reason to admire their courage and the perfect 
 discipline under which they acted ; more than once they had been 
 worsted by them, and learned to dread them as much as they ever 
 feared the Spanish. At Montevideo, also, in the disputes about 
 
THE REDUCTION INDIANS. 493 
 
 « 
 
 Nova Colonia and in many other instances, the reduction In- 
 dians rendered effectual assistance. In times of peace they never 
 decUned aid in the construction of public works. Upon the ca- 
 thedral of Buenos Ayres, the citadel, and fortifications of the port 
 they were diligently and perseveringly engaged; in other cities 
 and towns they likewise assisted in the erection of churches and 
 public buildings. Many forts and important military posts sprang 
 up from their labors, under the skillful direction of the mission- 
 aries, and many flourishing towns were built by them alone. Oft- 
 en had they defended these from the attacks of unfriendly In- 
 dians, or from the more alarming advances of an outside enemy. 
 Yet how small and uncharitable was the return they met with. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXYm. 
 
 Fathers placed in charge of the Missions : their Duties and Power. — Opinions and 
 Researches of Azara. — Foundation of St. Joachim and of Belen. — Means and 
 Measures adopted. — Jesuit Reduction. — College. — Dispensary, Gardens. — The 
 Arsenal and Soldiery. — Sham-fights. — The Church: its Splendor. — Music. — 
 
 Attendance at Church Service. — Fetes and Processions. — Clothing. — Schools. 
 
 Police System. — Daily Life. — Labor in the Fields. — Christian Republic. — Social 
 Equality. — Mercantile Restrictions. — God's Inheritance. 
 
 So far this brief review of incidents does not embrace what, 
 probably, with the generality of readers, most excites an interest 
 in the history of the Jesuit missions of South America. The dis- 
 putes of governors and bishops, the dissensions of rehgious and 
 laymen, the expulsion, at different times, of the order, the contin- 
 uous contest with the Paulistas, yield to a different phase of the 
 subject. A system is firmly established so marked, so peculiar 
 in itself, and yet rising to all appearances from so natural an or- 
 der of things as to claim at least some passing consideration. 
 
 What was a Jesuit reduction ? In what relation did the mis- 
 sionary stand toward his people, and they to one another ? What 
 was their political and social organization? Following these es- 
 tablishments in their advance to civilization and power, we pause 
 to note the means and causes of the ascendency which they at- 
 tained. Here we meet with contradictions not easily reconciled. 
 The only histories of the South American missions are by the 
 Jesuits employed in them, or by Spaniards — men of their own 
 faith, but who seem ever to have regarded the labors of the fa- 
 
494 THE JESUIT SYSTEM. 
 
 thers witli distrust and enmity. Both parties present us witla a 
 picture of life, of a people, of a polity unexampled in history ; 
 and if simplicity of government conduces to the happiness of the 
 human family, we have here a wonderful example of it. 
 
 It is of primary importance that we should impress upon our- 
 selves the fact that this success was mainly due to the peculiar com- 
 position of the Jesuit missionary, the training which so fitted and 
 girded him for the life here portrayed ; but above all to that unity 
 of spirit and action visible in the whole order, how diverse so- 
 ever its pursuits or varied its acquirements. Priests, statesmen, 
 astronomers, captains, artisans, every profession, every art and 
 trade, are found represented among its members. It possessed 
 every natural element for settling and civilizing the wildest and 
 most distant countries. " The vast shore washed by the farthest 
 sea" was accessible to the Jesuit. Never have men, moreover, 
 discharged a duty or attained an end with more unflinching forti- 
 tude, or evinced a more lofty disregard of danger. It was not of 
 uncommon occurrence that the sermon should serve the purposes 
 of the general's proclamation, or the missionary lead from the 
 sanctuary to the battle, where in the hottest of the fight one father 
 might be seen binding up the hurts of the wounded, and another 
 administering the last sacrament to the dying. In time of peace 
 they planned towns, built churches, drew up municipal regula- 
 tions, instructed in the schools, drilled the soldiers — for every 
 able-bodied native was a soldier — and judged in all matters; 
 though there were nominal courts and tribunals presided over by 
 robed natives. Their authority was absolute, disputed by none, 
 unless occasionally by some governor or bishop of Asuncion or 
 Buenos Ayres. The master's power over the slave could not be 
 more unquestioned than that of the father in charge of a mission. 
 
 To each reduction, in proportion to its population, were attach- 
 ed two or three priests. In one, the chief, was vested all spiritual 
 control ; to the other was intrusted a necessary, watchful, and dil- 
 igent superintendence of its temporal concerns. At the head of 
 all the Paraguay missions — each of which was, according to Ulloa, 
 " like a family governed by a wise and affectionate parent"* — was 
 a superior, who resided at Candelaria,f and had the general super- 
 
 * A Voyage to South America, by Don Antonio de Ulloa : translated by John 
 Adams, Esq. London, 1806, vol. ii., p. 182. 
 
 t Founded 1627. Latitude 27° 26' 46", longitude 58° T 34" west of Paris. 
 Tableau des Peuplades forme'es par les Jesuites. Azara, vol. ii., p. 260. 
 
THE JESUITS AND THE INDIANS. 495 
 
 vision of the Christian republic. He also exercised the power of 
 appointing the assistant Jesuits, under whom there were many 
 subordinate offices filled by the natives. 
 
 There are minor cogs and wheels to this machinery, and the 
 unison of all its parts is due to causes, circumstances, and appli- 
 ances worthy of note. Its perfect adaptation to the native popu- 
 lation must have arisen from wise and artful measures — a very 
 possible and very Jesuitic combination. So firm a footing in so 
 vast a country is not to be traced to weak brains or distrustful in- 
 struments. Many and different means tended to the accomplish- 
 ment of the one great work. Azara discusses the subject with 
 animosity against the fathers, much of which, though evidently 
 unjust and proceeding from a fixed prejudice, yet does not per- 
 mit us to totally disregard his opinions and observations. He is 
 slow to make any acknowledgment in favor of the missionaries ; 
 he mercilessly pursues and investigates all their labors, how de- 
 serving soever they may be apparently, and would attribute the 
 foundation of the reductions more to the fears inspired by the 
 Portuguese of St. Paul than to any persuasive powers of the fa- 
 thers themselves, or any merit in their system. 
 
 True it is, the establishment of the Paraguay missions took place 
 parti}'' at times when the Paulistas were devastating the country, 
 and we can readily infer that, exposed to this pursuit, the Indians 
 were rejoiced to find the shelter which the fathers afforded them. 
 This undoubtedly increased to an extent the population of the 
 reductions, but does not account for that strange influence which 
 Jesuit teachings seemed to bear with them upon the Indian's un- 
 tutored mind. Fear of the Mamulucos did not lay the founda- 
 tions of the early missions of Guayra, nor is any such agency to 
 be found in the rise of those of Chiquitos and Moxos. At the 
 same time there can be little doubt that numbers of the Guarani 
 race, persecuted on the one side by the Spanish and on the other 
 by the less clement Paulistas, clung to the Jesuits as an all-pro- 
 tecting safeguard and refuge. They might have retreated. for a 
 time to the inmost depths of their forests, and there sought the 
 peace which had been so ruthlessly disturbed ; but even those 
 wilds could not have afforded them the security they eventually 
 enjoyed in open day under the fathers. The Jesuits from the 
 first became their champions ; and we must believe that their pos- 
 session of and continuance in this power was due as much to the 
 self-sacrificing spirit of the order as to intrigue or accidental cir- 
 
496 MEASURES OE THE JESUITS. 
 
 cumstances, thougli doubtless there were arts and policies best 
 known to the fathers that served the one end. We may or we 
 may not see dimly into these, for their writers have been accused 
 of being suspiciously silent as to the means employed in the es- 
 tablishment of these reductions ; but there may have been noth- 
 ing to disclose, there may be nothing now to drag out into the 
 light. 
 
 The missions rise throughout the country, increasing in wealth 
 and population and possessed of no ordinary civilization ; yet it 
 is difficult to follow them through all the phases of this progress. 
 We know that the efforts of the founders were crowned with suc- 
 cess, but the inner work of the fabric has been dimmed by time, 
 if not lost ; or is presented to us only through the exaggerations 
 or prejudices of Jesuits or Spaniards. The father finds his way 
 to some distant unknown tribe, unattended and unarmed. He 
 throws himself completely on their mercy ; but his mission is one 
 of peace ; he is a chosen successor of the great apostle, and soon 
 inspires a mysterious reverence for his person. There is some- 
 thing fearless and imposing in his speech that does not fall harsh- 
 ly upon the Indian's ear. Christian life and religion he depicts 
 with a marvelous eloquence that touches the heart of the savage. 
 Nor does he forget that it is well to be wary; he is mindful of 
 temporal advantages, and avails himself of a knowledge of savage 
 instincts. His promises are profuse ; he is willing to accord much, 
 and only asks in return obedience to the cross. So were the old 
 Loreto and the new Loreto founded ; San Ignatius, San Xavier, 
 and St. Thomas sprung into existence, and were soon numbered 
 among thirty prosperous reductions. They are populous, power- 
 ful, and civilized. Their future history is well defined ; the early 
 stages only are obscure. 
 
 We have referred to Azara, whose information of these mis- 
 sions was obtained while in the country itself, and associating 
 with men whose recollections of the Jesuit rule were still fresh 
 in their memories. He relates as follows of the founding of St. 
 Joachim : 
 
 Wishing to establish a mission among this branch of the Gua- 
 rani family, the fathers first sent them, by Indians of their own 
 reductions, offerings of some trifling value, pleasing to Indian 
 fancy. This preliminary treating was repeated several times be- 
 fore taking more decisive steps. These gifts, they were told, 
 came from a Jesuit who loved them much and was desirous of 
 
FOUNDING OF SAN JOACHIM. 497 
 
 living among tliem ; that, if so permitted, the father would bestow 
 upon them things of far greater price, that they might live with- 
 out labor. He would bring them cattle, iron, and every useful 
 article ; he would build them houses, give them clothing, attend 
 to the sick, and extend to the whole people every care. Such 
 conditions were tempting ; they flattered too much the natural 
 indolence of the Guarani to be disregarded. Thus a way was 
 opened to some apparently good and generous Jesuit, who, at- 
 tended by a number of Christian natives, started on this expedi- 
 tion, bearing presents, and driving before them cattle for the use 
 of the expected converts. Arrived in the midst of his newly- 
 adopted children, the plans for a town were laid, the fathers at 
 • the same time keeping a vigilant watch over the cattle. They 
 soon disappeared, however, as the Indians thought of nothing but 
 eating.* Provisions must needs be abundant, for to satisfy the 
 palate was indispensable in view of successfully administering a 
 healthful spiritual food. He who was fed the best was generally 
 the most speedily converted to the true faith, and made the best 
 Christian — at least in the way of telling beads and in submitting 
 to Jesuit authority. He who was neglected in this respect pre- 
 ferred aboriginal independence, and subsistence obtained by his 
 bow and arrows. Hence the flocks and fields required the same 
 constant watchfulness as those of the Church. Says Dobrizhoffer, 
 quaintly: "If, according to St. Paul, among other natives faith 
 enters by the ear, with the savages of Paraguay it can only be 
 thrust in by the mouth." 
 
 St. Joachim grew and prospered ; numerous houses were built, 
 and soon a church faced the great square. An abundance of corn 
 and cotton followed a general and diligent cultivation of the land. 
 The Indians were elated with the change beyond all expectation ; 
 they were for the present in the enjoyment of an easy, indolent 
 kind of life, as unlooked for as it was novel. But it was never 
 understood that the treasury should be drained by too long a con- 
 tinuation of this course. The necessary advances had already been 
 made; it was now time to halt, that the Indians might be im- 
 pressed with the necessity of working for themselves. Azara again 
 explains : " Assembling them one day the father appealed to their 
 sense of right ; it was neither just nor proper that their friends and 
 brothers, the Guarani, brought from other reductions, should con- 
 tinue to labor for them ; they should begin to assist themselves ; 
 
 * Azara, vol. ii., p. 228. 
 
 32 
 
498 FOUNDING OF BELEN. 
 
 there was much need of cultivation in the fields ; some simple 
 trade could be easily acquired, and the women could learn to spin 
 cotton." They were probably at the same time impressed with the 
 fact that all these were most agreeable and Christian-like occupa- 
 tions, such as were commanded by the Church. The converted 
 Indians were instructed to make similar entreaties. Some re- 
 turned to their wilds, many yielded, and from that time St. Jo- 
 achim became one of the most important of the missions. 
 
 These gentle measures, though comporting with the docile Gua- 
 rani character, proved impotent in other quarters, where fiercer 
 dispositions had to be encountered ; and hence led to more strin- 
 gent measures for the success of the proposed reduction. The 
 foundation of Belen,'* in all but the preliminaries, is a different » 
 story from that of St. Joachim. The gifts were sent, and the Jes- 
 uit, numerously attended, arrived at his destination among the 
 Mbayas — a warlike race who discovered no charms in the mission 
 "community" life. The father's eloquence neither moved their 
 hearts, nor did his material offerings affect their senses. The chase, 
 as" a means of subsistence, was preferable to agricultural labor. 
 The caciques, moreover, declined assigning to others the power 
 they exercised over their respective districts — a power, it is well 
 known, which the Jesuits were never willing to share. So the 
 father's schemes must have been thwarted but for a well-timed 
 stratagem, which seemed at once to remove all difficulties. There 
 was every facility for carrying it into effect. Under the plea of 
 concluding a treaty with the Chiquitos, among whom there were 
 at this time numerous missions, the fierce chiefs opposed to the 
 cause of the Church were enticed beyond the confines of their ter- 
 ritories. The most cordial reception awaited them on the part of 
 the reduction Indians. Numbers of friendly allies flocked to greet 
 them ; bands of music were in continuous attendance, and every 
 kind of native amusement or festivity was called into requisition, 
 that the welcome might admit of no distrust. Thus the snares 
 were well laid. The unsuspecting chiefs manifested unbounded 
 gratification, while the secret plans of the Jesuits for securing their 
 persons were being brought to maturity. Suddenly, in the night, 
 and at the sound of a bell, their universal signal, the Mbaya ca- 
 ciques were attacked, bound hand and foot, thrown into prison, 
 and not released until the final expulsion of the order. But, 
 
 * Founded in 1760. 
 
ECONOMY OF A REDUCTION. 499 
 
 though the chief obstacles were thus removed, Belen never rose to 
 the full dignity of a mission.* 
 
 These are the two examples cited by Azara, and thus, according 
 to him, were the Paraguay reductions established. It is not gen- 
 erally understood, however, that coercion was ever employed in 
 the great work of conversion ; at least we have no evidence of it, 
 nor any declaration to that effect except from our previously-men- 
 tioned author, who may have been too happily confident in the 
 success of his researches ; or he may have confounded the in- 
 human occurrences among the lay reductions with those of the 
 fathers. If not governed by principle, the sagacity of the Jesuit 
 discovered that, with the Indian, persuasion effected more than- 
 force ; the Spaniard never essayed the former and ever abused the 
 latter. It was of necessity a duty and an object with the fathers 
 to overcome prejudices, to dispel distrust, to soothe all latent fears 
 by constant assurances of kindly feelings and by manifesting a pa- 
 ternal watchfulness over all affairs that came under their direc- 
 tion. In Christian charity they did not offer a stone for bread, 
 nor a serpent for a fish, but opened to those who knocked, and ex- 
 tended hospitality to all who entered. Unlike the Spanish adven- 
 turers their goal was not hastily-acquired wealth ; their declared 
 ambition was to serve God and the order ; an assertion reversed 
 by their enemies, who say the "order was first considered, and 
 then God. They had neither impracticable schemes nor dazzling 
 projects, and so seldom failed in the more rational aims they 
 proposed to further. 
 
 A Jesuit reduction was a model of order and regularity ; per- 
 fect uniformity was observed in its long, comfortably -built rows 
 of houses, and the small circuit of the town offered every facility 
 for preserving its domestic tranquillity, or insuring a ready de- 
 fense against any outside danger. The great square was the cen- 
 tre point, the public resort and general rendezvous of the people ; 
 upon it were erected the church, the college, the arsenal, the 
 stores, the workshops of carpenters, joiners, weavers, and smiths, 
 together with other important public buildings, all assembled un- 
 der the close and unsleeping vigilance of the fathers.f The mis- 
 sions of Moxos among other things were noted for their hospitals 
 
 * Azara, vol. ii., p. 230-1-2. This information was obtained by Azara from the 
 caciques referred to, who were still livinp at the time of his stay in South America. 
 Dohrizhoffer, however, relates nothing of the kind. Vide vol. i., p. 97-98. 
 
 t Charlevoix, vol. i., p. 269. 
 
500 MILITARY ORGANIZATION. 
 
 and medicines ; those of Paraguay enjoyed tliis advantage only 
 partially,* but they needed them less. Moxos is a marshy, fever- 
 ish, sickly country, while the climate of Missiones is highly salu- 
 brious. At Concepcion, however, was established a very exten- 
 sive dispensary. The gardens attached to the colleges were cul- 
 tivated with every care, and may still be traced in neglected yer- 
 ba groves, or some struggling growth of fruit and flowers. 
 
 The church and arsenal were generally placed at opposite ex- 
 tremities of the square. The military depot of the mission be- 
 came a point of considerable importance after De Montoya's re- 
 turn from Madrid, though the provisions of the grant were strict- 
 . ly enforced, and no such dangerous weapon as a fire-arm was ever 
 intrusted to the entire keeping of a Guarani. Arms were dis- 
 tributed only at stated times, and returned when the occasion for 
 their use had passed ; but this caution did not prevent a frequent 
 and regular drill, or even constant practice at shooting. Each 
 reduction had its body of cavalry and infantry and military insig- 
 nia. The foot-soldiers were variously armed with the marcana, 
 the bow and arrow, the sling, sword, and musket ; the horsemen 
 with the sabre, lance, and carbine. In the use of the sling and 
 lance these Indians, as all the Indians of La Plata, were most 
 skillful; prizes were frequently awarded to the successful com- 
 petitor in trials with native weapons or fire-arms. The great 
 square was the Campus Martins for all such exercises, and there 
 every Monday the corregidor reviewed his troops, the ofiicers be- 
 ing distinguished by their uniforms, richly laced with gold and 
 silver, and embroidered with the device of the town.f These 
 weekly evolutions terminated usually with a sham-fight. Equal 
 parties were formed and stationed at opposite extremities of the 
 square. A flag of truce was first forwarded, to prevent, if possi- 
 ble, the coming disastrous struggle, but, being treated with con- 
 tempt, signal to battle was given, and the combatants rushed to the 
 midway shock. Always enthusiastic, and even impetuous upon 
 such occasions, the fight often waxed so warm as to render neces- 
 sary a forcible separation. This was never difficult, for the fa- 
 thers had carefully soothed and quelled all domestic or tribal dis- 
 sension. It was thus that they acquired that experience and dis- 
 cipline which finally enabled them to compete successfully with 
 the bandits of St. Paul ; it was this constant training that made 
 their co-operation so effectual at Buenos Ayres, Montevideo, and 
 
 * Charlevoix, vol. i., p. 272. f U^oa, vol. ii., p. 177. 
 
THE CHUKCH. 501 
 
 otlier places. And there was another element in this military 
 schooling, in that they were taught to turn in the same cheerful 
 obedient spirit from a long and doubtful struggle to the peaceful 
 cultivation of their fields, or again to leave the plow and grasp 
 the sword in defense of the missions — a cause as sacred in their 
 eyes as the rescue of the Holy Sepulchre from the infidel to the 
 crusader. 
 
 The mission church, a building of considerable and often vast 
 proportions, was constructed with an eye to symmetry, taste, and 
 splendor, and was in no respect inferior to those of the Spanish 
 cities. Its decorations rivaled the " richest of Peru." No ex- 
 penditure, no time or labor was too great to be devoted to this 
 sacred edified; vast amounts were lavished upon it, and artists 
 and artisans continually engaged to add to its magnificence. The 
 surplus funds that remained in the mission coffers were conse- 
 crated to the high altar, which shone with gold and silver vessels 
 richly and elaborately chased ; frescoes and paintings, busts and 
 statues, illustrative of scripture history or the lives of the saints, 
 covered the walls and ceiling, lined the aisles, or were grouped 
 around the altars ; but, above all, their wood- work was brought to 
 a perfection which may still be traced in the missions of Santa 
 Eosa, Santiago, and others. All bespoke a wealth and civiliza- 
 tion unsurpassed in Spanish America. 
 
 The pomp and display of the Komish Church were brought to 
 bear upon the simple minds here instructed and developed. The 
 gorgeous ceremonies of high mass perhaps drew numbers within 
 the pale of Christianity under circumstances that might have ren- 
 dered of no avail the exhortations of a St. Bernardin. K there 
 was no choir of stout, sonorous-voiced monks, there was one of 
 neophytes, who chanted with feeling and perfect intonation the 
 anthems of the Church. This important addition to the sacred 
 service was never neglected. The Guarani had a fine musical 
 organization — an ear delicately sensitive to sound. He display- 
 ed grace and power in the. use of the voice, and was taught to 
 perform with facility upon various instruments of modern in- 
 vention, but of his own manufacture. The Jesuit found in 
 him a natural, instinctive love of the art, which needed but the 
 cultivation he was able to impart, and each town, in the course 
 of time, had its bands and its choirs, and every habitable spot 
 resounded the day long with their music. Charlevoix thus 
 quaintly alludes to the power of song over the Ouarani : " The 
 
502 EITES AND CEREMONIES. 
 
 Jesuits having observed, in their journeys by water, that as soon 
 as, to recreate themselves in an innocent and holy manner, they 
 began to sing any spiritual canticle, crowds of Indians flocked to 
 the banks, and seemed to take a particular liking to their music : 
 they improved the opportunity to explain to them the subject 
 of their songs, when, as if the melody had changed their hearts, 
 and rendered them susceptible of the sentiments with which they 
 longed to inspire them, they easily prevailed upon the poor crea- 
 tures to follow, and gradually insinuated into their hearts the 
 most elevated sentiments of religion, thus realizing in these sav- 
 age countries what fable relates of Amphion and Orpheus." We 
 know not whether the analogy will hold good, but it is certain 
 that music was a powerful instrument in the work df the missions. 
 
 The attendance at church service was exactingly regular. On 
 such occasions the men and women never mingled together. A 
 line of separation was drawn down the middle aisle, and the two 
 sexes respectively occupied the thus divided sections. Their at- 
 tention to the service, their pious observance of all religious du- 
 ties and the minor formalities of prayer, have elicited the praise 
 of most writers of that and subsequent periods. But Azara, al- 
 ways ready to criticise the aims and labors of the fathers, attrib- 
 utes it to a grave, quiet, and peaceful disposition. The first evi- 
 dences of coming day found the children of the reduction assem- 
 bled for morning prayer, when they chanted until the " rejoicing 
 in the east" signaled the whole town to be present at early mass. 
 Baptisms took place in the afternoon ; vespers and the evening 
 prayer completed the duties of the day, when each one retired to 
 his house. Marriages were celebrated only on festive days. 
 
 Fond of music and the dance, given to martial display, gay and 
 lively in disposition, as were the Guarani, it is not astonishing that 
 the fetes of the Church should have been events in the Paraguay 
 reductions, celebrated by long and dazzling processions, and by 
 the rejoicings of the whole people. That of the sacrament ap- 
 pears to have eclipsed all others. The zoology and the botany 
 of these fruitful regions of creation were represented on such oc- 
 casions. The matting which covered the way was strewn with 
 evergreens; arches were erected at short distances apart, not 
 decked with banners and devices, but green branches ; tropical 
 plants and superb flowers enriched the atmosphere with their 
 fragrance ; attached to these were birds of every kind and color, 
 with sufficient scope allowed them to fly free in the air. " Nature 
 
SCHOOLS. 503 
 
 appeared, if I may so speak," says Charlevoix, by way of a re- 
 sume, " all life and soul upon the occasion." To render the pa- 
 geant more imposing, they assembled wild beasts from the forests 
 and fishes from the neighboring rivers. Lions* and tigers were 
 chained at different points, and huge vases of piscatory specimens 
 added to the general enlivenment. The public buildings and 
 houses of the town were hung with tapestry — in the embroidering 
 of which the women excelled — covered with wreaths and flowers, 
 the most superb of any in the world. 
 
 The musicians, dancers, and choir-boys led the procession ; the 
 priest followed, wafer in hand, covered by a canopy carried by 
 the cacique and corregidors, resplendent in the costly apparel 
 worn during these festive displays. Behind the sacrament was 
 borne the royal standard, and the military, all brilliantly capari- 
 soned, brought up the rear. In this order they paraded through 
 the mission, and after mass partook of a public banquet. Ulloa, 
 one of the best authorities in this connection, and frequently quot- 
 ed by Charlevoix, says : '' In short, these neophytes omit no cir- 
 cumstance either of festivity or devotion practiced in the most 
 opulent cities of old Spain." 
 
 The chief article of clothing was cotton, for the genial climate 
 of Paraguay rendered necessary no heavy vesture. Short breech- 
 es and shirts were made for the men, loose gowns for the women, 
 and with the latter a cotton cap was not uncommon as a covering 
 for the head. 
 
 Much attention was paid to the schools. Early training was 
 very properly regarded as the key to all future success. That 
 the Spanish language should never have been taught is considered 
 by many a sufficient evidence that the Jesuits were not looking 
 dimly into the future. Excuses were not unfrequently offered for 
 this omission in their course of instruction by the fathers. They 
 pleaded the simplicity of the Guarani's mind, the impossibility 
 of his ever acquiring a language possessed of such difficulties, al- 
 though they succeeded in making the Latin of the Church very 
 familiar to him. If the establishment of a hierocracy were con- 
 templated, it is but another evidence of Jesuit sagacity ; for isola- 
 tion is always essential to success, and ignorance of the Spanish 
 tongue was the most formidable obstacle that could be placed be- 
 tween the Indian and the Spaniard. 
 
 * It would seem needless to remark that the so-called lion of South America is 
 an altogether different animal from the African.^ 
 
I 
 
 504 DAILY LIFE. 
 
 Finally there grew into existence among the missions an insti- 
 tution for which there was never any actual necessity, and which 
 foreshadowed further evil consequences. It was the police. It 
 first consisted merely of a nightly watch for the purpose of pre- 
 venting dissensions or wanderings from the reductions ; but it was 
 enlarged to a passport system, stringent in all its acts and hostile 
 to the stranger. The Jesuit writers speak in high terms of this 
 police. It may have tended to preserve the order and discipline 
 for which the missions were noted ; but it was one of the causes 
 that precipitated them to their iinal ruin. 
 
 Daily life among the Guarani was one of military order and reg- 
 ularity. Alfred divided the day into three equal parts, assigning 
 to each the duties which were to engage his mind; bat here we 
 have a whole population, extending over a vast tract of country, 
 subjected to restrictions and regulations timed like the rising and 
 setting of the sun. To the most insignificant occupation was at- 
 tached a stated time. There were hours marked for laboring in 
 the field, for working in town, for retiring at night, for rising in 
 the morning, and they were most rigidly enforced. The reduc- 
 tion moved and had its being, as it were, with the precision of 
 clock-work. The people prayed, toiled, ate, and slept so long and 
 no longer ; from one duty or employment they passed to another 
 like soldiers changing guard, equally participating in the charges 
 of the day, each one undergoing his measure of fatigue for the one 
 and common family. In going to the fields natural indolence was 
 no excuse for straggling parties or lounging assemblages ; a life of 
 military discipline did not permit of habits which their otherwise 
 monotonous existence might have probably brought about. The 
 moral rigor of the Jesuit was by every possible means infused 
 into the bodily members of the Guarani. Formed in march- 
 ing order on the great square, enlivened by music, and bearing 
 a favorite statuette in lieu of a banner, they proceeded to the 
 working-ground. There arrived, the first care was to erect an 
 arbor for the patron figure, a tasteful covering of leaves and flow- 
 ers ; then to each man was assigned by the capitan his duty for the 
 day. The return was equally lively, and executed ift the same 
 orderly manner. 
 
 These missions have been spoken of as forming what was termed 
 a " Christian Eepublic." The republicanism seems to have had 
 no other existence than in the institution of social equality among 
 the natives, that the powe^ of the actual rulers might be the more 
 
STRICT GOVERNMENT. 505 
 
 absolute. Some Indians were necessarily endowed with titles and 
 nominal powers, and were distinguished by carrying silver apple- 
 headed canes as symbolic thereof; but they were the mere exec- 
 utors of Jesuit will. Azara, on the one hand, offers his objections 
 to this polity, because he attributes to it on the part of the native 
 a general inert state of mind and body, and regards it as having 
 offered no incentives to excellence in any art ; while Charlevoix, 
 with other fathers, found in it all the admirable principles and re- 
 sults which might exist in and proceed from a political formation 
 of that nominal and actual character. Not that there was in real- 
 ity any such political formation, but that the fathers would most 
 felicitously overlook every consideration urged against the un- 
 questioned rule vested in themselves, and present it to the world 
 as in no wise interfering with the so-called republicanism of the 
 reductions. The Indian, thus subjected to the moral influence as 
 well as to the forcible control of the Jesuit, may have attained a 
 higher degree of civilization than would have been possible under 
 a less restraining government ; but, at the same time, this system, 
 so skillfully grafted in the native's mind, after a few generations 
 of time brought his race to that childish dependency which the 
 missionaries, when in danger of being driven from their old and 
 proper field, argued as unfitting it for actual sustenance under self- 
 government. In every relation of life the Guarani felt the finger 
 of the Jesuit father resting upon him, or acted unconsciously under 
 its guiding influence. There was no sensible burden, however, to 
 awaken a disaffection, and amusements or festive displays added 
 to the general contentment. If conscious that there were chains 
 gently riveted upon him, the native laughed and danced off the 
 sense of enslavement. The fathers were always politic ; if their 
 government was absolute and unquestioned, it was administered in 
 a paternal spirit and faced with a semblance of liberty. They ac- 
 corded to the natives two or three days of the week to be devoted 
 to their private interest or advantage. There was very little actual 
 profit to be derived from this apparent generosity, for it was never 
 the intention of the fathers in granting these opportunities for free 
 labor, that the Indians should become free merchants and trade 
 according to their interest or pleasure. They could sell all their 
 produce to the Church, but very strict prohibition prevented it 
 ever passing the confines of the missions, except under instructions 
 from a Jesuit superior. The fathers' reasons for this regulation 
 
506 TAEIJA MISSIONS. 
 
 are specious or just, as we may be inclined to consider all acts of 
 this character." 
 
 This contact with an outer world could not but have recoiled 
 with a ruinous effect upon the reductions. Spanish corruption — 
 a term of strong meaning — would creep in among a virtuous, spot- 
 less people. Spanish avarice and deceit were bugbears ever to be 
 dreaded in a Christian republic of this character, where no Indian 
 could lay claim to this or that object, for every spot was com- 
 mon neutral ground, and what natural obstructions or climatic in- 
 fluences did not permit them to till, was called God's inheritance. 
 "Mine and thine" were unknown words ; they were cautiously 
 avoided upon all occasions. Men worked for the community, and 
 every thing belonged to the community or its embodiment, the 
 Jesuits — a difference regarded as immaterial. The Indian labored 
 for his spiritual guardian and looked to him for a material return. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Tarija Missions. — Failures. — Confided to Franciscan Friars. — Spanish Settlement 
 in the Province of Chiquitos. — Foundation and Removal of Santa Cruz Missions. 
 — First Establishment by Father Arce. — Successive Reductions. — Native Of- 
 ficials. — Jesuit System. — Abipones. — Concepcion and the Rosary. — Dobrizhoffer. 
 — Voyage along the Coast of Patagonia. — Patagonia Missions. — Revolt of In- 
 dians. — Cangapol. * 
 
 A Jesuit convent was erected at Tarija in 1574, the year of 
 the foundation of the city. The Chiriguanos — a fierce, warlike 
 tribe that had resisted the arms of Incas and Spaniards — occupied 
 this region of country. Although their welfare was pronounced 
 to be the all-absorbing object of the fathers, the mere announce- 
 ment of disinterested motives was found' insufficient to bend the 
 children of the land to this nominally spiritual rule. Caciques 
 who, in their native strength, recognized no earthly superior, 
 scorned submission to men in long black frocks and of meek de- 
 meanor. On the other hand difficulties were promptly met and, 
 to a certain extent, removed. A Jesuit missionary never quailed 
 before the perils of duty or the hazards, how imminent soever, of 
 his vocation — a sublime indifference to danger associated him with 
 the wildest and most ferocious tribes on the continent. 
 
 At a very early period after the foundation of Tarija, an at- 
 
FAILURES. 507 
 
 tempt was made to establish, a mission on a small brancli of the 
 Kio Grande and upon the present site of Piray. Its existence 
 was but brief. The natives were not made up of sufficiently 
 credulous elements to place a necessary confidence in the alleged 
 purposes of the fathers. These they drove out. They burned 
 the church, pulled down the cross, and threw the image of St. 
 Rosa, their patron saint, into a neighboring lake. Potrero — such 
 was its name — remained a heap of ruins until 1768, when the 
 mission was built anew, and intrusted to the only remaining re- 
 ligious in the country, the Franciscan friars. It was then called 
 Mission de Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion del Piray, which for 
 brevity sake is known at present as Piray. Not far from this 
 town, and on the Rio Grrande, the Jesuits also founded at an early 
 period the Santissima Trinidad de Abapo, but again they were 
 constrained to seek safety in flight. Abapo, restored shortly aft- 
 er the expulsion of the order, still stands. 
 
 In 1690 Father Arce, a zealous and indefatigable missionary, 
 extended his labors into the valley of Salinas, east of Tarija. His 
 efforts were at first partially successful. But neither the Mata- 
 guayos nor the Chiriguanos could be induced to submit to the 
 quiet and repose of a more civilized and hence a more stationary 
 life. The fathers faced every obstacle and incurred every risk 
 that the lost sheep might be found, and then had the mortification 
 of seeing them dispersed as fast as they were collected together. 
 Houses and churches were built, but the natives poured in and 
 out like the water through the bottomless barrel ; until, wearied 
 of the untiring perseverance of the missionaries, the Chiquiacas 
 and Tariqueas resolved to rid themselves of their presence in sum- 
 mary style. For this purpose they rose up in revolt, burned the 
 missions, and massacred several of the fathers, threatening the 
 rest with destruction if intrusion were again made into their ter- 
 ritory. Frequent warlike demonstrations of this character gave 
 an offensive and defensive aspect to the whole country, to all its 
 little towns, hamlets, and missions. The Tarija reduction resem- 
 bled an outpost or frontier fort — a safe retreat for foraging parties 
 rather than a home for converted natives. Indeed, repeated and 
 murderous assaults from outside Indians had rendered necessary 
 the erection of strong fortifications and numerous guards to de- 
 fend them. 
 
 But the Tarija missions, properly speaking, do not belong to 
 the Jesuit period. The numerous reductions founded in that 
 
508 
 
 LIST OF MISSIONS. 
 
 province date from a time subsequent to tlae expulsion of the or- 
 der and were confided to Franciscan friars. They are inclosed in 
 the annexed table as they were in 1799, with their respective po- 
 sitions in latitude, population, and number of head of cattle. The 
 authority is Fra Antonio Tomajuncosa. 
 
 
 Name of Mission. 
 
 Tribe. 
 
 Latitude. 
 
 Population 
 in 1799. 
 
 Number of 
 Head of Cattle. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 19 
 
 20 
 
 21 
 
 Piray 
 
 Chiriguanos 
 
 {( 
 
 (( 
 11 
 (( 
 (( 
 it 
 <( 
 (( 
 
 
 
 (( 
 
 u 
 (( 
 (1 
 i( 
 Chaneses 
 
 18" 40' 
 18 42 
 
 18 58 
 
 19 — 
 19 24 
 19 26 
 19 28 
 19 31 
 19 36 
 19 38 
 19 39 
 19 42 
 19 45 
 19 58 
 19 20 
 19 22 
 19 28 
 19 16 
 
 }■ 21 37 
 
 21 18 
 
 j 23 15 
 
 1,630 
 
 493 
 
 1,440 
 
 1,648 
 
 1,384 
 
 550 
 
 313 
 
 877 
 
 553 
 
 1,431 
 
 719 
 
 798 
 
 874 
 
 756 
 
 362 
 
 1,014 
 
 67 
 
 485 
 
 375 
 
 • 387 
 520 
 
 1,293 
 1,195 
 
 2,784 
 2,000 
 387 
 216 
 273 
 609 
 593 
 100 
 354 
 312 
 487 
 666 
 562 
 843 
 435 
 1,835 
 
 4,727 
 
 916 
 
 2,566 
 
 Florida 
 
 Cabezas 
 
 Abapo 
 
 Mazavi 
 
 Ignuri 
 
 Tacuru 
 
 ZavDuru 
 
 Tapuita 
 
 Tacuarembo 
 
 Boracupiti 
 
 Piriti 
 
 Ubay 
 
 Parabiti 
 
 Tayarenda 
 
 Iti 
 
 La Tapera 
 
 Azero 
 
 Chiriguanos 
 
 Chaneses 
 
 Salinas ■ 
 
 Itan 
 
 Chiriguanos and 
 Mataguayos... 
 
 Chiriguanos 
 
 Mataguayos et 
 Vejoses 
 
 Centa -j 
 
 
 16,576 
 
 23,183 
 
 From Tarija we pass to Chiquitos. 
 
 Before giving particular and immediate attention to the mis- 
 sions established in this latter province, it might not be relaxing 
 too much the thread of our narrative to glance at the first early 
 attempts at Spanish settlement among the natives of that country. 
 But eleven years after Solis had steered his ship into the broad 
 estuary of La Plata, instead of the waters of the Indies, and in the 
 same year that Cabot sailed from Spain for a similar Dorado des- 
 tination, Alexis Garcia, who had been expedited from St. Vincent 
 — on the coast of Brazil — to explore the interior of Paraguay ad- 
 joining the territory of the Portuguese countship, conceived the 
 bold project of reaching the Andes and the golden land of Peru 
 across the wilds of the Gran Chaco. A perfect familiarity with 
 the Guarani language gave him every advantage in its execution. 
 But the few Spanish explorers who had accompanied him thus 
 far were too feeble an escort for this perilous journey ; so he ad- 
 dressed himself for assistance to the natives with whom he had 
 of late been brought into contact. He spoke of the wealth of this 
 
EXPEDITION OF GAKCIA. 509 
 
 distant land, of the conquests he was about to achieve, and of the 
 share of plunder that would fall to their lot. Two thousand In- 
 dians gathered around him to enlist in the enterprise and ac- 
 knowledge him their leader.'^ Re-enforced by this band of nu- 
 merous and apparently eager followers, the adventurous Portu- 
 guese pushed forward with the usual reckless daring of the early 
 conquistadores. In dim perspective, down a long vista of savage 
 dangers, a golden prospect drew him on. 
 
 What his exact course was it would be difl&cult to say. He 
 probably reached the Paraguay above Asuncion, descending in so 
 doing, it is said, a river called Paray,f and then, entering the 
 Chaco, he passed in a northwesterly direction through the south- 
 ern portion of Chiquitos, fighting his way through hordes of sav- 
 ages, until he finally hailed the lofty mountains of present Bolivia 
 or the ancient district of Charcas. Garcia, pursuing the policy of 
 the Conquistadores, robbed and plundered in the name of the au- 
 thority under which he acted. He ravaged the whole frontier of 
 Alto Peru, bafiied the force the Inca (probably Atahuallpa:}:) had 
 sent against him, and when heavily laden with booty retraced his 
 steps to the Paraguay. Here he dispatched back to St. Vincent 
 two of his three Portuguese companions to give an account of all 
 that had transpired in his remarkable journey. Soon after their 
 departure he was treacherously murdered by the Indians who had 
 accompanied him.§ 
 
 He perished, as did the unfortunate Solis, by an inglorious 
 death, and when on the eve of reaping the laurels he had so 
 dauntlessly won. He had made no maritime discovery to rival, 
 in the annals of Spanish America, those of the chivalrous Balboa, 
 or that " good old man" Sebastian Cabot, and their historical asso- 
 ciates. But he accompUshed an inland journey which must be 
 looked upon as a bold and adventurous feat even in the age of 
 daring to which it belongs. Pizarro was lingering on the little 
 island of Gallo, when Garcia, almost alone with his Indian escort, 
 first came in view of the lofty ridges and snow-clad peaks of Alto 
 Peru; and when the conqueror of Peru landed at Tumbez, in the 
 Bay of Guayaquil, this Portuguese hero had met with an untime- 
 ly death, or we should probably have seen his name and deeds 
 
 * Argentina, book i., chap, v., by Ruidiaz de Guzman, conquistador el auo de 
 1612. t Argentina, book i., chap, v., p. 24. 
 
 t It is impossible to say at what period of 1526 Huascar Capue divided his 
 kingdom between the two Inca brothers. § Argentina, book i., chap. v. ^ 
 
510 FAKTHER EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 enrolled on tlie brightest pages of the Conquest. These lesser 
 lights have grown dim since Prescott wrote of Mexico and Peru, 
 but should not be permitted to pass away from us. If we miss 
 in the Plata conquest that advanced civilization among the abo- 
 rigines which the great Inca roads will record to all time, the tale 
 is replete with early adventure and thrilhng withal. It enters 
 but meagrely into our subject. 
 
 In 1537, as we have seen, Juan d'Ayolas ascended the Para- 
 guay, in search of some brilliant conquest, to latitude 21°. Here 
 leaving his ships with Yrala, he marched for the country of the 
 Incas, the golden land. Like Garcia, he reached his proposed 
 destination, and returned, elated with his triumph and enriched 
 with spoils, to perish at the hands of Payaguas Indians.* Such 
 was the fate of the two early adventurers who crossed into Boli- 
 via ; tragic incidents which conveyed in themselves, however, no 
 discouragement to the hardy explorers of the day. 
 
 It was five years later that Nunez Cabeza de Yaca placed 
 Yrala in charge of an expedition to extend into Peru across Chi- 
 quitos. His lieutenant failed to reach the diflEicult goal. Nunez 
 himself, making a similar effort in the following year, met with 
 no better success. Yrala, again, after being appointed to the 
 governorship of Asuncion, renewed his heretofore fatile attempts 
 to unite the eastern and western districts of the king's large do- 
 main. The new governor, with qualities which stamped him for 
 that age and field of life, was so far successful upon this occasion 
 as to reach the frontier of the Chuquisaca province. Thence he 
 sent Nuflo de Chaves to wait upon the viceroy ; but, on account 
 of a rising discontent among his soldiers, he was forced to return 
 before hearing from his lieutenant. Eventually Chaves proved to 
 be the fortunate conquistador who was to first couple his name 
 with the establishment of a colony, intermediate between the al- 
 ready conquered territories of Paraguay and Peru. 
 
 On his return to Asuncion this ofl&cer again embarked with 
 two hundred Spaniards and several thousand Indians, with in- 
 structions from Yrala to ascend the Paraguay and found a city 
 near its supposed head waters on the lake of Xarayes. ' This con- 
 siderable command awakened ambitious motives in the breast of 
 Chaves ; for what might not such a force accomplish in the beau- 
 tiful and fertile country of Chiquitos ? The death of Yrala, which 
 happened shortly after his departure, confirmed him in his de- 
 
 * Argentina, book i., chap. xiii. 
 
SANTA CRUZ. 511 
 
 signs. But while on this high road to fame, indulging in flat- 
 tering expectations, and building already in air the castles of his 
 new territory, he is suddenly accosted by a party from Peru, 
 headed by Andes Manso, not unlike his own in numbers and ap- 
 pearance, and apparently pursuing similar objects. Mutual salu- 
 tations could not dispel the diiferences that might arise from this 
 contact, and as the coffers of neither one were sufficiently replen- 
 ished to buy off the other, the expanded and expanding views of 
 the two commanders brought them to the very broad conclusion 
 that the vast interior of the South American continent was not of 
 sufficient dimensions to contain them both. They consequently 
 referred the matter to the Marquis de Camette, Viceroy of Peru. 
 Chaves here had the advantage, for the viceroy was a connection, 
 and had always entertained, we are told, an affection for him, 
 though from reputation alone, as they had never met. Upon 
 him he conferred the territory of Chiquitos and a grant for the 
 foundation of a city, much to the discomfiture of the less fortunate 
 Manso. Hence, in 1560, were laid the foundations of the old city 
 of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Chaves' government was wise and 
 peaceful, but short-lived. He was assassinated by his native sub- 
 jects. 
 
 The site of Santa Cruz was for many reasons pronounced objec- 
 tionable. Situated in the heart of a densely -populated Indian 
 country, grave impediments presented themselves for a free in- 
 tercourse either with Paraguay or Peru. Moreover, it lay at too 
 great a distance from Bolivia. Communication with Asuncion 
 was not so important as with Tarija, Tucuman, Cordova, and other 
 westerly cities, so that in 1592 the city was removed several hund- 
 red miles westward, to where it now stands. At this distance of 
 time, with all the implements of modern civilization at command, 
 we can perceive that Chaves' position was the more judicious of 
 the two ; for did the population of the Santa Cruz department 
 centre at present on the waters of the Paraguay, it is probable that 
 the vast resources of that interior country, rich in natural products 
 and mineral wealth, would have been developed to a very great 
 extent. We should not need be told that a broad and naviga- 
 ble stream runs its course of nine hundred miles through as fer- 
 tile a country as ever the sun shone upon, and yet undisturbed 
 for the uses of man. This city of Chaves would have been the 
 great mart of the interior of South America, connecting with the 
 tributaries of the Amazon and the cities of Bolivia ; not a mere 
 
512 FATHER ARCE. 
 
 point of distribution for the daily wants of a slowly-growing iso- 
 lated population, but the head and fountain of a commercial ac- 
 tivity, which even Spanish indolence could not have restrained. 
 We shall see what was accomplished on a smaller scale by the 
 Jesuit missions, following, from necessity, the direction of the re- 
 moved city; and, judging from their success, we can conjecture 
 what would have been at the present time the old Santa Cruz, 
 with an easy outlet to the products which must have poured into 
 its lap. 
 
 A year before this change in the locality of Santa Cruz the Jes- 
 uits entered the country. The governor had written entreatingly 
 to Tarija, requesting the unfailing services of the order in the 
 long-neglected spiritual instruction of the natives throughout his 
 province. This led to the appointment of Father Arce, whose 
 long experience well qualified him for the calling he so eagerly 
 embraced as missionary among the Chiquitos. His arrival was 
 viewed with suspicion ; no enthusiasm from the people, who had 
 an innate distrust .of and dislike for the Jesuit, inaugurated his 
 good work. The slave-traffic generally ceased its existence wher- 
 ever a father made his appearance ; and though a mother and her 
 child could at that time have been bartered for a sheep and lamb,^ 
 even this was a sufficient consideration with the many dependent 
 upon the traffic to insist upon its continuation. Father Arcd, 
 however, without farther exordium than to secure his own per- 
 sonal safety as best he could, entered heart and hand upon his 
 newly-assigned duties. We can imagine the difficulties and dan- 
 gers that beset this father, and, at the same time, his perfect disre- 
 gard of them ; for, schooled in the failures and reverses of the Ta- 
 rija missions, his composure was not now to be disturbed nor his 
 courage to fail. 
 
 The Chiquitos Indians were a comparatively intelligent and in- 
 dependent race. The more peaceful and stationary habits of the 
 Guarani were unknown to them, so that the fathers did not meet 
 with the same pliant submission to the rule proposed to be estab- 
 lished over them. They had warlike instincts, were brave, and 
 excelled in all manly exercises. " A young man found it a hard 
 task to get a wife until he had given proofs of his courage, or skill 
 in hunting."f Long-established religious rites and settled super- 
 stitions were found existing among them. They neither feared 
 nor worshiped a Supreme Deity, but lived in great dread of dev- 
 
 * Charlevoix, vol. ii., p. 103. f Id., vol. ii., p. 97. 
 
THE CHIQUITOS. 513 
 
 ils. They believed in tlie immortality of the soul or tlie body, 
 and interred provisions with the dead, together with arms to sup- 
 ply themselves when these should have been consumed. They 
 called the moon their mother. On occasion of an eclipse they 
 imagined her to be bitten by dogs, and would arm themselves 
 with bows and arrows, shooting into the air until the satellite re- 
 sumed its wonted brightness. Thunder and lightning were to 
 them occasioned by quarrelings among the departed of the tribe 
 and the heavenly bodies, among which they were supposed to take 
 up their final abode. They took omens from the howls of wild 
 beasts and chattering of parrots.* 
 
 Here was an open field for the missionary ; these mists Father 
 Arce was called upon to dispel. Astronomy, among her sister sci- 
 ences, has always been awarded the preference by the Jesuits — 
 Coeli enarrant gloriam Dei. It has enabled them in their peculiar 
 vocation to associate in a more religious spirit things visible with 
 the invisible, what we see by day or by night in the firmament 
 with what may lie beyond. And we can picture to ourselves this 
 father engaged with unusual zeal in removing the superstitions 
 that had clustered around the darkened souls of the tribe, and ex- 
 plaining to them in simple language the wondrous mechanism of 
 the heavens, tracing the whole to a mighty spiritual power, in 
 whom he would have them believe and put their trust. 
 
 The first fruit of his labors was the establishment of San Xavier, 
 in 1691. Yet scarce had this much been accomplished when the 
 Mamelucos of St. Paul, the Bedouins of South America, were an- 
 nounced as pursuing the direction of his people. Defeated in 
 Paraguay and on the Uruguay, they had extended their atrocities 
 even to the distant territory of Chiquitos, and already depopulat- 
 ed, at one fell swoop, whole villages, men, women, and children. 
 The energetic measures of Father Arce soon put an end to these 
 incursions. As the Chiquitos lived mostly apart in families or 
 squads, a want of unity had at first given great advantage to the 
 enemy, who leisurely overawed and captured the small parties 
 that fell in their way. But, well trained in martial exercises, the 
 natives presented a formidable appearance when banded together 
 into one force and led on to the fight by their missionary. A few 
 Spaniards also tendered them some assistance. The Mamelucos 
 were defeated, driven across the Paraguay, and never appeared on 
 its western banks again. 
 
 * CharlevoLx, vol. ii., p. 98-9. D'Oibigny, vol. iii., p. 32-S. 
 
 33 
 
514 MISSIONS AMONG THE CHIQUITOS. 
 
 From this time until the period of their expulsion the Jesuits 
 were supreme in power in this province. Many other missions 
 followed that of San Xavier. In 1696 San Eaphael was built; 
 in 1706 San Jose and San Juan ; in 1707 Concepcion and San 
 Ignacio. The foundations of Santiago* were not laid until the 
 year 1740, nor those of Santa Corazon until 1751. Santa Anna 
 and San Miguel were founded at an earlier period.* These were 
 the most important of the Chiquitos Missions. They were not 
 unsettled masses of people attracted by beads and trinkets to hst- 
 en to the declamation of a missionary, but well-organized com- 
 munities, possessing every element of civilization and all the feat- 
 ures of an orderly government. They offered, moreover, very 
 peculiar advantages for a perfect development of this Jesuit sys- 
 tem, and, consequently, to arrive at its actual and reliable results, 
 to balance its faults against its virtues, we are led to give them 
 the preference over all others in our research. They occupied an 
 isolated position, one which made them independent of Spanish 
 manufactories and of Spanish products, as it freed them from the 
 suspicions, jealousies, and animosities of governors and bishops. 
 After the chastisement of the Paulistas they had, in the enjoy- 
 ment of a peaceful and harmonious existence, been enabled to ac- 
 quire and practice many industrial arts. "While wranglings, dis- 
 turbances, and revolts were upturning Paraguay, and the Parana 
 missions bristled with arms, the neophytes of Chiquitos were cul- 
 tivating their fields, establishing manufactories, and carrying on a 
 remunerative trade with Bolivia and Peru. The Jesuits' views, 
 plans, and operations were here untrammeled and unchecked. 
 Santa Cruz was too distant and too weak to hold over them the 
 rule so often exercised by Asuncion elsewhere, and thus their sys- 
 tem was probably brought to whatever perfection the age and 
 country would admit of One thing we know, that since the de- 
 parture of the fathers the Chiquitos have been gradually receding 
 to their original rude haunts. It may be well to note the various 
 divisions and ofl&ces of employment throwing light upon their 
 condition. 
 
 As in the Parana reductions, there were attached to each Chi- 
 quitos mission two fathers, the one charged with the spiritual, the 
 other with its temporal affairs. The correjidor was the native 
 chief, but exercised no authority of his own. He was the mere 
 
 * D'Orbigny, vol. iii., p. 40: Fernandez. Fernandez wrote a history of the Chi- 
 quitos Missions up to 1723. His work was published in 1726. 
 
NATIVE OFFICIALS. 515 
 
 executor of his superior's orders, assisted bj a ieniente, alferes, and 
 alcaldes, all subordinate military officers. Added to these, a chief- 
 justice and a sergeant-major formed what was termed the "ca- 
 bildo," or tribunal — the Jesuit's privy council. Every morning 
 these members of the cabildo, bearing a cane headed by a silver 
 apple as emblematic of their position, waited upon the fathers to 
 receive their daily instructions.* Though the missionary's power 
 and will were arbitrary, he was cautious to call this tribunal for 
 the consideration of all matters of importance, and aided by their 
 advice to adapt himself and his measures to the wants and wishes 
 of the people. There was no clashing of opinion or purpose. If 
 the fathers found themselves in the wrong they gradually, imper- 
 ceptibly yielded their ground. In all private occupations, in ev- 
 ery art and trade, there was adopted a similar system of order and 
 control. To every branch of manual labor or mental training, to 
 every parcialidad or division, there was a master — a capitan, as he 
 was called. 
 
 . We have already seen that the Indians were led out in military 
 procession to work in the fields. The overseers or captains were 
 styled Jiscales. The ofl&ce of cruceros was an important one, gen- 
 erally filled by men of supposed experience, who were known and 
 recognized by their wearing a black cross.f They were the phy- 
 sicians, the medical stewards, and nurses, and were also charged 
 to give notice of births and deaths, to prepare for marriages and 
 confessions.:}: 
 
 The Mayor domo de Colegio was a kind of commissary general. 
 He was intrusted with the granaries, the stores, and provisions of 
 the mission, and distributed the weekly allowances. 
 
 The Capitan de Carpinteria was literally the captain of carpen- 
 try, the constructor general, "commissioner of public buildings." 
 He had in charge not only the erection of churches and other 
 public edifices, but the construction of every house in the town, 
 the manufacture of farniture and other wood- work. Great skill 
 was attained in this art^ giving rise to a considerable commerce 
 with Santa Cruz and other Spanish cities. The Chiquitos Indians 
 
 * D'Orbigny, vol. iii., p. 44. 
 
 t A party of Spaniards once ascending the Paraguay noticed that a huge cross 
 had been erected in a small Indian village situated on the river, and having in- 
 quired into the cause of it were told that the natives had heard from the fathers so 
 much of the protecting influence of the cross that they had hoped it would keep 
 off the jaguars infesting the neighborhood. — Chaklevoix. 
 
 X D'Orbigny, vol. iii., p. 44. 
 
516 COMMUNITY OF LABOR. 
 
 also excelled in turning. The turners liad their Capitan de Ro- 
 sarios, and their manufactures were sold at considerable cost 
 throughout Peru.* 
 
 The Capitan de Herreros was the captain of the blacksmiths. 
 He was master of the iron-works, provided iron for building 
 purposes, working implements, and every description of utensil. 
 Hatchets, locks, and the like were not unfrequently exported. 
 
 Another important of&ce was that of the Capitan de Teyederos^ 
 or captain of the weavers. The Jesuits grew cotton extensively, 
 and manufactured it not only for their own domestic purposes, 
 but exported yearly a large quantity of hammocks, table-cloths, 
 ponchos, and similar articles. 
 
 The wax department had likewise a director. The mule-driv- 
 ers, or transporters, and shoemakers were headed respectively by 
 a captain. The Capitan de Plateros had charge of the sacred 
 vases, candelabras, and all decorations of the church. He direct- 
 ed the manufacture of the crosses and apple-headed canes already 
 mentioned, and was chief of all the gold, silver, and copper smiths. 
 Another ofiice belonging to the church was that of the Maestro de 
 Capilla, the master of the chapel. He had charge of the church- 
 choirs, taught music, singing, and dancing, instructed also in read- 
 ing, writing, and deciphering music, and had mainly under his 
 care the schools of the mission. 
 
 These are some of the offices established by the Jesuit fathers 
 to which we are led to refer as proof of the advanced civilization 
 they had been enabled here to introduce, and as affording an illus- 
 tration of the workings of their system. In fifty years from the 
 arrival of the sons of Loyola the scattered squads of Chiquitos 
 and other neighboring Indians had been formed into one and a 
 marked people, adopting a Christian mode of life and worshiping 
 in churches that rivaled the finest in Spanish America, indeed 
 often surpassing them in the costliness of their decorations. Writ- 
 ers do not hesitate to place these Indian towns in advance of the 
 Spanish.f Their manufactures were finer and better, the produce 
 of their lands superior and more abundant. The circulation of 
 money was dispensed with, as the Indians worked for the com- 
 munity and had in turn every want supplied. Dii laborihus om- 
 nia vendunt. Their treasury was annually filled, we read, with a 
 surplus of $60,000, all of which was lavished upon the churches, 
 the public buildings, and necessary mission improvements. 
 
 * D'Orbiguy, vol. iii., p. 45. t Id., Viedma, etc. 
 
THE CHIQUITOS LANGUAGE. 517 
 
 Painting and sculpture were not neglected. Marble statues by 
 Eoman sculptors found their way to the Chiquitos missions,* and 
 paintings of merit adorned the walls of the churches. The In- 
 dians themselves were highly skilled in the art of wood sculpture, 
 which chiefly supplied the place of stone. 
 
 "We can well wonder at this rapid change in the tide of the 
 Chiquitos' existence, and the future development of his capabil- 
 ities subjected to this religious government ; and we become deep- 
 ly impressed in favor of the latter, whatever Spanish writers may 
 regard as its ultimate tendency and aim. One of the many tri- 
 umphs of the Jesuit in this province should be especially record- 
 ed — a work worthy of his highest efforts, I refer to the language 
 of the country. A knowledge of the language spoken by the 
 tribe among whom the missionary proposes to establish himself is 
 certainly an essential acquirement. The Jesuits were thorough 
 linguists and understood many Indian dialects, but the most 
 famed polyglot among them might have stood aj)palled at the 
 unmeaning sounds that grated upon his ear on entering the terri- 
 tory of Chiquitos. Up to the latter part of the seventeenth cen- 
 tury thirteen languages as distinct as English and French were 
 there spoken — so trifling was the intercourse between the respect- 
 ive tribes. The Chiquitos tongue, however, was happily the most 
 universal ; the other twelve were each embraced in a compara- 
 tively narrow compass. To acquire all these bordered on an im- 
 possibility. They must be moulded into one ; there must be one 
 language for the whole Indian race to be settled into these west- 
 ern missions. This was the project the fathers had conceived, 
 and they adopted every means for its execution. Chiquitos In- 
 dians and instructors were largely disseminated among their neigh- 
 bors. They taught in their schools and conversed in none but 
 the Chiquitos language. Prayers were said in that tongue, and 
 in it also all business was transacted. Gradually, with time, these 
 efforts became successful. Every year added new affinities to the 
 varied patois. They are at present one and the same Chiquitos 
 language, and it is a living monument to the labors of the Jesuit, 
 rising above the meaner things writers would attribute to his 
 ambition and self-interest. 
 
 Yet all the wealth and splendor of Chiquitos were rivaled in 
 the more northern and marshy province of Moxos, notwithstand- 
 ing its sickly atmosphere and continuous subjection to riverine 
 
 * Vide D'Orbigny, Chiquitos, vol. iii. 
 
518 MOXOS MISSIONS. 
 
 inundations. Moxos was under the more direct supervision of 
 tlie Audience of Cliarcas. That body made several unsuccessful 
 attempts, toward the middle of the seventeenth century, to civil- 
 ize its inhospitable haunts. It was not until the year 1686 that 
 the foundations of a mission were here laid, called Loreto — the 
 name given, it will be remembered, to the most early of all these 
 missionary settlements, the ill-fated town that fell into the merci- 
 less hands of the Paulistas. This triumph was followed up by a 
 succession of similar acquisitions. Trinidad was standing in 1687, 
 San Ignacio in 4689, San Xavier in 1690, San Jose in 1691, San 
 Borjia in 1693, six reductions containing, according to Father 
 Equiluz, the historian of the Moxos missions, nearly 20,000 in- 
 habitants. Toward the period of the Jesuit expulsion eight oth- 
 ers* were added to this number. San Pedro was regarded as the 
 capital city, although in 1691 the population of Loreto was in- 
 creased to 4000 souls. 
 
 These Moxos missions were but a repetition of those of Chiqui- 
 tos. Both had their parcialidads and capiians, similar in every 
 respect. The Chiquitos reductions, though founded at a later 
 period generally than the Moxos, seem to have served as a model 
 for the latter, who, observing the excellence of their wood and 
 iron work, did not hesitate to derive every advantage from se- 
 curing Chiquitos workmen and imitating Chiquitos art. Cattle 
 were brought from Santa Cruz, tradesmen from Peru and Chiqui- 
 tos. Moxos had its cotton factories, its iron-works, and soon ex- 
 celled in various kinds of domestic manufacture. Its towns aver- 
 aged three thousand souls, with churches unsurpassed on this con- 
 tinent for their vast proportions and lavish expenditure in deco- 
 rations and votaries. The church of San Pedro alone contained 
 two thousand pounds of massive silver, and valuable works of 
 art.f 
 
 There was this difference between these two converted tribes, 
 that among the Moxos Indians there existed a social distinction 
 peculiarly defined. This, as we have seen, was studiously avoid- 
 ed in all the previous missionary establishments which have come 
 under our observation. There must be no rule but that of the 
 missionary, and, to render it the more absolute, there must be no 
 
 * San Pedro, Santa Anna, Exaltacion, Magdalena, Concepcion de Baures, San 
 Simon, Joaquim, and San Martin. 
 
 t D'Orbigny, vol. iii., p. 233. In this sum are not contained the offerings to 
 the Virgin. 
 
THE ABIPONES. 519 
 
 improved rank or grade among the natives. This perfect equal- 
 ity was a fundamental principle in both the Guayra and Parana 
 missions, and hence they were called Christian republics. Along 
 the Marmore and San Miguel, however, we find an aristocracy 
 and a commons as distinct as old Egyptian castes. The former 
 were called Las Familias^ the latter, very expressively. El Pueblo. 
 The families were the capitans and higher order of artisans, the 
 people composed the soldiery and lower class of laborers. The 
 superiority of the one was duly recognized over that of the other, 
 nor did the Jesuits seek to remove the line thus drawn between 
 the two classes of people. They were all religious enthusiasts, 
 submitting themselves cheerfully to self-torture and persecution 
 if chancing in any way to offend the Deity.* 
 
 Such was the Jesuit empire in part toward the period of its 
 fall. Now expanding with the march of civilization, now a bea- 
 con to this, it had known no decline. With a hundred arms it 
 swayed the native population of Santiago, Tucimian, the Parana, 
 the Uruguay, and Paraguay. Thence ascending the Paraguay 
 River, or skirting along the last slopes of the Andes, we have 
 seen Chiquitos and Moxos yielding with superstitious reverence 
 to its rule. We have traversed almost the whole basin of La 
 Plata, we have stej)ped beyond it, failing to discover any termi- 
 nus to this rehgious government. In the whole extent of this 
 portion of the continent there was scarcely a tribe that had not at 
 some period yielded to its genial influence, though not unfre- 
 quently this success proved a mere temporary check of barbarous 
 habits and customs, to fall back with merciless penalty upon the 
 authors of the good work. No tribe had been found more diffi- 
 cult of persuasion than the Abipones. 
 
 This race covered that portion of the Gran Chaco which lies 
 south of the Vermejo. They were among the most warlike and 
 ferocious Indians of the southern continent, exhibiting none of the 
 sedentary habits and docile manner of life which so fitted the Gua- 
 rani for Jesuit rule — a bold, equestrian people, roving and wander- 
 ing from place to place, and, like the Getulians, making that spot 
 their home where the night chanced to find them. Fond of war, 
 endlessly engaged in strife with their neighbors, and practiced in 
 the destructive use of their native weapons, they had preferred, 
 we are told, the enmity of the Spaniards to their friendship ; they 
 would rather excite their fears than their love — a sanguinary pref- 
 
 * D'Oibigny, vol. iii., p. 230. 
 
520 FATHER PASTOR. 
 
 erence which they had every opportunity of gratifying. The name 
 of Abipone became one of terror. Their plunderings, massacres, 
 and devastations have been recorded by a missionary who lived 
 long among them.* The people of Santa Fe considered at one 
 time the proposition of abandoning their city, so completely was 
 it at the mercy of these besiegers. Not until a peace concluded 
 in 1747 were Corrientes and the neighboring missions freed from 
 the same relentless pursuers. In the course of time every Indian 
 town and hamlet was swept from the country watered by the Sa- 
 lado, and the panic more than once spread to Santiago and Cor- 
 dova. Missionaries, since the days of St. Francis Solano, had suc- 
 ceeded in appeasing none of this revengeful, bloody, inhuman 
 spirit. Fears and anxieties were as much alive and as keenly felt 
 as they had been for ages back. 
 
 With the name of Solano are associated those of Barzana and 
 Anasco.f But their endeavors, whatever they may have been, 
 gave rise to few practical results. The Spanish population in the 
 country was not sufficient to daunt so vigorous and unyielding a 
 tribe as the Abipones. At a much later period these efforts were 
 renewed by Fathers Pastor and Cerqueira. Pastor advanced a 
 great distance into the heart of the Abiponian territory. For this 
 perilous mission he had yielded up the mastership of the college 
 of Santiago, probably feeling himself fitted for its difiiculties from 
 his indomitable energy and large experience among the native 
 tribes. From Matara, on the Salado, he passed into the Chaco, 
 and, before completing his journey, found himself close to the wa- 
 ters of the Yermejo. Meeting here a band of two hundred men, 
 he addressed them in the Tonocote language, and succeeded in 
 gaining their good wishes. 
 
 Caliguila was the name of the chief here encountered. He in- 
 vited the missionary to instruct his people. He further showed 
 his complete confidence in Pastor by extending to him the hberty 
 of erecting a church. But, true to his warlike instincts, he enter- 
 ed a provision that the young men should not be detained at long 
 prayers and tedious ceremonies, lest inactivity and sedentary hab- 
 its should damp their martial ardor and lessen their dexterity in the 
 use of arms ;:j: and, moreover, that they should be allowed to carry 
 their bows and arrows during the service of the Church. These 
 were Caliguila's only conditions. Pastor erected a huge cross, 
 as his first step, and dedicated the land to Christ. One by one he 
 
 * Dobrizhoffer, vol. iii. f Id., vol. iii., p. 103. J Id., vol. iii., p. 109. 
 
PASTOR'S LABORS. 521 
 
 led the Indians before the crucifix, and there made them kneel. 
 He explained and expounded, with unceasing enthusiasm ; party 
 after party, passing that way, joined his congregation. Solano's 
 spirit seemed to have descended upon him. To calm Abiponian 
 fury and in any wise subject it, was regarded as something super- 
 human. This Pastor did ; and, as an evidence of his extreme 
 good fortune, he found the quiet and leisure for arranging a vo- 
 cabulary of the native language. But, a century ago, the memory 
 of it alone survived.* He excited the reverence, and, to a certain 
 extent, the love of this newly -baptized people, though he some- 
 what failed to inspire the necessary fears of a dread evil spirit. 
 He, upon one occasion, as related by Dobrizhoffer, desired to bap- 
 tize an old female conjurer, who was about passing to another 
 world. She resolutely declined to submit. The father pictured to 
 her eternal joys on the one hand and eternal torments on the other. 
 He threatened her with the evil spirit and strove to bring to her 
 comprehension that her soul would perish unless she reformed 
 before passing from time to eternity. He was but httle heeded. 
 Laughing at his earnestness she replied that she had too long held 
 connection with the demon to think of fearing him now ; and so 
 she died. 
 
 Pastor, like St. Francis Solano, was prematurely recalled, though 
 his ultimate aim was to return with a number of fathers for the 
 purpose of missionizing the territory of the Abipones. According 
 to Father Sigano, he was sent to treat at Madrid and Rome in be- 
 half of his province. When about to sail with the desired number 
 of Jesuits, assembled from all parts of Europe, he was informed 
 that no foreign missionaries could enter Paraguay or the Plata 
 country, which makes the worthy father disappear. This prohi- 
 bition was revoked at a later period ; the reason of its origin can 
 be readily conceived. Fears of Jesuit independence were not 
 much regarded so long as Spanish missionaries governed the re- 
 ductions. But once intrusted to men from all quarters of the 
 globe, the Spanish monarch was alarmed that they might at some 
 time refuse allegiance to his crown, and acknowledge that author- 
 ity to which their local inclinations might lead them, or acknowl- 
 edge none at all. 
 
 A considerable space of time elapsed before any advantage was 
 taken of Pastor's successfal efforts in converting the Abipones. 
 Old feuds were revived. A fearless attack upon some Spanish 
 
 * Dobrizhoffer, vol. iii., p. 110. 
 
522 CHRISTOPHER ALMARAZ. 
 
 city was followed up bj an active pursuit of the offenders. There 
 seemed to be no preventive to the constant collision of the two 
 races. Upon one occasion a Spanish boy — Christopher Almaraz 
 — was taken captive by the natives and carried into the interior 
 of the country. Almaraz lived to be the founder of a mission. 
 He grew up among the savage Abipones and became a savage 
 himself in all their ways of life. The very fact of his origin 
 seemed to have rendered him the most hostile of his tribe toward 
 the white race. In many a plundering expedition and cold- 
 blooded massacre he was the foremost. He " was an Abipone in 
 the eyes of the Abipones themselves."* He became wedded to 
 an Indian woman. In an unsuccessfal defense against a strong 
 Spanish force this woman was taken prisoner and conducted to 
 Santiago. Almaraz's affections were strong ; he sought to recov- 
 er his wife. Shut up in that distant city he saw no hope of effect- 
 ing his object except by some peaceful means. He bethought 
 himself of founding a colony, that the many captives who had 
 been taken from them might be returned to their homes. For 
 this purpose he addressed himself to his cacique, Alaykin, and the 
 project met with his approbation. Almaraz offered himself as 
 negotiator in the matter. He reached Santiago in safety and his 
 petition was granted. The captured wife was returned and Con- 
 cepcion was built. Azara situates it upon a lake two hundred 
 miles from the Parana and about midway between the Vermejo 
 and Salado. Azara is good authority for all the Paraguay coun- 
 try, but Dobrizhoffer only can be here relied upon. He says it 
 was nine leagues from the Parana, sixty from Santa Fe, and one 
 hundred and seventy from Santiago. This position is easily de- 
 termined. Dobrizhoffer was at one time appointed to this mis- 
 sion, and states all the vicissitudes to which it was subjected. 
 Though Alaykin's authority was supreme, he proved false to his 
 promises and Jesuit interests by abandoning the reduction and 
 carrying off most of the cattle. Its present locality was to be de- 
 sired in every respect for its natural advantages, but the unfortu- 
 nate hostility and insubordination of the Indians compelled a 
 change. After a perilous journey to Santiago and back, Dobriz- 
 hoffer removed the mission to the Salado, but a want of fresh wa- 
 ter drove them from place to place until their final settlement on 
 the Eio Dulce. 
 
 There are three other important missions to be noted, St. Je- 
 
 * Dobrizhoffer, vol. iii., p. 213. 
 
MISSION OF THE ROSAKY. ' 52,3 
 
 ronymo, St. Ferdinando, and the Eosary. Father Hobezozo found- 
 ed the first of these. Dobrizhoffer places it on the northern bank 
 of the Kio Rey, ten leagues from Concepcion. St. Ferdinando 
 was established under the auspices of the Governor of Corrientes, 
 and situated across the river, opposite to that city. The founda- 
 tion of the Rosary took place in 1763. Dobrizhoffer, who was its 
 founder, has given its history minutely. He had no exalted ap- 
 preciation of his mission. He compares its inhabitants to the 
 generation of one thing from the corruption of another, to the 
 creation of "insects from putrid substances, because they were 
 already the outcasts of the Church and other ruined reductions." 
 He next finds fault with the name, and, with a poor jest, calls it 
 " the most thorny of all the colonies." The advent of the Rosary 
 among the sisterhood of missions was attended with more than 
 usual military effect. The known warlike habits of the Abipones 
 rendered this necessary. Four hundred soldiers accompanied the 
 governor and Dobrizhoffer in descending the river from Corrien- 
 tes. With extreme caution they landed every night on the left 
 bank of the river, until their final arrival at the proposed site of 
 the new mission. The governor was a brave man, but had learned 
 to live in no little fear of an Abipone. The most vigilant watches 
 day and night, a strong guard in continual attendance upon his 
 person, four pieces of cannon planted at the entrance to his house, 
 and " forty large muskets" within, could not calm his unstrung 
 nerves in the face of this Indian tribe about to embrace the Chris- 
 tian religion. If we can trust our author, who jokes at all his 
 movements, he took every fly for an enemy. At last a most pre- 
 cipitous and unlooked-for decampment of the whole force left 
 Dobrizhoffer alone in his glory. Some friendly Indians rushed 
 to the banks to wish the party farewell, but the rapid execution 
 of the governor's orders did not permit of this pleasure. 
 
 On the other hand Dobrizhoffer's equanimity was not for once 
 disturbed. With cross in hand, freely and undisturbed he made 
 his way among the Indians, counseled and commanded, and some- 
 times acted as mediator. Left alone in the power of the Abi- 
 pones, entirely isolated from the other missions, badly armed 
 against the desperate tribes that infested the neighborhood, with 
 the smoke of their fires curling in sight, it required no small 
 amount of fortitude to remain at his dangerous post. " Yet," says 
 he, " depending on the protection of the Almighty alone, I never 
 felt myself more secure." 
 
524 DOBRIZHOFFER. 
 
 While relating this Christian resignation to the perils of his sit- 
 uation, Dobrizhoffer does not omit to strongly depict its disadvan- 
 tages and its miseries. According to his account, never was such 
 mean provision made for the establishment of a mission ; and 
 the little he did possess was either scattered or stolen. The en- 
 mity of neighboring Indians did not permit of the enjoyment of 
 the least quiet to the Eosary. Macobios and Tobas made sudden 
 and frequent descents upon the defenseless village to plunder it 
 of horses and cattle, if not to massacre the inhabitants. Sleep- 
 less nights and harassing cares preyed upon the disconsolate fa- 
 ther, whom long experience alone among the savages could have 
 nerved to such endurance. A successful expedition of Spanish 
 horsemen against the Tobas Indians brought upon his reduc- 
 tion the final revenge of the latter. In due time six hundred 
 mounted Tobas surrounded the mission ; but, after a doubtful 
 struggle, they retreated with whatever booty had chanced to faU 
 into their possession. Dobrizhoffer, upon this occasion, was se- 
 verely wounded by an arrow. The discharge of his arms had 
 thrown the enemy into a panic, without waiting to experience to 
 any degree their deadly effect. The father faithfully fulfilled his 
 many and arduous duties; long years had he devoted to this 
 little-remunerative cause, and there was no sacrifice to which he 
 had not cheerfully submitted. He was a type of the stern and 
 unflinching qualities of the Jesuit missionary. At the same time 
 he was no stranger to learning or literature and the amenities of 
 life, notwithstanding eighteen years' stay among the Abipones. 
 On his return to Vienna the Empress Queen Maria Theresa often 
 engaged his company in " discourse both pleasurable and sage." 
 And here it was that 
 
 " He the years of his old age employed, 
 A faithful chronicler, in handing down 
 Names which he loved and things well worthy to be known." 
 
 Southey has still farther thus preserved his name : 
 
 " He was a man of rarest qualities, 
 Who to this barbarous age had confined 
 A spirit with the learned and the wise 
 Worthy to take its place, and from mankind 
 Receive their homage, to the immortal mind 
 Paid in its just inheritance of fame : 
 But he to humbler thoughts his heart inclined. 
 From Gratz, amid the Styrian hills, he came, 
 And Dobrizhoffer was the good man's name." 
 
\ 
 
 MISSIONS IN PATAGONIA. 525 
 
 A remote region still remained open to Jesuit enterprise and 
 adventure. The discoverers of many an unknown land, from Af- 
 rica to China, and from China to Peru and Paraguay, the fathers 
 were planning anew, in the middle of the last century, an expedi- 
 tion destined to extend into the desert promontory of Patagonia. 
 The Spanish government l)eing at the same time anxious to ex- 
 plore its coast, a joint party left Buenos Ay res in 1745, during 
 the reign of Philip V. The Jesuits attending the expedition were 
 Fathers Quiraga, Cardiel, and Strobl. The Straits of Magellan 
 were reached by them. They probably made a faithful survey 
 of the coast, its harbors and advantages ; but on returning bronght 
 reports of a cold, bleak, barren, and unpopulated country. The 
 three missionaries landed upon several occasions and undertook 
 journeys into the interior, but scarcely met with a sign of life or 
 living creature. This failure had only the effect of awakening 
 new energies in the Patagonian cause. 
 
 The town of Concepcion had already been built, and its prospects 
 satisfied every expectation. It was situated among the Pampas 
 Indians, who cover that extensive region to the south of Buenos 
 Ayres, and served as a midway point and barrier for the city 
 against the hordes that infested that district of country. Father 
 Strobl, an Austrian, and Querini, a Venetian of noble family, 
 were chosen to take it in charge. By gentle rule and indulgent 
 treatment they gained over to their spiritual government many of 
 the Patagonian Indians who came to visit the settlement. Dis- 
 covering the peculiar benefits that might arise from an establish- 
 ment of this character in their own midst, they did not hesitate to 
 make expressions of a desire that the fathers should visit their 
 country and there build towns. This proposition was embraced 
 with avidity. Fathers Falconer and Cardiel undertook m 1746 to 
 satisfy the spiritual cravings of the suj^posed giant Patagonians.* 
 Traveling some distance southwest, they first " felt the pulse of 
 the people," according to Dobrizhoflfer. Settling in a favorable 
 location they founded a mission, to which was given the name of 
 Nuestra Senora del Pilar. Shortly afterward the erection of an- 
 other took place in the same neighborhood. It was called Nuest'ra 
 Senora de los Desamparados, but why its inhabitants were termed 
 deserters it is not easy to conceive. And, in addition to these, 
 many others would have followed in quick succession, until they 
 overlooked the Straits of Magellan, had not a certain cacique come 
 
 * DobrizhofFer did not find them of remarkable stature. 
 
526 MISSIONS ABANDONED. 
 
 finally to tlie reasonable conclusion that his territory and his power 
 were being alike too rapidly encroached upon. Cangapol was the 
 great cacique. He planned a dark conspiracy against the few and 
 defenseless missions that lay wathin his reach. Gathering around 
 him all his warriors and such as were willing to follow him to 
 battle, he led them to a murderous assault of the Eeduction de 
 los Desamparados. Emboldened by unlooked-for success in this 
 quarter, he pushed on to the next mission and compelled it to 
 share a similar fate. Though all his preparations and movements 
 had been anticipated by Father Strobl — who made the most earnest 
 entreaties to Buenos Ayres for mihtary succor, yet only to suffer 
 a sad disappointment in the reception of any such — his advance 
 upon Concepcion was not in the least impeded. And so, ravag- 
 ing the country, he approached this flourishing mission. The fa- 
 thers were without difficulty driven from this their last retreat, 
 and Cangapol resumed his sway. The abandonment of Concep- 
 cion in 1753 was not long in being followed up by the total ex- 
 pulsion of the Jesuit order from Spanish and Portuguese territories. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Stability of the Christian Church. — Contest for the Governorship of Asuacion. — 
 Antequera. — Expulsion of the Jesuits. — Defeat of Don Balthazar Garcia Rosas. — 
 Zavala. — Flight of Antequera, his Arrest and Execution. — Appointment of Don 
 John de Barua. — Return of the Jesuits. — Rebellion in Paraguay. — Communeros 
 and Contrabandos. — APresident. — Another Expulsion of the Jesuits. — Don Man- 
 uel de Ruiloba, Governor of Asuncion. — A Defender. — Zavala enters Asuncion. 
 — Contest at the Court of Madrid. — Triumph of the Jesuits. — Their exclusive 
 Policy. — Suspicions revived. — The Contest renewed. — Sebastian Carvalho, Mar- 
 quis of Pombal. — The boundary Line. — Attempt to assassinate King Joseph. — 
 Expulsion of the Order from Portugal and France. — Squillaci. — Charles III. — 
 Aranda. — The Jesuits driven from Spain. — A Cruise at Sea. — Final Landing at 
 Corsica. — Letter of the Pope. — Bucareli. — Viceroy of Buenos Ayres, his Mes- 
 sengers and Dispatches. — Plans thwarted. — Sudden Arrest of the Fathers. — 
 Destruction of the Cordova Library. — Memorial of the Indians in behalf of the 
 Order. — Alarms of the Viceroy. — Expedition against the Parana and Uruguay 
 Reductions. — The Fathers shipped for Europe. — Fate of the Missions. 
 
 We left the Jesuits in favor and in power at Asuncion, their 
 missions along the Parana and Uruguay victorious at last in their 
 bloody strifes with the Mamelucos, and in the enjoyment of a 
 peace that promised to be enduring. The seventeenth century 
 glided out with nothing to disturb the calm of their existence. 
 
THE JESUITS IN LA PLATA. 527 
 
 A rigid observance of each, day's routine faltered not for a mo- 
 ment. Fathers passed away and their posts were filled as if 
 the vacancies had never taken place, so semblant were they in 
 life, thought, and action. No one Jesuit differed from another. 
 Nearly the whole Indian population east of the Paraguay was 
 now included within the reductions, lay and Jesuitic, and the 
 Christian republic had grown into an imposing fabric. The ris- 
 ing generation of Indians, impressed with a profound sense of 
 gratitude for the temporal and spiritual benefits to which Jesuit 
 teaching had advanced them, contemplated, without doubt, its 
 permanency. Time had perfected that peculiar development to 
 which the missionary desired to bring the Indian mmd. The 
 system was complete and matured after passing through the 
 ordeal of a century's trial, and commanded the admiration as 
 well as the restless attention of the world. We meet with no 
 serious revulsion until the year 1723 ; it is then that old wran- 
 glings are renewed, and we trace them as usual to a dispute for 
 the governorship or the exercise of power. Don Joseph de An- 
 tequera and Don Diego de los Eeyes are the contending parties. 
 The Jesuits, seemingly unable as ever to keep aloof from these 
 disturbances, are either forced or enter voluntarily into the con- 
 test, so that they soon find themselves engaged in entanglements 
 and perplexities from which the experience gained in the past 
 career of Don Bernardin de Cardenas should have saved them. 
 Don Diego, whose cause seems to have been just, found sympathy 
 among the fathers. Each champion had his claims, the merit 
 thereof, however, effecting little against him who could best wield 
 his sword and best pay his followers. Antequera had this good 
 fortune. He attempted, though unsuccessfully, to seize upon his 
 opponent's person in Asuncion, and then pursued him through 
 every reduction by which the fugitive successively passed ; but 
 the faithful Indians baffled his every step. In return for the 
 fruitlessness of this expedition, he vented his angry spirit against 
 the Jesuits of the city, believing that he discovered in them a very 
 serious obstacle to his ambitious designs. "He determined upon 
 their expulsion from Asuncion ; three hours' notice was regarded 
 by some as too much for the victims ; but the governor, in his 
 clemency, insisted on this point. In three hours, therefore, the 
 order was once more driven from the capital, not with the violence 
 applied upon a former occasion, but with equal certainty of their 
 departure. 
 
528 ANTEQUERA. 
 
 Antequera was a bold and intractable character. Positive in- 
 structions from the viceroy bad been most unpardonablj disre- 
 garded by bim, and orders to lay down bis power as Governor of 
 Asuncion met with sovereign contempt. Confidently trusting in 
 the support be found immediately around bim, be drew upon him- 
 self the ultima ratio of force. Don Balthazar Garcia Kosas, ap- 
 pointed by the Viceroy of Peru to the duty of quelhng the rebel- 
 lion in Paraguay and removing its present chief magistrate, as- 
 sembled for tjiis purpose a Spanish force and several thousand 
 reduction Indians. With these he quietly crossed the Tibiquari, 
 when, suddenly meeting Antequera at the head of three thousand 
 men, he was completely routed and forced back into the mission 
 territory. The victorious governor next proceeded to inflict sum- 
 mary punishment upon the missionaries and T;heir reductions. 
 He began the work of destruction by attacking several of the 
 towns in the neighborhood of the city, when he was checked by 
 the report that five thousand natives were advancing upon him, 
 and wisely retreated to Asuncion, as his force was mconsiderable. 
 The Guarani were no longer the ill-clad, unarmed, unwarlike, 
 persecuted natives of former days. Now organized into well- 
 trained, well-armed bodies, and led by not unskillful ofiicers, it 
 required consideration before engaging under the disadvantage 
 of such great numerical inferiority. 
 
 The governor was as resolved as ever, notwithstanding this lit- 
 tle reverse, in his purpose of opposing any force sent against bim, 
 and the triumphal greetings that awaited him on his return to 
 Asuncion still farther excited his ambition. Great was the sur- 
 prise when the news of these events reached Lima. The Jesuits 
 banished, Don Balthazar beaten, and Paraguay in open rebellion : 
 here was a rapid succession of difficulties that fell with the force 
 of a united blow upon the Audience of Charcas and the viceroy. 
 Orders were immediately forwarded to Zavala, Governor of Bue- 
 nos Ayres, to march upon Asuncion, seize Antequera, and punish 
 the rebels accordingly as they deserved. 
 
 Zavala left Buenos Ayres in January of 1725, and entered 
 Asuncion in April of the same year. Antequera and' bis accom- 
 plices had taken the safe course of -^abandoning the city in good 
 time, so that every thing was peaceably secured. By by-roads 
 and almost alone the ex-governor found his way to Cordova, 
 where he shortly learned that a price had been set upon bis per- 
 son by the Audience of Charcas. He proceeded secretly to La 
 
DEATH OF ANTEQUERA. 529 
 
 Plata, was arrested, brouglit before the Audience, found guilty, 
 and after a short imprisonment dispatched under guard to Lima, 
 where he was closely confined. The viceroy, the Marquis del 
 Fuerte, anxious to rid himself of the responsibility of bringing his 
 prisoner to trial, wrote to Spain that he might be conveyed thith- 
 er. The king, however, commanded that he should be tried 
 where he was, and if found guilty executed as a rebel, Ante- 
 quera was consequently brought before the Audience of Lima. 
 Ris trial, lasting several years, excited much interest ; the charges 
 against him were gross and undeniable, but he had the cheering 
 sympathies of the people. A commissioner was dispatched to 
 Asuncion to secure all possible evidence either in his favor or 
 against him, and this evidence sealed the fate of the unfortunate 
 governor. He was found guilty of high treason by the Audience, 
 and was sentenced to be taken from prison clothed in a cloak and 
 hood, placed upon a horse caparisoned in black, and, preceded by 
 a herald, whose duty it was to proclaim the crimes of which the 
 condemned had been convicted, to be thus conducted to the great 
 square, there to be executed on a scaffold by the side of a lower 
 one on which his accomphce, Don John de Mena, was to be stran- 
 gled,* 
 
 This announcement roused the people of Lima, The condemn- 
 ed rebel, on leaving his prison on the 5th of July, 1731, found 
 himself surrounded by a devoted and enthusiastic populace, mad- 
 dened at the sentence that had been passed upon him. They 
 thronged the streets, the balconies, and windows. Cries of " Mer- 
 cy ! mercy !" were mingled with the more threatening sounds of 
 " Injustice ! injustice !" The herald, in the midst of the tumult, 
 delivered his proclamation, but it produced no effect. Even the" 
 appearance of a body of soldiers and horsemen failed to appease the 
 tumult. There were fears of the prisoner being released, when 
 the viceroy, attended by a guard, rode to the spot; his presence 
 only infuriated the people the more. He retorted fiercely by an 
 order to fire upon the prisoner. Antequera fell dead, and it was 
 supposed that the two friars who attended him perished similarly 
 by the volley. In regard to this Charlevoix introduces a remark 
 rather singular for its uningenuity: "Two of the religious who 
 assisted the criminal might have fallen (from their horses) through 
 fear, and been afterward trampled to death." Antequera's body 
 was placed upon the scaffold and his head dissevered. More than 
 
 * Charlevoix, book ii., p. 260. 
 
 34 
 
530 KETUEN OF THE JESUITS. 
 
 once he had rebelled against the highest authority in Spanish 
 America, and according to the laws of the day, met with a de- 
 serving fate ; but it would be difficult to discover any thing more 
 reprehensible in his conduct than in that of Bishop Cardenas. 
 Both had neglected the viceroy's orders, and opposed those sent 
 to enforce them ; both had expelled the Jesuits. Cardenas, in- 
 deed, was less considerate than Antequera, for he seized upon 
 both the temporal and the spiritual power of the province. The 
 governor paid the penalty with his head ; the bishop was even 
 honored by the Pope with a removal of the censures that had 
 been at first imposed upon him. 
 
 Zavala did not remain longer at Asuncion than was necessary 
 for the purpose of appointing a governor : his choice fell upon 
 Don John de Barua. 
 
 A marked policy is observable in the course of every Governor 
 of Asuncion — to favor the Jesuits or oppose them. The sequel 
 to the many contests for governorship was either ill treatment of 
 the order and their expulsion from the city, or a still greater en- 
 largement of their power. One commotion confiscated all their 
 property and reduced them to beggary, the next gave them com- 
 plete control over the affairs of the province. We might suppose 
 that the flight of Antequera would be followed by their restora- 
 tion ; but the disposition of Barua toward them was not friendly, 
 and he avoided, as best he could, the viceroy's instructions to that 
 effect, until a more peremptory command put an end to his inde- 
 cision. The Jesuits must return to Asuncion, and with all the 
 honors and marks of respect due to that distinguished order. It 
 was in accordance with these instructions that, in March of 1728, 
 the whole military force of Asuncion was drilled early in the 
 morning of the 18th, and marched out of the city, followed by the 
 governor, bishop, the chief officers of the government, and an at- 
 tendant cavalcade of horsemen, on their way to welcome the fa- 
 thers, at a distance of twelve miles, and escort them back to their 
 college. The two parties re-entered the city under salutes ; and 
 prayers and Te Deums completed the excitement of the day. 
 
 We pass rapidly from this act of peace to another of trouble. 
 The people of Paraguay were growing each day more restless. 
 We begin already to discover, at the end of a long succession of tu- 
 mults and popular commotions, faintly depicted, a future attempt 
 to doff the control of a power beyond the Paraguay and Parana. 
 In 1730 matters were brought to a chmax. Barua's governorship 
 
COMMUNEKOS AND CONTRABANDOS. 531 
 
 was only intended to be temporary, and his removal was followed 
 by the appointment of D. Ignatius Saroeta. The new governor 
 met with open opposition in the city, and hopelessly abandoned 
 it after a very short visit. A declared rebellion rose throughout 
 the country ; the will of the people was overtly preached to be 
 paramount to that of the king; they must have a ruler suited 
 to their own views. Two parties, Communeros and Contrahandos^ 
 the former for the people, the latter for the king, now distracted 
 the country with their opposing arms. Barua, in the mean time, 
 thought it best to " be not too bold." Wily enough to publicly 
 reprimand the disturbers of the peace, he adopted a very different 
 tone in his private intercourse with them, and secretly seconded 
 all their measures so long as they did not directly aim at the es- 
 tablishment of an independent power. Brought to this point, he 
 hesitated, and being unwilling to endanger his life by such ex- 
 treme action, he took the safe course of resigning. 
 
 After deposing all the king's ofl6.cers, and throwing many into 
 prison, the Communeros bethought themselves of some head to 
 their government. A junta was formed, and, having grown some- 
 what weary of the title of governor, a president was chosen to 
 preside over that body. The first-elected chief was Don -Josef 
 Lewis de Barreyro, who, having shown himself to incline to the 
 Contrabandos and the service of the king, was speedily disposed 
 of, that a stauncher republican might be put in his place. A wild 
 ferment followed the news of Antequera's death, which was re- 
 ceived about this time. - If Antequera were a rebel, so were all 
 the actors in the present movement rebels ; they, too, if captured, 
 must necessarily perish on the scaffold, and with this fear they 
 grew strong in their rebellion. This feeling foreshadowed an- 
 other attack upon the Jesuits. Antequera was the arch-enemy 
 of Loyola's order, so the Communeros also became violent in their 
 opposition, and quickly decided upon their expulsion. In 1732 
 the college was attacked, its inmates driven out and the building 
 pillaged. Once more the fathers mournfully plodded their weary 
 way to the nearest missions. 
 
 Soon an alarm spread to the reductions that those nearest to 
 Asuncion were in danger. They presented at this period quite a 
 belhcose aspect, for the fathers had kept in the field for some time 
 past a standing army of several thousand natives, in daily ex- 
 pectation of coming in contact with the Communeros. As a 
 guard to the frontier missions, seven thousand men were sta- 
 
532 NEW TROUBLES. 
 
 tioned on tlie Tibiquari, prepared for any emergency. They 
 were well armed, well equiped, and sufficiently experienced to 
 render them not a little formidable. But the appointment of Don 
 Manuel de Kuiloba to the governorship of Asuncion somewhat 
 abated this military uproar and painful suspense. Well aware, 
 however, that he would require considerable force to establish his 
 authority, or even enter that volcanic city, he sought successfully 
 this assistance among the Jesuit missions, and on the banks of the 
 Aguapay found encamped a large and well-organized body of In- 
 dians ready to act at his command. First, and wisely, making 
 overtures to the rebel authorities, with the hope of settling the dis- 
 pute in a peaceable manner, he was met by them at the Tibiquari, 
 and to his great astonishment received assurances of their willing 
 obedience. 
 
 A few days' journey brought him to the capital, where he took 
 up his residence in the governor's house ; but from that moment 
 affairs presented a different aspect. In an attempt to disband the 
 Communeros and quench the independent spirit of parties that 
 raged throughout the city, he was most hopelessly foiled ; resist- 
 ed, too, in other measures, abandoned by those in whom he had 
 been led to place the greatest confidence at the most critical mo- 
 ment, his gubernatorial existence soon drew to a close. 
 
 The removal of the Junta, or General Junta, was the work of 
 a day ; the title of President being changed to that of Defender. 
 Grown bolder than ever, the Communeros essayed to bring the 
 ■king's party to terms by a sweeping confiscation of all their prop- 
 erty ; they then proceeded to inflict a similar punishment upon 
 the Jesuits. Finally, in order to have the fathers and their mis- 
 sions at a safer distance, they forced the Defender to sign an edict 
 which imposed upon the Jesuits the obligation of removing all 
 their reductions to the other side of the river. The people of 
 Asuncion, too obstinate to retreat, looked forward with uncon- 
 cerned boldness to an open rupture with the king's force, and 
 Zavala was not slow in making them feel its power. His many 
 years of faithful services had been lately rewarded by an appoint- 
 ment to the presidency of Charcas, but before entering upon his 
 new duties he proceeded to restore peace and order in this long- 
 troubled and disordered province. He was clement where clem- 
 ency could be of avail ; but upon this occasion saw that severe 
 and forcible measures alone would enable him to accomplish his 
 object. Strong garrisons were placed along the frontier of Para- 
 
INTRIGUES IN SPAIN. 533 
 
 guay, in addition to a considerable force stationed on the Tibiqua- 
 ri, the Eubicon that had so often separated the rebels of Asuncion 
 from the king's good subjects of Buenos Ay res and the missions. 
 
 The Communeros made a desperate effort to raise an adequate 
 opposing force. Scouring the country they forced Indians and 
 Spaniards alike to take up arms; the jails were opened that their 
 inmates might be enlisted into the new army, but all to no pur- 
 pose. Neither in numbers or efiiciency could they match with 
 the cautious governor of Buenos Ayres. In every fight and skir- 
 mish they were unsuccessful. Zavala entered the city in triumph. 
 It would seem needless to add that the Jesuits, amid Te Deums 
 and church celebrations, returned to their college, which, strange 
 to say, escaped the general demolition of property. 
 
 Finally, after passing through this ordeal of trials and adver- 
 sities, of a triumph here and a defeat there, the gladdening beams 
 of good fortune shone once more upon the Jesuits and their mis- 
 sions. Their usually well cultivated fields, neglected during those 
 two or three years of alarm and contest with the Communeros, 
 waved and bloomed as ever. The natives, long drilled to arms 
 and kept on the alert, returned to their more peaceful occupations, 
 and never had they appeared to enjoy greater security from with- 
 out or within. But the enemy had only changed his field of ac- 
 tion. Baffled in Paraguay and driven from Asuncion, the nest of 
 factious disturbances, they had recourse to a more subtle mode of 
 procedure at the court of Madrid. The seed of Jesuit influence 
 and power, which, in the middle of the sixteenth century, had been 
 planted in Spanish America, was now the expanded and over- 
 shadowing growth of a century, nipped, it is true, from time to 
 time, by the frosts of Spanish jealousy, or stunted by the inhuman 
 depredations of Portuguese bandits, but alive and strong withal. 
 That independence and isolation from outside social intercourse 
 as well as government control which successive Spanish monarchs 
 had sanctioned and decreed rendered the Jesuits, in their missions 
 at least, safe from any force that could be brought against them 
 on this side of the waters. To strike then at the very root of the 
 institution it was necessary to poison the king's ear, the only su- 
 preme authority recognized by the Paraguay missions. The order 
 bore the burden of too long a catalogue of enemies to escape the 
 defamatory pamphlets and libelous writings, under every form, 
 that soon swarmed throughout the continent, but particularly in 
 Spain. Men who had httle or no knowledge of the state and con- 
 
534 LETTER OF PHILIP V. 
 
 dition of the missionary reductions, dotted down tlie grossest 
 misrepresentations. Jesuit ambition, Jesuit aspirations, Jesuit dis- 
 loyalty and dishonesty were penned in every shape in all the con- 
 ceits of language. As David said of himself, it was not one sin 
 they had committed, but they were " shapen in iniquity." It 
 would be dangerous to the Spanish empire to allow the existence 
 of so continually spreading and grasping an independency. The 
 establishment of a hierocracy upon the American continent was 
 contemplated with horror and alarm. Essays, poems, petitions, 
 and letters inflamed all minds for the contest. The Jesuits must 
 be removed to avert the like startling prospects that were fore- 
 shadowed in a thousand forms. Barua played an important part 
 in this literary drama. He wrote much in favor of the anti- Jes- 
 uit party, but was ably answered by Father D'Aguilar — a defense* 
 that met with the approbation of Philip V., who evinced neither 
 enmity for nor fear of the Jesuits. He was unmoved by the viru- 
 lent antagonism of many in high authority, and, as a manifestation 
 of kindly feelings for the missionaries and his Indian subjects, took 
 occasion to write them a most approving letter. The following 
 occurs in it : 
 
 " In fine, as it is easy to see by all the pieces already referred 
 to, and by other ancient and modern papers which have been ex- 
 amined in my council with all the attention an affair of this im- 
 portance required, that I have not in any part of my dominions 
 vassals who better acknowledge my sovereignty, the duties of the 
 vassalage due to me and my royal patronage, or among whom civil 
 and ecclesiastical jurisdiction is better established, as evidently ap- 
 pears by the continual visits of bishops and governors ; or who 
 pay a blinder obedience to my orders * * * * I have re- 
 solved to address a schedule to the Provincial to let him know 
 what pleasure it gives me to see the calumnies and impostures of 
 Aldimate and Barua refuted by so many justifications," etc.f- 
 
 Thus, the attacks of their enemies in Spain had, so far, availed 
 nothing against them. In the year 1743 the missions were in the 
 enjoyment of unparalleled prosperity and power. Jesuit suprem- 
 
 * Vol. ii., book 13. This defense of Father D'Aguilar fell into the hands of Don 
 Cajetan Buonconipagni, Duke of Sota, a Neapolitan, and was carried by him to 
 Italy. He presented it to Muratori, and thus gave rise to a work from that famous 
 antiquarian chronicler entitled, "II Christianesimo felice nelle missioni, des padri 
 della compagnia de Jesu nel Paraguay."— Charlevoix, vol. ii., p. 335. 
 
 t Charlevoix, vol. ii., p. 360-1. The translatioji of Charlevoix's important work 
 is by no means an elegant one. 
 
STATISTICS OF THE MISSIONS. 535 
 
 acy was firmly established in South America and recognized by 
 the world. With the right, they were otherwise quite competent 
 to hold this sway ; they were perfectly indej)endent in possessing 
 every species of manufacture or produce which might be of use or 
 necessity to the reductions, and they were enabled to adopt such 
 exclusive policy as would best serve their own interests. They 
 availed themselves of this advantage, as we shall now see. 
 
 We have, from several authorities,* statistics of the population 
 of the missions from 1730 to 1740. That of the missions of the 
 Parana and Uruguay amounted to 140,000 Christian souls. The 
 population of the Chiquitos reductions was estimated at 24,000. 
 Others among the Abipones, the Pampas Indians of Patagonia, 
 and in the Province of Tarija, added 6000, if not more, to this 
 number. Don Joseph de Peralto, Bishop of Buenos Ayres, tells 
 us that they could raise an army of from twelve to fourteen thou- 
 sand men, provided with horses, arms, and ammunition, ready to 
 act at any time and in any service. Nearly that number had been 
 for a long time kept on a war footing, as we have seen, on account 
 of the fears the Communeros inspired. The Tibiquari and the 
 frontier had been for years more or less vigilantly guarded. There 
 was, consequently, little ingress or egress into or from the mission 
 territory ; indeed, visits to the reductions were almost entirely 
 suspended in consequence of the dangers that menaced them. 
 That is the tone of Jesuit writings ; but Azara pretends to have 
 obtained a farther insight into the state of the country. 
 
 According to him there resounded throughout the missions a 
 louder din of warlike preparation. Upon every road ditches were 
 dug and strong palisades erected to prevent any, unprovided with 
 a special permit, from passing in or out. The whole boundary of 
 Missiones was girt with these defenses ; while at the entrance to 
 each town a gate and a guard obstructed all unlawful passage. 
 The natives were not allowed to pass from one reduction to an- 
 other, unless in carrying orders or performing some special duty : 
 the most restricted intercourse was enforced. At the same time, 
 not only were Spanish merchants and other interested persons 
 forbidden entrance into this sacred land, bift requests from bish- 
 ops and governors to visit it repeatedly declined. Antequera sub- 
 mitted this charge against the Jesuits when on his trial, and it had 
 its weight : at present there was no doubt of it. Moreover, the 
 missionaries had been of late providing themselves with an unu- 
 
 * Dobrizhoffcr, Aguilar, Charlevoix, etc., etc. 
 
536 DECLINE OF THE JESUITS. 
 
 sual supply of field-pieces, muskets, and ammunition, for defense, 
 it was said, against hostile Indians.* These movements revived 
 the old suspicions of a desire to establish an independent power. 
 The tale was again wafted across the Atlantic ; the strife was re- 
 newed at the court of Madrid, but this time with very different 
 success. Father Eobago, confessor to the king, writes to his 
 brothers in South America "that the complaints received against 
 them at the court were so numerous and of so grave a character 
 that he had found it impossible to prevent the effect they pro- 
 duced, although he had the king, whose confessor he was, at his 
 complete control, "f 
 
 But neither Spain, France, nor Austria were destined to be the 
 first and chief instigators toward active and violent measures 
 against the Jesuit order. Its influence had diminished beyond a 
 hope of recovery at the respective courts of each of those nations ; 
 but an initiatory movement for expelling Loyola's sons, or entire- 
 ly suppressing the institution, appalled the boldest. It was Portu- 
 gal that first gave birth to a man of sufficient nerve to take a step 
 beyond the writing of " Provinciales" — to strangle the victim with 
 iron grip, and not torture it to a slow and lingering death. Se- 
 bastian Carvalho, Marquis of Pombal, with all his cruelty, vindic- 
 tiveness, jealousy, avarice, and ambition, had the courage, the pa- 
 tience, the energy, the subtlety, and combination of talent requisite 
 for a project so unprecedented, and, to all appearances, fraught 
 with such perils. After his return from a mission to London he 
 was sent to Vienna to settle, if possible, the difficulties that had 
 arisen between Maria Theresa and the Pope with regard to the 
 patriarchate of Aquilejia. " Here," says Cardinal Pacca, " in the 
 focus of Protestantism, he learned to hate the Church and the re- 
 ligious order." Whether or not he imbibed at the court of Vien- 
 na the antipathies or prejudices that there prevailed, he was in no 
 wise actuated by them alone. For two centuries had the Jesuits 
 governed Portugal. From the time they entered the country 
 they instructed at the University of Coimbra, drew up the tariff- 
 bills, presided in the king's council, and established inquisitions 
 on the ruins of older ones : and though they may have carried the 
 
 * Azara, vol. ii., chap, xiii., French edition. Don Antonio d'TJlIoa mentions 
 none of the facts here gathered from Azara. He has, however, omitted many oth- 
 er interesting and important details, so that credit may be given to this account of 
 Azara, as he had every means of acquiring correct information. 
 
 t Azara, vol. ii., chap, xiii., p. 217. 
 
EXPULSION FROM PORTUGAL. 537 
 
 Portuguese name into the heart of China, Portugal declined under 
 their rule. Pombal had observed and studied their institution 
 and sifted their measures. He owed his rise and place to the 
 Jesuits ; so that, when he turned against them, it was policy, and 
 not personal feeling, that dictated the course. He thought he saw 
 in their removal the revival of Portugal's energies, the opening of 
 her long-closed channels. Pombal was king in all but name ; he 
 needed but the necessary pretexts to make the move that agitated 
 all Europe and extended to the western hemisphere. His first 
 pretext for assuming this defiant attitude toward Rome arose from 
 an incident that transpired on this side of the Atlantic. The bound- 
 ary between the Spanish and Portuguese possessions in South 
 America had never been well defined. Disputes had on several 
 occasions arisen as to its course ; but in 1751 the two nations came 
 to a mutual understanding ; the long-disputed colony of Nova 
 Colonia was to be retained by Spain, and the Uruguay missions 
 in return attached to Brazil. Commissioners were sent out to ar- 
 range the matter satisfactorily, but soon found that their decision, 
 unaccompanied by the sanction of the missionaries, had been too 
 hastily made. Indeed, the Jesuits most peremptorily declined sub- 
 mitting to any such bartering, in which their interests were so great- 
 ly concerned and so liable to injury. JSTothing, then, was effected, 
 since the boundary line was disputed by the missions. Pombal 
 seized upon this opportunity to represent the fathers in an odious 
 light at the Pontifical See, and to threaten them for their disobedi- 
 ence. He did not wait long for the consummation of his design 
 against them. The unsuccessful attempt to assassinate King Jo- 
 seph, a few years afterward, in which the Jesuits were found to be 
 implicated, sealed the fate of Loyola's order in Portugal. In 1759 
 the marquis addressed Clement XIII. a letter to inform him that 
 the Portuguese government had decided upon the total expulsion 
 of the Jesuits from the country, and, without waiting for an answer 
 from his Holiness, most precipitately landed them at Civita Vec- 
 chia — an expensive donation to the Church. 
 
 Pombal immediately entered into negotiation with all the Eu- 
 ropean courts. France was the first to follow in his footsteps. 
 Choiseul, however, had an aversion for the Portuguese minister, 
 and probably did not lead Louis XV., as usual, in this matter. 
 On the contrary, in his correspondence he says : " Your Majesty 
 knows well, although it has been said I have labored for the ex- 
 pulsion of the Jesuits, that neither at home or abroad, in pubhc 
 
538 FRANCE AND SPAIN. 
 
 or private life, have I ever taken any steps to effect this object."* 
 Could an original idea have emanated from the bram of the French 
 monarch ? Was the expulsion of the Jesuits his own decree ? It 
 is most probable that he acted under the influence and at the in- 
 stance of Madame de Pompadour, who, it will be remembered, 
 found, more than once, difficulty in obtaining a Jesuit confessor so 
 long as she should remain in the king's household. It was in 
 1764 that this suppression took place throughout France. Louis 
 pronounced an obituary notice, which has been recorded. It 
 would have been gratifying to him to have seen Father Perisseau 
 made an abbot ! Choiseul, who, after this event, thought it best 
 that the Jesuits should exist in France or not exist at all — sint 
 ut sunt^ aut non sint — was the first to move in the secularization 
 of the whole body. But it is in Spain and the Spanish monarch 
 that we are most concerned. 
 
 Charles III. occupied at this time the Spanish throne. On his 
 removal from Naples he caused Squillaci, a Neapolitan, to ac- 
 company him, and soon elevated this favorite to the post of prime 
 minister. Squillaci, however, was not popular ; he succeeded only 
 in making himself odious to the Spaniards. Arrogant and over- 
 bearing, he failed entirely to conciliate the high-spirited and ill- 
 brooking people he was called upon to govern. His attempt to 
 suppress the fashion of flapped hats and long cloaks, so prevalent 
 at that time throughout Spain, occasioned a popular revolt that 
 threw the Spanish capital into a state of wild excitement. Squil- 
 laci was forced to flee the city, and the Walloon Guards, ordered 
 out to quell the commotion, were either cut to pieces or complete- 
 ly routed. The king appeared in person and addressed his sub- 
 jects ; he promised to remove the much-hated minister ; he was 
 willing to make every reasonable concession ; but nothing could 
 restore the peace until a few Jesuits, appearing in the midst of 
 this troubled mass of people, exhorted them to calm their pas- 
 sions and disperse to their homes. 
 
 It was strange indeed that none but these fathers should have 
 been able to quell this commotion at Madrid. Could they have 
 possibly occasioned the tumult? "Charles thought so, and did 
 not forget it," says Saint Priest. Probably they only sought to re- 
 move the Neapolitan favorite — monopolizer of the king's thoughts 
 and counsel — and once more force themselves into those strong- 
 holds around the throne which had on previous occasions given 
 
 * Saint Priest, Chute iles Jesiiites, p. 32. Paris, 1844. 
 
EXPULSION FROM SPAIN. 539 
 
 them sucli weight and control in the affairs of the nation. But 
 the order had passed the culmination of its power in Spain ; it 
 was no longer to furnish keepers of the king's conscience, though 
 it seemed yet to possess sufficient vitality to stem the current of 
 prejudice and misfortune that was setting against it. Their ex- 
 pulsion in 1759 from Portugal, and in 1764 from France, may 
 have occasioned no great surprise, but news of a similar move- 
 ment in Spain was startling beyond all conception. The Jesuits 
 imagined that, though persecuted by Pombal and Louis, they 
 might at least find a safe retreat under the government of the 
 good and pious Charles, the most cherished son of the Pope; 
 but the Spanish monarch had found them, as he remarked to the 
 French embassador, "a dangerous body;" he might banish them, 
 and still be a good Catholic. Aranda, his minister, thought like- 
 wise, and counseled immediate and energetic action. On the 27th 
 of February, 1767, about a year after the-" hat revolt," Charles 
 issued a decree banishing the Jesuits from au his dominions, never 
 to return, nor even hold intercourse by letter or otherwise with 
 his people. The colleges were surrounded at midnight ; the bells 
 secured ; each brother allowed his breviary, linen, chocolate, 
 snuff, and money ; then, surrounded by an escort of dragoons, 
 they were conducted to the coast and as speedily shipped. They 
 sailed for Italy. Father Ricci, general of the order, determined 
 not to receive his brothers. Charles insisted; but powder and 
 shot soon drove them from Civita Vecchia. They put to sea 
 again, touching at Leghorn and Genoa, where the same inhospi- 
 table reception awaited them. Thus for six months were upward 
 of six thousand Jesuits — among them many men of worth and 
 learning — tossed about the Mediterranean, with every prospect of 
 a continuous sea-faring life. Finally, after much dispute, they 
 were permitted to land in Corsica, and there subsisted as best 
 they could. A month after the issuing of the decree of expulsion 
 Charles wrote to the Pope : 
 
 " Most Holy Father,— Your Holiness is well aware that the first duty 
 of a sovereign is to watch over the peace and preservation of his state, and 
 provide for the good government and tranquilhty of his subjects. In com- 
 pliance with this principle I have been under the imperious necessity of re- 
 solving upon the immediate expulsion of all the Jesuits who are established 
 in my kingdom and dominions, and to send them to the States of the Church, 
 under the immediate, wise, and holy direction of your most holy beatitude, 
 most worthy father and master of all faithful. 
 
640 FEELINGS OF THE POPE. 
 
 " I should fall under the obloquy of throwing a heavy charge upon the 
 Apostolic Privy Council, by obliging it to exhaust its treasures in the sup- 
 porting of those poor Jesuits who happen to have been my vassals, had I not 
 made previous provision, as I have, for the payment to each individual of a 
 sum sufficient to maintain him for life. 
 
 " On such understanding I pray your Holiness to view this my determin- 
 ation simply as an indispensable step of political economy, taken only after 
 mature examination and the most profoimd reflection. 
 
 " Doing me the justice to believe this, as I pray you will, your Holiness 
 will surely grant your holy and apostolic benediction on this measure as well 
 as on all my actions which have for their object, in the same way, the pro- 
 motion of the honor and glory of God. YO EL KEY."* 
 
 This letter could liave brought but one consolation to Clement 
 XIII., and that was the pecuniary provision it announced. In- 
 deed he shed many a bitter tear over this decision of one to whom 
 he writes, " To our dearest son in Jesus Christ, health and apos- 
 tolic benediction." The blow fell heavily upon him in his old 
 age. In his answer to Charles he says : 
 
 " Is it the Catholic Charles HI., whom we so much love, that is to fill to 
 the brim the cup of our bitter afflictions, to ovei^whelm our unhappy old age 
 with grief and tears, and finally precipitate us into the tomb ?"t 
 
 Then, in an altogether different strain : 
 
 " We say it in the presence of God and man that the body, the institu- 
 tion, the spirit of the Company of Jesus is absolutely innocent, and not only 
 innocent, but that it is pious, it is useful, it is holy ; and all this whether 
 considered with reference to its laws, to its maxims, or to its objects. Those 
 who have attempted to detract from its merits have only called down upon 
 their lies and contradictions the contempt and detestation of all good and 
 impartial men." 
 
 Without digressing farther, it would seem proper to turn our 
 particular attention to the immediate effects and consequences of 
 this suppression throughout Spanish America. We have just 
 seen that Pombal made the opposition of the missionaries to the 
 boundary treaty of 1751 one of his chief grounds of complaint to 
 the Pope. Skeptic minds, who never study the substance and 
 truth of any thing, had been for years looking forward to the self- 
 announced independence of the Christian republic on the Parana 
 and Uruguay. Their power and prosperity had, moreover, aroused 
 the suspicions of even sensible minds. The council of Charles 
 
 * Kobertson's Letters from Paraguay, taken from MSS. of Sir Woodbine Parrish. 
 t Ibid. 
 
PROCEEDINGS IN AMERICA. 541 
 
 III,, to wliom was referred the Pope's letter, remark in their re- 
 port : " It is proven against them by the undeniable testimony of 
 their own papei's* that in Paraguay they took the field with or- 
 ganized armies to oppose themselves to the crown ; and now at 
 this very time have they not been in Spain endeavoring to change 
 the whole government, to modify it according to their own pleas- 
 ure, and to promulgate and put into practice doctrines the most 
 horrible ?" Whatever credit may be attached to this declaration 
 it was sufficient to initiate proceedings against these disloyal sub- 
 jects and promulgators of horrid doctrines. 
 
 Bucareli was Viceroy of Buenos Ayres at this important period. 
 He seems to have entertained a most lively sense of the import- 
 ance and virtual power of the Jesuits on the South American con- 
 tinent. His whole conception of one of these religious amounted 
 to a disloyal vassal and a dangerous rebel watching for the mo- 
 ment of his independence ; and he shaped his conduct toward him 
 as if dealing with a warlike and treacherous Ghana or Abipone. 
 He imagined the wealth of mines to be somewhere concealed in 
 the missions, and a standing army of natives, furnished with aU 
 the implements of war, ever on the alert to protect it. The meas- 
 ures he took for the suppression of the order conformed perfectly 
 with the alarming state of his mind. 
 
 On the 7th of June, 1767, the Prince, ship of war, arrived at 
 Buenos Ayres, conveying to the viceroy notice of Eang Charles's 
 decree. He was instructed to carry his orders into effect with the 
 greatest secrecy, and so arrange his plans that the arrestation 
 might take place simultaneously over as great a space of country 
 as possible. Aranda thought, as Bucareli, that the Jesuits would 
 not yield peaceably, and hence a union of their missions and col- 
 leges into one collective force must at least be prevented. Had 
 the missionaries, for it was in their power notwithstanding this 
 caution, taken some such steps toward the united action of the 
 whole body, the contest might have proved long and doubtful. 
 The viceroy, pursuant to these instructions, forwarded his mes- 
 sengers to the farthest limits of the vast territory committed to his 
 administration. His dispatches were solemn and ponderous docu- 
 ments, heavily sealed, and mysterious, for they were not to be 
 opened until the 21st of July. Thus at one and the same time 
 and hour this sudden blow was to fall upon every member of the 
 
 * These are mysterious papers, and should be brought to light if in actual exist- 
 ence. 
 
542 AKRESTS IN BUENOS AYRES. 
 
 order. The colleges of Cordova, of Tucuman, and Asuncion were 
 to be surrounded at night, their inmates awakened, dragged forth, 
 and dispatched in the darkness to Buenos Ayres. A hundred 
 devoted missionaries, who had performed the religious duties of 
 the day toward native but Christian populations, and, after the 
 chanting of vespers throughout that broad Indian land, retired to 
 their evening devotions and a quiet repose among a good and 
 peaceful people that had, through the trials, labors, and self-denials 
 of Jesuit brothers, been redeemed from their original rude and un- 
 tutored state, were, at a moment of time, to be forced from their 
 missions, and, ere conscious of their situation, speeded down the 
 Parana to the general imprisonment at Buenos Ayres. 
 
 Every village, highway, and by-road resounded day and night 
 with the clattering advance of Bucareli's swift messengers. But 
 these plans and directions which had so much engaged his restless 
 and untiring zeal in an unworthy cause were now, by unforeseen 
 events, partly frustrated. 
 
 On the 3d day of July information was received at Buenos 
 Ayres of the expulsion of the order from the Peninsula. Buca- 
 reli, fearful that the news might spread, rouse the missions and the 
 clergy, and, like the dragon's teeth, grow warriors in the Parana 
 reductions, resolved not to wait for the nineteen days that had yet 
 to elapse, but to immediately follow up the course that had been 
 pursued on the other side of the waters. About midnight he held 
 a consultation with his friends and advisers, and at an early hour 
 in the morning, long before the sun arose, had dispatched his ofii- 
 cers and couriers to their respective duties. The fathers were to 
 be unconditionally and indiscriminately arrested wherever they 
 should chance to find them. Scouting parties were at the same 
 time sent out to intercept all messengers and communications 
 whatever, and the viceroy kept a stout body-guard around him- 
 self ready to act at a moment's notice. His dreams of missionary 
 wealth kept him fully reminded of the necessity of stringent in- 
 structions concerning it. The goods and chattels of every Jesuit, 
 the gold and silver decorations of the churches, the massive can- 
 delabras and hidden treasures, if there were any, the paintings and 
 statuary, must pass safely into his hands ; and he allowed three 
 days for forwarding to the capital every thing of this description. 
 With all this anxiety and foresight, could they under any circum- 
 stances fail to come into his possession ? What if the riches and 
 stores he had pictured to himself and others on both sides of the 
 
THE MISSION AT CORDOVA. 543 
 
 Atlantic should never be realized? Such a thought creeping 
 into his mind was sufficient to cause the rankest suspicions, which 
 he located wherever the occasion rendered it most convenient. 
 Many in consequence were thrown into prison or suffered severe- 
 ly at his hands.* 
 
 But the imaginary rapidity with which the work was to have 
 been done soon subsided and gave place to a more just apprecia- 
 tion of the difficult task assigned him. Not that there was any 
 evidence of opposition to his orders ; but great distances were to 
 be gone over, the missions were to be tracked to their isolated po- 
 sitions, broad rivers crossed, and huge forests traversed. This was 
 not the work of a night, how dark soever. The couriers dispatch- 
 ed in the night of the 2d of July effected but little. They arrest- 
 ed a few missionaries here and there at no great distance from 
 Buenos Ayres, and so terminated their labors. Bucareh seemed 
 for a moment brought to stand, his activity paralyzed. Cordova, 
 the Parana missions (the Chiquitos came within the jurisdiction 
 of the Viceroy of Peru), had not been reached ; time was passing, 
 and the viceroy remained a prey to miserable disappointments 
 and ill forebodings. At last, in the month of August, a body of 
 troops headed by Don Ferdinando Fabro appeared on the heights 
 of Cordova. They entered the city without resistance, plundered 
 the college, the most important and learned institution in Spanish 
 America, and made prisoners of all the fathers that came within 
 their reach. To root out the heretic doctrines King Charles's 
 council had spoken of, they thought proper to destroy the famous 
 hbrary situated upon the Estancia de Santa Catalina, the home 
 of the historian Guevara. The most valuable works and rarest 
 collection of manuscripts on the western continent were here irre- 
 trievably lost in the promiscuous piles of printed and written mat- 
 ter thrown up for destruction by Bucareh's illiterate soldiery.f 
 
 Though but/ew relics of this great library ever reached Buenos 
 Ayres, there was no failure in forwarding every Jesuit that had 
 been found. Two hundred and seventy-one fathers were now se- 
 cured in that city. Bucareli, thinking he might dispense with 
 them, shipped two hundred and twenty-two for Cadiz. Having 
 done this, he fell into some repose, and took- no farther measures 
 until the Spring of 1768. 
 
 "We have no proofs, and doubtless there are none, that would 
 
 * Funes' Ensayo, book v., chap. 9. 
 
 t lb. The second volume of Guevara's history was destroyed. 
 
544 MEMOKIAL IN FAVOR OF THE JESUITS. 
 
 lead us to credit tlie report often spread by Bucareli that tlie Jes- 
 uits gave evidences of and were determined upon a stout resistance 
 should the Spanish ever attempt to rob them of their missions. 
 Much grieved, without question, they may have been, and peace- 
 ful efforts to retain the hold they had in the Parana reductions may 
 not have been neglected by them ; but this was all. A letter was 
 now sent by the caciques and chief native ofl&cers of the missions 
 to Bucareli, praying that the fathers might be retained. The Jes- 
 uits are accused of being the authors of this document ; but, if 
 true, Bucareli acted likewise subsequent to their expulsion. 
 
 Translation of a Memorial addressed hy the People of the Mission of 
 San Luis to the Governor of Buenos Ayres, praying that the Jes- 
 uits may remain among them instead of the Friars sent to replace 
 them* 
 
 « (I. H. S.) 
 " God preserve your Excellency, say we, the Cabildo, and all the caciques 
 and Indians, men, women, and children, of San Luis, as your Excellency is 
 our father. The Corregidor Santiago Pindo and Don Pantaleon Cayuari, 
 in their love for us, have written for certain birds which they desire we will 
 send them for the king. We a»e very sorry not to have them to send, in- 
 asmuch as they live where God made them, in the forests, and fly far away 
 from us, so that we can not catch them. Withal we are the vassals of God 
 and the king, and always desirous to fulfill the wishes of his ministers in 
 what they desire of us. Have we not been three times as far as Colonia 
 with our aid ? and do we not labor in order to pay tribute ? And now we 
 pray God that that best of birds, the Holy Ghost, may descend upon the 
 king and enlighten him, and may the Holy Ghost preserve him. So, con- 
 fiding in your Excellency, Senor Governor, oiu- proper father, with all hu- 
 mility and tears we beg that the sons of St. Ignatius, the fathers of the So- 
 ciety of Jesus, may continue to live with us and remain always among us. 
 This we beg your Excellency to supplicate the king for us for the love of 
 God. All this people — men, women, and young persons, and especially the 
 poor — pray for the same with tears in their eyes. 
 
 " As for the friars and priests sent to replace them, we love them not. 
 The Apostle St. Thomas,| the minister of God, so taught our forefathers in 
 these same parts, for these friars and priests have no care for us. The sons 
 of St. Ignatius, yes, they from the first took care of our forefathers, and 
 taught them, and baptized them, and preserved them for God and the king ; 
 but for these friars and priests, in no manner do we wish for them. 
 
 * Sir Woodbine Parrish : Buenos Aj'res from the Conquest, p. 267. 
 t The natives firmly believed that St. Thomas had landed on the coast of Brazil 
 and passed over to the Pacific. 
 
EFFECTS OF THE MEMORIAL. 545 
 
 " The Fathers of the Society of Jesus know how to hear with our weak- 
 nesses, and we are happy under them for God's sake and the king's. If 
 your Excellency, good Senor Governor, will listen to our prayer and grant 
 our request, we will pay larger tribute in the yerba caar nhni.* 
 
 " We are not slaves, and we desire to say that the Spanish custom is not 
 to our liking — for every one to take care of himself, instead of assisting one 
 another in their daily labors. This is the plain truth which we say to your 
 Excellency, that it may be attended to : if it is not, this people, like the 
 rest, will be lost. This to your Excellency, to the king, and to God — we 
 shall go to the devil ! and at the hour of our death where will be our 
 help? 
 
 " Our children, who are in the country and in the towns, when they re- 
 tiu-n and find not the sons of St. Ignatius, will flee away to the deserts and 
 to the forests to do evil. Already it would seem that the people of St. 
 Joaquim, St. Estanislaus, St. Ferdinand, and Tymbo, are lost. We know it 
 well, and we say so to your Excellency ; neither can the Cabildos ever re- 
 store these people for God and the king as they were. So, good governor, 
 grant us what we ask, and may God help and keep you. This is what we 
 say, in the name of the people of San Luis, this 28th of February, 1*168. 
 
 " Your humble servants and children." 
 
 Here follow tlie signatures of the h^d mayor , judges of the first 
 and second court of the first and second brotherhood, four alder- 
 men, secretary of the court in the name of forty-one caciques and 
 others. 
 
 This petition fell like a thunderbolt in the Council of Bucareli. 
 The sensitive and timorous viceroy viewed it as the forerunner to 
 some more violent remonstrance. He so wrote to Aranda. The 
 pacific intention to which he had brought himself, of a simple re- 
 call of the missionaries, was dissipated at the receipt of this gentle 
 and loyal epistolary production. Failing heretofore to catch at 
 the faintest glimpse of rebellious opposition to the king's decree, 
 he had ceased all warlike preparations for carrying it out; but 
 this letter revealed to his distempered imagination an outbreak 
 and consequent campaign of no small magnitude. Quiet, cau- 
 tious, and circumspect as ever, the details of his present and fu- 
 ture operations were incessantly considered ; he burdened his 
 mind with the labors of a Sisyphus ; the world's weight rested 
 upon his Atlas shoulders in this duty of expelling the Jesuits. 
 Behind the shield of a numerous and well-provided native army 
 he thought their lurked motives and objects dark and disloyal. 
 Unable himself to see through the impenetrable mystery that 
 
 * An annual tribute was paid to the crown in yerba or Paraguay tea. 
 
 85 
 
546 A COUNTER MEMORIAL. 
 
 hung arcnind the missions, and consequently ill qualified to judge 
 what action they might take in the coming imaginary death-strife, 
 he provided for the worst. We, after a century of time, impar- 
 tial and disinterested, either for pi'aise or censure, pass through 
 these reductions, see and study the people, and fathom as we can 
 whatever may have been the aims or intentions of their paternal 
 and all-powerful guardians, but fail to discover the broodings of 
 rebellion which the viceroy's gloomy letters depicted to the court 
 of Madrid. We find a peaceful, Christian, and loyal spirit resting 
 upon a numerous and happy people, who paid their tribute to 
 the king and revered the men under whose wise and exemplary 
 administration they had grown up in the grace of God and to 
 a wondrous civilization, claiming nothing, asking nothing, and 
 harming none. It is true that strict discipline and military exer- 
 cise had rendered them formidable in the field upon several occa- 
 sions, either in avenging wrongs and persecutions inflicted upon 
 themselves or in sustaining the lawful authority of the land. But 
 the same discipline checked all turbulence now. 
 
 Bucareli carried out his views and, as a preparatory step, occu- 
 pied the Pass of Tibiquari, so frequently referred to, with two 
 hundred men, stationed an equal number at San Miguel, and then, 
 embarking at Buenos Ayres, attended by three companies of gren- 
 adiers* and sixty dragoons, sailed up the Uruguay as far as the 
 Salto Grande. Here he dispatched Don Juan Francisco de la 
 Riva Herrera with two hundred men to execute his orders in the 
 missions bordering upon the Parana, and Don Francisco Biuna de 
 Zavala to effect the same among the Uruguay reductions. Leav- 
 ing his ships at the fall he advanced farther up the river, and made 
 Tapeya his head-quarters. With the conquest of these missions 
 there could be associated but meagre fame, to make the most of 
 it, but to find them unresisting and submitting even in tears 
 throws out in bright relief their truly peaceable and Christian 
 character. Seventy-eight fathers were found in the reductions, 
 and the expedition, with its prisoners, returned to Buenos Ayres in 
 September, after an absence of four months.f 
 
 The viceroy had in the mean time taken occasion to draw up 
 an address to Charles III., signed by the Indian chiefs, to coun- 
 teract the effect of the petition mad^ in favor of the Jesuits. 
 There was no difficulty in forcing the Indians to afiix their sig- 
 natures to this document, which was forwarded as their own, 
 * Eunes. t Eunes, book v., chap. viii. 
 
COMPLETE EXPULSION OF THE JESUITS. 547 
 
 though diametrically different in tone, spirit, and feeling from the 
 former. It is addressed to " Our good King Charles III." The 
 following occurs in it:_ 
 
 " With our whole heart do we spread this letter out before your royal 
 throne. We have already seen enough to assure us, good king, that the 
 Lord in his mercy has enlightened you as to our pitiable condition, and 
 moved you to relieve us from the arduous life to which we were doomed. 
 
 " As we would receive the person of your Majesty, so with the greatest 
 delight have we received the priests and friars whom you ha.ve appointed to 
 rule over us. Many and repeated thanks do we give your Majesty for hav- 
 ing sent such a person to govern us as his Excellency the Captain-general 
 Don Francisco Paulo Bucareli. With pity he looked upon our poverty and 
 did all he could for its alleviation. His kindness has been made manifest 
 to the whole world. He has clothed us with garments, behaved to us and 
 invited us to his board as if we were gentlemen. He has gratified the 
 highest aspirations of our hearts. We have received this saint, the creature 
 of your Majesty, as at the hands of God."* 
 
 The greater part of it is a eulogy upon the saintly Bucareli, 
 whose modesty did not deter him from thus attempting to raise 
 himself in his Majesty's estimation. In the same year the Audience 
 of Charcas executed its charge by removing the Jesuits from Chi- 
 quitos. And thus two hundred and twenty years from the time 
 when the first Jesuits landed upon the Brazilian coast not one of 
 Loyola's sons remained upon the South American continent, the 
 great field of their missionary labors and imperishable glory. 
 
 Thus the reported standing armies, the supplies of fire-arms, the 
 field-pieces and muskets, and the stores of ammunition which had 
 so startled the outside world of Spanish America in contemplation 
 of resistance to the king's decree vanished like so much smoke. 
 Not a warlike demonstration was made. Meekly obedient to their 
 pastors, the natives gathered around the missionaries in quiet 
 submission to their decision, and awaited without a sign of resist- 
 ance the approach of Bucareli's advancing pajrties. Without a 
 murmur, they committed to their charge every possession that had 
 fallen to their lot, unresistingly yielding the last temporal and 
 spiritual gains that had been amassed by their labors — amassed at 
 the price of blood and Christian self-denial — to be devoted to the 
 decoration of churches, the increase and improvement of missions 
 and schools, never to their own personal gratification. A mourn- 
 fal destiny awaited them: they were to be eventually repulsed 
 
 * Translated by Robertson from MS. of Sir Woodbine Parrish, 
 
548 LOYALTY OF THE JESUITS. 
 
 by their general, and not allowed to find a refage from tlie world- 
 wide persecution that followed them, even in the States of the 
 Pope. 
 
 There can scarcely be a doubt that a formidable resistance 
 might have been made by the Jesuits against Bucareh had they 
 seen fit or felt disposed to pursue that course. It has already 
 been remarked that an army of fourteen thousand men, completely 
 equipped, could have been raised, in case of emergency, through- 
 out the missions. Though not the most warlike of the aborigines, 
 the Guarani of the reductions were brave and well disciplined. 
 Had they taken possession of the fastnesses in the wilds of a coun- 
 try so little known to any but themselves, they might have enter- 
 tained every hope of the success that had previously attended 
 their arms against the Paulistas, than whom no enemy could be 
 more fearless and daring, none more rightly dreaded. And we 
 may reasonably suppose that in the face of this force the viceroy 
 would probably either have retreated or been repulsed. They 
 might have judged that their success could only be temporary, 
 and that their ruin in the end would only be the more overwhelm- 
 ing, but there was even here a ray of hope to persevering minds 
 such as theirs. They had declined on a previous occasion to rec- 
 ognize the boundary treaty of 1751, and the king had yielded; 
 they might beat off Bucareli, declare their loyalty, and yet be 
 pardoned. Nor are we inclined to suppose that the meshes of 
 Buca:^eli were so well laid as to have forced upon them the alter- 
 native of tame submission. The Jesuits were not out-Jesuited and 
 checkmated at last ; they had all the prudence, the foresight and 
 sagacity and natural means that they ever had, and, more, a large 
 and considerable force to sustain the power that had so long con- 
 tinued in their grasp. No coup-de-main or diplomatic trickery 
 on the part of the viceroy brought them to the humble terms 
 under which they yielded up their persons and their goods. We 
 conceive their whole conduct to have been governed by a sense of 
 simple obedience to a decree of the Spanish monarch, and we must 
 with justice incline to their cause, and sympathize in their misfor- 
 tunes. From the outset we discover no evidence of any contrary 
 movement. In their whole history we meet with scarcely a dis- 
 loyal act, though we trace their course through a succession of 
 popular commotions and revolts among a wildly-scheming and 
 adventurous people. Often had they taken up arms in the service 
 of the king, never against him ; and it may be safely added that 
 
INFLUENCE OF THE JESUITS. 549 
 
 by no other people, order, or body of men were Spanisb interests 
 ever so advanced on the American continent. 
 
 Their removal was neither wise nor politic. It served neither 
 the means nor interests of the Spanish people, or the Spanish 
 monarch. The missionary's life was pre-eminently the sphere of 
 the Jesuit. The genius, the acquirement, the aims that made his 
 presence dangerous at Continental courts, made him eminently 
 useful in the wilds of La Plata. In driving them from the mis- 
 sions of Chiquitos, of the Parana, of the Uruguay, and all others, 
 we perceive an inconsiderate, uncharitable, unchristian aim at 
 their complete extinction, almost without a purpose. The aged 
 Pope Clement designated the order as useful, pious, and holy, and 
 these three quahties were to be found in the missionary reductions 
 of South America, however wanting elsewhere. 
 
 Azara pursues them with unrelenting enmity in all their meas- 
 ures. He approves of the comvianderies^ first instituted by Yrala 
 as a last resort for extending the territory of his governorship ; 
 he considered the latter means as the most applicable for enlarg- 
 ing the boundaries of Spanish America, and yet inconsistently 
 depreciates the benefits of Jesuit missionaries. No conquistador 
 ever fought with such success as did the fathers, and no greater 
 expanse of country ever fell to his lot. But Paulistas and Com- 
 muneros, enemies themselves of the crown, gradually completed 
 the work of their destruction. 
 
 And again : we are led to inquire whether the Jesuit teachings 
 tended more than any other to benefit the state temporal and 
 spiritual of the many indigenous tribes that had beeii released by 
 them from their original barbarism. There are those who con- 
 demn — not arguing always — Jesuit interestedness, Jesuit ambi- 
 tion, and the condition of pupilage in which, to the last, the Indians 
 were held. K there were nothing in the Jesuitic rule to excite 
 emulation, yet the natives lived happily under it, attained a con- 
 siderable civilization, and relapsed rapidly into barbarism under 
 the temporal and spiritual rule which replaced that of the fathers. 
 We doubt whether a more enlarged system of instruction could 
 have been substituted in that age ; and humanity must deplore the 
 destruction of that Christian foundation upon which might have 
 been reared, at a later period, a noble superstructure of Indian 
 civilization, a development of Indian intellect yet unknown to us. 
 It is no matter of astonishment that the Conquistadores and their 
 descendants should have exhibited little good feeling for the order 
 
550 EESULTS OF THEIR EXPULSION. 
 
 and for its works, for tlie interests of the two were utterly at va- 
 riance. One was a sublimely insurmountable obstacle to the self- 
 ish designs of the other, for we know that the Jesuits invariably 
 checked the merciless cruelties which disgrace the early annals of 
 Spanish conquest. 
 
 It is not to be denied that the Indians in entering the reduc- 
 tions merely underwent a change of masters, but it was a change 
 from bondage under a heartless, unfeeling Spaniard, adventurer, 
 and gold-seeker, to a mild and Christian government. On the 
 one hand it was a life dragged out in beastly drudgery ; on the 
 other, pious, cheerful, and elevating. 
 
 The commandantes worked their slaves to death; the Jesuits 
 made every provision that could render their neophytes happy 
 and contented. The one was an instrument of present civilization 
 and future enhghtenment ; the other a blight upon progress and 
 humanity. Never overtaxed in the field, and even there enliven- 
 ed by strains of music, with every want supplied, without a care, 
 instructed by the Jesuits themselves, admitted to the "mysteries" 
 of the Church, taught the use of arms and the art of war — whence 
 else could they have obtained all this but from the energy, sagaci- 
 ty, self-denial, and unity of Loyola's order ? It was this very civ- 
 ilization that, with some reason, inspired such groundless fears 
 among the Spanish, and in proportion makes the Jesuit mission- 
 ary system the more beautiful and the more to be admired. The 
 numerous Guarani tribes would have long since been on the verge 
 of extinction but for the establishment of these missions ; between 
 the cross-fires of Spaniards, Portuguese, and Paulistas, there was 
 eventually but little hope of existence. That great race, of which 
 the shadow remains to-day, would have been swept from the earth 
 centuries ago. The lay and the Jesuit system admit of no ques- 
 tion ; and even under that of the Franciscan friars, wliich fol- 
 lowed, the same falling off in population and general receding 
 from their former advanced state, shows most conclusively that 
 the Jesuit order, however objectionable in the centres of Euroj^ean 
 civilization, was here in its proper element. 
 
 On the retirement of the fathers the missions were thrown into 
 the most irremediable confusion ; the very heart and soul of the 
 Christian republic was gone; it lay like a dead chaotic mass. 
 The miserable government and bad administration that followed 
 presents only differences and disputes among the newly-vested 
 authorities. There was unity in nothmg. The spiritual and 
 
FATE OF THE MISSIONS. 551 
 
 clerical governor — for there was now a very broad distinction — 
 seldom or never agreed. All their purposes clashed. But by 
 mutual consent the unfortiinate natives generally bore the conse- 
 quent burdens of their quarrels. Says Doblas, 
 
 " The curates wanted the Indians to attend mass and the count- 
 ing of their beads every day at whatever hour the priests might 
 choose. This was often purposely made a very inconvenient hour. 
 Hereupon the laymen interposed to prevent compliance, some- 
 times with reason and sometimes without it. The result was that 
 the curate ordered the Indians who obeyed the administrator to 
 be flogged, and the administrator awarded stripes to those who 
 obeyed the curate. Both chastisements fell upon the miserable 
 Indians, without farther delinquency on their part than that of not 
 knowing exactly which party to obey, or of obeying the party they 
 liked best."* 
 
 Jesuit harmony and discipline, without which no mission could 
 be formed, were wanting. The Indian fled to the forest, and a 
 fearful consequence, already referred to, arose from this present 
 organization. In 1801 a census of the Indian population was made 
 by Don Joaquim de Soria. At that time there were in the thirty 
 missions 45,639 souls, less by 98,898 than in the year 1767. In 
 this space of thirty-four years more than two thirds of the original 
 number had disappeared ; cattle, sheep, and horses were destroy- 
 ed ; the old energies of the Christian republic were wasted away, 
 until there remained scarcely the skeleton of those flourishing Jes- 
 uit missions. Here and there a spacious but crumbhng church, 
 with fading frescoes, speaks for this departed wealth and civiliza- 
 tion. 
 
 * Translated by Kobertson, vol. ii., p. 109 
 
552 SPANISH COLONIAL POLICY. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXI. 
 
 False Policy of Spain toward the Colonies. — Treaty of Utrecht. — Foundation of 
 Montevideo. — Contrabandists. — Treaty of 1750. — Viceroyalty of Buenos Ayres. 
 — Treaty of St. Ildefonso. — Final Concessions of the Mother Country. — Expedi- 
 tion nnder Sir Home Popham. — Capture of Buenos Ayres. — Assault of Monte- 
 video. — Defeat of General Whitelock. — Liniers. — Joseph Bonaparte. — A Portu- 
 guese Pretender. — Cisneros. — Assembly of July 9th, 1816. — Independence of 
 Paraguay, Bolivia, and Buenos Ayres. — Disadvantages the South American 
 People labored under for forming a good Government. — The Banda Oriental. — 
 Urquiza. — Oribe. — Battle of Monte Caseros. — Convention at St. Nicolas. — 
 Courtesy extended to our Minister. — Disaffection of Buenos Ayres. — Siege of 
 that City. 
 
 The policy of tlie motlier country was not only neglectful, but 
 absolutely hostile to tbe interests of La Plata. Fifty years after 
 tlie foundation of Buenos Ayres one million of cattle covered tbe 
 pampas ; but Spain had not the forecast to see in this extraordi- 
 nary multiplication, in the fertility of a soil producing with the 
 smallest possible labor the fruits, cereals, and vegetables of tem- 
 perate and tropical regions, the elements of a greatness that would 
 make it the prize-jewel of her crown, and the seat of a future 
 trade that might yield larger revenues than her mines. 
 
 The merchants of Seville and Lima obtained the monopoly of 
 the trade of Peru, and through their influence prohibitory edicts 
 were issued against that of La Plata, lest it should become, as Ca- 
 bot hoped and foresaw, the most popular and available channel of 
 communication between Europe and the colonies of the South and 
 West. In vain the Buenos Ayreans appealed to the home gov- 
 ernment. Their only concession was leave to export annually to 
 the Portuguese settlements of Brazil 2000 fanegas of wheat, 500 
 quintals of jerked beef, and 500 of tallow; to which in 1618 the 
 the farther privilege was extended of sending annually to Spain 
 two vessels of one hundred tons burden each, freighted with the 
 products of the country. At the instigation of the merchants of 
 Seville, a custom-house was established at Cordova, to levy fifty 
 per cent, upon all goods which these vessels might be the means 
 of introducing into the country, while at the same time the trans- 
 mission of the precious metals by this route was entirely inter- 
 dicted. 
 
EESTRICTIONS UPON COMMERCE. 553 
 
 For nearly a century after tlie settlement of Buenos Ayres all 
 commercial intercourse with Spanish colonies of the same hemi- 
 sphere was forbidden under severe penalties, and two ships repre- 
 sented the whole legalized trade of the country with Europe. It 
 was the foimdation of a vast debt of grievances, only canceled by 
 the movement that released her from the control of so unnatural 
 a mother. Though jealously guarding what she considered her 
 interests in all laws for the government of the colonies, Spain 
 seems to have shown but little sagacity in her transactions with 
 foreign powers. She permitted both the Portuguese and English 
 to obtain a footing in La Plata, which became the seat of an enor- 
 mous contraband trade. The governor in vain endeavored to 
 check what ministered less to the luxury or avarice of the people 
 than to their necessities, and found its chief strength in the unjust 
 policy which for more than a century had been imposed upon 
 them. 
 
 In 1715 the treaty of Utrecht secured to Portugal the settlement 
 of Colonia del Sacramento, immediately opposite to Buenos Ayres. 
 The same treaty conceded to the English an " asiento" or contract 
 to supply the Spanish colonies of America with slaves, and Bue- 
 nos Ayres was one of the points at which she was allowed to form 
 an establishment : here they were to send four ships annually, 
 with twelve hundred negroes, their value to be received in the 
 products of the country. Both parties bound themselves not to 
 transgress the laws which forbade the introduction of European 
 goods, but the moral force of these stipulations was weakened by 
 the injustice of the mother country and the wants of the Spanish 
 Americans, which excused, if they did not justify, the introduction 
 of articles forbidden them by more legal channels, or obtained at 
 the ruinous prices fixed upon them by the monopolists of Spain. 
 So boldly was illegal trade carried on that vessels constantly ar- 
 rived freighted with manufactured goods, that supplied not only 
 Buenos Ayres, Paraguay, and Tucuman, but, spite of the vigilance 
 of Cordova officials, found their way into Peru, where they were 
 sold at lower prices than those sent by the merchants of Seville 
 via Panama. Both Portuguese and English were equally active, 
 and the former attempted to extend their possessions by a new 
 settlement near the mouth of La Plata. From this they were 
 promptly dislodged by Zavala, Governor of Buenos Ayres, who 
 immediately commenced the foundation of San FeHpe Puerto de 
 Monte Video. Important privileges were granted to the first set- 
 
554 VICEROYALTY OF BUENOS AYRES. 
 
 tiers, wliicli induced immigration ftom tlie Canaries and otlier 
 places; the viceroy sent large sums from Potosi, the Guarani 
 Indians worked steadily, and Zavala vainly hoped that with the 
 erection of Montevideo, and Maldanado on the same shore seventy 
 miles east, he had permanently checked the progress of Portuguese 
 colonization. Contrary to these expectations, they became more 
 active than ever, and established themselves on the Eio Grande, 
 carrying on their trade with such spirit that it is said to have been 
 worth to them two millions annually. The success of the English 
 was yet greater. One of their ships about this time sailed from 
 the river with two millions in specie and hides valued at seventy 
 thousand dollars, and this too not in return for negroes, but a rich 
 cargo of European goods. 
 
 Such was the condition of commercial affairs in La Plata for 
 nearly a quarter of a century. Spain awakened at last to the re- 
 sult of her selfish and suicidal policy, and attempted to check the 
 activity of the contrabandists by her guarda costas, which led to 
 open hostihties with England. In 1750, by a new treaty, Portu- 
 gal agreed to cede her settlements on the river for the seven mis- 
 sionary towns of the Uruguay. The poor Indians, happy and 
 prosperous under the rule of the Jesuits, and knowing the Portu- 
 guese only as the cruel slave-hunters who had driven them from 
 their homes into the folds of these shepherds, revolted with hor- 
 ror from this arrangement, and resisted what they considered a 
 new effort to enslave them. After destroying the missions and 
 slaying several thousand Indians, the Portuguese refused to take 
 possession of their lands, and made the opposition of the aborig- 
 ines a new pretext for continuing to hold Colonia. 
 
 We have seen that this resistance on the part of the Indians 
 was ascribed to the influence of the Jesuits. From that time their 
 rule was doomed in La Plata. 
 
 The impunity with which contraband trade had been pursued, 
 the increased insolence and continuous aggressions of her trouble- 
 some neighbor, left Spain the alternative of a more generous pol- 
 icy or the ruin and perhaps the loss of her colonies in this region. 
 She determined to form a new viceroyalty, with Buenos Ayres as 
 the capital. It was to comprise the province of the same name, 
 Paraguay, Cordova, Salta, Potosi, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, La Paz, 
 La Plata, Montevideo, Moxos, Chiquitos, and the missions of the 
 Uruguay and Parana. A formidable force of ten thousand men, 
 in one hundred and sixteen vessels, and convoyed by twelve 
 
COMMERCIAL CONCESSIONS. 555 
 
 ships of war, was sent out to sustain tlie autlioritj of tlie new 
 viceroy, Don Pedro Cevallos, a. man who had distinguished him- 
 self, while Governor of Buenos Ayres, for his opposition to all for- 
 eign encroachment. His first movement was against St. Cath- 
 arine, which surrendered with scarcely a show of resistance. He 
 next sailed up La Plata to Colonia ; it capitulated, the fortifica- 
 tions were destroyed, and the Portuguese driven from all their 
 settlements on the eastern shore of La Plata. 
 
 The death of their sovereign, the retirement of Pombal, and 
 the accession of the Princess Maria, who earnestly desired peace, 
 checked these hostilities, and the treaty of St. Ildefonso, which 
 finally settled all questions at issue between the two governments, 
 was signed in the autumn of 1777. By its stipulations St. Cath- 
 erine was restored to Portugal, who in return relinquished all 
 her settlements in La Plata, and commissioners — among whom 
 was Azares — were appointed to settle definitely their respective 
 boundaries. 
 
 Spain now projected important commercial concessions to the 
 colonies. Since' 1759 some relaxations had been made from the 
 old system, and in 1778, through the influence of Don Joseph de 
 Galvez, at that time minister for the Indies, a new code was pro- 
 mulgated, known as the " Free Trade Eegulations." This title 
 did not impose upon the people, who saw that it was intended less 
 to benefit them than to repair the injury to royal interests, which 
 had suffered under the late system of monopoly. Manufactured 
 goods were to be admitted for ten years free of duty, and in return 
 the raw products of La Plata could enter nine ports of SjDain ex- 
 empt from tariff; but the trade was confined to Spaniards and 
 Spanish ships, and not only the manufacture, but the culture of 
 all articles that could interfere with those of the mother country 
 were strictly prohibited ; even the vicuiia wool was to be sent to 
 the royal factory of Guadalaxara. There was yet another heavy 
 grievance : Creoles, or natives of the country, were perseveringly 
 and entirely excluded from all places of trust and responsibility. 
 
 Spite of the sordid, shallow policy which had dictated these 
 new laws, they were an advance upon the old system, and such 
 commercial activity followed their promulgation that Buenos 
 Ayres, as the mart of La Plata, became the most considerable 
 city of Spanish America. So great was the tide of immigration 
 into the country that in eighteen years the population had more 
 than doubled ; and the export of hides, the great staple, increased 
 
556 BEITISH EXPEDITION TO BUENOS AYRES. 
 
 from 150,009 annually to 700,000 or 800,000, and in 1783 it 
 reached the amount of 1,400,000. 
 
 At the beginning of the nineteenth century such exaggerated 
 reports had gone abroad of the disaffection of the colonists of La 
 Plata to the Spanish monarchy as to induce an attempt on the 
 part of the English to obtain possession of the country. In June, 
 1806, Sir Home Popham entered the river with a squadron of five 
 ships of war and several transports, having on board a detach- 
 ment of troops under the command of Major-general Beresford, 
 who, on the 27th of the same month, with only 1630 men, inclu- 
 sive of a battalion of 340 marines, landed and advanced upon the 
 city of Buenos Ayres, which capitulated — the viceroy, Sobremonte, 
 having previously retired to Cordova. 
 
 This success excited much enthusiasm in England. The public 
 treasure taken was said to exceed one and a half million of dol- 
 lars. Peru and her mines, the tropical regions of Paraguay, the 
 pampas of Buenos Ayres, with their millions of cattle, were new 
 fields to British enterprise ; in short, an incredible conquest was 
 achieved, and the people were represented as satisfied with the 
 change of rulers. It was a brief triumph, and after-events proved 
 that it could be attributed more to the force of surprise than to 
 inability or courage on the part of the Portenos to defend their 
 city. The people of the country rallied, and, led by Don Santiago 
 Liniers de Bremont, regained possession of their capital only six 
 weeks after the entrance of Beresford, who was in turn forced to 
 capitulate, and, at the close of the year 1806, the village of Mal- 
 danado was the only possession of the English in La Plata. Re-en- 
 forcements soon after arrived under the command of Sir Samuel 
 Auchmuty, who invested Montevideo, which, after an obstinate 
 resistance, was carried by assault, February the 3d, 1807. 
 
 An attempt made the same year by General Whitelock, with 
 11,000 men, to retake Buenos Ayres was a complete failure, and 
 issued in a convention, by which was stipulated the entire aban- 
 donment of La Plata in less than two months by the whole British 
 force. 
 
 After General Beresford's attack, the colonists, in expectation of 
 its being repeated by a larger force, had earnestly, but in vain, 
 appealed for assistance to the mother country. This last unaided 
 defense of the capital against an army officered by some of the 
 best men in the British service, and the consequent retirement of 
 the invaders from the waters of La Plata, first awakened them to a 
 
LOYALTY TO SPAIN. 557 
 
 consciousness of their own strength, and impressed a lesson of 
 self-reliance more fatal to the Spanish empire in this quarter than 
 the armies and fleets of England. 
 
 During the occupation of Spain by the French the first unmis- 
 takable evidences of disaffection were shown in South America, 
 and Buenos Ayres stands prominently in the foreground of revo- 
 lutionary movement. Three centuries of oppression under a crush- 
 ing pohcy antagonistic to all their interests seemed to confer on 
 the people a sacred right to better their pohtical condition. After 
 the abdication of Charles lY., and at the commencement of the 
 struggle in the mother country, they had given striking proofs 
 of allegiance to their royal house. In 1808 M. de Sastenay, the 
 agent of Napoleon, was sent out to induce them to swear fealty to 
 Joseph Bonaparte. His language was specious, and such as we 
 might suppose he would address to a people prepared, as he 
 thought, by a long political thraldom, to submit, with the hope 
 of bettering their condition, to a change of rulers. " It would be 
 better for them," he said, "to follow the example of their ances- 
 tors in the succession war, and await the fate of the mother coun- 
 try — to obey that authority which should possess itself of the sov- 
 ereign power." What was their reply ? The French envoy was 
 placed under arrest, and Ferdinand VII. proclaimed successor to 
 Charles IV. The same year another claimant appeared. 
 
 This was the Prince Regent of Portugal, who, on his arrival at 
 Rio Janeiro, caused a note to be addressed to the Viceroy and 
 Cabildo of Buenos Ayres claiming their allegiance upon the 
 grounds of the alleged dissolution of the Spanish monarchy, and 
 the rights accruing to his wife, the Princess Carlota, from the ab- 
 dication of her father, Charles IV., and the captivity of her brother 
 Ferdinand VII., threatening them, in the event of refusal, with 
 hostilities from Portugal aided by her alhes, the English. A spir- 
 ited answer from the Cabildo quieted the action of the Portuguese 
 pretender. 
 
 Don Santiago de Liniers had received the appointment of vice- 
 roy in reward for the gallantry with which he had headed the re- 
 sistance to English invasion ; but he was a Frenchman by birth, 
 and, in the present excited state of feeling against his country, this 
 was a crime. Accused or suspected of favoring the designs of 
 Bonaparte became the excuse for demonstrations against his au- 
 thority. Elio, Governor of Montevideo, convoked the inhabitants 
 of the city, and established an independent junta. The Portenos, 
 
558 BEGINNING OF THE KEVOLUTION. 
 
 in attempting the same, were promptly put down by Liniers, who 
 sent their leaders to Patagonia. 
 
 After the abdication of the king the Supreme Junta of Seville 
 recognized the colonies of Spain as " integral parts of the mon- 
 archy, with the same privileges as the states of the Peninsula," and 
 yet, when they heard of the demonstrations against Liniers, they 
 sent Cisneros (who was a weak, incompetent, vacillating individ- 
 ual — at best unfit for the of&ce), without permission, to make good 
 their own declaration, and without money or troops to support 
 his authority. He found the people with an enormous accumula- 
 tion of produce, and clamorous for the opening of their ports to 
 foreign trade. Forced to accede to these demands, he declared at 
 the same time that nothing but the "most urgent necessity could 
 have induced him to adopt a measure so discountenanced by the 
 laws of the Indies." Eeports of a crisis in the affairs of Spain 
 reached La Plata. Joseph Bonaparte was sweeping every thing 
 before him ; the " Supreme Central Junta" was dissolved, and re- 
 placed by a regency which gave little evidence of stability in au- 
 thority. The power from which Cisneros had received his ap- 
 pointment was no longer in existence, and with its dissolution the 
 dissatisfied colonists saw that the moment for the initiation of a 
 more liberal policy had arrived. 
 
 The viceroy was informed that the order of government was 
 about to be changed ; the Supreme Court of Justice and the munic- 
 ipal authorities received the same announcement, which was fol- 
 lowed by the immediate establishment of a provisional junta in the 
 name of Ferdinand YII. Cisneros was even forced to become a 
 member, and for a few days his name was appended to all orders 
 issued to the troops and provincial towns to recognize its authority. 
 
 I have before alluded to one of the greatest grievances of the 
 colonists, the monopoly by the Spaniards of all places of trust or 
 emolument, which created so strong a feeling of dislike on the 
 part of the Creole or native population, that, according to Azara, 
 it divided families, and even estranged husband and wife, where 
 both were not of Spanish birth. Some of the iahabitants at- 
 tempted to establish this influence in the Junta by naming Cis- 
 neros its president ; a movement exciting much angry feeling on 
 the part of the Creoles, who retaliated by arresting the viceroy and 
 his adherents and sending them off in a small vessel the same 
 night. 
 
 Although the political independence of the North American 
 
THE CONGRESS OF TUCUMAN. 559 
 
 colonies had been completely established, and the question of 
 rights, which had agitated all the governments of Europe, may 
 have found an echo in the hearts of many intelligent Spanish 
 Americans ; though the enfeebled condition of Spain exhibited but 
 too glaringly the decadence of her political power ; the action of 
 the Provisional Government, even so late as 1815, in sending 
 plenipotentiaries to Europe to solicit Charles IV. to come himself, 
 or send his son, Don Francisco de Paulo, to assume the sovereignty 
 of the country, shows that, though all were sincere in the desire to 
 ameliorate their condition, there was a diversity of opinion as to 
 the safest means of attaining this end, some still inclining to a mon- 
 archy, while others were for an entirely new organization, with a 
 free system as basis. They were only a unit in the resolution 
 never to submit to the authority of Ferdinand VII., whose only 
 reply to their petitions for impartial government, after all the 
 proofs they had given of loyalty to his person, was, upon his ele- 
 vation to the throne, to call them rebels, and send fresh bodies of 
 troops for their subjugation. The struggle was at last consum- 
 mated by the assembling, July 9th, 1816, of representatives from 
 all the provinces at Tucuman, where they drew up a declaration 
 of independence. 
 
 Liberty achieved — at least so far as this action of the Congress 
 at Tucuman could make it so — the sympathies that had united 
 the different sections of La Plata were merged into local interests, 
 and four governments were formed from the viceroyalty of Bue- 
 nos Ayres — Paraguay, Alto Peru, or Bolivia, the Banda Oriental, 
 and the United Provinces of La Plata, the latter composed of thir- 
 teen states, which, again, may be geographically divided into three 
 districts: 1st, the Riverine Provinces on the Parana; Buenos 
 Ayres and Santa Fe on the right bank, Entre Rios and Corrien- 
 tes on the left ; 2d, the Upper Provinces, Cordova, Santiago del 
 Estero, Tucuman and Salta, Jujuy, Catamarca and La Riojo; 
 3d, west of Buenos Ayres and approaching the Cordillera of the 
 Andes, San Luis, Mendoza, San Juan, and Rioja, which had been 
 detached from the government of Chili. 
 
 Paraguay was the first province to assert her right to self-gov- 
 ernment; indeed, some years before the "declaration" of 1816, 
 she was not only free from the authority of Spain, but had de- 
 clared her independence of the other states of La Plata. Buenos 
 Ayres sent an army under the command of Belgrano to assist her 
 people in throwing off the Spanish authority, or rather to compel 
 
560 POLITICAL CONDITION. 
 
 them to join the general cause. Yegros and Cavallero, acting 
 under the orders of Velasco, the last Spanish governor, defeated 
 Belgrano, but soon after, almost without a struggle, succeeded in 
 setting aside the authority of the governor and in asserting their 
 complete independence, which was recognized by Buenos Ayres 
 as early as 1811. 
 
 In the northwest the struggle in the southern hemisphere was 
 prolonged, and it was not until after the battle of Ayacucho 
 that Alto Peru was wrested from Spain and established into an 
 independent government, taking its present name, Bolivia, from 
 that of the hero of the Revolution, Bolivar. 
 
 I considered an outline sketch of the settlement and history of 
 a country so little known as La Plata a necessary introduction to 
 my narrative ; but to penetrate the confusion of her political sys- 
 tems since the estabhshment of the republics would be a task of 
 time and difficulty for which I am wholly unprepared. 
 
 Her unaided resistance of English invasion, the reception of 
 M. de Sastenfiy, and the spirited reply of the Cabildo of Buenos 
 Ayres to the pretensions of the Prince Regent of Portugal, a 
 complete emancipation from Spain and freedom up to this time 
 from any foreign influence which could affect permanently her 
 political or territorial integrity, show at least a physical capacity 
 for independent government. Again : unanimity of action in the 
 first step of the crisis is the best evidence of the sincerity of the 
 people in a struggle to improve their condition, though for many 
 years there were elements of discordance and diversity of opinion 
 as to the best means of attainiag the desired end, that totally 
 checked all social or political organizations. Pretenders to thrones, 
 royal scions of the houses of Braganza, Orleans, Bourbon, were 
 quite ready to establish dynasties upon that part of the American 
 continent, and all may have found favorists among the perplexed 
 revolutionists, for few really understood the first principles of 
 civil liberty. The policy of Spain and the wide-awake spirit of 
 the Inquisition had secluded them from a knowledge of the work- 
 ing of other systems ; their moral energies had been corrupted ; 
 they were profoundly ignorant of political economy ; there were 
 no national materials, no previous struggles for enfranchisement ; 
 there was nothing in the traditions of the past ; in the colonial 
 system, not one principle of civil administration as a model or 
 basis on which to construct a new fabric. It was a great ship 
 afloat without rudder or compass. One of their own writers thus 
 
ANAKCHY AND CIVIL WARS. 561 
 
 alludes to tlie men who considered a monarchy expedient: "With 
 them that notion did not originate in an intimate conviction ; far 
 otherwise. On the one hand, it arose from the want of individual 
 capacity to prosecute the Eevolution to its close, and after that to 
 present the country with a stable and enlightened organization ; 
 and on the other, it was occasioned by the discomfort, or, if you 
 prefer the term, the vexation which the tardy progress of the Eev- 
 olution brouglrt upon them."* 
 
 Ten years after the first cry of liberty was heard in Buenos 
 Ayres, Spain could no longer degrade the United Provinces of 
 La Plata by her enactments ; but the swords that had repelled 
 foreign invasion and avenged pohtical wrongs became fratricidal. 
 The provinces acknowledged for a time the governments succes- 
 sively established at Buenos Ayres, based upon a system of cen- 
 tralization, which gave the executive, who was to reside at that 
 city, extensive civil and military jurisdiction, even to the appoint- 
 ment of governors for the provinces. But an opposition showed 
 itself in a large party favoring a federation. The capital was in- 
 vaded and the government or central party accused of aiming to 
 establish a monarchy under the protection of France, with the 
 young Duke of Lucca as its head ; a charge followed by the pub- 
 lication of the correspondence of Don Valentine Gromez, their 
 agent at Paris, containing the particulars of a scheme to that ef- 
 fect which had been proposed by the French ministry. The dis- 
 location was general, v What was before considered a nation sub- 
 divided itself into many independent states, each declaring its 
 own independence. Province rose against province ; cities, vil- 
 lages, famihes, individuals warred against each other. In the 
 struggle the darkness of anarchy settled upon the new rCpubhc. 
 
 At last, in the first months of 1821, some light appeared in 
 the re-establishment and consolidation "of order in Buenos Ayres. 
 Leaving the interior provinces to the control of their own leaders, 
 {he Portenos proceeded to form an independent government. In 
 this effort they adopted a wise principle of action : " that all the- 
 ory should be proscribed in the organization of a country, and its 
 demonstration left to practice." By the stipulations of commer- 
 cial treaties she, in this phase of her political existence, sought and 
 obtained the support of foreign powers. 
 
 The interior provinces gained no strength by isolation. Their 
 history presents nothing but a chronicle of desolating strifes, fac- 
 
 * Nunez. 
 
 36 
 
562 ■ THE STATES OF LA PLATA. 
 
 tions, endless intrigues of military chieftains and political aspir- 
 ants, aiming at much, effecting nothing. It has been until very 
 recently the struggle of a brave people, dreaming of free institu- 
 tions, but grasping in the dark for their prosperity. It is true, 
 the theory of liberty has found able advocates, who, in the elegant 
 diction of the Spanish language, have with eloquence and fire ex- 
 patiated upon its blessings in their legislative assemblies. Some 
 of their military chiefs have fh)wn genius, fertilfty of resource, 
 and personal courage ; but generally, in the history of their prom- 
 inent men, we seek in vain for the patient, self-sacrificing spirit of 
 the heroes of North American independence. • 
 
 Sir "Woodbine Parrish, who witnessed the progress of their po- 
 litical history for nearly a quarter of a century, says, in speaking 
 of the interior provinces, " Without any defined league or general 
 engagement among themselves, even to guarantee the integrity of 
 the republic, or any thing like a Congress or representative body 
 to watch over their common interests since the dissolution of that 
 in 1827, they have been obliged to delegate to the executive gov- 
 ernment of Buenos Ayres, the sole and entire charge of their na- 
 tional concerns, their defense in war, the maintainance of their 
 foreign relations, the management of the public debt, and of all 
 matters of common interest to the republic at large, a trust which, 
 in virtue of the unlimited power conferred upon Greneral Kosas, 
 the present Governor of Buenos Ayres, has become, de facto, vested, 
 with all its duties and responsibilities, in one single individual, a 
 strange ending of a struggle for Federalism." 
 
 Bohvia, an inland state, from her geographical position, as well 
 as from the disturbances of political factions, has been deprived of 
 all stimulus to commercial enterprise. Paraguay ended her strug- 
 gle for civil liberty by submitting, in less than five years, to the 
 dictatorship of Francia. The Banda Oriental, erected into an in- 
 dependent state in 1828, has been depopulated and desolated by 
 civil contests, foreign occupation, and interference brought upon 
 her by the intemperate conduct of her own chiefs. 
 
 I forbear to pursue the domestic or foreign policy of Kosas, a 
 policy in contradiction to all theory or practice of constitutional 
 government. But there was a spirit of intelligence in the country 
 he governed, dormant but not annihilated ; a leader of ability and 
 integrity was alone needed to give it activity. This individual 
 appeared in the person of Justo J. Urquiza, Governor of Entre 
 Rios and Corrientes, a man of admitted military genius, and known 
 
EOSAS AND URQUIZA. 553 
 
 at one time as an able supporter of Rosas, but wbo, at last, disgusted 
 with his administration and moved by noble and enlightened 
 views for the future of " La Plata," raised the standard of opposi- 
 tion. The Governor of Buenos Ayres was in the habit of resign- 
 ing his authority at stated periods, upon the score of broken health 
 or age, relying, and for a long time with success, upon his knowl- 
 edge of and influence over the members of the assembly, none of 
 whom dared accept the proffered resignation. They generally 
 urged his retention of office with adulatory expressions which 
 were duly pubhshed and sent forth to foreign powers as expres- 
 sive of the public voice. On one of these occasions, Urquiza, by 
 proclamation, released Rosas from executive responsibilities, and 
 placed himself at the head of a party favoring the opening of the 
 rivers of La Plata to commerce, and the union of the states com- 
 posing the " United Provinces of La Plata" into a confederation. 
 
 The rivers which have their rise in the northwestern provinces 
 of Brazil give access from the Atlantic to a large and valuable 
 part of her territories. Their free navigation is essential to her 
 interests, and to obtain this concession from Rosas she had in vain 
 exhausted the arts of diplomacy. The traditional antagonism of 
 Spaniard and Portuguese was now merged in the policy of union 
 for the purpose of opening the Parana, Paraguay, and Uruguay, 
 with their tributaries, to the commerce of the world. Urquiza 
 found a powerful ally in Brazil. 
 
 Their first combined movement was against Oribe, who had, 
 with troops partly furnished by Rosas, held Montevideo in a 
 state of siege until a town, "Restoracion," of eight or ten thou- 
 sand inhabitants had actually grown up around his encampment. 
 But for the interference of England and France, who recognized 
 an'd supported the inside party, the city would have fallen into 
 his hands. A considerable body of Entre Rians and Corrientinos, 
 under the command of Urquiza, a Brazilian squadron in the 
 river, and a force of infantry and artillery under Baron Caxias, at 
 last brought Oribe to terms, almost without striking a blow. 
 Consummate address marked the conduct of Urquiza. He pro- 
 claimed, on entering the country, a desire to avoid the shedding 
 of blood. His mission, he announced, was patriotic. Thousands 
 joined his standard. Deserted by whole detachments of troops, 
 with but a hmited supply of provisions, and cut off from both the 
 resources of the interior and river by the allied army and Brazil- 
 ian squadron, Oribe surrendered unconditionally. 
 
564 SUCCESS OF URQUIZA. 
 
 Thus, after a siege of nine years, tlie relief of Montevideo was 
 accomplislied, and Urquiza withdrew to his own province only to 
 prepare for a more direct blow at the power of Eosas. In Janu- 
 ary, 1852, he recrossed the Parana at the head of a large force, 
 and without encountering opposition reached Monte Caseros, with- 
 in fifteen miles of Buenos Ayres, where he was met by the Dicta- 
 tor at the head of an army of twenty thousand men. The great 
 battle of the 3d of February, 1852, ended in the total defeat and 
 flight of Eosas, and secured the future independence of the Argen- 
 tine States. 
 
 The Dictator sought and obtained the protection of an English 
 man-of-war in the " Eoads ;" Urquiza, at the head of a large body 
 of cavalry, infantry, and artillery, made a triumphal entry into the 
 city, established his head-quarters at Palermo, and appointed Don 
 Vincente Lopez, a man advanced in years, but greatly beloved and 
 respected for his intelligence and amiability. Governor of Buenos 
 Ayres. 
 
 On the first of May Urquiza was named " Provisional Directoi," 
 and the 25th of the same month the governors and delegates of 
 fourteen provinces assembled at St. Nicolas for the purpose of 
 forming a government. As a manifestation of respect for the 
 United States, General Urquiza invited our representative, the 
 Honorable John Pendleton of Virginia, to accompany him to San 
 Nicolas, where on the 1st of June the delegates from the Argen- 
 tine States agreed upon the terms of a provisional administration, 
 and a Congress to convene at an early day and form a constitution 
 for a permanent federal government. A copy of the proceedings 
 of this convention was put into the hands of Mr. Pendleton upon 
 the day of their passage, by the order of General Urquiza, that he 
 might send it by dispatch to Buenos Ayres, so as to arrive before 
 the departure of the British mail-packet. The messenger was au- 
 thorized to say that no other government had been thus favored, 
 and that it was the desire of the Provisional Director to signify by 
 this act a special consideration for the United States of America. 
 
 On the 14th of June General Urquiza returned to Buenos Ayres, 
 to find the city in turmoil and confusion, arising from the disaffec- 
 tion of the members of the Provisional Assembly (the " Sala"). 
 Grave exceptions were taken to the proceedings of the Provision- 
 al Congress at San Nicolas, and among them the most prominent 
 was, that too much power had been conferred by it upon the Pro- 
 visional Director. Don Vincente Lopez, who had represented the 
 
DISAFFECTION AT BUENOS AYRES. 565 
 
 Province of Buenos Ayres, appeared before tlie Sala, and attempt- 
 ed to defend his course, but lie was hooted at and hissed. He re- 
 signed his position as governor of the city, and poHtical affairs as- 
 sumed rather a gloomy aspect. Either a new convention must be 
 called to revise the proceedings of the Provisional Congress, for 
 the pacification of the Sala, or its disaffection must be arrested ; 
 in other words, either the thirteen provinces must be governed ac- 
 cording to their own provisions or by those of the Sala at Buenos 
 Ayres. 
 
 General Urquiza was not the man to deliberate long as to which 
 of the two courses he should adopt. The Sala, without soldiers 
 or money, and an enraged populace at its back, adjourned in con- 
 fusion, and the Provisional Director, with the strong arm of the 
 military to sustain him, restored order by banishing five leading 
 members, and reappointing Vincente Lopez governor. He then 
 withdrew the forces from the city, dispatched them to the various 
 provinces from which they came, leaving only the military of the 
 Province of Buenos Ayres to defend their own capital, and retired 
 on the 8th of September to Santa Fe, where the convention 
 charged to prepare a constitution for the Confederation had met 
 August the 20th. This Congress was composed of two delegates 
 from each of the thirteen provinces, Entre Eios, Corrientes, Santa 
 Fe, Cordova, Mendoza, Santiago del Estero, Tucuman, Salta, Jujuy, 
 Catamarca, Rioja, San Luis, and San Juan. 
 
 Many exiles who had joined Urquiza for the purpose of putting 
 down Rosas, but without any intention of elevating the former to 
 the same position, now took advantage of the withdrawal of the 
 troops to conspire against his authority, and, being natives of Bue- 
 nos Ayres, drew to their side a number of the people and soldiers of 
 the province. Their opportunities to create a revolution were am- 
 ple, and their plans and designs well conceived and ably executed. 
 It broke out on the 11th of September, and General Galan, at the 
 time acting as governor by appointment of the Provisional Direc- 
 tor, retired with such of the troops as remained faithfiil. The in- 
 surgents made a pretended pursuit, but neither fight nor skirmish 
 ensued, and the " Director," informed by rapid expresses of the 
 events that had occurred, marched without delay at the head of 
 such troops as were at Santa F<^, and joined General Galan at San 
 Nicolas. 
 
 His first impulse was to advance against Buenos Ayres, but of 
 this he thought .better, and, issuing a proclamation, in which he 
 
566 SIEGE OF BUENOS AYRES. 
 
 announced his determination to leave that city to its own course, 
 he returned to Parana to await the action of the Congress. 
 
 The ruhng spirits of the Eevolution were not content to be let 
 alone, or quietly remain the citizens of an independent state. 
 They wished to break up the Confederation by sowing broadcast 
 the seeds of discord in the western provinces. Faihng in this, 
 they dispatched the best part of the force at their disposal under 
 the command of Generals Madariaga and Honos to invade Entre 
 Eios. Urquiza assembled a large body of troops, and led them in 
 person to meet the invaders, who were defeated and driven from 
 the province. 
 
 Here, then, collecting an army of twelve thousand men from 
 the different states, he marched once more against Buenos Ayres, 
 and, in conjunction with General Largos and a small naval force 
 consisting of three steamers, a brig, a three-masted schooner, and 
 several smaller vessels, besieged and blockaded the city and har- 
 bor. Such was the condition of political affairs in La Plata when 
 the Water Witch arrived at Buenos Ayres. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 APPENDIX A (Page (26). 
 
 INSTRUCTIONS FROM HON. JOHN P. KENNEDY, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY, TO 
 THOMAS J. PAGE, LIEUTENANT COMMANDING. 
 
 By a decree of the Provisional Director of the Argentine Confederation, the 
 long-sealed and excluded country lying upon the ti'ibutaries of the Rio de la Plata 
 has been thrown open to navigation, and the Uruguay and Parana have become 
 accessible to all nations who may choose to seek the new associations which they 
 offer to the spirit of adventure. 
 
 The importance, in a commercial point of view, which is attached to this new 
 field of operations has invited the enterprise of our country as well as of other na- 
 tions ; and, with a view to gratify and please the emulous ambition of the nation, 
 and to secure the great advantages of its trade, the President has directed a small 
 steamer to be dispatched to the La Plata for the purpose of exploration and survey 
 of the upper streams above their falls, and to which seiwice you have been assigned 
 in command of the United States steamer "Water Witch." 
 
 The principal objects to which your attention is directed are to explore the rivers 
 Plata, Paraguay, and Parana, and all their tributaries worthy of exploration ; to 
 determine the practicability of navigating them, their course, extent, productions in 
 fish, etc. ; to examine not only the country bordering on the rivers, but also, to some 
 extent, the interior beyond the water-courses, so as to acquire correct information 
 touching the nature and extent of agriculture, and, consequently, the probable ex- 
 tent to which commercial intercourse may be desirable ; to make collections for the 
 advancement of knowledge in natural history, botany, mineralogy, and other de- 
 partments of natural science ; to make astronomical, meteorological, and magnetic 
 obsei-vations ; to determine latitude and longitude, and to make a series of sketches 
 in Daguerrean and camera impressions illustrative of the scenery, Indians, and ge- 
 ological formations of the country. 
 
 Although the primary objects of the expedition are the promotion of the great in- 
 terests of commerce and navigation, yet you will take all occasions, not incompati- 
 ble with the great pm-pose of the undertaking, to extend the bounds of science, and 
 promote the acquisition of knowledge. 
 
 No special directions are thought necessary in regard to the mode of conducting 
 the researches and experiments which you are enjoined to prosecute, nor is it in- 
 tended to limit the officers who accompany you each to a particular sphere ; aU are 
 expected to co-operate harmoniously in all the details of the expedition. 
 
 You will adopt the most elFective measures within your control to prepare and 
 preserve all specimens of natural history that may be collected, and, as opportuni- 
 ties offer, send them to the United States to be delivered to the Secretary of the 
 Navy, in order that they may be lodged for safe keeping at the Smithsonian Insti- 
 tution. You will also avail yourself of such occasions to forward copies of charts, 
 details of your doings, duplicates of specimens, or any other materials you may deem 
 it important to preserve from the reach of future accident, at the same time strictly 
 
568 APPENDIX A. • 
 
 prohibiting all communications, except to the Department, from any person under 
 your cominand referring to any circumstances connected with the progress of the 
 enterprise. 
 
 Among savage nations, unacquainted with or possessing but vague ideas of the 
 right of property, the most common cause of collision with civilized visitors is the 
 offense and punishment of theft. You will therefore adopt every possible precau- 
 tion against this practice, and in the recovery of stolen property, as well as in pun- 
 ishing the offense, use all due moderation and forbearance. 
 
 You will permit no trade to be carried on by any under your command with the 
 countries you may visit, either civilized or savage, except for necessaries or curiosities, 
 and that under express regulations to be established by yourself, in which the rights 
 of the natives must be scrupulously respected and carefully guarded. 
 
 You will neither interfere, nor permit any wanton interference, with the customs, 
 habits, manners, or prejudices of the natives of such countries as you may visit, nor 
 take part in their disputes except as a mediator, nor commit any act of hostility un- 
 less in self-defense, or to protect or rescue the property of those under you, or those 
 whom circumstances may place within reach of your protection. 
 
 You will carefully inculcate on all who accompany you that courtesy and kindness 
 toward the natives which is understood and felt by all classes of mankind ; to dis- 
 play neither arrogance nor contempt, and to appeal to their good-will rather than 
 to their fears, until it becomes manifest that they can only be restrained from vio- 
 lence from fear or force. 
 
 You will on all occasions avoid risking the officers and men unnecessarily on shore 
 at the mercy of the natives. Treachery is one of the invariable characteristics of 
 savages, and very many of the fatal disasters which have befallen the navigator and 
 explorer have arisen from too great reliance in savage professions of friendship, or 
 overweening confidence in themselves. 
 
 It is the nature of the savage to remember benefits, and never to forgive injuries ; 
 you will therefore use your best endeavors, wherever you may go, to leave behind a 
 favorable impression of your country and countrymen. 
 
 The expedition is not for conquest, but discovery. 
 
 Its objects are all peaceful ; they are to extend the empire of commerce and of 
 science, in which all enlightened nations are equally interested, and we have a right 
 to expect the good-will and good offices of the whole civilized world. 
 
 You will bear in mind that though you may be carried beyond the sphere of so- 
 cial life and the restraint of law, yet the obligations of justice and humanity are al- 
 ways and every where equally imperative, in your intercourse with men, and most 
 especially savages ; that we seek them, not they us ; and that, if we expect to derive 
 advantages from the intercourse, we should endeavor to confer benefits in return. 
 
 You will carefully refrain from the exercise of undue prejudice or partiality to- 
 ward any under your command. 
 
 An observance of strict impartiality toward all will best promote the harmony and 
 efficiency of the expedition. 
 
 On entering any harbor, or meeting with any public vessel bearing the flag of a 
 nation in amity with the United States, you will be careful to obsei've the usual 
 courtesies. You will enjoin all under your command to abstain from violating the 
 commercial or municipal laws or regulations of the places they may visit, and to 
 a"oid, as far as possible, giving any the least ground of complaint. The policy of 
 the United Sates is avowedly pacific, and, while studious to maintain the honor and 
 guard the interests of their country, it is the duty of its officers to abstain from vio- 
 lating the laws or rights of other nations, and, by conciliating the good-will and fa- 
 
APPENDIX B. 569 
 
 vorable opinion of the people they may visit in the course of the cruise, to strengthen 
 the bond of commercial intercfturse, and increase the disposition to more intimate 
 relations. 
 
 Should any violation of the persons or property of American citizens be commit- 
 ted or attempted, you will seek reparation or restitution by persuasive yet firm 
 measures ; and you will not resort to force unless in the last extremity, and when 
 no doubt can exist that right and justice are on your side. 
 
 The maintenance of discipline is an object requiring your unwearied solicitude. 
 The character of our country is only known and judged by remote and savage tribes, 
 and even by semi-civilized nations, by the personal deportment of its ofScers, who 
 are, to a certain extent, its representatives. The high standard which is within 
 their reach, and should be the aim of every one, is the best calculated to command 
 respect and confidence from all with whom intercoui-se is held. 
 
 All officers are enjoined by law, by regulation, and by regard to their own honor 
 to maintain, in all respects, a correct deportment toward superiors, inferiors, and 
 equals. A general obsei'vance of this salutary rule will render each one more happy 
 in his own person, more zealous in the discharge of his duty, and more useful to the 
 service of which he is a member. 
 
 You will not allow any under your command, if you can prevent it, to incm' debts 
 and leave them unpaid in any port or place they may visit. 
 
 If any be heedless of this order, you will report the circumstance to the Depart- 
 ment. 
 
 It is hoped and believed that every officer associated with you will zealously co- 
 operate with you in preserving the strictest discipline. 
 
 In conducting the exploration intrusted to you it may be found necessary to call 
 to your aid means which can not be provided for in a small steamer of the capacity 
 of the " Water "Witch, " such as horses, mules, and other resom-ces for the transport- 
 ation of small parties for shore operations, you are therefore authorized to employ 
 aU such means as you may deem essential to accomplish the objects of the expedi- 
 tion, keeping in view at all times the security and safety of your ofScers, crew, and 
 vessel, and a rigid economy in your expenditures. 
 
 You will communicate your proceedings at regular intervals direct to the Depart- 
 ment, forwarding a duplicate of each letter by the earliest opportunity to be found 
 after the original shall have been transmitted. 
 
 * * * * You will report by letter to the Commander of the United States Squad- 
 ron on the coast of Brazil, as a part of his command, but assigned to special duty 
 under the orders of the Department, with which he will not interfere except under 
 the most imperative circumstances, and he will be instructed to furnish such aid and 
 facilities as you may require in conducting the exploration. 
 
 APPENDIX B (Page 29). 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE OF MESSRS. SCHENCK AND TROUSDALE IN RELATION TO THE 
 
 EXPLORATION OF THE PARAGUAY. 
 
 This and the following letter are introduced to show the grounds on which their 
 author advocated the application for permission to explore the Brazilian waters : 
 
 Mr. Sclienck to Senor de Souza. 
 
 Legation of the United States, Rio de Janeiro, August 20, 1853. 
 The imdersigned. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the 
 United States, desires to recall the attention of His Excellency Paulino Jose Soares 
 
570 APPENDIX B. 
 
 de Soiiza, of the Council of His Majesty the Emperor, Minister and Secretary of 
 State for Foreign Affairs, to an application which was made to the imperial gov- 
 ernment a few months ago. 
 
 On the 26th of April last, in the absence of the ttndersigned, a note was addressed 
 to his Excellency by Mr. Coxe, the Secretaiy of this Legation, inclosing a copy of 
 a letter from Lieutenant Thomas J. Page, of the United States Navy, commanding 
 the United States steamer "Water Witch," a vessel which had just then arrived in 
 this port on her way to survey the River Plate and its various tributaries. The ob- 
 ject was to obtain the friendly co-operation of the imperial government in aid of 
 that expedition, by orders to the authorities of those of her provinces in which are 
 any of the navigable waters of the rivers to be explored. 
 
 In reply to this note, on the Ith of May, his Excellency was pleased to say that 
 the imperial government, having opened to foreign commerce, in the River Para- 
 guay, the port of Albuquerque, would make no objection to Lieutenant Page carry- 
 ing his explorations to that point, but would send the necessary orders to the Pres- 
 ident of the Province of Matto Grosso, and to other imperial agents, that they might 
 give him all the co-operation in their power ; but that the imperial government, not 
 having yet opened to foreign nations other ports above Albuquerque, and not having 
 yet agreed as to the navigation of those rivers with other riverine states, could not 
 permit foreign vessels to enter them, and thus establish an example and precedent 
 which might be prejudicial to the empire, the right of navigation of those rivers not 
 having been settled. 
 
 This correspondence was immediately communicated to the commander of the 
 expedition, who had already proceeded to the River Plate ; and the answer of the 
 imperial government and the license thus accorded are duly appreciated. 
 
 But the undersigned, being then upon the eve of going himself on his special mis- 
 sion to the La Platine States, had little opportunity to advert to the limitations and 
 qualifications of tlie permission expressed. 
 
 On reflection since and now, the undersigned has believed it proper to state to his 
 Excellency that the limited privilege, conceded in answer to the request, is not as 
 liberal as the United States and their agents had a right to expect from a govern- 
 ment as enlightened as this. It can scarcely be that the restriction as to the point 
 to which the imperial government is willing, on its part, that tbe "Water Witch" 
 should ascend the River Paraguay, and the refusal altogether to permit her to en- 
 ter other rivers, would be insisted on if the nature and objects of the expedition were 
 fully understood and considered. 
 
 Otherwise the undersigned is unable to comprehend why such an enterprise, pure- 
 ly national in its character, projected for a simple and peculiar purpose, and that 
 purpose the advancement of science, should have been put upon a footing with in- 
 dividual commercial pursuits, and subjected to reasoning that can apply only to ordi- 
 nai7 voyages. Nothing is proposed which could be regarded as an example or prec- 
 edent for the voyage of a merchant or trading ship, or even of a vessel of war only. 
 
 To remove any possible misapprehension, however, the undersigned will now re- 
 peat that the "Water Witch" has been commissioned and fitted out expressly for 
 an exploration and careful survey of the River Plate and its tributaries ; that the 
 officers and crew have been selected and detailed with a view to that specific and 
 only duty ; and that, in short, the object is one purely scientific, looking to the ex- 
 amination of all that may be interesting in the productions and capabilities of the 
 countries bordering upon their waters ; and also, and more particularly, to an accu- 
 rate sounding of the channels to ascertain their fitness for navigation by steam-boats 
 and other vessels. 
 
APPENDIX B. 571 
 
 And as the history and results of this exploration and survey — the descriptions 
 and charts which may be produced — will be made public to the world, for the com- 
 mon information of all, surely not the least interest and benefit may be expected to 
 accrue to those governments and their inhabitants who have possessions through 
 which the ditferent rivers flow. No questions of rights of navigation or transit can 
 possibly be involved in this work. 
 
 But the undersigned will not argue the subject farther. If, with this simple ex- 
 planation repeated, the expedition thus sent out by the United States does not at 
 once commend itself to the good wishes and favor of Brazil to the fullest extent, but 
 if, on the contrary, she interposes objections to its objects being pursued in any case 
 above a certain point on one of the rivers, becatise she has opened nothing beyond 
 that or elsewhere on the streams within her jurisdiction to foreign commerce, he 
 can only regret that he must report so unexpected a disposition of the imperial gov- 
 ernment to his government at liome, who will not fail to contrast it with the prompt, 
 cordial, and unrestricted encouragement and aid which have been extended to the 
 enterprise by the other states and territories having possessions on the different riv- 
 ers in question. 
 
 In the confidence that, upon a reconsideration of this subject, a farther and more 
 favorable and liberal answer to the application will be made by his Excellency, the 
 undersigned avails himself of the occasion to renew to his Excellency the assurances 
 of his high respect and distinguished consideration. Eobekt C. Schenck. 
 
 To His Excellency Paulino Jose Scares de Souza. 
 
 Mr. Schenck to Senor de Abreo. 
 
 Legation of the United States, Rio de Janeiro, September 21, 1S53. 
 
 The undersigned. Envoy Extraordinaiy and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United 
 States, has the honor to acknowledge the receipt of note No. 28, dated the 16th in- 
 stant, from his Excellency Antonio Paulino Limpo de Abreo, of the Council of His 
 Majesty the Emperor, Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in reply 
 to that which was addressed by the undersigned to the predecessor of his Excellency 
 on the 20th of August last, in relation to the scientific and exploring expedition sent 
 by the government of the United States, under the command of Lieixtenant Page, 
 into the waters of the River La Plata and its tributaries. 
 
 The undersigned regrets to learn from his Excellency that the imperial govern- 
 ment persists in its determination not to consent that the steamer "Water Witch," 
 commissioned for this survey, shall be permitted to ascend any of the rivers within 
 the territory and jurisdiction of Brazil, except the River Paraguay, and that river 
 only as far as the port of Albuquerque. 
 
 This resolution of the imperial government appearing to be decided and final, the 
 undersigned does not propose to repeat or enlarge farther upon the reasons and sug- 
 gestions which he has before presented for consideration, and which he supposed 
 might have elicited a different answer. He will content himself with communicat- 
 ing to the President of the United States an account of the application which it has 
 been his duty to make to the national authorities of Brazil, and the want of success 
 which has attended that application. The sovereignty of Brazil must, of course, be 
 fully recognized ; and any rule that she may think proper to establish will be re- 
 spectfully observed by the United States, in regard to that portion of any river which, 
 having its sources within her territory, flows entirely within her jurisdiction. 
 
 And the undersigned would not now deem it necessary to extend the correspond- 
 ence on this subject, or to reply to the note of his Excellency, but for the farther re- 
 marks of his Excellency which accompany the communication of this decision. 
 
572 APPENDIX B. 
 
 His Excellency observes that the undersigned is perfectly aware that, above the 
 port of Albuquerque, there is no other in the River Paraguay which has been opened 
 by the imperial government to foreign commerce. That from this arrangement it 
 results, as is obvious, that to no foreign vessel can the river be accessible above that 
 port. That this was a principle established in very clear and express terms by de- 
 cree of the imperial government. No. 1140, on the 11th of April of this year. And 
 that the argument, therefore, that the "Water Witch," of which Lieutenant Page 
 is commander, has for its sole object to explore the River Paraguay and its tribu- 
 taries, can not avail, in the opinion of the imperial government, to change in favor 
 of that vessel the general principle which that decree established, and which would 
 be abandoned by the ascent of the "Water Witch" beyond the port of Albuquerque. 
 Admitting the premises, the undersigned can not yet assent to the conclusion ar- 
 rived at by this reasoning. It seems to him a non sequitur that the exclusion of " for- 
 eign commerce" should shut out from the privilege of a higher ascent of the river a 
 national vessel, engaged in no commercial pursuit or enterprise whatever, but sent 
 by a friendly power upon the peaceful and disinterested errand of scientific explo- 
 ration and survey. But the undersigned recognizes the full right of the imperial 
 government to give inteipretation to its own decrees, and is only led into this com- 
 ment on the position taken, because his Excellency has seemed, from the form of ex- 
 pression used, to appeal to the undersigned to admit the justice and the logic of the 
 proposition, which the undersigned is unable to do. 
 
 His Excellency informs the undersigned, however, that the resolution of the im- 
 ' perial government does not prevent such explorations as the commandant of the 
 steamer may be instructed to make in the River Paraguay and its tributaries above 
 the port indicated, but that for this purpose he can employ boats of the country, 
 which he will easily find there. And it is added, that there are reasons for sup- 
 posing that these boats will be the best adapted for the ascent of the River Paraguay 
 beyond Albuquerque, which will perhaps not be practicable for the "Water Witch." 
 
 The undersigned duly appreciates this explanation of the action and views of the 
 imperial government, and thanks his Excellency for the suggestion as to the man- 
 ner in which the objects of the expedition may be accomplished above the point in 
 question. His Excellency's note will be communicated to Lieutenant Page, who is 
 charged with the service, and that officer will exercise his discretion, under such in- 
 structions as he may receive from the government at Washington, in regard to pur- 
 suing the survey in the way proposed to him. At present, and perhaps for the next 
 year or two, the surveying and mapping of the lower parts of the Parana and Para- 
 guay, and of the Rivers Pilcomayo and Vermejo, will sufficiently occupy his atten- 
 tion. It is not probable, however, that he will at any time avail himself of a per- 
 mission, on the Paraguay, to employ the boats of the country as recommended ; for 
 the undersigned begs leave to state that the government of the United States has 
 not sent out such an expedition without providing all the necessary means for its 
 prosecution. Lieutenant Page has with him not only all the boats that would be 
 ordinarily supplied for carrying out properly the examinations and surveys to be 
 made, but has been furnished also with the boilers, engine, and machinery for the 
 construction of a small steamer, with a draught of only a foot or fourteen inches, by 
 means of which those waters and channels may be sufficiently explored and meas- 
 ured which may be found too shallow to admit a vessel as large as the "Water 
 Witch." This small auxiliary steam-boat Lieutenant Page is now about building 
 and putting together, it is understood, at Assumpcion, in Paraguay. As to the doubt 
 expressed whether the "Water Witch" herself could ascend above Albuquerque, the 
 undersigned must be permitted to remark that that is a question to be detei-mined 
 
APPENDIX B. 573 
 
 only by one of those practical experiments which are among the objects of the ex- 
 pedition. 
 
 The undersigned appreciates and has pleasure in acknowledging the expression 
 of the sentiments of friendly consideration which are entertained by the imperial 
 government toward the government of the United States, and the assurances that 
 orders shall be repeated that the commandant of the " Water Witch" may not fail 
 of any co-operation or aid which he may need for the accomplishment and happy 
 issue of the duty intrusted to him. The undersigned, in behalf of his government, 
 sincerely reciprocates these friendly sentiments ; and avails himself of the occasion 
 to renew to his Excellency the assurances of his perfect esteem and distinguished 
 consideration. Robert C. Schenck. 
 
 Mr. Trousdale to Lieutenant Page. 
 
 Legation of the United States, Rio de Janeiro, August 8th, 1854. 
 Lieut. Thomas Jefferson Page, Commanding U. S. Steamer " Water Witch." 
 
 Sir, — I received your communication, without date, through Robert G. Scott, 
 Junior, Esq., Acting Consul of the United States at this port, on the 1st of July 
 last, and on the 3d of that month I addressed a note to the Secretary of Foreign 
 Relations of the Government of Brazil, inviting the attention of his Excellency to 
 the correspondence of my predecessor, the Hon. Robert C. Schenck, with the Sec- 
 retary of Foreign Relations on the subject of the exploration of the tributaries of the 
 Rio de la Plata, and asking again the sanction and co-operation of the imperial 
 government to the expedition of the "Water Witch," and the privilege of ascend- 
 ing the River Paraguay to the head of navigation. 
 
 I am now in possession of the answer of the imperial government to that note, as 
 furnished through the Secretary of Foreign Relations, from which it appears that, 
 on more mature reflection, the imperial government has granted the privilege asked 
 for, of exploring the River Paraguay to the head of navigation, and has given in- 
 structions to the President of the Province of Matto Grosso, and the other agents 
 of the government in that quarter, to facilitate the expedition to the full accomplish- 
 ment of the original design ; herewith inclosed you will find copies of my notes to 
 the Secretary of Foreign Relations, and of his answers, marked A*, B*, C, D^. 
 
 I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. Tkousdale. 
 
 Inclosures. 
 A». Mr. Trousdale to Foreign Office, July 3d, 1854. 
 B«. Foreign Office to Mr. Trousdale, August 2d, 18r>4. 
 C*. Mr. Trousdale to Foreign Office, August 4th, 1854. 
 D^ Foreign Office to Mr. Trousdale, August 7th, 1854. 
 
 3Ir. Trousdale to Senor de Ahreo. 
 
 Legation of the United States, Eio de Janeiro, 3d July, 1854. 
 The undersigned. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the 
 United States, has the honor to inform his Excellency Antonio Paulino Limpo de 
 Abreo, of the Council of his Majesty the Emperor, Minister and Secretary of State 
 for Foreign Affairs, that it has become his duty to invite the attention of the govern- 
 ment of Brazil to the subject of the exploration of the tributaries of the Rio de la 
 Plata, and to bring the question of the privilege of ascending the River Paraguay 
 to the head of navigation again to the notice of the same, and to solicit once more 
 the approbation and co-operation of the imperial government to that enterjjrise. 
 This subject has been ably presented by my predecessor in repeated communications 
 
574: APPENDIX B. 
 
 to the government of Brazil, to which the attention of his Excellency is particularly 
 invited ; the undersigned deems it useless at present to attempt farther argument 
 on the subject. 
 
 It will be remembered that the expedition on which the "Water Witch" has been 
 ordered by the President of the United States has purely for its object the advance- 
 ment of commerce and promotion of science ; and the enteqirising commander of 
 fhe "Water Witch," Captain Thomas Jefferson Page, having advanced as far, in 
 the discharge of his arduous duties, into the territory of Brazil as that government 
 has consented to co-operate with said exploration, it now becomes necessary to ask 
 the Brazilian government to co-operate with this enterprise to its consummation, 
 by at least extending the facilities heretofore given to the termination of the navi- 
 gation of the Paraguay. 
 
 The undersigned hopes for an answer at an early day, and renews to his Excel- 
 lency the assurances of his high esteem and distinguished consideration. 
 
 (Signed) W. Trousdale. 
 
 To his Excellency Antonio Paulino Limpo de Abreo, etc., etc., etc. 
 
 Legation of the United States, Eio de Janeiro, 4th August, 1854. 
 
 The undersigned. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the 
 United States, presents his compliments to his Excellency Antonio Paulino Limpo 
 de Abreo, of the Council of his Majesty the Emperor, Minister and Secretary of 
 State for Foreign Affairs, and has the honor to acknowledge receipt of his Excel- 
 lency's communication of the 2d instant, which contains the information that his 
 Majesty the Emperor and the government of Brazil, to whom the note of the under- 
 signed of the 3d ultimo had been presented, which asks the privilege for the United 
 States steamer "Water Witch" to explore the River Paraguay to the head of navi- 
 gation, and to obtain the sanction and co-operation of the government of Brazil to 
 the full accomplishment of the original design of that expedition, had consented to 
 the objects asked for in said note, on the condition that the undersigned should re- 
 ply to the communication of his Excellency of the 2d instant, confirming the state- 
 ments made by the Hon. Robert C. Schenck, in his notes to the Secretary of State 
 for Foreign Affairs of the government of Brazil, on the subject of the exploration by 
 the steamer "Water Witch" of the tributaries of the Rio de la Plata, 
 
 The undersigned will here state that he has not been furnished with a copy of 
 the instructions given by the President of the United States to Lieutenant Thomas 
 Jefferson Page, commanding the United States steamer "Water Witch," in rela- 
 tion to the exploration of the tributaries of the Rio de la Plata ; all the information 
 the undersigned has on that subject is obtained from the statements of others : The 
 letter of Lieutenant Thomas Jefferson Page to Ferdinand Coxe, Esq., Secretary of 
 Legation of the United States at the Court of Brazil, of the 26th April, 1853, in 
 which he states the expedition has purely for its object the advancement of com- 
 merce and the promotion of science ; Mr. Coxe, in his note of the same date, 26th 
 April, 1853, to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, speaking of Lieutenant Page, says: 
 "This officer has been ordered by the President of the United States upon the highly 
 interesting and important duty of exploring and surveying all the rivers running into 
 the La Plata, and it is not doubted that the results of the expedition will be of the 
 highest importance to the commercial and scientific world." It will be seen that 
 Mr. Schenck, in his communication to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, of the 20th 
 August, 1853, uses this language : " Otherwise the undersigned is unable to compre- 
 hend why such an expedition, purely national in its character, projected for a sim- 
 ple and peculiar purpose, and that purpose for the advancement of science, should 
 
APPENDIX C. 575 
 
 have been put qn a footing with individual commercial pursuits, and subjected to 
 reasoning that can apply only to ordinary vessels;" and, again, Mr. Schenck, in 
 his note to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, of the 7th October, 1853, speaking of 
 the action of the government of Brazil, says : ." She will therefore not consent that 
 the steamer ' Water Witch, ' sent by the United States on a purely scientific expe- 
 dition, shall ascend above that point;" and, again. Lieutenant Thomas Jefferson 
 Page, in a late communication to the undersigned, speaking of the refusal of the 
 Imperial government to permit him to explore the tributaries of the Rio de la Plata, 
 says: " It can not be the fixed, determined object of the government to arrest an 
 expedition having for its object solely the promotion oi science." 
 
 From the foregoing statements the undersigned feels authorized to say that the 
 object of the expedition of the "Water Witch" in the tributaries of the Rio de la 
 Plata is intended to promote the cause of science, and should not be construed into 
 a precedent for vessels of either war or commerce to navigate those streams. 
 
 The government of the United States will duly appreciate this act of kindness 
 and friendship toward it by the government of Brazil, and it will doubtless strength- 
 en the cords of friendship which now bind together those governments. 
 
 The undersigned hopes for a speedy consummation of this matter, and avails him- 
 self of this opportunity to renew to his Excellency assurances of his high esteem and 
 distinguished consideration. (Signed) W. Tkousdai.e. 
 
 To hia Excellency Antonio Paulino Limpo de Abreo, etc., etc., etc. 
 
 APPENDIX C (Page 59). 
 
 FROM THE DISPATCHES OF MR. ROBERT C. SCHENCK, UNITED STATES MINISTER 
 TO BRAZIL, ON THE POLITICAL EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE AT THE TIME OF 
 GENERAL URQUIZA'S ABANDONMENT OF THE SIEGE OF BUENOS AYRES. 
 
 By my last dispatch you were informed that I had returned here, bringing the 
 two treaties which Mi-. Pendleton and I have had the good fortune to conclude with 
 the Argentine Confederation. I send them now, with other original papers, as 
 follows : 
 
 1st. The Treaty of San Jose de Flores, for the free navigation of the rivers Pa- 
 rana and Uruguay, made July 10th, 1853 ; accompanying which is a Notice of the 
 Ratification of the same, on the 12th of July, by General Justo Jose de Urquiza, the 
 Provisional Director. 
 
 2d. The Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation, made at San Jose, 
 July 27th, 1853; accompanied by the Certificate of Powers of the Plenipotentiaries 
 of the Confederation of the same date ; and the Notice of Ratification by the Pro- 
 visional Director, on the 30th of July. 
 
 In the case of the Treaty of San Jose' de Flores, there was but one general power 
 given to the Argentine plenipotentiaries, authorizing them to treat alike with the 
 United States, Great Britain, and France ; and as there could not be an exchange 
 with each, the original was left in custody of the French plenipotentiary. 
 
 It would not be necessary to add much to what has already been reported to you 
 of the circumstances attending oui- negotiations and the signing of these treaties. 
 
 On my arrival at Buenos Ayres, on the 21st May last, I found the city in a state 
 of close siege and blockade. The conferences between the two belligerent parties, 
 which were initiated and conducted under the auspices and mediation of the minis- 
 ters of Brazil and Bolivia, had been broken off; and I was accordingly disappoint- 
 ed in my expectation of finding peace, and with it the government of the Confed- 
 eration established and prepared to treat. For two months the prospect of making 
 
576 APPENDIX C. 
 
 my mission effective seemed to be no better; and, at the close of, June, I bad de- 
 termined and was prepared to return to my post here, abandoning for the present 
 all idea of a treaty, general or special, and leaving farther negotiations on the part 
 of our government to a more promising time, and to whomsoever might be hereafter 
 appointed to the duty. 
 
 But just at that contingency I obtained such reliable information of a crisis at 
 hand as induced me to change my purpose, and I resolved to remain another month. 
 I became satisfied that in the new aspect of affairs would be found the first and best 
 opportunity that was likely to present itself for concluding treaty stipulations, which 
 should not only embrace, as far as the United States were concerned, the general 
 provisions for reciprocal commerce and friendship, but that with these, or in advance 
 of these, might be obtained the great object of the special missions of England and 
 France, as well as what we sought ourselves — security for the free navigation of the 
 rivers. To this latter object particularly, in conjunction with the British and French 
 ministers, we first applied ourselves, and the result is the treaty of the 10th of July. 
 
 So far as the Argentine Confederation is concerned, or has jurisdiction in the 
 rivers La Plata, Parana, and Uruguay, not only the principle, but the fact is now 
 fixed and perpetual. 
 
 A free passage for the commerce of all the world on those waters will no longer 
 depend on laws or decrees, which may be repealed, or even on a constitutional pro- 
 vision, which may be changed, but is safe hencefo'rth under the solemn guarantees 
 of international contract. 
 
 A similar treaty precisely in all its terms was signed on the same day by the pleni- 
 potentiaries of Great Britain and France. 
 
 Mr. Pendleton has already given you an account of the base and treacherous 
 transfer of the blockading squadron of the Confederation by Coe, their chief naval 
 commander; tke disastrous influence that that surrender had upon the besieging 
 army, and other particulars of the cotirse of events, which led General Urquiza to de- 
 termine finally to abandon all farther forcible measures toward Buenos Ayres. It 
 is sufiicient, with reference to our diplomatic duties and services in the midst of 
 these occurrences, to state that we had to go back and through the lines of the bel- 
 ligerent parties, with such degree of safe-conduct as their passes and escorts could 
 secure to us, seeking actively and discreetly as we could to provide for the interests 
 we had in charge, and not always, perhaps, without exposure to some little peril. 
 It was, in truth, a duty somewhat anomalous, and in proportion exciting, for a ci- 
 vilian to be engaged in. 
 
 The mediation which was undertaken by Sir Charles Hotham, the Chevalier St. 
 Georges, and myself, at the instance of both parties, has been also explained to you ; 
 and its abrupt conclusion, the final breaking up of the siege, the retiring of Urquiza 
 with the troops of the Confederation, and the dispersion of the outside chiefs of 
 Buenos Ayres. 
 
 General Urquiza, as Provisional Director, with approval of the Constituent Con- 
 gress, took at length the course which should have been, I think, his policy, and the 
 policy of the Thirteen Provinces, from the beginning — that was to leave Buenos 
 Ayres to herself, to unite or not with them as she might elect under the Constitution. 
 
 It was in this view of the subject that we mutually agreed with the Provisional 
 Director that the time had come for treating with the Confederation under his aus- 
 pices. 
 
 Buenos Ayres may deny, in her present anomalous position, refusing as she does 
 to be represented in the Constituent Congress, that treaties thus made are binding 
 upon her. I have no apprehension, however, that she will to the end continue to 
 
APPENDIX C. 577 
 
 disregard their obligations. But if she should attempt to do so, she will be ulti- 
 mately, and soon, in one way or another, compelled to abide by them. 
 
 She is either in the Confederation or out of it. If in it, she must be made to con- 
 form to its international duties ; if out of it, and hereafter^recognized as a separate 
 nationality, she will be constrained, by the opening of the rivers and ports above, 
 and for her own self-preservation, to enter into similar treaties on her own account. 
 
 The time has passed by when a single state or province, upon her pretensions of 
 her superior wealth, and population, and strength, can dominate over all others, ob- 
 structing their progress, and hindering the friendly relations they would establish 
 with other countries. She will learn, of necessity, the republican lesson of political 
 equality with her sister provinces, and that she must not expect them to submit to 
 no organization but one which would leave all the power and rule with her. 
 
 I may here add that the Constitution ^o identical almost with our own) which 
 was adopted at Santa Fe, and submitted, through the Provisional Director, to the 
 people of the provinces for their acceptance, has been received enthusiastically every 
 where out of Buenos Ayres ;' and I' presume that the next step of the Constituent 
 Congress which framed it, and which remains in session until the complete organi- 
 zation under it, will be the appointment of a day for the election of President and 
 Vice-President. 
 
 Urquiza will undoubtedly be elected President, if he is willing to acept the office. 
 His elevation to that position will confirm still more the hostility of Buenos Ayres. 
 • But she would be almost equally averse to the election of any one, being a native 
 and resident of an interior province. 
 
 But, leaving these speculations as to the future of the Confederation, I present, 
 with brief remark, the treaties as we have actually made them, and which, I trust, 
 will receive the sanction of the President and the Senate. 
 
 The treaty of San Jose de Flores is a success, you will observe, quite exceeding 
 what Mr. Webster, in his instructions to me of the 28th of April, 1852, expected we 
 should be able to accomplish. It was hardly hoped then that a negotiation for the 
 free navigation of the rivers could terminate thus favorably. 
 
 This treaty embodies the principle of General Urquiza's decree of the 3d October, 
 1852 ; and will be in entire accord with Article 26, first part of the Constitution 
 of the Confederation. The constitutional declaration is in these terms : 
 
 " Article 26. La navigacion de los rios interiores de la Confederacion es libra para todas las ban- 
 deros, con sujeclon unicamente a los reglamentos que dicta la autoridad Nacional." 
 
 It was at first objected, on behalf of the Confederation, that this provision of their 
 constitution removed the whole subject from the treaty-making power, and would 
 leave it only within the jurisdiction of the Congress. The legislative power, it was 
 claimed, could alone be the national authority to prescribe the needful regulations 
 for such free navigation. 
 
 After much discussion we overcame this position, by satisfying the plenipoten- 
 tiaries as to what must be the interpretation of their own constitution, to wit, that 
 treaties regularly concluded, either by the present Provisional Executive, or made 
 by the President and approved by Congress, after the organization under the consti- 
 tution, are to be taken, as in the United States, as "the supreme law of the land;" 
 and that "regulations" established by treaty must be considered as much sanction- 
 ed by "national authority" as if enacted in the shape of statute law. This radical 
 and essential point was yielded to us upon the argument which was devolved upon 
 me to make in behalf of the three powers. 
 
 I do not know that more than one or two of the particular articles or clauses of 
 this treaty require comment. The others all clearly explain themselves. 
 
 37 
 
578 APPENDIX C. 
 
 Article V. is an important stipulation. The Island Martin Garcia being at the 
 head of the River Plata, and commanding the whole channel by which vessels must 
 pass to and from the mouths of the Parana and Uruguay, an unfriendly power in 
 possession of that point niight obstruct the whole navigation. Hence the necessity 
 of some guard against such possible interpretation. The Province of Buenos Ayres 
 at present claims and holds the island. 
 
 Mr. Pendleton and I would not agree, on behalf of our government, to any strong- 
 er obligation of resistance than is conveyed by the phrase "use their influence." 
 That is an expression which will admit of great latitude of interpretation. Some 
 such clause, however, in the treaty, you will at once perceive, was essentially neces- 
 sary for its certain efficiency. 
 
 So far as the Confederation is concerned, it is to be fairly claimed, I think, that 
 the ratification of this treaty, as well as that subsequently made at San Jose', is com- 
 plete. But General Urquiza, at the same time that he, in the exercise of his plenary 
 powers as Provisional Director, was willing to give, and has given his absolute con- 
 firmation to them both, has yet, out of respectful deference to the Congress, whose 
 sanction will be required to treaties made ixnder the constitution which is so soon to 
 come into force, declared also his purpose to submit these to the approval of that 
 body. 
 
 This explanation might remove some ambiguity that you might otherwise find in 
 the respective ratifying clauses. 
 
 Our co-operation with the British and French plenipotentiaries ceased after the 
 execution of the River Treaty. 
 
 Mr. Pendleton proceeded, as he has informed you, on the 22d of July, to Entre 
 Rios, to procure our farther negotiation on account of the United States alone. The 
 treaty we agreed on there, on the 27th, is substantially the same as that which Great 
 Britain at present enjoys, hers being made in the time of Rosas at Buenos Ayres ; 
 and France has intrusted the duty of endeavoring to obtain a similar one to a new 
 Minister Plenipotentiary, who had just arrived in the river at the time of my leaving. 
 
 You will find that in all the articles there is no material alteration in any respect 
 from the ordinaiy form and provisions of these reciprocal treaties which we were in- 
 structed to adopt. In some parts only I sought to simplify, condense, and make a 
 little clearer, and trust I, in some small degree, succeeded. 
 
 In one important particular, however, we have obtained an advantage quite be- 
 yond any thing secured in other treaties of this class. This with the Argentine 
 Confederation is perpetual. Considering the principles of reciprocity established by 
 it, and the comparative amount of commercial and other interests of the two coun- 
 tries and their citizens to be benefited in their relations with each other, our gov- 
 ernment has all the gain, and loses nothing by the absence of any limitation of time. 
 
 It is not probable that such a perpetual treaty would have been obtained by us 
 now, but from the fact that the existing treaty with England is without limit. 
 
 But we have not found General Urquiza, or any of those associated with him in 
 the present government of the Confederation, disposed to prefer any other country 
 or its interests to those of the United States. Indeed, there is entertained for us, I 
 may say, a decided partiality. They look at present with especial interest for the 
 public opinion of our people upon the experiment they are about to make with our 
 Federal Constitution. 
 
 In the journey made by Mr. Pendleton and myself to Entre Rios, to meet Gen- 
 eral Urquiza and conclude the general treaty, we were received and entertained 
 with marks of the most distinguished and flattering respect to our countiy. We 
 were made at all points the guests of the government ; the American flag was dis- 
 
APPENDIX D. 579 
 
 played at ever}' opporttinity ; and, in short, every testimonial and attention exhib- 
 ited which could indicate the high consideration in which we were held as repre- 
 sentatives of an admired nation. 
 
 Mr. Pendleton being unfortunately taken sick by the wiay, and unable to proceed 
 farther than Gualaguaychu, I had to go on to San Jose and agree upon the treaty 
 alone ; but General Urquiza kindly and promptly met this difficulty by sending a 
 confidential messenger back with me, a distance of seventy miles, to bring and take 
 the copy for the Confederation, so that my colleague should also have opportunity 
 to affix to it his seal and signature. 
 
 This partiality toward the United States is more to be regarded, when it is con- 
 sidered that the recent treachery of our countryman Coe, and the very reprehensible 
 conduct in that connection of one of our naval officers of high rank, and perhaps of 
 other American citizens, had tended, just at that time, to excite a prejudice to our 
 general disadvantage and discredit. 
 
 I have thought it not impertinent to the subject of my dispatch to mention this 
 continued favor toward our government and people, as it may avail something here- 
 after to cultivate and encourage such a disposition for the benefit of American com- 
 mercial and other interests that may be expected to spring up and increase in that 
 quarter. 
 
 I must not close this dispatch without bearing testimony to the veiy friendly co- 
 operation that Mr. Pendleton and I have had throughout the negotiations with Sir 
 Charles Hotham and the Chevalier St. Georges, the British and French Ministers, 
 in all that related to the objects and interests of our three governments that were in 
 common. 
 
 We found both those gentlemen on all occasions liberal and frank in the highest 
 degree. I believe it will be admitted all around that we labored together, when it 
 was necessary or expedient, with joint and mutual benefit. 
 
 I desire also to express to you a very high sense of the important services render- 
 ed to us by Lieutenant Thomas J. Page, commanding the United States steamer 
 "Water Witch." Without his various services in carrying General Urquiza and 
 his staflF when they retired from Buenos Ayres ; in conveying Mr. Pendleton and 
 myself afterward to Entre Rios, and other duties which he with his ship was able to 
 perform, I hardly know how we could have succeeded in bringing our negotiations 
 to a successful conclusion. The presence of the "Water Witch" for several weeks 
 at that particular juncture was invaluable ; and all her movements strikingly ex- 
 emplified the necessity of having a vessel of her kind and class, on almost all occa- 
 sions, on the River Plate. 
 
 Will you please communicate to the Secretary of the Navy this expression of our 
 appreciation of the services of Lieutenant Page. 
 
 I have the honor, etc. Robekt C. Schenck. 
 
 APPENDIX D (Page 59). 
 
 MEMORANDUM AS TO THE "PROTEST" OF BUENOS AYRES AGAINST THE TREATY 
 OF SAN JOSE' DE FLORES (5™ SEPTEMBER, 1853), BY ROBERT C. SCHENCK, MINIS- 
 TER PLENIPOTENIARY. 
 
 The first thing that demands attention in this paper is the extremely unfair, un- 
 candid, and, in some particulars, false statement which is made in regard to the cir- 
 cumstances existing at the time the treaty was signed. 
 
 My government has already been informed as to the history of the mediation 
 
580 APPENDIX D. 
 
 which was conducted under the ausjnces of the Ministers Plenipotentiary of En- 
 gland, France, and the United States, and of the condition of aifairs which attend- 
 ed the withdrawal of General Urquiza from the siege, and his retirement to Entre 
 Rios. It is not necessary to repeat that history. But it is well to remark how stu- 
 diously the government of Buenos Ayres attempts to confuse and mix together mat- 
 ters which have no connection. 
 
 The Understanding in regard to the retirement of General Urquiza, for the rea- 
 sons stated in his proclamation, and without obstruction, was one thing ; the terms 
 which should be made with General Lagos and the provincial troops outside, was 
 altogether another affair. General Urquiza, by the arrangement that had been 
 made, was at liberty to retire, and might have retired with all the forces of the other 
 provinces unmolested at any time for two days before he did go. But he magnani- 
 mously remained to see what agreement the two Buenos Ayrean parties, inside and 
 outside, were going to make between themselves, what terms would be granted to 
 General Lagos, if he would raise the si«ge, and what he would accept. General 
 Urquiza apprehended that if he were the first to go with the troops of the Confed- 
 eration, the city would not keep faith with Lagos. And the result proved that there 
 was but too miich reason to doubt the sincerity of the inside party. For my- 
 self, I had no confidence in the ministers of the inside from the beginning ; and I 
 thought General Urquiza was right in waiting as long as he did for the event. The 
 delays that were interposed, day after day, to avoid a final arrangement, were re- 
 sorted to by the city party, I believed then, and am certain now, only for the pur- 
 pose of exciting doubt and disorganization among the troops outside, and not with 
 any intention of making a fair and honest peace. 
 
 It is false to say, as their "Protest" does, that the mediating ministers were at the 
 Government House in the city on the 13th of July, laboring to make terms for the 
 safety of General Urquiza. The question as to General Urquiza's movements was 
 disposed of. They were then only trying to adjust the terms of peace to be made 
 with Lagos and his provincial force. It is equally untrue the statement that that 
 long interview was broken up by news of the abandonment of the siege by Urquiza 
 and Lagos. The discussion was protracted by Torres and his fellow-ministers, and 
 eveiy sort of new delay and objection interposed by them, to the surprise of the 
 mediating ministers, after every point as to Lagos and his chiefs had been the day 
 previous substantially agreed upon and settled. But before that interview was over, 
 the terms in relation to Lagos and his provincial force were at last signed by the 
 Buenos Ayrean ministers, and not communicated that night to him only because 
 it was too late. The departure of General Urquiza was not known by the medi- 
 ating ministers nor heard of in the city until next morning ; nor did they learn un- 
 til then of the breaking up of the siege of Lagos. 
 
 General Lagos took that course evidently yielding to the disorganization of his 
 forces produced by the delays and false dealing of the inside government — delays 
 cunningly and basely resorted to after every thing had been virtually and in good 
 faith arranged. 
 
 I have not a doubt but that while the mediating ministers were discussing for 
 hours the plan of an honorable peace with the ministers of the city on the 13th, at 
 that very time the authorities were sending out the reports, which became current 
 in the camp, that the mediating ministers had confederated with General Urquiza 
 to betray Lagos and his troops. 
 
 I will not, however, as I said, repeat this history. It is only of any consequence 
 to refer to it again, because it shows that General Urquiza, in making the treaty, 
 acted under no such imminent danger, or apprehension, or in any such state of alarm 
 
APPENDIX D. 531 
 
 as this "Protest" imputes to him. If there was any truth or good faith in the in- 
 side party, he had no cause to feel any apprehension on the day the treaty was 
 made, for his understanding with them was ah-eady complete, and they had gladly 
 conciu'red in the arrangement that he should retire, with the troops of the Confed- 
 eration under his immediate command, in the foreign men-of-war. In order to 
 make it otherwise appear now, they are forced to deny and discredit their own prop- 
 ositions and solemn promises. They had even three days before requested of Gen- 
 eral Urquiza, through the mediating ministers, as a favor, that when he did with- 
 draAv to Entre Rios he would go up the River Uruguay instead of the Parana — a 
 request which he had acceded to as suiting his own purposes. 
 
 But, suppose it were true that General Urquiza was beaten, defeated, driven from 
 Buenos Ayres, how coiild that affect the validity of the treaty he had made ? It 
 does not in the least touch the question. 
 
 This "Protest" proceeds throughout on the mistaken assumption that a govern- 
 ment negotiating with the Argentine Confederation is going to take notice of the 
 domestic broil or civil war existing in Buenos Ayres, one of the provinces of that 
 republic. But that is wholly an affair of their own. It matters not whether the 
 war was between different parts of that province or different portions of its people ; 
 or between that province and the rest of the Confederation. 
 
 Buenos Ayres is not known to foreign powers in this question. She has never, 
 in fact, separated herself from the Confederation, and declared her independence ; 
 and if she had done so, the recognition of her nationality is an act and right which 
 belongs exclusively to governments. And until such recognition has been made, 
 either by her own government or the government to which the province belonged, 
 we are bound to consider her ancient relations as unaltered. This principle has 
 been distinctly declared by an American judicial court, in Gelston versus Hoyt — 3 
 Wheaton, 324. 
 
 It is of no consequence whether the Provisional Director, when he made his 
 treaty, was marching out of that province, or into that province, or had never been 
 near that province at all. It is of no consequence whether Buenos Ayres was at 
 peace within her own borders, or distracted by war ; or at peace or at war with the 
 rest of the Confederation. We have nothing to do with those domestic affairs. 
 
 The question is. Whether ice have a treaty with the Argentine Confederation ? Not 
 '■'■What the Argentine Confederation is f Buenos Ayres may belong to it, or not be- 
 long to it ; be bound to its treaties, or not bound ; and so may any other province. 
 Those are questions to be considered hereafter. 
 
 Bat the "Protest" says that General Urquiza was not a free agent, but was act- 
 ing under compulsion when he treated. 
 
 The best answer for that is that General Urquiza still adheres to the treaty, and has 
 ratified, and asks for it the approbation and sanction of the Congress of the Confeder- 
 ation. And the constituted authorities of the national government ixnder the Constitu- 
 tion will probably be as well satisfied with it as the Provisional Director. He report- 
 ed the whole negotiation and its conclusion to the Constituent Congress ; and his 
 communication, with exact copies of all the treaties, was published in full in the Na- 
 ciojud, the official newspaper at Parana, the capital of Entre Rios, on the 22d of Au- 
 gust. It was through that publication that the authorities of Buenos Ayres must 
 have possessed themselves of the copies which, with so much parade, they pretend- 
 ed to have "discovered" on the 31st of August. Discovered a secret plot against 
 Buenos Ayres in the public newspapers ! It really seems that they can not be other- 
 wise than disingenuous about every thing. 
 
 The sympathy for General Urquiza, in the coercion and abuse of his situation to 
 which it is pretended he was subjected, seems to be entirely uncalled for. 
 
582 APPENDIX D. 
 
 Besides, to show that there was no surprise or imposition on the Provisional Di- 
 rector, it must be i-emembered that he had been, for almost a year before, consider- 
 ing the making of this very treaty. 
 
 All the terms of it, I am informed by the English and French plenipotentiaries, 
 had been virtually agreed to with them months previously to its being concluded ; 
 and two weeks before he had signified to me his willingness to make a treaty with 
 the United States, in the very words of this which was signed. 
 
 But the "Protest" objects that General Urquiza had no power to treat. 
 
 It is rather late to claim now that General Urquiza did not represent the Confed- 
 eration in its foreign relations, when such powers had not only been conferred upon 
 him by the Acuerdo of San Nicetas, and confirmed subsequently by the Congress of 
 Delegates at Santa Fe', in which thirteen of the fourteen provinces were represent- 
 ed, but when he had been actually exercising such functions in repeated ways and 
 instances. He concluded a treaty, by his plenipotentiary, with Paraguay on the 15th 
 July, 1852. He received these very ministers of England, France, and the United 
 States, who signed the treaties of San Jose de Flores, in July and August, 1853 
 — ministers who came with letters of credence, and with powers to treat on the very 
 subject of this treaty — the free navigation of the rivers. Buenos Ayres had no ob- 
 jection to make to his powers then. It is with her now evidently an after-thought. 
 
 But Buenos Ayres complains that she was not represented in the Congress which 
 confirmed the powers of the Provisional Director. That is a pity ; it is, perhaps, 
 her misfortune. The other thirteen provinces were all there ; and, it seems, by the 
 adoption of a constitution, that the Argentine Confederation will go on even with- 
 out her concurrence, notwithstanding Buenos Ayres is impressed with the idea that 
 that is impossible ! 
 
 It is to be hoped, however, that so important a member of the Confederation as 
 she is will reconsider her ground, and not hold out any longer in her anomalous po- 
 sition. It is desirable that she could continue in the republic, because, in addition 
 to other advantages, her capital city will be a convenient and suitable place for the 
 federal capital. 
 
 It is pretended that the powers of the Provisional Director have ceased with the 
 adoption of the Constitution. If that were admitted, it would follow, as a conse- 
 quence, that there is no government of the Confederation ; because the elections for 
 President and Congress, under the Constitution, not yet having taken place, there 
 has been nobody to whom the provisional government could surrender its powers. 
 
 It is, on the contrary, obvious that tlie provisional government — that is to say, the 
 provisional directorship, continues in the person of General Urquiza, or some one 
 else ; or else there must be some other form of government to represent the sover- 
 eignty and nationality of the republic until the organization shall have taken place 
 under the Constitution. 
 
 There is no force in the objection that the 5th article contains an agreement in 
 regard to the Island of Martin Garcia, and is void, because that island belongs to 
 Buenos Ayres, and she was not consulted. Admit, for the sake of argument, that 
 the island is her territory ; and also admit (which she does not dare to claim) that 
 she is no longer in the Confederation ; even then the agreement about it is good be- 
 tweeii the parties to the treaty. 
 
 Did not England and France invite the United States to enter into a treaty in re- 
 gard to the Island of Cuba? and yet Cuba belonged to neither of the contracting 
 parties ; and, more than that, the very object of such a treaty was that it never 
 should belong to either. The government of the United States did not in that case 
 decline because there was any doubt about its power and right, or the power and 
 
APPENDIX D. 583 
 
 right of the other parties to treat upon the subject, but because it did not suit 
 our policy to tie up our hands, or to be drawn into any such negotiation about that 
 island. 
 
 The Protest says that the 6th article would deprive Buenos Ayres of her right of 
 blockade, in time of war with any nation on the river above her. Not at all. This 
 article expressly recognizes the right of blockade and search, in proper cases, by de- 
 claring what articles of a cargo shall be considered contraband. 
 
 But "a blockade to be acknowledged as valid must be confined to particular 
 ports, each having a force stationed before it sufficient to interrupt the entry of ves- 
 sels." Such is the law of nations ; and it is only intended by this article that nei- 
 ther Buenos Ayres nor any other state, under claim of right of blockade, shall shut 
 up the rivers and stop the commerce and navigation of all the countries above ; but 
 shall be confined, in'the exercise of her hostile right, to a strict and legitimate block- 
 ade of the particular port or ports of the nation with which she may be at war. 
 
 The pretense that this treaty was made merely as a means by wTiich General 
 Urquiza might avenge himself on Buenos Ayres, does not deserve notice or reply. 
 Nor will I answer the base insinuation that the ministers of the three governments 
 bargained for the treaty with General Urquiza, as the condition of their acknowl- 
 edging the blockade of the port of Buenos Ayres, farther than by reference to the 
 fact that that blockade was recognized as legitimate, in May, not by the diplomatic 
 agents, but as a question pertaining to them by the naval commanders, not only of 
 England, France, and the United States, but also of Brazil, Sardinia, Spain, and 
 all other countries having vessels of war on the station. 
 
 The declaration of Buenos Ayres that she first opened the rivers to free navigation 
 by her law of the 18th October, 1852, is a mere impudent pretension. It is such a 
 statement as could only be expected in a paper which represents the squadron, sold 
 by the traitor Coe, as " having gone over and submitted voluntarily to the orders of 
 the Buenos Ayrean inside party, simply because it recognized the justice of that 
 cause." 
 
 The fact is that General Urquiza, to whom the world is indebted for his liberal 
 policy, after the fall of Rosas, made the first decree opening the rivei's on the 2Sth 
 of August, 1852; and afterward confirmed that again by his other decree made at 
 Parana, October 3d, 1852. And this last mentioned decree was issued, as declared 
 in the preamble to it, ' ' in view of the opposition taken by the Province of Buenos 
 Ayres," that is because Buenos Ayres had shown a disposition to obstruct that free 
 navigation. 
 
 But whether the rivers are open or not — by decrees of Urquiza, by the law of 
 Buenos Ayres (and how could her sala legislate for the waters of the whole Confed- 
 eration?), or by the declaration contained in the Constitution of the Confederation ; 
 in either case, there was still the same necessity for a treaty. Now this free navi- 
 gation will not be subjected to changing legislation, amendments of a constitution, 
 revolutions, or caprice of the Confederation, or of any of its states ; but it is estab- 
 lished and perpetually secured by solemn compact between sovereign nations. 
 
 And here I would stop. But, looking at the treaties as published with this "Pro- 
 test," I can not forbear calling attention to another small matter — a petty trick and 
 cheat to which these Buenos Ayrean ministers have descended, in order to make 
 it seem that General Urquiza was usurping a title and office which could only be 
 conferred under the Constitution. They have falsified the ratifying clause in each 
 of the treaties by substituting the word "President" (Presidente de la Confeckracion) 
 for "Provisional Director" {Director Provisario). 
 
 Rio de Janeiro, 1S53. 
 
584 APPENDIX E. 
 
 APPENDIX E (Page 137). 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORT OF LIEUTENANT POWELL ON HIS TOUR 
 THROUGH THE YERBALES OF PARAGUAY. 
 
 The general plan adopted for the execution of my instructions was to take the 
 sides of an imaginary triangle, one angle of which rested at the city of Asuncion, 
 another among the " Yerbales," near the town of San Estanislado, and a third at 
 the town of San Cosme on the River Parana, as the route of travel to be followed as 
 nearly as practicable, to fix the important features, astronomically or by bearing and 
 distance, to collect specimens of productions, and to show the present condition of 
 the country. 
 
 The party under my charge for this service consisted of two of the crew of the 
 Water Witch and a native, who acted as guide and Guarani interpreter. Our means 
 of transportation were horses, one of which carried, as a pack, two tents, cooking 
 utensils, etc. The instruments consisted of a sextant and artificial horizon, a pock- 
 et-chronometer, a compass, a mountain barometer, and thermometers. The chro- 
 nometer and compass were carried upon my person, the barometer on that of the 
 guide. 
 
 These arrangements being completed, we left Asuncion on the 31st of May, 1854, 
 and commenced our route to the northward and eastward for the Yerbales. Fol- 
 lowing this route as shown by the map, we spent our first night out at the village of 
 Lugue, thence passed on to the more considerable town of Ytagua. 
 
 Leaving Ytagua on the 7th of June, we passed around the head of the Lake Ypa- 
 caray, and after visiting the villages of Atira, Tobat}^, and Caraguatay, reached 
 San Estanislado on the 17th, where we were hospitably received and comfortably 
 housed by the Juez de Paz, Don Jose de Ricaldi. 
 
 A glance at the map shows the Lake Ypacaray lying between the slight sierras of 
 Paraguayri and Piraju. It is a beautiful sheet of water of twelve or thirteen miles in 
 length and from one to three miles in width. It receives its waters from the neigh- 
 boring sierras and the valley to the eastward, and discharges them into the Paraguay 
 through the little river Salado. Herds of cattle graze upon its banks, but its surface 
 is only disturbed by numerous wild fowls, and its depths as yet only sounded by the 
 nutria, the alligator, and other of its indigenous occupants. 
 
 The face of the country between the Sierra of Piraju and the River Aguay is gen- 
 erally low, and, though interseced by the considerable stream of the Piribeby and 
 some small tributaries of it and the Aguay, is not sufficiently well drained to prevent 
 its being wet and sometimes marshy, except about the occasional wooded knolls 
 which rise from 50 to 75 feet above the general level. The villages of Atira and 
 Tobaty, situated on the slope of the Sierra of Piraju, are but small collections of in- 
 different Indian huts, standing around their little churches and inhabited by rem- 
 nants of the once numerous Guarani tribe. 
 
 The town of Caraguatay contains 120 houses, and upon our entering it on the 
 morning of the 9th the people were celebrating a "fiesta," in honor of the re-elec- 
 tion to the Presidency of his Excellency Don Carlos Antonio Lopez, and I estimat- 
 ed the number in the place at one thousand. So many of these crowded around 
 the tents as to prevent me from using the instruments or doing any thing else than 
 gratify their curiosity, and to force me to surrender at discretion and await a better 
 time. By meridian of the 12th I found but three families in it. The "fiesta" was 
 over, and they all had returned to their usual residences in the neighboring country. 
 
 The River Aguay was only about thirty yards wide, and, like most of the other 
 
APPENDIX E. 535 
 
 Btreams of this low section of the country, has but little current, though the depth 
 was such as to make it necessary to swim our horses and pass the luggage in canoes. 
 As shown by the map, it discharges into the Paraguay ; and near where we crossed 
 it there was in course of construction a large raft of timber, to be floated down to 
 Asuncion. 
 
 On the northern bank of the Aguay lies the estancia of the state, Ygazanri, wliich 
 is one of many large tracts of land, stocked with cattle and horses, owned by the 
 state, and managed, under the direction of the government, by a capitaz and liis as- 
 sistants. In extent it is said to be twenty miles square, and the stock upon it num- 
 ber eighty thousand head. The number of cattle owned by the government of this 
 countiy on these different estancias is estimated at one million. 
 
 Between the River Aguay and the Sierra of San Miguel lies the Estero of Agua- 
 racatj', an extensive marsh in which are lost several considerable streams, among 
 which is the Rio Hondo. 
 
 As we advanced over Ygazauri our route lay over marshes and through lagoons, 
 in which the mud and sand was frequently above the girths of our saddles, causing 
 considerable difficulty in our progress and great fatigue to our horses. At the dis- 
 tance of five miles from the Hondo we reached the estancia of the state, San Miguel, 
 situated on the slope of the sierra of that name. And, having passed over this sierra, 
 we found the face of the country between that and San Estanislado broken and un- 
 even, and the forest growth diversified by the palm. 
 
 Having learned that the nearest yerbales at which work was being carried on at 
 the time were thirty miles distant in the mountains, I determined to visit them, ac- 
 companied by a guide, who acted as interpreter. After a ride of twenty-five miles 
 over a fair mountain road we reached the Yerbale of Santa Rosa, where we were 
 welcomed to his ranch by the patron, Don Falkcncia Pcriedo, who hospitably sup- 
 plied us with the best he had, and to whom I am indebted for most of the following 
 information relative to gathering and preparing of the "Paraguay Tea." 
 
 The Yerha Mate, or Ilex Paraguay ensis, is, as designated by its botanical name, a 
 shrub of the same class as our holly. Its Spanish name is derived from the word 
 mate, a gourd, in which it is prepared as a beverage. It is found in the sierras of 
 the northern part of this and in similar localities of the neighboring countries. Con- 
 siderable quantities of it, as prepared for commerce, are now used in the different 
 countries of South America. That of Paraguay is most esteemed, and is one of 
 the principal articles of her export trade. The rethe lands in which the yerbales 
 are found belong to the state, and the trade in it is a government monojioly. 
 
 It is gathered and cured, sometimes under the superintendence of the government 
 officials of the departments in which it is found, at others by private individuals who 
 receive permission to work it on prescribed conditions. Wlien worked by the of- 
 ficials the workmen are drafted from the neighborhood, as if for any other public 
 work, and are paid in cured yei-ba or in goods, such as wearing apparel, etc., with 
 which the government keeps itself supplied for such purposes, and on which it gains 
 the usual percentage. When worked by individuals the general rule is to allow them 
 one third of the yerba cured, they paying all expenses. 
 
 On commencing the work of gathering and curing the yerba, the patron or super- 
 intendent selects his location — having in view the quantity of the material and the 
 facility of transportation — and erects the necessary buildings, consisting generally of 
 a shed of fifty or sixty feet in length for storing the goods, provisions, etc., that he 
 may have and the yerba that he collects, a number of small huts as dwellings for the 
 workmen, and the harhracuas, or frames \\\mn which the material is dried. The 
 former are constructed in a rude manner and thatched with dry grass. The latter 
 
586 APPENDIX E. 
 
 are more firmly constructed of poles and withes, are in size fifteen or twenty feet 
 square, have arched or angular roofs, and firm even floors made of clay, extending 
 six or eight feet beyond the frames on all sides, for the convenience of pulverizing 
 the material after it is dried. 
 
 Near each barbracua is erected (if there is no tree convenient for the purpose) a 
 stand from which the uru, or foreman, may watch the drying material and go to the 
 top of the barbracua to make such changes in its disposition as he may deem neces- 
 sary. The yerba sometimes reaches the size of a tree, growing to the height of 
 twenty-five or thirty feet ; but in collecting it for curing, the bushes of from six to 
 twelve feet in height, and from one to two and a half inches in diameter of stem, are 
 preferred. These, having been passed through the flames of a flre built near the 
 place of cutting for the purpose, are stripped of their half-dried leaves and tender 
 twigs, which are then carried to the barbracuas to be thoroughly toasted. 
 
 For the purpose of transportation the raydo (a net-work of hide thongs of four or 
 five feet square, having long thongs to pass over the leaves and twigs upon it, and 
 secure at its diagonal corners) is used, and is carried upon the head and shoulders 
 of a workman. Having been struck by the quantity carried by one man in this man- 
 ner, I had the packed raydo weighed as it was taken off of the carrier, and found its 
 weight to be fourteen Spanish arobas, of twenty-five English pounds each, or three 
 hundred and fifty English pounds. 
 
 The half-dried material is carefully placed over the top and partly down the sides 
 of the barbracua, in quantities of from fifty to one hundred arobas, and in such a 
 manner as to permit the heat to reach every part of it. A fire, from which the ob- 
 ject is to get heat with as little flame and smoke as possible, is then built under it, 
 and taken charge of by one of the workmen. The foreman mounts the guard-stand 
 and the other workmen go to the collection of more half-dried leaves and twigs to 
 take the place of those now being toasted. From thuty-six to forty-eight hours, the 
 fires being kept up from daylight to 7 or 8 P. M. , are occupied in the toasting process. 
 
 If it rains upon the material upon the barbracua, it is necessary to repack and dry 
 it again. And yerba which has been so made is not considered good for prese^-va- 
 tion, and is never sent to the government agents for shipment, but is sold for home 
 consumption. 
 
 The toasting process being completed, the fire is removed, the floor swept off, and 
 the dry material, being worked through the frame, falls to the floor, and is pounded 
 with wooden instruments in the shape of wood swords, until reduced to the condition 
 ' of a coarse powder, and gradually removed to the store-house as it becomes so. 
 
 The yerba is packed in hide bales, made by cutting the edges of a raw hide even, 
 moistening it, doubling it lengthwise, and sewing up the sides with hide thongs. 
 The packing is done by putting in small quantities at a time while the hide is moist, 
 settling it well with a heavy wooden pestle, and gradually closing the open end, until 
 the bale will contain no more. The hide then contracting as it dries, adds to the 
 compactness of the whole, and it is ready for transportation. These bales are termed 
 tercios, and those made of the larger hides contain two hundred English pounds. 
 The workmen are paid at the rate of 25 cents the aroba for the cured yerba, as it is 
 brought from the barbracua, and a packer gains about six cents the aroba, the hide 
 being found by the employer. 
 
 Having passed 24 hours at Santa Eosa, I returned to San Estanislado, accompa- 
 nied by the Senor Periedo, and on June 24th, it being the Feast of St. John, we had 
 a grand^esto. The chief amusement of the day was horse-racing, which appeared 
 to be entered into with considerable sjjirit by the crowd, though the bets rarely went 
 beyond a silver dollar. The horses were but ordinary in appearance or speed, and 
 
APPENDIX E. 587 
 
 were ritlden generally bare-back and with the riendas, which consist of a simple pair 
 of leather reins secured by a leather thong to the lower jaw of the horse. This form 
 of bridle is the ordinary one of the country, and I noticed that those who ordinarily 
 used an iron bit preferred running their horses with the riendas. 
 
 Our route to the River Tibiquari-Mini, Ipng within the edge of the series of 
 sierras and mountains which, commencing mth those of San Miguel, Ymbutuy, and 
 Cauguazu, stretches over toward the River Parana, presented a great variety in the 
 face of the countiy passed over. Until we reached San Joaquim it generally varied 
 from deep grassy valleys to bluff wooded sierras. After leaving Yhu it was more 
 regularly high and rolling, well covered with grass, and having large clusters of 
 woods scattered over it. Throughout this portion of our route there is but a thin 
 population, the uneven and broken country between San Estanislado and Yhu offer- 
 ing but few advantages for agriculture, and the grass country beyond Yhu not af- 
 fording a sufficiency of saline matter in the composition to keep cattle in a healthy 
 condition. 
 
 At the estancia of Don Manuel Antonio Vera, however, distant fifteen miles from 
 San Estanislado, we found a fine crop of sugar growing, and also a mill for grind- 
 ing the cane. This mill, as the representative of the only kind of labor-saving ma- 
 chinery kno\vn in the intei'ior of the country, deserves some notice here. It consisted 
 of three wooden cylinders of about five feet in length and t^vo and a half feet in diam- 
 eter, set perpendicularly and in a line in a frame, so as to revolve horizontally. On 
 the head of the middle cylinder, which projected above the frame-work, was set with 
 a mortice one end of a pole, which was inclined to the gi'ound at such an angle as 
 to admit oxen or horses to be attached to the other end, as the motive power. This 
 cylinder communicated motion to the other two by means of cogs and mortices. 
 One of the outer cylinders was set at sirch a distance from the middle one as to take 
 in the full-sized cane and crtish it ; the other somewhat closer, so as to give it a sec- 
 ond pressure. Near the mill was a shed, under which several large copper kettles 
 were set in stone-work for boiling the juice. 
 
 In this simple manner quantities of sugar and molasses are made in different 
 parts of the country. And the adaptation of the soil and climate of the greater part 
 of Paraguay to the production of this article of commerce is undoubtedly very good. 
 
 Having reached the village of San Joaquim, I' handed my letter of introduction 
 from the Seiior Ricaldi to the jefe, who kindly put a good house at my disposition, 
 and, requesting that I might make known any farther wants I might have, excused 
 himself from being much with me, as he was vciy busy in preparing an expedition 
 for cutting a road from that ])lace to the Parana, in order to collect some informa- 
 tion of that portion of the country for his government, and more particularly to en- 
 deavor to discover the valuable yerbale of Carema, which had been lost in the time 
 of Francia. San Joaquim contains about thirty houses, and the inhabitants are all 
 Indians, except the jefe and his household. 
 
 Leaving San Joaquim on the 6th, in company with Padre Sosa, who had again 
 joined us, we went to Yhu, another Indian village rather smaller than San Joaquim, 
 but numbering rather more whites in its population. Here my friend the padre, 
 who had to say mass on the morning of the 8th at San Joaquim, took his final leave 
 of us on the 9th. 
 
 After lea\'ing Yhu we found our route leading over a different "water-shed," the 
 streams now all passing off to the eastward and paying tribute to the Parana. Upon 
 reaching the considerable stream of Taruma we met a party of fifteen men, which 
 the jefe of Yhu, Seiior Alonzo Benitcs, had collected here to show us the mode of 
 hunting the venadillo — a small deer of the country — with the bolas. 
 
588 APPENDIX E. 
 
 The temptation was strong to join this party, as it started at full speed in pursuit 
 of a herd of deer watching us from a little distance, and compare the carbine with 
 the bolas. But a reflection upon my chronometer and traveling-horse determined 
 me to move on with the train, and to be satisfied with occasional sights of the chase 
 from a distance. 
 
 By sunset we had reached the stream of Guirahugua and pitched the tents upon 
 its banks, at a sufficient distance from a neighboring wood to be able to guard the 
 horses from the jaguars, which are here the lords of the country, it being uninhabit- 
 ed by the Paraguayans and only occasionally visited by the Indians of the mount- 
 ains to the eastward. The tracks of these animals crossed our route in every direc- 
 tion, and frequently they were so fresh, or the animal Ijing concealed so close, that 
 the horses would start back at the scent, and it was with considerable difficulty that 
 we could force them by some parts of the route. The stealthiness of the animal is 
 such and the undei-growth so thick that though constantly on the look-out for a shot 
 I did not get a clear sight of one of them. The jaguar often preys upon horses and 
 cattle, and sometimes attacks a man, but boldness not being one of its characteris- 
 tics, such prey is only attacked by surprise. 
 
 On the evening of the 9th, I had an opportunity of letting the guide compare the 
 rifle and the bolas. The deer were plenty around at a distance, and my dog was 
 standing partridges every fifty or a hundred yards. After several ineffectual efforts 
 to get a shot at the deer, which were alarmed by the size of our party, I got within 
 fifty yards of two of them, and, firing my rifle, one of them fell. The guide, upon 
 examining it, found that the ball had entered just back of the left ear, and passed 
 out of the right eye. He was consequently very strongly impressed with the effect 
 of the rifle, and the skill with which it was used. 
 
 The village of Cauguazu we found to be a recent settlement — the church having 
 been finished in 1852 — and containing but seven houses. It was a penal settle- 
 ment, too, most of the inhabitants having been forced to it, in carrying out one of 
 the means which this government uses for settling the wild portions of its territory ; 
 which is to make such individuals or families as have offended against the laws of 
 the older communities move out of them, and establish new ones in such places as 
 it may designate. Leaving Cauguazu on the evening of the 10th, we passed that 
 night with the Jefe Don Diego Villaba, about two miles from the village, in order 
 to effect an exchange of another broken-down horse for a mule of one of his neigh- 
 bors, which was done by paying nearly the value of the mule in money. 
 
 Making an early start on the 11th, we passed through the "Monte Caugauzu," 
 an elevated piece of wooded land of fifteen miles in extent, by the road, and which 
 effected a change in the -water-shed in our roiite again ; the north fork of the River 
 Tibiquari-Mini crossed near its southern limit, having its course to the westward. 
 This is a stream of twenty yards in width, and having considerable current. 
 
 Some five miles farther on we reach the main body of the Tibiquari-Mini, which 
 is seventy-five or eighty yards wide, and which the guide pronounced to be in such 
 a condition as to make it necessary to swim the horses over, and pass the luggage 
 in canoes. Our trouble in preparing for this we found to be useless however, and, 
 having lost some time at it, encamped for the night on a rich grass-plain a short 
 distance from the southern bank. 
 
 After leaving the Tibiquari-Mini we found ourselves again in the low lands, the 
 face of the country between it and the town of Villa Rica being variegated with 
 rich grass-plains and slightly elevated hills ; the latter were ornamented with quite 
 thickly scattered houses and their chacras, in which were cultivated principally to- 
 bacco and mandioca, of which this section of the country gives an abundant yield, 
 while over the former were seen numerous herds of fine cattle and horses. 
 
APPENDIX F. 580 
 
 APPENDIX F (Page 274). 
 
 NOTES FROM COMMANDER PAGE TO MR. JOSE' FALCON. 
 
 Asuncion, Paraguay, Sept. 28, 1854 
 
 The undersigned, lieutenant commanding the United States steamer Water 
 Witch, has the honor to inform his Excellency Jose' Falcon, Minister and Secretary 
 of State of the Republic of Paraguay, that he has received from the Envoy Ex- 
 traordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to the Court of Brazil, 
 a communication informing the undersigned that his Imperial Majesty has conced- 
 ed the privilege to the U. S. steamer Water Witch to ascend and explore the up- 
 per waters of the Paraguay River, and those tributaries within the dominions of the 
 empire of Brazil. Accompanying the coinmunication above referred to is a copy 
 of the correspondence on this subject between his Excellency the Envoy Extraor- 
 dinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States, William Trousdale, and 
 his Excellency Antonio Paulino Limpo de Abreo. 
 
 The undersigned desires to bring this subject to the notice of his Excellency, and 
 indulges the hope that his Excellency the President of the Republic of Paraguay, 
 actuated by the same enlightened policy as that which has influenced his Imperial 
 Majesty, will concede to the undersigned the privilege of passing in the Water 
 Witch through that portion of the territory of Paraguay which lies between Asun- 
 cion and the territory of Brazil. 
 
 Tour Excellency is aware that the object had in view by the explorations of the 
 Water Witch is to extend the bounds of science and geographical knowledge. To 
 the attainment of this end, the undersigned feels assured that his Excellency the 
 President of Paraguay, will grant every facility. 
 
 The undersigned appends an extract from the note of his Excellency Antonio 
 Limpo de Abreo, of the 7th August, 1854, to his Excellency William Trousdale, 
 Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States. 
 
 "A vista pois da Seguran^a que da o Senior William Trousdale, o abaixo assig- 
 nado tem a houra de communiciar the, em reshosta a sua Nota de 4 de instuie- 
 96es ao Presidente de Provincia de Matto Grosso, para permittir e felicitar as ex- 
 plora96es do Commandante do Water Witch no rio Paraguay, acima de Albu- 
 querque e nos suis tributarios, que pertercen ao Brazil." 
 
 The undersigned requests an answer at an early day, and takes the occasion to 
 renew to his Excellency the assurances of his distinguished consideration. 
 
 (Signed) Thos. J. Page, 
 
 Asuncion, Sept. 28, 1854 
 The undersigned, lieutenant commanding the United States steamer Water 
 Witch, has the honor to address his Excellency Jose Falcon, Minister and Secreta- 
 ry of State of the Republic of Paraguay, in relation to the departure from this 
 country of the American citizens now residing in Asuncion. 
 
 During an interview with his Excellency the President of the Republic on the 
 22d inst., the undersigned was assured that to the departure of the American citi- 
 zens above alluded to, together with their effects and merchandise, there was no 
 objection ; and that it would only be necessary for them to be supplied with pass- 
 ports, and have their merchandise dispatched through the custom-house in accord- 
 ance with the usual forms. Under this assurance vessels have been provided for 
 their departure, their passports taken out, and on the application made through the 
 secretary of the undersigned for the permit for the merchandise, the undersigned is 
 informed that the permit can not be granted until the surrender by Mr. Hopkins, to 
 
590 APPENDIX F. 
 
 the Collector of Customs, of the papers relating to the purchase of land at San An- 
 tonio. The undersigned does not perceive any relevancy of the two questions one 
 to the other — the taking out of a permit for goods and the demand of the Collector 
 for the papers alluded to. The papers are the private property of the American 
 company of which Mi-. Hopkins is agent, which is sufficient reason that he should 
 retain them, and as such can not be surrendered to the Collector of Customs. 
 
 The undersigned desires that his position in relation to citizens of the United 
 States may be distinctly understood by your Excellency, and to this end he assumes 
 the medium of a written communication. 
 
 The obligations enjoined on the undersigned by the Government of the United 
 States make it his imperative duty to protect from violation the persons and prop- 
 erty of American citizens, to the discharge of which duty the undersigned, recogniz- 
 ing the full force of the obligation, feels confident that he shall never be delinquent. 
 
 The rule of conduct prescribed for the undersigned by his sense of duty to the 
 American citizens in the city of Asuncion is this, that, failing to receive the neces- 
 sary permit for their departure in the usual mode and means of conveyance, they 
 will embark on board the United States steamer Water Witch for safe conduct to 
 Corrientes. The undersigned trusts that his Excellency will appreciate the sense' 
 of duty under which the undersigned finds himself placed, when he assures his Ex- 
 cellency that he indulges the hope that the good relations which have characterized 
 his intercourse with the government of Paraguay may long subsist. Desiring an 
 answer at an early day, the undersigned avails himself, etc., 
 
 (Signed) Tnos. J. Page. 
 
 Asuncion, Sept. 20, 1854 
 The undersigned, lieutenant commmanding the United States steamer Water 
 Witch, has the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the communication of this date 
 ■from his Excellency the Secretary of State and Minister of Foreign Relations, re- 
 turning his two communications of yesterday without a reply to either. This con- 
 tempt of official communications, unknown to the civilization of the age, deprives 
 the undersigned of the means of arriving at the designs and purposes of this gov- 
 ernment toward forbidding or permitting the prosecution of the exploration in- 
 trusted to his charge by the government of the United States, so far as the territory 
 of Paraguay is concerned. Furthermore, it deprives the undersigned of the means 
 of arriving at the fact whether or not will this government permit the American 
 citizens now residing in Asuncion, held bound under such painful circumstances, to 
 leave this country in the conveyance usually adopted. One of the communications 
 related to this point especially. 
 
 To this the undersigned receives the return of his letter, instead of a reply to his 
 question. The duty now devolves on the undersigned to receive on board of the 
 Water Witch the American citizens aUuded to, for their protection and safe con- 
 duct out of the dominions of Paraguay. The question of translating the communi- 
 cation above alluded to into Spanish, is one the undersigned does not permit him- 
 self to entertain. With equal right might he claim of this government the transla- 
 tion of its communications into English. The undersigned is cognizant to the fact 
 that the government has received other communications in the English language, 
 and has had them translated into the Spanish. The government of Paraguay is 
 therefore not in such a state of dependency as to require that the undersigned shall 
 supply it mth a translator. 
 
 The undersigned desires to inform his Excellency that the circumstances involved 
 will be reported to the government of the United States, for its action and instruc- 
 
APPENDIX G. 591 
 
 tions. In tlie mean time lie will relieve the American citizens of their painful po- 
 sition by removing them to a country of their own selection. 
 The undersigned takes the occasion to renew, etc., 
 
 (Signed) Thos. J. Page. 
 
 APPENDIX G (Page 299). 
 
 CONTRACT OF COLONIZATION FOR THE PROVINCE OF CORRIENTES. 
 
 In the city of Corrientes, capital of the province of the same name, on the 29th 
 January, 1853, before me, the undersigned. Notary Public of the Government, and 
 the undersigned witnesses, appeared Secretary Don Gregorio Valdez and Dr. Don 
 Augusto Brouges, of Caixon Department "de las Altas Pireneos," in France, who 
 said : the first, that, as the representative of his Excellency the Governor and Cap- 
 tain-General of the Province, Don Juan Pujol, to make with Sefior Brouges a sol- 
 emn contract for the establishment of colonies in the country, and to reduce the 
 same to a public instmment of writing; and the second, that it was true, as had 
 been announced by the Secretary, and that he recognized it as a legitimate con- 
 tract. In virtue of which, and by the present writing entered into by both parties, 
 they bind themselves in the following articles of agreement : 
 
 1st. The secretary declared that the government of his country, desiring to pro- 
 mote and unfold in the province that which the industry of the people demanded, 
 and especially the agricultural interest, as a sure fountain of the wealth of a coun- 
 try, permits Senor Brouges to bring to the country one thousand families for the 
 purpose indicated, each family to be composed of five persons, whose transit will be 
 at the expense of Senor Brouges ; with the understanding that, should the govern- 
 ment of Corrientes have a steamer in any port of the Argentine Confederation, the 
 property of the province, on the arrival of these families in the Eio de la Plata, it 
 shall be placed at the disposition of Sefior Brouges, or his agent, for the purpose of 
 towing the vessel containing the emigrants up to the point of their disembarkation. 
 
 2d. The major part of these five persons who compose each agricultural family 
 will be of the male sex, capable of working, and not under ten years of age ; chil- 
 dren of less age, of the same family, being admissible as supernumeraries. 
 
 3d. Two distinct families, united by an authentic agreement, and making the 
 number of five persons, will be accepted as one, and in this sense will enjoy priv- 
 ileges above stipulated. 
 
 4th. Senor Brouges is bound to effect the transportation of the one thousand fam- 
 ilies by groups of two hundred each in the space of two years, and the entire num- 
 ber in the space of ten, which will count from the day of the arrival of the first group 
 at the place of their destiny. 
 
 5th. Each group shall be from a colony, under the direction of Sefior Brouges, 
 or his competent agent, the agreement of each individual family being an affair in- 
 trusted to him. 
 
 6th. The locations of the colonies granted by the government will be on the Eiver 
 Parana and Uruguay, in what is called the "Missiones," and they will be selected 
 by Senor Brouges from the public lands. 
 
 7th. The government of Corrientes, in the name of the province, adjudges to each 
 
 family, of the lands selected by Sefior Brouges, twenty* "cuadras" square, of one 
 
 hundred and fifty "varas" a side, whose lot and portion of land shall be, at the end 
 
 of five years from the arrival of each group of families, the absolute property of each 
 
 * " Veiente cuadras cuadradas de ciento cinquenta vases por cada lado." 
 
592 APPENDIX G. 
 
 one of the families, in consideration of the advantages accruing to the country from 
 their industry. 
 
 8th. Each colony will locate in two sections, of one hundred families to each 
 fronting each other, leaving an intermediate space of a hundred "cuadras" one from 
 the other, of three "cuadras" in breadth, which intermediate space may be sold by 
 the government of Corrientes to those who may wish to build on it, with the view 
 of increasing the population of the colony, it being understood that one half of the 
 proceeds of such sale shall go into the public treasury of the province, and the other 
 half into the common depository of the colony, for the public benefit, and declaring 
 of the same character those lands between the possessions of the colonists and the 
 river's banks. 
 
 9th. The government of Corrientes grants, at the same time, for the common 
 benefit of each colony, four leagues square of land, in addition, adjoining the pos- 
 session of the colonies, extending into the interior of the province, whose right of 
 possession shall be alienated by no one. 
 
 10th. In addition to the above, the government of Corrientes will provide for the 
 establishment of each family a house or "ranche" of wood, consisting of two rooms, 
 of five " varas" square, one of them to have a door, and the other a window, the 
 whole of the value of fifty dollars ("patac ones"); it will also furnish six barrels 
 of flour, of eight arobas each (200 pounds), cotton and tobacco seed for sowing a 
 "quadra" (150 yards) each; four " fanegas" of wheat, and one of corn for the 
 proper use, and plants of sugar-cane sufficient to plant one "cuadra" of land; also 
 twelve head of cattle, two oxen for cultivating the ground, eight cows for breeding, 
 and two horses for work. 
 
 11th. The agricultural families will establish themselves under the following con- 
 ditions : the articles above mentioned will revert to the government at the expiration 
 of two years from the date of their delivery ; provided that, should the crops of the 
 colonists have been bad during these two years, then the time of reversion shall be 
 extended to three years ; but this operation wOl not take effect with the succeeding 
 group of families in two years, but at the expiration of three, because it is advisable 
 that the advances made to the first colony will serve .as elements for the establish- 
 ment of the second ; those of this for the third, and so on, until the state has been 
 reimbursed to the last amount expended, which shall be at the rate of two hundred 
 dollars ("patac ones") to each family. 
 
 12th. The colonists will clear the lands granted them. Each family will culti- 
 vate one half of the land in cotton, tobacco, sugar-cane, whe%t, and corn, leaving the 
 other half for the cultivation of any thing that may please the colonist. 
 
 13th. The colonists who are thus established in this province will be a dependency 
 of it, and in no manner whatsoever of any other state or nation. They will have 
 an administration, civil and judicial, discharged by a judge of the peace ("juez de 
 paz"), appointed by the government from among the colonists, or a native of the 
 countiy, whose administration shall he conformable with the laws of the province. 
 
 Idth. The colonists will have the right to appoint a colonial commission of ten 
 persons from the same colony, whose duty will be to serve as a council to the judge 
 of the peace, in certain cases, to vote the necessary sum of money for the benefit of 
 the colony, and to represent to the government the propriety or necessity of better 
 measures. 
 
 15th. The colonists will practice industry freely, under subjection, nevertheless, to 
 the laws of the country. 
 
 16th. During the term of five years from the establishment of each colony, the 
 colonists will be exempted from all personal tax on articles both movable and im- 
 movable. 
 
APPENDIX H. 593 
 
 17th. The duties arising from exportation and importation shall be the same in 
 the colonies as the rest of the province. 
 
 18th. The colonists will be exempted from military service, being competent only 
 to organize a civil national guard, for then- proper defense and the maintenance of 
 good order in each colony, whose service will be confined to the colony alone ; and 
 the colonists will not present themselves, in an armed body, at a greater distance 
 from the confines of the colony than one league. 
 
 19th. Mr. Brouges will advise the government of Corrientes four months before 
 the expected arrival of the colonists, to the end that the government may have the 
 necessary time to construct houses of wood, and make other necessary arrangements. 
 
 20th. This contract will be submitted to the approval of the government, repre- 
 sented in the person of the secretary, from which A'ill be obtained a full ratification, 
 rendering effective all these obligations ; it will be observed and complied with, ex- 
 actly and legally, without modification, alteration, or interpretation in any manner 
 diff"cring from the triie intent of its stipulations. 
 
 To M'hich appeared as witnesses Don Bartolome Lcscano, Don Manuel Jose Ruda, 
 and Don Jose Ezequiel Madeyi'o, before me, Notary of the Public and Government, 
 
 Gregorio Valdez, 
 
 Don Augusta Brouges. 
 
 C Bartolome Lescano, 
 
 Witnesses, \ Manuel Jose' Ruda, 
 
 ' Jose Ezequiel Madeyro. 
 
 Corrientes, January 12th, 1853. 
 
 En virtud de la ley de 25 Corriente, que encabeza este contrato, lo apruebo y ra- 
 tifico en todas sus partes. Juan Pujol, Gobernador. 
 
 APPENDIX H (Page 384). 
 
 THE ATTACK UPON THE WATER WITCH. 
 
 Commander Page to Mr. Dobbin. 
 
 United States Steamer Water Witch, Parana River, February 5, 1855. 
 
 Sir, — I have the honor to forward to the Department the inclosed report from 
 Lieutenant Jeff"ers, from which it will be seen that a most unprovoked, unwarrant- 
 able, and dastardly attack has been made on the "Water Witch" while she was in 
 the peaceable and rightfid discharge of duty assigned me by the Department. 
 
 On the 31st of last month I left Corrientes, with the small steamer and two boats, 
 taking with me three of the olficers and sixteen men, with the design of ascending 
 the River Salado, in boats, if possible, should the small steamer prove inadequate. 
 This force would have been necessary, in the event of using either the small steamer 
 or the boats. Lieutenant Jeff'ers I left in charge of the Water Witch, with instruc- 
 tions to ascend the Parana River, so far as her draught would allow. This, I sup- 
 posed, would be less than two hundred mOes. 
 
 He saUed from the town of Corrientes on the 1st instant, and, as will be seen from 
 his report, had not gone more than three miles from where the river forms the com- 
 mon boundary between Corrientes (one of the provinces of the Argentine Confedera- 
 tion) and Paraguay, when the Water Witch was fired into from a fort on the Para- 
 guay side of the river. 
 
 The Water Witch was in the act of exploring a river which is the common bound- 
 ary between these two countries. The right of each to navigate this river up to the 
 
 38 
 
594 APPENDIX H. 
 
 limit of the Province of Corrientes has never been questioned by either, and I liad 
 never heard that Paraguay presumed to exercise the power of preventing its naviga- 
 tion. 
 
 To the exploration of this portion of the Parana I had not only obtained the per- 
 mission of the Argentine Confederation, and especially of the Province of Corrientes 
 but an expression of earnest solicitude on the part of both the President of the Con- 
 federation and the Governor of Corrientes had been made that I should estabhsh 
 the fact that the river is navigable to a much greater extent than that to which it is 
 now known to be, of which they had some hope, but not the means of proving. 
 
 The navigation of this river to the extent of the territory of Corrientes is already 
 secured to the flag of the United States by treaty with the Argentine Confederation. 
 That government, so far from objecting to the Water Witch's ascending the river, 
 had furnished me with an order, enjoining upon every province into whose waters I 
 should enter the obligation to afford me every facility. 
 
 On what ground and for what reason the government of Paraguay has presumed 
 to commit such an act I am unable to conjecture. So far from the Water Witch 
 making any hostile demonstration, she attempted to pass up the river through a 
 channel way which was more on the Corrientes side, and, in doing so, was "run 
 aground" by the pilot. This was seen from the fort. It was well known to the 
 government of Paraguay, and, doubtless, to the commander of the fort, that the 
 Water Witch was with a very reduced complement of both officers and men, and, 
 consequently, it could not have been her design to make an attack. The act of fir- 
 ing into the vessel can not, therefore, receive the shadow of justification on the 
 grounds of anticipating an attack. It is consequently a wanton outrage ; the act of 
 a government beyond the pale of civilization, and seemingly unconscious of the re- 
 sponsibility of such an outrage. This is, nevertheless, no palliation for so grave an 
 offense. 
 
 Lieutenant Jeffers was in the act of executing instructions which he had received 
 from me when the steamer was fired into. His covirse and conduct on the occasion 
 I highly approve and commend, and I hope they will meet with the approval of the 
 Department. 
 
 It is with pain and regret that I report the death of Samuel Chancy, quartermas- 
 ter. He died in two hours from the effects of wounds received from a ball and 
 splinters. There were a few slight wounds received by others from splinters, which 
 were so slight as not to prevent the discharge of the usual duties. 
 
 The vessel was hulled ten times, but in no point of any importance. The repairs 
 can be readily made. I now proceed to Montevideo with the hope of obtaining 
 from the commodore or senior officer two jr three guns of suitable callibre and an 
 addition of a few men. With this force I shall feel confident of the ability of the 
 Water Witch to avenge the outrage which has been perpetrated on the flag of the 
 United States. 
 
 I indulge in the sanguine hope that the commodore will act in this matter with all 
 the promptness which the exigencies of the case require, and that such a course will 
 receive the approval of the Department. 
 
 I have the honor, sir, to be, very respectfully, yotir obedient servant, 
 
 Thos. J. Page, Lieut. Com'g U. S. Steamer Water Witch. 
 
 Hon. James C. Dobbin, Secretary of the Navy, Washington, D, C. 
 
 Lieutenant Jeffers to Commander Page. 
 
 United States Steamer Water Witch, Corrientes, February 2, 1855. 
 SiE, — In pursuance of your instructions, and vrith the consent of the Governor of 
 
APPENDIX H. 595 
 
 the Pro\ince of Corrientes, at 7 A.M. on yesterday, February 1, weighed anchor 
 and stood up the Eiver Parana for the purpose of making an exploration of its upper 
 course so far as navigable, and rectifying the chart of the river up to the mouth of the 
 Paraguay in all places where the channel had changed since the chart was made. 
 Nothing particular occurred until 11 A.M., when we entered the Parana above the 
 mouth of the Paraguay (observing some movements at the Guai-dia "Cerito"), and 
 continued our course diagonally across the stream toward the Corrientes shore, in- 
 tending to pass between that and an island about four miles above the mouth of the 
 Paraguay, Guardia "Carracha," at the Paso del Key, in sight on the right bank. 
 At ll"* 26"" opened this station, a semicircular brick fort on an elevation of about 30 
 feet above the river, mounting, as well as I could ascertain, six guns "c» harhette,'" 
 and shortly afterward ran aground, about half a mile from the fort, on a sand-bank 
 making up suddenly out of deep water, one fathom under the bows, 3^ at the wheel- 
 house. A boat was sent from the guardia, which laid off observing our motions. 
 
 I immediately laid out a kedge astern, and about \2^ IS"" hauled off and let go 
 our anchor ; attempted to weigh the kedge, but lost it. Wliile the men were at their 
 dinner I observed the Paraguayans getting their guns ready. I shifted starboard 
 gun to forward port, on port side of quarter-deck, cleared for action, filled forty 
 shrapnel! and twelve shells, and got up thirty stand of gi-ape ; but not supposing 
 that any thing serious would result, did not cut the rail over the port to which the 
 gun had been shifted. 
 
 I then stationed Mr. Potts at the bell, and in charge of the deck, to assist the 
 pilot, with directions to proceed at all hazards, unless the machinerj' should be dis- 
 abled. Mr. Lamdin I placed in charge of the after guns, and Mr. Taylor at the 
 engine. We mustered at quarters but twenty-eight, of whom two were sick, and 
 five cooks and stewards. 
 
 At l^" 20"" weighed ; while weighing the anchor, the Paraguayan canoe which had 
 been observing our movements came alongside, and a man offered me a paper print- 
 ed in Spanish, which I declined to receive on the ground that I cotdd not read it. 
 As soon as the anchor was aweigh, I stood up the river, the crew at quarters. The 
 pilot informed me that the only practicable channel was close to the fort, and this 
 channel I directed him to take. On arriving within three hundred yards, I was 
 hailed by a person, who, I am informed, was the Paraguayan admiral ; but I did 
 not understand the import of the hail. Two blank cartridges were then fired from 
 the fort in quick succession, and followed by a shot. I had given particular orders 
 that no shot should be fired except in return, and then only by my directions ; and 
 on receiving this first fire, I directed a general fire in return. 
 
 The first shot of the enemy carried away the wheel, cut the ropes, and mortally 
 wounded Samuel Chaney, the helmsman. A bar was soon shipped, and the vessel 
 steered by it, but with some difl[iculty on account of the rapidity of the current. In 
 a couple of minutes after the action had commenced the pilot deserted his station, 
 and hid himself behind the engine-house. Dragged up thence by Mr. Potts, on 
 looking around him he exclaimed, "We shall certainly ground, as thei'e is not suf- 
 ficient water in the channel." By this time we had run past all the guns of the 
 battery except one ; and on learning the state of things, I left the bow gun, which I 
 had been directing, which was no longer serviceable, and took the deck. The pilot, 
 whom I had again to force x;p to his station, in a high state of excitement, repeatedly 
 exclaimed, "We shall be aground in a moment," insisting that we could not pass 
 up. The vessel being then in ten feet water — drawing nine — I was reluctantly 
 compelled to back down past the battery, exposed to a severe fire, which, from the 
 position of the vessel being nearly bows on, I could not return. On getting out of 
 
596 APPENDIX I. 
 
 range I anchored, repaired damages, and filled more ammunition, having observed 
 the Paraguayan war steamer "Taquari" firing up. 
 
 I am satisfied the pilot was not in the channel ; but in his state of fright nothing 
 could be done with him, and to have grounded would have been to insure the loss 
 of the vessel, as it is said that the Paraguayans have at this point six thousand men 
 and a numerous artillery to arrest the passage of the Brazilian fleet. The ' ' Taquari, " 
 with their gim-boats, would alone have been an overwhelming force. At 3 P.M. 
 weighed anchor and returned to Corrientes. 
 
 It had been my intention to attack the Guardia "Cerito," where a gun-boat was 
 lying. The "Taquari" dropped down and anchored there for its defense, which 
 made the odds too great for any hope of a successful attack with my little crew of 28 
 men, and the armament one 24 and two 12 pound howitzer boat-guns. Although 
 so superior in force, the "Taquari" made no demonstration of following us. 
 
 The amount of damage sustained by the enemy it is difficult to estimate. Mr. 
 Bushcll, the clerk, who was directed by me to take notes of the action, states that 
 one of their giins was dismounted, and, from the good explosions of several of the 
 shrapnell, some execution must have taken place. A battery of this nature exposes 
 so few men that I can not estimate their loss as veiy great. I am confident that, 
 had all the officers and men been on board, we should have killed or driven them 
 from their guns, and taken the battery; but I must do them the justice to say that I 
 saw no signs of flinching. The fire was slow but remarkably well directed. 
 
 It will, I hope, be evident, from the preceding details, that this attack was as un- 
 provoked as it was unexpected ;, but, following the dictates of prudence, I was not 
 unprepared for such a result. It is not a little remarkable that at no time, either 
 before or after the engagement, was any flag displayed. 
 
 In conclusion, I must fulfill an agreeable duty in bearing witness to the zealous 
 manner in which the engineers of this ship supported me on this occasion. Mi'. Potts 
 was in charge of the deck ; Mr. Lamdin of a division of guns ; and the latter assisted 
 personally in loading after some of his men had deserted from their quarters. The 
 engine was worked by Mr. Taylor with as much promptitude as on ordinary occasions. 
 
 I have the honor, sir, to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 William N. Jeffers, Lieutenant in Command. 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander Thomas J. Page. 
 
 APPENDIX I (Page xxii.). 
 
 MEMORIAL OP THE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL AND STATISTICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 American Geographical and Statistical Society, New York, May 11, 1S53. 
 
 Mr. De Witt Bloodgood, to whom was intrusted the preparation of a memorial to 
 the Secretary of the Navy on the subject of a survey of the Eio de la Plata and its 
 tributaries, presented the following, which being read, was adopted, and ordered to 
 be forwarded to the Secretaiy of the Navy : 
 
 The American Geographical and Statistical Society of New York having recently 
 had its attention called to the great commercial imiiortance of the countries border- 
 ing on the Eio de la Plata and its tributaries, by the written and verbal reports of 
 E. A. Hopkins, Esq., for many years a resident in Paraguay, and now on his re- 
 turn to that country as United States Consul, has endeavored, under a deep convic- 
 tion of the importance of the subject, to awaken a spirit of inquiry among our coun- 
 trymen, and to turn the attention of our commercial classes to the vast regions now 
 opened to their enterprise. 
 
APPENDIX I. 597 
 
 To that gentleman the Society is indehted for vahiablc information, not to be 
 found in the latest geographies, and for the correct delineations of several rivers and 
 lakes, not yet adopted even in the best maps of South America. The Society, hav- 
 ing given as much publicity as possible, through the press of New York, to informa- 
 tion so valuable and opportune, deems it to be within the proper sphere of its duty 
 to invoke the aid of at least one department of the government to a subject daily 
 growing more and more important. 
 
 The late political events at Buenos Ayres, and the downfall of a policy, which, to 
 say the least of it, has been destructive of the free navigation of the Plata River for 
 veiy many years, preceded as it was, also, by a similar isolating policy of the cele- 
 brated Dictator of Paraguay, have at length opened to the commercial states of Eu- 
 rope and North America a field of commercial adventure of boundless extent and 
 endless fertility. Already the leading statesmen of England and France have ex- 
 changed notes on the propriety of securing the trade of these newly emancipated 
 countries, by pi'oposing the guarantees of a full diplomatic recognition. Our own, 
 as we fear, has as yet done nothing, even for the very governments who prefer our 
 friendship to that of all other nations. 
 
 The extent of the territory watered by the Plata and its tributaries, the variety 
 and value of its natm^al products, the anxiety which its political riders and the peo- 
 ple themselves have manifested to seek and establish friendly relations with the 
 United States haye deeply impressed the Society; and it desires, as its first and 
 most signal effort, to obtain the assistance of your Department in the development 
 and successful accomplishment of its design, to make those countries which have 
 had no commerce by sea for a long series of years friends of our flag and customers 
 for our products. 
 
 It is the earnest wish of the Society to procm-e, through your official power and 
 influence, an immediate survey of the River Plata, its affluents and confluejits, and 
 of the shores that are washed and made prolific by these great rivers. It is to ob- 
 tain such information, by actual and scientific observation, as will enable our navi- 
 gators and merchants to enter those rivers for the purposes of trade, for the ad- 
 vancement of civilization, and the promotion of the best interests of humanity. 
 
 It must be well known to your Department that a large part of Brazil and Bolivia, 
 all Paraguay, the upper provinces of the Argentine Republic, and a portion of 
 Uruguay, have for many years been cut off from any direct and active commercial 
 intercourse with the rest of the world ; and that the productions of their soils, rich, 
 varied, and inexhaustible, have been of little benefit to themselves or to those 
 countries which most desired to obtain them. It is needless, therefore, for the So- 
 ciety to enter into details upon this branch of the subject farther than to refer your 
 Department to the fact that at least one quarter of the whole of South America is 
 now, for the first time, within the reach of our enterprise, offering positive and far 
 more profitable results than we have gained or can gain from many old countries 
 where, at a large expense, we have kept up formal diplomatic arrangements, and 
 where our squadrons ride at anchor in courteous idleness; older countries, who 
 ■warily guard their ports by restrictive or reciprocal customs against our too success- 
 ful trade, or in the end heap up balances against us which scarcely the gold of Cali- 
 fornia can liquidate. 
 
 The marts now opened to us in South America, by the change in the government 
 of Buenos Ayres, are as yet almost without limit. The commerce of our country 
 has but to enter them to be enriched. 
 
 The inhabitants of the countries upon the upper waters of La Plata have for a 
 long time scarcely enjoyed the comforts of civilized life. 
 
598 APPENDIX I. 
 
 They have a fine climate, they have abundant means, they are, in fact, wealthy, 
 but of our beautiful and useful fabrics, the comfortable furniture, the latest and 
 most useful agricultural and mechanical implements, the clothing, the works of art, 
 the axe, the saw, the steam-engine, they know but little. In order to introduce 
 them into those countries, and to bring back their rare and valuable woods, their 
 drugs, their hemp, their tobacco, and their precious minerals, the way must first be 
 explored and pointed out. Large vessels are quite imknown in the upper waters. 
 The small trade which Paraguay carries on shorewise with itself, or occasionally 
 with Buenos Ayres and Montevideo, is by means of small water-craft that float 
 downward with the current, or slowly re-ascend it by the aid of their rude sails. 
 And so sensible^ are the governments of Bolivia and Paraguay of the necessity of a 
 change in the navigation of those rivers, they have oiFered large bounties in money 
 and lands to whoever will first ascend those rivers by steam. On good authority 
 the Society is assured that any expedition undertaken for this purpose will receive 
 their most cordial welcome. 
 
 , Your Department, then, is solicited to take the first step in bringing about a com- 
 mercial intercourse between those countries and the United States, through these 
 internal and flmaal avenues. It respectfully asks that you will immediately select 
 one of the small government steamers carrying about five feet water to proceed to 
 the upper tributaries of La Plata, certainly as far as Assumption, to make a geo- 
 graphical rcconnoissance, and a hydrographical sui-vey. This steamer, being made 
 a part of the Brazilian squadron, will not require any particular appropriation from 
 Congress, and the Society will be most happy to procure the services of two or three 
 scientific persons, to assist in the objects of the inquiry, if the Department will recog- 
 nize them as attached to the expedition. It would also engage to furnish them a 
 full set of instructions, geographical and statistical, as a guide to those intrusted with 
 its particular portion of the investigations. Thus, in an ample and economical 
 manner, one of the most important and attractive subjects of the day would be illus- 
 trated and explained through the Department, greatly to its own honor and the ad- 
 vantage of our maritime interests. , 
 
 Nor does the Society deem this appeal to your Department an improper one. 
 
 Great as has been the glory acquired by our navy, noble as have been its triumphs, 
 dear to us as is its renown, we believe its mission is not the less a noble one when 
 it bears around the world the flag of a peaceful, united, and happy nation ; when it 
 rescues our shipwrecked mariners from the horrors of some desolate or barbarous 
 coast ; when it gives to the American citizen in far-distant countries the " assurance 
 doubly sure," that even there his property and his life will find protection ; when it 
 convoys safely through the squadrons of adverse and contending parties our own 
 richly-laden merchant fleets, and when it curiously explores the newly discovered 
 rivers, the icebound inlets, and dangerous coasts, where American enterprise may 
 gather wealth in security. 
 
 These are some of the services, already happily rendered, which have made our 
 navy so popular, and that induce such liberal appropriations for its support in time 
 of peace, and almost without a murmur. 
 
 Our army when not engaged in war sinks into comparative inutility, but the navy 
 is ever on the wing, the messenger of peace, of commerce, and of civilization, our 
 proudest representative, armed, except in the last resort, only with good will and 
 chivalric courtesy. 
 
 Most of the great commercial and scientific explorations of the last hundred years " 
 have been conducted by naval officers, under the patronage of their respective gov- 
 ernments. England, France, Holland, Kussia, and the United States, have names 
 
APPENDIX J. 599 
 
 on their naval lists which have gathered their brightest laurels from the peaceful 
 fields of laborious research. 
 
 Our own government has distinguished itself by its admirable coast-surveys, its 
 Antarctic and Arctic expeditions, and is now directing its attention to the seas and 
 shores of Japan. In this latter expedition it may necessarily be that force is to be 
 an element of success ; but in the proposition we make to the Department, to ex- 
 plore the River Plata, no such element will be necessaiy. The small steamer which 
 it will send there, where one was never before seen, will be welcomed by an enthu- 
 siastic population, and received with gratitude. Eveiy where her commander will 
 be hailed with joy, and the blessings of millions of Christian people will be showered 
 upon our country when her mission is proclaimed. 
 
 Every where her officers, savants, and crew, will be received with open arms, 
 and the records of her exploring parties will brighten the pages of our commercial 
 history. 
 
 Our Naval Department has before this shown a similar intelligent spirjt. The 
 National Observatory at Washington, under its fostering care, has already become 
 famous throughout the world. Its chief has already essentially benefited navigation 
 and commerce by his profound theories and observations on the currents of the 
 "ocean, as well as by those accurate nautical tables from which the mariner learns to 
 trace his daily course upon the deep. 
 
 In conclusion, the Society most i-espectfully asks the aid of your Department in 
 carrying out the objects expressed in this memorial, the scientific exploration of the 
 Eiver Plata and its tributaries, a proceeding clearly within its acknowledged prov- 
 ince, conducive to the prosperity of an immense territory that seeks our friendship 
 and our trade, to the interests of American commerce and manufactures, and those 
 of the human race. 
 
 Shoidd the Society be so fortunate as to have presented in this brief memorial 
 sufficient reasons to induce the Department to approve and forward the project 
 wliich it advocates, it respectfully suggests that no time is to be lost in carrying it 
 thi-ough. The Americans are at this moment in high favor with Brazil, and the 
 states bordering upon these rivers. Our products will be the first they receive under 
 the new order of things. Such is their habit that whatever articles are now sent 
 them from our looms and factories will pi'obably be preferred to all others. Circum- 
 stances greatly favor our obtaining the largest share of their trade, and we can not 
 doubt that the enlightened views by which the administration of the Department 
 has been directed hitherto will continue to be the source of increased prosperity to 
 all those interests it was established to protect and advance. 
 
 The recent appointment of English and French diplomatic agents, now on their 
 way to this new theatre of commercial enterprise, affords the most positive evidence 
 of the propriety of the measures suggested by your memorialists. 
 
 All which is resjjectfully submitted. 
 
 The Hon. 'Win. A. Graham, Secretary of the Navy, Washington. 
 
 APPENDIX J. 
 
 NOTES ON THE BIRDS COLLECTED BY THE LA PLATA EXPEDITION. 
 By John Cassin, of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 
 
 Philadelphia, Novemher 11th, 1856. 
 Sir, — The collection of birds made during the survey and exploration of the Rio 
 Parana by the United States steamer Water Witch, under your command, has been 
 received for examination at the Academy of Natural Sciences of this city. 
 
600 APPENDIX J. 
 
 • 
 
 This collection is one of the most interesting ever made in South America, on ac- 
 count of the countries in which it was obtained being so seldom visited by travelers 
 or naturalists, and my impression is that it contains numerous birds never before 
 known, and certainly not in any museum or collection in this country. 
 
 I hope to have, at an early day, the honor of reporting to you, sir, the results of 
 a more extended and careful examination, especially of the many remarkable birds 
 in this collection. 
 
 The volumes relating to natural history have, within a few years, been completed 
 by two European expeditions to South America. The more important is the voy- 
 age of her Majesty's ship 'Beagle, performed by order of the British government. 
 The other is D'Orbigny's voyage to South America, peiformed imder the auspices 
 of the government of France. In both of these, the natural history is very carefully 
 published. Your collections are certainly not inferior to those of either of these ex- 
 peditions, and, judging from the notes of officers which I have seen, my opinion is 
 that an American contribution to the natural history of South America can be made 
 very much superior to both. 
 
 So long as the condition or progress of the arts and sciences properly characterizes 
 nations, the publication of the results in natural histoiy of your expedition must be 
 regarded not only as important to zoological science, but even in a national aspect. 
 I am, sir, very respectfully, John Cassix. 
 
 Captain. Page, United States Navy. 
 
 The collection of birds brought by Captain Page's party is of high interest on 
 account of having been made in countries of South America little visited by voya- 
 gers or naturalists. In fact, Paraguay may be said to be the least explored country 
 of South America which is readily accessible. Mainly, of course, this collection 
 was made in that and other countries bordering on the rivei's Parana and Paraguay ; 
 and the great distance to which this expedition ascended the latter afforded it an 
 almost peculiar, and certainly a very little explored field of operation in natural his- 
 tory. That part of the collection made in Paraguay is, for reasons here indicated, 
 most valuable and interesting. 
 
 The expedition, having been designed and dispatched for the performance of a 
 special duty only, was not provided with naturalists nor facilities for making collec- 
 tions. This omission, however, was compensated for by the fact that great interest 
 was taken in the profuse natural productions of the countries visited, and large col- 
 lections made by officers attached to the expedition. The collection of birds was 
 made under the immediate direction of Captain Page, mainly by Lieutenant Wil- 
 liam H. Powell and Dr. Robert Carter. 
 
 I. Raptores — Rapacious Birds. 
 
 The collection contains twelve species, all of which are of the family of Falcons, 
 the most interesting of which are, perhaps, Falco sparverius, or the common Sparrow 
 Hawk of the United States, remarkable for being one of the very few birds tliat in- 
 habit the entire continent of America. Numerous specimens of Buteo pterocles and 
 nigricollis and the curious short-toed Falcon known as Geranospizd heviidacttjhs. 
 Falco femoralis,\s, also in this collection, a bird which has been found in New Mexico. 
 
 1 . Falco sparverius. 
 
 2. Falco femoralis. 
 
 3. Geranospiza hemidactylus. 
 
 4. Asturina cinerea. 
 
 5. Asturina insectivora. 
 
 6. Buteo pterocles. 
 
 7. Buteo nigricollis. 
 
 8. Morphnus urubitinga. 
 
 9. Morphnus meridionalis. 
 
 10. Ictinia plumbea. 
 
 11. Circus macropterus. 
 
 12. Polyborus tharus. 
 
APPENDIX J. 
 
 601 
 
 II. Insessores, or Pekching Birds. 
 
 The collection contains numerous beautiful species of the families of Parrots, Jays, 
 Tanagers, Kingfishers, Fly-catchers and others of the groups which are csj)ccially 
 South American. Numerous specimens of the Great-billed Toucan, Ramphastos 
 toco, all of which are of smaller size than the same bird of more northern countries 
 of South America, showing clearly the prevalence of a smaller race in Paraguay. 
 
 Several of the largest known species of Parrots or Macaws are in the collection, 
 and also several specimens of the handsome small species recently described by the 
 Prince Bonaparte as Pionus coralinus. Of the gigantic Kingfisher of the South 
 American rivers, Ceryle torquata, there are several specimens, also of the Amazon 
 Kingfisher, Ceryle Amazona. 
 
 One of the most interesting birds in the collection is the beautiful black Wood- 
 pecker first described by D'Orbigny as Picus melanogaster. We recognize the fol- 
 lowing species of the group of perching birds in this collection, in addition to which 
 are numerous others which at pi-esent we have not determined : 
 
 1. Cyanocorax pileatus. 
 
 2. Cyanocorax cyanomelas. 
 
 3. Amblyramphus ruber. 
 
 4. Leiestes viridis. 
 
 5. Tanagra striata. 
 
 6. Tanagra cana. 
 
 7. Lophospiza cristata. 
 
 8. Zonotrichia matutina. 
 
 9. Gubernetes yetapa. 
 
 10. Saurophagus sulphuratus. 
 
 11. Lichenops perspicillata. 
 
 12. Taenioptera coronatus. 
 
 13. Taenioptera nivea. 
 
 14. P}Tocephalus rubineus. 
 
 16. Anodorhynchus cinereus. 
 
 17. Macroccrcus Brasiliensis. 
 
 18. Conurus nenday. 
 
 19. Pionus coralinus. 
 
 20. Ceryle torquata. 
 
 21. Ceryle Amazona. 
 Eamphastos toco. 
 Crotophaga ani. 
 Crotophaga major. 
 
 25. Picus robustus. 
 
 26. Picus melanogaster. 
 Trogon surucura. 
 Cuculus guira. 
 
 22 
 
 23, 
 
 24, 
 
 27 
 
 28, 
 
 29. Piaya macroura. 
 
 15. Ara maracana. 
 
 Among those not examined are several species of Saltator, Molothrus, Furnarius, 
 Cekus, and others. 
 
 III. Rasores, or Gallinaceous Birds. 
 In the birds of this group in the collection, the two supposed species of Crojc 
 known to naturalists as Crax Yarrellii and Crax fasciohta are labeled as male and 
 female of the same bird. 
 
 1. Columba gymnopthalmus. 
 
 2. Columba mcridionalis. 
 
 3. Northura major. 
 
 4. Crax Yarrellii. 
 
 5. Crax fasciolata. 
 G. Penelope pipile. 
 
 In addition to which are several species of Tinarm/s and some beautiful specimens 
 of Penehjie that we can not name without more extended examination. 
 
 IV. Grallatores — Wading Birds. 
 The present having been an exploration principally by water, the collection con- 
 tains numerous birds of the classes that habitually frequent rivers of South America 
 and their shores. We especially notice fine specimens of the gigantic storks, ^f|Jc- 
 teria Americana and Ckoiiia pillus ; also of the South American Ibises, Geronticus 
 nudifrons and cocrulescens. 
 
602 APPENDIX K. 
 
 10. Geronticus cscrulescens. 
 
 11. Aramus scolopaceus. 
 
 12. Vanellus Cayannensis. 
 
 13. Limosa Hudsonica ? 
 
 14. Rallus gigas. 
 
 15. Gallinula crassirostris. 
 
 16. Parra jacana. 
 
 17. Hiaticula Azarse. 
 
 1. Ardea cocoi. 
 
 2. Egretta galatea. 
 
 3. Egretta scapularis. 
 
 4. Tigrosoma Brasiliense. 
 
 5. Ciconia pillus. 
 
 6. Mycteria Americana. 
 
 7. Nycticorax sibilatrix. 
 
 8. Ibis melanopsis. 
 
 9. Ibis uudifrons. 
 Numerous specimens of Totamts, Tringa, Calidris, and Cliaradrius have not been 
 
 examined, some of which are, however, apparently identical with bii'ds of the Unit- 
 ed States. 
 
 Natatores — Swimming Bikds. 
 
 The country passed through by the expedition appears to be particularly the na- 
 tive locality of the Musk Duck, Anas moschata, the parent stock from which has been 
 derived the domestic musk, or Muscovy Duck. Numerous specimens of this bird 
 are in the collection obtained at various localities on the Rio Parana and tributaries. 
 The Black-necked Swan, Cygnus nigricollis, is also in the collection obtained far up 
 the Parana, thus showing a range of locality hitherto unknown to naturalists. The 
 same is the case with the Flamingo of the western coast, Phamicopterus ignipaUiatns, 
 previously best knoVn as a bird of Chili. 
 
 We may note especially also fine specimens of the beautiful Shoveler Diick of 
 South America, Spatula maculata, little known to naturalists. Also numerous 
 specimens of the very handsome Teals, Querquedula torquata, versicolor, ipimtiri, and 
 cyanoptera, the last of which has been found in the western countries of North 
 America. We recognize the following : 
 
 1. Phcenicopterus ignipalliatus. 
 
 2. Cygnus nigricollis. 
 
 3. Cygnus coscoroba. 
 
 4. Fuligula metopias. 
 
 5. Cairina moschata. 
 
 6. Spatula maculata. 
 
 7. Querquedula torquata. 
 
 8. Querquedula versicolor. 
 
 9. Querquedula cyanoptera. 
 
 10. Querquedula ipicutiri. 
 
 11. Rhynchops nigra. 
 
 12. Carbo Brasiliensis. 
 18. Podiceps leucopterus. 
 14. Sterna magnirostris. 
 
 Also various other species of Podiceps, Sterna, and Larus. 
 ■ All the specimens in this collection are in unusually fine plumage and condition, 
 and form a very beautiful and important addition to the National Museum. 
 
 APPENDIX K. 
 
 NOTE ON FISHES AND REPTILES. 
 By C. GlEAED. 
 
 "Washington, D. C, November 25, 1856. 
 
 Dear Sir, — The preliminary survey which I have made of the fishes and reptiles 
 collected by you in Paraguay fully anticipates the expectation we might have enter- 
 tained in that respect while you were yet in the field. 
 
 Of the fishes, two families are especially well represented — the siluroid and the 
 characini. The first embracing fis^hes akin to the catfish of our fresh waters and 
 the sea-cat of our coast. It is especially numerous in South America, where its 
 various types assume diversified aspects. The second is almost exclusively proper 
 
APPENDIX L. 603 
 
 to the southern hemisphere, since its northernmost representative is an inhabitant 
 of the waters of the valley of the Kio Grande del Norte (Rio Bravo), and southwest 
 portion of Texas. 
 
 I perceive already several species entirely new to science, and I am satisfied that, 
 on a more critical examination of the whole collection, many more will turn out to 
 be so. But the accession of new species is not the sole point of interest in the col- 
 lection we owe to your exertions. Its study will touch to other problems as yet but 
 little understood. And first and foremost is the problem of the natural affinities of 
 these fishes with the types now extinct, and which have peopled the waters of geo- 
 logical eras in times gone by. Next comes the problem of the zoological affinities 
 with the ichthyic fauna now living upon the present surface of the earth. 
 
 I could readily point out to you some of the results, cursorily obtained, were I not 
 reluctant to write fragments of a history which will make the subject of a general 
 report to you, so soon as Congress shall have decided upon its publication. 
 
 I have a few words to say about the reptiles. There are but few saurians, or lizards, 
 in the collection; some of them I have had an opportunity to examine from other 
 sources. 
 
 The ophidians, or snakes, are well represented ; several are moccasinlike, the oth- 
 ers belong to the inoffensive colubrida;, both of land and water habits. 
 
 I see no frogs. A series of tree-frogs and tree-toads, however, make me think 
 that many interesting results will be obtained from theu' investigation. 
 
 The same is true with regard to the toads, properly so called, of which there are 
 several kinds. Their history will fill up a gap in the natural history of South Amer- 
 ica, and complete the results I have obtained a few years since while examining 
 other collections. I remain sincerely yours, C. Gikakd. 
 
 Captain T. J. Page, United States Navy. 
 
 APPENDIX L. 
 
 LIST OP MEDICINAL SUBSTANCES OBTAINED BY THE EXPEDITION. 
 By J. Carson, Professor of Materia Medica, etc., in the University of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Philadelpliia, December 1, 1S56. 
 De.\ii Sir, — I have seen and cursorily examined a portion of the specimens in 
 natural history which have been brought from the interior of South America, the 
 acquisitions of the expedition for exploration recently under your command, and am 
 impressed with the importance to science and the industrial arts of all the informa- 
 tion acquired by you. There can be no hesitation in declaring that you should be 
 enabled, by an appropriation on the part of government, to make known the result 
 of your labors, and thus secure, for the benefit of mankind, what has been deemed 
 of sufficient consequence to authorize a special commission to obtain. With the 
 hope that you will speedily be enabled to proceed with the work of publication, I am, 
 very truly, your obedient servant, J. Carson. 
 
 Captain Page, United States Navy, Washington. 
 
 CixcHONA BicoLORATA (Guibourt. Hist. Nat. des Drogues Simples; Carson, 
 American Journal of Pharmacy.) The true botanical source of this bark has not 
 been accurately determined. Its locality was supposed to be the West Indies. 
 Its presence in the collection proves it to be a native of the interior of South 
 America. It is desirable to determine the true plant from which it is derived. A 
 good tonic. 
 
60-1 APPENDIX L. 
 
 SniARouBA OFFiciXALis (De Candolle). — The bark of this tree is analagous to 
 Quassia. It is the Simarouba bark of commerce. 
 
 GtTAiACUH OFFICINALE (Lin.). — Specimens of the bark and resin {Besina gvaiaci) 
 are in the collection. 
 
 Co>'TRATERVA ; the root of the Dorstenia Brasiltensis, described by Guibourt 
 {Hist. Nat. des Drag. Simp.'). — There are several specimens of the Dorstenia enu- 
 merated by Martius in his Si/stema Materia Medicce Yegetabilis Brasiliensis. 
 
 Mechoaca>"s'a. — A species of Mechoacan Root, probably from the Piptastegia 
 /)json!s (Martius, Mat. Med.) The specimens resemble the Mechoacan Root of the 
 United States. It is purgative, owing its properties to a resin like that of Jalap. 
 
 Sarsapaeilla. — There are several species of the snulax growing in South Amer- 
 ica. The stems of two species are in the collection, but it is impossible to deter- 
 mine which they are. The expedition evidently opens a new source for this drug. 
 
 Keajieria, Rhataxt. — The root of the Krameria triandria (Ruiz & Pavon). It 
 was first discovered by them in Peru. The specimen in the collection may pos- 
 sibly be the K. Ixina. It is a powerful and valuable astringent, and of value as 
 a drug. 
 
 ALSTE.E3IEEIA. — The roots of two species under the names Battatilla and Robano. 
 These roots are probably demulcent, as is the case with many of the species of that 
 genus. One is known to aiford a fecula similar to arrow-root. 
 
 ScHixrs MOLLE. — The stems of the plant*v-hich, according to Martius, belongs 
 to the family of Axacardiacej:. They are resinous and heating, possibly useful 
 as a stimidating diaphoretic, etc. 
 
 Xan-thoxvlu^i Laxosdorfh (Martius). — The stems, under the name of Tembetaru. 
 The properties of this plant, like those of its congeners, appear to be stimulant and 
 tonic. 
 
 Geexadtlla. — The stems of a species of Passiflora. There are several of them 
 mentioned as medicinal by Martius. These are astringent, etc. 
 
 Jatheopha ccrcas. — The seeds, which afford a purgative oil. They are called 
 Pinon purgatiro. The plant belongs to the family of Euphorbiacece . 
 
 Veebexa. — Two species are said to be emetic, the other a flavorer. The first 
 goes by the name Berbena carriotado solidago. It may be the S. vulneraria of ilar- 
 tius, tised for the purpose indicated by its name. 
 
 RosMARrscs. — The R. officinalis, or an allied species, apparently R. Chilensis. 
 
 Rosa. — The buds of a rose either native or introduced. Astringent. 
 
 Salvia {Sage). — It may be a new species, or one of those mentioned by Ruiz & 
 Pavon, growing in Chili. It has the well-marked character of the genus. 
 
 Eqosett:3i. — A species of Horsetail used in syphilis; probably, like the class, 
 tonic and astringent. 
 
 Rita, Rue. — Rnta graveolens {officinalis, Martius) ; according to this author, every 
 where cultivated. 
 
 Absixthitm. — Probably the Baccaris triptera. D. C. and Martius. 
 
 Mate. — The leaves of the Hex Paraguayensis (St. Hilaire, var. obtusi folia Mart.); 
 an interesting plant from which is obtained a substitute for tea. 
 
 Coca. — The leaves of the Erythroxylon coca (Lam.); an important article to the 
 natives of South America as a stimulant and soother. It has been placed with 
 narcotics, but its effects differ. 
 
 Malva. — There are many species belonging to the Malvacece in South America 
 {see Martius), whose properties are demidcent. 
 
 Pteris. — This plant belongs to the Filiccs. There are three species mentioned 
 by Martius, viz., P. leptophjlla, P. pedata, P. palinata. They are astringent. The 
 
APPENDIX M. 
 
 605 
 
 native namo, Doradalia cuspa, is given to this medicine. It is said to be a purifier 
 of tlie blood. 
 
 Elemi. — A resin from the Idea icicariba (D. C, Martins, or /. altissima, And., 
 D. C.) It is a fine balsamic resin, used for the same purposes as the Terebinihince. 
 The family is Anacardiacece. 
 
 GuARANA. — An astringent substance of dark brown color, in rolls of various sizes. 
 Martins supposes it to be prepared from the extract of the Paulina sortilis. It has 
 somewhat of a chocolate taste, and the fruit of the cacao is supposed to be mixed 
 with it. It has been analyzed by Cadet and Batka. The latter has reported the 
 existence of an alkaloid principle in it. It is stated that it is used as a substitute 
 for tea or coffee, and has somewhat of their refreshing eff'ects. 
 
 Copaiba. — The species submitted corresponds to the Copaifera coriacea CHayne). 
 It affords the true drug and may be of importance in the commerce of the countiy 
 explored by the expedition. 
 
 GuJi angico. — The product of the Acacia angico, or A. pirema (Martins). It re- 
 sembles one of the forms of Senegal Gum. See paper by J. Carson, M.D., in 
 American Journal ofJr'harmacy, vol. xvii. 
 
 Bergajiot. — A species of Monarda, resembling M. Bergamii. 
 
 MiXT. — Mentha jnjKrita. 
 
 Gnaphalium. — A species oi Life everlasting. 
 
 APPENDIX M. 
 
 METHODS OF WORK. 
 
 By Lieutenant William H. Powell, 
 
 \IS/,Z'*I S/,z'*l SI, ZAI 5'y 3-*— 3 2, 5'- 
 
 s" 
 
 ? 2,5'—-*-/ 5'/.J-*/5/,J'-*/ 51.Z-*J5l,2 '**5 
 
 SECTION OF ErVEB PARAGUAY, AT ABtJNCION. 
 
 (Scale : For Tiorizontal measurements, i inch to 100 feet; for sotmdings, 1 inch to 100 feet.) 
 
 The instruments used were a piece of well-stretched and waxed cotton cord, for 
 measuring the base ; a sextant, for establishing the ranges and measuring the angles ; 
 
 a watch with a second-hand, and 
 the float (Fig. F) for obtaining the 
 surface-current ; and a lead-line, di- 
 vided into feet and five tenths of a 
 foot, for taking the soundings. 
 
 The method of work was as fol- 
 lows : On a line taken parallel to 
 the course of the current by the eye, 
 a base of 151.8 feet, as a multiple 
 of 50.6 feet, which bears the same 
 proportion to a sea mile (taken as 
 6075.56 feet) that 30 seconds does 
 to an hour, was measured and staked 
 as AB. 
 
 M^ afAdl si'xb 
 
606 
 
 APPENDIX M, 
 
 
 _.2__ §1,. 
 
 -t J?. 
 
 The ranges A a and B b were then established by staking the points (a) and (6) 
 at 90 degrees from B and A respectively, and B b extended across the river to C. 
 
 The angle BAG was then observed=85° 20', the distance B c measured =44:. 5 
 feet, and C c calculated. 
 
 C c being known, the points 1 and 2, dividing it into three equal sections, and the 
 points S, S', and S", marking the middle of each of these sections, were fixed, and 
 the angles ASB, AlB, etc., calculated. 
 
 The i^oints S, 1, S', 2, and S", of the line C c, were then taken up in a boat by 
 means of the range B b, and the angles ASB, AlB, etc. (previously calculated), on 
 the sextant, and sounded, the intervening points of the 1st and 8d sections being as- 
 sumed by the eye. 
 
 The velocity of the surface-current at the stations S, S' and S" was found by anchor- 
 ing the boat above the range B b, and dropping it by the anchor-rope, until the stern 
 was exactly on the range. A float, represented by Fig. F, was put overboard from 
 the bows then, and the instant of its leaving the stern made known to an observer 
 at (a) by signal, who noted the exact time of its passage of each range. 
 
 With the difference of these times represented by t, 3 representing the number of 
 
 times 50.6 feet was contained in the " base," s representing the surface-current in 
 
 30 X 3 
 miles per hour, was obtained by formula No. 1, s= . 
 
 By means of the soundings and the distances on the line C c — the mean of the 
 soundings of each section being taken as its altitude — the transverse section of the 
 river was obtained, and the square smface of it calculated by its subdivisions. 
 
 The surface-currents s, s', and s" being known, the velocity of the mass of each 
 
 section was found by formula No. 2, y= 
 
 {Vs--[r+s 
 
 2 
 
 (from Jackson's "What to 
 
 Observe"), y representing velocity of mass, and s the surface-current, and,' conse- 
 quently, the cubic feet of each and all the sections calculated. 
 From these data and this method we have the following results : 
 C c 1815.1-^3=605 feet, length of section. 
 
 605 ^2=302.5 " 
 
 " half section. 
 
 The altitude of 1st section =14 feet. 
 
 " " " 2d " =42.6 " 
 
 " " " 3d " =25.4 " 
 
 Surface-cni-rent of 1st section 1.12 miles per hour. 
 
 (( (( u 9^ (1 2 30 " " " 
 
 " " " 3d " 2.33 " " " 
 
 Velocity of mass of 1st section 0.56 miles, or 3402.31 feet per hour. 
 " " " " 2d " 1.28 " " 7776.71 " " " 
 " " " " 3d " 1.30 " " 7898.22 " " " 
 350618351.9, total number of cubic feet passed per hour. 
 
APPENDIX N. 
 
 607 
 
 APPENDIX N. 
 
 POINTS AND ELEVATIONS DETERMINED ON THE RIVER PAR^VNA. 
 
 Lat. S. Long. W. 
 
 Martin Garcia 34 11 40 5S 15 28.J 
 
 1 34 00 3S 
 
 li 33 53 00 59 00 31 
 
 2 38 47 00 59 13 26 
 
 3 33 40 00 59 27 28 
 
 4 Near San Pedro 33 41 00 59 39 34 
 
 4i 33 31 23 59 52 38 
 
 5 33 15 17 60 15 21 
 
 Rosario 32 56 44 60 30 04 
 
 6 D. K. 32 10 00 60 41 33 
 
 Lat. S. 
 
 6| Diamante 82 04 04 
 
 7 i of a mile W. of Pa- 
 rana — the Bajada. . 31 42 54 
 
 8 31 24 00 
 
 9 30 59 00 
 
 10 La Paz 30 44 08 
 
 11 30 10 21 
 
 12 Near Goya 29 07 00 
 
 13 Bella Vista 28 29 00 
 
 14 (Jorrientes 27 27 31 
 
 Long. W. 
 ^ 60 38 56 
 
 60 32 39 
 60 OS 25 
 59 53 03 
 59 38 42 
 59 39 39.5 
 59 21 20.6 
 59 07 01.6 
 58 52 51 
 
 ASCENDING THE RIVER BALABO. 
 
 Lat. S. Long. W. 
 
 1 Santa Fe 31 38 34 60 39 48 
 
 2 31 21 24 60 50 27 
 
 3 31 06 21 60 44 50 
 
 4 31 00 48 60 4S 18 
 
 5 30 52 58 60 44 44 
 
 Lat. S. 
 
 6 30 46 18 
 
 7 30 33 57 
 
 8 30 13 48 
 
 9 30 12 48 
 
 10 30 10 50 
 
 DESCENDING FROM THE UPPER WATEK8. 
 
 Lat. S. 
 
 Estancia Taboado 27 20 35 
 
 Figaroa 27 42 33 
 
 JIatara 28 07 14 
 
 Estancia del Estado 28 19 54 
 
 Sause Esquina 28 26 27 
 
 Fortin Bracho 28 31 15 
 
 Long. W. 
 
 64 OS 25 
 
 63 '43 is 
 63 28 58 
 63 18 07' 
 63 12 00 
 
 Lat. S. 
 
 Navicha 28 43 08 
 
 Doi'ia Lorenzo 29 05 13 
 
 Paso Coria 29 13 42 
 
 Monte Tigre 29 22 32 
 
 Paso Mistol 29 16 03 
 
 EIVEE VERMEJO. 
 
 1 May 26, 1857 
 
 2 " 28, " 
 
 3 June 3, " 
 
 4 " 6, " 
 
 5 " 10, " 
 
 Variation. 
 7° 32' E. 
 8" 42' E. 
 
 Variation. 
 
 Lat. S. 
 26 44 45 
 26 35 57 
 26 21 23 
 26 20 44 
 26 17 09 
 
 Long. W. 
 5S 41 32 
 
 58 50 09 
 
 59 06 38 
 59 10 47 
 59 13 50 
 
 Variation. 
 
 6 June 14, 1857 
 
 7 " 19, " 10° 53' E. 
 S " 22, " 
 
 9 " 24, " 
 
 Guardia Vermejo 
 
 INTERIOR OF PARAGXTAY. 
 
 Asuncion 
 
 Ytagua 
 
 Head of Lake 
 Ypacaray. . . . 
 
 Tobaty 
 
 Caraguataj' ... 6° 51' E. 
 Est. !S. Miguel. 
 S. Estanislado . 6° 56' E. 
 San Joaquim . . 7° 42' E. 
 
 Yhu 6° 50' E. 
 
 Caaguazu 5° 00' E. 
 
 Lat. S. 
 25 16 29 
 25 23 54 
 
 25 22 03 
 25 15 26 
 25 14 00 
 24 55 49 
 
 24 40 00.' 
 
 25 01 49 
 25 03 13 
 25 28 33 
 
 Long. W. 
 
 57 42 42 
 57 24 42 
 
 67 16 50 
 57 06 05 
 56 53 09 
 56 34 47 
 56 32 00 
 56 05 09 
 
 55 58 55 
 
 56 05 35 
 
 Variation. 
 
 Villa Rica 7° 34' E. 
 
 Yuty T°4S'E. 
 
 San Pedro 
 
 C'amgo 
 
 Carmen 
 
 San Cosmo 7° 35' E. 
 
 Santiago 7° 04' E. 
 
 S. Maria de Fu 
 San Jliguel. ... 7° 12' E. 
 Iron Works, 
 "Fabrica" .. 
 
 Lat. S. 
 26 20 16 
 26 12 13 
 26 09 23 
 26 10 09 
 26 51 52 
 
 Lat. S. 
 
 25 47 10 
 
 26 37 05 
 
 26 50 05 
 20 55 47 
 
 27 12 30 
 27 19 09 
 27 07 39 
 26 46 51 
 26 31 59 
 
 Long. W. 
 
 60 39 44 
 60 37 no 
 60 40 50 
 60 38 00 
 60 38 47 
 
 Long. W. 
 62 58 00 
 66 48 00 
 62 34 30 
 62 22 00 
 61 49 15 
 
 Long. W. 
 59 20 53 
 59 29 57 
 59 31 59 
 59 39 03 
 58 28 21 
 
 Long. W. 
 56 30 20 
 56 18 42 
 56 16 47 
 56 17 47 
 56 14 21 
 56 24 43 
 
 56 50 21 
 
 57 05 17 
 57 09 24 
 
 26 05 32 57 57 27 
 
 ELEVATIONS BT BAROMETRICAL MEASUREMENTS. 
 
 Asuncion, above Buenos Ayres 182 feet. 
 
 Villa Rica, " " 580.7 " 
 
 Villa Rica, above Asuncion 398. 7 " 
 
 Wisner's estancia, above B. Ayres . . 
 " " " Asuncion. . 
 
 RIVER URUGUAY. 
 
 Lat. S. 
 
 Higueritas 33 52 25. 
 
 Mouth of the Rio Negro 33 21 33 
 At Cerito Estan. " 33 18 38 
 Mercedes, Rio Negro. . . 33 15 40 
 
 Point Diamante 33 10 40 
 
 Frey Bentoa 33 07 13. 
 
 Long. W. 
 58 25 55.5 
 58 25 37 
 58 13 37.5 
 
 57 59 40 
 
 58 23 00 
 58 20 25 
 
 Lat. S. 
 
 Gualagnaychu 33 00 35 
 
 Concepcion del Uruguay 32 29 32 
 
 Paisandu 32 18 24 
 
 Estancia Campbell 32 04 45 
 
 Concordia 31 24 44 
 
 Salto del Uniguay 31 23 20 
 
 328 feet. 
 146 " 
 
 Long. W. 
 5S 32 16 
 58 14 55 
 58 07 27.7 
 53 10 06.7 
 58 01 28.5 
 57 59 39 
 
 ENTRE BIOS. 
 
 Lat. S. Long. W. 
 
 Victoria (Puerto de las Sauses) 32 39 53 60 12 07.5 
 
 Island in the Palm Riacho 33 14 28 59 46 46 
 
 Gualaguay (Bierto de Ruiz) 33 13 37 59 21 10 
 
 City OF Cordova 3124 00 64 09 00 
 
 " Tucuman 26 51 00 66 00 00 
 
 " Santiago del Estero 27 46 20 64 22 15 
 
608 
 
 APPENDIX O. 
 
 APPENDIX O. 
 
 METEOEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
 EXPLANATIONS OF TABLES. 
 
 The barometric and thermometric computations are the result of eight daily ob- 
 servations made at 3 A.M., 6 A.M., 9 A.M,, noon, 3 P.M., 6 P.M., 9 P.M., and 
 midnight; and the mean ranges given only for some prominent places, such as 
 Asuncion, Buenos Ayres, etc., where the steamer remained long enough to admit 
 of a series of observations being made. 
 
 The direction smA force of the wind were also noted at those times, and the name 
 and strength of that most prevalent set down in the column, according to the fol- 
 lowing scale : 
 
 SCALE OP WINDS. 
 
 Number. 
 
 Miles per hour. 
 
 Technical description. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 Very light breeze. 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 Gentle breeze. 
 
 3 
 
 12 
 
 Fresh breeze. 
 
 4 
 
 25 
 
 Strong wind. 
 
 5 
 
 35 
 
 High wind. 
 
 6 
 
 45 
 
 Gale. 
 
 7 
 
 60 
 
 Strong gale. 
 
 8 
 
 75 
 
 Violent gale. 
 
 9 ^ 
 
 90 
 
 Hurricane. 
 
 10 
 
 100 
 
 Most violent hurricane. 
 
 Similar observations were made of the state of the weather. By clear days is 
 meant that at least two thirds of the sky is unclouded ; by cloudy, a larger part 
 cloudy than clear ; and by rainy days, that more or less rain then fell, without ref- 
 erence to quantity. 
 
 Letters are used to designate the state of the weather, and denote as follows : 
 f. foggy; F. thick fog; 1. lightning; m. misty; q. squally; t. thunder; h. hazy. 
 A * appended to any letter indicates an extraordinary degree. 
 
 The altitude above the sea, given in the column headed Alt., is that of the river 
 at that place. 
 
 The observations at Buenos Ayres were made by Dr. Kennedy in connection 
 with those taken at other points of the exploration. Altitude of the observatory, 
 sixty feet above the sea. 
 
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