ever venture to pass that way; nor, it is presumed, would any military leader be induced lightly to encounter its difficulties.

Minerals.] In the mountainous districts along the Andes, almost every town and valley from Mendoza to La Paz, has had, or now has some productive mine in its neighborhood. A short time since there were 73 mines in actual operation within this country, viz. 30 of gold, 27 of silver. 2 of tin, 7 of copper and 7 of lead, The richest of these are the celebrated silver mines of Potosi, which were discovered by accident, in 1545 by an Indian named Hualpa, who in climbing up the rocks in pursuit of some mountain goats, laid hold of a small shrub to support himself, when the roots gave way, and opened to his view a mass of pure silver. It was in a mountain of a conical shape, about 18 miles in circumference at the base, and rising to the height of 4360 feet above the plain. From the discovery of the mines till 1803. they have yielded £237,358,334 sterling, or nearly £1,000,000 annually, which has paid the royal duties.

Salt.] The extensive plains lying between the Paraguay and the mountains, and watered by the Pilcomayo, the Vermejo, the Salado, and the Dulce, abound with salt. All these rivers vield excellent water until they leave the hilly country, after which they become brackish. Numerous salt lakes occur in different parts of this territory. In the pampas to the southwest of Buenos Ayres, there are also lakes which produce salt of a very fine quality.

Chief towns.] Buenos Ayres, the capital, is built on the S. W. bank of the Rio de la Plata, 180 miles from its mouth. The river here is 30 miles broad, and is merely an open road. Ship's cannot approach within three leagues of the shore, and are com pelled to unload by lighters, and to resort to the bay of Barragan, 23 or 24 miles below, to wait for their cargoes. The navigation of the Plata to Buenos Ayres, is extremely dangerous, owing not only to rocks, sand banks, and shallows, which abound in many parts of the river, but likewise to the impetuous blasts, called Pamperos, which occasionally sweep over it with destructive fury. The town is regularly laid out, the streets intersecting each other at right angles. In the middle of the town is a large area, 40 rods square, on the sides of which are the castle, the cathedral, and the town hall. All these edifices, together with the churches, convents and hospitals, are built of a beautiful white stone, found in a plain near the town. The population is estimated at 62,000, one half of whom are whites, and the rest, Indians, negroes, mulattoes, and mestizoes. The commerce of the town is very extensive, the port being the outlet for the produce, not only of the whole valley of the Plata, but also of large districts of Peru and Chili.

Monte Video stands on the north shore of the Plata, 120 miles E. of Buenos Ayres, and occupies the whole of a peninsular promontory, which projects southward from the main land. The fortifications are on the isthmus to the north of the town, and are.

very strong, being regular works built of stone. The harbor, which lies on the west of the town, is of a circular shape, four miles in diameter, with a narrow entrance. It is deep enough for large ships, and is the best in the Rio de la Plata. The high mountain from which the town derives its name, is on the opposite side of the bay. The houses are all of stone or brick, usually one story high, and being built on an ascent, and interspersed with gardens and trees, make a handsome appearance from the harbor. The population is variously estimated from 10,000 to 20,000. In 1817, Monte Video was taken by the Portuguese.

Potosi, famous for its rich silver mines, lies in the Andes, in lat. 20° 26′ near one of the sources of the Pilcomayo, and on the S. side of the mountain of the same name. The air of the mountain is cold, and the adjacent country is remarkably barren, provisions and fuel being brought from a great distance; yet the richness of the mines has drawn hither a large population. The houses in general are well built and most sumptuously furnished. The churches are remarkably magnificent, and profusely decorated with ornaments of gold and silver. The population is estimated at 100,000, of whom 30,000 are employed in the adjacent mines. About 10,000 of the inhabitants are Spaniards, many of them noble, and very wealthy, and magnificent in their mode of living.

Assumption, the capital of Paraguay, stands on the E. bank of the river Paraguay, a little above the mouth of the Pilcomayo, and 977 miles from the sea, in the midst of a very fertile country. The population is 7,000, consisting of Spaniards, Indians, and mestizoes. The Spaniards pride themselves on their descent from some of the best families of Spain. Corrientes, situated at the confluence of the Parana,with the Paraguay, contains 5,000 inhabitants. Santa Fe, at the mouth of the Salado, has about 6,000 inhabitants. Cordova is on the small river Primero, which loses itself in one of the salt lakes to the N. W. of Santa Fe. It has a university, and about 6,000 inhabitants. Santiago del Estero lies north of Cordova, on a plain surrounded by forests, on the west bank of the Dulce, and contains 500 families.

The principal towns in the mountainous country, not already mentioned, beginning in the south, are Mendoza, which lies at the foot of the eastern declivity of the Andes, and contains 21,000 inhabitants; St. Juan, lying also at the foot of the Andes, north of Mendoza, and containing 19,000 inhabitants; Rioja, still farther north; Tucuman, or St. Miguel de Tucuman, on the Dulce, more than 100 miles above Santiago del Estero; Salta on a branch of the Vermejo, with 9,000 inhabitants; Jujuy, a small town to the north of Salta; La Plata or Chiquisica, about 60 miles N. E. of Potosi, with 14,000 inhabitants; Charca, or Chayanta, lying north of Potosi, and containing 30,000 inhabitants; Oruro, in the beautiful and populous valley of Cochabamba, 70 miles N. N. W. of Potosi, with 17,000 inhabitants; La Paz, in a fertile valley at the foot of the Andes, near the S. E. extremity of Lake Titicaca, with 20,000

inhabitants; and Santa Cruz de la Sierra, on the river Guapay, one of the head streams of the Madeira.

Mode of travelling.] The road from Buenos Ayres to Mendoza, a distance of 900 miles, and from Buenos Ayres to Tucuman, which is still farther, pass across the Pampas, and the usual mode of transporting produce, in wagons drawn by oxen, which at a distance look like thatched cabins slowly moving over the plain. There are few places of refreshment or repair, and the wagoner usually carries with him the provision necessary for his support. The oxen are unyoked at night, and occasionally through the day, and permitted to seek their food in the high grass. with which the pampas are covered. Thus the carrier pursues his way over a waste for weeks in succession. The route from Buenos Ayres to Mendoza, is usually performed in 30 days.

In the mountainous country, mules are universally used for transportation, the road frequently leading over rugged precipices, and through narrow passes, where any other mode of conveyance would be impracticable. The produce of the mines of Potosi ist conveyed to Buenos Ayres, a distance of nearly 2,000 miles, on the backs of mules. The carriers who make a business of transportation by mules, have from 50 to 100 of these animals in a drove, and like the wagoners of the plains, they turn them loose at night to find their provisions for themselves.

Population.] According to the official estimates furnished in 1817, by the government of Bueuos Ayres to the deputies of the United States, the population was 1,300,000, exclusive of Indians. The civilized Indians alone, it is supposed, amount to more than 700,000. The population is composed, as in the other Spanish colonies, of whites, Indians, mestizoes, negroes, and mulattoes. The number of negroes and mulattoes is very small. The most populous districts are around the towns on the coast, and near the mouths of the great rivers, and the mining districts in the west, but particularly the northwestern provinces, near the borders of Peru, which were formerly attached to that country, and are still called Alto Peru, or Upper Peru. The plains in the north are almost exclusively occupied by tribes of wandering Indians.

Indians.] Under the old government, the Indians were most cruelly oppressed. They were subject to a tribute to the crown, levied on all males between the ages of 10 and 50. Those in the mining districts were besides burdened with a personal service to the crown, called the mita, which was a conscription raised among those subject to the tribute, in order to work the mines of Potosi. Thousands of these unfortunate people were marched every year to Potosi, and although the period of service was only 18 months, they were attended by a numerous train of friends and relatives, who on the eve of their entering the mines, sang melancholy dirges, and sounding a horn in solemn strains, mourned over them, with all the ceremonies which they used on the death of a relative. Their wives and children remained with the conscripts, who seldom resisted more than a year, the excessive labour and noxious air of the mines. The Indians of Upper Peru

have the appearance of habitual melancholy, and still wear mourning for the destruction of their incas. They hand down from father to son, the story of their wrongs, and constantly seek an opportunity for revenge. In 1778, they rose in rebellion against the Spaniards, and maintained the contest for three years, during which they destroyed some of the finest towns in the northwestern provinces. The present government of Buenos Ayres, immediately on its establishment, released the Indians from the service of the mita, and have since abolished the tribute. These measures have done much to pacify their feelings.

Government and Revenue.] Buenos Ayres was formerly a Spanish colony, under the government of a viceroy,but a new government was established in 1810, which ruled in the name of the king of Spain till the 9th of July 1816, when it declared itself wholly independent, under the title of the United provinces of Rio de la Plata, which has since been changed for that of the United Provinces of South America. Since 1810 there have been three or four revolutions, in each of which, the form of government, so far as relates to the executive department, has been altered. During all the changes, however, there has existed a congress consisting of representatives from the several provinces. The revenue for the year 1817 was 3,037,187 dollars.

Laws.] Since the revolution many reforms have been intro duced. The barbarous impositions on the Indians have been abolished. The law of primogeniture is repealed, and all titles of nobility are prohibited under pain of the loss of citizenship. One, of the first decrees of the congress manumitted the offspring of slaves born after February 1813, and emancipated all slaves imported after that period.

Religion.] The Roman Catholic religion is established as that of the state, but there are many advocates, both in conversation and writing for universal toleration. The number of monks and nuns was never very great in Buenos Ayres, when compared with other portions of the Spanish dominions, and they have diminished since the revolution. Few of the young men now apply themselves to the study of theology, since other occupations, much more tempting to their ambition, have been opened to their choice.

Education.] Previous to the revolution education was discouraged. The art of printing was almost unknown. Several schools were actally suppressed in the capital, and in the declaration of independence one of the charges against the mother country is, that young men were prohibited from going to Paris to study chemistry. Great attention is now paid to the establishment of schools and the general diffusion of knowledge. There are no books prohibited; all are permitted to circulate freely; and many English works have been imported.

State of Society.] All the wealthy and influential citizens are found concentrated in the cities and towns. It is rare to find a wealthy land owner who has not a house in the city, which is his usual place of abode; from which his grain and grazing farms,

committed to the care of peasants, are occasionally visited. The best specimen of the population is to be found in the city of Buenos Ayres. Since the revolution, the people of this city have had much intercourse with foreigners, and have greatly profited by it. Their manners, dress, and modes of thinking, have been improved by intercourse with the English, Americans, and French. Great prejudices prevail against whatever is Spanish. It is even offensive to them to be called by this name. The appellation which they have assumed, and in which they take pride, is that of South Americans.

Herdsmen.] The herdsmen or peasantry of the Pampas form a very considerable proportion of the population. Thinly strewed over the great plains, they have commonly, each one, the charge of a country many leagues in extent; they are wholly illiterate, and dwell on an immense waste, in continual solitude. From infancy the herdsman is continually on horseback, and there is, perhaps, no more expert horseman in the world. The wars that have been recently carried on in this country have *called these herdsmen into the field of battle, and it is said, they make the most formidable partisan soldiery that ever existed. In courage they are inferior to none; and in adroit and rapid horsemanship they exceed what has been told of the Parthian, the Scythian or the Cossac of the Don. They are usually called Guachos, an epithet, like that of Yankee, originally cast on them. in derision, but now no longer offensive.

The herdsman's cloak, or poneho, as it is called, is a square piece of cloth, a little larger than a Dutch blanket, with a slit in the middle, through which the head is put, leaving it to hang down all round. This poncho is his bed at night, and by day his cloak, a belt, a saddle cover or a bag, as fancy or necessity may require. The Lazo, or running noose, is an instrument used by the herdsman in managing his herd, and sometimes in attacking a foe. It is a cord or thong, made of strong hide, about 30 yardslong, with an iron ring, or a loop at one end, through which a running noose may be made in an instant; the other end is fastened to the broad belt which secures the saddle. As soon as it is thrown, and takes effect, the horse, as he has been taught, stands firm, or moves off with what has been caught. The Lazo is thrown by a herdsman with unerring aim, either on foot or on horseback, or at, full speed, at a fleeing animal or retreating foe. The Bolas is an instrument similar in its use to the Lazo. It is made with three. cords of about three feet each from the knot which unites them in the middle, and to the end of each of the cords is fastened a ball of about two pounds weight. The Bolas, with a few twirls over the head, is thrown like a stone from a sling, and entangling about the legs of the animal at which it is directed, instantly prostrates it at the mercy of the pursuer. This instrument, as well as the Lazo, is usually placed behind the saddle. Mounted, and thus equipped, the herdsman is ready for a journey of a thousand miles, for the protection or the siezing of his herd, or for the.defence of his country.