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BUENOS AYRES, AND THE PROVINCES OF THE RIO DE LA PLATA: THEIR PRESENT STATE, TRADE, AND DEBT; WITH SOME ACCOUNT FROM ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS OF THE PROGRESS OF GEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERY IN THOSE PARTS OF SOUTH AMERICA DURING THE LAST SIXTY YEARS.
BUENOS AYRES, AND THE PROVINCES OF THE RIO DE LA PLATA: THEIR PRESENT STATE, TRADE, AND DEBT; WITH SOME ACCOUNT FROM ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS OF THE PROGRESS OF GEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERY IN THOSE PARTS OF SOUTH AMERICA DURING THE LAST SIXTY YEARS.
BY SIR WOODBINE PARISH, K.C.H., F.R.S., G.S., VICE PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, MANY YEARS HIS MAJESTY'S CHARGE D'AFFAIRS AT BUENOS AYRES. LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 1839. 1839. LONDON: Printed by William Clowes and Sons , Stamford Street. The greater part of the materials for this volume were collected during a long official residence in the country to which they relate: containing, as I believe they do, some information which may be interesting, if not use
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LIST OF MAPS AND PLATES.
LIST OF MAPS AND PLATES.
BUENOS AYRES AND THE PROVINCES OF LA PLATA. Extent, Divisions, and General Government of the Provinces of La Plata. Jurisdiction of the old Viceroyalties:—Necessity of dividing and subdividing such vast Governments:—Embarrassments arising out of this necessity. The backwardness in the Political organization of these Provinces, common to all the new Republics of South America; and attributable to the same cause; the Colonial system of the Mother Country. Mistake in comparing the condition of the
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PART II. THE PROVINCES.
PART II. THE PROVINCES.
[Pg 194] [Pg 195] De Garay founds Santa Fé , and meets with Spaniards from Peru. His subsequent Deeds and Death. The Government of the Rio de la Plata separated from that of Paraguay, and Santa Fé annexed to Buenos Ayres. Its former prosperity, and great capabilities, especially for Steam Navigation. The Entre Rios —constituted a Province in 1814, its Extent, Government, and Population—chiefly a grazing Country. Corrientes —its valuable natural Productions—mistaken ideas of the people as to Fore
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PROVINCE OF SANTA FÉ.
PROVINCE OF SANTA FÉ.
The first discoverers of La Plata, as has been already observed, fixed themselves in Paraguay, and established the seat of their government at Assumption, the capital of that province. In his way up the river, Sabastian Cabot built a fort, called Sancti-Espiritu, at the junction of the Carcarãna with the Paranã; Ayolas, a few years after, built another not far from it, to which he gave the name of Corpus Christi; but these, like Mendoza's settlement at Buenos Ayres, were very soon destroyed by t
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PROVINCE OF ENTRE RIOS.
PROVINCE OF ENTRE RIOS.
The Entre Rios territory, bounded on three sides by the Paranã, and on the east by the river Uruguay, like Santa Fé, formed part of the intendency of Buenos Ayres till the year 1814, when the general government divided it into two distinct provinces, called the provinces of Entre Rios and Corrientes:—the separating line between them, for the present agreed upon, is that formed by the little river Guayquiraro, which falls into the Paranã in about latitude 30° 30´, and the Mocoreta, which runs in
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PROVINCE OF CORRIENTES.
PROVINCE OF CORRIENTES.
The population of the province of Corrientes in 1824 was estimated at from 35,000 to 40,000 inhabitants. It is ruled by a governor elected by a junta of deputies,—how they are chosen I know not. His official acts are countersigned by a secretary, and in law matters he is assisted by an officer termed the assessor,—a point of form common, I believe, to all the provincial administrations, and derived from the practice of the intendents in the time of the Spanish rule. The city of Corrientes was be
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THE OLD MISSIONS OF THE JESUITS.
THE OLD MISSIONS OF THE JESUITS.
To the eastward of Corrientes are the depopulated ruins, all that remain, of the once famed Missions of the Jesuits, the greater part of which were situated on the shores of the Paranã and Uruguay, where the courses of those rivers nearly meet. When the order was expelled from South America in 1767, there were a hundred thousand inhabitants in the thirty towns in those parts under their control. In those situated east of the Paranã, not a thousand souls remained in 1825, according to an account
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PARAGUAY,
PARAGUAY,
strictly speaking, has no place in this book, being, as it is for the present, a distinct and separate Republic; but, like the Missions, it is impossible to pass so near it without some allusion to its former prosperity, and to its present very singular condition under the despotic rule of Dr. Francia. It was in Paraguay that the first conquerors of the country fixed their abode and the seat of their government:—it was there also, attracted by the same inducements of a genial clime and a profusi
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PROVINCE OF CORDOVA.
PROVINCE OF CORDOVA.
The province of Cordova, after that of Buenos Ayres, is the most important of the Union. According to a census taken in 1822-23, the population then amounted to something more than 85,000 souls, of which from 12,000 to 14,000 lived in the city. It is ruled by a governor, who is elective by a provincial junta occasionally convoked, and whose power is almost arbitrary; he has the command of all the forces and militia of the province, and has the power of reversing, on appeal, all decisions of the
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PROVINCE OF LA RIOJA.
PROVINCE OF LA RIOJA.
To the west of the province of Cordova, across the Sierra, lies La Rioja, formerly a dependency of that government, but now dignified with the title of an independent province, divided into four departments, viz., Arauco, Guandacol, the Llaños, and Famatina. It is nominally under the rule of a governor and a municipal junta of five members. The city from which it takes its name was founded in 1591, at the foot of the Sierra de Velasco, a granitic range, and is situated, according to a MS. in my
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SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO.
SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO.
The distance from the city of Cordova to that of Santiago del Estero is 110 leagues by the post-road. Portezuela is the first station beyond the jurisdiction of Cordova, shortly after which commences what is called the Travesia, a vast sandy zone thirty to forty leagues in breadth, for the most part covered with a saline efflorescence, and producing a salsola, from the ashes of which the inhabitants extract soda. It borders the Sierra de Cordova to the north, and extends west as far as La Rioja,
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PROVINCE OF TUCUMAN.
PROVINCE OF TUCUMAN.
Forty leagues (post distance) beyond Santiago del Estero is situated the city of San Miguel de Tucuman. It stands (in lat. 27° 10´) on an elevated plain in a position from which the prospect on every side is delightful; indeed all accounts agree in describing it as the best situated town in the republic. The climate, though hot, is dry and salubrious; and Nature has been so prodigal of her choicest gifts, that the province of Tucuman well merits its appellation of the garden of the United Provin
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PROVINCE OF CATAMARCA.
PROVINCE OF CATAMARCA.
Catamarca, divided from Tucuman by the sierras of Aconquija, is one of those subordinate provinces which, like Rioja, owes its independence rather to its insignificance and secluded situation than to any pretensions which the people can have to govern themselves; properly it should be a dependency of the government of Tucuman, to which the Congress annexed it in 1814. When I applied to the Governor for some general statistical information as to the extent and resources of his province, he fairly
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SALTA
SALTA
is the frontier province of the republic to the north; and follows in geographical succession those of Tucuman and Catamarca, which bound it to the south and west. The river Vermejo and its tributary, the river of Tarija, constitute its limits to the east. It is divided into the four departments of Salta, Jujuy, Oran, and Tarija; the latter of which has been occupied by the Bolivians, apparently with a determination to maintain possession of it. Deducting the population of that department, the r
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SAN LUIS.
SAN LUIS.
Of all the petty governments of the interior that of San Luis is one of the most wretched. The population, estimated at from 20,000 to 25,000 souls, is thinly scattered over the estancias, or cattle-farms, at very long distances from each other, where they lead a life so far removed from anything like civilised society, that it may be doubted if their condition is really much better than that of the wild Indians, of whom they live in such continual dread, and against whose fearful inroads their
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MENDOZA.
MENDOZA.
The province of Mendoza occupies a space of something more than 150 miles from north to south, along the eastern side of the Cordillera of the Andes, and nearly an equal distance from east to west, measured from the Desaguadero to the central ridge of the Andes. The northern boundary is formed by a line passing east and west through the post station of Chañar, about eighteen miles north of the city, which divides it from the jurisdiction of San Juan. To the south the nominal frontier line is the
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SAN JUAN.
SAN JUAN.
The province of San Juan, which adjoins that of Mendoza, occupies the space between the great Cordillera and the mountains of Cordova, as far north as the Llaños, or plains, of La Rioja. It is said to contain about 25,000 inhabitants, governed, at present, like those of Mendoza, and occupied very much in the same manner, in the cultivation of their vineyards and gardens, and in agricultural pursuits. Their exports of brandies and wines to the other provinces are little short of those from Mendoz
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PASSES OF THE ANDES.
PASSES OF THE ANDES.
I shall conclude this chapter with a list of the passes across the Andes from the several provinces of this republic of which I have any account: they are twelve in number:— First.—The most northerly is a continuation of the road called the Despoblado, which crosses the mountainous districts of the north-western part of the province of Salta by the mines of Yngaguasi to Atacama. Second.—A pass from the province of La Rioja communicates with Guasco and Copiapo in Chile. [75] Third.—Another, furth
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PART III. TRADE AND PUBLIC DEBT.
PART III. TRADE AND PUBLIC DEBT.
Advantages of the situation of Buenos Ayres in a commercial point of view. Amount of Imports into Buenos Ayres in peaceable times. From what Countries. Great proportion of the whole British Manufactures. Articles introduced from other parts of the World. The Trade checked by the Brazilian War, and subsequent Civil Disturbances. Recovering since 1831. Proportion of it taken off by Monte Video since its independence. Comparative view of Exports . Scarcity of Returns. Capabilities of the Country. A
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EXPORTS.
EXPORTS.
The nature of the export-trade from Buenos Ayres may be generally gathered from the following summary, or comparative valuation of the exports from thence in 1822, 1825, 1829, and 1837; though, being taken from the Buenos Ayrean custom-house accounts, some allowance must be made for short manifests by the shippers, perhaps an addition of twenty per cent. to the amount officially accounted for in each year. The returns of specie and bullion exported are especially liable to this observation. Comp
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HORSES AND CATTLE.
HORSES AND CATTLE.
In connexion with what I have said upon the trade of Buenos Ayres, a brief notice of the origin and extraordinary increase of the vast herds of horses and cattle which at present constitute so large a portion of the riches of Buenos Ayres, may perhaps be not uninteresting to some of my readers. America is indebted to Europe for these animals, which were unknown to the people of the New World before its discovery by the Spaniards. Of the two it will easily be understood that the horses, which for
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No. 1. Declaration of Independence of the United Provinces of South America in 1816.
No. 1. Declaration of Independence of the United Provinces of South America in 1816.
We, the Representatives of the United Provinces of South America, in General Congress assembled, invoking that Supreme Being who presides over the universe, in the name and by the authority of the people we represent, and protesting before Heaven and all nations and inhabitants of the earth, the justice of this our resolution, do hereby solemnly declare that it is the unanimous and undoubted determination of these provinces to break the bonds which have bound them to the kings of Spain, to recov
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No. 2. Estimated Population of the Provinces of the Rio de la Plata, 1836-7.
No. 2. Estimated Population of the Provinces of the Rio de la Plata, 1836-7.
This is exclusive of independent Indians within the territory laid claim to by the Republic. The population of the Banda Oriental is estimated to be from 100,000 to 120,000 souls, rapidly increasing. That of Paraguay I should assume, from accounts in my possession, to be about 250,000, though I know it has been estimated at double that amount by persons who have been in the country....
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No. 3. Statistics of British Residents at Buenos Ayres, in 1831.
No. 3. Statistics of British Residents at Buenos Ayres, in 1831.
The individuals not registered were supposed to amount to at least a thousand more, exclusive of the sailors on board the British shipping trading with the port. From August 1825 to August 1831, six years. For 1836. The Returns published of the foreign Protestant population in Buenos Ayres, give— The proportion of the British is not given, but may be estimated from that quoted in the first period....
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No. 4. Treaty between Great Britain and the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata.
No. 4. Treaty between Great Britain and the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata.
Signed at Buenos Ayes, February 2, 1825. Extensive commercial intercourse having been established for a series of years between the dominions of His Britannic Majesty, and the territories of the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata, it seems good for the security as well as encouragement of such commercial intercourse, and for the maintenance of good understanding between His said Britannic Majesty and the said United Provinces, that the relations now subsisting between them should be regularly a
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No. 5. Copy, in the Guarani Language, of the Memorial addressed by the people of the mission of San Luis, praying that the Jesuits might be allowed To remain with them. Dated 28th February, 1768.
No. 5. Copy, in the Guarani Language, of the Memorial addressed by the people of the mission of San Luis, praying that the Jesuits might be allowed To remain with them. Dated 28th February, 1768.
I. H. S. Señor Governador, Tupa tanderaârô anga oroè ndebe ore Cabildo Caziq s reta, Aba, haè Cun̄a, haè mitâ rehebe San Lui y̆ gua orerubeteramo ndereco ramo Corregidor Santiago Pindo, haè Don Pantaleon Cayuari Oiquatia orebe oreray̆hupareteramo ndereco aipo bae rehe ore yerobia hape oroiquatia àngà ndebe hupigua ete rupi, co n̄ande Rey poroquaita Guĭra tetirô oromondo haguâ Nande Rey upeguâra, oromboacĭ mirî ey̆ ngatu ndoroguerecoi ramo oromondo haguâ rehe oico n̄ote Tupa omon̄a hague rupi Caà
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No. 6. Meteorological Observations in Buenos Ayres during 1822 and 1823 (from the Registro Estadistico).
No. 6. Meteorological Observations in Buenos Ayres during 1822 and 1823 (from the Registro Estadistico).
In the eighteen months the highest of the thermometer was 94, in the month of January; the lowest 36, in August. It sometimes rises to 96, as in January, 1824, when it was at that point some days. On the other hand, it has been known to fall as low at 28 and 29; but these extremes are very rare....
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No. 7.—Some Fixed Points in the Provinces of the Rio de la Plata.
No. 7.—Some Fixed Points in the Provinces of the Rio de la Plata.
Province of Buenos Ayres. Observations taken on the Journey of Don Pedro Garcia, in 1810, to the Salinas. Positions on the road from Buenos Ayres to Chile, fixed in 1794 by Bauza and Espinosa, Officers attached to Malaspina's Surveying Expedition. Towns in Paraguay....
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No. 11.—Comparative Value (declared) of British and Irish Produce and Manufactures Exported from Great Britain to the River Plate, Mexico, Columbia, Chile, and Peru, from 1829 to 1837, and to Spain in the same years.
No. 11.—Comparative Value (declared) of British and Irish Produce and Manufactures Exported from Great Britain to the River Plate, Mexico, Columbia, Chile, and Peru, from 1829 to 1837, and to Spain in the same years.
[83] A considerable portion of the articles sent to Chile are intended for the supply of the West Coast of Mexico....
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