"Navigators, as fome of them, by unforefeen accidents, may he
obliged to run in with the land, and to make fome flay on this
coaft; in which cafe the knowledge of the country, its produce and
■ inhabitants, cannot but be of the utmoft confequence to them.
T o begin then with the traft o f country ufually fiyled Patagonia.
T h is is the name often given to the fouthermoft part of South
America, which is unpoffeffed by the Spaniards, extending from
their fettlements to the Streights of Magellan. This country, on
the eaft fide, is extremely remarkable, for a peculiarity not to be
paralleled in any other known part of the globe; for though the
whole territory to the northward of the river of Plate is full of
wood, a n d f t o r e d with an immenfe quantity of large timber-trees,
yet to the fouthward of the river no trees of any kind are to be met
with, except a few peachftrees; firft planted and cultivated by the
Spaniards in the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres: fo that on the
whole eaftern coaft o f Patagonia, extending near four hundred
leagues in length, aud reaching as far back as any difcoveries have
yet been made, no other wood has been found, than a few infigmfi-
cant ftirubs. Sir John Narborough in particular, who was fent out,
by King Charles the Second, exprefly to examine this country and
the Streights of Magellan, and who, in purfuance o f his orders,
wintered upon this coaft in Port St. Julian and Port Defire, in the
year 1670 ; Sir John Narborough, I fay, tells us, that he never faw:
a flick o f wood in the country, large enough to make the handle
o f an hatchet.
But, though the country be fo deftitute of wood, it abounds
withpafture: for the land appears,-in general, to be made up of
downs o f a light, dry, gravelly foil, and produces great quantities
of long coarfe grafs, which grows in tufts, interfperfed with
large barren fpots of gravel between them. This grafs, in many
places, feeds immenfe herds of cattle: for the Spaniards at
Buenos Ayres, having, foon after their firft fettling there, brought'
over a few black cattle from Europe, they have thriven prodi-
gioufly, b y the plenty of herbage which they every where met
w ith ; and are now increafed to that degree, and are extended
fo far into different parts of Patogonia,, that they are not conjured
a, private property; but many timufan-ds at a time are fla^htered
every, year by the hunters* only for their hides, and tallpw- T h
manner o f killing thefc cattle, beingaprafticep^uhartoth.at:p*rt
o f the world, merits a more cireumftantifil defqripdbn. The hunters
employed on this occafion being all of them moulted on horf?-
back fand both the Spaniards and Indians^ that part qfthe woifd
are ufually moft excellent horfemen), they arm the,ijfelye.s. with ft
kind of aftpear, which, at its end, inftead of a blade^xe^ in_ the
fame line with the wood in the ufual manner,, has its blade .fixed
acrofs: with this inftrument they ride at abeaft, and furround him,
when the hunter, that comes behind him, :hamftruigshfim ;.aad ajs
after this operation-the beaft foon tumbles, without>eing. abje to
raife himfelf again, they leave him on the grpqnd, | M |
ethers, whom they ferve in the fame manner. _ Sompriffid,*Sr?i<s
a fecond party, who attend the hunters, to A m the M b M
fall- but it is faid, that, at other times, the hunters chule to fit
them languilh in torment till the next day, from W ^ t « |
the anguilh, which the animal in the mean t,me endures,
the lymphaticks, and thereby facilitate-the feparation o f .tJfcAip
from' the carcafe: and though their pnefts have loudly condemned
this moft barbarous praftice, and have gone fo far
does not fail me, as to excommunicate thofe who follow it,: yet all
their efforts to put an entire flop to it have hitherto ,ptov,ed m-
effeftual. „ H H |
Befides the numbers of cattle which are every year flaughtf red
for their hides and tallow, in the manner already defenbed, it is
often neceffary, for the ufes of agriculture, and forotber purpofes,
to take them alive,. without wounding them: this. *s jprfopved
with -a .moft wonderful and almoft incredible dexterity, and .prm-
cipally by the ufe.of a machine, which the:EngliJh, ayhq-have,re,
fided at Buenos Ayres, generally denominated a lafli. I t 's made of
a-thong o f feveral fathoms in length, and very f t r o u g , . with a rum
Bing nosfe at one end ,of i t : this the hunters (who, in .tbia^cafe,
are alio mounted on horfeback) take in the«: tight hand^, it-bang