limited to a small spaeo,many objects possess beauty. Some
of the smaller birds arc brilliantly coloured ; and the biigh '
green sward, browsed short by the cattle, is oruameuted
by dwarf flowers, among which a plant, looking like the
daisy, claimed the place of an old friend. AVhat won d a
florist say to whole tracts so thickly covered by the 1 erham
melindres, as, even at a distance, to appear of the most gaudy
scarlet? . i
I staid ten weeks at Maldonado, in which time a nearly
perfect collection ot the animals, birds, and reptiles v’as
procured. Before making any observations respecting them,
I will give an account of a little excursion I made as far as the
river Polanco, which is about seventy miles distant, in a northerly
direction. I may mention, as a proof how cheap every
thing is in this country, that I paid only two dollars a day, or
eight shillings, for two men, together with a troop of about
a dozen riding-horses. My companions were well armed
with pistols and sabres ; a precaution which I thought rathei
unnecessary; but the first piece of news we heard was that,
the dav before, a traveller from Monte Video had been found
dead o'n the road, with his throat cut. This happened close
to a cross, the record of a former murder.
On the first night we slept at a retired little country-
house; and there I soon found out, that I possessed two or
three articles, especially a pocket compass, which created
unbounded astonishment. In every house I was asked to
show the compass, and by its aid, together with a map, to
point out the direction of various places. It excited the
liveliest admiration that I, a perfect stranger, should know
the road (for direction and road are synonymous in this open
country) to places where I had never been. At one house
a young woman, who was ill in bed, sent to entreat me to
come and show her the compass. If their surprise was grea ,
mine was greater, to find such ignorance among people who
possessed their thousands of cattle, and “ estancias” of great
L e n t . It can only be accounted for by the circumstance
that this retired part of the country is seldom visited by
foreigners. I was asked whether the earth or sun moved ;
whether it was hotter or colder to the north ; where Spain
was, and many other such questions. The greater number
of the inhabitants had an indistinct idea tliat England, London,
and North America, were different names for the same
place; but the lietter informed well knew that London and
North America were separate countries close together, and
that England was a large town in London ! I carried with
me some promethean matches, which I ignited by biting ; it
was thought so wonderful that a man should strike fire with
his teeth, that it was usual to collect the whole family to see
it : I was once offered a dollar for a single one. Washing
my face in the morning, caused much speculation at the
village of Las Minas ; a superior tradesman closely crossquestioned
me about so singular a practice : and likewise
why on hoard we wore our beards ; for he had heard from
my guide that we did so. He eyed me with much suspicion ;
perhaps he had heard of ablutions in the Mahomedan religion,
and knowing me to be a heretick, probably he came
to the conclusion that all hereticks were Turks. It is the
general custom in this country to ask for a night’s lodging
at the first convenient house. The astonishment at the
compass, and my other feats in jugglery, was to a certain
degree advantageous, as with that, and the long stories my
guides told of my brealdng stones, knowing venemous from
harmless snakes, collecting insects, &c., I repaid them for
their hospitality. I am UTiting as if I had been among the
inhabitants of central Africa: Banda Oriental would not
he flattered by the comparison ; but such were my feelings
at the time.
The next day we rode to the village of Las Minas. The
country was rather more hilly, but otherwise continued the
same ; an inhabitant of the Pampas no doubt would have
considered it as truly Alpine. The country is so thinly
inhabited, that during the whole day we scarcely met a single
person. Las Minas is much smaller even than Maldonado.
It is seated on a little plain, and is surrounded by low rocky
ill
i I'
, '1 1 1 1
U iifi
if
r , ; . i
ill I
' 'I !