wliich he had been obliged to dig to supply his own family
with water; and that the partridges had hardly strength to fly
away when pui-sued. The lowest estimation of the loss of cattle
in the province of Buenos Ayres alone, was taken at one million
head. A proprietor at San Pedro had previously to these
years 20,000 cattle ; at the end not one remained. San
Pedro is situated in the middle of the finest country ; and
even now again abounds with animals ; yet, during the latter
part of the “ gran seco,” live cattle were brought in vessels
for the consumption of the inhabitants. The animals
roamed from their estancias, and wandering far to the southward,
were mingled together in such multitudes, that a government
commission was sent from Buenos Ayres to settle
the disputes of the owners. Sir AVoodbine Parish informed
me of another and very curious source of dispute ; the ground
being so long dry, such quantities of dust were blown about,
that in this open country the landmarks became obliterated,
and people could not tell the limits of their estates.
I was informed by an eyewitness, that the cattle in herds of
thousands rushed into the Parana,* and being exhausted by
hunger they were unable to crawl up the muddy banks, and
thus were drowned. The arm which runs by San Pedro
was so full of putrid carcasses, that the master of a vessel
told me, that the smell rendered it quite impossible to pass
that way. AAnthout doubt several hundred thousand animals
thus perished in the river. Their bodies when putrid floated
down the stream, and many in all probability were deposited
tow n , in a b o d y , to po ssess th em se lv e s o f th e wells, n o t b e in g a b le to
p ro c u r e a n y w a te r in th e c o u n try . T h e in h a b ita n ts m u s te re d , w h e n a
d e s p e r a te c o n flic t e n su ed , w h ic h te rm in a te d in th e u ltim a te d isc om fitu re
o f th e in v ad e rs , b u t n o t u n t il th e y h a d k ille d o n e m an , a n d w o u n d e d
se v e ra l o th e r s .” T h e tow n is s a id to h a v e a p o p u la tio n o f n e a rly th r e e
th o u s a n d !
* A z a r a ta lk s o f th e fu ry o f th e w ild h o rse s ru sh in g in to th e m arsh e s
d u r in g a d ry s e aso n ; “ e t le s p rem ie rs a rriv é s s o n t fo u lé s, e t é crasés p a r
c e u x , q u i le s s u iv e n t. I l m ’e s t a rriv é p lu s d ’u n e fois d e tro u v e r p lu s d e
m ille c ad av re s d e c h e v au x sau v ag e s m o rts d e c e tte fa ç o n .”— V o l. i.,
p . 3 74.
in the estuary of the Plata. All the small rivers became
highly saline, and this caused the death of vast numbers in
particular spots; for when an animal drinks of such water it
does not recover. I noticed, but probably it was the effect
of a gradual increase, rather than of any one period, that the
smaller streams in the Pampas were paved with a breccia of
bones.* Subsequently to this unusual drought a very rainy
season commenced, which caused great floods. Hence it is
almost certain, that some thousands of these skeletons were
buried by the deposits of the very next year. AVhat would
be the opinion of a geologist, viewing such an enormous collection
of bones, of all kinds of animals and of all ages, thus
embedded in one thick earthy mass ? AVould he not attribute
it to a flood having swept over the surface of the land, rather
than to the common order of things ?
These droughts to a certain degree seem to be periodical;
I was told the dates of several others, and the intervals were
about fifteen years. A tendency to periodical droughts is, I
believe, common in most dry climates :f such certainly is the
case in Australia. Captain Sturt says they return after
every ten and twelve years, and are then followed by excessive
rains, which gradually become less and less, tiU another
drought is the consequence. The year 1826 and the two
following were singularly dry in Australia, and the latter
were the first of the “ gran seco.” I mention this, because
* I n th e n e ig h b o u rh o o d o f t h e g r e a t tow n s o n th e sh o re s o f th e P l a ta ,
th e n um b e r o f b o n e s s tr ew e d o v e r th e g ro u n d is t ru ly a s to n ish in g . S in c e
o u r r e tu r n I h a v e b e e n in fo rm e d , t h a t sh ip s h a v e b e e n f re ig h te d to tliis
c o u n tr y w ith a c a rg o o f b o n e s . T h a t c a tt le s h o u ld b e f a tte n e d o n tu rn ip s
m a n u r e d w ith th e b o n e s o f a n im a ls t h a t liv e d in th e s o u th e rn h em isp h e re ,
is a c u rio u s fac t in th e com m e rc e o f th e w o rld I n th e E a s t In d ie s th e
lu x u rio u s d r in k w in e c o o le d w ith N o r th -A m e r ic a n ic e , w h ic h in its
jo u rn e y h a s tw ic e c ro ssed th e e q u a to r !
t P e rh a p s in e v e ry c o u n try , b u t th e effect is m o re m a rk e d w h e r e th e
m e a n a n n u a l q u a n ti ty o f r a in is sma ll. I h a v e se e n th e t r u n k o f a n o ld
t r e e in E n g la n d , in w h ic h th e su c ce ssiv e r in g s sh ow e d a te n d e n c y to
p e rio d ic a l in c re a se a n d d im in u tio n o f siz e ; a b o u t e v e ry t e n th r in g b e in g
sma ll. S e c M r. B a b b ag e 's N in th B rid g ew a te r T r e a tis e . N o te M.