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Britain. These gentlemen have learned to like power, and
do not object to a little skirmishing. Hence there are many,
always on the watch to create disturbance and to overturn a
government, which as yet has never rested on any stable
foundation. I noticed however, both here and in other
places, a very general interest in the ensuing election for the
President; and this appears a good sign for the prosperity of
this little country. The inhabitants do not require much education
in their representatives ; I heard some men discussing
the merits of those for Colonia; and it was said that,
“ although they were not men of business, they could all
sign their n a m e s w i t h this every reasonable man was
satisfied.
18t i i .— Rode with my host to his estancia, at the Arroyo
de San Juan. In the evening we took a ride round the
estate. I t contained two square leagues and a half; and
was situated in what is caUed a rincón; that is, one side was
fronted by the Plata, and the two others guarded by impassable
brooks. There was an excellent port for little vessels,
and an abundance of small wood, which is valuable as supplying
fuel to Buenos Ayres. I was curious to know the
value of so complete an estancia. Of cattle there were 3000,
and it would well support three or four times that number; of
mares 800, together with 150 broken horses, and 600 sheep.
There was plenty of water and limestone, a rough house,
excellent corrals, and a peach orchard. For all this he had
been offered 2000/., and only wanted 500Z. additional, and
probably would sell it for less. The chief trouble with an
estancia, is driving the cattle twice a week to a central spot,
in order to make them tame, and to count them. This
latter operation would be thought difficult, where there are
ten or fifteen thousand head together. It is managed on
the principle that the cattle invariably divide themselves into
little troops of from forty to one hundred. Each troop is
recognised by a few peculiarly marked animals, and its
number is known: so that, one being lost out of ten thousand,
it is perceived by its absence from one of the tropillas.
1 7 1
During a stormy night the cattle all mingle together; but
the next morning the tropillas separate as before.
N o v e m b e r 1 9 t h .—Passing the village of Las Vacas, we
slept at a house of a North American, who worked a limekiln
on the Arroyo de las Vivoras. In the morning we rode
to a projecting headland on the banks of the river, called
Punta Gorda. On the way we tried to find a jaguar. There
were plenty of fresh tracks, and we visited the trees, on
which they are said to sharpen their claws ; but we did not
succeed in disturbing one. From this point the Rio Uruguay
presented to our view a noble volume of water. From
the clearness and rapidity of the stream, its appearance was
far superior to that of its neighbour the Parana. On the
opposite coast, several branches from the latter river entered
the Uruguay. As the sun was shining, the two colours of
the waters could be seen quite distmct. The geological
section presented by the cliffs was interesting. At St. Fe,
a stratum with marine remains was seen gradually passing
into an estuary deposit. Here we have an alternation of
action;—a circumstance no ways improbable in a great bay.
A formation of red earthy clajq with nodules of marl, and in
every respect identical with that of the Pampas, is covered
by a white limestone, containing large extinct oysters, and
other marine sheUs; and over this again, is placed the
reddish earthy matter, as in the rest of Banda Oriental.
In the evening we proceeded on our road towards Mercedes
on the Rio Negro. At night we asked permission to
sleep at an estancia, at which we happened to arrive. It
was a very large estate, being ten leagues square, and the
owner is one of the greatest landowners in the country.
Flis nephew had charge of it, and with him there was a
captain in the army, who the other day ran away from
Buenos Ayres. Considering their station, their conversation
was rather amusing. They expressed, as was usual,
unbounded astonishment at the globe being round, and
could scarcely credit that a hole would, if deep enough, come
out on the other side. They had, however, heard of a
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