LA PLATA, BRAZIL, And PARAGUAY by Comander a.J. Kennedy - PortalGuarani

8/4/2019 LA PLATA, BRAZIL, And PARAGUAY by Comander a.J. Kennedy - PortalGuarani

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A PLATA, BBAZIL,A N D

P A R A & U A Y ,JRING THE PEESENT WARIR A . J. KENNEDY * R.N.


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L A P L A T A , B R A Z I L ,A N D

P A R A G U A Y ,D U R I N G T H E P R E S E N T W A R .

B Y

COMMANDER A . J . KENNEDY, E . N .

LONDON:


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LONDON:W. H. AND t . COLLINGBIDGE, CIT? PR ES S ,

ALDERSGATE STREET, B.C.


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P R E F A C E .T H E following description of a trip up the riversP a ra n a a n d U ru g u a y h a s b ee n ta k e n f rom n o te sm ade while in com mand of H . M . gunboat Spiderduring her service on the South American stat ion.

A sketch of the recent campaign in P ar ag ua y upto th e capture of A suncion by the B razil ians has beenintroduced, as it was written before the presentcomplete h is tory of the Paraguayan war had beenpublished; and as the information on the subjecthas been obtained from Brazilian sources, i t wasthought some points might still be of interest.

BLACKHEATH, August, 1869.


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C O N T E N T S .C H A P T E E I .

E N G L I S H A N D F R E N C H SQUADRONS-APPOINTMENT TO H . M . G U N B O A T " S P I D E R " I N C I D E N T S O F V O Y A G E O U T I N PACKETA R R I V A L A T M O N TE VIDEO T H E S T A TE O F A F F A I R S THEREURUGUAYDESCRIPTION O P M O N T E V I D E O , I T S S OC IE T Y A N DP E O P L E , T H E I R M A N N E R S A N D C U ST O M S, E T C . 1

C H A P T E E I I .M O N T E VIDBO T H E " O R I E N T A L " HOTEL A R R I V A L O F MAIL

O R D E R E D T O S T A R T F O R PARAGUAYCROSSING T H E " O R T I Z "ARRIVAL A T B U E N O S AYRES M R . PARISH Q U A L I F I C A T I O N S

F O R T H E C O N S U L A R 8BBVICE F L A N A G A N A N D H I S WIFB 'sBURIAL-FUND MONEYARRANGEMENT W I T H PILOT J O U R N E YU P T H E PARANA P A S S O F OBLIGADOROSARIO A D U S T -STORM S A N LORENZO A N C H O R A G E F O R T H E N I G H T . . . . 1 6

C H A P T E E I I I .D A N G E R S O F N A V I G A T I N G T H E PARANASTRIKING A S A N D B A N K

LA PAZ S C E N E OF N A V A L A CT IO N B E T W E E N B R A Z I L I A N SA N D PARAGUAYANS C R U E L T Y O F T H E P A R A G U A Y A N S D U R I N GT H E C A M P A I G N I N CORRIENTE8 P R E P A R A T I O N S F O R E N G A G E MENTALARM O F RESIDENTSSTRENGTH O F B R A Z I L I A N F L E E T

BRILLIANT A F F A I R A T T H E " P A S S O F C U E V O S " V I S I T TOT H E B R A Z I L I A N COMMODOREDETAINED A T CORRIENTE8T A K I N G T H E E V E N I N G BATHTHE COURIENTINOSTHE T O WN


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VI C O N T E N T S .

C H A P T E E I V .S E N O R F A R R E A S , T H E G O V E R N O R O F CORRIENTE8THE P A M P E R O

NATIVE M E T H O D O F FISHING C H R I S T M A S O N BOARDFETESO N SHOREVISITING O N NEW-YEAR's DAYINVITATION TOA T T E N D A TERTULIA T H E S P A N I S H W A L T Z 5 3

C H A P T E E V .A L A R M O F FIRE-SHIPS T H E L A W O F NE UT RAL S RIDING I N

T H E C AM P O V I S I T T O T H E A L L I E D ENCAMPMENTGENERALVBNANCIO FLORESPREPARATIONS F O R C R O S S I N G T H E P A S OD E L A PATRIA A V I S I T F R O M C H A CO INDIANS I N D I A NM E T H O D O F C R O S S IN G H O R S E S O N T H E PARANA V I S I T T OT H E I N D I A N CAMPTHE GAME OF TAPIA J E A L O U S Y , A N D I T SC O N S E Q UE N C E S 7 2

C H A P T E E 7 1 .V I S I T T O T H E P A S O D E L A PATRIA S K E T C H O F PARAGUAY

D R . FRANCIA FR A N C I S C O S O LA N O LOPEZTHE R I V E R P A R A GUAYSKETCH O F T H E WARADMIRAL M U R A T O R I . . . . 9 2

C H A P T E E 7 11.S T R E N G T H O F T H E R E S P E C T I V E F O R C E S , T H E I R P O S I T I O N , E T C .

S T R A T A G E M O F PARAGUAYANS N A V A L E N C O U N T E R A T P A SODB L A PATRIAPASSAGE O F T H E A L L I E D T R O O P S E V A C U A T I O N O F ITAPIRU A T T A CK O N T H E A L L I E S B Y LOPEZ E N G A G E M E N T B E F O R E E S T ER O B E L LA C O 1 1 3

C H A P T E E 7 I I I .P O S I T I O N O F T H E A L L I E D ARMY M O R T A L I T Y A M O N G T H E F O R C E S

TORPEDOESINACTIVITY O F T H E ALLIES C O N TE ST F O R T H ET U Y U T Y MOUND D E A T H O F C O L O N E L PALLEJA C A P T U R E O FCURUZUBEPULSE O F T H E A L L I E S A T C U R U P A I T I A P P O I N T M E N T O F A D M I R A L IGNACIOHIS E N E R G Y A N D GALLANTRYW I T H D R A W A L O F T H E A R G E N T I N E T R O O P S M O V E M E N T T O


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C O N T E N T S . VUPAGE

C H A P T E E I X .A D M I R A L I G N A C I O E N G A G E S T H E F O B T S O F CURUPAITICAPTUREB Y T H E A L L I E S O F P I L A R A N D TAYIDESPERATE A T T A C K B YP A R A G U A Y A N C A V A L B Y U P O N TUYUTY ACCESSIONS TO THEB R A Z I L I A N NAVY P O S I T IO N A N D S T R E N G T H O F T H E B A T T E R I E SO F HUMAITAFORCING T H E H U M A I T A P A S S A G E A N D ST O R M I N GO F E6TABLECIMENTO R E T R E A T O F LOPEZRUSE O N T H E P A R TO F T H E PARAGUAYANS A B A N D O N M E N T O F CURUPAITI D E V O T IO N O F T H E C O U N T R Y - P E O P L E T O T H E C A U S E O F L O P E Z . . 1 4 7

C H A P T E E X .G A L L A N T R E P U L S E O P A N A S S A U L T U P O N HUMAITA I T S E V A C U A

T I O N A N D S U R R E N D E R O F I T S GARRISONCONDUCT OF L O P E Z S T R E N G T H O F A L L I E D FORCESPLAN OF O P E R A T I O N S A B A N D O N M E N T O F TtMBO B Y T H E PARAGUAYANSADVANCE O F T H EA L L I E D F O R C E S U P O N ASUNCIONESCAPE OF LOPEZ TO CERROLEONOFFICIAL D E C L A R A T I O N O P E N D O F CAMPAIGN R E V I E W ,A N D R E F L E C T I O N S T H E R E O N . . . . 1 6 8

C H A P T E E X I .D E P A R T U R E F R O M CORRIENTB8 R E T U R N T O M O N T E VIDEO E X

P E D I T I O N U P T H E R I V E R URUGUAYENGAGEMENT W I T H P I L O TDESCRIPTION O F T H E R I V E R URUGUAY G E N E R A L URQUIZA

V I S I T T O H I S P A L A C E A T S A N JOSE DINNERTHE G U A L E -G U A Y C H U W A T E R 1 8 8

C H A P T E R X I I .D I F F I C U L T I E S O F T H E SPANI8 H IDIOM T H E B A L L A T T H E

G E N E R A L ' S , ETC.METHOD O F C A T C H I N G P A R T R I D G E S I N L APLATAENTERTAINMENT A T G E N E R A L URQUIZA's F A R M - H O U S E

BREAKING I N W I L D COLTSTHE D O R M A D O R S H E E P - F A R M


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Vlll C O N T E N T S .PAGE

C H A P T E E X I I I ." T H E G E N T LE S H E P H E R D S " T H E W E L S H C OL ON Y O F C H U P A T

ADVICE T O I N T E N D I N G EMIGRANTSLIFE I N A L A P L A T AESTANCIA P R E P A R A T I O N O F P R E S E R V E D B E E F A T F R A Y B E N T O SVIS IT TO A SALADEROTHE A C T I O N A T T H E P A S S OF O B L I -GADODEPARTURE F O R R IO J A N E I R O 2 1 8

C H A P T E E X I 7 .B R A Z I L , I T S M I L I T A R Y A N D N A V A L F O R C E S , E T C . L O S S E S D U R I N G

CAMPAIGN BAHIA T H E E M P E R O R O F BRAZILJEALOUSY O FT H E A R G E N T I N E C O N F E D E R A T IO N A N D URUGUAY B I O J A N E I R OBAY T H E TOWN T H E " M A C H I N B O M B A " TEJUCA T H EC H U R C H O F S T . MARGARITAA M O U N T A I N STORM R E T U R NTO RIO 2 3 7

C H A P T E E X 7 .V I S I T T O PETKOPOLISDESCRIPTION O F T O W N , P E O P L E , E T C .

M U L E TRAINSVIEW F R O M T H E SIERRAVISIT T O T H E R I OB O T A N I C A L GARDENSPASSAGE IN T H E " R H O N E " T H E P A S SENGERSVISIT TO B AH IAT H E S A LO O N SERVANTS H O M E T OE N G L A ND 2 5 6


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L A P L A T A ,AND THE WAR IN PARAGUAY.

C H A P T E E I .E N G L I S H A N D F R E N C H SQUADRONSAPPOINTMENT T O H . M . G U N

B O A T " SPIDER " I N C I D E N T S O F V O Y A G E O U T IN P A C K E T A R R I V A L A T M O N T E VIDEO T H E S T A T E O F A F F A I R S THER EURUGUAYDESCRIPTION O F M O N T E V I D E O , I T S SO C I E T Y A N DP E O P L B , T H E I R M A N N E R 8 A N D CU 8 T O M S, E T C .

T H E English naval squadron stat ioned on the southeast coast of America has for many years been kepta t one la rg e vessel (ge ne rally a frigate) as flag-ship,with a few small steamers and gunboats of lighterdr au gh t for r iver service. T he Fr en ch also main tain a similarly small force in that part of the world,but the apparent weakness of the two squadrons takenseparately has been well counterbalanced by theirinv aria ble c o-ope ration in tim e of difficulty ; an d th ishas perhaps enabled the respective admirals to effectmore in dealing with the constant revolutions of theL a P la ta republics tha n the y would have been ableto accomplish with larger forces working separately.

A ltho ug h no actual conflic t between En gl an d andFr an ce and the forces of the L a P la ta republics


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2 L A P L A T A , A N DOhligado " in 1845, still on several occasions it hasbeen necessary to land a combined force of seam en and m arines to protect the m ercanti le interestsd u r in g the disturbances consequent on a cha nge ofgovernment; but here the moral effects of the unionof E ng la nd and Fra nc e , supported b y the personalrespect in which the merchants of those two countriesare held by the local gov ernm ents, has a lw ays enabledthe naval commanders to a t ta in their object withoutcoming to blows w ith the native s. T he duties connected with the higher parts of the r ivers on thestation fall to the lot of the small craft; and th isriver service, at all t imes novel and exciting, had nowreceived add itional in tere st from th e com m encem entof the war be tween B razi l and P ar ag ua y which pro mised to offer an opportunity for visiting those compara t ive ly l i t t le know n countr ies , P ar ag ua y and thenorth ern provinces of the A rg en tin e Confederation.

I n J u ly , 1 8 6 5 , h a v in g b e en a p p o in ted to H . M .g u n -b o a t Spider, stat ioned on the south-east coast ofAmerica , I was ordered to take a passage in thepacket of the 9th , and accordingly arrived on themorning of tha t day a t the Southampton docks , readyto em bark. T he docks in M idsum m er are not a ba dprepa ration for a jou rne y to the tropics ; wh at withthe g lare of a fiercely h ot sun , l ig ht in g u p gro up sof Lascars, Chinamen, negroes, and Creoles of allshades, unloading cargoes of cochineal, indigo, coffee,pineapples, oranges, & c , a very l i t t le imag inationsuffices to carry th e thou gh ts to th e I nd ies . T he


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T H E W A R I N P A R A G U A Y . > i

a brother-officer who was going to join a ship on theSouth American stat ion would share my cabin withm e. W e starte d th e same afternoon, w ith a finebreeze in our favour, and soon passed the Needles onour way to Lisbon, which port we reached on thefourth d a y ; from there we went to St . 7 incent ,w here, after coaling, we ag ain starte d across th eocean for Brazil..Certa in ly , should the pam pas of L a P la t a everbecome fashionable, or form p a rt of the en terp risingB ri ton 's gra nd tour , J u l y can be recommended as agood m onth for s tar t in g from E ng lan d. A t tha tseason the ocean (which forms such a considerableitem in th e jou rne y) is on its best behaviour; a n dthe pure summer breeze which reaches you on mid-ocean in the perfection of freshness is beyond description, a nd req uire s to be experienced to beappreciated.

W e were now bowling m erri ly a long un de r sailand steam some eleven knots an hour, putt ing upshoals of flying fish as we dashed th ro u gh the lon gA tlan tic swell . T he passengers, of w hich there weremore than an average number on board, were nearlyall on deck, seated in those inev itable articles of steam -packet furniture , cane-bottomed easy c h a i r s ; th eEnglish portion of the community were armed withthe reg ulatio n yellow-backed railway novel, theforeigners with their pamphlet-looking volumes ofdivers colours,the French affecting pale green andpink, th e G erm ans yellow and straw-colour. A ll were


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4 L A P L A T A , A N Dgoing on in almost every lan gua ge un de r th e su n, frombroken Englishwhich is still believed by manynative possessors of that language to be the mostintelligible medium for expressing the feelings to aforeignerto D utch . A l l were in the best of hu m ours, part icu larly the G erm ans, who, fat, calm , a ndplacid , were regarding the gentle blue waves withgr ea t satisfaction. One m ale G erm an , a trifle superiorto h is countrymen and women on board in the matterof fatness, calmness, a nd plac idity, was seated in achair of suitable dimensions, which slid about as theship heeled over w ithout distu rbin g the equ anim ityof its occup ant i n th e least, w ho sat still , speechlessand happy, canoning against the people seated in hisneig hb our hoo d w ith a peaceful indifference as to th einterruptions of several quiet l i t t le tetes-a-tete whichwere brought to an abrupt termination on encountering his onslaught , unti l a t last a happy roU of theship capsized him into th e lee scuppers, w here h ehad ample time to reflect on his situation.

T he re were several old trave llers on boa rd, whocould be distinguish ed by the ir w ell-appointed easychairs , w ith the ow ner 's n am e ne atl y sewn on th eback. T hese easy chairs are qu ite an ins titutio n onboard pa ck ets ; th ey are ge ne rally constructed in th esame fashion, and are invariably the private propertyof the respective passengers ; for the company sternlyignores easy seats of an y description. A s the old an dwary traveller is to be distinguished by his possessin g a comfortable chair, so th e youthful an d inex pe


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T H E W A R I N P A R A G U A Y . 5

of his own, bu t by occupying his ne igh bo ur's, withevident ap proval of th e idea, un til reque sted to m ove.

Our voyage progressed f a v o u r a b l y ; in fact, thesea was as sm ooth as a lake th e w hole w ay across,an d an open boat m ig h t have accompanied us w ithperfect safety. W e arrived at E io Ja ne iro on th e4t h of A ug us t, a nd th e following day started forM o n te 7 id e o in th e Carmel, the steamer which run sbetween Eio and B uenos A yres , ca l ling a t M onte7ideo on her way, and reached the la t ter port onthe 1 2th of the same m onth . T he A dm ira l had juststar ted for a cruise, in ten di ng to visit the pa rts ofthe station situated near the line during the coolseason.I found my gun-boat was anchored off the customhouse, and , after rep ortin g m y arrival to the seniorofficer, I w e n t to look a t he r. Sh e wa s smallverysmall; in fact she appeared to be al l gun, the huge100-pounder A rm stro ng towered over her bulw arksin such a disproportionate ma nne r. Ev eryb ody w antedto hear the news from home : " W he n were the promotions coming out ? " was of course the first question :but my budget of gossip was tame compared withthe s t i r r ing t im e now commencing in the Eive r P la t e .I was to ld th a t the A rg en t ine s had jo ined B razil andU ru gu ay , and an a ll iance ha d been formed, p ledgingthemselves to overthrow L opez at a l l haz ar ds ; th atthe Monte 7ideans were off to the war, and theforeign m erc han ts w ould have it all to them selves,an d expected to m ake " pots of m oney " durin g the


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6 L A P L A T A , A N Dl ikely to form a base of supply for th e ar m y w he n th ecampaign commenced. T he character of th e P a ra gu aya n D ic ta tor appeared to be most im part ia l lyhandled, one party call ing him a savage beast , andth e other prono uncing him to be a m a n of un qu est ioned ta lent and e n e r g y : one th in g a l l agreed inthat he w as lik ely to prov e a difficult subject forth e all ies to m an ag e. B u t opinion was again dividedon the point of his policy in thus bringing all threepowers on himself at once, as he had lately done in invading th e A rge nt in e te rr i tory . P ersons who believedin Lopez said the al l iance could never hold , and thatBrazil would have to withdraw from want of m o n e y ;others were cer ta in th a t L opez was a lready ma kingarrange m ents to leave the country , and ha d sent awaya considerable po rtion of his tre as ure . C ertainlyhis policy, if he ever ha d an y bey ond lust of pow er(ambition is too respectable a term to apply), is difficult to und ersta nd. I t m ust be supposed th at , ha vingem bark ed his all in soldiers a n d fortifications, henow wished to see the result of his speculation beforeg et tin g too old to enjoy it. T h e ostensible cause ofthe rupture was jea lousy of B r a z i l ; for, w hile th eA rgen t ine Confederat ion and B an da Orienta l havenever m ade an y pretension of kee ping up a nav alor m ili tary establishment, B razil ha d always m a i n -ained a force sufficiently strong to perform the neces

sary duties on he r exten ded frontier; a n d a l th o u g hher army had never been hitherto sufficiently increased to ena ble it to assu m e offensive op er at io ns ,


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T H E W A R IN P A R A G U A Y . t

has shown, read ily capable of enlarge m ent. P ar aguay, i t was well known, had been for years arming,and while other countries in the neighbourhood hadbeen applying their resources to the development ofcommerce, Lopez had absorbed the entire revenueof his republic in the establishment of a militarypower out of all proportion to the requirements ofhis cou ntry. N ow was to be determ ined the questionof the protectorate of the rich provinces south ofB razi l and P ar ag ua y : was i t to be the amiable L opez ,who h a d la tel y give n a specim en of his style of ad ministrat ion in his treatment of the inhabitants ofCo rrientes after ov erru nn ing the ir province; or theE m pe ror of B razil , who h ad given am ple proof of hiscapacity as a ruler in the prosperous condition of hislar ge em pire, an d th e respect in which he was heldby all classes of his people ?

T he republic of U ru g ua y, or, as i t is as comm onlycalled, B an da Orien tal , is bounded on the no rth bythe Brazil ian province of Eio Grande, and on theother sides by th e ocean, L a P lat a , a nd river U ru g u a y . I t contains an area of 73,000 square miles( th e sam e a s P a ra g u a y ) ; b u t w h ile P a ra g u a y h a s apopu lation of 1 ,337,000, U ru g u a y has only 300,000.A considerable portion of these are foreigners, andex em pt from m ilitary servic e; consequently the forcemaintained by the state is only 2 ,500 men of a l la rm s. A t th e c o m m e n ce m e nt of th e P a ra g u a y a nwar these were by great exertion raised to 3,000effectives, and under the command of General


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8 LA P L A T A , A N Dallied forces as th e O rien tal con tinge nt. T he y we resta t ioned in the van gua rd of the arm y, and m ade upfor the ir w an t of nu m be rs by th e m ost conspicuousga llan try , un ti l , decima ted by the constant f ightingextending over a period of two years, the few survivors were incorporated in th e A rg en tin e divisions, an dceased to form a sepa rate corps. T h e sad en d of the irbrave an d energetic leader , who perished b y th e h an dof an assassin, excited u niversa l pi ty an d indig natio n.H e wa s considered th e m ost da sh in g ca va lry officer ofhis day, and was always to be found in action wherethe fire was ho ttes t. H i s second in com m and, ColonelPallaja , who was equally celebrated as author andsoldier, also lost his life in the service of his c o u n t r y ;he was k i lled a t Es tero B el la co : and , indeed , therewere few families in Monte 7ideo who had not causeto mourn the loss of some relative during the bloodyc a m p a i g n i n P a r a g u a y .

M onte 7 id e o , th e chief tow n of th e Ee pub lic , isbu ilt on th e eas tern side of a lar ge ba y. I t is by farthe most agreeable part of the east coast of SouthA m erica ; th e cl imate is good, an d tem pe rateenough to adm it of sharp exercise. T he lan dgradually ascends from the shore to a height of 500feet , g iving a rather str iking appearance to the townw hen viewed from th e sea at th e e ntran ce of th e bay .T he houses are well buil t , gen era lly two stories h ig h,w ith azotea an d mirador; the streets are arrangedin squares, the Spanish fashion b eing retaine d in th a tas well as in m a n y othe r poin ts. O n th e opposite


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T H E W A R I N P A R A G U A Y . 9

from which both the town and bay take their nam es.The country in the vicinity is open grass-land, genera l ly th in and s c a n t y ; w here th e soil is exposed, itshows fine light-coloured sand . T he country-houses ofthe wealthy city merchants are dotted here and there ,their surrounding gardens rel ieving the eye from thegenerally monotonous appearance of the distr ic t ;farther down tow ard s the beach are th e larg e saladeroestablishments, which continue round the bay, unti lthey are met by the wharves and warehouses of thecity, while these latter are terminated at the south-eastp a rt of the tow n b y the custom-house, a fine handsome bu ildin g, w ith a larg e wooden shed in front,where the goods are placed temporari ly on beingland ed from the shipping . T he anchorage presentsa wo nderful scene of an im atio n ; flags of all na tion sare flying in countless nu m be rs, an d ships of all sizesare ly in g at the ir anchors, from the pre tty l i t t lefruit schooner, wh ich r un s to E io w ith apples andbring s back oranges, to th e hu ge iron-clad Monadnock,w h o , w ith a fleet of o ther m en-of-war of all na tion s,is ly in g in th e offing. T he shallowness of w atercauses considerable inconvenience, for ships drawingonly fourteen feet of water can scarcely approachwithin three miles of the custom-house; and even atth a t distanc e it is a comm on occurrence for th em tobe ag rou nd for weeks at a t im e. T he M oun t is theespecial pride of the M onte 7i de an s, an d in spring(September) is very beautiful ; it rises gracefully andquite alone, on the extreme point of the land, with a


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1 0the summit , their great variety of colours producingjust before sunset (when the sun shines full on them)a most ch arm ing effect. N o r is th e M ou nt orn am e n t a l o n l y ; the l ighthouse and signal-stat ion areplaced on the top, and both by night and day formmost im portant m arks for nav igat in g the r iver . T heinhabitants of the town consider it resembles, if notequals, N aples in appearance and bea uty . T h a t m ustbe, of course, a matter of o p i n i o n ; but I fancy anystrangers who have had an opportuni ty of comparingthe respective ci t ies will agree that Monte 7ideo de-oidedly excels Naples in the matter of vile smells,which is sayin g a good deal, Na ple s itself not be ing t hesweetest of places. M an y a n ig h t have I spent inM onte 7 id eo B a y vain ly t r y i ng to pacify m y olfac torynerv es by stuffing cotto n up m y nose a n d mufflingup m y hea d, u nt il ne ar ly suffocated. Q ui te useless !all one can do is to groan and curse the saladeros.

M o n te 7 i d e o h a s i t s P la z a , w h e re th e senoritaspromenade after church, and the caballeros salutethem from the side of the walks, i t not being etique tte for gen tlem en to join th e ladies. T he toile tsare arranged according to the religious season of theyear, and on particular fiestas are most gorgeous.T he gent lemen , too , on Sun day s are g rea t swel ls ,in Parisian t ies and gloves, and L o n d o n h a t s . T h ecathedral occupies one side of the Plaza, opposite thepub lic offices. T he th e a tr e is a ha nd som e b u i l d i n g ;an d there are two clubs, one E ng lish , th e other na tive.The pr inc ipal street, called the Twenty-fif th May,


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T H E W A R IN P A R A G U A Y . 1 1as a fashionable promenade, the amusement of shoppi ng being varied b y a stroll up to the P laza where am ili tar y ban d plays. T he scene about nine of a sum mer's evening is very pretty and a m u s i n g ; the bandplaying, streets crowded with well-dressed people,cafea all l ighted up, and the shops decked with theirbest goods, m ak e a m ost effective tab lea u. A fternine people go to the ope ra, or hom e, w hen th eyreceive visitors, calls being usually made in theev en ing , w hen it is cool. Occasionally th er e is agood opera t ic company a t Monte 7 ideo , but i talways requires considerable support from the governm en t to keep it u p . T he re is a good-sized church,with an Engl ish c lergyman ( the Eev. Samuel Adams)for the la rge P rote stan t com m unity . T he church isbu ilt close to th e rid ge of a cliff ov erh an gin g th esea, on which, in south-easterly gales, the wavesdash with grea t violence; it is to be feared that thefoundations of th e bu ildin g will soon ge t underm ined , for the ba nk on each side is rap idly g ivin gw ay to th e influence of the w ater. T he M onte 7 id e a ngo ve rnm en t is jealo us of foreign relig ious bodies,and it is said it suggested a short t ime ago thatthe E ng l ish buria l-ground, which is a handsomeenclosure laid out with great care, should be handedover to the local authorities as a park for the people.T h is m ode st req ue st was of course refused, considering the land was bo ug ht an d pa id for withE ng lish m oney. T he proposal was considered rath eras a n in su lt offered by th e Eoman Catholic priests.


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1 2 L A P L A T A , A N Dat Monte 7 i d e o ; th e la rg e m e rc h a n ts a n d b a n k e rsare genera l ly En gl is h or G erm an, the shop-keepersFrench , and the country and market people na t ives ,I ta l ia ns , an d Spa niards ; the la t t er (principally fromthe B asq ue provinces) also are to be found am on gs tthe naut ica l com m unity in la rge num bers . T h emarket is well worth visi t ing during the fruit season.H e re you see th e po m eg ran ate by the side of a basketof cherries, pine-apples and peaches, strawberriesand bananas, a l l having been raised in the open air;also vegetables of every va rie ty. T h e flowers arehandsome, bu t gene ra l ly w an t ing in scent . T hega rde ns a re enclosed b y he dge s formed of the aloe,and a few of the quintas th a t have ha d an y troubletaken in laying out their grounds show that tropicalplants can be brought to perfection there as easilyas Eu rope an. I n the imm edia te ne ighbourhood ofM onte 7 id e o the sandy soil is m uch ag ainst f lowers;it also pa rtia lly destroys th e flavour of th e m oredelicate fruits . P ea rs and apples are p art ic ular lyfine , and considerable numbers are sent up to Brazilduring the season.

Society is divided into two sets, socially as well aspolit ically , B lancos and C ollorados. T he Blancosare the old aristocratic, exclusive, conservative families. T he Collorados are the new, go-ahead, un scrupulous, and most powerful party, and are nowin office; Brazil , the protector, favours the latterpa r ty . T he B lancos look w ith gre a t d is t rust an djealousy on the B razil ian influence; this ha s been


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T H E W A R I N P A R A G U A Y . 1 3

ostensible causes of the w ar. T he re are m an y pleasant families, no doubt, on both sides, but the Blancosare th e favourites in society. T h e lovely senoritas ofthe latter set, when seen in publio, affect a charminglypensive air , and their graceful figures are drapedin black. W h e n salute d by a passing caballero,th e y answer the bow by a sad an d downcast movement, expressive of the fallen fortunes of their party.T hi s w ould be only laid aside for a look of scornwhen some person of the Collorado faction passed,and quickly resumed; unti l the evening, when, seatedon sofas rou nd a very, ve ry d im ly-ligh ted room,th e y received the friends of their fa m ily.

There is something inexpressibly enchanting inthese dar ken ed visits, w here yo u cann ot see an y faces,an d only know w hen you hav e come to your part icularfavourite by th e ge ntle pressure of th e ha nd an d aslight movement of dress to make room for you by herside; and then, while some one, told off for the occasion, is drumming away on the piano, what pleasantminuteshourspass ! I t is aston ishing how quicklya foreign lan gu ag e is lea rnt un de r these circumstances ; and then , w hen the m ate bowl is handedround, and the fair senorita, taking a lit t le sipthr ou gh the silver tube , gives i t to you, wh atra p tu re ! Y ou receive i t , tak ing advantage of thecontact of ha nd s to adm inister a ge ntle squeeze, an dw ith an eloquent an d impassioned look place thetube in y our own m outh . H er e , unless you happento be coppered inside your throat, your pleasure for


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14is red hot , and as b i t te r as g a l l ! W it h one bou ndyou dash at the nearest window or fireplace, andexplode l ike a volcano, am idst shouts of la u g h te r;for the ladies, sad as th ey look in th e m or ni ng , canapprecia te a joke in the evening very keen ly . T hismate" trick has long been a st a n di ng jok e, an d a n e w comer is invariably victimized.

D u r in g th e h e a t of th e su m m e r th e in h a b i ta n tsretire to their quinta s, wh ere the y can ge t the coolbreezes from th e co un try. W h e n th e flag-ship is atM onte 7 i de o , the A dm ira l lives on shore gene ra l ly .I n 1 8 6 5 th e A d m ira l ' s q u in ta w a s a t P a sso M o lino ,a pretty village and bridge about four miles fromtown, but it could be reached by boat within halfa m i le. H e r e th e A d m ira l e n te r ta in e d th e p r in c ip alinhabitants of the town, and one met a l l the prett iesto f th e M o n te 7 id e a n seiioritas at his very pleasantdejeuners.

T h e p r in c ip a l a m u se m e n t a t M o n te 7 id e o i s r id in g ;horses are ve ry cheap an d (if yo u look out sha rply )good. Horsed ealers a re shy of giv ing a n y one avaluable horse at first unless they know he can ride,and is not l ike ly to damage the animal; the bestplan is to get a resident to go w ith you to th estables for the first time, then you have no difficulty.A vicious horse is m ore th a n usu ally inconvenientat M on te 7 i d e o ; for if you ge t thro w n off an dhapp en to al igh t on a he dge, the aloe thor ns pierceyou like a cheval de frise of bay on ets. T his is no t atall unlikely to happen unless you are well up to the


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T H E W A R IN P A R A G U A Y . 1 5savage curs of dogs , wh o start o ut at every tu rn ,barking furiously , and the horse invariably sh ie s ;so, unless you have a steady ha nd on your anim al ,he goes in to th e opposite hed ge directly, and youcome ou t min us a coat-tail , or perhaps a pou nd orso of flesh. T h e roads in th e vicin ity of th e tow nare also in a terrible condition, and there is no morepainful sig ht th a n to see a tea m of oxen tr y in gto drag a huge lumbering waggon, heavi ly laden ,through one of these pantanos, with the mud abovethe axle of the wheel.


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1 6 L A P L A T A , AND

C H A P T E E I I .M O N T E V I D E O T H E " O R I E N T A L " HOTEL A R R I V A L O F M A I L

O R D E R E D TO S T A R T F O R PARAGUAYCROSSING T H E " O R T I Z "A R R I V A L A T B U E N O S AYRES M R . PARISH Q U A L I F I C A T I O N S F O RT H E C O N S U L A R SERVICE F L A N A G A N A N D H I S W I F E ' S B U R I A L -F U N D MONEY A R R A N G E M E N T W I T H PILOT J O U R N E Y U P T H EPARANAPASS O F OBLIGADO ROSARIO A D U S T - S T O R M - S A N -LORENZOANCHORAGE F O R T H E N I G H T .

M O N T E 7 I D E O , from its position a t th e m ou th of th eriver, from its dep th of w ater, an d larg e w harfage accommodation, is the principal shipping port on theriver. L a rg e tra in s of m ules and team s of oxen pourin during the season, laden with wool and hides, tobe stored re ad y for the ships w hen the y arrive ; andwh arf prop er ty is considered m ost valuab le in th ecity. T he de pth of w ate r is n o t sufficient to allowlarge vessels to lay a l ongs i de ; but the storehouses andsheds for th e d ry hide a nd wool are ve ry necessaryand useful. W h e n the ship arrives for he r cargo, largeflat-bottome d b ar ge s soon ta k e it off.

T he best hotel in the place is " T he O rien tal , " whichhas la tely been rebuil t on a very large and ornam en tal scale. I n 18 66 th e new bu ildin g was finishedoutside, but was no t re ad y for occupation inside.


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T H E W A R I N P A R A G U A Y . 1 7One day, towards the end of November (the

winter having passed, and summer being welladvanced), I had been dining with a couple offriends at the table d'hdte in the old b u i l d i n g ; an da ny one wh o recollects t he da rk stuffy ap ar tm en twhich rejoiced in the title of saloon in that venerable but di rty pile will easily und ers tan d our feelingswhen, after performing the necessary duty of eatinggreasy soup and tough fowl ( the thermometer standin g a t 100), we found ourselves seated rou nd anopen window upstairs, overlooking the bay, and enjo yi ng a pleasant southerly breeze jus t then springin g u p. I t had been an intensely hot day, but wasnow a cha rm ing No vem ber evening, the sett ing sunlighting up the shipping and, in the distance, theM ou nt w ith brillia nt effect. B oa ts were da rtin gabout in all directions amongst the merchant shipsin shore, while outside, some three miles off, were them e n- of - wa r Engl i s h , Spanish , French , and I t a l i a n ;in fact, the ensigns of nearly all the European powerswere flying beside the A m erican, N or th and Southaltoge ther a very anim ated scene. W e were verycomfortable; our chairs were of the steam-packetpattern , and possibly might have been the si lentwitnesses of m a ny an ocean secret. O ur claretand cigars were very tolerable in quality, but theirprice was like that of all other imported goods inth e countryabsurdly dear . How ever , we thoug htnothing of that, and were only too thankful to beallowe d to live at all, after t h e suffocating d u ty


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1 8 L A P L A T A , A N D" When is this gorgeous building to be finished ?

asked C , one of the individuals composing ourparty (a l luding to the new hote l) .

" My dear sir ," said H , " do n ' t you knowth at the company are w ai t in g un t i l the y can getLopez to open it in person ? "

" L o p e z ! A h ! a g oo d i d e a ; t h e y ' l l sho w h im ,d la JBarnuma dra w ing sort of th in g, I should say.B u t w h a t h a v e w e h e re ? "pointing to seaward.

W e looked up , an d saw two B razi l ian t ransports ,full of troops, coming in.

" T h a t lo ok s l ik e b u s in e ss , " sa id I . " I su pp osethose men are going on to join the army at Cor-rientes. T he B raz ilians w ill adva nce at once nowthey are so s t rong."

" D epen d upon i t , " sa id C , wh o was a n oldresident in th e country , " no thi ng will be done thisyear; money is being spent a t a fabulous rate , andan y am ount of prepara t ions are be ing m ade , butthe y w on ' t come on. T he Brazies no hay corazonthey won' t f ight , s ir ."

" I should much like to see the fun up the river,"s aid I . " T h e P a r a g u a y a n s a p p e ar t o b e p lu c k yfellows."

" Y e s , p lu c k y e n o u g h , " sa id H ; " b u t t h e yare bloodthirsty ruffians, and Lopez, their leader, isthe greatest vi lla in of the who le. T he y have ju st retreated from Corrientes, after murdering the wretchedcountry people, and p lu nde ring an d bu rni ng everyth in g the y could lay han ds on. H ow eve r, I fancy


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T H E W A R I N P A R A G U A Y . 1 9clads are expected in a few da ys , an d th e allies arec lose up to Paso de la Pa tr ia ."" A l l very n ice ," sa id C ; " but what is the useof iron-clads and armies, i f they won' t come on andfight. B y Jo ve , sir, it ma kes one 's blood boil to seesuch waste of t ime and money."

Just a t this moment one of H 's clerks came into say th a t the E ngl ish m ail had arr ived , and th a tthere would be an opportunity of sending let ters upto Paraguay, as i t was reported a man-of-war wasto go up to Ascension immediately, to look after someBrit ish subjects whom Lopez was i l l- treating.

" W h y , " s a i d C , " ju s t th e th in g . 7 e r y lik e lyyour craft will be sentshe is l igh t dra ug ht. M indyou let us know if you are ordered off, for I havesome rather important letters for Ascension, which Ishould not l ike to trust to a stranger, and the regularpostal authorities have an un pleasa nt knack of m akin gthemselves acquainted with the contents of one'sdespatches when sent through the ir hands."

W e now sepa rated to ge t our letters . I at oncewent off to the senior officer's ship to hear the news.T he first th in g I he ard on g ett in g on board was," Y ou are ordered up th e river;" an d on g oingdow n to th e ca ptain 's cabin, found th e ad m iral 's orderswere to start as soon as possible, after coaling andprovisioning, for P a ra gu a y, to protect B ri t ish intere sts. T hi s was ju s t the tri p I w anted, for one seldom ha d an opp ortun ity of pe ne tratin g so far into theinterior of the country as I should now probably be


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2 0 L A P L A T A , A N Dletters, and parcels (for I was ordered to take a mailu p , an d an y let ter s for th e post-office at A sce nsion ),all had to be done at once and at the same time.Directly we were ready, I weighed anchor, andstarted for B uenos A yre s, where a pilot was to j om .T he distance across is abou t one hu nd re d m iles. I nthe middle of the river there is a large sandbankthe " O rt iz ." T his I h ad often crossed in sm ootherwater , a l though only two feet of depth to spare; butnow it came on to blow, an d freshened rap idly intoa heavy gale during the night , with a deep hollowsea. I th ou gh t it possible we m ig h t strike th e bottombetween the rollers, but was bound to go on, aseven if we ha d hove to we m us t h ave drifted rig htover i t . W e ha d an anxious t i m e ; t he sea breakingover us fore and aft , washing away our extra supplyof coal wh ich we ha d tak en on deck. Ho w ever,we got over safely , an d anc hored at B uenos A yresthe ne xt day . T he landin g here is most awkward;small boats ground half a mile off the pier, and it issaid that the river is getting still more shallow everyda y. T h e vessels w aiti ng to load or un loa d cargoare, many of them, anchored quite out of sight fromthe town. W e man age d to ge t w ith in about a mileand a half of the place , and, as t ime was important ,I at once w en t to see th e se cre tary of leg atio n (theEnglish Minister being away) and consul, to informthem of my expedit ion, and ask them to le t theA rgen t ine a nd B razi l ian authorit ies know of i t , asI should have to pass the blockading fleet in the

1


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T H E W A R IN P A R A G U A Y . 2 1g a g e d . T h i s , M r . P a k e n h a m , our secretary oflegation, very kin dly assisted m e i n ; he had beenup to Paraguay himself in the beginning of the year ,and now recommended the pilot who had been thenem ployed by the com m ander of the ship tha t tookhim up . A fter some l i t t le delay am ongst the housesof th e seafaring pop ulation , we found our friend ina posada, and told him what we wanted; he appearedglad eno ug h to accept, so we desired him to cometo the consul's office at ten the following morning, tohave the terms ratified.

Ou r consul a t B uenos A yres , M r. P ar ish , is wellknown, and respected for his great kindness to allwho have business to transact with h i m ; th e n a m eis also familiar to those who have visited th a t p ar tof Sou th A m erica, from his father, the late Sir W ood bine Parish , having held the post of charge" d'affairesat B uenos A yre s for m an y years , and during a verystorm y period in th e history of the A rg en tin e Confede ration . T h e consu late offices occupy a po rtionof a lar ge house n ea r t he ba nk s of th e river, and atten n ex t mo rnin g I found the pilot w ait ing in anante-room ready to arrange the terms of the pilotagequestion. I passed on to an inne r room, wh ere Ifound Mr. Parish conversing with three merchantskippers, in three different languages, the skippersin a violent state of excitement, and looking at eachothe r w ith a n a ny thi ng bu t amiable expression ofphysiognomy. However , Mr. Par ish appeared tohave them well in hand, si t t ing at his writ ing desk,


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2 2 L A P L A T A , A N Dthem, in terpre t ing , expla in ing , in the ir var ious languag es as fluently as if he we re spea king E n gl is h .A s I entered h e pointe d to th e s torm y discussiongoing on, and asked me to sit down for a fewm inutes . I have often wo ndered w ha t are theespecial qualifications necessary in the consularservice; certainly temper and command of countenance ; la ng ua ge s also, w ith gr ea t fluency of speech,appear to be vital po in ts ; and , no d oubt , the re aremany others of equal importance .

T o give an ide a of th e va riet y of cases th e consulha s to se ttle. W h il e I w as si tti n g in th e office,w aitin g for m y pilotag e question t o come on, Isuddenly heard a voice exclaim in the a n t e - r o o m :" A s foine a coffin an d a n el ig an t suit of m ou rn in gas the eye of man "

T he n came sounds of some one be ing violentlyejected into th e stree t. A s ho rt t im e after thisa clerk came in , an d said to M r. P ar ish , " T here 'sFlanagan been here again , s ir , about his wife 'sburia l-fund m one y. T he age nts w on ' t g ive i t toh i m ; the y say he is a lways dr un k. H e w ants tosee you about i t ."

" Is he sober now ? "" Yes, s ir , he is a l l r ight now."" W e l l , se n d h im in . "T he c lerk w ent out , an d present ly re turn ed with

a grea t lumbering I r ishman, sobbing v io lent ly in to alarge yellow handkerchief.

" W e l l , m y m a n , w h a t i s th e m a t te r ? W h a t d o


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T H E W A R I N P A R A G U A Y . 2 3" Och, yer honour! (sob) me poor wife! " (sob.)" Y e s , y e s ; we know you r wife is dead. B utwhat do you come to me for ? "" I t ' s th e buria l fund, ye r honour. Shu re an ' the

ag ints w on ' t give i t to m e. I 'm crazey with griefmeself, an d m e eye ha sn ' t been dr y these thre ed a y s ; b u t if as elig an t a coffin an d crape a t tw o-and-six a yard "" W ell , you know the age nts of the fund say th atyou are an incorrigible drunkard, and if you getth e m oney yo u will spend i t a l l in drink, an d thebody wil l be throw n on the ir han ds. Y ou know thegovernment hold them responsib le ."

" M e, ye r hono ur ! M e drunk! S ee h e re ; I ' l lt a k e m e oath "" Now, i t is impossible that my t ime can be taken

up a n y lon ge r by this affair. I ' l l tell you wh atI ' l l do . T he a ge nt s ' secretary will be here thisafternoon, a n d I will ask him to divide th e m one ybetween you and your wife 's re lat ions; they willtak e care she is dec ently buried. So you m ay gofor the money to-morrow at eleven, and most likelyyou wil l ge t your share ."

" The d ir ty spalpeens!" (a l luding to h is wife ' s rela t ions) . " I tho ug ht i t was th em ."

Exit P a t , grum bling about " the boys not havingenough for a dacent wake."

I laug hed he art i ly as he we nt aw ay, an d said , " Iha d no idea th e consul 's duties extend ed so far intothe social affairs of life."


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2 4 L A P L A T A , A N Dfor every thing. T he I r i sh are par t icu lar ly t roublesome. T he y come out , an d go into service. W ag esare good, so they soon save enough to start by themselves. T he n th ey go all adrif t, an d are constantlyin hot water . Ho we ver , we b.ad better see yourp i lo t . "

So he was se nt in ; and i t was arr an ge d th at , inconsideration of receiving just about double theam oun t of pa y I got myself, he would pilot us

u p th e r iv e rs Pa ra n a , Pa ra g u a y , o r a n y o f th e i rbranches deep enough to adm it the sh ip . A nd hew ould also rem ain on boa rd as lo ng as his serviceswere required.

W e star ted from B ueno s A yre s the beginn ing ofD ecem ber, an d as coal was no t to be proc ured higherup the r iver t h a n Eo sario , th a t was to be our f inalcoaling stat ion. W e , however, took in as m uch aspossible a t B ueno s A yre s, inclu din g a deck cargo,to our gr ea t discomfort. B u t as th e ho t w eath er wasnow increasing rap idly , we did no t expect muchpleasu re for th e ne xt th re e weeks, w hile steam w asu p . The morning af ter our departure we arr ived a tth e island of M ar tin G arcia . H e r e an official cameto demand our errand, which being satisfactorilyexplained, we were pe rm itted to proceed. T hisisland used to be of considerable importance, standingas it does at th e po int of jun ctio n of th e two larg er ivers, P ar an a and U ru q u a y ; bu t now the fortifications have been allowed to fall to ru in, an d th egarrison have been required to fill up the chasms


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T H E W A R I N P A R A G U A Y . 2 5W a r. Sho rt ly af terwards we entered the P ar an a .T his r iver , the second in poin t of m agn itude in theSouth American cont inent , r ises in the Brazi l ianprovince of Goyaz, and issues from a mountaingorg e b y th e c ataract of P ar an a, nea r the town ofG ua yra . H e re the w aters of the r iver dash overrapids twelve leagues in extent , descending withg re a t violence th ro u g h w alls of rock, often overha ng ing , un t i l the y reach th e gre a t p la ins , s i tua tedbetween the province of Eio Grande and the republicof P a ra g u a y . H e re th e y a re jo in e d a t T re s B o ca sby the E ive r P ara gu ay , a s t ream w hich , with i tst r ibutar ie s th e P i lcom ayo and Y ermejo , a t th is pointassumes a magnitude l i t t le short of the Parana itself.These streams now flow on together , unti l a t MartinGarcia , a distance of e ight hu nd red miles, they arejo ined by the U ru g ua y , where the uni ted s t reams formthe noble estuary of the Eio de la Plata , and join theocean a t M aldonado. On enter ing the P ar an a byth e G uaz u C han nel, one is struck w ith a feeling ofdisappointment a t i ts narrow and common-placeappearance ; the banks are low, and an interminablejungle extends as far as the eye can r e a c h ; but asyou advance beyond the delta , the truly magnificentproportions of the stream begin to unfold themselves.L ofty cliffs, w ith a fine open cou ntry ex ten din g aw ayto the interior , are s e e n ; while on the southern orA rg en tine shore, handsom e coun try villas are freque ntly passed. N ow the r iver rapid ly widens, inparts to a space of two miles across; again you glide


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2 6 EA P L A T A , A N Dto emerge (after crossing a dangerous pass) on thebroad open river once m ore. T his now app ears toincrease in volum e an d w idth th e further y ou getfrom the sea, until at Corrientes, 750 miles from them outh, th e stream prese nts a view no t un like theS o le n t a t Y a rm o u th , I s le o f W ig h t .

On asce nding the rive r, th e first p oin t of interestmet with is on the southern bank, a t the Pass ofObligado , 125 miles from B uenos A y re s ; here thecur ren t run s swiftly th ro ug h a na rrow channel ,having cliffs of from eighty to a hundred feet highon the r ight or south bank, and jungle on the left .This was the scene of Commodore Hotham's action,in November , 1845.Further on is the town of San Nicholas, a lso si tua ted on the r ig ht or B uenos A yr ea n s ide of the r iver,and beyond this, again, at a distance of 230 milesfrom B uenos A yre s, s tands the ci ty of Eo sario , buil ton the side and summit of a range of sandy cliffs,some five hundred feet in height , which, on the partwhere the town is placed, r ise with a certain amountof slope, b u t on bo th flanks a re qu ite perp end icular,w ith deep w ater c lose to . T his la t ter c ircumstanceis taken adv antag e of b y th e m erch ants , who areable to get their ships alongside, and dischargecargo on galleries cut out of the face of the rock,from whence it is hoisted to th e su m m it by derricksan d pulleys . T he tow n is w ell bu ilt , an d of a considerable size. T w o of th e prin cip al streets arehand som ely furnished w ith shops, wh ich in th e


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T H E W A R I N P A R A G U A Y . 2 7their doors w ith ladies shopp ing. T he caf^s also arenumerous, and always well filled of an evening.The country in the vicinity of the town is flat ,sandy , and u n i n t e r e s t i n g ; the general want of cult ivation gives it a bare and unfinished a ppe a r a nc e ; i t ,however, has every advantage in its favour, for thesoil , although sandy, is well adapted for growingmaize , and the roads are excellent .Eosario is the principal d^pot of the Centra l A rgentine Eailway, which l ine runs from here a distance of 158 miles, to Yilla Nueva , and is be ingrapidly completed to Cordova, a beautiful town onth e ban ks of a stream at the foot of the A nde s, andabout ni ne ty miles further on. A t this la t te r placeth e rich p roduce of th e sur rou nd ing c oun try is collected an d sent on to E osa rio, whence it is shippeddown the river, the depth of water as far as thispo rt, a n d th e absence of those shallow passeswh ich so obstruct th e nav igatio n of th e river aboveEosario , rendering the port most valuable as a shipp i n g dpot.

T he fine sandy dust which prevails everywhereabout the cou ntry is m ost disagreeable. T he da ybefore we left Eosario we experienced the inconvenience of a dust-storm in i ts most annoying form.I ha d ta ke n th e gun bo at alongside a collier (whichwas discharging cargo in the peculiar manner before-m ention ed, of thr ow ing it o ut on to the side of th ecliff), and we had just finished coaling, when it cameon to blow a pampero, and in a moment the dust was


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2 8 L A P L A T A , A NDafter the wind had ceased, the rain came down ina perfect deluge, and turned the thick coating ofdust which covered us, as well as the ship (andwhich we had not time to remove), into a sort ofcem ent. T he effect, on loo kin g a t each othe r, wasmost ludicrous; we were completely cased in mudarmour, and it took a considerable time to get rid ofour s t range panoply . H a v in g s towed aw ay as muchcoal as possible, both on deck and below (for this wasour last chance), we started up the r iver againsta strong eurrent, over two miles an hour, even inshore, w hen th e pilot steered th e ship . W e considered forty miles a very good day's work, steamingand sail ing steadily , during the hours of daylight.The river packets go on at night , but they carry twopilots, and the work is extremely hard , the u tmostattention being required to notice any change in theposition of th e num erou s shifting s and ban ks. W etook five da ys a nd a half ge tti n g to Eosario fromthe mouth of the r iver , and during that t ime frequ en tly ha d stro ng breezes in our favour. A fterleaving Eosario, we passed a long reach of lowswampy land, which extended for twenty miles.B u t abou t sunset we came to one of th e mostbeautiful views on the r iver. On steam ing out ofa narrow passage between two islands, we suddenlysaw a broad open expanse of water in our front withtall white chalk cliffs on the left hand, extending faraw ay up th e river, un til the y were lost to view. Afew miles distant was the convent and village of San


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T H E W A R I N P A R A G U A Y . 2 9of the church showing out boldly against a brilliantbackground of sunset sky, rendered all the morestrik ing by th e tot al absence of an y trees in th eneighbou rhood. T he sisters and nu ns were ta ki ngtheir evening promenade on the edge of the cliffs aswe passed close under, and graciously returned oursalute, when we took off our caps to them, by wavinghandkerchiefs , which was kept up unti l we were outof sight,quite a picturesque scene.

W e passed alon g these ran ge s of cliffs, an d soondashed into a dark narrow passage between swampyislands, infested with alligators, snakes, and all sortsof villainous reptiles, and, as night was now appro ac hin g, we looked out for a con venient place toanchor un t i l the m orning . T he most imp ortant pointin selecting a river anchorage (where the foliageis so dense) is to secure a position where some slightopening in the surrounding woods al lows a draughtof air to approach, and blow away the mosquitoes,which l i terally swarm in myriads, and are a mostintolerable nuisance. A lrea dy we had several menon the sick list from their bites, which produced am ost painful sw elling, an d altered th e personalappearance of the individual bitten so much thathis best friend w ould no t know him. I t would bemore pleasant to anchor at night in the middle ofthe stream; but in addit ion to the great depth ofwater and strong current , i t would be at tended withthe danger of being run down by the vessels navigat in g a t night; for now the allied armies were march


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3 0 L A P L A T A , A N Dport , and the passage of tran sp orts an d store shipswas now constant. W e dropped our anchor in themost open spot we could find, about twenty yardsfrom the bank, in four-fathom water, and tried to goto sleep, am idst a hu m m ing an d croaking from theinsect world enough to awaken the seven sleepers.


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C H A P T E E I I I .D A N G E R S OF N A V I G A T I N G T H E PARANASTRIKING A SANDBANKLA

PAZ S C E N E O F N A V A L A CT I O N B E T W E E N B R A Z I L I A N S A N D P A R A GUAYANS C R U E L T Y O F T H E P A R A G U A Y A N S D U R I N G T H E C A M P A IG NI N CORRIENTESPREPARATIONS F O R ENGAGEMENTALARM O FRESIDENTSSTRENGTH O F B R A Z I L I A N FLEET B R I L L I A N T A F F A I RA T T H E " P A 8 S O F C U B V O S " V D 3I T TO T H B B R A Z I L I A N CO M M O DO R E

DETAINED A T CORRIENTES T A K I N G T H B E V E N I N G BATHTHECORRXENTIN08 T H E TOWN I N C I D E N T I N A C A F E .

T H E principal danger a t tending the navigat ion ofth e P a ra n a is the un ce rta inty of the position of th enumerous sandbanks, which have no fixed point , butare continu ally shift ing about , so th a t the c hannelof the r iver may be on one side in the beginning ofthe year , and on the other side the la t ter part .

T h e p i lo ts ju dg e pr inc ipal ly by the eye , s tandingwell u p in th e r igg ing , where th ey can see th e discoloured water , which has a much l ighter appearanceover the banks th an in th e m ain channel, a l thougheverywhere the w ater is th ick w ith mud . T he survey of the r iver made by Capta in Sul ivan in H.M.S.Philomel is most valuable in pointing out the probable locality of th e m ore difficult pa sses, b u t is no tto be depended upon for taking one through fromthe cause before mentioned.

Our passage hitherto had been prosperous; we had


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3 2 EA P L A T A , A N Dbers of vessels h ar d an d fast ag ro un d, w ai tin g forthe r iver to grow. T he periodical r ise of th e P ar an acommences in Decem ber a nd continues u n ti l A pril ,the depth of water sometimes increasing as much asthree fath om s; i t the n falls a gain un ti l th e end ofJ u ly . T he rem ainder of the year is uncerta in , andthe al teration sl ight , the r iver keeping a mediumde pth. A vessel ge tt in g agrou nd with a fal lingriver is placed in a very aw kw ard pos i t i on ; for, unlessshe is well manned and has large anchors and cables,an d thes e are pr om pt ly used, she is left hig h anddr y for some three or four m on ths . W e saw num bers of merchant ships so circumstanced, the portionof the crew left to take care of them quietly waitingfor th e rive r to rise. O ur own good fortune desertedus at last , for one fine m or ni ng we were steamingalong an d h a d ju st opened out a reach of the river(t h e . pilot w as at the foremasthead conning theship) , when up we w ent on a sandbank. T he shipmust have run in to a cul de sac, for the current,wh ich wa s ru n n in g a t least four kn ots an hour, setus bodily down, but only to place us more firmly onthe ban k. T he engines ha d been prom ptly stopped,an d as we had bee n ta lk in g ab ou t th e fate of vesselsru nn in g ashore on a falling riv er only a short t imebefore, the alternativ e was painfully ap par ent to us.Every one worked with a willanchors laid out,weights shiftedall to no purpose; in a very shorttime our stern was embedded in the bank as well asthe rest of the sh ip ; so the re was no th ing for it but toclear eve rything out , and lan d i t on the beach. T his


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was no joke , for we only ha d two sm all gigs in thesh ap e of boats , a n d th e beac h w as half a m ile off, w itha curre nt of four kno ts ru nn in g down the r iver. H ow ever, there was no time for consideration, so we set towo rk nig ht an d da y, a nd , to our intense gratification,after la n d in g all th e coal, off she came w ith a jer k,the current sweeping her down so swiftly that if wehad not been ready with an extra anchor we shouldhave been carried on to anothe r bank astern. I t wasa g re at relief ge tti n g a w ay from this place, for on anadjoining bank was to be seen the remains of a finelarge brig that had run ashore some t ime before , andha d go t filled w ith sand and wa s now a wreck, theweight having broken her back.

W e em ba rke d our stores ag ain an d started off, b ut aswe we re all th or ou gh ly fagged out, we selected an openplace clear of m osquitoes an d anchored for the ni gh t,when, after getting rid of some of the accumulation ofcoal-dust, th e m en were soon asleep. T he sailors enjoy the unlimited supply of fresh water which they getin this river cruising, and are never tired of washingthe ship , themselves, or the ir c lothes. W h e n the yare on salt water, of course the supply of fresh isl imited . A t M onte 7 i de o , a l thou gh i t is considerablyinside th e m ou th of th e river, th e wa ter is salt , except occasionally w hen th e river is ve ry fu ll; th en itsuffices for washing purposes.

Our accident made the pilot very cautious. Hetold us when last he was up the r iver ( three monthsbefore) the main channel ran r ight through where thcj


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3 4 EA P L A T A , A N Dthe w indings of the r iver were m ost tortuo us. T hew ater was rath er low, and frequently we ha d to senda boa t ah ea d to soun d, th e ship follow ing carefullyin her wa ke. T he pilot ha d an ingen ious m ethod ofrunning the vessel quietly up against a sandbankw hen h e was n ot ex ac tly ce rtain of its po sition, onpurpose to ascertain its precise locality. H e did thisseveral t imes, no t bu m pin g ha rd enou gh to do anydamage, but still quite sufficiently near danger tom ak e it un ple as an tly exc iting. I objected to thisafter a short t ime, as being too hazardous, and senthim ahead in a boat.

T h e m erc ha nt vessels which tra de on this river areinv aria bly supplied w ith a good lar ge bo at for layingout a bower anchor, and at least two deck-tacklesof heavy purchase, ready for heaving the ship off,if she should grou nd on a ban k. E ve n in smallschooners I notic ed tack les o ut of all prop ortion toth ei r size, wh ich could n ot hav e been used for an yother purpose but heaving off the shore.

W e were now ge tt in g m ore th an half-way on ourjourn ey. W e had passed Sa nta F e on the r ig ht bankof the river and Parana on the left, both considerable tow ns ; th e former is the chief tow n of theprovince bearing the same name, the la t ter is inE n t r e Eios. W e saw here two steam ers laden withcoal for th e B raz ilian fleet at Co rrientes, an d a finelarge tran sp ort full of troops going to join the arm y.The transport had been a blockade-runner duringthe A merican war . T he B razil ians employed a


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T H E W A R I N P A R A G U A Y . 3 5safe m ark et a t th a t t im e for an yt hi ng in th e shapeof a block ade-ru nne r. T h ey were found to be pa rt icularly useful in the r iver , from their l ight draughtof water and powerful engines, which enabled them tokeep up the ir speed aga inst the strong current. M an yof these vessels were comm anded by En glish m en ,an d the engineers were invariably E ng l ish . T heircrews were a m ixt ur e of a l l nations, bu t the moneythe y were pa id w ith was a lways the sameEnglishsovereigns. So, as th e B razil ians bo ug ht steame rs,stores, provisions, an d hired m en w ith En gli sh m oney,i t m ay be sa id th a t E n gl a nd has had no s l ight influence on th e issue of th e w ar. I hav e no t ye theard any estimate of the probable expenses of thecampaign,|which is now in its fifth year, but, fromthe d is tance everything has to be t ransported , andthe great waste of life by sword and sickness, i t maybe expected to startle those concerned when it isk n o w n .

W e were now approac hing the scene of the nav alaction of J u n e , 18 65, between the B razil ians a ndA rg e n t in e s a n d th e P a ra g u a y a n fle et a n d sh oreba tterie s. T h e allied fleet was ly in g at anchor offthe Eiachuelo in Corrientes (which was in the handsof the Paraguayans) , and fully prepared for anattackfires banked , boarding -net t ings up , and gunscast loosewhen the Paraguayan fleet , some dozensteam ers, tow ing a num be r of chatas, all crowdedwith troops, suddenly appeared coming round abe nd in th e rive r full speed before a four-knot cu r


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3 6 L A P L A T A , A NDa desperate board ing action took place. T he at tackw as so sud den an d fierce t h a t a t first th e allieswere decidedly getting the worst of it , but at lasttheir ships got under weigh and steamed to eachother 's assistance, ru n n in g dow n th e chatas a nd smallP ar ag u ay a n steame rs, who were il l able to cope with'such powerful adve rsaries, an d causing grea t slaughteram ongst the P ar ag ua ya n t roops , num bers of whomwere drowned w hen the chatas sank, the rapid currentw hir l ing them away in a mo m ent . I n the mean timethe P ar ag ua ya n shore-bat ter ies were not id le . T heybrought guns close down to the water 's edge, and didconsiderable da m ag e to th e allies. A B razilian corvette , while m ak ing a c ircle pre pa rato ry to ram m ing aP ar ag ua ya n steamer, ran full speed on to a sandbank,and was lost. T he P ara gu ay an s re trea ted after aloss of five steamers (two of them mere launches) andseveral chatas. T he ir loss in me n mu st have beenve ry gre at, from the nu m be r drowned. T he alliedloss was also considerable. T he P ara gu ay an s, inthe ir desperation w hile bo ard ing, wo uld frequentlydrag their adversary overboard with them, when bothwould be lost.

The Paraguayans had establ ished the reputa t ionof being devils incarnate when their blood was up,and the raw B razilian levies (principally Negroes)had a wholesome dread of the m . A strong bodyof marines or soldiers were stationed in each shipto keep the new han ds up to their work. E ve ry onespoke of the pluck of the Paraguayans, but also


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we were pointed out an estancia, with the house andoutbuildings, part ia l ly burnt , and the country form iles rou nd w hite w ith th e bleached bones of cattleslaughtered in sheer wantonness by them duringthe ir recen t occupation of th e province. T his wasnear B ella 7 is ta . T he owner of the estancia assuredm e he wa s only one of m an y sufferers. H is nam ewas Scott , an d he described the scene at his house.A d e ta c h m e n t o f th e Pa ra g u a y a n a rm y , u n d e r c o m mand of an officer, marched up to the door, and afterspeaking to him a few words, which he did not understan d, d rag ge d him off a nd pu t him in irons ;the men then dispersed over the estate , destroyingeverything they could lay hands on ; they murderedthe capataz and two servants (one a woman), andm utilate d the ir bodies. T he house an d farm stockof im plem ents were bur nt , an d the ca tt le slaugh ter ed . M r. Scott h a d fortun ately sent his wife andchildren away some time before, but he was in imm in e n t da ng er of losin g his own life for severald a y s ; he attributes his safety to the fact of his beingE ng lish , which he took care to le t them know. A tan adjoining estate , a Mr. Gannon was stabbed infive places, and left for dead; two women servants,after being subjected to the most abominable outrage,ha d the ir thr oa ts cut. I n short , the description ofthe Paraguayan campaign in Corr ientes reads l ikean incursion of devils, for there was no opposition,no fighting, to excite their f u r y ; all was done incold blood, un de r L opez ' im m ediate an d personal


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3 8 L A P L A T A , A N Dallies ca ptu re him . H i s defenders (for, curiouslyenough, he has som e), say th a t a t hea d-qu arters histroops we re fairly disciplined an d we ll in ha nd . Itwas the inferior officers, with separate commands,who did all the mischief; and they were aggravatedby the farmers on the r iver-bank furnishing the B r a zilian fleet w ith provision s. H ow ev er, th e feelingwas so bit ter a ga inst him th a t his life would nothave been worth many minutes ' purchase a t tha tt ime in the hands of the natives.

W e w ere now steam ing a long th e dense woods of theG ran d Chaco, which extend a long the r ig ht bank of th eP a ra n a a n d P a ra g u a y fa r a w a y in la n d a n im m ensedistance. T he region is quite une xplored , and onlyinhabited by tr ibes of Indians, savage and at deadlyenm ity w ith th e provinces roun d the m . T he woodsabound with game and wild beasts , the Indiansoccasionally bringing in very handsome skins andfeathers for sale. W e saw lar ge flocks of geese andducks flying inland, and one afternoon a fine specimen of the puma tribe, which the natives call t igers,came down to the river-side to d rink, jus t as we werepas sing . H e did no t notice us a t first, bu t beforewe could get a rifle ready, he had bounded into thej u n g l e .

Corrientes now appeared in sight; we could seethe church steeples over a point of land, and flagswe re flying in all directions ; ev ide ntly some gr an doccasion. On ro un di ng th e po int, th e whole sceneopened out ve ry effectively. T h e allied fleets an d a


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T H E W A R IN P A R A G U A Y . 3 9the river, opposite the town, and all dressed withflags in honour of the Emperor of Brazil ' s bir thday.T he riv er here , over seven hu nd re d miles from th esea, is as broa d as th e Solent between Calshot and

* the Is le of W ig h t , an d has a t ru ly noble beautypeculiar to itself. T he tow n is on th e left ban k, andis slig htly elevated in site. Custom -house P oi ntstan ds ou t conspicuously, w ith a sma ll ba tter y andflagstaff on it , and with another point further upforms a sort of bay, where the small craft anchorclose on to the beach. W e steamed up thro ug h thefleet , and anchored near the Brazil ian admiral , forI w ished to see him before goin g an y further. A sthe anchor dropped, the masthead ensigns werehoiste d in ho no ur of th e occasion, and a t th e sametim e th e officer of th e g ua rd cam e on board to p aythe usual compliments , and thank us for recognizingthe E m pe ror ' s b ir thda y. I t was ra ther la te to pa ym y respects to th e A dm ira l, so I desired th e officerof the guard to say I would call in the morning.

Th e Pa ra g u a y a n s w e re e x p e c te d to b e g e t t in gfire-ships re a dy to at ta ck th e allies, an d the officerof the gu ar d said the y were in nig htl y expectationof an a t ta c k ; half the crew rem ained at quarterswith guns cast loose al l night , boarding-nett ingswere tr iced up, boats rowing guard, and everyprecaution tak en to prevent surprise . W e askedwhere the arm y was. H e sa id they were amusingthemselves somewhere about the province, but didno t know exactly w here , and considered it a gr eat


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4 0 L A P L A T A , A N Dfleet were all rea dy , an d anxious to go on. T heCaptain of the P o rt now a rrived. H e told Usthe troo ps w ere ab ou t forty m iles off, a n d wereobliged to move slowly in consequence of sicknessamongst the men, who were nearly al l young soldiers on their first march, and the General wasanxious to get them up to Paso de la Patria ingood condition, w hen th ey did reach it , rea dy forcrossing ; but they were not expected before Christm a s .

T he re was a considerable ga rrison a t C orrientes,composed chiefly of A rg en tin e troops , includ ing aregiment of Corrientino cavalry, but not of Sufficientstre ng th to resist the P ar ag ua ya ns if the y came acrossthe river again in force ; but this was not consideredprobable , as they were seen to be making earthworks and other preparations for resisting the allieswhen th ey t r ied to cross in to P ara gu ay . Y et thetownspeople, m erch an ts, an d others were in a terrible state of a larm , m ak ing arran gem ents for a retr e a t every tim e th ey hea rd a gu n go off on theParaguayan side of the river, which often happenedwhen they were exercising their men firing at am a r k .

Soon after we arrived, one of the English residen ts came on board. H e expressed the greatestdelight at seeing the flag again, and said he had notha d a single nig ht 's rest du rin g i ts absence. T heParaguayans had committed al l sorts of vil l ianiesduring their occupation of the town, and he con


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T H E W A R IN P A R A G U A Y . 4 1

H e was a small m an, and had been more fr ightenedth an h u rt ; for a considerable tim e he had beenobliged to take a loaded rifle to bed with him, readyfor an emergency, to the great inconvenience of hiswife ; an d, altog ethe r, he appe ared to take a v erydism al view of affairs. I asked him wh y he did no ttake his wife dow n to B uenos A yre s, out of the w ay,and stay there with her until the fighting was over;bu t he did no t l ike the idea. H e preferred rem aining, and have a grievance to write to the Consulabout , and a man-of-war to protect him . T he rewere several Englishmen at Asuncion similarlycircumstanced, who preferred running the r isk ofgett ing murdered, in addit ion to losing their prope rty , instea d of m ak ing a sacrifice and leavin g theco un try. Of course, these few individu als causeas m uch correspondence an d m isun ders tand ing as awhole nation, because the general principle is involved. H ow eve r, I comforted m y friend, an d toldhim a boat should be in readiness to bring him onboard d irec tly the P ara gu ay an s m ade the ir appearance, n ig h t or day . I m ust say I adm ired his pluckin ha ng in g on to his goo ds; and certainly his virtuehas been rewarded, for no doubt he has now made avery good thing of i t : Corrientes being the base ofoperations, articles of clothing and other Englishgoods com m anded an y price , and were eagerly soughtfor by the soldiers of the allied armies.

Yiseount Tamandare was in command of theB raz ilian fleet, w hich consisted of th e following


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42

Name.ItahyMearimM a g eBer b er i b e . . .I q u a t a r y . . . .T p i r a n g a . . .A r a q u a h y . . .M a r a c a na . . .

Guns.688866626

H . P .1001001201301001001008080

Seamen.861201201408686867586

Marines.

171720221717171517

T he ad m ira l, who was a most distin gu ishe d officer,an d had served w ith A dm ira l Grenfell when hecommanded the Brazi l ian , na vy, was no t presentwith the f leet , having been summoned to BuenosA yre s, in order to concert m easures for supplyinghis fleet, during the forthcoming campaign, withthe Brazilian Minister, an especial envoy (SenorOctaviano) ha vin g been sent from E io to th e A rgentine capital on purpose to arrange with thedifferent chiefs for the future movements of theexpedition.

Commodore B arrosso, la tely created B aro n A m a -zonas for his gallant action of Eiachuelo, was inte m p o ra ry c o m m a n d. T h e A rg e n t in e sq u ad ro nwas unde r A dm ira l M urator i , who had la te lyperformed a most dashing exploit in running thegauntlet of some strong Paraguayan batteries a t thepass of Cuevos. H is flag-ship, w hich h ad been apacket-vessel of sligh t scan tling, was quite unsu ited


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dete rm ined to show his m en how to stand fire, andhow often boldne ss was th e safest pol ioy; so, out ofthe two channels which were available, he chose theone nearest the enemies' works, and carried his shipth ro ug h a hur rica ne of shot an d shell safely to theoth er side of th e pas s. T hi s bri llian t little affair w asconsidered to have been of the greatest possibleadvantage to the new and inexperienced crews of thefleet, by showing them the effect of a bold anddashing policy in dealing with these r iver batteries ,which, from being generally placed on a height , werem ore form idable a t some distance off th a n wh envery near .

T he ne xt m orn ing I called on the commodore ; Ifound his ship, like all th e others, cleared for action,w ith a larg e supply of shot on deck. A rm -racks, withrifles an d cutlasses, w ere fitted am idships re ad y forimm edia te use ; bo arding -net t ings were t riced up ,and a number of sentries posted round the decks,while signal-men were stat ioned at the mastheads tokeep a sharp look-out for th e enem y. T he seamenappeared to be chiefly negroes and mulattos: andcertainly, when one reflects on what they have gonethr ou gh lately , i t astonishes one to think w hat discipline an d ac tual experience w ill do. T he m arineswere a fine smart-looking body of men, dressed in atunic , shako, and blue trousers; they were armedw ith sm ooth-bored percussion m uekets, bu t shortlyafterw ards received rifles. I arrive d on ho ard th eCom m odore's ship ju st at the tim e he was receiving


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44ships. I explained tha t I ha d come to pa y m yrespects, and ask permission to pass the blockadeand proceed on m y errand up to A suncion. T heconversation comm enced in F re n ch , b u t finding h epreferred Spanish, which I could speak a lit t le ,we continued i t in th e la t te r lan gu ag e. H e told mehis ships were not likely to move for some time, andth a t I was at perfect l ibe rty to go w here I w ished,and he would be ha pp y to give m e an y assistance. Iwas most anxious to find out whether coal was to beprocured in the neighbourhood; so, after thankinghim, I asked if there was any to spare from thestores on shore (everyth ing bein g un de r gove rnm entprotection now in the town, of course, if it came froman y source, i t m ust have been from hi m ). D irectlyI m entioned the word " carbon " he smiled. " A h, "he said, " y o u are out of th e lan d of coal no w ; Ido n't believe the re is a ton of it nea rer tha n P ara na ,except the supply actually in our own bun kers. W e .are b ur ni ng wood for all ord ina ry purposes, and onlyth e guard-ships keep fires righted. Y o u w o n ' t g e tany coal up here . T he P ara gu ay an s burn wood,and very bad i t is , dam p an d sm a ll; so you hadbetter be careful of what you have at present."

I then took leave of him, and went on deck withone of t he captains who was tal kin g to m e. H e said," Y ou r bo at's crew are sailor-like look ing fellows; wedon't often see such fresh complexions up here."

I gave him th e la test new s from M onte Y ideo, andtold him that one iron-clad had arrived, and two


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glad to see them, for all were anxious for an advance ;their present life was most irksome, expecting attacksby fire-ships, and being obliged to keep half the crewat quarters a l l n ight .

From the Brazi l ian commodore I went past thefleet to the A rg en tin e ad m iral , who was anchored inshore. T h e ships we re in the same s tate of prepara tion for ba tt le as the B razil ians, boa rding-ne t t ings t riced u p , men un de r arm s, and guns castloose. A dm ira l M ura tori received m e in his c a b i n ;he is a fine, frank, sailor-like looking man of forty-five, and we were soon deep in a conversation aboutiron-clads an d turr ets . H e showed me a sketch ofhis action at Cuevos, and expressed his regret at notha vin g ha d an iron-clad the n. H e is a grea t adm irerof ev ery thin g E ng lish , and spoke w ith grea t respectof M r. P ar ish , our consul a t B uenos A yres , whom hek n e w w e l l .

His flag-ship, the Quarde Nacional, was in goodorder, clean an d sm art, show ing a gr ea t contrast toth e B razil ian ships. M an y of his men were E ng lish ,particularly amongst the stokers and engineer officers.

F ro m the A rge nt ine f lag-ship I went to theI ta l ia n gu nb oa t : she had la te ly re turned fromParaguay , and her commander k indly gave me acopy of the Paraguayan instructions for the navigation of the river, and rules to be observed on passingH u m a it a and the other forts . H e was now awa iting orders from his senior officer at Monte Video,an d expected directions to retu rn to th at port; his


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4 6 L A P L A T A , A N Dhe did not intend going beyond them, in order to beclear in case of the P ar ag ua ya n fleet m ak ing an at tack.

On leaving th e I ta lia n gu nb oa t, I first visited thecaptain of the port , and then went on board my ship.The next day , having completed a l l a rrangements , Ifully inte nd ed sta rtin g up th e river, bu t the m ailarriving in the m ean t im e b rou gh t m e orders to remain at Corrientes until further directions from theadm ira l. I imagine the B razi lian gove rnme nt werejealo us of foreign m en-of-war be ing i n adv ance ofthe ir ships, as indire ctly affording enco urage m ent tothe P arag uay ans , who m igh t be s t im ula ted by thepresence of a foreign squadron to show off theirpowers at the expense of the Brazilian fleet.The commander of the I ta l ian gunboat had ordersnot only to abstain from advancing beyond theB razilian fleet, b u t also to retir e if the y did, and hefully expected to leave th e river altoge ther verys h o r t l y ; the French gunboat had gone a lready.T hese orders quite a l tered m y plans. I was anchored now in-shore of the advance ship of theB raz ilian fleet, a position of course inconve nient incase of fire-ships; so in th e afternoon I w eigh ed an ddropped down with the tide to a small bay belowCustom-house P oin t , w here I found a snu g berthwell astern and clear of the Brazilian fleet, while theprojecting bluff would afford considerable protectionin case of the much-dreaded attack by fire-shipscom ing off. H e re we ag ain anchored, abo ut thre ehundred yards from the shore, in four-fathom


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luxuriant orange groves reaching close down to it .T h e tow n wo uld be a bout a m ile off, w ith a strag gl ing suburb reaching to with in a quarter of tha tdistance. T he su rrou ndin g coun try was well wooded,b u t this be ing th e hot season every thing green ha dbeen bu rn t up , and the la te P ara gu ay an occupationhad reduced al

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LA PLATA, BRAZIL, And PARAGUAY by Comander a.J. Kennedy - PortalGuarani