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there it resembles a great sea, rather than a river; and to a spectator placed on its banks, the opposite coast is far out of sight. Even at a hundred miles farther up, a traveller declares that he sailed twenty-four hours across, without coming in sight of land; and that he felt as if he had been in the middle of some vast ocean. The Atlantic itself seems to sink under this prodigious influx of waters, and becomes fresh for several leagues distance.

It is navigable for Spanish vessels to Assumption, which is nearly a thousand miles above its mouth. Raynal asserts its navigation to be difficult, and dangerous, but as usual, does not assign his authority, nor do we find this defect mentioned by any other author.

At some distance above its mouth, it receives two great rivers, the Uruguay and Parana, which run a course little inferior to its own, and the latter of which penetrates far into Brasil. Besides these, throughout its whole extent, innumerable smaller streams flow into it, from Brasil on one side, and Peru on the other; which, in the hands of an active and commercial people, could not fail to be of high advantage for distributing European commodities through those fertile and extensive countries. One, in particular, called the Pilcomayo, takes its rise in the mountains of Potosi, (well known to contain the richest mines in the new world) and is navigable to its source. From these circumstances, though Paraguay con tains no gold or silver mines, it has always abounded with these metals, and exports a considerable quantity. According to a statement of the Ab. bé Raynal, this amounted annually, on an average of ten years, from 1750 to 1760, to nearly 300,0001.

This extensive country is in a very imperfect state of cultivation. Great part is occupied by barbarous nations, of a character atrocious in the

highest degree, and actuated by the fiercest hostility against the Spaniards, who were obliged to be constantly on their guard against sudden incursions. In the province of Paraguay, which lies to the north of Buenos Ayres, and on both sides of the great river, lie the celebrated establishments of the Jesuits, of which we shall give some account in the Historical part. The province of Buenos Ayres itself consists of an immense plain, bounded by the ocean on one side, and on the other by the mountains which separate it from Chili. It is almost wholly uncultivated; but is not, like the other wastes of the new world, covered with impenetrable forests. On the contrary, it scarcely contains a tree; the whole extent is one uninterrupted level.

The Spaniards being obliged to evacuate Buenos Ayres soon after its foundation, let loose into the fields a few horses and horned cattle, which they had along with them. These finding a vast extent of rich pasture, over which they could roam uncontrouled, soon multiplied incredibly," and covered the whole of that immense plain, which extends to Chili. Here they rove about in herds of thirty or forty thousand, without au owner, and the property of any one who will take the trouble of catching them. Since that time, their hides and tallow have furnished the staple commodities of Buenos Ayres. In 1628 they are said to have been in such plenty, that a good horse might be purchased for two needles, and an ox in proportion. No ship ever left Buenos Ayres with out forty or fifty thousand hides; which were not obtained without killing double the number of animals, as only skins of a certain size were allowed in trade. Since that time they have considerably diminished; not only from the number taken, but from the multiplication of a race of

wild dogs which make dreadful havock among them. The Spanish go. vernment once sent out a party of soldiers to kill as many as possible of these animals; but the poor men, on returning from this expedition, instead of meeting with the gratitude of their countrymen, were received with shouts of derision and contempt, and branded with the appellation of dog killers in consequence of which absurd and ungracious reception no. body could ever be prevailed upon to set out a second time on a similar er-" rand.

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great number of carcases these hunts men leave behind them, would, if permitted to rot, cause an infection in the air, which might be attended with very disagreeable consequences; but clouds of vultures, as large as eagles, and other birds of prey, soon fall upon them, so that in a few days. nothing remains but the bare bones. The horses are taken with nooses; and as they are born and bred wild, and of Spanish origin, they are very handsome and swift-footed. Indians, however, who are also very nimble, contrive to turn them to. wards places where they know they must meet with obstacles to stop their flight; and as soon as they get within reach of them, cast nooses a"About their legs, leap upon them without any further ceremony, and have soon tamed them. There are, adds he, a great many mules in Paraguay, and they must be very useful in a country where there are few beaten roads, a great deal of up and down hill, and here and there a great many bad steps."

Charlevoix gives the following ac count of the manner in which they hunt the horned cattle, for which they have no other name but that of Matança, or Butchery; number of huntsmen gather together, and repair on horseback to some great plain entirely covered with these animals. They then separate, and with a kind of hatchet, whose edge resembles a crescent, lay about them with all their might, aiming at the hind legs of the animals, in order to hamstring them; for this once effected, the animal falls to the ground, without being able to rise again, so that the huntsmen may continue their game, till of many hundreds they have not left a single beast standing; and some people pretend that a good hand will in this manner disable eight hundred oxen in an hour; but this account appears rather exaggerated. In the consternation which at first seizes these animals, they crowd together in such confusion as to impede each others flight, and thereby afford the huntsmen an opportunity of taking from time to time a little rest and refreshment. At last, after some days spent in this violent exercise, they return the same way they came, find their oxen where they left them, dispatch them at their leisure, off as much of them as

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Next to hides, the great wealth of this country consists in the herb of Paraguay. This is an article of universal demand throughout South America, both as a medicine and a luxury. Though called an herb, it is the leaf of a tree, which, in size approaches to a middling apple tree, and whose taste resembles that of mallows. There are three kinds of it, which however are only different ways of preparing the same leaf.— The first, called Caacuys, is the bud when it has scarce begun to open its leaves; the Caamini is the full-grown leaf, which is first stript of its leaves, and then roasted. The Caaguazi, the third kind, is formed by the leaves roasted, without any previous preparation. The leaf, after being pulverised, and reduced into and carry paste, is then boiled in water, and they can. sucked through a pipe. When taWe may well imagine that the ken in excess, it produces intoxica

tion, and has, sometimes, deprived people of their senses for several'

days.*

This herb is not produced in the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres, but upon the mountains at a considerable distance. The place where it grows In greatest quantity, and in highest perfection, is at New Villarica, a settlement in the mountains of Mara cayu, which lies to the east of the Rio de la Plata, in about twenty five degrees of south latitude. A hundred thousand arrobes are sometimes sent to Peru alone, each of which is worth a guinea and a half of our money.

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Paraguay produces also wax and honey, in great abundance and perfection. Every forest abounds with bees, which make their hives in the hollow of trees, and of which ten different species are reckoned.

But besides the commodities which Paraguay actually produces, and which are almost all spontaneous, we must consider also those, (probably of much greater importance) which, in the hands of an active and commercial people, it might be capa ble of yielding. The climate and soil are the same with those of the most southern American states, and would doubtless yield the same valuable products. The Cotton tree is a native of this country, and a considerable quantity is gathered, especially in the missions; but the produce might doubtless be vastly augmented.Tobacco thrives equally, and, even in the hands of the Spaniards, was be coming an article of considerable im portance. Hemp is cultivated also in pretty large quantities; and there seems no reason why flax should not be equally successful. We have not seen rice mentioned among its products; but there seems every reason, from analogy, to suppose that the soil will be well fitted for it. We have seen sugar also mentioned; and if the soil be capable of it, the vast

extent of the country must leave room for the almost indefinite extension of its culture.

There seems also some reason to

think that this country may be capa ble of producing wine. Vines, indeed, are said not to thrive in the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres, on account of a particular species of ant which devours them, and which the Spaniards have hitherto found out no effectual means of extirpating.— With regard to the remoter parts, we shall give the statement of Charlevoix in his own words :-" Some have planted vines here, which do not thrive equally, in every district; but a great deal of wine is made at Rioga and Corduba, two towns in Tucuman. That of Corduba is greasy, strong, and heady; that of Rioga has none of these faults; but at Mendoza, a town in the government of Chili, and situated in the Cordillera, about twenty-five leagues from Corduba, they make a wine very little inferior to that of Spain."

Buenos Ayres is by far the most considerable town in Paraguay. It is situated to the south of the Rio de la Plata, and is built along the banks of a small river which falls into it.-This city was founded by the Spaniards in 1536, but was so harassed by difficulty of subsistence, and by the attacks of the savages, that they were forced to abandon it. About forty years after, however, when they had extended their settlements in the other parts of Paraguay, extreme inconvenience was experienced from the want of a port near the mouth of the tiver.

Buenos Ayres was therefore rebuilt, though it remained long in a very poor condition. The houses were constructed of earth, only one story high, and interspersed with large fields and gardens. Most of them were lighted only by the door, and none had more than one window. Some Jesuits, however, who came over from Spain, taught

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them to use lime, brick, and stone, and to build in a more comfortable manner, so that a surprising improve ment quickly took place. A cathedral and some churches have since been built, which are said to be little inferior to the finest in Spain. The streets are ranged along the bank of the river, and are straight, broad, and tolerably equal in height and dimensions. A large square forms the residence of the principal inhabitants, adjoining to which is the castle, where the governor resides, and has the command of three thousand troops, who compose the garrison.

Writers seem at a loss for words to describe adequately the fertility and beauty of the surrounding country. The plains are covered with the richest verdure, and though no large timber has been planted, fruit, trees of all kinds are in the highest perfection. The waters of the great river are every where pure and whole some, and furnish a variety of the most delicate fish. The air, says Ulloa, vies with the earth in fertility, yielding game of all kinds in the utmost abundance. Beef is to be had for absolutely nothing; in purchasing an ox, the agreement is made only for the hide; the carcase being understood to go along with it. Game, fish, and poultry, in the great

est abundance.

Ulloa says, that Buenos Ayres contains 3000 houses; and other accounts make the number of inhabitants in 1730 amount to 16,000. (Hist. Gen. des Voyages XIV. Charlevoix.) Of these 4,000 were Spaniards, all sunk in the most supine indolence. The majority of the rest consisted of negroes, by whom all the labour of the colony was performed; for the Indians, who composed the remaining population, have never been inured to any regular industry. The latest accounts have raised this number much higher,

some even to 40,000; an increase which is by no means improbable, considering the extraordinary abun dance of the means of subsistence.

This, at least, is the statement given by the Viagero Universal, a work published at Madrid in 1802, which is said to be very exact in many of its details with regard to the Spanish colonies. The same work states the population of the country subject to its jurisdiction, at somewhat less than as many more. This agrees very well with Sir Home Popham, who estimates the whole inhabitants of the colony at 70,000. Admitting the above proportion to continue, this will give nearly 18,000 Spaniards.

Besides this city, the province of Buenos Ayres contains also Santa Fé, which lies to the westward, and forms the channel of communication with Chili, Tucuman, and part of Peru. It is small, and considerably exposed to the incursions of the Indians. Corrientes and Monte Video lie on the opposite side of the river, but are both inferior to Santa Fé, Assumption is the capital of the province of Paraguay proper; but tho' very ancient, it has never attained any considerable magnitude. Yet all these cities have a corregidor, inferior magistrates, and a regular militia, who have often displayed considerable courage in repelling the assaults of the savage Indians.

The commodities suited to the colony must doubtless be nearly the same as are required for the West India market; that is, European manu factures of almost every description.

We propose, in our next number, to give a map of this country along with the Historical account*.

Ulloa's Voyage. Charlevoix's Hist. of Paraguay. Burke's European Settlements. Raynal. Robertson. Brougham's Colonial Policy. Mod. Univ. Hist. Edin. Rev.

IM

IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES in EDU

CATION.

Entering on my career with such distinguished marks of celebrity, it is hardly necessary to say I had a

"Tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in throng school. Indeed my success

illis.

To the Editor.bwa

SIR, I have been a schoolmaster upwards of fifty years, and have devoted my whole attention to the duties of that

important office. If you think the annexed sketch of my history, with the important discoveries therein contained, of use to the world, you may insert them in your useful miscellany, and oblige, Sir, egong rods

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Yours, &e. He als MALCOLM M'DOMINIE, was my misfortune to be educated at the free school of, where early "discovered a strong propensity for classical attainments. Greek and Latin were as familiar to me as English, and I had the whole higher parts mathematics at my finger ends. Writing and accompts were at that time considered as inferior branches, on which no great stress was laid, but from a particular bent in my genius that way, I was reckoned a nonsuch even in these branches.ogom side banco y

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Thus accomplished, at the age of twenty two was thought qualified to undertake the instruction of youth, and had the good fortune to be cho sen schoolmaster of the country burgh of, after a hard comparative trial, which lasted four days and a half. The circumstance which induced the examinators to prefer me was this: the candidates were ordered to turn an Act of the General Assembly into Greek, and strictly to observe the Ionic dialect; this task I not only accomplished five minutes sooner than any of the rest, but actually delivered it rendered into Greek Pindarics. This circumstance put an end to the trial, which might have lasted, several days longer. Oa. 1806,

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in making classical scholars was almost unrivalled, and I actually realised the sum of 601. sterling yearly. same style for thirty years, and the Things had gone on much in the whole young men, of the town and neighbourhood, were of my rearing. The influence I possessed was considerable, and I resolved to live and die on the spot where so many pledges of my literary labours existed, to render my declining years comfort. able and easy.`

At this juncture, provost died, and left his valuable and extensive property to his only son, who had been brought up with a rich batchelor uncle in London, and had received a most fashionable and finished education. At his arrival bere, he was hailed by all ranks, and soon turned his attention to the improvement of the town, and (as he termed it) to civilize the inhabitants. The first improvement introduced was a French dancing master, who also taught French; the next was a sewing mistress, who taught the girls to read English grammatically; the third, a tailor; the fourth, a barber; and the fifth, a shoemaker; all from London. To be brief, the town of

was, in three years time, completely metamorphosed, and the important discovery was made, that I did not read with the English Ascent,, as they termed it; that Greck and Latin were dn'd nonsense; that Ruddiman ought to be hanged, and Dunlop drawn and quartered, for making such pallavers of grammars to torment boys, and cramp their hopeful, genius, &c. &c. By means of system's of geography for young ladies,English accents, and English grammars, the use of the globes,ready reckoners,-machines for mak

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