AND

Edinburgh Literary Miscellany,

For NOVEMBER 1806: With a Map of the River la Plata, and a Plan of the Town of Buenos Arres.

1

850

.

852

.

857 ib.

865

CONTENTS:
Page

Page.
Register of the Weather for Nov. 810 II. Moldeson's Miscellanies,
High Water at Leith for December, ib.
Description of the View,

811 New Works published in Edinburgh, 851 Historical Account of the Settlement Scottish Literary Intelligence, of Buenos Ayres,

ib. Literary Intelligence, English and Celestial Phenomena for December, 814

Foreign,

853 Memoirs of the Progress of Manu.

POETRY.

. ' factures, Chemistry, Science, and the Fine Arts,

815 Elegiac Stanzas on the Death of Valuation of Orkney and Shetland, 816 Dr Glover,

856 Character of the most eminent Scots, Winter,

857 Writers of the present day, 817 -Poetry,

ib.

MONTHLY REGISTER. Romance,

ib. Historical Affairs, -Criticism,

818 State Papers, . -Chemistry, ib. -Prússian Manifesto,

ib. -Medicine, ib. -Russian Manifesto, .

864 -Agriculture,

819 -British Declaration, Important Discoveries in Educa -War on the Cantinent,

867 tion,

ib.
-Prussian Army totally defeated,

ib. Thoughts on two Important Ques. -Letter to the King of Prussia, 872

tions, by Sir John Sinclair, 822 -Turkey', : -1. The Miserable Animal,

-Spain,

ib. -2. The Happy Animal,

823 --Dreadful Accident at Malta, ib. Explanation of Phenomenon in the -Destructive Fire in Sweden,

ib. West Indies, 824 --Naval Intelligence,

877 Gaelic Etymologies, 826 -Domestic Intelligence,

880 Curious enumeration of Scottish

--Diving Bell

ib, Songs, 828 - Ireland,

ib. On the Contrariety between an Au Scottish Chronicle, !

880 thor's Life and Writings, 829 General Election,

is. On the Comparative Merits of Vic -City of Edinburgh,

ib. tual and of Money-Rent,

831
-County of Edinburgh,

882 On the Advantages of the Study of High Court of Justiciary, History,

834 -Caledonian, and Fife Hunt, The Petition of the distressed Fra. Atrocious Murder and Robbery, ternity of Newspapers, 836 Civil Appointments,

ib. Biographical Account of the late Military Appointments,

886 Lord Thurlow, 837 Marriages and Births,

ib. Account of the American Settlement Deaths, .

887 of Kentucky, 841 Prices of Stocks,

888 Prices of Grain

per quarter Corn Ex SCOTTISH REVIEW. change, London,

888 I. Sir William Forbes's Life of Dr Prices of Meal at Edinburgh Market, ib. Beattie, . 844 Prices of Grain at Haddington, ..

ib.

Stats

• 870

ib.

.

.

883 884 885

THE

Scots Magazine,

AND

EDINBURGH LITERARY MISCELLANY,

For NOVEMBER 1806.

Description of the View.

City

INN
N order to gratify the curiosity of H. The Convent of St Francis

our readers respecting our new, 1. The Convent of St Dominic conquest in America, we have, in.

K. The Hospital stead of the usual engraving, pre. L. Church of St John without the sented them, this month, with a Map of the mouth of the River Pla. ta, inclụding all that part of the coun. try to which the British arms have as yet penetrated. It is taken (with Historical Account of the Settlement of the names of places translated) from

BUENOS AYRES. Volume XIV. of the Histoire Gen. erale des Voyages, in 19 vols. 410. IT

T was in 1716 that the Rio de la a valuable collection, to which few Plata was first discovered by John of our readers can have access. We de Solis, a native of Castile. Hic have also given, on a reduced scale, had sailed from Spain, in order to from a different part of the same continue the discovery of Brasil, work, a plan of the town of Buenos which had been begun by Pioson, a Ayres. The divisions are equally companion of Columbus. He first distinct as in the original, but the entered the river of Rio de Janeiro, smallness of the scale has obliged us and then continued to sail along the to describe them by letters ; of which coast, till he came to the mouth of a the following is an explanation: great river, to which he gave his own A. The Fort

name; but finding the navigation a. The Governor's house difficult, he set out in his long boat, 6. The Guard house

leaving the vessel behind him. As c. The Chapel

he continued to range along the westB. The Great Square

ern coast, some of the natives appear. C. The Town house

ed, and, in the most friendly manner; D. The Cathedral

invited him to land. Deceived by E, The Convent of Mercy

these appearances, he went on shore F. The Jesuit's house

with a few of his companions, and G. The Bishop's house

was drawn into an ambuscade which

had

had been laid in the woods, whence? la Plata. He sent home accounts of the Indians rushed out, and pouring his discovery, accompanied by speci. their arrows upon him, killed him meos of those metals, which were at self and all those who accompanied that time the great object of Spanish him. The sailors left in the boat avidity. Receiving DO accounts, then beheld, with astonishment and however, from Spain, he determined horror, a fire kindled, at which their to set out himself, leaving the fort unhappy companions were roasted

roasted under the command of O'Lara, with and devoured by those ferocious sa. a garrison of 120 meo ; but a fatal vages.

accident soon befel them. The apprehension of this terrible Lara, in the view of strengthening fate seems long to have deterred the himself against the hostility of the attempts of future adventurers. The natives, had gained over the Cacique Portuguese governor of Brasil in- of a neighbouring tribe. But he deed, on hearing reports of the im soon found how little dependence could mense wealth that was found in Peru, be placed upon this alliance. Manmade some aitempts to penetrate gora (the Cacique) in one of his vi through Paraguay into that country. sits to the fort, was smitten with the But the parties he sent were either beauty of a lady of the name of cut off, or obliged to return with Lucy Miranda, and having in vain loss.

endeavoured to prevail upon her husIn 1525, however, Sebastian Ca. band to bring her to his habitation, bot,: the discoverer of Newfound. fell upon the following stratagem, in land, encouraged by a rich cargo of order to get possession of her. Hecrspices and other commodities which tado, the lady's husband, having had been brought home by the Victo- been dispatched somewhere with a ry, the only vessel of Magellan's squa- party of 50 men, the treacherous Cadron which returned to Spain, resol. cique came to the fort with a supply ved to attempt penetrating to the of provisions, which were then much East Indies, by the same path with wanted. Being cordially received, that unfortunate navigator. He set and lodged, he and his party got up out accordingly with five vessels ; in the oight time, admitted 4000 of but when he arrived at the mouth of his men, who lay hid in a neighbour. the Rio de Solis, as it was then ing marsh, and massacred the whole called, finding his provisions like garrison, except the unfortunate Mi. to fail, and being threatened with a randa. He himself was slain in the mutiny from his men, he relinquished contest, but his successor, Siripa, his plan of proceeding to the Straits on seeing the lady, was immediately of Magellan, and determined to sail seized with the same passion, and up the river and take a survey of its carried her off with him. The story coasts. He sailed so far as the continues to relate, that the virtue of Islands of St Gabriel, and thence Miranda was equally proof against by mistake proceeded up the Utu. his solicitations as against those of guay, but several of his men who his predecessor ; that her husband ventured to land, being killed by the came in person to demand her of the Indians, he returned to the Paraguay, Cacique ; that Siripa, moved by the and founded a fort, which he entit- entreaties of his fair captive, allowed led, The Fort of the Holy Ghost. them sometimes to converse logether, Meeting on the banks of the river on condition of not carrying their iawith some Indians, who appeared to timacy farther ; but on learning that possess abundance of silver, he gave to this condition was brokco, inhumanly ibe river the pompous title of Rio de put them both to death. The whole

story

a

more

many disasters.

story has somewhat of a romantic the line; and though part arrived in aspect; but it is certain, that, on this safety at the islands of St Gabriel, aoccasion, the settlement, founded by thers were thrown upon the coasts of Cabot, was completely destroyed. Brasil. When the whole were col

The small party who survived, in lected, the fleet was found to extend consequence of their absence from from the islands of St Gabriel, to the the fort, found themselves unable to western bank of the river. This make head against the numerous and place appeared the fittest for their fierce tribes of barbarians by whom new settlement, and

proper

situa. they were surrounded. They went tion being chosen, the name of Nues. therefore a good way

farther

up

the sa Senora de Buenos Ayres was given river, till they arrived at a

to it, from the uncommon health. tranquil spor, where they built a fuiness of the air. small fort. In consequence, how Here, however, a dreadful calamity ever, of some differences with the soon assailed them.

Their proviPortuguese, they were under the ne. sions failed; and the neighbouring cessity of relinquishing this also, and tribes, who were jealous of the new of taking refuge in the isle of St Ca. establishment, strenuously withheld therine

any supply. The wretched colonists The court of Madrid seemed for seldom tasted a morsel which they some time to have drope all thoughts did not wrest from the inhabitants, of a settlement overwhelmed with so sword in hand. In the continual

On a sudden, how. combat to which this state of things ever,

after an interval of seven or gave rise, their small numbers soon eight years, a great armament was wasted away. Three hundred troops, fitted out, equal to any which had whom they had brought with them hitherto been sent to the New World. from Spain, were reduced to eighty. It was under the command of Don The governor, anxious to prevent the Pedro de Mendoza, who received the natives from becoming familiar to the title of Adelantado, and Governor shedding of Spanish blood, prohibi. General of all the countries which ted any one from leaving the fortress should be discovered so far as the under pain of death, and stationed South Sea. He engaged to equip, guards to enforce these orders. Yet at his own expence, two expeditions one woman, impelled by hunger, is of 500 men each, with horses, arms, said to have braved the dangers both provisions, and all other necessaries. without and within, and to have With such a rage were the public made her escape. A wonderful story seized for this expedition, that Men. (into the particulars of which we doza's first party, instead of five, con- shall not enter) is then told of her sisted of twelve hundred persons, ahaving been fed and defended by a mong whom were thirty men of for lioness, whom she had assisted in the tune, most of them eldest sons. No delivery of her young. colony in America is said to have The Adelantado, meanwhile, sent numbered so many illustrious names three vessels farther up the river, in among its founders, and the posteri order, if possible, to procure a supiy of some of these subsist to this ply of provisions. In this object day in Buenos Ayres.

they succeeded, and the settlement The fortunes, however, of this ex. experienced a temporary relief. The pedition, did not at all correspond governor, however, seeing all hig to these magnificent preparations. hopes of wealth and grandeur vanishThe fleet was dispersed by a tempested, and no prospect but that of bewhich came on after they had passed ing cooped up in a little fost, where