OLIVA.-VILLA VILLETA. 113 under the lasso, to the bank in front of the steamer, and there slaughtered for our use. Twelve miles beyond Villa Franca, and a quarter of a mile from the banks of the Paraguay, is the village Oliva. Here the river takes a serpentine course, and, for the first time, the banks on the Chaco side rise to the height of twenty feet, presenting at deep stratum of reddish clay beneath the vegetable surface-soil. They are well timbered with lapacho, quebracho, urunday, and a variety of other woods. Again this forest is succeeded by palms, which, like those of Paraguay, rise from vigorous and verdant plains of grass, without under-growth. Oliva stands on a plain twenty feet above the river, which has here overflowed the low lands in front, although this is not the reputed season of high water; for the same uniformity which marks the periodical changes of the Parana does not prevail in the Paraguay. Twelve miles above this village, on the Chaco side, is Monte Linda, a beautiful grove of catigua. From Oliva to Villa Villeta, the next small town on the Paraguay, the distance is sixty-two miles. We anchored here after dark. As I was anxious to proceed early the next morning, notwithstanding the hour, I called to pay my respects to the chief dignitary of the village, whom I found seated under the projecting roof of his house, surrounded by his family. While the officers amused a group of villagers who had gathered around them with tales of the dangers they had passed, I smoked a cigar with the commandante by the dim light of a lantern that hung in front of his dwelling, designed as much to attract the musquitoes from within as to give light to the company without. Nearly all the houses of Villa Villeta are constructed with these projections, which serve the double purpose of protecting them from the scorching rays of the sun, and in the evening as places of resort for the inhabitants, who there sit, gossip and smoke-the latter an accomplishment not limited to age or sex. A short distance above this village the fine rolling lands of Paraguay opened before us, with inclosed and well-cultivated fields of corn, tobacco, and mandioca, alternated by beautiful palm groves. Nothing could be more picturesque or verdant than the country on both sides, and we had here what alone was needed to perfect the landscapes below-habitations and culture. Ranchos and quintas, surrounded by orange groves, were dotted here and there, multiplying as we approached the capital. 114 ARRIVAL AT ASUNCION. Six miles above Villeta is the guardia of San Antonio, which was occupied in 1853 by "the American Company" established in Paraguay. Beyond this guardia we passed Mount Lambare, an isolated, conical wooded hill, of basaltic formation, rising abruptly from the river bank to the height of three hundred and twelve feet. On the opposite or Chaco side is the Riacho Yaguare, into which empties the River Ypita, considered by some one of the two mouths of the Pilcomayo. A mile or two below the capital, the left banks become quite precipitous, presenting a stratum of reddish chalk beneath the surface-soil; and immediately opposite is an island, across which is seen the upper branch or mouth of the Pilcomayo. Here the Paraguay turns abruptly east, and a mile above, on the left bank, stands Asuncion, We anchored off the town on the 1st of October, and received a visit from the captain of the port. Preliminaries arranged, a national salute was fired from the Water Witch, with the Paraguay flag at the fore, which was returned by the field-pieces of the garrison at the government house. The general width of the Paraguay up to the capital is half a mile, at some points less than a quarter. The least depth found was twenty feet, the greatest seventy-two, and "no bottom." Velocity of current in general, two miles per hour. There seems to be less uniformity in its rise and fall than in those of the Parana. It has now reached its maximum height, which it ordinarily attains in December, and this is but the beginning of the "rising season." With a view of determining, with some degree of accuracy, its rise and fall, a graduated staff was "planted" in a suitable place, and the fall of the river observed from the 24th of October, 1853, to the 31st of March, 1854, throughout one entire period of falling, and a portion of its rise. It was estimated, at the time of the erection of the staff, that the waters had fallen two feet, and, judging from the rate at which it fell, the river must have been at its highest point the 1st of October. The greatest fall from October 1st to February 5th was thirteen feet three inches. To a clear comprehension of the fluctuation in the river during the time embraced, I take from the journal the following table kept by Lieutenant Ammen. RISE AND FALL OF THE PARAGUAY. 115 Statement of the fall and rise of the River Paraguay, at Asuncion, from October 1st, 1853, to March 31st, 1854. The river was above its ordinary high water on the 1st of October. From October 1st to 24th, supposed fall by marks Ft. In. 2.00 66 Greatest fall from Oct. 1st to Feb. 5th On February 28th, same level. From 66 28th to March 31st, river rose 12 03 The width of the river at Asuncion by calculation was found to be six hundred and five yards. It has, up to the capital, few islands, and the navigation is less difficult than that of the Parana. Its waters are confined within narrower limits, and its channel has more uniformly the same depth. It has no such obstructions as rocks or sunken trees, but sufficient depth throughout the year for the largest river steamers, and enough at certain seasons for vessels of sixteen feet-the greatest draught that could be carried over the bar at Martin Garcia Island, under the ordinary rise of the tide at that point. The banks are wooded with fine timber throughout, save at limited sections subject to inundation. Much of this wood is valuable for building and ornamental purposes, and also as fuel for steamers, and the waters contain a great variety of excellent fish, that may be caught either with seine or hook and line. 116 INTERVIEW WITH LOPEZ. CHAPTER VII. Interviews with President Lopez.-Negotiations.--Residence at Asuncion.-The City.-Buildings.-Francia's Tomb.-Francia's Cruelties.-Isolation of Paraguay.-Francia's System.-Dahlgreen's Howitzer.-The American Company.Celebration of Lopez's Birth-day.-Reception at the Government House.-Grand Ball at the Residence of the Chief Justice.-The Speech. ON the day of our arrival I called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and presented my letters of credence from the Secretary of State, Mr. Everett. In this interview, "El Secretario” betrayed more curiosity than intelligence as to the objects of our expedition. My visit ended with an appointment to call on the President the same day at 4 o'clock. I was punctual to the hour, and found the corridor that surrounds the government house filled with soldiers, who gave the usual military salute as we passed. On entering the vestibule, where was stationed a small guard, an officer received my card, and taking it in to the President, I was, without a moment's detention, admitted to his presence. A door, on each side of which was stationed a soldier, gave access from the vestibule to a long, plainly-carpeted room, against the walls of which stood a row of cane-seat chairs, arranged with military precision. At the upper end was a circular table, where sat, with one arm resting upon it, "His Excellency Señor Don Carlos Antonio Lopez," President of the Republic of Paraguay. The engraving on the opposite page will give the reader a more vivid impression of His Excellency's personal appearance than any description I could possibly offer. A chair was placed (I presume purposely) at the table before him, and, slightly raising his hat, without rising, as I approached, he requested me to be seated, and to place my hat on the table, which I afterward discovered was an act of condescension not to be too lightly esteemed. I showed him my commission from the President of the United States, of which he requested a copy, and explained to him the objects of the expedition under my command. This reception was very unlike the unpretending but courteous style of the Provisional Director of the Argentine Confederation. I afterward learned, however, that it was the usual etiquette observed by the President of Paraguay on all official occasions to remain seated with his hat on. The higher the rank of the visitor, the more particular is he in this observance. Subsequently I had frequent interviews with him, and occasionally I have known him to relax somewhat, and even to take his hat off; a mark, I was assured, of extraordinary personal favor toward myself. He is about fifty-four, and has never been out of the confines of Paraguay, where, though ruling under the title of President, his authority is despotic and unquestioned. He is highly intelligent, well read, and familiar with the polity of foreign governments; he is also an accomplished, but, as I afterward discovered, unscrupulous diplomatist. Owing to the isolated position of his country, and her freedom, so far, from friction with governments foreign to La Plata, or from checks at home, he is rather defiant of the laws of nations. I found him, in conversation, far more agreeable and affable than I |