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Title: Journeys and Experiences in Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile

Including a Side Trip to the Source of the Paraguay River in the State of Matto Grosso, Brazil, and a Journey Across the Andes to the Rio Tambo in Peru

Author: Henry Stephens

Release Date: January 18, 2014 [eBook #44692]

Language: English

Character set encoding: UTF-8

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Journeys and Experiences
in
Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile

Including a side trip to the source of the Paraguay River in the State of Matto Grosso, Brazil, and a journey across the Andes to the Rio Tambo in Peru

By
Henry Stephens
Harvard, A.B., Vienna, Ph.D.

FIRST EDITION

 

 

The Knickerbocker Press
New York
1920

Copyright
BY
HENRY STEPHENS
1920

TO
MR. H. L. MENCKEN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
WHO IS CONSIDERED TO BE AMERICA'S FOREMOST CRITIC
OF LITERATURE I GLADLY DEDICATE THIS BOOK OF TRAVELS

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I PAGE Montevideo 1 Experience in landing. Population of the city. Conservativeness of the inhabitants. Gambling establishment at Playa Ramirez. Train ride to Colonia. CHAPTER II Buenos Aires 21 Population of the city. Streets and architecture. High cost of living. Hotels. Beverages. Street beggars and vagabonds. Mariano Moreno College. Habit of not bathing. Jews. La Plata. CHAPTER III San Luis 62 Appearance of the city. Capitol. Plazas. Hotels. Neighboring country. Character of the natives. Train ride to Mendoza. CHAPTER IV Mendoza 78 Viticulture. Fruit growing. Wheat. Population and appearance of the city. Earthquake of 1861. Cerrito de la Gloria. Hotels. Aconcagua. Cacheuta. Across the Andes. Arrival in town of Los Andes. CHAPTER V Salta and Tucumán 101 Train ride to Salta. Lerma Valley. Province of Salta. Chuchu fever. Population of the city of Salta. 20th of February Club. Churches and San Francisco Monastery. Population of the city of Tucumán. Capitol. Governor Padilla. Heat of the city. Hotel Savoy. Kirwin the photographer. Villa Nougués. CHAPTER VI Córdoba 130 Province of Córdoba. Description of the city of Córdoba. Great number of consumptives. Breweries. Streets, religious edifices, and hotels. Sierra de Córdoba. Cosquin. Locust pest. Rosario; its hotels. Pergamino. Mercedes. CHAPTER VII Asuncion 155 Train ride from Buenos Aires. Population of Paraguayan districts and towns. Don Eduardo Schaerer. Currency. Colonnades. Pavement of Asuncion's streets. Oratory of Lopez. Climate, rains, and reptiles. Madame Lynch. Hotels. Mangrullo Cemetery. Market-place. Cigars. Low cost of living. Asuncene womanhood. Unmorality. Ypacara-i. CHAPTER VIII To the Source of the Paraguay River 195 River scenery. Villa

Concepcion. San Salvador. State of Matto Grosso. Corumbá. Lawlessness. By water to Cuyabá. City of Cuyabá. Huber. Detour to source of river. Bog and pool. Huber becomes ill; his death. Diamantino. Return to Buenos Aires by river. Yerba maté. CHAPTER IX Santiago 226 Republic of Chile. Central Valley. Longitudinal railways. Paucity of factories. Breweries. The Chileno. Illegitimacy. Fiesta of the Angelito. Reception in Santiago. Compactness of the city; its streets. Installation of the president. Military parade. American ambassador. Hotels. High death rate. General Cemetery. Apoquindo. CHAPTER X Baths of Cauquenes. Chiloé Island. Lake Nahuel. Huapi 263 Rancagua. Baths of Cauquenes. Hostelry. Horseback ride to Los Lirios. Linares. Panimávida. Araucania and its native inhabitants. Temuco. Valdivia. Osorno. Fire at Osorno. Ancud. Castro. Lake Llanquihue. El Tronador Puella. Puerto Blest. Lake Nahuel Huapi. San Carlos de Bariloche. CHAPTER XI Chillán. Ascent of the Volcano Chillán 312 Description of the city. Hotel de France. Earthquake. Chillán Viejo. Birthplace of O'Higgins. Journey to Las Termas de Chillán. Establishment of Las Termas. Gambling. Episode of the administrator's brother. Snowfields and glaciers. Eruption of volcano. Don Vicente Mendez U. Curicó. CHAPTER XII Northward to Antofagasta by Rail. Copiapó, Antofagasta, and Iquique 347 Greenberg's adventure. San Felipe. Jahuel. Palm groves. Choapa Valley. Illapel. La Serena. Vallenar. Oasis of Copiapó. Retrogressant provincial capital. Professor Platner. Desert. Prosperity of Antofagasta. Strict prohibition laws. Bubonic plague. Pestilential Tocopilla. Description of Iquique. CHAPTER XIII Arica to Ilo Overland, via Tacna, Tarata, and Moquegua. Mollendo 387 Dr. Petit. Morro of Arica. Dispute between Chile and Peru over Tacna and Arica. Architect Pitaud. Description of Tacna. Peculiar architecture. Hotel Raiteri. Don Santiago Carmona. Caplina Valley. Ascending the Andes, Tarata. Parish priest. Tales of buried treasure. Hacienda Carmona. Ticalco and Sama Valleys. Stupidity of Peruvian jefe politico. Ilabaya. Dishonest cholo and Prat's spree. Don José Vergara. Moquegua. Ilo. Stinking Mollendo. Arrival at Callao. CHAPTER XIV Lima 434 Architecture of Callao. Mixed population of Lima and its seaport. Origin of Lima. Rimac River. Interesting city. Its population. Confusion of street names. Concepcion Market. Religious edifices and procession of El Milagro. Hotels and cafés. Difficulty in getting money changed. Crookedness of post office officials. General Cemetery. Viceroys of Peru. CHAPTER XV Across the Cordillera to the Rio Tambo 470 Departure from Oroya. Across the Cumbre. Tarma. Valley of the Rio Palca. Huacapistana. Tropical vegetation. Swinging bridges. San Ramon. La Merced and the Chanchamayo River. Chuncho, Campas, and Cashibo Indians. Perené Colony. Down the Ucayali. Iquitos. Head hunting Indians. CHAPTER XVI Business Prospects in Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile 496 Knowledge of Spanish and of the Latin character a necessity. Companies should be fully capitalized. Wheat belt of Argentina. Argentina poor in fuel and in minerals. Zona del Riego. Flour mills and beef canning factories. Stock raising and great ranches. Tannic acid factories. Grafting politicians. Breweries and sugar mills. Yerba maté industry in Paraguay. Bright outlook for Chile. Topography of the country. Nitrate, minerals, and viticulture. Breweries. Enamel works. Railroads of Chile. Great need of good hotels.

ILLUSTRATIONS

  PAGE Henry Stephens, Ph.D. Locust Pest in Argentina Snow in the Tropics Reflection of Aconcagua in the Clouds above Valparaiso Frontispieces Colonia, Uruguay 19 Congress Building, Buenos Aires 23 Buenos Aires Types 25

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@44692@[email protected]#i052" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">Avenida de Mayo, Buenos Aires 27 Mr. Oliver H. Lane 29 Calle Bartolome Mitré, Buenos Aires 31 Fireman and Policeman, Buenos Aires 33 Zoölogical Garden, Buenos Aires 35 Scene on the River at Tigre 53 Station of the Southern Railway, La Plata 55 Old Railway Station, La Plata 56 Bank of the Argentine Nation, La Plata 57 Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires, La Plata 58 Allegorical Statue of La Plata 59 Unfinished Cathedral, La Plata 60 Plaza San Martin, Mercedes 63 Street in San Luis 65 Bank of the Argentine Nation, San Luis 66 Capitol, San Luis 68 Matriz Church, San Luis 70 Estancia near San Luis 73 Statue of San Martin, Mendoza 84 Avenida San Martin, Mendoza 85 Monument to the Army of the Andes, Mendoza 89 Waiting for the Train at Cacheuta 94 On the Terrace at Cacheuta 95 Thermal Establishment at Cacheuta 97 One of the Diversions at Cacheuta that is neither Bathing nor Gambling 98 Steps at Cacheuta Leading from the Railroad Station to the Hotel 99 Güemes 107 Cathedral and Bishop's Palace, Salta 109 Tomb in Cemetery, Salta 113 Calle Mitre, Salta 116 Capitol, Tucumán 121 Calle Laprida, Tucumán 123

tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">Residence of Dr. Juan C. Nougués, San Pablo 127 Country House at Villa Nougués 128 Northern Market, Córdoba 133 Cathedral of Córdoba 137 Residence of Martin Ferreyra, Córdoba 138 Church of Santa Teresa, Córdoba 139 Zoölogical Garden, Córdoba 141 Corner of Plaza San Martin, Córdoba 142 Bridge on Road to Dique San Roque 144 Courthouse, Rosario 147 Street Scene, Rosario 148 Plaza 25 de Mayo, Rosario 149 Street Scene, Rosario 150 Calle San Nicolas, Pergamino 151 Plaza 25 de Mayo, Pergamino 152 Street in Mercedes 153 Scene from Railroad Station at Villa Rica 162 Casa de Gobierno, or Capitol, Asuncion 167 Drawing Showing Construction of Colonnades on a Paraguayan Building 170 Cabildo, or City Hall, Asuncion 171 Plazoleta del Puerto, Asuncion 172 Calle Palmas, Asuncion 173 Calle 15 de Agosto, Asuncion 174 Street Scene, Outskirts of Asuncion 175 Mangrullo Cemetery, Asuncion 184 Street Scene, Cuyabá 205 Street Scene, Outskirts of Cuyabá 206 Source of the Paraguay River 213 House in Diamantino where Huber Died 220 Diagram Showing Idea of Central Valley of Chile in Relationship to the Andes Mountains and the Coast Range, with Course of Streams 227 Scenery, Central Valley of Chile 229 Village Scene, Central Chile 230

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@44692@[email protected]#i258" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">The Valdivia Breweries Company, Valdivia 233 Santa Lucia Hill, Santiago 239 General View of Santiago from Santa Lucia Hill 241 Alameda, Santiago 242 Calle Huerfanos, Santiago 243 Modern Residence on the Alameda, Santiago 244 Calle Ejercito Liberador, Santiago 245 Fountain in Santiago 247 President Don Juan Luis Sanfuentes of Chile with Cabinet 248 Monument of Don Pedro Montt, Cementerio Jeneral, Santiago 249 View Looking West on Compañia Street from Estado at the Plaza de Armas, Santiago 251 Cathedral Street, Santiago 252 Mapocho River near Santiago 256 Street in Nuñoa, Chile 261 Plaza O'Higgins, Rancagua 264 Calle Bresil, Rancagua 265 Street in Rancagua 266 Gorge of the Cachapoal at Baños de Cauquenes 268 Main Street of Linares 277 Panimávida 278 Bridge over the Malleco River at Collipulli 283 Street in Temuco 287 Plaza de la Republica, Valdivia 289 Calle-Calle River at Valdivia, Showing Flour Mills 291 Street in Valdivia 292 Riñihue Landscape, Southern Chile 293 Osorno 295 Scenery on the Railroad between Osorno and Puerto Montt 297 Indian Belles, Chiloé Island, Chile 301 Lake Todos Santos from Petrohué 304 Puella 306 El Tronador, Chile 308

class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">San Carlos de Bariloche 311 Plaza O'Higgins, Chillán 314 Calle Roble, Chillán, Looking East from Calle Arauco 315 Street in Chillán 316 Market Place, Chillán 317 Scene at the Station at Pinto 322 Post Station at La Dehesa 323 Harvesting Scene at La Dehesa 324 Mountain in the Renegado Canyon, Chile 325 Corral of Las Trancas 326 Forest in the Province of Ñuble, Chile 327 Scene on the Road to Termas de Chillán 328 Termas de Chillán 329 Casuchas at Termas de Chillán 330 Mr. Henry Stephens 333 Mr. Hugo Gumprecht 333 View towards the Argentine Frontier from the Slopes of Volcano Chillán 334 Glacier Covered with Fresh Snow on the Volcano 335 Rim of the Crater of Volcano Chillán During Eruption 337 Snow Fields of Volcano Chillán 337 From the Slopes of Volcano Chillán 339 Savedra, Gumprecht, and Prat on Lava Fields of Volcano Chillán 339 Mountain Scenery and Waterfall at Las Trancas 343 Church in San Felipe 348 City Hall, San Felipe 349 Street in San Felipe 352 Street in Almendraz 353 Jahuel 356 Ocoa 359 Street in Vallenar 362 Alameda in Copiapó 363 Monument Erected in Honor of Atacama's Illustrious Dead, Copiapó 364

class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">Main Street of Copiapó 365 Main Street of Copiapó 366 Outskirts of Copiapó 367 Hovels on the Outskirts of Copiapó 368 Cemetery, Copiapó 369 Plaza Colon, Antofagasta 374 Provincial Capitol Building, Antofagasta 375 Street in Antofagasta 377 Street in Tocopilla 380 Cemeteries at Tocopilla 382 Street in Iquique 384 Street in Iquique 385 Cemetery, Iquique 386 Custom House, Arica 388 Street in Arica 389 Capitol Building at Tacna 392 Street in Tacna Showing Earthquake Proof Houses 393 Calle Bolivar, Tacna 394 Fountain in Tacna 395 Unfinished Cathedral in Tacna 396 Style of Tacna Architecture 397 Old Residence, Tacna 398 Street in Tacna 399 Calle Miller, Tacna 400 Alameda, Tacna 401 Street in Tarata 406 Street in Ilabaya, Peru 423 Alameda, Moquegua 426 Street in Moquegua 428 Street in Moquegua 429 Callao Harbor 435 Puente Vieja, Lima, as Seen from the Bed of the Rimac 438 Calle Huallaga, Lima 440 Plaza Italia, Lima. Vendors of

Bread 441 Plazuela de la Inquisicion, Lima 442 Boulevard in Lima 444 Façade of San Augustin Church, Lima 447 Procession of the Milagro, Lima 449 Cercado Church, Lima 460 Tomb of the Goyeneche Family, in the General Cemetery, Lima 461 Mr. Kurt Waldemar Linn of New York 462 Mr. Linn of New York Rising out of the Tomb Erected in Honor of the Peruvian Heroes of the Pacific War, 1879-1882 463 Corpse Bearer, General Cemetery, Lima 464 Putting a Coffin into a Niche, General Cemetery, Lima 465 Llamas at Casapalca 474 Tarma, Peru 477 Cemetery, Tarma 479 Argentine Plazas. Plate No. I 521 Argentine Plazas. Plate No. II 523 Chilean Plazas. Plate No. III 525 Map Showing Route Taken by Author At End

Journeys and Experiences in Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile

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CHAPTER I
MONTEVIDEO

In my former book, South American Travels, I made a statement relative to the pronunciation of the word "Montevideo" as follows: "Many foreigners make the mistake of pronouncing the name of the city with the accent on its penultima 'e'. Each syllable should be pronounced alike, with no distinction made as onto which syllable the accent falls." I have since found out that I was wrong, and am convinced so by my losing a ten-dollar bet with a gentleman relative to the pronunciation of the Uruguayan metropolis. Montevideo has its accent on the penultima. The word is derived from the Latin "Montem video" the final m in montem having been dropped to facilitate pronunciation. Its site was first discovered by Magellan in 1520, and as the 493 feet high dun-colored cerro, which dominates the western side of the harbor on whose shores the city is now built, appeared on the occidental horizon, somebody at the bow of the ship yelled out, "Montem video" ("I see a mountain"), which words gave the city its present name. It can be safely assumed that the man at the bow who uttered the Latin exclamation was a priest or a friar because who amongst a crew of sailors and adventurers would have a knowledge of Latin unless it was a man who had taken Holy Orders? The Spaniards and Portuguese in those days never embarked on any expedition without taking some of these gentry along.

Montevideo is sometimes called "Queen of La Plata" on account of its cleanliness, haughty reserve, and aristocratic appearance; more often has it been styled "Modern Troy" due to decades of internecine strife, anarchy, revolutions, and a Ten Years' War. Now that there has been quietude for several years, with prospects of continued peace, it is unfair to its inhabitants to liken it to the prehistoric city at the southeastern end of the Hellespont.

Several times during the years 1915 and 1916, I visited Montevideo, having made occasional trips from Buenos Aires, but an episode connected with my last advent on Uruguayan shores will take an indefinitely long time to erase it from my memory. It was like this:

On February 17, 1916, I had embarked on the Lamport & Holt steamship Vestris at La Plata for Montevideo to bid farewell to friends returning to the United States. The steamer was scheduled to sail from Montevideo at 2 P.M. the next day.

When that time came I was in the dining room, and was so engrossed in a conversation that appealed to me that I never heard the ringing of bells and the blowing of whistles that denote that an ocean leviathan is about to get under way. Suddenly an acquaintance, Mr. Lynn B. Packer of Norwich, N. Y., ran into the dining room calling out: "The ship is in motion, Stephens, we are in for it!" We both ran up the stairs and onto the deck. True enough, the Vestris was sailing but at a snail's pace, and the anchor was being pulled up. The lighter containing the visitors had left and was now but a black speck behind the breakwater. Not even a fishing boat was in sight. We ran to the port side, and saw a few hundred feet away a rowboat in which were two men pulling away. We yelled to them and waved our handkerchiefs; they stopped. We took off our coats and waved them also;

they swung their rowboat around and rowed back towards us. A steward and a couple of sailors got a rope-ladder which they hung over the railing of the deck, and down this Packer and myself clambered, and jumped into the rowboat which had now reached the sides of the Vestris. The two men of the rowboat now pulled out to let the ocean liner pass by, so as not to get caught in the vortex of water caused by the propellers.

The sea was rough; a leaden sky cast a gloomy canopy over the leaden water; to the left rose the dun-colored cerro crowned by its prison and lighthouse. In the background nearly two miles away, seemed to rise in tiers, the somber buildings of drab Montevideo, the twin towers of the cathedral, the Gothic steeple of a church, and a large rectangular pile at the water's edge, which was formerly the university, being silhouetted against the sky line. Black hulls of ships, merchantmen, and freighters flying the flags of most civilized nations, besides the interned German ships of the Kosmos Line, dotted the harbor and the open sea outside of the breakwater, but we were at least half a mile from the nearest one of them.

We now began to size up the two boatmen. They were a villainous looking pair. The one who acted as the boss was an undersized man about thirty-five years old. He wore a black moustache, and about two weeks stubble of beard. His hair was unkempt, and white mucus had collected at the corners of his mouth and eyes. He stunk of garlic, and his clothes were dirty and greasy. His companion was a tall and slender man, a few years his junior. His appearance was likewise unkempt, although his long face, covered with pimples, was clean shaven, except for an occasional straggling whisker on his chin which his razor had overlooked.

The boss boatman, knowing me to be a North American, attempted to converse with me in English, but his knowledge of that tongue was so execrable that he soon had to desist; he knew but a few words of Spanish. By mixing lingoes we made ourselves understood and he informed me that he was a resident of Rio de Janeiro, of which city he was a native, and that he was at present employed as a doctor on a Brazilian passenger ship in Montevideo, and that his regular trips were from Manaos on the Amazon to Montevideo, touching at all the seaports; his comrade, he informed me, was a Paulista and was the Marconi operator on the same ship. Both had been making a visit to the different ships now anchored in Montevideo harbor, having had chats with the doctors and Marconi-men of said ships, and were returning to their own vessel when hailed by us.

This yarn I refused to believe, for no man that I had ever seen had a more unmedical appearance than the boss boatman; moreover instead of attempting to row us to the docks, both men were rowing towards the Brazilian vessel, which we were approaching, and which belied its title of a passenger ship, having more the appearance of a freighter. The sea, as I said, was rough, and I yelled to the boatmen to swing around as I had no desire to be carried into the South Atlantic in an open boat; my misgivings were not so much on account of the elements, as for the thought that I became obsessed with, namely that these two vagabonds were trying to shanghai us, endeavoring to get us aboard the Brazilian ship. Montevideo, Valparaiso, and Callao are noted as tough ports, where shanghaiing is rife, and many of these stories were brought to my mind. To Packer, who lay reposing in the stern, I told my doubts. He replied that he had been thinking the same thing for some time. I told him the best thing for us to do would be to ask for the oars so that we could row back to shore ourselves; in case the boatmen refused, to rush them, and lay them out. He said he was game for a fight but refused to row, giving some excuse which I interpreted in meaning that he was too lazy. I had nothing but a pocket knife with me, and in case of a fight, meant to plant the blade in some vulnerable spot in the anatomy of the boss boatman, whom I took to be the boss villain.

We had gradually been drifting out in the open sea, and the waves were becoming rougher. These were also unpleasant thoughts, especially since during the last few minutes the Brazilians had developed a streak of laziness. Packer gave me a wink which was the cue, and I asked for the oars. Great was my astonishment and also relief of mind, when instead of refusing my request which would have brought on a sanguinary fight with possible loss of life to one or more of us, the boss boatman handed me the oars. The Paulista, ready for a siesta, even though the sea was rough, dropped his oars beside his comrade, and turned over on his side for a snooze. All alone, with no help, I had to row the three occupants back, as each refused to labor any more. It took me two hours, hard pulling, before we again reached the dock at Montevideo. Believing that the "doctor" stunt was a lie, and that both were sailors from the Brazilian vessel, I offered the boatmen a piece of change for their aid in bringing us to terra firma, for unless they had taken us in their rowboat we would by this time be well under way for Santos. The boss boatman was indignant and informed me that I was insulting him. I then handed out some silver to the "Marconi" operator; he was on the point of accepting it, but withdrew his hand at a growl of disapproval from the "doctor."

"You had better have some refreshment," I said to them, leading the way to a nearby bar. They followed me and seating themselves at the same table with us, ordered some raspberry soda. This was astonishment No. 2, for I could hardly conceive such villainous-looking rascals imbibing anything milder than one hundred proof whiskey.

"See this ring," quoth the Fluminense, turning a finger to me so that I could see within the gold setting, a black stone in which was chiselled the image of a serpent: "It denotes the cult of Æsculapius. Most Brazilian doctors wear them. I have been on the same ship for three years. Here is my card." The man pulled a book out of his pocket similar to a lodge pass-book at home, and true enough I saw that he was telling the truth, and that he really was a bona fide physician.

We must have sat at the table for about fifteen minutes, when the Marconi operator got into a row with the waiter, whom he claimed overcharged him the day before on a dish of ice cream. The waiter called the proprietor and a big rumpus occurred. It wound up by the Paulista pulling a fist full of nickle-in-the-slot machine slugs out of his pocket and hurling them with great force into the face of the outraged proprietor. Before he could recover his astonishment, both Brazilians "beat it" in the direction of the docks. Packer and I, anticipating trouble, also "beat it," but up the hill. No man likes to chase another up hill. In case any reader of this article should go to Montevideo, and would like to know where this particular café is, I wish to inform him that it is situated at the southwest corner of the streets, Rampla and Alzaibar.

That same night as I was standing on the Plaza Matriz in front of the Hotel Lanata, I was accosted by a very clean-looking gentleman, immaculately dressed in black, wearing spats, and carrying a small cane. I thought it was a case of mistaken identity and was about to pass on, when to my amazement I recognized the doctor. The transformation was complete. He could now pass for a boulevardier while before he had the air of a cutthroat. He informed me that he had rowed back to his ship, changed his attire, and had returned to shore by a motor boat.

The city of Montevideo has about four hundred thousand inhabitants exclusive of suburbs, and stretches over quite an area of land, due to the broad streets and lowness of its houses. It is built around the harbor and also along the Atlantic

Ocean which is separated from the harbor by a hill in the shape of a whaleback. At the western end of the harbor is the cerro which marks the mouth of the La Plata and which is the only hill worthy of the name until that of Lambaré is reached one thousand miles up the river, the landmark for Asuncion. The whaleback is the business part of the city, although the shopping district has now a tendency to spread more eastward. The gradient to the top of the whaleback on which lies the Calle Sarandi, one of the principal streets of the city, is gentle, but yet I have several acquaintances who refused to walk it, preferring to go from the docks to the Plaza Matriz in a taxicab. One of these men is Mr. Oliver H. Lane, formerly of Washington before that city was made "dry," but who, because that calamity befell the National Capital, moved to Boston. One day in December, 1915, he, Packer, and I started from the docks uptown on foot. After we had gone two blocks, Lane planted his back against the wall of a building and said:

"What do you take me for? Do you think I want to walk to Paraguay?"

As there were no taxicabs around, Packer and I were obliged to walk about three-quarters of a mile to the Plaza Matriz to get one to return for Lane, whom we found in the same identical spot with his back still against the wall.

Montevideo ranks according to the tonnage of vessels entering and clearing its harbor as the ninth port in the world, surpassing all South American cities in this respect. Until about fifty years ago, it was the metropolis of the La Plata watershed. About that time Buenos Aires passed it, and to-day the population of the Argentine metropolis is four times larger. Montevideo has a fine harbor; Buenos Aires has none. The Uruguayan back country is richer than the country behind Buenos Aires. Montevideo has a wonderful climate, cool, invigorating, with a fresh breeze always blowing; Buenos Aires has a humid, enervating, somewhat depressing climate. With these natural superiorities, one would think Montevideo would outrank Buenos Aires but not so. Buenos Aires has always had a spirit of progression, which has become contagious and has spread to Rosario, and to Bahia Blanca; Montevideo has always been conservative, entirely wrapped in herself, indifferent to other cities. Uruguay, which is the smallest republic in South America, has an area of only 72,210 square miles, not as large as the province of Buenos Aires alone. Of its population of 1,042,668 inhabitants, one half live within a radius of twenty miles from the center of the city of Montevideo. The difference between Buenos Aires and Montevideo is so great that it is difficult to realize that they are separated only by a night's run of 190 knots.

The topography of the city is a succession of low hills which flank the harbor. They continue to the cerro, seven miles around the semi-circular harbor, and on their sides and summits are built a succession of villages not included in the incorporation limits of Montevideo. On the cerro rise the whitewashed houses of the town of Villa del Cerro, while at its bottom slopes near the La Plata mouth there is a large eucalyptus grove of dark green color, a landmark for many miles at sea.

There was but little building done in Montevideo between the years 1912 and 1916; in fact I could see no change, although I have no doubt but that the population is increasing on a normal scale. The monotony of the appearance of the residential streets is impressing. Each street has the same cobblestone pavement; on each street there are sycamore trees between the pavement and the sidewalk; the houses are mostly the same, one and two stories high, built of the same material and offering absolutely no contrast in architecture, in size, or color to the thousands like them in the Uruguayan metropolis. This same condition must have existed since the Colonial times, because one writer, whose book written about 1830 I recently read, said in his description of Montevideo that on account of the great similarity of the houses and absence of street numbers, drunken men frequently mistook houses of other people for their own and entered them at different times of the day and night causing much embarrassment and confusion.

The residences of the wealthier inhabitants do not have this monotonous uniformity. They are villas, set back from the street in large gardens and lawns, enclosed by low brick walls. In architecture they are light and resemble the houses of the aristocracy of Rio de Janeiro. Compared with the palatial homes of the Buenos Aires millionaires they are inexpensive. The Avenida Agraciada is the main residential street, but the Avenida Brazil in the suburb of Pocitos has many fine homes, some of which are the summer abodes of Argentinos who like to spend the hottest months of the summer by the seashore. The very finest mansion in the city is on the Plaza Zabala, the loafers' park, in the business section on the whaleback, and not far from the docks. It is owned by an Italian who wished to have his residence near to his place of business.