by the Treaty between Spain and Portugal of 1777. Original Maps obtained

Page 179 CHAPTER XII. THE LITTORINE PROVINCES. SANTA FÉ—ENTRE RIOS—CORRIENTES—THE OLD JESUIT MISSIONS—PARAGUAY UNDER DR. FRANCIA. De Garay founds Santa Fé, and meets with Spaniards from Peru. His subsequent Deeds and Death. The Government of the Rio de la Plata separated from that of Paraguay, and Santa Fé annexed to Buenos Ayres. Its former prosperity, and great capabilities, especially for Steam Navigation. The Entre Rios—constituted a Province in 1814, its Extent, Government, and Population—chiefly a grazing Country. Corrientes—its valuable natural Productions—mistaken ideas of the people as to Foreign Trade. The Lake Ybera—Pigmies, Ants, Ant-Eaters, Locusts, and Beetles. The Missions now depopulated—their happy and flourishing state under the Jesuits. Paraguay—some Account of its former Prosperity and Trade, and the establishment of the tyrannical rule of Dr. Francia Page 195 CHAPTER XIII. THE CENTRAL PROVINCES. CORDOVA, LA RIOJA, SANTIAGO, TUCUMAN, CATAMARCA, SALTA. Cordova. Government. Pastoral Habits of the People. Productions. La Rioja. Population, &c. Famatina Mines. Evils arising from the present subdivision of the Provincial Governments. Santiago del Estero. The Sandy Desert or Traversia. Quichua Language. Productions, &c. The Salado navigable to the Paranã. The Chaco. Mass of native Iron found there. Theory of its Meteoric Origin questionable. Account of the native Iron from Atacama. Tucuman. Delightful Climate. Mines—little worked. Richness of the Vegetation. Declaration of Independence of the Provinces made there in 1816. Catamarca. Population, &c. Original Inhabitants—their long Wars with the Spaniards. Salta. Divisions, Population, Government, Climate, Rivers. The Vermejo, and its Affluents from Tarija and Jujuy. Valuable Productions of this Province. Labour of the Mataco Indians obtainable, and preferable to that of Europeans in such Latitudes. Importance of inland Steam Navigation urged Page 238 CHAPTER XIV. PROVINCES OF CUYO. SAN LUIS, MENDOZA, SAN JUAN. The towns of Cuyo formerly attached to Cordova. Value of the old municipal institutions. San Luis, wretched state of the population. The miserable weakness of the Government exposes the whole southern frontier of the Republic to the Indians. Aconcagua seen from the town. Mines of Carolina. Account of a journey over the Pampas in a carriage. Mendoza, extent, rivers, artificial irrigation, productions. Mines not worth working by English companies. Ancient Peruvian road. City of Mendoza, and salubrity of the Climate. San Juan. The productions similar to those of Mendoza, Wine, Brandy, and Corn—Quantity of Corn produced yearly. Mines of Jachal Character of the people. Passes across the Andes. Dr. Gillies' account of an excursion by those of the Planchon and Las Damas. Singular animal found in the provinces of Cuyo named the Chlamyphorus, described by Mr. Yarrell Page 294 CHAPTER XV. TRADE. Advantages of the situation of Buenos Ayres in a commercial point of view. Amount of Imports into Buenos Ayres in peaceable times. From what Countries. Great proportion of the whole British Manufactures. Articles introduced from other parts of[Pg xxviii] the World. The Trade checked by the Brazilian War, and subsequent Civil Disturbances. Recovering since 1831. Proportion of it taken off by Monte Video since its independence. Comparative view of Exports. Scarcity of Returns. Capabilities of the Country. Advantage of encouraging Foreigners. The Wool Trade becoming of importance owing to their exertions. Other useful productions which may be cultivated in the interior. Account of the origin and increase of the Horses and Cattle in the Pampas Page 333 CHAPTER XVI. PUBLIC DEBT. Origin of the Funded Debt of Buenos Ayres. Receipts and Expenditure from 1822 to 1825, during peace. Loan raised in England. War with Brazil, and stoppage of all Revenue from the Customhouse for three years. Pecuniary difficulties in consequence. The Provincial Bank of Buenos Ayres converted into a National one. The Government interferes with it, and, by forcing it to increase its issues, destroys its credit. Debt at the close of the war at the end of 1828. Hopes founded on the peace destroyed by the mutiny of the Army;—deplorable consequences of that event. Depreciation of the Currency. Deficit in the Revenue, and increase of the Funded Debt:—its amount in 1834, and further increase in 1837. General Account of the Liabilities of the Government up to that year;—increased by subsequent war with Bolivia, and French Blockade Page 374 APPENDIX. No. 1.—Declaration of Independence of the United Provinces of South America, in 1816 Page 392 No. 2.—Estimated Population of the Provinces of the Rio de la Plata, 1836-7 Page 393 No. 3.—Statistics of British Residents at Buenos Ayres, in 1831— Page 394 No. 4.—Treaty between Great Britain and the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata No. 5.—Copy, in the Guarani language, of the Memorial addressed by the People of the Mission of San Luis, praying that the Jesuits might be allowed to remain with them. Dated 28th February, 1768 Page 396 No. 5.—Copy, in the Guarani language, of the Memorial addressed by the People of the Mission of San Luis, praying that the