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9. Inhabitants. The population is composed of similar elements with that of the other Spanish American States. The country south of the Biobio is mostly in possession of the Araucanians, a warlike nation of independent Indians, whom the Spaniards have never been able to reduce.

10. History. Chili was conquered by the Spaniards in the 16th century, and continued to be governed as a Spanish province, under the title of the vice-royalty of Chili, until 1810, when the people took the government into their own hands. In 1818 Chili was declared an independent state, and it has since adopted a republican form of gov

ernment.

LVI. UNITED PROVINCES OF THE PLATA.

1. Boundaries. Buenos Ayres, or the Confederacy of the Plata, is bounded N. by Bolivia; E. by Paraguay, Uruguay, and the Atlantic ocean; S. by Patagonia, and W. by Chili and Bolivia. It extends from 20° to 41° S. Lat., and from 57° to 70° W. Lon., having an area of 900,000 square miles, with about 800,000 inhabitants, a large proportion of whom are Indians.

2. Face of the Country. In the western provinces a chain of mountains traverses the country, in a direction nearly parallel to the Andes; little is known of its elevation and course. The northwestern and northern provinces form portions, the latter of the great central table-land of South America, and the former of the Peruvian table-land. All the country to the south and east of these limits belongs to the vast plain of the Plata, which stretches nearly to the southern extremity of the continent, over an area of 1,600,000 square miles. The Pampas, or great grassy plains of Buenos Ayres, form a part of this extensive level. They resemble the prairies of North America and the llanos of Venezuela, being like them destitute of wood, and stretching out with an unbroken surface for hundreds of miles. Several rivers and some lakes are found in them, but in general they are scantily watered. Immense herds of wild horses and cattle, find good pasture in them, and the ostrich, deer, lamas, &c. are numerous. They are inhabited or rather traversed by Indian tribes, and Spanish American hunters and shepherds.

3. Rivers. The Plata, the principal river, has the largest volume of water of any river in the world except the Amazon. It is formed by the union of the Parana and the Uruguay, at the distance of 175 miles from the ocean; at that point it is 30 miles, and at its mouth 100 miles broad. The Parana or main branch rises in Brazil, and has a course of upwards of 2,000 miles; it receives the waters of the Paraguay another large river, which also rises in Brazil, and is about 1,200 miles in length. The Pilcomayo and Vermeio, tributaries of the Paraguay, are likewise considerable rivers, and have their sources in Bolivia. The Colorado and Negro are the principal rivers to the south of the Plata. Rising in the Chilian Andes, they flow through desert and imperfectly known regions, into the Atlantic.

4. Climate. In the northern part of the country the summers are long and hot, but ice sometimes forms in winter. As we advance to the south the cold increases, but is nowhere extreme. The climate is

moist, and in the southern provinces the winds are violent, and thunder and lightning very severe. The westerly winds, which sweep across the Pampas, and are here called pamperos, blow with great fury.

5. Soil and Productions. In the upland districts the productions of the temperate climate abound, while the lower regions furnish the cocoa, olive, orange, and sugar-cane of tropical countries. The plains afford natural pastures for great numbers of domestic and wild animals. The mate or Paraguay tea plant is a small plant, the leaves of which are used to prepare an infusion, like the Chinese tea with us. It is exported in great quantities to the neighboring countries. A large proportion of the soil is productive, but there are some salt plains and sterile tracts.

6. Minerals. There are some rich mines of gold and silver in the mountainous districts of the western provinces. Salt abounds, and the great plains to the east and south of the Parana, are in many places so strongly impregnated, that all the rivers and lakes have a brackish taste when the water is low. In some places the waters of the lakes are saturated with salt, and in warm, dry seasons it is deposited in great quantities by the evaporation of the water. Saltpetre is likewise abundant.

7. Divisions. The territories lying within the limits above described formerly composed a part of the Spanish vice-royalty of Buenos Ayres, to which Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay also belonged. In 1810 the intendancy of Buenos Ayres broke out into an insurrection, and its example was followed by the other intendancies of the vice-royalty. In 1817 they declared themselves independent, under the name of the United States of South America, which was afterwards changed into that of the Argentine Republic or United Provinces of the Plata. This republic consisted of 14 states or provinces ;

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But the union has since been broken by mutual jealousies, and the country has not yet secured internal order and a settled government.

8. Towns. Buenos Ayres, capital of the state of the same name, is one of the principal cities of South America, and is not less distinguished for its literary than for its commercial activity. It is well built, with regular and well paved streets, and contains many handsome public and private buildings. Although situated near the mouth of one of the largest rivers in the world, its harbor is so much obstructed by sand banks, that large vessels only come up to Barragan. The university, several colleges and academies, an observatory, the cabinet of natural science, public library, and other literary institutions, show the taste of the inhabitants for learning and the arts. The Cathedral, mint, representatives' hall, and some of the churches, are the most remarkable edifices. Population 80,000.

Corrientes, a small town with about 3,000 inhabitants, situated near the confluence of the Parana and Paraguay, has great natural advantages for inland commerce.

Cordova, formerly rendered important by its famous university, which is now sunk into insignificance, enjoys an active internal com

merce, and carries on considerable manufactures of woollen and cotton. Population about 12,000.

San Juan, in the state of the same name, produces large quantities of wine and brandy, and has an extensive traffic.

Mendoza, on the eastern declivity of the Andes, has also an active trade in wine and fruits. These towns have each about 16,000 inhabitants.

Upsallata, a little town in the state of Mendoza, is celebrated for its rich silver-mine.

Salta and Tucuman, with 10,000 inhabitants each, and Santa Fe with 5,000, are the other principal towns.

9. Inhabitants. The native whites of this country were favorably distinguished among those of the other Spanish colonies for character and cultivation. The blacks are few. The Creole shepherds of the great plains, called Gauchos, lead a life of wild independence, passing most of their time on horseback, eating nothing but jerked beef and drinking water; they are rude, but hospitable and generous. Armed with his lasso or leather strap, which he throws at a great distance with unerring aim, the Gaucho gallops out into the open plain, hurls it at the wild horse, bull, or ostrich, lodging it round the neck of the animal, which by a sudden jerk he throws to the ground, and then gallops off with his prey. The Indians are numerous and some of the tribes of the south are fierce and warlike. They have learned to ride, and they wander in search of game and pasturage, through the great expanse of the pampas, where they are engaged in constant hostilities with the Gauchos.

LVII. URUGUAY.

1. Boundaries and Extent. The republic of the Uruguay is bounded on the N. and E. by Brazil; S. by the Atlantic, and W. by the Uruguay, which divides it from the states of Corrientes and Entre Rios. It has an area of 80,000 square miles, and a population of 70,000 souls. This territory formerly belonged to the Spanish vice-royalty of the Plata, and was called the Banda Oriental (Eastern Frontier) from its geographical position. It was afterwards claimed by Brazil, but in 1828, after a bloody war between the Brazilians and Buenos Ayreans, the two parties agreed to its being erected into an independent state.

2. Towns. Monte Video, the capital of the republic, is situated on the Plata, and is regularly built, but the houses are low and the streets are not paved. It has a good harbor, and formerly enjoyed an extensive commerce. The prosperity of the city has been much affected by the wars between the neighboring states, and its population has much diminished. It now contains about 10,000 inhabitants.

Maldonado and Colonia, are small towns on the Plata, with good harbors.

LVIII. PARAGUAY.

1. Extent and Population. Paraguay lies between Brazil, Bolivia, and the Argentine Provinces, extending from 20° to 28° S. Lat., and from 54° to 59° W. Lon., over an area of 90,000 square miles, and containing 250,000 inhabitants.

2. Natural Features. The country is traversed by the Parana and the Paraguay; it forms a part of the great central table-land of South America, having an elevation of about 1,000 feet. The climate is moist, but mild and healthy; the surface level, and the soil in general fertile, producing tropical fruits, sugar, tobacco, indigo, mate or Paraguay tea, &c.

3. Towns. Assumption, the capital, contains the palace of the dictator, a cathedral, &c. It lies on the Paraguay, and is irregularly built with crooked streets. The population is about 10,000 or 12,000.

Villa Rica, the second town, has about 4,000 inhabitants.

Tevego is a village in the north, founded by the dictator, as a place of banishment for criminals.

4. History. This territory formerly belonged to the Spanish viceroyalty of Buenos Ayres; in 1813, the inhabitants declared Paraguay an independent republic under two consuls, one of whom, Dr. Francia, soon after caused himself to be declared perpetual dictator of Paraguay. His government has been very arbitrary, and he suffers no foreigners to enter the country; but he has introduced order, industry, and arts, among the subjects of his little state.

LIX. PATAGONIA.

This is an extensive region, stretching from Buenos Ayres and Chile on the north, to the straits of Magellan on the south, and bordering on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Its length, from 36° to 54° S. lat., is about 1100 miles. It is inhabited only by savage tribes, and its interior is imperfectly known. The Andes traverse the country from north to south; much of the soil near the coasts is barren, and the climate is rigorous. The Moluches and Puelches are the principal races; some of the Patagonian tribes, are remarkable for their great size.

LX. BRAZIL.

1. Boundaries and Extent. Brazil is bounded N. by New Grenada, Venezuela, and Guiana; E. by the Atlantic Ocean, S. by the Ocean, Uruguay, and Paraguay, and W. by Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, and The Equator. It extends from 4° N. to 33° S. Lat., and from 35° to 73° W. Lon., having an area of 3,000,000 square miles, and a population of five millions.

2. Mountains. This extensive region is traversed by several distinct chains of mountains, chiefly in the eastern and northern provinces. The most easterly chain, called the Serra do Mar, or Maritime Range, stretches from 16° to 30° S. Lat. in a direction parallel to the coast. The highest summits are Arasoiaba, near San Paulo, 4,160 feet high, and Tingua, near Rio Janeiro, 3,600 feet high. Farther west lies the Serra do Espinhaço, extending from the San Francisco in 10° to the Uruguay in 28° S. Lat., and separating the confluents of the former from the rivers which flow easterly into the Atlantic. Its loftiest summits are in the province of Minas Geraes, between 18° and 21° S. lat; among them are Mount Itacolumi, near Villa Rica, 6,175, and Serra do Frio,

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near Villa do Principe, 6,000 feet high. A third chain, the Serra dos Vertentes, separates the confluents of the Amazon, the Tocantin, and the Parnahiba, from those of the San Francisco, the Paraguay, and the Parana. None of its summits reaches to a great elevation.

3. Rivers. The Marañon or Amazon is the largest river in the world, both in regard to the length of its course, which is upwards of 4,000 miles, and its volume of water. It rises in the Andes of Bolivia, under the name of the Paro or Ucayali, and flowing northerly through Peru into Quito, receives the waters of the Tunguragua, which descends from the Andes of Peru and Quito; thence it runs in an easterly direction across the continent, emptying the accumulated waters of its 200 tributaries into the ocean, under the equator, by a mouth 175 miles wide. The tide is perceptible at the distance of 600 miles from the sea, and the river is navigable several times that distance for large ships. The principal tributaries from the south are the Javary, Jutay, Jurua, and Madeira, which rise in the lofty regions of Bolivia, and the Topayos and Xingu, which have their whole course in Brazil. From the north it receives the Caqueta or Yapura, the Iça or Putumayo, and the Negro, the largest of its confluents. The Cassiquiare, a branch of the Negro, is an arm of the Orinoco, and presents the singular spectacle of one great river sending off a part of its waters into the basin of another. The Amazon drains an area of upwards of two millions of square miles. The other principal rivers are the Para, formed by the junction of two great streams, the Tocantin and the Araguaya; the San Francisco, and the Parnahiba, which flow into the Atlantic ocean.

4. Plain. The whole central part of South America, comprised within the Andes of Bolivia, Peru, and New Grenada, the Parima Mountains in Venezuela, and the Serra dos Vertentes of Brazil, including nearly the whole of the latter country, the northern part of Bolivia, the eastern part of Peru, and the southeastern districts of New Grenada, forms a vast plain, whose area exceeds three millions of square miles. It is covered with a luxuriant and gigantic vegetation, to which the hot and humid climate gives an astonishing vigor. The immense and impenetrable forests and mighty streams of this great plain, swarm with animal life in all its forms;-ferocious beasts of prey, huge serpents, alligators, troops of monkeys, flocks of gaudily colored and loquacious birds, and clouds of insects, are here yet undisturbed by the arts of man. 5. Climate. In the northern parts and in the neighborhood of the Amazon, the climate is hot and moist; towards the south it is temperate and healthy, and throughout a considerable portion of the country it may be described as highly agreeable and genial.

6. Vegetable Productions. Enjoying a favorable climate and a fertile soil, this country produces a great variety and abundance of plants. The forests yield valuable woods for dyeing and building; all kinds of tropical produce, sugar, coffee, cotton, &c., are found in the warmer regions, while other districts abound in the cereal grains, and the fruits of temperate climates.

7. Minerals. Gold is obtained both from mines and from washings in various places. Copper and salt abound. Diamonds are found in several districts. The diamond district in the province of Minas Geraes belongs to the crown, and all strangers are strictly excluded from it. The diamonds are obtained by washings, by means of which they are separated from the earth in which they are contained.

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