Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-08-20


,ises and that they should he regularly re.
luircd.
Patagonia. An entcrprising ard learned |
French traveller, in a letter to his family, |
gives the following interesting particulars of
his journey 10 the interior OF Patagonia. an
region, never before trcaiep by
the foot OF an European From this nara
tive, it would seem that considerable por-
tion of that country is like the interior of AZ.
RIGA, both in the stcrili;y of its was,cs. and
the warlike tribes that wander over them.
The excursion was made from Rio Ney,o. in
various directions.
" For Two months | could not travel
without exposing myself to danger, ex.
cept at the time of the new moon for
the time Of the full moon was icvaria
bly, signalIzed by the incursions of the
barbarous natives. | went towards the
south, where say all that il, is posi-
BILE to imagine Of Brought and s,erllity.
The frightful deseits of Africa can a.
lone be compared with these. When
| toand men bold enough to guide me
| got three or four, and being well
armed, we travelled, taking with us
from fifteen to twenty horses, some of
winch carried our provisions aud bag
gage, and others we rode. We went
without stopping tn the distance of 20
or 25 leagues through vast deserts.
where there was no object to ind cate
his course to the travelle-, A fa,igulnp
uniformity and an immense horizon ap-
peared on all sides. The soil of these
dreary regions, where not even the
note of bird is heard t. Interrupt the
ilghtiul silence, was never perhaps
trodden by an European before me
The hardships and iatigucs suffered
cannot be described. These voyages
were not OF long duration, yet in the
course of them killed some sea lions.
multitude of interesting animals, and
that famous Condor, the exaggerated
stories OF which, related by tie early
Spanish settlers, gave occasion To the
hc,ion of the Roc OF the Arabian
| Night"
The station of NJ. D'Orbigny being
harassed by the Indians and a further
abode in the country becoming dan
fgerous, he Quilted it and returned to
Buenos Ayres. He did no, however,
depart without making another incur-
sion lIto the country under ciicumstan-
ces highly credtnble to his courage and
lortItIde. While the fort was beset Ia
the North with Indians, he took with
him SIN resolu;e men, and crossing the
river, made last journey Of six da- 5
INTO the country occupied by the sava-
ges. He contrved TO keep up the cou-
rage OF his men by assuming an air
OF tranquility, and was fortunate e.
nough not to meet with any of the ma
tives. 1t was mid-winter, and as Pat
agouIa is not a warm country, they
suffered much from the cold and al.
most continual rains, sleeping on beds
oil frozen leather. with no other shelter
than the bushes. With respect to the
inhabitants of that tongue of land ex-
tending south from Buenos Ayres to
the Straits OF Magellen, there are, ac-
cordIh9 to NJ. D'Orbigny, but three ra-
ces, These are the Arancanos, tie
most warIIke, numerous and formula
BILE; the Peulches, almost DESTROYED
by their wars with the former aud the
PatagonIans, nhabilng the more south
ern country as far as Rio Negro. The
traveller studied the manners of all
these, and formed vocabnlaries of their
languages; but the singular customs
OF the Patagonians furnished him with
The greatest stock of observation. They
are not giants, but men of fine persons.
and vigorously formed. They wear
KIND OF armour Of skins in ba,tle. and
live IN little tents of skins, which they
carry about with them when they ira
vel. They pay to Guatechu, their prir.
cipaI divinity, a worship of fear rather
than gratitude. AT their marriage cere-
MONIES, the bride is several times pun-
ged into cold water, and al the death of
the husband, his widow is deprived of
every thing which belonged to him.
and doomed to pass the rest of her life
in state OF destitution. The cattle
belonging to the deceased are destroy
ed, and his yauables buried with him.
GeRerosity-We know not when we have
met with nobler instance of generosity than
the following-it is refreshing,
Mid every days report