The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1830-06-23
PATAGONIA.

| AN htsIpIIlng and learned French trav
eller has latch visited the interior of Pata
gonna, and explored region never befor.
trodden by tie foot of an European. let.
ter to his family, giving some particulars ii
| his journey, contains the following PASSAGE
from whichlt appears that considerable
| portion OF Patagonia is barren desert. like
that OF tho interior of Africa, both in the
| sterility offs wastes and the warlike tribes
that wandg them. The naturalist, had fix
ed his staion near the Rio Negro, from
which he made expeditions into the sur
rounding ountry, in various directions.
For two months could not travel with
out exposing myself to danger, except at
the time q the new moon; for the time of
the full mon was invariably signalized by
the incursons of the barbarous natives. /
went towards the south, where | saw all
that is p'ssible to imagine of drought and
sterility. The frightful desert of Africa can
alone be compared with these. When found
men bold enough to guide me, got togeth-
er three or four, and being well armed, we
Travelled, taking with US from fifteen to
twenty horses, some of which carried our
provisions and baggage, and others we rode.
We went without stopping to the distance
of twenty or twenty leagues, through
vast deserts, where there was no object to
indicate bis course to the traveller. A ia
tiguing uniformity and an immense horizon
Appeared on all sides. The soil of these
dreary regions, where not even the note of
a bird is heard to interrupt the friehtsul ST.
lence, was never perhaps trodden by any
Europeaf before me. The hardships and
fatigues suffered cannot be described.
These voyages were not of long duration,
yet in the course of them killed some sea
hons, multitude of interesting animals,
and that famous condor, the exaggerated
stories Of which, related by the early Span
ish settlers, gave occasion to the fiction of
the Roeof the Arabian Nights.
The station of M. D'Orbigny being har-
rassed by the Indians, and further abode
in the COUNTRY becoming dangerous, he quit
ted it and returned to Buenos Ayres. With
respect to the inhabitants of that tongue OF
i he $sEtending south from Buenos Ayres to
ing to NJ. D'Orbigny, but three zee r ssesra
Theseare the .4rcaucGnes, the most war
like, numerous, and formidable; the PueI-
ches, almost destroyed by their wars with
the former and the PGtagoniqnS, inhabit-
ing the more southern country as far as the
Rio Negro. The traveller studied the man.
ners of Ill these, and formed vocahularies of
their languages; but the singular customs
of the Ratagonians' furnished HIM with the
greatesi stock of observation. They are
not giants, but men of fine persons and Wig
orously formed. They wear a kind of ar
mour of skins in battle, and live in tents of
skins, which they carry about with them
when the travel. They pay to Guatecltu,
their principal divinity, worship of fear
rather than of gratitude. At their marriage
ceremonies. the bride is several times plung-
ed into cold water, and at 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 des-
titution. The cattle belonging to the de-
ceased are destroyed, and his valuables bu-
ried with him."