The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-05-27
THE DAILY UNION.

Of the river Uruguay, and fall in with
some town on its banks. Our party were six PER-
sons as guides, servants, and guards, besides our
original party from Rio de Janero,--and thirty
horses, more for change when those we had
mounted were tired than to carry baggage, for this
we with great wisdom left behind, and none Of us
carried more than one change, for clean calico
shirt can be bought at almost every house IN Rio
Grande. We wore broad brim white wool hats,
round crowns, cotton blue velvet jacket and trow-
sers-boots of red leather that came up to the md
die, and in our belts one pistol, with powder and
ball, and another pistol with what our temperance
friends would not call orthodox, sheath knife,
with iron spnrs that would brighten by their size
more than hurt, completed our equipment: For
the first day we quietly logged along, driving
our spare horses before through an open prairie
country, with here and there clump OF trees,
and occasionally house Of some cattle propri-.
etor where we stopped, and, at the expense OF
three or four silver dollars each, added some
excellent horses to our troop. The nils we
passed were very dry, arid soil, with few low thorn
bushes and great variety of cactuses, beautiful to
look at, shocking to touch. We concluded that one
that we saw, with its hundred bright straw colored
flowers, would make mans fortune as show,
with decent hand organ, in any of our cities An
other, that shot up single stalk about four feet
high, and then put out half dozen branches as
much longer, standing singly and alone on the top
OF hill covered with pink flowers at least five
beautiful of the world Of flowers come from such
ugly, prickly, thorny plants, that flied our fingers
with thorns when we could not help cutting off the
flowers and putting them in our hat bands. To car
ry one of the ugly plants out of the question,
and seed we could not find. At night we stopped at
the hut Of an old Portuguese, who speedily prov-
ded us with splendid piece of roast beef and din
ner we made Of it. seated the scull of horse for
chairs, for benches were unknown. One of US had
brought his fowling piece, obstinatey against the
advice Of all his fellows but we had for our dessert
dozen partridges, cooked in most primitive man
ner by having sharp-pointed stick run through
four, the feathers burnt off, and then roasted. Live
and learn. We had rode over sixty miles, and af-
ter pull at the pistol spread out saddle cloths,
the saddle for pillow, and were soon sound asleep
except one whose turn it was to keep guard for half
the night.
So far we had had a path; but now we struck into
the open country, between and over the ranges of
hills which we kept among for three days, the last
Of which we passed without any sign of human hab-
itaton, and we made our beds in the open air and
bright starry night it was Anticipating scarcity,
we had brought half a steer with us, and, with the
game, which we found very abundant, we had plen.
ty to eat During these three days we saw great
numbers OF small deer, ostriches, now and then the
long-legged white crane, innumerable cartridges,
and occasionally small herd of animals that, from
their size and horns, must belong to the elk family,
and were told of wolves, tigers, lcopards, and pan
theirs, but met none. Occasionally we encountered
small streams of water, but generally the country
was very dry. Between the hills nothing can be
more luxuriant than the grass of the meadows, so
thick and so tall that we avoided it much as pos
slble but there was not sufficient TO support any of
the grazing establishments which we afterwards fell
in with Game was abundant. A sportsman could
easily bag his fifty brace of partridges, aud make up
the weight he might want by half dozen ostriches
The only trees on these hills are a species of thorn
Sa cnrfF pr frau cph
On the fourth day we left the hills and came to a
level country, with here and there hut and cattle
and horses scattered about-signs of a town near
by; and about noon we rode into the town of Zorro
Grande, which contains about two thousand inhabi-
tants.
This town is composed entirely of mud-houses,
some OF them white-washed, and looking very neat;
and although of recent formation it is place of
considerable trade, all the troops of cattle horses
and mules, from the rich plains of the Uruguay re-
public, pass here on their way to the mining dis-
,rics and interior Of Brazil. The inhabitants are In
dams, negroes, Brazils, and Spaniards. Here our
guides left us, and we had to make arrangements
which being completed, we started for San Boria,
the last Brazilian town. situated on the east side of
the river Uruguay, at its junction with the river Ca
macuay, which rises in the Brazilian territory, and
about three hundred miles above navigable water
We now passed through an entirely different coun-
try--well watered, without hills, and in fact almost
forests OF trees new to U.S. with cattle estates scatter
ed about, and many Indian mission establishments,
of the graf race of Guaranee Indians, who were civ
llized and assembled into missions by the Jesuits,
The missions Of San Miguel and San Lorenzo we
stopped at. The consist ora collection of huts
around small brick church, and the country around
is cultivated, and divided into small farms. A look
of lazy, dirty contentment was decidedly visible.
We always applied to the cure who supplied our
wants, which were always limited to a meal, or
leave to spread our saddles, and were supplied with
cordial hospitality which gave relish to our fare
Two days riding brought us to San Borja, which
we found to be a very small town. The Uruguay
is here about half mile wide, but very shallow,
yet in the rainy season is very formidable river.
We embarked in fat-bottom kind of half dug. out
scow, and were set on shore at San Tomo, in the
province of Corrientes, one of the Argentine con-
federation. We had passed what we had always
looked upon the most difficult part of our journey,
and had met with none of the anticipated difficulties
With pleasure we state, that we never met a person
but treated us with civty. Day or night we never
sntersd house hut but we were treated with hos
pitality and kindness; and the best that they had
was brought forth for us and in ten days from Rio
Pardo, we had entered the province Of Corrientes.
The country from this to Paraguay, as well as
that we had passed through, was under the Jesuits
as mission establishments. They found the lndi-
ans Of more gentle race than those further West
Here were extensive plantations Of the yerba tree,
the dried leaves of which are very agreeable sub
stitute for tea and they produce sufficient cotton
corn, sugar, and tobacco, for their own consump.
ton.
We were now where the Spanish was the Lam
guage Of the country, and found no difficulty in en-
gagng guides and horses to take us to San JOSE the
first town on the southeast borders of Paraguay,
which we could reach in three days, sleeping two
nights on the road. This we accomplished, pass
ing most beautiful country on the fertile banks Of
the Uruguay, without single inhabitant.
During the first years of the government Of DR..
Franca, the missions established here had greatly
increased and in conformity with his jealous policy
ofhaving no neighbors, he sent an army that de-
sroyed all the villages, obliging every inhabtant to
remove to Paraguay. We passed on our road the
sites of the former missions of San Xavier, San
Martin and several other saints, where there does
not remain house. The site of the church, ruin
of chapel, orange grove, and other appearances
of former cultivation, indicated what had formerly
been hourishing village. The country was per-
fectly level covered with rich pasture, and at times
for miles we rode among splendid trees, species Of
teak, and full large as our oak. This country is