Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-04-16
BRAZIL AND pARAcu.y

BRAZIL AND PARAGUAY.
d. Public attention has been called to Paraguay
n the late message Of the President and by the ne
ep that the Brazilian Government is preparing to
m wade the finland Japan of America" The history
at that country has in respects the charm of
y. nance mingled with the marvellous, whether we r
t. gard the hourshug communities founded and peac
70 fully governed by the Jesuts, or the tyranny
N which Francis crushed the land and concentrated
=. his own despo'ic personage the estate" with tenfo
more truth than ever Louis XIV. centred in himse
9 the power of France.
of order 10 right understanding of our jificult
n win Paraguay, and the causes of Braz's embrog
If win the same country let us examine the past cond
ton OF this the earliest Spanish community founde
l. on the ailiuents Of the mighty Ro de- La Plata.
n In 1916, De Sois the Spanish navigator ents-s
r the large stream now known the River Plate :
MAGELLAN, in 1919, ssiied into the river but nc
hndng 1t strait, voyhged southward and discovere
that entrance TO the Pacific which still bears hs name
T. Tho discovery OF the fertile and delightful uppe
country which extends either side the River Plat,
was reserved for old Sebastian Gabot-or Cabot
: that English born Venetian who discovered Labrado
r aod seems to have entered iudson's Bay. In 1921
he called under the auspices of company formed q
Seville, to trude with tho Mouccas ria the nswl
discovered strait Of MAGELLAN, but the mutiny of
part of his forced him 10 Sci the rebels ashore
Brazil, and finally TO give up the voyage to tn
Pacific. He entered the La Plata, explored to som
extent the Parana formed temporary settlements ant
sent home an account Of his discoveries. The mer
chants of Seville refused TO support him. but be founc
in the King patron altogether preferable.
lie explored the Parana and then descended it tc
the Paraguay, which latter he asceuded far as the
river Vermejo, where he was attacked by the Pays
guas, warlike tribe whom he thrashsd after severe
battle From these Indians he received gold and ell
! yer ornaments which they had obtained from Peru
Cabot Immediately sent George Barlow, an English.
man, TO Spain, to inform the King that he had found
tha road to the celebrated mines of which every nayi
gator had heard who bad touched upon the shores of
America, But when Barlow reached Spain in 1923, be
learned that Pzarro had actually visited the country
| Of silver tPeru.) The River of Silver Trio de Ia
Plasa 80 called by the Spaniards from the ornaments
sent home by Cabot,-was to be the scene of tbs frs,
permanent settlement 10 this portion of fAmerica Don
Pedro de Mendoza, with fifty persona Of distinction
$500 soldiers entered the river in 1885, and found
ed few towns; but their numbers soon reduced
to 50O when Mendoza sent yolss, one of hi, officers
"up stream" on an exploring expedition. This indi
vidua ascended to certain point and engaged with
The Indians the victory resting with the Spaniard.-
Immediately after the battle, he erected fort which
he called Assumption, from the day which the en-.
gagement took place. AyOlas afterwards slain
when on his way to Peru, and Mendoza having died
the Spans!ds deserted the lower settlement came 10
Assumption, and elected their own Governor Thus
says An old account, they all collected together
'n the form of republic" and here begins the
history of Paraguay with Irala tor irs Governor
ll53S
The natives were more civilized han-those of the
Pampss. They cultivated corp nandoca sweet no
tatoes and cotton. They spun and wove the cotton
conspiracy or two caused sound csstgation to be
administered by the Spaniards, who finally healed all
wounds by marrying Guarana wives and adopting the
Guarsni language. Thus sprang up race which to.
day composes he chief part Of the civilized popnla
ton OF Paraguay race OF which an old Spanish
writer in 1917 wrote: They are commonly good col.
diers, and Of great valor, inclined to war; skilfu in
the management OF all kinds of arns excellent ri.
dsrs and above ALL very obedenl and loyal eubiscts
of his Majesty. The women are generally of noble
and honorable sentiments virtuOus and beautiful en-
dowed with discretion industrious, and well skilled in
all kinds OF needle work, in which they are continual
ly engaged"
The King OF Spain, to recur to the first Republic"
in America, did not entertain The notion of an nde
pendent colony of Spauads, and sent out Cabeza dc
Naca to assume the government, with the title of
"Adeantado de Rio de la Plata" Yaca landed at |
81. GATHERINGS, in Brazil and thence pushed across
the country to Assumption, where his Office was &C
knowlrdged; but in a few months he was depo.ed, |
and sent back to Spain under false accusations of
NAL admins,ralion; Irala was sfisyuards. cSrrnry
after the establishment of Assumption was begun at
Tn TO i776 all the Southern Hispano.Amercan
countries except Chill were part OF the great cap
tancy of Peru At that time: the wee Royalty OF
os Sybst IL now known rs the Argentine CoDedera
tion. Paraguay and Uruguay.
In the meantime, the colony of Paraguay had bs.
come Furnishing. A large part OF u was the neia
bars tbe Order of Jesus had full sway In carrying
IN, their wonderful system Of reigIo.worldly policy.
Villages, plantations, churches and schooa, sprapg up
in the .ilds Of Paraguay vast heraS were rsarea
amid ths forests which cover the unoulaIlns iahos
that sr,tch away from tha vast rivers lhe ellec's
of systematic industry were seen on every hana.-
Reading and working, singing praying, ana dshclng
ware certainly evidences Of happy and contented
state Of existence. But their life was not that OF un
ia
broken quiet. Battles with heather tribes: contesls
9th svaricious Spaniards, who feared neither God
nor man and above all, tbs terrible wars waged
against the Reductions, as they were caied oy tne
Brazljaps who traversed immense tracts Oh ~ioeI-
ness to enslave the Indians endad 10 keep oo!h
ara and taught in condition not to be envied. Al
Isnoth when the power Of the Order founded oy lg'
natin, Ioyols had excited the whole Roman Cathoiic
world Charles ILL., by decree drove them rom tnell
inland Retreat where they had fondly supposed tney
Tera as rnly established their lordly rivers wnlcn
,hsnca sw.pt their watery treasures to the ocean
Tb.v lef, Paraguay amid the grief OF their !0OUn pu
ns uho s,ond ready TO do battle for ther sprituai
isdsrs but the seabnegation which haa ever charac-
terized the Order in its larreachlhR schene1 !" 90
nev,r more manifest than when they earnestly en-.
trested the Indians ley down their arms ana SUBMIT
u;.hont a blow to the forced bereavement OF tneir
teachers. ;o, ,ho suov
rs Tho Jasnts might have been TO the Indian tribes,
!, failed TO make peope of them. The settlements
falI into utter decay. In four years even-da'inR
from The expulsion Of the Jesuits-the humoet vi
cs ,,Ie fell from nearly million to little mrre than
I5o mn In seventy five ysars. the Indians VINO uhueT
,bs Order numbered l0U,0OD were reduced by death'
smioration and other causes to SO'O, and tue "MiS
stones" became at last huge DESERT
In 1910 the 6rst revolutionary movements in the
River Plate Provinces began at buenos Ayrss. Inc
Junta of that city desired all the froSnees 10 %
| nize its authority. The people of Paraguay, whe
desiring frat.rnal relations With the new provisional
Government at The mouth Of the river refused TO ae
snowe,Iye its authority. The Jnnta resolvrn 70 en-
force it, and sent an army OF invasion Hsh'nst ,ne
| parspuayans which soundly logged oy tne iat-
tar Paraguay then, in 1911, declared its own mae.
nandence of Buenos Ayres and in 1910, along WIN
ali the other River Platte provinces formally decar'
ed its separation from Spain Previously 10 tns'
rospav nrvanized it's Government, which consisted
az President and four "sssessors, elected oy Coh'
arsss The acting Secretary OF this Junta OF Assess
ors wes one Don Joseph Gaspar RodrIgues DE- Fran,
cs-the life and soul OF the Adminstrat'on. III Iolf
Tr.,cia succeeded in getting himsalf nominated DC.
,,r for three years. and twenty.four months alter
| aards he was confirmed as Dictator Tor liie. lnen
| commenced that wonderful incubation from the rest
of the world which has asonl'aed every one, wn,s ,n
t,.r ia Mr. Csryle who has written one OF hls most
| oharscteristic essays on DIR. Francis.
Erancia proved himself 8 most unscrupulous tyraht
tIe filled the priaons with those whom he suspected o.
80, onnosed 10 him; he melted out torture, banisn'
Uni and death, with no apariDg hand he nearly
nr,armnated the old Spaniards and the clergy, and
errooated 10 himself ali the powers Of the Pope.
Us almoat annihilsted the commerce OF the coun
40 hv b;s exclusive sys'em; foreign merchants were
detained agsins, their will or expelled from the conn m
~. at tbe pleasure of the Dictator NaturalIs's Ike
Ronnlsnd were imprisoned, and the completed non
;ntsrcourse was maintained with the surrounding
onn,riss The army was the mainstay of the Dc!a
tor though is not among the least cnrious inquire
concerning this remarkable man, how it was posslo
: n maintain his influence over an army whose pa.
The su. pension OF foreign trade had, however, IN
rosfI result of making the Inhabitants, who had de
nended too much upon the spontaneous production
ps ths fores.s timber and male and OF their roViu
.da w 0 tnrn their attention to agriculture and othe
Industrial pursuits. In 1920, the rsvages Of the 10
| Gald ha Dictate