Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-05-11
PARAGUAY.

me history OF tnat country says
wrlter) has, IN some respects, tho charm of
romance mingled with the marvellous, whether
we regard the fourishing communities founded
and peacefully governed by the Jcsuts, or the
tyranny by which Francis crushed the land,
and concentrated in his own despotic parsonage
the state" with tonfold more truth than ever
Louis XIV. centred in himself tke power of
France.
In order for a right understanding Of our
difficulties with Paraguay, and the causes of
Brazils imbrOgiio with the same country. let
us examine the past condition of this, the
earliest Spanish community founded on the
afhuents of the mighty Rio lie La Plata
In 1916, De Soils, the Spanish navigator, en-
tered the large stream now known as the River
Platte, MAGELLAN, in 1919, sailed into the same
river, but not finding il strait voyaged south-
ward and discovered that entrance to the Pa
ciic, which sill bears his name The discovery
of the fertile and delightful upper country
which extends either side of the River
Platte, was reserved for old Sebastian Cabot
or CabOt-that EnglSh-bOr Venetian who dis
covered Labrador and seems to have entered
Hudson's Bay. In 1925, he sailed under the
auspices Of a company formed at Seville, to
trade with the Moluccas via the newly discov-
cred strait of MAGELLAN, but the mutny of n
part of his crew forced him to set tho rebels
ashore in Brazil, and finally to give up the
voyage to the Pacific. He entered the La
IIatta, explored to some extent the Parana
formed temporary settlements, and sent home
an account OF his discoveries. The merchants
OF Seville refused TO support him, but he found
in the King patron altogether preferable.
Ho explored the Parana and then descended
II to the Paraguay, which latter he assembled "a
far ss the river Vermejo, where he was attacked
ny the Paraguas, a wariike tribe, whom he
thrashed after severe battle. From these In
dIans he received gold and silver ornaments
which they had obtained from Peru. Cabot
Immediately sent Geo. Barlow an Englishman
In INA 70 Irt.rp fha nj tbaf h..Ic
the road to the celebrated mines of which every
navigator had heard who had touched upon the
shores OF America. But when Barlow resched
Spain, in 1923, he learned that zarro had
actually visited 1.-The country Of silver, Peru
The River OF Silver (RiO dc la Platta)-so called
by the Spaniards. from the ornaments sent
home by CabOt-was to be the scene Of the first
permanent settlement in this portion of Amer
lea. Don Pedro de Mendoza with fifty persons
Of distinction and 300 soldiers, entered the
river in 1885, and founded few towns; but
their numbers were soon reduced to 500, when
Mendoza sent Ayolas, one Of his officers, 'sup
stream" on an exploring expedition. This indi-
YIdIal sscended to a certain point and engaged
with the Indians, the victory resting with TIE
spanlard Immediately after the battle, be
erected a fort, which he called Assumption from
the day on which the engagement took place
AyOlas was afterwards slain, when on his way
TO Peru, and Mendoza having died the Span
lards deserted the lower settlement, came to
Assumption, and elected their own Governor
Thus, says an old account, they were all col
lected together in the form Of a republic
and here begins the history of Paraguay, with
1raa for Its Governor, Q53Sl
The natives were more civilized than those of
the Pampss. They cultivated corn, mandioca
sweet potatoes and cotton. They spun and
wJye the cotton. a oonspiracy or two caused
sound oastigation to be administered by the
sPauiards, VINO finally healed all wounds by
marrying GuarsDi wives and adopting the
Guarani language. Thus sprang up a race
which to-day cOmpUses the chief part of the
elvlliEed population Of Paraguay race of
which all old Spanish writer in 1912 wrote
They are commonly good soldiers, AMI of
great va.Jr inclined to war, skiifu in the man
aSenent OF all kinds OF arms excellent riders
and, above all, very obedient and loyal subjects
Of his Majesty. The women are generally of
noble and honorable sentiments, yirtuOus and
beautiful, endowed with discretion; Industrious
and well skilled in all kinds of needle work, in
Whioh they continually engaged"
The Ming OF Spain, To rccur to the first RE
public In America, did not entertain the
notion Of an independent colony of 81 aniards
and sent out Cabeza de Vaca to assume the
government, with the title OF - Adelantaio dc
Rio dc Ia Platt,." V8ca landed at ST. Catha-
rinss, in Brazil, and thence pushed across the
country TO Assumption, where his Office was
acknowledged; but In few months ne WAS
depOsed, and cent back to Spain under false
accusation Of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Irala WAS
Afterwards confirmed in power by the King
ndeT one of his SUCCESSORS, the necessity of a
TpEt IT the mouth Of tho river was 90 felt that
II colony, IN 1850, nearly half century after
the establishment CT Assumption, was begun II
Buenos Ayres.
Up to 1916 all the Southern Hispano-Ameri-
can countries, except Chilli, were n part Of the
great captsincy OF Peru At that time the
Nice-ROyalty of Buenos Ayres was formed
which included tie whole of what is now known
ss tas Argentine Confederation, Paraguay and
Uruguay.
In the meantime, the colony of Paraguay
had become fourishing. A large part Of it was
the field where the Order Of Jeius had full
sway IN carrying cut their Honderful system of
re!IgIo- worldly policy. Villages. plantations,
churches and schools, 'prang up in the wilds of
Paraguay vast herds were reared amid the
forests which cover the undula,inS lands that
stretch away from the vast rivers The effects
Of systematic industry were seen on every
hand Reading and working, singing pray
ing and dancing, were certainly evidences OF
happy and cOntsntsd state of existence. But
thslr llfe was not that of unbrokeG quiet. Bat
ties with heathen tribes, contests with avsri-
clous opaniards, who feared neither God nor
man, and above all the terrible wars waged
against the Reductions, us they were called by
t5e Bra1ilians, who traversel Immense tracts
Of wilderness 10 enslaVe the Indians, tended TO
keep both teachers and taught in n condition
not 10 be enyied. At length, when the power
of the order founded by Isnatius LoyOla had
excited the whole Roman Catholic world,
Charles III, by decree, drove them from
tLeir inland retreat, where they had fondly
supposed they were as firmly established as
their lOrdly rivers which thence swept their
Watery treasures. to the ocean. They left Para
quay amid the grief of their 100 900 pupils,
which stood ready to do battle for their spir-
itual leaders, but the self abnegation which
ha, ever characterized the order in its far
.eha r
than when they earnestly entrcatcd the In
dians 20 lay down their arms and submit with
out q blow 70 the forced bereavement Of their
teachers.
Tke result showed that, however beneficial
the sway Of the JesuitJ might have been to the
Indian tribes, it failed to make q people Of
them. The settlements fell into utter decay
N tnur axnLl-Ha tirnrr frnrn the null .inn