The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1868-06-13
Letter from the Argentine Repuh-
lie, South America.

Scio, we are permitted to publish the follow
ing extracts from letter written by his
brother, VIM. T. Moore, and dated ut the
California Colony, Santa Fe, Argentine Re.
public, South America, Feb. %, 1868;
"You ask good many questions about
this country which will now try to answer.
We have sharp frost nearly every night in
the winter, but no freezing weather. There
is scum Of ice sometimes at night, but it
mclts off in the daytime. The summers are
not hotter than California. This summer
has been warmer than last, and we have had
altogether ten weeks Of hot weather. All the
rest Of tho year the weather is very pleasant.
Our seasons here are reversed to those Of the
Northern Hemisphere--so our summer is
December, January and February; and win
ter, of course, is June, July and August.
The land in this neighborhood Is level but
high, healthful and rich. The face of the
country is generally prairie, with skirts Of
timber extending through it. This is the
best range country / ever saw, and don't
believe the world can beat it. The stock
keeps in good order the year round. Timber
is generally small and scrubby, but very
good for all purposes, and there is plenty Of
| IL. We have red and white willow, but no
oak of any kind. We have several kinds Of
trees Of hard aud durable wood which IL use
ful for implements Of oil kinds--wagons,
plows, harr0ws, &c.
AS for crops, it produces everything we
have tried, very well. / settled here year
ago last September, and had TO hurry in q
crop in the raw prairie. / got in about 40
acres OF corn. and gathered 80 bushels 10 the
acre, and then sowed the same ground in
wheat and reaped about GOO bushels in the
same year that is, reaped the wheat in
November, just year after / planted the
corn. We lost good deal Of wheat for the
want Of threshing machine but we have
now sent TO New York for machinery, reap.
ers, threshcrs and plows. This season We
have made better corn than last, and think
that we will have 40 bushels 70 the acre,
though it has never been piowed, hoed OF
thinned since it was planted. Corn is now
hard enough 70 grit. Besides good corn and
wheat, we raised good crops Of Irish pota.
toes, and more melons and pumpkins than
you would believe.
We live right on the bank Of river called
the San Xavier, much the same size Of ths
Willamette below Albany. The river i.
! navigabie eight months in year TO boats 81
! all sizes. This San Xavier river is branch
Of the great river Parana, and runs into i
, about so miles below us. We live Is miles
from the Parana river, ut the edge Of th,
bottom or low-lands of that stream. Th'
, Parana is one Of the largest rivers in th'
world it is three times as big as the Missis
l sippi, and ships Of all sizes sail up and dowI
D ii all the time.
Boats come mp 10 my house, and we hav
market for everything at home. We go
SOC bnshel for our corn last year. and "
F, arc offered = for our wheat, but as it Is Of
the rise we are holding for g so. We soil
our Irish potatoes at 81 per hundred lbs, an
: | made about 500 of of my watermelon
J. patch.
!. We have settled on the edge of great un
inhabited region. To the north and west 0
US there is not house or settlement of an
kind for thousands Of miles. II is countr
J full of game, and fine, healthy country
we'll timbered and well watered. We live
q as said, on the Parana river, $50 mile
= above Buenos Ayers, and on the west of th
q river opposite TO little town called La Paz
You ask il was back in California IN
knew as much about this country as / dc
whether would come here. ] can answe
! that question very readily. would com
c to this country just as quickly as could ge
y here. Any man who is willing to depen
j. on my judgment and word for it, can NOV
s out here with his family and any man VIII
Is has mind TO can do well. We are the frs
. settlers in this part Of the world, and have
, fine and promising country. All we lack
G people, and we would like nightly TO sc
some of you here TO be our neighbors. Gu
J. little colony is growing In numbers; "
,fl have one new family from California thi
month, and two Welsh families, good people
"a We have now Baptists enough in the settl,
:. ment to make up little congregation, an
= :, when any of you come out we would like |
q have preacher come with you.
70 You ask what kind of an outfit to buy f
the journey. That depends on the route yo
,r come. There are three routes. One is
!. take sail vessel at San Francisco and CON
:, around the Horn to Buenos Ayres or Mont
. vidio. The second route is TO take the steam
Y er at San Francisco for New York at N.
u take the steamer to Rio Janeiro, and frol
n Rio Janeiro there is q steamer every week
J. Bueuos Ayers. The third route is to tai
70 the steamer which leaves San Francisco I'll
). 18th of every month for Panama. TIL
steamer connects at Panama with the Britis
steamer to Valparaiso; from Valparaiso t
:, I, land. over the mountains by pack mule
q and acress the plains by stage. This Pou
IS by Valparaiso is the one | would advis
% particularly to single man. Icame by 50
A. vessel to Valparaiso, which is cheaper, b,
10 takes a longer time. My expenses from Il
II time I started until got here were s., 10C
= but stopped in various places, sometim,
several months at time, and travelled abol
q great deal, looking for country, so my e;
h pense was twice what it would have taken
8, come straight through. If had tito do owe
d | could come on.half the money with all m
,. family. To come the Valparaiso route, the le
. luggage man has the better. would adyi
? = him to bring change Of clothes and gos
:, rifle and revolver. My,choice is Colt'sreyol
st or of the largest size and o Henry rifle. N
10 that the route is SO dangerous, but becau
le settlers in a new country should always ha'
d good arms. BY being economical a ma
can come by the Valparaiso route from Ca
: ifornia here in six weeks and that for abol
= $3.50. Two single men lately came that WI
y from California. enclose way bill of Il
as route by Valparaiso, Thcre is talk of star
DO ing a new line of steamers from Valparais
cei to Buenos Ayres, running through Il
Straits of Magellan. If any one coming l
: Valparaiso should find that steamer runnir
: it would be quicker and easier to come th
= way. For a large family it would be bett
Z to take sail Vsssel at San Francisco
u Bnonos Ayres and come around the horl
le From Buenos Ayles there is a steamboat !
le the river every day to Santa Fe, which
i. the Capital of the State we live in, and abol
of a hundred miles below us, from there the
: can come by land or water.
2, As to outfit of ploWs, &o., think it W0u
sr be better for a family to come here first an
see what they need, and then buy. All 3
dinary tools and implements can be b0ugl
s, here, and for any extra article the commi
.. sion merchants here will send to New Yorl
-, You want TO know If there is any chan,