The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-03-02
LIFE IN BUENOS AYRES.
by REV. THOMAS CARTER, a. NJ.

from the water. Immense churches, the
great domes ornamented with bright-co
ored and variegated tiles, are the mos
striking objects in the picture. On landing
you are in a great city--a city containing
population of two hundred thousand pee
pie. The streets are narrow, the sidewalk
. still more so. Made for two people only
| walk abreast, you will find yourself contir
,Ially lodging in the effort to go ahead.
is a point of rigorous etiquette to yield tn
inside of the sidewalk to ladies, to elderl
persons, and to those Of superior rank
; Sometimes it becomes a difficult questio
10 decide who is entitled to it. Where tw
gentlemen, meeting each other, are bot
polite, and are personally acquainted, the
will stop, and, bowling again and again, ge
; off the sidewalk and go well toward til
middle of the street, in Il friendly contes
as to who shall yield to the other the sid
Of honor, until one finally seems forced t.
accept it, by the corteous urgency of tn
other, and, apparently, with great unwil
lingnesS, consents to pass next the wall
Sometimes, however, it is the reverse
When two persons meet who conside
themselves of equal rank, each determined
TO support his dignity, the controversy il
on the other side. A case of this kline
occurred, when was in BueNos Ayres. il
which the gentleman who insisted on main
tanning the inside of the walk was muir
dered on the spot by the person to whom he
refused to yield.
As you pass along, you observe the floors
of the houses are even with the street, anC
usually of brick or tile. Of late years
however,, a few are made of wood. The
windows are large, with doors opening or
the inside. A sash moving up and down,
! do not recollect that | ever saw. The
houses, although succeed and handsomely
eolored, have a gloomy appearance, arising
from the iron bars which protect every
window. You might mistake them at first
ior prisons. Notwithstanding their looks,
these iron bars are very useful. Day and
Night you can leave your windows open
and ventilate your house without danger OF
thieves. They are serviceable in another
respect. The young ladies sit inside of
their grated windows, and the young gen.
tlemen stand without, and carry on their
agreeable intercourse ad A6itum, while their
cautious papas, after locking the door,
retire to bed without mourning the danger
Of an elopement.
/ My first stopping place was the Hotel de
Provence, in Gale Cangallo; not far from
the river. My attention was attracted by
! little plate of something on the breakfast
| table which had the appearance of ice
c"eam. Pleased with the idea that in a
distant country they knew how to make
s;'ch a luxury, and looking upon it as a
special delicacy at breakfast time, took
my spoon, and was about to raise the deli
cious morsel to my mouth, when the cut
ting of it made me hesitate moment.
"What is this?' l said to the waiter.
d" Munteca. Senior -" Butter, sir
tried it with the French bread, but in
looks, in smell, in taste, it was so unlike
the butter of Orange county that it was
enough for me that had butter on the
tlble. afterward learned that, in South
America, there are four native modes of
making butter. The first is, putting the
milk in a common bowl. and beating it
with spoon as you would an egg. The
second, pouring the milk in bottle, and
shaking it until the butter appears, which
ia extricated by cracking off the top of the
bottle. Bottles are valueless in this part
Of South America, on account of the num-
Der imported with fruits and liquors. The
third, where the dairy is more extensive, is
performed by filling hide with the milk,
which is Justify shaken by an athletic native
at each end The fourth, by dragging the
hide on the ground, after gallopipg horse,
until it is supposed the butter is formed
The milk is never strained and the butter
never washed. ! am speaking of the native
mode. Of late years. English and Scotch
people have introduced a few regular Yam
kce churns. The greater part of the but
ter used in the cities is imported from Ire
land, France, or Germany, while thousands
of cows Craze on the vast pampas in South
America.
Their universal mode of milking appeals
strongly to the humanity of our own farm
ers. In their practice, they reason justly
that the calf has the natural right to the
fho lott &c IaI off
rs it is according to our more barbarous
system, but at the time of the milking
always comes in for its share. Invariably
it commences and continues the process,
until the COW has been propitiated, and
kindly consents to let the milkmaid have
the eavings. This continues until the calf
becomes large, and until its mother runs
dry The native cattle are so tenacious of
their rights in this respect that it is said to
be impossible to teach them another sys-
tom. Cows have been recently imported
from England, and the experiment is about
to be tried whether they can live in South
America without adopting South American
customs.
Connected with this subject, the people
have an institution unknown in this coun-
try: it is called a tam6o. 1t is in the nature
of a refreshment saloon in the open air.
You will meet with the ta1abo in different
parts of Buenos Ayres and other Cities
You enter all open court, where, instead of
brilliant lamps and cushioned seats and
paved walks, you see before you simple
cow-yard, with two or three of these ami
mails tied by the horns, and as many calves
fastened with piece of rawhide. Two or
three tumblers are standing on a little
table. The ladies who attend the estab-
lishment, with the calves always on hand
to keep the COWS in good humor, draw the
milk fresh, foaming and warm, and pre-
sent :. glasSful to each customer, who
drinks it on the spot. The ceremony of
straining is always omitted. These estab |
lishments are frequented by rich and poor. |
The milk is healthy and pure, and certainly |
preferable to Intoxicating drinks, to which |
the natives are not naturally addicted
The foreigners are the hard drinkers.
The famous South America tea is still !
more universal than the tamb0, and is doubt
less q great preventive Of drunkenness
among the natives. 1t is called yerJa, herb. |
The cup in which it is taken is called a