The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-17
TRADE WITH SOUTH AMERICA.
A Proposition to Extend Our Commerce
Some Facts About Paraguay.

Some Facts About Paraguay.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, April 15.-COngress is now COP
sidering proposition to empower the President
to extend commercial relations with the
South American states, and great deal of in
terest is taken in the things which pertain to
those countries. The Journals readers will pc
ruse with interest the following extracts from a
consular letter from Paraguay, portion of the
territory within the mission Of the Hon. William
Williams, Of Indiana The extracts are made
from advance sheets of the State Departments
consular reports:
The general appearance of Paraguay is far
more attractive than either Uruguay or the
Argentine Republic. The right bank of the
river Paraguay presents an uninterrupted fringe
of dense forests, which stretch across to the cast
ern boundaries of the country. and embrace a
hundred different varieties of timber trees On
the opposite shore, skirting the Chaco are open
meadows of immeasurable extent, widening out
among groves of palm and cocoa trees In the
extreme southern limits of Paraguay the meso-
potamia is an alienation of low prairies and vast
1agunas, covered with rank vegetation and
swamps, which extend to the northward for a
considerable distance. Among the latter is the
famous Estero Bellaco, the Caruba, the Ipicua
and the Aquaracat. OF the lakes, the most i'm
portant are the Neembucu, the Ipoa and the
Ipacarai, about which the natives are fond of
telling some strange legends. The country is
almost bisectsd by range OF mountains, run
ming north and south, which in the north is
called the cordillera of Amambay and in the
south is designated by the name of Caaguazu
The latter, on crossing the Parana river, pro-
duces the famous falls of La Guayra. From
this principal chain there are many lateral spurs
or smaller mountains with intervening water
courses, all of which tend to give most pleasing
variety to the natural scenery and 3 healthful
virtue to the climate.
census taken by the government in 1876
-, lat g..
1t was reported in 1857 to be 1897 439; so that
the total loss from all causes during the Para
guayan war were over million men-losses
which, considering the circumstances, are per
haps unparalleled in the history of modern
wars, and which prove the valor and desperation
with which the overmatched Paraguayaps fought
to the death As more significantly showing the
losses by the war, l would add that in 1857
Asuncion had a population of 40, 900 souls; in
1876 it had only $4,000. Before the war the dis
trict of Villa Rica contained 100, 776 inhabit-
ants, in 1876 it contained only 11,779 Before
the war the district of Pillar had 160, All inhab-
itants; in 1876 it had only 10,969 And so on
through the whole list of partidos.
1t is estimated that the present population of
Paraguay is about $50 900 SOULS and, as a sad
commentary on the condition of the country l
am further informed that the proportion of fe-
males to males is about 9 to l; in other words.
there are 315 900 women to only 80, 900 men. It
is hardly necessary to say that almost the entire
work of the country is performed by females
water" They are the agriculturists, the pro-
ducers, the traffickers, and the common laborers
Of the naton-active, industrious, interchangeable,
thrifty; toiling early and late; some of them
daily tramping to market barefooted through
the burning sands and the sweltering heat, with
their stock in trade upon their heads, consisting
of all manner of country produce and merchan-
disc, being in many cases burdens sufficient to
weight down horse, animal, by the way,
which very few of them are wealthy enough to
possess. And while this is going on the Para
guayan men, who on account of their scare
ity are at premium, sit idly by, smoking their
cigarettes and drinking cana THE whisky of the
countryG and when the return of sales is rem
dered they pocket the proceeds. OF course this
criticism is only intended to apply to the mixed
Guarain race of men who never work if their
women will work for them
There was time when the United States
seemed to take greater interest in the CONNER
cial Development of this part of South America,
and the explorations of the great water-courses
which drain it, by the United States steamer
Water Witch, under Captain Thomas Page U.
S. N. by order of our government, in 1886,
are still remembered by the people of Paraguay.
They made just after the navigation of the
Rio de La Plata and its great tributaries had been
declared free to the world, and they were con-
Quoted in the interests of commerce. The infor
nation which Captain Pages report embodies in
regard to those rivers is, in many respects, as
correct to-day as it was at the time it was pre-