The Republican journal., 1892-02-18

tom House, where you must await the
convenience of petty officials to be search
ed as possible smuggler, and are ready
to vow that you will end your days in
Montevideo, if getting out of it is as diff
ticult matter as getting in.
Naturally we had intended going direct
from Patagonia and it's neighboring is
lands to the Argentine Republic, that
country lying next in regular course of
travel around the continent; but when we
came to purchase tickets for Buenos Ayres
it was discovered that not one of the many
steamers making regular trips, from the
western side of South America to ports ON
the eastern, call at the principal port of
Argentina. Ali of them discharge their
passengers for Buenos Ayres at Montevi-
dec. on the northern shore of the Rio de
la Plata, leaving them to make their own
way across the mouth of that mighty
river by one of the many local steamers
that are constantly plying to and fro.
Therefore, being in Uruguay and having
had quite enough of its landing facilities
to last life time, we have decided to re-
interest in this small republic before doub-
ling back on our course to visit its greater
neighbor.
La Banda Oriental, ('The eastern
strip as this country is generally known
among South Americans, was once a part
of the Argentine, the latter country being
then called La Banda Occidental
Western Strip both names having ref
erence to the dividing river: which, by the
way, is the Parana, the name ''Rio de la
Plata belonging properly only to its broad
estuary. Next to the Amazon and the
Mississippi it is the largest river on the
Western hemisphere, and it's mouth is
120 miles across, straight as line can be
drawn between Montevideo and Buenos
Ayres. When Sebastian Cabot christened
it the ''Rio of Silver" Somewhere about
the year 1520,) it was by no means on ac-
waters but because, having stolen enor-
NOUS quantities of treasure from the coast
Indians, the Unsuitable Spaniards believed
that by following up the course of the
stream they would find still richer regions
in the interior. The river is salt above
Montevideo, and it's turbid yellow tide
may be distinctly traced away out into the
Atlantic, a hundred miles OF more.
Uruguay. the old Indian name of the
region. has been made the legalized title
OF this smallest of South American Repub-
lies, and so incorporated in its constitu
ton; yet its inhabitants are commonly
spoken of by all their South American
neighboIS as S'Orientals' with the ac-
cent very strongly on the tails" Though
least in area, let nobody imagine that
Uruguay is of lesser importance than
other southern Republics ON the con-
tralY, though it has an area of only 10
1S5 square miles (bein9 trtle larger than
England with a total population of only
300. 600, ii is one of the richest and most
oNptibtiS, iltlt IL llpl dIl acre Ol ll-
productive soil in its whole extent, and
hardly paupel, and it is the only coun-
try-at least on this side of the world
where American gold is at discount
Whereas in Mexico. Peru, Chile Argen-
tine, Brazil, and all the rest of Them one
receives a good round premium on Uncle
= tII f,,Jn in,
according to the times but always consid-
erable-in Montevideo you pay heavily for
the privilege of getting your twenty dol
lar gold pieces turned into the coin of that
country.
At present Uruguay principal source of
wealth is in cattle and sheep. Late sta
tlstcs place the number of sheep on its
ranches at eleven millions; cattle eight
millions and horses eight hundred thous-
and. SO genial is the climate and pro-
ductive the soil that any grain or fruit, of
the temperate, torrid OF frigid zones, can
be grown in abundance-from sugar and
coffee to wheat and corn. bananas and po-
tatoes, pine-apples and pippins. There
is plenty of the best pasturage in the
world; plenty of water for mechanical
purposes and for the tlocks and herds:
plenty OF stone and timber for building
material; and biologists say that the en-
tire upper corner Of the cone shaped Re-
public is underlaid by exhaustless coal
= beds. SO many are the navigable rivers
that one can 90 by water to almost any
section of the country, and natural harbors
are frquent along the coast. The fact is
/ Uruguay is almost peninsula, having
an Atlantic seal board of l2O miles, a
southern shore-l line ON the Rio de la Plata
of 2a5 miles; and a western shore-line
along the Uruguay river of 27O miles
while on the north, separating it from
Brazil, are the rivers Chuy, Yaguaron and
Duareim and Lake Hram,-leaving a
land ''frontier'' of only $50 miles from
the Rio Cuareim to the bar of the Chuy on
! the Atlantic coast. The Rio Negro and its
! big atfiuent the vi, intersects the country
+ diagonally; and there are numerous other
: streams of unpronounceable names but
great local Importance.