The sun., 1895-01-20

place by naval Lieutenant. with an officer Of
lower grade assistant. a secretary, and q
squad of seamen. In his civil capacity the ma
val Lieutenant is a sub-prefect In all capacities
he is II dictator-the absolute ruler OF his dis
trict. as most South American Presidents are
absolute rulers Of their nations
AT Port Desire, the first OF the three ports
that the traveller visits, the view OF the settle
ment is disappointing. One hears In advance
that sixty people live there. AS the ship enters
port one sees a long gray corrugated iron house
that is two stories high In the middle, one story
high at each end. and apparently one room deep
II stands on little plateau on the left (south)
just at the entrance OF the harbor Tower Rock.
the Y-shaped natural column already men,
toned, rises few hundred steps away behind
It, and a tall Flagstaff, braced almost well as
ships mast stands in front. Both tower and
staff serve the mariner as landmarks in enter
ing port Then three leagues away TO the south
OF this building is seen another. IL is also of the
sort found in American mine cRmps-a wood
and iron structure. Next, the old ruins under
tho precpice at the north shore come into
view, and among them are seen two more iron
roofs, the bodies OF tho houses being very well
concealed by the old stone walls. Last OF all ono
close down TO the water on the south side.
and not far from the first house noticed another
iron structure that is low, but wide and long
beach before 1t. And that is all one sees OF the
settlement OF Port Desire. Even at that, the
building with the Flagstaff and the one with the
crooked firewood are the quarters OF the off,
GERS aud sailors OF the sub-prefectura. One sees
but two ranches. However. tho rest or the
sixty people are there scattered along up the
river above tide water. where the pasturage is
good and the hunting better still.
This settlement cannot be said TO be growing.
Desire River furnishes excellent pasturage
Vegetables In abundance can be grown and
even grain ~ fair extent, with little irriga-
tion, while the range for sheep is said 10 be
much better than In many parts OF the territory
down near the strait: but people will not come
here because II Is so far from any base OF sup
plies which they can visit on horseback. The
calls the Argentine naval transports make are
irregular, There WAS one stretch OF nine months
In the last two years when steamer visited
the port, OF course, nobody went hungry or
that time, because the cattle, the guAnacos the
panthers, and the ostTiches supplied all things
needful With plenty OF meat, "A little salt and
the guanaco fur robes, the frontier ranch
man OF the Argentina does very well-so well
that he will not take the trouble 10 raise even
his favOTte vegetable. the squash. But what
worries him, when the steamer fails 10 come, Is
the inevitable famine OF mate, the wild tea OF
Paraguay. The consumption OF this herb Is
remarkable feature OF Argentine lie, north and
south, but In Patagonia there Is no citizen but
would take mate rather than good dinner IL he
had 20 choose between the two. Then. too. vine
and the native rum become exhausted and go
does tobacco. The traveller who Looks At the