The Republican journal., 1904-06-09
ting through the crush, nor around it,

ONO1 IL vi yOuI OWA VWO lC&S, ouu VI uSV
your luggage to the waiting swarms of
yelling, fighting cargadores. Picking
your way from boat to boat, with
nervous remembrance of sharks be-
meath, you may be compelled to make
some alarming leaps over watery
chasms, or occasionally to walk over
an improvised bridge of oars laid
across. And when at last your trem-
bling feet are safe on terra firma, you
are so utterly ''unstrung" as to be glad
of the enforced delay in the Custom
House, where you must await the con-
venience of petty officials to be search
ed as possible smuggler; and you are
ready to vow that you will end your
days in Montevideo, if getting out of it
is as difficult a matter as getting in.
Naturally, we had intended going d.
rect from Patagonia and its neighboring
islands to the Argentine Republic, that
country lying next in regular course of
travel around the Southern 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 side call at the principal port
of Argentina. All of them discharge
their passengers for BuenoS AyreS at
| Montevideo, 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 ply
ing to and fro. Therefore, being in
Uruguay and having had quite enough
of its landing facilities to last life
time, we have decided to see whatever
is of interest in the small Republic be-
fore doubling 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 part of Argentina, the latter
country being then called La Banda
Occidental" the Western Strip, both
names having reference to the dividing
river-which, by the way, is the Pa
rama, the name Rio de la Plata belong
| ing properly only to its broad estuary.
Next to the Amazon and the Missts-
sippi, it is the largest river on the
Western Hemisphere, its mouth being
OF obi limo n
be drawn between Montevideo and
Buenos Ayres. When Sebastian Cabot
christened it the "River of Silver
somewhere about the year 1920, it was
by no means on account of the purity
of its cotfee-colored water, but because,
| having stolen enormous 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 twelve
miles or more above Montevideo, and
its turbid yellow tide does not mix
readily with the ocean, but may be dis
| tinctly traced away out into the Allan
tic fully a hundred miles.
Uruguay, the old Indian name Of the
region, has been made the legallZed title
of this smallest of South American Re
publics, and SO incorporated i'll its con-
stitution; yet its inhabitants are COM
monty spoken Of by their South Ameri
can neighbors as "Orientals' with the
accent very strong on the tails"
| Though least in area, let nobody imagine
that Uruguay is of lesser Importance
than the other Southern Repu blics. On
the contrary, though it has an area of
only 10, 135 square miles being trlt1e
larger than England), with total pop
ulation of 30O,0 O0 it is one of the richest
and most prosperous. There is not an
acre of unproductive soil in its whole
extent, and hardly pauper; and it is
the only country-at least on this side
of the world-where American gold is
at discount. Whereas in Mexico,
Peru, Chilli, Argentina, Brazil, and all
| the rest of them, one receives a good
rOulQ premium OIL = uClc CdLuucl
golden coins, varying in amount accord
ing to the times, but always consider
able-in Montevideo you pay heavily
for the privilege of getting your twen-
| ty-dollar gold pieces turned into the coin
of that arrogant country. At present
Uruguays principal source of wealth is
in cattle and sheep. Late statistics
place the number of sheep on its ranches
at II ,O00, 900; cattle 100000 and horses
5000, 900. So genial is the climate and
productive the soil that any grain or
fruit of the temperate, torrid or frigid
zones can be grown in abundance-from
sugar and coffee to wheat and corn,
bananas and potatoes, pineapples and
pippins. There is plenty of the best
pasturage in the world; plenty Of water
for mechanical purposes and for the
hocks and herds; plenty of stone and
timber for building material; and geolo-
gists assert that the entire upper corner
of the cone-shaped Republic under-