CALIFORNIAN SETTLERS AT SAN JAVIER. THE CALIFORNIAN COLONY. 45 In the last week of May, 1866, a number of Californian farmers who had come to settle in the Argentine Republic, accompanied Mr. Perkins of Rosario in an exploring expedition to that part of the Gran Chaco lying between El Rey and San Javier, on the banks of the Paraná: the river Rey is in 29 lat., S. The expedition was composed of the following persons and material:-Messrs. William Perkins, leader; J. Aguirre, surveyor; Alexander McLean, James B. Locket, William J. Moore, Zina Port, Francis Binitz, Josiah Reeves, John Smith, Harlow, William H. Moore, Moses J. Moore, Charles W. Burton, Albert Vidler, M. J. English, Charles Stewart, Charles Hildreth, Edward Washburn, John Penington; four peons belonging to the Surveying Department, one capataz' and two men for the carts, of which there were two, one ox-cart, and another drawn by horses. In San Javier a number of Indians was added to the party. They were six weeks exploring the Chaco up and down, and the land proved equal to their best anticipations, except near the coast-line of the Paraná, where the swamps extended from two to six leagues inland. They crossed the River Rey, venturing into the territory of the warlike Tobas, and here they found the land even to surpass what they had seen south of El Rey. On their return to Santa Fé they resolved to establish their first settlement a league northward of San Javier, in a fine tract of land which they therefore bought of the Government. They also applied for 40 leagues of territory, about 13 leagues further north, and 45 leagues from Santa Fé city, intending to have this in readiness when their friends from California should arrive in large numbers. The total purchase-money amounted to 13,300 silver dollars, equal to two and a-half pence per acre. Some of the settlers were men of large means, one having as much as £10,000 sterling. In the beginning of August they started for their new home in the hunting-grounds of the Mocovies, the caravan comprising 30 men, women, and children, with six loaded waggons, horses, oxen, and baggage: the agricultural implements, machines, and provisions, were sent up by water, in two schooners. Three months later, Mr. Hildreth, one of the colonists, writes as follows: <<We have finally settled, say half comfortable, as far as houses and their appurtenances go, just one league from the fort of San Javier. The colony at present consists of thirty souls, men, women, and children. The land under cultivation, and which was the labor of six men for six weeks, is one hundred and fifty acres, planted with Indian corn and every variety of vegetables-all of which are doing splendidly for newly broken ground. The amount of stock, cattle and horses, now on hand, is about 125 head, and good milk and fine butter are as plentiful here as máte and caña below. Our water facilities are as fine as any I have seen in the Confederacyhaving a branch of the San Javier in front, and the Saladillo Dulce at the back. The captain commandant at the fort assures us that a 'seca' is never known here, and certainly his words have been verified since our arrival, for it has rained incessantly. All the colonists are much pleased with the land and its locality. If any of your friends are desirous of visiting us, advise them to bring rifles and shot-guns, as game is very plentiful, and two or three weeks can be delightfully passed hereabouts, hunting. Day before yesterday I met three or four of the tame Indians, with thirty-seven large red-deer skins, one tiger, and several fox skins, and which they assured me had been killed near here, and were the work of three days only. Ostriches and their eggs are plentiful, and the latter serve as an excellent substitute for 'hen fruit.' Last Sunday morning at daylight, two of us started for a hunt, and less than two miles from the house we brought down a fine deer, and saw five others; but the little songsters called 'mosquitos' and the heat of the morning induced us to give up the chase, returning home, after two hours absence, with our venison, which was the fattest I have seen in this country. The Indians, of whom we had such. bad accounts before our expedition to the Rey, have not yet made their appearance; but we have always ready at hand, loaded and capped, a good supply of rifles, guns, muskets, and revolvers, and as several of our colonists have been old North American Indian hunters, the savages may expect a warm reception if they come with evil intentions. As yet not a single animal has been lost or stolen, and they are allowed to roam at will all day, being seldom seen from the time they leave the corral in the morning until they return at night. Too much praise cannot be given to the captain commandant of the fort at San Javier, for he has extended to us all the civilities possible to make us comfortable and happy.»> A gentleman who visited the colony only six weeks after its establishment describes it as follows: «<After some four leagues riding, we arrived at the ford of a large navigable river which empties itself into the Paraná opposite Ernandaria; upon its banks nothing can exceed the richness of its pastures. Then the old works of the Jesuits open upon us, and we enter the fort or town of San Javier, full of the largest orange trees I ever beheld, and of Indian huts; the old chapel, and walls of extraordinary bricks, made by the Jesuits, rivet our attention. The new house and church, the work of our host the THE CALIFORNIAN COLONY. 47 Cura, are the largest edifices in the town, and, although yet in winter, I never beheld vegetation more luxuriant. <<The Cura, who undoubtedly rules supreme in San Javier, has built a fine chapel; it is long, broad, sufficiently high, with an iron roof, and most commodious; it has two bells, a sacristy, and the house and garden of the Cura joins it; it is the work of his own hands, save the occasional help he could get from the Indians. Early on Sunday morning we attended his chapel-surprised at the large congregation present. After breakfast we proceeded to the Californian Colony-about a league north of San Javier; how great the contrast appeared between the Indian town and the Christian settlement, where every implement of agriculture, every American invention to aid the colonists, ovens of all classes, culinary and household furniture, besides large tracts of land ploughed to perfection, lay before us! We alighted at Mr. M'Lean's encampment, who was most communicative to us; he told us he had travelled for the last thirteen months-since his arrival overland from California-through Buenos Ayres and the other provinces in search of tillage-land, and that only in the Chaco could he find it to satisfaction. We proceeded with him to the other branch of the colony-about a mile distant-where we were agreeably surprised at meeting several ladies, besides Mr. and Mrs. Moore with a grown-up family of eight in number; one of his sons had just shot a red deer and a number of ducks, but their staple commodity is flour, of which they have a large supply, and their provisions bread, beans, rice, coffee, tea, and sugar, for, save the horses, working oxen, and an odd milch cow, they have no other animals. «Houses are going up: the colony, which consists of men of every trade, are most enthusiastic, determined to hold their position, and have solicited Government for a further grant of twenty leagues. The rifles of the colony, in quantity and quality, are beyond my description. We met the Comandante of San Javier, Don Antonio Alsogaray, who has large fields of wheat, maize, and alfalfa: his services to the colony are innumerable. We were also waited on by Custodio, the cacique, 'who expressed his pleasure at our arrival, regretted that most of his Indians were on a hunting expedition, that if we came to trade, until their return we should find almost nothing, as every skin had been purchased by the three traders or store-keepers of the town-Don Benjamin Escudero, an Entre Riano; Don Beltran Duran, a Frenchman; and Don Lucas Caballo, a Spaniard, the Tattersal of San Javier.»> Fray Emitivio, the cura, is an Italian, about 35 years of age, very zealous in his calling and disinterested. A writer in the Tiempo of Santa Fé says-«No less than one hundred years ago, under the gentle sway of the Jesuits, these very plains were waving with maize, corn, and cotton, flanked by a large quinta,well stocked with fruit trees and vegetables; besides troops of carts, the Jesuits had a fleet of small river craft to convey their produce to this market, and these vessels were made in their own dockyard and by their own shipwrights and blacksmiths. In 1767 the mission had 23,000 head of horned cattle, 3,850 sheep, 3,000 horses and mares, and 380 mules.»> The progress of the colony could not better be described than in the annexed letters, dated January, 1867:— «Since we have been here we are doing well; our crops are excellent, all except our early corn, that was sown in a hurry and the land only ploughed once. The regular crop, put in with greater care, is doing very well. I have a fine garden, from which I have just picked a squash from Californian seed that measures sixty-two inches in circumference, and I have as fine water-melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, and other garden stuff as you would like to see. I have thirty head of cattle-cows and oxen. We have planted 150 acres of corn, and have done some ploughing for next season, which is not bad, considering we had such a late start. The Indians have not troubled us at all, in fact we have not seen one yet. The tame Indians of San Javier have not meddled with us either; if they were to do so we would take their whole town. The high water did not become visible to us. It would require a further rise of seven feet to overflow the bottom lands. There'is excellent feed for the cattle all over these lands. The officers from the Santa Fé Government gave us a visit; they came up to establish a new line of forts. They were very well pleased with our crop. What we want here are our own country seeds, and Americans to put them in the ground. I have six rows of cotton growing, and it is as promising as any I ever saw in my life in the Southern States. I planted the seeds at different epochs, so as to ascertain the best date for planting. In a few days it will be in full bloom.-A. MCLEAN.>> Mr. Moore, writes:-«Myself and two sons have planted forty acres of corn, and about ten in garden stuff, and everything looks magnificent. My water-melons are as fine as any I ever saw, and my pumpkins, only half grown, weigh from 25 to 30 lbs. The corn, although receiving no cultivation, is very fine. Everything is looking so thrifty, that I am thoroughly. convinced that I can raise as good crops here as in any part of the world. Our seeds have run out, but as soon as I can get a supply from home all will be well.»> THE CALIFORNIA COLONY. 49 Another letter, a year later (January 1868), continues to report everything most favorably «The California Colony has proved a perfect success so far. Everything that has been planted has thriven well, equal to the best parts of California. The wheat crop has been harvested, and is splendid. The corn is in roasting ear, and is good for any country. Irish potatoes, garden stuff of all kinds, cabbages particularly, melons, pumpkins, &c., I consider very superior. The young orchards are doing finely. The only thing which has failed has been the sweet potatoes. There is a kind of bug (called in North America the lady bug), which destroys the vines. Everything that has been planted has done well. The live stock is equally successful. Cattle, horses, and hogs have done, and are doing well. The colony has never been disturbed by the Indians, and every family which arrives lessens the probability of its being so. The colonists have not lost an animal by Indians or tigers. They have lost a great deal of wheat by the rainy weather, as they have no threshing machine, and had to tramp it out with horses. Next season they will be provided with the best Yankee machinery. If they had had the most ordinary reapers, and threshed, they would not have lost a grain this year. They are preparing to sow a much larger crop this fall. The land in this section is level, but 30 feet above the low lands or 'bottom' of the Paraná. The soil is a black loam about three feet deep, and resting on yellow clay. The grass and herbage grow with great luxuriance at all seasons. The grass is of the same quality as the 'merquite' grass of Texas, and I consider it equal in all respects to that. The 'paja,' or tall jungle grass, grows only on the Paraná bottom or low land, which is at this point 18 miles wide, and intersected with numerous 'lagoons' and lakes. The cattle range in it to a short distance. As for land, there is certainly plenty of it. From this colony northward there is not a house for twelve hundred miles, and the vacant public domain stretches away for hundreds of leagues north and west. There is everywhere an abundance of good fresh water, and plenty of wood, both for fencing and firewood. We make it answer for building our cabins; but it is short and crooked for that purpose. For picket fencing and firewood it has no superior, and there is plenty of it and well distributed. No clearing is required, as the country is prairie, with skirts or ranges of timber extending through it. The timber improves in quality as far up the country as I have been, which is about fifty miles. The climate is healthy: there has been no sickness among the settlers. We have had more rain than we needed this summer. As to the price of land, I suppose the best land here can be bought for $50 s. per acre, and from that down to nothing, and the seed E |