respect for a laborious and well-organized state of society; and as the laws have hitherto afforded the «paisano» no other privilege than a life of perpetual military service, either on the frontier or in the civil wars, the result has been to demoralize the rural population. The French and Basques are found in a variety of callings-inn-keepers, artizans, shepherds, brick-makers, bullock-drivers, &c.: they are industrious and honest, seldom failing to realize an independence, and well-liked by their neighbors. The Spaniards are sometimes shopkeepers, sometimes shepherds, chacreros, &c. The Italians are often found as pulperos or travelling huxters, and they have little shops here and there through thecountry. The English may be subdivided thus-Irish 30,000, Scotch, Americans, &c. 5000: the Irish have, for over 20 years, formed the bulk of the sheep-farming community, and to them is in a great measure due the staple wealth of the country; they are mostly found in the N. and W. where they own large estancias, and their attention to the education of their children is an honorable characteristic; each district has its own Irish clergyman, its lending library, and its racing club. The Scotch seem to prefer the Southern camps: there are flourishing communities in the districts of San Vicente and Chascomus, where many of the estancias will call for our special attention in the tour of the campagna. The Scotch settlers were originally men of humble fortunes, but thrifty, well-informed, and laborious; it is not surprising that success has attended them. There is a Scotch chapel near Quilmes, and another on the Adela estancia near Chascomus. Of Englishmen properly so called there are very few in the camp, but we shall have to visit one or two wealthy English estancieros. North Americans are fewer still. Germans are scattered widely, some as shop-keepers, others as farmers, and the latter have some of the finest establishments in the province.

In the last century the sole industry of the country consisted in killing horned cattle for their hides. Of late years the sheep business has sprung up rapidly, and attained colossal dimensions. The country is well adapted for rearing innumerable flocks, and when the frontier is once securely fixed along the Rio Negro we may look for further expansion to this industry. Agriculture has some drawbacks, particularly that of want of hands, but it is making unprecedented progress in those districts connected by river or railway with the capital: the wheat crops, especially, are abundant and remunerative. The official statistics of stock are as follows:-sheep, 60,000,000; cows, 6,000,000; horses, nearly 2,000,000. This gives an average of 200 sheep, 20 cows, and 6 horses to every inhabitant, a proportion that will not be found in any other country of the globe.

AA2

The province is divided into 72 partidos, which, with their population,

are as follows:

Partidos.

San José de Flores,

Villa Luxan,

Population. 2,834 10,292

1,255

The principal camp towns are-San Nicolas, on the Paraná, 8,000 inhabitants; Mercedes, a flourishing western town, 6,000; Villa Luxan, surrounded by Irish sheepfarmers, 5,500; Chivilcoy, the centre of the agricultural districts, 3,500; Dolores, in the south, 4,800; San Pedro, on the Paraná, 3,248; Chascomus, the terminus of the Southern Railway, 4,000; Lobos, a busy little place, 5,000; Azul, near the Indian frontier, 5,000: Navarro, another sheepfarming centre, 3,000; San Fernando, a port for coasting traffic, 3,000; Belgrano, a fashionable summer residence, 2,500; Carmen de Areco, in the north, 2,000; Quilmes, famous for its chacras, 2,500; Barracas, where the saladeros are situated, 3,000; Salto, 2,000; Las Flores, 2,000; Magdalena, 2,000; Ranchos, 1,600; Rojas, 1,700; San José de Flores, 1,500; Veinte-Cinco de Mayo, 1,500; Bahia Blanca, 1,500; Patagones, 1,350; San Antonio de Areco, 1,200; Moron, 1,205; Capilla del Señor, 1,152; Pilar, 1,000; San Vicente, 1,000; Pergamino, 1,500; Arrecifes, 1,000; Baradero, 1,000.

«The

As a rule the northern camps are high, and, in dry seasons, exposed to drought in 1859 a million horned cattle perished, and their carcases covered the country far and wide. The southern camps, on the contrary, are low, and suffer in wet seasons from a superabundance of water. soil,» says an intelligent Scotch writer, «is in general very rich and produces, at certain seasons, luxuriant crops of natural clover, in which horses and cattle may be seen wading knee-deep. Even during a 'seca,' when the camp is as bare as a turnpike-road, the flocks contrive to subsist, though in an emaciated condition, on thistle seeds, which are scattered in great abundance over the ground. The climate is agreeable, and I have seldom seen finer-looking men than Europeans who have resided long in the country, and those of European descent. The spring is the pleasantest season, being neither too hot nor too cold. The earth, too, is covered with a rich carpet of clover and thistles, and looks as fine as any country with such a flat face can do. As summer approaches the heat becomes excessive. The thistles, which before looked like a crop of turnips, suddenly spring up to a height of ten or eleven feet, armed with strong prickles, forming dense jungles impenetrable to man or beast. The appearance of the country undergoes a complete change in the course of a week or two. The horizon, with its known landmarks, is suddenly hidden from view, and one scarcely knows where to steer. About Christmas (midsummer) the thistles are all in full bloom, and soon droop and die. The grass grows yellow, withers, and disappears. Pamperos, tremendous gales from the west, arise and sweep away all remains of vegetation. These hurricanes are so charged with dust and dead thistles that day becomes as dark as night. Travellers

lose all idea of their course, and often wander astray. Even the natives, who possess an instinct like that of the pigeon, make absurd mistakes. Tropical rains fall in winter, and the whole country becomes a swamp. After the rain, however, Nature, like a phoenix, rises from the ashes, and the earth turns green again. Snow may not be seen for a generation, but ice is not uncommon, and the wind is often piercingly cold. The climate is healthy to the healthy, but unsuitable for invalids, especially those with consumptive tendencies.»>

Among the animals peculiar to the country is the «biscacho,» which is classed by naturalists among the family of Chinchillidae and order of Rodentia. «Biscachos» are an abhorrence to sheepfarmers, as they burrow the land in all directions, and there is much danger to persons galloping after dark, of the horse stumbling over a «biscachera.» The «biscachos>>> remain underground during the day, and it is remarkable that a peculiar breed of owls inhabit the same burrows with them. After sunset the traveller will see these strange animals sitting or running about at the mouth of their burrow; but, of a sudden, they utter a strange cry and dive down out of sight. Another curious animal is the «peludo»> or armadillo, which burrows in the ground, but leaves no opening behind it. «Peludos»> are considered by the natives as a very dainty dish, being cooked and served up in the shell: the flavor is almost too rich and savoury. «Mulitas» are almost the same as «peludos,» and also much in request as an article of food. These animals have such powerful claws that if once they get their head under ground it is impossible to pull them out. In the more distant camps we sometimes hear of wild dogs (perros cimarrones) which go about like wolves, in large packs, doing much havoc among sheep. The «comadreja» is an animal between the weasel and the otter; it is fond of sucking eggs, and has a pouch, like the opossum, for carrying about its young. Rats, mice, and frogs are abundant in all parts of the country; and among venemous reptiles are found the «escuerzo,» a deadly kind of toad, and the «Vivora de la Cruz,» a small snake so called from its having a cross on its head; the latter kind of reptile is very rare. The other animals comprise ostriches, «nutrias,» pole-cats, and tiger-cats: «nutrias» are much esteemed for their skins, in which the Indians carry on some trade. Tiger-cats are about double the size of the domestic animal.

Birds are as scarce as trees in Buenos Ayres, if we except game, which is very abundant: the country swarms with wild duck, partridge, and a species of horned plover, called «tero-tero» from the cry which it makes. There is a kind of hawk or vulture called «chimango,» which picks out the eyes of young lambs; the «carancho» is another kind, somewhat larger,

and both these birds are a kind of scavengers, specially provided by Nature for carrying off the carrion that infests the camps on all sides. Parrots are often found in large numbers. The «Pica-flor,» or hummingbird, is one of the tiniest and prettiest of the feathered tribe; it is no larger than a bee, of the most beautiful and variegated hues, and lives by sipping from the flowers, like a butterfly: there is also the «Hornero»> or «oven-bird,» a little larger than a lark, which builds its nest of mud on the fork of a tree; the nest is about the size of a man's head, the walls an inch thick, and almost as strong as a brick.

The botanist will find little to interest him in the Pampas: nevertheless the «pita»> or flowering-aloe is a beautiful plant, indigenous to the country. It is usually seen forming a fence in the suburban quintas, and has a fine effect, springing up to a height of 30 feet, and at the base it is surrounded by large prickly leaves, 7 or 8 feet long, and 5 or 6 inches in thickness. The inner substance is a fibrous matter from which some excellent twine has been made. The «tuna» is sometimes confounded with the «pita,» but the former seems rather of the cactus family. The fences formed by these plants have often proved impenetrable even to the Indians. The chief ornament of these plains is the «Ombú,» which casts out its branches to a great extent and affords a cool and refreshing shade; the foliage is dark green; it is invaluable as a landmark, and Don Luis Dominguez has sung its praises in very eloquent strains. Poplars grow abundantly in the south, paradise-trees in the north, and peach-trees everywhere; these last are useful not only for their fruit, but for supplying firewood, and they are cut down every three years. Grapes, figs, and other European fruits thrive here admirably, as also the vegetables in common use in England. In fact nearly all the products of the temperate zones and the tropics are reared with little difficulty other than that caused by the ants. Australian gum-trees acquire a wonderful height and bulk in three or four years, and the Government endeavored, a couple of years ago, to induce the natives to plant it largely. There are many pretty field flowers, apparently indigenous, but the science of horticulture is comparatively new and limited to the commoner kinds of garden-flowers, although the camelias seem much finer than are usual in Europe.

Thirty years ago all travelling in the camp was done on horseback, and the natives still make light of galloping 100 or even 150 miles in a day. <<Diligencias»> or mail-coaches, when first introduced, were drawn by a dozen horses yoked sideways by a girth or «cincha. The want of bridges over the arroyos often made this method of travelling exceedingly troublesome and tedious. At present there are railways north, south, and