A
FIVE YEARS' RESIDENCE
IN
BUENOS AYRES,
DURING THE YEARS 1820 to 1825:
CONTAINING
REMARKS ON THE COUNTRY AND INHABITANTS;
AND A VISIT TO
COLONIA DEL SACRAMENTO.
BY AN ENGLISHMAN.
_WITH AN APPENDIX_,
CONTAINING
RULES AND POLICE OF THE PORT OF BUENOS AYRES,
NAVIGATION OF THE RIVER PLATE, &c. &c.
_SECOND EDITION._
LONDON:
PUBLISHED BY G. HEBERT, 88, CHEAPSIDE.
1827.
LONDON
Stirling, Printer, 20 Ironmonger Lane, Cheapside.
PREFACE.
At a time when the rich and fertile provinces of South America are daily
becoming increased objects of commercial consideration--when their
riches and advantages are constantly forming the bases of fresh
speculations--and when, under the security offered to person and
property by the liberal institutions of a free and independent
government, communication with them is every hour becoming more
extended,--an illustration of their local affairs, customs, manners, and
people, cannot but be interesting.
Of these provinces, the one which forms the subject of the following
Remarks is far from being the least important. Without adverting to the
fertility of the soil, and the general healthiness of the climate, the
prospects which Buenos Ayres presents in a mercantile point of view,
forming, as she does, from her situation, the medium of communication
with the whole interior of this vast continent, must ever render her an
object of considerable importance to a commercial nation like England.
Nor is she less a source of interest to the politician and the
philanthropist. To Buenos Ayres is due the credit of setting the noble
example to the other provinces, of bursting asunder the shackles of a
despotic mother-country, whose selfish policy had long immured them
under the deepest veil of ignorance and degradation, debarring them from
any communication with the rest of the world, in order that she might
reap the exclusive advantage of those treasures with which Nature had
enriched them. Nor has Buenos Ayres confined herself to example merely,
but, from the moment of having secured her own independence, she has
never ceased to encourage and assist the other states in throwing off
the same degrading yoke.
It is true, that preceding works have thrown much light on these
countries, and the subjects I have here handled have been treated by
abler pens than mine; but, besides the expensiveness of those works,
which renders them inaccessible to a great class of readers, the subject
is so new, and embraces such a wide field of research, that an abundant
harvest still remains for fresh labourers. Having confined myself to one
portion of this vast territory, I have been able to enter into a minuter
detail of many things that have been cursorily passed over by preceding
writers; and, finally, having resided in the country which is the
subject of these Remarks during the last five years, my means of
observation have been neither few nor limited.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
The Port--Custom-House Regulations 1
Visit of the Health Boat 2
Outer and Inner Roads 3
Pilots 4
Port of Ensenada --
Barraccas --
Navigation of the River Plate --
_Balandras_, or lighters, for lading and unlading vessels --
Carts used for embarking and disembarking --
Packets between Buenos Ayres and Monte Video 5
Climate 6
Diseases 9
Environs of the City --
Alameda, or Public Walk 10
The Beach, crowded with Sailors --
Coffee-Houses and Hotels 11
Public Buildings: The Fort--Consulado--Cabildo--Bank--House
of Representatives--Custom-House--Public
Library--Botanical Museum--Retiro--Residencia 14 to 16
Squares and Streets 16
Houses 17
Churches 18
Theatre 22
Circus 33
FOREIGN RESIDENTS.
British: Merchants, Shopkeepers, Medical Men, &c. 33 to 35
British Commercial Subscription-Room 37
Establishment of Packets from Falmouth 39
Dispute between Captain Willis and the Government 41
Treaty with England 43
English Females at Buenos Ayres 44
Many Englishmen have married Buenos-Ayrean Wives 45
Death of Mr. Dallas, and of Mr. Rowcroft 47
Death of Jack Hall --
Irish Yankies 48
North-American Residents 49
Death of Mr. Rodney 51
Frenchmen 52
Portuguese 53
Germans, Italians, Prussians, &c. 54
NATIVE (OR CREOLE) AND SPANISH INHABITANTS.
Persons, Dispositions, and Manners 55
Compliments of Salutation 57
Practice of giving Flowers to Visitors --
Smoking Segars --
Politeness 58
Yerba, or Tea of Paraguay 59
Time of Meals --
_Siesta_, or Afternoon Nap --
_Tertulias_, or Public Dances 60
Sweetmeats much eaten 61
Etiquette, when walking in public, and in the ball-room --
Dancing 62
Music --
Consulado Musical School-Room 63
Philharmonics, a Musical Subscription Society 64
Mothers watch their Daughters with great strictness --
Marriages take place early 65
Washerwomen on the Beach 66
Treatment of Slaves 67
Superstition of the Negroes 68
Orderly conduct of the lower orders --
Beggars very annoying 69
Savings Bank --
Propensity to Gaming 70
Bathing practised by all Classes --
Dress 71
Females make their own Clothes 74
Travelling --
Value and description of the Horses 75
Arrival of some English Horses in the _Rhoda_ --
Country Waggons 77
Sports and Amusements:--Horse-racing--Sailing--
Cock-fighting--Hunting--Shooting--Fishing 78
Throwing the Lasso --
Annual Fair near the Recolator 79
Provisions: Beef--Mutton--Poultry--Wines--Beer 81 to 85
Vegetables --
Fruit 86
Other Animal and Vegetable Productions --
Population 89
Trade and Manufactures --
Exports 89
Imports--List of Vessels that arrived in 1821, 2, 3, 4 90
Shops in Buenos Ayres very numerous 92
English Manufactures very cheap 93
Currency, &c.--Notes engraved in England 95
Average of Exchange 96
Bank of Buenos Ayres--Funds --
Education and Literature 97
College School--Academy in the Merced Church --
Mrs. Hyne's Seminary --
Many Buenos Ayreans speak and write English 98
College of Stonyhurst, near Liverpool 99
Education of Females --
Variedades et Mensagero de Londres 100
Newspapers published in Buenos Ayres 101
Printing Offices --
Religion 102
Contrast of the Catholic and Protestant faith --
Reception of an Archbishop, who arrived in 1824 --
Times of Public Worship 103
Oration-Time 104
Music of the Masses --
Confession 105
Figures of the Virgin Mary kept in glass cases 106
Priesthood not illiberal --
Friars 107
Suppression of the Monasteries --
Convents for Nuns 111
Religious Processions: St. Rosario, and St. Nicholas 113
Feast of Corpus Christi 113
Observances during Lent--Passion Week--Holy
Thursday--Good Friday--Burning of Judas 113 to 114
Procession of the Holy Ghost 117
Funeral Ceremonies 119
Masses for the repose of the Soul --
Protestant Burying-Ground 120
Police, &c. 121
Assassination very frequent among the lower orders 122
Thieves ingenious 123
Boys about the Theatre-door great thieves 124
Modes of Punishment: Shooting--Public Whipping--
Imprisonment--Working in the Streets, ironed 126
A great increase of crime in 1824 --
First execution for forgery 126
Committals before Trial 127
Law proceedings expensive and tardy --
Passports required to leave Buenos Ayres 128
Army--Punishment of flogging resorted to 130
Bands of Music --
Custom to fire the Fort Guns on the 4th of July, the
Anniversary of Whitelock's Defeat 131
Government, and Public Events 133
Governor and Public Officers--Junta, or Senate 134
Æra of the Independence of Buenos Ayres--Celebration
of its Anniversary--Sports of the day 135
Frequent Political Revolutions in 1820--Rodriguez
appointed Governor 138
Administration of Rivadavia 139
Two persons shot for state offences, in October, 1820 141
Attempt at another Revolution--Execution of Garcia --
Execution of Colonel Peralto and Urien 142
Carrera shot at Mendoza 143
San Martin embarked for England 144
A day set apart for the Funereal Rites of Gen. Belgrano --
Visit of a New-Zealand Chief 145
Dinner on St. Andrew's Day 146
Camden Packet took home the treaty with England 146
Rejoicings for the Victory of Ayacucho --
Arrival of a Brazilian Frigate 148
Opinion of Foreigners with regard to his Majesty
George IV. of England 148
Mr. Canning popular in Buenos Ayres 149
A Triumphal Car paraded through the streets 152
Concluding Remarks --
Great want of population, and consequent insecurity
of the country --
Ravages of the Indians--Four officers detained and murdered
by them, in 1822--Description of the Indians 154
Very little employment for Clerks in Buenos Ayres --
Mechanics and Labourers sure of employment 155
Farming not a profitable concern --
Grazing farms more beneficial --
Emigrants will not find the same comfort as at home 156
French faction at Buenos Ayres --
Contrast between Frenchmen and Englishmen --
Inducements to Emigration 158
Colonia del Sacramento 159
Appendix.--Rules of the Port 167
Anchorage Dues 168
Police of the Port --
Penalties to which those are subject who destroy the
line of Buoys established by Government 169
Instructions for sailing from Buenos Ayres to Monte
Video 170
---- ---- ---- from Monte Video to Buenos Ayres 172
Variation of Depth of Water between the Banks Ortiz
and Chico 174
Positions of the Ten Buoys in the River Plate 175
REMARKS DURING _A FIVE YEARS' RESIDENCE_ IN BUENOS AYRES.
The city of Buenos Ayres, when viewed from the outer roads at a distance
of about eight miles, has an imposing appearance. The domes of the
numerous churches, the public buildings, &c. give it an air of grandeur,
which a nearer approach diminishes. On landing, the dilapidated mole
(destroyed by the storm of the 21st August, 1820) and the mean streets
near the beach, do not augur well for the beauty of the town: it
requires an inspection rightly to appreciate it, for there are edifices
worthy of attention. When I landed, in October, 1820, two cannons,
forty-two-pounders, in very good condition, were mounted on the mole:
they had the Spanish royal arms engraven on them, and inscriptions,
purporting, that one was cast at Seville, and the other at Lima, some
sixty years since.
A passenger is not exposed to any particular custom-house obstructions
when he comes on shore. Should he bring his trunks with him, he is
simply requested to open them, and a slight examination takes place.
Several obnoxious customs have lately been abolished. Formerly, a
sentinel was posted, to prevent any one passing to the water-side at
the mole without first asking permission at the guard-house on the
beach. The system of vessels being obliged to wait, upon their arrival,
in the outer roads, for the visit of the health boat from shore, has
also undergone reform. Masters may now leave their vessels immediately.
It is necessary to go on board the gun-brig, which is now stationed in
the inner roads, and there await the visit of the health boat, which
comes off by a signal from this brig, and very little delay occurs. Upon
the old plan, vessels often remained, through bad weather or neglect,
four or five days before they were visited; during which time no
communication was allowed with the shore. A manifest of the cargo,
the ship's papers,[1] letters, &c. are given to the visiting officer,
provided no consul or agent of the nation whose flag the vessel bears
resides in Buenos Ayres.
[1] The unsettled state of the country formerly deterred masters of
vessels from giving up their registers, fearing they might be lost;
and various shifts were resorted to as substitutes, such as rendering
Mediterranean passes, apprentice indentures, any thing in the shape of
parchment or printing--all went current. Some years since, Matthews,
an adjutant of the port, who had been aid-de-camp to Admiral Gravina,
at the battle of Trafalgar, detected a trick of this sort, the parties
not being aware that he understood English. Matthews was a Spaniard
born, but educated in London.
The removal of the brig of war from the outer roads has taken away the
occasion of much offence. Disputes were continually occurring, from her
firing at vessels and boats to bring them to. The boat of the Countess
of Chichester, the first packet that arrived from Falmouth, had
two shots fired at her, when going on shore with Mr. Pousset, the
vice-consul. Captain Little, who was on board the packet at the time,
not knowing what to make of this firing, ordered the guns to be
double-shotted, and the crew to get under arms. A representation was
made, and an apology promptly given. Serious misunderstandings, however,
I am persuaded, must, some time or other, have occurred, had the brig
continued outside, and pursued the same system.
It is only since October, 1821, that the health boat has been regularly
established. The enforcement of the quarantine laws, and the prevention
of smuggling, were the reasons assigned for it; but there were probably
other motives, one of which might be, to prevent the boats of British
men-of-war from boarding vessels of their own nation before their
visit boat. It would, however, be difficult, strictly to enforce the
quarantine laws at Buenos Ayres. Vessels have frequently arrived at
night, or in a fog, and the captains have come on shore without being
visited, not being aware of the regulations.
The outer and inner roads are, in fact, open roadsteads; neither of them
possessing good anchorage. A strong wind from the E. or S.E. blowing
almost direct on land, is always dangerous; and vessels often drive.
In the storm of the 21st August, 1820, in which sixty vessels of all
descriptions were lost, the wind was at S.E. The winter season is much
better for shipping than the summer; as in the latter, the wind blows
fresh nearly every afternoon from the eastward. Good anchors and cables
are very necessary in the river Plate; chain cables particularly.
In the outer roads, the average depth of water is 18 feet, in the inner
roads, 18: at high tides, there is 25 feet in the outer, and 13 in the
inner roads. A Pampero wind, blowing off the land from the W. or W.S.W.
causes at times a very low river, leaving not more than 5 feet water in
the inner, and 8 in the outer roads. The banks that divide the roads are
then dry, and people ride on horseback upon them. This extreme low tide
does not often happen. The brig Candidate, salt-laden from the Cape
de Verds, was lost, on the 13th June, 1823, near the Ortiz bank, from
an occurrence of this sort: the water having suddenly left her, she
foundered at her anchors. The state of the tide sometimes causes great
delay to vessels leaving the inner roads; days, and even a week, being
lost at some periods.
Pilots, appointed and paid by the government, conduct vessels to and
from the outer and inner roads: two of them are Englishmen, Lee and
Robinson; the others are Portuguese and Creolian, who speak a little
English. The charge for pilotage is about 10 dollars each way. Masters
piloting their own vessels, which is now and then the case, do not
thereby save the charges.
The port of Ensenada, situated 30 miles S.E. from Buenos Ayres, has good
anchorage; and for vessels drawing much water, it is preferable to go
thither. They incur more experience of lighterage, if they require to
be hove down; but it is the only place appertaining to Buenos Ayres in
which it can be done, and the charge is great. Ensenada is only a small,
dull village. Mules are shipped with greater facility there, than at
Buenos Ayres.
The Barraccas is a creek on the south of the town, in which schooners
and small craft repair their defects.
The river Plate may well be called the "hell of navigators:" a survey of
it was made by Captain Heywood, in H.M.S. Nereus, and his chart, though
not exactly correct, is considered to be the best. Buoys have been
lately placed by the government upon the Ortiz and Chico banks;[2] and
they have long had in agitation, the building of a mole, a dock for
shipping, and other extensive works. In addition to a French engineer,
a Quaker gentleman, named Bevans, is engaged. He arrived from London,
with his family, in October, 1822; but, for want of means, nothing of
importance has yet been done. Raising moles and docks is no trifling
undertaking, in a country so destitute of labourers. To remedy the
latter defect, 200 Irishmen, it is said, are coming out under the care
of Colonel O'Brien, one of San Martin's officers. Mr. Bevans has been
traveling about the country, for the purpose of collecting information
of the requisites necessary for his undertaking: he has, however, to
encounter many obstacles. A trifling tax on shipping would be cheerfully
agreed to for an undertaking so important.
[2] For Instructions for navigating the river Plate, see _Appendix_;
where also will be found the Rules of the Port, Dues to be paid by
Vessels, &c.
Several pilot boats cruise about the river Plate, from which pilots may
be obtained.
In addition to the difficulty of large vessels getting up the river, an
adequate freight cannot be procured for them in Buenos Ayres. The Lord
Lynedoch, a ship of 550 tons, with a numerous crew of Lascars, remained
sixteen months and at last took a cargo of mules to the Isle of France.
Vessels of 150 to 200 tons burthen are the most likely to get employed.
Vessels discharge and take in their cargoes by means of lighters, called
_balandras_. An English gentleman, Mr. Cope, has several in his employ,
and does the chief part of the English and American business. Should
there be the least swell upon the water, these lighters cannot lie
alongside; it is only in fine weather that work can be performed.
Boat-hire is dear: to the outer roads, 8 dollars 4 reals, to the inner,
in proportion. The boatmen are mostly Englishmen, strong, active
fellows.
The landing-place, at what was once the mole, is very bad; heavy boats
cannot get near. Carts are used to embark and disembark, for which there
is no fixed charge; they get what they can, like our watermen at home.
Those whose business leads them often afloat, find it a great tax, and
some prefer riding on the backs of their sailors, to paying it. It is
seldom there is water sufficient for boats to come close in, and they
are at all times liable to damage, from the pieces of rock, wrecks, &c.
near the shore.
Buenos Ayres, at the present period, may be said not to possess a navy;
neither, indeed, is so expensive an establishment necessary. The captain
of the port, Don Batista Azopardo, is an Italian by birth; he is said
to be a well-meaning man. He commanded an armed vessel in the last war,
and has been once or twice a prisoner to the English. There are likewise
a number of marine officers in the service of Buenos Ayres. The
_Aranzazu_, national brig of war, so long anchored in the outer roads,
has a crew chiefly English; some of them are refractory seamen from the
merchant vessels. The marines are black soldiers.
* * * * *
There are three regular packets which run between Buenos Ayres and Monte
Video; the _Pepa_, _Dolores_, and _Mosca_, schooners. Seventeen dollars
are charged for the passage each way, every thing being provided, except
beds. This passage, which is about 150 miles, is sometimes made in 12 or
14 hours; at others, it takes several days. The favourite packet is the
_Pepa_, an American-built schooner, with good accommodations, commanded
by Campbell, an Englishman, who, from his skill and attention, is
peculiarly fitted for such an employment.
* * * * *
The CLIMATE of Buenos Ayres, taken generally, is decidedly good, and
more congenial to English habits than that most places abroad. Its
salubrity, however, is overrated: a consumptive person must not think
of coming here; many of that class have been obliged to fly to Mendoza
and other climes, to escape the vicisitudes of this.
The spring months of September, October, November, and the autumn
ones of April and May, are the most agreeable parts of the year. The
thermometer, at those seasons, averages about 60; and we have repeated
clear and bracing weather, intermingled, however, with inclement days.
The summer is not so hot as the latitude would denote. A sea breeze sets
in, at times, towards the afternoon; but this is not regular. December
and January are the hottest months. On some days of oppressive heat, the
thermometer may average 80, and at others, the pleasing temperature of
70 and 75. In January, 1824, for nearly a week it was 96 in the shade:
the oldest inhabitant never remembered such a continuance of heat.
When the heat is at the greatest, a _pampero_ suddenly comes, with its
accompaniment of rain, thunder and lightning, and cools the air. These
Pampero winds from the W. and W.S.W. with nothing to impede their
progress across the extended Pampas, blow with great violence, raising
clouds of dust, and obliging every one to close windows and doors. Being
off the land, they are not dangerous to shipping; though vessels at
the mouth of the river have been blown in sea hundreds of miles, by
a Pampero. The thunder and lightning to an European is terrific: the
lightning is often dangerous.
The dust, fleas, and musquitos, render the summer months very
disagreeable. The fleas are a great annoyance, the houses being filled
with them; the very dust breeds them; and they seem to have a great
partiality for foreigners. I don't observe that the natives heed them.
They laugh at the English mode of washing the rooms to get rid of these
vermin; their plan is, to strew the room with fennel, sweeping that
and the fleas altogether into the street. Musquitos are another of the
disagreeables.
A north wind, in summer, is very unpleasant, the heated atmosphere
relaxing both mind and body. The combined effects of heat, dust, and
wind, make the enjoyment of an evening promenade extremely precarious.
In summer, the pastures frequently catch fire, from the intenseness of
the heat. In 1821, Mr. Halsey, an American gentleman, who has a large
sheep farm, sustained a considerable loss by an event of this kind,
many of his sheep having been burnt. The same heat that occasioned Mr.
Halsey's loss brought on a violent Pampero; and, from the dust and
burning ashes that enveloped the city, one might have supposed that
the days of Herculaneum and Pompeii were about to return.
The winter is mild, yet there are days of piercing cold in the months of
June, July, and August; and thin ice may be seen in the morning, but not
any snow. We have here the penetrating rains, mists, and November days
of England, without its comforts: from these circumstances, and the heat
of the summer, Englishmen feel the cold much more than in England, and
cling to their fire-sides, for they have introduced those luxuries, and
the natives in some cases follow our example; otherwise, the ladies wrap
themselves up in their shawls, and the gentlemen in their capotes, and
thus pass the severe days of winter. The thermometer in winter is
generally at 40 to 50, sometimes at 35.
The roads, after heavy rains, are nearly impassable, forming _pantanas_,
or mud holes, which are dangerous to travellers; but, on the return of
fine weather; they quickly dry again. The dead horses and dogs, that lie
about the roads, quickly decay.
The rich pastures afford food to the cattle all the year round. The
winter's general mildness prevents the necessity of housing them.
That Buenos Ayres possesses a fine climate, no one can deny; but not
to the extent its panegyrists have stated. I speak as I have found it,
having in vain looked for that Italian sky, soul-breathing softness
in the air, that some pretend to have found: but it may be defined a
healthy, warm climate.
The various and sudden changes to which the British climate is subject,
form a fruitful grumbling topic to many Englishmen and foreigners, who
can fancy nothing that is not foreign. According to their accounts, even
the moon shines better here than at home. I will venture to assert, that
we have in England more real fine days in May, June, July, August, and
September, than in the best months at Buenos Ayres. Of our delightful
summer evenings, they have nothing to compare. To make any contrast of
a winter, in latitude 34, and that of 50, is out of the question.
In this part of South America, earthquakes are only heard of; we dread
not, here, the catastrophes of Peru, Chili, and Mexico.
* * * * *
The prevalent DISEASES of Buenos Ayres are fevers, sore throats,
rheumatism, and others common to Europe. Strangers are subject to
rheumatism from the dampness and searching winds. Sore throats, in
many instances, have been fatal.
It has often been observed, that we feel the effects of free-drinking
here, more than in England. I have experienced this more than once, and
thought it peculiar to myself, till others complained of the same.
* * * * *
The country round Buenos Ayres is uninteresting; all is dreary sameness.
But where, indeed, shall we find the charming scenery of our dear
England,--its hills and dales, parks, thick-set hedges, and splendid
mansions? We miss, too, that endless chirping of birds, ever heard in
our thick-set hedges. Here, the equestrian takes his ride merely for the
sake of exercise, and not from any pleasure the country can afford. I
did not expect to find villas, parks, and cultivated grounds; but I
thought it would be more diversified.
In a place where horses are so cheap, one might conclude that Englishmen
would be continually on horseback, but they soon get tired of a
recreation, in which nothing but exercise is concerned. The most
frequented ride is to the village of Isidro, fifteen miles from the
city, the Richmond of this place. On Sundays and holidays much company
resort thither. It has some attractions in point of scenery.
The Barracca road is good--upon a par with those of England.
Horse-racing and other sports are practised there, both by Englishmen
and natives.
A ride in the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres is not, however, entirely
devoid of interest; especially in the fruit season, when the _quintas_,
or farm-houses, with the peach trees weighed down by delicious fruit,
the orange trees (though this is not their soil), and the wild aloe, so
common in this and the opposite continent of Africa, afford an agreeable
prospect. But the wild rose, blackberries, and the mass of roots and
plants of English fields and hedges, are not to be seen. The trees (if
they can be called so) are of a nature so dwarfish, that they seem like
apologies for trees, stinted in their growth by bad nursing.
* * * * *
The _Alameda_, or public walk of Buenos Ayres, is upon the beach, near
the mole. It is totally unworthy such a city, and in the neighbourhood
of all the rabble of the town. It is only about 200 yards in length,
with rows of trees the height of bushes on each side, and brick seats,
which are too much honoured by the fair forms that use them. A moderate
assemblage frequent this walk on Sunday evenings: the beauty and dress
of the females could alone tempt a stranger to visit it. On other days
it is deserted, except by some elderly gentlemen, who, as in our St.
James's Park and Kensington Gardens, are glad to escape from the
multitude, and commune with themselves.
* * * * *
The beach well deserves its nick-name of _Wapping_; being crowded with
sailors of all nations, grog-shops, stores, &c. The English sailors
idling about the beach would man a ship of war. A stranger, seeing so
many English faces, might suppose it an English colony. At night, the
sailors in the grog-shops dance, to the music of the fiddle and flute,
reels, and the College hornpipe in perfection, astonishing the Spanish
girls. At one of these _pulperias_, or grog-shops, on the beach, a
large picture was lately hoisted, of H.M.S. Boyne in full sail, flags,
signals, &c. streaming. The English sailors mustered in great numbers
upon this occasion, and rent the air with their cheers.
The seamen upon the beach are, at times, disorderly; but not more so
than in other countries. American sailors have been the most refractory,
causing their captains infinite trouble. The captain of an American ship
going to sea, lately, made application to the captain of one of our
packets, for irons, to punish his mutinous crew; but he replied, that he
never had such articles on board his ship.
In no part of the world are masters of vessels subject to such annoyance
from the desertion of their crews.[3] Men get into the hands of crimps,
who conceal them, and exact their own price from those who are in want
of sailors. This has been in some measure rectified lately, especially
since the suppression of privateering. Many sailors roam about the
country, working as labourers; but they soon get tired of that, and
hanker after their old employment, as an old coachman likes to hear the
smack of the whip. These "beach-rangers," as they are called, have often
wished to enter for his majesty's ships that have been lying off Buenos
Ayres; but few or none have been accepted. Sailors begin to find there
is no service equal to our's.
[3] On the 4th December, 1823, the Dutch ship of war _Lynx_, of 30
guns, arrived at Buenos Ayres, on her way to the Pacific; and thirty
of the crew deserted, during her stay of nineteen days. The boats came
on shore latterly with armed marines, and the men were not permitted
to land.
The French brig of war _Faune_ arrived on the 11th, and sailed on the
23d June, 1824: she lost six men by desertion. This brig brought to
Buenos Ayres the French Admiral, Rosamel.
* * * * *
There are two English COFFEE-HOUSES, or HOTELS; Faunch's, and Keen's.
The former is a very superior one, and provides the dinners given upon
our national days, such as St. George's, St. Andrew's, &c. besides
numerous private dinners of Englishmen, Americans, Creolians, &c. It is
situated near the Fort. Faunch, the master, and his wife, have had great
experience in their profession in London; and the style of his dinners
is hardly to be exceeded there. The king's birth-day dinner is kept
up with great _éclat_: the room is surrounded by flags of different
nations; and they have both vocal and instrumental music. From 70 to 80
persons generally sit down to table, including the ministers of the
country, who are always invited. The government pay us the compliment of
hoisting the flag at the Fort, on that day.
Another hotel, kept by a respectable North-American female, Mrs. Thorn,
a widow, is much resorted to by the Americans.
In the above coffee-houses, they charge 40 dollars per month for board
and lodging. An abatement is made to those who agree to remain a certain
period. Dinner for one person, including a pint of wine, is a dollar;
breakfast, tea, and supper, from 2 to 4 reals each; and a bed per night,
4 reals.
On the beach, near the Fort, is a tavern, or eating-house, called the
Commercial Hotel; the master of which is a Spaniard, but most of the
waiters and servants are French: they have, likewise, an English waiter.
Dishes of all sorts can be procured there. To dine well, the price
amounts to nearly the same as at other taverns. The large dining-room
will accommodate from 70 to 80 persons, and is neatly fitted up.
Pictures of the battle of Alexandria, the storming of Seringapatam;
portraits of the French Marshals, Bertrand, Drouet, Foy, &c.; and views
of Paris and other cities, are suspended round the room.
The Café de la Victoria, in Buenos Ayres, is very splendid; we have
nothing of the sort in London. It may not perhaps vie with the Mille
Colonnes, or other Parisian coffee-houses. There are, likewise, in
Buenos Ayres, those of St. Marco, the Catalan, and Café de Martin. They
have all large court-yards, or _patios_, attached to them, and stand
upon a great space of ground, more than could be well spared in London
for such purposes, where land is so valuable. These _patios_, in summer,
are covered with awnings, affording an agreeable retreat from the sun's
heat. They have wells of good water. To each also is attached a billiard
table; and, as this is a pastime to which they are much addicted, the
tables are always crowded. The coffee-rooms are covered with shewy
French paper, representing scenes in India, Otaheite, Don Quixote, and
designs from Grecian and Roman history.
A new coffee-house was opened in December, 1824, near the church of St.
Michael. The music, illuminations, and fireworks, in front of the
establishment, on the evening of its opening, attracted a great
concourse of people.
About four miles from town is a public-house called the York Hotel, kept
by a native. Creolian masters and mates of vessels, upon their hired
horses, at one dollar per afternoon, generally stop there; and the
horses are so accustomed to it, that it is with difficulty they will go
beyond it.
In the coffee-houses the charges are very moderate: a wine-glass of
liqueurs, brandy, or any other cordial, tea, coffee, and bread, half
a real; with toast, one real. The waiters do not expect fees, as in
England: a _capitas_, or head waiter, superintends the coffee-room.[4]
[4] In the coffee-houses, the waiters are very inquisitive, and in a
manner that one cannot be angry with. A knight of the napkin got me
into conversation, asking me a host of questions about England and
Englishmen, declaring, that he liked them better than any foreigners;
and, after passing those compliments, which I received with due
reverence, he eagerly demanded the reason of the English having such
red faces? I knew he could not mean mine, as I am dark, and of a
sallow complexion; so I told him, that the rich people drank a great
deal of Port wine, and the poor equally so of beer, which accounted
for the bloom he had noticed.
In the arrangements and decoration of coffee-houses, the French and
Spaniards far outstrip us. The English are not a coffee-house-going
people: that time which other nations spend in them, the Englishman
passes in business, or with his family.
Many Englishmen, upon their first arrival, reside with Spanish
families, to improve themselves in the language: forty dollars per month
is the charge. The houses of Mrs. Cassamajor and Mrs. Rubio take in
boarders; these families are of the highest respectability, and they
have several accomplished daughters, whose society is very interesting;
but Spanish cookery, with its garlic and grease, no more pleases an
English taste, than does that of the French.
* * * * *
Of the PUBLIC BUILDINGS, the Fort is the seat of government, the
Downing-Street of Buenos Ayres: it is situated near the river, with
residences inside. Though surrounded by a ditch, with cannon mounted on
the ramparts, drawbridges, &c. it could make but little defence against
a serious attack. One would suppose, that those who chose the spot on
which the city is built, had in view the prevention of attack by hostile
fleets, the shallowness of the water being a defence against any danger
of this kind.
The Consulado is a respectable-looking house; it contains a Court of
Justice, or Appeals, for persons cited for debt, of which they regulate
the payment according to the ability of the party summoned, very similar
to our Courts of Request. In cases of debt they are very lenient,
seldom committing to prison, except for a flagrant attempt at fraud,
and sometimes giving the debtor five years to pay his creditors,
which is almost tantamount to a release. Disputes are decided by the
magistrates, at the Consulado, with an impartiality that gives universal
satisfaction. The English disputants, it has been observed, are very
numerous, causing more trouble than those of all the rest of the town
put together. The Post-Office is held in this building; and on the first
floor (for the house is one story high) is a Music School, in the
morning for young ladies, and in the evening for gentlemen.
The Cabildo, or Town-House, has nothing remarkable about it, but the
church tower, and a long balcony in front: it is built in the Plaza, of
which it forms the western boundary. The great powers possessed by the
Members of the Cabildo, according to the old Spanish law, have been
reformed within these three years. It has a prison for criminal
offenders; and the head Police-Office is near it.
The Bank, and the adjoining range of houses, are lofty and handsome.
The House of Representatives has been lately constructed; it follows
the model, on a minor scale, of the French Chamber at Paris, and forms
a perfect theatre. The members are seated in the pit, the president
and secretary on the stage, and the spectators in the boxes. A bell
announces the commencement and the close of business. The orators, when
speaking, remain seated; so that they have no opportunity to display the
graces of action. It is well lighted, by tasteful chandeliers. The armed
soldiery, both inside and outside the house, destroys the idea of
republicanism.
The Custom-House has no pretensions to notice, on the score of
appearance, whatever it may merit for its convenience. It was proposed
to build another, in the extensive grounds and gardens of the suppressed
monastery of Le Merced; but this, like many other propositions, has been
abandoned.
The Public Library is a credit to this infant state; it contains about
21,000 volumes. Every respectable person is allowed admittance, to
peruse the books. Mr. Moreno, who speaks English, is the librarian.
Some choice drawings of medals from France are in the library.
There is a small Botanical Museum; but the country furnishes few
specimens of plants.
The Retiro, occupied as barracks, is on the north extremity of the
city, and has nothing worthy of notice about it, but its theatrical
appearance, and daubs of paintings on the walls. There is a large space
in front, called the Bull Ring, in which bull-fights used to take place.
The band performs there, for a short time, in the afternoon. It is here
that criminals are shot, when the punishment is not for a state offence.
Being situated upon high ground, and near the river, the Retiro has
a pleasant prospect. In one of the streets near it, is a large brick
building, built for a distillery, twelve years since, by Mr. Thwaites,
an Englishman. The speculation did not answer, and the house is now in
a state of dilapidation. A windmill, west of the town, is a conspicuous
object; it is the only one in the country, and was erected by Mr.
Stroud, also an Englishman. It had, for some time, the fate of the
distillery; but I have heard that it now flourishes.
The Residencia, on the south side of the Fort, is appropriated as an
hospital. There are two or three other public hospitals, including one
for foundlings.
* * * * *
The Grand Plaza is a large square, environed by buildings: on the east
is the Recoba, a piazza with shops; on the west, the Cabildo; on the
north, a part of the cathedral; and on the south, a range of shops.
There is a pyramid in the centre, which, on festival nights, is
illuminated. If paved, it would be an admirable place for the parade
of troops; at present, wet weather renders it almost impassable.
A second Plaza has been made, adjoining the other, near the Fort, by
the removal of the market-place and some dirty sheds and stabling.
The river, the fort, some neat buildings on the south, the handsome
arch, under which there is a passage to the two plazas, the towers of
St. Francisco's church, and the Cabildo, taken in perspective from
Faunch's Hotel, would form a good picture.
At night, the streets are respectably lighted by lamps fastened to the
walls, which extend as far as the eye can reach in some of the principal
thoroughfares, in St. Francisco Street particularly. A stranger, on
viewing this street, would imbibe no mean opinion of the city. The
lamps do not afford any thing like the illumination of the gas lights of
London; they are equal, however, to those used before the introduction
of gas.
From the state of the pavements, except in the principal streets,
walking at night is very disagreeable--in wet weather, dangerous; and
here are no accommodating hackney coaches to jump into.
It is intended to pave all the streets; but, from the scarcity of
workmen and materials, it will be some time before this can be effected.
Those that have pavements, bating their narrowness, are similar to the
streets of London; the unpaved ones are very miserable.
* * * * *
The HOUSES of Buenos Ayres are mostly built of brick, and white-washed.
Very few of them are one story high: they are flat-roofed, with a high
parapet, and have a court-yard attached. The windows are protected by
iron bars placed lengthwise in the front, so that a Londoner might fancy
them lock-up houses. They form a complete fortification; and the loss
sustained in Whitelock's attack ceases to excite surprise, recollecting
that our troops had to run the gauntlet through an enemy they could not
get at.
Many of the houses occupy a large extent of ground. The _sala_ is the
principal room. The roofs of the houses, denominated the _azotea_, are
very pleasant, especially near the river; and the party-walls are so
low, that a person can traverse whole streets upon the house-tops. The
inhabitants do not fear robberies, relying upon the strength of their
doors, iron-barred windows, and barking dogs: of the latter, two or
three are in a house. The bars in the window fronts are an excellent
contrivance, and quite necessary, in a climate requiring so much air,
and likewise for security, the street windows being close to the
foot-path, and no areas to protect them. They report that this fashion
is a remnant of Spanish jealousy; at any rate, it does their invention
credit. Many of the mansions are specimens of Moorish architecture;
those belonging to the richer class are splendidly furnished with
carpets, handsome mirrors, &c. So little wood is used in building, there
is no fear of fire. Extensive houses, formerly occupied by the first
families of the country, are now tenanted by British merchants; and the
salas that were once graced by beauty, music, and the dance, are now
stored with dry goods, and nothing is heard but the hum of business.
House rent is very high: for a moderate-sized house, from 60 to 80
dollars per month.
* * * * *
CHURCHES.--In Catholic countries, the attention of the Protestant
traveller is ever attracted towards the churches. Their gorgeous
decorations, music, dress of the priesthood, &c. form so great a
contrast to the simplicity of the reformed religion, that we gaze, as
if viewing the splendid scenery of some theatrical spectacle, and, for
the moment, cease to be astonished at the influence which this imposing
church has exercised, and still continues to exercise, over a great
portion of the Christian world. If the Spaniards in Europe are supposed
to surpass all other Catholic nations in their strict adherence to the
rights and ceremonies of "holy church," they have not neglected to
transplant to South America this formidable engine of power. The charms
of its music, and its general magnificence, must have bewildered the
imagination of the natives, and insured to the Spaniards complete
authority.
I have visited most of the churches of Buenos Ayres, with feelings I can
scarcely describe. My mind was ever strongly imbued with recollections
of those youthful readings of monastic institutions, of cowled monks
and nuns, which, in our Protestant land, we only read of; but to have
the reality before me, absorbed every faculty--I gave a loose to
fancy--every thought was engaged.
I believe the following to be a tolerably correct list of the churches
and chapels in Buenos Ayres:--
The Cathedral.
St. Francisco.
St. Domingo.
St. Ignatio, or College Church.
St. Catalina (Convent of Nuns).
St. Juan (ditto).
St. Nicholas.
St. Miguel.
Residencia.
Montserrat.
La Merced.
La Conception.
Loccaro.
Recolator.
La Piedad.
_Chapels._
St. Lucia.
St. Roque.
Hospital.
The Cathedral is a large domed building, built of brick, as indeed they
all are. Its outside presents nothing particular, with the exception of
its loftiness; and, in common with the rest, it has crosses placed upon
every prominent part. A new front is building towards the Plaza; but
it gets on very slowly, the scaffolding being so very expensive. The
interior is lofty and spacious; it is ornamented with figures of the
Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus, in glittering attire. Jesus on the
cross, and saints in strict costume, occupy places at the different
altars. Flowers, artificial and real, are plentifully bestowed, and
relics are strewed in all directions, informing the foreigner that he is
in a land where Catholicism once existed in all its pristine grandeur.
These emblems of peace, in the body of the church, are shaded by those
of war from above. Suspended from the ceiling are about twenty flags,
taken from the Spaniards on various occasions, as at Monte Video, Maypu,
&c. _Fernando VII._ is inscribed upon most of them. The grand altar is
adorned with costly gems; and when the large and numerous candles are
lighted, the effect is grand. The organ and choir are good: the tones
of the former vibrating through the aisles, and the kneeling females in
black attire, make an impression of no ordinary nature. The government
and municipal authorities attend at the Cathedral on state and feast
days, forming processions to and from the church. The Sunday mass, about
twelve o'clock, is attended by most of the fashion and beauty of the
town.
Of the churches, that of St. Francisco seems most profusely ornamented.
Virgins and saints of all descriptions occupy every altar and nook of
the interior, clothed in rich and fanciful attire, which the devotion of
the faithful has bestowed. The grand altar is very brilliant; and when
fully lighted, it appears a sheet of gold. Some of the ornaments, I
should think, are valuable. This edifice is of considerable length, and
contains twenty friars of the order of St. Francisco, the only community
of the sort now existing in Buenos Ayres. The towers are paved with
tiling, which, at a distance, looks like marble. St. Francisco's church
is my favourite, for, child-like, I am attracted by glitter.
The College church is one I rarely visit, from prejudice or revenge at
an insult offered to me by one of the servants, who told me Englishmen
had no business there, and absolutely took my arm to conduct me out. In
any other place I should have chastised him.--It is a gloomy structure,
both outside and inside, even with the usual decorations. The Holy Ghost
proceeds on its different missions from this church.
St. Domingo church is large, with a spacious dome. It had, until the
suppression, in 1822, forty-eight friars of the Dominican order; amongst
whom was an Irish priest, Father Burke, who, from motives of kindness,
is still allowed to occupy his apartment. He is more than 70 years of
age, and much esteemed by the British as well as natives, being divested
of those prejudices which so often disgrace his cloth. The rooms of the
friars, and the garden, make it a comfortable retreat. The interior of
St. Domingo is light and airy, without much decoration; but it contains
objects that swell the beating hearts of Englishmen--British standards
ranged around the dome, the trophies of Beresford's and Whitelock's
expeditions. Crawford, with part of his division, it will be
recollected, took refuge in this church. I have viewed those flags with
the most painful recollections, obtained, as they were, not in open
fight, but by concealed and inaccessible enemies; and have felt for the
fate of my unhappy countrymen, slaughtered, without an opportunity to
retaliate, by those who could not have stood one half-hour before them
in a fair field of battle. This city is almost the only one in the world
that can boast the possession of such prizes.
The church of Le Merced is a very pretty building, with a dome and
tower. The interior is compact, and, in splendour, very little inferior
to St. Francisco; containing virgins, Madonas, holy pictures, &c. &c. in
gorgeous abundance, with the usual quantity of confessional boxes. It is
much resorted to. Until lately, it held forty-five friars, of the order
of Le Merced; a peculiar order, allowing its professors, it is said, to
wear concealed arms. One of the regiments attends divine service, and
their band performs, in this church.