Plate countries, but they have been more than realised, notwithstanding
political and other drawbacks. Suffice it to say that Buenos Ayres has
nearly doubled in size since I was last here, and, although no public
census that I am aware of has ever been taken, the population of the
city and environs must almost have augmented in the same ratio. The
difficulties of the roadstead remain, but a forest of masts, extending
for many miles in the outer and inner roads, together with a
considerable number of steamers (the latter particularly in the inner
roads) meets the eye, and two piers, or moles, have been erected, one
exclusively used for Custom House purposes, the other for boats and
passengers, but a large portion of the traffic is still carried on by
the carts which go alongside the boats with cargo or to take it away.
Landing at the mole, a busy scene presents itself in the conveyance of
passengers' luggage, which is taken charge of by the peons or porters,
and carried for examination to the little depot at the entrance to the
mole. Afterwards it is allowed to proceed in carts or carriages to its
destination.
Being built in squares, the increase of the city is not very apparent
until you get fairly into it; but the numerous two or three-storied
houses, the large new hotels, the fine shops and warehouses, and the
great movement in the street, all indicate a thriving place of business,
which Buenos Ayres unquestionably is. Most of the streets running direct
from the river are now three miles in length, and they cover an equal
breadth, so it is easy to judge the extent of the ground covered;
besides which, very many handsome quintas, or country houses, are to be
seen in every direction outside the city. The streets generally are
badly paved, and make very rough work for carts and carriages passing
over them, but these manage to get along with considerable wear and tear
of wheels and springs, as well as horses' feet, which, however, appear
to be quite a secondary consideration. After the well-paved streets of
Rio de Janeiro, both Monte Video and Buenos Ayres cut a very poor
figure; but the worst feature is the absence of sewerage, and the refuse
of the town is at times very offensive to the olfactory nerves, and
destroys the appellative “good airs,” which is otherwise a
characteristic of the place under ordinary circumstances, or as nature
intended it to be. The inhabitants seem to have had a wretched municipal
system; but for this there is no reason why the city should not be well
drained, well paved, as well as properly lighted with gas, which latter
is now the case.
Strangers have a choice of really very large and commodious hotels, and
there are boarding and lodging houses of various kinds, but at seasons
accommodation in them is very difficult to obtain, such is the constant
increase of demand by visitors as well as by permanent residents; in
fact, the requirements of the population are constantly overtaking the
facilities of the city, and there appears to be no reasonable limit to
its extension north, south, and west, the river facing eastward. The
chief increase, however, has been westward, or in a straight line from
the river frontage into the country. Owing to the necessities of an
augmenting population, the price of building land in or near the city
has been driven up to a very high figure, and rents, as a matter of
course, are excessive. Increased population has been followed by
enhanced luxury, which manifests itself in the style of architecture, in
the splendid shops, in the number of private carriages as well as those
for hire, but naturally this has been attended by an inflated
expenditure. Living in Buenos Ayres is now quite as expensive as in
London or Paris; perhaps more so as regards luxuries, the import duties
on which are very heavy. Generally, Buenos Ayres is a dear place to live
in. Amongst other new buildings is the large theatre called Colon, and a
Music-hall, the latter erected by private subscription. It is lofty and
light, tastefully decorated, and I believe very well filled when
concerts are held there, being also occasionally used for dinners.
The busiest part of the city, commercially speaking, is down by the
Custom House and on to the Boca, the latter the rendezvous of lighters
conveying produce to the ships in the outer roads, as well as of small
steamers bound up river, and I understand that 300 lighters are now
engaged in this work, many of them of good size and decked over. It is
in contemplation to deepen and enlarge the Riachuelo, as the stream
alluded to is called, and a most useful work it will be, as it is almost
the mainstay of the port. At the other extremity of the city, which
borders on the Northern Railway, washing of clothes is carried on among
the willow trees which border the river; it is quite a sight on a fine
sunny day. On the high ground about and beyond the Retiro, numerous
handsome villas have been erected and the Retiro itself has been planted
with trees, forming a pleasant promenade. In addition to other
improvements and conveniences, omnibuses now ply from the city in
various directions, so that locomotion is greatly facilitated, and
people can live out of the city without the trouble of keeping
conveyances, if they object to this, or have not the means to maintain
them. Commerce is extending rapidly, and the Custom House revenue has
doubled itself within a very few years.
BUENOS AYRES TO COLONIA.—ESTANZUELLA.
The invitation of Mr. William White to spend a few days at his estancia
took me over to Colonia, from which it is distant about 15 miles, amidst
the beautiful undulating country of the Banda Oriental. Three to four
hours is the time usually occupied in crossing the river, almost in a
direct line from Buenos Ayres, and the steamer in which I embarked had
very comfortable accommodation but few passengers on board. There was a
small boat in opposition to the one I was in, and we arrived very close
together.
Colonia is one of the oldest settlements in the River, being built upon
a peninsula jutting out into the stream, with a snug little harbour,
which is in course of improvement. The town presents a dilapidated and
neglected appearance, which is accounted for by its having, until
recently, been fortified, and made the head-quarters of different
factions during the long civil wars. There is a large church, with three
high towers, visible at a considerable distance, and a lighthouse for
the protection of vessels passing, as several low islands are situated
close to the harbour. Some good looking houses have lately been erected,
and the site of a new town laid, but it will be many years before it is
likely to assume any importance. I noticed an old gateway, with an
inscription dated 1724 over it.
I found Mr. White's carriage waiting for me at Colonia. It was drawn by
four horses, the road being heavy for a few miles, but after that we got
into a good one,—a kind of beaten track over what is called the campo,
and for the first time I realised the pleasurable feeling of travelling
over a sea of land, if it can be so named, where, excepting an
occasional _puesto_, or shepherd's hut, not a human habitation is to be
seen. The undulations of the land are here very like the long roll of
the ocean, by which it is supposed to have been formed, and you are at
once in the midst of cattle, horses, and sheep, with grass and thistles
growing everywhere, the thistles in many cases being masters of the
situation.
It was getting foggy before we reached Mr. White's estancia, but the
light of the moon assisted our course across an apparently trackless
country. I found Mr. White's quinta a very pretty and comfortable
residence, surrounded by trees and evergreens, all of which have been
planted by the present owner. The whole place is in fact the creation of
some ten years, showing what can be done in this country by a judicious
application of capital and labour. The house and estate cover a space of
some nine square miles, the former being built on an elevated spot,
called “Monte” (or the “Mount,”) and occupying with grounds about 50
acres of good rich soil, overlooking an amphitheatre of hill and dale,
which stretches as far as the eye can reach, with “puestos” or
shepherds' cottages at regular distances, where the cattle and sheep are
collected together at dusk and let out again at daylight. This is a most
interesting process, which I have seen described, but it can only be
realised personally. It is something like marshalling a scattered army
and bringing them into a given square. The shepherds or peons go
galloping about until the cattle and sheep are gathered together, when
they all, as by a kind of instinct, find their way to the corral or
fold. At dawn the following morning they are let out again and roam for
miles over the estate. The arrangements at a good estancia like that of
Mr. White's are very complete, and every one understands his work, but
of course the eye of a master is required to see that the work is
properly done. The stock on this estancia consists of about 30,000
sheep, upwards of 1,000 head of cattle, and some 100 horses.
[Illustration: Mr. White's House at Estanzuella.]
My first day was employed in visiting several of the stations, and very
agreeable it was cantering over the springy turf, clothed with grass and
thistles, where the sheep and cattle were quietly feeding. Buttercups
glittered in the sunshine, but we missed the modest daisies so familiar
at home. We were on horseback five hours, and I returned to dinner
highly delighted with all I had seen. The second day we took the
carriage and a gun, as partridges are plentiful and innumerable flocks
of doves. Paid a visit to the estancia of Mr. Giffard, about six miles
distant in a direct line, but further by the course we had to take,
partly over the open campo. Returning we came close upon some half-dozen
ostriches and Mr. White shot at and wounded a very fine male; but it was
a painful sight to see the struggles of the poor bird, and we were
obliged to get one of the men from a neighbouring station to dispatch it
with his knife. Many of these noble birds are still to be met with in
the campo, where they are pursued by the natives for the value of the
feathers. I was presented with a portion of the feathers of the ostrich
killed as described. The third day we were again on horseback for
several hours, with a boy carrying a gun and some refreshment. We rode
along one of the running streams with which the campo is favoured, to
look for some ducks, but the streams were very low, and we only
succeeded in bagging one. These streams are invaluable for cattle, and
the Banda Oriental in this respect is more fortunate than Buenos Ayres,
and in consequence suffers less from drought. Finding game so scarce,
the boy was sent home, and we cantered on to visit some of the other
stations I had not yet seen, the weather throughout being beautifully
fine, clear sunshine, with a bracing and most exhilarating breeze.
There are some curious collections of rocks mostly on the margins of the
streams. Huge boulders, thrown up it would seem by some convulsion of
nature, and between which trees and enormous cactuses have forced their
way, in cases even splitting the stone, especially present a most
singular appearance. About Mr. Giffard's quinta there is quite a large
formation of this kind, and a collection of very fine ombu trees,
several with immense trunks and evidently of great age.
To-day, the last of my visit, has been spent in riding about the quinta,
watching the operation of lassoing and bringing into the corral a
refractory bull and cow that had left their companions and roamed miles
away. The dexterity of the peons, and the way they manage their horses
on these occasions, is something wonderful, and fairly exhausts the
strength of the animals.
This is the finest season of the year in these countries, and it is
impossible to imagine anything more pleasing or more cheerful than the
present aspect of the campo. The next two or three months constitute the
winter season, which is rainy and cold. September and October (their
spring) are generally fine. The heat of summer is, of course,
considerable, but it is not so much felt in the open country, where a
fresh breeze, as a rule, prevails; it is the towns that are most
disagreeable at that period.
To-morrow, I return to Colonia, highly gratified with all I have
observed, and with the kind hospitality I have experienced. As I have
said, partridges are abundant, but they commonly go singly, and without
a pointer they are difficult to follow. Mr. White, however, shot two
brace close to his house, when we were walking out before breakfast, and
several single ones on other occasions. They are prettily marked birds
and delicate eating. He did not happen to have a suitable dog by him at
the time. The shepherds all keep fine dogs, mostly of the retriever
breed, to assist them in managing their flocks, and there were a good
many attached to the house and out-buildings; one of the former, a
Scotch terrier, and myself becoming very great friends.
TRIP ON THE CENTRAL ARGENTINE RAILWAY.
I am writing this on board the “Lujan” steamer, built in Buenos Ayres,
with engines by a Glasgow house. She is a comfortable boat, with good
accommodation for passengers, and the “vivers” excellent, including even
champagne at dinner, which in this country is rather an expensive
luxury. After a lapse of fifteen years I find myself once more ascending
the noble Parana river, which at that time was almost unknown in Buenos
Ayres, the little “Argentine” being the first commercial steamer that
ever navigated its waters. I predicted the results a few years would
bring about, and my expectations have been more than realised, the river
being now as freely navigated by steamers as some of those in the United
States, with the difference of course that there is not the same amount
of population on its banks—population being still the great want of this
boundless region.
The station for passengers for the up-river boats is now the terminus of
the Northern Railway, at a small stream called Tigre, which is reached
in something over an hour's time. We left the station at 10 a.m., and
arrived at the wharf alongside which the steamer lay at 11.30. All the
passengers, with their luggage, were soon on board, and we started,
wending our way through the small branches of the Parana, in many places
not wider than a canal, the steamer brushing against the overhanging
trees. A couple of hours brought us at last into the wide embouchure of
the river at a point named Palmas.
The advantage of the Tigre as a starting point for steamers is that it
avoids the disagreeable boating in the roads of Buenos Ayres and
crossing the bay for Martin Garcia; in every way it is a desirable
arrangement, alike beneficial to the steamers and to the railway.
Upwards of a dozen steamers were laying outside the Tigre, in a stream
called Lujan (after which this boat is named), two of them large
double-decked Yankee river boats and nearly all of them without
occupation—a terrible sacrifice of valuable property. Having discussed a
solid _dejeuner à la fourchette_, I came on deck to enjoy the scenery.
It was blowing a fresh breeze, dead against us, with a strong current
and very cold, cloaks and great coats being a necessity although the day
was bright and sunny. For several hours we steamed along, passing only
jungle and dense masses of trees, with numerous sailing craft at anchor,
laden with cargo, many bound upwards, no doubt with stores for the army
in Paraguay.
Just before sunset we passed a very fine quinta, belonging to the
Minister of Education, Senor Costa, built on a beautiful barranca, or
elevated ground, a short way from the river, the horsemen on the heights
presenting a very picturesque appearance.
Dinner was announced, which occupied fully an hour, and afterwards I
went on deck and enjoyed a night on the noble Parana. The wind had gone
down, and the stars shed their light over the still water, on which the
shadow of the trees was reflected, our course being occasionally close
to them, though at times we had to take the mid stream. Now and again
the sky was lighted up with fires, caused, I believe, by the burning of
wood for charcoal, a process which might go on for centuries without
exhausting the illimitable extent of wood. A large traffic is carried on
in this material by river craft to Buenos Ayres and Monte Video. We
stopped to land passengers at a station called Hermanos, and soon after
passed two or three steamers at anchor, with some sailing vessels near
them, no doubt connected with the war services. Our passengers are a
motley group, speaking all languages, and amusing themselves by playing
cards, chess, and dominoes, the while talking and chattering away at the
top of their voices; some ladies amongst them as merry as the rest. Many
Italians, French, and Germans are met on board these steamers, but
comparatively few English, who remain more in the cities and towns, or
at their estancias when resident in the country. After a fine, clear,
starlight night, the latter part aided by a bright moon, the day broke
grandly, and we soon came to anchor at the little port of San Nicolas,
where we landed and took in some passengers. Then came a good,
substantial breakfast, and at about eleven o'clock the large saladeros
near Rosario were in sight. We brought up alongside a coal hulk, where
the steamer had to take in fuel before returning to Buenos Ayres the
same afternoon.
A number of sailing vessels and steamers were laying at anchor at
Rosario, making quite a busy scene. I landed in a small punt to find my
way to the house of a friend. The aspect of Rosario was not much
changed, looking at it from the river, with the towers of the church in
the background, the town itself being more or less concealed by the high
barranca. On entering it, however, I was quite lost. Streets have been
extended in every direction for more than a mile, and I should say it
has doubled or trebled in size and population since I was here. Whatever
prejudicial effects the Paraguayan war may have produced in other
respects, there can be no question that Rosario has largely benefitted,
the place being one of call for steamers and sailing vessels up and
down; and it also supplies a considerable quantity of stores for the
army. The value of land and property has gone up to a high figure, and
the poorer portion of the population are obliged to squat wherever they
can find room to build a rancho, or kind of mud hut. Gauchos galloping
about in their picturesque costume showed that we were in a new
province, and although civilisation has extended itself here somewhat
after the fashion of Buenos Ayres, there are evident signs that it is
intermingled with much of the wild habits of a life in the Pampas.
The great object of my visit here was of course to see the Central
Argentine Railway, and certainly those accustomed to the imposing
appearance of railway stations at home will hardly be impressed with the
rough and ready wildness of the scene which presents itself here. A few
disjointed wooden sheds in an open plain, one side bordering on the
river, some carriages and covered waggons on the rails, at this time
constitutes the terminus of a line already carried 158 miles into the
interior; but all this is merely temporary and will give place to the
permanent station now in process of formation, and upon which hundreds
of labourers are at present constantly at work. The material is all
there in readiness, and the station would have been much further
advanced had it not been for the cholera, which caused such terrible
devastations here a few months ago. Internal commotions have also tended
to retard progress. Happily these scourges are for the time at least
passed away, and it is to be hoped nothing will again interfere to
prevent the completion of a line of such vital interest in connection
with the material development of the country between Rosario and
Cordova.
I was curious to see the first arrival and starting of the trains, which
did not indicate much traffic; but this can hardly be looked for until
the metals are carried through and the railway possesses all the needful
appliances, not to speak of the prejudices of a people who have been
accustomed to gallop over the wide plains like the Arabs of old, and use
those antique structures drawn by bullocks, which are yet destined to be
abandoned to rot in their final resting place, or be removed further
west to bring traffic to the Cordova station. Engineeringly speaking, it
is the easiest possible task to make a railway through such a country as
this, but other drawbacks and difficulties exist in the absence of
population and of conveniences to which we are accustomed in England. It
is a refreshing sight in Rosario to see so large a mixture of the
foreign element. New banks and large establishments are in operation and
Estanceiros constantly coming into town to transact their business.
Among the visitors at Rosario are many Englishmen from the districts
round about, who have not been murdered by the Indians, notwithstanding
the stories prevalent to that effect, and I hear of numerous thriving
colonies in the neighbourhood, which I regret time will not permit my
visiting, as the extent of my ramble must now be confined to going over
the railway. I repeat that my impression as to the future of Rosario,
after all it has lately gone through, is favourable, and I am perfectly
satisfied of the go-a-head nature of every thing in this prosperous
province.
The train for Rosario starts at 8 a.m., and is due at Villa Nueva, a
distance of 158 miles, at 6 p.m., travelling at an average speed of
nearly sixteen miles an hour, including eight stoppages—quite sufficient
for present purposes, with a train composed of waggons and two American
passenger cars, one for first and the other for second class. We got off
a little after eight o'clock with a good long train and the cars were
pretty well filled. For the first two or three stations the ground is
slightly undulating, covered with good pasture, on which numerous herds
of cattle, flocks of sheep, and horses were feeding; afterwards, or
about half-way between Rosario and Villa Nueva, there are few cattle
seen, though the food for them is there in any quantity. At Roldan, the
first station from Rosario, some tents were erected, and horses
collected, in course of training for the races to be held on Monday
next, the 25th of May, at which there is generally a large gathering of
sporting characters from that and other districts, as also of spectators
from Rosario. It is an English club, with the usual array of stewards,
umpires, &c. The meeting is expected to be a very good one. The next
station is Carcaranal, near which the river is crossed by a handsome
iron bridge, the river itself flowing for a very long distance through
the province of Cordova and Santa Fé, ultimately merging its waters with
those of the Parana. These first two stations are mere mud huts, being
only temporary, but Carcaranal has the additional disadvantage of being
placed in the midst of a black, dismal, dry lagoon, where a butcher's
establishment is kept for supplying a portion of the company's workmen
on the line with meat. The rancho, or station for the passengers, might
as well be removed, however, a few hundred yards further back, the
engine going on to get its supply of water at one of the tanks placed
here, instead of the olfactory nerves of the passengers being exposed to
an ordeal of no agreeable character. I believe the nuisance is much
complained of and will soon be removed.