MONTEVIDEO.
_October 18th._—Yesterday, in company with Lieut. T—— of the Congress,
and Mr. Z——, Consul for the Hanseatic towns, I made a visit to Urquiza,
the chieftain of the Plata, whose star is now so much in the ascendant.
His head-quarters are at Pantanoso, where his troops are encamped three
leagues westward from the city. By the raising of the siege, horses are
once more to be obtained in Montevideo. Mr. Z—— was nobly mounted upon
the fine animal, on which the officer from the outside, mentioned under
the former date, dashed through the portal of the American consulate the
first day of the pacification. Mr. Hamilton had succeeded in procuring a
passport to Buenos Ayres for him; and, purchasing his charger, made a
present of it to Mr. Z——, his son-in-law. Lieut. T—— and I were provided
with animals at a livery stable, just opened, to which we walked to make
our choice. The keeper, who, himself, acted as hostler and groom for us,
is no less a personage than an authenticated Austrian baron, of an old
family among the nobility of the empire; and who, reduced in fortune, is
ashamed to beg, but not thus to occupy himself for an honest livelihood,
in a foreign land. It was from him I now received my first lesson in the
horsemanship of the country, being instructed to guide my Rosinante, not
by pulling the rein of the bridle on the side I wished to turn him, as
with us, but by keeping both reins of an equal length in the hand, and
touching the neck of the animal with that opposite to the direction he
is to go.
The weather was delightful. In the early morning the sun threatened to
be hot; but afterwards a veil of gauze-like cloud, without shading too
much the brilliancy of a day like June at home, prevented any discomfort
from it. After clearing the line of the city walls, perceiving it to be
low-water in the bay, we struck down from the ordinary road, to the hard
sand of the beach, which sweeps in wide curvature in the direction of
the Mount, and dashed off on a full gallop across it. Parties of native
horsemen were scampering in both directions over the same ground,
looking—with their ponchos and long hair streaming in the wind behind
them—as wild and picturesque as so many Arabs of the desert.
At the end of a mile we turned up the bank into the highway. This is
wide, level, hard and dry, with hedges of aloes and cacti on either
side. There is scarcely a tree of any kind to be seen; but now and then
a fruit tree, a row of trim poplars, or a clump of weeping willows just
in full leaf, reminded us of home. This was especially the case with the
willows, the first graceful wave of their fresh, long branches, setting
me down at once beneath those at Riverside. The soil seemed to be of
great richness, a black mould which bears every growth in exuberance. I
never saw fig trees equal in height and spreading tops, to those passed
in one enclosure. Evidences of the long civil war were every where seen
in the ruins of houses, and in deserted grounds; but, occasionally, we
came to a quinta or country-seat, still in good repair, whose massive
gateways, tesselated courts, balustraded terraces, surmounted by vases
filled with air-plants and gay flowers gave proof of the taste and
elegance which once characterized the suburban residences of Montevideo.
We now came upon an open country, without hedge or enclosure of any
kind. The whole surface was covered with rich verdure, brightly
enamelled by ten thousand flowers of every hue, and fragrant with the
perfumes of spring. As we caracoled gently along, or, again, following
the custom of the land, dashed forward at full speed, groups of people,
peasants and soldiers, on foot and on horseback, were passing and
repassing; and not unfrequently clustered thickly around the dark and
dirty entrances of the pulperias, or grog-shops, which here, as
elsewhere where man is, are ever to be found—the whole presenting, in
features and in form, in costume and in colors, a constant study for the
sculptor and the painter.
The region of country around the bay—along the shores of which we still
continued—is well watered; and we crossed two or three streams in the
course of our ride. As we ascended from the bed of one of these to the
general level, we came in view of another, along the gently rising banks
of which, on either side, lay stretched in irregular detachments three
or four thousand troops. This encampment, in all its appointments, had a
most primitive and unscientific aspect. The tents, such as they
were—very much of a gipsy character—did not appear sufficient for the
shelter, in sleeping and in bad weather, of half the number of soldiers;
and the whole equipage of the camp was as rude as that of so many
Indians. The predominance of scarlet in the color of every thing
appertaining to it, imparted, however, a gay and brilliant air to the
whole. A park of artillery, planted on a gentle swell of ground,
commanded the approaches, and had more the appearance of modern warfare
than any thing else attracting the observation.
On inquiring for head-quarters, two or three tents were pointed out on a
knoll, on the opposite side of the rivulet, quite separate from the
general encampment. A company of lancers were clustered irregularly at
no great distance in the rear of these—their long and effective-looking
spears, with a scarlet pennon floating from the top of each, being
staked in lines in front of them.
As we approached, we perceived the marqueé of the commander-in-chief to
be distinguished from the rest, by broad stripes of white and blue, and
by the artistic manner in which it was pitched. Behind it stood an
immense vehicle, more massive and ponderous in its structure than the
heaviest omnibus ever seen at home—the travelling carriage of his
excellency, evidently fitted for hard service, by such bracings with
raw-hide ropes about the springs, whipple-trees and axles, and such
bindings of green hide around the hubs and spokes and wheel-tires, as
would create a sensation in a civilized country. Near by, stood a
gigantic cart with wattled sides, and a roof fifteen or twenty feet in
height: the baggage-wagon, doubtless, for the needful provender of the
general-in-chief and suite.
When we drew up, we were approached by a noble-looking adjutant, tall
and stalwart, with boots to his hips, a steel-scabbarded sword, which
might have served for a Goliath, and spurs of massive silver, that—in
want of marbled pavement or planked floor for the effect—caused the very
ground beneath him to rattle. My companions, having made known their
official character and our nationality, and the desire of paying our
respects personally to the chieftain, we were politely requested to
dismount, our horses delivered to the charge of the guard, and our cards
taken, preparatory to an announcement. Immediately on the presentation
of our names, we were conducted to the front of the tent and ushered
into the presence of the general. He rose to receive us with courteous
salutations, and a cordial shake of the hand. The tent was small, but
exceedingly neat. Its poles were bamboo, that in the centre which raised
the canvas to a peak, being surrounded by a square camp table, on which
lay a round black hat with the scarlet band of the confederation, a pair
of black kid gloves, a riding-whip, and a magnificent bouquet of fresh
flowers—a propitiatory gift, probably, from some fair hand in the
neighborhood. Three tent bedsteads—one on either side and one at the
farther end—one or two camp stools, and a square of ingrain carpet on
the grass, constituted the furniture.
We became seated on the bedsteads at the sides, while Urquiza took a
position by the table in the centre. He was in a military dress coat of
blue, the collar and cuffs being handsomely decorated with embroideries
in gold of the oak leaf and acorn. A waistcoat of scarlet damask,
pantaloons of blue with a red stripe down the seams, and well polished
boots, completed his costume. He is of moderate height, but stout,
broad-chested, and finely formed, and has a Spanish roundness of face
and limb. He was smoothly shaved, and without the moustache usually worn
here, both by military men, and by the people in general. In feature, he
is decidedly handsome, with fine mouth and teeth, large, dark eyes full
of vivacity, and a complexion clear and glowing with manly health, but
bronzed by exposure.
His expression is open and frank—one that a physiognomist would trust
for honesty and magnanimity; and his manners and address courteous and
gentlemanly, without being courtier-like or artificial. I know not when
I have been more favorably impressed on a first interview, with any one,
either in public or private life. Personally, he is evidently one to be
admired; and, if his character, morally and intellectually, is at all in
harmony with his physical advantages, I can readily perceive how the
popularity he has already won, in the part he is now acting, may run
into enthusiasm. He must be nearly fifty years of age; but, were it not
for the thinness of his hair on the top of the head, I should say he was
not more than forty.
A favorite mastiff, a noble-looking animal, lay stretched at his ease on
the carpet, and attracting our notice became the first subject of our
conversation. He originally belonged to another officer; but, on meeting
Urquiza, left his master and attached himself to him with a pertinacity
which resisted every attempt to drive him away. He has constituted
himself the especial guardian of his person, and has for years been his
companion, night and day. Several remarkable anecdotes, of feats in the
camp and on the battle-field, told of him, paved the way for a free and
animated conversation on more important topics—embracing the present
state of affairs in the Republics of the Plata—the results thus far, of
Urquiza’s own movements as a liberator, and purposes designed by him,
yet unachieved. “It is time,” he justly remarked, “that the contracted
and narrow-minded policy, dictated by the selfish views of the rulers of
the Plata, should be made to give way to measures more in unison with
the spirit of the age; and that the wide rivers and rich plains of these
magnificent countries, should be thrown open to the commerce, and be
made free to the immigration of people from all nations.”
The hope was expressed, that when he should reach Montevideo—where it
was taken for granted he would make a public entry—he would visit the
Congress; but, before the word Montevideo was well uttered, he hastily
interrupted the sentence by exclaiming, “Montevideo!—No—no, I shall not
go to Montevideo!” He, it seems, studiously avoids every appearance of
courting popularity, and of making a display of himself unnecessarily;
averring that the only object for which he comes into the country, is to
free the Montevideans from the thraldom of the tyranny by which they
have so long suffered. Having accomplished this, he says he has nothing
further to ask or desire, except that they may be prosperous and happy,
united and free. The early career of Urquiza as a partisan of Rosas, and
as the victor over the Montevideans themselves, in the beginning of the
invasion by the Argentines, is said to have been as bloodthirsty and
cruel as that of any of his compeers, in the civil contentions of the
States of the Plata. But great apparent humanity, as well as consummate
policy, has thus far marked all his present measures and movements. In
the beginning of his march against Oribe, he proclaimed the anxiety he
felt to prevent all effusion of blood; that he came as a friend, not as
a foe; that his mission was one of peace and of patriotism in a common
cause. The consequence of this annunciation in advance, was a general
gathering to his standard in his progress, and the desertion to him, at
every opportunity, of whole detachments of the troops sent to oppose
him. On expressing the surprise which we felt at being told by him, that
the thousands of soldiers immediately around, and constituting his only
guard, were exclusively those who, but a few days before, had laid down
their arms to him, and, who till then were commissioned to cut his
throat—he said—“We are all brothers now—one people and one blood: it
only remains for us to free our common country from a common tyrant,”
referring of course to Rosas. The nearest detachment of the troops
brought with him from Entre-Rios was quite two miles distant.
At the end of a half hour, we took leave, greatly interested in all we
had seen and heard during the interview. As a rigid moralist, I am bound
perhaps to qualify, in a degree, my admiration of this chieftain, from
the knowledge I have gained of some of the particulars of his private
history. An inquiry made by one of our party, led the General to say,
that though he had no wife living he had a large family; and that the
mother of some of his children, having recently died, he regarded
himself as a widower. The truth is, he has never been married. It is by
no means unusual for persons here to live long together without the
marriage-tie, and often with entire fidelity to each other. It is to a
relation of this kind he referred, and in which he had a numerous family
born to him; but he admits the claims of paternity in a large number
besides; and so justly, it is said, that the title of the novel, “A
child of thirty-six fathers,” may with a slight transposition, be
applied with literal truthfulness to him, as “The father of thirty-six
children”—the exact number, I am told, of his acknowledged offspring. So
much for this chieftain for the present; we shall doubtless hear much of
him, and perhaps meet him again, before taking a final leave of the
Plata.
Oribe has been permitted, since the capitulation, to retire on parole to
his country-seat, situated on the shore of the bay, in the neighborhood
of his former encampment. Lieut. T—— and I, as neutrals in the partisan
conflicts of the country, felt some disposition to call upon him in his
reverse of fortune; but the antipathies of Mr. Z——, arising from a
knowledge of his history and character, and the long endurance of evil
by the Montevideans at his hands, would not permit him to join us in a
visit of the kind. As condolence under capitulation and overthrow would
have been more difficult to present acceptably, than the felicitations
we had just addressed to the fortunate rival, we did well, perhaps, to
content ourselves with the view in the distance of the white walls of
his dwelling, in the midst of extensive plantations of poplar and
willow. If all that is said of his past acts of cruelty be true, he well
merits the reverse he has suffered, and the contempt into which he has
fallen.
The ride, on our return, was constantly enlivened as before, by passers
by, both on foot and on horseback, forming a great variety of groupings,
and an endless diversity of costume. One common mode of transporting
burdens was of a most primitive kind: a hide spread on the ground, and
attached to the saddle or person of the horseman by a long leathern
rope. Whatever was to be carried was piled upon and made fast to this
simple sledge, and thus dragged along.
At the end of a couple of miles from the head-quarters at Pantanoso, we
turned inland for a short distance from the direct road, to inspect the
fort of the “Cerrito” or little hill, so recently evacuated by Oribe.
The rise of ground to it is very gentle on every side, and the central
point of elevation two hundred and fifty or three hundred feet only,
above the level of the bay. The little fort cresting the apex is
abandoned, except by a single keeper. It is old and dilapidated; and
defective in its original construction, in the leading principles of
modern engineering. It appeared incapable of standing a salute by its
own guns, much less the fire of artillery in an attack. The view from
the parapets is extensive in all directions; and, in the freshness and
verdure of the spring, peculiarly beautiful. It embraces a fine inland
view, the Mount, the bay and shipping; the massive walls and towers of
Montevideo; and the new town of Restoracion. At the base of the hill on
the east, lay, in a quadrangular village, the little huts of mud,
thatched with grass, which have for years been the quarters of the
besieging soldiery. They must have been wretched enough in appearance at
any time; but are doubly so, in their present state of desertion and
half demolition.
The ride of a mile from this cantonment brought us to Restoracion. This,
till the capitulation, was quite a thriving place, having attracted, by
its port of entry at the Buçeo, the little produce the country, in its
devastated condition, could furnish for exportation. But its vocation is
now gone. The port is already closed by decree of the government, and
the decline of Restoracion will be even more rapid than its rise. All
business will necessarily flow into its old channels in the city; and
the new town, at best, be only an impoverished suburb of the old.
It is well laid out: its streets very wide, regular, and well built. Its
chief architectural feature is a very fine structure: a spacious
quadrangle, enclosing double courts, and ornamented by a lofty tower. It
is called “the college;” and was designed by Oribe for an institution of
learning, but appears thus far to have been used only as a town hall,
for the accommodation of the municipal officers and the police.
This brings me to the comical part of our excursion. Having dismounted
for the observation of the place on foot, the inspection of the building
just mentioned, and of a new church of some merit in its architecture,
we again took horse to meet an appointment for dinner in Montevideo,
three miles distant. We had scarcely reached the centre of the town,
however, before my horse came suddenly to a dead stand. He had travelled
beautifully all the morning, without the slightest evidence of a
stubborn or vicious disposition, or any bad habit. It was in vain,
however, that I now urged him forward. All the effect of doing so was to
cause him to turn abruptly to the one side or the other, or completely
around; and, when I resorted to the whip and spur, neither of which had
before been required, he dashed upon the sidewalk to the right or to the
left, and rushed headforemost into the shop-doors and windows, putting
men, women, and children to flight in every direction. Of the crowd of
boys soon gathered near, I heard some, by way of commiseration, exclaim,
“What a wicked horse!” others less courteous, and with knowing looks as
to the merits of the case, “What a poor rider!” till Lt. T——, a Virginia
cavalier, insisted on an exchange of animals. This we made, but without
securing a better issue. The horse he had ridden behaved in the same
manner, or when started, persisted in dashing round the first corner
come to, and in rushing into the first enclosure or stable-yard open to
him. I kept him going, however, from point to point, as best I
could—first down one street and then up another; around this corner and
around that—with my friends in full gallop behind, till all three were
brought to a stand by getting between two walls, which formed a kind of
_cul de sac_. By this time we had fairly roused the whole place, without
gaining the advance of a rod towards Montevideo, and Mr. Z—— proposed
that I should make the further trial of his horse. The excitement of the
chase after me, the hurraing of the boys, the shrieks of the women, and
the general tumult, had fired the spirit of this fine animal, and the
moment I had gained the saddle, headed in the direction we wished to go,
he started at full speed through the principal street, while—
“The dogs did bark, the children screamed,
Up flew the windows all;
And every soul cried out ‘Well done!’
As loud as he could bawl.”
Finding myself thus well started, I was determined to allow my steed no
chance of a halt in the gait he had chosen, at least till well in sight
of the city, and kept him on the full spring. My friends were in close
pursuit; and the nearer they came the faster I fled, till we well-nigh
fell from our horses in convulsions of laughter, at the Gilpin-like
appearance of the chase. Had I worn hat and wig, I should have lost
them; and, as it was, doubtless presented a comical sight, in my efforts
at once to retain my seat in the saddle, and to keep a naval cap on my
head, and the spectacles on my nose. All the amusement, however, did not
centre on me. Mr. Z—— is immensely tall and slender. The stirrups of the
saddle exchanged with me for his own, were too short for him by at least
a half length. He had not altered them; and in sitting on the horse, his
knees were brought well up to his chin, making him, at the rate we were
riding, far from the least comical figure of the party.
The cause of this incident in our adventures was ascertained to be the
fact that, till the day previous, the only home of the two horses ridden
by Lt. T—— and me, had been at Restoracion; and, on reaching their old
haunts, they had no will, after a ride of fifteen miles, to leave them
again, even for the more dignified quarters of the Baron, their new
master in the city.
_October 22d._—For two or three days past, the troops of Urquiza, in
detachment after detachment, have been thickly clustering around the
base and on the sides of the Mount—like the settling of flocks of
pigeons on the ground, in the migrating season at home. The whole region
in sight from our ship is now little else than a tented field, so
covered with figures in glaring red as to remind me vividly, by the
brilliant coloring thus thrown over the landscape, of the fields of
scarlet poppies I have seen in some parts of Europe. The nearest of
these encampments is by the water’s edge, within a couple of miles of
our anchorage. Yesterday morning Captain McIntosh invited Dr. C—— and
myself, to accompany him and Captain Corey of the “Southampton” in a
visit to it. The morning was beautiful in weather, and the opportunity
for observation exceedingly interesting.
We landed at a point where, at the commencement of the civil war, there
had been an extensive manufactory connected with the staple productions
of the Republic—hides and tallow. Every thing here bore evidences of the
devastation which has swept over the whole country in its industrial
pursuits: roofless buildings and crumbling walls, uprooted pavements,
overthrown furnaces, and rust-eaten boilers. Some of the stone
enclosures still standing, presented a common but singular sight, in a
capping, twelve or eighteen inches in depth, formed of the horns and the
frontal bones of cattle, so arranged and interlocked, as to produce, in
their regularity, and in the whiteness into which the whole is bleached
by the weather, quite a striking and picturesque effect—as suggestive of
taste and beauty in fence building, as the drooping leaves of the
acanthus are said to have been in the finish of the Corinthian column.
Beyond the curving sand-beach of a little cove, a quarter of a mile from
this landing, the nearest encampment was spread over the bright verdure
of a gently swelling knoll. The scene presented by it was novel, and
strikingly picturesque. The snowy whiteness of the tents; the bright
green of the grass; and the glowing red of the caps, mantles, and
chiripas, or swaddling blankets, worn in place of trowsers by the
soldiers, were brought out in brilliant contrast by the morning’s sun;
while the pennons of scarlet, fluttering from the tops of the lances,
stuck in long lines and in thick clusters over the ground, gave an air
of lively animation to the whole.
No check was placed on our movements, nor on the scrutiny of such
observations as we chose to make. The uniforms of my companions led to
constant military salutes from such as recognized their presence; and we
were treated with unvarying civility. We were much struck with the
physical aspect of these troops. They are an uncommonly fine race;
large, muscular, and athletic: a powerful set of men, whom—perfect
centaurs as they are on horseback—it would be a fearful thing to meet as
lancers on full charge in battle. They are very dark and Indian-like in
complexion; their faces covered with bushy whiskers and mustaches, and
their long, black, uncombed hair flowing in the freedom of nature over
their shoulders. Occupied in all the various employments of
semi-civilized soldiery in camp, they furnished, individually and in
groups, studies of which an artist would have rejoiced to avail himself.
Some splitting billets of wood for cooking, some roasting meat, and some
eating it at their fires; some washing their clothes in a rivulet, just
by, and some bringing water from a spring; a few were lounging on the
grass in conversation, and a few walking listlessly about; but the
greater number—nine out of ten—were gambling with cards. Seated in
numbers, from four to seven, around a poncho spread on the grass, with
the money at stake upon it, they shuffled, dealt, and played, while
groups of double the numbers, standing around and over them, threw down
their dollars at hazard, and waited the issue of the game. So entirely
were the players and betters absorbed in their games, that they took no
notice whatever of us as strangers, nor of any thing occurring around
them. The importance of the political struggle now commenced, insures
good payment to the troops. A large distribution of cash has recently
been made, and the soldiers seem very flush in pocket, and very free in
the disposal of their funds. Card-playing is a chief amusement, and
gambling a ruling passion among all classes of the people.
The subsistence of the soldiers consists solely of fresh beef: eaten
without bread, or vegetables, or even salt. Morning, noon, and night,
beef, and beef alone, furnishes their repast. The manner of cooking it
is this. A small circular hole, three or four inches in depth, is made
in the ground, and a fire kindled in it. A long, slender stick or wooden
skewer, sharpened to a point at both ends, is run through a piece of
meat, and one end of the stick so fastened in the ground on one side of
the hole, that the meat hangs at a low angle over the flame and coals of
the fire. The outside thus soon becomes scorched and burnt, and in a few
minutes, one of the mess removes it from the fire, by taking hold of the
upper end of the stick with the left hand, while his ever-ready knife is
in the right. Seizing the meat with his teeth, as he holds it up before
him, he cuts off a mouthful by a single quick stroke of his knife, and
passed the skewer and its burden to his next messmate. Each of the group
thus in turn takes his share of the part roasted. That which remains raw
is again placed over the fire, and a similar process gone through with,
till the hungry are all satisfied, or the supply consumed. We were very
courteously invited by one group, to take seats upon the sheepskins
spread for them, and to partake of their primitive meal; but excused
ourselves from accepting such kind hospitality, by the plea of a want of
appetite.
The encampment stretched, in greater or less regularity and compactness,
from the point at which we were, three miles and more northward, to the
head-quarters of the commander-in-chief; and from thence again westward
by the banks of a stream, the like distance around the Mount to the
Plata. The inspection of one portion gave us the characteristic and
leading features of the whole; and, after an hour’s stroll through the
nearer sections, we ascended the Mount, to enjoy from the ramparts of
the fortress, the wide landscape they command under its new aspects of
animated life. This was exceedingly picturesque in the varied display of
so large a force in camp and bivouac. The smoke of fires, in preparation
for the noonday meal, rose in pearly columns on every side; and
thousands of tethered horses, and unnumbered herds of cattle were
grazing every where over the rich plains.
Immediately beneath the walls of the fort, on the northern side, within
stone’s throw beneath us, is a _corral_—an enclosure for the keeping of
cattle, surrounded by high walls, with a barred entrance at one corner.
It was now filled with hundreds of fine animals. As we stood looking
down upon this, three horsemen, followed by three men on foot, entered
it; and we unexpectedly became witnesses of the manner of butchering an
animal here, whether taken wild on the open prairie, or, as at present,
penned up in a corral. The uses of the _lasso_ and _bolas_, and the
dexterity of the South Americans in the management of them, are familiar
to every school-boy. It was with the lasso the horsemen now operated.
The animal designated for slaughter, was, in a few moments, artfully
detached from the general herd, and made captive by the horns, with the
unerring lasso, thrown at the same moment by two of the horsemen—the
third having as readily entangled him by the hind legs as he ran. The
three horses trained to the business, the moment the lassos were thrown,
braced themselves firmly by their forefeet against the ground, bringing
the lassos perfectly ‘taut’ in three different directions, and thus
holding the beast as unmovable, as if staked by the head and heels. As
he became thus fixed, with his hind legs drawn closely together, one of
the men on foot sprang quickly behind him, and by a single sweep of his
long and murderous knife, severed the hamstrings of both legs, bringing
the hinder part of the animal to the ground, as if by a stroke of
lightning. He still stood on his fore legs; but, in as quick time
almost, the butcher was at his head, and by one plunge of the same
instrument, sent his heart’s blood gushing over the ground, and the fore
legs staggering, gave way. By a skilful movement of the lassos by the
horsemen he was jerked on his side as he fell, and the men on foot,
seating themselves upon the quivering, and still living carcass, at once
commenced their incisions, and the dissection of the skin. The whole
process of this catching, killing, flaying and cutting up an animal, is
often the work of less than ten minutes. The spectacle is barbarous and
disgusting; yet the saledaros, or general slaughter-houses, are often
visited by foreigners, for the purpose of witnessing it, as a matter of
curiosity.
_October 24th._—Early in September, Commodore McKeever was called to
Buenos Ayres by official duty. He made the passage in the U. S. sloop
Jamestown, to which his flag was transferred, and returned on the 22d in
the American propeller “Manuelita de Rosas,” now running as a packet
between Buenos Ayres and Montevideo. Mr. Harris, late chargé d’affaires,
on his way to the United States accompanied him; and it is officially
announced, that the Congress will sail immediately for Rio de Janeiro,
to carry him that far on his passage home.
The visit to Urquiza, and the stroll through the camp of his followers,
it will thus be seen, were made in fortunate time. Had they been delayed
longer, I should have had no opportunity for the observations they
afforded. We are to return to the Plata; but not till the successful
revolutionist and his troops will long have left the neighborhood of
Montevideo. On the 22d he issued a proclamation to the inhabitants of
the republic. I like its style and spirit much. In it he has thrown
aside the accustomed verbosity and grandiloquence, characteristic of the
state papers of this section of the world, and the barbarous
vituperations of partisanship; and avows his principles and purposes in
a manly and patriotic manner. I close this section of my record with a
hasty translation.
“The Governor and Captain-general of the Province of Entre-Rios,
General and Chief of its army, and General of the vanguard of
the allied armies of operation, to the inhabitants of the
oriental Republic of Uruguay:
“ORIENTALS! I promised to fight for your liberty and national
independence, and I have fulfilled my word. The chains with
which the tyrant of my country enslaved you are rent in pieces.
It only remains for me to break those which bind the unhappy
people of Buenos Ayres, where a hateful rule still oppresses the
Argentines. For this the soldiers of liberty must still combat.
“I am about to leave you, but wherever destiny may carry
me—whether to the field of battle, to the quietude of private
life, or to the guardianship of the tranquillity and glory of my
country, I shall ever pray for your prosperity, and for the
perpetuity of those blessings which I have recovered for you,
after the long and disastrous struggle which has desolated the
rich plains of your country, and crimsoned them with the blood
of your brothers. These precious blessings are your liberty and
your independence.
“ORIENTALS! Be free, by submitting yourselves to the authority
of that citizen whom constitutional suffrage shall elevate to
the chair of the chief magistracy, and by upholding the laws
which protect the lives and property of the people. Be
independent by living unitedly beneath the glorious banner,
which is the symbol of your nationality, that other governments
observing it may respect you; and that you may merit the
admiration of those who have sworn to exterminate a bloody
tyranny, and firmly to establish an empire of liberty and law,
in the Republics of the Plata.
“ORIENTALS! In union is strength; in peace prosperity; and in
the oblivion of civil discord and the exercise of republican
virtues, the happiness of your children and the perpetuity of
your national institutions.
“ORIENTALS! Union, peace, and fraternity among all, is the
charge to you from him who has the glory of having contributed
to the restoration of your liberty and independence.
“JUSTO JUAN URQUIZA.
“Head-Quarters of Pantanoso, October 21st, 1851.”
Thus closes the first act in the political drama now in performance
on the banks of the Plata.
------------------------------------------------------------------------