occupy the line of route as we ascend towards Tijuca. The omnibus stops at a place called Andrahy. Here you can hire a horse or coach to ascend the hill. The road winds round a succession of precipices disclosing at every point the most enchanting views: the gorge below is at times 500 feet perpendicular. There are several country-seats, where the owners reside in summer. The road is first-rate, and at short distances there are gas lamps. The English Hotel is in a hollow, although still at a great height; the proprietor is Mr. Bennett. It would be difficult even in England to find anything to surpass the neatness, elegance, and comfort of this house. Mr. Bennett gets up pic-nic parties twice a week to all the finest points of scenery in this lovely neighbourhood. After seeing Tijuca you should next make a trip to Petropolis. The first part of the journey is made in steamboat, some fourteen miles across the bay; the second is in the Baron Maua's railway, about sixteen miles, and the rest by diligence. The ascent of the Sierra da Estrella, a branch of the Organ Mountains, is most picturesque. The road is a triumph of engineering skill, the mountain side being almost perpendicular. When you have ascended about a thousand feet you see the road winding zig-zag below you, every bend forming a terrace cut in the rock. There is no possibility of an accident, the road being lined, over the precipice, with a stone wall four feet high. Petropolis is at last reached after a half hour's drive over the table-land lying between two ridges. It is embosomed in the mountains, at a height of 2600 feet above the sea. The mountains risc all around like

a barrier, the vegetation is as tall and luxuriant as at Tijuca. Petropolis is the summer residence of the Brazilian Court and aristocracy. The Emperor's palace is a fine massive pile of building, not unlike an Italian nobleman's villa.

The great attraction in Rio is the Botanical Garden, with an avenue of palms that has no match in the world. The drives around by Botafogo, Larangeiras, La Gloria, &c., are very beautiful, and omuibuscs ply every hour from the square adjoining the Emperor's palace. In the shops of Rua Ouvidor will be found feather-flowers, beetles, jewellery, and such like articles. The English Consulate is in the Rua Direita, Consul Mr. George Lennon Hunt, who is also agent for the Royal Mail steamers. The English Minister, Mr. Buckley Mathew, resides near Botafogo. The Exchange and Post-oflice are in the same street as the Consulate and M'Dowell's hotel.

From Rio to Montevideo takes four or five days, according to the weather. Pamperos are not uncommon on this coast. Far out to sea, before seeing land, we can perceive the effect of the waters of the River Plate, changing the color of the ocean. Maldonado is situate at the mouth of the river, and

ARRIVAL IN THE RIVER PLATE.

175

the navigation is here very dange, ous, owing to the bad arrangement of lights. A profitable seal fishery is carried on at Lobos Island. The coast of the Banda Oriental is low and uninteresting till we sight the «mount> which has given its name to Montevideo.

Montevideo is the capital of the Republic of Uruguay, with a population of 70,000 souls. The city, as seen from the bay, looks to advantage, the towers of the Matriz Church, and the Custom-house and Caridad Hospital being conspicuous. The best hotels are the Oriental and Americano, charge. 9s. per day. Strangers are admitted to the Club: they will find the Daily Standard at the agency, Mr. G. Behrens, 103 Calle Zavala. Fully three-fourths of the inhabitants are foreigners, including a number of English and German merchants. There are numerous fine buildings, especially the Bolsa, where the merchants meet at two P.M., every day. The River Plate Telegraph Co.'s office is in the same building. There are drives to the Paso Molina, Buschenthal's quinta, and a tramway to Union. The Rev. Mr. Adams reads Divine service at eleven o'clock on Sundays, at the English Church. The British Hospital is a small building near the fort. The Government-house is in Calle Rincon. Major Munro is British ViceConsul. Mail-packet agent, Mr. Charles, 30 Calle Castellanos; Tait's line, Mr. Schwartz, 103 Calle Misiones; Liverpool steamers, Mr. Charles Horne, 213 Calle Cerrito.

The steamers leave Montevideo in the evening and arrive at the outer roads of Buenos Ayres by daybreak. The minarets, church towers, and cupolas give a light and fantastic appearance to the city, which, seated some eighty feet above the western shore of the La Plata, extends about two miles along the water's edge and forms an irregular quadrangle of 300 cuadras, or 2,000 acres, arca. On near approach, the various public buildings can be clearly discerned, rising from the crowd of ininor edifices. In the centre of the picture is the Custom-house, with a wharf stretching some 600 yards into the river. On the right are seen the belfry of La Merced, the Capitania del Puerto with a flagstaff, the fine edifices of Don Felipe Llavallol and Don Juan Anchorena, and at the extremity of the line of beach the gas-house, close to which are the terminus of the Northern Railway and a battery of four guns, d fleur d'ean, used for salutes. In the back ground of the centre we see the clock-tower of the Cabildo, the roof of Colon Theatre, and the porcelain cupola of the Cathedral; while further to the left rise the towers of San Francisco and Santo Domingo, and on a slight eminence stands San Telmo. The view is bounded by a low strip of coast edged with luxuriant vegetation, in the midst of which the Riachuelo stream debouches into the Plata.

NEW YORK TO BUENOS AYRES.

The mail steamer leaves New York on the -th of each month for the Brazils, calling at St. Thomas. From New York to St. Thomas is about 1,600 miles English, and the voyage usually takes six days.

St. Thomas is one of the Virgin Islands, recently sold by Denmark to the United States, and situate thirty-eight miles cast of Porto Rico. Area, 24 square miles; population, 12,560. The surface is elevated and rough, highest in the centre. It was formerly well wooded; but the cutting of the timber has subjected it to frequent and severe droughts. The soil is sandy and not very fertile: about 2,500 acres are under cultivation, the principal crops being cotton and sugar. St. Thomas is open to the commerce of all nations: it is a depot of goods for the adjacent islands, and is becoming an important packet station. It is visited by 3,000 vessels annually. Capital, Charlotte Amelie.

From St. Thomas's to Pará (Brazil) the distance is nearly 1800 miles. The town of Pará, or Belem, is situated on the river Guama, which flows into the estuary of Pará, about 70 miles from the Atlantic, in lat. 1.34 S., and long. 48.50 W.: population 28,000, including 4,000 slaves. The climate is hot, being almost under the equator, but not unhealthy. The streets are well laid out and paved. The houses are not generally high, but they are substantially and often elegantly built. The town boasts a handsome cathedral and several churches, a governor's palace, a college, schools, hospitals, a botanic garden, a theatre, and a law-court. The anchorage is safe and roomy, and with the exception of two shoals at the entrance of the river, is easy of access. The approach to the town is commanded by a small fort. The principal exports consist of cocoa, india-rubber, rice, nuts, and hides. In 1856, 5,000,000 of India-rubber were exported. The total value of exports during the year 1858-59, was $1,950,018, of which no less that 42 per cent. was shipped to the United States. The imports from the United States for the same year were valued at $512,379, and consisted of manufactured articles, lumber, flour, &c.

Cape San Roque is distant a thousand miles from Pará. After doubling this cape, we have yet 200 miles before reaching Pernambuco, and from this last port the rest of the voyage is the same as the route from England to Buenos Ayres. The total distance from New York to Rio Janeyro is nearly 6,000 miles. At Rio, the passengers wait for the French or English mail-steamers, to proceed to the River Plate; but, it is likely the American Company will soon establish a branch-line to Montevideo.

SECTION B.

CHAP. I.

THE CITY OF BUENOS AYRES.

BUENOS AYRES is in many respects the finest city in South America, although second to Rio Janeyro in trade and population. In every other respect it stands first in this Continent. Being situated in S. Lat. 34.29, W. Long. 59.12 it enjoys a delightful climate, and is the most eligible residence in Spanish America. The first settlers called it Santisima Trinidad de Buenos Ayres, and it still preserves the cognomen of «good air,» which it so well deserves. It covers a superficies of almost 2,000 acres, forming a parallelogram whose longest sides are east and west, and cut up like a chess-board, in blocks 150 yards square. When laid out by the early Spaniards, the streets were made only thirty-six feet wide, and the houses had no upper story. Since 1860 a rage for building has prevailed, and now we sec splendid edifices of three or four stories in every street. The streets are called «calles,» and the public squares «plazas ; » the former are eighty-three in number, of which thirty-one run from the river-side due West, and fifty-two from North to South. The pavement and side-walks are bad and irregular; the city cannot yet boast street'rainage, but is being provided with water-supply, and is well lighted with

There are eleven parishes, containing sixteen Catholic churches,

besides some chapels of ease, and four Protestant churches. There are two city hospitals supported by the Municipality, and four of foreigners, belonging to the English, French, Italian, and Irish communities. The theatres are three in number, besides a handsome Concert-hall. The Custom-house offices are large, but a part of this edifice is now used as the National Government house. The Provincial Government house is close to the University, to which latter are attached the Museum and State Library. Five markets, for the daily supply of the city with provisions, are placed at convenient distances; and the Plazas 11th September, and Constitucion are the great wool-markets for the North and South districts of the camp. The two killing-grounds or «abattoirs» are situated in the extreme outskirts of the Recoleta and Convalecencia: the former locality is remarkable for the city cemetery, and the latter for the new and commodious Lunatic Asylum. The Protestant or English burial-ground is situate in Calle Victoria. Hotel accommodation is cheap and good, there being three superior, and five second-rate, houses, in which the charge varies from five to ten shillings per diem. The stranger finds himself at once at home in Buenos Ayres, as he can procure entrée by a visitor's ticket to all the clubs and societies in the city. As yet we have no public park, but there is a project to turn Palermo, the late residence of Rosas, into a species of Champs Elysées. The number of English houses is large, and the merchants constitute the most respectable class in the society of the city; English families (including Americans) are about 1,000 in number. There are five resident English physicians, and ten or twelve good English schools. The police department is imperfect, there being only some 200 vigilantes for the total city service. There is a barrack in the Plaza Retiro, the garrison being usually about 600 men. The artillery magazine in Plaza Parque contains some historic pieces of large calibre. The National Guards are drilled on Sundays during a few months in the year. Most foreign nations are represented by a Minister and a Consul, as vessels of all flags, and people of almost every country, are found in this port. The British Legation is in Calle Parque: at the Consulate, 121 Calle Mayo, is the English post-office. The French Consulate serves for a post-office to the Bordeaux monthly steamer.

The Foreign Club, in Calle San Martin, is the usual rendezvous of visitors, who merely require to have their name put down by one of the members. The native Clubs are fashionable and brilliant, but mostly used for balls: foreign visitors can easily procure invitations.

The Cathedral is one of the finest buildings in the continent, and the church services on great holidays are solemnized with becoming splendor.