is a good public school, attended by 72 boys and 46 girls. The Northern Railway places San Isidro within an hour's journey from town, and the morning papers are delivered in time for breakfast. The post-master is Don Emilio Sarracan. There is no doctor resident in the place. The beach offers good bathing, but it is dangerous to ride along the coast owing to quicksands. The boundaries of the partido arc-N.E. the River Plate, N.W. San Fernando, S.W. San Martin, S.E, White's chacra (Belgrano). Contribucion or property tax, $64,000. Justice of Peace, Don Manuel Omar; Curate, Rev. Diego Palma.

San Fernando.

Situate seven leagues from Buenos Ayres, is, like San Isidro, remarkable for quintas and chacras. It is bounded on the N. and E. by the River Plate, on the N.W. by the Rio Las Conchas, on the W. by San Martin, and on the South by San Isidro. It includes, moreover, a number of fertile islands in what is called the Delta of the Paraná. San Fernando is important, no less for its agriculture than for its coasting trade: it has a good and safe port, where many river craft put in with cargoes of fire-wood, posts, &c. Mr. Hopkins' project of canalising the Capitan will prove most beneficial, and a branch railway will be run down to the river's side, where wharves are already in construction. The arrivals in coasting-craft for the year amount to 262 vessels with an aggregate of 6,664 tons cargo. The islands are mostly in a high state of cultivation, having been sold or ceded a few years ago to a number of industrious Frenchmen, Basques and Swiss. In M. Brunet's island there is constant employment for over 100 laborers, who raise abundant crops of potatoes and other products. Such is the extraordinary fertility of these islands that we are told of pumpkins which take two men to carry them, and potatoes weighing as much as 10. The quinces also grow to an enormous size, and the rapidity with which poplars, peaches, and other trees spring up is incredible. It is thought these islands would be well adapted to the growth of rice. The islands of President Sarmiento, Señor Piñeyro, &c. are also well tilled. The inhabitants of course go about in boats, and there is a school attended by 100 children who travel everyday in the same manner.

The town of San Fernando has 3,000 inhabitants and the rest of the district 1,112, but this cannot be supposed to include the islanders. The extent of the partido is about 2 square leagues, of which nearly onehalf is under agriculture. The largest proprietors are

There are smaller holdings, viz., those of Russell Shaw, Billinghurst, Bletcher, Delfino, Fusoni, Gloede, Hughes, Pringles, and other foreign residents. The total property valuation exceeds 16,000,000 against 15,000,000 in 1863. The church was founded in the beginning of the present century, but a larger one is being constructed in the plaza. There are two good hotels, and omnibuses ply to the railway station at the Hotel National, kept by Monsieur Manet, the traveller can procure horses or carriages for excursions. The club gives balls on Sunday evenings in Summer. The town has its own Justice of Peace and Municipality, and boasts a resident doctor, an apothecary, 6 midwives, 5 bakers, 2 silversmiths, 3 blacksmith, 5 carpenters, 1 chandlery, 3 tailors, 1 saddler, 2 hairdressers, 6 billiard-tables, 4 draperies, 21 small stores, and 189 houses. There are 256 National Guards, and the police authorities number 5 Alcaldes, 20 Tenientes, and 12 policemen. The farming-stock comprises 439 cows, 338 horses, 2445 sheep. The population returns give-3,305 Argentines, 116 Spaniards, 77 French, 458 Italians, 156 English, &c. Besides private schools there are those of the State, attended by 59 boys and 69 girls. San Fernando has long been a favorite resort in the hot season, and since the opening of the Northern railway it is placed within easy reach of the city. Justice of Peace, Don Adolfo Insiarte; Curate, Rev. Bernardo Repetto; Postmaster, Don Luis Lan.

Las Conchas.

Between the rivers Lujan and Las Conchas, a territory of about six leagues, once was located the tribe of Guacunambis consisting of six hundred families, but the exact locality of this Indian settlement is unknown. In the year 1614 the Spaniards kept a special guard here to stop smuggling from Colonia, and in the year 1720 the first settlement of the present town was made. The principal landholder at that time was Don Juan Ponce de Leon, who out of his own pocket defrayed the expenses

of building the church. Owing to the village being built on the margin of a swamp its progress was very slow. In the year 1820 Don Lorenzo Lopez built a Capilla, the Government having contributed $10,000. The wealthy native families of Buenos Ayres have country residences in Las Conchas, and in summer it is one of the gayest places about town.

Nothing can be pleasanter than a boating excursion in the Luxan, Conchas and Tigre rivers, which are overshadowed by large willow-trees, and bordered on either side by elegant country-seats. Getting out of the train at the Tigre terminus we take a boat and descend the stream. On the right is the Capitania, a wooden house on poles, similar to the shanties and shops that make up the Tigre village. Zurueta's quinta adjoins the boat-house of the English yacht club, and further on are nestling in the trees the cottages of Uparaguirre, Aguirre, Urioste, and Dolz. On the left is Canedo's, and lower down a stylish building, much resembling a church; this is the summer residence of Don Eduardo Madero. In high floods all about here is a swamp. Marshall of Barracas has a yard for building steamers on the right, and next comes Vivanco's quinta; pulling out into the wide river of Luxan, there is a charming view on all sides, and here is always a number of steamers lying up for repairs. Ascending the Luxan river, which was anciently called Rio de Corpus Christi, we pass, on the left, the site marked out by Rubio and Foley for the terminus of the new line and the landing wharf of the proposed port: there is always over 10 feet of water here, even when the Tigre is almost dry. Tigers are sometimes seen here, and Mr. Milberg has caged two, which he trapped on his own ground: they descend the Paraná in seasons of «creciente,» on the camelotes or floating islands of brushwood.

The Tigre is the port for embarkation in the up-river steamers, which lie, close along the wharf; at the railway station M. Champion keeps an excellent restaurant. There is also a good hotel on the Conchas side, kept by Mr. Cramer: ferry boats charge 18 m/c for going across. Mr. C. has good wines and boats, and horses or waggonettes may also be procured. Adjoining the hotel is the dockyard of Stevens and Kay, where you will sometimes see as many as 120 operatives at work, building or repairing steamboats, iron launches, &c.; this is a great establishment, begun in 1868, and they can build a small steamer in three to four months; the machinery is from Glasgow; Messrs. S. & K. have another foundry in the city at Paseo Julio. If we take a boat to ascend the Tigre we shall find a succession of delightful country-seats. Those of Garrigos, Tejedor, aud Gonzales Moreno are princely, and after Cobo's, Del Campo's and Balbin's we pass under a picturesque wooden bridge; now the river takes a bend,

and on the right is a charming cottage belonging to Dr. Alvarellos, after which come those of Lynch, Balbin, Majesté and Schultz. On the right is the Lavadero of Señor Zumaran, which does a great business in washing wool and sheepskins; next is another cottage of the Lynch family, and further is that of Dr. Scrivener, the only English resident in these picturesque but swampy regions. During the cholera of 1867 the Doctor lent such valuable service, gratis, that the Municipality of Las Conchas presented him with a gold medal. Mr. Lawson's quinta comes next: all these sequestered cottages have bathing-houses, stairs down to the water's edge, and a boat. The Tigre is navigable about a league further, but the only places we meet are Joffii's cane-cutting establishment and a deserted house that was built a couple of years ago by half-a-dozen German clerks as a summer residence. Returning to the Tigre station we remark in its vicinity the quintas of Romero, Martinez, and Anciso.

The village of Las Conchas preserves some very ancient-looking houses with corridors and tile-roofs, which remind us of the time when this was the limit of the Indian frontier northwards. The church is very neat, with an antique portico: the altar and sacristy were put up, in the last century, at the expense of a pious lady named Magdalena Bonelo, and the first Mass was celebrated by a friar named Goytia. There are numerous quintas in the neighbourhood belonging to the following families-Rocha, Bulrich, Calzadilla, Carrega, Acuña, Cebey, Castrelo, Alcorta, Comi, Schleeper, Ibañez, Muñoa, Hernandez, Brilli, Acevez, Arana, and that of Señor Muñoz is remarkably fine. The vegetation about here is rapid and luxuriant: in summer the quintas are full of the richest fruits and flowers.

Las Conchas is about 24 miles from town, and will shortly be connected with Buenos Ayres by two lines of railway; the Western branch-line will start from Floresta and cross the Tigre near the wooden bridge; it seems the Northern Railway also proposes to throw a bridge over to Las Conchas island, and make its terminus likewise on the Luxan river.

The partido is subject to frequent inundations, being mostly below water level, which accounts for its amazing fertility. It is intersected by two large rivers; the Luxan and Las Conchas. The former has its rise in the camps beyond Mercedes, and the latter is formed by the confluence of the arroyos La Choza and Durazno, near the town of Moreno. The Cañada Escobar and arroyos Tigre, Garcia, Las Tunas, &c., also form a part of the water system of Las Conchas, where they unite with the Paraná.

The Partido covers three square leagues, which are chiefly under cultivation. The largest landed proprietors are, John Milberg 1200 cuadras, Anjel Pacheco (whose place is valued at $1,000,000 m/c.), and

Villamayor 1188 cuadras: these are estancieros, and there are nine smaller estancias. The stock comprises, 6,250 cows, 2,650 horses, 57,369 sheep. The boundaries of the partido are--N. and E. the Paraná, S. San Fernando, and W. Pilar.

r.

The population is set down at 1,681, including 373 in the village; the nationalities are thus distributed, 862 Argentines, 435 Italians, 169 Spaniards, 32 French, 179 English and others, 1 Indian. There are 21 general stores; also a Justice of Peace, Municipality of four members, 60 National Guards, 4 Alcaldes, 17 Tenientes, and 9 policemen. The State school is attended by 25 boys and 52 girls. The total property valuation is 7,000,000, against 3,000,000 in 1862. Contribucion or property tax, $28,000. Justice and Postmaster, Don Damaso del Campo; Curate, Rev. Geronimo Rebagliata.

Zarate.

Situate 16 leagues N. of Buenos Ayres, on the banks of the Paraná, is the first sheepfarming district we meet. It was formerly part of the Capilla del Señor, till 1856. The land is very high and ill-suited for sheep, but good for grain crops. Of late years the plantation of cereals has been actively increased, and we find a large number of chacras. The Partido is supposed to cover 20 square leagues: there are 59 estancias and 140 tillage farms. The land of the former is valued at $600,000. that of the chacras at nearly double this figure, per square league. The total extent under tillage is 20,000 acres.

The estancias of Lima and Saavedra occupy the «rincon» formed by the confluence of the Areco river and Cañada Honda with that branch of the Paraná called Rio de Baradero. The La Torre property is called Las Palmas, from an old Jesuit establishment of the same name which existed here in the last century: the ruins of the chapel of the Fathers are still to be seen; there are also a fine plantation of «tala» and an excellent port for