Read Ebook: Third Warning A Mystery Story for Girls by Snell Roy J Roy Judson

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Ebook has 290 lines and 33602 words, and 6 pages

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 AND SPANISH INHABITANTS.

Dress 71 Females make their own Clothes 74

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

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

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 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, 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.

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; 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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