26 Dr. Francia, the Dictator of Paraguay. |~JAN. 



retires for several days from public affairs, shuts himself up, or vents 

 his ill humour on all around him. In such seasons arrests are frequent, 

 punishments severe, and human life, in his estimation, a thing of no 

 importance. The temperature is observed to exercise a great influence 

 on his disposition; during the prevalence of the sirocco winds his 

 attacks are more frequent ; while, on the contrary, during a south-west 

 wind, which is dry and bracing, Francia is in high spirits, and sings and 

 chats in the most cheerful manner with every body around him. But 

 none are all evil. Wayward as may be his temper, it is redeemed by 

 some fine qualities generous and disinterested to a fault, he is as lavish 

 of his private purse, as careful of the public treasure. His elevation to 

 the supreme power has in no way improved his private fortune ; he has 

 never accepted a present, and his salary is always considerably in 

 arrear. Neither is gratitude a stranger to his bosom having learnt 

 that the son of a family with whom in his youth he had been on terms 

 of intimacy at Cordova, was at that time in Assumption in great distress, 

 he relieved his wants, and appointed him his secretary. But in the 

 exercise of his authority he acknowledges no tie. At the period of the 

 revolution he removed two of his nephews from their military com- 

 mands, lest they should presume on their connection. Even his sister, 

 the only being for whom he appeared to have any attachment, was 

 removed from the management of his estancia, merely because she had 

 employed an agent of the police to chastise a runaway slave. 



Jealous to excess of his authority, seeking no confidence, winning no 

 sympathy, isolated like the country he governs, should the fate reserved 

 for all tyrants finally overtake him, Francia will fall as he has lived 

 nobly, and alone. 



In contemplating the career of this wonderful man, we are struck 

 with the power of a single mind in overcoming obstacles when inflexibly 

 applied to the pursuit of a single object. Francia presents the singular 

 spectacle of a man who, invested with sovereign power, lives without 

 any of the pomp and circumstance of his elevated station, and poor, with 

 the whole revenues of the country at his command. Struck with the 

 anarchy of the neighbouring states, which his sagacious mind traced to 

 its right cause their infant political education he sought, by isolation, 

 to preserve his countrymen from a similar fate. With this view, in 

 imitation of the Athenian legislator, his elements of reform were terror 

 and violence ; but then his object was to reform the morals of his peo- 

 ple, to eradicate their besotted prejudices, to elevate them in the scale 

 of civilized man. Let us pause ere we sweepingly condemn his 

 character. Let us recollect that, if he has destroyed foreign commerce, 

 he has promoted agriculture, constructed roads, rebuilt the capital, 

 created an army, subdued the Indians, secured respect from abroad, 

 tranquillity at home. By his tyranny he has prepared his fellow-citizens 

 for future independence; thus making his principle of action that of his 

 predecessors the Jesuits " The end justifies the means." 



