Montevideo and the River Plate 95 



for a larger and better printed sheet in any North 

 American city, but the price did not appear quite as 

 startling as that demanded in Rio de Janeiro. 



We presently came to the summit of the ridge upon 

 which the city is built, and along the top of which 

 is the main thoroughfare, the Avenida 18 de Julio. 

 At intervals this avenue leads into small plazas or 

 parks, about which stand the principal public edifices. 

 The lines of tramways running east and west do not 

 traverse these plazas, but pass around them, leaving the 

 broad, well-made pavement, which intersects them, as a 

 promenade for pedestrians. The first of these plazas 

 which we reached was the Plaza Constitucion. The 

 open doors of the Cathedral attracted us, and we took 

 a peep into the interior, which we found less interesting 

 than its quaint exterior. We soon turned eastward and 

 quickly walked through the tastefully arranged Plazas 

 Independencia and Libertad. Facing the former is the 

 Palacio de Gobierno, or Executive Mansion, over which 

 the flag of the country was flying ; on the latter stands 

 the City Hall, a building of imposing size, but not 

 especially attractive from an architectural point of view. 

 Farther out the Avenida we were greatly impressed with 

 the fine appearance of the new buildings of the Univer- 

 sity and the National Library. These would be an 

 ornament to any city. The University is prosperous 

 and well attended, especially by those who are desirous 

 of studying law and thus indirectly of qualifying them- 

 selves for the service of the state. 



We were struck by the marked difference between 

 the domestic architecture of Montevideo and that of 

 Rio de Janeiro. The residences are low and almost 

 invariably provided with a patio, or inner court, as in 

 Spain and North Africa. Of this inner court, adorned 



