680 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



subdue and convert them, thus making travel safe for those coming 

 from Peru to that Kingdom, it would be an important achievement ; 

 in fact, it should be energetically prosecuted and that settlement 

 should be charged with the task, favors being granted to those going 

 on the expedition ; thus those tribes would be converted to the Faith 

 and the country would be very rich. 



1788. Much heed should be paid also to the city of Londres ; this 

 is established in the Quinmibil Valley over toward Chile, in the 

 neighborhood of the Diaguitas Indian tribe ; all its ranges are paved 

 with silver and gold ore and the Londres district itself has a mar- 

 velous climate and very fertile meadows and valleys with vineyards 

 and abundant yields of corn and wheat, and all kinds of Spanish 

 fruit. An increase in its population would bring these tribes into 

 the Faith and would connect the Kingdoms of Peru and Chile more 

 easily with those of Tucuman and Paraguay. 



1789. On the slopes of the mountain ranges of Tarija and Chichas, 

 to the E., the plains of Paraguay are situated or start, near the Rio 

 Bermejo ; it is quite necessary that a Spanish settlement should 

 be put here ; in between there are large provinces of reasonable 

 heathen Indians to be brought into the Faith ; with the fertility of 

 that country, it would be very rich, and a road could easily and 

 quickly be opened to Buenos Ayres, abandoning the great detours 

 which are made through Tucuman. 



Chapter XL [30] 



Of the District of the Diocese and State of Paraguay. 



1790. Going from the State and Diocese of Tucuman to Paraguay, 

 one passes through the cities of Rio Bermejo, 34 leagues beyond 

 which is Siete Corrientes, at which the city of San Juan de Vera 

 has been built, and which belong to the Diocese and State of Buenos 

 Ayres. 



1791. At Siete Corrientes one goes on board rafts built of dugouts 

 on the Rio del Paraguay, which empties at Siete Corrientes into 

 the Rio de la Plata. This Rio Paraguay is very constricted and deep ; 

 at this point it will be over ^ league wide, and so deep-sea galleons 

 can sail up here. It is 70 leagues upstream from Siete Corrientes 

 to Asuncion ; the river passes through flat country and runs very 

 gently ; its banks are all covered with woods and handsome groves, 

 a delightful sight, so that it appears a bit of Paradise; there are 

 countless birds in them, of variegated and beautiful colors, and 

 singing in sweet harmony ; there are many sorts of parrots, macaws. 



