Notes written during a late Residence at Buenos Ayres. [May I, 



306 



which they disregard the most ; from 

 tlieir general conduct, however, it may 

 be inferred, that titey deem the last the 

 most perfectly ridiculous. Several of 

 them are professed Deists, but not in the 

 presence of their poor deluded country- 

 men of the lower class. 



A gazette is published weekly ; but the 

 inhabitants have unfortunately veiy 

 little curiosity,and give it no encourage- 

 ment. It containsdecrees of the govern- 

 ment, chiefly news from Europe, trans- 

 lated from English papers, and occa- 

 sionally original articles of great merit. 

 Decrees, called bandos, are read aloiid 

 in the streets, at the <lrum-head. Thir- 

 teen numbers of a weekly pamplilet, 

 called the Independietite, were published 

 in the time of Alvear, with whose fall 

 fell Moreno, its author. It was gene- 

 rally well conducted. There were, no 

 long time since, the following periodi- 

 cal publications : 



OOservaciones acerca de algunos 

 asuntos utiles, by Camilo Henriquez, 

 evidently a man versed in the politics 

 and literature of Europe, and particu- 

 larly of England. Twoothers, called La 

 Prema Argentina, and El Censor, are 

 political works of inferior merit ; but 

 that four periodical works should be 

 published, where tliere was formerly 

 but one, the Gazette, shews that tlichu- 

 mau mind lias taken a start in tliis 

 quarter of the world, and we may one 

 (lay hope to see light where there has 

 hitherto been naught but darkness — 

 when the excellent capacities of the 

 natives shall be improved as they 

 ought by education. Many young men 

 have displayed considerable poetical 

 talents. Of this the Patriotic Song, 

 No. 347, !>• 429, is no mean proof; this 

 is sung in the great square, by the boys 

 from the different schools, every Thurs- 

 day, and continually in the theatre. 



From the nature of the language, the 

 composition of verses is generally slow, 

 easy, and common, even amongst the 

 lowest class ; some of these display 

 much feeling. I was informed from 

 good authority, that there are in this 

 country many impiovisatori, in Spa- 

 nish, palladures, or repentistas, who 

 will speak in extempore verse, on any 

 subject which may offer. Whilst my 

 acquaintance with the language was 

 imperfect, 1 could noi. estimate pro- 

 perly, but always overrated a person's 

 abilities ; everything sounded oracular, 

 because spoken in a foreign language. 

 This principle is noticed by Dug^d 

 Stewart. 



The Spanish langnage is spoken with 

 great purity by the higher classes in 

 Buenos Ayres, but with two remarkable 

 corruptions derived from the Andalii- 

 sians, who were the principal colonists 

 in this part. The c and s, whicii are 

 just equivalent to the English soft th, 

 they pronounce like the *, and the li- 

 quid II like a French J or 2 in azure. 

 The latter corruption, however, is con- 

 fined principally to the lower classes. 

 The cries of Buenos Ayres are as vari- 

 ous as those of London, and are fre- 

 quently in verse. 



Their mode of living is peculiarly 

 their own ; a few of the higher class 

 take coffee or chocolate in the morning, 

 and of late years some drink tea in the 

 evening; but the universal substitute 

 of all classes, in the morning and even- 

 ing, is the tea of Paraguay, calle<l by 

 the Spaniards yerva, and by the natives 

 caa. Immense quantities of this herb 

 are brought from the interior for the 

 use of the town and its vicinity, and is 

 retailed generally at about 3d. sterling 

 per lb. It is prepared inasmall gourd 

 shell, called a matte, by pouring hot 

 water on it, either with or without 

 sug.ir, and the liquor is immediately 

 sucked through a tube, at the lower 

 end of which is a bulb full of small 

 holes, to prevent the herb, which is 

 nearly a powder, from passing to the 

 mouth. The mait^ isrepeatetUy hand- 

 ed round to all present, being reple- 

 nished from time to time with fresh 

 herb and water. To a stranger it seems 

 a very poor beverage, and the manner 

 of taking it indelicate, as all suck from 

 the same tube ; but the natives are ex- 

 tremely fond of it, as are also some fo- 

 reigners, who have been long in the 

 country. Some take it four or five 

 times in a day, which, from its being 

 taken hot, is extremely injurious. 



At their dinners are seen no pud- 

 dings, pies, or joints of meat, but small 

 slices of the latter instead, like beef 

 steaks ; soups and stews, witli loads of 

 grease, which oppress the stomach, and 

 shew their efl'ects in the cadaverous 

 countenances of the Creoles. The 

 siesta, after dinner in warm weather, 

 is universal. A heavy supper is taken 

 at night. The men are smoking segars 

 half tlieir time, the women occasionally 

 and in private. Both sexes lead very 

 sedentary lives, except counti-y people. 

 The vice of drunkenness is unknown 

 amongst the better class of Spaniards, 

 and rare in the lower ranks : they con- 

 sider it a national vice of the English, 



