534 ANNUAL REGISTER, 18l8. 



represented as capable of being 

 made a garden spot ; and the 

 Eanda Oriental presents hills and 

 dales, rich bottoms, fine streams 

 of water, and at a distance from 

 the great river, on the banks of 

 the smaller streams, some excel- 

 lent wood-land. Between Mal- 

 donado and Montevideo, the east 

 ridge of the Cordilleras terminates 

 on the river La Plata. 



Since the revolution, five more 

 provinces have been erected, 

 making in all fourteen within the 

 limits of the ancient viceroyalty ; 

 viz. Tucunian, taken from Salta ; 

 Mendoza or Cuyo, taken from 

 Cordova ; Corientcs, Entre Rios, 

 comprising the country between 

 the Uruguay and the Parana, and 

 the Banda Oriental, or eastern 

 shore of the river La Plata. The 

 two last were taken from the 

 province of Buenos Ayres, which 

 was thus reduced to the territory 

 on the south side of that river. 



Of the fourteen provinces into 

 which the ancient viceroyalty is 

 now divided, five were, at my de- 

 parture, principally occupied by 

 the royal forces (which, in con- 

 sequence of the victory of Maipo, 

 were expected soon to retreat to 

 Lower Peru), or partially under 

 their influence, viz. Potosi, La 

 Plata, Cochabamba, La Paz, and 

 Puno ; and the nine following 

 independent de facto of Spain, 

 were in the possession of the 

 patriots, viz. Buenos Ayres, Pa- 

 ragua}', Mendoza, Cordova, Tu- 

 cuman, Salta, Corientes, Entre 

 Rios, and Banda Oriental. But 

 Paraguay and tlie city of Santa 

 F6 act independently of Buenos 

 Ayres, though Paraguay is not 

 on unfriendly terms witii them, and 

 it is hoped by sume will before 



long join the union. Entre Rio3 

 and the Banda Oriental, under 

 General Artigas, in the character 

 of chief of the orientals, are in a 

 state of hostility with Buenos 

 Ayres. 



Montevideo, the capital of the 

 eastern shore, was occupied by a 

 Portuguese army ; and a squadron 

 of ships of war from Brazil 

 blockaded the ports of Colonia 

 and Maldonado, and prohibited 

 the entrance of neutral vessels, 

 unless they paid them the same 

 duties on their cargoes, that were 

 charged on the importation of 

 the goods when landed in the 

 country. 



The territory of the United 

 Provinces is computed to contain 

 150,000 square leagues, though 

 it probably exceeds thatquantit}'. 

 The lands occupied in the coun- 

 try, remote from the cities, are 

 generally converted by their 

 owners into estancias, or large 

 grazing farms for cattle, and 

 chacras for growing grain. The 

 small farms or quintas, in the 

 neighbourhood of cities, are in 

 fine order. Those around Buenos 

 Ayres, which furnish their market 

 with an ample supply of fruit 

 and vegetables, are, by irrigation, 

 in the highest state of culture. 



The population, exclusive of 

 the Indians, is now calculated at 

 1,300,000; but, adding the civi- 

 lized Indians only, who are of 

 great importance, it would in all 

 probability exceed two millions. 



The whole population consists 

 of natives of Old Spain, and th^r 

 descendants, born in the countr}', 

 or, as they style themselves. South 

 Americans ; of Indians civilised, 

 or unreclaimed, with different 

 " castes," or mixed blood ; ct 



Africans, 



