MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 



535 



Africans, and their descendants, 

 or Negroes and Mulattoes. 



I could not ascertain, with 

 satisfaction, the population of the 

 different provinces : the province 

 of Buenos Ayres contains about 

 120,000, whilst the population of 

 Entre Rios, and Banda Oriental, 

 is computed at 50,000. 



The city of Buenos Ayres con- 

 tains a population of 60,000. 

 The inhabitants of this place 

 appear to be amiable, and an 

 interesting people. They are 

 considered brave and humane ; 

 possessing intelligence, capable 

 of great exertions and perse- 

 verance, and manifesting a cheer- 

 ful devotion to the cause of free- 

 dom and independence. 



There is also a certain medio- 

 crity and equality of fortune pre- 

 vailing among them, extremely 

 favourable to a union of the 

 popular sentiment, in support of 

 the common weal. Many indus- 

 trious mechanics and enterprising 

 merchants are, however, increas- 

 ing their estates, and adding to 

 the stock of capital in the coun- 

 try. 



The people of the province of 

 Buenos Ayres, residing out of 

 the city, are, generally speaking, 

 poor, and rather indolent, though 

 a hardy race ; and when excited 

 to action, they become zealous 

 defenders of the liberties of their 

 country. They are capable of 

 great improvement, and, under 

 the influence of a good example 

 when a change takes place in 

 their habits and manner of living, 

 they bid fair to become useful 

 and industrious citizens. 



The inhabitants of Cordova are 

 said to be more superstitious, and 

 more industrious, but less patri- 



otic. This is principally attri- 

 buted to the loss of the trade 

 with Peru, occasioned by the 

 revolutionary war. 



Tucuman, I was informed, pos- 

 sessed an excellent population. 



The people of Mendoza, or 

 Cuyo, are moral, industrious, 

 and patriotic. They have sacri- 

 ficed largely at the shrine of 

 independence, supporting with 

 zeal and confidence the cause of 

 their country ; whilst the citizens 

 of Santa Fe are represented as 

 immoral and insubordinate, and 

 manifesting, on most occasions, 

 an extreme jealousy of their 

 neighbours. 



The population of Entre Rios 

 and Banda Oriental is perhaps 

 not inferior in valour to that of 

 Buenos Ayres. Nor is it deficient 

 in military skill, particularly in 

 carrying on a partizan warfare, 

 for which its troops are admirably 

 adapted. Their other good qua- 

 lities have been probably some- 

 what impaired by the system 

 pursued in that quarter, where 

 they have been compelled to give 

 up every thing like civil avoca- 

 tions, and to continue without 

 any regular kind of government, 

 under the absolute control of a 

 chief, who, whatever may be his 

 political principles or professions, 

 in practice concentrates all power, 

 legislative, judicial, and execu- 

 tive, in himself. 



The general Congress of the 

 United Provinces, assembled at 

 Buenos Ayres, on the 3rd of De- 

 cember, of 1817, established, by 

 a provisional statute, a temporary 

 form of government. 



The Congress is comprised of 

 deputies from the different pro- 

 vinces. It actually consists of 

 twenty-six 



