CLIMATE OF URUGUAY. 279 



the Paraguay river steamers that carry him over 

 seventeen hundred miles of waterway to Cuyaba, in 

 Central Brazil, the chief town of the great province of 

 Matto Grosso. But the time at my disposal was 

 strictly limited, and the coming glories of Brazil 

 haunted my imagination, so that I had no difficulty 

 in deciding to make but a brief halt in this part of 

 the continent, limiting myself to a short excursion on 

 the river Uruguay and a glimpse of Buenos Ayres. 



Of three days passed at Monte Video a consider- 

 able portion was occupied by the English newspapers, 

 full of intelligence of deep and chiefly of painful 

 interest ; but I twice had a pleasant walk in the 

 country near the city. Some heavy rain had fallen 

 before my arrival, and the roads, which are ill kept, 

 were deep in mire ; but the winter season in this 

 region is very agreeable, and the favourable impression 

 made during my short stay was confirmed by the 

 general testimony of the residents as to the salubrity 

 of the climate. The winter temperature is about the 

 same as in the same latitude on the Chilian coast, but 

 the summers are warmer by 9° or 10° Fahr., and the 

 mean temperature of the year fully 5° higher, being 

 here about 62° Fahr. We are, however, far removed 

 from the great contrasts of temperature that are 

 found on the eastern side of North America. At 

 Monte Video the difference between the means of the 

 hottest and coldest months is 22°, while in the same 

 latitude on the coast of North Carolina the difference 

 is fully 35°. On the whole, the climate most nearly 

 resembles that of places on the coast of Algeria, 

 especially that of Oran, save that in the latter place 



