ISLANDS OF THE URUGUAY, 287 



we reached Fray Bentos, the great factory where 

 " Liebig's Extract of Beef" is prepared and sent to 

 Europe. Whatever prosperity exists in the Banda 

 Oriental depends altogether on beef To the raising 

 of horned cattle the greater part of the soil of the 

 republic is devoted, and in caring and guarding them 

 most of the rural population is employed. The 

 saladeros^ where the animals are slaughtered and 

 the various parts converted to human use, are the 

 chief, almost the only, industrial establishments, 

 and it is their produce that supports the trade and 

 navigation. 



Though the channel is narrower above the junction 

 of the Rio Negro, the Uruguay was still a mighty 

 river, from one to two miles in width, with numerous 

 islands, all covered with trees and seemingly unin- 

 habited. The trees on the islands and along the 

 banks are mostly small, about thirty feet in height, 

 but on some of the islands they must certainly surpass 

 fifty feet. It was impossible for a passing stranger to 

 identify the unfamiliar forms of these trees, which 

 seemed to present considerable variety, the more so 

 as the majority appeared to be deciduous, and but a 

 few withered leaves remained on the nearly bare 

 branches. 



Paisandu, the place of my destination, is about a 

 hundred and fifty miles from the mouth of the river, 

 and the steamer often accomplishes the distance in 

 fourteen hours. I was led to hope that we should 

 arrive soon after midnight, but as night fell a dense 

 fog spread over the river. Further progress was 

 impossible, and we dropped anchor in mid-channel. 



