BUENOS AYRES. 



Proceeding upon his voyage, he landed at 

 de Candelaria, in latitude 21 5', where being 



Irala ap- 

 pointed 

 governor 

 in 1538. 



It superse- 

 ded by Al. 

 Tirez. 



1596, 



Puerto 



assured by the Guarinis Indians, that there were 

 veral nations to the westward, who possessed a great 

 deal of gold and silver, he resolved to go in quest of 

 them ; and leaving his brigantines under the command 

 of Inila, with orders to wait six months for his re- 

 turn, lie penetrated by Chaco and the province of Chi- 

 quitos as far as Peru ; and returned to Candelaria 

 loaded with treasure. Irala, however, had departed 

 before the appointed time ; and Ayolas attempting 

 to form a settlement among the Payaguas, was sur- 

 prised and killed, along with all his followers. 



While the progress of discovery was thus inter- 

 rupted on the Paraguay, the colonies on the La Plata 

 were suffering all the horrors of famine. Galan, the 

 governor of Buenos Ayres, had exposed himself, by 

 his severity and oppression, to the universal detesta- 

 tion of the inhabitants ; and his arbitrary and perfi- 

 dious conduct towards the Indians in the neighbour- 

 hood of Buena Esperanza awakened all the ancient 

 animosity of the Timbuez, who drove the Spaniards 

 from that settlement. During these melancholy oc- 

 currences, three vessels arrived from Spain with rein- 

 forcements under the command of Alphonso Calre- 

 ra, who also brought out a commission from the em- 

 peror appointing Ayolas governor and captain-gene- 

 ral of the Rio de la Plata. In case of his death, 

 however, and no successor being chosen by the chiefs 

 of the expedition, he was enjoined by an imperial Ce- 

 dulla to assemble them for the election of a new go- 

 vernor. For this purpose they met at Assumption in 

 the month of August 1538, when the choice fell una- 

 nimously upon Irala. At this meeting it was also re- 

 solved to abandon Buenos Ayres, and to concentrate 

 all their forces at Assumption, which had already be- 

 gun to assume the appearance of a city. But of three 

 thousand Europeans who had entered the La Plata, 

 scarcely six hundred remained to compose the popu- 

 lation of Assumption. These, however, were soon 

 afterwards reinforced, by the arrival of four hundred 

 Spaniards, under the command of Don Alvarez, who 

 ' had been sent out by the emperor to take upon him 

 the government of the Rio de la Plata in case of the 

 death of Ayolas. Irala submitted with a good 

 grace, but set himself secretly to foment divisions 

 among the officers of the garrison, and to procure the 

 removal of his rival. The first steps of the new 



governor were to secure the friendship of the neigh- 

 ouring Indians ; and by his mild and prudent con- 

 duct, he not only gained their affections, but con- 

 verted many of them to the Christian faith ; and by 

 firm and decisive measures he repressed the insolence 

 of those more fierce and savage tribes, who were con- 

 stantly committing hostilities against the Spaniards. 

 Farther discoveries were also prosecuted on the Para- 

 guay. Irala, with ninety Spaniards, had advanced 

 towards the sources of that river, and anchored at 

 the mouth of the lake Xarayes, in latitude 17 57', 

 which he called Puerto de los Reyes. Proceeding 

 west by land, he fell in with several nations, among 

 whom he found a great deal of wrought gold and 

 silver ; but he was Unable to discover whence they 

 btained it. 



As soon as Alvarez was made acquainted with this 



circumstance, he resolved upon undertaking similar 

 expedition in person, and of opening a way into Peru. 

 Leaving Los Reyes with 300 Spaniards, and provi- Alvarez 

 sioni for twenty days, he directed his course west- kt .empu 

 ward through a woody country, sometimes so im- to opwi * 

 penetrable, that he wan obliged to cut a passage for way into 

 his troops. On the sixth day he reached the banks of Pero - 

 a river, whose waters were very warm and transpa- 

 rent. Here several nations sent deputies to him with 

 compliments and provisions, while others attempted to 

 oppose his past age. Proceeding on, he is said to have 

 come to a large town, consisting of 8000 houses or 

 huts, in the centre of which stood a wooden tower, 

 containing a monstrous serpent, which was deified by 

 the Indians. The capture of this town, and the de- 

 struction of its divinity, terminated the expedition ; for 

 he was compelled to return by the murmurings of 

 his troops, who refused to accompany him farther. 



The moderation and upright conduct of Alvarez 

 towards the Indians, and his determined firmness in 

 resisting the avarice and tyranny of his countrymen, 

 had increased the partisans of Irala, who now resol- 

 ved upon his removal. He was seized on the 26th Rebellion 

 of April 1544, and afterwards sent prisoner to Spain, of Irala, 

 accompanied with many grievous accusations, which, whora$- 

 however, were never substantiated. But it was not * l 

 until after eight years delay, that he was fully ac- | '^^ 

 quitted, and rewarded with a pension of 2000 gold 

 crowns, and a seat in the council of the Indies, and in 

 the royal audience of Seville. 



The humane and temperate proceedings of Alvarez 

 were soon forgotten under the usurpation of Irala. 

 The Indian villages became scenes of pillage and op- 

 pression, which produced frequent revolts ; and even 

 the Spanish colonists themselves were not free from 

 the rapacity of his soldiery. Tyrannical and suspi- 

 cious, he was continually surrounded with spies ; 

 and imprisonment or death was inflicted uj.o., all, 

 who were suspected of conveying intelligence of his 

 conduct, either to Spain or the viceroy of Peru. 

 His measures, however, though often sevei , were 

 executed with firmness and decision, and tended 

 greatly to the extension of the Spanish power in 

 America. 



In 154-7, the city of Assumption was erected into 

 a bishopric by Pope Paul III. ; but it wa- not un- 

 til 1554-, that the bishop Francis Pedro de la Torre ar- 

 rived with his retinue in Paraguay. He was accom- 

 panied by three vessels full of men, arms, and ammu- 

 nition, under the command of Martin de Urua, who i ra i a j $con . 

 brought out a commission from the em pi ror, conti- firmed in 

 nuing Irala in his government ; and also various or- 1>U office 

 ders and regulations respecting the encomicndas and b X lhe cm * 

 personal services of the Indians. Of these encomi- P eror ' 

 endas we have already given some account at p. 63, 

 when speaking of the con verted Indians; and though 

 they were intended by the emperor to guard this 

 class of his American subjects against the caprice 

 and tyranny of the Europeans, yet they were often 

 made the instruments of the most cruel, bondage. 

 The number of Indians, already reduced or convert- 

 ed, were insufficient to supply all the Spaniards who 

 laid claim to their services ; new settlements were 

 consequently resolved upon, and detachments were 

 sent out to discover proper situations for the esta- 



