PARAGUAY. 



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was a controversial essay on the conflicting claims 

 of Haarlem and Merit/ to the honour of the first 

 use of movable types. His death took place at 

 his house in Devonshire Street, on Thursday the 

 26th of May, 1836. Three years before this he 

 was elected curator of prints and drawings in the 

 British Museum. His name is entitled to be held 

 in recollection in a threefold character ; namely, as 

 an artist, a collector, and a writer on subjects con- 



nected with antiquities and the fine arts. As an 

 artist, however, having wielded the pencil only as 

 an amateur, he was comparatively but little kno'vvn; 

 and that chiefly amongst a select circle of friends, 

 who always found difficulty in prevailing upon him 

 to exhibit any of his performances. The only 

 work of magnitude of his is the " Fall of Satan," 

 eight feet by six, which was exhibited at Somerset 

 house in 1823. 



PARAGUAY, (a.) Paraguay occupies a central 

 situation in the lower portion of the South Ame- 

 rican continent, the population of which is vari- 

 ously estimated at from 200,000 to 500,000. In 

 1811, it followed the example of the other Spanish 

 provinces in South America, by declaring itself a 

 free republic, when a new government was con- 

 stituted under a junta, composed of a president, 

 two assessors, and a secretary. It was soon found 

 that the people a race of mingled Spanish and 

 Indian blood were unfit for popular institutions, 

 and for some time the greatest confusion prevailed. 

 The first person who manifested any power of 

 controlling the agitated elements of Paraguayse 

 society, was the individual who officiated in the 

 junta as secretary. This was Dr Francia, one of 

 the most extraordinary despots of modern times, 

 whose death took place in 1838. He was the son 

 of a Frenchman who had settled in Paraguay, 

 where he was born in the year 1757. Destined 

 for the church, he had proceeded so far in the ap- 

 propriate education, as to become a doctor of theo- 

 logy, but, in the course of his study of the canon 

 law, a latent taste for jurisprudence was awakened 

 in him, and he ultimately became a barrister before 

 his native courts. 



The junta, of which Don Fulgencio de Yegros 

 was president, continued to form the government 

 for two years. Francia, the only member of it 

 who possessed abilities, information, or a love of 

 business, was in fact the sole administrator of 

 affairs; the others chiefly spending their time in 

 country sports. Whenever it happened that they 

 interfered to thwart his will, he had only to inti- 

 mate his intention of retiring, in order to make them 

 give way. It could not be expected that Francia 

 should long submit to a subordinate situation under 

 such circumstances. In 1813, a convention was 

 called to take into consideration the state of 

 affairs. Ignorant of history and of political sci- 

 ence, they chanced to possess a copy of Rollin's 

 well-known work, into which they looked for a 

 constitution, as they would have looked into a 

 dictionary for a word. Their fancy was caught 

 by the consular government of Rome, and they 

 resolved to appoint Yegros and Francia as the two 

 consuls of Paraguay. Two curule chairs were 

 provided for these officers, one inscribed Pompey, 

 and the other Ccesar ; and Francia, taking posses- 

 sion of the latter, indicated to all except the un- 

 lettered Paraguayse that he should not long be a 

 half ruler. At the end of the first year of the 

 consulate, when the convention again met, he 



found it no difficult task, by reference to their 

 favourite author Rollin, to convince them that the 

 country was now in one of those critical situations 

 which induced the Romans to entrust tha state to 

 a dictator ; and he was accordingly elected to that 

 dignity for a term of three years ; Yegros vainly 

 attempting to resist the measure. 



With the title of " Excellency," and a salary of 

 9000 dollars of which, however, he gave back 

 two-thirds, under the pretence that the state had 

 more need of money than himself he now took 

 possession of the house which had formerly been 

 occupied by the Spanish governor a step analo- 

 gous to that of his prototype Napoleon, in remov- 

 ing to the Luxembourg. He became still more 

 austere in his habits more studious more thor- 

 oughly devoted to business. His attention was 

 particularly directed to the improvement of his 

 little army of about 5000 men ; and so eager was 

 he to obtain the reputation of an entire devotion 

 to the good of his country, that, to improve the 

 system of medicine, which had fallen into a low 

 state in Paraguay, he submitted to have experi- 

 ments tried on his own person. The government 

 was conducted with remarkable energy, and before 

 the expiration of the three years, he had so com- 

 pletely consolidated his power, as to obtain from 

 the convention (1817) a decree constituting him 

 dictator for life. 



From this time Dr Francia reigned without con- 

 trol in Paraguay, having the legislative and exe- 

 cutive combined in his single person, with the full 

 right which the ancient Roman dictators possessed 

 to dispose of the lives and fortunes of his people 

 according to his pleasure. Soon after his last ap- 

 pointment, he ceased to show any anxiety to cul- 

 tivate the good will of his subjects. He declared 

 the race of Spaniards to be politically extinct, and 

 interdicted them from marrying white women. 

 Conspiracies were consequently formed against 

 him : he was informed of them before they were 

 matured, and he astounded the Spaniards by an 

 order to appear within three hours before his 

 palace. About three hundred came, and were led 

 into a miserable prison, where several, including 

 the deposed governor, died wretchedly, and from 

 which the rest were not liberated till they had 

 paid a collective fine of 150,000 dollars. He like- 

 wise suppressed the Catholic church, and all con- 

 vents and dignitaries, appointing one vicar-general, 

 a creature of his own, to administer the religious 

 affairs of the people. But his most extraordinary 

 measure was to close up the country against all 

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