1832.J IGNORANCE OF THE PEOPLE. 41 



collection of the animals, birds, and reptiles, was procured. 

 Before making any observations respecting them, I will give an 

 account of a little excursion I made as far as the river Polanco, 

 which is about seventy miles distant, in a northerly direction. 

 I may mention, as a proof how cheap everything is in this 

 country, that I paid only tw r o dollars a day, or eight shillings, 

 for two men, together with a troop of about a dozen riding- 

 horses. My companions were well armed with pistols and 

 sabres ; a precaution which I thought rather unnecessary ; but 

 the first piece of news we heard was, that, the day before, a tra- 

 veller from Monte Video had been found dead on the road, with 

 his throat cut. This happened close to a cross, the record of a 

 former murder. 



On the first night we slept at a retired little country-house ; 

 and there I soon found out that I possessed two or three articles, 

 especially a pocket compass, which created unbounded astonish- 

 ment. In every house I was asked to show the compass, and by 

 its aid, together with a map, to point out the direction of various 

 places. It excited the liveliest admiration that I, a perfect 

 stranger, should know the road (for direction and road are syno- 

 nymous in this open country) to places where I had never been, 

 At one house a young woman, who was ill in bed, sent to entreat 

 me to come and show her the compass. If their surprise was 

 great, mine was greater, to find such ignorance among people 

 who possessed their thousands of cattle, and " estancias " of great 

 extent. It can only be accounted for by the circumstance that 

 this retired part of the country is seldom visited by foreigners. 

 I was asked whether the earth or sun moved ; whether it was 

 hotter or colder to the north ; where Spain was, and many other 

 such questions. The greater number of the inhabitants had an 

 indistinct idea that England, London, and North America, were 

 different names for the same place ; but the better informed well 

 knew that London and North America were separate countries 

 close together, and that England was a large town in London ! 

 I carried with me some promethean matches, which I ignited by 

 biting ; it w r as thought so wonderful that a man should strike 

 fire with his teeth, that it was usual to collect the whole family 

 to see it : I was once offered a dollar for a single one. "Washing 

 my face in the morning caused much speculation at the village 



