154 BAHIA BLANCA TO BUENOS AYRES. 



em range. No doubt many plants, besides the car- 

 doon and fennel, are naturalized ; thus the islands 

 near the mouth of the Parana are thickly clothed 

 with peach and orange trees, springing from seeds 

 carried there by the waters of the river. 



While changing horses at the Guardia several 

 people questioned us much about the army: I never 

 saw anything like the enthusiasm for Rosas, and 

 for the success of the " most just of all wars, be- 

 cause against barbarians." This expression, it must 

 be confessed, is very natural, for till lately, neither 

 man, woman, nor horse was safe from the attacks 

 of the Indians. We had a long day's ride over the 

 same rich green plain, abounding with various 

 flocks, and with here and there a solitary estancia, 

 and its one omhu-tree. In the evening it rained 

 heavily : on arriving at a post-house, we were told 

 by the owner that if we had not a regular passport 

 we must pass on, for there were so many robbers 

 he would trust no one. When he read, however, 

 my passport, which began with " El Naturalista 

 Don Carlos," his respect and civility were as un- 

 bounded as his suspicions had been before. What 

 a naturalist might be, neither he nor his country- 

 men, I suspect, had any idea; but probably my 

 title lost nothing of its value from that cause. 



Scptetnher 20tJi. — We arrived by the middle of 

 the day at Buenos Ayres. The outskirts of the 

 city looked quite pretty, with the agave hedges, 

 and groves of olive, peach, and willow trees, all just 

 throwing out their fresh green leaves. I rode t ) 

 the house of Mr. Lumb, an English merchant, tj 

 whose kindness and hospitality, during my stay in 

 the country, I was greatly indebted. 



The city of Buenos Ayres is large,* and, I should 



* It is said to contain 60,000 inhabitants. Monte Video, the 

 second town of importance on the banks of the Plata, has 15,0OJ. 



