1833.] 73 



CHAPTER IV. 



RIO NEGRO TO BAHIA BLANCA. 



Rio Negro — Estancias attacked by the Indians — Salt Lakes — 

 Flamingoes — Rio Negro to Rio Colorado — Sacred Tree — 

 Patagonian Hare — Indian Families — General Rosas — 

 Proceed to Bahia Blanca — Sand Dunes — Negro Lieutenant 

 — Bahia Blanca — Saline Incrustations — Punta Alta — Zorillo. 



July 2^th, 1833. — The Beagle sailed from Maldonado, and 

 on the 3rd of August she arrived off the mouth of the Rio 

 Negro. This is the principal river on the whole line of 

 coast between the Strait of Magellan and the Plata. It 

 enters the sea about three hundred miles south of the 

 estuary of the Plata. About fifty years ago, under the 

 old Spanish government, a small colony was established 

 here ; and it is still the most southern position (lat. 41°) 

 on this eastern coast of America inhabited by civilised man. 



The country near the mouth of the river is wretched In 

 the extreme ; on the south side a long line of perpendicular 

 cliffs commences, which exposes a section of the geological 

 nature of the country. The strata are of sandstone, and 

 one layer was remarkable from being composed of a firmly- 

 cemented conglomerate of pumice pebbles, which must have 

 travelled more than four hundred miles from the Andes. 

 The surface is everywhere covered up by a thick bed of 

 gravel, which extends far and wide over the open plain. 

 Water is extremely scarce, and, where found, is almost in- 

 variably brackish. The vegetation is scanty ; and although 

 there are bushes of many kinds, all are armed with formid- 

 able thorns, which seem to warn the stranger not to enter 

 on these inhospitable regions. 



The settlement is situated eighteen miles up the river. 

 The road follows the foot of the sloping cliff, which forms 

 the northern boundary, of the great valley, in which the 

 Rio Negro flows. On the way we passed the ruins of 

 some fine "estancias," which a few years since had been 

 destroyed by the Indians. They withstood several attacks. 

 A man present at one gave me a very lively description 

 of what took place. The inhabitants had sufficient notice 

 to drive all the cattle and horses into the " corral "* which 



* The corral is an enclosure made of tall and strong' stakes. Every estancia. 

 2 or tarminf? estate, has one attached to it. 



