BUENOS AIRES. 13 



While the San Martin had been recommended to us, it must be con- 

 frs>ed. that from an American's point of view the accommodations were 

 exceedingly meagre and prices correspondingly high. Nevertheless, we 

 made it our home for the nearly three weeks that we were compelled to 

 remain in the city, while awaiting the departure of a steamer for Tierra del 

 Fuego and the Atlantic ports of southern Patagonia. 



On the following morning, March 27, we set about ascertaining the 

 best means of reaching Gallegos, a small port at the mouth of a river of 

 the same name, situated some thirty miles north of the eastern entrance 

 to the straits of Magellan, in about S. lat 51 30', which long before start- 

 ing we had selected as the base of our operations while working in Pata- 

 gonia. We called on Mr. Wm. I. Buchanan, at that time American 

 minister to Argentina, and on the U. S. consul, Col. Edward L. Baker. 1 

 Both of these gentlemen were at once interested in our undertaking, 

 and Col. Baker especially did much to aid us in our preparations. 

 We soon learned that the Villarino, a small Argentine transport, 

 was to sail from Buenos Aires for the south on April 16. This 

 seemed a long wait, but since nothing better could be done, we had to 

 make the best of it 



In order to travel on these government vessels, it was necessary to get 

 certain permits from the proper officials. I had been apprised of this 

 before leaving home by the Argentine minister at Washington, who had 

 very kindly taken the precaution of writing me a letter of introduction to 

 the Argentine Minister of the Exterior in Buenos Aires. Evidently our 

 friend in Washington had done more for us than to write a mere formal 

 letter of introduction, for when we called on the minister in Buenos Aires 

 and presented this letter along with our other credentials, we were well 

 received, and on taking leave were given an order for the free transporta- 

 tion on any of the government steamers of ourselves and our equipage 

 from Buenos Aires to Gallegos and return. This was indeed making 

 matters easy for us, and this thoughtful act of the Argentine minister no 

 doubt saved us much vexatious trouble, for without his kindly aid we 

 should doubtless have experienced great inconvenience in making the 

 necessary arrangements for our departure, which would no doubt have 

 been somewhat augmented through our lack of an adequate knowledge 

 of the language and customs of the country. So obliging were our 



1 Since deceased. 



