294 AMAZONIA AND LA PLATA. 



After some years of agitation, during whicli its independence had never been 

 threatened, Paraguay submitted to the dictatorship of a master, who succeeded in 

 closing the land as hermetically as China and Japan were at that time closed to the 

 "western devils." Under this ruler, Caspar Francia, Paraguay continued for twenty- 

 six years (1814 — 40) to be inaccessible to the outer world. This strange personality, 

 born of a French father and half-caste créole mother, taking Robespierre as his 

 model, a theologian and jurist by education, never allowed himself to be for a moment 

 turned aside from the line of conduct which he had proposed to follow. An ardent 

 but exclusive patriot, he isolated Paraguay from the rest of the world. He wished 

 his people to live in peace, and to progress mateiially in absolute ignorance of 

 foreign revolutions. Despite his earnest desire to see the Hispano-American com- 

 munities freed from the Spanish yoke, he permitted no Paraguayan to take part in 

 the war of emancipation, and refused to send envoys to the various congresses 

 which assembled during the fifteen years of the struggle. Absolutely disinterested, 

 he sought only the advancement of the common weal, and established a strict 

 monopoly for the sale of maté, lumber, and all other produce. 



Indifferent to all relations with foreign powers, he broke even with the Holy 

 See, declared himself head of the Paraguayan Church, abolished what remained of 

 the Inquisition, suppressed the four surviving convents, modified at his pleasure the 

 ecclesiastical hierarchy and even the liturgy, and appointed the parochial clergy. 

 Hostile to the Jesuits, he nevertheless continued their policy, establishing a kind 

 of theocratic system in which he was at once temporal and spiritual dictator, and 

 certainly no ruler was ever better obeyed. Such was the terror, mingled with 

 admiration, inspired by the aged recluse, friendless and unloved, whose " ear was 

 at ever}^ wall," that no Paraguayan would have dared to utter his name, or refer 

 to him except as el Siipreiiio, or even el Ferpetuo, as if he had already attained 

 immortality. After his death he was el Difimto, " the Departed," in a pre-eminent 

 sense, and it was long before the public ventured to speak of the august person- 

 age ; at mention of his name everyone turned instinctivel}' aside, as if still fearing 

 the presence of some secret spy or informer. 



The dictator was followed by others — Lopez the Elder, and his son, Francisco 

 Solano. But times had changed ; the population had increased with unheard-of 

 rapidity ; beyond the Parana the two Argentine provinces of Corrientes and Entre- 

 Rios had been settled, and were now in direct relation with the European world. 

 It was no longer possible for the two conterminous States of Paraguay and 

 Argentina to avoid fi'iendly or hostile contact. 



Instead of remaining in her primitive isolation, Paraguay now needed a sea- 

 ward outlet, to be obtained " by fair or foul means." Forming an alliance with 

 Uruguay, which, being hemmed in between Brazil and Argentina, had identical 

 interests, the president of Paraguay thought himself strong enough to try issues 

 with his two powerful neighbours. He had the advantage over them of a well- 

 organised army, amply furnished arsenals, and flourishing finances free of all 

 public debt. Brazil and Argentina were invaded, but he was unable to reach the 

 sea in time to help the Uruguayans, who, as the result of an internal revolution, 



