462 AMAZONIA AND LA PLATA. 



smouldering embers. At the close of the Spanish rule, the vast region now form- 

 ing the Argentine Republic had probably not more than 400,000 inhabitants, 

 whereas the first census taken in 1857 returned as many as 1,837,500, exclusive 

 of about 100,000 Indians. 



Since that time no general census has been taken, but a total of over 4,000,000 

 may be inferred from a study of the local statistics. But even this is insignificant 

 compared with the vast extent of the territory. Doubtless only a few scattered 

 groups of settlers could find support on the elevated Andean plateaux, the 

 Salinas (salt wastes) of the central provinces, or the arid stony steppes of Patagonia. 



But the Parana-Uruguay Mesopotamia, the Missions, the north-western plains 

 and valleys, the Cordoba uplands, the Pampas grazing grounds, lastly, the upper 

 valleys of all the rivers flowing to the Atlantic, constitute a domain at least 

 400,000 square miles in extent, where even 100,000,000 human beings would 

 constitute but a small population, regard being had to the immense resources of 

 the laud. By natural increase such a number could scarcely be attained in a 

 period of four centuries, at least according to the present rate of growth. As far 

 as can be judged from the scanty data available, the average mortality would 

 appear to be about two -thirds of the births, which corresponds to a yearly increase 

 of not more than 50,000. 



Immigration. 



But since the middle of the nineteenth century this increase has been doubled 

 and in favourable years even tripled by the swelling tide of immigration. In 

 1889 over 289,000 were landed at Buenos Ayres, and of these as many as 250,000 

 remained in the country. Larger views are entertained on this subject in Argen- 

 tina than in Brazil, till recently aland of slave labour, and despite local jealousies, 

 immigration is regarded in the Plateau regions as a recruiting ground of future 

 fellow-citizens. So early as 1811, one year before the abolition of the slave trade 

 in Buenos Ayres, Rivadavia spoke of attracting foreign settlers, " not only to 

 increase the labour market, but as an element of civilisation." 



During the first decade no returns were made of the foreigners who came to 

 found new homes in the Argentine lands ; but since the year 1857 a regular 

 census is taken of all the immigrants arriving at Buenos Ayres, either directly or 

 by the route of Monte Video. After deducting the number of emigrants from 

 the country, and the probable mortality of the unmarried amongst the new arrivals, 

 during the first years of their residence, statisticians have concluded that the 

 Republic has been enriched to the exI^ent of about a million permanent settlers in 

 Argentina. 



Moreover, thousands and thousands making their way to the Transatlantic 

 seaboard by other and more expensive routes, but not classed in the category 

 of immigrants, have also established themselves in the La Plata regions. Nor 

 must those Chilian settlers be overlooked who cross by the passes of the Cordilleras 

 down to the eastern slopes, and who already constitute the great majority of the 

 Andean population within the Argentine frontiers. 



