VI THE GREAT CORRAL 127 



September 20th. — 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 to 

 the house of Mr. Lumb, an English merchant, to whose kind- 

 ness and hospitality, during my stay in the country, I was 

 greatly indebted. 



The city of Buenos Ayres is large ; ^ and I should think 

 one of the most regular in the world. Every street is at right 

 angles to the one it crosses, and the parallel ones being 

 equidistant, the houses are collected into solid squares of 

 equal dimensions, which are called quadras. On the other 

 hand, the houses themselves are hollow squares ; all the rooms 

 opening into a neat little courtyard. They are generally only 

 one story high, with flat roofs, which are fitted with seats, and 

 are much frequented by the inhabitants in summer. In the 

 centre of the town is the Plaza, where the public offices, fortress, 

 cathedral, etc., stand. Here also, the old viceroys, before the 

 revolution, had their palaces. The general assemblage of 

 buildings possesses considerable architectural beauty, although 

 none individually can boast of any. 



THfesgreat corral, where the animals are kept for slaughter 

 to supplyx food to this beef-eating population, is one of the 

 spectacles best worth seeing. The strength of the horse as 

 compared to that of the bullock is quite astonishing : a 

 man on horseback having thrown his lazo round the horns of 

 a beast, can drag it anywhere he chooses. The animal, 

 ploughing up the ground with outstretched legs, in vain efforts 

 to resist the force, generally dashes at full speed to one side ; 

 but the horse, immediately turning to receive the shock, stands 

 so firmly that the bullock is almost thrown down, and it is 

 surprising that their necks are not broken. The struggle is 

 not, however, one of fair strength ; the horse's girth being 

 matched against the bullock's extended neck. In a similar 

 manner a man can hold the wildest horse, if caught with the 

 lazo, just behind the ears. When the bullock has been dragged 

 to the spot where it is to be slaughtered, the matador with 

 great caution cuts the hamstrings. Then is given the death 



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

 importance on the banks of the Plata, has 15,000. 



