MENDOZA 353 



say " it is good to live in, but very bad to grow rich in." The 

 lower orders have the lounging, reckless manners of the Gauchos 

 of the Pampas ; and their dress, riding -gear, and habits of life, 

 are nearly the same. To my mind the town had a stupid, forlorn 

 aspect. Neither the boasted alameda, nor the scenery, is at 

 all comparable with that of Santiago ; but to those who, coming 

 from Buenos Ayres, have just crossed the unvaried Pampas, the 

 gardens and orchards must appear delightful. Sir F. Head, 

 speaking of the inhabitants, says, " They eat their dinners, and 

 it is so very hot, they go to sleep — and could they do better?" 

 I quite agree with Sir F. Head : the happy doom of the 

 Mendozinos is to eat, sleep, and be idle. 



March 2gth. — We set out on our return to Chile by the 

 Uspallata pass situated north of Mendoza. We had to cross a 

 long and most sterile traversia of fifteen leagues. The soil in 

 parts was absolutely bare, in others covered by numberless 

 dwarf cacti, armed with formidable spines, and called by the 

 inhabitants " little lions." There were also a few low bushes. 

 Although the plain is nearly three thousand feet above the sea, 

 the sun was very powerful ; and the heat, as well as the clouds 

 of impalpable dust, rendered the travelling extremely irksome. 

 Our course during the day lay nearly parallel to the Cordillera, 

 but gradually approaching them. Before sunset we entered 

 one of the wide valleys, or rather bays, which open on the plain : 

 this soon narrowed into a ravine, where a little higher up the 

 house of Villa Vicencio is situated. As we had ridden all day 

 without a drop of water, both our mules and selves were very 

 thirsty, and we looked out anxiously for the stream which flows 

 down this valley. It was curious to observe how gradually the 

 water made its appearance : on the plain the course was quite 

 dry ; by degrees it became a little damper ; then puddles of 

 water appeared ; these soon became connected ; and at Villa 

 Vicencio there was a nice little rivulet. 



30//^. — The solitary hovel which bears the imposing name 

 of Villa Vicencio has been mentioned by every traveller who 

 has crossed the Andes. I stayed here and at some neighbouring 

 mines during the two succeeding days. The geology of the 

 surrounding country is very curious. The Uspallata range is 

 separated from the main Cordillera by a long narrow plain or 



2 A 



