1833,] THE GREAT CORRAL. 121 
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, &c., stand. 
Here also, the old viceroys, before the revolution, had their 
palaces. The general assemblage of buildings possesses consider- 
able architectural beauty, although none individually can boast 
of any. * 
The great corral, where the animals are kept for slaughter to 
supply 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 
any where 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 turn- 
ing 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. Ina 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 giver 
* It is said to contain 60,000 inhabitants. Monte Video, the second towr 
of importance on the banks of the Plata, has 15,000. 
