i 



154 BUENOS AYRES — NEW ISLAND. [1824. 



the case also at Monte Video ; as in the neighbourhood of these 

 places there are no forest-trees, and only a few shrubs that are hardly 

 fit for fuel. Ail their timber for building houses and repairing ships, 

 comes from Paraguay in rafts. There is a great trade carried on here 

 in ox-hides and tallow ; their exports and imports being the same as 

 those of Monte Video. 



The population of Buenos Ayres is about seventy thousand, not 

 more than one-fourth of which are whites ; the rest being negroes, 

 Indians, and various mixtures of blood. The inhabitants were among 

 the first in the Spanish provinces that distinguished themselves in the 

 cause of independence. Their republican era commenced on the 

 25th of May, 1810. Four years previous, in 1806, it was conquered 

 by a British squadron, under Admiral Popham and General Beresford. 

 Soon afterward, the citizens, having recovered from their panic, attacked 

 their invaders by surprise, and made a great slaughter among them. 

 In the following vear Whitelock and Crawford came over with rein- 

 forcements. They were permitted to enter the city unmolested, and 

 considered their expedition crowned with success, when the citizens 

 attacked them so suddenly, and with such resistless fury, that a third 

 part of the English were destroyed. The remainder were glad to 

 make a truce; and in February, 1825, England acknowledged their 

 independence by treaty, as the United States had already done. 



The river La Plata was first discovered by Juan Dias de Salis, in 

 the year 1515, and was for some time called the river Salis, after 

 his own name. In sailing up this arm of the sea, he observed some 

 Indian tents on the shore, and imprudently landed with ten men, who 

 were all murdered by the savages. It was afterward called Rio de la 

 Plata, or the " River of Silver," from the great quantity of that metal 

 found by those who first visited the countries adjacent to its banks. 

 These banks are sometimes overflowed, like those of the Nile, which 

 renders them very fertile in every thing but timber. Its waters, which 

 abound with fish of various kinds, are clear, sweet, and wholesome ; 

 and the country on each side is well tenanted by birds of a beautiful 

 plumage, which build their nests in the shrubbery. Near the entrance 

 of this river, bearing south-east from the eastern point of Maldonado, 

 is the island of Lobos before mentioned, near which I left the Tartar 

 in order to make the above digression. 



On finding that there were already men stationed on this island for 

 the purpose of taking fur-seals, I concluded not to stop, but to shape 

 our course direct for the Falkland Islands, having a fine breeze from 

 north-north-west, and fair weather. 



October 7th. — Nothing material occurred on the passage, unless a 

 few strong breezes and moderate gales, from various points of the 

 compass, can be called so, until Thursday, the 7th of October, when, 

 at six A. M., we cast anchor in Shallop Cove, a place already familiar 

 to the reader, on the east side of New Island, in three fathoms of 

 water.* 



* In addition to what is said of these islands in the first voyage, it may not be improper (o state in 

 this place that the government of Buenos Ayres took possession of the whole group in 1820; but 

 they still remained open for sealing ships of all nations, until a small colony from Buenos Ayres 

 was planted there, under the direction of one Vernet, who called himself governor. This man 



