314 



VILLARINO — CONSTITUCION. 



May 



houses were ransacked and burned, and all their animals driven 

 away. Since that time the frequent predatory excursions of 

 minor parties of Indians have prevented the settlers from again 

 attempting to collect animals in large numbers, seeing that they 

 would assuredly tempt the aborigines to repeat their attacks on 

 a greater scale than ever. The old man, who was one of Vil- 

 larino's party,* gave Mr. Darwin some information about that 

 expedition, which entirely corroborates the interesting account 

 of Basilio Villarino himself, who made his way, by excellent 

 management, and extreme perseverance, to the foot of the 

 Cordillera, though surrounded by Indians suspicious of his 

 intentions. He managed so dexterously as to make one tribe 

 become his firm friends and assistants ; and behaved so well 

 himself, in his own enterprises, as well as in his conduct to 

 those under him, as to have obtained their hearty co-operation 

 during eight long months. But he was soon afterwards savagely 

 murdered by the natives during another exploring expedition.-[- 

 The old man said that Villarino was much guided by the 

 account of an Englishman,j whose description of the river and 

 Indian country was found to be very accurate. Mr. Darwin 

 heard several anecdotes of the Indians, and their attacks upon 

 the Christians (so they term all white men) which interested me 

 very much ; but as I suppose they will be found in his volume, 

 it is unnecessary here to do more than allude to them. 



On the 12th May Mr. Usborne, in the Constitucion, anchored 

 in the river, and next day put himself under Mr. Stokes's orders; 

 to whom Lieut. Wickham gave up the charge of this branch of 

 the survey, and then went on board the Constitucion to hasten 

 towards Maldonado. On the 17th all three little vessels sailed, 

 Lieut. Wickham steering for the Plata, and Mr. Stokes for 

 San Bias. 



From this time till the Paz and Liebre were discharged, in 

 * Bowman of his boat (lancha). 



t Sir Woodbine Parish has given an abridged translation of Villarino's 

 Diary in the Journal of the R. Geogr. Society for 1836, vol. vi, part ii, 

 pp. 136— J 67. t Falkner evidently. 



