Nov. 1833. 



RIO URUGUAY. 



171 



During a stormy night the cattle all mingle together ; but 

 the next morning the tropillas separate as before. 



November i9TH. — Passing the village of Las Vacas^ we 

 slept at a house of a North American, who worked a lime- 

 kiln on the Arroyo de las Vivoras. In the morning we rode 

 to a projecting headland on the banks of the river, called 

 Punta Gorda. On the way we tried to find a jaguar. There 

 were plenty of fresh tracks, and we visited the trees, on 

 which they are said to sharpen their claws ; but we did not 

 succeed in disturbing one. From this point the Rio Uru- 

 guay presented to our view a noble volume of water. From 

 the clearness and rapidity of the stream, its appearance was 

 far superior to that of its neighbour the Parana. On the 

 opposite coast, several branches from the latter river entered 

 the Uruguay. As the sun was shining, the two colours of 

 the waters could be seen quite distinct. The geological 

 section presented by the cliffs was interesting. At St. Fe, 

 a stratum with marine remains was seen gradually passing 

 into an estuary deposit. Here we have an alternation of 

 action ; — a circumstance no ways improbable in a great bay. 

 A formation of red earthy clay, with nodules of marl, and in 

 every respect identical with that of the Pampas, is covered 

 by a white limestone, containing large extinct oysters, and 

 other marine shells ; and over this again, is placed the 

 reddish earthy matter, as in the rest of Banda Oriental. 



In the evening we proceeded on our road towards Mer- 

 cedes on the Rio Negro. At night we asked permission to 

 sleep at an estancia, at which we happened to arrive. It 

 was a very large estate, being ten leagues square, and the 

 owner is one of the greatest landowners in the country. 

 His nephew had charge of it, and with him there was a 

 captain in the army, who the other day ran away from 

 Buenos Ayres. Considering their station, their conversa- 

 tion was rather amusing. They expressed, as was usual, 

 unbounded astonishment at the globe being round, and 

 could scarcely credit that a hole would, if deep enough, come 

 out on the other side. They had, however, heard of a 



