SOUTH AMERICA. 



22i 



some blue hills at a great distance. Along a beau- 

 tiful winding stream, which flowed through a valley 

 before us, there were more trees and shrubbery than I 

 had expected to have seen; but this terrestrial para- 

 dise, was silent and waste — man had not fixed here 

 his ^^cheerful abode.'' 



Wild animals such as are common to this country, 

 the deer, the wolf, the ostrich, and even the tiger^ 

 abound every where in these plains. The tiger of 

 this country is a powerful and ferocious animal, little 

 inferior in strength to that of Africa. It is not many 

 years since three of them swam across the basin and 

 entered the town of Monte Video, to the great ter- 

 ror of its inhabitants, several of whom were killed, or 

 mangled, before the monsters were destroyed. 



We were told that the interior of the country for 

 hundreds of miles, possessed the same beauty of sur- 

 face, and fertility of soil, and although generally well 

 j supplied with fine streams, a small proportion of it 

 can be said to be hilly or mountainous; and that in 

 general, there is an abundance of wood along the 

 water courses. On examining the map of Azara, it 

 will appear to be abundantly supplied with fine rivers; 

 it is . bounded in its whole extent eight or nine hun- 

 dred miles on the east by the river Uruguay, which 

 may bear a comparison even with the E^hine or Da- 

 nube of Europe. This river has also a number of 

 important navigable tributaries, the principal of which 

 are the Ubicuig, and the Rio Negro, together with se- 

 veral other rivers which discharge themselves either 

 into the Atlantic or the La Plata. 



While engaged in gazing with mingled pain and 

 pleasure on this scene, our attention was suddenly at- 



