S30 



A VOYAGE TO 



people are unanimous in support of Artigas, it is to be 

 understood^ the 'people called gauchos^ for on turning 

 to the documents which accompany the report of Mr. 

 Rodney, it will be perceived that the respectable part 

 of the community, are far from being unanimous in feis 

 support. And the expeditions sent by Buenos Ayres 

 against Artigas, would indeed have deserved the im- 

 putation of folly, if they had not been founded upon a 

 belief that their presence was all that was necessary 

 to enable them to throw off the yoke of the tyrant and 

 usurper. The simple fact is, that if his name had not 

 been used to give sanction to privateers, we should 

 have heard little in his praise. 



As we approached the town, we met a number of 

 country people, chiefly women and boys, with a few 

 men, who appeared as if returning from market. I 

 was a little surprised at this, as 1 understood that all 

 intercourse had been prohibited by Artigas, but gene- 

 ral Carrera informed us, that this does not extend be- 

 yond the prohibition of the supply of horned cattle, and 

 that some of those we saw, were in all likelihood of 

 the besieging force, but that such was the situation of 

 things, it was winked at. The hatred to the Portu^ 

 guese pervades every class of natives, the commoner 

 of the plains, as well as the tenant of the humble cot- 

 tage, and appears to increase in the rising genera- 

 tion. The present inhabitants can never be good Por- 

 tuguese subjects. ^ 



About noon we had a visit from general Lecor and 

 suit. His officers generally spoke good English, pro- 

 pably from having served with them against the 

 French. This was intended as a visit of ceremony. 

 At three o'clock, we proceeded to his quarters accord* 



