^ SOUTH AMERICA. 277 



Other, If this be their guiding star, it must, in the 

 end bring them safely through; provided this be their 

 motto, I care not for the present defects in the state of 

 society, or the errors of government; the cause is a 

 glorious one, and heaven will smile upon it. The pub- 

 lic functionaries have been made, and can be unmade 

 by them; of how many countries of the world can this 

 be said? I own myself one of those who prefer the 

 whirlwinds of democracy, to the stagnant calm of 

 despotism. Never shall I again behold a scene more 

 sublime; a people not only struggling against op- 

 pressive power, but against the errors and prejudices 

 of centuries, and for the happiness of myriads yet 

 unborn; a people who have followed our example, who 

 admire our institutions, and who may settle down in 

 rational and free governments; for I view even the 

 possibility of such a consummation, as something 

 great. Yes, they are destined to break the chains of 

 slavery, ignorance, and superstition in the south, as 

 we have in the north. 



I shall endeavor to give the reader a rude sketch of 

 the city, as it appeared to us, a task much easier than 

 to convey the moral impressions left on the mind. It 

 stretches along a high bank about two miles; its domes 

 and steeples, and heavy masses of building, give it 

 an imposing, but somewhat gloomy aspect. Immense 

 piles of dingy brown colored brick, with little varie- 

 ty, heavy and dull, shewed that it did not take its rise 

 under the patronage of liberty. Compared to Phila- 

 delphia or New -York, it is a vast mass of bricks piled 

 up without taste, elegance, or variety. The houses 

 in some places, appear to ascend in stages; one story 

 rising from the bottom of the bank, the second story 



