468 



BUENOS AYRES. 



When war is declared, the toquis elect a general-in-chief ; they use the European firearms, 

 together with their own original arms, the bow, arrow, and club. When they set out on an 

 expedition, each individual merely carries a bag of parched corn, trusting ere long to quarter 

 themselves comfortably on the enemy. They have a religious belief, but no temples, priests, 

 or sacrifices ; their deities are Pillian, the supreme ruler ; Meuben, the good genius ; Dlencu- 

 ba, the evil genius ; Epunamum, the god of war, &,c. Omens and divinations are also objects 

 of firm belief, and witchcraft is among them a deadly sin. Marriage is always celebrated witli 

 a show of violence, for even after consent obtained, the bridegroom conceals himself in the 

 road, seizes the bride, and carries her to his house. Polygamy prevails, and all the hard woik 

 devolves upon the females, who plough and reap ; each wife is also required to furnish her hus- 

 band with a poncho or cloak, some of which are very fine. Their towns are merely villages 

 perched upon rocks, and their dwellings are rude huts. Their chief amusements are out of 

 doors, but they are sometimes to be seen trotting round their rooms to sounds which resemble 

 the filing of a saw. 



7. Government. Chili is a republic, but the government is in an unsettled state. The 

 country has been for some time agitated by the advocates for a federal and a central system of 

 government. 



8. History. Chili was formerly a colony of Spain, but, in 1810, the people took the gov- 

 ernment into their own hands, and, in 1818, made a declaration of absolute independence, 

 which has becH hitherto uninterrupted, and acknowledged by Portugal. The supreme authority 

 was administered by an elective magistrate till May, 1827, when a president similar to that of 

 the United States was substituted. 



CHAPTER LXIV. BUENOS AYRES, OR PROVINCES OF LA PLATA. 



PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



1. Boundaries and Extent. This country, sometimes called the Argentine Repubhc, is 

 bounded N. by Bolivia ; E. by Paraguay, the river La Plata, and the Atlantic Ocean ; S. by 

 the Atlantic and Patagonia ; and W. by Chili and the Pacific. It extends from 20° 30' to 

 41° S. latitude, and from 55° to 70^ W. longitude. Its extreme length is 1,600 miles ; and 

 its breadth 1,000 miles ; and it has an area of about 800,000 square miles. 



2. Mountains. From the great chain of the Andes, branches diverge in different places, 

 extending far into the interior ; and the western and northern parts of the country are mountain- 

 ous. The southern mountains are covered with thick, impenetrable woods, and are little known. 

 Tlie Brazilian range, on the east, is of secondary elevation, generally covered with thick forests, 

 and interspersed with extensive tracts wholly destitute of vegetation. This extensive chain is 

 connected with the Andes on the west and northwest by an intermediate range, called the 

 mountains of Chiquitos. 



3. Plains. This country is noted for the vast, unwooded plains, called pampas. They are 

 generally elevated and dry, though traversed by numerous rivers ; and present one uniform ex- 

 panse of waving grass, uninterrupted by either wood or eminence. They commence at 73 

 miles from Buenos Ayres, to the west, and extend into Patagonia, upwards of 1,200 miles in 

 length, and 500 in breadth. Innumerable herds of wild oxen, horses, ostriches, and other ani- 

 mals occupy these immense plains, and, under the shade of the grass, find protection from the 

 intense heat of the sun. Over these pampas, lies the only road from Buenos Ayres to Chili. 



4. Rivers. The principal rivers are the Parana, the Paraguay, the Iguazu, the Uraguay, 

 the Pilcomayo, the Rio Vermeio, the Rio Salado, and the Rio de la Plata. The Plata has 

 the largest volume of water of any river in the world, except the Amazon. It is formed by 

 the union of the Parana and the Uraguay, at the distance of 175 miles from the ocean ; at that 

 point, it is 30 miles, and at its mouth 100 miles broad. The Parana, or main branch, rises in 

 Brazil, and has a course of upwards of 2,000 miles ; it receives the waters of the Paraguay, 

 another large river, which also rises in Brazil, and is about 1,200 miles in length. The Pilco- 

 mayo and Vcrmeio, tributaries of the Paraguay, have their sources in Bolivia. The Colorado 

 and J^''egro are the principal rivers to the south of the Plata. Rising in the Chilian Andes, 

 they flow through desert and imperfectly known regions, into the Atlantic. The Tucuman, or 

 Sf. Jago de Estero^ after a course of 350 miles to the southeast, through the pampas, is lost in 



