Ch.XV. south AMERICA. 171 



greateft part of the feveral c^fls. As the city itfeif is 

 but fmall and irregular, nothing better can be ex- 

 pecled in Villa Rica, and other towns and villages. 

 Its houfes are indeed intermixed with gardens and 

 plantations, but without any fymnietry. It is the re- 

 fidence of the governor of the province, who had 

 formerly under his jurifdidion, part of the towns 

 compofing the mifiions of Paraguay but a few years 

 fince they were feparated from it, and are now an- 

 nexed to the government of Buenos Ayres ^ but with- 

 out any change in the ecciefiailical government, in 

 the city of AlTumption is a cathedral, whole chapter 

 confiits of the bifliop, dean, archdeacon, trealurer, 

 and two canons. The parifhes of the city of Villa 

 Rica, ard of the other towns depending on this go- 

 yernmenc are ferved by the Francifcans : but in the 

 mifiionary towns they are folciy under the care of the 

 Jefuits 5 and thefe compofing the greater number of 

 towns in this province, I fnall fpeak particularly of 

 them, ftill keeping to that concifenefs I have obferved 

 in the other jurifdidions. 



The mifiions of Paraguay, befides thofe in the 

 province of that name, include alio a great many 

 of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Tucuman and Buenos 

 Ayres. Within a century and a half, the epocha 

 of their firft: eftablidimenr, they have been the means 

 of bringing into the bofom of * the church, many 

 Indian nations, Vv'ho lived in the blindnefs of ido- 

 latry, and the turpitude of the favage culloms tranf- 

 mitted to them by their anceilors. ©The firft in- 

 ftance of this - apoflolic zeal was the fpiritual con- 

 queft of the Guacanies Indians, fome of whom inha- 

 bited the banks of the rivers -Uruguay and Parana ; 

 and others near an hundred leagues up the countries 

 N. W. of the Guayra. The Portuguefe, then only 

 intent on the improvements of their colonies, in vio- 

 lation of the moft facred laws, did not even after 

 the converfiOQ of thefe people, c^afe from making 



incurfions. 



