Ch.XV. south AMERICA. 17^ 



About a hundred leagues from the miffion is a 

 nation of idolaters called Guanoas. It is with great 

 difficulty any of thefs are brought to embrace the 

 light of the gofpel, as they are extremely addicted to 

 a licentious life ; and a great number of Meftizos, 

 and even fome Spaniards, whofe crimes have obliged 

 to take fhelter among them, by their ill example 

 harden the Indians in their contempt of inftrudion, 

 Befides they are fo indolent and flothful, that they 

 will not take the pains to cultivate the lands, chufing 

 to live by the more expeditious way of hunting ; and 

 being convinced, that if they embrace the Chriftian 

 religion, and fubmit to the milTionaries, they muft la- 

 bour, they cannot bear to think of a change which will 

 inevitably deprive them of their favourite indolence. 

 Many, however, of thofe who come to the Chriftian 

 towns to vifit their relations, cannot withftand the 

 order and decency in which they fee them live, and 

 accordingly embrace the Chriftian religion. 



It is nearly the fame with the Charuas, a people in- 

 habiting the country between the rivers Parana and 

 Uruguay. Thofe dwelling on the banks of the river 

 Parana, from the town of Corpus upwards, and call- 

 ed Guananas, are more tradable, and their induftry 

 in agriculture and other rural arts, render them more 

 fufceptible of liftening to the preaching of the miffiona- 

 ries \ befides no fuch thing as a fugitive is to be found 

 among them. Near Cordova is another nation of ido- 

 laters, called Pampas, who, notwithftanding they 

 frequendy come to the city, to fell different produdions 

 of the earth, are very obftinate in their opinions, and, 

 confequently, are not reclaimed without the greateft 

 difficulty. Thefe four nations of idolatrous Indians 

 live, however, in peace with the Chriftians. 



In the ^neighbourhood of the city of Santa Fe, 

 fituated in the province of Buenos Ayres, are others 

 who abibliitely rejed all terms of peace; fo that even 

 the villages and eftates near Santiago and Salta in the 



govern- 



