543 



spiritual conquests with the assistance of bayo- 

 nets, was an inherent , vice in a system, that 

 tended to the rapid aggrandizement of the mis- 

 sions. It is soothing to find, that the same sys- 

 tem is not followed by the monks of St. Fran- 

 cisco, St. Dominic, and St. Augustin, who now 

 govern a vast portion of South America ; and 

 who, by the mildness or harshness of their man- 

 ners, exert a powerful influence over the fate of 

 so many thousands of natives. Military incur- 

 sions are almost entirely abolished; and when 

 they do take place, they are disavowed by the 

 superiors of the orders. We will not decide at 

 present, whether this melioration of the mo- 

 narchal system be owing to a want of activity, 

 and a cold indolence ; or must be attributed, as 

 we would wish to believe, to the progress of 

 knowledge, and to feelings more elevated, and 

 more conformable to the true spirit of Chris- 

 tianity. 



Beyond the mouth of the Rio Paruasi, the 

 Oroonoko again narrows. Full of little islands 

 and masses of granitic rocks, it presents rapids, 

 or small cascades *, which at first sight may 

 alarm the traveller, by the continual eddies of 

 the water, but which at no season of the year 

 are dangerous for boats. He must have navi- 

 gated but little, who would say, with Father 



* Los rcmolinos. 



