350 



CHARLES DARWIN 



during the act of sucking, as in less than ten minutes it 

 changed from being as flat as a wafer to a globular form. 

 This one feast, for which the benchuca was indebted to one 

 of the officers, kept it fat during four whole months; but, 

 after the first fortnight, it was quite ready to wave another 

 suck. 



March 27th. — We rode on to Mendoza. The country was 

 beautifully cultivated, and resembled Chile. This neighbour- 

 hood is celebrated for its fruit; and certainly nothing could 

 appear more flourishing than the vineyards and the orchards 

 of figs, peaches, and olives. We bought water-melons nearly 

 twice as large as a man's head, most deliciously cool and 

 well-flavoured, for a halfpenny apiece; and for the value of 

 threepence, half a wheelbarrowful of peaches. The culti- 

 vated and enclosed part of this province is very small; there 

 is little more than that which we passed through between 

 Luxan and the capital. The land, as in Chile, owes its fer- 

 tility entirely to artificial irrigation ; and it is really wonder- 

 ful to observe how extraordinarily productive a barren 

 traversia is thus rendered. 



We stayed the ensuing day in Mendoza. The prosperity 

 of the place has much declined of late years. The inhabit- 

 ants say " it is good to live in, but very bad to grow rich in." 

 The lower orders have the lounging, reckless manners of the 

 Gauchos of the Pampas; and their dress, riding-gear, and 

 habits of life, are nearly the same. To my mind the town 

 had a stupid, forlorn aspect. Neither the boasted alameda, 

 nor the scenery, is at all comparable with that of Santiago; 

 but to those who, coming from Buenos Ayres, have just 

 crossed the unvaried Pampas, the gardens and orchards must 

 appear delightful. Sir F. Head, speaking of the inhabitants, 

 says, " They eat their dinners, and it is so very hot, they go 

 to sleep — and could they do better ? " I quite agree with 

 Sir F. Head: the happy doom of the Mendozinos is to eat, 

 sleep and be idle. 



March 29th. — We set out on our return to Chile, by the 

 Uspallata pass situated north of Mendoza. We had to cross 

 a long and most sterile traversia of fifteen leagues. The 

 soil in parts was absolutely bare, in others covered by num- 



