niO DE LA PLATA, 
I ' like those already descnben, naes amonsc 
^''iw.P^Hdous mountains on the' western side of South 
I ^^’ring its course, which is said to exceed eight 
®«g«es, it receives upwards of fifty rivers, and 
> CKtp .^charges itself into the Atlantic ocean by a 
V^Ste?'® "^oitth, its northern coast being in thirty- 
®"d its southern in thirty-six degrees, twenty 
®°uth latitude. It was discovered, in 1515, 
h] 
sent to 
t * Solis, a very skilful Spanish navigator. 
Spice Islands, lying to 
open a communication with the 
the west. Having 
icg which he called llio Janiero, and which 
A name to the Brazilian capital, he pro- 
to a spacious bay, which he supposed to be 
Si? ^ strait communicating with the Indian 
‘1 j^’hoi]t|,®'^„''’^ttcing further, however. 
he found it to 
's > ‘‘lomi 
V this river ; and, being anxious to prosecute 
'^as cut olf, with several of his crew, by 
Si ‘'B 'u tous disheartened, tire survivors I'e- 
|i ™re without having made any further attempt 
torriti 
V?'n 
ory. 
l.'ttr"'' ly,’ ” Modenese jesuit, who landed at Buenos- 
■! iiiSy of expresses his astonishment at viewing this 
s 'liar’Se “ When,” he observ'es, “ I resided 
,6£^'te*^tn “ books of history or geography 
' y thin ?htli of tire Rio de la Plata was a hundred and 
s “Ues in . 
' W in .“’^''■'tdth, I considdred it as an exaggeration, 
\>liu'''ast f- Itemisphere we have not any example of 
' vT**^*' When I approached its mouth, I had 
de.sire to ascertain tlie truth with my 
'■ tir,,^ t'enj. I have found the matter to be exactly as 
. J^'ttod. This I deduce particularly from one 
we took our departure from 
tn°’ ^ ^‘toated more than a hundred miles 
V ot the river, and whore its breadth is 
we sailed an entire day before 
"'lien yl’® land on the opposite bank of the river ; 
"«Were ■ 
the middle 
a 
of the charnel, we 
