PAR 
PAR 
PARAGUA'RI, a town of Brafil, on the river of the 
Amazons: 230 miles weft of Fort RioNegro. Lat. 3.10. S, 
Ion. 65.56. W. 
PARAGUAY, [q.d. Kingly Stream.] A river of 
South America, which rifes about Ion. 58. W. between 
the 5th and 6th degrees of S. latitude. Its courfe is al- 
moft due fouth, till it joins the Plata in lat. 28. S. Ion. 
60. 36, W. 
PARAGUAY, a province of South America, in the 
viceroyalty of Buenos Ayres called the Government of 
Paraguay. Paraguay was firft difcovered by Sebaftian 
Cabot, who, coming to the river Plata in the year 1526, 
failed up the Parana in fome fmall barks, and thence en¬ 
tered that of Paraguay. He was fucceeded, in 1536, by 
Juan de Ayalas, to whom Don Pedro de Mendoza, the 
firft governor of Buenos Ayres, had given acommiflion, 
together with a body of troops, military ftores, and other 
neceffaries; and afterwards, by his orders, Juan de Sali¬ 
nas founded the city of Nueftra Senhora de la Affumption, 
the capital of the province. But the difcovery of the 
whole, and confequently the conqueft of the people who 
inhabited it, being ftill imperfeft, it was profecuted by 
Alvaro Nunez, furnamed Cabeza, de Baca, or “Cow- 
head,” whole eminent fervices, on the death of Mendo¬ 
za, procured for him the government of Buenos Ayres. 
The only fettlements, in the whole extent of this govern¬ 
ment, are the city of Affumption, Villa Rica, and fome 
other towns inhabited by converted Indians, who were 
once entirely under the adminiftration of the Jefuits. The 
province is diftinguifhed by its fertility ; and, though it 
produces none of the precious metals, it is the mod opu¬ 
lent in the new viceroyalty, on account of its various ve- 
getable productions, and the prodigious herds of horfes, 
mules, cattle, and fheep, which enliven its extenfive 
plains. The northern parts, however, of Paraguay have 
been little explored, as the fettlements of the Jefuits 
were chiefly in the fouthern fkirts, and among the adja¬ 
cent Abipons and Guaranis. 
It was in the year 1580 that the Jefuits were firft ad¬ 
mitted into thefe fertile regions, where they afterwards, 
in the reign of Philip III. founded the famous Millions, 
which in Europe have been known under the name of 
Paraguay, but in America Uruguay, from the river of 
that name on which they were fituated. Actuated by 
motives of religion and ofintereft, they were diligent and 
zealous in the lervice afligned them of converting the In¬ 
dians to the Catholic faith ; and by a gradual progrefs 
their labours were attended with very confiderable fuc- 
cefs. The Jefuit mifiionaries had previoufly ftipulated 
with the court of Spain, that, for the more effectual ac- 
eomplifliment of their purpofes in converting and 
civilizing the Indians, they fliould be independent of 
the governors of the province, and that they fhould 
annually receive from the royal treafure 60,000 piaf- 
tres for defraying the exp'enfes of cultivation; on con¬ 
dition that, as colonies were formed and the lands cul¬ 
tivated, the Indians fliould pay yearly a piaftre per head 
to the king, from the age of eighteen to fixty. The 
Jefuits, thus encouraged, embarked in the execution of 
their enterpiife with Angular refolution and ardour; 
and, notwitiiftanding the difficulties with which they 
had to contend, fucceeded in civilizing the barbarous 
Indians, introducing among them ufeful and polite 
arts, and forming them into a ftate of mutual affociation 
and amity, of profitable labour and domeftic comfort. 
Their millions extended over a country which contained 
about 200 leagues north and fouth, and about 150 eaft 
and weft; and the number of inhabitants was about 
300,000. 
The country was divided into parilhes, and each parilh 
was under the direction of two Jefuits, who officiated, 
the one as reftor, and the other as curate. The eftabliffi- 
ment was fupportedat an expenfe, which, comprehending 
the magnificent ftruCture and ornaments of the churches, 
was not very confiderable; as the Indians fupported them- 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1253. 
413 
felves by their own labour. The produCls of the ground 
and cattle belonged to the Jefuits, who provided inftru- 
ments of various trades, for glafs, knives, needles, chap¬ 
lets of beads, gunpowder, and muikets. Their annual 
revenues confilted in cotton, tallow, leather, honey, and 
more efpecially mate, or herb of Paraguay, (fee Ilex vo- 
mitoria,) monopolized by the fociety, and yielding, ac¬ 
cording to the ftatement of Dr. Robertfon in his Hiltory 
of America, ioo,oool. annually. The whole lyftem of 
adminiftration, planned and conducted by the Jefuits, 
was fo formed as to keep the Indians in perfeCf fubordi- 
nation to the rectors; whilft they were provided with 
means of inltruCfion in various departments of fcience, 
fuch as muffc, painting, fculpture, and architecture, and 
alfo of manufactures and trade; and at the fame time their 
attention was directed to the regular performance of reli¬ 
gious ceremonies and duties. See the article Jesuit, 
vol. x. p. 787, 8. and, for a more particular account of 
the management of the Jefuits in the government of this 
country, fee the Gentleman’s Magazine for Jan. 1753. 
While the fociety of jefuits were thus employed in ex¬ 
tending its millions and eftablifhing its authority, their 
defigns and labours were fuddenly terminated by the 
Spanifh court, which, in 1767, decreed their expulfion 
throughout its widely-fpread dominions. When their 
effeCls in this province were confifcated, it was expeded 
that large fums of hoarded money would have been 
found ; but thefe, in their whole amount, were very tri¬ 
fling. Their magazines indeed, were furniftied with all 
forts of merchandife, confiding of the produCls of the 
country, and of goods imported from Europe; the num¬ 
ber of their flaves was alfo very confiderable, infomuch, 
that at Cordova alone they reckoned 3500. 
PARAGUAY, or Palawan, the mod wefterly of the 
Philippine iflands, about 180 miles in length, and 21 in 
breadth : 190 miles eaft-nortb-eaft of Mindanao. Lat. 
8. 12. to xi. 31. N. Ion. 117. 21. to 119. 4.0. E. 
PARAGUR', a town of Hindooftan, in the circar of 
Gohud ; in ruins: twenty-five miles fouth of Narwa. 
PAR'AH, a town of Bengal : ten miles weft of Rogo- 
natpour. Lat. 23.30. N. Ion. 86. 39. E. 
PAR'AH, J'. A corn-meafure in the Eaft Indies. At 
Madras, the parah Ihould meafure 3750 cubic inches, and 
weigh i^-Slbs. avoirdupois of frelh fpring-water. When 
grain is fold by weight, 115lbs. are reckoned for the parah. 
PARAUBA, or Para-Iba, a town of Brafil, and ca¬ 
pital of a province or captaincy of the fame name, which 
it derives from that of a river, on the fouth bank of 
which it is fituated, about ten miles from the fea; the 
river being navigable above the town for Ihips loaded 
with 600 or 700 hoglheads of fugar. The harbour is large, 
but rather dangerous on account of the fand-banks. The 
town has many ftately houfes, decorated with marble 
pillars, befides large warehoufes and magazines for the 
accommodation of merchants; and the mouth of the 
river is defended by three forts. The Portuguefe, who 
took poffeffion of this town and territory in 1584, after 
having expelled the French, have increafed its buildings, 
planted fugar-canes, and ereCted fugar-mills. The whole 
territory is fertile in fugar-canes; and abounds in Brafil- 
wood, cattle, tobacco, cotton, See. It is fixty miles north 
of Pernambuco. Lat. 7. 15. S. Ion. 34. 3. W. 
PARAIBA DE SUL', a river of Brafil, which runs 
into the Atlantic in lat. 7. 15. S.—There is another river 
In the fouth, of the fame appellation. 
PAR'AKIN, a town of Servia: thirty-two miles 
north-north-weft of Niffa, and fixty-eight eaft-fouth-eaft 
of Belgrade. 
PARALAPUT'TY,a town of Hindooftan, in Myfore: 
ten miles from Sankeridurgam. 
PARALEP'SIS,/. [Greek.] Anomiffion; the a£l of 
paffing over. 
PARA'LIAS, f. in botany. See Euphorbia. 
PARALIPOM'ENA, f. [from the Gr. I 
pafs by.] A fupplement of things omitted and forgotten 
5 N in 
