140 Geographical Collections. 
ever he landed in Paraguay. The toleration which he professed for all religions, 
did not prevent him casting sarcasms and jokes on puerile belief; so much so, 
that a captain having one day asked him for the image of a saint to place in his 
fort, he told him that balls and not saints should watch over the frontiers of the 
state. 
Notwithstanding the hatred which was felt towards the tyranny of the dictator, 
every body perceived that he made use of it for the common good, as he himself 
obtained no advantages from it. It-was quite unexampled to see a man arrived 
at supreme power live without a wife,—without the show and pomp of power,— 
and remain poor while he held in his hand all the riches of the state. Though 
he was advancing in years, he never thought of transmitting by inheritance a 
power which was not to survive him. If by acts of authority he had isolated his 
nation, was it not to reform its manners,—to habituate it to labour,—make it 
love arts,_-unburden it from all superstition, give it the virtues of order, of eco- 
nomy, and of constancy,—and to concentrate the happiness of each family around 
its own hearth ? His tyranny, however culpable it might be, did not induce the 
aspect of desolation and of misery. If he had destroyed commerce in the exte- 
rior, had he not created an army, opened new roads, rebuilt the capital, enriched 
agriculture, brought tranquillity at home and abroad, without civil or foreign 
wars, an event rare in a young state? His despotism could not then be blam- 
ed, without, at the same time, praising the generality of his actions and of his 
virtues. é 
When Francia had succeeded in introducing into the state the reform which he 
had contemplated, and when he remarked that the hatred borne towards him be- 
gan to diminish, he no longer appeared so harsh in his government. He opened 
the state prisons. He no longer listened with the same good will to denunciations. 
He even punished the denunciators. He entrusted civil and military places to 
people more worthy of filling them. His manners became more mild. His tem- 
per less fierce, and more tractable. Thus the terror by which he was surround- 
ed, disappearing by degrees, allowed that day to be first distantly seen, when 
liberty, without civil discord, was about to reign in Paraguay. He had prepared 
his people to receive the adoption of good laws ; and we can scarcely say of Fran- 
cia, whether he was worse tyrant or better citizen, 
Report of the Commission charged with the Examination of the Labours of the 
Expedition sent to Greece. 
M. Grorrroy St. HIvatreE reported, in the name of the commission 
charged with this object, respecting the operations of the scientific commission 
sent to the Morea, the members of which were specified in our last Number. 
“ The voyage was long and difficult. It was nearly the end of the month of 
March before the expedition saw the shores of Navarino. After some days 
of necessary repose, our learned travellers commenced the examination of the in- 
terior and exterior of the road of Navarino. The commission made a report to 
the Ministry, giving a description of the various kinds of shell and other fish 
which are to be found in this read and the surrounding shores. 
The expedition afterwards was divided into two parties. MM. Pector and 
Delaunay were appointed to explore the coast of Messenia, running from Modon. 
M. Despreaux, who remained ill at Navarino, was replaced by M. Panaget, a 
young surgeon, to whom Marshal Maison gave permission to join the expedition. 
M. Bory St. Vincent, accompanied by MM. Virlet, Brusle, and Baccuet, ex- 
plored the interior of the country, traversing mountains and valleys hitherto little 
frequented by strangers. All the travellers were instructed to take thrée barome- 
tric elevations each day. 
Throughout the journey our travellers found the Greeks kind, hospitable, 
