646 
~~ 
peace; these were fixed and agreed upon 
_ by the treaty of the Pardo, in 1778. On 
this occasion, commissaries were nomi- 
nated on both: sides, to determine the 
limits of the possessions appertaining 
to the respective states, in conformity to 
the conditions that had been agreed 
upon" by the contracting parties. Don 
Felix D’Azara happened to be one of 
those selected hy the court of Madrid, 
and he was promoted on this occasion to 
the rank of leutenant-colonel of en- 
gineers, Sept. 11, 1780. 
In consequence of these arrangements, 
the subject of this memoir in 1781 em- 
barked at Lisbon, and set sail for Ame- 
rica on board a Portuguese vessel, Spain 
being at that period at war with England. 
Previously to this he had been attached 
to the marine service, and while at sea, 
‘learned that he was appointed captain 
of a frigate; for the king had thought 
proper that all the commissioners should 
appertain to the naval service. 
The Spanish engineers soon terminated 
their labours ; but as the Portuguese, by 
the strict execution of the treaty, woud 
-have been obliged to abandon the coun- 
try which they had got possession of, 
they not only endeavoured to deter the 
conclusion of their Operations, but also 
to elude the articles of agreement. 
Qn this occasion they were but too 
well .assisted, either by the indolence 
or culpable connivance of the Spanish 
governors. Thus Don Felix, at that pre- 
cise period of life. when activity and 
ambition are most prevalent, found him- 
self detained in a distant portion of the 
world, under the vain pretext of termi- 
nating an affair which seemed resolved, 
by one of the contracting , parties; to 
render interminable, ft was then he 
first conceived the notion of constructing 
a map of the interior of this immense 
country, of which the frontiers only bad 
hit herto been completed. He’took upon 
himseif all the expenses, the difficulties, 
the risks, and the perils, which sucha 
grand and hazardous enterprise neces- 
sarily subjected him to. From the vice- 
roys, to whose orders he was obliged to 
conform, he neither found nor expected 
any assistance; on the contrary, he had 
reason to fear opposition on their part, 
and was even obliged to execute some 
of his projects unknown to them. 
It may be here necessary ‘to observe, 
‘that in consequence of the impediments 
already alluded to, the geography of this 
part of the globe had always been stu- 
diously concealed. For what little was 
etrospect of French Literature—Biography. 
known, the world was indebted to the 
zeal of the French geographers, and the 
materials furnished by the Jesuits. “The 
celebrated D’Anville in 1721, had com- 
posed a chart of Paraguay, comprehend- - 
ing the government of Buenos Ayres, 
Rich hee afterwards re-touched in 1765, 
That of Bellin, published im 
and 1779. 
1756 in the History of Paraguay, by Pere 
Charlevoix, was still more correct; -for ~ 
he. had procured a variety oF authentic 
materials from the Jesuits. These, to- 
gether with Don Juan de Lacruz, were 
the precursors, of M. D’Azara, who 
spent no less than thirteen years in 
completing his scheme; and had it not 
been for ins rank and employments, to= 
gether with the zeal of the officers under 
him, it could never have been accom- 
plished, In those immense deserts, in- 
tersected by ruins, by lakes, and by 
forests, and almost entirely inhabited by 
savage and ferocious nations, it proved 
an undertaking of no common difficulty, ’ 
labour, and fatigue, to execute those de- 
dicate operations which were necessary 
to a work of this kind. 
At the commencement of his labours, 
colonel .D’Azara provided himself with 
glass toys, ribands, knives, and trink- 
ets, which he distributed in a liberal 
manner, in order to obtain the’ friend- 
ship of the. savages, The whole of his 
own baggage consisted of some linen, 
together with a little coffee and salts. 
while tobacco, and the herb.of Paraguay, 
were .provided for those who aceompa- 
nied him. These indeed, had nothing 
except what they carried about them 3 
but they always procured for themselves 
a great number of horses ; sometimes to 
the amount of twelve for each mdivi- 
dual, not for the purposes of carrying 
their baggage, for that, as has been al- 
ready hinted, 
thev were in great plenty, easily taken 
care of, and but littie capable of under- 
going fatigue. 
The travellers were also aceompanied 
by large dogs. 
them to rise an hour Mga day to pre- 
pare breakfast; after this repast, the 
servants were détadien to collect the 
horses, which were seattered in the 
neighbourhood, some of them two or 
three miles off. Having mounted, they 
set off two hours after sun-rise, an as 
there was no track, a guide, well ac- 
quainted with the country, constantly 
preceded them at the distance of three 
hundred paces ; and he was alwaysalone, 
that his mind might not be distracted by 
9 conversation. 
‘“ 
was trifling; but because 
It was custemary with - 
