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[Illustration: Dr. Gunning's House, overlooking the Valley of Macacos]




                                 BRAZIL
                                  AND
                            THE RIVER PLATE
                                IN 1868:


                                    BY
                            WILLIAM HADFIELD,


 SHOWING THE PROGRESS OF THOSE COUNTRIES SINCE HIS FORMER VISIT IN 1853.

[Illustration]

                                LONDON:
                BATES, HENDY AND CO., 4, OLD JEWRY, E.C.
                                 1869.

                            ENT. STA. HALL.




                        DUNLOP & CO., PRINTERS,
                   King's Head Court, Shoe Lane, E.C.




                               CONTENTS.


        THE VOYAGE OUT                                        9

        THE CITY OF MONTE VIDEO                              25

        THE CITY OF RIO DE JANEIRO                           31

        THE WAR IN PARAGUAY                                  45

        THE PROVINCE OF SAN PAULO                            51

        THE SAN PAULO RAILWAY                                55

        THE CITY OF SAN PAULO                                66

        SAN PAULO TO SANTOS AND RIO DE JANEIRO               83

        TRIP TO JUIZ DE FORA.—THE DON PEDRO SEGUNDO RAILWAY  86

        RIO DE JANEIRO TO THE RIVER PLATE, SECOND TRIP       99

        CITY OF BUENOS AYRES                                103

        BUENOS AYRES TO COLONIA—ESTANZUELLA                 107

        TRIP ON THE CENTRAL ARGENTINE RAILWAY               112

        THE WESTERN RAILWAY OF BUENOS AYRES                 125

        BUENOS AYRES—SECOND NOTICE                          131

        PROGRESS OF STEAM NAVIGATION ON LA PLATA            142

        RAILWAYS IN THE RIVER PLATE                         146

        EMIGRATION TO BRAZIL                                154

        EMIGRATION TO THE RIVER PLATE                       158

        RAILWAYS IN BRAZIL                                  164

        COMMERCE OF BRAZIL AND THE RIVER PLATE              173

        THE RIVER AMAZON                                    185

        TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATIONS                          197

        RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS                              200

        THE AFFLUENTS OF LA PLATA                           203

        THE REPUBLIC OF PARAGUAY                            206

        BRAZILIAN CURRENCY                                  217

        ARGENTINE FINANCES                                  231

        THE PORT AND HARBOUR OF SANTOS                      239

        THE VOYAGE HOME                                     245

        APPENDIX OF OFFICIAL AND OTHER DOCUMENTS            253




                                ERRATA.


      Page 132.—For Club “El Temple” read “Del Parque.”

      Page 167.—Transpose in table words “Revenue” and “Working.”

      Page 169.—For “£150,000” read “£15,000.”




                                PREFACE.


This work makes no pretentions to literary merit, but, as its title
indicates, is simply a narrative descriptive of the progress of the
countries specially referred to, which, though England has long
maintained intimate commercial relations with them, are still but very
imperfectly known to the British public. In the Old World generations
follow each other without any very perceptible alteration being
observable in the characteristic surroundings, but in the New World, as
America is still termed, a few years often effect changes of the most
important and striking description. This is notably the case as respects
Brazil and the River Plate, the growth of which has been very
remarkable.

Since the year 1854, when my former work was published, a large amount
of English capital has been invested in various enterprises connected
with Brazil and the River Plate, and particularly for the construction
of railways, the formation of banks, and the promotion of steam
navigation on the great Rivers communicating with the interior. If the
results have not, in several instances, proved wholly satisfactory as
regards the distribution of dividends, the fact is in a considerable
degree, if not entirely, owing to mismanagement of some kind or other;
and I think there can be no doubt that a prosperous future yet lies
before all the companies in question. On the other hand, large gains
have been secured, showing that those regions present a profitable and
wide field for the further employment of our surplus capital.

The commercial tendencies of Brazil and the Platine States are most
liberal, and their policy is the very opposite of that pursued under the
exclusive domination of Portugal and Spain. The Empire, not long since,
received the approval of all civilised nations for its decree opening up
the waters of the noble Amazon to free commerce, and the unrestricted
navigation of the upper riverine streams will be one of the chief
advantages the victory of the allies in the present war will confer upon
mankind.

The extent of territory embraced within the limits of Brazil, and what
are commonly called the Platine States, cannot easily be realised by
those who have never travelled out of Europe; and it is equally
difficult to convey any adequate idea of their wonderful fertility and
productiveness. Nature has blessed them with her choicest gifts, and, to
take the highest rank amongst the nations, their sole want is increased
population; and this is precisely what overcrowded Europe can very well
spare. I am glad to be able to state that the respective Governments are
fully impressed with the necessity of adopting comprehensive and
effective measures with a view to attracting emigrants to their shores.

My intended movements during my visit were much interfered with by the
cholera in the Plate and the protracted duration of hostilities in
Paraguay, but I was enabled to satisfy myself of the complete
realisation in 1868 of my most sanguine predictions in 1853.




                       BRAZIL AND THE RIVER PLATE

                                   IN

                                 1868.




                            THE VOYAGE OUT.


A beaten track does not present the same novelty as a fresh one, except
in the case of countries in what is still termed the New World, and
which are again about to be described. It was in 1853 I last visited
Brazil and the River Plate, and published my observations upon them. An
interval of fifteen years has wrought many changes and produced
wonderful progress there, and if the Southern portion of the American
Continent has not kept pace with the Northern it may be chiefly ascribed
to the continued great influx of emigrant population to the latter from
all parts of Europe, but consisting chiefly of the Anglo-Saxon race.
From this cause, even the loss of at least a million of American
citizens by the great civil war has caused no perceptible diminution in
the American census, because it is constantly replenished from Europe.
The African race has, however, come to the surface in a most
unlooked-for manner, their shackles having been removed by a violent
shock, which has, for a time at least, caused great social disturbance,
and left the Southern States more or less at the mercy of the “<DW65>s,”
as the blacks are generally termed. What may be the ultimate result, or
how things will “settle down,” is yet a problem to be solved. Meantime,
slavery in Brazil remains a domestic institution, but it is doomed to
inevitable extinction. The process of emancipation will be watched with
much interest by all who desire to see the Brazilian Empire rise to the
position it is capable of attaining. The tide of emigration to Brazil,
spite of this disadvantage, has, however, fairly set in, and the subject
will be treated of in its proper place. Happily, in the River Plate
there exists no such hindrance to the development of free labour, for
which it also presents a boundless field, and it will be the study of
the writer to show how a portion, at all events, of the surplus
population of Europe can be located there, to the great advantage of
those who embrace the opening as well as of the country itself, whose
chief and most urgent want is labour. The Paraguayan war and the
terrible ravages of the cholera have been a great drawback to internal
improvement in the Argentine Republic, but it is gratifying to think
that the encouraging picture drawn by the writer on his first visit to
the Plate has been more than realised—the motto of the Platine States
should now be “_Peace and Progress_.” The “log” of an outward-bound
passenger on board an ocean steamer now possesses but little interest;
still, a record of the changes which have taken place in the means of
transit since my last voyage, made fifteen years ago, may be worthy of
notice, and will also afford information to those who contemplate a trip
to Brazil or the River Plate. Success does not always attend even the
best organised and most promising enterprises, but all experience had
even then proved that there was ample scope for the employment of
capital in promoting intercourse by means of steam with those countries
that can only be reached by crossing the ocean. The South American
Company, with which at that time I was connected, started under
unfortunate circumstances. Ships were high in price, and rates of fuel
were exorbitant by reason of the Crimean War. They lost in addition two
of their steamers in a most unlooked-for manner, which sadly deranged
their operations; but emphatically the two grave errors committed by the
company were, first, in building more ships than they could raise
capital to pay for; and, secondly, in abandoning the line after their
experience had thus been paid for, and at the very moment when the
traffic was becoming lucrative; for there can be no question that had
they continued to run their steamers, instead of being seduced by the
tempting terms of charter offered by Government, they would now have
been in existence as a powerful company, paying good dividends. This was
not to be however, and on the abandonment of the line, the Royal Mail
Company was left without a competitor, and so enabled to realise large
profits. Had this latter company read rightly the signs of the times, or
met the requirements of _commerce_ by despatching a steamer once a month
from Liverpool, alternately with their regular mail from Southampton,
they would not only have made more money, but to a considerable extent
rendered themselves independent of Government subsidies. Their monopoly
was exercised injuriously for the interests of the countries they were
trading to, of which the French Emperor had the sagacity to take
advantage, by subsidizing a company from Bordeaux, which has continued a
most successful career, for it cannot be disputed that French steam
navigation and the development of French commerce are almost entirely
due to his Imperial Majesty's remarkable prescience. As a natural
consequence of increased facilities the passenger traffic with Brazil
and the River Plate has wonderfully increased, and at times both lines
are inconveniently crowded, the French one being for some reason
preferred by South Americans and foreigners. Subsequently some
unsuccessful attempts were made to establish other steam lines to
Brazil. What was termed the Brokers' line was started from Liverpool to
the River Plate, but it was not until Messrs. Lamport and Holt took the
business in hand that private steam navigation was established on a firm
basis from that port, and the fine fleet of the astronomical line now
supersedes to a considerable extent the use of sailing ships. They have
also entered into a contract with the British Government to despatch a
mail steamer on the 20th of every month, the first (the Hipparchus)
having left Liverpool on the 20th August last. Last on the list comes
what is now generally known as “Tait's” line, on board one of the
steamers of which, the City of Limerick, I am now embarked. They are
fine steamers, with superior accommodation for first-class passengers at
very moderate rates. A line from London, calling at Falmouth, has long
been a favourite project, which Messrs. Tait have at length carried into
effect with every prospect of success. They have wisely appreciated the
growing requirements of population in Brazil and the River Plate, and
are preparing to convey a number of third-class passengers by their
steamers at a cheap rate. By confining their operations to Rio de
Janeiro and the River Plate they are enabled to land goods and
passengers at Monte Video and Buenos Ayres under 30 days. The importance
of this line has been greatly enhanced by the contract entered into with
the Belgian Government, under which the steamers are to call at Antwerp
on their way out and home, the latter after landing passengers at
Falmouth.[1]

This brief reference to the progress of steam navigation to Brazil and
the River Plate will show the growth of passenger traffic during the
last few years, and sufficiently indicate the great increase of commerce
with these countries, not only as regards Great Britain, but also as
respects continental ports, which will be more clearly illustrated in
later portions of this volume; meantime, as an index to passenger
traffic, it is my intention to obtain statistics from the different
companies, and to present them in a table which will speak for itself. I
may further remark that a steam company has been formed to run from
Marseilles to the River Plate, and another between the United States and
Brazil, the latter with a subsidy from these two Governments, which
cannot fail to be mutually advantageous, and to promote the great object
of emigration. Altogether a very large amount of capital is employed in
linking this portion of the old world and the new by means of steam
navigation. That it will further increase no one can doubt, particularly
should the tide of emigration from Europe set in freely towards those
countries, as I firmly believe will soon be the case.

And now we are moving along towards St