Chapter I: Introduction

_Cursory retrospect of South American discoveries. Their
difficulties then, how to be estimated at present. Their
interest to this age as compared with that of ancient
conquests. Cruelties of the early invaders. Retributive
visitations. Columbus and his cotemporaries. Cortez and the
conquest of Mexico. Subsequent position of the country.
Santa Anna, his antecedents and prospects. Pizarro in Peru,
and his Lieutenant, Almagro, in Chili. Condition of those
republics since and now: their past gold and present guano.
Modern commanders in those countries. Predominance of the
Irish element in the fray. The O’Learys and O’Higginses in
the Andes. San Martin and his aid-de-camp, O’Brien, and his
auxiliary, M’Cabe. The Portuguese discoverers. Magellan and
his Straits, and Peacock’s steaming to the Pacific three
hundred years afterwards. Cabral and Brazil. De Gama and
the Cape, and Camoens’ celebration of the achievement.
Enrichment of the Iberian Peninsula from these causes.
Subsequent impoverishment of mother countries and colonies.
Exceptional position of Brazil in this respect, and reason
thereof. Different results in North America, and why.
Imperfect knowledge in Europe of South America. Works thereon.
Characteristics of the several authorities: Prescott, Southey,
Koster, Gardner, Humboldt, Dr. Dundas, Woodbine Parish,
M’Cann, Edwards, Maury, and others. Want of information still
on Paraguay and the region of the Amazon. Object of this
volume to supply that void. Aim of the Author not political,
but commercial._ 8

CHAP. I.—LIVERPOOL TO LISBON.

Illustrations—The Argentina on her maiden voyage. Belem
Castle, mouth of the Tagus. Praça do Commercio, Lisbon.
Cintra, near Lisbon. Palace of Adjuda.

_The Argentina on her maiden voyage. Capacity and capability
of the river boat at sea. From the Mersey to the Tagus in four
days. Lord Carnarvon on Mafra and its marble halls. Aspect
and Attributes of the Lusitanian Capital and its Vicinage.
Portuguese Millers and the grinding process among the grain
growers. Native memorabilia of the earthquake, and Anglo
reminiscence thereof. The hic jacet of Tom Jones, and eke
of Roderick Random. Portuguese peculiarities. Personal and
political economy. Fiscal fatuities. Market-place notabilia.
Lisbon society. Clubs and Cookery. Tea and turn-out. Friars,
females, and fashions. Lusitanian fidalgos, or Portuguese
peers in parliament. Portugal the Paradise of protectionists
and poverty. Free Trade the only corrective of such
calamities. Court circulars, Conventions, and Commanders. Few
books about Portugal, and necessity for more. Hints from the
newest, including the Oliveira prize essay. Diplomatic and
consular memoranda._ 35

CHAP. II.—LISBON TO MADEIRA.

Illustration—The Laurel Tree.

_Two more days’ pleasant paddling on the ocean. Approach to
Madeira. Charming aspect of the island. Unique boats and
benevolent boatmen. Pastoral progression in bucolic barouches
extraordinary. Personal appearance of the inhabitants.
Atmospheric attractions of Madeira, and absence of all natural
annoyances. The vine-blight and its consequences, present
and prospective, on the people at home and the consumption
of their wine abroad. Funchal, and its urban and suburban et
ceteras. Romance and reality of the history of the island.
‘Once Upon a Time.’ Importance of English residents to the
place. Cost of living, and what you get for your money. Royal
and illustrious visitors. Mercantile matters, and consular
cordiality. Grave reflections in the British burial-ground._ 65

CHAP. III.—MADEIRA TO CAPE VERDS.

Illustration—Interior of Hotel, Teneriffe.

_Oceanic sailing again. Halcyon weather, and modern steaming
to the _Fortunatæ Insulæ_ of the ancients. A stare on the
saffron-coloured singing birds. Touching Teneriffe, and
Miltonic parallel to the Arch-Enemy. Approach to Porto
Grande, and what we found there, especially its extensive
accommodation for steamers. Deficiency of water the one
drawback. Something concerning Ethiopic Serenaders under
the line. Promethean promontory extraordinary. A memento of
mortality midway in the world. Portuguese rewards honourably
earned by an Englishman. Utility of Consuls in such places.
First acquaintance with an earthquake. Verd grapes soured by a
paternal government. Interchange of news between the Outward
and the Homeward bound. A good propelling turn towards a
brother of the screw._ 74

CHAP. IV.—CAPE ST. VINCENT TO PERNAMBUCO.

_Progress from Porto Grande to Pernambuco. Steam triumphs
against trade wind. Further superiority of screw over
sail. The Argentina in a south-wester. Apropos of malaria,
and something sanitary about Brazil. The yellow fever:
whence comes it, and what has become of it. Quarrels about
quarantine. Brazil in advance of the old country in these
matters_ 82

CHAP. V.—EMPIRE OF BRAZIL.

Illustration—Entrance to Pernambuco Harbour.

_Rather prefatory and not very particular, though somewhat
personal. Books on Brazil should be in the _Mediam Viam_ for
the present route, avoiding the Scylla of extreme succinctness
and the Charybdis of needless diffuseness. Object of the
author to attain the golden medium. With what success, gentle
reader, say? Discovery of the country by the Portuguese.
Their subsequent disputes with, and final expulsion of, the
Dutch. Extent and population; variety of soil and produce.
Difficulty of communication between the provinces and the
capital, in consequence of the extreme distance and imperfect
means of travelling. Extraordinary instance of the round-about
nature of news circulating in Brazil some time ago. Steam
corrective of such sluggishness. A glance at the Brazilian
littoral, beginning with the Amazon, and ending with Rio
Grande do Sul. Pará and its productions. Rio Negro, and its
recent political elevation. Maranham and its mercantile
importance. Laird’s steam leveller, on the singular stream of
the Itapecuru. Justice for England by Maranham magistrates.
Piauhy and its products; also Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte, and
Paraiba. Pernambuco revisited by the writer, and welcomed with
a rythmetical sentimental something concerning ‘Long, long ago!’_ 88

CHAP. VI.—PERNAMBUCO.

Illustrations—Pernambuco. Chora Meninas. De Mornay’s Patent
Cane Mill.

_‘That strain again!’ ‘It hath a dying fall.’ ‘Auld Lang
Syne, or ’tis thirty years ago.’ Aspect of Pernambuco from
the sea. Tripartite division of the city, Recife, St.
Antonio, and Boa Vista. Note on the old town of Olinda and
its new namesake, the steamer No. 2 of this A 1 line. March
of improvement by land and sea, in respect to ships and
city. Such Brazilian progress a lesson for West Indians.
Frugality and personal activity on the one hand, prodigality
and vicarial mismanagement on the other, being the real
difference between the position of the planters in either
place. Sugar-manufacturing improvements. De Mornay’s patent
cane-crushing mill, and its merits. Exports of Pernambuco
to United States. Peculiarities of the soil, population,
and produce. Hygienic hints to the consumptive and the
yellow-feverish. Initiation of the railway era, by the De
Mornays, in Pernambuco, and the immense importance of the
proposed line. Mr. Borthwick’s report on the project, and the
writer’s anticipation of its success._ 100

CHAP. VII.—ALAGOAS AND SEREGIPE.

_Area, products, and population of Alagoas. Maceio, the
principal seaport. Rivers navigable only by boats, except
the San Francisco. Primitive condition of the province
of Seregipe, and prospects of rapid improvement through
railways._ 117

CHAP. VIII.—BAHIA.

Illustrations—Entrance to the port of Bahia. Chapel of San
Gonçalo, Bahia.

_Bahia, its old name retained in a new place: the province
and the city; present condition and splendid prospects of
both. Intra-mural peculiarities and extra-mural properties.
Prolific sugar produce. Historic, artistic, and archæological
attractions of Bahia. Souvenirs of the Jesuits. Relics of St.
Ignatius Loyola and St. Francis Xavier. A Bahian church built
in Europe. British Bahian clergyman and local railways. Health
of the city. A Brazilian poet warbling native wood-notes very
wild. Necessity for keeping a nautical eye in fine frenzy
rolling towards the Abrolhos. Departure from Bahia, and
approach to the Brazilian capital. Notes._ 120

CHAP IX.—RIO JANEIRO.

Illustrations—Entrance to the Harbour. Organ Mountains and
Sugar-loaf Rock. Aqueduct and Convent of St. Teresa. Convent
of Nossa Senora da Penha. Falls of Itamarity.

_Night, upon the waters, and daybreak on the land. Beauty
of the approaches. Apprehended retrogression, but real
progression, in the city. The stag mania in the tropics,
and some of its consequences. Notes on carriages, operas,
snuff-taking, polking washerwomen, blacks, whites, odds
and ends, and things in general, original and imported.
Social, sanitary, and governmental matters of divers kinds.
Composition of the Brazilian Chambers, and business therein.
State of parties. Abolition of the slave trade. Sittings of
the senate. No necessity for Mr. Brotherton in the Brazils.
Character of the present Emperor. Wreck of the Pernambucano.
Heroism of a black sailor. Rigorous regulations of the Rio
custom-house. Suggestions for the extension of Brazilian
commerce, and the prevention of smuggling. Revisal of the
Brazilian tariff. Educational progress since 1808. French
literature and fashion. Provisions in the Rio market. Monkeys
and lizards articles of food. Oranges, bananas, chirimoyas,
and granadillas. Difficulties of the labour question since
the suppression of the slave-trade. Character of the Indians.
State of feeling as regards the coloured people. Negro
emancipation ‘looming in the future.’ An experimental trip on
the Rio and Petropolis railway._ 136

MEMOIR OF ADMIRAL GRENFELL.

Illustration—Portrait of Admiral Grenfell. 185

CHAP. X.—THE AMAZON.

_Sources of the Marañon. Rapids and cataracts. Embouchures
of the Amazon. Its volume, compared with the Ganges and the
Brahmapootra. Its discovery by Pinzon. Expedition of Orellana.
Gold-seeking expedition of Pedro de Orsua. Settlement of Pará,
and discovery of the Rio Negro. The missions of the Jesuits,
and their expulsion. Discovery of the communication between
the Amazon and the Orinoco. Revolution of 1835. Pará: its
streets and public buildings. Explorations of M. Castelnau
and Lieutenant Herndon. Tributaries and settlements of the
Tocantins. Lieutenant Gibbon’s exploration of the Madera.
His interview with General Belzu. What is wanted to turn the
stream of tropical South American commerce eastward. Herndon’s
descent of the Huallaga. Tarapoto, and its future prospects.
Chasuta: its trade with Lima and Pará. Yurimaguas, and the
Cachiyacu. Steamboat communication between Nauta and Pará.
Progress of a piece of cotton from Liverpool to Sarayacu.
Estimated cost and profit of steam vessels on the Amazon.
Trade of Egas. The new province of Amazonas. Exports of Barra.
The Rio Negro and its tributaries. Communication by the
Cassiquiari between the Amazon and the Orinoco. Productions of
Amazonas. Santarem. The Tapajos, and its tributaries. Rapids
of the Parú and the Xingù. Climate and products of Pará.
Benefits to be expected from the opening of the Amazon and
European immigration._ 193

DR. DUNDAS ON BRAZIL: ITS CLIMATE AND PEOPLE.

_Salubrity of the Climate. Causes of, proofs of, objections
to. Northern, southern, and central provinces. Equability
of temperature. Heat, humidity, rain, winds, electricity,
hail, ice. Tropical heat and light. Influence on Europeans.
Acclimatization. Increase of certain diseases. Yellow fever;
its probable disappearance. Physical, social, moral, and
religious condition of the people. Prophylactic measures._ 214

CHAP. XI. MONTE VIDEO.

Illustrations—Portrait of Sir W. G. Ouseley, K.C.B. View of
Monte Video. The Lasso. The Stray Cow. Milk at a rial a glass.

_First impressions of the Uruguayan capital unfavourable. The
New Custom House. An instance of enterprise without prudence.
Commercial advantages of Monte Video. Prosperity obtained at
the expense of Buenos Ayres. Revisal of the Buenos Ayrean
tariff. Alluvial deposits of the Rio Plata. Gas from mares’
grease. Traces of a siege. Unprofitable ploughing by Oribe’s
projectiles. Condition of the Streets. The horses of La Plata,
and the Lasso. Commerce of London with Monte Video and Buenos
Ayres. Mules for the Australian gold diggings. Diminution of
the Customs. Bitter fruits of British and French intervention.
Sir William Gore Ouseley and the British Loan. The
market-place. Italian boatmen. Encouragement to foreigners.
Aspect of the environs. The latest revolution. Sketch of the
history of Monte Video._ 229

CHAP. XII.—BUENOS AYRES.

Illustrations—Going to mass. View from the terrace of the
quinta. Quinta, or country house. View of Buenos Ayres.
Sweetmeat-seller. Palermo. Negro laundresses at Buenos Ayres.
La Plaza Victoria. Apothecary’s shop. View on the river.
Going to the ball. May-day in Buenos Ayres.

_Departure from Monte Video. Streets and buildings of the
Argentine capital. The climate and the people. Prohibition of
the slave trade. Characters of the dictator and his successor,
Urquiza. Argentine Confederation. Foreign intervention and
capture of Rosas’ feet. Capitulation of General Oribe, and
fall of Rosas. Fluvial obstructions to trade and navigation.
English residents. Railway projects. South American debate.
Foreign shopkeepers and Irish servants. General Paz._ 260

MEMORANDA ON ROSAS, URQUIZA, AND THE PAMPAS.

Illustration—Portraits of Generals Rosas and Urquiza. 290

CHAP. XIII.—UP THE PARANA.

Illustrations—San Nicolas. Corrientes. Rosario. Travelling
Waggons.

_Preparations for an experimental trip up the Parana. Captain
Sullivan’s descent of the river at a terrific pace. Island
of Martin Garcia. Note on the confluents of the Rio Plata.
A Scotch experimental philosopher in Corrientes. Alluvial
deposits at the delta of the Parana. Signs of progress in the
interior. An American pioneer of civilization. The steamer
aground, and fired upon. Moonlight on the river and the woods.
Geographical note on the Parana and the Plata. Obligado and
San Nicolas. Mr. Mackinnon’s description of the scenery.
Arrival at Rosario. Multifarious applications of hides and
horns. Descent of the river, and arrival at Martin Garcia.
Corrientes and the guachos. Difficulties of the navigation,
and a word about the Uruguay._ 305

CHAP. XIV.—PARAGUAY.

Illustrations—Portrait of Sir Charles Hotham, K.C.B. View near
Assumption. View of Assumption. Portrait of General Lopez.
Church of the Recoleta.

_Sources of information. General Pacheco. Inaccuracies of Sir
Woodbine Parish. Navigability of the Parana by large vessels.
Decrees of the government of Paraguay on the treatment of
foreigners. Decrees relative to inventions and improvements.
Mr. Drabble’s commercial mission, and its results. Cultivation
of cotton. Drawbacks to its extension. Scarcity of labour.
Provisions of the treaty between Great Britain and Paraguay.
The commercial resources of that country little known in this.
Navigability of the Paraguay and the Uruguay. Obligation
of the Brazilian and Buenos Ayrean governments to remove
impediments. Population of Paraguay. Public works undertaken
by the Consular Government. Salubrity of the climate.
Fertility of the soil. Pasturage illimitable. Character of
the Paraguayans. President Lopez. Diplomatic mission of Sir
Charles Hotham. General Lopez. State of the country at the
death of Francia. First measures of the Consular Government.
Revenue of Paraguay. Administration of justice. Revision of
the tariff. Release of political prisoners at the termination
of Francia’s Reign of Terror. Anticipations of intercourse
with Europe._ 328

MEMOIR OF SIR CHARLES HOTHAM, K.C.B.

CHAP. XV.—HOMEWARD BOUND.

Illustration—The Brazileira on her homeward voyage.

_Departure from Buenos Ayres. Arrival at Monte Video. Guano
deposits of Patagonia. Bahia Blanca. Eligibility of the
district for an overland route to Chili. Chilian grant for
direct steam communication with England. Accessions to steam
navigation on the Brazilian coast. Opening of the Amazon.
Departure from Monte Video. Rough wind and heavy sea. Aspect
of Raza under various lights and shades. Hotel accommodation
of Rio Janeiro. A wet day at Bahia. Consular memoranda on
Venezuela, Bolivia, and Equador. Arrival at Pernambuco.
Meeting with the Olinda. Arrival at Porto Grande. Seven days’
steaming against the wind. Madeira in the distance. Arrival
at Belem. Miseries and absurdities of the quarantine system.
Towing the pilot astern. Passage up St. George’s Channel.
Arrival in the Mersey. Loss of the Olinda and the Argentina.
New ocean and river steamers._ 359

THE FALKLAND ISLANDS.

_Advantages presented as a convict settlement, as place of
re-fit for merchantmen, and a naval depôt. The Corporation of
the Falkland Islands’ Company. Healthiness of the climate.
The abundance of fresh water. Cost of transport less than
that to other colonies. Geographical position and extent.
Distance from the Main. The small naval force required.
Causes of insecurity at other settlements not found here.
Their detachment a provision against escape. Guard less
required here than elsewhere. The cheapness of provisions:
how supplied. Employment. The gradual supply of convicts not
requisite. How first comers may be disposed of. Smallness
of preliminary outlay, and its speedy return. Opinions of
various servants of the Crown. Two propositions. The riddance
of convicts. Relief to the mother country. Redemption of
the pledge made to convicts. Facilities for reformation.
Restoration of the penitent to society without risk to the
innocent. Agricultural school for juvenile convicts. Complete
depôt for naval re-fit near Cape Horn. Saving of port charges
and of freight. Easy performance of ships’ repairs, if
patent slip laid down. Secure coaling station for steamers.
First-rate naval station: ‘key of the Pacific’ in time of war.
Testimony of Governor Rennie and Captain Matthews of the Great
Britain._ 376

EXPLANATORY PREFACE.

Steam Requirements of Anglo South American commerce anterior
to 1850.—How supplied then.—Inadequacy of Means to the General
End, and to Lancastrian Ends in particular.—Subsequent
Supply.—Liverpool still left out.—Chartered Liberty to help
itself, and the consequences thereof.—Paddle Pioneer of
the Ocean Fleet to the Plate.—Dates and Distances in a new
Line.—What may be done by putting on the Screw for Three
Months.—Fifteen Thousand Miles of Steaming, with the Author’s
Notes thereon, and Suggestions for the same being continued by
other people.—Epilogue apologetic.

Until 1850, the Eastern coast of South America, including the extensive and flourishing empire of Brazil, and the boundless regions watered by the La Plata and its tributaries, were entirely without European steam navigation. The old process of sailing-ships, and a monthly sailing-packet from Falmouth, conveying mails, were the only medium of communication. In that year, the Royal Mail Company entered upon the service they had undertaken with government, to run a monthly steamer from Southampton to Rio Janeiro, and a branch steamer to the River Plate. The vessels placed on the station were drafted from their West India fleet; and, although not possessed of extraordinary steaming or sailing qualities, they performed the voyage with regularity, and in a space of time which reduced to one half that ordinarily occupied by the sailing-craft. The consequence was an augmentation of traffic, both of goods and passengers, such as few persons contemplated, and the line proved speedily unequal to the task of dealing with either to the extent required. Moreover, it was found that one very important feature in the case, a direct traffic with the River Plate, was quite unprovided for, and no provision whatever made by which goods and merchandize could be forwarded thither, the branch steamer from Rio Janeiro only taking passengers. But, even had mercantile necessities in this direction been supplied, there was a strong feeling that Liverpool, as the emporium of British trade with South America, ought to possess a steam-line of its own, and that goods and passengers should not be compelled to find their way to Southampton. The great manufacturing districts which have Liverpool for their seaport supply at least seven-eighths of the entire trade to South America,[1] and it seemed an anomaly that no direct steam communication should exist between them. Accordingly, in 1851, parties connected with the district, having organized a company, went before the Board of Trade for a royal charter, alleging, as a reason for such concession, the importance of our interests in the quarter named, the necessity of more frequent intercourse since steam had been established, and that once a month was not sufficient for wants so extensive and pressing. These arguments, backed, as they were, by memorials from Liverpool, Manchester, and other places, had weight with Her Majesty’s Government, and a charter of incorporation was obtained. The directors immediately proceeded to contract for the building of suitable steamers; but delay, caused by unusual pressure of work, somewhat retarded intended operations.[2]

On the 27th of August, 1853, the company’s first, or pioneer, steamer intended for the River Plate station, sailed from Liverpool, and was followed on the 24th of September by the ocean steamer, Brazileira, Captain Daniel Green, who had long commanded clipper vessels in the Brazil trade. As secretary to the company, and possessing a local knowledge of Brazil, it was thought desirable that the author should proceed in the Argentina, for the purpose of seeing that proper arrangements were made at the ports of call for their vessels, and to obtain from foreign governments the facilities and assistance requisite to carry on a steam company of this magnitude with any success. The voyage was accomplished in a little more than three months, the writer having returned to Liverpool, by the Brazileira, on the 5th of November, during which time he had gone over nearly 15,000 miles of distance (including a trip up the Parana), spent a fortnight at Rio Janeiro, and three weeks in the River Plate, besides calling at all the stations both ways, namely, outwards—Lisbon, Madeira, St. Vincent, Pernambuco, and Bahia; and, homewards—Bahia, Pernambuco, St. Vincent, and Lisbon, which latter is to be the track of the regular ocean line, subject to modifications, &c.

Thus, it will be seen, from this brief recapitulation of dates and distances, that in the space of two months a merchant can visit his Brazil establishment, and another, under three months, can look after his River Plate affairs, often saving himself much anxiety and loss of time. The manufacturer can, without great trouble, make himself practically acquainted with the markets he wishes to trade to; the botanist and naturalist can quickly be transported to the virgin ground of Paraguay, or, now that the Brazilian government have placed contract steamers on the greatest of all great rivers, may ascend the Amazon, with like certainty of reward as novel and varied, and depend on a prompt return of his newly acquired specimens. Whilst, which is equally important, the natives of those countries have an opportunity of visiting Europe, and forming, by personal contact, those relations of amity and good will which tend so much to soften prejudices, and bring about a right understanding on all points mutually advantageous. Hence the ramifications of such enterprises as steam are most interesting in their results to mankind; and, if once the tide of emigration begins to set in fairly towards that immense agricultural field watered by the rivers of South America, there is no foreseeing the extension of wealth and prosperity that must assuredly follow; for population is the sole requirement to fit these limitless and teeming regions to work out the destiny which it is impossible to doubt that Providence, in the fulness of time, has designed for that portion of the earth, where the majesty and the luxuriance of nature invite the presence of man through highways at once the mightiest and most facile in the world.

A desire to place these objects forcibly before the public is the origin of this work. Though conscious of its imperfections and short-comings, the writer would guard against the imputation of impertinence in offering it as the result merely of the experience derived from the rapid run out and home indicated in the remarks just preceding. He is no book-maker; though he ventures to hope that his book will, in some degree, fill a vacuum left by certain recent accomplished professors of that branch of the fine arts in this department of travellers’ information for the untravelled public. The several topics discussed in the ensuing pages have been the subject-matter of his earnest consideration for many years. Long resident in South America, and familiar with its commercial necessities, his attention had naturally been directed to all the mercantile points embraced in the old circle of communication with Europe; while the circumstances of his position, in connection with a new enterprise, enabled him to contemplate matters in a somewhat novel light; and he was peculiarly fortunate in deriving his knowledge of the recent interesting diplomatic and commercial incidents in the Upper Parana and the Paraguay on the spot, and from the most competent sources. Assiduously availing of these and all others of a like kind whenever they presented themselves,—which was not unfrequently—he has, wherever practicable, rendered the expression of his own remarks subordinate to the main design of bringing together whatever data should serve to make his volume useful as an exposition, at one view, of the present condition, primarily, of the East Coast and the Amazon and Platine interior, and, incidentally, of South America generally—an object embraced in no other single publication of this class. He is well aware that a complete embodiment of such a design would tax powers far higher and opportunities more varied than his. But he will be content, if, in succeeding a little, he should be the means of stimulating others to achieve a great deal more in a like direction.

Though necessarily containing little that is new, the _resumé_ of discoveries, prefixed to the opening chapter, is offered as likely to be serviceable in recalling to the elder reader some of the more salient facts he already knows, but which are necessary to be repeated: and in suggesting to the younger student of South American history,—than which it is hardly possible to name any more exciting, delightful, or instructive,—those sources that will render him easily cognizant of what has been written on the several branches of the subject up to the present date. A similar justification, it is hoped, will serve for the seeming surplusage of the remarks under the head of Lisbon, Madeira, and the Verds; though it will be found that the chapters devoted to those well-known places contain a good deal of fresh information calculated to be acceptable too all calling at the several ports.

Often observing the inconvenience experienced by South Americans coming to England, and by Englishmen proceeding to South America, from unacquaintance with the names and residences of the respective diplomatic and consular agents in both countries, the author has been at some pains to collect the necessary information on this head; and, as regards the antecedents of the English officials, has relied upon that very useful manual, the ‘Foreign Office List for 1854,’ by Mr. F. W. H. Cavendish, _Précis_ Writer to the Earl of Clarendon. The large map of South America has been expressly prepared for this volume, chiefly with a view to exhibit the river navigation affected by the late treaties, and will be found, I have every reason to believe, much the most correct that has yet been published of the whole continent; for, generally speaking, maps of South America, or of any portion of it, are ludicrously inaccurate. The map of the growingly important settlement of the Falkland Islands has likewise been adapted from the most recent surveys, and is calculated to prove of benefit to captains making the homeward Australian voyage by Cape Horn.

Claughton, Birkenhead,
March 30, 1854.