There are two classes of railways in the Argentine Confederation, inaugurated by Provincial and the National Governments respectively. I will begin with the Province of Buenos Ayres, as the railroad system has there acquired the greatest development. The first line established was the Western, which has now reached the town of Chivilcoy, a distance of 100 miles from the city, and it is proposed to effect a further extension to the frontier fort of Melincue. I need not repeat here the details already given in reference to this enterprise.

Next in importance comes the Great Southern Railway, seventy-one miles in length, which was made by an English Company, under a Government guarantee of 7 per cent. on £700,000, but the capital actually raised was £750,000, the contractors taking £50,000 in unguaranteed stock on certain conditions as to their participation in dividend. The expenditure has been further increased to nearly £800,000, owing to additional disbursements for goods stations and for increased rolling stock. The line was opened throughout in Dec. 1865, and the traffic has gone on steadily augmenting with improved receipts, the result of the first year showing a net profit of nearly three per cent.; the second year a fraction over five per cent.; and the present year promises fair to reach the seven per cent. guaranteed by the Government, when it will be self-sustaining and free of all the drawbacks necessarily incidental to a condition of dependence on State aid. This enterprise has a prosperous future before it. The great question which remains to be decided has relation to an extension of the line further south, or in a south-westerly direction, so as to intercept the large amount of traffic which still comes forward by the ordinary bullock carts. One disadvantage of the Southern Railway consists in its chief station at the Plaza Constitucion being so far from the central points of the city, which are only partially reached by a tramway, but this ought to be extended, and even then it will be difficult to meet the requirements of passenger traffic. The following particulars are taken from a private letter sent home after a very pleasant trip over the line, accompanied by the Local Committee and Manager:—

My first step after arrival here was to visit all the Railway Stations, as they are generally a pretty good index of what is behind them, and I found the Great Southern far in advance of all the others as regards provision for the traffic it has to carry on. The money which has been spent in shed accommodation was only an absolute necessity, and is of that practical character which quite meets the case. The single-roofed shed into which the wool is discharged from the railway trucks on one side, and taken out from the other, is most convenient, and to look at the sheds, which are divided into compartments, and all numbered, you might fancy yourself at one of the warehouses of the London Docks, with which you are familiar. The booking offices, refreshment rooms, &c., occupy the centre of the station, with the platform in front for passengers; the warehouses occupying the two wings. There is also a goods receiving shed, with stabling for horses used on the tramway. The only thing I see in the distance is that more station room will be required. Leaving the station by a double line of rails, you soon cross the handsome bridge over the Riachuelo and arrive at Barracas station, situated near the centre of a large population, and connected with the Boca, where a large portion of the business of the port of Buenos Ayres is carried on, the place being studded with saladeros and large warehouses, where the produce of the country is deposited, a great drawback being the abominable stench arising from dead carcasses and offal strewed about, and nests of piggeries which are allowed to locate spite of all municipal regulations to the contrary. After leaving Barracas the line strikes at once into the campo, or open country, the first ten or fifteen miles being studded with quintas or farms, and establishments of one kind or other, when you reach the great plains covered with sheep, cattle, and horses, and at this time the pastures look green and healthy, though at the same time they could do with rain. The line is nearly a dead level with few curves, the stations well built and commodious, and of a very durable nature, easily added to if required; in fact, I do not see how a railway in this country could be better adapted for its work; the rails, permanent way, as well as the rolling stock, all appear to be in good order. Although the line may be said to traverse a sea of land, and does not pass close to any town of importance until it reaches Chascomus, there were many more estancias (farms) in the distance than I expected to find. We saw Mr. Glew and Mr. Donsellear (after whom two stations are called) in propria persona. The Somborambon bridge, crossing a river of that name, is a fine work, and at the Chascomus station are evident signs of considerable traffic, with machinery for hoisting the bullock carts on to the railway trucks after their wheels are taken off, and the cart with its contents (wheels included,) brought into Buenos Ayres. Chascomus itself is a large straggling town, situated close to a picturesque lake, on the banks of which Mr. Crawford (agent for Messrs. Peto and Betts during the construction of the line) built himself a large comfortable house, now converted into an hotel, at which we enjoyed a very good dinner. During the career of Rozas Chascomus was a military station, and many people from the neighbouring districts came to spend some months of the year at the town, but its glory in this way has departed, and it does not look like a very go-a-head place at present. On the whole I returned much impressed with the soundness of the undertaking and the favourable prospect before it.

The Northern Railway, originally called the San Fernando, has been very unfortunate from its birth, arising in a great measure from its being made on a strip of land adjoining the river, where it was subject to inundations in consequence of sea storms. Had it been carried over the bank, within a few hundred yards to the left, it would have been entirely out of the reach of such casualties, an instance of which occurred a few days before I left Buenos Ayres, when a portion of the earthworks was again washed away. Soon after my arrival out I made a trip over the line, accompanied by Mr. Crabtree, the new manager, Mr. Ford, locomotive superintendent and engineer, Mr. Santa Maria, consulting local director, and Mr. Horrocks, the traffic manager. The station at the Retiro is a plain, modest building, which answers the purpose well enough, though rather open and exposed. The locomotives and carriages are in limited number, but sufficient apparently for existing wants, as the large American carriages hold many passengers. A tramway from the most central point in the city, passing along the beach, carries the passengers to and from the station in a much more convenient manner than to any of the other railways, and there can be little doubt that if the line could be rendered safe from the encroachments of the river on the occasion of great storms, fortunately “few and far between,” it would be a very prosperous enterprise, as it affords accommodation for the most populous suburb of the city. It also touches a branch of the river where a large portion of the steam traffic is likely to be concentrated. I found the rails in tolerable order, and altogether more life in the concern than I had expected, considering the drawbacks, financial and otherwise, with which it has had to contend. The first station is Palermo, the old paradise of Rozas, but which is now allowed to go to ruin and decay, the beach from the Retiro to Palermo being almost entirely monopolised by what has been termed “an army of washerwomen.” The next station is Belgrano, where Mr. Matti, the great steamboat agent, has a most fantastic quinta, glittering in green and yellow colours, but of what style of architecture it would be difficult to determine; nevertheless it is a pretty place, and evidently no expense is spared to keep it in order. It is, however, too close to the railway. Directly opposite is the hotel of Mr. Watson, where I can testify to a first rate dinner being provided for those who want a little relief from the closeness and monotony of the city. After Belgrano comes San Isidro, near which are also many handsome quintas. There are two or three other stations before arriving at San Fernando, about which there is a large, scattered population. Here a new branch is being made to the Parana, by a small company of which Mr. Hopkins is the head; the intention being to build a new wharf and some warehouses there; but I question whether the enterprise will ever arrive at maturity, as the most natural point for the construction of such works is undoubtedly the mouth of the Rio Tigre, on the Lujan River, as I have previously observed. At the latter place we found some dozen steamers, chiefly of large size, lying moored alongside the banks where there is deep water. At the Tigre station is a good restaurant, kept by a Frenchman, who provided us with a comfortable breakfast, and after two or three hours spent in a boat looking about the river, and rambling over the neighbourhood, we returned to Buenos Ayres much pleased with our trip.

The Boca Railway is a small line, made to connect the city with the important districts of the Boca and Barracas. It was laid on the beach, and is not unfrequently partially washed away by the river storms. The Boca is quite a little port on the banks of the Riachuelo, where lighters discharge and load, and where small craft are also built. Amongst other establishments there is that of the Messrs. Casares, the largest lightermen in the place, which is at all times very busy and generally crowded. A branch of the railway goes on towards Barracas, where an old wooden bridge crosses the stream, rendered exceedingly filthy by the refuse of the saladeros finding its way into the water. The effluvia arising from this cause are of a very offensive nature. Attempts, however, are being made to cleanse and deepen this valuable river, but the slow pace at which improvements are carried on here will probably postpone the event to a future generation. Most of the houses about the Boca are of wood, and are built on piles to avoid danger from floods, but there are also many large stone edifices in which produce is stored. A few days before I left a river storm laid nearly the whole locality under water, destroying a portion of the railway, and of course stopping the traffic. The replacing of the rails is not, I understand, a very formidable undertaking. The whole line, which is only three or four miles in length, including the branch to Barracas, ought to have been built on piles or led through an iron viaduct, so as to be out of the reach of the floods; and under existing circumstances, not to speak of the cost of repairing the permanent way, the traffic is interrupted at the very time it would be of the greatest utility. The original plan, and that for which the concession was obtained, was to connect the Boca and Barracas with the city, running a branch to Ensenada, where it was proposed to form a new port; but this part of the scheme is still in embryo. Where the line is really of utility and would carry a large traffic is from the Custom-house to the Boca, and across the bridge higher up to Barracas, where the Government are making a large swing iron bridge to replace the old dilapidated wooden one now in use. An iron viaduct is about being laid to connect the Boca Railway with the Custom-house. If properly constructed the Boca Railway would command the whole traffic of this district, and direct communication might be established with the Northern and Southern Railways; but a large additional capital is required before this scheme can be realised. The bulk of the Boca traffic is carried on by carts, under great disadvantages and at a heavy expense; and it is a painful sight to see the poor horses struggling through the mud, or toiling under the lash up the steep, miserably paved streets which connect the beach with the warehouses and depÔts at the southern end of the city. In fact everything in the way of locomotion is carried on under great difficulties, and the detention of shipping in the outer roads is a serious matter. When the river is low, the beach is covered with carts galloping backwards and forwards, bringing cargo from the lighters or taking produce to them—the horses up to their girths in water and sometimes swimming. Many of the carts have a hollow bottom made water tight to prevent damage to the goods; and at times, when there is not water for boats to the mole, passengers have still to embark or disembark in carts, as was the case when I last visited Buenos Ayres. Both this mole and that to the Custom-house, for which the latter is exclusively used, have been built since that time; but to show the great want of accommodation which still exists to carry on the trade of the port, there are upwards of 300 custom-house depÔts in different parts of the city besides the Custom-house itself, and at the north end a large market is being converted into a depÔt; in fact the trade of the port has entirely outgrown the facilities for its reception, the whole, as at Monte Video, being in a great state of confusion.

On the subject of railways generally in the Argentine Confederation there cannot be a second opinion that it is through their instrumentality the future development of the country must be looked for; and it is to the credit of General Mitre that so much has been done during his presidency, especially the great work of the Central Argentine Railway, which more than any other measure must tend to link together the provinces of the Confederation and strengthen their union. So soon as the line is open to Cordova the communication with the western provinces will be speedy, and produce will find its way to that city as a central point, thence to be brought down to Rosario, Buenos Ayres, or Monte Video, comparatively at great saving of time and expense. At present the cost of transit absorbs a large part of the total value, the effect of which has been to discourage any notable increase of production beyond the necessities of local consumption. The railway will in addition afford a more easy mode of locomotion, and will greatly promote intercourse, while emigrants can be at once conveyed to distant places where their services are required. On every ground, therefore, the promotion and extension of railways is the first duty of President Mitre's successor, and it is to be hoped Senor Sarmiento will not be remiss in this respect. At all events, the way has been paved and a good example set. The only other railway to notice, and which I had not an opportunity of seeing, is a small one from Puerto Raiz, on the Parana, to Galaguay, a distance of about six miles, which was constructed by Mr. Coghlan for a sum of £20,000, or about £3,380 per mile. I believe it is very useful and returns a fair percentage on the outlay.