  Liverpool is the very centre and focus of our foreign trade. There almost every man you meet is either engaged in commerce, or is in the service of those so engaged. Liverpool, like the seat of the Pope of Rome—but in a widely different sense—has its agents and its commercial missionaries in every climate and in every latitude, and there is not one among them who is not as intent and energetic in his work as those ‘soldiers of the faith,’ whom Rome sent out on the South American missions in the two centuries from 1535 to 1735. The fiery enthusiasm of Don Pedro de Mendoza himself, who offered Charles V. to complete the conquest of Paraguay and the Rio de la Plata at his own expense, is equalled by some of those indomitable agents of the counting-house, who are as zealous for commercial conquests as the Andalusian Hidalgo was for the aggrandisement of his Sovereign and master. We doubt that even Father Charlevoix himself, so often cited and praised by his brother Breton, Chateaubriand, and who has given us six volumes of a charming history of Paraguay—which he explored in person—exhibited more zeal for the interests of his order in the countries watered by the Rio de la Plata, the Rio Salado, the Rio Negro, the Catapuliche, and the Rio de la Encarnacion, than do those Liverpool junior partners, clerks, and supercargoes, who are charged with the interests of considerable commercial houses in such distant latitudes.… Through the rivers opened to us by the efforts of Lord Malmesbury, one-fourth, at least, of the produce of South America, must be brought to the market of the world, and of this commerce Liverpool will certainly have the largest, and Bristol, Glasgow, and London, a considerable share. He turned; but what strange thoughts perplexed his soul, When, lo! no more attracted to the Pole, The Compass, faithless to the circling Vane, Fluttered and fixed, fluttered and fixed again! At length, as by some unseen Hand imprest, It sought, with trembling energy, the West! ‘Ah, no!’ he cried, and calmed his anxious brow; ‘Ill, nor the signs of ill, ’tis Thine to show; Thine but to lead me where I wished to go!’ Rogers’ Columbus. MEXICO.—After the usual experience of viceregal misrule, common to all the Spanish transmarine dependencies, this noble province threw off the yoke and asserted its independence in 1820, and virtually achieved it about a year afterwards, principally through Iturbide, a Spanish soldier of great valour and military skill, and who might probably have done for the land of his adoption what Washington had effected for the United States. Unlike that great character, however, he abused for his own selfishness the power he acquired; and, not content with being head of the state as regent on behalf of the people, he perfidiously caused himself to be proclaimed emperor, in 1822, and imperial revenues and honours to be decreed to himself and to his family. These measures, with many others of a like kind, produced such general defection, that he assembled the dispersed members of Congress in the capital, in 1823, and abdicated, agreeing to reside for the remainder of his life in Italy, on which condition a large allowance was made him. But, faithless to his word in this instance, as before, he returned from Leghorn, through England, attempted a revolution, miserably failed in raising any followers, and was ignominiously shot, at Padilla, in Santander, by La Garza, commander of that province, pursuant to instructions from the provincial legislature, in 1824. Vittoria, one of the ablest lieutenants of Iturbide in the war of independence, had been proclaimed president the year before; and the year after (’25) a treaty of commerce was ratified with Great Britain. Such proceedings, with the recognition that was soon to follow of the independence of the revolted country, had formed a topic of urgent interest at the Congress of Verona, in 1822, when, seeing what was looming in the future of South America, the Duke of Wellington, plenipotentiary from England, instructed by Mr. Canning, in continuation of the policy of Lord Castlereagh, to whom the Duke had just succeeded, presented a note, stating, that ‘The connection subsisting between the subjects of his Britannic Majesty and the other parts of the globe has for long rendered it necessary for him to recognise the existence, de facto, of governments formed in different places, so far as was necessary to conclude treaties with them. The relaxation of the authority of Spain in her colonies of South America has given rise to a host of pirates and adventurers,—an insupportable evil, which it is impossible for England to extirpate without the aid of the local authorities occupying the adjacent coasts and harbours; and the necessity of this coÖperation cannot but lead to the recognition, de facto, of a number of governments of their own creation.’ Austria, Russia, Prussia, and France (represented by M. de Chateaubriand), diplomatically ignored this overture to humiliate their royal brother of Spain by admitting that which they were soon afterwards compelled, for their own sakes, to acquiesce in. All the efforts of the successor of Ferdinand and Isabella ignominiously failed to win back or retain any portion of the glorious inheritance of the throne of the Indies. A vast expedition, sent against Mexico, surrendered to the now successful revolutionists in 1829, a few months after the expulsion of the Spaniards had been decreed. Unfortunately, however, democratic anarchy soon supervened upon monarchic despotism; for hardly was the old tyranny got rid of, than Guerrero, the president, was deposed; and Mexico has since been but another word for whatever is most unwise in foreign policy or most pernicious in domestic administration. In 1838 war was declared against France, and of course, ended in disaster to Mexico, after five months’ duration, the most memorable incidents being the capture of the strong fortress of St. Jean d’Ulloa, by Prince Joinville, who greatly distinguished himself; and the brave defence of Vera Cruz, by Santa Anna, who there lost a leg. This soldier of fortune, something of the stamp of Rosas, having been repeatedly elected to supreme power, deposed, exiled, imprisoned, and restored, is once more president, with what prospect of continuance it is impossible to tell. Neither misfortune, nor experience of the impolicy of excessive severity, seems to have mitigated the innate ferocity of the man’s character. With a defiance of opinion more in consonance with the era of the Borgias than of constitutional government, or even of a civilized government in the middle of the 19th century, only as late as November last the Dictator caused death to be inflicted, by shooting, without the pretext of a trial, and as though they were the veriest wild beasts, on Senhor Tornel, formerly President Arista’s Minister of War, and Senhor de la Rosa, who was minister for foreign affairs immediately after the capitulation of the city of Mexico, and was the immediate instigator of Santa Anna’s expulsion from the country on that occasion, being also the writer of the letter officially informing him of his disgrace. Their offence was, simply, being obnoxious to the dictator—nothing more. Like Rosas, however, he has evinced more consideration for the foreign creditor than might have been expected; and about the period of the barbarity just named, devoted a considerable sum in liquidation of the more pressing of these demands, his ability to do so arising, it was said, (though the authority is as apocryphal as the circumstance itself) from a donation by the pope, as an equivalent for the restoration of the order of the Jesuits in Mexico. Others say that his funds have accrued from a sale to the United States of territory adjoining the present Californian possessions of the Union; and that, with the proceeds, he means to repeat Iturbide’s experiment in imperial power and title. Be this as it may, the area of Santa Anna’s sway, is much less now than it was formerly; for, owing to a succession of decisive repulses sustained from the United States, with which war was declared in 1846, and carried on till the beginning of 1848, Mexico has lost California; Texas having been annexed to the States in 1846; Yucatan, &c., having also seceded; and now, of the once prodigious territory of the Montezumas, and known in Spanish colonial history as the vice-royalty of Mexico, there remains, according to the treaty of 1848, but the comparatively narrow strip of land between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific. This, though only a fragment of what it once belonged to, is still most rich in minerals, and most fruitful in valuable products, and highly important from its position; but nearly all its natural advantages are destroyed by the insecurity and deficiencies of its political institutions, and the incapacity and selfishness of those administering them among a very numerous population, equal, at least, to that of Scotland, after all the curtailments we have spoken of. It is needless to acquaint any reader of the public journals, to whom the words ‘Mexican Bondholders’ must be a ‘horrid, hideous sound of woe, sadder than owl-songs on the midnight blast,’ that the finances of the state are in a condition the reverse of consolatory to creditors. For the precise nature of those obligations, in whose fulfilment England is so much interested, we must refer to the very numerous pamphlets published by the various committees appointed in London to advise upon this intricate and unsatisfactory subject. That there is every desire on Santa Anna’s part to meet English liabilities, there can be no doubt; one motive for his anxiety being, it is said, the achievement of a stock-jobbing coup on his own account, or, rather, on account of the adventurers he is surrounded by. If internal peace could only be secured, the vast resources of the country, and its unparagoned geographical position, midway, as it were, in the very path of the commerce of both hemispheres, would soon permit of its financial difficulties being adjusted. The question is, whether Santa Anna, in putting down anarchy—if he can keep it down—will not commit excesses as bad as the revolutionists in an opposite direction? The latter is the tendency of his acts at the present; but it is impossible to predicate of such a country what may or may not turn up from one hour to another. The representative of Mexico, hitherto charged, until lately, with the difficult task of negociating in this country with the English creditors, has been Colonel Facio. The Mexican diplomatic staff in London consists of Senhor de Castillo y Lanzas, 10, Park-place, Regent’s-park, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary; Don Augustin A. Franco, first secretary; Don JosÉ Hidalgo, 2nd secretary; Don Ignacio Luijano, attachÉ; Don B. G. Farias, 32, Great Winchester-street, vice-consul. Though Consuls were sent, for commercial purposes, to nearly all the important ports of the new South American states, as early as October, 1823, it was not for several years afterwards that political or diplomatic representatives were despatched. The first was Mr. Alexander Cockburn, as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Columbia, February, 1820; second, Sir R. Ker Porter, chargÉ d’affaires to Venezuela, July, 1835; third, Mr. Turner, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to New Granada, June, 1837; and fourth, Mr. W. Wilson, chargÉ d’affaires to Bolivia, 1837. These states will be severally noticed as they occur in the text. It was in March, 1835, that Sir Richard Pakenham, now British Minister in Portugal [see Lisbon] was accredited as plenipotentiary to Mexico. At present the same post is filled by Mr. Percy William Doyle (many years chargÉ d’affaires there) whose salary is £3,600, with £400 a-year house rent; secretary of legation, William Edward Thornton, salary, £600; paid attachÉ, Mr. A. H. Hastings Berkeley, salary, £200; and an unpaid attachÉ. The annexed list exhibits the names and salaries of the British consular corps in Mexico:—Mexico, F. Glennie, consul, £400; Vera Cruz, F. Giffard, consul, £500; Tampico, consul, Cleland Cumberlege, £500; San Bias, Eustace W. Barron, consul, £300; Mazatlan, S. Thomson, vice-consul, £150; Acapulco, Charles Wilthew, consul, £400. Apart from the monetary, the diplomatic credit of Peru has always been respectably sustained at the Court of St. James’s. The corps at present consists of Don Manuel de Mendiburu, minister plenipotentiary; Don Francisco de Rivero, consul-general, 78, Grosvenor-street, Grosvenor-square; Don Emilio Altheus, D. M. Espantosa, and Major D. S. Osma, attachÉs. Consul’s-office, 6, Copthall-court. Consuls—J. E. Naylor, Liverpool; R. J. Todd, Cardiff; John G. Dodd, Newcastle-upon-Tyne; Edward Wright, Dublin. England is represented in Peru by Mr. S. H. Sullivan, chargÉ d’affaires at Lima; salary as such £1,700 a-year, besides the usual £1 per diem allowed to all functionaries of that class discharging consular duties. Until last year (1853) the diplomatic salary was £2,000. At Callao, the port of Lima, the salary of the consul (Mr. J. Barton) has also been reduced from £500 to £200, but the fees of office still make the post very lucrative. At Islay, the vice-consul, Mr. T. Crompton, receives £500; and at Arica and Payta, Mr. G. H. Nugent and Mr. Alexander Blacker, vice-consuls, £300 and £100 respectively. From what we have said already, both of Mexico and also of Peru, it will naturally be inferred that Chili has suffered greatly from internal disorders; but, unlike those countries, she has contrived to avoid a very onerous national debt; and consequently her credit abroad is comparatively very good; indeed, better probably than that of any South American state, save Brazil, whose securities rank next to those of Great Britain itself. The recent gold discoveries in California and Australia have immensely increased her export trade, and will continue to do so for an indefinite period; while a large source of domestic revenue has been opened up by the possession of guano islands (of which more hereafter), second only in extent, and scarcely second in richness, to those treasures of a like kind whereof we have spoken under the head of Peru, the example of which country is followed as to the maintenance of the price of the article at an exorbitant rate. The Chilian diplomatic and consular corps in England consists of Spencer N. Dickson, consul, 8, Great Winchester-street, London; W. W. Alexander, consul, Bristol, Cardiff, and Newport; William Jackson, consul, Liverpool; Thomas W. Fox, jun., consul, Plymouth; James H. Wolff, consul, Southampton; John W. Leach, consul, Swansea. The British diplomatic and consular corps in Chili consists of the Hon. E. J. Harris, chargÉ d’affaires at the capital, St. Jago, salary £1,600, and the usual consular allowance of £1 per diem; consul at Valparaiso, Mr. Henry Rouse, salary £300, reduced from £700; consul at Coquimbo, Mr. David Ross, salary £300; and vice-consul at Conception, Mr. Robert Cunningham, salary £250—all exclusive of fees. Vertere fas; Æquare nefas; Æquabilis uni Est sibi; par nemo; nemo secundus erit. Few modern poems in any language, have been so frequently translated as the ‘Lusiad.’ Mr. Adamson, whose ‘Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Camoens’ must be familiar to the reader, notices one Hebrew translation of it, five Latin, six Spanish, four Italian, three French, four German, and two English. Of the two English versions one is that of Sir R. Fanshawe, written during Cromwell’s usurpation, and distinguished for its fidelity to the original; the other is that of Mickle, who, unlike the former, took great liberties with the original, but whose additions and alterations have met with great approbation from all critics—except, as indeed was to be expected, from the Portuguese themselves.—Dr. Cauvin.—In the course of the present year (1854) another English version, from the pen of Sir Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor-General of New South Wales, and formerly on the staff in the Peninsula, has been issued by Messrs. Boone, of Bond-street, in one volume, with an engraving, said to be an excellent likeness, of the poet. ‘Eu sou aquelle occulto, e grande Cabo, A quem chamais vos outros Tormentario; Que nunca a Ptolemeo, Pomponio, Estrabo, Plinio, e quantos passaram, foi notorio: Aqui toda a Africana Costa acabo Neste meu nunca visto promentorio, Que para o polo Antartico se estende, A quem vossa ousadia tanto offende.’ Camoens, canto 5, verse 50. ‘In me the spirit of the Cape behold, That Rock by you the Cape of Torments named, By Neptune’s rage in horrid Earthquake framed, Where Jove’s red bolts o’er Titan’s offspring flamed. With wide-stretch’d piles I guard the pathless strand, And Afric’s southern mound unmoved I stand; Nor Roman prow, nor daring Tyrian oar, Ere dashed the white wave foaming to my shore; Nor Greece, nor Carthage, ever spread the sail On these my seas to catch the trading gale. You, you alone, have dared to plough my main, And with the human voice disturb my lonesome reign.’ Mickle’s Translation of this verse, the ‘Lusiad,’ p. 205. This proved to be impracticable, notwithstanding the extraordinary exertions that had been made, owing to the vexatious annoyances of the port authorities at Rio de Janeiro, who exacted such stringent regulations and created such difficulties, that the steamers were delayed fourteen days, where 48 hours would have sufficed. The fine harbour of Port Stanley, at the Falkland Islands, was not then known to possess the facilities it now does for such repairs, nor were there at the time the necessary means of effecting them; otherwise Captain Peacock, who has the highest opinion of that harbour, and has urged it as a port of call and for coaling on the captains of all sailing or steam-vessels coming home from Australia by Cape Horn, would have at once resorted to it, and so saved the almost ruinous delay and vast expense occasioned him at Rio. The consequence of this detention was, that the vessels did not arrive at Port Famine, the southern-most harbour claimed by the republic of Chili, until the 13th of September, whilst the privileges, already alluded to, expired on the first of that month. By the 18th of September both ships were completed with wood and water, every man, from the captain downwards, assisting in sawing and splitting up drift-wood, found in abundance along the shores of the harbour, an American axe having been provided for each person on board, together with cross-cut saws and iron wedges, for such object, before leaving England. This day, being the ‘diesiocho,’ or great anniversary of the Chilian Independence, Captain Peacock caused a beacon, 30 feet high, with a large diamond-shaped head, to be erected on the heights of Santa Anna, the western point of the entrance; and, hoisting the Chilian flag upon it at noon, saluted the same from the guns of both ships, accompanied by three hearty British cheers; and having buried a parchment manuscript at the foot of the beacon, in a sealed jar, descriptive of this event and the particulars of the voyage, &c., together with a few new coins of the year 1840, the steamers proceeded into the Pacific, accomplishing the passage from ocean to ocean, a distance of 300 miles, in 30 hours’ steaming. Four years subsequently, the Chilian government sent a vessel of war, and took formal possession of this harbour, for a convict establishment, naming it Port Bulnes, after the President at that time in power, when a fort was built round the before mentioned beacon, the jar was dug up, and the manuscript, &c., taken to St. Jago, the capital, and there lodged in the government archives. Upon the arrival of the steamers at Valparaiso, by a representation to the government, the privileges of the company were immediately renewed for a period of ten years; and probably nothing has contributed so much to the advancement, welfare, and prosperity of the Chilian and Peruvian republics, as the successful establishment of steam navigation upon this coast, where the names of Don Guilliermo Wheelwright and Don Jorje Peacock, will perhaps never be forgotten, as they certainly ought not to be. The Chilian government, in the course of last year, (1853) renewed its relations with the Pacific Company for continuing steam communication with England, through the Straits, and also for extending steam intercourse to other parts of Europe, in connection with the vessels now rounding the Horn, granting liberal subsidies for that purpose. See end of chapter on Amazon. The horrid crags, by toppling convent crown’d, The cork-trees hoar that clothe the shaggy steep, The mountain-moss by scorching skies embrown’d, The sunken glen, whose sunless shrubs must weep, The tender azure of the unruffled deep, The orange tints that gild the greenest bough, The torrents that from cliff to valley leap, The vine on high, the willow branch below, Mix’d in one mighty scene, with varied beauty glow. Then slowly climb the many-winding way, And frequent turn to linger as you go, From loftier rocks new loveliness survey, And rest ye at ‘Our Lady’s house of woe;’ Where frugal monks their little relics show, And sundry legends to the stranger tell: Here impious men have punish’d been, and lo! Deep in yon cave Honorius long did dwell, In hope to merit Heaven by making earth a hell. On sloping mounds, or in the vale beneath, Are domes where whilome kings did make repair; But now the wild flowers round them only breathe; Yet ruin’d splendour still is lingering there, And yonder towers the Prince’s palace fair: There thou, too, Vathek! England’s wealthiest son, Once form’d thy Paradise, as not aware When wanton Wealth her mightiest deeds hath done, Meek Peace voluptuous lures was ever wont to shun. Beckford, as is well known, soon after his return to England, built the fairy-like structure of Fonthill Abbey, gorgeous as his own Caliph Vathek, and, like it, as unsubstantial; for, on its being sold to Mr. Farquharson for some £40,000, about one-seventh of what it cost, [the catalogues describing its contents were in prodigious demand at a guinea a piece] it fell to the ground. He died in 1844, aged 84; and was father to the late Duchess of Hamilton, and father-in-law to the present Duke of Hamilton and Duchess of Newcastle. Lo! Cintra’s glorious Eden intervenes In variegated maze of mount and glen. Ah, me! what hand can pencil guide, or pen, To follow half on which the eye dilates, Though views more dazzling unto mortal ken Than those whereof such things the bard relates, Who to the awe-struck world unlock’d Elysium’s gates? Sir Wm. Napier’s correction, in his History of the Peninsular War, of the blunder about the supposed site of the convention, is well known, but deserves to be repeated:— “The armistice, the negotiations, the convention itself, and the execution of its provisions, were all commenced, conducted, and concluded, at the distance of thirty miles from Cintra, with which place they had not the slightest connection, political, military, or local; yet Lord Byron has gravely asserted, in prose and verse, that the convention was signed at the Marquis of Marialva’s house at Cintra; and the author of ‘The Diary of an Invalid,’ improving from a poet’s discovery, detected the stains of the ink spilt by Junot upon the occasion.” As when to them who sail Beyond the Cape of Hope, and now are past Mozambic, off at sea, north-east winds blow Sabean odours from the spicy shore Of Araby the blest.—Paradise Lost, Book iv. The voyage from Portugal to India was, in those days, more perilous than will easily be believed in these. The seas swarmed with pirates, shipwrecks were dreadfully frequent, and even when these dangers were escaped, the common mortality was so great, that Vieyra says—‘If the dead, who had been thrown overboard between the coast of Guinea and the Cape of Good Hope, and between that cape and Mozambique, could have monuments placed for them each on the spot where he sunk, the whole way would appear like one continued cemetery.’ Hyperbolical as this is, it shows how enormous the expenditure of life must have been, which could thus be spoken of in the pulpit! The ship in which Camoens sailed was the only one of the fleet which reached its destination. Our political relationship with Portugal, from the personal family alliances between the two countries, and from other causes, has of late years been kept up at great expense; and, according to some critics, with very little good to any but the individuals at whose instance and on whose behalf British interference has taken place, the Portuguese population being understood to be as little pleased with its effects as English taxpayers are enamoured of its expense. Ostensibly our diplomatic and consular corps now in Portugal consists of the following members, and at the salaries annexed to their names:—Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, Rt. Hon. Sir Richard Pakenham, K.C.B., salary £4000 per ann.; and house-rent £500; secretary of legation, W. R. Ward, salary £500; paid attachÉ, Jos. Hume Burnley, £250; unpaid attachÉs, Hon. W. G. Cornwallis Elliot, and Hon. Francis Pakenham. Consuls:—Lisbon, William Smith, £600; vice-consul, Jeremiah Meagher, £300; Oporto, Edwin Johnston, £500; Loanda, Geo. Brand, vice-consul, £50; St. Michael (Azores) T. C. Hunt, consul, £400; Fayal, J. Minchin, vice-consul, £100; Terciera, J. Read, vice-consul, £100. Of the officers at Madeira and Cape Verds, (Portuguese possessions) due mention will be made under those heads. The Portuguese diplomatic and consular staff in England consists of:—Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, Count de Lavradrio, 12, Gloucester Place, Portman Square; secretary of legation, Chevalier Pinto de Soveral; attachÉs, E. F. de la Figaniere, J. C. Stone, and Geo. Manders; consul-general, F. J. Vanzeller, 5, Jeffrey Square, St. Mary Axe; consuls: Liverpool, Almeida Campos; Bristol, Ant. B. de Mascarenhas; Cork, Geo. Manders. ‘The town of Rio Janeiro (its proper name is St. Sebastiano) is the largest and best in South America, and the population about equals that of Liverpool. It is laid out in regular squares: the streets are narrow, which, at first sight, seems objectionable to an Englishman, but he soon finds that it affords protection from the scorching sun; and the thoroughfares are tolerably well-paved and lighted, and have trottoirs at the sides. To obviate the inconvenience arising from the narrowness of the streets, carriages are only allowed to go one way, up one street and down the next, and a hand is painted up on the corners to show which way the traffic is to flow. The best street, Rua d’Ouvidor, is nearly all French, so that one can almost fancy oneself in the Palais Royal; and nearly everything that is to be found in London or Paris may be bought in Rio. Many English merchants have houses in the city, but most of the shopkeepers are French; and this proves a perfect blessing to visitors, for a Brazilian shopman is so careless and indolent, that he will hardly look for anything in his stores, and will often say he has not got the article asked for, to save himself the trouble of looking for it. The best native shops are those of the silversmiths, who work pretty well, and get a good deal of custom, for Brazilians and blacks revel in ornament, often wearing silver spurs and a silver-hafted knife though perhaps they may not have any shoes to their feet. The Brazilians are very fond of dress; and though it seems so unsuitable for the climate, wear black trowsers and an evening suit to walk about the streets in. Strangers will find no curiosities in Rio Janeiro except the feather flowers, which are better here than in Madeira, and fetch a higher price. A Frenchwoman, who employs a number of girls of all complexions in her business, is the principal manufacturer. They are made (or ought to be) entirely of undyed feathers, the best being those of a purple, copper, or crimson colour, from the breasts and heads of humming-birds. One of these wreaths has a beautiful effect, and reflects different-coloured light. The wing cases of beetles are also used, and glitter like precious stones. Madame has her patterns from Paris, so the wreaths are generally in good style and newest fashion. The worst shops are kept by English, and this will be found a general rule in these foreign towns. The merchants are good and honest; but if one wishes to be well taken in, go to a shop kept by an Englishman.’ As a frightful contrast to the conduct of the brave Simon, it appears that even on board the steamer the other sailors broke open the trunks of the passengers, with knife in hand, to get possession of the money they contained; and afterwards committed the most shocking atrocities on shore, such as cutting the fingers off the bodies that had been washed on land for the sake of the rings. The market of Rio is a fine large building, to the north of the principal square. It is well supplied with fish; but the price is always very high, as the fishermen have a sort of monopoly, and will only bring a certain quantity to market, in order to keep it up. The best fish is the garoupa; immense prawns (camaroes) are very plentiful. Strangers are often told, as a joke, that these are kept in pits, and fed with the dead bodies of slaves thrown in from time to time; and I have known people who would never touch them on that account. Parrots, monkeys, &c., are very common, and a few game birds. Occasionally, large lizards of two or three feet in length are brought to market, and they are said to be excellent eating. Deer are sometimes killed in the woods; but I have never seen them in the market, though there is a small animal, called the paca, to be had, the flesh of which is very good. Fruit is supplied in great abundance. Oranges and bananas are to be had all the year. The oranges were superior to anything I had before tasted, and excel the Maltese. They are said to be better in Bahia, and better still in Pernambuco; so it appears that the hotter the climate, the more suitable it is to this fruit, as the Maltese and the Egyptian are certainly far superior to those of Portugal and Sicily. The banana (Musa paradisaica, called ‘plantano’ by the Spaniards, and ‘plantain’ in the West Indies,) is a most nutritious fruit; but few people like it at first, as the taste is rather sickly and insipid. There are a variety of sorts, which bear fruit of different sizes, but the short thick one is the best. It is very nutritious and productive; and it is said that forty square feet, planted with bananas, will support a man for a year. The plant itself is very handsome, and the great leaves, ten or twelve feet in length, and two in breadth, make a splendid feature in the landscape of the tropics. Each plant bears one bunch of fruit, after which it should be cut down, when suckers spring up in all directions from the root, so that it is a vegetable more suited for idle people than even the potato, as it does not require planting, and the fruit can be eaten without the trouble of cooking it. The fruta do Conde, or chirimoya of the Spaniard, and custard-apple of the West Indies, is delicious, but varies a good deal in quality. The maricuja, Spanish granadilla, the fruit of the passion-flower, is very good. It is about as large as a swan’s egg, with a pulp and seeds like a gooseberry. The alligator or avocada pear, the mammon, papaw, or mammy apple, are common fruits, not so good as those before-named. Pine-apples are common enough, but not very good. By a decree of the Provisional Government, Berro, the ex-Minister of Giro, having been detected in fomenting the civil war, has been outlawed. Any person is authorized to kill him. This decree does not meet with the approbation of the people, but in these countries public opinion has little influence with governments. Brazil, it is said, has been offered the protectorate of this republic, and refused it; but she will use force, if necessary, to exact the fulfilment of treaties; and it is generally believed here that the Banda Oriental will soon be occupied by troops from the empire, to restore and maintain order and support any constitutionally established government. This news is as generally agreeable as it is credited. The respectable portion of the Orientals are convinced the country cannot be governed without foreign aid, and the numerous foreigners residing here, of course, rejoice in the prospect of peace and order. The Government has authorized its agent in Paris to contract a loan of 12,000,000 duros, at 70 per cent., interest payable half-yearly at the rate of 6 per cent. on the nominal capital; also to grant a privilege for ten years to a company (with a capital of 3,000,000 duros) of a bank of issue and discount on the principles of the Bank of France; and, lastly, to concede lands to an association which undertakes to despatch several thousands of emigrant agricultural families to this republic. These three projects are connected with each other. If Brazil maintains order in the country for a few years, no doubt the immigration scheme would be as beneficial to the immigrants as to the republic. The value of the exports from ParÁ in 1848 was about £148,720, of which one-fourth was taken by the United States, a like quantity by Portugal, one-fifth by France, one-sixth by Great Britain, and the remainder by the Hanseatic towns, Belgium, Genoa, and Denmark. The value of foreign goods imported in the same year was about £147,322, principally from the United States, Great Britain, Portugal, and France. The increase in the trade of this port will be seen by comparing the preceding statement with the exports and imports of 1851. In that year the value of the former was about £356,200, and that of the latter about £273,067. Proportionately with the aggregate increase, the American and British shares of the trade had slightly advanced; while the French share had declined to one-eighth, and the Portuguese had diminished more than one-half. The trade with Genoa had ceased; but that with Sweden, which had declined since 1846, showed very promising signs of a revival. The principal articles of export from ParÁ are caoutchouc and cocoa, the mean yearly value of the trade in the former being about £138,000, and of the latter, £67,725. Among the articles of export in which a lesser trade is carried on may be enumerated rice, piasaba rope, annatto, sarsaparilla, hides, nuts, sugar, isinglass, and cotton. [TRANSLATION] Sir,—The undersigned native citizens of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay feel the necessity of manifesting to your Excellency the very great esteem in which they hold the loyalty of your character, and the many high services that your Excellency, in the discharge of the functions confided to you by the Government of Her Majesty, your august Sovereign, has lent to the cause of the independence of our country. The war which desolates our native soil is strictly, on the part of the Orientals, a struggle of legitimate defence and of independence—a struggle which we have not provoked, and in the result of which we neither seek nor desire more than the preservation of the position in which we were placed by the compact celebrated in 1828, between the Empire of Brazil and the Argentine Republic—a position recognized by all nations, and virtually, but solemnly, guaranteed by England and France. Certain of the efficacy of this guarantee, and of the political and commercial interest of these two great Powers in the maintenance of the Oriented Nationality, with all its consequences, and in its not being crushed by an anti-social power, repelling every idea of civilization, the Orientals sought their aid, and a just and proper alliance. The principle on which this alliance was based was honourable, and its objects, besides being honourable, were civilizing and fertile in beneficial results for the external peace of these regions, and for the internal peace of our country, which we desire with all the strength we possess, having for sole object, that the Oriental family to which we belong being reconciled, it may, without foreign coercion or influence, elect, freely, and in the mode consecrated by its laws, its own government, which shall rule it in conformity with the constitution and the Oriental interests. The two agents charged in 1845, by England and France, to give aid to the Oriental nationality and restore peace to our hearths, and the Admirals Englefield and LainÉ, who had command of the intervening forces, have discharged so noble a mission in the manner most cordial, most in conformity with the intentions explicitly declared by their governments, and with the thoughts and desire of ours, and of all good Orientals; for which we acknowledge that we owe them sincere and profound gratitude. We beg your Excellency will permit us to record in this letter, as regards yourself personally, the expression of this sentiment; let us add that of the wishes we entertain for your prosperity, and we beg you always to preserve a recollection of our country and that of those citizens, who, faithful interpreters of the feelings of the country in which they live, have the honour of offering to your Excellency the homage of the respect, adhesion and friendship which we possess, and with which we are,—your Excellency’s most faithful servants, &c., &c. I know that I shall be accused of insensibility and want of taste, when I confess that my first disappointment on landing in Spain was the almost total absence of beauty amongst the Spanish women. Poets have sung of Spain’s ‘dark-glancing daughters,’ and travellers have wandered through the country, with minds so deeply impressed with the preconceived idea of the beauty of the women, that they have found them all their imaginations so fondly pictured, and their works have fostered, what I cannot help maintaining, is a mere delusion; one of the many in which people still indulge when they think and dream of Spain. The women of Spain have magnificent eyes, beautiful hair, and generally fine teeth; but more than that cannot be said by those who are content to give an honest opinion. I have rarely seen one whose features could be called strictly beautiful, and that bewitching grace and fascination about their figures and their walk which they formerly possessed, have disappeared with the high comb which supported the mantilla, and the narrow basquina, which gave a peculiar character to their walk. With the change in their costume, those distinctive charms have vanished. The gaudy colours which now prevail have destroyed the elegance that always accompanies black, in which alone, some years since, a lady could appear in public. No further proof of this is required than to see the same people at church, where black is still considered indispensable, and on the Alameda with red dresses and yellow shawls, or some colours equally gaudy, and combined with as little regard to taste. The men have likewise abandoned the cloak, and now appear in paletots and every variety of foreign invention: nor have they either gained by their sacrifices at the altar of French fashion. By no means distinguished in figure, none needed more the rich folds of the capa to lend them that air of grace and dignity which it peculiarly possesses. As a maritime and commercial port, Monte Video holds a very desirable position, and will doubtless before long supersede Buenos Ayres, as the first port on the coast for the disembarkation of goods for the internal consumption of the country. The effects of the cessation of hostilities begin already to be seen in a great outlay of capital; and in the course of a few years, when commercial relations are on a better basis, and security to life and property is better insured, this city will rise into greater mercantile importance than any other in this part of the New World. This severe and bloodthirsty man had a daughter, and it is pleasing to turn away from the contemplation of the many vices which disfigure his character to those beautiful traits of humanity and tenderness which distinguished hers. Manisiletta was loved and honoured by all; pity lurked within her soul, and every attribute of womanly feeling was there. This good creature, with tears and supplication, often prevailed with the harsh tyrant when other means were useless. At her entreaties, many a life was spared, and many a prayer of gratitude has ascended to heaven for the rescue of a father or a brother from his impending fate, at her kind interference. On the death of Francia, dictator of Paraguay, he refused to acknowledge the independence of that power, insisting that it should join the Argentine Confederation, at the same time he refused to allow the navigation of the Parana by vessels bound to Paraguay. Lopez, the new dictator of Paraguay, therefore entered into alliance with the Banda Oriental, now called Uruguay, with which Rosas was at war. These powers applied for assistance to Brazil. The war was prolonged until the whole country on both sides of the Plata and the Parana was in a state of confusion. On the earnest appeal of the merchants and others interested, Great Britain volunteered her mediation, but it was rejected by Rosas, who marched his troops within a few miles of Monte Video, which his fleet at the same time blockaded. The emperor of Brazil now interfered, and sent a special mission to request the interposition of the courts of London and Paris. The British and French governments in February 1845, decided on sending plenipotentiaries to the Plata to offer their mediation, and to announce their intention to enforce a cessation of hostilities if needful, by an armed intervention. The offer was rejected by Rosas, but readily accepted by his opponents. The united fleet of England and France at once commenced operations by seizing the fleet of Rosas which was blockading Monte Video, and the island of Martin Garcia which commands the entrances of the Parana and the Uruguay. The harbour of Buenos Ayres was at the same time declared under blockade, and the combined fleet prepared to open the Parana, and to convoy as far as Corrientes any merchant vessels that might desire to ascend that river. Rosas on his part made hasty preparations to intercept the fleet by planting batteries with parks of heavy artillery at Point Obligado; and placing three strong chains across the river, supported by 24 vessels and 10 fire-ships. On the 19th of November 1845, the combined fleet, consisting of eight sailing and three steam vessels, forced the passage with trifling loss to itself, but entirely destroying the batteries, and considerably injuring the army of Rosas. On the return of the fleet, with a convoy of 110 vessels, it was encountered at San Lorenzo by a very powerful battery which Rosas had erected in an admirable position, in the full expectation of destroying a large number of the merchant vessels, and of crippling the naval force. The battery commanded the river, and was difficult of attack by the steamers, but it was speedily silenced by a rocket-brigade, which had been the previous night secretly landed on a small island in the river. The combined fleet escaped with trifling loss, the rocket-brigade lost not a man; but four of the merchant vessels which, through unskilful pilotage, ran ashore, were burnt to prevent them falling into the hands of Rosas. The loss to the Argentine army was very great. Again plenipotentiaries were sent out by the combined powers, but Rosas refused to yield; and England withdrew from the blockade in July, 1848. It was however continued by France until January, 1849. On the final withdrawal of the two great powers in 1850, Brazil determined on active interference. The power of the Dictator, General Rosas, essentially despotic, and devoted to the maintenance of the supremacy of Buenos Ayres, had moreover become intolerable to the provinces which desired a federal and equal union. Accordingly, towards the close of 1850, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay entered into a treaty, to which Corrientes and Entre Rios, as represented by General Urquiza, became parties, by which they bound themselves to continue hostilities until they had effected the deposition of Rosas, ‘whose power and tyranny’ they declared to be ‘incompatible with the peace and happiness of this part of the world.’ Early in the spring of 1851 a Brazilian fleet blockaded Buenos Ayres, and soon after an Argentine force commanded by Urquiza crossed the Uruguay. The struggle was now virtually terminated. General Oribe, who commanded the army of Rosas at Monte Video, made a show of resistance, but it was merely to gain time in order to complete his arrangements with Urquiza, and he soon after capitulated. His soldiers for the most part joined the army of Urquiza, who, at the head of a force amounting it is said to 70,000 men, crossed into Buenos Ayres. A general engagement was fought on the plains of Moron, February 2, 1851, when the army of Rosas was entirely defeated. Rosas, who had commanded in person, succeeded in escaping from the field; and, in the dress of a peasant, he reached in safety the house of the British minister at Buenos Ayres. From thence, with his daughter, he proceeded on board H.M.’s steamer Locust, and on the 10th of February sailed in the Conflict steamer for England. But the fall of the tyrant did not bring peace to the unhappy country. Urquiza, by the governors of the provinces assembled at San Nicolas, was invested with the chief power, and appointed Provisional Director of the Argentine Confederation. The Chamber of Representatives of Buenos Ayres, however, declared against him, and protested against the proceedings of the convention on the ground of the superior privileges of Buenos Ayres being menaced. Urquiza dissolved the Chamber, and insurrection broke out. Civil war, with all its aggravated evils, thereupon ensued. [See memoir of Urquiza.] The wealth of Corrientes consists chiefly in vast herds of cattle, sheep, and horses. The pasturage of the province is remarkably fine: its exports are hides, tallow, wool, hair, and some agricultural produce. The trade which might arise with the countries in the interior, through which these mighty rivers flow, were the navigation open, is beyond calculation, and its profits would soon enable the States of La Plata to pay with ease their foreign and domestic creditors, and to raise funds for internal improvements. During the few months that the navigation of the Parana was kept open in 1845-6, two convoys, (under the admirable arrangements adopted by the distinguished officer who commanded H.M. squadron in the Parana, Commodore Sir Charles Hotham), one consisting of upwards of one hundred vessels, laden with produce, the other of more than seventy, came down that river and the Paraguay with very little loss or damage, after having exchanged the cargoes of European or North American merchandise that they brought up for the goods with which the different depÔts at Corrientes and other places were overflowing, to the value of some millions of hard dollars. It is true that an accumulation of produce at the ports of the river then existed, caused by the interdiction of the navigation by the governing power of one of the banks of the river. But as it is the manifest interest of the different states whose natural outlet is by the River Plate and its confluents,—the Parana and Uruguay,—that internal navigation should be free, or placed, for instance, on a similar footing to that of the Rhine, it is to be hoped that before very long the governments most interested in this question, those of La Plata especially, will awaken to a sense of the vast interest they have in opening these great channels of inter-communication to the commerce of the world. The town of Conception has been resuscitated from its decay by the government founding the town of St. Salvador, on the Paraguay, and covering all the fords by a line of small fortified posts. New works and branches of industry have been commenced, and quarries of calcareous stone, an article which Paraguay, before Francia’s time, imported, are now worked. The EncyclopÆdia Britannica, now being published, puts down the population of Assumption, the capital, at 12,000, which is certainly considerably under the real number. With an activity and zeal which would do honour to governments better furnished with resources and auxiliary means, the consular government undertook to open new roads, by cutting through the forests to an extraordinary extent, in order to facilitate transit and the trade to the exterior. The road which was opened across the mountain called Caro is twelve leagues in length and fifty feet broad. That which traverses Mount Palomares is thirteen leagues long, and of the same breadth as the first; and Mount Caagazu has been cut by a road six leagues long and thirty-six feet wide. There is also now approaching completion a road which is passable for carriages from Villa-Rica to the bank of the Parana. Bridges have been constructed over several water-courses and dangerous ravines, and where the breadth of the rivers has been too great, commodious ferries have been established at the expense of the government. In the district of Rosario, where there are many grazing estates, the proprietors were frequently exposed to excessive droughts, which occasioned the dispersion, mixture, and loss of the herds. The government has had a canal opened from five to six leagues long, and which, serving as a reservoir to many brooks, will retain water even in the most terrible droughts. A similar route has been carried out in the department of San Estanislao. The government has resolved on founding other new towns, and has overcome the obstacles opposed to the development of others already existing, such as Villa Franca, which, situated at the bottom of a plain, suffered much in the rainy season. It opened drains for the stagnant waters, and the soil has been much improved. There is one arrangement which does the greatest honour to the liberalism and equity of the consular government. We may, properly speaking, say that there are no slaves in Paraguay; the number is not quite certain, but, from the statement of a recent traveller, there would not appear to be more than one thousand in the whole of the territory of the Republic. The consular government, in order to put a stop to slavery in a natural manner, although it be on so small a scale, has declared every child born of slaves to be free, and has prohibited, by a decree, all fresh importations. The second consul, Don Mariano Roque Alonzo, was a soldier who reckoned many years service in barracks and garrisons. He commanded a corps or battalion of the troops which occupied the capital, when his companions in arms appointed him Commandant-General in the interval between the death of the Dictator and the assembly of Congress. During this short period he maintained public order, and protected the tranquillity of the citizens with zeal and moderation. Like a man of good sense and honour, and of docile character, he at once acknowledged the superiority of his colleague, which of itself is a merit, and always deferred to it, in which he rendered a great service to his country. In 1844, Congress again assembled, and elected M. Lopez president, a renewal of confidence which his excellent conduct in the interval of years that had elapsed since his first election fully justified; and the same may, of course, be said of his subsequent re-election. The Dictator had a great number of men under arms; but there was no army or any military organization of any kind, and the soldiery was allowed to oppress the other classes. On the other hand, it happened with the military service, as with all other branches of the administration, that there were no other laws nor rules than the capricious will of the Dictator: there was no law to fix the term of service; the private soldiers had already served a long time, and had a right to their discharge. Detachment and garrison duty, even in the remotest parts of the frontiers, was performed without any turn of service or regularity. The troops remained there sometimes as long as fifteen years without being relieved, and without receiving any other assistance or pay than a meagre ration of meat. The consular government gradually allowed these officers and soldiers to retire, and replaced them with 3,000 men, obtained by recruiting. The officers who had served for long periods had small pensions awarded them, and the longest term for the most distant detachments was reduced to three years. A consular government, composed of two individuals, with identical rights and attributes, but who unavoidably differed in character, ideas, and education, was eminently defective, and carried within itself the germs of great inconveniences and dangers to the State. But, happily, it produced none, thanks to the deference and docility of one magistrate, the prudence and superiority of the other, and the short duration of their term of office, which was but for three years. During the Dictatorship education had been altogether abandoned; the establishments devoted to instruction had been closed, and their resources diverted to other purposes. Lopez established primary schools, and laid the foundation for a college; and two Jesuits arriving about 1844, one of them took charge of a school for mathematics; but they left the country in 1846. Religion and public worship, which exercise so much influence on the morality of a people, were suffering much from the want of spiritual advisers. At the death of the Dictator there were only fifty priests in Paraguay, all old, and several verging on decrepitude. Many churches in the country, even in populous parishes, were closed for want of pastors. The consular government hastened to remedy so great an evil: it commenced negotiations with the Holy See, and presented two priests for consecration as bishops; one, as diocesan, and the other as coadjutor. In the meantime it pressed the head of the bishopric to extend to those parishes which were destitute of pastors the jurisdiction of the nearest rectors. There is also, however, another and not inconsiderable branch of revenue, viz.: the monopoly enjoyed by government of the sale of ‘matÉ,’ or Paraguay tea. It purchases this herb as prepared in the forests of the state, and when well packed and in good condition, at a given price, and disposes of it to the merchants for exportation, as well as to the consumers, at the rate of seven rials per arrobe. What will at a later period constitute incalculable wealth for Paraguay are its lands and forests: it will derive a very considerable revenue from them. More than half of the surface of the territory is public property, comprising immense forests of timber, of the most varied and valued kinds, within reach of navigable rivers. These lands at present are of little value; but they will speedily acquire a much greater, for the president has adopted a very wise system of disposing of them, viz., granting them to applicants at a perpetual ground-rent of five per cent. on the amount at which they are valued by competent persons. This plan will greatly facilitate their sale. This renewal of hope and labour was, in a great measure, due to the encouragement given to the consular government. There were families fallen into a state of poverty bordering on utter destitution; the government came to their assistance by causing to be distributed amongst them more than three thousand head of cattle; and in goods, instruments, and tools, to the value of more than twenty-two thousand dollars. They were thus set up again, and enabled to resume their labours. From the death of the Dictator to the installation of the consulate, all persecution, as well as the sanguinary executions and fusillades, so common during Francia’s tyrannical sway, had ceased. But the political prisoners, to the number of more than 600, had not been released, with four or five exceptions, and suffered the same evils in the dungeons and casemates. When the consuls, however, were elected, they released all these political prisoners, and sent them to their families. It was a significant act. It showed to all that the reign of cruelty and terror had given place in the counsels of the government to principles of mildness and sound policy. It was natural that the agents and employÉs of the Dictator should have inspired resentments and profound hatred by the pitiless way in which they had executed the orders they had received; and complaints did begin to be heard against some of the officials for the abuse they had made of their authority.
The distance steamed annually is about 200,000 miles, and the number of intermediate ports touched at on the coasts of New Granada, Equador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chili, between the termini, is about 13. The company have also a contract with the Government of Chili for the conveyance of mails monthly between Valparaiso and Chili, as mentioned in the text. Local Marine Board, Liverpool, 31st December, 1853: My dear Sir,—The Falkland Islands are the best possible coaling stations for steamers homeward bound from Australia. The Marco Polo and Eagle sighted them on their celebrated homeward passages; consequently they lay in the best track. They are also situated about midway. It is true that less than one-third of the coals is required between Australia and the Falkland Islands, which will be consumed during the homeward voyage. But, under all circumstances, it is desirable to coal here, as it will enable the ship to start from Australia in good sailing trim, instead of being overburdened with coals on that part of the voyage in which steam is of but little value. A half-cargo of coals at Australia, and a full cargo of coals at the Falkland Islands, is what I have recommended for steamers, in cases in which I have been consulted. Although I think it possible that steamers will at length make the voyage without coaling at any intermediate station; I still think that it is less likely that this will be adopted on the homeward passage than on the outward, because, on the first half of the voyage out, coals will be required most, but homeward on the second half, so that, as a coaling station, the Falkland Islands stand preËminent. Also for steamers bound to the West coast of America, North and South, the Falkland Islands will be the best coaling station both out and home.—I am, my dear Sir, yours truly,—John Thomas Towson.—To James R. Jeffery, Esq. Liverpool, 1st April, 1854. Gentlemen,—I have much pleasure in complying with your request that I should lay before you a brief statement of the advantages afforded by the Falkland Islands as a place of call for ocean steamers. Captain Grant, of the Sea Bird, in the very interesting letter which he wrote to you from Stanley relative to the deposit of coal for the Great Britain, has already made you aware of the excellence of that harbour, and of its easy access. I am able, from my own experience, to confirm, in every particular, Capt. Grant’s remarks. The government charts are exceedingly correct; the land as you approach it is made out without any difficulty, and we saw Pembroke Point and its beacon (now to be superseded by a lighthouse) at the distance of seven miles. The harbour itself is like a large dock, secure from all winds, and with an entrance sufficiently wide for a good smart sailing vessel to beat through with ease. All the dangerous points are distinctly marked by the kelp or sea-weed. The anchorage is excellent, varying from four to five fathoms at low water, so that the Great Britain is everywhere in perfect safety; and even were she to touch the ground, she would not receive any injury, as the bottom is all soft mud. The facility for watering ships is good: a reservoir, holding about 200 tons of water, communicates by means of pipes with the end of a jetty, where, even when the tide is out, there is always about three feet of water, which is sufficient for a flat boat to float off ten tons at a time. The casks in the boat are filled by fastening a short hose to the pipes, and thus one ship can be watered as rapidly as if she were in Liverpool. The Governor, of whose courteous and obliging conduct I cannot speak too highly, promised that, should Stanley become a port of call for steamers, a floating tank shall be built, so that water could be alongside the ship immediately on her arrival, and pumped into the tanks or casks, as the case may be. There are considerable herds of cattle on the islands, and when put up to feed (as was the case with the Great Britain) their beef is very good; vegetables of the more ordinary kind, such as potatoes, cabbages, and turnips, can be had when in season. Ship chandlery and grocery stores can also be purchased to a limited extent. Labour is scarce, as the population of Stanley (the only settlement) is only about 400. But every year as the islands become better known this want will no doubt be less felt. I should add that the hulk for coaling the Great Britain was placed in the most convenient situation. I experienced not the slightest difficulty in this or any other matter during this detention of four days in these islands, owing chiefly to the good management of Mr. Dale, the agent for the Falkland Islands’ Company, who was immediately in attendance on arrival of the ship, and continued until the hulk with coals was alongside. The zealous attention and kindness of this gentleman to my passengers and myself whenever his services were required will always be remembered by us. I remain, gentlemen, Your obedient servant, (Signed) Barnard R. Matthews. Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co. Venezuela has at present no diplomatic representative in this country. The consuls are Mr. J. Milligan, London; Mr. A. Fox, Falmouth; Mr. W. Watson, Liverpool; and Mr. J. Ferguson, Belfast. The British consuls are the Hon. R. Bingham, who was attached to the mission at Naples in 1818, to the embassy at Paris in 1823, to the mission at Madrid in 1825, to the embassy at Lisbon in 1828, appointed paid attachÉ at Madrid in 1829, secretary of legation at Munich in 1831, at Turin in 1839, and chargÉ d’affaires and consul-general in Venezuela in 1852, salary 1200l.; Mr. J. Riddel, La Guyra, 200l.; Mr. J. McWhirter, acting consul in Venezuela from 1835 to 1837, and from 1839 to 1843, appointed vice-consul at Puerto Cabello in 1843, 200l.; Mr. E. T. Harrison, Maracaibo, 200l.; and Mr. K. Mathison, unpaid consul at Angostura from 1841 to 1845, appointed vice-consul at Bolivar in 1847, salary 200l. Bolivia is diplomatically represented in England by General Andrea Santa Cruz, minister plenipotentiary. The Bolivian consuls are Baron Scholey, consul-general, whose office is 1, London-street, Fenchurch-street, London; Mr. H. Morris, Dover; Mr. T. W. Fox, Plymouth; and Mr. R. Dunkin, Llanelly and Swansea. The British chargÉ d’affaires and consul-general in Bolivia is Mr. J. A. Lloyd, formerly aide-de-camp to a West India governor, who permitted him to proceed to Columbia, where he was officer of engineers to General Bolivar, in 1827 was sent to the isthmus of Darien, and laid down the line of railway, was afterwards scientifically employed by the Admiralty and the Royal Society, in 1831 was appointed surveyor-general and civil engineer in chief at Mauritius, in 1850 a special commissioner for the Exhibition of 1851, and at the close of the latter year to his present post at Sucre, where his salary is 1200l. The consuls of Equador in this country are Mr. W. P. Robertson, consul-general, 5, Barge-yard, Bucklersbury, London; Mr. E. Mocatta, Liverpool; Mr. G. Dunlop, Southampton; and Mr. M. R. Ryan, Limerick. The British consul at Guayaquil is Mr. W. Cope, whose salary is 1000l. The Lusitania, belonging to the Liverpool Screw Steam Company, made the passage from England in 35 days. The Argentine paddle-wheel steamboat, belonging to the same company, when leaving the harbour about a fortnight since for Buenos Ayres, struck upon a reef of rocks running from the Cerro. All efforts to get her off proving ineffectual, she was abandoned, and sold on account of the underwriters for 4,600 duros, but is likely to prove a dead loss to the purchasers, as the engines cannot be abstracted. The loss of this vessel is not only a serious one to the company, but to the public in this part of the world. By her punctuality and speed she had just succeeded in driving away all competitors, and would have paid very handsomely. When replacing her, it is believed, the company would do well to send a larger vessel, but of no deeper draught of water. |
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