ners and habits of the interior of South America; thus relates what appeared to him to be a great peculiarity in Mr. Azara. "Il offre, peut être, l'exemple unique en Europe d'un homme chez qui l'aversion pour le pain est si forte qu'il n'en a jamais mangé *'

In 1776 he was named commissioner on the part of Spain to trace the respective limits of the Spanish and Portuguese settlements in South America, which had given rise to disputes between the two crowns. The greater enterprize of the Portuguese settlers had, in many instances, pushed them beyond their legal bounds. This gave rise to altercations and interminable disputes, which delayed the completion of the work, and left Mr. Azara secluded in the bosom of those extended regions, whose frontiers he had been commissioned to delineate.

In the flower of youth, and enured to the heats of the plains, and the damps of the forests, his active and enterprising mind made him conceive the plan not only of describing, but also of constructing a map of the interior of the country, of which he had hitherto only pricked off the limits. This he effected at his own expence, and partly by stealth, for he dreaded to recur to the intendants for assistance. Thirteen years of solitary and tedious labour completed his bold project, and conscious that the only aid he had to expect was from the natives, whose haunts he had to penetrate and visit, in order to conciliate their esteem, and secure their services, he adopted their manners, used the same food, and in many characteristic instances conformed to their customs and mode of life; imitating in this the old settlers of Canada, who always found an assimilation of manners the strongest tie to the fidelity and good will of the natives.

A small portmanteau with linen and instruments, to which were added some salt, Paraguay tea, and presents for the Indians, constituted his travelling equipage, and in this way did he traverse deserts, swamps, mountains, and plains; navigate and explore rivers, lakes, and streams, in search of original data on which to found a work, that might not only stand the test of time, but enable the distant inquirer to correct his ideas of a country, of which he could before possess only confused and mutilated accounts.

The learned editor of Azara justly remarks, "that contrary

*This aversion for bread, or rather predilection for roots and vegetables, is not uncommon in South America, where whole nations live on mote, a kind of homony, similar to that eaten in Virginia. The roasted and boiled mandioca of the Paraguayans supersedes the necessity of bread, and the yam, casava, and sther roots general in America, constitute even a preferable sustenance.

to the custom of modern travellers, he has been too reserved on the details that personally concerned himself, which often serve as an useful supplement to descriptive narration." Indeed, his humble and unaffected style, when compared with the over dogmatical diction of the late French works on New Spain, cannot but inspire a double confidence in his minute and accurate details. These are rendered still more interesting by the persecutions he experienced in the cause of literature, not only in America, but even on his return to Spain, which deprived him of the means of publishing in his own language the historical and descriptive parts of his work, and absolutely obliged him to have recourse to the French press. He maintains throughout a philosophic and disdainful șilence respecting the unmerited oppression of his countrymen in office; and though his Paris editor drew from him by letter some particulars of his grievances, his answers by no means descend to complaint or reproach, but soar above those natural effusions which are excited in little minds by repeated acts of injury and oppression.

Though we confess with candour, that, in our opinion, his zoological inquiries form the most perfect and systematic part of the work, yet the remainder contains so much useful and novel information, that it has well deserved the pains taken by the French translator and editor; and we cannot but express astonishment that in England it is almost unknown, at a time that the subjects of which it treats are so deeply interesting, and when we are swallowing with avidity compilations not only defective but antiquated. Can it be credited that Helm's road Itinerary from La Plata to Lima has gone through two English editions, whilst the works of Azara are unnoticed? We cannot here refrain from quoting the words of Walcknaer on this want of national discernment, which proves how much more backward we are in our knowledge of South America than the French, though so much more interested in knowing its real

state.

"L'expedition des Anglais dans La Plata a aussi eté l'occasion de la publication de plusieurs ouvrages insignifians qui ont paru à Londres. On m'a fait voir un de ces ouvrages (Wilcocke) qui est une relation de Buenos Ayres, en un volume en 8vo, avec diverses gravures. C'est une compilation faite d'après Charlevoix. Cette mauvaise production a cependant trouvée un traducteur Français, et peut-être ce traducteur trouvera-t-il un jour un imprimeur, et des acheteurs!!! J'ai fait venir un autre ouvrage, intitulé, Letters from Paraguay describing the Settlements of Monte Video and Buenos Ayres, the Presidencies of Rioja minor, Nombre de Dios, St. Mary, St, John, &c. by John Constant Davies. 1 vol. 8vo.

London, 1805.'

Le preface de ce livre nous apprend que son auteur est mort au Chili. Je crois qu'il n'a jamais eté ni à Paraguay ni à Chili. Quoiqu'il en soit, il m'a eté impossible de lire seulement 100 pages de son insipide et romanesque bavardage."

The fact is, that one half of the accounts we have had from modern pens consists either of the fictions of fancy, or outlines from old authors under a new dress.

The superior merit of the zoological parts of Mr. Azara's work appears in some measure accounted for in the Notice sur $1 Vie et ses Ecrits, in the following words:

"If it may be considered true that man partly depends on the circumstances in which he is placed, it is also not less certain, that he exercises over them an empire, which differs according to the nature of his character. An active mind, that feels the necessity of nourishing the flame with which it is constantly animated, seizes and improves on every object that surrounds it. Transport it into Greece, amidst the crumbling ruins of ancient Thebes, or seclude it amongst the massive pyramids of the Egyptian sands; or rather present to its contemplation Rome, proud in the monuments of so many men and ages which stud its classic ground, and the possessor of such a mind will become erudite, a profound antiquarian, or a celebrated artist. Place it at the foot of the burning Vesuvius; near the blackened and shivered sides of Etna, or strike it with the majestic chaos of the Alps and Pyrenees, and mineralogy and geology will be its study.

"Should it, however, have to wander over the vast plains, or pierce through the thick forests of America, where a new vegetation covers the earth with a rich and variegated carpet, where the vegetable as well as the animated natives of the forests, present on every side, the most unusual and singular forms, and botany or zoology will become its prevailing passion. The two brothers Azara, present us with a striking example of the justness of this remark. Don Nicholas*, notwithstanding his occupations, and the restraints of his official character, in Rome became a distinguished philosopher, and an enlightened protector of the arts and sciences; whilst Don Felix without books, succour, or preliminary instruction, but surrounded by materials of observation, by dint of his own efforts, raised himself to the rank of one of the first zoologists of the age."

In support of our own opinions of Mr. Azara's works, we could quote the testimony of some respectable authorities. Walcknaer affirms, that no descriptions could be more accurate, nothing more curious and authentic respecting the manners of the natives, and that it is impossible to have united more sagacity

*He was afterwards ambassador from the court of Spain to that of France, and the author of several works known to the public, amongst which is an account of the life and paintings of Mengs, a Spanish artist.

and patience, two essential qualities in a just observer. The Royal Institute of Paris is still more pointed in its terms of approbation.

"M. Azara's ornithology of the interior provinces of La Plata, owes its origin to a conviction of the many defects and omissions of Buffon, to whose work his first researches were intended as supplementary corrections; but as his materials accumulated, they formed a complete treatise of themselves, in which out of 448 species treated, nearly 200 are perfectly new, and many others are corrected and more accurately described."

A drawing of each of the most remarkable species alone seems wanting to make the work in every sense complete, but it was Mr. Azara's object to preserve specimens of his birds, in order to convey them in that state to Europe, but he found the climate hostile to such an undertaking. After considerable pains expended in stuffing and preserving many, they became a prey to insects. This misfortune was rendered irretrievable by the baseness of the governor of Buenos Ayres, who did not hesitate to seize his trunks filled with specimens, writings, drawings, plans, and maps, under pretence of his being favourable to the Portuguese, by which means the world was deprived of what still remained of the fruits of his industry.

Our readers, however, must understand that M. Azara was by no means a proficient in the sciences of botany, geology, mineralogy, or chemistry. Whenever subjects connected with these sciences occur, we must confine our confidence in his observations to that which is due to sound sense, and accurate but unlettered inquiry. Neither was he exempt from the ordinary restraints imposed upon men in his situation with respect to political discussions. We have little doubt that modern travellers will soon compensate the former deficiencies to the public: and with respect to the latter, we trust that a mass of original information from South America now lying before us, will afford some extracts that will not be found wholly uninteresting.

As a partial recompence for M. Azara's services, on his return to Europe in the year 1802 he was made a brigadier in the Spanish army; but his brother, then ambassador at Paris, advised him to resign, which he did; and a subsequent visit to his brother soon after led to the introduction of his works into the French press; where, notwithstanding the defects we have mentioned, the expence and pains, to which Dentu the Paris publisher went to produce Mr. Azara's work in a perfect state, prove the estimation in which it was held. Walcknaer, the translator of many valuable works, and among others of Pinkerton's Modern Geography, was chosen to translate the two first volumes, and Cuvier, perpetual secretary de la Classe des Sciences Physiques

del' Institut, &c. was charged to revise, and enrich them with notes; whilst Sonnini, the learned editor of Buffon's works, was commissioned to translate, and comment on the two last volumes, which treat of the birds of Paraguay.

Of the work thus compiled and corrected we shall now proceed to give a rapid sketch; but as we think that we have observed our reader's aversion to dry geographical and statistical details in cases where more interesting matter may be expected, we shall dwell but very shortly on the contents of each chapter, but shall dedicate the greater part of the contracted space allotted us to the original matter in our possession.

After giving an interesting explanatory introduction, followed by a sketch of the authors who had previously written on La Plata, Paraguay, Chaco, &c. Mr. Azara commences the first chapter of his work by a description of the climate.

The climate of La Plata is very different from that of Lima, where the sky is almost continually obscured by vapours and clouds, that produce what is called garua, or a descending mist, that serves instead of rain. Towards the north, Mr. Azara says, the vapours are seldom condensed into a fog. The sky is there clear and serene; and in Buenos Ayres snow is nearly unknown. This division of the southern continent is also comparatively free from those violent earthquakes which desolate the regions contiguous to the cordillera of the coast; the causes of which are so well established in Dr. Unanue's treatise on the climate of Lima.

The climate of the regions of which our author treats, perhaps resembles that of Spain more than any other part of the rest of the continent, and its inhabitants are certainly the fairest. The rains are periodically incessant and heavy, and accompanied with dan gerous and tremendous peals of thunder and lightning. During the storm that occurred in 1793, the lightning fell thirtyseven times in Buenos Ayres, and killed nineteen persons.

The second chapter treats of "the disposition and quality of the soil," in which the horizontality of the country is described to be such, that when the east and south-east winds prevail with any force, and cause the waters of the river La Plata to rise seven feet above their common level, they enter into the Paranà, and are perceived at a distance of sixty leagues in-land. Mr. Azara assures us, that from his experiments of the barometer, the Paraguay, in its course from N. to S. has not a foot of declension for each maritime mile of latitude between the parallels of 16-24 degs. to 22-57. He then proceeds to examine the physical consequences of such an extent of horizontal country; a subject that elicits a chain of curious remarks.