第2章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"A Vanished Arcadia",免费读到尾

  Asimpleandeasystyle,akeenhabitofobservation,longacquaintancewiththecountry,azealfortheconversionoftheinfidel,notonlytoChristianity,buttoamorecomfortablemodeoflife,towhichheaddsafaithsufficienttomovetheCordilleraoftheAndes,butatthesametimerestrictedbyacommon

  senseandveracitynotalwaysobservableinreligiouswriters,renderDobrizhofferapersonalfriendaftertheperusalofhiswritings。

  Dobrizhoffer\'sbookwaswritteninLatin,andprintedinViennain1784

  underthetitleof`HistoriadeAbiponibus\',etc。AGermantranslationbyProfessorKeilwaspublishedatPesthinthesameyear。

  TheEnglishtranslationisoftheyear1822。

  EnglishissingularlybarreninregardtotheJesuitsinParaguay。

  FatherFalconer,anEnglishJesuit,hasleftacuriousandinterestingbookprintedatHerefordin1774,buthetreatsexclusivelyofwhatisnowtheprovinceofBuenosAyres,theFalklandIslands,andofPatagonia。

  AsanEnglishmanandaJesuitasomewhatrarecombinationintheeighteenthcentury,andasonewhodoubtlessknewmanyoftheParaguayanpriests,histestimonywouldhavebeenmostimportant,especiallyashewasamanofgreatinformation,mucheducation,anintrepidtraveller,and,moreover,onlyenteredtheCompanyofJesusatacomparativelyadvancedage。

  ItisinSpanish,orinLatinbySpanishauthors,thatthegreaterportionofthecontemporaryhistoriesandaccountsaretobefound。

  Literatures,likeotherthings,havetheirtimesoffashion。

  AtonetimeaknowledgeofSpanishwasasrequisiteassometinctureofFrenchisatpresent,andalmostasuniversal。

  MenfromGermany,England,andHollandwhometinaforeigncountrycommunicatedinthatlanguage。IntheearlyportionofthecenturyTicknor,Prescott,andWashingtonIrvingrenderedSpanishliteraturefashionabletosomedegree。

  ItistoberememberedthattheSpanishcolonistswereasaruleantagonistictotheJesuits,andthat,therefore,SpanishwritersdonotofnecessityholdabrieffortheJesuitsinParaguay。

  Moreover,thenamesofEsmidSmith,FildoFields,Dobrizhoffer,CataldiniandTomasBrunoBrown,whoismentionedasbeing`naturaldeYorca\',Filge,Limp,Pifereti,Enis,andAsperger,thequaintmedicalwriteronthevirtuesofplantsfoundinthemissionterritory,showhowmanyforeignJesuitswereactuallytobefoundinthereductionsofParaguay。Formoreinformationonthismatterseethe`ColecciondeDocumentosrelativosa/laExpulsiondelosJesuitasdelaRepublicaArgentinayParaguay\',publishedandcollectedbyFranciscoJavierBrabo,Madrid,1872。

  LaterthehistoricalresearchesofSirWilliamStirlingMaxwelldrewsomeattentiontoit。To

  dayhardlyanyliteratureofEuropeissolittlestudiedinEngland。Stillleavingapartthepurelyliterarytreasuresofthelanguage,itisinSpanish,andalmostaloneinSpanish,thattheearlyhistoryofAmericaistobefound。

  Afterthestruggleforindependencewhichfinishedabout1825,someinterestwasexcitedintheSpanish

  Americancountries,stimulatedbythewritingsofHumboldt;butwhenitbecameapparentthatonthewholethosecountriescouldneverbeoccupiedbyNorthernEuropeans,interestinthemdiedoutexceptforpurposesconnectedwiththeStockExchange。Yetthereisacharmwhichattachestothemwhichattachestonoothercountriesintheworld。Itwastherethatoneofthegreatestdramas,andcertainlythegreatestadventureinwhichthehumanracehasengaged,tookplace。WhatAfricahasbeenforthelasttwentyyears,SpanishAmericawasthreehundredyearsago,thedifferencebeingthat,whereasmodernadventureinAfricagoesonunderfullobservation,anddealsinthemainwithabsolutelyuncivilizedpeoples,theconquestofSouthAmericawasinvestedwithallthecharmofnovelty,andbroughttheconquerorsintocontactwithatleasttwopeoplesalmostasadvancedinmostoftheartsofcivilizationastheywerethemselves。

  WhenfirstSebastianCabotandSolisascendedtheParana,theyfoundthattheGuaranisofParaguayhadextendedinnoinstancetothewesternshoreofeitherofthoserivers。

  Thewesternbankswereinhabitedthen,asnow,bythewanderingIndiansofthestillnotentirelyexploredterritoryoftheGranChaco。

  ChacoisaQuichuaIndianwordmeaning`hunting\'or`hunting

  ground\',anditissaidthataftertheconquestofPerutheIndiantribeswhichhadbeenrecentlysubjugatedbytheIncastookrefugeinthishugedomainofforestandofswamp。

  TheIncaGarcilasodelaVega,inhis`CommentariosReales\'enMadrid1723,enlaoficinaRealya/costadeNicholasRodriguezFranco,Impressordelibros,sehallaranensucasaenlacalledeelPoc,oyenPalacio,derivesthewordfromtheQuichua`Chacu/\'=asurrounding。Ifheisright,itwouldthenbeequivalenttotheGaelic`tinchel\'。Taylor,theWater

  poet,hasleftacuriousdescriptionofoneofthesetinchels。

  ItwasatatinchelthattherisingundertheEarlofMarinthe\'15

  wasconcocted。

  Bethatasitmay,theChacoIndiansofto

  day,comprisingtheremnantsoftheLulis,Tobas,Lenguas,Mocobios,andothers,arealmostassavageaswhenfirstwehearoftheminthepagesofAlvarNunezandHuldericoSchmidel。ThesetribestheJesuitsonmanyoccasionsattemptedtocivilize,butalmostentirelywithoutsuccess,asthelongrecordofthemartyrdomofJesuitmissionariesintheChacoproves,aswellasthegradualabandonmentoftheirmissionsthere,towardsthesecondhalfoftheeighteenthcentury。

  CertainitisthatatvariousplacesintheChaco,inthequaintoldmapstheJesuitshaveleftus,onereads`MissiondeSantaCruzdelosVilelas\',`MissiondelaConcepciondelosFrontones\',andothers;butmuchmorefrequentlytheirmapsarestuddedwithcrosses,andsomesuchlegendas`HicoccisisuntPP。AntoniusSalinusetPetrusOrtizZarate\'。

  ItwasonlywhentheJesuitsencounteredthemorepeacefulGuaranisthattheymetwithrealsuccess。

  SeethecuriousmapcontainedinthenowrareworkofP。PedroLozano,entitled,`DescripcionChorographica……delGranChaco,Gualamba\',etc。

  Alsointheinterestingcollectionofoldmapspublishedin1872atMadridbyFranciscoJavierBrabo。

  Whatwasthenatureoftheirsuccess,howdurableitwas,whatwerethereasonswhichcausedtheexpulsionoftheorderfromAmerica,andespeciallyfromParaguay,andwhathasbeentheresultupontheremainderoftheIndians,itismyobjecttoendeavourtoexplain。

  AlongresidenceintheriverPlate,togetherwithtwovisitstoParaguay,inoneofwhichIsawalmostalltheremnantsoftheParaguayanmissionsandafewofthosesituatedintheprovinceofCorrientes,andintheBrazilianprovinceofRioGrandedoSul,havegivenmesomepersonalacquaintancewiththesubject。

  Itis,ofcourse,tobetakenintoconsiderationthatmytwojourneysinParaguayweremadeafterthegreatwarwhichterminatedin1870,afterlastingfouryears;butthewritingsofDemersay`HistoireduParaguayetdesE/tablissementsdesJe/suites\',Paris,1862,thoseofBrabo,andofAzara,showthedesertedstateofthedistrictofMisionesintheperiodfrom1767,thedateoftheexpulsionoftheJesuits,tothemiddleofthenineteenthcentury。

  TheactualconditionoftherichdistrictofMisionesParaguay

  atthetimeIvisitedit,shortlyaftertheconclusionofthegreatwarbetweenParaguayandBrazilin1870,doesnotenablemetospeakwithauthorityontheconditionofcommunities,theguidingspiritsofwhichwereexpelledasfarbackastheyear1767。

  Theactualbuildingsofthemissions,thechurchesinadismantledstate,haveindeedsurvived;inmanyinstancesthetalldate

  palmstheJesuitsplantedstillwaveoverthem。GenerallythecollegewasoccupiedbytheIndianAlcalde,whocameouttomeetthevisitoronahorseifhepossessedone,withasmuchsilveraboutthebridleandstirrupsashecouldafford,clothedinwhite,withacloakofredbaize,alarge`jipi

  japa\'hat,andsilverspursbuckledonhisnakedfeet。

  Ifhehadneverleftthemission,hetalkedwithwonderandrespectofthetimesoftheJesuits,andatthe`oracion\'kneltdowntopraywhereverthesoundoftheangelusmightcatchhim。

  Hischildrenbeforebedtimekneltallinarowtoaskhisblessing。

  IfhehadbeentoAsuncion,heprobablyremarkedthatthepeopleunderthoseaccursedpriestswerenaughtbutanimalsandslaves,andlaunchedintosomedisquisitionhehadheardinthesolitarycafewhichAsuncionthenboasted。Inthelattercase,aftermuchoftherightsofmanandthedutiesofhospitality,hegenerallypresentedyouwithaheavybillforIndiancornand`pindo\'whichyourhorsehadeaten。

  Intheformer,usuallyhebadeyougowithGod,and,ifyouspokeofpayment,said:`Well,sendmeabookofHourswhenyougettoAsuncion。\'

  `CocosAustralis\'。

  OfIndians,hardlyanywerelefttojudgeof,forinthevillagesinwhich,accordingtothereportsfurnishedtoBucareli,theViceroyofBuenosAyresatthetimeoftheexpulsionoftheJesuits,thepopulationnumberedinthethirtytownsofthemissionsonehundredandtwentythousand,

  apopulationofatmosttwentythousandwastobefound。

  Oneverysidethepowerfulvegetationhadcoveredupthefields。

  Onruinedchurchandchapel,andonbrokentower,thelianasclimbedasifontrees,creepingupthebelfries,andthrowinggreatmassesofscarletandpurpleflowersoutoftheapertureswhereoncewerehungthebells。Inthethickjunglesafewhalf

  wildcattlestillweretobefound。Thevast`estancias\',whereoncetheJesuitsbrandedtwoandthreethousandcalvesayear,andfromwhencethousandsofmuleswentforthtoChileandBolivia,wereallneglected。Horseswerescarceandpoor,cropsfewandindifferent,andtheplantationsmadebytheJesuitsofthetree`IlexParaguayensis\'

  fromwhichismadethe`yerbamate\',werealldestroyed。

  SeethereportsoftheMarquesdeValdeliriosandothersinthepublicationsofFranciscoJavierBrabo,Madrid,1872,andinthe`EnsayodelaHistoriaCivildeParaguay,Buenos

  AyresyTucuman\',porDr。DonGregorioFunes,BuenosAyres,1816。

  Inthevastforests,stretchingtotheSaltodeGuayra,afewscatteredtribes,knownasCaaguas,roamedthroughthethickets,orencampeduponthestreams。Inthethirtytowns,oncefulloflifeandstir,ineveryoneofwhichtherewasachurch,finer,asanoldSpanishwritersays,thananyinBuenosAyres,therewasnaughtbutdesolationanddespair。TheIndianseitherhadreturnedintothewoods,beenkilledintheceaselessrevolutionarywars,orhadbeenabsorbedintotheGauchopopulationsofCorrientes,RioGrande,EntreRios,andofSantaFe。

  ItmaybethatallIndianracesaredestinedtodisappeariftheycomeintocontactwithEuropeans;certainly,experiencewouldseemtoconfirmthesupposition。ThepolicyoftheJesuits,however,wasbasedonisolationoftheirmissions,andhowthismighthaveworkedismatteratleastforspeculation。Itwasonaccountoftheisolationwhichtheypractisedthatitwaspossiblefortheextravagantcalumnieswhichwerecirculatedastotheirruleandrichestogainbelief。

  Itwasonaccountofisolationthatthefirstconflictsarosebetwixtthemandtheauthorities,bothclericalandlay。ThattheJesuitsweremorehighlyesteemedthantheotherreligiousordersinSpanishAmericaintheseventeenthcentury,thesayingcurrentinthosedays,`Losdemasvana/un~a,losJesuitasa/una\'

  i。e。,Theothersgetalltheycan,buttheJesuitshaveoneaimtheconversionoftheIndians

  seemstoshow。

  ItisnotmypurposetodealwiththeprobablereasonswhichinducedtheirexpulsioninEurope。Sufficeittosaythat,whatevercrimesormisdemeanourstheywereguiltyof,theywerenevercalledontoanswerbeforeanytribunals,andthatinmanyinstancestheyweretreated,especiallyinPortugal,withgreatcrueltyandinjustice。

  Theburning,attheageofeighty,oftheunfortunateMalagridainLisbonundertheauspicesofPombal,forabookwhichitseemsimprobablehecouldhavewritteninprisonatsogreatanage,andwhich,moreover,wasneverbroughtintocourt,onlysupposedextractsfromitbeingread,mayserveasanexample。InorderclearlytounderstandthepositionoftheJesuitsinAmerica,andespeciallyinParaguayandBolivia,itisnecessarytoglancebrieflyatthehistoryofthefirstconquestoftheriverPlate。

  ThediscoveryofAmericaopeneduptoEurope,andespeciallytoSpain,opportunitiesforexpansionofnationalterritoryandindividualadvancementwhichnoepoch,eitherbeforeorsince,hasequalled。

  FromaclusterofsmallStates,strugglingforexistenceagainstapowerfulenemyontheirownsoil,inafewyearsSpainbecamethegreatestempireoftheworld。Theresultwasthataspiritofadventureandadesiretogrowrichspeedilypossessedallclasses。Inadditiontothis,everySpaniardinAmericaduringthefirstfewyearsoftheconquestseemedtoconsiderhimself,tosomeextent,notonlyasaconqueror,butalsoasamissionary。

  Now,missionariesandconquerorsaremen,onthewhole,moreimbuedwiththeirownimportanceandsanctity,andlessdisposedtoconsiderconsequences,thanalmostanyotherclassesofmankind。Theconjunctionofthetwoinonedisposedthe`conquistadores\'ofAmericatoimaginethat,nomatterhowcrueloroutrageoustheirtreatmentoftheIndianswas,theyatonedforallbytheintroductionofwhattheyconsideredtheblessingoftheknowledgeofthetruefaith。Itwillbeseenatoncethat,ifonecandeterminewithaccuracywhichofthemany`faiths\'preachedabouttheworldisactuallythetruefaith,amanwhoisinpossessionofitisactingproperlyinendeavouringtodiffuseit。ThemeanestsoldierinthevariousarmieswhichleftSpaintoconquerAmericaseemstohavehadnodoubtaboutthematter。

  BernalDiazdelCastillo,who,ashehimselfrelates,cametoAmericaattheageofeighteen,andthereforecouldhavehadlittlepreviousopportunityofstudyingtheology,andwho,moreover,wasunfittedtodosobythewantofknowledgeofLatin,towhichhehimselfconfesses,yetattheendofhishistoryoftheconquestofMexico,oneofthemostinterestingbookseverwritten,hasthefollowingpassage:

  `Butitistobenotedthat,afterGod,itwaswe,therealconquerors,whodiscoveredthem[theIndians]andconqueredthem;andfromthefirstwetookawaytheiridols,andtaughtthemourholydoctrine,andtousisduetherewardandcreditofitall,beforeanyotherpeople,eventhoughtheybechurchmen:forwhenthebeginningisgood,themiddleandendingisgood,whichthecurious[i。e。,attentive]readermayseeintheChristianpolityandjusticewhichweshowedtheminNewSpain。

  `AndIwillleavethematter,andtelltheotherbenefitswhich,afterGod,byouragency,cametothenativesofNewSpain。\'

  BernalDiaz,`HistoriadelaConquistadelaNuevaEspan~a\',vol。iv。,cap。207,Madrid,1796。

  Onewouldimagine,onreadingtheaboveextract,BernalDiazhadneverkilledanIndianinhislife,andthathehadsacrificedhisprospectsincomingtoMexicosolelytointroduce`aChristianpolityandjustice\'

  amongsttheinhabitants。Yethewasnohypocrite,butastoutsagacioussoldier,evenkindly,accordingtohislights,andwithaloveofanimalsuncommoninaSpaniard,forhehaspreservedthenamesandqualitiesofallthehorsesandmareswhichcameoverinthefleetfromtheHavanawithCortes。Thephrase,`despuesdeDios\'

  afterGodoccursrepeatedlyinthewritingsofalmostallthe`conquistadores\'ofAmerica。Having,afterGod,conqueredAmerica,thefirstactionoftheconquerorswastosetaboutmakingtheirfortunes。

  Inthosecountrieswhichproducedgoldandsilver,asMexicoandPeru,theyworkedtheminesbythelabouroftheIndians,thecrueltiesandhardshipsbeingsogreatthat,inaletterofPhilipII。totheComedeChinchon,theViceroyofPeru,datedMadrid,April30,1639,writtenfiftyyearsafterthediscovery,hesays:`TheseIndiansflee,becomeill,anddie,andhavebeguntodiminishgreatlyinnumber,andtheywillbefinishedsoonunlessanefficientremedyisprovidedshortly。\'

  Especiallynotingdowntheappearanceandqualitiesof`elcaballoMotilla\',thehorseofGonzalodeSandoval。ThusdoesheminutelydescribeMotilla,`thebesthorseinCastilleortheIndies\'。`Elmejorcaballo,ydemejorcarrera,revueltoa/unamanoya\\otraquedecianquenosehabiavistomejorenCastilla,nienesatierraeracastan~oacastan~ado,yunaestrellaenlafrente,yunpieizquierdocalzado,quesedeciaelcaballoMotilla;

  e/quandohayahoradiferenciasobrebuenoscaballos,suclendeciresenbondadtanbuenocomoMotilla。\'

  InParaguaytherewerenomines,buttherewereothermethodsofextractingmoneyfromtheIndians。AtthefirstconquestParaguaywasnotthelittlecountryboundedonthewestbytheParaguay,onthesouthbytheParana,onthenorthbytheAquidaban,andontheeastbySierraofMbaracavu,asitisatpresent。

  Onthecontrary,itembracedalmostallthatimmenseterritoryknownto

  dayastheArgentineConfederation,someoftheRepublicofUruguay,andagreatportionofBrazil,embracingmuchoftheprovincesofMisiones,RioGrandedoSul,Parana,andMattoGrosso,aswellasParaguayitself。

  Howthelittlecountry,twelvehundredmilesfromthesea,cametogiveitsnametosuchanenormousterritory,andtohavetheseatofgovernmentatAsuncion,demandssomeexplanation。

  PeruandChilewerediscoveredandoccupiedsometimebeforetheeasternsideofSouthAmerica。Theirrichesnaturallydrewgreatattentiontothem;butthevoyage,firsttoCartagenadeIndias,andthenacrosstheisthmus,andthere

  embarkationagainonthePacific,werebothcostlyandarduous。IthadbeentheambitionofallexplorerstodiscoversomeriverwhichwouldleadfromtheAtlantictotheminesofPeruandwhatisnowBolivia,thenknownasAltaPeru。

  Ofcourse,thismighthavebeenachievedbyascendingtheAmazon,especiallyaftertheadventurousdescentofitbyOrellana,ofwhichFrayGaspardeCarbajalhasleftsocuriousadescription;

  but,whetheronaccountofthedistanceorforsomeotherreason,itneverseemstohavebeenattempted。

  In1526SebastianCabotleftSpainwiththreesmallvesselsandacaravelfortheobjectofreachingtheMoluccasorSpiceIslands。

  ItwashispurposetoreachthemthroughtheStraitsofMagellan。

  Beingcompelledbywantofsuppliestoabandonhisroute,heenteredabroadestuary,andascendeditundertheimpressionthathehaddiscoveredanotherchanneltothePacific。Hesoonfoundhismistake,andbegantoexplorethesurroundingcountry。Fifteenyearsbefore,withthesameobject,JuandeSolishadenteredthesameestuary。

  OntheislandofMartinGarciahewaskilledbyaChanaIndian,andhisexpeditionreturnedhome。Hearingthattherewasmuchsilveratthehead

  waters,hehadcalledittheRiodelaPlata。

  Ifwetakethehead

  watersoftheriverPlatetobesituatedinBolivia,therecertainlywasmuchsilverthere;butCabotwasunawarethatthehead

  waterswereabovetwothousandmilesfromtheestuary,andhewasnotdestinedtocomenearthem。HedidgoasfarasapointontheriverCaracara,inwhatisnowtheprovinceofSantaFe,andtherehebuiltafortwhichhenamedEspirituSanto,thefirstSpanishsettlementinthatpartofAmerica。

  WhilstatEspirituSanto,severalexploringpartiesweresenttoscourthecountry。Oneofthem,underasoldierofthenameofCesar,neverreturned。Tradition,alwayseagertomakeuptohistoryforitswantofinterest,assertedthataftermarchingforyearstheyreachedacity。PerhapsitwasthemysticTrapalandaofwhichtheGauchosusedtodiscourseatnightwhenseatedroundafireofbonesuponthepampa。Perhapssomeother,forenchantedcitiesandEldoradoswereplentifulinthosedaysinAmerica,alternatingwithoccasionalempires,asthatofPuytita,neartheLagunadelosXarayes,Manoa,andtheCiudaddelosCesares,supposedtobesituatednearAraucointheChilianAndes。However,oneofthepartyactuallyreturnedafteryears,andrelatedhisadventurestoRuyDiazdeGuzman,

  thefirsthistorianofParaguay。ThusitwasthatthestreamofadventurerswaseverseekingforachanneltotheminesofPerufromtheAtlanticcoast。

  CabotappearstohaveascendedtheParanatotheislandofApipe,andthen,returning,enteredtheriverParaguay。HavingascendedpastwhatisnowAsuncion,thecapitalofParaguay,CabotencounteredIndiansfromthenorthwhotoldhimoftheminesinPeruandinBolivia,probablyunawarethatCabotknewofthemalready。Atthispoint,encouragedbywhatheheard,hegavethenameofRiodelaPlatatowhathadpreviouslybeenknowneitherasLaMarDulceorElRiodeSolis。

  Likemostnameswhicharewronglygiven,itremainedtotestifytothewantofknowledgeofthegiver。Fouryearsafter,CabotreturnedtoSpain,havingfailedtoattractattentiontohisdiscoveries。

  InthefaceofthewealthwhichwaspouringinfromthePeruvianmines,anotherexpeditionstartedfortheriverPlate。ItsGeneral

  forinSpainthetitlewasusedindifferentlybylandandsea

  wasDonPedrodeMendoza,agentlemanofGuadixinAlmeria,andamemberofthehouseholdofCharlesV。

  `LaArgentina\',includedinthe`ColecciondeAngelis\',BuenosAyres,1836。

  DonPedrohadseenserviceintheItalianwars,andseemstohavebeenamanofcharacterandbravery,butwantinginthediscretionandthenecessarytactessentialinthefounderofacolony。

  In1534theexpeditionstarted,unfortunatealmostfromthefirst。

  Ina`certainisland\',asthehistorianoftheexpedition,HuldericoSchmidel,aGermanorFlemishsoldier,callsRioJaneiro,adisputeoccurredbetweenDonPedroandhissecondincommand,JuandeOsorio。

  Atacourt

  martialhelduponOsorio,DonPedroappearstohaveletfallsomeremarkswhichJuandeAyolas,theAlguazilMayorChiefConstable,seemstohavetakenupasanorderforinstantexecution。

  Thisheperformeduponthespot,plunginghisdaggerrepeatedlyintoOsorio,or,asHuldericoSchmidelhasit,`sewinghimupwithcuts\'

  `cosiendolea\\pun~aladas\'。Thismurderorexecution

  forwhoshalltellwhenmurderfinishesanditslegalcounterpartbegins?

  renderedDonPedroveryunpopularwithallthefleet;for,asSchmidelhasitinhishistory,`thesoldierslovedOsorio。\'TobelovedbythesoldierswastheonlychanceaSpanishofficerhadinthosetimesofholdinghisown。

  BothSchmidelandBernalDiazdelCastillo,whohadbothbeencommonsoldiers,andwho,curiously,bothwrotehistories,losenooccasionofvilifyingofficerswhousedthesoldiershardly。ItistruethatBernalDiazwho,unlikeSchmidel,wasamanofgeniusdoessowithsomediscretion,andalwaysapparentlywithreason。Schmidel,ontheotherhand,seemstohaveconsideredthatanyofficerwhointerferedbetweenthesoldiersandtheIndianswasatyrant,andhencehisdenunciationofAlvarNunez,underwhomheserved。

  `HistoriayDescubrimientodeelRiodelaPlatayParaguay\',HuldericoSchmidel,containedinthecollectionmadebyAndresGonzalezBarcia,andpublishedin1769atMadridunderthetitleof`HistoriadoresPrimitivosdelasIndiasOccidentales\'。

  In1535theexpeditionenteredtheriverPlate。HereMendoza,withhisusualwantofjudgment,pitcheduponwhatisnowthesiteofBuenosAyresasthespotonwhichtofoundhiscolony。

  Itwouldbedifficulttoselectamoreinconvenientplaceinwhichtofoundatown。ThesiteofBuenosAyresisalmostlevelwiththewatersoftheriverPlate,whichthereareshallow

  soshallowthatlargevesselscouldnotapproachnearerthantentofifteenmiles。Withoutaharbour,theanchoragewasexposedtothefullfuryofthesouth

  westgales,knownas`pamperos\'。

  However,ifthesitewasbadtheairwasgood;atleast,itseemsso,foracaptainoftheexpeditionexclaimedonlanding,`Quebuenosairessonestos!\'andhencethename。Hereeverysortofevilchancecameonthenewborncolony。ThePampaIndians,whomthehistorianSchmidelseemstohaveonlyknownbytheirGuaraninameofQuerandis,atfirstwerefriendly。Afteralittlewhiletheyceasedtobringprovisions,andtheGeneralsentoutanexpeditiontocompelthemunderhisbrother,DonDiegodeMendoza。ItdoesnotseemtohaveoccurredtoDonPedrodeMendozathat,hadthe`cacique\'oftheQuerandislandedinSpain,noonewouldhavebroughthimprovisionsforasingledaywithoutreceivingpayment。However,DonPedrohadcometoAmericatointroducecivilizationandChristianity,andtherefore,knowing,likeBernalDiazandtheotherconquerors,hisownmoralworth,wasjustlyindignantthatafteradayortwotheIndiansrefusedhimmoresupplies。IntheencounterwhichtookplacebetweentheSpaniardsandtheIndians,DonDiegodeMendozawasslain,andwithhimseveralothers。Hereforthefirsttimewehearofthebolas,orthreestonesunited,likeaManxman\'slegs,withstripsofhide,withwhich,asHuldericoSchmideltellsus,theIndianscaughtthehorsesbythelegsandthrewthemdown。AfterthisforetasteofEuropeanjustice,theIndiansbesiegedthenewly

  builttownandbroughtittogreatstraits,somuchsothat,afterthreemenhadbeenhungforstealingahorse,inthemorningitwasdiscoveredtheyhadbeencutdownandeaten。

  InthisdesperatestateDonPedrodespatchedJuandeAyolastogetsupplies。

  He,havingobtainedsomemaizefromtheTimbuIndians,returned,leavingahundredofhismeninalittlefort,calledCorpusChristi,closetoEspirituSanto,thefortwhichCabothadconstructed。

  ThefriendlinessoftheTimbusinducedDonPedrotoabandonBuenosAyresandmovetoCorpusChristi。Thereherepairedwithaboutfivehundredmen,allwhoremainedofthetwothousandsixhundredandthirtywithwhichhesailedfromCadiz。Thehorsesheabandonedonthepampa;

  theretheybecametheancestorsoftheinnumerableherdswhichatonetimeoverspreadtheArgentineRepublicfromtheChacotoPatagonia,andwhosedescendantstothisdaystockthe`estancias\'ofthatcountry。

  ThegreatLasCasas,whomadesevenvoyagesfromAmericatoSpain

  thelastattheageofseventy

  two

  toprotecttheIndians,hadastrongopinionabout`conquerors\'and`conquests\'。

  InthededicationofhisgreattreatiseonthewrongsoftheIndians,hesays:`QuenopermitaFelipeII。lasatrocidadesquelostiranosinventaron,yqueprosiguenhaciendocontitulode\"conquistas\"。Losquesejactandeser\"conquistadores\"

  aquedesciendendeellossonmuchomasorgullososarrogantesyvanosquelosotrosEspan~oles。\'Strangethatevento

  daythesame`atrocidades\'of`tiranos\'aregoingoninAfrica。

  Nodoubtthedescendantsofthese`conquerors\'willbeasarrogant,proud,andvainasthedescendantsofthe`conquistadores\'

  ofwhomLasCasaswrites。

  Mendozaleft`AzaraApuntamientosparalaHistoriaNaturaldelosQuadrupedesdelParaguay\',etc。fivemaresandsevenhorsesintheyear1535。In1580DonJuandeGaray,atthesecondfoundingofthecity,alreadyfoundtroopsofwildhorses。Thecattleincreasedtoamarvellousextent,andbytheendofthecenturywerewildinPatagonia。Sarmiento`CivilisationetBarbarisme\'

点击下载App,搜索"A Vanished Arcadia",免费读到尾