stoutly maintained that the battle of Trafalgar was merely won by the
Spanish captains having been all bought over; and that the only really
gallant action on either side was performed by the Spanish admiral. It
struck me as rather characteristic, that this man should prefer his
countrymen being thought the worst of traitors, rather than unskilful
or cowardly.
18th and 19th.--We continued slowly to sail down the noble stream: the
current helped us but little. We met, during our descent, very few
vessels. One of the best gifts of nature, in so grand a channel of
communication, seems here wilfully thrown away--a river in which ships
might navigate from a temperate country, as surprisingly abundant in
certain productions as destitute of others, to another possessing a
tropical climate, and a soil which, according to the best of judges, M.
Bonpland, is perhaps unequalled in fertility in any part of the world.
How different would have been the aspect of this river if English
colonists had by good fortune first sailed up the Plata! What noble
towns would now have occupied its shores! Till the death of Francia,
the Dictator of Paraguay, these two countries must remain distinct, as
if placed on opposite sides of the globe. And when the old
bloody-minded tyrant is gone to his long account, Paraguay will be torn
by revolutions, violent in proportion to the previous unnatural calm.
That country will have to learn, like every other South American state,
that a republic cannot succeed till it contains a certain body of men
imbued with the principles of justice and honour.
October 20th.--Being arrived at the mouth of the Parana, and as I was
very anxious to reach Buenos Ayres, I went on shore at Las Conchas,
with the intention of riding there. Upon landing, I found to my great
surprise that I was to a certain degree a prisoner. A violent
revolution having broken out, all the ports were laid under an embargo.
I could not return to my vessel, and as for going by land to the city,
it was out of the question. After a long conversation with the
commandant, I obtained permission to go the next day to General Rolor,
who commanded a division of the rebels on this side the capital. In
the morning I rode to the encampment. The general, officers, and
soldiers, all appeared, and I believe really were, great villains. The
general, the very evening before he left the city, voluntarily went to
the Governor, and with his hand to his heart, pledged his word of
honour that he at least would remain faithful to the last. The general
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