note-worthy. Mounted police, with great sun helmets and white drill clothes, are in evidence at the railway stations, and, although uniformed and bearing swords and revolvers, they seldom wear socks or boots, but content themselves with the simple alpagatos or straw shoes which are common throughout the country. The poncho is very popular with most of the inhabitants of the plains, a really serviceable and sensible form of covering.
At Mercedes a few sun-bleached coaches betray the existence of some important town in the vicinity, although it is not visible from the railway station. Trains laden with hot, uncomfortable cattle and sheep are drawn up in sidings to permit the passenger trains to pass. Carts drawn by oxen and horses lumber along the dusty roads. Much of the country in the north of Corrientes is swampy, and an abundance of bird life clusters around the margin of the shallow lakes. Storks wade through the pools, plover, snipe, pigeon, and rooks hover in the air, and palm trees grow here and there in little clumps, giving a tropical touch to a landscape which but for them has no special feature, save that of monotony. When violent storms of wind, rain, and lightning visit these camps—and their terrific force is indescribable—the whole horizon from east to west is lit up by flashes of blinding intensity, following one another in such rapid succession that they merge together and form long periods of illumination, varied at intervals by streaks of forked lightning which stab the earth with destructive force. Deaths from lightning are not uncommon in this quarter of the continent, the continual roll of loud thunder is deafening, like the near report of a battery of heavy ordnance—the rain descends in torrents, an awe-inspiring deluge, which converts great tracts of the low-lying land into shallow lakes.
Corrientes, the capital of the State, could hardly be described as a fine city or town. It is undergoing some improvements, which will render it a little less destructive to carriage springs and trying to weak ankles. The streets until recently were frightful, one mass of rugged boulders that would baffle the ingenuity of the sure-footed mule to negotiate. The authorities are at work, endeavouring to make the roads and streets passable, but during the operations, which have been started all over the town simultaneously, confusion reigns. The town lies on the western bank of the Parana River, a little below the point where it meets the
IGEASU FALLS ON THE ALTO PARANA.
Paraguay; and during the summer months heat, dullness, and sand are its principal attractions. Almost every other house bears a brass plate signifying that a lawyer or doctor resides within, surely an unpropitious omen for the peace and happiness of the inhabitants. Very few shops of any importance enliven the dismal solitude of the streets, and the business houses and warehouses have unpretentious exteriors, and even before and after the siesta hours from eleven to two they are anything but animated. There is a considerable trade passing through the port, however, which makes the river front the liveliest portion of the town. In the Plaza there is the prescribed statue of San Martin, the cathedral, bandstand, and ornamental garden. One ancient building takes up almost the entire side of the square. It is weather-stained, faded, and worn, its dilapidated front bears evidence of antiquity, and tradition says that it is contemporaneous with the foundation of the city. The general decay which has spread over most of the neighbouring buildings is more apparent on this ancient residence of the Governor of the State. Its strongly barred windows suggest a prison rather than a palace, but in days gone by Governors were not the most popular persons in the Spanish colonies, and they needed a strong protection from the disaffected. The Government buildings in the Plaza are in the modern French Renaissance style, their high mansard roofs and delicate plaster ornamentations incongruously placed amidst the heavier and less fanciful styles of the early colonial architecture. The cathedral, which is of the usual type, is lit by the modern electric light, although the priests who administer to the religious needs, and light up the spiritual darkness of the population, still array themselves in the rough brown robes of their order. At one corner of the Plaza stands a large house of one story, with a richly ornamented front in the classical style; through its open door a glimpse is caught of a beautiful patio filled with palms, vines, and plants. These patios are the only bright spots in the city, and even the most forbidding and dirty-looking habitations are rich in the possession of these cheery, verdant bowers. Some of the “posadas” or inns are picturesque enough to look at, particularly if they are regarded from the point of view of a lover of ruins, but as hostelries they do not offer much attraction, for their tottering walls threaten to engulf the inmates, particularly when a good storm is raging. Under the verandahs groups of women sit gossiping and smoking big cigars, which they puff with real enjoyment. A strange medley of animals lies around—dogs, cats, monkeys, pigs, and the curious carpincha, whilst through the turned wooden bars that screen the windows handsome young faces framed with brightly covered scarves peep out at the few passers-by.
OLD HOUSES IN CORRIENTES.
When leaving Corrientes by the steamer it is wise to engage the services of one of the peons who are attached to the landing-stage. These watermen, who are always to be found upon the wharf, keep their attention riveted upon the river, and as the hour at which the steamers arrive is rather uncertain, the advantages of having a watchman who will give timely warning to intending voyagers is apparent. At any hour of the twenty-four the vessel may arrive, and as it remains only a few minutes alongside the quay, it is well for passengers to be at hand.