An excursion should be made from Buenos Aires to La Plata; according to one’s taste and pocketbook, to Mar del Plata. A visit to an estancia will be greatly enjoyed if permission can be obtained from the proprietor; but the large ones near the city are few in number and obviously it would be inconvenient for them to entertain all passing travelers. With friends at court, the few may be able to arrange a visit.
ON THE RIVER TIGRE
LEGISLATIVE BUILDING, LA PLATA
At estancias far out on the campo it is different, and the rare stranger is pretty sure to receive a welcome.
La Plata. The excursion requires a full long day. The journey is made by rail from the fine large station on the Plaza Constitución, by the Southern Railway, the F. C. S. The first important station is Quilmes, 9 km., a historic spot, taking its name from an Indian tribe which was conquered and deported in 1670. Here landed, June 25, 1806, the English General Beresford with 2000 soldiers for the capture of Buenos Aires, meeting with temporary success; and off shore Feb. 24, 1827, Admiral Brown defeated the Brazilian squadron during a war for the possession of Uruguay. A pretty Gothic church may be seen from the station. On the edge of the town is a vineyard, a brewery also. So far come electric cars, starting from a bridge over the Riachuelo in the part of the city called Barracas. From the station Pereyra, 39 kilometers, a branch road goes to the port of Ensenada, and in this vicinity are several large estancias, the San Juan, the Pereyra, and the Estancia Grande. Fifty-seven kilometers southeast of Buenos Aires and five from Ensenada is La Plata, a city made to order, like Washington, to be the capital, not of the Republic, but of the Province, we should say State, of Buenos Aires, after the city, B. A., had been made the Federal Capital. The decree was promulgated Nov. 19, 1882. The city is well planned with rectangular blocks, but with the addition of many diagonal boulevards, of parks and plazas. On account of the wonderful growth of Buenos Aires, so near, the development of La Plata has not equaled expectations, as for many years was the case with our own capital, Washington; but in time, like that, it will become a splendid city. The chief points worthy of observation are the various Government Buildings, the Casa de Gobierno, residence and offices of the Governor, the Legislative Hall, the City Building (Municipalidad), the Dirección de Escuelas, the Department of Engineers, the great University Buildings, the Astronomical Observatory founded by the Government in 1883, and most famous of all, the Museum. A carriage may be hired at the station at one peso an hour, or a tramcar will make a considerable circuit, fare 10 centavos. A large Asylum for Mendicants, satisfying an important social necessity, has been erected by the philanthropist, Placide Martin.
The La Plata Museum (open fête days including Sundays from 1 to 4), having a world-wide reputation for its large collection, anthropological and ethnological, was founded Sept. 17, 1884, by Francisco P. Moreno. While the departments mentioned are the most famous, the museum also contains sections devoted to zoology, geology and mineralogy, and to archæology. The substantial architecture of the building and the arrangement of the interior and of the specimens is equal to that of European collections. Unscientific persons will be interested in many of the objects presented, the stuffed animals, the skeletons of prehistoric creatures, the mummies, the pottery, and other objects.
Mar del Plata, called the Newport of South America, is an extremely expensive and fashionable seaside resort about 250 miles from Buenos Aires. The night trains with Pullman cars are well patronized. In the summer season tickets must be procured in advance and rooms engaged at the hotels. The Hotel Bristol, American plan, 12 pesos up, is the most luxurious, equipped with every possible convenience. The Grand, Victoria, Royal and many others are very comfortable.
The city has more than 10,000 inhabitants, with boulevards, plazas, splendid chalets and “cottages” of the Newport fashion. There are casinos, theaters, golf course, bathing establishments, and everything requisite for a resort of wealth and fashion on the grandest scale.