Part 13

The arrangements in May, 1822, were the best that I have seen. The weather--indeed, every thing combined in its favour. Children of both sexes, dressed in fanciful costume, danced upon a stage in the Plaza, and at the theatre, and were drawn through the streets upon ornamental cars, by persons disguised as lions, tigers, and leopards. The music of the Plaza dance even now dwells upon my mind, producing remembrances I can scarcely account for. Its soft and pretty music ought to make it a standard dance for the 25th May. In this May, of 1822, I was delighted, and, for the moment, relieved from worldly cares. I strayed, at evening, about the Plaza: the mimic angels I could almost fancy real; and the sweet dark-eyed girls that every moment met my eye were, to me, Houris of Mahomet's Paradise. The illusion was complete: but, alas! like all other earthly pleasures, it has passed away--would that I could add, as a "dream slightly remembered." A troop of equestrians rode through the streets, dressed like Astley's horsemen, and masqued: they proceeded to the Alameda, and fixing a small ring to a cord in the middle, they each endeavoured to pull it down at full gallop.

In 1823, the weather was cold and wet. The Quaker made an effort to light the Police-Office with gas; it only partially succeeded: the words _Viva la Patria_ blazed out at intervals. Considering the obstacles, I am astonished he did so much.

In 1824, the weather was fine; but, to me, the affair appeared altogether inferior to 1822. There was no dancing, or Astley's troop; the fire-works were something better, and were judiciously placed on the arch, instead of the Cathedral, as heretofore.

On the 25th of May, the governor and the public officers, with the dignitaries of the church, walk in state to the Cathedral church, at which there is a solemn service.

In 1824, the new governor, Don Gregorio Heras, gave a grand dinner at the Fort: 120 sat down, including the American minister, the English consul and two vice-consuls, and many foreigners. The dessert was superb; not like those we have, but chiefly of sweetmeats; sugar castles, fortifications, and other designs made up of this latter article.

Velarde gave a very comic description of the Fiestas, at the theatre, in blank verse, in the character of a Gaucho, seated with his companions round a fire, smoking, to whom he is relating the events of the day, and, among the rest, of the English sailor climbing the mast like a cat. This actor displays abilities of no ordinary merit in this style of acting.

These four days passed without a single robbery, or even the dread of such an event. Few cities in Europe can boast as much, with a population of 60,000 persons.

It is said, that the diversions of the 25th of May, from the expense, and uncertainty of the weather, are to be discontinued, or at least postponed to another part of the year. I hope they are not to be done away with. Some few hours may surely be taken from the cares of life, and devoted to enjoyment, in spite of the heartless censure of the few.

It is not my intention to enter into an historical detail of the political events that have agitated this country since the declaration of its independence: they would alone occupy more space than I have proposed to myself for these Remarks. The notice of a few events, however, connected with public affairs, since my residence in this city, and of public men, may not be uninteresting in this place.

The year 1820, in which I arrived, was remarkable for its frequent political changes. Scarcely any of the several chiefs, who rapidly succeeded each other at the head of government, retained their power more than a few weeks, till Don Martin Rodriguez, at the head of his Colorados,[32] or Red Men, (so named from the colour of their _ponchos_, or cloaks), having succeeded in an attack upon the town, put down the Civicas, or militia, who, although appointed to preserve the peace of the city, by their frequent insurrections, kept it in a constant state of agitation. A battle was fought in the streets of the town, and many lives were lost. He was finally confirmed Governor, on the 6th October, 1820, and continued in office for three years, the period prescribed by law. Since that time the government has assumed an appearance of stability, and improvements have taken place in every department of the administration.

[32] These Colorados are all cavalry. I saw them drawn up in the Plaza; and, whilst gazing at the singularity of their appearance, one of them claimed me a countryman of his. He spoke to me in English, and told me he had been fourteen years in the country. He was, probably, one of Beresford's men; many of whom, as well as deserters from Whitelock's army, are to be found in the province. Some of them, from having been so long accustomed to the Spanish language, have absolutely forgotten their own; of this I have known several instances.

These British deserters find various employments. Hearing an Irish cobler, one day, in a miserable stall, bewailing his sad lot, and regretting that he had left the army; I asked him what army? "By Jasus," said he, one of "Whitelock's regiment; and if I was in it now, I should have a comfortable pension by this time."--"Why did you leave it?"--"They embarked without me."--"Or, in other words, you deserted."--"By the powers! you have hit it; and a bad day's job I made of it," said he.

Don Martin Rodriguez is a tall, well-looking man, and a good soldier. Without the possession of any very shining abilities, he has done more for the benefit of the state than any of his predecessors, and retired from office with the esteem of all parties. He was succeeded by Don Gregorio Heras, the present governor, in April, 1824.

During his government, Rodriguez owed much to the able administration of Don Bernadino Rivadavia, who may be considered the William Pitt of Buenos Ayres. He entered office, as minister, in 1821, and left it with Señor Rodriguez; the law requiring that ministers should resign, or be re-elected, with the new governor. Mr. R. was strenuously entreated to continue in his situation; but he steadily refused, and his friends deplored the determination. One of the first acts of his administration was to annihilate privateering.[33] By him the revenue was simplified and increased; public plunderers could no longer escape detection; and his firmness awed the disturbers of public peace, and made the province respected by foreigners. In the suppression of the monasteries, he encountered every species of obloquy from a certain class. Now that passion has in some degree subsided, his opponents, and even the priesthood, must allow, that he had no other motive but his country's good; and they cannot deny him the merit of disinterestedness and unshaken resolution. Strangers of all descriptions are grateful to him for the protection and attention he has shewn them, and the encouragement given to their pursuits, which add to the capital and prosperity of the country. The greatest eulogium that can be bestowed upon Mr. Rivadavia's government is a comparison of Buenos Ayres in 1821 and 1824, the periods when he accepted and when he retired from office. His administration forms an æra in the political annals of the state, and will rank him as an able--nay, more--an honest minister. His system, it is said, will be strictly followed by his successors: I trust it may, for the good of their country.

[33] A great deal of money was made and lost by speculators, at the time privateering was allowed in Buenos Ayres. The last vessel that sailed was the _Heroine_ (formerly the French _Braak_), commanded by a North American, named Mason, and which was captured by the Portuguese frigate _Perola_. Mason has been confined at Lisbon, more than two years. His wife, an English lady, and large family, reside in Buenos Ayres.

Mr. Rivadavia was bred to the law. He has been represented to me as a man of strong passions, with nothing of the courtier in his manners, which, at times, approach to abruptness. The three years he was in office have proved that he possesses first rate talents as a statesman. Political as well as personal enemies every man must expect, in a situation like his; and though such a consideration might not have intimidated him from again accepting office, very possibly it might have had some influence, conceiving, that, as the foundation was laid for a good system of government, they should not reproach him with clinging to office for the sake of power and emolument.

Mr. Rivadavia has visited both France and England in a public capacity, and has again sailed for Europe, in the _Walsingham_ packet, in part to superintend the education of his son, who is now, I believe, in the college of Stonyhurst. He will carry with him a distinguished name; before, he was in a manner unknown. He speaks a little English, and very good French.

In person, Mr. Rivadavia has some peculiarities; and were he much before the public in London, I fear, he would not long escape the wicked pencils of our caricaturists: should it be so, he cannot complain; he will find the king, and the first people in the realm, not spared by them. His figure is short and thick, with a dark complexion; and he generally walks with one arm behind him. He wears black clothes, with tight pantaloons, displaying Herculean limbs.

As an orator, Mr. Rivadavia is not very imposing; he has a deep sonorous voice, and is eloquent--but not exactly a Cicero.

In October, 1820, two persons were shot in the Plaza, near the Fort, for state offences connected with the revolution of the period--one a military officer, and the other a drum-major. The former was executed in a _poncho_, in which disguise he was taken. They were conducted from the Fort in heavy irons, each holding a small cross, and accompanied by friars on each side, to whom the criminals eagerly listened. At the fatal spot their sentence was read: they were placed on seats, and tied; the priests slowly withdrew, still whispering comfort to the unhappy men; an officer waved his handkerchief--and they were no more. The band struck up the tune of "The Downfall of Paris," as the troops marched past the bodies. A number of females witnessed the appalling sight from the neighbouring balconies.

On the night or morning of the 19th March, 1823, an attempt was made at another revolution, upon the plea that the religion of the country was in danger. Gregorio Taglé, a lawyer, and a man of some talent, was the chief of this conspiracy: he had been formerly one of the state ministers; and, after its failure, he escaped to Colonia. The disturbance began by some hundreds of Gauchos from the country galloping into the town, shouting "_Viva la religion!_" &c. &c. They overpowered the guard at the Cabildo, released the prisoners, and began to toll the bell; and at that hour (two o'clock in the morning) it did certainly frighten the town "from its strict propriety." In the Plaza they were received by a discharge of musquetry from a few troops, who had advanced out of the Fort, and who, after killing and wounding several, put the rest to the rout. Garcia, a Colonel, implicated in the plot, was shot a few days afterwards: he met his fate with firmness.

This execution was followed by two more, those of Colonel Peralto and Urien. The latter had been an officer both in the Buenos-Ayrean and Peruvian services, and now suffered for a participation in the conspiracy, and a murder committed some years ago. He was in confinement at the Cabildo, awaiting his sentence for the latter offence, and being a relation of Mr. Rivadavia, interest was making to save him, when the conspirators released him. Strict search was made for the escaped criminal; and in a few days, he surrendered himself, upon a promise of pardon on condition of his making discoveries of those concerned in the late conspiracy. Several were arrested upon his depositions; amongst them, an English shopkeeper named Hargreaves, whom he accused of selling fire-arms to the rioters at one and two in the morning of the 19th March. An examination proved that all the accusations were false: the accused were released, and Urien desired to prepare for death.

Urien was well known in the coffee-houses of Buenos Ayres; he was much in debt, and some of his creditors were Englishmen. The murder of which he was convicted, was committed in conjunction with a female, the wife of the murdered man, and the body had been cut in pieces, and buried at different times. Since the murder, he had been in Peru, and had also lived in Buenos Ayres, unsuspicious of discovery. Having a fine person and countenance, he was a favourite with the ladies, and a complete "man upon town."

The execution of Urien and Colonel Peralto took place between ten and eleven o'clock in the morning: they were conducted from the Cabildo prison, ironed, and under a strong guard. They moved slowly along the Plazas to the appointed spot, near the Fort, where they were both uncovered, each holding a cross, and attended by priests: the person of Urien attracted much attention, on account of his tall figure, and dark expressive countenance. He was dressed in a silk _levita_, or frock-coat, and walked unsupported, and with great firmness; a smile now and then appeared upon his face, as he conversed with the priests. He would have gained universal sympathy, but for his great crimes; as it was, disgust was mingled with pity, that such a man should be so guilty. The other wretched man, Peralta, covered with a large great coat, with his head bound up, and supported by his friends and the priests, seemed the picture of misery. At the arch which parts the Plazas, the sentence was read to the prisoners; and again near the fatal place, at which it was some time ere they arrived, from the slowness with which the procession moved. Near the Fort, Urien eyed the artillerymen at their guns, upon the ramparts: his resolution appeared to falter, and he apparently wished to prolong the time at the place of execution by conversation with those about him. At length he was seated. His companion, during this delay, had taken his seat, and, at this last trying moment, was more composed than Urien. The soldiers fired: Peralta fell dead; but Urien still kept his seat, appearing only slightly wounded. The drums, which began to beat, were stopped, and a horrible scene ensued. Several soldiers placed their musquets at the head of Urien: they missed fire, one after the other; at last, one exploded, which, from the report it made, could only have been slightly charged. The poor wretch fell upon the ground, but was not dead; and he endeavoured to raise himself up upon his elbow. Other musquets were discharged, and Urien moved no more. The feelings of the spectators, during this appalling spectacle, may well be conceived. The hearse and coffin were in attendance; and, after the troops had passed, the bodies were placed in them, and taken for interment. A great concourse attended the execution. Peralta was much pitied, having borne an excellent character. The ceremony altogether was terrible; and the part in which the magistrate reads the sentence appears singular to a stranger: a man repeats every word after him in a loud voice; he is selected, I presume, for this qualification.

José Miguel Carrera, so conspicuous in the revolutions of this part of South America, was shot, at Mendoza, in 1821. He was a Chilian by birth, and belonged to one of the first families there: he was a man of considerable abilities. The execution of his two brothers, Antonio and Luis, in that same city, and other political affairs, had made him vow eternal enmity to the government of Buenos Ayres; particularly to San Martin, whom he much disliked. In his vengeance, he had raised the Indians to assist him. This act lost him many of his friends, who now viewed him with a kind of horror, as chief of barbarians. He was betrayed into the hands of his enemies, and immediately put to death, which, it is almost needless to observe, he underwent with courage, and was buried, it is said, in the same grave with the brothers he so dearly loved.

Carrera was in the prime of life, tall, and elegantly formed: his desperation and courage rank him as one of Lord Byron's heroes, though not exactly "with one virtue linked to a thousand crimes." His widow (who has been a fine woman), and infant family, I afterwards saw at Buenos Ayres. One of the latter, a little girl not five years of age, was imprudently asked, in my presence, what had become of her father? "Murdered by the Mendoceans," she quickly replied.

San Martin, having retired from public life, embarked at Buenos Ayres for France and England, attended by his daughter. His wife, one of the daughters of the late Señor Escalada, died a short time since in this city. San Martin is a tall, stout man, about forty-five years of age: he is said to be rich. He has his detractors; however, they cannot deny him one great military qualification, that of a determined mind. In his dispute with Lord Cochrane, the latter had decidedly the best of the argument, judging from a pamphlet which his lordship has published.

The late General Belgrano, a native of this province, and who distinguished himself in several actions against the Spaniards, has a day set apart for funereal rites: it takes place in June, the anniversary of his death.

In the month of October, 1824, the visit of a New-Zealand chief to Buenos Ayres, by name Tippahée Cupa, attracted much curiosity; he arrived in the British ship _Urania_, Captain Reynolds. Tippahée came alongside this ship in Cook's Straits, with a war canoe filled with his people, and, in spite of the remonstrances and even force used by Captain R. refused to quit the vessel, expressing his determination to proceed to England. He bade his followers an affectionate adieu, enjoining obedience to his successor during his absence. The _Urania_ sailed for London with her passenger the 8th December, 1824.

Tippahée, when he first arrived in Buenos Ayres, was clothed in an old red coat, formerly belonging to a London postman. The English paid him many attentions, inviting him to dine at their houses, and new clothing him. His behaviour at table was easy and unembarrassed; and, when requested, he would perform the dances and war songs of New Zealand. He understood a little of the English language, and spoke a few words of it; his intelligent manners, and circumspect conduct, rendered him an universal favourite. On the map he could trace the ship's course from New Zealand to Lima and Buenos Ayres. He knew an Englishman immediately; the Spaniards he did not much admire, fancying they viewed him with contempt, and was glad to get among Englishmen. His age is about forty; he possesses amazing strength; his tattooed face and appearance always attracted a crowd after him in Buenos Ayres. On board ship he was found very useful, doing all sorts of work, but he positively declined to go aloft. The fate of Captain Thompson, and the crew of the British ship _Boyd_, ought to bespeak caution in using coercion with these savage chieftains of New Zealand. In Cruise's book of New Zealand, Tippahee was shewn a picture of a chief of his country, with which he was greatly delighted. The object of his journey to England is to solicit arms and ammunition, to place him upon a par with a rival chief, who possesses those requisites.

At the dinner given on St. Andrew's day, in December, 1824, by the Scotch gentlemen, Mr. Parish, the British consul, hinted at the speedy acknowledgment of the independence of Buenos Ayres by his government. This intimation was received with great enthusiasm by a numerous company, among whom were the principal members of government.

The _Camden_ packet took home the treaty between the British and Buenos-Ayrean governments, with several passengers, including Mr. Griffiths, one of the vice-consuls, and Mr. Nunez, a Creolian gentleman, secretary to Mr. Rivadavia. The _Lord Hobart_ packet took home passenger Mr. M'Crackan, many years a merchant in this country, and a worthy man.

Don Carlos Alvear, and Don Felix Castro, have proceeded to England from Buenos Ayres: the former makes it on his way to the United States of North America, to which he is appointed minister. Their mission to London is supposed to have reference to the loan about negotiating. The security to British capitalists is surely as good, if not better than in many other cases in which they have lent money. There are no restrictions upon interest: the average has been 12 per cent.; but this is decreasing.

Alvear was formerly a director of Buenos Ayres, and is a very active man. In the early part of his life, he narrowly escaped destruction, when going to Spain in one of the Spanish frigates captured, in 1804, by Captain Graham Moore. The frigate in which he had taken his passage was one that blew up, and he had only left it prior to the action, to pay a visit on board another ship: some of his nearest relatives perished in the explosion.

Should Alvear harbour any dislike to our country, it may be attributed to this shocking catastrophe; but, I am persuaded, his good sense has, long ere this, made him view it as one of the accidents inseparable from the quarrel of nations.

At eight o'clock in the evening of the 21st January, 1825, an express entered Buenos Ayres with news of the battle of Ayacucho, in Peru. A victory so decisive and unexpected caused a tumult of joy: people crowded round the coffee-houses, listening to the different orators describing the victory; it brought to one's recollection the crowds at the newspaper offices in London, upon similar occasions. At ten o'clock at night, a triple salute was fired from the Fort, which was answered by another from the _Aranzazu_ brig of war, anchored in the inner roads, and a Brazilian brig of war. Partial illuminations and fire-works took place the same evening.

On the 22d January, there was a performance at the theatre, when the national hymn was sung, amidst loud _vivas_ for Bolivar, Sucre, &c.; and Colonel Ramirez read the official detail to the audience from the boxes. The theatre was decorated with silks and national emblems, and illuminated with extra lights: an ode upon the victory was sold at the doors, and a military band stationed there.

The rejoicings continued for three nights, with bonfires, illuminations, and military music in the gallery of the Cabildo; the pyramid in the Plaza was illuminated, and surrounded by transparencies, &c. The people seemed mad with joy; I could scarcely have believed them capable of such enthusiasm; and though, perhaps, these ebullitions are not at all times to be taken as a test of patriotism, yet I am persuaded, the mass of the people sincerely rejoiced.