Part 4

Performers, at times, in Buenos Ayres, announce their own benefits--even the females. A lady will address the audience with all the earnestness so important an occasion demands, and will go round the house, delivering bills of the intended performance, couched in high-flown language, "To the immortal and respectable public of Buenos Ayres," &c. &c. They know how to "bill the town," as well as any English country manager. Previous to a benefit night, they have a custom of illuminating the front of the theatre, and exhibiting a transparency of the proposed representation;[7] with bonfires, rockets, and a band of music at the door. This has been ridiculed by one of the newspapers, but it still continues in a degree.

[7] A performance was advertised for a benefit, founded upon the battle of Salamanca. In the front of the theatre, on the evening previous, a transparency was exhibited, representing the discomfited French pursued by Wellington and his troop: they had, likewise, a British flag hoisted. All this was too much for Monsieur to bear; and a scuffle took place, in an attempt to haul the flag down. On the play night, an O.P. row was expected, but all went off quietly.

The British are not great patrons to the theatre: they assign, as a cause, the want of attraction; but business, and their inclination to society among themselves, are perhaps the chief reasons of their neglect. There are, however, a number of Englishmen, who find relief from the cares of business, and are constant attendants at the theatre; some of them, without any fixed object, stroll about, earnestly gazing at the pretty girls, whom they designate by particular names. I have been much amused, when they have pointed out to me the different ladies, under their fixed appellations; as, Imogen, Euphrosyne, Discretion, Corinna, Zenobia, the Greeks, &c. One gentleman, Don Geronimo Salas, they have named the King, from his great likeness to George the Fourth of England. The resemblance is considerable; only that Don Geronimo is not so corpulent as his Majesty. It is not every day we see men with persons so corpulent as his Britannic Majesty and Don Geronimo: the former (national prejudice apart) does indeed look like a king; the latter is a very handsome man.

It is not uncommon to see infants a few months old, in the arms of their mothers, and slaves, at the play.

The ladies attend the boxes in their most brilliant attire, combining neatness with elegance, mostly in white; the neck and bosom partly exposed, just enough to excite admiration, without alarming the most fastidious modesty; a gold chain, or other ornament, is now and then suspended from the neck; the dress, with short sleeves; the hair tastefully arranged; a simple comb, and a few real or artificial flowers braided about the hair.

On a full night, the theatre presents a spectacle of lovely women, that a stranger would hardly expect. I have often contemplated them, with their dark expressive eyes and raven hair, adding, if possible, more beauty to countenances already so beautiful.

I think no city in the world, of the same population, can boast more charming females than Buenos Ayres. Their appearance and brilliancy, at the theatre, is not exceeded either at Paris or London; and I write from a tolerable acquaintance with the theatres of both capitals. It is true, the costly diamonds and waving plumes, that blaze from the persons of the British and French fair, are not to be seen in Buenos Ayres: those appendages, however, in my humble opinion, add not to female loveliness.

The theatre was re-opened on the 16th January, 1825, under the management of Messrs. Rosquellas and others, after having been closed two months for the purpose of repairs and alterations. Great improvements have been made: the seats in the pit are covered with crimson velvet; the whole interior of the house has been cleaned and painted; the stage thrown more forward, and the orchestra enlarged. A new drop-scene is exhibited, with the arms of the country and other devices painted upon it; and, from being better lighted, the theatre has now a neat appearance.

The operatic department constitutes the chief attraction of the theatre: in this they have Rosquellas, Vacani (the renowned _buffo_), the younger Vacani, Vera, the two Señoras Tanis, and Doña Angelina Tani, who sings as exquisitely as ever. Vacani, upon his re-appearance, after a short absence, was hailed with shouts of approbation, and bouquets of flowers thrown upon the stage.

In the dance, we have Touissaint, his wife, and a corps de ballet, including some Portuguese comic dancers from Rio Janeiro. Regular ballets of action now take place, in lieu of the pas de deux, and pas seul, of one or two principal dancers.

Under the old Spanish regime, the season of Lent was the most gloomy part of the year; it is now the gayest: we have operas and ballets two and three times a week, to delighted audiences; selections from _The Barber of Seville_, _Figaro_, _Henry IV._ &c. the orchestra led by Masoni, the skilful Masoni, whose talent draws forth raptures of applause.

It is in contemplation to get up regular operas, instead of detached pieces: _Don Giovanni_ has been mentioned--Rosquellas to be the hero; he would both look and perform it admirably, at least to those who have not seen Ambrogetti.

At the theatre door, on performance nights, several handsome carriages are now to be seen, with lighted lamps and well-dressed servants, belonging to English and other families. When I arrived, in 1820, scarcely one was in existence. Were a Spaniard to revisit this place, after an absence of a few years, he would feel surprised at the alteration; the rigid fasts of the church laid aside for innocent enjoyments, the hum of business greeting his ear, and European strangers every where meeting his eye. Old Spain's ancient dominion of Buenos Ayres is gone for ever: a few of the old school may yet cling to the mother country; but the grand mass of the people, especially the younger branches, are decidedly patriots.

An amateur performance took place, on the 21st February, 1825, for the benefit of the widows and orphans of those who had fallen in the revolutionary wars. It was a full house, and profitable--the reverse of Silvester Daggerwood's. Orders are not admitted to the Buenos Ayres theatre. The play was _Virginius_; and the different parts were sustained by gentlemen of the city, in a style so creditable, as to put to the blush the regular actors.

A North-American Frenchman, named Stanislaus, last from the Havannah, has given several exhibitions at the theatre upon galvanism, slight-of-hand, &c. aided by machinery, the best I have seen of the sort. His performance was more than upon a par with our English professors. The natives declared, he must have dealings with the devil; or how could he transport handkerchiefs from the pockets of individuals in the theatre to the lofty towers of the Cabildo, in the Plaza? and this, they asserted, he had done. Stanislaus was rewarded with good houses. His pronunciation of the Spanish language excited bursts of laughter; it was a mixture of Spanish, French, and English.

A Lecture on Astronomy was attempted; but it did not meet with the success it merited, either from a want of taste for this instructive science, or that the audience conceived the theatre an improper place. The lecturer reading his part, diminished the effect.

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An Englishman (Bradley) has a CIRCUS, which is sometimes open on Sunday afternoons, and on saints' days. Bradley is a decent horseman and clown; but he has to contend with many disadvantages.

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BRITISH RESIDENTS.--Before entering into a detail of the manners and customs of the native or Spanish part of the population, I shall take some notice of the various FOREIGNERS who have become residents in this city. Of these the most numerous are the ENGLISH: I have heard, that the province of Buenos Ayres contains, of men, women, and children, 3500 British individuals, according to a census taken in 1822.

The British merchants are a respectable body in Buenos Ayres: the commerce of the country is chiefly in their hands; and, taking the clerks, servants, and others employed in their barraccas, or hide warehouses, as well as in their houses, the numbers are very imposing. Most houses have a Spanish clerk, who (as well as his English brethren) generally boards and lodges in the house.

The following is a list of the British mercantile establishments at present existing in Buenos Ayres:--

Messrs. Brown, Buchanan, and Co. Agents for Lloyd's. Dickson, Montgomery, & Co. M'Crackan and Jamieson. Miller, Eyes, and Co. Miller, Robinson, & Co. Winter, Britain, & Co. Plowes, Noble, & Co. Duguid and M'Kerrell. Bertram, Armstrong, & Co. Heyworth and Carlisle. William P. Robertson & Co. Anderson, Weir, & Co. Tayleure, Cartwright, & Co. William Hardesty & Co. Joseph and Joshua Thwaites. John Gibson & Co. Hugh Dallas & Co. Peter Sheridan. John Appleyard. Messrs. John Bailey. C. S. Harvey. Thomas Eastman. Thomas Fair. Thomas Nelson. Green and Hodgson. Richard and William Orr. Jump and Priestley. Stewart and M'Call. John Ludlam. James G. Helsby. Henry Hesse. John M'Dougall & Co. John Harratt & Co. R. B. Niblett. Daniel Mackinlay. Thomas Barton. George Macfarlane. Stephen Puddicomb. Robert Utting.

Most of the above houses have their corresponding firms at Rio Janeiro, Monte Video, Chili, and Peru, forming an immense link, of no mean importance, to the trade of Great Britain.

Our merchants, in Buenos Ayres, are not only land and stock-holders; but, since the establishment of the Bank, they have become Bank Directors. In thus identifying themselves with the country, I am persuaded, they will not forfeit one iota of their independence.

In 1821, the British merchants in Buenos Ayres advanced to the Buenos Ayrean government a sum of money, by way of loan, which was punctually repaid, contrary to the expectations of many; for as this money was lent only a few months after a revolution, when Ramirez and Carrera were in the field, threatening the province, its return was problematical.

The majority of the British merchants are natives of Scotland, proverbial for their talent and activity in trade. Without being accused of undue partiality, I may safely assert, that our merchants do honour to the country in which they are domiciled. Quoting the language of Don Valentin Gomez, at the King's birth-day dinner, of April 23, 1823, "The English citizens have shewn themselves worthy of the distinguished character they have acquired. In Buenos Ayres, they have always been good fathers of families, and good guests. The province owes them every protection."

The clerks in the mercantile houses are kept pretty closely to business, from eight in the morning till near the same hour at night, holidays excepted, which is fagging work.

Besides the merchants, there are a host of English shopkeepers. The street of La Piedad is full of them; and they retail almost every article that can be mentioned. In all parts of the city, the eye continually meets with English, and their inscriptions in front of the shops; as, _Zapatero Ingles_ (English Shoemaker), _Sastre_ (Tailor), _Carpenteria_ (Carpenter), _Roloxero_ (Watchmaker), &c. &c.; and the quantity of British subjects dispersed all over the country, as collectors of hides, agriculturists, &c. is more than would be believed.

A trifling jealousy is, at times, to be observed amongst the natives, at the numbers of the English resident here; the former supposing that we have a monopoly of business, and drain the country of money. These false reasoners in political economy cannot comprehend that, in trade, obligations are mutual, and that for our goods we buy their produce, often at a ruinous price. All increase of population to a new and thinly-peopled country, like Buenos Ayres, just released from a disgraceful thraldrom, ought to be viewed as a benefit: the well informed know it to be so.

The British medical practitioners at Buenos Ayres are--Drs. Leper, Dick, Oughan,[8] Jenkinson, and Whitfield: the two last are apothecaries. Drs. Leper and Dick are surgeons in his majesty's navy, and are allowed to be men of talent, and have good practice.

[8] Dr. Oughan has returned to England, in the _Kingfisher_ packet: some eccentricities in the doctor's conduct occasioned the British consul to make application for his being sent home.

A physician here is not so profitable a concern as in England: the guinea fee dwindles to a dollar per visit, though to a favourite doctor they make presents. Once, in London, I remember seeing thirty single guineas, for as many visits, lying upon a doctor's table, the result of a morning's work; and this was thought but little, to pay for house expences, carriage, &c.

A Medical Board has been formed here, which, a short time since, examined into the qualifications of the different medical men, propounding questions which, I am told, would have puzzled Esculapius himself to answer. Two unfortunate Irishmen were caught in the trap, and forbidden to practise. Paddy, at no time, likes his talent to be depreciated: accordingly, one of them took up the pen, and wrote a long philippic; the other did not confine himself to this, but made use of language, in the full senate of medical sages, that consigned him to a dungeon for three weeks, and he was afterwards banished the country. A French doctor was suspended, for an error in the accouchement of a lady.

There is a North-American doctor (Bond), and plenty of native ones.

I should think this would be an excellent place for quack doctors; indeed, they are beginning the trade already. A medicine called _Panquimagoge_, invented by a man named Le Roy, "the immortal Le Roy," as the papers stated, was puffed up, as being a certain cure for all complaints, equalling the miracles of Prince Hohenlohe. He who doubted the efficacy of _Panquimagoge_, was rated an _ignoramus_. Its discoverer, it was added, had a statue of gold erected to his memory in the Havannah. During this infatuation, the medicine sold at an enormous price; but the bubble soon burst: several persons became seriously ill, and others absolutely lost their lives, by taking it. The former enthusiasts looked quite "chop-fallen." Strange to say, several Englishmen were the dupes of this quackery; indeed, the old and young, healthy and infirm, all took _Panquimagoge_.

Several English have purchased _estancias_, or farms for breeding of cattle; but, I fear, they will find some difficulty in competing with the natives, who have every advantage over them in this branch of commerce.

The British Commercial Subscription Room, in Buenos Ayres, is a concern entirely British; and none but those of that nation are, by the laws of the room, allowed to subscribe. The present subscribers are about fifty-six; and it is supported at a moderate expence. It has been established since the year 1810, and affords not only a relaxation, but a source of continual information. A constant look-out is kept for vessels arriving and departing; and entries are made of them, and sent home. By means of excellent telescopes, national flags can be discerned at a great distance. They have a constant supply of English newspapers: the Courier, the Times, Morning Chronicle, Bell's Messenger, Liverpool and other Gazettes, as well as those of Buenos Ayres, Price Currents, Shipping List, Quarterly Review, Edinburgh Review, Navy List, and other publications. The room contains the best maps of Arrowsmith, of the four quarters of the globe; charts of the river Plate; a picture of Nelson's death, finely executed, and another of the battle of Copenhagen. A committee have the management of the room, but its general superintendence devolves on the secretary. Correct mercantile information can always be obtained there; and every stranger is at perfect liberty to collect the news of the day, although, from the nature of the institution, none but British subjects can subscribe. To enjoy the privilege of reading in the rooms, the parties must be regularly introduced by a subscriber.[9] All British residents of respectability are expected to subscribe.

[9] Clerks are no longer permitted to enter the reading-room, unless they subscribe, or make application to their employers for a ticket: this they have declined to do, and keep aloof from the room, depriving themselves of their chief source of amusement.

The members dine together once in every quarter, at Faunch's hotel, and discuss the affairs of the society.

The British Commercial Room is held in the house of Mrs. Clark,[10] Dona Clara; and what person has visited Buenos Ayres without hearing of this lady--the "Lady Bountiful" of the place?

[10] Mrs. C. formerly possessed a handsome competence, gained by keeping an hotel; but her fortune has been much reduced, by advances made to her late husband, Captain Taylor, and by losses in different speculations. She has now retired from business, and lives upon a moderate annuity. Her adopted daughter, Dona Panchita, who is grown a fine girl, resides with her. Captain Taylor was a visionary, yet a good-hearted man; he died in October, 1822. I am informed that it was he who first lowered the Royal Spanish flag, and hoisted the Patriot flag, at the Fort, at the beginning of the revolution.

There is a library of English books attached to the room, consisting of 600 volumes, and which is every day increasing. It is a distinct affair; and natives of all countries can subscribe to it. Several Creole gentlemen, who speak English, North Americans, &c. belong to it. The secretary to the Commercial Room acts as librarian.

Some individuals have attributed illiberality to the Commercial Room, in not permitting those of other nations to become members; but, waiving the right which the British have for an establishment of their own, if they like to support it, Great Britain might be involved in war, and it could not then be pleasant to come in daily contact with natives of hostile countries.

Letters arriving by British vessels were, until October, 1821, forwarded to the Commercial Room, which collected and paid the government the postage; but this arrangement always caused great jealousy to foreigners, and they are now sent to the Post Office, where every facility is afforded. Many English letters, however, to persons up the country, never reach their destination, from the practice of allowing any one to take letters from the office who will pay for them: mean curiosity has caused the loss of many letters by this mode.

The recent establishment of packets to Buenos Ayres (the first of which, the Countess of Chichester, arrived on the 16th April, 1824) is an event of some consequence. They bring the correspondence for Chili and Peru, opening a direct and speedy communication with regions, which Spanish jealousy, not many years ago, had shut out from the rest of the world. The captains of these packets must not, for the present, expect to find their employments to Buenos Ayres very lucrative: but little specie goes home, and there are few passengers that can afford to pay the packet price, which really is not exorbitant, considering the excellent accommodations and fare provided; _viz._ For the cabin, £80 sterling; steerage, £40. Their arrival is looked forward to with great anxiety by all classes. At first, they made long passages; latterly, they have improved in this respect: the _Lord Hobart_ packet came out in forty-seven days; the _Eclipse_ brought thirteen passengers, chiefly gentlemen connected with mining affairs. They will soon prove a profitable employment to their commanders; and, certainly, the system altogether reflects the highest credit upon the British government, the only nation which has such an establishment.

The inclination which Englishmen, engaged in business, have, when at home, to live away from the scene of their pursuits, at a short distance from town, is shewn here; and we have the Stockwells, the Kenningtons, the Newingtons, the Camberwells, &c. of Buenos Ayres, with the attached farm-yards, orchards, and gardens, similar to those in the vicinity of London, wanting only the stages, and the eighteen-penny ride from the Bank and Gracechurch Street. Their houses may be easily recognized, from the degree of neatness and comfort attached. The house of Mr. Fair, situated upon an eminence near the water-side, southward of the Fort, is a good land-mark. Mr. F. has lately built it at a considerable expence. Mr. Cope's house, near the Retiro, I think the most pleasantly situated of all.

The British have been engaged in numerous disputes with this government. The last that occurred was in April, 1821, upon the decree ordering all foreigners to take up arms; which the British very properly refused to do, for it could not be expected they would submit to be made parties in their quarrels. Captain O'Brien, of H.M.S. _Slaney_, then at anchor in the outer roads,[11] was appointed British agent, and a long correspondence took place. The affair was, however, settled by the merchants, and Captain O'Brien felt displeased, conceiving that, having been thrust forward officially, every arrangement ought to have come through him. This quarrel caused some stir in Buenos Ayres. One or two members of the Junta threatened us lustily; but those Tybalts were silenced by the moderate party. Since then, Mr. Rivadavia's administration has made every thing go on amicably and smoothly.

[11] The _Slaney_ was stationed in the outer roads, from January, 1821, to February, 1822. Captain Stanhope assumed the command in October, 1821, Captain O'Brien having been promoted. A laughable event happened during her stay in the outer roads:--She was accustomed to signalize with the shore. One day, a black fellow was ordered to whitewash the wall from which the signals were made on land: he was mistaken by those on board for a signal ball; and, by a reference, his position corresponded with the order, to bend sails. Accordingly, the boatswain piped all hands, and never were sails bent with more dispatch: the crew, tired of their monotonous life, felt eager to leave, and with alacrity obeyed the command. During this time, Blackee had taken another position on the wall: book opened again--it made the number, to unmoor the ship. This corroboration of the first order was hailed with joy. Another movement was imperfectly understood; it seemed to convey--send a boat on shore for the captain; and a boat was sent for explanation. Captain O'Brien was astonished: the wall was examined; and there they found the black man harmlessly pursuing his work, unconscious of the important part he had been performing, exposed to the ardent gaze, and raising the beating hearts, of 150 men. At a distance of eight miles from the shore, a mistake of this sort cannot surprise. The crew were greatly disappointed, and, taking hold of one of their shipmates, a black man, declared that, as they amused themselves on land by making signals with one of his colour, he should be the answering pennant.