Page:Letters from the Battle-fields of Paraguay (1870).djvu/314



284 A WEEK AT CORllIENTES.

of civilization compared with Corrientes"The poorer classes aflPect white or coloured petticoats, and blue or red shawls^ thrown^ like the "rebozo" of ancient days' over the head. They are cunning at making shirts' drawers, and neatly-embroidered counterpanes' while they excel in pillow lace. Their cut-work and drawn-work were formerly familiar to us; but Honiton and Valenciennes have ren- dered them obsolete as passement' crown lace, bone lace, Spanish chain, byas, parchment, billament, diamond chain, and point tresse. Here, however, they are expensive and valueless, as in the Brazil. Formerly Corrientes was a great cotton field, and every plantation had its wooden gin. Now, despite the great efforts made in 1863, the industry has fallen low. Egyptian and Sea Island failed, as might be expected, for want of sea air ; and little is now culti- vated save the arboreal cotton, which averages per annum about 1 lb. of tree-wool.

A positive aversion to marriage extends from Panama to Buenos Aires, — I have noticed it when writing about the Brazil. " Concupinage," as the Teuton calls it, is the rule ; and the piscoeiro or cicisbeo is an institution when wanted. Most men prefer the " china " girl, who is easily witched by TLQ, or by " qui que ce soit," and who disdains the regular approaches of hesitant, priant, ecoute, and drutz, or ami. " Tutior at quanto merx est in classe secunda " is the ruling idea. Colour prejudice appears rare, and the people have forgotten the old distinctions of mestizo (white and red skin) ; of cuarteron (mestizo and white) ; of octeron and of puchuelo, or one-sixteenth of " Indian " blood, which can hardly be distinguished, except by a yellowish white- ness, from the pure breed.

Before the siesta we pay our visits, beginning with D. Victorio Torrent, ex-Deputy and actual Governor. His house is a modest "terrea," guarded by four or five "â– In-