408 BUENOS AYEES internal arrangement of the houses of the wealthy citizens and of English residents. Of the streets, 83 in number, 31 run due W. from the river, and the remaining 52 N. and S. ; the pavement and sidewalks are very irregular and dilapidated, but the streets are well lighted with gas. Drainage is still unknown. Though situated upon one of the largest rivers of the globe, the city is poorly supplied with water, that of the wells being brackish, and that brought in carts from the river sold at a high price. The sanitary arrangements are bad. Offal, garbage, and waste water are thrown into the streets, or suffered to accumulate in cess- pools under the dwellings. In 1872 a plan was proposed and accepted for introducing a thor- ough system of drainage and an adequate sup- ply of pure water ; and the works were to com- mence about the month of December. But in spite of the defects just alluded to, and of sud- den changes of weather, the health of the city is generally good, the temperature rarely falling below 18 or rising above 90 in the shade. There are 10 plazas, or squares, the largest of which, the plaza Victoria, covers an area of nearly five acres, the centre being ornamented with the column of Liberty, bearing the in- scription " 25 de Mayo, 1810," in commemora- tion of the revolution of Buenos Ayres. The four sides of the square are bordered with paradise trees and provided with marble seats. On one side is the old cabildo, or town hall, erected at the beginning of the last century, and now occupied by the several law courts. On the N. side are the archiepiscopal palace and the cathedral; the latter, though some- what massive, is not inelegant. The Recoba Vieja, in another part of the square, is a sort of Moorish arcade with an ungainly triumphal arch of brick in the centre. The Recoba Nue- va, another arcade, is opposite to the cathe- dral, and is, like the Recoba Vieja, occupied by small shops. Near the plaza Victoria is the plaza Veinte y Cinco de Mayo, in which is the custom house, overlooking the river. Part of that building is used as a national govern- ment house, and in the upper story are the president's saloons, where foreign ministers are received. The congress hall in the same vicinity is a small amphitheatre capable of con- taining 800 persons ; the session lasts from May to November. Near the custom house is the station of the Northern railway or tramway; a large central station is projected to be built at this point, in which the four city railways shall meet. Political and other offenders were in former times shot in this square. The plaza Marte, or del Retire, at the N. E. corner of the city, contains a bronze equestrian statue of Gen. San Martin, barracks for 1,000 men, o steam saw mill, the first introduced in the country, and a railway station. In the plaza Lorea is a market established in 18(54. The plaza del Parque derives its name from the arsenal ; it is a sort of public garden with a casino in the centre. There are five spacious markets. Part of the municipal revenue is derived from fees for market stalls; and no butchers' or vegetable shops are allowed with- in half a mile of the several markets. There are seven hotels and many private lodging and boarding houses; nine German, one foreign, and three national clubs ; and a British circu- lating library with 2,000 volumes, established about 1830. .The Colon opera house, the first in South America, was built in 1856 at a cost of $200,000 ; and there are likewise the Vic- toria theatre, devoted to the Spanish drama ; the Franco- Argentine theatre, for opera boufie ; and the Coliseo, an Anglo-German concert hall, with seats for 500 persons. The provin- cial government house occupies half a block, and contains around a spacious courtyard the various public offices. Opposite the govern- ment house is the state library, with 18,000 volumes, and some manuscripts valuable for their antiquity. There are various other libra- ries, chief among which is the national library, founded in 1870 under the auspices of Presi- dent Sarmiento. The chamber of the provincial legislature occupies a hall like an amphitheatre, with galleries for the public, where 400 per- sons may be seated. The emigrants' home, in the calle Corrientes, provides gratuitous board and lodging for distressed immigrants until they find employment ; it is supported by the national government and hy subscription, the annual expenditure being about $5,000. There is a public lottery, 15 per cent, of the total re- ceipts of which are applied to the various mu- nicipal charitable institutions. The museum of Buenos Ayres, founded by Rivadavia in 1823 is said to possess the richest collection of antediluvian fossil remains in the world, among which are 50 specimens found in Buenos Ayres of animals no longer known. The university of Buenos Ayres was founded in 1821 by Gov- ernor Rodriguez and his minister Rivadavia; the studies embrace the usual classic and scien- tific courses, and modern languages; and de- grees are conferred in theology, law, and medi- cine. To the national .college, in which the studies are analogous to those of the university, each province has the privilege of sending a certain number of boys, who are educated, boarded, and lodged gratuitously. There are 43 schools supported by the municipal govern- ment; 15 dependent upon the department of schools (established in 1852); 17 for females, sustained by the sociedad de lieneficencia, com- posed of charitable ladies; and 98 private schools. There are also a theological semi- nary, a Jesuit college, a college directed by French priests, and several denominational schools connected with the various English, Scotch, American, and German churches; an infant school, and a number of night schools, opened in 1871. Besides the cathedral, there are 15 churches, 6 chapels of ease, and 4 Prot- estant churches. There are two monasteries and two convents of cloistered nuns, which es- caped the suppression of religious orders after
