one of the Dutch West India Islands, lying 30 miles east of Curaçao. It is 50 miles in circumference, is mountainous in its appearance, and has about 2000 inhabitants. It produces only a few cattle, some goats, large quantities of poultry, and of late years a considerable quantity of salt. On the S.W. side there is a good harbour. Long. 68. 15. W. Lat. 12. 12. N.

BUENOS-AYRES, the largest and most important province of the Argentine Confederation, is bounded on the north by the Paraná, which separates it from the province of Entre Ríos; and by the provinces of Santa Fé, San Luis, and Mendoza; on the east by the Atlantic; on the south by the Rio Negro, which separates it from Patagonia; and on the west by the country of the Indians, which extends westwards to the Andes. The area of the province is estimated by Sir Woodbine Parish at about 200,000 square miles, being little less than that of France. Its seaboard along the Río de la Plata and the ocean is upwards of 600 miles in length. Since 1825 no census of the population has been taken. At that date it was found to amount to 183,000. Parish estimates the present population at 320,000, of which number 120,000 belong to the city of Buenos-Ayres. By M'Cann, another authority, the entire population of the province is computed at 200,000. This small increase over the results of the census of 1825 is attributed by him to the civil wars, to the prohibition of the slave-trade, and other causes.

The general aspect of the country, as viewed from the sea, is eminently uninteresting. From the mouth of the Plata to the Bahía Blanca the sea-line presents an unbroken series of sand-dunes, varied here and there with low ridges of rock. From this latter point to the Patagonian frontier the aspect of the coast is less monotonous, though equally destitute of life or interest. Though Buenos-Ayres is the only province of the Argentine Confederation that borders upon the sea, and though all the exports and imports of the country pass through it, it possesses only two harbours, one of which (that of the city Buenos-Ayres) is extremely bad; the other (that of Belgrano, near the southern extremity of the province), though possessing great natural advantages, is by no means adequately appreciated. It might be turned to good account as a starting point for vessels engaged in trade with the South American states that border upon the Pacific, but the difficult and sometimes dangerous navigation of the adjoining seas counterbalances in the meantime the other advantages which it offers. The interior of the country, except where it is intersected by the low mountain ranges of the Ventana and Vauclan in its southern portions, and the spurs of the Andes in the west, is one vast plain, of which by far the larger part is laid out in estancias, or cattle farms, though the soil is in itself well adapted for producing all the European cereals. Agricultural pursuits, however, are by no means in favour with the natives, who cannot bring themselves to engage in any pursuit that cannot be prosecuted on horseback. "Every man, woman, and child in the country rides," says Parish. "One might fancy one's self in the land of centaurs, amidst a population half-men half-horses. Even beggars ride on horseback." Some of the cattle-farms are of immense extent: one in particular is mentioned by travellers as comprising more than 300 square miles of land, and yielding an enormous revenue to the proprietor. Some of the largest of them belong to British settlers, and are worked by British servants. The cattle were formerly hunted down and killed merely for the sake of their hides and tongues, while the carcases were abandoned to beasts and birds of prey. They are now slaughtered in abattoirs, where every part of the animal is made available. The beef is salted for exportation; the tallow is boiled down, and now forms an important item in the farmer's revenue; and the trade in hides is steadily increasing. Beef and an infusion of the native tea are the staple food of the natives. By the care of a few British colonists, sheep have of late years been extensively reared, and their wool is annually increasing in value. Till recently they were reputed so valueless that their carcases were used as fuel for kilns, &c. A decree of government ordained that no live sheep should be employed for this purpose. The number of cattle in the province is estimated at 12,000,000; of sheep, about the half of that number. The total value of exports from Buenos-Ayres in 1849 was L2,537,821; in 1850, L1,983,513; and in 1851, L2,126,705. In this latter year, the value of the jerked beef exported was L1,72,749; of hides, L1,300,570; of tallow, L217,690; of wool, L190,060. The other exports consisted chiefly of hair, horns, bones, skins, and feathers. The value of imports into Buenos-Ayres may be stated approximately for the year 1851, at L2,110,000; of which Great Britain contributes L900,000; France, L500,000; northern Europe, L170,000; Gibraltar, Spain, and the Mediterranean, L120,000; United States, L200,000; Brazil and other countries, L220,000. Of the cereals grown in Buenos-Ayres, the most important is maize, which is indigenous to the country. Wheat thrives well in the southern parts of the province, but the inhabitants rarely grow more than enough to supply their own necessities. In the event of a surplus, it is commonly exported to Brazil. Flax and hemp are cultivated with success. The vine, fig, orange, and olive, have been introduced from the old world, and are found to suit the climate admirably; but the most valuable of European fruits is the peach. A considerable fruit trade is carried on in coasting vessels, by merchants for the most part Italian or French. The geographical position of Buenos-Ayres is such as to enable it completely to control the foreign commercial relations of the entire confederation of which it forms a part. The exclusive policy which it has always pursued on this point has often involved it in serious quarrels, not only with many of the South American states and the other provinces of the Argentine Confederation, but with England and France. (See BUENOS-AYRES, City of, and LA PLATA.) Since the expulsion of General Rosas, the navigation of the Paraná and Uruguay has been thrown open, and other measures have been taken to place both the province and city of Buenos-Ayres on a level with the other provinces of the confederation. Buenos-Ayres has published a protest against any such measure, and the dispute is still unsettled. The only other towns in the province of any importance, besides the capital, are San Nicolas, which is situated on the Paraná, about 200 miles N.W. of Buenos-Ayres, and contains a population of about 10,000; San Pedro, also on the Paraná, about 150 miles from the capital in the same direction, with a population of 1000; Clascanas, on the shores of a cognominal lake, once a place of considerable importance, but seriously injured by the long continuance of the civil wars; and Belgrano, which from its position bids fair to become the rival of the capital itself.