A disease called el mal de siete dias (the seven days' sickness), mainly prevalent among the lower classes, carries off an immense number of infants in the first week after birth. The following table shows the range of Fahrenheit's thermometer in the shade at Rosario during the month of March, and at Buenos Ayres from April to September:

- The soil of the Argentine Republic is extremely varied and productive, save in the S. plains, the coarse shingle of which is unfavorable to vegetation. As has already been seen, the pampas, and principally to the S. W. of the Parana, afford rich and abundant pasturage. The E. flank of the Andes and the banks of the W. affluents of the Paraguay are clothed with dense forests, the timber of which is, however, unavailable owing; to its distance from the sea. The trees are mostly of the mimosa family; and with the fruit of the algarroba, mixed with maize, the Indians make a sort of bread, while by fermentation they produce the chica, an intoxicating liquor. In Salta the cinchona, various palms, and the mate or Paraguay tea are indigenous; and in Salta and Santiago the cactus foliosus, on which a cochineal insect feeds, grows to an enormous size. Aloes are very abundant, and from their fibrous materials the Indians manufacture nets, ropes, bags, etc, which they dye with indelible colors of their own preparation from native plants. The coca plant grows plentifully in Salta. Mixed with lime, the Peruvians chew it as a stimulant. Indigo is found in Corrientes, and also the shrub which nourishes the clavillo, an insect famed for the rich green dye it affords.

The apple tree was introduced from Chili by the Indians, and forms veritable forests in the S. W. districts near the Andes. Figs, oranges, walnuts, and other fruits are common; and the peach tree is so abundant as to afford the principal firewood for the city of Buenos Ayres. Good wine is made in Mendoza. The sugar cane prospers in the northwest, and tobacco is extensively cultivated. The cotton tree flourishes in Catamarca, and red pepper is sent in large quantities to Buenos Ayres. Maize, potatoes, and the different European cereals are raised in almost all the provinces, and of wheat prodigious crops are produced, principally for export. But the exportation of productions of the soil has hitherto been inconsiderable compared to that of animal produce derived from the herds of cattle and horses in the pampas. An idea of the cattle-raising in eight of the provinces (there being no returns from the others) may be formed from the following statistics of the farming stock in 1866:

- In the forests of the republic there are jaguars, cougars or pumas (American lions), ant-eaters, and chinchillas as large as squirrels and much prized for the beauty of their furs. The tapir is common in the north. Deer abound in the pampas, as do wild dogs and armadillos; and there are three species of partridge. On the banks of the Rio de la Plata is found the carigueibaju, known in commerce by its fur under the name of nutria; it is a carnivorous animal, of the size of a cat, web-footed, and its flesh is considered exceedingly delicate. The eapybara, the giant of the rodentia, and the carpincho frequent the rivers. The Andine provinces abound in guanacos, llamas, and vicunas; and the Gran Chaco is infested by the various feline animals already mentioned, besides wild cats, boars, myriads of noxious insects, spiders of monstrous proportions, enormous mosquitoes, and innumerable swarms of bees. Several varieties of venomous snakes are met with, especially a trigonocephalies, the fiercest and most hideous of its kind, and a species of boa similar to the traqa-venado or deer-swallower of Venezuela. The toeutuco and bizeacha, rodent quadrupeds, are found in all directions throughout the pampas, rendering travelling dangerous from their burrowings.

Condors, gallinazos, vultures, and other predacious birds abound in various districts; and the woods are peopled by numerous smaller birds of endlessly varied plumage. The rivers, and especially the Rio Negro, abound in fish of all kinds, the lamprey, trout, pejerey, sole, and ray or skate being those most prized. Seals are taken on the N. coast, as also sea lions and sea elephants; the latter often attain a length of 20 to 23 feet, and one will yield two hogsheads of oil. The breeding of mules has of late years declined, though considerable droves are still to be met with in the estancias. The sheep, although extremely numerous, arc, like the goats and hogs, of an inferior breed. A species of ostrich, smaller than that of Africa, is common on the plains, and hunted for its feathers, an article of export of some importance. - Almost the only manufactures of the Plata provinces are ponchos, saddle-cloths, ropes, etc, made by the Indians, and morocco leather, wooden bowls, and dishes from Cordoba, the principal manufacturing town. - In spite of wars, epidemics, droughts, and other obstacles to the material development of the country, the following tabular statement by Sr. Don Manuel R. Garcia, Argentine minister to the United States, shows that the exports have quadrupled in quantity and quintupled in amount in the 17 years from 1853 to 1870:

This increase, large as it may appear, belongs to a small proportion only of the products of the country, the mineral and agricultural re- sources of which have not yet been devel- oped, for want of hands, capital, and suitable roads. Official reports show the exports of the products of cattle to have been in the proportion of $22 50 for each inhabitant in the province of Buenos Ayres alone in 1853, $60 in 1860, and $80 in 1870. The wool clip for 1866 was estimated at 100,000,000 lbs. The export duties on wool, bones, hides, and tallow amount to about 3,000,000 silver dollars per annum. The total of the exports from the port of Buenos Ayres to the United States during the year ending Sept. 30, 1870, was $6,473,-927 61; while that of the imports from the United States in the same period was but $2,087,099, according to custom house returns. The balance of trade from Great Britain was in favor of the latter by over $6,000,000, and that with France by about $1,500,000. The imports mainly comprise cotton, woollen, and linen fabrics, machinery, coal, and iron.