His other outstretched, the boundary monument between the two Republics, and a permanent mutual pledge that the two peoples shall forever live in peace. Carved on the monument is this inscription:

Sooner shall these mountains crumble into dust than the people of Argentina and Chile break the peace which they have sworn to maintain at the feet of Christ the Redeemer.

One comes out of the tunnel just before reaching Paramillo de Las Cuevas, where we spent the night in a peon's hut. Starting on our journey across the summit in the morning, we traveled all day, feeling the cold acutely in spite of our heavy wraps, as the temperature was below zero. We were glad indeed to reach Puente del Inca, the great hot springs of Argentina. There is a splendid hotel, modern in every respect, at Puente del Inca, fully comparable with the health resorts of either Europe or America. From here it is customary for those who love to climb to start their expeditions to Mount Aconcagua, which, rising to a height of 23,200 feet, eternally draped in snow, is the highest mountain in the New World.

From Puenta del Inca we proceeded to Mendoza, a 5-hour journey by rail. Mendoza is the great wine center of Argentina. In this connection I would like to pay tribute to the general quality of the Argentine wines, which are equal in every respect to the clarets and light wines of France. Mendoza is a city of some 50,000 people and is very picturesquely situated, possessing one of the finest parkways I have ever seen. Its hotel deserves special mention, as good hotels are the exception rather than the rule in South America. This city is the headquarters of the Western Province of Argentina for many English and foreign banking institutions, whose buildings add greatly to the appearance of the city.

We spent the night at Mendoza, and, leaving it at 1.30 in the afternoon of June 17, arrived at Buenos Aires at 3.30 the following day, traveling over the line of the Buenos Aires & Pacific Railway. The cars on this road are of the English type, being very comfortable, and the service for the most part is everything that one could desire. This part of our journey was especially enjoyable to me, as our course lay through the great wheat-growing and cattle-raising pampas, which have been the foundation of Argentina's great development and wealth. We spent two weeks in Buenos Aires, and on Independence Day were fortunate in being guests at a banquet at the Palace Hotel given by Ambassador Frederick Jessup Stimson to 300 representative Americans.

Buenos Aires is the first city of South America. A metropolis much resembling Paris both as to architecture and boulevards, it has a population of more than a million and a half. The race course is the finest in the world, while its public buildings, hotels, newspaper edifices, and theaters are the last word in modern construction. The Colon opera house is architecturally finer than even the Metro

politan in New York. There are many wealthy people in the city, and this wealth is reflected in the residences, many of which are superb. As far as economic conditions are concerned, land values in Argentina seem exorbitantly high, and although crops have been splendid, lack of adequate tonnage has prevented the marketing of a very large exportable surplus, with the result that millions of bushels of wheat are actually spoiling in the public warehouses.

The July 4 celebration marked the eve of our departure from Buenos Aires. We left for Montevideo on July 5, arriving there on the 6th. Montevideo is a most cosmopolitan city, and is the Monte Carlo of South America. It is a distinctly commercial city, and as a port of trade is very important. Ships of an aggregate of more than 1,000,000 tons anchor in its harbor annually. More than $20,000,000 have been spent in the harbor improvements already, and each year sees an additional expenditure. The city has a population of 400,000 and is growing rapidly.

Of all the countries in South America, Uruguay at present is perhaps the most prosperous. This condition is due to the great development it has experienced in the past few years, especially since the war. Uruguay has a population of 1,400,000 people and an area of 72,000 square miles. It is not very large compared with other lands, but it is doubtful if anywhere in the world there can be found a region with land so uniformly fertile. Cattle raising is the most important pursuit of the people at this time, and accounts for more than 90 per cent of the exports. Grain raising, for which the soil is splendidly adapted, is however, gaining annually in importance, and it is believed by many that the time is not far distant when it will have superseded the grange cattle industry almost entirely.

One of the great advantages of Uruguay is its splendid system of waterways, providing ready intercourse between all sections of the Republic. The climate is wonderfully uniform, the mean temperature ranging from 70° in summer to 52° in winter. The opportunities for North American activity in Uruguay are, I think, unlimited. Before the war England and Germany had the bulk of the trade, but in the last two or three years we have become firmly established, and as the people of the country are very favorable to us, there would seem to be no reason why we should not be able to maintain our position after normal conditions have been restored.

Leaving Montevideo on July 9, on the Highland Rover of the Nelson Line, we arrived at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the 14th. The harbor of Rio de Janeiro is said to be the most beautiful in the world. Flanked by mighty hills, which stand as though to guard it from the encroachments of the sea, the harbor, circling in the form of a crescent, swarms with the craft of all nations. And the city itself is as beautiful as the harbor. Everywhere one sees evidences of lavish expenditures.

ARMOUR & CO.'S NEW PLANT NEAR SÃO PAULO.

It is said that this will be the largest individual abattoir in the world and is a forerunner of North American enterprise and investment in the development of Brazil's meat industry.