The conditions on both sides being accepted, the cross which they had made of a lofty palm tree, was erected in that place with many reverential ceremonies. The Abipones were instructed in the heads of religion, in daily assemblies, all their savage customs and notions extirpated, and persons of every age fortified against the artifices of the jugglers. Father Pastòr, seeing an aged female of this profession on the point of death, vainly endeavoured to administer baptism to her. The obstinate old woman withstood the earnest exhortations of the father, whether he promised her the eternal joys of Heaven, or threatened her with torments from the evil spirit. She replied, with a laugh, that she had little occasion to fear the evil demon, with whom she had been familiar so many years. But others of better understanding began to believe what the Fathers told them, and openly to distrust the arts and words of the jugglers. To sum up all, by continual perseverance they wrought so much, that in a few weeks, they joyfully beheld something like Christianity beginning to flourish amongst these savages. Father Cerqueira returning to the Mataràs, Juan Pastòr redoubled his efforts. Though enfeebled by age, and with strength by no means athletic, he built a little hut of sticks and straw, and plastered it over with mud. In a short time, he wrote out with much labour, an epitome of the Abiponian tongue; of this vocabulary, when I was there, nothing but the memory remained. But alas! these flourishing hopes of the improvement of the Abipones were all destroyed by an unexpected messenger, who called Juan Pastòr home on urgent business. Nor was there at that time any one to supply his place, so great was the scarcity of priests of our order. Father Lozano, in his History of Chaco, says, that Pastòr was sent to Europe to treat of the affairs of the province in the courts of Rome and Madrid, and that he had collected out of various countries, and intended to bring into Paraguay, the number of Jesuits necessary for the settling of so many savages. But just as he was going to set sail with his apostolical supplies, he received letters from the Royal Senate, at Madrid, prohibiting him from carrying any foreigners into Paraguay. In consequence of which he was obliged to send back the other priests into their native countries, and with a very few Spaniards, for the most part young men, and according to our established rule, unfit to be ordained for many years, sailed to Paraguay, still labouring under the want of priests for so great a number of colonies. This decree of the rulers of Madrid, excluding all foreign priests from Paraguay, was certainly extremely disadvantageous to the Spaniards themselves. For if those German, Italian, and Flemish Jesuits had arrived in Paraguay, doubtless, by their labours, the Abipones, Tobas, and Mocobios would have been induced to submit to the authority of the King of Spain, and to receive the Catholic religion; whilst, left for