The Minuanes occupied a territory to the east of the Guenoas, and in physical appearance, manners, and customs closely resembled the Charrúas, to such an extent, indeed, that the two tribes have frequently been confused by writers. An error of the kind is natural enough, since the two groups were wont to bind themselves in hard-and-fast alliance in order to combat the Spaniards. The Minuanes, however, were a trifle more advanced in some respects than their southern allies. They were accustomed, for instance, to wear loin-cloths, with the frequent addition of a skin flung across the shoulders. Moreover, their hostility towards Europeans was undoubtedly less deep-seated, since the Jesuits succeeded in incorporating them for a while in one of their missions. The majority, it is true, soon returned to their own wild life, but a certain number remained. The last tribe to be noticed is that of the Arachanes, a people of Guarani origin who lived on the east coast between the ocean and the great Lake Merim. Practically nothing is known of these folk. They were dispersed and exterminated at the commencement of the seventeenth century by the Brazilian mamelukes in the course of their raids from San Paulo. CHAPTER XII MONTEVIDEO Population--Attributes of the city--Situation of the Uruguayan capital--The Cerro--A comparison between the capitals of Argentina and Uruguay--The atmosphere of Montevideo--A city of restful activity--Comparatively recent foundation--Its origin an afterthought--Montevideo in 1727--Homely erections--Progress of the town--Advance effected within the last thirty years--The Uruguayan capital at the beginning of the nineteenth century--Some chronicles of the period--The ubiquity of meat--Dogs and their food--Some curious account of the prevalence of rats--The streets of old Montevideo--Their perils and humours--A comparison between the butchers' bills of the past and of the present--Some unusual uses for sheep--Methods in which the skulls and horns of cattle were employed--Modern Montevideo--The National Museum--An admirable institution--Theatres--Critical Montevidean audiences--Afternoon tea establishments--The Club Uruguay--The English Club--British community in the capital--Its enterprise and philanthropy--The _Montevideo Times_--A feat in editorship--Hotels--Cabs and public vehicles--The cost of driving. It may come as a surprise to many to learn that Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, possesses a population of almost four hundred thousand inhabitants. By no means one of those centres that are remarkable only for population, it holds almost every conceivable attribute of a modern city--from boulevards and imposing public buildings to plazas, statuary, and a remarkably extensive tramway service.