Monte Video

Monte Video, a seaport of South America, capital of Uruguay, on the north coast of the La Plata, 130 miles S.E. of Buenos Ayres. It ia situated on a moderate elevation at the end of a small peninsula, and is divided into a new and an old part, marks of old ramparts between them still being visible. The streets are regular and well paved, with a good tram-service, and the houses, of one and two storeys, are flat-roofed. Among the chief buildings are the cathedral, town-hall, exchange, and market. The harbour is very shallow, but the bottom is soft, and the vessels - chiefly British - that trade there take little harm by grounding. The principal exports are wool, timber, tallow, jerked-beef, and essence of meat; and the imports woollens, cotton, hardware, and coal. The climate, though damp, is on the whole pleasant and wholesome. The heat in summer is oppressive, and the weather in winter sometimes rough, with keen, piercing air. The soil in the neighbourhood is fertile, and produces many vegetables, and both meat and fish are abundant and cheap.