derives it from Paragua, the name of a celebrated Indian chief
at the time of the conquest. What is certain is that `y'
is the Guarani for water, and this is something in a derivation.
`Y' is perhaps as hard to pronounce as the Gaelic `luogh', a calf,
the nasal `gh' in Arabic, or the Kaffir clicks, having both
a guttural and a nasal aspiration.* It is rarely attempted with success
by foreigners, even when long resident in the country. Though Paraguay
was so completely the country of the Jesuits in after-times,
they were not the first religious Order to go there. Almost in every instance
the ecclesiastics who accompanied the first conquerors of America
were Franciscans. The Jesuits are said to have sent two priests
to Bahia in Brazil ten years after their Order was founded,
but both in Brazil and Paraguay the Franciscans were before them
in point of time.

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* Lozano, in his `Historia del Paraguay', compares it to Greek,
but in my opinion fails to establish his case; but, then,
so few people know both Greek and Guarani.
--

San Francisco Solano, the first ecclesiastic who rose to much note
as a missionary, and who made his celebrated journey through the Chaco
in 1588-89 from Peru to Paraguay, was a Franciscan.* Thus, the Franciscans
had the honour of having the first American saint in their ranks.
It is noteworthy, though, that he was recalled from Paraguay by his superiors,
who seem to have had no very exalted opinion of him.

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* He passed through the whole Chaco, descending the Pilcomayo