I came across a difficult place in the book.

[SergeiA]

Hi!
I came across a difficult place in the book I'm reading now. I don't fully understand the meaning of the paragraph.
But at first I would say that the book was written in 1774 and narrates about Patagonia.
The obscure paragraph tells about Carcarañá River (a river in present Argentina):

"... In this manner it takes it's course to the Cruzalta, where it is called Carcaranna, from it's many windings, and passes on, running from N. N. W. to S. S. E. till it enters the Parana, at the Rincon, or corner, of Gaboto, about eighteen leagues from Santa Fe."

What does it mean "... from it's many windings"? Why "from"?

Thank you in advance!

 

[SoothingDave]

A river has to start somewhere. So it goes "from" there to its end.

 

[SergeiA]

Thank you for an answer.
But the river doesn't start at the place which is described in my question.
Here is the complete paragraph. And I marked the place that I cannot understand.

"The Rio Tercero, or Third River, the most considerable of them all, before it passed the mountains of Cordova (where it has a great fall) is increased by the accession of the rivers Champachin, Gonsales, Del Medio, Quillimsa, Cachu-Corat, La Cruz, Luti, and Del Sauce; but coming to the plains, part of which are very sandy, during a dry season it disappears under the ground, and breaks out again at some distance. In times of rain it increases very much, and brings down, in it's rapid current, great quantities of wood. It makes many windings, enclosing large fields. It's banks, for more than twenty leagues after it leaves the mountains, are full of high willow trees. The country through which it flows breeds excellent cattle, being fine pasture and corn land, and in some places produces melilot, and a kind of woody sarsaparilla. At the end of twenty leagues it grows salt, but is not so very bad as to be unfit from drinking. In this manner it takes it's course to the Cruzalta, where it is called Carcaranna, from it's many windings, and passes on, running from N. N. W. to S. S. E. till it enters the Parana, at the Rincon, or corner, of Gaboto, about eighteen leagues from Santa Fe."

 

[Gillnetter]

Hi!
I came across a difficult place in the book I'm reading now. I don't fully understand the meaning of the paragraph.
But at first I would say that the book was written in 1774 and narrates about Patagonia.
The obscure paragraph tells about Carcarañá River (a river in present Argentina):

"... In this manner it takes it's course to the Cruzalta, where it is called Carcaranna, from it's many windings (I assume the name Carcaranna has something to do with the twists and turns which the river makes), and passes on, running from N. N. W. to S. S. E. till it enters the Parana, at the Rincon, or corner, of Gaboto, about eighteen leagues from Santa Fe."

What does it mean "... from it's many windings"? Why "from"?

Thank you in advance!

Gil

 

[Gillnetter]

Was this written by Darwin?

 

[SergeiA]

No, this is 'A Description of Patagonia and the Adjoining Parts of South America' by Thomas Falkner, S. J.

 

[SergeiA]

(I assume the name Carcaranna has something to do with the twists and turns which the river makes)

Thank you very much!
I was thinking about this interpretation, but the only thing that I've found about the river's name was in Spanish:
"La denominación de este río deriva del nombre de una parcialidad de avás (guaraníes) que hacia el siglo XVI habitaban sus riberas."
Unfortunately I don't know Spanish, but I assume that the river got its name after the one Native American tribe, the branch of Guarani.

 

[Tdol]

Think of it as its name comes from its many windings, and note that it should be its not [strike]it's many windings[/strike].

 

[SergeiA]

Think of it as its name comes from its many windings,

Thank you. You think the tribe's name 'Carcarañá' means something like meander?

and note that it should be its not [strike]it's many windings[/strike].

It was not my idea to write "it's" instead of "its" Here are screenshots of the origin.

 

[Rover_KE]

Please note that a better title would have been ...from it's many windings (despite the incorrect apostrophe).

Extract from the Posting Guidelines:

'Thread titles should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.'

 

[Tdol]

Thank you. You think the tribe's name 'Carcarañá' means something like meander?

That is what the text implies.

 

[SergeiA]

That is what the text implies.

Thank you very much! You have helped me a lot!