1768. ROUND THE WORLD. 3S 



which stands on the top of a hill that commands the 

 town. 



It is supplied with water from the neighbouring 

 hills, by an aqueduct, which is raised upon two stories 

 of arches, and is said in some places to be at a great 

 height from the ground, from which the water is 

 conveyed by pipes into a fountain in the great square 

 that exactly fronts the Viceroy's palace. At this 

 fountain great numbers of people are continually 

 w^aiting for their turn to draw water ; and the soldiers, 

 who are posted at the governor's door, find it very 

 difficult to maintain any regularity among them. The 

 water at this fountain, however, is so bad, that we, who 

 had been two months at sea, confined to that in our 

 casks, which was almost always foul, could not drink 

 it with pleasure. Water of a better quality is laid 

 into some other part of the town, but I could not 

 learn by what means. 



The churches are very fine, and there is more re- 

 ligious parade in this place than in any of the Popish 

 countries in Europe : there is a procession of some 

 parish every day, with various insignia, all splendid 

 and costly in the highest degree : they beg money, 

 and say prayers in great form, at the corner of every 

 street. 



While we lay here, one of the churches was re- 

 building ; and to defray the expense, the parish to 

 which it belonged had leave to beg in procession 

 through the whole city once a week, by w^hich very 

 considerable sums were collected. At this ceremony, 

 which was performed by night, all the boys of a cer- 

 tain age were obliged to assist, the sons of gentlemen 

 not being excused. Each of these boys was dressed 

 in a black cassock, with a short red cloak, hanging 

 about as low as the waist, and carried in his hand a 

 pole about six or seven feet long, at the end of which 

 was tied a lantern : the number of lanterns was gene- 

 rally above two hundred, and the light they gave was 



VOL. I. D 



