Ch. tu. south AMERICA. 121 



ficult to determine which fet the firfl example. The 

 fame felfifiiiiefs and parfimony reigns equally among 

 the women, iome Spanifh ladies excepted, who have 

 accompanied their huibands, appointed auditors, or to 

 lome other employments ; thefe flill retaining the qua- 

 lities they imhibed from education. 



The women of Panama begin to imitate the drefs 

 of thoie of PerUj which, when they go abroad, conñíls 

 only of a gown and petticoat, nearly rcfembling thofc 

 worn in Spain ; but at home, on vilits, and fome par- 

 ticular ceremonies, their fhift is their only clothing, 

 from the waift upwards. The fleeves are very long 

 and broad, and quite open in the lower part or near 

 the hand; and thefe, like the bofom, are decorated 

 whh very fine lace, the chief pride of the ladies of 

 Panama. They wear girdles, and five or fix chaplets 

 or rows of beads about,their necks, fome fet in gold, 

 fome of coral mixed with fmall pieces of gold, and 

 others lefs coftly ; but all of different fizes, in order to 

 make the greater fhow ; and befides thefe, one, two, 

 or more gold chains, having fome relics dependant 

 from them. Round their arms they wear bracelets of 

 gold and tombac ; alio firings of pearls, corals, and 

 bugles. Their petticoat reaches only from their waift 

 to the calf of their legs ; and from thence to a little 

 above their ancle, hangs, from their under petticoat, a 

 broad lace. The Mefiiza, or Negro women, or the 

 coloured women as they are called here, are diftin- 

 guii"hed in their drefs from thofe of Spain, only by the 

 gown and petticoat ; the particular privilege of the 

 latter, and which alfo gives them the title of Signora ; 

 though many of them have little to boaJl: of, either 

 with regard to rank or wealth *. 



If 1 omitted in Carthagena the following obferva- 

 tion, it was in order to referve it for this place ; name- 



* Thefe cuiloras are general throughout all the northern parts of 

 South America. A* ' v 



