Bullock's Six Months Rrsidcnet in AUxico, 



♦liat pri:jt'Ctcil over ihe enclosure. Our 

 mules aiiil tliijso of other travellers were 

 fastened on Ihe oulside, while numerous 

 dogs belonging lo (he lif)Use, as well as 

 those attached to tlie difii^renl convey- 

 ances of the travellers, were mingled 

 with their masters, and kept np snch 

 a barking as to render sleep impossible. 

 We had horses close to o-ir heads, 

 eating Indian corn ; the mules kicking 

 and fighting; the muleteers cursing; 

 intolerable and suflbealing litat ; 

 braying of asses; singing and slinging 

 of mosqiiitos, and the biting of myriads 

 of fleas, completed the comforts of what 

 lias been called an inn. Hov did I 

 pray for a glass of water to moisten my 

 parched and feverish li()s ! how did I 

 Jong (or an English barn or hay-loft ! 

 either had been a Paradise to such an 

 infernal spot. 'l"o leave if, however, 

 Would have been to run the risk of being 

 devoured by the sinrounding dogs. 

 Day-light at length brought us reiii'f, 

 and, clearing our persims from the «le- 

 Jiosits of the poultry that had roosted 

 over our heads, we re- loaded our car- 

 riage, and proceeded. 



JALAPA. 



Xalapa or Jalapa, from whicli the well- 

 known drugtakesitsnamcj was, till with- 

 in the last century, the great mart of New 

 Spain forEuropcan goods. All merchan- 

 dize arriviiigat>''eraCruz (the unhealtlii- 

 ness of which prevented nierclianls frota 

 stopping there) was brought on mules 

 to the great annual fair held in this 

 city, and attended by all the mercantile 

 interests of this part of the world. Tiie 

 city at present contains I.'3j000 ii)habi- 

 tanis; but at the time of the lair it was 

 crowded to excess. It is probably de- 

 creasing in pojuilatjon, though still a 

 very handsome place. 



Both men and women in general are 

 very ill-informed with resjiect to the 

 stale of Europe. They believe the 

 continent to he under Ihe dominion of 

 Spain i that England, France, Italy, 

 Holland, Germany, See. are only so 

 many paltry stales or provinces to 

 which the kingof Spain appoints gover- 

 nors, M ho superintend the manulaclorics. 

 fic. for the liencfit of that country. 1 

 luund it dangerous lo contradict thi.s 

 Ually. One lady asked me where a 

 niUKlin dress had been ma<le? "in 

 England, " "and how came it here.''' 

 *' probably through S|)aiii," I refdied ; 

 " well then, what is England but the 

 workshop of Spain .'" Many ihink that 

 the riches of .Spain enable the others, 

 and as they rail them, the poorer parts 

 <d jEurope, to li\c. 



PUEBLA, 



About eight o'clock in the evening 

 we arrived at Puebla. We entered by 

 the bridge of San Francisco, with a 

 line convent on one side, and the 

 Almeida, or public walk, on the other; 

 and went through the crowded and 

 busy streets, the bustle and hurry 

 of which presented a new scene to us iu 

 America. 



Early on the morning following our 

 arrival, we commenced our rambles in 

 the vicinity, and my son lixed on an 

 eminence at a short distance from 

 Puebla, to the soul!i-east (on wliicli 

 stands the beautiful church of our Lady 

 of Guadaloiipe), for the purpose of 

 taking a geneial view of the city, which 

 is seen to the greatest advantage from 

 this point. In the afternoon we as- 

 cended tiie high tower of the cathedral, 

 and enjoyed the splendid view of Puebla 

 and the neighbourhood. Several of tlio 

 most distinguished volcanic and other 

 mountains arc in the vicinity, but from 

 \icw, Popocatepetl loses much of its 

 grandeur. The pyramid of Chollula is 

 only six miles ofl', and distinctly seen, — 

 its base exceeds lliut of the great pyra- 

 mid of Egypt ; but the w ork of man, 

 when standing in coiTi|)arison with the 

 surrounding pyramids of nature, whose 

 tops are covered with eternal snow, 

 dwindles into insignificance. The 

 labour of ascending the tower is amply 

 repaid by a view of this regular and 

 beautiful city, the foundations of which 

 were laid by the Spaniards in 1.533. It 

 now contains about 90,000 inhabitants, 

 many of whom are wealthy, and live in 

 good style. It is in the splendor of its 

 churches, and other religious edifices, 

 and in the richness of their endowments, 

 that Puehia must take the first rank in 

 the Christian world. Iir the profuse 

 ornamenls of the altars, the sacred 

 vessels and vestments, the expensive 

 carving and gilding of the interior of 

 the churches— in the pompous religious 

 |)rocessions and oilier ceremonies, it 

 yields to no city in America or 

 Europe. 



'J'hc streets of the city are straight, 

 broad, and cross each other at right 

 angles, dividing the whole into squares 

 of c;onsiderable size. 



The houses are spacious, mostly three 

 siDiies, with Hat roofs, and many are 

 covered wilh glazed tiles, of delft of 

 various eoloins, some funning pictures, 

 Cprine.ipally scriptural suh|eets,) and 

 having the apjicarancc of rich Mosaic. 

 'J'bese produce a fine cITecl, and diifer 

 from any thinj I ever saw in Europe. 



SoRiv 



