SANTIAGO. 1 99 



intervention of a plate. In the intervals between the courses, bread 

 and butter and olives were presented. 



Judging from what I saw to-day, I should say that the Chilenos are 

 great eaters, especially of sweet things ; but that they drink very little. 



After dinner we took coffee ; and, as it was late, every thing passed 

 as in an English house, except the retiring of most of the family to 

 prayers at the Ave Maria. In the evening, a few friends and l-ela- 

 tions of the family arrived, and the young people amused themselves 

 with music and dancing. The elder ones conversed over a chafing- 

 dish, and had a thick coverlet spread over it and their knees, which 

 answers the double purpose of confining the heat to the legs, and 

 preventing the fumes of the charcoal from making the head ache. It 

 is but lately that the ladies of Chile have learned to sit on chairs, 

 instead of squatting on the estradas. Now, in lieu of the estrada, 

 there are usually long carpets placed on each side of the room, with 

 two rows of chairs as close together as the knees of the opposite par- 

 ties will permit, so that the feet of both meet on the carpet. The 

 graver people place themselves with their backs to the wall, the 

 young ladies opposite ; and as the young men drop in to join the 

 tertulla, or evening meeting, they place themselves behind the ladies ; 

 and all conversation, general or particular, is carried on without cere- 

 mony in half whispers. 



When a sufficient number of persons is collected the dancing 

 begins, always with minuets ; which, however, are little resembling 

 the grave and stately dance we have seen in Europe. Grave, indeed 

 it is, but it is slovenly ; no air, no polish, nothing in which the famous 

 Captain Nash of Bath would recognise the graceful movements of the 

 rooms, where he presided so long and so well. The minuets are fol- 

 lowed by allemandes, quadrilles, and Spanish dances. The latter are 

 exceedingly graceful ; and, danced as I have seen them here, are like 

 the poetical dances of ancient sculpture and modern painting ; but 

 then, the waltz never brought youth, and mirth, and beauty, into such 

 close contact with a partner. However, they are used to it, and I 

 was a fool to feel troubled at the sight. After all the dancing was 



