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Mariquita, a young woman more cultivated than is usual here. The 

 ladies both apologised for appearing in cotton stockings and coarse 

 black shoes, by saying that it was in consequence of a vow made 

 during a severe illness of the old gentleman, Don Jose Miguel Cota- 

 pos, by which they had obliged themselves to wear such stockings and 

 shoes a whole year, if his life was granted to their prayers. If I 

 smiled at the superstition of this, the affection whence it proceeded 

 was too respectable to permit me to laugh ; and I was well aware of 

 the extent of the merit of the vow, as there is nothing in which a lady 

 of Chile is so delicate as the choice of her shoes. Madame Cotapos 

 whispered to me that the torment hers had occasioned was such that 

 she had been obliged to slip a little cotton wool into them to save 

 her feet. Luckily she did not understand me, as I could not help 

 muttering Peter Pindar's words, " I took the liberty to boil my peas." 

 Mariquita performs her vow, however, without reservation of any kind. 

 On arriving at the palace, we walked in with less bustle and attend- 

 ance than I have seen in most private houses : the rooms are hand- 

 somely but plainly furnished ; English cast-iron grates ; Scotch car- 

 pets ; some French china, and time-pieces, little or nothing that 

 looked Spanish, still less Chileno. The Director's mother Doha 

 Isabella, and his sister Doha Rosa, received us not only politely but 

 kindly. The Director's reception was exceedingly flattering both to 

 me and my young friend De Roos. His Excellency had passed se- 

 veral years in England, great part of which time he spent at an aca- 

 demy at Richmond in Surrey. He immediately asked me if I had 

 ever been there, enquired after my uncle Mr., now Sir David 

 Dundas, and several other persons of my acquaintance, by name, 

 and asked very particularly about his old masters in music and other 

 arts. I was very much pleased with the kindliness of nature shown 

 in these recollections, and still more so when I saw several wild- 

 looking little girls come into the room, and run up to him, and 

 cling about his knees, and found they were little orphan Indians 

 rescued from slaughter on the field of battle. It appears that 

 the Indians, when they make their inroads on the reclaimed 

 grounds, bring their wives and families with them ; and should a 



