Ex. Doc. No. 41. 41 



-quent discourse, eulogising the grandeur^ magnanimity, power, and 

 justice of the United States, • • 



Attending mass before breakfast proved anything but an appe- 

 tizer. The church was crowded w^ith women of all conditions, and 

 the horrid reboso, which the poor use for shawls, bonnet, handker- 

 chief, and spit-box, sent out an odor which the incense from the 



altar failed- to stifle. 



One fact struck me as singular in all the houses that we visited, 

 the ladies never made their appearance; and it was always by the 



. merest accident that we caught a glimpse of one of the family. 

 At Isoletta, I became tired of the show, and, seeing my- servant 

 talking at the door of one of his acquaintances, I took the liberty 

 of asking permission to take a quiet siesta; but this was out of the 

 question. The good woman overwhelmed me with a thousand 

 questions about the United States, which could only be stopped by 



■ questioning her in return. She denounced Armijo; said, wuth a 

 true Castilian flash of the eye, ^^ I do not see how any man wearing 

 those things, '' pointing to my shoulder straps, ^'could run away as 

 he did. He had a good army to back him, and could have driven 



you all back." 



T^he valley suddenly contracts below Perdilla, between Isoletta 

 and Peralta. On the east side of the river there is deep sand, and 

 the country is perfectly barren. ' ^ 



I observed to-night, for time and latitude at niy camp, about 

 500 feet northwest of Senora Charvis's priyate chapel, thirteen 

 altitudes of polaris give for the latitude of this place, 34° 50' 57"; 

 and twelve of corona borealis, and nine of alpha pegasi, give the 

 chronometric longitude 7A. 07m. 8^.4. 



September 7. — The early part of last evening was most beauti- 

 fully bright and serene; the air was of the most delightful temper- 

 ature, varied occasionally by a gentle breeze from the ?outh, waft- 

 ing along the perfume of the vineyards. I made some observations 

 for time and latitude; the last unsatisfacto'rily, owing to the bright- 

 ness of the moon dimming the southern stars. About 11 o'clock, 

 the whole character of the night was changed by an east wind that 

 came riistling down from the mountains, driving the sand before it. 

 Nearly the whole distance travelled in the last three days has been 

 over drifting sand, with only occasional patches of firm soil. 



After rising early to attend to some business, I Avalked over the 

 town of Peralta, which is interspersed with cotton wood, growing 

 in nearly the regular order^ of an apple orchard. I then repaired 

 to head-quarters, at the palace of Mr, Ilortera, a spacious one 

 story edifice, five hundred feet front. 



We marched and encamped near Tom6. It was the eve of the 

 fete of Tome in honor of the Virgin Mary, and people from all 

 parts of the country were flocking in crowds to the town. The 

 primitive wagons of the country w^ere used by the women as coaches. 

 These wagons were heavy boxes mounted on wheels cut from large 

 •cotton 'wood; over the to*p of the box was spread a blanket, and 

 inside were huddled, in a dense crowd, the women, children, pigs, 

 lambs, and ^^ every thing that is his. ^' The man of the family 



