206 JOURNAL. 
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 Dofia 
Isabella, and his sister Dofia 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 
