104 



PERU. 



ed : one the abolition of the slave-trade, and as 

 far as possible of slavery ; the other, the relin- 

 quishment of bull-fights. With respect to the 

 slave question, most people think alike; but many- 

 hesitate as to the propriety of doing away the 

 bull-fights, especially they who have witnessed 

 them in Spain only, or who have never witnessed 

 them at all ; but it is rare to hear any one con- 

 demn their abolition after having been present at 

 those of Lima. 



I heard a Chilian gentleman offer a curious 

 theory on this subject. He declared that the 

 Spaniards had systematically sought by these 

 cruel shows, and other similar means, to degrade 

 the taste of the Colonies, and thereby more easi- 

 ly to tyrannize over the inhabitants. The peo- 

 ple, he said, first rendered utterly insensible to 

 the feelings of others, by a constant familiarity 

 with cruelty and injustice, soon became indiffer- 

 ent to the wrongs of their country, and in the 

 end lost all motive to generous exertion in them- 

 selves. 



An excellent old Spanish gentleman, of whom 

 I shall have occasion to speak hereafter, stated. 



