LIMENTAN DRESS. 



109 



that no part of the body, except one eye, and 

 sometimes only a small portion of one eye, is per- 

 ceptible. A rich coloured handkerchief, or a silk 

 band and tassel, are frequently tied round the 

 waist, and hang nearly to the ground in front. 

 A rosary, also, made of beads of ebony, with a 

 small gold cross, is often fastened to the girdle, a 

 little on one side ; though in general it is suspend- 

 ed from the neck. 



The effect of the whole is exceedingly striking; 

 but whether its gracefulness — for, with the fine 

 figure of the Lima women, and their very beauti- 

 ful style of walking, this dress is eminently grace- 

 ful — be sufficient to compensate for its indelicacy 

 to an European eye, will depend much upon the 

 stranger''s taste, and his habits of judging of what 

 he sees in foreign countries. Some travellers in- 

 sist upon forcing every thing into comparison with 

 what they have left at home, and condemn or ap- 

 prove, according as this unreasonable standard is 

 receded from or adhered to. To us, who took all 

 things as we found them, the Say a and Manto af- 

 forded much amusement, and, sometimes, not a 

 little vexation. It happened occasionally, that 



