200 



MEXICO. 



boughs ; the scenes consisted of pieces of cloth 

 pinned together, and suspended from the cross 

 bars supporting the thatch. There was no light 

 but that of the moon. The climate was so mild, 

 that we sat for several hours without any incon- 

 venience either from cold or from dew. As for 

 the play itself, it deserved a better stage and bet- 

 ter acting ; it was said to be a comedy of Calde- 

 ron'^s, and caused great mirth. 



9th of April, — There was always a tertulia, or 

 party, somewhere every evening, to which we were 

 expected to go as a matter of course, without par- 

 ticular invitation. I shall endeavour to describe 

 that which I visited last night. 



Across the upper end of a large room, and for 

 some distance along the sides, were seated the 

 ladies, about twenty in number in a compact 

 line, and glued as it were to the wall. Some- 

 times in the course of the evening, a gentleman 

 succeeded in obtaining a station amongst the la- 

 dies, but he was generally an intimate acquaint- 

 ance or a very determined stranger. In each 

 corner of the room was placed a small stone table, 

 on which stood a dingy tallow-candle, the feeble 



