220 



MEXICO. 



bouring country, and had taken no measurements 

 nor any observations, and that I neither had 

 brought with me, nor had I sent for any instru- 

 ments. 



The Ayuntamiento, who had probably been 

 hoaxed by some wag, were afterwards sorry for 

 having sent me such a despatch, and it was actu- 

 ally proposed in council to write me another in 

 explanation ; but a friend of mine, belonging to 

 that illustrious body, put a stop to this, by declar- 

 ing, he had authority from me to say, that I was 

 perfectly satisfied of there having been some mis- 

 take, and that I had already received too many 

 proofs of their good-will to require or wish for any 

 apology. This puzzled them a little ; but they 

 were ever afterwards particularly civil and kind, 

 not only to me, but to the other Englishmen on 

 the spot. 



21^;^ of April, — A family of my acquaintance, 

 consisting of a widow, her son, and two daughters, 

 invited me to-day to accompany them to a wed- 

 ding-dinner, given to an old servant of theirs by 

 his relations. These ladies had observed, that the 

 English were always inquiring into the customs 



