112 



Bogota'. 



ladies all seated together in formal order, in 

 one corner, or at one end of the room, but 

 less addicted to the custom of folding their 

 legs under them than in most other parts of 

 Colombia, — foreigners having laughed the 

 young ladies out of a position so devoid of 

 grace. The feet, as well as the head, are ge- 

 nerally neatly dressed : the rest of the body 

 is enveloped in a large shawL I generally 

 managed to break through the stiffness of the 

 party, by inducing some young lady to rise 

 in order to accompany her voice with some 

 national air on the harp or piano-forte ; the 

 vacancy caused by her rising was imme- 

 diately filled up by my companion, whilst I 

 attended the young lady performing ; thus all 

 formality and ceremony was destroyed, and 

 good-natured mirth reigned ; the young la- 

 dies frequently whispering their thanks for se- 

 parating them from their old grandmammas, 

 as it enabled them to enter more unrestrain- 

 edly into conversation. From want of edu- 



