A PARTY. 349 



On my return to the Alcalde*s house, 

 I found several of his friends had come 

 to pay him a visit. The females w^ere seat- 

 ed on cushions laid on the ground, in the 

 door-way, and the men lolling in chairs, 

 leaning against the walls of the house and 

 the veranda. The whole party, male and 

 female, old and young, were smoking. This 

 custom is universal, and added to the 

 quantities of sweetmeats, of which all are 

 fond, you seldom see a good set of teeth, as 

 they are never cleaned, and being neglected, 

 become discoloured, black, and decayed. 

 It is a most unpleasant addition to these 

 smoking parties, to have every one near you 

 constantly spitting about the apartment. 

 The conversation was not very interesting, 

 turning principally on their Christmas-feasts, 

 which were about to commence. In the 

 evening it rained, but this did not prevent 

 our going to a tertuluiy but such a tertiilia! 

 a barn dance in England is superior ; not 



