96 



BUENOS AYRES, 



fore may justly be called the Antarctic pointers, 

 bearing the same relative position in the south- 

 ern hemisphere that the Arctic pointers do in 

 the north. The Magellan clouds are seen be- 

 low the cross, and I recollect after we had 

 arrived in the latitude for observing them, I 

 tried in vain to convince a midshipman, that 

 these two celebrated appearances were not 

 really clouds, which they resemble completely. 

 One is larger than the other, and their hue is 

 darker than that of the milky way, which may 

 also be likened in some degree to fleecy clouds. 



Nov. 5. — I went to-day into the cathedral, 

 and saw the Portehas* at their devotions. They 

 wear immense tortoiseshell combs,t not less 

 than a foot in height, and half a foot in breadth, 

 and a veil over this in the streets when walk- 

 ing. On these occasions their pretty feet are 

 what the French call Ires bien chaussees, and no- 



* Name given to the ladies of Buenos Ayres. 



f Since I left Buenos Ayres, this singular costume has 

 been going out of fashion, owing to Mrs. Hamilton's exam- 

 ple of a low head-dress, which the natives have adopted. 



