LIMA. 



101 



shocks so fatal to the Spanish houses in the 

 capital. It is plain^ therefore^ that the Indian in- 

 habitants knew best what suited the country. 



The palace that was built and inhabited by 

 Pizaro no longer exists; but in its place a 

 colonnade, Avith shops under it, forms one side of 

 the plaza. The first stone of the cathedral 

 was laid by him, and his bones are now in a 

 vault beneath the edifice. 



We afterwards went to the convent of San 

 Francisco, one of the largest and best here ; 

 and, under the escort of a member of the frater- 

 nity, we were conducted all over it. The clois- 

 ters are very fine, and there are one or two 

 tolerable pictures in the galleries. We saw no 

 other monk than our squalid cicerone, who ap- 

 peared to be a servant ; and if a countenance 

 could betoken a rogue, a more villanous one I 

 never beheld. In fact, he excited so much sus- 

 picion, that I could not help feeling my pockets. 



