NOTICES OP PERU. 



213 



<^ City of Kings here he saw the town-house and palace rise ; 

 within a few yards of this spot he lost his life, and not far off, 

 now rest his bones ! Here, too, San Martin proclaimed Liber- 

 ty to the inhabitants, and Bolivar was honored and contemned. 

 Here Torre Tagle ordered the national hymn to be sung by 

 young girls, assembled from the several schools, on every Sun- 

 day morning ! For three hundred years, the plaza has been, 

 by turns, the scene of business, of religious processions, of 

 amatory intrigues, of festivities, and of public executions ! — 

 and will probably continue so to be. The customs of Lima are 

 now too old, and too deeply rooted, soon to change ! 



On the east side of the plaza, are the Cathedral, and Arch- 

 bishop's palace, part of which is now occupied by the Peruvian 

 Senate. On the north is what was once Pizarro's palace; on 

 the west, are the house of the Cabildo, or Municipality, the 

 prison, and the offices of the Escribanos, or Scriveners; on the 

 south, is the Portdl de los Botineros, and in the centre stands 

 a brazen fountain, which was once glittering with gold. 



The Portdl de los Botin6ros, and that of the Escribanos, are 

 covered walks extending along two sides of the plaza, support- 

 ing a second story of irregular balconies, on arches and colon- 

 nades of brick. Beneath the first are fancy stores, and against 

 the colonnades are placed, in the day time, the tables and appa- 

 ratus of fringe makers, of lace makers, of button makers (and 

 hence the name of this one,) cases of small wares, &c. Under 

 the Portdl de los Escribanos, are drygood shops, and some no- 

 taries' offices. In front of them are the cases and tables of 

 small drygood dealers, or permanent pedlars, with a display of 

 all that a seamstress can want in the way of thread, needles, 

 ribbons and tape. The tables and awnings of these traders, who 

 remove them at sunset, extend over nearly one-third of the 

 plaza. The upper story of the ^^Button-makers' Portico," is 

 occupied by private families. Both portales are paved with 

 small pebbles, and the ends of leg bones, distributed so as to 

 form various figures. 



The Cathedral is a noble edifice of one hundred and eighty- 

 six feet front, by three hundred and twenty deep. The front 

 presents three great doors, which open upon a broad terrace, 



