NOTICES OP PERU. 



237 



Soleddd," accompanied by St. John the Evangelist, under a 

 canopy of blue velvet fringed with fine silver ; and the holy 

 relique of the Sanctum Lignum Crucis, carried in a silver 

 sagrario. The whole was followed by the brotherhood of St. 

 Dominique, assisted by all the nobles of the city, bearing wax 

 candles of a pound each, and preceded by the provincial and 

 prior. Both instrumental and vocal music accompanied this 

 procession. It took place at ten o'clock at night, and passed 

 through several streets to the plaza, and back to the convent.* 



Connected with the convent of Santo Domingo are the seve- 

 ral congregations of the '<Negros Bozales,'' composed of the 

 slaves of Lima and its vicinity. The curious annual feasts of 

 this degraded people are still celebrated in the church, though 

 not with as much eclat as in former years. 



In Lima are the descendants of ten different African tribes, 

 viz. the Terranovos, Lucumes, Mandingas, Cambundas, Cara- 

 baltes, Cangaes, Chalas, Huarochiries, Congos, and Misangas. 

 All these names are not derived from the respective coun- 

 tries of the different castes, but some are arbitrary, as the 

 Huarochiries. 



All these castes are subject to two corporals, elected for life 

 from amongst themselves. The election is held in the chapel of 

 " Nuestra Senora del Rosario,'' founded in this convent by the 

 several nations. Those who vote are chief negroes, and twenty- 

 four from each nation forming a brotherhood. The election 

 takes place in the presence of the chaplain ; the oldest, and 

 those descended from the original founders are generally no- 

 minated, and when elected, have their names recorded in a 

 book kept for the purpose. The same formalities are obse ved 

 in the election of sub-corporals or members of the brotherhoods 

 of twenty-four. To be admitted, the corporal contributes ten 

 dollars, and the brother twelve, one-half of which is devoted 

 to the worship of Our Lady, and the other for, refreshments at 

 the election feast. These offices confer high consideratioa 

 upon their functionaries in the tribe, but they do not alleviate 

 in any degree the pains of slavery. To show how little their 



* Diario de Lima, for April 1791. 



