1892 
In Guadalajara and Colima and Morelia, the main stores of the town 
Mexico City 
(Mexico) 
are gathered in the portals about the central plaza, but in Mexico 
July 
they have left the portals to a cheaper grade, and the finest establ¬ 
ishments and main offices of large business houses and banks are 
along San Francisco Street, extending west from the plaza. 
Passing a railed enclosure at the edge of the plaza near the 
cathedral, I saw a beautiful showing of flowers, roses, tube-roses, 
hyacinths, gladioli, etc., etc., made up into great bouquets very 
temptingly arrayed. Mr. Pringle suggested that I price some of them, 
so X asked one of the Indian flower-sellers how much he wanted for a 
large bouquet he had before him. "Three Beales, Senor" he replied. 
I turned away, but before X got out of earshot he had reduced the 
price to 2 and then to one real, and then asked what I would give. 
While a host of other bouquets were held up before me in bewildering 
array - as to a prim donna's first night - and at ridiculously low 
prices. 
In the City of Mexico the number of fine-looking though small¬ 
sized policemen seen is quite striking, and it is evidently a system¬ 
atic choosing of such men to make a favorable showing for the police 
force of the capital. Soldiers are on regular guard duty at the en¬ 
trances of the government buildings and uniforms are to be seen at 
t 
frequent intervals on the streets. 
The police and gendarme system of this country is very effective 
in restoring and preserving publio tranquility. The escape law 
r 
applied to prisoners of an obnoxious class which is in active force 
not only serves as a rapid process of weeding out old malefactors 
but has a salutary influence on would-be criminals. 
t 
On Sunday morning, July , I left Mexico City with Mr. Pringle 
90 
