Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1847-11-20


is placed besde,him, board rests across
his knees pile of different colored pa
per (npst Of which is either cut Valen-
tine fashion, or flourished over and adorned
with pen and ink ornaments) is placed on
it, and on a STOOL before him sits some dis
consolate-looking damsel or heart broken
lover pouring out a passion which the
scribe puts in becoming phraseology. 1t
is an important trade, and more money is
made in Mexico by this proxy making
love than perhaps anywhere else. You
have celebration" for one rial; a scold-
ing letter for medic, and an upbraidng
epistle; full of daggers, jealousy, love and
tenderness, (eaving the unfortunate recip-
lent in very distracted state of mind)
done upon azure paper, besprinkled with
hearts and doves, for the ridiculous price
of twenty-five cents
West Of the Parian, and all around the
southern and western sides of the Plaza, or
those portions of it which are directly
occupied by the cathedral and National
Palace, run the arched portals, similar to
the arcade of Bologna. These are filled
with gay shops, peddlers,, cafes, old clothes,
toys, flower-venders, sweetmeats, book
stalls, cutters, curiosity hunters, antiquities
(veritable and doub,ful) and the usual
crowd of loungers and quidnuncs. Here
the last revolution, or the probability of
new one, is in continual discussion by
knots of idlers. Above stairs. in some Of
the dwellings, are gambling. houses, as for
merly in the palais Royal, with which the
scene here presented does not, of course,
vie in taste or splendor.
EXCHANGE AND CATHEDRAL
Opposite to the southern end of the
Paran, is the Casa Municipal, or town
hall, in the lower story of which is the
Lonja, 0he Exchange of the merchants of
MexicoO noble room.
The cathdral occupies space Of 500
feet by 42O front. The main altar is not
erected against the wall, but near the CEN
tire of the editice, beneath the dome. From
this, extending around the choir probably
two hundred feet, there is rail between
four and five feet high, and Of proportion
able thickness, composed of gold and sill.
yer, and small alloy of brass. This is
surmounied with silver statues for candles
In front of the altar is the choir, itself a
church, built Of dark wood of the rarest
antique carving. The altar, Iplaced upon
marble platform, elevating it from the
floor of the building. and covered with
gold and silver ornaments, candlesticks and
crosses) is of wrought and polished silver;
and the whole is surmounted by small
temple, in which rests the figure of the
Virgin of Remedies, who enjoys the exclu.
sive right of three petticoats-onc en-.
broidered with pearls, another with emer-
aids, and a third with diamonds value
of which, | am credibly informed, is not
less than three millions of dollars! This
you will recollect, is one part Of one church
in Mexico, and that one said not to be the
richest.
sUBuRDs-LEPEROs.
Passing from the cathedral door to the
southeastern portion of the city, YOU reach
the outskirts, crossing in your way the
canals from the lake. ] have rarely seer
such miserable suburbs; they are filled with
novels built with sun.dried bricks, often
worn with the weather to the shape Of holes
in the mud, while on their earthen floors
crawl, cook, live and multiply, the wretched
looking population Of leperos. This word
| believe, is not the pure Spanish, but is
derived originally, il is said, from the Cas-
titan lepera, or leper; and although the y
do not suffer from that loathsome maladv
they are quite as disgusting.
Blacken man in the sun; let his hair
grow long and tangled, or become filled
with vermin; let him plod about the street:
in all kinds of dirt for years. and never
know the use of brush, or towel, or water
even, except in storms; let him put on
pair of leather breeches at twenty, and
wear them until forty. without change oil
ablution; and over all place a torn and black
ened hat, and tattered blanket begrimeC
with denominations; let him have wild eve,
and shining teeth, and features pinched by
famine to sharpness; breast barred anc
Drowned, and (f female) with two or three
miniatures Of the same species toltering
after her, and another certainly strapped
to her back; combine all these in your i'm.
agination, and you have a receipt for
Mexican lepero.
There on the canals, around the markets
and pulque shops, the Indians and these
miserable outcasts hang all day long, feed
ing on fragments, quarreling, drinking
stealing and lying drunk about the pave
ments, with their children crying will
hunger around them. At night they slim
off TO these suburbs, and coil themselve
up on the damp floors of their lairs, t.
sleep off the effects of liquor, and TO awak
to another day of misery and crime. Is
wonderful. in city with an immense pro
portion of its inhabitants of such elias:
! hopeless in the present and future,) tha
there are murderers and robbers!
INDIANS.
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