Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-10-26
Sketches in Peru.

A lively correspondent of the Spring
field Republican writes from Lima
If there is any one thing dearer than
another to Lima woman, it is fine
assortment of diamonds. / have seen
many an old woman, OF partly negro
blood and us ugly as sin, with OILY one
garment and an old blanket for dress,
who had the blanket fastened with a
fine diamond pin. The sole ambition
Of 4 pretty woman is to outshine her
neighbours diamonds. Poverty, hunger,
old clothes, and all the other ills Of life,
are nothing, if they can be Offset by fine
diamonds. The luxury of silks and vel
vets is well appreciated, too, by the
wealthier class, but poor indeed is the
man, and below caste indeed the family,
who have no diamonds, no matter what
treasures of real estate or focks or herds
they nave.
Goats flesh Ito change the subject,
forms II considerable staple with the
Peruvian butchers. Roasted it can
hardly be distinguished from mutton,
but is somewhat cheaper, being, although
so like it in taste, a very tritle coarser.
Owing to this difference in price. small
patches of fleece are left in the meat of
the sheep when killed, and when your
hind quarter of lamb comes here, you
can verify the fact that You are not pay
ing lamb price for kid meat, by bit of
the innocent's original fleece. Some
unprincipled butchers are said to glue
bits of fleece on kids flesh to deceive
theirpatrons, but I can hardly think that
of them, though they do sometimes put
meat on the market which never came
to n violent death.
AS to politics, 1 defy any other than
native Peruvian to make anything of
them. We can get pretty good idea
of their foreign relations, because those
are tolerably public, but the inside
work, who goes in and who goes out,
and why they go, and why every little
while there is fierce confusion, brawl,
an extended fight and finally an upset and
an overthrow, q retreat of insurgents or
authorities to the mountsins, general
alteration of coin, n new levy of soldiers,
and considerable cannonading from the
fort in the roadstead, is past the COM
prehension of an outsider Consuls
have got weak minded before now in the
vain attempt to understand it, and
Henry Clay's son, who was Minister
there for good while, was threatened
with softening OF the brain, and had to
come home / doubtif they understand
it themselves.
Just now Lima is fall Of excitement.
Some State official, far in advance of
his colleagues, has Just heard of the
great expositions of industry held abroad
at various times, and has actually stirred
up the Government to undertake
similar exhibition for the products OF
Peru suppose it will comprise speci-
ments of guano, silver ore, o few grass
hats, and some feeees of mountain
sheep. The skeleton of PizaTo will
doubtless be exhibited under the head
of works of art, and special earthquake
or two may be gotten mp to crafty
visitors. All this is advertised to take
place next December, and, unless q
revolution or two takes place in the
meantime and upsets the arrangements,
have no doubt it will come of. The
Peruvians will come and look at the new
plows, and then carefully avoid any such
improvements in future.