The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-05-29
In and About the City of Mexico.

ceptluS Inc rOck anu grove OF Cnapul-
tepec. Just where the houses end stands
the statue of Charles w., the King of
Spain, whose legs were so strong that
he could squeeze horse until it was
breathless. Luckily he is not repre-
sented in this act, and the sculptor has
succeeded in making one of the best
equestrian statues in the world. From
this point there is straight drive called
the Cdlzdtld de la Retormd, leading to
Chapultepec, which looks at the dis
lance not unlike Windsor Castle when
viewed from the other end of the famous
Long Walk. Here in the afternoons all
Mexico turns out to drive in carriages
or to ride on horseback. The carriages
here are almost all made in Paris, and
are, with the exception of a few Victo-
rias, altogether closed. The reason
given for this is that there is rainy
season of three months, and conse-
quently during the other nine months
of the year the inhabitants are obliged
to use carriages only good for wet
weather. As it is impossible to see into
these carriages when they are in motion,
they are drawn up in lines every now
and then so that the occupants can
have a good view of their friends
as they pass. The equestrian
part of the promenaders is di-
vided into two classes, those in En-
glish and those in Mexican saddles. 1t
would be considered very bad form for
a person riding in an English saddle to
dress in the Mexican style, but when
mounted on Mexican horse and in a
Mexican saddle the proper dress is the
leather trousers, jacket, and Sombrero.
The Mexican "swell" is as particular
about the number of buttons down the
outside of his trousers, the size of his
sonabrero, and the hang of his sword as
an English fox-hunter is about the cut
of his cords or the spotlessness of his
boots. Many ladies also ride, but they
generally go out early in the morning
when there are no carriages in the
Paseo. Half way between the statue of
Charles ". and Chepultepec there is a
"circle," in the middle of which q
statue has been erected to Christopher
Columbus, and here the view of the two
volcanoes, with the rays of the setting
sun tinting their snow-clad SUBMITS
with a delicate rose color, is remarkably
fine. A row of trees has been planted
at either side of this drive, and they are
quickly growing up; at present there is
no shade and great deal of dust, for
the watering cart has not yet reached
Mexico. However, men carry some
water in buckets and sprinkle it over the
dust, which is generally about six inches
in depth, but the results are scarcely
satisfactory.
As rule the streets are clean, but
badly paved, and before the rainy sea-
son sets in the sewers are opened at
every corner and emptied. During this
operation the smells, which are always
somewhat offensive, become intolerable,
and no doubt breed malaria and other
sicknesses that should not be known in
a city so high above the level of the sea.
Through many of the streets excellent
trainways run, and the c0nceSSionn0ire,
who has monopoly, is fast becoming a
millionaire. 1t is amusing to see how
easy the driver and conductor take life
The driver has q comfortable armchair
on the front platform, and the conduc-
tor comes in every few minutes to roll
his cigarette and ask a passenger for a
light. Every one smokes, often at times
which in the States would be considered
rather out of place. For instance, a
waiter will smoke his cigarette while
serving dinner, and if he wants to use
both his hands at the same time, will
lay it down on the corner of the table or
on any other 'coign of vantage"
The walters, who are generally Mes
tizos, are about as bad as they are made,
stupid, inattentive, and with a peculiar
Looping gait, something like the trot of
donkey or Mexican pony. At the res
taurants in the city the food is generally
good and well cooked. The cookery is
French, with few Mexican innovations,
such as the use of large quantities of
chillis in many dishes, and the perpet-
cal trVoles, OF small black beans, with
which every meal invariably ends.
Fish is scarce and rarely good, the
principal one being the Huachinaugo, a
fish with very thick skin, and rather
tasteless and dry. Now and then oys-
tiers are brought up from the coast;
they are very small, something like
those that grow on the mangrove trees
in Cuba. They are salt, with thick,
rough shells, and the Mexicans eat
them with their knives, rather difficult
proceeding. Meat is fairly good, the
mutton being better than the beef.
The butchers think that bull fight
considerably improves the flavor of the
beef, so each animal that is
killed is attacked in the usual
toreador style and dispatched after
fight of some fifteen minutes
duration with sword which takes the
place of butchers knife in other lands.
The pork is good and much used by the
people; it is cooked in every possible
way, but rarely cured for bacon or
hams. The poultry is not good, and
the game scarce and poor. There is,
however, small dove called the tortela
that makes an excellent salmi, and a
little bird, something larger than the
reed bird, which feeds exclusively upon
the cantareda or Spanish fly, is simply
delicious. Vegetables are plentiful, but
inferior in both size and flavor; however,
they can be procured during the greater
part of the year and are very cheap.
Wines, spirits, and other drinks as easily
procured in the city as in New York,
but the prices are rather stiff, cham
payne costing Sc bottle and other
wines in proportion. The Germans, who
are invading Mexico in large numbers,