National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-07-12
ANOTHER PERU LETTER.
The People Of Lima and Their Customs
Lottery Business as a Thriving Industry
Manners Of Women on the Stoeets.
Cnegjnt Tfflcr

Special Letcr.
CALLAo, June 2O.-The two sides of the grand
square In Lima that are not taken up by the
cathedral and the two palaces, are occupied by
shops with q broad-coverc1 arcade In front
OF them. The shops arc Of various sizes, but
none of them very large and are occupied
chiefly by money changers, dry goods men and
tobaccouists The money changers are mostly
Germans with a ucbrew accent and cast Of
countonancc, and they do n thriving business,
giving you twenty-five silver Peruvian dollars
for double eagle, or 800 paper dollars Tor the
same coin. i saw some of our silver dollars In
one of these places the other day q mean our
81 cent dollars aud inquired the price. They
offered me tWenty-one for double eagle ana
II made me feel out Of sorts, II seemed retlec..
ton on our whole country to be issuing debased
coins and appeared to put us on par with
Peru OF Bolivia.
The dry goods shops have small stock, and
the prices are enormous, but / enjoy walking
up and down the arcade and watching the
pretty Peruvian women shop There are gem
orally several of them together and bargain
involves such an infinite amount OF chatter
and gesticulation, while every other word
seems 20 end in 10 or ia. They dance about
like black-robed butterflies, looking ut every
thing; and If one sees a female acquaintance
passing she stops her, and they kiss on each
cheek giving one another soothing little pats
on the shoulder at the same time. They never
speak to gentlemen In the street, It not being
considered the proper thing TO do. They gen
wearing black silk skirts and handsomely en-
broidered crepe mantas, that are made in
China for this trade. The manta Is about two
and a half TO three yards long and about two
yards wide. On one edge ia sewed fine, mar
row lace, and this edge, near one end, Is placed
on the head so that the lace falls down on the
front hair and about the ears; then the rest OF
the garment Is wrapped around the shoulders,
thus enveoping the head and body down be-
low the waiG, and with the skirt completing
the costume. There is seldom any dress waist
worn, and while the whole arrangement Is
generally becoming, graceful, and especially
pleasing because of its novely. 1t always
makes me think of the economical man, who
bought an ulster because then he could pawn
dark-haired, with tall, 1.-the figures and fine
rosy cheeks. They have an admirable car
iiage and good step; yet their faces are, as n
rule, not handsome when you inspect them
| closely.
Around the tobacconists' shops, whose stock
generally consists of countless little bundles of
| cigarettes, or standing in groups about the
arcade are the Peruvian gentlemen; Generally
| tall, thin, with slight stoop and avaricty OF
dress and costume that would set home tailor
crazy, of every style and every date, thick
and thin, big hats, little hats, straw hats, tall
hats, and dude hats. Here 1t is evidently not
how shabby they may be they are all graceful,
and seem very much excited when they con-
verse, their black eyes swapping, their arms
and hands moving shoulders Struggling and
general agitation of the figure taking place.
| They stop anywhere to talk, and, next TO the
Germans, they are the rudest people ever met
as to stopping up the sidewalk and forcing
passing men, women, and children to go out
into the street TO- get around them. You see
many soldiers and officers In uniform, but their
attire has hasty, nl-assorted look, and Is gem
orally incomplete, being pieoed out with citi-
zens' trousers, coats, or canes.
| Everywhere In Lima, but In the arcade above
| all, are you assailed by the vendors of lottery
tickets, their sharp cry Of 1000 soles for to-
stantly echoing. through the place as they
come and go with little books in their hands
from which futter long strips of gaily- colored
tickets, The lottery furnishes money for the
do great deal of good saw booth set up
| one day in corner of the plaza and arrange
ments begun for drawing, but 1t took them
such an Uncomfortable time TO fold the mum.
bers for the two wheels that my patience gave
| out and left.
| On the side of the arcade next the street are
stands of secondhand books and groups Of
Indian women watching over baskets Of sweet
| cakes and fruit. These women generally wear
q cheap Panama hat and coarse wooden cloth
that they themselves have woven. Just back
se% Won as any ss SSss sas
you perceive that their front legs are strapped
tgggthcr just abeye the fetlocfs. which efiec
wise mfsbehavlng Looking beyond these YOU
see a great variety of street cars, few private
carriages, and quantity of tumble-dowr
hacks rushing about. Now and then among
them is a little laden mule. sometimes with
goat-sldn basket on either side holding foui
square cans of milk, and q smiling Indian
woman perched up aloft on a wooden saddle
one day saw woman riding Alittle wood
laden donkey and towing five others astern
How we would laugh II such wood was offered
US at homo; yet here 1t Is precious. The stick
average about one inch in diameter and {
couple of feet long. In summer the poor wo
men wear calico and the men white cottor
and n poncho, unless they are soldiers. The
poncho is worn by nearly all men ofall classes
with short Sit in the middle through whici
the head is put. Some of them made of fine
llama wool, are very pretty and hang grace
fully, being SO fine. They are all generally
striped with. gay colors, while the body Is
soft gray or dove color.
| MARGUERITE DICKINs