The Republican journal., 1896-07-09

tas' country houses, outside, whose
gardens, displaying the rich tropical foil
age in all its magnitience, give the appear
ance of multi-colored belt encircling the
city. AS to architecture, the Indian
town that CoIdova found must have been
much more interesting. Besides the
usual public buildngs-'Palacio Gus
tom house, etc. there is a handsome
citadel, half a dozen fine old churches
and as many converts, schools, colleges,
seminary of navigation, museum, hospi-
tai and theatre. Its we'll paved streets are
barely Is feet wide, including the side
walks, which are three feet in width and
elevated a few inches. Every house re-
sembles a medieval castle more than
10Th. century home in an American Re
public. All have very thick stone walls,
wide arched entrances and enormous
Windows-t easements without glass,
but protected by wooden shutters within
and iron bars outside. All dav LONG the
shutters remain closed, OF heavy canvas
is dropped down to exclude the sun and
heated air; SO that to the passerby, it
looks a veritable deserted Village" ex-
cept for an occasional frowsy head peer
ing through a crack in the shutters or
from behind a corner of the canvas. But
about five p. M presto change. Shades
are rolled up and shutters swung wide
open; ladies, with toilettes freshly made,
after Slip shod day, smile from behind
the bars upon their male friends in the
streets. and presently the whole city sal
lies FORTH to drive in the suburbs or to
promenade in the plazas. In the middle
OF the day the heat is simply appalling,
often reaching $50 degrees in the sun
as bad as that reflected from the burning
sands of Egypt; but there is always
land breeze blowing in the morning. and
fresh sea breeze in the evening; so that
by remaining quietly in the COOL cellar
like atmosphere of the houses during GER
tain hours the climate is not unendur-
able.
The house of the American Vice Consul
is fair sample of the average better class
dwellings. Its vast apartments and wide.
arched corridors are % feet high, all the
rooms open into the corridor, and the cor
rldor runs around both sides of the patio.
or inner court yard. In the patio, palm,
pomegranate, fig and tamarind trees grow
ID beds bordered with tiles. such as pave
the walks between. The sala, or parlor.
is paved with brown and white marble.
arranged IN patterns like the figures in
carpet; the corridors with black and white
marble, and the bedrooms with plaques
OF blue and white porcelain The ham
mocks, which universally take the place
of beds in this part of the world. are very
pretty. \ piece of beautiful fine linen.
woven from the native flax and bleached
snowy white, three yards square, has
deep border all around of home wrought
lace, and is fastened to the hooks by a
profusion OF tasselled cords. white. scar
let blue or yellow. 1t can be Numbered
us easily as a sheet; the extra width
serves for covering and the lace edges
Tor 4 mosquito bar, and with the addition
OF pillows stuffed with sweet-scented
grass or ramie, vegetable silk. a more
comfortable resting place, and appropriate
to the climate, could not be desired. By
the way, | have often wondered why
hammocks are not more generally used in
the United States in lien of hot. ungrace
full sofas. A handsome hammock. slunu
across a corner of library or sitting room,
or any other convenient place indoors.
will prove itself a family blessing, both
winter and summer. 1t not only affords
genuine comfort, but is extremely dec
orative, and can be put out of the way
in an instant by merely hanging both
ends upon the same hook. Try it. and
you will never again be contented with
out one
The great Plaza d Armas, in which every
body makes it point to spend his even
lngs, is paved with marble around tall
fountain in the middle, and has rows of
tile-covered seats, (no wood anywhere.
set under beautiful trees. Outside of all
is wide, circular walk, where the ladies
promenade by twos and threes, round and
round to the music of the band, while the
gentlemen march solemnly in the oppo-
site direction. Thus they are constantly
passing one another, and may stare to
their hearts content, and flirt surrepti-
tiously with fans and handkerchiefs: but
etiquette forbids them to exchange
word, on pain of social ostracism
Among the most interesting things about
Campeche are the galleries, or caverns,
some natural, some artificial, above which
the city was built. They are of great ex-
tent, and are believed to have been devoted
by the ancient people to sepulchral uses,
like the catacombs of Oriental cities
Most OF the caves have been explored in
search Of treasure, but nothing has eyer
been found in them beyond human bones
A few of them are utilized as cellars by
the unimaginative modern inhabitants:
but only a lew, because the Indians of to