the confessional. As it enters within my purposes of a few sketches in Lima, especially in connection with the church, I shall here quote a brief description of this day's scenes, as I have elsewhere given it, as I witnessed them in the peculiarities of their development, in this city of religious ceremonials.

"The bells were early summoning the Limanians to prayers. I had early risen to take a walk to several of the churches, as they are kept open two or three hours in the morning—and the great bell of the cathedral, by its peal above all others, generally announces the elevation of the Host in that church, about of the clock in the morning.

"As I paused for a moment in the puerticalle, or large doorway, which leads from the court of the hotel to the street, several females moved by in their sayas y mantos, presenting masked figures, whom no one could know while they kept their manto over their faces, but whose graceful step in their walk all would admire.

"The SAYA Y MANTO is the dress of the Limanian women in which they frequent the churches, and, in the morning, promenade the streets. This dress is peculiar to the city of Lima, and, it is said, is worn in no other part of the world. The present fashion in the cut of the saya differs from the older one, giving greater freedom to the step of the wearer, and not materially differing in appearance to some quilted silk winter dresses worn by our country women. The earlier saya, however, sat tighter to the person, developing more strikingly the contour of the figure, and many of these are still worn. But it is the manto which serves effectually to mask and entirely to disguise the wearer, if she chooses, though the least imaginary slip of the finger will most accidentally discover the features of the masked señorita to her friend. The saya is no more nor less than a quilted silk petticoat of any color, which ties about the waist. The

manto is a plain piece of black silk, hemmed at each end. A cord passing through the hem at one end of the manto, or veil of silk, confines it to the waist of the wearer, in a gather at the back. The veil is then thrown up the back over the head, and the two corners of the loose end are so gathered by the hand over the face, as effectually to conceal all the features but one eye, which, at discretion, contemplates the objects which may secure its interest, as the lady masker passes on to the cathedral or the shop, or promenades on her errands of pleasure, business, or devotion.

"I first entered the cathedral, the finest building in the city. But the nave of this spacious church was still vacant as the eye extended through the long aisles, while in a lesser building, immediately at its side and constituting a part of the same pile, numbers were kneeling. I paused but a moment here, as I saw several of the worshipers advance to the altar, and receive upon their brow the sign of a dark cross, drawn by the finger of the priest, dipped into a jet black fluid, as the emblem of the day. These dark signs I afterwards saw on the foreheads of many, as they suffered their mantos to lie back from their brows, while returning from their prayers this morning.

"I pursued my way to several other church edifices. It was the third which I had entered, in which I now stood. I was not then familiar with the names of the buildings, but I believe this was the Compania de Jesus. There was more shadow than usual in the mellowed light which held the side altars of this church in solemn and poetic effect; and unlike the others, the priest at this stood near the door, beside a table, on which rested the silver basin which contained the dark fluid, resembling a mixture of lampblack. Here the priest crossed the worshipers as they knelt in the light of the door before him. I had entered-passing the priest-and was a little surprised to step so suddenly upon the different

arrangement with which I met at this church. And as I was advancing to ascend the side aisle, I seemed equally to surprise a beautiful young woman turning the corner of the buttress of a heavy arch, with her manto thrown from her face, and the light from the door falling full upon her features as she appeared on her way to depart. There were but a few persons kneeling in the neighborhood at the first altar near to the door. I paused as the beautiful señorita passed, and stood uncovered, with an irresistible curiosity to see if she would kneel at the table, and receive the cross upon her pure brow. She evidently had been a little sur. prised at first by recognizing a stranger, and next at the memory that her manto discovered fully her features; but she as suddenly smiled and recovered herself, as she stepped with a foot of air inimitably light, to the confessional, at which an elderly woman was sitting, and whispered her a few words, with her manto still discovering a face more beautiful than before I had met with in Lima or Chorillos. Her hair was a blond—her eye a dark blue—and her complexion that of a lily. She knew that she was beautiful. No woman with such a face and with such a smile could be ignorant of such possessions. She paused but a moment—already a piece of mingled surprise and a slight affectation—when she stepped from the confessional towards the door. That step was purely Limanian, though more airy than others, as her form was more sylph-like than most of her sisters. She paused-turned with the precision and the ease of a double step in the waltz, and knelt with her face towards myself. A sunbeam fell upon her brow, so purely white-her eyes turned gently upwards—the smile of complacency had not yet left her slightly curled lips-and the man of God put the emblem of the cross upon a brow, than which nothing could be more fair-blending in with features, than which nothing could be more innocent and sweet, if aught could be more

classical than was hers. She rose, gathered the manto with her beautiful hand over her face, turned towards the door, and was gone.

I stepped forward a few paces and leaned in the shadow, against the heavy base of a pillar, and for a moment listened to another priest, who was repeating the mass at the only lighted altar in the church, by the door. Another moment,

and I left this for another church in the neighborhood, where I found a large number collected before different side altars, with officiating priests at each, while a body of clerigos and canonigos were celebrating high mass, in the central nave of the church. There were, apparently, forty or fifty of these tonsured personages, whose full voices filled the surrounding arches of the spacious house. But every now and then the full-toned organ would join in the chant, or swell alone in strains of worship. I moved up the central -nave, near to the balustrade of the chancel, at the farther end of the church, on the right hand of which a temporary figure of the Saviour had been elevated upon a square altar, representing him in sadness and sorrow. Before this bent figure a carpet had been spread, of a few square feet in extent, where the worshipers knelt, singly or in groups. I occupied a seat at this position during the continuance of the service, at the close of which the priests advanced in double file to the chancel, from the further end of the church. They knelt, according to their standing in precedence in office, and were crossed, as I had seen others, with a black cross. But the cross, instead of being placed upon the brow, was traced upon the crown of their head, or the small circular and bare spot, which all Catholic priests abroad have shaven on the top of the head, called the tonsure. When the priests had received the emblem, the crowd promiscuously advanced to the chancel, and the crossing continued, until the dark sign had been imprinted on

many brows. I advanced to one side of the chancel and witnessed the scene, as the women threw back their mantos, now discovering the face of a matron, who received the emblem with gravity; now a younger and smiling countenance, and of greater gentility of mien and person; and now a brunette, a bronze, a black; the last, apparently, constituting the vast majority, while many crowded here, and not a few smiled as they were huddling together around the chancel, exhibiting a very peculiar scene, as four or five priests continued their services, in drawing with expedition the dark emblem upon the brows of the advancing and receding mass. It seemed rather a holiday scene than one of peculiar solemnity, connected with a day of mourning. Some children also received the cross, but scarcely a male adult except the priests was there. I know not the intention of the ceremony, but suppose it emblematical of the "ashes and sackcloth" of other times. And as I marked the multitude here, and the passers-by in the streets as I returned to the hotel, I was forcibly carried back to the Hindoo, the Bramin, the Banyan, and the Gentoo, as I had seen them in the East, who draw their various marks of various colors upon the brow, when they pay their visits to their temples."

THE PALACE OF THE VICEROYS.

At one o'clock I visited the palace. Here and at the cathedral, more than any where else, perhaps, do the associations connected with the history of Peru and its conquest work upon the imagination. The name of PIZARRO-how is it interwoven with all the early story of Peru; and how it absorbs all other names! Though his memory wakes no association of interest, so far as considerations of kindness towards his person are concerned, yet it is Pizarro, first, midst, and last, as one sits or strolls amid the scenes where his feet trod, where his ambitious spirit swelled, where his sword