Chocolate With Chile: Private Incidents Involving Fanny Calderon de la Barca

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Speaking of life in a hacienda , she describes how the lady of the house sat at the piano, while the employees and servants performed the typical dances of the country for the benefit of guests and relatives, without suggesting any idea of equality or disrespect, more or less in the fashion of the Middle Ages, when the lord and the lady of the manor sat at table with their servants, though the latter remained rigorously below the salt.

With regard to the lower classes, Madame Calderon always sees the picturesque side of things which she describes vividly and colourfully. It is to be regretted particularly from a Mexican point of view that Fanny Inglis, or her editor, should have thought it expedient only to give the first and last letters of the names of the more prominent persons of whom she speaks, a system which makes it difficult for a reader of later days to identify them, except in one or two cases.

Naturally enough, Madame Calderon was a competent judge of her own sex and was alert to the good qualities as well as to the foibles of the ladies of Mexico, whose excessive fondness for diamonds and, in some cases, too showy dresses elicit her mild criticism.

Monastic life was one of the features of Mexico at that time. Most cities, large and small, were full of churches, monasteries, and convents; and Madame Calderon who became a Catholic three years later was not then well acquainted with the ceremonies and liturgy of the Church, and consequently falls into many errors on the subject; but when she describes her visit to a convent and the ceremony of the veiling of a nun, she writes some of her most picturesque and touching pages.

Madame Calderon does not stint her admiration for the great buildings of the country, both civil and religious, though her descriptions betray only too often the influence of the romantic age in which she lived. Be that as it may, the fact is that just as the French Countess has left us a living picture of Spain in the late seventeenth century, in the same way the wife of the Spanish Minister drew a most faithful pen-portrait of the social, political, and even economic order, in Mexico in the early nineteenth.

That she was clever, well-read, and an excellent judge of character, as well as a true lover of nature and a keen observer of manners and customs, is evident in her letters, which constitute by common consent a most entertaining and truly delectable narrative, which even the lapse of more than a century has not been able to mar.

It consists of letters written to the members of her own family, and, really , not intended originally — however incredible the assertion — for publication. Feeling a regret that such rich stores of instruction and amusement, from which I have so much profited, myself, should be reserved for the eyes of a few friends only, I strongly recommended that they should be given to the world. The day was foggy and gloomy, as if refusing to be comforted, even by an occasional smile from the sun.

The Norma was anchored in one of the most beautiful points of the bay, and the steamboat towed us five miles, until we had passed the Narrows. The wind was contrary, but the day began to clear up, and the sun to scatter the watery clouds. Still there is nothing so sad as a retreating view. The pilot has left us, breaking our last link with the land. We still see the mountains of Neversink, and the lighthouse of Sandy Hook.

The sun is setting, and in a few minutes we must take our leave, probably for years, of places long familiar to us. Our fellow-passengers do not appear very remarkable. So now we are alone, C——n and I, and my French femme-de-chambre, with her air of Dowager Duchess, and moreover sea-sick. As a French woman on board, with the air of an afflicted porpoise, and with more truth than elegance, expresses it: The wind is still contrary, and the Norma, beating up and down, makes but little way.

We have gone seventy-four miles, and of these advanced but forty. Every one being sick to-day, the deck is nearly deserted. The most interesting object I have discovered on board is a pretty little deaf and dumb girl, very lively and with an intelligent face, who has been teaching me to speak on my fingers. The infant heir of the house of ——— has shown his good taste by passing the day in squalling. A fat Spaniard has been discoursing upon the glories of olla podrida. Au reste , we are slowly pursuing our way, and at this rate might reach Cuba in three months.

And the stars are shining, quiet and silvery. All without is soft and beautiful, and no doubt the Norma herself looks all in unison with the scene, balancing herself like a lazy swan, white and graciously. So it is without, and within, there is miserable sea-sickness, bilge-water, and all the unavoidable disagreeables of a small packet. The passengers are still enduring sea-sickness in all its phases. This morning opened with an angry dispute between two of the gentlemen, on the subject of Cuban lotteries, and they ended by applying to each other epithets which, however much they might be deserved, were certainly rather strong; but by dinner time, they were amicably engaged in concocting together an enormous tureen of gaspachos , a sort of salad, composed of bread, oil, vinegar, sliced onion and garlic — and the fattest one declares that in warm weather, a dish of gaspachos , with plenty of garlic in it, makes him feel as fresh as a rose.

He must indeed be a perfect bouquet. The opening of morning is dramatic in our narrow cabin. About twenty voices in Spanish, German, Italian, and broken English, strike up by degrees. Most people are now gradually ascending from the lower regions, and dragging themselves on deck with pale and dejected countenances. Madame A—— has such a sweet-toned voice in speaking, especially in her accents of her bella Italia , that it is refreshing to listen to her.

LIFE IN MEXICO

Is it that they do not care for reading, or that less attention is paid to them than to the French or American passengers? One would think Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Calderon, or Moratin, better worth buying than many commonplace novels which I find here. A land-bird flew into the ship. To-day the wind has veered round, but the weather continues charming. The sea is covered with multitudes of small flying-fish. An infantile water-spout appeared, and died in its birth. A magnificent sunset, the sight of which compensates for all the inconveniences of the voyage.

The sky was covered with black clouds lined with silver, and surrounded by every variety of colour; deep blue, fleecy, rose, violet, and orange. The heavens are now thickly studded with stars, numbers shooting across the blue expanse like messengers of light, glancing and disappearing as if extinguished. It is well to read the History of Columbus at sea, but especially in these waters, where he wandered in suspense, high-wrought expectation, and firm faith; and to watch the signs which the noble mariner observed in these latitudes; the soft serenity of the breezes, the clear blue of the heavens, the brilliancy and number of the stars, the sea-weeds of the gulf, which always drift in the direction of the wind, the little land-birds that come like harbingers of good tidings, the frequency of the shooting stars, and the multitude of flying-fish.

As the shades of evening close around, and the tropical sky glitters with the light of innumerable stars, imagination transports us back to that century which stands out in bold relief amidst other ages rolling by comparatively undistinguished, and we see as in a vision the Discoverer of a World, standing on the deck of his caravel, as it bounded over the unknown and mysterious waste of waters, his vigilant eyes fixed on the west, like a Persian intently watching the rising of his god; though his star was to arise from whence the day-god sets. We see him bending his gaze on the first dark line that separated the watery sea from the blue of the heavens, striving to penetrate the gloom of night, yet waiting with patient faith until the dawn of day should bring the long-wished for shores in sight.

In ancient days, what altars might have smoked to Aeolus! Now, except in the increased puffing of consolatory cigar-smoke, no propitiatory offerings are made to unseen powers. There are indeed many mourning signs amongst the passengers. Every one has tied up his head in an angry-looking silken bandana, drawn over his nose with a dogged air.

There is a child on board who is certainly possessed, not by a witty malicious demon, a diable boiteux, but by a teasing, stupid, wicked imp, which inspires him with the desire of tormenting everything human that comes within his reach. Should he escape being thrown overboard, it will show a wonderful degree of forbearance on the part of the passengers. Some sit dejected in corners, and some quarrel with their neighbours, thus finding a safety-valve by which their wrath may escape.

This morning we saw land; a long, low ridge of hills on the island of Eleuthera, where they make salt, and where there are many negroes. Neither salt nor negroes visible to the naked eye; nothing but the gray outline of the hills, melting into the sea and sky; and having tacked about all day, we found ourselves in the evening precisely opposite to this same island.

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For my part, I feel no impatience, having rather a dislike to changing my position when tolerable, and the air is so fresh and laden with balm, that it seems to blow over some paradise of sweets, some land of fragrant spices. On deck, the pretty widow lies in an easy chair, surrounded by her countrymen, who discourse about sugar, molasses, chocolate, and other local topics, together with the relative merits of Cuba as compared with the rest of the known world. Madame A—— is studying her part of Elizabetta in the opera of Roberto Devereux, which she is to bring out in Havana, but the creaking of the Norma is sadly at variance with harmony.

A pale German youth, in dressing-gown and slippers, is studying Schiller. Others are gradually dropping into their berths, like ripe nuts from a tree. Thus are we all pursuing our vocations. I console myself with Cinq—Mars and Jacob Faithful. But the weather is lovely. A young moon in her first quarter, like a queen in her minority, glitters like a crescent on the brow of night. Towards evening the long wished for lighthouse of Abaco built by the English showed her charitable and revolving radiance.

But our ship, Penelope-like, undoes by night what she has performed by day, and her course is backward and crabbish. A delicious smell of violets is blowing from the land. The good tidings communicated by the A—— toute rayonnante de joie. A fair wind and a bright blue sea, cool and refreshing breezes, the waves sparkling, and the ship going gallantly over the waters. So far, our voyage may have been tedious, but the most determined landsman must allow that the weather has been charming.

Sunday at sea; and though no bells are tolling, and no hymns are chanted, the blue sky above and the blue ocean beneath us, form one vast temple, where, since the foundations of the earth and sea were laid, Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. This morning we neared the Berry Islands, unproductive and rocky, as the geography books would say. One of these islands belongs to a coloured man, who bought it for fifty dollars — a cheaply-purchased sovereignty. He, his wife and children, with their negro slaves! Had the wind been favourable, they would probably have sent us out a boat with fresh vegetables, fish, and fruit, which would have been very acceptable.

We saw, not far from the shore, the wreck of a two-masted vessel; sad sight to those who pass over the same waters to see. We are now on the Bahama Banks, the water very clear and blue, with a creamy froth, looking as if it flowed over pearls and turquoises. An English schooner man-of-war a boy -of-war in size made all sail towards us, doubtless hoping we were a slaver; but, on putting us to the test of his spy-glass, the captain, we presume, perceived that the general tinge of countenance was lemon rather than negro, and so abandoned his pursuit.

This evening on the Banks. It would be difficult to imagine a more placid and lovely scene. Everything perfectly calm, all sail set, and the heavens becoming gradually sprinkled with silver stars. The sky blue, and without a cloud, except where the sun has just set, the last crimson point sinking in the calm sea and leaving a long retinue of rainbow-coloured clouds, deep crimson tinged with bright silver, and melting away into gray, pale vapour. On goes the vessel, stately and swanlike; the water of the same turquoise blue, covered with a light pearly froth, and so clear that we see the large sponges at the bottom.

Every minute they heave the lead. The sailor sings it out like the first line of a hymn in short metre, doled out by the parish clerk. I wish Madame A—— were singing it instead of he. The captain passed the night anxiously, now looking out for lights on the Banks, now at the helm, or himself sounding the lead:. About eight we left the Banks. Just then we observed, that the sailor who sounded, having sung out five, then six, then in a few minutes seven, suddenly found no bottom, as if we had fallen off all at once from the brink of the Bank into an abyss.

It does not seem to me at all astonishing that the remedies which she took in England without injury, should have proved fatal to her in that wretched climate. We have been accompanied all the morning by a fine large ship, going full sail, the Orleans, Captain Sears, bound for New Orleans.

At the extremity of one of these the English are building a lighthouse. Impatience becomes general, but the breeze rocks up and down, and we gain little. This day, like all last days on board, has been remarkably tedious, though the country gradually becomes more interesting. There is a universal brushing-up amongst the passengers; some shaving, some with their heads plunged into tubs of cold water. Nothing can be more striking than the first appearance of this fortress, starting up from the solid rock, with its towers and battlements, while here, to remind us of our latitude, we see a few feathery cocoas growing amidst the herbage that covers the banks near the castle.

By its side, covering a considerable extent of ground, is the fortress called the Cabana , painted rose-colour, with the angles of its bastions white. Last evening, as we entered the beautiful bay, everything struck us as strange and picturesque. The soldiers of the garrison, the prison built by General Tacon, the irregular houses with their fronts painted red or pale blue, and with the cool but uninhabited look produced by the absence of glass windows; the merchant ships and large men-of-war; vessels from every port in the commercial world, the little boats gliding amongst them with their snow-white sails, the negroes on the wharf — nothing European.

The heat was great, that of a July day, without any freshness in the air. As we approached the wharf the noise and bustle increased. The passengers all crowded upon deck, and we had scarcely anchored, when various little boats were seen making for the Norma. First boat brought an officer with the salutations of the Captain—General to his Excellency, with every polite offer of service; second boat brought the Administrator of the Yntendente the Count de Villa Nueva , with the same civilities; the third, the master of the house where we now are, and whence I indite these facts; the fourth, the Italian Opera, which rushed simultaneously into the arms of the A——i; the fifth, prosaic custom-house officers; the sixth, a Havana count and marquis; the seventh, the family of General M——o.

As it was rather dark when we arrived, and we were driven to our destination in a volante, we did not see much of the city. We could but observe that the streets were narrow, the houses irregular, most people black, and the volante, an amusing-looking vehicle, looking behind like a black insect with high shoulders, and with a little black postilion on a horse or mule, with an enormous pair of boots and a fancy uniform. The house in which, by the hospitality of the H——a family we are installed, has from its windows, which front the bay, the most varied and interesting view imaginable.

As it is the first house, Spanish fashion, which I have entered, I must describe it to you before I sleep. The house forms a great square, and you enter the court, round which are the offices, the rooms for the negroes, coal-house, bath-room, etc. Proceed upstairs, and enter a large gallery which runs all round the house.

Pass into the Sala , a large cool apartment, with marble floor and tables, and chaise-longues with elastic cushions, chairs, and arm-chairs of cane. A drapery of white muslin and blue silk divides this from a second and smaller drawing-room, now serving as my dressing-room, and beautifully fitted up, with Gothic toilet-table, inlaid mahogany bureau, marble centre and side-tables, fine mirrors, cane sofas and chairs, green and gold paper. A drapery of white muslin and rose-coloured silk divides this from a bedroom, also fitted up with all manner of elegances.

French beds with blue silk coverlids and clear mosquito curtains, and fine lace. A drapery divides this on one side from the gallery; and this room opens into others which run all round the house. The floors are marble or stucco — the roofs beams of pale blue wood placed transversely, and the whole has an air of agreeable coolness. Everything is handsome without being gaudy, and admirably adapted for the climate. The sleeping apartments have no windows, and are dark and cool, while the drawing-rooms have large windows down to the floor, with green shutters kept closed till the evening. The mosquitoes have now commenced their evening song, a signal that it is time to put out the lights.

The moon is shining on the bay, and a faint sound of military music is heard in the distance, while the sea moans with a sad but not unpleasing monotony. To all these sounds I retire to rest. At home we have held a levee to all that is most distinguished in Havana. Counts, marquesses, and generals, with stars and crosses, have poured in and poured out ever since our arrival.

I do not pretend to form any judgment of Havana. We have seen it too much en beau. Last evening we found time to go to the theatre. Still she suits the character represented, and comes exactly up to my idea of poor Lucy, devoted and broken-hearted, physically and morally weak. Though the story is altered, and the interest weakened, how graceful the music is!

The orchestra is good, and composed of blacks and whites, like the notes of a piano, mingled in harmonious confusion. The theatre is remarkably pretty and airy, and the pit struck us as being particularly clean and respectable. All the seats are red leather arm-chairs, and all occupied by well-dressed people. We found her extremely agreeable and full of intelligence, also with a very decided air of fashion. She was dressed in fawn-coloured satin, with large pearls.

At the end of the second act, Lucia was taken ill, her last aria missed out, and her monument driven on the stage without further ceremony. Montresor, the Ravenswood of the piece, came in, sung, and stabbed himself with immense enthusiasm. It is a pity that his voice is deserting him, while his taste and feeling remain. The house has altogether a French look. The boxes are private — that is, the property of individuals, but are not shut in, which in this climate would be suffocating.

We passed out through a long file of soldiers. The sudden transition from Yankee land to this military Spanish negro-land is dreamy. The General de la Marina Anglice , admiral of the station called some days ago, and informed us that there is a brig of war destined to convey us to Vera Cruz. Amongst the ladies who have called on me, I find none more charming than the Countess de V——a. Her voice is agreeable, her manners cordial and easy, her expression beautiful from goodness, with animated eyes and fine teeth, her dress quiet and rich.

She is universally beloved here. I received from her, nearly every morning, a bouquet of the loveliest flowers from her quinta — roses, carnations, heliotrope, etc. Everything was served in French white and gold porcelain, which looks particularly cool and pretty in this climate.

The Count de P——r was there and his brother; the latter a gentlemanly and intelligent man, with a great taste for music, and whose daughter is a first-rate singer and a charming person. After dinner we rose, according to custom, and went into an adjoining room while they arranged the dessert, consisting of every imaginable and unimaginable sweetmeat, with fruit, ices, etc. The fruits I have not yet learned to like.

They are certainly wonderful and delicious productions of nature; but to eat eggs and custards and butter off the trees, seems unnatural. The heat to-day is terrible; with a suffocating south wind blowing, and were the houses not built as they are, would be unbearable. The dinner is served in the gallery, which is spacious and cool. We then adjourned to the balcony, where the air was delightful, a cool evening breeze having suddenly sprung up. A large ship, full sail, and various barks, passed the View From the Balcony Morro.

There were negroes with bare legs walking on the wall, carrying parcels, etc. We had a visit from the Captain—General. In the evening we went out to see the Countess de V——a, at her pretty quinta, a short way out of town, and walked in the garden by moonlight, amongst flowers and fountains. These country retreats are delightful after the narrow streets and impure air of the city. Two regiments, with excellent bands of music, conducted the procession, composed of monks and priests. We attended mass in the morning in the church of San Felipe, and entered, preceded, according to custom, by a little negro footman carrying a piece of carpet.

There were few people in church, but the grouping was picturesque. The black faces of the negresses, with their white mantillas and white satin shoes; the black silk dresses and black lace mantillas of the Havana ladies, with their white faces and black eyes, and little liveried negroes standing behind them; the officers, music, and long-bearded priests — all were very effective. Found, on my return, an excellent Erard harp, sent me by the Marquesa de A——s, a pretty woman and female Croesus. A splendid entertainment was given us to-day by General M——o.

His house is large and cool; the dinner, as usual, in the gallery; and although there were ninety-seven guests, and as many negroes in waiting, the heat was not oppressive. The jewels of the ladies were superb, especially the diamonds of the M—— family; sprays, necklaces, earrings, really beautiful. The Marquesa de A—— wore a set of emeralds the size of small eggs. She had a pretty, graceful-looking daughter with her, with beautiful eyes.

Even the men were well sprinkled with diamonds and rubies. The dessert, from variety and quantity, was a real curiosity. After dinner our health was drank, and another poetical address pronounced. The evening concluded with music and the Havana country-dances. The house in size is a palace, and the apartments innumerable.

The dinner very elegant, and the dessert arranged in another room, a curiosity as usual for profusion and variety. According to Spanish custom, the aristocracy generally se tutoient , and call each other by their Christian names; indeed, they are almost all connected by inter-marriages.

You may guess at an inferior in rank, only by their increased respect towards him. We stood on the balcony in the evening. The scene was beautiful, the temperature rather warm, yet delicious from the softness of the breeze. The moon rose so bright that she seemed like the sun shining through a silvery veil. Groups of figures were sauntering about in the square, under the trees, and two bands having stationed themselves with lamps and music, played alternately pieces from Mozart and Bellini. We regretted leaving so delightful a scene for the theatre, where we arrived in time to hear La Pantanelli sing an aria, dressed in helmet and Theatre of Tacon tunic, and to see La Jota Arragonesa danced by two handsome Spanish girls in good style.

It is certainly a splendid house, large, airy, and handsome. The best actor was he who represented the blind man. The chief actress is an overgrown dame, all fat and dimples, who kept up a constant sobbing and heaving of her chest, yet never getting rid of an eternal smirk upon her face. A bolero, danced afterwards by two Spanish damsels in black and silver, was very refreshing. Visits, dinners, and parties have so occupied our time, that to write has been next to impossible.

Of the country we have, from the same reason, seen little, and the people we are only acquainted with in full dress, which is not the way to judge of them truly. One morning, indeed, we dedicated to viewing the works of the Yntendente, the railroad, and the water-filterers. He and the Countess, and a party of friends, accompanied us. The country through which the railroad passes is flat and rather monotonous; nevertheless, the quantity of wild flowers, which appeared for the most part of the convolvulus species, as we glanced past them — the orange-trees, the clumps of palm and cocoa, the plantain with its gigantic leaves, the fresh green coffee-plant, the fields of sugar-cane of a still brighter green, the half-naked negroes, the low wooden huts, and, still more, the scorching sun in the month of November, — all was new to us, and sufficient to remind us of the leagues of ocean we had traversed, though this is but a halt on our voyage.

At the village where the cars stopped, we listened with much amusement to the story of a fat, comfortable-looking individual, who was cured by lightning in the following manner: At the place where the ball made its exit, a large ulcer was formed, and when it dispersed he found himself in perfect health, in which he has continued ever since!

Of course I could not leave Havana without devoting one morning to shopping. The shops have most seducing names — Hope, Wonder, Desire, etc. The French modistes seem to be wisely improving their time, by charging respectable prices for their work.

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The shop-keepers bring their goods out to the volante, it not being the fashion for ladies to enter the shops, though I took the privilege of a foreigner to infringe this rule occasionally. Silks and satins very dear — lace and muslin very reasonable, was, upon the whole, the result of my investigation; but as it only lasted two hours, and that my sole purchases of any consequence, were an indispensable mantilla, and a pair of earrings, I give my opinion for the present with due diffidence.

I can speak with more decision on the subject of a great ball given us by the Countess F——a, last evening, which was really superb. The whole house was thrown open — there was a splendid supper, quantities of refreshment, and the whole select aristocracy of Havana. Diamonds on all the women, jewels and orders on all the men, magnificent lustres and mirrors, and a capital band of music in the gallery. The Captain—General was the only individual in a plain dress.

He made himself very agreeable, in good French. About one hundred couple stood up in each country-dance, but the rooms are so large and so judiciously lighted, that we did not feel at all warm. Waltzes, quadrilles, and these long Spanish dances, succeeded each other. Almost all the girls have fine eyes and beautiful figures, but without colour, or much animation. The finest diamonds were those of the Countess F——a, particularly her necklace, which was undeniable.

Walking through the rooms after supper, we were amused to see the negroes and negresses helping them-selves plentifully to the sweetmeats, uncorking and drinking fresh bottles of Champagne, and devouring everything on the supper tables, without the slightest concern for the presence either of their master or mistress; in fact, behaving like a multitude of spoilt children, who are sure of meeting with indulgence, and presume upon it.

Towards morning we were led downstairs to a large Souvenirs suite of rooms, containing a library of several thousand volumes; where coffee, cakes, etc. We left the house at last to the music of the national hymn of Spain, which struck up as we past through the gallery. Should the north wind, the dreaded Norte , not blow, we sail to-morrow, and have spent the day in receiving farewell visits. We also went to the theatre, where every one predicts we shall not get off to-morrow.

After our return, I paid a very late visit to the P——r family, who live close by us, and now, at two in the morning, I finish my letter sleepily. Many beautiful souvenirs have been sent us, and amongst others, the Count de S—— V—— has just sent C——n a model of the palace of Madrid, one of the most beautiful and ingenious pieces of workmanship possible.

It is carved in wood, with astonishing accuracy and delicacy. The morning was beautiful; little wind, but fair. We took leave of our friends, waved our handkerchiefs to the balconies in return for signals from scarcely-distinguishable figures, passed between the red-tinted Cabana and the stately Morro, and were once more upon the deep, with a remembrance behind, and a hope before us.

Our Bergantina is a handsome vessel, with twenty-five guns, five officers, a doctor, chaplain, and purser, and one hundred and fifty men. We find the commander very attentive, and a perfect gentleman, like almost all of his class, and though very young in appearance, he has been twenty-nine years in the service. The accommodations in a brig not destined for passengers are of course limited.

There is a large cabin for the officers, separated by a smaller one, belonging to the captain, which he has given up to us. He tremblingly, and with most rueful countenance, carries a small plate of sugar-biscuits. The cook being French, the comestibles are decidedly good, and were the artist a little less of an oil, and more of a water painter, I individually would prefer his style.

We have every variety of fish, meat, fowl, fruit, dulces , and wines. A very long interval has to be filled up by reading, writing, sitting, or walking upon deck, as suits the taste of the individual, or by drinking orangeade, or by sleeping, or by any other ingenious resource for killing time. At five, dinner, at which no one joins us but the captain and one officer; and after dinner on deck till bed-time, walking about, or gazing on the sky or sea, or listening to the songs of the sailors.

Everything broken or breaking. Even the cannons disgorge their balls, which fall out by their own weight. To-day we are on the sound, and have lain to, about noon, to let the sailors fish, thereby losing an hour or so of fair wind, and catching a preposterous number of fish of immense size.

The water was so clear, that we could see the fish rush and seize the bait as fast as it was thrown in. Sometimes a huge shark would bite the fish in two, so that the poor finny creature was between Scylla and Charybdis. These fish are called cherne and pargo , and at dinner were pronounced good. At length a shark, in its wholesale greediness, seized the bait, and feeling the hook in his horrid jaw, tugged most fiercely to release himself, but in vain.

Twelve sailors hauled him in, when, with distended jaws, he seemed to look out for the legs of the men, whereupon they rammed the butt-end of a harpoon down his throat, which put a stop to all further proceedings on his part. He was said to be quite young, perhaps the child of doting parents. The juvenile monster had, however, already cut three rows of teeth. We are sometimes amused in the evening, when upon deck, by a little drummer, who invariably collects all the sailors round him, and spins them long, endless stories of his own invention, to which they listen with intense interest.

He is a little ugly, active fellow, with a turned-up nose, a merry eye, and a laughing mouth. Amongst his axioms is the following verse, which he sings with great expression. At least thirty large fish were caught this morning, also an infant shark, a grandchild who had wandered forth to nibble, and met an untimely grave. We have seen several alacrans or scorpions on board, but these are said not to be poisonous. The ship is the perfection of cleanness. No disagreeable odour affects the olfactory nerves, in which it has a singular advantage over all packets.

This, and having it all to ourselves, and the officers being such perfect gentlemen, and all so kind and attentive, makes our voyage so far a mere pleasure trip. This is Sunday, but the chaplain is too sick to say mass, and the heat is intense. I knew it was coming on, only by the face of the first lieutenant when he looked at the barometer. His countenance fell as many degrees as the instrument. It is very slight, but our entry into port will be delayed, for, on the coast, these winds are most devoutly dreaded.

This morning the sky is covered with watery clouds, yet we can see the Cofre de Perote and the peak of Orizava, which are thirty leagues inland! The latter, called by the Mexicans, Citlal Tepetl, or the mountain of the star, from the fire which used to burn on its lofty summit, rises nineteen thousand five hundred and fifty-one feet above the level of the sea. Covered with perpetual snows, and rising far above clouds and tempests, it is the first mountain which the navigator discovers as he approaches these shores.

But the south wind continues and we are obliged to turn our back to the coast. There is much impatience on board. A—— was taken ill, and declared she had got the yellow fever. As we shall no doubt have a norther after this, which may last three days, our promised land is still at some distance. A norther, not a very severe one, but what they call a Norte chocolatero , that is, its shock tore a sail in two, as I tear this sheet of paper. Towards evening the wind calmed, but the ship, tossed upon a horribly swelled sea, became a mortal purgatory.

Still the wind is lulled, though Humboldt and others say a Norte must last forty-eight hours, and we have only had it for twenty-four. My hammock, which I had foolishly preferred to a bed, not having room to swing in, threw me furiously against the wall, till fearing a broken head, I jumped out and lay on the floor.

To-day there is a comparative calm, a faint continuation of the Norte, which is an air with variations. Everything now seems melancholy and monotonous. We have been tossed about during four days in sight of Vera Cruz, and are now further from it than before. The officers begin to look miserable; even the cook with difficulty preserves his equilibrium. The sky is watery, and covered with shapeless masses of reddish clouds.

What a succession of long faces — walking barometers! The greater was our disappointment when the breeze died away, when the wind veered to the north, and when once more the most horrible rolling seized the unfortunate Jason, as if it were possessed by a demon. Finding it impossible to lie in my hammock, I stretched myself on the floor; where, during a night that seemed interminable, we were tossed up and down, knocked against the furniture, and otherwise maltreated. This morning there is little wind, but that little from the north, so that the termination of our voyage appears as far off now as it did eight days ago.

The faces of all on board are calmly lugubrious. A few Spanish shrugs interchanged with ominous significance. The weather is beautiful, though very sultry, especially during the calms which intervene between the nortes. I am now reduced to a very serious Spanish work on the truth of Christianity. This evening, to the joy of all on board, arose the long-desired breeze. The ship went slowly and steadily on her course, at first four, then eight knots an hour. The captain, however, looked doubtingly, and, indeed, towards morning, the wind changed to the south, and our hopes died away.

Behind the Cofre rises Orizava, now like a white cloud, but this morning tinged with a rosy light by the rays of the rising sun. The sea is tranquil and the horizon clear, nevertheless the enemy is looked for. There are a few white and feathery clouds flickering about in the sky, and there is an uneasy swell in the waves. We are further from hope than we were fourteen days ago. Captain, officers, sailors, all seem nearly disheartened.

During a Residence of Two Years in that Country

This morning they caught the most beautiful fish I ever beheld, of the dolphin species — the Cleopatra of the ocean, about four feet long, apparently composed of gold, and studded with turquoises. It changed colour in dying. There is a proverb, which the sailors are repeating to each other, not very encouraging:. The wind continues contrary. I shall fold up this sea-scrawl, and write no more till we reach Vera Cruz.

This morning, the sanguine hoped, and the desponding feared, for the wind, though inclined to la brisa , seemed unlikely to prove sufficiently strong to enable us to reach Vera Cruz — this being the twenty-fifth day since we left Havana; a voyage that, with a steamer, might be performed in three days, and with a sailing-vessel and a fair wind, is made in six or seven. About noon, the aspect of things became more favourable. The breeze grew stronger, and with it our hopes. At last appeared in view, faintly, certain spires beside the low sandy land, which for some time we had anxiously watched, and at length we could distinguish houses and churches, and the fort of San Juan de Ulua, of warlike memory.

By slow but sure degrees, we neared the shore, until Vera Cruz, in all its ugliness, became visible to our much-wearied eyes. We had brought a pilot from Havana to guide us to these dangerous coasts, but though a native of these parts, it seemed that a lapse of years had blunted his memory, for we had nearly run upon the rocks. Anything more melancholy, delabre and forlorn, than the whole appearance of things as we drew near, cannot well be imagined. On one side, the fort, with its black and red walls: Still, as the goal of our voyage, even its dreary aspect was welcome, and the very hills of red sand by which it is surrounded, and which look like the deserts of Arabia, appeared inviting.

A boat full of cocked hats was now seen approaching from the city, containing the Consul in full uniform, and other authorities. C——n having sent for and obtained permission from the Governor, to permit the Jason, contrary to established usages, to anchor beneath the castle, a salute of twenty guns was fired from our ship.

Being upon deck, I was nearly suffocated with smoke and powder. A salute of the same number of cannon was then fired from the castle, in honour of the first Spanish man-of-war that has appeared in this port since the Revolution.

Then came a salute of twenty guns from the Jason in our honour, and we rode off amidst clouds of smoke. Then the fort gave us welcome with the same number of guns, and, amidst all this cannonading, we were landed at the wharf. A singular spectacle the wharf presented. All had large hats, with silver or bead rolls, and every tinge of dark complexion, from the pure Indian, upwards. Some dresses were entirely composed of rags, clinging together by the attraction of cohesion; others had only a few holes to let in the air.

All were crowding, jostling, and nearly throwing each other into the water, and gazing with faces of intense curiosity. But a plume of coloured feathers was seen towering above the copper-coloured crowd, and immediate passage was made for an aide-de-camp from the Governor, General Guadalupe Victoria. He was an immensely tall man, in a showy uniform all covered with gold, with colossal epaulets and a towering plume of rainbow-coloured feathers.

He brought to C——n the welcome and congratulations of the General, and those Spanish offers of service and devotion which sound agreeably, whatever be their true value. We now began to move through the crowd, which formed a line on either side to let us pass, and entered the streets of Vera Cruz, which were crowded, balconies and all, and even roofs with curious faces.

The guard formed as we passed, and struck up a march. We were received with great hospitality, and found excellent rooms prepared for us. The house is immensely large and airy, built in a square as they all are, but with that unfurnished melancholy look, which as yet this style of house has to me, though admirably adapted to the climate. A guard of honour sent by General Victoria, trotted into the courtyard, whose attendance C——n declined with thanks, observing that his mission had for object to terminate the coolness hitherto existing between two families of brothers; that between members of the same family there was nothing to fear, and all compliments were unnecessary.

A number of gentlemen came in the evening to visit C——n. We were received by this family with so much real kindness, that we soon found ourselves perfectly at home. We had a plentiful supper — fish, meat, wine, and chocolate, fruit and sweetmeats; the cookery, Spanish Vera—Cruzified. A taste of the style was enough for me, garlic and oil enveloping meat, fish, and fowl, with pimentos and plantains, and all kinds of curious fruit, which I cannot yet endure. Bed was not unwelcome, and most comfortable beds we had, with mosquito curtains, and sheets and pillows all trimmed with rich lace, so universal in Spanish houses, that it is not, as with us, a luxury.

But the mosquitoes had entered in some unguarded moment, and they and the heat were inimical to sleep. At eight, rose and dressed, and went to breakfast. Here, when there are two guests whom they wish to distinguish, the gentleman is placed at the head of the table, and his lady beside him.

The scene may resemble the ruins of Jerusalem, though without its sublimity. The houses seemed blackened by fire; there is not a carriage on the streets — nothing but the men with the wide trousers slit up the side of the leg, immense hats, and blankets, or sarapes , merely a closed blanket, more or less fine, with a hole for the head to go through; and the women with reboses , long coloured cotton scarfs, or pieces of ragged stuff, thrown over the head and crossing over the left shoulder.

Add to this, the sopilotes cleaning the streets, — disgusting, but useful scavengers. These valuable birds have black feathers, with gray heads, beaks, and feet. They fly in troops, and at night perch upon the trees. They are not republican, nor do they appear inclined to declare their independence, having kings, to whom it is said they pay so much respect, that if one of the royal species arrives at the same time with a plebeian sopilote, in sight of a dead body, the latter humbly waits till the sovereign has devoured his share, before he ventures to approach.

A few ladies in black gowns and mantillas called this morning, and various men. We find the weather sultry. In summer, with greater heat and the addition of the vomito , it must be a chosen city! The principal street, where we live, is very long and wide, and seems to have many good houses in it. Nearly opposite is one which seems particularly well kept and handsome, and where we saw beautiful flowers as we passed.

I find it belongs to an English merchant. There is much deliberation as to the mode in which we are to travel to Mexico. Some propose a coach, others a litera ; others advise us to take the diligence. While in this indecision, we had a visit this morning from a remarkable-looking character, Don Miguel S—— agent for the diligence office in Mexico, a tall, dark, energetic-looking person. He recommends the diligence, and offers, by accompanying us, to ensure our safety from accidents.

The diligence goes in four days, if it does not break down. Events in the year in Mexico. Archived from the original on 17 May Retrieved 9 April Wikimedia Commons has media related to As of the start of , the Gregorian calendar was 12 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until January 6 — Night of the Big Wind: Ireland is struck by the most damaging cyclone in years.

January 9 — The French Academy of Sciences announces the daguerreotype photography process.

January 19 — British forces capture Aden. January 20 — Battle of Yungay: The Pastry War Spanish: Guerra de los pasteles, French: It ended several months later in March with a British-brokered peace. The intervention followed many claims by French nationals of losses due to unrest in Mexico. This incident was the first and lesser of Mexico's two 19th-century wars with France, being followed by the French invasion of —67 which supported the short reign of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico who was executed by firing squad at the end of that later conflict.

The fighting often resulted in the destruction or looting of private pr He was higher up in the caste like system at the time as a merchant Creole who owned land in the city of Tizimin. The Centralized Mexican government at the time was becoming more frustrated, in need of men to reconquer Texas from the United States, and sought to gather soldiers by being more oppressive to this deed.

He gained their d It was bordered by Mexico to the west and southwest, the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast, the two U. The citizens of the republic were known as Texians. The Mexican province of Tejas in English history books usually referred to as Mexican Texas declared its independe This is a list of heads of state, heads of governments, and other rulers in the year Domingo de Ugartechea c.

In June , Ugartechea commanded men at the fort at Velasco, Texas; he attempted to employ his artillery to prevent rebelling Texas colonist under John Austin from taking cannon from Brazoria to Anahuac at the time of the Anahuac disturbances. Although defeated by the Texans in the eleven-hour Battle of Velasco, Ugartechea was permitted to evacuate the fort. Although men appeared on his rolls, only half that number were in active service. The insurgents under the command of General Ignacio Escalada were besieged by Centralist forces under the command of General Mariano Arista.

Escalada surrendered on June 4. The loss of the port was a major blow to the insurgency. References Jaques, Tony, ed. Astrophytum myriostigma common names: Synonyms include Echinocactus myriostigma, Astrophytum prismaticum, A. In the wild, globose to cylindrical stem is covered with a whitish flocking of trichomes. Some horticultural varieties lack the flocking. In the wild, the cacti flower in early spring, so that their seeds can grow with summer rains. In cultivation this differs, and the plants may flower in summer. The flag of Texas is the official flag of the U.

It is well known for its prominent single white star which gives the flag its commonly-used name: This lone star, in turn, gives rise to the state's nickname: Flag design The state flag is officially described by law as: A one blue vertical stripe that has a width equal to one-third the length of the flag; B two equal horizontal stripes, the upper stripe white, the lower stripe red, each having a length equal to two-thirds the length of the flag; and C one white, regular five-pointed star: The Head of State in Mexico is the person who controls the executive power in the country.

Under the current constitution, this responsibility lies with the President of the United Mexican States, who is head of the supreme executive power of the Mexican Union. Under the federal constitutions, the title of President was the same as the current. Under the Seven Laws centralist , the chief executive was named President of the Republic. In addition, there have been two periods of monarchical rule, during which the executive was controlled by the Emperor of Mexico.

The chronology of the heads of state of Mexico is complicated due to the country's political instability during most of the nineteenth century and early decades of the twentieth century. With few exceptions, most of the Mexican presidents elected during this period did not complete their terms. Events from the year in the United States. Incumbents Federal Government President: Johnson D-Kentucky Chief Justice: Taney Maryland Speaker of the House of Representatives: Bagby Democratic Governor of Arkansas: Ellsworth Whig Governor of Delaware: Comegys Whig Governor of Georgia: Gilmer Whig until November 6 , Charles J.

Thomas Carlin Democratic Governor of Indiana: David Wallace Whig Governor of Kentucky: Wickliffe Whig starting August This is a list of wars involving the United Mexican States. Anastasio Bustamante y Oseguera Spanish pronunciation: A Conservative, he first came to power by leading a coup against President Vicente Guerrero. Bustamante was deposed twice and exiled to Europe both times. At 15, the younger Bustamante entered the Seminary of Guadalajara. When he finished, he went to Mexico City to study medicine.

In , General Calleja mobilized the army to fight the rebels under Miguel Hidalgo, and Bustamante participated on the royalist side in all the actions of the Army of the Center. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Mexico since , when Andrew Jackson was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to that country. Jackson declined the appointment, however, and Joel R. Poinsett became the first U.

The rank of the U. Normal diplomatic relations between the United States and Mexico have been interrupted on four occasions: Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson was recalled after being implicated in a plot Life in Mexico is a 19th-century travel account about the life, culture, and landscape of Mexico, written during Scottish writer Fanny Calderon de la Barca's sojourn in Mexico from October to February It was published in by historian William Hickling Prescott.

Notable people with he surname include: He previously was Speaker of the House of Representatives — and Governor of Tennessee — After building a successful law practice in Tennessee, Polk was elected to the state legislature and then to the United States House of Representatives in , becoming a strong supporter of Jackson. After serving as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, he became Speaker in , the only president to have been Speaker.

Polk left Congress to run for governor; he won in , but lost in and He was a dark horse candidate for the Democratic nomination During the Second Seminole War, the ship was transferred to the United States Navy, and served as a support ship to troops along the coasts of Florida's rivers. Still under the command of the Revenue Cutter Service, the ship participated in the Mexican—American War, first in the Gulf of Mexico, and later as a member of a squadron under the command of Captain John A.

On 4 October , the ship's crew had the Van Buren declared unseaworthy. It was decommissioned, and then sold f Rancho San Pedro was a 8,acre The Centralist Republic of Mexico Spanish: It was a unitary political regime established in Mexico on October 23, , under a new constitution known as the Seven Laws after the repeal of the federalist Constitution of Mexican conservatives attributed the political chaos of the federal era to the empowerment of states over the federal government, participation of non-elite men in the political system through universal male suffrage, rebellions, and economic stagnation to the weakness of the federal government.

Conservative elites saw the solution to the problem as abolishing the federal system and creating a centralized one, reminiscent of the colonial era. Federalism had given a range of powers to Mexican states, their legislatures and municipalities. It was favored by the states outside the center of Mexico. Those favoring a centralized state This article traces the history of Dallas, Texas US during the city's original settlement from to Settlement John Neely Bryan, looking for a good trading post to serve Native Americans and settlers, first surveyed the Dallas area in At what became known as "Bryan's Bluff", the river, which was an impassable barrier of mud and water between late fall and early spring, narrowed like an hourglass where it crossed a ridge of Austin chalk, providing a hard rock ford that became the natural north-south route between Republic of Texas settlements and those of the expanding United States.

The Colt Model Carbine is an early percussion revolving smoothbore carbine manufactured by the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company between and Approximately Model Carbines were manufactured, and an additional shotgun variant, the Model Shotgun, was produced from to with approximately manufactured. Though the United States Navy and Texas Navy purchased a number of Model Carbines, sales suffered due to the gun's high price and quality control issues. Encyclia candollei is a species of epiphytic orchid of yellow-brown to reddish flowers, native to Belize, Guatemala and Mexico.

Description The orchid species is a medium-sized, cool growing, epiphytic species. It has clustered, ovoid-conical to globose pseudobulbs enveloped basally by several scarious, sheaths and 1 to 3, coriaceous, elliptic -ligulate leaves. Their habitat is situated in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. The Head of Government Spanish: Jefe de Gobierno wields executive power in Mexico City. The Head of Government serves a six-year term, running concurrently with that of the President of the Republic.

Mexico City, or CDMX, is the seat of national executive, legislative, and judicial power, and is largely contiguous with the core of the sprawling Mexico City conurbation. According to Article of the Constitution, "the Head of Government of the Federal District shall be responsible for executive power and public administration in the district and shall be represented by a single individual, elected by universal, free, direct, and secret suffrage.

The population was 12, at the census, and grew to 16, for the census. Climate This region experiences warm and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above The population density was 1, The racial makeup of Nipomo was 12, The following is an incomplete list of French wars and battles from the Gauls to modern France. She was commissioned to protect American interests in the South Atlantic Ocean, including the interception of ships involved in the African slave trade. The sloop-of-war was named in honor of Commodore Stephen Decatur — , one of the United States Navy's greatest heroes and leaders of the first two decades of the 19th century.

She was outfitted with heavy guns and manned by a crew of officers and enlisted men. Her second cruise, from 5 August to 3 January was with the African Squadron for the suppression of th The military history of Mexico consists of several millennia of armed conflicts within what is now that nation's territory and includes activities of the Mexican military in peacekeeping and combat related affairs worldwide.

Wars between prehispanic peoples marked the beginning of Mexico's military history, the most notable of these fought in the form of a flower war. After the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the 16th century, indigenous tribes were defeated by Spain, thus beginning a three century era of Spanish dominance. Mexico's struggle for independence began primarily in the 19th century, and was marked by internal conflict of early rulers after defeating the Spanish in The Mexican—American War in the mid 19th century ended in the defeat of Mexican forces, and the loss of two-fifths of the national territory.

In the remainder of the 19th century, a series of conflicts began in Mexico, as the War of the Reform and the defeat of the French during their intervention in Mexico marked events in that era. From to he was a member of national congress representing the state of Hidalgo. In he directed the first Mexican national census. He also published an analysis of the potable water of the Basin of Mexico including chemical analyses.

After a period of inaction in port, Austin participated in the Naval Battle of Campeche in Austin was transferred to the United States Navy when Texas joined the United States in , but was run aground and broken up in Background of the Texas Navy The Texas Navy was officially formed in January , with the purchase of four schooners: Invincible, Brutus, Independence, and Liberty.

These ships, under the command of Commodore Charles Hawkins, helped Texas win independence by preventing a Mexican blockade of the Texas coast, seizing Mexican ships carrying reinforcements and supplies to its army, and sending their cargoes to the Texas volunteer army.

Nevertheless, Mexico refused to recognize Texas as an independent country. By the middle of , all of the ships had been lost at sea, run aground, captured, This is a list of wars involving the Kingdom of the Netherlands since its independence in Epipactis gigantea is a species of orchid known as the stream orchid, giant helleborine, and chatterbox.

Its stems have prominently-veined, wide or narrow lance-shaped leaves 5 to 15 centimeters long and inflorescences of two or three showy orchids near the top. Each flower has three straight sepals which are light brownish or greenish with darker veining, each one to two centimeters long. The two top petals are similar in shape and reddish-brown with purple veins. The lowest petal is cup-shaped with a pointed, tongue-like protuberance and is brighter red-brown and more starkly veined, often with areas of yellow.

The fruit is a hanging capsule 2 or 3 centimeters long which contains thousands of tiny seeds. Pinguicula acuminata is an insectivorous plant of the genus Pinguicula endemic to the Mexican state of Hidalgo, a member of the section Heterophyllum.

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