Visits from Spaniards--Visit from the President--Disquisition--Poblana
Dress--Bernardo the Matador--Bull-fight extraordinary--Plaza de
Toros--Fireworks--Portrait of C---n--Fancy Ball--Dress--Costume of the
Patronesses--Beauty in Mexico--Doctor's Visit--Cards of _faire
part_--Marquesa de San Roman--Toilet in Morning Visits of
Ceremony--Attempt at Robbery--Murder of a Consul--La Guera
Rodriguez--Dr. Plan--M. de Humboldt--Anecdote--Former Customs.


5th January.


Yesterday (Sunday), a great day here for visiting after mass is over. We
had a concourse of Spaniards, all of whom seemed anxious to know whether or
not I intended to wear a Poblana dress at the fancy ball, and seemed
wonderfully interested about it. Two young ladies or women of Puebla,
introduced by Senor ----- came to proffer their services in giving me all
the necessary particulars, and dressed the hair of Josefa, a little Mexican
girl, to show me how it should be arranged; mentioned several things still
wanting, and told me that every one was much pleased at the idea of my
going in a Poblana dress. I was rather surprised that _every one_ should
trouble themselves about it. About twelve o'clock the president, in full
uniform, attended by his aides-de-camp, paid me a visit, and sat about half
an hour, very amiable as usual. Shortly after came more visits, and just as
we had supposed they were all concluded, and we were going to dinner, we
were told that the secretary of state, the Ministers of war and of the
interior, and others, were in the drawing-room. And what do you think was
the purport of their visit? To adjure me by all that was most alarming, to
discard the idea of making my appearance in a Poblana dress! They assured