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Show SG APPENDIX 1'0 PART Ill. men al'e gene;·ally dressed in br·oad brimmed huts, short coats,, large '' <.istcoats, and small cloth('s always open at the knees (owing, us I sul'oc;e, to the greatet· freedom it g~ves to the limb~ on horseb,,c.k), a kind of lcathet· boot or wrapper, bound round the leg· r so1 1cwhat in the manner of our frontier-men's leggings , ancl gartered on. The boot is of a soft, pliable leather, but not colored. In the eastern provinces the dl'ag-oons wear, ovet· this wrnpper or hoot, a sort of jack-boot made of sole-I ·ather, to which arc fastened the spurs, by a rivet, the gaffs of which arc sometimes nea1· un inch in length; but the spur~ of the gentlemen and officers, although clumsy to out· ideas, ar·c ft'cquently ornamented with raised sih•cJ· work on the shoulders, and the strap embroidered with siher and gold thread. They arc always t·eady to mount their horses, on which the inhabitants of the internal provinces spend nearly half the day. This desct·iption will apply generally to the dress of all the men of the provinces for the lower class; but in theit· cities, amongt the more fashionable, they dress aftet· the Eut·opcan or United :->tatcs modes, with not mot·e variation thnn we see in our cities fi·otn one six months to another. Uoth men and women have remarkably fine hait·, and p1·idc themselves in the display of it. Their amusements arc music, singing, dancing, and gambling. The latter is stt'ictly pt•ohibited, but the prohibition is not much attended to. The dance of --is danced by one man and two women, who beat time to the music, which is soft and votuptuous, hut sometimes chan!;ing to a lively, gay air. The dancers exhibit the motions of the soul, by gestures of the body, snapping the fingers, anc1 sometimes meeting in a M rf't c/Jed embrace. The fandang(J is danced to various figures and numbers. The minuet is still danced by the superior class ortly. The nntsic made us<: of is the guitar, violin, and singers, who, in the fir~t described cl<~nce, accompany the music with their hands and voice!>, having- always some words adapted to the music. Thcit' ~ames are cards, billiards, horse raciug, and cock fight~ ing·, the first and last of which are carr·ied to the most cxtravngant lengths, losing and winning immcn~c sums. The present commun· dant general is very severe with his ofliccrs in these..: respects, fi'C· quently sending them to some ft·omict· post, in coilfincment for months, for no other fault than hnvin!! lost JarP·e sums at play. At 0 0 d every town of consequence is a public walk, where the ladies an gentlemen meet and sing songs, which arc always on the subjec~ ot love or th<- social board. Tl1e females h:n c fine voices, and smp APPENDIX TO PART III. .,...._ in French, Italian, and SiJanish, the whole company joi11ing· in the chorus. In their house3 the Indies play the guitar, and generally accompany it with their voices. They either sit down on the carpet cross leg-ged, or loll on a sofa. To sit uprig-ht in a chni t· 21ppcarcd to pu t them to great inconvenience, and, althout~h the hcttet· class would sometime!S do it on our first introduction , ti H·y soon took the liberty of following thcit· old habits. In theit· eatin g· aud cll·inkin g· they aJ'l: remarkably temperate. Eady in the morning you receive a dish or ~hocolate and a cake, at twelve you dine on seve t·~d dishes of meat, fowls, and llsh, ,lftcr which you have a v:.u·iety or confections, aud, indeed, an eleg-ant desert; then drink a few g·lasses of wiuc, sing a few songs, and retit·c to take the ~irsta, or afternoon's nap, which in taken by rich and poor. About two o'clock the windows ~mel cloorc; are all closed, the streets dcsenccl, and the stillness of midnig·h t. reigns throughout. About four o'clock they r.isc, wash and d rcs~ , and prepare for the dissipation of the ni g·ht. About cleveu o'c lock some rcf1·eshments at·e ofT'cred, but (cw take any, except a little winl' and water and candied sugar. The govemment has multiplied the difficulties of Europcnn intermanying with the Ct·eoles ot· i\1etifs to such a dcg J·ce th:\t it is 'liffienlt for such a maniage to take place. An ofliccr, wishing tlJ mat·t·y a lacly (not from Elll·opc) is oblig·ccl to acquire ccnifi catcs of the pu1·ity of her descent 200 years back, and transmit it to the court, when the licence will be returned; but should she be the daughter of a man or the rank of captain, or upwards, t!Jis nicety vanishes, as rank plll'ifies the blood of the descendants. The general subjects of conversation among the men at·e w 1 men, money, and horses, which appear to be the <mly obj~'c ts, in \heir estimation, worthy of consiclet·ation, unitin~ the fe nl~t l(' ~<· x with theit· money ancJ their beasts, and, from l1aving treated til ' n• too much after the manner of the latter, they !Jnve eradicated ft·o1n their br·ensts every S<'ntiment of virtue or ambition, either to pursue the acquit·cments which would make them amiable companions, instructive mothers, or re spectable members of society. Thc.:i1 Whole souls, with a few exceptions, like the Turki!)h ludic<;, bein!j' taken up in music, dress , and the little blandishna;nts of voluptuotJ•; dissi.p ation. Finding that the men only rc•h, .ard them as obJ'ccts 0 1 grattfication to the sellSIJaJ passions, t!Jcy have l<JSt CYCI'y idea of that feast of reason and flow of soul, whi ch ari-,<· frm11 :lie i:Jtt"" ourc:;c of two rdi11cd and Yirtuau<> minclo.;. |