General Anaya. He had a
pleasant European visage--tall, well-made, dignified and gentleman-like
in his bearing and address--numbering, may be, some sixty years. We
stated the business which brought us to his notice, and after some few
inquiries from his officers, he informed us, that the officer who had
apprised the Governor was unauthorized to do so; that the deserter had
already escaped--which was, indeed, the politest possible, and at the
same time sensible way of telling us that we could not have him. He then
cooled us off with a cup of claret and cigars; hoped all national
difficulties were about to cease; regarded the United States as the
mother of Republics; boasted that he had been present, and wounded at
the battle of New Orleans, as aid to Jackson; and finally, turned us
over to the kind offices of his staff. Our horses, meanwhile, had been
well cared for, and three hours after noon we were escorted outside the
lines, and reached the port at night.

The next day I was ordered to proceed again to the Presidio, with a
flag of truce, to communicate an official copy of our armistice, and
request a conference, to arrange certain articles pertaining thereto. As
we did not get there until late in the afternoon, the escort and myself
were billeted for the night upon the Commissary General, Don Isidro
Beruben, who did the honors of his house with great liberality and
attention, to say nothing of the sweet smiles of his charming little
daughter Chonita. We slept soundly and rose early, walked around the
town, saw the graves of eight long bronze cannon, about three hundred
troops exercised, and were introduced to scores of officers. They were
all delighted at the armistice, and on tiptoe to get leave once more to
visit the port, which they somehow regarded as a little Paris. They
overwhelmed me with interrogatories about their friends and sweethearts:
where were the Manuelas, Madelinas, Antonias, Josephas--_pobrecitas_!
how they must have suffered! and were they all true to their old lovers?
Of course they were--and I vouched for the truth of the statement.

As the General had not a reply prepared, we remained to a breakfast
given by our host. There were some thirty officers at table--a number of
generals, and all, I believe, colonels: the Mexican army is well manned
in the higher grades. The breakfast passed off well, with no absurd
toast-making, and an hour after its termination, Don Pablo requested
many _memorias_ to