dvisers, having
a mild, benignant expression, and evidently appeared worn down
with care and anxiety. Anaya was a tall, bony person, with high
cheek-bones--denoting his Indian origin--and a stolid striped face.
Rosa, the Secretary of War, was short in stature, of swarthy complexion,
with full, dark, intelligent eyes. But of all the public characters, who
held office under the Mexican government, whom I had the opportunity of
seeing, there was none who struck me so forcibly as one of the
deputies--Senor Cauto.

At the conclusion of the Presentation, a number of polite speeches were
interchanged, all of which impressed me as being very gracefully done,
though destitute of a particle of sincerity, as these empty-headed
formalities usually are. But indeed I felt for the pitiable position of
those poor Mexicans, who were having bitter pills crammed down their
throats, though gilded by so many sweet, courteous compliments; and I
was glad when the audience terminated, and we had turned our backs on
the miserable, cowed-looking sentinel at the gate.

The officers of the escort received many civilities from the Mexicans,
and extended others in return. The Governor had obligingly furnished a
full colonel, who was an excellent cicerone about the city, who ordered
dinners, assisted in eating them, and made himself generally useful: he
bore a surprising resemblance to the portraits of Don Quixote. On one
occasion we had a call from a colonel of cavalry: a large, fine-looking
fellow, flashing resplendent in gold, from the glittering plates of his
fur shako, to the richly-chased scabbard of his sabre, and rowels of his
bright spurs;--he must have been worth a fortune as he stood! It was his
wish that all the American officers would honor him at a breakfast
preparing for the occasion. The invitation was cheerfully accepted, as
much, possibly, in compliment to the dashing colonel, as to the fact
that our own board was not so well supplied as was altogether palatable
and proper.

It was quite a grand affair--was the breakfast--laid out in the
billiard-saloon of a fonda, having the bar and cooking convenient, as it
were, in the same apartment; there were some twenty Mexican officers at
table, besides ourselves; to say nothing of as many more casual
observers, who aided vociferously in drinking all the toasts in
succession, and afterwards carefully secreted the glasses--which were
limited--in readiness for another toast. The first cours