unts the chapel door,
turned towards the grand altar, and with folded hands invoked the
divine grace in favor of the city. By this intercession it is
believed that Lima was saved from total destruction. The monk who
conducted me over the convent, and who related to me this miracle,
observed with much simplicity that it was singular that the Madonna
did not repeat her gracious intercession in the year 1746.

The carved work which adorns the ceilings in the corridors is admirably
executed, though not very beautiful in design. The cells of the monks
are very simple, but perfectly comfortable for habitation. The spacious
and well-arranged gardens within the area of the convent form a pleasing
contrast to the gloomy appearance of the external walls.

To the Franciscan monks also belongs the convent of _Los Descalzos_,
situated in the suburb of San Lazaro. A broad avenue planted with six
rows of trees leads to Los Descalzos. It is a neat but not large
edifice, and stands at the foot of a sterile hill. The extensive
garden which surrounds it, and which is in a very neglected
condition, contains three palm-trees, the only ones to be seen in the
near vicinity of Lima. The situation of the convent is not healthy,
and in consequence the monks frequently suffer from intermittent
fever. These monks go barefooted, and live entirely on alms. Every
morning two lay brethren ride on asses to the city, where they visit
the market-place, and obtain from the different saleswomen charitable
donations of fish, vegetables, or meat.

Another convent is the _Recoleta de San Diego_. During Lent, and
especially in Passion Week, many men retire to this place to prepare
themselves by mortification and prayer for confession and
participation in the Holy Sacrament.

The convent of Santo Domingo is very rich. It enjoys a yearly revenue of
from seventy to seventy-five thousand dollars, for the most part
accruing from the ground-rents of houses in the city. The steeple of
Santo Domingo is the loftiest in all Lima. It is 188 feet high, and is
visible at the distance of three leagues. It is built of wood, and
inclines so considerably in its upper part, that there is little
probability of its surviving another earthquake like that of 1746. The
interior of the church is splendid. The grand altar almost vies with
that of the cathedral.

San Pedro must, doubtless, at a former period, have been the principal
convent in Lima. It belonged to the Jesuits, an