t it used to be. Along the sides of the Plaza are stalls kept by
women, who sell sausages and fish. The central part of the market is
appropriated to the sale of vegetables, of which there is always an
excellent supply. Facing the Palace of the Inquisition are the
butchers' shops. The meat is good, though not very plentifully
displayed. The most abundant kinds of meat are mutton and beef. The
slaughtering of young animals being strictly prohibited by law, veal,
lamb, and sucking pigs are never seen in the market. The daily
consumption of butcher's meat in Lima is about twenty-eight or thirty
heads of horned cattle, and between one hundred and sixty and two
hundred sheep. Pork, neither fresh nor cured, is seen in the market;
though great numbers of swine are slaughtered. The fleshy parts of the
animal are cut into small square pieces, and boiled; the fat or lard
is used in cookery, and the pieces of pork, which are spread over with
lard, are called _chicharones_, and are held in high esteem by
Limanian epicures. There is an abundant show of poultry in the market,
especially fowls and turkeys, which are brought from Huacho. Game is
never sold, and but very little is obtained in the neighborhood of
Lima. The flower market, which is held on the Plaza Mayor, is but
sparingly supplied with the gifts of Flora. The ladies of Lima recal
pleasing recollections of the former glory of their flower market, and
speak with regret of its present degenerate condition. The
much-vaunted _pucheros de flores_ are still occasionally displayed for
sale. They are composed of a union of fragrant fruits and flowers.
Several small fruits are laid on a banana leaf, and above them are
placed odoriferous flowers, tastefully arranged according to their
colors: the whole is surmounted with a strawberry, and is profusely
sprinkled with _agua rica_, or lavender water. These _pucheros_ are
very pleasing to the eye, on account of the tasteful arrangement of
the flowers; but their powerful fragrance affects the nerves. They
vary in price, according to the rarity of the fruits and flowers of
which they are composed. Some cost as much as six or eight dollars.
A _puchero de flores_ is one of the most acceptable presents that
can be offered to a Lima lady.

A mingled feeling of disgust and surprise takes possession of the
European who witnesses the joy which pervades all classes of the
inhabitants of Lima on the announcement of a bull-fight. For several
days