JERUSALEM DELIVERED. THE SUBJECT OF THE ILLUSTRATION Represents the Soldan Solyman when on his way to Gaza, whilst flying from the Christians, who had been victorious over the Pagans in a battle fought with his party; spent with toil, and faint with the excessive heat, and the pain of his wounds, aroused from a slumber he had fallen into beneath a palm tree, in a retired part f the country, by the voice of Ismeno, a powerful magician, who stands before him and persuades his immediate return to Jerusalem. He swath'd his wounds: a palm-tree near him stood From this he shook the fruit; (his homely food!) His hunger thus appeas'd, the ground he press'd, And sought to ease his limbs with needful rest; On his hard shield his pensive head reclin'd, And all the world in peaceful silence lay, eyes, While uninterr'd each lov'd associate lies? Here, where thy fame has felt the hostile scorn, Canst thou unthinking, wait the rising morn? The Soldan wak'd, then rais'd his sight, and A sire, of reverend mien, who hear him stood: view'd Feeble he seem'd with age, his steps to guide Dispel soft slumber from the traveller's eyes? Book X. DESCRIPTION OF THE INHABITANTS, LAWS, AMUSEMENTS, AND AGRICULTURE OF THE MEXICANS. In our present number we lay before our readers the following amusing extracts from Captain Lyon's Journal, which comprise his interesting description and general character of the several races, inhabitants of the republic of Mexico, with the existing laws and amusements; together † See the Embellishment, page 193. with an account of the agricultural state of the republic. The whole of which pleasing detail may be viewed for its intelligence, as calculated to throw considerable light upon a very interesting country. ACCOUNT OF THE CREOLES OF MEXICO. The Creoles, or descendants of Europeans, are by their circumstances, the most eminent persons in New Spain, and, with the exception of those engaged in active commerce, are an indolent, overbearing, haughty race, who, with the ignorance which the barbarous policy of Spain has entailed upon them, have preserved also the most profound contempt for the poor despised Indians: and in fact for every one without their own particular pale. They are, with some bright and gifted exceptions (whom, were it proper, I could enumerate with the greatest pleasure), the least estimable people in the country; although, from the influx of strangers and intercourse with the old world generally, there is every reason to expect and hope for a material improvement. The establishment of schools will accomplish much towards this; but above all, the improvement and softening of manners will be proportioned to the proper estimation in which the women are held: and I am happy to say that they begin to assume their proper station in society. Smoking, gaming, and the want of proper attention to personal cleanliness, will soon disappear; and with a little humility (for there are few people in the world who have a better opinion of themselves), the Mexican gentry of the present day may very speedily take intellectual precedence of their ancestors. As to their dress the rich picturesque costumes of both sexes are rapidly giving place to European fashions. THE RANCHEROS OR VAQUEROS, Who are a mixed race of Creole and Indian blood, may be considered as the yeomen of the country, and live in the extensive cattle-plains, or in the cultivated yet retired districts, content in their cabin of mud or stakes,-lively, brave, good-tempered, profoundly ignorant, and careless of every thing beyond their immediate occupations. There is an independence and fearlessness of manner in the legitimate Ranchero which is very imposing and pleasing; and as he sallies forth in the gray of the morning to review his herds of cattle, on his active little horse, and cased in his short leather jacket and boots, with the ready lasso at his saddle-bow, he presents the most pleasing picture of health and hap 198 piness. His frame is generally light, active, and sinewy*; and the poorness of his diet on Tortillas and an occasional Jump of Tasajo or sun-dried beef, maintains him in a state of body capable of enduring great fatigue. His chief fault is a propensity to get very tipsy, whenever it is in his power, but he is generally good-humoured; and the murderous broils so frequent in the towns, are rarely heard of in the Ranchos or Haciendas. The wives and daughters of this class of people live a most retired life; and there is little variety in their occupations of grinding maize and making Tortillas, spinning and sometimes weaving; except on Sundays and religious festivals, when, attired in their gayest clothes, they walk, or are conveyed on the some horses with the men of the family, to the nearest church village, where having heard mass and purchased all which they required at the market, they join in the crowded and monotinous fandango, peculiar to the country, and which frequently continues all night. The female costuine consists of a white shirt with short sleeves, and petticoats very full below, thickly plaited above, which are tied tight immediately over the the hips. In this article of dress the most gaudy colours are preferred, and even richly worked muslin and gaudy French silks have here and there found their way into the most retired parts of the country. They all use a kind of shawl or Reboso, which is invariably worn over the head, and covers the bust and shoulders. A passion for gaudy coloured shoes, which contrast oddly with the nut-brown ankles, is universal with old and young on great occasions: and I have seen whole bevies of girls trudging barefoot to the merry-makings, and carrying their skyblue or yellow shoes in their hands, securely load fifty or sixty of these useful animals. The proverbial honesty of the Mexican Arrieros is to the present day unimpaired; and, with but few exceptions, withstood the test of the late troubled times. Many of them pique themselves on their vocation, which is very frequently hereditary; and men of extensive property will be found conveying merchandize through the country on their own mules. I confess that of all the natives of Mexico, Arrieros are my favourites. I have always found them to be civil, nay courteous, obliging, cheerful, and perfectly honest; and their character in this latter respect, may be estimated by the knowledge of the fact, that thousands and even millions of dollars have frequently been confided to their charge, which they in many instances have defended, at the hazard of their lives, against those bands of robbers which the local government have now succeeded in dispersing. THE MEXICAN INDIANS. The last on the list of society are the poor Indians,- -a mild, enduring, and despised race of people, who with care are capable of receiving the best impressions. The memory of their former free state seems stamped upon their serious countenances; and when excited during the revolutionary war, their courage, passions and devotedness were very remarkable: as, under the guidance of their priests, they took up arms against their ancient oppressors. They for the most part lead a pastoral and retired life, cultivating the fruits of the mighty Barrancae, or assembling in little villages, where they manufacture, cloth and various articles of earthenware, and rear poultry for the markets. They have preserved their race unmixed with Spanish blood, and but few even speak the Spanish language. In their commerce with the towns they are always to be seen in groups! and I do not ever remember to have seen a pure Indian walking with a white man. They differ somewhat in costume in each particular State; but the general habit is a short tunic, of dark brown or blue woollen confined round the waist, with breeches of the same material;-a profusion of thick black hair spreads itself over the neck and shoulders. All wear black or straw hats; but few of them make use of shoes, supplying their place by a rude The women wear the kind of sandal. same coloured woollens as the men; but generally use a white shirt, fancifully or namented round the neck with a border of coloured worsted, and a short kind of cloak, which, unlike that of the Creole * Some of the Vaqueros are as tall and mus, hair is usually divided into two large and females, is worn over the shoulders. The THE ARRIEROS OR MULETEERS. This race are an offset from the Rancheros; but their mode of life is very peculiar and enduring; since, in their constant journeyings, whether they travel in the burning low lands, or in the most elevated, cold, and misty regions of the great Cordillera, they rarely sleep under a roof; but, having cooked their very frugal meal near the cargo in their charge they lie down amidst their mules' equipage, sheltered from the rain by a piece of coarse Petate or sacking. The mules meanwhile are sent out to pasture under the care of one of the party, who attends them throughout the night; and at daybreak half a dozen Arrieros will commence, and in two hours saddle and enlar as our Yorkshiremen. long pigtails, having red or other coloured worsted interwoven with them, and the ends are frequently joined in a bow, so as to hang over the loins: some wear these tresses tightly bound round the head, which has a good effect, heightened occasionally by the addttion of some simple wild flower. The intellect of the Indians has never hitherto been fairly tried, but great docility to their instructors might be expected; as they look up with particular veneration to their priests, who sway them unboundedly by that religion which was introduced after the Conquest, and so modified to their prejudices and intellects as to resemble in many respects, as for as the blind worship of uncouth images is concerned the idolatry of their ancestors. THE MEXICAN LAWS. During the eventful scenes of a protracted revolutionary war, law and justice gave place to the dictates of the various leaders of the prevailing parties; and almost all trace of that distributive justice which was strictly attended to by the Spaniards, had disappeared when Mexico found itself free. The early congresses of the Republicans speedily discovered the tottering situation in which the nation still remained, and edicts were passed that the different States, now "free and sovereign," (libre y soberano), should form their own laws, for domestic safety, and to repress the wild disorganized manners which now prevailed. Each Senate, therefore, drew up a code of law, rather, in most instances, according to the feelings of the framers, than adapted to the temper and character of the people of the State which they directed. In many the penal code was so arranged that the graver crimes received the lightest punishments; in others,-Jalisco, for instance, -it was said to be founded on the penal code of England, and in this State, trial by jury was instituted. Little advantage, however, was derived from this measure, as bribery to some members of this body, and the ignorance of the others, usually swayed their decisions, and justice was rarely dispensed. The priests are usually too ignorant or too indolent to give any kind of education to their young parishioners; and a child which can repeat the ordinanzas of the church, and quantities of orisons to the most popular saint, by rote like a parrot, is considered as being highly gifted. There is a marked difference in regard to moral conduct between the dwellers in cities and the agricultural or pastural people,—very much in favour of the latter. The poor industrions peasant, living amongst his mighty mountains, or tending the immense herds of cattle on the plains, possesses many excellent qualities, and is degraded by but few vices; while the white Creole of Mexico is the least estimable, in every respect, of the inhabitants of New Spain. The marriages amongst all classes, but particularly those of the poorer orders, are contracted at an early age; yet I rarely saw such large families of children as are to be met with in Europe. The duration of life is about the same as with us; and although at a much earlier period the persons of both sexes bear deep impressions of age, they are generally healthy, and enjoy life free from many of those complaints to which Europeans are subjected in their declining years. Rheumatism is the chief scourge of the old, agues of the middle-aged; but on the whole, the labouring classes of Mexico may be considered as a very healthy race. THE AMUSEMENTS OF THE MEXICANS. The Mexican Spaniard is lively and fond of amusement. Religious festivals and fire-works are his delight; and the dances, although very ungraceful compaed with those of the mother-country, are always well attended. The love of this amusement is more general amongst the peasantry, who frequently dance throughout the night, with a regard to order and decency which is very praise-worthy. Their musical instruments are small guitars, fiddles, and harps, of their own making; and singing usually accompanies the favourite fandango tunes of the Xarabe. The amusements of the children are as amongst us, but as they grow up, the love of play is instilled into them by the example of their parents, and soon forms one of the most important and favourite occupations of their lives in fact, gaming, smoking cigars, and riding on horseback in the Paséo, are the chief occupations of the men. AGRICULTURE AND PRICE OF LABOUR. Of those States through which I travelled, Guadalaxara and Valladolid, with the western boundaries of the State of Mexico, are by far the most productive; and agriculture, even in its present improveable state, yields a certain and valuable revenue. Maize flourishes in all the varieties of the Mexican temperajure; wheat and barley are cultivated on the extensive plains amidst the irregular Cordillera, and thrive most luxuriantly at elevations of from 6000 to 7000 feet. The maize is cultivated in two ways. The first and most general, called "Taparado," is by sowing in ploughed fields, which are again turned over: the other, named “ Tapapê,” is when it is planted at regular intervals, a square vara apart, and pressed down by the foot of the husbandman. I have seen far less standing wheat than barley, which latter occupies very extensive districts near the plains of Appan and in various other parts. The annual rains are in these places sufficient for its nourishment: but there are situations in which all the farinaceous grains require occasional irrigation; for which purpose a mountain-stream or a river is usually considered as indispensable*. No manure of any kind is used for agricultural purposes, although it could in many in many instances be most effectually employed. The time of harvest varies according to localities; but I saw barley in the sheaf near Appan, in October and November. tonishment and elicited the praises of the neighbouring farmers, wedded as they have been to their own particular customs. If they once begin to imitate, much will have been accomplished. The Haciendas usually contain a little village, inhabited by the labourers on the labourers on the estate. The women are employed in making curd-cheeses, either for the benefit of the farm or their private consumption; but butter is rarely to be found, hogs'-lard being in most instances used in its place. The milk indeed of the cows is not of that rich quality which would be requisite for this purpose; and the heat of the climate in many of the most flourishing cattle districts is too great to admit of butter becoming solid, except during the three or four winter months. The mode of regulating rent is by the number of Fanegas* which the land could receive. It is usually paid in money, not in produce. The price of labour varies considerably, according to the situation of Haciendas. On the cattle-farms the Vaqueros, Rancheros, or herdsmen, receive about five dollars a month. The husbandman, hired by the day or week, about sevenpence English per diem. TO A LARK. Near the little villages, peas, beans, (principally of the kind called Frijoli, Warbling songster! speed thy flight, similar to our black French beans,) varieties of Chilis or Capsicums and the Camotes or sweet potatoe, are cultivated; but coffee, cotton, indigo, Vanilla, (which at Vera Cruz was selling at 1000 pods for 150 dollars,) and other valuable productions, are chiefly reared in Oaxaca and distant districts which I did not visit. The sugar-cane, fruits, and other products of the warmer climates, are to be found in the depths of the precipitous Barrancas. But I must confess that I saw but little profusion of cultivated flowers; and still less of fruits, of which so much is said, except in the principal towns. All the agricultural implements are extremely rude, but the natives prefer them in most instances to those recently sent from England. Our ploughs are much admired, for their facility in turning up the ground to a depth the Mexican plough cannot reach, the neatness of the distribution of the crops, and the very evident improvement in the produce of many fields, has already excited the as Grain reared by this process is distinguish. ed by the affixture of the term Riego, as Mais de Riego; Cebada de Riego. Through yonder boundless fields of light; To greet the coming day. In lengthen'd strains of joy prolong Glance round thy softly brilliant eye, And tell the happiest spot. Ah! heedless of the coming storm, Without a care to frown: But man must have his pleasures such, Nor mix'd with sorrow's base alloy, Thy little life is varied joy! Nor marred by endless fear : *Five Fanegas are equal to eight bushels English. But might I rise with equal wing, BALLAD, R. JARMAN, By Mrs. Cornwell Baron Wilson. I saw her when flowrets Love came with the Summer, And plighted her vow ! But the roses soon faded That deck'd Love's gay bowers, I saw her, when Sorrow Had blighted her cheek, That waits on decay, ; When the flowers of existence Had faded away! THE MOLE CATCHER. A Village Sketch, morning, during the violet-tide-and here almost every morning I was sure to meet Isaac Bint. I think that he fixed himself the more firmly in my memory by his singular discrepancy with the beauty and cheerfulness of the scenery and the season. Isaac is a tall, lean, gloomy personage, with whom the clock of life seems to stand still. He has looked sixty-five for these last twenty years, although his dark hair and beard, and firm manly stride, almost contradict the evidence of his sunken cheeks and deeply lined forehead. The stride is awful: he hath the stalk of a ghost. His whole air and demeanour savour of one that comes from under ground. His appearance is "of the earth, earthy." His clothes, hands, and face are of the colour of the mould in which he delves. The little round traps which hang behind him over one shoulder, as well as the strings of dead moles which embellish the other, are encrusted with dirt like a tombstone: and the staff which he plunges into the little hillocks, by which he traces the course of his small quarry, returns a hollow sound, as if tapping on the lid of a coffin. Images of the church-yard come, one does not know how, with his presence. Indeed he does officiate as assistant to the sexton in his capacity of grave-digger, chosen, as it shonld seem, from a natural fitness—a fine sense of congruity in good Joseph Reed, the functionary in question, who felt, without knowing why, that, of all men in the parish, Isaac Bint was best fitted to that solemn office. His remarkable gift of silence adds The Cypres Wreath. much to the impression produced by this remarkable figure. I don't think that I ever heard him speak three words in my life. An approach of that bony hand to that earthy leather cap was the greatest effort of courtesy that my daily_salutations could extort from him. For this silence Isaac has reasons good. He hath a reputation to support. His words are too precious to he wasted. Our molecatcher, ragged as he looks, is the wise man of the village, the oracle of the village inn, foresees the weather, charms away agues, tells fortune by the stars, and writes notes upon the almanacks turning and twisting about the predictions after a fashion so ingenious, that it's a moot point which is oftenest wrongIsaac Bint, or Francis Moore. In one eminent instance, our friend was, however, eminently right. He had the good luck to prophecy, before sundry witnesess -some of them sober-in the tap-room of the Bell, he then sitting, pipe in mouth, on the settle at the right hand side of the I used to meet Isaac Bint, the molecatcher every spring, when we lived at our old house, whose park-like paddock, with its finely clumped oaks and elms, and its richly timbered hedge-rows, edging into wild, rude, and solemn fir plantations, dark, and rough, and hoary, formed for so many years my constant and favorite walk. Here, especially under the great horse-chesnut, and where the bank rose high and naked above the lane, crowned only with a tuft of golden broom -here the sweetest and prettiest of wild flowers, whose very name hath a charm, grew like a carpet under one's feet, enamelling the young green grass with their white and purple blossoms, and loading the very air with their delicious fragrance-here I used to come almost every |