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fruit and  fancy  shell-work  which  you  are  solicited  to purchase  by  girls  and  women  As  you  walk  along, a charming  pensive-eyed  seiiorita  throws  over  your head a  necklace,  at  the  same  time  saying,  it  is  a  pres- ent, but should  you  let  it  remain  you  will  not  have gone far  before  the  coffee-colored  beauty  turns  up  and desires a  present  in  return. A fine  dinner  used  to be  served  by  a  female  French  restaurateur,  a  noted cook and  virago. At night,  in  the  absence  of  the moon, the  town  is  lighted  by  lanterns  hung  out  at  the doors. Contentment and  happiness  reign ;  the  women, some of  them  quite  beautiful,  gather  fruit,  and  make and sell  shell-work ;  men  lounge  in  shady  nooks, smoke, and  sip  aguardiente,  and  naked  children  suck oranges, munch  bananas,  and  roll  in  the  dirt. The fort, once  effective  as  a  means  of  defence,  is  solid  and substantial still,  though  it  would  afford  little  protec- tion against a  modern  monitor. It is  usually  garri- soned by one  or  two  companies  of  ragged  barefooted soldiers with  heterogenous  uniforms  and  almost  worth- less arms. In a  clear  mountain  stream  back  of  the town there  is  delightful  bathing,  but  the  senoritas tliat stand  on  the  bank,  towel  in  hand,  awaiting  you, make it  an  awkard  position  for  a  modest  man  to  be placed  in. Occasionally a  severe  earthquake  assists time in  demolishing  buildings.

Fifty miles  below  Acapulco,  on  the  night  of  the 27th of  February,  the  steamer  North  America,  Captain Blethen, was  stranded  on  the  beach. The passengers were all  saved,  and  most  of  them  had  reached  Aca- pulco previous to  our  arrival. Seven hundred  dollars had been  contributed  for  their  relief  by  the  passengers of the  Tennessee,  which  entered  the  port  of  Acapulco on the  4th  of  March,  bound  upward. The North America was  the  best  steamer  in  the  Nicaragua  line, and next  to  the  Golden  Gate  the  fastest  vessel  on  the Pacific. As a  matter  of  course,  the  captain  was greatly blamed  for  the  accident,  some  charging  him with culpable  negligence,  others  with  ignorance  of  the