Page:Life in Mexico vol 1.djvu/341



 Countess Ca — Gutierrez Estrada — Dinner at General Moran's — Dowager Marquesa — Fête at San Antonio — Approach of the rainy season — Diamonds and plate — Great ball — Night travelling — Severe storm — Chapter of accidents — Corpus Christi — Poblana dress — Book club — Ball — Humming bird — Franciscan friar — Missions to Old and New California — Zeal and endurance of the missionaries — Present condition — Convent gardener.

17th June.

As we dine nearly every Sunday with the Countess de la Ca at Tacubaya, where she keeps open house to all her friends, we have had the pleasure of becoming intimately acquainted with her son-in-law, Señor Gutierrez Estrada, who, with his amiable wife, has lately returned from Europe. . ..

A great dinner was given us the other day by General Moran and his lady, the Marquesa de Vivanco, at San Agustin. We went early, that we might have time to walk about the garden, which is beautiful, and to visit an artificial cave there, which we found lighted up with colored lamps, and where a most fascinating species of cold milk punch with cakes, was served to the company. The dinner would certainly have been superb in any country; the family have travelled a great deal in Europe, (per force, the General having been exiled