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232 much nearer, is two thousand feet lower; but, from whatever part of the valley the two are seen, they stand proudly preeminent; and, in the evening, it is beautiful to watch the effect of the last rays of light playing upon their summits, whilst every thing around is sinking into obscurity.

In the interior of Chăpūltĕpēc, there is nothing at all worthy of remark, for the principal apartments are neither spacious, nor lofty; but the building, when seen from without, is a beautiful object, and one, upon which the eye rests with pleasure in almost every part of the valley.

The great road to Lĕrmă and Tŏlūcă, which diverges to the South-west from Chăpūltĕpēc, passes through Tăcŭbāya, a village about four miles from the gates of the Capital, which was formerly the country residence of the Archbishop of Mexico. The episcopal palace is situated upon an elevated spot, with a large olive plantation, and a garden attached to it. The windows of the principal rooms command an extent of country nearly equal to that seen from Chăpūltĕpēc, but the whole place has a deserted and melancholy appearance, having been entirely neglected since the Revolution.

Amongst the few public buildings in the town of Mexico which it can be necessary to describe, the Cathedral is one of the finest. It covers an immense space of ground, but to those who are accustomed to the beautiful spring of the arch, by which the old Gothic churches in Europe are distinguished, nothing