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272 and, even when they do not, they may, sometimes, be found to be happy without them. Those who were assembled in this instance seemed to be as joyous and free from thought as if such subjects had never entered into their contemplation. The transitions from care to frivolity, from anxiety to carelessness, are so rapid and imperceptible, especially amongst the vulgar, that it is the province of a wise government to provide, as much as possible, for the amusements of the public. The privileges upon which the fairs in England were established were chiefly adapted to this end; and the maintenance of similar rights by the meaner classes in the South American republics is, perhaps, amongst the principal causes why they have remained faithful to whatsoever dynasty they may have become subjected.

As I proceeded up the long street which led to the house of Doña Joanita, I passed a band of musicians, consisting of three guitars, a violin and a bass: as the dancing was subsiding in the square, they were