r and her children; which will show what a rarity those
embodiments of noise and disquiet are in the mountains. This group of
pretty darlings consists of three sweet little girls, slender,
straight, and white as ivory wands, moving with an incessant and
staccato (do you remember our old music lessons?) activity which always
makes me think of my hummingbirds.

About five o'clock we arrived at home, just in time to hear some noisy
shouts of "Down with the Spaniards," "The great American people
forever," and other similar cries, evident signs of quite a spirited
fight between the two parties, which was, in reality, taking place at
the moment. Seven or eight of the elite of Rich Bar, drunk with whisky
and patriotism, were the principal actors in this unhappy affair, which
resulted in serious injury to two or three Spaniards. For some time
past there has been a gradually increasing state of bad feeling
exhibited by our countrymen (increased, we fancy, by the ill-treatment
which our consul received the other day at Acapulco) towards
foreigners. In this affair our own countrymen were principally to
blame, or, rather, I should say, Sir Barleycorn was to blame, for many
of the ringleaders are fine young men who, when sober, are decidedly
friendly to the Spaniards. It is feared that this will not be the end
of the fracas, though the more intelligent foreigners, as well as the
judicious Americans, are making every effort to promote kindly feeling
between the two nations. This will be very difficult, on account of the
ignorant prejudices of the low-bred, which class are a large proportion
of both parties.

It is very common to hear vulgar Yankees say of the Spaniards, "O, they
are half-civilized black men!" These unjust expressions naturally
irritate the latter, many of whom are highly educated gentlemen of the
most refined and cultivated manners. We labor under great
disadvantages, in the judgment of foreigners. Our peculiar political
institutions, and the prevalence of common schools, give to _all_ our
people an arrogant assurance which is mistaken for the American
beau-ideal of a gentleman.

They are unable to distinguish those nice _shades_ of manner which as
effectually separate the gentleman from the clown with _us_ as do these
broader lines which mark these two classes among all other nations.
They think that it is the grand characteristic of Columbia's children
to be prejudiced, opinionated, selfish, avaricious, and unju