ke Mexico,
such an unusual proceeding would elevate the fearless magistrate in
popular estimation, and make him the subject of all kind of apocryphal
anecdotes.

The best of the anecdotes illustrating his sternness in enforcing city
ordinances is the following: A police officer once reported to him the
case of the occupants of a house who had neglected sweeping in front of
their premises. He informed him that the family had consisted of a
widowed mother and two daughters, but that the mother had died during
the previous night, and that, instead of sweeping the street as usual,
the daughters sat at the door weeping, and soliciting money of
passers-by to bury the dead body. "Return," said the viceroy sternly to
the officer, "and stand at the door until there are twelve shillings (a
dollar and a half) in the plate, and then take it, and bring it and the
offenders to me." The officer did as directed. "Deliver the money to
the municipal treasurer, in payment of the fine for violating the city
ordinance," said the vice-king to the officer, "and then return to your
duty." He then turned to the orphans: "I hear that your mother is dead,
and that you wish to obtain the means of burying her. Here is an order
on your parish priest, who will bury your mother, and here is a trifle
for yourselves," he said, handing to each of them a gold ounce. They
went their way, blessing the man that had succored them in their
necessity. This early example of the rigid enforcement of city
ordinances has never been forgotten in Mexico, where, considering its
limited means, for its revenue[52] does not exceed $400,000, including
its landed rents, its government is well sustained, and its laws better
enforced than in many of our own cities. Its police consists of a
military patrol,[53] who, oddly enough, perform the duties of
lamplighters.

THE NATIONAL PALACE.

The National Palace is an immense structure, which occupies the eastern
front of the Grand Plaza, and is sometimes foolishly called the Halls
of the Montezumas. It contains within itself all the offices of
government, besides the barracks of the President's guard. Besides
being the city residence of the President himself, it contains the two
halls that were formerly occupied by the two legislative bodies, the
Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, while such a burlesque of our free
institutions existed in Mexico. In this palace also was the National
Mint, so long as any body would trust th