ver pursue these employments before company.

The ladies of Lima are passionately fond of music. Most of them play the
piano-forte or the guitar, and also sing; but for want of good
instruction neither their playing nor their singing is above mediocrity.
Smoking is pretty general among females, at least those of mature age;
but they indulge in this practice only in their own apartments. Of late
years the custom of smoking has been on the decline in Lima, in
proportion as it has been increased on the continent of the old world.
Though snuff-taking is prohibited in the convents, yet the nuns practise
it to a great extent. They use an exceedingly fine kind of red snuff,
which has the effect of closing the breathing passage through the
nostrils, and of producing a peculiar nasal tone of voice.

With the ladies of Lima, vanity and the love of dress appear to have
reached their climax. To this passion for personal adornment they
sacrifice everything. Formerly, when none but _real_ pearls and diamonds
were worn, many a lady was known to have ruined her husband by the
purchase of those costly articles; now, however, thanks to French mock
jewelry, they are enabled to bedeck themselves in glittering ornaments
at trivial expense. Another of their passions is a fondness for
perfumes. They are continually besprinkling themselves with _eau de
Cologne_, _esprit de Lavande_, _agua rica_, or _mistura_. The latter is
a fragrant yellow-colored water, prepared from gillyflower, jasmine, and
flor de mistela (_Talinum umbellatum_). They perfume their apartments
daily with _Sahumerios_ (pastiles). When the lady of the house wishes to
show particular attention to her visitors, she offers them perfumed
water, dropping it into the bosoms of the ladies, and on the
pocket-handkerchiefs of the gentlemen. Considering their free use of
perfumes, it is not surprising that the fair Limenas should be
constantly complaining of headache, vertigo, and other nervous ailments,
or, to use their own phrase (_los nervios_).

Above all things the Limenas pride themselves in the excessive smallness
of their feet. Whether walking, standing, sitting, swinging in the
hammock, or reclining on the sofa, the grand object invariably is to
display to advantage the tiny foot. To praise her virtue, her
intelligence, her wit, or even her beauty, would be less complimentary
to a Limena than to admire the elegance of her feet. All possible care
is taken to preserve the smal