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Writing Type: Diary
His encounter with a family from San Blas, Mexico
Keywords: Mexican women, San Blas, etiquette
Publisher: Edward Moxon, London
Archive: John Rylands Library
Location Details: From Captain Basil Hall, Extracts from a Journal Written on the Coasts of Chili, Peru, and Mexico, in the years 1820,1821, 1822, part 2, Edward Moxon, Dover Street, London, 1840, p.58.
Text: p.58 THE LADIES OF SAN BLAS.
The last family of my acquaintance, except that of the governor, and almost the last of the town, went off on the 31st of May [1822]. I have seldom before taken leave of my friends abroad, without having some hopes of seeing them again ; but the chances of my ever returning to so remote and unfrequented a spot as San Blas, or of ever meeting or hearing of these friends again, were so small, that I felt, on losing sight of them this morning, as if they had actually sunk into the grave. The family consisted of a gentleman, his wife, and his wife's sister, with two elderly female relations. The sister was a very pretty young woman of fifteen ; an age, in those countries, corresponding to seventeen, or upwards, in England. She was very dark, and strongly characterised by the Mexican features ; elegant in her manners, simple and unaffected in her behaviour; and though much beyond all the people about her, both in knowledge and judgment, no one seemed to have been aware of it, till the attention of the strangers attracted the notice of everybody to her merits. Truth, however, bids me add, that this young lady could neither read nor write. and had probably never heard a book read out of church; but there was nothing uncommon in this. The mistress of the house was a lively, conversible, handsome person ; very hospitable and kind, especially to the strangers ; and she often made up little parties in the evening. where the company sat in the street, before her door, till a late hour ; smoking, chatting, and flapping away the mosquitoes, and watching anxiously for the first puff of the land wind. The master of the house, who was in office, had it sometimes in his power to be useful to us. In this way I became intimate with the family, and although there be very little to describe about them, I insensibly felt interested in the whole party, and saw them go away this morning with considerable regret.
The ladies were in their riding dresses, which consisted of a yellow coloured beaver hat, with a brim so broad as to serve the purpose of an umbrella ; but with a low crown, scarcely two inches and a half high ; tied round with a richly wrought ribbon, between which and the hat was stuck a tri coloured cockade, the emblem of the Guarantee mentioned in the account of the revolution. The hat served to confine a handkerchief, doubled corner wise, and placed previously over the head; in such a way, that the two corners, which were laid together, hung half way down the back, while the other corners fell one on each shoulder. The handkerchief was of white muslin, with a scarlet border, four inches broad. Over the shoulders was thrown the Mangas, or cloak, which has a hole in the middle to receive the head. That which was worn by the youngest of the ladies was a deep purple cloth, ornamented round the neck with tasteful gold embroidery, eight or ten inches wide. Below the Mangas, there peeped out a cotton gown of English manufacture, and a pair of un-tanned yellow boots, made on the spot. On the table lay two pairs of French gloves, but the ladies not being used to wear such things, soon tore both of them to pieces, in vain attempts to get them on; upon which they called out to the gentlemen to assist them in winding handkerchiefs round their hands, to defend them, as they said, from the chafing of the hard hide bridles.
It is the frigid custom all over South America, for the ladies, however well acquainted, not to shake hands with gentlemen. As, however, I had been unusually intimate with this family, I was rather curious to see whether an exception might not for once be made ; and stood in waiting, by the side of the door, to see them off. First, the master of the house mounted his horse ; then his wife's mother ; next, a venerable aunt. The most courteous and formal Adioses were interchanged between us. The lady herself now stepped out, and, to my surprise, held out both her hands, and took her leave with a carino, as they call it, far beyond my expectation. The little girl was last; and having such an example before her, took upon her to forget the formalities of her country, and, with a frank sincerity, came up and offered me her hand.
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