We then walked through the streets to the market-hall, a handsome iron building, commodiously arranged, which was sent out from England in pieces, and put together here.  All round it are stalls, where you can get a capital breakfast, generally consisting of coffee, tender beef-steak, buttered toast, and boiled beans, for a small sum.  One of our party, who had been at the market since half-past five, tried one, and fully confirmed the report we had heard as to their excellence and cleanliness.  At the time of our visit all these refreshment stalls were crowded, and I felt rather tempted to join one of the hungry merry-looking groups myself.  The market was well supplied with meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, and flowers of all kinds, green peas, French beans, and strawberries being specially abundant.  There were quantities of queer-looking baskets to be seen, and some curious pottery, made by the nuns from a kind of cement.  Outside the building there were men and women hanging about with ponchos, of their own manufacture, which they had brought in from the country, for sale.  We bought some bright specimens as presents for the children, but it took some time to collect them, as each individual had only one to offer.  They are the work of the women, in the intervals of household labour, and as soon as one is completed it is sold, in order that materials for a fresh one may be purchased.  We also bought some of the carved wooden stirrups, made in the country, and used by all the natives.  They are rather like a small coalscuttle in shape, and must be heavy and cumbersome.

From the market we went to hear high mass at the cathedral.  This is a fine building, though the interior seemed very dark.  The high altar was illuminated by hundreds of candles, whose light shone on a crowd of kneeling women, all dressed in black, and with black veils over their heads, the contrast between their sombre appearance and the gilding and paintings on the walls—­handsome at a distance, but tawdry on a closer examination—­being very striking.  The organ is of splendid tone and quality and reverberated grandly through the aisles, and the whole scene was not without a certain impressiveness.  I had not thought of paying a visit to the cathedral when I went out this morning, and it was not until I saw every one staring at me that I remembered I had committed the terrible mistake of going to church in a hat, and without any veil; but we remained in a dark corner most of the time, and emerged into open daylight again before any of the authorities of the place had time to observe or remonstrate with me.  My wearing a hat was, however, quite as much against all church rules as a similar proceeding on the part of a man would have been.  The women of this city are almost always good-looking when young, and they glide gracefully about the streets in their long black clinging gowns and mantos, by which they are completely enveloped from head to foot.