Bull fights are now prohibited in the Federal District—­embracing a territory around the City of Mexico, somewhat larger than the District of Columbia—­and they are not an institution in any part of the country.  During one of my recent visits to Mexico, bull fights were got up in my honor at Puebla and at Pachuca.  I was not notified in advance so as to be able to decline and thus prevent the performance; but in both cases I civilly declined to attend.

Another amusement of the people of Mexico of that day, and one which nearly all indulged in, male and female, old and young, priest and layman, was Monte playing.  Regular feast weeks were held every year at what was then known as St. Augustin Tlalpam, eleven miles out of town.  There were dealers to suit every class and condition of people.  In many of the booths tlackos—­the copper coin of the country, four of them making six and a quarter cents of our money—­were piled up in great quantities, with some silver, to accommodate the people who could not bet more than a few pennies at a time.  In other booths silver formed the bulk of the capital of the bank, with a few doubloons to be changed if there should be a run of luck against the bank.  In some there was no coin except gold.  Here the rich were said to bet away their entire estates in a single day.  All this is stopped now.

For myself, I was kept somewhat busy during the winter of 1847-8.  My regiment was stationed in Tacubaya.  I was regimental quartermaster and commissary.  General Scott had been unable to get clothing for the troops from the North.  The men were becoming—­well, they needed clothing.  Material had to be purchased, such as could be obtained, and people employed to make it up into “Yankee uniforms.”  A quartermaster in the city was designated to attend to this special duty; but clothing was so much needed that it was seized as fast as made up.  A regiment was glad to get a dozen suits at a time.  I had to look after this matter for the 4th infantry.  Then our regimental fund had run down and some of the musicians in the band had been without their extra pay for a number of months.

The regimental bands at that day were kept up partly by pay from the government, and partly by pay from the regimental fund.  There was authority of law for enlisting a certain number of men as musicians.  So many could receive the pay of non-commissioned officers of the various grades, and the remainder the pay of privates.  This would not secure a band leader, nor good players on certain instruments.  In garrison there are various ways of keeping up a regimental fund sufficient to give extra pay to musicians, establish libraries and ten-pin alleys, subscribe to magazines and furnish many extra comforts to the men.  The best device for supplying the fund is to issue bread to the soldiers instead of flour.  The ration used to be eighteen ounces per day of either flour or bread; and one hundred