Travels in the United States, etc.,: during 1849 and 1850./ By the Lady Emmeline Stuart Wortley.

MEXICAN FUNERAL.
or garter blue, and his left leg adorned with-not the insignia of
the Order of the same Garter-but with a luxuriant crop of
feathers: the monster's colossal statue thus represents him. It is
supposed that somewhere about fifty thousand human victims
were sacrificed every year in Mexico alone to their different idol
demons! The knowledge of this takes away very much from
one's interest in the Aztecs, and even (less justly) one's compassion
for poor ill-used Montezuma. Surely they must have been a
cruel people originally to have had so cruel a religion, but, of
course, individually, may be entirely exonerated from such a
charge.
The cathedral covers an immense space of ground, has two
lofty white ornamented towers, and its interior is inconceivably
rich and splendid. There is a very costly balustrade, that occupies the centre of the church, which is composed of a metal
brought from China, through the Philippine Islands. It is called
from this circumstance, "Metal de China:" it is supposed to be a
composition of brass and silver, and is very massive. It is said to
have cost an immense sum, as it was actually paid for by the
weight in hard dollars, and some say it contains so much gold,
that a rich silversmith in Mexico offered the bishop a new silver
rail of exactly equal weight, in exchange for the old metal!
On the hallowed pavement of the cathedral stood or knelt a
large number of persons, and we discovered that a funeral service
was going on there. Beside the coffin on the bier, which was
placed rather near the entrance, were priests chanting dismally
and very nasally. A number of lighted candles were disposed
round the coffin-holy water was thrown on it, and soon after
the corpse was carried out. It appeared to be the funeral of a
poor person, as the mourners were miserably attired. Subsequently, and with only a brief interval, another coffin was brought in,
and the same ceremony repeated. The nave, with its arch resting on pillars of a partly Gothic character, and the high altar at
the extremity, with its magnificent pile, resplendent with buriushed gold and solid silver, and costly marbles, formed a very imposing spectacle. The many shrines along the side aisles were adorned with different pictures, and on all sides were beheld the glitter
'of gold and the pomp of almost inexhaustible treasure. Some of
the railings and the lamps are said to be of solid silver. There
was a long row of female penitents kneeling at the altar, with immense lighted candles in their hands; they turned round and
'stared our bonnets entirely out of countenance, smniling as they did
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