The boy, to whom allusion has just been made, was decidedly genteel in his appearance. Though he has been termed a boy, he is of the kind who, among the Irish, never become men until they are married. He was about five-and-twenty years of age. His mother and sisters thought the world of him, and well they might; for he was most worthy of their affections. Both his physical and mental powers were very symmetrical. He was active, industrious, and faithful. If he had any fault, perhaps it was in being too amorous. I do not feel disposed, however, to quarrel with a constitutional infirmity. I left the agreeable residence of Doña Michaelé, in company with my _fidus Achates_, on the twenty-ninth of January, on one of the most lovely mornings that the eye of God ever looked out upon to bless. Our route was eastward, towards Valladolid. The road was wide, and in excellent condition, being one of the principal thoroughfares. This road is under the superintendence of government; and the expenses of its repairs are defrayed by a tax, similar to the road-tax usually levied in the United States. At ten o’clock we arrived at the town of Tixcoco, and rode up to the _Casa-real_; which belongs to a class of houses set apart by the municipal authorities of every town for the accommodation of travellers. They are the substitutes for public houses; a convenience almost unknown to the country. The Casa-real is also the receptacle for the public property of the place—such as implements of labor, punishment, &c.—consisting of crowbars, handcuffs, wooden scale-beams, and drums, staffs of the alcaldes, &c. These accommodations and depositories are in charge of some six or eight Indians, who are drafted to serve one year, under the direction of the alcaldes, who represent aldermen in the judicial capacity. These Indians also attend upon the wants of strangers, and depend wholly upon the small pittances they receive for their support. It is almost needless to add, what follows necessarily from the tenure of their offices, that they are idle, negligent, and without enterprise. At a quarter before eleven I took breakfast, which had been brought from some neighboring house. It was composed of eggs, tortillas, and frejoles. The tortillas are a kind of corn-cakes, and constitute the principal bread of the country. Frejoles are small black beans, in general use in all the provinces of Mexico, and occupy the same elevated rank in the domestic economy of that nation that the potato does in Ireland. To complete the morning’s repast, a calabash of _maza_ was added. This is a drink prepared with corn, and is usually drunk by the natives in the place of tea and coffee. The town of Tixcoco is ornamented with a large church, and the appurtenances thereto usually belonging in Catholic countries; but the dwellings, generally, are mere Indian huts, of mud walls and thatched roofs.