- May 12th. We are making many pleasant acquaintances. The
people whom we meet seem to have plenty of time in which to enjoy
life and all practice the art of good conversation. Although it is
the common boast of people in Bogota that in their city one hears
the purest CastiUian spoken on this side of the Atlantic, I am dis-
appointed in not being able to use my Spanish more often. A
majority of the people we have met speak English and enjoy prac-
tising it on us. It is quite remarkable to find that these residents
of so isolated a capital speak English more fluently than the residents
of Caracas. Yet there are not more than a dozen Enghsh and Ameri-
cans in the city.
The Papal delegate, a delightful prelate, lives with his efficient
secretary in a splendid palace that was given him by the Govern-
ment two years ago. It appears to be the finest private residence
in Bogota. At breakfast there we met the members of the diplo-
matic corps and their friends. It was a very jolly occasion. Span-
ish, French, English, and Itahan seemed to be used indiscriminately.
Needless to say the breakfast was remarkably good and we appre-
ciated it thoroughly.
We have greatly enjoyed the society of the British Minister, a
charming gentleman who has lived much in Rome . Through his
kindness I learned today of the existence of a large part of the cor-
respondence of Santander. The papers are in the possession of a



BOGOTA



247



committee of the Liberal Party and I hope to see them tomorrow.
