following his example. The cobbler had dropped his tools, and was kneeling on the top of his bench, when the zealous Catholic requested that he should get down and kneel on the floor. The American refused to do so, whereupon the Mexican drew his knife and inflicted a mortal wound on him. The news spread rapidly through the city, and it was only at the risk of the life of an American clergyman living in the capital that the murdered man received a Christian burial. Travelers should remember that Morelia has always been a stronghold of the priesthood, and that, although the power of the Church is gone in most of the States, it still holds its own in Michoacan.
The Palace next demands our attention. It is a well-built and commodious edifice of two stories, and contains the offices of the State Government and the custom-house. The governmental printing-office is also in the Palace. A large room on the second story contains the State Library, which is composed of many rare and old volumes, taken from the convents and monasteries during revolutions. Some of the books are written on the canon law in Latin, and bound in the most costly style. The front part of the second story of this building consists of the Governor's office, and the reception-room, or Sala de Reunion. The latter apartment is furnished with ornamental black-walnut sofas and chairs, covered with silk, and which were made in Morelia.
In the Hall of Congress, or Sala del Congreso, on the first floor of the Palace, there is a statue of Hidalgo, the Mexican Washington, and a portrait of the liberator, Ocampo, speaking in the national palace at the capital. Ocampo was one of the leaders of the anti-clerical party, and rendered such gallant service to the State of Michoacan during the revolution that the inhabitants named the State after him, so that its full name is Michoacan de Ocampo.
After the tourist has visited the principal buildings, a
