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A u t u m n T o u r i n S p a i n

I N T H E Y E A R 1 8 5 9 .

BY THE

R e v . R i c h a r d R o b e r t s , B . A . ,

TRINTTy COU.SGE, CAMBRIDQE,

Viek* v ' MtLToM A tiA i, Dosirr.

L O N D O N :

S A U N D E R S , O T L E Y , A N D C O . ,

5 0 , COWDUIT S fR E E T , H a N 0 7 B R SquA R B .

i 8 6 0 .

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THE EAia Oï PORTAllLINOTüS.

r s « * tM O R T o r K A 3 T T M * P K T C â T R R P W J ft l O G E T H R S

B f v r R A T H O M E A J t P A H tO A J ) ,

l iU H lM O i ? K i r , ( * M F 3 r O f K O M T H A Ï T f f ï S T Ï .

T n is VOUUUB

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K O T T C E .

T h e A n t l i o r t a k e s t h e p r e s e n t o p p o r tu n i ty o f

a c k n o w le d g in g h i s o b l ig a t io n s t o C . C liffo rd ,

Í 3si¿,, I S , C a l le dfr L a s I n f a n t a s , M a d r id , w h o ,

w i t h g r e a t X iodncíás a n d I jh e r a l i ty , h a s p e r m i t t e d

t h e u s e o f h ig a d m ir a b le P h o to g r a p h s t o i l lu s -

t r a t e t h i s V o lu m e .

CONT ENT S .

C ilA P T E R V

f i O t

S iiB T from Tàris— F re o ch R ail w a y s -P r eW y C ouutjy — F in e o ld C h iie a u i— T oure— CBSheOnd— Q uaint

B nil< iings— M edieval H o ste lr y — S tarin g N s t lta s — U b iq u ito u s Y i ù K T — P o ic t ier s— 13or0e*tux— CaUje-

drai— T o k ea» o f A pproach to S p a n ish F ro n tier—

B orde«o;( to B ayoD ne— T h e L a n d e s— H o te l S t M ftM in -B a y o n n e — l U B e s u t y - B e a q u e P opulation

— H id in g en cnrcUt--JU>ad to B iftm ts— 1(b Se«-v iew — V ili» E u g e n ie — E str e m e H e a t - C h a n g e o f PJan I

C H A P T lil l I I .

ftcA-bathing a t l iia r r ita -S lx n n g e S c « n # - r i n e B reakers — A n in verted Sh ow er-b a lh — T h e E m p e r o i, En>- p r « 8 , Riid PrificB Im p er ia l-C h u r c iis i^ r v ic e in a

»fiHe á -tn a n ^ r — L e l i im to B ayon n e — K m phaüc Po«t-mQ8ter—T h e M a n ju ise a n d C o q iic U e ^ llo u i«

to P » u - I t a S itu a ilo n — i ’ryiD P a u to C«iilf*ret»—L a c d e ü a u b « — P yrenean C b a racteiistirs * L iu to

G a v em ie— T h e C irque— A sc e n t o f th e F íe d u M id i d e B igorrc— G loriou s V ie w -G o c n l-b y o to F y rcn eee 18

C H A P T E R H I .PtUiE

R v p a r e tio n s for SpiÙQ— A guaei-CoiU’icr— S p an ish C onsu l— B a ;o n ii0 Cfttbedral— A ftu th ia l N u is e . 80

C H A P T E R XV,

C h ange o f T cm pereture— Ii^te i e * FaijoD s— S p an ish S e o t r j — C a 4 to m -h o < u ^ 'U » rb o u r o f P a sa a g cs— 8 t Seb astian — P ttá to ro lS ccn er j— T oloB a^Sp& iiibh In n__ T in y M en dican t— flpftniah C ookery— S ou p and

Cb'ick-peas — P o r k — P opalfttion — T h e B a sq u ea ,

B u tts o f th e P « n i n ^ ..........................................................41

C H A P T E R V .

C am bonr*— O ld r a m ily roanwona — G ood P inhing-

co u n tty — C h urch a t M o n d r ia n — S p a n ish P w tir ig — D ifficn llie s o f a Start— A n o ld J ew — V ittoria—T h o S orrow s o f an E n g lis h G room in S p ù fi— D eso -

cratad C h u r c h ......................................................................51

C H A P T E R V L

V ittoria to B 'lrg o s — A b se n c e o f L ak«e In S p a in — P oplar^T etiuc« — S p a iiisb B<'ggars — F o rn iu la for g e ttin g n d o f Ui«ra— M inuKla— A tm ospheric E£Fe<;ti— FaDe<>rTo— ATChbish<^’» T u m * o u t— B r ir ic sca —

SfATcity o f M ilk —I ’iu e S n n sc t . . . . 1 5 0

C H A P T E R V I I .

B u r g o s - B o t id — Sw arm i o f C ats— Cathedral— Ita Ex*

t^rior__P ecu lia r A rran gem ent o f S p a n ish C athe-

VAC*»(Irslu— C » p ilU d e l C o n d eeu b le— ItJ T o m b s and S cu lp tu re— 31agn i£cen t lrya*w ork— T h e Cim borio— OoDvcDt i t M iradorcs— RciAblo a n d H o ;a l T orob

— D e so la tio n o f tb e C on?eot— B paiush B cU -rinfpng — In sln jc t io n in M anners— A C om patriot • 69

C H A P T E R V I I I .

H oW l-b n i— VaJiie o f CiTilitiea io S p a in — A Friernl in K e e d — I ’urioUfl L a n d la d j— C am bour a n d the

Bl(u^k-*trtp— S cen ery— B rillia n cy o f S p a n i^ D y e ­in g — Oafl tillo jo— lo h o sp ita b te Ijan d U d y — T a k in g D ed s b y Storm — C lev fr A p peal— N o M ilk — Pasb o f

th e S o m o S ierra — Ic y B la s ts — C haotic W ild — N ig b tfa ll— E n ter M adrid . , . , . SS

C H A P T E R IX .

F ir s t IiBpreeslonB o f M adrid - I t s m o d e m A ir— Puerta

¿ c l S o l— F o n d a P e n in s u la r e s - T h e R oyal C ortíge— Spaiitedi B everon e« fo r Carriages - T h e E a g l is h £xr> h^»si^^Tabl^d'h& u • UüheiJtJjlj^»« o f M adrid > A n

b)n glial) m an's F u n e r a l .......................................................... OS

C H A P T E R X.

T 1 i « M u « o ..............................................................................................l o a

C H A P T E R XL

A B u U ' ñ g h t .................................................................................H R

CH A F-rER X II.

AnD«ria Reftl— R oja l S u b le s— A ProUbtAiH in iberi«>B

Stud . m

C H A P T E R X III,

V ieit t*# tbe E s c o r ia l .................................................................

C H A P T E R X IV,

E scorial ooritinued, j»ud concluded . . > . 1 5 3

OH AK TEB XV.

Laftving Madrid— ProTisions for ih e Boad— T oledo: il9 A epect; naixow Streets— Carriages seW om seen__B u ild in g s; Synagogaee : Alcazar— San Jn*n delo8 Reyee— Cathedral— Corning— Rfitablo-Mo^^ara- bic C hapel aJid L itu rg j— Painlcd G U ss -L o d g in g s

and L a n d l a d y .................................................................

C H A P T E R X VI.

S e llin g on t oil ft Rid ing-tour—Siart under DitTicnlties — S cen ery -M id -d a y H alt— A R ide in ih e Dark— S t OUala— P osad a- 8 liort CoinDioos the B id e io

Span ish I n o s ...........................................................................

C H A P T E R XVIX.

Riuny B ide to Talarer»— F rench Equestrian— Rom an R em ains — Talavcra W are — D oplorablelookiog

n o KT ow n— RouW to Oropewis— F in e B ange o f M oun- t,fuiui^Gvuu^i& Civil— T h e Brigand’s Vow—^ o n - fiocs o f E atrem adura-^Dex Forests— Estrcm enian P ig i—Oropcaas— Prim ili*« Posada—C a st le -T ip sy la n d lo r d -S e t t lin g Accounta— A diantagcs o f bar* gw ning beforebitnd 190

C H A P T E I; X V I I I .

D ifficu lty v f g i'ttin g accurate lufonnatio»»— B o a d to C u acos — llo m a u tlc 8con ery*— S a n B eD ito — S can t

H o sp ita lity a n d i t s C o n s e q u e n c e s -W e t M orn in g—A S p a n ish CWr«— lid lin O onversation . . . 201

C H A P T E U X IX .

f ic l o u t for C iiacos— In cid e n ta o f t lie I ’o iv s t— Croee- in g th e T ied a r— T h e o ld M asU fl se e k io g h is l ’o ^

to n e — C hfinge o f S cen ery— V ile R oads— A m o n n . ta in B r i d g e — A proTidentlul E s c a p e - - S teady

H o r s e 009

C H A P T E K X X ,

X apandilla; its C liiraie and Fortllity— CbarbB V.'s Sojourn — K igbt& ll— IH ssppoiutQient— Arrival at CuaooB— W retched Posada— Cwa'» H ospitality— Accom m odation for S erv a n ta -T h e ir Good-huraour and Cheerfulness . , , . . 017

C U A P l’liR X XI.

Y u ste; its Sltiiatjuii and general A spect—Prozent Con- dition— C harles V .’s Coffin— Proposed Rostorotion

s i i

PA or

o f BuiM ings— T h e Kcaperor s Haunts— Chat w iih tbe 0 « r a —E n glish Prayer-book— R etniB to Cutoos— Curiosity o f NaljTes — Ch«rl©t( s N eighbours —

Origin o f the N a m e ......................................................

C H A P T E R 3ULII.

Cuaeos to P leuentia-B eautU 'ul Scenery— Autamnal__P u sM o n — Poleni'icsl Oum— Delieew« and

D o e p o b la d o s ...........................................................................

CHAPTER x x m .

Plflcenllft; i u t ^ k o f Com etribles— P iw itW e PosaJa — Shopping Expediliot) and its R esnlla— Bedroom P leu i'ih ing — Charming Situation o f PlaceDtia — R iyer Xert«— P k asant RAmbld—G nm d F v n n o a — Irreverent Behaviuvu* o f Clergy— Sermon— Cathe­dral— Rom an Ik m eins— Aqueduct—Spanish Shep* herds— Autum nal M igration*» Shepherdti' Watch- 4og9 '-V is it to a Oollego— Appearance o f Students — Parting Incident— C ase o f Wife«9tabbxng . .

C H A P T E R X X IV .

E a rl; Carousals— R oute from Placentia to Trujillo— Nature left to herself • Pueria de la Serraui»— Lair o f B rigands— Bowers o f Arbmiis— Approach to the T agus— Puente d e l Cardenol— Concert o f Cioaltts— E\e<*i‘able Road— Torrejon e l B iibio-^ N igh t Quiu^ tens— L ate l>iuuer— U alieri^ d t Cum««— Cleanli* ness o f Spanish P etea n try - -VuiiareB and other birds— Parkdike Scenery— Early D a j i o f Pizajxo— In cidcots in Kalural H i s l o i y ...........................................

P A O B

C H A P T E R X X V .

Trujillo— O ocxi In n — PleA^aiiti3«nMnn'0>- t io iu z i is g —-

Pizarro’s M a n sio a — O ld J lo u se s— T o w a w — GaW - wAjB— lA b j r a t h i i ie ^tre^tB— B a d W estL er * Storm P f 0g n 0*lie*— R oad to M oDt*nrhe^— A D o w n -p o u r l io b p i t ^ le o ld Couple>.>AbimdAii«^ o f I^ n en — D o-

c e p tir e n e s s o f U u ta u c « « in 8p a in — b fo o U cc b M H tm ^ ^ D is ^ p o in tm e n t— Cur«'« llou fid — S tD g o ltf R «o«ption— M ontanchcs* H oeplU klitj a n d I^stive C o iu le ey — K in d o ld D a m e— D in in g in P u b lic —

V iew from t i ie C astle— S-^ea«rj*— R n t«r M erida by M o o n lig h t . . . . . . . . Se i

C H A P T E R X X V I.

M erida— In d ifferen t P osada— C asa d e P iip illo s— IU>< m an I k r a s in s —I'ord's D e«eription o f th em — P re- bent C on d ition o f A q nedn ct— F in e V ie w o f M orida — G en era i Charart<u‘ o f N e lg h b o u A o o d — T h s Com*

miÄsariat— A P r e se o t o f W in e — I t s I>«e(iny . , 3 7 i

C i U P T E B X X V II .

M erida to À n dram alq o— U Q intere«tÌtig CouDtry— A large V illa g e — K ig h t H ccnc a t a P o sa d a — B o n te to Zafra— A G roup o f W atcr-nym pha— R a n eo n in w ith

M ulftteera— W arm A t t e m o o a - T o d o u lo s Santo»—

Z a fr a ^ E z c c U c n t T x>dging-hoiiss— A g o o d D in n er — Im portane« o f a tten d in g to th e PruTeod In Spain— A Café— A good-natnrod V ig il— T h e o ld C a s t l e T aurom achy a n d A ^ o ii lO ir « — A D raper’s P a tio — R p ooish H i g h w h y s .......................................................... Sfil

C IIA P T E U XXVIITP A C K

Won&ateri(5— A M unicipftl 8 « retA ry — IndilTcrent Ac- cotrim odatiou fo llow ed by ft L o n g BUI— l* u m in g o f

th e W aters— L o r e ly S n cn ejy— G lo r io u s S u n set— lio n q n ilio— S ie n a M oreon— T)l0oucbBntmeDt— F.n-

tr a a e e in to ......................................................................................

C E A P T E R X X ^X

A n U n w on ted A d d ition to th e Bi'eakfftst*table— Varlon* I lea so n s for g o in g to SeTÌlle —H o l d ¿4 L o ru im —C old W eather—A y o u iig H un garian— T h e Cathedr*!

— Iti> So len in ity an d (r r iu iilf 'i ir -S p a n ish E cc lcs i- a stlca l A r t - -T h e groat C h urch -bu ild ing A g e o f

S p i d n .............................................................................................800

C H A P T E R X X X ,

S e v ille C on tin u ed — Jía(4R-"í MuwcüÍí»— T h e O pera— D ea<l-alive A u d ien ce— Inexpi*»8Í’ ene8s o f B panlsh

P h y sio g n o tn j, ^f»le a n d F em ale— t a c / “**« do P i» «— H isp a n o -E n g lish A d vord so in on t—T iie Alcftzar;I w B eau ty— T h e G ardens— P au city o f WortiHippera

in C athedntl— P r o c f is lo n in U o n o u r o f th e V irgin__W ar w ith M o r o c c o - I ta M otive— S h y n o ss o f the

Spanihh C haracter - A b seu ce o f D r u n k e n n e s s - M u rillo 's P ah i l in g s — M erced GftUcry; D u e de M ontp en fliers PriTate Co)Ip<ition— C aridad— H ou se*

a t S e v i lle - -C a s a d e P íla lo s— A n O rgan ic A dventure

— P ftst O ffica— E x c u r s io n i o A lcala d e O uadaira—

T n p i a W a l l s ..................................................................................3*^

€ H A P T F R X X X I.

FAOSR « n e« a l o f E rg a g « ro eo t w ith M am ns a n d T om a«; re ­

c o u n t o f tb e m -^ B a d W eath er — Co^llo^'a— ArrivaJ by N ig h l— F ir s t Im prcs»ion& by D a y lig h e— P o sitio n o f

T o w n — Meicqiiiia— C ourt o f O ran ges— Sfm ctuary— O eiiera l blaiikn«>ss aod v a D t o f om aiD cnt#ition— Metal'W ork— Palace o f Z a b r a - Cordovan —

F ilig ree— D iam al H ot«I— Clerk o f Diligeuce*ofB ce—A ll A fternoon W alk— L»n<Iscape in th e N e ig h b w r - h o o d sop erior to S eT ill« — B ad W 'eatber— A O liange and a RtarC . . ...............................................83^

C H A P T E ll X X X II .

B M om m ertee our T o u m fy — R p aiu ifu l D a y a n d F in e C ou ntry — B »ctri ¡»n D roo) &d ary — 01Ì7e-harvc*t— F e m a a N ufie*— llill-fo r ts— M on tilla— C old N igh ts— Rnut^ lo Cííbra— A f i l a r — W'caihep-tnfeeng— L u n ch

tU /r w c o — N e » S c e n e r j— M ounta in G le n ¡o A n tu m n- Cabra— A d v en t S u n d a y - K a n e s o f P o sa d a s— M oorish R em ains— B a in y M o m in g — Cros9 L and lady

— R u d e P o p u U tiu n — D e se c r e iio n o f the L ord ’s D ay — Ila ir -c lea o in g . . , . . . 5 5 1

CllAPTLB XXXIIL

M ountain ride to P ricg o — A n ln m n a l T in ts— Trnffic on

th « W'ay— C on n ection b e tw een Ba<l R oads and F in e 8 een »ry— F o rest S c e n e . . . . . S64

C H A P T E R X X X IV .

P lie g o — C row d o f L o u n g ers S earch fo r L o d ^ g s

u n d er DifiicuH'idu— M istaken for B a g m en — B clig iou e E n ih u s io sm — S p a n ish F ig u re o f S p ccch — B ea u tifu l —

F o u n ta in — A L ev iv— A a E a r ly W alk a o d L o rely L a o d K a p e ................................................................................. 36T

CHAPTIjJJi X X X V .

U o u n u in -r o a d s— D «atb n) em ori aU— lo e a p a b le G uide — T yirent-pM h— M id-dny h a l t —F ir s t V iew o f Sierra N eT oda— A sso c ia tio o s o f ibn P is tr ie t— B en io r^ ia ed

D o n k e y s— M arch in the I>ark— SiiepU erds’ W alch- firea— C asa L u p e— lU J e to G n a a d a — B rid g e o f P io o s — T h e V e g o ^ E se c r a b lc R oad— F ntraD ce

G r a n a d a ................................................................................. 97tt

C H A P T E R X X X V I.

G ranada— Cathedral— C ap illa d e lo s R eyce— R eja-T o ra b s— V ault— A ltar-C ar'inga— C onversion o f th e > foors— In terestin g B e lie s— C lerical D a n d y ism .

O H .^ P T iia X X X V I I ,

O u r T .a ^ iia u d* P U c* , X iin en e« — A lham b ra-> G ate o f

J n s tic e — P lace o f th e C istern s— C h arles's P o la e e — E x terio r o f A lham b ra— T h e A lb erca —-H all o f A m ­b assa d o rs—Cuurt o f L io n s H a il o f th e A beneer-

fACErtig<^g_.BloodJ S te in s —H tJl o í tli6 T « o SUlf*J8—S s la d«9 Just'tcU— T ocador d e la R em s— " T a le s <A th e A iham br»"— T o w o d e la V ela— Panoram a—

A b im d aiice o f W a te r —Asefteslnfilion— H panish In* difference to H u m a n O rigin , th o B n ll-figb t— U n iv e r sa l love o f the S p ort . . . , 401

C H A P T E U X X X V I I I .

V iito r ia H o te l— Q arlic lo v in g Pepi^— S e a so n fo r v is it ­in g OnmAd»— T ii S iiiD m er attractiona— B a d now s— (se n e rs lifc — A n U p la n d W alk— A stroke ol' b u sin ess__S a n Oeroiiimc— M oo rish H o u sc s— Caita C bapis—

iJm n d e l C arbon— W o o d -ia rr in g — Iin*^ e-w orsh lp

— EffecLB o f v a te r Id S p a i n ...............................................42T

C H A F i’lfiR X X X IX .

Fftrcw cll to G m ia J a — D rive to L o ja — S a n ta F l— L oja__P>tirbaros«a'6 p r o g r e s s - A n e w ai^uaintance, and

o u o ld— T lir c a ic n in g w e a th e r -W o o d la n d Scenery__ 1 ^ 8 1 Righi o f B arbarossa— R ia e n d — Ai*chidouft

- X Ix>’ er's l > i a p - A K ig h t S c e n e . . . 4 3 0

C H A P T E R X L .

A n teq u era — P oead a— A n u n ex p ec ted A lly— D c n t^ S o r g e r y -S ta r t l in g Sp ectacles—A u toq u crion do-no- ih ingiieH s — S cen ery — S a lt lak e — C ainp illoa — A F a m ily G roup— iln se t t lc d w eather— tJnearth ly bell-

r in g in g — T e b a — A b sen ce o f F a rm b u i l O i o g s -

b

TACFT hregln ng-floow — S p w iish fttraw— A profiw b le spe*

c u ia tio n — ü fit ler — S ín ecu r i «la — O eologloftl Speci«

r a e o s ..........................................................................................

C H A P T E R X L 1 .

T ^naeioua w a y s— T rcraeu d ou s Q u n r r e l-T r in n ip h o f

leg itim atti au th ority— W ay.gide flow ers— A d e l u s io n s— T ria l« o f p a tien ce— M o o n lig h t R id e —R o n d »— B » r g iin in g — Iftixeais Siyrt»—lio n d a and I is inba- bitfm te— S m u ^ l in g — C h anged circumetADCeS — A C h ip o f th e o ld B lo c k — R o b b er L a ir s— U on da

“ L io n « A laraed»— T ojo— M oorish M ills A 6«

C H A P T E R X L I l ,

T r i ^ u p o n T raT ellers— Feroalft dof^g«s— A lo s i

r a j a .............................................................................................

C H A P T L R X L l i r ,

T h e VftUey o f t h e G a a d a iro — E iv e r - s c e n c r y -C a i’s

C a r e -R a d e n e s " o n tli# road— K T e r - f l id e - V f io » -

Q uei^tionable in v i t a t io n - L a R im e r a -B « d * b c g in n g C ottage-in tir lor— P u b lic cook in g— V il ls g c 13arb^r—

S p a n is li M eg M erriJw a- U nsftQ sooable g if l^ - l'ir e ­

s id e g r o u p - B l o o d - l o t t i n g ...............................................

C l l A P T F .B X T .IV .

V a n ity o f e a r ly -r is in g -M o o n lig h t V lo w - P a r t w it h theB a r l; i> r - C o f le s - C b a n 6 e o f S c e n e r y - Q i i i t tlie

. 486Guada^ro

C H A P T E R X L V .

Philology— Gan pm—B o«a d ^ L eo n — An Error—S teep Pull— It* Rewart]— I^irst S ig b to f OibroIUr— U nei*|>ecCed llen cu n tre— Compatriot^i— A C h at iu t h e Road

— Di#icuU ieA — A tm ij— Gai<Je— V e n ta do G uadairo — P d stitu tio n — CoQsdcjoeDces o f o u r In iiiscretaou* • A Q nin tett— M id n ig h t Rid»5— C ork-w ood . dftft

C irA P l'E B XLVr.

San R oq ii^ —H o t Cotfoe— Qnii-firc—ParltDgtio u s —E n v iro u s o f G ib r a lta r -E n tr a n c e , 5 0 2

C H A P T E R x r . T r i -

Ci i braltar— L o tters— T o ile t te — S u n d a y D r o ss — G ¡brat* tar C a ih sd ra l— C onutisl w iih Span I eh C a th ^ O ra ls-

Mt‘ipltic©d E c o n o m y .......................................................507

C H A PTER X L V Iir.

W eJeorne Arri%'aJ — M ulete^re ’ A d v e n t i ir « — T h«ir 0 'enaperanf’O— V ictoria H o te l— G ibraltar S ig h t* —

Masi^uorad« o f N ations— O ur S toam or— S e tt lin g Ac* co u n K — \Vind*m g-up o f A ffairs— I ’iDtJ M ea su res— On<Ml-bje to M areo^ a n d T o m a s— T b e ir s a fe Arrival a l T o le d o —M id n ig h t Ezp<w;iAr.ion— B a n g ]— Ijig h t S leep ers a n d h ea v y — P urkias’ fina l A p pearan ec, io

C b w a c t e r .................................................................................. 010

CoHÍenU.

C H A P T E ll X L I X ,9 i C S

M orüont o f D epariure— Eá^ged-Staff Siw rs— ItomAn- t ie I n c id e n ts — NaiTüw E s c ^ e — exiort iou'p

. . 5^1..............................................................

C líA P T E R L .

F ir t t ln jv r« 8 Íü n B o f our n e w L ió m e— XTnwonlfd Brcftkfftsl— F A tüig a n d D r u ib in g - H o w w c sp en t th e D a y o n Injard th e C ey lo n "— E a rly tea— Bi>eak- f a s t - L i m c l i e o n - D ir m e r - T e a - P r e p a r a ü o u ? for th o N i g h t - A n A nom aly— Ftó& engers -A n In v a lid

— PastoTiil w o r k - S u i iJ a y W o rsh ip o n b o a r d - S o - Jentw Y P ra jcrs — ?AintiU B u ly eo t — C h auge the S ,» b j e c l - W e a t h e r - T h o C L a n n e l-R e sU e ttD e e s— B r e s i i ü g u p - A w lu te W orld— C uM om -honse—

P a n in g — E n d ......................................................................

AUTUM N TO U R IN SPAIN.

C iL A P T liH I.

E F T P aris on i lo n d a y m orning, Septem ber

19tli, 1 859 , a t ten , arriving at Toiirs,

w here w c proposed %t^iymg tlie niglit» soon aiter

tw o. I t is quite a pleaaure to travel b y any o f

til« principid railw ays in Prance, so pnnctual

and wcU>managed arc t h e y ; and tHe bri^f halt

o f five or ten m inutes, occurring every fifty or

s ix ty milcd, m ig lit be introduced w ith advantage

on th is aide llie Channel, W ith a lo n g journey

in prospect, i t is w orth a traveller’s w h ile to

remember, th at th e Guards are quite open to

conviction, w hen argum ent takes th e form o f a

couple o i francs, in consideration o f w h ich th ey

w ill at once conduct h im to a com fortable scat.

a n d h e t h i i s ea c a p c a d e t e n t i o n i n t h e c ro w d c d

w a itin g -ru O D i, a n d t h e f in a l a c ra E ib le f o r p la ie s ,

w h e n t h e d o o ra l e a d in g t o t h e p l a t f o r m a r c afc

l e n ^ i n n lo o k c d .

M uch o f tJie country along the Bordeaux line

is very pretty, and scarcely a village is passed, tliat df>68 not recall some historical incident; hut

th e portion o f th e famed Tonraine w c tra­versed is sadly deficient in attraction for English

eyes, being little else tlian a vast monotonous

plain, w hich frequent inundations o f th e Loire

have converted in many places into a desert of

sand and dibris. Several fine old chatcaux came

in to sigh t from tim e to tim e, among which Chambord, Chaumont, and Amboise were most conspicuous, tho hasty glim pses w o caught of

their h igh -p itch ed roofs, and sharply - defined

gables, raiJsing us long for a nearer and more

lengthened inspection.T had always promised myeelf, in ease I ever

chanced to be at Tours, tho gratification o f visit­in g Pleftsis, the well-known scene o f Quentin

Durward's earlier adventures, and as i t is not

more than a mile and a luilf from th e town, it seemed feasible enough. "But there are few occasions when good intentions are more easily

frustrated than upon a journey, and, from

variniie causes, 1 was TUîâble to a«3Complish my

little pilgrimage to P le s a is les T o t i t s , one o f the

myriad sim ncs consecrated by the geoius of Scott,

Tours disappointed us, exhibiting, in conse- qacnce o f m odem impiOTCment#, xery little of

the antique quaintnees o f an old Frcnch d ty , which occupied so distinguished a position in

mediîBval history; nor did the cathedral, with

its debased western facade, and bare, unadorned

nave glaring w ith whitowasli, harmonize with the associations callcd forth by a eccnc so famoiis

in the annals of the Gallican Chiu\îh, as the See

o f St. Martin and Gregory. The choir, how ­ever, contains acme painted glass o f oiqnisito

beauty, which m ust have been in no slight

peril at the Revolution, when tho vast cathedral o f St. Martin was destroyed. The H ôtel Growm

is a very pretty specimen o f a Bcnaissance man­sion, cnriohed w ith sculptured coats o f airog, scroll-work, fruitage, and other characteristic

ornaments, though its recent restoration, and the

perfect freshness o f the fine-grained stone, unre- lievj>d by weathcr-stain and lichen, made it diffiirolt to believe we were looking at a building of the sixtoentlx centuiy. Several o f the back

streets and alleys contdin oiceedingly curiousB 2

old dwellings, o f th e rudest construction, in

wood and stone, Roincwhat after th e fashion of

the hlaek and w hite honses so rommon in

Chf^tor and ShrewBbnry ; one o f them being a

cobbler 8 abode, o f snch aciuity dimensionft, that, for aught I know to t)je eontrarj', i t may he

the identical stall immortalized in the welJ-

known rhyme.Jn st opposite tho tw o towers, which alone

remain to th e present generation some idea

o f th e old cathedral's siise and grandeur, I dis­covered a glorions hostelry, n o t mentioned by

Murray, dating apparently from th e thirteenth

century. I never saw b o perfect an example o f

a mediæval inn, which lo o ts quite venerable in

its dirt and untidiness, unaffected by th e lapse of

tim e ; and as I stood inside the court-yard, w ith

every external object shut out by the embattled

çatovray, save th e majestic forms o f th e Tour de St- i la r t in and Tour dc Charlemagne, I should

hardly have been Rurpri/ed had Quentin Dur-

ward, or h is unde, Le Balafré, ridden in at the

head o f a company o f Scottish archers. Feeling

very proud o f th is discovery, which 1 made ju a

ramble before breakfast, 1 took Lord Vortarlinff- ton to see i t in the course o f th e morning, and

be was even more delighted w ith it than m y self.

In no part o f Prance, wherever either o f ua

had any tim e been, east, west, north, or south, did we meot w ith snch inTeterate Ftarers as the

people o f Tours, who, in other respects, do not appear to be ixs civilized os their central position

and largo in terooum w ith th e world would k ad

one to expect. One individual, however, a

waiter at one of th e e/j/éé near our hotel, mui^t be excepted from th is chargc. Prom th e mo­m ent o f our arrival, he seemed to take us under

h is spycial protection, turning up continually on

every emergency in the m ost mysterious man­ner, as i f he possessed tho faculty o f divining

our intentions, and knew exactly where we

wanted to go. I f we ever chanced to be in

doubt as to our way, a dnnimstance that hap­pened several times, he was instantly at hand, and, having set us tight, vanished again, almost before we were aware o f Ids presence. T fear he

m ust have sadly neglected his customers that morning, though why he should take so unwea­ried an interc'st in our procoid in^ , and put him ­se lf to such trouble for <mr convenience, remains

to th is day aa great a m ystery to us, as his talent for appearing at critical moments. W o

became at last positively nervons about looking

around us anywhere in h is neighbourhood, for

fear o f cansiiig further trouble to our good-

natured ally.Our H otel, L 'U n iT e r e , by no m e a n s camc up

to Murray’s recommendation, which classes it

among tlic first i n ÏVaQce, and w e found there

neither “ the E nglisli conveniences vaunted in

th e handbook, nor the pleasant spaciousness of

the old-feâliioned French inn.Leaving Tours at two p .m . we rcached Bor­

deaux soon after ten, after an a^^ecable journey, some portions o f which, in the well-watered and

ricbly*timbcrcd pastures, reminded ua o f many

an linglisl) landscape. Poictiera, from the

beauty o f its position, and th e interesting

churches and other buildings w ith which i t ia

enrichcd, m ust be a cliarming place to stay at, had tim e permitted ms— N ôtre Dam e alone, w ith

i ts glorious array o f sculpture on the w est front, being sufficient to repay a visit.

I t was dark long before we entered Bordeaux,

so that we m issed th e eJTect of a first impression, which may account for m y being somewhat disappointed w ith th e general appearance o f the

place. The bridge and quays are certainly

m agnificent; while the Garonne, then brimiul w ith a turbid flood 2000 feet wide, présenta a

very différent aspect from the Seine at Paris,

which looks sometimes as i f it were a ll q\iay and

no wat«r.The plan o f th e catHeiljal is unusual, haTing

ft nave 56 feet wide and nearly 300 fc«t long, w ithout aisles. This dronmstancc, though in

itse lf interesting, &s another instance o f the ma­nifold elasticity and power o f adaptation, so

characteristic o f pointed architecture, yet dwaria

th e apparent elevation o f the nave, and di­m inishes th e general effect o f th e interior. The

choir exhibits far more points o f resemblance to

E nglish churches than 1 have generally noticed

in liVance, a peculiarity accounted for by its erection diiring on i possession o f Bordeaux.

T he north transept is surmounted by two very elegant spires, each 160 fee t high— the only

example, it is said, o f such an arrangement, in th e whole o f Trance. Our unfortuuate Eichard

I I . , surnamed atler the town, was baptized in

th is cathedraJ-Tlic Tarious diligence offices here reminded

us o f our increasing proxim ity to Spain, b y an­nouncing conveyances to all parts of the Penin*

sulit; while m any a window, instead o f the Parisian shopkeepers’ stereotyped notiec, “ E ng­lish spoken here,” held out to the Spaniard a promise that- w ithin he m ight do business

througli the medium o f his own mother tongiie. XiOrd Portarlington haTong some intention of

taking a short run into Spain, we thought it

advisable to get a copy o f “ Ford's Handbook ”

before leaving Bordeaux. W ell indeed it was

we did 80, as that iutenti<m, w liicli at th e most scawely contemplated even a hasty v isit to

Madrid, developed ultim ately into a journey

which extended from iiayounc to (xibnkltar; through Madrid, Toledo, Plosencia, Seville, and

Gniuada, the greater part o f that distance being accomplished on horseback. That expedition

forms th e substance o f th e present publicaitiou; and i f th e narrative succeeds in imparting to

the reader on ly a small portion o f th e enjoyment we derived from the sccnes I have hero attempted

to dcscribc, he w ill not, T hope, th ink his time

altogether thrown away.W e le it Bordeaux without regret, finding the

climate damp and oppressive, and feeling anxious

to reach our destination, Biarritz, w ithout delay. T he rail to Bayonne runs right through the

Landes, which precisely resemble th e extensive

tract o f unenclosed coiintry at the back of

Bouruemoath, on the confines o f Hampshire

and Dorset, w ith the same soil, heath, and

timber, Everything, however, is on a lai^cr

âcale, and the climate, of course, m nch warmer, the heat and dust m ating our irajei anything

bnt agreeable. Tt was too proToking, that we

did not ace a single apecimen o f the shepherd

on stilts, peculiar to tbia district, our only relief from tbe m onotony o f th e scene l>eing an occa­sional glim pse o f some ontlying point o f the

Pyrenees, which begin about m idway to show

their gracetui forms, curving in purple folds

gently down to tb e Atlautin.lufetead o f going direct to Bmrata, we drove

from the Bayonne station to the H ôtel de St. Martin, the very model o f an old-fashioned French inn, standing in quiet and shady retire­m ent w ithin a apacious courtyard— ita staircases, cerridorR, and apartments being a ll on a large

airy scale, in pleasant contrast to th e cramped

dimensions o f m odem hotels, and imparting, in a

southern climate, w ith th e thermometer at 83

degrees indoora, such a delicious seusc o f cool­ness and repose.

I have aeldom seen a town more to m y mind

than Bayonn«, witl» ita umbmgeous trees along

th e principal tliorougbferc, looking so cool and

i ^ h that sultry afternoon; while the quaint old-world*like streets at the back, varied here

and there by arcades not unlike those at Ifemo,

were quite a study. Tho left h io ^ o f tho Adour, below the town, is planted w ith noble arenuus, where you m ay enjoy shade, and th e sea- breezes, as they come stealing up tho river. N or is the rest o f the place devoid o f attraction; th e broad waters o f th e N iv e and Adour, which

here unite in to one stream, being lined w ith

handsome quays, and 8pann(?d by three bridges; and as we stood amid th e motley-coloured crowd, which, in various costume, military, nautical, and provincial, was passing, w ith ceaseless flow, towards the suburbs, while th e last rays o f sun­set were gleam ing upon tower, housetop, and

gable, we had beforo ou i eyes the elements of

n o onlinaiy picture.A considerable portion o f th e population is

Basque, th is oldest o f oil European races (so say

ethnologists) existing not on ly in Spain, where it ertendfl over three provinces, but in a small district o f liVanee also, in the neighbourhood

o f Bayonne. Geograpliy book^ describe the

Basques as “ a lively, industrious people, nius- eular and well*made, active in body, frank in maimer, and passionate in character.” A i far

as we had th e op]>orhinity o f judging from

two or three Basquaises, who waited ou us at the hotel, they seem very good-natured and

obligTUg, having the conntenance and complexion

o f tlic gipsy, w ith th e pleasant mannerg o f tlie

Wel&h peasantry.Mnrray’s “Handbook for France” infoTras its

readeRi, that in these parts people used to ride

«r cacckt, though the practicfi has w ell n igh

become obsolete. A wooden frame, containing seats for two, is placed pannier-i’ashion acroRS

th e back o f a horse, so that the w eight o f each rider is balanced by that o f hia ct>»c<jU06trian.

The chief difficulty of th is mode o f conveyance occurs at th e bcgiim ing and end o f a r id e; ibr

i f either party m ounts or dismoimts one moment

before th e other, a caj^ize is the inevitable

coneeqnenccj and as one of th e pair— th e eon» dnctor— is usually a stout countrywoman, the

absurdity o f such an incident m ay be conceived. Now-a-days, few, except peasants and market people, adopt th is means o f locomotion, thougli the day is not yet forgotten in th e neighbour- hood, “when th e Duehesse de Berri used to ride

f% caeoletOur destination being Biarrita, where this

conveyanco was m ost in vogue, we fe lt bound, as travellers o f an inquiring turn o f mind, to

investigate eo peculiar a depj\rtment o f “ the

manners and customs'* o f th e Basques, and for

that purpose asked th e waiting-wom en a numljer o f questions pertinent to the gnbject. B ut the

very soTUid o f the words "en cacoUt^^ so sug­gestive oi* caehinnation, 8oeme<l to excite their

risible taenitie« to such a degree, and set them

off in to sucli iits o f laughter, that wc never

succeedcd in obtaining any coherent informa^ tion, and were obliged to content ouraclves with

tb e soW -m ijided Incubratioiui of Murray.Scarely are th e environs o f Bayonne cleared,

before you enter npon a desolate tract o f barren

heath and sand, extending m ost o f th e way to

liia ir itz , the m onotony o f th e landscape being

relieved, however, by th e magnificent outline of

th e opposite coast of the Asturias, where the

verdant slopes and craggy peaks o f the Pyrenees

rise abruptly out o f tlie western waves. N o ­th in g can exceed the boldness and freedom of

the sea view, wbieb stretches out into illimit- able expimsc over the broad l>oaom o f the

Atlitntie. A few years ago tho!;e five miles

between Bayonne and Biarritz m ust have been

a walk o f rare beauty, increasing in interest at every step, until at last tb e whole line o f coast li«a extended at your feet, w ith its lava-coloured

rocks, running out to m eet th e huge waves, which, liaving traversed an entire ocean, sui^e

B i a r r i t z . ^ 3

grandly iîï, to whitcD w ith their Toam th e mani­fold cavcsrns they bare been scooping out along

the shore ever since tim e began.B u t now the gwarms o f smart carriages, and

crowded omnibuses, which the sunshine of

Imperial favour \hls called forth into a summer

ciistenec, g ive the neighbourhood quit<i a sub­urban character, and instead o f gazing at the

view , you begin to spocolate whether that gaily- dressi*d crowd, disporting itse lf in a ll directions, Las left in lodging-house and hotel any place

for new comers to put their heads in.Though n igh t had n ot yet fallen, long lines

o f blazing lig h t were streaming w ith exquisite effec-t arios» the sea from the windows o f the

V illa Eugénie, w h ich stood out one maas o£

radiance as we drove into Biarritz, being illu ­m inated from roof to base, in honour of the

K in g o f th e Belgians, who dined that evening

w ith th e Emperor, and wearing, for the moment, th e aspect o f some fairy palace, instead o f that

commonplace, naked appearancu, i t exhibits in

th e daytime.Eoom s had been ordered several days before

at the H ôtel de France, but on going to claim

them, we found every com er crammed, and

were transferred by the landlord to a new

eFtablishmmt, H otel d’A ngletcirc, in a very

good sitnation, where we hoped to enjoy a little

rest after our long journey, and i£ m uch o f th&

8*?a-breciie as would render more tolerable the excessive heat, w hich now, at th e end of Sep­tember, surpassed the warmth o f th e dofj days.

N ex t morning dawned brighttT aiid hotter

than ever, tho atmosphere being in the con­dition o f a dry vapour hath, while a wind from

tho eouth-wcst not only brought w ith it the

enervating in£uences o f the sirocco, making

exertion a mere misery, b a t veiled th e whole

l^ d scap e w ith a dim haze that effectually

marred a il the grace and cleamesd o f its out*

lines. B y ten o’clock th e s u n was bo powerinl, that gentlem en were walking about w ith nm- brellas, and Lord Portarlington remarked, that

his aneuroid never indicated so heavy a pressure o f air, in any country where he has taken it, aR

at Biarritz, the index standing above “ very dry,"

a point i t never reached oven in rainless Epypt,I t was a great disappointment to find so

much heat and oppressiveness at that late

period o f tho season, a ll accounts we had re­ceived o f Biarritz having reprcisented its cli­mate as fresh and bracing, while we found it

m oie relaxing than even Torquay. W c were

not tlicn aware that tiie same liig^ temperature

and w eight o f atmospliere prevailed at tlie

moment over the greater part of France and England. I t was decided, in consequence, that

we shonld stay no longer than K onday, having

arrived there on Friday, and after a short expe­dition into the Pyrenees, wc were then to go

on to Madrid. This change of plan delighted

me, as I was never likely to hH,vc another oppor­tun ity of seeing so peculiar and littb-travellcd

a country as Spain.

C n A P T E R I I .

ri^ITTS w eighty maiiCT deoided, we walked

-I - down to Bee th e hathera, m any o f whom take their dip on the open shore in iront of the

town, the operation being in that quarter very

much o f the same nature as at m ost other

waterin^*pla W58.B u t i f any one wishes to see a o f an

entirely novel description, le t h im go w ith us to

the other side of th e towTi, where he w ill witr ness a m ost amuaing apeetacle. L et th e reader

figure to him self a deep, narrow cove, walled

on each side hy eliife, aud protected at its sea­ward c i t r c nuty by a rocky islet, that does duty

for a breakwater, while th e npper end ia encircled

w ith long rows o f wooden bathing house«. Between these aud the sea, a bevy o f ladies, e » grande to U e i te , is s ittin g under the pleasant shade of im pending rocks. T our first glance

prompts you to say, ‘•O hl what a charming

spot for a qniet b a th e !” hut you have hardly

i:ttere<i the wonia before you discover, that, iu

spite of all ita apparent advantages o f situation, it lias little power to keep out th e terrific rufih of an Atlantic wave, which oven when broki*n on

th e beach retains force enough to knock down a powerful D ia n .

A tremendous aca is rolling in , th e waves o f any lenj^h and depth, and as tlicy are sud­denly compressed into that narrow space, they

break against the rocky sides o f the cove

with the uoiac of thunder, scattering showers

o f spray and foam h igh into the air. In the

m idst o f tiiis seething wliirlpool, you catch a

glim pse of heads dotted about here aud there, now rising on a summit o f a huge mountain-

wave, now suddenly digappearin^» behind a wall o f waters, in th e m ost im m inent peril (apparently) o f being dashed to pieces eveiy

moment. I t quite tokea away your breath to

look at them, as they are tossed to and fro in

im potent helplessness in th e midst o f that foam­in g f lo ^ . "Surely,” you think, “ these m ust

be some poor creatures struggling ashore from

a foundered ship." N ot a b it o f it ; all o f them, men, women, aud children together, hiivc gune in of their own free will, and iu spite o f your

c

trepidation on their behalf, which makes you look at them w ith quickened pulsp, and “ bated

brcutl),” every one is h igh ly delighted at his situation, and i f you w ill only wait a while, you

w ill soon see some more venturing in ‘‘ to take

up arras against that sea o f troubles.’"T he chair beside you ha« Ruddenly lost its

ocenpant, the best-dresaed unit in all that growp o f fashionably-attired women. I n a few minutes

a drea«ng-room door opens, and out stepa a

funny Laplander-like little “ p arty” in frook coat and trowsers, to whose waist a bathing*man

first attaches a pair o f gourd«, which not only

make her raore managt^able in the water, but

impart besides a touch o f the pilgrim to a

figure grotesque enough already, and tlien he

upsets a pailfal of “ the briny flood” over her

head. She is now fitted out for sea, and trusting to her floats, and stalwart arm o f the bathing

man, in she goes, fco increaa« the number oi black dots bobbing up and down like corks upon the yeasty sorges. and th e last you sec

o f the newly-launched pair is high among the

foam-heads o f a tremendous swell, behind whose

crest they are suddenly engulfed, to turn up

again on the first opportunity in some other

part o f the covc.

To prevent accidents from tlie extreme force

o f the imdcr-current, as tho waves retire, a ropediawu across the lower end o f the covc, and

beyond this point no one seemed to venture.The worat part o f tlie whole business is, tliat

both in go in g and returning tlic bathers have

to cross a disagreeable strip o f sand, and sliiuglc, passing w ithin a few feet o f tho spectators, who, having noth ing to do, are naturally disposed to

be critical.A ltogether it formed a m ost amiasing scene,

rather tc»o public for Eugli&h taste» tlioiigh we

observed, from tim e to time, several o f our

country «women, who jn st before had been sit­tin g am ong the lookers-on, reappear, after a short absence, so effectmdly disguised under

the transformation o f a bathing-dress, tlxat their nearest relations would have failed to re­cognize them , as they stepped into the water.*

I never on any shore saw such beautiful breakers, as at Biarritz. Tlie rocks, which in

form and colour very closely resemble those

ly in g off the Channel Islands, run out some

• U k o n lU k Q o te « w b i k a t B iA r r i t z , T a m i n d e x e d

fo r m a n ; particu lars ax th is d escr ip tioa t o th e o fth e tam o g o o d fritnid, t o w hora 1 o w ed th e opportuD ity o f TiBiim g th e ecen^.

c 2

distiince into the sea, so a« to receive the ftiU

shock o f every wave, which, breaking into ibam, falls like a veil o f w hite lace fiung suddenly upon some diirk surface, and as suddenly witlidiawn, to be followed hy wave after wave, repeating

th e same effect iu ever-recurring succession.Sometimes you are tem pted to w ish the sea

were not quite m lively, a* you *<crainl>le among the c r a g ^ paths leading to th e various islets,

witK which the shore is strewn. A n enormous

wave come« rolling in, thirty feet below the rock, on which you have perched yourself for

th e better eonteraplatiou o f th e scene 5 and

while you are admiring that glorious rush of

water so instinct w ith life and force, and won­dering how any poor shipwrcekcd mariner could

ever escape on such a eoast, all of a sudden an

inverted shower-bath dashes upwards in your face, bringing your meditations to an untimely

end, and tvaching yon for th e future to give a

•wider berth to the range o f an A tlantic waveH aving never seen cither Emperor, or Empress,

I was anxious to CAtch a gliiupse o f sueh remark­able personages; and as they very good-naturedly

seem to make a point o f appearing often in

public, my wishes were soon gratified. A band

played every fine evening in frout of the iinp eri^

Villa, and at th is hour the Em pcroi generally

wulkcd fimoiig the crowd, attended b y one or two

gcntlciQCu of 111s Fiiite, and accompanied frequent­ly b y the little i^ ince. One evening th e Court aat oo t near the extrem ity o f the p oon d s, a. slight wire fence being the only separation

between the rmperial party and the hundiods, wlio were promenading th e beach ; and as they

remained on th is spot at least an hour, I enjoyed

abondant opportonity o f gratifying m y curiosity, the Emperor, Empress, and little Princc forming

a group w ithin tw enty yards o f the general crowd. H is countenanco exhibits little in ­dication o f intellect, while h is lack-lustre, leadt n

eye, and thieksct heavy figure, appear altogether

out of harmony w ith the real self o f that

mysterious being, who, from a fugitive ad­venturer, has become th e wonder o f the age. I f the words o f an old song can be applied to so august a person as an Emperor, i t may he

daid o f }iim, that his fece is h is fortune, veiling, as it does, so effectually the workings o f the

inner man. W hen we saw him at Biarritz, he liad not long returned from h is Italian cam­paign, w ith a prentice ai;gmentod beyond the

wildest dreams of am bition; y e t in h is qniet unassuming demeanour not a trace o f exultafri'^n.

or eelf-complacency, could b© detected; so that

i f lie does not possess a ll the geniuR o f the first Napoleon, he is at any rate perfectly free frem

evety particle o f h is intense vulgarity.T he Empress was djes&ed w itli extreme plain­

ness, and in a colour, fewn, which scarucly did

justice to her delicate complexion. H er beauty is unquestionable, though w ith her face in repose, aud fatd^od apparently at th e tim e I saw her, she could uot have appeared to the same ad>

v a n ta ^ us in her more-Huiiuntcd moments, wlien her countenance is lighted up w ith con­versation. She has all th e high-bred look and

air, tliat m ight be expected in one descended

from some o f the beet blood, in tw o o f the

m ost pedigree-worshipping coimtries in Europe — Spain and Scotland.

Mor« thiin tw o m onths afberwardis, while

riding between i^anada and lionda, we passed

under Teba, th e high-perched mountain-town, which gives her the title o f Countess, and it struck me as a bleak spot indeed to enjoy the

privilege o f g iv ing “ a lo c^ habitation and a

name’' to a flower o f such rare loveliness.The little Prince dehghted \is, being one of

the m ost intelligent, and pcrfectiy-natural boys

I ever saw, w ith laj^e lustrous eyes, full o f child­

like woiidernieTtt. l i e seenia fco lio brought ap

m ost judiciously, under th e chaise of an English

nurse, and some one told us, that h is g ’eat pleasure ia to ride b is donkey up aud down in

front o f the regim ent, to whicli he belongs, and when he haa finished his inspection, he

gives the wx>rd o f command to turn in , "Rentrez*' in soldier-like style.

One could not look at that innoecnt, beaming

face, w ithout longing to divine th e fortunes of

bifi life. H ad he lived a few centuries ago, how often would his nativity have been cast, how

auiiou sly his horoscope studied!T lie landlord o f th e principal hotel having

kindly permitted the use of h is soUe>a-manger

to the British Chaplain at Biarritz during the seaw n, a goodly number o f our compatriots

assembled there on Sunday, September 25, at \1 .8 0 , which appears to be tb e earliest hour at which English congregations abroad can be

induced to commence their matins. Tt is al*

way# a great comfort to have our Church-eervice

held under any circumstances abroad, th e well-

remembered words of our Common Prayer-Book liAving, to persons away from home, an increased

expre«sivenc8s, which recalls m any a devout thought, and exercises a very wholesome in»

iluene« amid the excitements o f trarel. B u t the

dining-room o f a crowded hotel, w ith bells, that

did not call to prayer, ringing on all sides, and

a crowd o f peasants chattering patois under the

open winduws, was hardly th e scene cither to invite, or austiiiii devotion; while to m yself it

presf^ntftd a m ost painful contrast to the se n ieee we had attended th e previous Sunday, at Mr. Archer Guruoy’d Chapel in Paris, where the

worship o f the Church o f England is celebrated

w ith all solem nity and reverence. B y th is lime, however, E nglish visitors at Biarritis enjoy the

advantage o f a regular chapel, built since last year, expressly for their accommodation.

Biarritii continued so h ot and oppressive, that

we were very glad to leave on Monday morning, taVuig Bayonne on our way to Pan, from whence i t was settled that we should make a sliori; excur­sion among the Pyrenees. A carriage had to be

engaged, and wo were recommcndcd to apply

for that purpose to the Portmaster, whose csta- h lishm entis in th e upper town, near tlie Cathe­dral. H e proved to be quite a character, and ag

arrangements had to he made w ith him for the

Madrid journey also, we enjoyed ample oppor­tunity for observing h is numerous peculiarities. H e had spent some years a prisoner in England,

h a v i n g T>eeii t a k e n i n a T V iincii m s T i-o f -w a r ,

o n b o a r d w h i c h h e h o l d a co m m iasio T t. I 3y

so u io T n is ta k e h e w a s s e t d o w n a s a c o m m o n

¿ a i lo r , a n d c o n f in e d a c c o r d in g ly i n P o r c h e a te r

C a a t k ; b a t t h r o u g h t h e r e p r e s e n ta t io n s o f a

i i i n ^ ’s m e a s o D g e r , w h o l ia d k n o w n luR i a m i ly

f o r y ea rR , h o w a s l ib o r a t o d o n p a r o le aa a n

o iB cer, i n a c k u O M 'le d g m e n t o f v a l i ia b le se rv ic e s

r e n d e r e d b y h i s f a m i ly ( s e v e ra l m e m b e r s o f

w h i c h w e r e c o u r ie r s ) t o " R n g lia h m e s s e n g e r s

a b r o a d . F r o m P o r o h o s tc r C a s t le b e w a s s e n t

fir&t t o O d i lm m i n l i a m p s h i r e , a p la c e h e d e ­

s c r i b e d i n r a p t n r o n s t e r m s , a n d t h e n c e p a s s e d o n

t o N e w to w n , i r o n tg o m e r jT s h i r c , o f w h ic h a n d i t s

i n h a b i t a n t s h e g a v e a v e r y d i i f e r e n t a c c o u n t ,

u s i n g i n h i s d e s c r ip t io n m a n y teTm fi, t h a t h a d

t h e i r o r i g i n n e i t h e r i n h e a v e u n o r i n e a r th .

H e w a s , b y m a n y d e g re e s , t l i c m o s t e m p h a t i c

being I e v e r m e t w i th , a n d s u c h h i s v e r s a t i l i ty ,

and dramatic expression, t h a t a n in te r v ie w w i th

h i m w a s g o o d a s a p la y , i n w b ic h h e Bup-

j)orted a v a r ie ty o f characterR, becoming every*

b y tu r iif l. S o m etirn e R h i s mood w a s

indignation, w lu le l)e e n l a i ^ e d upon S p a n is h

indolence, a n d mismanagement. S o m e t im e s h e

g a v e u t t e r a n c e to a tone of s i :v e re a t i r o n y , a s

w h e n r e p ly i n g t o a u y expression of d o u b t o n

our part respecting tbe solidity and general excellence o f hia cajria^es. Occasionally his

oratory asFnimcd tlie T c h e m e n c e o f a torriado, his g^ tu rc and action being at all tim es super*

abundant; and when at the end o f an ira- passioned aentcncc, hy way o f producing a

climax o f emphasis, he throw in a few moracls

o f broken English, rasping thera between his teeth w ith a fierceness that made one shudder, the elicct wa* indescribable.

B ein g g iiled w ith a m ost fertile ionaginati<m, he exercised i t in the nomenclatiore o f his car­riages, eighteen o f which, like tlie in ig lita and

steeds at Brankaome H all, stand ready for all occasions w ithin h is spacious prem ises; the

fiTD urite vehicle being the Marquise, on wliicli he exhausts h is vocabulary o f laudation. The

Coquette, an enormous yellow barouche, well known on tlie Madrid road, waa selected for

our journey into Spain, n o t so much on account o f its air of ponderous stafcclineaa, that har>

monizcd perfectly w ith Spanisli ways, but for

its superior capacity for carrying In ^ age . "When all tltese arrangement« were completed, i t was h igh tim e to start for Pau, a distance of

about siity-five m iles from Bayonne. Prencli posting is generally excellent, horses and roads

being superior, and wo liud very civil poBtiJiong, >vlio took us along at a capital pace, and in such

fine weatticT, amid beantilul scenery, the mere motiüLL was a pleasuro. Itoecnt thunderstorms

Imd elTectually laid the dust, and the heat, though it baked ns, whenever we stopped, be­came tolerable as soon as we eel olT again.

The situation of Pau, which we reached soon

after sunset, is oxtrcmely pleasing, bearing about the same relation in the scale o f picturesque

effect to th e position oi' Berne, that th e Pyrenees

do to the A lps. Several points o f rcscmhknco between them m ay be noted, each having its

river, terrace, and panorama o f mountains ; but here a ll comparison ccaacs. For the view

from P au commands none o f those sublime

forme, and snow-clad eummit», w hich make the

prospect from the platform at Berne a epectaele

oi ench surpassing grandeur ; the comparative

absence o f snow constituting, in m y opinion, a fatal defect in tho Pjreneee, and, when we

gazed at them from tho shady avenuee o f the Place lioyale on th e 29th of September, hardly

a capful o f that Essential clement in an Alpine landscape was vieible throughout the whole range.

W e left next m orning for Cauterets, skirting

fyi tLo greater part o f tbe way ooc o f th e love­liest streama I ever beheld, the Gave de Pan. Tt is very liJce the D ee at Llangollen, only twice

H8 large, w itli an ivy^overed bridge at Lesteile, rivalling Tuigu Jones’ arch at ^fallwydd, so well known to artists and tourists in W ales. N o-

tliin g ran exceed tlio beauty o f th is drive. I t

combines the fresliness o f iin A lpine region, w ith

tlie varied and luxuriant vegetation o f a ecuthem

climate, and reveals at every turn some sparkling

ford, or tranquil reach, o f the river; while the

rugged mo\uitain*liue, broken b y m any a peak

and pyramid, bounds one o f tho finest landscapes in the whole extent o f th e Pyrenees.

I t was dark long before we arrived at Canteret». The season being over, i t looked desolate and

deserted, as wo rode through ucxt m orning on our way to th e Lac de (iaube, which, though a

mere mountain-tam, not three miles in cireum*

terence, is the largest piece o f water in the district. I t is a charming excursion, m any

portions o f tlie road reminding me o f the neigh­bourhood o f th e Grande Ohartrense. For a

tim e u u r courso lav through gorges glow ing

with the brightest hues o f lichen and moss, w ith often searcoly 8|>ace for the tTruudering

torrent on tb e one hand, and the bridle-road

on the wtiicr; w liile overy aucct^sive leflge of

rock traversed by the ascending pathway had

its cascade o f bright green water, over which

t h o s w jU I o w s were dashing to and fro i t i cease­less iliglit, w aiting, as the guide told us, tor

a dear day to crosa the frorktier into Spain, a passage they w ill not veutnie u|jon dating a fog, which at the mome'nt was hanging in

h e a ^ wreaths upon th e mountaui-tops. either

fog however, nor cloudy sky, oonld rob the little

lake of its deep, dark blue, though its waters no

longer retiected the peaks and glaciers of the

Vigne-nxaJe, the higbefit mountain un the French side, w hich riaea abruptly from th e eaeteni shore

to an elevation o f 11,000 feet.In aummcr this m ust be the very place for

spending a long day; hut on tJie 28th of September its situation, 5866 fuet above the

aea*level, and th e total absence o f sunshine, restricted our v isit to the period necessary for

leeding the horses. In descending, we turned

aside across th e P ont d’Espagne, to see tlie

junctoftn o f two streams w liich leap down a rocky chasm in tw in ca&cades o f singular purity, and brightne««, though o f no great volume. I t is a spot o f wonderful beauty, in th e nddst of a venerable pine forest, festooned w ith grey

lichon, w hile towering peaks and weather-hoatcn

procipiccs o f granite form an irregular amplá- theatre, hounding the v\ew on every side, S u d i

a acene one would im agine to be liallowcd hy

its own loveliness against the approach o f every* th in g sordid or worldly,— when, in the midst

o f our enjoyment, out pounced some peasants

Irom a small wooden cabin, and, in no cuurteoos

terms, demundod five or six %ous for cach horse, b y way of to ll for crossing th e bridge; th e very

beauty o f the phice being thus farmed out as

a profitable speculation. This made us very

wroth, ae there would bo no difficulty in col­lecting the toll, w ithout putting to flight at the

sajne tim e every feeling o f enjoyment, by so

harsh an intrusion Tipon th e solitude, juid grau- de\ir o f natnrp.

A s this excursion tooV np only five or six

hours, we were able, in the afternoon, to post

to L u z; and now th.it we had really penetrated

th e inner reccsscs o f th e Pyrenees, we began to

realize their peculiar attractions, and in their

magnificent defiles, wall«d*in w ith loclcs o f every

form and hue— their varied foliage and vege­

tation— constant alternation o f lig h t and shade, even in the fu ll glare o f the brightest sunsWne, «im ply from natural fom iation— transparent

cLoaiQ^ o f the water, nnsnllicd h y the áefile- merits of the glacier-streams.—- in all these

respecta we soon disfioveted that the Pyrenees

have a charm o f their own, which assigns them a higher position in th e regions o f the pic­turesque, tlm n they could ever claim merely

ad mountains.Luz being a central point for making excur-

aicns, we stayed there three nights, finding

Madauic Cazauz’s hotel m ost comfortable, and

going &om thenee first to th e Cirque de Ga- Tamie, and tho day after to the sum m it of

the P ic du M idi de Bigorre. The road to

GaTamie abounds iji glorious scenery, threading

for miles th e folds o f a defile, where th e Gave de Pau, cleaving its w ay throngh perpendicular

rocks, tw o or three handred feet high, divides

mountains clothed w ith every variety o f timber, from th e forest tree to th e box, w hirh presented

at tho m oment a superb m ass o f autumnal colon riug. Some bridges, too, at intervals, leaping boldly aeróse th e ravine, far above the

foaming torrent, form perfect pictures.I t was w ell for us that th e interest o f our

excursion did not depend solely upon its prin­cipal object— the Cirque de Guvarnic— an enor­mous circular basin scooped out o f the heart o f

tLc m ountabe, wlucb, running up here into vast

cliffs, enclose one o f the most remarkable spots

I ever T i s i t e d , even though tlie fo^, whicli hannted ns, by conceulinff tlio summit of tlie rocks, marred the peculiar aspect o f tlie Cirq^ie. W e were obliged to take for granted the Broche

de K oknd, a fissure »50 feet Wgli, by 300 wide, notched in th e crown o f the enclosing rampart, l i k e the embrasure o f a battlement, the fog

m aking i t invisible. A n air o f frtemcst desola­

tion, deepened by tlie gloom o f a sunless sky, and overhanging m ist, reigned aruund; while

nothing could be seen but frowning precipiccb, streaked by m any a waterfaU (whieh seemed, as

w c saw them , to descend direct from th e clouds), and the rock* strewn floor of that w ild amphi­theatre, where the roaring torrent and thimder- in g avalancho find a m eet stage for enacting their

tumultuous sport.The whole scene somewhat reminded me of

points in th e Stralheck, as I crossed i t during

eimilar we-atlier in August, 18 4 S ; nor id it devoid

o f resemblance to that seclnded .£sch inen lake, imbedded at th e foot o f the Blumlia Alp, having

th is featnru in common w ith the latter, that it»

basin was, no doubt, once fdled w ith water.Our asccnt of the P ic du Midi was a perfect

sacccss, tlie day being everything we could wish, w ithout a particle o f cloud, or fog. I t is a very easy excursion, as we made it, riding w ithin ft short distance o f th e summit, 9553 feet above

tho aea, though i t is certainly man s indolence, rat)ier than nature’s intention, th^t urges any

quadruped, except a or an izzard (the cha­mois of th e Pyrenees), orer such ground. I

fe lt A good deal ashaJned o f doin<f so, but filially

justified m yself w ith th e consideration, that, for

80 brief a space as we were go in g to spend

am ong the inonntains, i t was hardly worth while to get into walking-triiu-

. A fter passing the Cabin, where people spend th e ni^rht before going up to sec th e sunrise, the

path becomes a mere ledge, not more than a

yard wide, cut out o f the side o f the mountain, which» out o f a lake o f m ost uncomfortable loolc, and untold dcptb, rises a sheer precipice o f about 2000 feet, nnfenced throughout its whole extent by the least protection o f mil, or wall, as even

a rampart o f adamant could not withstand the

irresistible rush o f the avalanehes, which, at certain seasons o f the yi^ar, sweep continually

over those bleak slopes. Tliere are many places

in the ascent, where riding is by no means safe

or pleasa])t, for a siuijle false step M'ould very

Midu

soon plnnge you into the Liw d’Onc«t, and a

tablet exerted at a turn o f tho path, to record the TOarvellong esciipe o f a German tounat,

reminds yon, i f you are n ot already aware of the circumstance, that oven Pyronean horaes have

their moments of weakness, and shoiild not be

too im plicitly trusted. H ow the poor (rreatnres ever managed to carry ne up that tremendous

steep T cannot iroaginf^, though we tuUy appre­ciated their services long before we reatkod the

summit, where th e view that suddenly buiat upon us repaid ten thousandfold our modicum

o f toil.The whole ran^e o f th e Pyrenees, from cast to

west, lay spread out before us like a raised map, g iv in g us in half an hour a fax clearer idea of the region, than a month's course o f ilu ira y . The view waa periection. The nearer ranges

w ith th e ii graceful slopes, here olive-green with

herbage, there, russet w ith fem (n special orna­ment o f the Pyrenees), crovmcd with a rampart o f broken rocks (over one o f w hich we espied

tw o eagk s ou the wirijj), stood ont sharp as

steel, th e whole landscape being suifused w ith an

exqiiifiite tinge o f mellow colouring; while at a

greater distance, the monajchs of the range, Vignc-inaie, M ount Perdu, and Maladetta, the

two latter being in Spain, towered above all in

nnapproached aapercinincuec. On th e side of Prancc, sleeping in cKeqnered snn&liino, an

unbroken plain stretilied ont. dotti»d w ith many a town and village. ILad the heat o f the day

been loss glowing, wc should have seen Toulouse. W e now commanded a cloudless view o f the

precipicf^ that hem in the Cirque de Gavarnie, the summit o f which the fog had concealed &om

lu) as we stood under tbem yesterday» and the

B ieche de Koland liiled itself' against the clear

bine sky, a clctin workman'llke cut, that did

th e Paladin’s a m , and Durandel's tomper, equal credit.

T1(c duecent was a tedious affair, and i t was dark ere wo reached Im z, w ith the feeling of

having enjoyed u m ost charming day, which had

thoronghiy satisfied a ll m y Pyrenean aspira* tions.

Before leaving, we went to see th e obi church

o f th e Templars, a m ost interesting building, not

80 -well known, appaj*ently, as it deserves to be

from its ec^^Ieaiolc^ieal value i and having spent Sunday at Pau, we returned to Bayonne on Mon>

day evening, October 3. being welcomed with

much kindness by tbe attentive host and good­n a tu r e people o f the H ôtel dc St, >tartin.

D 2

C H A P T E R IIT.

“I I T E had fu llj intended w ttin g out for

’ ^ Madrid next day, but so m any prepara­tions w eie necessary l>efore venturing into so unfurnished a country as Spain, that we were

compelled to spend another night at Bayonne.

M any w ew th e inquiries we made respecting

inns, and the various circumstances o f our route, from the landlord, who had heen as fin as M a­drid. Hft gare us anything bnt a checrfal report, and evidently regarded cur expedition into that

hungry land, as a mclancholy proof o f the

ingrained perversity o f hum an nature, which, not content w ith the comforts o f his good hotel, m ust needs wander forth from a soil where din­ners are an indigenoue production, and go among

a people destitute o f th e m ost elementary prin* cip ks c f cooking. H is amour proprc, and patriotic

feelings were alike wounded, and he conscien­tiously warned us, that we mnat not expect h dine.

(ftt kaat in the French o f the torm), any­where between liis house and Madrid, while his gtxxl*nature proniptfd him to aeire us sucli a

dinner (being h is own ch ef), on th e eve of our

departure, as would tiiJly acqui^ him o f all com­plicity, in oa¿<c we starved on the road.

On referring io m y aote-book, I find certain

entries, which indicate a determination on oar

part, not to perish at any rate w ithout a sbuggle. A m ong these, two liams (an article tor which

Bayonne is celebrated), a frying*pan, and a

Ruehüfort cheese (tins last comestible being a

coodesccnsinn to m y national weakness, as a

"Welshman), form the moat conspicuous itciiie. I remember, besides, that a pound o f tea, w ith more

than one packet o f flca-powder, were purchased

at a very good chemist’s shop in one o f tlie back

sfcreeta, while at th e landlord’s suggeRtion, several bottles o f his best Bordeaux were added to our

stores. A ll th is preparation, not only oceupicd

our time, but served to ealm down the apprehen­sions, whieh the prospect o f starvation had not

unnaturally excited, and we now began to con­sider ourselves justified in loo tin g forward, w ith

some degree of hopefulness, to seeing hoine and friends onct more.

Our acqnaintHnee w ith Spanish being o f the

m ost lim ited dcscHption, i t became ueceesarj* to

find some interpreting medium between the na- tives and ourselyc«, and afi no courier happened to

be available at the moment, in spite of every exer­tion on the part o f Captain Oraham, the British

Consul at Bayonne, an amphibious being, named

Pierre Cjmibonr, whose ostensible means of sub- sistence oscillated between the river and the

road, he being sometimes a fisherman, sometimes

a Rort o f was engaged in that ca­pacity, having frequently made the journey to

Madrid, in the service of our Queen’s niesaen-

gers.A lthough onr passport had been regularly

signed at the Embassy in London, w o found it

m ust be vised at Bayonne, before we should be

allowed to enter th e dominionr o f Queeii Isabella, a requirement that was quite incomprehensible,

until we had been to the office of th e Spanish Consul. Fnr in reply to T^rd Porbarlington’d

inquiry, how it came to p w s, that a passport bearing th e signature of an ambasbador was not

sufficient to admit us into the country repre­sented b y him, contrary to general practice on

the Continent, that f^ c tio n a ry retorted with

some asperity, “ Oh t but you m ust pay me three

francs, nevertheless,” a reply which seemed to

strike the key*noto of our experiences o f the

national cHaracter, and confirmed w ith ludictoua

exactness th e great Duke'e observation, “ The

first thijig the Spaniards inTariably wsmt is

money.”I t threatened to be a more serious business

than we had ever contemplated, to take the old Coquette over the frontier, the on ly method of

avoiding the lieavy duty levied on all carriage»

entering Spain, being either the deposit o f a con*

siderabie sum, £ 3 0 or £40 , at the Cuitom House, to be refunded on the return o f the ca tr i^ e , or an equivalent arrangement, which Captain Graham

most kindly undertook for Lord Portarlington, by

becoming him self responsible for th e amount.The weather being still eicessiTcly hot, and

oppressive, it waa sueh a refreshment, when all our preparations had been coropletcd, to spend

half an hour in the cathedral, which, internally IS m ost interesting, and well worthy a more

careful examination, than we were able to p v e

it. W e wore not, then, aware that its cloisters

arc son^e of th e fines t in FraJice, or w o should

certainly have contrirod to catch a glimpse oS

them. In returning to the H otel, wo wont to

see our iriend thj? Postmaster, who was highly

jfTatifiod to find, tJiat the carriage he had supplied

40 Ba^onnC-

for oiu* expedition to th e P yrcn e« had given

erery eatiefaction, and, w itli his wonted anima­tion and emphasis, accompanied by much amitinfj o f hU bosom, he aBfrured us ho was un komme de

coi^ance, in whom no one would ever find cause

for disappointment, an assuraiicc which the

event peri’ectly verified in our own case.The landlord told us a touching story o f a

poor woman o f Bayonne, who had died two years

before. I n one of the numerons engagements, that took place in th e neighbonrhood, dviring the

Duke's advance across the French frontier, an

English ofBcer was dangerously wounded, and

carried into th e town, where, after the lapse

o f som e months» he died. H e had been nursed

to tho last by a yonng woman o f the place, and

from the tim e o f his death in 1814 to 1857, w hen her own decease occurred, she never omitted

going daily to h is grave in the Cimitiere Anglais, (a spot some little diatnnce from the town, wlierc th e remains o f m any British soldit^rs are interred),

to pray, according to the Ituman Oatholir, practiec, for tlic repose o f h is soul. For a considerable

tim e she was afflicted w ith insaaiity. but that made no difference; th e poor faithful creature still made her daily pilgrimage, and continued the

loving eustoni down to the very end of her days.

C H A P T E R IV .

Oc t o b e r a very agreeable change of

temperature took place during tlie night, and a fresh breeae from the B ay o f Biscay

breathed new life into our limbs, after th e ener- vafciu|? heats o f the laßt fortnight, when the

tliermometcr had rarely stood below S5' in the shade. A few ahoivers too, had fallen, laying

the dust opportunely for oiir jonrney into one of

the driest, and dustiest countries in Europe. M’Tien at length, after an infinity o f contrivance, and stuffing, the Coquette had absorbed her

misceHancons cargo, th e whole household turned •mt to see us oÖ’ and we parted from those kind- heartod people, w ith as nxany adieus and bene­dictions, as would have served for ti voyage roxmd the globe,

Bidart, St. Jean de Luz, L’rugne, were quif'kly passed, and before noon we had crossed the

Bidassoa, and entered Spain. The moment we

42 litle dfis Fai^nJi.

touched Qaccn IsubeUa’s territory, a sentry

stopped us, who, by the antique cut o f his

unifoTD), m ight have fought at Cullcnien; hip

nether ToaTt being encased in hhick overaiU, of

prcciscly th e same pattern aa those, in which our

eonntrymen used to fight the French, in the

days o f Gmcrdl Ligonier, and the Marquis of

Gxanhy.Below the bridge, in the middle o f the

river, lies th e celebrated Is le des Faifians, the

raodt deplorablc'looking strip o f mud ever

bononred w ith so imaginative a title. Y et that

iasignilicant patch o f dirt, being neutral ground between Frajice and Spain, has been the stage

on which important events have been acted, leaving their " Ibrm and pressure” on the

general history o f Europe, l ic r e i t was, that in

1463, Louis X I . had an interview w ith Enrique

IV . I lere again, h i 1615, th e two kingdoms exchanged brides, Isabella, daughter o f H enri Qnatre, going into Spain, to be the w ife of

Philip IV ., while h is sister, Anne o f Anstria, found her husband in Louis X l l l , Forty-five

years laler, the same spot witnessed another in- tervievi o f h igh import, when Cardinal Ma^aiin, and th e Spanish Minister, D on Xx^uis dc Haro,

brought th e long wars between France and Spain,

to a close by th e treaty oi’ tixe Bidassoa, and tbe

mjffriage between Ijom s X IV . and bis fiifit cousin, Maria Tlierpsa; an event wbicb in time

led to the occupation o f the Spanish tbrono by

th e Bourbon Philip V .A melancholy interest attaches to tliis last oc­

casion, a$ i t ii? supposed to have can Red th e death o f S'clasquez, -who, in b is capacity o f Aposentador

Mayor to P hilip 1^’ , had to fit up tJ e royal pftviUon, erccted on the Is le des Faisans. H is

deatli, wbich to o t place on tho 7th o f August, 1060, OTtly a few d a ^ after hiR return to Madrid,

caused, some say, by a fever, others, by ex­cessive ftitigue; his brolcen-hearted wii'e following

him to the grave before th e end of another week.This slight eircurtsas into the domain of

Spanish history, liaving given tim e to the

antliorities to inrestigate the coutentA o f onr passport, that indis|>cnsable document is restored

to us. W e are once more in m otion, and soon

find ourselves drawn up on a hill-side, in front of

tho Custom H ouse at Im n . A s there happened to be no diligence, or any other carriage under

examination at tb e moment, on i business was

speedily despatched, th e officials being verj* civil and expeditious, exliibiting w itlial far more con­sideration for tho interior arrangement o f port*

mAntcaox, and dressing* c«e«, than is common t<»

tlicir class. W ith a fresh team, we were ^ i n

on the road, skirting two sides of tlie harhour o f

Passages, a lake o f salt water, more kndloeked thun oven Lulworth core, and opening to the

sea hy an outlet, w hich would hardly adiuit the

(hea i En»teTn. Crossing th e V nim ea, which

more than ouix has hccn dyed w ith Eni^liah

hlood, and pnasing under a drawbridge, we

entered th e Plaza o f San Sebafffcian, a m ost un­inviting, dirty-looking place, w ith a iiahy popu­lation, addicted to contemplatiTe, do-nothing

habits.Tlie scenery now bccame h igh ly pictxircsqw,

and wo passed through a sucocssion of pas­toral valleys, green as emerald, in their bright

autumnal herbage, and watered b y such tem pting

trout-streams, that meandered between swelling

hills, over which copse-wood o f oak, chestnut, a!xd hazel, spread their umbrageous m antle;

while animated nature was abundantly represented

b y long files o f luagniiiceDl mules (inany o f them

being fully sixteen hands high), six to a cart, drivers w ith bright sashes, and swart unwashed

visages, and m any other accessories o f th e road. A fter the dusty highways o f France, it was quite

a pleasure to be travelling through a country, where rain had recently fellen, while th e novelty

o f finding ourselres actually in Spain, clear o f

frontier difficulties, and donaniurs, imparted a

peculiar enjoyment to th is day s journey.Our resting-place for the night was Tolosa,

where we arrired in good time, about five, putting up at an iim near the bridge, Parador N uevo, wbicH, according to tho Spanish fai^hion,

liftd its entrance side by side w itli tlie stable, the latter occupying th e grourtd*floor, while we

had to mount to the third story, which contains the best rooms. TTiis being our first oxperienoo

o f A Spanish inn, we were agreeably surprised to

find matters more promising, than we could have

anticipated, ever}“tiung looking clean aud com- fortdblc, the stxiiTy eloseneas of the rooms being

soon remedied by a general opening o f windows.Tolosa, in spite of its being the principal town

o f the fH-ovince (iriupuscoa, is a poky, dingy little

tiiwn» diimaJIy situated in a deep valley, frowned

upon by tw o mountains, E m io and Loaza, and

th e rain, whieh i^oon alter ouj arrival poured

down in torreuts, did not improve its appearance. The ncighboxu’hood seems well cultivated and

fertile, the whole breadtli o f the market*place being studded w ith piles o f enormous vegetables; among which, red*ppppor-pods, gourds, melons, and black grapes, looked quite attractive.

W e jnat glanced into the principal ehnrclj.

a spacious claiaical bnüding, Lighted up by a

single lamp, which gave it a solemn m ystcnous air in tb e deepening tw ilight. A t the door lay the

tiniest mendicant I ever srtw, a pale-faccd, sicldy

child, stretched out upon th e cohi flags of the

porch, with a pair o f diminutive crutches at his

side, hie countenance wearing a singularly touch­ing expression, su d i as I have sometimes noticed

in a corbel-head, or quaint old maak, in church

and clol'^ter.To-day wc had our first taste o f Spanish

cootery, and fared much bettor than we had anticipated ; th e various dishes, that composed

OUT dinner, being perfectly free from garlic, oil, pa^on, and other abominations, native to the

Pcninftula, The principal dvah wai», as usual, the

pucliero or stew, and its ehief ingrédients, bacon, beef, fowl, according to the state o f the larder, w hich wore cooked in one m e » w ith chick-peas, cabbages, carrots, gourd, long-pcppcrs, a sausage

or two being thrown in by way of make-weight. Spanish Roup hears a greater resemblance to

what th e Dorsetshire peasant calls tea-kettle

broth (that is, boiling water poured upon slices

o f brt^l, and then flavoured w ith a lump of

butter, and the usual seasoning), than aiiy other

compound I have ever eaten, the turoen being

nearly choked up by layers o f bread, over which floatg a very th in liquid, dotted here, ajid there

w ith islets o f greaiie. I t possesses, however, the

nigative reconxinendation of being perfectly xm- objectionable, and i f it laUfi to e ic ite your appetite, i t fails e<jnally to offend your tasto, which is more tlian can be said for those dreadful chick­peas, ^arSangoji, the universal vegetable o f the

Peninsula. T hey are about the size o f horse- beans, and quite as unappetizing to human beings, not “ to the manner bom ,'’ beinj^ about as hard, flavourless, and in d i^ t ib le as bullets. I t was

after a meal composed chietly o f th is esculcnt, that a T'renchman compared himself, while jolted

along in the diligence, to a child’s drum filled

w ith peas, as his dinnor rattled up and down his

half-empty stomach.A ll one's ideas o f order and precedence are

upset by the courses o f a Spanish dinner, and

when you have partaken o f several kinds o f meat, two or three dishes o f fish suddenly make their

appearance, which at an earlier moment would

have received a hearty welcome.Pork, in its various phases, hacon, ham, and

sausage, is th e n ie a t / ir excfiUencfi o f Spaiii, oc- cnpying the same elevated position in the depart*

m ent o f |t<>8tronoiny, as K nglish beef, W elsh

mutton, and Irish potatoes. J u d ^ n g from the

Continent generally, an E i^lishm an is apt to

fency tliat a rasher is a delicacy confined to thè

B ritish Isle«, but, before he haa been long in

Spain, he w ill discoxer the truth o f Ford’s state­ment, “ The pork o f Spain has always been un­

equalled in fiavonr. The bacon is fat and well- flavourcd; tho s a u a ^ g delicious, and the hams

transcend eiitly superlative, to use th e very ex­pression o f Diodorus Siculus, a man of great taste, learning, and judgm ent. O f all tho th ings of

Spain, no one need foci ashamed to plead guilty to

a prodilection and pretbrcnce for the p ig ” Ji’or

ourscIvcB, 1 can only add, that th is w'orthy animal, whose merits are never acknowledged, until he is

dead, has laid us under tho profoundost obliga*

tions ; bat for him, wo should nnqucetionably

have been starved, when wo advanced further in to the country, while riding through the

aromatic aolitudea o f Estraniadiira, and the

mountain valleys of romantic Andalusia.

Thu Spaniards are great people for aweet«, dnicp*, and a pot o f preserved green-gages, aud

other fruits in the north, and in the south» a

rDOold o f quince j^Ily seems to form an India- pensahle complement to the dinncr*tah3e.

W e had f^xceUent at Tolosa, perfectly

free from tho ic little creatoics tliat murder

sleep; and this, though quite contrary to oni expectations, and th e ideas generally afioat re­specting Spanish inns, was out almost universal experience in all parts o f th e country, from Bayonne to Gibraltar,

A railway is in course o f construction between Madrid and Irnn, portions o f i t in th is neigh­bourhood being considerably advanced i and this

morning, as I was dressing, the whole populace

was in a state o f excitem ent at the sig lit o f a

locomotive, whicli passed through the town drawn

by a team o f tweuty.fonr oxen, and attended by

all th e idle hoy* and girls o f the place, uttering cries o f childish delig^xt and astonishment.

The population o f th is neighbourhood has no* th in g Spaaiflh in its physiognomy or expression j itidced, I could pick out o f a Dotsetahire village

m any more* effective repre*>ntatives o f tlie J)ou, than we saw anywhere from Irun to Vittoria. Guipuscoa is one o f the three Basque provinces, and its iiihabitiuits still exhibit that compara^

tivc tiirness o f complexion, which they have in- hcnted from some sea-king, who once upon a

tim e made a descent, and then a permanent settlem ent, npon these coasts. 'Jliey du not eiao tly shine in costume, and thoir huts exceed

iû general dilapidation any worn by t t c hoif» of

Tipperary, w to m t t e y farther resemble in the

ujîe o f broj^es made o f stin s, and tied w ith

thongs, which, i f they le t in tho mud and water

o f th is rainy d istric t, possess at any ra te tbe

coEDpensating ad van t^ e o f le ttin g them out

again.The Basques appear to be th e hntt« of the

Peninsula, and m any are the jokes made at their expense, on account o f th e ii pride, lan­g u e , and pronimeiation. Aja they are the descendants o f th e oldest oecupiers o f Spain, untainted by any intermixture of M oorish blood, eveiy man, howev'er poor, considers h im self a

gentleman. T hey are said» to cntertoin a notion

that Adam spoke Basque, w hich language, having been imported into Spain by Tubal- Cain (a theory, tliat satisfectorily accounts for

tho unrivalled excellence o f Spamsh metal­work), long before th e confusion o f tongues

at Babel, has c>ontinued in use ever since ; th<mgh

how their chronology disposes o f th e Flood, an intervening event of &omc importance, is not

stated. I ts pronunciation seems to be more

difticuJt tlian even th e W elsh, and it is an oft- uuoted Andalusian joke, that the Basques write

Solomon, and pronounce i t Kebuchiidnezîar 1

C H A P T E R V .

T T P to tid j time Camlw-ur, the quoM-courrier

^ liom Bayonne, had hcGn o f great tise, not only in interpretiiig for us, and settling tlio postilions' accounts, but on evety cm or^ncy he

was ready to jum p down from tlio pile o f lu g ­gage Tjeliind, upon which he was usually perched, and at th e end o f cach stage ho unfastened the horses, and brought out th e fresh set, w ith such

man'elloujj activity, considering the country

through which we were travelling, that we

hegan to regard him as a moat valuable ac- quisition,

There being nothing to detain us at Tolosa, we were off botimes for Vittoria. The country

oontinuod very pretty, and pastoral, w ith trout- streams in every dingle and glon, wliosc water-

power was employed here and there to serve the

uses o f a iactory, m any such establishments being scattered through these highland valleys,

£ 2

to the certain detriment o f th c it beauty, and

probable demoralization o f the inhabitants, A

considerable amount o f traffic seema to be car­ried on in th is neighbotirhood, and we were

continually passing long files o f m ules drawing

carts o f th e eonntry, w hich presented the rndest gpecimcne o f th e wheelwright s craft I ever fell in w ith. They eonsUt raerely of a bed (to

speak in carpenters' phrase), enclosed at the

sides, but open at each end, while the wheels are solid circles of wood without spokes, larger in

eircnrnfereneo than the lai^est mill* stones, and

being utterly unacquainted w ith grease, they

makti a creakiag that can he heard a quarter o f a

m ile ofT, setting one’s teeth on edge for the rest

o f the day.W c were greatly strnck, while passing through

th e diiTertnt v ilk ges on onr route, w ith the number o f fine old houses, now, alas) in sid ly-

rednced cirfrumstanccs. B u ilt to bu the family

mMisions, 00409 ffohres, o f the noble and h igh­born, they now bear th e stamp o f abject poverty, and are tenanted by th e mendicant and pauper, though still retaining the arms of their original

possessors. These, sculptured out o f freestone

in a raasaive bold style, and enriched w ith

m ost elaborate details, overhang the principal

entrance, reminding you that you are travelling am ong a people, who have elevated '‘the pomp

o f heraldry” to a liigher position, tlian it ever

attained in any otlicr country, and within the

range o f its scanty literature no fewer than

150(1 puhlications on that single subject may be

enumerated. Manidonii o f thid description are

to be found, not here and there, but in all part«

o f th e northern provinces, hardly a village being without several such memorials o f bygone

greatnej». W ooden balconies are ve iy general, many o f them being h igh ly ornamented w ith

pretty carving», mncli after the fashion o f the

lai^er cM lets in th e Simmenthal, and a& we

patesod they loo ted bright aud gay w ith pots of carnation in fu ll bloom, that being, apparently

the favourite flower o f the non-horticultural Spaniard, as we saw it, and no other, wherever

we went, from th e 13ay o f Biseay to the Straits o f Gibraltar.

This would be a charming; country for a

flaherman to ramble thryugh in early srummer, aboimding b£ i t does w ith beautiful trout streams, one o f th e largest being the Peva, our Bee, a

name which has probably been Latiniied from

th e Celtic word du, black, m any terms traceable

to th e same source existing on each side o f the

j 4 Mondra^on.

Pyrenees, as the Adour, dcrired, like Douro, from dvfr, water, and G sts , from Jvon^ ft

riyer.Mondragon, wlicre *we changed horses soon

after midday, seems a m eat interesting •place, and wo could Lave spent a couple o f Lours Tery agfeeably in hunting out old houses, and

other relice o f antiqmty. A s it waa, we had

tim e to stje noticing bnt tho Citerior o f a chtixch

close to the posthmise, which, Irom a T e r y

hasty glance, T made out te be principally in the

first pointed style. I t has two very good door- ways o f great depth and roaflsiveness, w ith such bold, v/ell-cut mouldings, and highly-ornamented

capitals, presenting a melancholy contrast to the

general condition o f th e building in its nntidi-

ness, and disrepair. The old roof has been

replaced by a m odem a ^ r , such as would suit a respectable cottage,— a transformation that

entirely alters th e appearance of the church,

m aking the gui^oyles, and other Gothic acces­sories, look quite out o f character, as i f they

had no longer any business there. T he bells

hang everywhere in open turrets, exposed to the

weather, and, aa may easily be imagined, in so

rainy and tempestuous a dijnate, i t takes no

long while to convert them into real bronae.

The day was everything we could desire, fresh and sunshiny, w ith occa&ioûHl showers, producing hriUiant burata o f ligh t and shade, that imparted conatant vaiioty to th is pictü- rescue district, Tho posting, too, was escei- lent— at least in respect of its m ost eesential quality, getting over tho ground at a good p a c o ~

th o \^ h the harness, which an EnglU h cart-horsc

wonld be ashamed to wear, and th e drivers, carter*looking fellows, who would astound o u ï

postboys, did n ot quit« lealizu one’a natiomd

ideas o f a neat tum -oat. T he varioua noises

made by the postilions to get th e ii animals

along are h igh ly amusing. Every team was

eomposed, either wholly or in part, o f mules, and as they appeared to entertain a conscientious

objection to starting peaecably, we had a scene

at every stage, when it required a ll the skill and

patience o f the driver, aided by the extensive

eTperience o f Cambonr, and th e \m ited efforts of ostlers, helpera, and the other hangers-on of a

posthouso, to persuade them to take the first step. For a few m inutes our ears wyre assaikd

w ith a periect tornado o f shouts, and erics, impre­cations and deprecations, which, beginning with

“ A n d a (” (gol) “ Anda! A nda!” invariably

ended, when breath and patience were oihausted.

in an ab’breriftted form, “ D a l D a l D a l ” and then, after a good deal of' kicking, starts across

th e T oad, or over beaps o f stones, w ith an occa­sional le g over the pole, or traces, w e used to

get o£F at a ticm endons pace, that, thioatening

at first to bring the old Coquette and her caigo

to inevitable grief, gradually subsided into a more moderate speed, and carried us merrily to

the end o f the stage.According to Ford, tlic zagal, or guard o f the

diligence, is sometimes obliged to pelt th e team

w ith stores, a store o f whicli he lays up in his

belt at every change. W e, however, were never

reduced to such an extrem ity as th is, ow ing to

our having a lighter load, and shorter stages, than

th e diligence; and the worst missiles ever

h w led at the heads of our quadrupeds were the

shocking oaths, and other scraps of bad language, to w hirh the lower classes in Spain are so grie- Yonsly addicted.

The rojwl was often very hilly, and twice to­day we were obliged to have a rcinfyrcement of

oxen to p iill OR up a long aaccnt. A t the la?t posthousc, Arrayabe, before entering Vittoria,

we were a good deal struck w ith the figure o f an

old Jew, who had takeil shelter from the pouring

rain, with which the afternoon closed, under the

eavea of tkc etatle. H e was dressed in a black gabardine, a garmcrkt resembling a loose cas&oct w itlioot sleeves, having holes for tb e anns, and

descending to tbe feet. H is bat was ju st like a

boef-cater'd, and undeinoatb tbere peered fortli a

pail o f 8maU, keen, prying eyes, fu ll o f distrust aud suspiciousness. H e looked tbe very picture

o f A m odem Isaac o f York, and though no longer exposed to tbe same oppression, and cruelty qa

bis prototype, he seemed to feel tbat a ll tbe

world was a^jainstblni, and in every one he saw a

probable enemy. The poor old man, however, was

not devoid o f good-natur«; for, seeing th e pos­tilion struggling to get into an nppcr gamxent, be m eekly lent bis assistance, receiving n o thanks, nor even a nod o f acknowledgment in return,—• treatment to which he was, evidently, perfectly

accustomed. Ou looking bock, I uni glad we took

such particular notice of hini, for we never again

saw any one that bore the least resemblance

to Ixim in costume, and general appearance.Vifctoria, th e scere o f tbe D u k e s last great

victory in Spain, where, as Southey says, “ tbe

French wuro beaten before tb e town, in the

town, through th e town, out o f tbe town, behind tho town, and all about the town,” is a poor

pkce, w itli a shabby m odem air, that in this

58 An English Groom.

old-faahioned ootintry haa quite a vulgar look. B eing, however, on the great liig h road between M iulm l and Bayonne, w ith others branching off to Pamplona &nd Bilbao, i t possesses a superior

inn, where at the tahlt d'hote we m et several English, o f whom we had hitherto fallen in

w ith very few, Mr. Brasaey, th e em inent rail­w ay contractor, being of the party, having come

out to superintend the construction o f a railroad between Bilbao and Tudela.

B ein g obHged to move about th e «country a

good deal, he had taken several horses and

carnages from England, and on m y going out

next morning into th e stabloyard, I was soon

accosted by hia groom, who, after h is enfolded

silence am ong the natives, seemed delighted

to have a chat w ith me in h is beloved mothcr- tonguc. l i e gave a piteons uecount o f what he, an E nglish groom, had to go through in that

outlandish country, where he could get neither

hay, nor oats, and had to feed his horses with

barley, “ pigs' v ittels “ in fact,— a diet w hich he

regarded as h igh ly insulting to any respe<stable, well-bred nag, brought up ftx>m foalhood among

th e comforts o f an English stable.H e had all th e feelings o f a thorough groom,

and evidently thought much more o f th e discom-

Desecrated Church. 59

fort fco w hich “ they poor dumb creafcorea ” were exposed, than any privation o f h is own, though

th e Spanish kitchen would proxe but a sorry bu1>

stitute for th e heef, and beer o f a serrants’ hall at home. I was glad to perceive, that after he

had iinhosoned his grievances, and elicited m y

sympathy, and condolence, he «ecmcd consider­ably relieved, and felt disposed to take & more

cheerful view o f things.W hile taking m y usual early etroU, seeing

» good doorway to a church very similar to

tliose at Mondragon, I w ent in , and found

th e interior was in tlie Itenaissance style, h igh ly

oruarnented w ith shields, und other heraldic

devices, fruitage, flowers, &c., a ll o f moat elegant

design, and admirable worlcnianship. H aving

long been desecrated, i t now serves as a forage- »tore to some cavalry barracks, the whole area being filled w ith straw, which was piled up to

the very roof o f th e apse, jiist where th e high altax stood, w hile dirty troopers in undress

were ly ing down, and lounging about.

C H A P T E R V I.

destination to*day, Ootobcr 7, was Bur- g 08, a distance o f about cigk ty miles, and

tlic road, which lay through a sucecssion o f hasin- iOiaped tablc-lands, was interestiiig chiefly from the exactness, w ith which it satisiied one’s pre­conceived notions o f Spain, taking us through

desert-like plains, where treo, and hedge are

unknown, dotted w ith sparse, ahelterkss villages, and sw ept from end to end by every w ind of

heavcu.

I t has often been remarked, tlm t few countries, as delineated on the iace o f a map, are bo desti­tute o f lakes as Spain, none larger tlian a mere

mountain-tarn being anywhere perceptible. This is a very remarkable feature, when tho

number, and extent o f itH mountains are con­sidered. B ut, in j>assing through the country, you have no diiEcoity in accounting for that

peculiarity. There are lakes in abundance, m any o f them covering a great extent of

STirface; bnt unfortunately, instead o f adding to

JFa^sidfl Avettufii. 6 i

the beauty oi* th e landscape, they serve a con­trary purpose, being utterly devoid o f water, and

have been in that condition for hutkdreds, if

not tho-Qsand» o f years. So, to*day, those basin* shaped plains, that opened before us one alter

another in utonotonoufi succession, m ost o f the

way to B uikos, arc in iact nothing but the

beds of dried-up lakes, several o f them enclos­in g a considerable area. The one ly in g between

Vittoria and La Puebla de Arganzon is about twelve m iles long by ten broad, and intersected

through its whole extent by th e river Zadorra, which, passing through a defile in the Morillas

hills, traverses in its downward euurse another

such baain of sroaller dimensions.Gfreat pains have been taken to grow avenues

o f poplars along th e w a^ id e, an undertaking of

no Bmall difficulty in th is thirsty, parched-up

land (for by th is tim e we had quitted the

pastoral scenery o f the Basque provinces, and

were approaching th e plains o f Castille), though a trench \b earefolly eut round efieh tree, to

enable it to retain aa much moisture as possible, whenever rain falls.

I t had now become qnite evident, iroui the

n\unber o f beggars, male and female, adult and juveaile, w ith thw r tattered brown clothing.

$ 1 S^anuA Beggars,

and mahogany complexion, that wo wore at length in veritable Spain, and at every post- house we were surroujided by a circle o f dimVy

beinga, more inclined to demand, than to solicit our alms. The nuisance becom ing at last

intolerable, Lord Portarlington determined to

try th e eiiect o f a specific presorihed by I'ord, as an infallible means o f getting rid o f bc^^ars; and having carefully committed to memory e?ery word o f the spell, ho addressed the leader

of the next group, th a t attaekcd us, in th e fol­lowing terms, and w ith th e m ost praiseworthy

gravity, and deliberation of manner, “ Perdona

me, u s tc ” (a contraction of “ vuestra merced,”

your graec), “ per D ios, hermano ! ” “ Excusc me, your grac^, m y littio brother, for God’s sake 1”

Tho effect of th is incantation was h igh ly en­couraging, W hen first uttered it produced a marked sensation in the assembly, and some of

the more m odest spirit« retired. T he secoad

tim e cleared a ll hut one, and o t iu he decamped

at the third reading, and left us in peace.A s a faithful chronicler, however, I am bound

to add, that at Brivi^ca, some stages further on, th e experiment was not attended w ith the same

success. \Vhether this was owing to the facrt, that the majority o f th e mendicants was composed

o f women, wLo have more perseverance, and

hopefiilness o f tomperainent, than the male«, 0?

tLat, Briviesca liaving once been th e residence of

the Spanish court, its inhahitants have inherited a eonrtie)*-lüo pertinacity in begging, or whether

i t was caused by tho combined action o f the two

circumstances, I am not able to dccide.A t Miranda, sum am ed after tho Ebro, which

intersects th e town, to distinguish i t from Üfteeu other plaices o f the same name, w e fmally quitted

the Basque provinces, and entered Old Castille. Tho cnatora*housc people were very (nvil, and, seeing we were iu a hurry, let ua off w ith the

mildest examination possible. I t was to

plac« that onr Astronomer-Boyal, and a large party o f aeientifc people, w ent for the purpose

o f obsen in g the eclipse o f th e sun on th e 18th

o f Ju ly laßt, an expedition that deserved the success i t achieved-

M any personfl have foncd the country, through

which we were now travelling h igh ly muntcrest- m g. Ford even goes ao far aa to recommend

sleep, as the only expedient to mako the journey

bearable. W c were more fortunate, ow ing pro- l^ lily to th e season; for the frequent rwn- storms had not only laid th e dust, which in those

plains o f chalky clay muat be iu tolerable during

h ot weather, but they were continually producing

a eucoeaaion o f such striking atmoepberic efleet«, as would have made any aceuery intereatirig. To mu th e view s were perfectly novel, glorious

in th e extreme from their v a s t extent, richness

o f colour, and th e magical alternations o f light

and shade, which ffave an endl&ss variety of

expression to th e landscape. Deepest hues of

purple and ñ o let, suffused occasionally with a

golden glow, lay upon a range o f mountains far away to the north-west, like a halo o f uneai*thly

splendour, Lord Portarlington wafl continually

reminded o f E gyp t and Syria, and even T, whose

oriental expcncnces have never extended beyond

R ehilling investm ent in liurford’s Panorama

o f Nineveh, could not help feeliug, that I wa^ now

indeed gazing at scenes which vividly realized th e im aginings, and pictures created h y descrip- tioud o f the Ea^t, N or are we the only wayiarers

that have discovered attractions in those wide

8weepÍ2ig plains. The D ue de St, Siraim, a man

by no means inclioed to sentimentalism, when

ho made tbe journey a hundred and fifty years

ago, at th e same tim e o f year, was greatly struck

w ith the transparency of the atmosphere, “ and

th e view s and perspectives, which cliangcd every

moment.”

A t no great distance from Miranda comes Pancorvo, a mountain-pnss in miniature, over*

hiinpf ^ t h such picturesque castellated roclcs, that reminded me o f more tlian one spot OQ the

way between Prum and Treves, In olden times

th is was a post o f great importanco, being on

one side th e natural portal and barrier o f Caatille, and one o f the approacLeeto Madrid, and on the otker, eendog us a pennanent obstacle to the

Moorisli advance on the nortlicm provinces. N ow it is finite dismantled, and lias nothing else

to do but to diversify th e route, and fill a com er

o f the artist’s sketch-book» wherein, th a t narrow

eleft in the limestune rock, barely wide enough

to allow passage for th e river Oroncillo and the

Queen’s liighway, combined w ith the quaint old

houses o f the little town, nestling im der the

shadow o f ruinons towers, would form veiy

effeetiTe objccts.W hen we passed through, the population was

in a state of xinnsual excitement, and tw o or

three bells were ringing furiously, in honour of

tlie Archbishop o f Biirgos, who was making a con­firm ation-tour iu th is part o f his diocese. H is

carriage, an antiquated greenfly, drawn h y a pair

o f mules, in which the m ost ardent Church- reformer eonld have detected no excess of pre-

r

6 6 The Arch^iJtki^ o f Burgos.

latical pomp or iuxuTy, stood at the Chiracs door. W e aftiTwards heard a very pleasing account of

the Aiehhishop, while we stayed at Huj^os, and

having been lirought up in England, he always

shows attention and fcindncsg to any of oup

countrymen, who com? in h is way.Ik in g anxious to rsach Burgos betimes, wo

travelled cm, a ll day, w ithout stopping, cxoept to

change horse«. About sunset, feeling th e want of

some refreKhmunt, I went in aearch o f a draught

of milk, w liile halting at the post-house o f Brx- viesca. I wandered up and down the street in vain

inquiric«, the natives staring as i f they thought me demented. I was not then aware, that m ilk u

about th e last th ing you should ask fot in many parts of Spain, th e roythical articlc ascribed by

«lioolboys, on tlie U t oi April, to th e pigeon, being quito iA easily procuicd, as the produce of

the cow ixi certain seasons.Brivi«w ais rather pretty, and, being surrounded

b y gardens and orchards, has nothing of that dried-up and parched appearance so noticeable in

the towns o f th is province. I t is said to have

su^cflted the plan o f Santa Fc, built by Ferdi­nand and Isabella during th e siege of Granada,

though certaiiJy that place could never have de­rived its unequalled hideousness from Briviesca,

Brimesco, 67

I t would m a ic a r e iy good Laltmg-pliLCo for

those, who hare sufficient leisiire, and, judging

irom Pord's description, th e uld conxent o f Ona, on th e Ebro, tour leagues and a half ofi’ m ust be in every respcct worthy o f a viftlt.

I t woe dark long before we reached Burgos, having enjoyed, iic*on after leaving Briviesca, the

spectacle o f a glorious suusct, w hich spread over

the western sky some o f the finest combinations o f rich dark colouring I ever beheld, purple, vio*

let, and crimson, hem ^ the predominating hues j

and in such an atmosphere, where every object stands out in m ellow distinctness, i t was c^mte » pieMure to watch each gradually disappear in

the deepening gloom, until at last ni^ht had

swallowed up every one, and left us nothing to look at.

F 2

BC H A P T E R V II .

UEO OS being one o f Üic m ost intereetini?

towns in Spain, i t •w'aa decided we should

stay there ftxrai Friday night t ill M onday morn­ing. I have forgotten the name ot our inn, which stood ju st opposite a cavalry barrack, so

that every moruing a t s is wc had th e fall benefit o f th e toot-a-toot-too, toot-a-toot-t-oo, reveille, w ith which Spain awakens her troopers. This

was quite a snperior hotel, having excellent rooms, handsomely fnniished, aixd very tolerable

cooking. Oiir only objection to th e house lay in

the swarms o f enormous eats, that roamed to and

fro through every apartment, w ith a free-and- easy mr, indicative o f a lengthened suprema^y; while their borrible caterwaulings, which more resembled the noctnrnal crics o f wild beauts, than the utterances o f any respectable domestic

anima], “ made n ight hideons.” Everywhere, since crossing the frontier, we had remarked the

size and numlxT o f the cats ; but at Buikos

they reached their cuhniimtmg point, and became

a positive nuieanco. W hicbever way you turned, some liardeucd old Tom o f almost Pre-adarnite

proportion 8 camc into view , jçoggÜng at you

witJi his great green eye*, aud evidently repatd- in g your presence as an impertinent intrusion

rn his hereditary domain. E ven "\Vhitting;ton

would have been shocked at the ^ n e r a l demean*

onr o f the liurgoa cats, so contrary to aE English

notions of feline propriety.The Cathedral was, o f course, our first " lion .”

L ite m ast wtch buildings in Spain, it is so

crowded w ith works o f art— sculpture, wood- carving, alabaster tombs, retahlos, ancient Church- plate,— among which a superb proceKsioiial Cross

was pre-eminent,— some choice paintings, atid a m ost glorious array o f metal*work,— Ruch as altar- gates and tailings (a spéiAcliit o i Spanish eccle­siastical art)— that days m ight well be devoted

to their examination. Such cursory visits, as wo

were able to make, served more to exhaust mind and body, than to leave a clear, satisfactory im-

presaic^n o f so multitudinous an assemblage of beautiful objects ; and it was, no doubt, from some

highly philanthropic motive, to spare future tra­vellers auy additional conl'usion o f brain, that

7<> Cathetkal.

the French stnashtid Tiearly the whole o f the

painted glaas, which is said to have l>een bodic of

the finest in Spain.This being the first Cathedral we had scon

fincc crossing th e frontier, was natorally regarded

by 118 w ith particuhir attention. Bc^an in 12 2 1 , i t was not tinishcd till 1567, bo that the period o f its ercction extends over tho three centuries

and a half, during which Gothic architectore

passed through its succcssive stages in what we

Britons have been accustomed to call. Early E ng­lish, Decorated, and Perpendicular. Even the

Sacristan allowed, that i t was founded b y an E ng­lishman, and as none are eo jealous of strangers, or 80 much inclined to pass over in silence any

benefit conferred by a foreigner on their country, as Spaniards, such an admission may be consi­dered conclusivc.

The exterior is greatly admired for th e variety, and richness o f its outline, which embra«3e s a

perfect forest of pinnacles, spires, and tow ers; bnt untbrtanately i t is so hemmed in with houses, that it is n o t easy to find a point taking

in the whole sweep o f th e building from one end

to th e other. I m nst say, however, that the ap­pearance of th e w est end, which, in its original condition, F e^ n sso n pnts down as one o f the

Catkfidral. 71

h csi façades in existence, is aadly inarred in tqj

tynÿ b y th e crockets, which stand on t in so stiff

end formal a manner along the whole length of th e two spires, and, &s there ar^ e igh t angles in

each apire, and everv anj'lfl ia coxered wjth a row of

these incm stations. the effect is far from pleasing.On entering yon are at once atmck w ith fln

arrani^ezncnt peculiar to Spanish cathedrals. Instead o f having the portion to the eait

o f the transepts 3arge enough to contain a full-

sized choir, w ith the Episcopal throne, stiiUs for

the Clergy, &c., as is the case in th e Cathedrals o f other countries, the hif’h altar» Hanked by a

space o f tw o or three bays only, is entirelv cut o(T from th e rest o f th e Chiu^h by gates, and

screen*work o f iron, in front, and on each side, while th e actnal choir occnpicd by the general body o f clergy during Divine Service stands ou the western sido o f th e transept, forming, in

reality, a sort u f second choir w itli in the con­structional nave. T liis western choir, w hich can

be entered only at its eastern extrernity, is con­nected w ith the other by low iron railings, abont five feet high, extending across th e transept, and these, us far us we had the opportunity of

judging from the five Cathedrals r tâ ted by us, are never removed. Fergusson se«ms inclined

72 CajfiUa del CondeniahU.

to derive th is arrangement from the Basilicas of

primitive tim es, instancing San Clemente at Rome in support o f his opinion, and by way of

illustration remarlcR, that i f th e western door of

th e choir o f W estm inster Ahbey were eloeed up, its plan would c iaetly represent th is peculiarity

o f a Spanish cuthedral-The obvious objection to th is arraiigement is,

that instead o f there being an open nave, allowing

the eye to range uninterruptedly from the wes­tern cxtrenuty to tho gruud central point o f the

interior, an enormous ma^w m eets the eye at every turn (the enclosure o f th e weateru choir

bein^ often a wall o f marble, thirty feet high), blocldng up the whole breadth of the nave be­tw een the aisles, dwarfing thp proportions, and marring, to a fatal d e j^ e , the general cffect of

the building-The m ost interesting portion o f B uikos cathe­

dral is th e CapiUa del C<yndesUxbU\ built at the

east erid to be the bujial*piace o f tlie Velasco

fem ily, the hereditary Constables of Castille. For

elevation and spaciousness o f proportion, th is

chapel m ight vie w ith m any a church, while its

magnificent tombs, protiiaion of sculpture, aud

other decoration, combined w ith its general sumptuousneas, render it worthy to be the sepul­

chre o f lu D ^ . Opposite the eatranco atands a stone altar-Bcrccu o f great beauty, attributed to

Juan dc Byrgona. B ut the tomhs o f the foundet and h is wife, Riirmoimtecl hy their rccumbent figure« in alabaster, have a special antiquarian in­terest, preserving as they do, the exact costmncs, persomd ornamentg, armoiir, and otlier character­istics o f an age when the drws o f the high-horn

and noble, had heen ckborated into an art. There

is somethin}? very stotcly and impTesfiive in these

tombs, ly ing apart in their sequestered chapel, under the softened light, tliat deacenda from its

lo fty windows ; and were they in any other part o f Spain, tliey would be regarded as prodigies of tho sculptor’s skill. B u t th e eye, frebh from the

exquisite delicacy and refinement o f the royal tomb at Miratlores, which hxjks aa i f it hud l)eeu

wrought hy no human hands, has becoTtie too

faatidious and eritieal to bestow on the monu­m ent o f Pedro Hernandez de Velw co, and his

wife M cneia Lopez do Mendoza, all the admira­tion it deserves.

Burgos, like a ll the other Spanish cathedrals

we visited, abounds in magnificent iron-work, % department o f art which appears to have been

cultivated w itli more care in th is country than in the Test oi' Christendom. Alm ost every cha­

pel (and some Cathedraln contain n o fewer than

tw enty) is feneed-in b y grilles o f m ost ijracoful design, and admirable workmanship; w lnle tbe

high altiU* is enclosed on two sides by railings, and in front by gates o f tlio same material, vaeh

portion being usually a perfect marvc*! o f tlie

metal*worker’s skill. Some o f tliese gcitci$ stand

th irty feet high, and when constructed o f iron, as is almost alwa;ys tb e case, are not only richly

gilt, so as to have tl)e effect o f lig h t and shade, but covered, m addition, w ith profuse omamenta*

tion— groups o f figures representing sacred sub- jecta, which generally exhibit some type, or image o f the H o ly Jiucharist— fruit-—tiowers— animals

—-fili^ec-w ork— and heraldic dericea. The style o f these as they are called, is almost in­

variably dnqae-cento, which to me was their sole defect. H ad th ey chanced to be formed of

any other material than iron and brHas, they

would never have thus survived to testify to

the eouning handiwork o f Spanish Tubal- Cains.

There is another peculiarity in Spanish Cathe­drals, which m ay be noticed in passing. A t the

intersection o f th e transepts w ith th e nave, rines

tho Cimbffrio, a eonstruction in th e form o f a

dome, marked externally by a low tower, which

is often octaconal. A s tar as I can recoUcct, we

have nothing like i t i ii any o f our pointed eatho*

cirals, o ic c ^ the O cta ^ n at E3y.N oth iiig , however, at liur^fos afforded us half

the deLight we enjoyed from a v isit to the Car- thnfiian Convent at Miradores, ahout two milea

from th e town. Though a royal foundation, and

still containing the rcmwQfi o f three royal per­sonajes, it lias shared the downfall o f other reli­gions houaea in Spain, and now shelters only ñve

monks, who still cling to tbeir old home. Its sit nation is dreary in th e extreme, in the midst

of an arid, hongry-lookin|f plain, that re­minded Lord Portarlingfcon o f the desert beliind

Cairo ; and On entering th e preeincts, we found

u melancVsolydooking woman sitting liatlw sly iu

th e ont«r cloister, typifying, unconsdooaly, the

desolate condition o f th is once illustrious con­vent. I ts atyle is Perpendicular o f very simple, unadorned character, while the material, granite, gives i t an air o f severitv and coldness, much

more in keeping with it* present condition, than w ith those palmy day«, when it basked in the

sunshine o f royal favour.The Chnrch contains tw o of the m ost marvel­

lous productions o f art i t was ever m y good lor»

tune to b o h d d ; a R ciabh, or altar* screen, and an

aJataster tomb in front o f th e altar, both erccted

h j Queen Isabella, w ith th e first-fruits, i t is said, o f America's new ly «discovered ^ I d , th e artist, E l Maestro Oil, having completed this twin-

triumph of Ilia cm fl about the tim e that Colam*

bus returned £roui h is fiw t v o y a ^ in 14 yS.The Retablo, a spwie» o f altar*screen peculiar

to Spain, runs to a height o f alwut thirty feet

b y tw enty «five, and is divided into conipartmcnts

fiUed w t h a series o f wood-carvings, characteris­tically coloured t<i represent the varions ercuts

o f our Lord’s life, th e Crucifixion beinp; the grand

central design, surrounded by “ an innumerable

company o f augcls,” Nothinsf can exceed the

beauty o f th is m aster-picce; the mere arran^-

m ent o f such a uudtitudincus host o f fiinures, exhibiting th e utm ost power o f conkpression, w ithout crowding or confiwion, being itself a marvel o f skill. W orthily to describe such a

work would require the best powers o f a R ustin , and the barest outline xs more than I could rcn-

ture to attempt. I t wonld take one honrs to

examine its various details, and I longed to have

half a doxen pairs o f eyes, and a memory o f ten­fold capacity, to enable me to note down, and

carry away, it» myriad beauties.The tom b erected by Isabella to her father.

Jaan I I ., ami mother, in front of the altar, U

said to be the finest work o f th e kind iu exis­tence, an aflsertion I have x>o diiiiciilty in helieT- in g after seeing that monument. I ts material is alabaster, and the dimensions are noble, being

about twerity-one feet b y fifteen, while i t rises

five feet from the fiour o f the chnrch. I ts form

is octagonal. Upon i ts horizontal surface Ue

th e figures o f Juan aud his wife Isabella, arrayed in their royal apparel, and executed w ith such

consummate skill, that one is tem pted to fanc}' they had laid them down to rest, and were

turned to stone during sleep, by the operation of some mjigic infiuence. The sides o f the tomh

are M ed w ith subjects tivm oo i Lord’s life, the

four com ers being oceupicd by figures o f the

Evangelists nearly tw o feet high, standing in

the attitude o f watchers oxer th e royal pair. A n

air o f deepest repose and peacefulness broods

over the tomb, while its surpassing whiteness

imparts a look of peculiar purity, as it i t did nut

belong to earth. K o description I eonld give

can convey more tlian the faintest idea o f the

impression produeed upon the m ind by this

miracle of A rt, as you stand before i t in the vaiu endeavour to master its details. The eye—

challenged a t the same moment by an infinite

73 Htnerted Convent.

T i r i e t y o f objects, nvailing each other in grace* iiilntiss o f desif^n, and congnmmate execution—

tnow a not whither to turn, and glances in hope­

less perplexity over th e f ib r e s < f Apostle, !Rvan- gclist> Martyr, and Saint, as they stand ont adorned w ith superh costumer, and encircled hy

wreaths o f flowers and fruita|^, looking moTe

like the creation o f Anj^l-hands than the work­manship o f any dweller in th is lower world.

A n iron railing which fonces-in the tomb, though absolutely npoesgary to preserve its delicate details from injury, ponsiderahly man

the effbct o f tlie ornaments w ith which its sides are covered, by intercepting a clear view; and

were tho tomb over phot<^fraphed, or modelled, it would bo necossaiy to remove th is obstruction.

I t was a heart-aehing sight to look at that silent, deaertod convent, with its spacions cloisters

untrodden, and its garden overgrown w ith weeds, while the Brotherhood, oneo so m ut^ visited and

honoured by the ^ e a t ones o f the earth, has now

shruiik into a poor despised company o f five, who

can only wear the hahit o f their order by stealth, and at m idnight. The vory existence, too, o f

such marveU as the tomb and altar*screen, in

a place on which the world now frowns, makes

the contrast between past and pref^ei t the more

keenly painful; and as we visited tHe spot ou that

B tom y October clay, a il the accompanimcnts—• sky, wcjatiicr, aiidlandscap«— were in mclancholy liarmony w'itb ita fallen conclitiun.

A t Burgos we first notiw d the horrible noiae

made by Spanish bell-ringers. A n Englishman, w ith h is rixsoUertions of the merry peaLi and Rwect chimes o f his own eounti^*, listens w ith

astouUhmerit and horror to the din o f a Spanish

belfry, where every ringer pnlla on hie own

aceonnt, w ithout the least regard to w hat his

fellow*jwrformers are doing, the grand object being to produce as much noiae us possible. Y ou li^teu iu vain for anything like scientific

ringing; aud th e mysteriee o f "Orandsire-bob,”

“ Singlebob-minor," " Grandaire-treble,” “ Triple

bob*major,” and a ll the other permutations of

E nglish Campanology, seem in Spain to be

xitterly unknown.The dark-eyed little maid that waited on us,

finding, I suppose, our manners did not eome up

to the standard of Spanish punctilio, which, in

forms o f address and salutation at lea«t> elevates a £aherwonian into a duchesa, and places an

ostler on the level of a grandee, took every op­portunity o f g iv ing ua inatruction in th e correct phrases and modes of address, aud, by way of

8o Instm dion in Manners.

turning them to immediate acconnt, made u s tiso

them on all occa$iou8, so that we could get nothing we required from her until, like goocf

children, we Lad asVed for it “ prettily.” I f we wanted bread, we were obliged to say, “ Hapa

me, \iste, cl favor de dar m e del p<\n?” “ W ill yoar grace do me tlie favour to give me some bread?” and a similar formula was necD«?6afy

whatever wc asked for. Poor g ir l ! She was

verv painstaking for our improvement, and 1

hope her good-natured endeavours to remedy the

deficiencies o f an English education were in

some slight degree succc^sfnl, though 1 fear, that

in m v own case, a course o f instruction, extending over two days only, imparted l>ut a very thin

gla^e of Spanish politeness to th e unceremonious­ness o f inaniier native to m ost Englishm en.

The environs o f liurgos contain severaJ object* o f interest, which every zealous sight«soer goes

to see, though we saw them uot. A m ong these

are the cloisters o f H uelgas, spoken o f by Fer- gusson as “ nnrivallwl for beauty both ot design

and detail, and unsurpassed perhaps by anything

o f tlicir age in any part of Europe.” T hen again

at San Pedro dc Cardena, witliin a ride o f the

town, there is tLo burial-place o f that peerless

he^o of romance and song, Itodrign K uy P i a?.,.

cominoiJy called the Cid, a spot wlucli no tra­veller o f bygone times, hofore the days o f chi­valry were gone, wonld ever have left unvisitcd.I feci now tliat tlie omission was a grave dere­liction o f duty. O f coiirSü wc fully intended

before wo reached Burgos, going there in due

form, hut after all did n o t; for in these degene­rate days, the very hest intentions do not render

any one capable o f doing more than son pom hle

and, to say nothing o f the deplorable weather, ooritijLual sight-seeing, w ith all its delights and

enjoyments, is certainly verj' exhausting occupa­tion for a middle*agcd body like myself.

W e used to take refuge from the cold and

damp, which seem to c<mtend for supremacy over Burgos, at the fireplaco o f the saJit^a-manger, which was us good as a private room, except during diligence hours, occurring generally about midnight, when we were otherwise engaged. Here we m et an English gentlem an from Leeds, w ell acquaij^ted w ith Spain, and we spent the Sundiiy evening vory pleasantly together, dis­cussing oceleaiastical aifeirs in general, and the

probable futuro o f the Church o f England in particular.

M

C H A P T E E V n i -

O N D A Y , Ocioher 1 0 .— Packed up and

broE^afltefl, hoping to be olT immediately. H ad some diffictdty in getting th e bill, w tic li seemed to be purpc^ely kept back to tlic very last moment. W lien at length it did appear, it

proved to be a document of singnlar brevity and

oonci&eneee, indulging in none o f the details cbajacteristic o f sueh compositious. I ts sum- total, however, am oim tiug to 1041 reals, made

up for every other deficiency. Tt is tbe natural tendency of biUe, in all part« o f tbe world, to produce a startling efTect on th e recipients ; but

in Spajn, th is is infinitely aggravated by the national method o f computation, a ll accounts

being made up an reak vfllon, caeli of which is worth twopence three-ferthings, so that the

amount claimed by our host at Burgos was no

less £ 1 1 • 8e. 6 jif., a sum absurdly dispro-portioned to tho accommodation aud entertain-

Spanish Extortion. 8j

m cnt supplied between Friday niglxt and Monday morning. Particulars were asked for to enable?

us to diacover where tb e imposition lay, bnt our

Spanisli, being very sm all and broken, had no

power to elicit any tilin g satis&ctory. As Mr. Eidf'r, tbe gentlem an w ith whom wc had made

acquaintance yesterday, spoke Spanish fluently, and in such a manner s a to produce an impreB- sion, we at once availed ourselves o f h is aid, and nothing could be moro kind, patient, and business­like, than his mctliod o f settling th e affair.

The landlord was sent for, and M r. Rider

cross-examined lum on every point. W ith great

difficulty, and considerable application o f the

screw, lie made out a bill of 672 reals, inclusive o f some gross ovcrchaiges. Eeyond that point

be could not advance, and when pressed to

account for the difFcrcnco between 1041, and

C72, ho turned sulky, and refused all iurther ex­planation, A t laat, finding he could not escapc, he acknowledged that Lord Portarlingtoxi, being

a great nobleman, and brother to th e Queen of

England, was charged the balance o f 36^ reals (in itse lf a tolerably large bill o f £4. 4>b. 6j£?,) for

tho various attentions and extra civilities he had received during hie stay !! N aturally consider­in g these were hardly worth so much, he declined

G 2

84 A Friend in Need.

paying for them at so h igh a rate, and the

upshot was, that, th an ts to Mr, Eider’s detcrmi- . nation and f?ood management, th e b ill was

ultim ately reduced to 760 reab, not, however, before h© had been m ost grc»sly insulted b y the landlady, who, m eeting him ou tho stairs, at­tacked him like a bereaved tigress, and showered

upon him a torrent o f Spanish Billingsgate. As

Mr. Eider was going to stay another day at the

hotel, feeling very anxious he should not suffer on aceouut o f bis good-natured aiwistanee, we

managed to patch up a sort o f peace w ith the

landlord, who, to do bim justice, soon recovered

bis temper, and promised to bebave properly to

our countryman after ou i departure. This truce

did not include his strong-minded hclp-mate, as wu thought it the better part o f valour not to

meddle w itb her, while she stormed and raved, in th e lower regions of the hotel, at the loss of

her hoped*for spoil.This altercation delayed ua a j^ood hour, and

w hen ax last I wont down to see whether the l\^ gage had been properly stowed away, 1 found

Cambour, who sinec Tolosa had sadly declined

ftxjm h is first zeal and activity, having in fact beeomc almost useless, looking more unpromising

than ever, as, in a sort of muddled, sleepy way, he

professed to be helping Swainsop. H is face had become almost black, and every vein stood out on

his forehead w ith fearful distinctness, while hi«

goneral a,ppoarauce led one to fear he had hoen

spending h is days and nights at B uidos in swill­in g th e w ine o f th e country, which has the

colour and conRisteney o f ink. H e had, at any rate, made him self a m ost deplorahle-looking

object.H aving now heen iivo days on th e road, in ­

cluding our halt at B u i^ s , we began to feel rather ashamed o f ourselves, and, as we were

anxious to reach Madrid by Tuesday n ight, we

determined, when once off, not to rest t ill we arrived at CaRtUlejo, a village at th e foot ol

the Somo*Sierra mountains.The had weather s till continued, bnt between

the Rhowers we had magnificent bursts of sun­shine, which, contrasting w ith the deep masses

o f storm-cloud th ion gh which they broke, gave

infinite variety to the landscape. Eictenaive

woods o f ilex (a feature to w hich wc afterwards

bccame so m uch accustomed in TCatrcmadura) ap­peared from tim e to tim e, dotted here and there

w ith such picturesque groups of old pollards, while in many placcs th e road was bordered by

lovr scrubby vineyards, their fm it and foliage

86 Spanish Ihfeing.

being alike plastcrcd w ith a cjhalky composition, which, having originally descended upon them

in th e form of summer duRt, had be<?n converted

by the autunuml la ins into a eoatiiig o f mud, that would hardly improve th e flavour o f the

approaching vintage. W e passed several flocks

o f long'woolled sheep, on their way to winter- quartera among th e eunny dehesan o f Estre­madura, attended hy skin-clad shepherds, who

looked the very picture o f dreamy do-nothing­ness, and entire im m unity from soap and water. Before entering Lerma we crossed the Arlauza, which, l i i e many o f tho streams in this neighbour­hood, abounds w ith trout. A s wc drove into

the tow n in heavy rai; , nothinff could look more wrctched— I do n ot even remfmber a single

bcf^ar m aking his ap ea ra n ce— and the ruins o f a noble palace, built by the lauque de Lerma, in

1604, on a brow overliangij>g the town, which, after suffering pillage from the Prench, a now converted into a prison, served only to increase

i ts wretchedness.Hereabout th e eternal brown pane pardo of

the Spanish peasantry began to bo varied w ith

brighter colours, and th e women wore brilliant

red stockings, and petticoats o f blue or yellow, the latter being tlie m ost feshionablc. One

soon remarks th e extreme beauty o f Spanish

dyeing, and their scarlets, greens, and yeUows are m m valled for dearness, and distinctness of

hue, so different from the dtiH m uddy colours produced in England. Tho yclhjws « e espe­cially good, being more like a rich, warm canary, than hy that name among us.

A t Aranda del Duero, w e managed to walk on

a couple o f mile*, in advance o f the carriage, while they were changing horses, an operation

o f somo lim e at a Spanish postnng-house; and

then on we travelled, stage after stage, for honrs, until at last, near m idnight, we diev^ up at the

p o 9oda o f Caatillcjo, in a decided state o f mind. l ia v in g now been on the road more than thir­teen ho^irs, we were quite ready for bed, dinner

being altogether out o f th e question, and find­in g th e people o f the inn were all asleep, we

cntcsrod through the stable, whieh, as usual, occupied the ground floor; and going on a

voyage o f discovery upstairs, we soon m et with the very th ings we were m ost in w ant of—

a couple o f very clean, comfortable bedrooms, w ithout inhabitants, and forthwith we took possession.

Presently out caoie th e mistress, and setting

her arms a-kimbo (a vory had sign, I alwyas

88 TnhospitalUy.

tliink, in the beau sexe), she OTerwhelmed us

W itt a flood o f Spanish, which, however -onin- tellif^hlc iu eenae, in soTuid conreyed an unm is­takable declaration that our presence was b y no

means welcome. W e had not, however, gone all that digtanM to hud^^e for a little noise, and pay­in g n o heed to her ill-tim ed remarks, we began to exercise our rights o f possession. A fter a

while th e daughter, hearing the distorbanc«, came out o f her bedroom, and, so far from reinforcing her “ respected parient,” she proved

a decided acquisition to our side, for, having been

brought up at some provincial boarding-school, she could actnally speak F rench! B y her inter­vention we discovered that the hofltess, having

a conscientioQS ol^ection to late hours, was per- fectly seandalizcd at tho idea o f receiving tra­vellers at m idnight. H ad we known in time of

that prejudice, which, in the abstract, is highly

commendable, we m ight have respected it. But

here we were, at the foot o f the Somo-Sierra, w ith a paas of considerable elevation to he

crossed before we conld reach any other inn, and

80 prejudice m ust needs give way to necessity.Still th e hostess would n ot give her consent

to our remaining for the n ight in her h ou se; at length Lord Fortarlington brought matters

to an issue by aakinp the daughter, " WKellier they wcr6 Catholics, or heathens ? ” and "Tf i t was

part of their religion to deny shelter to the

s t r a n ^ ? E ven the m ost uncivilized saxages are

accuatomcd to exercise hospitality towards any

wayffircrs that m ay stand in need o f i t ; while

here, in a Christian land, where th e Catholic faith is univci'saUy professed, three travellers arc

denied admittance in to a house o f public enter­tainm ent, at an horn when i t is impossible to

obtain lodging elsewhere i ” This appeal to the

m ost accessible side o f a Spaniard’s digposition

brought the woman to her senses, and without another word she m eeH y went for the sheets, &c., and glad enough were we to get in to oar

well-earned beds.N ex t morning we made our first acquaintance

w ith one o f th e peculiarities o f Spanish travel, which subsequent experience soon made familiar

— wc could not get a drop o f m ilk, and th e mere

fUjking for some seemed to be regarded almost as

a personal afEront!C astillgo stands at no great distance from the

m ountains dividing th e tw o CaBtillea; and such

9, wind as came rushing down th e ravxnes, lashing us right and left w ith whips and scor­pions. I have never felt, *?xcept in some o f the

90 Chaotic Wild.

mosfc“6xposed A lpine pa^e«. A s a ll th e head­gear, except th e hood, o f the old Coquette had

been remoTod before we started from Bayonne, we had little protection from those hlasts, and had to fend off their assaults w ith cloaks

and nmhrcll&s. T he yoad winds slowly to the sum m it o f the pass through a bleak and tree*

Less depression between the mountains, which,

despite their height o f some 5000 feet, a?e entirely devoid o f interest, being mere rounded

elcvatloTis o f no more charaeter than an ordinary

sheep-walk; and we were not sorry to find

on»elves descending th e other side, at a pace

that soon brought m in to a more-sheltered

district.Between Buitrago and Lozoyuela, we passed

through a very singular tract o f coimtry, which "Wordsworth would donhtless have described as

a chaotic wild,” though m y prosaic mind could

not help at the m oment likening i t to a vast natural stoneyard, ont o f which m any and many

a Stonehenge m ight bo hewn, covering an

extent o f about three miles, where granite blocks

o f every size and shape were strewn about in

gtrangest confusion, aa i f they had descended in

a deluge from th e tempest-shattered crags over­

hanging this wilderness o f stone. T he cold gray

t)f th e granite, contrasted moat effectively w ith the rich colouring? o f the distant landsctipe, whicb, opening ont over bonndli^ss plains in th e direc­tion of Madrid, lay flooded by streaona o f slanting sunshina. Two great birds, eagles or vultures, sailing grandly over tho serrated ridge to our

righ t, were quite in harmony w ith th e desolate

grandeur o f the spot.Jnst aa the day closed, we began to descciid

from the h igh ground, over which mc«t of to­day s route lay, in to the great plain surrounding Madrid 5 and though its usual appearance has no

more attraction than is comnjonly presented hy

-any boundless extent of arid corn-land, yet at that m oment th e approach o f night, and the

dark sliades o f indigo that shrouded tlie distant uplands, imparted a solemn, mysterious character

to th e scene, redeeming i t from th e common­place aspect i t generally wears. Cambour asserted, that Madrid itself was visible from this point;

but that worthy’s moral cliaracter having greatly

declined in our estimation, we scarcely credited

th e Qjfscrtion.A t th e last stage before entering IMadrid we

had to wait some tim e for horses, and, having had nothing to eat eicvpt some fruit since

breakfast, were very glad to employ th is interval

^2 Mnier M a d rid .'

in the conenTnption of what wisic caJlod pigeons

(though, for all we coold tell, they m ight have

“been roots cookcd a la colomb':), at a rery dirty- looking renUi, where a large party o f natives

were taking their supper. Another hour saw U8 driving in to tb e porie-cockh'e o f the Ilotul Peningnlares, very thankful to have eo prosper­ously concluded a journey generally described

b y travellers as th e very essence o f a ll th a t is

tedious and uninteresting.

r p I I F . excellent situation o f the Peninsulares

J - gave us a very ^v^onrable iiist jmpresaon

of Madrid, when we looked ont next morning, curious to see what th is least-visited of all Euro­pean capitals wus like. T he Culle do Alcalá, fn whieh the hotel stands, is spacious and hand- som e; and aa, adapting itself to tho inequality

of the ground, i t gradually rises from th e Puerta

del Sol, and then, fiT>m its central point, de­scends on the other side in a gentle slope towards

th e Prado, i t presents a very im posing appear- ance, and would he an ornajnent to any c ity in

Europe. A ll th e tim e, however, a sort o f nn-

conscious feeling lurks in the mind, that so thoroughly m odem and western-looking an as­semblage o f shops and houses as meets tbe oje

on every side, has no business to be th e capital o f so old-ñkshioned and semi-oriental a country

aa Spain. N or docs that feeling pass away

when you estond yry*js observation into other quarters o f the town. Go where yon wiU, not

a token o f antiquity is to be deen; for even tho churches, whieh in m ost towns stand like

Patriarchs amonp; public buildings, do not here claitn an earlier date than tw o or three cen- tnriee, Tn fact, nothing at Madrid looks old, except the fountains, whose atmosphere (if T

m ay use such a term) o f moisture and damp, added to the incesiiant use made o f them, Ixas invested thoin, in a certain degree, w itb the apparance o f age.

I f we now turn another way, the front w in­dows o( tho hotel command tho Puerta del Sol, into w hich several principal streets, Calle dc

M onteia, and Callo de laa Carrelas, besides the

Calle de Alcala, debouch, making i t the meat animated and crowded spot in a ll Madrid, though

i ts unfnished state and low position deprive it o f every claim to beauty or picturesque eficxrt; w hile it* architectural pretensions are exceed­in g ly mean and shabby. I t owes its high-

sounding title, the “ Gate o f the Sun,” which

leads you to expect som ething transcendental, to the circumatanoe, th a t wheo Madrid covered

loss groimd, tlie cast gate need to stand liere. B a t now, when new buildings extend so far

bcyoTid it towards the rising 9mi'* fcte Puerta

del Sol has become almost as oc?ntral in situa­tion aa it ia certainly in all social reapocts; and i f you wi&h to see whatever stir aud life Madrid

contains, th is is th e place to go to, and at all hours, save and except when a buH-fight is pro­ceeding, you arc sure to find there aomething to

catch the attention o f a foreigner.Our B u ^ o s ftcquiuntance, Mr. Rider, had

recommended us to tho Peniusulares, chiefly on

account o f its situation; and though its entrance

and basement are filtliy, in addition to some other considerable defects, yet altogether we were

tolerably comfortable there, and nothing could

exoced tb e civility and attention o f tb e landlord, an liDglish'Speaking native o f Gibraltar, who

was always at h is post, and, b y doing his own duty, took care tbat a ll his people did tbeirs

aho.Tlxere is another hotel, very auperior in point

o f comfort and cleanliness, opposite tlxe UngUsh

E m bassy; but it is so very far out o f the way, and 80 dreadfully quiet for tliose who w isb to

see what is going on, tbat we became perfeetly

reconciled to th e deficiencies c f the Peninsulares, and felt no desire to change onr quarters.

W e SCO th e Queen drive out m ost evenings

about nightfall, just when tho test o f the world

is going home, and she seldom returns before

it is quite dark. There are generally three or

four carrij^es*and*six, 'oncommonly well ap*

pointed, w ith beautiful h o ises; coachmen, pos* tiliona, and footmen, being very w ell got*np, and the whole tuin-out i& worthy o f üoyaJty. B u t what delights us m ost of all in the cortcge

is “ the coaclx o f respect/' an em pty carriage, w ith blinds down, drawn by four lovely cream- coloured horses, which brings up the rear o f the

procession, having very much the Mme office to

perform in the Koyal retinue, that em pty car­riages do w ith us at funerals, l l i e idea is thoroughly Spanish, and is quite in keeping

with the traditional notions o f the m ost cere*

monious people in Europ«.W e used to remark, that when the K in g goes

out like a private gentleman, and drives a light open camage'and'pair, he hardly gets a bow, even when passing along the much-irequented

Calle de Alcalá, as i f h is state-worshipping subjects did nut think it worth while to give

themselves thu trouble of tmcovcring fur so

slender an o q u ip ^ . B nt, at the approach of

the grand proccssion, eoaches-and-sii, coche de regpetlo, and smart cscort o f Lancers, off goes

every hat in tlie presence o f sucli unmistakahle

tokens o f royalty.One o f the characters in “ Coi^txini Flem ing,”

th e hero’s atepmotker, has great K^pect for for- nitnre. The Spaniards oitertain the same feel­ing» towards carria^e^; and as we travellHi from

In m to Madrid in the liimbcring old Coquette, a vehicle that exhibited a good many Penin­sular peculiaritiea o f construction, bows seemed to come by instinct from almost every wayfarer

w e passed.A s soon as liord Port^U ngton had left hia

name at the E nglish Embassy, an invitation to

dinner for th e same evening was sent imme­diately, in wliich I was kindly included, Sir

Andrew Buchanan being at the moment so much engaged w ith urgent bnainess, that he

could not call t ill next day. PeeHng unwell, I

did not avail m yself o f liady Jiuohanan’a kind­ness, but enjoyed afterwards tho pleasure of

joining h a party twiee, spending each tim e a

very agreeable evening- Indeed, m ost o f our

enjoyment while at Madrid was ow ing to the

great kindness received at th e Embassy, where the national hospitalitv is maintained w ith as

müch refinement, aa liberality, in the midst of a society, where dinner-giving is nnknown. I t

•H

Tt^le

is a real satisfaction to an En^lisbmaD, to ob­serve how mxick bjg ooniktry’s representative is

respected, among a people by no means d»a- poeed to regard foreij^ners w ith too favourable

an eye.One o f tbe evenings we dined at the Embassy,

D on P . Gayaixgos, tbe autbor o f “ Maboinnjedan

D ynasties in Spain /’ and, to use the words of

Ford, " tbe first Hiapano-Arabic scholar o f bis

dny/’ was o f tbe party."Wben, for tb e first tim e, I w ent t*p to tbe

h l k (for, contrary to tbe wont of anyother hotel I was ever in , tb e saUe-a-jnan^er of

the Peninsularus is at the very top o f the bouse), I found ei^bt or ten compatriots at table. N e s t

to one o f tbese, a fine, well-grown specimen of

th e true Englishm an, o f frsmk simple manners, and open coxintenance, I bitd a place assigned

m e. Judging from bis monstache and heard, 1 set him down as an officer &om Gibraltar. H e

turned ont, however, to be a clergyman, o f tbe

name o f Southwell, and had acquired tbose

soldierly appendages in tbe Crimea, where he

served as an Army-Obaplaan. H e and I soon

struck up an acquaintance, and we saw a good deal o f him, both at Madrid, and afterwards at

S ev ille ; for be was one o f those kindly, warm-

Melancholy RccoUcctioni. 99

hearted nafcnres, so pocuharly attra^tiTo among

strangers; and when we parted for the second

tim e, i t wttS in the hope of m eeting him once m oie at 0ihraltar, where he purposed going

before he sailed from Cadiz for the Havannah. From Bome cause, however, wc never him a^ain, and the other day, greatly shocked were

wc to hear, that while on a tour in Caimda, he

was thrown irom his horse, and killed on the

spot, in the very prime, and flower o f liis age. H e had travelled mtich, both in Europe and in

the East, and his genial disposition seemed to

have won friends wherever he went. H e gave

promiflc o f eventually settling down into a very

useful coantry clergyman.1 never look hack to that dinner, without

melancholy feelings, as another o f the merry

party, w ith whom 1 spent so agreeable an hour, and he one o f th e youngest and m ost animated

of th e company, a Mr. Blake way, who resided

permanently at Madrid, has long been numbered

w ith the dead, having fallen a victim to one of

thoso deadly fevers, ko common to that climate, in the course of last winter.

Indeed, even dnring our short stay o f ten days, wo had a fatal proof o f the extreme unliealthinoss o f Madrid, in thf death from typhus o f a young

u 2

i<jo A Ft/nfraJ.

Englishman, naxned W aring. l i e was aii en­

gineer o f considerable distinction and wore pro- miae. and had gone there on business connected

w ith some o f th e railways iu progress. There

being at the tim e uo Chaplain attached to the

Em bassy (a deficiency that I nnderatand has

since been supplied, chiefly hy the libcrahty, aud exertions o f Sir Andrew Buchanan), I was re­quested to officiate at hia funeral. I t took place

at the E nglish Cemetery, which Lord K owden had so much difficulty in securing for the nse of

our country men. I t is still \uiconsecrated, nor

ie there, I fear, muoh probability th a t Spanish

intolerance w ill grant to the reverential feelings

of Englishm en, a boon they would gricTC to have

denied to themselves. I t is, however, properly

enclosed w ith a h igh >vall, and th e authorities (especially our Cons^il, Mj . iirackenbury) take

great pains to hare everything about it kept up

w ith scropulouB care.T he first portion o f the Burial Service was

celebrated in a vaulted room within the gateway

(which a trivial outlay would soon convert into a

very tolerable substitute for a cemetery chapel), and, as the glorions words o f St. Paul fell on the

ear, like the notes o f a trumpet, the bonds o f a eommon religion, and country, seemed to come

CkrisH/tn Brotherhood. l o i

home w ith pecnliar force, while I rem aited thé

presienoe o f several persons (Sir Charles and Lady

JSastiako among the number) totally unconnected

w ith th e deceased, eaccpt hy th e ties o f Christian brotherhood in the Church o f England, who, in

spite o f rain and storm, had come that da.y to

express their sym pathy w ith his sorrowing relations, and whose demeanour gave proof, that, go where one may, there are still to he found

tender, loving hearts, whif'h can weep for them

that weep, even though they be utter strangers, and “ from their own, have learnt to m elt at

others’ woe.”

C H A P T E R X.

OTJR first enterprise, in the way o f aigkt- seeing, was a v isit to th e m a ^ fic e n t

Muaco, th e finest pictiire-j^Ucry in th e world, which is said to contain a larger number o f good

paintings, and a smaller proportion o f indifferent ones, than any in existence. A s far as regards

tlie convenicuce of stranger«, nothiug can he

better m an n ed , and every day, and all day

through, tlic massive portals o f the M useo open

to your touch, without the intervention of a silver key, and, once in, you find a number of

m ost civil attendants, who appear to take a pride

in making your v isit as agreeable as possible.N o gallery can be better adapted for the quiet

study of pictures; and as yon wander through those spacious, shady rooms, far away from tho

din o f the town, yon n ot on ly feel yourself to he

in th e presence o f some of the noblest works of

A rt in the world, but to have besides everything

you rcqnirc for the thorough enjoyment o f them.

Your sole difficulty arises Iromthe oTerpo^ering

array o f beauty m eeting the cyo on every side, which makes selection impossible, until the first burst of excitement hiuj somewhat subsided.

I t has often been remarked, how vividly the

grandenr o f Nature, as i t is revealed in some of

her snblimcst sceues, brings home the seuee of man’» insignificance. B ut there is no situation

where I so keenly realize m y own lim ited

powers o f ohserration, as when brought face to

face, for the firat time, w ith such ft multitude of maatoT'WorVa, as are contained w ithin the walls

o f some great picture-gallery. I long lo have every faculty m-ultiplied tenfold, so m to possess

in some adequate measure the capacity for ap- prehendinij, and uiastering, the myriad impres­sions produced b y contact w ith those Rlorious

emanations o f genius; and as one idea crowds

upon another, and im age chases image in rapid

sucoessiou through th e mind, T wander about in

helpless despair, feeling as i f “ Chaos were come

again,” and bad taken entire possession o f my

poor brniii.L et not tliat worthy individual, th e reader,

to whom so much deference ia justly due, imagine

for H moment, that in m aking the following

observations on «omu o f the contents of tbe

Masco, I am goin^ to be o f sncli un­pardonable presomption, as to attempt anything

Ixke a catalogae of its treasures, an undertaking

none but a Kuakin conid safely venture upon. I crave no more tban the perm isaon accorded to every traveller, simply to pnt down what I

saw, and th e impression left on m y memory hy

the few paintings I Lad tim e to examine.Our first v isit was devoted to tho room on the

right Land as you enter, wliicli may be truly called

a National Gallery,as it contains nunc hut Spanish

paintings, hy Velasquez, ifu r illo , Bibera» .Toancs, Zurburan, and others. Velasquez, however, is

th e glory o f th is salo<m» and Leru Lc may bo

seen iii every phase of Art— portraits, landscapes, historical subjects, animals, and even th e lowest

scenes o f cc^mmon life— and in ail Lc seems

equally ut home. H is religious subjects are considered the least effective, and Ford, in his

charming Life o f Velasquez, publi'^hed in thePenny Cyclopjedia,” is dim ng enough to say

that h is sacred autgects are holy on ly in name. Y et one of h is works in th is room, a “ Cruci-

fiiion ,” marked 51, appears to m e to he abso­lutely perfect.

B old ly relieved a ^ in a t a sky o f deepest gloom,

our Lord's figure stands out in solitary sublim ity.

H is face partially concealed by long tresses of

diskevelled hair, failing upon i t l i t e a v e i l ; and

the mind, undistracted by the presence o f any

other object, is ahaorbed in awe-atruck contempla­tion o f the greatcut event man’s eye ever beheld. A n indescribable air o f dcaokllon pervades the

whole pictuic, a$ iP it were intended to represent that m oment o f nnknown agony, when onr

Saviouj cried out, “ M y God, m y God, why

hast Thon forsaken i l c ? ”— while Ibe periect sim plicity o f its compositjon, gives i t tar more

reality and ^ n d e u r , tlian i f th e canvas were

encnrohered w ith a najnher o f figures; it ia

-indeed tlic Son o f M an treading th e wine-prea»

alone.This room containa some o f Velasqnez’a finest

portrait^» among whieh 299 and B03 stand pre*

eminent, representing Philip IV . and h is Qneen, Isabella, on horseback, in which the k ing’s

»tately war-horse, and liis wife’s high-bred jennet, together w ith the countenanco«, figures, and

costumes o f th e royal pair, and a charming back­ground to the K in g’s portrait, are painted with

as much freedom and grate, as i f such perfection o f A rt were th e easiest tilin g in the world, and

you ccTuid do it yourself, i f yon set about it. Indeed, th is is one of the m ost remarkable

to 6 S^anvsk

cliafactcristlos o f Velasqaez, that he seeras to

have done everything w ith much facility, as if

th e sXili o f a master came to him> hke Dogberry’s

reading and writing, by natnre, and he bad been

bom a painter.I f you ^ h to understand the decline and fell

o f Spain» go and study his portraits, which, bridgiDg the space o f tw o ccuturie«, set yon down

iace to face witb K in gs and Quocns, Infantes

and Infantas, so that yon see Spanish royalty in all its cliildisbness and im becility, exactly as he

saw th em ; and you w ill Boon cease to wonder

how it came to pass, that “ the first o f nations"

has so utterly lo st her pride of place, as now, in

th e year lfi60 , to be obliged to tjegini admission, as a first-rate Power, ia to tho uouncüs o f Euro­pean statesmanship.

Each countcnance wears tbat peculiar expres­sion, so noticeable in a good portrait, wbicb con­vinces you, even when you do not liappen to be

acqoaintod w ith the teafcures o f tlie original, that you have before you a veritable likeness.

Some o f the K ings and infantes appear in their sbootijig dress, and the dogs at their side

are painted as b y one who knew, aud appri>ciated, the nobleness o f their nature.

l^ a r fs , 80 much iu fashion at the Spanish

Court in those days, have on h is canvas, to a

startling extent, the malevolent, «»Ivish esprcswion

peculiar to Ruch deformed creaturca; and as, with

instinrtive rcpugnance, yon avert your eyes from

their repulsive figures, you feel almost airald of

exciting their enm ity by th e action, ro painfully

real aud life-like do they appear.B u t perliaps the predominating impreseion,

created b y the portraits of Velasquez, where the

subject is Vk orthy of him, ia, tliat no master evur

appreciated more keenly, the innate d ignity of man, apart from mere position and conventional eirCTimstanccs. l*et Vandyck be the limner of

princes and nobles, let T itian portray the iinearaents o f genius and intellc<rt: Velasqnez is

still th e painter o f man as he stands forth in his

true character— the noblest v ork o f God­i n the same room are m ultitiides of pictures

by other masters, m ost o f w hich vre had not

tim e to look at, though well deserving a carcful ih id y . One of tho m ost remarkable ia N o . 110, “ Jarob’s Bream,” by Kibera (S p a^ o letto ),a work

o f marvellous power, and natnralnesB, though Jacob is a mere clownish peasant iu the garb of

a monk, nor docs liis heavy, coarse countenance

exhibit the slightest indication o f the rapturous feeling that would be kindli»d by the gloriea of

fflich a viaion.

A t tlic farther end o f th e toom , to your left

on entering, a Magdalvn <!aught m y attentiou

immediately, as a picturc o f rare expressireneRe, and I returned to i t i^uin and again, w ith ever- incri:asing p ic tu r e . I t is lahelled as o f the

school o f M iuillo, bnt I cannot now rccollect

its rnunher. I nerer saw such a <lel bciition of intense, orfrw helm ing sorrow, which absorbs

the whole hcin^? o f the penitent, and renders

her totally nuccnscioiw o f all else i as i f in the

whole uniTerse there existed hut tw o objects of

thought— her ow n sin, and tho Saviour’s lore.(h ir next and subsequent visits wero devoted

w ith almost equal exciusiveneas to anotlier por­tion of the Museo, the room opening oo the left

side o f the ^ a t central gallery, which is called, i f I mistake not, the Queen’s Cabinet. This

room possesses more general interest, than the former, as i t contains masterpieces o f nearly

every school. H ere tlie eye lights at once on

the finest equestrian portrait in the world, IHtian s Cliarles V . I t is indeed a superb

picture, and Charles, with h is grave, thoughtful face, and firm, easy scat» rides forth, lance io

hand, like some Paladin of old, in quesit of knightly adventure, and looks every inch a

K in^. You never think o f Art, or painter, while gazin*;^at th is marvel. You have the very

man before your eyes, and i f he moves not, it is

because for the moment bu stands spcU-bonud,

aw ^ tm g your pleasure.iTear i t is VelaApiez’s reputed masterpiece,

N o, 155, called “ Laa Meninas ” (tbe Female

Pages). To those, who are conversant w ith the

meobaiucal difiicnlKes o f painting, it m ust he an endless delight to study such a triumph o f art, w hich a nun-professional eye cannot sufficiently

estimate. B n t the subject is bo disagreeable, that I found m y attention continually drawn

away by the faatinaiions o f th e nciglxbour-pic- ture, o f w h id i 1 h iv e ju st spoken.

Velasquez here painted h im self in his

«tudio, on the point o f takixig the portrait o f the

In ^ n ta Margarita, the central figure, while her two ladies, Z cs Menifuu, are doing their best to

coax the little body, a girl about twelve, fair

and irnmimate as a wax doll, in to good-humour, a ta»k o f no small difficulty, to judge from the

ill-conditioned peevishness of her countenance. On her left, tw o dwarfs, male and female, are teasing a noble mastiff' ly in g on the floor, who, thoroughly worried, and disgusted b y their im ­pertinence, is yet evidently determined not to be put out o f temper by such CAricatoree of

Immanity, though you expect every moment to

hear liis m nitered growl o f mdigi^ation. On

the other side of tho Inianta, withdrawn a little

from the foreground, stands Velaeqaea himself, brush and pallet in himd, w aiting w ith digni£cd

paticnce, and gravitj", for th e desired cxproasiou, while in the b a ck |^ u iid a door opens upon a

landscape, to let out a retiiing fig;ure. I t makes

you sad to see two such natures, each, man and

do^, so noble o f h is ktnd, at the mercy of l>eings

so infinitely beneath them, as tho spoilt child of

royalty, and those misahapcu butts o f a silly

court. Y ou feel that A rt is degraded, when one

o f her greatest masters is condemned to such a ta s k ; and yet out o f those unpromising jna- terials, tlie genius o f Velaaquez has wrought one

o f its moRt lastm^ monuments. For th is pic­ture has been called “ L a Teologia,” th e Gospel o f A r ti and our ow n W ilkie declared, that its power amounts almost to inspiration.

On th e further side o f Charles V ., hangs

another o f Velasquez’p portraits, w ith a hack- grotind o f exquisite freshness and beauty, Don

Balthasar, a boy on a pony, sitting as i f lie

were glued to the saddle, and galloping bodily

out o f tl>e canvas.

Just opposite» on the other side o f th e room, is S ly , another grand work, w hich to me was

h a ^ L a n z u J t . 1 1 *

tho laoät m teresting o f a ll his hißtorical subjecta. I t represents the capitulation o f Breda, in June, 1625, after a siege o f tcu months. Spinola, the

Spanish cominander-in*chief, w ith h is refined Italian face, and high-hrcd, elegant figuic, occupies the centre o f th e picture, and as he

receives the keys of th e tow n from th e governor, i t is quite charming to ohaerve the almost femi­nine expression o f respect, and sym pathy, with

which he m eets h is gallant antagonist, taking»

away all the hm niliation, and m ost o f the pain, o f being obliged to surrend er to so generous a foe. K ight in the fore*ground, on one side, bristles a whole forest o f lances (from which the

picture derives its name of “ Lafl Lanzfia”), an

audacity o f A rt few eoidd have ventured upon, but producing, by the m agic o f Velasquez's

handling, a rare, and striking efiect.The gallery teem s w ith magnificent portraits,

some few o f which I cculd m ention. N o . 1515, ia marked in Ford as Kubcns’s portrait o f Sir

Thomas More, which m ust have been copied

from some earlier likeness, as H enry VTJI.’s great Chancellor had been beheaded more than

forty years before Buben s was born.N o, 902, by Albert Durer, seems absolutely

on the point o f speaking, while another (972,) by

tlio same, inscribed w ith hie signatnre, ropre- senta the painter himself, w itli a lovely h it of

Undscapc, gleam ing througk an open window

in the ba<<k^und. 905, Bapliael’e “ Cardinal Julio de i le d id ,” brings before you a master- niind, the heau idéal o f an Italian Churchman- N o. 1446, a portrait o f our Quoen Mary, b y Antonio More, a moat forbidding, pcevisli countenancc, admirably painted ; 734, a young

Italian, by Bronzino, pensive, and full o f ciprea- sion ; while 765, and 709, ar« Titian’s portrait#

o f Charles Y ., w itli his Irish wolf*honnd, and o f P hilip I I . when, young, clothed in a suit of

armour, whieh is ?till preserved in the A i- m ena Real.

Some o f theae hang in the great central saloon.

T he Queen’s Cabinet contains Beveralinterost- in g worka b y th e early Plenxish masters, the

Van E y c is , H ans H em hng, &e. A m ong them

I particularly noticed a triptych, by H cm ling, th e “ Adoration o f the M agi,” in which a c^uaint little market-place, half nnthatched, shelter# the

Infant Saxiour, tho tw o folding panels contain*

in g a N ativ ity ,” and a “ Presentation in the

Temple.” T he colouring is goigeous, and the

finish equals that o f a miniature.

The M w eo . i ï $

Anotlicr “ Adoration ” by tlic same tiand, N o. 467» is treiLted in a jnnch plainer manner, as if

th e three Kinga had gone to worship our Lord, in their erery-day dress, w liiie the colouring iâ

more sober, and subdued.I remarked also a series o f eubjeetR, catalogued

as belonging to the German school o f the fifteenth

Century, extrem ely beautiful, illu^truting reli­gious A rt in its earlier, aud more reverent days.

The A nnunciation eomes first. W hen the Arch- angel appears, the V irgin is on her knees in a

(Gothic oratory. T he countenance o f eadi-forms quite a study, exhibiting that el-evatcd heavenly

expression so rarely observed, except in the older

masters ; while, w ith â to u d i o f that almost

oomio quaintuesa peculiar to th e art o f that ^ e , Gabriel’s w ings gliiiten w ith th e m otley splen­dour o f a peacock’s plumage. In each o f the

four paintings the foreground is frumed-in >vith a pointed arch o f great elegance, and the subject withdrawn w ith excellent efl'ect into the reeesA thus formed.

T he second represents the m eeting o f the

Virgin and Elizabeth, w ith a (^rm an medieval house, and pretty landscape.

In the third appear Angels, w ith th e Virgin, and Joseph, adoring our Lord, W io is painted as

tlie moat diminutiTe infant imaginable, (by way

perhaps of realising more vividly H is bnm iliai fcion in taking upon H im onr nature,) and on a h ill in the hlne distance stands Jem salem . In

the fourth, and last o f the aeriea, th e Adoration

takes place under a shed, in shape like a lych- ^ t e . I found these paintings fiiU o f interest, not merely on aecoimt o f their extreme beauty, and th e reverential spirit w ith which th e snb*

jects are treated, b u t from th e introduction of 80 m any details of Gothic architecture, a feature

very rarely to he noticed in the compositioas of

later inasterB, when the Henaissance sty le had

become almost unrversal.In the same room (the Queen’s Cabinet), there

is a m ost curious painting from th e Escorial coUcction h y Patenier (a m a^er I had never

heard o f before), th e “ Tem ptation o f St. A n ­thony.” T he Saint is on h is knees, sniroundüd hy

demons in every form, each more grotesque and hideous than h is fellow, from ^hich you turn

w ith pleasure to an exquisite b ac^ round suf­fused by a strange, and almost ghastly tinge of

green—-a landscape taken from Dream-land, exhibiting one o f those enchanting scenes of

idealized beauty, which tlie early painters de­lighted to depict.

The Mu$eo. \ i j

On tlie otLer side o f tlio doorway are two

him ting piece«, lOOC, 102U, by Lucas OranacL, one o f whieli represente a herd o f deer beuig

driven in to a la te , where they are slaughtered

wholesale by the cross*bow8 o f sportsmen posted

on the banks. T he figures, countenances, ooe* tum cs, buildings, and other details are all Grer- Tnn-Hj and the tw o pictures exhibit a disregard of

perspective, that makes one quite imcomfortable, ££ you foel afraid th e whole gccne, hike, sports

men, and game, is on the very p ^ n t o f slipping

down bodily, to descend like azi avahuiche on

your toes.In an Englishm an’s mind, however, that mag*

ni£eczit collection awakeui^ some very pukiiul thoughts, as several o f its choicest treasures

once belotiged to Charles I ., and were sold

aiter his death b y the Puritans. Ford states, that P hilip IV - bought eo l iu ^ ly at the sale

through his ambassadors, that eighteen mules

were rccpired to transport the purchases, when

landed in Spain. One ot* them , the famous “ Perla”

o f Baphapl, a Madonna and Child, alone cost

£3000 , a very large sum to be paid for a picture in those davs. I t is said to be inuoh damaged

by cleaning, both at Paris and M adrid, but to

my mind it still appears a masterpiece. Tbe1 2

i i 6 The

Virgin’s t'acc is fu ll o f auch tender aweetneas, and raaideuJ/ modesty, while the backgronnd is one o f those landscapea o f deepest blue, w itli which Perugino, and painters o f His date, iovvd

to invest their im aginings o f the heavenly Jeru- salera.

Close to it Imngs 741, anotlier by Bapbael, “ L a Y irgen del Pez,” T obit presenting a fish to

the Virgin. Tin« is probably an earlier work, as its style is more severe, while the countenance o f tb e Virgin wears an expression almost of

stcmnesR, and figcre ezhibits tbe lofty dig­n ity of a matron, rather than th e flexible grace

o f Sb maiden, i la n y prefer th is to th e “ Purla,”

over which it possesses the undoubted advan*

tage o f having suifered less irom the barbarism

o f pictnre-cleaucrs.A third of Kapilael's great paintings, 784,

called “ E l Paamo de Sicilia,” from having beoa

painted for a Church in Sicily, stands at the

upper end o f th e Queen’s Cabinet. I t represents oiir Lord, W lio ia bearing H is Cross, aa having

sunk exhausted on tb e gronnd, while the Virgin and three other women kneel beside H im , Ve­

ronica being in the background. Priests, and

officers, follow on horseback, while foremost in th e proccssion come soldiers, one o f whom is in

the act of striking our Lord w ith a scourge. Calvarj w ith its three crosses, and groups of

spectiitors, rises in the distance. I was most pleased w ith tho figuru o f Veronica^ whose conn- tenaucc expresses sympathy, and reverential pity, too deep for utterance.

Thia painting, too, has undergone cruel treat­m ent from the picture* eleaners, who seem ab

]^Iadrid to carry on their work of destruction on

a feurful scale.I w ill conclude th is hastv notice o f some few

o f the ilu so o ’s trea^mrus (for soreral o f its roams, filled w itli gems o f A rt from almost cvciy con­tinental master, I Imd not tim e CTcn to enter), w ith 220, a “ Conception ” of Murillo’s, th e most hoautiful, I thought, o f a ll his paintings I saw anywhere in Spain. The V irgin’s f ^ e is radiant w ith a look o f perfect innocence and pority, m ingled w ith childlike wonderment at the un- t^peakahle honour vouchsated h er; and the

figure, while it sufficient firmness, and sub- stanee to represent hum anity, has yet marvel­lous lightnfisR and buoyancy, as i f she scarcely

pressed the wreaths o f cloud floating under her feet.

C H A P T E R X I.

“V l ^ I I I L E we were a t Madrid, a buU-figKt * " took placc, the eighteenth, and last of

the reason. Though feeling the greatest ic-

pugnance to w itness such a spectacle, I went

n e v e r th e l^ ; and in spite o f m any rerolting

incidents, that made me heartily glad wh«^n it

was oTer, I do n ot altogether r ^ r e t to haye been

present, sg> th e eight haa «¿nabled me to under­stand some points in the national charaoter, which would otherwige liave been quite unintel­ligible.

I t came oiF on Monday, th e 17th o f October, th is day o f the week being m ost in ^ h io n at

M adrid; wherea«, in th e provinces, those exhi­bitions, 80 utterly unbecoming a Christian people, take place on th e day, which abore all others is

aesociatc'd in an Englishm an s m ind w ith every­th in g that is sacred and peaoef\il. W hat is fltili more singular, religion haa taken under her

cspcciol patronage th e national sport o f Spain, aiid in that very arena, whicli more vividly than

aiiy other place o f m odem amusement recals the

bloody Bom au circus, and tlie slaughter o f the

early Chrietians, th e Spanish Churcli erects her

altars, and celebrate« th e highest m ystery o f the

Catholic iaith. I t w ill be thought almost in*

credible, being all the tim e only too true, that a

chapel forms one o f the various offices attached

to a bulhring, and whenever a buU-fight takes

place, there mass is regularly said, and attended

by all th e performers; while a priest is at hand

dnring ita continuance, to administer th e last

rites o f the Komish communion in case o f any

serious casualty. The chapel belonging to the Plaza do Toros at Madrid, which we visited the

morning before th e buil-fight, actuaJly stands in

the stable-yard, a strange situation for such a building.

N o one, I suppose, would ever t h in i o f in ­stitu ting a comparison between th e bull-ring, and the stage. M any persons, whose judgment

is entitled to tho highest consideration, have

thought a good play, well pcrtbrmed, calculated

to produce a direct moral cffi^ct on th e spectator; while the m ost enthusiastic rotary o f the bull­

ring would hardly venture to say as much in

behalf o f h is favourite amusement. B n t the

Church o f Bom e, while she fxcommoTiicatcs

actors Mmply as each, ex oficio in fact, w ithout

the least reference to their private character, is

inconsistent enoiigh to sanction, in thig marked

manner, and w ith th e m ost solemn act o f her

worship, the spectacle o f a huU-fight,One o f Shakspeare’s m ost charming charac*

ters, Bosalind, propounda a theory, that lovers

do not m eet w ith th e treatment they d(»crv<?—

“ a dark house, aud a whip, as madmeu”—

simply because th e lunacy is universal. Does

the Clixirch o f Home in Spain extend her sanction

to that hrutalizing exhibition for the same reason

— th e n n i v e i^ t y o f the passion for hull-fight­in g among all classes in th e Peniuauhi, high and

low, secular and clerical? H as bhc compro­mised her m ission ua a Church— to humanize

and soften tho m gged nature o f man— out of

worldly wisdom, know ing tliat th e Spaniards

would have their beloved sport at all co st; and, for the preaervation o f her temporal inllueu«^, does she sacrifice her essentiiJ principle.'i, as the

profeMed representative o f IB m , whose mercy is over all TTi« works ?

This, however, is not a l l According to Ford, who is aoything but a bigoted Protestant, she

to m s th e national pastime to her ovm endn. In

hia “ GatherinffS from Spain,” p. 287, hu thua

writes :— “ In Spain, th e Church o f Komc, never indifff'tent to its interesta, instantly marshalled

in to its own service a cercmunial at once profit*

able, and popuJar; it conaccrated butchcry by

wedding i t to the altar, availing? itself o f this

gentle handmaid, to obtain fnnds in order to

raise convents. TOven iu the last centur}'. Papal balls were granted to mendicant orders, ttuthoriz*

in g them to celebrate a certain number o f Fie&tas

de Toros, on condition o f devoting the profit to

fiuisLing their Church; aud in order to awell the

receipts at the doors, spiritual indulgences, and

releases from purgatory (the number o f years

being apportioned to the relative prices o f the

seats), were added as a bonus to a ll that was paid

for places at a spectaclc hallowed by a pious

object."Tm;\gine onr venerable Primate, Ins Grace of

York, and the other Bishops o f the Church of Englaud, advertising, imdcr tbeir distinguished

patronage, a set-to bctweeu Sayers and the

Benicia Boy, for th e benefit o f the Bona of

th e Clergy, tbe Foundling Hospital, or any

other uharitablc injititution! Or, to put the

rase in another point o f view, let u s fancy tbe

Dean and Chapter o f W estminster, renting the

I l l A Byll-fght.

Grand Stand at Epsom on a Derby P ay , as a

pioQS speculation, m tl i a view to raising funds

for tLe restoration o f tlic A h b cy !Surely charity-balls, fancy-faira, aud hazasra,

and other questionable Bubstitutes (now happily

all bnt exploded) for genuiue almsgiving, ioso

muck o f tlioir obj»>ctionable character, and ulmost acquirc m aspect o f religion and virtue, wlien

contrasted, as expedients for 'wlicedliug money

out o f Christian pockets, w ith the liorrors o f an

eleemosynary bull-fight.N oth in g can prove more incontestably the

hold gained over the Spanish mind by the

H esta de Toros, “ The Peaet o f Bulls ” (aa the

buU-iight ia called w ith grim irony, the poor

victim s having anything but a festive part to

play), than the large sums o f money expended

upon it in a country, where funds are so much

needed for important national objects. Each exhibition costs about £400 , and lasts about three honrfl I

More than twelve performers axe required, and

as m any tow ns possess a bull-riog, ^vithout being

able to support a local company, they go about from place to place during the season, a term of

iive or s is months, from Easter to th e m iddle of

October.Readers o f " Pickwick” w ill recollect Sam

W e lW s interesting statiíitícs respecting the

London piemen, who, according to hie account,

adapt their comeetihle» to the time o f year, meat- pies being in season at one period,while at another

fruit tarts are all the fjwhion; or, to «pote the pithy language of the original statement, “ W hen

fm it is in, cats is otit.”In Spoiu the p ig and th e huJl hear a similar

relation to each other, th e former never dying a

legal death between Jíaster and th e Feast ol A ll Saints, during which period the aale o f pork is

strictly prohihittd; while the slanghters o f the

hnll-ring take phwe only from abont Easter to

Michaelmas, as the bulls do not fight well in

cold weather.In the tbrenoon preceding the performane«,

w e went to see the bulls drivtn into the stalls, where they are kept till they make their first appearance, aud their last, before the pubiie. W e heard so much about th is ceremony, that

we naturally cxpected something o f no common

interest. I t proved, however, almost as tame a business, ns driving a dairy of well-condueted

E iiglish cows to their milking*ground; and were

tlxe finMerrt) as th is afTair n f driving the bulls to

th e Plasja is called, ever introduced, w ith ap­propriate mnsic, among the incidents o f an opera, I would humbly s u g ^ s t th a t the “ Kaua des

Vaehes” woiiM be a strain mucb more “ in accor­dance w ith the Rentimente o f tbe scene/’ iig it

appeared to ue, than the torero's ballad, " ERtando

toda la Corte/' eo h igh ly praieed by Ford, aud

rendered into w itb so much spirit byLoekhart.

W c took the opportunity o f iDgpecting all the

arrau^m ents o f the Plaza de ToroR, which, in

addition to tlio amphitheatre, contains qnite an

extenRive range o f buildings, ainon^ which we particularly noticed a small infirmary, where

“ casualty cases” (to adopt tbe la n g a a ^ o f Mr. Tiobcrt Sawyer) are taken direct from tb e bull­r in g; aad iu tlic stables wc foond sixteen or

tw enty poor liorsea, tbe sweepings o f cab-etand, and poet-bouse, destined for that day’s »laugbtor.

l iu t really the m ost patient o f readers w ill complain (and w ith justiec) of being detained so long on the outdidc o f that “ clmrmed circle,”

«■bich coutainR the summum ^ifum o f a Spanisb mob.

L et us enter then, and ai* the kindness o f a

gentleman we m et at tlie Em bassy has supplied

us w ith tickets, oor entrance w ill cost us nothing. W e received at the same tim e a printed paper,

which, combining in a measure the characteriRtics

o f a play-bill, and tbat peculiarly E nglish docu- ment, “ a list o f all the running horses,” gives

not only tho names o f the perfonners (who at iladrid , “ the C ourt/’ axe alwa>^ tho foremost

men o f th e ii craft), hut the colouj, breeders' names, and birth*placo o f a ll th e bulls, in tho

order of their appearance.Our tickets being lirst-claee, we mount to the

upper story, on the shady side o f the building, enter box o f th e plainest description, and at once find ourselves in a vast circle, faee to foce

w ith ten thousand human beings, th e greater

part o f whom are “ Ritters in the su n /’ the price

o f places increasing in proportion to their shadi*

ness. The ground*plan of tlie amphitheatre may be described by tw o concentric circles, of

which the inner one. N o . 1, forms th e battle-

groU)i<l, and is pierced, at in ­tervals, by openings lai^e

enough to adm it a man »ide*

ways, through v/hich the men

ou foot, when sore pressed an d nnable to escape in any other way, dart into

the outer space, marked N o . 2. The actual ring encloses an area o f ahout tw o acres, co­vered w ith the fine w hite sand, so common

in m ost part« o f Spain, aiid its Buriace, now

fio smooth and »potlesa, w ill soon he crimsoned

b y many a stain of blood.

Scarccly liave we taken o\ir scat« (and un­comm only hard are tlxey) heforo a iouriah of

trumpets ia heard, th e barrier opposite \is is

m thdraw n, and in marches the entire truop oi performers (the bull alone excepted) ckulo^, handf^rilUroi, and mafadors, a team o f

four handsome m ules, gaily caparisoned, and

hung w ith bells, (whose o/Ticc ia io drag out

the carcaacs o f bulls and horses) clc«ing the procession, w hich forma th e prettiest feature

o f the whole performanee.T he appearance o f the pieadora, who alone of

a ll th e actors en g a ^ d are on horseback, is a

ludicrous caricature of the gay, active, well-

mountud cabaUpro o f ancient Spanibh knight­hood. B y way o f protection against tho horns o i th e bull, their legs are encased in a species of

leathern overall, stutfed to sn th a degree, that us

they ride in they look exactly like a row of

dropsical patient«, very much in need o f tapping, l io r do their steeds cut & bettor tigure. bciiig the

«orrieat-looking jades imuginable, a« they come

Jinjping in w ith one eye bhndJoldfd, having been

reprieved from the knackors, only to bo butchered

in the bull-ring.There arc some ten, or tw elve performers

on foot, chuIoB and banderilleros, and heiTjg

all active, well-made men, Jresaed in the old- fashioned Spaniali costnmc, somotliing i i i e a

conrt-suit, consistiug o f Riltcn coat, cmbroideTed

waistcoat, spangled breeches, and giik stockings, t t e y form a m ost brilliant, picturesque group, and ligh t up th e scene w ith their flaahing oo.

lours.The matador, or e»pada (aa i t seeiris now to be

the fashion to call him), th e performer p a r ex who closes each fight h y despatching

th e hull idnglo-handcd, is dressed much io the

same style, and has h is h a ii gathered like a

woman's into a tKit>V mass at th e baisk ot his

liead.This gay prtwession, strange precujsor o f the

bloody scenes that follow, having advanced w ith

flourijih of trumpets to th e centre of the ring, halts, and makes obeisance opposite the box of

the president, who, by throwing to an alguazil th e key, which admits th e bull, g ives th e signal for the commenecment o f tb e performance,

Tho door, on which tw enty thousand eyea are

fixed in steadfast ga«e, now opens, tho bull comes

hounding forth towards tho centre of the ring, and there, stunned at once b y the sudden burst o f sunshine, after the darkness in whioh he has

been immured, and the novel scene upon which

lie has made fto abrupt an entraQCii, ho pan^e#

for an instatit tranRfiied, and glares around in

fierce amazement, i t is a moment o f intensest

excitement, bnt before you fully realize the

tum ult o f emotion compiesscd into those brief

seconds, th e bull, breaking the spell that en­chained him , ha# charged one o f tiie chuloa full t ilt , and presses him so closely that he has

barely tim e to vault over tb e harrier, a heigl>t o f at k a st six feet, which the buli clears after

him w itli an activity, that stems impossible to ao large aii aniroal, only to iind h iT iis e l f , how­ever, carried back by h is own impetuosity into

th e ring, hy one o f th e side passages provided

for such an emergency.One o f the three horsemen, always iu the

ring, riding forward now plants h im self in front o f th e bull, and couching h is Lince, armed with

a steel point, som ething like the spike o f a hoat- hool<, aims at th e junction of neck and shoulder- blade. The bull, eager to be at somebody, acct^pts tb e challenge, and, dashing at the horse

with h is tremendous horns, picrcea liim through

th e heart, and os steed and rider roll over iu the

dust, a fountain o f hhx>d (one o f th e m ost hor- lib le sights imaginable), spouting forth, w ith the

force o f a jet, two or thrcKi feet high into the

air, sooa drains ont tin? poor horac’s life, and

releases lii^n from misery.The ch-ulos hare already darted forward to

the rescue o f their comrade, and distracting the

huU’s attention hy waving their scarlet flags and

cloaks in h is face, they ertricate thu picador as he lies entangled and helpless Tinder his horse ; the other horsemen take up the game, placing

their horses always %o as to cover their own per­sons; chulos dart here ami there, and every­where, and when, ruaddened and confounded hy

so uhifiuitous a swarm o f foes, th e htiU singles

out any one, and chaises home, he finds him as

unaaaailahle as a ghost, so pertect is tho coolness

and self-possession, w ith which these consum­mate artists evade the chai^o, stepping aside

w ith graceful ease at the very moment, when

you expect to sec them tossed into the air.In ten m inutes tw o more horses are strug­

g ling in their death-agony» while those that are

still ahle to continue the fight, move about half

disembowelled, treading on their own entrails, and the sand is covered w ith m any a pool of

blood-The hull, too, now begins to show symptoms

o f distress, and, with neck and shoulders wounded

and gory, he pauses, poor creature! a momentK

for breath One would tlunk sucIl a spectaclo

had power to move tUc liardest Iioart, and that

tbe noble beast having “ proved the mcttlo of

M s pasture,” m igbt l>e allowed to retiro, and

eiyoy the life hie coorago had thue rcdeemed. In all tliat throng o f teri thousand, not a do^erv

voices would be found to g ive expreswon to such a sentiment, and the victim o f man's oru<jlty

m ust furnish to th e uttermosrt lu s portion of

the entprtainment, the first act o f which has

alone been exhibited as y e t !A nd now tlie banderDleros, each armed w ith a

pair of thn ligh t, gaily*omamented dart*, frcim

which they take their name, come forward, and, w ith astonishing dexterity, plant in the bull’s necV the&o instruments o f tortnre, to which fire­works are attached, and as they eiplodo one after another, a new ingicdieut o f horror is

thrown ijato the scene; while the poor bull, in

the midiit o f fire and blood, bellows w ith paiu and dismay, and, goaded into iic sh efFortis, rushes

w ildly through the ring, w ithout presence of

mind, or strength enough left to make a suc­cessful charge; t ill at last, black with sweat, and foaming at the mouth, he stands at bay, w ith the sullen determination o f despair, as if, having at length found out what i t all meant, he

was resolved to die like a hero. T he crisiR has come, and w ith one o f those ruthless cries, that

carry back th e mind to the butchery o f the

Boman Circus, and the martyrdom o f the early

Christians, the matador is called for, and yon feel he comes almost upon an errand of mercy,

to terminate so horrible a spectacle.Arm ed w ith a bright rapier, a trusty, well-

proved weapon o f admirable temper, and w ith a

flag ¡D hi-» left hand, he advances towards the

pre«dent 8 box, and, bowing, obtains permission to exhibit his skill. Calmly taM ng bis station

right beforu the ball, he w ares h is crimson

stfeamer across his eyea, an insxdt which in a

m oment concentrates erery enei^y of departing

life, and as tho dying beast lowers his frout for

a final onset, th e flag drops orer h is head, the death* stab paaaes through h is spine, a>d, stag*

gering like a drunken man, w itli streams of

blood gushing forth from month and nostrils, tho vast mass settles down like a sinking ship, aud in a few momenta all is stilL The gaily-

c4^>ari6oned mules eome eantering in, the hull, and the horseí^ he has slain, are dra^jged o a t at a gailop, the pools of blood are effaced by basket- loads of fresh sand, and, w ith a spevd unknown

K 2

IJ2 A BuÜ-fyh(.

in other Spanifih tranaactions, the ring ie cleared

for a fresh enooTinter.Sometdmes the matador is luilucky, or ner-

Toua, and, as we saw, does not succced in giving

th e coup de grace, n^til he has made aeveral fruitless attemptB, I n such a case, no matter

how great a favourite he may usnally he, loud

and angry are the taunting cries, that a^suil his

ears from every quarter o f th e amphitheatre.On this occasion, eight hiJls, and fifteet» or

aixtoen horses, were killed, and hlood enough

flowed to flatiaiy th e m ost truculent Englishman, for the rest o f h is days. A nything more hor­rible, and utterly revolting, than the whole

spectacle, I cannot conceive, and i t seems to me

impossible to overrate the brutaliziiig influence

exercised hv tlie hulUring upon the nation at la r ^ . N or do I wonder, after w itnessing such

an exhibition, and the frenzy o f delight excited

by its m ost shocking incident*, that in Spain

even hnm an life is ligh tly esteemed, among a

population, to whom hlood-shedding is au amnse- jnent, and the murderous nse o f the knife, on

the smallest provocation, has ever been so fear­

fully common.T he operation o f tho same influence may be

traced ia tlie domain o f A rt, where th e most painful Bubjocte are delineated w ith a reality, that leaves noth ing to the im agination; and a

Pigur« literally drenehod w ith gore is one o f the

most cnstom ajy representation g o i the sxiifering

Bedeemer, when th e artist does not possess

sufficient refinement to e le T a t e his conception

of th e sabjeet above the level o f the national

taste.In tb e midst, however, o f th e horrors, that

surrounded us, as we sot tbat afternoon in the

Plaza de Toros, one incident oecurred that af*

forded a momentary relief.Six bolls bad akeady been killed, and when the

door opened for th e seventb, he walked in w ith

so pompous a Rolcmnity o f manner, worthy of

the stateliest alderman in a civie procession, and

looked so intensely peaceable, that he was wel­comed w ith sercams o f laughter from every side, l la d he been a depntati<m iion i th e Peace Society, eomiiiissioned to remonstrate g a in s t so barba­rous and Cowardly a sport, he could not have

acted h is part better. H e was a wise bull, the w isest o f b is race, and gave ns ail an emijient example o f the m agic potency o f good-hu- mour. A punster would affirm he m ost have

come from the shores of the Pacific, so perfect

was his temper, so indomitable b is love of

peace.M any and ingenious were tbe expedients em­

ployed to proToke him to pngnacity, but every

one signally failed. FalstaCT him self had not a

more de<nded objection to fighting. l i e had

evidently come into the ring, w itli liis mind

made up not to break tb e pcace against any of

her M ajesty’s anbjects, no matter wbat provo­cation and inanlt were heaped npon inm. Hia demeanour waa a liTing comment on Horace’s description o f th e mode] citizen, and th e words, w ith one alteration, exactly represeni Inm

T e o a c o in p r o p o s i t i ¿ o m r

N od civiojQ A rdor p ra v a Ju b e n titm i.

N on vultue iui^taatis T y ram u ,'’

(a line that w ill apply to tb e President o f the

day, as he looks down from Lis stately box on th e arena,)

*' Ucntc qu&kit sollda.”

SanderH hi were tried in vain, and cracker

after cracket exploded without eliciting the

sroallejit spark of combativcnesa. In Falstaff’s

phra«, he wa* “ cold-spur” all over; and so

hopdeas a sntject for the ring did he appear,

that dogs, auxiliaries frequently euUed ifi to

ro\yie an inert, &piritlcs« buli, were not intro-

dnced on this occasion. The amphUhpatrc rose

e% tna/ffte, the fierce tum nlt of mau’s animal in- Rtincts, itó they hürat forth from that vast crowd, producdng a savage grandeur, that made one

shudder; and amid scornful cries r>f indignation, and a fluttering o f handkerchiefs, “ thick as

leaves in Vallomhrosa," demanded another h\Jl.Snch a demand is irresistible; two oxen arc

turned into the ring (for without these no bull can be driven), aud in their company, to our

great delight, D en Pacifico disappeared, amid the

laughter, and jeers o f the audience, to live, let

uá hope, according to the story-book phrase, “ happily ever aftcnvards,” while the unfortn- luvte prosy died in his stead.

Jt was really the greatest conceivable relief, when the wliolc afíair came to an end, and w ith

very much the same sensations, m ost people fed

on going away from a dentist’s at the conclusion o f some unpleasant operation, wo foxmd our­

selves once more in the Cnlle de Alcalá, nor do I think either of us w ill ever again a scat w ithin th e enclosure o f a bull-ring.

C H A P T E R X n .

r I iQ E first tim e Lord Portarlington dined at the Embassy, lio m et Mr. Chrietopbcr Sykes,

o f Slcdmere, who, buyin g made a tour in tbe

nortliem provinces, was now staym g at Madrid, on hie way to the South o f Spain. An i t turned

out, on eomparing notes, tbat Mr, Sykes’ intended

route coincided, in all material respects, w ith the

ideas sketched out, in a somewbut indistinct outline, for our future proceeding, i t v/»s soon

arranged we sho\dd all combine into one party, and travel together as far as Seville, This

arrangement, by giving fixity and definitiveness

to OUI plans, was a great advantage to us, as Mr. Sykes, having spent some weeks in the country, bad carefully studied the varioxis

lOuteB laid down in Ford, and had thus been

able to settle what he purposed doing, with

more distinctness tban was yet possible in oar

case, amid the conflicting attractions presented

b y tlie pages of that must agreeable autlior, drawing ub simoltaneoualy to every quarter of

tlie compiisa.I t vras therefore decided, that on Saturday,

Octohei 22nd, we should, please God, leave

>Tadrid by rail for Toledo, and there commencc

our riding tour, taking Y ustc and Vlacentia on our w ay over th e Sierra Morena, down to SeviUe.

Our party would thus consist of six, including

Swaihsou and Mr. Sykes’ servant Elfiek, with

David Purkiss, an Englishm an, very h igh ly re- cotnmendcd hy Ford, who had lived fox dome

years at Madrid, and was perfectly acquainted w ith th e huigiiage, aud ways o f the eountry.

Ij'rom the first I took an interest in Purkiss, partly because he is one, like Dogberry, “that hath

had losses and partly because he is a descendant o f tho elLarcoal.bumer of the sarao uaiae, who

carried the body of W illiam Rnftis ftom th e X ew

Forest to W inchester, and o f whom local tradition

reports, tliat, through all the intervening cen­turies, a direct heir haji never once failed him, w hile the very same house and land, occupied

by him at the time he paid the la*t act ol piety to his Sovereign, is now (or wad at least

quite recently), in the possession o f hi» family.I little thought, while conversing on th e sub-

Trav^ing Coëtvme.

jôct w ith some ladies in the train, as we passed

through tho N ew Forest on m y way to town, that ¡11 a short time one o f that lam iiy would

belong to our party, and for so considerable a period have ao much to do w ith onr daily wants

and coraforta. B ut, as that eminent moralist, Mrs. Gamp, rem aris, “ Sich is l ife !" and in

travelling it i i impossible to conjecture with whom one may comc into contact.

N ow that our plans had become settled, gieat preparations for the journey were immediately

initiated, more especiAlly in getting up such a

eostnmc for th e road as would comply witb tho

dirt^etions o f Ford, who m ost u i^ n t ly counsels

travellers in Spain to dress like the natives ; and

while onr talk was o f Andalusian hata, o£ f/ijas (saahes ibr the waist, o l silk, or worsted, univer- aally worn by th e peaaantiy) and scmarras

(jackets o f black lambskin), high boots, and

buttons o f silvur filigree, we never went out

o f our apartment at the Feninsulai^s, w ithout

cnoount«ring some bootmaker, or tailor ; one of

whom, being painfuUy deaf, used to tax all the

patience o f the waiter, Alplioiise. a good-natured iVeuehman from Bonrdeanx, while he tried to

convince him o f the various short-comings of

his t^ loring, which, like a genuine Spaniard, he

considered absolutely faultless, simply because it

was hie own,I aloae vcntuied to disobey Pord’e injimctions,

Uiov^h Tarious were the arfTumeiite employed in

persuading me to adopt ssome portion, at lc»at, o f tipanidh clerical costume for m y travcllmg

dress, aud ranch ingenuity, and persevenmoc

were expended in leuomiuending the use of the

enormous shovel-hat, not much leas than a yard

from end to end, whieh crowns the pericranium

o f a Spanish priest. Feeling, however, that, apart from the weip;hty consideration of expense, onr group would be none the worse, in an artistic

point o f view, for a little toning down, I was

quite satisfied w ith m y ordinary ifarh, and pre­ferred the freedom and ease o f m y old battered

wide-awake, to the ponderous dignity o f a cleri­

cal somlrero.Lord Portarlington and Mr. Sykes thought

i t best to purchase horses at Madrid, not wishing

to trust to the contingencies of the road; and

for those who can atibrd it, and liave ftiUy made

up th c ii minds to use their purchase long CDongh to work ont the price, a period of some two or

three months, such a plan ia unqneationably the best, bccaAisc it involves no greater expense,

1^0 B e ^ h o f Bwrdisn.

than the hire o f a horee for a journey o f that diiratiioii.

A mule, however, is on tlie whole the more

serviceahle anim al; not only on acco\mt o f his

greater powers o f endurance, and freedom from

ailmentfl, hut becanse, in m any o f the out-of-the- w ay districts, the bridle-track is often bo narrow, that h is smaller hoof finds “ ample room and

verge enongh,” for sai*e action, while tlie broador

foot o f a horse, aa I afterwards naed to reroark, will sometimes al>solntely stjck fast in deep holes, so that he « tr ica tes him&elf with no small dif­ficulty, and nocasionally loses a shoe.

M any were the consultationa held on the

matter o f horse-flesh, and kindred subjects, with

the coachman at the Embassy, who gave ns use- fn\ h ints for the road, lugh ly necessary in snc]i a country as Spain, where th e diet, and general management o f horses are RO different iiom what we arc accustomed to in England. B eing a

Yorksliircman, he regarded Mr. w ith adeference and respect, it was pleasant to remark, in eousequenct! o f his being the son of one stand­in g w h ig li in public estimation, as th e venerable Sir Tatton Sykes.

W e spent a morning at th e Armeria Real, one

o f tb e finest armouries in tlie world, w ith poor

i l l . Southwell for oiir cicerone. T never saw

anythinjf iu the least approaching tlic variety, and exquisite workmanship o f its eontents, tbe only drawback to our enjoyment o f them ariidng

(as osual) from the Lmposaibility o f doing justice

to more than a few objects, during th e tim e we

were able to stay there.The room, being long and narrow, 227 feet hy

86, is admirably adapted for its purpose, and the

effect, on entering, is m ost striking, when, after

m ounting a dark Rtaircafie, you emerge in to that

stately gallery, and find yourself in th e presence

o f tho$e memorials o f Spain’s prosperous days (when her troops were the hest iu the world), stretehing out before you in long perspective. Around ue hnng armour o f every sha.pc and

device, from the plainest suit o f the common

man-at-arms, up to the profusely-ornamented

panoply o f noblemen and princes; while lances

and spears, swords and pikes, muakets and

pistols, gleamed in bright array on every side.Viewed simply as an accumulation of art-

ebjectd (if so newly-coined a phrase may he introduced into th e company of so many repre­sent atives of antiquity), th is collection o f warlike plenishing is marvellous ; nor can anything pro-

duco a more forcible conTiction o f the all*per- Tading iufluence o f A rt durii^ the RenaMRance

period, than the s iu ^ la r tw t, that in the very

region m ost hostile (as ta supposed) to her very existence— the battle *iield— she has achieved

some of her m ost enduring triuraphs. The

warrior o f that day went out to battle, not only protected £rom m any o f its dan^jcrs, but clethod

w ith apparel o f almust imperishable beauty; and

Vulcan’s craft became again, as in Homeric days, the handmaid of poetry and grace.

I f any would fnlly appreciate the beauty, and refinement of ancient aim oui, le t him lay the

headpiece o f a m odem Cjnardsman, w ith its 4X)miTion-pl^e ornamentation, and device, which

are worthy o f a coppersmith’s invention, along­side somo helmets o f th e fiiW ntli, aud six­teenth cent\iries, all rich w ith exquisite chasing, «namcl, daniascene-work, and gold, and be will n ot be long in perceiving th e diiference between

the reenlts o f mechanical contract-work, and

the creations of liv ia^ Art.To tlie Madrid Armoury, however, an interest

o f even a highur nature attaches. Those magni«

ficent suits, on which the armourers o f M ilan, and Germany, exha\wted the choicest resources

o f their skill, are not mere creations o f Art,

•serving no other purpose than to g ive proof of her boundlefls powers. T hey have all done

actual service in the midst

“ o f p lu m ed trf*op, a n d th e b ig w ars,T h a t m ake am bitioQ v irtue j "

and were wont, n o t h y name^lesa soldiers, hut by such m en o f renown, as the Crrcat Captain, Gon- fiaivo dc Cordova, Colombus, Cortez, Charles V ., and his son, the -victor o f Lepanto, whoae

])ames are consecrated in history.The room contained besides a goodly display

o f banners, many o f them won from th e Infidel at Granada und L epanto; w ith two o i three

Union-jacks, talcen, wc conjectured, from Nelson

at Vera Cruz, th e sight o f which, in the land

ofT alavw a, Ralamauea, and Vittoria, made us

Hmile.~ W e to*)V a turn afterwards through tlie royal

stables, chiefly in the hope o f seeing the ear- ria^^ s, which are said to be well worth iii- ip ection ; for tho sorics descends in unbroken

anceessioii from the earliest date o f state-coachea. W e did not, however, succeed in our object, it

not being the rif^ht day.The atahles would gixe a terrible shock to th«

notions o f an E nglish groom, being kept in a

very alovenly manuer, and from their site and

defective vontilatioTi, they mnBt he insuffcrahly hot in summer. T hey contain a large number

o f fine horses, and mnlea, w ith the name o f cac]i ft-ni-mjil puiutocl over h is stall. Oue o f the

mules, tlie m ost vicious beast in the stud, was marked out for public opprobrium, in tliis land of

the Inquisition, by th e title of “ Protestant”—• a master-stroke of satire, w hich penetrated us three Englishuien to the very soul. To be

couipured to a mule at ail, is nut eotaphnientarj' to th e feelings o f “ Britishers,” with whom

these m ongrel quadrupeds are no favourites. B u t to be condemned to a place in the same

category w ith tlic m ost vicious of th e race was

80 perfectly annihilating, that, humiliated and

crest-fallen, what could we do, but turn away

and depart in silence, sadder an«l wiser men 1A fter so severe a blow to our religions f i l ­

ings, who that has the spirit and heart o f a

Briton, w ill wonder, tlm t we had no desire left

for going through the interior o f the royal palace, not knowing what further outrage to

our national pride we m ight meet w ith there ?To prove, however, that, in spite o f such

aggravating provocation, we bore no malice, I will just add, that the exterior is imposing.

and the situation admirably adapted for setting

i t off to every advantage. B u t m winter it

seem s more fit to be th e palace of an ice*king, than the abode o f flesh-aod-Wood royalty : and

so fearfully exposed is i t to th e blasts sweep­in g down at that season ûxnn the (juadarraroa

mountains, that sentinels stationed at one point

have been frozen to death, while on dnty. In

cold weather th ey are changed every ten m i­nâtes, and whett its severity increases seriously, they are altogether withdrawn, and SpanLsIi royalty is le ft to th e guardianship o f its own

circumambient divinity !

C H A P T E E X III .

r i lU E S D A T aud W ednesday, tlic 18th m d

19th o f October, were devoted to visiting

tho EecoriaJ. W o had intended to have gone there l>y one o f th e diligences, which pa«s

daily through th e adjoining village, on their way to Segovia. B ut, on mnking inqniriee, we

found they started at such inconvenient hours, th a t i t heciiine ncccssary to hire a carriage

on purpose, go in g one day and returning the

next.The weather, which, during th e previous

week, was rainy and tempestuous, had now

beeome a ll we eeuld desire, and the sun shone

forth in h is hrightness, as we eroaaed the Man­zanares, Madrid’s on ly strearu, its shallow cur­rent beget by hundreds o f washerwomen, glad

to take advantage of so iino a day, while its

bonks wore sheeted, far and near, w ith linen of

all sorts, our ow n probably oontribnting its

contingent to malce up th a t miscoUaneons col­

lection o f drapeTy.I l l the immediate neighbourhood o f Madrid

the road is execrable, and its broad surface, seamed with holes, and rut«, makes any pace

quicker than a walk a perilous venture to the

bones. Aa th e road improves, on okaring tho

flubnrba, th e country becomes deplorable, and

we soon ibund ourselves surrounded by a wild waste, excbeding, in aridity and utter absence

o f trees aud ve|^*tation, anything we had yet encountered— a desert, in fact, of baked earth

and sand, w ith nothing to g ive i t variety but rain*worn, calcincd ravines, bestridden here and

there, as th e highw ay approaches them , by those

characteristic features o f a Castilian kndscape— bridges w ithout a stream. N o t that their

channels are always waterless; for during tbe

tremendous down*ponrs o f th e rainy season, the

SQn-BCorched Oarranco, “ where no water is,”

becomes in a tew hours th e bed o f a roaring torrent, which, i f left unbridged, would for the

time render th e road perfectly impasBablc.The drive through such a blank, where the

m ost patient and hopefal o f tourists looks in vain

for any tilin g to attract his attention, is tedious

to a degree; and as th e road ascends a greatL 2

part o f the th irty m iles between Maiirid and the Dscorial, you cannot eren enjoy the satisfac­

tion o f shortening th e tedium o f »ueh a jooiney

b y going fast. W hen, however, we had per­formed rather more than half the distance, th e

m onotony o f the aeene -was aomewhat m itigated

b y th e tirst glim pse o f the Usconal, of which we

caught aight on reaching th e summit o f a long

asccnt; and though we m ust still have boeu some tw elve or fourteen mile? off, yet even

there its vast size asserted itdolf, as i t rcK o, a gaunt, frowning pile, against the iDOuntalu

side, forbidding, more tlian invitiog, our nearer

approach.I t was quite a relief, when, having at length

traversed tluise dreary plains, we entered th e

royal domain, about tw o leagues from th e E s-

eorial, though for a considerable tim e we had nothing better to look at than th e walls o f the

park, E l Pardo la Zarzuela, w ith an occaaional glimpse of the ilices scattered here and there, in straggling groups over its surface. This

total want o f interest in th e routo to the

Escorial tells imm ensely to its advantage, and

prepares th e mind unconsciouiily for a favotir- able impression.

For a lo n g tim e after you have entered the

royal domain, on the iddc towards Madrid, the

building itself remains conccaled, ow ing to the

inequality o f th e ^ o n n d ; and when, wearied

w ith that monotonous driye, you begin to feel im patient to see something, the park wall sud- deuly terminates, the road traverses an open space, studded w ith primeval boulder^stones, and before you have had tim e to realize the

transition, you find you iself incc to lace with

th e eigh th wonder o f the w orld !I n a m oment we were out of the earria^^.

M ounting the grassy pedestal o f an enormous

boulder, wliiuk, weather-stained, and lichcn*

marked, towered like a monarch over th e ro»t, wo coromanded at one glance the whole extent

o f the sooth front, and the eye, iatigued so long

w ith barrenness, rested gladly on the long-drawn

ranges o f tetrace*garden, and the groves that

fringe the ptccincts o f tho palace 5 w hile, aa i f

to greet us w ith pleasant welcome, tlio mellow

glow o f snnaet burst forth, diffusing an atmo­sphere o f beauty on every side, and casting upon tower and dome a warmth, and richness of

colouring, that overcame, for the moment, the

chilling stem neas o f that granite pile.W e could not possibly have seen i t to greater

advantage. N o t only was th e whole landscape

I JO The B*tor%al.

bathed in sunshine, bnt the stately avenues of

poplar beneath tlie terrace, were a ll golden w ith . th e tints ot autumn, while along the slopes o f the

westward h ills gleamed m any a hue from copse*

wood, fern, and lava-cyloured soil, contrasting

m ost effectively w ith th e sober green o f th e ilex

in th e park below.A ll th is beauty took us com pletely by sur­

prise ; for m ost descriptions o f th e Eacorial represent it as environed by the bleakest of

landscapes, extending to its very walls, in un­m itigated b a iT c n n e ss .

W hen, however, having entered its vast courts, now silent and untrodden, we began to examine

th e building more closely, I m ast confess m y

disappointment. Prepared though we were to admire, no amount o f prepossession in its fiivour

could transmute such unmistakable ugliness

in to beauty. I t s gridiron gronnd-plan (an inspiration of ped^xtry and superstition com­bined) is fatal to sim plicity and ^andeur ot

design, and although no bxiilding o f its vaat proportions can be altogether destitute o f a cer­tain grandiose majesty, you still feel it has

nothing to rccommcnd i t to your admiration,

beyond mere bolk.The window?, o f which it is sjud to contain

about 4000, are positively hideous, the least ob- jectionahlc o f them having the fonn o f those in

a modern dwelling*hou8C, while th e upper stories

are lighted hy aperturi^s, that resemhlc nothing

80 much aa the port-holes in a man-of-war.In fact, when I thought o f the sums spent

u|Kjn it, not less, it ie said, than £10,000,000, and th e different leaolts that an architect of

the IS th century would have achieved w ith such

means, I could only lam ent so golden an op­portunity had been thrown away, and a building

worthy o f that magnificent site had not hccn

erected, which, not ow ing ite effcetivenesB to

sheer mase, would have combined in harmonious

proportions those united elements of grandeur

and beauty, eharacteristie o f tlie best Point^^d

Architect tire.T he effect on the m ind ie sinaply oppressive,

without one j^rain o f the elevating inliuence, that animates the creations o f the j ^ a t m edieval builders. N or does th is impreaaion wear away, as you become more faniiJiar w ith th e various featurea of th e edifice, and next day i t was as much felt by us, aa when wc first trod ite courts.

The situation, however, is superh. Backed hy a noble m o u n ti^ , an offshoot o f th e Guadar- raiua range, the Escorial stands in an attitude

o f ohserration (so to epeak), surveying the

w hole land, w ith th e stamp o f Spanish royalty, cold, ponderous, and stately, marked indelibly

on a ll its features, w hile its mixed character of

convent and paJace, typifies the intim ate con- *,nectiou between the Throne and the Church, Iexisting in the days o f its fonnder.

A s we did n ot arrive at th e Escorial until sunset, we made no attem pt that evening to 'explore any portion o f ita interior, contenting

ourselves w ith looking at i t from vm oua points

o f view, while th e deepening gloom gradually

descending on tower, and dome, veiled its un- jjgainlineas and lack o f beauty, and imparted to \\the silent, darkling pile, a solemn, unearthly

aspect, that harmonized perfectly w ith its double destination, as a sepulchre o f X ings, and a refuge from tho vanities o f the world.

XoV(O

;liÎ&âUâûâtiiÉLÂai

WE lodged at a very tidy little inn in the

Tillage, and onr dinner introduced ub, for the first tim e in Spain, to freRh pork, wMcli

was to be henceforward onr almost daily piece de rcHsianes, T he village, w hich stands^ under

the very shadow o f the Ei^curial, thoiigh small,

Bceuis to abound in posadas and lod^Qj>*hoiiaes, being a favourite resort for the gentry o f Madrid

during th e intense lii^ats o f summer, when its

fresh mountain-air and comparative coolness, make th e neighboTirhood a delicions retreat

from thü sweltering temperature o f th e capital.In winter i t m ust be frightfully bleak, exposed

as i t is to those terri£e blasts from the G-uadar- rama chain, which, according to a ll accounts, can

be scarcely less formidable than the hurricanes

o f the Andes, Stories alm ost incredible are

told o f th e violence, w itli w hich the wind sweeps down upon th e Escorial through a gap in the

monr^tains, to the north-west, eddying through

i ts courts like some whirlpool o f air, and np!H?t- t in g cTcrythin^ it encounters. Ford mentions

th a t upon one occasion au Ambassador’s coach, a voliiclo o f some suhstaiico and w eight in the

lûst ccntm y, was torued topay-turvy by one of

those rushing m ighty winds. I n fact, so much

did the inmates euffer from th is cause, that iû

1770 a Buhterraneou5 ^tillciy, communicating

w ith th e village, wa« couetructcid by th e monks. The I>uc de St. Simon, who, in 1715, spent

Bomo part o f the winter at tho Escorial, speaks

of its intense cold, aud yet, though i t froze

fourteen or fifteen hours out o f the twenty-four, th e sun was so powerful from 11 a .m . to 4 p .m .,

that i t waa too hot for walking, while tho aky

was at all tim es perfectly serene and cloudless.I s e i t morning, takiug m y customary stroll

before breakfast, and passing we&tward through

the grove o f E nglish elm s, planted h y Philip, I preseiitly found m yself in iront o f the south­western façado, and on the brink of a magnificent ^franite tank, some 400 feet long hy ¿00 wide, spacious as the pools o f Solomon, and fed by a

perennial rill, whose pleasant mumiTU* alone

broke the silence o f th e scene.Tt was a lovely morning, the atmosphere of

cr ^ ta l transparency, and tk o , landscape flooded

w ith unbroken snnslune \ nor did I wonder, as

80 m any have done, while I walked up and

down th e vs aTm, sequestered terrace, that Philip

should have cht»cn such a spot for h is home, ■Whatever may l>e said against th e dreariness

o f the road from Madrid, the immediate vici­n ity o f th e Escorial, as wc saw it, ie extremely

beautiful. Close at hand, as I have already

mentioned, rises a mountain range, h igh ly pic- tures(jue in form and outline, and ot a colonring

s in ^ la r ly rich and vivid; w hile m any o f the

uplaud elopes arc clothed w ith thickets, and

bosky patches o f copse-wood, their autumnal tints thrown out into bright relief hy th e dark

gray rocks cropping? out here and there, along

the face of th e mountain. Imm ediately below, lies the park we skirted on our arrival, w ith its

dark foliage o f ilex, and quereus rohur, somhre- hued amid th e glories o f th e Pall, while ei^t^

ward a tin y lake, where, in bygone days, the

monks used to catch th e finest tench in the

world, glistene— th e eye of th e landscape—

under th e early eunbeams.I t wiw sad to gee the fruit-trees on th e t*.rrace

waDs, once tended so carefully, new drooping in

straggling, unpruned neglect, each in its uiche

15 ^ 1%€ Eftcorid.

or alcovo, w ith foldinff*doora to shelter i t from

the severity o f th e winter, as iu th is elevated

situation even peach and apricot trees cannot exist w ithout such protection.

Looking westward, you perceive near the

hase o f the mountain, at a distance o f more

than a mile from the palace, the SUla del Bey, or “ K ing’s S « a t/’ where Philip used to

sit and watch th e progress o f th e Escorial. Out o f th e same mountain, a ll the stone re­quired for the building waa quarried, and

transported to tlie site along a platform of wood, which bridged over th e intervening space.

This fabric, a rcmartahle work for that age, was

constructed w ith a gentle slope towards the Escorial, so as to lessen th e draught; and such

wsa its size, that when its purpose had l>een

served by the completion o f th e palace, i t was removed v i th very great difficnlty.

H aving enjoyed the tranquillity and sunshine

o f th e terrace for a good hour, I set out on niy

return to the inn, W ish ing to seo the other

side o f th e Escorial, I descended into an orchard

ly in g under the terrace, where dome peasants

were d i c i n g potatoes, and made for th e high

wall by which i t is bounded, hoping to find

some friendly outlet in that direction. Tn th e

m idst o f th e orchard I was attiicked by a, dog belonging to one o f the potato-d ivers, and

having no stick (which, by th e way, ie always

a dearahlc companion for a country walk in

Spain, w heie d c ^ riwund), I was obliged to

have rccoxjree to Dr. Parr's expedient, and

infiicUd my eye on th e foe, so ae to keop him

from a brcach o f th e pea«i, un til h is master

called him olf. which he did w ith proToking

deliberation.1 looked in viun for gate or door, hy which to

make my exit, and, as the wall was about twelve

feet Idgh, I gladly availed U)yself o f a young

tree, which grew cimvanienf, aa an Irishman wonld say, and soon clamhercd np to th e top, only to find myself, however, confronted by a

species o f ckevaux fr isv , consisting o f a thiek

stratum o f dry bramhleR, w ith an upper crust of

large stones to keep it firm, placed there, evi­dently w ith no small trouble, by tho owner, for

the safe-keeping o f his apples and pears.I t required no great foresight to perceivc that

a yard op two o f th is coping woidd inevitably fall on m y unlucky pate, were I to drop down

to th e other side from the spot where I then stood, and th e peasants showed they anticipated

iiome Ruch result, by tlie eaijemess w ith whicli

they drew near to see the sport. Having, however, in n y scliool-boy days, acquited, among other uaeini accomplishments, the tnAck

o f wsJking on a hlack-thorn hedge m thou t

com ing to grief l i t e the imraortal K in g of

SicUy, 1 surraisod their benevolent anticipations

were not quite certain to be realized; und

proceediiig w ith as m uch caution as a man treading among eggs, I cleared iu due tim e the

forty or fifty yards o f wall, over w hich the

brambles and stones extended, and having

made m y bow to the seloct audience betöre

whom I luid to exhibit, iu acknowledgment oi' tlieir polite attentioue, I ibopped down com­fortably ÜU th e otlier side, without bringing

dcstroctiou ou m y own head; though I almost felt as i f 1 owed an apology to the eypectant

potato-diggera, for so ruthlessly dUappointing

them o f their hoped-for entertainment.Breakfast became a pleasant episode between

m y m ondng lambhi and our exploration o f the

"Bscorial, a very formidable uudertaidug, con­taining as it does, according to th e guide-booli«, a j^lace, a convent, tw o colleges, for regulars

and seculars respectively, three chaptcr-houseR, and tliree libraries, w ith more halls, dormitoriw,

retectorieft. and infirmaries, than I care tu iik-

trodnce into m y page«. T liete are no fewer

than eigh ty staircases, and some one gifted w ith A turn for statistics, has calculated, that to v isit

every individiial room, and to go up and down each staircase and corridor, wo\dd occupy four

entire daya, and carry tho unhappy wight (should any such zealot for sightrseeing ever

be discovered) over a distance o f about a hun­

dred and tw enty E nglish miles.W e m eetly axirrcndered ouraelvcs to the dis­

posal o f onr guide, and he took us up and down

so m any staircases, along ffuch a maze o f cor­ridors, and cloiatcrs, and through such an end­less sucoession o f courts, and quadrangles, that ere long we subsided into th e condition of machines, w ith th e sensations o f a vertiginous

mill-horse, and th e wayworn leg-weariness of

the wandering Jew.Wo began w itli th e Church. I n spite of

Ford's eulogy, i t gave m e little pleaaxire, fn>m

its pagan. clMsical style, and the depressing, joyless inflnences brooding over its eold interior, w hich has more th e air o f a vast crypt, dedi­cated to th e dark mysteries o f some heathen superstition, than of a temple consecrated to

the worship of TTim, " Who brought life, aud

imm ortality to lig k t b y th e Gfospel.” A t the

same tim e it certainly j)osse8se8 th e merit of massive sim plicity, and the noble flight o f

steps, in polished marble, ascending to th e high

altar, produces a very striking efiect.

Before the French invasion, th e Church

teemed w ith treasures o f A it— sacred vessels o f gold and silver— m iJtitudes o f shrines— reli-

cjuane^—arid a tuhcmaele o f such exquisite workmanship, that it used to he spoken o f as

worthy to he one o f the ornaments o f th® celestial altar.

A ll thcso were destroyed h y L a Housaaye's

troopers, when they occupied tho Escorial in

1808, by w ay o f g iv ing vent to their natiumil

feeliiig respecting th e battle o f St. Queutin, where the Spaniards, w ith th e aid o f some

8000 English, in addition to other foreign­ers, managed to defeat tiuj French, on the

Feast o f St. Lam cnce, A ugust 20th, 1557, the interval o f tw o eenturics and a half, which

one m ight have supposed capable o f serving

as a sort o f Statute ol fjim itation, not being

a sufficient lapse o f tim e (apparently), to t rase

the defeat out o f the memories of French­men, who are always sorer under a hcatiug,

than any other nation, and rWnv to its recollec­tion w ith a tenacity, that w ill neither forget

nor foi^ive,Tho Escorial sustained a still greater loss

in 1887, dnring th e Carlist \rar, when about A hundred of th e choicest paintings were re­m oved for safety’s so^e Ut th e Muaeo at Mudrid, where, being accessible to a ll comers daily, to

he studied at leisure, they uow afford a thou­sand-fold more Ratification to lovers of pietuxus,

and proportionate increaiie o f benefit to Art, than they ever produced while ly in g entombed

in th e remote Escorial.I t is hardly nuccssaiy to m ention here, that

th e building waa erected by P hilip I I . , in

accomplishment o f a vow addressed to Saint

Lawrcuee, (the Spauisli San Lorenzo,) during*

the battle o f St. Quentin, and that the form

o f a gridiron, in commemoration of the Saint's

martyrdom on an instrum ent of that descrip­tion, VTHs adopted for its ground-plan, iu order

to do him further honour."VVe descended into tb e royal vault, called the

Panteon, an octagon o f polished marble, stand­in g exactly under th e h igh altar, and dart us

Erebus. St. Sinion says, “ i t tnghteued him by a sort o f Iiorror aud majesty," and i t haa

H

The S tfw ia i.

far m oie tb e app^aranc« o f a tom b intended

for them “ that have no h o p e /’ tban “ a gate o f d eath ” leading to a jo y M resurrection. I t

18 the Tcty place to hflTe inspired those lines

o f Gray, which, though prof«»edly written

amid the comparatively ohecrful associations of

a gnushiny Eniflish i'hnrchyard, are fraught w ith the influences that hover around this

royal ch&rnel-heuse.

'»T he b oast o f haroldry, U:»« pom p o f power,A nd a ll tb&£ l>e«ut/. «11 that w«adth d'orA w «ii ftliie tha iaeviU bU b o a i'^

• « « • « * *G aa eCoried uro, or ftnimAted bust.B&ek to its m aoeion call th e fleetang brc*tb?G»n hoDOur'^ roicc proToke thd v lc n t dost,O r &Lit£Ty soothe th e dull cold ear o f d«aCb ? '

T he vault contains twcnty-eix niches, most o f them being tenanted hy th e dust and ash«s

o f king«, and «uch o f their queens, as Viad

sons to ascend the throne, none others being

admissible into th is last stiODghold o f Spanish

etiquette, where even in death the proprieties

are strictly observed b y the separation o f the

sexes, th e m ales ly ing on one side, and tho fe­males on th e other. The first niche is allotted

to Charles V ., th e earliest occupant of th is grim

abode, bis remains having beer» brought here

from Tuste. H a son ie th e next to find a tomb ■within the walls o f his own foundation, and then, in historical order, follows the long

succession o f Auatrian and Bourbon noncntitiea, tslerat^ hy Spanish ceremonial almost to the

rank o f demigods, only to come at last to the common end o f all men.

St. Sim on gives a curious account o f two

other sepnlchtaJ chambers, which we did nut see. “ In a separate place near, but n ot on the

same floor, and resembling a libraiy, the bodies

o f children, and queens, who have had no

posterity, are ranged. A third place, a sort o f antecliamber to the last named, is called ‘a

rottin^-rooiii.* In this third room nothing is

to be seen oicept four hare walls, w ith a tabic

in the middle. The walls being very thick, openings are made in them, where the bodies

are placed ; each body has an oj>ening fco itself, which is afterwards walled up. W hen it is

thoxight the corpse has been walled up suf. ficiently long to he free from odour, th e wall is opened, the body tsiken o\it, and put in

a eoflin. which allows a portion o f i t fco be seen

towards th e f ^ t . This coffin is then ci^vered

w ith a rich stuff, and carried into the adjoining room.”

M 2

AJl that is usually shown o f the Escorial we

saw, thft greater part, h w ev e r , I m ust oonfcsa, w ith Teiy UttOe interest. W h at pleaaod ur

modt were th e royal apaiimenta, very plcaaant snnny room», of moderate, habitalile size, sim ply

furnished in general, w ith here and there R o m e

articlc, a cabinet, or piece of maxiiueteric, of regal costliness. Some o f tb e rooms contained

a few good pictures, while m any were hnng

w ith the finest tapestry I ever saw, chiefly o f

Spanish manufacture, and representing for the

m ost part hunting and shooting subjects, full

o f animation, and admirably colouied.I was particularly interested in tb e Sala des

B atalks, “ tbe Gallery o f Battles,” a long cor­ridor opening upon one o f th e patios, ao called

becauac its walls are covered w itli battle-pieces, in iresco, the m ost conspicuous being the cn- gageiTient of L a H iguerela, where th e bpaniards, under Alvaro de Luna, defeated tlie M oots, in June, 1431. J t is curious to oW rve, tbat in

th is painting both Clxristiana and Infidels axe represented as fighting iinder the crescent, that

having been the “ canting” crest o f I>e Luna, borne by him on account o f his family name, for L ana signifies “ the m oon” in Spanish as

well aa in Latin.

T h is frCBCo, copiod, it is saifl, from an older

one fbnnd ia tho AJcazar at Segovia, is well worth atndyiag, oa account o f its costumes, anauur, aad other details. T he battles o f Pavia, St. Q ucatia, and Lepaato, w ith m any ^moua aicgcs in th e Netherlands, aro delineated on a

largo scale, and Iiad not the iacxorablo necessity

o f ^ i n g the entire round o f sight-seeing pre­vented me, I would gladly have spent wm c

tim e ia becom iag fo lly acquainted w ith these

m ost int^restiag illustratioaa o f history.l iy way o f refresh m eat after lioajzLog that

huge buildii^f, we longed to tura out upon

the terraces, wlicre the san was sh ia ing most attractiTely, but th is was n ot allowed.

W o were much struck w ith the parterres o f

box-wood, ia geometrical patteras, in to which

the terraces aru laid out. The box haviag

attained a height of two or three feut is kept carefully trimmed oa th e top, and at the sides, aad w ith its ©vergreea foliage glistoniag ia tho

sanshine, aa excellent effect is prodaced, mak­in g one insensible to th e absence of flowers.

A ltogether the exterior o f th e Escorial, w ith

its gardens aad surrounding scenery, pleased \is

much more any portion o f its ia terior; during a fine aut;una it would be a very plcasaat

place to stay at, &nd there are mdny czctusions

to he made in the neighhouring mpontaici«, w hieh I Longed to expLore,

B oth ÜUJ time, and powers o f endurance, were now exhausted, aiid after a hasty lunclioon we

set off for Madrid, where we arrived early

enongh to dine, and spend a very pleasant evening, w ith Mr. A ugustus Lnm ley, the

Secretary to the Embassy.

O0 T 0 B K B 22nd. I n spite of a ll the fcind- ncas aad hospitality received from out

countrymen at Madrid, wc were n ot at last

altogether sorry to leave, as th e wcatLcr had

broken np, the »treete were delnged w ith daily

t<;>rrents o f rain, aud cbillm g blasts from the

Guadarrama m ountains assailed us a t erciy turn. In going south we hoped for sumiicr

sties , and looked forward w ith groat delight

to our ride through “ tb e untrodden ways,” of

wild Estremadura, Provision for the joumcsy

had been k id in from tb e stores o f th e Ca£e

r ila id y , and a pair o f forsiidabie • loo tm g

panniers were filled to the brim, w ith a m is­cellaneous cargo o f tea, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, wine, canuisters o f preserved meat, artd soup, pates and hams, m tb a supple- m t^t o f tea «md cofiee pots, tin jngs, kuives, forts, and gpoons. To o u t incipericnced eyes

these preparations seemed altogether extravagant, and the h igh prices, which make Madrid tho

m ost expenaive capital in Europe, swelled tho bill to an amoTint n ot pleasant to contemplate. A week’s travel, however, convinccd xi& that i f

any error had been committed in th e commia- eariat department, i t was ccrtainly not on the

aide o f excess; and m any a tim e and o il, while

wending our way through dehesas and de^

poblados, where edibles are unknown, did we

w ish some hcnefieent l^ ry would transport ns

for a eoaple o f hours to th e weU*ropleniahed

cafc o f the Calle de San Geronimo, th a t we m ight turn to account onr newly-aequired ex­

perience, by doubling our ori^ nal supplies, and

by adding a few items, w hieh seldom ilnd a place in carpet-hag or portmanteau o f a tourist, thouglt hy no means superEuous to travellers

in th e Peninsnla.The rail eonveyod ua to Toledo, where we

propped taking lo the saddle, and riding hy

T uste, Placentia, and Merida, to Seville. Spanish

railways do not excel in speed, and we were

more than three hours iu duing about ibrty

miles. Tho country is a mere lifeless expani»e

o f arid plain, t il l you come to th e royal domain

of Aranjuez, on the hanks o f the Ta^ua, whieh

ToUdo. 169

is pretty and w ell wooded. H ere the co-orfc

gpendfl part oi’ th e epriug.Toledo is very strikiBgly situated on a duster

o f granite h ills (of course since Rom e set the iashion th ey are called seven), through whoec

hoeom the Tagus has cloven a deep raTine-Uke

channel surrounding three sides o f the town. I t

was now a hrimming turbid stream, after th e late

rains. 1 nuver saw any lai^e tow n w hich gave me

more the idea o f compression than Tolodu, as if, after its completion, some nnheard*of power iiad

forced i t in to half its orij^nal compaas. Its

streets never ran straight ahead, but turn and tw ist in a ll directions, after the fashion of

piwtcm towns, and have more the appearance

o f slits and creviccs between the houses, than

o f open thoroughfares. On th e land-side i t is

still cncircled by Moorish walls, and as on our

way into th e town we passed under a tower

w ith gate and portcullis yet entire, and pierced

hy a m ost graceful horseshoe arch, we seemed

to he at once carried hack to the days o f old, when the Moor was master there. I t was not at all what I had expected to see, exhibiting few

eharacteTistics o f a peaceful cathedral town, the see o f a Primate, and the centre o f ecclesi- aatieal atiairs to a great kingdom. T he houses

170 Toledo.

liavc almost the look o f fortified dwellings, aiwl tlio streets are far better contrived for keeping

out an enemy, tban for g iv in g poaccable citizens

a free passage to and fieo on their lawful avoea- tions. In fact had we n ot known it was Toledo, i t would bave bocu easy to im agine we were

eutcriiig some frontier town among the moun­tains, wbosie gates were for ever bearing “ th e

d in o f battle bray.” I t is a m ost uncomfortable

place to go ab ou t; i f you w ait, your feet are

tortured by Tile pavem ent; i f you venture to

take a carriage, a tare sigh t at Toledo, your

nervous system is slia ten to pieccs. The only vehicle we saw th e omnibus, that conveyed

us from th e station, and its course tbrougb tbe

streets, as it dashed m adly round corners, and

darttjd up steep slopes o f pavement, more nearly

resembled tb e jerks and hops o f u cracker, than

the sedate movements common to omnibnses in

other parts o f tb e world.Tho town is crowdcd w ith objccts o f interest

to tb e ecclesiologist, antiquarian, student of

bistory, architect, and a r tis t ; out o f which

ordinary visitors find a di& culty in m atin g a

selection. W e were, however, happily spared

th is perplexity, in having >rr. Sykes for onr

companion, who has n ot <Hily quite the gift

o f finding out what is beet worth Reeing, com­bined with a thorough love o f Art, but having

spent a day there the week before, he con- 8e<jucntíy knew how to employ our lim ited time

to the be*t advaiitaire. Few placea can boaat such

an iflteresting array of rcUgioue bnilditigs, J ewish, Moorish, and C lm stiaii; and. as we visited one

after another, we c o M only long for more

leúíure, and a larger share o f that inexhauatihle

enci^y and zeal, so indispensable for coubcien*

tious eight-seeing.Our first v isit was to tlie well-known syna-

g o ^ e a . Judging from th e general character

o f these buildings, the Toledan Jew s must have been u very prosperous comjuunity, and

it is a sb gn U r circumstance in tho history of

a people, who in m ost countries have heen

politically so uniufliiential, that upon two

occaaioiia they were the means o f changing

the ownersliip o f th e city— in April, 712, when they opened th e gates to th e Moors

under T an k Ih n Zeyyad; and again, M ay 25, 1085, when th ey adniitted Alonzo V I. One

o f these synagogues, now called Santa Jtfaria La

Ijlanca, dates, i t is «aid, from tbe nintli century, and, bemg tlie wurk o f a M oorish architect, ie

built in his native style. I t eon^sists o f a nave

Syn<igogHCS.

and double aisles on c ieb. side, formed b j rows

o f horse-Bhoc arclics, rising from »liurt massive

columns w itli urabc^ue capitals. Above the

tcyston e o f eacsh central row o f urchcs, a blank

unpierced arcade runs the whole length of the

nave} th e east end contains a recess, which

used to he the I lo ly o f Ilo lius. W lmt interested

m e m ost o f a ll w is th e wooden roof, not only

as being composed o f cedars of Lebanon, bat from being the hmt o f th e kind I ever remember

to have seen on th e Continent, where, as every

one knows, va,ulted roofs are w ell-nigh universal, wooden ones being almost confined to England. Eergusaon remarks that the Spanish Arabs

never seem to have paid attention to vaulting

in stone and simjlar material, but usually con- struetod their roofs of wood, painted and can ed, or of stucco. The other synagogue, called B1 Tnuisito, is simply an oblong room o f consider­able dimensions, which, in its artesonado roof

and cornices, retains traccs o f gorgeous oma*

mentation, w ith latticed galleries for women

let into th e side-wall, about half-way between

tlie floor and th e coiling. This was built “ at

the sole expense” o f a Jew ish millionaire, Samuel Levi, treasurer to Pedro the CruuL

W o now varied the routine o f sight-scejng.

and walked t o th e top o f tbe h ighosi h ill w ithin

the walU, which is cxrowned w ith the shell of

ft fine palace in the Eenaissance style, built

chicfly hy Charles V ., and completed by his

son. I t is called th e Alcazar, having bocu

erected on the site o f the old M oorisli palace, o f

whieh, as &r as we could diacover, n o remains

exist. The sitiiation i s truly regal. Throned

on a platform o f rock, ia i abore every surround­in g object, i t commands T oUmIo, “ the crown of

Spain, and the lig h t o f th e whole world," aa old chronicles style the city, and overlooks the

broad stream o f th e Tagus, as it sweeps down­ward towards the plain. The proportions of

th e palace are m a^ ificen t, and the grand stair­case, on which it is said no fewer tlm n tliree

architects were employed at different tim es, haa

“ ample room arrd verçe en ou gh ” to admit a

eoach and six. The façade is enriched with

medallions, containing heads, fignres, and otlicr

ornaments o f the cinque-cento style. On tho side next the Tagus are some o f the finest

machiolations I ever saw, projecting from the

fturfiice o f the wall w ith a depth and holdnOAS, that produced admirable efTects of lig h t and

shade ; these are probably the remains o f some

building erected after the capture o f th e place

in 10S5. The view across th e stem -looking

hilla, thiifc hem in tho river, foRiihly reminded

both Lord Portarlington jind i l r , Sykee o f tho

neighbourhood o f Jcrnsalem ; indeed their rc- collectiong o f eastern travel are constantly

awakened hy the scenes through w hich we arc now paasing.

On descending the hiJl, w o w ent to the

splendid Franciscan convent, San Juan de loa

Keyes, founded by Ferdinand and Tsabelb, to commemorate their Tiotory at Toro over Alonzo

o f Portugal, in 1476. Fergusson calls th is

building the gem o f that age, assigning to it

th e samtj position in Spanish pointed architec­ture, that K enry V IJ.'s chapel occupies in

English, w ith even greater richnesB o f detail. The portal wa* erected by P hilip 11. <>n the outdide o f the church, at th e cast end, hang

hundreds o f iron chains, takeix from th e limbs o f the Christian captivcs found in Granada, when

i t was surrendered by Bo&bdil in 1492, and iji their present position they may well ho regarded

both as thank-ofleringR to God, and aa emblems

o f conquest. The whole building suifored

fearfully dnring the Frencli occupation, and

wears now a m ost dismal air o f desolation and

neglect. Indeed, I m ust confess, no pari, gave

me 60 much pleasiire as thft cloisters, which, in their fo?mcr g lo iy , m nst ha.Te been an en* chantiBg retreat; even now they are invested

with a peculiar attractiveness, and wc spent a

moat pleasant hoar w ithin their precicctd, while reposing from the fktiguce of sight-seeing, find eating fruit under th e shade o f vine and

fig-tree.B ut, after all, the pride o f Toledo is the

Cathedral, which ie indeed “ glorious w ithin ,”

not merely from tlie beauty o f its architecture, hut from what in the present day is much more

rare, the profaae magnificence o f its decorations

and fom iture, in retabloa, painted glass, sculp«

fcure, wood-carving, plate, and onukmentol iron­work. T he wood-carving o f the choir alone

would occupy days to eyamine it worthily;

every stall is a study, and we turned from panel and motilding, and mieerere, w ith a feeling of

utter helplessness at our inahihty to master the

m jriad marvels that sxurround&d ns on every

side. Then there were “ glorious tomes, bound

in half-inch oak, or chestnTxt, armed and knobbed, «nd studded w ith wrought brass or silver, scaled

t<»toise-fafihion w ith metallic lappets, and hound together by the h ogstin 1>ack, relic» of

boars that had fattened themselves plentifully

in great forests o f ilex aad oork-troe; volumes

that have in itials of marvellooft dplcndour, with

flowers and fruitage curling down the side of

tho pa^^, or sym bolizing iu their very pattern

tlie m eaning o f th e Epistle, or OroRpel, which tlicy prelude.”

The lletablo, a specie« o f Reredoa in wood, carvod and richly ornamented w ith gild ing and

colour, which seems peculiar to Spain, is Iiere a

perfect concentration of b eau ty ; though unfor­tunately from th e graat height to which it runs, and th e “dim reHgious lig h t” tbat pervades

th e w hole interior o f th e Cathedral, some por­tions o f the five compartments into which i t is

divided were almost invisible. Tbese run from

base to summit, and oaeh contains thrtw» subjects

from th e principal events in our Lord’s life.

Executed in 1500, it is a masterpiece o f art, and

1 longed first o f all to illum inate it w ith a

fiood o f lig h t fluffieicntly powerful to reveal ita m inutest details, aud then to have i t photo­graphed for th e benefit o f dear friends at home.

A t th e back o f the choir runs a series of

m ost elaborate (Gothic screens three tiers high, extendijig (no doubt) all round orig ina lly ; behind tb e altur, however, they have been cut

away to iiii^e room for a trumpery modem

luon^iment. There are besides some exquisite

hits o f tho best pointed period, particularly an

arcade nm n in g along th e transepts, whieh wonld be an ornament to any building, and a trifbrium

rouud the choii, with a sculptured figure under

each arch, which Fergusson notices as an in­stance o f a very natural tendency in Spanish

architect», to introdui:c ifoor ish featuros into

their designs.T he Cathedral consists, as usual in Spain, of

a double choir, w ith transepts, nave, and double

aisles on each side, to which are attached several chapels o f m ost sumptuous description.

N ojie o f them , however, exceed in interest

th e M o55arabic ehapcl, bn ilt and endowed by

Cardinal Xim encs, in 1912, for th e daily uso

o f the MoKarabic Tjitntgy, tho original com- mnnion-service o f Spain. I t is said to take

ite name from iIust*Arab, being used by

persoiis, who mixc-d with, and tried to imitate

tJii' Arab, that is, the Spanish CImstians, who

nndep X oorish rule enjoyed full toleration of their religi<^ii, liaving aa xnanv as s i i Clxurches

iu Toledo alone. Tina l itu r g y , which Pahner derives from tlie ancient (ialliean, is w ritten in

Latin, and ia copious enough to fill two fohos,N

178 Mosarahic lAturgy.

I ts construction is r e iy peculiar, differing

widely from m ost o f the "Western Liturgies, especially from the Roman aud Ambrosian, being h igh ly poetical, fu ll o f antithesis, which

«ometimes becomes almost rhetorical, and w ith

whole paasiiges that read very much like por­tions o f sermons introduced where prayers

m ight be looked for; it abounds moreover w ith

sdaptationfl from Scripture, especially irom the Psalter.

Ford says i t was re-established hy Xijnencs, “ to g ive th e Vatican a hint, that Spain had not

forgotten her former spiritual independence.”

This is extrem ely probable, and one cannot imagine a more legitim ate mode o f protesting

against Roman usurpation, t.Vian th e restoration

of th is ancient ritual, which is still u&ed

every day in the Mozarahic Chapel at Toledo, in compliance w ith th e terms o f th e Cardinal’s

endowment. B u t i t seems to me, that another

m otive o f a more private nature may have

exercised additional influence upon the Car­dinal's mind, in his restoration o f that ritual, and a# the whole subject o f Liturgies is hegin-

ning to Attract attention, I m ay he permitted

to notice th e point more at length.Tbe religious serrice« o f the Spanish Chris­

tians, received, aa we have $ieen, no material interruption from th e ii Mooriah conqnerore; and in m odem phrase, they were etill allowed

to worship God according to tlieir ow n con­science. B ut th e Roman See, having succeeded

dariog Charlemagne’B reign in substituting the Rom an L iturgy for the Galilean, attempted to

introduce it in to Spain also, in place of the

native Mozarabic ritual, which is known to have existed as early ss the sixth contuiy. This attem pt succeeded in A r a ^ n about 1060 ; but in Castile and Leon not t ill 1074, when,

through the influence o f Gregory the Seventh, AJphonso th e S ixth decreed th e abolition of

th e Mozarabic L iturgy, very much agsinst the

wishes o f both clergy and people; in fact he

did not eficct the introduction of th e Roman

Liturgy, t il l he had threatened its opponents

w ith conflscation death. I t would appear

that lioderic Xim enes was then Archbishop of

Toledo, and in h is history he relates how, while

eveiyone lamented and wept over the loss of their ancient ritual, which even the Infidels had

spared, i t passod into a proverb, Quo Fbluni lU.ffsa, Vadunt Leges, which may be paraphrased» “ W hat the K ing willeth, that th e law fill*

fiUeth."N 2

N ow , from utter ignorance o f Spanish genea-

h)gy, T cannot fluy that both these Arch­bishops, though bearing the Bams name, be­longed to thü great fam ily of Cisneros ; if

they did, aa I w ill venturi» to surmise until better informed, do we not hf^re diaeovcr an

additional motive for the pains taken by the great Cardinal to ensure the pcrpctiial pre­servation o f th e ancient national I> itu i^ ?

The Cathedral contains painted glass o f ex­quisite beantT, ñ lling every window, i f my

memory does not deecive me, and we ?iaw i t

precisely at th e m oment for setting oft' its elicct to the h ighest a<iv.intage. I t was late oti

ft Sunday afternoori, and darkness was irradually

stealing over th e whole interior, so that you pcmld hardly discern tlie dusky forms that

passed silently to and fro over the marblft floor. The windows alone stood out bright

and glorious, in luminous contrast to the

general gloom ; and aa th e beams of th e w est­ering Bun camc streaming through, ligh ting

up the forms of A postle and Martyr, "Bishop

and K ing, while th e sweet sounds o f tlio

Vesper chant floated around us, we seemed to

he gaaing on some heavenly vision.

T he principal inn at Toledo having a repu-

Tjodffings. iS i

tatiou for dirt, we lodged at tlie house o f Donna

lUiQona, a gPOw»r s wife, who occasionally re- ceircs btrangers, that arc recommended to her, She Tvaa moat kind and attentive» doing her

utmost to make iw corafortahle in her cleaiv

and lucely-fiimisht-d house. H er cooking, how*

cTcr, did not suit ue at all. She gave ua so much salirou and oth#ir natioujil condiments, ahojuinahle to an E nglish taste, that we w ally

had great difficulty in mating what otherwise

would have been unexc-eptionable. Beside this, w hich affcctcd the whole party, she took an

nn fortunate fancy to m y night-dress, aud with

nfter disregard for m y I'ceUngs and prejudices, converted the skirt in to a dust<^r, and to judge

by its snbsequent appearance, applied it to

articles that had not been dusted for a long

tim e. T his 1 d id n ot consider a nieritorloxw

action, nor from iny ignorance of Spanibli had

I the satisfaction o f rcmoiistrating w ith her

afterwards, and so rd iev ing niy wounded feel­ings. Altogether, wo did not find a private

house answer, and decided for the futnre nevet to have recourse to onf , except in case o f absolute

necessity, which curiously enough, as it even­tually turned out, was perpetually recurring. B u t at that time we were mere novices in the

18a P r iv a te L o d ^ n ^ .

art o f makiiig the beet o f th ings, and had we

chanccd to take np om abode under Donna

Ramona’s roof ft week or two later, we Bhouid

no doubt hftve felt perfectly content w ith a ll w©

found there.

A t Toledo we were to corauicncc our riding“ to-ur, us th e w ild reirfonB o f Estremadura,

in to which we were go in g to ponotrato, are

inaccessihk except to the horseman und mule*

tcer. H ere and there, it is true, th e province *is intersected hy the great roade aloit^ which

the correo, or mail, and th e diligence r n n ; hut

our object was to avoid these routes a# mnch a«

possible, which exhibit, all the world oxer, very much the same character!sties ; and to traverBe

those vast solitudes and far-reaching waates, whieh give so peculiar a charm to Spanish tours. For this purpose Lord Portarlington and Mr. Sykes had bought horses at Madrid, while I

preferred taking m y chance, and trusting to

what could he hired on th e road. Donna

Eamona’s goodman, a modest being, whose position lay «omcwhat in the background o f tbe

family picture, recommended one o f his neigh-

bouiB, Marcos Rahosos, as mnleti^CT to our

p a r iy ; and Le, for tbe sum o f abontfive shillings iu Englifth money, a day per beai«t, agreed to provide one horse, three mules, and

six donkeys, to carry myself, Swainson, Elfiek, and Purkiss, together w ith a ll and snndry onr

goods, chattels, and appnrtenances, from Toledo

to Talavera, a journey o f tw o days, hack*money, and all their provender on th e road, included. A% however, Marcos eonld n ot supply a ll these

(^nadrupedfl from h is own stable, he engaj^ed

Tomna —— , a fcUow-townsiuan w ith an nn- pronounceuble name, to prOTidc the remaining’ boasts, and to act generally ns second in

comiaand during tlie expedition. W e wore

to start on M<mdav morning, Oct. 24.M onday came, bringing w ith it a cold wind,

and bright snn&hine, which made us anxious

to be ofi' i3ut th is was no easy mttttor. To

pack s is donkeys in a narrow Toledan alley, encumbercd w ith packages o f all sorts and

sizes, was by no means a simple undertaking. Everybody was coming in to colljsiou. T he liorscs

wonld not stand still, and the mules whiled away

th e tim e iu biting and kick! og caeh other, Pack-

in g ropes were either too lo n g or too ^ho^t, or- broke just where they should have b^en strong-

eat. T he heaviest urticlea fell to the lo t o f the

weak#?at donkeys, aud th e biirden wiw by no

meana suited to the back that bore it. The con­fusion was tm ly Crimean, and everytliing went TTTong, to th e g;reat auju^ement of J>onna

lU nioua’e neighbours. A t le n ^ h , after much expcüditure of breath in haaty exclamatione, and

entire Iofs o f paticncc both in man and beast, the

word was gi^cn to ßtnrt. O f course, eveiy donkey

get off at onwj, janim ing hia lead into hia neigh­bour s ribs, and the narrow fetreet was in a

m oment chokcd up w ith a s tn ig g lio g mass, that

could neither advance nor rccede. Then one of the muJeB happening to atand in a more open

ipace, would do noth ing hut turn round in a

way i t made one quite giddy to look a t;

while one o f th e horses would persist, in spite

o f whip and spur, in going backwards, aud very

nearly carried him «elf and hia m aster in that

direction down a flight o f cellar steps. In fact there was sueh an utter abscnce o f discipline and

organization, as arg^ied ominoualy against the

prosperity o f our expedition. A t last, the

donkey w hich carried the panni era containing

th e stores, by a vigorous eiTort disengaged

himaelf üom the throng, and, w ith a hang against the com er house, violent enough to

place the precioiis contents in extreme danger, gallantly led tiie w ay through th e streets.

After clearing the ontskirts o f the town, and

producing a sensation o f rare occnrrence amid

the stagnation of Toledan life, we soon entered

upon scenery thoroughly characteristjc o f tho

Peninsula, Onr road lay sometimes along the

bed o f dried*up torrents, which a day’s rain

would render im passable; but more generally through &andy wastes where hedge and tree are

nnknown, and in that tree and open landscape, we felt wc had indeed fairly entered upon those

scenes, which, however devoid o f natural beauty, have long been placed among the remarkable

regions o f the earth b y the genius o f Cervantes.I t was in th is m ood we journeyed on for

leagues over a vast undulating plain, cnltivated

only in patches, and stretching on nil sides to

th e horizon, w ith here and there a village che­quering th e waste, livery sight was a novelty

that day, and the commoziest farming operation reminded us we were really in the m ost old-

world country in Europe, where m any th ings

ate done to th e present hour exactly as o f yore

in the days o f th e Patriarchs and Prophets. Once we camo upon a party of peasants plough-

m g with twelve yoke o f oxen, calling to mind

Elisha’s omployment, wlieu summonGd to follow

Elijah.A keen north w ind was hlow irg in our faces,

and when wc stopped to Innch at a Posada

close to the hridge that crosses the Ouadarrama, 4 conflnent o f tho T a ^ s , wo were glad enough

to shelter ourselves w ithin the hroad porch, where snnahine and food cheered us for a fresh

sta r t A t th e ^ mid-day halts, which became

our role, whenever i t was practicahU, wc always

fed th e horses; while the poor mulos and don­keys had no refreshment whatever, and were condemned to a len ^ h eaed fast, ofWn of twelve

-hours, being muzzled during the halt to prevent

their eating each other’s tails, as mulca are very

^pt to do. The usual provender is barley and

chopped straw, a very powerful, but heatmg

diet, which renders horses especially liable to

sudden attacks o f inHammation.In spite o f the undeniable m onotony o f our

route, we still fonnd it m ost interesting, com­pletely realizing as i t did all onr previous con- ceptdons o f a Spanish landscape- Our late start

caused ns to be benighted, and for about three hours we rode on in darkness o\'er a w ild heath, wher^ th e path was rough aud uncertain, and

where in by-gone times, robberies were frequent.

1 88 Svaniik Tnnâ.

Such thiuf^, however, arc seldom beard of now­adays, thanlvs to th e eaortioue of th e (Cardia Civil, and the only anxiety we felt ■was to leach

St. O lalli, where we proposed ale ’piug, aud as

the uight was pitch-dark, w ith nothiu^ to diver­sify our m onotonous journeying but stumbles

and collisions, we were not sorry to find our­selves at last in the oourt*yanl o f a Po&ada.

A s we arc now for several weeks to have so

much to do w ith Inns, it w ill be well to men*

tion , that in Spain they are o f three classes. The Fonda, which is seldom found cscept in

thü largest and niost*iie<juented uitiee, eorre- apunds to th e I lo te l o f other parts o f Europe. Tho Posada, whieli is univcrsid. iu town and

country, stands u|>on a level w ith a way-sidt*

inn, or bettermost pubhc*houae, while th e Venta

is about as good or hud, as the EugUsh becr- ehop, being freq\iented by only the very lowest

clafli^. In towns you m ay occasionally meet w ith decent accommodation at a Ca»u d< jmpiilos, a w rt o f boarding*hou8c.

O f all these, wc had m ost to do w ith the

Posada, and i t is only fair to slate, that we

generally found them fiir more eovofortablc thaji

we had expected. U’he Posada professes to

supply nothing but lodging, tlic beds hein^

almost mvariably clean and ooTnfottable, w ith

now and then a separate sittinfj-roora, contain­in g a table, some ohairs, ftnd adornpd ivit}i a

few religions prints. Tlic on ly comestible you

can reckon ttpon is bread; while eggs, wine of

the neigbbourliood, and m ilt o f owe or goat, generally belong to the category o f Ixixuries,

and cannot be had for love or money in many

places.The Pc^ada at St- Olalla, like m ost others

we m et w i t l i , is entered throu<»h u large barn- l i t e room, open to th e rt>of, and traversed by

all th e wind;« o f heaven. On one side, the fire- -pliiee withdrawn into a rece^ft formed a most picturesque chim nej-com er, welcom ing ns w ith

a, cheertnl blaze that lighted up the whole apartment, while around sat a group o f mule­

teers S i n g i n g to the guitar, wa« a

long room containing no fire-place, and only one small window unglazed, and this, w i t l i two

»ide-ch ambers, rapplied us accommodation for

th e night. Opposite th e entrance, w hich is

a regular gateway, and has almost a fortified

character, is the stable, a m ost important fea-

tore in all Spanish inns.A brazier, brimful o f aromatic embers, soon

filled our sitting-room, whieh at first looted

190 Commisgariai.

dismal w id chilly, w ith warmth, and sweet odours ; and though there was noth ing hut

to he had in the honRe, y e t these, w ith shcee o f broiled ham, madf us an excellent sup­per. A t least we thought so at th e m oment ;

but onr ideas on the corotniasariat developed so largely afterwards, when from tim e to timo we

were regaled w ith kid, hare, partridgi^, freah

pork, and other deli<!acies, that we came to

regard our dinner at St. Olulla as th e m de

essay o f novices in th e art o f providini» for

themselves,I relate all these th ings, which in them selves

are very trivial, not on ly because they were to ns matters o f daily concern, hut as bom g so

many illnstrations o f travel in th is singular land. Before quitting the cnlinary departmentI m ust add, that we are looking forward w ith

peculiar interest to the first o f November, be­cause on that day, pork-killirig becomes legal, and in many districts we shall have to depend

entirely upon th e flosh o f the andean beast for

animal food. Between Easter and A ll Saints' no p ig in Spain dies according to law, and as

m utton aiid beef are rarities, even in towns of

con5Ì<1erable size (such as Placentia for instance,

where w ith a population o f IS ,000, only one

OK is killed duriug th e whole tw elve months), th e late autumn, when excellent pork is plenti­ful, is one o f tho host seasons for travelling in

Spain for those who are not strong enough to

dispense w ith th e usual diet o f Englishmen.

CKAPTT-R X V II .

"X T TK had hardly started nost m om iug,

* * (Tiiesiky, Octoher 23,) l>eforcit began to rain, and a w alk o f abont foui m iles an

hour being oup usual pace, i t wa« not quite

enjoying “ the sunny suuth'' to g ) on toiling

hoxu* after hour, cloakcd and umbrclla-ed, along a muiMy road, m th nothing to look at

bat an endle«s sweep o f saturated cornfields. W e toiled on, however, throngh the aucceRsive

Rhowere, hoping for great th ings nt Talavera, and a name b o familiar to English ears seemed to promise more than a common welcome. W e found (alas i for the vanity o f human

wislios) a very diflercnt reception. T lic prin­cipal Posada was filled with a troupe o f French

circns.people on their way to Lisbou, und it

was only after we had wandered more* than

once up and down the tow n , and even then

cluefly by the aid o f one o f the eqiicatrians, a

Talavtra^

m ost good*natared lad, that we found any place

to put our heads in . Oar new-made acquaint­ance rendered ub another rnaterial service, h y in­itiating Purkiss into th e m ysUries of Talaxera

shopping, the reeolt o f which appeared in dne tim e nndir the shape o f a substantial Bupper.

The only ohjeots o f interest we saw at Tala- vera were some Tery fine Koman remains, and

seTeral specimens o f th e porcelain w hich takes its

name from th e town, m ost of these bein^ let

in, like panels, in to the fronts o f houses

churches. T he Tagim too is a feature, but in

other re«pi^ct8 it is one o f the m ost deplorable- look in g tow ns *wc saw anywhere in Spain; so

that wc wore n ot at all sorry next tnom ing to take our departure, setting o(T for Oropcsas, in

the ple^asant sunshine, the mere change o f wea­ther m aking to-day's ride delightful, h y contrast

w ith yesterday's downponr.Our road lay still through tbe same great

p la in ; but we had now on our left, wide-sprcad- m g prospects, and purple distances to give it

interest, while to th e right, dense masses o f fog

and cloud reminded us o f th e recent rain. Pre­sently np sprang a fresh breeze from th e west, the clouds and fog gradually lifted, revealiog, to

our gurprlfte and delight, the towerir>g form of

Guardia CivU.

th e Sierra de Gredoaa, a r a n ^ o f mountains more

thau 10,000 ft. high, po^rdered half-way'dovm by Btwly.fallen fmow, TheRe m ountains continued

in sigh t the whole day, adding an unexpected

charm to th e broad T a J U y o f the Ta^us, as w c

were not at all aware t ill then, that w elevated

a exists in th is part o f Spain-WhiJe we wcro at 2d^drid, Sir Andrew Bu*

ehanwi had kindly procured tor Lord Podar-

lingion an «rder irom thft H om e M inister

addressed to the ^^hiitrdia Civil* a body o f police

stationed along a ll th e great roads, and as good

©f their kind, a* th« fai-fom ed Irish constabu­lary, Thia was a great advantage, enabling

08 in certain localities to have an escort, i f rc?

qoired. One of their stations lies between

Talaveta and Oropesas, and the sergeant in

diary:e informed us, that orders had been aent down the line directing them to render us every

assistance.W e saw men belonging to th is force in different

parts o f th e co\uitry, and a l le y s fonnd them

p«rticnkriy civ il and in te lli^ n t. From every­

th in g we heard and observed, no greater ben(^t

has been oonferred on Spain during th e present

c«utory, than th e formation by Narvaez o f th is

p©hce, wijieh has annihilated the o i^ ^ a e d

brigonda^, which tw enty years ago was an

all'perradinij nuisance. A t that m oment, the

sei^eant and h is party were in qnest o f an

enterprising individual, wbo, according to O’Con­nell's phrase, " liad registered a vow ” (though, I

fear, not exactly in th e flame registry as the Irish demagogue used to have recourse to), that he

would rob the first m ail, or diligence that came

in his way. W hether he suecceded in fulfilling

his vow unscathed, or whether he fe ll into the

hands o f th e police, we never heard.A» wu began to approach the confines of

Estremadura, our route, wliich had hitherto

bun through the province of Toledo, now skirted ibre?ts o f ilex, and other kinds o f ever­green oak, with w hich e iten sivc districts in

th is neighbourhood are covercd. There we

made our first acquaintance >vith th e Estreme- nian pigs, a race o f porkers held in h igh esti­mation all through th e Peninsula, and equalling, botli in symmetry and fiitneas, any I have ever

seen in England. A t th is season they are

driven daily into the forests from th e surround­in g viHftgee, to feed them selves fat on the « o m s o f oak, ilex, and cork tree, and for the

m oment w ith their attendant swinehetds they

impart to those solitary glades an am ount. « fo 2

aniraation, never observed there during tko Test o f the year. These herds are eicessivcly

shy, disappcariug instantly at the approach of

a stranger. If, however, any one desires a

closer inspection, he has only to boat the iim t-

laden brecs for a few rninntus, and he w ill soon

he surrounded by a swinish EDultitude attracted

from a ll quarters by the welcome aouud of

crashing boughs, and th e downfall of acorns, w hich th ey know w ill follow. I became quite an adept at the work, and th e swineherds used

to regard me w ith a frieudly eye, though

evidently wondering why 1 should give m yself

so much trouble for other people s pigs.Every now and then we fell in w ith a party

o f muluteers, going in th e same direction, and our combined tbrees presented quite an impos­in g appearance. Some o f these parties, as I

cannot help recollecting, showed an anxiety to keep company w ith us, such as we never

observed on any other occusion. T hey had no doubt heard o f th e brigands' presence in

that nei^'hbourhootl, and fancying probably that

we carried fire*arms, which, however, was not

th e ease, were not sorry to avail them selves of

our escort;' their own numbers, thoui^h con­siderable, affording no reliable protection against

ih e mala gfnte, a single brigand having been

known to rob eighteen or tw enty natives at

once, without m eeting w ith the shghtest re-

distance.A t Oropesos, where we arrived some tim e be­

fore sunset, we found the m ost primitive posada

imaginable. N o t a single pane o f glass in the

whole establiBhmvnt, th e windows being more latticed casements, that offered us th e alterna­

tive of tota l darkness, op an incursion o f keen

wintry air, fresh from tbe snow-elud heights of

the neighbonring mountaind, Tho people of

the house were m ost civil, doing their best to make us comfortable, and g iving up their own

beds to increase our accommodation. Everything

was perfectly clean, and though, by way o f pre­caution, I blow a cloud o f flea*powder over my

bed, I quite bchcvc from the experiences o f tho rest, it was a needless ceremony. Beibre night­fall we visited the castle, a very fine medieval building, though o f no great extent, Tt is in

tolerable condition, and the battlements com­mand an unbroken view over plain and moun- bun, which, as wo saw tliem sufiu»ed w ith the glories o f sunset> formed a panorama of rare

beauty.Purkiss to-day served us a feast o f pork and

hashed hare, so tliat w ith our atorc o f wine

we fared sum ptaously, and aa wc now hegan to nndcrfitand hotter what w© were ahoUt, and to

dieeover more resonrcos both in ourselves and in

the eonntry, we went to bed in excellent spirits,

hoping to reach Cuaeos to-niorrow.Ju st as 1 was turning in, having hy a lucky

accident Bccured the door, 1 heard a loud ham­mering at its massive panels, and on opening it

found m y self face tu faoe w ith the landlord, wLo woe intent upon m aking hia way to his accus­tom ed night-quarterg, at that tim e in m y occu­pation, while h is daughter, behind him , was

doing all she could to frustrate his intentions. A s he waa a puny little body, and she a sturdy

dame w ith a stalwart arm and determined will,

the struggle soon terminated, and she carried hiTTi off w ith m any words, w hich having a most vituperative sound, were interpreted to us after- warda as expressing a decided resolution to break

the head of her “ respected Porient.” I t turned

out that the little man had been tiJcing so mueh

in n e as to render him utterly oblivious o f his

duties as a landlord. To such a pitch of inde­pendence had his potations elevated him , that

he actually conceived he Imd a prior elaira to

hia own proper bed \ and it was undef th e influ­

ence of th is delusion that he be§fan to hatter

th e door leading thither. Poor man 1 he looked

next morninj» smuller than ever, aod it ■wiis in a

ti>ue o f annihilatinir aarcasru that h is daughter remarked to iis, i s hft sat cowering in th e e}iim- nuy comer, “ H e was aomchcdy yesterday, to-day

h e h nobody ! ”W e always make a bargain beiorehand at

every inn we enter, Criding it ahsohitely neces­sary to take th is preeautdon. TTntil -wc adopted

th is plan, the mo&*t ahsord demands were made

for the m ost ordinary aceommudation, and we

observed it to be an invariable m ie, that the less we liad, th e higher the e h a i^ . A t St. Olalla, for instance, where w e had nothing but bread, e^ B , and uiilV, w ith lodging for ourselves and

the serrantft, and provender for three liorses (the

mnlet<t:ers paying for the rest o f th e heasts), the

landlord liud th e e& ontery to ask ten dollars, about £2 5«., w hieh Lord Portarlington refused

to pay, g iv ing them sevea, o.nd even that was

far too muoh.Bargaining betbrehand economizes time, tem ­

per, and money, and enables th e traveUer to part from hift host in a friendly mood. Indeed, since

we adopted th is plan, nothing can be more aifec-

200 BdTffaininff.

tionatc than our adieux, aud after having paid

about half th e sums previously demanded, we

set out on OUT day s roarcli amid the tenderest demonstrations o f respect and a£ection from

host, hostess, and th e whole fam ily circle.

IT is quite surprifiing what extreme difficulty

we find in getting accurate information

respeoting distances, roads, inns, und other mat­ters aftecting the convenience o f IravellerB

PnrViss speaks Spanish tiuently, and from his

long rcBidenoe in th e country is intim ately ac- quaintc*d w ith the ways o f the people; yet with all the*e advantages, he is seldom successful in

obtaining reliable inibrmution, even in the im ­mediate neighbourhood o f a locidity for which

we happen to he male in g. T^Hien we stood on

the battlements o f tbe D aque de Prias’ fine

rastle at <)rop««*s, gazing at the Vera below us, i t glowed in th e sunset, tho old man, who

aceompanicd us, pointed out the direc’tio n of Ynste, and spoke o f the distance as a moderate

day’s journey. W e funnd it, however, a very

different affair. Pord directs lliose rid ing from

Madrid to Yiiste, to turn oil’ at Naval moral io

th e right, to Zazahuete six leagues ; thcnee to Til Barco del Tlio Xcrte, one leagu e; thcu three

leagues and a half through aromatic wastes to

Cuacoft, and the Convent.W e took a somewhat different route. Dc-

acendirig from Oropesas soon alter 8 a . m . on the

37th Octoher, we regained tlio Camino Heal, which we had followed the tw o previous days, aud at th e first post-house struck oii* to the

right along a hyc-ruad rainiing in a northerly direction through open eomtields, which ere long

we gladly exchanged for a picturesque tract of

woodland, where groups o f ilex and cork-tree interspersed w ith thicket, and brake o f low

shrub and wild vine, assured ns we had now escaped from the m onotony o f the high-road, and were beginning to penetrate those remoter

depths o f Spanish scenery, to which we had

hitherto been strangers. D veiy now and then

we crossed the bed o f some diied*up winter-

brook. lic ttcr riding-gromid we could not have

than th e firm aand, on which the hoof o f horse

and mule fell noiselessly, as vista, and glade

opened, luring us onward through a succession

o f forest la n ^ a p tis , that suggested any amount o f romftQtic adventure, even in tliis work*a-day

nineteenth century.

San Benito. 203

Our destuLation was San Benito, where we

hoped to get further inforraatiou, as w ell aa eomething to eat, that evcr-prewnt necessity

which " sits behind the rider" in Spain, wherever

h e ^ e s . T be diatanco wa», o f course, much

greater th»u we had bi*cj\ led to oxpect, such being almost always the co£c in th is “ land oi the u n f o r e s e e n a n d a traveller at all inclined

to practical philosophy w ill soon make a resolu­tion never tu th ink of hie arrival ut any place, until he is actually there. This decision will save an infinity o f inquiries, loss o f tim e ajid

patience, to say noth ing o f those hopes deferred,

which make the lieart sick.A t length we reached San Benito, a farm in

th e very depths o f the forest, belonging to the

Marques de Mirabel, a Jiohleman o f historical name, who owns quite a lai^e dijstrict in the

neighbourhood. I t consists of tw o houses, one

very smart w ith paint and glass windows (fea­tures in Spanish domestic architecture we have

learnt to look upon w ith much respect, as the ne

jiltti d ir a o f civ\li7ati<m and comfort), where the

proprietor ruRticates occasionally for »hooting; w hile the other, a rambling fiirm-house, is occu* pied by th e steward and hia family. A small church completes the group o f buildings. Tt ift

204 inko*piiaHty.

a singuhLr-louking spot, reminding one, in many

respect«, of the description o f some ^ e a t Aus- traliiui sheep-farm, minns the smart honst^ and

thp chnrrhsUorc we alighted, fully intending after a

hriof lialt to proce*id on onr journey, in tho

hope o f rcuchin^ Cuacos the same evening. The steward was from hoinc, and h is represen*

tatdves showed such extroinc Cixiition, and re­serve iu doing the honours, that in England they would he set down as cle<!idedJy uncivil, and as th ey would not a^k us to walk in , we

were obliged to dispense with the ct?remony, and entered the farm*houso uninTit«d.

W e now diseovered, that Cuacos was still

distant a long day's ride of very bad load, w ith

a considerable river to cross, xior wks there any

posada midway where we m ight find aocorn- modation for th e nif^ht, nor any house for m iles

round. So we found our^lves ohliged to re­quest lodging, w ith som ething of the peremp­toriness o f a highwaym an asking for a traveller’s

money, though prepared o f course to pay for all we received. T he mistress heing a dutiful

wife, would promise ns nothing, tiU her good*

man came hom e; so we made ourselves as

comfortable as circumstances permitted, fully

resolved to abide h j liis permiBsion, i f granted, bnt to i^ o r e a rcfoial altogether, as a breach o f tlic law o f nations. T h is det«Tmination

answered perfectly, and when he oame home

to flupp«r, our ofcnpation o f his houae, and

premises waa a f a i t accimpii o f too settled a

character to be overthrown.On aN/alcing next m um ing, in hope o f an

early start, we found i t had been raining most of th e night, w ith overy prospect o f continu­ance ; and the brook whieh yesterday babbled

by, a tin y rill, had now overilooded its banks, suggesting the obvious reflection, that many a

watercourse in the forest, which on our w ay to

San Benito miglxt have been crossed dry shod, m ust now be swollen to th e dimensions of an

nnfordrtblc torrent.I t was the feast o f St. Sinion and St. Jude,

and the Cura, wlio served th e church, had

eome a considerable diatance through the rain, to celebrate M ass at 7 a . m . A n Englishm an’s traditionary idea o f a Spanish priest is com­pounded o f Kosalind’s lack-Latin ecclesiastic, “ w ith whom tim e amblea,” and Jacques’ coxintry

justice “ of fair round belly w ith good capon

lined i” and when thia clergyman at San Benito

politely called on ue, T dare say, we nncon-

ic iou ily expccted to w e in him th e realization

o f nur national idea.Poor man i tbe reality proved to be mnclk

more after tlio fashion o f Komec's starveling

apothecary, and i t qaite ^ e v e d ns to see one

of M r order bearing about h im such unmistak­able sif^d of poverty. The pittance be receives

for serving tlic church at San B enito is paid by the Marques de Mirabel, and i f good wishes

on our part oould have any potency, bis stipend

would soon be augmented.T he Cura, and I , tried to oonverac together

in Latin, but the E nglish accent and pronun­ciation in speaking that language, are unfor­tunately so very diiferent from those of every

other nation, tliut we could hardly understand

each other, and eooii gave np the attempt. The hospitality o f th e steward and liie iam ily re­mained fsfat^ quo, Cold as ice yesterday, to-day it was still unthawed, and its efiect was very visible in th e »«cantiuc«i o f our ac- commodatioiw. ftpanish households o f every

class, that came nrider onr observation, abound

w ith stores o f linen. B u t at San Reuito even

towels were nnattiiinablc Inxnries, and we had

in conflequcnee to make use o f on i own wcaring- Hnen instead. I felt a «trong inclination to

applj one o f m y aheeta to that purpose, but

the state o f th e wpathcr suggested the extreme

pivbahility o f our staying there another night, and th e comfort of «> ample a tow el wouhi have heen dearly purehased h y the diacomfort

o f a damp hed.Tt is astonish mg, however, how w ell wo man­

aged to get on, despite our destitutioii o f ap­pliances, which at hom e are as ueceasaiy as daily food; and every day, by retrenching the

range o f comforts hitherto indispensable, tanght

us more and more the truth of th e line, “ Man

wants but little here below.” W ere any of th e “ Gentlemen o f Englaod, who lire at bome

a t ease,’' to see m y linen us it comes hack from

the wash, yellow and fall o f w rintles as the

visage o f some old crone, he would be filled

w ith honor. N o oue ever beheld such “ gct-

ting-up,” and 1 am beginning to regard sueh

shirts, as one daily wears at home, w ith a feel­in g o f positive reverunce, as things pertaining

to a higher state o f existence.I t was a great rosoorce to us that w et duy,

which ended, as i t hegan, w ith rain, to write

letters, and to bring up onr jouruala to the current ora, though not under the m ost favour­able circunistanoes for refinement ol composi­

tion ; and i f th is record prove tedious, 1 m ust

console m yself w ith the recoUeution o f the

service i t rendered m e at San Bonifco, in the

employ mcnt o f honrs, which otherwise wonid ha7e hung heavily.

Ne x t m om m g, October 29th, Fortnne

Fmiled on bs, and the sun came forth at intervals throngh the mifrt w ith every indication

o f better weather, (ilad indeed were we all to

he oi^ aa soon z s wo liud made a dcanty break­fast, and settled accounts w ith our host, the jresh air of "incense-breathing m orn” making

mcro m otion a pleasure, while th e rain had left

upon every leaf and blade o f grass a verdure, that ie rarely seen in a Spanish landscape.

T he forest, through which our road still lay, displayed timber o f lai^cr growth, and greater

variety, than any we had yot m et vrith. M any

o f the cork-trecs had been recently stripped, ezh ib itm g & e inner bark, which when first laid bare is a vivid crimson, bright as fresh

paint, as i f Nature had lately been trying

her hand a t artificial decoration, in emulation

o f the painter's skill. The wild vine with

graceful festoons depending from th e topmost

'branches o f somo ancient oak, here put forth

its m o st hriliiant hues, ligh ting up the whole

scene, and outvying even the ruby o f th e V ir­ginian creeper. There were p igs too in the

forest eating the acorns, which yesterday’s rain

had brought down in profusion from ilex and

cork tree, w hile the prettiest jays I erer saw, neat afl Quakeresses, w ith black caps, and laven­der bodies, flitted from Ixrugh to hough.

A s we adTanecd, we had to ford several brooks, which yesterday m ost hare been alto­

gether impassable, and it was quite a picture to look hack at the long train o f m ules and

horses filing through the wuter. 1 never was

in any spot, which so thoroughly rwalizcd the poetry o f a forest, w ith its Tariety o f timber,

fern, heath, and low ehjuba, its brooks and iong-drawu glades leading we knew not whither. A dreamy stillness reigned around, carrying

th e m ind far back into the past, until we were

quite prepared to m eet Jacques or Touch­stone, or even R ohia H ood and h is men, so

vividly were the days o f old spent " under the

greenwood tree” recalled to th e imagination

by surrounding objects. Nature had indeed

amply done her part in preparing the stage.

but no actors in keepini' w ith its scensB camc

fortii to people it, or to satisfy onr romantii aupiratiora by reproducing th© past. A few

mnleteers, and swinc*iicrd/í were the only

figure«, that gave animation to th e landscape, and they neither moralised, jested, nor demanded

our money,(h ie o f them was eJrcesaiTely surprised to

m eet so large a calvacade in that lonely spot,

w ithout a guide, th e k d who accompanied us

from i^TL Benito to show us tho way, having

hy this tim e turned homewards.W e were m aking for the Tiedar, a tributary

o f the Tagus, and in due tim e reached its banks. I t was flovk'in^ w ith a hroad, rapid stream about forty yards wide, a considerable belt of

Band on its le ft bank indicating, thut occa

sionally i t expands into three tim es that

Tolume.H ere we found a ferry*boat of m ost primitive

oonstmctiou, large enough to carry our whole

party, beasts and aJl, in tw o trips, and while

th e dilatory boatmen were rrkaking up tlwir

m inds to th e exertion o f paddling us over, we had tim e for 4 hasty lunch. Hereabout the

proriuce o f Toledo tvrminates, and the wild

ref^ous of Estremadura, to which we were look-p 2

C -

2 12 Enierpriiivg MofUff-

in g forward w ith eo mtich hope and interest,

commenee.I t amused us greatly to see an ohi mastiff,

beiongirig to th e steward at San Benito, in

anxious haste to cross hy th e first boat. H e

had accompaniixl us thua far, as we fondly

imagined, in polite acknowledgment o f various

little civilities rendered him h y the mcml>erfi o f our party, while we stayed under his master’s roof- N ow , however, we discovered he had

ulterior view s in jo in ing h im self to our com­pany. In fact, he had a very hard life at San

Benito, in th e shape o f short-commons coupled

w ith a superahundance o f kicks and blows.

Our arrival, and a ll th e choice morsels of

Bayonne ham, and chickcn honos, that de­scended upon him in consequence, had cvideutly inspired th e poor drudge w ith ideas o f a plea- santer world than he had ever moved in, and

h e was now taking advantage o f our departure

to go and seek hia fortune. W e really could

n ot find heart to send him hack, and when once

he had landed on tho right bank o f the Tiedar, w e felt the Rubicon of h is career was crossed, and adopted him in to all the privileges o f oor

community, the two muleteers having ab^ady

expressed serious intentions o f offering h im a

homf) w ith them at Toledo, when oar wander­ings are over. B u t a la s! that I should have

to finish the <story. N ex t m orning the invJc«

tiers having "slept on it,” discovered they

were undertaking too lieavy a re^ponsibDity; th e poor old dog was sent back by some chanee

opportunity to his rightful master at San B e­n ito ; and all h is bright visions o f plenty, and

good treatment, vanished into th in air.T he passage o f th e river having been safely

accomplished, we now entered upon a very dif­ferent country. Extensive traets o f low oak- scrub, where scattered groups o f grey old boul­ders overtopping the underwood, enclosed here

and there, anud spaces o f greensward, cosy

little nooks of extreme beauty, which fairies

would delight in, had m odem civilization left

us any representatives o f “ th e Tair Fam ily.’* Now-a-daya i t would he considered th e very spot

for a pie-nic. The road was perpetually tra­versed by oross-patlis, m aking it moat intricate, iind so detestably had, that none hut Spanish

horses could have acrambled over such a suc­cession o f roots, rocks, and ruts. Soon after

crossing the ferry we m et a poor man, w hi«e

pony, laden w ith tdes, had broken ita th igh

from a fall, and though wc would gladly have

helped him in hie trouble, nothing could be done to relieve his poor beast. Sometimes we

bad a rapid deiwent o f perhnps h a lf A 2Bile over

pavement o f almost Cych>pcan character, inlaid

w ith stonea o f auch size and roughneAd, that

even a good walker would find it difficnlt to

pick h is w ay in aafdy. By-aiid-hy we entered

npon a m iry ianc, where the mud w m so deep

and tenacious, that even the horses conJd hardly

get on» while the poor donkeys aeemed on the point o f sticking fast at every step. Tn fact, the roads hereabout are b o very bad, tJ\at at

Madrid we hwl been exproBBly cautioned not

to attem pt tliem on horaeback, a w am iug we

never remembered, until i t was too late.T he sccncry, however, w a s b o exqniaitely

beautiful, and so fu ll o f novelty, that we thought

o f little else, and we were now approaching the

chain o f mountains under which Yuate standa. A n artist would have filled whole portfolios with

the seoDes revesled a t every turn. One spot in

particular seemed to challenge a paixiter’a best powers.

A bridge o f rough mountain stone, mossy and grey, w ith an arch of h igh pitch, gpannod

a atreiun, which combined the rush and foam

o f a torrent» with the pellucid brightness of

some lowlantl brook, nwiaiidoring tLfongh fait

meadows. AboTe, its course divided a range

o f fern-clad rnonntains, wliicli descended in

gentle slopes o f brown to its very brink, while

below i t found a quiet bed Among patche* of

newly.sown wheiit, and strips o f pasture, fringed

w ith stately poplars in all th e glory o f their autumn tints, a ptctnresqne old m ill, that was

in itse lf a study, throw ing ont the brighter

portions o f the picture hy the m odest tone of

its colouring. I ’ar as wc had stdll to travel that

day, we could not but pause a moment here.W e passed through several villages, and the

natives stared as i f they had never seen such

an array o f strangeni, wondering no donbt what could be our inducement to penetrate these

w ild and unfrequented regions.A t nightfall I had an opporhm ity o f testing

the steadiness and good tem per of the horse

Lord Portarlington purehascd at Madrid, which

I rode to-day. W e had ju st descended the

worat picce o f paved road we had y e t m et w ith, and aeeing through the tw ilight, that a little

further on a torrent o f some depth, flanked hy

a precipice, crossed the read w ith no bridge hut

a few plankfl, I thought i t best to dismount, not knowing how my horse would behave. I

2 i 6 fiteadv H one.

liad hardly go t m y right foot to the groimd, when from resting on a loose stone i t gave way, and in a m oment I found m yself throwu oTi my

back in front o f the horse, w ith m y left foot wedged tig h t in its stirrop, an arti<de o f native worfcmanship so narrow, and cramped aa to be

qaite dangerous. To make matters worse, I

was encumbered w ith a th ick cloak, a slight

shower having recently fallen. The bridge was not above tw enty or thirty yards aliead, and

close behind, clattering over the stones, camc

the rest o f the party. M'ost horses under such ciicumetauce& would have dashed onward in

fear, and dismay, diagj^ing me along to almost

certain d eath ; but by Giid’s mercy m iiie stood*

perfectly still, and allowed me to drag m yself

upright by main fore«, pulling for dear life by

th e atirrup*leathep. N ever did horse give

better proof o f ateadiness, and good-temper, and, as may well be imagined, 1 loved him ever

alter, afi one who hiid been a true friend in &

moment o f extreme peril.

T U S T al)out sunset we passed tLiough Xaran- dilla, w heie Charles V . spent tlirec montha

while Yuste was being prepared for b is recep­tion. Stirling (“ Cloister Life,” pp. 28, 29) says

o f it, “ Xarandilla was, and still is, the most considerable Tillage in th e Vera o f Plaocntia. W alled to the north w ith lofty Sierras, and

watered w ith abundant streams, its m ild climate, rich soil, and perpetual verdure, led some pa­triotic Bchokrs of Jistremadura to id en ti^ this

beautiful valley w ith th e Elysium o f Homer, ‘ The green land w ithout snow, or winter, or showers.’

“ The iuir T alley was unquestionably famous throughout Spain for it* wine, oil, chestnuta and

citEons, for its magnificent timber, for th e deer, bears, wolTes, and all other animals of the chase, which abounded in its woods, and for th e deli­cate tront which peopled its m oiintun waters.

“ The viliaife o f Xaranclilla is w atcd on the

side o f the Sierra o f Xaranda, and near the

confluence o f tw o mountain torrents, whichfall from th e steep Penanegra.................. Thomansion o f th e Oropesas, built in tho feudal style, w ith com er towers, bas long been in

ruins; and o f its imperial iiunatc tb e Tillage

has preserved no other memorial than a foun* tain, w hich is still called ‘ The Fonntain of

th e Empeïor, ’ in tb e garden o f a deserted

monastery, once belonging to th e order o f St. Augustine.’'

K ig h t overtook ne soon after passing Xaran- dilla, aud tbe only b g h t we had to guide us on

thig worst o f all possible roads, (aa in our in­experience we then deemed it,) wa#? th e faint beam, that tell from the slender crescent o f the

young moon as she declined towards the weet.A t lo st we saw the Eghta o f a village, and

made sure it was Cuaeoa. B u t when, at the

peril o f ÜUP necks, we l i ^ scrambled along a

series o f those stony gutters, w hich in this

neighbourhood have don« duty for streets some

three centuries or more, w ith a stream sb on g

and rapid as a small mill-race careering down

the centre, and then ernerged in to th e village

square, we found to our inflnite disappointment.

Onacoe "was stili a good le a ^ e oS, which

in Spain is a m ost elastic figure o f spcw h, re- presejitiug any distance from four to seven miles, especially in m ountain districts, where large

ideas are in v o ^ e .So on w e toiled, rather out o f humour, and

when at la st, s iler another hour and a half’s

travel, we reached our destination, men and

beasts liad done a good day’s work o f at least eleven honrs.

"VVe found th e posada so very wretched, that

we betook onrselves forthwith to that ever^pen

refuge fur th e destitute traveller in ail liom an

Catholic conntries I have v is ited -^ h e house of

th e C»ra.That gentleman, D on Lonis Setiz, gave ns a

m ost cordi U welcome, utter strangers though we

were, withoTit even an introduction except our necessities. N o t only did ho placo h is honse,

w ith all i t contained, at our disposal, in the spirit o f true Spanish courtesy, bnt took care

moreover to prove h is words were no mere

Chines#* eomplijTieiit, professing everything, but

m eaning nothing.W e m ust have eaused him considerable in-

convenience, but there was no indication o f its

existence to be traced in the perfect kindness

220 Clerieal IlospiUdify.

o f liis m aniifr the w hole tim e we remained under h is roof.

I wonder what any o f us E nglish clergymen

would say, were three gentlem en irom Spain to throw them selves on onr hospitidity some Satur­

day night between eight and nine, taking pos- seesion o f th e best portion o f the Parsonage, and turm ng the Incum bent lum self ( if unmar­ried) out o f his own particular bedroom ? I fear

th ey woxJd hardly m eet w ith the welcomc wo received at C uacos!

Puikias Bet up his cuisine a t the posada, sup­p lying our meal 6 from then « 5, and there he, Swainson, and Elfick, managed to get aome

sort o f beds, after having slept in their clothes

the throe previous nights. Unhappily, how­ever, th e loft in w hieh they lay waa so abun­dantly stored w ith newly.gathered pods o f red

pepper, that their eyes streamed like fountains a ll n ight long, aiid th ey hitd, poor fellows ! a

m ost miserable tim e o f it.

Ford, in h is “ G athering ,” p. 169, inveighs

against E nglish servants as worse than naeless

in Spain. “ T hey are nowhere greater incum­brances than in th is hungry, thiraty, treeless, becrlcss, beellcss la n d ; th ey give more trouble,

require more food and attention, and are

Englifik ScTtantè. 221

ten tim es moTe discontented, than their mas­ters. ”

Our experience was altogetlier different ; no«

tldn g could exceed th e good«lmiiiour, patience

and clieeriulneas, w ith which each o f them under­w ent every sort o f discomfort, privation, and

fatigue, irom the beginning to th e very end of

our long journey, and th is in a man o f Ptu'kisa’s age, between fifty and airty, waa especially

praiseworthy.

T T was on a lo v e lj m orning that we visited Yuste, under the ^^uidance o f tlie ^ o d

Cura. The day and season were in perfecst haTTnony w ith the object o f onr pilgrimage, where th e greatest monarch o f hia a ^ had

sought a hrief hrcathing-space between the

world and th e grave. T he late autumn, with

its gentle sunshine and perfect stillness, realized

to us w ith peculiar force th e m otives that in ­duced Cliarlcs to retire to such a spot, contrast­in g so strongly b y its seclusion and repose

w ith th e turmoil and disquietude o f hie pre­vious career.

Ynste stands a fu ll m ile above Cuacos, just

where the steeper slopes o f th e mountain, that

shelters it from the northern blast, subside to­wards the plain. Eastward a tract o f upland

cuts o£T a ll prospcct in that directiun, on ly to

enhance th e delight w ith whicit th e eye turns

to tlie south-weatcni e^ 'in sc , where copse-wo<Kl, and vinevard, ^ e e n b a n t and ioc)sy knoll, m ountsn -glen and shininj^ river, terminate; In

th e broad plain o f the Tagua, w ith its clitt«riiig

villages, and darlc groves of ilex. Tn tbe silvery

tliread o f water intersecting tho landscape we

recognize th e river Tiedar, crossed by us yester­day, and on th e extreme horizon we tnwje tbe

purple mountain-range, through which we hope

to make our way to Seville.liord Portarlington and I were reminded of

the hills behind Powerseourt, both in their form

and colour, by the range that overhangs the

convent, clothed w ith its rntumnal drapery of

heather, and fern, and looking to E nglish eyes

so natnral and home-like.I t was delicious to ait in Charles's favourite

balcony enjoying tho pleasant sunshine, as he

had often done, and gazing on the same land­scape that once waa the companion of liis soli­tude T he very ait seems redolent o f peace

and tranquillity i for without bearing any im­press o f that loneliness and desolation character­istic o f so m any a scene in Spain, Yuste is

pervaded w ith a soothing influence sequestering

tlie m ind from worldly associations, and draw­in g it in to communion w ith better things. I

never saw any spot commanding ao erleoaive

a prospect, frangkt w ith sueh an atmosphere of

repose, as it lay hacking in th e October sun- ahine. Y ou see, i t is true, indications o f man's

presence in vineyard and cornfield, hut he

occupies a retiring position, in m odest sub­ordination to N ature, as one ow ning her aupre- m acy over that fair region, and unw illing to

obtrude even his humble dw elling on th e view j not a single cottage being discemibh) ha the eye glaaeos over th e hroad tank, where Charles

nsed to fish, downward into th e boaoin o f the

Vera.■\Vc found the convent a complete m in , ita

central court filled w ith a chaos o f de^rix, out o f which lig-trt^o, m yrtle, and box, unpruned

and wild, struggle forth into open day. The

Church hsfi sustained little substantial injury, the museivc solidity o f its masonry having

happiJy defeated every attem pt th e French made to demolish it, and a few repwrs now

being carried on, w ill soon render it as sound

as ever. I t is a remarkably fine specimen of

th e R orid Oothic bo often seen in Spain, w ith

a noble chancel-arch, and an altar o f high

elevation.A consideraWe portion o f th e w est end is

C M f c R L Ë S V " ^ B A L C O N Y , Y U b T E

Charléis Balcony. 225

occupied by a stone gallery, w itli a low pierced

screen in front, a leature not uncommon in

Bpaniidi cliurdies.A gainst the w n tli wall o f tlie C hurct stand

th e apartments built for Charles’s reception, consisting o f only tw o stories, w ith foior rooms

in each, liis hed*chaniber having a window

opening directly into th e chaiicel, w hich enabled

h im to witness the celebration o f mass, when too unw ell to leave his hed. I t was . here

Charles died, September 21st, 1538, having felt

tlie first approach o f death ou the S ls t August, as he sat sunning him self in h is favonrite westenx balcony.

W e saw the coffin, a rude chest o f chestnut- wood, in which his remains reposed for sixteen

years, before their ultim ate removal to the -Eaoorial.

N oth ú ig can he simpler or more unpretend­in g than the im perial apartments, which re­m ain substantially very much as they were at

Charles's death, and we thought ourselves for­tunate in th e moment o f our v isit. Por the

present proprietor is going to restore th e build­ing , in consequence, it is said, o f tho interest excited in the spot b y recent writers, more

especially S tiilin g in h is “ C bister L ife o f

Charles V .," the flcaifolding and building

materials being a ll prepared when we were

there.T he intention is certainly m ost praiseworthy,

but it is to be hoped, nothm g w ill be attempted

beyond necessary repairs.W e duly visited a ll Charles’s haunts, and

were especiaUy struck w ith th e situation ol* his

summer haloony, w ith its umhiageouR belt of trees, and cool n o tih em aspect. W o then

descended the sluping causoway constructed to

sare him th e fatigue o f gom g up and down

stairs, an oiertion w hich his frequent attacks

o f gout m ust have rendered very trying.O f course we did n ot fail to go to the great

walnut-tree, under which th e Emperor used to

sit, and w hich even in hia day was famous for ita size and patriarchal age. T he steward

gathered for us some o f ita fruit, and w e carried

them away as a ffouvenir o f one o f th e most interesting places I ever had the happiness to

visit. I t was a great advantage to have th#

Oura’a company, introducing us i t did to

every ciTility and attenti<m on the part o f the

good-natured steward, who did the honours in

a very pleasing manner, and, what ia even more

worthy of record, declined accepting any pecu*

Yu tp. U> Cttacos. 227

niary acVnowledgmerit of his services, though evidently ^ ^ ti£ ed by th e offer,

In going to Yuatti we had a good deal o f

fragmentary convcraation w ith th e Cura, partly

iu Latin, and partly in the f e w scrapa o f

Spanish we had managed to pick up, ckc'd out by nn occasional bit o f pantomime, when all other expedients faik*d to convey ouj meaning. H e was very much surpm cd at an ling lish

PnLyer*book I showed him, liaving hitherto never

hiiord that the Cbiorch of England possesses

a rcguhir L itu igy , w ith various services and forms o f devotion, drawn f r o m “ th e pure w e l l ”

o f Catholic Antifiuity, and that she does not

leave her people at the niercy of extemporized

e lu sions, as i s the ease w ith s o many o f the fiecta ijjto which Protestantism is divided.

The walk from Y nste fco Cuacos is so veiy

pretty that, aa we emerged irom th e hollow in

which the convent nestles, I lingered behind

m y companions to enjoy for a longer space tlio

eastward view, on which, as yet, 1 had hardly looked- H ere and there stand »mftll home­steads scattered over th e mo\mtain-side, eaoh

under a group o f chestuuts, w hile every rooky

ledge, and natural terrace, has its narrow strip o f grpon c<»m or ruddy vineyard sloping to the

q 2

fiouÜL 'flie wind carne gently sougliiog xip

th e valley, m ingled w ith the sourde o f distant

waters, thut added to th e quietr sadness uf the

scene, which I gazed npon w ith th e convictionI sh<rald never sec it again.

On returning to th e Ciira s house, we found

th e servants had been holding quite a reception during ou t ahscnce, th e villagers Id lin g a very

natural curiosity to see, and hear something

more o f the strangers whose arriTal had cauflcd

quite a sensation in th a t secluded community. The serrants very good-naturedly showed every­th in g tliat could interest them, more especially the India-rubber sponging-baths, which they

inflated in their sigh t to theu* great wonder­

m ent and duhght.In Charles's day tho people of Cuacos did not

hear the best character, and i t is quite amusing

to find that th e greatest monarch o f the age, whose word was law lo so m any m illions, was utterly unahle to keep them , hia nearest neigli-

houre, in anything like order. T hey seem

actually to have given him fitr more trouble

and -worry than a ll tb e rest o f h is domiuions. T hey poached his trout, drove away h is small dairy o f tw o cows, and pelted his son D on John

o f Austria, the future hero o f Lepanlo, becausc,

l itp a boy of enterprise, he mH<!c inroad? npon

their chorry-trees. C}iarlcs seems at last to

have been iairly at h is wit«' end, and held

w lem n consultiktions w ith the gentlem en of

his suite, a#» to the hest method o f bringin|» tliem to a sense o f their duty.

There is a tradition, that the name ofthe place, Coacos, was first suggested hy some

enormity o f theirs, winch tho Umperor liappened to witness. Some assert that they had ju st

broken T)on John’s head, when h is Imperial lather came up, very wroth no doubt at sueh

an outrage, and while on the point o f venting h is indignation, a duck chancing to quack, a

sudden inspiiation seized him at the sound, and

he declared such people no longer deserved to

be treated as men, being in fact no better thau ducks, or such-Iike irrational creatures,

Stirling disbelieves the story for the best of

all reasons—Cuaeos was so called heforo Cbarles

ever went to Yuste, though he allows it may

have had its origin in some previous incident;

i t heing quite certain that even in the present day, any allusion to the name Cuacos is highly

offensive to th e v ill^ e rs , producing upon their

m inds very much the same sensation fe lt by

certain good people in the county o f Dorset

2 J O M odem Cuaco».

at th e s l^ h test reference to the history o f the

Shapwick M onster IHowever, we had every reason to speak favonr-

ably o f th e whole population, w ith th e excellent Cora at tlieir head, for they showed na every

eivUity, and were evidently much pleased and

n ot a little flatkred by onr visit-

IT was w ith much regret that w'e said gcxxi- bye to our worthy host the Cura o f Oua-

eo8, having first induced liim to accept some

return for the trouble and expense onr v isit bad occaeioncd ift his quiet household. This

h e rcccived w ith unembarrassed sim plicity of

manner, as if, like a man o f sense, he felt it to

be no discredit to possess such slender means, 9» would make the exercise o f unrequited hospi­tality impossible.

Placentia was o v i next destination, a distance

o f about thirty miles, aud as th e route is very

intricate, abounding w ith w hat th e Spaniards call “ partridge*paths,’* we engaged a guide at

Cuacos, who slung a couple of bairis at his

saddle-bow, intending therewith to do a little

business on his own account, after piloting us

thro\igh th e wild* that intervene between liis

2^2 M ountain Scenery.

natWo village and th e principal tow n o f the

diRtrict.H aving, wo calculated, ridden more than

a lumdred m iles since leaving Toledo, we had

gained sufficient experience to understand the necessities and requirements o f our journey, and began to looV forward hopefully to its

succcssfid accomplishment, now that we know

what man and beast coidd perform.Onr road to-day (Octoher iJlst) skirted the

lower slopes of th e Yuste chain, its fcerracedike w in d in g bringing us continually upon some

display of autumnal heauty, that would enchant an Enghsh water-colourist. I never remember

to have seen anywhere such a perfect blaze of

colour, as m et the eye along this road, from the

ruhy and lem on of th e vine, to th e aoheicr hues

o f th e oak, while th e distiint m om tain s o f

(^adalupe toned down th e picture w ith ricJi shades o f indigo and purple. I t was a most

enjoyable ride, the day heing everything wo

could desire, warm and sunshiny, y e t fresh;

and when our path left th e cultdvatod dells and

amended the mountain-side along the banks of

a lovely trout*stream, that would have converted

even old Johnswu him self in to a fiRherman, we

once move caught sight of Yixste, refreshing our

A V d m ic a l Cura. 233

Impr«8iona of yesterday, and stam ping tliem

deeper on tlic taWets o f memory. W e passed

tliTougli maaaes o f Spanisli chestnut, gr€cn as

“ in th e leaiy m onth o f June,” contrasting

m ost effectively m tli th e hro'wn fem out of

which they grew.I t -was indeed a feast o f heanty, and one

longed to summon to it, b y some m agic power, a ll who could appreciate sueh an entertain­

ment.ThTou^fh oak woods orchards we dcscend(>d

upon Pasaron, which Ford describes as “ u pic­turesque old tow n of Prout-liko houses, “Anth toppling balconies, overhanging a brawling

htook.*’ H ere we took a h asty luncheon, w hile tho horses were feeding» and th e good

people having apparently n o important husi-

uess on hand at that particiJar m oment, clns- tered like hees round th e inn-door, headed hy

th e Cura, a brisk little man, o f decidodly con­troversial turn. H e soon accosted m e, and before we had exchanged half a dozen words, he plunged headlong into polemics, and tried

to draw me after h im ; asserting that there waa

one iaith aud one Church, and that w ithin the

pale o f the Romish Communion alone were

theso essentials to bti found. TTaii 1 acw^ptod

hie challenge, we m ight have been at it t il l nuw, w ith perhaps more tlian tho usual iruitlessncss

o f controversy; so I contented m yself w ith

reroaTtinfT that the Ohurcli o f England holdis

no raore and no less, than "the faith once

delivered to the Saints ” in Apostolic times. Though we parted very graciously, I fear the

little man was disappointed at m y non-com- bativcncs3, he being one o f those pugnacious spirits to whom a paasa^e o f arms is a real enjoyment, more especially amid th e stagnation

o f a accluded neighbourhood.W c now entered upon a new lino o f countiy,

fieAettoi (sheep>walks) consisting o f uncultivated

wastes, w ith extensive tracts o f oak-scrub w a­tered here and there by shuJlow brooks, and

th is continued nearly tho whole way to P la­centia. In Estremadura vast districts have been

i a th is condition, ever sincc th e expulsion o f the

M oots, and what was once called in Arabic, as J'ord states, “ tbe land o f com ,” is now reduced

in groat measure to a. mere barren desert, pro- dnciüg nothing but scanty pastnrage for sheep, and th ese very few compareKi w ith the immense

area over w hich they range. To Engliali eyes,

howerer» snch regvona o f solitude arc as stHking

as happily they are novel, and we journeyed on

tbrooi^h them w ith mnch enjoyment, arriving

at Pliwuntiji, o f whieh we had a lovely sunset view from the vine-clad height, Calzones, shortly

after nightfall.

C H A P T E R X X III .

”V ¥ T R had formed great hopes o f th is placp,* * w ith its popuJation of 6000, and ex-

quisit«5 position iu the teem ing valley o f the

Xerte. Our stores liad fallen into reduced cir- nimstancoA, and we now fondly flattered oiir- selves, that in so coDsiderahle a town, the eentro

o f a very estensive district, there would he no

difficulty in restoring them to their funner abun­dance. B u t there is nothing so disappointing as a Spanish town. Shops there were iu plenty, but not o f tho sort we required, w ith their

bright array o f mantas, and flaahy kerchiefs that

seemed to flaunt our hunger, as i f colour could

feed th e ravenous appetite we had picked up in Estremcnian wilds. W hat th e inhabitants live

on remains to th e present honr as great a m ys­tery to us, as when we first arrived in th e town. A vaguo rumour reachcd us tbat an ox is killed

once a year, in iTune. on the Feast of St. John

the B aptist; h a t we deriYcd little comfort from

ih e information, seeinff i t wanted nearly eight

moT^ths before the next victim could heeome

available for our neceftsitiea, and a “ Midaam- mer l i ig h t ’s D ream ” could hardly be more

nnsuhtftaiitial, than our prospects o f relief from

th a t quarter."We had found, w ith inuch difficulty, a very

primitiTc posada ja st below the Cathedral, wliere

we purposed taking “ such ea se” as could he

had for a coaple o f n igh ts; bnt when 1 sallied

fortlx w ith Purki&s on a shopping expedition, partly in tho hope of doeing Spanish life in its more intim ate haunts, and partly out o f deference

fej the ancient proverb, “ Two heads are better

than one,” w o m ight almost as w ell have gone

ibra^ijig into th e wilderiiess» so unsuecesafal did

our searcli prove aiterthe <y)mmonest necessaries o f lile . (^aTe donhts respecting th e sinfoIneRs

o f eating anything but bread and garlic began

to arise in m y miud, as wc wandered like beg­gars from house to house, so much out o f fashion did every other species o f food seem in

th is Cathedral to w n ; and when at last some

j^od*n»tured people to ld a s that neighbour liudrigaez liad ju st killed a a ice pig, we felt

ready, had it been necessary, to go to the ends

o f the cartli in compliance Tvitli tlic welcome

intelligence, though i t would Imvc Ixicn a trying

jounicy ju st at that moment, 7.30 p .k ., for

mun wlio had ridden a ll day through tho keen

air o f EstrcQiadura.H appily th e goodman Rodriguez Kred at no

great distaBce, down a narrow lane, and having

descended under the chapcronagc o f his sturdy

wife into the cellar, whore the defnjict porker

lay in state, wc soon purchased a goodly quan­tity o f apirc-rib, aud Tftnmcd in triumph to tlie po&ad2 having previously inet w ith several bottles o f M anzanilb, which Mr. Sykes and 1

hailed as a boon, though Lord Portarliugton

vowed i t was n o better than physic.O nly one o f the room* at th e posada had

glass in the window, and i t was altogether one

of those hostelries that carry back the mind to

tho sim plicity of medieval accommodation. In

m y bedi'oom, w hich was fortunately large, I

counted fifty-eight melons laid up for winter

uHe, five &ying-pau6, with a supplement of half-

a-dozen other culinary items, representing, we

m ay suppusc, the useful arts o f life, while a

c o i l pic o f guitars sn j e s t e d the ornamental, and

completcid the picture.A s a set-off against the comestible disadvan-

tagcs o f Placentiii, few towns can boast a sitaa-

tion o f rarer boaiity, ■wliich more tban satUtiea

th e expeirtationR calk'd forth by th e alleged derivation o f its namo. I t is w ell remarked by

Ford, “ Placentia seen from outeido is inde<jd

m ostp k a sin g ; here rivet, rock, and mountain—

city, castle, and aqucduet, nndcr a heaven of purest Tiltramarinc, combine to enchant the

artist.” T he stiiti^liest city indeed m igh t be

prond o f such a site.Tho Xorte, clear as crystal, sweeps round three

sidcB, rcflccting on its broad bosom th e western

portion o f the picturesque old Roman wall, w ith ita massive semicircular tow ers; and then

through a rugged belt o f rock, that recalled

some exquisite rivcr-sccncry in N orth W ales, it passes onward to “ fresh fields, and pastures

n ew /' falling eventually into th e Tagus near

Alcantara. Three-fine bridges apan the stream w ithin the space o f a mile, adding greatly to

th e architectural pretensions o f the place. To

the north, far np the valley, rises a snow­capped range o f mountains, while th e south- eastern hills are covercd w ith olivc-groTcs, vineyards, and gardens, in pleasant contrast to

th e grey rocks and naked soil that bound the

prospect westward.

T he day we ptayed there (Nov. la t) was lovely, and having saant^red over the Trujillo

bridge, we sat down on a th y m y hanlc, ju st

above th e river, where ite waters falling over

a succession o f weirs fill th e ear w ith a sooth­ing, slumberous, iuflueoce, perfectly dclxeious to

travellers like ua, glad o f a day’s repose. Some

have comparecí Placentia to Toledo, cach city being seated on a platform o f rock, and enfolded

on three sides by a river. B ut here a ll com­parison eeasos. The Tagus at Toledo flows in

a turbid stream, red as brickdust, and the aur- rotmdiug scenery frowns w ith an air o f sternness

and desolation; while the Xerte is pnrity itself, ns it glides among th e sm iling meadows of

Placentia. I t was once proposed to set up the

capital here instead o f at ^Fadrid, an amtnge-

m ent that would have given Spain a metropolis hardly to be excelled in Eurt^c for beauty, and

healthiness of situation; hut where would have

been the glassy brightness o f the Xerte, polluted

past recovery by the defilements o f a large

population ?I t being the Feast o f A ll Saints, a grand

fundón was celebrated at the nathcdral, and a

stately procession headed by the bishop, w ith a

long train o f ecclesiastics, and students from

th e neighbonring colleges, carrying crosses, tapers, and banners, sw ept along througli aisle

and cloister, singing iwme o f the sweetest

Gregorian cbannts I ever heard. T he vestments

o f the Spanwh clergy are beantifal, o f a chaster style, and m ach less overloaded w ith ornament, than those used in other branches o f tlic

Boman Commimionj and th e countenances of the wearers ozprcas more mind and refinement than the commonly-roccived notion o f the

Sj)anish priesthood prepared us to expect. Their behaviour, however, dnring eervic^time was sadly

irreverent ; even while taking a part in the

procession not a few o f them conversed freely, and after staring pertinaciously at the English

strangers, i t was evident they were making fe^tioufl remarks at onr espensc, though we

tried in every way by our demeanour to avoid

attracting the notice o f the congregation. A t

last i t became so very unpleasant, that having

letters to write, I left the church, and thns to

m y eirfreme regret m issed a sermon preachcd by

some celebrity, not being aware any would be delivered on the occasion. T he congrega­tion consisted chiefly o f men, a rare occurrence

anywhere, more especially in Spain, where the

majority o f chujch-goers, who are not veryn

Bumeroiift, consists iwimUy o f female«. Tliis

exception may he accounted for by the preacher’s

reputation; h is manner, I was told, was parti­cularly dignified and quiet, w ith none of thoB© hursts o f declamation wc are attiustomed to

asfiociato w ith th e foreif^n p u lp it; more, in fat*t,

after the heat style o f English prcaehing.In tJie conr»e o f the day, wu had tim e to

examine the Cathedral more carefully. I t i»

hy no means a large building, o f the date 1498, in the florid Gothic so prevalent in some parts

o f th e Peninsula, I ts maa iveI^eBS, and the

granite of which i t is constructed, impart to it a solemn stateliness, that ia very eifective. I t

has, as usual, a donhle choir, and, like most Spanish churches, contain® superb iron-work, especially a r g a or screen in front o f the a ltar; hnt there is very little painted glass. A t tho •western extrem ity stands an interesting chapel,

containing arch « o f great beauty, and from it« vaulted roof, figures, heads, &c., projeM, not

where yon would oxpect to see them , at the

central bosses, hut thrown out along the rihs

that ramify from them. Out ol th e quaint old Eomanesquc cloisters you enter a round

apartment o f exquisite beauty, that looked like a chapter-house on a small scale, enriched w ith

Konutn Aqueduct. 243

ft profusion o f stone-carving oq m oulding and capital, aud cruwncd w ith a dome. I had tdme

only for & hasty glancc, and when we all went hoping to examine it at leisure, i t was locked np, and I saw it no more.

Near the town are extcnsiTe Roman remains. G oing to v isit one o f them, an aqueduct of fifty-four arches, wc came npon a group of

shepherds at their mid-day m ea i W e are

continnaDy falling in w ith siinilar parties on

thoir w ay from tho mountains o f th e north, where they Rpend the summer, to the winter-

pastures o f llstremadura, and th is circumstance

alone gives th e later month a o f antumn a pecu­liar advantage oxer other seasons for making a tour of th e province.

I t was a striking picture o f pastoral life to see

the poor wayworn sheep and saucy goats, with

the hugci watchdogs, and rough-looking shep. herds clad in sheepskins, grouped togeiher in

th e warm sunshine under the weather-heaten arches o f the old aqueduct. M any o f th e ew w

had Iambs, Octoher and Novem ber being the

usual lamhing-time in Spain. On th e march

the shepherds, o f whom there are fonr or five to a ilock o f twelve or fifteen hundred, have

constantly lo carry on their shoulders some new-

it 2

bom lamb, or ailing shficp; and yen seldom

pass one o f these migratory flocks w ithout observ­in g flome incident that reminds yon o f pictnres

o f th e Good Shepherd. Four or five dogs of

noble size, and formidable aspect, aro attached to

each flock, having their necks prutcctcd w ith

iron-spiked collars, as the wolf, tlioir worst enemy, always flies at the throat. W e conversed w ith this party o f ehepherd«, i f that can be

called conversation, which ia carried on solely by

means of monosyllables, and gestures j and when we told them we were English, th ey seemed dc*

lighted, and one cried out “ London w ith great vivacity, though not exactly in th e tone and

•eccnt m ost commonly heard in England. They

appeared to be very good-natnred beings, and

preaaed ue ui^ently to drink out ol’ their leathern

bottle, w hich after the Oriental fashion is uni*

vcr&ally used in Spain, an invitation we declined

w ith m any thanka.Messrs. O’Shea’s correspondent at Placentia,

upon whom Lord P ort^ lin gton had oeeasion to

draw, was very civil, and finding wc were in­terested in the antiquities o f th e place, carried

ue off to sec a convent, whieh in hi/? estimation

waa worthy o f being classed in that category, Tiike the generality o f religious housea in Spain,

it had heen sapprt^sned and emptied o f its occu­pants, and was now converted into a college, bnt whether ecclesi&btieal or seciJaT, 1 cannot recol­lect. I t contained no ohjcct o f antiqnanan

interest, though our cicerone, wit]! no smaJl pTide and satiRfaction, pointed out a epacions

staireasc, and some far-rcaching corridors, gloomy

enough to have figured in the m ost tragic of

M rs. K adclife’e romances.I n the large court through which we entered,

about a hundred lads from sixteen to eighteen, vrore amusing themBelves in various ways, “ pitching the bar ” heing th e m ost popidai game. T he whole party exhibited an exterior

o f remarkable dingincss, unrelieved by the

sm allest scrap o f linen, the only article that indicated its existence cropping out at a

part o f one hoy’s person, where shirt does

n ot usually make its appearance. W e watched them for some tim e, and I could not help con­trasting th e joyous hght-heartedness, and cxnbe- rant fan, that aniniat« the play-gronnd o f a

school in our own country, w ith the Inguhrious

air pervading th is Homhre troop o f young Span­iards, and their utter lack o f that “ go,” so

descriptive o f an E nglish schoolboy. As we

eamc awuy, unmistakablu tokens of displeasure

manifested themselves on every side, and sounds

e^ rossive o f anything hut approhation pro­ceeded from the general body o f students, while

one o f th e masters, who chanced to be standing

by, gave vent to an amoimt o f indignation that was perfectly incomprehensible, as we had neither

said, nor done anything whieh the mc^t perverse

ingenuity conid distort into an oc<5ftMon o f offence. W e could not ask for Ciplanation, our inter­preter, Purkiss, not being w ith us at th e mo­m ent ; hut we mad© out in a aort o f hazy, indis­tinct way, that th e students having czpoct©d a

present o f m oney &om u s , took this method of

expressing their disappointment, when they saw

Xi& leaving th e college, without doing so, sueh a

thought never liaving presented itself to o u r

minds. Jivery one educated at a public school m ust rccoUect th e day, when he used to look

upon the time-honoured fashion of “ tip p in g”

as on© o f the m ost precious institutions that

form th e heritage o f Britons, thongh the donors, it is probable, hardly regard th e custom w ith the

same enthusiasm, as th e recipients. B u t to

“ t ip ” a whole college at once would be an

enterprise, tliat th e m ost thoughtless schoolboy

would stigmatize aa a Quixotic extravaganoe, more especially during a tour in Spain, where tlie

Wife-Stahhinff. 247

expenses o f th e road are ever exceeding th e tra­veller's m ost liberal estimate.

A n occnrrence that took place while we were at Placentia, und o f which the two servants and

Pnrkiss were eye-witnesses, shocked ns exceed*

ingly. T hey had gone into a wine-shop to make provision for the road, and while standing there

w ith several others until they could 1» served, a

pooi woman was brouglit iu , who had ju st been

stabbed by her husband w ith such severity under

th e right shoiJdcr-blade, that whenever she attem pted to speak, th e blood gushed copiously

out o i her month. N ot one of the natives

offered th e least assistance, or expressed tho

slightest sym patliy for tbe poor sufferer» and

when she w « taken away to the hospital, several o f them burst out into a brutal laugh !

NC ilA P T E E X X IV .

E X T m om ing (November 2nd) we were• • ' roMsed at a very early Ijour by a party of

miileteers, who were holdlpg ‘'revel h igh and

loud ” in th e corridor of the posada, a prevalent practice o f their class, to jndge from our obser­vation. In m ost countries evening is the season for carousing and joviality i but the Spanish mn-

letter’s h ighest flow of sp iiits seems to set in

about four in th e momii>g, which we often

found a great bore; and when we would have given anything for a quiet hour, then did jest, laughter, and snatches of old song sound forth, not exactly in th e gentle tones o f ilu ster B ot­tom ’s “ racking dove,” but w ith a vehemence

and energy that effectually banished sleep. "We

felt ansiouH to start betimes, having a very w ild

district to traverse to-day; but several obstacles

intervened, the principal being a long altercation

about the bill, and i t was ten o’clock before wo

crossed the T nijillo Iridge, bidding adieu to fair

Placentia, and ita lovely rivci, w bicb looked

more than ever attractive, aa it gleamed in the

morning sunsbiue.Oui next point was Trujillo, distant about

fix ty miles. T he route lay over one of the least- populated portions o f sparsely-peopled Estrema- dura, through scenery that diifered altogether

from anything we bad yet seen. On reaching tbe

feiimmit o f tb e uplands enclosing tlie valley of

the Xerfce to ib e south, we looked over a region

where Nature is le ft entirely to herself, and you

may ride a live-long sumracr-day, w ithout ever seeing moro than j>erhapi one lone group of

bouses, or any other indication o f man’s perma­nent presenec. A n undulating succession o f low

swelling bills, reminding ns in their outline of th e “ rolling p r ^ o s o f th e Far W est,” aa travel­lers describe them , stretched out before us for

many a league, elotbed w ith an expanse of gum-

cifftus, which in some directions seemed intermi­nable ; while farther on, Nature’s own hand had la id out the masses o f cork-trec, and ilex, with

which th e moro open ground was interspersed, after the fashion o f an Englifdi park. Perfcct stilluesft reigned on every side o f this vast soli-

tadc, imparting a degree of grandeur to the

2J0 Paerta d*> hi Serrana.

Undficape, which its general featuriis conld never

produce in any other situation, and the action of

the sun on that wide breadth o f gnJm*cistu8

filled the air w ith a delicious fra^(ranoe, as i f

earth were wafting up to H eaven an unceasing

cloud o f incense, in hono\ir o f her A lm ighty Creator.

Sometimes our path lay over a loDg tract of

sand and stones, running like a highway for m iles, where, during the downpours of th e rainy

season, a torrent luay have taken its capridona

course. A ll th is country, i t is said, was oncc

xm dertheplnngb, and judfjing from the progress Spain haii made d arin|f th e last ten years, aud

the extensive c)earauee of waste places carried

on in other provinces, i t m ay again become sub­ject to its dominion.

A bout mid-day wa readied the summit o f the

Puerta de de la Serrana, having, for more than a

mile, had to scramble up a steeply-eloping bed of stones outrivailing tlie ronghest portions of

th e well-known Cheail Beach near W eymouth. N o t long ago this spot was rtotorione for robbery

and murder, the brigands having here the double

advantage of a look-out over both sides of the

mountain at once, in addition to an ascent each

way o f such extreme difficulty, from the badness

o f the road, that escape was simply impossible.

Ilappily , the w hole gang has been routed out hy

the (iuardia Civil, and th e worst peril we m et

w ith w es caused by tlic rooks and stones that

blocked up the road. The top o f the Pass

commands a very striking panorama, the m tu s-

clad wastes looking more like gronsing-hills infi­n itely magnified, than any other accucry with which 1 am acquainted; but instead o f the

purple tin ts of heather, the atmosphere is t in ^ d

w ith a bluish hue, thrown out apparently from

the foliage o f that shiub, and producing a most singular, I m ight almost say, unearthly, efTect. "VVe had ample tím e to contemplate tho various features o f the scene, embracing not only a grand

sweep o f verdant wilderness towards Placentia, and the frontiers o f Portugal, bnt o f the valley

o f the Tagus also, as it opened ont far away

to the eastward, w hile we sat eating our mid­day meal, ensconced in extemporized bowers of

fruit-laden arbutns, w ith which the mountain

ig clothed.The descent carricd us over another villauous

road to Sati Carlos, a dcplorahle-looking hamlet

o f five or fiix hous^ , our proximity to the Tagus, which for hours we had surmised from the for-

2$2 L (u t V ie v o f the Tagu^.

ination o f tlie country, being now at eTery turn

more clearly indicated, and our curiosity proper- tionably stim ulated; though in the deep ravines,

by which the country all aronnd is lurrowed,

we could, as yet, c^tch no glimpse o f its actual presence.

W e were getting quite excited w ith expecta­tion, and pushed on more rapidly than was safe over such a road, wlien at last th e liver burat npon us in fo il view, its broad stream newly

replenished h y the waters c>f the Ticdar, and cleaving a path through tho very heart o f moun*

tainfl, which, rising abruptly from its brink, embank i t on either side, A noble old bridge of

fine proportions, and massive construction, spans

both river and ravine at once, while below, the

ruins o f Monfrague, an old feudal castle, crown

a distant rock overhanging the sbeam , W e hailed th e Tagns as on old friend, having now

traversed its banks repeatedly, at Aran^uez, Toledo, Talavera, to bid a final adien to i t here,

at Puente del Cardenal,A t one tim e i t had been oxa intention to make

our way to Seville by Alcantara, tor th e purpose o f seeing the old Itoman bridge, which i'ord

declares is worth going a liuiKlred miles to visit.

PuenU; del Cordenal. 253

This detour, however, would have occupicd more

tim e than we could posaihly spare, and th e plan

was consequently relinquialied.The bridge we were now going to cross is

fialkd Puente del Cardcnal, from having l>een built, w ith three others along this route, by

Cardinal Juan <lc Carvajal, a native o f Placentia»

where h is family were among the magm;tcs of

their day. One cannot help believing he m ust

have been a good and benevolent man, who, for the convenience o f a thinly-populated nejgVibonr- hood, where bridl e-roads ahmc exUt, and peasants

arc tlie m ost frequent travellers, erected so costly

-a vrork, far out o f th e world’s ken. Jeremy Taylor reckons i t among acts o f mcrcy to repair

highways, and bridges m uch more, therefore, does their original construction, especially in

such a country aa Spain, deserve a pkce in the

catalogue.Aftp'r jTunset, we teard, for th e first time,

tho ciccda, a species o f cricket possessing vocal powers alm ost as shrill as a railway w h istle ; there were scores of these inscets pourirg forth

on every side their several contributions to swell the general chorus; and th e combined result, as

may easily be concoived, was somewhat over­whelming. W e proposed halting for the night

at Torrejon el Rubio, a hamlet in the m idst of

the wiids, where we arrived between eight and

nino, having, snnce sunsft, travelled over roiids

had bfiycind conception, which hardly man or

beast could have faced had there be«n dayhght

to disclose their real condition. 13ut hahit and

a Spanish horse w ill carry one through almost evGrythin^.

Torrejon had aurely never received such a

cavalcade as ours, and th e good people were sorely perplexed to find ue accommodatinn. The

posadft bcin^ a decidedly questionablc'looHn^

abode for any piitpose save dinner, we had to

hunt up and dowii for hede. Mr. Syke« was

taken in at one private house, Lord Portar- lington and xoyself at afioth^, where we were

stowed away in a tiny room about nine feet square, ju st la r ^ enough for two beds. The

ceiling was ornamented in a manner peculiar to

the Peninsula, w ith a goodly array o f melons, w hich hung like pendants in some Grothic roof, thongh we cannot say the eiTcct was either as

artdstio, or th e general arrangement carried ont w ith equal eonsiderntion for the convenience of

tho inmates. W hichever way we turned, bump

w ent our heads against some green m ass; and

i f our worthy host, Tomas Sancliea' melons did

not koop as well as usual la s t winter, i t will, no

doubt, b€ ow iog to tiie repeated coUidions that

took place on th e n igh t of November 2nd, D espite PuiViss’s best endeavours, a conRider*

able tim e elapsed before dinner was ready, os

indeed was generally the case throughout our expedition. W e found Bueh delays more ex*

hauatii4j and wearisome than the longest ride, and many were the complaints we used to ponr

forth on such occasions, without erer l>eing able, however, w ith the collective wisdom o f the

whole party, to devise any better arrangement. Tt id thought unadvisable in Spain to divide

.forces, b y sending on somo one to th e ne^t halting-plaee w ith th e baggage to secuic beds

and prepare dinner, a plan that would have

obviated th is inconvenience. W henever we had

th e good fortune to find an inn capable o f sup­plying anything in th e shape o f a plain dinner,

we did very well, and in a good meal and early bed soon forgot th e fatigue o f a ten or twelve

hnurs’ ride. B ut on m ost occasions th e case was

widely different w ith ue, arriving, as we did often

a t eight or nine o’clock at some posada where a larder is a th in g unheard of, and you can find

nothing to eat, except wliat is fam ished from

yo u i own store«. Y ou have not even the travel-

Icr'g never-failing reaourcc in otlier countries, bread, and chccse, or butter, such artiuloe bemg

unknown over tlie greater part o f Spain. For

weeks we saw no butter; frequently m ilk was

not to be bad, and on asking for it in some

places we were to ld none would be forthcoming before Eaater! Every preparation, tliereforc, had

to be made after our arrival, and tliie in a very

nnexpeditioua manner, as th e m«»t available

implement in Furkiss’s haUerie df cuisine was a frying-pan we had brought from Bayonne, fco

whieh he had generally to attach a stick by way

o f a supplementary handle, ou account o f the

heat o f an open fire. I t was w ith tliia soajity

apparatus tliat legs o f m utton whole, chinea of

pork» chops, fowls, hares, partridges, rabbits, and such-like “ small deer,” were each in their turn

converted in to food for us. A s a naturul conse­quence, w e freqiiciitly dined at ten, and w ent fco bed at m idnight, which waa not the best w ay of preparing for the work o f tlie morrow.

I remember being very much struck, years

ago, w ith a statement o f l>israeli’s in “ Contarini Fleming,” wliich at the moment I fchought exag- gprated— that the Spanish peasantry arc the

cleanest in Europe. (>ui Spanisli experiences

contimmlly verified th is ai«ertion; for though

P ark St.fi.ner . 257

often, ad at Torrejon, our sleepmg-quarters were

rongUand primitive to a degree, we could always

lie down w ith a conviction o f their perfect clean­liness, a remarkable i ^ t , I think, when the

isolation o f the coTintry and the warm th o f its climate are kejit in mind.

Torrejon had nothing to detain us n est morn­ing , and through dehasas and de^oblcdoa (sheep- walkg and uninhahited wastes) we continued our

w ay to Trujillo, the park-like scenery o f the

ilex-woodA heing the predominating feature of

the country. Soon after starting, M r. Sykes

discovered two enormous viJtures, sitting, Hke -birds of evil omen, on a decaycd stump, and

when our approach scared them away, i t waa

w ith a heavy lethargic flight, aa if they had been eating more than was good for them ;

while chattering magpies, whiter and krger

than m England, and the pretty little jays we

haxl seen heibrc, were perpetually flitting across

our path. W e passed several streams to-day, one o f them , the Vid, where we made our noon­tide halt a l fresco, being of sufficient volume to

require a bridge o f considerable dimensions. A long the baiiks o f thcso Btrcams lay pleasant

meadows, refreshing the eye w ith their green- ness, which the sombre hues o f the all-perva-

&

ding ilex tlirew out by contract w ith vivid cfTect.

Alm ost the wliole way betwucu tbe V id and Trujillo, we seemed to be rid ing through a vast

domain attached to feudal caatlc, or p r iu « ly

mansion, eo perfectly did the size and arraj'ige«

m ent of the timber, and configuration o f the

ground, recal th e general charaoteriatica o f an

EngHah park. Our im agination all tlic time

pictured th e exiat«nce of some abode worthy

o f tlie situation, ly in g conetaled am ong tlic

recesRea o f the forest, and we were qmte pre­pared to see it iiny moment, thongh we never

did!Hereabout Pizarro, when a lad, used to feed

hia father’s pigs, aud in th e long double range

of pigstieii at A ldea del Obispo, a bleak village within sight of, though unsheltered by, the

extenBive woods o f the district, we perchance

saw tlie apot where he once had lodged liis

acorn*eating herds.A t length we came out upon the high*road

between Madrid and Badajos, in aight o f Tru­jillo , though, aa we found in due time, we were

still a weary distance from it. A s we rode

along, w ith no object to interest or engage our

attention in the dreary wind-swept plateau that

encircles Trujillo, we observed a narrow bbck

An IntsicUDud. 259

line extending across th e road, here abont thirty-

five feet wide. On closer inspection we funnd

i t consisted o f anta, which in grand proce&siou

were streaming over the ground by myriads, one division j^ in g to our left hand, and th e rest in the contrary direction, each individual ant g iv in g ite neighhovir a nndç^ in parsing. The

debidnation and eause o f th is movement wc

failed to discover.A füw days before, while wall^ing nuar Cuaeos,

we had onjoyed another opportunity o f studying

natural history, though not in so pacifie a phase

as that exhibited on th e Trujillo road. TSv*o

beetles were fighting furiously )iy tho wayside, one being very large, the other halJ* hia size. Aa

EpgUsliTTien we instinctively gave th e little one the benelll o f uur good wishes, though in reality

tho combatants were more equally matched, from

their relative circumstances, than their difference

in aize Jed us at first to conclnde. The hig beetle* had, in truth, a double dnty to perform;

not only did he repel the incessant assaults of

his nimble ant«goni^t, keeping his front towards

him constantly with groiit adroitness, and pom­m elling him luRtily all the while, hut he was

moreover engaged iji rolling, w ith hia liind lega, the husk o f a chestnut (which we suspected to

s 2

a é o A n In s e c t-B u c î.

bc th e gage of battle l« tw een the helligerenta) up a hank so steep that it m ust have ^ u m a d in

his eyes th e diraenaons o f a prccipice. I t wia

quite aMenishijig how w ell he executed this complicated mancenTrc. W c did not witness the

final settlem ent o f th e qnanel, not w ishing to

detain onr kind host, th e Onra, who did uot

seem to participate ou j interest in th is insect

duel.

rr ^ B U J lL L O is n ot only a quaint old town, w ith narrow, tortuous streets, Inll o f pic-

tureequo hotiaca, hnt, w hat at that particular

m oment had more attraction for ns than any

amount o f autiquaiian interest or pictorial cffect, it contains th e best inn we m et w ith between

Madrid and Seville. W hile we were in quest o f it, who shoiild turn up but onr Talarcra acquaint*

ance, the little French equestrian, good-natured

as ever, and hy his aid we wero soon installed

in th e nnwonted luxury o f rooms w ith glazed

windows, carpets, and a sufficiency o f chairs and

tables. Indeed, so comfortable did w s find onr

quarters, that i t was almost provoking to quit

them on the morrow, hut we felt anxious to

reacli Merida by Sunday, and we Iiad still before ua a journey o f two days.

N ex t raom irg, Friday, November 4th, we

lionized Trujillo in a m ost hasty fashion, which

was little better than not seeing it at all- The

mansion built by Pizarro after th e conqnest o f Peru, iatands in tho Plaza, and, though in­differently situated, is a handsome building of

freestone, decorated after th e Spanish custom

w itli l*oldly«BCuIpturcd ioats of arms, and other

heraldic devices, tlie m ost conepicuoua bcini^

a couple o f pigs feeding under an oak-tree, a badge that n ot only recalled his origin and

early employment, bat proved, moreover, that

tbe conqueror o f Peru was not a«liamed to own him self th e sson o f a swineherd. W e searelied

several cliurches for liis tomb, which, according

to Ford, is ill Santa Maria dc la Concepcion, but

found ooth ing corresponding to bis description.Several old houses invited examination, had

tim e permitted 5 but we were ublij^d to content

ouiselves w ith a hasty glance at them, and at

the towers, both Moorish und Lombard, as

well as at ancicnt gateways o f massive Homan

construction whieh we fell in w ith while peram­bulating the town. I t is th e worst place I ever

was in for finding one's way, w hieh is seldom a diificulty to me. On m y le tu m from the

upper town 1 wished to revisit th e Square ibr

the purpose o f having one more glimpse o f

P.izarro’s house; but so narrow are the streets.

and 80 lofty the hou&es, that, in spite o f re­peated attempts, I could not find m y way there, l>eirig all the tim e w ithin two hundred yards of

th e spotl In fact, T lo st m yself completely, passing and. repassing the Siuno point four times, and had 1 not chanced to emerge -upon the

town wall in sight o f onr inn, i t is impossihlo to s<iy when I should have fonnd an exit ont of

til is labyrinth o f strcxits.T)utliig the uight it had blown quite a hurri­

cane, accompanied by heavy rain, and when

w e set off soon after ten, it waa under what sailors would call “ a dirty sky.” w ith every

feign o f bad weather, eo tliat TrujiEo, whieh from its sitnation had a very bleal?, cheerlces air, looked th is morning miserably chill and atorm-

beaten. A t Placentia, two days before» i had

noticed tho sun rising amid angry-looking

clouds, called in Gloucestershire “ the reds,”

wbii’h flashed from one end o f heaven to the

other. Kvcry land has its pecnliar weathcr-wis- dom ,.w hich a stranger cannot acquire speedily. N o t knowing, therefore, w hat “ the reds ” m ight

presage in Spain, I did not venture to prognos­ticate tlieir conecquencee. In England rain

would ccrtainly have fallen the self-same day, hut the Peninsular clerk o f the weather seemi

2 6 4 A Farpi'Aouse.

to bo a person o f more deliberate action, for

ciglit-aiid'forty h<nirB elapsed, yet not a drop

fell, 0)>ly, however, to descond upon out unlucky

heads w ith treble violence on the third day after.

Our rido to M ontaiiches lay through a hare, treeless region, utterly without shelter o f any

kind, and just as wc were wending onr spiritleRS

way over its m ost exposed portion, the sfcorm

burst upon us w ith almost tropical fary, till men and beasts fairly streamed like watcr-spouts, so that ahogethcT we had very much th e appear- anec o f a row o f gigantic gnrgoyles in full action. T he storm lasted about an hour and a half, and I was thankful to escape w ith no

worse damage than a pair o f w et l«^gs, thanks

to m y good cluak, though several o f the party

were thoroughly drenched. A s soon as the rain ceased, the sun and wind, not being on this

occasion an t^ on ists, as in th e old fable, united

their powers for our relief, and soon made

matters more coinfortable.Thore being no posada in the v ilb ge , where

we made cur mid-day halt, our whole party was

received w ith xnucli kindness at th e principal

fanji-house. T he niistress, an eld lady o f supe­rior manners, and a good deal of quiet dignity, placed her house aud all it contained at our

disposal, tnaking her two maids wait on us ; and

when her huabuiid came in , finding to his surprise

the whole pbicc full o f shangerR, he also gave

m a cordial welcome. A young man dropped

in soon after, whom wc set down as the villaj^ doctor on seeing him feel the old lady’s pulse, i l c turned out to l>e her son. One o f tlic

things, which struck ua here, afi elsewhurc, wa«

tbe abundance, and eicellence o f the household

linen, reminding us o f the olden days o f spin­sters and homespun in Eniilaud. T he kindness

o f th is worthy couple forms quite a pleasant point o f retrospect amid th e dreary, uninteresting

district o f saturated com-land, through which most o f our route from Trujillo to M ontanches led us, aud we were really sorry to say good-bye to them.

Montanchea soon came into sight, perched

upon a platform o f rock, that rose like an islet,

out o f a level expanse o f arable plain, and look­in g close at hand. B ut experience had begun to teach us, that in Spain to see a place, and to

h e near it, are two utterly different things, and it

was two honrs after nightfall ere we rode into the market-place o f th is central dépôt for “ hams,

and other bucolic meats o f ilstremadura."The liams of M ontanchcs are not only, as

t'ord informs h is readers, world-famous in the

266 M o n l a n c k e s H a m ñ .

present day, but they have enjoyed their cele­bri ty at least a couple o f eenfruries. From the

tim e of Anacrcon downwards, iuepiration luis

often been Bonght in th e wine-cup; h ot it was

rcecrred for the ac<?omplÌ5lied author o f “ The

Handbook in Spain,” to diRcover, first o f all Englishm en, another o f ite sources in the ilesh- pots o f MontaucheA, following therein the ex­ample o f tho prolific dramatist, Lope dc Vega, who never found him self quite up to the mark for composition, until he had refreshed him self

w ith a good rasher. Ford s account of a Mon- tanches ham is one of the m ost glowing passages

iu hi» whole hook. K indling with th e fire of

poetie rapture, he assures the reader, whom the

description makes positively hungry, that “ tho

fat when properly boiled looks like m elted to­pazes, and th e áuvour defies language, although

w e have dined on one this very day in order to sceuie accuracy and inspiration. The Mon- tanchca hams are superh, and it woidd perplex

a gastronomic Paris to which to adjudge the

prize— whether to th^ Jamofi dutce of Alpujarras, the tocino o f Galicia, tlio chorizo o f Vique, or

th e transci^ndental hams o f th is locality,” And

lest it should be imagined Mr. Ford’s Pe'gaaus

had taken th e bit between hig teeth, and run

MonUmciei ÎIo9pit<tiiiy.

away w ith hia rider on this occasion, T will repeat th e testim ony o f the sobor-iiiiuded Thio

du St. Siiuou, though oven he cannot approach

tlic auhjcet, w ithout catching a sparV o f poetical fervour “ Ces jambong ont un parfrim s i admi*

rable, un goût ai relevé, et ri vivifiant, qu’on

en est suipris ; ii est impossible de rien maijgur

s i exquis/'N ow I will appeal to any candid reader {if I

am tbrt\uiate enough to bave one endowed with

ao admirable a qnality) whether, after all th is flourish o f trnmpets, we were not perfectly

juatificd in expecting to lind at least wwetking

to cat at Montanches. The sequel w ill show

how far ao rcasouablo un expectation was satb>

Ced.M atters lc*okod rather ominous, methought,

when wc were to ld tliat this town o f more than

five thouaand souls has only one po&ada, a fact

that did not indicate any great amount o f com­munication w ith tho rest uf tlic wurld. There

o f course wc went, only to be disappointed, it

being so crowded with scampish-looking company, that we had to aeek accommodation elsewhere

without much regret, W e next tried the Cura’a, but h is reve)*ence being out, we had for three*

quarter» of an hour to play tbe agreeable to his

268 MbníancAes Magnates.

honsekecpor, ú táirewd clcTcr woman, who seemed

h igH y amused w itli our smaJl attempts at con­versation. A t last in came th e Cora, D on Jose

M . de Orozco y Bulnes, a man o f good family, even in Spain. H e was very polite, but having

only one bed to offer us, could do little to satisfy

our necessities. So Purkiss waa despatched to th© Alcalde (tbe Mayor o f tho town), to inq\iirc

whether h© could do anything to aid houseless

tm vclleis. T he news of our arrival muat have circulated ertensively, for in a few minutes the

room where we sat was quite filled by the elders

o f the place, who came dropping in one after

another, the Cura’s brother among them , w ith

th© evident intention of holding a sort o f non- professional inquest on the wayiaiers, whom th©

chances o f travel had brought w ithin their

coasts. In proof that we were “ true m en /’ we

produced our passports, and letter o f recommen­dation to the Guardia Civil 5 and i t was highly

amuaiiig to olw?rvc tho semi-official air, w ith

which each in h is to m inspected those docu- menta. N o t one o f them however had the good­nature to render us substantial assistance by

getting ua beds, and what wa s still moro extra­ordinary, none appeared to entertain the notioD>

that after a ride o f nine or ten lioura, w ith a

Zudieroue Scene. 269

good w etting to boot, we m ight possibly bo hungry and g k d o f some refreshment, now

that it was drawing near nine p .m. I t was

evidently th e las* th in g they were going to

th ink of. T hey had aJI eaten their enpper, had

comtortablc beds to get into, whenever tiiey

chose ; t ill then i t was an agreeable diversion to their monotonoas cxistencc to look at, and talk

over tho strange Englishm en, who wore wander­in g through th e covuitry in a manner so nnaccount- abic to a genuine Spaniard. A ltogether, i t was

tho m ost ludicrous scene I ever played part in, and, despite hunger and fatigue, irresistibly

entertaining. I seemed all th e while to be asking m yself unconsciously, “ C anall th is be

real ? Are we at a play, or holding an interview

w itli some Polynesian Islanders, or are we snr- loundud by tho fantastic imagery o f a dream, w ith its sensations of nttor helplessness ? ” H ad

wc been tied liand and foot, wc could not be

more at th e mcrcy o f these natives, who stared

at us, talked us over, came in and w ent out with

as much nonchalance, as i f they had actually paid

us for exhibiting on^elves, and were now only

receiving their money’s worth.An incident of a somewhat sim ilar natnre

befei Lady Eaetlake a t U aiva , while on her

2 J O A C(mÍTU»Í.

way to listhonia, and is dcscriljed in Lot oliarm' in g “ Lettsrs fix>m the Baltic,”

PrcseQtly hie worship the Alcalde appearod, attended by a retinae o f humble friends, when

the recital o f our story, accompanied hy a re- pumsal o f documents, rccommcnccd a matter

o f eoursc, making a fresh demand upOD onr

almost exbansted patience. Suddenly a worthy elder conceived th e bright idea, that a couple of

beds m ight be had at tho house of a respcctuhlo

old lady o f h is acquaintance, who was accus­tomed to take in lodgers. Thither we adjonmed

at once, to find ourseiTt« in a totally different atmosphere, aad to m eet w ith every kindness

aud atfccation from onr warm-hearted hostess, in

rcfreahiDg contrast to th e cool iadiffereace wu

had hitherto experieaoed, and o h ! how pleasant i t was to have a comfortable wash, and to pnt on dry things 1

I t was ton o’clock before we returned to the

Cura’s, whcTO Puikias was preparing dinner, ai^d there to our horror wc found about twenty

persons, men and women, th e “ quality ” o f the

place apparently, drawn up to sec ua dine. The

room was as iull as it could hold, aud there did

they all remain the whole tiine we were at dinner, making their observations, liaving evi-

dcntly very much th e same tone o f mind as the

famous Mrs. John O ilpin; for though on plea­sure they were bent (and thoroughly in their

w ay did they onjoy the entertainment we were

providing them), they still retained “ th e frugal m in d ” o f that excellent housewife. X o t a single contrihution did any o f them make to the scanty

m eai which onr ow n stores supplied, w ith the

ciccptiun o f a few grapes, which, when fruit is

scarco, m ight cost perhaps a penny, and when it is abundant, as was then the caae, tiU! Some of our wine was olTered them , and when they found

i t was not champagne, a luxury none o f ua had

tasted since Madrid, they were en d en tly dis­appointed, and seemed to consider i t not worth

drinking.Jt would have been art insnit to th e ffmittti

Ifxi o f M ontanches to om it th e purchase of

some o f its “ transcendental h a m s s o a couple o f wcll-rceommended ones were secnred, weigh­in g about fourteen pounds apiece, <md costing

rather more than a ahilling a ponnd, and never

did travclkra make a better investm ent. The

first Imiii was dryssed at Merida, and proving of

firat-rate excellence served the m ain stay of

onr commissaiiat all th e way to Seville, while the other travelled nearly to Oranadii» eaeh in

its tarn com ing in m ost convemently on all occasions, sometimes cold, sometimes in the

shape of a broil. Jndging from their sweetness

o f llavoar, we fancied they m ust have been cared

chiefly w itb sogar, there being hardly a pei-

ceptible ta«te o f salt in them.According to Ford’e theory, after eating so

m aeb M ontanches ham, we oiight to turn out first-rate Poets, and i f any o f the party docs hereafter aetoniah tlie world in that character, we shall know whence th is inspiration has

token its rise.T he ruined castle, that dominates the town,

commands a glorious view , though a d^nse fog

concealed th e la i^ c i portion o f it on the morn­in g o f November oth, and M ontanches would

make an excellent ecntre for exploring the neigh­bourhood, those necessary pt»tulates board and

lodging being first granted; indeed oar laudlady

told US that an E nglish artist, whose name she

could uot rceollectj had stayed w ith her a con­siderable tim e for th e parpóse of sketching.

The Cura in parting, kindly offered us a letter

to a friend o f h b at Merida, oar next destina­tion , who would probably Rparo us some wine from his own cellars, to replenish our exhausted

stock; and as such an introduction is alvrays

Woodlands. s y j

ftervic4?ablo in Spain, where travellers are more

dependent on any chance civility than in other

countries, wc gladly availed ourselves o f his oiTer.

Onr ride at first was dreary enough, through

a Buccession o f ploughed fields under a canopy

o f fog, that intercepted every ray o f simahine, and chilled us to the very honu. In tim e cir­cumstances improved, und we entered upon

sunny woodland«, where herds o f swine were

doing their best to sustain th e reputation of

th e M ontanches hama, hy feeding on the crop

o f acoruB grown on th e surrounding cork*trees, >nd ilices. A lter traversing extonaive copses of arbutus, laden w ith fcstoong y f lovely ih iit, scaxkt, and primrose-coloured, we descended into

a verdant little valley watered b y a tront- sta^eam; and there, tem pted hy the abundance

o f good pasture, wo spent a pleasant hour in

refreshing man and beast. Hesuniing our tra*

vel w ith renewed spirit, about seven we crossed

the arid plain that encirclcs Merida, entering the town near the old Bom an aqueduct, which,

spanning th e earth at broken intervals w ith

colossal atride,” atood out gaunt and grand in the dim raoonlight.

C K A P T E K X X V I.

WE had beea looking forward -with great satlsf^otion to our Sunday’s rest at

Merida, haying ridden during the last week about a hundred and forty milos, which, at our

slow pace, represented a good many hours’ travel; aod it was no agreeable enrpriee to tind in so

considerable a town, on the great highway

between Madrid and Badajoz, only two wretched

posadas, both being too iuU to take ua in . After

some trouble, bowevor, wo found a Casa de

Pupillojt, or boarding-house, tbat was tolerably

comfortable, and there we remained tUI Monday

at noon, enjoying our well-earned repeae.Ford says of it, “ Merida is the Borne of

Spain, in respect o f stupendous monuments of antiquity.” A m ong these m ay be mentioned,

a noble bridge o f cighty-one arehes, and 2575

feet long, over the Guadiana; extensive waJs, finer, Mr. Sykes thought, than any iu Borne; a

theatre open to th e m i , in very pcrfect condition, w ith a circus neai i t ; a m ost euxioua auhterra- nean passa^^ leading to the r iver; and last, but -of greatest interest to us ail, th e xnagnificenfc aque­duct we passed on entering; th e n ig h t before. I t

is built o f huge granite blocks, and bricks o f a rich warm red— a combination that produced

excellent cffecte o f colouring. I t lias three tici^

o f arches, th e h ighest rising to an elevatic«i i>f about eighty Ford’s description ia so ad*mirable, that I am tem pted to quote i t ;— “ The

magnitude o f tiiuiije culossaJ monuments is very

impressive; they are the standatda th e Unmans

have left, wherehy to meaanre Iheir ambition, povicr, and intellect- 'fhere is indued a aeruiun

in these atones, and th e idea of the once Mis> tress o f the World rules even in decay. iLow, wl*en all th is greatness lias vanished, cun any

one fret abont the petty griefs o f his brief honr ? T h is is indeud a lonely scene, & thing of the

p ast; here let the stranger muse o f a still even*

atg , as we have often done,— these monuments, Hke himsoli; have notliing to do w ith th e present Emcritan, on whom their poetry, and attractions

are lost. These m ighty relics, which have defied

a ^ s , are of a different date and people, and have

outlived the names o f their founders. Y et thereT 2

276 li(ma% Aqueduct.

they atand grey and shattered, hut npright, fiup- porting: notliing. now, but the w eight o f cen- turiefl. Above them is spread, like a curtain, th e blue sky, heantifiil and bright aa at the first dawn of creation, for Nature decays not; yet

never, perhaps, were these arches, even when

perftiet, so touchingly picturesque as n o w ; the

Vandal has desboycd their proportions, hut

Tim e— and who paints like itP ^ h aa healed the

gears w ith lichens, and tinted tho woathcr-beaten fragments. Their former ^lory is indeed s ih- dued, hut how tender the pity, which the past

conjures u p !”I t >va8 on Simday afternoon (November

fith), that we visited the scene our conntryman

so poetically describes. The air breathed a

soft autumnal warmth, and the aky wore as

bright a blue, as when ho sat there years ago

m editating on Bom e’s hy-gone grandeur, while

ahove o\ir heads an nntold number o f sparrow- hawki», that nestle in safety within the weather­worn uooks and creviees o f the aqueduct, careered through the air like swallows in the summer sunshine.

I ts lateral surface, which would otherwise

want variety, is broken into hold .iltem ations of

ligh t and shade by massive buttresiies rimning

Roman Jieinaina. 2 77

fronj th e base to the summit, TTad not the

world become 80 accustomed to see the remaina o f past agea hatbarously treated, it would hardly

he credited that th e Emerit&na, aa Ford caJia

tho people o f Merida, have actually pullod down

several o f these buttresses for the mere sake of tbe stone.

Tlie finest view, perhaps, in aU >rerida, is

commanded h y a terraec at tbe back o f the

Foiada de ¿w close to the great Romanbridge. Below flows the river, spanned by the

eighty*one arches, which insure a safe passage

during the widest-spread inundation. A square tower o f th e same date, but piereed in Moorish

days hy a horae-ahoe arch, stands at ita town­ward extromity, and eervea as a Ute de p o n i; while a noble wall rising directly ont o f the

water, and term inating in a hroad qxiay, Banks

th e bridge to the Bouth. The salient points of

view aa you turn towards tho town, are dia- tiiictively Roman, a solitary palm-tree, the pride

o f some burgher’s garden, alone excepted, and th ey stand out w ith all the more proiiiinence

from the uninteresting character c f the general landscape. Tlic Guadiana flowing between low banks has no more beauty than is inseparable

from ever}' stream o f pure w ater; as the eye

2 7 8 A W e k v m e P r e s e n t

takes in a further range o f country, it sees no­th in g more attractive tihan a featnrelesa erpansc

of coni-land. A ltogether wc perfectly coincidod

w ith Ford’s opinion, that, for ordinary toorists, there ie but one day’R oc<rapsition at Merida.

This being the last town o f any importance

before reaching Seville, we had to th ink of tho

provend, and Pnrkiss delivered th e note from Montanches, hoping the gentlem an to whom it

was addressed wonld kindly help ng, as we had

eearched th e whole toTvn for “ the excellent red

wine, eomething between claret and burgundy,”

flo h igh ly praised by Ford, w ithout discovering anything better than th e produce o f th e last

vintage, now about three monthe old, and con­sequently unfit ft)r use. Don Bulncd’ friend wae

nnfortuaately too ill to be seen, but the lady of

th e huuee m ost kindly sent as a present, two

magnnms o f excellent wine w ith a polite raes- eage, remarking at the eamc tim e to Purkiss, how strange it was B o n Bulne« could imagine

any o f the wine, speoified in hie note, ehould

be still left, seeing he had him self imiehed the

very last bottle, when he was at their house

on Merida fair-day!Thankful indeed were we for th is mc«t wel­

come supply, and having proved its excellence

at dinner, sent i t out when th e things 'wcrc

removed, to he put up m nsiual w ith the rest of

the stores for nse on the road, N oth in g more wa^ thought o f it t ill dinner-time next diij* at Andramalejo, when one o f n s asked, “ Where is

tho Merida w ine?” That was all finished, my

Tiord, at Merida.” “ N o t hy us certainly, nor a

qnarter of it, one hottlo hein^ perfootiy full, and

tho other nearly ao, when they were removed,”

I t turned ont that th e landlady and her maid, having cleared the table, had immediately taken

the two decaliters into th e kitchen perfectly

empty, gr ^ i-tly to th e as*tonishment o f the ser- vantA, who naturally wondered what could have

become of all that w ine) N on e of us, I need hardly say, ever saw a drop o f it a ^ n ; and we

not only lost th e lady's seasonable present, hut

moreover must have la in for twei^ty-four hours

under the tacit imputation of having drunk an inordinate quantity.

W e left Merida at mid*day, Monday, Norem-

her 7th. Crossing the Homan bridge, and turn­in g to tlie left, a m ile from the town, we q\utted

th e Badajoz road, taking another runnm g di­rectly south. The eonntry improves on aaecnd- in g a gentle slope, which commands an extensive prospect. A t our feet lay the ^ e a t plain north

28o Landscape.

o f the Sierra Morena, its surfece bro):en here and

there by isolated mountains, which roae in ab­rupt blocka ont o f the dead level, a characteristic

feature o f th e South o f Spain, where almost eTery breadth of champaign country is dotted w ith theae detached eleTations, Ono of these

masses to thu south-east had a rcry striJdiig

appearance, ita height, which waa considerable, bvin^f a ll effective in conscquence of its poaition. W e were unable to ascertain its nsime, having

unfortunately rio maps w ith us, b a t such as

were almost worthless, their principal oftiee

being to mislead us perpetually.

r i lO -D A Y wc had a short march o f on ly five

leagues, and th e Ch-urch o f Andiamalejo

rose before as rtearly tho whole distance like

iL beacon, poiixting out our destination for the

night. T ins neighbourhood is a very Ooshen

of whoat-cnlture, and the tillf^re o f its soil have th e reputation o f being some o f the richest farmers in Spain, I t is, however, a m ost tedious

district to ride through, and, at onr slow pate, w e found those five leagues far more fatiguing

than some of our longest journeys through

scenery o f more interest and variety.Andramalqo is an oyergrown village, fu ll of

goodly houses, some o f which we longed to take

possession o f for th e night, and inhabited by

well*to-do people, w ith a decided tarn tor finery, i f w o m ight judge from tho ample stores o f

haberdashery displayed in the mercers’ shops, which, afi in m ost Spanish towns, seemed to

monopolize the commerce of th e plac«; while

we poor hungry wayfarers looked in rain» as we

rode along its streets, for some indication of

comestible merchandise. E ven tho posada was quite o f an inferior description, though th©

people o f the house, Valencians, wcro very civil, and did their beet to make ug comfortable. Kuletccra abounded in every comer. J m i before going to b ^ , T looked out o f our sitting-

toom , and at that moment the posada presented

a picture that 'iou id have delighted the eye of an artist. L ike m ost inns o f its class, i t was

divided into three parallel compartments, ar­ranged somewhat like the nave and aislea o f a

thutch. T he central, atiH principal division, contained an open fire-place, snrroundcd b y a

group o f people a t euppor, under the dim light

o f a lamp suspended from th e roof. The floor, 1 m ay almost say, was paved w ith somnolent muleteers, sever^ of them having chosen '‘ their lo d g ii^ upon th e cold ground/' close to an open

door, largo enough for a bam, through which

streamed a flood o f m oouhght; while on all sides arose those peculiar sounds, which sleop*

in g hum anity uttors, though go conscientiously

averse to acknowled^ng them.N ex t day saw ue on our road to Zafra, and

Greetings o f the Road. 283

ju st oatsidf» o f th e town, near some stagnant

pools, which the reccnt tains had replenished, we passed the laigtsst assemhla^o o f washer­women we had seen «ni^e Iftaving Madrid. TiVery fam ily at Andramalejo seemed to he

celebrating it« wodhing-week. There m ust have hoon, at least, a hnndred water-nymphs collected

on th e occasion, but hy th e tim e T had counted

seventy‘five, such pcala o f laugliter arose from

every group at the idea, I suppose, o f a traveller

stopping to number them , that m y feeble

powere o f arithmetie were p «t to flight hy auch

a demonstration, and the process waa never

completed.W e had now entered one of th e great olive*

districts, and, althoujfh the tree has h ttlc beauty

i>f form or f o l i ^ , its grove« serve at rate

to clotlic the nakedness o f the landscape, and

redeem i t from utter m onotony. Ever smce leaving iler id a , we had kept th e h igh road, and

were constantjy m eeting muleteers, and other

travellers, w ith whom, accordiug to tbe pleasant custom of the country, we used to exchange salotations. One o f these parties bailed us

w ith more than common animation, accompanied

hy a pry fusion o f smiles and gestures, crying

out at th e same time, “ Placentia! P lacen tia !”

having neen us, it appeared, previously in that

ueiglilwurliood. T hey were then on their way

into th is oil-growing country, and, having com­pleted their purchases, were now returning

home into the northern wilds of Estremaduia.T he day was so warm, that any chance strip

o f shade ^ o n g th e way-side proved most w el­come, Before reaching Zafra, we passed the tow n o f Todos los Santos (A ll Saints), girdled

w ith a belt o f gaidims and orchards, in a high

state o f cultivation.Zafra nestles under the w n th em slope o f the

hill, which, on the north, overh an g Los Santos, and is one o f the hest country*towns we have

seen anywhere in Spain. I t is thriving and

clean, w ith an excellent boardini^house, kept b y very civil, attentive people, ICowhere indeed

were we better off, than at Zafra; for, in

addition to the comfort o f Inige, well-furnished

rooms, we enjoyed, and in good tim e ttx>, the rare luxury of a roast leg of m utton, which

PorkisR had cleverly managed to cook in the

frying-pan, and as i t was no bigger than a

similar jo in t o f EngHsh lamb, we consumed it

to th e very bone w ith great satisfactiun und

thankfulness.

N on e but those, who have made a riding-toor

Fropend. ^85

in th is liun|,^y land, tho very name o f which

Pord w ittily derives from av<iviof, destitute, can

nnderstand the important aspect th e commis*

sariat assumes in the incidents o f each day.In other countries, scenery, art, antiquities,

national manners, are naturally th e principal objects o f a tourist’s consideration. Inns, din­ners, and such like necesFitios o f o\ir lower nature, m ay safely be taken for granted; they

aro sure to turn up, sooner or later, without taking much thought about them . In Spain, however, such ploasaat freedom from care would

ii«ue in starvation pu r ei nimplc. W e tried it

&nco, and were so thoroughly dissatisiied with the result, that we never repeated th e experi*

ment-One o f the first things that strike» a reader

o f Ford, unversed in co9o9 de Espnna, is the

pertinacity w ith which he insists on attention

to the pro vend. W h ile making out your route, and acquiring other preliminary information, you become perfectly bored with the incessant repetition o f th is advice, which the Handbook

elevates to th e d im ity o f a fundamental prin­ciple; and, liko m ost novices, you decry the

w a rn in g o f experience as b o much “ tedious

prattle.” B ut ere you have been a week in the

saddle, you discover tlie greatness o f your error, you feel to th e fu ll th e tm th o f the defmifrio)», “ Man ia a cooking animal,” and dnring the remainder o f your sojourn in Spain, “ the Art o f D ining ” w ill rank in yonr tuind as only

accond to the Fine Arts,

T liis w ill account for th e prominence occupied hy the commiaaariat in the record of moat Spanish tours. One author» jmd he, too, a

Fellow o f Trinity C oU e^, Camhf\dg;e, actually calls his book after a well-known national dish, an incontestable proof o f th e intcro&t w ith

w hich tho <;uhnary department is iuvGstt.*d in

th e eyes o f wanderers through the Peninsxila!L et th is then be m y apology for so frequentl}'

introducing the subject. A tour in Spain, which

omits all reference to the proTend, m ay he plea­sant reading for fairies, elves, and other sprites, to whom the sensation o f huugoi is unknow n; bnt to subatantial humanity, svitii its daily

necessities, sueh a book w ill he only a delusion

and a snare, g iv ing no information on one im ­portant particular, nor showing th e reader how

he m ay traTt l through the country without

coming to an untim ely end,i cannot a bettor idea of tho supcricd*

civilization o f Zafra, than by stating that it

actually contains a wMcli waa kept by a

very gtxxl-DatuTed old dame, whose cellar rap- plied our slender storps w ith d few bottles of

ih e n y . A t intcrrals during the ni^ht, 1 had

heard raricus sonnde in the hoiuje, us i f some of

th e inmates were still up, and, on inquiring in th e motnrng what had been going on, was told

that two o f the women eat up the live-long niglit

to dry and iron some lineu o f ours, which, at

Merida, had been sent home w et as it came

irom th e Guadi^ia, and waa now in danger of becoming m ild ew o i T he payment received for

th is seasonable service does not, T think, detract from the good-nature o f th e action, moro esp<í- cially in a country where industry ifl supposed

not to be too common.Before settm g off next day (November 9) f«»

Monasterio, we w ent to see the old eastle, built

by th e Figueroas family, hut now, we- under­

stood, jn the possession o f the ih ique de Medina Cell. JiVom th e battlements we gained a v m j

pretty view o f the town, whieh, enclosed by

gardens and olive groves, lies sheltered and

snug under th e low billw that screen it ftx>m the north. One o f tho m ost conspicuous objects is

the huU'ring, a building we hardly expected to

find in a remote country town, o f some five

thoasond eonls. The taste for buli-figliting

gccms, however, to increnso as we approach

Andalusia; and ye«torday, at Andramalejo, we

noticed quite an extensive P lcsa del Toroft, aug- gefiting ih e notion that, in these part», agricul­ture and tauromachy Üouri&h in aniicable com­

panionship.There was tim e only for a hasty inspection

o f tiie town, w ith its smart drapers’ shops (the pet line o f business in Spain), one of which wc

entered. I t waa arranged with great taste, and

opeued into a patio , or Moorish court, in the centre of the house, winch looked charmingly

bright and gay, w ith marble fountain and gold- Ssh, orange trees and beds o f violets. A t

another, we bought an almanac for 1^60, and, on comparing i t w ith an Englisli one, found

that in Estremadura, daring November, the

day is longer, by an hour and eighteen m i­nutes, than in England at the same season, an

inmiense advantage to wayíáring people like

ns.Ohve groves afford the only relief to the

m onotony o£ the great corn-plaina extending

from Zafra tc Monasterio. I t ia a land o f com

and oil, where farmers thrive, and travellerB are

bored.W e were now travelling along what is styled

b y courtesy a highway, being such, however, only by fits and starts; aa a mile o f good

road was often succeedcd by a league or so o f holes, ruts, aud quagmires, where pa^^sengers in

the diligence arc obliged to hohl on like grim

death, i f they wonid escape a simultaneous dia- location o f their wh/>Ie system. Spanish road- making, except on the B oyal lines, which are

generally oxcdJent, appears to be an intermittent tever, w ith intervals o f varying and uneer- tffin duration. W hile the fit lasts, a m ile or

tw o, here and there, are constructed in an ad*

mirable manner, the adjoining portions heing

left in suuh deplorable condition, that, on

approaiihing them, you seem to he suddenly

exchanging a good firm road ior a ploughed swam]), where any araount of disaster may beM you.

Several tim es to-day I was ^ together In doubt, being somewhat ahead o f the party, whether I was still in the road, or hm1 divLTgcd

in to th e adjaecnt fields, as, In &ct, even diJi- genetis are often obliged to do, to avoid Rome

fdough o f deepoud m ote than commonly dan-

u

î ç o Sj/anisA Roads.

gérons. M aiiy of th e rarriagc-ioads in Spain enable one to realise what peril» and diffieultie«

used to beset the t r a T c U c r in England in the

days o f onr forefethers, and how nnconscions we

a ie of the hlesaingB we daily enjoy in tlie excel­lence of oup highways.

C H A P T E R XXVTTT.

T T was a long ride to Monasterio, and when

we roaehcd i t more than two honrs after

n ightM l, it was to find the very worst a4x:ommo*

dation we had yet fellen in w ith anywhere. Short ot' ly ing on tho floor, nothing conJd be

worse, and as i t wus in a private house, to

w hich our host at Zaira had given na an intri>- duction, wc could not, w ithout perhaps g iving

offence, have rcconrsc to the various expedients for bettering our condition, which woold have

been available in a posada. Out letter o f intro­duction was addressed to the mnnicipal iiecretary o f tlie pkcf^, a funerionary som ething like the

town-clerV o f an iilnglLsh borough, who, having

no sufficient accommodation in his ow n house, tiansferriid ns to the hospitality o f liis nuirricd

daught»T, for whom he did tha bononrs after a Tashion perfectly overwliclmiui? to ns wayworn

and bungn' travellers. »Siubad the Sailor’s Oldu 2

2^2 A Mmicipai Secrftary.

Man o f tlic Sea was liardly a greater Ixne to

th a t “ ancicnt mariner," than th is fjentleman

proved to ua tLat evening. H e had th e most

confirmed haH t o f incessant repetition I ever

olworved in any person. W ith in the apace of

leas than half an hoiir, he told lis five or six

tim es oTcr, that ho was Secretary to th e M unici­pality o f Monastcrio adding once (what, to do

him justice, he did not repeat), that one CTQall head — hia own — contained all the -wiadoin, learning, and intellect o f the whole corporation; that he remembered Lord W ellington, Ijord

Bereeford, and General D oyley, being upon terms o f intim ate friendship w ith the latter;

that not long ago the ex-K ing of Bavaria

stayed at his house, and gave th e postilions

much money, &c., &e., w ith an infinity o f other

“ bald, disjointed eliat."I t was a marvel to hear precisely th e same

sentences come rolling out of h is m onth in Bono- rous Castilian, again and again, w ith hardly a

single variation, so that, in a ahort time, wo

could tell exactly what waa com ing next. Thia

infliction we bore w ith the patience o f despair, but when he insisted on ealliDg Purkiea away

from th e frying-pan, for the fourth or fifth time, to interpret to us his municipal dignities and

ACc^uaintaneo w itli great personages, both regal ajid m ilitary, we really could stand it no longer, and managed to convey to the old gcntlcrmui how sensible we felt o f h b high position and

difftinguishcd antecedente, though we b y no

meana desired selfishly to monopolize hia society, or to detain him from h is iam ily circle at that

late hour. H e was good-natured enough to act on the hint, and, to onr great relief, betook him*

se lf to the group assembled round th e kitchen

fire, where, let ns hope, he found more w illing

audience.A ll th is time, a crowd anrromided th e hoTifle»

door, and any opportunity o f peeping into the

den tliat served us for a sitting-room, was e-agcrly

cmbraccd hy the inquiriug spirit« o f the place, a man b e lo n j^ g to the family presiding over

the eih ib itioii, and ejecting cach spectator in

turn from his “ quoin o f vantage ” as soon as he

liad enjoyed a good stare at the strangers.N ex t morning, to our surprise and relief, the

old gentlem an never showed face. B ut when

th e b ill waa presented, his non-appearance was

pertectly accomited for, ho heing probably

aware, from previous acquaintance w ith E n g­lishmen, tliat we were hardly likely to submit to the extortion his daughter w as meditating.

294 Xhtacc^nUible

in her rnonstrous demand o f a gold piccc, more

than sliteen sliillings, for each o f our three

heda, th e servante having Lad none whatever. N o r was he far wrong in h is surmise, os even

onr veneration for the intim ate friend o f Gene­ral B oyley, and Sccrctary to th e M nncipality

o f MûnHâtcrio, did not enable us to overcome

our ropu^naneo to so preposterous an over*

chaise, from which we finally struck off onc- tliiid , and then parted on th e best term s w ith

onr host and hostess.W e were now (November 10th), only two

days' ride from Seville, and aa man and beaet b e g ^ to req\die a little rest, our arrival there

waa regarded by th e whole party as the «¿«w««

bonum o f present Oiistcnec.

The muleteere, Marcos and Tomas, showed to­day nnusual alacrity in getting on, aj^d belabour­

ed their donkeys w ith an earnestness that waa

altogother unaccountable, until some one recol« k'Cted an incident of the preceding night, which

seemed to explain this imwonted e n c i^ . A very

euspicioua-looking individual, having h is face

enyeloped in the mnifler o f his cloak, passed ns

w ith th e uhnal salutation o f the road, n ot long

before we entered Mon.'ufteiio. W e eet him

down aa a ra k tv , or footpad, th e low est cla^a

l% f Turning o f ike Waters. 295

o f Spanish highwaymon, and he Re«mcd on

the look-out for any cliance enterprise that

m ight turn up. A t that m oment our caTd- cadc was hy no means in compact order, we

three bein|ç conaiderahly ahead, then came

Swainson and Dlfick, while PurkiRs and the

mnleteers brought up the rear. O f them he

requested a lig h t for h is cigar, a very common manœuvre w ith these gentry, as it allows close

approach without exciting suspicion, and gives

an opportumty o f examining at leisure th e con­

dition aud numbers o f a party. This inspection

convinced him apparently, that i t would be

nnsafe for him single-handed to attaclc the three, and he stuJked off, leaving a profound

impression on th e minds o f Marcos, and Tomaa, o f which uext day we reaped th e benefit.

From Za£ra wo had been gradually approach­in g th e out-lying ranges of the Sierra Morcna, and at M onasterio reaehcd a point, which in

W ales would be called “ the turning o f the

waters,” th© northern streams seeking the

Guadiana, while th e southern take a contrary direction, and fall into the Guadalquivir. Every

now and then we camc upon scenes o f rare. heanty, awakening recollections o f m any a clioicc

landscape on the canvas of the old masters.

Glorious SuMsel.

Verdant glades stretched fer into th e rpc^ggee. o f iles'Woods, where hrooks, pure aa crystal, glittering in th e sunshine, meandered through

brates o f luxuriant underwood; while across

the overlapping folds o f gentIy*eloping hills, to

w hich distance imparted a- tinge o f m ingled

hlne and pnrple, w ith here and there a naked

strip o f bright red soil, such tem pting view s

opened to th e south, lu iin g ua onward to tho

sparkling d im e o f Andalusia. A hove us

gleamed a sky of cloudless aTure, and so fervid

was th e noontide heat, that we gladly availed

ourselves o f the shade o f Rome wayside trees

for a brief protection from its power.This lovely day closed w ith a sunset, o f which

n o words o f mine can give more than the

fcehlcst description, though it is pleasant to

refresh th e impressions i t has left on the memory. T he western sky glowed w ith

•> clouds of fill tlnctnre CoDfosed, comminglcd, munuJly inflamed,

together "

into a vision o f such unearthly loveliness, that

as they floated iu a dazzling expanse o f sapphire

fiiià amber, we seemed to he gazing on a sea of

glory studded w ith “ th e Tôles o f the Blessed I Kvery moment th e sky hecamc sufiused w ith

JntiG i^lions. 497

some new marrul o f co) curing, which, grudnally

fa<liug away w ith th e declining sun, gave place

to an Ulnmiimtioii of purest w h ite; while through the o u t , belted w ith a zone o f fire, Like a Queen came forth the moon, patdug up

th e heavens.I t was not until we Iiad passed iionquillo, our

halting-placc th e u ipht before entering Seville, that we traversed anythin<? worthy o f being dig­nified w ith the title o f a mouiitain-pass, and even

then i t appeared in a very m ild form, clothed

w ith dwarf forests o f arbutus iu flower, and gum-

eistus, and directly ovcriooking the broad plain

o f tha Guad^quivlr. D uring the last fsw days we had been indnlging our imagination with

ideal pictures o f almost tropical scenery, which

Seville was to realize, and had decked out

its environs w ith groves o f bananas, palm

trees, and other choicest specimens o f oriental vegetation. There were to be leagues o f orange and eitron woods skirting otu path on each

side us wc rode along; while cacti, aloes, and

such - like inferior produetiona, m ight appro­priate whatever apace their betters had left

unoccupied. W e quite revelled by anticipa­tion in th e delicioua softness o f a southern

climate.

298 Duenchantment.

N ever was uoa^^natiun so unmcrcifally

Bnubbed by tin? inexorable rcaEty o f facts \ For

aftpr descending the slopes o f the Sierra M!orena

we foand onrselves in tbe m ickt o f a m ost un- poetical landscape o f common-place com-fioldi!, wbicb, nnvaried by tree, or bed^e, or ebrub, strctchcd out before ua apparently to tb e ve iy

gates o f tbe city, dispvUing in a m oment the

fond dreams o f beauty whicb our imapination

bad conjured up. As for tbe mucb*vannted

Guadulqxiivir, that ‘'ancient r iver” o f Iberian

romance, it bas here no more character or variety than tbe m ost ordinary canal, and its

waters, a ll tlie tim e we sojourned on ita hanks, looked like notlnng so much as a mixture of

diluted mud, and brickdurt.A ltogetlicr our approach to Seville rudely

discncbanted us o f m any a fair vision, and the sallies o f Im agination w hich bad caused ua th is

disappointment, received a ehock tbat was not

soon forgotten •, so that for tb e future, whenever

w© drew near any spot o f world-vride fame, we

allowed ber less liberty o f ontrunning onr tardy

steps, and investing it w ith her own bright

Ikucs, only to mock xis afterwards b y tb e con­trast between tb e actual and tbe ideal. W e

still felt, however, u£ we dismounted at the

Enter SeviUf. 299

H ôtel de Londres, how much côuse we had

for thankfulness, in having thns accomplished

th e firrt portion o f our joarney w ith such per­fect aucceaa, tho whole CAvalcade, hipcd atid

quadruped, ariving safe and soxmd, somewhat wayworn, it ia true, “w ith the m any leagues we had travelled, hut all the more dis])osed for

thoroughly enjoying tlie interval o f rest we bad promised ourselves w ithin the walla of

Seville-

C H A P T E R X X IX .

ON E o f the m ost interesting contributiona

to the perfection o f m odem mapping has

bctin th e introduction o f those imaginary lines, that indicate the habitat o f the various pioduc- tions o f different countries, znineral, hotanical,

and zoological. Oue o f these lines, not generally

recognized by chartographers, we crossed on

entering Seville. Our ride through Estyemadura

had been full o f enjoyment, and in those far- reacbing solitudes, amid for^stf o f ilex, and

aromatic wastes o f gum-ciatus, we had dUcovercd

charms, uiJiuown to tbe wcll-boaten paths o f

ordinary travel, the recollection o f whieh no

lapse o f tim e can alti^ether efece. Y et even

here our pleasures were n ot without a lloy;

“ M e d i o d c l e p o m m

S oj^ t amari ^quid."

I t was a drawback moreover, which cannot fail to

T H E G I R A L D A , S S V k L L Ê

Unwonted L u ^ rv , 3^’

tOToe Lome to t lie feeHngg o f every tiue-bom

Briton— we could g e t no hotter 13 From the

day w e left Madrid, to th e hoor when we passed

under the arch o f th e Pocrta Triana at Sevillo, our course had lain through a land, whore niiJli is a rarity, and hntter exists not. The excellence o f th e bread in th e South o f Spain has been

celebrated for centviriea, and we can conscien­tiously contribute our crumb o f evidence to the

general testim ony in ita favour. B ut what is

even th e heat htead in the world, dry.^ N o

wonder then we never fully appreciated its sweetness until wc readied Seville, where we

crossed the line o f demarcation, and re-entered

tlie K^giona o f B utter! "We did not inquire

curiously into the origin o f tliat which was set

before us, nor ask whether it had been produced

on tbe meadowy hanks o f the Guadalquivir, or

th e sunny slopes o f the Sierra Morena. Nay, wc even preserved a philosophical tranquillity,

when some one ruthlessly suggested it m ight

very ptobahly have come from climes beyond the

sea, and perhaps commenced its v o y ^ e in the tamous Core o f Cork. And, sooth to say, it ¿ad

a decided £avour of hrine, not to spocify other

peculiarities, w hich would hardly qualify i t for

appearing on an E nglish breakfaAit-table, But

iiStremadura id an admirable Reiormatory for

fastidiousness o f appotitu, and we ate o\ir ssalt and higlily-odoroua buttw , w ith as keen a zest, as i f it had been the primest Dorset, that ever

left th e daiiy'fkrms o f the V ale o f Blaekmore.

N o tow n in the South o f Spain is more visited tban Seville. A ll sorts o f people go there, -with

all sorts o f m otives. The artist goes to fill his

portfolio w ith the pictnresque forms and showy costumes of Majo, and Maja. Tho lover of

paintiugs makes a p il^ m a g e there to see M u­

rillo in a ll hia fflory. T lie seasons o f th e Ch'orch, Cliristmas, I lo ly Weeir, and Easter, attraet thou­sands from devotion, or curiosity; the reUgious

cereniouie# of th e place being, it is said, o f pecu­liar interest, and unrivalled, except at Bomo.

Some even go to Seville for tho sake o f the excel­lent shooting, whieh abounds almost w ithin idghtol its walls. A s for onrselves, tho\igh we were

neither artists, nor professed connoisseurs, neither

sportsmen nor devotees, yet donhtless, when the

idea o f going there first enti>red our minds, we

felt a laudable desire, and foroiod exeellent reso­

lutions, to make the best use o f onr visit, by

seeing all the lions. B ut. w ith th e changeable­ness in(!idental to poor hum anity, tw o o f n s at least approached the gutcs in a vpry altt*red

H ô tel dfi. Londres. 303

mood. The long rides, rough ways, and short*

uomuiûne o f the laßt three w cets, had corisider- ably blunted the keen edge o f our enthueiasm

for sight-seeing, and when we found ourselves

securely established am ong the creatnre-comlorts

o f the H otel dc Londres, onr first concern was " to take our ease in our inn,” and restore

üiliauÄted nature.Thift hot^l Î8 h y far th e best wc stayed at in

any part o f Spain. I t stands on one side o f a

new square {formed by the removal o f a convent), La P k z a N o e va, which, from its ertent and

openness, may be called the Inngs o f Seville. The only defect in the appointments o f the hotel seums alniust to belong to the cliTnate, and wonld have passed unnoticed at another season— tlie

doors and windows were more ready to open, than to shut, and after the ranny skies, and

pleasant warmth o f th e last three weeks, we

fonnd Seville almost as rainy and cold as Madrid, w ith even fewer resonrces for m aking auch we-a- tlier hearable. A t Madrid grates are not uncom­mon in aitting-roDma, and though fuel is csccs-

Bively dear, you have at any rate tlie option of

paying or starving. 13ut at Seville such things

seem to be altogether unknown, and wc had to

sit iu great-coata, and other wraps, while the

only object tLat represented to us tlic grand

central point, around which an EngUshmuii’s

domeBtdo afFectione concentrate, waa a brazier of Uvt* embers, a very indiiTerent, and costly suhsti- tutc for a glow ing p ile o f best Wallacnd. In

fact, almost the only purpose the brojstro rcalJy

serves is drying linen, after i t comes from the laimdrosB ; for in Spain its condition whcu sent

home depends entirely on the state o f th e wea­ther: i f it is dry, your shirts will he d ry ; i f

wet, they too w ill be w et, and it ia hy no means

a pleasant procès« to dry them on one s person.W o were waited upon hy a young liungarian,

for whom, on account o f h is misfortunes and

friondlessness, we soon began to feel a hearty

sympathy. H is family, which occupied a m ost rcspoetahle position in H ungary, had heen “ ont ”

in 1848, his father being one of th e patriot leaders. A t the close o f th e war th ey emigrated to th e Vnitod States, whcncc on his fether's

death the young muu had rctximed to Europe, and tindiiig no other way o f life open, had

engaged him self as waiter to th e H ôtel de

fiondres, his partial knowledge o f EngHsh being

hia chief recommendation for the post. T never saw any one more thoroughly to be pitied, not

80 much hecaus« he thought him self utterly

Y o i i t t j H u n p a r i a n . 305

&iend!oaa (for he waa yonnj^, and in tim e m ight

have made iriends), but because he seemed to have no definite relig^ious principles, or anything

wlioreon to stay h is desires and hupea. The

only feeling that stood firm amid the tum ult of

his soul wai! an intention to commit suicide, as the surest refuge from the misery and degrada­tion that surrounded him . O f tho sin&lncaa o f

eelf-muider he had not the slightest conception, though he waa by no means devoid o f religion, without however any power apparently to apply cither ita obligations, or consolations to h is own

circumstance». L i h is present condition he could perceive nothing but intolerable degradation, out o f whieh no possible good could be educed. W e

used to have long conversations w ith him, which

no doubt relieved his mind for the moment, and he often spoke o f our stay at the hotel as the

happiest period he had known for a long tim e 3 but I fear no permanent efiect Vk ia produced, by

giving his mind a healthier tone, and at lafrt in

parting from him, we could not help feeling very

painful forebodings regpocting h is future career.Tt has been said, “ Th^re is not a moro

solemn and beautiful temple in the world than

th e great Cathedral at S<rvillc.” W e approached

i t for the first tim e through th e Patio de los

j o 6 Giralda.

Naiaiijoe, “ the Court o f Orange*tre«8,” the

larjfcst portion ictBdiniog o f tiie old Mosqiie, on tlic site o f which the p re«n t building was erected. S u e t cncloi^uree, Rhulting out w ith their

high walle th e eoundfl and sights o f the outer

worid, and solemnizing the mind ere th e ho isft o f God is actually entorcd, appear to hav« been

usually attached to Moorish places o f 'vrorahip. The original frruntain, surronnded by rows of

iriiit-ladcn orittige-tree«, etUl occupies tbe centrc o f the court, aud at th e north-eart com er rises

one of the m ost beautiful towers in Unrope, the far-famed Girtdda, the landmark and oma- m ent o f ScTille, arid tho first object the eye

josts on as you traverse the wide phun that

encircles the city. Aa i t came forth in the

frcslmesa o f its original beauty from the bauds

o f M oorish bn ilde« , few constructions could

have more perfectly united the graccfulneRS o f a

minaret >v th the solid f in n n m of a tower, its

elevation o f one hundred and eighty-five feet

being relieved throughout by windows o f ex­treme elegance, and onriched w ith panelling o f

shallow arcados, and tracery o f varied pattern, w ithout sacriiicing in any degree th e impression

o f strength and solidity. B ut, in spite of

Ford’s encomium, I cannot admire what he calls

•‘th e rich filigice belfry, which, elegant aud attractixc beyond deecriptinn, was m ost happily

added in 1&68 bv Fernando Huiz.” I n Toy

humble opiiiioB, “ this happy addition” simply

dpoils th e rest o f tho tower.I t ie tim e, however, to enter th e Cathedral.

Passing through a narrow corridor termijiftted

by an old horse-shoe aroh, yon emerge in to the solem n gloom that veils the interior c f the grand­est ecelesiaitical baild ing in Spain. Thu effect

is oTerwliuhning. T he sudden transition from

th e bright sunshine o f the outer air yirodnoes a sensation o f darliness; a ll is confused and indis*

tinct, while th e eye, instinctively seeking relief, looVa upward to the eloreatory, where, through

windows few and small, a feeble ray o f daylight

com es struggling in. B y degrees tlic magnifi­

cent proportions o f th e building reveal them ­selves, and m th e awe-stmcV sense o f majesty aud grandeur, which almoat oppiessefl tlie mind, you unconsciously acfcnowledpfe the supremacy of

Pointed Architecfnre, T ill 1 stood w ithin the Cathedral at Seville, I had coiisidcTcd th e X)u- omo at Milan internally th e m ost av^e-inspiring

building I ftTer saw. B ut thongh it is hardly

fair to place the impressions o f yesterday side

by side w ith those whose freslmess ha« beenX 2

e& ccd by the lapse o f years, there can bc little

doubt that the interior grandeur, and solenmiiy

o f th is chureh is not approached by it® Italian

rival, to whieh i t has so frequently been com­pared. Each is justly condemned on account of

ita departure from th e atriet principles o f the

style, to which it professe<lly bebngs. Y et oven

Fei^ifison allows Seville Cathedral to be “ so

grand, bo spacious, and so richly formshed, that i t is ahuost impofirihle to criticize, when the re- sa lt is 60 splendid and imposing.” In fact, our

E nglish cathedrals, w ith all their strict wihe- rence to th e principles of true Gothic, do not

b y a)\y means so thoroughly reali?^ th e idea of

temples dedicated to th e service o f the Most H igh , from having heen stripped o f so many

accessories indispem«ahle to the fu ll development o f Pointed Architiicture, such as painted glass, sculpture, wood-earving, embroidery, mural de­coration, metal-work, and other hrauchea of

Ecclesiastical A rt. 'Without these (at least in

flome measure), the nohlest hnilding w ill present a hald, cheerlesa aspect, provocative o f neither revercnce, nor devotional feeling; while, on tho

contrary, so powerfully do th e varied creations

o f A rt aiTect the mind, that aa soon aa you enter

the Cathedral at SevUle, where (apart from

Romiáli peculiarities, indicative equally o f l^ad

taste and unsound theology,) every tiling the eye rests upon luuTnoni^es w ith tho ^rcat puipoae oi th e building, its relij^ions spirit at once takes

possession o f th e rouI, and “with th e Patriarch

o f old, yon feel, “ H ow dreadful ia th is place! T h is is none other but the house o f God, this

is tlio Gate of H eaven 1 ”Every department o f A rt luw contributed to

the decoration o f th is Cathedral. Miirillo, and

his enemy, Juan Valdes Leal, Morales, Znr*

buran, Roelas, and V ainas painted for i t ; M on­tañés, the Phidias o f Seville, aad Alonzo Cano, his greatest pupU, enriched i t w ith their sculp­tures, while its painted glass, though by no

meaus o f the best date, is yet goi^eous in

colouiTug, and h igh ly effective- Tt abounds in

superb Retablos (one o f which, above tlic high

altar, would, o f itself, Toakc any other cathodral famoug), m i^ if ic c n t tombs, chureh-plate of

untold value, some o f i t th e production o f Juan d'Atfe, the Cellini o f Spain, and last but not

le ^ t , iron-wotk o f exquisite design and execu­tion, a species o f ihurch ornamentation, in

which Spain seems to e ire l all the rost of

Cliristendom. In fact, you are reminded at every

turn of Fei^usaon's remark, that at the very

period when the B efom ation )rail brought both

the building and decoration of chuTches to ft

complete stand-atill throughout every other por*

tron o f Europe, at that moment on increased

stimulus was given to Ecclesiastieal A rt in

Spain. “ H ere th e old faith was never shaken. T he countiy had hitely become, h y the marriage

of Perdinand and Taahclla, for th e tirst tim e, a

united monarchy. In thoir reign the diRcovery

o f ColumhMS hud opened to Spain a nevf world

ajid flic m ost brilliant proapects- T he ilnal ex­pulsion of the flo o rs had thrown into the hands

of the Chnroh unhoundid wealth and power, and at the same tim e inspired it w ith th e zeal, which has ever prompted the expenditure of

auch wealth on monumenta for public use, before

it beciime absorbed in individual Relfshness- A ll these causes made th is the great cathcdial*

building age o f Spain."

C H A P T E R r X X .

’ V T E A liL Y every m orning daring our ten

- - ' days’ Ktay at t h é I l ô t e l de Londies, we used

to heai from abont nine to twelve, in the rooms

overhead, the various sounds, vocal and instru­mental, that accompany a regular “ practice,” and occasionally a similar exercise was repeated in

th e evening. The softer and sweeter notes being nnable to penetrate the intervening floor, what w e generally caaght were decidedly fdtüsimi ; so that while wc «ould not but adinire th e e n e r ^

anâ diligence o f the performers, our love of mnaic was more tantalized than gratifiüd. On

asking th e waiter the meaning o f these mciùtécs

mimcaled. he to ld ns, tbat the prim a donna of the Seville opeïa, an Englishwom an, occnpied

an apartment above 0 3 ; and soon after, a yonng

E n^ishm an staying in th e H otel, whose ac­quaintance we had made at Madrid, gave us so

lavouïttblü an account o f ih e lady, and said so

m uch about tiic mdifforent reception elie had

m et w ith at Seville (England and the En^liuJi being at present in the lowest depths o f Spanish

■nnpopularity), that we determined patriotically

to go to th e theatre, by way o f expressing our

sym pathy for our countiywoman. W e were

unlucky in tlie opera, the “ TroYatore," nor was

the performance that night, we were told, an average one ; but after making aU fair allow­ances, it is impossible to im agine anytiiing mure

dead-alive, and injicnBihlo tiian tb e whole audi­ence, boxes, p it, and gallery. I heartily pitied any one condemned to sing to snch an assemblage

o f stocks and stones.M ost people picture the Southern Spaniard as

a gay animated creature, breathing an atzaosphere

o f poetry, and sentim ent ; to whom m usic and

singing are an element o f existence necesaary

as v ita l air. The peasantry exhibit, no doubt, m any indications o f such a temperament but

anythm g more dull and uuimpaseioned tliaii tho upper clashes cannot be conceived ; and from m y

observation no community, which goes to the

expense o f m aintaining an opera company every

winter, can have less “ music in its soul,” than

the citiiena o f Seville, who give one more the idea o f a colony o f Ihitchm en transplanted to

the banhs o f tlio Guadalquivir, than the childTen

o f fiery Andalusia. Indeed, in walijing throngh

th e streets no one can fail to notice th e wooden, eypressionlefts character o f nearly every face, each

having precisely the same physiognom y, com­plexion, features, and luck of animation aa its

neighhoxir. Aud as I am inditing veritable

factft, not m ating up pretty pictures, I am ob­liged w ith extreme pain to state, that even the

womankind o f Seville, despite tlic fictions of poet and painter, presented to m y eyes (which, I

znust own, are but dim-sighted) the same unin­teresting uniformity. W hat others have seen

let them describe; but tor m y own part, I can only

say that the ladies o f SeviUe, as I saw them, have none o f that supercmincnt attractiveness

iO often imputed to them by travellers. There

seema no variety o f feature and expression, and

Donna Bahina, who is at th is moment eroasin^

the Plaza, ia an exact duplicate in dress and gene­ral appearance o f Bolores standing on a balcony

opposite; both o f them being mere reproductions

o f Donna Carmen, whom wc m et an hour ^ o driving near tho Cathedral. Thia is all the

more remarkable, bef^ause th e costumc is so

picturesque, and th e almost universal black tells

imm ensely in favour o f the wearers, imparting

3 14 Uüfflùk Adverti^menf.

to aJi a refinement, o f w H cli coloinred dresses

would deprive the great majority. The Spanish

Udios ccrtMnIy excel in eyes, cyelushes, and eye­brows, and when you add nmgnificent hair,

glossy as a raven » w ing, and then display its bright luxuriance w ithont bonnet, or any save

the lightest head-dress, you have in m ost in­stances emimerated tbe principal attraotions of

Spanish beauty.The lacqm is df, place, a being seldom found in

Spanish towns, flonTishesin Seville. Ford men­tions th e names o f several- W c found Joseph Serfaty, a compound o f Spaniard and Irishman,

very civil aud obliging. H is English, however, is so peculiar, both in phraseology and pronun­

ciation, that sometim es i t was a severe trial to

keep one’s coimtenancc. i'rom internal evi­dence, I should say he mnjst have been th e

author o f th e following advertisement, spelling

incluRivc, whieh I m et w ith one day :—

“ H O T E L D E U E U K O P E .“ CALLI » is IA S SIBRPPR, SËVILLE.

“ This splendid establishment, that ha« been

(rofighout repaired, and m any improvements in­

troduced, is q ferd to th e public in general, it

I, I'♦

' f e ' : ^ p '

i i,'i.' y. ■'

I.-"

Aìcazftr. j 15

hecin^ cousidorcd one of tlie best in Spain; its

situation is centrai, and ncer all tbe public L^om

and Promenades. T lic most distingnished Tisi- tors Iiave favoured i t w ith patronafje.”

O f conrse we went to see the celebrated Alca- zar, which stands not &r from the Cathedral, withdrawn from th e buay lia\uits o f men into a

sequestered space, which, including gardens, &c., &c., covers a considerable extent o f ground. Authorities on M oorish architcctxire inform us

tliat it is v e iy qnestionablo how much o f the

present building is th e work o f the Moors, so

many are th e alterations and additions intro­duced into tlifi original design by successive pos- aesaors. Several parta, indeed, are known to

have Ixtfn bu ilt by Ferdinand and Isabella, Charles V-, and others, eaeh im itating, however, jnore or less succeRsfiiUy, the various characteris*

ties of the M oorish style. W ithout attempting

t<» deaeribc the different portions o f th e palace, or to analyze wliat ie old and what o f later

introduction, 1 w ill on ly aay that th e general effect is quite enchanting. W e passed through

about tw enty rooms, each more lovely than ita

neighbour, where the fancy and inventiveness of Oriental A rt lias expros>«d itself in every form

o f gracc and beanty \ and when the charms of

colour are snperadded, in hues S0mc‘tiai6S rich,

sometimes o f a more delicate tone— a pale, cold

green here, w ith there a scarlet or crimson of dazzling brilliancy, succeeded by blue o f deepest ultramarine, or ssoftened down by a mellow

brown—-while an exquisite taste and refinement tompers th e whole into faultless harmoiiy, an

eflect ia produced on whieh the eye dwells with ever*increasing pleasure. Marvellous indefd

(thought wc, as we gazed on tin s trinmpb of

colouring) murt be the beauty of th e Alhambra, i f it eieccd the glories o f the Aleazar \

The loveliness o f the plax», however, has not

exemptifd it from w itnessing scenes of horror,

one o f the m ost revolting having been the mur­der, by order o f Pedro th e Cruel, o f h is half- brother, D on Padriqne, M aster o f tlie Order of Santiago, which, according to the description of

th e old Spuuish ballad, was attended w ith cir­cumstances o f peculiar atrocity.

N oth ing can be more attractive tlum the

view s from several o f th e rooms over th e gar­

dens, laid cmt b y Charles V. in the iimiue^entQ

style, w ith fish-tanfcs and tbuntains, alcoves and sunny terraces. This was by far the prettiest

spot we saw in Seville ; and in spring, when the

feordcrs, i t is to be hoped, are put into trim

order, and the -walks weeded, a more delicious

retreat cannot bc conceived. I m nst not forget to add that restorations, in excellent taste, hare

heea commenced in aome portions of the Alca­

zar, and in others completed.W e could not help remarking how few worship­

pers were generally to he seen in the Cathedral, eTen the women, who, in m ost l io m ^ Cathohc countries, are so regular in their devotioha, attendiog the services in comparatively small numbers- N or was their behaviour always

reverent, i t being by no means uncommon to

gee a female, on her knees, holding quite a

lengthened conversation w ith some chance hy-

staiider. B ut, on one occasion, we saw the whole of th e vaat interior filled to overfiow-

ing.On Sunday, November 20, a grand fvnrion in

hononr o f th e V iig iu took place, to implore her

blessing on the war with Morocco, which, at that moment, seemed to be the sole subject of

thought aud conversatiou, from one end of

Spain to the other. T he principal* feat\ire in

the ceremony was a multxtudjDoua procession ot

k ity and clergy, carrying an image of the

V irgin through th e Cathedral and its precincts.

3 i 8 }f'ar v iih M o ro ^ .

in the midst o f ineeiin^ tliOTiteuds. W e had

gone for the purpose o f seeing the sight, w ithout

being at all aware o f tb e nature o f th e proces­sion ; but when we diecoverpd that all persons

present would be expected to h te e l w liile the

ima^e passed by, we w ent away, and did not, as

tho French would say, at the ccremcny.I f i t be not idolatry to perform to aa image

such an act o f devotion as /hteeHny, which thon-

i^ands o f Protestants w ill not do (at least in th#?ir pnblic worship), eren to th e One True God, i t is difficult to understand w hat is to be consi­dered a brcach o f th e second commandment.

B n t though we could not remain in th e Ca­thedral, we fltili enjoyed th e sigh t o f the vast crowd, which a ll Seville and its neighbourhood

waa pouring forth, in confinent streams, towards the grand centre o f attraction; and th e myriads of

women, clothed in the cyei-graceiul majAÜlla and

hii9fjuim, formed a perpetually-changing picturc o f national physiognom y and cosf^iroe, wliieli wc

thought onrselvea roost fortunate in witnessing.Seville is to receive the prisoners that arc io

be taken in the im pending war w ith Morocco, an

arrangement exhibiting a daring ohlivlonsness

o f Mrs. Olaase'fl immortal recipe, though i t is not without its parallel in th e history o f other

nations. In England there ie a disposition to regard th is war in a ludicrous aspect— ag a ehild-

U h p laying at soldiers; whereas to persons on

the spot it would appear to be th e expressiou of a strong national teeling, which, at the present moment, fills erery Spani^d’s mind w ith a coin- binod impulse o f patriotic and religious enthu­siasm, prompting them , now that they can afford

the expense o f a war, to show forth in the sight

o f Christendom that they are the non «degenerate

descendants o f those men who drove the ilo slem

ou t o f Jiurope, and were th e foremost soldiers of

their time. In faot, th e whole nation, w hich has

Over been prono to dr&am grandly, fancies itself to be undertating a new Crusade; ts ready to

make great sacrifices for its furtherance; and, w ith a second Isabella on th e thionc, aspires to

repeat the eoujpest of (Jranada on African soil. K or can one contemplate witliout respect and

sym pathy the spectacle o f a nation like Spain, striving, after centuries o f decay, to reinstate

itself in the estimation o f mankind by recover­in g its former renown; and they are disposed

to he very angry w ith England at the present

moment, because, ift our endeavours to prevent thx$ war, they can see nothing but a desire to

shut them out o f tlie only field o f foreign con-

quest that haa bceu open to them for genera-

tions-A latent feeling seems always to reside in a

Spaniard’s mind, that foreigners look down

on th e ii nation and cou n try; h^nce arise ap­parently both their shyness and th c ii hahit of

boasting, the latter being perhaps nothing more

(in intention, at least), than self-assertion car­ried to an unduo extent, hy w ay of doing them- Relves th e justice w hich is denied them by

others. In th is they greatly rcBCmble the W elsh. Their shyness is very remarkahle. W e

used to notice tliat a Spaniard hardly ever staics

at a stranger, ntkless he can do so unobserved; and i f discovered, w ill avert h is face, as i f de­tected ill some guilty action. I t is th is national Rhyness wliich makes them so stifi’ and ahnipt

in their manner; but, as soon aa they are

treated an gentUmen (which all, down to m ule­teers and peasants, consider themselves), their stiffness at once vaniaheR, and their manner be­

comes cordial and attractive.T3nijlislLinen who know the country intimately,

speak in the highest terms of the lower classes, and th e rural population genorally, and it is

a circnmstance greatly to their credit, that, in

all our wanderings through town and country.

M erced OaUery. 3 2 1

along the liigliways and byways o f the land, from Bayoniic to Gibraltar, we never saw more

than fonr men who were in the least intoxicated. I f thoy would only leave otf those tw o national sins— bttd lan ^ ^ ge , aud miause o f th e fcnife—

they would Ix; some o f the finest peasantry iu the world,

Seville, the birth-place o f Murillo, is said to possess some o f his best paintings, and an

entire saloon at the Meretid, tb e Museo o f the

town, is monopolized by his worts. B u t none

o f them ^ave m e half the pleasure I enjoyed in

looking at the “ Concepcion," and other pictures

h y h im in th e Madrid Museo, and altogetlier I waa grievously du^appointed w ith th e Seville

colli'ction. W hether i t was the slovenly, neg­lected ftir o f the desecrated chureh, which forms

th e principal portion o f the Museo, or the

hejglit at whicli the pictures arc hung under a

dim iight, or whether tho fault wa^ in myself, the result was equally unsatisfactory. I derived

little enjoyment from m y v isit to the Mere^d, and there heing some difficulty in i?etting ad- mittanoe, so unlike th« facility w ith which you

can at a ll tim es enter the noble M useo at Madrid. 1 never went there again.

Two private eoilectioijs, however, aflbrded us

a great treat j one at the pal aw o f the rhio dc Montpwnsier, and anottor at the liouse o f a ^ n -

tleman in the town, T tc former contains four m a^ itioen t Zurbarans, bought in England when

Louis Pliilippe’a gallery waa sold in 1848, duiing

that terrible season o f commercial distress winch

rendered the parchaac o f first-class paintinps a

luxury few could indulge in, 'Inhere were seve­ral fine specimens o f other masters, which we

longed to see more at leisure ; hut th e attendance

o f a footman, huwever civil and ob lip ng, is fatal

to the full enjoyment o f pictnros.'fh e othor eollectior, tiiough compressed

into a small room, eontaina, in m y poor judg­m ent, some ferems o f exquisite beauty. A St, Francis by M urillo comes first. The holy man

on his knees receives into hie arms the infant

Saviour, his countenance lighted up w ith such a

m ingled exprcssiosi of love and devotion, reve­rence and tenderness, that he eeems no longer to

belong to earth, but to be ahsorbod io the raptxires o f some ccatatic vision. A St, Sebastian hy

Tranda, struck m e as one of the mo^t ohariiiinff pajntioKs T ever saw. Such a sweet, heavenly

countenance, from which every trace of ph) sical suffering had been caat out by an expression of the m ost perfect patience and resignation, while

such wonderment as may sometimes he ohserved

in the face o f a good chihl, seemed to inquire

in mute astonishment how any onü could find

pleasure in the infliction o f pain! I t was &

picture to he gazed at for hourp. N or must I f ü i ^ a F o ly Fam ily, attrihntcd to P f^ru^o,

w ith one o f those unearthly haofcgro\ui<ls he

took so much pleasure in painting.A t the Caridad, a )dnd o f alms-house on a

large scale, I was greatly struck w ith a picture

o f Juan Valdeit Leal, the enem y and rival of

MurilJo. I l repre8ejits a bishop in h is coffin, w ith ow b and “ the creeping things man in- herite after death,” around him in th e dark

^ikult, while ahove, th e heavens are opened and

a pierc»)d iU n d comes forth holding a pair of scales, one o f them containing emhlems of earthly pleasure, the other a cross, and a heart buruing w ith D ivine love. The bahnce is per­fectly a'tM, su ^ e s tio g . aa i t seemed to me, a

mnch finer moral than i f th e world had been

made to preponderate and teaching that in the

ministers o f Christ there m ust be far more than respectable blamelessncsa— entire devotion, and

finrrender o f the whole heart. I t was altogether

a fearful illustration o f our Lord’s words (líeve-

lation, iii. 15), “ I know th y works, that thou

1

art neither cold nor h o t; T would tliou wert

cold or h ot.”Tlie bouRes at Seville are proverbially pic­

turesque, and, thoogh wc did n ot SC6 them at th e right season for appreciating tho foil extent

o f their attractions, yet even in Novem ber we

could not ^ i l to admire the skill w ith which the

requirements e f a sontlicm climatc are converted in to elements of bcaaty. Moorish arcliitectnre

seems to possess th is qnality in common w ith

Ch^thic, that while nothing is introduced merely

for th e sake o f ornament, essential features are

BO treated as to become in th e h ighest degree

ornamental. Passing through a kind o f porch

terminated b y a gate of open iron-work, which

is often o f extreme elegance, you enter the paHo, a central court, oceupying very much th e aajnc

position in the ground-plan o f the M<x>rish houses, as th e great hall used to hold in the

mansions o f th e Middle A ges, and determining

th e size and general arrangements of th e build­in g A long each o f the foiir sides o f the patio

runs a row o f columns supporting a gallery, into

whieh the rooms on the first floor open ; from

the centre o f the marble floor rises a fonntain of th e same material, em itting a ceaseless flow of

purest water, that BC*othes the ear w ith its gentle

Casa de P ih lo s. 315

lu lling sound, while flower-standa Tasea of

TÍolcta, myrtle and oran^-trees, till the air w ith

deliciosa fragrance. Covered w ith an awning, w hich is not removed t il l sansct, th e patio ia tlic general living*room of the fam ily for mote

than h a lf the year; und on summer evenings

m any a gi^np that would tell w ith cseellent ^ c o t in the arti$>t’s aketch-book, may be ob­served in these apartments through the Iron

cancel opening; to the street.

The m ost elaborate specimen o f domeatio

architecture we saw is th e Casa de Filatov, so

called from being hnilt, i t is said, in imitation o f Pontiuia P ilate’s house at Jeniaalem, by one

o f the greateat nobles o f the day, Fadriqn©

Enriquez de liabera, in 153S, to commemorate

his pilgrimage to th e H o ly City. The style is a eompoimd o f Moori:Ui and Gothic, and in spite

o f the libortitis taken w ith architectural pro­priety, the result is extremely pleasing. I t is

the very house for summer. T he grand stair­case is a superb display of gilding, colour, and

marble ; but its glassy polish renders it the most nncomfortable mode o f going up and down stairs

i t was ever m y lo t to m eet w ith, and a fall ou

such a surface would be a certain introduction

to the tender morcies o f a Spanish Iwne* setter.

j26 A h Oriitodos; Chapifir.

T lie nsc o f colouied tiles for skirting and

oven panelling rooms, is a e tn tin g feature in

Spanisli Louses, that m ight h« transplantpd

w ith hcneiit into other lands. Tt is o f Moorish

introduction, and is adraiiahly adapted both for

ornament and cleanlines». B y means o f it, a

ffurfucc o f bright colo-oi takes tho place o f a

blank wall, g iv in g room for a groat variety of

ornamental patterns; there is n o difficulty in

keeping it clean, it has always a &OAh, cool look, which in a warm elimat^? in an esp^nal roconi- mcndation, and ahove all, i t does n ot harbour

p f i i k s htics.Lord Portarlington wished to play on one of

the great organs, feeling sure that instruments

so celebrated m ust be capable o f em itting »ome­n i n g better tlian th e eoarse m etallic iwunds

w ith whieh th e services o f Seville Cathedral arc usually accompanied. N oise there is in abun­dance, hnt m elody and devotional feeling are w anting altogether ; nothing, in fact, to indicate

a fine instrument, or superior playing. The

E nglish Oonaul, D on M anuel W illiam s, wlw w ith every kindness and attention did his best

to make onr v isit agreeable, undertook to obtain

the necessary permission ; and, finding that the regular way o f proceeding would involve, among

Orgnn-iv Advoiltire. 3^7

other charactoristics of the Circumlocution Office, a petition to the T)ean and Chapter, to whicli a reply could hardly be expected for about a

fortnight after oiir departure from ScTille, zuadu

a private applicaticn to some of th e Canona. One of them, D on CaUroarde, was utterly acandallzed

at tbe idea o f the g7*eat < rgan o f Seville being profaned by heretical manipulation, and would

have given a decided rcfu«al; aiiotlier, having a

little jnore good-naturc, did not ubeo3utely aay

“ N o ,” but b e ^ e d tlic performance m ight be us

brief as poeaible, fearing, no doubt, the orthodoxy

of tbe in&truijieut would be compromised.An appointment having been made w ith

the head-blowcr, who, >vith more liberality of

mind tban hia superiors, did all he could to

further tbe scheme, we w ent one day to the Catht'dral after morning service, and in a few

minutes had the satisfaction o f hearing very

diiicrent playing from any we had heard there before, while th e blower waR charmed to liaten

to som ething better than th e liarsh sounds

which \isualiy fell on hia cars. Just, however, aR the o i ^ i had oomc under perfect control, and a rich stream o f melody poured fortli through

the long'drawn aisles and lofty vaulting ol that glorious temple, our enjoyment came suddenly

to an end. A m eeting o f th e Cathedral Clergy, o f which we were not aware, happei^ed at that

moment to he going on in the Chapter House. On hearing the orpan in iijll career, th e Arch­bishop, who presided, haTing probably bw n

to ld nothing o f the ^stoA-permission that liüd

been obtained, despatohed a message to th e

blower, commandiug him instantly to stop the instrument ; and h y the tim e he had descended

tiï>r[i th e loft, here came our old cn«ray Cala- mardo and gave him snch a tremendous »cold*

ing (which was evidently intended to glance off, right iHid left, on us), that the poor Biaa vowed

he would resign his situation, th e emoluments o f which are very trifling. "VVe were verv much

vexed, both on hûi account and on that o f the

Consul, whoRe gentle nature would teel ench

rude treatment, and whose faithful attachment

to the Spanish Communion m ight havo sccured

him, without any difficulty, th e grant o f so trifling a favour. L et ur hope such iueiTility

ie p ecn li» to Seville. A fortnight later at

(Jranada, an ordinary ctyDtmifi/nntiiuiirfi obtained, for th e more asking, such a permission aa wa»

denied to th e B ritish Consul at Seville)In my visits to th e Seville Post-office, T used

to be much etrnct w ith one o f the arrangements

Alcalá de Guadaira. 329

o f th e pláce, peculiarly convenient to strangers, at the same tim o that i t proves th e lim ited

correspondenc« o f th e uoujitry. Everj' day, as

soon as posaihie aftor the arrival o f the mails, tw o lists arc prepared, one containing th e name of every native, and the other o f every foreigner, for whom there are letters- These lists arc

hung up in tb e vestibule o f th e Poet-office, remaining there a m onth; and the Spanish hand being generally an admirable specimen of

calligraphy, they are as legible as print. Such

an arrangement, though utterly impracticable

in England, entirely prevents tlxc m islaying and

detention o f letters eo coiiunou in foreign post- ofQces.

(h ie attem oon, we made an excursion to

Aicalú do Ohiadaira, a sTnnll tow n two l e a s e s

from Seville. There arc us m any Alcalas in

Spain, as Stokes and "Whitchiirchc-s in England»

cach having some sufRi to distinguish it from

the rest. This talces its name from the river, which, girdling i t on two sides, creates a verdant belt o f gardens and orchards, in the m idst of an

arid plain. Tn summer i t m nst be a delicions

spot w ith its narrow strip o f lujairiant vegeta­tion by the water-side, a little Goshen o f fruit and flowers, while the giecnish-hued stream falls

w ith a pleasant sound over the weir o f a pic«

tiiresque old mill, that has p;round wheat since

the tim e o f the Moors.Tt was aoythini? but summer weather when

we were there; heavy rain, w ith a regular galo

from th e South*West. W e scrambled through

th e remaicfl o f the old Cairtle, in no small peril o f being carried away bodily. I t ia said to be

one o f the finest M^orisli fortresses formed of tapia still cziatin^ in Spain; and comij>g from

a coutktry wherc col>-walla are i^neral, I took

pajticuUr notice o f its construction. Tapia i«? a spédaliié o f Ford’s, and from his account it

muat bo a fai' more elaborate composition than th e cob*walls o f England and Prance. W hen a

wall is to be built, a tVamework o f wood,

fastened by m orable bolts, and shaped accord­in g to th e size of the intended construction, is

laid on the proposed spot, and having been tilled

with a mixture o f earth, mortar, and pchbles, sufRpiently moisten&d to bind, the composition

is then rammed together t ill i t becomes a firm

coherent mass, th e bolts are withdrawn, the

frame m oved further on, and the same process is

repeated, t ill the whole building is completed. W hen thoroughly dried and seasoned, it is M\d

to be indestructible, not requiring a coat of

plaster, as w ith ua, to keep out the weather. I

should, however, cutircly doubt its power of

pedstinff artillery. I observed no trace o f straw, 80 much used in E nglish coh-walls. One side o f the platform on which th e Castlo stands is

occupied by a colony o f gipsies, who, as the

X enites o f old, have made their neist in th e rock. These burrows look by no moan« uncomfortable, and arc, Hke their occupants, h igh ly picturcaquc,

Alcalá 18 celebrated for its bread and its water. I ts fifty ovens supply Seville w ith th e best bread

in Sp im , and Scrfatj' quite insisted ob our carry­ing ofT several loaves, as an act o f homage to the

loci. T hey were bcautii'ully w liite and light, but loo close-graincd and linn for E nglish tastes, requiring a bbt^ accompaniment o f butter. This is the prettiest drive in th e neighbourhood

o f Seville, aixd as there is a very neat posada, it

would be a pleasant episode to go and spend a

couple o f nights under th e shadow o f th e old

Moorish Caatle on th e banks o f th e Ghiadaira.

L r

C H A P T E R X X X I.

H a v i n g spent ten day» at Seville, we felt

ansions to be once more on the road, and after a m ultiplicity o f business in tjettling ao*

counts, paying biUe, ard laying in a iresh store

o f provisions, we left by rail for Cordova on M on­day afternoon, Novemher 21st. The enpigem cnt

w ith Marcos and Tomas, th e muleteers from To­ledo, having expired at Seville, was now renewed, and extended to Gibraltar. Originally they had

agreed to go w ith ur only from Toledo to Tala- vera, a journey o f tw o days ; hut they behaved

so well, and seemed so thoroughly to enjoy the

expedition, that it heciime a mutual convenience

to travel to j^ h er all th e way to Seville. They

were moat good-hmnourod, honest feUowa, sober, and singularly frco from tbe common vice of the

Spanish peasant— bad language,— and very con­siderate to their beuj ta. Marcos was a grotesque compound, having th e figui^ o f Sancbo Panza

MatcoH und Tomaa. 333

w ith the coontenancre o f a CViinaroaxi; and as

he trudged along in sandalled shoon, greasy

troiisere, and hatteied wide-awake, w ith an ash- plant thrust op the back of hiis round jacket, and df'pendinp; like a taU from his waist, he presented an utter contrast to Ibe popular notion

o f a Spanish muleteer. 1ji tn ith , w ith all his

good quahtics» he was de«idedly th e imtidiest

speeinien o f his class we exer m et w ith, and we

naed to feel occasionally, that he somewhat eom-

promisfid our respectability. Tomas, w ith a

more polished exterior, was not by any means

so nsoful and serviceable on th e journey as his wealthier partner» being too fond o f taking his

e-aae, and aparing liim solf trouble, and while

Majtx)s would walk on cheerfully " from morn

t il l dewy eve,” w ith now and then a lift on one

o f his donkeys, the other rode m ost o f th e die- tano6 between Toledo and Gibraltar.

W e could not converse much w ith them , but

through th e medium o f Piorkiss every now and then a joke passed between us, to which they

always gave a hospitable rcoeption, a very

slender amount of w it being quite sufficient to

produce peab o f laughter. Their ideas o f geo*

graphy m ust have expanded l a i ^ y during the

last five weeks, and they have probably ac-

33+ F.nicr Cordcva.

qnij^d j aster notions o f the siz« ot' the

globe, than they ever poeseeaed before. Like

ourselves, they tlioioughly enjoyed th e repose

o f Seville, and, a few diiya before us, started in

great force, taking th e high-road to Cordova, there to await our airivid hy rail.

N oth in g eould be more nnprotnisiiig than

the weather. For days it had rained aluiofit inceaaantly, and we drove from th e Cordova

station in the mid&t o f a downpour, to he turned

out o f the fly some tw o hundred yards from the

hotel, which, from the narrowness o f the street, is unapproachable in a c a r r i^ , Wu had, in

consequence, to im dei^o “ a t iia l by water,” and

while m ating om* way there through a labyrinth

o f alleys, the eaves on each side diiicha^ed their

twin-torrents on our unlucky he^ds w ith over«

powering violence.H aving entered Cordova ¡n darkness and

rain, we were naturally very eager next morn­in g to catch a glim pse o f a place so interest­in g and famous, whieh is said in the tenth

ccutory to have contained nearly a million o f inhabitants, three hundred mosques, and

nine hundred baths. The hotel, though dismal*

looking to a degree, and anything but cloau in

some of its arrangemente, is centrically placed

on Iiigli ground, and on one e\Ae commands an

ertenaiTe view, the distant moantauui Ijeyond

the (xnadalquiTir, and the densely-packud area o f the town» fonu iog quit-e a panorama, ii\ pleas- in g contrast to the flat plains arouncl Seville. The air too, here, ha« far more elasticity and

fteBhiiess, nor did we su2<>r bo m ueh from m«4- quittw, which during our stay at Seville had, in

spito o f the cold, plagued us day and night.TTie principal “ l io n ” o f Cordova is the

quita, or Mosque, which, huilt in the eighth cen- tury hy the Caliph Ahd e l Itahniun and h is son, for Mahometan worship, wa« converted, on the

capture o f the town h y Ferdinand 111, in 1335, in to a cathedral. Ita reputation for sanctity wna inferior only to that o f the sacred tower Kaahah at Mecca, while i t claimed an equality

w ith th e celebrated i i i Aksah at Jerusalem. Tlioxisande o f pilgrima uaed to go there annu­ally, a circumstance that w ill account for a

good m any o f the s is hundred inns the town

is said to have contained in Moorish times. Fei^usson speaks of it as th e ujc^t interesting building in the whole o f Spain, architecturaJly

considered, heing th e first o f any importance ondcrtiiken hy the X oors, and liaving hc^n

enlarged and ornamented hy succobsive Caliphs,

336 C ot^t o f Otnng^H^

i t exhibits specimens of th e various styles

adopted in Spain from the t^arliest a^es, \uitil th e erection of the Alhambra, durm g the de­cline o f Moorish Art,

Surrounded, by massive walls of considerable

height, i t presents externally no striking featore, e icep t a tower, which haa shared a iar worse fate than the Giralda at liieville, havinj^ been

roeased throughout in 1593, an operation that

would make it impossible for its original builder to reoognixe hia own workmanship. I ts situ­ation, as we approached it, is very inferior to

that o f Seville Cathcfdral, whieh stands out so

boldly on its platform o f granite. Jiere too, tho principal entrance lies through a Court of Oranges, which, however, ia far finer than its

namesake at Seville, th e dimeu5i«>ns being larger, tlie cloisters more distinct aud spacious, and

wearing altogethiT much more the sequestered

air o f a religious retreat. T he area of the court is filled w ith fruit-laden orange*trees, the m ost aj^tique and veiierable I ever remember to have

seen; and their number, size, and position, so

near a place o f worship, quite recall the groves

o f idol-worship among the Jews. iBetween

their stems you catch a glim pse of a marble fonntain in ceaseless Row. In sxmimer this

• '1 : ’ *^p¿v s - . a :*, :

MSZQUI TA, COROOVA

mnftt be a delicious spot, a place to walk and

sit in for hours; hut on the day we first ^'iaited

it, a conside^rahle effort of imagination was re- quiretl to realize suc}i a s<.’ason; for th e recent rains liad carpeted th e coart w ith ^ e n ia h sHme, and the air was loaded w itli chillini^ damp that

forbade ua to linger; while the tribe o f mendi­cants, which are ever ly ing in wait at church- doors, were here more than luiuaJly imj>ortunate

and cro$s, as if, poor creatures! th ey were

pinched hy th e nntowardaees of the weather.The interior o f the Mczquiia di«ap{>ointcd me

^ e v o u s ly , the bare whitewashed walls, and low

rf»of, hardly th irty feet hi^h, producing none of

those solemn inipreaaions w hich may be called the attributes o f a cathedral; while the eye is

distracted by a forest o f short cohimus ertend*

in g in all directions, w hich look as i f they had

dropped from the clouds, w ithout arrangeniciit, or subordination o f parts to any principal object. A s may easily be believed, such a building faiU

to kindle tho lea«t spavk o f awe, or devotional feeling, Tt should however be remembered, that the Cathedral authorities liave interfered

w ith the ori^nul design, by introducing, in the sirteenth centur)', a double choir of a totally

different style, which, by blocking np a consider-z

Mesqutta.

¿ble portion of tlic central arou, has robbed thp

bxiildin^ o f its principal characteristic— space,—

the i^onnd-plan covering, i t is said, a larçcr

surface than any church in th e world, except St. Peter’s, iiefore th is alteratioTi, the interior

m ust have presented a s in ^ la r appearance, the

coup d'œ il embracin}ç an uninterm pted view of

more thmi 1200 columns, while the lowness of

the roof would incre&so enormously the apparent extent o f tlio area from whieh th ey spring. A connoifisenr in m.irhles wonld find these columns

a perfect study, consisting as they do o f polished

jasper, porphyry, verd-anti<^ue, and other choice

sorts, some o f them unknown to modern lapi­daries, all being in single blocks. There are

hundreds o f verd*antiqne. Tlieir history m ust

he a cnrious one, i f Ford's aceount be true, that

some o f them were brought from France, others irom Serille, and Tarragona; while m any came

from Constantinople and N orth Africa, Fer- gusson states they were transported to Cordova, from tlic Boiuan remains at Merida, and its

neighbourhood. Some idea o f th e ssize m ay be snggested by the fact, that i t con­tains fifty-two aisles, o f which nineteen run

îongitûdinally, and thirty-three across the build- ing, all having a nearly uniform width of

twenty-two feet, cxecpt one near th e centre, wliieh is twenty-seven.

Another barharism o f th e Cathedral clergy

was the removal o f th e original roof o f alerce

wood, a species o f arhor v ita , w hich was carved

and painted w ith all t}ic sk ill and taste of

M oorisli art, and the substitution o f th e present hideous brick vanlting w ith its cougenial coating

o f whitewash. After sucli Vandalifim, one can­not but wonder that persons, who went to eo

much ttonble and expense in gratifying their

barbarous taste, should ever have permitted

such a gem as the Sanctuary to survive their

day. According to Fergusson, th is waa the work o f Caliph Hakeem , 695 a.d., and he con­siders it the roost perfect and pure specimen of

M oorish architecture in th e whole o f Spain, pointing out at th e same time, that ita graceful and ¿ow ing forms are iuilnitely superior to the

interlacing straight lines o f the AJluimbra, while

tlie materials, instead o f being mere painted

plaster, are real marbles, and true mosaic- work.

H e farther remarks that th e shortness o f the

marble columns suggested one o f the peculiar

fcatores o f the building, th e architect having

adopted the expedient of placing arch upon/. 2

340 T h SancitíttTy,

arch, iu order to eke out their height, an idea he

may hare caught from th e frequent u»e of

successive tiers o f arches in the construction of

Roman aqueducts.I t wus quite a relief to turn from blank walls

and frowning rwrf, to th e rich colouring, and

hght, graceful arches o f th e Sanctuary. Its hues have lo st none o f their brilliancy, nor lias

the lapse o f tim e dimmed tlie Rolden ccUs of

th e exqniáite honeycomb roof; and as you stand

under its fairy-like dome, you hardly regret the blankness o f the general huihiing, setting off as

i t does, in the highest dej^ee, th e mellow beau­ties o f th is central shríne.

M ost o f the Spanish Cathedrals we had al­ready seen were perfect treasuries o f Art, com­bining under one r o o f sueh iin (»verwhelming

profusion o f carving, metal-work, painted glass, sculpture, and pictures, that ¡t is impossible to

examine them worthily, w ithout more leisure

than tourists can generally command. I t was

thewfore especially provoking that at Cordova, where our detention f o r f o u r days through bad

weather gave ua abundance o f spare time, the

Cathedral is almost devoid o f decorative detail, the m ost c<mspicnous ornament we saw hcing a rtorid display o f ma'^sive hrass railings in the

Palace o f Zahra. 3 4 1

Iiighest state o f polish, coim ccting tlic two

choirs, which a num bet o f workmen wcro busily

en g a ^ d in rubbing w ith oranges. I t was the moRt tastc'lees pioce o f metal*wor): we saw any­where in Spain, and tlio ugh i t would probably

hare delighted tlic heart o f Alexander th e cop­persmith, and men o f hU craft, i t foiled to give

11« any plcasnre, haring no more beauty than th e balusters o f an ordinary Rtairnase !

W h al a resource should we have fonnd in the

great Palace o f Zahra, which once existed in. the

neighbourhood o f Cordova, and o f which Fer- gnsson transcribes from Am biím historians so remarkable an account

“ According to these authors, the enclosing

wall o f tlic Palace w^r 4000 feet in length, East and "West; 2200 feet N orth and South. The greater part (Á th is space was occupied by

gardens, but these/ frith their marble fountains, kiosks, and ornaments o f T a r i o u s kinds, must

have surpassed in “^eauty, and perhaps even in

cost, the more strictly architoctural part of the

builduig, 4S00 columns o f the m ost precious

marbles supported the roofs o f the halls; 1013 o f these were brought from Afiica, 19 from

l io m e ; 140 wcro presented by the Emperor of

Constantinople to Abd el Pahman, the princely

founder of th is sum ptaons cdificc. A ll the

halls were pared with marhlc« in a thousand

Taried patterns. T he walls, too, were o f the same precious material, aud ornamented w ith

friezes o f the m ost brilliant coloora. T he roofo, constm cted o f cedar, were ornamented w ith gild­in g on an aznre ground, w ith damasked work

and iuterlaeing designs. A ll, in short, that tho

unbounded wealth o f th e Caliphs at tiiat period could command, was lavished on th is favourite

retreat; and a ll that the art o f Constantinople

and Bagdad could contrihutc to aid the taste

and power o f execntiun o f the Spanish Arahs. was enlisted to make i t the m ost pcrfcct work

o f its age. D id this Palace o f Zahra now re­main to ns, w e could aSbrd to despise the

Alhambra, and all the works of that declining

age o f Moorish art.”— V ol. i. p. 4o6.N ow , alas ! n o t a stone remains npon another

to mark th e site o£ eo marvellous a construc­

tion !Cordova is a singularly quiet old town, re­

sembling Toledo in the rarity o f its carriages, and narrowness o f streets, m any o f them being

mere alleys w ith a watercourse in the centre, into which the deep eaves o f the houses on eadi side discharge, during rain, a stream b o copious.

tliat it reqioires a very rohnst nrabrella to bear

up against it. I t xised to be oelel>rat«d for it®

leather (hence ou i lega l t e m , Cordwainer), aud

silver filigree, both heing creatioms o f Moorish skill. N o tow n certainly stands more io need

o f good leather, were i t only to protect the feet

o f its uiliabitants from th e vile pavement, but

the art has been carried off hy tlie exiled Moors

over th e sea to Morocco, where it still flourishes, and th e only specimens we saw o f " Cordovan,”

were n few pigskins, taniied, for holding wine. Silversmiths, however, still abound at Cordov», and in their shops wc spent a good deal o f our spare tim e and m oney. Spanish filigree, though

perlmpH hardly equal to tho Indian in dtlicacy

and elegance, is njuch more adapted to the vicissitudes o f a traveller’s portmanteau, f^ m

its remarkable fim ness and strength. This is a good place to pick up old jewellery, and hotli Lord Portarlington and Mr, Sykea made consider*

able pnrchases of ear-rings, lockets, reliquaries, &c.. in some o f the curioaity-shops.

Our hotel, being c<mBtructed ibr the oxclusit^

o f air and light, on account o f the intense heats o f summer in Andalusia, wus wofiiUy dismal, and ill adapted for " the brief Novem ber days,”

which during our v isit “ fell chill and dun ” on

the hanks o f the OoaAalquivir, as ever over

northern moorland. W e were iklmost as desti­tute of resources for passing th e tim e, during our four davs’ eojo\u*n at Cordova, as W ashington

Irving iu h is story of th e Stout G entlem an; and

when hooks, letters, and journals had cach in

tu iu b « u exhausted, not a few o f our odd

moments were employed in wutching the clerk

o f a dihgence-office, over tlic way, “w ith whom, from the narrowness o f the street, wc m ight almost have shaken hands, had each party been

simultHJieously disposed to do bo . Morning, nooi), and night, therc sat he at a desk under

tbe window, w riting away w ith unflagging in­dustry and perseverance. This, in a Spaniard, quite exdted o\ir curio>+ity, and having nothing

better to do, wu wondered what could he the

cause of so remarkable a devotion to hubincss. On tbe third day our speculations on th e subjcct were happily terminated h y tlic appearance of

another actor on tlie stage, who looked like

an Inspector, severe and official, and commenctid

ft grand overhauling o f accounts, and exami­

nation of ledgers. The result waft never com­municated to us, BO in default o f more accurate information, let us hope it was perfectly satasfac-

tory to all parties. A t any rate, when 1 looked

A ñ AJUymoon W alk. 3 4 5

again through the deepening tw ilight, th e writ­in g Imd ceased, th e scriho w ith hia rclvet cap ami red tsaael had disappeared from his aicos-

tomed plai«,

‘ ‘ A n d left the «orld to darkoees and to n e t

One afternoon the weather cleared up for a

few hours» and glad to eacapu Irum onr prison- house, wu walked to the top o f oue o f the hills

behind th e town, commanding th e hest view we

had yet seen o f th e aurroimdijig neighbourhood. Bfthind us rose th e lowest runge of the Sierra

ItorcuiX, broken up into greon dells and sunny

slopes 5 w hile here imd there, in sheltered nooks

o f more than oitlinary attraotiTcncas, btood her­m itages, o f w hieh thu mountain contains a host. Before us lay Cordova, g littering in almost

»nowy whiteness, w ith its broken outline of

tower, monastery, and cbnTch, while from the

o ^ tr e of the housetops, which, in the South of

Spain, form so prominent a feature in town*views, a single palm-tree reared its graceful head. Southward we caught a glim pse o f the Guadal- «^uivir, as, brimful w ith the late floods, i t poured

i ts turbid waters under the old Koman bridge. 'I’he air had all that lustrous transparency, which

piecedw, und follows rain, and a fine old castle.

34^ Siluaiion o f Cordoca.

which, at a distaaco of— 1 know not how many

leagues, crowned a promontory thrown out from

th e mountain«raiige into the lerel expanse of th e phiin, seemed to hare approached w ith in the

lim its o f A moderate walk.T he old bridge aud ck&iical gatew ay possessed

A peculiar interest for us, u being tlic principal otQects in a charming painting by Bossuet at Em o Park, whieh, from its faithfulness o f repre­sentation, enabled us to recognize them at once

as old iriends. Tn our different esplorationa

abont the tow n w e had remarked w ith mueh

plea/rore, that sereral houses o f receot erection had heen built in th e old M oorish style w ith

patio, gallery, and fountain, aa i t would indeed

be difficult to devise an arrangemeTit which would more thoroughly combine so m any ele*

merits o f th e picturcaque, w ith th e requirements

o f a southern oliniate.A ltogether, in spite of bad weather, Cordova

stm ck us as being far more agreeable in point of

situation and scenery than Seville. D ays could

be spent in delightftil rambles along tho sides of

th e Sierra Morena am ong the hermitages and

eonxents w ith which it is dotted. One o f the

latter, which came in view as wc rode away

to M ontilla, seemed more like a small town,

than a religious liouse, so vast was its ex ten t; w hile its position on a broad upland slope,

shcslt^red h y the mountain-creat £pcm th e north­ern blast, was perfection itse lf for beauty and

health iness; and its occnpants, w ith Cordova at their feet, could still Itx lt down on the huay hannts o f men, and, though sequestered from th e world, were n ot absolutely shut out o f its ken hy those

depths o f solitude, which surround so many

religious houses.M any an anxione look had we been casting

daily on the narrow strip o f sky visible from

our sittinj»-room, yet little could we see but the tokens o f ** pitiless, e e a se l^ , •unrelenting rain,”

w hich came down w ith as m uch enurgy and

steadiness, aj i f fair weather had departed for ever. Chir tim e meanwhile was sh rm tm g to its

shortest span. Novem ber was almost at an

end ; w e felt particularly anxious to reach Gib­raltar by the ISth o f December to catch the

Peninsula! and Oriental boat for Southamptou, and w c were no less desirous to have ample

leisure for thoroughly seeing the grand culmina­tin g point o f onr journey— Granada. I t waa not, however, t il l Thursday, the 24th, that our

constant gaze at what sailors call “ the wind's

34^ A CIta/rÿe,

eye,” enabled us to detoct a kiudlier exppeseion, and even then, th e indication» were by no meaJis Lopeiiil. I t may he wondered, why w o did not

brave the weather, and start in the rain? The

reason is a very simple one. In many parts of Andalusia the soil is so tenaoioua, that after rain

i t acquires the adhesiveness of birdlimo w ith the heaviness of )ead, so that, had we started in bad

weather, we should very soon have stuck in the

nii;d, i t being; an utter iinpo»sibüity for even

hor&es aud midcs, much )nore the donlceys that

earned our baggage, to make way through such

road$.N ovm her 25M, — U p at daybreak, the wea-

ther-tokena having a very promUiug appearance ; packed up and breakfasted in haste, ansioui to

escape from that house of bondage ; and then to our mortification discovered, that ilarcx>a and

Tom as would not be ibrthcoming’ for a good

hour, though tl\ey had heen strictly charged

yesterday to be ready betimes. W e had

repeatedly remarked, that the more kindly and

indulgently they have been treated, the slacker

haa their service grown. N otliing conld exceed

their regularity and dihgeuce for the first fort- niglit. They were always ready in good time,

and packcd the different articlea o f baggage

w ith such care that each kept it* place firmly all through the livc-lon^i day. Tn acknowledgment o f their conduct we treated them one n igh t to a

snhstantial supper, i t was a moment i>f wea)c*

ness, and we rued i t ever after !X e x t day they were behind th c ii tim e, the

luggage was loosely pacisd , various articles were

shed along th e road, and more tim e was cnnsuined in necessary re*adju8tm ent o f almost every don­key, than had been similarly expended in the

whole course o f onr prcvions journey. H eedless

o f this, w hich ought to have served ns as a warn­ing, so plejwed were we w itli our delightful tide

thro\^h Estremadura, that on rcuebing Seville we gave them another entertiiinment on a much

grander scale, w liieh completed th e relaxation of

discipline, and left us \drtually very much at then

mcrcy in such matlerR as punctuality, for the

remainder o f th e expedition. Indeed we fully

proved th e truth of Pord's counsel, that Spanisli servanli‘ should always he kept up to the mark, so aa to feel a master's authority ; aitcording to

‘ the T h ik es” maxim, tliat th e only way to get them to do anything is “ to lake a decided line

and frighten them."Seville and Cordova had heen Marcos aud To­

mas’ Capna, and alter anch a lengthened inter­mission o f travel they seemed eo slow in realiz­in g the feet, that w e were actually about to

resume our journey, that i t was nearly ten

o'clock before we had fairly quitted th e to w n !

I^ R I D A Y , November satisfaction

at cecapiug ffom that dreary H otel Kizzi at Cordova, nnd th e pleasnre o f being once more

on horseback under one of tbe loveliest skies I ever beheld, w ith an atmosphere o f lustrous

transparency» made to-day’s ride poeuliarly agree­able ; man und boast commeneing thiB second

portion of our jonm ey w ith renovated vigouT.Qranada was our destination, and th e waters

being out in consec^nenee o f the late rains» tlie

shortest route through Castro del Hlo, and A l­calá la Iteal, had become for the m oment im ­

practicable, so that we were obliged to follow

the Camino Beal b y Fernán N úñez to M ontilla, where wo proposed halting for th e night. Hiding

along tlic Queen’s highw ay was never popular

w ith u s; but to-day, so delicious was th e fresh­ness o f th e air, 80 striking and varied the atmo­spheric eflects, that a country o f for less interest,

than till» rich and highly-cultivated district, which produces eomo of the finest wheat in tho world, would have ass^imed at least a transient

semblance of beauty. For the first tw o hours

w e did not h>sc sight o f Cordova, every turn of

the road presenting to us some fresh aspect of

th e picturesquD old city, as it hiy shimbering in

th e sunshine, hacked by the bosky dells and

sparkling hermitages of the Sierra Morena. W ere the hroad plain o f the (juadalqyivir an

expanse o f sea, tJie whole scene m ight have

Ruggested to Guido th e landscape o f Ids A u ­rora.

W*e read in “ D on Quixote,” that o n t h o diiy

after h is adventure with the windmills, h e and Sancho m et “ two monkR o f the order o f St. Benedict, mounted on dromedaritis; for the

m ules ■whereon they rode were not much less.” H ad t}ie worthy knight been in oar C o m p an y

th is iDominif, he would have seen a veritable

specimen o f t h a t quadruped, hut w ithout a

Benedictine for its rider, th e whole race of

monks having become, sinee tlic suppression

o f the monasteries, an a l m o s t extinct genus

throughout th e Peninsula- Just as we were

crossing th e Gnadajoz, to onr extreme surprise, and to the manifest disg\ist of horses, muks,

OHve-ffarvesl. 5 53

and even dontcya, wo suddenly camc upon a

splendid Baetrian drom«dary, bein^ ledabout the eountiy as a show, was now on its

way to aiitoniah tho jnvenilo population o f Cor- dora. H e looi^ed hardly out o f keeping with

surrounding objects; so many aro the points in common between the South o f Spain, and the general cha^icter o f Drieutal scenery.

The olive-Iiarvcst was now at ita height, and

on all sides such merry groups of men, women, and children wore stripping the well-laden trees, remiiuiing ue hy their gaiety o f “ the joy in har­vest,” 80 often alluded to in Scripture. The

berries, when fit for gathering, hare much the

same coWur and size the common damson, w ith a flAVOUr widely different, being extremely

bitter. One of the marked featuree in Spanieh

progroas during the last tw enty years ig the in­creased attention now paid to the cultivation of

the olive, and in aU directions phmtationg are

being formed on h n d , that was previously almost unproductive.

About three o’clock we reached Fem an Nufiez, a cleanly, thriving villago, with every house nom*

bered after the custom o f the country, which

axjcording to our obeervation seems to extend to

the smaJleet hamlet. I first rcmarted it at

A A

Guacos. H ere w« to iiave halted foran Iiour, to give tlie horsea their usual afternoon

feed j but b o a n i i o u s were we to make up for the

lateness of onr atart, that we rode on still, the scenery becoming more picturesque at every

turn, opening out from tim e to tim e into land­scapes o f exiiuisite beauty, in which Castro el Bio, an old hill-fort, perched like an eyrie on

an isolated cra^ to our left, oconpied a prominent

positionA ll through th is part o f Andalusia, castiee

and towns aie similarly situated, memorials of

thcac by-gone ages, when th e district formed

“ th e Debatable Land,” aa a Borderer would

expresa it, between Christian and InfdeL Some- timea two or three such eagles’ nesta are in sight

at once.N ig h t had fallen long before we rodo into

M ontilla, the birth «place of “ the Great Captain,”

A sm all eonntry-town famoua for its wine, while the neighbourhood, like Palestine o f old, abowids

“ in wheat, and barley, vinea and fig*trees, oil- oU t c and honey.” H aving found a very homely, but clean-looking posada, elose to tho to w n ^ te , we were very glad, during the hungry interval that elapsed before snpper was ready, to take our placc among the group of muleteers, that

hemmed in th« fire; the nights having now

become quite as cold, though not no damp, &s at tho same »eaaon Id England.

Saiiirday, 2 6 ii,— Off betimes for Cabra, a moun* tain-town at th e foot o f th e Sierra Fcaileé, getting almost h o ^ c d , imm ediately after leaving Montili», in a great slough, which threatened to

swallow up bodily some of the minor don>eya. Country atill very pleasing. Sometime« our

road lay through open spaces o f heath, and

thicket, sueh as gipsies love to frcqnent 5 some­tim es beside meadows, where ni'ormuring brooks create a perennial verdure. Further on a enug

olive-iaim looked out è o m its sheltering grove

upon a broad sweep o f undulating com*Iand, which tlie young wheat had elothod w ith a ves­ture greener tban emerald ; while right ahead,

w ith broken wall, and ruined donjon-tower, rose Aguilar, one of those curious old towns beloved

by painter, and archfeologist, which having once

been the itronghold and protection o f the

neighbourhood, still snrvivcs to bo its orna­ment.

The morning was lovely, but wc had not

ridden far, before uninistakable signs of a change

Appeared along the bold outline o f tho Sierra

Frailes, over which to our left, lay the road toA A S

Granada, Tlie Tapoury mists, tliat followed last

night’s frost, were not absorh«d insensibly into

the air, but after ascending in irregular spiral

wreaths, had settled in compact masses npon the moimtain*tops, an alraost infallible indication

that they would descend ^ a in in rain, ere

another sunrise, as auy one who has paid much

attention to th e weather-tokene o f a mountainous

countrj', m ight easily prognosticate.W e made ouj mid-day halt on the banks o f a

small stream, th e Cahra, and while the horses drank o f th e brook, and fed on the bailey we had

brought w itli ns, the rest o f the party (mules

and dookeyg excepted, which, like Mahometans

in Eamadan, never broke their fast iiom snuriee

to sunset), regaled themselves on Montanches*

ham, and other item s of good cheer.Our lonte now struck off from the highway,

just where a small town, named, i f I wm ember

aright, Monturque, crowns the sum m it o f a

green hill, that reminded me o f Cdrte Castle, and following the windings o f a m iry lane w ith ruta o f portentous width and unknown depth, w e at last emerged upon a terrace*likti strip of

open ground that overhung the course o f the

Cahra, and led up through m any a tangled

thicket and rocky dell, all a-glow w itli the hues

o f autumn, to th e principal town of the neigh*

l>ourhcx)d, which either owes, or gives, ite name

to tho stream, that waters th is m ost romantic m onntain glen.

Cabra is approached irom the we«t through a

broad avenue of olive-grovea, producing a state- lincaa of effect, I sliould scarcely have antici*

pated &om a tree, so generally eondemned for its

eomraonplace, charaderleag, appearance. I t is a

place of considerable antiquity, and as it came in

sight, seated on a platform o f rock terminated

abruptly by a precipitous ravine, w ith gardens

and orchards crowded into every available dpaoe, nnd gleam ing w ith th e brightest tints o f the T'ali, on cherry-tree, mulberry*, vine, poplar, and whit«

thorn, while the dark mat^ses of th e Sierra Frailes towered behind, and framed-in the pic­ture, we agreed i t was one of the m ost remark­able landscapes we had seen anywhere in Spain, and, though o f a totally different deaeri ptiun, not unworthy to be the pendant o f heautiM Placentia.

H ere we spent Advent Sunday, November

27th, and while the good people at home were

a i n ^ g the hym n o f th e season, we had to paaa

the day, as best we could, in that dreary e iile ftom public worship which is the lot o f the

3 j 8 Namei Posadoi.

B aglisli ChnrcLiuau all through Spain, w ith the

exception o f one or two iavoured localities,Xrt antiquarian m ight have found food for

■peculation in the name o f our um , “ th e Po­sada o f Souls/' a strangü title to g ive to a

house o f pahlic entertainment, as in ererj

other country disembodied spirits are supposed

to have nothing to do w ith such places; unless, indeed, a delicate vein o f irony m ay bo detected

in the term, im plying that a Spanish inn. with its em pty larder, is adapted only for th e accom­modation o f such beings as are no longer affected

by bodily Tranta ITn th is old-fa*liioned kingdom, where novelty

is deprecated aa an evil, and friends part w ith

the benediction, "V aya, usted, con Dioa, y quo

no haya novedad!”— “ Go w ith God, your gracc t may nothing new happen 1”— tho mnhocpcr's

sign still atteata th e connection between the

hoatel and the Church, so general in th e Middle

A ges, when pilgrim s were the chief traveller», and o f which, even in England, we retain a few

memorials, anch as the “ Lam b and F la g /’ “ The

AngcI,” “ The Oroaa K e y s /’ “ Mitre.” and “ Car- dinal’a C ap /’ Moirt o f th e inna in Spain are named after aomc saintly person, San Cristobal, San Carlos, Sant Anton, San José, de los Angeles,

Rainy Mo/rning. 359^

do las Animas, &nd occasiumdly oven the sacred

name o f oxa L otd is deeccrated to th is purpose

in tho title Jcsu Nazareno.Cahra still exhibits tra<2efl o f its occupation by

the Moors. One of th e Chnrches was originally a MosqTze, and its couTerRion to Christian nses

was oficotod w ith tho »ame harharism and want o f taste that ruined the at Cwdova.I noticed, also, that several horse-shoe arches, and other fcaturos o f Moorish arcliitectnre could

he traced ont in tho rough m ji^ury e f our

quiunt-lookmg* old posada.T he weather thi« morning did not holie oiir

prognoffticationB o f yesterday. A drizzling rain, beginning at daybreak, continued to f^ I steadily

for hours, and the fiurrouuding mountains woreII pall of immovable m ist, imparting to the

whole landscape an aapcot o f melancholy chilli»

ness. I t ie some satisfaction to an Englishman, under such circmnstanwis, to observe th a t the

sunniest lands w eai quite aa dismal an appear«

ance in bad weather as our own much-abused

climate, while they have none o f those fireside comforts that enable us to regard “ th t storm

w ithout” w ith comparative indifference. N o­thing, certainly, could he less cheering than our

Sunday at Cahra, and from Furkiss* account

i t Beemsxl as i f we conld hardly »«sure oniBelxea lodging for th è night, the landlady Imving what

is called “ a tcm pci o f her own," th e effects

o f which, however, were liberally imparted to

all w ithin her sphere, eoinhined w ith an extra

amonnt o f Spanish independence. Altc^ethes

Pnrkiss, being not only interpreter, but cook

and general p u n eyor to our party, found very

“ hard lines" in the liitchen, and had to exer­cise no amali amonnt oi* diplomacy to get on

w ith hia varions avo<ra,tions, more especially

while using the fire, w ithout com ing to an open

rupture with the worthy dame, and receiving his

before K onday m oniiug.On th e whole we camo to th e conclusion that

Cabra, despite its lovely situation, ia hardly the

q>ot where we ahonld chouse to spend all tho

days o f our life. The natives appeared to be

more im eoutli and disagreeable than any com' m unity we had yet fallen in with, either in

town or country ; and we could not stir cut

of doors w ithout being dogged by a following

of dirty boys, who, though bred among these

imsophiffticated mountains, were uot a w hit in ­ferior in audacity and general impcrtinynee to

the veriest gam ns o f ParU or London. Nor

did we find better manners indoors, fo i Mr.

Sykes having given a pc>ieta to one of the land­lady’s grandchildren, th e mother, who happened

to be standing hy, instead of making some

acknowledgment, immediately brought forward tw o others o f her offapring as claimants more

than expectants, o f a aimilai gift. Precisely

the same incident happened to me a week later, w hile rambUng am ong the nooks and comera of

the Alhambra, th e only difference being that, while iTr. Sykes bestowed lus Uir^em in silver, m ine took the form of economical “ coppers'' One can hardly wonder, after snch instances of eflrontery, at the pertinacity o f prot'eaaional men­dicants in Spain. T hey do not beg, h o t dem and; their ii^nal mood being, not, (is in other countries, optative, hnt imperative, and i f they find you do

not pay them the consideration they conceive

themaelves entitled to, they do not hesitate to

pluck yonr coat, or even to poke you in the

riba!W c observed here tho same desecration of the

Tiord’e day so noticeable a ll along our route. A t Cuacos, on inquiring whether any game

oonld be purchased in tlic village, we were told

there was every prospect o f a plentiful supply, as

the next day was Sunday 1 And so i t came to

pass. Por the schoolmaster, whom I chanced

36 î Lord‘i Da$.

to meet abont ten a .h . in foU shooting oostomo, brought home on Sunday evening i. well-filled

hag, the greater part o f which, in th e shape of

a brace of harea and aundiy partridges, Purkiâs

purchased on roui^onahle terms.Panoy the horror o f any of us “ coxmtry par-

sona” in England, were he to m eet his parish schoolmaster setting ofl’ some fine Sunday morn­in g on ft shooting expedition ( t t is, however, only fair to add, that apart from th e question of “ Sports and P astim es” on the Lord’s day, to

w hich we Engliiih feel a very legitirDate dislike, 6uch Boman, Catholics as g o to church at all, (a

minority, i t i i to he feared, in Spain,) have gene­rally attended as m any services hy ten or cbvcn

o^clock as m ost Protestants do during the wholo

day.A t Merida, again, where we spent th e follow­

in g Sunday, ploughing, whoat-aowing, and all kinds o f farming-work proceeded w ith ju it as

m uch activity as daring the remainder o f the

week, and so to-day at Cahra, a large portion of

th e population was busily engaged in gathering

th e crop of olives.Hair-cleaning appears to he a favourite Sun­

day occupation in all parts o f the country, and

i t is on© o f the commonest occurrences in

llaiT'clcaninff. j 6 j

walking through the streets to see groupie of

women (it being wholly a. feminine practice), operating on cach other’s heads w ith most praiseworfcljy diligence, and a gravity o f coimte*

gauce we were n erci able to imitate.

TI ride OTcr the mountaiQe from Cabra to

Pricgo is one o f extreme beauty, with

variety euough to satisfy tho m ost exacting

taste. Paaaing the Alaroeda, whieh in early

summer m ust be a little Paradise, v€*eal w ith the song o f nightingales, and the unceasing Toice of

water, miirmuring on a ll sides through orchard, and garden, we picked our way along <leep-hanked

lanes of ehulky m iic, which, ascending continu­ally, l^ d e d us at last on a stony plateau o f con- aiderahle eleration, wild, and stern as the summit o f un Alpine pass

The masses o f cold grey rock, streaked w ith

m any n patch uf weather-beaten lichen, that

cropped out on evory side, presented a most effective contrast to the glow ing sweep of

autumnal tints, stretching before us for miles,

and marking the curves o f the glen we had threaded on Saturday, as wc turned roond to

take ft parting glance at the teem ing bolt of

Tin«yaid, garden, and oliTe-ground, which makes

Cabra proverbial for fertility. H ow a painter

would have revelitKl in that wondrous profusion o f colour 1 Cando\ir, however, o h li^ s me to add, that having at all tim es an eye to business, wo

were suddenly recalled from tlie contemplation

o f th e landscape by th e sigh t o f a woman riding

to market, w ith a fino young hare dangling from

her saddle, which at the pric^ o f a peseta, ten*

pence TJnglish, immediately changed owners.All throngh the coontry we remarked a most

intim ate connection between beauty o f eoenery, and badness o f roads. Seldom did we exijoy any

uncommon amount o f the picturesque without suoh an acecmpanirnent, the portion of bad road

w e had m ost recently travelled being always

voted the very worst we had ever fallen in with, anywhere. Our ride tn-day formed no exception

to th is rule, and slowly toiling down the moim- tain-dide, we made experiment o f every peril that can jeopardize either the knees o f a horse, or the neck of its rider. Stones o f all shapes

and sizes, from a door-step to a boulder, shelving

banks o f rotten earth, gnarled roots o f iJe« and

chestnut (not to m ention the deep holes o f the mirrow mule-track, which on roeky ground like

th is are especially dMigerous to th e wider-boofed

horse), lay in turn along o u p patii, as we de­scended into a hill-encircled hasin, where tuikeys

and piga were feeding nnder groups o f venerable

tree*. I t was one o f those rare sconos of sylvan beauty, onoe so common in England, which

scarcely exist now-a-days, exccpi in th e pages of " Ivanhoe." B n t for th e greater height and steep- ness o f the hills, I m ight almost have fancied

wc were riding through th e gliwlc« of Bradgato Park. A s the fem-clad slopes opened out more

and more ii>to the vale country, some new object o f interest continually came into view—distant mountain, Moorish ca»tle, or high-perched town, — the m ost conspicuous o f these being Alcalá la

Keal, through which, had the previous week

been drier, our road to Granada would have loin, while th e very soil, a rich ruddy hrown, added

its contribution o f colour to heighten the gene­

ral effect.Through sueh scenes, in a day o f cloudless

sunshine, and tempered warmth, we rode along

the upland valleys o f th e Sierra Frailes from

Cabra to Priego.

T T waa quite evident, as wc rode tlirough the

streets o f Priego a good honr before sunget,

that BomethiDg o f more than common interest was going on. The c« itra l gquare was full of

men, who in their long hrown cloaks reminded me o f the gronps, that Hnger ahont street- comerg in Irish country-towns. I t could not be either market, or fair, for not a pig, cow, or

horse, was anywhere to he s«?n, nor even cab­bages, potatoes, or bundles o f garlic. In these

sequestered parts, where travellers are almost un­

known, we had everywhere attracted an amount

o f attention, altogether disproportionate, we

felt, to our personal merits, and thia was some­tim es exhibited in ways rather enibarrassing

to a modest temperament. Nevertheless, in spite o f all the digtinction, which had now b^

come our daily portion, we coaid not flatter our­selves, that all those solemn-looking Spaniards

had come tc^otlicr in tho market-plaí« of Priego

merely to do us honour.A t present, however, wo had no leisure for

further speculation on th e subject, having yet

to discover some place where we could procuro

lodging for the night. On entering we had imme*

diately gone, a» usual, t o a posada, which chanced

to be th e only one in the town, hoping to meet w ith accommodation ; but suoh utter poverty and

omptine48 did we find there— bedrooms without

bed or chair,— four b kn k walls staring at each

other,”— the very floors threatening to give way

under our feet—that it was impossible to stay under such a roof next w ent to a m ostcomfortable ca^a de pupillo9. The proprietor

was very oivil, and having onJy one room

unoccupied, offered to put three beds into it, an

arrangement, which, as Englishm en, we rejected

w ith horror, having )xever y e t been reduced to

greater extremities, than sleeping two in a room.H e then told os o f a private house in tho

f?ame street, kept b y an old lady w ith a most

meek and obedient partner, such a one, in feet, as the generality o f wives would consider i^uite

a model husband. Here, he thonght, wc m ight

m eet w ith accommodation for the night, strangers

being occasionally taken in to lodge. Ff>rtliwith

we proceeded thither, and soon found that the

hushaud, who admitted us, was perfectly willing

to com ply w ith our wishos, but not being master

his good-will availed ue little, and we had still to await th e decisloTi of hia “ m issis.” Ou open­in g n e^ tia tio n s w ith the lady, she hecame per­fectly fizrioua, pgfcting oxir proposal w ith a

degree o f indignation, that wa s quite incompre- hensibJe in u pereon, who was known to he iu

the habit o f taking in lodgers I There heing evidently abundance o f room in

tho hoQse, while no more reason was as«gncd for OUI rejection, than th e rr\an who hated Dr. Fell could give for his dielike o f that venerable

Divine, we grew desperate, and determined to persevere, know ing we had no other chance of

beds. Sometimes we joked, eometimee we en­treated, throwing in a hint now and then, that

i f we were absolutely compelled to sleep in the

streets, it would hardly be creditable to th e hos­p itality of the good people o f Priego, nor should

we he able to g ive our inends in England, on

returning home, so tavourahle a report o f them, as we eould wish. Thu hushand from the beginning had been on onr side, and finding his

wjte’s objections gradually g iving way under

the fierceness of our assaults, he now ventured

B B

j y o Success

openly to advocatc on t caoee, until at length grievously beset, and hemmcd-rn by a circle of

entreating faces, the fa t old soxil molted into

hospitality, placed th e hoiiiie and a ll its contents

at our disposal, and len t herself heartily to make

comfortable 1I t tam ed out afterwards, that from the first

she had heen labo\uing under an entire miscon­ception, fancying we were a party o f French

hagmeu, the only species of the genua traveller, w ith wlxich the population o f th is out-of-the-way

regiou haa any acquaintance. These people ore

b y no means a popnlat class o f )f*dgers, as thoy

give an infinity o f trouble wherever they are

taken in, extemporizing their apartment into show.roomR, for the various articles they carry

w ith them , and receiving all sorts o f eufttomera

for their wares. N o wondor, then, th e old lady shonld have declined to entertain us, as long as

she mistook us for a party o f commi^-vcya^euri.H aving thus provided for <mr m ost pressmg

necessities, we had now leisure to attend to

matters in general, and on inquiring what had

brought together that eouconrse o f men wo had

passed in tb e market-place, were told, that two

ladies having completed tlieir noviciate, had to­day taken the black veil at a nunnery in the

M ffure o f Speech. 371

tow n . This erent, corobined w ith the impend­in g war agaiost ÄTopo«», wLicli m ost Spaniards

o f the middle and lower classes legard 0£ a new Cmsaile, had prodaced a profoimd impreaaion in

tho neighbourhood, tin d lin g a fervour o f re- ligioTis enthosijisni, which, however misdirected, i i very refreshing in those ilays o f Bceptieal in* difference. U n ln ctü y for us, E n gk u d being

snpposed to have a dirwrt interest in thwarting

th e expedition against Morocco, partly on Pro­testant, partly on political grounds, onr country­men at the moment were more thaix commoidy

unpopular in Spain, and we natnraUy eamc in

for our share, so that while wc ware on onr way through th e markct-plnce at Priego, tho coun­tenances o f th e crowd wore unytliing bat a

friendly expression, One individual w ent so fai in his zeal againet us poor “ hcretica,'* as to say, though not in our hearing, that we “ ought to

be presented witlx a blossom,” a playful figure

o f speech, which, when translated into less poet­ical language, intim ated hie conscientious con­viction, that we deserved to be stabbed !

W e were then going to see the “ lion ” o f tho place, at the particular reqnest o f our host, who

jo e m e d very anxious to obliterate the recollection

o f any previous ticwgremem. This proved toP B 2

2J2 Beou^ful Fbunlain.

be a very pretty kind of fountain, or ratlier

water-baiim, oblong in form, w ith curved sides, o f marble, th iou gh which flowed a spring of

lim pid pnrity and eonsiderahle Tolume, falling

eventually in a fairy-like cascade over a slope of

the same material, iu its downward course to­wards th e town. Lime-trees w ith scats \inder- neath, are planted all round, and in warm

weather a mure delicious lounge cannot be ima­gined. The whole o f th is highland distriet m ight be described iu the language o f Scripture, as “ a land o f brooks o f water, o f fountains and

depths, that spring out o i valleys and hills,” and

irom that circumstance and its compajative cool­ness, i t m ight well be visited even in summer, and early autumn.

*We returned to onr quarters foUowcd by a

troop o f boys, a species o f eeeort, to whicli we

were becoming accustomed by frequent use. Indeed, w ithout departing from historical accu­racy, 1 may say we were objects o f curiosity to

every class and age, N o t even

" tih« A iith io p o p h ig i,A s d tb e mcTi, v h o M be&de d o grow 6€ii€atih th ^ ii shoulders,

could have produced a greater sensation, ilian

our appearance in the streets; whichever way

wo turned, doors and windows were crowded

w itli e a ^ r iaccSy so that we were not sorry to

«Capo into a le»d-con*picuoii8 position. Our landlady was delighted to find one o f the party

was a clergyman, buth she and her goodman

having, ahe told us, a great respect for th e order. Tn consequence o f th is prepossession, her atten­tions to roe became ao m arted and párticular, that I sliould have been completely over«

whelmed, liad I not f<;lt the distinction was

ow ing to no merit o f m y o>vn, hut heeaxise I

had been elevated for th e m oment to the dig­n ity o f a “ Ueprosontative Man." I t seemed ■to afibrd hot special gratification to pat m e on

th e hack in m ost maternal fashion, following np

th e action w ith a sort o f purring accompani­ment o f “ 0 Padre Cura ! 0 Padre Cura ! ”

W e had scarcely finished dinner, when such a jwwc' o f townsmen, and neighbours were an­

nounced (professedly to pay their respects to the

Señores Inglespji, but really to gra,tify their enrío*

sity to greater advantage), that we had to hold

quite a /ctc'c, and the old lady’s hest parlour was

soon filled w ith a goodly company o f grate per­sonages, who behaved w ith e x e m p l a iy propriety and decomm. W e did our be*t to entertain

them, though from our ignorance o f Spanish it

wàs somewhat afber the fashion o f Captain

Cook, and other circumnavi^ator&, receiving the

islanders o f tho Pacilic- There happened to he

an old piano in the room, th e bequest o f an

organist, who had once lodged there, and on

th is instrument, whose beat m elody waa u mere

metallie vibration, Lord Portarlin^on played

several tunes; while I exhibited m y compass, and a pocket-knile fitted up w ith various ap­pliances, ono of whieh, a Lmcct, aa in iglit be

erpectcd from so blood-letting a population, excited particular admiration. B y this tim e it

was getting late, and a$ tbe Spaniards have an

unlim ited power o f sitting, we were at onr w its’- end how to bring our soirée to a conclusion, w ithout g iving oifer»c© to the company ; aud it

was only after a considerable expenditure of

palaver and circumlocution, that we efeotcd

th is object, and parted w ith m any expressions

o f good-will.

I was out of doors betimes, next morning, having sat up nearly all night, in eonscqucnce

o f a damp bod (the only occasion, by the way, on which such an incident befel me, during the whole expedition); and though sitting up in a

hard-bottomed clmir is not the m ost agreeable

method o f passing “ the small bour6,” i t is, at

any rate, preferable to the contingencies o f a

pair o f damp sheets.Soon after suuriw, I found m yself on the town

walls, and anything more lovely, than the proe- pcct that m et th e eye ou every dde, I never saw. Priego Btanda on th e extreme edge o f a predpicc, overhanging a deep ravine, laid out in garden- plots, and strips o f bright green meadow, through

which the X enil, a ncw-bom stream, struggles

forth in to th e lowlands, on its w ay to th e V ega

o f Granada. To the left, rose a m ost pietorcsque

range of monntains, their sides aeamed w ith m any

« ruddy line, which w intry torrents had ploughed

in the ochreoxw soil, while the whole landscape was flooded w itli morning STinshine, and an

atmosphere o f such peri’ect transparency as

brought the m ost distant objects into startling

proximity and distmctness.

C H A.PTEE X X X V .

IT was w ith m any tender adicnx and good wishes, that wc parted after breakfast irom

our host and hostess, who assured ua w ith much

eamestnesR, that should wo over chance to be

passing through Priego on any future occstfion, they would be delighted to receivc us again.

W e had a long ride before ns, w ishing ou the

morrow, 'N'ovemher 80th, to reach Crran^a early

in the afternoon, so aa to enjoy tho hcautifol scenery b y which i t is environed. Our course

lay entirely among th e m ountains w hich enclose

the V ega to the north-west, and was o f a veiy

dilTerent description from any we had yet tra­velled- For a conaiderahlc dirtance we skirted

precipices, that reminded me o f the old road

from V isp to Zefmatt, where a single false step

would ca n y horse and ridtr a good deal further

than would be pleasant, landing them at lairt, it

m ight be, on the roof o f one o f the picturcsqne

Death-Crojsi. 377

old m ills, green w ith damp and moss, whieh the ilo o r s o f by-gone days had perched here

and there, upon m any a ledge o f tocV, over the

streams o f th is w ild distriet.Ono such spot we particularly noticed, jxist

where the sum m it oi* a m ountain oppositi' is

crowned w ith a cross, to commemorate the

death of a man, whose horse having run away, carricd him sheer down the precipice. A simi*

lar monument stood by the wayside on onp approach to Cahra, recording the death o f a

gentleman, who w ith his horse was killed near

the spot d'oring a thnnder*f>turui. Moat travcb

in Spain make frequent mention o f what "Words­worth wills “ the votivo d ea th -cT osw ,” indicat­in g the scene o f a murder, op some other violent death, and we fully expected, that iu Andalusia

at least, such memorials would be as common

aa m ilestones. Ford speaka of having once

counted fifteen crosses within a space o f fifty

yards. "We saw very few in any part o f the

country, ow ing prohahly to the comparative

suppression of brigandage.The mountain*tracks being very intricate, we

eugap;ed a man to pilot us to-day, and he must

either have undertaken more than he could

accomplish, as had been the case w ith previous

guides, and so through i^noranco led ms astray, or else in thiü neighbourhood a road does not

signify the same th in g aa in other parts o f the

globe. Por m iles we had to follow the bed of a torrent, w hieh happening to bo dry was at OTir service fo r th e nouce, scrambling up suel, stairs and ledges o f rock, und then plunging

again into such deep holes and narrow gullies, as no quadruped that had not received tho

special education o f » snxu^ler's horse, could ever traverse in safety. H ad we chaneed to he

overtaken b y a thunder-storm, while ii^U|^Iing

through these difficulties, the duukcys must inevitably have heen swept away by th e torrent, the wide strips o f sand and stones, that lay

here and there in th e more open spaces, giving

a plain proof o f th e violence w ith wMch it

occasionally dashes down the defile. Happily

no such catastrophe occurred, the day being

beautiful ; and having at Jwt overcome a ll diffi­culties, we soon reached a v i l la ^ at the top o f th e pass.

H ere we wished to feed the horses, but our

guide being o f a different mind posted onwards

down the mountain* side, w ith an ohscure inti­mation, n o t very palatable to hungry men,

ignorant o f his vernacular, that further on there

S i ^ c t iVevítófl. 3 7 9

VÍA a wliere w<¡ sliould iia lt to greateradvantage. N cr did we question the judieious. ufSii. o f the arranifemeut, when liavltig quitted

th e mnje*traik we found ourselves eutering the

cuurtyafd o f a Bolitiuy farm-lioase, w ith the

snow-clad chain o f the Sierra N evada rising

Ixjfore us Íi\ cloudless majesty» at a distanoc of

ftbont forty miles. I t was our first view o f the

Spanish A lps, which iu the Picacho MulalLacen

attain a cuhuinatiiig elevation o f 12,762 feet, and although they exhibit neither the massive grandeur, nor the variety and gT'aeefnIness of

outline that distingniah the m ountains of the

Oberlar.d, Zermatt, and Chamouni, they still possess attractions o f their own, impartin^^ to

th e moToent they are ñrst sighted, au interest never to h« forgotten.

Granada, w ith all its associations o f chivalry

and roaiaiLce, was no longer a dim and shadowy

picture sketched b y th e im a^nation, but a

substantial and visible reality, and we were

now in sigh t o f a region where some of the

m ost remarkable events of Spanish history had

been transacted. E ven th e grassy slopes, and

undulating sweep of the mountain plateau, that

stretchcd before us in all the, commonplace

tameness o f an upland farm, had oncc formed a

380 Liberal M casurm i’nU.

portion o f the Border*land, which Christian and

MosUiri for so m any a^ys had made their battle­field, and over this very ground had the flower

o f Spanish linighthood dc*c»ndcd oftoitim es in

sudden raid upon the villages o f the Vega.W e had not, however, m uch leisure for day­

dreaming, and after a hasty meal were onco

more on horsol>ack, having sliU an unknown

distance to travel, before we conld hope to find a halting-plaoc for the night. In fact, among

the mountains vou can form no estimate of

distances, tbe 1 e-ague o f a Spanish mountaineer

lieing quite as indefinite a meaRuremont, afi the

as^ a v a tin g “ h ittu ck ” so heartily anathema­tized by pedestrians in the H ighlands. From

Cahra to Priego is callcd three leagues, but

they m ust have been estimated on a very hbcral scale, as i t took us a whole day's baveDing of

average speed to accomplish the journey. A t

th is moment, while descending the muun- tain*sidc, we had very little idea, where w*e were

going, beyond a vagne belief that wc were on

OUT way to (Canada, ( hir guide, i f he could be

dignified w ith moh a title, was liardly better

informed than ourselves, having evidently no­th in g hut the faintest apprehension o f the route, and so reserved in speech waa he, that question

B em ralized Donkey ». 381

jifler qnestion elidtud only the briefest replies. From time to tim e we heard m ention of Casa

Lope, but whether i t wa« a posada., or merely

a private house, where we m ight reçoive admis­sion for tlie n ight aa a favour, seemed en­veloped in the profouudeftt mystery.

The donl?eys and mules had bcoome very dis­orderly th is altcrnoon, ow ing to the vivacious

sallies of an undisciplined young jackass (arccent

purchase, it appeared, at Cordova), whieh, being

exempted from carrying a load in considerar

tion o f h is tender years, waa named hy us the

donVey of respect,” because, like tho unoccupied

coach o f reBpect," that makes such a figure in the royal retin ne of Spain, he had nothing to

do, TTe wa» oontinuully breaking out into noine juvenile extravagance, leaving the beaten path

aud walking in self-chosen ways, to th e serious

demüraliwtion o f the other donkeys, and then, for h is paina, getting a sound cudgelling irom

th e irate ilareo». A s i t takes some tim e tu

catch, on rough gromid, a nimhle Spaiiiah

donkey “ w ithout enemnbranee,*’ and w ith a

thrashing in prospect, we did not get on very

fast th is afternoon, and so were too late t«i see the

snow-crested peaks o f the Sierra Nevada hghted

up w ith th e rosy flush o f sunset, as we had

fondly hoptd. This was very provoking, there

bein^ eveiy probability, that had we been more

advanced ou our way, we m ight have reached

anch a point o f view as wotild have enabled us

to erijoy the glorious spectacle o f an Alpine sunset.

N ig h t soon overtook us picking oor way, as best we could, through puddle and mire, under

tlic ligh t o f a oung moon, whose slender

croscent seemed an appropriate sign to m eet the eye o f travel] era on their road to the classic

ground o f W estern Maliometanism. Thus

passed tw o or tliree hours, th e ni^ht-air among

the mountains, at the end uf November, making

the prospect o f a warm chimney-corner especially

attractive- Still uo token o f village or posada

appeared, and, to mend matters, onr guide

became confostd, and baring lo st all recollection o f the route, left us, drawn up in the middle of

tlie road, while he went to make inquiries at a

fiirm^honse. This interval we naturally devoted

to the exercise o f a privilege seldom left long in abeyance (say the critics), by our countrymen.

Lords and Commons alike, and for which there is little need “ to search for precedents." In

tlie m idst, however, o f our growling and dis­content, to wliich hunger was beginning to iit*-

part additional acerbity, wc could not lielp

adiniriiig tUc beauty of tlio slicplicrds’ watch- fires, as they flashed Tip fitfully against the

murky sky, from m ouctam slope and moorland; nor could we recollect w ithont some feeling of

self-rehnke, th e hardships o f those poor men, who, every night o f the year, winter aiid

summer alike, take their tn m in w atching their Hocks, and, like Jacob of old, are "consumed

w ith drought by day, and w ith frost hy night, while sleep departs from tlieir eyes,” w ith no

Haehelfl, moreover, to sweeten their lahoors. For th e shepherds o f Spam are an almost wifeleM brotherbood, their way of life stddom perm itting

them to marry.Still, wliether we grumbled or philosophized,

it was all one. Casa Lope remained provokingly unapproachable, and beginning to regard its

existence as a m yth, we quite expected we

should soon liave to follow the example o f the

shepherds, and bivouac for th e n ight by tlio wayside. A t laat we diacovered a cottage, ar>d

on m aking the usual inquiry, “ H ow far is

it to Casa Lope ?” were answered in tones

which struggled forth w ith a muffled sound, ap­parently frem under heaps of bed-clothes, “ that

we muat ford a brook, climb a hill, and then

we aliOuM speedily find onrseives at onr destiria-

tio n .”In the course of h a lf an hour this prediirtion

was satisfactorily folTilled, and we entered the

gateway o f a building, wliich looked gannt and

spectral in the uncertain light, juat as the young

moon was sinking over the western hills.Thia was Oasa Lope, and though we were

never very critical o f appoarancca, much leas

after a ride o f thirteen hours, a more deplorable- looking place cannot well he imagined. Judging from its extent and proportion», we concluded it

had been built long before the formation of new

roads had drained th e general stieam o f traffic

from the Paas of Puerto Lope, on the ancient highway between Cordova and Granada. B ut

now its roomy stables were iintenimted, th e lofty chambers dismantled of their furnitnre, and our

footsteps echoed m oum fnlly along the spacious

corridor, in to which the rooms on the first fioor

opened. H aving nothing antique or veneiaWe

in ita appearance, it gave one, on a small scale, a very good idea o f the condition and aspect our

cavalry -barracks would exhibit after about tw enty years’ aaeendunoy of the Peace Society. H appily aa we entered there was a good hla^e

on the hearth, and thongh the people of the

I10U8C w e r e b y no means kindly disposed, or

eT6H civil, they could not deny us scats amon^

th e muleteers, who surrounded the fire. The

only beds available were sluike-downs on the brick £oor, in one o f the upstaif rooms, o f which

Lord Portarlingtoii and Mr- Sykes took ad­vantage- I preferred an anangeiueut o f throe

chairs, which, i f hard, were at any rate clean, and inodorous, and I managed in th is way to get a brief doze, in spite of th e gusty draughts, that eddied through th e long corridor, where by

choice I had taken m y station. I t required no

great persuasion to start betimes next morn­ing, and soon alter seven we had bidden (lot ns hope) an eternal farewell to Casa Lope, a boom e to which no traveller wonld w illingly return.

The groimd was crisp with hoar-froat, and the

transparent eleamesR o f the fresh morning air

brought thf' glittering crest o f the Sierra Nevada, and th e snow-white villages of the V ega into a

proximity that cheated the eye o f half tho dis­tance. I t now beeauie evident how fortunate we

had Ixjen yesterday in ou i view o f the principal

peaks o f tho great chain, Pieacho Ifulahaecn, and

Picacho de Veleta. A s we then saw them they

were noble objects, while the greensward o f the

pastures over which we looked at them , formedc c

a foreground that threw them out to th é greatest advanta^'. B nt to-day our point o f vievvr being

changcd, other ranges o f far more pictureiique ter n , and varied outUne, camc into sight on the

north-east, though none o f them was crowncd

w ith a diadem o f snow.W ith lllora on a h ill to our right, we could

now distinctly make out the huiJdinga o f Gra­

nada on the opposite side o f th e V ega, d in g ­in g to th^ iovrest t^^rraces o f tho Sierra

Nevada, and it wa? w ith the pkaaant feeHng o f having prosperously accomplished a long- cherished design (seasoned, T trust, w ith a

spirit o f thankfulneas), that we descended the

paved causeway leading to th e v i l l s ^ o f Pinos.Puikiss had ridden on before, to see what he

conld provide for our tnid-day meal, and on dis­m ounting at the cleanliest and neatest o f posa- das. which after Casa Lope looked like a tra- veller’s Paradise, we found with much satisfaction

he had heen m ost successful in his catering, und

we now made ample amends for the scantincss of

yesternight s supper. The old lady of the house, finding we were going to Granada> volunteered

some very maternal advice respecting its inhahifc- ant#, whom she did not seem to regard as the

mort virtuous communitv in the world ; and

lir id fft o f P in o i, 387

tto a g li, from oar very lim ited acquaiotance with

Spanisli, bHc did uot succecd In conveying to us

any very distinct idea of the perils that awaited

U8 in the old Moorisli capital, her kindness aud

good*will were eqnally manifested, and appr^

ciated accordingly.Just outside the village we passed a spot of

far deeper interest (to m y mind) than m ost of

th e acenes that hiitury has cnnohlcd. I t was on

th e bridge, w H cii here spans ono o f the tributi^«

ries o f the Xenil, that Queen Isabella’s messen*

ger overtook Columbns, when, disgusted w ith the

delays and disappointments ho had so long

encountered at tbe Spanish Court, he eet out in i ’ebruary, 1492, to quit Spain for ever, on his

way to oiTer b is services to our H enry V I I . For

Sloven years he had been seeking in vain for that assistance from Ferdinand, w hich was necessary

to the success o f h is grand project; and when now at la st Isabella, Iarger*hearted and more

prescient than her husband, offered her aid, it

was almost too late, and Oolnmbus, warned by

bitter experience, hesitated to expose him self anew to the vexatious intrigues o f a Court, that had already wasted some o f the best years of

his life.I t was a moment of intense interest. TFow

c c 2

m ust h is mind have been a^^tated by the tumnlfc

o f oontcnding feelings ! On the OT e hand, w ith what bitterness, aud nnavailing regret would

he look hack on the ra in struggles and hopes

deferred, which m onth by month, and year by

year, had sickened h is heart, producing a m ost natural repn^^ancc, even in hia brave spirit, to

re-embark on auch “ a sea o f troubles.” W hile on th e other, wherever else he turned, a still more chucrks» prospect opened before him, l i e waa now on hi;s way to England, but though

going there under the patronage o f H enry, he

could hardly expect to find hia path perfectly

clear. l i e would still be a stranger among

itrangera, to begin anew th e weariaom« t^isk of

disarming self-intereat, enlightening ignorance, and coneiliafcinf» prejudice. W hereas now at length, Isabella’s iinexpectcd offer seemed likely

to realize hia fondeat aspirations, and the mere word o f tlie good Queen would exercise an

influence ou him th e m ost solem n promises of

th e selfish l;\rdinand had no longer th e power

o f producing.D uring th e centurics o f war that preceded the

final expulsion o f the Moors from Spain, tbe

spot we were now passing had witnessed many a

gallant deed o f high emprise, and th e waters of

th e X ciiil were often crimsoned Trith the bravest Wood o f Oliriatian and M oslem. I t was the

pass hy which the Spanish chivalry used to

carry thoir forays up to tho enem y’s gates, from

some o f tlieir nearest stronghold», such as Alcalá

la Real, or even occasionally from Cordova itself. One of the worst disasters recorded in Spanish history took place in the immediate neighhour*

hood, Tihcn on the 26th o f Jnne, 1319, an army

o f snch numbers, “ aa covered the facc o f the

«arth,” commanded by tho Infantes Pedro and

Juan, was utterly routed by the Moors w ith the

loss of 50,UUU men, includiug the two Princes, one o f whom, Don Pedro, was skinned, stnifed, and hung up over th e gate o f Elvira. Nearly

tw o hnndred years later, th e hridge o f Pinos was th e scene o f one o f the bloodiest encounters

o f the last M oorish war, when the roval army

under Ferdinand forced th e passage after a

desperate resistance.B ut o f all the events, o f which the bridge of

P inos has been th e theatre, though they may occupy a larger space in the pages of history, none can he compared in point o f genuine in*

tcrest with th e unrecorded conflict, which took

place that memorable Fobm ary day iu the mind o f Columbus, when, in answer to Isabella’s invita*

tion, he decided to roturn to the royal camp at

Santa F e, where the K in g and Qpeen then

resided, haTing in tho previous month aecom*

plished the crowninjr achievement o f their reign

h y the conquest of Granada.IVom thi» spot nothing lay between us aud

Grunuda, but th e famous Vega, a plain which, oceupyixig the bed o f a dried-up la te , runs up to th e walls of tho town, and stretchca some thirty

m iles to tho westward, an uninterrupted expanse

o f TCrdure and fertihty. D oubling th e haic of a mountain, Elvira, w hich projects l i l e a pro*

montory into the bosom o f the Vega, we rod© in

single filo along the narrow path by which alone, for several miles, Granada was approachable on

the Cordova side. N o t but what a road o f un­impeachable dimensions exists in that direction;

hut when v e passed on the 30th o f November,

i t vi-aR a mere causeway o f mud, w ith depth and width enough to engulf a ll the donkeys in

th e neighhourhof^d, one of which, as its half- devoured carcase testified, had recently sunk

therein, to rise no more.The existence o f such a road, w ith in a league

o f such a place as Granada, would he almost in­credible to those, who have not travelled in

Spain, where the highways are invariably woiee

Approach fo (hartada. 391

kept in the vicinity of large towns, than out in the country.

This portion o f th e "Vega is au uninteresting

level o f Irrigated cornfields, divided by banks of

eartli, and intersected in every direction by

water-courses, w hich at th is season were brimful, so as to Hood all the iutormediato ground» for

the pnrpose o f stim ulating the vegetation of the newly*sewn grain. H aving in due course

tuncrged upon firm road, near a grove o f the

finest cypreaa-trees T ever saw, wc soon entered

the town, tlireading several narrow lanes of most

Oriental ^pearance, aud passing th e graceful arcliway o f the well-known Casa del Carbon, while our cavaloade attracted universal notice, we crossed tho torrent-fttream o f Üie Darro, and

entering the principal thorough fari.s uliglitod w ith m uch satisfactiou at the doorway o f tlie Victoria H otel,

C H A P T E B X X X V I.

Gr a n a d a , B ecm her is?.— i t was to theCathedral we went first, on the morning

after our arrival, reserving th e Alhajjibra, which some diatancc from th e hotel, for the afternoon, when we shonld havft more tim e to

devote to th is e lim inatin g object c f our toxir. T he Cathedral, a handsome, half-Gothic, half-

classieal haild ing of the sirteentli and seven- teenth centuries, profusely ornamented with jasper, and preoious marbles, is utterly deficient in solem nity and grandeur o f appearanr«, and

its glaring, white-washed mtftrior would bo

infinitely \mproved by th e introduction o f good

painted glass. Jt ccntrajsts disadvartageous)y

by its excess of ligbt, whieli in summer niurt be quite overpowering, w ith every other Spanish

Cathedral we saw, where t t e opposite extreme

prevails; and in tbe awe-inspiring gloom, m to

which you suddenly emerge from the broad

CapilUi <J h s BeyeF. 393

sunshine, vs at Toledo and Seville especially,

painting, and seuJptnre, retablo, and alabaster

tomb, present to the eye a perplexing, undis-

tinguishahle mass, in which beauty o f det^l, and distiuclneRs o f outline, are altogether lost

in th e Rurruunding tw ilight. 1 m issed here the nearly-universal St. Christopher, which, in most Spanish <?athedrals, towers, a Colossus in fresco, near the transept-entraiico, so as to be seen by

all on going in, i t Iwing a popular belief, that no one, who looks at th is Saint, can come the

same day to an evil end.W u harried onward to the CapiUa tie

Jifiyeg, where Ferdinand and Tsahella li€ burled. Tliis chapel, a Tery good specimen o f Plorid Gothic, adjoins the southern side of the Cathe­dral, and is one of th e m ost interesting spots I

ever visited- I t is separated from its ante*

chapel h y th e m ost superb rfjcy or screen of

iron-work, w e saw anywhere in Spain, th e land

(as I have already remarked, mure than once), p a r excellence, for cunning workmanship in gold, silver, and all lands o f metal. The abiuidan'ce of ligh t is here a great advantage, as it reveals

every portion of £ l MaentTo Burtolomv’s ex­quisite design, as well as the alabaster glories

o f the royal tombs, which 611 up the whole

394 Itoyal T^mbt.

aica between tlie Acr^n, and the hi^»h-altar of

the chapul. Parsing onwarda h j a side-<loor, we stoo^ above tho vault, where the lemaius o f Ferdinand, TsahcUa, and tbeir daughter, the

poor ¡u&une Juana, w ith her hushan*!, Philip

o f B u i^ m dy, are entoinhed, irh ile ou cither

hand, a maguiCccnt monxuuont o f noble dimen­sions, and superb execution, ri&f« to tho height

o f some five feet above the chapel floor. Each

o f these monuments, vh ic li arc said to be fclie w ort o f an Italian gcxilptur, has the tbrm of

an altai*tomb, w ith recuiuhent figures o f a royal pair, life-si^ed, reposing on its horizon­ta l surface. D escfnding into th e vault helow, we pa^ the fonr coffins, which, liaving» beeti concealed during the French occupation o f Gra­nada, remain esartly in their original condition. T hey are perfectly plain, sind almost rude in their construction, each bearing the initiiii of

its occupant. Isabella’s coffin is marked w ith

the letter T ; for the Spaniards write the name

o f thoir gre,at«6t Queen, not aa wc do, but “ Yeahel.*’

The leading idea o f th is chapel is the con­quest of Granaiia, which reproduced again

find again, in every feature. ()n oach side of the high-altar are some remarkable carvings in

wood, coloured, gilt, and draped in character, so a5 to be c ia c t repreeentatione o f th e K in g

and Queen in face, form, and costumc, as they appeared at th e taking of th e city. That cir­cumstance gives these carvings historical in ­terest; nor is i t \in worthy o f remark, that they

arc represented in au attitude, then beginning

to go ont of fashion in works o f art, though no other could be more suitable, even to those

powerful monarch», who in the conquest of

Granada were acknowledging th e crowning

event of tlieir glorious reign— they are on their

knees, devoutly giving tlmnkii to A lm ighty God for tho victory over the Moors. Their

feecs are precisely o f thiit character, which con­vinces the beholder of their lifeJike truthful-

uess, veritable portraiU in fact, and c o t mere creations of th e imagination— Ferdinand heavy, and siow-ioinded, but resolute; Isabella calm, benevoknt, and wiRe, w ith more coraelinesB

tbaa beauty.T he high*altar is panelled w ith carvings ot

the same date and description, ill\istratiiig the

surrender o f the Alhnmbra. Ford, a good judge of Art, aud perfectly accrualnted w ith all that

Spain contains o f greatest interest, remarks that

few th ings in the whole land arc more curious.

Isabella, on a wLitv palirey, rides between her

husbatLd, and Cardinal Mendoza. Boabdii oonics foi*th on foot to m eet them, .and delivers up the

bey o f the town, holding it hy the wards. Behind the K in^ and Queen appear the ladies

o f the court, bnighta, and soldiers; while tho Christiau captives, whom th e Burrender has just

restored to freedom, march out, tw o and two, in

long procession, a glad, and thankful company.The carvinga on the other side o f the altar set

forth the conversion of the Moors, who preferred

Christianity with Oranada, to ^fahometanism w ithout it. The artist may not have intended

it, but nothing can be more dismal, and unhappy,

than the countenances o f these converts, as i f th e reception of (^ ristian ity had been to them

anything but a privilege. Indeed, the manner in which they are taben to th e font for baptism, g iv ^ one far more the idea o f a flock o f sheep

heing driven into the fold, than th e voluntary

act o f free agen ts; while their number would

lead one to fear, that adequate instruction and

preparation m ust have boon altogether impossi­ble. Tho artist has, perhaps uoconRciously, quite illustrated th e general spirit (at least) of

those “ vaiions modes— sometimes by hlandish- T n e i) t , sometimes by rigour, sometimes exhorting,

R rjrukion o f the M oon, 397

sometimes entreating, sorQetimes hanging, some­tim es burning— by which the hard hearts of the

Infidels were sahdued, and ahove fifty thousand

coaxed, teased, and terrified into baptism.” *

Ford calls particnlar attention to the muiilers and leg-wrappers o f th e women, which are pre­cisely o f the same pattern as those still worn by

the Moors o f Tctuan.I eould not help thinking how much happier

a eonntry Spain, in all probahility, would now

ho, had a different coarse b«cn adopted towards

her M oorish iuhahitantR. I f, instead of having

to make their choiwj between forsaking Maho­metanism, and Ciile, they had heen allowed to

retain their old homes (with snch precautions

as m ight he deemed necessary to sccure their

peaieful submission to their new rulers), and

their gradual conversion attempted w ith a ll the

zeal, ability, and other appliances, which the

Chnreh o f Spain had then th e power to employ, th e land would in that caso hove been spared

the loss o f her moat industrious and intelliffent

inhabitants, and whole distriets, once proverbial for good forming, and fertility, saved from their

present unproductiveness, and lack o f popn-

• Quarierly Rcvictt, No. hxxT, p, 7ft.

3 9 ^ R e lia o f th i Coiuf^eni.

Ution. A b it waa, tb e Spanish hierarcby

imitated one o f the worst principios of ILahome- tanifim, and forecd Christianity upon rcluctani multitudes.

The deaf old vergor, after g iving us ample

tim e for a carefnl exaruinatiou of these most

curious carvings, and settiiig a step-ladder, from

the top o f which we gained a better view o f the

royal tombs, next proceeded to draw forth, from gome hidden roccptacle, ol^ccte o f still greater

attractiveness, which had been bequeathed to this chapel b y its fonnders. A m ong these were lea*

bclla’s sceptre, and m is!^ — Ferdinand’s sword, aud crowD— an exquisite Gothic pyx o f gold, two

feet high, covered w ith emblems o f the Eucha*

lis t , and having tbe base o f its pedestal hollowed

out so aa to contain a representiiti<m o f the Last

Supper, very similar in point o f design (but on a greatly-reduced scale) to the faiaous ono by

Leonardo da V inci, every part o f i t being gic*

eutod in th e m ost masterly manner— a small picture by H em ling, “ The Adoration of the

Mairi,” before which mass used io he said daily, during tiie siege o f Gramula— a viril (a Specie*

o f monstrance) in gold, enjunelled, and encircled

b y diamonds o f large size an embroidered cope, encrnsted w itli gold to snch a degree, that nn-

Canonical MiTTors. 399

eupporied i t would olmost stand upriglit, aud

coverod w ith subjects from our Saviours Life, th e whole being (it is said) the production of the Queen’s owu Ixand, and presented by her to

Cardinal Mendoza for the servicc of th is chapel, in addition to tw o other similar yestraentii of

even i^ a tc r beauty, richncss of colouiing, and

exquisite workmanahip— and laat, not least in

point o f interest, the identical standards used hy

th e Christian army at th e s ie ^ .A ll these relics o f the conquest o f Granada

are in excellent pr«jcrvation, and as wc examined them one by one in that quiet, antique-looking

veRtry, it &eemed all but incredible that more

than three centuries and a half had ghded away

since they were first la id up in their ponderous presses o f chestnut-wood, so vividly did they

recall the past, rnaking us almost eye-witnesses

o f tlkose momentous events, in w hich thoy had

played their part.W e were h iglJy auixised with the number and

size o f th e old-fashioned mirrors let in to the

panelling of the vestry walls for the use o f the Cathedral canons, each dignitary having a sepa­rate glass for h is own special benefit. Every

one, initiated into the mvateries of a veatry, ia

aware that a certain amount o f looking-glass

400 Canonical Mirrors.

forms an indiepei)sable item o f its furniture. Rut, until T saw th e restriea o f Uurgos and

(rrauada, t always fancied four or five inches of

that useful article were quite suiEcient for every

clerical purpose. I t is never, however, too Lite

to learn, and the m ost interesting piece of original information, respecting the Church in

Spain, I wag ahle to pick up, in our whole pro*

gross from Bayonne to Crihraltar, consists in the

fact, that a cathcdral ounou cannot don his

eccleaiastioal vestments w ithout th e aid of as m ueh looting-^lass aa would sufQce for tiie

dressing-table o f m ost la d ie s!

T ) E F O R E sotting off for the Alhamhra, I

muRt craTC pcnm ssion to introduco our

guide {tnd c(mmi^Honnaire, Ximcnes, who ex­cited onr interest, n o t only as heing a roemher

o f th e same iam ily as thu great Caidinal, hut still more as the son o f M ateo Xim enes, whom

W aahingtou Irving has liandftd down to im ­m ortality in h is delightful “ Tales o f the A l­hambra.”

Ximenes is th e hest hcquais de pU/re I ever

saw, being not only attentive, and obliging, intelligent, and well-mannered, h u t - ^ very

rare quality in that fraternity— n ot in the

least degree officious, and he shows you exactly

what you want to see, w ithout horing you with

the twaddle m ost guides delight in. Our hotel was the Victoria, a name which, repeated in the

i> D

402 TIu Alkamf^ra.

Calle de la Victoria, seems intended to be an

additional memorial of the conquest o f Granada, I t is well situated at th e nortlicm extrem ity of

tb e Alameda, and from its front windows com­mands a good view o f the Sierra Nevada, draped in its m antle o f snow. The situation is, how­ever, better adapted for summer than winter, as

i t loses tbe before noon, and our rooms, being totally nnprovided w ith grates, or any sort o f fire-place, were miserably cold-

On our way to tlie Alhambra, we had to

traverse some o f the oldest quarters o f the town, where picturesi^ue streets and dirty alleys, l i n i n g caeh bank o f the Darro— a brawling

moTintain-stream, that intersects the whole length

o f Granada— are crowded together w ithiu the

gorge o f a narrow ravine, dominated by the

towers o f the fortress.Em erging, at length, by the Calle de los

Gómeles, and crossing a spacions plaza , we

entered the classic regions o f the Alhambra by

Charles V .’s heavy gateway. The dense grove o f elms, over wliieh, to our right, peered the

ruddy forms of the Torres licn/u^ojs, tlie walk a that opened out ixi serpentine curves, and the situation, a steep h ill overhanging the town, combiutid to recall H eidelberg; but g iving our-

C k a r U f i ÿ P a U tc c - 4 0 5

selves îîo leianre to dweîl on thpi outRlcirte, we hurried forwardu to the (îate of Justice, a m æsive tower o f Uxpia, where trials used

to be held, w ith a large open hand cut deep

into the kcyst-oiic o f the axch, under whieh we

passed, w h ik , fjirthei on in the same building?, A Irey occupies a similar position over anotlier portal. H astening onwards through a narrow

passage iu th e open air, we came upon a spa-

oioue esplanade, Plaza de los the Placeo f the Cisterns, go called from two grL»at re­servoirs, cut out o f the solid roek, h y wliicli i t is underlaid, having» the T<7rre d d

w i t h its e l e j ^ t M oorish arch, on o t j p right.The mo^t eonapicuoufi object, however, that

m et th e eye, ie tho last one would either

expoct or deFdre to see in such a apot.

For juet at the moment when the mind ie

attuned to the contemplation o f some o f the

iighteet and m ost graceful architecture in the

world, and you are eager to experience the senaations o f a first impression, there, stndght

before you, on the choicest site in the whole

circuit o f th e fortress, ri^es Charles V /e un. finished palace, a building that in solidity and

maasiveuess almost rivale the m ost ponderous

constructions o f Vanhurgh. Anywhere else you

n 0 2

4 0 4 E iptcrior o f A lfxm bra .

m ight feel disposed to admire its stately form

ond coetJy materials; hut intruded here, arid

built (it ia said) even upon the foundations of the M oorish wintcr-palace, pulled down to make

w ay for it, it ia nothing better than an insolent

barbarism, nnworthy such a man as Charles. N or is one’s vexation lessened on finding that it waa never finished, in consequence o f repeated

earthqnakea, which took place during its erec­tion, and now the roofless, naked walla stare at each other in blank vacancy. I «"as very glad w e had made our pilgrimai^e to Yuste before

going to Granada.; for I could never have en­joyed the same pleaanrc in v isiting Charles’s last

reirciit, after seeing th e havoc he committed at

th e Alhambra.Every one has noticed the extremely plain,

indeed almost shahhy, exterior of th e Alhambra, especially when viewed in juxtaposition w ith thehighly*decorated façade o f Charles’s palace. The

motive for such plainneas is not to he ascrihcd

so m uch to a desire o f producing the greatest possible contrast between its external simplicity, and internal gorgeousness, as to th e purpose of

averting the evil eye, of which Soutliem , and

Eastern nations have at all tim es felt ao uni*

versai a dread. A t any rate, a most cltarming

artistic effect is the result, and from a narrow

piissage frowned npon t y the offices of the neigh*

hour-palacc, and w ith nothing before the eye

but the eommon*place i< ^ a walls o f the Alham ­bra, yon step at once by a m ost unpretending

little door into the fu ll beanty o f that f^ ry crea*

tiori, consccrated at once by the asaociatione of

Poetry, A rt, and History,W c are now in the Alherco. A long marble

tank, ISO feet by 30, bordered by parterres of

roses, rows o f orange trees, and m yrtles, w ith multitudeis o f gold and silver fish darting to ' aud fro in its glassy waters, fills th e whole

k'Dgth o f its central jirea. The two longer

walls o f th is court, which on their lower surface

are perfectly devoid o f ornamentation, are pierced

above hy a row of m ost graceful MooHsh

•windows, opening towards the tank, and look­in g in that quiet spot, so fraiight w ith a sense

o f repose and retirement, aa i f they belonged to a cluster o f conventual cells. One end o f the

Alberca terminates in a m ost hcautitul donble

arcade ; at th e other rises the tower o f Comares, which, though not attaining an devotion of

more thaii 75 feet by 87, still preseuts a very

imposing appearance us it lifls itse lf abuve

the surrounding buildings, so ligh t in their

4o 6 }l< d l o f Ambassadors.

conetruction, so gracefnl in tlieir proportions. W ithin its walla stands the H a ll o f the Am bas­sadors, the largest, and one o f the m ost snmp- tnous apartments in the whole palace, used for

the reception of envoys from Ih r c i^ Powers.I t was here, that, in 1478, Don Juan de Vera

delivered to M uley Abcn Haasan Ferdinand's

demand o f the trihntc paid hy preceding t i n ^

of Granada to th e Castilian sovereigns— the

prelude to the final overthrow o f tho Moorish

power in Spain.I t is a noble room, 35 feet sijuare by 60 iu

height, crowncd h y a vaulted roof o f aUrve wood

o f extreme beauty, and illum inated in gold, red, and blue. Tlie walls arc riohly stnocoed, and

adorned with arabesques o f great clegancc. In

fact, it wonld seem as i f the artist had determined

to la-vish upon its ornamentation uü the resources

of M oorish art and taste, for the sake o f produc­in g a powerful impression on the m inds o f tho

strangers, for whose reception it was destined.I ts situation is unrivalled. A s yon stand

in the decply-reecased windows, to which the

enorinons thickness of the walls gives almost

the space o f small clmmbcrs, you command one

o f the m ost enchanting prospects in th e world, revealing at one glance the fertile bosom o f the

Court o f Iao%h. 407

Vega, boimded by ita ampTiitheatre o f mountains,

and the crowded streets of tb e Albaicin, w ith its im pending tenacea ot* tiowex-^aideD, and vine­yard; while right opposite, on breezy heights, that o T e r t o p Alhambra itw lf, rise the gleam ing

walls o f the Oenuralifo, Bunounded by shady

alleys of hox-tiec, poplar, and cypress.In its o r i^ a l beauty, and in the hours of

early siimnjer, tbe H a ll of th e Ambassadors must have heen a M oslem paradise, amid the teeming

luxurianc’e of that semi-tropical vegetation, being

ao contrived, that while & constant current o f air breathes freshness throngh the apartment from

tbe windows, that pierce Its three aides, y e t by partitions of m ost elegant lattice-work the sun­shine can. he tempered into a gentle twilight.

Our visit, however, was not ao happily timed, and the hleak winds, aud darksome skies o f

December forbade our indulgence in dreams of the ima^jinatien, and ui^ed u b onward stilL

Ke-entering the court o f the Alberea, we

hastened towards the Co\irt of Lions, the central shrine o f th is aanctuary of M oorish art.

M any persons, forgetting that lim iry, not

grandeur, is the leading idea o f the Alhainhra, are disappointed w ith the dimensions o f th is court, as i f they expect&d its size to be proportionate

408 Conri o f Lions.

to its fame. To ns its aetud appearancc exactly

coincided w ith otit anticipations, and we now

enjoyed tlic intense satisfaction o f realizijig an

almost life-long idea.The Court o f Liona, an oblong o f 115 feet

by C6 from wall to wall, is divided into two

portions, o f which th e central and far larger di­vision is open to the sky, while the rest consists

o f a cloistcr-like arcade, running ro\md the four

sides, and snpported b y more than a hmidred columns, o f m ost graceful, fairy-like form, in

white alabaster. A t each cud two projections, constructed somewhat like a covercd baicocy, arc thrown out a few feet, eo as to present a

very pleasing break in th e general outline, when

you stand in th e centre o f the court beside the

Fountain o f Lions j while w ith in th e cloister, each o f the deep recesses, gained by th e pro­jection, forms a delicious nook, where, in olden

tim e, m any a summer hour was whiled away, amid the luxurious repose o f couches and

ottomans, by the song o f th e minstrel, and the

romance of the story-teller.W hen you have maistered the first impression,

you observe, that the columns on w hich the arcade rests, are alternately single and in pairs, w ith capitals o f very graceful pattern, and tbe

COURT* Of UON A--ÍV0K/'

I ; V .'.Ji

' 'ííJ- '»-I. * •

«;.v*• ij ‘ if

V > i■t»:*'*: :> •'*. • :- ' r

tf*/* ill

walls of tlic cloister covered w itli tiles o f U ue

and yellow poicck iii, the taToorito panelling of

the Moors.r longed to do something for th e henefit of

the far-faiaed Fountain o f Lions, which, in its

present düâpidatioii and udeleasness, mars one’s

enjoyment o f the scene ; nor have th e lions

dufBcient charaoter to hear their reverse of fortune w ith dignity. Indeed, despite eveiy

preposseRsion in their favour, a «m did spec­

tator, w ith th e smallest hiae towards matter- of*fact, muat acknowledge that tliey are some­what mançfy«look ing animals, such aa exist, it

is to he hoped, only in the regions of heraldry. Ferguason assigns to th is court the date of

1325-1S83, while the comparative plainness of

the Alherca claims an earlier period.Turning to the right we next enter the H all

o f th e Aheucerraires, w ith ita exquisite honey­combed roof, and central fountain. I t was here

(according to tradition) that Boahdil massaercd

thirty-six members o f th e family, from which th e apartment derives ita title, and is not the

deed incontestably proved hy the blood-stains, which sully the purity o f thu marble floor, as

tlie guides point out w ith a positivcnesd o f be­lief, perfectly refreshing in th is incrcdolous age ?

4 10 2 I(^ o f ihfi Tfco Sisters.

Formerly, all pctsoue, guides and tlie ii em^

ployers alike, enjoyed the satisfaction o f be- liev ing that those m ddy atain^ ware a perpetual memorial o f the bloody event. B u t one un­lucky day, somebody, utterly destitute o f ro­m antic feeling and reverence for th e rcUyio

loci, discovered that a tradition, elaim ing an

antiquity o f three centuries and ^ half, had

no better foondation, than gross ignoranec of

ehem iitry, and, in the hmi^uflge o f Cydopicdiafi, those time*honourixl stains “ are nothing else but th e deposit of water, impre|jnatcd w ith iron,

upon th e w liite stone” 1 !Binct- that fatal hour, no educated pfirwu

dares to indulge in th e lu iu ry o f the ancient belief, u o t even under th e protection of the

guUant appeal made by Ford in its behalf. Bomaoce is powerless to contend w ith science

in (Jie work-a-day nineteenth century.Exactly opposit«, on the other aide o f tho

court, is “ Tho H all of th e Tw o Sistcra,” so

called from tw o enormous slabs o f Macael marble, w ithout ihiw or stain, twins in form

and colour, w hich are let in to the i>avement. T ills is perhaps the m ost beautiful portion of th o Alhambra, and ia its exuberance o f oma-

mentatiou, richness and variety of eolourisg,

H aS. o f the Tko Sk iers. 411

and manifold combination o f every linA that

can produce beauty and grace, i t is simply heyond description. The proportions are so

graceful, th e coIotits bo bri|fht and gay, yet

subdued into such exquisite harmony, that

soothes? while it cncharitR the eye, and every portion down to the tiles, which form a panel­lin g some three teet above th e floor, bears the

stamp o f such refined taste, and inlinit« inren-

tiveness, that one looks aronnd w ith a sort of despairing wonderment, unable either to clag&i^

the various objects challenging admiration on

every side, ot to carry off anything more distinct

than a dream-like recollection, in w hich eveiy

element of dc*coration is combined, until it forms

a bewildering eliaos o f beauty.Fei^uflson calls it “ the m ost varied, and

elegaiit apartment in th e whole palace. The

walls o f all these arc ornamented w ith geometric

and Bowing pattema, o f very great beauty and

richness, aud appEed w ith unexceptionable taste

for sueh a decoration j hut i t is on the roofs and

largti* arcades, tbat the fetal fecility o f planter becomes more apparent. Instead of the simple

enrves o f the dome, th e roots are made up of

honeycombed, or stalactite patterns, which look

more like natural rock-work than the forms of

an art, which bhould bo always, moiC Oi less, foruial, and comprchunsible at a glanco, at least

in their greater Hncs, and divisions. There is perhaps no inetanco where a Sanicenic ujchitect

has so nearly approached the lim its o f good

taste as here, und it requires uU the counter­vailing elements o f situation, and comparison

w ith other objects, to redeem it from tho charge o f having exceeded tlicm .” *

W c were greatly struck w ith th e highly- decorated saloon, called S ola de Jufstida, to

which th e date of 1460 is as&igncd. Ten

heaided Moors, in tho costume o f that day, aro represented sitting in council, a feature

wliich has suggested the name o f th e apartment. A numhor o f subjects, hoar-hnnting, toumar

m ents, ladies fair and gallant knights, both

Christian and M oslem, birds and hcasta, make

up a m ost curious work, reminding the spectator

(as Ford suggests) of some aiitique illuminated manuscript- I t is well worth careful study, and

interested m e exceedingly, as being a sty le of

decoration I had not oxpected to find in the Alliamhra.

One o f the m ost enjoyable spots in the whole

palace is the alcove overlooking the garden of

• Fergiiseon’s lU cd b o o k of Architecture, p. 483,

Tocadof de la Beina. 4*3

Idjuicraja w ith its marble fountain aurroniidecl by roses, m yrtles, and oraiige*tret:8, from one of

which Xim enes plucked some goldeti fruit, and

presented to each o f ub as a- w avw V of

th e Alhambra, On th is alcove, callcd Tocador

dfi. la Heine, every resoiirce and combination of

Mocwish art was cshaxisted, to make i t worthy o f itB destination as the boudoir o f th e reipning

Sultana; though even here one is reminded of

Charles V / s barbarism by the hideous briclc buildings he erocted, which rise in \uiinitigated

nghnesa on th e opposite side o f the garden.I t wore endless to describe a ll tbe vaiiouB

courts, balconies, galleries, and baths, contained

w ithin the circuit of the Alhambra. TI»e M osque aloiie, w ith its esquisite niche, where

th e K oran was deposited, would long detain an

archsDologist, even in spite o f the cruel treat­m ent i t expericnecd from Charles, who here

perpetrated precisely the same offence against

good taste, for which he gave tho Dean and Cliapter o f Cordova a scolding th ty richly de­served on account o f thoir stupid alterations in

that unique Cathedral-M auy vifdtors to th e Alhambra have expressed

disappointment w ith its aize, so much smaller than their im i^ nation had sketched out. W e,

on the contrary, were quite surprised to find so

much still in existence, after th e ill-u sa ^ i t has

underg;ouo from foreigner and native erer since

i t waa eurrcnde^red hy the M oors; not to men­tion the eurtliquakftR occiirring so freqnently at Granada, against w H ch nothing haa proved ho

eiTectual a protection, as its own lightness of

construction. O f lute the Spanish Government has begun to pay some attention to its condition, and the spirit o f restoration, which is one o f the m ost cheering aigns of the present century, has

actually penetrated th e Pemnsula, and although

a genuine Spaniard atill consid^ra (ae w e ob­served) Charles’s heavy structure the fairest ornament o f the Alhambra, yet now, T am

thankful to say, necessary repairs have been

effected, and a gradual restoration, c^ried ont

w ith excellent taste and exact fidelity, i going

on, to be eventually extended, le t us hope, in

theae days of Spain’s increasing prosperity, to th e entire building.

N o description I have ever read can be com- pared for a m oment w ith "Washington Irving’s " Tales o f the Alhambra,” a w ort overflowing w ith th e romantic iuspiratioTW o f the spot— no

mere crude result o f a few hnrried visits, but

th e mature production o f a lengthened residence

witliin its walls, set forth w ith all the graoe and spirit o f a consummate master in th e art of

“ o f tkfí A lham bra” 415

telling a story. In that cliarmiDg book th e last

strougliold o f M oorish power in Kpain is seen nndi?r every aspect: at one moracnt it appoars

restored to all th e freRhness ol* its antique splen­dour ; the magic power o f poetry lo-poople? its

courts w ith ladies fail, and g’oUaiit knights ; the

soiig o f tho minstrel, and th e clank o f arms arc

hcitrd ouee more, as irt daya o f old. A t another you see it as it now is, w ith its halls waste, and solitary; the owl h w ts Irom its battlements, tlie hawk builds in its warrior-towei«, and bats

flit about its royal chambers.”Ou leflviug th e Alhambra, we pe*croa&ed tbe

esplanade, through which we had approached it, and ascended the 2brre ck la Vela, so oalltd

because (as Ford states) “ on this wateh-towor h a n ^ a silvcr-tonjpied l>ell, whieh, struck by the

warder at certain times, is tho primitive oloek

that gives notice to th e irrigators below,” On

still evenings it can be beard at Loja, thirty

m iles otf. W e had stayed in the Alhambra till near sunset, and on m ounting th e flight o f steps

leading to th e summit o f tbe tower suddenly

found ourselves looking upon a panorama of surpassing interest and beauty.

To our left towered the vast mass o f the

Sierra Nevada, clothed halt-way down w ith a

vesture o f ni»wly*fillcn snow. Its aides are

acamod and finrowed w ith ravinea, where, even

in the iiitcnacst heats o f suaiiicr, glaciers, and

beds o f snow lie immelted, a iLCver-erapty store­house o f Granadans m ost neoebsaiy lo im y . The first bhieh o f sonset was ju st beginning to shed

its rosy tinta over that broad expanse o f virgin

white, recalling for the m oment some vcrydiffijr- ent scene among the Alpa of Switzerland or

Savoy, while (iranada at our feet soemed trans- m nted into gold, and snch a flood o f aunahino

came streaming, in slanting txJumns from the

western sky, that we eonld scarcely diaeem the long line o f brown hills, from which Boabdil

cast his farewell look on beloved Granada— the well-known “ Last S igh o f the M oor/’

D irectly xindcT the sinking snn lay Loja, our

n e st destination, where a gap breaks in npon tlie mountain »line, and the eye paused in its survey

upon th e heights above Puerto Lope, th e pass

b y w hich the Christian armies nsed to pour

down npon th e Vega, Those heights we re­garded w ith peculiar interest, because it was

from their crest we gained our first view o f Gra­nada, and in that transparent atmosphere we

eould now trace our route, step by step, along

the aimbumt slopes, almost down to the feiuoua

bridge o f Pinos, whieh tlxe bleak and barton

rocks o f IRlTira, projecting like a promontory in to the plain, ju st concealyd irom sight.

In the centre o f the panorama, cncirclcd hy

an amphitheatre o f mountains (aomc o f which

exhibit outlines o f singular boldness, aud variety), and occupying the bed o f a dried-up lake, more

than seventy m iles in circumference, lies the renowned V ega, a plain o f almost fabulous ferti­lity , where the broad acres clothed at th e moment w ith the emerald* green o f young wheat, hH>k

more like gardens, than com-fii:ld8; and as the

streamlets, w ith which the plain is intersected in erery direction, glisten like threads o f silver

in th e sunshine, it is hard to convince an inex­perienced spectator, that instead o f gazing at a

great sweep o f water-meadott's, as he would be

tompted to fency, he has really before W ? the

novel spectacle o f irrigated wheat*land, which, even under th e disadvantages o f Spanish culti­vation, yields an average harveRt o f fifty huRhels

an acre t Such, however, th e fact. As soon as

th e grain is sown, water is tnrned on t il l the

young blade appears, and thus a great impulse is given to its growth. I t is tliis eyatem o f irri­gation, invented hy th e Moors, and still main*

tained w ith a certain amount o f efficiency, that£ £

4 18 Abundance o f WaUr.

bûfl p vcD the Veija o f Granada ita proverbial prodatitiveness. Whcres'er a channel conducts

the life-giving stream, there is found an inex- hanstihle pow ei o f growth, and vegetation ; one

crop is hardly off tho ground, before another has

started into being, and th e eartli seems never

weary of bearing. B ut pass th e boundary, and

enter the spots where water does not penetrate, all is ehanged at once. On your r igh t you hare an Eden, on you i left a waste, barren as the sea­shore, and like i t coxeicd w ith stones, and aand 1

F ew th ings at Gninada strike the stranger so

forcibly, aR th e abundant supply o f th e pnrest, und freshest water, n o t only in th e lower regions

o f th e tow n, where it can bo conveyed w ith little

diificulty, but in situations apparently inaeeea. Bible to a wate>course. T he heights o f Albaicin,

a picturesque sub\irb overhanging the Darro, are excavated here and there, w ith subtemm ean

tanks, containing an almost unhm ited supply of

water. I n fact, th e M oors o f old seem to have considered good water as necessary to their

existence as v ita l air, and th e ingenious contri­vances, and appliances employed by them for

obtaining it, m ight be studied by m odem engi*

neers w ith every advantage to th e health, and

comfort o f our great towns.

How to g d a Utisband. 419

Before Icjaving tlie tower, let a s notice tlie spot, where th e Christian standard \s'as first hoisted, when iTcrdinaud, and Isabella took

formal possession o f th e Alhambra, January

2nd, 1492. I t is close to th e hell already spoken of, as regulating th e irriç;ation o f th e Vega.

Once every year, on the anniversary o f tho sur­render, that bell is rung for a diiterent purpose. Crowds o f peasants then oscend th e tower, and

every unmarried woman in want o f a husband

(the majority o f th e s e i , according to th e un­charitable assumption o f th e multitude) strikes

th e hell, as a means conducive to tiie attainment o f her wishes, and th e one who makes most noise (a somewhat ominoiw preparation, for matrimony) is supposed to insure herself the

hest partner.Ford, in describing the H a ll o f th e Abencer-

ragcs, eiclaim s, " A las ! that boudoirs made for

life, and love, should w itness sccnes o f hatred

and death 1”— a sentim ent wc could not help

extending to the whole circnit o f th e palace, on hearing irom th e servants what they witnessed

that a lU m oon in the elm-grove helow tbe

Alhambra, w hile returning to th e hotel.

Purkiss, Swainson, and El£ck, w ith the two

mnleteers, Marcos and Tomas, had chanced toE E 2

come np the Torre de la Vela, wliile we were

there, and they remained somo lim e after us, for

th e fuller enjoyment o f an opora*gla6S we had

left for their use, wHcH enabled them , lilce onr- selxee, to tracc out th e route we hadtraTersud in

descffidin^ irom Pmirto Lope, On. descendinf», and passing through tlic Gate o f Jnstice, they

observed about forty yards off, in one o f the side­walks o f th e chn-grove, three men, two being to^*ther, while th e third, m ounted on a donkty, was a sborfc distance apart. There, and then, in broad daylight, w ith in sigh t o f houses, and

close to a great city , th ey saw one o f the two m en go up to the third, who waa imarmed, and

almost helpless from intoxieation, aod attack

him w ith murdorous ferocity. The rufOan had

in his hand one o f th e formidable knives

universally worn by th e Spanish poasantrj', and

w ith tliis he first cut a groat gasli all down one

side o f the poor man's facc, aud theu stabbed

him again and again, in the ehest, until blood

HtrCAmed from mouth, and nostrih) at crcjry

breath, and he sank to the grouud wallowing in

gore. T he assassin, havii^g coolly wiped his

knife on his trousers, m uch in th e same way as a butcher after killing a beast, walked o ff with

a smiJc on his faoe, proud (apparently) o f what

he had done, leaving his victim in the p o n ie s of death.

W ith th e natural im pulse o f Englishm en, Swainson, and El£ck, as soon aa they luid

recoT w d fion i thü first shock o f horror, with whieh so hideous a sigh t had electrified them, were rushing forward to render assistance to the

poor Hum, bnt were 80 earnestly entreated, nay

almost com pclkd, to desist froui their purpose by several bystanders, Purliiss am oug the number, who knew only too w ell th e state o f Spanish

criminal law, that they were fain to submit, and

as th e poor murdered man was fast passing out

o f th e reach o f human aid, they a ll hurried

away together, know m g they m ight be detained for months, in case they were found on t!ic spot.

Snch atrocities are o f ahnost daily occurrence

in m any parts o f Spain, and, as we nnderstood, the state ol Spamsh law is calculated to render

punishment next to impossible. For the first th in g (Jovemnaent does, is to sek e the property o f th e murdered pergon, and apply i t to the

prosecution o f the murderer, and thus, in the

case o f a married man, absoluto ruin is often inflicted on his widow.

Scenes of bloodshed and violence frequently

4 ü National îiîocd-tkitéüne».

occur, âs is w ell known, in other sonthern coun­tries, where man^a temperament is so much more inflammable, than in cooler re^ons. B ut the

m ost shocldng charattcribtic o f such occurrences

In Spain, is th e utter unconcern, and ahience of

renorse, as i f tiie murder o f a feUow*ChrÎ8tian

were a matter re<^uiring no more sorrow and re­pentance, than the death o f a sheep, or a p ig f M any persons (and I th ink w ith good reason) have ascribed th is himontable detect in the

national character to the brutalizing influence of

the hull-ring ; while Ford, who, strange to say. Is a staunch advocate for that sport, inaists, on

th e contrary, that it is th e effect, and n ot the

cause o f the Spaniard’s inhred cruelty. They

were cruel, lie asserts, long before th e bull-fight

was ever introduced, as we learn from claasio

authors, and Ufl introduction haa made them no worse.

B u t does not auch a o f argument ntterly

ignore all the hum anizing influence« Christianity

ought to bring in i ts train? Surely that reli­gion, which is to elevate and purify fallen man, and make him partaker o f the P iv in e Nature»

m ust also contain w ithin itse lf tlic means o f tulftlling its secondary office, to soft«n and

humanize the ingrained ferocity o f mankind

Tf it cannot d isc lia i^ w ith euccees its inferior

mission, m ust it not M \ still more signalJy to

attain its higher piirpose ?F or m y own part, little a« I have seen of

Spain, and Jiasty as may be th e conclusions I

have formed on tlm subjoct, i t seems to m e im- possilJo to «lisconnect tiie indiiierence to hnman

life, so commonly exhibited by Spaniaxds, from

tlie revolting scenes o f the buU-riiig, where the

nation k a m s to t a ie delight in bloodshed, and somo of tho nohlcst animals (}od has bestowed

on maokiiLd are tortured to death for the a n iu ^ m ent o f tho mnltitude.. A nd th is takes pkce, we shovild remember,

not now and then, in one or two o f the largest

towns, b a t frequently, during the space o f half

the yeaj, in all parts oi' th e country, npon a

•wholesale scalc. The buU-flght wo saw at Madrid wag tho eighteenth, and last o f the

season. On that occdsion, eight bulls, and fif­teen horses were killed, soch being tlie ordinary

amount o f shiughter whenever a de Tbroi is celebrated- This would give for Madrid alone a yearly average o f 144 bulls, and 270 horses, slain in cold blood for tho entertainment of

Christian m en and women. I t is tm o, the

horses are reprieved from the knackers to fiir-

Jiish sport in th e IjuU-ring; but tbat fact in no

degree neutralizes the iujurione influences ex- crcised upon tb e spectators by such wanton efiu- sion oi* blood.

N or sliould i t be forgotten that these exhibi­tions occur periodically all over ike country, irom

San Sebastian to Gibraltar, and tow ns o f 5000

inhabitants, especially in Andulusia, the hoad- quarters of Tanromaohy, are rarely w itliout tlicir

P laza de Thron, which is gcneriklly the largest

and best*cared-for building in th e place.So tbat, in fact, Spain is deluged w ith blood

every year from end to end, merely for luan^s

amusenient, and the more horrible the incidents

o f the spectacle, th e greater the zest and delight

w ith which i t is witnessed. The only wonder

to me is— not that the Spaniards should be what

they ore— but tliat they dtill xetain b o many

fine qualities, and are not as a nation utterly

demoralized.I t is a mere id le retort to remind an Knglish*

man o f h is national prize-fight- T he actord

there are voluntary agents, and i f they choose

to pommel each other to picees, we can only say

it is a misfortune they have n ot different ideafl respecting man’s work upon earth, than to use

their hands ii> marring “the human iace divine.”

The E nglish prize-fight is Liippily no longer

w ithin tlie pal© o f th e law, and, w ith tlic ex­ception o f the late enconntcr, w hen national feeling was accidentally enlisted, no respectable person would bo seen in the ring at the present

day.W hereas in Spain, a ll classes,'from the highest

to th e lowest, men and women a lite , take their

place at th e buU-fight, as regiUarly as at opera

or play. Ford, in h is “ G ath erin g from Spain.”

p. 297, remarks, '‘W h at public moetinga and

dinners are to Britons, reviews aud ras^zias to Guids, mass or m usic to Italians, is thia one

aud absorbing buU-fight to Spaniards o f all ranks, seses, a^jes.” N ay, even the c l e i ^ arc

carried away by the national impxilsc, according to the same author. “ A t Seville, a choice box

in the shade, and to th e r igh t o f th e president, is allotted as th e seat o f honour to th e canons o f . the Cathedra?, who attend in. their clerical costume; and such days arc fixed upon for the

buU-fight as w ill not, by a long church*service, prevent their coming. The clergy o f Spain bave always been th e m ost uncompromising

enemies of the stage, whero they never g o ; yet

neither th e cruelty nor profligacy o f the amplii- theatre has ever aroused tlieir z e a l ........................

The Spanish clerg j pay due deference to bulls, both papal, and qnadruped; they dislike hem g

touched on this subject, and generally reply, ‘E s costumlre*— ‘ I t is th e custom ;* *Siempre

se ha j>raficado <m ‘— *Ifc has always beou

done b o ; ’ or, Son ccsas de B ipan a'— ‘T hey are

t h in ^ o f Spain; ’— the usual answer given as to eTCiything, which appuara incomprehensihle to

strangers, and which they either cannot account for, or do not choose. I n vain did St. Isidore

write a chapter against the amphitheatre— his

chapter minds him n e t; in vain did Alphonso

t lie W ise forbid their attendance. T lie sacritice o f the bull has always been m ixed up w ith the

religion o f old Bomo, and o f old and modem

Spain, where i t is classed among act« o f charity,

since it supports th e sick and wounded; there­fore a ll th e feable countrymen o f Loyola hold to

the Jesuitical doctrine, that the end justities the

m eans/'— Ihid. p. 209.

Th e Victoria, w itli a little more capital, m iglit l>e made an eiccU cnt liotel, and

after tlie rough quarters we liad found at Casa Lope, and other halting-places between CordoTa

imd Granada, ita good bods and cheerful rooms

were quite a hizury. T he people o f the house were m ost atteutive, our sole complaint was, that Pepe th e waiter, who always looked to me

iiko “ th e fat h o y ” in “ Pickwick'" grown up, w</uid eat garlic to such a degree, tliat h is pro*

eence at m eals was qiiite intolerahle, being only

one remove £rom having to eat that abominable

esculent ourselves. A t last, after endiuring the odo\irs, which surrounded his person like a halo, for a couple of days, we induced him (being a

very good-natnred creature) to go into the

garden bef ore our meals, and there eat sufiicient parsley (an admirable deodorizer) to neutraliiW

4^8 Granada in S ^ n g .

at leasfc, i f not effectually remore, the objectiun* able smell.

3>ecember ia by no means tlie tim e to Oranada, for its positioii ajnoDg tb e «purs and

raTines o f tbe Sierra Nevada, combined w itli its liortbem aspect, and elevation 2445 feet above

tlie sea, make i t far from agreeable to winter- visitors. i)nring tb e fonr days o f o u t sojourn

tlicre, tb e foimtains, w ith w bicb it abound», were glazed every m orning w itb ice o f some

thickness, and it was so very cold in-dorirs, that

w e m igbt well be said more to exist than to

live, glad indeed to avail ourselves o f paletots, plaids, and otber wraps, bnt cold in spite of

them all. N or, wliat was worse, could tbe

utm ost fervour o f our im agination conjure up

warmtb enough to disuse around th e Alhambra such an atmosphere, aa would recall tb e luxury

and enjoyment o f its souiincr-houra.L et all, who have the power to choose, go to

Granada when the song o f the nightingale, and

the fragrance o f the orange-blossom, till its

groves w ith melody, and sw eetness; when the

eye, penebating th e foliage o f its elm-planted

Alameda, rests on th e dazzling crest o f iMulaha*

cen w ith a sense o f refreshment, to w hieh the

contrast o f green leaves, and summer-enow lends

H i Altracticm . 429

an unwonted charm ; when day is Elysium , aud

night a Dream-land o f romance, illum ined by the warm heams o f a southern m oon; when the

Alhamhra assumes a garh o f beauty, to which, amid the' glare of noon, its courts and howexa

are strangers, when, according to Irving’s poeti­cal desciipfcion, “ Every rent, and chasm o f time, ©very mouldering tint, and weathcr-stain, disap­pears. T he marble resumes its origiDal white*

n ess; the long coionnadcs brighten in tlie m oon­beam s; the llalla arc illuminated w ith a soilcned

radiance, until th e whole edifice reminds one of

the cnclianted palace o f some Arubwn tale.”I s i t surprising, then, that Roahdil should havo

w ept on losing auch a paradise, even though, as he looked on Granada for th e hujt tim e &om

the mountain-si opes, he beheld it in its wintry

aspect; a circumstance which it pleaaea one to

think m ay have tended in some small degree

to a llevb tc h is wretchedness? Or can wo wonder, that the Moors of Tütuan, down to the

present hour, should cling, w ith the tenacity of

an hereditary afl'ectiou, to the hope o f recoverijig

what their forefathers lc«t, and retain, as they are said to do, th e ancient maps and deeds, o f

the estates and gardens o f their ancestors at

Granada, and even the very keys o f their houses;

43® Sickness.

holding them as proofs o f their claims, to be

maiie good when tho day o f restoration comes round?

I t had been our intention to leave Granada

on Saturday, Pecem bcr 3rd, to ingnre our reach­in g Gibraltar in good tim e for th e Poniiiäular

and Oriental Company's next boat to England, due on th e 13th. B u t the first th in g we heard

o f on Friday m orning was th e dangerous illness o f Lord Portarlington’s horse from violent in- (lammation \ Marcos and Tomas were w ith him

all night, and he had been bled so copiously that m oving him , for two days at least, was <jiiite

out o f the question; tliough the veterinary

surgeon thonght, that w ith care he m ight then

accomplish the journey, earryinfj nothing but b is ow n weight.

W e were a ll very sorry to hear th is intelli­gence, for in an expedition like ours, travelling

w ith the same animals day after day for weeks, one soon leam s to take an interest in eaeh, and

every mule, aud donkey even, is regarded w ith a

Jriendly eye. I had pccdiar cause for lik ing

Barbarossa, as I used to call th e now-ailing

horse. H e had not only been the means, by his

uncomraon steadiness, of saving m e irum extreme danger, hut had carried me m ost pleasantly some

three liimdrod miles. Indeed he had but one

faolt— on no occasion would be bohavo w ith

common civility to M r. Sykes’s borse, which had

never, as far as we were aware, given bim the

smallest cause o f offence, H e was, howevir, in th is respect on ly im itating th e example o f his

betters, there being m any a biped, w ht«c antipa­thies seem to derive an additional degree of

accrbity from th e cireumstancc, that they are

altogether groundless and unreasonable. This

failing used to give us a world o f trouble, for it

required unceasing vigilance to keep tb e peace

between them- The moment Barbarossa came w ithin a few yards o f hia btie noire, he would

make tb© most hostile demonstrations, neighing defiance, opening his mouth, as i f b© were about to swallow him up, rearing, striking out w ith

his fure-feet— behaving, in short, mure liko a

horse in a state o f insanity, than the good-tem­pered creature he was in his ealmer moments. Fortunately, Mr. Sylces’s horse had seen a good dotd o f th e wurld, having belonged to th e proprie­

tor o f some hvery stables at iladrid , and th e fjood temper, and forbearance, w ith which he behaved

on these trying occasions, were beyond praise; all tbe quarrelling was on one side, and as a natu­ral consequence i t soon came to an end, to break

out again on the first opportunity. This delay

gave Tia tw o more days a t (Jrana<k,, enabling us

to see moru and more oi* the AUiambrii, as well ixa to pay a v isit to th e Gt^nfirali/e, where we liad not yet boon. W o had good rcu^on to congratolate

ourselves on our good fortune in being at such a

placc as Granada, and not, as m ight easily have

happened, in some wTstched way-side posada, or

dull conntry*town.I t was ou a bright suiisluny afternoon, that

descending &om th e Alhambra b y one o f its

dilapidated portala, callcd Puertn del Tico, and

crossing a deep ravine, which spparatis its »ito

from the S itrra del Sol, we gradually attained

th e breezy heights, and long-drawn arcades, o f

th e G^neraJifo, the sfummcr-palace o f th e iio o r -

ish K ings. I t s situation ia far more strildng

than tliat of the Alhambra, and the prospect i t commands is of the m ost varied description—

here a c r a ^ y defile, where the poplar lifts its

head (now golden with th e hues o f autumn), as i f it strove to overtop the steep, to whose

shelter i t owes its unwonted grow th; and the brawling brook leaps from rock to roek, hasten­in g to reach the plain— there the teem ing

suburb o f Albaicin, ■ssith its eool Alameda ovcr-

huQging, like a terrace, the torrent stream of

GeneraUfi’, ^^3

the Darro, while furtlicr on, tJie ricli, iream- w hite muas of the Catliedral, and slender towey

o f San Jeronimo, catch th e eye ere i t finally

rests Oil th e verdurous expanse o f th e Vega, and tho dark-hrown mountain« o f Elvira» and Puerto Lo|)e.

Aa the M oor h ft it, the Generallfo m ust have

been a delicious retreat, where A rt had turned to

houily use whatever Nature ministers to bodily

enjoyment. W ater, th e great luxury o f snch a climatc, was everywhere, I t soothed th e car

w ith the plashing M o f fountains; i t cooled

the air w ith jets thrown upwards to an enormoxis

height, to descend again in spray upon iiyTile, and rose ; i t murmured a pleasant sound iu cascados; nay, the very halusterft, linM ng one

sweep o f terracc to another, were converted into

runnels, where a never-ceasing r ill trickled over

its tnarble bed.

T he villa it«elf is scarcely worth entering, havinff heen sadly marred» since the days o f

Boahilil, hy the introduction of features utterly

at variance w ith its original character, which j^ve it ahnost a eoekney air. W e passed out by

a garden-door upon th e mountain-side towards

the Sill/z del Moro, “ th e Seat o f tho Moor,”

so called, because Boabdil is said to have retiredp F

to th is sp ot d tm n ç a popular outbreak, and

** rem ained a ll day seated on th e rocky Bunmut,

loo ldng m ounifuU y dow n 0J\ h is factious city .

K o th in g can be m ore abrupt th an th e tran­

sition from th e G iueralife, w ith i t s b loom ing

gardens, and groves o f cyprcss, and m yrtle , to

th e parohcd slopes a lon g w h ich w e continued

our walk, where hardly a blade o f stuuted grass

can find root. So is i t u sually in Southern

Spain ; cu ltivation , and abundance o f w ater w ill

convcrt th e w ilderness in to an E d en ; aud th«

d esert and th e garden are ever side b y side.

W e extended our wall? to som e distance, a long

inountliin paths, w h ile th e su n w as em king in to

h is couch o f saffron and purple, over th e defile

o f Loja, and i t w as tw ilig h t before w e finished

our circuit b y re-entering th e pred n cts o f tha

A lham bra a t th e B e ie 8udo^, w here, w ith an

ever-w atchfal regard to* th e in terests o f th e com­

m issariat, w e purchased som e ja m m es duices de

In» Aipujarras, sw eet ham s o f Trovelez in the

Alpujarras range, irom a very good-hum oured

w om an, o f w hose com estibles X im enes gave a

highly-fiivoujable report.

O ne m orning w e w en t to th e Church o f San

Jeronim o, th e burial-place o f th e G reat Captain,

O onsalvo de Cordova- I t was designed by

Sa n Jer(fn im . 435

D iego dc Siloc, son o f E l M aeaho GKl, th e

artist to w hose gonius th o convent o f Mira-

tlorea owea its unequalled tom b and retablo.

A t present, w hen Spaniard and Frenchm an have

done th eir w orst to deface its beauty, one can

hardly ju d ge o f its original condition. L i t e the

Catbf*dral, i t greatly needs th e solem nizing cfTcct

o f painted ^lass, b ein g flooded w ith excessive

lig b t , and th e unusual span o f i t s arches

incrcascf: tb ie defect. T he m o st in teresting

objects, n ow le ft w ith in i t s walU, are tb e life-

sized effigies o f Gonsalvo, and h is w ife, placed

in tho po&*ture o f prayer, on each side o f tho

h ig h a liir , several feet above th e floor. T hese

have quite th e look o f au thentic portraits.

F ord states, th a t a t th e suppression o f th e con­ven ts in 1 836 , w hen th e popular feeling waa not,

as in E ngland a t th e lleform ation , wilA the

m onks, a m ob broke in to th is church, and de­

stroyed everyth ing iu th e m ost w anton manner.

E v en th e bones o f th e Great C a p t ^ , th e only

em inent general Spain over produced, as w ell as

th e rem ains o f h is w ife, wcro d ug up and scat­

tered to th e w inds b y tb e hands o f their own

countrym onl T he refit o f th e convent is now

converted in to a cavalry-barrack.

M any o f th e old M oorish houses still e j is t ,

TT 2

th ou gh in RaJIy-alterod circum stances. One

called th e Casa CAapis, w ith ite jyatio, and

w ooden galleries, stands charm ingly situated on

tb e hrow o f A lbaicin , fronting th e A lliainbra;

w h ile th e d fi Carbim, so w ell know n from

its Saiacen ic arch, w h ich has lo n g served

m anuals and glossaries o f architecture w ith a

stereotyped specimen o f th e M oorish stylo , waa

repeatedly jasscid b y us, on onr w ay tovrards*

tb e upper tow n- i t i s said to liave been b uilt

as early as 1 0 7 0 A . n . , and in after-ages was

usod as a royal m ews. K o th in g can be more

deplorable and filthy, than its present condition,

degraded in to th e liabitation o f charcojd-bunierB

^whence its m odem iiam e), and other m embers

o f th e “ ^ a t unw ashed ” fraternity. One m ay

h ope som ctliing w ill b e done to rescue i t from

th e iieglect in to w hich i t ha* fallen, especially

as, in addition to th e restorations carried on at

th^ Alham bra, a very pretty Moorifth arcaxie

stand ing at r ig h t angles w ith th e Zara iin (the

street o f th e silTersiniths), and ha\-in|^ a row o f

shops on each aide, w ldch from their tin y

dim cnsiiins look almoat lik e children’s p lay­

th in gs, is n ow undergoijig th e sam e proeefis-

Mv. Svkea w ished to m eet w ith som e speci-

meufe o f th e illum inated wood-car\-inga, so gene-

Imagp^ Worshp. 43 7

rally introiluced in to t lic retablos and m onu­

m ental rem a ini* o f Spain, during tho Rixteenth

and seventeenth centuries, and directed X im enes

to m ake ini^uiries a t th e diiferent ciiriosity-

shops o f t lic to w n for ilia t puqK>se. X im enes

wafl alw ays anxious to plea&c, and aet al>oiit

th e com m ission m t l i h ia u«>ual alacritv and

good-naturc; b u t n o t b ein g blessed w ith a

very d iscrim inating knowlcdf?© o f A rt, th e

result o f Lis in v c a ti^ t io n s w as b y no means

satisfactory. H e acemed to tb in k an yth in g in

th e sliape o f carvcd irood, w iil i p a in t u pon it,

w ould do. A s u natnral consequonce, th e lobby

o f th e h o te l frequently czbih ited a very m iscel­

laneous collection o f t lic wood*carvcr’s handi-

crdft, brought th ere for inspection; and ono

day, on returuiug from a w alk, I ibund Pepe,

and tb e chamber*maid, stand ing in an attitude

o f in ten se adm iration, am ouuting alia oat to a

m inor species o f im age-worship, before a chuhby-

faced infknt, in wood, w ith a h ig h colour and

brow n drapery, having very m uch tlie same

t^'pe and oipresaion o f countenance, an the

cherubs and seraphs, w ith w hich th e chürch-

w aídená o f tlio laat century used to adorn the

altar-pieces o f our Parish-eburehes.

i lu c h h iii been said o f th e disagreeable

4 3 8 F fech o f ^afcr « Sj/ain.

effccts prodaced upon tra y c lk w in Spain l y

th e w ater, and th e len g th o f tim e required for

a cd im atiz iu g th e system to th e Iroe use o f an

elem ent, so necessary in th a t th irsty land. T o

aome con stitu tion s i t i s a lm ost dangerous to

drink copiously, as one w ou ld bc temptud to

d o in h o t w ea th er; and although , from th e com-

p aratirely low tem perature provaUing during

th e w h o le o f our stay iu th e country, we were

n o t exposed to th is tem ptation , y e t even the

l itt le w e drauk w as generally follow ed b y un ­

pleasant consequences. N o r , singular to say,

did th e disagreeable eifects pass off, after w e

had been som e w eeks in Spain (as m ig h t have

b een expeeted), b u t continued to b e (juite as

powerful a t ( ’ordova, and (iranacla, as a t Bur-

goa, and M adrid. 'Ib is circum staiice tbrms

another o f th e num erous objections to a summer

tour (at least in th e southern portions o f tb©

P eninsula), as d urin g tli<it season travellers

on horsebaek m u st suffer greatly from tb^rst,

w ith ou t b ein g ablo to satisfy i t w ith th e sam e

im punity aa th e natives, w h o are im m ense

water-drinkers, and ean quaff quart after quart,

w ith o u t fear o f dysentery, or any other disorder.

/ ^ N M onday m orning, D ecem ber 5th , w e hado

farewell to Granada. P n rk iss and the

m iJ etccts had started th e preced ing afternoon,

to lig h ten as m^uch as poBfdhle th o journey to

th e poor sick horse, w h ich h av in g re^fained a,

l itt le o f h is B t r e n ^ w onld n ow (w e hoped) ho

able to reach (JihraJtar b y easy stages.

F in d in g th o ron te across th e V eg a to Loja

ran th ron gh a featureless expanse o f irrigated

com *land, Lord P ortarlington engaged a car­

riage, w h ich took us there com fortably in about

s ix hours. T h is trajet recalled th e days o f the

o ld C oqnette, (w hich h y tho w ay had heen sent

back from Madrid, reaching th e frontier a t Iran

on ly j i is t in tim e to save tlio deposit-m oncy,)

and our p ostin g adventures through th e plains

o f CaetiUe. M r. Sykes, fa itlifn l to tho saddle,

m ade th e jou rn ey o n horseback, so th a t th e dis-

44© Banla F6.

tance he rode cxceoded th a t riddeu by us, on the

whoh) journey lictw cen T oledo and Gibraltar,

about th ir ty m iles.

I t was a lo v e ly day, and th e chaTige o f tempe*

ratu ic, as w e descended in to th e bosom o f tho

V ega, and receded forth et from th e snow-clad

m ountains, was exceed ingly pleasant, after the

ch illy hours sp en t a t Granada. W o passed

throiigh Santa “tihe to w n huEt by IVrdinand

and Isabella dxirin^ th e siege, wlien their camp

had heen destroyed h y tire. I th in k I never saw

so hidoous a placc. I t s form i j a. bt^uaic, fenced

a ll roim d h y tapia-w alls w ith four gates, and

lo o k in g lik e n o th in g &o m uch as a vast shoep-

p en , I t is u tterly unw orthy to he v is ited hy

th ose w hose route docs n o t l ie in th a t direction.

T h e Church to o is a m onster o f u g lin e ss ; and all

Tsithin s ig h t o f exq u isite A lham bra! Santa Fo

i s verily th e N em esis o f outraged M oorish A rt

in Spain.

I t ia on ly near Loja, th a t th e country, hrofeen

u p in to m ountain and valley , and watered by

th e crystal X en il, becom es in teresting, i lu e h o f

th e p la in after L achar is a m ere w aste o f sand

and stones, w here n o th iu g w ill grow for w ant o f

water. L oja itse lf stands in a m ost picturesque

site, com m anding th e pass th rou gh w hich th e

B firà a ro i^ '^ ProgrenH. 4 4 I

X en il descends in to th e low er conntrj-, on its

w a y to jo in th e (^hiadalquivir. Perched upon

a n oTerhanging ro c t, th e old Castle, w h ich in

M oorish days w as a p ost o f im portance, do-

m inâtes th e to w n ; b elow flows th e rirt^r, w ith

its broken, w ell-w ooded b a n ts ; a précipitons

ram pârt of D\o\Uîtain, walla in th e deHle üolq th e north ; w h ile to tho aouth-cast, far away

beyond th e extrem e confines o f th e V ega, riees

th e vnst muas o f th e Sierra N evada.I t was a great satisfaction to find on arriving,

th a t th e poor horse had aocomplibhod the

jou rn ey from (:banada T c r y tolerably , under the

charge o f faithful M arcos, w ho led h im carefully

th e w hole d istance. H e wua, howexer, s t i l l unüt

for w ork ; another horae therefore w as engaged

a t L oja, to g o a ll th e w ay to Gibraltar, and as

hia m aster, a v e iy sinister-lookiûig, elderly mau.

accom panied us, for tb e purpose o f bringing

h im back, onr party n ow am ounted to n ine.

B y w ay o f change, I undertook to ride th o

new liorse, transferring to L ord Portarlington

(w lio b ad quite taken a fancy to h iin ) th e truaty

o ld hack from ïb le d o , b elon gin g to M arcos.

H is m aster used to declare he waa on ly eigh t

years old ; but h e looked m ore lik e eighteen,

and in addition to som e adm irable q u a l i t i e s a

toadstor, Lad a peculiar faculty for sp y in g o u t o f

th e com er o f each eye , w h ich ga v e h im a m ost

grotesque appearance; lead ing a bystander to

fancy h is tem per w as none o f th e b est, a conclu-

sion b elied b y h is behaviour on erery occasion;

and he becam e to u s a stand ing caution n o t to

ro ly to o im p lic itly upon th e deductions o f p hy­

siogn om y in th e interpretation o f elmracter.

T he h a c t h ired a t I/oja , w h ich I rode a ll the

rest o f th e journey, proved to be a b east o f very

difTerent disposition. H e began by k ick in g up

behind on th e sm allest provocatiun, a trick whicli

m ade h im b y no m eans p le a ^ n t to follow . In a

day or tw o ho developed another qxiality m ore

im m ediately aiTccting m yself. "Whenever I

m ounted h e con td red , w ith th e perverse in ­

g en u ity o f vice, to k ick a t m e w ith h is near

h in d leg , and aa th e stirm p-irons ( if aueh I m ay

call th em , b ein g o f bronze) were very sm all and

narrow, o f a queer, old-fashioned shape, i t w as

n o easy m atter to g e t in to th e »addle. Then it

w as %Ay turn, and I used to g iv e h im m ore than

h e q m tc relished o f a b o i-w o o d p lan t whieh

I had cu t o u t o f th e untrim m ed parterres in th e

Em peror’s garden a t Y uate, and carried ever

since as a riding-sw itch, I m ust, however, do

th e poor beast th e jn stice to add, tlia t w hen onco

Threatening W eather. 443

m ounted, a b etter hack oonld n o t oaflily be found.

From hifi {?reat len g th o f pastern, a character-

ietio exh ib ited b y m ost w ell-bred horses in A n ­

dalusia» h is action waa pecuUarly sm ooth, and

pleasant, und h is canter easy as tho m otion o f a

rocking-chaip; w h ile h is powers o f endurance

m ay be conceived, w h en I m ention, th a t onr last

ride, from L a H im era to Gibraltar, extended

over a w hole day and n ig h t, consecutively,

h o r n i n g a t 7 .3 0 a .m . on Saturday, and ending

about 9 A.M. on th e morrow, relieved h y only

three halta, whieh, in all, scarcely am ounted to

five h o u rs; and y e t h e carried m e in to G ibraltar

aß fresh, as i f such protracted fa tigu e w ere m ere

p lay to him .During» our s ta y a t Granada there had boen

continual hoar-froBts, w hich, except on one occa­

sion, w ere n o t follow ed b y rain, as w on ld com­m only he tlie case in E ngland . S till th e w eather

waa very unsettled , w hen w e le ft Loja, D ecem ­

ber 6th , th ere waa every ind ication o f a change,

w h ile icy p iercing b lasts, cam e stream ing down

in capricious g u sts (fortunately to onr backs)

from th e snow -fields o f th e Sierra N evada. T he

country was very pleasant to ride throngh, m any

parts b ein g h ig h ly picturesque, lev e l sw eeps o f

va lley betw een bold, craggy h ills , w ith an occa-

L a ^ i S ig M o f Barbaroam.

sional strip o f f in e ly -t im te e d wocxlland and

forest, tb e Tery spot for a n o v elist to loc^t« u

troop o f brigands, n o t to m cutiun sparkling

trout-stream s, w h ich meandurud in graiefu l

curves th ron gh meadows f ^ e n w itli th e freslx

pasture o f autum n, und im parted life and

brightness to th e scene.T he poor sick horse hud btarted w ith us from

Loja, and for several h oars he m anaged to get

on tolerably. B u t soon after mid*day he f la g ^ d

ao m uch, th at w e w ere oblij^cd to h'Ave him at a

lon e V en ta , stand ing ou th e brinfc o f a moorland

brook, w here w e m ade our noon-tide h a lt , w ith

M arcos to tak e care o f h im . W e all d id cur

beat, before starting, to m ake h im (comfortable in

th e m ost sheltered com er o f th e stable, where

th e h o st’s cow was q u ietly ruminating», w itii

l itt le th o u g h t o f so Rummarj’ an ejcctm ent from

lier warm bed, to m ake room for a sick stranger.

W e le l l th e poor hurse w itli sad m isj^vinj^

(on ly to o speedily to be verified), for h e looked

in m iserable p lig h t, and w c ucvcr suw bun

again! P o r th o u g h M arcos m anaged to g et

h im on , “ w ith painful steps and s lo w /’ u« far

aa A rchidona, a distance o f about tw o leagues, th e sam e evening, and th ere p laced h im nnder

th e care o f a veterinary surgeon (w ho from some

jTusapprcliension liad n o t gone to t lie V enta

according to th e directions le f t a t If is to u se , as

•we passed through th e 7Ílla{?e); illness

returned n pon him sn lisequently svith sucli ticv

lenee, th a t h e ha^ n o po>?er to rally , and died

th e n ex t day.L itt le d id w e im agine, w hen he started irom

T oledo fu ll o f life , and Tigonr, carrying h im self

proudly w ith arched neck, and flash ing eye,

w h ile Ids coat shone lustrous as satin , th at after

all, h is y o u th and beauty w ere on ly lead ing h im

so soon to a grave by th e w a y sid e ! w h ile m y

o ld haclc, on w hose thinly*covored ribs, and ill*

tended hide, h e looked down w ith proud disdain,

a$ an “ o ld fogey ,” antique enough to he his

grandsire, w ou ld bravely reach tb e end o f that

lo n g joum ej', to ca m hereafter, as 1 venture to

hopo h e is n ow dohig, hard pesetws for h is

roaster, Marco« Kahosos, a t lea st s ix days in

every w eek, np and dow n th e steep streets o f

venerable Toledo-P oor B arbarossal he deserved a better fate

tlian to becom e food for th e ravens, th a t nestle

in th e rocks o f A rehidona. S ix w eeks before he

h ad cost £ 4 0 , and wa* w orth i t all.A rchidona is a lon g stragglinj? vjlla<?e, b u ilt

o n a steep slope, and paved exactly according to

th o nataral form ation o f th e ground, w ith ou t

th o least a ttem p t to la y th e pavem ent on an

even su rface; eo th a t besides th e decU vity run­

n in g along ite w hole l e n ^ , w hich in placcs

is oreessively abrupt, another slope crosses tho

street, and betw een th e tw o i t beoame really

q uite a hnsiness, even after a ll our expeneneo o f

Spanish n p s and dow iis, to ride th rou gh the

place w ith ou t breaking our horses’ knees.

Im m ediately above th e v illa in a group o f

rociis, remarkahlo for form and outline, rises

in sheer precipices to an e levation o f 18 0 0 or

2000 fe e t ; and as w e vieTS'od th em from th e

plain below , (one o f th o dried*\ip lakc^bods con-

stan tly occurring in th is part o f Andalusia,) th e

effect was uncoEomonly str ik ing , nor does th e

sp ot need th e tradition o f haTing once been the

scene o f a " L over’s L e a p /’ to g iv e i t in terest

in th e eyes o f travijllers. A g a in and aga in did

w e turn round to ga^e a t th ose rocks, which

from som e p oin ts assum ed an aspect very sue-

ceesfu lly recalling, on a reduced scale, th e vast

obelisk o f M on t C errin, u n til darkness fell

n pon th e earth, ju s t a£ we entered a fine pass,

th e features o f w h ich were m ore suggested

th an fu lly revealed, h y th e fa in t beam s o f a

m id d k -fl^ d moon.

T o onr r ig h t w e m ade o u t tKe broken out­

lin e o f a m ountain, and tliroiigU tb e ravine at

our feet a braw ling torrent sped downwards

tow ards tb e plain , w hile th e o w l and nigbt-jai*

w ere lioard b u t n o t seen, as th ey flitted around

n s w itb n oiseless w inga, in quest o f food, utter­

in g tlic ir pliuntiTC cry.There is , I a lw ays th ink , a peculiar cbarm

in a ride b y rdgbt- So m any th in g s never

obserred during day-hours— atinoapberic eliects

unseen a t other tames, tk e g h o stly furm o f lunar

rainbow, th e flash ing sb oot o f fa lling star, and

th e fitfu l g lories o f th e Aurora Borealis— added

t o i l ie transient sounds o f an im al life, th e dis*

ta n t b ay in g o f a liousc-dog, or short, sharp,

bark o f A fox— tb e silence, and sensation o f

general repose— besides th a t spccial character­

istic o f a Spanish aigbfc-seene— th e shepherds'

watch-fircs, fitfu lly flash ing up aga in st an in k y

sky— a ll tlic se com bine to in vest a ride or drive,

after dark, w itb peculiar in te r e s t; and our hours

o f n ig h tly travel introduced us occasionally to

som e o f th e m ost str ik in g incidents o f th e w hole

expedition.

C H A P T E E X L .

IT was nearly nine before wc readied A nte- quera, entering th e town b y ft m uddy lano,

that sorely taxed the nerve and strength o f out

tired donkeys. W e were fortunate enough to find

a %ery respectable cleanly poaada, almost worthy

to be dignified w ith the mox^ honourable title

o f Fonda, except that it bad no larder. The

people o f the house, accustomed to early travel­lers (for in Spain m ost wayfarers contrive to roach their destination by sunf?et, and we v«ry

rarely encountered any one on th e road after

night-fall), had settled down into the d \Jl and peevish somnolency that precedes hed*time, so

that i t waA no easy matter to ronse them to

even a moderate amount o f wakefulness.Autequera is a town o f considerable size,

having a population o f 16,000, %vith apparently

a eonsidtrahle amount o f traffic ; for though

th e in n w as quite an exten sive h o ild ing , th ey

coTiid on ly g ive us tw o room5> ene lo n g and

la i^ e , w h ieh h a v in g first done d u ty aa a saUe‘ h’

ittanfffir, th en served tw o o f ■os for a hod-charoher.

W hile w c were a t dinner, a very respectable

m atron came in to inform 11s , th a t th e in n eould

su pp ly different sorts o f w ines and liqueurs, and

Gvon cham pagne (the m ost popnlar o f a ll foreign

w ines in Spain) w ould be forthcom ing a t our

c a l l ! Such an announcem ent in ariy other land

woTild he q u ite RuperfluonR; but in Spain, where

i t is th e exception, and n o t th e rule, for in n s to

iu m ish travellers w ith an yth in g edible or po-

tahle, th is inform ation waa quite a surprise. W e

naturally took i t for grant<^d th a t th ia matron

m u st be th e landlady, and looked upon the

interest sh e exh ibited in our com fort as a re­

markable contract to our general experience o f

posada-folk- Tt t\im ed out, how ever, th at her

atten tions were prom pted by gen u in e good­

nature, as sh e really h ad n oth in g to do w ith

th e house, b ein g th e w ife o f a French dentist

sta y in g there at th e m om en t; and having

noticed, th a t th e b elongin gs o f th e establish­

m ent, w ith th e uBual inxoveiance o f Spaniards,

le f t ns en tirely to our ow n devices, she very

kin d ly tried to make up in various w a y s; w hile

(j u

th e liuâland, -who, from hie professional w ^ d e r -

in g s ap and down, was th o to a g lily acqoiiinted

w ith t t e country, gaTC na som e v e iy useful in ­

form ation, respectin g our ront« to Gibraltar.N e x t m cm in g , as I passed tiie ir room, the

lad y appeared at t iie door, and w ith a m ost

ben ign expression o f coim tenanee, and con­

siderable am ount o f pantom im ie action, in*

v ited m e to wa)k in . A lad y’s b idding b ein g

o f course a t a il tim es a m andate o f imqueRtion- able potenc7 , I entered in m eek obedience to

her behest, w ondering w h at on earth she could

w an t w ith m e ; and on th e tiireshold found

m y se lf confronted b y a com plete set o f artificial

teeth , w h ic t she th ru st forward in startling

pioM m ity to m y very nose, her w hole counte­

nance irradiated b y an expression o f inteniie

d eligh t and satisfaction, as i f th e gh astly spec-

ta c k to w hich sh e had so abruptly introduced

m e, wore n o t on ly a trium ph o f her goodm an’s

professional sk ill (a position I was quite w illin g

to concede w ith ou t dispute), b u t an object o f

adm iration also to a ll th e worid Î 1 tear m y facc

gcareely reoiprocüted th e expression th at beamed

in every lin e o f hers, “ dental su rçery " being

precisely ono o f th ose departm ents o f A rt, in

w h ich no ono feels th e rem otest in terest, until

com pelled to do so hy dire necessity. N a y ,

t lie m ere e iH ln t io n o f th a t g r in n in g double

row o f polisliixl ivory, m igh t n o t unfairly be

regarded as a m ocking in su lt (had Üie ac'tion

proceeded from a m an), to a traveller in tii«

b u n griest region o f Europe, wliere a rery slen­

der apparatus molars, &c., i s quite sufficient

for a ll practieal purposes ; on r so le difficulty, day

b y day, havin|^ LitUerto beeri, n o t so m nch to

provide teeti, as m aterials for k eep ing th em in

Ixealthy exercise.

T lie A nteqnerians are ev id en tly an observant

race, and had w c n o t bcoom e inured to such

dcujonetrations, w e should doubtless have felt

m uch tiattercd b y th e att'cnticn th ey paid us.

W o considered ourselves fu lly ju stified in draw­in g tw o conclusions, after w itn essin g th e por-

tin acity w ith w hich a crowd o f m en and boys

h u n g about th e posada, for a t lea&t a couple ol

hours, so le ly to do us honour. F irst, th at th«

good people o f A ntequera are in no danger of

injuring their health Irom ex ce^ iv e application

to b usin ess; nor, secondly, are th ey m uch in

th e h ah it o f seeing natives o f th e £ i it ia h Isles.

Our start w as deferred u n til after eleven, as

wc hoped b y th a t hour to receive somo tid ings

o f th e poor horse ; b u t after w a itin g in va in wa

GG 2

452, A Salt-Laic.

se t oixt for Cam pillos. Our ride was m ost

enjoyable; th e day lovely» b rig h t and warm

w ith th e so ft euTi sh ine o f autum n, w h ile th e

neighbourhood o f A ntequera is h ig h ly pietu-

fesque. W e n o t o n ly recovered yesterday’s

v iew o f th e rooks o f A rchidona, and th e pass

80 d im ly diaeenicd th e n ig h t b efore; b u t other

m ountains o f even bolder charactep cam e into

sigh t, bounding tb e prospect to th e south, in

effective contrast to th e broad basin o i olive-

ground and eom -laiid (where once a lake Ixad

spread its waters), through w hich for som e tim e

our course lay.F urtlier on w e entered u pon a w ild tract o f

forest, and oak-serub. rem inding us m ore vivid ly

o f th e dehesas o f Estrem adura, th an a n y seencry

w e had fallen in w ith for som e w eeks, and as

WB approaohtid Campillus, our resting-place for

th e n ig h t, a sa lt-k k c , teem in g w ith w ild fowl,

added an en tirely nuvel feature to th e hindscape.

b ein g th e hu^ est sh eet o f w ater w e had seen

anywhere, since en tering Spain- T h is lake,

w hich d id n o t exceed a m ile and a h a lf in

len gth , is crown-property, carefully guarded by

a com pany o f custom -house officers, sa lt being

a royal m onopoly. I t waa am using to hear,

th a t one o f th e first consequcnce«, in th is out*

oi-thc*w ay d istrict, o f a pronunciamenic or re­

v o lu tion a t M adrid, takes th e form o f a vigorous

inroad upon th e 8a3t*pita, th e country-pcople

glad ly availing themselTee o f every political disturbance to secure, w ith o u t eipeixse, a good

stock o f an article so indispensable to a baoon-

lovTJig population.

A s w e entered CajnpiUos, a v illago o f some

size, snrrouudod b y extem dve tracts o f w heat-

plain , w ith th e rannntaina o f H onda far away

o n th e horizon, th e ev e o f a great Bonjan

C atholic festival, th e Conception o f th e Y irgin ,

w as b ein g ushered in w ith all t lie hnbhuh and

lack o f m elody, characteristic o f Spanish bell-

riiig ing . W e alighted a t a poaada opposite

th e church, and finding th e evening*iur fresh

enough to m ake a fire agreeable, w e aat down

beside th e open hearth, w here three generations

w ere assem bled, th e you ngest b ein g represented

b y a s to u t baby in i t s eradlc, w h ich one o f our

party good-naturedly rooked, an a tten tion very

graciously received by th e senior branches o f

th e fam ily. I t w as quite one o f th ose pleasant

posada», w here travellers m eet w itli civ ility ,

cleanliness, and hom ely, native w a y s ; and

th ou gh our bed-room w indow s had n o ghiss,

and th e doves cooed above our heads a t th e

454 WtatkcT-Tokvnn.

first approach o f d ay ligh t, w ith no o th e i par«

titio n to separate u s th an a th in coiling, w e

th o u g h t ourselves w ell entertained, ai)d th e b ill

w as n o t extortionate.

A lth o u g h no rAin had fallen, and yesterday

was q u ite lovely , th e w eather had been un ­

settled for som e days. I was n ot, therefore, m uch aurpriaed, on first go in^ out, to cbservc

broad m asses o f dark cloud w ith r a ^ e d edges,

chafling each other in rapid flig h t across th e

heavens, an omen, 1 feared, o f an im m ediate

do WT -pour.

H a v in g a lon g day’s ride before u s, w e set off,

neTertheless, through th e corn-plain, andhadjufit

entered u pon som e broken woodland, w h en dow a

cam e a sm art shower, w hicli threatened speedily

to render th ose narrow tracks o f s t if f clay im ­

passable to th e donkeys, and 1 th o n g h t w e were

faaily in tor a w e ttin g a t leaat, i f n o t a detention

o f tw o or th ree days, for heavy rain goon con­

verts auch roads in to channels o f tenacious mnd-

B u t suddenly th e w ind changed, th e clouds

drifted away, and th e sun cam e forth to shed

w arm th and gladness over th e landscape, inapir-

in g m an and b east w itli n ew v igour and spirit,

th a t sen t ua on onr w ay rejoicing.

A t th a t m om ent w c w ere rounding th e barren

h eigh ts upon w hich Tcha ia perchcd, i*ai above

th e plBin, a rd a lth ough th e to w n itse lf wae

quite o n t ot' slight, b ein g b u ilt on th e other side,

w e could hear its church-buUs, as th ey rang for

th e feast, soxmdiuff h i^ h am ong th e clouds, and

rem inding m e o f th ose unearthly peals descrih«fd

in legen d and gohlin-tale. T he efPect o f those

b ells p ta lin ^ forth their n otes from mid-air,

w ith ou t any visih le p o in t d 'appui, was m oat

a in ^ lo r and weird-like.Tcha, though th e b leakest sp ot w e saw any­

w here in Spain, b ein g a sort o f in lan d “ W o lf s

Cra4»,” ie b y no m eans unrenowned, either in

iHodern or ancient days. T h e E m press o f the

French, aa every one ie aware, takes her t it le o f

Condesa de Teha from th is m ountain-tow n.L ook in g hack som e 500 ycMU, we read th at

a t its s i e ^ in 1 328 , w h en th e M oors h eld poa>

aesflion o f th e place, L ord Jaraea D ou glas threw

th e heart o f B oh ert B ruce, w h ich h e waa then

con vey in g to th e H o ly L and, in to th e th ickest

o f th e fray, and follow ed i t to th e death. T he

cra^^y h e ig h t upon w hich T eba standa, rises like

an is le t o u t o f a hroad sea o f com -hind. broken

u p in to m any a croek and hay ru n n in g in

and o n t am ong th e h ills, th e w hole o£ th is

singular d istrict g iv in g one q u ite the idea th at.

4 5 6 A b s e n c v 0/ F a m ^ i i d i n ^ .

once upon a tim e, th ese fertile plains, w h icli aTe

said to prodace som e o f th o iLoest w heat in the

world, w ere a ll tuider water, and formed th e door

o f an ocean.

One o f th o thinj^s th a t cannot fe il to strike a

traveller in Spain, m ore especially in th is pax-

tieu lar neighbourhood, is th e n tter absence o f

farm*hnildingR. i rom tim e to tim e y o u see, in

rid ing along, a TÜluge or sm all tow n h ig h up on

a rocky brow, a situation chosen for safety in

th ose troubloiis days w h en Ü 001 and Christian

strove for m astery, and nov? retained w ith loyal

fidelity to th e past in th is change-hating land-

B u t now here else does th e eye, as i t ranges

over a sw eep o f m any thonsand acres, discern

th e sm allest ind ication o f th ose buildings, w ith

w hich th e farms o f other lands are dotted. The

fact is , Spanish ^ m e r s have no m ore store­

house, nor b am , tlian th e birds o f th e air, and

th e operations o f th resh in g and w innow m g

w heat aud barley, are carried on b y th em , at the

present hour, precisely after th e faehion w e read

o f in th e B ib le, as b ein g in vogu e throughout

th e E ast, thousands o f years a g o !

On first en tering th e country, I used to noticc,

near m oat v illages, a large paved eiiclc , perfectly

level, o f about an acre in ex ten t, and stnpidly

wondered what piirpose it could be intended to

answer ! A t last I diflcovered (whether hy dint

o f mother-wit, or thiouirh th e good-nature of some infoim ant, I cannot x>ow recollect) that

these open areas, as I ought to have b io w n from

the first, are the identical threRhing-ftoors spoken

o f so often in H oly Scriptnro, where oxen or horacs, yoked to a sort of cw t« or harrow, aud

diiven round and ronnd continually, trtjil tread

ont the com , as in the days of Patriarch and

Prophet.A ny one who wishes to read an account of

the opcrfition, w ill fijid a very spirited dt'scrip- tion in Ford’s “ Gatherings from Spain,'’ p. 115.

One o f th e natural conseqnences of adopting

th is method o f thresliing is, that the straw, throngh th e rough treatment i t m eets with

•from th e combined action o f th e teeth o f the

harrow, and the hoofs o f the horses and oxen, is broken up into very small pieces, never exceed­in g tw o ot three inches in length, so that really i t is not available for m any o f the purposes to

w hich i t is applied in other countries. L et no

traveller, therefore, unable to m eet w ith a bed

o f the usual kind, and w ish ing to find a sub­stitute, erer betake him self to that place, which

in some parts o f th e world supplies a very

4-5 N ative (hitlers.

coraiortable exfcemporized couch ready for all comera— the straw-Ioft— for in a Spanifth

he w ill find him self eoiruundcd hy a bristling

array o f that w ill cfFix'tnally banishsleep.

A portable steam-engine, for thresh ii^g out com , m igh t be safely rwommended to entor- ptiiimg capitalists, as a rcry profitable spocnla- tion in m any part* o f the Peninsnla, where fuel is procurable.

A s we journeyed along through some o f the

less interesting districts, T used to amuse myBclf, when thcro was nothing particular to engage attention, by remarking the various soils, and

road-ataing, w ith w hich the legs and flanta of

horse, mule, and donlcey were chequered. Each

poiAda is supposed to have attached to it a man calkd moso de la cuadra, im official corresponding

to the ostler o f an E nglish inn. For the most

part, however, his office is a decided sinecure. F e w ill, i t is true, i f properly loolced after, feed

th e animals placed under hU care, and lead tiiem to th e nearest fonntain for watering. Beyond

these narrow lim its hia ideas o f dnty do uot

eittjnd. A s for rubbing down a horse, or comb­in g out m m e and tail, or, in short, paying any

o f tJiose peiit$ m n s w ith which a good English

groom delights to make him comfortable after a

hard d a / s work, such a notion never enters his

h ead; and next m om ini; your beast comes fo iih

from th e stable w ith h is coat precisely in the

same condition as when he entered i t twelve

hours before. Every soil and stain stands out i» staU (^ 0 , while saddle aud bridle present an

appearance o f m ingled dirt and rust, tbat would send a respectable E nglish ostler, w ith tho

smallest graJii o f professional feeling, in to bya- teries, i f (mything wotdd. Indeed I used to indulge my im a ^ a t io n w ith tb e faucy that a

geo lo^ st, w ell up in Iberian formations, mi^ht

almost have made out our ronte through the

various districts o f tb e land, by a careful inspec­tion of the different strata our horses’ coats

exhib ited; and when we drew bridle in front of

the Ihftda de Zondres at Seville, they carried upi»n hoof aud leg specimens o f m ost o f the

clays, and other soils, we had traversed during th e previous three weeks in tbe provinces of

Toledo, Estromadura, and Andalusia (

C H A P T E R X L I.

A S wc advanced to*day, December 8th , on

our road towards Itonda, we learned to

appreciate, w itli more and more thimkfuhioas, our good fortune in having dry weather. M iles

and m iles o f th is route would have been utteriy

impracticable during rain, ow ing to the nature

o f th e soil. W e had, in particular, one steep

ascent of nearly tw o m iles over a bed o f stiff clay, where every donkey m ust have “ come to

g r ie f” bad th e day been w et, and wu should

thus have been brought to a Htand*still in the midbt of a very bleak, and almost houseless

region. Even as it was, it cost Cordova, ilo r o , and th e rest o f th e donkeys, whose names used

to be ao familiar, many a hard strui^ le, ere they achieved the ascent, to enter at th e summit

upon a sounder line o f country.J \ist before we halted for luncheon, Marcos,

and h is Cordova purchase, “ the donkey o f re­

spect,” Lad a tremcudoua quarrel. For eorae

reason, w hich to th is day is enveloped in

m ystery, ilurcofl, who was on h is back, could not induce him to go through a shallow brook, crossed b y cach o f his brethren w ithout boggle

or difficulty before hie TCry eye«. H is nder

applied the wonted ai^ument o f a stick with

such vigour, that, in an Irishm an 6 phrase, “ it

broke all to Rmithereena,” leaving the donkey for the moment “ roaster of tlic situation,” an ad­

vantage he improved by throwing Marcos over

hifl head amid screams o f laughter from the rest o f the pariy, and then galloping off to some dis­tance from the scene o f action. Caught m th

infmito trouble, th e rebel was driven h a ^ to th e ford by h is still weaponless owner (for in th is hedgcless countrj*, sticks are n ot to he m et

w ith at every turn), and there a fresh trial of

strength ensued, donkey palling one way, i la r -

cos another. This w ent on for several minutes, and ju s t as I was going to canter back to his

assistance, another vigorous effort haJ landed th e recalcitrant beast on the right side of the

water, and given victory where it was due, on

the side of legitim ate authority.A fter passing Teha, the wayside abounded

w ith clnmps o f iris in fu ll flower, w hich were

n ot only very pretty to look at, as tiiay gave

colon? and brightness to th e hleak slopes o f tlie

mountain*patii, and em itted a m ost fragrant perfame, hnt recalled m any a Ixome« scene far away over the sea.

In dne course the m ountain-rau^s u f tho Serram a de la Honda came into sigh t right

ahead, glow ing w ith the flaming hues o f a

superb sonset, that, according to M ilton s ftne

phrase,“ vaolted w ith fire" th e whole horizon to the westward, and gave hopeful promise for the morrow.

A m oonlight ride o f Home hours, however, still lay hotwoen us and Itonda, our destination

for the n igh t; and thoiigh oeuasionally some of

th e tnoat lung-sighted o f tho party caught a

glimpse o f th e place, it was only to mock us by i ts seeming nearness for the moment, to recede, at a fresh turn o f the road, to a greater distance (apparently) than ever.

This certainly is one of th e trying circum- s t^ c e s of <i riding-tour through Spain, though

really proceedmg from one o f th e guod qualities

o f the climate, tlie wonderful transparency of the atmosphere, which to the eye almost an­nihilates distance, and brings remote objects

w ithin apparent proximity- A t the end o f a

Jong clay’s march, when food and rest hare

become otgects o f special interest both to man

and beafrt (more particularly to th e nnlbrtuuate

donkeys, oondciuned to iast trom m oniiu^ to

night), it i* m no small degree tantalizing to have your domination pertinaciously thrust upon

the e i^kt for hours, during which, despite re­peated experience, and many a secret resolution, yon cannot help flattering yourself, that twenty

minutes more w ill witness yonr arrival, when ail the while you have at least tw o hours’ travel still to accomplish. T liis wa« particularly the

case, I well remember, the day we entered Seville, when we conld distinctily make out,, not

only towers and chiirclies, <?«pecinJly th e Giralda and th e Cathedral, but even single houses, liours

before we actnally arrived at the gates. T ills

illusion occurs w ith m ost &cqiieiicy in Anda­lusia, where the towns, as I hav*e bcforo re­

marked, are generally placed on the highest

ground in th e neighbourhood, and may l>e almost said to gleum w ith white-wash, which

th e Spaniards o f tho South apply to a ll their

buildings in liberal proftision.A t length our cavalcade clattered through the

stifeeta of Bonda, to stop about the m iddle of the first street at one oi t^e numerons posada*

464 Inhahitantt) o f Honda,

m th wliich th e place ahoands, prefacing ont

entrance, usnal, by that m ost neccssory pre­lim inary o f m aking a bargain for acooiuuiodation, which apecificd the einallest particulars, before

d%imo%niing (for thus you negotiate w ith texifoM

advantage), ^ soon aa i*uikii«i had concluded

hia iuapvction of th e premises.S tem esperience had long taught us the

necessity o f adopting th is system o f tactics, which to-day, as on many a previous occasion, soon repaid the trouhle, nor was a single donlcey unloaded at Eoncia, t ill the host had reduced

his demands by about one*half. Nowhere

should tnivt'lkrs be more upon their guard; ibr

the inhabitants bear a very equivocal character, and a glance at the countenances o f th e master

and niistresa o f th e posada, convinced us they

were perfectly np to the ways o f the world, and

thoroughly competent to take care of their own

interests. Tliia town used to be a ^ n d centre o f sm uggling for the raonntain-district, o f which

it is th e capital, and irom tlie natnre o f tho

country, and its proxim ity to GihraJtar, “ liVee

Trade ” was once a very feasible, and (in the

estimation o f the cummunity at large) a highly

respectahlf^, and even virtuous, method o f earn­in g a livehhood. N or in all the South o f Spuiii

Pa^l und Pre^nf. 465

wi\ji there any spot, where travellers m et with ao mnrh dancing, and Rtrummuig o f guitar«, so much liveliness and gaiety o f manner, a nd

picturesque aplendonr o f costQinc, a few years

ago, as in the nuigLbourhood o f Bon da. "Rrery

sfcond man you m et was a contrabanduifa, while, aa a very natural result, sm uggling, in nil itb

branches, was regarded by th e public opi)iion of

the district w ith as mucli favour, as along the coast o f Cornwall, daring the palmy daya o f the

la st century.B u t no w all is ch au ged. Revenue «offi cera and

the (luanlla Ci^il have made am nggling a line

o f business that does not “ pay," and iwores of people, who once were substantial houaekeepers, know not, it is &aid, w hich way to turn for a

uieah Their only resuurec is to plunder tra­vellers, and, to do them justice, every opportunity

for choatery und eatortion is zealously taken

ad van ta^ of.W e had, it is true, h y burgaining beforehand,

cut tliem off from th e widest field for th e exer- cisc of their craft, and any spoil they could hope to w in frnm ua. would he mere scraps and

fragments of booty, compared w ith the chance

offered by ineiperieneed travellers, not up to the

ways ot* the country Htill rheatery ia veryH u

466 j4 Juvenile E^iortioner.

elastic, and to m s up, when least expected, as

we found next morning, Friday, Decftmber 9tlu

Though imablo to make any stay at Bonda, as we ta d once proposed until detained again and again ujK>n th© road, we still felt very

arkxious to see what we could o f one ot* the m ost interesting spots in 8pain; and several of

its “ l io n s ” being qnite close to the town, wo

set oli' Lotimee on IViday morning tor t}»at purpose. A young lad of fifteen oifcrcd him*

se lf os onr guide, aud never tlnnkiug it waa

necessary to make a regular bargain w ith so young a liand, we placcd onrselves under Lift gnidanee in unRuspioioas confidenc^e. TVe were

not away altcgetkor more than au liour and a

half, and our young friend, who certainly had

been \incommonly amusing and lively, w ith a

very cheerful flow o i conversation that quit« ^scinated Lis audi«nee, had the assurance to

demand a dollar (4«. 2d.) for h is services, and

being th e son o f our host and hostess, invoked

their intervention to sxipport h is claims when

he found they were resisted, and a pretty scene

we had in tlie kitchen before startin g; though I

am happy to say, that in spit« o f all th e dit^ turbanc«, and th e air o f deeply*injurud innocence

aMumed h y our cicerone, he succeedcd in obtain­

in g no more than a fair remuneration for his

eerviccs.One characteristic o f robhers, howerer, in

so eh a oouj^try aa Spain, commands admiration

(fco borrow copy*book phraseology)—tbpy gHio- rally choose some romantic scene, amid the

umbrageoua recesses o f a forest, or the

&stncHses o f a mountain-regicn, for their lair. Tliis is pre-eminently the ca«e w ith the pood

people o f Bonda. N oth in g can be finer than

the situation o f the town, which has acquired

an almost svorld-wide renowrn for beauty,A long tract of table-1 and (as w ell as wo

could make out by m oonlight th e n igh t before) terminates, with tbe abruptness o f an ocean-cliiT, in a precipice varying in hei{»ht from 800 to 1000

feet. On this natural platform stands Konda, and a single leap wonhi carry yon from the

m aigiii o f its Alameda into th e depths o f an almost Alpine Valley, thongh the orange aud

olive, flourish there iu rich luxuriance. The

view from th e bridge is perhaps still more

wonderful. A chasm, 300 feet wide, oalled the Tajo, dividing tho old town from the new, ia

spanned b y a massive m odem bridge, under

whieh, at the depth of some 700 feet, the Gua- dalviu rushes forth into open day from the

H H ^

caveiTifi, which hitherto bave imprisoned its

waters, and then w ith a bold leap over a ledge o f roek (that forms d lovely waterfall jn st where

a narrow channel drains olT an arrowy shoot to

the old MoonRh m ills below), i t daahes onward

down th e slope, nntil, having fertilized the ^ e e n

meadows o f tho valley, it finally empties itself

in to thu principal stream o f the district, the

green-hued, aud romantic Goadairo.Desiientling to tbe uiilh«, aud standing at thu

base o f the bridge, near the waterfall, wu realized more diatinctly the heij^ht and depth

o f that s in ^ la r chjft, and as we turned in the

opposite quarter, the ofl'ctt waa almoat as i f we

were looking through the tube t>f some o u o t -

mous telescope, so eloscly at th is spot do the

rocka contract into a gorge, before thuy finally

open out towards the valley. Thu sidea of the eliff are covered w ith festoons o f creepers, look­in g 80 m oist aiid freah, that to descend in tlie

summer*heiita from the sun-baked tow u into

those cool depths, where the spray o f th e \NTiter- fall, dropping» unseen like gentle dew, maintains

a perpetual freshness, miwt be a delicious transi­tion. Tlie spot forcibly rucallk-d the iiuagery of

Lord M ornington’a well-knuwn glee, “ H ere in

cool grot,” which indeed so exactly describes its

IU FmtvTCH. 469

Tarious features, that it m ight have been

written there, thou^^h the fairies would have to

adjourn to the meadows below ere they could

“ fnsk it, frisk i t / ’ on “ th e turf w ith d^sies broider’d o’er.”

W e saw i t under circumstaiic&s widely dif- tcrent, w ith nothing to remind us o f either

fairy forms, or summer skies, th e frosty air o f a l)eeumbftr rDorning, as well as the prcssuje of

time, forbidding v£ to linger, and in another

half-hoiir we were once more in the saddle, to descend th e valley o f the (:hiadairo.

O lA P T E R XLTI.

H a r d l y liad we cleared the towii, beldre I

discovered tlie Iobh o f a very useful Spanisli scarf, or fa ja , 1 had bought at Seville, which I distinctly remembered to have had in

m y possession that muruing. Tt waa, however, too late to go back, as, w ith a long journey before us, I did not w ish to detain th e party, and though i t was doubtleaa at the posada, its

recovery out o f th e hauda o f auch gentry, more

especially while th e incident o f th e dollaj waa

still 80 froah in their recollection, would have

been simply hopeless.Judging ftv)m onr own experience i t is a very

common practiec w ith th e wom en at posada« to

conceal any article they m ay covet, belonging to

travellers, by throwiui» som ething over it, in the

hope that, on th e principle o f “ out o f sight, ont o f mind,” ita existence m ay be forgotten,

Ffim ak' Tricks tytott Travellers. 471

and so in the hurry o f departnre tbe gnest pro­bably goes away w ithout thinking o f it, and the

mufiaeha (or waiting-maid) cornea o f couise into possession o f such waif, as a sort o f residuary

proprietor.Tricks o f th is desirription were constantly

played upon xB; for, w ith tlie n sm l uniuspi-

dousiiese o f the masculine gender, wc tmdd not hring ourselves to holieve, that tevmvn coaid be

gu ilty o f such practices ! Indeed, I m ay say, a

considerable tim e elapsed before we had fiilly tathomed the depths o f tamale artifice in S p a in ; it seemed to m eet ua at every tu rn ; no sooner

had we diseuvered one “ dodfje,'’ and turned the

knowledge to account by greater circimiapection o f conduct, than a new mauceuvre assailed us

from a tota lly opposite quarter! I t would take

a long tim e to relate all we had to go through

and I should he unw illing to dctaiu m y readers

w ith 80 paintul a subject. Ono or tw o o f their

stratagems, however, m ay be m entioned for the

benefit o f future tourists.A pair o f comfortable winter-gloves, which

our long rides, early and late, rendered worth

more than th^ir wei^jht in silver, would chance

to he ly in g on tho bed before hreakt«t, ready for th e d a y s wear; or a pocket-handkerchief, or

4 72 F m ale 2H ch upon Travellers,

tm sty knife, a oompanion in travel for years,

or small hair-brush, or any o f thfl aun<liy Vniot- knacks eo coavenient to travellers. On return­in g to your room to finish packing, something (and that o f oonrse precisely tlic article m ost

frequently in reqneat) was Biore to have dis­appeared. I f lucky enough to recollect its

existence, and sufficiently alive to Spanish stra­tagem , you would, almost to a certainty, find

your inissiiig chattel ly in g in a fold o f the Ixd* clothes, carelcsbly, yet artistically, concealed. The ohvious advantage of thu trick over down­r igh t positive thieving, consisted in th e impoeei*

hility o f bringing home th e offence, while it

proved» iu m ost instaneos, an equally effectual m ethod o f conveying property frorrk one owner

to another, Tt waa nearly a« certain in its

results as actual stealing, and much more sate, b y comprOTnisin^f no one.

So it happened, no doubt, to m y m issing faja. I had carefully put it out w itli m y paletot, &c,, before we set off to »ee tlie sight« o f Bonda, so as to he quito ready for use on m y return. D uring my absence th e maid-servant had, of

course, taken th e opportunity o f reconnoitring

m y room to see whieh o f m y goods and chattels

would &erve her host. The faja, with its gay

colouis 80 dear to tlie female licart, was tlie very

tilin g to suit her complexion 1 Besides, she

may Lave had strict notions abcmt clerical cos­tume, and perliaps thonpht 1 had no hxisincss to

array myaclf in tLe pomp and vanity ol a soaflet scarf. A t any rate, witLout rem oving it, I dare

gay, m any incLes fruQi its former position, she managed to conceal i t so clfcctually that I never

saw it again, and 1 can only now w ish her health

and strength to wear my faja from Seville 1 ^iometimeR bolder methods are adopted, and

I Lave had the pockct o f m y paletot, ly ing in m y be<l-Toom, picked, while I chanced to be ont

o f eiglit, I m ention these variona particxilars not on ly to illustrate the character o f a class

witL v^hich travellers m ust imavoidahly come into frequent contact, hnt btscanse, moreover, the very articles m ost needed ou a journey are

sure to be moat in request w ith poi^ada-keepere ; not to m ention th e additional fact that Spanish

travel soon teaches the value o f the little ap­pliance» and comforts Enghshm en are w ont to carry alxmt w ith them , in a land where i t is

utterly impossible to replace such conveniences.

C K A P T E R X L in .

T T A V IN O achieved in w fety th e frtony de- floent from Ligh-perched Eonda, we soon

reached the banks of th e OuadaiTo, and for^iiug

its crystal biiream, followed a r^ad skirting it-s righ t hank for a considerable distance.

A more cliam iini' eom^^Hnion ibr a ride cannot he im agined than thi« bri|»bt monntain-river, as

i t sped along ewiM y, but ^ n t ly , throngh some

o f the loveliest scenery we saw anywhere in the

Peninsula. Ot’ quite a distinct character from

anything wc; fe ll in w ith elsewhere, i t reminded me, in m any places, o f scenery am ong the W ick­low mountains, w ith th e addition o f Spanish

accessories, and the more varied and choice

vcj^tatLon o f a southern climate.Ford mentions a route from Rondo to Oib-

raltiir, which avoids Ga,ucin, leaving i t about three m iles to the left. T h is route wc were

anxious to follow for several reasons; but ehiefiy

Seenery o f the Guadairu. 475

because i t appeared, from Ford’s description, to

be a shorter and better way to “ the Bock» thark the one by Oaucin, and aomo oi* our animals

were beginning to show aymptoma of fatigue, w hich made it deeirahk to choose th e eaáer

line.N e x t day we enjoyed th e satisfaction o f learn­

in g that, apart fi*oni facility o f travelling, the direction we were now following was fm prefer­able in point ot* scenery also, to th e road through

Gaucin.Our coxu*Be lay between a double mountain-

rango, which, clothed w ith many a soutiicm al^ub— olc^ d er , myrtle, arbntue, gum-cistus, Bnd Spanish ^orf^— declined in gentle slopes to

tb e water’s edge. H ere and there, when an occasional tract o f level ground gave lo o m for

m an to build h is liome, the wilder features were for tho moment »oftened down, and orange-

groves, almond and olive trees, imparted a

variety to the landscape.A bout two leagues from Honda, on th e op­

posite bank o f tb e river, we paesed Z a Oveva del Chto (the Cat's CJavc), a cclebruted oavem, lyin |f

at the base of th e mountain, ont o f which leaps

fortb a full-groffn stream, which at once doubles

the volume o f the Ouadairo, by the influx o f its

s e a ^ e c n waters, A lovelier spot can7>ot he

conceived. H ow 1 1 an ged to cross the river (for

w#» had novi for some tim e retorned lo the left

banV) and explore the hidden beanties o f its

“ untrodden stalactical caverns” ! B ut the day was wearing on, a n d having no guide, we could

command no reliable i n f o n n a t i o D r e s p e c t i n | » onr

route, which was e v i d e n t l y , from w hat we saw

before m , b y no means a desirable road t o t r a v e l

over in the night-tim e. I t was seldom better than

a narrow m u l e - p a t h , s o m e t i m e s s t i r t i n g , by a

mere ledge, the precipices overhangiiig.the rivor, sometimes d e s c e n d i n g abruptly into the bed of

ravine or torrent, to ascend as steep a slope on

the Ather side. N o r waa i t always an easy matter to pass, a t such p o i n t s , the nuuicrons

trains o f mule« and donkeys we fell iu with

between Ronda aud La Hiniora. Some o f thorn, goin g in tbe same direction, w ith little regard to

civility or safety, would try to p a a s us, and push

ahead. A t another time, perliaps, we m ight

have resented such rudeness, so different frcm the general demeanour o f th e dilTerent wayfarers

wc had fallen in w itli heretofore. B u t we were

now too much absorbed in th e lovelinoss around

us, and toy fearful o f losing any portion, to

think of anything else, while every bend o f the

river euchantcd the cyo b y disclosing some new

beautV.

E very now and then the Gua^lairo opened out

between craggy banks o f brown copsB-wood into

triUK^uil reaches, that m iirored the cIoikIIcsb sky,

and caught some tin ge o f its deop a>^re; those

quiet hpeailth» o f atill water, where swamia o f

iiah were glancing to and fro, contrasting most

eflectively hy th eir repose, svilli the rushing

inill-race that borrowed from, or the tributary

mnuntain-brook th a t added to, the Tolnm e o f the

m ain strcaui.

Sumetimcs the entire landecape bccame a

hroad fiweep o f woodland, all-gorgeous w ith the

tin ts o f autumn, and th e eyo witching every

moment some new effulgenco o f culouriiig, here

a cijwa o f scajlet and gold, there a darlc rich

greeu, or mellow brown, tiaveDed onwards with

delight, to rest finally ou some hold crag or

wooded promontory, which thrnsting itse lf be­

yond the general line o f mountain-alope, and

forcing th e river out o f a direct course, quick­

ened it into speedier flow over rocky ledge aud

gravelly ford.

H avin g forded t}ie Guadairo on first descend­

in g fW>m Itonda, w e crossed again ere noon,

keeping always afterwards to the le ft bank. B y

47 8 Snlii/2ry Venfa.

this tim e i t had attained th e dimensions o f a

goodly stream, and though tnany a m ill was

indebted to tliose crystaJ waters for tho meaos o f

setting in m otion the m d e machinery, which

had remained alm ost unchanged siuce M oorish

days, the loan w as soon repaid, and as the foam*

iu g runnel leapt out o f the iniU-sluie« to regain

the parent-etream, the Guadairo flowed on, not

as IS the w ont o f Spanish rivers (eath o f which

is generally la id under tribute for th e purposes

o f irrigation, and robbed, or, according to the

national expression bled, o f h a lf its

current), b u t w ith Tmdiminishcd, and ever-enlarg-

i7ig volume.

A bou t tw o or three o ’clock, w e made a brief

h alt beside one o f the old-fashioned m ills, nnder

the shade o f spreading walnut-trees, w hile the

horses ate tbeir mid-day allowance o f barley,

and, hastening onwards again to make up fo r the

lateness o f our start, reached in a couple o f hours

a solitary V en ta eurtounded b y orange-treea, juirt

before sunset. T h e river is here crossed b y a

ferry, intended for th e convenience o f persons

going to Cortes, one o f the l a t e s t v i lla ^ s in

th e neighbourhood.

I t was now tim e to be th in kin g o f night-

quarters, and h avijig heard o f a ham let in this

QueefioiuilU Ini'ifatiim. 479

direction, called L a H im era, w e inquired o f tlie

people, to w hom both th e V e n ta and ferry

Ijclonged, L a Ilim era, tb e y told ns, w as about

a )nile and a h a lf distant on tlia t side o f the

l i t e r ; b u t naturally desirous to take in so lai^e

a party, th ey used their best powers ol persua­

sion to conTiiice ua wo should be m uch better o£T

under the roof o f the V e r ta than i f w e went on

further. B ein g deeidedly sceptical on this point,

as the whole premises appeared io contain no

more than tw o rooms, and these on th e ground*

£cM>r, like m ost Spanish honses o f ordinary de­

scription, w e declined their invitation (at any

rate for the present, u n til w e had made u re*

cuunaissaiice), and d ircrg in g from th e bridlc-road

about h a lf a mile below, were not long in reach­

in g L a H im cra, w hich in its breezy position,

npou a steep b to ^ nnder a range o f h ig h hills,

had a ia i drier and healthier aspect than that

damp and squalid V enta, close to th e wator’s

edge, s^iggestirc o f nothing h ut mosquitos,

malaria, and low fever.

L a H im era, w hich is l a i ^ enough to aspire to

the title o f a village, possesses a posada, whither

q{ course w o betook ourselves, only, however, to

meet w ith disappointment, tho mistress o f the

house heing too i ll to adm it o f our being taken

in thiire. Purkiss, in consequence, }»ad to go

about from door to door, like a mcndicant,

beggin g for accom m odation; and after tryirig'

several honses in vaiu, a t last, when we bad

begun to fear w e should after a ll liavc to return

to the V en ta , he discovered one th at wonld do­

l t belonged to some peasants, o f whom indeed

the entire popiilAption o f tiiie scxjueetered com­

m unity is compoR6Kl, there being in th e placc

not even a resident Cura-

O ur host, aud ho8te«s*clect, were moat civil

and obliging, and h avin g a very tid y chamber

containing tw o beds, iu addition to another roouj

at the house o f a relation “ up th e rtreet,’' where

M r. S ykes found comfortable quarters, they were

thus able to accommodate the whole party,

though I fear th is result w as not accomplished

w ithout much inconvenience to them selves and

th eir families.

W e could not have found a better illustratioti

o f the superior comfort aud cleanlinf«» in which

th e Spanish peasantry live, than w h at occurred

on th e present occasion. T<a Himei'a, aa already

Rtated, is a small mountain*vilIage, in a remote

district, w h ile tho only road we saw w ithin

several mileg o f the place, lies a t some distance

out o f sight, and is little freqnented b y travellers

o f any description. Y e t here, in tlie liouse o f a

cotuiuou peasant, w e m et w ith unimpcacliabli?

accommodation, and fer better beds than may

sometimes bo found a t innd o f considerable

prciension.

T h e preparation o f dinner becomo quite a

public affair, for there was b u t one fire-place, and

between our party o f nine, th e household, and

sxindry neighbours, who came dropping in, some

to assist, and a ll to have a peep at the St'%ore8 InglpseHy Purkisd bad mueli ado to get to tbe

hearth, thongh h e bore the tria l w ith liis usual

good*tempor. T h e village-barber, a poor lame

young man, particularly distinguished him self

b y his actdvity and general usefulness, turning

h is hand to anything, aVinning rabbits, wash­

ing, and then slicing potatoes, and holding the

frying-pan, w ith surJi read y clieerfulness, that

it was quite a pleasure to see him.

There w as also a very ta ll woman, looking

like a domesticated M e g M errilies, w ho pro*

fessod to be m aking liersolf generally u se fu l;

b u t from th e eeeentricity o f her behaviour she

rendered, in reality, ve ry little service, thongh

w e gave her fo il credit for the best intentions.

I do nut know how many tim es she patted, nay

I may w ell say, slapped me on the back, exhibit-

I I

4 8 2 O ^H ohm O ld ff'oTfian.

in g all thft while »0 benevolent on cipression of

conntenanec, that offence, or even rcm onstranw,

w as out o f tlie question; it wiuj ber w ay o f

m anifesting regard and affection ! A fte r tbis

she proecedcd to offer her services to Purkiss,

to his sore einbarrassment, doing alw ays the

very tilin g he particularly wished not to be

done, T liis was too provokii^g, a* delaying

still further the preparation o f dinner, which

nnder tlie niost faTounible cireumstarLccs could

seldom be accomplished in a shorter Apace than

tw o hours. T h e old lady’s last freak took place

several hours after dinner, w hen slit* cutcred our

bed-room, alm ost perforec, w ith a kirge apple in

e-ach band, one o f w hich she persisted in poking

under L o rd Portarlingtoii’s bed-clothes, awaken­

ing bim out o f his first sleep, w hile she pre­

sented tb e other to me. Fortunately I was still

dressed, and w ith m any thanks for her unseason­

able jyitts, wliich erentuaJly, however, stood us

in good srtead, 1 managed b y degrees to g et her

ont o f the room.

Despite all difficultieR, Purkif» in due course

contrived to scrrc us np a very superior dinner,

w hich w e ate in tbe bed-roAm, returning to tbe

kitchen as soon as the servants had finished

tlieir meal, and a m erry group w e formed round

V i l l a g e ' B a t h f i t . 4gj

th e fire-aide, w lille itareos, Tom as, tlic Barber,

and tiie niaii from L oja, were discussing, a little

apart, the reiuaiiis o f our dinner, out o f which,

h y the addition o f a few handfuls o f rice, sup­

plemented w ith various item s o f native season­

ing. th ey soon concocted a huge dish o f food,

th a t looked quite appetizing. In to this eaeh of

them dipped h is broad n t i m j n , o t clasp-knife,

after th e Spanisli fashion, and i t waji aiitonish*

in g how speedily the whole mess disappeared,

as th ey quaffed tw o or thrco bottles o f wine

w e liad giveii them, amid a ehorus o f je s t and

laughter.

T h e Barber delighted as w ith liis good-natnred.

pleasant ways. B ein g the hanily man of the

village, h e is a t every one’s ealJ on emergencies,

practising am ong h is various avocations blood­

lettin g both in arm and foot, as h e took care to

inform us, lik e the barber-surgeons o f our owu

country a couple o f centuries ago. T h is art he

evidently regarded as the most honourable de­

partment o f his profession. H e was v e ry anxious

fco exercise some branch o f liis calHijg upon one

o f us i and tirafc proposed lettin g a Jittle blood,

o f which th e meagreness o f Spanish diet had

left us no siiperfinity ; and when we, not un*

naturfilly, declined the proposal, he Iw ggcd at

I I 2

484 A M irrg ¡hcning.

any rate w c wonld pen n it him to exhibit hiR

tonsorial s t ill, an ofi'er th at m et with no ‘better

acceptance from any o f tLu party.

I 'h oron gh ly did wo enjoy th at evening a t L a

H im era, not o n ly becausc tbe people were so

exceedingly kind*heartcd and obliging, and wo

saw them very m uch as tb cy are at their own

fire* sides ; b u t w e felt, moreover, it was perhaps

th e b a t scene o f th e sort we shonld ever w it­

ness, now w e were drawing so near tb e cud o f

onr expedition. I often look b&ck to th e night

w e spent a t L a H im era, w ith a feeling o f pecu­

liar pleasure.

" I T T l T l i a day’s journ ey o f unknown Icngtli

’ * in prospect, we were called nevt mom-

in g before sis, having enjoyed an excellent ui^ht’s

rest in dean, eomfortablo boda; though the

servants, w ho w ent througli a great amount o f

fatigue aad discoujfort during tho whole expedi­

tio n w ith moat praisew orthy paticnee and gotxi-

hnmoiiT, had, aa often happened, nothing but tho

floor to liu upon. W h en I tirst w eut ont into

the open air, it wad still glorious m ooulight,

w ith a solitary fire o f charcoal-burners glow ing

on the hill-side opposite, like the flam ing eye o f

a Cyclops, whiJe over mountain and valley, wood­

land and river, the calmness o f perfect rcpoao

shed ita soothing influence,

Tomaa, whom b y th is tim e w e had discovered

to be a thoroughly lazy fellow, very diflercnt

irom Marcos, w ould not g et up w hen firat callcd,

and thua delayed us provokingly, a t least an

hour, 80 th at in spite o f our virtuous exertions

in qu ittiug bed lo n g before daylight, we did not

8uc»ecd in rnaking an earlier b*tart tLaii 7 .Si).

U aviD g now to regain the m ain ruod, from

w hich wu liad d iv e r^ d to reach L a TTiinera,

tho good-uatxtred Barher, thougli very lame

(apparuntly from his birth), volunteered to

guide us, and led the w ay w ith r ig h t good w ill.

W e traversed about tw o m iles o f rough ground

before wo regained th e road, not where we left

i t tlie preeeding day, bnt some distance lower

down the valley, h ig h above the (Juadairo, w ith

Cortes over again bt ue on th e opposite bank.

H ere wo parted from th e Barber, and w ishing

ns good-bye w ith h earty kindliness, he turned

homewards, suprem ely happy in the posseesion

o f h is well-merited earnings, w hile we set onr

faces down the river in the direction o f B oca dc

Leon, a point for w hich he had givuu us careful

and oft*repeated dirc*utiuus.

W h ile debuting th e evening hefure, w hither wc

should hutakc uursulves for sluuping-quarters,

w c had entcrt'aincd some thoughts o f m aking for

Cortes, fancying i t waa no great distance ahead.

W e conld now perceive, as w e appruaehud that

village, how m uch more w isely w e had acted iu

g o in g to L a H im era, Cortes being not only on

th e w rong side o f th e Guadairo (and it takes

some tim e for a party like ours to cross a

Spanish ferry, w ith ita clum sy tjoafc and dilatory

boatmen), but, waa very evident w hcu we

stood opposite, really m uch further otf than it

appeared. I ts situation is mo«t clianuing, es*

pecially w hen view ed from below, as w e saw it

basking iu th e uiorriinff suubcama, half*way up

th e mountain, and com bining, on that sheltered

plateau, the double advantage o f a w arm climate

aud frvah Inghland breezes.

T h o Gnadairo, which we still skirted for

several hours, led us to-day through sccncry o f

a diiferent description from the landscapes w ith

whielx it had made us fam iliar yesterday. Its

banks were m uch less uniform, sloping a t one

tim e down to th e w ater’s edge in a strip o f grpen

meadow, fenced b y aloe-hedges, a t another swell­

in g into rounded headlands o f some elevation,

that overhung th e stream in precipices o f rich

brown s o il; and, as our path woim d in and

out between ^ o u p s o f lichen-clad oafc-stems,

river and meadow, woodland and mountain«

glen, w ould bu rst suddenly into sight, present­

in g a combination o f beauty, w hich united in a

single view both the features o f E nglish foreet-

scenery, and many o f th e cliaracteristics o f a

Spanish landscape.

A b o u t mid-day w e fijially quitted our now

fam iliar companion, the Guadairo, w liicL w c bad

skirted for a day and a half. B u t before T bid

farew ell to its romantic scenery, le t m e point

out, under correction o f phiiologiste, w ho are

very apt to be ' ‘ d o w n ” upon a n y unliceneed

intruder into th eir domain, th e frequent occur­

rence, in the South o f Spain, o f the first *word

w hich enters into the composition o f ita name.

A T e r y c u r s o r y gLince a t th e map w ill dis­

cover a t leaat tw en ty streams, including the two

great arteriea o f the district, the (i^adiana and

th e Guadalquivir, in addition to a third almost

identical in name, tho G uadairanear SoTille, all

o f w hich begin w ith th e same prefix. T h is aji

ignoramus lik e myaelf, w ould derive from TFhda,

th e A rabic term for a river, the well-known

“ W a d y ” o f th e E a st being, I preaume, a cognate

word. T h e pronunciation too would aeem to

fiiT o u r this crude surmise o f mine, each o f those

names being pronounced as i f i t began w ith a

W, G being here ignom iniously disregarded, as

non-existent. W ords so compoimdcd are found,

as m igh t bo expected, w ith T e r y rare exceptions

(Guadarrama near M adrid bein g th e principal),

in those parts o f Spain alone, where M oorish

ascendancy was o f longest duration.

QU T T T IN G then thu river and philology,

a t once, w e strike abruptly to the left,

o u crossing a torrent, and for a fcvr miles follow

tlie road to G aucin, o f w hich tow n, perchcd like

an eyrie am ong the m ouutuius, w e ciitcli a

glimpse on reaching th e ridge o f a rough, halt-

ploughed h ill, onr proxiioato destination, accord­

in g to tilic reiterated instructions o f thait faithful

ally the Barber, bein g B oca de Leon, a spot o f

w hich w c had formed the most indistJDct con­

ceptions, not know ing exactly w hether i t waa

ham let, venta, or mountain-pass. From the

ridge on w hich w e now stood, w e could make

uut the ronte for some distance, aa w e looked

down upon a copse-clad glen, watered b y a small

brook, w ith Oancin to our left. Descending

about h a lf the depth o f the glen, and following

a p ath w hich ran, terrace-likc, h ig h above the

brook, w e threaded tw o or three m iles o f the

most beautiful woodland scenery imftginable, ar­

riv in g in due season a t a solitary c o tt^ e , stand­

in g in a vineyard, ju at where the valley makes

an abrupt bend a t r igh t an|^les to its former

direction.

H ere w e p u lk d up to take counsel. T w o paths

presented them selves, one proceeding rtraight

down to the brook, to aaccnd on th e other side a

gteep slope o f well-tim bered ground th a t almost

deserved to he called a mountain. T h e other

turn in g to the righ t, past tlic cottage, h d on to

a gorge o f singul.ir beauty, henimed-in b y lotty

clitis o f rich brown soil, through w hich the

brook made it* w ay to jo in the (iuadairo. There

being no one in th e cottage to g ive us informa­

tion, w e naturally chose th e eaaier and pleasanter

couise, where th e path waa level, and the sccnciy

m ost inviting, h avin g no m ind to face th a t long

pull up-hill, to w hich th e other route would

have condemned us.

H o n v far w e should have gone on in our error

(as it turned out), i t is impossible to say; some

peasants fortunately were a t w ork further on,

and from them we learnt, th at Boca de Leon

was th at ve ry slope o f woodland on tli« other

side o f the brook, w hich w c h a d jn st declined tu

encounter. T u rn in g back wc regained the right

F irH Siffhi o f Ih f “R o c k y 491

road, aud after a laborious ascent (through

groves o f r a a ^ fic e i it chestnuts), w hich proved

m ost fatigu in g to th e horses, tlxe day Iw ing very

warm and sunshiny, w e gained a t len gth the

summit o f the pass, to descend abruptly on the

othyr side b y a long tract o f hleak wold. A

sudden bend o f the path turn in g our eyes in

anotlier direction, w hat should w e see, to our

intense satisfaction, bn t th e goal o f our jonrnyy,

aud the object o f our liopea,— the R ock o f G ib­

raltar ( which, loom i)ig grandly through th e hazy

atmosphere far aw ay to tlie soutli-^aet, lilted

its vast form, tow ering in solitary m ajesty, w ith

prond defiance against the A frican cuast.

Jt waa a niom eut o f delighted surprise ; and,

in spite o f th e haiie and dimness caused b y the

east w ind, the grandeur o f its form aud outline

more than realized our eipe<rtations. A p art

from ita history, and a ll the associations called

forth in the minds o f E nglishm en sightin g it

for the first tim e, I have seldom seen a finer

natural object, its position on the dead level o f

th e 8ea*shcre rendering effeetive every foot o f

elevatioji.

“W c were, however, evidently still a lo n g w ay

off, and as the day began to draw to a close, it was

impossible to say when wc should bo able to ac-

coiuplisL tlic interveniujf epa- e, u distance (ap­

parently) o f BOinc tw en ty «five or th irty ndlos.

T h e road too, alou^ those upland pastures, was

villauous, bein g a t ouco boggy, and stony,

threatening at one moment to hrcak our horses’

knees, a t another to en gu lf tbem in somo

very snspicioua-looting swarrkps, am ong which

w e had for th e tim e to p ick our w ay w ith ex­

trem e caution. T ills was the o n ly occasion I

remember ever to have m et w ith anythin g o f

the kind ¡n Spain, bogs bein|» a form ation quite

foreign to th at arid climate. A s w e advanced

towards the low er eonntry th e ground gradually

became rounder and leas toilflome to the horses.

Ju st a t this moment M r. Sykes and I hap*

pened to have ridden on ahead, and on leacliing

a venta stauding in a ^ o v e o f noble orange-

trees (the loftiest and largest I ever saw), co­

vered to th eir topm ost bough w ith ripe fruit, we

waited for the reat o f the party. A v e ry exten­

sive prospect la y beibre us in th e direction o f

G ibraltar, and w e were in fu ll enjoym ent o f

th e scene, when, suddenly chancing to look

bade upon the road w e had heen travelling,

great was m y astonishment to behold a Skye­

terrier shulUing along on three legs at a quick

tro t towards ua, and looking as natural and in­

dependent as i f hia shaggy sp ciea belonged to the indigene o f the PeninRula; one’s thoui^hts

being instantly carried home-ward hy a sight so

nnespected in that out* ot-the*way spot I And

while, l itü th e flies in amber, it« appearancc

prompted U8 to think o f tho lines—•

'* K ol tbftt th e th ing ilse lf wae rich, or rare,B u t w e wond<irod b ow o n earth i t bad oom e th ere

the m ystery waa solved by th e approach of tw o horsemen, unmistakable E nglish gentle­men, w ith their strvant behind, coroing from

th e same tpiarter. Tn the pleasure o f meeting eonntry men, and exchanging a few worda, the

r i^ n r and stiffness o f .English etiquette was at

ouee caat aside, and we spoke as naturally as ships hail each other at sea.

They, like ourselves, were bound for Gibral*

t.ir, having left it on ly three days before, for a short excursion through the Serranía. They

had started from Ronda that morning, and being

in ligh t marching order, and w ell moimtcd on

(lihraltar hacks, which are supposed capable of

any amount o f exertion \uidcr E nglish riders, had accomplished in one day what had occupied

us nearly twice the time. T hey were now

making for Xiinena, the only place o f any aize

in tlio nciglibourliood, where they liftd secnired

sleeping*quarters, and, as thoy hoped to arrive shortly, T e r y good-naturedly offered to hespeafc

awommodation for ue. W e could not, howcTer, avail ourselves of* their kindness, our destina­tion being San P^Kjue, These gentlem en proved, as we learnt at Gibraltar, to be Captain O’Hara, aud a friend, whose name T cannot at th is mo- •ment recollect. Before parting, their servant a gxdde from “ th e Roek,” thorougWy acquainted

w itli the coiuitry, gave us fu ll instructione as

to our route, 'which proved of th e greatest use. Indeed T do not know what we sho\ild have done bnt for that chance rencontre, for wc liad

no guide, and not one o f the party had ever beeu that w ay before.

Tlay was now rapidly closing, and in spite of

the directions we had so recently received, it

soon became no easy matter to find th e road, wliich lay sometim es over a tract o f arable

grouud, where the plough had newly obliterated

every vestige o f a path; sometime» i t skirted

the »tcep banks o f a rivulet on it* way, like

ourselves, to the Guadairo, wliieh we had just

discovered we m ust ford once more. Tnder the

deepening tw iligh t it became scarcely less diffi­cult to trace thaji an Indian trail, obliging us

continually to make casts in every direction, tefore w e conld venture to proceed, more espe­cially on one occasion in crossing th e brook. The moon, however, came erelong to our aid, and for sumo tim e we advanced at a good brisk

pace, aud had fairly reached tlie low eonntry, w hen Siiddeiily we found ourselves so hopelessly

involved in a anccession o f plo«i?hed fields, deep

w itli stiff clay, that seeing a sm all ikrm-honse standing at no great distance on a bank, 1 rode

toward* it, and with Purkiss' help aa interpreter, prevailed on a young man to ^ d e ns to tbe Y enta de Gaadairo. M onnting his mule be struck

off at once across a trackless sweep o f >vheat-1 and, where none b at a native conld find his way at

night, and in about an honr and a b a lf brought

us to a ford of tho iJundairo, at wliicb one of the mules made a difficulty, and it was some

tim e before be could be |^ t over, though the

water was not more tban two feet deep, t'ol-

lowing the right bank of th e downward stream, in another bnur we reached th e Venta, whicli stands in a m ost dismal situation not faJ* from

tlio riv6T*brink, iu an atmosphere wbere damp, fog, and m akria reign in nndiapxited supremacy.

1 had always felt a sort o f presentiment, that

»¡though wc had eyperienced a< good many vicis-

situdca o f travel, and, in F u r l’a phrase, clechned

quite us m<Luy muods and tenses o f th e verb " to

rough it,” a« scr7«<l to g ive zest to onr adven­tures at tbe momont, and a piquancy to their

aftcr-recoliection, y e t there was stdlJ awaiting

us somewhere, a culminating point o f th e ups«

aud-downs o f a traveller’s carecr in th is quaint old-iiishiouod land, and a still lower deep of

discomfort, ere our expedition came to a close.A t th e V enta de (juadairo we found th e com­

plete fiiltilment of that prcscntiincnt. For here

•were we, six hungry men, at th e hour o f nine

P.M ., under the roof o f the m ost deplorablc-look* in g abode imaginable, w ith ju st enongh uf food

and w ine to excito ou i appetites to an insatia>

hie degree, after a ride o f fourteen hours through

frush mountain *air i N or was there th e remotest clrnnce o f adding anj^tlung to th e slender store

we liad brought w ith ns, except a few eggs, which

we hailed w ith rupture, and divided w ith as scru­pulous an exactness as a shipwrecked crew doles out its scanty supplii.^.

Bnt it may he nattd, “ W here wore the pan­niers, of which we have heard so much, w ith

their m anifold resources of wine and eomes- tib lcs?” That was precisely the question wo

had been putting to ourselves, and to cach other,

j4h Indiffcreitfyn. 497

so m any tim es for several hours past, witLout eliciting tLc BmalJest response j uo, not even the

fcien4Iy echo, wJiich is snpposed to be always at Land, in momenta of extremity, to famiBh a

reply, when nothing else will. The fact ia (can

tlio reader wonder I am lotli to make the con­fession?), we had been guilty that day o f a gross

indiscretion, the i^roasest indeed, T think, com­m itted dnring the whole expedition— we had

actually parted w ith our vietuala!T he prospect o f finding ourselves so soon

under th e protection o f that redoubtable quad­ruped, th e British L ion, at Gibraltar, had, ap­parently, proved too much for ns. L ike the

KamtcLadalea, as I once heard them described hy a lecturer at the Great Globe, we had sud­denly become, “ w ithout any regard for fu tu rity /’ elevated by th e excitement o f th e m oment iar

above the sublunary concerns o f catdng and

drmfcing. Forgetful of th e old saw, “ i la s s and

m eat never hinder work,” we had fancied to-day, for the first tim e, that the provisions were an

incumbrance, meTc impediments to our speedier progreas, and so, after a haaty meal taken in the

forenoon, we at once pushed on, leaving Marcos, Tomas, and the mau from Loja, to come on

after ua w ith the donkeys to San Roque, ask K

498 R e tu U s o f o n Indiicreiion.

speedily as poRsible, fljittexing ourseilves we were, somehow or other, going to enter Gibraltar that

yery n ig lit, at gnn-fire, wLcn th e gates are

cloi^ed, being in December soon after five p .m .

Some one fortunately had possessed sufficient “ repani for futurity,” to put up a fowl, and half

«mother, o f very slender dimensions, w ith the

peramns of a bottle o f slierry, and to th is fore­thought did we owu tlie pittance o f food wc were now a wall owing w ith so much thankfulness, and still unappeased hunger, at tho V enta de

Gnadairo.A s soon B6 the sherry had disappeared, wc

tried for tlic firat tim e that vile stnff, aguardiente, which, being in taste worse than any physic, d id us, I hope, some good afterwards.

The apples, presented the previous night in

BO eccentric a manner hy th e old lady at La

H im era, and which we then regarded as ao un­seasonable a gift, were now more esteemed than

gohlen fruit o f the llesperides (who, by-the-way, m ust have lived aomewherc in these parts, “ the

Far W e s t” of classic ages), while we watched

each o f u s h is own individual apple roasting in

the fire, w ith m ost jealous concern, and so eager

was our hunger, that I believe all three burnt their mouths in eating them . A t any rate 1 did.

Beds in sxtch a place were utterly out o f the

question- For any one wieliing to lie down, there was the floor and a sort o f settle, w ithout

a hack, attached to the wall rouud the fire, oq w hich the rest o f the party contrived to suatch

a aedentary nap, while I , nnable to sleep, had to

content myaelf w ith listen ing to th e peculiar

sounds uttered h y somnolent hum anity, an enter­tainm ent which a m usician m i^ht haply, in th is

instance, describe as a quintett, w ith on obli|^ to

accompanimcnt by one or tw o perfonners on the

only instrument available at th e moment— the

nasal organ.T his concerted piece lasted perhaps an honx

and a half, g iv ing me ample tim e to chew tho

cud o f sweet and bitter fancies,” th e latter in­spired no douht by aguardiente. W ill any one wonder that on the first opportunity I should

propose to go on a ll night, now that men and

borsos were rofrashed w ith rest and food, and

there was a fu ll moon at our scrviee, so that we

m ight reaeh Gibraltar betim es next morning, in ­stead o f liaving to ride, soiled aud travel-worn, through the streets o f a British garrison-town h y broad day-light ou Sunday ? I t was now

between eleven and twelve, and we m ight easily

arrive soon after morning gun-fire.K X ^

N o sooner said than done; erery one was

w illing, and in a sliort tim e we were once more

on horseback, taking the landlord of the Venta

for onr guide. Tlie horses were wonderfully

fresh, considering the distance we had travelled, and mine was ready, as iisnal, to kick up behind

on every occasion. Tt will easily be imagined we were not at that m oment a very live ly party, and I had become so very sleepy, T could with

difficulty t^ep the sjxddie. For some tim e it was a m ost dismal ride, while our course lay

along a dank, m nddy valley, and aa we pene*

trated th e dense body o f fc^ extendinfj in all directions, i t seemed as i f a curtain were drawn

between us and the moon, deadening a ll her

brilliancy, and chilling m iud and l>ody alike.After fording a stream o f some depth, we

came out upon a pleasanter line o f country, and at length fonnd ourselves on a tract o f dry

sand, ju5t before entering tb e celebrated " Cork

Wood,*' w hich wc aaw as few travellers have

seen i t — amid the profound silence and solem­n ity of m idnight, w itli floods o f cheqnered m oonlight streaming tliroiigh ita long-drawn

avenues, which at th e moment appeared like

the realms o f Pream-land, while, as the horse*

hoofx fell with noiseless pace on the fine pow-

through t h e ‘ 'C o r k fV ocd." $01

dery sand, our party m iglit have been taken for

a cavalcadc o f ghostA,M y iioTse te in g at all tiroes an unpleasant

neigliliour, I rode a little ahead, and in my then

dreamy state, " ’tw is t sleeping and -waking,” it

seemed the m ost natural thin^ in the world to

look any m oment for the ghostly furm o f by­gone Moor, or Spaniard, issuing from the depths

o f tbe forest, to challenge us on our night*march, ns intruders on tbeir fibadowy domain.

N othing, bo^ ever, g liostly or bodily, Christian

or Paynim, did we encounter through all that

long reaclt of forest-gladea, stretching out, so it

seemed to us. some ten or tw elve m ile»; nor did even a scudding rabbit, or stealthy Jbx, once

cross our path. The solitude waa absolute. N o

liv in g thing, besides ourselves, was iu m otion, in

thicket or glade, and that strange, midnight, ride o f December the 11th (for we now bad just

passed “ tbe hour, of n ig b ts black arch the

kov-stone ”j, bccume a fitting conclusion to our

vanoua ■wanderings tiirough the andd^ftpoOlados o f Spain’s m ost solitary wilds, being

itself the m ost silent and solitary o f them all

ON approaching San Roque we bog&n to me6t

parties o f molctccrs on th e road, even at that

early hour^ and as we were going to, not &om, th e coast, and oonM not consequf^ntly he amug- glers, our cavahiade o f seven mu^jt have eic ited

some surprise, as was indicated indeed by the

tone w ith whieh th ey replied to our greetings, "While riding tlirough the silent streets, we

espied a café already open, and the proprietor

(concluding, I suppose, th a t none hnt Britons could he going about at snch an hour) called

out to us, in foreign English, that he had some c o f f e e a ll h o t /’ an announcement which fell upon

the car like pleasant music, and, as we could not

enter “ the* Hock ” before gun-fire, we once more

dismounted, to feed the horses, and regale our­selves w ith coffee and hread*and«huttcr.

Scarcc had the first glow o f dawn streaked the

E ast, when w ith a B A N G ! forth bellowed old

Old £nfflaMd's Thunder. 50J

England’s tkonder, and while the boom reverbe­rated among the fortreRB-cavcms of “ tHe Itock,”

coming out affain and a ^ in in m oltiplied cchoes

aoross the Linos, t ill the houses of San Eoque treinWed in unison, it sounded to our cais l i ie

a welcome, homeward, call."We had now only about three miles to go,

and while “ tho R o ck ” loomed in shadowy grandfiur out o f the grey dawn, w e began to

rcalLae those m ingled sensations w hich crowd npon th e mind, when regarding th e d o se of

such an expedition as we now bad so nearly

accomplished. I t has been tru ly said, it is

always painful to do anything, coriflciousiy, for

the last time. W e had so thoroughly enjoyed every portion o f our riding*tour, » distance, as

far as J have been able to make out b y careful

calculation, o f about 1^00 m iles fi’om th e time

wc started from Toledo, that it was impossible

to contemplate its termination without feeling« o f liveliest regret; though no doubt they wcro

considerably blunted, at th e moment, by the

fatigue o f th is last ride, w H di, indudiug our

three halts, had now extended over some twenty-

five STiceeasive hotirs.S till, OD th e other hand, had we not very

preat cause to be thankful, as I trust we ail

504 A Retrospect.

were ? W e had accomplished mc«t succesafolJy, •without sickness or accident, an expedition, whieh we, at any rate, reckoned a consideruhle

achievement, th e illness and death o f poor "Bar* barosaa heinff th e sole misfortuno befalling the

party, from heg;inning to f'lid. W o had heen

able to carry out in all its details, except the

détour to Alcantara, the plan originally sketched

before starting ; had heen favoured on the whole

(considering the lateness o f th e season) with ex­cellent weather, and had seen m ost of th e objects situated on our route to pecuhar adrantage. I t

was something, wo felt, to have become ac­quainted w ith one o f the m ost remarkable, and

least travelled, countries in th e world, not merely

along its highways, or through the windows of a dilijjence, but in some o f its m ost remote aud unvisited regions, under the hroad sky, in the

fresh open air, m ovinç when wo chose, and where we chose. This plan o f travelling Iiad

brought ns into contact w ith every clasa o f the

people, except the highest, more especially with

the peasantry, th e very bone and Binew o f Spain’s body politic, and (according to tlie convictions

o f foreigners well acquainted w ith the eoimtry) the hest hope and promise for her futnre. W e

had witnessed Spanish life in not a few o f it«

A Pufwrama. 505

phases, liad been received as gaests, both in

private dweUIn^a, and in houses of public

eiit^rtaininent, visitins^ n ot only cities und

towTis renowned in tho history o f mankmd, but

unheard-of v i l la g e also, and seiniestored countrj- towns, where foreigtters are almoiit vuiljnown,

XTpoii all th is it was very pleasant to look

bacV, as w e rode onwards between hed<^cs of

towering aloe, in the stinshine o f early momin'j, or skirted th e waves, which rippled gently upon th e shore of Al^esiras B ay; whiJe the superb

p a i io T f lX Q a , encircling» " thftliock,” which exterids

from th e snowy crcat of the Sierra Nevada on

the one hand, to thf lurid fastnesses o f the Africiin mountama on tho other, spread out

before th e eye a spectacle o f such beauty and interest, fis can hardly, perhaps, fmd its pandlel in any part o f tho world, where earth and sea,

m ountain and lowland, fleet and fortress, citadel and harbour, crowdcd tow n and straggling

village, present themselves to the view in bright and rapid succession.

I t was nine o’clock on Sunday morning, D e­cember the 11th, and Cliurcli-Parade for the

troops under canvas had ju st concluded, as we

rodo throngh the streets o f Gibraltar,— thronged, even then, w ith market-people, and canip-follow-

Enter Gihraiiar.

era, who Buapended for a moment tiieir buying

and scUing, to etarc at so strange.Iookiug a

company as we mvAt, doubtless, have appeared

after our lopg ride,— and alighted at the Victoria, glad indeed to find ouTsekcs one« more nnder tlie roof o f a comfortahle H o te l

oU 1 t lie deUght o f opening a budget o f let. tcTS, aiter m interval of nearly tw o months

passed in drflar ignorance o f home, and its b o

loved inmates ! In travelUng, i t is always a diffi­culty to arrange about one’s hittfirs when the ront« cannot be determined beforehand, as was tlie

case w ith ua. This difBcult^* is greaUy increased

in Spain by ite lack o f railvrays, and remoteness

from tbe ch ief lines o f European traffic, n o t to

m ention th e fa«t, that even from tbe southern­m ost districts of Andalusia, letters for England

are invariably sent np to Madrid b y correo (the

mail o f th e Peninsula), a plan which, thongli high ly proitable to the national exchequer, adds

bnmcDM»ly to th e tim e necessary for their trans- mission. Beside», our ront« having remained

undetermined until wc had quitted Madrid, it

became impossible for m e to make arrangements

for hearing from home, either at Seville or Cor-

J^ova. Tlius it came to pass, that an interval o f

seventy-five days elapsed between the date of the letter I last received (at Madrid), aud the

hour when, to m y delight and happiness, T found

no fewer than five awaiting m y arrival at Gih- raliir, every one o f them hein^, thank G od! a

messenger o f good tidings.W ith m y m ind thus relieved from suspense

and anxiety on that must important sahject, it

waa h igh tim e to think o f paying some attention

to personal appearance, which cyrtainly, on my hrst entering th e hotel, did not, in m any essen­tial partictaI u t s , come up tu th e ideas commonly

received amon^' E nglish gentlem an, whether Jay

or elcrical A t that m oment a more unkempt, ne­glected figure could not easily be found, nor would I for much have been seen, as I then appeared, by

tlie m ost low ly of m y parishioners, one o f whom, a private in the 4th Pout, stationed at Gibraltar, had fur several weeks boen on the look-out for

m y arrival, so that an incident, so seem ingly

improbable, had become a very lik ely contin- gCQcy.

B u t hero we were again confronted hy the con­sequences o f yesterday’s indiscretion. The most ncccssary part o f our h a ^ a g e was w ith Marcos, and Toma«, wherever that m ight bo, far away

from w tere it was inost wanted. Fortunately

we had scut a ll tlio weightier dirootfrom Seville to Gibraltar, and liaving duly reached ita destination, i t was now available for

our use. B u t in apite o f all th e appliances for

t lie toilette supplied £rom that quarter, we were still destitute o f several articles considered indis­pensable, on Sundays especially. For instance, Ijowei’er irreproachable the rest o f liis costumc may bc, it is a m ost damaging fact to a oler*

gyman’s respectability, i f indeed it docs not

vitiate h is whole moral character, to have to go

abont on that day am ong troops of his country­men, w ith nothing better on h is head, than a

very shabby old wide-awake.Suoh wag precisely the predicament in wHch

T found myFelf at Gibraltar, on Sunday, Decem­

ber 11th, 1859. I bad somewhere or other, w itli the rest o f th e m issing baggage, one of

those head-eoTcrings, modelled after the fashion of a chimney-pot, w hich form ao important an

item in an Thiglishman’s m ost correct ooatninc. U nhappily, like many other th ings io thiii world, it waa not forthcoming when m ost w anted; and

as I desired to go to church in th e afternoon, T

had nothing bettor to put on than the battered

head*gcar above mentioned, which, though still

in a ll fnibstantial respects a m ost valuable trtr

veiling companion, exhibited some oLjcctionable

points, that did n e t exactly leoommend its adop* tion for Sunday^wear. Originally black, the

viciaeitudes o f travel had converted it in to a

neutral tint, where sun«bomt patches o f brown, and m any a road-stwin o f dust washed in by

eopioufl showers, strove for pre-eminence over

the primary colour, in which i t had come forth

fi*oiu the maker's hands, I found i t a very try- jug exercise o f moral courage to walk about

the sticuts that day in so shockingly bad a

liat ; and it argued, m ethonght, no small amonnt o f friendship u\ Mr, Sykes to be w illing to bear

me company, while we sought in vain for a

church open for afternoon sorvice.W e tried the Cathedral. Mcmoriea o f Toledo,

and Seville ! what a tu in r to dignify w ith that

augnst title, suggestive o f ao m uch grandeur, solemnity, and reverential awe ! Su iely there can hardly be in Bath, Brighton, or Cheltenham, ;no, nor y e t in London itself, a proprietary chapel even, that would not blush to see the building, where the first E nglish Bishop o f Gibraltar is

supposed to have sot up liis episcopal throne I N o wonder the bishop does not live there! And as i f i t were not anomaly enough to designate

7%e Conirast 5 ”

aucli a tabemacle hy th e eame name as the glorious fanes o f Cauterhury, and ^ ork, SuJia- bury, aud E ly , the builder {urehiieci I cannot cali him), has crowncd his work w ith an apex o f ab- aurdity, hy selecting o f all otheis the Mootxsk gtyle— the style o f the arch-encmies o f the CroBS

— to be th e exponent o f his ideas on th e subject of

Christian wofRhip, ae i f Ijngland could supply no

examples o f what a church onpht to b e ! 1A fter beholding auch tem ples to th e Most

H igh , as th e Cathedrals o f Buikos, TohAo, and Seville, i t makes one, as an EnRlishman, abso­lutely ashamed to stand by th e ahabhy, mean, dwarf-sized edifice, erccted by our comitrymen

beneath the shadow of that rock, where niüioMí have been spent ungrndgingly upon batteries

and fortifications. AItho\igh enjoying tlie pri- Tilege o f a purer l^ith than any professed throughout the Peninsula, y e t here in th e eye

of Spaniard, Moor, and »Tew, we content our­selves w ith a building, which none o f those

religionists (did they possess onr national wealth) wonld ever presume to dedicate to God, as ÍÁC óerí he C (M oger, as we may well beUeve

from what we actually kuow o f their various

places o f w orship! One o f the first consequen r«s

result ini? misplaced economy, is that

w

a la r ^ proportiuu o f our troops, i f not all indeed, aie compelled to celebrate DiTine W or­ship in the open air, a» we saw tbat morning

when riding piwt the camp, an expedient that

need n ot bc resorted to, were a real Cathedral, at once worthy (as iar may be) o f its higb pur­pose, aud of the nation from w hieh it prococd«, to be crccted on aome suitable site, w hew the

worship o f tbe Church o f Eugland m ight be

solemnized w ith a ll “ the beauty of holiness,” so a at th e a<uno tim e to provide for the spi­ritual necessities o f our own people, and, hy the

solem nity and b ecom in ^ ess o f our devotions, to prove in that thoroughfare o f nations, to

th e whole world, Christian, Hebrew, and Infidel, that “ God is in us o f a truth.”

* k T O N D A Y morning's dawn saw th« wclcomc - -* A arrival o f the m nletwrs, w ith a ll our

goods aud chattels, an event, that inmiodiat^ly restored out party to society, in whieh we had

hitherto felt o u r a c lT c s to be occupying a very

equivocal position. L ite us, Marcoa and Tomus too had m et w ith adventures on th e road, having spent Saturday night, a ia heUe ifoUey

on th e uplands where we enjoyed onr first view

o f Gihraltar; donkeys, and men finding a chilly

welcome that De<»mber n ight on tliose dreary

heights, houaelusa, and unahelteiod even by a

hedge, being all th e tim e (as to their cliagrin they afterwards discovered) w ithin a m ile of

the Venta, where Captain O'Hara, and hia

friend had overtafeen us a few hoars before. A s

tho panniers contained (they knew) an ample

supply o f provisions, the trio very sensibly

helped themselves, restricting thoir potationsL I

5 14 A M otley Bctnf.

to tlie very modoat ttllowancc o f a aingle bottU

o f Bordeaux, a fact w hich speaks volumes for

their temperance, and honesty.W e foiind th e Victoria very clean and com­

fortable, in apit« of itji cramped premises, and eveiything» that conatacit civility and attention

on the port o f th e landlord, Mr. D u M onlin

(a Frenchman, who speaTca Eugliah remarkably

•well), and hifl son, could contribute to o\u*

comfort, was m ost w illingly rendered.B y way o f repose after th e fatigue of the

laafc week, i t was a never-failing armisement, to

watch irom th e windows o f our sitting-room, w hich fronted the Exchange and Commercial

Square, the various phases o f uational costume and physiognom y, presenting them selves m

cA^aseless change on th is spot o f neutral ground between East, and W est, where Europe, and

Africa exchange greetings and merchandise,

in lieu o f th e hostility aud hard knocka, of

former ages,Sometimea it would be a regiment o f dear

old red-coats marching past, as Englishm en

only can march, w ith “ all th e pomp and cir­cumstance o f glorious war," colours flying, music playing— a sight, that ever sent a strange

thrill through the hi>art, filling i t w ith an

almost overpowering secsc o f thantfulnoss for

the privilege o f caJling Old England “ Hom e.”

Scarwly have the clang o f cym bds, and the fife’s shrill notes died away in th e distance,

ere the scene is re-peoplod, aad th e eye lights

upon a m otley crowd o f sailora,«—^passengers by

the la??t steamer from England, ruahing about fiirioualy in search o f “ lions,”— grooms, and other belongings o f the stable, productions of

unmistakable E nglish growth,— a Erenchman or

two, out o f temper, and cynical (a ehronio state

o f mind, it struck me, from what I daily ob­

served at the tahle w ith French visitors at Gihraliar)— Spaniards, cloakcd as uaual,— w ith

a sprinkling o f non-descripts, o f no particular

calling, or country. Africa too sent its con­tingent to that m otley crowd, in th e shape of

Jew s from M orocco h y the score clothed in a

m ost becom ing coetnme o f skull-cap, belted gaberdine o f dark bine, and w hite drawers, some

o f th e wearers haring long flowing beards,

others being “ shaven and shorn,” some bare­legged, others in clean white stockings. Tho

nert instant your eye is caught hy th e approach o f an Arab, in turban of scarlct and white, w ith a lonj? silk tassel drooping over his

shoulder, snowy bum oiis, and loose trousers;L L 2

j i 6 tFindiny-JIp.

w hile H ebrew women, w ith face half-veiled, and

flowing robe« of brightest hoe, remind you of

the recent expulsion o f Jew s irom Morocco,

an event that has added to the abeady-teem ing population o f GKbr?iItar siome thousands o f in -

voluntar}* immigrants. W hen I further m ention, that right opposite stands a man selling superb

soarfs o f crimson, and cloth o f gold, th e labli’ou

vivant cannot be said to lack either variety of character, or the necessary ingredient of colour.

The “ Ceylon,” we found, was expected on

Tuesday, and as ahe is said to economize about 500 tons o f fuel every v o y ^ e , since the adop­tion o f some now invention in her e n ^ c -r o o m , 80 as to be no longer obliged to coal at Gib- n ltar , it behoved us to be all ready for her arrival,

(generally taking place about m idnight), as she

i« olT again in tw o houra 1M eanwhile a m ultiplicity of business bad to

be transacted, Tbere were Purkias' accounts, documenta of considerable size and moat per­plexing jntriciicy, including, aa they did, a ll the

bills incurred on tlic road, together w ith the

expenditure o f the varioua sum a given out from

tim e to tim e by Lord Portarlington and Mr.

Sykes. These 1 undertook to examine, and

reduce to aome aort o f order, a business that

iVinding- Vp. 517

occupied tlic whole o f Tuesday, durlug which tirne I felt m yself to be actiug th e part of an

executor winding*up th e affairs o f the dehinct

expedition.Then Mr. Sykes had his horse to sell, which

turned out a very easy m atter; for in spite of

th e long journey, h is Madrid purchase was set dow n by th e cogncscenti in horse-tiesh, as the

finest and m ost powerful animal scon at Gib­raltar for m any a long day, having greatly

i m p r o T c d i n condition, since we first started

irom Toledo.Altogether we had no lack o f occupation

dxu*iug our sliort s ta y at “ tlio R ock/' aud when

Tuesday evening c&sx\e, thp steamer’s arriral being im m inent ovory momeut, several things

were still left undone.M ost passengers by th e P . & O.'s boats

prefer going on board a hulk anchored about & mile out in th e bay, the uight before; there

to await the arrival o f the steamer, which does

not approach th e tow n nearer than th is point. A s, however, th e Governor, Sir W. Codrington. had given Lord Portarlington an order, enabling

our party to go out at any hour o f th e night, we wcrc tdl very glad to stay at the H otel, >Ir. 3)n M onlin having arranged w ith a aet o f boat­

m en to row us to th e etcamer imm ediately on

her arrival, an event which would bo made

known far and near, by th e firing o f a gun. T he greater part o f our b a g ^ g e was already on

board the h u li , and we retained m erely what we

wanted for the night.Before bed-iiroe we hado good*bye to Marcos

and Tomas, who were Tctumiug home w ith

their well-earned gains, am ounting altogether to

more than £ 100 , a little fortune for tlie two

men, who, on th e whole, had served our party

w ith BO much efficiency and trustworthiness. W e felt rather anxious uhout their homeward

journey, extending over that long tract o f coun*

try between Gihraltor and Toledo, w ith so large

a sum o f money on their persons, and it was a

gre^it satisfaction to us all to hear, tw o months

after reaching England, that they had, in due courac, re-entered th e bosom o f their families, safe and sound, h igh ly delighted w ith an cxpodi*

tion, w hich had so widely enlarged their know­ledge o f geography and mauMnd, and furnished

them w ith stories for the ren^ainder o f their

days-In fear, and trem bling did we go to bed, on

Tuesday n ight, not knowing what m oment the

gUQ, notifying the “ Ceylon’s ” arrival, m ight

not be heard. Hoxtrs sped away, while we

slept on, thanH ul for th e enjoyment o f anch

good beds 5 m idnight came, then two, and three

o’clock, to find us still asleep; when ju£t as the town-clocks were on tho point o f striking four

— B A N G ! boomed forth on the seaward side, awaking us three at th e same instant. I was

up at once, know ing from the hour, i t m ust be

a eigtiaJ from the stcoxoer, and not th e usual morning gun, w hich would not be fired till after

fire. H urrying on a few clothes, 1 rushed out in to the passage on m y w ay to call the servants (who, worn out w ith th e greater amount of

hardship they had undergone, were not lik ely to

haTC heard th e signal), only to find m yself anticipated in that intention; and it prored as

much as all three o f us conld accomplish to wake up Pnrkisa, Swain&on, and Elfick, w]iilc

they lay w ith th c ii door bolted, immoTeable as

the Seven Sleepers, being perfectly audible to us,

though i t was a long tim e before we, in turn, succeeded in m aking ourselves audible to them.

The boatmen were now thundering at the

back-door, and between noises in-doors, and

noises out, added to the apprehension o f the

steamer 8 going off without us, m y shaving that

morning was a rather nervous operation. Pur-

kiss -was not going to leaxe t ill next day, taJring M alaga on Lis way back to Madrid, aud as he

bad nothing to pack up, while h is compauious had m any tluugs to arrange, I naturally ex­

pected he would soon make h is appearance, w ishing to settle one or tw o littio mutters w ith

him before parting. I waited however in vain, and the ser>'ants being now ready, while the^

boatmen insisted that w c sLoold be too late

i f we delayed any longer, we had ju st reached th e street on our w ay to th e boat, when Puikiss

appeared A t the door, arrayed in very scanty

apparel, and holding in h is hands five bottles of

wine, the last relies o f our provision*store, while, in faint accents o f farewell, he exclaimed, "Good-bj'e, m y Lord, good-bye!" and thua wc

le ft him , “ T he Last M a n ” o f our pleasant expedition, and residuary possessor o f the five

bottles o f wine, the panniers, and all the sundry

articles b elon p n g to the Commissariat, w ith

which h© had so often, and so well, ministered

to our necessities.

HO ER O E-STR U C K at the idea of encum­

bering onrBcis'fis at that moment with

such unnecessary impedim ents to speed, as

Purkiss w ith h is usual honesty ha^ ui^ed ns to

take on board, h y way o f provisiou for the

Toyage, I begged and entreated no more time should he lost, feeling assured, that from what w e had heard th e n ight before at the office, the

steamer’s departure m nst now he drawing un­pleasantly near, and i t would ta ie us at least h a lf an hour to get on board. So we hurried on

through the darkuess towards “ theKa^jged-Staff

Staiii," the point Fpocifiediu the Gorcmor’s order

for OUT exit from th e jealously-guarded fortiess, none o f th e usual ways being open until after

gun-fire.T he turning-out o f the guard, the flasluag of

tho laaterus refleded in th e fitill waters o f the

jnoat, and the lowering o f one drawbridge after

another tr» give us passage, produced quite a

552 A Narrov) TUscapfi.

scenic effect, inipartiDg an air o f m ystery and

romance to onr departure from tiic eliores of

tlm t country, where every vjllage tecals the

illusions of a drama, and the commonest pedant appears like a character on the S ta ^ -

L u cty indeed did it prore, we had delayed

no longer. T he srteamor was in the very act of

starting, and, as the pTireer to ld us on reaching

th e deck, three minute« more would have seen

our lu g g ^ e on it« way ashore, entailing upon

us the delay o f a whole fortnight for th e next

boat, and condemning iis eventually to spend Christmas D ay on the hosom o f th e B ay of

B iscay I So delighted were wc to have caught the steamer, th a t hardly a demur was made

(had there l>cen tim e indeed to make it) to tbe

boatmen’s almost incredible demand o f £ 2 lOi». for conveying ourselves, and oiir baggage (at tw o trips) on board ( So that from our first contact w ith Spaniards, in th e Spanish Consul’s

ofRce at Bayonne, down to the moment we

quitted th e coast at Gibraltar, the national greed for m oney was maintained w ith a uni­form ity aud consistency o f character, whieh, Horace him self would own, satisfied a ll the

requirements o f the m ost rigid dramatic pro­priety.

A'S soon as daylight, usbered in by a sun­rise that cncircled “ the Rock w itli a

lialo o f glory, enabled us to dUtinguish objects, w c were delighted w itli our first impressions of the “ C eylon/' Everything about her wore so

trim and cleanly an appearance, and her pro- portions W4¿rc so room y and spacious, thut we

anticipated a very comfortable pusaagc, while

the commander, Captain Evans, had, even to

m y unnautical eyes, that look o f a thorough

sailor, which at once inspired confidcnee in hid

eeamanbhip,A nd then th e breakfast-table ! W bat a dpec-

tacle to gladden the eyes o f three hungry tra- vellere from Spain 1 ‘ 'hat d transition from

th e meagre d iet o f the last tw o month», to the

p ik s o f food, drawn from every region o f

edibles,— (beddts o f the field, birds o f the air)—

ciccept the lishcB o f th e aea, w hich being never

so far off from mon^a table, aa when (appa­rently) nearest, contributed nothing to th e pro­visioning o f th e “ Ceylon.” AJiier th e iarc, on

whicli we had thanlrfully sustained life thro\igh the wilds ol Estremadura, and th e mountain- valleys o f Andalusia, it was positively frightful

to observe, how m any th ings axe required by

IwBglishmen at sea, where eating becomes the

principal occupation o f the day, for the con\- plete snpply o f a single meal. A Scotch

breakfast used once to he regarded as tho »»

filu4 vllra o i m atutinal feasting; hut after wbat

I saw in the “ Ceylon,” i t m ust stand among !By settled convictions, that in point o f weight

and substance, a P . and 0 . d^euner takes rank

at tlie head o f such repasts, a ll over th e civi- lized world.

Accustomed to m eals few and far between, i t seemed to us, us i f eating and drinking on

board continued, off and on, th e whole day, and

w o were quite in circumstances to appreciate so

remarkable a transition from our recent expe­rience.

A t s is , our very attentive Steward (who hy one o f those coincidences o f travel, th a t have

now ccascd to snrprise me, had been a brother-

clcigyman'd servant, in th e next pariah, at home)

used to bring ua some tea, and bread and butter, b y way o f preparative for breakfast at nine, w hen (according to tb e poetical fiction of public- dinner reporters) “ the tables groaned under all the delicacies of the season,” some of them

being o f a very subfltantial description. Beef-

st<“aJcg and k idacys; broiled bacon, grilled fowl, curry, muttoiiKjbops, boar’s head and braw n; ham, boiled beef and roust; ranged in lo n g line

np and down the tables; flanked b y muflins, toast, French rolls, huge loaves o f a home- baked aspect that w ent to our very hearts! N ot to speak o f th e liberal-sized cups, uut o f which

TJngUshmen are wont to quafi their m orning

Bobca.T b is meal, taking place at nine, was expected

to support nature until twelve, when bread and checse, biscuits and pale ale, appeared on the

table, inviting general attention, and, sooth to

say, receiving it to a very liberal extent. P in ­ner, the next act on th is gastronomic stage, followed at three p .m ., transcending so utterly

m y feeble powers o f expression, tbat I w ill not attem pt to describe its myriad attractions.

T he nearest approach to th e actual suggested

bv m y prosaic imagination, would be to say.

tiiat i t was ratlicr more than the breakfaet multiplied by two.

B ein g one o f those persons to whom,in the evening, tea or eeffec ia a poison fatal to

sleep, I felt no personal interest in the next act o f eating and drinking, occnirring somewhere

about seren, and mnch patroni;2ed by the ladies. A t nine o’clock, w ine and spirits made their ap­pearance on th e festive boafd, w ith a cou^ n ia l accompaniment o f hot and cold water, sugar and biscuits, to fortify th e m ind against th e terrors

o f a n igh t at sea, and every one helped him self

as freely and frequently as he chose.From th is dietary o f the “ Ceylon” (which is

said to be quite paralleled by the eommissariat o f her sistei'ships), it may safely be condudcd, that long as the present regime continnes, pas­sengers on board th e Peninsular and Oriental Company’s steam* ships are in no imTninent peril o f starvation.

One thing, however, struck ns as an anomaly. Swainson had been a pasaenger by some o f those

boats on more than one previous occasion, and it

was chiefly in consequence o f the terma in which

he described the erciilleiice o f their accommoda­tions, that we decided to return to England by

one of tliem , instead of taking th e Frcnch steam­

ers plying along th e east ooast to M aiseilles, as

originally proposed; and onr informant seemed to feel, while we were roughing i t up and down

the country, that the coni forts o f the Peninsular

and Oriental Company’s steamer from Gibraltar

would abundantly make up for any ainomit of

present priyation."When onwi we had fairly settled on board, 1

naturally inquired o f h im how they go t on in

that part o f th e ship, fo lly expecting to hear tlicy had everything they could require, more

ospeeiahy in the way o f eating and drinking. I

was very sorry to hear a totally different report, which showed that th e treatment o f the two

clasiies o f passengers on hoard was “ wide sa the poles asunder." H ad 1 not known the content-

fdnesa o f h is dieposition, I m ight have fancied

h is report had been coloured by some of the

fastidioosnesa imputed to TjOglish servants gents- ra lly ; not to m ention that after Spain the plainest fare, properly cooked, and in suSicieiit quantity, would have appeared hoth to h im and Elfick a

«umptuous feast. Such a disproportion in ac­commodation cannot be acoonnttd for by the

difference o f th e passage-money, which wafl but

£ 4, the first-class fare from Gibraltar to South­ampton being £1S, and the second £9.

This was the only cauise o f complaint we

obstTved on board th e “ CeyloQ," and thongli it did not affect any of ua in tkc saloon, y e t wo

could n ot feel indifforent about tlic comfort of

those, who were alwaya m im stcring to ours.There were passengera enongh, from erery

part o f the ilaat, to g ive animation to tho

scx^nc, w ithout any ncccasity for tliat over­crowding 80 unpleasant to landsmen. Th& contingent contributed b y India to swell our

numbers contained, among many others, tbo

solo survivor o f tlie Cabul Tnassacre, Dr. Bry-

done, who was now returning to England, a hale«looking man, on tb e completion o f his fall term o f aorvicc; while a V ictoria Cross w on at

th e Ptiibo by anotlier of tlie passengers, re- mindtid a s o f a still more reccnt diaoatvr in ­flicted on th e B ritish arms. There were be­sides, aevcral officers returning home after the

suppression o f the m ntiny, one o f whom, a Jjieutenant in the Artillery, had for sevend days

been in such extreme danger, that the doctor belonging to th e ship a^isured me he could not

poRsibly ontlive twenty-four hours, a prediction

happily falsified by his landing alive at South­ampton, and nltimat© recovery, on returning to

his native air in Devonsliire.

Pasforal Work. 529

M ilitary men are supposed not to care much

for the rainirtrations o f a c lc i^ m a ji, during síck n ¿5 ; though the incidents o f th e Crimean

war, and m any other reccnt proofs o f a like

nature, serve to show, that however correct auch

an opinion may oncc have been, a very great change has taken plaee of late years, am ong all grades in th e army. Still, i t was almost with

aa much surprise, as satisfaction, that immedi­ately on going on board, I fonnd m y arrival welcomed by more than one o f the invalid's

hrother-offiecrs, who requested me w ith mucb

earnestness to go aud v isit him in m y minis­terial capacity, there being no otlier c le i^ m a n

o f th e Church o f England in the ship, 1 need

uot say how w illingly I complied w ith tlieii wishes, and after m y long and delightful holi­day (which I owe to the kindness o f one o f the hest friends any man can bc blessed with), it

seemed a very appropriate return to pastoral work, to do thü little I could in m inistering to

th e awful realities o f what then appeared to be

a death-bed.Tt was w ith far leas satisfaction, than I had

experienced amid th e stilln ^ s o f that small cabin, where there was nothing to distract the

niind from th e thoughts m ost befitting the hourK «

o f prayer, that, according to Captain Evans’ re­quest, I ceWbrated Divmo Servie« in th e well-

filled saloon, the following Sunday. Few o f the

L aity, I snppo«e, can have the smallest coueep- tion, how extremely painful it is to a Clei^ymau

to observe tokens o f iireveTence and inattention

during the ministrations o f the sanctuary ; while, on the other hand, nothing gives a more power- fid impulse to his own devotions, than to feei tliat tlie whole congrégation is rciilly unitiug

w ith him in the act of worship, both outwardly

w ith th cii bodies, and inw aidly w ith their souls.Thi'* aatisfaotiou it was not m y happiness to

enjoy on Sunday, December the 18th, in the

saloon o f tlie “ Ceylon.'’ N o douht, a church is

infinitely better calculated to croate and sustain

devout aspirations, tium the cabin o f a well- filled steamer, w ith its incongruous associations, and undoYOtional aspect; nor would £my sane

person, Imving th e option, prefer sueh a spot for publie woKhip, to a building dedicated e>:pressiy

to th e glory o f God, and harm onizing in a ll its

features w ith so h igh a desUnation, T e t surely

i t is no valid reason for refusing to do one’s best to worship God in spirit, and in tritth, because

we cannot always bave the place best qualified

for th e purpose; nor would snch a man as St.

P aul (we may well believe) coiifider Umt profess­in g Christians arc, at any tiine, exempted from

the plain duty of worshipping God' both w ith

tho body, and w ith th e soul, m erely because they

may chance now and then, to have to perform

their public devotions elsewhere than in a

regular ehnrch. Indeed, do not both common

sense and habit alike, teach us the propriety o f hftfiding always at prayer; for who, ever, thinks of fdlUny down by hid bedftide to pray,

instead o f “ meekly kneeling oa hia knees ? "The congregation, however, to which i t wa^

say lo t to iTfjnister on board th e “ Ceylon/*

seemed to hold a very different opinion \ at any

rate its praetice was pamfnlly divLTse, aud not one that I $aw, h te lt dxiring any portion o f the

service, s ittin g through the whole. L itany and

all, w ith a$ complaisant an unconsciousness, a

i f nothing could be more becoming than their

behavionr, nay, almost as i f kneeling were an

act to bo abhorred o f all good Christiana? W h at happened in other parts o f the saloon, farther off, I ^ u n o t tell. There was quite

enough to giv« m e pain in m y own immediate

neighbourhood, and I hope 1 may not soon

have tho distress o f w itnessing such an utter

want o f devotiou in any congregation, either at

home, OP abroad as I observed on that occa­

sion.Considering th e tim e o f year (to m a te a

iraD&ition from that pBinful aabjcct to the ono

m ost resorted to b y Englishm en in m oments of

embarrassment), th e -weather was quite as good

as eonld bo expected during a w inter-voya^ , the B ay o f B iscay g iv in g ns abundant proof, how­

ever, that its reputation for storm and tempest, is by no means undeserved, though w e three

were fortunate enough to have found berths

(M'r. Sytea, and I pairing in one cabin) on the

lee*side o f th e vessel, w hich saved na from many

a shock in crossing the "Ray.i^unday saw us off TJshant, to he ateaming np

th e Channel, ere darkness closed around us, and wo “ turned in ” w ith the pleasant expectation

o f looking once more on the Hampshire coast by

the morrow’s light.Tor more than tw enty years I have not passed

Kuch a night, as th e last we spent ou board

tho “ Ceylon,” Cabin*doors slammed; heavy-

hootod feet overhead stamped; ueighbonr-pas- seniors were Bmoking, drinking and singing;

or packing, cording, and hammering theix boxes, to auch a degree as made one long to be doing

som ething o f the sort oneself, since the proper

A W lite W orld. 533

porpOBC, for which hed is intended, had be­come 80 hopeîeealy impoasihle. Other pas­sengers too, thongh taking no part in those

noisier occnpations, were ahnost as great enemies

to rep<»e, go in g ahout as they did, np and down, aomctimes on deek, sometimes below» like people tronhled w ith a protracted fit o f th e “ fidgets/*

The whole scene vividly recalled “ hreaking np

at school, when scores o f hoys used to go stream­in g ahout in aU the ecstasy of approaching holi­days, and fill! o f th e marvellous deeds to be

done at home, having noth ing partic\ilar to

do, except that o f running in everybody's way, and w o n y in g ont o f all patience th e poor dis­tracted servants.

M onday m orning revealed to ns a w hite world, th e shore« o f Southampton W ater being

covered w ith snow, while, still descending in dense flakes, i t lay on th e deck to th e depth of

several inches, casting over every object an air of

utter discomfort and wretchedness that made

one shiver, after a ll th e sunshine o f th e South, to m eet w ith so ch illing a leeoption on first hm ding in Old England.

So m uch ice had formed around the gates, that

it became a very tedioua bnsiness to get the

“ C eylon” to her proper place inside th e dock;

X^ntwi'llowsc.

while, vvitli the usual impatience o f fiteamerfc passen^ra, we stood, cold and miserable, on

deck, almost w itliin arm’s lungtli o f land, long

before we could possibly go asboie to take

refuge ond get some breakfast, at liad ley’s

H otel.

' I Have landed frona the Continent at seTeral bf our principal ports,— London, Dover, i ’olke- t^ n e , and N ew liaT cn , undergoing at each tbe

ordeal o f the Custom-House. B u t I muat say, tlm t in strict oonscicQtiousriess, and rigorous dischai^e o f duty to tbeir Queen, and countiy, th e Southampton officers stand pTe-eminent, andI a iT i w illing to render a ll honour to their vir­tue. Y et I hope i t w ill never ugain be m y fato

to land tiiere fr«)m any foreign port.Com ing from Gibraltar, tb e last point touched

at by the “ Ceylon,” we stood o f course last on

the list, and thus having to wait t ill th e b a ^ a g e

of every passenger (many o f whom wore lad ies!) from Singapore, H on g K ong, tbo whole o f

India, Australia, Aden, E gypt, and Malta, had

boen catefuUy examined, i t was nearly five

o'clock P .M . on the 19th o f December ere we

were finally released, enabling us Uj w?t off for

our different dcstinaiions, happy and thankful to be once raore in England, thongh still happier

in th e prospect o f being soon re-united to dear

friends, w hile wb cast mAoy a retrospect of

aatisfQction and enjoyment, on the Tarions vicia- eitndes and adventures o f our '‘Autnm n Tour

in Spain.”

TBK

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T H E L IF E A N D W R IT IN G S o f the R IG H TH O N . B IS N JA M IN D I 3 R A F U , M .P .

T i l E I J F E O F G EO R G E F O X ,I 'h * yoQodvT u f th « Qu&k«r9. F r o e i ooiB crou« M S S . . *o d o th e r

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T H E P R IV A T E J O U R N A LO F T H K M A R Q U E S S O F H A S T I N G S . G o v e n o r -G e B a n J i n d C f « a iu a ( l« r 't i fC b ie r le Io d i» .Kdiecd b ; hks D » o g h ta r , S v p * t» , O t« M u ch io n ^ a a oS B o t« , Sacond EdiQOD« 2 p o * t f^TO, w i t h M a p a u d l o d e s . 31^

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l 'H E H U N T I N G G R O U N D S o f the O L DW O R L D . H . A , 8 h e U r i7 ) . 9 « e o n d B ü ilio o . 2 1 i.

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T H E E N G L IS H M A N I N C H IN A .W i( b n u s A ro u j W o o d m u . 10»,

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W ith n o m efo o c E n g r s v K i^ , s i« ,

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L O U IS C H A R L E S D E B O U R B O N ;T H E >’ P R iS O M iH O F T H E T E M P I , B ,”

A H A N D Y -B O O K for R IF L E V O L U N T E E R S .W i l F i 1 4 C o k k o r e d P k n e t o d U i t e n r a s . B y C « t t i i i o W . O . H » r t l c ; .

4Q (hor o f ‘ ' A N c « 9> % U m u f D t i l l . " 1». Gd.

R E C O L L E C T IO N S o f a W IN T E R C A M P A IG NI N IN D IA , in 1W 7—.'Ä B y C *e-.A tn O t i v e - J , H .N . W i«h cnJtD«roo8 illQ9trAtiort4 ddkw d oo s ( m i« b y fro K Ih e A u lh o r 'a S k e tch«« , i n 1 vn l. ra^kJ 8 v e , 16s.

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D IA R Y o f T R A V E I ^ in T H R E E Q U A R T E R SO P T IIF . O L O B E . B ^ 4 n 2 rn>«, p («c8 rw » :jU .

M O U N T L E B A N O N aiid its IN H A B I'I A N T S ;A T«Q \ 'e * r« ' (U«itiLfire irocn tfi ) i ^ . F y C gloo«! C r u a « n i i i , 3 u f f tl)* Britifrb E sp sd H io n to 9 « ^u o ü Edk«6nS toit. S fo , £i &».

F R O M S O U T H A M P T O N T O C A L C U T T A -SksCcbM o t Aciglo^IndiM i Lifv. 1 0 a . 6d.

T R A V E L and R E C O L L E C T iO N S o f T R A V E L .B f D r. JoH fl S h * « . 1 vo l, p M t 8 m . 7«. M .

L E T T E R S O N IN D IA .I3 r B i’L tiv A p . F4rq., A Q tW o f < B tc s b ie i m N o rth 4ivO S o e thA m ^ tia i i ' ‘ T M B u o fjilaw ih a T «n t;* ' F t o a Boalnt^Qa Iu I i i M l fc U o d ib ; ' ‘ A T r ip lo Uie T n i^nd iw i' & c. 1 >ol. ?a,

C A M P A IG N IN G IN K A F F I R IA N D j or,f lC R ? iE S A N D A D V E X T r R E S I N I H B K A F F I R W A R O F 1651—52 . B y CapUtio W . R. K i^ a . B^onod F ilitioo* 1 toJ. 14*.

T H E R E L IG IO U S T E N D E N C IE S O F T H EA G E . Ct. Sd.

M rs. J A M E S O N S L IV E S O F F E M A L ES O V E R E IG N S . 'J 'b iJd E d itx ir i . 21c.

M rs. JA M E S O N ’S C H A R A C T E R IST IC SO F W O M E N . N »w L i b n r ; E d itio n . O n F io * TiQWd P a p e r , » i lk i l l v t t n a o n s from tb * Aoihc»r'e D?»igcii. 2 lo la . poM 8 to>

A D V E N T U R E S O F A G E N T L E M A NI N B E A R C H O F A H 0 R 9 E . U j S i it S r iP R e o . W it^illuM ntM O » by C rQ ik ftb tak . S i f t b r.iIitroo« H . 8d.

T H E L A N G U A G E O F FL O W E R S,Q ift B ook fo r th u S«tt>oe. B M O tifu tlyboanO lo W4(«m^

e ilk , w ith c(rioor«d p lk iM . C o n ttl i i lr tf t b e A r t v f C o n v « jiti^ 3«mC(- o f A flection .

B y «1] tb o M to k e n flo«« r9 , » h (e h tetl % ¥b«i vA rd« a r < tM^rer 8i>c«k so « « II .'’—

F la««B th »diOM » d« d k a i« (I. by p w o is u o o , (o tiieD dclK :«« o f K « o t 10». M.

T H E M A N A G E M E N T O F B E E S ;With « d ^ v r ip t io o id Ui« L id)««’ B ateiy Htv«.'' B y SaMOSb Raa • T u » J q q . 1 to].» i i lo i i r a te d . 7 i.

T H E H A N D B O O K O F T U R N IN G ,W ilb o o m a ro o ^ l& iM . A com pl«t*»ix1 Pr»ci«m1 O o iJ c to th « 8e< « t ifu i S ? icocc o f T v iu B g Iq kU its B n o c h v * . 1, vvl. 7 s . 6d.

T E X T S FO R T A L K E R S.Hy F a i H i F m r ie a , 4i:l,

T he S U M M E R T O U R o f an IN V A L ID . 58. 6d.

T H E N E W S P A P E R P R E SS O F T H EP B L S E N X D A Y , l i . 6d .

A R M Y M IS R U L E ; B A R R A C K T H O U G H T S .By • CoHHOit SwtDlcB.

^Firfiott.C R ISPIN K E N .

B y Cb« AttthcNT • M i r la n b j ifvcW p^rM iM w o. tuU)« B i^ h t K o n . S i r F . B . Lyttoo> B « t t . . M .P . m s . €d .

W H O S H A L L BE D U C H E S S ? or.X H E N E W L O R D O F B U R l-lS iC iH . A N ov« l, 2 * e i* . ,3 i» .

T H E L IG H T H O U S E . A Novel, a vols., 21s.

T H E S K E L E T O N IN T H E C U P B O A R D .B y L&dy & cott. 2 Tolf. S ta .

T O O L A T E .B t M rs . D * K n t« d . b ; p«nEd8»ioih lo R ig h t H n o . 8 J r E .B . L ^ ttuD . B a r t .. M .P . 7e. M .

W H Y P A U L F E R R O L L K IL L E D H IS W IF E .B y tQ a A o th o r o f " P m»I F c r r t J l . " X&\rd E diU oo. lOa. 6d.

T he R E C T O R ’S D A U G H T E R S , i vol., lo s . 6d.

H E L E N .' A Romance o f Real Life, 7 s. 6 d.

G E R T R U D E M E L T O N ; or>N A T U R E 'S N O B I .F M A N . A T » I« . 5s . 6d ,

M Y W IF E ’S P IN M O N E Y .B f E . E . N K Ltoy. * g ran d ai«c« o f tb « g r t « t L o rd N e tao a . 5«.

T H E E M IG R A N T ’S D A U G H T E R .D eU itttw l, b f p^iroiasioM) lo th ^ L m p rc i» g l R u s m . 6».

M IK IA M M A Y . 4 th Edition. lo s . 6d.

W H IS P E R IN G VO ICES O F T H E Y U L E .'X tles fo r CQrisüDfe». Sc.

T H E SE N IO R FE L L O W .A T a k o f C te n e a l L if* G4.

A L M A C K ’S.A N o«el. D «dM *ud to t b e P ttro n e» M « <d th » B«U« »C A lo w c k ^ i. N s w E d ilio o , 1 « o l. c r o « n 9 r o . IM . 6d.

N E L L Y C A R E W .B ; M i m P uwbk. 2 21».

M E M O IR S o f a L A D Y IN W A IT IN G .U y tb * A u th o r o f ' A d< cb(ar«» o f M n . C o lo o e l 9 o r n « r ^ t in CAlTrari«.' 2 vols IM.

H Ü L S E H O U SE .A Nov»1. B y Ih» A o lh o c o f * A acia C r A f / 2 voi». poM i r o , 21s.

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C O R V O D A A B B E Y .A T>J«. 1 v o l. p o t ! Sto , io ». 6d.

T H E V IC A R O F LY SSEL.'J 'b€ D i t r ? o l ft C l«rgyro4ii m th » 1 8 th c v o ta ry . 4» . Sd.

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C H A R L E Y N U G E N T J or,P A S S A G E S I N T H K I .IF F . O F A S U B . A N o v d , i rdf, po* t &fo, 8 1 a . 6à.

P A U L F E R R O L L .By tbe Aulhor of • IX Po«ma by V.’ Fourth Ediüoa. P«*t 8»o, 10». Cd.

S W E E T H E A R T S A N D W IV E S.By MAAUOBRtii A . Ponu^ A Novo), i vtds.. 31e. CJ.

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T he H IS T O R Y o f E L M IR E D E ST . C L A IR E ,dbring the period of ber Beaideoce in the CoQOU’t with a CleceyoaQ'» yaaH y. A Tale oC Beal Uf».

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Sir E . L . Bulwer’s Eva,AND OTHER POEIkTS.

Fárl Godwin’s Feast,AND OTKFR PORMS, By Stewsrt Lork^ei.

Saint Bartholomew's Day>A N D O T H E R P 0 £ K 8 . B y S u w a r t L o « k r« r.

Sacrcd Po<ms.B j cb a k u K ig b t H o n . S ir R u tw 't O rs .n l, w iib « Nocic« by L ord Oi nelg.

Eustace;¿ B £ ^ c g j . B ; tb « R ig b t H o a . C hiu lc« T e o a jw o I> T y n c o u rt.

T he Pieasures o f Home.B y Lhv ftc v . J . T . C*fi>pbcU.

Friendship;A N D O T H E R P O £ M S . B y H ia a a m c o » . 6».

Judith;A N D O T H E R P O E M S . B y f b a s c » M t i x s M .R .C .S .L .

T he Convert,A N D O T H E R P 0 B M 5 . te .

Oberon’s Empire.AMt k.

T he Spirit o f Hom e.B y Sylvftn.

T he Moslem and the Hindoo.A P o em M tb « B evolL B } a G rtd u a W o f O ifo rd .

Palmam, qui Meruit, Ferat.B y N o r to u i B . Y om¿« .

Mtscellsineous Poems.B y a n In d ia n OBím t .

T he Shadow o f the Yew,A N D O I H E B P O E M S . B y N o n n a n B . Yacij .

Carmagnola.A n I ta l^ B T a l« o f ih « F if t« e n ih C c n to ry .

Hanjio.A T r»g«dy . T h e Scvond E<liCiofi.

W E S S R S . S A U N D E R S , Ü T L B Y . A N D C O .’S

E A S T I N D I A A B M Y , C O L O N I A L A N D

G E N E R A L A G E N C Y .

5 0 , C o s o u i T S t h h t , H a m o v ir S ^ o a u b ,

(CiM« » the •' OrifMl Cl*h.")M m u í . SfcOBOBW, O ft .sT , * o d C 6 , b e « M » fin o u o co U i*t io ct»-

««aaeciCB o f A e ir d * ilt io e r e u io f f « l a t i c s * w iü » *M k*, A g » tr t i i i , » e i U»e C o lo n i« , i t « y h i? * o ?cned m E*»e I n d * A r ih j .Mid Q è O T \ \ IQ co n n o r tto o w ith t b « r l^ o g - ^ U b ü r t i« i*aD-UsQiDK H o o M . » qJ t* k 8 Ü»i» ftpporU iolty t o k o r iis «îw 4lM otaon o f B M p n e n U i M « « » , 0 IR « 8 r i. M « m b e n <rf th e C f d StT^kCii, o th e r R M M eflU io I imÌÌ», A ajtrtJ*«, » n d tí»8 C ^ lo o i« tlM rM o, aaU »(h e sdvM)(g.g«A i t ^E»r*.

B A K B I N O S B P A R T I t B X T .P*T - P bk» íok« , F o m o A L tow 4«tM .T > i* ieB »»ps, f c e . , d « * o » M

- i s B / • r u U H t y . S k u t t « f . »n d I » v * * » « b » c t in , ( j o r - r o » n « t S to c k , S c c f l^ ü « * , îc c . , tfffeew d • E * ery otíM c ilo een p -U oo v f F i « « « c : a i B q m v b «» tnur«kcU d ,

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