epoch belongs the eastern façade, and the western to that of the Catholic kings. The Emperor Charles V. made a sumptuous palace of it, under the direction of Covarrubias, the superintendent of Villalpando. To them we are indebted for its principal façade, and for the southern one to the celebrated Herrera, by order of Philip II."

On the second tablet, which stands on the other side of the gateway, there is this inscription:

"A monument so rich was committed to the flames in the War of Succession by the allies of Austria in 1710. During the reign of Charles III., Cardinal Lorenzana restored it by the architect Rodriguez, as a house of charity, in 1772. But the fury of the foreigner reduced it to ashes in 1810. Its smouldering ashes are the perpetual record of glory.

"Her Majesty Queen Isabella II. was pleased, in 1852, to present this royal Alcazar to the College of Infantry, which, in token of gratitude and respect, dedicates this short homage to its Queen, to history, and to the arts.

"13 May, 1858."

From the battlements of the Alcazar there is a beautiful view of the city and surrounding country. Here, under a bright sky, without cloud or vapour, and with a clear, transparent atmosphere, you see the lofty tower of the cathedral, fantastic Moorish turrets blended with the glittering house-tops, the spires of convents, and churches sparkling in the sun, the Tagus rolling its waters in its deep, winding channel, spanned by the bridge of Alcantara, and, beyond all, the bleak hills which bound the horizon of Toledo.

The church of San Juan is situated on the banks of the Tagus, near the bridge of San Martin. A collection of royal statues decorates the exterior walls. Not far from this you find your way-not without difficulty-to an old Jewish synagogue of the tenth century, afterwards A door in an converted into a church called Santa Maria la Blanca. old-fashioned wall leads to an open court, on crossing which you come to a gloomy building, without exterior ornament or anything to indicate But as soon as you cross that it had been used as a place of worship. the threshold you feel as if you were suddenly transported into the interior of a beautiful Eastern temple. The roof, divided into compartproments of cedar-wood, is supported by four rows of pillars of slender portions, decorated with capitals beautifully carved in white stucco, and rendered as hard as stone by some artistic process, the secret of which is said to be lost. All the embellishments are in the arabesque style, and are strikingly characteristic. The light streaming in from above produces a very charming effect. This ancient edifice, after having been long used as a Jewish synagogue, was, in 1405, converted into a church for Roman Catholic worship; it was subsequently abandoned, and would soon have fallen into ruins had it not been happily restored under the directions of a royal commission appointed by the queen in 1853. It is now one of the great curiosities of Toledo.

This ancient city has long been, and still is, celebrated for its manufactory of sword-blades, which are tempered by the sand and water of the Tagus. A French writer, who lately examined the works, states

that the Toledo blades are still worthy of their ancient reputation, and that they are partly manufactured out of the old shoes of horses and mules carefully collected for the purpose.

Mariana, the celebrated historian, died at Toledo in 1623, in the eighty-seventh year of his age. He wielded too bold a pen to conciliate the favour of the great, and, while many minions of splendour were honoured with gorgeous tombs in the cathedral, he was consigned to an obscure grave in the church of the Jesuits, without any mark of distinction; and it was only after a difficult search that the spot where he was buried was discovered, in 1837. Fortunately, amidst all this neglect of his countrymen, Mariana's fame stands secure, and we, as passing wayfarers, need not stop to throw a stone upon his cairn, for his works will live to perpetuate his memory long after the splendid monuments of princes, cardinals, and nobles, which now decorate the cathedral, shall have crumbled into dust.

VI.

VALENCIA.

WE had intended to go to Andalusia in order to visit Granada, Cordova, and Seville; but from the information we received at Madrid as to the hardships and discomforts of travelling by diligence to and from those parts of Spain during the hot season, we relinquished this design, and resolved to go to Valencia, and then proceed along the coast of the Mediterranean to Barcelona and Marseilles.

Nearly the whole journey from Toledo to Valencia can now be performed by railway. A branch from Toledo, about sixteen miles long, joins the main line from Madrid to Alicante at Castillejo. You then travel along the Mediterranean line about one hundred and eighty-five miles, till you reach Almansa, which is intended to be the point of junction for the branch railway to Valencia, now in the course of being completed. Between Almansa and Mogente there is at present a break, which is travelled by diligence in three hours, and then you have the railway for about fifty miles to Valencia.

To avoid the heat, we left Toledo in the evening, intending to travel during the night; and we believe we lost nothing in scenery by this arrangement, as the railway from Castillejo to the Mediterranean passes over the dusty, sunburnt, and monotonous plains of La Mancha, and a long tract of country wholly destitute of natural beauty. A short distance beyond Albacete, which is the capital of the province of that name, with 16,607 inhabitants, the surface of the ground becomes more unequal, and the scenery more varied. We reached Almansa, a town with a population of 9317, about seven in the morning. Here we took the diligence, which passes over a mountainous district, to Mogente. We then proceeded by railway to Valencia, through a fertile, picturesque, and wellwooded country, abounding with orchards and gardens, and studded with flourishing towns, most of them bearing names of Arabic origin. One of these is Jativa, or San Felipe, with 15,749 inhabitants, where the famous Spagnoletto was born. Beyond this is Aleira, built on an island in the Jucar, with 14,022 inhabitants, remarkable for an old Roman bridge and some Moorish antiquities. On reaching Silla, there is a passing view from

the railway of the Lake Albufera, which abounds with fish, and fertilises by its waters the rice-grounds in its neighbourhood.

From the time when we crossed the Ebro, we had not seen anything like picturesque, rural scenery-no trees, no green grass, no verdant fields -till we found ourselves in the far-famed Huerta, or plain of Valencia, which is blessed with a fertile soil and a happy climate, and rejoices in an excess of luxuriant vegetation, with all those charms of nature so much praised by the Arabian poets, and described in glowing terms by the graver pen of Mariana. This rich plain, which well deserves to be called La Huerta, or the garden, is from thirty to forty miles long, and about twenty miles in its greatest breadth, and is surrounded on three sides by mountains, and on the fourth side by the sea. Besides producing rice, wheat, maize, and barley, this region abounds with mulberry, olive, orange, lemon, and fig-trees, and the fruits, flowers, and vegetables of the torrid zone are blended with those which are more common in temperate climates. Much of the fertility of the Huerta arises from the system of irrigation introduced by the Moors, and still practised with great success by the Valencians. By means of canals or aqueducts, the waters of the Guadalaviar, the Jucar, and other smaller rivers, are made available for this purpose. Little open runlets cross the fields, and the sluices are so arranged that each of these fields in turn can be laid under water. A simple contrivance raises the water from a lower to a higher level. A wheel, turned round by an ass or a mule, draws up the water from the stream below by means of earthen jars fixed to the circumference, which empty themselves into a higher reservoir, and from this the water is conducted through small trenches, sometimes lined with tiles, to any place where it is required. Two, and sometimes three, harvests are not uncommon in this favoured region, which seems to rival in richness the Happy Valley of Rasselas.

We reached Valencia about two P.M. Taking one of the street carriages, called tartanas (which are light covered waggons without springs, drawn by one horse), we proceeded through a labyrinth of narrow streets to the hotel called Fonda del Cid, which is close by the cathedral. Not far from this are the Arabian baths (Banos de los Arabes), and being bent on the luxury of a cold bath after our long journey, we lost no time in visiting that establishment. Descending a flight of steps, we entered a cool saloon, sheltered from the sun, and dimly lighted from the roof. Around this apartment are the different bath-rooms, which are fitted up with marble baths, and paved with white tiles. Over each bathroom there is a vaulted roof, or dome, through which small star-shaped apertures are cut in a sloping direction, for the purpose of admitting a subdued degree of light, according to the Moorish fashion. All the arrangements were admirable, and these baths were the best we saw in Spain.

Let us now take a glance at Valencia, which is the capital of the province of that name, and a place of great antiquity. It stands on the right bank of the Guadalaviar, about two or three miles above its junction with the sea, and is surrounded with massive walls, flanked at intervals by round towers. The river is crossed by five stone bridges, but its waters are so much used for irrigation, that, at the time of our visit, the channel was nearly dry. Besides being the see of an archbishop, the

residence of a captain-general, and the seat of a superior court, Valencia is important from its size, the number of its public buildings, its university and literary institutions, and the wealth and industry of the inhabitants. Silk is a considerable article of commerce, and it carries on a large trade in fruits, for which the surrounding district is so celebrated. According to Mellado there are 65,933 inhabitants within the walls, and if the five suburbs, which are densely peopled, be included, the population amounts to 106,135.

As the streets of Valencia are narrow and irregular, it is difficult to find one's way through such a labyrinth; but there are some good public places, and the public fountains are numerous, though the drinking water at our hotel was not pleasant to the taste. The Alameda is a fashionable promenade on the side of the river, lined with trees, and ornamented with gardens. Some of the gates are imposing architectural structures. Among the public buildings may be mentioned the Lonja, or Exchange, and the custom-house, an elegant edifice erected in the place of St. Domingo. The university, which is said to be well attended, is a colossal building, with open courts and large and commodious class-rooms. Yet literature seems to be at a low ebb, for the booksellers' shops are few, and their wares are not very inviting. Popish prayer-books and catechisms, lives of saints, translations of French novels, some heavy professional treatises on law and medicine, and a sprinkling of modern Spanish plays, formed the staple stocks, though there might be a few old standard works among all this rubbish. A newspaper is published here, called the Diario

Mercantil.

Early on Sunday morning we visited the cathedral, which is built on the site of an old Moorish mosque. Nothing can be more gloomy and repulsive than the outside of this edifice; and there is little to redeem this deformity in the interior, though it is ornamented with some marbles and jaspers, and a few paintings. The high altar is richly gilt, while the windows behind and above it are tinted green; and this contrast of green and gold produces a rather pleasing effect. With the aid of musical instruments the service was chanted in a very effective style, and the religious ceremonies were accompanied with the splendid pageantry which is common in all the cathedral churches of Spain. All this day the bells of the city churches were ringing, with little intermission, from morning to night.

One of the most interesting sights of Valencia is the large marketplace, where fruits and vegetables are sold. Here we were struck with the immense variety of the fruits and vegetables, many of which were unknown to us even by name, and some of the more common sorts of vegetables were of enormous size. Among crowds of townspeople making their purchases, we observed on Sunday great numbers of labourers and countrymen from the Huerta walking about in their picturesque holiday suits. A round black velvet hat, with a deep brim turned up, is the usual cover for the head; and the rest of the attire generally consists of a bright-coloured jacket or vest, open in front, loose linen trousers fastened round the waist with a red sash, and sandals made of hemp, secured to the ankle by cords; and the costume is completed by a long narrow plaid of striped wool, called a capa, hung over the shoulder. Some of the men from the country wore a handkerchief round the head, and a kind

of tunic of white coarse cloth, secured round the middle, and descending to the knees like the kilt of the Scotch Highlanders, with bare legs and sandals. There is nothing very peculiar in the female costume of the lower orders. But the ladies of Valencia generally wear the mantilla, with elegant scarfs or shawls; and they show a marked predilection for black silk gowns.

During the heat of the day labouring men and the peasantry from the country are frequently seen sleeping in shady corners of the public streets. Whether the old-fashioned habit of the siesta still prevails among the better classes, we cannot tell; but, for our own part, we generally found it advisable to retire to our private room to read, if not to sleep, for a few hours during the hottest part of the day.

In former times shaving and surgery went hand in hand in most countries in Europe, and this is still the case to some extent in Spain. The barbers in Valencia practise phlebotomy, and, besides exhibiting the usual brass plate, most of them have the word "Sangrador" painted over their doors. The policemen, who patrol the streets during the night, follow the ancient practice of calling the hours and the state of the weather; and as their reports are generally favourable in this fine climate, this may, perhaps, be the reason why these watchmen are called "serenos."

A railway and a spacious road lined with trees lead to the port of Grao, on the Mediterranean, about two or three miles from Valencia ; but, unfortunately, the roadstead, notwithstanding some recent attempts to improve it, does not afford good shelter for shipping. We observed no large ships, and only about half a dozen brigs, with a few smaller vessels, in the harbour. Grao is much resorted to by the Valencians for sea-bathing.

A considerable number of coasting steamers touch at Grao in going to and from Barcelona. But the service is more irregular here than at Alicante. Telegrams are sent to announce these steamers a few hours in advance, and the hours of their departure are posted up at the principal hotels. Every day two or three diligences leave Valencia for Barcelona; but the journey occupies about forty hours, and there is no convenient resting-place by the way. We determined, therefore, to go by sea, and were fortunate enough to secure a passage by the Tharsis, a Spanish steamer of 800 tons, with 200 horse power.

Leaving Grao about three in the afternoon, we reached Barcelona, after a pleasant voyage, about ten next morning. During the day a large awning over the poop deck sheltered us from the sun's rays, a refreshing breeze tempered the heat of the atmosphere, and the sea was perfectly smooth. Passengers and baggage were landed in small boats, and we had to submit to the usual tedious examination at the customhouse amidst much noise and confusion.

VII.

BARCELONA.

NOTHING can be more beautiful than the view of Barcelona as you approach it from the sea. The town is situated on a gentle emi

nence.

On the left, the castle of Monjuich rises on a lofty hill, with