dence for foreigners, on account of the courtesy of its inhabitants. The ladies are gracious and attractive; their beauty is proverbial. ROUTE 187. CORDOVA TO MALAGA. (Time, 7 hours.) Distance, 120 miles. Fares, 1st class, 106 reals; 2d class, 793 reals. (For description of Route to Cordova (276 miles), see preceding Route.) N leaving Cordova, we pass on the right the line to Seville. Crossing the Guadalquivir, we pass two unimportant places, and reach Montilla (306 miles). It is situated in one of the most beautiful parts of Andalusia. Montilla was the birthplace of Gonzalvo di Cordova, called the Great Captain. The place is celebrated for its extensive vineyards. We next reach Aguilar(310 miles), population, 12,200; also renowned for its wines. Here is an interesting old Moorish castle. Puente Genil, here the Genil is crossed. La Roda, junction on the line from Seville. At Bobadilla, the line to Granada branches off, passing through a very romantic and beautiful district. Soon after leaving Gobantes we pass through the magnificent gorge of the Hozo, and the views are very grand. Alora, a picturesque town, surrounded by the finest orange and lemon groves in the world. Passing several uninteresting towns we Malaga. (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST.") Population, 113,000. reach The climate is temperate and salubrious. The heat is tempered by sea breezes during the day, and by light winds during the night. No endemic disease prevails here, and the annual mortality scarcely exceeds one per cent. of the population. It has been highly recommended as a winter residence for invalids, especially those whose lungs are affected; but as the town is dirty and uninteresting, it is not an agreeable residence. Malaga was built by the Phoenicians several centuries before Christ. It was first called Malacha, a name derived from the Hebrew Malach (salt), from the large quantity of salt adapted for fish-salting found in the vicinity. The city is divided into two distinct parts: the old quarter, which retains its Moorish peculiarities, narrow and winding streets; and the new quarter, which is well built. Many of the streets in the latter part are straight and wide, with some elegant looking houses. The Alameda is a public walk, and has a central promenade separated from the carriage-ways by rows of almond and other trees. Here are also several pieces of sculpture, and a handsome marble fountain. The other promenades are the Plaza de la Constitucion, the Plaza de Riego, the Plaza de la Puerta del Mar. In the centre of the Plaza de Riego a monument has been erected to the memory of General Torrijos and his compatriots, who were massacred at Malaga in December 1831 by the treacherous Moreno. The English Cemetery is very neatly arranged, and is used as a promenade by the natives. Here is buried the unfortunate Lieutenant Boyd, who was shot at the same time as Torrijos and his companions. The principal buildings are the Episcopal Palace, the Town Hall, the Atarazana, a Moorish arsenal, with a beautiful portico of white marble; and the Alcazaba, an ancient fortress, the only remaining portion of which is occupied by the military governor. The Moorish Castle of the Gibalfaro, to which access is had by a steep, zigzag staircase, has been converted into a modern fortress. The view from its summit is very fine. The Cathedral of Santa Barba is of modern date, having been commenced in 1528. It is built in a mixture of styles. The facade is very beautiful. It consists of two tiers of Roman Corinthian architecture, the columns being of fine marble. In the interior, the roof is supported by lofty columns, faced below with fluted, semicircular pilastres, of the Corinthian order, these being surmounted by a rich cornice and entablature, and finally rising with a second tier of square pilastres. Many of the altars are fine. The silleria of the choir and the two organs are very remarkable. The chapel of the Encarnacion contains a richly sculptured and elegant retable, also some fine paintings. A magnificent view can be obtained by ascending the cathedral tower. Many Roman antiquities have been found in the environs of Malaga. The church of Los Santos Martires is one of the most frequented in the city. It has a high tower, decorated in an original manner. The interioris very richly adorned, and contains painted wooden sculptures representing the Apostles and Saints. Malaga is celebrated for its fine wines, and for its raisins; other articles of export are-oil, almonds, figs, orange-peel, lemons, cochineal, &c. There is a fine drive along the shore towards Velez Malaga. ROUTE 188. SEVILLE TO GRANADA. EAVING Seville, we stop at UTRERA (see page 767). OSUNA (57 miles), population 16,000. On the hill is a castle and the Colegiata. The streets are narrow and picturesque. The city was taken from the Moors in 1240. The Colegiata is a fine building containing a crucifixion by Ribera. La Roda (92 miles). Here the railway from Cordova to Malaga is joined. BOBADILLA (104 miles), which is the junction for Granada; excellent buffet at the station. ANTEQUERA (114 miles), population 30,000. Once an important Roman station. It was recovered from the Moors in 1410. Near the town is a salt lake. It is now famous for its manufactory of woollen cloths and blankets. LOJA (138 miles). This picturesque town, once the key to Granada, was taken by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1488, after a siege of 34 days. Illora (151 miles). PINOS PUENTES (157 miles), population 4109. It was here that Columbus was stopped by Isabella's messenger. SANTA FÉ (161 miles). Built by Ferdinand and Isabella during the siege of Granada on the site where their camp was burned. It was at Santa Fé that Isabella gave her sanction to Columbus starting on his voyage of discovery. GRANADA (167 miles), (Hotels, see "HOTEL LIST") population 100,678. This city is built on the lower spurs of the Sierra Nevada ranges, and is divided into four quarters, viz., Granada proper, which occupies the space at the foot of the hill and is the residence of the wealthier classes; the Alhambra, situated on a high hill that commands the rest of the city, and is called La Sierra del Sol (the Mountain of the Sun), the Albaicin, which occupies the upper part of a hill separated from the Sierra del Sol by the valley of the Darro; and, finally, the quarter of Antequeruela, also a suburb, inhabited chiefly by artizans, and lying at the foot of the Albaicin. The whole district abounds in beautiful scenery, and the snowy mountains, which form the background of the city give the air a delightful freshness even in the hottest season. The avenue which leads to the Alhambra-"the pride of Granada, and the boast of Spain" begins at the highest part of the city, and conducts the traveller through a massive gateway of modern architecture up the steep side of a hill, where it is lined with trees and parterres of aromatic shrubs. A turn in the avenue leads to the famous Tower or Gate of Justice. In the Plaza de los Algibes, or Square of the Cisterns, is situated the Torre de la Vela, or watchtower, where the Christian flag was first hoisted by Cardinal Mendoza. This tower contains the bell that announces the hours for the irrigation of the Vega, which operation is regulated to the present day, according to the rules and forms established by the Moors more than 300 years ago. On one side of the square extends the palace of Charles V., built in the Renaissance style, still remaining unfinished. The name Alhambra denotes "the red house." This palace of the Moorish kings consists of a vast and irregular collection of buildings, built of brick, slightly reddened, the walls of which enclose a plateau 770 yards in length and 200 yards wide. It comprises numerous courts and halls, of which the two principal are the Putio-de-los-Leones (Court of Lions) and the Patio-del- Estanque. The Court of Lions is 100 ft. in length and 50 ft. in breadth, environed with a colonnade 7 ft. broad on the sides, and 10 ft. at the end, of light Moorish arches on slender marble columns. This apartment has been pronounced "the pearl of the Alhambra, solemn as a cloister, and charming as a picture from the Arabian nights. The square is paved with coloured tiles; the colonnade with white marble. Above and below is a border of small escutcheons, enamelled blue and gold, with an Arabic motto, signifying "No conqueror but God." The columns that support the roof are of white marble, and very slender. The width of the horse-shoe arches above them is 4 ft. 2 inches for the larger ones, and 3 ft. for the smaller. Above each arch is a large square of arabesques, surrounded with a rim of characters, generally quotations from the Koran. Over the pillars is another square of filigree work "like a tissue of Brussels lace." In the centre of the court is the celebrated lion fountain, a basin of oriental alabaster supported upon twelve animals, which rather resemble panthers than lions. This fountain is embellished with festoons and Arabic distiches. The Patio del Estanque is an oblong square with a deep basin of water in the middle, two flights of marble steps leading to the bottom. Round this court runs a peristyle paved with marble; the arches bear upon very slight pillars, and the ceiling and walls are incrusted with fretwork in stucco, so minute and intricate as to almost defy the labours of the most patient draughtsman to follow it. In every division are Arabic sentences. The ceilings are gilt, or painted, and time has caused no diminution in the freshness of their colours. The lower part of the walls is mosaic, disposed in fantastic knots and festoons. The porch on the right hand opens into an octagon vault, under the Emperor's palace, and forms a perfect whispering gallery. On the south side of the colonnade is a circular room with a fountain in the middle. The form of the hall, the elegance of its cupola, and the exquisite manner in which the stucco is designed and painted, exceed description. Everything inspires the most pleasing ideas; yet in this retreat it is said Abuabdulah assembled the Abencerrages, and caused their heads to be struck off into the fountains, in token whereof red stains on the central marble fountain are still pointed out to the romantic. Opposite to the Hall of the Abencerrages is the little myrtle garden of Lindaraxa, leading to the apartments of Charles V., around which are frequent inscriptions of the Emperor's favourite motto, Plus Outre. This leads to the Tocadorde-la-Reina, or the dressing-room of the Sultana. It is a small square cabinet in an open gallery, into which perfumes ascended through perforated tiles, from a furnace below. The Emperor caused this pretty room to be painted with representations of his wars, and a variety of grotesque subjects. There are numerous other apartments, including the Hall of Ambassadors, which contains the mottoes of all the kings of Granada, and is magnificently decorated; and the Audience Hall, the interior of which is inlaid with mosaics of various colours, disposed in knots, stars, and other figures. thick. The walls are 15 feet The Alhambra was commenced by Aben Alhamar, the founder of Granada, in 1248, and its principal additions and embellishments were the works of YouzefAben-el-Hedjadj, the seventh king of Granada, who ascended the throne in 1333. The restorations of the Alhambra have been admirably carried on by Senor Contreras, since 1862, when he was commissioned by the Ex-Queen Isabella to repair the palace. The Senor's studio will well repay a visit. The royal country-house of the Generalife is situated higher on the hill than the palace, from which it is separated by a small ravine, and by the lines of the fortifications. Both the Alhambra and the Generalife overhang the deep and narrow valley of the Darro, which precipitates itself from the Sierra Nevada and falls into the Genil, not far from the city. The Generalife is of small dimensions, and its chief attractions are the Hall of the Princes, the Hall of the Portraits, and the hall which was formerly a private mosque, but has been converted into a Christian chapel. A private door on the highest terrace of the Generalife, leads to a spot on the summit of the hill, called the Silla del Rey Moro, or chair of the Moorish king, from which there is a splendid view of the surrounding landscape. The Cathedral is a splendid but irregular building. It is profusely ornamented with jasper and marble, and is surmounted by a dome supported by twelve superb columns, in front of which are statues of the twelve Apostles in gilded bronze. The adjoining chapel contains some of the best pictures and statues by the Spanish artist Alonzo-Cano, and his pupil Pedro-de-Mena; and a Holy Family by Murillo; and among its numerous monuments, those of Ferdinand and Isabella. The Capilla-de-los-Reyes-Catolicos communicates with the cathedral, but is under a separate roof. It is of Gothic architecture and remarkable for the boldness of its arch, which supports the roof. It contains the marble tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella, whose remains are in the vault underneath, together with those of their daughter Juana and her husband Philip I. Ferdinand's sword is shown, and Isabella's crown and sceptre, also the royal standards used at the conquest, and a splendid vestment worked by Isabella for Cardinal Mendoza. The Church of San Geronimo, belonging to the ancient convent of the Hieronymites, is a noble piece of architecture. It contains the tomb of the Great Captain, Gonsalvo of Cordova, by whom it was founded. Two kneeling statues of Gonsalvo and his wife are placed one on each side of the high altar. Among other objects of interest are the palace of the Chancilleria, the Episcopal Palace and the Alcaieria, the latter an ancient Moorish bazaar, containing about 200 shops, and still applied to its original use; a spacious theatre built by General Sebastiani during the occupation of the city by the French army, and an amphitheatre. The principal Plazas or squares, are the Plaza de la Constitucion, 400 feet by 200 feet, embellished by an elegant jasper fountain; the Plaza Mayor, and the Plaza del Triunfo, the last named being the scene of the final victory gained by the Christians over the Moors, to commemorate which, a large monument of white marble stands in the centre of the square. Opposite to the facade of the theatre, a monument has been raised to the memory of the heroic lady Dona Mariana Pineda, and the other martyrs of liberty in 1831. The Vega or plain, upon which the city is situated, contains within its circuit not less than fiftytwo towns; and in its centre appears the Soto de Roma, a tract belonging to the Duke of Wellington, which was granted to the first Duke and his successors in acknowledgment of his services, at the conclusion of the Peninsular War. |