3o8 Voyage of the Novara. 



the Spaniards, }^et not without suffering to ap^^ear in his ad- 

 dress a certain embarrassment and hesitation, which however 

 may have been due to his not being sufficiently acquainted with 

 any other tongue than the Spanish, to enable him to use it 

 in giving fluent expression to his thoughts. The conversation 

 turned chiefly upon the scene of our latest visit, Java. Not- 

 withstanding the not very formidable distance, and the con- 

 stant communication existing between the two islands, the 

 Captain-general seemed to have but a very vague concep- 

 tion of the political and social condition of Java, and ft-amed 

 his questions as though they related to some remote island, 

 in some entii'ely different section of the globe, rather than an 

 island in all but immediate vicinity. As we prepared to 

 return to our vehicles, Don Fernando made use of the usual 

 unmeaning compliment listed* sale que mi casa es a la dis- 

 posicion de listed .'"' (You know you may consider my house 

 as entu'ely at your disposal) :\ it would rather have astonish- 

 ed him though, had his visitors taken him at his word ! 



* Usted — contraction for " Vnesira Merced " (your Grace). 



f The fair speeches and amiable phrases of the Spaniards lose all their value 

 when one finds upon nearer acquaintance with this courteous nation, that the heart 

 and the feelings take no part therein. There is nothing which a Spaniard will 

 not offer to a stranger — but it is always on the clear understanding that the latter 

 wiU with equal politeness refuse the proffer. We on one occasion, however, saw a 

 Yankee take these professions at their apparent value, and by so doing put his 

 Spanish host to no small confusion. The Spaniard wore a very costly diamond 

 breast-pin, for which the American could not find words sufficient to express his 

 admiration. To his exclamations of delight, the Spaniard kept repeating his 

 nauseous " d la disposicion de Usted,'' till at last the American fairly took the pin out 

 of the Spaniard's scarf and transferred it to liis own. The latter felt so ashamed 



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