Mr. Jacob’s Travels in Spain. 
The Count Aitamira, as president 
of the Junta, ought, from his rank, per- 
haps, to have been first noticed. I have 
only seep him in the public streets. He 
has the physiognomy of a baboon, and is 
said to possess little more intellect than 
that mimic of man. 
the Alcazar by aparty of the horse guards, 
in a chariot of a most despicable appear- 
ance, drawn by two mules, while the 
populace sneeringly’call him the King of 
Seville. : 
The sittings of-this assembly are from 
ten till three in the morning, and in the 
evening from eight till eleven: every 
thing is secretly conducted, but it is 
known that, the meeting is divided into 
committees, which attend to the different 
branches of the administration, and re- 
port to the whole body the result of their 
separate labours. ‘They mect in a most 
beautiful saloon within the Alcazar, and 
are always in full dress with swords. The 
election of these men, in most instances, 
was the resultof accident, and those who 
chose them never delegated the powers 
they have since assumed, nor seemed to 
Suppose that such powers were ncces- 
sary. 
| SEVILLE. 
The appearance of this city is very 
different from any that Ihave seen; each 
house occupies a large space of ground, 
and all have an open court within them 
called the Patio; in the centre of this 
space there is usually a fountain of cool 
water, occasionally surrounded with 
orange trees, and other evergreens. The 
streets are extremely narrow; very few 
are wide enough to allow two carriages to 
pass, in many there is not sufficient room 
even to admit a single carriage, and tlie 
marks of the wheels are frequently visible - 
on the walls of the houses. Several of. 
the streets indeed are so very narrow, 
that I have touched. the opposite walls at 
the same time. The houses being lofty 
the sun never penetrates to the bottom 
of these streets, and they have, on the 
hottest day, almost the coolness of our 
cellars, The pavement in general is bad, 
and there is not, even in the widest 
Streets, any footpath for. passengers, 
which however is of little consequence 
where there are very few carts or cuaches. 
There are not many squares, nor open 
places, in the city, but the environs have 
some beautiful public walks, one of them, 
by the side of the river Guadalquivir, is 
usually frequented by the principal in- 
habitantsof the city. ‘There are besides, 
two yther very delightful walks, but, as 
SEE SS ee ee ee 
He is escorted to, 
609 
their situation is remote from; the resi- 
‘dence of the higher class, they are nog 
places of much resort, though the. munici- 
pality"keeps them in excellent repair. 
Several of the public places are adorned 
with fountains, but, asthe water they 
contain is seldom cool, stalls are erected 
in various parts of the city for the sale of 
that necessary article, previously filtered 
through jars of porous earth. 
One of the buildings in Seville which 
displays the best architectural taste is 
Ha Lodja, built originally at the experice 
of the merchants, and designed for an 
exchange. It forms a square, and cach 
front is two hundred fect in length, and, 
being raised on steps, has a tadynificent 
appearance, The staircase leading to 
the upper rooms is superbly built of co- 
loured marble, about twenty-five feet in 
breadth, with balastrades, supported by 
pillars of the same substance : the apart- 
ments consist of three rooms in front, 
each ove hundred and eighty feet Jung, 
and forr others, lighted from the patio, 
of smaller dimensions; the whole forms 
a grand building, and does honour to the 
taste of the ave in which it was erected, 
The apartments are furnished with 
book-cases, which contain all the cor-~ 
respondence with America, from its first 
discovery to the present time, arranved 
and neatly docketed ; and reference may 
be made to any paper with great facility. 
Lhe original letters of Cortez and Pizarro 
are deposiled in these cases, and will some 
day probably throw light on the history 
of that period. It is certain that the 
Spanish historians have neglected to ex- © 
amine these valuable documents, and the 
writers of later date have contented them= 
selves with quoting Robertson, whose 
book, with all its deficiencies, contains 
more accurate views, and more extensive 
knowledge, of the affairs of the Spaniards 
in America three hundred years ago, 
than the work of any author of their own ‘ 
nation. 
MOORISH CURIOSITIES. 
The Alcazar, an ancient palace, is an 
object that naturally attracts the attention 
of every one who visits Seville. Tt was 
originally built by the Moors; but no in- 
formation of the date of its. commencé- * 
ment can be obtained. The greater part 
was construcied by Peter the Cruel, be- 
tween the years 1353 and 1364, who ex. 
actly copied the Arabian style of the an- 
cient part of the edifice; and the re- 
mainder was erected hy Charles the 
Fifth. 
with thedaie of the Hlegira, carrespor d- 
4 ing 
Vhere is one Arabic inseripticn, , 
