Wady'l Kubir (Arabice, Big River) 



English customers would learn to like sherry in its simple 

 state, it would save us a good deal of trouble, and them 

 some expense." 



He took me over a large bodega (cellar), and made me 

 taste a few dozen pipes, of different ages ; also the sweet 

 sherry and burnt wine, neither of which were bad by them- 

 selves, though I don't think they improve the original sherry. 



The Senora Morgan had a sister married to a marques in 

 Seville, and to him Don Francisco gave me a letter of 

 introduction. He also gave me a letter of credit on a 

 banker in Cadiz, which, with singular providence, I had 

 entirely omitted to take into consideration before leaving 

 England, as I then had my pockets full of money. It was 

 quite an accident my having any letters of introduction 

 even, of which some kind friend, whom I never asked nor 

 thanked, threw a few into my portmanto. 



Guadalquivir is a flat-banked, muddy river, adorned only 

 by some distant mountains of the Sierra de Ronda to the 

 right. Seven hours brought us in sight of the Giralda and 

 the Golden Tower. 



A cosmopolitan vagabond from Gibraltar conducted me 

 to the Fonda de Madrid, a clean and respectable hotel. 

 He took me in by the gate of Triana. Let everybody 

 coming to Seville by the steamer insist on entering by the 

 gate of San Fernando, which is not a hundred yards out of 

 his way whatever hotel he is going to ; as by doing so he 

 will pass the Cathedral and Plaza^ and get a favourable first 

 impression of the city. 



I resisted the overtures of the Gibraltese laquais de place^ 

 conceiving I should have leisure to grope about, and find 

 out what was worth seeing in the course of the winter 

 without being led or driven. 



The second day after my arrival in Seville some pas- 



66 



