HOMEWARD BOUND. 319 from me a sigh; but whether it reached from this far distance those in my thoughts at the time, is doubtful. Mrs. S. and the carriage were soon in readiness, and as we drove along she pointed out, as we passed, the court-house, the governor's house and gardens, and the handsome English church. We drove through the Alameda, but our time would not allow of our walking through the beautiful grounds orna. menting it; so, after a delightful drive, we alighted at our hotel. Mr. C. purchased some mementos in specimens of this singular rock, and at six, P. M., we left in the steamer, while the guns of the fort were firing a salute to an English frigate just entering the harbor. We were soon out of the harbor, and in Calpe's straits, where "Europe and Afric on each other gaze, Land of the dark-eyed maid and dusky Moor;" and we turned from one side of the boat to the other to look, now upon Europa point, and now upon the coast of Africa; both of which seemed, with the darkness to aid the decep. tion, very close. We had soon passed the straits, and found ourselves gazing upon the broad Atlantic, whose far-off waves were washing the shores of our own dear land; and as I looked upon them, I felt more at home, and as if we were, as we now are, truly "homeward bound.” 320 CADIZ." LETTER XXXV. CADIZ-ITS HOUSES, TOWERS, BALCONIES, WALLS, HARBOR AND SITUATION--THE CATHEDRAL--EXTINCTION OF MONASTERIES AND CONVENTS--MURILLO AND HIS PAINTINGS SANTA MARIA AND SIDONIA MEDINA. Cadiz, March. THE next morning after leaving Gibraltar, we found ourselves at an early hour in the port of Cadiz, and oh! how beautiful it looked from our deck! The water is so very blue that washes the walls which extend all around the city, and the sky so very bright and clear, that the dazzling whiteness of the whole city seemed more beautiful, if possible, from the contrast. All the houses are large and well built; all have the appearance of palaces, for even the habitations of the poor are extensive, affording accommodations to many families. The city is built on a point of land, almost an island, near the mouth of the Guadelquiver, and connected with the island of Leon by a beautiful beach, or narrow causeway of sand; this is guarded by forts, and the whole city enclosed by high walls, a large portion of which are formed into a public walk, or alameda, the top being paved, affording a delightful promenade along the water's edge, and from their great height a fine sea view. Located in the house of Donna Antonia, (who had been highly recommended to us by a friend,) and refreshed by a good and plentiful breakfast, Mr. C. walked out to call on the consul, Mr. B., and deliver his letters. At two o'clock Mr. B. came to walk with us. We went first to the cathedral, an immense pile, not yet finished outside, and but just completed CADIZ-BALCONIED WINDOWS. 321 within. It is very handsome, particularly the interior; but the style of it does not please me as well as that of Malaga. It contains one or two paintings, by Murillo, and a few by Spagnoletto-is richly ornamented with the beautiful marbles of Granada, and has a handsome pulpit of white marble. We next bent our steps to the signal station, and mounted to the top, from whence we looked down upon the entire city. The houses present a singular and unique appearance at this point; none have what we call yards, but are built around a square court, sometimes closed at the top, at others left open to the rains and winds of heaven. Some of the houses join others in the rear, but most of them extend from one street to the other. Every house, too, has a tall tower or look-out; these, in the palmy days of Cadiz, as well as of Spain, served the merchant-princes of this prosperous city as observatories, from whence they could watch the return of the ships, whose precious freights were to add to their golden stores. The tops of the towers are indented or turreted; the roofs are terraced, and serve as gardens, enclosed by a fanciful balustrade, ornamented at intervals by huge vases, in which grow the cactus, aloe, and other plants. These, with the stacks of chimneys, viewed ensemble from a height like that of the signal-tower, have a curious and novel effect. There are balconies to every window, shaded in summer by awnings, where the ladies may sit seeing all, themselves unseen; some of the balconies are filled with flowers and plants, and, with the painted jalousies, afford the only green thing that the eye lights on; for, as I told you before, Cadiz is built on sand-a soil calculated only to grow houses. Besides the balconies, most of the houses have a projection in front, shut in with glass, where the inmates may sit when the weather is too cool to sit in the open air. The whole city being so purely white appearance, and Washington Irving, gives it a beautiful 322 A SPANISH FATHER. when speaking of it, likened it to a "silver cup"-but when seen from the water, as on our arrival, it seemed to me like a pearly shell which the waves had bleached and cast upon the yellow sands, with which it contrasts so beautifully. Cadiz is dependent on the neighboring country, not only for meat and vegetables, but even for the water drank by its inhabitants; but having a water-conveyance that never fails them, there is no deficiency, nor are things dear. Everything is more plentiful and less costly than in many parts of the interior, where mules and donkeys are the only means of transportation. The streets are all narrow; in the old or Moorish quarter they are most so, and very crooked; but in the more modern part of the city they are more straight and wide. There is on the sides, and through the middle of each street, a row of smooth paving-stones, only wide enough for one to walk, so that single file is the order of march. In the true Spanish style, the ladies all walk one after the other, the old don marching in the rear, to see that all goes straight before him. We met a gentleman with his wife and daughter walking in this fashion; the daughter was the most beautiful creature methinks I ever met; but the father, as if to repel any passing glance of admiration, looked as grim as a dragon, and reminded me of the words: "Ay, Pedro ! come you here with mask and lantern, Our consul showed us the market-place, a fine large square, beautifully paved and very clean'; all four sides having a raised covered walk lined with arches. We visited also an old monastery, which had been converted into a work-house for vagrant boys. The object of our visit was CADIZ-A STROLL ON THE RAMPARTS. 323 a fine painting, by Murillo, in the chapel. It is said to be the last of his works, he having, soon after its completion, fallen from a scaffold, receiving injuries that subsequently caused his death. The subject was the marriage of St. Catherine there were two others, but none so good as some of his that we have seen out of Spain; there was a Virgin in glory, that pleased me much more. : The next day at sunset we strolled out on the ramparts: there were very few walking; but we had the good fortune to meet the consul, who joined us and led us outside the walls, passing through a massive gateway and two portcullises at a short distance from each other. Cadiz is well and strongly fortified; its walls are high, of great thickness, and in perfect order. The consul said the ground beneath us for a great distance was mined. Outside of all this is a plain called the glacis ; here we paused to see the soldiers go through their evening exercise, and were highly amused at the blunders of some raw recruits taking their first lesson. Directly in front of us was the causeway or beach of sand, which connects the point of land on which the city is built to the Island of Leon. The road is very straight and smooth, with nothing to obstruct the view till it rests on Fort Sebastian, three miles distant. From one point here we had a good view of the bay, with the towns of Santa Maria and Rosa; rising behind these was a conical hill, on which was the town of Sidonia Medina, very ancient, built by the Phoenicians, and called by them Sidon; the name Medina was added by the Moors when they conquered it. Here was confined and murdered the unfortunate Blanche, wife of Peter the Cruel. At sunset the gates are closedso we took care not to give the governor of the city any trouble on our account by gazing so long on the beautiful scene before us as to be locked out; an appeal to him being the only remedy in such a case. |