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"THE LIGHT FANTASTIC TOE."

LETTER XXXVI.

SPANISH DANCES-CATHEDRAL GIRALDA-MOORISH PALACE -THE LONJA--MURILLO'S PICTURES.

Seville, March.

ON our passage from Cadiz to Seville, Mr. C. was informed by an Englishman, that they could, by a sufficient remuneration, see the different Spanish dances performed. The Englishman had but little time to stay, and was bent upon seeing these, if he saw nought else. So Mr. C. gladly united with him; the Englishman undertaking the necessary arrangements for the exhibition, the evening of our arrival. I was so excessively fatigued, that I could not be induced to leave the house; so Mr. C. went without me, and returned highly gratified himself, though well pleased that I had not been present, as many of the dances were of a nature ill-calculated for the presence of a lady, especially of a prudish American. There were in all, he said, about fifty dancers, each with a pair of castanets; they were dressed in a variety of costumes, and performed the numerous national dances, all expressive of character and sentiment, interesting and amusing, if not intelligible to the beholder. Some of the dances permitted the whole number to perform together, and then the clatter of the castanets was almost deafening. The room was of good size, and the spectators such as had collected from the immediate neighborhood, though the house was supported for the time being by Mr. C. and the Englishman, the whole proceeds being, I believe, about six dollars.

The next morning we sallied forth to see some of the

CATHEDRAL OF SEVILLE.

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The

lions of Seville, the cathedral-the Giralda, and the Moorish palace--all exceedingly beautiful. The cathedral is an immense pile, one of the largest in the world; its roof is sur mounted with innumerable towers, round, square, and spiral, tall and short, all beautifully ornamented with rich carving and tracery work, in marble that was once white, but is now covered with moss and mould. All its numerous entrances are ornamented with elaborate carving, and fine baso-relievo. Attached to the church is an enclosure, surrounded by a kind of cloister, with a colonnade and arches all around. The enclosure is filled with fine orange-trees and greensward, with stone crossings to walk on. edifice is four hundred and thirty-one feet long, and three hundred and fifteen feet wide; it is in the Gothic style, and stands on the site of an ancient Moorish mosque. It has five naves and sixty-six altars, enclosed in chapels, each of which are as large as a small church. There are one hundred and twenty silver lamps suspended, and two magnificent organs, with five thousand stops; these last are profusely ornamented with the most beautiful carving in wood, of statues, flowers, and a variety of other ornaments. grand altar is ornamented in the same manner, with carved wood; richly gilt gratings enclose it, and some of the larger chapels, extending from the pavement to the vault above. The naves are supported by thirty-two pillars, each of which are thirteen feet in circumference. Numerous paintings and statues adorn the chapels, and every variety of ornament seemed scattered throughout. The campanile of the cathedral is three hundred feet high, the whole of its exterior covered with a small mosaic work, giving it a decidedly Moorish aspect. It is called the Tower de Giralda ; we ascended only as far as the belfry, where we counted twenty-five bells, each named after some male or female saint. The view from this height is commanding and beau

The

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SEVILLE-MOORISH PALACE.

tiful in the extreme; we could here overlook the whole city and its lovely environs; could distinguish the most remarkable edifices, and trace the walls of the city, and could see the pretty courts and fountains which are attached to almost every house. From the cathedral we went to the Alcazar, the ancient palace of the Moorish kings. This was like a fairy palace, and seemed to be the realization of the Arabian Nights, and other eastern stories. The carving that ornaments the ceilings, the top of the walls, arches, doorways and windows, was so exquisitely fine, that it seemed more the work of some industrious little insect, than of the hand of man, and of men, too, whom some are used to deem almost barbarians. We have seen nothing similar to it, unless it be the fountains of Stamboul, nor can I think of anything so delicately fine, except the ivory carving of the Chinese. About four feet from the floor, running round the different rooms, was a mosaic work of tiles, every side different, and it seemed to be the study throughout to have as great a variety in form and color as possible. The ceilings were exceedingly rich and curious, sometimes of carved wood-work, left in its natural color, sometimes divided into small compartments, beautifully painted and gilt, showing a great variety of patterns, as brilliant and varied, indeed, as those seen through a kaleidescope. Over some of the entrances to the apartments were lattices of white marble, to admit light and air, and these were carved in patterns the most beautiful as well as delicate. There were very many little courts in different parts of the palace, with fountains in the centre, some of them dried up and blackened, others with standing pools of brackish-looking water. Workmen are now busy with their renovations and restoratives,' viyng, in my opinion, not with the departing glories of the Moors' handiwork, but almost with that of the despoiler. The gardens of the Alcazar are most lovely; they are filled

GARDENS OF "THE ALCAZAR."

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with fountains and reservoirs of water, hedges of box or myrtle, cut into all sorts of fantastic forms, a variety of flow. ers and sweet shrubs, numerous grottos and cool retreats, in the form of temples and pagoda-like buildings, with gravel-walks and verdant terraces; and enclosing the whole is a high wall, brilliant with modern frescoes, and one is almost tempted to believe themselves dreaming in some lovely Arcadia. Leaving this, we bent our steps homeward, taking on our way, the Lonja, or exchange, a modern edifice, but very handsome, and the Hotel de Ville, a very ancient structure, looking so old and quaint, and so decidedly Spanish, and seeming fairly weighed down and overloaded with the profusion of carving lavished upon it, that I fancied the wealth within it had run over, and I felt well disposed to hold up my dress to catch the riches seeming ready to fall. Around very many of the public buildings you may see numerous columns of a very antique appearance, and of every size and height. These have been brought from an ancient city (Italica,) near Seville, said to have been the birth-place of Trajan, and the two Senecas. We visited the cathedral here on Sunday; there was service being performed in different chapels, and the pavement was so filled with the many different kneeling donnas, and men standing around them, that it was difficult making our way through them. We succeeded in finding the splendid picture of Murillo's guardian angel, and then leaving the cathedral went to an old convent, now a museum, but retaining enough of its former splendor and ornament, to give it the air of a palace rather than a dwelling of plain, pious, and austere monks, such as doubtless those of Spain were not. Here we found a number of Murillo's paintings, collected from many different monasteries. They were sadly defaced by time, and still more by neglect and ill-treatment, but they are yet beautiful in spite of the mildew of time and weather. Three of

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MURILLO-A PAINTING OF DEATH.

these were exceedingly beautiful; one in particular, representing a monk or bishop distributing alms, in that style in which Murillo is so happy, for with beggars he seemed perfectly at home. In the chapel, is one representing a dead body, the flesh putrifying, and the worms that destroy the body after death, were lazily mumbling the flesh of the dead; and so horribly natural is it depicted, that it is said when the pupil called his master to view his work, he no sooner cast his eye upon it, than he put his handkerchief to his face, and turned quickly away, saying, "pah! how it stinks." The pretty court of the monastery was quite refreshing after this; in the centre of it was a beautiful fountain, and around it were planted willows, whose long branches laved themselves in its limpid waters, or on the other side kissed the pouting lips of a profusion of roses, that blushed in wild lux. uriance around.