in the distance is seen a range of
tall blue sierras. The water is turbid and muddy, and in colour closely
resembling the contents of a duck-pool; the average width of the stream
is from 150 to 200 yards. But it is impossible to move along this river
without remembering that it has borne the Roman, the Vandal, and the
Arab, and has been the witness of deeds which have resounded through the
world, and been the themes of immortal song. I repeated Latin verses and
fragments of old Spanish ballads, till we reached Seville at about nine
o'clock of a lovely moonlight night.

Before entering upon more important matter I will say a few words
respecting Seville and its curiosities. It contains 90,000 inhabitants,
and is situated on the left bank of the Guadalquivir, about eighteen
leagues from its mouth. It is surrounded with high Moorish walls, in a
good state of preservation, and built of such durable materials that it
is probable they will for many centuries bid defiance to the encroachment
of time. The most remarkable edifices are the cathedral and Alcazar or
palace of the Moorish kings. The tower of the former, called La Giralda,
belongs to the period of the Moors, and formed part of the Grand Mosque
of Seville. It is 220 ells in height, and is ascended not by stairs or
ladders, but by a vaulted pathway, in the manner of an inclined plane;
this path is by no means steep, so that a cavalier might ride up to the
top, a feat which Ferdinand the Seventh is said to have accomplished.
The view from the summit is very extensive, and on a fine clear day the
ridge called the Sierra de Ronda may be discovered though the distance is
upward of twenty-two leagues. The cathedral itself is a noble Gothic
structure, reputed the finest of the kind in Spain. In the chapels
allotted to the various saints are some of the most magnificent paintings
which Spanish art has produced. Here are to be seen the far-famed 'Angel
of the Guard,' by Murillo, his 'Saint Anthony at Devotion,' the celestial
spirits hovering around him, and Saint Thomas of Villa Nueva bestowing
Charity'; there are also some pictures by Soberan [? Zurbaran] of almost
inestimable value. Indeed, the cathedral at Seville is at the present
time far more rich in splendid paintings than at any former period,
possessing many very recently removed from some of the suppressed
convents, particularly from the Capuchin and Franciscan.

No one should visit Seville without paying