heir flow when filled by rains or melting
snow: during these periods they are impracticable for boats. They
are, moreover, much exhausted by being drained off, bled, for the
purposes of artificial irrigation. The scarcity of rain in the
central table-lands is much against a regular supply of water to the
springs of the rivers: the water is soon sucked up by a parched,
dusty, and thirsty soil, or evaporated by the dryness of the
atmosphere. Many of the _sierras_ are indeed covered with snow, but
to no great depth, and the coating soon melts under the summer suns,
and passes rapidly away.'

Here we have a sunny little sketch of a certain locality at Seville; it
is too life-like not to have been taken on the spot:--

'The sunny flats under the old Moorish walls, which extend between
the gates of _Carmona_ and _La Carne_, are the haunts of idlers and
of gamesters. The lower classes of Spaniards are constantly gambling
at cards: groups are to be seen playing all day long for wine, love,
or coppers, in the sun, or under their vine-trellises. There is
generally some well-known cock of the walk, a bully, or _guapo_, who
will come up and lay his hands on the cards, and say, 'No one shall
play here but with mine'--_aqui no se juega sino con mis barajas_.
If the gamblers are cowed, they give him _dos cuartos_, a halfpenny
each. If, however, one of the challenged be a spirited fellow, he
defies him. _Aqui no se cobra el barato sino con un punal de
Albacete_--'You get no change here except out of an Albacete knife.'
If the defiance be accepted, _vamos alla_ is the answer--'Let's go to
it.' There's an end then of the cards, all flock to the more
interesting _ecarte_; instances have occurred, where Greek meets
Greek, of their tying the two advanced feet together, and yet
remaining fencing with knife and cloak for a quarter of an hour
before the blow be dealt. The knife is held firmly, the thumb is
pressed straight on the blade, and calculated either for the cut or
thrust, to chip bread and kill men.'

Apropos of Seville. It is sometimes called we believe La Capital de
Majeza; the proper translation of which we conceive to be the Head
Quarters of Foolery, for nothing more absurd and contemptible than this
Majeza ever came within the sphere of our contemplation. Nevertheless it
constitutes the chief glory of t