CADIZ, AND JOURNEY OVERLAND TO GIBRALTAR.
Peculiarities of Cadiz; a Fête; the Ladies of Cadiz; curious Whims
and Usages; Morals; the Religious Bodies; Murillo’s last Picture;
Mr. Brackenbury’s Pictures; Remarks upon Consular Remuneration; the
two Cathedrals; effects upon the Commercial Prosperity of Cadiz,
from its having been created a Free Port; State of the Road between
Cadiz and Gibraltar; Departure from Cadiz; Chiclana; Morning
Scenes; a Venta; the African Coast; Wild Scenery; Dangers of the
Road; Suspicious Circumstance; Tariffa; another Venta; Journey
through the Mountains to Algesiras; View of Gibraltar; Arrival.
Cadiz is less interesting than some others of the Spanish cities,
because it is less purely Spanish: the number of foreign mercantile
houses, and the concourse of strangers always to be seen in Cadiz, gives
to the population a more mixed and motley aspect than that which belongs
to the population of Seville, Madrid, Valencia, or indeed, of any
Spanish city--with the exception, perhaps, of Barcellona: and in the
mode of life, too, foreign usages have made great inroads upon the
exclusiveness and peculiarities of Spanish customs. The table is better
served in Cadiz than elsewhere, and strangers are more frequently seated
at it: the hours of repast too are later. At the table of a person in
the middle ranks of life, the puchero is seldom seen; and among the
upper classes there is an affectation of a preference of French wines,
sufficiently ridiculous in a city situated so near Xeres, and in a
country in which every little district produces its own peculiar, and
often exquisitely flavoured wine. But those very things that diminish,
in some degree, the interest of Cadiz in the eyes of a stranger, render
it the most attractive city in Spain, for one who desires to pass a few
months agreeably. There is, there, no shrinking from the eye of the
stranger; hospitality is understood in its true sense; and no one need
fear, in Cadiz, that the time may hang heavy on his hands.
Externally, Cadiz has its advantages and its drawbacks; the streets are
clean, and many of them sufficiently wide for the climate, which is
delightful; but which, in the latitude of thirty-six, cannot be
otherwise than hot; and there is no want of finely situated, commodious,
and even elegant houses, for those who can afford to live in them. But
the chief external charm of Cadiz, is found in its ramparts, and in the
delightful promenade which they afford. The day of my arrival in Cadiz,
as well as the day of my return to it from Xeres, were both too stormy
for the enjoyment of a promenade; but the day following, was calm and
beautiful; and I spent half the morning, and all the evening, upon the
ramparts. The views are of course marine views, and scarcely to be
exceeded in beauty, from the rampart fronting the bay, and Puerto de
Santa Maria. The bay itself, the opposite shore, the many towns that
sprinkle it, the distant Sierras of Xeres and Ronda, the vessels lying
at anchor in the harbour, the innumerable boats crossing the
ferry--fishing, or sailing, or rowing for pleasure--and the fine
irregular line of handsome white buildings that lie along the Alameda,
form altogether, a delightful and animated picture.
But Cadiz lies under this great disadvantage, that it is impossible to
leave the city, and walk or ride into the country; there is no country
in the immediate neighbourhood of Cadiz: the city occupies every rood of
the little Peninsula upon which it stands; and before one can get into
the fields, it is necessary either to travel along two or three leagues
of causeway, or to cross the bay to Port St. Mary. The rampart, the
squares, and the streets, are the only walks; and charming as the former
is, I think if I resided in Cadiz, I should soon long for the verdure of
the open fields, in place of the green sea; the shade of trees, in place
of the shadow of houses; and the song of birds, instead of the ocean’s
voice.
Whilst I remained in Cadiz, there was a fête and illumination one
evening, in honour, I think, of the queen’s accouchement. The streets
and squares, particularly the Plaza de San Antonio, were brilliantly
illuminated; and in this square, which is one of the paseos of Cadiz,
all the population was assembled from eight till eleven o’clock; and I
of course seized so favourable an opportunity of judging of those charms
which I had always heard spoken of as the peculiar distinction of “the
ladies” of this gay and voluptuous city. Horace, no bad judge of these
matters, celebrates the beauty of the women of Cadiz; and later and
better poets than Horace, speak in raptures of the charms of these fair
and frail ones. Whether it was, that so high authorities had their
influence upon my judgment, or that sun-light is less favourable to
Spanish beauty than the light of torches, blended with that of the
moon,--or that the women of Cadiz are really deserving of the praises
that have been lavished upon them, I will not pretend to determine; but
I must be candid enough to admit, that while I sat at the door of a
café, from which a strong light blazed across the piazza, and
scrutinized the passers by, I did see some splendid forms, and some
lustrous eyes,--some countenances, in short, that might remind one of
Gulnare. The women of Cadiz are, beyond question, the finest in Spain.
Presuming upon their charms, the ladies of this city indulge in some
curious whims. Every family of any consequence, has a state-bed, highly
ornamented, and placed in an elegantly fitted up apartment; and the use
made of it is this:--at a particular time of the year, generally after
Lent, the señora of the house, or her daughter, if _she_ has reached,
and her mother has passed a certain age, feigns sickness. Having
previously made all the necessary arrangements, she takes to her bed:
there she lies in an elegant night dress, under embroidered sheets, her
head resting upon a rose-coloured silk pillow,--and a table stands near,
with silver candlesticks, and wax lights,--a little silver bell, and
several vases containing choice perfumes. There she receives company;
there all her male and female acquaintances resort; and there, attired
to be seen, and bent upon admiration, she listens to the language of
mock condolence, pleasing flattery, and undisguised gallantry! There is
another occasion, upon which the state-bed is used. When a woman is
_accouchée_, the child is baptized next day,--and upon this day, the
mother holds a _levée_: the company is received in the saloon; the
folding doors which usually divide this reception-room from the
state-bedroom, are thrown open, and the lady lies in state to receive
the compliments of her many visitors. This levée is held by women of all
classes, though all have not a state-bed to recline on; and it often
happens among the lower ranks, that a woman will arrange the chamber,
make and adorn her bed, and after having prepared it for her own
reception, will pop into it to receive company. I was informed that the
ladies of Cadiz are adepts in the manufactory of the female person; that
in looking at them, we may frequently apply with truth the well known
proverb, “all is not gold that glitters;” and that the most experienced
dress-maker of the British metropolis would be “all in amaze” at the
various and subtle uses to which the cork tree is put in the city of
Cadiz. All this scandal, however, was told me by an English lady; and I
hope for the sake of the ladies of Cadiz, as well as of my own
reminiscences of the Plaza de San Antonio, that it may be calumny.
Morals in Cadiz are, if possible, even lower than in the other Spanish
cities: female virtue is a thing almost unknown, and scarcely
appreciated. It is with difficulty and with pain we can bring ourselves
to believe, that in a civilized country, there should exist a state of
society in which that purest gem--female modesty--bears no price; and it
is unpleasant to have the conviction thrust upon us, that the innate
virgin pride, which we have ever delighted to believe inseparable from
the female character, should be so loosely rooted, as to wither away
under the baleful influences of habit and opinion. Yet how can we resist
this conclusion? I could give innumerable examples of the depraved state
of morals in Cadiz: I have at this moment before me, a closely written
page of notes, full of these; and even the names of individuals are
mentioned; but I have turned the leaf, and will not sully my page with
details which might indeed gratify curiosity, but which could add
nothing to the truth of the statement I have made, that in Cadiz,
“female virtue is a thing almost unknown, and scarcely appreciated.”
The morals of the religious bodies in Cadiz are exemplary; nothing, at
all events, is said to their disadvantage; and in a city such as Cadiz,
this is evidence enough in their favour. Formerly, the morals of the
monastic orders in Cadiz were notoriously bad; but there is now so
little disposition in that city, to affect blindness towards the
feelings of the clergy--free opinions in religion have made so great
progress in Cadiz--and so watchful an eye is kept upon the conduct of
the religious bodies, that purity of morals could alone protect them
against public obloquy.
In Cadiz, there are not many objects of curiosity to visit: it has no
antiquities now visible; few public buildings worthy of notice; and a
very scanty assortment of good pictures. In search of the last, I
visited the churches and convents, without finding any thing to reward
my labour. In one convent, indeed--the Capuchins--is found that picture
which last employed the hand of Murillo. He, however, only designed it,
and laid on the first colours; the work being completed by a pupil. In
its colouring, there is of course nothing of Murillo to be seen; but in
the composition, the genius of the master may be detected; and the
picture is at all events interesting, as being the last of his
works--more interesting indeed because an unfinished work--since we know
in looking at it, that _there_, for the last time, his hand gave visible
manifestation of his genius.
The only other pictures that repaid the labour of a visit,--and they
well repaid it,--are in the possession of Mr. Brackenbury, his majesty’s
consul at Cadiz. Nowhere is there a more exquisite morsel of Murillo to
be seen, than the “Infant Bacchus,” tasting, for the first time, the
juice of the grape. He looks as if he quaffed immortality; and as a work
of art, this is one of the finest specimens, both in colouring, and in
every other excellence, of the best days of Murillo. In this collection
there are many other admirable pictures; among these, a “Bassano,”
greatly superior to either of the two in the Madrid gallery. But I
understand, that some of the choicest works of Murillo, have been sent
by Mr. Brackenbury to England; and that the amateurs in this country,
may probably have an opportunity of increasing their knowledge and
admiration of Murillo, by contemplating these admirable productions of
his genius. I cannot allow this opportunity to escape, without
expressing my warm acknowledgments to Mr. Brackenbury, not only for the
pleasant hours enjoyed in his society, but also for the valuable
information upon many points which I received from him. Nor can I help
adding, that if those who speak so much, and so loudly, respecting the
high emoluments derived by his Majesty’s consuls, would visit Cadiz,
they might find cause to alter their opinion. No representative of the
English government ought to have any temptation to shut his doors
against those who are recommended to him,--those who need his
protection,--or even those who come accidentally in his way. Generous
minded men, such as the representative of the British government in
Cadiz, do not, and cannot yield to the temptations of avarice,--perhaps
the suggestions of prudence. But the claims upon consular hospitality
are ruinous in a city like Cadiz, where, besides its own trade, half the
vessels bound for Gibraltar, call; and where the steam-boat for the
Levant, every fortnight discharges its passengers. A consul, at such a
port, is exposed to many inconveniences, and has a difficult duty to
perform. Nothing is so easy as to obtain a letter to a consul: friends
and relations in England,--men who have travelled, and once dined with
him,--consuls in other ports,--an ambassador will seldom refuse an
application for a letter to the British consul at this, or that port;
for he is considered a sort of public property, bound, almost by the
duties of his office, to pay attention to strangers; and if a traveller
carry a letter to a consul, and is not offered the hospitalities of his
house, he is immediately set down as a very penurious representative of
the British government. All this is wrong, and ought to be righted. I am
not advocating ostentation, extravagance, or over liberality in his
Majesty’s consuls. They are not called upon to be princely in their
hospitalities; but they are expected to act like Englishmen, and
gentlemen; and although it forms no part of their consular duties, to
invite to their tables every stranger who brings an introduction in his
hand, there are some noble feelings in the breast, that are felt to be
more urgent than mere duties; and it is not for the respectability of
the British monarchy, that these feelings should be entirely repressed.
The remuneration of consuls ought to vary with the calls for expenditure
that are made upon them. Those variations in commercial prosperity,
which affect the different ports, require that a new scale should, from
time to time, be adopted.--I will not pursue farther, a subject that may
perhaps be called a digression.
The only buildings in Cadiz worth visiting, are the two cathedrals; the
old and the new. The old is not remarkable for any thing excepting some
treasures and relics; the new is chiefly interesting, because it is
gradually falling into ruin. It was begun more than a hundred years ago,
and the fund, derived from a duty upon imports from America, was
entrusted to a board of commissioners. The commissioners
quarrelled,--the fund did not find its way into the proper channel, and
the cathedral was left unfinished,--and unfinished it will certainly for
ever remain. The style of the building was meant to be in the most
gorgeous taste of Composite architecture: ornament is heaped upon
ornament; and both in material and in workmanship, its richness cannot
be exceeded; but it is fast falling into decay. In many parts it is
uncovered; the excellence of workmanship has yielded to the influence of
the weather, and the marbles have lost their beauty and freshness. The
principal area of the interior is used as a rope-walk, while other parts
have been converted into depositories of mahogany. Underneath the
building are vast vaults, by some said to have been intended as a
pantheon; by others, believed to have been excavated with a view to
religious persecution and punishment. From an inspection of these
vaults, the former surmise appeared to me the more probable.
The recent erection of Cadiz into a free port, has not brought with it
all the advantages that were anticipated; but it has, nevertheless, had
an important influence upon its prosperity. Immediately upon Cadiz being
created a free port, immense shipments of manufactured goods were made
from England; and several branches of Manchester houses were
established there. So improvident had been the export from England, that
last autumn, calicos and muslins were bought in Cadiz 20 per cent.
cheaper than in England. But the chief increase in the commerce of
Cadiz, arises from the facilities now afforded for illicit trade with
the rest of Spain. This is principally seen in the import of tobacco,
which comes free from the Havannah, and which is not intended so much
for the consumption of the city, as for supplying the contraband trade
with the ports and coast of Spain. There are said to be six thousand
persons in Cadiz employed in twisting cigars. But it is not in tobacco
only that Cadiz has drawn to itself the illicit trade of the
Mediterranean. There is also an extensive contraband trade in English
manufactured goods, which can be bought throughout Spain, at only thirty
per cent. above the price at which they cost in Cadiz. Gibraltar
formerly monopolized the contraband trade of the Spanish coast; and the
effects resulting from Cadiz having been made a free port, have proved
most ruinous to the interests of Gibraltar; the merchants of the latter
place have endeavoured to support themselves by establishing branch
houses in Cadiz, and of these there are no fewer than twenty-five. The
change in the commercial prosperity of Cadiz has materially affected its
population,--in 1827, the inhabitants scarcely reached fifty-two
thousand; in 1830, they exceeded sixty-seven thousand.
The whole commercial system of Spain is most erroneously conceived. The
prohibitory system is carried to a length absolutely ruinous to the fair
trader, and highly injurious to the revenue. The immense duties upon
admissible articles, and the total prohibition of others, has occasioned
a most extensive contraband trade, both externally,--with the various
ports, and along the coast of Spain, and internally,--throughout the
whole of the kingdom; and by this trade, admissible articles are
introduced into the interior, at from one to three hundred per cent.
below the duties imposed. Government could not fail to be benefited by
permitting the importation of articles of general use, upon payment of
such a duty as would allow the sale of the article at a lower price
than is now paid by the consumer to the smuggler. As one example of the
impolicy of the system, I may cite a fact respecting the trade in salted
fish, the returns of which I have before me. The import of this article
into Cadiz in one year, before that city was made a free port, amounted
to four vessels, whose cargoes reached 4092 cwt.; while at the free port
of Gibraltar, in the same year, forty-one vessels entered, with 89,106
cwt. _the whole of which was intended for the illicit trade_, and passed
into Spain through the hands of the smugglers. The duty upon this
article is more than one hundred per cent.; the smuggler considers
himself remunerated by a gain of twenty-five per cent., so that the
article which finds its way into the market through the contraband
trade, is sold seventy-five per cent. cheaper than that which is
admitted upon payment of the regular duties.
The duties upon British manufactured goods, amount almost to a
prohibition; they often reach one hundred per cent.; and this trade is
therefore also in the hands of the smuggler, who obtains the profit
which, under a more wholesome system, might go into the treasury of the
kingdom. The fraudulent dealer is also greatly assisted by the custom of
granting a royal license to individuals to import a certain limited
quantity of prohibited goods; an expediency resorted to in order to meet
the exigences of the state: and under the license to enter a hundred
tons of merchandize,--the merchant enters perhaps a thousand tons,--a
deception easily practised in a country where, among the public
officers, a scale of bribery is perfectly understood and acted upon.
I must not forget to mention, that the distinction of free port,
conferred upon Cadiz, was a government expedient to raise money; and
that the sum paid by the city for this privilege, is raised by duties
levied upon the entrance of every inland article of consumption.
The road between Cadiz and Gibraltar has long been notorious for its
difficulties and danger: it is altogether a mule track, lying partly
through the outposts of the Sierras of Xeres and of Ronda, and partly
along the sea-coast, and totally impassable during rainy weather, both
on account of the swampy nature of the soil, and of the numerous streams
which a mountain storm may convert in a few hours into impetuous and
impracticable torrents. The accommodations too, are of the worst kind.
Between Chiclana, which lies near Cadiz, and Algesiras, opposite to
Gibraltar, a distance of nearly eighty miles, there is only one town,
and the ventas are of the most miserable description:--but these are
difficulties only; the dangers are still more formidable. From the
middle of last June, till the middle of August in the same year, no
fewer than fifty-three travellers had been robbed upon this road: many
of these robberies had been attended with violence; and, in some
instances, the travellers had been taken into the mountains, and long
detained in the hope of ransom. More than two months had indeed elapsed
since these robberies had been committed, and the danger was therefore
less; the regular band under Don José had been broken up, and twenty-one
of their number were at that time under sentence of death at St. Roqué;
but the road was still considered unsafe--the post from Malaga had been
robbed only the day before, and I was strongly counselled to go to
Malaga by sea. It is frequently, however, such roads as these, that are
most worthy the attention of the traveller; and as my object was to see
Spain, I concluded a bargain with a man who had the reputation of being
honest, for three horses and his own attendance; for which I agreed to
pay twenty-one dollars.
In travelling between Cadiz and Gibraltar, the plan usually recommended
is, to leave Cadiz in the afternoon, and sleep at the town of Chiclana;
the following day a push is made to reach Tariffa, or the Venta de la
Jondal; and the third day, a moderate journey brings the traveller to
Gibraltar. I left Cadiz therefore about two o’clock, and proceeded along
the causeway, and through Isla, both of which I have already spoken of
in returning from Xeres to Cadiz. In the course of four leagues, I was
stopped no fewer than five times by custom-house officers, and was
obliged each time to have a _peceta_ ready, to avoid the inconvenience
of search: this is only a part of the system of bribery and robbery
which pervades every public department in Spain; these men have scarcely
any salary; and for the sake of a paltry saving, government allows
itself to be robbed to a hundred times the amount, by the contraband
trade, which is connived at by all the under employées. Shortly after
leaving Isla, I left the Xeres road, and turned to the right, through a
dreary and swampy plain that extended nearly to Chiclana: it was almost
dark when we yet wanted a league of the town; but we put our horses into
a gallop--and no horses go more agreeably than the little
Andalusians--and arrived about eight o’clock at the door of the posada.
Here we found tolerable accommodation for this part of Spain--some good
fresh eggs, and a stretcher to sleep upon--and at five next morning we
mounted, and trotted out of the town.
It still wanted nearly two hours to sunrise; but the crescent moon
lighted our path. It has been said, truly, that the waning moon is the
moon of the traveller. In southern countries, where the nature of the
climate creates a necessity for night journeys, or in any country when
a long journey is necessary, it cheers many a lonely hour, and gives
security to the traveller in uncertain and dangerous paths. When day
dawned, I found myself travelling among uncultivated hills, with pine
trees scattered over them, and the ground entirely covered with the
crocus, and many other beautiful flowers; the track seemed to depend
entirely upon the knowledge of the guide, who wound in and out among the
glades and the trees, and up and down the declivities, with the assured
step of a man who knows his business. The sun rose with its usual
splendour; and soon after, we descended into a valley full of pleasing,
and even cheerful scenes. No one could have believed it to be the
beginning of November; it was like a July morning in England,--calm, and
mild, and sunny,--the sky was without a cloud, and the little birds were
at their play and their song. The valley was finely wooded, and covered
with thousands of aromatic shrubs; a flock of milk-white sheep was
feeding in one place, and a small herd of cattle in another; two or
three muleteers, and their trains, were winding down the neighbouring
heights; and a peasant, with his gun, and two dogs, was wading among the
underwood, in search of provender for his cabin. From this valley, we
passed again into a more deserted country, where, in one spot, I
observed a small hut constructed of branches of trees, bound together by
the Esparto rush, and inhabited by a woman, who brought a bottle of
brandy to the door, and tempted the muleteer by an encomium upon its
excellence. The owner of the hut was no doubt the man we had seen with
his gun and dogs. Soon afterwards, we came in sight of Vegé, a small
village situated upon a conical hill about one thousand feet high, which
stands at one side of a charming fertile valley, full of orange groves
and fig trees; and at the foot of the hill, we stopped at a venta to
refresh the horses, and ourselves. This was a wretched place, where
nothing could be had to eat, and where there was neither table nor
chair; a little hot water however, was got with some difficulty; and
with tea without sugar or milk, and bread, which I had brought along
with me, I made an indifferent breakfast. The master of the venta and
his wife, struck me as being two of the most suspicious-looking people I
had seen in Spain; and the guide afterwards almost admitted that they
were not to be depended upon. It was in this venta, about three months
before, that a robbery, attended with some violence, was committed: ten
banditti entered, while three travellers were at supper; and it was well
known that the owners of the venta were not unacquainted with some of
the number.
From this venta, there are two roads to Gibraltar; one, which leads to
Tariffa, about thirty-four miles distant,--the other, by a solitary
venta, considerably nearer. The master of the venta strongly urged us to
go by the latter; but having been expressly cautioned against this in
Cadiz, I resolved to keep to my original plan, and go to Tariffa; but,
in such cases, it is always wise to keep one’s counsel. Accordingly, I
pretended to be convinced by his reasoning; but the moment we left the
venta, I told the guide that I was resolved to go by Tariffa; and he,
although more disposed towards the shortest road than I relished,
promised that I should be obeyed.
For a short time after leaving the venta, there was some appearance of a
road; but it soon terminated, and we struck to the left, among wide
green slopes, thickly scattered with fine clumps of ilex, beneath which,
many herds of swine were feeding. We passed two or three mud cabins,
with a patch of cultivation round them; at the door of one of these, an
old man was seated upon a bundle of rushes, and a fine athletic young
man stood beside him leaning upon a long gun. The picture was striking;
but it is by persons like these, more perhaps than by regular banditti,
that the solitary traveller runs the risk of being robbed. Soon
afterwards a young man, habited something like a soldier in undress,
joined us: he said he was running away from Xeres, having been detected
in some contraband transaction, and that he was going to Tariffa. It is
never safe in Spain, to join company with strangers: this man and the
guide immediately began to differ as to the road; and the guide, after
some altercation, yielded to the other, whose good intentions I had
afterwards the strongest reasons for doubting.
The country through which we passed, after leaving the venta where we
breakfasted, was for the most part uncultivated; here and there, a
little corn land was to be seen; and I noticed one or two ploughs at
work: herds of cattle, horses, and sheep occasionally gave life to the
landscape; and now and then a man with his gun, ranged the brushwood, or
was seated upon a bank: but there were no houses, and no stationary
inhabitants: whoever we met seemed to be far from home; and every little
while, a monumental cross was seen by the way-side; I counted no fewer
than twenty-seven during the day’s journey.
Towards evening we began to descend rapidly; and after winding among
some narrow rocky defiles, we came suddenly upon the sea. For some hours
before, I had noticed very elevated mountains towards the south-east,
rising above the lower hills that lay around; these, before reaching the
sea, had seemed to be close at hand, and I was much puzzled to
understand what mountains they could be, since I knew we were fast
approaching the coast. It had never occurred to me that we had all day
been travelling towards the Streights; and the sudden opening from which
the sea burst upon me, explained my difficulty. These were the mountains
of Africa; and the coast of Morocco rose boldly before me at the
distance of a few leagues. It was impossible to look upon the coast of
Africa for the first time, without peculiar emotions. Africa, its
untrodden solitudes, and mighty and unknown rivers: its swarthy kings
and savage people: its wonders and its wrongs. The mind travelled
backward to Egypt and her glories--to Carthage and her dominion--to the
Moors, their past conquests, and present debasement; and the eye,
looking beyond the barrier of mountains that seemed guarding a fabled
land, wandered over the desert of Zahara, and the reedy rivers; and
descried the solitary white man walking by their banks,--seeking glory,
and finding a grave!
Soon after reaching the sea-shore, it became dusk, and in place of being
now at our journey’s end, we were yet some leagues distant from it. I
have seldom looked upon a wilder or more desolate scene, than that
which lay around. Between us and the sea, was a succession of dry sand
hills--on the left, vast fragments of rock were scattered below the
cliffs, that rose in dark and rugged outline above, crowned by the ruins
of a Moorish watch-tower;--and the roar of the sea, and the deepening
dusk, and the place, and the solitude, and the helplessness of a
traveller, all conspired to fix the scene deeply in my memory. It soon
became entirely dark, excepting the light of the stars; but in such
places, darkness scarcely adds to the insecurity of the traveller,
because it conceals him. Almost all the robberies that take place, are
at dusk; or sometimes, in broad day; and, unless one has been seen to
set out upon a journey towards evening, darkness may be considered a
defence. But in this journey, there were other dangers than robbery, to
be apprehended; the road was intersected here and there, by arms of the
sea, which, but for the reflection of the stars in the water, I must
frequently have plunged into. Sometimes a shallow was found; and
sometimes, by making a circuit, a bridge was discovered, but of the
frailest and most dangerous kind. Once, following the young man who had
joined company with us, and whose white jacket was a convenient guide, I
found myself, before I was aware, upon a bridge not a yard in width;
without parapet, and, in many places, loose beneath. The bridge was
long, and a broad arm of the sea was beneath: it was impossible to
dismount, and I could only trust to my horse, which, fortunately, was
both sure-footed and bold.
Shortly after this, a circumstance occurred, which gave rise to strong,
and very natural suspicions of the young man who accompanied us: he was,
at this time, about twenty yards in advance; and I was surprised by
hearing a loud whistle. I immediately pushed forward and seized his arm,
and asked why he whistled--but not before he had found time to whistle a
second time. He said his mother lived _there_, pointing to a little
height close to the sea, upon which something like a house, or a tower,
could be discerned. This seemed very like a fiction; I have little doubt
that the place he pointed to was a rendezvous of contrabandisters, with
whom he was connected, and these are often the worst robbers. What might
be the meaning of the signal, I was unable to tell, but I resolved to
watch him.
I thought this journey was to have no end--there was still no appearance
of Tariffa--and, when I supposed we must be close to the gate, the guide
stopped at a lone house close to the sea; and, telling us we were yet a
league distant from the town, said, I might find accommodation in this
house: but this I refused, and insisted upon going on; and at length I
was rewarded by the welcome sight of lights; and in a few minutes we
were among the straggling houses that lie outside of the town. The gates
of the town were shut; and the guard told me, that no one could enter
without permission from the governor. Leaving the horses standing, I
approached under an escort; and a soldier upon the top of the wall,
asked our business. I replied, that an English gentleman, travelling
with a regular passport, requested permission to enter the town; but,
after waiting a full half-hour, the permission was refused, and I was
obliged, in consequence, to go to a most miserable venta beyond the
gates. There was, perhaps, some excuse for this strictness. Tariffa is
at all times a sort of prison, where convicted persons are kept at
large; and the knowledge that there were, at that time, some refugees in
Gibraltar, and that an attempt had been all but made upon Algesiras, was
sufficient to justify a refusal to do what is at all times a matter of
special favour.
At the wretched venta to which the guide conducted me, nothing could be
had to eat, excepting a little cold fish, which had been stewed with oil
and garlick. I need scarcely say, there were no knives or forks; these
are luxuries rarely to be met with in a Spanish venta. Every Spaniard is
provided with his own clasp knife; and as for forks, they can be
dispensed with: a traveller in Spain will therefore do well to provide
himself with these necessaries. There is one comfort, however, that can,
with few exceptions, be always had, even in the worst venta,--good wine;
very different, both in flavour and strength, from the wretched beverage
generally set before one in the French _auberge_. And this was the only
comfort to be got at the venta at Tariffa; for sleep was out of the
question, in a bed that had long been in the undisturbed possession of
other living creatures. Next morning, the mistress of the house demanded
two dollars for her accommodations. When a charge is exorbitant in
Spain, less will always be accepted; and one dollar seemed to me quite
sufficient payment for a bottle of wine that probably cost a real, and a
bed that was already occupied.
Next morning about sunrise, I gladly mounted my horse; and without
entering Tariffa we skirted the walls, and struck into the road to
Algesiras. This is one of the most charming rides I have seen in any
part of Spain: it is a mountain road, abounding in the finest mountain
prospects; sometimes climbing to a great elevation, and sometimes
descending into deep valleys, and now and then disclosing magnificent
views over the sea. The coast of great part of Andalusia and of Granada,
is of a curious configuration: an infinite succession of conical hills,
rising one above another, decline backward from the sea, forming
altogether an elevated chain of mountains, from three thousand to five
thousand feet in height; the road, therefore, which winds among these,
necessarily conducts the traveller to never ending variety of prospect;
and this variety I fully enjoyed for the first time, in travelling
between Tariffa and Algesiras. At the highest point which the road
traversed, the view might be called sublime: it looked down into the
sea, which seemed like a majestic river flowing between gigantic
mountains; one of its banks being the mountain below me, which appeared
to dip into the water--the other, the Barbary coast, stretching away in
bold outline, and forming, directly opposite, that high and frowning
promontory, which is the southern boundary of the Streights of
Gibraltar.
From this point, the road descended into a deep and highly picturesque
valley, crossing a fine clear torrent, and then ascending through a
forest of aged cork trees. Here the air was filled with the perfume of
aromatic plants, particularly the balm of Gilead, which grew every where
around; and I also noticed abundance of rosemary, sweet marjorum, and
many medicinal plants, of whose names I am ignorant, although I had no
difficulty in recognizing their smells.
From the next elevation, I obtained the first view of Gibraltar,--an
object, that even if deprived of its localities, would possess an
interest exclusively its own; for it is impossible that an Englishman
travelling across the Peninsula, and first descrying this tower of
strength rising between Africa and Europe, should not feel that he is an
Englishman. Far from country and home, home lies before him; and he is
not too prejudiced a man, who, in a moment like this, feels that there
is a peculiar charm in an English voice, and puts spurs to his horse
that he may the sooner hear its music. I stopped a few moments, however,
upon the elevation, to enjoy the prospect: the calm, sun-shiny bay of
Algesiras, lay below,--the blue bosom of the water chequered with the
many vessels and their shadows; the rock of Gibraltar, part in sunshine,
part in shade, rising out of the other side of the bay. Beyond the
tongue of land that connected Gibraltar with the coast of Spain, were
seen the lofty Sierras of Granada; while beyond the Streights, the
horizon was bounded by the mountains of Morocco. But the pure air of
the mountains had disposed me for breakfast, and I made haste to reach
Algesiras, where I found a good inn and tolerable coffee.
My muleteer having no passport for Gibraltar, he of course could not
pass the Spanish lines, and I was therefore obliged to find another
conveyance for Gibraltar; and while inquiries were making for horses, I
took the opportunity of strolling through the town.
Algesiras is charmingly situated at the foot of mountains, upon a little
slope; and the sea washes the houses. The ruins of the ancient citadel,
within which the Moors continued to defend themselves when they were
driven from the town, are still visible. Just opposite to the town, and
not a quarter of a mile from the shore, is the little island of Palomas;
it is fortified, and commands the town, and the approach on that side.
When I walked down to the harbour, I found the packet-boat for Ceuta
getting under weigh. Ceuta, a Spanish possession on the African coast,
is five leagues from Algesiras; and a packet sails twice every week: the
passage seldom exceeds five or six hours. The wind was fair, and I was
almost tempted to step into the boat, which would carry me to Africa to
dinner. But Ceuta, I believe, is an uninteresting spot; and if one be
desirous of visiting Africa, it is better to go to Tangiers, to which
there are constant opportunities from Gibraltar.
It was upon Algesiras that an attempt had been meditated by a small body
of refugees, and others,--chiefly from Ceuta,--collected at Gibraltar;
it was fortunate for them that the intention was discovered, because any
descent upon Algesiras could only have been followed by their
destruction. There was not the slightest truth in any of the reports
which were current in other countries, respecting risings in different
parts of the southern provinces. No attempt was made to disturb the
government in any part of Andalusia, nor with the exception of the
scheme I have just noticed, is it believed that any was meditated.
I left Algesiras before noon, and rode within water mark round the bay
towards Gibraltar. Across the bay, it is not a league from Algesiras to
Gibraltar, but round by the tongue of land, it is between two and three
leagues; no one however can regret the distance, for the views on every
side are magnificent; and the sands, when the tide is a little back, are
spacious and dry. After crossing two wide creeks by ferries, I found
myself on English, rather than on Spanish ground; for though still
within the Spanish lines, I met numerous parties of English officers and
ladies on horseback; and having passed the Spanish sentinels, and the
neutral ground, which is but very limited, I was in the British
dominions.