THE BASIN OF RONDA--SOURCES OF THE RIVER GUADIARO--REMARKABLE CHASM
THROUGH WHICH IT FLOWS--CITY OF RONDA--DATE OF ITS
FOUNDATION--FORMER NAMES--GENERAL
DESCRIPTION--CASTLE--BRIDGES--SPLENDID SCENERY--PUBLIC
BUILDINGS--AMPHITHEATRE--POPULATION--TRADE--SMUGGLING--WRETCHED
STATE OF THE COMMERCE, MANUFACTURES, AND INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS OF
SPAIN, AND EVILS AND INCONVENIENCE RESULTING THEREFROM--RARE
PRODUCTIONS OF THE BASIN OF RONDA--AMENITY OF ITS CLIMATE--AGREMENS
OF THE CITY--EXCELLENT SOCIETY--CHARACTER OF ITS INHABITANTS.
The basin of Ronda is situated in the very heart of a labyrinth of rough
and arid sierras, which, distinguished, _par excellence_, by the name of
the _Serranía de Ronda_, may be described as the gnarled and
wide-spreading roots of the great mountain ridge, that, traversing Spain
diagonally, divides the affluents to the Mediterranean from those to the
Atlantic, and finally unites with, and becomes a branch of, the Pyrenean
chain.
This singularly secluded and romantic valley is about eight miles in
length and five wide, and, though sunk deep below the mountain ridges
that girt it in on every side, is at least 1500 feet above the level of
the Mediterranean. Its soil is rich, and is rendered peculiarly fertile
by the numerous sources of the Guadiaro, which traverse it in all
directions. The name of this river--composed of the Arabic words, _Guada
al diar_--signifies, water of the houses; an appellation it probably
obtained, from the number of habitations that are said to have lined its
productive banks in former days.
The principal branch of this mountain stream takes its rise to the
eastward of Ronda, amongst some curiously jagged and fantastic peaks, on
which have most appropriately been bestowed the name of the "Old Woman's
Teeth," (_Dientes de la Vieja._) Escaped from their fangs, the gurgling
rivulet, increased by numerous tributary streams, directs its course
more leisurely through the vale, winding its way amongst luxuriant
vineyards, orchards, olive grounds, and corn-fields, until it reaches
the foot of the crag, on which, as has before been stated, stands the
city of Ronda. Here it would appear that nature had, in early ages,
presented a barrier to the further progress of the stream; as a rocky
ledge stretches quite across the bed of this portion of the valley, and,
most probably, by damming up the waters poured down from the mountain
ravines, formed a lake on its eastern side. But, gathering strength from
resistance, the little mountain torrent eventually worked itself an
outlet, and now rushes foaming through a deep, narrow chasm, leaping
from precipice to precipice, until, the rocky barrier forced, it once
more reaches a level country.
On either side of the fearful chasm--or _Tajo_, as it is called in the
language of the country--which the persevering torrent has thus worked
in the rocky ledge, stands the city of Ronda; one portion of which,
encircled by an old embattled wall, that overhangs the southern cliff of
the fissure, is distinguished as the Old Town, and as the site of a
Roman city; whilst the more widely spread buildings on the opposite bank
bear the name of _El Mercadillo_,[70] or New Town.
The present walls of the old town were evidently raised by the Saracens,
and no traces are perceptible of any others having occupied their place.
Nevertheless, it can hardly be supposed that so eligible a site for a
station would have been overlooked by the Romans; and the Spanish
antiquaries have accordingly determined it to be the position of
_Arunda_ (one of the cities mentioned by Pliny as situated in that part
of Boetica inhabited by the _Celtici_)--a conclusion which both its
present name and the discovery of many ancient Roman inscriptions and
statues in its vicinity tend to confirm. Some, however, maintain that
Ronda is the site of the Munda, under whose walls was sealed the fate of
the sons of Pompey. But the adjacent country ill agrees with the
description of it handed down to us; and the little town of Monda,
situated near the Mediterranean shore, is more generally admitted to
have been the scene of Julius Cæsar's victory[71].
However the case may be, this city, under the domination of the Moors,
became one of their principal strongholds; for having, with various
other cities, been ceded by Ishmael King of Granada to the Emperor of
Fez--whose aid against the storm gathering in Castille (A.D. 1318) he
deemed essential for the preservation of his newly-acquired throne--it
was some few years afterwards, with Algeciras, Ximena, Marbella, and
Gibraltar,[72] formed into a kingdom for that emperor's son, _Abou
Melic_; and this prince, passing over into Spain, (A.D. 1331)
established his court at Ronda; building a splendid palace there, and,
according to the usual custom of the Moors, erecting a formidable castle
on the highest pinnacle of the rocky mound. The natural defences of the
city were also strengthened by a triple circuit of walls, rendering it
almost impregnable.
The Moorish name given to the place was _Hisnorrendi_, the laurelled
castle; but, on returning to the hands of the Spaniards, (A.D. 1485) it
assumed its present mongrel appellation; in which its etymological
claims upon the Celtic and Arabic languages are pretty equally balanced,
as the following old couplet partly illustrates;--
_Y con el tiempo se ha desbaratado_
_El Hisna Randa, y Ronda se ha llamado._[73]
The existing circumvallation is very irregular, and embraces little more
than the mere summit of the rocky ledge on which the city stands;
confining it consequently within very narrow limits. Its length,
however, is considerable; and at its southern extremity, where the
ground slopes more gradually to the narrow gorge that connects it with
the neighbouring mountains, a triple line of outworks continues yet to
supply the want of the natural walls which elsewhere render the place so
difficult of access.
On the crest of the ridge overlooking these advanced works, stands the
shell of the capacious castle; or Royal Palace, as it is called. Its
solid walls and vaulted chambers denote it to have been a work of great
strength. It is now, however, but a vast heap of ruins; the French, on
finally evacuating Ronda in 1812, having destroyed the principal part of
it.
The only entrance to the city, from the country, is through a succession
of gates, in the before-mentioned outworks, the last of which is
immediately under the walls of the old palace. From this gate, a long
and narrow, but tolerably straight street, traverses the city from south
to north, terminating at the upper or new bridge, and being nearly three
quarters of a mile in length. This street is lined with handsome shops,
and from it, numerous alleys (for they deserve no better name) lead off
right and left, winding and turning in all directions, and communicating
with numberless little courts, crooked passages, and _culs de sac_;
quite in the style of an eastern city.
In wandering through this labyrinth, the perplexed topographer is
astonished to find a number of remarkably handsome houses. In fact, it
is the _Mayfair_ of Ronda--the aristocratic location of all the
_Hidalguía_[74] of the province;--who, proud of the little patch of
land their forefathers' swords conquered from the accursed Moslems,
would as soon think of denying the infallibility of the Pope, as of
taking up their abode amongst the mercantile inhabitants of the mushroom
suburb.
The New Town, however, I must needs confess,--despite all aristocratic
predilections,--is by far the most agreeable place of residence.
The principal streets are wide, and tolerably straight; it contains some
fine open _plazas_ or squares; and although the houses are thus more
exposed to the influence of the sun, yet, from the same cause, they
enjoy a freer circulation of air. The absence of an enclosing wall tends
also, in point of coolness, to give the _Mercadillo_ an advantage over
the city; leaving it open to receive the full benefit of the refreshing
breezes that sweep down from the neighbouring mountains.
But, though destitute of battlements, the New Town is nearly as
difficult of approach, and as incapable of expansion, as the walled city
itself; for, bounded on its south side by the deep _Tajo_, and to the
west, by an almost equally formidable cliff that branches off from it,
its eastern limits are determined by a rocky ledge that extends
diagonally towards the Guadiaro; thus leaving the access free only on
its north side.
The ground in all directions falls more or less rapidly inwards; and the
town, thus spread over it, assumes the form of an amphitheatre, looking
into the rocky bed of the Guadiaro.
There are three bridges across the river, communicating between the two
towns: the first--a work of the Moors--connects the suburb of San
Miguel, situated at the lowest part of the New Town, with some tanneries
and other buildings standing outside the walls of the ancient city. It
is very narrow, and being thrown over the stream just before it enters
the dark fissure, does not exceed forty feet in height. The second
crosses the chasm at a single span, where its banks have already
attained a considerable elevation, and affords an entrance to the Old
Town by a gateway in the N.E. corner of its present walls. The last and
principal bridge is a noble, though somewhat heavy structure of much
more recent date than the others, and furnishes an excellent specimen of
the bold conception and peculiar taste of the Spaniards of the last
century. It is thrown across the chasm where its precipitous banks have
attained their greatest elevation, and its parapet is 280 feet above the
stream that flows beneath, and nearly 600 above the level of the plain
to which it is hastening.
A bridge was erected at this same spot a hundred years back,[75] which
spanned the frightful fissure in one arch, and must have been one of the
boldest works of the kind, ever (up to that time) undertaken; since its
diameter could not have been less than 150 feet. Unfortunately, the
workmanship was in some way defective, (or more probably the
foundation,) and it fell down but a few years after its completion. The
present structure was then commenced, which, if not so airy and
picturesque as the former must have been, possesses the more solid
qualities of safety and durability.
This bridge also spans the lower portion of the fissure in one arch,
springing from solid buttresses that rest on the rocky bed of the
torrent. But, as the chasm widens rapidly, this first arch is merely
carried sufficiently high to admit of the free passage of the stream at
all seasons, and is then surmounted by a second, of the same span but
much greater elevation; and the massive buttresses on either side are
lightened in appearance by being pierced with arches to correspond--thus
making the bridge consist of three arches above and one below.
The view from the parapet of this bridge is quite enchanting. The
sensation of giddiness that seizes the spectator on first leaning over
the yawning abyss, leaves a feeling of pleasureable excitement, similar
to that produced by a slight shock of a galvanic battery. The distant
roar of the foaming torrent also warns him of his perilous height; but
the solid nature of the bounding wall quickly removes all feeling of
insecurity, and allows him, whilst he rests against it, to enjoy at his
leisure the noble view before him, in which are combined the rich and
varied tints of a southern clime, with the bold outlines and wild
beauties of an Alpine region. The view looking over the Eastern parapet
of the bridge is of a more gloomy character than that from the opposite
side, but is equally grand and imposing. In the bottom of the dark
fissure--which here the sun's rays seldom reach--the transparent rivulet
may be tracked, winding its way leisurely through the tortuous channel;
here and there interrupted in its course by masses of fallen rock, and
partially overshadowed by trees and creepers; whilst its precipitous
banks, from whose rugged surface it might be supposed no vegetation
could possibly spring, are thickly covered with the _higo chumbo_,[76]
(prickly pear) amongst whose thorny boughs numerous ragged urchins may
be seen--almost suspended in air--intent on obtaining their favourite
fruit. Beyond the dark tajo, the sun shines on the green fields and
vineyards of the fertile plain; and yet further behind are the low
wooded sierras that bound the vale of Ronda to the north.
The City can boast of few public buildings to excite the interest of a
stranger. The churches are numerous, and gaudily fitted up; but they
contain neither paintings nor statuary of any merit. In the New Town, on
the other hand, are the Theatre--a small but conveniently fitted up
edifice--the Stables of the _Real Maestranza_;[77] and the _Plaza de los
Toros_; which latter, though not so large as those of the principal
cities of the Province, is certainly one of the handsomest in Spain. It
is built of stone, and nearly of a circular form, and is capable of
containing 10,000 persons. The roof is continued all round; which is not
the case in most amphitheatres; and it is supported by a colonnade of 64
pillars of the Tuscan order. The greatest diameter of the _Arena_ is 190
feet, which is precisely the _width_ of that of the Flavian Amphitheatre
at Rome. The internal economy of the bull-fighting establishment is well
worthy the observation of those who are curious in such matters; being
very complete and well ordered, though not now kept up in the style of
by-gone days.
The two towns together contain about 16,000 inhabitants, who are
principally employed in agricultural and horticultural pursuits; though
there are several manufactories of hats, two or three tanneries, and
numerous water-mills.
Ronda is a place of considerable commerce; its secluded and at the same
time central situation adapting it peculiarly for an emporium for
smuggled goods; in which, it may be said, the present trade of Spain
entirely consists. The vicinity of Gibraltar and Cadiz; the
impracticable nature of the country between those ports and along the
Mediterranean shore; the difficult and intricate mountain paths that
traverse it (known only to the smugglers); and the wretched state of the
national army and Navy; all tend to favour the contraband trade; and
more especially that of Ronda, where the same facilities present
themselves for getting smuggled goods _away from_ the place, as of
bringing them from the coast to it.
It is lamentable blindness on the part of the Spanish
government,--considering the deplorable state of the manufactures of the
country; of the "shipping interest;" of the roads and other means of
inland communication; and, to crown all, I may add, of the
_finances_,--not to see the advantage that would accrue from lowering
the duties on foreign produce; on tobacco, cocoa, and manufactured goods
in particular, which may be considered as absolute necessaries to all
classes of Spaniards. By so doing, not only would the present
demoralising system of smuggling be put an end to,--since it would then
be no longer a profitable business,--but the money which now clings to
the fingers of certain venal authorities of the Customs, or finds its
way into the pockets of the Troops[78] and Sailors employed on the
preventive service, in the way of bribes, would then stand some chance
of reaching the public treasury.
The sums thus iniquitously received (and willingly paid by the
smugglers) amounts to a charge of 15 per cent. on the value of the
prohibited articles; a duty to that amount, or even something beyond,
would therefore readily be paid, to enable the purchaser to take his
goods openly into the market. The trade would thus fall into more
respectable hands; competition would increase; and the sellers would be
satisfied with smaller profits. This would naturally lead to an
increased demand, and the revenue would be proportionably benefited.
The obsolete notions that wed the Spaniards to their present faulty
system are, first, that, by opening the trade to foreign powers, their
own country would be drained of its specie, in which they seem to think
the riches of a nation consist; and secondly, that the national
manufactures would be ruined, if not protected by the imposition of high
duties on those of other countries.
The fallacy of these ideas is evident; for it would not be possible to
devise any plan by which money could be kept in a country, when the
articles that country stands in need of are to be bought cheaper
elsewhere; and it is futile to suppose--as, however, is fondly
imagined--that Spain's doubloons go only to her colonies, to be brought
back in taxation, or for the purchase of the produce of the mother
country. As well might _we_ imagine that Zante alone could furnish
England with her Christmas consumption of Currants, as that Cuba and the
Philippine Islands (all the Colonies worth enumerating that Spain now
possesses) could supply her with tobacco, cocoa, and cinnamon. And, as
the above-mentioned articles are as much necessaries of life in Spain,
as tea and sugar--not to say the aforesaid currants--are in England, the
deficiency, _coute qui coute_, must be made good somewhere; and
consequently Spanish money will have to be expended in procuring what is
wanting.
A much greater evil than this, however, is occasioned by the enormously
high duty placed by the Mother Country on these very articles, the
produce of her dependencies; so that even her own colonial produce is
smuggled to her through the hands of foreigners!
With respect to the favour shown and encouragement given to her own
manufactures, by the prohibitory duties imposed on those of other
nations, it must be evident to any one at all acquainted with the state
of the inland communications of Spain, that the country is not in a
sufficiently advanced state of civilization to warrant its engaging in
such undertakings with any prospect of success. The Factories that are
already in existence cannot supply clothing for one fourth part of the
population of the country; to which circumstance alone are they indebted
for being able to continue at work; for if the number were increased,
all would inevitably fail. The same cause, therefore, here also exists,
to encourage smuggling, as in the case of the consumable articles,
tobacco, spices, &c.--viz. the necessity of finding a supply to meet the
demand.
It is quite surprising that, for such a length of time, and under so
many different administrations, Spain should have continued thus blind
to her own interest. But, without going the length I have suggested,
much good might be effected, by merely giving up the farming out the
taxes and various monopolies, and by putting a stop to sundry other
abuses, such as the sale of places, by which the Crown revenues are
principally raised.
If the present faulty system were abandoned,--by which a few individuals
only are enriched to the prejudice of the rest of the community,--numerous
speculators would be found ready to embark their capitals in mining
operations, in the construction of railroads, canals, &c. which would be
productive of incalculable benefit to the country; for, by such means,
the produce of the fertile plains in the interior of Spain would be
able to come with advantage into the foreign market; whilst the varied
productions of this fruitful country, by being distributed throughout
its provinces with a more equal hand, would be within the reach, and add
to the comforts of all classes of its inhabitants.
At the present day, such is the want of these means of communication,
that it frequently happens an article which is plentifully produced in
one province is absolutely difficult to procure in another. One
province, for instance, has wine, but wants bread; another has corn, but
not any wood; a third abounds in pasture, but has no market for its
cheese, butter, &c., thus rendering the cattle it possesses of
comparatively little value.
From the same cause, large tracts of land lie waste in many parts of
Spain, because the crops they would yield, if cultivated, would not pay
the cost of transport, even to the adjoining province; and a prodigious
quantity of wine is annually destroyed, (a cruel fate from which even
the divine _Val de Peñas_ is not exempt!) because the casks and
pig-skins containing it are of more value, on the spot where the wine is
grown, than is the wine itself. What remains unsold, therefore, at the
end of the year, is frequently poured into the street, in order that the
casks may be available for the new wine.--Such would also be the fate of
all the _light_ wines grown on the banks of the Guadalete, but that the
vicinity of Port St. Mary and Cadiz makes it worth the grower's while to
prepare them with brandy and stronger bodied wines, to bear the rolling
over the Bay of Biscay.
In an article of produce so readily transported as barley, I have known
the price of a _fanega_[79] vary no less than four _reales vellon_[80]
on the opposite sides of the same chain of mountains; and I have seen
Barbary wheat selling at Gibraltar, for one third less than corn of
Spanish growth could be purchased at San Roque. This certainly would not
be the case, if the riches of Spain could be distributed more easily
over the whole face of the country; and since the demand for exportation
would thereby be greatly increased, more industrious habits would be
engendered, and an important step would thus be made towards
civilization.
I must not, however, enlarge on this subject; otherwise, (besides
peradventure wearying my reader) I shall certainly incur the displeasure
of my quondam acquaintances of the Serrania; since any thing that may be
suggested to induce the Spanish government to place the commerce of the
country on a more liberal footing, would be most unfavourably viewed by
the rude inhabitants of the Ronda mountains; who--their present
profitable occupation ceasing--would be obliged to take to their spades
and pruning-knives, and labour for a livelihood in their fields and
olive groves. The inhabitants, however, of the favoured basin of Ronda,
would rather benefit by the change; the produce of their orchards being
so rare, as to be in great request all over the country. It is also
worthy of remark, that, whilst the sugar-cane succeeds on the plains
about Malaga, this elevated mountain valley, situated under the same
parallel of latitude, enjoys a climate that enables it to produce
apples, cherries, plums, peaches, and other stone fruits, that are more
properly natives of central Europe, but which can hardly be excelled
either in England or France.
The climate is also considered so favourable to longevity, that it has
become a common saying in the country--
_En Ronda los hombres_
_de ochenta años son pollones._[81]
But although, even on such tempting terms, one would hardly consent to
pass one's entire life at Ronda, yet I scarcely know a place where a few
weeks may be more agreeably spent. The Inns are not good; though that
bearing the name of the _Holy Trinity_--to which in my various visits I
always bent my steps, until I could find a suitable lodging--is clean,
and its keepers are honest and obliging. Lodgings are abundant, and, for
Spain, very good; the great influx of strangers during the period of
the fair having induced the inhabitants to fit up their houses purposely
for their accommodation, and given them also some notion of what English
travellers require, besides four bare walls, a roof overhead, and a
mattress on the floor; the usual sum total of accommodation furnished at
Spanish inns and lodging-houses.
The society of this place is particularly good; a number of the most
ancient families of Andalusia having congregated here; who, with all the
polish of the first circle of Spanish society, are exempt from the
demoralizing vices which distinguish that of Madrid and other large
cities.
It was only on the occasion of my second visit to the little Capital of
the _Serranía_, that I was so fortunate as to be the bearer of letters
of introduction to the principal families; and nothing could possibly
exceed the kind attentions they pressed upon me. Their friendly
hospitality was even extended, on my account, to all the English
officers who, like myself, had been attracted to Ronda by the fame of
its cattle fair and bull fights, and whom I was requested to invite to
the balls, &c., which at that festive period were given nightly at their
different houses. Nor did their kindness cease there; for I afterwards
received pressing invitations to visit them, as well at Ronda as at the
neighbouring _watering-places_, to which they are in the habit of
resorting during the summer months; for the Spanish fashionables--like
those of other climes--deem it essential to their well being to migrate
periodically to these rendezvous for dancing and dosing.
One of the most _remarkable_ as well as most delightful families of
Ronda, is that of _Holgado y Montezuma_. It is lineally descended from
the last Cacique of Mexico, whose name it bears, and whose character and
features I almost fancied were to be recognized in the somewhat haughty
eye, and occidental cast of countenance, of the present head of the
family.
The lower orders of inhabitants have, amongst travellers, the credit of
being a fierce, intractable race; but this character is by no means
merited, and belongs altogether to the savage mountaineers of the
Serranía. Indeed, these latter hold the industrious artizans, and the
peasants of the city and plain, in great contempt, and it is a common
maledictory expression amongst them--
_En Ronda mueras_
_acarreando zaques._[82]
This saying originated in the occupation of bringing up skins of water
from the bed of the river,--to which labour the christian captives were
condemned, when the city was possessed by the Moslems--and still
continues to be made use of, in allusion to the ignoble life of labour
led by the peaceful inhabitants.