BARCELONA, SPAIN, _Feb. 28, 1853_.
After the marriage of the French Emperor in Paris, whence I wrote you
last month, we had nothing remarkable until the Carnival, and nothing
notable then except the _fête du bœuf gras_, or the Sunday
promenade of the fat ox. This novel ceremony seems to be a vestige of
remote antiquity, and has been preserved up to the present time, as it
gives the multitude an opportunity of diverting themselves. It appears
that the poor fishermen of _Lutèce_ formerly adored the zodiacal
bull, and as late as 1711, in constructing a sepulchre under the choir
of the church of _Notre Dame_, several _bas-reliefs_ were
found, one of which represented a bull clothed in sacred orders. It
is the remains of the equinoctial spring ceremonies, when the sun
entered into the zodiacal sign called Taurus, and the people of the
agricultural provinces conducted the bull in great pomp with the sound
of various musical instruments. This being altogether novel, I must
describe it to you. The procession was got up by the butchers of Paris,
who formed a cavalcade of one hundred and fifty persons on horseback,
provided with various costumes, from the time of the crusades down to
the court robes of Louis XIV., and guards of the Emperor Napoleon.
This procession, with bands of music, was followed by an immense fat
ox called Père Tom, or Uncle Tom, raised in Normandy, decorated with
bouquets of flowers, ribbons, and laurels, followed by an immense
gilded car drawn by six white horses, with the figures of several
heathen deities, Venus being surrounded by a bevy of young girls,
dressed in white with garlands of flowers. The day was occupied in
their visits throughout Paris, to the imperial palace, the various
ministers of the empire and foreign embassies, the police departments;
and finally the poor beast, having slowly dragged his heavy carcass of
two thousand three hundred pounds about town for the amusement of the
populace, brought up at the _abattoir_, or general slaughtering
establishment of the city.
Indications of approaching cold weather after the extremely mild
season, induced me turn my face towards Spain. The railroad from Paris
soon conducted me to _Chalons_, upon the _Saône_, whence I took steamer
the next day for Lyons, the great silk-manufacturing city of France.
Small steamers are employed upon these rivers; they are constructed
of iron, very long, but exceedingly narrow, not much wider than an
ordinary Erie Canal boat, but with the strong current they dash along
at a frightful rate when the rivers are full. They are provided with
jointed smoke pipes, to pass the numerous bridges.
On one occasion descending the Rhine we were obliged to lie-to, not
being able to pass under the crossings from the heavy inundations, but
in this instance the want of water prevented our continuing further
than Valence; I took the diligence some sixty miles to Avignon, where
the railroad conducts us to Marseilles. The sail upon the Saône and
Rhône, with their numerous manufactories, agricultural towns, and
villages, and wine districts, is quite entertaining to the traveller.
A large population is engaged in the culture of the grape, but I have
seen only two drunken men since I have been in France, and those seemed
to be the amusement of groups of boys and men who surrounded them. We
were caught by the first snow-storm of the season, and the mistral blew
with its full force. The almond trees in blossom felt its effects; it
will probably shorten the crop.
This being my third visit to Marseilles, I have nothing to write about
it, except its progressive condition in commercial importance. The
new port, in course of construction, an extraordinary enterprise, is
progressing rapidly. The old port, which was small and crowded to
excess, rendering vessels liable to entire destruction in case of fire,
and the difficulty of egress, induced the creating of an artificial
port of solid masonry. Two days’ delay gave me an opportunity of
embarking for this city, where I find a temperate climate, being
sheltered from the northern blasts by the high mountains of the
Pyrénées.
Barcelona, for size, is the second city in Spain, and the first in
importance for manufactures. It is a walled town with ramparts as
promenades around it, closely built, narrow, and rather intricate
streets, and tall houses, mostly of stone. The Muralla or sea
wall affords a good promenade, and a fine view of a harbor rather
indifferent for vessels of heavy tonnage, with a commanding
fortification called Mont Juich on the summit of a high hill
overlooking the sea and the city; the latter is cleanly kept, and
in good order, and well worth a visit. The suburbs of the city for
some miles are occupied in part by manufacturing villages, and among
the number is a large town called Gracia, resorted to by summer
residents to escape the heat of the city; it is a pleasant retreat.
The population of the city and suburbs is two hundred thousand. The
province of Catalonia is perhaps the most industrious and enterprising
portion of Spain. The Catalonians, whose language is a _patois_,
pride themselves in being more advanced than the Castilians. In 1835
the first steam-engine was introduced in manufacturing, and from
the unfounded prejudice of the working classes the establishment was
destroyed by the populace. But at present steam is freely used, the
supply of coal being brought from England; the mountains of Spain
abound with the article, but the want of communication precludes a
supply from this source. Railroads are being introduced moderately;
the only one yet constructed in this department is from Barcelona to
Mataro, a town along the coast. It runs along the sea-shore some seven
leagues, passing through fishing villages.
The Spaniards are famous for their public promenades or _almedas_, and
the _Rambla_ is the chief attraction. It presents a gay, picturesque
sight on Sunday, when thronged with all classes in the holiday attire
of the country. The two principal theatres are situated upon this
promenade, as well as the great hotels, which gives one an opportunity
of seeing the sights from the balconies. The Barcelonians boast of the
largest theatre and the most luxurious _cafés_ in the world. Certainly
the Eliseo is nearly or quite as large as La Scala in Milan. The club
room, called the _circulo_, and the _casino_, adjoining the opera and
theatre, are fitted up with great taste, containing libraries, and many
periodicals of the day from France and England. There is a numerous
French population here, and the character of the people is not so
decidedly Spanish as further south. In times of reaction or opposition
to the government, this place is generally at the head of the movement.
This is perhaps attributable to the superior intelligence of the
people, and to its proximity to France. The direct commerce is trifling
with the United States in American bottoms, but the exportation of
wine, oil, soap, brandy, and dried fruits, is very large; these
articles are sent to Havana in Spanish vessels, which in return bring
cargoes of cotton and sugar from the Southern States and Cuba.
The American corvette Levant is now here, having been detained some
time with small-pox on board; her destination is our naval station at
Spezzia. The health of the crew is now good, and the ship is looking
finely. I was kindly received by the officers; and the Levant being the
only American ship in port, and myself the only American traveller here
at present, it was gratifying to be once again under the protection
of the stars and stripes. The climate is mild, but the mornings and
nights are cool. One would suppose, from the manner in which the
Catalonians are enveloped in their large Spanish cloaks, which cover
their noses, that the thermometer was below zero, while the same
atmosphere in New York, in the month of April, would be considered
delightful. Strange as it may appear, in our hotel, with seventy rooms,
there is not a chimney; and when fire is absolutely required, we make
use of _braseros_, a flat brass vessel with raised edges, which
contains live coals, and ashes from well burned wood, in place of
charcoal, to avoid suffocation from the gases.
The chief amusements are the promenades, _cafés_, opera, theatres, and
bull fights, at all of which the fair senoritas assist. The bull fights
I described fully last year from Peru. They are not so famous here
either for their bulls or swordsmen as in Seville or Madrid; neither
will the ladies compare for beauty with the graceful Andalusians. In
all public places you are enveloped in cigar smoke; the lobbies of
the opera during the scenes are filled with devotees of the weed,
whose smoke penetrates throughout the house, and by common consent is
tolerated in all public and private houses and conveyances.
The lower orders are poor; they fare meagrely, and are poorly rewarded
for their labor. The city is not remarkable for its public monuments.
The cathedral is a noble Gothic structure, and possesses some works
of art, but it would be idle to compare it or the other churches with
those of Italy.