The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-08-08 00:00:00

A SPANISH BULL-FIGHT.

The Special Correspondent of the Daily New, writing
from Santander, July 29, thus describes one of the "amuse-
ments " of Spain
It is somewhat of a relief from the constant narra-
tion of the civil war, with its daily increasing bar-
barities, to be able to divert one's attention to a
different subject. The great festival of Santiago,
honour of Si • - warrior patron Saint James, is

in —our of Spain's v.—
being celebrated throughout the whole country by
religious ceremonies and bull-fights. Santander had
another attraction—a cattle show—but that ex-
ceedingly ,interesting exhibition deserved a better
fate than to be deserted for the horrors of the
bullring. There is no disguising the fact that the
Corrida de Toros is the tie plus ultra of delight of
every Spaniard of whatever station, age, or sex. So
popular was this that the lowest pr- for admittance
. .

_
the principa. 2ongregattut. tirminghaat, _ sue lowest price for
was ignominiously driven from the town, amid the , was raised to twenty-one reales (4s. 6d.), and even at
execrations of a mob who saw in him only the that every place was disposed of on each of the two
theological controversialist and the apologist of days of the spectacle, Saturday and Sunday. The am'
the French revolutionists. The statue, which is phitheatre holds 10,000 people, and, like all other bull-
the work of Mr. F. J. Williamson, a pupil of Foley, rings, is open to the sky. If it were otherwise,
18 executed in white (so-called) Sicilian marble, and the heat would be insupportable. Six bulls were
is 8 ft. tin, in height. The Doctor, habited in the put to death each day, but so many horses were
costume of his period, with wig, ruffles, knee-breeches, sacrificed on Saturday that few were left for Sun-
buckled shoes, and large cuffed and lappeted coat, is day. The espadas, picadores, and banderilleros
represented in the act of making the experiment which were far from perfect in the exercise of their pro-
resulted in the discovery of oxygen gas. In his right fession---the main object of the picaderes apparently
hand is a lens, or burning-glass, the focus of which is being to thrust their sorry steeds on to the horns of
directed upon a little tube and dish resting upon a the bulls, instead of by their own dexterity swerving
rustic pedestal at his left hand, and containing pre- them from the impending danger. Each bull killed
sumably the red precipitate of mercury, from which he three, four, or five horses on the first day. If I dared
first succeeded in evolving " dephlogisticated air." to portray a few of the repulsive features of the scene,
The attitude in graceful, easy, and expressive, and the it would lessen the surprise felt at the horrors of the
face, modelled from an authentic portrait, is con- , war now raging. The boxes were tilled with ladies,
sidered by members of the Priestley family an excellent many of whom brought their children, possibly upon
likeness. Spartan principles, to harden their feelings against
The unveiling ceremony was hell at one o'clock on , what they May deem false sentimentality.
Saturday, in the present* of a large assembly, when The Alcalde, with his brother municipal officers pre.
Professor Huxley, in the name of the subscribers, for- I sided. To thew credit they would not comply with the
really and briefly presented the statue to the town, I reiterated shouts of the gods (who were in their more
amid the cheers of the spectators. The Mayor (Alder- proper sphere, the bottom instead of at the top of the
man Chamberlain) having acknowledged the gift on house) for more horses. This was less to be wondered
the part of the Corperaticn, the party adjourned to at after one more than usually disgusting spectacle of
the Town Hall, for the purpose of hearing an address a horse which a bull toasted up and literally disem-
from Professor Huxley on the life and labours of Dr. bowelled before the eyes of all—the poor wretch even
Priestly. Letters of apology for non-attendance from then staggered half-way across the arena before it fell
the Borough members, Professors Tyndal and Morley, dead. The bulls in their turn suffered from thebungling
Sir Bartle Frere, Dr. B. Richardson, and others, hays of espadas ; one was to be seen rushing wildly about the
log been read by the hon. secretary, arena with a sword buried up to its hilt into its
Professor Huxley, after reviewing the leading in- carcase, and it was only when from mere weariness
cidents of Dr. Priestley's life, said he wished briefly to it fell down that it was stabbed between its horns by
put before the meeting what was the value of his a member of the troupe, who stealthily approached it
life's work to those who looked upon it from outside from behind, and gave the aounde grace when all other
the region of the particular denomination to which he means failed. The whole company, with hardly an
belonged. Priestley was a man of almost endless exception, showed such signs of timidity and in-
energy and versatility. In the first place, he was a experience, that the epeetators expressed their opinion
man of science and a chemist; in the second place, he in a most forcible manner by liberal showers of
was a philosopher and a writer •in the third place he bottles, sticks, and any other missiles nearest at
was a politician; and he proposed to put before them hand at each fresh specimen of awkwardness. At
those considerations that struck him in each of these Madrid, Seville, and other large cities, more ex-
directions. In order to estimate what Priestley perienced operators prevent the exhibition of such
did for eleaniatry, he must carry them back to scenes as I witeesseil at Santander; but until Spain's
the last century, and show them what was then favourite amusement ceases to interest her children,
the condition of chemical science. There was who are taught to look upon cruelty as a crime,
no one who believed, and hardly anyone who she can never take her place amonmst civilised nations.
suspected, that the doctrines if the ancients One of the first things which strikes an Englialmian
that air, water, and tire are elements was other than on entering the country is the want of con-
true. The lesearches of Boyle and Hayles bad tended, sideration for the brute creation, which is every-
to define the qualities of air, and to sliow that there where noticeable. Overlmling so the least and
were different kinds, but that there was anything like and most common of the cruelties practised. One can
the multiplicity sud diversity of elementary bodies only now use the voice of IMAM, but that is of little