The Sun.
London, England, 1831-04-08 00:00:00

ROYAL RUSTICITIES.

The palace of Buen Retiro, where the Coot
lived before the completion of the new palace, is
at the eastern extremity of Madrid, overlooking
the Prado. "',"4*. The garden of the RetirZ
is of great extent, but its situation is high and
exposed, and the walks arc far from agreeable.
The present family has directed the different im-
provements—if, indeed, they may be so called
—which are in progress here, and, perhaps, no-
where has there been so much labour expended
and so little produced. In one place is an ar-
tificial mound, with a Chinese temple perched
upon it ; in another a little, cottage, with an old
woman of wood sitting by a painted fire,
and rocking her baby in a cradle ; overhead are
wooden hams and leathern sausages ;
in an adjoining room, the good man of the house
is ill and in bed, with a pot of soup beside him,
and he rises by machinery when strangers enter.
In another part is an oblong lake, enclosed with
a wall of cut stone, and a rich railing of iron..On
one side of it is a small building surmounted by
naval emblems, and a flagstaff, and beneath it is
a dock or cove for the Royal gallery. Tile ele-
vation of the Retiro is an obstacle to the bring-
ing of water in pipes:to fill the lake, and the
object is therefore effected by the labour of a
mule, who turns a wheel hard by, and is hidden
under a rustic shed adorned with Egyptian
pagods. Sometimes the Royal Family take a
water excursion upon the lake. The basin is
then filled, the gilded barge, which is truly
classic in its construction, is floated to the stairs
of the navy yard, and the august individuals
enter and put forth with an air of perfect con-
tentment and unaffected complacency, to the
great admiration of the beholders, which is
evinced by waving of hats and handkerchiefs.--
If you happen to be near the wheel-house, the
creaking of the machinery, the Arre ! of the mu-
leteer, and the grunting of the mule, furnish a
suitable musical accompaniment to this raree-
show.—A Year in Spain.

ERUDITE COACHMAN,

The march of intellect having made such
rapid progress in the understanding of the present
generation, our surprise would scarcely be ex-
cited were we to meet with a coachman equally
versed in the dead languages with the book,
learned student from either Oxford or Cam-
bridge. A gentleman of polished mind as well
as manners, being about to share with the
coachman the driving seat of a coach running
on the Brighton road, and having heard that
besides being a " good whip" the man was deep
in
reasclassicota n lore,ci a
fl opromised .
it
,ielmas
his learned companion. After a few common-
placelef tea-a:tefteca
with
tohl -
observations, the usual preliminaries to a
better acquaintance, had paved the way for re-
search, the gentleman began his interrogatorica
with "Do you know Homer ?" " Homer !
Monter !" replied the man with a significant
look, not usually to be traced in the coun-
tenance of a person who would fain wish
to refresh his memory with a recollection
of that which he never knew—" Homer !
Homer ! no, Sir, pray what coach do he
drive ?" Here was a death-blow to the anxious
expectations of our traveller, which, on his side,
ended the subject ; not so on the part of unsus•
pecting Jehu, who, willing no doubt to remove
from the mind of the disappointed gentleman
the hateful title of " ignoramus," with which he
might be branded, had no sooner reached the
place where the first relay of cattle was to be fur-
nished, than, stepping from his seat of com-
tnand, he imparted to an assistant at the inn, a
shrewd dog yelept the " horsekeeper," his igno-
rance respecting Homer. Mike, with open stare
of surprise at Coachee's want of knowledge,
blended with the smile,of satisfaction in being
able, as he supposed, to repair the deficiency,
thus remarked with laudable asperity, " Not
know Homer ! why a man as travels the road as
you does ought to know everybody," and, tri-
umphing over, to him the unpardonable igno-
rance of such a traveller, exultingly repeated,
" Not know Homer !" emphatically adding,
" for my part I knows the man well ; he keeps •
an ironmonger's shop opposite St. George's
church in the borough, and his pardner's name's
Pratt !"