The Sun.
London, England, 1826-12-25 00:00:00

THE ESCURIAL.

The Escurial, 12 miles North West from Madrid,
is famous for anoble monastery and a stately church, in
honour of St. Lawrence, on whose day the Spaniards
beat the French at St. Quentin. There are 200 friars

of the order of St. Jerome in it, under a Prior named
by.the King, and a. College for young students. It is
avast exten4 tin& reckoned' one dale most magnifi-
cent structures in the world; it has 17 cloisters, 22
courts, 11,000 windows; cost above millions, and 30
was 21 years building. There is a chapel with a
sepulchre for the Kings and Queens, called the Pan-
theon, because fashioned like that at Rome. The
form of the whole structure is a large square, each
side of which is 2,630 feet long, with a fine tower at
each corner. The greatest part of the architecture is
of the Doric order, with some of lonic, Corinthian,
Composite, and Tuscan. It is divided into four lesser
squares, with four gates each ; the chief entrance is
through these gates, with the statue of St. Lawrence
and the arms of Spain over them. The front of the
inner court has six pillars of the Doric order, 68 feet
high, with pedestals, and upon them the statues of
King David, Solomon, .Josias, Hezekias, Jehoshaphat,
and Manasses, with gilt crowns and -sceptres of brass,
and inscriptions under each, pointing at their chief
actions. There are five arches 28 feet high and 14
broad, to enter the church, which is 364 feet long,
230 broad, and 330 high to the cross at the top of the
cupola. The architecture is Doric ; it has six aisles,
illuminated with vast numbers of large silver lamps,
21 noble arches, 50 large windows, 39 galleries with
silk curtains, 12 chapels with noble cresses of jasper
over them ;40 altars in their peculiar chapels. The
middle aisle has 14 large balconies ; the grand chapel
is 20 feet long, 50 broad, and 400 high, and rises
from the middle aisle by 12 steps of the finest jasper,
50 feet long ; the entrance is by two doors of jasper;
the floor is of the same, and it has many columns of
the best polished jasper, of four sorts of architecture,
and the bases and capitals of gilt brass : in one of the
pillars is the box where the host is kept ; the box is
round, 16 feet high, 7i feet in diameter, and sup-
ported by eight columns of diaspare of the colours of
the rainbow ; the workmanship cost 8,000 ducats ;
over this box are the statues of the twelve apostles.
There are ten steps of jasper up to the altar, and round
it brass statues of several Kings of
elialiter is &mutated- with curious painting*. Bini,
they keep many reliques, with 550 pieces of chalices of
gold, silver, and chrystal. In the middle of the aisle
lies the choir fronting the chapel ; it is 96 feet long,
50 broad, curiously painted and illuminated ; it has
two orders of seats of precious wood finely carved, and
on each side an organ with cross galleries ; there are six
other organs in the church, one of them of silver. The
Sacristy is 108 feet long, and 30 broad, and painted
with the sacred history, by the best masters.
The descent into the Pantheon is by fine marble
steps ; the entrance is by a gate of gilt brass, with the
Austrian Arms over it, cut in precious stones, and
richly gilt, betwixt two gilt brass statues, one represents
the fall of man, and the other the resurrection. The
sepulchre is octagonal, within lined with curious marble,
and has urns Of grey marble for the royal corps, sup-
ported by lions' paws of gilt brass, and an oval figure
of the same metal, with the person's name in black
letters. An altar of black marble, with curious orna-
ments of the finest porphyry, and columns on each of
green marble, with brass bases and capitals guilt.
T Pantheon is enlightened by a curious branch, and
the floor of fine marble, wrought into figures of stars.
The Convent has five cloisters, the largest of them
800 feet square, finely painted with the history of our
Saviour's life, death, resurrection, and ascension.
The old chapel has excellent paintings and many re-
liquei. In the Refectory there is a picture of our
Lord's Supper, brought from England during our
Charles the Second's exile, and pawned for 15,000/.
sterling.
In the Palace there is little of note but the paint-
ings and library, which is a noble structure, 200 feet
long, and 36 broad ; the stalls for the books are of
cedar and other precious wood ; it has seven pillars of
the Doric order ; the floor is of white and grey marble,
and the ceiling painted with the arts and sciences,
and the most celebrated authors, with the best masters.
In the middle of the room are tables of jasper, marble,
and porphyry, with globes and spheres. Here are an-
cient medals, fine pictures, and manuscripts, as they
say, by St. Austin and St. Chrysostoni. The gardens,
parks, walls,
walks, and ground belonging to this stu-
pendous fabric, are reckoned thirty-six leagues round.

To give an additional flavour to brandy, the Swedes
mix aniseed with it, which, though suited to their taste, gives
it to the palate of other. a mawkish disagreeable twang, scarcely
to he conceived.

BIGAMY.-..The following complicated case of bigamy
which has just transpired, almost rivals the celebrated affair of Mr.
Tallest Jarvis 3-1 m the year 1800 a worn an of the name of 11111 was
married in this city to a man named hes, with whom she con-
tinued to cohabit for some time; but in 1607, her first husband
being still living,
and blooming blunder, with Mrs. Jess again presented herself at the hymeneal
altar u a young
of the name of Cope. The intriguing parties, however, appear to
a recruiting
sergeant
have been discovered and the ceremony actually stopped in the
church, es although 'their natues are entered in the book, the
clergyman's signature' &c. are not affixed. Mrs. Jess afterwards
went to London, where she formed another acquaintance of the
tender kind, and
Wuodford. Mr. W., however, having received anonymous In.
in 1815 becaMe the loving spouse of a Mr.
formation of the nature of Mrs. W.'s former connexions, considered
all engagements between
himself AM her at an end, and thereon.
married another
woman, with whom he is now respectably settled
at some distance from London, and Mrs. Jess, alias C°Pe' alias
Woodford, returned to the embraces of her second love, the amorous
and gallant recruiting sergeant.
She did not forget, however, to
apply for a maintenance to Mr. 'Woodford, who of course rejectedany longer wtth her husband till he had satisfactorily proved
the application, and the present Mrs. W. having refused to reside
that
the female in question was not his wife, Mr. W. has ascertained
that both Jets and Cope are still living, so that he is entirely re-
lieved from the matrimonial claims of this very constant and hus-
band-loving darnsel.—Buth Herald.