New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-01-15


"o. e,othe1 with fresh grass, butter-cups
oss go are 10 blossom and larks sing IN the
1909 Nov and then We passed casa
c c,sn.ano with its front half buried in orange
80 oyer which lowered twOOr three sentinei
aJ,os After two leagues Of this delightful
areI the country became more billy, AMI the
~rorrs of mountains which enclosed us assum;d
~, ,,;ctnresoue and enchanting forms
,rh. soft haze in which the distant peaks were
t..hea tbe lovely violet shadows filing up their
sbagros and gorpes, and the fresh meadows
v;nevards and olive groves below, maze the
landscape one Of the most beautiful nave seen
in Spain .i,o+,o thick.
s.s Josf telling me divers Andalnslan STORES
some OF which should like to repeat, II tnere
veraspace. Cartama, once Roman CITY, APP
neared on the sides of mountain 70 the ieit oi
ne. and still further, overlooked the valley OF
Nouaa. In which one Of the greatest battles Oh
antioujty was fought-that which overthrow tbe
sons of Pompey and gave the Roman Empire 70
Cesar. We stopped for the night at loneiy
yepta on the banks Of the Guadaijorce. jose
soncocted delicate ola Of kid, eggs and garlic
and bad a largo bag, stuffed with wool and
Aeas. given to me as a bed. The landscape was
suiet and pastoral, the people humble, honest
and peaceful and nothing indicated thai was
IN the wild Serrania, or MouDtalD-CountTy' Oh
RoDda. the region OF CONFERENCE.-The, roooerS
and assassins. r,
Starting this morning before dawn, we iol-
lowed path which led into the mountains
where herdsInen and boys were taking out their
sheen and goats TO PASTURE then II descended
into the valley Of stream, bordered with rch
bottom.lands. never saw the Orangeln more
Hourishing state. We passed several orchards
of trees thirty feet high, and every bOugh and
twiQ 60 completely laden with fruit, that the
foliage was hardly to be seen.
AT the venta del Vicario, wefound a number
+ soldiers just setting out for Ronda. They
ppeared TO be escOrtiDg convoy OF goods, Tor
here were twenty or thirty laden mules
gathered at the door We now ascended amost
difficult and stony path, winding through bleak
wastes of gray rock, till we reached lofty pass
in the mountain range. The wind swept
through the narrow gateway with force That
almost endorsed us. From the other SIDE
sublime but most desOlate landscape opened 10
my view. Opposite, at ten miles distance, rose
a lofty ridge Of naked rock, Overhung with
clouds. The country between was a chaotic
tumble of stony hills, separated by deepchasms,
with lust o green patch here and there, to show
that il was not entirely fOrsaken by man. Never
theless. az we descended into it, we found val
leys with vineyards and olive groves, which were
invisible from above. As we we're both getting
hungry, Jose stopped at a yentorillo and ordered
two cups of wine for which he insisted on pay
ing of had a. many horses as my master,
Napoleon" said he, " | would regale the Seniors
whenever Travelled with them. would have
puros and sweetmcats, with plenty of Malaga
or Valdepenas in the bota, and they should never
complain of their fare Part of our road was
studded with gray cork trees, at distance
hardly to be distinguished from olives, and he
dism0unted 10 gather the mast, which was as
sweet and palatable as chesnuts, with very little
of the bitter quercne flavor. At ii o'clock We
reached FL Burgo, so called probably, from its
ancient Moorish fortress. IL is poor, starved
village, built on barren bill, over a stream
which is still spanned by lofty Moorish bridge
Of single arch.
The remaining three leagues to this place are
the toughest have yet seen. Climbing a bar.
rem ascent of nearly league in length, we
reached the Puerto del Vicnto, or Gate of the
Wind, through which drove such a current that
We were obliged 10 dism0unt, anl even then il
required all my strength To move against it,
The peaks around far and near, faced with pro-
cipitOus cliffs. wore the most savage and forbid
ding aspect: in fact, this region is almost a coun
tcrpaIt Of the wilderness lying between Jerusa.
lem and the Dead Sea Very soon We t0u ,hel
the SKIRT of cloud, and were enyeloped in
masses of chill, vhifling vapor, through which
We Travelled for three or four miles to a similar
gate on the western side of the chain. Descend
ing again, we emerged into clearer atmosphere,
and saw below a wide extent Of mountain c0un-
try, but of more fertile and cheerful character.
Olive orchards and wheat fields now appeared,
and at o'clock We rode into the streets of
Ronda.
No town can surpass this in the grandeur aud
picturesqueness of its position. IL is built on
the edge of broad shelf OF the mountains,
which falls away in a eheer precipice If from
six 10 eight hundred feei in hight, and from the
windows of many of the houses you can look
down the dizzy abyss. This shelf, again is d.
vidcd in the center by tremendous chasm,
three hundred feet wide, and from four 10 six
hundred feet in depth, in the bed oiwhlch roars
the Guadalvin, boiling in ioalning whirlpools or
leapng in sparkling cascades, till il reaches the
valley below The town lies on both sides OF
the chas,n, which is spanuei by a stone bridge
OF single arch, with abUtmcntS nearly four hun
dred feet in hight The view of this wonderful
cleft, either from above or below, is one of the
finest Of It's Mind in the world. Ronds is as far
superior To Tivoli, as Tiyoli is to Dutch vii
lage, on the dead levels Of Holland The pan
Drama which it commands is on the granlest
scale. The valley below is garden of frdit
and vines; bold yet cultivated hills succcel.an
in the distance rise the lofty SUBMITS OF another
chain Of the Serrania dc Ronds. Were these
sublime cliffs these charming cascades of the
Guadalyin and this daring bridge, in Italy in
stead OF Spain, they would be sketched AMI
painted every day in the year; but have yet
to know where u picture Of Ronda may be
found
In the bottom of the chssm are number of
cornmills as old IS the time OF the MoorS. The
water, gushing out frcN the arches of one,
drives the wheel of that below, So that single
race supplies them all descended by very
steep zigzag path nearly 20 the bottom. On
little point or promontory ovcrhangins she
black depths, there is a Moorish gateway still
ssAn1;n, Tho suOSaf fhraW n loVplv sl,,v over