The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1859-10-06

In my excursions visited several pleas
ant villages, as also beautiful Spanish and
English country residences; some ofwhich.
from their location in deep vallies, sur
rounded by rocky precipices and romantic
waterfalls, and scarcely accessibly by any
conveyance other than that of a mule,
would make subjects for the pencil Of an
artist. On many of the high headlands
forming the coasts, are still to be seen the
remains Of ancient watch towers, while on
the low lands beneath are the vestiges of
forutlcatlOns, whose antiquity tradition
traces beyond the conquest Of the Moors.
There is probablyno country in Europe,
that presents more interesting objects for
contemplation than this part of Spain, and
no one who is at all acquainted with Span
lsh history, can enter any part of the
country without finding food for thought,
in the innumerable relics of the past,
which surround him on every side They
refer him TO scenes enacted centuries ago.
before Spain's fair lands were wrested from
her, by the swarthy followers of Moham-
med The Ph9nician, Carthagenian,
Roman, Gath aud Arabian have each left
traces of their former dominion, that myr-
lads OF years yet to come cannot wholly
obliterate. Even yet the smiling country,
though graced with groves of the olive,
citron and orange is darkened by rem
nants of ancient barbarism, while weather.
beaten walls rear themselves amidst the
lurient foliage of the fig tree and the
vine.
This panoramic history of the Bnotia
OF the Romans, passed before my mind
while seated on the ruins of an ancient
watch tower, which overlooked the strait.
and commanded a view Of the distant coast
Of Africa. Its antiquity dated long ante
riOn to the reign of Ferdinand and Isabel
Ia, and was most probably one Of the tow
ers OF observation erected by the jealous
followers Of EEzagle, at whose name Rod
erick the Goth trembled on his throue.-
But their power has long since passed
away, and nothing now remains to COM
memorate the chiyalrous deeds performed
under its walls, but the moss-covered
court yard, and the huge pile Of stones 5;
which, although we now trample them
with impunity, the armies of Spain, in her
day Of glory, dared not to approach Even
now the descendants Of those who by force
Of arms overthrow the Ioslem yoke, have
succumbed to a foreign power, and the
rule Of the English, although an innova-
ton, is manifestly an advantage to the
country.
How long these contemplations might
have continued, or what length of time |
might have remained seated on the ruins
of this lonely watch tower noting events
in Spanish history, had l not been inter
rupted by the return of my shipmate,
will not pretend to say. He had wander
ed off to a collection of houses, whose tops
were plainly visible in the distance, in
search of something more interesting to a
sailor just set on shore, than heaps of
stones and other rubbish, fit for ballast
but not for grub but now returned bear
ing goats milk cheese in one hand and
a leathern bottle containing wine in the
other. He was also accompanied by a
woman, who without further introduction
demanded money from me for part Of the
goods her companion had in charge. Her
language at once proved her nativity, and
| was soon enlightened in regard to the
difficulty, by my friend informing me that
he had bought the wine from girl in a
shop, whom he had patronized to the ex-
tent OF one shilling, but in taking it out
had met this old woman who wanted some
thing more, but what it was he could not
understand. Tee woman had seized the
bottle, but he not letting go had almost
a quarrel. At length by signs and all the
Spanish words in his vocabulary, he in
duced the woman to accompany him to his
comrade, whom they found seated on the
ruins of watch tower, like Marius on the
broken down walls of Carthage, cOntem-
plating the remains Of the almost forgot
ten kingdom of the Goths. / soon learn
ed, by making use of what Spanish words
| knew, that all the virago Of the wine
shop wanted, was either the return of the
empty wine bottle, or for and in consider
alton of the same one shilling was to be
to her in hand paid. Preferring one shil-
ling to an empty wine bottle, in a few
minutes we returned her property with
thanks -"bunos dies" and vobiscum"
being exchanged between us, she left us
to masticate our cheese by itself, which
would certainly have been more easily ac
complished if we had had the liquid to ac-
company it.
This interruption as well as the bad
dinner of cheese extinguished all my re-
collections of Spanish history, and although
| had copy Of the venerable Fra Antonio
Frangapani' history by me, whose descrip-
ton Of these scenes charm the reader, by