The Portland daily press., 1866-01-18
Seville.

Seville is still the city of the guitar, the far
is- the song, and the fandango the ne ptlts attro
ana zeviyG mia of the majo and bull-hgnter'
4 ofthe gypsy and contrabandist; the renuez-
Vous of the most picturesque backguarus In
the south of Spain, whose beds are on the
-'r steps of churches, who lounge and hang about
the suburban tabernas, breakfast on glass Of
M water and dine on an air on the guitar, argue
M among each other with the navajo and other
such arguments of point; make love to their
-.-a neighbor's pocket, and know of heaven what
En- they see OF it through the golden juice of an
,z orange, as they lie on their backs in the cool
"a shade, picture of contentment, and sweet
notnIng-to-do. The town has preserved more
W OF the character of the sixteenth centuries
than OF the Moorish period, Of which, however,
many vestiges remain. This is evinced in the
style OF the private houses of the nobility, the
i general appearance of the edifices &C.. which
= all denote the influence of Italian taste, and
:. its happy combination with the Moorish STYLE
gani The people themselves seem to have lost that
grave, solemn, stern and melancholy mood Of
-a''ft the Spaniard of the fifteenth century,
ar which he inherited from the Moors,
and to retain only that gay, brilliant capdy
espadd devil-may care humOr of the seven
fJSTi teenth century in Spain, coupled with the
more sombre types Of the inquisitorial and in
- QUESTIONED, somewhat suspicious, jealous, and
.urg naughty spirit of Lope de Rueda, Calderon's
5uis and Vegas dramas. Seville is still in many
% points the city of pleasure and love of Beau
~ marchais Rossini's Bdrbiere. a-,t. a. b
And look, there goe; Almavva, on his pranc-
Io y ing horse gay and dashng, now dressed in vel
vets and tilagree buttons, and all sunshine and
et,,1 moonshine, invincibe and esaaTsorado, send
ing kisses to Rosina, who peeps at him behind
A her mirador. - He is always that personifica-
81 ton OF youth, love and summer; and Rosina
E'JG is always as pretty under her black mantilla
though now she reads Faench novels, and
knows the names of Lor Biron Saspir; and
@ Figaro is not the less Qai, and Figaro Ia laugh
ing, joking. running to and fro all fuss and in
,. trgue all gossip and mirth, for his being rails
u. ana. ed to SGJlgrGdOr q cOnaGdrOn and other high
s offices within his calling nay, Bartolo himself
is not dead, only now he dresses like an under
Odd" taker, is man dill Gao doce, wears diamond
m pin in his Shirt and wide gold ring on his
forefnger, and looks as sharp as ever, whether
,I71Ho' Rosina is dropping bouquet or picking up
scented esquelita. Basiio is also alive, and
there we may see him sneaking through the
q crowd, with his long bdrc0 te-shaped greasy
~ hat, his worn out sotdnL, his bilious skin, his
atYhypocrltlcal eyes: oade reEro and would that
7 thou vert but sceptre of bygone times, and
aH not sad reality of the present! The other
types, may they always remain, natural and
1asl CHARMING ohspriags of land of sun and love;
and all members of the immortal family OF
Mozart's and Dyron's Don Juan, pure Sevil-
lano, of Don Miguel de Manara, of Don Bus
tos Tavera, of La Estrella de Seville. The
houses are superior to those of the rest of An
dalusian cities, in style and appearance; they
are generally of two or three stories, gaily
painted outside, with lofty roorcs, numerous
rejas, charming patios, or inner courts, which,
during the summer, are covered with an avn
ing, and furnished with pianos, sofas, &C., for
the evening tertatI0 when the whole town is
converted into vast drawing-room. They
are, moreover decorated with brightly painted
and gilt mradoes, which, with their glass and
flowers, look like conservatories suspended
A heightened residence will be found more
pleasant here than anywhere else in SPAIN
A Guide to Spain; by a. oShea.