The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-02-16

A correspondent of the New York Evening
Post, writing from Valencia in Spain, over
the familiar initials, "W. c. b., gives the fol-
lowing pleasant description OF Spanish man
ufactory: fH9aE ..-,.i.5.IL .a..a
went out, while at Valencia, to the little
village OF Miliana, to see mandatory OF
tiles. An English inventor of the name OF
Minton, in Lancashire, has discovered meth
cd of making tiles without wetting the clay,
which is merely reduced to fine POWDER
then pressed into mould and afterwards bak-
ed i'm strong heat The invention has lately
been introduced into Spain by Senior Nolla
In company with Spanish friend L took a
tortana. as the public vehicles here are called
and going out at one of the eastern gates OF
the city, crossed the ri, er Guadalaviar, or, as
it is most commonly called, the Turia. Itwas
day Of brilliant sunshine, such as had been
almost every day since we reached the south
of France As we entered the unpaved high
way we perceived that a row OF locust trees by
which it was bordered-tor this tree of our
forests has been naturalized under the name
OF acacia over all Southern Europe-were SO
loaded with the fine white dust from theroad,
that they looked very much like the leafless
trees III our country when every branch is COW
cred and every twig is dropping with snow
which has just fallen through a perfectly still
atmosphere. This effect was owing TO the ex-
IRENE dryness OF the season. Scarcely more
rain falls in a season at Valencia than in
Egypt. For more than two months there had
not fallen even shower. is
But dry as the season had been, the extern
sive region surrounding the city, aperiectgar-
den, with the soil colored like the brightest
red brick dust, named the Huertd de Fdieii-
cid, was as fresh as in spring, with the excep-
ton of the leafless mulberry and tig-trees, and
iaxp nj t.ar trtrtf traap lor. cfr., nt
cultivated land were green with lupines,
Windsor beans, the Spanish clover, barley,
wheat and other crops In various stages OF
growth. Here and there were little orchards
of oranges, with the bright fruit glowing
among the green leaves, clusters OF PALM
trees, from which we had fresh dates every
morning, olive groves and great lentisks, with
light green shoots among the dark foliage,
preparing for the season of blossoms in early
spring. Here the liberal Earth is taxed to her
utmost productiVeness, and never suffered to
rest As fast as one crop, fastened in ripen-
ing by the almost perpetual sunshine is taken
of, another is put III, and thus the region be
comes one OF the most fertile of the globe
The secret of this productiyenes lies in the
careful irrigation which is given to the soil,
and which the Maurtanian cOlonists, when
they took possession OF the country, reduced
to system now carefully observed as in
their time. Thousands Of canals, diverted
from the Guadalaviar, mOisten the ground
over the whole of this extensive plain; the
larger currents branch into an infinity of
smaller ones; every field hSs its rill of water
running beside it, which is stopped and sent
in another direction the moment the soil is
sufficiently saturated. The larger currents,
where the descent is considerable, are made
to turn mills and grind TO flour the grain
which is raised on their banks In this way
fl,a upI,r ~ .l,. Al
through the Guadalaviar at this season is so
diminished, that only moderate-sized brook
is left, along the winding course of which, as
1t passes under its massive bridges, the wash
erWomen OF the city are seen at all hours rub
bmg their linen and slapping it On the broad
stones that line the slender current.
We reached Miliana after journey otsOme
what more than one hour through this rich
region. The mandatory was a long build
ing, surrounding parallelogram planted with
orange trees, under which lizards were slip
ping about in the sunshine. In this building
agreat number ofpersons are employed, most
ly women, who come from the cottages and
hamlets in the neighborhood. The clay OF
which the tiles are made is first reduced to an
impalpable powder in the mill turned by the
little streams diverted from the river 1t is
then, in perfectly dry state, put into small
moulds, and by screw, such as is used to
o1esihP ocdio oh OuiCldl Is SUBJECTED
TO "a moderate pressure. When taken from
the mould its surface has all the polish and
and smoothness of glass. A boy or girl re
ceives it from the mould and brushes of the
powdered clay adheling TO it, and it is then
placed III warm room to dry. After remain,
ing awhile it is transferred to furnace OF
oven, where it is baked for two or three days
and the process is complete. 1t is then so
hard that it will scratch glass.
81. In one part of the enclosure stood the dwell
ing of the proprietor, glittering with tiles, both
within and without The younger Mr. Nolla
who had been educated in Switzerland, show
ed us over it. Its rooms were fioored will
tiles, the walls were faced with tiles, the stair
cases were laid in tiles, the roof was covered
with tiles. I'VE have the best material in thu
world for making them," said Mr.. Nolla, ant
we can make them cheaper than they can bt
made in England" They are of as fine q
quality and OF az great strength as could wei
conceive them to be- - S'e'kAa y II.
From the roof of the dwelling we had fine
view OF the garden of Valencia, the city itsell
and the Mediterranean to the east. Looking
little to the southeast, we saw where the
water diverted from the river, after serving
the purpose OF irrigation, stagnates into thu
lake Abultera, the resort of innumerable wild
fowl OF vast variety Of species, and no les
noted tor the clouds OF mosquitoes which ris
from it in summer. In some parts OF tn
h,tert0, particularly near the lake, intermit
tent fevers prevail, and the sickly aspect @
many Of the women wsom L saw at work il
the mandatory seemed to attest the un
healthiness ofthe neighborhoad. The Vaen
clan Cabinet OF Natural History is enriche,
with hundreds of specimens from the shore
OF the broad sheet of water which we say
glimmering in the distance. ssHHe