New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-03-20
SPAIN.
THE SPANISH PEOPLE-LIFE IN MADRID.
L..I-n- nLanANnENa

of the novelties of Spanish life lie Will hhu MS
notebook filling by degrees with matters winch
have no relation to politics. The topics may DC pro
safe but the facts will be novel, and perhaps no Will
at last be tempted to do as do now send his notes
70 be printed as they happened to be written with
ant order or connection, and entirely without re-
gard to the Importance of the subjects touched VI
left untouched.
For hun who Is in hurry 1t is useless to come 10
Spain Look on a recent railway map, and a country
crossed by so many lines appears easy 70 traverse
But a railway IN Spain is like a railway IN no o'ler
country and on many of the lines the speed scarcely
exceeds that of the old London and Brighton lu'li
coach in England The Spanara rs never IN q hurry
himself never understands that anybody elso may
be. / am astonished that he bmt railways ne
Mainly doubts whether III doing so be did not make
49, Tboy are so inconsistent with the ma
tional sedateness of movement that he makes Vio-
lent effort to recover from the original error OF ADOPT
inc tbem puts curbbit on his engine, ana Ieuuoes
the railway speed as nearly as possible 10 lne oiu
diligence rate The roads have been many years !"
oneratiop but the Spaniard never seems 10 leei qo
Mt home in railway carriage. Franklin couiu no'oi
have been born in Spain, nor would any opani"iu
understand the meaning of his saying thaV 'l-"o
money. l doubt whether an eqnlVaIehV spanish ,.l
pbrase exists An express tram Is 'ii"S
unknown. Except on the line from PaIS 70 Di'ui ~
the name, even, is unknown. FROM I"-i' ~ .Ho
Snanisb fronter the speed is good, but OIL StalIis
from town You find the express tram inH,.0 up -
first second and third class carriages nan
freight cars added the speed cut doWnto ~ -
bonr the train stopping at nearly evey way
Thera &c n very lively book, published las 'o"i :"
Tn,dor nnder the title of "Threush Sp"In " 'io
Sahara by Miss Edwards She alurlh9 80 -
trains stop for the passengeS " -
berries or TO sketch' - s+ro,-borrios |
I'm Winter cannot answer Tor tn' e'i.w ro
butI am sure stopped tNlce u o'ii 4l-.l> tbo
there was n station but st-S 0"pin u '"U - -
i'd Of tlp road Madrid 7OO lhiies lIOin I'd, ~
iu0 - ~, Schedule time or what they call the ex-
"''' 10 bonre. tle actual time was 23. Inc
Pi''o a. ara comfortable enough, having been built
I+'cland Or France ard on the northern INES
d" /, toierable order but IN the South very dirty
Wing IS the rule in al of them; it would DO as
oasv % prohibit breathing as to prohibit smoking
nd With a Spaniard one function Is nearly as con
sto,t o. the other Indeed, am not sure about inc
BREATHING for to breathe there must be air. and ar Is
a tbinc which the Spamard can endure in Winter |
with every seat filed and all but one of their occu-
nants smoking every window is kept tightly closed
The pride of the Spaniard in his country has us
1augbable side and its respectable side. gentleman
whom from his face and accent took 10 DC oco'Cn
sat opposte me in the carriage from lTun 10 MauiIu
W. taiked ON sundry matters The railway traverseS
one of the most desolate regions OF Spaln ana near
VaUadoId. was careless enough TO say as looAeu
ont Of the window, that the country was Mucous
The scotch face as thoughts it. kindled with Spanish
pride and its owner 10y way Of polite CONTRADICTION
began 70 describe the Incompatible excellence otthe
distret which had yentured 20 disparage Its quar-
Yes of marble he said, are the richest in the world
and there exists in the Escorial collection OF spell
mems from these provinces, unmatched for variety
md beauty innocently asked where the proCuo'S
of these Quaries were sold or used Sir" rephn 10y
friend with severity the quar'ies have never Dee
worked In minerals and mineral waters the lanu
Il equally rich. Put plate OF some metal Ih'o
rupping stream in an lour 1t VIII De coaledWl.n
unre COPPER" Wine aad oil might he produc.dlh
quantities wi thout lipt, but alas there IS no popu
latlon 10 consume thm no market no roads Tor the
TRANSFORMATION of tese commodities The north-
west of Spain, l was next tod Is inc
freet yybeat growing country IN Europe but before
Iord ask IN yyba countries all their wheat was ex-
ported. was sileiced by the statement that there
also no roads exsed and the wheat was not IN TACT |
grown but mightbe. TOthese and otherslmilar bits |
of information istned with respectful curiosity, |
as became a foreigner entering for the first time |
country so singular as Spain. was ready TO agree
that it was well to hive country so remarkable ior
it's potentaty Of pDductiOn if not for the products
themselves and Of curse did not dream of doubt |
a Scotcbmap spoke English fuently, and ayowed |
himself a Spaniard But presently we reached the |
Fseorial that huge convent palace of Philip H.. !
which all Spaniards reckon the eighth wonder OF the
world. THAT =" said my Spanard, is the largest
sdiGce on the face Of the globe. 1t contains l6ON
windows" If had doubt, as a true American
ought. whether the CAPITOL at Washington might not
Ne bigger land at leas as ugly accepted the vim
low story without hesitation it being evidently I'M
,ossible to count then as the train went by. But
Alas nothing is so fatato belief a spirit of inquiry
Turning to my Frenc guidebOok-for the F,ench
are exact in figures WIN the glory Of France not
Inconsistent with numrcal accuracy, and Fsnch
gOidsk usually the bes except in France-whaiwas
Ey ohagrin to find the lumber of windows reduced
from 1000 to LOO. escape the fatigue of the
mental surprises who attended my co0YeTsa-
ton with this patriotic paniard soon aftrward
fen asleep. On awakinE ! found Madrid ID View'
and in moment we crossed the bed of river aearly
without water. 1t was the Mannares, ana my com
panlon called my attention to the extI, =
ness of the stream. Inplied that shouiu Ir 49,
zee it when ii was dry You should come y a.,
In the Summer" said he g. In the ou'nino. . .S's
regularly water the bed of this river 70 Co.. .Iia
sand from blowing INTO the city, which Os' THO ov
precantion would become uninhaDiVaOiC = Ar,ori
bgReration Of this concet struck me '
can and laughed ciyilly TO show ny 20. ann.
OF the jest Again had blundereu, anu a.~s "a NOT
manly put down with Sir. the aftor the
anyeF to be laughed at" Few minute 90 with
train rolled into the station and entered SPAN WIN
resolution not to laugh at anything i"sn' - no
Or in that city, until had made sure 'nas
person with sandy hair and speaking Inc
spoken north Of the Tweed was near by 80,
As for the Manzanares hope il is not dry apsoiu'
during many nontbs together for il ts the lauhNi