New-York tribune., 1869-03-27
SPAIN.
CURIOSITIES OF TRAVEL.
,vpoM ouR OWN CORRESPONDENT.

Guiding weekly revolution which never occuIreu'
there came a lull. of which took advantage lor
run down to Andalusia-though run is most eAag
gerated word for travelling in SPAN An EngIlSh
acquaintance asked me how long was 10 Oe gone
and what places meant to visit. answered "eeH
and Granada and Seville. The time Is TOO snOi'
renlied he for any body but an American. 1t as
tressing to find how much your people 40 lh So so
a time. l hope you will miss one or the o'iiei.
Should he ever see this letter it will tell hun that MS
hone WAS disappointed saw not only Granada ana
Seville but Malaga Cadiz and Cordova, and shortly
after Toledo and tlcn Burgos, not TO speak OF two
days ON a Spanish steamer, which proved very
curious experience. In honesty, however nustcoh-
fess that the week stretched into twelve days.
and, i am half sorry now that dio
not take his advice and give all the
time TO one place. though should be at loss TO say
which of the two a man who had TO make a cDolce
would omit. l write long after the first enthusiasm
has cooled down. IL is a month since left Andalu-
sia but L still say that among all the memorles1
have of Europe those of Seville and Granada are per-
hans the most fascinating, Switzerland alone being
An exception. 1 was never Oft well travelled routes
vet i'm SPAN everything unfamiliar, and books
eyen the best OF them inpart to you little OF the
secret which the actual sight OF this singular country
reveals The most they can do is to stimulate curl
osity and if q letter two of mine can do that ser
vice to some of my countrymen shall have accom-
plished my object III writing them
When Won are at Madrid and want to go to Gran
ada you will begin 70 understand the difficulty OF
getting information in Spain. The guide-books VIII
not help you, will in fact, mslead you sadly IL you
have not already learned to distrust them. Murray
(edion of 1861 aware of no railway south OF santa
Cruz and sends you from that point 50 unnecessary
miles by "a diligence no longer running. Hachette-
IL. A, lv
such matters-takes you TO CordOva by rail, thence
70 Bobadilla and Antequera, and from AntequeTa to
loa over railroad not yet built, the construction
of which he describes nnutely and so from LOLA to
Granada. The official railway guide indicates the
same route but marks correctly the gap TO be COW
cred by diligence between Lola and Antequera
Amercans have such fondness for the rah
that they VIII naturally try this road, II
they succeed in puZzling out the cOnnec-
hons but il is crcuitOus and tedious 10
the last degree. Bradshaw is worse than all the rest
His Continental Guide is probably the most mac
suate book in the world and for Spain it out-Brad
shaws Bradshaw. His list of Spanish railways Is, III
the first place incomplete. but that is tride. My
latest copy bought in London is dated conspicuousy
December 1865 on the tite-page Its timetable for the
most important line in Span-that between Madrid
and Irun-s the timetable for December, 1861 anu
OIL several of the other lines for May, lS61more than
year aud half old. Blind guides, all OF them Ihe
true route from Madrid Granada is by rail to Men
sibar 12 hours thence by diligence to Granada, l3
hours more. l heard of it accidentally, after in
CURING in vain of the hotel people and of Madrid
scQuantances 1t is nobodys business, in Spain, TO
know anything. A through ticket is to be bought
At tho diligence Office in the Alcala: take care
they don't cheat you. Following a friends
advice, l asked for seat in the coupe
aud with M
friend made the clerk comprehend that wanted
at the Same time a first class railway ticket. No
Spaiard ever rides in the coupe if he can afford TO
GO in the interior. where he may enjoy the luxury OF
closed windows and his neighbOrs smoke as well as
his own. The clerk decided in his own mind that
foreigner who was eccentric enough to prefer the
coupe ought be made to pay for it, OF perhaps out
of compliment me he represented that the place
desired was the best pace-as it was-and the dear
est-which it was not. He demanded for the coupe
the 40 reals extra which is the regular tariff for the
berlina. but as happened to know the true price
refused and the 40 reals two doars were deducted,
the clerk betrayiug not the smallest shame appre
benson at the detection OF the little scheme which
was to put the two dollars in his pocket was not
always SO fortunate. AT the railway stations the
national genius Tor robbery may be seen III Its fall
development. | never Ia Spain was offered the
night change in buying q ticket. Ordinarily. the
clerk will give up the remainder due its being de-
manded but not always. Some weeks afterward,
bought ticket at the Toledo station in Madrid just
before the train started The fare is SO reals and
fraction handed the clerk piece of 100 reals, and
received So III change being two silver dollar~ and
four pecetas OF four reals each. Taxing II up TO
count l demanded the missing peceta. The clerk
said il was right laid down the two dollars and
four pecetas whereupOn the rascal had the lmpu-
dence TO say he had given me hve pecetas'
and to this he stuck, spite OF circumstances
and threats. and without troubling himself 10 oner
the fraction of the other which he did not pre-
tend to have paid. The bell rang ana had 10 CO.
accompanied by grin of triumph from my friend
behind the gTatings, whom 1 solemnly resolved to
denounce to the railway authontes-a vow which
am ashsuled to say have not kept. The scamp
reckoned on my not keeping it, with complete assur
knce, having found that travellers seldom or never
take the trouble to expose his pluuderng. To give
him chance of being found out, should this letter
by miracle come under the eye of Madrid railway
sirector add that the robbery above related, took
place on Sunday. Feb. g. 1863. at about in the
evening.
promise to tell another story of railway stealing
better than that before finish these notes. Mean
time observe that the ticket bought at the diligence
Is mot railway ticket. You will be desired to pre-
seDt yourself at the office at in the evening. an
hour and half before the train starts to 90 down to
the station under convoy of the administration.
which sends with you a conductor in blue blouse
Arriving at the station. your railway ticket VIII be
bought for you, your luggage if you are unlucky
enough to have anyl will be registered by the same
overseeing official. and you will not be released from
his guardianship till you deposited like an