Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-06-11
1 spanlard en- The spanish In.luI.IlIon.

The recent debates in the Spanish Cortes have
developed another orator, who is said TO rank but
little if any below CASTELAR, in eloqucnce, and,
like him, he has received great ovation for a
speech in favor Of religious freedom. The fol-
lowing, relative to the new orator, is from let
ter OF the Madrid correspondent of the New
York Times;
Senor Echegaray created quite sensation in
the Chamber by an allusion to a discovery which
has been recently made in Madrid in the course
Of the levelng and excavations now in progress
for city improvements. The workmen lighted
upon the old site Of the auto de fes Of the inqui-
siton called in the history of that fearful tribun-
al the &c QuemGdero DE Ia Cruz" (burning
place Of the Cross.) The cutting Of a new road
through that part of the city has laid bare, Ike
geological strata, long black layers, superimposed
one above the other, at distances of one or two
ieet in the sandstone and clay Some OF these
layers extend $50 feet in a horizontal direction,
and at first sight look like regular geological
strata, but are in reality the remains of the ln-
QUESTION fires They consist Of coal cOaguls:ed
with human fat, bones, the remains Of siuged
hair and the shreds Of burnt garments Great
excitement has been created by the discovery.
and the people Of Madrid have visited the spot
in thousands to satisfy themselves Of the f'ct,
and to carry away some memento Of that dark
age Of intolerance and cruelty. | have myself
visited the place and have now in my possession
piece Of this black, sticky. carbouized mass.
Senor Echegaray, in combating religious unity,
turned this discovery to eloquent account;
History tells u.s. he said, g the consequent
ces of the principle that error and soil have no
rights. In this place Senior ranejs has said the
Church never prosecuted individuals. In lieu Of
the word Church let us substitute another word,
and call it the " "theocratic power" Has the
theocratic power never persecuted individuals
Walk through the streets of Ancha de San Ber-
nado, turn to the right, and there, close 10 the
monument of Daoiz and Velarde, you will see
he Quemaduro de Ia CRUZ Know what is
the Quenia iuro? | will explain it to you.
wish you would go there and see it for
yourselves. wish that these debates could take
place upon that dreadful SITE in order to see if
any one could be found to defend there the unity
of religion The I" "Quemaduro de Ia Cruz is
at present a great earth cutting, | may say,
geological cutting Know you what is geological
cutting, Nature opens her grand book, and
extends TO us its pages, that Is to say. opens the
the earth TO US, and there We in regular lay
ers clay, slate, sand, flint. &C. They are the
lines Of the great book in which geology enables
us to study the formation of the planet on which
We live. The Quemaduro de la Cruz is also
great but dark page, which unfolds q sad bat
useful lesson. In those alternate layers Of the
Quemaduro de Ia Cruz you will Sc stratum of
coal impregnated with human fat, ar d after that
the remains of calcined bones, and after
that layer of sand which has been thrown
there TO cover up these remains;
and fhen another layer Of coal, ane another Of
bones, and then another Of sand, ano so contin-
ues the horrible mass Not many ds, rs ago (and
| vouch for the fact) q boy with stick hap
pensd to be poking into shis mass, and drew