New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-03-23

river the Iagus 375 miles long, yet so lnhospltapie
as TO receive few towns upon its banks and to well
come no commerce upon its waters. No sensation
could be extracted from it. Mud is mud though
called the Tagus, and if must gaze upon rivers OF
it. give me my own, my native Mississippi.
AT noon saw city set on ahil We stopped. IL
was Toledo. Leaving the cars at a ragged station
and running the gauntlet of beggars-there were ~
beggars to three passengers making six beggars and
two-thrds of beggar to each of uswe took refuge
in a remarkable vehicle, courteousy called an omni-
bus, the only public conveyance known to Toledo
Passenger No. hobnobbed with The Blinker, and
exhibited curiosity regarding our movements that
would have brought blush TO even Yankee cheek
The driver, of immense stature, scowled at us
for not being more numerous, and, with ronnc
oath and much swapping of his long whip, started
his four mules up the hill. Why Spanish mules
should wear BELLS and why they should require so
much beating, don't know, but they certainly get
a deal of both. Every saint in the calendar was
called upon by the driver to witness the ngratltude
the obstnacy the total depravty of those animated
mules that thought were exertng themselves to
pieces. Through clouds of dust we whired over the
bridge of Alcantara, thrown across the deep set,
winding Tagus, up second steep HILL in and out OF
the narrowest queerest, quantest, most impossible
streets under an archway and then found ourselves
at the Fonda de Limo, the only hotel the guide
books dare to mention.
First want something to eat, and then want
the guide Cabezas" said to the proprietor, de-
scending from the noble omnibus, g You can t have
Cabezas," replied the important Blinker, be
cause he is dead" "How do you know ?" " Be
cause he was buried shortly after my last visit to
Toledo "Who says IN deadf Pm nothing OF
the sort. I'm as alive as he, Sonora" and up
hobbled wthered old man, who was no other than
Cabezas himself. II is not pleasant to be told you
are dead and buried before you have stopped breath
ing. Cabezas looked cross but the Bllnker received
him with plying smile, as If to say, accept your
apology for being alive but do MT do 1T again, my
old fellow. You ought to be dead, you know. Be
sure YOU are so before return" Though alive and
hobbling Cabezas, who knows every nail and stone
of Toledo could not accompany me in my tour of
the tortuous old town, because you see, Sonora
there are two guides and very little to do You are
the first foreigner we have had for a month We
divide the work. 1 went last, so the other guide
who is good, must 60 with you"
Col. John Hay, in his charming Castilian DAYS"
the atmosphere of which is as clear and bright
as CASTLE itself, advises travellers to ignore
guides at Toledo nevertheless if Col. Hay had but
a few hours to devote to many centuries think he
would hire the fastest possible engine to rush
through them Who can lounge with one eye on
a watch and the other on railroads If the Fonda
de Limo be a specimen of Toledan housekeeping |
am not surprised that the number of inhabitants
has been reduced from 100000 to 1900. The marvel
is that anybody can be prevailed upon to remain
over night or remaining, does not die before morn
ing. The longer live the more amazed become at
the quantities of people in existence. Ushered into
the eatingrOom, sat before table at which several
Spaniards were devOurlng knives and pork Not
being able to digest either ordered beefsteak and
tea, whereupon the Spaniards nudged one another
and said, "Englishw When the steak came !
shuddered. 1t was very thin, very stringy, very
young had been fried, and was favored with
vinegar. The bread sour. and the tea. well, it
was that pink kind of tea found only in Italy and
Spain, which tastes like some unknown medicine
and excltes mild form of nausea as 1t goes down.
Pounds would not make it strong enough to come up
again.
Thus fortified, l began my pilgrimage. Guide
books state that il requires year to become ac-
ouainted with Toledo More exacGng still NJ. Villa
Anil declares that after studying its treasures nine
months you know nothing about them. This is en-
couragng to traveller on the wing, particularly
after being presented with monograph entitled
Toledo en- la nano, in two volumes of 1850 pages
After this handful | gave up trying to know any
thing about Toledo. All can say is that was in
troduced to the town with much ceremony and have
an indefinite idea of its features, which are such "a
mixture of Goth, Moor Jew, and Christian that, at
the end of six hours suffered from acute an in
digestion as though had swallowed an architec-
tural mince pie. If l lived in Toledo l should
20 mad The conjunction of so much history, so
much live art and much dead nature would set
INV brain on lire with cOnundrums. There Is
nothing more tragic than living among great
things and little people. The very air is
heavy with hopeless age, and STILES with every
breath never felt so thankful for America as
while walking through those narrow Toledan
streets, every stone of which could tell tales Of
bloodshed and violence. The widest Western set
Element populated with the most discouragiug
stumps, became in my eyes far more tolerable
home Meditation belongs to the past aspiration to
the tnture There is more hope in IA pioneers log
cabin than in all TOledO's monuments, and what Is
life worth without hope Time that has reduced
the city of the VisigOths" from great riches TO
pauperism, may bring about still more wondrous
revolution, but Times wheel turns slowly in dead
ATTITUDES Before this change takes place, all
Europe will be republican, SPANS deserts will
become GASES, and the United States viii be gov
erned by it's best and honestest brains. After,-the
millennium!
Touching both sides of the streets with my bands,
was first taken to a beautiful Moorish house, now
the residence of a banker. Look" said the Guide,
and as entered the great door saw modern car
rage " Ii is the only carriage in town, Sonora, and
when the bankers family drive they go round and
round the square" As the square is very small and
exceedingly crowded this dissipation in horse-fesh
| must he excessive. However, the satisfaction OF
doing what nobody else afford, may compensate
for unparalleled monotOny
Not to admire Moorish architecture, is to be inca
pable of appreciation. It's sad, solemn beauty, and
exquisite taste. made me think of minor KEYS and
| Madama dc Stael had called aTChltcc-