Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-02-19
Going to Court in Madrid.

Ihe Madrid correspondent OF the
London Daily Telegraph thus describes
visit to the royal palace on recep-
ton day:
''The Palacio Real of Madrid is sit
uated at the western extremity Of the
capital, and forms an immense quad
rangle, about four hundred feet in
length on each side but the four fac
AIDES, although almost precisely SINH
lar as regards their architecture, differ
considerably in their altitude, the
southern and eastern wings being only
about eighty-five feet high, while the
remaining two, owing to the declivity
of the ground, are nearly twice that
height. Seen from the old highway
of CASTLE. from the Northern Railway
terminus, from the banks of the much
illuminated Mancanares-which is
really at times a highly respectable riv-
er-or from the summit of the hill
of the Principe Pro, the Royal Palace
of Madrid, with its controforts, its ter
races, and its gardens which last,
sloping .doHnwards, give the edifce a
magnificent pedestal of verdue-de-.
taches itself, in its huge white masses
of carved stone, in a most imposing
manner from the surrounding land
scape, and may contrast not at all un-
faTorably with the noble and venera-
be pile of st. Germain en- Laye, near
Paris. This is no place to speak of
the show wonders of the abode of so
many kings; of the astonishingly rich,
but somewhat garish and meretri-
ciously decorated chapel; of the guar
dajoyds or treasury: of the library, the
theatre, and the caballerizas-the enor-
nous stables and coach houses; in
which are kept whole generations of
state carriages and sets of state har-
ness. Some of these days, perhaps,
ere | leave Madrid, we will go sight
seeing. This instant, Sunday, my
business is only with the first floor Of
this prodigious palace, which alone
contains thirty saloons of colossal .di-
mensions- We left our carriage at
the first of the three gates after pass
ing the Plaza del Oriente, and passed
between two ranges of soldiers with
fixed bayonets into "a large circular
stone vestibule. There one of the
finest staircases | ever saw, composed
of single blocks OF marble, led MS to
1ong range of stone loqgie and corri-
doris, h.ng for the nonce with large
pieces oil nn>ald tapestry, the like of
which IS not to oe~Seen anyvhere ont
of Spain. At last wer~-.Sr a grand
an.cchnmber, decorated with n~aaer.-
Gus trophies of arms and armor of am
tique form, and here were gathered
sundry henchmen, in long doublets of
crimson velvet, heavily embroidered
with gold, which awakened strange
"reminiscences Of our own Royal 1oe-
men of the guard, whose quaint garbs,
indeed. antiquaries maintain was not
devised by Henry VIII, but was in
troduced into England by Philip Of
Spain when he came to our shores to
wed that Queen Mary to whom, it
would seem, it is no longer held to be
good manners to apply her only sodri-
Iguet. In the next antechamber to
this-an immense room, hung with
yellow Utrecht velvet and satin da-
mask, adorned besides by scores OF
masterpieces of the Spanish, Italian
and Flemish Schools closely pack
ed crowd was assembled, anxiously
waiting to be ushered into the royal
presence. Through this crowd, short
" after 2. a 'lane' was made for the
passage of about hundred ladies, s
few in full court costume and blazing
in diamonds. but the majority in morn
ing dress after the latest Paris fash
| ion"