The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-29

ing reading. The author is named Ford, and
the impression you gather you over
the pages is one Of bitter beer and
Welsh rarebits. Ford seems 10 have wandered
over Spain good deal and to have acquired multi
tude OF facts. But he cannot finish chapter with
out singing God Save the Queen" and blessing the
memory of the Duke of Wellington. He generally
speaks of Wellington as ..The Duke" as though there
were only duke in the British pcerage entitled to
the definite article. He hates the French, who have
always shown peridy toward Spain--'sometimes the
sword. sometimes the wedding ring" This is an alu
sion to the Spanish marriage which was burning
question in English politics thirty years ago when
Ford was in his glory. England angry because the
spanish Queen would not marry to suit England.
There the old dread OF French interference IN
Spain, which rife in the time of Lonis XIV.
and Napoleon TO allow of Louis Philippe's
marry Spanish princess OK
tension of French influence which England would
not tolerate. The married. and now
lives in Seville Duke lie Montpensier and one Of
the children of this marriage the poor Queen
Mercedes, who married last January ard died in
June. The impression You gain from writers like
Ford is that Spain would go to eternal perdtion
bat for the intervention of Power like England
England is the fountain Of wisdom the type of JUS
tce the of power, the all conqnerng and ever
inst, which hangs the Peninsula like Proyi-
dence and without which -?
INFLUENCE SPAIN.
There is this comfort in book like Ford's, that
the man believes what he writes. He secs the world
from the English point of view, and every step in
land is only point Of comparison with his own.
have read in novels and story books that the type
Of the American was his Dragging, and that the true
Yankee made it an hourly boast that he could whip
all creation. This before the Since then
we have not been in Dragging hnmor. and
talk only Of corruptons and scandals. But for the
true Dragging traveller give me the Englishman. He
is not offensive about it. He does make it ques
tion Of argument The subject is not for argu-
ment. OF the highest type of civilization is
English, and of there is army that can
stand for moment in face of an English army. and
soldier lived who could compare with the Duke
of Wellington. This is not to be discussed. Every
body knows it, and question il there could be
any offence graver than to intimate to our English
friend that perhaps he mistaken; that there were
other countries where army valiant, and men
honest, and fair; that there were
nations who were unselish and brave. The English
traveller, who comes to Spain with his stan
dards fixed. looks this country a
sad place. Nothing pleases him. The cooks
put too much garlic in the food. the very
winners do not know how to flavor their sherry.
The men you meet on the streets carry knives They
bandits most OF them, would be il you
to meet them some lonely pass in the Guada
rama hills. They all priest-ridden. If the truth
known they divide with the priest the results OF
each adventure. They will not work. Life consists
of the bull-ring, the cafe the and the
lottery. They smoke cigarettes foolish little
futile cigarettes-which smoked before you
grasp them. What you think of a
people who smoke cigarettes, when they could buy
the old fashioned clay pipes Of England and have
tons of almond and orange. How a nation be
great which will fool it's time these insipid
and never know the Injury OF swig of good old
honest English ale? They cat beans and cakes, and
rarely have roast beef This is the ultimate sign OF
decadence.
FRANCE, ENGLAND SPAIN
God forbid that should raise a standard Of COM
parison disparaging to England. only think these
standards should not be raised against SPAIN or
France the United States--morc especially Spain
English writers doing almost without an ex-
ception Coming more to Spain my third
journey, the memory of old impressions gathered
from English books. and more particularly from
Ford, comes back to me. and know how unjust
they and how my experiences at
variance with those / CLEANED from the books.
As TO the politics of SPAIN could that any
invasion dia her good, and do not see much
difference between the invasions of the English and
the French. 1t does not me that Wellington
came here the savior of Spain, that lie had any
sentimental ideas the subject. He came because
England wanted TO fight Napoleon. and because
England always prefers TO fight her battles in
other countries than her own. Minister in
Parliament easily explain the loss of
10000 Spanish Hessian allies in a battle than if
they 10000 fellow countrymen and the nation
throbbing their lose. 1 hear that the French
burned towns when they in Spain. But
England destroyed Spanish fleet and sacked Baajoz
while to France the saving of the Alhambra.
To France we owe the opening Of the Inqusition
prisons. Of the most benencent acts OF
modern times. I interest that would
be served by the destruction OF French power in the
Peninsula but the interests Of England aud these
only far as 1t is believed that England only can
be strong and free while other nations are weak and
divided. can how from high political point
of view that nothing would benefit SPAIN Italy and
Portugal more than for them TO form close COM
morcial alliance with Francea confederation IL pos.
sible They have many points Of ro-emblance--in
religion. the origin OF language and geographical rea-
tons. such alliance would infuse the whole mass
with the wealth aud the enterprise OF France and the
Mediterranean might become more the seat OF
empires mighty the empires Of the past. But
this might affect the route to India the balance OF
power the freedom of the some special Brit
ish interest. Everything must be secondary to that
long British interests safe il matters little
what happens to Spain or how poor her people may
be.
arIMpsEs FRONTIER.
! look on Spain in kinder spirit, and although as
you the frontier and how all things change
and feel the instantaneous difference between spain
and France Icannot help feeling that she was mighty
in other days and that within her borders lies the
strength that may awake to the mastery of empires
ON the side Of the boundary you leave the brisk.
dapper French gendarme all action and noise the
clean stations, trim with flowers the eating tables
where you burden yourself with bon
bons and champagne. TN the other side You
hear no noise. That everlasting French clatter il
ceased. You do not groups ~ gesiculating peo-
pie oil speaking at once. Things not 40 clean.
There Is smoke every wlere--smoka thu saloons in
tbe eating roorux You mipht Hud p,athfuo A.. ~.