, 1879-01-11
THE ESCURIAL.
A Brilliant Description Of the Eighth
Wonder Of the World.
Gen. Grant at the Grand and Gloomy
Home Of Philip II.
Monument Of y Dreary, Cruel, and
Degrading Age.


Jnhn Russell Young writes as follows to tho
New Fork Herald from Madrid, under date Of
Nuv. II:
Our party to-day Is composed Of Gen. and
Mrs. Grant, James Russell Lowell, our Minis
Ter, and hIs vile, Col. foe'f, the epsnsh soldier
and gentleman, in whiting On ths dontsat, aud
your correspondent. Wa have learned certain
farss about The Escurtal which may interest the
reader before We 70 further. Tho name "Es-
curfa1 y means iron dross. according 10 somc
authorities, baaed upon the mines Of iron that
ara iouad bers. According to othcrb it neaus
the plAco Of rocks, from the Arabic. Tho bnild-
Ing was intended Is convent and a palace
more especially convent. When the King be-
gan to build he had bean somc Jears on the
throne, sud had begun to learn tie vanity Of
earthly ambitions. On April %, 1863, the hrst
stone waA 1a!d, and The latt stone on
ecpt- 10, l584. Al you pass into tho court
yard the tguide shows you this stone, marked
With crota on QUO Of the eavok. The King
casne to live here Ia 1854. az 5000 hs tho build
lug WAS habtable, and here hc Hired uutil his
death fn 1903. Thu site OF the palace Is 2,7W
feet ators tic sea lcvel, and iss form Is
rectangular para1lelogrunl--74f feet from the
north 10 tho south and GS0 from east to west.
There are courts and windows, With turruts. A
tradition has grown up that thesa are. made to
tepresent the Hridiron on which Ut. Lawrence
suffered lnartyftlo1n-thht II you were to 20 up
in balloon anil look down IN tho EacurlaI 1t
would resemble hugs Ertd[ron. with the feet
this story than nut, for there ID something
charming In tho taca Of great King TAX
ing Fridtfon - un emblem Of architectural
beauty and building thc:efrofn ouc of the most
vas 10 tntiel Of the Erid!ron In tho character of
this tamchtcl sovcsvlgn-thc desire to tuast
peopls for tho gIorv ot lod Rnd the grandeur
u hpa!ti-l!lAt one llntes " abahst9n the fable,
Tint, whether he hing intended It o. MT, lis
nature asserted ltsclf. and We have q gftitrlm
after Rl'. 4 statue ns you enter IL that nf st.
Lawrence, for Shotn this convent IL named anil
IN wl,use hnnor Is was built. The Sain. haa L
dom. The steel knob tnat opens the duor vi
the church n in the form Of d grsdtron. I,l osie
0t tbs rooms which 20 shall soon see II picture
of the ,tnartyraoai oi tie saint, t'y iIttan-a
one Of the few iiartyrtioms which attract
reafus Of the astt,t. You ob.esve. therefore,
that the grtdron has much TO do xItll thu Es-
k,ng's sefgn-befnFc his father Ind died, IN
fact although he was among tho tnonks III
Estraaadura. Philip fought tns ffcuct, at 81.
Queniin; 1hs oattle golng bully With nl'n.
uc tht!CA pU OLE A+AHtCutEs AulH e4tuk Hu3 u
spaaarl. boFu tu tho ,Araaou country, near
ths Pyrenees, and VIA bro!led on gritllron
over slow fire by one Of tho Roman Emrerors
In 2gl. 10 rh!ltp called to Lawrence ani
French or strengthened to deIcat tlieu, he
W I'D build monument to the ssint 81 vast
II At the worl'i would ever llold it In
ase. 10. the Batnt took lland IN the
tish., snd DESTROYED ths French, and Philip
minded: But out OF this came the Escurtal mil
the tradition nj tho Eridtron. do not SEQ bow
ohe can resist the stery. 1t Is the whlu, OF \
King. and what should wa hold moro In rercr-
once than the ~httns Of Ktngsl 20 wcre tho
fsramids,--the only monuments that semtnd
you Of the EecurtaI. 1t waa tbs whtnl of Fred
tricks father 70 have tall soldiers, Vi Louis
XVI: to file locks, OF George ~. to work oycr
us reverence the whltns Of kinga! How much
more ot = King, this Pnllp, TO put away soldiers,
and ltrks, and trousers, aod, rising 10 the d9,
nifty Ut hts 4rLd!rou, make It an emblem uf
,nonuncns Vi the Superstition. .l,c tyranny, ths
grandeur, and the Eluonr pride Of At, ngc when
the c!o!ttrE swaycd afa seentre aud Ills sccptre
ruled t4e world!
7IIK SIR OF THE Escva1AL.
We are told. and repeat tAs information ~
tnathemnttca1 fact, t1lat The bnftdlnE COVERS \
half million square feet: that there arr eighty
eight fountains, fifteen cloisters, cl1hty-six
.taEcaaes, sixteen eourt: yards, and 1900 feet OF
Inc Is the ca,4rt Of tho Ktugs. It leads to tho
church, wc1. Ia aurn,ountcd by four Kings ri
Iu,lnll. I hare forgotten their names, but to.
niclnber Mevi'izedek at,1 Solomon. TAcse
statues are seventeen fest high. cut out Of
crahlte, tho head and hands ot marble, the
crowps Of bronzr. There Is nothing striking
ubuut them cxccbt thcfr stEc, In fact, y0u orc
not allowed to escape from tho impression That
came upon you as yUu ~cro to!ling oyer the rail-
way oyrr tho stony ridges. II Ia ali stotsr, rnll.
kolnbre, and oppressive. It oteathcs the sInrlt
Of Philip, arid falls upon you !lko y tuflfeu.
MODEM ROYAL HOMER
We Wcye rsuurtcu lntu tic Royal apartments,
for Kiugs haye lived here. although moi as it,
Phillips day. Whit we srp nrt u series OF
routus. roolns running Into ros,,ns. plainly fur.
n!sticd, with solsle exceptions. The tnptslry Is
worth studying, aud perhaps We RlloAd Study
Il, hnt Gen. Grant has ~ ~ sYo tyr tapestry,
and pushes on to tho Wlndows, where ke cal scs
something growing. aud lsyUl,u v htcl, you lt,ay
hot only sou the rocky hills, but 4 garden that
has been sayageA from thu rosks. A. yau louI
al,owp 4 recess, Two ur thnu y,aks furDlcd
ilka 4 chsir, whrru tAlIu wus won't
10 ait and brood ,oser lIss gr!liron As Il
grew into shapv. W. ate reminded tlat /.
would ba we'll worth ctlntfllG vi, ttr hill mil
sitting Ia Philips seat. Bnt thu WAY Il Ion.
and tho ascent Is rough. and Guild wind Is
blowing, mud ono can ser IS nurh oE the Escn-
rial rs hc Wanta without cncountcrtnC pueu.
IHQtH1s }uT tApEpk5t fEp0ats'S4 R1itA@SA vi
tloyn sud TentrTs. mud gors oack to the tins
Of Charles III. and Chaflcs ". Cnurles Ill.
was almost EosAl cuougt IS King TO hlyo becn
. President Of the latted States, an1 hr Is.
perhaps, tho only onu aIlce Enaslca V. Wtl0
could hays atotHf tlls tests Of randstlatura,
and he did many tlltngs to Improve SPUN, to
1sslorr her palAess aul ad0 ~ her prosperity.
The only tooa,s thas rise to roYat value arc i
suite of four chambors IN .U1ncr, which were
occupied By Isabella. | do not think t,,rrc are
iuur more beautiful rooms In thr world. Thu
walls are tnlald Will, rars Hot,da the aonrs, thu
wItltlox.sl every portion has been 4. care.
tal!y tle1uralcn as ihpugA tbry lad been The
masterpieces of Ccli,ni. There wa4 = tabls IN
which 1sll.o!!a was wont 10 write her ]ctters and
proclanlatinEs, Eeln Of decoration, as pcsirct
Is prturc. lho xlIule Il IN exsuisitn taste,
sad shows laylsl, e1pcgss and cxirrm1 rary III
Workmanship. Tho cost III the tuusns alouo Il
set dowu NJ 3l,4ul,000. ! did not learn undrr
which this k,nE this Wa done, hut presume It
was Eh4f!cs ~. l'h!i!a aeYet sue,it ~ mach
.noney IN wood carving. ltu spent It fas Relics
enl stuue.
TIE LIBRARY or THE EscuRlAi-
Ne weru iakSH u the library. 4 polite at~
sendsnt showed u somc of the geu.a ot tila
room, which lookou WARM sud cuzy, really the
on!y liying -sooin To tls Eteutlal. Tllrta were