The Republican journal., 1900-05-17

province should by no means he nao
lected. For example: there is Alcan-
'ala' village on the Tagus river go
mics northwest of Merida. The dustv
trip, usually made on mule-back Is
very fatiguing; but what globe-trottars
"oulo on That account forego seeing
the old stronghold of the military
monks OF Alcantara, an order which
IKE those of Santiago and Calatrava
was instituted in the early DAYS of the
oastlllan monarchy to protect the from
tier against the infidel Their monas-
tery-an immense structure ba1f-css
Tie, half-barrack-has fallen into ruin
NOTWITHSTANDING the almost incredible
strength and extent. of it's walls
roman bridge in the vicinity. said to
DE the most superb work of it's kind
now III existence, measures go feet in
length and rises 210 feet above the wa
'er Inc enormous granite blocks com
) posing lt-many of them ten feet ]onu
by three feet thick-are Wonderfully
lolllled, Without the aid of mortar.
! Gan you imagine the feeling of awe and
| admiration which this stupendnous
work, which has been in use nearly
eighteen hundred years, inspires in the
breast OF a Wanderer from the infant
iand OF the stars and Stripes? Stand
| ing amid a wilderness of rocks. rOrpes
| and trpHlnSs hill
upon the view in all the majesty of its
solltary grandeur, its colossal arches as
sound to-day as when they echoed to
the measured tread of the Roman
leglons. Over this broad causeway
have passed the eagles of the emperor,
the struggling hordeS of invading
Cloths, the armies of Roderick and
Musa, the sacreligious booty wrested
by the Moor from the churches Of Ga
hcla, the triumphant chivalry of Cas-
tile and Leon returning from the CON
quest and devastation Of fair Grenada
Another excursion of less magnitude
may be made to the Sierra de las Vibor-
as-if you dare to risk the snakes and
/ reptiles of every sort with which those
mountains abound-to say nothing of
the rascally brigands, and very real and
ever-present peril in Spain. You will
of course make it in the saddle. follow
| ing the sinuous banks Of the Guadiana
for several miles: then crossing the AL
jucen river into the region Of wheat
fields, and finally scrambling up steep
and rocky hill-trails, as far as fancy
leads you
Certainly you must 90 to Badajoz,
the historic city on the very border-line
between Spain and Portugal. Luckily.
, it is an easy trip, by railway, though
very slow. 1t is a compact little town,
of only 23.o0o inhabitants, and most of
its sights are gathered around the
central plaza. RadajoZ is approached
| by a handsome granite bridge of thirty
arches, completed in the sixteenth cen
fury, with quaint forts guarding both
| ends of it, The cathedral, the munich
pal palace the theatre. barracks and
! best shops and cafes, all face the Campo
de san Juan as its principal square is
called. while the tree-shaded centre,
with its fountain and hand-stand. serves
as the fashionable promenade. The
cathedral. which has survived so many
changes, was begun by AlenZo el Subio,
i'll l24S Its facade is later in the
I 4 t,-1n ll,,
and colossal statue of John the Bap-
| fist. Al a side portal is fixed on mar
| bic stone the hammer which used to be
I Knocked when a canon was dying. be
fore the passing bell'' was introduced.
The picturesque cloisters of early date,
with their intellacing arches and spiral
columns, are inches deep in the white
wash which has defaced most of the in
terror: but there are many fine paintings
and historic tombs, including that of
the Marques de Bal, the famous Gen
eral of Philip Y, who was so soundIy
beaten at Zaragoza, in ITO
The arms of Badajoz are the pillars
of Hercules and Plus Ultra. The mot
to, however, does not apply, so long as
Portugal continues separate from
Spain, and consequently a source of
weakness. Philip II. realized this when
he bounced upon the prey, which was
lost by his grandson, Philip ". The
chief interest in the town is in military
events Alonzo TX. took it from the
Moors in 1888: the Portuguese beseiged
it in 1860, and again in 1905. Kellerman
and Victor failed before it in 1908, and
again the following year. In 1910 Bon
apart, ordered Soulte to advance Oh Els
tramadura. to relieve Messina when
arrested before Torres Valdes. You
know the rest how BadajoZ was de-
Tended by Rafael Menacho, until that
brave young soldier was killed; when
his successor in command, Jose ImaZ,
sold the place to Soulte. When the
Frenchman beheld its tremendous de-
lenses, which he could not have carried
by force of arms, he quietly remarked,
There are but few forts so strong that
a mule laden with gold cannot get in
FANNIE b. WARD.
Newspaper Notes.