The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-05-03

l flourish unprotected in the open air. be
 side productions of the temperate zont
 apples, peaches, pears, corn and pota-
 toes coming to perfection, as well as or.
 anges, figs and bananas But the roya
 palms are the special glory of Cordova l Set thickly in the gardens and plazas 1 Haunting their green plumes far above 1 the house-tops, they are the first objects | that attract the approaching traveller s l attention, and the last that he sees | when taking a backward look on his de- l parting journey; and next to the won- derful mosque, they finger longest and most pleasantly in his memory. It is
 said that all the palms in Spain are de- scended from one which Prince Abd-ur- rahman l. brought with him from the banks of the Euphrates and planted in the garden of his Cordovan palace. The gentle Arabian composed a sadly
 sweet poem to that palm-like himself
 an exile-which is yet sung and recited
 in Spain. akin to that other homesick
 wall, La Golondrona," of Mexico.
 Cordova is indebted to the Arabs for
 the fine acqueduct that brings pure,
 cold mountain water across d deep val-
 ley to hundred public fountains
 These reservoirs are also excellent
 places for observing peculiar phases of
 folk-life; and so are the plazas, where
 the entire population may be seen at least once every day-the poorer classes lounging and sleeping through the noon- tide heat. the aristocrats in their ricke- ty coaches and landaus at the fashiona-' ble sunset hour. The "Paseo del Gran Caplta"--so named in honor of GonSal- Vo de Cordoba, one of Ferdinand'S doughty knights in the siege of Grena- da--is the principal promenade of the city. During the day it is quite desert ed, except for sleeping beggars, its dou- ble rows of orange-trees and Japanese medlars turning up their dry leaves white with dust. At night the scene changes as completely as on the Prado at Havana. Bands play, innumerable gas-jets twinkle amid the shrubbery, the air Is delightfully."- cool, and the blue dome of heaven hangs it's lustrous star lamps over all. The few noble families who keep up ghostly show of antiqua- ted state, drive pompously to and fro, while plebean jewellers swarm the prom enade, or seated at little tables, sip horchates de chufa or dulce de azahas- sweetmeats made of orange-fowers and water, essentially Cordovese in charac- ter
 Much more beautiful is the shady AL ameda, with gardens on either side, where the cool plash of water from in- fountains mingles with the music, and the air is heavy with the fragrance of orange blossoms, olean- ders and roses. There is also the tree shaded Paseo de la Victoria, extending to the distant railway station; and the Ribera, along the river bank, command ing fine view of the bridge, the gipsy suburb and the crumbling AlcazaF.
 By the. way 1t was the above-men- toned Gran Capitan," Gonsalvo, who originated the saying so common in Spain, that while other cities may be better to live in, Cordova is eminently the place in which to be born. It's mar row paths are so roughly paved that to walk in them is penance, and it's house. walls, whitewashed at least once , year, dazzle the suffering eyes. Car riages are not allowed to enter any of he principal streets, and into most of hem wheeled vehicles could not possi-
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