The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-05-31

Fabrica d Armas offers but a Sha-
dow of its former Importance and
prosperity; and the tendency is
ever downward, deeper and deeper
into the slough of poverty.
1t is difficult to describe a place
which cannot be compared to any
other. The general view of Tole-
do has no beauty, but is solemn
and melancholy beyond degree
huge and historical, thing of the
past, girdled in form living world
by the solitude of its desolate hills
without trace of any vegetation
whatever. Fancy, if you can, an
enormous rock, or rather a group
of them, rising abruptly 1900 feet
above the barren plain and COM
pletely covered with irregular
lines of towers, battlemented
walls, grim old castles and sombre
monasteries, with a stupendous
palace-the great Alcazar-domi-
mating all; the whole encircled by
the rapid Tagus, boiling through
rent of the granite. mountains,
leaving just one approach to the
city by the land side, and that so
strongly defended by ancient
Moorish fortiffations as to appear
utterly unassailable. All around
it rise black precipitous rocks,
backed by rugged hills, scorched
by the tropic sun into every shade
of orange and brown, but with
never a hint of living green.
Guarding the entrance to the
town stands the ruined castle of
Cervantes on a projecting spur of
the mountain. At its foot is the
bridge of Alcantara, the celebrated
Bridge of the Bridge" closed at
both ends by gate-towers and strid-
ing with high arches across the
Tagus as it rushes through a deep
chasm in the rock. 1t is truly a
city set upon hill" and with
good reason-because its "muni-
tion of rocks made a natural
fortress.
The Romans built in the plain,
because their legions were strong
enough to defend an unfortifed
city; but the Goths came from the
North, where feudal chiefs, who
were little better than the robbers,
were wont to immure themselves
behind thick walls, from which to
sally out and attack cities, and so
they built castles in Spain as they
had built them on the Danube
and the Rhine. But though the
present city is of Gothic origin,
the older bridge is Roman-at
least its site was chosen by them,
for since their day it has been re-
built many times. 1t occupies the
place of the Roman structure, rest
ing on the same cliffs, its noble
arches, after the original Roman
pattern, spanning the same deep
gorge and rushing river. From
the farther bank commences the
ascent, by steep and winding
terraced road overlookingsthe par
apet and a wide landscape of
plains, mountains and river. The
atmosphere is so clear that every
fissure in the distant hills can be
counted and each building on the
line Of the horizon stands out
against the turquoise sky as il
seen through a microscope.
A clumsy vehicle, half wagon,
half omnibus, drawn by six mules,
harnessedsthree abreast, conveys
passengers from the railway station
across the bridge and up the mill
tary road to the town. The mules
are coparisoned in true Castilian
fashion, with glittering brass and
tinkling bells and gaudy tassels,
but are urged with cruel blows,
oaths and frantic crys by their gyp-
sy driver UP the winding way at a
speed which threatens to snap
their slender legs like pipe stems.
The sophisticated traveller will
have none of it, but climbs the
! heiOhtS on foot ta1yiror +;,,a +o 30