The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-07-14
The SPANISH CAPITAL.
SEEING IT UNDER ROYiE PAI
RONiGE.
Much More to be Seen In That way
Than Others See.

Much More to be Seen In That way
Than Others See.
Especial Correspondence of the journal
and Courier)
Madrid, Spain, June 10-That bit of
pasteboard bearing the royal crest
which the thoughtful kindness of the
queen provided, has proved an open
sesame" Of greatest value. Before IL
all doors however locked and barred,
fly open as byj magic, and one glance
at the sentence scrawled across its race
| by the kings secretary reduces the
most unaccommodating custodian TO
AFFECT servility. BY its aid we have OBJ
! tanned inside views of many things
that are usually denied to tourists-ln-
Guiding the royal Pantheon, wherein
| the dead kings Of Spain have been
holding their silent court for centuries;
the throne-room, private library ana
picture galleries of living soverelgns;
all the treasures of antiquity in the roy
al armory; the House of Ministers,
and even the rarer privilege of Ell Con-
Sress de los Deputies In session.
The best time for strangers to visit
the palace is between ten O'Clock and
noon on any bright morning. Then you
may witness the ceremony Of guard
mounting, see the crack regiments of
! Spain at their evolutions and hear the
royal band, which is said to be one of
the finest in the world. At precisely
ten O'Clock the band marched into the
courtyard and up the marble staircas
between the couchant lions, playing
martial airs; then, stationng them
selves in the upper corridor, outside the
| private rooms of the imperial family
proceed to give an hours concert,
worth coming far to hear Meanwhile
the great patio below is thronged with
citizens and tourists; ladies' and gentle
men of the court and gorgeously uni
formed officers pass up and down the
stairs, and vigilant sentries, patrolling
everywhere, preserve strictest ORDER
even over the voices of the crowd,
which must on no account be raised
high enough to reach the rooms above.
When the musical programme Is con-
cluded the band marches away as 1T
came, while squadrons Of cavalry and
squares Of infantry manoeuvre In the
open space before the palace. Every
body fingers to get a glimpse of the
young king as he goes out for his morn
ing constitutional" Two or three car
riages dash up to the main entrance or
a richly caparisoned horse is led by
grooms. Troops form living lane and
stand motionless as statues awaiting
his majestys pleasure. Presently
tall, fair-haired, blue1eyed lad, very
ett afs,t M nd oxriHn,,t1y
bent on looking every inch a king"
despite his only fifteen summers, comes
down the stairway. followed by gilt
tering train of officers. Bowling right
and left to his future subjects, he seats
himself in the foremost carriage or
springs lightly into the saddle; never
neglecting, before he clatters away, to
turn back and kiss his hand at GER
tain yelled upper window, behind which
he knows that his mother and sisters
are standing. Whatever faults and
virtues the future king Of Spain may
have fallen heir to, 1t is certain that he
is a most dutiful soma trait not due
to heredity If history is true.
The throne room Of Madrids Palacio
Real is q truly magnificent apartment
all in crimson and gold, with exquisite
frescoes, alabaster columns and flooring
of precious marbles Colossal mirrors
line the walls between long windows
hung with hand wrought lace and
crimson dannask, the draperies of each
window worth Il courtier's fortune, AS
fortunes are rated in these post-bellum
days. The ceiling is painted in alegor-
ical representation of "the majesty of
Spain" the virtues of her kings and
the manliness Of her people somewhat
ambiguously portrayed in the apotheo-
sis of Trajan and the Aurora and
from the center depends an enormous
chandelier Of rock crystal which is con-
sdered the finest example of its kind in
existence. At the far end of the apart
ment on a low dias under a gorgeous,
gold-frineed velvet canopy, are two
great chairs, handsomely carved and
gilded and upholstered in crimson bro
cade. These are the thrones of Spain, !
wherein the boy-king and his mother
sit on occasions of ceremony--and |
most uncomfortable they look their
hard-stuffed, slippery seats too high |
from the floor for the feet of either to |
"touch bottom without hassocks. |
Royal maeniiieence Is everywhere APP |
parent, but not a hint of anything like |
ease or home comfort. How deadly |
cold and lonesome it must have looked |
to the girl-bride of the late Alfonso |
Mercedes, who died so young. and her !
successor the present queen regent, |
from the gayer and less punctilious |
court of Austria. A great many mar
BILE and onxy tables. with nothing on |
them. are scattered about the room: |
but almost no chairs, there being no |
need of any, as few people are permit |
ted to sit in the presence of royalty |
lnnumerabe cabinets, richly carved. |
are filled with rarest china--most of it |
the far-famed Buen Retro ware, made |
at Madrid by the artists whom Charles !
JIG brought with him from the manu-
factories of Capo Iii Monte, at Naples
the huge vases, Wrnged figures and |
garanda of flowers especially being
considered the most remarkable exam
pies ever made of their style of art.
There are no pictures on the walls, ex-
cept few ugly portraits of royal per-
but many posphery busts of
sixteenth century workmanship. the
most beautiful of which are two heads
Of the sons of Agriphina, looking down
upon the spot where dead kings and
queens lie in state before their royal
progress to the pantheon. The win