The Republican journal., 1900-06-28

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sell his bridge. In the reign of Charles
II. the Court used to amuSe itself by
driving up and down the dry, rocky bed
of the Manzanares, and local traditions
preserve many amusing mishaps that
occurred. Up to fifty years ago, this great
city. of about 473, 900 inhabitants, de-
pended entirely upon the Gallegos, or
human carriers. for every drop of water
used: and so scanty was the supply, and
for so high price did it sell, that most
of it was drank and very little left for
lavatory purposes. Thanks to an Eng
fish company, the city is now abundant
ly supplied with delicious water, which
is distributed into every part by hy-
draulic works. 1t is brought from the
source of the river Lozoya, away up in
the Guadarrama range, more than thirty
miles way. through an aqueduct which
cost twenty -tive million pesos.
Though Ferdinand and Isabella oc-
casionally set up their pilgrim taber-
nacle on the declivity that overhangs
the ManZanares, and Charles V. nursed
his govt here. and other kings tarried
awhile to hunt in the neighboring
| forests, the monkiSh King. Philip II.
was first to declare Madrid ''the only
court and add all it's other high-sound-
ing but meaningless titles-''El Cuidad
Imperial y Coronado, muy noble, muy
leal Y muy heroica' the Imperial and
crowned city, very noble. very loyal and
very heroic. Mr.. John Hay, our Secre-
tary of State, in his book entitled Castil-
ian Days, says on this subject: 1T
seems hard to conceive how king who
| had his choice of Lisbon, with its glor-
ious harbor and lmequalled commune
cations: Seville with its delicious climate
and natural beauty: Salamanca and
Toledo with their wealth of tradition,
Splendors of architecture and renown
of learning, should have chosen this
| barren mountain for his home and the
seat of his Empire. But when we know
this monkish King. we wonder no long
er lie chose Madrid simply because it
was cheerless and bare and of ophthal-
mic ugliness. The royal kill-joy delight
ed in having the dreariest Capital on
earth. Afteriawhile there seemed to him
! too much life and humanity about Mad
rid, and he built the Escurial, the grand
est idea of majesty and ennui the world
has ever seen. This vast mass of gram
lite has somehow acted as an anchor
that has held the Capital fast moored
at Madrid through all succeeding years.
Arrived at Madrid, you find the rail
way station infested with an importu-
nate crowd of beggars, porters, guides
and lottery-ticket vendors, through
whose fragrant ranks you fairly fight a
passage to the line of waiting cabs.
Jumping into the nearest cab, you are
hardly started hotelward before the
driver suddenly pulls up and an official
putting his head into the door, politely
requests you to descend. "What is the
matter? you ask, fumbling for the
ever-ready passport. 'Recomocer ell
equipage, inspection of baggage is the
reply. Oh yes! Though your trunks
have gone to the custom house, that
little handbag was forgotten in escap-
ing the swarm of beggars at the station,
who now hem you in and settle down
upon you like locusts on Kansas field.
| ID ,I,a, INV in, ic falli,,r 11y
does five days out of seven in Madrid:
but there you must stand in the mud
at the mercy of the crowd, with your
effects exposed to the wet, while the
inspector makes a deliberate eXamina-
ton even of your toothbrush and
shakes out your robe de mutt. to make
sure that you have nothing concealed in
it: then thrusts your things back helter-
SHELTER and chalking some cabalistic
signs upon the valise, bows low and per-
mits you to proceed. There is no use in
demonstrating, for these derechos de
puertas, or gate duties" are bound to
be attended to. If you carried SO much
as an apple, or a sandwich, it would
be promptly confiscated for the benefit
of the government, and probably there
would be fine to pay, if not something
worse. A most veXatious tax is levied
upon all articles of food before they are
allowed to be carried within the walls,
or exposed for sale in the markets Of
any town. Every pound of -four, every
pint of wine, every orange, pays tribute
to the reigning family; and of course
the burden Of this imposition upon the
necessaries of life falls heaviest upon
the poor. The tax is collected without
pity, and the slightest attempt at eva
sion is sure to be followed by the seiz-