The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-02-02
MALAGA.
WHERE THE GOOD RAISINS COME
FROM.
Famous Watering Place--History and
sights of the City.

sights of the city.
Especial Correspondence of the journal
and Courier.)
Jan. 20-Malaga is not much to look
Its houses Of monotonous color and
contour, all grays and yelloWs, over
topped by an enormous cathedral of
bright red sandstone, sweep around a
deep bay of the Mediterranean, guard
ed by antique forts and dominated by
a lofty hill crowned by a Moorish cita-
del. But it is an important commercial
city, of one hundred and twenty thou
sand souls, the head-center of the
worlds raisin industry and one of the
most famous wintering- places in Eu-
rope for invalids and convaescents.
Landing at Malaga is a work of time
and strength, of patience and ceremo-
ny. Soon after sunrise your steamer
drops anchor mile from shore, for no
apparent reason but to increase the
port charges for next morning you see
her with nose close to the landing
place. After a tedious time of waiting,
in which everybody's convenience but
the passengers seems to be consulted,
j several gorgeously canoped boats, fly
ing the royal flag, come out bringing
uniformed officials These pompous
gentlemen spend leisurey hour or two
roll-calling, examining your tongues
and your luggage, and breakfasting at
the captains expenses; after which
their gracious permission is given to go
ashore. Meanwhile a mighty fleet OF
boats has been collecting round about
boats OF all descriptions, yachts, feluc-
cas-, row~boats, lighters, chickencoop
affairs like those of Havana harbor, and
other unnamable floating creations
which, according to Scripture, it would
| be no sin to worship-their owners
bawlng in very Babel of tongues
with all the energy and determination
of hack drivers at the Jersey City ferry.
| Boa hire, like everything else here, Is
very eXtortionate-at the least fifty
cents, one way, for each person, and the
same for every smallest package not
carried In your hand-and just as much
more as the boatmen can wiring out of
you But as you must get over that in
tervening stretch of water somehow,
the only way is to make an iron-clad
bargain beforehand and keep firm
grip upon your temper To lose 1t
would be a sad mistake, for you will
need it many times in Malaga! Thus
the day is we'll advanced before your
feet at last touch terra firma. Your
belongings are dumped on the ground
in the open street; and there you wait,
in sun or shower the convenience of
more customs officials, several of whom
are wandering about and apparently
enjoying your discontinue. You want
an hour maybe two hours, with moth
Ing to sit upon-not daring to go away
and leave your luggage to the mercy of
the populace, and not permitted to take
it; until, the omnipotence of the gov
eminent having been sufficiently mani
tested, the master of customs saunters
up, cool and dignified, accompanied by
two uniformed assistants, all smoking |
cigarettes. The master bestows upon |
you one long searching stare. II salts |
fed that you look honest, he makes
some marks with white chalk upon |
each of your packages, without opening
any of them, and you are at liberty to
take them and go. But woe betide the
luckless traveller with whose facial eX- I
he Is not pleased! He signs to
his assistants, who fall upon the bag
gage with fiendish glee tumbling i'm
maculate raiment out into the dust and
exposing carefully hidden secrets of the
toilet to the gaze of the rabble
Malaga is by all odds the most An
glicized city in Spain-and perhaps that
is the reason why 1t is also the dearest.
,,pioo a |
double those of northern towns, with
really nothing to show for the differ
ence. There are a great many inns of
varying degrees of badness. Probably
you choose the famous Gran Hotel de
la Roma" which is the most splendid
and eypensiye--and about the most
3omfortless. 1t is kept by a wealthy
which also owns great show
place inns in Madrid and Grenada. At
Ill seasons crowded with invalids, tour
SITS and ralsin- merchants, at this time
If year 1t is literally packed, and i'll 1t
you hear good deal less of the Span
sh language than any other of Europe.
At first you marvel that the place is so
much resorted to by the ailing, for a
ierce sirocco is bloWing-a dry, hot |
Wind straight over from African des-
,rts. which causes extreme lassitude.
The climate is undoubtedly good for
persons with delicate lungs, on account
# its excessive dryness, there being ,
,nly about, twenty days of rain in :
ear, and then never more than an hour
" two at O time--so that there is very
eldom a day when invalids may not eX
rcisa in the open air The winter tenn
,erature averages fifty degrees Fahren- ..
lett, which is eight degrees warmer
han Rome, Nice and the Riviera
sunshine envelope the place as
With a garment, but the exceeding dry :
less. which is so favorable to throat
nd lung diseases, play havoc with the /.
erves A soft and balmy breeze comes
reuuently from the northwest, so up
citing to nervous people that its inf1u-
nee Is recognized in local courts of law,
nd crimes of passion, committed when
his wind is blowing, are mitigated, in
he judgment of the tribunals, by the
My experience Is that v
ONE kind of disagreeable wind is gem o
rally blowing in Malaga, stirring up I
nsavory odors and powdering one with n
ne, impalpable, doubtless disease, Il
ERIN laden dust. The city is far from C
lean and has none Of those sanitary ar b
one expects to see in n pop "
lar sanitarium The authorities rely a
olely on an occasional freshet to re- Il
love filth and rubbish from the maio- Il