Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-07

prising citizens-Jews, Moors and Arabs
abandoned 1t and took their business else
where. Seville never regained its import
ance or prosperity. and, although for a gen.
GRAFTON or two after the discovery of Amer
lea its commercial activity and influence
revived. it has never recovered it's popula-
ton or Its wealth or industries
The Alcazar.
The Alcazar Is like vision from the
Arabian Nights'-a cataract of color and
fantastic forms. the walls being covered
with the most exquisite arabesques in plas-
ter and brilliant tiles. 1t is second only to
the Alhambra as an example of Moorish
architecture, and every one of it's seventy
eight rooms has it's special charm, although
nearly all Of them are associated with
deeds of cruelty and assassinations. The
wickedeSt things have been done by the
Shrlstans since the conquest of the Moors.
Pedro the Cruel Is the hero of the bloodiest
tragedies 1t is said that Queen Christina
breads to go there, and one does not blame
her for shuddering every time she passes
the gates.
The upper portion of the palace is still
kept in order for the use of the royal FAM
lily and court and the Sevillanos insist that
the KING should spend at least two months
or the winter season here, although he sell
dom gratifies them. One cannot blame the
queen-mother for not wanting to come be-
cause her personal associations with tho
palace are not at all agreeable. During
the Columbian festivities in 1892 Alfonso
Kill, then seven years old, became very ill
here as the result of eating too many sweet
meats at the various dinners given in his
honor, and lay for three weeks dangerously
Ill with gastric fever in one of the magnif-
icent Moorish chambers. All the balls and
Danquets, all the professions and ceremo-
| mes for which the citizens of Seville had
contributed large sums of money and had
| spent weeks in preparation had to be
Abandoned; everything but a high mass
performed in the cathedral by the arch
bishop and even that was changed to a TIE
Deum OF thanksgiving for the recovery of
| the king instead of In honor of the achieve
| ments of Columbus.
Palace st. Elmo.
Near by is the Palace ST. Elmo, for many
years the residence of the Duke and Ouch
| ess of Montpensier, which was originally
/ erected as a school for the navy with the
| proceeds of the plumber brought home by
| Cortes and Pzarro from America It is an
| enormous building and one of the most ex-
| pensfve structures in ali Spain. The en-
J trance is especially fine. In 1S49 Queen Isa-
| bella II presented 1t to her sister. the Ouch
| eSs OF Montpensier who made it an ideal
| family home The late duke was son OF
King Louis PHILIPPE of France, and. as l
! told you in previous letter, he married the
youngest sister of Isabella when she was
| only fourteen years of age. Mercedes, their
| daughter, was the first wife of her cousin
King Alfonso XII: Antonio, their son, is
| the husband of the Infanta Eulalie. An
| other daughter is the Queen of Portugal;
another is the wife of the Duke of Aosta
| heir preseumptive to the throne of Italy
| and still another is the Countess of Paris
whose daughter Louise is supposed to be
| the selected wife of her second cousin the
present King of Spain.
| Upon the death of the late Duke Mont
pensier his widow gave this palace to the
church. and the gardens to the city of Sc
vile for park. ST. Elmo is now a theo-
| logical seminary where $50 young men are
| Being prepared for the priesthood. Most of
the pictures and ornaments that were in st.
Elmo have been sent to the public museum
| where there is a fine collection of paintings
| and other works of art, including several of
Murillo's best works 1t is not a large mu-
! scum. but a very interesting one.
| The Town Hall.
The town hall of Seville is a very fine ex-
| ample of the Picturesque style of architec-
ture which was built in the earlier part Of
the sixteenth century and was also paid for
out of the plumber brought from the halls of
the Montezumas in Mexico and the temples
| Of the Aztecs in Peru. But curiously
| enough, 1t remains unfinished. One front of
| 1t has no ornamentation whatever which
| is truly Spanish. The other three very
| elaborate The money evidently did not
| hold out, and nobody has since had enter
| prise enough to raise more.
! Seville ought to be a prosperous and
wealthy town. because the country that sur
rounds 1t Is rich. the soil and china te are all
that could be desired. is Is only few hours
| from the ocean and is connected by rail-
way with all of the other principal cities In
Spain. Cadiz takes away much of the ship
ping. for ocean steamers Of heavy draft
water enough for vessels drawing fourteen
| feet.