Year: 1871

BY \ TRAVELLER.


By far the most curious part Of the
fair at Torsedillas was the ass market,
held by a gay fraternity Of Gipsies.-
There were about dozen Of these, for
the most tpart of middle stature, beaut-
fully formed, with very regular features
of an Asiatic cast and having copper
ttngei their hands were very small, as OF
a race long gunaccustomed to severe toll,
with quantities Of silver rings strung ON
the fingers.


They had very white aud regular
teeth, and their black eyes we're uncom-
monty large, round orbed, projecting
and impressive; habituaIIy languid and
melancholy itf moments of restlessness,
they kindled into wonderful brightness
when engaged in commencing their
asses, or in bartering with a purchaser.
Their jet black hair hung in long curls
down their back, and they were nearly
all dressed in velvet, as Andalusian
majos, with quantities of buttons made
from pesetas covering their jackets and
breeches, as many as three or tour
hanging freely from thesame oilet hole.
Some of them wore the Andalusian leg
gin and shoe of brown leather, others
the footless stocking and sandal of VAL
enoiag in general, their dress, which
had nothing in common with the coun-
try they were in, seemed calculated to
unite ease of movement and freedom
from embarrassment to jauntiness of
effect.


All Of them had a prusiOn of trinkets
and amulets, intended to testify their
devotion to that religion which, accord
ing to the popular belief, they were sus-
pected of doubling, and one of them ex-
pressed his excessive zeal in wearing
conspicuOusly from his neck silver
case, twice the size Of a dollar, contain
ing a picture of the Virgin Mary
holding the infant Saviour in her
arms


-Four or five females accompanied this
party, and came and weHt-ffom the
square and back, as if engaged at each
branch of trade. They had beautiful
olive faces, with fine eyes and teeth, and
rich olive cOmplexions. Their costume
was different from anything I had seen
in Spain, its greatest peculiarity con-
sisting in a coarse outer peticoat, (which
was drawn over the head at pleasure
instead Of the mantilla, aud which re-
minded me Of the mauta of Peru, con-
eealing the whole of the face, except
only single eve


! | was greatly amused la observing the
ingenious mode in which they kept their
beasts together in the midst of such a
crowd and 50 much confusion, or sepa-
rated them for the purpose of making a
sale.


They were strung at the side Of the
parapet wall, overlooking the river, with
their heads towards it and pressing
against it, as il anxious to push it over,
but in reality a desire to avoid the fire.
quentshowers Of blows which were dis
triputed from time to time, without
motive or warning, on their unofFend-
ing hinder parts, and to withdraw them
as far as possible from the direction in
which they wree inflicted.


As they were very much crowded
together, there was quite scunling work
for an ass to get in when brought back
from an un successful effort to trade or
when newly bought, for these fellows,
in the true spirit Of barter, were equally
ready to buy or sell. The gipsy's staff,
distributing blows OIL the rumps of two
adjoining beasts, would throw opeu be-
tween them a slight aperture, into
which the nose. OF the intruding asa
would be made to enLsEI-y~ten a plenti-
full encouragement of blows would force
him in, like wedge into a-riven tree.