200

COLONY IN THE SIERRA MORENA.

articles for domestic use; offering a striking contrast to the dirt and absolute nakedness of a Spanish cottage. The secret of this improvement is soon told. The inhabitants were labouring on their own property, and had a personal interest in what they did. Their Spanish friend, seeing the interest they took in it, gave them a brief account of the colony.

"Previous to the reign of Charles III.," he said, "the Sierra Morena was entirely abandoned to banditti. Don Pablo de Olivado, who then enjoyed a high office in the government of Seville, conceived the design of colonizing the Sierra, and supporting the colonies by their own agricultural labour. One attempt failed, after a great expenditure; the second was more successful. Settlers came from different parts of Germany, tempted by the liberal offers of the Spanish government; and it is their descendants who still inhabit these colonies. Every settler received fifty pieces of land, every piece being ten thousand feet square, free of rent for ten years, and then only subject to tithes. When those pieces were brought into cultivation, another equally large was assigned to the cultivator. Along with this land every colonist received the necessary articles for agricultural labour: ten cows, one ass, two pigs, a cock and hen, and seed for his land. The only restriction imposed on them was, that no one was allowed to

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dispose of his lot in favour of any other colonist. Thus none could grow richer than the rest but by their own labour."

“And how has this plan answered ?" said Mr. Delville.

"Not so well as could be wished. The colonists live in comfort; but there being no outlet for their superfluous produce, while gain, the great stimulus of labour is withheld, the colonies may live, but will never flourish."

True," said Mr. Delville, with a smile. "That rule obtains all over the world: gain is the sole effectual stimulus to labour."

As they entered the plains of Andalusia they found the olive-trees enlarged into groves, and the flax clothing the sides of the mountains. A great variety of new shrubs caught their attention, and the aromatic smell of others perfumed the air. Gigantic aloes were seen on the road-side; and at every step some fresh indication of a more southern climate met the eye of the traveller.

On quitting the Sierra Morena, the mountains of Grenada rose like a mist before them, and Moorish castles were seen on the most precipitous parts of the Sierra. At night they reached Baylen, which the Spanish officer eagerly pointed out, as the celebrated field of battle where Castanos gained the victory over the French, which subsequently led to their quitting Madrid. By favour

of Polinario they passed in safety through Andujar, a place noted for its robberies, and where the moral character of the people is notoriously bad. The whole road to Cordova, from Andujar, lies through the extensive plains, watered by the Guadalquiver, which are rich in wheat and olives. Their companion pointed it out to them as the property of the duke of Medina Coeli, who was said to be the only proprietor in Spain who waters his olives. The river flows at about a mile distant, and the whole of the olive-land is subject to irrigation by means of machinery.

"And does he find this plan advantageous ?" "So he affirms. He has crops when all other olive-trees fail."

Cordova now lay before them. The road by which they were approaching it was bordered by hedges of aloes, some measuring eleven feet in height, and the flower-stems rising from twentyfour to thirty feet high. This is a useful plant to the natives; ropes and thread are made from the fibres of the leaves, and the stalks of the flowers are cut into light beams for the roofs of cottages.

The situation of this once celebrated city is truly delightful. East and west flows the Guadalquiver. The level ground, along its banks, is rich in every production congenial to the climate of Andalusia. A range of low, wooded hills, embellished by gardens, orange-groves, and houses, runs

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parallel to the river; while the elevated range of the Sierra Morena pushes forward its picturesque and rugged forms almost to the walls of the city." "What a splendid situation!" said Ellen.

"It is all it has now to boast," said her father. " Cordova, once the favoured seat of science and a munificent dynasty, is now sunk into poverty and ignorance. It was once celebrated as the birthplace of the learned Arab physician Averroes; and in later times, it claims Gonsalvo de Cordova, sirnamed the Great Captain,' as her citizen."

The first spot they visited was the Mosque. It disappointed them. It wanted the grandeur of a gothic cathedral, and it had lost the novelty of a Mosque. The space in the middle, where, in the original design, nothing was ever intended to be, was filled up by an altar; and by destroying the unity of design, the eye was dissatisfied. One curiosity, however, amply repaid them: it was the chapel of Mahomet, in the most perfect repair, and accidentally laid open in 1815. By the removal of some old brick-work, the Arabic characters, in all the freshness of their original colouring, were seen upon the walls; and the painting and gilding were as vivid as though finished but yesterday.

This," said Mr. Delville, "is a monument that carries us back to years gone by. Our imagi

204

DECAY OF THE MOORISH CITIES.

nation recurs to Cordova, in all its original glory, when it contained six hundred mosques, seven hundred baths, two hundred thousand houses, and gave laws to eighty cities of the first order. It was in this city that the victorious natives of Damascus were fixed, on the first irruption of the Arabs, while those of Emessa were stationed at Seville: and Grenada was colonized by ten thousand horsemen of Syria and Irak; the children of the purest and the most noble of the Arabian tribes."

"If the Spaniards," said Edward, "had in any degree preserved the former prosperity of these cities, at this day the change of power would be indifferent; but it rests on the testimony of Moorish history, and seems like a fable, when we compare it with the present reality."

"And the Arabs," said Ellen, 66 were neither gloomy nor tyrannical to the Spaniards, till irritated by the losses they sustained: they were goaded by the implacable hatred of the Christians into some degree of retaliation."

Many traits are reported of their sprightliness and wit," said Mr. Delville. "I recollect a story told of Alhaken, that bears a strong resemblance to Gascoigne and our prince Henry."

"Tell it us, papa, here, in the very chapel of Mahomet; nothing can be better chosen !"

Such were the entreaties of the young people, and Mr. Delville complied with them.