its past brilliancy and present decay, though still beautiful in its ruins; the associations brought to light by contemplating the various buildings of which it is now composed, were manifold, from pity at the bad taste displayed by Charles the Fifth, in incumbering this venerable pile with a modern edifice, which neither he nor his successors ever finished, nor will complete, to indignation on viewing the last ruthless deeds of the French, who could not abandon the place without leaving behind their usual barbarous mementos of destruction, all these, and a thousand other thoughts, crowded one on the other, with the rapidity of succeeding waves on the shore of the ocean.

I know not how long I might have remained in this contemplative mood, had I not been aroused by my companions reminding me it was late, and that we should not have time, if we delayed, to visit "las cuevas de los gitanos," or the gipsy caves, the entrances of which were visible on the opposite hill, em

bowered amidst groves of the cactus, or prickly pear, that, during the season, must afford them a plentiful supply of its luscious fruit, and which is said to be extremely wholesome and nutritive when taken with water, but if any fermented liquors are used as a beverage with it, to be quite the reverse.

We descended by a path down the north side of the hill, and on our way I recognised the ravine in which Washington Irving places his three captive knights, when they were made to work during their captivity, and which they did so much to the purpose, that they ended in effecting their escape with two of the Moorish princesses.

We wended our way down the steep ascent, through gardens perfumed with the peach and almond, now in full blossom, until we reached the rocky channel of the Daro, which crossing by a romantic bridge, we began our ascent towards the gipsies. These people have

* In addition to their professed trades as blacksmiths and tinkers, they are determined horse-stealers,

exactly the same appearance as their brethren in England, though perhaps rather darker, and they do not bear a stronger character for honesty, being rogues by birth and education, and tinkers and blacksmiths by trade. We entered several of their abodes, which, barring the dirt, appeared very comfortable. They merely consist of an excavation, to the height of seven or eight feet, in the face of the hill, which is of a gravelly nature; at the end of this den is a fire-place, with an opening above to let out the smoke, so that if a man finds his door shut, all he has to do is to slip down the chimney. The whole hill is completely honey-combed with these curious abodes, and the number of

and are as renowned for playing tricks on these animals as their brethren in England. The women of this tribe are famed for their cabalistic acquirements, in telling fortunes and other mysteries; and their abodes in the "cuevas" at Grenada wanted nothing to identify them with the Sybil's Grotto. The clipping of the horses and mules, much practised in Spain, is consigned entirely to the craft of these expert "gitanos."

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THE GIPSY CAVES.

their inhabitants amounts to several thousands, who reside here the whole year, during heat and cold, dry and damp weather, and do not appear to suffer any inconvenience from this exposure.

MORNING AMUSEMENT.

191

CHAPTER XXII.

Go out to sketch-Extreme cold-Snow-La gālera, or Spanish stage-coach- Comfortless day-A morning of snow-The Brasero-A grog party— The Capa and Abaneco-An estudiante in liquor -Visit the Cartuja-Plaza de Trionfo-Lunatic Asylum-Slight mistake-The Carthusian Friars -Paintings-Cano and Murillo-A pickpocketVisit to the Alhambra-Washington Irving's heroine-Mateo Ximenes-Go to jail-A tertullia— Spanish sobriety-La Vega-Sota de Roma--The Duke of Wellington-Santa Fé.-Madame Latana -Her double entendres-Spanish delicacy.

22nd March, 1838.

I WENT out very early in the morning, with the intention of taking a sketch of the Alhambra hill from the opposite height, a little beyond the gipsy caves. I passed through the