VII. Visit the stables; there are some fine Padres y Garañones for breeding from mares and asses; the females are allowed to wander at liberty over a district of great extent. This establishment was renewed in 1876: English sires, dams, and grooms were then introduced. Aranjuez has a Plaza de Toros, and a tolerable theatre. On a hill to the 1. (going to Ocaña) is a pond, here called, as usual, the sea-el mar de Ontigola. Rly. in construction from Aranjuez by Tarancon to Cuenca. The rly. from Aranjuez to Toledo leaves the main line at 9 m. Castillejo Junct. Stat.; thence a branch line to Toledo (2 trains daily in 1 hr.). Travellers who wish to go to the South from Toledo change carriages here; but it is preferable to start from Madrid (see 'Indicador'). 7 m. Algodor Stat. ROUTE 5. MADRID TO CUENCA, BY TARANCON, 85 m. Railway in construction by Aranjuez and Tarancon to Cuenca, open 1882 as far as Tarancon. Meanwhile diligence from Madrid daily. The following are the Railway stations. The line will be continued eventually to Valencia. Aranjuez Stat. Pop. 8155. Rte. 4A. 5 m. Villarrubia Stat. Pop. 2722. 3 m. Santa Cruz Stat. Pop. 2225. 2 m. Tarancon Stat. Pop. 4464. Diligences from Madrid every other day by Guadalajara, 13 hours. For route by rail to Guadalajara, see Rte. 149. The accommodation at Cuenca poor. N.B. The sportsman or artist may also go round by the Baños del Sitio Real de Isabel, and thence make, with his rod, gun, or brushes, over the wild mountains to Cuenca. The diligence-road leaves Madrid by the Atocha gate, and passes through Vallecas (Pop. 3124) to 10 m. Vacia Madrid. Railway in construction to Arganda. Soon afterwards the Jarama is crossed a little above its junction with the Manzanares. The dreary character of the vicinity of Madrid begins to diminish near 3 m. Arganda (Pop. 3022), with its suspension-bridge, olives, vines, and corn-fields; the excellent red wine made here is much drunk in the capital, where it passes for Valdepeñas. 7 m. Perales (Pop. 1512) lies in a rich valley watered by the Tajuña, which, coming from the Sierra de Selorio, joins the Henares. Crossing it we enter 63 m. Villarejo de Salvañes (Pop. 3020), with a fine ruined castle; the Gothic parish church contains some pictures by Pedro Orrente. 7 m. Fuentedueña de Tajo (Pop. 1094). Here the Tajo is crossed in a boat. The fine suspension-bridge was destroyed, at General Prim's suggestion, in 1866. At the right is a Moorish castle. Another monotonous track, with here and there some of Don Quijote's windmills, leads to Tarancon. 10 m. Tarancon, where the Parador de las Diligencias is very bad: Pop. 4464. It is situated in a plain on the bank of the Rianzares. This town is one of some traffic, being in the middle of many cross communications. The W. façade of the fine parish Church | highest ridge, from whence the waters retains its ancient and minute Gothic descend E. and W. Crossing the ornaments, but the N. was modernised Jucar, after passing Albaladejito the into the Ionic order in the time of country becomes picturesque; and after Philip II. Queen Cristina built her- threading a planted defile, rock-built self a fine palace here soon after her scrambling Cuenca is entered by its marriage with Muñoz, who was made ancient bridge. Duke of Rianzares. Railway in construction to Cuenca. 20 m. CUENCA, Concha, lies indeed a hill-girt shell, and is the capital of its mountainous district, being itself about 3400 ft. above the level of the sea. INDEX. 1. Inns, Situation, &c. Page 126 127 127 128 131 3. Walk round the Town 5. Bishop's Palace; Old Houses 132 § 1. Inns: Calle de Cordoneros, tolerable, good food; Casa de Huespedes del Platero, bad. Pascual de la Cruz, Carreteria 63; the owner keeps a little tartana which may be hired for excursions. Pop. 7851. [About 7 m. from Tarancon is situated the little town of Uclés (Pop. 1095), which lies amid gardens and Alamedas watered by the Bedija. A carriage may be hired at Tarancon for this excursion. On a hill above towers the enormous magnificent Convent, once belonging to the order of Santiago, of which Uclés was the first encomi enda, and the abbot was mitred; it was founded in 1174, on the site of a Moorish alcazar, of which la torre Albarrana was preserved in the new edifice. It commands a superb view. The E. façade is built in the Berruguete style, the N. and W. in the classical, the S. in bad Churrigueresque. The chapel Cuenca, one of the most picturesque was raised in 1600, in the simple cities in Spain, rivals Ronda and ToHerrera style. Uclés is a fatal sito in ledo in natural beauty; the site is most all Spanish annals, for here, in 1100, romantic, the artistical objects numerSancho, the son of Alonso VI., was de-ous; the fishing, botany, and geology feated and killed by the infidel, whereby his father's heart was broken; see the affecting account in Mariana (x. 5); the fatal spot is still called Sicuendes, from the seven counts killed there. well deserving notice. The Spaniards will endeavour to dissuade travellers from going to this "tumbledown mediæval unmodernised city," aqui no hay nada, no tiene nada digno de verse; let not any of our readers be thus misled, but set forth on this most interesting tour. The chains to the N.E. are continuations of the Cantabrian range, which serpentines through Spain by Burgos, Oca, Moncayo, Molina de Aragon, and Albarracin. The fine forests called los pinares de Cuenca are proverbial, and rival those of Soria. Squirrels, ardillas, are very abundant here. The scenery in these immemorial woods and rocks is Salvator-Rosa-like, while the lakes and streams contain trout, and the hills abound in botany and geology, yet to be properly investigated. These localities, in the 15th and 16th centuries, were densely peopled with busy rich traders in its staple, wool; now, it is so poverty stricken, that scarcely 300 souls to the square league are to be numbered. The mountains, Montes Orospedani, were the fastnesses of the brave Celtiberians, who waged a desperate guerilla contest against the Romans. The town was once celebrated for its splendid silver work, and the family of the Becerriles were here what the Arfes were to Leon. Alonso and Francisco Becerril both lived at Cuenca early in 1500, and by them was exquisitely wrought the once glorious custodia, in 1528-46, and described at length by Ponz, iii. 73; which, with other splendid crosses, chalices, &c., were plundered by Caulaincourt. having eaten the animals, put on their fleeces, and were taken back on all fours, being let into Cuenca by a small still-existing postern in the walls: from this strange flock sprang most of the hidalgo families of Cuenca, e.g. the Albornoz, Alarcon, Cabrera, Carrillo, Salazar, &c. Cuenca, once celebrated alike for arts, literature, and manufactories, now only retains its picturesque position; the beautiful Huecar and Jucar (sucro, the sweet waters, aguas dulces) still come down through defiles spanned with bridges, and planted with charming walks, mills, and poplars, placed there for the artist; above topples the pyramidical eagle's-nest town, with its old walls and towers, and houses hang Cuenca is romantically situated on a peak called San Cristobal, about half-ing over the precipices and barren way between Madrid and Valencia, on the confluence of the Jucar and Huecar, and between the heights Majestad and el Socorro.* § 2. HISTORICAL NOTICE. Cuenca is purely Moorish, and like Ronda, Alhama, and Alarcon, is built on a river-isolated rock. It was given in 1106 by Ben Abet, king of Seville, as part of the portion of Zaida his daughter, when she became the wife of Alonso VI. The inhabitants, however, rebelled at the transfer, and the city was retaken by Alonso VIII., Sept. 26, 1177. The campaign is detailed by Mariana (xi. 14), who records how Alonso VIII. was in want of everything at the critical moment; the site of his camp of starvation is still shown at Fuentes del Rey. See also the ballad En esa Ciudad de Burgos' (Duran, iv. 207). The town was captured at last by a stratagem, devised by a Christian slave inside, one Martin Alhaja, who led out his Moorish master's merinos as if to pasture, but then gave them to his hungry countrymen. These wolves *For details, consult 'Poliencomio de Cuenca,' Petrus de Solera Reynoso, 4to., Cuenca, 1624; and 'La Historia,' Juan Pablo Martir Rizo, fol., Mad., 1620, a curious volume, which also contains portraits of the Mendozas, long its governors; refer also to 'Hechos de Garcia Hurtado de Mendoza,' Chr. Suarez de Figueroa, 4to.; Mad., 1613, 'Hist. de la Ciudad de Cuenca,' Don Trefon Muñoz, Cuenca, 1866-7. rocks, which enhance the charm of the fertile valleys, the Hoces, below. From the suburb the town rises in terraces, as it were, tier above tier, roof above roof, up to the Plaza and the cathedral, which occupy almost the only level space, for the streets are steep, tortuous, and narrow. § 3. WALK ROUND THE TOWN. Fully to appreciate the beauty of Cuenca the following tour may be taken. Proceed to the bridge of San Anton, which crosses the pretty Jucar at the western end of the town. Descend to the path which passes under one of the arches, and then keep along up the rt. bank of the river; just below the bridge is a ruined weir, by which the waters were once dammed up, in order to fill the stream as it passed under the cliff on which the town stands. The colour of the water is beautifully clear, with a slight greenish tint. Passing the copse of poplars and white-leaved aspens, above on the rt. rises rock-built Cuenca. Continue the walk on to the bridge Las Escalas, which crosses the Jucar at the other end of the town, and sketch it if you will, for it consists only of timberbeams, laid upon stone piers; but, before going over it, ascend further up the rt. bank, look back on the town and into the valley. Next cross the Returning over the bridge and ascending into the town you soon reach the plaza and Cathedral. § 4. CATHEDRAL. bridge, and ascend a zigzag pathway | altar is composed of the richest jaspers; cut in the rock to the little alameda, the order is Corinthian. The figures which looks like a shelf squeezed in at of 3 monks are placed between the the angle of the town; from thence is pillars in the divisions. The interior a striking view of the valley; continue of the church is simple; two bold semialong the pathway that leads to the circular arches from each side of the summit of the ridge at the end of which nave, each recess containing a chapel : the town is built; cross the table- the groining of the roof is good; the ground until you look down upon the stones are pointed or marked by yellows valley of the Huecar; about a quarter and gilding. of a mile from Cuenca some steps cut in the rock lead down to a spring or streamlet which finds its way down the slopes by a devious course into the Huecar; thus irrigating numerous gardens filled with fine vegetables and fruit-trees, and feeding the creepers which mantle luxuriantly the crags and stones. The pathway which leads down to the bottom of the happy Rasselas valley runs just beyond a tank where picturesque washerwomen congregate, forming artistic groups and colours. The Huecar is but a brook, from being so much drained off to water the gardens on the low ground near it. As we descend, obs. the beautiful views of the bridge and convent of San Pablo, perched on a precipice, with the surrounding cliffs, rocks, and mountains; keeping a path which conducts to the level of the Bridge, cross it to the church of the now-ruined Dominican monastery: this viaduct, worthy of the Romans, which rivals in height and solidity the arches of Merida, Alcantara, and Segovia, rises 150 ft., 350 ft. long, connecting the broken riscos or rocks. It is reared on colossal piers, and was built in 1523 for the convenience of the monks by Francisco de Luna, at the cost of the Canon Juan de Pozo. Allowed to get out of repair, it has been most bunglingly mended: examine the E. face of the pier nearest the city; the modern parapet, negligently built within its original position, is considered here a very proper restoration; thus only mules and foot-passengers can pass where two carriages could formerly, and, what is worse, the approaching decay of the whole bridge is accelerated. The façade of San Pablo has unfortunately been modernised with a most absurd portal. The retablo of the high The Cathedral was founded in 1178 by Alonso VIII., who removed to this new bishopric the ancient sees of Valera and Arcos: it was consecrated by the prelate Don Rodrigo Ximenez de Rada. The style of the edifice is simple and severe Gothic with a semicircular E. termination. The façade fronting the Plaza was modernised in 1664-9 by a blunderer named José Arroyo, according to the order of the blundering chapter, which once was very rich in cash, although miserably poor in good taste. These Goths also painted the interior yellow, picked out with black; white at least would have been more appropriate, in imitation of the cathedral at Siena, and in compliment to Diego de Mendoza, a Cuencan, who then ruled so long in that city, and who now is buried in this cathedral. Of his great family was Don Garcia Hurtado de Mendoza, fourth Marquis of Cañete, the hero of the Araucanian war, which forms the subject of the Epic of Spain by Ercilla.* Look especially at the fine painted windows and the circular sweep. The apsis behind the high altar is very striking, and the mazes of columns intersect each other quite orientally, recalling the Mezquita of Cordova; the arches, semi-Moorish and semiGothic, spring from a bold cornice, which projects beyond the heads of the lower columns. The ornate semi * See 'Los Hechos,' &c., by Suarez de Figueroa, 4to., Mad., 1613. Moorish arch which forms the entrance | to the high altar springs from corbels, or, to speak more correctly, from excrescences of the capitals; and a similar oriental form is preserved in the arches at the W. end of the cathedral, but they are turned from the heads of the piers in the common plan of Gothic construction. The coro (see plan, C), placed as usual in the centre, was unfortunately modernised and spoilt by Bishop Florez, of whose vile period are the organs and jasper pulpit; the splendid reja, however, and the eagle lectern, or facistol, are of the olden [Spain, 1882.] CUENCA CATHEDRAL. time, and are masterpieces of Hernando de Arenas, 1557. The original retablo was removed in the last century in order to make place for the present high altar, which is indeed as fine as jaspers can make it; although classical in style, it is stamped with the academical commonplace of its designer, Ventura Rodriguez, ob. 1785. The statue of the Virgin was sculptured in Genoa; the trasparente, or heavy pile at the back of the altar (B), the boast of Cuenca, where it is preferred to the fine old cinquecento art, is dedicated to San Julian, once Bishop K |