frnit rfi-ntifiillï thouith crowiiiii in th e open air. General Don Francisco Abadla sent La
branclws of tfi’is tree lofded with fruit, in 1821 ; and a t th e same time informed him that
S 'ln y t r ^ s hXBmoas to Cnha flourished near Malaga ; among others the hatchet-breaker, so called
from the extraordinary hardness of its wood.
507 The gardens o f Granada. In the romantic city of Granada is stül preserved
thé famous palace of Casa del Amor, built by the Moors, who mlcd there many centuries.
It is situated on a mgged eminence, and, with its spacious and_ picturesque gardens,
chiefly dedicated to the cultivation of fruit and flowers, occupies great part of the
mountain. The ground is formed into terraces, and ornamented with statues, canals,
fountains, cascades, and lakes. From it may be seen great pai't of the pleasure-gardens
belonging to the city, aU furnished with beautiful fountains of the purest water. AU
the hanks of the rivers near Granada are embeUishcd with numerous carmenes or enclosed
gardens. They are chiefly appropriated to the culture of flowers and h-uit trees,
standards as well as trained ; they also have their statues, cascades, and groups oi
flgui'cs. A garden, to be denominated a carmen, must be situated on the banks ot a
^^To8. Gardens o f Valencia. In tho city tho most celebrated garden is that of the
Bai'on Manuel ; hut those of the Mai-quis la Komana, the Plaza de San Domingo, the
capuchins, the nuns of S. Catalina, and the newly erected royal gardens, are also
worthy of note. Perhaps there is not througliout Spain a people so passionatdy iond
of flowers as the Valenciaiis : many employ themselves exclusively as florists, and hnd it
a profitable employment. I t is tme, they cultivate but few species ; thcir collections
consisting only of wallflowers, roses, anemones, violets, jasmines, and a tew lilies ; but
from Üieto they have obtained such a multitude of varieties, paiticularly pinks, anemones,
and wallflowers, that they must be considered proficients in floriculture. The carnations
of Valencia are eagerly sought for ; and were it not that the communication with
the interior is tardy and difficult, the growers would derive considerable profit from the
sale of tliis plant alone. I t is the only place in Spain where they grow pinks of a blue
colour : those of straw aud lemon colour are common. The only gardener in Madnd
who gained a liveliliood by his p r o f e s s i o n was a Valencian. The Archbishop of Valencia
has a country-house, and beautiful gardens, at Puzol, near the city.
509. Gardens o f Barcelona. The environs of Barcelona are embeUished with many
country-houses and pleasure-gardens called torres ; these are regularly laid out, and, as
usual, adorned with sculpture and fountains. The commercial intercourse ot the inhabitants
of Barcelona with France and Italy enables them to procure scarce ornamental
plants and flowers with facility and despatch. Tho garden of the Marquis m Llupia,
called the Labyrinth, three miles distant from Barcelona, of Don Antonio Gu'onella,
merchant, and that of the Capuchin friai'S of San'ia, scarcely a league distant from the
city are greatly superior to any of the others. The first of these comprises the greatw
part of an estate a mile in circumference ; and it has, besides an extensive labyi'inth
formed by hedges of clipped box, another portion of ground exclusively appropriated to
the cultivation of flowers and ornamental shmbs ; delightfully interspersed with cascades
and other waterworks, and the most exquisite marble statues of Italian wifrtoansliip.
There is on the same estate a fine wood, with a fr-uit aud culinary garden. Ih e garden
of Gfronella is still more famous than the Labyrinth. I t is laid out with great taste ;
and has, among other curiosities, a labyrinth formed by streams of w a t^ ; the water-
works are in greater variety, and any person is allowed to visit them. The garden ot
the Capuchins of Sarria forms a complete landscape of the most sombre character, being
chiefly composed of cypresses and other dai-k-foliaged trees : it contains m a y waterworks
and some clay figures executed by the monks themselves. The whole foi-ms a
retreat well calculated to awaken religious feelings, and has convenient walks the
fathers, during the sultry heat of midsummer, impervious to the rays of the sun. Within
the city of Barcelona there are many pleasure-gardens ; the best belongs to the captain-
general ; it is situated on the walk of the esplanade, and is always open to the public,
f G a rd ilfai?., vol. iv. p. 76.) .
510 The gardens o f Tarragona. Granjas, the seat of Don Ramon Fortunj, near
Tan-agona, appeal's to be in good taste, combining the ancient style with the cultivation
of the orange, fig, vine, olive, and other fmits, and with an accidental mixture of rocks
and picturesque scenery. A very interesting engraving of this peculiar and beautiful
residence is given by Sir Jo h n CaiT, in his Ti-avels in Spain ; the doors of the diningroom
he informs us, open into a small garden, the walls of which are covered with
myrtles iasmines, and roses, and the view is over an orchard of olives, oranges, and
pomegranates. In the centre of the garden are grotesque waterworks. We are not
aware of any attempt to introduce the modern style of landscape-gai'demng m this
country. The hermitages of Montserrat, near Tarragona, abound in oak, ohves, ash,
elm box, myrtle, eglantine, jasmine, rosemary, lavender, thyme, and other aromatic
shrubs and plants, tastefully disposed among the rocks and declivities, by the hand ot
nature, with very little assistance irom man ; that of Santa Anna (fg . 167.) is one of the
most remarkable.
167
511. r/ie p u b l i c walks and promenades. Almost every to m m Spam lias a public
walk, where the better classes assemble in tho afternoon. The promenade at Madnd is
caUed E l Prado, but the more general mame in the provinces is the Alameda, trom
alamo, a word used to express an elm or a p o p la r; those trees being most commonly
nlantcd for shade. In aU the promenades, large stone benches ran in the direction ol
the alloys, for the people to sit upon, either for the purposes of repose or conversation ;
and there are geuerally numerous fountains of delicious water. No less than twenty
or tliirty men canying each two large glasses which hold about a quart apiece, are
constantly moving to and fro, clashing their glasses together, so deffierously, wnthoiit
breaking them, that they keep up a lively tinkUng noise, like that of heUs. (Doblados
Letters from Spain.)
E l P ra d o is a line spacious paeso, a t least two miles long, and from 200 to “ 7“ »*
rows of trees, ancl several fountains. The most frequented part, ?articulariv^on
L a r l / a mile in length, and a t least twice as i r v i e ?
' t K o ! t S X ! L V ? o i ! / o f s liL tlo n 1„ an spam It lies higl,
r r o f it s n i t¥ ! i^ ? ;m S e i
„¥d m a g S S f t i i m X oT^^^^^^ and th e gorgeous city, arc frequently caught beyond it.
bank o fth e Guadalquivir is a succession of orange groves. (Inglis s S p am m 1830, vol. ii. p. 71.) l here