Or the various ornamented grounds and gardens which I had opportunity of visiting while in Europe, the one which approaches most nearly to the description of the Happy Valley in Rasselas, is the country residence or sitio, as it is called,- of the kings of Spain, at the village of Aranjuez, about twenty miles south of Madrid. It is situated in a valley surrounded by low hills, on a point of land formed by the confluence of the Tagus with one of its smaller branches called the Jarama. On leaving Madrid to visit this place, you pass over the bridge of Toledo, a massy, stone structure, elevated to a great height over the little river Manzanares. This is, at all times, a meagre stream, and during the hot season it dwindles into a few threads of water, winding their way painfully through a bed of dry sand. An English traveller affirms, that on a public occasion, when a queen of Spain was to make her entry into the capital over the Toledo bridge, the bed of the river below it was watered, in order to prevent her majesty from being incoinmoded by the dust. But this is, of course, a traveller's story, and is found, in fact, in the work of one of a class of persons who, as Sir Henry Wotton said, are "honest men sent abroad to tell lies for the good of their country." The road to Aranjuez is a very fine one, and passes through a fertile country, laid out for the most part in wheat fields, which are interspersed here and there with a few scattered olive trees. For the information

of those who are not familiar with the appearance of this tree, it may be remarked that it resembles the peach tree in size, and in the shape of its leaves, although their color is a little less vivid. The celebrated old Gothic city of Toledo is situated in the same direction from Madrid with Aranjuez, though a little off from the direct road, and is generally taken by the traveller on his way either out or home. Although the soil of this part of Spain is productive, it is, like the rest of the vast central plateau, formed of the two Castilles, almost wholly destitute of wood, and but scantily supplied with water,- so that it wears to the eye, especially in the hot season, a monotonous and dusty, not to say dreary appearance, which heightens by contrast the effect of the luxuriant vegetation of Aranjuez. On descending into the valley you find yourself at once transported, as it were, into a sort of Elysian garden. The ground is covered with the richest verdure, and under the influence of the ample supply of moisture afforded by the two rivers, the flowers put on their brightest colors, and the trees rise to a height which I have hardly seen equalled in any other part of Spain.

Aranjuez was originally a country resi dence of the Grand Master of the military order of Santiago, and came into possession of the king when that dignity was united to the crown by Ferdinand the Catholic. It was first occupied as a royal residence by the Emperor Charles V., and has been ever

since a constant object of attention with the family, who regularly pass several weeks, there every spring. The palace was planned by the celebrated architect Herrera, the same who built the Escurial,- and though an edifice of no great pretension, is commodious and in good taste. The village is said to have been originally a very confused mass of ordinary and irregular little dwellings, but about the middle of the last century, during the reign of Charles III, it was laid out anew under the direction of the minister Grimaldi, who had been ambassador at the Hague, and felt an ambition to give to Aranjuez the neat and regular appearance of that stately village. He accordingly, in the exercise of a discretion which, even in Spain, would have seemed almost indiscreet, ordered the old village to be removed, and having swept the ground entirely clear, built up a new one, laid out in regular streets and squares, bordered by pretty houses of uniform size and construction. In this state the village remained for some years; but in one of the various revolutions which have swept the surface of Spain like successive hurricanes, since the commencement of the present century, this sequestered spot has suffered great damage, and when I visited it, the village was in a great measure in ruins. Whether it has since been repaired I am not informed.

The beauty of Aranjuez does not lie, however, in the palace or the village, but in the gardens and grounds, which stretch for two or three miles along the Tagus, and form, as I remarked at the beginning, one of the most agreeable creations of the kind to be found in Europe. "Formerly," says Ponz, in his description of Spain, "Aranjuez was renowned for the extraordinary richness and beauty of its vegetation, but, with the exception of the palace, and public offices, was no better than a disorderly collection of ill-constructed houses and mud cottages, in which the court were compelled to find lodgings of the most inconvenient kind. All this is now changed: the gardens have been greatly extended, and the whole valley embellished in a truly royal style. From a point in the centre, broad streets planted with lofty and beautiful elm trees, stretch forth toward the east, west, north and south, -some of them to the distance of a league. Parallel to the river, at a distance of half a mile from it, extends in a straight line along the side of the gardens, the Calle de la Reyua, or Queen Street, perhaps the most agreeable drive in Europe. The intervening space between the river and the Calle de la Reyua, is entirely filled up with trees, shrubs and flowering plants, regularly disposed in groves, parterres and alleys, interspersed with ornamental buildings and groups of statuary. An ample supply of

water, the greatest of luxuries in a hot climate, is distributed in fountains, and at times collected in reservoirs. The scene is enlivened by the presence of innumerable singing birds, who are "pouring their thoughts," as Gray has it, all day long, and especially in the morning and evening, in torrents of joyous melody. I have never heard the nightingale in greater perfection than here.

It has been the usage of the Spanish court for many years past to visit this beautiful retreat every spring, and remain there for several weeks. They generally leave Madrid about the middle of April, and reside at Aranjuez till about the first of June, when the heat becomes so intense, that the exhalations from a moist soil are thought to be dangerous. The executive departments and foreign delegations generally accompany the court on these excursions, and find a very agreeable relief from the somewhat monotonous life of the capital in rambling about among the flowery parterres and green alleys of this terrestrial paradise. The spring of 1827, which I passed at Aranjuez, was enlivened by a greater number of court festivals than usual, in consequence of the birth of a princess. A brief notice of these may perhaps be amusing to some readers.

The first in order was one of the usual public receptions, commonly called a Besa manos, or Hand-Kissing. There were at that time eight of these in the course of the year: four for the birth days and saint's days of the king and queen, and four for the happy return of the king to his kingdom and his capital, from his two captivities in France and at Cadiz. On these occasions, all persons of either sex who have been presented at court, are expected to attend, and are permitted to kneel and kiss the hand of the king, queen, and other members of the royal family. The ladies and gentlemen are received at different hours. It may be as well, however, to employ the past time, for during the fifteen years that have since elapsed there have been at least half a dozen complete revolutions in the administration and government of the kingdom, which has no doubt changed as often the aspect and usages of the court. At that time, however, to be strictly correct, the reception took place in a large and magnificent saloon, at one end of which were placed two arm chairs for the king and queen, who were the only persons seated. At twelve o'clock, after receiving some other visits in a more private manner, their majesties entered the hall, and placed themselves in front of the chairs, with the princes and princesses of their family in a line on their left. Behind them stood the chamberlains and other great household officers, all in gala dresses, as were also the royal