We entered the boat, after viewing the convent, and ascended the river till we reached the convent of St. Hieronymo de buena vista on the opposite shore. The different landing places on the river, and the buildings on its banks, are of Moorish construction, or at least in the Moorish style, and resemble those which you have seen in Mr. Daniel's or Mr. Salt's views on the banks of the Ganges. The principal inducement to visit St. Hieronymo is the fine prospect from the top of the building, from which the name of the convent has received the adjunct of buena vista.

The clearness of the atmosphere enabled us to see objects at a great distance, with a distinctness that surprised us. The city of Carmona, six leagues, or twenty-two miles distant, appeared quite close; the mountains of Ronda, seventy miles from us, were visible to the east, and the Sierra-Morena at nearly the same distance to the North-west: the intermediate space was covered principally with olivetrees, the verdant appearance of which enriched the scene. The city of Seville, with its numerous towers and magnificent buildings, the Guadalquivir flowing through it into the valley below, the large villages and numerous convents on the declivities of the hills, and the whole bounded by lofty mountains at a distance, presented one of the most charming landscapes I ever beheld.

This monastery furnishes a good specimen of architecture, especially the cloister, which is constructed of Dorie pillars, supporting a gallery, on which the roof is sustained by pillars of the Ionic order. In the church there is a statue of clay, highly valued by all connoisseurs, the work of Torregiano, a native of Florence, who came to Seville in

1520; his skill recommended him to the Duke of Arcos, who employed him in making an exact copy of this statue: when it was finished, the Duke paid him in maravedis, and the quantity was so great, that two men were required to carry it to his lodgings. The artist rejoiced in this liberal payment, as he supposed it; but on opening the bags, and ascertaining that they contained copper, and not silver, and that the value was trifling, he became furious, ran to the palace of the Duke, and, before his face, broke the statue in pieces. The figure being an image of our Saviour, he was accused of heresy, and consigned to the inquisition; and that tribunal sentenced him to a severe castigation, which the indignant artist escaped, by starving himself to death within the prison, before the period for executing the sentence arrived.

The statue is colossal, and executed with such skill that it is valued above every other in Spain, and some good judges have not hesitated to declare it the best in the world. It rests on one knee, with the other foot on the ground; the head, the muscles, and the drapery are admirably executed; but it is placed in a dark niche, where it is by no means seen to advantage. In one of the chapels there is a good picture of the Conception by Murillo, and some paintings by Juan de Valdes; there is likewise one by Varila, representing the Deity, a subject which ought never to be attempted.

I am afraid you will be fatigued with the accounts of monasteries, and therefore I shall only describe one more; that of the Capuchins, who, unlike the Carthusians, make vows of perpetual poverty, and consequently possess no property. The building is extensive, and

contains about seventy monks and eight or ten noviciates; they were at dinner in the refectory when we entered; each had his separate portion, and, as soon as he had eaten it, prostrated himself on the ground to perform some devotion, and then retired to a small chapel adjoining, where other prayers were silently repeated before an altar, after which he retired to his cell to sleep. They have a good garden adjoining the convent, which supplies the fraternity with vegetables; whatever else they want is supplied by donations from the faithful, or by the alms which are obtained by begging.

This convent possesses the largest library I have yet seen, but the books are no better than usual; they consist of lives of saints, histories of councils, homilies, and sermons; nothing on science or history, or on any subject that can enlarge the understanding, is to be found among them; there were, indeed, two cases locked, which we were told contained prohibited books; but the friar who attended us, not having arrived at that state of grace which permitted him to read such books, could give us no account of their contents. The friars expressed the same animosity against the French which we have found uniformly to prevail among the whole body of the ecclesiastics; it is however evident, that their animosity arises more from the dread lest their superstitious practices should be abolished, and their orders dissolved, than from any attachment they feel to the cause of liberty; whatever turn, however, the affairs of the peninsula may take, I have no doubt that their doom will speedily be sealed, for they cannot discover greater animosity towards the French, than all virtuous and patriotic Spaniards feel towards the inhabitants of these receptacles of idleness, ignorance, and hypocrisy.

The church of the Capuchins contains some very good paintings, and more by Murillo than are to be found in any other church in Seville; but as the subjects are uninteresting to a Protestant, I did not pay much attention to them. Zubaran has also contributed greatly to the ornament of this church, more especially by a series of paintings representing the life of St. Joseph and the Virgin.

The Hospital de la Sangre is near the convent of the Capuchins; it is one of the finest specimens of the architecture of the sixteenth century; but, instead of being used for its original purpose the reception of the sick, it is now appropriated to the army, and used for barracks. We were delighted with viewing the exterior, but had no inclination to endure the disgust which we were assured the filth of the interior would produce.

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IF I did not fear tiring you with accounts of religious rites, and religious processions, I might perhaps describe two ceremonies which have been celebrated here during the last days of October; which were deemed of sufficient importance to draw the Cardinal Bourbon from Santa Maria to this city, to assist in their celebration. The whole was really so contemptible, that excepting the Coup d'Oeil of the illuminated cathedral, nothing was worth seeing nor describing. The arrival of Lord Wellington was to me an event of much greater interest: he was received in Seville with that warmth of applause which his conduct truly merits; an applause that was felt by his countrymen as a tribute paid to England through one of the first of its military heroes. The suburb of Triana, through which his Lordship passed, the bridge, the Alameyda, and Puerto Xeres, were crouded with people, whose acclamations were answered by salutes of cannon from the batteries, and by feux de joie from the troops of the garrison.