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Show f Alhambra in Dilapidation f (Special Correspondence.) uranauaa Rkiry the palace of the jAItuuilira alter weathering tho wara and earthquakes 0f ,,,!, ,,, nun dred jenra Is according tu late re-porta re-porta from Spain almost ready to auo-eumb auo-eumb to the releulleaa tooth of lime and become a ruin (Ireal eracka. It 'a ataled, bac appeared In the walla of the Moorish palace and otherwise the structure Is to a condition of ro-.reliable ro-.reliable dilapidation It If only ahuiit fifteen )era ago that part of the court of lh Alberca, or the fishponds of the ancient alace was serlousl) damaged by fire, which, ft-rtiinalel), was prevented rrom reducing re-ducing the noble building lu ashes Now, It socms the Imminent danger of yho palace at that time did not teach tho Spaniards a lesson Proud aa they are of this masterpiece of Moorish art It has been permitted to fall Into decay h Inattention Last Stronghold ol Islam, (lranada waa the last atrnngbnld of Islamlam In western Kimipc, and, singularly enough, the year tt-at llotib dll surrendered the fortrena Alhambra to Ferdinand and Isabella those mon archs fitted out an expedition at the entreaty of the rienrese navigator Columbus which was to add an cm tire tu their domains No one can apeak or write about tho wondirful palace of the Alhambra without thinking of Washington Irv Ing It was Irving who peoled the JXlRhty palace and fotlres with a hot M .legends, legtnd which, no doubt, net or existed befire bis residence tn the old plice, nnd which am now part cf the history of the neighborhood, for they axe nil flrrrl) lulleved In b tho nitlvcs Irving visited the Alhambra In 1C9 and found It ' a MoMrm pile In tho midst of a Christian land an Oriental palaco amidst (lolhlc edifices of Iho west, an clcrant rrcminto of a bravo Entrance to Palace of Charles V. Intelligent; and gracelul leople, who conquered, rulid, flourished and pais cd anal' Thu author cf "Tho Sketch J!nok".otind something moro, ho be came acrualnte-d with the son of Iho Alhnntin," V.ntco Xlmenes who claimed, aa do meat Hpanlanla, and of courso, Inconlruvertlbl), n noblo an cestral treu This man 'of tho oldest family In the Alhambra" baa gained Immrrtallty In tho genial Knlcker becker's btok. That the Spaniards Ihciiall writ, and continue lo do so, of Irving' "Alhambra" ts attested b) Ihe fsct thM ll Ii tho volinie lrnn lated Into Spanish, of courso, which la VbibibimBibbbbW Ibsihbi Cato of Justice, pressed upon tho visitor nlmoat as soon as ho baa pasted under tho en franco to the Tower of Justice Foundation of Alhambra. The Alhambrn consists of a group of fortresses, towers built upon a hill and surrounding n miniature town Al though In Granada, Its governor was at one time suporlor to tho governor general of the city Within Its walls, and on the north, forming a part of them, la the palace itself. According to one legend, the Alhambra waa ralfed by magic. It being believed that no human skill could ptoduce so wondrous a structure As a matter of fact, the Alhambra was begun In tho middle ot tbo thirteenth century by ltml thioun, tho king or Granada, and finished In the early fourteenth cen tury by Jutuf Abtil llagala, who add ed (he Hall of Justice, which now forms the entranre to the Inclosuro The bill upon which this grand monument elands la named Alhambra, nnd, cltvdelllkc, It dominates the old city of tho Moorish kings Tho en trance Is gained by n long and rather steep atcent through a magnificent grove of elm trees. In which alghtln (rales have made their homes Arrlr Ing at tho summit, there Is a slurp turn to the left, and tho visitor stands lifore the Tower of Justice Two horseshoe like arches are sprung over Ihe ancient gatewny, the niter arch bearing on Ita ke) stone a largo hand On the Inner arch la engraved a key, and the Moorish 'egend runs that tho Alhambrn won,, lever be taken by an enemy until tho band should reach through tho arch and grasp the key, which only shows that In order to work out correctly, legends should bo wrlttm nfter and not beforo events, for the Alhambra was taken, and tha graven hand and key occupy tho aamo position they did SOO )ers ago, lletwcen the galea of the tower are long Mono scats, where the Moslems once administered Justice) according lo the patriarchal custom of the Jews. Continuing along a winding walk one reaches an njen space about 200 fret square (ho "Plato do los Alglbcs," or place of cisterns These clslerna were built by tbo Moors, and are supplied by an aqueduct with remarkably pure water From tbo plarn la seen the unfinished unfin-ished pals co of Charles V. who Intended Intend-ed to surpass the Moors by tils archl tecturnl effort, but nn earthquake In lencneil, and Iho grand structure, I ow open to tho skies, was never com plcted It alto lias Ilia disadvantage of hiding the original entrance to Iho Alhambra palaco proper A narrow pas-urn to (ho north of Charles's attempt at-tempt bad' to tin little wooden door throurli which ono gains ndmlttanco to tho golden gloried Alhambra Ittclf. Grandeur of the Palsce. The first court, tho Albercs, or "Flshrnnd," Is also called tho Court of Mullen In the canter Is a long pond, and along either aldo It a licdgo rf in) rile At the south end of the coult aro louins, low closed, that ovl dently belonged to the harem In tha dajs of tho Mourlth occutatlon Ihe large Torrv do Comnrea, with Iho magnificent Bala de lot Hmbajadorot, bill of tho ambasiadora. Is at th? north end 1 rom this beautiful court a llttlo .Icor on the right gives idmlt unco to Ihe anteroom of tho Court ot I tuna, ire moit magnificent part or 'tho ralacc Tho Court or Moris Is 132 feet long b) 71 feet wldo A gallery surrounds ll, supiorlcd by 1!0 dellcato whlto mnrblo pillars, which end In arches ot tho most beautiful and graceful Mcorlih lrctnrk. Tho capitals of the pillars aro varloil, no two of them bo Ing alike In design "Thero Is," wroto In Ing, 'no part of Iho edifice thst gives us a moro cumplcto Idea of Its original beauty and magnificence, for none has aurfcrod so llttlo from tho ravages of tlmo" In tho center stands the fountain fatnoua In rong and itory. Tho alabaster bitlns still shod their diamond drops, tnd tha twclvo lions which support them cast forth tbelr crystal streams ss In tho dsys of llonbdll Opposite the Court of I.lons Is tho Hall or Audience to which, It Is said, Columbus camo lo plead with tho Unanlsh monarchs lo glvo him a fleet to find them a new world, and hero, again Columbus In chains was lator brought when ho waa undono by envy and malice It waa adjacent to the Tocador, or toilet or tho queen, that Irving had those lovely apartments while he remslned In tho famous palace pal-ace This was an open belvedere on the summit or the Comares lower, where Moorish sultanas enjoyed tbo pure breezes from the mountain and the prospect of the surrounding rara dlse " Tho Alhambra Is the last reminder ot the Moorish occupation In Spain. "Never," says Irving, "was tho annlhl latlnn or people more complcto Thoy have not even left a distant nama behind then), though for nearl) eight osnturlea tboy wore a distinct people." |
