Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/816

 790 SEVILLE SEVILLE (Sp. Sevilla). I. A S. W. province of Spain, in Andalusia, bordering on Bada- joz, Cordova, Malaga, Cadiz, and Huelva; area, 5,296 sq. ra. ; pop. in 1870, 515,011. The north- ern portion is traversed by the Sierra Morena, and the southern by the Sierra Ronda, with some peaks of considerable elevation ; the re- mainder of the province mainly consists of vast and fertile plains, drained by the Guadalquivir and its tributaries, the largest of which are the Genii, Viar, and Huelva. The climate is extremely hot in summer, but very salubrious. Agriculture is well advanced, and the vine and olive are particularly abundant. There are large numbers of cattle, horses of superior breed, mules, sheep, goats, and swine. Among the mineral products are silver, iron, copper, and lead, with coal, marble, and limestone. Wines and oil of superior quality are produced ; and there are manufactories, chiefly at the capital, of silk, woollen, and linen fabrics, soap, leath- er, brandy, hats, porcelain, common earthen- ware, leather, &c. The principal town besides the capital is Ecija. II. A city (anc. Hupalit), capital of the province and of Andalusia, on the left bank of the Guadalquivir, 62 m. N. X. E. of Cadiz, and 242 m. 8. W. of Madrid ; pop. (including its seven suburbs) about 115,000. It is situated in a delightful plain, and sur- rounded by Moorish walls with 66 towers and 14 gates. In 1864 it had 564 streets, mostly The Giralda. narrow and tortuous, but well lighted, and 62 public squares. Many of the houses are re- markable for architectural beauty, and have magnificent colonnades and courtyards, paved with porcelain tiles or marble and embellished with fountains. The cathedral, one of the lar- gest and finest in Spain, exquisitely decorated within and without, was completed in 1519, on the site successively occupied by the tem- ples of Astarte and Salambo, and the ancient mosque of Seville. Although repeatedly de- spoiled, it still contains some of its finest pic- tures by Murillo and other masters. The main tower, the Giralda, erected in 1196 as the chief muezzin tower of the ancient mosque, was at first but 250 ft. high ; but in 1568 was added a superb filigree belfry surmounted by a bronze figure of " Faith," and the present height is about 850 ft. The cathedral has one of the largest organs in the world, and contains the tombs of St. Ferdinand, who conquered the city from the Moors, Queen Beatrice his first wife, Alfonso the Wise, and other celebrities. Attached to the tagrario or parish church,, contiguous to the cathedral, is a library of about 18,000 volumes, the gift of Fernando Co- lumbus, the son of Christopher, and contain- ing several manuscripts by him and his father. The city has a large number of other parish churches, chapels, convents, and nunneries. The benevolent institutions are also numerous. Among the other edifices of note are the alcd- zar or Moorish castle, in many respects equal to the Alhambra of Granada ; the archiepisco- pal palace ; the casa de Pilato, so called from a reputed resemblance to Pontius Pilate's house at Jerusalem, and now the palace of the duke of Medina-Celi; the city hall and other gov- ernment buildings ;' the court house, mint, ex- change, custom house, and tobacco factory. The torre de oro or tower of gold, long the storehouse for the treasures from America, i said to have been built by the Romans. The bull ring, commenced in 1760, but still unfin- ished, accommodates 11,000 spectators. The university, founded in the beginning of the 16th century, has a good collection of picture* and sculptures, museums of chemistry, phys- ics, mineralogy, and zoology, and a botanical garden. Seville has also a school of fine arts, colleges of law, medicine, and commerce, a nautical academy, and a large number of other schools, many of which are for females alone. In the grand tobacco factory are employed 3,000 women, chiefly from the Canaries, and 600 men; and brass cannon, small firearms, saltpetre, and gunpowder are made in the ord- nance foundery. Seville formerly carried on a large portion of the trade with the new world. This business was in the early part of the 18th century transferred to Cadiz in consequence of the silting up of the Guadalquivir, which rendered it unnavigable by vessels of over 100 tons. The staple articles of export are oil, oranges, wine, silk, leather, quicksilver, cop- per, and lead. Seville was called Sephela by the Phoenicians, Hispalis by the Romans, and Ishbiliah by the Moors. It was captured in 45 B. C. by Julius Caesar, who made it a Ro-