xxiv. 10); and again, "Behold I will lay
thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with
sapphires." (Isaiah liv. 11.)
These glazed or porcelain tiles were introduced into Spain at an
early date by the Moslems. Some are to be seen among the Moorish ruins
which have been there upwards of eight centuries. Manufactures of them
still exist in the peninsula, and they are much used in the best
Spanish houses, especially in the southern provinces, for paving and
lining the summer apartments.
The Spaniards introduced them into the Netherlands when they had
possession of that country. The people of Holland adopted them with
avidity, as wonderfully suited to their passion for household
cleanliness; and thus these Oriental inventions, the azulejos of the
Spanish, the az-zulaj of the Arabs, have come to be commonly known
as Dutch tiles.
Important Negotiations.
The Author Succeeds to the
Throne of Boabdil.
THE DAY was nearly spent before we could tear ourselves from this
region of poetry and romance to descend to the city and return to
the forlorn realities of a Spanish posada. In a visit of ceremony to
the Governor of the Alhambra, to whom we had brought letters, we dwelt
with enthusiasm on the scenes we had witnessed, and could not but
express surprise that he should reside in the city when he had such
a paradise at his command.
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