ayuntamiento, or town hall, in order to build a modern one; but the Duke de Montpensier stoutly resisted such a sacrilege. He has a tasteful dwelling beside the Guadalquivir on the site of a college, founded by Columbus; and San Elmo, the patron saint of Spanish sailors, still stands over the principal entrance. Some parts of the veritable college are retained in the new mansion; and the gardens of San Elmo are as spacious as beautiful. The Duke and Duchess of Montpensier are great favourites at Seville, and they preside themselves over the festivities of the Santa Semana, attending all the ceremonies, joining the country people for amusement in the public gardens, and making their way straight to the hearts of the peasants by drinking wine with them out of the same cup! The Santa Semana is the week of weeks for Seville, and during that time is held the extraordinary festival, when six representations of the life and death of our Saviour are carried about the streets, and the Virgin, decorated in gorgeous costume, appears before the people as large as life. Sunday of the Santa Semana is devoted to a special bull-fight, and Tuesday is the great Seville fair.

The ladies of Andalusia are considered the most beautiful in Spain, and are peculiarly noted for small hands and feet-very short dresses, and the daintiest little shoes, are the natural consequence of the latter point of excellence. These southern girls are, however, by no means so sedate and prudent as their sisters of the northern provinces; and will ye not blush for them, ye honest-hearted British maidens, when ye hear that a young Andaluze will sometimes encourage four or five lovers at the same time, and treat all with like caprice, living only to amuse herself; while the less lovely northern has higher and nobler ends in view.

Their own countrymen are great admirers of English character and society, esteeming the education of an English girl a pattern for every country in Europe. An officer in the 'Etat Major' is coming to our country for a wife and a horse, undertaking the journey solely for this very laudable purpose! Perhaps the preference on the part of the Spaniard may not seem strange when an educated Iberian lady's geography goes no further than 'Australia being a pretty little island in the Egean Sea!'

The bitter orange of Seville, rendered so famous in the Isles of Britain by the compote it affords, is cultivated only in Spain, but the trees here do not reach the size either of the sweet orange of China or St. Michael's, nor do they produce so abundantly, the usual annual yield of a Seville tree being about eight thousand oranges. Before the reduction of duty on foreign fruit the importers were very particular as to the size of oranges received from Spain and Portugal, the packers of the fruit being accustomed to hold a metal ring in their hand to guage the oranges as they came down in the country boats. The Douro has been seen literally covered with the young rebels that refused the ring, so the waste was enormous. A 'Quinta,' or orange garden, numbers from a dozen to a thousand trees. At St. Michael's the bride's dower is a certain number of orange trees,

and happy is the father who can bestow on each of his daughters twenty of these trees in full bearing. In Spain and Portugal the quintas are planted and cultivated much in the same manner as those of the Islands, but it is not necessary in either country to shade them with high fences, as at the Azores, where the cost of sheltering one acre of orange trees amounts to £15 sterling.

The Cathedral of Seville is a magnificent specimen of Gothic architecture, only exceeded in size by St. Peter's at Rome. The original Mosque was knocked down to the ground, and the Cathedral as it now stands with its eighty-two altars, was finished in the sixteenth century. Its curious steeple, rearing up its proud head beside it like the mast of a ship, was built by the Moors, and happily preserved in memoriam. This tower is called La Giralda, from the weathercock that surmounts it, and is three hundred and fifty feet high, with galleries and balconies outside. Washington Irving says, 'La Giralda, erected in 1196, was originally consecrated to science, and used as an astronomical observatory then― though a belfry now-ingenious and simple in its construction, and probably the loftiest and most ancient monument that there is in Christendon in honour of astronomy, built by the Arabic mathematician Geber, said to have been the inventor of Algebra.' The grand organ has five thousand four hundred pipes, thus exceeding those of Haerlem, and some wonderful machinery works the bellows. Both the choir and the archbishop's chair are very richly carved, and the chant books are looked upon as great curiosities. They are in manuscript, and the expense of them averaged four dollars a page! the Gregorian chant prevails, and the labour spent in writing them must have been excessive, for every note is perfection.

Seville was taken from the Moors in 1248 by King San Fernando, and a chapel in the cathedral is dedicated to him; above the entrance to which is a touching memorial of the victory of the Spaniard over the Moor. Two noble figures represent the victor and the vanquished, and the expression of each countenance is finely delineated; but there is somewhat of haughty submission in that of the Moor as he delivers up the keys of Seville to San Fernando. In this chapel, an elaborate monument, on which rests a throne of gold, tells that the embalmed body of the Christian conqueror lies beneath; and on the 23rd of November in each year it is exhibited in his coffin with great pomp and ceremony to the earnest gaze of the multitude. His wife and son lie beside him, but all admiration is reserved for the sainted king, who did so much for Christendon! San Fernando always carried about with him the Virgin as a talisman against all evil, and she now stands on his golden throne in the attitude of protection, clothed in richest garb, with the King's own crown of diamonds on her head. The windows of the cathedral are rich in coloured glass; but those called 'San Francisco' and 'San Iago' are considered the best subjects, while Murillo's 'Guardian Angel,' San Antonio opening his arms to receive the Child of God, is the pride of the

Spaniard. Very rich is the carving of the screen on the high altar in its massive illustration of the New Testament, and so comprehensive that he who runs may read.

In the cathedral, as in her safest sanctuary, Seville guards the three thousand three hundred brilliants, the two pearls valued at one thousand six hundred ducats each, and the cross made of the first gold brought from America by Columbus, which treasures are all arranged for inspection in the Ayuntamiento during the Holy Week. Amongst the most precious archives of the Cathedral Library, one book is preserved in a glass case, with well-nigh religious care, and this is the manuscript account of the first voyage of Columbus, written by his own hand, falling alas! into decay by slow degrees. The son of Columbus is buried at Seville, which tends perhaps to increase the veneration of the Andalusian for his high-minded father, who believes it to be an indignity offered the Spanish nation at large, that the great country of his immortal discovery should be America instead of Columbia.

Let us pass gently now into that quiet-looking court, with here and there an old man sitting full of happiness and content under his orange tree. It is La Caridad, the peaceful abode of charity, and speaks well for the kind-hearted gentlemen of Seville, who, out of the abundance of their store, support so many of their aged brethren, if not in affluence at least in comfort. Attached to the nice white houses of the pensioners is a pretty little chapel, where they diligently attend matins and vespers; and here are six gems of Murillo, which do indeed adorn the unpretending walls. One of them, 'The San Juan de Dios,' is a celebrated picture, explained as 'Night when St. John used to seek the poor. Our Saviour appears to him in the garment of poverty, feeble from sickness, when an angel descends and helps St. John to lift Him up and minister to His wants.' Artists who come here to study this rich warm painter of the south, are never weary of admiring these noble efforts of his genius. Oh! tell it out unto the ends of the earth, that

I AM to tell how our tree commenced, how it grew in its proportions, how its fruit was gathered, and what was the result.

And first of all, I know that its result was very good, from this, that it was only when it was all over, and next day we could think about it, that we with one accord declared it was a most happy evening, and

attributed the happiness of it to the fact that everyone seemed to be thinking of making others happy as well as enjoying themselves. We were happy and gave happiness-is not this a good result? But I cannot go on without stating who we were. 'I often observed Mr. Wallace going to the school, but I was a long time before I knew he was "a Mission,"-so said last week one of our people to my sister and one of the Mother's Meeting ladies. One night it was wet,' she added, ' and I asked about it when I could not go so far as St. Philips, Stepney, and so I have gone every week since. I own this house I live in, and it is comfortable having the service so near.' 'It was very kind of you to bring the holly at Christmas time.' 'I am glad it was of use. I was bringing some up from the country for myself, and I thought I would bring some thick with berries for the school.' 'But you should hear a story about the eggs you made for the tree.' 'Oh, they were nothing, yet I was glad to see them on the tree.' 'Nay, they were much valued. You know George who gives out the bags for the Offertory?' 'I see him, Ma'am, sitting at the corner of the boys on Sundays on the gallery.' 'Yes; he preferred one of your eggs to everything else, and it is hung up in his room ever since. I offered him a picture which a friend had sent from Lincolnshire, but my brother knew he would choose your egg.' "They are easily made. I take a little piece from the top and bottom, take out the yolk, fill the shell with confections, and gum two pieces of red cloth, with a string in one, upon the ends. And I am so glad, Ma'am, the new church is begun. I have a piece of satin here, and I am a good worker. I think I'll make something for St. Luke's.' 'We must come again, Mrs. V-' 'I shall be pleased, but it is so hard to get at my house, the road is so dirty, and we have no footway.' 'Oh, we'll come again, you may be sure.'

Now this conversation tells a good deal about us. I am-we are—our work is, praised be God-'a Mission.' Reader, make up your mind to help some outward work like ours, that you may learn what is inwardly signified by a Mission for your life, a Mission for your Lord in His Church.

But I must go on to our tree. The first start came from the Editor of The Monthly Packet, who has much promoted our Mission. The Editor wrote, "If you would like work for a Christmas Tree, there seems no want of persons willing to aid for them.' Then I asked the ladies of the Mother's Meeting, and we accepted the aid, and began ourselves.

In these two points is contained the way of growth in our tree, and indeed in our Mission. We do so very many things ourselves, and help comes to us from so many sources. For instance, from Leamington came a parcel full of toys for the children, and muffitees and other articles in wool, worked by a clergyman, but an invalid. 'He likes,' says the letter, 'to work for the poor. We hope the things sent will be useful.' Then a large box came in from Yorkshire.

worked, are the stockings and socks.'

'How many, and long, and wellAlas, our London people are not

so robust as the Yorkshiremen; we see this by the size of the socks. And the stuff for petticoats was very good, and the frocks for girls; petticoats and frocks are the best things for our need. The mothers in the Meeting worked with a will, when they saw such serviceable help. It had been announced to them that the tree was to be confined to their children, and that some useful articles of clothing should be given with the toys.

'But see,' I said one Tuesday, 'Miss F, near Hyde Park, has sent two pounds for the people of St. Luke's at Christmas.' 'Oh then,' said the Principal, 'we'll have a tea.' And it was announced that the mothers were to have a tea, and the children milk. 'But how many mothers are there on the books?' 'Fifty, and we have asked about the children, nearly one hundred and fifty are eligible.' So our tree grew. Then we had all the members of the singing class to my house to tea, and the women of it promised to make things for the children. Indeed, every article of dress of one little lad in the square beside us was copied for some worker to imitate: forty collars was one item, and so on.

Then a bigger boy's clothing came, and this was made to fit. See, here is this fine little fellow who carries home the hymn books on Sundays; his coat nearly smothers him, but he will grow; he sings so very well too, no doubt his coat helps this. Here is Lizzie's little brother; her mother is dead, and she looks after five children; yes indeed, Lizzie is a fine girl. Here is little H- ; his father worked cheerfully on the night of the tree. How delightful to see him coming with his old, dear old, mother to early Communion at Christmas time. And here are Johnnie and Joey; Joey, for one thing, got a pair of knickerbockers. 'You see, Mr. Wallace, I made his former ones from the petticoat I wore last winter.' (That came to us from Windsor.) My reader, despise not the poor! The mother who said that works hard, has hardship, keeps her family nice and tidy, and serves God, serves St. Luke's with her work, with her money, with her prayers, with her faith. So I hope you are beginning to understand our tree, for it is also a living tree. 'I am the Vine,' said our Saviour, 'ye are the branches. In this is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.'

By this time it was becoming evident that there would be an article for every child, making a parcel to be given to each mother as she left the room after tea; but the mothers were not told much about this, and great was their surprise.

Cakes were promised from many quarters, for the ladies of the Meeting spoke to their friends, and it was plain that the tea was likely to be a very hearty meal. 'What about cups and saucers?' 'I advise you to let the women supply these. It is a great art to give everyone something to provide, and so to share in affording as well as receiving good.' But lo, an offer came from a shop-keeper to give freely the use of all requisites for the evening; so we had to let him do himself good, and accept his offer with thanks. Then Mrs. A- from Bow, and Miss A- from