Steamboat Lines. Hall Line, weekly from London to Lisbon, Cadiz, Gibraltar, and Málaga (comp. pp. [1], 89); the Compañía Trasatlántica (office in the Calle Isabel la Católica) has a Philippine Line (monthly from Liverpool to Lisbon, etc.; comp. p. [1]), a Canary Line, and several others; Vapores Correos de Africa (agent, Antonio Millán), comp. p. [57]; steamers of the Austro-American Line (office, Viuda de R. Alcon) ply between Trieste, Almería, Las Palmas, and Buenos Ayres; Navegación é Industria (Viuda de R. Alcon), for the Canaries.
Cadiz, Span. Cádiz, the Gadîr of the Phœnicians and Gades of the Romans, now a provincial capital of 64,100 inhab., and a fortress, is most picturesquely situated on a low limestone rock, which was once an island, on the W. side of the Bay of Cadiz.
From the harbour or from the railway-station we cross the Plaza Isabel Segunda either to the Calle Alonso el Sábio and the Cathedral (Catedral Nueva), or to the Calle del Sacramento, leading to the Torre del Vigía or de Tavira, 102 ft. high, which is accessible only by special permission of the Capitania del Puerto (Calle de Aduana). The top (151 steps; fee 30–50 c.) commands an excellent survey of the town, surrounded almost entirely by the sea, with its flat-roofed houses and their miradores or belvederes.
The Calle Sagasta, the second side-street off the Calle del Sacramento, leads to the right into the Calle del Duque de Tetuán, the chief artery of traffic, which ends in the busy Plaza de la Constitución to the N.W. A little to the N.E., in the pretty Plaza de Mina, is the Academia de Bellas Artes, the picture-gallery of which contains several admirable works by Murillo, Zurbarán, and other masters. (Adm. 9–3, in summer 7–4; Sun. and holidays 10–3.)
On the N. outskirts of the town are the beautiful *Gardens of the Alameda de Apodaca and the Parque Genovés, with their fine palms. On the S. side of the town, not far from the W. end of the shadeless Paseo del Sur, rises the former Capuchin convent-church of Santa Catalina (ring on the left in the adjacent court; adm. 20 c.), containing Murillo’s last work, the *Betrothal of St. Catharine.
The Railway to Seville runs along the narrow neck of land which connects Cadiz with the mainland, rounds the Bay of Cadiz, passing between salt-marshes, where salt is obtained by evaporation, and then strikes across the delta of the Guadalete. The chief stations are the naval harbour of San Fernando, the sea-baths of Puerto Real, and the Puerto de Santa María (‘El Puerto’). Turning to the N.E., the train now runs through a hilly country to (30½ M.) Jerez (or Xeres) de la Frontera, the third-richest town in Spain, with 52,500 inhab., far-famed for its ‘sherry’.
Our next run is through moor, alternating with fertile tracts, to (75 M.) Utrera (p. [57]), junction for La Roda (and Bobadilla, R. 6 a), and also for the direct line to Cordova. Lastly, we cross the Guadaira to (95 M.) Seville (Estación de Cádiz, see below).
7. Seville.
Railway Stations. 1. Estación San Bernardo or de Cádiz (Pl. F, G, 1; Rail. Restaur.), for the line to Utrera (Cadiz, Granada, Málaga).—2. Estación de Córdoba or de Madrid (Pl. D, 5, 6; Restaur.), near the Guadalquivir. Hotel carriages and cabs at both. Tariff, see p. [60].