old town which stood so many sieges and was
looked upon as the key of Northern Spain.
The hotel appeared but tolerably comfortable to
our travellers, fresh from the luxuries of Paris.
When they returned, four or five months later,
they thought it a perfect paradise of comfort
and cleanliness. After wandering through the
narrow streets, and walking into one or two un-
interesting churches, it was resolved to climb up
to the citadel which commands the town, and to
w^hich the ascent is by a fair zig-zag road, like
that which leads to Dover Castle. A small gar-
rison remains in the keep, which is also a mili-
tary prison. The officers received our party very
courteously, inviting them to walk on the battle-
ments, and climb up to the flag-stafi*, and offering
them the use of their large telescope for the view,
which is certainly magnificent, especially towards
the sea. There is a tiny chapel in the fortress, in
which the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. It was
pleasant to see the sentinel presenting arms to IT
each time his round brought him past the ever
open door. On the hill-side, a few monumental
slabs, let in here and there into the rock, and one
or two square tombs, mark the graves of the
Englishmen killed during the siege, and also in the
Don Carlos revolution. Of the siege itself, and
B 2
Page:Impressions of Spain in 1866.djvu/17
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ST. SEBASTIAN.
3
