SEVILLE, a large and populous city of Spain, stands on the banks of the Guadalquivir, in the midst of a rich, and to the eye a boundless, plain; in W. Long. 5° 5' N. Lat. 37° 20'. This city is supposed to have been founded by the Phoenicians, who gave it the name of Hispalis. When it fell under the power of the Romans, it was called Julia; and at last, after a variety of corruptions, was called Sebilla or Sevilla; both of which names are retained by the Spaniards. The Romans embellished it with many magnificent edifices; of which scarce any vestige now remains. The Gothic kings for some time made it their residence; but in process of time they removed their court to Toledo; and Seville was taken by storm soon after the victory obtained at Xeres over the Gothic king Rodrigo.—In 1027, Seville became an independent monarchy; but was conquered 70 years afterwards by Yulef Almoravides, an African prince. At last it was taken by Ferdinand III. after a year's siege; and 300,000 Moors were then obliged to leave the place. Notwithstanding this prodigious emigration, Seville continued to be a great and populous city, and soon after it was enlarged and adorned with many magnificent buildings, the chief of which is the cathedral. Seville arrived at its utmost pitch of grandeur a little after the discovery of America, the reason of which was, that all the valuable productions of the West Indies were carried thither. Its court was then the most splendid in Europe; but in the course of a few years all this grandeur disappeared, owing to the impediments in navigating the Guadalquivir. The superior excellence of the port of Cadiz induced government to order the galleons to be stationed there in time to come.

Seville is of a circular form, and is surrounded by a wall about five miles and a half in circumference, containing 176 towers. The ditch in many places is filled up. The streets of Seville are crooked and dirty, and most of them so narrow that two carriages can scarcely pass one another abreast.

Seville is said to contain 80,268 souls, and is divided into 30 parishes. It has 84 convents, with 24 hospitals.

Of the public edifices of this city the cathedral is the most magnificent. Its dimensions are 420 feet in length, 263 in breadth within the walls, and 126 feet in height. It has nine doors, 80 altars, at which 500 masses are daily celebrated, and 80 windows of painted glass, each of which cost 1000 ducats. At one angle stands a tower of Moorish workmanship 350 feet high. On the top of it is the giralda, or large brazen image, which, with its palm branch, weighs near one ton and a half, yet turns as a weather-cock with the slightest variation of the wind. The whole work is brick and mortar. The passage to the top is an inclined plane, which winds about in the inside in the manner of a spiral staircase, so easy of ascent that a horse might trot from the bottom to the top; at the same time it is so wide that two horsemen may ride abreast. What appears very unaccountable, the solid masonry in the upper half is just as thick again as that in the lower, tho' on the outside the tower is all the way of the same dimensions. In the opinion of Mr Swinburne, this cathedral is inferior to Yorkminster. Its treasures are inestimable; one altar with all its ornaments is solid silver; of the same metal are the images of St Isidore and St Leander, which are as large as the life; and a tabernacle for the host more than four yards high, adorned with eight and forty columns. Before the choir of the cathedral is the tomb of the celebrated Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America. His monument consists of one stone only, on which these words are inscribed, A Caffella y Arragon otro mundo Bourganne's dio Colon; that is, "To Castile and Arragon Columbus gave another world;" an inscription simple and expressive, the judgeness of which will be acknowledged by those who have read the adventures of this illustrious but unfortunate man. The cathedral was begun by Don Sancho the Brave, about the close of the 13th century, and finished by John II. about a hundred years after. To the cathedral belongs a library of 20,000 volumes, collected by Fernando the son of Columbus; but, to the disgrace of the Spaniards, it has scarcely received any addition since the death of the founder. The organ in this cathedral is a very ingenious piece of mechanism. "I was much pleased (says Mr Townfend in his interesting travels) with the construction of a new organ, containing 5300 pipes, with 110 stops, which latter, as the builder told me, is so more than are in the famous one of Harlen; yet, so ample are the bellows, that when stretched they supply the full organ 15 minutes. The mode of filling them with air is singular; for instead of working with his hands, a man walks backwards and forwards along an inclined plane of about 15 feet in length, which is balanced in the middle on its axis; under each end is a pair of bellows, of about six feet by three and an half. These communicate with five other pair united by a bar; and the latter are so contrived, that when they are in danger of being overstrained, a valve is lifted up, and gives them relief. Passing 10 times along the inclined plane fills all these vessels."

The Canos de Carmone, or great aqueduct of Seville, is reckoned by the historians of this city one of the most wonderful works of antiquity. Mr Swinburne, however, remarks, that it is ugly, crooked, the arches unequal, and the architecture neglected. The conduit is so leaky, that a rivulet is formed by the waste water. Nevertheless, it still conveys to the city an ample supply of water sufficient to turn several mills, and to give almost every house in town the benefit of it.

Many of the convents are remarkable for the beauty of their architecture; but in Seville the eye covets only pictures, of which there is a wonderful profusion. Among these are the works of the famous painter Murillo, with many others universally admired.

The convent of the Franciscans contains 15 cloisters, with apartments for 200 monks, though, when Mr Townfend visited them, they amounted only to 140. The annual expenditure of these, who are all fed on charity, is about L.4000 Sterling. "In the principal cloister (says the same intelligent traveller), which is entirely inclosed by a multitude of little chapels, are represented, in 14 pictures, each called a station, all the sufferings of the Redeemer. These are so arranged as to mark given distances by walking round the cloister from the first to the second, and so in order to the rest. Over them is mentioned the number of steps taken by our Lord between the several incidents of his passion in his way to Calvary; and these precisely are the paces..." measured for the penitents in their progress from one station to another. Over one is the following inscription: 'This station consists of 1087 steps. Here the blest Redeemer fell a second time under the weight of his cross, and here is to be gained the indulgence of seven years and forty quarantines. Mental prayer, the Paternoster, and the Ave Maria.' This may serve as an example for the rest."

The principal manufacture of Seville is snuff. Mr Townfend, who paid particular attention to it, informs us, that the building in which it is carried on is elegant and simple in its form, and is about 600 feet by 400 and not less than 60 feet in height, with four regular fronts, including 28 quadrangles. It cost 37,000,000 of reals, or about £370,000. At present (1787), no more than 1700 workmen are employed, and 100 horses or mules; but formerly 3000 men were engaged, and near 400 horses. This falling off is attributed by Mr Swinburne to a practice which the directors followed, of adulterating the tobacco with the red earth of Almazarron. When Mr Townfend visited this manufacture, they had changed their system. From the year 1785, he informs us, the annual sale of tobacco from Brazil has been 1,000,000 pounds, purchased from the Portuguese at three reals a pound; and of snuff from the produce of their own colonies 1,600,000 pounds, beside cigars (a) to a very considerable amount. They have lying by them more than 5,000,000 of pounds of snuff unsold; but as it will not suffer by age, they are not uneasy at this accumulation. Besides the peculiar kind of snuff with which Spain was accustomed to supply the market, they have lately introduced the manufacture of rappée. In this branch alone are employed 220 persons, old and young, with 16 mules.

"All the workmen (continues Mr Townfend) deposit their cloaks at the door; and when they go out are strictly examined, that they have little chance of being able to conceal tobacco; yet they sometimes venture to hide it about their persons. An officer and a guard is always attending to take delinquents into custody; and that they may prevent resistance, no workman is permitted to enter with a knife. Were it not for this precaution, the consequence of a detection might be fatal. The whole business is conducted by a director, with a salary of 40,000 reals a-year, and 54 superior officers, assisted by as many subordinate to them. For grinding their snuff, they have 40 mills, each consisting of a stone roller, moved by a large horse or mule, with the traces fastened to a beam of eight feet in length, in the angle of 45 degrees, consequently losing precisely half his force."

Before Mr Townfend left Seville, according to his usual practice, which was truly laudable, he enquired into the prices of labour and provisions. As a piece of curious and useful information, and as an example to other travellers, we present them to our readers. They are as follow:

Day-labourers - 4½ reals, about L. 0 0 10½ Carpenters from 7 to 11 - Joiners, if good workmen, - 24 -- or - 0 4 9

Weavers, if good workmen, 15 reals, about - L. 0 3 0 Bread, for 3 lb. of 16 oz. or 16 quartos, or - 0 4 ½ sometimes 28 quartos, or - 0 7 ¾ Beef, 30 quartos for 32 oz. per lb. about - 0 4 ¼ Mutton, 38 do. do. - 0 5 ½ Kid, 24 do. - 0 3 ½ Pork from 36 to 42 quartos, do. { or 0 5 ½ to 0 5 ¾

The price of wheat has at different periods been very remarkable. In 1652, it sold at the rate of 15s. 3½d. the bushel; and in 1657, it fell so low as 1s. 4½d. per bushel, reckoning the fanega at 100½ lb. and the bushel at 70.