Three weeks in Majorca

by William Dodd

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1863 ... CHAPTER VI. Soller.--Mines.--Harbour.--Mules.--Bridge of La Ma.--Turkish Excursion. The Fonda de la Paz is small, but clean and comfortable; the landlady, herself a cook and the daughter of a cook, I found to be hospitable and attentive; the cuisine, as might be expected, was remarkably good, the wine much above par, and the oranges delicious. Few bed-rooms could compare with mine in luxury and splendour, for though small and meanly furnished, the fragrance of the orange blossom came floating in through the open casement, and the rocky summit of the lofty Puig, with its deep shadows and glowing tints, was directly before my eyes. From the mirador, or little terrace at the top of the house, there is an excellent view of the vale of Soller and its surrounding mountains. The basin--for from this point the valley seems almost circular--cannot be much more than two leagues in circumference, say two leagues and a half; yet that area, if it include the lower slopes of the hills, realises annually, I was told, by the sale of oranges and lemons, shipped chiefly to Marseilles, 25,000/. sterling, and by oil, 30,000/. But though Soller is in the heart of the mountains, it is very slightly elevated above the sea-level. There is an opening to the northwest, througli which its little river finds an easy way to the Mediterranean, and where the seabreeze enters to temper the air in summer. The climate is mild all the year round, as tho growth of the olive and orange tree and datepalm sufficiently testifies; milder and more equable than anywhere on the mainland. In some years, once in a winter, snow falls, but it never lies more than two or three days. Snowstorms have been known in Soller, but they are most rare and exceptional. As a rule, the valley is temperate in winter...

28 pages, Paperback

Published February 11, 2012

About the author

Rev. Dr. William Dodd, LL.D. (Law, Cambridge University, 1766; M.A., Cambridge U., 1759; B.A., Mathematics (Wrangler), Clare College, Cambridge, 1749/50), was an Anglican clergyman and writer known as the Macaroni Parson for his extravagant lifestyle.

He eventually forged a bond in an effort to clear his debts, was caught, convicted, and, despite a public campaign that included the support of Samuel Johnson for a Royal pardon, became the last person to be hanged at Tyburn for forgery.