506. Gardens of Malaga. Alhaurin, a town situated on a hill, at the extremity of the valley of Malaga, and watered by the Guadalaxara, is not more admired for its picturesque situation and fine supply of water, than for the beauty of its flower-garden. During summer it is much frequented by the rich inhabitants of Malaga. El Retiro, the seat of Count Villalcazar, lies a few miles from Malaga, and was formerly a royal residence. The gardens are laid out in the Moorish style, with straight cypress walks. They are remarkable for the lakes, fountains, and beautiful waterworks which they contain; the curious shapes into which the trees and shrubs are cut, and the great variety of the flowers cultivated. Adjoining the estate of Count Villalcazar are the beautiful gardens of the Prussian consul, in which the coffee tree produces fruit plentifully, though growing in the open air. General Don Francisco Abadia sent La Gasca two branches of this tree loaded with fruit, in 1821; and at the same time informed him that many trees indigenous to Cuba nourished near Malaga; among others the hatchet-breaker, so called from the extraordinary hardness of its wood.
