ECIJA, a city of Spain, in the province of Seville, 53 miles E.N.E. of the city of that natne, on the left bank of the Jenil, Xenil, or Genii, the ancient Singulis, a tributary of the Guadalquivir. The river, thus far navigable, is there crossed by a fine old bridge; and the antiquity of the town betrays itself both by the irregularity- of its arrangement, and by its walls and gateways, and its numerous inscriptions and other relics. Among its public buildings it nuinbers six parish churches, seven nunneries, thirteen secularized convents, two hospitals, a theatre, a foundling asylum, and barracks. The principal square is surrounded with pillared porticoes, and has a fountain in the centre; and along the river bank there runs a fine promenade, planted with poplar trees and adorned with statues. From an early period the shoenmkers of Ecija have been in high repute throughout Spain; and woollen cloth, flannel, linen, and silks are manufactured in the town. The vicinity is fertile in corn and wine, and cotton is also cultivated to some extent. The heat is so great that the spot has acquired the sobriquet of El Sarten, or the Frying-pan of Andalusia. Ecija, called Estija by the Arabs, is the ancient Astigis, which was raised. to the rank of a Roman colony with the title of Augusta Firma, and, according to Pliny and Pomponius Mela, was the rival of Cordova and Seville. If local tradition may be believed, it was visited by the apostle Paul, who converted. his hostess Santa Xantippa; and, according to one version of his life, it was the see of the famous Crispin. Among its modern celebrities the most remarkable is Luis Velez de Guerara, the dramatist. Population 27,216.