still continue to protect me, and point out some means to extricate myself out of these difficul ties.

As the place is in such disorder and confusion, that the administration of justice is put a stop to, and it is not likely that any business will be carried on for some time, I intend to take my passage for England, as soon as a convenient opportunity offers.

I am, &c.

HISTORY OF SPAIN.

CHAP. I.

From the Accession of Euric to the Subversion of the Gothic Monarchy by the Moors.

THE

THE kingdom of Spain, situated between ten and three degrees of east longitude, and between forty-six and forty-four degrees of north latitude, is bounded by the Pyrenean mountains on the north, by the Mediterranean on the east, by the Straits of Gibraltar on the south, and by the Atlantic Ocean on the west. It is said to be seven hundred miles long, and five hundred broad; and is supposed to contain about ten millions of inhabitants, on a surface of 150,763 square miles.

The soil is naturally good, though in many parts destitute of cultivation; and the face of the country is prettily diversified with extensive pastures, fertile vineyards, and numerous plantations of mulberry trees, which afford sustenance to myriads of silk worms, and offer an inviting umbrage to the way-worn traveller.

The

The mountains are clothed with verdure, and feathered with shrubs, to their very summits; the valleys are annually crowned with an exuberance of odoriferous herbs, delicious fruits, and valuable drugs; and even the bowels of the earth are enriched with several invaluable mines and quarries. Some salutiferous springs are, also, found at Granada, Seville, and Cordova; and the refreshing breezes which fre quently blow from the hills are admirably adapted, by an all gracious Providence, to counteract the effects of the intolerable heat, to which the southern districts are exposed, in the months of June, July, August, and September,

Among the animal productions of this country, horses claim the most distinguished place, as being deemed the most handsome, swift, and serviceable of any in Europe; the sheep are universally famed for their beautiful wool; mules and black cattle are also tolerably good; and the wild bulls are so extremely ferocious, that a bull feast was formerly accounted one of the most magnificent entertainments at the Spanish court. Game and wild fowl, similar to those of the neighbouring countries, abound in most of the provinces; and the Spanish seas are stored with various and excellent species of fish.

In ancient times, Spain was famed for its valuable mines of gold and silver, and, though these have disappeared, it still affords iron, copper, lead, cornelian, agate, crystals, marble, porphyry, jasper; and various kinds of precious stones. The vegetable productions are also extremely numerous, particularly oranges, lemons,

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lemons, prunes, raisins, figs, almonds, olives, and mulberries.

Of the manufactures of this country, the most considerable are glass, porcelain, silk stockings, esparto ropes, hempen cordage, wool, copper, and hardware. Barilla and salt-petre may be reckoned among the most valuable articles of commerce; but the Spaniards, unfortunately for themselves, make gold and silver the prin cipal branches of their exports and imports, while the consuls, agents, and correspondents of other countries improve this national in prudence to their respective advantages.

The principal mountains of Spain are the Pyrénées, which extend from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean; the Cantabrian moun tains, which run from the Pyrénées to the Atlantic Ocean; Mount Calpe, or the hill of Gibraltar; and Montserrat, which excites the attention of every curious traveller by the singu larity of its situation, form, and composition.

The rivers most worthy of notice are, the Douro, which falls into the Atlantic Ocean near Oporto; the Tagus, which disembogues itself into the same ocean below Lisbon; the Guadalquiver, which terminates at St. Lucar; and the Ebro, formerly called Iberus, which falls into the Mediterranean Sea, at a small distance from Tortosa. The chief bays are those of Biscay, Corunna, Ferrol, Cadiz, Vigo, Gibraltar, Alicant, Carthagena, Roses, Altea, and Valencia.

Among the natural curiosities of Spain we must enumerate the river Tinto, which petrifies the sand in a most surprising manner,

withers

withers all the plants on its banks, and communicates a yellow tinge to whatever is thrown into it; the river Guadina, which, like the Mole in England, runs under ground, and then rises again, and the cave of St. Michael, near the rock of Gibraltar, in which a petrifying water continually drips from the roof, and forms a prodigious number of beautiful stalactites. The royal cabinet, at Madrid, contains a great number of precious stones, marbles, ores, &c. ; and is enriched with a curious collection of ewers, cups, basons, vases, plates, and ornamental pieces of amethyst, agate, and rock crystal, mounted in gold and enamel.

The principal antiquities of this country are, a magnificent aqueduct, erected by Trajan, over a deep valley near Segovia a triumphal arch, said to have been raised by the illustrious Hannibal, at Martorel; the remains of a Roman theatre, now converted into a church, at Toledo's a ruinous watch tower near Cadiz; and the royal palace of the Alhambra at Gra nada, which is equally remarkable on account of its situation, architecture, and internal beauty. TUT VI

The kingdom of Spain was known to the ancients by the names Iberia, Hesperia, and Hispania; and, about the time of the Punic wars, it was divided into Citerior and Ulterior; but it has undergone innumerable changes since that period; and is now divided into the provinces of Old and New Castile, Asturia, Galicia, Arragon, Biscay, Navarre, Leon, Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia, Granada, Andalusia, and Estramadura.

Madrid, the capital of this country, is a dirty uncomfortable

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uncomfortable city, in the province of New Castile. The population is estimated at four hundred thousand individuals; and some of the streets are tolerably spacious; but the houses are rendered extremely odious by the circumstance of their windows being grated with iron bars; and the only wall that surrounds the city is built of mud. Lodgings are usually let at an exorbitant rate; and the want of ta verns and coffee-houses is severely felt by fo reigners: but provisions are moderately cheap and the palaces, or royal hunting seats, in the vicinity of the town, are worthy of admiration

Burgos, though formerly the capital of the kingdom of Castile, has now sunk into ob scurity, and is only remarkable for its cathe dral, which is one of the finest Gothic struc tures in Europe.

Cadiz, the great emporium of Spanish com merce, is situated on a small island near the continent of Andalusia, and joined to the main land by a fortified bridge. The streets are narrow, dirty, and much infested with rats; but the harbour is excellent, and the adjacent scenery beautifully rural.

'Seville is a spacious and well built town, on the banks of the Guadalquiver; but greatly decayed, both in wealth and population. The steeple of Seville cathedral is accounted one of the greatest curiosities in Spain; a Gothic castle in the suburb of Friana is said to have been the first seat of the Spanish inquisition; and the wall of the city seems to have been of Moorish construction.

Cordova, in the province of Andalusia, con, tains a magnificent cathedral, and some exten