privateering. A fête was celebrated in honour of the peace of Leoben; and Mars, Apollo, Ceres, and Victory, fat. very fociably together in a triumphat car. The Bifcayans are particularly fond of playing with leather air-balls; and bull-fights are newly introduced. The Bayonnefe are generally confidered as the very Gafcons of the Galcons thenfelves. A dangerous bar lies off the two fine dykes of Bayonne. the province of Bifcay it is well known that the antiest Cantabrian language is preferved, and the Caftillano or Spanish very little or ill fpoken; fo that it was with the greatest difficulty my landlady and myfelf could make ourselves underftood. However, I had no fooner anfwered her firft enquiry, whether I was a Chriftian, by which is meant a Catholic, in the affirmative, than the was fo pleafed with me that he brought me a fione bottle of delicious wine and a large loaf of bread, made of flour and maize in equal quantities, but of a very pleafant tale. She had nothing elfe to offer, except a dozen fried fardines, or fprats, withwhich I was obliged to be contented. When I retired to reft, I found no other bed than a paillafle of maize leaves laid on vine twigs, and two blankets; and foon after four muleteers came in, and occupied the two other beds. One of them spoke French tolerably well, and was extremely pleafed to find I was a Christiano, and I could not refufe tafting his wine." (p. 57.) The husband of the landlady was the furgeon at Gueturia, and in the laft war with France had learned a little French of the foldiers quartered in his houfe. Among his books were tranflations of Buchan's Domeftic Medicine, and of Tiflot's Avis au Peuple, a complete treatife on furgery, á treatife on the materia medica, and a differtation on midwifery. All this convinced our traveller of the progrefs of knowledge in Spain, which he observed with-pleafire. Guctaria contains near 500 inhabitants, has but one well-built house, which is inhabited by an Indiano, or a man who has made a fortune in America, about 1000 dollars a year, which he spends in public works, and does a great deal of good. He is generally carried in a fedan chair by two young girls: his only emjoyment is fmoking the fineft Havanna tobacco; and he had a flock of above 200lbs. of cigars. His houfe is the only one that has glafs 1. Travels in Spain in 1997 and 1798. By windows, windows, iron balconies, drinkingglafles, arm-chairs, or pewter plates. In this little place are ten ecclefiaftics, who talk Spanish and Latin, and meet every evening at a public houte round a dith of fardines and a capacious pitcher. Thefe fardines are caught in June, July, and Augutt, in nets, fold for a half penny a dozen, and, when falted, for three farthings. the fpectators; the steeples, roofs, bridge, Bilboa has many picturesque and romantic views in its environs. Every thing in the inn called Cafa de Antonio has fomething fingular in its appear ance, and their forms are quite original and foreign. The rooms are covered with floor-cloth reprefenting bull-fights, and feats mean, old-fashioned, and extremely low; the floors brick, and the walls full of faints and crucifixes. The town ftands in a valley: the upper part is antique and unpleasant, the freets narrow, and the houfes high and ill-built; the fireets end in a fquare on the river fide, having only one good houfe, which is the town house. The lover part is new, containing three broad fireets, and houfes built of free-fione, four or five ftories high, inhabited to the roofs, the inhabitants amounting to near 13,000. Building goes on every day, because the war compels the rich capitalifts fo to employ their money. In the old town the houses are built mofily of wood; in the new, of brick. The former are deftitute of art or convenience, but in the latter we find a prodigious improvement of tafte: inficad of the heavy balconies of wood, they are of iron, neatly manufactured; and, instead of the wooden fhutters, and finall round panes of glafs, we find large panes and Venetian blinds. The only thing that aftonifles and difgulis foreigners is the finding certain conveniences placed in the kitchen, and clofe to the chimney. (p. 73.) Along the river fide are walks of clins, and profpects of fertile cultivated mountains. The fealt of Corpus Chrifti, or Holy Thursday, is kept with great folemnity and pageantry, and the afternoon appropriated to the corrida, or bull fights, which, with the proceflion, engrofled the whole attention. During the laft three days the bulls were led about the town in grand proceflion, amid the acclamations of the populace; and at night in particular the fquare was filled with an immenfe crowd of people. At each end of the fquare an amphitheatre was raifed, and the whole inclofed with high pales. The benches and balconies on either fide bent under the weight of 'hin him under foot, or dâh him in pieces against the inclosure. Another dog was then fet at him, and he remained with out defence. He fill dragged the dogs along; but they kept their hold, and continued to hang by his ears. To feparate them, eight strong men advanced into the arena, feized the bull by the tail to deprive him of the ufe of his ftrength threw him down, and pinched him in a tender part. Thus he lay quite faint and lifelefs, and the dogs immediately quitted their hold, A few minutes after, the bull role again, roaring, tren bling, and feeming again to feek the enemy. At this moment fome cows were fent into the arena, and he followed them very readily into the ftalls. Another bull was then turned out, and the fame feene renewed fix or feven times fucceffively. During the fight no music was heard, except that a few beats of a drum announced from time to time a change of scene. During the intervals the fpectators took their refreshments (merienda). They fhewed their impatience by fhaking in concert their handkerchiefs in the air, and applauded any mafterly addrefs (golpos excellentes) by acclamations of bien ! bien !—At night I was witnefs to a very comic feene. The fquare was illuminated with fag gots of fir, and fome barrels covered with whale oil in the middle, and the place was crowded with people; when, on a fudden, a young bull was let loofe among them, with his horns tipped with leather (embolado); and the fires, crowd, and the mufic, fo terrified him, that he rushed among the fpectators, and threw them down by dozens. At length a cloke was thrown over him, rockets and fquibs were fattened on him, and this pleafantry, which at firft appeared likely to prove ferious, contributed to the diverfion of the people." (p. 80-84.) The province of Bifcay is not properly dependent on, but only under the protection of the Spanish crown, is governed by itself, pays only a voluntary contribution, and receives, by mere condefcenfion, a corregidor and commiflary of marine; yet, though its privileges, and the pretenfions of the crown, are often in oppofition, the former do not seem to prove victorious. Bilboa has among its police laws one against carriages, on account of its marrow streets; and all ftrangers muft leave thein without the town. The fame fimplicity obtains in their manners as in their police; there is no theatre, library, &c. only public balls and promenades. In their national dance a tiring of young woinen, taking each other by the hand, follow in a ftraight line the leader, who from time to tiine turns back, and foots it to the reft; there is a kind of nobility and grace in all her motions: the refl only tile off careletly behind her. The young men, led in like manner by a principal in another row, by degrees approach the women who advance before them; when, fuddenly, the mufic changes to a quicker meafure, and, each of the young men being oppofite to a lady, they begin a fandango, of which the rapid getticulations have a fingular effect, difficult to be defcribed. The fcene is public, under a tufted fhade, near fome houfe of entertainment; and the mufic is fingular, finall tambourines and little futes. The expence of thefe dances is defrayed by the monalieries, religious confraternities, rich individuals, or the town, and even by fpecific endowments. The evening converfations have no charms for ftrangers. Coffee-houfes and public-houfes are few. Some Bohemian merchants furnish all the mufic of the town; for it is well known the inhabitants of Bohemia are alınoft born mufical. Their attendants conftitute the chief ornaments of the feafts of the confulado, and they fafcinate all Bilboa with the marches they play as they return at night in barges richly illuminated. The women combine the dig nity of the Spanish with the beauty of the English. Their fresh complexions, their black and fparkling eyes, their fine hair, their embonpoint, the harmony of their perfors, the vivacity of their converfation, all charm every ftranger who beholds them. If the men understood the art of forming them ; if their abilities were developed by a more general cultivation; if an excellive referve, a liule ftiffnefs, and a pride that borders on rudeness, did not countervail their other amiable qualities, their charms would be irrefituble, and their power unbounded. In the inferior claffes they are ftrong and laborious, and employed as porters to carry heavy burthens. In general, throughout all conditions, the manners of this people are, according to credible witnetles, the pareft of vall 'Spain. (p. 89-94.) This is the most important part on the North coast of Spain. Its trade confifts in wool, chefnuts, iron, and oil. Of the foreign mer chants the Germans are most numerous. Many difficulties, however, attend the eftablishment or a foreign houfe of trade at Bilboa, where no foreign confuls are recognized. The Bifcayans have in general a kind of national haired for the French, increafed by the late events to horror. Heretics as they are, the Engh are preferred. The number of French Reagees in Spain are computed at 22,000. Befides the revenue they derive from their males (fix pence each), they employ themselves in handicraft trades, practife phyfic, teach languages, ferve the rich canons, and adopt every means of fupporting their wretched exiftence. The language is that of the antient Cantabri, preferved pure and unmixed, except a few French and Spanith words adopted to expreis new ideas. Immenfe population, afflux of foreigners, and abundani circulation of fpecie, make Bilboa one of the dearest places in Spain. Sardines and chefnuts, and maize bread, form the food of the poor. The light wine called chacoli ferves rather to cool than ftrengthen the body. The air of Bilboa and Bifcay is excellent, and fuch as may be expected in a mountainous country near the fea; the climate mild and temperate The trees are rarely deprived of all their leaves, and the verdure begins to re-appear towards the end of January. Thefe foft winters, however, produce epidemical putrid fevers, and the finall-pox makes the greater ravages, as the ignoraut phyficians adminifter their cooling medicines to all conftitutions ftrong or weak, without diftinction; and fome, in chronic rheumatifim, adminifter nothing but an ointment of ftorax; and, in certain cutaneous difcates, cafily gueffed ai, apply only goulard or mer cur al plafiers. (p) 95—111.) The road from Bilboa is through Miravalles, a village with a pofuda, or inn, crowded with maleteers, but fur nishing excellent beds. The feenery like Chamouny. Leaving Orduna, remarkable for its antiquity, and the fuperb architecture of its cuftom-houfe, they were overtaken on the afcent of a mountain with terrible fo ms and darkness, and with difficulty defcended to the venta at the foot, where they had reafon to be con ented with their fleep ing-place and reception. Next day procceded to Ofma, where cultivation and cattle, except fheep and black swine, begin to decline. Our fleeping-places became lc's clean, and the bread as well as water bad, but the wine better and cheaper. Indigence and forrowful countenances. We crolled the Ebro, and paffed the night at Villa nueva, a poor town. Defart heaths and the moft hideous fterility, except the monaftic cultivation. In a farm half a mile from Burgos, which ferved as an inn, met with a French ecclefiaftic pilgrim, and a man of rank, whofe head had been turned by devotion. "If a man wishes to become acquainted with the inhabitants of Old Caftile, he muft obferve them at Burgos; for, no where can be found fo many ill-dreffed people, or fo many beggars in the fireets, fupported by monafteries. Hence, notwithstanding its extent, the place has a dull and inanimate appearance, At Lerma a mule fell fick, and was cured by exorcifins. Aranda boasts fome tanneries and feveral woollen manufac-. tories, has a degree of affluence, and belongs to the Prince of Peace. The villages from hence miferable, and the kitchen of the inn at Boffequillas contained nothing but objects of mifery. Afcended the fnow-clad mountains of Guadarrama." The road to Somofierra is one of the most magnificent in all Spain. It was begun by Ferdinand VI. and finished under Charles III. We defcended pretty rapidly, found the air below fenfibly milder; and, after two full hours, arrived at the small town of Buytrago, which, by its antieut towers and walls, is eafily perceived to have been a fortrefs. The pofada was kept by Catalonians. The laft fleeping-place was San Agoftin in New Caftile, where was more cleanli nefs and affluence. At San Sebaftian, three leagues from Madrid, the country is more cultivated, and a fine road filled with travellers. At the port of Fuencarral, the name of which is writ ten over the gate in a fquare of porcelain, we were obliged to top to be eaxamined with great rigour, efpecially as to fnuff. Before our turn came, we faw above 30 pauniers in-. fpected, which is done in a very singular manner. The custom-house-officers being furnished with a long bar of iron, channelled out and rubbed with greafe, pafs it in every direction into the pannier, where, if it meets with fnuff, fome will adhere to the greafe. We were dispatched more quickly, becaufe Qur our portmanteaus were fealed, and our paffports did not defcribe us to be merchants. I was furprized to find, a few paces from this pofi, in the middle of the road, a heap of dirt, on which lay a dead carcafe. (pp. 129-131.) MADRID is fituated in the centre of Spain, aud on all fides almoft equidiftant from the fea. The fineft view of it is from the hill before the port [gate] of Segovia The city forms a regular fquare, is furrounded by a mud wall of no great thickness, but tolerably high. To walk round it takes three hours and a half According to the lateft accounts by Lopez, in his Grografia moderna, the number of inhabitants, excepting the garrifon, hofpitals, and children, amounts to 130,980, occupying 7100 houfes, and it contains 77 churches, 44 monafteries, and 31 convents. The old houfes are almoft all of wood, rarely exceeding four ftories, decorated with bull-fights, dancers, and the antient coftume; the new, five, of granite, brought 16 or 18 leagues, fimple, and almoft all painted yellow. This mixture of old and new houfes is particularly ftriking in places remarkable for their magnificence or deformity. In one of the most animated streets, the Red de San Luis, you fee a crowd of women in black and veiled, men in long cloaks, watercarriers, fruit-fellers, magnificent equipages, dufty diligences, light caletas, heavy loaded waggons drawn by mules, a multitude of affes with pack-faddles and bells, and herds of goats with peafants going from door to door to milk them; blind muficians finging their tornadillas or popular fongs, alguazils crying the orders of police, a crowd of gallegos or porters, proceflions of chaplets, guards following the drum, or confraternities efcorting a funeral and finging Pfalms; and, lalily, the foJemn procellion of the venerulile, or hoft; when, the bells of the children of the choir being heard, every one kneels down, all tongues are filent, and all hats off, all the carriages flop, and the tumultuous mals feems inflantly petrified, but in two minutes the accuftomed clangor is renewed. In the great Square, when it has ftruck 11, a troop of officers of the guard with brilliant accoutrements, monks in black cloaks, charming women in veils embroidered *We are more furprized our traveller does not tell us whether of mau or beaft, or how either came by its end. Edit. with gold holding the arms of their gates |