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Wild Bull Hunting.

lace were admitted to throw the bull. This was generally done by one man leaping between the horns, upon which he supported himself in an upright posture, till relieved by his companions, who threw the bull to the ground. The cry of largo, largo,' was the signal for its liberation, when, some tame cattle being admitted, it was led by them to the pen. Six bulls were thus baited the first day, the other six on the day following. Three weeks afterward I had these very animals under my charge as baggage-oxen, as tame and gentle oxen as could be desired."

SMUGGLING. In all countries where the imposts on commerce are heavy, and the government inactive or corrupt, smuggling will exist in a proportionate degree. The facilities for contraband trade in the peninsula are very great, for the government, though avaricious to the last degree, has not sufficient energy to check men who rove about the country in the face of day, in bands of from forty to fifty. It is true that the system, so long practised by the government, of conniving at evils they have not ability to crush, has given the contrabandistas a power sufficient to cause much trouble; they are invariably well mounted, well armed, and ready on all occasions to meet the threatened danger. Indeed, so lax is the police, that they not only find a ready market in the open towns and villages, but fearlessly enter fortified towns and forts, transact business in open defiance of the law, and march out at their pleasure, without any particular notice being taken of them. I was much surprised one day to see a police report given to the governor of Elvas, which announced the arrival of fifteen Spanish smugglers from Badajoz as a mere matter of course. If an hotel in France contained fifteen, or even one such guest, with their contraband goods with them, the house would soon be surrounded by swarms of customhouse officers, and the goods, as well as their owners, conveyed in a marvellously short space of time to a place of security; and if the guilty knowledge was capable of proof, to a place of punishment. But here there seems to be a mutual understanding between the authorities and the contrabandistas, by means of which the business is conducted on the most amicable terms.

As the life of a contrabandista (which means, properly speaking, a land smuggler) is to a certain extent roving and romantic, so are his habits lively and energetic, and his costume picturesque. The best accommodation the inns can afford are his, whether on the road or in the town, and frequently his gay and cheerful temper renders him an agreeable visitant. As he has ample opportunities of collecting information in his continuous perambulations, he is considered as a walking newspaper, and may be seen in his brown jacket with its gaudy embroidery and silver bell buttons, his red sash and shirt of lace, his short loose trowsers and conical hat, standing at the hostel door, recounting the news to a group of eager listeners, or seated in the chimney-corner, with his wine-skin by his side, and cigar in his mouth, enlivening the company with his guitar. When the contrabandista is mounted, the animal carries him, his arms, and his goods. His arms consist generally of a cutlass, two braces of pistols, one in holster and the other in his belt, and a long Spanish gun; this latter is carried between the thigh and the saddle in a peculiar manner, with the barrel pointed downward. The goods are packed in small bales or cases, and slung over the crupper of the saddle, which is adapted for the purpose; and thus mounted and accoutred, it becomes a difficult matter to seize the goods without first taking the man.

In Portugal the articles of illicit trade are not wines or spirits. These productions are so similar in other countries, as to render the smuggling of them of no advantage; but goods of Spanish manufacture, cigars, tobacco, chocolate, soap, jewelry, the lighter articles of dress, lace, &c., all of which bear heavy duties, are thus imported in large quantities. Along the coast smuggling is practised much less than on the frontiers; although the traffic in cigars and tobacco is considerable, the entire monopoly of these articles by one individual, the Marquis de Quentilla, renders them not only of a high price, but also of an inferior quality, none being allowed to enter the country, except from the Portuguese colonies. The consequence is, that contraband cigars are held in great esteem, not only for their superior quality, but also for their reduced price; the usual price of Havanas, and what are called Gibraltars, from these men, being about twenty crusadoes nove the thousand, or about one cent each, while the trash sold by the estanco is at the same price. It must be remarked that the Portuguese are seldom seen without a cigar in their mouths.

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CHAPTER IX.-SPAIN.

Of all the great countries of Europe, Spain is, perhaps, the least known. Its statistics are yet in a state of uncertainty; the amount of its population has not been determined within a million or two. Even Laborde, the most accurate traveller that has visited that country, has fallen into error on this subject. It appears, however, that the present population of Spain is somewhat between thirteen and fourteen millions. The great cities of Spain are few and far between; the communications are slow and insecure; the face of the land is rugged, and intersected by high ridges of mountains; there are no canals or navigable rivers, and few carriage roads; mules carry on the commercial intercourse of Spain. Intellectual intercourse between the various parts of the kingdom is at a still lower ebb. Few books are printed, few people read, and there is hardly a newspaper, deserving the name, in the whole land. It is evident that the people of such a country can little resemble those of France, Germany, England, or even Italy.

Spain is essentially, and almost solely, an agricultural country. Its rural population forms the great body of the nation; and he who would judge of Spain ought to make himself acquainted with the country-people, their character, habits, and feelings, rather than draw his inferences from the limited society of Madrid, Barcelona, or Cadiz. Several of the apparent contradictions in the late history of that country would become resolved by attending to this principle.

The number of landowners and farmers throughout Spain amounts to nearly one million; that of the laborers and shepherds to full as many. These, with their families, constitute the great bulk of the population, while the tradespeople, merchants, artisans, and manufacturers, altogether, do not amount to half a million, scattered about different parts of the kingdom.

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The Spanish peasantry, taken in a body, are perhaps the finest, and certainly the proudest, in Europe. They are generally well-made and robust, very frugal and patient under privations, naturally solemn and taciturn, high-spirited, and brave. An exclusive love of their native country, and a dislike to foreigners, are with them traditional feelings, connected with their religion, ever since the period of the Moorish wars. At the same time, they have so little idea of the construction of the social and political body, that they even lately did not know the meaning of the word nation, and they applied their corresponding word, nacion, to designate foreigners, exclusively and indiscriminately. They had never heard of the Spanish nation," until the constitution of 1820 adopted the appellation; but they knew the meaning of Spain, and Spaniards, and still better those of Castilians, Andalusians, Valencians, &c., according to their respective provinces. Their good qualities are obscured by prejudices; their sternness degenerates, at times, into ferocity, as their piety does into superstition. Yet, in the common intercourse of life, in quiet times, they appear warm-hearted, good-tempered, and civil. Although uninformed, they are very far from dull; and though poor, they are not unhappy. "Nothing," says the late M. Martignac, who accompanied the French army in 1823, in a high and important capacity, "nothing in other countries resembles the Spanish peasant-the Spanish laborer. Everywhere else the peasant is a man of toil and of want, daily and entirely absorbed by the necessity of providing subsistence for himself and family. In Spain, the journeyman, the laborer, is never entirely engrossed by a similar care. His wants have been so reduced by frugal habits, that the fear of destitution seldom disturbs his repose or affects his humor. Strangers who visit Spain, and pay attention to the manners and the language of the humbler classes, are struck with the simple, easy, and often elevated talk of the country-people. Their conversation is never trivial or vulgar, they reason justly, and often express generous sentiments with a natural nobleness. Above all, they have a feeling of pride, which makes them disdain proffered assistance or gratification, for a voluntary service. At Buytrago, I went to visit the fine estate of the duke of Infantado, and its flock of Merino sheep. The steward gave me a farm-servant to show me about. The latter fulfilled his charge with intelligence and politeness. At the moment of departure, I felt somewhat embarrassed how to show my gratitude, without wounding his national pride.

I glanced at my guide's attire-it showed but little of comfort; his children, whom we had met, were in tatters. I resolved to offer him my mite, and on arriving at the gate, I attempted to slip, as quietly as I could, a gold piece into his hand. He was in the attitude of bowing very low, while showing us out; but, at the touch of the money, he raised himself proudly up, and told me, with an accent of repressed anger, Sir, we stand in no need of any one's assistance; our master is a great lord, who does not let his people want for anything.' A similar feeling makes the Spanish peasant impatient of advice, and averse to any novelty that wounds his feelings, his habits, or his faith. Such is the Castilian peasant; such, also, the Aragonese, with a greater admixture of obstinacy; such the Catalonian, with greater activity, and also a deadlier spirit of revenge. In the southern provinces there are greater remains of barbarism and ferocity, owing, perhaps, to the more protracted struggle with the Moors, and also to their African neighborhood."

It would be indeed absurd to attempt to reduce the whole population of so vast a country as Spain, to a fixed standard. There are considerable shades of difference between the native of the northern provinces, bordering on the Atlantic ocean, and the inhabitant of the sunny coast of the Mediterranean; and also between these two and the dweller in the great central table-land of Castile, Leon, and Estremadura. These may be considered as the three grand divisions of Spain.

Laborers' wages are lower in the north than in Castile and the other central provinces, where the population is thinner, and villages at a greater distance from each other. The working-days are about two hundred and seventy-three in the year, the rest being Sundays and other holydays. The food of the laboring classes consists of bread, bacon, Spanish peas or beans, oil, garlic, greens, and wine. They seldom eat fresh meat; salt fish is a relish on meager days. The men lay out but little upon clothes, their outer garment being made of sheepskins, or coarse woollen cloth, which lasts out a man's life. Spanish bread is not fermented like ours, but is compact and cake-like; it has, however, a very good taste, for Spanish wheat is of excellent quality. The common wine in the central and northern provinces, where it is the universal beverage, is generally very poor; but in the south of Spain, whence the fine wines come, in the districts of Xeres, Rota, Malaga, Alicant, the country-people hardly drink any; it is too valuable for them. In Catalonia, and other provinces near the Mediterranean sea, a family of four persons will dine upon half a pound of salt-fish, bread, and oil, and sup on a lettuce. The Catalonians, however, are very fond of wine and spirits, but one seldom sees a Spaniard intoxicated, except among the lowest populace of the cities. Smoking is universal, but on a very economical plan; they carry a tobacco-stick in their pocket, out of which they cut a piece, crumble it in the palm of their hand, wrap it up in paper, and the cigar is thus made.

In the wide plains of Castile and Leon, the great corn-country of Spain, and in the other central provinces, very few farmhouses are to be seen; the inhabitants are crowded together in villages, and the houses, made of bricks baked in the sun, look dilapidated and comfortless. It is only in the north, or in some of the maritime districts of the south, that one sees anything like the farmhouses and cottages of other countries. The Castilians have of old a singular aversion against trees, as being the means of attracting and sheltering birds, who would peck the corn. This nakedness of the great table-land of Spain struck, particularly, an American traveller, who has written a very interesting tour of that country. "After having long since stripped the country of its trees, the Castilian, instead of creating nurseries for their restoration, has such an abhorrence for everything of the kind, that he will even prevent the establishment of them along the high roads, by wounding those which the government has been at the expense of planting there. In consequence of their proscription in the interior of Spain, it has been remarked that the soil, scorched by a powerful sun, with no trees to moderate its force, or attract humidity, has gradually lost its streams and fountains, of which nothing now remains but empty ravines, to mark the forgotten source of former fertility." The mountains of New Castile supply the inhabitants of the plains with charcoal for fuel. Nothing is more strikingly dreary than the country round Madrid; not a grove, nor an orchard, nor country-seat, to be seen. The fields in Castile are not enclosed; the corn is thrashed and left on the ground, till the dealers and speculators in corn, to whom, in most cases, the harvest is mortgaged beforeband, come to fetch it away. The farmers are without capital, and therefore are incapable of making improvements on their

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