There are forty-two squares, of which the principal are-that of the Royal Palace; that of Santa Catalina, where a beautiful bronze statue of Cervantes has been lately placed; the Puerta del Sol, where the five principal streets of Madrid meet, and which is a place of resort both for the idle and the busy, being the spot where, owing to the proximity of the Exchange, or Bolsa, all commercial transactions are conducted in the open air; the Plaza de la Cevada, where criminals were formerly executed; and lastly, the Plaza Mayor, which is the finest of all. This square is now used as the rallying-point for the garrison of Madrid in case of alarm, on account of the strength and solidity of the buildings and the difficulty of approaching it through the narrow crooked streets. Its form is quadrilateral, four hundred and thirty-four feet by three hundred and thirty-four, and it is surrounded with stone buildings six stories high, ornamented with pillars of gray granite, which form a fine piazza all

round.

The population of Madrid, as to which no official returns have been published since 1807, was stated by Miñano to be 201,344 in 1826, but this number is generally supposed to be too great for that time, although it may at present be nearly correct. The circumference at Madrid is not above five miles; and there are no suburbs.

The royal palace of Madrid, though unfinished, is one of the finest royal residences in Europe. The interior is decorated in a style of costly magnificence. It stands on the site of the old Alcazar, or palace, inhabited by Philip II., which was burnt to the ground in 1734. Philip V. began the building, which was continued by his successors. It has four fronts, four hundred and seventy feet in length, and one hundred feet high. The customhouse, a noble building, erected by Charles III., to whom Madrid is chiefly indebted for its embellishments; the Casa de Correos (postoffice) in the Puerta del Sol; the palace called de Buena Vista, formerly belonging to the dukes of Alba, now converted into an artillery museum; the royal printing office, in the street of Carretas, and the palace of the duke of Berwick, are among the public and private buildings which adorn the capital. Among the numerous churches and convents which fill the streets of Madrid, scarcely one can be mentioned as a specimen of a pure style of architecture. That of San Isidro, formerly belonging to the Jesuits, has a very fine portal; the convent of the Saleras, founded by Ferdinand VI. and his wife Barbara, is likewise a fine building, and the interior of the church is ornamented with the richest marbles. The convent of San Francesco el Grande, built in 1777, is justly admired for the severity and correctness of the design, its beautiful proportions, and a dome built in imitation of that of Saint Peter's at Rome. There are sixty-seven churches in Madrid, exclusive of private chapels. Before the year 1834 there were sixty-six convents, thirty-four for men and thirty-two for women. Some of them have been recently pulled down, either to widen the streets or to form squares; others have been converted into barracks, hospitals, magazines, and government offices.

Public promenades abound in Madrid. That which is most resorted to is the Prado, which consists of various alleys lined with double rows of trees, and ornamented with beautiful marble fountains. Adjoining to it is the Retiro, an extensive and beautiful garden. The garden suffered greatly, both from friends and foes, during the peninsular war, but was restored by the late king, who added to it an extensive menagerie. Another favorite promenade is a vast plantation outside the

gate of Atocha, called Las Delicias, leading to a canal known by the name of Canal de Manzanares. This canal which extends only six miles from Madrid, was intended to unite the capital with the river Tajo at Toledo, by means of the Xarama.

The literary and scientific establishments are generally of old date, and insufficient to meet the wants of the present day. Miñano mentions one hundred and sixty-six primary schools as existing in 1826, besides two colleges, both conducted by ecclesiastics. This number, however, has recently diminished. There are two extensive libraries open to the public; one founded by Philip V. in 1712, which contains one hundred and fifty thousand volumes, besides a very large collection of manuscripts, chiefly Greek, which have been described by J. Iriarte, and a museum of medals and antiquities. The library of San Isidro belonged formerly to the Jesuits. Both have been considerably increased of late by the addition of the libraries of the suppressed convents within the capital. There are also four academies: 1. "La Academia de la Lengua," founded in 1724, in imitation of the Académie Française, confines its labors to the publication of works in the Spanish language, such as grammars and dictionaries, and to editions of the best Spanish writers. 2. The Academy of History originated in a society of individuals whose first object was the preservation of historical records. It was confirmed by Philip V., who, in 1738, granted the present statutes. The labors of this body have been far more useful than those of its sister institution and the nine volumes in quarto already published by them form a valuable addition to the history of Spain. 3. The Academy of the Fine Arts, instituted in 1738, holds weekly meetings at its rooms in the street of Alcalá, but it has hitherto done little or nothing: lastly, the Academy of Medicine. A fine botanical garden, well stocked with exotic plants, forms a delightful spot in the spring, when it is much frequented: attached to the establishment are various professions, who lecture upon botany, agriculture, and geology. The museum of Natural History, in the Calle de Alcalá, is not worthy of the praise bestowed upon it by travellers: it certainly contains a splendid collection of minerals from the Spanish dominions in America, but they are badly arranged and worse kept. It contains, however, the interesting skeleton of the megatherium described by Cuvier.

Along the east side of the prado is the national gallery, a noble building of colossal dimensions, with a beautiful Tuscan portico and Doric colonnades. The collection of paintings which it contains has been lately pronounced by competent judges to possess a greater number of good pictures, with fewer bad ones, than any other gallery in Europe. The Armory, a fine building of the time of Philip II., contains some of the most beautiful specimens of armor in Europe, especially of the Cinque Cento, or the fine times of Benvenuto Cellini. There are several complete suits of armor, which formerly belonged to Ferdinand V., Charles V., the Great Captain, John of Austria, Garcia de Paredes, and other illustrious Spaniards. The most interesting of all perhaps is a coat of mail with the name and the arms of Isabella upon it, which she is said to have worn in her campaigns against the Moors. An account of this collection, with drawings of the best pieces of armor, is now in course of publication.

Madrid has two small theatres, "La Cruz" and "Principe," both managed by the Ayuntamiento, or municipal corporation, where Italian operas and Spanish plays are alternately acted. Another, of much larger dimensions, called the "Teatro de Oriente," has been lately built in the centre of the square opposite to the royal palace, but is still unfinished for want of funds.

The inhabitants of Madrid repair, every Monday during the season, to a vast amphitheatre outside of the gate of Alcalá, where the favorite spectacle of bullfights is exhibited.

The police of Madrid is not good. The streets are generally dirty, and the approaches to the city sometimes blocked up by heaps of rubbish. The city has no common sewers. Notwithstanding the great number of fountains, the want of good water is severely felt in summer. The city itself is considered to be extremely unhealthy; and if Philip II. chose it for his residence on account of the purity of the air and the quality of its waters, as we are told, Madrid must have undergone a complete change since that time. The sharp winds which blow from the Guadarrama mountains in winter produce the endemic pulmonia or pneumonia, which often proves fatal in a few hours. A sort of colic, caused by the dryness of the atmosphere, is likewise a prevalent complaint in summer.

Charitable and benevolent institutions are numerous, and some are amply provided

with funds; but the management having always been in the hands of the clergy, the funds have been spent in building monasteries and churches, rather than applied to the charitable purposes intended by the donors. An institution, supported by voluntary contributions and patronized by the government, has recently been estab lished outside of the city, for the reception of beggars, who were formerly objects of horror and disgust in the streets of Madrid.

Madrid has little manufacturing industry. A manufacture of porcelain and another of tapestry are both the property of the crown.

BADAJOZ is situated on an eminence, which, gradually sloping upward from the plain, terminates rather precipitously at the castle. This hill terminates the range of the mountains of Toledo, although separated from the chain by the "dark Guadi ana," whose waters flow beneath the city walls. Fort St. Christobal, a strong fort on the Portuguese side of the river, and completely commanding the town, is, more properly speaking, the last of the Toledo mountains, as the eminence on which the city stands does not deserve so dignified a name. Badajoz is completely surrounded on three sides by a vast plain, and on the fourth by the river. This plain was once covered with the vine and the olive, and the picturesque Casas del Campo of the more wealthy inhabitants; but now it presents but a wide and dreary desert; war, with its desolating blasts, has swept cultivation from the soil, has converted the sickle into the sword, and the ploughshare into a spear.

The bridge of Badajoz is a beautiful piece of Roman architecture, and its perfect and solid masonry attests the greatness of that surprising people, in their works of art. Much is added to its appearance by the Tête de Pont, on the Campo side, and the fine towers of the Puerta de los Palmas, on the city side. In the centre, a fountain of living water casts its refreshing showers high into the sultry air, and the beauty of the prospect on every hand renders the Ponte de Badajoz a pleasant promenade for the fair or idle. The river beneath is so shallow in the summer months as to be fordable almost at every part; but in the winter it becomes a mighty stream, pouring its waters along with resistless rapidity, and entirely filling the wide channel cut in the loose soil by its ceaseless flow. Navigation, therefore, is not to be thought of, and the only vessels to be seen are a few small boats for pleasure or for fishing.

The Palmer's gate is well worthy of notice, on account of its extreme beauty; the two round towers which stand on either hand are perfectly symmetrical; and the golden hue of age thrown over the white marble of which they are built, by the fine, pure atmosphere of a southern climate, increases the beauty of their appear ance by lending the charms of color to those of form. This gate, which is also Roman, was repaired by Philip II., the husband of Queen Mary, of England, in the year 1551, as appears by the inscription, since which time the hand of the workman has not touched it. The bridge, however, of which this gate forms the termination, has been thoroughly repaired and paved. The interior of the town presents nothing remarkable, although extremely clean without the aid of whitewash, so much used in Portugal to give an air of cleanliness to the antiquated and miserable streets. The houses are, for the most part, large and commodious, and the inn, or Fonda de los Cuatra Naciones, is superlative in its accommodation and comfort; indeed, it is surprising to find so splendid an establishment in Badajoz, after becoming accustomed to the wretched, comfortless, and dirty inns, hotels, hospederios, or whatever they may call them, in Portugal. The market-place near the castle is a fine square, and contains the government offices, &c.; the buildings are extremely picturesque, and are overlooked by some old towers and ruins, forming an interesting background. The street which leads from this place to the cathedral is filled with the houses of the gentry, and its termination forms the Rambla, or public walk, where the belles of the place display themselves in the evening air. The cathedral, whose Gothic arches and massive towers overlook this promenade, is a plain and ugly building externally, but every art and expense have been lavished, to render its interior mag. nificent and glittering. The numerous chapels which surround its broad and gloomy aisles, are covered with carvings and gilt-work; the altars are enriched by embroidery of the most costly workmanship, and resplendent with silver candlesticks and wax candles, kept constantly lighted; and the grand altar displays all the art and splendor of the catholic worship.

BARCELONA is a regularly-fortified city, with a citadel and detached fort, and, next to Elvas, is, perhaps, one of the strongest fortifications in the peninsula. The cita