M0

T R A

.
V E
T H R O U G H

g^rvil
L S

S P
IN WHICH AND SEVERAL

I
I775

N,
AND

IN T H Y E A R S

I776.
ROMAN' ARE

M O N U M E N T S OF

MOORISH A R C H I T E C T U R E BY

ILLUSTRATED DRAWINGS THE

ACCURATE ON

TAKEN SPOT.

B Y HENRY

SWINBURNE,

Eso^

S I E N N E S T B E A U q_UE L E V H A I \

LE V R A I SEUL EST

AIMAELE, BOILEAU.

THE SECOND E D I T I O N ;

TO WHICH IS A D D E D , A J O U R N E Y

FROM B A Y O N N E T O M A R S E I L L E S .

V O L

I.

L O N D O N ;
PRINTED BY T. DAVIS;

F O R

p.

E L M S L Y ,

I N

T H E

S T R A N D .

M. DCC. L X X X V I I ,

P R E F A C E ,

O S T

travellers that f a v o u r the

w o r l d w i t h their obfervations o n foreign countries, endeavour to foften

the e d g e o f criticifm b y d e c l a r i n g , that t h e y h a d o r i g i n a l l y n o intentions o f a p p e a r i n g in print, b u t w e r e b e t r a y e d i n t o the prefs b y the i m p o r t u n i t i e s o f their friends. This excufe feldom anfwers

the e n d ; for w h e n a n y effential defect raifes the indignation o f the r e a d e r , as f e v e r e a fentence ftraggler is paffed upon the

d e c o y e d into the literary w a l k ,

as u p o n the m o i l a v o w e d v o l u n t a r y trefpaffer. I fhall therefore A 2 be v e r y ingenuous,

iv

n u o u s , a n d a c k n o w l e d g e that w h e n

fet o u t u p o n m y Spanifh j o u r n e y , I had. thoughts o f p u b l i s h i n g m y r e m a r k s o n that c o u n t r y . I h a d an earneit delire o f

p u r f u i n g a tract almoft u n t r o d d e n b y travellers, that I m i g h t k n o w h o w great a d e g r e e o f c r e d i t w a s d u e to the ac counts already given. inquiry, In m y plan o f foil,

an i n v e f l i g a t i o n o f the government,

cultivation,

commerce,

a n d manners o f that k i n g d o m , w a s to b e the g r a n d p r i m a r y o b j e c t ; b u t w h a t I w a s m o r e confident o f m y ftrength in, a n d w h a t I o w n I f o u n d m o r e fuitable to m y inclinations, w a s the f t u d y o f its in

antiquities, efpecially the M o o r i f h :

that line, m y o w n e y e a n d l a b o u r w e r e f u m c i e n t helps to enable m e to c o l l e c t interefting materials for a p u b l i c a t i o n . T h e travels t h r o u g h S p a i n that h a v e a p p e a r e d i n print, are either o l d a n d obfolete, c o n f e q u e n t l y i n m a n y refpects unfit

unfit to c o n v e y a p r o p e r i d e a o f its p r e fent ftate ; o r o n l y relations o f a paffage t h r o u g h p a r t i c u l a r p r o v i n c e s , w h e r e the authors h a d n e i t h e r t i m e n o r o p p o r t u n i t y to p r o c u r e m u c h information. N o t b e i n g u n d e r a n y reflraint i n p o i n t o f time ; b e i n g f u r n i f h e d w i t h a n d e v e r y t h i n g neceffary for letters,

rendering

t h e t o u r e a f y , a n d m y flay i n the t o w n s a g r e e a b l e a n d instructive, w i t h a fufficient k n o w l e d g e o f the l a n g u a g e , I h a d f o m e reafon to h o p e I m i g h t a c c o m p l i f h m y p u r p o f e , w i t h Satisfaction to myfelf, a n d u t i l i t y t o the p u b l i c . H o w far I h a v e

f u c c e e d e d , is f u b m i t t e d to the j u d g m e n t o f the c a n d i d r e a d e r ; at l e a d f o m e in d u l g e n c e is d u e to m e for h a v i n g c o n t r i b u t e d m y mite, h o w e v e r infignificant, t o the c o m m o n frock o f t o p o g r a p h i c a l k n o w l e d g e ; w h i c h o f late y e a r s has b e e n fo prodigioufTy i n c r e a f e d b y accumulated, imports from all parts o f the globe.

vi

T h e r e is b u t o n e m e r i t I infill u p o n , that o f a fteady a d h e r e n c e to V e r a c i t y , as far as I w a s a b l e to d i f c e r n T r u t h f r o m Falfehood. I m a y b e detected in m a n y

m i i l a k e s ; b e c a u f e a foreigner m u l l often b e e x p o f e d to r e c e i v e partial a c c o u n t s o f things f r o m the n a t i v e s , w h o h a v e an intereft in h i d i n g the n a k e d n e f s o f their c o u n t r y , a n d in e x a g g e r a t i n g its a d v a n tages ; b u t I fhall n e v e r b e d e t e c t e d i n a w i l f u l p e r v e r h o n o f the truth. M a n y things in m y p r i v a t e letters, o f w h i c h the f o l l o w i n g m e e t s are exact c o p i e s , w e r e n o t d e e m e d for the p u b l i c inflection; almoft proper are

there

m a n y trifling o c c u r r e n c e s that fill u p a letter v e r y a g r e e a b l y , b u t w h e n p r i n t e d become ridiculous. T h e additions m a d e

to the c o r r e f p o n d e n c e conflft chiefly o f the historical, c o m m e r c i a l , a n d literary parts; w h i c h I d r e w from the m o f t e f t e e m e d S p a n i l h authors, as w e l l as from m a n u 4 fcriptSj

vii

fcripts, a n d information

communicated,

b y m y friends. I n thefe refearches I w a s m u c h affifted b y the R e v e r e n d M r . R.

W a d d i l o v e , chaplain t o the B r i t i f h e m baffy: w h o , I hope, will excufe m y mak i n g h i m this flight a c k n o w l e d g m e n t . I have been v e r y particular in what e v e r regards the hiflory a n d architecture o f the M o o r s , as thofe are fubjects n o t y e t w o r n thread-bare: w i t h the h e l p o f

the prints, I h o p e to g i v e the c u r i o u s a fatisfactory i d e a o f their m a n n e r o f b u i l d i n g , diftributing, a n d a d o r n i n g edifices. a n unique, public

T h e A l h a m b r a o f G r a n a d a is a n d its e x c e l l e n t p r e f e r v a t i o n

affords an o p p o r t u n i t y o f i t u d y i n g all the detail o f their defigns and o r n a m e n t s . I c a n a n f w e r for the exactnefs o f the d r a w i n g s : I n e v e r t o o k the l i b e r t y o f a d d i n g o r r e t r e n c h i n g a fingle object, for the fake o f i m p r o v i n g the b e a u t y o r h a r m o n y o f the l a n d f c a p e . Not

viii

N o t to m u l t i p l y notes a n d references in the b o d y o f the w o r k , I t h o u g h t p r o per to g i v e at the b e g i n n i n g , a C h r o n o l o gical Table of the Kings of Spain;

T a b l e s o f w e i g h t s , coins, a n d

meafures;

and an i t i n e r a r y o f o u r r o u t e , w i t h the n u m b e r o f h o u r s it requires to p e r f o r m each ftiige.

CURO-

C H R O N O L O G I C A L T A B L E of the

K I N G S

OF

S P A I N .

Invaded by the Carthaginians Conquered by the Romans Conquered by the Goths . Invaded by the Saracens

239 206 409 712

before Chrift. before Chrift. after Chrift. after Chrift.

K I N G S

O F

Afturias and Leon. Began to reign 71S Pelaj'o 737 Fa vita 739 Alfonfo 758 Fioila 7-68 Aurelio 774 Silo 783 Mauregat 78? Bermudo 791 Alfonfo I I . S45 Ramiro S51 Ordono 862 Alfonfo I I I . 910 Garcias 913 Ordono I I . 923 Froila I I . 923 Alfonfo I V . 927 Ramiro I I . 952 Ordono I I I . 956 Sancho 967 Ramiro I I I . 985 Bermudo I I . 999 Alfonfo V . 1027 Bermudo I I 103 7 Sancho Ferdinand I . of Caftiile 10.67 Sancho I I . 1073 Alfonfo V I . 1109 Urraca Alfonfo V I L 1126 Alfonfo V I I I 1157 Ferdinand I I . 1188 Alfonfo I X .

Caftiile. 1037 Ferdinand 1067 Sancho I I . 1073 Alfonfo V I .

Aragn. 1035 Ramiro 1063 Sancho 1094 peter

1109 Alfonfo V I I 1126 Alfonfo V I I I . 1104 Alfonfo 1134 Ramiro I L 1157 Sancho I I I . 1137 Petronilla 1158 Alfonfo I X . Raymund of 1214 Henry Barcelona 1217 Berengela 1162 Alfonfo I I . i 2 i 7 St. Ferdinand 1196 Peter I I . III. 1252 Alfonfo X . 1213 James 1284 Sancho I V . 1295 Ferdinand I V . 1276 P e t e r l I I . 1285 Alfonfo I I I , 1312 Alfonfo X I . 1291 James I I . 1350 Peter 1369 Henry I I . 1327 Alfonfo I V . 1379 John 1336 Peter I V . 1390 Henry I I I . 1387 John_ 1395 Martin 1404 John I I . 1450 Henry I V . 1474 Ifabella 1412 Ferdinand Ferdinand V . 1416 Alfonfo V . 1458 John I I . 1504 Joan 1459 Ferdinand I I . Philp 1506 Charles 1556. Philip I I . 1598 Philip l . 1621 Philip I V . 1665 Charles I I . 1700 Philip V . 1724 Lewis 1726 Philip V I . ... ... , 1746 Ferdinand V I . 1759 Charles I I I .

* J
TABLE

of the K I N G S

OF

SPAIN

continued.

Navarre. Garcas Ximenes 8"8o Fortvm 905 925 970 994 Sancho Garcas I I . Sancho Abarca Garcias I I I . Sancho I I I . Garcias I V . Sancho I V . Sancho V . Peter Alfonfo Garcias Y . Sancho V I . Sancho V I I . Thibault Thihaultll. Henry Joanna 1109 1112 1128 1182 1212 1223 1248 1279 1325 1357 1367 1383 1423 1438 1481 1495

Portugal, Henry Terefa Alfonfo Sancho Alfonfo I I . Sancho I I . Alfonfo I I I . Dennis Alfonfo I V . Peter Ferdinand John Edward Alfonfo V . John I I . Emmanuel

Saracens. 755 Abdoulrahman 788 Hiffem 795 Hahem 822 853 886 888 Abdoulrahman Mahomet Almundar Abdallah

1000 2035 1054 1076 1094 1104 1134 1150 1194 1234 1253 1270 1274

912 Abdoulrahman 961 Alhacan 976 HiTem 1014 Deftrution of the kingdom of Cordova 1236 Mahomet 1273 M u l e y 1302 Mahomet 1310 Nazer 1315 Ifmael 1326 Mahomet 1333 Juzaf 1354 Lago 13 74 Mahomet 1379 Mahomet 1392 Juzaf 1396 Balba 1408 Juzaf 1423 Elaziri 1427 Zagair 1432 Juzaf 1445 BenOfmin 453 Ifmael 1475 Abilhuflan 1485 Abouabdallah 1492 Ferdinand and Ifabella
1

1304 Lewis 1316 Philip 1322 Charles 1328 Joanna I I . 1349 Charles I I . 1387 Charles I I I . 1425 1441 1479 1479 1483 Blanche John Eleonora Francis Catherine John

15 21 John I I I . 1557 Sebaftian 1578 Henry 1580 Philip 1598 Philip I I . 1621 1640 1646 1683 Philip John I V . Alfonfo V I . Peter I I .

1706 J o h n V . 1750 Jofeph 1777 M a r y ' Peter

1516 Henry 1555 Joan I I I . Anthony 572 Henry

[ A

si

I
MEASURES.

T A B L E of W E I G H T S and

WEIGHTS
Ia 26 4 iso 125
1

OF

CATALONIA.
I I I 100 i Pound Arroba Quintal ff of Amfterdam cwt. Engliih

Ounces Pounds Arrobas Pounds Pounds

}... {
OF r contains <

WEIGHTS 1 Quintal 1 1 1 I 1 I 1 1 I Arroba Media Arroba Quarto de Arroba Media quarto de Arroba Libra Mediatt Quarteron Medio quarteron Onza

C A S T I L L E. 100 4 25 r2 6 3 16 8 4 2 4 Libras, or Arrobas Ib. Ib. 8 oz Ib. 4 oz. Ib. 2 oz. Onzas oz. oz.
OZ.

{
\ . contains ^

quartas

I Quarta 1 Media quarta 1 Adarmes

2 Medios Quarta! 2 Adarmes 2 Medios Adarmes

N. B. The Valencian and Cata'.onian lb. contains only 12 oz. but the oz. are larger.

LONG 12 3 1648 7680 Inches Caftillian fe> Varas Varas

MEASURE.

M A K E

(J L

I Mile

I Caftillian foot I Vara

I League

The Vara is about 33 Inches Englifti. 1920 Varas make an Engliih Mile of 1760 Yards.

A TABLE

TABLE

OF

COINS.

IMAGINARY. Real de Velln equal to half a real de plata, or eight quartos 2 maravidis Efcudo de Velln 10 reals de Vel. Ducado de Velln n r . V . i mar. Ducato de Plata nuevo i 6 r . V . 17 mar. Ducato de Plata Antiguo 20 5-rf Dobla de oro Decabua, Pefo 14 9 N. B. A Real de Velln is worth 8 Quartos 2 Maravidis, or 17 Ochavos.
s

B R A S S . Maravidi, the leaft coin Ochavo Quarto Dofquartos in Spain 2J ) 4 > maravidis 8 j

S I L V E R . Medio real de Plata Real de Plata Real de 2, pefetta, piftreen Real de 4 Sevillano Real de 8 Sevillano Medio real columnario Real de Plata colum. Real de a 2 colum. Real de a 4 - Real de a 8 - .
;

i r . d e Velln. 2 '4 8 16 1 g 2 17 5 10 20

D. . . 20 r. de Velln, 37 17 37 23 7* 75 150 380 , 301 6

I O 2 0

Veintino, pefo dur, hard dollar Efcudo de oro nuevo ~~ Efctido de oro Antiguo Dobln de a 2 nuevo, pifila Dobln de a 2 Antiguo Dobln de a 4 nuevo Dobln de a 4 Antiguo Dobln de a 8 nuevo, quadrupie Dobln de a 8 Antiguo

ITINERARY

I T I N E R A R Y .
Hours in g ng
;

Name. Perpignan Boulou Junquiera Figuera Coldoriol Girona May-orquien Sanfalony Rincon Barcelona Cipreret V i l l a Franca Figuereta Tarragona

Inns.

Notre dame; bad. Dolphin; tolerable Town-houfe S. j o f e p h ; bad; French Single houfe; bad . Fontana d'Oro; good Bad Bad 1 Single houfe Fontana d'Oro ~ Single houfe; cleanBad- - Single > & Bad > .

. houfe

4 3 3 3J 4 4f --'^ 66 4! 4| 5 = ' -5 .31

1

Hofpitalet = Single; ao lodging '< 5 Venta del Platero Single; as bad as any in Spain 3J Venta Don Ramon Tolerable; new = 1 44 Tortofa S. Jofeph; new inn 3 lldecona Poor - " . 5 Benecarlo . . 3 Torreblanca - " 6 Caftillon S. Francifco; good ' 7 Nule Good j 3f b 5 Moryiedrs

xiv

. Hours in going4 4* 6^ 3J 44 3 6| 4 4I 5^ 4J gi. 2\ 4J 6 4 3J 6 31

Name. Morviedro * Valencia . Alzira San Felipe Mojente 1' Fuente de la Xiguera Monforte Alicant Elche Orihuela. 1. Murcia Venta San Pedro Carthagena Fuente del Alamo Totana Lorca mm Puerto Horniera V e l e z el Rubio Xirivel
1

Inns.

Clean S. Andrea; not the belt French; clean 1 French; new = < . Good S. Francifco; pleafant Bad Tolerable . Tolerable Nothing -_______ Aquila d'Oro; excellent Bad =- Clean 1. Tolerable - . . V e r y had . . _. ,

Venta del Golpe Guadix ; -.1 ., .. Ifnallos . Granada

Loja _ -1

Wretched " i Tolerable A l S o l ; there is a C o r o n a ; clean .

. . > better -

, 6^ - , o i ... T T S . 6|
10

m m r r n

Antequera . Venta de Almoyna Malaga VentadelaCompania

c'...., 11 ____ 3 3 3

Coffee-houfe . .

Y Hours in going11

Name. Pedrera . Ofna Puebla Arajal Molares Cabecas - - Venta del Bifcayno Xeres Puerto S. Maria Cdiz Chiclana Cortijos = San Roque Gibraltar San Roque Cara del Duque Chiclana Cdiz Puerto Xeres V . Bifcayno V . Alcantirelk V . Oran Sevilla Cannona V . Monclov = Eccija Carlotta - Cordova Carpio Aldea Ariduzar

Inns.

Good Good V e r y bad Good Arroyo ; good Three Emperors; Italian. Cavallo bianco; Italian Baudry ; good ?

3l al

H
3
4 14

IS

14 4 of

Clean . L a Reyna ; Italian Good S. Agoitino New ; good Fonda; Italian

3 5 4 4z S

b 4

* S - 5 Rombi*.

XVI

. Hours in going.

ame. V . Rombla Carolina V . Miranda Vifo Santa C r u z Valdepeas Mancanares Villa-harta Puerto Lapiche Ccnfuegra . Mora . Toledo i Iliefeas Getefe Madrid Aranjuez .

Inns.

N e w ; excellent

Good ; new. .

Good wine

4 7 3 6 3
5 5

Good Sangre de Chrito ; clean

3l 6
. 6|

Ai
S. Seba-ftian ; Italian - Italian t good

Madrid-Ecurial - V . S . Catalina S. Ildefonfo Segovia S. M a r a V i l l a S . Cruz Hornillo Valladod V . Trigeros Torquemada V i l l a Rodrigo Burgos Torres BirviefcaPancorvo

. Good Good Poor place Tolerable

1

3 4 4 4! 4
9

- Good

si
4f

Si
4 7

S
9i 3i ft
V . S. Gatan

si

I T I N E R A R Y .
Hours in going 7 2 6 2 9! ______ g - 4 Inns.

Name. V . S. Gatan Excellent Victoria Good Montdragon Dirty Vergara Good Tolofa ,. : Hernani Good Paffage S. Jean de L u z Good Bayonne S. Etienne

Directions

Directions for placing the Prints.

Vol. .1. Portrait of the Author to face the T i t l e Map of Europe - T o face Page i T o m b of the Scipios 13 Gates of the Alhambra =__=__= , 6g Bath of the Alhambra ____ _ y6 Court of Lions 278 Pieces of Architecture 280 Entrance of the tower of the two Hermanas - - 286
2 2

V o l . II. Plan of the mofque of Cordova Eaft front of the mofque Chapel of the Koran = V i e w of Bareges Map of Bigorre 83 88 - 90 315 291

CONTENTS

C O N T E N T S
O F

L.

I.

PREFACE.
Chronological tables. Tables of weights and meafures. Table of coins Itinerary .... === == Page ix . xl xii xiii

Letter I. Journey from Bagneres to Perpignanwine of Rivefaltesbay of LuecatePerpignan t

II. Pafs into Spain by Bellegardecork woods of JunquieraFiguera, and its fortrefsGirona wild countryaccident in the rivermode of drinking in Catalonia 3 III. Land-

CONTENTS.
Letter III. Landfcape near la Roccagovernor of Barcelona comedyhiftory of Catalonia IV. Barcelona defcribedport nument of L a citadelhiftory tiquities' V. of the 11

Barcelonetamo Majorcathedral 23

MinarampartsRambla

palaceexchangeacademy of drawingan -

Theatre illuminatedcabinet of natural hiftory lifts of the armypay of the troopsftory of the Valencian boysjournal of the expedi tion to Algiers 34

VI.

Environs of Barcelonaconvent o f Sariaaloe laceconvent of J e f u s C a m pofanto f a n dango 66 71

V I I . Caftle of Montjuich

V I I I . Journey to Montferratarch of Hannibalabbey church treafureftory o f brother John camarines-miraculous i m a g e w a l k up the mountainhermitageslife of the hermits plants and profpects IX. - 75

Bargain with the muleteersaccount of Catalo niaits inhabitantstaxes, and mode of c o l lecting them-thieftakersdrefs character of the Cataloniansharveftproducecom mercepopulationmanufactures -devotion .. ,. inqiiifitjonJewsepitaph of Sertorius of the foldiers g2

X.

Journey to Reusroad bridges - husbandry7 arch of Barrabeautiful coafttomb of the .'.: ' ScipiOS

C Letter

ScipiosTarragonaantiquitiescathedral C a m p o TarragonesReusits popula tion and tradeftory of the monks 108 X I . Journey through the defartVenta del Platero Ebrobifhop of Tortofaliquorice works T o r t o f a V a l e n c i a n drefs-journey along the coaftBenicarlowine-tradevale of Margalmufic 120 XII. V a l e o f AlmenaraMorviedro, the ancient

Saguntumruins of the theatrecaftle noble profpectplain of Valencia 134 X I I I . Character of the intendantclimate of V a l e n cia-character of the peopledefcription of the c i t y A l a m e d a G r a o or porthackneychairschurchesftyle of architecture archbifhop palaces exchangecuftomhoufehiitory of Valenciaexploits of the cid population filk-trade method of railing mulberry-trees productionsplayhoufe XIV. 144 Journey over the plainAlbufera lakeagri culturerice-groundstillage of riceSan Phelipecaftle and order of M o n t e f a V i l lenaSaxeftyle of falutationencamp 162 ment of carriersharbour of Alicant XV. Englifh factoryclimate defcription town

of the

caftle blown up with the Englifh

garrifonLas Huertastent winewater ing o f the groundstrade dreffing of a ftatueoperacolony XVI. of S. Polo *7
l

Method of lodging in Spanifh innsforeft of palm-trees Orihuelafertility vale of Murcia

C O N T E N T S ,
Letter

Murciadefcription of the city of Murcia cathedralfteepletrophies of the inquifitionplain of Carthagena 179 "XVIL Arfenaldocks ftoresengines and- pumps worked by Havesfevere ufage of the flaves -row round the harbourdefcription of it play-houfe hofpital landing-place at Santiago >, 188 XVIII. Account of the different forts of barillabarilla gazulfozafalicormanner of diffinguifhing themcultureearth of AlmazaXIX. Journey over the defertdrefs of a gypfyan cient gold mineguadixclay cliffsCuefta yefma 27 0 XX. Defcription and hiftory of the ancient kingdom of Granadaetymology of its namede fcription of the city of Granadachronolo gical account of the kingsfiege of Granada fpeech of the lail kingfituation of the conquered Moorsdefpair and rebellionFerdinand de Valorhis murderfubmiffion of the Morifcostheirfinalbanifhment 2 1 4 XXI. Story of the Sultanaplot of the Zegrismur der of the Abencerragestrial of the Sultana combatvictory of the Spanifh cham pions . 1 240 XXII. Ancient population--productionscharacter
of

C O N T E N T S .
Letter

of the ancient Granadinesfugar planta tionsMorifcos > ' 252 XXIII. Defcription of the Alhambra palace of Charles V.Mooriih palace 267 XXIV. Alamedadefcription of the citycathedral chancerybeggarsplay 294 X X V . Vale of Dauro refervoirsgeneraliphanniverfary of the furrender of Granada> governor of the palace 38 0 XXVI. Journey to Malaga Soto improvements made by General Wallhis character and way of life Antequera mountains< vineyards and plain of Malagadefcrip tion of the citycaffleharbour-pier cathedralforeign factorycommerce fugar-mills . . 314 XXVII. Journey to Cadizbanditti brood mares rich deep plain of AndalufiaRoman bridgeXeresPort S. Marypaffage to Cadiz 327 XXVIII. Defcription of Cadizftreets full of r a t s tower of fignals populationFort S. SebafHancathedral barracks bay cuftom-houfe commercefmuggling robbersamufements 335 XXIX. Danceshiftory of the gypfiesjourney to GibraltarfaltpansChiclanamills of Vegelbad lodging at Los Cortijos woodsSpaniih linesdefcription of Gib raltarJews . 353 4 TRAVELS

T H R O U G H

L E T T E R

I.

. Perpignan, October 23, 1775. "CTT 7 E are in hopes o f fetting out for j Spain to-morrow, but many are the

difficulties, w e mail have to encounter before w e make our point good. Mules and horfes

are fcarce and dear, and the roads are faid to be much damaged b y the late floods. After a thoufand delays, w e left Touloufe at one o'clock on Sunday, and, travelling all night, reached Narbonne about noon n e x t B day.

2 day.

T R A V E L S T H R O U G H SPA 1 i f . H a v i n g rambled over that fmall city,

and perufed the ancient infcriptions in the archiepifcopal palace, we thought it advifeable to move o n ; and accordingly came to ileep at Sigean, in order to have more leifure at Perpignan for arranging matters, ?/?d look i n g out for mules and other requifites for our Spanifh j ourney. T h e r e is not a more barren country on the face of the earth, than that between Narbonne and Rivefaltes, famous for its mufcadine w i n e ; yet I fufpect y o u would prefer thofe bleak grey hills to more fertile fpots; for among the (tones, and through the crannies o f the rocks, moot up innu merable tribes o f aromatic plants, on w h i c h , as a botanift, your eye would feaft with rapture. T h e Superior excellence of the

Narbonne honey is, no doubt, owing to this profufion of ftrong-fcented flowers, on

w h i c h the bees feed. T h e bay o f Leucate, and the plains that

ilretch

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

fir etch out from the fea to the foot o f the Pyrenean mountains, form a noble fweep, that bears. fome refemblance to the gulph of Naples. Perpignan is a villainous ugly town, on the fkirts o f an extenfive flat, that has juft olive woods enough to make a tolerable ap pearance from the ramparts. T h e grounds

are inciofed with the tall yellow-flowering aloe.

L E T T E R

II.

San Salony, October 27, 1775. S I am informed the poll paiTes b y to-morrow from Barcelona, I write from this place, left w e mould be delayed b y any accident, and fo mifs the opportu nity. T h e weather hitherto has been v e r y fa vourable ; a clear i k y and warm fun fince
B 2

the

TRAVELS T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

the 24th, the day w e left Perpignan. There was fuch a fcarcity o f m u l e s , that w e were forced to comply w i t h t h e exorbitant de mands o f a French voiturier and two Italian rope-dancers, w h o infilled u p o n twenty L o u is-d'ors for ten horfes as far as Barcelona: one of the tumblers rides poflillion to our carriage j and for w a n t o f a faddle-horfe, m y man S. G . goes w i t h the other in a crazy two-wheeled chaife ; but any thing to get a w a y from Perpignan, a molt difagreeable town, and, to a curious traveller, deftitute of every kind of recommendation. T h e heavy rains that fell about a month ago, had fwelled the torrents to fuch a de gree, that in many places they had fpoiled the r o a d ; this rendered our evening jour ney v e r y uncomfortable, and made it late before w e could reach a p o o r inn at Boulou, near the mountains that feparate Rouffillon from Catalonia. B y the help of our o w n

beds, cook, and provifions, w e relied very well

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

well in our hovel, and next morning fallied forth as burlefque a caravan as ever left Ran-

inn fmce the days of * L,e De/iin & La cune.

Several ingenious perfons travelling

to the fair of Girona had joined company with us ; w e compofed the center; our van guard was formed by a drummer and a ta bor and, p i p e ; the rear was brought up b y a camel, loaded with live monkies, efcorted b y two men w h o carried his portrait. Thefe, and three pedlars, w h o m w e foon after over took, were all come from the Milanefe.

A few paces from the inn w e crofled the T e c h , a broad torrent, very dangerous after rain: it had lately caufed confiderable damage in the country; A few miles farther, w e came to the chain of mountains that divides

France and Spain, which are of no very con fiderable elevation, T h e road over the pafs is a noble work,
-

'.

.'

* Scarron's C o m i c Romance.

...

fi

and

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

and reflects great honour on the engineer w h o planned it. It is n o w very wide ; the

rocks are blafted, and fpread out, and bridges are laid over the hollows, which formerly were moft dangerous precipices. It then

required the ftrength of thirty men to fupport, and almoft as many oxen to drag up a carriage, w h i c h four horfes n o w draw with cafe. ..

Exactly on. the limits of France, in the higheft part of t h e pafs, Hands the fort o f Bell.egar.de, on a round, hill, commanding a boundlefs v i e w o v e r both kingdoms::.. an officer, of invalids has a lodge below, where he examines and iigns the pafTports. A t L a Junquiera, the firft Spanifh town, an ofucer: o f the cuftoms made a ihew o f examining our baggage ; but a piece of mo ney foon put an end to his fearch. Near in

this place a b l o o d y battle was fought 920,

between the Chriftians and Moors, in

which the former were defeated with great fl aught er.

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN. flaughter.

T h i s was once a ccnfiderable

city, a colony of the Maffilians, or people o f Marfeilles, and afterwards an epifcopal fee : but n o w it is a paltry village, fubfifting on xvhat little is fpent in it b y paiTengers, and On the produce o f the cork-woods, w h i c h feem to turn to good account. T h e fur-

rounding mountains are covered with thofe trees ; moft of them are o f great fize and age: their trunks, lately ftripped o f the

bark, are o f a d u l k y red colour: the opera tion o f peeling them cannot be repeated above once in feven or eight y e a r s ; but i n the fouthern parts of Spain, they do it every fifth year. From hence to Figuera, an u g l y ftrag-

gling town, the country improves every ftep; the hills are eloathed with evergreen

w o o d s ; the plains, in the finell: cultivation, are divided b y hedges of aloe, chriftthorn, or wild pomegranate. T h e inhabitants are

well-clad, good-looking fellows j the w o B 4 roen

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN,

m e n much comelier than their neighbours - o n the French fide of the Pyrenees. Ferdi

nand the Sixth began a moft fpacious fortrefs above Figuera, capable of containing
12,000

m e n : it is far from being

finifhed,

and indeed it is difficult to guefs what fervice it can be of when completed. O u r journey to Girona was very pleafant, through a well-laid-out country, diverfified w i t h fertile plains, and gentle eminences c r o w n e d with evergreen oaks and pines.

T h e v i e w ftretches down over the olive plantations, in the low grounds, as far as the fea; {lender towers on the points of the

rocks, and white fteeples rifmg out of the w o o d s , add great life to this charming fcene. In every village, w e found the people

bufily employed in making ropes, bafkets, and fhoes, of a fmall rufh or reed called efparto. .

G i r o n a , where w e lay laft night, is a large clean city, with fome good ftreets; but poorly

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

poorly inhabited, and for the moll part gloomy. caverns ; T h e churches are darker the gothic cathedral is than grand,

but fo v e r y dark at the upper end, that but for the glimmering o f two fmoky

lamps, w e mould not have difcovered that the canopy and altar are o f maffy filver. T h e road was all this morning very hilly, but the drynefs o f the weather prevented it from being at its ufual pitch of badnefs. E v e r y thing, as Panglofs fays, is for the b e l l : had w e left Bagneres when w e in tended, w e mould have had thefe deep roads to pafs immediately after rains ; and
:

exceffive been

mould

probably have

delayed many days b y the Swelling o f the torrents. Great part o f this day's

journey has been through the moil favage wilds in nature: nothing but mountains a

upon mountains, covered with pines ; rambling fandy river fills up the

hol

lows, winding through

all the turns o f the

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

the hanging woods and narrow delis ; a flight track on the fand is the only thing that conveys any idea of the footfteps o f man. fortrefsj T h e caftle of "Hoftalric, a modern commands the outlet of this

defert, and overlooks the turrets and walls of an old ruinous village, wildly fituated on the brink of a precipice. T h i s morning, on leaving Girona, w e met with a laughable accident. S . G .

w h o travels in the vehicle of the mounte bank, was roufed from his nap b y bottom of the chaife -fuddenly the

giving th

w a y , and dropping them both into river T e r . in the

T h e y were obliged to walk (literally Je -promener en before to

chahe

voiture) quite through the water,

their horfes could be prevailed upon flop.

T h e peafants have brought us partridges for Supper, though it be Friday, and

feem v e r y well accuftomed to fee meat eaten

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

II

eaten on failing days ; however, the maid of the inn thinks to atone for this irregu larity, b y placing before us on the table a well-dreil image o f the V i r g i n , to w h o m Ihe expects w e mould behave with proper liberality. T h e mode o f drinking in this country is lingular: they hold a glafs bottle broad-bottomed

at arm's length, and let the

liquor fpout out of a long neck upon their tongue : from what I fee, their expertnefs at this exercife arifes from frequent practice ; for the Catalans drink often, and in large quantities, but as yet I have not feen any of them intoxicated.

L E T T E R

ILL

Barcelona, October 3r, 1 7 7 5 ,

U R journey o f the 28th was b y much the moil fevere as to the crofs ones in SufTex roads;

are not worfe. The

12

TRAVELS

T H R O U G H

SPAIN. had very

T h e pafs called El

Purgatorio

near proved a Hell to u s ; for w e thought at one time that the carriages muft have remained jammed in between the rocks. T h e profpects on each fide o f the w a y are for the greater!; part delightful ; nothing

can be more agreeable to the eye than the gothic Steeples towering above the dark

pine-groves, the bold ruins of L a Rocca, and the rich fields on the banks of the Befos; but the paifes are fo bad, the roads fo cut up, deep, and dangerous, that it

was not poifibie to enjoy the beauties that Surrounded us. W e got into this city juft before the Shutting of the gates. U p o n the whole, attended

this four days journey, though

with fome difagreeable circumftances, was far from unpleafant ; the weather was

charming, and our health and Spirits e x cellent, with which it is eafy to bear up againfl the little rubs and-vexations of an expedition

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

expedition like ours.

The

obilinacy of

our coachmen, b y taking the inland road, deprived us of the fatisfaclion of feeing the towns and coail. W e have paid thofe in command. the neceffary vifits to orange-gardens along the

T h e governor of the

place is a Velafco, brother to that D o n L e w i s w h o was killed at the furprife o f the M o r o calile. It is llrange enough that

the king mould bellow the title of Comic del A folto on the brother ; it might with more propriety be conferred on the Engliih general, w h o commanded the attack. O u r fini entertainment Spanifh comedy. here Was the

Alas ! moil of its glori

ous abfurdities are vanifhed, and Dulnefs has eftablifhed her throne on this ftage. I

was quite tired, and longed to have feen. Harlequin carrying relics in procemon,

faints and devils engaged in doubtful con file"!:, ana Lucifer acting the part of a

IJL

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

prior o f a convent, as they did formerly in the Loas and Autos facramentales *.

I am afraid w e are come here a century too foon, or a century too late, and that the old original caft is w o r n off the charac ter o f the Spaniards, without their having thoroughly acquired the polilh o f France or England > this will render them a much lefs interefting race o f people : in this pro vince they are faid to advance apace

Barcelona feems to be a bufy, thriving town, and the Catalonians an induflrious fet o f men.

* Autos and

myiterios

are

prohibited

on

the

theatres of Madrid, but

are frequently

reprefented

upon all others in the kingdom, and even in the pup pet ftiews at the royal country relidences. A friend

ef mine faw one acted laft year at San ' L u c a r , called the Converfion of Saint B a r b a r a ; a friar, by way

of proving to her the myftery of the T r i n i t y , gathered up three folds in the fkirt of his habit, and then let them fall. T h e three plaits in one cloth were the

image of three perfons in one G o d .

The

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

15

T h e playhoufe is handfome, and welllighted up. T h e firfh piece w e faw acted no

was a tragedy, in w h i c h there were

parts for w o m e n in the dramatis perfonse j fo, in order to make it ridiculous, the

actreifes put on breeches and performed the play, without allowing any males to ap pear among them. T h e declamation was T h e prompters

bombaftical and whining.

(for they have them in many parts o f the ftage) read aloud, verfe b y verfe, what the player repeated after them, with the addi tion of a final twang, fwing o f the arm. or an occafional

Between the firft and

the fecond acls w e had a feguidilla fung, as wild and uncouth as any thing can be, but n o w and then fome very moving paifages {truck the ear. for interlude, After the fecond, w e had, an attack made upon the

acTireffes b y the aclors from a corner of the front boxes. T h e wit was bandied about

very brifkly, and made the audience roar again,

l6

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

again, but it appeared to m e a firing of very poor quibbles. Before I proceed to g i v e y o u any infor mation concerning the prefent flate o f the country, I ihall fketch the outlines of its particular hiflory. T h e account o f the original inhabitants o f Catalonia, and o f the foundation of

Barcelona, are, with the refl of the early hiflory o f Spain, involved in fuch a cloud of fables, that nothing fatisfaclory relative to thofe dark ages can be difcovered. Maffilians appear to The

have carried on a

great trade, and to have been much con nected with thefe provinces. Hamilcar Barcino,

Barcas is faid to have founded

now Barcelona ; but the Carthaginians did not long keep poffefiion o f it, for w e find their boundary fixed at the Ebro, fo early as the end of the firfl Punic war. After

the fall o f the Carthaginian commonwealth, the Romans turned their whole attention towards

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

tj

towards Tarraco, and neglected Barcino, though they made it a colony b y the name o f Faventia. I n the fifth century, the barbarians o f the north o f Europe, having pufhed their conquefts as far as this peninfula, divided it among the different nations that compofed their victorious armies. Catalonia

fell to the lot o f the G o t h s under Ataulph, in 4 1 4 . It remained under their dominion 7 1 4 , w h e n it was forced to
9

0 the year

fubmit to the yoke o f the Saracens ; w h o

under the command o f Abdallah Cis, made themfelves mailers o f all the coaft, as far as the Pyrenees. Tarragona being n o w no

better than a heap o f ruins, Barcelona be came imperceptibly the capital o f the pro vince. L e w i s the Debonair, fon o f Charle

magne, took it from the Moors in 8 0 0 . From that period, the emperors, kings o f France, governed Catalonia b y appointing counts or vicegerents, removable at pleaC fure
?

|8

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN-

fure, till the hereditary in

government was the

rendered

family o f Wifred the

H a i r y : whether this happened b y a concefiion o f Charles the Bald, or b y ufurpation, remains a doubt among the learned. It continued in his pofterity for many gene rations. T h i s prince having been griev-

oufly wounded in a battle againft the N o r mans, received a vilit from the emperor,

w h o dipping his linger in the blood that trickled from the wound, drew four lines d o w n the gilt lhield o f Wifred, faying, *' Earl, be thefe thy armorial enfign." Four

pallets Gules, on a field G r , remained from that time the coat o f arms o f Catalonia, and afterwards of A r a g o n , when R a y m u n d the Fifth -married Petronilla, only daughter and heirefs of Ramiro Aragon. the Second, king o f to

Their fon Alfonfo fucceeded

that crown in 1 1 6 2 .

T h e heirs male o f

Aragon failing in Martin, the Cortes or flates elected Ferdinand of Caftilie, whofe grandfon.

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN*

19-

fon Ferdinand the Catholic, b y his marriage with Ifabella heirefs- of Caftille, and b y the conquer! of Granada, united all the Spaniih kingdoms into one compact formidable monarchy, which devolved upon the houfe o f -Auliria, in the perfon o f his grandfon Charles. , si

T h e violent fpirit of the Catalonians, and their enthufiaflic paffion for liberty, have often rendered their country the feat of civil w a r and bloodlhed: infurrections have been more frequent here than in any other part o f Europe. T h e m o l l remarkable were, firit,

that in the time o f Ferdinand the Fifth, w h e n the peafants rofe in arms to deliver themfelves from the opprefiion of the nobles. Secondly, that under Philip the Fourthj

about the time that the Portuguefe fhook off the Spanifh y o k e ; the iifue of the w a r was not equally favourable to the Catalo nians, w h o failed in their attempt of becom ing independent, and after having been twelve

c %

20-

TRAVELS

T H R O U G H

SPAINY

twelve years under the protection of France, were reduced to obedience b y D o n John of Auftria. T h i r d l y , t h a t during the w a r

of the fucceilion, the m o i l famous rebellion, as the French and Spanifh. writers itigmatize i t ; or, in the language o f a republican, the moil obilinate Struggle t h e y ever made to break their chains and b e c o m e a free nation. T h e y attached themfelves t o the party o f the archduke Charles, w h o f e c o i n is Still current in the province. . In 1 7 0 6 , Barcelona fuftained a liege, w h i c h P h i l i p the Fifth was obliged to raife on the appearance o f an

Engliih fleet. T h o u g h fliamefully deferted b y England at. the peace o f Utrecht, and afterwards b y the emperor, the Catalonians perfiiled in their, .revolt, and, having n o longer the protection o f a n y foreign prince to expecf,;. refolved to f o r m themfelves into a commonwealth. L e w i s the Fourteenth fent the Duke o f

Berwick, in 1 7 1 4 , w i t h a formidable army, to

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

at

to reduce Barcelona.

T h e trenches were

opened in July, and the works carried on with the greateft vigour for fixty-one days ; a French fleet blocked up the port, and prevented any Succours or provifions from getting in. Y e t , notwithstanding the famine

that raged within, the terrible fire kept up by the enemy's batteries, and the defpondency o f the regular troops, w h o were i n clined to a capitulation, the burgefls, animated b y defpair, rejected all offers o f accommodation, and feemed determined to

bury themfelves under the ruins o f their city. T h e very friars, infpired b y the fame

enthufiafm, ran up and down the Streets exhorting their fellow-citizens to die like brave men, rather than live the defpicable Slaves o f a defpot. T h e women, the chil-

dren breathed the fame fpirit, and Shared the labours of the defence with their hufbands and fathers. After fuitaining four bloody affaults, and' C 3 difputing

22

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

difputing the breach inch by inch, being at laft driven from the ramparts, and from a breaftwork they had thrown up behind the wails, they were obliged to fly for refuge to the new part of the town, where they made a kind of capitulation, Their per-

fons remained untouched, but every privi lege was aboliihed, and heavy taxes were laid upon them to recompenfe the foldiery. Since this epocha, Catalonia has borne the yoke with fllen patience, except when, a few years ago, the mode of railing recruits b y quintas or ballot was ordered to be adopt ed in this as well as the other provinces o f Spain. T h e Gatalonians, to w h o m fuch a

regulation was new, and confequently odi ous, were upon the point of taking up

arms; but, a few rioters being killed b y the cannon of the citadel, the commotion was quelled in the capital, and, the king having given up the project for the prefent, the reft of the principality was pacified. How ever,

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

ever, no arms are allowed to be carried b y the common people, and very Uriel: difci-* pline is kept up in Barcelona. *

L E T T E R

IV.

Barcelona, November 3, 1775. / H I S city is a fweet fpot; the air

equals in purity, and much excels in mildnefs, the boafted climate o f M o n t pellier. Except in the dog-days, y o u m a y

here have green peafe all the year round* T h e Situation is beautiful, the appearance both from land and fea remarkably picturefque. A great extent o f fruitful plains,

bounded b y an amphitheatre of hills, backs it on the weft fide; the mountain of M o n t juich defends it on the fouth from the u n wholefome winds that blow over the marin es, at the mouth o f the Llobregat; to the northward, the coaft projecting into the fea c 4 forms

24

TRAVELS THROUGH

SPAIN* Mediterra The

forms a noble b a y ; it has t h e

nean to clofe the profpect to t h e eait. environs are in a flate of h i g h

cultivation,

ftudded with villages, c o u n t r y houfes, and -gardens. T h e form o f Barcelona is a l m o i t circular, the R o m a n t o w n being on the higheft

ground in the center of the n e w o n e ; the ancient walls are full viable i n feveral places, but the fea has retired m a n y hundreds o f yards from the port gates; o n e o f the prin cipal gothic churches, and a w h o l e quarter of the city, {land upon the f a n d s that were once the bottom of the h a r b o u r . The im-

menfe loads of fand hurried d o w n into the fea by the rivers, and thrown b a c k by w i n d and current into this haven, w i l l , in all pro bability, choak it quite u p , u n l e f s greater diligence be ufed in preventing the gather ing of the fhoals. A foutherly w i n d brings

in the fand, and already a deep-ioaden veffel finds it dangerous to pafs o v e r the bar. Some

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

Some years ago a company o f Dutch and Englifh adventurers offered to bring the river into the port b y means o f a canal, i f

government would allow them a free impor tation for ten years. have cleared T h i s project might fand-banks, but

a w a y the

might alfo have given a fatal check to the infant manufactures of the country, for

which reafon the propofal was

rejected.

T h e port is handfome; the mole is all o f hewn ftone, a mafter-piece o f folidity and convenience. carriages ; Above is a platform for with

below,

vafl

magazines,

a broad k e y reaching from the city gates to the lighthoufe. T h i s was done b y the

orders of the late Marquis de L a M i n a , captain-general of the principality, where his memory is held in greater veneration than at the court of Madrid. H e governed Cata lonia many years, more like an independent fovereign, than like a fubject invefted with a delegated authority. Great are the obligations Barcelona

16

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

Barcelona has to him j beautified

he cleanfed

and

its Streets, built ufeful edifices,

and forwarded its trade and manufactures, without much extraordinary expence to the province ; for he had more refources, made money go farther than moil and other

governors can do, or indeed with to do. O n the neck o f land that runs into the fea, and forms the port, he pulled down fome fiihermen's huts, and in 1 7 5 2 began to

build Barceloneta, a regular t o w n ,

con

futing of about t w o thoufand brick houfes, quarters for a regiment, and a church, in which his aihes are depofited under a tailelefs monument, with the following barba rous epitaph D. O. M. Epitome Mina, Prafes
s

Hie Gufmannortm jacet Exc. Bom.

Marchio de la

Dux, Princeps, fumtnus Imperdtor^ In Acie Fulmen, in Aula Flamen,

Obiit heu! Homo, at non ahiit Heros Cut

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

2f

Cui Inferiptio, Virtus cmnis Die 30 Jan. Anno 1 7 6 8 . R. I. P.

A s the land was given gratis, the houfes were foon run up on a regular p l a n ; a ground-floor and one ftory above, three windows in front and a with

pediment

over t h e m ; the whole confifting of about twenty Streets, and containing nigh ten thoufand inhabitants. T h e lighthoufe at the end of the pier Is a {lender tower, near which Ships lie w h e n they perform quarantine. T h e old one

Stood much nearer the land, but was fwept a w a y in a dreadful hurricane. Another o f L a Mina's improvements, is the rampart or great walk upon the walls, extending the whole length of the harbour. It is all built upon arches, with magazines below, and a broad coach-road and foot-path above, raifed to the level of the firft floor of

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

o f the houfes in the adjoining Street

In

thefe clear, warm evenings, it is very pleafant to walk along this pavement, to the arfenal at the fouth-eaft angle of the city \ where they are bufy railing new fortifications, to prevent a furprife, in cafe of an infurrecKon. Algiers has T h e late expedition againft drained thefe magazines fo

completely, that fcarce a cannon, or even a nail, is to be feen. T h e work-Shops are

built upon a grand fcale, but little bufmefs is going forward at prefent. A t this corner the rampart joins the

Rambla, a long irregular Street, which they have begun to level and widen, with the intention o f planting an avenue down the middle. Here the ladies parade in their

coaches, and Sometimes go quite round the city upon the walls, which are of brick lately repaired and enlarged.
s

T h e drive is

charming, having a Sweet country on one fide, and on the other, clufters of fmall gardens

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

gardens and orange-yards.

Y o u defcend at

the north gate into a very fpacious Square before the citadel, juft where the grand

breach was made, when the duke of Ber wick befieged the town. T h e citadel has fix ftrong baflions, calcu lated to overawe the Inhabitants, at leafl: as much as to defend them from a foreign enemy. T h e lownefs of its fituation ren

ders it damp, unwholefome, and fwarming with mofquitos. T h e major of this for-

trefs owes his promotion to a fmgular circumftance. W h e n the prefent king arrived

at Madrid in 1 7 5 9 , a magnificent bull-feafl was given in honour of that event: as it is neceflary upon fuch occafions, that thofe w h o fight on horfeback mould be gentle men born, the managers of the exhibition were greatly at a lofs; till this man, w h o was a poor, Starving officer, prefented himfelf, though utterly ignorant both o f bull fighting >and horfemanihip, B y dint o f refolu-

3:

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

refolution, and the particular favour o f for tune, he kept his feat, and performed his part fo much to the public fatisfadion, that he was rewarded with a penfion and a ma jority. T h e Streets o f Barcelona are narrow, but well p a v e d ; a covered drain in the middle o f each Street carries off the filth and rain water. A t night they are tolerably, well

lighted-up, b u t long before day-break every lamp is out.. T h e houfes are lofty and plain. T o each: kind o f trade a particular

diflriclt is allotted. T h e principal edifices are, the cathedral, Santa Maria, the general's palace, and the exchange. \ T h e architecture o f the cathe dral is a light gothic, which, in the orna ments o f the cloyftefs, is inimitably airy. T h e flails of the choir are neatly carved, and hung with efcutcheons of princes and noblemen, among which -I remarked arms of our H e n r y the Eighth. the

T h e dou ble

T RA VELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

31

ble arches under the belfry are defervedly admired, for bearing on their centers the whole weight o f t w o enormous towers. In

the cloyfters various kinds o f foreign birds are kept, upon funds bequeathed for that purpofe, b y a wealthy canon. I could not

learn what motives induced h i m to make 0 whimCcal a devife. Santa Maria is alfo a gothic pile. T h e palace is fquare and l o w , without out-courts or gardens, and contains nothing worthy o f remark but a noble ball-room.
E

G.ppollte to its fouth front, is n o w erecting out of the ruins o f an old habitation o f the carls of Barcelona, a new exchange upon a n extenfive jpian, but in a, heavy tafte. T h e architect allured us the fhell would not colt above 3 0 0 , 0 0 0 Catalan livres; but he muft either have impofed upon us,.or do v e r y extraordinary juftice to the trull re* pofed in him, i f he builds fuch a mafs o f ilone for that fum. 4 T h e w o r k i s carried.on by

| 2

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN,

b y means o f a tax upon imports.

In the

old part o f the building yet left Handing, the board o f commerce has inftituted an

academy for drawing, in which five hundred boys are taught that art, and furniihed with all proper implements, gratis. A mailer

from Paris is the director o f their fludies \ and every month prizes o f fifteen and twen= t y dollars are distributed to the molt d e f e r s ing. T h e R o m a n antiquities in this city are * . i . A mofaic pavement, in which are represent ed t w o large green figures of tritons, holding a Shell in each h a n d ; between them a Seahorfe, and on the fides a ferpent and a dol phin. T h e common opinion is, that this

church was a temple o f Efculapius; but the ornaments feem to prove very clearly that it belonged to fome fane dedicated to N e p tune. 2 . M a n y vaults and cellars of R o m a n 3. T h e archdeaconry, once

construction.

the palace of the prastor or Roman governor. From

TRAVELS

T H R O U G H SPAIN.

33

From the folidity of the walls, and the re gularity of the work, I am inclined to be lieve the tradition; but there is neither

grandeur nor elegance to recommend It to notice. Some medallions and infcriptions

fixed in the wall, apparently at the time o f its erection, rather invalidate the idea of fuch remote antiquity. 4 . In the yard, a beau

tiful cittern, or rather farcophagus, w h i c h n o w ferves as a watering-trough for mules* T h e y call it the coffin o f Pompey's father, and it may as well be his as that o f any one elfe, for w e have no proof to the contrary. A large bafs-relief runs round it, of hunters, dogs, and wild beafts. T h e chief perfon is

on horfeback, bareheaded, in a military drefs. T h e figures and animals are executed in a mafterly ftyle, and the whole is a fine m o nument o f antiquity. 5. In the houfe be

longing to the family o f Pinos, which was almoft levelled to the ground by the bombs during the fiege, are m a n y excellent bulls D and

34

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

and medallions.

A n Augujlus Pater', with

a corona radialis^ a fmall elegant Bacchus, and a w o m a n holding a rabbit, fuppofed to reprefent Spain, the Provincia cunicularis, are the molt remarkable. T h e owners of this

houfe have always remained fo true to their principles In politics, that they have con stantly refided in a poor dwelling hard b y , and left their palace in ruins, as a memento to their fellow-citizens, and a monument of their o w n fpirit and misfortunes.

L E T T E R

V.

Barcelona, November ro, 1 7 7 5 .

E S T E R D A Y , being the feftival o f Saint Charles Borromeo, the king's patron, was kept as a day of Gala. A l l the

officers waited upon the governor in grand uniform ; the theatre was illuminated, and crowded .iz with well-dreft company, w h i c h made

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

S P A I N .

35

made a very handfome f h e w ; the price of admittance was raifed from half a piftreen to a whole one. T h e pit is divided into

feats, let b y the year, each perfon keeping his o w n k e y ; the boxes are taken for the feafon, and the upper gallery is filled with women in white veils, and no men allowed to fit among t h e m ; fo that a ftranger is at a lofs for a place. T h e play was the Cid Campeador, an his torical tragedy, written with a great deal of fire, and force of character. T h e actors,

in the old Spaniih habit and Moofifh gar ment, feemed to enter more than ufual into the fenfe of the author. In all tragedies they drop a cdrtefy, inftead of bowing, to kings and hroes. A pretty ballad was fung b y or

a woman, in the fmart drefs of a Maja

coquette : the wore her hair in a fcarlet net, w i t h tafiels; a ftriped gauze handkerchief croifed over her breare; a rich jacket, flow ered apron, and brocade petticoat. D 2 I obferved

$6

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

ferved the pit was crowded with clergymen * , I palled the morning in the cabinet o f natural history belonging to M r . Salvador. T h e botanical fpecimens are the moft per fect part o f the collection, though he poffeffes many rare things in every other branch of that Study. T h i s afternoon has been employed in

copying out lifts o f the Spanifh forces, w i t h their regulations; a Succinct account o f

which m a y perhaps be interesting to y o u at this period, w h e n our politicians in E n g land Seem fo much afraid o f them, and

whilst their late unfuccefsful attempt againft Algiers ftill renders them the general topic o f converfation. * Since the fire which in 1778 confirmed the theatre at Saragofa, the king has forbidden any playhoufes to be opened, except in the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and

Cadiz*

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

37

I f w e are to credit the printed lifts, the Spariifh army confifts o f above an hundred and thirty thoufand m e n ; but the real num ber falls far fhort o f this amount, and it is a matter o f doubt, whether the regular troops exceed the number o f fifty thoufand.
E

T h e king's houihold is compofed o f three troops o f gentlemen horfe-guards, Spanifh, Italian, and Flemiih ; one company o f hal berdiers ; fix battalions o f Spanifh, and fix o f W a l l o o n foot-guards ; and one brigade of carabmiem T h e r e are fix regiments of Spanifh in fantry of t w o battalions ; and twenty-feven o f one battalion j t w o Italian, three Irifh, four Walloon, and four Swifs regiments o f one battalion; one regiment o f artillery o f four battalions j fix thoufand feven hundred and twelve marines 3 and one company o f engineers. Each battalion o f foot is compofed o f one company o f - - grenadiers o f p % fixty-fix men.

38

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

men, and of eight companies of fufileers of eighty men each, including three c o m mimoned officers. W h i t e or blue is the colour of their regi mentals, except one Spanifh and three

Irifh, w h o are dreffed in red. The cavalry confifts of fourteen regi

ments, of which fix are In blue, four in red, three in white, and one in green. T h e dragoons form eight regiments, of

which one is in blue, one in red, and fix in yellow. . A.regiment of cavalry and dragoons con tains four fquadrons, three companies ; in each compofed, o f each company are

three commiflioned officers, and forty-five foldiers.' Befrdes the regulars, they once a year afiemble forty-three regiments o f militia, The

and twenty companies of city-guards.

corps of invalids contains forty-fix compa nies on duty, and twenty-fix difabled. The

African

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN,

3^

African and American garrifons have alfo their refpe&ive militia. T h e i r uniforms are u g l y and ill m a d e ; the foldiers abominably nafty in their cloaths, and their black greafy hair feldom drefL T i l l very lately, they were commonly in rags, and often mounted guard with half a coat, and almoft bare breeched ; but n o w they are rather better clad, and kept in a fomewhat more decent trim. T h e pay o f a foldier is five quartos and an half, and twenty-one ounces o f bread a day. After fifteen years fervice, he has

an increafe of five reals o f Vellon a month j after twenty, nine reals j and after t w e n t y five, he m a y retire, and receive a pezzetta per diem, and be cloathed as if he was ftill on actual fervice. I f he remains thirty years

in the army, he is allowed the rank and pay o f a fubaltern officer. E v e r y -forty

months he receives new regimentals, t w o

J>

fliirts,

40

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

fhirts, t w o . flocks, one pair of fhoes, t w o pair o f ftockings, a cap, and a hat. T h e rank of any officer may be k n o w n at firft fight b y a particular badge o f dis tinction. A captain-general's drefs uniform

is blue, embroidered with gold down the feams, and three rows o f embroidery on the fleeves : a lieutenant-general has nothing on the feams, and but t w o rows on the

cuffs; a marifcal de campo, but one : a brigadier has red cuffs, with one row o f filver embroidery on his coat : a colonel has three narrow bindings on his ileeve, o f the colour of his regimental a lieutenant-colonel, t w o 5 and button; a ma

jor, one : the mark of

a captain is t w o

epauletts ; of a lieutenant, one on his right fhoulder and o f an enfign, one on left. T h e pay o f a lieutenant is t w o pezzettas and a half per diem ; that of an enfign, two. A s e v e r y t h i n g has trebled in price fmce the

TRAVELS

THTtOTJGH

SPAIN.

fince their pay was eftablifhed, it is become infufficient for the maintenance of the offi cers. In the guards, all fubalterns mult live

upon their o w n fortune, till they get a com pany, which they may perhaps wait thirty years for. About feven thoufand men form the garrifon of Barcelona, o f which four thoufand t w o hundred are guards ; the reft Swifs and dragoons. pointed, Each corps has its quarter ap-? which it provides with centries,.

and therefore they never interfere with each

Other. " - " : " . - 8W

. Moft o f thefe troops are lately returned from the Algerine expedition, where they fuffered great hardihips ; this has made them outrageous againft Count O Reilly, their commander. Converfation, at prefent, turns and it would

entirely upon that fubjec~t,

hardly b e fafe to undertake his juftification. In all this there may be a great deal of j e a loufy againft a foreigner that has made f o
;

rapid

4-2.

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

rapid a fortune, and enjoys fo large a {hare o f the confidence o f their common mafter. A 'lingular inftance of the national hatred was.exhibited a few months ago at Valencia. Some hundreds of boys got together, and, having divided their numbers into an army of Christians, and .one o f M o o r s , pitched upon the lame, deformed fon o f a French barber, to perfonate O Reilly, the chief o f the Spanim party. T h e infidels obtained a

complete victory-; and a court-martial washeld upon the Chriftian commander. He

1

was found guilty of cowardice and mifma-

nagement, and condemned to be whipped. T h e fentence was executed with i n c h ri gour, that the unhappy actor expired under the lafh. . -The accounts given b y the gazettes are very unsatisfactory, I therefore flatter my-. felf I s t a l l make y o u an agreeable prefent, by tranfmitting the following j o u r n a l ; the notes were taken down on the fpot b y an officer^

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

43

officer, w h o was all day in the action, or very near it. T h i s may fuffice to evince the I have omit

authenticity of the narration.

ted all his farcafms upon the general, for I cannot help attributing many o f them paffion to

and refentment; and an impartial pal

byftander muft not adopt fentiments

pably dictated by e n v y or difappointment.

JOURNAL

OF T H E

SPANISH EXPEDITION INI775.

AGAINST ALGIERS,

T H E

Conde Alexander O Reilly is an

Iriihman, w h o began b y a fub-lieutenancy in the regiment of Hibernia : he was major o f that corps, when he obtained leave to ferve a campaign in the French army in G e r many. A t his return, he was promoted to and after

the rank of lieutenant-colonel;

wards the poft o f adjutant or aide-major-ge neral o f exercife was created for him, In confederation

44

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

eonfideration o f his having introduced the G e r m a n exercife into our army. In the

Portuguefe war, the command o f a body of light troops was given to O Reilly, w h o was made a brigadier before the end o f the campaign, and foon after fent out as marifcal de campo, to fuperintend the rebuilding o f the fortifications o f the Havannah, which had been lately reftored to Spain, b y the treaty of Fontainebleau. H i s commiffion being ended^ he returned from Cuba ; and, being named infpector-

general of the Spanlfh infantry, formed a eamp, where the king affifted at the manuvres in perfon. T h e monarch was fo well

pleafed with the performance, that he raifed the infpectorto the rank o f lieutenant-general, and difpatched him to fetde the difputes in N e w Orleans, where the French planters refufed to fubmit to the Spaniih government. H e is the projector of the prefent fcheme,

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

4*

and came to Carthagena to put it in execu tion ; being appointed commander in chief o f all the troops aiTembled in this port. If

he is fuccefsful, no doubt he will be imme diately named captain-general. A n order is

iiTued out, prohibiting all difcourfe on the Subject of this expedition, the deiiination of which remains a profound fecret. Count O

Reilly has under his command nineteen thou fand eight hundred and twenty foot, and thirteen hundred and

iixty-eight

horfe,

Caftejon brings him forty-feven king's fhips, of different rates, and three hundred forty-fix tranfports. June 1 5 . T h e proceffion of Corpus Chrifil paffed and

along the mole of Carthagena, and the fleet received the benediction. T h e lhips, drelt

out with flags and ftreamers of various c o lours, fainted the Holt, with a triple difcharge o f all their artillery. Our generals, O Reilly

and

46

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN*

and Ricliardos, * came on board at five in the afternoon. W e remained till the

23d,
expecting every day to fail, except that very one w e actually did fail. W e h a d f e e n the w i n d fo often favourable, without our making the leaft motion, that I began to have m y doubts about our departure ; w h i c h however took, place in the night between the 22d and 23d. W e kept beating about before Carthagena in the utmoft diforder, till the 27th, when w e bore away from that harbour; and, after t w o days of the ftrangeil; manoeuvres ever k n o w n , by which the fleet was Separat ed into an hundred divifions, ail fleering dif ferent w a y s , w e began to fufpect w e were bound for Algiers. ' 3
0 t n

A t ten this morning, found ourfelves off

*" Sir Philip Richards, an Englilh Baronet, created F e b . 2 2 . 1684

Cape

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

47

Cape Cercely, fifteen leagues weft of Algiers, All our Scattered fleet got together in the night, and made for the land, between Cape Tenez and Cape Cercely, where we lay-to the remainder of the night. We law fires on all the hills, and along the Shore ; fignals, no doubt, to alarm the country. July I ft, at three in the morning, the admiral fired a gun, for us to keep on our courfe, and at nine we were about fix leagues from Bocrneo. At eleven, we doubled Cape Pefcado, and a little before twelve, the bay of Algiers opened upon us, where we faw our men of war and miffing fhlps lying at anchor. At one we could diftinguifh the town with a SpyingglaSs. Soon .after, the Algerinesfiredfome ihot from the town and caftles, and hoifted Several red flags. Came to an anchor in twenty-five fathom water. The reft of the fleet came up foon, and formed a moft beautiful and formidable Shew; but I muft confeSsj

48

TRAVELS THROUGH S P A I N - . that the fortifications of Algiers,

confefs,

and the dangerous appearance of the coaft, were to the full as tremendous. in the belief, W e were

that w e

had feen a couhderable

camp on the eaft of the river Inrac, and about nine at night w e were confirmed in our opi nion, b y the lighting up o f many fires ; w h i c h in iefs than a quarter of an hour ran along, and fet the whole ridge of hills in a blaze.

The dead calm

which then reigned, clarinets,

and the fweet harmony o f two that were playing aboard a

neighbouring

fhip, made me pafs a moft delicious hour, and forget that all thofe charms were foon to be changed into horrors. T i l l midnight w e

heard a continual firing o f mufkets, w h i c h w e were told was the Moorifh method of paffing the parole. I n o w learned that the

men o f war had come up the preceding evening; that our generals, difguifed in failors jackets, had reconnoitred the-coaft, and on pheir return had held a council o f war. id. At

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

49

A t feven, the.general fent for the captains of the tranfports, to withdraw a Sealed paper they had received at Carthagena, which they were not to open, unlefs driven off by ftrefs of weather. A t five in the evening he gave

out the order for landing next morning ; but the fea running rather high about eight, the expedition was put off. Our commanding

officers had orders, not to fend for cartridges till next day. T h e y are to be delivered out

at the rate of fixty- for each Soldier; which, with twenty-two he received at. Barcelona, a plck-ax, a knapfack for provifions, and a tin b o x for vinegar and water, befides his arms, will prove an intolerable burthen at this hot feafon of the year.

AH this day it blew a frefh gale from the E . N . E . which ruffled the fea So much, as
.' 1 3 7 7

3113

10

'

' *

to prevent our landing the following night, as the general had propofed. W e difcqvered

Some new camps o f Moors, one in particular

VOL.

to

CO

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

to the eaftward of Algiers, which could nei ther annoy us, nor fuccour thofe w e intended to attack; but w e inferred from it, they were in no want of troops, fmce they had polls on every fide. 4th. A t noon w e had notice given us, that our four companies were to pafs on board ano ther veifel, but which it was to be w e were not informed till three ; when w e were told that five galliots were to take in fifty men each, and the furplus to be palled on board other ihips ; the captains of which were or dered to fend their boats for them immedi ately. T h e cartridges not being delivered

occafioned a delay o f two hours, fpent in great confufion. T h i s affair being at length

fettled, w e went on board the galliots, where w e foon had a lively fenfe of the mifery that awaited us. T h e orders o f the day were, carry

that the officers and foldiers mould

four days provhions; and that at eight at

:

- -

night

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

51

night they mould put off, in order to be able to land next morning on the beach of the gulf of the Bachvoman, which is five leagues weft of Algiers. Our generals had fo often boafied of the plenty that was to follow us al'hore, that we longed with the utmoft impatience for the order for landing, as we looked upon it as the only thing that could put an end to our Sufferings, which hourly increafed on board the galliots, whi ther we had carried nothing but- a little bad bifcuit,, fome cheefe, and wine. Moft, wretch ed food! befides the horrid inconvenience
of not having room t o lie down, or even to get up from the bench w e firfl fat down upon. A dead calm all night. T h e breeze failed,

and our landing was once more deferred, b y which means both officers and men paffed a cruel nightv.. )hom ihdi :
^thv.

hnr. >i .-. " f

k.
r

Received orders to comply w i t h thofe given out on the 2d, for the mode o f difemE 2 barking,

52

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

barking, n o w no longer to be attempted at the gulf of the Badwoman; where w e lhould indeed have been in the greateil danger o f perifhing. T h e very name denotes the dan All

gers w e lhould have had to encounter.

day a fmart gale from the eafl, and another demur ; and a fecond moil fatiguing night for the foldiers.
6th.

T h e plan being now changed, w e were ordered, at eight, to pafs into the galliot that was to be placed on the left w i n g , with an hundred on board. men of the Walloon guards B y fome ilrange arrangement

or other, our hundred was made up of t w o half companies, inflead of one whole one. A t ten, faw fome men o f war working out o f the line of battle, to get near the ihore. T h e ilownefs of their motion was, no doubt, regulated b y the defire they had of attacking three forts on the coail, which it was deem ed neceffary to filence, before w e could ap proach

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

53

proach the land ; but for what reafon had this been deferred for fo many days ? W e had received orders to land fo long ago as the 2d, which would have been put in execution but for the weather, that prov ed unfavourable, although no fuch precau tions had been taken, nor even any floats prepared for the artillery. Indeed fince

that time they had been at work patching up fome rafts. A t noon, the leffer of the two Tufcan fri gates bore down within half a cannon-mot o f a fort that fired upon her. After having

examined it, lhe tacked about, and came along-fide of her commodore. At half

paft three, the Saint Jofeph fleered towards the land, and drove within reach o f three batteries that began to cannonade h e r ; fhe returned the fire, but theirs growing very brifk, the Oriente was fent to take off the fhot of a fort that annoyed her very much on her flarboard quarter. E 3 T h i s engagement lafled

54

.TRAVELS, THROUGH

SPAIISf.

lafted till eight, without much harm done on either fide. T h e Saint Jofeph had four among

men killed, and fome wounded,

w h o m was the captain ilightly bruifed b y a fplinter : fome of the cannon o f fort were difmounted. the

T h e galliots towed

a w a y the t w o mips which were becalmed. During in

this action, the Tufcan frigate failed again olofe under the more to cannonade
A Spaniih man

fome ftraggling parties o f Moors,, and a fort at fome difiance on the left.

of. w a r and .a frigate had already attacked this fort, but had prudently placed themfeives out of the reach o f all "mifchief; their caution was.- exemplary, and his C a tholic . Majefty may fafely entruft fuch

doughty captainsWith the command of his mips, being well affured they will bring

them back to his ports whole and untouched, A t feven, we defcried three Algerine barks, and about twelve ihailops, . with heavy

.cannon, bearing down upon the Saint Jofeph. The

TRAVELS

TELRlOUGH

SPAIN.

55

T h e half-galley o f D . A n t . Barcelo got un der fail in an iniiant to give them chace, and was followed by five of our galliots. T h e chace lafted till half after eight, w h e n the enemy retired under the cannon of Algiers. T h e galliot I was in was one of thofe fent out to tow a bombketch up to the admiral's Ship ; but the breeze was fo Strong, that w e could not r o w againil it, and were obliged to give up the point, and come along-fide of the admiral to wait for our orders.

7th.
At four, faw Several Shallops full o f troops going and coming under the item of the admiral. T h e major of the Walloon

guards, w h o m I faw upon deck, called out to me, that the affair was put off to the next day, and that he would take care to have boats for our hundred men. T h e poor Sol

diers were n o w quite call: down with the wretchednefs of their Situation; and it muSt be acknowledged, that to leave them four E 4 days

56

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN,

days and as many nights, on a bench, e x pofed to the violent heats and unwholefome damps of the. coaii of Africa, and to give them nothing to eat but bad bread and cheefe, was but a forry preparation for an enterprize that required ftrength of body and vigour of mind. Their officers were

not much better off: the mafter of our bark did every thing in his power to alleviate our diflreffes ; but this kind of veffel is fo ex ceedingly inconvenient, that w e were oblig ed to lie on the floor ; and his cookery fo naufeous, that, even in our miferable condi tion, w e never could get any thing down but a litde foup. A t nine I went onboard the fhip where General O Reilly was, and learned that the attack had been deferred, becaufe many

detachments had not been punctual to their hour. G n this account, he ordered all the grenadiers and battalions'

barks with the

deftined for the firft embarkation, to be along-fide

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

57

along-fide of the admiral precifely at eight in the evening, in order to fet off at day break, when the fignal was to be given. T h e bombketches were put in readinefs, and the galliots had orders to range themfelves behind them exactly at ten. Our

commanders feemed to intend bombarding Algiers, but the defign was not put in execu tion, nor have I learnt the reafon. Till

ten, the boats kept rowing up to the rendez vous, whilft the reft of the fleet drew near the batteries they were to cannonade to cover our landing. Our inaction this whole day

had given the Moors time to repair the damage done the foregoing one, and to put their forts in proper order. T h e boats our

major promifed us did not yet appear, fo our matter told us w e fhould have his, which, however, could only land part o f us at a time. 8 th. A t half paft three, the men o f war began the

58

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

the attack, with Sufficient prudence not to be under any apprehenfions of the enemy's balls reaching them. The two Tufcan fri gates, and the chebec commanded by Barcelo, by drawing too near the land, deftroyed the beautiful uniformity of the line formed afar by our men of war and frigates ; whofe fire was perfectly well kept up, but unfortu nately of no manner of Service, on account of their vail distance from the enemy. At half after four, the admiral hung out the figrial for going afhore. Seven galliots advanced to clear the beach ; they were followed by Seven diviiions of boats, each divifion car rying a brigade of Soldiers, which was to form itfelf into a line of battle fix deep, as foon as landed ; but the boats were thrown into confufion, as they had. not been properly Separated and difpofed before they left the place of'rendezvous. This diforder, 'which might have oceafioned our total over-, throw, would li&ve been prevented, had

* :

'

we

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN,

$g

w e been, provided with boats proper for fueh an operation, Luckily for us, w e met

with no obftacles, the leaft of which would have been fatal to us ; and w e landed about eight thoufand men on the ihore eafk o f

Algiers : the boats left us immediately, and went back to fetch the fecond divifion, w h i c h did not arrive till an hour after, and then o n l y part o f the troops could get on Ihore. T h e grenadiers o f the army drew up in front, and advanced ; but they had not

marched an hundred yards, before many o f their men, and almoft all their officers were killed or wounded. Thofe next them mov

ed forward to Support them, without having time to form their ranks, a neceifary eonfequence o f the manner in which they had been put into the boats and difembarked. Some companies never could get together, having landed in different places, and b y parcels. T h e light infantry was b y this time

cut to pieces. T h e unevennefs of the ground we

6o

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN".

w e occupied, rendered every fand-heap a fmall breaftwork, from behind which the Africans fired upon us b y platoons, as they kept retiring towards the foot of the hills, about fix hundred paces from the fea, where they liid'themfelves among the woods and gardens. T h e general now ordered the left w i n g to advance. It was juft fix o'clock, and his

fcheme was to march the left w i n g to the brow o f the hill, (the right refting' on the fea fhore) and then to form a column, and ad vance about a league farther, to the attack o f the caftle of Charles the fifth, which com mands the whole town. T h e ftorming o f

this fort would have enfured the conqueft o f Algiers. .Whilfi. our left w i n g marched on

with an intrepidity fcarce to be expected in fo dangerous a pofition, fome battalions o f the center being rather before the reft, drew up -in-battle array, and with the Spanilh guards.faced'to the right, that they might defend

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

6l

defend us from the cavalry of the bey o f Mafcara. This body of, horfe_.was. foon

difperfed by their fire, and that o f the chebec of A n t . Barcelo. But the bey o f Conflan-

tina, w h o commanded a large detachment of cavalry on our left, feized this oppor tunity to drive a herd of camels againft the head of the Walloon guards. By this unex

pected aifault, he was in-hopes of drawing off their attention, whilit he dispatched a body o f fifteen thoufand horfe t o . cut off their communication with the fea, which w e were from

n o w . p r e t t y far: diftant.

Our corps de referve wheeling off to the left, drew up to fill the fpace between the fea and the column o f Walloons, w h o were forming their lines to repel the enemies that attacked them from behind the camels ; but the greater! fteadinefs would have availed us little, nor could w e have avoided being brok en and flaughtered to a man, as our forma tion was too weak to refill; the impetuofity of

6z

TRAVELS

T H R O U G H

SPAIN'.

of fuch a body of horfe, had

not

Mr.

A c t o n , the Tufcan commander, cut his ca bles, and let his fhips drive in to Ihore juft as the enemy was coming on us full gallop. T h e inceffant fire of his great guns, loaded with grape-ihot, not only ftopt them in their career, but obliged them to retire with great lofs. Being delivered from this danger, we

made our retreat towards the fea-fide, in fuch diforder as mult enfue from a want of

proper commanders, abandoning to the fury o f the barbarians our unhappy fellow-foldlers, that were unable to keep up with us. O u r general had beenbufy for theiaft t w o hours, throwing up an entrenchment with

fafclnes, earth-bags, and chevaux de frize. W e continued the w o r k , and, to cover our front and flanks, placed a few eight and

twelve pounders, that had been o f great fervlce to us all the morning, in our different operations.
2

W e remained thus the belt part

Of

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

63

o f the day, pretty fecure from all attacks o f the Mooriih cavalry, but b y no means

Sheltered from the balls o f their carabines, which, carrying at leaft one third farther than our firelocks, killed upwards of four hun dred of our men, in this kind o f camp. Here I faw our general on horfeback going about to encourage the foldiers ; w h o ,

Stretched out on the burning fands, feemed heedlefs o f the dangers around, and only

anxious to procure a little reft to their weary limbs. B y one o'clock, the Moors had finished a battery on the right o f our camp ; and w e were fo pinched for room, and huddled toge ther, that every fhot took place. General O

Reilly, having called for a return o f the killed and wounded, affembled a council o f war, in which it was decided, that at four w e fhould reimbark, as the enemy was raifing another battery in front, which w e muft pafs under i f w e perfifted in the undertaking. The

6*4

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

T h e Algerines, for. want o f experience in thefe matters, Suffered us to accomplifh our ends undifturbed ; and about three in the morning the laft divifion o f the' army reimbarked, leaving behind them fourteen field pieces, two. howitzers, fame chefts of am munition, and the materials o f our encamp ment, which the enemy broke into the m o ment the grenadiers of the rear guard pufhed off from the more. W e left on the field

o f battle one thoufand three hundred men, and brought off three thoufand defperately wounded. There being unfortunately hofpitals only for four hundred men, the boats that had landed the Walloons were taken up for the reception o f the wounded ; this occafioned the greater! diforder imaginable in our bat talions, w h o came off as well as they could, in the firfi boats or tartans they could meet with. above T h e y remained in this four-and-twenty confufion

hours, employed, as

TRAVEL'S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

65

as well as any other regiments, in getting together their disjointed companies. T h e Moors, as foon aS they had burft into our camp, cut off the heads of all our ilain, and carried them off in bags, to demand the premium offered b y the dey, for every ehriftian head ; they afterwards heaped u p the corfes upon the fafcines o f the entrench ment, and fet fire to the pile, which w e faw burning for t w o days and t w o nights. 10th, and n t h . AH h u r r y ; no water to be had, though there were ihip-loads o f it in the fleet. . .. -. 12th. .

A t fix, a. m. fignal for weighing anchor. Soon after moft of the fleet failed out o f the

Ife r:oV rtjiv;' \. .-..;,

;

iS'ffisSi;

" \

'

A t feven, a, m. came to an anchor in. Alicant road.

T h e V/alloon guards were ordered aihore,

VOL.

and

66

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

and quartered at Sanjuan. Auguft W e reimbarked, and

20th.

ioth.

Landed at Barcelona.

Xi E T T E R

-VI.

Barcelona, N o v e m b e r n ,

1775.

E (hall poftpone our departure from ' this city a few days longer, to give the roads time to dry. There has been o f

late a very uncommon run o f bad weather ; it has thundered and lightened, with m a n y fhowers, for feveral days together. Our time has not hung heavy upon our hands, for all our acquaintance vie with each other in loading us with civilities. The

Intendant has Shewn us every poffible mark o f poiiteneSs, and rendered eaSy to us the accefs

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

67

accefs to the arfenal, magazines, & c . which in this military t o w n they are very chary of ihewing to Strangers. Yefterday w e took advantage o f a gleam o f funihine, to accompany the conful to his villa in the playa. T h e moid warmth o f

the day brought out fuch fwarms of infecls as almoft devoured us ; I am afraid the great quantity of vermin mult make the fummers in this delightful country very uncomfort able. H o w e v e r , it mull be allowed to be

a very fine climate, for, in fpite of all the foulnefs of the Iky, the air has always been mild and balmy. T h i s plain abounds with

gardens and orchards of. oranges and other rich fruits. F e w Spots' of the globe can

furpafs it in fertility, but they tell us w o n ders o f Granada. In the afternoon the weather was heaven l y , a prelude, I hope, to a total change for the better ; w e employed it in riding up to F 2 Saria, the environs of Valencia and

68

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I ft*

Saria, a convent of capuchin friars on the hilis. The city and port of Barcelona ap pear finely from hence, collected into a moil perfect, landfcape. The garden, on the Hope of the hill, is truly romantic ; the walks are {haded and flickered by fweet-fcented evergreens; ilreams of clear water run down on every fide in ail the wiidnefs of nature, or fpout through the eyes of a little Magdalen, or the Jligmatq of a Saint Francis, As the Romans had many villas on thefe eminences, we may prefume that thefe limpid rills were then wont to guih out of the breails of the Graces, or trickle from the quiver of the God of Love, Don't be furprifed, that in November I {peak feelingly of thefe walks being ihady; I can allure you we found the rays of the fun very powerful, and reliihed much the ihade of the bowers, and the coolnefs arifing from the running water, Our return to town was by a hollow way

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

69

way, under banks of Indian figs* and aloes, when the butterflies were as brifk as in the middle of fpring. The women in the little hamlets were bufy with their bobbins making black lace, fome of which, of the eoarfer kind, is Spun out of the leaf of the aloef ; it is curious, but of little ufe, for it grows mucilaginous with warning. We paffed by the convent of Jefus, be longing to the cordeliers, ox grey friars. The duke of Berwick razed it to the ground in 1714, to puniih thofe fathers for their zeal in the revolt of Catalonia. Their prefent habitation is fmalL They have a fine fpring of water, and an extenfive garden furrounded with a wall of lemon-trees ; ad joining is the Campofanto, where thofe that, died in the laft plague were buried. It now Serves as aflower-garden,and contains fome curious plants 5 among the reft the aromay
t CaBus Opuntia. f Called by the Spaniards Pita.

JO

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

a fpccies of mimofa or fpunge-tree, bearing a round yellow flower with a faint mufky fmell, to which they attribute many odd qualities. If you chew the feed, and breathe it out into a room, it will immediately fill it with an overcoming flench, and turn all white paint black. Our evening ended with a ball, where we had for the firfl time the pleafure of feeing the Fandango danced. It is odd and en tertaining enough, when they execute with precifion and agility all the various footings, wheelings of the arms, and crackings of the fingers ; but it exceeds in wantonnefs all the dances I ever beheld. Such motions, fuch writhings of the body and politions of the limbs, as no modefl eye can look upon with out a blufh!' A good Fandango lady will Hand five minutes in one fpot, wriggling like a worm that has jufl been cut in two. If the day proves clear, we ihall go to morrow up the mountain to the caflle.
L E T -

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

n\

L E T T E R

VII.

Barcelona, November 1 2 , 1 7 7 5 ,

T A M this moment returned from the fortreis of Montiuich, where the finenefs of the day and the beauty of the proSpett afforded me much real Satisfaction; but it fell greatly Short of what I felt on finding a letter from you on my table. I have not met with the book you mention, nor indeed ever heard of Mr. T * * * till now. By your account, he has not been in this part of Spain, therefore my letters as yet convey Something new to you ; per haps, even in thoSe provinces where he has travelled, the difference of our difpofitions, Studies, and purfuits, may Strike out a Suffi cient fund of variety for my future correfpondence, to make it entertaining to you, though you have read his tour. I am Sure
F

J3.

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN,

I lhall be no plagiarifl ; for it is highly im* probable the book ihouid fall in m y w a y for iome time to come. Montjuich, a naine corrupted either from Mons Jovis or Mens Judaicus, is a mountain that Hands iingle, on the fouth-weft point o f Barcelona. This eminence is happily

placed for the city, as it intercepts and diffipates the putrid exhalations pumped up b y the fun from the ponds near the Llobregat, which are fometimes fo ftrong as to affect with great violence the centinels on duty. T h e extent of its bafis is very great. Large

crops of wheat are. reaped on the north and eaft fides, and ail bought up at an high price for feed-corn, the quality being parti cularly found. A good deal of ftrong w i n e

is made on the fouth-eaft a n g l e ; but it is faid to be medicated with lime, and maho gany chips, to give it ipirit and colour. T h e face of the mountain towards the fea is already by nature, or foon will be made b y art,

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN. art, an insurmountable precipice.

73

T h e road,

up to the top-is very Sleep ; about h a l f w a y , is the ancient burial-place of the Jews, where many large {tones, with Hebrew inscrip tions, are {till lying Scattered about the field. E v e r y part of the old caftle is deflroyed, and large works in the modern manner

built upon its foundations, on the crown o f the hill. From hence y o u command a v i e w

over the coaif, plain, and harbour; not a houfe in Barcelona but lies expofed to y o u r light. T h e y are Hoping off the glacis at an

incredible expence, fa that no approaches can be made under Shelter, as every part is open, and liable to be raked by the can-; non of the batteries. {tone, and multiplied number. AH the walls are of to an extravagant

Spain cannot afford men to gar-< . . -

rifon Such overgrown Sortreffes.

T h e main body o f the place is bomh proof, very neatly finiihed ; t w o {tone ifair-

leafes, with
-

iron railing fit for a palace, lead down,

74

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

down to the cafemates, or vaulted quarters, for the foldiers, which are near four hun dred yards long. One of the principal baftions is fcooped out into a ciftern capable of containing feventy thoufand cubic feet of water, of which only a fmall quantity is let off at a time into a draw-well, to prevent any traitor from poifoning the flock of water. Above the quarters is a grand ter race round a court, with turrets at each an gle. On the center of the fouth line Hands the tower of Signals ; if one fhip appears, a bafket is hung out ; if two or more, it is raifed higher, and if a Spanilh man of w a r they hoifl a flag. This caftle h cis sires, dy coil immenfe funis in the fpace of fifteen years, and in all pro bability will not befinishedin as many more, though above three hundred workmen are em-. oloved at the works. Each new engineer alters the plan and counteracts the fcheme of his predeceffor, which occafions fuch a delay

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

75

delay and walte of treafure as is fcarce to be credited. Befides the inconvenience of requiring

fo large a garrifon, the fituation appears to me too elevated to annoy an enemy en camped in the plain,

L E T T E R

VIII.

Barcelona, N o v e m b e r 17, 1775.

Expected to have been b y this time in the kingdom of Valencia ; but the badnefs of the mountain-road having deter mined us to take the new one, along the coaft, w e laft Wednefday hired mules for Montferrat, which is not in the line o f that lower route. T h i s has retarded our depar

ture for fome days. For about five or fix miles the road is finiihed with a magnificence equal to the heft in France, but after that, it relapfes into
2.

its

jG

TRAVELS THROUGH

S P A I N .

its original Mate ; however, though rough for carriages, it is very foft and pleafant for riding. The country up the Liobregat Is well cultivated, but Subject, to frequent inundations, that make cruel havock. As you approach the mountain, the number of vineyards diminiihes, that of olive-grounds increafes. At Martorel, a large town, where much black lace is manufactured, is a very high bridge with Gothic arches, built in 1768, as we are informed by the infcription, out of the ruins of a decayed one, that had exilled 1985 years from its erection, by Hannibal, in the 535th year of Rome. At the north end is a triumphal arch or gateway, faid to have been raifed by that general in honour of his father Hamilcar. It is almoft entire, well proportioned and umple, without any kind of ornament, ex cept a rim or two of hewn ftone. The large ftone cafing is almoft all fallen off' -After

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

77

After dinner we continued our journey through Efpalungera, a long village full of cloth and lace manufacturers ; and about three arrived at the foot of the mountain of Montferrat*, one of the moil lingular in the world, for Situation, Shape and com position. It Stands Single, towering over an hilly country, like a pile of grotto work or Gothic fpires. Its height is about three thoufand three hundred feet, above the level of the fea. We afcended by the ileepeil road, as that for carriages winds quite round, and requires half a day's travelling. After two hours tedious ride from eail to weft, up a narrow path cut out of the Side of gullies and precipices, we reached the higheil part-, of the road, and turned round the eaStermoll
* Monte ferrado means a mountain fawed ; and the arms of the abbey are, the V i r g i n M a r y fitting at the foot of a rock half cut through by a faw.

point'

78

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

point o f the mountain, near the deferted hermitage of Saint Michael. Here we

came in fight of the convent, placed in a nook of the mountain ; it feems as if vail torrents of water, or fome violent convulfion of nature, had fplit the eaftern face of Montferrat, and formed in the cleft a fufficient platform to build the monafcery upon. T h e Llobregat roars at the bottom, and per pendicular walls of rock, o f prodigious
1

height, rife from the water edge near half w a y up the mountain. U p o n thefe maffes

of white ftone refts the fmail piece of level ground which the monks inhabit. Clofe be

hind the abbey, and in fome parts impending over it, huge cliffs (hoot up in a femicircle to a Stupendous elevation; their fummits are fplit into Sharp cones, pillars, pipes, and other odd Shapes, blanched and b a r e ; but the interftices are filled up with forefts of evergreen and deciduous trees and plants. Fifteen hermitages are placed among the

woods;

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

79

woods ; nay, fome of them on the very p i n nacles of the rocks, and in cavities hewn out o f the loftieft of thefe pyramids. T h e prof-

pect is not only aftonifning, but abfolutely unnatural. Thefe rocks are compofed o f colours, glued toge

limeftones of different

ther b y a fand, and a yellow calcareous earth, In fome parts they confift of freeftone and white quartz, mixed with fome touchftone. T h e r e may perhaps be reafon to fufpect fire to have been a principal agent in the formation of this infulated mountain.

H a v i n g brought a letter for the abbot, w h o m w e found a polite, fentibie ecclefiaftic,. a native of Eftremadura, w e were lodged and entertained in the convent. I cannot

fay much in favour of the cookery 5 it coft us fome w r y faces to get down the faffron foup and fpiced ragouts. After dinner a

plate of caraways, and a falver of wine, was handed about, which brought to m y mind the

8o

TRAVELS THROUGH

SPAIN..

the treat Juftice Shallow offers Sir John Fal--ftaff in his orchard, T h i s is one of the forty-five religious; houfes o f the Spaniih congregation o f the order o f Saint B e n e d i c t ; their general chap ter is held every fourth year at Valladolid, where the deputies choofe abbots and other dignitaries for the enfuing Quadrennium. a,

In this monastery, they elect for abbot Catalonian and a Caftillian

alternately. confifting o f

T h e i r poffefiions are great,

nine villages lying to the South of the m o u n tain ; but the king has lately curtailed their income about fix thoufand livres a year, b y appropriating to his o w n ufe the beft houfe in each village, fome o f which, with their, ty-thes, are worth 200 dollars per annum. Their original foundation, in 8 6 6 , gave

t h e m ' n o t h i n g but the m o u n t a i n ; and to donations and ceconomy they owe the great increafe of their landed property. They

are bound to feed and harbour, for three days, all pilgrims that come up to pay their homage

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

8l

homage to the V i r g i n ; the allowance is a luncheon of bread in the morning, as much more, with broth, at noon, and bread again at night. About three years ago, the king

propofed to them to aboliih this obligation of hofpitality, on condition that the convent fhould fubfcribe a fixed fum towards the eftabliihment o f a poorhoufe in Barcelona. T h e principals of the abbey, were inclined to accept of the propofal, but the mob o f monks oppofed it vehemently ; and, fuch a fcheme being very contrary to the interefts of the miraculous image, Ihe refented it highly, and, according to her old cuftom, vaaiihea in anger from the altar. Soon

after, ihe was difcovered in the cave where' ihe was originally found, nor would ihe fur, till the intended innovation was over ruled. It was thought expedient to w i n k

at this juggling, not to alarm the common people, w h o are not fufficiently enlightened to fee through fuch grofs impofitions.
VOL.

The

82
r

TRAVELS

T H R O U G H

SPAI3f.^

T h e number of profeffed monks is 76*,

of lay-brothers 28, and o f fmging-boys 25,, befides phyiician, furgeon, and Servants. ' ' H a v i n g breakfafted very early, a German monk waited'upon us to i h e w u s the church. It is gloomy, and the gilding much fullied with the fmoke of eighty-five lamps of

Silver, of various forms and fizes, that hang round the cornice of the Sanctuary. Funds

have been bequeathed b y different devotees for furnlihlng them with bib T h e choir above flairs Is decorated with the life of Chriit in good wooden carving; A gallery runs on each fide o f the chancel, for the convenience of the monks. A large

iron grate divides the church from the chapel o f the V i r g i n , where the image Hands, i n . a nich over the altar, before which burn four tapers in large Silver candleflicks, the prefent of the duke of Medina Geli. In the Sacrifty,

and paffages leading to it, are preffes and cupboards full of relicks and ornaments, o f

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

83

gold, filver, and precious Hones ; they point ed out to us, as the molt remarkable, t w o crowns for the V i r g i n and her Son, o f in^. eftimable value^ fome large diamond rings, an- excellent cameo of Medufa's head, the Roman emperors in alabafter, the fword o f Saint Ignatius, and the chefl that contains the afhes of a famous brother, John Guarin, o f w h o m they relate the fame Story as that giv en in the Spectator of a Turkish fanton and the fultan's daughter. T h e y differ however

in the following circumftanceThe Catalonian anchoret repents of his crime, and lives feven years on all fours like a wild beaft. The earl o f Barcelona, whofe daughter

John had raviihed and murdered, catches the favage in his hunting toils, and brings him as a fhew to the c i t y ; when behold I the earl's fon, only a month old, fpeaks aloud
s

and bids John arife, for his fins are forgiven. T h e eafy prince pardons him alfo, and all of them go in queft of the body o f the G 2 Princefs,

84

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN. T o their great ailonifhment, they

Princefs.

meet her reftored to life b y the V i r g i n M a ry, and as beautiful and y o u n g as ever. It is not faid that the recovered her virginity ; that is a miracle never once attempted b y any faint in the calendar ; however, ihe liked the mountain fo well, that Ihe there founded a monaftery, in which ihe ended her days as a nun. Immenfe is the quantity o f votive offer ings to this miraculous ftatue; and, as

nothing can be rejected or otherwife difpofed of, the Shelves are crowded with moil

whimfical Ex votos, v i z . Silver legs, fingers, breafts, ear-rings, watches, two-wheeled

chaifes, boats, carts, and fuch-like trumpery. From the facriily w e went up to the Cdmarinet,'"Small rooms behind the high

altar, hung with paintings, Several of which are very good. A Strong Silver-plated door

being thrown open, w e were bid to lean forward, and kifs the.hand of Nue/ira Senora.

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

85

It is half worn away by the eager kiffes o f its votaries, but w e could not afcertain w h e ther it be marble or Silver, as it is painted black. T h e face of the mother is regularly but the colour o f a negro-

handfome woman.

i H a v i n g feen every place about the convent, where they are n o w building a new w i n g , and blailing a great deal of the rock to en large the gardens, w e fet out for the hermi tages, and took the fhort w a y . up a crevice be tween t w o huge maifes of rock, where in rainy weather the waters daih down in fu rious torrents. W e counted f i x hundred

holes or fteps, fo Sleep and perpendicular^ that from below w e did not difcern the leaft track. breath fcalade. A hand-rail, and a few feats to take upon, Soon enabled us to perform this after, w e arrived, through

a wildernefs of evergreens, at the narrow platform where the firil hermit dwells. His

cells, kitchen, chapel, and gardens, are ad-> G 3 niirably

86

T R A V E L S THROUGH

SPAIN.

mirably neat and romantic, built upon various" patches of level on the tops of precipices. T h e v i e w from it is wild, and in fuch a fine clear morning molt delightful. T h e hermit

feemed a chearful, Simple old man, in whofe mind forty years retirement had obliterated all worldly ideas. T h e hermits are all clad

in brown habits, and wear long beards \ their w a y Gf life is uncomfortable, and their refpeqtive limits very much confined. They

rife at two every morning, ring out their bell, and pray till it is time to go to mafs at t h e hermitage, called the Pur'ifh ; it Is always faid at break of day : Some of them have a- bove t w o hours walk down to it. T h e con

vent allows them bread, wine, fait, oil, one pair of Shoes, and one pair of Stockings a year, with twenty-five reals a month for neceflaries. other

A couple of men are kept to

afiift them in their labour, each in their turn.; A mule carries up their provisions twice a week, and is occafionaily driven to Barcelona

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

87 .

for falt-fifh, and other things, which they b u y by clubbing together. T h e y get fome helps

from the convent, in return for flowers, greens, & c . which they fend down as pre-, fents. T h e y never eat meat, or converfe:

with each o t h e r : their noviceihip is v e r y fevere, for they muft undergo fix months fervice in the infirmary of the abbey, one year among the novices, and fix years further,

trial, before they are Suffered to go up to an: hermitage ; which they cannot obtain but b y the unanimous confent of the whole chap ter. T h e y make every v o w of the monks,

and, over and above, one o f never quitting the mountain; but none of them are allow ed to enter into orders, Their'firit habita

tion is always the moil remote from, the con vent, and they defcend according as vacan cies happen in the lower cells, H a v i n g left a fmall prefent in the chapelwindow, w e continued our w a l k : wherever the winding paths are level nothing can be G 4 more

88

TRAVELS THROUGH S P A I N .

more agreeable than to faunter through the clofe woods and fweet wilderneffes that fill up the fpaces between the rocks. It is impolfi-

ble to give y o u an adequate idea of the fublime views and uncouth appearance of

the different parts of the mountain ; a pain ter or a botaniit might wander here many days with pleafure and profit. There are few evergreens in Europe that may not be

found here, befides a great variety of deci duous plants. T h e apothecary of the houfe

has a lift o f four hundred and thirty-feven. Species o f plants, and forty of trees. The

greateft hardship here is a fcarcity o f good water. Except one fpring at the parish,

and another at the convent, they have no other than cittern-water, and that bad

enough ; this in Summer is a terrible incon venience, and gives the lye to the florid defcriptions I have read Streams and beautiful of the purling tumbling

cafcades

down on every fide from the broken rocks. The

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

89

T h e want of water is fo great, that neither wolf, bear, nor other wild beaft, is ever feen on the mountain. T h e fecond hermitage w e came to, {lands on a point of the rock, over a precipice that defcends almofl to the very bed o f the r i v e r ; m y head was near looking down. turning with

T h e profpect is inimitably

grand, extending over the northern and eaflern parts o f the province, which are very hilly and bare, bounded b y the of Rouffillon. mountains ap

T h e true Pyreneans

pear only through fome breaks in that chain. Manrefa, where Inigo de L o y o l a made his

firft

fpiritual retreat, is the principal t o w n In a clear day they allured us

in the view.

they could fee Majorca, which is one hun

dred and

eighty-one miles diilant. U p o n the

round rock, that hangs over the hermit's cell, was formerly a caftle, with its cifterns and drawbridge, where fome banditti harbour ed,, From this ftrong hold they made e x curfions

90

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN. 7

curfions to pillage the neigbouring vallies." B y rolling down Hones, they kept the monks in perpetual alarm, and obliged them to fend up whatever provifions were wanted in the garrifon. A t laft, a few miquelets climbed,

up the rock from tree to tree, like fo many fquireis, Surprized the fort, and deftroyed this neft of robbers. In commemoration of this

event the hermitage is dedicated to Saint D i mas, a faint, I prefume, y o u never heard o f in your life. Y o u m u l l k n o w he is the

good thief in the gofpel. A t la Trinidad, the next cell w e walked to, the monks b y turns go up to pafs a few days in fummer by w a y of recreation. The

hermit has many rooms, and is- allowed a boy to wait upon him. He gave us a

glafs o f good Sitges wine, and a pinch o f admirable fnuff, made from tobacco railed in his o w n garden. T h e officers o f the

cufloms have extended their tyranny even'

TP-AVELS T H R O UGH SPAIN.

91

to thefe fohtudes, and fent orders that n o more tobacco be fuffered to grow. Having fcrambled up to one or t w o curiofity

more hermitages, w e found our

fatisfied, as, except in point of extenfivenefs o f profpect, they varied very little from thofe w e had already feen ; and therefore w e turned down another path, which led us to the dwelling of the vicar, a monk w h o during four years takes upon him the direc tion of the hermits. L o w e r down w e arrived at Santa Cecilia, the pariih church, where every morning the filent inhabitants of this tfhebais meet to hear mafs, and perform divine fervice, and twice a w e e k to confefs and communicate. About eleven, w e got d o w n to the abbey for dinner ; and, having received the cultomary donation of bleifed crolfes and holy medals, mounted our mules and came to, lie at Martorel. W e reached Barcelona early . ... ; . this.

92

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

this morning, and have been ever fince mak ing ready for our departure.

L E T T E R

IX.

Barcelona, November 1 8 ,

1775-

/% L L our affairs are fettled for beginJL JL ning our journey to morrow afternoon. a Valencia to

W e have agreed with mules a day

mafter muleteer, to furnifh us with at the rate of fifteen reales de vellon

whatever.

for each mule, clear of all other expences I f w e part with him at Valencia,

he is to be paid for his return, eight days ; if at Alicant, ten ; at Cadiz, t h i r t y ; at We

Madrid, fifteen ; and at Lifbon, thirty.

have alfo hired a miquelet, compleatly ac coutred, to attend us. Y o u fee w e are fitted

out in good earneft for a long journey, which I hope will afford us fome pleafant hours, to compenfate for the trouble and fatigue

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

93

fatigue that w e forefee muft frequently fall to our lhare. I believe y o u are not forry

to find I am on the point of leaving Cata lonia, which muft b y this time be a fubject m y frequent letters have rendered rather tirefome to y o u ; however, I entreat your indulgence one letter more, while I endea vour to bring together the remarks I have made on the character of this people, and all the material information m y friends have furniihed me with. Catalonia is almoft throughout extreme ly mountainous. T h e nature of the coun

try appears to have great influence on that of the inhabitants, w h o are a hardy, active, induftrious race, of a middle fize, brown complexion, and ftrong features ; their

limbs well knit together, and by education and practice Inured to the greateft fatigues ; there are few lame or diftorted perfons, or beggars, to be met with among them. Their

Mocos or mule-boys are flout walkers ; fome of

94

. T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

o f them have been k n o w n to go from Barcelona to .Madrid, and back a 2*2,111- 111 nine days, which by the high road is fix hundred miles. T h e lofs of all their immunities, the

ignominious prohibition of

every weapon,

even a knife, and an enormous load of taxes have not been able to ftifle their independent fpirit, which breaks out upon the leaft ftretch of arbitrary power ; but within thefe few

years, many of their ancient privileges have been gradually reftored ; and this is at prefent one of the moft flourifhing provinces o f Spain. Their taxation is flili very high.

A l l trade is aiTeffed according to the bufinefs y o u are fuppofed to tranfact in the courfe of the year, without regard to your lofs or gain. One mode of fomewhat collecting the revenue is

lingular ;the intendant

(who

manages all the finances, and befides numberlefs emoluments and fecret profits, receives one third of all feizures 2 of contraband g
0 0 (

l )

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

95

goods) has a certain number o f clerks or apprentices, with a ftipend for each allowed by the king. Thefe y o u n g men are fent

out into the villages to gather the t a x e s ; an operation w h i c h they fpin out to the utmofl, as their profits, and thofe of their mailer, are encreafed b y every delay, the commu nities being, obliged to find them food,

lodging, and two peibs a day.

W h e n the

peafantry of a place proves refractory or dilatory in its payment, an order is given b y the treafurer to an officer, w h o goes

with his foldiers to the foot, to receive his own and his regiment's pay, and live at dis cretion upon the poor wretches until full Satisfaction be made. A m o n g i l other restrictions, the ufe o f Slouched hats, white Shoes, and large brown cloaks, is- forbidden.

'Till

of late,

they

duril not carry any kind of knife ; but in each public houfe there was one chained to t h e table, for the ufe of all.comers. The good

o5

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN".

good order maintained by the police, and the vigilance o f the thieftakers, fupply the place o f defeniive weapons, robberies and murders being feldom heard o f ; y o u may walk the Streets of Barcelona at all hours unarmed, without the lead apprehenfion,

provided y o u have a l i g h t ; without it y o u are liable to be carried to prifon by the patrol. T h e minones, or thieftakers, are men o f truit and confideration, and o f approved courage ; their drefs is that of the miquelets or mountaineers, w h o fo cruelly harraffed the French armies in the wars at the begin ning o f our century. T h e y wear their

hair in a net ; a broad filver-laced hat, Squeezed fiat like thofe o f the Englifh failors, hung on one fide o f their head ; an hand kerchief loofely tied round the neck; a

Short Striped walilcoat, and over it a red jacket, with large filver buttons like bells dano-iins: from it : a blue Skirt, bound with yellow

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

gy

yellow tape, rolled-feveral times round their waift, in which they carry their knife, hand kerchief, & c . two Over this jacket they wear ammunition-

crofs belts, one for an

pouch, the other for their broad fword and piftols ; on the left moulder hangs a blue great coat embroidered with white thread ; their breeches are blue and white ftriped ; their ftocklngs, rolled below their knee, and gartered with, an enormous buckle, and

bunch of black ribbons, reach only d o w n to the - ankle, where they tie feveral rounds of blue fillet very tight, to keep on their packthread fandals, that feem fcarce to cover their toes. T h e common drefs o f a Catalonian fall or or muleteer is brown, and the distinctive mark b y which they are. known in Spain, is a red woollen cap, falling forwards, like that of the ancient Phrygians; T h e middling

fort of people and artificers wear hats and

.'VOL,:

I,

dark

,98

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

dark cloaths, with an half-wide coat care* lefsly tolled over the fhoulders. T h e drefs of the w o m e n is a black filk petticoat over a little hoop, lhoes without heels, bare fhoulders, and a black veil

ftiffened out with wire, fo as to arch out on each fide of the head, Something reSembling the hooded Serpent, T h e Catalonlans are excellent for light infantry, on the forlorn hope, or for a coup de main % but though brave and indefatigable, they are ayerfe to the ftriotneSs of regular difcipline, unlefs it be in their o w n national regiments. T h e y cannot brook the thoughts

o f being jnenial Servants in their o w n coun-* try, but will rather trudge it all over with a pedlar's pack on their fhoulders, or r u n about upon errands, than be the head do* meftic in a Catalonian family. Far from

home they make excellent Servants, and moll of the principal houfes of Madrid have Catalonians at the head o f their affairs* They

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN*.

gTg

T h e y are the general muleteers and caleffieros o f Spain ; y o u meet with them in every part o f the kingdom : their honefty, ileadinefs, and fobriety, entitle them to the confidence o f travellers, and their thirli after lucre makes them bear with any hardlhips. W i t h good words, y o u will always find them 'docile, but they cannot bear hard ufage or opprobrious language. Thofe that remain at home for the labours o f th field-, are exceedingly induf-. tribus*. T h e i r corn-hrveft is in M a y or

early in June ; but, as thofe crops are liable to frequent burltirtgs and mildews, they

have turned their attention more to the vine, w h i c h they plant even upon the Summits o f their molt rugged mountains. In

ifiany places, they carry up earth to fix the ybiiug Set in i and in others, hve bn k n o w n to let one another down from th brovv o f the rock b y ropes, rather than fuffr a good p a t c h o f foil to remain ufelfs. H a Their

lOO

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

Their vintages are commonly- very plentiful. This autumn, there was fuch a Superabun dance o f grapes in the valley of Talarn, in the neighbourhood of Pallas, that whole vineyards were left untouched for want of veffels to make or hold the wine in ; notice was palled upon the church-doors, that any one was at liberty to take away what quan tity he pieafed, on paying a fmall acknow ledgement to the proprietors. T h e bell red

wine of Catalonia is made at Mataro, north of Barcelona, and the bell white at Sitges, between that city and Tarragona. T h e Scarcity o f corn is Sometimes very great, the principality not producing above five months proviilon. portation Without the im the

from America, Sicily, and

north o f Europe, it would run the rifk o f being famifhed. From four hundred thou-

fand to fix hundred thoufand quarters of wheat are annually imported. Canada alone

Sent this year about eighty thoufand quarters. There

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N ,

IQI

There are public ovens, where the bakers are bound by contract to bake every day into bread one thoufand bufhels of flour, or more, at a ftated price, and, in cafe the other bakers ihould refufe to work, they are under the obligation o f furnifhing the city with bread. T h e number of the inhabitants of Bar celona is made to amount to one hundred and fifty thoufand fouls, and thofe of Barceloneta to ten thoufand; but, although

trade and population have increafed furprlzingly in the courfe of a few years, I doubt there is fome exaggeration in this reckoning. T h e great export-commerce confiits in wine, brandies, fait, and oil, which are moftly taken in b y foreign ihips at the little ports and roads along the coaft, and not brought to be {hipped off at the capital. There are mines of lead, iron, and coal, in the mountains, but they are ill wrought, and turn to poor account. H 3 T h e manufacture%

102

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN*

tures are of more importance,

Barcelona

Supplies Spain with rnoft of the cloathing and arms for the troops. T h i s branch of

bufinefs is carried on with much intelligence ; they can equip a battalion of fix hundred men completely in a week, A great trade is driven in filk handker-

chiefs, {lockings, & c . in woollens of various qualities; in filk and thread l a c e ; in fire arms. T h e gun-barrels of Barcelona are four to

much efceemed,

and coft from

twenty guineas, but about five is the real value ; all above is paid for fancy and ornan ment: they are made out of the old fhoes of mules.* Several manufactures of printed linens are eflabliihed here, but have not y e t
: ;

arrived, at any great elegance of defign orfiveiinefs o f colour,,,

* T h e beft Spaniih barrels are made at .Madrid; the fecond in goodnefs come from B i f c a y ; thofe of Barce* iona rank only in the third place.

The

TRAVELS

THROUGH

ST A I N .

JoJ

T h e imports eighty thoufand

are, befides- c o r r i j hundred-weight

about

of N e w

foundland cod, which pays three pefettasper hundred-weight duty, and fells- upon
:

an average at a guinea; beans from H o i land, for the poor people, and an inferior fort from Africa, for the mules; Salted

conger eel from^Cornwall and Britany, fold at" forty or fifty millings per quintal; this is an unwhcJefome, lufcious food, which t h e y cook up with garlic'k and" Spices: Englifh bale goodsV and many foreign articles neceffity or' luxury,' of

Houfe-rerit and living the"

are dear-; provifions but Indifferent^

M i is flabby and infipid-; the-meat p o o f | but the vegetables are- excellent, efpecially brocoli and cauliflower; I believe their

meat and

fiih are much better in Summer

than at this feafon o f the yean T h e devotion of the Gatalonians feems tb be pretty much "upon a par with that' of' their neighbours in the Southern provinces
H

204." T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H SPAINv

of France, and, Lam'told, much lefs ardent than" w e fhall find it as w e advance into,. S p a i n ; but they Still abound with Strange practices of religion and local wcrihip. O n e . very "odd idea of theirs is, that on the firit of November, the eve of A l l Souls, they run'about from houfe to houfe to eat chefnuts, believing that for every chefnut they Swallow, with proper faith and unction,

they Shall deliver a.foul out of purgatory. T h e [ influx o f foreigners, increafe of.

commerce,; and.protection

granted to .the!

liberal arts, begin to open the understanding,; of this people, w h o have made great ftrides,. o f late towards SenSe and philofophy. . ' There are now but one or two churches at moil, in each city, that are allowed the privilege o f protecting offenders, and .mur-. derers are excluded from the benefit of the Sanctuary.. T h e proceedings of the Inquifition are grown very mild. If any. per-.

Son. leads. a. Scandalous life, or allows his,,,

tongue.

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

lojT

tongue unwarrantable liberties, he is fummoried b y the H o l y Office, and privately admoniihed; in cafe of non-amendment' Once a year

he is committed to prifon.

y o u muft anfwer to that tribunal for the orthodoxy of your family, and of every fervant y o u have, or they mull: quit the country; but the foreign proteftant are palled over unnoticed. houfes

A v o i d talking

on the Subject of religion, and with a little difcretion y o u may live here in what manner y o u pleafe. Every Jew that lands in Spain muft declare himfelf to be fuch at the Inquifition; which immediately appoints a familiar to attend him all the time he ftays aihore, to w h o m he pays a piftole a day. W e r e he to neglect

giving this information, he would be liable to be Seized. Y e t I have been allured b y Jew to

perfons of undoubted credit, that a may travel incognito from Perpignan

Lilbon, and fleep every night at the.home of

I06

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN*

o f a Jew, being recommended from one t o another; and that y o u may take it for

granted, that wherever y o u fee a houfe remarkably decked out with images, relics,and lamps, and the owner noted for being the moft enthufiaftic devotee of the parifh, there it is ten to one but the family are: Ifraelites at heart. I f a ftranger is. defirous of becoming ac quainted with Spain, the manners and di~ pofition of its inhabitants, he muft proceed; further; for I am told this province bears fo little refemblance to the reft of the k i n g dom, that he will derive no real knowledge on that fcore from travelling in Catalonia* Here it is not uncommon to hear them talk; of! a journey into, Spain, as they would o$ one; into France;;: and their language is not underftood.by the Spaniards, being a dialect' o f the ancient Limofme tongue, a.kind o f
:

Gafcon. I- cannot clofe this- iketcfi of the character 3

Of '

^RAVELS. THROUGH SPAIN,

toy

o f the modern Catalans more

properly,

than with the epitaph of their countrymen w h o ferved under Sertorius, and after the murder o f that great man, difdaining to obey another leader, Sacrificed themfelves to his manes.. of Catalonia. * Hie multtz qua fe manibus i^. Seriorii 1'urmte et 'ferrw MortaJium omnium Parenti devovere dum eo fublato fjperejfe iaderet et fortiter pugnando invicem cecidere Morte adprafens Valete PoJl'eri
9

It. is taken from, the annals

opiata jaceni*

*= Here_lie the bones, of many companies of foldiers . wb-o.dey.otedthernfelve.s..to.the manes of Q. Sertorius, and to the common mother Earth as loathing all thoughts of furviving him. Fighting bravely with each other, they fell, and met with the death which they then wiihed for. Farewell Pofterity,
1 s : 5

LET.

L E T T E R

X.

Reus, November 24, 1 7 7 5 ,

left Barcelona 19th inftant.

on Sunday

the

Our firft day's j o u r the road good, but

ney was very fhort;

made upon too expenfive a plan to be con tinued far. T h e bridge over the Llobregat

is grand, but unluckily lb placed as never to be feen by travellers in an oblique direc tion. V / e flopped at Cipreret, a neat hqufe in a wild mountainous country, with a few pines fcattered about, feldom enough to W e here

form a grove, much lefs a wood.

for the firft time faw a true Spanilh kitchen, viz. an hearth raifed above the level of the floor under a wide funnel, where a circle of muleteers were huddled together over a,

few cinders. N e x t morning w e paffed a broad glen or1

hollow

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

log

hollow,, over which they intended to con vey the high road in a ftrait line, b y means o f a bridge of three rows o f arches one above the other. H a d they turned a little

to the left by a gradual Hope, the defcent had been trifling, and a.fingle arch cient for the paffage of the water. fuffiThis

great w o r k has failed, and Teems abandoned. I fhould fufpect they built here for the diverfion o f future antiquaries, not for the ufe o f the prefent generation, which feels all the weight of the expence, without

reaping any benefit from fuch ill-calculated undertakings. In the prefent ftate of things

the pafs is very dangerous, and further on the road grows worfe, in a large foreft o f pines, where the rocks . and gullies render it next to impoffible for a carriage to get through without damage. O n account o f

the great number of bridges neceffary among thefe broken hills, and of the obftinacy

with which the engineers fwhofe profits

IO

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

increafe b y delays and difficulties) perfift in carrying the road ftrait through rocks and torrents, the w o r k advances fo Slowly, that before a fcond mile be finished, the firft is ruined for want of repairs. T h e country at the foot o f the mountains is fertile and populous. About Villa

Franca de Panades the foil is remarkably light. The hufbandmen Shovel up the

Hubble, weeds, and tops of furrows, into fmall heaps, which they burn, then Spread them out upon the ground, and w o r k them i n with a plough, which is little more than a great knife fattened to a fingle ftick, that juft fcratches th Surface. In this country

all the corn is trod out o f the Sheaf b y means o f hrfes and mules driven backwards and forwards over it on a Stone or Stucco area.* In * In many parts of Spain the grain is feparated from th few by means of horfe's that draw a plank ftuck full

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

tit

In the evening w e palled b y torch-light tinder a R o m a n arch, which I returned next morning to examine, our inn not more than a mile beyond it. almoil entire, elegant in its being

This arch is proportions^

and fimple in its ornaments ; the gateway lofty | the entablature is fupported on each fide b y four fluted Corinthian pilafters, A l l I could read of the infcription was E X T E S T ; which Flores, in his Efpana fagrada, makes out to be part o f

EX T E S T A M E N T O L . L I C I N I I . L, P. S E R GII. SURAE CONSECRATUM.

This Licinius was thrice conful under Trajan and was famous for his extraordinary wealth. N o reafonable conjecture has been made w h y he ordered b y his will this monument
Ml

of nails and flints, upon whtefrthe driver ftands.' 0.

I n Bifcay the-flail is in ufe,

2 12

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

to be erected, or what was the ufe o f it when built. Some think it was the entrance

o f the. Campus Tarraconenfis, and that a wall ran from the fea, which is about half a mile diilant to the fouth-eaft, through the olive-grounds quite up to the hills. There

appear fome remnants o f a wall in that direction, but I w o n ' t pretend to fay they are o f fo ancient a date. T h e next day was the moil delightful of our whole journey. T h e fun ihone out in

all his fplendor ; the fea was fmooth and calm ; the profpect was inceffantly varying as we moved on, fometimes along the rich level on the fnore, where the buihy heads and gloffy leaves of the locuil trees, contrailed with the pale green o f the olive-woods, made it appear quite a fummer fcene ; fometimes over gentle eminences, from which w e com manded views o f numberlefs bays and pro montories, crowned with towers and antique fortifications. - ; T h e little river G a y a diilri. butes

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

113

butes its waters in itone channels to all parts of the valley, and gives vigour to its pro ductions, which otherwife would be parched up by the.drought. Here the tender olive-

fets are nurfed up in long bafkets, till they get out of the reach of goats and other ene mies. A s w e defcended the hill of

Bara

to the beach, Tarragona prefented itfelf to our view, like a ruined fortrefs, on a round point projecting Into the fea ; and a little further right, on w e turned off the road to the into a wood of pines and Shrubs, to

vifit a monument that tradition has named the tomb o f the Scipios. T h e y were the

father and uncle of Scipio Africanus, both killed in Spain. T h i s building is Small, being about nine teen feet Square and twenty-eight high. In

the front, facing the fea, are t w o Statues o f warriors in a mournful poilure, roughly cut out of much the Stones o f the Sepulchre, and worn a w a y b y the Sea air. The

VOL. I

infcriptlon

114

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

jnfcription is fo much defaced, that it is hard to make any thing of it : what remains is. as follows :

pRN...TE...EAQyE....L..O...VNVS...VER..BVS-7 TVS... I.. S.. NEGL.VI...VA.. F L . , . BVS.. SIBI..

PERPETVQ REM ANERE.

I think it has been erected b y feme prieft, for himfeff and family, as the fragments o f the laft line may be -interpreted in that man ner. Some take the firft word o f the firft

line to have been Cornelius, a name belong ing to the Scipios. T h e top of the monu

ment, w h i c h probably ended in a pyramidal, form, is fallen off * . From the heavy lands of the fea-lhore, where a great many fifhermen were hauling in their nets, w e 'afcended the naked rock of Tarragona. It produces nothing but

* T h e tomb o f

T h e r o n , at

Girgenti in Sicily,

yefembles this in form.

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

11J

the dwarf palm or palmeto.

This

plant

grows among the Stones to the height o f one or t w o feet : the leaves are Stiff and iharp, Spread out like fingers, or the Sticks of a fan, and very much refembling the leaves of the date palm. T h i s alfo pro* The duces fruit, and the infipid pith of its root is a favourite eating of the peafants. are a great fattener of cattle. leaves make good bropms and ropes, and

T h e ancient Tarraco is n o w contracted to a very trifling city, that covers only a Small portion of the R o m a n inclofure, and is an ill-built, dirty, depopulated place. M a n y antiquities have been found, and are ftill to be feen in the town, and almoft all round the walls. A few veftiges remain o f the palace of Auguflus, and of the great circus : an arch or t w o of the ampitheatre, and fome fteps cut in the folid rock. Still exift, impending over 1 2 the fea. About thref

116

TRAVELS THROUGH

SPAIN,

three miles from the city, is the Puente de Ferriera, an ancient aqueduct, which w e did not g o to fee, not having heard of it till w e had paffed too far on to turn back. Father Flores has given a plate of it, cathedral, dedicated to The

Saint Thecla, is.

ugly, but the new chapel of that tutelar faint is beautiful, T h e infide is cafed with yellow

and brown marbles, dug up in the very cen ter of the town, and ornamented with white foliages and bafs-reliefs. is accounted not think T h e architecture

heavy, but I confefs I did very glaring. The

that fault

whole together has a very pleating effect.. In Queen Anne's war, the Englifh were in poffeftion of this poft, and intended to. keep and fortify it, b y bringing the riverFrancolis quite round it. For this purpofe

they threw u p vaft outworks and redoubts, of which the ruins are yet very vifible.

H a v i n g fecured Minorca and Gibraltar, they renounced

TRAVELS

T IIR. G H S P A N .

117

renounced the project of fixing a garfifon in Tarragona^ From this city w e defcended into the Gamp o Tarragones, a plain of about nine miles diameter, one o f the moil fruitful Spots in Europe l there is not an uncultivated part in the whole extent. T h e abundance and

excellence of its productions have induced all th foreign houfes fettled in Barcelona to eftablih agents and factors at R e u s , the principal town, pretty near the center of the plain. Here w e have again been loaded With civilities b y Our friends, and detained fome days in feafts and amufenientSi Indeed the

crazy vehicle our frvats travel in, contributed much toward the facility w i t h w h i c h

w e yielded to their entreaties ; for about an hundred yards before w e reached this place, both its fhafts Snapped in t w o , fo that Very little^ except the hind wheels and fome feraces, novi remains o f I 3 the original car riage

$l8

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN,

riage that left Pafcal's coach-houfe, in the R u e Guenegaud, at Paris. It has blown for three days a moft bitter north w i n d ; the froft is pinching and the ice thick, but no kind o f vegetation feems affected b y it, and the fun ihines out burn ing hot every day. Reus increafes daily in fize and popula tion ; the number o f its inhabitants has

within thefe fifteen years rifen above t w o thirds, and now amounts to twenty thou fand fouls. T h e fuburbs are already twice T h e y have begun

as large as the old town.

t o build a very pretty theatre, and have engaged a company o f comedians. W i n e s and brandies are the ftaple c o m modities o f R e u s : o f the former, the beft for drinking are produced on the hills- be longing to the Carthufians; thofe o f the plain 'are fitteft for burning. T h e annual

exports are about twenty thoufand pipes o f brandy, all very pale, but afterwards, b y mixtures

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

1 X

mixtures in Guernfey and Holland^ brought to the proper colour for' our market*

There are four degrees o f proof or Strength c o m m o n , oil, Holland, and Spirit; Bran

d y of common proof froths in the glafs in pouring out, and remains fo. Is when oil finks in the brandy; Oil proof Five pipes

o f wine make one of Strong brandy, and four make one o f weak. T h e king's duty

is ten pefettas a pipe on the high proofs,, and twelve on the l o w : the town dues

come to three Sols, and both duties are paid b y the. exporter. ploys about one T h i s branch of trade em thoufand Stills in the

C a m p o , of which number the t o w n con tains an hundred and fifty. It is all carried

in carts, at half a crown a pipe, down to Salo, an open but Safe road five miles off. Here it is left on the beach till It pleafes the Catalonian Sailors to float it off to the Ships i as they are paid b y the year, they only work when they choofe, and in fair pleafant weaI 4 their.

120

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

ther.

Nuts are likewife an article o f ex

portation, upwards o f Sixty thoufand bufhels from the woods at the foot of the weft mountains having been Shipped off laft year. E v e r y thing here wears the face of bufinefs, but it is greatly at the expence of the inland villages, many of which are left almoft deftitute of inhabitants.

L E T T E R

XL

Nules, November 29, 1775. ~\T O U will not find upon the common maps the name of the place I date this from, though it is a considerable town, inclofed with walls and towers alia morifca^ w i t h two handfome fuburbs. T h i s is all I

can tell y o u of it, as w e are juft arrived b y moon-light. I am n o w melting with

heat, and fitting clofe to the w i n d o w for air, but I fear the twanging of a wretched guitar

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN,

I2t

guitar will foon drive me away.

How

wonderfully fortunate w e have been in the weather! not a drop o f rain on the road from Perpignan hither, and w e are to reach Valencia tomorrow. Laft Saturday w e took an affectionate leave of our friends, and left Reus loaded with provifions of all forts. The road

through the plain hollow and bad, the v i e w confined on every fide b y groves o f locuffc and olive trees, till w e entered the defart near the fea-fhore, at a ruined tower called the Cafa yerma. In the afternoon w e came

through a rocky pafs under the fort of Balaguer, lately built to command the defile and the coaft. T h e evening journey lay among

bleak uncomfortable hills, covered with low ihrubs, where nothing but the profpect o f the fea, and watch-towers placed as beacons along the ihore, afforded the leail variety; the road moil abominably rough and trying for carriages. T h e approach of night, and the

122

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPA IK.

the danger o f venturing in fuch

broken

w a y s in the dark, obliged us to flop at the V e n t a del Platero, a hovel that beggars all defeription; fo Superlatively wretched, that

I thought an exact drawing of its outward appearance would be a real curiofity. We

were lodged in part of a ground-floor, the remainder of which was occupied b y the mules and p i g s ; the fervants flept in the carriages. A pool of water behind the floor,

houfe, and above the level o f our made

our apartment fo damp, that the

next morning our cloaths might have been wrung. Thanks to the wholefomenefs o f

the climate, w e felt no bad effects from it. Several companies of fifhermen, that hawk their fifh about thefe fcattered cottages,

kept all night a perpetual knocking at the gate o f our court, and brought to m y mind very lively ideas of the enchanted caflles o f Don Quixote. A s foon as it was light w e left our inn, and

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

123

and found the wafte grow more and more barren. The fteepnefs and roughnefs o f

the defcents made the road exceffively jolt ing and dangerous; the chaifes cracked

and groaned, and w e either rode on horfeback, or walked, all the w a y . Torrents

that rulh from the adjoining ridge o f moun tains, after every heavy ihower, have fwept a w a y all bridges and caufeways, and walhed the - road to the very rock. W e paffed

through Parillo, a fmall village, which Is the ufual baiting-place, and feems, b y the ruins near it, to have been formerly a place of greater confequence than it is at prefenu In a few hours w e emerged from this defart, which is at leaft ten leagues long. In fome places it produces locuft and olive trees, which, w h e n the underwood is cleared away, and the earth moved about the roots, become productive o f good fruit. A little

turn of the road to the weft brought us in fight o f the mouth of the Ebro, w h i c h appears

i24

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN*

appears to wafte itfelf before it reaches the fea, b y running through various channels, i n a tract of flat lands containing near one hundred thoufand acres. T h i s land is very

capable o f improvement, and the miniftry have actually before them a plan for drain i n g thefe grounds, and properly distributing the wafte water for the purpofes o f cultiva tion. T h e r e are t w o good harbours at the

mouth o f the river, w h i c h is navigable for yeifels o f fifty tons, up as far as Tortofa, and for fmall craft much higher, into the kingdom o f Arragon. T h e waters o f the

Ebro, though muddy, are constantly drunk b y the inhabitants; the flime they leave after great floods is efteemed as beneficial to the lands they overflow as thofe o f the Nile are to E g y p t . T h e rich narrow vale

along the banks is laid out in corn-fields and mulberry plantations. A n amphitheatre o f

bleak gloomy mountains Shuts up the valley to the weft, where the river makes its w a y
;

through

TRAVELS T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

125

through a narrow breach in the vail chain of rocks. Jufl before w e entered Tortofa,

w e met the Bifhop o f that fee, clad in the plain fimple manner o f the inferior clergy o f the province. H i s lank black hair was

cut clofe to his ears, and covered b y a great hat, Squeezed up on each fide into form o f a boat. the

T h e order of bifhops in

this kingdom leads a v e r y exemplary life, much retired from the world, expending their great revenues in feeding the poor, building and endowing churches, convents, and hofpitals, and allowing very fcantily for their o w n expences. T h e i r charity, h o w

ever laudable as to the- intention, is certainly moil prejudicial to the public welfare, as it encourages beggary and idlenefs ; for w h o will w o r k in a country where he is fure o f a good dinner every day at the gates o f a monailery or palace, befides the chance o f occafional a l m s ; and where the foftnefs o f the climate . renders cloaths and lodging objects

126

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

objects o f l u x u r y rather than o f prime neceffity ? Perhaps it would be better for

Spain, were its prelates as extravagant as thofe o f France, as their wealth would then be divided among the induftrious and honeft, and not lavilhed to fupport the exiitence of the idle, and often o f the profligate. In

fpite o f fo good an example, the inferior clergy,- and above all the monks, (one or t w o orders excepted) are notorious for the loofenefs of their morals. T h e biihopric

of Tortofa is worth about thirty thoufand dollars a year. A little farther on w e came to a liquoricework, carried on b y an Engliihman. liquorice plant grows In great plenty all the l o w grounds near the river. The on He

employs above an hundred hands in gather ing it, and about fifteen at confcant work in the mills. H e pays a certain fum to the

proprietors of thofe lands ; yet fuch is their envy, that this feafon they would not fuffer

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

11J

him to pluck a tingle flick, though the lofs falls upon themfelves, and the v e r y e x traction of the root brings the ground

almofl to a flate o f cultivation.

T h i s con-

fpiracy obliged him to fend up into Arragon for liquorice, at a great additional expence. M u c h of it alfo is found about Villanova, and other places along the coaft. Four

hundred tons of root make fifty o f cake, which in England fells at about three

pounds fifteen millings per hundred w e i g h t : this year he expects to export about that quantity. Tortofa is an ugly t o w n on the declivity of a hill, north of the Ebro, over w h i c h there is a bridge o f boats. Its commerce We

in filk and corn is but at a low ebb.

purchafed o f fome nuns the mofl delicate filk gloves I ever beheld, made o f what they call the flower o f filk. We next traverfed the rich vale o f

Garena, where the olive-trees grow to a great

28

TRAVELS

T H R O U G H S P A I NV

great 'fize,

their luxuriant branches

not

being fo clofely pollarded as in

France/

H e r e the peafants wear the Valeneian drefs, which differs totally from that of Catalonia j a monftrous flouched hat, cropt hair without a net, a Short brown jacket, white

waiftcoat and trowfers, Stockings gartered below the knee, and packthread Sandals. A t - the paifage o f the Cenia, a pretty brook in winter, but dry in fummer, w e entered the kingdom of Valencia. After

croffing a large tract of heath, w e came to the fea-fhore, which is beautifully planted to the water-edge with olive, mulberry, fig, and locuft trees. and vineyards W e found a rich red foil, neatly trimmed in rows,

without flakes, in the diftrict of Benicarlo, a fmall place entirely fupported by the trade. Eight thoufand pipes of a very Strong,

fweet, red wine, bought in the country at the rate of

five guineas per pipe, are anGermany,

nually Shipped in this road for Holland,

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

129

G e r m a n y , and Bourdeaux, where they are mixed with the fecond-rate claret, to giv-e it colour and body. T h e wine for Bour-

deaux is conveyed along the coaft to Cette, on board Spanifh barks, which are exempt from all duties On exportation. B y reafon

of their apprehenfions of Moorilh corfairs, and the chance of bad weather, they come to an anchor every night, and commonly make it a voyage of a month at leaft. At

Gette thefe wines are put upon the great canal of Languedoc, and fmuggled into Bourdeaux as high-country wines; for

foreign ones are not allowed to be entered at that port. A fociety of mariners float

all the calks from Benicarlo to the fhips, and, from the time of their taking charge of them, become anfwerable for all lofles b y weather or mifmanagement. of A good deal

wine goes likewife from Vinaros, a

neighbouring town to the north; but the quality of that wine is much inferior VOL. 1. K to

thofe

I30

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN".

thofe of Benicarlo and Penifeola, a town and fort fituated fouth of Benicarlo, on a rock in the fea, where the famous antipope, Peter de Luna, took refuge. In this plain they fufFer much for want of water; the vintage is frequently dimi nished by the excefSive heats, which dry up all the Springs. It was once in agitation to bring a canal from the Ebro to water this country, but the project ended in fmoke, like Several others propofed for the melioration of many parts of Spain, Wherever they can procure water from wells, by means of a wheel turned by a mule, they have fine vegetables all the year. They cut lucerne every week in fpring, and every fortnight in winter, and mix it with the fweet bean of the locuft, for the pro vender of their mules. Provisions are very Scarce here, no kind of meat being killed, except kid. In fpring, goats milk is plen tiful ; but the peafants in the adjacent moun-

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

131

mountains live molt part o f the year upon the roafted acorns o f the ever-green oak, a food which w e found furprifingly Savoury and palatable, but not very nourishing.

T h e gentlemen, proprietors o f vineyards, refide up in the mountain villages, in a poor ftyle, always diftfeffed for money, notwith standing the Sure and ready fale of their wines. T h e fea hereabouts is full o f Sharks.

From Benicarlo w e had much Stony road, alternately Skirting the Shore, or climbing up wild rocky hills. Few vales Surpafs in

beauty that of Margal, a noble plain, full of trees, villages, and towns. T h e fea

forms a piclureique bay before it, and the mountains run behind in a vaft Semicircle. T h e locuft and olive trees are old and branchy, the foil deep, and the grounds

fertile, as being well drenched with water. We dined at Caftillon de la Liana, the

iargeft and beft built town in our route. T h e women are very ugly, and render K a them-

I32

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

themfelves Still more uncomely, by frizzlingtheir hair all round the forehead, and twitt ing it on the crown of the head round a nafty brafs bodkin. Villa Real is another large town, near the Mijares, a river of a green colour, in a large plain. The moment we entered this petty king dom of Valencia, we began to feel a fenfible change in the climate: the days are troublefomely hot, the nights foft and mild, like our fine Summer evenings. Early and late in the day I walk an hour or two, to enjoy the fweetnefs of the morning and evening breeze, and contemplate at leifure the enchanting profpecis along the calm Mediterranean. The numberlefs creeks and bays, the bold promontories, with eachits Slender tower, of various Shapes and di mensions, the green woody vales, with rocks impending over them, are Scenes that can feldom be met with, and never out done in any country, and fuch as no defcriptiOR

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN*.

125

feription of mine can do juflice to. But, as all human pleafure is allayed with fome mixture of pain and diftrefs, thefe charm ing coafts are not without their calamities ; till lately, they were cruelly infeiled by the Barbary rovers, who frequently cut barks out of their roads, and carried off whole families from the fmall villages. At prefent Barcelb keeps fo iharp a look-out, that their appearance is lefs frequent in thefe feas. The Scarcity of water is another misfortune, and feverely felt almoil every Summer. Of the innumerable beds of rivers and torrents that we have crofted between Barcelona and Nules, fix only have any water in them, viz. the Llobregat, Gaya, Francolis, Ebro, Cenia, and Mijares: two of thefe are dry during the hot weather. Hereabouts the little canals from the hills fupply the lands with a greater plenty of water. All thefe nights pafl we have heard the people finging doleful ditties under our K 3 windows,

134

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

windows, to the found of a guitar, which they Strike with their nails, without any

notion of air, but merely as a kind o f an accompaniment, fornetimes high, Sometimes low, but very coarfe and monotonous. \

can compare their mufic to nothing fo well as to the beating of a frying-pan, to call down a fwarm of bees.

. . L E T T E R

XII,

Valencia, November 30, 1 7 7 5 ,

(t

~lf~* H I S P"

morningj like many o f the

foregoing ones, was delicious: the

fun rofe glorloufly out o f the fea, and the air all around was perfumed with the

effluvia of the aloe, as its rays fucked up the dew from the leaves. From an eminence w e had a noble view o f the valley o f Almenara, a kind o f land bay
3

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N . bay, furrounded b y lofty mountains,

I35 and

adorned with fix pretty towns, rifmg out of the bofom of a foreft of dark and light greens, varied in a multitude of tints. long range of turrets upon the The hill o f

Murviedro (once the too faithful Saguntum) j u t s out towards the fea, from the chain of mountains that runs parallel with the coaft, and divides the vale of Almenara from that of Valencia. We halted at Murviedro, to view the

ruins of fo celebrated a city, and to take drawings of its moft remarkable remains.

T h e prefent town is very confiderabie, and feems to ftand upon the fame ground as the ancient R o m a n city, but in all pro bability the Saguntum which was destroyed by Hannibal was built upon the Summit o f the hill. fortrefs on T h a t the the top, Romans alfo had is clear, from mafonry, a the upon which

large ft ones

and regular K 4

1^6

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAl.

w h i c h the Saracens afterwards erected their caftie. H a l f w a y up the rock are the ruins of the theatre, in fufficient prefervation to give a tolerable idea of its fize and diffcribution. It is an exact femicircle, about eighty-two yards diameter from outfide to outfide ;

the length of the orcheftra, or inner diame ter, twenty-four : the feats fox the audience, the ftaircafes, and paffages o f communica-, tion, the vomitoria, and arched porticoes, are

full eafy

to trace,

T h e back part refts

againft the hill, and fome o f the galleries are cut out of the rock. T w o walls going

off at an angle ferve to turn off the rain-, water that waihes down from the cliff be hind. As the Spectators faced the north

and eaSt, and were Sheltered from the well and South, nothing could be more agreeable in this climate than Such a place of enter tainment ; open to every pleafant and Salu brious breeze, and, defended from all winds that

TRAVELS. THROUGH

SPAIN.

I gy

that might bring with them heat or noxious vapours. It is computed that nine thoufand

perfons might affift without inconvenience at the exhibitions in this theatre. I palled

fome time in taking an oblique drawing of the prefent appearance of the ruins ;

but, in fpite of all m y attention, I found it a very difficult talk, the heaps of rubbifh, broken porticoes, and vaults, and remnants of walls, creating fuch a perplexity, that m y eye could fcarcely diftinguifh the prcn per form and fituation of each object. The

iilencethat reigns in this auguft ruin, which anciently refounded with the applaufes o f proconfuls, and Roman citizens, is now broken only b y the Jeguidillas of a few ropemakers, w h o have patched up a ftxaw fhed againft the ftage, and fpin out their w o r k acrofs the profcenium
y

regardlefs

of

the

furrounding fcenery*. From t In the Latin Letters of Em. Marti, dean of Alicantj

3j8

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

F r o m the theatre w e climbed up to the fummit o f the mountain, which is about

half a mile in length, and not a tenth part as wide ; quite a narrow ridge, covered : with

cant, written about the year 1720, is a long and learned

diflertation on this theatre. He gives the following mea-

fures :Perimeter of

the femicircle, 564 palmos ;

diameter, 330 ; diameter of the orcheftra, 94 ; height

from the ereheftra to the top of the higheft wall remain

ing, 144!-5 breadth of the upper portico, iSi> height, I 2 f . ; diftance of the pulpitum from the orcheftra, 12 j fieight.of the pulpitum, 6 ; diftance from the orcheftra to the fcena, 285 breadth o f the profeenium,. 1 2 j

breadth of the pulpitum, i 6 | - ;

T h e palmohe ufes c o n He

tains about nine Englifh inches.

adds, that great

part o f this theatre is ftill entire ; and that we fhould fed it in a much more perfect ftate, if the barbarous hands-of the Morviedrefe had fpared it as much as time has, done ; for they have purpofely deftroyed this

anci

ent monument, by wrenching off all the cafmg ftones for the purpofes o f building convents, T h e r e is no doubt

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N . with ruins and Mooriih bulwarks. uninteresting mfcriptions, two

139 A few

mutilated
s

ilatues, the veitiges of the floor o f a temple

and Some Roman arches thrown over a large ciftern, are all the antiquities w e found. O n e o f the infcriptions is placed topfy-turvy over a gate. T h e fortifications divide the

hill into feveral courts, with double and triple walls, erected upon huge mafles o f rock laid in regular courfes, by the Romans.characteristics of the Mooriih
s

The

military means

architecture are:A wall built b y of fquare forms o f

wood, into which a

mortar, compofed of pebbles mixed with a Strong cement, is run, and left a certain time to harden | then the boards are taken a w a y
5

doubt but they intended to demolifh the whole, if the obftinate hardnefs of the cement had not wearied them out. Marti extorted from the magiftrates a public de

cree, inflictive of fevere penalties on all fuch as Ikould injure it in any manner whatfoever.

but

14

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN,

but the marks remain, and give the wail aa appearance of regular mafonry; battle ments perpendicularly placed on the wall, not projecting over, nor with borders round, as in the Norman and Gothic caflles, where the hollows behind the battlements ferved to throw (tones and combuftibles through, as the enemy approached to fcale them, A gateway turned in an arch, neither pointed like what we call Gothic, nor femicircular like the Grecian ; but one, the parts, of which refting upon the imports, come much farther in towards each other, and form the figure of a horfefhoe. Sometimes, but very feldom, the Moors employed (tones of a large fize, and more regular cut ; and fome few of their arches may be found that are (harp like the Gothic ; but I fufpect them to be of the latter times of the- Moorifli empire in Spain. What was wanting in intereftlng anti quities in the cattle, was amply made up t#

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H SPAIN.

141

to us in profpect, which was fo furpriiingly fine, that I dare hardly attempt to fpecify its beauties, left you mould think me too eaftly enraptured, or too unequal to the talk of imparting to others the fenfations it raifed in me. This laft accufation I plead guilty to, for no pen can convey an adequate idea of this view, and few painters ever pofteffed that richnefs of touch, and clearnefs of manner, Such a Subject would require. The vale of Almenara, on the north, is fo delightful, that from any other Station it would have engrofled all our attention ; but we foon neglected its beauties, and, gliding rapidly over the imrnenfe volume of fea Stretched out before us to the eaftward, where the fun beams played in full force, we fixed our eyes on the almoft boundlefs plain of Valencia, that lay to the fouth. It is four leagues in breadth from the fea to the hills, in the wideft part, and in length five times that extent, lofing itfelf in

142

T R A V E L S

THROUGH SPAIN.' T h e yel plantations,

In a ridge of diftant mountains. low green of the mulberry

and the paler hue of the olive-trees, regu larly planted in fields of bright green corn ; that regularity n o w and then broken by large plots of dark-coloured locuft-trees;

villages and convents, thick fcattered over this great expanfe, with numberlefs gay {len der fteeples; the city of Valencia, about twelve miles off, with all its fpires: thefe objects, united, form the moft Inimitable The

landfeape it is poffible to conceive.

day was fo clear, the air fo pure, as to add infinitely to the charms of Hannibal the profpech mine,

is a great favourite of

but I cannot forgive Mm for having dealt fo hardly b y fo fweet a place : had he

come upon this hill in fuch a day as this, the foftnefs of the air, and beauty o f the view, would have melted the obduracy of his heart, and opened it to pity and forgivenefs. From

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A IN .

143

From hence to Valencia is one perfect garden, fo thick of trees, that there is no feeing at any diftance on either fide. Vil

lages and monafceries every hundred yards, and fuch crowds o f people on the road, as I fcarce ever faw but in the neighbourhood o f London. A l l the grounds are divided Into

fmall compartments b y water-channels, the w o r k of the Moors, w h o understood the

art o f watering land in the utmoft perfec tion. T h e ruinous State thefe drains are

now in, proves the indolence and inferiori t y of the prefent proprietors ; what little -Skill they Still Shew in agriculture is no thing but the traditional remains of instructions left b y their mailers in bandry, the Arabians. Our the huf~

pleafurable

ideas were a little ruffled b y the light o f fome hundreds o f women in the villages, fitting in the fun louiing each other, their hufbands and children. When or a

y o u n g woman condefcends to Seek for lice

in

144

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN*

in a man's head, it is fuppofed that

the

laft favours have been granted b y the fair one, or at leaft that he may have them for afking. Valencia is fituated in fo dead and w o o d y a flat, that w e were in the fuburbs be

fore w e thought ourfeives near it, and, hav i n g made half the round of the walls,

came to an inn on the Alicant road, as it was late, and w e did not choofe to be de tained at the gates b y the cuftom-houfe offi cers.

L E T T E R

XIII.

Valencia, December

3, 1775".

U R firft morning here pafled very ftrangely, in a vifit to the old inten dant of the province, to w h o m w e brought a letter of recommendation from his con frere

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

145

jrere of Catalonia.

T h e old uhirer, whofe

figure refembles that of the bandy-legged apothecary in Hogarth's Marriage a. la mode^ received us very ungracioufly, took our let ter and flung it on the table, without faying a word to us, or even offering us a feat. H a v i n g waited fome time, w e began look at each other and laugh. to

U p o n this

the intendant looked up, and aiked me if w e were not Catalonians ? N o , replied I, w e are Engliih gentlemen upon our travels*

T h i s anfwer produced a wonderful effect;. O h , oh, y o u come from a better country t Can I be of any fervice to y o u ? Bring thefe gentlemen chairs. to take any refrelhment? D o y o u choofe faid he, pul

ling off his hat with great reverence, and making us a moft profound bow. W e afked him for the only thing w e flood in need of, a protection againft the people o f the cuftom-houfes, w h o , though they do not med dle with your baggage, peiler y o u at every VOL. i
e

. h

gate

X46

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.'

gate for Something to drink, or buy tobacco with. T h e intendant's character is very

little refpected, nor indeed does it deferve the love or efteem of the Valencians, if the traits they relate be true. M a n y are the

Stories they tell of his avarice and hardnefs o f heart; but one will fuffice to fet him in his proper light. Not long ago he was con

fined to his bed b y a fevere fit of illnefs, and pofitive orders were given, that he Should not be difturbed b y applications, petitions, or any thing appertaining to his employ ment. It So happened that a tradefman,

w h o had beep taken up for Snuggling, and kept in prifion for Some weeks, was disco vered to be perfectly innocent of the crime laid to his charge. One of the magistrates

thought, that for fo juft a caufe as that o f reftoring an honeft man to his liberty, and to his diStrelfed and indigent family, whole very existence depended upon his induftry, he might venture to break through the in-* junction

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

14^

junction of th intendant, and accordinglyprocured admittance, and prefented the pro= per paper reqUifit to be figned, before th jailor could deliver up his prifoner. As

foon as the old rogue undrftood the pur port o f the vifit, he flew into a moll v i o lent rage, and obftintely refufed to ligne Another officer, feeing the door open, took that opportunity o f handing up an order for the commitment o f a fellow that had been detected in illicit practices. T h e in

tendant no fooner read it, than he called for a pen, and fet his hand to it with great pleafure, at the fame time perfifting in his refufal to comply with the nrfc requeft. W e mail leave "Valencia to-morrow, being heartily tired of our quarters. The climate

is mild and pleafant, but there is fomething faintifh and enervating in the air. Every

thing w e eat is infipid, and void o f fubftance ; the greens, wine, and meat, feerrt She artificial forced productions of continuai L % waterings

I4&

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN*

Waterings and hot-beds. mind of the IJle frhok

It puts me in

of the A b b e Coyer,

where things were lb feeble and unfubitantial, that they were little better than the fhadows of what they are in other coun tries. Here a man may labour for an hour

at a piece of mutton, and, w h e n he has tired his j a w s , find he has been only chewing the idea of a dinner. T h e meat, as foon

as cut into, yields abundance of gravy, and m a y be faid to bleed a fecond time to death, for nothing remains but a mere withered caput mortuum, as our fervants k n o w b y w o ful experience. Vegetables, with the fineffc outward ihew Imaginable, tafte of nothing but water. T h i s w a i h y quality feems alfo

to infect, the bodies and minds o f the V a lencians: they are largely built, and perfonable men, but flabby and inanimate. W e have feen. no women out at w o r k in the fields; but this m a y proceed from their

onftant employment within doors, as muck as

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

149

as from any remnants of the Moorilh jealoufy, though the Valencians ftill retain

much o f the features and manners o f their old Saracen mailers. T o this day the farm

ers w o n ' t allow their wives to lit at table, but make them Hand at their elbow and wait upon them. T h e Cailillians and C a -

talonians hold the Valencians in Sovereign contempt, and Stigmatize them with many opprobrious appellations, dictated, as w e muft in charity Suppofe, by the rancour of national antipathy. The inhabitants of

this province are Said to have more o f the filth, and Sullen, unpoiiihed manners o f the old Spaniards, and to have adopted lefs o f foreign improvements in civilization, than moft other parts of Spain,
>

They

fbrut

about all day in redkillas or nets, monftrous hats, and dark brown cloaks, which give the crowd in the ftreets, the appearance of a funeral proceffion. Scarce any Society is

kept up amongil them, though the Salubrity

L3

ef

$0

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN*

o f the climate, and reafons of ceconomy, jncluce feveral very confiderable families to make this city the place of their abode. In

fbme ftrange w a y or other they fpend very large incomes, without doing themfelves the leaft credit. Their chief expence lies

in fervants, mules, and equipages 5 l o w , obfcure amours often confume the beft part of their fortunes ; and they live in fo pitiful a manner, that molt part of them fend out to the wine-vault for a pint of wine to their meals. T h i s city is large, and almoit circular; its lofty walls have towers remaining in one quarter; the reft have been demoliihed: a fine broad road goes quite round: the t w o fuburbs are confiderable. Several large, the

clumfy bridges crofs the bed where

river fhould r u n ; but either from drought, or from the many bleedings it undergoes, above, for the purpofe of watering the

fields, there is fcarce water enough in the Guadaviar-

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

lCf

Guadaviar

to waih a handkerchief;

but in

rainy feafons the floods are very tremen dous. T h e captain-general refides in the

fuburbs, in an uncouth Gothic palace, at the entrance of the Alameda, avenue a long double

of poplars, cyprefles, and palms,

where, on great feftivals, the nobility take the air in their coaches. About a mile be

low is the Grao, or port of Valencia, which, properly fpeaking, ia only an open road,

the mole having been long ago fwept a w a y b y fome violent florm. T h e dufly high

w a y from the city hither is the falhionable drive ; and, for the accommodation of fuch as have no carriages of their o w n , feveral fmgle-horfe chairs wait at all hours at the gates. T h i s vehicle is very uneaiy, and

open to all weathers; but the. horfes are excellent, and run along like lightning.

T h e driver fits fideways at your feet, and all the w a y keeps chattering to the horfe, aad patting him on the buttock. Having

QCCafiorA

\1

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN",

occafion one day for a coach to carry us about, the Stable-boy o f our inn offered his Services, and in a quarter of an hour brought to the door a coach and four fine mules, with t w o poftillions and a lacquey, all in flaming liveries : w e found out they belonged to a countefs, w h o , like the reft o f the no-r bility, allows her coachman to let out her equipage when She Jias no occafion for it 5 it coft us about nine Shillings, which no doubt was the perquifite of the Servants. T h e Streets o f Valencia are crooked and n a r r o w ; not being paved, they are full o f duft in d i y weather, and in wet knee-deep in mud. T h e reafon alleged for this Scan

dalous neglect is, that by thefe means a greater quantity o f manure is produced,

w h i c h , i n a plain fo full o f gardens, is o f ineftimable value. Various and over-pow

ering are the Stinks that rife up in every corner; in which refpect, as well as in many Others, this country refembles Lornbardy.

The

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

T h e houfes are filthy, ill-built, and ruin o u s ; moll of the churches tawdry, loaded without with and barbarous within: ornaments the moil and both agree the

able architecture I met

with, is in

church of the Efcuelas pias, and of nuefira Senora de los Defamparados, both rotundas. In the multitude of facred edifices, fome may be found that excel in particular parts; as, one may pleafe the eye b y t h e j u i l pro portions of its dimenfions, another ftrike
%

b y the richnefs of its marbles and paintings j but in all, the judicious obferver will be difguiled with loads o f garlands, pyramids, broken pediments, and monilrous cornices; a taile too gothic and trifling for any thing but the front of a mountebank's booth, or a puppet iliew in a fair. Some churches have domes, but the greater part tall (lender tur rets, painted and bedecked with all forts o f pilailers and whimfical devices: every thing is gilt and bedaubed with incredible profuiion ; the Spaniards underiland the gilder's bufmefs

X54

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN"*

bufinefs perfectly, and the puritv of their gold, with the drynefs o f the climate, preferves their w o r k for years in its primitive lufbre. T h e convent o f the Francifcan fri

ars has fomething very grand and pleafing in its double court, which is divided by a light w i n g , upon an open portico, with fountains playing in each divifion. T h e cathedral is a large gothic p i l e ; its archbiihopric one of the bell in Spain, laid to bring in about forty thouland pounds

Sterling a year, paid in caih into the hands o f two receivers. T h e revenues of Toledo,

are much greater, but alfo more troublefome to collect, and more precarious,, as being paid in kind, and requiring a great number of bailiffs and Servants. T h e prefent arch-*

bifhop of Valencia, as well as the laft one, is the fon of a peafant; the ruling paffion o f both has been convent building: the

late prelate built and endowed a magnifi cent habitation for the Francifcans, the

champions

^RAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

15^

champions

of the immaculate conception,

o f the V i r g i n M a r y ; the prefent ar-chbk {hop, whofe fcholaftic tenets are diametric cally oppofed to thofe of his predeceffor, has done as much for the fathers of the Efcuelas pas. Priefls, nuns, and friars, of every drefs and denomination, fwarm in this city, where fome convents have more than an hundred monks, all richly provided for. A m o n g the profane buildings, many o f which are prettily fet off with painted ar chitecture, after the Italian manner, the

palaces of Dofaguas and Jura real deferve the mofl notice ; the former for its flames and frefco paintings, the latter for the elegant fimplicity of its front. T h e Lonja^ or exchange, is a very noble gothic hall, built about the latter end of the fifteenth century, with all the beauty and richnefs that flyle is fufceptible of. T h e cuflom-houfe, where the intendant

and

%$6

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

and other officers o f the revenue are lodged, is a new large edifice in a great fquare, a very clumfy mafs of brick and ftone. T h i s kingdom and city were conquered b y the Moors under Abdallah C i z , and loft b y them in 1 0 9 4 , w h e n the famous C i d R u y dias de V i v a r , taking advantage o f the confufion and civil war that raged in V a lencia after the murder o f Sultan H i a y a , made himfelf matter of the city b y ftorm, at the head o f a chofen band o f valiant knights, This was the laft exploit o f that

hero, fo long the terror of the muffulmen, A few years after his death, the king o f Caftille, finding it too far diftant from his other dominions to be conveniently fuc-; coured in cafe o f a fudden attack, thought proper to withdraw his troops, and fuffer the Moors to repoffefs themfelves o f it. It

was again taken from them b y James the Firft, king o f Arragon, in the year 1238s and for ever united to that crown, the fate

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

l$f

o f which it has ever fiflce followed throughall its various revolutions. In the begin

ning of the reign o f Charles the Fifth, this: province was diftrated b y civil commotions and Struggles between the nobility and com* mons. Since the laft conqueft, Valencia has been much enlarged; for the gate through w h i c h the C i d made his triumphal entry, is n o w very near the center o f the town. T h e number o f inhabitants is computed' at one hundred thoufand; but, to Speak

more exactly, according to the laft authentic enumeration, made in 1 7 6 8 , which allows four perfons to each veczno, at twenty thou fand vecinos, or fathers of families ; which, makes the number to be eighty thoufand:. inhabltants. T h e population, o f the whole

kingdom o f Valencia amounts to one hun dred and feventy-nine thoufand t w o hun dred and twenty-one vecinos, or feven hun-* dred and fixteen thoufand eight hundred;. and

5$

TRAVELS'

THRtfGI

SP^

and eighty-four fouls, refident in five hundred and feventy towns and villages. manufactures of filk Th

are the caufe of a.

population that may be reckoned confiderable, if compared to that o f other provinces* of Spain. T h e produce of this article came

this year to one million o f poundsj but one year with another the average quantity is about nine hundred thoufand pounds, worth a doubloon a pound in the country* The-

crop o f filk this laft feafon was very abundant. Government has prohibited the e x -

portation o f Valencian raw

filk,

in order

to lay in a flock to keep the artificers constantly employed in bad years ; for it has happened in fome, that half the Workmen have been laid idle for want o f materials.' A s they are not fo Strict about Murcian filk, which is o f an inferior quality, I am told that fome from Valencia is fent out o f Spain under that denomination. The

great nurferi.es o f mulberry-plants, in this

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

'life

plain, are produced from feed, obtained b y rubbing a rope of efparto over heaps of ripe mulberries, and then burying the rope t w o inches under ground. As the young

plants come up, they are drawn and trans planted. T h e trees, which are all of the

white kind, are afterwards Set out in r o w s in the fields, and pruned every Second year. In Murcia, only every third year, and in Granada never. T h e Granadine Slk is

eSteemed the bell of a l l ; and the trees are all of the black fort of mulberry. T h e fruit exported from Valencia to the north of Europe may be eftimated, commu* nibus amis, at t w o millions of pefos, about three hundred and thirty-four thoufand

pounds. T h e annual crop of hemp may be worth three hundred thoufand pefos, at three pefos per arroba* O n e hundred and forty thoufand loads

of

10O

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN*

o f rice, at ten pefos a load, make one million four hundred thoufand pefos. T h e vintage o f 1 7 6 7 produced four mil* lion three hundred and nine thoufand meafures o f wine, which, at three reals a meafure, come to about eight hundred and

fixty-one thoufand one hundred and thirtythree pefos. T h e r e is alfo much cotton made in this province, from the cotton-plant, which rifes to the height o f three feet at moil, and very much refembies the rafpberry buih. They

make in good years four hundred and fifty thoufand arrobas, worth one million three hundred and fifty thoufand pefos, and in middling years t w o hundred and eightyfive thoufand fix hundred arrobas. Notwithstanding all this abundance, no thing can be more wretched than the V a lencian peafantry, w h o can with difficulty procure food to keep their families from ftarving,

-m

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

%Sl

W e were laft night at the play, which gave us no very refpecfable opinion of the tafte and politenefs of a Valencian audi ence. T h e houfe was low, dark, and dirty;

the actors execrable; and the pit full o f men in cloaks and night-caps, driving fuch puffs of tobacco out o f their cigarros, as filled the whole room with fmoke, and at laft forced us to make a precipitate retreat. W e there met with our old acquaintance the duke of C. P. w h o a few months ago came poll from France, to embark for the expedition againft Algiers. W h e n he ar

rived at Valencia, he found the fleet was failed, and an order fent for him to remain in exile here. T h e derangement of his

finances, and fome amorous

conneclions,

have procured him this order from court. H i s fate is truly ludicrous, but he did not drop the leaft hint to us of this unkind re turn for his patriotic fpirit, and eagernefs to ferve the king. V O L . i. M LETTER

l62

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

L E T T E R

XIV.

Alicant, December 8,

1775.

\~%. 7 E fet out early on M o n d a y morn* *' ing, without regretting in the leaft

the rich gardens or brilliant i k y o f V a l e n cia, which would be an admirable laft re treat for our confumptive countrymen,

were the approach by fea or land lefs diffi cult. W e travelled that day in a plain, as fer tile as nature and frequent waterings can render it. A t fome miles diftance from the

city the foil is a red, fandy loam near the Albufera, a lake about four leagues long, which is very {hallow, and communicates with the fea only as often as the fluices are opened to let in a fupply of water in dry .feafons, or to give vent to the overcharge of water brought down in winter b y the land

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN. land pans. floods.

163

O n the edge of it are falt-

It fupplies the city with fiih and Once or twice in a feafon all

water-fowl.

the ihooters in the country aflemble upon it in boats, and make prodigious havock among the flocks of birds, that almoil co ver the furface o f the pond. they meet with flamingos here. Before w e arrived at Alzira, a large town in an ifland of the Xucar, a deep, muddy river, w e crofled a large tract of land aftonilhingly fruitful. T h e peas and beans in Sometimes

the fields were very high, and in full blow. T h e hufbandmen ufe in their tillage a ihovel plough, with which they turn the foil from the roots of the olive-trees, that they may benefit b y the moifture of the feafon. We

were flopped feveral times by long droves o f mules, carrying corn to Valencia ; their

conductors, moil favage looking fellows, all clad in leather ; their broad belts were M 2 fattened

164

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN. round their waift with feven

faflened buckles.

In the afternoon, at the entrance of a more mountainous country, w e came to the rice-grounds, now in Itubble. T h e procefs

of that tillage is as follows :In winter they plough out a piece of land, and fow it with beans that come into bloffom about March, when they plough them in for manure ; wa ter is then let in upon the ground about four inches deep. It next undergoes a third

ploughing, after which the rice Is fown. In fifteen days it comes up about five inches out of the earth, and is pulled up, tied in bundles near a foot diameter, and carried to another well-prepared field, covered with water to the depth of four inches. Here

each planter fets the plants of his bundle in the mud, in rows at about a foot diftance one from another Every item ought to pro

duce from ten to twenty-four fold, and grow lb clofe, that the ears may touch. When ripe,

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

I 65

ripe, it is gathered in lheaves, and put into a water-mill, where the lower grindingftone is covered with cork ; by which means the chaff is Separated from the grain with out bruifmg, T h e rice of Valencia is yel

lower than that of the Levant, but much wholefomer, and will keep longer without growing mufty. W e entered the highlands, and came to lie at Xativa, which was a Strong fortrefs, till deftroyed by Philip the Fifth, w h o order ed it to be rebuilt by the name of San Fe lipe. T h e monfter Rodrigo Borgia, pope

by the name o f Alexander the Sixth, was a native of this town. abouts T h e farmers here

have a very Sturdy, good-looking

breed o f horfes. O u r route from San Felipe lay up long winding vales, bleak mountains. between ridges of high

O n the right hand ftands

the caftle o f Montefa, head of the military order of Montefa, Inftltuted in 1 3 1 7 , b y M 2 Tames

l66

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

James the Second, king of Arragon, after he had driven the M o o r s as far back as the territories of Granada. A l l the poffef-

fions of the knight-templars in the province were beifowed upon the new order, into which none but natives of Valencia were to be admitted. crofs. T h e y wear a plain red

T h e commanderies belonging to the are thirteen in number ; and

foundation

their yearly income, according to the king's books, where they are very low rated,

amounts to four hundred and four thoufand one hundred and twelve reals de vellon. In 1 7 4 8 , an earthquake overthrew the caftle, and all the adjacent buildings ; bury ing under the ruins the greater! part of the chaplains, fervitors, & c . belonging to the congregation. The remainder were

removed to Valencia, where a new church Is building for their ufe. W e did nothing the whole day but afcend through olive plantations, pine forefts, and

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

l6j

and bare chalky hills, up the courfe of a little brook, till we came to its fource, which breaks out in the middle of a town on the confines of Caitille. Hitherto, the olives I have Seen are all of the Smaller fort. Next morning the froft was very Smart on the high bare hills, where there is much corn-land, but no trees ; the farm-houfes are fcattered about pretty much as they are in the uninclofed parts of England. Juft as we were going into Villena, a lit tle, round, Squatfigure,in a brown montero cap, jacket, and breeches, with a yellow waiftcoat, caught my eye. It is not poffible to paint a better Sancho Panca ; and we were actually in a corner of the country of that 'Squire, which makes me conclude Cer vantes drew the picture from real life, in Some of his journies through La Mancha. All the Inhabitants of the town wear the fame drefs, which is neat enough. The callle of Villena is large, well Situated, and M .4 has

168

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN,

has been ftrong. I never faw a country fo full of ruined towers, as thefe fkirts of Va lencia and Caftille; not a village without its rocca perched upon fome almoft inacceilible cliff; none more lingular than that of Sax. The hills here are broken, the landfcape bleak ; but about Elda the plan Is improved to the belt advantage. We paifed by a firing of ponds and caves, where the inhabitants of that town keep their pro vision of ice, for the rummer's confumption. As there was a thin coat of ice on the Sur face of the water, they were very bufy carrying it off with the greateft expedition, left a fudden thaw Should deprive them of it. Before we came into the plain of Montfort, we had a vile piece of road, through a broken range of marly hills. We now found the Style of Salutation quite altered, Hitherto the peafants were wont to accoft us as they paffed, with a Dios guarde V. M. " God

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

169

" G o d keep your worihip ;" but here they begin, twenty yards before they come up to y o u , and bawl out as loud as they can, Ave Maria purifjima; to which y o u are expect

ed to anfwer, either Sin pecado concebida, or Deo gratias.

Late in the evening, w e paiTed a large encampment of carriers of falt-fifh. Their

carts formed an outer circle, and their oxen a Smaller one, round a roaring fire, where fome of the men were cooking, others work ing at their tackle, but the greater part T h e moon Shone

Stretched out fait afleep.

very bright, and all was foft and Still ; I quite envied the pleafant fenfations of thofe fellows. Our road this morning was bad, the coun try abominable, a white clay in powder, and not a Stick of wood. In rainy years

the crops of corn are extremely plentiful. T h o u g h it was a bitter cold day, the clouds of duit almoft Stifled us. We

I70

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

We got in here very early, and took up our lodgings at an inn, which hangs over the fea ; the waves beat gently againft the walls under our windows, and the whole road and harbour He beautifully Stretched out before us. Unfortunately, the warmth and ilillnefs of the fituation tempt the boatmen to make ufe of this part of the beach as a neceffary, and we cannot ven ture to lean out, and feaft our eyes with the fine profpect of the fea, without fuffering exceedingly in another fenfe. The landlord endeavours to comfort us, by aiTuring us that to-morrow's fun will dry all up. I begin to have my apprehenfions, that my letters, inftead of acquiring life and Spirit from our progrefs in this kingdom, have, on the contrary, betrayed of late a great propenfity towards flupidity. Hea ven forbid, the enfeebling air of Valencia mould have fettled upon my pen ! I mull fhake
:

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

171

make it off, and ftrive to afford y o u better entertainment.

L E T T E R

XV.

Alicant, December n , 1 7 7 5 ,

I I T E *

have been received with the ufual politenefs by the Britifh fubje&s

refidlng here, whofe hofpitality knows no bounds, w h e n any of their wandering The

countrymen appear to lay claim to it.

factory, which confifts of five houfes, lives in a ftyle of elegance w e did not expect to meet with any where out of a capital :

every circumftance attending our reception here, is beyond meafure agreeable. After

fo warm an acknowledgment of our obli gations to the inhabitants, y o u will naturally fuppofe I lhall launch out in praife of the town, and varnifh over every defect; but

there

172

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

there y o u will find yourfelf miitaken. I confefs it has neither buildings nor ftreets to re commend it to notice ; though the houfes in general are folidly built with flat roofs, covered with cement ; their walls are plafsered, and every thing as white as the foil of the adjacent country; which fatigues the eye rnoft cruelly in fun-lhiny weather, that is, almoft e v e r y d a y in the year. Then

the duff flies about in whirlwinds ; if it rains, there is no poflibility of making one's way through the ftreets without boots, the Callemayor being the only paved ftreet in the whole town. In the hot months, this

place is a very furnace, its form being the belt calculated in the world for intercepting the rays of the fun, and collecting them as in one focus ; the mountain behind fhuts out the winds, that, blowing from the cool quarters, might refreih the atmofphere ;

but I believe the fea-breeze muff occafionally contribute to the cooling of the air. In fuch

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

173

fuch mild winter weather as w e have felt here, it is impoffible not to be delighted with the climate, and the beauties of

fituation that the port of Alicant affords. It ftands on the middle of a narrow neck of land, that runs out into the fea a consi derable w a y , and almoft comes round in a ferni-circuiar form ; in the centre of which Ships ride with as much fafety as in a

harbour ; a rocky mountain rifes directly behind the town ; on its Summit is the caStle, now fortified after the modern method, and extended far beyond the limits o f the old fortrefs, great part of which was blown up, with a fragment of the rock, in the war with the allies, in the reign of queen A n n e . our

T h e Englifh garrifon refufed

to capitulate, though the French gave them notice of the mine being ready to be Sprung, A well that communicated with the mine gave it Some vent, and prevented the reft of the mountain from being Shivered to pieces

174

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

pieces b y the explofion; however, moil of the officers were blown up, and the re mainder of the troops fo Stunned by the Shock, as to be many hours deprived of all power of motion. Behind the caftle-hill, is a plain Some leagues in circumference, called Las huertas, the gardens of Alicant lying along the Sea shore, Surrounded on three fides by very lofty mountains. It is a very beautiful vale, thickly Studded with villages, villas, farms, and plantations of all kinds of fruittrees ; but in the hot part of the year the air is very unwholefome, and few or none efcape agues or fevers. Here the fine Ali cant and Tent wines are made. Only two, of the great number of proprietors of vine yards, make a practice of keeping their wine to a proper age. As the value is en hanced many-fold by keeping, the high price they get for their wines amply repays them for the time they are out of their mo ney.

TRAVELS
hey.

THROUGH

SPAIN.

I75 five

O f the common forts, about

thoufand tun may be the amount, moll: of w h i c h is deftined for the Bourdeaux mer chants. Water is the great agent, the primum mobile of all productions in this c o u n t r y ; every thing languishes, and foon is parched up, without an ample fupply of i t ; abun dance o f rain fecures both a plentiful harveft and a copious vintage. Wherever a

fpring breaks out, the king's people feize upon it, and allot to each landholder a pro per hour for letting the water upon his grounds. It is of fo much confequence,

that the value o f a guinea has been paid for an hour extraordinary. T h e Engliih factory imports all forts o f bale goods, corn, and Newfoundland cod. T h e articles of exportation are wine and barilla. T h i s laft grows in great quanti

ties along the coaii, especially near Carthag e n a : as I Shall, in all probability, get bet-

Iy6

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

ter intelligence there about it, in its vegetable ftate, I fhall defer entering into any detail at prefent on that head. T h e merchants

here, as they employ agents to tranfact the bufinefs for them, are very little informed of the qualities or peculiarities o f the feveral forts of barilla they ihip off. It is brought

hither in boats, duty free ; afterwards it is packed with ruih-mats, in lumps o f about fix hundred weight, which ought to be worth about three or four dollars per hun dred ; but, as this year has been favourable to the crops, it does not fetch above two and a half. W e have been all the morning In great uneafinefs about Sir T . G . ' s valet-de-chambre, w h o , till within this hour, was not to be found in any of the places he ufually frequents. His appearance has quieted

cur apprehenfions;

and it feems he has

been, from fun-rife till dinner-time, locked up. in the facrifty of the great church, curl ing

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

177

ing and frizzling the flaxen periwig of the flatue of the V i r g i n , which is to-morrow to be carried in Solemn proceflion through the city. There is a forry kind of an Italian opera here ; bad as it is, there is a fomething in Italian mufic, however ill executed, incom parably foft and grateful to ears like ours, fo long fatigued with French fqualling, and the drone of SpaniQifegutdillas. W e were

upon the point of being deprived of this amufement, b y the wifdom of the clergy, w h o attributed the want of rain to the in fluence of that ungodly entertainment;

luckily for the poor Strollers, and for us, there fell a Smart Shower juft as the. orders were ready to be iflued out againSt any further performance, and as it continued to rain all next day, the church thought no more of the opera. From Alicant is feen, at nine miles diftance fouth, the ifland of S. Polo, where the VOL. 1 N Conde

I78

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN*

Conde de Aranda fettled a colony o f G e noefe and other's, w h o formerly inhabited an iiland on the African coaft. T h e regen

c y of Tunis destroyed their fettlement, and carried them all into flavery; from which they were redeemed b y Spain, and, with the allowance of a piitreen a day, fent to~ form a new town on this barren iiland,, A s it yields no productions of any kind, they are obliged to be fupplied from the main land with every neceiTary o f l i f e ; fo that Should the administrators neglect to lay in a fufKcient Slock for their fuilenance, in cafe o f tempeituous Weather they mult inevitably periih with hunger and thiril. E v e n as matters n o w Stand, from their

feanty allowance and perpetual confinement, I believe they think themfelves no great gainers b y being refcued from their flavery.

LETTER

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

179

L E T T E R

XVL

Carthagena, December 15, 1775

r

TT O

continue the journal of our peregrinations:We left Alicant o n the

1 2 th, and brought away with us fome bot tles o f choice T e n t for y o u . W e hope,,

on our return, to prefent y o u w i t h a com plete collection o f the bell wines in Spain ; travelling with fuch a waggon-load o f

things, a few bottles more or lefs are not felt: w e are obliged to carry, not only

our beds, but bread, wine, meat, oil, and fait, from one great town to another | for w e feldom meet with any thing in the inns but the bare walls, and perhaps a few eggs, which are fold at an unconfcionable price. I f w e chance to find a few unbroken chairs, w e eileem ourfelves uncommonly fortunate ;

N2

yet

l8o

TRAVELS -THROUGH

SPAIN.

yet it is ailonifhing h o w dear travelling is in this country. A s much is alked for giv

ing y o u houfe-room, and for the ruydo de la cafa, or the noife y o u make, as would purchafe a good fupper and lodgings in the belt inns, in moil other parts of Europe. As our health is excellent, and confeour fpirits good,. w e are eaiily In

quently

reconciled to thefe kinds of hardihips.

deed w e no longer look upon them in that l i g h t ; the mildnefs of the climate obviates, all inconveniences that might accrue from a total want of glafs, or even paper, in the windows ; or of a door or ihutter that can be fattened clofe enough to keep wind or rain out. A s Soon as w e arrive at one o f thefe barns, called Ventas, our firil care is to fet up our beds. T h e kitchen is generally at

one end ; the mules Stand in the back part, and our apartment is a partition run up

againit the wall to the Street, with a hole or

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

181

Or two for light, defended b y three or four very ufelefs iron bars, for a p i g m y could not fqueeze through the window. N e x t , our cook takes his Hand at the hearth, to warm our broth, which we

carry, ready made, in a kettle behind our chaife; and if he can procure fuel elbow-room, toifes up fuch campaign difh. a haih, or and fome

Sometimes w e are

lucky enough to have an opportunity o f letting our fpit, or broiling a chop upon our gridiron; but thefe are luxuries w e are not to expect above once or twice in the eourfe of a week. W h i l e our repaft is preparing, w e read, draw, or write, b y the light of a long brafs lamp. Our Supper difpatched, and

a bottle of wine placed between us, w e enjoy an h o u r s merry chat, to give the Servants time to fup, and then w e retire to bed, where w e lie very fnug till the dawn o f day calls us up,- to our ufual talk o f N 3 four

l82

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN,

four

or five leagues before dinner,

and

about three in the afternoon,

T h e conti

nual tinkling of the bells o f the mules was very irkfome to us at firft, but w e are now fo well accuftomed to thefe chimes, that I believe w e {hall not be able to go to ileep without them, w h e n w e return to France. W e Hopped at Elche, a large town be longing to the duke of Arcos, built on the fkirts of a w o o d , or rather foreil, of palmtrees, where the dates hanging on all fides in clutters of an orange colour, and the men Swinging on bafs ropes to gather them, formed a very curious and agreeable fcene, T h e palms are old and lofty; their number is faid to exceed t w o hundred Many of the trees have their thoufand. branches

bound up to a point, and covered with mats to prevent the fun and w i n d from getting to them, I n procefs of time the

branches become quite white, and are then cut off, and fent by Ihip-loads from Alicant

to

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

183

to Genoa, and other parts of Italy, for the grand proceiTions of Palm-Sunday; an un common fpecies of traffic, which is alfo carried on with Madrid, where every houfe has its bleft palm-branch. T h e country round this town is very cheerful, and fo are the environs of Orihuela. T h e y are indebted for their fertility

to the abundance and proper diftribution o f water. In dry years, every field that

has not fome fpring or aqueduct, to furnifh it with repeated rigations, is fure to fail in its crop. There is a Spanifh proverb Si

in favour o f the laft-mentioned c i t y ;

Hove, aytrigo en Orihuela^ y Ji no Hove aytrigo in Orihuela.' " If it rains, there is plenty

of wheat in Orihuela, and if it does not rain, there Is ftill plenty of wheat in Orihuela." Indeed w e found its bread excellent, and it has the reputation of producing the beft corn | n Spain*. It is a biihop's fee, pretty large,
N

and

* It is alfo noted for boxes made out of olive-tree roots,

184

T R A V E L S T H R O U G H SPAIN.

and well enough built, at the foot of a ridge o f bare rocks, near the head of a very fruitful vega or vale. Near it are avenues

of Peru-pepper-tree, or Schinus molle, loaded with bunches of a handfome rofe-coloured fruit; the people of the country call it

'Tiravientos, probably from fome wind-ex pelling quality. From hence w e proceeded

along the fkirts of the rocks, u p into the celebrated vale of Murcia, far Superior, in the variety and richnefs oS its culture, to any plain w e had hitherto travelled through.

Although w e Were then in the heart of winter, its general appearance was a.bright green, the colour of the y o u n g corn, flax, lucerne, pulfe, and orange-groves. A s this

vale is not too extenflve, but moil: agreeably bounded o n ' b o t h Sides b y mountains, the infipid Samenefs that cloys the eye in moSt flat countries, however well cultivated, is not perceptible here,

T h e city of Murcia is neither large nor hand-;

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

185

handfome.

T h e Segura,

a muddy

river, parts,

which divides it into t w o unequal

though it contributes nothing to the embellifhment of the t o w n , claims the merit of creating, b y means of its waters, the furprifing fertility of the plain. Hundreds

o f fmall" drains convey them to the inclofures; and, in fpite of the effects of the fcorching rays of the fun, preferve the vege table fyflem frefh and fucculent. T h e walks about the place are trifling; the ftreets fo full of black flagnated water, as to be almofl unpaffable. T h e only thing

w e found worth feeing was the cathedral, a large maffive pile. Round one part of it is a chain, cut in ftone, with a great deal of truth and eafe. T h e fteeple, though unfinifhed, is lofty, and intended, I prefume, to exhibit fpecimens o f every one of the five orders o f archi tecture. Y o u may ride up to the top b y a

paffage that goes gradually winding round

the

l86

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

the tower.

From it w e had a full view o f the

t o w n and c o u n t r y ; but at this feafon of the year, the landfcape was not decked out in all Its beauty, and the bare brown moun tains appear too near to pleafe. T h e names

and banners o f the Jews, that have been burnt in this t o w n b y the inquifition, are Stuck up in the church like So many tro phies w o n in the day o f victory from Some mighty Soe. From Murcia w e Struck directly acroSs the vale, into the chain o f mountains on the South Side o f the town, and the rugged bed o f a torrent was all the road We found, Y o u cannot conceive a more Shocking one. T h e naked clayey cliffs that hemmed us in on each Side were very unpleafant. A s Soon as w e emerged from this ditch, and Surmounted a very greaSy, marly height, w e found before us a plain, almoft without bounds, and abfolutely without a tree, A

ridge o f mountains Separates it from the fea-

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

187

fea-ihore.

Our muleteers pointed out to

us the break in it, where the ifland o f Ecombrera clofes in the harbour o f Carthagena. A clutter of iilands to the left ap

pear as if they had been ftruck off the mountain by fome furious earthquake, and tumbled headlong into the fea. the plain is fown with barilla. W e dined at the door of a moft pitiful venta, where w e found only one man, fent out b y the magifbrates of Carthagena to wait upon travellers, as the inn-keeper and all his family had been lately carried to prifon, on account of a woman, w h o had been murdered and thrown into a pond behind his houfe, in which tranfaetion they were fufpected of being, at leaft, acceffaries. W e arrived early at Carthagena ; for the ftory of the murder had operated power fully on the minds o f our muleteers, Moft of

w h o drove very fail over the plain, to get in before night. W e are lodged at the Golden

l88

TRAVELS T H R O U G H SPAIN.

Golden Eagle, kept b y a Frenchman, the befl cook, in the bell inn w e have met with in Spain.

L E T T E R

XVII.

Carthagena, December 1 7 , 1 7 7 5 .

"T A M in a very bad difpofition for writing, for w e are juft returned from the

arfenal, where every feeling of our human ity has been put to the torture. Heaven

forbid I mould communicate to y o u any part of the difagreeable fenfations the fight of fo many of m y fellow creatures in mifery has excited in m y foul ! But I ihall dwell upon the Subject no longer than will be neceifary to inform y o u of the plain matter of fact. A letter from Barcelona

procured us an~ order from the governor for feeing the docks and magazines of this port,

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

S P A I N .

189

one o f the moft confiderable of the Spaniih dominions. This arfenal is a Spacious fquare, fouthweft of the town, under the mountains; forty pieces o f cannon defend its approach from the f e a ; but on the land-fide it is without defence. W e only faw one feventy-gun ihip on the ftocks, and a rotten hulk heaved down to be repaired, which fcarce feemed worth the time and expence beftowed upon it. M r . Turner, an E n g T h e timber

liihman, is the head builder.

for Ihip-building lies in ponds, behind a long range o f magazines for ftores, oppofite which the men o f war are moored in a wet dock, each before the door of its o w n magazine. thefe W e were told that every one o f contained all things rea

ftore-houfes

quifite for the complete equipment o f

ihip of war ; but, from the flight furvey I took in walking through, I dare venture to affirm,

I90

TRAVELS THROUGH

SPAIN.

affirm, that there is not at prefent, in the whole yard, a fufficient quantity of every article to fit out a frigate. T h e new ropery, and the forges where they put frefh touchholes into old cannon, are eftabliihed upon an extenfive plan, but there is little activity in either. T h e government of this yard is now in the hands o f the officers of the navy, having been lately taken out o f thofe o f the civil intendants. U p o n the whole, the making o f thefe docks, and their actual ma-

nagement, have been, and itili are, conducted after the moft prodigal manner ; and either from the vaft demands o f the late expedition, or from neglect in the adminiftrators, there is n o w fo inconfiderable arms and ores, that,

an aifortment o f

were it not for its celebrity, it would fcarce deferve a minute's attention from a curious traveller. Y e t the Spaniards are very jeauneafy when ftrangers

lous, and appear

vifit

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

I91

vifit it ; perhaps from a confcioufnefs o f there being nothing in it. There was no

perfuading them [that w e travelled merely for pleafure, with no Unifier views. T h e fhips are heaved down in a dry dock, which, b y reafon o f the back water,. and the fprings that ooze through the marfhy foil, would never be clear o f water, were it not for feveral fire-engines continually going, and for the great pump, which is plied without intermiflion by Spanifh cri minals and Barbary flaves. O f the former

they have eight hundred ; of the latter fix hundred : mofl o f thefe wretches are kept at it fixteen hours out o f the twenty-four, b y four hours at a time ; fome w o r k only twelve, and moil o f the Moors only eight hours. It is the hardefl labour in the

world : ten men are fet to each pump, to the amount o f above an hundred, in the room above ground, and as many in a kind o f dungeon below. In fummer-tlme fcarce

IQ2

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

fcarce a day paiTes without fome of them dropping down dead at their work ; and even at this cool feafon of the year, w e have met every day fome of them carrying to the hofpital. T h e defpair that feizes

them is fo outrageous, that if they can get within reach of a weapon, there are many inflances of their having plunged it into their o w n breaft, or that of fome perfon near

them, which anfwers the fame purpofe, a fpeedy deliverance from ail their woes by death. A s w e were looking at them, a dir

ty little keeper Struck a fine tall M o o r over the head, Sor leaving his pump to beg of us. T h e MuiTulman darted a look of indignation at his tyrant, and refumed his talk, without faying a word, blow. O n our leaving this houSe of Sorrow, or Shrinking Srom the.

w e met Several Strings oS galley-flaves, g o ing to relieve thoSe at work, or to fetch their

provifionSe

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

provifioris.

T h e Moors had an M on the

fackcloth that covers them, and the whole gang were lively pictures of defpair. malady and

T h e king allows them a piitreen

a dav, but I am afraid they are defrauded of their allowance ; for w e faw them mak ing their dinner upon black bread, horfe-beans boiled in falt-water. and

W e are

returned quite melancholy from this fcene of woe. T h e only reflection that dimi

nishes our compaffion, is the atrocioufhefs of the crimes that have brought the Chris tians to the chain ; none are here that

have not deferved death in fifty Shapes. O n e boy, o f fifteen years old, is here for the murder of his father and mother ; and

either murder, Sacrilege, or fome. fuch enor mous and horrible offences, have been per petrated b y almoSt all thofe condemned for life to this puniihment. The feverity exer-

cifed over the Moorish captives, is not fo eafily reconciled to the principles of humanVOL.

ity,

194

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

ity, and the meek doctrine of Chriftianity. Retaliation does not feem a fufficient plea. Since I wrote the foregoing part of my letter, we have been upon a more agree able party, which has helped to diffipate the gloomy impreflions of the morning. The governor gave us leave to take a boat and row round the harbour. Some gentlemen of our acquaintance were fo obliging as to accompany us, and explain the fituation and intent of each particular place and fortifica tion. The port of Carthagena is the completer! I ever faw, formed by the hand of Nature in the figure of a heart. The ifland of Efcombrera blocks UD the entrance, and ihelters it from the violence of wind and waves. High, bare mountains rife very fteep, from the water-edge, on the eaf! and weft. On the north, a narrow, low ridge of hills, on which the city (lands, fhuts out the view, of the inland country. We
firft

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

I Q *

firft rowed b y the arfenal, arid under the mountains on the right hand, the deepeft and fafeft pofition in the whole bay, where a large fleet may lie in the utmoft fecurity, out o f the fight of all lhips that may be at fea, or even in the narrow part o f the en trance of the harbour. There are at pre-

fent t w o frigates and four chebecs in port. A s w e came along-fide of the St. Jofeph, the commodore, ihe fired a gun, which our fleerfman Informed us was the fignal for weighing anchor and getting under fail, orders' being come from court for them to leave Carthagena this day. A s w e were

defirous o f learning a little of the method and fkill of the Spanifh feamen, w e defired our mailer (who, from having been long employed in the fervice of the merchants, has contracted the Englifh habit of

looking upon himfelf as an Engliihman) to lie upon his oars and remain along-fide, that w e might have the pleafure of feeing

ig6

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN,

the men of war move out.

T h e old failor

laughed heartily at our requeft, and, after reminding us that w e were not at Portfmouth, nor thefe ihips Engliih men o f war, bade his men row away, as he was very certain none of the veffels would be ready to depart for three days at leaft, and that the gun was fired merely in compliance with the letter of the orders. O n our approach to the mouth of the harbour, w e got out of the calm, ftill water w e had hitherto glided upon, and began to be toiled about with great violence. The

day grew cold, and the i k y looking lower ing towards the fea, w e {truck directly acrofs the paffage, in order to return to the town b y the eaft fide of the bay. This

entrance Is much wider than I had any idea o f ; the forts on the rocks, on each pro montory, feem to be too far diftant from the middle to do any damage to an enemy that might think it neceiTary to pufh through; but

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

197

but without a fkilful pilot, I doubt a ftranger would pay dear*for his temerity; for di rectly in the center of the haven, in a line between the mouth and the mole-gate, lies a ledge of rocks, only five feet under water, without any breakers, or rippling near it. T h e eaft fide o f this port is much fhailower than the weft fide, and the anchorage is loofe and fandy. Veifels have been fre their anchors, and

quently forced from

dalhed to pieces againft the rocks, b y the ftorms from the fouth-weft. However,

with good cables, I was afiured there is no great danger to be apprehended. In any other part of the harbour, the waters are perfectly dormant, never ruffled b y wind or tides. There is fo little agitation in them, that, during the ftay of the many hundreds o f veffels deftined for the Algerine expedition, they became abibiutely putrid and infec tious, from the filth thrown fhips. out of the

Juft as w e landed on the pitiful o 3 platform

I98

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

platform called the mole, w e had an oppor tunity of knowing the exact fpot where the rocks lie. A n Englifh merchantman com

ing in at a great rate before the wind, but unfortunately without a pilot, ftruck upon the ledge, and was not got off without fome damage. W e are now going to the play, where w e are not to expect any fcenes, as it is a working-day; and the actors come out hung

from behind a bit of red curtain

acrofs the fiage, and never move far from It, as a file of prompters are drawn up

behind, whofe fhadows and motions are not unlike that kind of entertainment called Italian fiades. T h o u g h there are three regi

ments here in garrifcn, befides engineers and naval officers, you can fcarce imagine any thing fo dull as this town. wretched comedy, and the Except the eoffee-houfe, amufement

there is not the leaft life or going forward.

This city is large, Ibut has very

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

igg.

very few good Streets, and ftill fewer grand or remarkable buildings. T h e hofpital is a

large Square houfe, round t w o courts, three Stories high towards the fea, and only one towards the land: the architecture, and

method of laying out the plan, are good j but the Stone is of fo foft and friable a contexture, that the fea air has corroded it, and made it crumble away more than half: there is no probability of any care being taken to repair the injury. Farther eaft, at the foot of the fummerevening walk, is a Snail church, erected in honour of St. James, the patron of Spain, w h o is pioufiy believed to have landed here, when he came from Paleftlne to convert this country to Christianity.

L E T -

200

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

XVIII.

Carthagena, December i8,

1775.

TT H A V E

been bufy all the

morning

walking about the fields near the town, in fearch of Specimens of the various plants, that produce the falfe and true barilla ; but the feafon of the year is unfavourable to m y refearches, and I have only been able to meet with t w o forts. M r . James Macdon-

nel, a y o u n g gentleman lately fettled in bufinefs here, has been fo obliging as to furnifh me with Some notes on that head, .which contain the refult of many obfervations made on thefe plants in their vegeta ble ftate, and on the different modes o f fale.

cultivating and preparing them for

T h e following pages convey the fubffance of his memorandums. There are four plants, which in the early part of their growth bear fo Strong a re femblance

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN. 2 0 1 femblance to each other, as would deceive any but the farmers, and very nice obfervers. Thefe four are, barilla, gazul (or,

as fome call it, algazul) foza, or falicor.

and falicornia

T h e y are all burnt to alhes, but

are applied to different ufes, as being poffelfed of different qualities. Some of the

roguilh farmers m i x more or lefs o f the three laft with the firft; and it requires a complete knowledge of the colour, tafte, and fmell of the alhes, to be able to detect their knavery. T h e firft, Barilla, is fown afrelh every year. T h e greateft height it grows to above ground is four inches ;.' each root puihes out a vaft number of little ftalks, which again are fubdivided into Smaller, Sprigs, refembling famphire, and all together form large, Spreading, tufted buih. a

T h e colour

is bright g r e e n ; as the plant advances to wards maturity, this colour dies away, till it comes, to a dull green tinged with brown. The

202

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

T h e Second, G a z u l , bears the

greater!

affinity to barilla, both in quality and ap pearance ; the principal difference confiils in its growing on a flill drier, falter earth, confequently Stronger fait. it is impregnated with a

I t does not rife above t w o

inches out of the ground, Spreading out into little tufts. Its fprigs are much flat

ter, and more pulpy, than thofe o f barilla, and are flill more like Samphire. It is fown

but once in three, four, or five years, ac cording to the foil. T h e third, Soza, w h e n of the fame iize, has the fame appearance as gazul, but in time grows much larger, as its natural foil is a Strong falt-marfh; where it is to be found in large tufts of fprigs, treble the fize of barilla, and of a bright green colour, which it retains to the laSt. T h e fourth, Salicor, has a Stalk o f a green colour, inclining to red, which laft becomes by degrees the colour of the whole plant. From

T R A V E L S T H R O U G H S P A I N . 203 From the beginning it grows upright, and much refembles a bufh o f young rofemary. Its natural foil is that on the declivities o f hills, near falt-marihes, or on the edges o f the fmall drains or channels cut b y the

hufbandmen for the purpofe of watering the fields : before it has acquired its full growth, it is very like the barilla o f thofe feafons in which the ground has been dunged before fowing. In thofe years of manuring, ba

rilla, contrary to its nature, comes up with a tinge o f r e d ; and w h e n burnt, falls far ihort of its wonted goodnefs, being bitter, more impregnated with falts than it mould be, emitting a difagreeable fcent if held near the nofe, and raifmg a blifler if applied for a few minutes to the tongue. T h e other Ba

three fpecies always have that effect.

rilla contains lefs falts than the others j when burnt, it runs into a rnafs refembling a fpungy Hone, with a faint caft o f blue. Algazul, after burning, comes as near barilla

204

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

barilla in its outward appearance, as it does while growing in its vegetable form ; but if broken, the infide is o f a much deeper and more gloify blue. Soza and falicor are

darker, and almoft black within, o f a heavier confidence, with very little or no fign of fpunginefs. All thefe afhes contain a ilrong alkali; but barilla the belt and pureft, though not in the greateft quantity. U p o n this princi

ple, it is the fitteft for making glafs, and bleaching linen; the others are ufed in

making foap : each o f them would whiten linen, but all, except barilla, would burn it.. A good crop o f barilla impoverishes

the land to fuch a degree, that it cannot bear good barilla a fecond feafon, being 1 quite exhausted. T o avoid this inconve

nience, the richer farmers lay manure upon the ground, and let it lie fallow for a fea fon.; at the end of which, it is fown affelh without danger, as the weeds that have ' ' Sprung

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

205

fprung up in the year o f reft, have carried off all the pernicious effects o f the dung. A proper fuccefiion of crops is thus fecured b y manuring.and fallowing different parts o f the farm, each in its turn. T h e poorer

tribe o f cultivators cannot purfue the fame method, for want of capital, and are there fore under the neceflity o f fowing their lands immediately after manuring, which yields them a profit juft fufficient to afford a prefent fcanty maintenance, though the quality and price of their barilla be but trifling, r

T h e method ufed in making barilla, is the fame as that w e follow in the north o f England,, in burning kelp. T h e plant, as

foon as ripe, is plucked up and laid in heaps, then fet on fire; the fait juices run out

below, into a hole made in the ground, where they confolidate into a black vitrified lump, which is left about a fortnight cool. A n acre may give about a tun. to I was

206

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

was told, that there is a Species of Scarabieus, or beetle, that burrows in the root of the barilla, and there depolits its eggs, which foxes are fo fond of as to dig up the , plant to come at this favourite morfel. To

gratify this appetite, they would in one night :lay wafte a whole plantation, if the peafants did not keep a ftritt watch with guns to deftroy or drive them away. Ne-

verthelefs, I cannot depend enough upon my.information, to vouch for its" authenti city. N o t far from Carthagena, is a place called Almazaron, where they gather a fine red earth called Aimagra, ufed in the manu factures of Saint Ildephonfo, forpolifhing looking-glaffes. In Seville, it is worked up

with the tobacco, to give it a colour, fix its volatility, and communicate to it that foft:nefs, which conftitutes the principal merit o f Spanifh fnuff, .

L E T -

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

-207

L E T T E R

XIX.

Ifnallos, 7 at night, December 24,

1775.

are juft arrived at this difmal

ruinous village of mud walls, after the hardeil day's labour of our whole jour ney, benighted, our baggage-vehicle broken to pieces, and every bone about us aching. W e have been fourteen hours on the "road without unharneiling the mules. I have

walked many miles to-day, w h i c h has tired m y l e g s ; but at leaft m y fpirits are Iefs jaded than they would have been had I re mained locked up in the chaife, through the dangerous paffages and dreadful precipices of this day. I am happy to hear that from
1

hence to Cadiz is almoit all level road, and if it does not rain, not very bad ; if there ihould fall a great quantity o f rain, I doubt w e may come to flick in the clays o f A n d a lufia. O u r cook is hard at w o r k below 4 Hairs,

2o8

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

flairs, making us a diih of Something warm to cheer our drooping hearts; with that help, a bottle of wine, and a tolerable clean room, w e hope foon to drive away all re membrance o f our diflreffes and fatigues. O n the 19th, w e left Carthagena, and for t w o long days travelled up the plain, till the t w o ridges o f mountains, that run on each fide of it, unite at its head. firft part o f this plain is very The naked,

but well cultivated; the laft two-thirds are as complete a defert as any in the fands o f A f r i c a ; not a buih, tree, or houfe, to be feen in all the vaft expanfe o f level ground ; the mountains are as bare as the low lands. T h e want of water, productive o f a want o f inhabitants, accounts for this prodigious defolation; for the foil feems very fit for tillage. One o f the days w e dined at Lorca, I faw

a large t o w n at the foot of the hills.

nothing in it to make a note of, but the drefs of a gipfy, daughter to the Innkeeper. Her

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

309

H e r hair was tied in a club, with a bunch of fcarlet ribbons; large drops h u n g from her ears; and on her breaft ihe wore a load of relics and hallowed medals; the

fleeves o f her g o w n were faftened together behind b y a long blue ribbon, that h u n g t o the ground. I could not prevail upon her

to explain the ufe o f this laft piece o f or nament. > :

O n the 21 ft, the fcene changed, but did not improve upon u s ; the dry bed o f a torrent was our h i g h w a y for half the day, and fteep barren mountains for the remainder. This proved the firft day of difagreeable weather w e had met with on the road fince w e left France. It blew a perfect hurricane,

and rained very heavily, with a iharp biting wind. T h e next morning brought us back funfhine and genial w a r m t h ; the road greW mountainous, and more difguftingly bare, except for a mile or t w o , while w e paffed VOL. I P through

210

TRAVELS

T H R O U G H

SPAIN. well

through an

uneven country pretty

tilled, a n d planted w i t h large buihy ever green oaks, exactly in the manner of fome o f our Engliih parks. W e faw this day

many vultures on w i n g , but they never came within reach of our .guns. I can give

y o u n o information concerning the town o f Baca,, as w e entered it after it was dark, and left it before break of day. It Hands

quite in a bottom, Surrounded b y high mountains over which w e , next morning, found the pallage both diificuk and fright ful. N o t the lean agreeable patch of coun

try on the heights, except fome poor re mains of ancient foreils of evergreen oaks. W e dined at a vena near fome mountains, where w e were told -of mines of gold hav i n g been wrought in days of yore, but little

n o w long loft and forgotten ; the

brook that runs d o w n from them abounds in many metallic particles, which appeared to the eye lead and copper. M u c h gyffum
i

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

211

or plaiiler-ftone, is alfo to be found in this torrent. Yeilerday afternoon, w e had nothing but rapid afcents and deicents, rendered incredi bly greafy and fatiguing b y the heavy rain o f the foregoing night. G u a d i x , an epif-

copal fee, is exactly fituated in the fame kind of gully as Baca ; a narrow valley worn d o w n b y the river. T h e clay-hills,

that encompafs it on every fide, are the moil extraordinary in nature ; they are very high, and warned into broken maifes, refembling fpires, towers, and miihapen rocks. Whole

villages are dug in them, the w i n d o w s o f which appear like pigeon, or rather marten holes. T h e paifage through is remarkably

Singular, winding for half a mile between t w o huge rugged wails of earth, without the leail mixture of rock or gravel. T h e Guefta yerma, which with the utmoft difficulty w e climbed up this morning, is perhaps not to be matched for badnefs on P 2 any

212

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

A l l out

any carriage-road in the world.

mules yoked together were fcarce able to wrench either of the carriages out of the narrow pafs between the rocks, or drag them up the almoit perpendicular parts of this abominable mountain. After this happy

deliverance from our well-grounded fears of palling the whole day, and perhaps

night, in fruitiefs endeavours to extricate ourfelves, w e travelled along a high level country, winding o f Granada. round the mountains

T h e wind was v e r y loud, but the

the air w a r m and pleafant, though

fnow lay in view along the top o f that high ridge o f mountains called, from their covering of fnow, jierra nevada. you

T h u s , methinks, I have brought very fairly as far as myfelf

on our dreary

j o u r n e y ; and have as yet a right to think, that neither the beauties of nature, nor thofe o f art, to be met with in this kingdom, can be deemed an equivalent for the tedioufnefs 2 of

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

213

o f travelling, the badnefs of the roads, or the abominable accomodations of the inns :

certain it is, that no man has as yet under taken this tour a fecond time for pleafure ; and, if m y advice be liftened to, no body will ever attempt it once,

Granada, D e c e m b e r

25.

O U R baggage being put upon a cart this morning, w e proceeded down a valley, and over fome heath and foreft land, till w e came in v i e w of the plain and city of Gra-nada.Beautiful beyond expreffion even in its winter weeds, what muft it be w h e n decked out in all the gaudy colours o f

Spring ? Y o u muft not expect an account of it for fome days, as I intend getting all poffible intelligence, turning over all m y books, and examining every place, before I venture to defcribe this city, its palace, and environs,

L E

214

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

L E T T E R

XX.

Hp

H E Moorifh kingdom of confided of

Granada Spain the

thofe parts of

that lie in the fouth-eaft

corner of

peninfula, and at its moil flourishing period never exceeded Seventy leagues in length from eaft to weft, and twenty-five in

breadth from north to South.

Its hiftorians

have laboured hard to prove, that it had Se parate monarchs Soon after the Moorifh than

conqueft of Spain ; but it is more

probable that this country did not become a diftinct Sovereignty, while the Caliphs

of the Eaft retained any authority in E u rope. B y degrees, the weaknefs of the

other "Mahometan

potentates, w h o could

afford no fuccour againft the common ene m y 5 the coalition of the Chriftian king

doms under one or t w o powerful heads; and,

T R A V E L S THROUGH

SPAIN.

215

and, more than all, their own civil difcords and deadly feuds, had, long before its final overthrow, reduced the kingdom of G r a nada to little more than the Alpuxaras mountains and the capital city. T h e Granadine antiquaries, with Pedraza at 4heir head, infill that Granada was a colony of the Phoenicians, k n o w n to the Romans b y the name of Illiberia. They

allege, in Support of their fyftem, that the walls of the molt ancient of its inclofures, which was afterwards called the Alcacaba, are of a different fort of mafonry from thofe of the Romans and Saracens, and fimiiar to fuch remains of antiquity as are univerfally acknowledged to be the w o r k of the Phoenicians. T h e fpot where this mode of

building is moil confpicuous, is, the Hetnaroman, a tower where the Hones are very long and narrow, laid regularly upon beds of cement of equal thicknefs with the Hones. It is now of little eonfequence to endeavour p 4 to

2l6

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

to difcover the founders o f this city, and an analysis of the volumes publiihed on
s

thefe chimerical topics, would but ill repay the time loft in writing and reading fuch a diifertation. Another argument, that has afforded

much entertainment to many doctors pro foundly Ikilled in etymologies, is, the

meaning, date, and origin, of the name o f Granada. Some writers make out the deri Nata,

vation b y compounding the word

which they fet down as the name of Count Julian's daughter,* with t h e . w o r d Gar, a cave,
* It is the common opinion (though not sufficiently warranted by authentic teftimonies) that Rodrigo, laft k i n g of the G o t h s , ravifhed the daughter of Julian, governor of Africa. T h e father, enraged at fuch an

injury, made a treaty with the Saracens, whom he i n duced to crofs the Straits and invade Spain. Mufa,

lieutenant of the Caliph W a l i d , fent over T a r i f with a fmall force to try his ftrength. T h e r e being great

appearance of fuccefs, T a r i f received a confiderable rein-

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

217

cave, where ihe retired after the battle of X e r e s : others will have it to come from the abundance of corn (Grano): again from Nata, and fome

a goddefs of the Abori

gines : others, with an appearance of pro-, bability, afcribe the origin of the name to the pleafantnefs and fertility of its environs, a word very like it, in the Phoenician lan guage, meaning fruitful and agreeable. The

Romans expreffed the fame fignification b y the title of municipium florentinum illiberitanum. T h e Arabs called it Roman; the

Jews Rimmon: and there are authors that derive it from Granatum, a pomegranate,

brought from Africa, and firit planted near reinforcement, and attacked the Goths near Xeres de la frontera. The Goths were defeated, their king killed, and the Gothic empire annihilated in 7 1 2 . Mufa, and his immediate fucceflbrs, completed the conqueft of all Spain, except the mountains of Oviedo, where Pelayo afterwards formed a principality, the parent of all the other Spanifh kingdoms. this

2l8

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

this place.

M a n y affirm it to be called ib

from the refemblance its pofition bears to that fruit when ripe ; the t w o hills to repre sent the burfting Skin, and the houfes

crowded into the intermediate valley, the pips. This is a very favourite opinion, and

feems to be adopted b y the nation, which gives a fplit pomegranate for Its arms, and places it upon every gate or ornamented poll in the Streets and public walls. Granada Stands on two hills, at the foot of the Sierra nevada, where t w o Small rivers j o i n their waters. One of them, the Dauro,

Sometimes wafhes down g o l d ; the other, the Xenil, virgin Silver; but it was not poffibie for me to procure any Specimens of either, on account of the fevere prohibition iifued out by government againtt all Search ers after mines and minerals. palace of the Alhamhra, T h e ancient

and the I'&rre verthe

meja, crown the double Summit of

hill between the

' '
;

rivers ; the other hill, north* of

'

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

2I9

of the Dauro, is covered with the Albaycin and Alcacaba. T h e remainder of the city-

extends along the fkirts of the plain in a femicircular form. T h e V e g a , or plain, is

eight leagues long, and four broad ; a gen tle ilope of beautiful hillocks bound the

horizon on all fides, except that o f the Sierra nevada, and to the north-weft, where it is terminated by the bare top of the Sierra Elvira, or Sierra de los infantes. This

mountain was fo named from the death of the princes of Caftiile, Peter and John, w h o perifhed here, through excefs of heat and thirfl, in a battle againfl the Moors, 1 3 1 9 . T h e country about Granada was fo al luring, the fituation fo ftriking, and the

falubrity of its air fo univerfally celebrated, that the victorious Saracens foon were in duced to turn their arms that w a y . It was

taken b y the forces of Tarif in 7 1 5 , the ninety-fifth year of the Hegira.* A s long

* T h e flight of Mahomet, which happened in the night between the 15th and 16th of July, in the year 622.

as

220"'

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

as Spain remained fubject to the viceroys of the Caliphs of the family of the O m miades, Granada does not appear to have undergone any great revolution, although now and then an ambitious governor might make an attempt towards independency.

T h e fir ft that brought this defign to bear, and rendered the crown hereditary in his family, was Mehemed Alhamar, governor o f Arjone, w h o began his reign in Mehemed Alhamar. 1236. This firft king became tributary 1236.

to St. Ferdinand, king of Caftille, and paid him one moiety o f all his revenues, which half amounted to

one hundred and feventy

thoufand

pieces of gold : he even affifted that prince in his conqueft of Seville, 1273. T h e fecond king was his fon M u ley Mehemed Abdailah, w h o is faid to have begun the Alhambra. 1302, 3. Mehemed Abencdhamar the blind.

fon

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

221

fon to M u l e y , was dethroned murdered by his brother. had a great paiuon for

and

Mehemed building;

one of the magnificient monuments he left for the admiration o f pofterity was the great mofque included in the Alhambra. T h e form was moil

elegant, the infide mofaic, adorned with ingenious devices in Sculpture, Supported upon lofty pillars with Slver bafes and capitals. H e endowed this

pious foundation with revenues arifmg from the baths which he had built oppofite to it, out of the tribute paid b y the Christians and Jews. He

alfo purchafed lands, and let them out for the benefit of this mofque. 1310. Nazer aba algueiujh murdered his

brother, and was himfeif driven into baniihment b y his fitter's Son. 1315. IJmael ben pharagi abulgualld, w h o

was murdered b y the alcayde o f A l gezirasj

222

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN. geziras, from w h o m he had forcibly taken a very beautiful female cap tive.

1326.

Mehemed Abuabdallah, his Son, Suc ceeded. This prince was murdered

b y his o w n fervants *, and Succeeded b y his Son.

l

333-

Jf

^buhagiagu

In 1340, this

king, and A b i HaiTan, king of M o Ii rocco, were defeated in the famous battle of Salado, b y AlphonSus the eleventh. From that d a y . G r a n a d a and the

"declined in power,

gradually

* In-a fally which the Chriftians made during

(lege of Baeca, this king of Granada hurled a lance, e n riched with precious ftones, at a Spanifh foldier : w h o finding himfelf grievoufiy wounded, limped away t o wards the town, with the weapon fixed in his body. The

M o o r s rufhed forwards to recover the lance, but M e hemed forbade them t o moleft the poor wretch, and fuffered him to carry away the fpear to pay for his cure. .

dwindled

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN. dwindled away. feries of

223

T h e uninterrupted attended

evil fortune that

this unhappy prince, at length drew upon him the univerfal hatred o f

his subjects, one of w h o m Stabbed him in the Street. H i s fuccelfor was Mehemed a younger brother of Pheragi. Was dethroned b y his couiln, Mehemsd Ifmael ben-Alhamar. Don Lago. He

Pedro, k i n g o f Cattille, having always been intimately connected with L a g o , efpoufed the caufe o f that exiled

prince with great warmth, and made Several attempts to reinftate him. Ben Alhamar, diffident of his own

Strength, and preffed to it b y the en treaties of his counfeliors, thought it fafeft to ^Submit, and purchafe the

friendship of Pedro at any rate. W i t h this y i e w h e demanded a fafe conduct,

5i

and w e n t to the court of Seville, where

224

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN. where he threw himfelf at the feet of the Spaniih monarch, with he had the

immenfe treafures

brought

with him as prefents.

T h a t king

received him with all apparent refpect and cordiality for a few days, but then he ordered him, and thirty o f his m o i l noble attendants, to be led round the city upon aiTes, and after wards to be brought to the field o f the Tablada, where, i f any credit is to be given to the Spaniih hiflorians, D o n Pedro himfelf tunate Mehemed lance. ran the through unfor with a

H i s death being made k n o w n

at Granada, L a g o refumed the reins of government without opposition,

and died quietly in 1 3 7 9 . 1379. H i s fon, M e h e m e d Abouhadjad, was one o f the beffc kings that ever reigned in Granada. He preferred

the folid advantages o f peace to all the

T R A V E L S THROUGH

SPAIN.

225

the brilliancy of military glory. U n der his wife administration, the k i n g dom gradually recovered its v i g o u r ; commerce and husbandry gave fpirit and alacrity to every part of the

realm, and fpread abundance over the face o f the land. His attention to

the more important objects o f g o vernment, did not prevent his ihewing himfelf an earnest promoter and protector of the fine arts. T h e ci

ties o f Granada and G u a d i x were embellished with many noble struc tures during his reign. His affec

tion for the latter was fo confpicuous, that he was furnamed b y his people, Mehemed of Guadix. H e had the

addrefs to maintain peace with the Caftillians, and at his death left a flourishing, fon, 392. VOL Juzaf Abiabdallah, w h o was de1. ttroyed peaceful fucceflion to his

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

ftroyed b y means of

an envenomed

fhirt, fent as a prefent by the Sultan o f Fez. Mehemed Balba, fecond fon to Juzaf, feized upon the crown in preju dice of his elder brother, and paifed his life in one continual round of difafters. were His wars with Caftille His

invariably unfuccefsful.

death was alfo caufed by a poifoned verb A s foon as he found his cafe

defperate, he difpatched an officer to the fort of Salobrena, to kill his bro ther Juzaf, left that prince's party Should form any obftacle to his fon's fucceeding to the crown. The Al-

cayde found the prince playing at chefs with an Alfaqui or prieft. Ju

zaf begged hard for two hours refpite, which was denied h i m ; at laft, with great reluctance, the officer permitted him to finifh the game. Before it was

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

-,

2.2J

was ended, a meffenger arrived with the news of the death of Mehemed, and of the unanimous election of Juzaf to the crown, Juzaf Abul Haxex. The mod

unwearied importunity,

and abject

fubmiifion, were unable to procure him a peace with the Christians.

T h e regent of Cailiile, D . Ferdinand, being inflexibly bent Upon expelling the whole Saracen race out of our continent. At length, Ferdinand

w a s elected king of Aragon, and find ing fufficient employment with the affairs of his new kingdom, gave up all thoughts of his Moorish conquests and listened to the propofals of the king of Granada. A truce was a-

greed upon, and afterwards a peace concluded, which afforded Juzaf an ' opportunity o f repairing his loifes.

H e wound up the end of his days in Q_ 2 tran-

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.'

tranquillity, and employed them folely in gaining the affections o f his

people, b y a Steady purfuit o f a molt equitable plan of administration.

From the time Juzaf became polTelTed of the royal dignity, he was never

k n o w n to Shew the leaSt Sign o f refentment againit the grandees that had aiiiited his brother in depriving him of his birth-right and liberty : nay more, he conferred great and favours upon many o f honours them,

and gave them ports of trait in v a rious capacities. S o m e o f his o w n

party found fault with his lenity, and endeavoured to w o r k him up to the destruction o f thofe noblemen; but Juzaf always made, anfwer, W o u l d y o u have me, b y m y cruelty, furniih them with an excufe for having pre ferred m y brother to me ? H e educa ted the Sons o f Mehemed in his palace,

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN:

229

palace, and treated them in every refpect like his o w n children. 1423. His eldeit ion, Mehemed Elazari, or the left-handed, fucceeded.
1

He

was more remarkable for the itrange viciffitudes of his fortune, than for any thing great of his own atchieving : his tyranny and negligence" en couraged his coufm-german,

1427.

Mehemed El Zugair, or the leffer, to tak;e up arms againft him, and drive him out of the kingdom. Two

years after Elazari, with the affiftance o f the kings of Caftille and T u n i s , retook Granada, and made El Zugair prifoner, w h o m he put to death in the moft cruel and ignominious man ner that could be deviled. 1429. Elazari being thus reftored to his throne, was far from altering his me thod of proceeding ; in confequence of which, after many defeats in a Q_3
b l o o d ;

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

bloody war againfc the

Christians,

he was a fecond time dethroned, and the grandfon o f that Mehemed w h o was killed at Seville, raifed up in his ttead. 2. Juzaf aben Almaoalnayar gave

great hopes o f his proving a juit and wife monarch 5 but his death, which happened in the fixth month o f his reign, put an end to all his projects, and Mehemed Elazari, was once more proclaimed king. T h e people of G r a nada were n o w become fo well accuftomed to a frequent change of mat ters, and fo very prone to novelty, that it was no longer poHible for any prince to remain firm in the royal feat for any length o f time. Accord ingly Elazari, that perpetual butt o f fortune, was for the third and laft time deprived of his fceptre, and fh'ut up in a clofe prifon by his nephew,

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

231

Mehemed ben Oiinin, furnamed the Tame. In the beginning of againit. his the but,

reign, he waged war

Chriftians with great fuccefs;

in the year 1 4 5 2 , his good fortune abandoned him, and he met with

nothing ever after but croffes and disappointments. T h e king of Caftille

Spirited up againit him a competitor for the crown, Ifmael, his couSm-germ a n ; w h o being admitted into the capital b y a party he had previouily Secured, furprifed Mehemed, and

threw him Into the fame dungeon where their common uncle had al ready languished eight years. Thus

ended thefe t w o princes like puppets, which, after having been made to move upon the Stage the time allotted for representation, are thrown b y in a lumber room, and never thought o f more.

0J4

453-

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SFA I N.

Ifmael thus found himfelf in the peaceable poiTeilion o f a crown, which had been fo often ihifted from head to head, and fo mutilated and cur tailed during a long feries of misfor tunes, that- any fagacious obferver might fafely pronounce the period o f its final diifolution to be near at hand. T h e Chriftians had fo long laid waile with fire and fword the rich plain o f Granada, that Ifmael found that

fource of plenty almoil irretrievably loft. T o make up in fome degree for

this deficiency, he ordered a large tract of foreit to be cleared, and the m o u n tainous lands behind Granada to be levelled, and converted into arable and garden grounds. Earth was even

brought from the "Vega, to render the hills more fruitful. Great fupplies o f

water were conveyed from the Dauro, by means of aqueducts and conduits, to

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

233

to water thofe eminences naturallybarren and parched up b y the fun. Thefe improvements were the fupport of the Granadines, after their implac able enemies had not only burnt their crops in the plains, but even dellroyed their farms, cut down their fruit trees, rooted up their vines, and changed one of the moil delightful fpots on earth into a mere naked defart. Upon

engaging to pay an annual tribute of twelve thoufand ducats, and to deliver every year fix hundred Chriilian cap tives, or, in cafe' of there being none, to releafe, an equal number of Moors (an almoil incredible condition, w h i c h more than any thing evinces the miferahle ftate of this kingdom), the Moors at lail obtained a peace, or ra ther truce, which even did not extend to that part of the kingdom that is near Jaen. 1475-

234 1475.

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN. M u l e y Mehemed AbilhaiTan fucceeded his father Ifmael, and was fo im prudent as to engage in a war with Caftille, which ended only with the ruin of the MulTulman empire in T h e firii important conquer!
1

Spain.

of the Spaniards was Alhama, a town famous for its magnificent baths, w h i ther the Moorifh princes were wont frequently to retire for their health and diverfion. In 1 4 8 4 , AbilhaiTan having put ( away

his wife A y x a , and taken to his bed Fatima, a Grecian Have, furnamed for her beauty Zoraya, or the morning-ftar,~ the difgraced Sultana made her efcape from the Alhambra, and raifed a rebellion in favour of her fon Abouabdoulah. T h e old king was forced

to fly for refuge to Malaga, to his brother El Zagal, w h o foon after gained great glory by a victory he obtained over the grand mailer of St. Jago.
1'.

About the fame time, '' the

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

235

the y o u n g king was routed and taken prifoner by the Caftillians at Lucena, being the firft Arabian prince led into captivity b y the Chriftians. Haffan was reftored; but Fer

dinand of Aragon, hufband to Ifabella of Caftille, fet the fon at liberty, with a view of fomenting their civil diflentions, and

thereby facilitating the conqueft of their kingdom. El Zagal foon quarrelled with

the old king, and drove him into exile, where he died foon after, defpair. Abouabdoulah, or the y o u n g king, was i h e lawful monarch ; but his uncle, w h o had already deftroyed one rival, endeavoured to put the other alfo out of the w a y by affaflination. T h e plot was discovered, the in mifery and

nephew's party prevailed, and E l Zagal, rather than fubmit to his o w n relation, from w h o m he had no right to expect m e r c y , ' went over, and delivered up all his poiTeiiions to Ferdinand. T h e Spaniih monarch im, . mediately .

236

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

mediately Summoned Abouabdoulah to fulfil the conditions of the treaty, upon which he had obtained his liberty. deliver up . Granada, Thefe were, to

as foon as Almeria,

G u a d i x , and Baca, ihuld be in the hands o f the Spaniards. n o w come to pals. This contingency was It was not natural to

fuppofe th M o o r would fubmit tamely to his utter ruin ; therefore Ferdinand, w h o had

forefeen his refufal, laid fiege ' to Granada. After nine months blockade, for the completing of which he built a new town, called Santa F, he obliged the Moorifh king to Surrender. Ferdinand and Ifabel made their 2d of January

triumphant entry on the 1492.

Abouabdoulah, in his w a y to Pur-

chena, the place appointed for his residence, Hopped on the hill, of Padul, j to take a lait farewell look of his beloved Granada. The

fight of hiscity and palace, to which he was then about to bid an eternal adieu, overcame his refoiution : he burli into a flood of tears,

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

237

and, in the anguifh of his foul, broke out into the moil: bitter exclamations againit the hardnefs of bis fate. T h e Sultanefs A y x a ,

his mother, upbraided him for his weaknefs, in the following terms : " T h o u doft well to weep, like a woman, over the lofs of that kingdom, which thou kneweil not h o w to defend, and die for, like a man." T h i s prince was the lait M o o r that reigned in Spain, where their empire had fubfifted feven hundred and eighty-two years. Such Moorifh families as remained in

Granada, after the dlifolution of the m o narchy, were continually molefted b y zealous priefts and bigotted princes. Every article

of. the capitulation was in its turn eluded, * ~ or openly violated, and the Moors reduced to the alternative, of renouncing the religion of their ancefcors, or of abandoning native country. their

T h e Spaniih clergy, not

at all fatisiied with the outward fhew o f con version in thofe that had embraced the

Christian

238

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

Christian religion, were eager to difcern the sincere from the. hypocrite, and therefore fet fpies over them, encouraged all accufations, and cavilled with every part of. their drefs and behaviour. T h u s harraffed, and urged

to the v e r y brink of defpair,. the Morifcos, as they were then called, formed a grand confpiracy, w h i c h broke out on Christmas night, in the year 1568. H a v i n g placed

at their head a y o u n g man, defcended from their ancient princes, by name Ferdinand

de Valar, which he changed to Mehemed A b e n H u m e y a , they rofe i n arms in moil parts o f the kingdom o f Granada. The:

revolt began b y wreaking the moil bloody vengeance on ail Christians, especially prieils, that fell into, their hands. ^Notwithstanding considerable forces were fent againit t h e m
r

i .'.

and many furious battles fought between the Spaniards and the infurgents, generally to the difadvantage of the latter, the rebellion continued in great vigour near two years. Aben

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

239

A b e n H u m e y a , having betrayed an inclina tion to capitulate, was murdered b y his o w n officers, and a defperate captain, called A b e n aboo, elected in his fiead. T h i s fhadow o f

royalty foon palled aw ay, and met with the fate of his predeceffor. After his affaflina-

tion, the Morifcos fubmitted, and were difperfed all over Spain,- the rabble of the t w o Caftilles being fefit to occupy their lands. , In the year 1610, Philip the Third iffued out an edict, commanding every perfon o f Mo.priih extraction, without exception, to retire out of S p a i n : which rigorous and extraordinary order was to all appearance punctually o b e y e d : yet To late as the year 1 7 2 6 , the inquifition ferreted out, and drove into banifhment, fome confiderable remnants of that unfortunate race,

24O

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN*

L E T T E R

XXL

T P \ R Y D E N has built the ground-work ^ of his play, of The conquejl of Gra

nada, ^upon circumltances taken out of a romantic hi/lory of the dijfentlons between the Zegris and the Abencerrages, noble Moors of Granada, b y Giles Perez. T h e Spaniih -

ballad, tranilated in D r . Percy's relics o f ancientpoetry, is drawn from the fame Source. A s Perez is an author read b y all ranks of people in this country, his dreams are gene rally received as undoubted facts, confecrated b y tradition ; and molt o f the tales repeated b y the keepers of the. palace, & c . have been learnt in his book. Indeed * Medina C o n . de,
* Conde, in order to favour the pretentions of the church in a great lawfuit, forged deeds and infcriptions, which he buried in the ground where he knew they would fhortly

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPA IN.

241

de,. author of the Paffeos de Granada, pre tends to have found an Arabic manufcript account of thefe times, which corroborates the teitimony of Peres : but thefe writers are fuch notorious impoftors, that little cre dit can be given to any thing they advance :

fhortly be dug up again.

Upon their being found, he

publifhed engravings of them, and gave explanations of their unknown characters, making them out to be fo many authentic proofs and evidences of the aflertiqns of the clergy. His impofture was detected, and he n o w

lies in prifon, without much hope of ever recovering.his liberty. I am told he is a moft learned, ingenious man, The

profoundly fkilled in the antiquities of his country. M o r o c c o ambafTador, in his way through purchafed of this man a copper bracelet of

Granada, Fatima,

which Medina proved by the Arabic infcription, and many certificates, to be genuine, and found among the ruins of part of the Aihambra, with other treafures or the laft king, w h o had hid them there, in hopes of better days. T h i s famous bracelet turned out afterwards ta

be the w o r k of Medina's o w n hands, and made out or an old brafs candleftick. -

V O L . 1.

however,

242

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

however, there mull undoubtedly be ibme foundation for thefe anecdotes, and a previ ous knowledge of them is rather neceifary for the perfect understanding of the de

scription o f the Alhambra ; I fhall therefore prefume fo far upon your patience, as to Sketch y o u out an abstract of part o f this hiftory. In the days of Boabdil or Abouabdoulah, the lail king of Granada, the Alabeces, Abencerrages, Zegris, and Gomeles, were the moil powerful families in that c i t y ; they filled moil of the great employments about court, and fearce a brilliant atchievement-in w a r was heard of, that .was not .performed b y the arm of Some knight of thefe\ four houfes. High above the reft the latter

towered the Abencerrages, unequalled in gallantry, magnificence, and chivalry, N o n e among the Abencerrages more accomplished, more distinguished, than Albin Hamet, w h o for his great wifdom and valour ilood defervedly

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

243

fervedly foremoft in the lift of the king's favourites. His power rofe to fuch a

pitch, that it excited the moft violent e n v y in the breaft of the Zegris and Gomeles, w h o determined to pull him down from this poft of Superior eminence. After

concerting many Schemes for his deftruetion, none appeared to them more effectual than one propofed b y a conSummate villain o f the Zegri family. H e Seized an opportunity of being alone with the king, whofe cha

racter was as yet frank and unfuSpicious : affirming an air of extreme anguifh of

mind, he obferved to the prince h o w v e r y weak his conduct appeared to all wife men, by repofmg fuch unbounded confidence in, and trufting his perfon with, Such traitors as the Abencerrages, w h o were well k n o w n to be laying a Scheme for a general revolt, there b y to deprive Abouabdoulah o f his life and crown. N a y more, he, and three men of ho nour, had feen the queen in wanton dalliance V O. With

244

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

with Albin Harriet Abencerrage, behind the* lofty cypreffes in the gardens of the Generaliph, from whence Hamet had returned infolently crowned with a garland of rofes. Thefe calumnies roufed ail the furies of jealoufy

in the breaft of the credulous monarch, and the deftruction of the whole lineage o f in the bloody

Abencerrage was planned junto.

T h e principal men of the devoted

family were, under fome pretence or other, fummoned one b y one to attend the king in the court of lions. N o fooner was each

unhappy victim admitted within the wails, than he was feized b y th Zegris, led to a large alabafter bafon in one of the adjoining hails, and there beheaded. Thirty-fix o f

the nobieii of the race had already periihed, before the treachery was difcovered. page belonging to one of A

thofe noblemen

having found means to follow his mailer in, and to get out again unfeen, divulged the fecret of this bloody tranfaetion. ' The

treafon

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

245

"treafon once k n o w n , all Granada was in .an inftant up in arms, and many defperate combats enfued, which, b y the great havock made amongft. the moil valiant of its chief tains, brought the ftate to the very brink o f ruin. Thefe tumults being appealed b y

the wifdom of M u f a , a baftard brother of the king, a grand council was held, in w h i c h Abouabdoulah -declared his reafons for the punifhment inflicted on the Abencerrages .; vi%. their confpiracy, and the adultery of the queen. H e then folemnly pronounced her

fentence, which was, to be burnt alive, i f within thirty days ilie did not produce four knights to defend her caufe againft the four accufers. T h e queen's relations were upon

the point of drawing their fcimitars in the audience-chamber, and refcuing her the danger that threatened her ; from but

their fury was checked b y the eloquence of Mufa, w h o obferved to them, they might b y violence fave the life of the Sultana, but R 3 by

246

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.
the

b y no means clear her reputation in

eyes of the w o r l d ; which would certainly look upon that caufe as unjuft, which refufed to fubmit to the cuftomary trial T h e queen was immediately ihut up in tower of Comares. Many the

Granadine having the

warriors were ambitious of

honour o f espofmg their lives in her quar rel, but none were fo happy as to prove the object of her choice. She had conceived

fo high an idea of the Chriftians, from the valour fhe had feen them difplay in a great tournament lately held at Granada, and the treachery of the Zegris had impreffed her with fo defpicabie an opinion of honour, Moorifh

that fhe was determined to reft

her defence upon the gallantry o f the Spaniih knights. In hopes o f rouiing their

noble fpirit to action, fhe difpatched a trufty meffenger with a letter to D o n Juan de Chacon, lord of Carthagena, entreating him to efpoufe her caufe, and, like a true knight, bring

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

247

bring with him three brave warriors to Hand her friends on the day appointed. Chacon returned for anfwef, that he fet too high a price upon that honour, not to be punctual to the hour o f trial. T h e fatal

day arrived, and all Granada was buried in the deepeit affliction, to find that their

beloved queen had been fo remifs as not to have named one o f her defenders. Mufa, Azarque, and Almoradi, the judges of the combat, preffed her, in vain, to accept o f their fwords, or thofe of feveral other war riors willing to affert the juftnefs of her caufe. T h e Sultana, relying on the Spanifh

faith, perfifted in her refufal : upon which the judges conducted her down from the Alhambra, to a fcaffold in the great fquare hung with black, where they feated themfelves on one fide. A t the fight of this

beauty in diftrefs, the whole place refounded with loud cries and lamentations; and it was with difficulty that the Spectators could
R

he

248

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

be reftrained from attacking her enemies, and refcuing her by main force. Scarce were the judges feated, when twenty trumpets announced the approach of the four accufers, who advanced armed cap-a-pie, mounted on the fin eft courfers of Andalufia. Over their armour they wore loofe vefts, with plumes and fafhes of a tawny colour. On their fhields were painted two bloody fwords, and thefe words: For the truth we draw them. All their kinfmen and adherents accompanied them to their poft within the litis; In vain did the crowd caft a longing eye towards the gate through which the champions of injured innocence were to enter; none appeared from eight in the morning to two in the afternoon. The Sul tana's courage began to fail her; and, when four valiant Moors prefented themfelves, to fue for the honour of drawing their fwords to vindicate her innocence, ihe promifed to truft her life in their hands, if within two hours

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

249

hours the perfons ihe expected mould not appear. A t that inftant a great noife was came

heard, and four Turkilh horfemen prancing into the fquare.

One of them

addreiTed the judges, requesting the favour of fpeaking to the Queen ; which being granted, he knelt down and told her aloud, that he and his companions were T u r k s , come to Spain with the deiign of trying their itrength againit the heroes o f Ferdinand's a r m y ; but that, hearing of this Solemn trial, they had changed their refolution, and were n o w arrived at Granada, to devote their firit eiTay o f arms in Spain to her Service, and hoped ihe would approve of them for her champions. A s he fpoke, he let

drop into her lap the letter ihe had written to D o n Juan ; b y the fight of which ihe disco vered this feigned T u r k to be no other than the lord o f Carthagena, w h o had brought with him, as companions in this dangerous conflict:, the duke o f Arcos, D o n A l o n z o

250

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

de Aguilar, and D o n Ferdinand de Cordova. The Queen accepted of their propofal;

and the judges having Solemnly declared her choice, gave orders for the charge to found. T h e onfet was fierce, and the fight long doubtful. A t length D o n Juan overthrew

Mahandin G o m e l , and the duke flew AJihamet Z e g r i ; Mahandon G o m e l fell by the fword of Aguilar, and the laft of all, the arch-traitor Mahomed Zegri, difabled b y

repeated wounds, and fainting with lofs of blood, funk at the feet of D o n Ferdinand ; w h o fetting his knee on the infidel's breaft, and holding his dagger to his throat, Sum moned him to confefs the truth, or die that inftant. " T h o u need'ft not add another

w o u n d , " laid Mahomed, " for the laft will prove Sufficient to rid the world of fuch a monfter. K n o w then, that to revenge m y the

felf o f the Abencerrages, I invented

lye that eaufed their deftruefion., and the per secution o f the Sultana; w h o m I here de clare

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

251

clare free from all flain or reproach whatfoever, and with m y dying breath implore her forgivenefs." T h e judges came d o w n to

receive this depofition of the expiring Zegri, and it was afterwards announced to the peo ple, w h o expreifed their j o y b y the loudeit acclamations. T h e day ended in fePcivity and rejoicing. T h e Queen was efeorted back

in triumph to the palace, where the penitent Abouabdoulah fell at her feet, and with floods o f tears endeavoured to atone for his crime, but to no purpofe; remained inflexible, and, for the Queen retiring to the

houfe of her neareit of kin, refufed to have any further intercourfe with him. T h e four

knights left Granada, without discovering themfelves to any other perfon; and foon after, the numerous friends and adherents o f the Abencerrages abandoned the city, and, b y their feceffion into Caftille or Africa, left Abouabdoulah deilitute of able officers, and entirely

252

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

entirely at the mercy of his enemies, w h o in the courfe of a few months deprived him of his kingdom.

L E T T E R 1

XXII.

I T E have got acquainted with a very converfable old Spanifh officer, of

a great family and ftill greater

appetite.

H e has very freely imparted to us all he knows about the prefent as well as ancient ftate of this province, and the companions he makes between them often draw a figh from us all three. H i s nephew is poieifed

of large lordihips and eitates in the neigh bourhood ; which has afforded him many opportunities mation on a of coming at good infor

Subject

w e are very defirous

of investigating,

I mean, whether there

exifl any remains of Moorifh families in this country, and what is the tradition con-. cerning

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

253

cerning the manners and cuftoms o f that people before their expulfion. Granada, ' while governed b y its o w n kings, the lait years excepted, feems to have enjoyed greater affluence and profperity

than ever it has done fmce it became a pro vince of Spain. Before the conquefl, it was

one of the moft compact, well-peopled, opulent kingdoms in the world. Its agri

culture was brought to great perfection, its revenues and circulation were immenfe ; the public works carried on with great magni ficence, and its population not to be credited b y any perfon that fees it in its prefent con dition. Nothing but the numerous ruins

Scattered over its hills can induce one to believe, that thofe bleak, barren wafles,

which make up more than two-thirds o f the province, were formerly covered with luxuriant plantations of fruit-trees, abun

dant harvefts, or noble forefts.

Each M o o r

had his allotment of as much ground as fufficed for his habitation, the maintenance
of

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

of his family, and the provender o f his horfe, which every man was obliged to keep. Thefe fmall freeholds formed the ge

neral appearance o f the country, before the inceifant inroads and ravages of the Chriflians had driven the Moors to cities, moun tains of difficult accefs, of quite away to the coaft o f Barhary. T h e fmgle city of G r a

nada contained eighty thoufand families, and frequently fent out armies of thirty thoufand foot, and ten thoufand horfe. A n Arabian

author fays, that the kings had a conftant flock o f an hundred thoufand horfes for their o w n ufe, and for mounting their cavalry in time o f w a r , and more than once had muftered t w o hundred thoufand Soldiers in actual pay, for the purpofe o f making w a r upon the Caflillians.f; A great deal of fiik was produced in the plain, and the hills behind the city afforded , corn enough for its confumption. T h e rich

mines o f the mountains were opened, and, though not wrought with any thing like the Skill

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

255

{kill of modern miners, yielded fuch a quan tity of gold and fxlver, that both metals were more common in Granada than in any coun try in Europe. I cannot give y o u a more by a

diitittct idea of this people, than

translation of a paifage in an Arabic manu script, in the library of the Efcurial, intitled, " T h e Hiftory of Granada, b y A b i A b d a a

lah ben Alkalhibi Abianeni," written in

the year o f the Hegira 7 7 8 , which anfwers to the year of Chriil 1 3 7 8 ; Mahomet L a g o being then for the fecond time king o f Granada. It begins b y a defcription of the city and its environs, nearly in the following terms : " T h e city o f Granada is Surrounded " with moil: Spacious gardens, where the " trees are Set So thick as to reSemble hedges, " yet not So as to obstruct the v i e w o f the " beautiful towers o f the Alhartlbra, which " glitter like So many bright Stars over the " green foreits. T h e plain, Stretching far

and wide, produces fuch quantities o f " grain

256

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

" grain and vegetables, that no revenues, " but thofe of the firit families in the king" dom, are equal to their annual produce. " Each garden is calculated to bring in a " neat income of five hundred pieces of " gold (aurei * ) out of which it pays thirty " minas * to the king. Beyond thefe gar-

" dens lie fields of various culture, at all " feafons of the year clad with the richeit " verdure, and loaded with fome valuable " vegetable production or other; b y this " method a perpetual fuccelfion of crops is " fecured, and a great annual rent is pro" duced, which is faid to amount to twenty " thoufand aurei. Adjoining, y o u may fee " the fumptuous farms belonging to the " royal demefnes, wonderfully agreeable to " the beholder, from the large quantity o f " plantations of trees, and the variety of
* I was not able to obtain from the interpreters o f Arabic, any fatisfacbory account of the real value of thefe Granada coins, therefore have left them as I found them in Cafiri's Latin tranflation.

" the

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

257

" the plants. Thefe eilates occupy an extent " o f twenty miles fquare; for the purpofe " o f taking care of and working them, are " kept numbers of able-bodied huibandmen " and choice hearts, both o f draught and " burden. In moil o f them are cailles, Great mull be the

" mills, and mofques.

" profit upon thefe royal farms, ariiing from " confummate ikill in hufbandry, amited

" by the fertility of the foil, and the tem" perature of the air. M a n y towns, re-

" markable for the number of their inhabi" tants, and the excellence of their produc" tions, lie difperfed round the boundaries " of thefe crown lands. T h e plain contains

" alfo large tracts of meadow and pailure, " villages and hamletsfuii of people, countryt s

houfes and fmall dwellings belonging to

" one perfon, or to two or three copartners. " I have heard the names of above three *' hundred hamlets in the environs o f G r a " nada: within fight o f the city walls may
VOL.

" be

258

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN".

" be reckoned fifty colleges and places of* *' worihip, and above three hundred water 's mills." He-next proceeds to the character o f the Inhabitants. " T h e Granadians are orthodox in religi" on, of the feet, of the Molekites. T h e y pay " implicit obedience to the mandates o f their " princes ; are patient of labour, and above * meafure liberal: in perfon c o m e l y ; of a " middle ftature, with fmall nofes, clear elegant in

" complexions, and black h a i r :

" their language, but rather prolix in dif-' * courfe: indifferting and difputing, haugh* " ty and obilinate. T h e greater number of origin from

H their families derive their " houfes o f Barhary.

T h e i r drefs is ftriped

" Perfian or Turkifh robes of the higheit

u

prices, either fine woollens, linens,

filks,

" or cottons.

In winter they wear the Al-

*'- homos, or African cloak j in fummer a '' loofe white wrapper* ; j ' T h e foldiers o f " Spaniihi

TRAVELS THROUGH S P A I N .

259

" Spaniih extraction trie in war a fhoft coat " of mail, light helmet, Arabian horfe-fur" niture, " fpear. a leathern buckler j and {lender Thofe born in Africa bear very

" long ftaves, which .they call Amras, ii " e. rope-ends. Their dwellings are but

" {lightly built. It is very curious to aSfilf. at " the diversions of their festivals : for theri " the y o u n g people affemble in fets at the " dancing-houfes, and Sing all manner of li" centious ballads. T h e citizens of Granada " eattheverybeit ofwheatenbread; through*' out the year; the poorer fort, and labour' ers, are fometimes, in winter time, obliged " to put up with barley-bread, w h i c h , h o w " ever, is excellent in its kind* T h e y have " every fort of fruit in abundance, efpecially " grapes, of which the quantity eaten is in" credible* T h e vineyards in the neighbour4

' hood bring in fourteen thoufand aurei. Im-

*' menfe are the hoards of all fpecies. of dried. " fruits, fuch as figs, raifins, plums, & c . s % " They

260

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN;

*' T h e y have alfo the fecret o f preferving" ** grapes found and j u i c y from one feafon to " another. " Both their gold and filver coin is good, " and near to purity. " M a n y are the amufements and recre" ations of the citizens, w h e n they retire in " autumn to their pretty villas in the fub*' urhs. T h e y are pamonately fond of deck" ing themfelves out with gems, and orna* ments o f gold and precious itones. " T h e w o m e n are handfome, but o f a
? e

ftature rather below the middle fize, fo that it is rare to meet with a tall one among

" t h e m : they are very delicate, and proud " o f encouraging a prodigious length o f
M

hair; their teeth white as the driven fnow, and their whole perfon kept perfectly

45

*' fweet, by the abundant ufe of the molt " exquifite perfumes ; light and airy in their " gait, o f a fprightly acute w i t , and fmart " in converfation. In this age, the vanity

" of

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

261

" o f the fex has carried the art o f dreffing " themfelves out with elegance, profufion, " and magnificence, to fuch an excefs, that it " can no longer be fimply called luxury, but ** is become abfblute downright madnefs." In Granada, no houfe was without its pipe o f water, and in every ftreet were c o pious fountains for the public convenience, and for religious ablutions. In ihort, t h e y

neglected no art or invention that could con tribute towards rendering their lives eafy and voluptuous. I am afraid their urbanity and

refinement helped to accelerate their ruin. Y o u have hitherto been Shewn the bril liant fide o f the picture ; alas! h o w different will y o u find it, when considered from ano-. ther point o f view, that of its prefent Slate! T h e glories o f Granada have paffed a w a y with its old inhabitants; its Streets are choaked with filth; its aqueducts crumbled to duft; its woods deftroyed; its territory depopu lated; its trade loft; in a word, every thing, g 3 ' except

202 TRAVELS THOROUGH SPAIN,

except the church and law, in a moil deplo-* rable Situation. A t the time of the expulfion o f the

Moors, fuch of them as were particularly {killed in the filk-manufactures, or in the art

of conveying and diftributing water to the grounds, kingdom. were Suffered to remain in the

Befides thefe, fome were lucky

enough to find powerful protectors, w h o fcreened them from Sharing the common fate of their brethren. S o late as the year 1 7 2 6 ,

the inquifition, with the fanction of govern ment, feized upon three hundred and fixty families, accufed of fecret Mahometaniim, and confifcated all their effects, which have been eftimated at twelve millions o f crowns : an Immenfe Sum, of which no account was ever given '. T h e ancestors o f thefe people had at their baptifm affumed their godfathers, by the fummes of

which means

they

had the fame appellations as many o f the belt families in Spain ; a kind of relationfhip that

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

263

that was o f great fervice to them in their misfortune, and probably faved their lives from the fury o f the holy office. T h e y were difperfed into diitant parts of Spain, where, it is faid, that with fo much experience and fkill in commerce, they Soon grew rich again, and no doubt acquired wifdom enough to Se cure their fcond acquittions better than their fifft., T h e y were the principal merchants

and monied men o f Granada ; their cuitorn was to b u y up for ready money all the Silk made in the V e g a , and fometimes advance the value o f it to the landholders before the feafon. T h i s raw fiik they diftributed to the

manufacturers in the city, w h o m they Sup plied with cam for their prefent mainte

nance, and were repaid by degrees in wrought filks. A l l thefe artificers thrived under their

protection, and provided a comfortable SubSilence for themfelves and their families. , T h e proprietors o f land felt the Sweets of a ready Sale for their commodities ; and the 4 annual

264 TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

annual produce of fiik in this province, be fore the year 1 7 2 6 , feldom fell ihort of t w o millions fix hundred thouiand pounds

weight, whereas n o w it does not exceed one hundred thoufand. T h e fea-coaft of Granada, from Marbella to Motril, afforded formerly large quantities of fugar, which was an article of commerce to Madrid, till within thefe thirty years. W h a t is now. produced, is confumed in the neighbourhood in fweetmeats. From heavy

duties which were laid on this branch o f trade, and ftill continue, it is almoft loft, there being now only three mills at work, in a declining ftate. A t Motril, and at T o ros near V e l e z , fugar-canes have been pro duced nine feet high, and of a proportiona ble thicknefs. T h e firfl plants are faid to

have been imported from Sicily, and after wards carried to the Weft Indies; and the quality and grain of the Spanifh fugar. is af firmed

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN. 265

firmed to be equal to any imported from thence. A village in the mountains, up the D a u r o , is to this day almoft w h o l l y compofed o f the defcendants o f M o o r s ; but it is not polfible to k n o w whether they have retained any at tachment to the cuftoms and religion of their anceitors, or whether they are as good

Chriftians at heart as in outward appearance. Y o u may eafily diftinguifh them from the Caftillians w h o were transplanted hither, b y their round plump faces, and fmall bright eyes, little nofe, and projecting under-jaw. In their deportment, they are extremely

humble and fmooth-tongued; but fo tena cious of their ready money, that it is with difficulty they can prevail upon themfelves to part with the rents and dues which they can not well avoid paying. Thefe people, and

the progeny o f the Mofarabic Chrillians, w h o inhabited the country before the con^ quell, are eileemed a much better race o f

men.

266

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

men, both as to morals and industry, than, the defcendants o f thofe vagabonds o f Caftille, w h o conftitute the major part o f the prefent inhabitants. M a n y vestiges o f M o o r ish manners and cuftoms may frill be traced: -when they go in rummer to bathe, at the end o f a plentiful harvest, or on receiving a piece o f good news, they are w o n t to fet u p the moil hideous yells and outcries imagina ble. I was aifured, that whenever any failors belonging to the Maltefe ihips stray up from Malaga, the populace of Granada, hearing them fpeak Arabic, and feeing them drelfed in a kind of Moorifh habit, follow them up and down the streets, and pay them, extraordinary refpecl.

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

267

L E T T E R

XXIII,

A *

F T E R the tedious preamble of three. long letters, it is high time to bring

you to the palace o f the Alhambra. T h i s ancient fortrefs, and residence o f the Mahometan monarchs o f Granada,

derives its name from the red colour o f the materials that it was originally built with, Alhambra fxgnifying a red houfe. M o i l of the Sovereigns took a delight in adding new buildings to the old towers now called Torres de la campana, or in embellifihing

what had been joined b y their' predeceffors. T h e pleafantnefs of the fituation, and puri t y of its air, induced the emperor Charles the fifth to begin a magnificent edifice on the ruins of the offices of the old palace, and it is thought he intended to fix his chief
2

abode

268

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

abode here ; but his volatile temper, con-< tinual wars, and frequent abfences from

Spain, made him give up all thoughts o f Granada, long before he had finiihed the plan. It itands between the rivers, on a

v e r y high hill, that projects into the plain, and overlooks all the city ; the road up to it Is through a narrow Street, called Calle de los Gomeles, from a great family among the Moo-rs. T h i s brings y o u through a into

mafilve gate, built b y the emperor, the outward inclofure o f the

Alhambra.

Y o u then continue to afcend b y a v e r y fteep avenue of elms, which foon increafes to a wood, interfected in many directionst>y wild, neglected walks, where Stream of clear water, finding their paffage ob-

ftrucfced b y the rubbifh of their old channels, Ipread over the whole road. A large foun-*

tain adorns the platform near the top of the hill. T h e water, diverted from its proper

conduits, has been Suffered to run at random

for

TS\\\\\\\\/////////J
fe if i l

-S

%.S.< jrPixEUTA
77

DE

EOS

'SIETE

SUELOS.

7 .

S g to il JZ 3 14. J 16 17 iS 19 2o 2-1 g2

. -

PUERTA DEL JUICIO

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

269;

for fuch a length of time, that it has deilroyed moil of the fculpture and embellifhments, which were in a very good taile. Here y o u turn ihort to the left, and come under the walls of the inner inclofure. Its

appearance is that of an old town, e x h i biting a long range of high battlemented

walls, interrupted at regular diitances b y large, lofty, fquare towers. Th'efe have one or t w o arched windows near the top, and a precipitate Hope from the bottom into a dry ditch. T h e w h o l e is built with round,

irregular pebbles, mixed with cement and gravel. Some parts are covered and fmoothed over with a thick coat of plailer; in other places, mortar has been laid in be tween the {tones, leaving as much of them uncovered as came to the level ; then the trowel has been carefully drawn round, form ing about them triangles, half-moons, & c . Juil before y o u , Hands the prefent principal entrance Into the cattle, a fquare tower built

270

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N Y

by the king Juzaf Abuhagiagi, in 1 3 4 8 , as an infcription informs u s : from its being the place where juftice was fummarily ad ministered, it was Styled The Gate of ments Judg

Y o u pafs through it under Several

arches (each of which is more than a full femicircle, refting upon a fmall impoit, the ends o f the b o w being brought towards

each other in the form of a horfeihoe). O n the key-Stone o f the outward arch, is Sculp tured the figure o f an arm, the fymbol of Strength and dominion : on that of the

next arch Is a k e y emboifed, the armorial enfign of the Andalufian Moors. A b o v e it,

the wall of this partition is covered with a beautiful blue and gold mofaic, In the mid dle of which the Christians have placed an image of the V i r g i n M a r y . A s this is not

a gate ever ufed for carriages, the paffage winds through feveral turns, full of images, Indulgences, and altars, before y o u get

through, out into a narrow Street, between a row

TRAVELS"

THROUGH

SPAIN.

IJt

a r o w of fhabby barracks on the right, and on the left the caftle wall, fuppofed to b e built by the Phoenicians. I examined the

w o r k very narrowly, and found it confiiled o f a layer of cement one or t w o inches thick, upon which is placed flatwife a ftone o f the fame thicknefs, chifelled on the face in to a kind of chequered defign. T h i s Is the

regular method employed from top to bot tom. T h i s lane ends in the great fquare, or

Plaza de los Algibes, fo named from the an cient ciilerns, that undermine it from end to end, and are conflantly fed by a fupply o f running water. The profpeot from the

parapet-wall is wonderfully grand, over the vale of Dauro, the Albaycin, and d o w n the Vega. O n the very brow of the hill, hang
y

ing over the city, Hand the towers of the bell a group of

high fquare buildings, w h i c h B e l o w them, on

n o w ferve for prifons.

the fouth-fide, on a flip of terrace, is the governor's garden, a very pleafant w a l k , full

272

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

full of fine orange and cyprefs trees, and myrtle hedges, but quite abandoned. view it commands is incomparable. The Two

large vafes enamelled with gold and azure foliages and characters are the only orna ments left : thefe were taken out of the

vaults under the royal apartments. O n the right hand of the Plaza de los Algibes, is a folitary gateway, formerly the into fome of the outward entrance

quadrangles

thrown d o w n by Charles the fifth, to make room for his fuperb palace, which Hands facing the Torres de la campana. T h i s edi

fice is a perfect fquare of t w o hundred Spanifh f e e t ; it has t w o orders of pilafiers, Doric and Ionic, upon a ruffle bafe. The

whole meafures fixty-two feet from the top of the upper entablement to the ground. Three of the fronts are free from all other buildings ; the fourth (that to the north) is joined and connected with the ancient pa lace of the Mooriih kings. It was never finiihedj

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

273

finiihed, which is much to be regretted byall lovers o f the fine arts, for there are few edifices more deferring of their admiration. T h e architect was A l o n z o Verruguete, a na tive of Paredes de Navas, near Valladolid. In this w o r k he has difcovered a moil tranfcendent genius, grandeur o f ilyle, and ele gance and chaility of defign. H o w dif

ferent from all that has been done for a century pail in this kingdom ! T h e doors are defigned in a great manner; the bafsreliefs, figures, feiloons, medallions, & c .

are o f excellent invention and execution ; the ornaments of the cornices, w i n d o w s ,

and capitals are delicate, and fuitable to the general effect.. O n the pedeitals of the

columns, that fupport the entablement o f the great door, are reliefs on dark marble, that for poliih might pafs for bronze at a lit tle diilance ; the Doric door in the fouth fide, called E l Zanguenete, pleafed me greatly, as there is fomething fimply elegant in the tafte,

274

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

and new in the ornamental part; the pedi ment isfilledwith a fcroll thrown with great eafe, on which is infcribed plus outre, the motto of the Emperor, which he never failed introducing into every public work he undertook. You come, through an oblong vefabule, into the court which forms the center of the palace. It is an exact circle, of one hundred and forty-four feet diame ter, round which runs a Doric colonnade, or portico, of thirty-two columns, fupporting an upper gallery of an equal number of pillars, of the Ionic order. They are all of them of one entire block of reddiih mar ble. The portico is nineteen feet wide, and ferves as a communication with the ftaircafe, and the intended apartments, which are difpofed round the court in various forms ana proportions. The roof of the gallery is crumbling away very fafc, and ma ny of the columns are much damaged. The apartments never had any other covering than

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

275

than the i k y ; and nothing but the matchiefs temperature of the climate could have faved this beautiful \ v o r k fo many years,
r

from total ruin. T h e magnificence, the unity of this whole pile, but, above all, the ele gance of the circular court, quite tranfported me with pleafure, on the firil view, and I have ever fince found m y admiration increafe in proportion to the number o f m y vifits. Adjoining (to the north) Hands a huge heap of as u g l y buildings as can well be feen, all huddled together, feemingly without the leaf! intention o f forming one habitation out o f them. T h e walls are entirely unorna-

mented, all gravel and pebbles, daubed over with plafter b y a very coarie h a n d ; yet

this is the palace o f the Mooriih kings o f Granada, indlfputably the molt curious place within, that exifts in Spain, perhaps in E u rope. In many countries, y o u may fee e x

cellent modern as well as ancient architecture, T 2 both

276

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

both entire and in ruins ; but nothing to be met w i t h any where elfe can convey an idea o f this edifice, except y o u take it from the decorations of an opera, or the tales of the Genii. I therefore look upon it to Hand alone in its kind, and consequently think no e x cufe neceflary, previous to m y entering upon the minute detail I intend giving y o u of it. Palling round the corner of the Emperor's palace, y o u are admitted at a plain unornamented door in a corner. O n m y firft v i -

fit, I confefs, I was ftruck with amazement, as I slept over the threshold, to find myfelf on a sudden tranfported into a fpecies of fairy-land. T h e first place y o u come to, is

the court called the communa, or del mefucar, that is the common baths: A n oblong fquare, with a deep bafon of clear water in the middle; t w o flights of marble Heps leading d o w n to the bottom; on each fide a par

terre of flowers, and a row of orange trees. Round he court runs a peristyle paved with 4 . 1 marble;

i-

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

ijy

marble ;

the arches bear upon very flight different

pillars, in proportions and fiyle

from all the regular orders of architecture. T h e ceilings and walls are incruftated w i t h fret-work in flucco, fo minute and intricate, that the moil patient draughtsman would find it difficult to follow it, unlefs he made himfelf mailer of the general plan. This would

facilitate the operation exceedingly, for all this w o r k is frequently and regularly repeated at certain diftances, and has been executed b y means of fquare moulds applied fucceffively, and the parts joined together with the utmoft nicety. fentences of In every divifion are Arabic different lengths, moil of

them expreffive o f the following meanings ; " There is no conqueror but G o d o r ,

" Obedience and honour to our L o r d A b o u r " abdoulah." T h e ceilings are gilt or paint ed, and time has caufed no diminution in the frefhnefs of their colours, though con

stantly

expofed to the air.

T h e lower part

278

TRAVELS

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

of the Walls is mofaic, difpofed in fantastic knots and feftoons. A w o r k fo new to me,

fo exquifitely finifhed, and fo different from all I had ever feen, afforded me the molt agreeable fenfations, which, I allure y o u , redoubled every ftep I took in this magic ground. T h e porches at the ends are more than any thing eife I can That on the right hand

like grotto-work,
compare them to.

opens into an octagon vault, under the E m

peror's palace, and forms a perfect whifpering-gallery, meant to be a communication between the offices of both houfes.
Oppofite to the door of the through ing communa

which you enter, into the Quarto de los

is another, lead hones, or apart

ment of the lions, which is an oblong court, one hundred feet In length, and fifty in breadth, environed with a colonnade feven

feet

broad on the

fides, and

ten at the end.

Two porticos or cabinets, about fifteen feet fquare, project into the court at the t w o extre-

COURT /. LIONS ^ tac ALHAMBRA on AloORISKPALACE /

feet broad on the fides, and ten at the end. T w o porticos or cabinets,, about fifteen feet fquare, project into the court at the t w o extre-

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

279

extremities.

T h e fquare is paved with co

loured tiles; the colonnade with white mar ble. T h e walls are covered five feet up from the ground with blue and yellow tiles, difpofed chequerwife. A b o v e and below is a

border of fmall efcutcheons, enamelled blue and gold, with an Arabic motto on a bend, fignifying, " N o conqueror but G o d . " T h e columns that Support the roof and gallery are of white marble, v e r y Slender, and fan tastically adorned. T h e y are nine feet high,

including bafe and capital, and eight inches and an half diameter. T h e y are very irre

gularly placed, Sometimes fingly, at others in groups of three, but more frequently two. together. T h e width of the horfe-ihoe

arches above them is four feet t w o inches for the large ones, and three for the fmaller. T h e ceiling of the portico is fmifhed in a much finer and more complicated manner, than that o f the communa, and the Stucco laid on the walls with inimitable delicacy;
T

in

280 in the

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N . ceiling it is frofted and handled

with aftoniihing art.

T h e capitals are o f

various defigns, though each defign is re peated feveral times in the circumference o f the court, but not the leaft attention has been paid to placing them regularly or oppofite to each other. Y o u will form a much clearer

idea o f their Style, as well as diSpofition, from the drawings, than from the moil N o t the

elaborate defcription I can pen.

fmalleft representation of animal life can be difcovered amidft the varieties of foliages, grotefques, and Strange ornaments. About

each arch is a large Square of arabafques, Sur rounded with a rim o f characters, that are generally quotations from the Koran. O v e r the pillars is another Square o f delightful filligree work. Higher up is a wooden.rim, or kind o f cornice, as much enriched with carving as the ilucco that covers the part underneath. Over this projects a roof o f

red tiles, the only thing that disfigures this beautiful

or k i n d or cornice, as mucn enricnea witri carving as the itucco that covers the part underneath. Over this projects a roof o f

i?ed tiles, the only thing that disfigures this beautiful

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN. beautiful fquare.

281

T h i s ugly covering is-

modern, put on b y order of M r . W a l l , the late prime minifter, w h o a few years ago gave the Alhambra a thorough repair. In

Moorifh times the building was covered with large painted and glazed tiles, o f w h i c h fome few are fall to be feen. In the center

of the court are twelve ill-made lions m u z zled, their fore-parts Smooth, their hind-

parts rough, w h i c h bear upon their backs an enormous bafon, out of which a leffer rifes. W h i l e the pipes were kept in good

order, a great volume o f water was thrown up, that, falling down into the bafons,

paffed through the beafts,

and ilfued out

o f their mouths into a large refervoir, where it communicated b y channels with the j e t d'eaus in the apartments. o f white marble, feiloons, lated;
i l

T h i s fountain is

embelliihed with many thus trans

and Arabic diftichs,

Seeft

282

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

" "
4

'

" " " *' ' " *' "

" Seed thou not how the waterflowscopioufly like the Nile ?" " This refembles a fea wafhing over its fhores, threatening Shipwreck to the manner. " This water runs abundantly, to give drink to the lions/' " Terrible as the lion is our king in the day of battle." " The Nile gives glory to the king, and the lofty mountains proclaim it." " This garden is fertile in delights ; God takes care that no noxious animal ihall approach it," " The fair princefs that walks in this garden, covered with pearls, augments its beauty fo much, that thou may'ft doubt whether it be a fountain that flows, or the tears of her admirers*."
* T h i s paffage is very obfcure in the Latin tranfla-

tion. I have endeavoured to make fom'ething of it, but it ffill remains a forced conceit.

Paf-

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

283

Faffing along the colonnade, and keeping on the fouth fide, you come to a circular room ufed by the men as a place for drink ing coffee and forbets in. A fountain in the middle refrefhed the apartment in fummer. The form of this hall, the elegance of its cupola, the cheerful difhrihution of light from above, and the exquiiite manner in which the ftucco is defigned, painted, and finilhed, exceed all my powers of defcription. Every thing in it infpires the mofc pieafing, voluptuous ideas : yet in this fweet retreat they pretend that Abouabdoulah affembled the Abencerrages, and eaufed their heads to be ftruck off into the fountain. Our guide, with a look exprefiive of implicit faith, pointed out to us the itains of their blood in the white marble flabs; which is nothing more than the reddiih marks of iron-water in the quarry, or perhaps the effect of being long expofed to the air. Continuing your walk round, you are next brought

284-

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

brought to a couple of rooms at the head o f the court, which are fuppofed to have been tribunals, or audience-chambers. In the

ceiling are three historical paintings, exe cuted with much Strength, but great ftiffnefs in the figures and countenances. One of

them feems to be a cavalcade ; the other the entrance of fome princefs; and the third a divan. W h e n thefe were painted, and what I could not

they are meant to reprefent,

make o u t ; but our Cicerone naturally adapt ed them to the hiilory of the Sultana and her four Christian knights. I f they are re

presentations of that doubtful Story, t h e y mult have been painted in the Emperor's time, or a little before, for it cannot be fup pofed that Abouabdoulah would w i l h to perpetuate the memory of a tranfacfion in which he bore fo very weak and difhonourable a p a r t : A n d beSides, the anathema de nounced b y the Koran againft all represen tations of living creatures, renders it next to

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

285

to impoffible that thefe pieces fhould have exifled previous to the conqueft. T h e lions

o f the great fountain may be brought as an argument againit m y laft reafon ; and in deed they fhew that the Granadine princes, as well as fome of the oriental caliphs, w h o put their o w n effigy on their coin, ventured n o w and then to place themfelves above the letter o f the law. B e this as it will, if thefe that, fubject, and

pictures really reprefent

their antiquity can be proved to go as far back as the reign o f Ferdinand, or at leafl the beginning o f that o f Charles, w h i c h I take to be no very difficult matter to

make out, I fhould have much greater refpect for the authority o f Giles Peres than m a n y think.him entitled to. It can fcarce

be fuppofed that the events o f the reign o f Abouabdoulah could be fo totally forgotten fo foon after, that a painter lhould dare to invent a trial and combat, at which many flill

286

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

flill living in Granada might have aflifted as fpectators. Oppofite to the Sola- de los Abencerrages is the entrance into the Torre de las dos hermanas, or the tower of the t w o fillers, fo named from t w o very beautiful pieces of marble laid as flags in the pavement. This

gate exceeds all the reft in profusion of or naments and in beauty of profpect, which it affords through a range of apartments, where a multitude of arches terminate in a large, w i n d o w open to the country. In a

gleam of funfhine, the variety of tints and lights thrown upon this enfilade are uncom monly rich. I employed much time in making an exact drawing of it from the fountain, , and hope it will help y o u to comprehend what I am labouring to explain by m y nar rative. T h e firfl hall is the concert-room,

where the women fate ; the muficians played above in four balconies. jet d'eau. In the middle is a

T h e marble pavement I take to be

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

287

be equal to the fineit exiif ing, for the fize of the flags, and evennefs of the colour. The

t w o filters, w h i c h give name to the room, are flabs that meafure fifteen feet b y feven and a half, without flaw or ftain. The

walls, up to a certain height, are mofaic, and above are divided into very neat com partments of ftucco, all of one deiign, which is alfo followed in many of the adjacent halls and galleries. T h e ceiling is a fretted cove.

T o preferve this vaulted roof, as well as feme of the other principal cupolas, the outward walls of the towers are railed ten feet above the top of the dome, and fupport another

roof over all, b y which means no damage can ever be caufed by wet weather, or exceffive heat and cold. From this hall y o u pafs

round the little myrtle-garden of Lindaraxa, into an additional building made to the eaft .end b y Charles V . T h e rooms are fmail

and low : his dear motto, Plus outre, appears on every beam. - . This leads to a little tower, projecting

288

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

projecting from the line of the north wallj called El tocador, or the dreffing room of the Sultana. It is a fmall fquare cabinet, in the

middle of an open gallery, from which it receives light by a door and three windows. T h e look-out charming. large marble flag, In one corner is a full of holes, af-

drilled

through which the fmoke of perfumes

cended from furnaces b e l o w ; and here, it is prefumed, the Moorifh queen was wont to fit to fumigate and fweeten her perfon. T h e emperor caufed this pretty little room to be painted with reprefentations o f his

wars, and a great variety of grotefques, which appear to be copies, or at leaf! imita tions, of thofe in the loggie of the Vatican. T h e y have been shamefully abufed b y idle fcribblers; what remains fhews them to be the w o r k of able artifts. From hence y o u

go through a long paffage to the hall o f ambaffadors, which is magnificently decorated with innumerable varieties of mofaics, and the

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

289

the mottos of all the kings of Granada. T h i s long narrow antichamber opens into the communa on the left hand, and on the right into the great audience-hall in the tower o f Comares, a noble apartment, thirty-fix feet Square, thirty-fix high up to the cornice, and eighteen from thence to the centre of the cu pola. T h e walls on three fides are fifteen feet thick, on the other nine ; the lower range o f w i n d o w s thirteen feet high. T h e whole hall is inlaid with mofaic of many colours, difpofed in intricate knots, ftars, and other figures.

In every part are repeated certain Arabic Sentences, the principal of which are the following: " T h e counSel of G o d and a Speedy in. " creafe, and give j o y to true believers." " Praife to G o d , and to his vicegerent
M

Nazar, w h o gave this empire, and to our

" king Abouabdoulah, to w h o m be peace, " elevation, and glory." .

N . B . Nazar is an appellation of emiVOL. i, U nence,

29O

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

nence, and fuppofed to mean the fa mous Emirmoumelin Jacob Almanzar, " There is no G o d but G o d . " " Valour, fuccefs, and duration to our " king Abulhaghagh, king of the Moors ; " God " guide his State and elevate his

power!" *f Praife be to G o d , for I enliven this

" dwelling of princes with m y beauty, and " with m y crown. " have fountains I Strike firm r o o t ; I of purefl my water, and

" handfome
u

apartments;

inhabitants May

are lords o f mighty puiilance*

* G o d , w h o guides his people, protect me, * *' for I attend to the Sayings of the holy S " I am thus adorned by the hand and libe" rality o f Abulhaghagh, w h o is a bright " moon that calls forth his light over the " face o f heaven." Thefe infcriptions, and many others difperfed over the palace, prove that there is very

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

29I

very little o f it remaining that is not the w o r k o f Abulhaghagh, or o f Abouabdoulah. H a v i n g thus completed the tour o f upper apartments, which are upon the

a level

with the offices of the new palace^ y o u defcend to the lower floor, w h i c h confuted of bedchambers and fummer-rooms : the

backftairs and paffages, that facilitated the intercourfe between them, are without num ber. T h e molt remarkable room below is the king's bedchamber, w h i c h communicated, b y means o f a gallery, with the upper flory. T h e beds were placed in t w o alcoves, upon a raifed pavement of blue and white tiles. ; but as it has been repaired by Philip V . w h o paffed fome time here, I cannot fay h o w it may have been in former times. A fountain

played in the middle, to refrefh the apart ment in hot weather. Behind the alcoves,

are fmall doors that conduct y o u to the royal baths. Thefe confift in one final!

clofet with marble cifterns for walking chilu 2 dren.

292

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

dren, t w o rooms for grown-up perfons, and vaults for boilers and furnaces, that fupplied the baths with water, and the Stoves with vapours. T h e troughs are formed of large

flabs of white marble ; the walls are beau tified with party-coloured earthern ware ;

l i g h t - i s admitted b y holes in the coved deling. H a r d b y is a whifpering gallery, and a kind of labyrinth, faid to have been made for the diverfion of the w o m e n and children. O n e of the paffages of communication is fenced off with a Strong iron grate, and called the priSon of the Sultana ; but it Seems more probable that it was put up to prevent any body from climbing up into the women's quarter. Under the council-room is a long flip, called the king's Study ; and adjoining to it are Several vaults, Said to be the place of bu rial of the royal family. In the year 1 5 7 4 ,

four fepulchres were opened^ but, as they contained

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

293

contained nothing but bones and aihes, were immediately clofed again. I ihall finiih this defcription of the A l hambra, by obferving h o w admirably every thing was planned, and calculated for render ing this palace the moil voluptuous o f all retirements ; what plentiful fupplies of water were brought to refrefh it in the hot months of fummer ; what a free circulation o f air was contrived, b y the judicious difpofition of doors and windows ; what ihady gardens o f aromatic trees; what n o b k views over the beautiful hills and fertile plains ! N o wonder the Moors regretted Granada ; no wonder they ilill offer up prayers to G o d every Friday for the recovery o f this city, which they eileem a terreftrial paradife,

294

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

L E T T E R

XXIV.
. ... . ;

Granada,

December 30, 1775.

A * *

F T E R the Alhambra, I am afraid the reft of the city will g o d o w n

but poorly. T h e Alameda, along the banks o f the Xenil, is as pleafant a walk as any in Spain, but the river has feldom water enough to en liven the.profpect with a reflected landfcape. T h e hill rifes boldly, to back the avenue, with orange-groves, cyprefs-alieys, and clufters of houfes, grouped upon the w a v i n g line o f its fides and fummit. T h i s , and

another drive beyond the river, are the chief places of refort for people on foot or in coaches ; and the beauty of Granada is no where more ftriking than from thefe points pf view. T h e more diftant parts of the hill

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

2Q

hill are rather bare, and hollowed out into caverns, inhabited by a t a w n y , ill-favoured tribe, w h o have either excavated the moun tain, or found it ready fcooped out to their hands by the ancient poffeifors of the coun try. In winter, thefe grottos are fo warm,

that they fleep in them.without clothes or covering to the bed ; and in fummer they

are fo cool, as to be dangerous for Such perfons as come Suddenly out o f the heat o f the external atmofphere. T h e environs of the t o w n are charming even now. E v e r y body tells us, that, in

fummer, Granada is a delicious abode, ne ver too cold nor too hot, refreShed b y numberleSs Streams, and perfumed b y all the fweets wafted b y the breeze from the

gardens that lie Scattered over the declivities o f the neighbouring hills. Nothing can funfhiny

be more agreeable, in the mild

afternoons which w e enjoy here, though at Chriftmas, than the walks along the heights ; . U 4

Of

296

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

There is always a great

of the Alhambra.

concourfe of people fitting on the grafs, balking in the fun, and diverting themfelves, as i f it were a fair. Venders of cakes,

toys, and liquors, call their wares through the crowd. T h e w o m e n come to lhew

themfelves in their holiday finery, dreft out in black filk petticoats and veils. In that

habit every woman has fomething uncom monly alluring. Here indeed the fex is

really handfome in any drefs ; their com plexions are fairer, their ikins clearer, and their cheeks glow with a brighter tinge than any faces w e have met with in our journey down the coaft. T h e diitance of Granada

from the fea-ports has probably preferved it from that general infection of the odious difeafe, w h i c h rages v/ith fuch virulence, in all the trading towns. T h e furprifing pu-*

rity of its air mult aMb greatly contribute towards the freihnefs of their looks. In

many haufes, a current of water paffes in

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

297

an uncovered channel through bedchambers where people Sleep, winter and fummer,

without its having the leaft bad effect upon their health. Fruit and butchers meat re

main in the Alhambra an unufual length o f time without taint or putrefaction. T h e walls and gates o f the town, very few parts excepted, are demolilhed or built up, and the city is open on all fides. of the Streets are narrow and dirty. Moft To

the lanes and alleys the common people retire to perform the moft filthy o f nature's functions : but they d o T t with much de cency, having b y long practice acquired great expertnefs in cafting their cloak like a net, fo as to fall exactly round at a pro per diftance from the body. T h o u g h it

is common enough to find them fquatted down in the ftreets, y o u never fee any body make water publicly, for when preffed,

they always retire behind a door, into an entry, or to fome fecret corner. The

298

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

. T h e Rambla is a very broad, long ftreet, leading to the great w a l k : a lofty church, and fome public buildings, give this ftreet an air of grandeur not common in a the fmall houfes

Spanifh city.

Moft o f

are Moorifh built, or coarfe imitations o f that manner, the modern mafons decorating their walls with uncouth copies of Saracenic mofaics. I believe there is fcaree a houfe

in Granada that has not over its door, in large red characters, the words, Ave Maria

purijjima Jin pecado concebida ; this is the cri de guerre of the Francifcan friars, w h o are the heads of the party that maintain the conception o f the V i r g i n M a r y to been performed without her of the ftain of original fin. have

participating T h i s is a and

favourite tenet in Spain,

ftrengthened

confirmed b y the inflitution of order of knighthood

the new

of Carlos Tercero,

b y the v o w s of the ancient military orders, and by the oath adminiftered to all candi dates

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN. dates for degrees.

299

A t their reception they

fwear to defend, b y word and deed, the doctrine of the immaculate conception. T h e Dominicans are the grand antagonists o f the Conceptionifts. T h e market-place is fpacious, but its build ings are horridly ugly. T h e y are Moorifh,

and from top to bottom feem to be nothing but rows o f large windows, divided b y nar row brick pilafters. T h e ihambles are a A l l meat

building apart, and clean enough.

bought in them muft be weighed before a fitting committee of magistrates, before the buyer is Suffered to carry home his purchafe.' O n e o f our fervants was yefterday hurried to jail, through ignorance o f this regulation. A n alguazil, coming up behind him, feized e n his catering bafket : this abrupt mode o f proceeding was repulfed b y a violent b l o w on the chaps with a Shoulder o f mutton, which brought the Spaniard to the ground. Our hero was marching off triumphant, when

300

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

when.the pride o f victory getting the better of his prudence, he Suffered himfelf to be furprifed b y a detachment o f alguazils, w h o lodged him in prifon, till our banker waited upon the magistrates, and procured his difeharge. T h e outfides of the churches are painted in a theatrical tafte, and their infides fet off with a profufion of marbles, brought from the neighbouring mountains: the dark green, from the Sierra .Nevada, is the moil: valuable. Tables o f an extraordinary, fize have been lately cut of; that marble, for the infant D o n Lewis.; but as. the roads have been fince quite deilroyed by the torrents, the future

carriage of fuch large blocks from

trouble.

the moun

tain will be attended with great expence and. T h e r e are alfo many, handfome diverfified and

brown marbles - and alabafters, with an tints. infinite number

o f ihades

One whole ftreet of artificers is em

ployed in making little boxes, bracelets,

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

30I

neck-laces, and other knick-knacks, of fuch materials, which they retail cheap enough. It is ufual in gentlemen's houfes to frame fine fpecimens of marble, and hang them up in the apartments b y w a y of ornament. T h e cathedral, which, in point o f archi tecture, Hands very high in the opinion of the Granadines, is an aifemblage o f three churches. T h e firft is a clumfy pariih-churchj the fecond, a large chapel, erected b y Ferdi nand V . at that unfortunate a r a of the arts, w h e n all the lightnefs and beautiful caprice o f the Saracenic tafte was laid afide,to make room for an unwieldy, prepofterous mode o f build ing, and a few years before the magnificence, elegance, and purity of Grecian architec ture came again to be underitood, reliihed, and copied. Both within and without, this

chapel is incumbered with the weight of its o w n ill-proportioned ornaments. Ferdinand

and Ifabella repofe before the altar, under a large marble monument full o f figures and 4 g
r o

302

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

grotefques, in a pretty good ftyle; which proves what a furpriiing revolution the arts had undergone fince the time of building the chapel. T h e t w o catholic monarchs lie b y

the fide of each other; and adjoining, on a iimilar tomb, are Stretched out the effigies o f Philip the Fair, o f Auftria, their Son-inlaw, and o f Joan their daughter, his wife. Over the great door is the emblem o f the united monarchies, a bundle o f arrows tied together, and clutched in the talons o f a fmgle-headed eagle. From the chapel y o u pafs into the main church, begun in the reign o f Charles V . but not yet quite finiihed. It has the ad

vantage of receiving abundance o f light in every p a r t ; but the architect, w h o has eSSayed every order o f architecture both on the outfide and inSde o f the church, has combined and difpofed them in So heavy and confufed a manner, that they produce none

of that grand effect which refults from the well-

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

303

well-proportioned parts of one whole, when placed in perfect harmony with each other; fuch as fills the eye with one great object, and affords the fenfes a repofe and Satisfac tion, undifturbed by the irregular predomi nance o f any of the component members. Here they have carried the extravagance o f fancy to fuch a pitch, that at one altar they have turned a fet of twified columns o f beautiful marble topfy-turvy, and placed the fmaller end on the bafe : the uncouthnefs o f the appearance correfponds with the abfurdit y of the idea. T h e high altar is infulated,

after the R o m a n faihion, under a very lofty dome, which would be entitled to the ad miration of connoiffeurs, had they taken lefs pains to load the arches, and the angles o f the cupola, with ftatues, pictures, and feftoons. T h e area round its bafis, with the pavement,

fine iron railing, and marble makes a great ihew.

I obferved no very

good paintings over any of the altars; but read

304

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN".

read an. order, hung up in one of the iles,. which thunders out the pain of the greater excommunication againit all fuch as walk here for their pleafure, or converfe with Left this the idle

w o m e n in any of the chapels. anathema mould not reftrain

and the amorous,

the fpiritual court has

added to it a fine of four ducats for each offence. T h e church of St. John o f G o d is richly ornamented, and So are many others in G r a nada ; but I faw none that did much credit to their architects, few o f w h o m feem to have comprehended or admired the princi ples upon which Verruguete proceeded in building the new palace in the Alhambra. T h e amphitheatre for bull-feafts is built with ftone, and paffes for one of the beft in Spain. T h e court of chancery fits in a new build ing, of a difagreeable ftyle, heavy and dis jointed. There are Some medallions, and

pillars

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

305

pillars of fine marble, in the main fronts T h i s court of judicature (of which fpecies there is but another in the kingdom, eftablifhed at Valladolid) comprehends within

its jurisdiction more than half Spain, e x tending to the very neighbourhood of M a drid. Appeals lie to it from all the audi

ences and lower courts, and from it to the council of Caftille only. Before the con

demnation has been ratified here, no inferior judge is authorized to execute the fentence of death upon a criminal, under the pain o f forfeiting five hundred maravedis, a fum fo trifling, according to the prefent value o f money, that it is not likely to deter a refolute officer of juffcice from puniihing an offender without delay. T h i s tribunal draws a fwarm of lawyers to the place, w h o abforb its riches, and are the only people that live with any degree' o f luxury or affluence. T h e y foon confume may have

the little wealth a farmer or tradefman VOL. I X

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

have fcraped together, by involving him in fome law-fuit or other, out of which he cannot extricate himfelf, as long as he has a farthing left to pay his attorney with. This, and many other kinds of opprefiion, have reduced Granada to a itate of great poverty and defpondency. Commerce is very feebly carried on, without encouragement or pro tection; the crops of the fertile Vega diminiih annually; population gradually decreafes. The city does not contain more than fifty thoufand inhabitants, of which number about eighteen thoufand only are ufeful working hands ; the furplus is made up of lawyers, clergymen, children, and beggars. There are not lefs. than a thoufand fturdy, ablebodied rafeis, that live by alms and con ventual donations. We this morning faw a whole regiment of them drawing off in great order from the gate of the Carthufians, where they had been to .receive a luncheon of bread and a platter of porridge a-piece. Many

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

307

M a n y of them afterwards adjourned to a ihop, where feveral perfons were playing publicly at dice. T h e play-houfe differs in fome refpects from thofe w e have feen in other parts o f the kingdom: the men occupy all the groundfloor, and the women fit very high up, in a crazy kind of gallery. T h e fire of the

flints and fteels was fo quick among the men, w h o were all preparing to Smoke, or Smok ing, that it looked like foldiers going through their exercife. T h e y gave us one day a

Strange farce, which it was impoffible to make any thing o f ; it was all metamor-

phofis, a continual change of clothes and character; at laft out came a Capuchin friar, mounted on an afs, w h o , after many gri maces and buffooneries, coupled the other actors in the bands of holy wedlock.

308

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

L E T T E R

XXV.

Granada, January I , 1776 E S T E R D A Y morning w e took

a itroll behind the Alhambra, paffmg below the Puerto, de -losJietefuelos, which was formerly the great entrance. T h i s gate

has been long blocked up, and the feven ftories of vaults, from which it derived its name, filled with rubbifh. A little farther where

on, the wall turns to the north-eaft, the towers are very high.

Part of the hill,

which is a ftrong-cemented gravel, has been cut through, to make a dry ditch before them. A fingle arch croifes it, and conveys into the palace a copious fupply of water. T h e path

d o w n this folitary, g l o o m y hollow, is rugged, and broken b y the wafte waters. A b o u t the

middle is a very low poflern, through which jhe court palled, when it chofe to retire to the

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

309

the fpring palace, which Stands on a hill to the right. Nearer the Dauro, the water has burit all its conduits, and broken the gravel-bank into a-tremendous precipice. Here w e de-

fcended into the charming vale o f Dauro, where w e remarked the remnants o f a

Mooriih bridge and tower, that appear to have fupported a gallery o f communica

tion between the Alhambra and Albaycin. T h e view from the little green bank

near the river, though a confined one, is unfpeakably beautiful; at the bottom, where the cathedral and other Steeples rife in a group, in the narrow reach, the little

Stream winds its w a y into the heart o f the city. T o the fouth, the fine verdant Slopes

are crowned with the turrets o f the A l hambra, the hanging woods and gardens

o f the Generaliph, and the banks of the Sierra del S o l ; on the north, are the A l b a y cin, innumerable gardens and orchards, and x % caverns

310

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

W e found our

caverns full of inhabitants.

mules waiting for us here, and proceeded up the river, a very pleafant convents, ride, be

tween villas and

romantically

Situated, mills and water-falls, gardens and plantations of fruit-trees, filberts. and thickets o f

W e turned off to the Southward,

b y the ruins of a Small aqueduct, and came back over the mountain, on the top of w h i c h is a long ridge of Stones, faid to be the re mains of the ancient Iiliberia. It has more

the appearance of a park-wall, or line of circumvallation. O n the point that over

looks the Alhambra, Stood formerly the fort of the Sun, or Saint Helena, under w h i c h run three canals, cut in the rock, one above the other, which Serve to convey water to the city from the mountains, Springs, and the river. ish, Some large reServoirs, of M o o r

or perhaps more ancient origin, Still The

Subfift below in perfect prefervation.

water of the largefc is very limpid, and it was

TRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

3II

was never k n o w n to be dry.

Hiftorians

relate a very lingular proof o f the abun dance o f its fprings and Supplies, though none can be difcerned to boil up in the baSon. W h e n D . John of Auftria marched a

body o f troops of five thoufand men into the Alpuxaras mountains, againSt the McriScos, at the hotteSt Seafon o f the year, he halted at this refervoir, to allow them time quench their burning thirft. to

T h e y drank

and wafted as much o f its water as they chofe, yet there could not be perceived the leaft diminution in the original contained in the pond. quantity

W e Hopped at the

Generaliph, which was the refidence o f the Sultan in April and M a y : it n o w .belongs

to the Conde de Campotejar, a GenoeSe nobleman, of the name o f Grimaldi, de scended in the female line from the royal family of Granada. T h e remains of the for

building are Scarce worth looking a t ;

the nobleft halls, and belt finifhed work, x 4

s

are

312

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

are almofl entirely demoiifhed.

T h e things-

yet existing that claim attention, are the following: a double hedge o f royal myrtle, above fifteen feet high ; a row of cypreifes of prodigious height and bulkthe fervant pointed out a little recefs behind them, where the fultana was accufed of having committed adultery with Abencerrage; great abundance of water running through all the little no

courts,

but the grand jetd'eaus are

longer kept in repair. T h i s day, being the anniverfary of the furrender of Granada to Ferdinand and

Ifabella, was obferved as a great feftival, and day of rejoicing. T w o or three feeble

cracks from the cannon of the palace an nounced the feaft to the populace, .who flocked to the hill to pay their annual vifit to the Moorifh palace, which is this day open to all comers that can pay an acknow ledgment to the governor's fervant. He

accounts to his mailer for thefe perquifites, A which

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN; 3 1 3

which in fome years amount to five hundred pezzettas. T h e prefent alcalde, or governor,

refides in a fmall corner of the palace, where the emperor had made his chapel, and from a little w i n d o w fuperintends the bufinefs, counting the heads that pafs the

threihold, and calculating the fum they m a y have taxed themfelves at. H e lives quite

retired in his cattle, and employs his many leifure hours, not in profound {peculations or learned refearches, but in emptying as many bottles of wine as the only arm he has left (for he has loft one) has fteadinefs to pour into his glafs. W e entered the Alhambra with the crowd, and took a laft farewell of that charming fpot, where w e have pafled many delicious hours every day during our ftay in Granada.

LET*

314

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.
-

L E T T E R
.
fm

XXVI.

Antequera, January 8, 1776..

W~ J-

9x

H E fecorid day of this new year, w e fet out from Granada, by the

w a y of the V e g a , in which w e faw neither vines nor mulberry-trees, but all arable lands, which, near the city, let at about a dohlon the fanega for the upper grounds, and in the l o w , well-watered parts, at a doblon de a, echo: fome fpots, that are proper for g r o w

ing water-melons, run up to near fix dobIons a year. Square feet. T h e fanega contains 3 1 , 7 0 0 Copioufnefs of water fertilizes

thefe plains ; but in rainy weather the roads are not paifable. W e came for dinner to the

Soto de R o m a , where w e had already paid a vifit. T h i s was originally a hunting feat

for Charles V . fmce occasionally inhabited b y his fucceifors, and now granted for life to lieutenant-general Richard W a l l , late

prime

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

315

prime minifter of Spain.

It was quite in

ruins when he came to live hete : he has rebuilt part of it, cleaned it, and fitted up

the houfe with elegant Engliih furniture, in the Style o f one o f our villas. T h e waters

of four rivers meet here, and caufe Srequent inundations in winter. In Summer the air

is very unwholeSome, as the woods and ditches at that feafon abound with reptiles and vermin o f all forts. T h e SoreSt round

it contains about four thoufand acres, and was referved to the crown b y Ferdinand the Catholic, w h e n he divided the conquered country a m o n g his followers. E l m , poplar,

and Some oak, are the kind o f trees that g r o w here in any quantity: they are cut

d o w n for repairs o f the eState, and for the Service-of the royal arfenals. Mr. Wall

has drained moft of the woods, opened pleafant drives throughout, filled up the naked Spots with plantations o f ufeful timber trees, and thinned the old quarters with great judgment

3l6

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

judgment.

This is almoil the only place multi

in Spain where pheafants thrive and p l y fi

In the beginning of fpring, at the and during the winter

end of autumn,

months, this is a very agreeable rural habi-r tation. M r . W a l l refides at the Soto from

October to M a y ; he then goes to A r a n j u e z , to attend the court for a month ; after which he comes for the fummer city of Granada. to the

T h e king has given up

to him all the revenues arifing from thefe demefnes, and they are laid out in improv ing and beautifying the place, which M r . W a l l feems to understand perfectly well. H e has every thing within himfelf: his o w n flocks, herds, and poultry fupply his table with meat provifions ; the woods furniih it with game, the rivers with fiih, and the kitchen-garden with every kind of vegetable. H e is n o w in his eighty-third year, a man of a fpare, neat make, active, and fond o f * This bird was introduced into Spain by the em peror Charles V. exercife,

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN. 3 1 7

exercife, of a fair complexion and engaging countenance. H e rifes betimes, walks feve-

ral hours a day, fuperintends his workmen, and, though he fees but little company, takes the greateft care to have every thing that is excellent in its k i n d f e r v e d up at his table, where his behaviour is as eafy and cheerful as if he were only thirty years of a g e ; not the fmalleft grain o f minifterial referve or affectation: he is free and communicative in his converfation, which he renders infinitely agreeable by feafoning it with a variety o f lively anecdotes o f events and perfons,

w h i c h fo long a life o f public employment has furniihed him with in great abundance. H e is fond o f talking, but acquits himfelf fp weh o f the tafk, that the moft loquacious mull liflen with patience and pleafure to his difcourfe, always heightened with mirth and good-humour. Courts and miniftershe

treats with the ridicule they, for the moft part, deferve. A man w h o has palled fo many

318

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

many years behind the curtain, mult often reflect with contempt on the futile, abfurd Springs, that fet in motion the grand politi cal machine. It was with the greateft re leave of this moll

gret that w e took amiable ftatefman*,

and purfued our jour

ney to Loja, a large t o w n on the X e n i l , where v/e got in juft in time to efcape a moft terrible ftorm of thunder and followed b y a very heavy fhower. lightning, -

T h e next morning w e faw all the'moun tains covered with fnow. This, ftorm Soak

ed So deep into the fat, greafy foil, that it was not without very extraordinary efforts

that our mules dragged us up the Steep hills. T h e country between L o x a and this place is very hilly, except an extenfive plain in this neighbourhood. W e pafled through

Some very fine woods o f evergreen oak. Antequera is a large Straggling town, at fj Mr. Wall died in the beginning of 1778. the

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

319

the extremity of the plain, Situated on fede ral hillocks in a nook of the mountains. O n the 5th inftant w e hired a guide, and fet out on horfeback for Malaga, b y the mountain road, w h i c h is a ride of about

feven leagues, whereas it requires a couple of days to g o round in a carriage. At a

fhort league from Antequera w e came to the foot of the Efcaruela, an almort perpendi cular rocky mountain, w h i c h w e afcended by a very dangerous winding path. A fel in

low employed to keep the mule-track

repair, lives in a hut half w a y up, and fells brandy to travellers, w h o very often fband in great need of a cordial in this cold region o f the air. H a v i n g gained the fummit, we

traverfed a plain encircled b y ihaggy rocks, and then rode for fome hours up and d o w n a chain of high wild mountains. W e then

defcended gradually to lower hills in culti vation. T h e vines are planted in rows,

without props: the intervals are ploughed with

320

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

with oxen once a year, and the fhoots prun ed, which is almoft all the dreffing they require. Thefe are the outikirts of which the

high-country vineyards,

produce

the wine w e drink in England by the name o f Mountain. W e next got down to ftill lower land, where w e found the almond-trees white

with bloffoms, and the hedges full of peri winkle, myrtle, marigold, oleander, cifhis, honeyfuckles, and many other flowers, in full blow. W e dined upon fome cold meat, at the door of a vehta, in the made, for the fun was too powerful to fit in. A n itinerant beggar made no difficulty, though it was Friday, of partaking of what w e could fpare from our repaft; and in return for ourkindnefs, rolled up a little minced tobac co in a piece o f white paper, put it in his mouth, to try if the roll was properly conftructed, and then prefented it, ready lighted, to

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

32I

tb m y friend S . T.

as the moil polite

acknowledgment he could make. After dinner, w e jogged on over hills and dales, along very narrow paths, to the playa or plain of Malaga, at which city w e arrived about four o'clock ; and here met our from

miquelet, w h o m w e had difpatched

Granada acrofs the mountains with a letter. Me had paifed a fevere night in the Sierra during the great ftorm, and was very near being imprifoned on his arrival, for being the bearer of a letter, which no body is al lowed to carry in Spain, without leave from the port-office. Malaga ftands in the very corner o f the plain, which is quite bare of wood, except the little that grows about the country

houfes ; th naked craggy mountains hang over the ihore, and fcarce leave room for the city. A Moorifh caflle, on the iharp point This

of a rock, commands every part of it.

Situation renders Malaga moil infufferably

V O L . I.

hot

322

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

hot for eight months in the year.

I was

aifured it was hardly poflible to breathe in it in Summer. T h e port and road feem fafe

enough, but will be much improved, w h e n the new mole is carried out its full intended length into the fea. T h e folid manner in

which it is built, b y rolling large malfes o f rock into the water, to form a foundation for the wall o f the pier, infures an almoft eternal duration to the w o r k ; but at the fame time makes it difficult to compute the number o f years it will require to com plete the undertaking. T h e fea has loft

ground here, on account of the fand hurried d o w n from the mountains b y a neighbour i n g river, and accumulated annually along the ifiore. T h e Darfena, or docks where

the Moors kept their gallies, are ftill re maining on the wharf, and n o w ferve as warehoufes. The ftreets are narrow :

fome fquares are of a good fize ; but I do not recoiled any very remarkable building, except

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

323

except the cathedral, which is indeed a Stupendous pile, begun b y Philip II. while married to M a r y queen o f England. T h e i r united arms are Still to be feen over the door. T w o gentlemen, w h o faid they had churches, allured me this

meafured both

cathedral was as large as that of. St. Paul's in L o n d o n ; but I am not convinced o f the exactnefs of their meafurement. The

church o f Malaga may be as wide, but I cannot think it near fo long. Proteitant church N o doubt a

appears larger within

than a R o m a n Catholic one of the fame dimenfions, as the latter is incumbered w i t h pictures, tapeitry, altars, &c. The out-

fide of this edifice is crowded with columns and embellishments. already of T h e t w o beifreys are an Its

a prodigious height, and

order or t w o more are yet to be added.

Interior appearance is majeitic, though the architecture is very heavy. T h e bilhop's palace, in the fame Square, Y 2 loaded

324

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN,

loaded with frivolous ornaments, is a large building, but looks infignificant fo near the other. Its prelate enjoys an income o f

. 16,000 fterling. General O'Connor, an old Iriih officer, is governor of this province, and refides at Malaga. Brute beafts are his delight,

and all his apartments are fluffed with bears, dogs, cats, and monkies, to the great terror and annoyance o f his vilitors. T h e r e are about fourteen foreign houfet fettled in trade at Malaga, w h o export five thoufand butts of wine a year, o f which the price runs from ten to thirty pounds a butt. T i l l within the lafl fifteen years, was ten is thoufand made in

the quantity fent off

butts ; but as no difference

England, in the duties, between old and new wine, the exporter grew carelefs i n the quality of the wine fent, and the de mand for it fell one half. T h e grapes, o f

which the choicefl raifins are made (a capi tal

fRAVELS

THROUGH SPAIN.

325

tal branch of commerce here), are half cut off the item, and left four days to dry and candy in the fun. If preffed, they would T h e raifins dried

make a rich white wine.

upon the coaft of Valencia are of an infe rior quality, being dipped in a lye of lee* o f wine and aih.es. Yeiterday I took a long walk into the V e ga, and after enjoying the fight and per fumes of the orange-groves near every villa, was very much furprifed to perceive in a farmer's yard a large bufh of yellow rofes in full beauty. T h i s exceeded all idea I

before had of the warmth of the climate* and earlinefs o f its fpring. ing we went to a very In the even bad Italian

opera.

In the middle o f a fong all the upon their

actors and audience dropped

knees at the found of a facring bell, which let them k n o w that the hoft was paffing by. In a few minutes the finger refumed amorous ditty. his

W\

326

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

W e returned this afternoon from Malaga b y the fame road. T h e great variety o f

flowers blown fince w e had paffed, made the mountain ride very agreeable, till w e were overtaken b y a ftorm of wind and rain that has not yet abated any of its v i o lence. Between Malaga and Gibraltar are twelve fugar mills, which have been wrought time out o f mind. T h e tradition is, that the

fugar-cane was firft brought into Spain b y the Arabs. Being n o w upon the point of taking leave of this eaftern coaft o f Spain, which w e have feldom loft fight o f for thefe months, it might be.proper to three

introduce

fome general remarks upon the inhabitants and country; but I really have not preas I am

fumption enough to attempt it,

confcious that the difpofition o f a people, their habitual character, cuftoms, and man ners, are not to be learned without a long X ftay

TRAVELS

T H R O U G H SPAIN.

327

flay among them, and without becoming, in fome fort, a meffmate and familiar acquaint ance of theirs. W i t h all due refpect for the

Spanifh nation, I don't with to facrifice the time fuch a ftudy would require, as I ap prehend I ihould not be very amply reward ed for m y pains. T h e peafantry feem v e r y

poor, and frugal in their diet: bread fteeped in oil, and occafionally feafoned with vine gar, is the common food o f the country-* people from Barcelona to M a l a g a ; a bunch o f grapes or a flice of melon ferves as a defert.

L E T T E R

XXVII.

Puetro Santa

Maria, January 1 3 , 1 7 7 6 .

^~\N

the 9th inftant, on leaving A n t e quera, w e were flopped b y a river

much Swelled b y the late rain, and loft a great

x 4

328

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

many hours in feeking a road to the diflant bridge. T h i s was a real difafter to us, as,

b y retarding us half a day, it broke the chain o f our ftages, and laid us under the difagree^ able neceffity of flopping each enfuing night at a very bad inn, the good ones being From A n -

placed at our dining diflances.

tequera to Pedrera the country is champaign and pleafantj fome large lakes appearing

between us and the mountains, and n o w and then fome forefl-land and olive-planta tions, ferving to enliven the profpecl. A b o u t Offuna, a large flinking town, w e obferved a great many croffes fet up along the road-fide, to mark the places, as w e were informed, where murders had been com mitted : but I very much doubt that piece of intelligence. Before w e came into Spain,
r

w e had been fo much alarmed by all w e had heard of the number the kingdom, from of banditti in

and the danger of paffing that w e

one province to another,

could

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

329

could not take too many precautions, and accordingly made ample provifions of

arms and ammunition ; but having feldom heard any mention o f robbers f i n c e w e

came into the country, our apprehenfions have infenfibly worn off, and w e walk un armed along the roads, about the villages, and in the bye-paths, without the leaft fear, o r indeed reafon to fear. In Catalonia and

Valencia, where a regular police is eftablifhed for apprehending thieves and preventing robberies, travellers go without arms; fur ther South, I have obferved that n o horfeman, muleteer, or afs-driver, is without his g u n or fabre flung at the pommel o f his Saddle. Whether this implies any real

danger, or only an ancient cuftom, I can not pretend to determine. Whatever rifks

a Single paffenger may be Suppofed to run in a crofs road, and unfrequented wafte, I am very certain that a caravan like ours need be under no apprehenfions o f attack.

At

330

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

A t Offuna we found we were come to the country of large white hats, few of the men wearing any other. T h e environs of

the town are handfome; gentle eminences covered with y o u n g corn, and large oliveyards on the declivities. - O n the i i t b , a beautiful park-like coun try, where the fwells are covered with forefts o f pines and cork-trees, or rows of olivetrees. T h e intermediate vallies in palture,

full of herds of brood mares feeding at large. T h a t afternoon w e came to a flat heath o f rufhes and palmetos, where We faw great flights of vultures, ftorks, and plover. W e paffed the night in a moft infamous pofada at M o l a r e s ; the place fo wretched as to af ford ho wine. N o innkeeper is allowed to

fell liquor, and the wine-houfes are generally hear the inn ; but in this miferable hamlet there was no fuch thing. O n the 12th, boundlefs heaths and arable

grounds 5 on the former innumerable herds

ef

TRAVELS THROUGH

SPAIN.

331

of cattle ; on the latter w e faw no lefs than twenty-four ploughs at w o r k in the fame field, each drawn b y a pair of oxen. We

had now fairly entered the rich plains o f Andalufia, where w e found the roads cru elly fpoiled b y the wet weather, and our At

wheels almoft buried in the ftiff clay.

Alcanterilla is a bridge of t w o arches, over a deep runner, guarded b y an old M o o r i i h tower at each end. T h e lower part of the

bridge is R o m a n , as it is v e r y eafy To difcern b y the regular runic cut o f the ftbnes,

and the words A V G V S T . . . . P O N T E M , t h e remains arches. of an infcription, between the

A little beyond a place called C a -

becas w e met the firffc travelling coach w e had feen on the road fince w e left Barce lona. Farm-houfes are difperfed about this coun try, as they are with us in England. The

harveft is gotten in b y the Galliegos, that travel from Galicia to aifift thofe provinces, where

332

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

where the inhabitants are too lazy or toes few in number to gather the riches which Nature, almoft unfolicited, throws before

them with profufion. T h e exceffive badnefs o f the highway obliged us to drive through the lands, which in their year of fallow run up into the thickeft and Stronger! crops o f French honey-fuckle I ever beheld. Were

this province properly peopled, there would be no bounds to its produce, for the foil is inexhauftible, fo eminently rich, that through all this luxuriancy o f vegetation the wheels penetrated many inches into the loam. To

balance thefe advantages, it muft be confelfed that the crops in Andalufia are v e r y precarious, for if a hidden glare o f funfhine Succeeds too rapidly to a morning f o g the whole country is blighted. W e paifed by the lake o f Lebrixa, a handfome piece o f water, Surrounded by Sloping grounds, and regular plantations o f olivetrees. Xeres
s s

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN. 3 3 3

Xeres is a large town, with winding Streets, and horrible kennels of black Stag nated w a t e r ; as the wheel broke the cruft upon them, there arofe an almoil fuffocating flench. T h e hills about the town are pretty,

and the views towards Cadiz very pleafing. Some poets have placed the Elyfian fields in this neighbourhood, and pretended that the Guadalete was Lethe or the river o f oblivion. If fo, they had never feen the

place, or it has undergone Strange alterations fince their days; Sor this paradiSe is n o w an immenSe marfhy flat, through which a narrow river, much refembling thofe in the Lincolnshire fens, winds its courfe to the fea: not a Stick of wood to be feen near it. "We are to pafs this Lethe to-morrow, and, left the influence Should operate upon me, I think it advifable to end m y letter with aSSuring y o u , while I yet remember the ties and friendship of this upper world, that I am your's affectionately.
Cadiz,

334

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N ,

C a d i z , January 14.

O u r carriages were fent off this morn ing, feven leagues round, b y the bridge o f 3uac_o, which joins the ifland of L e o n to the main land of Spain ; and w e hired a bark, and fell d o w n the Guadalete. Port St;

M a r y ' s is a long town, pleafantly fituated ' on the river fide. T h e bar at the mouth o f

the river is often very dangerous ; our mafter made a collection among us for the fouls of fuch as have perifhed there. The view

of the bay, Shipping, and city Stretching Into the ocean, is one of the mofl beautiful in the world. T h e paffage, w h i c h is about

nine miles broad, took us two hours, as the

wind failed us, but than half the time.

it may be

done

in lefs

L E T -

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

335

L E T T E R

XXVIII.

Cadiz, January 30, 1776. IT S C A R C E hope to fee a fair day again, for w e have had nothing but rain fince our arrival. T h e fea has been very boifte-

rous, and feveral iliips have been cait a w a y along the coaft. Yefterday t w o men coming to town with provisions were fwept off the ifthmus b y a fudden fwell of the waves, and never heard of more. Cadiz occupies the whole furface of the weftern extremity of the Ifle of L e o n , which is compofed of t w o large circular parts, joined together b y a very narrow bank o f fand, forming all together the figure o f a chain-fhot. A t the fouth-eaft end, the an

cient bridge of Suaco, thrown over a deep channel or river, affords a communication between the iiland and the continent; a

Strong

336

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.;

Strong line o f works defends the city from all approaches along the ifthmus ; and, to render them ftill more difficult, all the gar dens and little villas on the beach were in 1 7 6 2 cleared away, and a dreary, fandy glacis left in their room, fo that now there is fcarce a tree on the whole ifland. They

expected an attack from the Englifh during the Iaft war ; but it would be madnefs in an enemy to attempt it on this fide ; and a by-ftander is apt to think an immenfe fum of money has been lavifhed on thefe fortifi cations without any apparent neceffity ; th Spaniards are however warranted in their caution b y the authority of hiftory, from

which w e learn, that the earl o f Effex ftormed Cadiz in 1 5 9 6 , b y an affault on the landquarter. Except the Calk Ancha, are narrow, Stinking. ill - paved, all the Streets and infufferably

T h e y are ail drawn in Strait lines,

and molt o f them interfect each other at right

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN. right angles.

337

T h e fwarms of rats that in

the nights run about the ftreets are innume rable ; whole droves of them pafs and repafs continually, and thefe their midnight revels are extremely troublefome to fuch as walk late. T h e houfes are lofty, with each

a veilibule, which being left open till night, ferve paifengers to retire t o : this cuftom, which prevails throughout Spain, renders thefe places exceedingly offenlive. In the

middle o f the houfe is a court like a deep well, under which is generally a cittern, the breeding-place of gnats and mofquitos ; the ground-floors are ware-houfes, the firft fto ries compting-houfe or kitchen, and the

principal apartment up t w o pair of flairs. T h e roofs are flat, covered with an impene trable cement, and few are without a mU. rador or turret for the purpofe o f command i n g a view of the fea. Round the parapet-

wall at top are placed rows of fquare pillars,, meant either for ornament, according to fome VOL. I. Z tradi-

3J8

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

traditional mode of decoration, or to fix awnings to; that Such as fit there for the benefit o f the fea-breeze may be Sheltered from the rays of the f u n ; common ufe made of them, ropes for drying linen upon. but the moft

is to fallen H i g h above

all thefe pinnacles, which give Cadiz a moft Singular appearance, fignals: ftands the tower o f

here flags are hung out on the firfl

fight of a fail, marking the fize of the Ship, the nation it belongs to, and, i f a Spanifh Indiaman, the port of the Indies it comes from. T h e Ships are acquainted with the

proper fignals to be made-, and thefe are repeated b y the watchmen of the t o w e r : as painted lifts are i n every houSe, perSons concerned niarks. T h e city is divided into twenty-four quar ters, under the inspection of as many cbmmiffioners of police, and its population is reckoned at one hundred and forty thoufand inhain commerce Seoh learn the

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

339

inhabitants, o f which twelve- thoufand are French, and at leaft as many more Italians. T h e fquare o f St. Antonio is large, and tolerably handfome, and there are a few The

fmaller openings of no great note.

public walk, or Alameda, is pleafant in the e v e n i n g : it is fenced off the coach-road b y a marble rail. T h e fea air prevents the trees and deftroys all hopes o f

from thriving, future made.

From the Alameda, continuing your walk weftwards, y o u come to the Campofanto, a large efplanade, the only airing-place for

coaches \ it turns round raoft part o f the weft and fouth fides of the ifland, but the buildingsare ftraggling and u g l y ; the only edifice of any ihew is the new orphan-

houfe ; oppofite to it is the fortrefs of St. Sebaftian, built on a neck of land running out into the fea. T h e round tower at the

extremity is fuppofed to have faved the city in the great earthquake of 1 7 5 5 , from bez
2

ing

340

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

ing fwept away by the fury of the waves. T h e building proved fufficiently folid to withftand the ihock^and break the immenfe volume of water that threatened deftruction to the whole ifland. In the narrow part

of the ifthmus the furge beat over w i t h amazing impetuoiity, and bore down all before i t ; among the reft, the grandfon of the famous tragic-poet Racine, w h o ftrove

in vain to efcape, by urging his horfe to the utmoft of his fpeed. O n Saint Sebaftian's feaft, a kind of w a k e
fi

"

"

or fair is held in the fort ; an aftonilhing number of people then pafling and repafling, on a ftring of wooden bridges laid from rock to rock, makes a very lively moving picture. \ ; '

From hence to the wooden circus, where they exhibit the bull-feafts, y o u keep turning to the left clofe above the fea, which on all this fide daihes over large ledges of rock ; the ihore feems here abfolutely inacceffible. -'. This

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

34.I

T h i s part of the walk is dirty, and infected with all manner of nafty fmells, for here the whole filth of the town is brought, t o ' be tumbled through a hole in the wall, into the fea. It might puzzle an obferver, what

caufe to afcribe this piece of management to, whether to the great diftance from garden or tillage grounds, which renders the car riage of the dung too expenfive ; or to the lazinefs of the citizens, w h o are glad to rid themfelves, with the leaft polfible trouble, of the obligation laid upon them o f remov ing that dirt, which they had rather were left to rot under .their nofes. A s water-car

riage mult be cheap, I am inclined to attri bute this waite to the latter caufe. O n this fhore Stands the cathedral, a w o r k o f great expence, but carried on with So little vigour, that it is difficult to guefs at the term of years it will require to'bring it to perfection ; I think fifty, have already
z

> >

elapfed

342

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

elapfed Since the firft {tone was laid, and the roof is not yet half finifhed. * T h e vaults are executed with great folidity. T h e arches, that fpring from the cluttered pilafters to Support the roof of the church, are v e r y

t
bold | the minute Sculpture beStowed upon them feems fuperfluous, as all the effect will be loft from their great height, and from the Shade that will be thrown upon them b y the filling up o f the interftices. From the fea,

the prefent top o f the church refembles the carcafe of Some huge monfter caft upon its fide, rearing its gigantic blanched ribs. high above the buildings o f the city. T h e out

w a r d cafings are to be of white marble, the bars o f the w i n d o w s o f bronze ; but I fear the w o r k will be coarfely done, if one m a y draw an inference from the fample of a fmall * The funds for this building arife from a duty, laid upon all goods imported from the Spanilh dominions in America, chapel
s

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

343

chapel, where the Squares are fo loofely jointed and ill fitted, that in a f e w years the facing will be quite fpoilt. It is unfair to

prejudge a piece o f architecture in fuch an imperfect ftate, but I apprehend the ilyle o f this will be crowded and heavy. N e x t , crolfing before the land-gate and barracks, a fuperb edifice for ftrength, con venience, and cleanlinefs, y o u come d o w n to the ramparts that defend the city on the fide of the bay. I f the profpect to the

. ocean is folemn, that towards the main land is animated in the higher! degree ; the men o f war ride in the eafiern bofom of the bay j lower down the' merchantmen are Spread far and near ; and clofe to the town an in credible number .of barks, of various Shapes and Sizes, coyer the Surface o f the water, Some moored and Some in motion, carrying goods to .and fro. T h e oppofite Shore x>

Spain is ftudded with white lioufes, and en livened by the towns of Saint M a r y ' s , Portz 4 real,

344

TRAVELS THROUGH S P A I N .

real, and others, behind which, eaftward, on a ridge o f hills, Hands Medina Sidonia, and further back rife the mountains of G r a nada. W e i l w a r d , Rota clofes the horizon,

near which was anciently the illand and city o f Tarteffus, n o w covered b y the fea,' but at low-water fome part of the ruins are Still to be difcerned. In a large baftion, jutting out into the bay, they have built the cuilom-houfe, the firit Story of which is level with the walk upon the walls. W h e n it was refolved to

erect a building fo neceifary to this great emporium o f trade, the marquis di Squillace gave orders that no expence Should be fpared, and the molt intelligent architects em ployed, in order to erect a monument, w h i c h b y its taite and magnificence might excite the admiration o f posterity ; the refult o f thefe precautions proved a piece* of vile architecture, materials. Don't compofed o f the worlt of

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

345

Don't expect from me a long, fcientific detail of the operations of commerce in this p o r t ; fo much has been written on the fubject b y perfons verfed in thefe mat ters, that, as it would be impertinent to re peat their obfervations verbatim, fo it would be ridiculous in me, w h o am not initiated in the myfteries of trade, nor long refident in the place, to attempt to add any thing to their accounts ; all I have to obferve amounts to this, that o f late years the Spa niards have entered with more Spirit into the concerns of the flota * than they did formerly ; and that there have been Some egregious breaches o f that So-much cele

brated punctilio o f honour, w h i c h , added to the immenfe profits expe&ed from the

* The flota is a fleet of large {hips (fourteen this year) which carry out the goods of Europe to the ports of America, and bring back the produce of Mexico, Peru, and other kingdoms of the new world.

rift.

.34^

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

rifk, induces foreigners to truft their pro perty upon this venture, with no other

fecurity than the bare word o f a Spanilh fupercargo. N o t long ago, one o f thefe,

upon his landing at V e r a C r u z , made a de claration before the governor, that the cargo entered and ihipped in his name was not his own, but belonged to a French houfe.

Matters turned, out rather contrary to his expectations ; for the governor threw him into gaol, where he itill remains; but I believe the French owners give up their mer chandize for loft.. T h e ftir here is prodigious during the laft months of the Hay o f the flota. T h e packers

poffefs the art o f prefUng goods in great per fection ; but, as they pay the freight accord ing to the cubic palms o f each bale, they .are apt.tofqueeze down the cloths and linens fo very eiofe and hard, as fometimesto ren der -them unfit for ufe. T h e exportation

of French luxuries in drefs is enormous j Lyons

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

347

L y o n s furnifhes moil of t h e m ; fends out bale g o o d s ; north, linens.

England

Brittany and the

A s the king exacts four per cent, on all gold and fifver coin exported, and puniihes v e r y feverely all delinquents taken in the fact, the fmugglers have long followed a very fimple but fure method of defrauding him o f h i s . d u t y : A man well k n o w n in the t o w n comes to any merchant that he thinks m a y w a n t to make a remittance o f dollars, and propofes to fend the fum wanted on board fuch a fhip, at two and a half per cent, the Smuggler to advance the money, and to be repaid upon producing the- captain o f the ihip's receipt. A s the officer at the

gates is commonly one of the confederates, this practice has been long carried on with tolerable fecurity; but, fmce the late coin age, the profits upon running money are fcarce equivalent to the rifks o f having the fhip confifcated, and all concerned in the 4 tranfaction

34-8

TRAVELS THROUGH SPAIN.

tranfaction fent for life to the African prefidios. Great intereft is made to protract the de parture o f the flota beyond the day fixed for its failing, that all the goods expected may have time to arrive ; and in this cafe, as in moil others, money properly diilributed feldom fails o f producing the defired effect. E v e r y commercial nation has a conful reiident at Cadiz ; thofe o f England and France are the only ones not- allowed to have any concern in trade. T h i s fmall, populous, and well-inclofed city has the misfortune o f being under worfe regulations o f police than Europe. A l l this winter any place in flreet-robberies frequent,

and houfe-breakings have been

and no effectual flops-taken to prevent the diforder. I have heard that the Conde de

Xerena Bucarelli, the governor, has made a v o w to fhed no blood during his regency; this cruel clemency has given fuch fpirit to the

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

349

the operations of the robbers, that they have had the audacioufnefs to pafte up an advertifement in the Streets, cautioning all people whatever to avoid reSiStance, and to Submit quietly to be rifled, that their plun derers may not be reduced to the difagreeable neceflity of employing the poniard. A

very little diligence, with the affiftance o f fo Strong a garriSon, would reftore the public Safety in a Short time ; but as a burgher al w a y s accompanies the patrol, the military cannot act but under his direct i o n ; and he will never hurt or moleil any of his country men or neighbours, for the fake of preferving the lives and property o f Strangers: indeed, if a native be apprehended for the moft enormous offence againfl the laws o f his country, it is next to impoffible to pro cure a fentence againfl: him ; for, as long as he has a groat in the world to fpend in priSon, or a friend to Solicit'in his Savour, the alcalde or judge will never bring him to trials

35

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN".

and w h e n at laft. his purfie is drained, and his crimes proved againft him, it is ten to one they can get no body to make a gallows to hng him upon. A foldier is foon dif-

patched, if he falls under the fame predica ment. Burglaries have been committed,

and large fums of money carried out o f eompting-houfes, the thieves taken and

lodged in gaolj yet the owners have not been able to recover any part o f the calh ; w h i c h the gentlemen o f the'robe and the culprit have fpent in earoufing together.

Nay,- one villain- in an attempt t o carry part o f his prize o u t o f the gates, in order to take {hipping for the Indies, being ffopt, and" the money feized as contraband, the perfon Who had been robbed could not prevail upon the governor to reilore his property to

him, notwithftandiiig the clearer! proofs o f the robbery. T a k e notice, that in cafes o f

confifcstion, one half of the feizure goes to the informer, the other to the governor. However,

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

351

H o w e v e r , this moft glaring piece o f injuflice could not be tamely fubmitted to, and the caufe Was laid before the council of Caftille, where it is ftill depending. In iefs consider

able loffes, the beft w a y is to fit down con tented with y o u r misfortune, and take better care for the future, as it would coil y o u . double the Sum loft, were y o u to purfue any o f the methods pointed out b y the law for redrefs, rh

T h e w a y o f life here Is not very brilliant. T h e different nations keep much themfelves. among

T h e French houfes follow raOur

ther a gayer plan than the others.

countrymen fettled here, live in a v e r y hofpitable, focial ftyle, and are always happy t o . contribute every thing in their p o w e r towards rendering the place agreeable to fuch travellers as vifit their city. Indeed this is

a tribute o f praife our gratitude will ever prompt us to p a y to the Britifh merchants eftablifhed beyond feas, having in m a n y parts

352

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

parts of Europe had occafion to experience their friendly difpofition. A t this time of the year neither the meat nor the fiih is excellent. T h e bottom of fiihermen

the bay being muddy, and the

not venturing from the coait, the quality of the fiih brought to market is not fo firm and good as might be expected ; at Some feafons the oyiters taken here are rank poifon; the water of the ifiand is bad, and what moil families drink comes from Port Saint M a r y . T h e ufual aSternoon amuSements in w i n ter are, a Saunter on the Alameda, and the theatres. T h e Spaniih play, which exhibits acfors, begins . about not much and the and better French ends

but a poor Set of

four; the Italian opera, provided, houfe Sooner, about Seven;

opens

rather

earlier, the

b y which means

company

may partake of great part of each o f the entertainments in the fame evening. The

lail-mentioned theatre is upon a very grand footing,

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

SPAIN.

353

footing, fupported b y the voluntary fubfcriptions o f the French merchants fettled here. A s the out-goings exceed the profits,

they begin to be fick of fo heavy a load, and it is likely their ftage will be given u p , upon the expiration o f the term for which the factory entered into engagements with the actors.

L E T T E R

XXIX.

Gibraltar, M a r c h 9, 1 7 7 6 .

t'

A H E end of the carnival at Cadiz differed very little from the begin

ning ; no public balls or mafquerades being allowed ; the only marks of the feftivity o f ihrove-tide, were the pailfuls of water

which the women in the balconies poured upon the men in ilouched hats ana cloaks that pailed within their reach. V O L . 1, A A T h e r e were, however,

354

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

however, many aflemblies and balls of a lower clafs, where the fandango was danced a la ley, that is, in all the perfection it is capable of. Among the gipiies there is ano ther dance, called the Manguindoy, fo lafcivious and indecent, that it is prohibited under fevere penalties; the tune is quite fimple, little more than a conitant return of the fame fet of notes; this, as well as the fandango, is faid to have been imported from the Havannah, being both of negro breed. I have been told, that upon the coaft of Africa they exhibit a variety of Strange dances, pretty Similar to thefe. Whatever may have been the birth-place of the fandango, it is now fo thoroughly na turalized In Spain, that every Spaniard may be faid to be born with it in his head and heels: I have feen a child of three years of age dance it to the mother's. Sing ing, with Steps and turns fcarce to be cre dited in an infant of that age. Towards the

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

355

the clofe of the great balls given heretofore in the theatre, w h e n all the company appeared drooping with fatigue and overpowered with fleep, it was a conftant trick o f the fiddlers to ftrike up the fandango. In an intrant,

as i f roufed from the Cumbers of inchantment b y the magic touch of a fairy's wand, every body Started up, and the whole houfe refounded with the uproar of clapping o f hands, footing, jumping, and Snapping o f fingers. A s I have mentioned the gitanos, or giplies, w h o fwarm in this province more than in any other part of the realm, I think it a proper place to note down Some particulars relative to this Singular Sept, w h o have

kept themfelves Separate from the reft o f mankind ever fince their firft appearance re corded in hiftory. T h e i r origin remains a

problem, not to be Satisfactorily Solved, and I doubt whether the gitanos themfelves have any Secret tradition that might lead to a

A A 2

dif-

356

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

difcovery of what they really were in th beginning, or from what country they came. The received opinion fets them down for Egyptians, and makes them out to be the defcendants of thofe vagabond votaries of Ifis, who appear to have exercifed in ancient Rome pretty much the fame profeflion as that followed by the prefent gipfies, viz. fortune-telling, (trolling up and down, and pilfering. Few of them employ themfelves in works of hufbandry or handicraft ; indeed the Spaniards would not work with them. Except a fmall number that follow the trade of blckfmiths or vintners, moft of the men are makers of little iron rings, and other trifles, rather to prevent their being laid hold of as vagrants, than really as a means of fubfiftence. Several of them travel about as carriers and pedlars, but none enlift as foldiers or failors, or bind themfelves as fervants. Though they con form to the Roman-catholic mode of wor-

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

357

ihip, they are looked upon in the light o f unbelievers ; but I never could meet with any body that pretended to fay what their private faith and religion might be : all the gipfies I have converfed with, allured me o f their found catholicifm ; and I have feen

the medal of Nueftra Senora del Carmen fewed on the ileeves of feveral o f their women. T h e y feldom venture upon any their lives j

crimes that might endanger

petty larceny is the utmoft extent o f their roguery. Their men are tall, well built,

and fwarthy, with a bad fcowiing eye, and a kind of favourite lock of hair left to grow down before their ears, which rather inereafes the gloomlnefs of their features : their w o m e n are nimble, and fupple-jointed ;

w h e n young, they are generally handfome, with very fine black e y e s ; when old, they become the worft-favoured hags in nature. T h e i r ears and necks are loaded with trinA A 3 kets

358

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

kets and baubles, and moil of them wear a large patch on each temple. Both fexes

are remarkably expert at dancing, and fmg the wild feguidillas with a peculiar turn of humour or tendernefs, according to the Sub ject. T h e prefent king had thoughts of

bamming the whole race out of his domi nions ; but I believe the project is dropt, as the gipfies are rather an ufelefs than a mifchievous people. T h e i r abode in the

country, or their expulfion, feems a mat ter of little confequence, for the lofs would not be feverely felt, except in the apparent diminution of population ; as they are

of little or no Service in the State, neither cultivating its lands, forwarding its manu factures and commerce, conveying its pro ductions to foreign parts, or fighting its bat tles. Perhaps they render themfelves necefSary to the arnufement oS the common peo ple, out of whofe Simplicity they w o r k

themfelves a maintenance, The

T R A V E L S

THROUGH SPAIN.

359

T h e weather being tolerably fettled, w e fet out on horfeback for Gibraltar, about a fortnight ago, taking with us our beds and provifions, a precaution o f quence in this journey. great confe-

W e left Cadiz in

the afternoon, travelling along the fandy ifthmus to the Ilia, a town o f a fingle Street, that leads down to the bridge and redoubt o f Suaco, where w e got once more upon the main land. Soon after w e Struck off the

great Xeres road, into a flat marfhy country interfered b y numberlefs drains and ponds for making Salt, of which w e faw many large heaps. T h i s commodity is made with

fb little trouble, and fold to fo fmall an ad vantage, that the makers don't think it worth their while to fet up Sheds, or build maga zines, but prefer running the rifk of lofing half of it b y the wet. Pafling through a

great mill, acrofs many bridges and creeks, and through a very fine w o o d o f pines, w e arrived b y moonlight at Chiclana, the ClapA A

ham

360

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

ham or Hampftead Cadiz.

o f the merchants of

It is a large well-built town upon the

a navigable river, that winds through

low lands into the bay. After Eafter, all is mirth and jollity here, for it is then crowded with families that retire hither to divert themfelves, and to rub off the dull ruft of Lent. T h e houfes are exact copies of

thofe of as

Cadiz, and the ftreets very near

offenfive to the frneli ; but the environs

T h e next morning w e were out very

are charming, and beautifully rural.

early, expecting a long

laborious

ride.

After a troublefome afcent up

fome grea y
heath-land flow

hills, w e palled through a noble pine-wood Into an immenfe expanfe of

Speckled with an incredible variety of

ers, moft o f them unknown to me in their natural uncultivated State. great many of I here faw a

the fmall red and yellow

tulip, which, I am told, is the only Species Indigenous in Europe, and many beautiful

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

%6l

kinds of the orchis, fome reprefenting bees and flies fo naturally as to deceive at firft fight. O n our right w e left Conil, once famous for its tunny-fifhery, w h i c h of late has W e had after

dwindled away to nothing.

wards an hilly corn country to pafs, where the peafants, at w o r k weeding the fields,

amufed themfelves with giving us a volley of abufe, which to us was utterly unintelli gible, but was no doubt very witty, as every fpeech the orator of the crew made, raifed loud peals of laughter in his companions, T h e i r mirth was a little diif urbed by a piece o f humour of our Catalans, w h o , fetting

their fharp three-cornered hats up perpen dicular on their heads, in imitation of horns, and flicking out their fingers, began to T h e Anda-

whiffle with might and main.

lufians did not feem to relifh the j o k e , and, after fome filence, fet a fcolding at us in a very

36*2

T R A V E L S THROUGH S P A I N .

v e r y angry tone o f voice, which laited as long as w e were within hearing. From thefe bare heights, w e defcended into a narrow vale, which almoil encompaffes the mountain that the t o w n of V e g e l ftands upon. Seven picturefque aqueducts, or ra

ther divisions of one, convey a fine Supply of water from the hills to feven mills belong ing to the D u k e of Medina Sidonia. Each

mill is placed at a considerable distance below the other ; the Seventh Stands quite in the level at the bottom. Nothing can be prettier

than theSe terraces, and little falls of water. R o u n d each dwelling is a fweet orangegrove. T h e hedges along the Steep fides o f

the road are thick fet with lauruftinus, n o w in flower, and many other handfome plants. T h e loweft part of the valley is a delightful Spot, full of orchards and gardens, refreshed by innumerable Streams of clear water run ning through the meadows into a deep river, which falls into the fea a few miles below. We

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

363

W e intended to have dined at the foot of the mountain of V e g e l , but the hovel, called an inn, was fo intolerably nafty, and the appearance of the Iky feemed fo much to threaten us with a dark, rainy evening, that w e determined to pafs by, and content ourfelves with eating a morfel on horfeback, as w e jogged on. W e croffed the river on

an ancient Roman bridge, plain and folid, and then mounted a very fteep fandy bank, on the top of w h i c h I found a ledge of mouldering rocks, full of ojlracites and pectinites, fome in a hard natural State, others fo Soft as to crumble to dull under the finger. T h e road lay afterwards through a foreft o f cork trees, and the latter part of the day along a w e t open paSture country. After being

thirteen hours on horfeback, with a drizzling rain upon us half the time, w e were glad to Hop at Los Cortijos about eight at night. Here had formerly been a venta, but all w e could find was the cabin o f a retailer o f to bacco.

364. bacco.

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN. T h i s miferable dwelling confifted of

one room, not well enough thatched to pre vent the rain from beating through, and yet too clofe to let out the fmoke of a few fticks burning in the middle of the houfe. The

landlord, his wife, and children, occupied one end of the habitation, and abandoned the remainder to us, w h o were feven in number, Squeezed into the fpace of a few feet Square. T h e fmoke grew fo powerful,

and the company fo Straitened for room, that after Supper I retired acrofs a kind o f yard, to a manger in the Sable, where I lay down, wrapped up in m y cloak, upon the Straw, and got a very comfortable nap till

day-break,
journey.

when

w e proceeded

on

our

W e travelled through a large tract of wet paStures, full o f herds of cattle, with here and there a wretched hut for the herdfmen. After a long dreary ride over the hills that encircle thefe plains, w e entered the w o o d lands.

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

365

lands, where w e found the roads fo wet and irony, that our baggage-mules were more than once laid fail. T h i s foreil extends

many miles, during which w e faw but one houfe ; and that being white, and placed at the head o f a lawn, environed with hanging woods, made a moil romantic appearance. T h e profpects in thefe wilderneifes are de lightful, and w e ihould have found the ride through them charming, had our attention been lefs engaged by the continual apprehenfions w e were under of our horfes falling into the deep broken roads. H i g h moun

tains, and bold rocky cliffs hang on every fide over the g r o v e s ; the timber trees are oak and cork, the underwood, fihrubs o f numberlefs kinds, growing with the greater! vigour and l u x u r i a n c y ; fuch as the lauruftinus, arbutus, brooms, citifus, forb, maftick-tree, privet, phylirea, ciilus, oleander, pomegranate, bay, laurel, myrtle, butcher's broom, wild pear, heath at leaft fifteen feet

366

T R A V E L S THROUGH SPAIN.

feet high, & c . but the moll remarkable is the rhododendron ponticum, with large

purpie flowers ; it grows b y the edge of the torrents that tumble d o w n through the

woods, and is a plant o f lingular beauty. U p o n leaving the thickets, w e had a fine view of the rock of Gibraltar and the coail of Africa, a very grand marine fcene. We

then came to a rich vale of corn-land, and a pretty meandring river, which w e croifed twice near From thence Los Barios, a fmall hamlet. country

w e found all the

marfhy by the fide of the bay of Gibraltar, or bare and hilly near San Roque, a large village on the top of a hill, overlooking the whole bay. Here the Spanilh governor of

the lines refides. T h e next day w e waited upon D o n Joa chim de Mendoza, the governor, w h o gave us the neceflary paffports. B y his perfua-

fion, w e depofited what cafh w e had in the hands of his fecretary, as it is forbidden to

T R A V E L S

THROUGH

SPAIN.

367

take above a crown a-piece out of the Spaniih territory : this proved a very Superfluous caution, for we paifed unfearched through the lines, and might have carried out of the Spaniih bounds as much gold as we pleafed. The lines are a fortification, that runs acrofs the ifthmus which Separates Gibraltar from the continent. A regiment of infantry, Several batteries, and a fort at each end, defend this barrier of the Spaniih monarchy. It is about half an hour's ride from the landgate of the Engliih garrifon. The molt extraordinary SortreSs and mountain, from which I date my letter, have been So oSten defcribed by particular hiftories, prints, and drawings, that I fhali not take up your leifure with needleSs re petitions. The views published by Major Mace are exact, and convey a. very good idea of the four different faces of the moun tain: Since the time of their publication, General Boyd has completed the roads up the

368

TRAVELS

THROUGH

SPAIN.

the hill in every neceflary direction:

Carriage may now go up to the fignalhoufe, which before feemed a place where none but goats could climb up to. T h e hofpitality of the governor, officers, and inhabitants ; the buttle, military mufic, and parade; the fine appearance of the troops ; the variety of tongues fpoken and of drefies worn here, are themes I could enlarge upon for whole pages. After fo long a journey through the full waftes and filent ftupid towns of Spain, where every thing bears, the marks of languor and in dolence ; w e were at firft quite flurried and confounded with the hurry in the garrifon, the perpetual noife of cannon, and the re ports of the foldiers going through their firing exercife. In the firft nights w e were fire ftartled with the frequent pairing of the parole, which runs like a train o f round the line of fortifications. It feemed

ftrange to hear our native language fpoken.

in"

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

369

in the Streets, to read it under the figns, and to meet fo many Englifh faces. I Should

have forgotten h o w far I was from home, had I not been reminded of the latitude b y the brilliant clearnefs o f the deep blue Sky, and the fight o f the African mountains, w h o l e fnowy tops, and even the objects at their feet, are very distinctly feen b y the naked eye. Y o u may difcern all the build and even in Tangier the

ings in Ceuta,

houfes may be diftinguilhed in a clear day. W e indulged the honeft pride o f Englifhmen, in admiring the tall, handfome figures, and fpirited, martial prefence o f the foldiers, and in drawing v e r y comfortable

parallels between them and the dirty m e lancholy dwarfs w e had feen mounting guard in the Spanifh garrifons. W e are n o w waiting for a fair wind to carry us over to Tetuan or to Tangiers. T h e boat-loads o f freih oranges brought

over almoft every morning from the coaft

VOL.

1.

B b

of

37

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

of Barbary, and tumbled out into the ftreets, increafe the eagernefs we have long felt for that expedition: but the wind is very cruel, and I begin to have my fears about the pombility of it. The Barbary oranges are exquifite,but as the fummer advances, are apt to grow too lufcious, though they preferve their juicinefs.

Gibraltar, M a r c h

n.

We are wind-bound, but remain in hourly expectation of falling to Africa. Our fetiee, or bark, and baggage, are ready, and we ourfelves on the watch for an eafterly breeze. Yefterday the wind came about to the eaft, and in a trice the bay was covered with Dutch men of war, and all forts of merchantmen, crowding fail to get through the Gut before the wind mould change: above fifty fail came from the Mediterranean, round Europa Point; but

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

37I

in lefs than an hour the wind milted to its old corner again, and every one of them was driven back into the bay, or behind the rock, where they may beat about for weeks againft wind and current. Never was there known fo long a continuance of wefterly winds at this time of the year.

Gibraltar, M a r c h 1 3 .

Laft night all the Jews were in mafquerade, dancing and merry-making ; a line contrail with the gloominefs of Lent, a few miles to the north of us. This place may literally be ftyled the Paradife of that difperfed nation ; for here they feem to be at home, carry on a great retail trade, and fupply the garrifon with many common articles of confumption. They are Barbary Jews, a comely race of men, and much better featured than their Portugueie or Bb2 German

3/

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

German brethren.

Their drefs differs from

that of the common Moors in nothing but the cap, w h i c h the latter wear read, the j e w s black, though here they venture fre quently to put on red ones. All religions feem welcome to this t o w n , and meet without animofity, as on fome neutral ground. T h e Spanifh church is

ferved by a j o l l y prieft, w h o , befides very ample emoluments and cafualties, receives from the Englifh government a Stipend of fifty pounds: with this income he gives balls and entertainments to his parishioners, and lives in a very jovial manner. He

Seems perfectly well pleafed with his P r o teftant neighbours, and quite reconciled to feeing the Cordelier convent converted into the refidence of an Englifh governor. T h e Barbary beef, furnifhed on contract b y the Moors, is excellent, and the fifh

taken in the bay, is the belt I have tatted finceT left Bourdeaux.. . The

T R A V E L S

T H R O U G H

S P A I N .

373

T h e mountain abounds with partridges, which breed in peace, and pafs their lives undifturbed, as nobody is allowed to ihoot T h e y o u n g officers

within the garrifon.

take the diverfion of fox-hunting on the Spaniih hills, where there is abundance o f foxes, but little running: the great number of holes among the rocks prevents the

game from being kept going, after the nrft burfe. T h a t beautiful bird, the whoopoop, or March cock, is common on the mountain j and high up are herds of large monkies, but I never was lucky enough to get a fight of them. O n the eaft fide, in the moft broken

part of the precipices, is a Jtraium of bones of all fizes, belonging to various animals and fowls, enchafed in an incraftation of a reddiih calcarious rock.

E N D

O F

V O L .

I.

INDEX

of P L A C E S

in V o l . I .

BBE8K3H

D. A. A Lcanterilla, 331 D a u r river, 265 - Algiers, 43 Alhama, 234 E. Aiicant, 177 Ebro river, 1 2 3 Almazaron, 206 Elche, 182 Almenara, 1 3 4 Elda, 168 Almera, 236 Alpuxaras mountains, 215 Efcombrera ifland, ,187 A l z i r a , 163 Antequera, 318 F.
B. Baca, 236 Balaguer, 1 2 1 Barcelona, 20 Beliegarde, 6 Benicarlo, 129 Befos river, 12 Boulou, 4 C. Cabecas, 331 C a d i z , 335 Carthagena, 194 Cenia river, 128 Ceuta, 369 Chiclana, 359 Conil, 361 Cortijos, 363 Figuera, 7 Francolis river, 133

G.
G a y a river, 133 Gibraltar, 326 Girona, 8 Granada, 159 Guadalete river, 333 Guadaviar river, 1 5 1 G u a d i x , 136 H. Hoftalric, 10 Huertas o f Aiicant, 1 1 3

I.
Ifla, 359 Ifnallos, 207 Junquera, 6

Lebrixa,

[
L. Lebrixa, 332 Lrucate bay, 2 Llobregat river, 7 6 Loja, 318 . - L Lorca, 208 M. Malaga, 266 Marbella, 264 Martorel, 76, 91 Mataro, 100 Medina Sidonia, 344 Mijares river, 133 Molares, 212 Montefa," 165' Montfort, 168 Montjuich, 46 Montferrat, 75 Morviedro, 135 M o t r i l , 264 Moxente, Murcia, 186 . N. - ' Narbonne, 1 N u l e s , 133

3
Puerto Real, Puerto Santa

Maria, 352

343

R. Reus, Rota, 2i 344

S. Salo, 119 San Felipe, 165 San Polo, 177 San Rbque, 366 Seville, 206, 220 Sierra Elvira, 219 Sierra Nevada, 218 Sijean, 2 Sitges, 100 Suao bridge, 335 T. Tarragona, 113 T e c h river, 5 Tortofai 124

V
Valencia, 144 Vegel, 362. V e n t a Fiater, 122 Villa Franca, 110 Villa Real, 132 Villena, 167 Vinaros, 129 X. Xenil river, 218 Xeres, 217, 333 X u c a r river, 163.

O.
Orihuela, 183 O S u n a , 328 ' ." P. Parillo, 123 Pearera, 328 Penifcola, 30

' INDEX,

INDEX

of P E R S O N S

in

V o l . I.

A A Bdallacis, a Saracen JHL general, 1 7 , 156 Abenaboo, chief of the Morifcoes, 239 Abencerrage, a Moorifh family, 242, 283 Abiabdallah; king of G r a nada, 225 Abiihaffan, king of M o rocco, 234 Abilhaflan, king of G r a nada, 234, 235 Abouabdallah, king o f G r a nada, 235, 236, 242, 277, 284 Abouhadjad, king of G r a nada, 224 Abuabdalla, king of G r a nada, 222 Abuhagiagi, king of G r a nada, 222, 270 Abulhaxex, king of G r a nada, 227 Acton, M r . a T u f c a n officer, 6 2 Aguilar, a Spanifh hero, 250 Alabece, a Moorifh family, 242 v o i . 1. C

Albinhamet, a M o o r , 242 Alexander V I . pope, 165 Alihamet, a M o o r , 242 Alhamar, king of Granada, 223 Almanzar, a vizir, 290 Almaoalnayar, king of Granada, 230 Almoradi, a Moor, 247 Alphonfus of Aragon, 18 X I . of Caftille, 222 Arcos, duke of, a Spanifh,champion, 249 Ataulph, a G o t h , 17 A y x a , a fultana, 234, 237 A z a r q u e , a M o o r , 247

Balba, king of Granada, 226 Barcelo, D . A n t . 55, 58, 6 1 , 133 Benalhamar, king of G r a nada, 223 Benofmin, king of G r e nada, 231 Berwick, duke of, 20, 69

Cervantes, M i c h . 167 Charlemagne,

I N D E X

of : E R S O N S ,
Hannibal,

Charlemagne, 17 Charles the Bald, emperor,

18

76, 142 157

I

Carthaginian,

Hiaya, king of Cordova,

157, 272, 287, 314 249

V.emperor,

V I . emperor, 19 Chacon, D , Juan, a Spanifh champion, 246, C i d R u y D i a s , 156 Conti, an author, 241 Cordova, D . Fred, a cham pion, 250 F. Elazari, king of Granada,

James I . king of Aragon,

156

Ignatius, St. Joan, queen of Spain, 193 John of Auftria, 20, 311 Ifabella, queen of Spain

235. "236 212

Ifmael, king of Granada,

229

Julian, count, a GGth, 216

Elzagal, a Moor, 234 Elzugair, king of Granada,

L
L a g o , king of Granada, 223 L a Mina, 25 L e w i s the Debonnair, em peror, 17 X I V . king o f France, 20 Licinius Sura, i n Luna, Peter de, antipope,

229

EfTex, earl of, F

336

Fatima, queen of Granada,

234'
Ferdinand, regent of Caftille, 227 de Valor, 238 St. 220 - V . of Aragon, 18, 2

130

19= 35>23&, 301,312

M Marti, dean of Alicant, 137 Martin, of A r a g o n , 18 Mary, queen of England,

. - V I . of Spain, 8 Flores, an author, i l l , 116 G G i l e s , Perez, an author,

33 2161

Muley, king of Granada, M u z a , a M o o r , 245, 247 M u z a , a Saracen general,

240

Gomeles, a Moorifh family,

242

216.

H Hadrian, emperor, 22 Hamilcar, Carthaginian,

16, 76

N Nata, daughter of Count Julian, 217 N a z e r , king of Granada,

221
O Reilly,

I N D E X

of P E R S O N S .
Raymond V . of Barcelona, 18 Raphael, painter, 167, 232 Rodrigo, king of the Goths, 216

Reilly, general, 4 1 , 42, 43 44 45 Pedraza, hiftorian, 139 Pedro, king of Caftille, 223 Pelayo, king of Afturias, 217 Petronilla, of Aragon, 18 Pharagi, king of Granada, 221 Philip I. king of Caftille, "202

Scipio, 1 1 3 Sertorius, 107 T Tarif, Saracen 215, 219

general,

-II,

-III, -IV-V.

-323 -239 .19 -20.

V Velafco, L e w i s , 1 3 Verugguete, architect, 273 W W a l i d , caliph, 2 1 6 W a l l , general Richard^ 281, 3 1 4 Z e g r i s , a iVIoorifli family, 242

0,
Queen of Granada, 243, 249 R Ramiro I L of A r a g o n , 18

INDEX

I N D E X
IN THE

of

P L A C E S ,
FROM

JOURNEY

B A Y N N E

to M A R S E I L L E S .
Bareges, 314

Bbey

of Efcaldio,-3 54 Bayonne, 287, !=St.Viaor, 64 Bear-hunting,

Adour river,

2 8 298,302, Betharan, 8,
4

20 9 39 4

3*4

Aix, 417,445, 454

Amphitheatre of Aries, 422 Nimes, 39 9 -Orange 4 9 4 Touloufe-, 3 8 5 A r c h , triumphal, of Orange,

Aiguefmortes,

36 9

332 Beziers, 3 6 7 Bidaffoa river, 2 4 8 Botanical garden, 385 Bridge of A v i g n o n , 430 . - - A r i e s , 416 *Touloufe, 3 2 6 Bull-fights, 422

443 449

-,

St. Remvj

C
Campan, 312 Canal of Languedoc, 3 7 6 Camargue ifland, 416, 42 2 CarcaiTonne, 3 7 6 Cauterets, 331 Citadel of Montpellier, 38g Cloth manufacture,.337, Cours of A i x , 454

Aries, Arreou, 3 0 5 Afte, 311 A v i g n o n , 431 A u n e river, 352

415,421

Bagneres de Bigotte, Bagneres de L u d i o n ,

B . 302, 3 5 0
1

Marseilles, 462
297, 348, D Durance river, Eifcamps, 424 449

Bafton river Baths of Bagneres de B i gorre, 3 7 0 Bagneres de L u d i o n , 351 Baths of Cauterets, 331 Aix, , S. Sauveur, 318 Bareges, 316

35

Fountain of Nimes, 402

Gabarnie, 323, 324 Gardon

455

 N D E X of
Gardon river, 425 Garonne riyer, 353 p a v e river, 3 1 8 , 341 Gedres, 322 G r i p , 313 H Hbandry, 299 I Inquifition, 364 Lambefe, 453 Larros river," 354 L a k e of Magueionne, 381 Lers river. 395 Lieris mountain, 3 1 1 Lourdes, 331 Lund, 306 M Magueionne lake, 387 M i l p a s , 375 Marfeilles, 457 Mauverin, 354 Maufoleum of S. R e m y ,
449

PLACES.
Oleron, 338 O r a n g e , 442 O r b e river, 36'/ Orthez

P
P a u

> 333 peyrou of Montpellier j 38Q Pezenas, 379 Plague of Marfeilles, 424 Pic du Midymountain, 342 Pont du G a r d , 426 Pyrenean mountains, 285 R Rhone river, 4 1 5 , 430

S
St. Bertrand,. 353 St. L o u p mountain, 394 St. Remy, 449.. . St. Sauveur, 318 St. Jean de L u z , 284 Sno'w bridge,.. 326 Sourgue river, 441 States of Languedoc, 382 Bearn, 335 . Bigorre, 292 Provence, 453

= o f Arles, 424 Medals of A v i g n o n ' Mature of Eicout, 339 Montpellier, 379, 387
:

T
T a r b e s , 290, 297 T e m p l e s of Nimes, 401 . Arles, 421 Theatre of O r a n g e , 445 Touloufe, 357 T o u r M a g n e , 402 ... VVauclufe, 4 0 4

N Narbonne, 368, 374 N i m e s , 396 Ninette river, 284 N i v e river, 288 "

O
Obelifk at A r l e s , 4 2

of ] ' E R S O N S. Raymond V. of Barcelona^ O O Reilly, general, 41, 42, Raphael, painter, 167, 232 43> 44> 45 Rodrigo, king of the Goths, P 216 Pedraza, hiftorian, 139 S Pedro, king of Caftiile, 223 Pelavo, king of Afturias, Sc'pio, 113 Sertorius, 107 217 Petronilla, of Aragon, 18 Pharagi, king of Granada, Tarif, Saracen general, 221 215,219 Philip I. king of Caftiile, 302 V Velafco, Lewis, 13 " ... HI.239 Verugguete, architect, 273 IV.=19 W Walid, caliph, 216 0. Wall, general Richard, Queen of Granada, 243, 281, 314 249 Z R Zegris, a Moorifh family, Ramiro IL of Aragon, 18 242

I N D E X