NOTICE OF SPAIN. 553 



happily for the Son of God, Spain was hidden from his sight by the 

 Pyrennees. Fathers of families, on their death-bed, have been known 

 to congratulate their children on their happiness in living in Madrid, 

 and have taught them to consider that advantage, as the greatest benefit 

 of which they could leave them in possession. 



The residence in cities, especially in the capital, of those who have 

 the means, leaves the country deserted. A Spaniard never lives in the 

 country ; he cannot like it, because he knows not what it is ; the lively 

 descriptions of the beauties of the country, of the varied scenes of 

 nature, the enthusiasm of Gesner, Thomson and St. Lambert are unknown 

 in Spain. 



The blind respect the Spaniards have for priests is derived to them 

 from the Goths. The monks, priests and bishops, were infallible in the 

 eyes of that people ; they became the only judges in civil as well as 

 ecclesiastical matters. The number of ecclesiastics in Spain is calculated 

 at the enormous number of 200,000 ; this alone is surely a suffi- 

 cient reason for the present degraded state of Spain. Their power 

 is supreme in every department of government. A priest is an ob- 

 ject of veneration, to punish whom civil justice has hardly any power, 

 let him have committed ever so great a crime. A striking instance 

 of this was seen a few years ago in Andalusia. A monk of the order 

 of barefooted Carmelites, had conceived a violent passion for a young 

 girl to whom he was confessor. He had undoubtedly attempted 

 to explain to her his wishes ; because, learning from herself, 

 that she was going to be married, and jealous that another should 

 possess her that he idolized, he became frantic ; and one day, after the 

 young woman had made her confession to him, received the sacrament 

 from his hands, and heard him say mass, he lay in wait for her at the 

 church door, and notwithstanding the cries of the mother, and the 

 astonishment of all present, with three strokes of a poniard laid her dead 

 at his feet. He was taken into custody, but the king being informed he 

 was a priest, condemned him to live at Porto Rico, as a presidiary, or 

 galley slave. 



The naval force of Spain is very inconsiderable, almost beneath 

 notice ; and every year it decreases, from the want of funds to pay the 

 men and officers. The army is, however, in a much better condition, 

 though still contemptible in comparison with that of other nations. 

 The regulars consist of 33,000 infantry ; of these, eight regiments are 

 foot guards, and there are likewise seven regiments of light infantry. 

 The cavalry is not at present more than 5,000 men, which, with the 

 addition of the corps of artillery, the whole strength of which amounts 

 to 8,000 men, would make the Spanish army consist of 46,000. 



Besides these, there is a militia of 30,000, and likewise the famous 

 royalist volunteers, the number of which might be moderately estimated 

 at 100,000. These latter are, however, the true defenders of church 

 and state, as the regular army are much in advance of the rest of the 

 people in knowledge and intelligence, and were much suspected in the 

 recent attempts of the constitutionalists, to be tainted with liberalism. 

 The " volunteers" consist of the refuse of the population, obnoxious to 

 the respectable part of the nation for their crimes and outrages. The 

 Spaniards, were they properly clothed and armed would make excellent 

 soldiers : they have a fine military look, which even their present 

 miserable condition does not take from them. Their bodies though thin, 



