Mr Arnotf s Tmir to tJie Pyreiiees. 361 



wheaten bread. At the gate of the town, the officers of police, for 

 the first time since our arrival, insisted on seeing our passports ; 

 but they were instantly returned when they found they were not 

 written in a language which they understood. On the frontier 

 the Spanish custom-house officers, to our surprise, behaved to 

 us very civilly, merely asking if the paper, &c. belonged to our- 

 selves, and if there were any thing but clothes in our portman- 

 teaus ; but we afterwards found that our muleteer, who did not 

 in the least relish the idea of unpacking our luggage, and who 

 had got in advance while we were gathering some plants, had 

 previously informed them that we were French physicians tra- 

 veiling in search of herbs, and that if we were molested, we 

 would report them to the garrison at Seo : and so frightened 

 and jostled were the poor Spaniards here by the French, that 

 they allow them to do any thing. 



" From the frontier to Andorra, the road is along a deep 

 valley, in which the scenery is picturesque and varied. At 

 one place the valley is exceedingly narrow, and studded with 

 rocks almost perpendicular, which rise to a great height, and 

 whose dark and sombre hues add to the grandeur of the 

 place. At other places the valley widens into little plains, con- 

 taining two or three villages, miserably built, and so black, 

 both inside and out, that we could not resist inquiring if it were 

 the custom here to paint their houses of that colour ; but it 

 was only the effect of the smoke of the wood of the pine-tree, 

 which they bum in winter both for light and heat."** — B. 



Having breakfasted at St Julia, we arrived at Andorra, the 

 capital of the republic, in the afternoon. It was our intention 

 to have sent on our mules to the town, and to have ascended 

 the Pic d'^Anclas, which is close to it. This was said to have 

 been once explored in 1811, by some one in search of an " Onos- 

 ma with flowers, like a rose,"" as the description held forth that 

 we got at Seo d"*Urgel ; but as we could not find out who the 

 botanist was, and did not place much faith in the story, and as 

 it was later than we expected, we gave up the excursion. On 

 our arrival, having stopped before what we were told was the 

 principal inn, we began to unload our mules, when the old wo- 

 man who kept it, understanding that we wished to sleep there, 

 informed us that we must go elsewhere, as the only bed she 



