Mr, Jacob's Letiers from Spatn. 
ia Spain; the idea of a man, his wife, 
and family, spending a day, or even part 
@f aday, without company, appears to 
them so unnatural, that they can scarcely 
believe it to be our practice. Their 
widely different system has, however, 
some recommendations, Young people 
enter life with a greater degree of conti- 
dence; in whatever society they are 
placed they feel. perfectly easy, and ac- 
quire a fluency in conversation, and a 
style of manners, which gives them a 
Species of currency through life. These, 
so far as I can judge, are the advantages, 
the only advantages, of this system. In 
England, our youth are kept in the back 
ground till they have acquired more 
years, and accumulated a greater store 
of knowledge, and even then they neither 
mix so frequently, nor so indiscriminately, 
In company as fm Spain; they are less 
- 
talculated to strike at first ; they are more 
embarrassed in society, but they attain 
in retirement, and in the domestic circles 
of well-regulated families, a series of re. 
#ections and habits, and a course of con- 
duct, which has hitherto elevated, and, Z 
hope, will ever continue to elevate, 
the character of English gentlemen, 
| The university of .Seville is almost 
solely appropriated to the education of 
the clergy: the course of study occupies 
five years, which are principally devoted 
to the acquirement of the Latin language, 
the knowledge of civil law, the philoso- 
phy of Aristotle, and scholastic divinity. 
Searcely any improvement has been in- 
troduced within the last four hundred 
years; the philosophy of Bacon, Locke, 
and Newton, is utterly unknown to either 
professors or pupils., The war has con- 
siderably lessened the number of students, 
as a large portion ‘has entered into the 
army. They do not reside within the 
university, but have private lodgings in 
different parts of the city. 
- The education of the females of the 
best families, is, if possible, still worse. 
They are early sent to a convent as pen- 
sioners, and, under the care of some of the 
aged nuns, are instructed in reading, 
writing, and needle-work, but especially 
in the outward forms of religion. They 
are usually kept in these houses of seclu- 
Sion tjl they arrive at a proper age, and 
frequently til some matrimonial engage- 
ment is formed. From the retirement 
of aconvent, with all its uniformity and 
dulness, they are suddenly introduced 
into circles of geiety and dissipation, and 
itis not wonderful that, from so violent a 
ehange, and from the example @f the 
© Moxsury Mag, No. 214, 
G15 
married. females, with whom they asso- 
ciate, they become victims to the dis- 
solute habits of their country. 
ENGLISH NUNS, 
In the convent cf St. Leandro there are 
two English nuns, to whom I have paid 
several visits. In a small apartmeng 
within the quadrangle of the convent, I 
was permitted to converse with them 
through a grate in one of the adjoining 
rooms. ‘The first who entered was an 
elderly lady, of a commanding figure; 
she was attended by a beautiful girl, 
about sixteen, who I found was a pen- 
sioner in the house. Tue dress of the 
nun was entirely. black, with a white 
veil, and she appeared to be nearly sixty, 
She informed me that-sbe was.a native 
of London, and- recollected that about 
the time she left it a new bridge, probably 
Blackfriars, was building. After a short 
time the other English nun entered the 
cell: she appeared about thirty, and was 
dressed in asimilarmanner. Both ladies 
spoke English tolerably well, but were 
occasionally at a loss fer particular words. 
The novelty of the situation, and the 
good manners of the elder lady, to say 
nothing of the beauty of the younger one, 
‘created an interest which, perhaps, nei- 
ther their conversation nor understanding 
would have otherwise produced. They 
appeared pleased to see their country- 
men, but remembered very little of the 
country which gave them birth. The 
elder lady’s name is Saumarez; and she 
said the gallant admiral of that name was 
her relation, but she did not kuow in 
what degree. .The younger, Mary Ridg- 
way, had no recollection of any relations 
or friends in England, having resided 
in this city ever since she was six years old, 
The ladies expressed the usual hatred 
toa Buonaparte. They asked if it was 
true, that he wasin bad health, TI re- 
plied, I believed he was well ; but that I 
wished he was in heaven. ‘The eldest nun 
shook her head, and piously said, she 
believed he. would never go there. I in- ° 
timated that be might receive the grace 
of repentance: she thought it too much 
to hope for, after the evil he had done 
to religion. We leavut that there were 
thirty-six in the house, who thad taken 
the, veil, besides boarders and servants, 
amounting in the whole to about one 
hundred females. reir employmen:s 
are needlework, making artificial flowers, 
praying, and instructing young women 
sent there as pensivners, of whom the 
eldest of the English nuns bad six under 
her gare. As the allowance ef the cons 
4k ' “verity 
