632 
especially had to deplore the expulsion 
of the Moors. Fruitful as is the soil, 
and propitious to vegetation as is the 
elimate of Spain, it is well known, that 
even at this period, nearly two-thirds of 
the country is uncultivated. Of this 
neglect, the vast tracts of land which are 
always kept in pasture for sheep, present 
one of the causes, and one of great mag- 
nitude. 
PLEBOTOMY. 
The Spaniards still continue their en- 
thusiastic veneration for the bleeding 
system of Galen, so laughably satirized 
in the practice of doctor Sangrado, by 
Le Sage. Even to this day, the physi- 
cians and surgeons of Spain are very ig- 
norant. Their recent intercourse with 
the medical staff of England may, per- 
haps,lead totheirimprovement. This igno- 
rafice may in agreat degree be attributed 
to the superstition of the people, whio 
think there is niore healing power in a 
saint than a doctor, and that a prayer is 
a panacea for maladies as well as sins. 
This darling operation of bleeding’ is 
usually performed either on the hand or 
foot, Lbeliéve rarely, if ever, on the arm, 
It is regarded as a neglect of healih not 
to be bled several times in the course of 
the year, In Seville; and at Cadiz, I 
saw the hands of several persons tied 
with black ribbon, and found this to be 
the cause. A Spaniard in this city, 
known to a friend of mine, who had been 
bled three times, on the ist, 2d, and 3d, 
of June preceding my arrival, went for 
fifteen days following into a bath, and 
then considered himself safe from ma- 
Jady for a whole year. ~ Ele had pursued 
this course for thirty years, during which 
he had never required, or taken any 
Medicine. The Spanish barbers are 
called sangradds and sacamuelas, on 
account of their bemg bleeders and 
tooth-drawers. 
GIBRALTAR. 
The excavated batteries, which open 
towards the Spanish lines, and the great 
cavern called the ball of St. George, are 
wonderful efforts of human ingenuity ‘and 
labour. From the stupendous summits 
above these batteries, upwards of ene 
thousand three hundred. feet high, there 
is a vast and magpificent view of the 
African coast, including Babary, Fez, 
and Morocco, the: Atlantic, the Medi- 
terranean, the town below, the bay with 
its numerous shipping, Algeziras, tbe 
country behind, the hill from whence the 
Queen of Spain contemplated as a spec- 
tacle the memorable siege of Gibraltar, 
Sir John Carr’s Travels in Spain. 
and on which are traceable the ruins of 
the ancient city of Cartea, the town of’ 
San Roque, and the lofty moubtailis of 
Granada. _ : 
Quiting this spot, I visited one of the 
signal-houses, and, as the levanter wag 
just beginning to blow, 1 ‘had an oppor= 
tunity, which an officer who bad been 
nearly three years on the rock bad’not. 
before niet with, of seeing groups of very 
large monkeys, to whom this wind is’ 
peculiarly disagreeable, quit their caverns, 
which almost impend over the inacces- 
sible crags on the éastern side, “and, 
having ascended the heights, descend,’ 
many bearing their youhg on their backs,’ 
a short way, and range themselves in 
rather formidable bodies on the western 
side. I counted no less than fourteen in 
a short space of time, We passed near 
them, but they did not appear to be are 
noyed at our presence. As shooting at 
them is prohibited, perhaps ‘more from 
the fear of loosening the stones of these 
summits by the shot, whieh by rolling 
from such a height towards the town 
might do mischief below, than from ten- 
derness to the antic race, they may pro- 
bably derive confidence from being but 
seldom molested.. AS they were seated 
on this side of the rock, some tiine since, 
an officer happened to pass with a fine 
terrier, which ran at them. The mon- 
keys who were seated in a circle were 
not in the least dismayed; but, upon 
some of them moving a little, the dog 
ran into the centre, when a very. power- 
ful monkey seized him by one of -his’ 
hinder fegs, ran with him to the top 
hurled him over the eastern side of th 
rock, a stupendous, and nearly perpen- 
dict.lar, height; and dashed the rash ace 
sailant to pieces, Of these monkeys 
stranger stories are related. A most ab- 
surd and ridiculous one has obtained 
credit with some of the most credtloug _ 
of the inhabitants, that, before the Ene 
glish got possession of this place, one of 
them contrived to seize a pretty girl 
whilst she was enjoying the view from 
an elevated part of the reck, and to gia- 
tify his amorous propensities towards her, 
that he was put under arrest according to 
military law, tried by a court martial of 
grave Spanish officers, and shot for the 
rape. It is worthy of remark, that this 
is the only spot in Europe where monkeys 
are found wild, Many are brought ove 
from Barbary and sold in the market for 
a mere trifle; and hence, a monkey is 
almost as common as @ cat in the houses 
The. 
of Gibraltar. 
