1086 
England.’ We advanced but seven 
leagues, the river Relancon accom. 
panying us*for the last three, where 
our road was cut out of the side of 
a steep clifl, very narrow, and so ill 
defended, that in many places the 
precipice, considering the mode, in 
which the Spanish Calasseros drive, 
was seriously alarming. ‘Lhe wild 
woman of San Andero, who nursed 
my infant, during this day’s journey 
was at high words with the witches, 
who twice pulled off her redceilla, 
and otherwise annoyed her in a 
very provoking manner till we arriv. 
ed at Breviesca, a tolerable good 
Spanish town, where they allowed 
her to repose, aud we heard no more 
of them, 
k= *¢ From“ Breviesca we travelled 
through a fine pictursque country of 
a rich soil te Pancorvo at the foot 
ofa steep range of rocky moun- 
tains, and passing through a most 
romantic fissure in the rock, a work 
of great artand labour, we reached 
river Ebro, which forms the boun- 
dary of Old Castile. Upoa this 
river stands the town of Miranda, 
which is approached over a new 
bridge of seven stone arches, and 
we lodged ourselves for the night in 
the posada at the foot of it; a 
house of the worst reception we had 
met in Spain, which is giving it as 
id a nameas! can well bestow upon 
any house whatever. 
** A short stage brought us from 
Breviesca to the town of Vittoria, 
the capital of Alaba, which is one 
portion of. the delightful province 
of Biscay. We are now for the 
first time lodged with some degree 
of comfort. Weshewed our pass- 
port at the custom-house, and the 
adminisirator ef the post-office 
having desired to have immediate 
notice of our arrival, I requested 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
my friend Marchetti to go to him, 
and in the mean time poor Smith 
passed a very anxious interval of 
suspence, fearing that he might be 
stopped ‘by order of government in» 
this place, (a suspicion 1 confess 
not out of the range of probabi-— 
lities) but it proved to be only a. 
punctilio of the sub-minister Cam- 
po, who had written to this gentle. 
man to be particular in his attern- 
tions to us, inclosing his card, as if 
in person, present to take leave ; 
this mark of politeness oa his part 
produced a present from the admi- 
nistrator of some fine asparagus, and 
excellent sweetmeats, the produce 
of the country, with the further 
favour of a visit from the donor, a 
genticinan of great good manners 
and much respectability. - 
‘¢ The marquis Legarda, gover- 
nor of Vittoria, to whom I had a 
letter from count D’Yranda, the 
marquis D’Allamada, and other 
gentlemen of the place, did us the 
honour to visit as, and were ex- 
tremely polite. We were invited 
by the Dominicans to their convent, 
and saw some very exquisite paint. 
ings of Ribeira and Murillo. At 
noon we took our departure for 
Mondragone, passing through a 
country of undescribable beauty. | 
The scale is vast, the heights are 
lofty without being tremendous, 
the cultivation is of various sorts, 
and to be traced in every spot, 
where the hand of industry can 
reach : a profusion of fruit trees in 
lossom coloured the landscape 
with such vivid and luxuriant tints, 
that we had new charms to admire 
upon every shift and winding of the © 
road. The people are laborious, 
and the ficlds being full of men and 
women at their.work (for here both 
sexes make common task) nothing 
a could 
