806 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



took possession of it, and establish- 

 ed themselves there. Yet there is 

 a tradition of longstandingin Scot- 

 land, and generally credited at pre- 

 sent in England, that the Irish are 

 descended from the Caledonians. 

 It is easy to reconcile the two opi- 

 nions. The Caledonians may have 

 subjected or peopled Ireland in 

 very remote times, and the Biscay- 

 ans may havu established them- 

 selves there at a later period. 



The Biscayans consider them- 

 selves as the descendants of the an- 

 cient Cantabri, who were a rustic 

 people, high spirited, brave, intre- 

 pid, passionately fond of independ- 

 ence, who would sacrifice their 

 lives, the lives of their wives, and of 

 their children, to their love of li- 

 berty; who resisted for a length of 

 time the forces of the republic of 

 Rome, who defeated its ariaies, 

 xvho were subjugated without being 

 subdued ; in short, who were the 

 last people of Spain that yielded to 

 its different conquerors. 



The Cantabri are described in 

 history as an active and robust 

 people, having a ferocious temper, 

 and extraordinary customs; unac- 

 quainted with money, endowing 

 the women whom they married, 

 very constant and firm, resisting ob- 

 stacles, facing every kind of dan- 

 ger, and easily supporting fatigue 

 and labour. 



The modern Biscayans are 

 represented as still preserving 

 strongly-marked traces of the 

 character of their ancestors, but 

 considerably softened by civiliza- 

 tion. They are equally robust 

 and strong, brave and active. 

 Very light in running, they climb 

 the mountains with the greatest 

 facility. They are, in the main. 



high-minded, proud, and inde- 

 pendent; they are said to be very 

 self-conceited, obstinate, easily 

 made angry, very irritable and im- 

 patient. 



These defects are compensated by 

 several good qualities; they are in 

 general laborious, industrious, ac- 

 tive, ingenious, studious, faithful to 

 their word, humane, hospitable, no- 

 ble in their proceedings, gay, livelj^, 

 and sociable. 



The inhabitants of Alava in ge- 

 neral devote themselves to agricul- 

 ture; those of Biscay and Guipus- 

 coa are as much merchants as far- 

 mers; they are considered as the best 

 sailors in Spain. We have already 

 noticed their expedition to Ire- 

 land in remote times. It is said, 

 that with a fleet composed of boats 

 made of the trunks of trees, hol- 

 lowed and covered with skins, they 

 then conquered that country ; which 

 is not very credible. After that 

 period they carried their commerce 

 into very distant countries; at the 

 end of the fourteenth century, 

 they had factories, and a consul 

 at Azoff, at the mouth of the Te- 

 nais, on the confines of Europe and 

 Asia. 



The inhabitants of the province 

 of Biscay are generally of the com- 

 mon stature; they have a fresh 

 colour, an animated, lively, and 

 cheerful face, and an open coun- 

 tenance. They live to a good 

 old age, to which the tranquil and 

 healthy life they lead a great deal 

 contributes. Their domestic hap- 

 piness too is founded upon a solid 

 basis, the social virtues; the wo- 

 men appear to be good, faithful, 

 and attentive to their domestic con- 

 cerns ; the children obedient and 

 respectful. Their ideas rarely ex- 

 tend 



