528 Mr. W. Eagle Clarke on the 



(3400 feet) J the chief town^ where we arrived at 6 o^clock on 

 the evening of the day we left Hospitalet, after a rough 

 journey of not less than twenty-five miles^ entirely performed 

 on foot. The hamlet of Andorra — for it savours of satire to 

 dub it a city — is situated in the widest part of the valley, on 

 its western side, a little above the river, and has a population 

 of about one thousand. Its wretched houses are all jumbled 

 together ; indeed, they might have been dropped from above, 

 so delightfully irregular are they and presenting, as they do, 

 all manner of angles to the labyrinth of narrow passages which 

 do duty for streets in this vehicleless country, and which are 

 redolent with every variety of unsavoury smell. The principal 

 building is the Casa del Valle, or parliament-house, in which 

 the Council General meets, an ancient edifice resembling a 

 barn with two small turrets, but evidently little cared for, since 

 it is much dilapidated andthechief resort of the few Sparrows 

 seen in the Republic. But unenchanting as the town may 

 be, its surroundings are of an entirely different character. 

 Below lies a broad valley of rich alluvial land, clothed with 

 huridreds of acres of lovely white narcissus, at the time of 

 our sojourn a mass of bloom, and a fine brawling river. 

 Above, on every side, are snow-capped mountains, some of 

 the flanks of which are scattered with barren rocks or present 

 great naked cliffs ; others are clothed with pine-forest, while 

 at lower elevations are shady woodlands. Thus Andorra was 

 not without charms of the highest order, and the contrast 

 between being within and without its walls reminded one 

 that, in some respects at least, it is not in more remote climes 

 only that " man alone is vile/' 



To complete the sketch of the features of the main valley 

 (to which and its enclosing mountains our ornithological 

 rambles were entirely confined) it only remains to be said 

 that about three miles below Andorra the mountains again 

 gather together and form a fine defile. Below this is San 

 Julia, the last of the Andorrean hamlets, and close to the 

 south-western frontier of the teri'itory. It is situated in the 

 last basin of the Valira, is overshadoAved by high mountains, 

 and is the lowest land in Andorra, being 3000 feet above 

 the sea. 



