BARCELONA. 



277 



Barcelona, cloths. It was converted into an arsenal in 151 4 ; and 

 in 1652, Philip IV. made it the residence of the Vice- 

 roys of Catalo..'a. T lie exchange is a rectangular 

 building, 230 feet long and 77 wide, and has a no- 

 ble and majestic appearance. The cUstom-house, 

 the theatre, and the school for surgery, are the only 

 other buildings deserving of notice. Besides these 

 public buildings, there are six hospitals, a charity- 

 house, and an asylum. The poor employed in the 

 asylum amounts to 1400, of which 300 are ma- 

 niacs. The university of Barcelona was suppressed 

 at the beginning of the tenth century, by Philip V. 

 It is now turned into barracks. Besides a private 

 collection of natural curiosities, and two public li- 

 braries there are four academies, viz. of natural 

 philosophy, history, practical medicine, and juris- 

 prudence. 



The remains of those superb buildings, with which 

 the Romans decorated Barcelona, have almost whol- 

 ly perished. The only antiquities which are now to 

 be seen, are, 1. The remains of a Mosaic pavement 

 composed of white and blue stones, representing fishes 

 and tritons. 2. A lofty and massy arch of an aque- 

 duct, wh ch seems to have conveyed water from the 

 mountain of Colserola. 3. A basin of white marble 

 in the house of the archdeacon near the cathedral, 

 having its front covered with reliefs. 4. Six large 

 fluted columns, with capitals of the Corinthian or- 

 der. These columns, which are 29 feet 10 lines 

 high, form part of the walls of a house. 5. Several 

 ancient pieces of sculptures in the court walls of a 

 house belonging to the Pinos, in the square of Cu- 

 curulla. Among these, there is a little statue of 

 Bacchu3, without the head, of beautiful workman- 

 ship. 



The fcotivnlo and ceremonies of the church are 

 particularly brilliant at Barcelona. Those which 

 take place during the holy week arc the most remark- 

 able, and some idea of their grandeur may be formed 

 from the immense quantity of wax which is then con- 

 sumed. In the three processions there are burned 

 nearly 30,000 flambeauxs of white wax, each of 

 which weighs about five or six pounds. Though 

 the greater part of this wax comes from Africa, it 

 is still a great branch of trade and industry. 



The harbour of Barcelona is formed by a kind of 

 bay, situated between the citadel of Montjouy and 

 the city. At the beginning of the sixteenth century 

 it was merely an open coast, with considerable depth 

 of water. At present it is only a great basin, form- 

 ed by piers, and kept up by solid quays. Notwith- 

 standing the exertioiis which are made to keep it 

 clear, the basin is gradually filling up with sand. 

 Ships of any considerable size cannot at present be 

 admitted, and frigates cannot come within half a 

 league of it. The entrance to the harbour is diffi- 

 cult, and occasionally dangerous, in consequence of 

 a high bar formed at the place where the waters of 

 the Bezos and the Llobregat mingle in the sea. The 

 harbour of Barcelona, notwithstanding these disad- 

 vantages, is secure and well-sheltered, and is always 

 crowded with the ships of different nations. A few 

 years ago, the total number of vessels, in one year, 

 was 500 Spanish, 150 English, 60 Danes, 45 Dutch, 



I 



2 French, and more than 300 of other nations, a- Barcelona, 

 mounting to at least 1060 vessels. 



The situation of Barcelona has rendered it one of 

 the most flourishing and commercial towns in Spain. 

 About a thousand Spanish ships, of which nearly 

 1 20 belong to Barcelona, annually clear out of the 

 harbour, and carry to America, and to the different 

 maritime kingdoms of Europe, the productions and the 

 manufactures of Catalonia. The articles of the export 

 trade are silver, gold, and plain stuffs, silk stockings, 

 middling cloths, printed calicoes, striped and flowered 

 cottons, cottons of all kinds, plain and stained papers, 

 fire-arms, laces, shoes, wines, and brandies. The ar- 

 ticles which it imports are, silks from Lyons and 

 Nismes, silk stockings from Nismes and Ganges, 

 cloths from Elbeuf and Sedan, jewellery from Paris, 

 iron-ware from Forez, millinery from France ; and 

 cotton goods and dried cod from England. The ex- 

 port and import trade is said to amount annually to 

 1,750,000 sterling. 



The cotton goods manufactured in Barcelona pro- 

 duce annually 442,510 sterling. Of these, one- 

 twelfth is consumed in Barcelona, two-twelfths in the 

 other provinces of Spain, and two-thirds are shipped 

 for the Spanish colonies. The exports from the pro- 

 vince amount to 375,000 sterling. No fewer than 

 700,000 pair of shoes, at 2s. Id. the pair, are ex- 

 ported to Spain, India, and the Spanish colonies in 

 America. 



Between the 13th and 16th centuries, cloths made 

 of woollen, linen, silk, cotton, and hemp, were manu- 

 factured in Barcelona. After a long interval of in- 

 activity, its manufactures revived about the middle 

 of the 18th century, and are now flourishing beyond 

 all former example. The principal articles are print- 

 ed calicoes, silk, silk stockings, ribbons, and silk 

 galloons. No fewer than 214 manufactories are em- 

 ployed on printed cottons, 524 looms on silk stuffs, 

 and 2700 looms on ribbons and silk galloons. The 

 articles manufactured from silk are, taffetas, twilled 

 and common silks, satins, and velvets. Besides these 

 articles, laces, blonds, network, and tapes, are manu- 

 factured to such an extent as to occupy about 12,000 

 persons. Galloons, laces, gold and silver fringes, 

 and silk gold and silver embroideries, are likewise 

 made. Among the manufactories recently establish- 

 ed are, several for hats, two for stained paper, one 

 for gauzes like blond lace, one for glass, one for cot- 

 ton stuffs, and a magnificent establishment for the 

 foundery of cannon. Cotton spinning was introdu- 

 ced about the year 1790, and it employs about 4000 

 looms, and 10,700 persons. No less than 120,700 

 pieces, or 2,896,871 French ells of cotton stuffs of 

 various kinds, are annually manufactured, to the va- 

 lue of 242,510 sterling. 



The climate of Barcelona does not seem to be 

 so mild as was formerly believed. The air is con- 

 stantly charged with humidity, and the east winds 

 are very prevalent. Formerly snow never fell at Bar- 

 celona, but at present it snows every year. The 

 spring is always the worst season of the year. The 

 intense heat of summer is moderated by the east 

 wind ; and the changes of temperature are both great 

 and sudden. Autumn is the most delightful season. 



