710 



LEON. 



L <"- house, and Sunday schools, te which the annual bene- 

 ""V"*' factions are considerable. 



The population of the burgh and parish, in 1811, 

 was 730 houses, 839 families, 4S4 of whom were em- 

 ployed in trade and manufactures, and 3238 inhabi- 

 tants. See The Beauties of England and Walef, vol. vi. 

 p. 562574 



LEON, a province of Spain, situated towards the 

 Boundaries, north- west, is bounded on the east by Old Castile, on 

 the south by Estremadura, on the west by Portugal and 

 Galicia, and on the north by the Aturias. Its form is 

 . that of a long rectangular figure, about 52 leagues from 

 north to south, and 30 at its mean breadth from east 

 to west, lying between 40 and 43 north latitude, and 

 between V 10' and 5 25' west longitude. It was an- 

 History. ciently the country of the Vettones, mentioned by Stra- 

 bo, and, for a long period, formed a separate king- 

 dom. After the defeat of RodeVic, the Gothic king, 

 at Xeres de la Frontera, its capital city Leon was tak- 

 en from the Moors, in 1717, by Prince Pelagius, who 

 had collected the dispersed Christians ; and in 915, one 

 of the successors of that prince took the title of King 

 of Leon. In 1030, it passed to Ferdinand, surnamed 

 the Great, then king of Castile, and was finally united 

 with that kingdom in 106. 



Aspect, This province is mountainous, but less so than many 



Biountains, o f those immediately adjoining. Its mountains are co- 

 rivers. verec j w |th trees, particularly oaks; and it contains 

 many beautiful fields, luxuriant pasture grounds, and 

 extensive vallies. The more remarkable mountains are 

 those which form part of the Sierras of Pico and Occa, 

 (formerly Mount Iclubeda,) in the southeast p.-irt of 

 the province. The principal rivers are the Douro, 

 which enters the province from Arragon, and divides 

 it into two nearly equal parts ; the Carrion, which flows 

 from Old Castile, and falls into the Douro at Siman- 

 cas; the Eresma, which enters Leon at Macheda, and 

 afterwards unites with the Douro ; the Tormes, which 

 rises near the southern extremity of the province, 

 runs northwards to Salamanca, and thence north-west 

 to the Douro, opposite Bemposta, on the frontiers of 

 Portugal. Besides these, there are the Sd, the Buroia, 

 the Sabor, the Baeza, the Arago, the Xero, the Pisu- 

 erga, and nearly as many more, which chiefly rise in 

 the province or on its confines. There are several 

 bridges over these rivers, particularly over the Douro. 

 There is one below Benavento over the Ezla, consist- 

 ing of nineteen arches ; one of eighteen arches over the 

 Porma, near Villa Rente ; and another over the Tor- 

 mes, at Alva de Tormes, of twenty-six arches, suppos- 

 ed to have been built by the Romans. There is a lake 

 near Astorga, called Sanatoria, about three miles long 

 and half as much in breadth, through which the river 

 Tuerto rushes with such force as to excite waves equal 

 to those of the sea ; and a rock rises in the middle of 

 the lake, on which stands a fine old castle belonging to 

 the Counts of Benavento. 



Minerals. ^ n t ' le mountains are found iron and copper mines, 

 and a number of mineral streams. Four of these are 

 cold springs, namely, at Amusco, Buron, Bavela Fu- 

 ente, and Astudillo. There are also four warm foun- 

 tains, namely, one near Almeyda, of a sulphureous 

 appearance ; one at Ledesma, where there is a public 

 bath of a moderate heat, which is found useful in cu- 

 taneous diseases ; one at Bonar, issuing from a rock, 

 and of a lukewarm temperature ; and one at Barnos, 

 near the frontiers of Estremadura, serviceable in rheu- 

 matic and nervous complaints. Near Zamora, tur- 

 quoises aie found in the hills, and were formerly so 

 6 



abundant, that the Moers called it " the town f tur. Lee. 

 quoises." '^-y'^i 



A great number of excellent mules are reaaed in the Animh. 

 province, and considerable flocks of sheep and t oats; 

 and various kinds of fish are found in the rivers, parti- 

 cularly eels, barbel, and trout. 



There are many fertile vallies in the province, parti Agricn!. 

 cularly those of Mediano and Haiuccas, and the soil turc. 

 is very productive in many districts, especially on the 

 east point towards Portugal. The lower grounds also 

 are free of trees, and agriculture might flourish in the 

 province, were more attention paid to the irrigation of 

 the land by its numerous rivers. The principal crops 

 are wheat, oats, maize, fl;ix, olives; and in some places, 

 extensive vineyards, particularly around Barnos, where 

 25000 arobas of wine are produced yearly. But cul- 

 tivation, in general, is in a languid state ; and many 

 districts, capable of being rendered sufficiently fertile, 

 are left in a state of nature. It is only in sorae of the . 



richer tracts that fruit trees are found, particularly 

 from Casas del Puerto to Villa Toro. 



Formerly, very flourishing manufactories existed in M 

 several towns of Leon, especially in Ciudad Rodengo, l " 

 where fine tapestries, embroidery, and laces were made, co 

 and where the best leather in Europe was prepared. 

 But all these have greatly decayed. There are some 

 cloth manufactories in a few of the towns, particularly 

 at Crvas ; one for hats at Znmora ; for serges at Rio Se- 

 co ; and some of hosiery and leather at Leon. The 

 commerce of this province, therefore, consists chiefly in 

 importation. Some wines, especially those produced 

 in the south-east of the county, are exported ; but 

 those of the northern districts are so inferior, as neither 

 to bear carriage, nor answer any market. A consider- 

 able portion of the coarser manufactures are sent into 

 Galicia; and the madder produced in the vicinity of 

 Ciudad Roderigo and Medina del Campo is conveyed 

 through Portugal to the English merchants. 



This province contains six bishoprics, viz. Leon. Sa- Towis- 

 lamnnca, Palencia, Zumora, Astorga, Ciudad Roderigo; 

 2460 parishes, 196 convents, 23 hospitals, five asylums, 

 two military governments, four intendancies of provin- 

 ces, one university, four superior colleges, 25 college* 

 of all classes, six cities, 539 towns or boroughs, 2005 

 villages or settlements, of which "6, formerly inhabit- 

 ed, are now deserted. The principal towns are Leon, 

 Astorga, Zamora, Toro, Palencia, Medina-dcl-Rio-Se- 

 co, Tordesillas, Villa Pando, Duenas, Marsilla, Villa 

 Franca, Benevente, on the north of the Douro; and on 

 the south of that river, Salamanca, Ciudad Roderigo, 

 Alva de Tormes, Pena-Aranda, Pena-de-Francia, Car- 

 pio, Medina-del- Campo, and Ledesma. But many of 

 the towns are not hnlf inhabited ; and the population Topulatieti, 

 has been recently much diminished. . The present 

 amount is estimated at 665,000 persons; of w'hom 

 559S are secular priests, 2'.)64 monks, 1570 nuns, 

 31, 510 nobles, 25,218 servants, and the remainder of 

 the other professions. The inhabitants of this province 

 are distinguished by their gravity and taciturnity, and 

 greatly resemble those of Old Castile. Among the 

 mountains near Astorga are a race called Mauregatos, 

 who preserve the remains of the ancient costume, in 

 their pyramidal hats, neck-ruffe, short jackets, wide 

 breeches, and spatterdashes. Their women wear large 

 ear-rings, a kind of white turban widened like a hat, 

 a chemise closed over the chest, a brown corset button- 

 ing tight, with large sleeves, opening behind, brown 

 veils and petticoats, and over all immense coral neck- 

 laces, passed several times round the neck and shout- 



