188 RAMBLES OP A NATURALIST. 



see the mouth of the Urumea, whose winding course 

 can be traced till it disappears at a projecting point 

 of the valley, where it turns in the direction of Asti- 

 garaga. The actual roadstead is on the other side, 

 and here it presents only a narrow channel towards 

 the sea, being protected by the advanced rocks of 

 Mount Orgullo, the island of Santa Clara, and the 

 chain of rocks which connect the latter with Mount 

 Igueldo. A magnificent beach of fine sand borders 

 this channel in a semicircle which is only inter- 

 rupted by the rocky point on which stood before 

 the late wars the chapel of La Antigua. This 

 beach, which merges into the sea by a scarcely per- 

 ceptible slope, is every summer the rendezvous of 

 numerous bathers, who come hither from all parts of 

 Spain either in search of pleasure or of health. The 

 harbour itself is situated immediately at the foot of 

 Mount Orgullo, completely sheltered on all sides, 

 and covered even in the direction of the roadstead 

 by four jetties which mutually protect one another. 



It might be supposed that this roadstead and har- 

 bour, which art and nature seem to have combined 

 to place beyond the reach of any external influences, 

 would present unusual conditions of safety ; such, 

 however, is far from being the case, for there are 

 occasional storms, when the winds and waves exert a 

 power which defies all attempts at description. I have 

 often witnessed at Saint Sebastian a violent outburst 

 of storm and wind which would elsewhere be regarded 

 as a frightful hurricane, but which the people of 

 the district only characterised as roughish weather. 

 I am not, however, about to give a description of 



