Delmar ] uUi [Jan. 15, 



reTolutioD, like its predecessor in the same country of half a century 

 before, may have gone too far and subjected itself to the evils of a con- 

 servative reaction which in time will destroy all its good effects, but this 

 is not believed to be the case. During the late years preceding and dur- 

 ing its republican government, the Spanish nation so thoroughly destroyed 

 the power of the bigots, so utterly abolished feudal institutions, so 

 scattered to the winds the privileges of castes and monopolies and so 

 clinched and riveted these reforms by the educational institutions and 

 agencies of material progress which it created, that for it to go back to 

 the dark ages of twenty years ago is simply impossible. Several millions 

 of people in Spain have learned to read during the past fifteen or twenty 

 years; several thousand miles of railways have been built; several mil- 

 lions of acres of additional land brought under cultivation. These are 

 works of progress that cannot be undone. Spain is like an inert mass 

 suddenly hurled into the illimitable space of action; she must go on now 

 forever. * 



In endeavoring to portray the recent progress of Spain, I shall confine 

 myself in this paper chiefly, though not entirely, to the important toj)ic 

 of agriculture, and the sub-toiiics more immediately connected with that 

 greatest of all industries. This is done not only because progress in Spain 

 means, and must, for some ages yet, mean, necessarily and above all 

 things, progress in agriculture; but also because it is upon this subject 

 that current works of reference on Spain are most deficient. 



Natural Resources, Climate, etc. 



Of this once most foremost country of the world, it may be said briefly 

 that nature gave her every original resource and man destroyed them all. 

 Situate in the temperate and tropical zones, watered by two oceans, and 

 penetrated by no less than 230 rivers, nearly one-half of her soil still lies 

 barren, for the want of moisture denied her by the destruction of her 

 forests. The average fall of rain during the year is stated to be " 19.45 

 inches, whilp the average heat is 65° 42' Fahrenheit, even in winter only 

 falling to 56° 54' and in summer ascending to 990." U. S. Com. Rel., 

 1868, p. 373. 



In Alicaote and many other provinces it seldom rains at all. When it 

 does, the floods are often very destructive. In November, 1864, an extra- 

 ordinary inundation took place in the province of Valencia, causing the 

 river Ircar to overflow its banks, partially destroying the town of Alcira, 

 and inflicting damage to the amount of over two million dollars (Br. C. 

 R. 1865, p. 73). Spain is essentially a country of mountain ridges and ele- 



* " Don Jos^ Sanchez de Bazan gave me some highly interesting accounts of recent 

 Spanish progress, and the state of affairs in his country. There were three thousand miles 

 of railways in Spain ; over twelve million passengers were annually carried upon them; 

 there were seven thousand miles of telegraph, fllteen thousand miles of common roads, 

 etc. The Constitution guaranteed complete civil and religious liberty ; the priests 

 were banished ; the press was free, and Spain would soon once more lift up her head 

 among the nations." — A Summer Tour in 1872, by Alex. Delmar. Appleton's Journal : 

 New York, November, 1873. 



