236 Botanic Gardens of Spain. 



those objects are encouraged which are not only useless but 

 hurtful to the national welfare, — where no guarantee is to 

 be had for the security of individuals and their property, — 

 and where they cannot call the soil their own, or cultivate it 

 according to their pleasure or free will. 



The reader will deduce evident proofs of these truths from 

 the perusal of the following pages. 



BOTANIC GARDENS. 



The only botanical gardens existing at the present period 

 in Spain are, that of Madrid, which is denominated the Royal 

 Botanical Garden ; those belonging to the four schools of 

 Pharmacy established at Madrid, Seville, Barcelona, and 

 Santiago ; that of the College of Surgery at Cadiz; that of the 

 university of Valencia; and that belonging to the Board of 

 Commerce of Barcelona, devoted principally to agronomical 

 botany. In 1818 the government gave orders for six more 

 gardens, also for the study of agronomical botany, to be esta- 

 blished at Burgos, Seville, Toledo, Valencia, Badajoz, and 

 Leon ; but though professors were nominated to them all, it 

 was only in Seville, Toledo, and Valencia that schools had 

 actually been opened, even in 1820. The botanical garden 

 of Carthagena, being within reach of cannon-shot from that city, 

 was destroyed in ]808, and has never been restored. The 

 horrors of war also put an end to that which had existed 

 at Zaragoza ever since 1796, and which was under the im- 

 mediate protection of the enlightened society called " The 

 Friends of the Country," who formerly contributed so effec- 

 tually to diffuse throughout the nation the most useful know- 

 ledge by means of their writings, and by the establishment 

 of the academy of Belles Lettres, and schools of public 

 economy, mathematics, chemistry, botany, and agriculture, — 

 by the erection of a cabinet of natural history, —by the annual 

 distribution of prizes, — by their labours to perfect the methods o. 

 teaching the first rudiments of learning ; and, lastly, by the esta- 

 blishment of the Monte Pio * for husbandmen. In the year 

 1822, the same patriotic body solicited assistance from the 

 government to re-establish their ancient garden, proposing to 

 make new improvements in it ; but I am ignorant whether 

 they obtained it. The botanical garden belonging to the 

 School of Physicians of Seville, founded by Philip V. at the 

 suggestion of his first physician, the celebrated Don Jose 



* Establishments where they lend money on cattle and implements, 

 exacting but a very trifling interest. 



