332 Foreign Notices : — China. 



routes in Estreraadura are badly kept ; and, after the severe floods in the 

 spring of 1831, the communication across the Tagus was cut oiFfor sometime, 

 except by boats; the bridge of Almarez never having been repaired since the 

 war of independence, although magnificent pine forests are close at hand. I 

 crossed in a kind of raft, at considerable risk, the diligences remaining on their 

 respective sides ; and in a posada, where we slept, were galeras full of pas- 

 sengers, who had passed fourteen days waiting for an abatement of the flood, 

 which was still increasing. The roads to Galicia and Asturias are in great 

 part complete, excepting across the lower part of Old Castile, which will be a 

 work of great expense, and cannot yet be undertaken. 



" A vast amelioration has taken place in the management of these improve- 

 ments. They are now executed entirely by contract, by which means govern- 

 ment are enabled to provide ej^actly for the demand, and proportion the 

 quantity of work to the means they have of paying for it. The most minute 

 parcels are thus advertised in the papers, and let to the best bidder. For- 

 merly this was impossible j when a sum was ordered to be expended on a 

 public work, it was assailed by a swarm of pillagers, as the wasps assemble on 

 a sunny day around fruit or honey suddenly exposed, or as vultures wind a 

 carcass lately killed, and assemble from the distant regions of the air, who soon 

 shared it out, leaving only the skeleton to attest the banquet having taken 

 place. This is the chief reason for the country abounding in unfinished 

 monuments : not that the genius soared above its means of completion, as has 

 been supposed, but because the corruption made it innpossible to execute any 

 plan, however well imagined. 



" The progress which is made in these enterprises can only be adequately 

 appreciated by observation of difficulties attending it from local impediments. 

 As soon as the lines of road are practicable, diligences are set in motion upon 

 them, a work of no small difficulty at first. Those who have traversed the 

 interior of Spain, and know the ventas and posadas, will judge of the labour of 

 establishing accommodation for twenty or tliirty persons in one of these 

 places." (vol.i. p. 207— 211.) 



General Improvement of Spain. — " Before any progress, or even a commence- 

 ment, can be made in the political and economical reorganisation of the 

 kingdom, the present system of retaining the nobles about the court in the 

 performance of the menial offices, transmitted from the dark ages, must be 

 reversed, and, in place of being restricted from it, the landholders must be 

 compelled to build houses, and live at least a part of the year on the estates ; 

 and the stars and decorations, instead of being bestowed for services alike de- 

 grading to those who exact, or to those who perform them, must be given to 

 the founders of colonies, or the makers of roads and bridges, or bestowed for 

 the encouragement of agriculture, by the construction of pantanos^ and 

 acequias, or breeding of horses, and planting woods, or other improvements." 

 (vol i. p. 159, 160.) 



CHINA. 



The Botany and Gardening of China will probably, at no distant period, be 

 examined by Europeans in a more accurate manner than it has hitherto been. 

 It appears, from a review of Gutzlaff's Travels, in the Westminster Review 

 for July, that " the Chinese, so far from having a deadly hatred to foreigners, 

 as is generally supposed, and as the East India directors assure us {Review, 

 p. 253.), are exceedingly fond of strangers, anxious to trade with them, and 

 very curious to know every thing respecting Europe. Some parts of the 

 country are of extraordinary richness and beauty. Cha-poo is the principal 

 seaport which carries on a commerce with Japan. This commerce is entirely 

 an imperial monopoly. There is a tolerable harbour ; and the town, together 

 with its suburbs, is perhaps five miles in circuit, built in a square, and inter- 

 sected by numerous canals, which are connected with the Hang-chow river- 

 Nothing can exceed the beautiful and picturesque appearance of the sur- 

 rounding region. We may sayj that, as far as the eye can range, all is one 



