SPAIN. 



are covered with rounded maffes of granite, grit, and lime- 

 ftone. Near Malaga are branches of the Sierra Nevada, or 

 fnowy chain, an appellation which might be extended to the 

 central range between Old and New Caftile, which, accord- 

 ing to Mr. Townfend, may at feme times be vifible at the 

 diftance of loo miles: thefe branches prefent hmeftoiie and 

 marble, furmounted by argillaceous fchiftus. Near Alhama, 

 S E of the city of Granada, are found rocks, which, on a 

 bafis of fhingle or round gravel, prefent fand-llone with 

 fhells, furmounted with farcilite ; but m general the rocks 

 are gypfeoiis, with ttrata of the fame fubftance cryftalhzed. 

 Mr Townfend fuppofes that the power of the fun contri- 

 butes to impregnate chalk with vitriolic acid, thus forming 

 Cypfum. The S.E. part of Spain feems to be equally cal- 

 careous, and the cathedral of Murcia is built with pifolite, 

 a fort of free-ilone, refembhng the roe of fi(h. The aven- 

 turine is found in the mountain of Gata, towards the fron- 

 tiers of Portugal ; the Cape de Gata prefents alfo feme 

 fingularities, and appears to fome travellers to have been 



volcanic. 



The forefts, or rather chaces of Spam, are numerous 

 They are little cultivated, and are partly referved for the 

 pleafures of hunting ; fuch is that of the Pardo, which is 

 barren of trees, and extends about 30 miles. Some of the 

 forefts are haunted by fmugglers and banditti, who rob 

 travellers, and often commit murders. 



Spain, including the whole country S. of the Pyrenees, 

 in relation to botany, and its vegetable produftions, has been 

 divided into the fea-fhore, the high mountains, the lower 

 ones, the arable lands, the grazing traSe and marfhes along 

 the rivers, and the vicinity of Lifbon and Oporto. The 

 fea-(hore, with refpeft to its vegetables, refembles for the 

 moft: part the northern coafts of the Mediterranean ; the flat 

 fandy trafts being occupied by the fea-daffodil, the Ihrubby 

 glafs-wort, and the falfola foda and fativa; and of the latter 

 there are extenfive plantations in the vicinity of Alicant and 

 Barcelona, the afhes of which yield the barilla, of which 

 fome thoufand tons are annually manufaftured : the rocks 

 on the coaft are chiefly calcareous, and abound with feveral 

 veeetables, and particularly with the ftipa tenaciffima, or 

 efparto grafs, ufed in making ropes, mats, chair-bottoms, 

 &c. The high mountains of Spain are covered vrith fnow 

 only for a fevf weeks in the year, and in thefe elevated 

 regions are found the fineft timber trees, and other vegetable 

 produftions of the fame kind with thofe that are met with 

 in the north of Europe. The long ranges of hills that 

 occupy the greateft part of Spain, confifl: either of extenfive 

 arid trafts of fand, arenaceous fand-ftone, and ferruginous 

 rubble forming the heaths, of dry calcareous dillrifts form- 

 ino- the flieep-walks, or of moift; rough granitic and marble 

 ridges, with a (hallow foil, forming the woodlands. The 

 Spanifli heaths are gayer and richer with plants than thofe 

 of any other European country. The fheep-walks are for 

 the mod part open downs, with little {helter, excepting oc- 

 calionally groves of chefnut-trees or evergreen oaks. In 

 the wood-lands the trees are neither fo hrge nor fo ample in 

 their foliage as thofe of the Gei^fnan ^-nd Engliih forefts. 

 The maritime provinces of Spain abound with wood ; but 

 in the interior provinces trees are rare, and plantations are 

 not fufiiciently encouraged. Portugal and Spain are de- 

 ficient in refpeft of water ; the rivers flow through rocky 

 channels, and therefore the marfhes and bogs are infrequent. 

 The vicinity of Lilbon and Oporto, and of a few other 

 towns on the coaft, afford a number of Indian, African, and 

 American plants. 



In zoology, Spain is celebrated for its horfes and mulef, 



the latter however being more regarded than the formeij 

 which are faid to degenerate, and particularly for its flieepf 

 which are fuperior to thofe of other countries with refpedt 

 to the delicacy of the mutton and the beauty of the fleece. 

 In mineralogy. Spam wa3 formerly more diftinguifhed than 

 it has been in later times. Pliny, Strabo, and Polybius, 

 fpeak in high terms of commendation of its precious metals; 

 fo that Britain and other maritime regions received their 

 gold and filver from Gaul and Spain, in return for cattle, 

 hides, and other products. At prefent the filver-mines arc 

 almoft wholly confined to Guadalcanal in the Sierra Morena, 

 though rich veins of the fame metal, in 1 fuliginous ftate, 

 exill in many places. The quickfilver mines of Almadan in 

 L.I Mancha furnifli America with mercury for refining its 

 more precious metals. Calamine, cobalt, antimony, copper, 

 tin, and lead, are found in Spain ; its iron is valuable ; and 

 coals are obtained in the diitridl of Villa Franca, in Cata- 

 lonia, where alfo occur gold, filver, copper, and lead. 

 Amber and jet are found in the territory of Betonica, in 

 the Afturias. The other minerals it is needlcfs to enume- 

 rate. Murcia produces a fine red earth, called" almagra," 

 which is mingled with the Spanifh fnufl^. The aventurine 

 of Spain is a felfpir fprinkled with golden mica. 



Few of the mineral waters of Spain are much celebrated. 

 The hot fprings near Oviedo refemble thofe of Bath ; and 

 thofe near Alicant are warm fprings of a chalybeate nature, 

 rifing like the fumes among calcareous hills. 



We (hall now advert to the agriciillure of Spain. The 

 foil in Spain is generally light, and repofes on beds of gyp- 

 fiim ; nor is any country in Europe upon the whole fo fertile 

 as this, or pofl'cfling equal advantages at all feafons of the 

 year. It was, indeed, in this region that the ancients fixed 

 the fcite of the Elyfian fields, and the gardens of the Hef- 

 perides. When the Romans firft entered Iberia, they were 

 aftonilhed at the produftive and flounfhing ftate in which 

 many parts of it vi-ere found ; and they encouraged the exilt- 

 ing indnftry, fo that Spam became the granary of their em- 

 pire, and the nurfery of their armies. The northern nations, 

 when they took poflcflion of the' country, parcelled out the 

 lands, and turned their attention to the improvement of agri- 

 culture. They conftrufted fubterraneous buildings, or gra- 

 naries, in ufe before their time, for the prefervation of corn, 

 and encouraged the formation of canals and (luices, for the 

 irrigation of the land. Under the Moors agriculture was 

 in a ftiU more fiourifliing ftate ; and the era of their expul- 

 fion defignates the epoch of the decline of agriculture. The 

 Spaniards, deprived of their affiftance, pofiefled neither 

 talents, aftivity, nor perfevering induftry, for the cultiva- 

 tion of their lands ; and though they had an excellent foil, 

 and numerous rivers to counteraiSt its aridity, and nothing 

 but induftry and labour were wanting, fcarcely two-thirds of 

 the country were under cultivation : fo that they have been 

 under a neceflity of importing a large quantity of corn from 

 foreign countries. Many attempts were made by fuccelTive 

 Spanifh monarchs to roufe the fpirit and invigorate the fyftem 

 of agriculture ; but they proved, from various impeding 

 caufes, in a great degree inefFe£lual. A variety of circum- 

 ftances contributes to diminith the number of pcrfons that 

 are inclined to labour, as well as to contra£l the portion of 

 time that may be employed for this purpofe. Although 

 Spain has a population of 10,143,965 perfons, yet of thefe, 

 the women, children, and old and infirm men, conftitute 

 five-eighths of the whole, and reduce the population to 

 about 3,803,981 men. From this number muft be fub- 

 trafted the fecular and regular clergy, military and navy, 

 nobility, ttudents, counfellers, fcriveners, domeftics, and 



tax- 



