SPAIN. 



tax-gatherers, amounting to 1,221,799 perfons ; fo that 

 the number of thofe who might be aftively employed in 

 agriculture, fubjeft to a ftill further reduftion, amounts to 

 confidcrably lefs than 2,582,592. The number of working 

 days is much leflened by the multiplicity of fealts and holi- 

 days. The want of good roads and of convenient markets, 

 the high price of labour, and the " meda" (which fee), very 

 much impede agricultural improvement. Under all thefe 

 difadvantages, fo fertile is the foil and fo favourable the 

 climate, Spain produces a very confiderable quantity of 

 various forts of grain ; but different provinces are more or 

 lefs diltinguifhed in this refpeft. Flax, hemp, fugar-canes, 

 madder, foda, faffron, broom, honey, palms and dates, cork- 

 trees, kermes or gall-infefts, and different kinds of fruit, al- 

 monds, nuts, figs, carob-beans, olives, vines and dried raifins, 

 may be reckoned amongft its produflions. The common 

 courfe of hufbandry about Barcelona, as Mr. Townfend in- 

 forms us, begins with wheat ; which being ripe in June is 

 immediately fucceeded by Indian corn, hemp, millet, cab- 

 bage, kidney-beans, or lettuce. In the fecond year thefe 

 crops fucceed one another as before. In the next year they 

 fow barley, beans, or vetches, which being taken off the 

 ground before Midfummer, are followed, as in the former 

 year, by other crops, changing them according to the fea- 

 ion, fo as to have on the fame fpot the greateft variety. 

 Wheat produces a ten-fold crop, and in rainy feafons fifteen 

 for one. Near Carthagena, the courfe is wheat, barley, and 

 fallow. For wheat they plough thrice, and fow from the 

 middle of November to the beginning of December ; in 

 .July they reap from 10 to 100 for one, as the feafon hap- 

 pens to be humid. The Huerta, or rich vale of Alicant, 

 yields a perpetual fucceffion of crops. Barley is fown in 

 September, reaped in April ; fucceeded by maiz^, reaped 

 in September, and by a mixed crop of efculents which fol- 

 low. Wheat is fown in November, and reaped in June ; 

 ilax in September, pulled in May. In the vale of Valencia 

 ■wheat yields from 20 to 40; barley, from 18 to 24; oats, 

 from ao to 30 ; maize, 100 ; rice, 40. In the more fouthern 

 provinces, the land is almoll equally fertile : and the fugar- 

 caiie is fuccefsfully cultivated near Granada. The Spaniffi 

 plough is generally light, and is drawn by oxen with the 

 yoke over the horns. All the provinces of Spain produce 

 wine. The eallern and fouthern provinces contain a vaft 

 number of vines ; but the northern and wellern not fo many. 

 But the wines vary in refpeft of quality in the different pro- 

 vinces, and in the feveral diltrifls even of the fame province. 

 The ordinary wines of the country arc red wines ; but many 

 diftrifts of Spain produce excellent fweet wines. The old 

 Iherry wine, " Xerez feco," is the fherry fack of Shakfpeare. 

 The dried grapes or raifins form in the kingdom of Valencia, 

 ■where they annually produce 88,461^ cwt. and ufually ex- 

 port 36,538 cwt., and particularly in that of Granada, the 

 environs of Malaga fiirnifhing annually 288,4615 cwt. and 

 exporting 240,577 cwt., a very confiderable article of com- 

 merce. In the latter province, they are fimply dried in the 

 fun, without any other preparation ; in the former the grapes 

 arc iteeped in boiling water, (harpened with a ley made of 

 vine-Items, and then expofed to the air and fufpended in the 

 fun, till they are fcjfficiently dry. Thofc of Malaga are of 

 a fuperior quality, in greater eltimation, and obtain a higher 

 price than any other. They are naturallv larger, and of a 

 more delicate flavour than any others. The cultivation of 

 fugar-canes prevails on an extenfive fcale on tlie fide of Gra- 

 nada, where enough is grown to fuyply a confiderable ma- 

 nufafture of fugar. Formerly they had no fewer than 

 twelve fugar-mills between Malaga and Gibraltar, the four 

 principal of which were at Madrid, near which place the 



bell canes were produced. But the cultivation of cotton 

 has been fubftituted there in the place of fugar. Olive-trees 

 thrive in almoft every part of the country. The olives grown 

 in the dillrifts of Alcala and Guadayra, in the kingdom of 

 Seville, are larger and finer than any in Europe, and the bett 

 adapted for pickling. The greatelt quantity of oil is pro- 

 duced in the kingdom of Valencia ; viz. 88,000 quintals, or 

 84,615 cwt. annually. Wood is fcarce in the two Caftiles, 

 Eftremadura and Leon. The cables of the Spanifii vcffelj 

 are often made of efparto from Murcia. 



In Spain feveral economical focieties have been lately 

 ellabliffied,' particularly at Valencia and Saragoffa, with a 

 view to the encouragement of agriculture ; and in conneftion 

 with the fociety of the latter place is a charitable bank in 

 favour of diftreffed farmers. Money is advanced fufficient 

 to defray the expences of harvelt, and two years are allowed 

 for returning, by inftalments, the fums thus advanced. This 

 eflablilhment cominenced its operations in June 1805, and it 

 then dillributed 458/. 2s. fterling to no hufbandmen ; and 

 in the month of Auguft following it had furnifhcd fixty-two 

 horfes to an equal number of other indigent farmers. The 

 principal economical mftitution for the promotion of agri- 

 culture is that at Madrid. 



ManufaHures and Commerce. — Spain, celebrated in remote 

 periods for the fertility of its foil, and the variety of its 

 produftions, was equally fignalized by the induftry of its 

 inhabitants. The Greeks and Romans found this country- 

 farther advanced in all kinds of ufeful arts than they could 

 poffibly have imagined. It was in the city of Zoeh, in the 

 dilfrift of Tarragon, that the firlt linen ftuffs were manu- 

 faftured ; and the cloths of Xativa, or San Felippo, the an- 

 cient Soetabis, were famous through Greece and Italy. At 

 Carthagena very fine ftuffs were fabricated from the bark of 

 trees ; and the manufafture of woollen cloth had arrived at 

 a high degree of perfection, and the Spaniards polieffed the 

 art of dyeing cloth of a very beautiful purple colour, which 

 they learned of the Phoenicians, fo that they fupplied all 

 Italy with this article. The Celtiberians knew the method 

 of tempering fteel, and nothing could rcfift the force of their 

 fwords. The manufaftures of Spain, however, were injured 

 by the invafion of the northern nations ; and were again 

 revived by the Moors, who exhibited to the Spaniards an 

 example of genius, aftivity, and induftry. The two nations, 

 ■viz,, the Moors and the Spaniards, divided between them 

 the manufaftures of Spain : thofe of leather, linen, fiik, &c. 

 were almoft wholly in the hands of the Arabs ; and thofe of 

 arms, and articles fabricated of wool, were in the hands of 

 the Spaniards. When the Moors were expelled in 1614, 

 the manufaftures which had flourifhed under their direftion 

 funk into decay and ruin. The hillory of Spanidi manu- 

 faftures may be divided into three periods. The firft com- 

 mences with the re-union of all parts of the monarcliy, under 

 the reign of Ferdinand and Ifabclla,*in tlie year 1475 > ''"•' 

 extends down to the death of Philip II. in the year 159S. 

 The fecond comprifes the reigns of Phili[) HI. Philip IV. 

 and Charles II., that is to fay, during the whole oi the 

 17th century. The third includes the l8th century ; but 

 Itriflly fpeaking, it did not begin till the year i 720. 



The firft was a brilliant period for Spain ; manufaftures 

 of every kind were much increafed, and for a time ihcy be- 

 came very famous. The fecond period witneilcd their de- 

 cline and decay, and their fall was as rapid as their elevation. 

 Spain then no longer employed foreign merchandize. The 

 third period furninies an intercfting index of the efforts 

 which wore ufed for a ferics of time to reinvigorate the na- 

 tional manufadures. During the firft, Spain was in a fiou- 

 rilhing ftate ; but it had not then arrived at that high degree 

 3 K 2 of 



