SPAIN. 



of improvement defcribed by the greater part of modern 

 writers ; who have affeaed to believe that the country then 

 had attained the acme of its wealth and fplendour. 



During the whole period that ejapfed, from the com- 

 mencement of the 14th to the clofe of the l6th century, 

 Spain was pcrfeftly independent of foreign nations ; manu- 

 fafturing the greatelV part of its filk and wool, and ex- 

 porting more manufadured than raw articles. But during 

 the progrefs of the 17th century, the manufaAures of cot- 

 ton, linen, and hempen cloths, gloves, and fwords, entirely 

 vanilhed, and by the clofe of this centui7, fcarcely the 

 fmallell veiligcs remained, fo that Spain was abfolutely 

 dellitute of trade. When Philip V. afcended the throne, the 

 inteftine wars during the firft. fourteen years of that mo- 

 narch's reign, and the low ilate of the national finances, 

 prevented tlie government from paying any attention to the 

 Itate of the country in this refped. Some meafures were 

 adopted for the revival of the manufaftures, when tranquil- 

 lity was rertored. Ferdinand VI. did more for this purpofe 

 than any of his predeceifors, and his fucceflor Charles III. 

 followed his example. The manufaftures of Catalonia were 

 the firft that revived fubfequent to the war waged refpefting 

 the right of fuccefllon. In a (hort period manufactures 

 were eftabliflied, and by a fpirit of rivalry quickly multi- 

 plied. By degrees new branches of manufafture were 

 adopted in various places, and the different ramifications are 

 numerous at the prefent day. Thefe are fo numerous in the 

 different provinces and towns of the country, that our limits 

 will not allow an enumeration of them in this place. Some 

 account of them occurs under the names of the refpeftive 

 provinces and towns, in the courfe of this work. The ftate 

 of Spanifh manufactures in the 15th and i6th centuries, will 

 lead us to conclude that commerce was then in a flonrifh- 

 ing condition; and its ramifications extended to all paics 

 of Europe. Almeria, Valencia, and Barcelona, no lefs im- 

 portant, in a mercantile view, than the Hanfeatic towns, 

 pufhed their commercial concerns into Syria, Egypt, Bar- 

 bary, and the Archipelago. The trade of the country, 

 however, was at this time very much, if not wholly, in the 

 hands of the Jews ; while the Spaniards were either en- 

 gaged in war, or indulging themfelves in a ilate of peace. 

 The Moors condufted their agricultural and manufafturing 

 concerns, and the Jews became their merchants and bankers. 

 The expuliion of the Jews, in the year 1492, deprived Spain 

 of its moft aftive merchants ; this was followed by the cx- 

 pulfion of the Moors, in 1614; fo that commerce was de- 

 prived of its aftive and intelligent agents, and ceafing to be 

 nourifhed by the produce of the foil, manufaftures inftanta- 

 neoufly difappeared. The Barbary pirates likewife infelled 

 the Mediterranean fea, and feized all the Spanifh (liips 

 which failed from the fouthern parts ; and Spain being 

 unable to defend commerce on the coaft, the whole trade 

 was carried on in foreign bottoms. The government alfo 

 had adopted a fyilem peculiarly calculated to paralyze com- 

 merce : it had reftrifted the colonial trade to entering by 

 one port only on the continent, Seville firft, and Cadiz 

 afterwards. Moreover, during the war about the fucceflion, 

 Philip V. prohibited the exportation of all the produce of 

 the country to the nations with which he was at war. The 

 country at different times made fruitlefs attempts for reviv- 

 ing its commerce. Philip was fcarcely in quiet poflelEon 

 of the throne, before he turned his attention to the revival 

 of commerce ; he encouraged manufaftures, and conferred 

 honorary rewards on trade ; he granted premiums to mer- 

 chants, and intlituted commercial boards. Charles III. 

 permitted a general trade, and moderated the duties impofed 

 upoQ imported merchandize. In 1764 he eftabhfhed pack- 



ets, which failed regularly every month to the Havanna and 

 Porto Rico, and others every two months for Rio de la 

 Plata ; and allowed every packet-boat to take out half a 

 cargo of Spanifh produce, and return half freighted with the 

 produftions of America. The Spaniards themfelves dif- 

 played a fpirit of aftivity and enterprife, of which they 

 were thought to be altogether incapable. About the year 

 1728, the Caraccas company of Guipuicoa was eftabhfhed, 

 and this company produced prompt and extenfive advan- 

 tages. This company was fupprefied about the year 178 1 

 or 1782. In the year 1784, a new company was formed, 

 under the firm of " the Philippines ;" and the fhips belong- 

 ing to this concern failed from Cadiz ; but though its com- 

 mencement was piomifing, many unfavourable circuraftances 

 occurred, and it iuflained very heavy loffes ; neverthelefs, 

 at the clofe of the year 1796 it derived a profit of nearly 

 229,166/.' I3J-. 4^. flerling. The internal trade of Spain 

 is very incoafiderable, for want of fufficient means of com- 

 munication ; but it carries on a foreign trade with every 

 country in Europe. The prircipal tranfaftions, however, 

 are with England, Holland, Italy, France, and its American 

 colonies. The principal articles of foreign commerce are 

 wine, brandy, oil, foda, barilla, fine wool, tobacco, dried 

 raifins and figs, nuts, dates, fumac, anchovies, rice, kermes, 

 fait, madder, bar-iron, and anchors. Although Spain ex- 

 ports immenfe quantities of its agricultural produftions, it 

 fends abroad none of its manufaftured articles, but all 

 thofe it receives from foreign countries. The following 

 articles are imported into Spain, viz. from Holland, tapes, 

 linen-drapery, common lace, cutlery goods, and paper ; — 

 from Silefia, linen-drapery ; — from Germany, particularly 

 Hamburgh, quantities of haberdalhery ; — from England, 

 calicoes, iron ar.d fteel goods, fine cloth, cod-fifh, and ling ; 

 — from France, cahcoes, linen-drapery, filk-ftockings, filks, 

 camblets, and other kinds of worfted ftuffs, fine cloths, 

 gilded articles, jewellery, iron goods, fteel goods, haber- 

 dafhery, and perfumery : and Spain carries on 3 con- 

 fiderable trade with her American colonies. Bifcay is 

 the only province of Spain that is interdifted a free trade 

 with the colonies. The colonies fupply Spain with 

 coffee, fugar, fome cotton, tobacco, cocoa, leather, and 

 particularly gold and filver, both in ingots and coined into 

 money. 



The manufaftures and commerce of Spain are confider- 

 ably checked by the royal monopolies, which comprehend 

 the following articles ; i>;3. broad-cloth, at Guadalajara and 

 Brihuega ; china, at the palace of the Buen Retiro ; cards, 

 at Madrid and Malaga ; glafs, at St. Ildefonfo ; paper, in 

 Segovia ; pottery, at Talavera ; faltpetre, at Madrid and 

 various other places ; ftockings, at V. Idemoro ; fwords, at 

 Toledo ; tapellry, at Madrid ; and tiflue, at Talavera. The 

 king has alfo the monopoly of brandy, gunpowder, lead, 

 quickfilver, fealing-wax, fait, fulphur, and tobacco. Moft 

 of the royal manufaftures may be regarded as monopolies, 

 as no private capital can vie with the treafury. 



Gcnitrnment, Mil'ilary, and Revenue. — Spain was never 

 governed by a king who was not of foreign origin. Mo- 

 narchs either of a Gothic or Moorifh race, French or Auf- 

 trian, or of the royal houfe of France, have occupied the 

 Spanifh throne from the year 411 till the prefent day. The 

 Goths reigned in Spain from the year 411 till 71 1 ; the 

 Moors from 7 1 1 till 716 ia part of the Afturias, till 820 in 

 Catalonia, till 750 in Sobrarba, till 923 in Leon, till 1075 

 in different parts of the two Caftiles, till 11 18 in Aragon, 

 till 1236 in Cordova and .Taen, till F248 in Seville, till i 264 

 in Valencia, till 1265 in Murcia, and even fo late as 1493 

 in Granada. During the wars againft the Moors, the Goths 

 1 2 reigned 



