SPAIN. 



reigned in the Afturias, Galicia, and finally in the kingdom 

 of Leon till 1038. 



The houfe of Navarre defceiided from the French houfe 

 of Bigorre, which had previoufly reigned in Caltile for ten 

 years, united with it the crown of Leon till the year 1126. 

 This was fucceeded by the family of Bourbon, dcfcended 

 from the royal family of France, which reigned over thefe 

 countries till 1555. The houfe of Cliarlemagne, a French 

 family defcended from that prince, ruled over Catalonia 

 from the year 802 till 1 132. The Frendi family of Bigorre 

 fird reigned in Sobrarba, and afterwards in Aragon, from 

 the year 750 to 1162 ; at that period the French family of 

 Barcelona fucceeded to the government, and united to the 

 crown of Aragon that of Catalonia, and afterwards the king- 

 dom of Valencia, over which it reigned till the year 1430. 

 Thefe parts of Spain then came into the pofleftion of the 

 princes of the French branch of Navarre, which reigned in 

 Caftile, and continued in their defccndants to 1515; at 

 which time the different ftatesof the Spanifh monarchy were 

 under the government of Joanna the Foolifh, who reigned 

 over them till her death, which happened in IJ55. The 

 Auilrian family then polleil'ed tlie throne of Spain till 1700, 

 fince which time it was occupied by a branch of the houfe 

 of Bourbon, till the late revolution, which placed the crown 

 upon the head of Jofeph I., brother of Napoleon Buonaparte, 

 emperor of the French ; but this revolution has terminated 

 in the reftoration of Ferdinand VIL, who fucceeded on the 

 abdication of his father in 1808. 



The Spanirti government, which was of a limited nature, 

 during the dynafties of the kings of Caftile and Aragon, 

 afterwards became an abfolute monarchy. 



Philip V. lupprelled the ftates-general, their lall meeting 

 having been held at Saragoffa in the year 1720 ; and fince 

 that period no further power is left to the Cortes of Caftile 

 and Aragon, but the privilege of fending deputies to the 

 ftates-general, whenever they are fummoned by the mo- 

 narch. The whole authority centres at prefent in the king 

 and his minifters ; and the national affairs are condufted by 

 the different councils appointed by the crown, which deli- 

 berate and form their plans in tlie capital : fome of them 

 poflefs both legiilative and executive power, and exercife 

 the double funftion of advifing the king and adminiftering 

 the jullice. The council of Caftile, in this diftribution of 

 power, is paramount ; its decrees being decifivc in the courts, 

 but its judgments are under the controul of the king. The 

 chief councils in Spain are, i. That of difpalches, called 

 alio the Junto, or cabinet council, being compolcd of the 

 king and liis minifters of ftate. 2. The council of (late, in 

 which the king prefides, and of which the archbiftiop of 

 Toledo is always a member. 3. The royal council of 

 finances, called the Hazienda. 4. The fupremo council of 

 war. 5. The fupreme council of Caftile. 6. The fupremc 

 council of Aragon. 7. The fupreme council of the inqui- 

 fition. 8. Tlie royal council of the orders of knighthood. 

 9. The royal council of the Indies. 10. That of the cru- 

 fade, compofcd of a commiffary-gcncral, a member of the 

 council of Calhle, and another of that of Aragon, who ma- 

 nage the fale of little papal bulls, grartiiig certain indul- 

 gences to the purchafers. In Spain there are five minifters 

 of ftate ; corrcl ponding to our foreign fecietary, fccretary 

 for the home dbparlment, fecrctary at war, firft lord of the 

 admiralty, and chancellor of the exchequer, or prime minillcr. 



The laws of Spain are contained in fcveral ancient codes ; 

 and recourfe is alfo had to the civil and canon law. The 

 " Efcrivanos," or attorneys, are numerous, but inllcad of 

 explaining the codes, they often impede the adminillration 

 of jufticc. Miltaken mercy frequently retains criminals 



in long durance, fo that when they are executed their 

 offence is forgotten, and the example of punifliment has 

 no effeft. 



With refpeft to the military of Spain we may obferve, 

 that when Philip V. afcended the throne, there were not 

 15,000 troops in the kingdom, and it had not a fingle fliip 

 of war fit for the fea. This prince diredled his attention to 

 military arrangement and difciphne ; and his fucceiibrs, by 

 following the fame courfe, have obtained a refpeftable 

 army ; and by the increafe and ftrength of its naval inftitu- 

 lions, Spain has alfo become a maritime power. In the 

 year 1807 the army If aff included 5 captains-general, 5 in- 

 fpedlors, 87 lieutenant-generals, 128 field-marfkalf, and 

 2 1 3 brigadier-generals, befides military intendants, military 

 commiffioners, trealurers of the army, military judges, ikc. 

 The military eflablifliment of the royal houfehoid confifts 

 of four companies of life-guards, a company of hai'iardiera 

 or fpearmen, a regiment of infantry called the Walloon 

 guards, and a regiment of cavalry called the royal cara- 

 biniers. The life-guards are divided into four companies, 

 the Spanifh, the American, the Italian, and the Walloon ; 

 and each confifts of natives of thefe refpecfive countries. 

 The militia is diftinguillied by the appellations of niihces 

 provinciales, or provincial militia, divided into 42 bat- 

 talions, and diftributcd through the different provinces, 

 and the milices urbanas, or civic mihtia, which neither re- 

 ceive pay nor are liable to be called away from their homes. 

 The Spanifh troopS all wear a red cockade, except the 

 Walloon and Swifs guards ; that of the former being red 

 and black, and that of the latter red and yellow. The 

 whole military force of Spain, in time of peace, is computed 

 at about 60,000. The naval forces of Spain confift of a 

 marine itaff, a corps of marine officer;-., a corps of naval cadet- 

 guards, and three corps of engineers, artillery, and infantry, 

 appropriated entirely to the fervice of the navy. The Ihips 

 of the line can fcarcely now be computed at more than 50. 



The revenues of the king of Spain, on the continent, 

 confift in monies ariiing from his own landed cftates, cuf- 

 toms, all kinds of taxation, &c. ; which rewnues amount 

 at prefent, for the whole of Spain, to 8,097,813/. 6s. 4^. 

 Iterling, without including various confiderable turns from 

 different fources, which cannot be afcertained, for want of 

 accurate information. Tlie king of Spain alio derives con- 

 fiderable revenues from the two Indies ; but the expence of 

 coUefting, &c. is fo great as to abforb nearly two-thirds. 

 The total revenues of the Spanifh colonit-s amount ta 

 27,000,000 piaftres fortes ; and deducing cxpences, fcarcely 

 more than 9,000,000 piaftres arrive at the royal treafury. 

 The revenue of Spain has been ftatcd by fome writers at 

 5,500,000/. fterhng, fo that each perfon pays lOr. to go- 

 vernment for proteftion. Fi r the i.:ture of the taxes we 

 may refer to Laborde and Townfend's tables. The gabel 

 is one of the moft produdive ; and the clergy pay about 

 15,000,000 of rials. The expenditure now eq'ials, or ex- 

 ceeds the income ; and the n.itional debt .'.radually enlarges. 

 The colonies, as fome of the befl judges have eftimated 

 them, do not yield above i, 000.000/. Uerling, exclufive of 

 the duties. Bourgoing computes tlie revenues of Sp:un at 

 616,295,657 rials, and its money in circulation he flates 

 at 80,000,000 of dollai=s ; elHinating the rial at 5 f.nis of 

 France, and the dollar at 20 rials. 



Religion and ecclefiajiical Govfinmenl. — The religion of 

 Spain IS the Roman Catholic, protedid with a degree of 

 fanaticifm which exceeds that of any Italian ftate, or even 

 the Papal territory. The inquifition, elfablifhed in I480, 

 by Ferdinand and Ifabella, and l.itely reftond with the re- 

 turn of the prefent fovereign, after its abohtion, has pro- 

 duced 



