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PREFACE 



Ten years have elapsed since, embarking from Beleni 

 at the mouth of the Tagus for the island of Madeira, I 

 took leave of the Spanish peninsula. During two years , 

 from the spring of 1826 to the 6th of may 1828, 1 had 

 examined more or less the whole of that fertile region , 

 which extends along the shores of the Mediterranean 

 from the foot of the Pyrenees to the mouth of the Gua- 

 dalquivir ; the neighbouring coast of Africa from the 

 mountains around Tetuan to the south of Cape Spartel ; 

 and the greater part of Portugal , from Braga in the 

 north to the chains of Cintra and Arrabida in the south. 

 Two years afterwards on my return from the Canaries , 

 in company with M. Berthelot, I again saw Gibraltar 

 and its environs, whence we sailed to the low islot 

 of Alboran, beyond the mid channel of the Mediterra- 

 nean betwixt Spain and Barbary. From thence, the 

 wind not permitting us to make Melilla , we left behind 

 us , not without regret , the lofty mountains of the pro- 

 vince of El Rif in Morocco , and cast anchor amongst 

 the three islands now called the Zapharines. From 

 these we finally touched at Oran and Algiers , distur- 

 bed at that time both by their recent conquest, and 

 the political dissensions of the conquerors, and alto 

 gether unfitted for our peaceful pursuits. 



Such was the course of a journey too short if mea- 



