CATALONIA. 



63 



at Rosas, and proceeded this morning to Figueras, in 

 order to join the diligence, which passes to-tnorrow 

 morning for Perpignan. — This country, though far from 

 being naturally so rich, is in a much higher state of culti- 

 vation, and proportionally more productive than the 

 south. Passing through the town I observed them carry- 

 ing out from a cellar the refuse of a fermenting vat, and 

 on entering I found they had just been pressing the 

 skins, which had fermented with the wine. — Outside the 

 cellar were two presses, each on wheels. These were 

 composed of a box 2i feet long, and about the same 

 width and depth, formed by light bars, with stronger 

 bars at the corners. Before and behind these boxes was 

 a screw, and there was a spout to convey to a vessel, 

 placed below, the must which would flow through the 

 bars to the bottom on the pressure being applied. It 

 was evident that these were itinerant presses, which the 

 proprietor was accustomed to send to the different vine- 

 yards as they were required. I found also that he had a 

 more powerful press within the cellar, and that there 

 also was a mill for grinding olives, much superior to the 

 one I had seen at the Marquis del Arco Hermoso''s. 

 The basin of the mill consisted of an immense piece of 

 granite formed into a circle, and hollowed out in a 

 sloping direction, leaving a space level at the bottom 

 considerably greater than was required for the vertical 

 stone to turn upon, as upon a pivot; and attached to 

 the vertical stone was a sort of scoop, which collected the 

 scattered olives into the line which it passed over. 



Tuesday^ 15th November. — This morning at 9 o'clock 

 I took my seat in the coupe of the diligence, for Per- 

 pignan. I found here an Englishman who w^s returning 

 from an excursion to Madrid and Barcelona. The road 



