SPAIN. 



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7. Climate. This country lies in the southern part of the temperate zone. The cold is 

 never excessive, even in the northern parts. In the south, the heats of midsummer would be 

 mtolerable, but for the sea-breeze, which begins to blow at 9 in the morning, and continues till 

 5 in the evening. The interior is so elevated, as to be much cooler than might be expected, 

 from the latitude The two Castiles form a raised plain, nearly 2,000 feet in height. The prov- 

 inces, along the Mediterranean, are the paradise of this kingdom. An everlasting spring 

 seems to reign in this delightful country. The sky of Andalusia is pure azure and gold ; the 

 mhabitants of Seville affirm, that a day was never known, when the sun did not shine upon 

 their city. Two kinds of winds are sometimes unpleasant in Spain. The Gallego, from the 

 northwest, is piercing and cold ; the Solano, a southwest wind, from Africa, is so hot, as to 

 relax the human system, and produce giddiness and inflammation. 



8. Soil. The greater part of the country is fertile, and covered with a luxuriant vegetation. 

 The fruits and plants offer a greater variety than is aflbrded by any other region of the same 

 extent. The land is everywhere favorable to the cultivation of the vine. The greater part of 

 Spain may be regarded as naturally the most fruitful country of Europe ; but there are exten- 

 sive wastes in the interior. 



9. Geology. The Pyrenean mountains are granitic, as are also the central ridges ; schistus 

 and calcareous rocks, as well as sandstone, abound among them. The low plains are covered 

 with alluvial deposits, mixed with fossil bones. In the south, the mountains contain schistus, 

 sandstone, and gneiss ; and in this quarter, are vestiges of volcanic craters. 



10. J^atural Productions. There are 8 species of oak among the forest trees. Three of 

 these are particularly valuable ; the evergreen oak, or quercus bellota, with edible fruit ; the 

 cork oak, and the cochineal oak, on which the false cochineal, yielding a fiae crimson color, is 

 found. The other common trees, are tamarisks, pines, birches, chestnuts, pistaches, firs, pop- 

 lars, &c. The fruits of the south are lemons, oranges, pomegranates, figs, olives, almonds, 

 &c. The date palm grows upon the shore of the Mediterranean, and the exportation of dates 

 from Spain forms a thriving branch of trade. 



11. Minerals. Spain supplied the ancient inhabitants of Europe with the greater part of 

 the precious metals they possessed, but her mineral products are small at the present day. 

 Mines of quicksilver are wrought at Almaden, in La Mancha, and iron is furnished by the pro- 

 vinces of Biscay. Coal is wrought in Catalonia and Asturias. Crystalized sulphur is found 

 in the neighborhood of Cadiz. 200 species of marble are enumerated in the kingdom. 



12. Mineral Springs. These are very numerous, and are estimated, by some, at 1,200; 

 but regular watering-places, and bathing establishments, do not exist in Spain. A hospital is 

 the only common accompaniment. The springs of Trillo, or Guadalaxara, are used for drink- 

 ing and bathing. Those of Sierra Vermeja, in Grenada, contain iron and sulphur. Those of 

 Buzot, in Valencia, sulphur, iron, and salt. The baths of Archena, in Murcia, and Caldar de 

 Monbuy, were known to the Romans. 



13. JJnimals. Almost all the wild animals of Southern France, are common to Spain. The 

 plains and mountains abound in game. The wild boar, the bear, and various kinds of deer, are 

 found in the mountains of Galicia, and the Asturian forests. Hares, rabbits, partridges, fla- 

 mingoes, and bustards, are common in Andalusia. The wolf still frequents nearly all the wood- 

 ed and mountainous districts of the country. The chamois and the lynx find a shelter in the 

 Pyrenees, and the other mountains of the east. The moufiion is found in the kingdom of 

 Murcia. The genet, porcupine, scorpion, and chameleon, may also be mentioned. Cantha- 

 rides, tarantulus, and mosquitoes, abound. Estremadura and Andalusia, are sometimes deso- 

 lated by swarms of locusts from the African coast. 



14. Face of the Country. Spain is an elevated, mountainous, and beautifully picturesque 

 country. It exhibits an alternation of mountain ridges and wide plains, everywhere watered 

 by rivers and small streams. The hills are covered with vineyards, and the valleys display the 

 most luxuriant vegetation. The southern part looks like a garden in perpetual bloom. In ex- 

 ternal beauty, few countries in the world equal Spain. 



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