SPAIN. 



POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



1. Divisions. Spain is divided into 13 captaincies, some of which have the titie of king- 

 doms, and most of them are subdivided into several smaller provinces,* for civil purposes. 



2. Canals. There are only two navigable canals of any importance. The Imperial Canal 

 was begun with the intention of uniting Navarre with the Mediterranean, and is finished to 

 below Saragossa. It is 74 feet wide, and 10| feet deep, being navigable for vessels of 100 

 tons. The Canal of Castile is partly executed, and is designed to connect the Duero wiih 

 the harbor of Santander, on the Bay of Biscay. There are several other small canals in dif- 

 ferent parts of the kingdom. 



3. Toivns. Madrid, the capital, stands in the centre of the kingdom, in the midst of a 

 barren plain 2,200 feet above the level of the sea, and surrounded by mountains. It has a 

 handsome appearance ; the streets are regular, and many of the buildings magnificent. It has 

 42 squares and many beautiful public walks. The Prado is an elegant promenade on the east 

 side of the city, planted with trees, and ornamented with fountains. Here the wealthy and 

 fashionable display their equipages, and hither all ranks resort in quest of amusement. Many 

 of the squares are adorned with fountains ; the handsomest is the Plaza Mayor, where the 

 markets are held. The houses are generally of brick, and few of them have glass windows. 

 Several royal palaces adorn the city and neighborhood. The new palace, considered the 

 finest royal residence in Europe, forms a square of 404 feet, and 86 feet high ; the Buen 

 Retiro, another palace, is famous for its beautiful gardens. There is a magnificent bridge 

 over the Manzanares, a little stream which runs by the city. Madrid contains 75 convents, 

 77 churches, 3 theatres, 18 colleges, &c. The learned societies, and cabinets of science 

 and art are numerous, and give this city a high rank among the first capitals of Europe, in 

 regard to learning and the arts. The Royal Library is rich in manuscripts, models, and 

 antiquities, and contains 130,000 volumes. The charitable institutions are numerous; they 

 are richly endowed, and the buildings pertaining to them are spacious and well attended. 

 Madrid is a place of considerable trade and industry , the inhabitants manufacture woolen stuffs 

 of every sort, carpets, silks, printed linens, and muslins. Population, 201,000. 



Twenty-two miles northwest of Madrid is the Escurial, the most magnificent monastery in 

 the world ; it is built in a wild and rugged region, and forms a quadrangle 740 feet long, by 

 580 wide. It contains the royal apartments, a fine library and collection of paintings, and the 

 sumptuous vaults in which are deposited the remains of the Spanish kings. The Escurial was 

 built by Philip the Second, a stern and superstitious prince, in fulfilment of a vow, and dedi- 

 cated to St. Lawrence, who suffered martyrdom by being burned to death upon the gridiron ; 

 the building is, therefore, made to represent that instrument. At St. Ildefonso, 40 miles north 

 of Madrid, is a superb palace, celebrated for its beautiful gardens ; here is also a royal manu- 

 factory of mirrors, which are made of great size and superior quality. 



Seville, the capital of Andalusia, is beautifully situated on the Guadalquivir. It stands in 

 the midst of a plain, covered with olive plantations, hamlets, villages, and convents. It was 

 formerly very rich and populous, being the chief mart for the American and India trade. The 

 public buildings are very elegant. The general appearance of the city indicates the Moorish 

 character of its former possessors. The streets are often so narrow, that a person can touch 

 the houses on both sides at once. The principal public buildings are the cathedral, the largest 

 gothic edifice in Spain, with 82 altars and a fine tower ; the archbishop's palace, a magnificent 

 structure ; the alcazar, or palace of the ancient Moorish kings ; 84 convents ; 24 hospitals ; 

 29 churches ; the Exchange, &c. Seville contains a university, 9 colleges, and a school of 

 ^auromachy, in which the bull-fighters are trained. Its manufactures are extensive, compris- 



* We give here both of these divisions. 6. Andalusia, Seville, Xeres, Cordova, Jaen, 



Captain Generalships. Intendancies. and the Colonies of the Si- 



1. New Castile, Madrid, Guadalaxara, Toledo, erra Morena. 



Cuenca, and La Mancha. 7. Granada, Granada and Malaga. 



2. Old Castile and Leon, Burgos, Santander, Soria, Se- 8. Valencia and Murcia, Valencia, Murcia, and Car 



govia, Avila, Leon, Palen- thagena. 



cia, Valladolid, Salamanca, 9. Catalonia, Barcelona, 



and Zainora. 10. Arragon, Sarragossa. 



3. Asturias, Oviedo. 11. Navarre, Pampelona. 



4. Galicia, Santiago. 12. Guipuscoa (Biscay), Vittoria. 



5. Estremadura, Badajoz. 13. The Balearic Isles, Palma. 



