20 



20 degrees ; and by a concurrence of circum- 

 stances, which it would be too long* to explain, 

 this happy region is become the principal seat 

 of industry and intellectual improvement. 



Ascending from the shores of the Mediterranean 

 into the kingdom of Valencia, towards the lofty 

 plains of La Mancha and the Castiles, we seem 

 to recognize far inland, from the lengthened de- 

 clivities, the ancient coast of the Peninsula. 

 This curious phenomenon recalls the traditions 

 of the Samothracians, and other historical testi- 

 monies, according to which it is supposed, that 

 the eruption of the waters through the Darda- 

 nelles, augmenting the basin of the Mediterra- 

 nean, rent and overflowed the southern part of 

 Europe. If we admit that these traditions owe 

 their origin, not to mere geological reveries, but 

 to the remembrance of some ancient catastro- 

 phe, we see the central elevated plain of Spain 

 resisting the efforts of these great inundations, 

 till the draining of the waters, by the straights 

 formed between the pillars of Hercules, brought 

 the Mediterranean progressively to it's level, 

 while Lower Egypt emerged above it's surface 

 on the one side, and the fertile plains of Tarra- 

 gon, Valencia, and Murcia, on the other. Every 

 thing that relates to the formation of this sea*, 



* Diodor. Sicul. edit. Wesseling. Amstelodam., 1746, 

 Lib. iv, c. 18, p. 336; Lib. v. c. 47, p. 369. Dionys. 



