MONTHLY 
THE 
MAGAZINE. 
ee | 
No. 191. ] 
NOVEMBER 1, 1809. [4 of Von. 8. 
“6 As long as thofe who write are ambitious of making Converts, and of giving their Opinions a Maximum of 
® Influence and Celebrity, the moft extenfively circulated Mifcellany will repay with the grearett Iftect the 
®* Curiofity of thofe who read either for Amufément or Infttrudtion.””-— JOHNSON, 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
Lo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
HAVE this moment heard of an op- 
portunity of sending to England; and 
in consequence, hasten to forward you 
my Journal in Spain, with all its mper- 
fections on its head. . 
Whether the former part has ever 
reached you, is a matter of very great 
uncertainty, but of very little importance. 
If you think either of them will contri- 
bute to the amusement of your readers, 
yuu are at liberty to msert them. 
Lam, very faithfully, 
; August 11, 1809. Your's. 
July 29, Castelio Branco. 
Castello Branco is a large town, 
commanded by a strong castle, boasts a 
bishop’s palace, with several other build-_ 
ings of considerable magnitude and 
splendour ; ‘and may probably contain, 
in less turbulent times, from fifteen to | 
twenty thousand souls. Sir Arthur 
Wellesley arrived here'this day ; and in 
the evening reviewed ‘the advanced di- 
vision of the army, consisting of the fol+ 
lowing regiments: viz. 1st German light 
dragoons; detachment of royal artillery; 
24th, 31st, 45th, 87th, and 88th infantry; 
wish five companies of the 60th riflemen. 
From Castello Branco, we proceeded on 
the ist of July, about three leagues’ to 
thevillage of Ladoeiro; most of it through 
a very barren country, though the im- 
mediate vicinity of the: town abounded 
with corn, Ladoeiro itself is a very 
poor place, and was in a great measure 
deserted by its inhabitants: from theuce 
we marched on the following day to Ze- 
briera, which is also-a very insignificant 
Village: all these towns bore melancholy 
testimony that the French had been 
there. On the 3d, we passed through 
Salvaterra, a very tolerable town’ and, 
fording the river Elge (it not being more 
than three feet deep), quitted the pro- 
vince of Estremadura in Portugal, and 
entered the dominions of Joseph I, or 
Father the province of Estremadura in 
the kingdom of Spain: the boundary on 
- Montuty Mac, 191, 
each side is defended by alarge Moorish 
castle; that of Portugal is chiefly a ruin 3 
the other, from the distant view I had of 
it, appeared to be in tolerable repair. 
We pasged the Spanish town.of Santa ta 
Mayor, and halted in a wood about a 
league beyond it; here we rested on the 
following day, when I took the oppor- 
tunity of visiting the town, which how- 
ever gave no recompence for niy troubles 
but it afforded considerable supplies to 
the army, which was now daily augment- 
ngetiey fet 
» On the 5th, we again advanced, and 
halted alittle short of Mor Alleaga, a 
distance of'sixteen miles. Mor Alleaga 
is a very neat httle town; and its inhae 
bitants and houses formed such a cone 
trast ta those of Portugal, in point of 
cleanliness and comfort, that we heartily 
rejoiced in the change; the face of the 
country had also greatly improved from 
the moment we crossed the Elges here 
grass was abundant, thoggh no where to 
be found in Portugal; and instead of the 
black, sour, and dirty bread, to which we 
had been accustomed, we were now 
treated with the whitest and best I ever 
ate. pry 
It stands on the banks of the river de 
Gata, over which there is a bridge with 
fourteen arches; it has been a regularly 
fortified town, and the gateways. still 
remain; but the walls are in ruin, and 
the ditches filled up. At a distance to 
the southward, was a hill covered with 
snow. On the 6th, we proceeded to 
Coria; this is a walled, handsome, and 
populous town ; is situated upon the river 
Alegon, and contains a magnificent-ca- 
thedral, with many other large and or= 
namental buildings, both public and’ 
‘private, The French had not been here; 
it consequently bore an appearance of 
comfort-and plenty, which we had been’ 
unaccustomed to witness; the shops were: 
also numerous and good ; ‘séme of them 
were filled with commodities of English 
manufacture; whilst, from others, we 
obtained a wine of very agreeable fla- 
your. Her it is curious to see storks: 
flying 
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