considerable town capable of contain- 
ing ten or twelve thousand inhabitants ; 
it is buile upon an eminence, com- 
manded by a large Moorish castle, and 
surrounded by a vast tract of rocky and 
unproductive land. Jt contains a spa- 
cious square, nearly surrounded by piaz- 
vas. In this square is the family man- 
sion of Pizarro, and it is the best house 
m the town, There are, besides, several 
handsome monasteries, and churches ; 
in one of the latter (that dedicated to 
Santa Maria) isa plain marble slab, in 
memory of the warrior whose deeds 
and misdeeds are alluded to in the 
foregoing lines. Jlere is also another 
tablet toa nephew of the na. less cele- 
brated, but much more harmless, Cer-. 
vantes. The interior of this church, par- 
ticularly the roof, exhibits the most 
beautiful specimen of Gothic architec- 
ture I ever beheld; it appears to have 
been very recently and completely re- 
paired: but being now, like many other 
religious houses in this country, converted 
to a barrack, it is, [ fear, ina fair way of 
dilapidation.—** Ye gods, what havoc 
does ambition make among your works,” 
The distance we marched this day is 
about four leagues, or sixteen miles, over 
a barren country, but excellent roads: 
Truxillo being in sight the whole way. 
21st.—Three leagues to Porto del San- 
ta Cruz; roads excellent ; but the coun- 
try still barren and desolate, though 
near the village some little cultivation, 
and a few enclosures, are observable: 
the village itself, is like those of which a 
general description has been given. 
22d.—-An uninteresting march of four 
leagues to the neighbourhood of a smail 
village, called Majados. 
23d.—The same distance, and halted 
near to the town of Madelin. The ap- 
proach to this town hasa very striking ap- 
pearance. You come suddenly upon the 
banks of the wide and winding Guadiana. 
On the summit of a rock, on the oppo- 
site bank, is a large and very handsome 
Moorish castle, whilst the same view 
presents one of the most beautiful 
bridges I-ever saw. The Guadiana is 
the second largest river in Spain, and is 
tributary to the Bay of Biscay. It is 
wide, but shallow, and is not (here at 
least) used for the purposes of navigation; 
nor, indeed, have I seen any canal, cr 
navigable river, in Spain. ‘The Moorish 
castle stands in a most commanding si- 
tuauion, and contains within its walls, a 
church, an amphitheatre, and many mo- 
° 
3 
j English Army, in Spatn. 
559 
nastic cells ; all at this time desolate and 
deserted. The bridge has twenty very 
finely-turned arches, of different sizes, 
but elegant symmetry: upon a small co- 
lumn, erected above the largest arch, is 
a splendid coat of arms, surmounted by 
a coronet; and beneath these are the 
numerous names and titles of a noble 
man, who caused it to be built, 
From the castle is a most commanding 
view, comprising seven towns, and a 
most extensive plain, which plain is 
formed into a sort of semi-circle, by a 
chain of distant mountains : all this part 
of Spain seems to be divided by nature 
into these sort of districts or sections. 
The village or town of Madelin is but a 
poor place, though somewhat superior to 
those we have lately passed through. 
In this neighbourhood the Spanish and 
French armies had an engagement, ia 
which the former were defeated, thougls 
they say the victory would have been 
their’s, if their cavalry had behaved as wel! 
as their infantry; but itso happened, that 
the formed deemed discretion the better 
part of valour, and consequently adapted 
for their motto, “* The devil take the 
hindmost :” and I much fear some simi- 
lar casualty will prevent their success in 
any future contest. 
24¢h.—From Madelin.to Merida, we 
had a very long march of six leagues. _ 
Merida stands upon the Guadiana, 
and is the largest and best town I have 
seen since quitting Talavera. The river 
here is broader and deeper than at Ma- 
delin, and from the length of the bridye 
miust be extremely wide in the rainy sea- 
son. ‘This bridge has no less than fifty- 
six arches, but one-third of them are at’ 
present dry: in none of these is there the 
least regularity of architecture, or beauty 
of symmetry ; for, to its builder, the well- 
known lines may, with justice, be applied; 
“<< Lie heavy on himearth, fur he 
Laid many a heavy load on thee.?” 
There is less appearance of desolation 
in this town, and more of cultivation in 
its vicinity, than [have any where wit- 
nessed throughout Spain. Of the churches 
here, the usual resort of both idie and 
curious travellers, I can, as yet, say no- 
thing, as their doors are this day studi- 
ously barred against us: but as, I under= 
stand, we hait here for a few days, I 
may, probably, vain access to then), 
Sept. ist.—ffaving halted this day, I 
have had ample time to visit the pla 
but the churches offer 
writing about. 
place ; 
nothing worth 
The “town is well worth 
exploring 
