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SPAIN IN 1830.
By the same Author,
In 2 vols., Post 8vo., Price 16s.
SOLITARY WALKS THROUGH MANY LANDS,--with TALES and LEGENDS.
The descriptions are diversified and graphic,--the tales introduced,
interesting and clever,--and the author’s narrative style, sprightly and
unaffected.--_New Monthly Magazine._
It is all pleasing, and always interesting,--the author has at once the
eye of a keen observer, and the pen of a ready writer.--_Athenæum._
[Illustration: AL-HAMBRA.
From a drawing by T. G. Vigne, Esq. Engd. by Edwd. Finden.
Published by Whittaker & Co. London, June 14, 1831.]
SPAIN IN 1830.
BY
HENRY D. INGLIS,
AUTHOR OF “SOLITARY WALKS THROUGH MANY LANDS;” “A JOURNEY
THROUGH NORWAY,” &c. &c.
IN TWO VOLS.
VOL. I.
LONDON:
WHITTAKER, TREACHER, AND CO., AVE-MARIA LANE.
1831.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY S. MANNING AND CO.,
London-house-yard, St. Paul’s.
TO
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
HENRY DAVID,
EARL OF BUCHAN.
MY DEAR LORD,
Since I parted from your Lordship, eight years ago, on the bridge of
Namur, changes have happened both to you and to myself. You have become
a Lord,--I have become an author. When a man acquires a handle to his
name, all the world knows it; but when a man begins to handle his pen,
it is a chance whether any one knows it but himself. It is very likely,
therefore, that your Lordship may be as ignorant upon this point, as I
fear the rest of the world are; but it will doubtless surprise your
Lordship to be told, that upon you I lay all my sins of authorship.
It was in those daily and delightful strolls on the banks of the Meuse,
that you inspired me with the desire of hunting the wild boar in the
forest of Ardennes; and when I went to bury myself there,--at the time
that your Lordship sought the busier scenes of Paris,--I carried with me
that little green writing-desk and its golden key, the gift of the
lamented Mrs. Erskine. Figure to yourself, my Lord, my isolated
dwelling, with six feet of snow around my doors,--no companion but my
great shaggy dog, and my blazing faggots, and the little green
writing-desk upon a table by my side,--and your Lordship will admit,
that I could not do otherwise than use the golden key and blot my paper.
The dedication of my first book was therefore most certainly due to your
Lordship; but besides its own unworthiness, another reason, applicable
to all that I have subsequently written, hindered me from laying at your
feet this tribute of affection and respect. I was then younger than I am
now, and probably more foolish; and asking the notice of the Public
under a fictitious name, your Lordship would have said, “who is this
Derwent Conway, who impertinently addresses me, My dear Lord, and
subscribes himself my Cousin?” But Spain is a country so associated with
romance, that a fictitious name to a book of travels in that country,
might almost warrant the conclusion, that the book was altogether a
fiction: and so now throwing off this veil which was unmeaningly
assumed, I take this earliest opportunity of making your Lordship’s
acquaintance in the character of an author.
Sweet shades of Ammondell! I remember them well,--that Gothic bridge,
that plantation that skirts the river; where, when a boy, “just let
loose from school,” I used to be met and welcomed by that fine,
grey-headed man, your Lordship’s sire,--the elegant, the learned, the
witty, the eloquent, the consistent politician, the upright man, the
unrequited;--Ay! the unrequited; heaven rest HIS soul! who remembered
not his friends in the day of His prosperity.
It is difficult to tear oneself from the “deep solitudes” and quiet
glades of Ammondell; and I know that your Lordship enjoys there the
elegancies of life--the delights of rural retirement--and the sweets of
literary leisure; but your honourable father had battled with the world,
and in the cause of independence and freedom, before he retired to the
tranquil shades of the Ammon, and said--
Give me a nook in some secluded spot
That business shuns, and din approaches not;
Some quiet retreat, where I may never know
Which monarch reigns,--what ministers bestow.
Your Lordship inherits the genius, with the titles of your family; and
it were a noble spectacle to see the Aristocracy of the land stand
forth, the champion of Political Liberty, and lending the weight of its
influence to the claims of those who have only right and reason on their
side. Forgive, my dear Lord, this boldness; which must only be
attributed to the respect and great regard with which I have the honor
to subscribe myself,
Your Lordship’s affectionate Cousin,
HENRY DAVID INGLIS.
_Barcellona, Jan. 2nd, 1831._
CONTENTS OF VOL. I.
CHAPTER I.
BISCAY.
PAGE
Departure from Bayonne, the Bidassoa, and entrance into Spain;
Precautions against Robbery; Black Mail, and Anecdote; Charming and
novel Scenery; Mail Travelling in Spain; Vittoria; Spanish Bread;
Priests; the Spanish Cloak; Women; Arrival of the Infante Don Francis;
a National Trait; Spanish Money and Expense of Travelling; Journey
through Biscay to Bilbao; Chocolate; the Plain of Vittoria; Passage
of the Biscayan Mountains; Durango; a Village Misfortune; Biscayan
Recreation; the Muleteer’s Song; Bilbao; Traits of Spanish Character;
Markets; Biscayan Political and Religious Opinions; State of the
Inhabitants, and Mode of Life; Riches of the Corporation of Bilbao;
Prices of Provisions; the Campo Santo; the Iglesia de Bigonia and its
Superstitions; Trait of Spanish Pride and Generosity; the Convents and
their Inmates; the Hospital; curious Customs, and extraordinary scene
in a Coffee House; Improvement of Land in Biscay, Climate, Disease,
&c.; peculiar Rights and Privileges of Biscay 1
CHAPTER II.
JOURNEY FROM BISCAY TO MADRID.
Waggon Travelling; Scenery; Bills of Fare, and Expenses; Second
Visit to Vittoria; Departure for Madrid; the Ebro; Privileges of the
Military; Old Castile; Husbandry; Burgos; Beggars; Posadas; Traits of
Misery in a Castilian Village; New Castile; Quixotic Adventure; the
Somo-Sierra, and Approach to the Capital; Sketches of the Environs, and
Arrival in Madrid; Information for Travellers 44
CHAPTER III.
MADRID.
Streets and Street Population; Female Dress: the Mantilla; the Fan;
Aspect of the Streets of Madrid at different hours; the Siesta;
Shops; Good and Bad Smells; State of the Lower Orders; Analysis of
the Population; Street Sketches; Sunday in Madrid; the Calle de
Alcala; Convents; the Street of the Inquisition; Private Apartments
in Madrid; the Prado and its Attractions; Ludicrous Incongruities;
Spanish Women, and their Claims; the Fan and its Uses; Portraits;
Inconvenient Exaction of Loyalty; the Philosophy of Good Walking; the
Retiro; Castilian Skies; the Café Catalina and its Visitors; other
Coffee Rooms, and Political Reflections; the Botanical Garden, strange
Regulation on entering; the Theatres; Spanish Play Bills; Teatro del
Principe; the Cazuela and Intrigue; Spanish Comedy; the Bolero; the
Italian Company; Cultivation of Music in Madrid; the Guitar; Vocal
Music; Spanish Music 65
CHAPTER IV.
MADRID.
The King, Queen, and Royal Family; Personal Appearance of Ferdinand;
a Royal _Jeu d’esprit_; the King’s Confidence in the People, and
Examples; Character of the King; a Carlist’s Opinion of the King;
Favourites,--Calomarde,--Alegon,--Salsedo,--the Duque d’Higar; Rising
Influence of the Queen; Habits of the Royal Family; Court Diversions;
Rivalry of Don Carlos; the Queen’s Accouchement, and Views of Parties;
Detection of a Carlist Plot; the Salic Law; Court Society; Persons
of Distinction, and Ministerial Tertulias; Habits and Manner of Life
of the Middle Classes; a Spanish House, and its Singular Defences;
Abstemiousness of the Spaniards; Evening and Morning Visits; Balls and
Spanish Dancing; Character of Spanish Hospitality; Spanish Generosity
and its Origin; Examples of Ostentation; Morals; Gallantry and
Intrigue; the Morals of the Lower Orders; Religious Opinions in the
Capital, and Decline of the Priestly Influence; Jesuitical Education;
the Influence of the Friars; Causes of the Decline of Priestly
Influence, and the Continuance of that of the Friars; Convent Secrets;
Curious Exposé at Cadiz; Devotion in Madrid 112
CHAPTER V.
MADRID.
The Profession of a Nun; Reflections; Description of the Interior of a
Convent; the Monastic Life; Description of a Bull-Fight; Sketches of
Spanish Character; a Horse Race 168
CHAPTER VI.
Memoir of Murillo 203
CHAPTER VII.
MADRID.
The Picture Gallery; the Works of Murillo; the Annunciation; the
Virgin Instructed by her Mother; Landscapes; Velasquez and his Works;
Meeting of Bacchanalians; the Forges of Vulcan; Españoletto and his
Works; Villavicencio; Juanes; Alonzo Cano; Cerezo; Morales; Juanes’
Last Supper; the Modern Spanish School; Aparicio; the Famine in Madrid;
Italian Gallery; Flemish School; the _Sala Reservada_; Statuary;
Cabinet of Natural History; _Sala Reservada_; the Patrician’s Dream;
the _Desengaño de la Vida_; Private Collections; the Duke of Liria’s
Gallery; Churches and Convents; Church of San Isodro; San Salvador;
Santa Maria; San Gines; Santiago; San Antonio de Florida; Convent of
Las Salesas; de la Encarnation; the Franciscans; Santa Isabella; Hidden
Pictures; San Pasqual; Santa Teresa; the Palace 233
CHAPTER VIII.
Literature; Difficulties to be encountered by Authors; the Book Fair;
Digression respecting the Claims of Spain to Gil Blas; Public and
Private Literary Societies; Libraries; Obstacles to Improvement,
from the State of Society; Female Education; Education for the
Liberal Professions; Course of Study for the Bar; Course of Medical
Studies; Charitable Institutions; Consumption of Madrid; Prices of
Provisions 265
CHAPTER IX.
State of Parties, and Political Prospects 293
CHAPTER X.
THE ESCURIAL--ST. ILDEFONSO--SEGOVIA.
Journey from Madrid; First View of the Escurial; Philip II.; Situation
of the Escurial; the Church; Lucas Jordan; the Relics; the Santa Forma;
the Sacristy and its Pictures; a Reverie; the Hall of Recreation; the
Library; the Tomb of the Kings; the Manuscript Library; Ignorance
and Idleness of the Monks, and Anecdotes; Manner of Life among the
Monks; the Palace; Particulars of the Extent and Cost of the Escurial;
Pedestrian Journey across the Sierra Guaderrama to Ildefonso; the
Palace, Waters, and Garden of La Granja; Road to Segovia; its Remains,
and Present Condition; Expensiveness of Royal Honours; Return to
Madrid 328
CHAPTER XI.
TOLEDO.
Journey from Madrid; Proofs of the backwardness of Spain; Appearance
of the Country; Spanish Mule-driving; a Venta; First View of Toledo;
Toledo Recreations and Society; Remains of Former Grandeur, and Proofs
of Present Decay; Picturesque Views; the Tagus; Intricacy of Toledo;
Bigotry and Priestcraft; Reasons for the Prevalence of Religious
Bigotry in Toledo; Proofs of Bigotry; Aspect of the Population;
the Cathedral and its Riches; Scene in the Cathedral; the Alcazar;
Historical Retrospect; Praiseworthy Institutions of the Archbishop
Lorenzana; the University; Toledo Sword Manufactory; the Franciscan
Convent; Return to Madrid 305
SPAIN IN 1830.
CHAPTER I.
BISCAY.
Departure from Bayonne, the Bidassoa, and entrance into Spain;
Precautions against Robbery; Black Mail, and Anecdote; Charming and
novel Scenery; Mail travelling in Spain; Vittoria; Spanish Bread;
Priests; the Spanish Cloak; Women; Arrival of the Infante Don
Francis; a National trait; Spanish Money and expense of Travelling;
Journey through Biscay to Bilbao; Chocolate; the Plain of Vittoria;
Passage of the Biscayan Mountains; Durango; a Village Misfortune;
Biscayan Recreation; the Muleteer’s Song; Bilbao; Traits of Spanish
Character; Markets; Biscayan Political and Religious Opinions;
State of the Inhabitants and mode of Life; Riches of the
Corporation of Bilbao; Prices of Provisions; the Campo Santo; the
Iglesia de Bigonia and its Superstitions; Trait of Spanish Pride
and Generosity; the Convents and their Inmates; the Hospital;
curious Customs, and extraordinary scene in a Coffee House;
Improvement of Land in Biscay, Climate, Diseases, &c.; peculiar
Rights and Privileges of Biscay.
I left England in the early part of the spring of 1830, with the
intention of visiting Spain; and taking a circuitous route through the
Southern parts of France, to Bayonne, I left that city on the 14th of
May, by the Madrid Courier, for Vittoria, and in a few hours we crossed
the Bidassoa and entered Spain.
It is impossible to enter any foreign country for the first time,
without experiencing some mental excitement; and it seems to me, that
among all the countries of Europe, Spain is the most calculated to
awaken interest and expectation: for even if it were possible to forget
all that links the history of Spain with Carthagenian enterprise, and
Roman ambition, and Moorish grandeur, the present condition of the
country, and the desire of gratifying curiosity, respecting the manners,
character, and condition of the Spanish people, would still be
sufficient to justify a strong feeling of excitement.
When I had crossed the Bidassoa, I knew that I was in Spain; and every
object immediately acquired a new interest. Three several demands for my
passport, within the short space of ten minutes, had not the effect of
putting me out of humour; I was prepared for inconveniences greater than
this, in journeying through a country so little visited as Spain, and
had wisely laid in a stock of philosophy to meet them all.
The frontier town of Spain, Irun, lies within half a league of the
Bidassoa: it is an insignificant village, no way calculated to create a
favourable impression; but it is improper to form any judgment of a
country, from the places that lie along its frontier. At Irun, the mail
stops a short time; and before proceeding on its journey, formidable
precautions are taken against the possibility of robbery. I saw three
carabines, and four cases of pistols, deposited about the coach; and
three additional guards, each armed with a long sabre, took their seats
behind and in the cabriolet. These preparations naturally create doubts
in the mind of the traveller, as to his personal safety: nor are these
altogether without foundation: there is undoubtedly some exaggeration on
the subject of robbery of the public conveyances in Spain; but it is
certain, that the mails are occasionally stopped, especially in the
southern parts. It is beneath the dignity of the government, to enter
into a treaty with banditti, for the safety of the mails; and as
resistance must be made in case of an attack, the traveller by the mail
is necessarily placed in a dangerous position; but in the diligence, he
runs comparatively little risque. I can state, upon certain information
received in Madrid, that every one of the principal Spanish diligences,
with the exception of that from Barcelona to Perpignan, pays _Black
Mail_ to the banditti for their protection. This arrangement was at
first attended with some difficulty; and from a gentleman who was
present at the interview between the person employed to negotiate on
behalf of the diligences, and the representative of the banditti, I
learned a few particulars. The diligences in question were those between
Madrid and Seville; and the sum offered for their protection was not
objected to; but another difficulty was started: “I have nothing to say
against the terms you offer,” said the negotiator for the banditti, “and
I will at once ensure you against being molested by robbers of
consequence; but as for the small fry (_Ladrones de ninguna
consideracion_), I cannot be responsible; we respect the engagements
entered into by each other; but there is nothing like honour among the
petty thieves.” The proprietors of the diligences, however, were
satisfied with the assurance of protection against the great robbers,
and the treaty was concluded; but not long afterwards, one of the
coaches was stopped and rifled by the petty thieves: this led to an
arrangement which has ever since proved effectual; one of the chiefs
accompanies the coach on its journey, and overawes by his name and
reputation, the robbers of inferior degree.
Nothing can exceed the beauty of the country between the frontier, and
_Tolosa_; the road lies through the most enchanting valleys, green and
fertile, beyond any that I had seen in the French Pyrenees; and there
is one feature in the scenery, peculiar to this part of the Biscayan
provinces: the sides of the mountains are not covered with forest trees,
as in the Pyrenees, nor with fir, as in the Alps, but with fruit trees:
the effect of this was striking, and beautiful; chiefly owing to the
variety of colour in the different fruits with which every tree was
bowed to the ground. As far as the eye could reach up the mountain side,
it rested upon a variegated carpet of the many rich and nameless tints
that lie upon the finest and mellowest fruits. The abundance of fruit
was sufficiently shewn in the little value that seemed to be attached to
it; in place of flowers being thrown into the coach by children, as is
customary in many parts of France, the early fruits of the season were
tossed in at the windows; and the smallest coin was gladly received as a
sufficient compensation.
It will probably create some surprise when I say, that in no part of
Europe is it possible to travel with so much comfort, or with so great
rapidity, as by the Spanish Courier. The coach is more commodious and
roomy than an English private carriage; it is well cushioned and seated;
the windows are furnished with Venetian blinds, by which the air may be
admitted and the sun excluded; and with silk curtains, by which the sun
may be excluded even when the glass windows are closed; and two
passengers only are admitted inside: another is admitted into the
cabriolet along with the guards. The coach is drawn by four mules, which
are kept at a gallop the whole way, up hill and down hill; and the road
from Bayonne to Madrid, is generally as smooth as the very best roads in
England. I ascertained that the rate of travelling exceeded twelve miles
an hour. No time is lost in useless stoppages; the mules are changed
with as great expedition as in England; the traveller must be contented
with few meals; and against the assaults of thirst, the guards are
provided with a well filled wine-skin, to which they never apply,
without first offering it to the passengers, who are expected to accept
the civility.
At Tolosa, an inconsiderable town, we stopped to sup: it was then nearly
dark, so that I was unable to see much of it; and, indeed, no more time
was allowed than sufficed for the meal. This was the first meal I had
taken in Spain, and the first inn I had entered: of the latter, I was
scarcely entitled to form an opinion from seeing only one room; but the
exaggerated accounts I had heard of the badness and filthiness of the
Spanish _posadas_, were well calculated to put me in good humour with
the inn at Tolosa. After the variety and excellence of the French
_cuisine_, the supper table seemed a little meagre, but every thing was
eatable; the table was cleanly and neatly set out, and the servants were
active and attentive. In most of the Spanish posadas in the north of
Spain, where Malaga is prized, a glass of it is presented to the
traveller after every meal.
When morning dawned, I found myself still travelling through a
mountainous country, but less fertile than that which lies nearer the
frontier. In ascending the mountains that bound the plain in which
Vittoria is situated, the usual rapidity of our travelling was
interrupted; here, the mules were changed for oxen, which are used
throughout Spain, for every kind of laborious work: we are accustomed to
associate with oxen, remarkable slowness of movement; and presuming upon
this, and upon the steepness of the ascent, I left the carriage, in the
intention of walking to the summit; but contrary to my expectation, I
found myself unable to keep pace with the oxen, and had great difficulty
in regaining my place.
In approaching Vittoria, the country became less interesting; at the
highest part of the ascent, the oxen were again changed for mules, and
we descended into the plain at a rapid pace, and soon after entered
Vittoria, after passing a number of prisoners, chained together, working
on the roads; and several long trains of mules.
I had been warned of the strictness of the custom-house at Vittoria,
especially in the search for books; but this, like much of the
information I had received before entering Spain, proved an
exaggeration. I never passed a custom-house with so slight a scrutiny;
not one book was opened, and the whole examination did not occupy five
minutes.
I had been recommended to go to the “_Parador_,” which has the
reputation of being the best hotel in Spain; I found, however, that the
whole house was engaged for the reception of the Infante Don Francis,
and his suite, who were expected the same morning from Bilbao; but
accommodation was provided for me in the house adjoining, where I was
immediately presented with the usual Spanish _refresco_, a cup of
chocolate, and the most excellent bread in Europe. In this, I found that
report had for once spoken the truth: I have no where tasted bread that
will compare with that of Spain; and this remark applies to the whole
country, and not only to the cities and towns, but even to the
villages: in the little village of St. Lorenzo, in the midst of the
_Sierra Guadarrama_, I found bread equal to any that can be purchased in
Madrid or Seville.
Vittoria being the first Spanish town that I had seen by daylight, I
quickly finished my _refresco_, that I might walk into the streets. The
first thing that attracted my attention, as being characteristic of
Spain, was, the great number of priests, and members of different
religious orders; and, at the same time, it was impossible to avoid
remarking the difference in the appearance of the Spanish clergy, and
the clergy of most of the other Catholic countries, especially of
France. I saw no poor looking, half starved priests, in thread-bare
garments, and looks of humility; all were well clothed, and seemingly
well fed; they were not ashamed to hold up their heads, and appeared, as
the French say, _à leur aise_.
The next thing that struck me as being remarkable, was the Spanish
cloak. It was about noon, on a summer day, and the sun was out; and yet,
every second or third person was muffled up in his ample cloak; these
persons were, however, chiefly of the inferior ranks; and I could not
help suspecting, that the cloak covered many an infirmity, and perhaps
with some, stood in stead of an under garment: even the school-boys had
their cloaks thrown over their shoulders; and there appeared something
very ludicrous in the spectacle of boys at play, encumbered with these
useless appendages. I remarked that brown was the universal colour of
the cloak among the lower ranks; blue, or black, among the upper
classes.
In the appearance of the women, I noticed nothing very remarkable. The
Spanish national dress is scarcely seen so far north--the lower orders
wore their hair plaited, and descending behind, to the waist; and but
few of the ladies were to be seen with the Spanish mantilla. I am not
entitled to say a single word respecting the personal appearance of the
Spanish women, from a cursory glance at the streets of Vittoria; upon
this subject my expectations were highly excited,--but I reserve my
judgment upon so interesting a matter, until I have seen the Capital.
In returning to the hotel, that I might see the arrival of the Infant
from my window, I stopped for a moment in the bread market,--the display
was tempting and beautiful; loaves of all shapes and dimensions, and as
white as unkneaded flour, were piled along the street,--but I was
obliged to hasten towards my apartment by a flourish of trumpets,
announcing the approach of the Infante,--and in a few minutes more his
advanced guard entered the street. I can scarcely expect to be credited,
when I say that the Infant, Don Francis, the brother of the King of
Spain, arrived in a diligence,--yet such is the fact. He, his consort,
and his family, occupied one diligence, and his suite occupied
another,--the first drawn by seven mules,--the second, by six. The royal
party was received with respect by a considerable concourse of people,
and with the military honours usually paid to persons in so exalted a
station.
In the afternoon, I made a second tour of the town;--I walked into three
or four of the churches, but found no fair devotees before any of the
altars; only two or three poor old women were at their devotions. I was
particularly amused with a spectacle that presented itself in the
_Plaza_--a square, by the by, little inferior to the _Place Vendome_ in
Paris: between two and three hundred girls, from eight to thirteen or
fourteen years of age, were assembled in the middle of the area, dancing
with each other, to the music of a fife and a drum, played by a musician
whom they had hired to contribute his aid to their favourite pastime:
the dances were slow, and conducted with the utmost gravity; every one
seemed to consider herself engaged in an important affair, and among
the two or three hundred countenances, there was scarcely a smile to be
seen.
The neighbourhood of the hotel continued to be the point of attraction
to the inhabitants of Vittoria all the evening; an Infante is a rarity
in the provincial towns of Spain, and the citizens testified their sense
of the honour of a visit, by assembling in the street opposite to the
hotel, and by hanging cloths and mattings of various colours from the
windows: a mark of respect, which in Spain is always considered due to
royal, or religious processions. Deputations of the principal
inhabitants also arrived,--among others, one of Capuchin friars; and to
my great annoyance, a band of indifferent music continued to entertain
the Infante till after midnight.
There was nothing to detain me long in Vittoria, and I hired a cabriolet
and two mules, to carry me to Bilbao, the capital of Biscay; the
distance is eleven leagues of the country, or something more than fifty
English miles, and for this I paid 200 reals; and as I may probably have
frequent occasion to mention the expense of travelling, and the value of
different articles, the following few explanations will be found of use.
Generally speaking, every thing in Spain is calculated by reals, from
the price of a ticket to the bull-fight, up to the State expenditure.
The value of a real is nearly 2½_d._,--so that four reals are equal to a
French franc, or 10_d._ English; all accounts in reals may therefore be
easily understood by dividing by four. But in small values, the
calculation is made in quartos, eight and a half of which are equal to a
real, or 2½_d._ In stating prices, I shall always make use of these two
denominations of money, so that the reader may at once be able to
substitute English value.
From Bayonne, into Biscay, the nearest road is not by Vittoria, but
along the sea shore by St. Sebastian; but the muleteers considering the
coast road unsafe, from the chances of robbery, I was obliged to take
the more circuitous line by Vittoria, which I left about five in the
morning, after the usual _refresco_. Chocolate in Spain, is very
different from chocolate in England: it is served in a very small cup,
about the size of the old India china coffee cup; it is about the
consistence of thick cream, and is highly spiced with cinnamon: the
traveller in Spain who dislikes chocolate, will often find himself
exposed to great inconvenience.
Leaving Vittoria, I entered upon the extensive plain in which it is
situated, and proceeded along a good road, and at a pleasant pace,
towards the mountains. The plain of Vittoria is entirely a corn country,
and, at this early season, harvest had already begun: the soil is
naturally bad and scanty; but the proverbial industry of the Biscayans
forces from it an unwilling crop. From Vittoria to the entrance of the
mountains, is about three leagues; I passed through two or three small
villages, and at another, somewhat larger, just on the limits of the
plain, we stopped to water the mules: it was Sunday morning; there was a
fine display of vegetables and fruit in the market-place, and several
hundred villagers and peasants were assembled, waiting the summons to go
to mass. I walked round the market-place, and observed with pleasure,
not unmixed with surprise, that every individual was clean and well
dressed. I was not accosted by a single beggar.
Immediately upon leaving this village, I entered the mountains--a
delightful change from a wide treeless plain. About a league from the
entrance, at the end of a winding valley, and just before beginning a
steep ascent, I noticed a house where guards were to be hired; the
muleteer asked me whether I chose to have any, but being at that time
rather an unbeliever in the frequency of robbery, and liking the
expression of the muleteer’s countenance, I replied in the negative,
and we passed on.
The passage of the Biscayan mountains by this road, affords some very
magnificent prospects; the lower parts of the mountains are covered with
oak and Spanish chestnut, and the summits rise to the height of at least
5000 feet, in the form of numerous fantastic pinnacles of a reddish
colour; the road is constructed upon the most scientific principle,
reaching the summit by a zigzag, and very easy ascent, and is as broad
and as smooth as the best roads in any other country. The descent
towards the north-west is much greater than the ascent from Vittoria,
proving the great elevation of the province of _Alava_ above that of
_Biscay Proper_; the provinces both of _Alava_, and of _Guipuscoa_, are
called Biscayan provinces, but Biscay Proper is confined to the country
lying to the north of the mountains, and bounded by the sea.
We stopped at _Durango_, the first town after descending the mountains,
to dine, and rest the mules during the hottest part of the day. I was
equally pleased and surprised with the excellence of the _posada_ at
Durango; the most scrupulous cleanliness was visible in every thing; the
dinner was unobjectionable; and I remarked a refinement to which the
best French inns are strangers--the knives and forks were changed with
every plate. I learned from the _Señorita_ who waited at table, that a
sad misfortune had that day befallen the village; the bishop to whose
diocese it belonged, had journeyed from Navarre to pay his respects to
the Infante at _Bilbao_; on his return he had stopped at _Durango_, as
it was improper to travel on Sunday, and after condescending to preach a
sermon in the village church, he had reproved the levity of the people,
and forbade that there should be any dancing in the village that
evening; but the girl added, that she would go to another village, half
a league distant, to which the injunction did not extend: this trifling
trait, added to another which I shall just now record, first led me to
suspect, that the influence of the priesthood was on the decline, in
Biscay at least. The landlord, having discovered that I was English,
asked me how many priests we might have in England in a town such as
Durango? I replied, that we might have one or two; “_O Dios_,” said he,
“we have here more than forty!”
After dinner, we continued our journey towards Bilbao. Leaving the town,
I remarked on passing the church, that the market was held under the
portico, and in the environs I noticed a few specimens of Biscayan
enjoyment; groups of men were lying, and sitting under the trees,
playing at cards; and women were seen here and there, seated on the
grass, singing, and playing the tamborine. The road to Bilbao continued
excellent, and lay through a fine fertile valley, bearing luxuriant
crops of Indian corn, diversified by meadows, and wood, which also
covered the sides of the neighbouring hills. I saw no carriage on the
road but my own; carts, and long trains of mules, occasionally passed,
and the only travellers I saw, were two gentlemen mounted on mules,
accompanied by four guards on foot, each provided with a carabine.
All the way from Vittoria, the muleteer who drove the carriage, sung a
remarkably beautiful, but somewhat monotonous air. I was greatly pleased
with the muleteer’s song, and was anxious that I should not forget it;
but I afterwards found that I need not have been apprehensive of this:
every where throughout Castile I heard the same air, and in Madrid,
nothing else was sung by the lower orders. I was anxious to purchase it,
and applied at one of the music-shops, but they told me they dared not
sell it; it was forbidden by the government. The air was old
Arragonese, but it was revived to new words, in a little comedy that
somehow slipped through the censorship a few months before, and related
how a certain friar knew too well the road into a certain convent.
As the road approaches Bilbao, the mountains that inclose the valley
increase in height, make a curve, and run directly into the Bay of
Biscay; and Bilbao is situated in their bosom: it is this that gives to
Bilbao its peculiar character. Mountains generally diminish in height as
they approach the sea; but here, this rule is reversed, and Bilbao
possesses the singularity of being a sea-port, and of yet being all but
surrounded by lofty mountains. Owing to this, nothing can be more
striking and novel than the view of the city where it is first seen from
the bridge that crosses the small river about a mile before entering it.
I was obliged to leave the carriage at the entrance to the town, and
walk to the posada; for it is the rule that no wheeled carriages of any
kind are allowed to drive through the streets of Bilbao. This regulation
has arisen from a praiseworthy desire to preserve the purity of the
water, which is conveyed in a stone tunnel under the streets; all goods
are therefore carried through the town either in panniers, on mules, or
in sledges, which are provided with a contrivance by which they
constantly moisten their path with water.
Walking through the streets, to the _posada de St. Nicola_, the only
good inn in Bilbao, and one of the very best in the Peninsula, I was
attracted by two curious exhibitions, one of them very forcibly
reminding me that I was in Spain: two well-dressed peasants danced
before me the whole length of a long street while another walked behind,
playing a sort of trumpet; and in the open space before the principal
fountain, some boys were amusing themselves with the representation of a
bull-fight; one boy was mounted on another’s back, the undermost
representing the horse of the _picador_, the other was armed with a long
pole, while a third on foot, his head covered with a basket in which he
had fixed two horns, imitated the motions and bellowing of the bull;
several others with handkerchiefs, represented the _torredores_,
throwing them in the bull’s face. The bull-fights at Bilbao had newly
concluded; the Infante had been treated with eight exhibitions, in which
thirty-two bulls were killed. This is the highest mark of respect that
Spanish authorities can shew to a visitor, and the greater the number
of bulls that are sacrificed, the greater of course is the compliment.
I remained in Bilbao a fortnight, which I found amply sufficient to see
all that merited attention, and to inform myself respecting some of the
peculiarities of the province of Biscay. I have already spoken of the
situation of Bilbao, as striking and beautiful, but the town itself is
not remarkable for its beauty or cleanliness; the smells are most
offensive; and lying as it does in so deep a basin among the mountains,
which even shut it out from the sea, I can scarcely think Bilbao a
healthy city. But by the side of the river, there is a fine promenade
all the way to the port, which lies about two miles from the city, and
here the inhabitants may catch some of the sea breeze which generally
comes up with the tide; a part of this promenade is allotted to the
fruit and vegetable market, which I strolled through, the morning after
my arrival; there was a most abundant display of every sort of which the
season admitted, including an extraordinary quantity of _tomata_,--this
is known in the south of France by the name of _pomme d’amour_, and is
an important ingredient in Spanish cookery. The bread market is held
along with the fruit market, and I found the bread of Bilbao quite
equal to that of the other parts of Spain.
When I looked from my window in the hotel, I found that I was well
situated for observing the inhabitants of all classes: opposite, stood
the church of St. Nicholas; at one side was a public fountain, and on
the other a brass basin--reminding me of Membrino’s helmet--indicated a
barber’s shop. At all hours therefore I might see some going to mass,
and others filling their pitchers at the fountain. The Biscayan deserves
the character of strength, that has been given to him; and the contrast
between the Biscayan, and the Andalusian peasant, who inhabit the two
extremes of Spain, is remarkable: the latter, dark, tall, upright, slim,
with something of elegance in his appearance; and the look of pride
generally visible in his air and countenance, seeming to have some
reference to his personal attractions: the Biscayan, broad, athletic,
lounging, with something of peculiar roughness in his look and manner;
and his expression of blunt independence, having no reference to himself
individually, but arising from the knowledge that he is a Biscayan, and
as such, the hereditary possessor of peculiar and exclusive rights. Such
seemed to me the Biscayan peasant, whether he filled his pitcher at the
fountain, or entered St. Nicholas to mass. As for the women, I do not
feel myself obliged to use the same reserve in speaking of them as of
the women of Vittoria: because the inhabitants of Biscay being a
distinct race, my opinion of them does not compromise the character and
claims of Spanish women generally. I saw little beauty in Bilbao, and
less elegance; and in the manner of the women I remarked the same
bluntness as that which characterizes the men.
But along with Biscayan bluntness, there is much good heartedness and
honesty, and a great deal of intelligence; and even the pride of a
Biscayan, has given rise to much of the industry and enterprise which in
the province of Biscay are so conspicuous in the cultivation of the
soil, in the construction of useful works, and in the establishment of
praiseworthy institutions. Many of the inhabitants of Biscay in the
upper classes have made voyages into other countries, and have returned
with diminished prejudices, and increased liberality of sentiment; and
the consequence of this has been, that among the educated, and better
classes of society, there is little narrowness in political sentiment,
and little bigotry in religion. I heard several of the most respectable
inhabitants of Bilbao express openly much dissatisfaction at the
political debasement of Spain, and breathe ardent wishes for the
diffusion of intellectual and religious light; but they added, what my
own knowledge has since fully confirmed, that I should not find in any
other part of Spain, the same enlightened views as I had found in
Biscay. Among the lower orders in Bilbao, and in Biscay generally, there
is still much bigotry both in politics and religion, but more especially
in the latter; during the existence of the constitution, the prejudices
of the lower ranks made it necessary to affix in large letters over the
doors of all the churches, and attested by the existing authorities,
these important words,--“The Roman Catholic is the only true religion.”
In Biscay there are not many poor, nor many rich. Formerly, Bilbao
contained many wealthy citizens; but the export trade in wool was then
flourishing. At that time the clearances were more than double their
present number; but ever since the preference of Saxon wool has begun to
be shewn in the foreign markets, the trade of Bilbao has declined, and
now, not more than between thirty and forty British vessels visit Bilbao
in the course of a year. Some few houses in Bilbao have still
considerable returns from the fish trade, and one or two, from the iron
export trade; but this has also fallen off, since the demand for Swedish
iron has increased. Biscayan iron would still command a preference in
the foreign markets, from its superior qualities for finer purposes, if
it could enter them at the same price as Swedish iron; but this is
impossible, both on account of the expense of fuel for furnaces, and the
want of inland navigation. Timber is not scarce in the province of
Biscay; but there is an old Biscayan law which tends to keep up its
price, enacting that for every tree cut down, six must be planted in its
stead; this is often felt to be an inconvenience, and produces scarcity
in the midst of plenty. I was informed that two or three houses in
Bilbao realize from 2 to 3000_l._ a-year; but I believe I may assert
that no one spends 300_l._ It is difficult to spend money in Bilbao: in
no part of Spain, least of all in Biscay, is it the custom to live
extravagantly or luxuriously. The table of a Biscayan is remarkable for
its simplicity and sameness: of whatever rank he may be, he takes his
cup of chocolate and bread, followed by a glass of sugar and water,
about eight o’clock; he dines about one, and six days out of seven, his
dinner consists of broth, and a _puchero_, which is boiled beef, with a
small bit of pork, surrounded either by cabbage, or Spanish peas,
(_garbanzos_), and varied occasionally with a sausage; a cup of
chocolate again in the afternoon, and for supper, boiled lettuce
prepared with vinegar, oil and pepper, finish the repasts of the day.
The _menage_ at home, therefore, costs but a trifling sum; and neither
does the Biscayan spend any thing upon entertaining his friends; not
that he is unsocial; he is social according to the custom of his
country. During the winter, a circle of six, eight, or ten families form
themselves into a society, and agree to visit each other; each chooses a
week, and during each week the circle assembles every evening at the
same house; they take chocolate before going out, and sup when they
return; the entertainment is entirely intellectual; music, cards, and
dancing fill up the evening. Upon one occasion only, does the circle eat
together: all the money lost and won at cards, is made a purse, and is
confided to one of the party; and during the summer it is converted into
a dinner in the country, of which all the members of the circle partake.
There are no public amusements in Bilbao, excepting occasional bull
fights. Two attempts to establish a theatre have failed; a handsome
stone theatre erected some years ago, was burnt down not long after it
was erected; and there was strong reason to believe, that the
conflagration was wilful, and that the friars were at the bottom of it:
another theatre constructed of wood, was subsequently opened; but after
a very short time it was pulled down by order of the public authorities;
and this was also generally believed to have been owing to the
interference of the friars.
The town of Bilbao is extremely rich. On the occasion of the king’s
visit a few years ago, the corporation expended no less than two million
of reals (20,000_l._) in feasts, decorations, bull-fights, &c., and to
cover these expenses, it was not necessary to lay on any additional
impositions. These funds arise from dues upon the entry of all the
necessaries of life, whether by land or by sea: beef is entirely a town
monopoly; the meat is farmed to butchers at certain prices, and retailed
by them, and by this monopoly the Corporation realizes 1500 reals per
day. The duties upon wine, soap, and oil, are also considerable, and the
dues of port entry upon all articles of subsistence are 2½_d._ per cent.
But notwithstanding these dues, living is not expensive. The following
are the prices of some articles: beef is 10 quartos, or about 3_d._;
mutton, 3½_d._, but it is generally of an indifferent quality; a lamb
costs from 20_d._ to 2_s._; veal is about 4_d._ per lb., all of 17 oz.
Bread varies in price, according to the quality: the best is 1½_d._ per
lb., but the coarsest kinds, and the bread of Indian corn, is not sold
by weight. Many kinds of game are both plentiful and cheap: wood-cocks
are frequently to be had at 10_d._ or 1_s._ per pair. Groceries are also
reasonable, and it is a curious fact, that loaf sugar, coming from
England, is cheaper than raw sugar, direct from the Havannah: good wine
costs a little less than 3_d._ per bottle. The Spanish country wines
taste unpleasantly to a stranger, for they have almost all contracted,
less or more, a peculiar flavour from the skins in which they are
carried. There are two reasons why the Spanish wines are carried in
skins: in the wine countries there is little wood to make casks; but the
principal reason is, that the cross-roads are not suited for carriages,
and that mules can more conveniently carry skins than casks. Throughout
Biscay, the wages of labour are from 10_d._ to 1_s._; and workmen, such
as carpenters, masons, &c. receive from 20_d._ to 2_s._ per day.
Among the first days of my residence in Bilbao, I visited the new
cemetery, the model of which is worthy of being adopted in other places.
This _Campo Santo_ has been inclosed in consequence of a quarrel between
the Franciscan Convent and the Chapter of Bilbao, respecting the dues
of burial, in a place to which both claimed right; and the Corporation
completed the new cemetery, at an expense of not less than 30,000_l._
The gateway is beautiful and chaste, with this appropriate inscription
over it:
“Cada Paso, que vais dando
Por la senda de la vida
Mas y mas os va acercando
Mortales, á la partida,
Que en vano estais evitando.”
The design of the _Campo Santo_ is this: a square area of about six
acres is surrounded by a covered arcade, supported by doric columns; the
back of the arcade is an immense wall of brickwork, in which there are
four rows of spaces for coffins, the opening one yard square, and six
feet and a half long; into this, the coffin is deposited; the spaces
which are not occupied are slightly closed up; and a ring in the centre,
shews that they are vacant. When a coffin is deposited, the opening is
built up with brick and lime, and a stone or marble slab, fitted into
it, records the name of the buried. The cemetery is fitted to receive
3000 dead--a great number for so small a space; and the area beyond the
arcade, is tastefully laid out as a garden and shrubbery. Besides the
inscription I have noted down, there are several others that struck me
as being beautiful and well chosen. The following particularly, over the
inner-gate, is striking:--
“Deten sus pasos inciertos
O Caminente! repara,
En que esta Puerta separa
A Los vivos de los muertos.”
Which may be freely translated:--“Stop, thoughtless wanderer! and
reflect,--this gate separates the dead from the living.”
In returning from the cemetery to the town, I made a long circuit,
visiting in my way the _Iglesia de Bigoña_, a church which takes its
name from a miraculous image of our Lady of Bigoña, deposited in it, and
looked upon with extraordinary veneration by the lower orders in Bilbao.
It happened to be a feast day, and a great number of persons were
collected in the church, because upon all such days, the curtain that
screens the miraculous image is withdrawn for a few moments--an
opportunity not to be disregarded by any good Biscayan who desires to
ensure the kind offices of the sainted Lady of Bigoña. Before the
service began, the officiating priest shewed me the sacristy, and a head
of John the Baptist in wood; a very clever performance, by a native
artist; and I afterwards waited in the church long enough to see the
curtain withdrawn, and the prostrations of three or four hundred
devotees. There is a small foundation left to this church, for a curious
purpose. The curate must go to the gate of the church at the
commencement of every thunder storm,--say a certain prayer,--and
sprinkle the sky with holy water. It appears, however, that the virtue
of the water, as well as the water itself, has been sometimes dissipated
before reaching the clouds; for the church tower has been twice struck
by lightning.
In the course of my walk, I learned a curious fact, illustrating
strongly the mixture of pride and generosity which is often found in the
Spanish character. The Corporation being desirous of conducting an
aqueduct and a road to Bilbao from a mountain about a league distant,
applied to the proprietor (a grandee of Spain) to purchase the land
through which these were to be carried. He refused to sell it; but said,
that if the Corporation would petition him for a grant of the land, he
would make them a present of it: they however wanted no favour, and
would not condescend to this; but supposing that the proprietor would be
prevailed upon to sell, they commenced, and at length nearly finished
the work. The grandee, offended at this insolence, applied to the king
for an order to demolish the work, and obtained it; but just in time to
prevent this, the Corporation petitioned the grandee, and the order was
not only rescinded, but the grant of the land was completed. The water
conveyed in this aqueduct forms a reservoir at the entrance of the town
for a useful and rather a novel purpose: by opening a sluice, seven of
the lowest streets in the town are inundated; this is done every week
during the summer heats, and is doubtless very useful in carrying away
impurities. I walked through one of the lowest of the streets an hour
before, and an hour after the purification; and the difference in smell,
freshness, and coolness, was most striking.
Walking either in the streets, or in the neighbourhood of Bilbao, the
convents and monasteries are very conspicuous: they are almost all
immense piles of building, of little architectural beauty, and are at
once distinguished by the strong gratings that cover their windows. In
the town there are four monasteries--the Franciscans, the Capuchins, the
Augustins, and the Carmelites: the two former of these subsist on
charity, which is liberally bestowed, and they in their turn give
charity to others. Every day, a great number of poor are fed after the
Franciscan friars have dined, and as they are a hundred and ten in
number, the refuse of their dinner must be considerable. I visited the
Franciscan convent accompanied by an English lady, and although I found
the utmost politeness from the Superior, he was deaf to all my
entreaties to permit the lady to enter the sacristy, to see a picture
said to be by Raphael. This convent was partly destroyed by the French,
and it was under its gateway that several of those military executions
took place, which so disgraced the conduct of the French during their
occupation of the province of Biscay. In the Carmelite convent, there
are only five friars, who want for nothing that money can purchase; they
are extremely rich, and possess a charming property not far from Bilbao,
called “_el Desierto_;” but which might with greater propriety be called
“_el Paradaiso_.” Besides these monasteries within the town, there are
two at a short distance from it--the Burcena convent of Mercenarios, and
the Friars of San Mames, both of the Franciscan order.
The female convents are also numerous; these are, La Conception, a
Franciscan order, in which there are 14 nuns; Santa Clara, also
Franciscan, in which there are 10 nuns; El Convento de la Encarnacion,
where there are 27 nuns; el Convento de la Cruz, containing 12 nuns;
Santa Monica, an Augustinian order, with 12 nuns; La Esperanza,
containing 12, and La Merced, containing 10. There are altogether about
350 friars and nuns in Bilbao, and about 120 priests. In the province of
Biscay, females profess at a very early age; their noviciate generally
commences about fifteen, and at the expiration of a year they take the
veil. A nun must carry into the convent about 30,000 reals (300_l._);
and to La Merced and Santa Monica, considerably more. I ascertained,
from a source of the most authentic kind, that three-fourths of the nuns
who take the veil at this early age, die of a decline within four years.
The climate, which in Biscay is so prolific in consumption, added to the
low and damp situation of some of the convents, may perhaps be admitted
to have some influence upon this premature decay; but I should incline
to attribute a greater influence to causes more immediately referable to
the unhappy and unnatural condition of those who are shut out from the
common privileges, hopes, and enjoyments of their kind.
I visited the convent of Santa Monica in company with an old gentleman,
an inhabitant of Bilbao, who had known several of the inmates from
childhood. We were only permitted to converse through a double grating,
which separated the small antechamber where we stood, from the convent
burying-ground, where three of the nuns were; two of them seemed to be
above thirty, the other was under twenty; my companion, a very jocose
old man, jested, and amused them; and they in their turn prated, and
laughed immoderately, and appeared to be in excellent spirits; but the
sight of an old acquaintance, and the novelty of a visit from an English
lady, had probably produced a temporary excitement: while, in the midst
of their mirth, they were suddenly sent for by the abbess, who probably
thought it wise to turn their thoughts into another channel. It is a
pity, I think, that those who have separated themselves from the world,
should afterwards be permitted to hold any communication with it;
feelings may be stifled, and hopes buried, and time and habit may lead
to forgetfulness, and even unconsciousness, of a busier, and it may be,
a brighter scene; but recollections are easily awakened, and it is cruel
to revive that which must again be buried.
Walking one evening to see the new hospital, which lies on the outskirts
of the town, I was surprised at the great number of mules which were
entering and leaving Bilbao; the former laden with wine, soap and oil;
the latter with dried cod, which forms the staple of the Bilbao trade,
and is an article of diet very extensively used throughout the greater
part of Spain. There is a curious regulation respecting the trade of
Bilbao with the interior,--no muleteer from Castile can carry away a
load from any part of Biscay, unless he has brought a load with him; and
this load must consist of something that may be eaten, drank, or burnt:
this regulation ensures at all times to the Biscayan market an abundant
supply, at a reasonable rate, of all the articles that come from the
interior; nor is the regulation thought a hard one by the muleteer;
because, although owing to the abundant supply, he is frequently a loser
by it, he knows that it would be insecure to carry money so far to the
market: it is in fact a remnant of the original commerce of all
nations--barter.
I found the hospital well worthy of a visit; it is not yet completed,
but is calculated to accommodate 250 patients. When I visited it, there
were only 50 patients, whose diseases were consumption and old age. One
part of the establishment I greatly approve of; a ward of the building
is appropriated for the reception of strangers, or persons of a superior
rank in life, who may be desirous of good advice at a moderate expense,
and without occasioning trouble to friends or relations: these pay half
a dollar per day, and have all the best hospital attendance united with
the comforts of a private house. I can scarcely conceive a more welcome
piece of intelligence to an unfortunate stranger, seized with a severe
malady in a foreign place, than the existence of an institution like
this.
In walking through the wards, I noticed books in the hands of several of
the patients; these were chiefly forms of prayer; but seeing one sick
man laughing heartily over his studies, I had the curiosity to approach
his bed near enough to ascertain that he was engaged with a comedy of
_Lopez de Vega_.
Passing along the streets, I frequently met the boys belonging to a
charity school, the only one in Bilbao; they were, with few exceptions,
very raggedly dressed, and most of them provided with little bells, with
which they produced not an inharmonious music: the cause of their ragged
dress is easily explained by the want of funds, which arise solely from
the trifling imposition of four reals per ton upon every foreign vessel
entering the port. The only explanation I was able to get of the ringing
of bells is, that this custom is pleasing to the virgin. There is
another sort of music peculiar to Biscay, of the most discordant kind,
and which I cannot recollect even now, without unpleasant sensations.
This music is produced by the wheels of the carts drawn by oxen: these
are solid, without spokes, and a strong wooden screw is made to press
upon the axle of the wheel; the consequence of this, is a sound so
horribly grating, that the faintest conception of it cannot be conveyed
by words. The peasant supposes, that without this noise, the oxen would
not go willingly; and if they be once accustomed to it, this may perhaps
be true. No carriage being allowed to pass along the streets of Bilbao,
they are of course free from this intolerable nuisance: in the town of
_Orduña_, also, it is not permitted; but on all the roads of the Basque
provinces, and especially in the streets of Vittoria, this noise is so
unintermitting, that nothing could tempt me to reside in that town.
Every evening while I remained in Bilbao, I spent half an hour in the
Swiss Coffee-house--the only one in the town; and one evening, I was
much amused by a very curious scene I witnessed there. Four gentlemen
were seated at a card-table when I entered the coffee-house, and at
first I paid no particular attention to them; but accidentally resting
my eye upon them while sipping my coffee, I was surprised to see one of
the players shut one eye, and at the same time thrust his tongue out of
his mouth; from him, my eyes wandered to another, who at the same moment
squinted with both eyes, and thrust forward his under-lip: I now saw
that it was a constant succession of face-making, while all the while
the game went on. It is impossible to describe the strange, ludicrous,
and hideous faces of the players; I was at first dumb with astonishment,
and then convulsed with laughter, and all the while dying with curiosity
to know the reason of so grotesque an exhibition. It was a Biscayan
game, called _mūs_;--answering to each card there is a particular
contortion of the face, which interprets its value; and the point of the
game consists in the dexterity with which partners are able to convey to
each other by grimaces, the state of each other’s hand. This is a
favourite game in Biscay, but it is said to require a lifetime to become
expert in it: I should think it requires also the natural gift of
grimace.
There are many charming walks around Bilbao, up the river, and down the
river, and among the neighbouring mountains; and in whatever direction
one turns, proofs are at hand, of the enterprising spirit, and great
industry of the inhabitants in the improvement of land. Within the last
ten years, much waste land has been brought under cultivation: of this
waste land, there are two kinds; one, which is the property of the
jurisdiction, and which is parcelled out to individuals, the price being
fixed by arbitration: the other, which is the property of individuals
who possess entailed estates, and cannot dispose of waste land. Some
enterprising person offers to cultivate a portion of this land, under
the agreement that the produce for a certain period, ten, or twelve
years perhaps, is to be the property of the cultivator, and that at the
expiration of that term, the cultivator is to rent the land of the
proprietor. By these two modes, a great part of the cultivable land of
Biscay has been brought under cultivation; and the vine is now
extensively grown upon all the surrounding slopes.
The following few particulars respecting the climate, diseases, &c. of
Biscay, I obtained from a report drawn up by a few of the principal
medical men of the province, at the request of the Royal College of
Physicians in London. The medium heat of the thermometer in summer is
from 19 to 21 of Reaumur, and in winter from 5 to 7. In summer, the
thermometer scarcely ever rises above 26, and in winter, rarely falls
below 0: changes in the temperature are sudden and extraordinary; the
mercury having been known to rise and fall from 3° to 4° within a few
minutes. The most prevalent winds are S. and N. W.; the S. the most
constant in autumn, the N. W. in spring. The finest months are August,
September, October, and sometimes November; the spring months are the
most unsettled, rains being then almost as frequent as in winter. The
summer months are the most salubrious; autumn less so; and winter and
spring may be said to be unhealthy. The diseases most common in Biscay
are cutaneous diseases; and catarrhs, especially pulmonary, which often
terminate in pulmon. phthisis. Inflammations of the pleura, lungs, and
bowels,--and rheumatism, are the most numerous after the class of
pulmonary diseases; and of all these, the atmospheric changes may be
considered the predisposing cause. The province of Biscay abounds in
medicinal plants; but excepting a few simples used by the inhabitants,
these do not enter into the Spanish pharmacopeia. Amongst these
medicinal plants, are laurus nobilis, arbutus unedo, rabnus cartarticus,
erica cantabrica, smilax aspera, humulus lupulus, tormentila erecta,
poligala amara, digitalis purpurea, daphne laureola, gentiana luthea,
anethenus nobilis. The number of deaths in Bilbao, calculated from the
parochial register by an average of five years, amounts to one in
forty-six yearly.
The Basque provinces enjoy many separate privileges, of which they are
extremely jealous; but Biscay Proper enjoys more privileges than either
of the other Basque provinces. I shall mention a few of the most
remarkable. Biscay acknowledges no king; the king of Spain is not king,
but lord of Biscay. This is but a nominal privilege: but the next is
more important. The conscription does not extend to Biscay; in case of
invasion only, Biscay is bound to furnish troops, but as soon as the
demand upon their services is past, they are entitled to disband
themselves. The next is a highly honourable privilege, whatever may be
thought of its solid advantage: a Biscayan cannot be hanged, but must be
strangled, like a Spanish noble; nor can stripes be inflicted as a
punishment. The only difference between hanging and strangling consists
in this, that the punishment of strangulation is inflicted while the
criminal is seated. The next Biscayan privilege is a privilege annexed
to his religion; it is, that no foreigner is entitled to establish
himself in any trade, unless he profess the Roman Catholic religion.
The code of laws by which Biscay is governed, is different not only from
those of Spain, but also from those of the other Basque provinces: this
is no doubt a right, but whether it be a right conveying any advantage
is more questionable. I understood that justice in Biscay was badly
administered, and that a code of separate laws in no respect increased
the chances of the poor in a contest with the rich. Questions arising in
Biscay, although decided by the laws of Biscay, are not decided within
the province, but are subject to numerous appeals. They originate with
the Court of the Corregidor; from which the first appeal is to the
Chancery of Valladolid; from this to the Council of Castile; then to the
tribunal _de mil ducados_, so called because that sum must be deposited
before the appeal can be received; and lastly to the king, under the
name of “_appelar de notoria injusticia_.” It is evident, that with the
power of thus prolonging the term of litigation, and the necessity of a
large deposit, the richest litigator must enter upon his lawsuit with
very reasonable hopes of success.
Biscay is not obliged to pay any government impositions: the king has no
certain revenue from Biscay, but when money is wanted, he must ask it,
and a part of what is demanded is generally given; but if any demand be
made inconsistent with the laws or privileges of Biscay, a thing that
has sometimes happened, Biscay returns this contradictory answer; “_Se
obedese, y no se cumple_.”
The head of the province, is the Corregidor, who is named by the king of
Spain; but an appeal from the corregidor to the deputies, seems to
render the precedence of the corregidor merely nominal. The deputies are
elected thus: the general election for the nomination of deputies,
syndics, and regidores, takes place every three years. Each village
within the province sends one or two electors, according to its size;
the names of the villages are written upon separate pieces of paper, and
all are put into a wheel, and the first four that turn up, have the
right of election, or of naming the public functionaries of the
province.
The privileges, the civil laws, and the maritime laws of Biscay, are
contained in three separate volumes; the latter of these form the basis
of the maritime laws of Spanish South America.