fhall receive a hand fome reward. The day after to-morrow will be fold by auction, a large Crucifix, an image of the Madona, and a nacimiento (a cafe containing the infant Jefus, with two other perfons of the Trinity, in wood, plaifter, &c.) This evening the proceffion of the Rofary will fet out about eight o'clock."

The Spanish women are diftin. guishable for the warmth of their conftitution, a fanatical enthusiafm for the religious fytem of their country, pride that would bend every thing beneath its yoke, a fingularity that knows no law but its own will, a pation for revenge in oppofition to which nothing is held facred, and an unbridled love of pleafure," the compenfations for all thefe bad difpofitions, are placed by our author in too favourable a light; we therefore pafs them over, to proceed to a more correct and striking trait in their

character.

"Divided between religious duties and the pleafures of fente, a Spanish woman feems to be in a state of continual warfare between her conscience and her conftitution, yet, in fpite of constraint, Nature at length overcomes the rigour of her principles, and the ends by quieting her confcience with the idea of being able to expiate her guilt by a mafs, or a prayer. Hence it is by no means rare to fee a beautiful woman quit the arms of a lover to kneel before a Madona, and, being reconciled by this act of devotion, again haften to give herfelf up to pleature."

"The custom of retaining Cortejos to attend constantly on all married women in the higher ranks of life at Madrid, is accounted for by the mode of contracting marriage, which is generally formed upon a principle of intereft, or convenience; feldon by mutual inclination; and unhappy marriages are more frequent in Spain than in any other country. The Cortejo is generally confidered as the lover of a married woman, yet, they frequently have nothing but the name, and ferve only for etiquette; however, it cannot be denied that they more frequently enjoy all the privileges of a huiband. Their fidelity and conítancy, on which our author bestows much ill placed commendation, is limited to the Cortejo; and this fpecies of intimacy is fubject to fuch rigorous laws,

that the two parties infulate themfelves from all other individuals of their own fex, and confider the leaft caufe of fufpicion as unpardonable; chained to the arm of his lady,the Cortejo muft accompany her every where; at the Prado, at Mafs, at the Theatre, at the Confeffional, never muft he quit her, and the whole weight of her affairs of every kind retts upon his thoulders. This fervile reftraint contributes greatly to give a coldness and fameness to fociety; for in all their affemblies, called Tertullas, the Cortejo is placed by the fide of his female friend, and if a stranger, who is ignorant of the cultoms of the country, makes any polite advances to the lady, he is treated with contemptuous filence, or haughty dif dain."

The relation of a dreadful tragedy which took place during the author's refidence at Madrid, and of the execution of the lady and her Cortejo, for the affaffination of her husband, leaves no doubt upon the mind concerning a custom to degrading to civil fociety. General remarks on the fcenery of the country; a statement of the progrefs of literature and books; a defeription of the royal and other libraries at Madrid; proofs of filthiness in the perfons of the Spaniards, in their ftreets and houfes; of their want of domeftic induftry; backwardness in the mechanic arts; ignorance of public economy; and a variety of other mifcellaneous remarks, are the fubjects of Letters 32 and 33.

From Madrid to Bajadoz, our author enjoyed a delightful journey of nine days, paffing through well cultivated fields of corn, and vines alternately producing a very beautiful variety in the profpect. Bajadoz is a frontier town adjoining to Portugal, the Spanish territory extending only an hour beyond it, as far as a fmall rivulet, where the Portuguefe have on the oppofite bank a poft of dragoons. A confiderable contraband trade is carried on between the inhabitants of both countries; those of Bajadoz buy whole cargoes of oranges, lemons, and figs, at the Portuguese frontier town called Elvas, and, in return, carry thither clandeftinely, piaftres, corn, oil, and borricos, which are all prohibited to be exported from Spain, but addrefs and bribery render every thing poffible. The climate of the province of Eftramadura, of which Bajadoz is the chief

Kkk 2

town

town, is a perpetuakalternation of the extremes of heat and cold, the days being infupportable on account of the former, and the nights in confequence of the latter; for however burning the fun may have been, the evening no fooner commences, than the cold is moft piercing. Bajadoz is diftinguished in the prefent day, for giving birth to the famous Minifter of State, called The Prince of Peace, who is defcended from a family of farmers of the name of Godoy; his first promotion was to the rank of an officer in the guards; his further elevation is too well known to require any additional information founded on rumour.

In the journey from Bajadoz to Sevile, in company with a Spanish nobleman, fo early as the month of June, they found the country people every where busily employed in getting in the corn, which they cut with fickles indented like a faw; and it is threshed by making fix mules tied abrealt, walk over it in a circle. The third day's journey brought them to the province of Andalusia; "here, every thing af fumed a new appearance. The men wore theep-fkins with the wool on, for culottes, and large white round hats; the women light green petticoats with green ribbons, and hats of various colours; we faw carts made of lattice work, with wheels as high as the body; they were drawn by oxen, adorned with paper ribbons of different colours. Every thing in the houfes had the appearance of greater affluence and comfort, and we could not avoid feeing the industry of the inhabitants in the cultivation of the foil.

"At fix leagues and a half diftant from Seville, the road lies across a fertile plain, interfperfed with fmall hills, which affumed every moment a more fmiling appearance. The plantations of olive trees, where the flone fences round the young trees refemble basket work, have a very fingular effect; the fields of corn, the vineyards, melons, monafteries with terraces covered with orange, lemon, and fig trees, woods of cork, and extremely populous hamlets, formed a pleafing and varied profpect; on each fide of the road was a hedge of aloes-their fems were low, and without flowers, but to an inhabitant of the North, the view was not uninterefting. Thus having paffed through an infinite number of turnings and windings, and feen innumerable charming fpots, we

at length approached the great and ce lebrated city of Seville. At a distance its grand and various piles of building, and its gilded fpires, in the midst of an extenfive plain, form a highly pleafing object. We faw the magnificent Carthufian Monaftery, the garden of which is filled with a vast number of American plants in flower, and at last, we arrived at the fuburb Triana, a part of the town which its broad streets and magnificent houses render very ftriking."

In general, at Seville they found a certain degree of affluence and refined neatnefs, even in the moft trifling particulars in preference to all the cities and towns of the fame order in Spain, it affords the means of living cheap and comfortably. Grapes, Figs, and Melons, are bought for an octavo (not quite the value of an halfpenny English) the pound, weighing eighteen ounces. The market, which is covered with tents, and the ftalls of the bread and meat markets, both in the city and fuburbs, are abundantly fupplied with provifions, even at night. The bread is ftill whiter and lighter than at Madrid; it combines all the advantages of the French and Spanish procefles, and is fold for a penny or five farthings a pound. The white wine as well as the red is excellent, and fells for about five farthings the quart. House rent is not dear, and for three piaftres a month you may have a good apartment.

The paffage is fhort in a boat on the river Guadalquivir to San Lucar, a small pretty town on its bank; the fields here are entirely covered with beds of the finelt Sandias, or water melons, which in Andalusia alone arrive at maturity. From this town they proceeded by land to Cadiz, a city fo well known and fo fully defcribed by British travellers, we thall only obferve that this author has collected a few particulars which had escaped their notice; the following is one-here are "fellers of Grasshoppers, which are fhut up in bratswire cages, to enliven the bed rooms of those who are fond of them, efpecially the ladies."

From Cadiz to Valencia, our author gives his reade's a journal, descriptive of a beautiful change of Icenery, in a route of twenty days, of feveral finali towns, particularly Xeres, by us called Sherry, from the excellent wine of that name, the produce of its vineyards, fold on the pot at three-pence the quartof Cordova, once fanious for its ma

nufacture

nufacture of leather for fhoes and boots, but now in a declining ftate, and nearly deferted.

The great and populous city of Valencia, diftinguifhed fo its excellent organized Silk manufacture, is the fubject of Letter 41. The climate is faid to be extremely mild, “and almost throughout the year, the air is extremely pure, the fky always ferene, and the temperature perfectly plealant. The winter is like that of Hières or Montpellier; but the Summer is free from the fuffocating heat experienced in France. All the feafons feem loft in one delicious fpring, and the changes of the atmosphere are almoft imperceptible." The extraordinary characters of the innkeeper and his wife, demonftrate the folly and wickednefs to which blind fuperftition leads its votaries, and furnish an entertaining anecdote.

From Valencia to Barcelona took up nine days, in the course of which they met with alternate fertility, and barren, dreary fpots, wild and uncultivated; of the former a remarkable circumstance is related. "Having got out of our carriage to enjoy the beauty of the country, we were offered grapes on all fides, and asked to gather what we pleafed ourselves. Our muleteer got fuch a quantity, that he gave fome to his mules, who ate them with avidity."

The 43d letter contains an ample and very interesting account of Barcelona, lately honoured with a vifit by the

reigning Monarch of Spain and his confort, in a style of magnificence, vying in pomp and fplendour with the triumphal entry of fome mighty conqueror of ancient times For the particulars, fee Foreign Intelligence, in our last. Magazine, page 392.

The 44th and 45th letters conclude the tour with a voyage from Barcelona to Genoa, and a defcription of the latter; the finale to which is worthy of prefervation in our mifcellany, as a well founded judicious remark, that may be peculiarly useful to young ftudents in the schools of modern politics and modern philofophy.

"Genoa feems to have become what could never have been expected, a department of France! Where then is the luftre of the ancient Italian Republics? It has difappeared, it has made way for modern conceits! Let thofe who believe in the ftability of human establishments, learn to ac knowledge their fragility; let them read history, and abandon their visionary abfurdities." The Appendix contains proper directions for travellers through Spain, which cannot fail to recommend the work. With respect to the tranflation, it bears evident marks of hurry, and inattention to our phraseology, which we with to fee corrected in another edition, as well as the poverty of the style, in many passages rendered difagreeable by the frequent repetition of the fame words, where elegant fubftitutes might be readily found.

M.

THE fingularity of the title of this Political and Financial Pamphlet, is well calculated to excite public curiofity; and to ftimulate anxious in quiry amongst the monied men of various defcriptions, fuch as bankers, ftock brokers, money fcriveners, ipe. culators, and merchants, to whom it holds forth an alarming project.

It is evidently intended to feel the pulfe of the publick on his novel opinion, that Guineas are an expensive incumbrance on the nation.

But before we enter upon the eafy

HOR. SAT. Lib. I. Sat. 1.

task of refuting it, we must juft notice the impropriety of the motto or device from Horace.-Is our author to learn, that from one end of the United Kingdom to the other, men of all ranks know how to employ gold, and the fcanty portion of filver they can obtain, to far other and better purposes than to bury it timidly in the earth ?This irrelevant device, fo totally inapplicable to a great commercial nation, and to the difpofition of our monied men, exhibits only a vain difplay of learning-a juvenile propenfity! The

adaption

adaption of the subject to the prefent juncture, fhall be given in the author's own words. "As the great question of continuing the Bank Restriction Bill, or fuffering it to expire on the 21ft of March next, muit occupy the attention of the Legislature in the prefent Seffion of Parliament, it is prefumed that every attempt to elucidate one of the most abftrufe points in the whole fcience of political arithmetic, will be favourably received by thofe who are to decide upon a fubject of such valt importance to the present and future generations." Confidering it in the fame light as the author, the writer of this review. flatly contradicts the following ftate ment" It feems to have been received as a financial maxim, not to be difputed, that the precious metals are the only true fign of profperity; and the only legitimate medium, through which public credit can be advantageously circulated." In whatever confined circle of uninformed perfons this doctrine may have been propagated and conveyed to our author; certain it is, that no fuch maxim has been generally received either by our eminent writers on the public credit of Great Britain, or by our opulent monied men; in other words, dealers in money.

Our limits will not admit of producing a string of proofs from fucceffive authors, on the fubject, in the courfe of the last fifty years, we shall therefore only quote a paffage or two from the Thirteenth Edition of that well known Trestife on the Funds, Stockjobbing, Public Credit, &c. entitled "Evey Man bis orin Broker." Whatever is eftablished by the authority and common confent of a nation to be the medium of their mutual exchanges with each other, is properly the money of that nation. It may therefore cont of gold, filver, and copper coin; or of paper; as bills of exchange, promiflory notes, bonds, and other fecurities or fpecie; all of them antwering one and the fume purpose, GENERALCIRCULATION.' The fame author gives the following Concife and clear definition of Public Credit "Public Cre fit, as it respects money tranfactions, and particularly the fyftem of finances, or the admini ftration of the revenues of kingdoms, ⚫ means no more than that mutual confidence between Government and the

people, which enables the former te obtain, and difpofes the latter to contribute, very large portions of their perfonal eftates, to fupply the exi gencies of Government, on great emergencies; upon the strength of obligations contracted and promised to be punctually performed on the part of Government, at ftated future periods of time;" and in another part, he obferves that "the credit of Great Britain for more than half a century has been, and still continues to be,greatly superior to that of any other European power, owing to the inviolable honour of our Parliaments in keeping to their engagements with the public creditors of the nation, as well with foreigners as with natives; the interefts on their funded capitals being regularly paid half yearly, by means of which punctuality, a public market is established, for the fale by transfer of the capitals, or any part of them, which answers the purpofe, to individuals, of refunding or paying off their capitals by Govern ment. The French Government, on the contrary, has often violated the conditions on which it borrowed money for the exigencies of the State; therefore as long as the prefent happy Conftitution of Great Britain exits, the will conftantly have the fuperiority in obtaining loans on the ftrength of her public credit, not only from her own fubiccts, but likewile from foreigners of every denomination."

The fame author, in another work *, aptly quotes the folloing just remark of Sir James Stuart, in his elaborate Treatife on Political Economy. "The principles which influence the doctrine of public credit, are to few and fo plain, that it is furprising to fee how circumftances could poflibly involve them in the obfcurity into which we find them plunged on many occafions Let the author of Guineas an Incumbrance, now compare the above precife definition and remarks on public credit with his prolix Chapter I. on the fame fubject, and then candidly ask himfelf," Against whom the charge lies of publishing flowery fpeeches and dogmatical pamphlets, replete with unproved affumptions and confequent deductions, fpecious in appearance, but unfounded in fact?” See Introduction, page viii.

The

The following propofitions are fubmitted to the confideration of the publick by our author, "the refult of much inquiry and oblervation having produced a conviction of the truth of them," in his mind.

rit, "That public credit and national profperity do not depend upon metallic money.”

2dly, "That the maintenance of a fufficient ftock of fpecie, to enable the Bank of England, and confequently all private bankers and others, to meet all demands of that nature, involves a moft enormous expence and lofs,which, however diffafed through the community, is a pofitive charge upon the nation.'

3dly, "That paper money is the true criterion of public credit; equally fafe, far more convenient than fpecie, and maintained at, comparatively, no expence."

Upon thefe grounds, the continuance of the Bank Reftriction Bill is recommended, not as a measure of temporary expedience, but as a permanent regulation of prudence and found policy.

This is the great object of this fingular publication, which has more in view than meets the eye; fortunately, however, the author has laid down certain general rules, by which the merits of his own caufe may be fairly tried. "Abstract theories have, alas! produced mifery enough. It is time to return to the good old maxim of admitting nothing capable of experiment in fcience, which cannot be proved by experience and matter of fact, and the writer having no intereit, no ambition to gratify, is only defirous that the queftion may be decided, not on the principles of uncertain fpeculations, but by the teft of experience, and the evidence of facts."

This fair and candid declaration has induced the Keviewer to examine care. fully every page of the pamphlet, for proofs founded in experience and matter of fact, that Guineas are an unneceffary and expenfive incumbrance on commerce; or, as he afferts elsewhere, on the nation; but, on the contrary, he has found nothing throughout the whole, but groundlefs affumptions calculated to mislead the judgment, by rendering abftrufe and complex" the Simplest and clearest "points in the whole fcience of political arithmetic." This being the cafe, we can only exprefs a with that fome able writer may take the important caufe in hand, and

in a counter appeal to the publick enter fully into all the necellary details, and produce the proper documents to refute by facts, a novel and dangerous opinion founded folely on that very ab tract theory, which he condemns in others all we can do within the narrow compafs aligned to our review de.. partment, is to itate propofition against propofition, and to produce more than affumptions in fupport, First, of an opinion on which the author himself ac. knowledges, "that all parties feem agreed, viz. that the Bank thould refume its payments in fpecie, as foon as it is in a condition fo to do." Secondly, that without the effential aid of a liberal circulation of metallic money, or fpecie, the public credit of the nation could never have been established, nor have attained to that degree of profperity, which has enabled Government, under the preffure of the moft extraordinary emergencies, to fubiti. tute paper money in the place of im menfe quantities of fpecie, and to make it pafs as currently. Thirdly, fo far is it from being true, as it is affumed by our author, "that in proportion as the circulation of Guineas has decreased, public credit, and with it the trade, commerce, and refources of the nation, increafed and acquired an extenfion and energy unparalleled in the annals of the kingdom," that the very reverfe is proved by the prefent depreciation of the price of the funds-remove the restriction, and oblige the Bank, which it is more than enabled to do, to pay all their notes under Ten Pounds in fpecie, and in lefs than fix months the 3 per cent. Confols, in which fund the mafs of the people poffeling final fums of unemployed money generally veft them, and they will rife five or ten per cent.; whereas, the infant the meafure was to take place recommended by the author, of making the prefent restriction perma nent, they will afluredly be confiderably lower-the pledging of the laft loan at the Bank, the lofs, infead of an expected premium, fuftained by the purchafers of it from the original fubfcribers, could not have happened, if, instead of a free circulation of Guinens, the fales of the Scrip from one to another had not been made partly in fuch commercial paper as could not finally be received in payment of the feveral instalments. Such paper was readily difcounted when there were

plenty