I had always looked upon this, as the journey in which I might expect to find the most privations, and that most abounded in hazard; and the little information I was able to receive at Granada, tended rather to confirm than to dissipate these anticipations. It is, indeed, surprising how very little information I was able to obtain at Granada: there is no commerce between Granada and Murcia; the communication between the southern provinces, and Valencia, and Catalunia, is entirely carried on by sea; and the few persons who pass from Granada to the east, generally take shipping at Malaga, for Valencia. Every one was agreed, however, that the road was execrable, and totally impassable after rain; that the accommodations upon the road were as bad as they could be; and that the probabilities of robbery outweighed the chances of escape. The few persons who had travelled that road, had invariably taken an escort; and this I was told, I could by no means dispense with. I resolved, however, to be guided by the opinion of General O’Lowlor; and, acting upon his advice, I engaged a tartana, a small covered cart with one mule, and a muleteer, recommended by him as an honest man. An honest muleteer is the principal security of a traveller; for I am convinced from what I have subsequently heard, that an escort is totally useless, unless it be composed of soldiers; and, in a long journey, the expense of a sufficient escort will amount to as much as one runs the risk of losing by being robbed; because no traveller in Spain ever carries an overflowing purse. The best mode is, to pay the muleteer a part, before setting out, and the remainder at the end of the journey, which can, of course, be managed by carrying a letter of credit; and the traveller ought to carry in his pocket only what may suffice for his personal expenses, with as much more added, as will satisfy banditti, in case of being attacked by them; for otherwise, the traveller is exposed to violence. If one chooses to hire four soldiers, the risk of robbery is entirely at an end; but this, in a journey to Murcia from Granada, would cost thirty-five dollars; exceeding by at least fifteen dollars, the amount of the purse which it is necessary to have in readiness, in case of meeting with robbers. An escort of peasantry is totally useless. Many instances have occurred, in which travellers have been betrayed by their escort; and I could hear of no instance in which the escort had stood to defend the traveller; but, indeed, it is better that they should run away, as resistance would only endanger his life. Resistance is a thing that no traveller in certain parts of Spain should ever dream of: before setting out, he must make up his mind to the probability of being robbed, and provide accordingly; not by hiring an escort, or by loading his pistols; but, by putting about twenty dollars into a separate purse, to buy civility in case of need; and by obtaining a letter of credit upon the next town.

The distance between Granada and Murcia is not very accurately measured; but it is computed to be about forty-seven leagues, which is nearly two hundred miles. For this journey, I agreed to pay the muleteer twenty-five dollars; which I thought a reasonable demand for a journey of thirteen days. I did not intend to make much use of the tartana, excepting for carrying my portmanteau, and a basket of provisions; the mule walks the whole of the way; and the daily journey averaging only about thirty-two miles, it would be no difficult matter to keep pace with it.

I left Granada at three o’clock, P.M., in order that we might arrive the same night at a village called Huetor; from which an easy journey would carry us to Guadix the night following. By any other arrangement, we should have been obliged to rest every night at a solitary venta. We no sooner got clear of Granada, than we were enclosed among the mountains; and in a wild, uncultivated country, overrun with the Esparto rush,—the Sierra Nevada lying on our right, and a range of other, and somewhat lower, mountains on our left. The road alternately descended into deep narrow valleys, and climbed the heights that separated them; but, upon the whole, we gradually got into a higher country; and it was dusk long before we reached Huetor. I noticed several fires blazing in remote spots of the ravines; and one of these we passed so near, that I was able to distinguish several persons around it: the muleteer told me that these persons were migratory peasantry, who avoided the ventas from economy; or, perhaps, houseless persons, who lived by the produce of their gun. About half a mile before reaching Huetor, we passed a chapel erected in a very dreary spot; a lamp burned before an image of the virgin, and the light, shining upon the road, shewed me a monumental cross standing by the way-side. Soon after, we reached the village and its venta.

This venta was a bad specimen of the accommodation I was likely to find on the road. Although only four leagues from Granada, I should have been obliged to go supperless to bed, unless for the provision I had wisely made against such an event. I superintended the boiling of some water, infused my tea, got my bread and little jar of Dutch butter from my basket, and cut into a most delicious ham, which had been presented to me, and prepared at Granada. Sugar was the only thing I had forgotten; but this the good people of the venta undertook to supply from the village; and it was soon brought, in four separate papers, wrapped up like powders received from an apothecary. Having made a comfortable meal, I next went in search of a bed, and succeeded in finding a mattress, which I laid upon six chairs; and, covering myself with my cloak—of course, without undressing—I slept tolerably well till roused by the muleteer, although the wind and rain beat in at the open window half the night. When I went in search of the tartana, I found no fewer than sixty-nine mules in the venta, some ready to set out, and others standing in their places—the muleteers sleeping beside them: all these were going to Granada, laden with the Esparto rush, which is extensively manufactured into baskets.

After the night’s rain, the morning was hazy; but it gradually cleared away, and fine weather succeeded. On the outskirts of the village, I noticed these words inscribed upon a house in large letters, Viva el Rey absoluto, “Long live the absolute King:”—and soon after, in a little hollow, I passed a cross which recorded a murder, committed there five months before, upon a traveller who had been so rash as to offer resistance to banditti. When we left the village behind us, we left the road behind us also: it was now no longer a road, but only a track of the rudest kind, winding among the ridges of the Sierra; the ground was entirely without cultivation. Mingled with the Esparto rush, lavender, sweet marjorum and thyme, covered the lower part of the mountains; which, higher up, were bare and stony; and the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada, bounded the horizon. At a wild and desolate spot, where enormous rocks were strewn around—a secure and admirable retreat for thieves—we suddenly came upon two men seated in a hollow of the rocks, armed with guns, and with pistols stuck in their girdles; and when I saw them leave their places, and hasten down the rock towards us, I began to think of feeling for the purse of twenty dollars. They, however, adopted a different mode of supplying their needs,—thinking it safer to ask for money, as guards of the road, than as robbers. I gave them a dollar betwixt them, with which they appeared to be contented; and, giving me in return, “Muchas gracias,” and the parting salutation, “Vaya V^d. con la Virgen,” they scrambled up among the rocks. The salutation differs in different provinces: before reaching Granada, it had always been “Go with God!” now, it was, “Go with the Virgin.” From this spot, the road continued to wind among the mountains, amid the same wild and desolate scenery, till we arrived at Diezma, a small village, with a venta attached to it. Here I again found my ham useful, and, with some eggs and chocolate, I had no reason to complain of my breakfast. The venta, however, seemed very miserable: they had to send into the village for the small quantity of bread I required, and for a little wine. But there was an excuse for the neglected state of this venta; the husband of its mistress had been stabbed in a quarrel only the day before, and had been buried that morning.

After leaving Diezma, we entered a very singular looking country; it was covered with monticules, and pyramids of clay, sand, and gravel, from thirty to a hundred feet high, forming a perfect labyrinth, through which the road tortuously wound. This forenoon we had nothing to fear from robbers, for our party was numerous, consisting of about fifty mules and ten or twelve muleteers. I walked all the way along with the muleteers, entering into conversation with them, and from time to time assisting them in diminishing the rotundity of their wine-skins: a traveller must never refuse to put the wine-skin to his mouth; to refuse this offered courtesy, is looked upon as a serious affront. It requires some practice, however, to use the skin without wasting the wine, and deluging the bosom: and nothing but habit can teach this art.

This singular labyrinth continued about two leagues, when we reached a small village, called Parillena, in the neighbourhood of which I observed many hovels excavated in the clay banks—the wretched retreats of the miserably poor. It did not surprise me to see no fewer than five records of murder in this neighbourhood. Between this village and Guadix, parts of the country are under tillage; and I saw some ploughs at work, and several persons sowing in the fields, although it was Sunday; but I never observed that, in the South of Spain, any distinction is made between Sundays and other days. It is not as in France, a day of recreation; every one plies his trade as usual. In the towns, all the shops are thronged; and in the country, those who wish to be industrious are industrious still.

Guadix, which is situated within half a league of the Sierra Nevada, is approached through a fine avenue of trees; and the land on both sides is rich, and subjected to irrigation from the small stream of the same name. We reached the town, or city I believe, about sun-set, and halted at the best posada the place afforded; but it boasted no provisions, and being unwilling to draw too constantly upon my stores, I walked into the market, and purchased a rabbit for four reals (eight pence), which, stewed with potatoes, afforded me a comfortable supper. During the night, I was awoke by sounds of quarrelling under the windows, and upon rising and looking out, I saw a man lying upon the ground, and several persons collected about him. Next morning, I learned that the man had been stabbed in an affray by his brother-in-law, after having been engaged in playing cards. Guadix is famous for its midnight frays; and it is here, those murderous knives are made, which are in general use throughout all the south of Spain. This is the only manufacture of Guadix, the inhabitants generally being employed in agriculture. This city is a bishop’s see; it has a cathedral, four churches, and seven convents; and contains between five and six thousand inhabitants.

Next day, I left Guadix before sun-rise; the morning was fine, but rather chilly. All the clay banks in the neighbourhood of Guadix, are excavated into human habitations: the first league from the town, I counted one hundred and sixty of these miserable hovels; and some of their inmates, who looked from the outlets, exhibited the very acmé of wretchedness.

After leaving Guadix, we entered a vast open plain, traversed by deep ravines, and almost wholly abandoned to the Esparto rush: here and there, I noticed some feeble attempts at cultivation; and some flocks of sheep were feeding upon the lower acclivities of the Sierra, which bounded the plain on the right. The venta, fourteen miles distant from Guadix, was the first house we saw; and we therefore cease to wonder at the neglected state of a plain in which there are no human habitations. The venta at which we stopped furnished chocolate, and bread, and good wine; and with my ham and butter-jar, I feasted luxuriously. I noticed an improvement in the construction of the interior of this venta: there was a circular stone bench round the place where the fire is made upon the floor, large enough for a dozen persons; and it was indeed occupied by nearly as many when we entered it; for there was the old man and his wife, the son of the old couple and his wife, three children, and two great dogs. Two very suspicious looking men were standing, apparently about to leave the venta; but when I arrived, they sat down again; and one of them put a number of questions to me, as to where I had come from, where I was going, and if I had no companions. I had already received a hint from the honest muleteer, not to answer questions of that kind; and I pretended not to understand him. The muleteer, to whom he immediately afterwards put the same questions, told him that I had left Guadix an hour sooner than my companions; and that before we arrived at Baza, we expected to be overtaken by four of my countrymen.

After leaving this venta, we continued constantly ascending, and soon reached a very elevated and exposed plain, bounded by snowy mountains; the cold was intense. I had never felt a more cutting wind in England; and unless by quick walking, and even running, I found it impossible to keep myself warm. Suddenly the plain terminates in an abrupt descent, almost a precipice, and Baza was seen at the foot, with a fertile plain stretching before it, and mingled with groves and gardens. The transition from this region of snow, to the sheltered valley of Baza, was luxury; and to my great surprise, I found myself soon established for the night in an excellent posada, kept by a Frenchman, who I need scarcely say, provided a supper that did not disgrace his country.

Baza was once a place of consequence and wealth; rich lead and copper mines abound in the neighbourhood, and were formerly worked with profit; but they are now closed, and will remain closed, until a new order of things begets a spirit of enterprise. The inhabitants are entirely occupied by agriculture, which, in this valley, is assisted by irrigation; and is sufficient for the wants of the people. Baza is said to contain fifteen thousand inhabitants: it is certain that it contains many churches, and five convents,—one of these, St. Hieronimo, possessing an income of eight hundred thousand reals (8,000l. sterling), meant for the support of the seven monks who inhabit it.

The market-place of Baza is adorned by nine columns, being the nine iron cannon, by the aid of which, Ferdinand and Isabella took the city from the Moors. Upon one of them, is the following inscription:—Estos tiros son los que los Reyes Dom Ferdinando y Dona Isabella ganaron esta Ciudad sobre los Mauros, anno 1489, en el dia de Sancta Barbara Patrona de esta Ciudad.—“It was with these cannon, that Ferdinand and Isabella took this city from the Moors, in the year 1489, on the festival of St. Barbara, the patroness of this city.”

From Baza, which we left as usual about sunrise, to Cullar de Baza, the country is wholly without interest; we ascended an inclined plain, bounded by snowy mountains on both sides, and almost wholly left to the hand of nature. The situation of Cullar de Baza is pleasing: it stands upon the side of a deep ravine, almost wide enough to be called a valley, which is cultivated to the utmost possible extent; and doubtless, when spring clothes with its own fresh livery, this little valley, Cullar de Baza will appear not only pleasingly, but beautifully situated. This valley, a mile long, and about a quarter of a mile broad, is the sole resource of the inhabitants.

In the neighbourhood of this town, the excavation of the earth, to form dwellings, is carried to a greater extent than in any place that I had yet seen; these present a very singular appearance in travelling below the gypsum rocks that environ the town: they are formed in galleries, one above another, and are entered by steps cut in the face of the bank. I noticed several crosses before entering, and after leaving Cullar de Baza; and it is worthy of remark, that these are more numerous in the neighbourhood of the small towns, than in the more solitary places. From this town to Chirivel, we passed over a high and very desolate country, producing nothing but the Esparto rush, and aromatic plants: upon the highest part of the ridge, Vertientes, and another small village, are situated; there, some few fields are seen under tillage, and stunted ilex is scattered over the neighbouring acclivities. At Vertientes, the muleteer mistook his path, and we were under the necessity of several times asking directions: this, is always to incur risk. It was already dusk, and no road could be more solitary than that between this village and Chirivel; the population seemed miserably poor, and many of them had seen the unprotected vehicle pass, and knew its destination. As we went forward, I noticed several fires in hollows not far distant from the road, shewing the night camp of some houseless wanderers; and I was somewhat startled when looking keenly along the road, lighted by a glorious full moon that had risen in the east, I descried the figures of two men, about two hundred yards behind us. The old muleteer seemed not quite at his ease, when I told him what I had seen, and he urged on his mule. I had little doubt that we were followed by some of the persons who had seen us pass through Vertientes; and taking from my purse of twenty dollars, a part of its contents, I slipped them, and two ounces of gold, into my boot, and put in my waistcoat pocket, a purse with only twelve dollars, which I thought sufficient for two peasants of Vertientes, although so paltry a booty might be despised by the band of Don José. Just at this time, something dark appeared before us, and presently a train of some ten or twelve mules, and three men approached. We stopped to ask them how far we were distant from Chirivel—and while the question was put and answered, I kept my eye upon the men behind, who stood still in the middle of the road. I had now less doubt than ever, of their intentions, and mentioned the ground of my increased suspicions to the muleteer, who was so persuaded of their truth, that he proposed to the men whom we had met, that one should go forward with the mules to Vertientes, and that the other two, should return with us to Chirivel, which was only about half a league distant. It is generally indifferent to a Spaniard where he passes the night; and this proposal, seconded by the promise of a few pecetas from me, secured us this seasonable addition to our party. After we set forward, the men behind followed us a little way, probably to ascertain our numbers; they then stood still; and in another quarter of an hour, they were no longer visible.

The posada at Chirivel was almost as bad as the venta at Huetor; but being nearly independent of the larder of the posada, I both drank tea and supped comfortably, with that miserable substitute for a sea-coal fire—a brasero—under the table; but I had no talisman against the fleas, and was overjoyed to find myself free from their assaults, and on the road next morning.

From Chirivel, the only road is the bed of a river, in which we travelled three leagues, till we reached Velez el Rubio. The banks of the stream, then almost dried up, are in many places precipitous; so that I had been truly told in Granada, that in wet weather it is impossible to travel to Murcia. The situation of Velez el Rubio is picturesque: a ruined castle looks down upon it, and the environs are tolerably well wooded; this improvement in the appearance of the country, continues only about a league and a half beyond the town, when every trace of cultivation is entirely lost; and a range of the most desolate hills I ever travelled through, stretches to the east; these are the hills that divide Granada from Murcia. The pass through them is twenty-two miles long; and the whole of this distance there is not a single human dwelling. It is not by a road, nor even by a path, but by the bed of a torrent that these mountains are traversed; and this bed, for the first eight miles, is not six feet wide, and is strewn with enormous rocks, which force the traveller to be a pedestrian. During the whole day, after entering these mountains, we met only one person; this was a Capuchin friar, driving his ass before him, laden with two large jars of oil, the gift of the good Catholics of Lorca, where he had been, to beg this luxury for the use of his convent at Velez el Rubio. Since there are no houses among these hills, it can scarcely be expected that there should be any cultivation; I did not see one rood of cultivated land, nor a single flock of any kind, not even a few goats. But this country, desolate as it is, has some charms of its own. Rosemary, sweet marjoram, thyme, lavender, and a thousand odoriferous and sweet smelling plants, fill the air with their fragrance, and by so pleasingly addressing one of the senses, withdraw the attention of another from the spectacle of barrenness. After ascending in the bed of one torrent two leagues, we reached the summit of the ridge, and then entered the channel of another stream, in which we descended three leagues to Puerto, our rendezvous for the night. Approaching this place, I observed several little boys herding goats, with only a shirt on, and that shirt a very ragged one. This, on the warm shores of Andalusia, or in the plain of Murcia, would excite little compassion; but here, scarcely out of the region of the Sierra Nevada, it was pitiable to see these shivering little creatures, the children no doubt of those wretched persons whose hovels I saw excavated in the bank of the river.

In the posada at Puerto, I found very civil people, but nothing to eat. They made me a blazing fire of rosemary and the husks of Indian corn—another of the many uses to which this valuable plant is put—they shewed me a good mattress, and the luxury of a bedstead, and they found a peasant to accompany me to the market to buy something for supper. A fowl was procured without difficulty; and this, stewed with rice, and followed by some excellent wine, might have pleased a more fastidious taste than mine. I had also the luxury of the prickly pear; I bought three dozen for 2d., and found them delicious.

We left Puerto half an hour before sunrise: a rapid descent was carrying us from the regions of cold, into the sunny vale of Lorca, and the transition was equally striking and agreeable. It was now the 2d day of December, but the air was like that of a June morning in England; and as the mist rose from the lower grounds, and disclosed the vale of Lorca, smiling beneath the rays of the new risen sun, the earth, as well as the air, seemed to own the dominion of summer. As we descended into the vale, the change from the high lands, both in the temperature of the air, and in the appearance of every thing around, became more striking: the fields were covered with wheat, fresh and green; olives, and other trees had regained their natural height: and aloes were again seen by the way side. The whole of the vale of Lorca is under cultivation: to the traveller who arrives by way of the snowy Sierra, it appears a paradise; and the situation of Lorca, close under the mountains that bound it on the left, and the fine old castle hanging over it, add greatly to the beauty of the picture.

The best posada in Lorca I found worse than might have been expected in a city containing twenty-five thousand inhabitants; and it was so dirty,—certainly not a common fault in the posadas—that I breakfasted in the yard. It chanced to be market-day at Lorca; and immediately after I had breakfasted, I strolled through the town, and into the market-place. Here I found many things new to me; for, as I have observed before, the provinces of Spain differ greatly from each other in dress, usages, &c. All the women wore a large square white woollen shawl, thrown over the head like a mantilla; the men were seen with short white drawers, untied at the knees, and reaching about two inches lower; they had no stockings; upon their feet were sandals, made of rope; and in place of the smart Spanish hat, they wore tapering black caps, fitting close to the head, with a small rim turned up all round: others, from the higher countries, were enveloped in blankets, generally of gaudy colours,—some of them nearly approaching to tartan. All sorts of things were exposed for sale: I saw an immense quantity of dried and shell fruits; cloths and calicos of Catalunian manufactory; shoes, especially rope sandals; quantities of the Esparto rush, and baskets made of it; beads, rosaries, images, and trinkets; and, in short, every thing that one either eats, or wears in the province of Murcia. In a street in the neighbourhood of the market-place, the pig market was held. I never saw a finer shew; for nowhere in the world, is the pig to be found in so great perfection as in Spain—fed, as it is, in the woods, upon the ilex nut. I asked the price of an enormous animal, weighing one hundred and eighty-five lbs., and found it to be two hundred and forty reals (about 2l. 8s.); for a sucking-pig, they asked fourteen reals. In Lorca, there is little beef; mutton sells at twelve quartos; a fowl costs 1s. 8d., a hare 10d., bread 1½d. per lb. The price of labour in the vale of Lorca, is five reals, nearly 1s.

I walked into the cathedral, but saw nothing worthy of notice, except proofs of the liberality of the Archbishop of Carthagena, who has published so great a number of indulgences, that the Catholics of Lorca and other places in his diocese, may pray themselves out of purgatory before they get into it. I saw one indulgence of forty days for every paternoster, and an ave, said before the shrine of St. Francis; and another of forty days for an ave, and a paternoster, said to St. Jago, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Domingo, and St. Nicholas: but I saw nobody taking advantage of these indulgences. The cathedral contains some tolerable pictures by pupils of Murillo.

I left Lorca about mid-day, passing through a very spacious paseo, surrounded by gardens; and after fording the river Gudalentin, and traversing a long suburb, the road skirted the range of hills which bounds the vale on the left; and about a league distant from Lorca, we began to ascend, leaving the vale and fertility behind, and passing through an uncultivated and unpeopled tract of land, to the village of Totana. Here I was again greeted with the sight of orange trees, the first I had seen since leaving Granada; and magnificent aloes and prickly pear, shewed what the land is susceptible of. But the village seemed very miserable; great part of it was in ruins, and most of the children I saw, were clothed—if clothed it can be called—in ragged shirts. Yet, this miserable village supports a convent of monks, of the order of St. Jago. I saw one of their number walking in the neighbourhood of the village, and might have pitied his forlorn situation, but that I knew the minds of most friars to be devoid of those feelings which would render a lot like his, intolerable to a man of refined and cultivated understanding.

In this wretched place the price of labour is only two reals, less than 5d. Beef is rarely seen, but when brought to market, it is sold at only five quartos per lb., about 1½d.; mutton sells at eight and nine quartos; and pork at twelve; but the pork is excellent.

After dinner, two village musicians introduced themselves: one played the violin, the other the guitar; and thinking it a pity that no use should be made of the music, I invited all the inmates of the posada to my sala to have a dance; and excellently well they danced their fandango—snapping their fingers as a substitute for the castanet, and displaying a grace in their movements and limbs, that would surprise the audience in any of our minor theatres.

Next morning, I left this place with the intention of dining in Murcia. We travelled along an execrable road, but through a country susceptible of the finest cultivation, though totally uncultivated, to the little village of Pedrilla; where at an enormously large posada we stopped to refresh the mule and take chocolate; and immediately after leaving Pedrilla, I descried at a distance the tower of the cathedral of Murcia. Yet for three leagues the country continued wild, and but very partially under cultivation; and then, at about a league from Murcia, we entered its celebrated vale. I was delighted and surprised with the prospect before me: a wide avenue, bordered by trees, stretched four miles, terminating in the two lofty towers of one of the churches. On both sides of this avenue, as far as the eye could reach, it rested upon a carpet of that perfect green that is produced by irrigation,—but there was variety too,—for the shades of the green were different; there was the green of the young wheat, that in a thick crop had reached the height of eight or ten inches; and the still brighter green of the flax; and the green of the many beds of the various vegetables for the market of Murcia; and over all the vale, fig-trees and mulberries were thickly strewn; luxuriant groves of blood-coloured oranges speckled the fields; and stately palms here and there lifted up their broad canopy. It was altogether a most captivating prospect, and realized more than any thing I had ever yet seen,—the idea of a continued garden and eternal summer. The scene was animated too; for many country people, with their short white trowsers, crimson girdles, and Montera caps, were crossing the fields, returning from labour. Many carts, waggons, carriages, and horsemen, filled the road; and every hundred yards, or less, we passed a neat cottage, half hid in its own little orangery. All this was very different from what I had been led to believe. I expected to have found nothing but silence and poverty in the neighbourhood of Murcia; and in place of these, the approach to it more resembled the neighbourhood of a large and flourishing city, than any thing that I had yet seen in Spain.

At the entrance to the city the custom-house officers, of course stopped the tartana, and I was prepared with the usual bribe of a peceta to save myself from the inconvenience of a search: but here the officers were more ambitious, they would take nothing less than half a dollar; and rather than submit to this imposition, I allowed my portmanteau to be tumbled inside out, and thus saved my peceta. I arrived at the Fonda de las Diligencias at five o’clock, much pleased that my purse of twenty dollars might now be applied to some better purpose than to fill the pockets of banditti.

The interior of Murcia surprised me as much as the approach to it. I found clean pleasant streets, like those of Seville, and a population not remarkable for poverty and rags. The best commentary upon this assertion, is the fact, that I was not accosted by a beggar during the three days I spent in Murcia. Like Seville too, the convent gardens often skirt the streets, and the walls are over-topped by the heavily laden orange trees, and by the branchy palm. In walking towards the cathedral, I chanced to follow a friar carrying an image of St. Anthony, which the children crowded to kiss; and some of the lower orders to whom he held it, also bestowed upon it this mark of attention.

The cathedral is not equal to many in Spain, but it is fine nevertheless:—the architecture is mixed,—there is much fine marble, and several of the Gothic chapels are worthy of a visit, from the excellence of the workmanship found in them. There are no pictures in the cathedral; and the riches in which it formerly abounded were almost all carried off by the French. But the chief object of attraction is the tower, which is ten feet higher than that of Seville; and like it, is ascended by inclined planes. The prospect from the summit at once lays open the character and extent of the celebrated vale. It is about sixteen miles long, and eight wide, and is bounded on both sides by mountain ranges. The whole of this expanse is one sheet of variegated green, thickly dotted with mulberry trees, and sprinkled with clumps of palms, and copses of orange trees. The whole of the vale is divided into fields, separated from each other by small embankments about eighteen inches high, to assist the process of irrigation, and by rows of mulberry trees or shrubs of some sort, which give to the landscape a lighter effect than that which is produced by the dark thorn hedges of England. Towards the east, four leagues distant, where the vale contracts into the narrow opening through which Alicant lies, I could distinguish the spires of Orihuela. An isolated rock, crowned by a Moorish castle, and a village beneath it, called Monte Agudo, and another village charmingly situated under the mountains, called Algesarez, were agreeable features in the landscape; while the cottages and houses thickly strewing the plain, gave life and animation to it.

Walking towards the paseo by the river side, I observed a fine marble column erected in the Plaza Real; and upon inquiring its history, I learned that it was to be surmounted by a statue of King Ferdinand. Farther on, I passed an hospital begun seven years ago, but still unfinished; and still farther, I reached a fine aqueduct for conveying a stream across the deep bed of the river Segura, to water the vale. This promenade would be very delightful, were it not that in order to reach it, it is necessary to pass through the lowest quarter of the city, where the poorest and worst population are congregated. I was told that the corregidor executes well the duties of his office, and that crime is rare in Murcia. In returning from the paseo, I visited the Dominican Convent, without finding in it much to attract my notice; excepting an indulgence of two hundred and eighty days, granted to all who assist in the ceremony attending the procession of St. Rosario.

In another walk, I visited a chapel where are presented in wood, many passages in the life of Christ,—among others, the last supper; the figures are well executed, and the attitudes natural. Seeing the table covered with a cloth, I asked the reason of this; and was told,—that a magnificent supper is always served on Holy Thursday, and that after standing on the table forty-eight hours, it is removed, and given to the poor; so that at times, even the most absurd superstitions may be productive of good. Returning from the posada, I passed through the market, where I helped myself to a handful of fresh dates, and astonished the vendor with the princely recompense of a halfpenny! The following are the prices of provisions in Murcia. Beef, per pound of 16 ounces, twelve quartos; mutton, eleven quartos; veal, ten; pork, fourteen. Were it not for a heavy duty upon the provisions entering the city, these prices would be at least one-half lower. A fowl costs 1s. 8d.; a chicken, five reals; a turkey, a dollar; a duck, 10d.; a hare, 10d. or 1s.; a rabbit, three reals. Bread of the finest quality is ten quartos per pound, and of an inferior quality, eight quartos. Good wine is about nine quartos per bottle. The price of labour is from four to five reals. A female servant receives a dollar per month; a man, a dollar and a half, or two dollars.

While at Murcia, I visited the manufactory of saltpetre, this, and all other manufactories of the same article, are farmed by government to a company. The company is bound to furnish the article at six dollars the arroba, (25 lbs.). At present, they make but 1200 arrobas yearly; but formerly, they manufactured as much as 10,000. There were 70,000 arrobas in the magazine when I visited it. The trade has lately been thrown open; but I was informed that few have availed themselves of the permission to enter it. I did not visit the gunpowder manufactory, which is about a league distant from Murcia. It is bound to furnish government with 10,000 arrobas every two months, but there is at present so large a stock on hand, that it only produces 32,000 arrobas yearly.

The silk manufactories of Murcia, were once so extensive, as to employ 16,000 hands; at present, scarcely 400 are required. In Murcia, all the silk is prepared by hand labour, and cannot, therefore, enter the market with the Valencia silk, which is for the most part, produced by machinery. The only other manufacture of Murcia, is a coarse cloth, which, to a certain extent, is sure of a market. The city lives almost entirely by agriculture; but the prosperity of the agriculturist, here as in Granada, has greatly decreased since the loss of the colonies has created a necessity for the imposition of new burthens upon land. The land in the vale of Murcia produces two crops yearly: wheat and lentils, wheat and maize, or wheat and beans; and may be computed to return about five per cent.

CHAPTER XIX.
—
JOURNEY FROM MURCIA TO ALICANT—ALICANT; AND JOURNEY FROM ALICANT TO SAN FELIPE AND VALENCIA.

If I were anxious to impress any one with a favourable idea of Spanish scenery, I would carry him from Murcia to Alicant, by Orihuela; for the beauty and the novelty of the views upon this route, absolutely beggar description. It is here particularly, where we learn to understand the singular charm of palm-tree groves; and I was informed by a gentleman, who before travelling this road had visited those spots in both Africa and in Asia where the date is most abundant, that he had nowhere found it in so great perfection as between Murcia and Alicant.

There is a diligence upon this road, which makes the transit in ten hours; but I preferred hiring a tartana, and employing two days on the journey. I accordingly left Murcia about sunrise, journeying along the left bank of the river Segura; and while I sat in the tartana, with all its curtains withdrawn, feeling the air so mild that I was even forced to throw aside my cloak, though it was little more than day-break, I transported myself in imagination to my native land, and its December fogs, and frosts and snows. How different was a Spanish December! Here, was no hazy atmosphere,—no raw, damp winds,—no rain, or sleet, or snow, or cloudy sky. I never saw a June or July morning in England finer than this. The sun rose into a cloudless heaven; not a speck was visible from horizon to horizon: it was the calm of a summer morning, and the softness of summer air; and when I turned to the bright green livery in which the earth was arrayed, it seemed as if Spring had borrowed for a day the graces of a riper season.

About a league from Murcia we passed under the rock and Moorish castle I had seen from the tower of the cathedral, and gradually ascending among the outer ridges of the mountains, and winding through some sweet secluded valleys, the towers of Orihuela appeared over a little promontory; and about eleven o’clock I reached the posada to breakfast.

Orihuela is famous upon many accounts. It is famous for the extreme beauty of its situation, and the unrivalled fertility of its huerta: it is famous for the undue number of its churches and convents: it is famous for its superstition, and it is famous for its demoralization. The three last are consequent upon each other. Even the vale of Murcia yields in beauty and fertility to the Huerta of Orihuela; because the latter is more abundantly supplied with water. I thought the greenness of the vale of Murcia could not be exceeded; but I was mistaken. I found the Huerta of Orihuela greener still: and the greater variety in the trees with which it is thickly strewn, give to it another claim of preference; for, mingled with the mulberry, the orange, and the fig, are seen the cypress, the silver elm, and the pomegranate; and there too, the palm, in place of lifting at wide intervals one solitary crown, seems to have found its element; and, rising in clusters, lends novelty as well as beauty to the enchanting scene.

As for the number of churches and convents in Orihuela, its superstition, and demoralization, I can speak only of the first; but it is highly probable, that where priests and friars so much abound, superstition and bigotry should abound also. I walked into the parish church of St. Augusta; and found a most unusual concourse of persons at prayer; there was not a saint around the church who had not found several worshippers; and I noticed that in one of the larger chapels, where mass was then performing, the devout people of Orihuela were not contented with the lowest prostration, but beat their breasts in an agony of devotion; and I have no doubt that if any one had set the example of flagellation, it would have been followed with spirit and effect. In returning from the church, I saw two boys in the habits of Augustin friars; and the population of the town appeared to possess in an uncommon degree, the character of idleness, and its attendant, poverty. No one seemed to have any thing to do, and no one had the air of being anxious to do any thing. The men had taken to themselves, their winter cloaks; and although the weather was so warm, that when walking in advance of the tartana, I sedulously sought out the shade, every one stood with his back to a sunny wall, folded up to the nose, and immoveable, unless when a friar passing by, demanded a salutation of reverence.

At the Posada, at Orihuela, I succeeded in getting a little milk for the first time since leaving Seville, and made ready my chocolate in the English fashion. Nothing is so difficult to be had in Spain, as milk. Cows’ milk is a luxury not to be dreamed of, excepting in the very largest cities; and even goats’ milk is far from plentiful; milk, in fact, is an aliment of which the Spaniards make no use.

From Orihuela, I skirted the Huerta, passing close under the range of hills that bound it on the north; and noticing a cross on the summit of a perpendicular rock, and another beneath it, I inquired of the muleteer, the cause of their erection,—and he in reply, told me a melancholy story, how a certain friar of Orihuela was grievously tempted by the flesh; and how he dreamt, that to escape from temptation, he must go to the brow of a certain mountain—a dream that was doubtless sent by the devil,—and how that when he arrived there, the damsel who stood between him and heaven, was waiting for him; and how he, being a holy man, and seeing no means of escape but one, commended himself to the saints, and leapt from the summit of the rock; but the saints, unwilling that he should commit suicide, even to escape from another deadly sin, bore him up, and he walked back to the convent. But every day he returned to this rock to pray; and when he died, his body was miraculously conveyed from the convent to that spot, beneath which it was buried.

Soon after passing these crosses, we reached a village, whose name I have forgotten; but the entrance to it was marked by some beautiful and extensive inclosures,—thickets of orange trees and pomegranates, surrounded by a row of stately palms. The next village we arrived at was La Granja, situated also amid groves of oranges and palms, but exhibiting in its ruined dwellings, and almost houseless population, the awful effects of the earthquake of 1829 that spread ruin and desolation over some of the fairest valleys in Murcia. This road possesses a peculiar and sad interest, from conducting the traveller through these melancholy scenes. La Granja suffered severely by the visitation. I scarcely saw one upper story standing, and the greater number of the houses had been levelled with the ground. Upon the sites of these, the owners had built low houses of one story; and those of which the lower story still remained, were inhabited in that part which had withstood the shock. The tower of the church had not been thrown down, but I noticed a wide rent from the top to the bottom.

The earthquake of 1829 took place on the 21st of March. In the morning the sky was serene, and the atmosphere clear; but towards mid-day clouds began to rise, and the sky was soon obscured; the wind also entirely fell, and it was a perfect calm. The shock took place at six in the evening, and lasted only five seconds; but in these five seconds it spread death and ruin wherever it was felt. Fifteen towns and villages were less or more injured. Torre Viejo, on the sea-coast, four leagues from Orihuela, was entirely destroyed; and in that town, in Almosida and La Granja, between five and six hundred persons were swallowed up, or were buried among the ruins of their homes. Torre Viejo is rebuilt with timber houses of one story. In that place, every day renews the recollection of its misfortune; for it is a singular fact, that a day never passes over Torre Viejo that a slight shock of earthquake is not felt. At Orihuela the shock was severe: many houses were rent, some few injured, but no lives were lost. At Alicant the shock was also alarming, although, there, little actual damage was sustained. A gentleman of that city related to me, that while he sat writing, he felt a very slight motion, which he knew to be produced by an earthquake, for slight shocks of earthquake have always been of common recurrence throughout Murcia; thinking it possible that the shock might be repeated, he walked to the balcony, and at the same moment his anticipations proved too true: he saw the wall of the house rock to and fro, and almost immediately afterwards found himself, without knowing how, in the great square, where the whole of the inhabitants were already assembled, testifying their alarm in all the modes by which human fear can find expression. The shock was sensibly felt in the harbour of Alicant; it seemed to those who were embarked, as if the vessels had struck against each other. It is no more than justice to add, that subscriptions for the destitute sufferers were universal throughout Spain, and that the king liberally aided the subscription from his own purse.

After leaving La Granja, I passed through two other villages in a state of ruin. In one of them the tower of the church had been thrown down, and a rent a foot wide traversed the side wall. The whole of the way from Orihuela to Alicant, I observed that almost all the children, and very many grown-up persons, were afflicted with sore eyes. The people in the neighbourhood were unable to assign any cause for this, though I was informed at Alicant that it was to be attributed to irrigation; but as there is not the same prevalence of this complaint in the vales of Murcia or Orihuela, where irrigation is carried to as great an extent as in these smaller valleys, this seemed to me to be a conclusion scarcely sufficiently built upon experience.

The country is here extremely beautiful,—we traverse a succession of little huertas, as fertile as irrigation and a delightful climate can make them; every one with its village surrounded by orangeries and palm groves. After passing this line of villages, the fig-trees are so numerous as to seem almost a forest; and succeeding the fig-trees, a thick and extensive wood of olives stretches on all sides; here the olive is not the dwarfish tree we find it in the south of France, or even in other parts of Spain, but a fine branchy tree, which, but for the unlovely hue of its green, might vie with many of our forest trees.

And now we approached that most interesting spot on the route to Alicant, Elche, which has been called “the City of Dates,” and which, to all travellers who have never pitched their tents with the Arabs, must be striking, alike from its beauty and its novelty. Here I purposed resting until next day; and having alighted at the Posada de la Concepcion, and ordered supper, I walked out to enjoy the scenery.

Elche rises from the midst of a forest of palms, which encircles it and mingles with the buildings, and which occupies altogether nearly a league square. There is scarcely a vacant spot within, or about the city, that is not covered with them; they crowd the gardens, they fringe the banks of the stream, and in every direction are seen overtopping the houses. And beautiful is the palm-tree at this season,—its majestic stem rising to the height of eighty or a hundred feet, surmounted by the clusters of bright golden dates, and its broad canopy of fan-like leaves falling around like a circular plume. From a tower of the very ancient palace of the Dukes of Arcos, I obtained a view over the city and the surrounding country: this view was of so novel a character, that it will bear no comparison with any other; it was simply the view of a palm forest, which, from the great height of the trees, seemed unbounded, with the city embosomed in it. This is all that can be said by way of description; but the mere novelty of a view, embracing thousands, and tens of thousands of these strangely beautiful trees, cannot fail to delight the spectator.

I fared well in the posada, and drank delicious wines; and passed the evening in conversation with the host and his family, and a neighbouring grower and exporter of barilla, and other produce of the district. He was an intelligent and communicative man; and from him I learnt some particulars respecting Elche. Elche contains about 20,000 inhabitants, and may be called a flourishing city; for the surrounding country, besides its large produce of dates, abounds in barilla, of which the export is very extensive. Last year, the export of barilla from Alicant, but chiefly grown in the vicinity of Elche, amounted to no less than 200,000 quintals—twenty millions of lbs. The export of dates I could not ascertain; but I afterwards learnt at Alicant, that a great proportion of the dates imported to England as Barbary dates, are from Elche; and in proof of this, I was shewn some boxes in a warehouse, marked “Barbary dates.” The wages of field labour at Elche, are three or four reals; and every thing is proportionably cheap; barley bread, which is much used in this neighbourhood, is sold at two quartos (less than a farthing) per pound. Elche possesses one important advantage over most of the other Spanish cities: it is not overrun with priests and friars. It contains only two churches, and two convents; and the inhabitants are thus spared the expense of feeding the idle and useless incumbrances who are so great a burthen upon the market people of Murcia, Orihuela, Guadix, and other cities of the southern provinces. And besides this advantage, the proportion of the religious bodies in Elche is so small, that their influence acts feebly: self-interest has gained upon the dominion of superstition; for I was informed, that the after part of most of the holidays, enjoined, or recommended, by the Catholic church, is spent in field labour. The two convents of Elche are rich; and therefore have less interest in maintaining that dominion, to which others are indebted for their sustenance.

I left Elche about sunrise on foot, the muleteer not being ready, and walked slowly through the palm forest, that he might overtake me. I noticed that the colour of the fruit varied much; some of the clusters being green, some of them yellow, some orange colour, or golden, and some brown; but the two latter colours were the most prevailing. The taste also differs. I threw stones at some of the clusters which were upon the lowest trees, and found the fruit I brought down, differ almost as much in taste, as in colour; the deep golden, verging upon brown, tasted the most agreeably. At a house on the outskirts of the forest, I purchased 1lb. for four quartos, (about one penny). After leaving the palm forest, we passed through a wild country, partially under tillage; and here the sea is first discovered upon the right; the castle of Alicant, perched upon its high rock, rising in front. From this point, we descended into a cultivated plain, abounding in almond trees; and then winding for a while among sand-hills, we passed along the straight avenue that leads to the gate of Alicant, which I soon afterwards entered, and alighted at the Fonda de las Diligencias.

After having breakfasted, I waited upon Mr. Waring, the British Consul at this port, and have great pleasure in acknowledging his hospitalities,—not easily forgotten by one who, after having lived upon Spanish stews since leaving Malaga, enjoyed the luxury of a true English dinner. To Mr. Adams, also, the Consul for the United States, I was indebted for many kind attentions, and much valuable information. I was much struck with the interior of some of the houses in Alicant; the spaciousness of the rooms; the magnificence of the staircases; and particularly, the beauty of the floors. These, throughout an extensive suite of apartments opening into each other, are covered with the Valencia tile, which is a kind of porcelain. The pieces of which the floor is composed, are about nine inches square, the ground white, and each having a flower painted upon it, with the utmost truth and delicacy; and the lobbies and staircases are paved in the same way. In some houses, the different rooms are paved with different patterns; but I thought it more elegant, where one pattern covered a suite of apartments.

The situation of Alicant pleased me,—though less than that of Malaga. Like Malaga, it lies at the foot of a bay; but the mountains behind it are comparatively diminutive: the castle, however, is singularly picturesque; the rock upon which it stands is eight or nine hundred feet high,—nearly pointed, and stands isolated from the other heights; and a precipice, reaching from the foot of the castle wall, overhangs the town. The rock is constantly crumbling; and fears are entertained, that it may some day overwhelm the city. I applied for leave to see the fort, but this was refused. The quay is fine and spacious, and a handsome row of houses fronts the sea.

The day after my arrival in Alicant chanced to be an important dia de fiesta; for it was no less than the day of the patron Saint of the city (Saint Nicholas), who is besides the peculiar patron of all young women who wish to be married. In the evening I went to the cathedral, which was illuminated, and was filled with spectators; some seated upon mats, some standing: and in front of the altar an elevated platform was erected, upon which sat the Governor, and high civil and military officers. The Saint stood in a niche, in the centre of the altar, surrounded by lights; above, was an image of Christ, and below, an image of the Virgin. After the performance of some selections of music, all the female part of the audience pressed forward towards the Saint; for she who has the good fortune to see the Saint with his eyes open, will certainly be married the same year. There was much eagerness and much merriment among the ladies; and as I chanced to be in the current, I was carried in the same direction. I found, that the merriment was owing to the difficulty of ascertaining what all were anxious to ascertain: for either the eyes of the Saint, or the lights, were so contrived, that it was impossible to determine whether his eyes were open or shut. After the ceremonies, a paltry engraving of Saint Nicholas was presented to each of the great men who occupied the platform, all of whom reverently kissed it. This was also the fee given to the musicians.

In Alicant there is an extraordinary forgetfulness or disregard of distinctions in rank; arising, no doubt, from the very limited society of the town. It is not at all unusual to see the daughter of the governor sitting upon her balcony in company with the daughter of the jailor. If there should be a deficiency of one or two persons to make up a game at cards, the most respectable of the inhabitants will send to any low person in the neighbourhood who happens to be skilful in the game, to supply the deficiency; and among the many examples of this, I knew an officer, holding a high official situation, who every night sat down to cards with his wife, and a tailor who lived next door, and who chanced to be an adept in their favourite game. The Spaniards, especially in the south, although not addicted to gambling, are extremely fond of cards: they play from the real interest which they feel in the game,—- its chances and its difficulties,—for the stake is generally so utterly insignificant, that it can scarcely add any thing to the interest. In truth, there is a miserable want of resource in most parts of Spain. The regimé of married life forbids those domestic enjoyments,—those home occupations,—that fill up so large a portion of the evening hours in an English family of the middle classes: books and study are almost out of the question; because, unless in the principal cities, public libraries are nowhere to be found; and private libraries are luxuries that few possess: Spain has not, like France, the resource of the coffee-house; nor, like England, the news of yesterday, to employ a vacant hour; and therefore the Spaniard seeks relief from ennui in cards, which are always at hand, and are at all times capable of producing the same enjoyment.

When I visited Alicant, difficulties had been newly thrown in the way of even the simplest interchange of civilities; and society was in consequence almost broken up. Public parties, such as balls, &c., were prohibited; and it was even expected that the governor should be informed, if more than half-a-dozen persons were invited to an entertainment: this was more complained of by the foreign merchants than by the Spaniards, because the Spaniards give few entertainments,—and foreigners not being willing to make the expected intimation to the governor, society was rapidly on the decline. Every one spoke of the governor as a man of despotic character; but the Spanish government considers a man of this kind necessary in a place like Alicant, where it is well known, that liberal opinions have many supporters, and where the population is so closely connected with many of the refugees. Few towns have suffered more from emigration than Alicant: between three and four hundred persons were forced to leave it from political causes; so that there are few families in Alicant who have no relation or friend among the emigrés. But the governor, although scrutinising political opinion with a keenness that is disagreeable to many, is allowed by all to be an admirable civil magistrate. Alicant was formerly almost as notorious for robbery and murder, as Malaga is still; but these crimes are now almost unknown. The governor is accustomed himself to perambulate the streets during the night, disguised, and with two attendants; and it not unfrequently happens, that when one is challenged in passing along the street during the night, the challenger is discovered to be the governor.

Alicant, like most of the other Spanish sea-ports, has greatly declined in its general commerce. In the days of its prosperity, as many as one thousand vessels have been known to enter the port in one year: at present the average number is about three hundred. The exports of every kind, with the exception of barilla, are gradually declining. The export of wine particularly, formerly an important article of Alicant trade, is now reduced to almost nothing. A little dry wine is still shipped to Gibraltar; and the sweet wine (tent) is exported in such very small quantities, as scarcely to enter into the tables—the little that is shipped, is for Russia. I am convinced, that if the common red wine of Alicant were better known, it would find a ready market;—it is made from several qualities of grape mixed, and if kept a few years is truly delicious. The export of almonds and of raisins does not at present decline; the former are for the English and Hamburgh markets,—the raisins exclusively for English consumption. The Alicant raisin, which is dipped, like the lexia of Malaga, is used in England for plum-pudding, and in the manufacture of raisin wine. The export of brandy, of which one hundred thousand pipes have been known to leave Alicant, has almost entirely ceased; and oil, since the loss of the colonies, has been exported in comparatively small quantities.

The only exports of any consequence are barilla and salt. I have already stated the amount of the former export in the year 1829. In 1830 it would greatly fall below that quantity; but, upon the whole, the export of barilla maintains itself. This is not, however, a lucrative trade. The profit from barilla affords the cultivator nothing beyond a bare livelihood. But in a country where rain is so uncertain, barilla is the only safe crop upon land that is beyond the reach of irrigation. The price of this article is extremely low, because, in the markets of Ireland, to which it is chiefly exported, it has to compete with the potash. The barilla of an inferior quality is sent to England for the use of the soap boilers. It is possible that some may not know how barilla is made. The weed, which is planted by seed, is pulled up by the root, and is stacked and dried; circular pits are made in the ground and heated; bars are laid across the mouth of these, and the weed being placed upon them, melts and drops into the pit, and hardens into barilla. The cultivation of barilla is expensive, because the land requires much dressing, and a large supply of manure.

The other principal export, salt, is embarked from Torre Viejo, though the vessels make their clearances at Alicant. From fifty to sixty vessels yearly clear out with cargoes of salt, chiefly for Sweden and the different ports of the Baltic. This salt is remarkably strong, and best suited, therefore, for those countries where salted provisions are the most in use.

One of my mornings I devoted to a walk to the huerta, which lies about two miles to the east of the city. It is about three miles in diameter,—the sea forming its southern boundary, and the mountains entirely closing round it on the west, north, and east. With so favourable a situation, and irrigated from a reservoir formed in the mountains, this huerta will scarcely yield in productiveness to any of the most favoured spots in Spain. Besides a constant succession of crops of grain, barley, wheat, and maize,—of flax, and of the various esculents used at the table, this little plain is thickly strewn with every kind of fruit tree,—orange, lemon, fig, almond, pomegranate, apricot, and with innumerable mulberry and olive trees. But the greatest novelty of this plain consists in the many delightful country houses that are scattered over it; these belong to the merchants of the city; and one object of ambition for which every one in Alicant strives, is to possess a country house in the huerta. Exposed, however, as the huerta is to the southern sun, I should think the pride in such a possession must be greater than the pleasure.

I was greatly amused by the history of a law-suit that was pending while I was at Alicant. A certain rich proprietor having died about six months before, left money to the church, sufficient to purchase twelve thousand masses for his soul; but after a few of these had been said, the masses were discontinued, and the process was brought by the heir to recover the sum left for the masses, the church having failed to fulfil the condition upon which the money was bequeathed. The defence set up was sufficiently singular:—Those upon whom the duty of saying these masses devolved, willing to be excused from the labour, interceded with the bishop, who interceded with his holiness the pope: the defence against the claim was the production of the pope’s letter, which declared, by his sovereign authority, that the celebration of twelve masses should have the same effect, and be as beneficial to the soul of the deceased as the celebration of twelve thousand masses. The decision upon the case had not been given when I left Alicant; but as it involved a question touching the pope’s spiritual power, the probabilities are, that his holiness would prove an overmatch for the heir. The argument of the counsel in support of the claim was merely non-fulfilment of the stipulated duty; while the argument for the church was, that the deceased had intended to benefit his soul to a certain extent, for which he left a certain sum of money; and that since his soul was benefited to the same extent by the performance of twelve, as of twelve thousand masses, the intention of the deceased was equally fulfilled, and the money, therefore, equally the property of those who fulfilled it. But this evidently leaves room for a rejoinder, as to the power and value of the pope’s letter.

At Alicant I heard the worst accounts of the road to San Felipe. Every one agreed that there was the utmost danger of robbery, and urged upon me the necessity of taking an escort. I recollected that at Mr. Addington’s table at Madrid, I had been told by Captain C——k, a gentleman well known for his enterprise in scientific pursuits, and intimately acquainted with every part of Spain, that I should run the greatest risk of robbery in the neighbourhood of San Felipe, and between that town and Alicant; and being obliged to carry from Alicant a fuller purse than it would have been convenient to lose, I yielded in this one instance to the general opinion, and applied, through Mr. Waring, to the governor, for an escort of four soldiers to Fuente de Higuera. The danger of robbery upon this road is not by regular banditti, but by itinerant or idle, or ill-disposed peasantry, who have frequently been known to leave their work in the fields to intercept and rob a traveller, and then return to their occupation.

I hired a tartana as usual, at the rate of three dollars a day; and left Alicant about seven in the morning, accompanied by my four soldiers, armed with guns, swords, and bayonets. The country, upon leaving Alicant, is at first very interesting; after passing some low hills about a league distant, we entered the little valley of Montforte, which, with its handsome church, and Moorish castle, dominates over its own fertile huerta. Between this place and Novilda, we passed a convent of the Franciscan order, of vast extent, and in which I was informed there are sixty monks. We also passed two men, whom the muleteer recognised as two notorious thieves, who had lately been released from prison. At Novilda we stopped, the muleteer to dine,—myself to take a cup of chocolate. The streets of this village were spread in many places with figs, drying in the sun, which any one appeared to have the liberty of making free with. I picked up one or two, but found them indifferent. From Novilda, we passed through a very partially cultivated country, but affording some picturesque views; particularly of the Castle of Luna, situated upon a very high rock; and soon after we descended into the vale of Elda, by a singularly wild approach in a chasm through barren gypsum hills. Walking in advance of the tartana, I observed in a deep hollow below, a spectacle in perfect unison with the scenery. It was the carcase of a mule, the possession of which was disputed by about a score of ravens, and four very large lean dogs. The discharge of one of the soldier’s muskets scarcely startled them; they were “too busy” to be easily disturbed.

The little vale and town of Elda, lie very bewitchingly on the other side of these barren hills. The huerta was covered with verdure; and the town, with its castle upon a rock—like all the towns in this neighbourhood—looked promising as night’s quarters. I was amused with the distinction which was made in the venta at this place, between things which scarcely differ from each other. I asked as usual for a quarto; and they ushered me into a room without a chair or a table, I of course complained of the accommodation; “Oh,” said they, “if you wish to have a sala, that’s another affair”; and to a sala we went, which differed from the other, only in having two chairs, and a deal table; but the sala costs the traveller double the price of the quarto.

Next day was one of the most important festivals in Spain, no less than that of the concepcion purissima; and not being able to start in the morning, until the muleteer had attended mass, I thought it as well to attend it along with him. In this church, I noticed the same edict that is published in the church of Alicant; an indulgence granted by the College of Cardinals of no fewer than two thousand five hundred and eighty days, to whatever penitent person shall say at the altar of the Virgin, “Ave Maria Purissima”; and the same to every one who shall reply to this, “Sin pecado concebida.” It was in this chapel that mass was performed; and many two thousand five hundred and eighty days were no doubt that day added to the credit side of the purgatory accounts. My muleteer, in particular, was constant and earnest in his endeavours to turn the morning to the best advantage: constantly on the watch to hear any one say “Ave Maria Purissima,” he was kept constantly repeating “Sin pecado concebida.” After we set out, I told him he must certainly be a great rogue, since he had shewn so much anxiety in the morning to accumulate indulgences. He replied that he was not any worse than his neighbours; but that it was best to be upon the safe side. The feast of the Concepcion Purissima, produced one good effect. I was not charged at the posada above one-third part of the sum I had been accustomed to pay; no doubt because on so holy a day, to cheat would have been to neutralize the effect of the indulgences.

From Elda and its vale, we passed through a wild country to Sax; a romantic town, overlooked by a castle perched upon the top of a rock as high as that of Alicant. There we only stopped to take in a supply of bread, for which Sax is famous, and proceeded towards Villena, still through a wild country. On the road, we met a coach filled with travellers, and escorted by five soldiers; and also a gentleman on horseback, with an escort of two soldiers; proving that I was not singular in the precaution I had taken. Villena has also its rock, and castle, and huerta, the latter larger than those of Elda or Sax, because Villena is a place of some size, containing several convents and churches, and nearly 8,000 inhabitants. The vine is extensively grown upon the lower acclivities of the neighbouring sierra, and is almost all converted into brandy. The population of this town appeared to me to present a singularly disreputable appearance—beggarly, idle, ragged, and ruffian-like; this, I was informed, was to be attributed to the great plenty and cheapness of brandy, which had produced its usual effects upon those who indulged in it without moderation.