MARCH'S WALK INTO NORTH SPAIN. * IT is a principle that

cannot be too constantly present to the mind of writers, especially with a lively fancy and fluent style, that a book of travels should consist of what is seen abroad, not of what may be read at home or excogitated anywhere. Unless this rule be observed, ability will miss a success proportioned to its merit, because a thing which disappoints expectation, or an excellence out of place, fails in producing an effect. The salient points of to- pography, or of the greater events of history connected with par- ticular scenes, present little attraction to the reader's mind when obviously put there to supply the want of original matter.

The Walk into North Spain has too much of these disappointing features. Lieutenant March is a pleasant companion, with quick perceptions, vivid fancy, and a buoyant style. He seems ;to have

• A Walk across the French Frontier into North Spain. By Lieut. March, R.M. Published by Bentley. served with the British naval force under Palmerston's Quadruple Treaty ; at any rate he has more knowledge of Spaniards and localities than could be gained by putting a knapsack on his shoulders and walking across the frontier. His mode of travel carried him of necessity among the people, and enabled him to linger longer among scenery than a tourist by diligence or post. What he has of direct observation is informing and interesting ; but there is too little of it. Certainly not one half, probably not one third of the book, consists of matter resulting from the writer's walk. There are historical sketches of Bayonne and of nearly every place the pedestrian comes to ; there are legends and tales con- nected with the district ; there is a life of a female adventurer of the seventeenth century ; there are many reminiscences of military affairs, the route passing over a part of the Duke of Welling- ton's campaigns after the battle of Vittoria, and the struggles of the British Legion in the wars of the Carlists and Christinos. The inherent attraction of the warlike doings, coupled with the passing interest arising from the Duke's death, give a certain interest to these accounts, connected as they are with the land- scape before the traveller ; but they have no novelty, and take no higher literary rank than compilation. The legends are writ- ten with spirit, and the concomitants drawn from the locality in which they are placed ; but they are not so appropriate to the country as to illustrate the journey, and they appear to have been much indebted to the traveller's own pen. The life of Cata- lina de Erauso, a woman of the seventeenth century who went through a variety of adventures in man's apparel, is a striking story for those who like such stories ; but it might as well have appeared by itself. The topographical sketches are rapid and vivid ; but partake too much of the guidebook in substance, at least when the large quantity of other extraneous matter is regarded. Perhaps this extraneous matter has been written to fill up the volume ; for the tour was limited in extent, and the in- cidents of the journey were not remarkable. Lieutenant March arrived at Bayonne by the diligence, and, after lingering a little about the town and its neighbourhood, crossed the fron- tier, proceeded as far as San Sebastian and Toldsa, visiting the convent built over the birthplace of Ignatius Loyale, (of whom, by the way, he gives a sketch,) and called in passing at the intermediate towns. The scenery he passed was among the most striking in Europe or the world ; for in addition to the grandeur of the Pyrenees, there was the beauty of the Tallies, and the ever-changing ocean, from which some of the most magnificent mountains are far removed. Moreover there was a primitive and unsophisticated people; for steam has effected no changes in the Biseayan provinces, nor the diligence either. It is still the same lumbering vehicle as of yore, with, it would appear, an equal chance of adventures. The diligence to Madrid, whose departure our pedestrian 'watched from Yrnn, was stopped, and everybody plundered. This popular simplicity does not always take a very enlightened or dignified form. "The sports of children satisfy the child"; the merrymakings of the people and the gentry are of ajuvenile or humdrum nature, unless they -verge upon cruelty. This " game of goose" from a feats at Fuentarabia would rouse up the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at home.

" By three o'clock the shore was lined with spectators; and hundreds of boats dotted the surface of the Bidassoa.

" As soon as the municipality, the provincial deputation, and the band of music had taken their places, a trim whale-boat, steered with an oar and swiftly propelled by ten vigorous rowers, darted forwards towards a goose that dangled, head downwards, within a few feet of the water, from the centre of a cord attached to two poles about forty feet apart. " In the bow of the boat stood a man wearing an old eocked-hat and a white shirt and trousers; and as it dashed under the pendant bird at full speed, he firmly grasped its neck, and in an instant was swinging in mid-air, holding on to the goose, amid the obstreperous merriment of the multitude, whilst persons engaged for the purpose now ran him up some twenty feet, and then suddenly let him down into the water with a tremendous splash; a feat that threw the beholders into ecstasies. Again and again these in- separables—we hardly know which was the greater goose of the two—were hoisted aloft and plumped into the briny element, vanishing for a moment in its crystal depths, and then rising half exhausted to the surface ; the reason- ing biped clinging to the web-footed one with a tenacity that could only be explained by the fact that it was to become his prize if he succeeded in wringing off its head. After being ducked, or goosed, ad nauseam, and drawn up for the sixth time, dripping like a sea-god, to undergo another immersion, he let go in despair, and swam to the boat. It was clear the goose had a remarkably tough neck ; and if the rest of its body was in the same condition, the possessor of the teeth that could masticate and of the stomach that could digest it was not to be envied.

" The next corner was more fortunate, and succeeded in decapitating the victim after receiving three cold baths. His predecessor's efforts had ren- dered it an easy task, and illustrated the old adage that one man reaps what another sows. A fresh goose was hung up, and this comical but cruel pas- time continued for an hour ; but we did not stop to see the conclusion."

Lieutenant March abridges a book ascribed to the celebrated Montes on the history of bull-fighting, and gives an account of some very good Spanish sport he saw at Guipuzcoa. There is not any particular novelty in the description, but, like other fighting, it always has an interest : the following incident seems a now feature.

" A few years ago, the inhabitants of Seville read with surprise in the advertisements of an approaching bull-fight this unusual notice—' When the ce

third bull shall have attacked the picadors and receives three pairs of ban- derillas, a young peasant, by whom he has been brought up, will appear in the circus. He will approach the bull, caress it, and after removing the banderillas one after another, will lie down between his horns.' " The announcement of so singular a feat attracted an immense crowd to the amphitheatre. The third bull appeared, an animal with splendid horns, and very brave : he slew four horses, received the banderillas, and became furious. Then, contrary to custom, all the torreros retired from the ring, leaving the bull stamping about, and shaking the bloody darts that hung from his neck. All at once a long whistle was heard. The bull paused and listened. It was repeated. He approached the barrier; and a young man leapt into the ring, calling the bull by his name, Mosquito.' Mosquito !' The seismal knew its master, came to caress him, and was appeased. The pea- sant gave it his hand to lick, and with the other began to scratch it behind the ears; an operation which seemed to afford the poor brute much pleasure : he than gently removed the banderillas which annoyed the neck of Mos- quito, made it go down on his knees, and placed his head between its horns. The grateful bull seemed to listen with pleasure to a pastoral melody sung by the master. The admiration of the multitude, hitherto suppressed by surprise, burst forth with Andalucian violence and shook the building.

Rearing phreneied applause, which had accompanied all his sufferings, the till then under a charm, appeared to awake and return to reality. suddenly y rose, bellowing; and the peasant tried to escape. But it was too late. The animal, as though furious at being betrayed, tossed the young man into the air, received him again on his horns, gored him, trampled on him, crushed him to pieces, in spite of the efforts of the torreros. The jun- cion was suspended ; and, a plimnomenon in Spain, the horrified public quit- ted the circus in silence."

Like other pleasures, bull-fighting is not to be had without pay- ing for. When the value of money in Spain is considered, the re- ward of the artists is pretty good.

" The fights only take place in the spring and autumn. In the winter the bulls are too tame, and in the summer the heat of the circus is too great to be endured by the audience. There are twenty-eight courses in a year, each of which brings in from 650/. to 7001. The expenses are considerable; the price of six or eight bulls, fifteen or twenty horses, without reckoning the repairs and management of the circus, the grooms, carpenters, saddlers, Ac. and a surgeon and a priest to shrive the dying in case of accident Be- sides, the torreros do not carry on their terrible business gratis. The mata- dors receive from 251. to 157. each day ; the picadors from 51. to 3/..; and the ordinary torreros a guinea each."

Aecording to our traveller, Narvaez has improved the army.

" Whatever may be the faults of General Narvaez, there can be no doubt of his being a good practical soldier, and devoted to his profession. He has done wonders for the Spanisharmy. After Espartero's fall, he found it dis- organized, undisaiplined, and badly clothed ; but, by unceasing and costly eflbrta, and by placing young, well-educated men devoted to his party in the room of old officers who had acquired restless and insubordinate habits during the last twenty years of anarchy, be restored it to much of its ancient effec- tivenem. In days of yore, especially during the reigns of Charles V. and Philip IL, the Spanish infantry bore a high reputation in Europe. Coin- posed of veterans trained in the wars of Italy, Germany, and the Low Coun- tries, inured to fatigue, and animated by the recollection of past victories, they felt themselves invincible. They were what Napoleon's Old Guard was before the fatal Russian campaign, and are now again almost equal to the test troops in the world.

"In some respects, however, the French soldier is better off than the Spa- nish one. The discipline to which he is subjected is milder, and his food and pay are better. He is never struck at drill by his officersand sergeants, as the Spaniard is ; and carries a good percussion firelock, whilst the latter re- tains, with the exception of a few regiments, the old-fliut-and-eteel Tower musket, of which about 100,000 were sold to the Spanish Government by our rulers during the Carlin war, and never paid far. The Spaniards prefer bright barrels; and rubbed off the browning of these constitutional keepsakes from Lord Palmerston to his dearly beloved Queen Christina, whose grati- tude to him has hardly been commensurate with the obligations he placed her under. Nor should it be forgotten that the said liberal presents are by that princess—the de facto sovereign of Spain—to keep the people under the most despotic subjection. His Lordship's confiding gcaerosity, and well- meant but injudicious efforts to confer upon Spain the blessings of conatitu. &anal libertyt have indeed met with an ungrateful return. The Spanish in- fantry soldier s dress consists of a dark green coat with short toile, bearing the castle and lion of Castile upon their extremities, and white facings; light Vim trousers and black gaiters in winter ; ditto white ducks in summer. This is a decided improvement upon the pipe-clayed trousers of our Guards and the dusky red ones of the French. The very sight of the latter on a sultry day is enough to make one perspire. "Spanish soldiers are generally short, stout-limbed, and good marchers. Their patience under privation is proverbial; and even the harsh and some- times brutal discipline which came into vogue with the advent of General Narvaez to power, has not overcome their docility. They are very steady under arms ; and the unity of their vales and well-sustained file-firing are astonishing, considering the inferiority of their arms."

Here is a practical sketch of Biscayan agriculture.

"The road from Fuentarabia to the former place runs through a fertile delta, intersected with innumerable dykes, branching off from the Bidaseoa, which supply the surrounding farms with a capital saline manure, composed of mud and sea-weed. The principal productions of this rich tract of allu- vium consists of maize, tobacco, tomates, pumpkins, and potatoes, produced in successive crops from year toyear. The farmers prevent the generous -soil from becoming exhausted, and at the same time gradually raise it above the encroachments of the sea, by manuring with the sea-weed, which every tide deposits plentifully in the surrounding dykes, especially during stormy weather. The principal agricultural implement used here, and throughout the Basque provinces, is the lays : nothing can be mere primitive in its form and use than this instrument, which is peculiar to these districts, and un- known, we believe, in ether countries. It is a ponderous iron fork, consist- ing of Iwo prongs about six inches apart and a yard long, the handle being formed of a perpendicular piece of wood attached to one extremity of the hen- sontal bar which unites the prongs. When afield is to be turned over, eight or a dozen peasants station themselves in a row, each holding a lays in'both hands, which they simultaneously raise, and then1 with the impetus of the descent, drive deep into the ground, turning up a ridge of sod at each delve. They then take one step backward, and perform the same operation with sin- gular rapidity and regularity. Whilst looking at the stalwart frames of the men and the comely robustness of the women thus employed, we ceased to wonder how the Basques, when only armed with sticks, managed to defeat the Queen's regulars during the late civil war."