A SUMMER IN SPAIN,
Is a plain and pleasant enough account of a tour which the writer :Gude through that country in the summer of last year, apparently with no other motive than the national love of locomotion. Land- ing at Barcelona from Marseilles, our tourist travelled by diligence to Madrid, through Tarragona and Valencia ; tarrying a few days at the former city and a whole month at the latter. The heat and desag,remens of the capital drove him away in a fortnight. Passing through Aragon, he reached and cros,sed the Pyrenees in safety ; and, after "rambling about for a week, took it into his head one morning, to go to San Sebastian," where the British Legion had just arrived. He had scarcely reached that city when he fell sick ; and the stormy weather of last autumn came very inoppor- tunely to stop some intended trips and drive him home again. In so short a time and during so rapid a journey, no one would be able to acquire much knowledge respecting the character and condition of the people : neither has the author attempted this, any more than he has aimed at producing graphic and finished pictures. He is satisfied to describe the general appearances of the country and the towns through which he passed ; to note the bearing, dress, and manners of the people; to tell what accommo- dation he met with en route, whom he had for companiont in thr.1 diligence, and what were the politieal opinion. of the pewee; ise encountered. And the conclusions which our author draws epos this last subject are rather different (rein those that have latterly been put forward. He conceives the Spaniards of the Southern, and indeed of all except the Basque provinces, to be much more like Jueobins than Carlists,—deadly opponents to the clergy, de- testers of the memory of FeaniNsrets, and equal detesters of the Juste Milieu; which line of policy, he thinks, was put an end to at the nick of titne, not to keep Don CARLOS from the throne, but to avert a second French Revolution.
We will take a tow passages from the volume, as specimens of the author and the stuff in which he deals.
roterics 1. ARREST'.
The power of the Police appears to be as unlimited as in the most despotic countries. A few nights after our arrival at Valencia, whilst we were at sup. per, the waiter came into the room and told one of the party, a student from 'Valladolid, apparently under twenty, that some one wished to see him : be went out, but did not return ; and the landlord tuld us afterwards that he had been arrested, lie did not know wherefore. Two nights afterwards, a facetious old gentleman, who generally presided at table amid amused us with strange stories, disappeared in the same manner; he was suspected of being factious, as the Spanial dm ore pleased to denominate the Cellists. There is something in our nature that revolts at the idea of irresponsible power : the very thought that his liberty and fortune were subject to the caprice of another, would make an Englimlimatie blood boil ; yet such is the force of habit, that theme two Sr. rests appeared to cause no sensation whatever amongst the Spaniards.
LA DIA NISHA.
We started next morning at the timual hour, after another sleepless night and in a short time entered the fur-famed province of La Mancha. It is in general so flat, that our eunductenr, " a fellow of infinite jest," remarked that you might owe in the morning where you were to sleep at night. I was immediately struck with the number of windmills, the first Iliad seen in Spain. They are necessary, owing to the flatness of the countly and the scarcity of water. About mid day, the eon/fur/cur called out to me, " Look yonder at the army of gients." I drew back the blind, which we were obliged to keep down to prevent us being buried with dust, and saw at some distance a great number of windmills in motion. They were situated on the summit of a gentle slope; and being reflected against the horizon, and their huge arms tossing about in all directions, they had so strange an appearance, that it is not at all eurprising that the chivalrous Hidalgo laid his lance in reetand charged thens. I counted twenty-one of these giants: most of them were old, and it is likely enough that this is the spot Cetvantes had in his rye when lie described that celebrated encounter. We saw, a little afterwards, at a short distance film the road, the spires of Toboso, the abode of the charming Duleinea.
BOOKSELLEA'S SHOP.
It is impossible to conceive a more melancholy sight than a Spanish hook- selles's shop. The shelves are filled with the works of the monkish historians and with hooks on theological subjects; they contain little original, except the eternal Don Quixote, which generally occupies one entire shelf; and is printed in every possible form, varying in size from one volume to six. These, with a few translations from the French, and several of Scott's novels, make up the stock of a Spanish bookseller. I once, indeed, saw a Shakspeare in the original at Barcelona, though I know not how it got there.
SPANISH HONALKIES.
During my stay of a fortnight in the capital, I heard of three robberies in the streets. ()mie of them was conducted in a most singular manner. The victim was retur nine from a party at the French Ambassiulor's, when he was aecoeted by several men and ordered to giVe lip his money ; which, being alone and unarmed, he did : the robbers then handed him a piece of paper, which, without looking at, he put in Ids pocket. This happened near the foot of the A leala; anal when he arrived at the top of the street, he was again stopped and asked whether he had not a piece of paper, lie productsl the paper he had received at the foot of the street, which was a certificate of his being robbed; and he was allowed to pass immediately. The Spaniards are certainly ladrones etc garbo, as the newspaper editor has it ; for they give one the option of either lighting or paving; whereas, an Italian would first shoot you from behiud a hedge, and then rob you afterwards. The most singular instance of the coolness and intrepidity of the Spanish character I ever heard, occurred not long ago at Seville. My informant was an English traveller who resided in the town at the time. A countryman was proceeding to market with his mule, when he was accosted not far from the town by a man armed with a 'musket, who ordered him to give up Ids property. The peasant replied, that he would do no such tiling, because he had a knife, and it his opponent's grin missed fire, he would then have the advantage. The robber expostulated, hut to no purpose : lie at length took deliberate aim at his intended victim, drew the trigger, and his piece missed fire : the peasant in- stantly attacked and despatched him with his knife, threw the dead body across his mule, and entered Seville in triumph, carrying as a trophy the arms of his enemy. This wild species of justice is certainly excusable in a country where no other is to be obtained.
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