In Northern Spain. By Hans Gadow, M.A. (A. and C.
Black. 21a.)—There is not much of the literary element in this book, but there is not a little of the humours of travel and of experiences 'which might be made instructive. It must not be supposed, indeed, that an ordinary English couple—Dr. Gadow was accom- panied by his wife—could achieve the successes which attended the journeyings here described. Our travellers had the qualifica- tion, essential to any one who would follow the route taken by them, of a knowledge of the language, of the languages we should say, for Portuguese was found useful, not to speak of dialect ; they had also courage, patience when it was wanted, impatience at the proper time, and savoir faire in general. This volume contains the record of two tours, which included between them a
considerable tract of country. A route marked on the accom- ,
&lying map shows the Ria d'Aveiro (in Portugal) on the southern limit, goes up to Corunna by Pontevedra and St. Jago .do Compostella, then there is a digression from Oporto to Villa Real, and two from Oporto and Corunna respectively to the borders of the province of Leon. Another set of journeyings was further to the East, in Santander and among the Basques. And here we have a word of advice to give. If the writer of a book of travels is minded to give us a map—and we are always very grateful to any one who will — do not let him take a portion from some atlas, crowded with hundreds of names with which neither he nor we have any concern. What we want is a map with no names marked on it but those of places which he visited or about which he has something to say ; if for any reason others are mentioned, let them be marked in some way. One of the best chapters in the book is that headed "A Spanish Farm," with its pleasing picture of a life which few travellers have a chance of seeing. Here Dr. Gadow had a day's chamois-hunting—the chamois seems to be more easily reached etthese regions than elsewhere in _Europe—and an expedition to the Alive Mountains. Elsewhere we have a very long chapter—
some seventy pages—of a pilgrimage to Saint Jago de Com- postella. We are a most unconscionable time getting there, for of the seventy, some six only are given to the shrine and its sur- roundings. In this pilgrimage Dr. Gadow became acquainted with the Galicians, who seem, alone among Spaniards, to have made an unfavourable impression on him. "Our sad experience has taught us that if you want anything at all from a Galician, be he a miserable shopkeeper in the Sierras, or be he agent of a line of transatlantic steamers, you must go for him' from the beginning ; make yourself as disagreeable as possible." The book is completed with a sketch of Spanish history and accounts of the fauna and flora of the country.
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