that beloved country, whose religious intolerance has embittered his life that country which boasting, at this moment, of a free constitution, still continues to deprive her children of the right to worship God according to their own conscience he has not for a day quitted England, the land of his ancestors, and now the country of his choice and adoption.

It is not, however, from pique or resentment that the Author has dwelt so long and so warmly upon the painful and disgusting picture of Spanish bigotry. Spain, “with all her faults," is still and shall ever be the object of his love. But since no man, within the limits of her territory, can venture to lay open the canker which, fostered by religion, feeds on the root of her political improvements, be it allowed a self-banished Spaniard to describe the sources of such a strange anomaly in the New Constitution of Spain, and thus to explain to

such as may not be unacquainted with his name as a Spanish writer, the true cause of an absence which might otherwise be construed into a dereliction of duty, and a desertion of that post which both nature and affection marked so decidedly for the exertion of his humble talents.

Chelsea, June 1822.

TABLE

OF

CONTENTS.

LETTER I.

Mistakes of Travellers.-Townsend's Accuracy.-View of
Cadiz from the Sea.-Religion blended with Public
and Domestic Life in Spain.-Customs relating to the
Host or Eucharist.-Manners and Society at Cadiz.—
Passage by Sea to Port Saint Mary's.-St. Lucar.-Pas-
sage up the Guadalquivir to Seville.-Construction and
internal Economy of the Houses in that Town.-Knock-
ing, and greeting at the Door.-Devotion of the People of
Seville to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin
Mary
p. 1-25

LETTER II.

Difficulty of describing National Characters.-Nobles and

Plebeians, in Spain.-Purity of Blood.-Tizon de Espana.

-Grandees.-Hidalgos. in Low Life.-Execution of an

Hidalgo.-Spanish Pride, visible among the Lower Classes.

-Usual Employment of Day at Seville.-Spanish Polite-

Absence of Jealousy in Modern Times.-Dinner.

-Siesta.-Public Walks.-Dress of the Spanish Ladies.

-Various Uses of the Fan.-Character of the Spanish

Females

p. 26-58

ness.-

-

-

LETTER III.

-

Eagerness of Free-thinking Spaniards to become acquainted,

and their quickness in knowing one another.-Inclosure of

a detached Paper, intituled A few Facts connected with the

Formation of the Intellectual and Moral Character of a

Spanish Clergyman

p. 59-66

Importance of examining the Tendency of Catholicism.-

Account of two highly devout Roman Catholics.-

Auricular Confession.-Education of a Spanish Boy.-

Evils arising from the Celibacy of the Clergy.-Educa-

tion under the Jesuits.-Congregation of Saint Philip

Neri.-Exercises of Saint Ignatius.-Aristotelic Philo-

sophy taught by the Dominicans.-Feyjoo's Works.-

Spanish Universities and Colleges, called Mayores.-In-

direct Influence of the Inquisition on the State of

Knowledge in Spain.-Mental Struggles of a young Spa-

niard on points connected with the established System

of Faith.-Impressions produced by the Ceremony of

Catholic Ordination.-Unity and Consistency of the Ca-

tholic System.-Train of Thought and Feeling leading to

the final Rejection of Catholicism

LETTER IV.

-

p. 66-134

On Bull-fights, and other National Customs connected with

those Amusements.

p. 135-159

LETTER V.

A Journey to Osuna and Olvera.-A Spanish Country-Inn.

-The Play El Diablo Predicador.-Souls in Purgatory

begged for Lottery of Purgatory.-Character of Two

Nuns at Osuna,-A Country Vicar.-Customs at Olvera.

-Tapadas, or veiled Females.-A Dance.-The Riberas'

Lamp

p. 160-192

LETTER VI.

The Yellow Fever at Seville, in 1800.-Spiritual Methods of

stopping its progress.-Alcalá de Guadaíra escapes the

infection. Two Spanish Missionaries.-The Virgin of the

Eagle.-The Dawn Rosary.-State of Seville after the

disappearance of the Disorder

p. 193-214

LETTER VII.

them.

Monks and Friars.-Instances of gross misconduct among

Their Influence.-Brother Sebastian and Charles

Carthusians. Hermits near Cordova

III. - The

p. 215-237

LETTER VIII.

Nuns.--Motives for taking the Veil.-Circumstances attend-

ing that Ceremony.-Account of a young Lady compelled

by her Mother to take the Monastic Vows.-Escrúpulos,

or Religious Anxiety.-Spiritual Flirtation.-Nun Doc-

p. 238-258

tors

LETTER IX.

Memorandums of some Andalusian Customs and Festivals.-

Saint Sebastian's Day: Carnival, p. 260.-Ash-Wednes-

day, p. 270.-Mid-lent, p. 274.-Passion, or Holy Week,

p. 277.-Passion Wednesday, p. 283.-Thursday in the

Passion Week, p. 285.-Good Friday, p. 292.-Saturday

before Easter, p. 298.-May Cross, p. 301.-Corpus

Christi, p. 303.-Saint John's Eve, p. 309.-Saint Bartho-

lomew, p. 312.-Detached Prejudices and Practices,

p. 315.-Funerals of Infants and Maids, p. 318.-Spa-

nish Christian Names, p. 322.-Christmas, p. 324.