LETTERS FROM SPAIN.

and moonlight walks in a delightful garden, render the this society the pleasantest in Seville.

We have some other agreeable societies in this city, rendered particularly so by the ease that prevails after the duction: but the only society of a literary kind is at the priest in the cathedral. Padre Cepero is a clergyman of t a very spirited, liberal, and intelligent man; though Catholic he is not intolerant, and despises much of the which is practised by his profession: his attention ha turned to divinity beyond his own church, of the inf which he never doubts, but he has studied history a economy, and has cultivated a taste for the fine arts: he determined patriot, and his house is the evening resort the most intelligent men in Seville.

I have met Capmany here frequently, who is a writer subjects, and has published some learned and sensible work subjects of commercial history, and on military and politica Like all theoretic statesmen, many of his proposals for th tion of his country are better on paper than they wou practice; but he is a sensible and amiable man.

Padre Blanco, so well known throughout Spain as th the patriotico seminario, frequently joins this circle. If priest without bigotry, a philosopher without vanity, or without prejudice, Padre Blanco is that man: whenever party, he enlightens it by his knowledge, and animates patriotism. Several other men of good talents resort hit

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is by far the most intellectual of all the Tertullas in Seville. If any of former remarks on the Catholic Church have appeared severe,

my

I hope you will allow that at least I can do justice to those of its clergy who merit praise.

LETTER XXII.

ESPARTO

As I intend making a few observations on the agriculture of this part of Spain, I shall begin with noticing some vegetable productions, which are unknown with us, but which in this country greatly contribute to the comfort and convenience of life. One plant called Esparto, the Spanish broom (or spartium junceum of Linnæus), grows wild on the plain, and is made into a variety of articles for common use: it is employed for making ropes and cables, and is particularly calculated for the latter purpose, as it swims on the water, and the cables formed of it are consequently not so liable to rub against the rocks as those which are made of hemp. It is also woven into floor-cloths and carpets, with which the cold stone, or brick floors of the houses in this place are covered during the winter. Baskets for all common purposes are made of it, and panniers for the conveyance of different produce to market, or for the carrying of manure to the fields.

In fact, there are upwards of forty different articles made from this substance, which, as it demands no cultivation, is very cheap,

and it requires but little labour to convert it to useful purposes. Pliny mentions this production as applied in his time to various uses, for which in the present day substances better adapted are employed. It was at that time used by the poor for beds, by the shepherds for garments, and by the fishermen for nets; but hemp and flax have now superseded its use in the manufacture of those articles. An attempt was made lately to spin and weave it into cloth, and at first it promised success, but was afterwards found ill adapted for that purpose; and notwithstanding encouragement was given by government, the whole scheme was relinquished.

Another plant of great importance in the husbandry of Spain is the Aloe, called here Pita, which makes excellent fences at a very trifling expence; the sharpness of the leaves renders these hedges impenetrable; and it is only necessary to stick the point of the leaves in the ground, when, without farther care, they will soon grow up, and afford secure protection; endeavours have also been made to convert the aloe into cloth, but the fibres being thick and twisted, the attempts have not succeeded. In some parts, however, where Esparto is scarce, it is used for ropes. Bowles, the best Spanish writer on natural history, says, "As it is well known that all those plants which contain a quantity of tasteless mucilage, produce by fermentation strong liquors; and as no vegetable produces a greater quantity of that mucilage than the pita, it might be made into brandy, if wine were not so plentiful in Spain as to render such a process unnecessary."

The opuntia, or tuna, is likewise a plant very common in all this

part of Spain; and though a native of America, it grows without cultivation even in the clefts of rocks, where there is little or no soil. Its flower resembles in shape the carnation, but has more leaves of a deep red colour. The fruit which succeeds the flower is not unlike the common fig: it is covered by a thorny bark, but when this is removed the interior is found to possess a good flavour, and in hot weather is very cooling. It was accidentally observed that some pigs, belonging to a dyer, which had fed upon the seeds of this fruit, had their bones changed to a red colour; and an experiment afterwards, instituted by the Academy of Sciences at Paris, confirmed this fact, which at first appeared so extraordinary.

In the plains near Seville a very great quantity of the palmito (the chimaerops humilis of Linnæus) is grown; and as almost the whole of Andalusia is supplied from this neighbourhood with brushes of various kinds made from this plant, it may be considered of great importance.

From the frequent mention I have made of olive trees, you will naturally conclude that the quantity of the fruit produced is very considerable: a great part is eaten in the crude state, or is preserved. in salted water, but the larger portion is made into oil, which in Spain answers the purpose of butter. The oil of Spain, however, is much less pure than that of France and Italy, though the fruit, from which it is made, is greatly superior. This inferiority arises principally from the length of time the olives are kept, piled in heaps, before they are ground, whence, in this warm country, they ferment and become in some degree putrid.