Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 19, Scripture-SUG

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Kpain. all befieged by a great crowd of men of every condi-
v—' tion; fome attrafted by curiofity ; others coming to wait
upon the women who are in it.
Notwithftanding all that has been done for its im*
prove merit, the Span! lb dage is dill far from the cele¬
brity which it once potfeiTed •, and the people do not fe¬
cund the efforts of their bell writers. The ailing is in
a Hill lower Hate. The performers poffefs neither that
dignity which characterizes great perfonages, and en¬
nobles a fabjedl without injuring its interefl ; nor that
fweet exprefiion of voice and gellure which goes to the
heart, and awakens the fentiments it expreffes* In their
acting every thing is violent or inanimate ; every thing
departs from nature. Their recitation is a feat of llrength*
and is performed at the foie expence of the lungs. Cries
fend fhrieks are its moll impreflive part, and the moll ap¬
plauded by the majority of the audience. They put no¬
thing in its proper place : all their action is exaggeratr
ed; when they threaten they roar j when they command
they- thunder; when they figh, it is with an effort which
completely exhaufts the breath. They fubftitute anger
for dignity, violence for fpirit, infipidlty for gallantry.
Their geflares rarely correfpond with the fentiments
they ought to exprefs ; but referable their recitation ;
and are ufually monotonous, eapricious, ignoble, and al-
mofl always violent. The women, in their bur ft* of paf-
fion, become furies; warriors become villains ; generals
robbers; and heroes bravos. Nothing, as they manage
it, is pathetic; nothing makes any impretlion on the aur
'leLa lienee,. The fpeChators, equally unmoved at the end of
,ie. ' the piece, as at the beginning, fee it, without having ex-
214 perienced a Angle moment of intereft or emotion*,
tfluce As labour and culture are reckoned derogatory to the
1 a§r‘" Spaniib character, a fufficient quantity of grain for the
'Ule' fun port of the inhabitants is not raifed, though foe ie ties
for the encouragement of agriculture have been efta-
blithed indifferent parts of the kingdom. The principal
produCls are wine, delicious fruits, oil, filk, honey, and
wax. A considerable proportion of the mountains and
valleys is paltured by imrttenfe flocks of. fheep, whofe
wool is. extremely fine and valuable. Ettremadura is
noted for its excellent paftures ; and the wool in Old
Caflile is reputed the fineit in the kingdom. In Cata¬
lonia the hills are covered, with forefl and fruit trees.
Valencia is celebrated for its filk, and for the exquifite
flavour of its melons. Murcia abounds in mulberry
trees; and the fouthern provinces yield the mod deli¬
cious wines and fruits. Upon the whole, it has been
obferved of Spain, that few countries owe more to nur¬
ture, and lefs to induftry.
The foil in general repofes-on beds of gypfum, which
is an excellent manure. The common courfe of hulban-
dry about Barcelona begins with wheat; which being
ripe in .Tune, is immediately fucceeded by Indian corn,
hemp, millet, cabbage, kidney-beans, or lettuce. The
fecond year thefe fame crops fucceed each other as be¬
fore. The next year they take barley, beans, or vetches;
which coming off the ground before midfummer, are
followed,, as. in the former years, by other crops, only
changing them according to the feafon, fo as to have on
the fame fpot the greateft poffible variety. Near Car-
thagena the courfe is wheat, barley, and fallow. For
wheat they plough thrice, and fow from the middle of
November to the beginning of December; in July they
reap irom 10 to ICO for one, as the feafon happens to be
humid. The rich vale of Alicant yields a perpetual fuc- Spam,
ceflion of crops. Barley is fown in September, reaped ^
in April; fucceeded by maize, reaped in September ;
and by a mixed crop of efculents which follow. Wheat
is fown in November, and reaped in June ; flax in Sep¬
tember, pulled in May. In the vale of Valencia wheat
yields from 20 to 40 ; barley from 18 to 24; oats from
20 to 30; maize 100; rice 43. The Spaniib plough
is generally light ; and is drawn by oxen with the yoke
over the horns; the molt proper and natural mode, as
the chief ftrength of the animal centres in the head.
For a very minute account of agriculture in Spain, fee
De Laborde’s View, vol. iv. chap. 2. Ti„
That prejudice which regards the mechanic arts as State of'
bafe, is not yet extinguiihed in Spain : hence it happens the arts,
that thefe arts are either neglefted, or abandoned to fuch
unlkilful hands, as in general to render the Spaniards
much behind their neighbours in the ufeful arts of life.
The influence of this prejudice is lead in the province of
Catalonia, where the laws, cuftoms, and opinions are fa¬
vourable to artizans ; and it is accordingly in this pro¬
vince that the mechanic arts have made the greatell
progrefs. Foreign artiils experience great difficulties in
this country. They are not allowed to practice without
gaining admiffion into fome incorporation or company,
and this has almoft always been refufed them.
Some arts have, however, made confiderable progrefs
in Spain, efpecially thofe of gilding leather, and print¬
ing, which has lately acquired a great degree of perfec¬
tion.
The fabrication of articles of gold and filyer might
become an important object in a country where thefe
metals abound ; but it is negledtcd, and the demand is
alrnoft entirely fupplied from foreign markets. What
little they perform in this way at home is ufually very
ill executed, and exorbitantly dear. Madrid, however,
begins to poiTefs fome good workmen in this 'way ; en¬
couragement would increafe their number, and facilitate
the means of improvement; but manual labour is there
exceflively dear. Hence the Spaniards prefer foreign
articles of this kind, which, natwithftanding the ex¬
pence or carriage, the enormous duties which are paid
on thefe articles, and the profits of the merchants, are
bill cheaper than thofe made at home. ^
The liberal arts are cultivated in this country with ArdOtcr.
more affidulty and fficcefs. The 16th century was theture.
moft brilliant period of the arts in Spain, as well as of
the fciences, <)f literature, and of the power and gran¬
deur of thounonarchy. A crowd of able architects ap¬
peared at once under Charles V. and Philip II. They
creeled numerous edifices, which will immortalize the
reigns of tliefe princes and the names of the artifis.
John de Herrera and Cepedes difplayed the higheft ta¬
lents; Pedro de-Uria conitrudled the magnificent bridge
of Almarnz, in Etiremadura ; John-Baptift-Monegro of
Toledo, aflifled in the building of the Efcurial, and of
the church of St Peter at Rome.
The flrutbures of that age are the finefl: in Spain, and
perhaps the only ones in the country which deferve to
fix the attention of the fkilful fpedlator,. There are fome
among them which, in regularity, folidity, and magni¬
ficence, deferve to be compared with the fined buildings
of the Romans. The bridges of Badajoz over the Gua-
diana, and of Toledo, over the Manzanares, are of thia
period ; as are alfo the grand houfe or palace, now the
2 ^ 2 council-