from a notion that tobacco preferves them against the dampnefs of the air; all this, joined to their natural activity, fprightliness, and vigour, gives them an appearance feemingly to border on ferocity, were it not the reverfe of their manners, which are gentle and eafy, when no motive is given to choler, which the leaft fpark kindles into violence.

It has been obferved, that the inhabitants of mountains are ftrongly attached to their country, which probably arifes from the divifion of lands, in which, generally fpeaking, all have an intereft. In this, the Biscayners exceed all other ftates, looking with fondnefs on their hills, as the most delightful fcenes in the world, and their people as the most refpectable, defcended from the aborigines of Spain. This prepoffeffion excites them to the most extraordinary labour, and to execute things far beyond what could be expected, in fo fmall and rugged a country, where they have few branches of commerce: I cannot give a greater proof of their induftry, than thofe fine roads they have now made from Bilbao to Caftile, as well as in Guypufcoa and Alaba. When one fees the paffage over the tremendous mountain of Orduna, one cannot be. hold it without the utmoft furprize and admiration.

The manners of the Bifcayners, and the ancient Irish, are fo fimilar ⚫ on many occafions, as to encourage the notion of the Irish being defcended from them. Both men and women are extremely fond of pilgrimages, repairing from great diftances to the churches of their patrons, or tutelary faints, finging

and dancing till they almoft drop down with fatigue. The Irish do the fame at their patrons. The Guizones of Bifcay, and the Boulamkeighs of Ireland, are nearly alike at all these affemblies they knock out one another's brains, on the most trivial provocation, without malice or rancour, and without ufing a knife or a dagger. In both countries the common people are paffionate, eafily provoked if their family is flighted, or their descent called in queftion. The Chacoli of Bifcay, or the Shebeen of Ireland, makes them equally frantic. Ireland the poor eat out of one dish with their fingers, and fit in their fmoaky cabbins without chimnies, as well as the Biscayners. brogue is alfo the fhoe of Biscay; the women tie a kercher round their heads, wear red petticoats, go barefoot, in all which they refemble the Bifcayners, and with them have an equal good opinion of their ancient defcent: the poor Bifcayner, though haughty, is laborious and active, an example worthy to be imitated by the Irith.

In

The

So many concurring circumftances fupport the idea of their having been originally one people. It cannot be denied, but that the old Irish, whether from fimilitude of cuftoms, religion, and traditional notions, or whatever elfe may be the caufe, have always been attached to the Spaniards, who on their fide, perhaps from political views, have treated them with reciprocal affection, granting them many privileges, and filing them even Oriundos in their laws, as a colony defcended from Spain; yet, with all these advantages, if we except thofe gallant foldiers who have diftinguithed themselves

in the field wherever they have ferved, few Irish have made a confpicuous figure in Spain, or have left great wealth to their families *.

The king of Spain has no other title over these free people, than that of, Lord of Bifcay, as the kings of England formerly held over Ireland; they admit of no bishops, nor of cuftom houfes in their provinces, and as they pay lefs duties than the king's other fubje&s, they were not included in the late extenfions of the American commerce; however, they content themselves with that renown which they have acquired for themfelves and their iffue, infomuch that upon only proving, to be originally belonging to that lordship, or defcended from fuch in the male line, lawfully begotten, they are entitled to claim public certificates, or executory letters, termed Cartas executorias, expreflive of their being Hidalgos de Sangre, or "Gentlemen of blood;" their nobility having been confirmed to them by the kings of Caftile and Leon, lords of Bifcay, in the plenitude of their power.

The moft lofty Caftilians have conftant rivals for antiquity and defcent in the inhabitants of Bifcay, Afturias, and the mountains

of Leon: thus, in Don Quixote, Donna Rodriguez, the duenna, fpeaking of her husband, fays, he was as well born as the king, because he came from the mountains. Y fobre todo Hidalgo, como el Rey, porque era montanes †.

Impreffed with thefe flattering ideas, the high-minded Biscayner leaves his native foil, and repairs to Madrid. Confcious that his blood is pure, uncontaminated with mixtures of Jewith, or Mahometan race, he raifes his hopes on honest industry and fobriety, fulfilling his duties with zeal and fubmiffion; he often meets with relations in affluence, and fometimes rifes to the higheft employments. It fhould feem that fome fuch character must have offended the immortal Cervantes, from his pointed reflections in his celebrated romance of Don Quixote, where he fays that "an exprefs being ar"rived with dispatches of moment "directed to Don Sancho Panza, « governor of the island of Bara"taria, into his own hands, or " thofe of his fecretary, which be"ing given to read to the major "domo, by Sancho; the ima

ginary governor afked, Who "here is my fecretary? To which

one present anfwered, 1, fir, am "the perfon, because I can read and

“ write,

T

HE town of Bilbao, on the banks of the river Y baizabal, is about two leagues from the fea, and contains about eight hundred houses, with a large fquare by the water fide, well thaded with pleafant walks, which extend to the outlets, on the banks of the river, with numbers of houfes and gardens, which form a moft pleafing profpect, particularly as you fail up the river; for, befides the beautiful verdure, numerous objects open gradually to the eye, and the town appearing as an amphitheatre, enlivens the landfcape, and completes the fcenery.

The houses are folid and lofty, the streets well paved and level; water is conveyed into the streets, and they may be washed at pleafure, which renders Bilbao one of the neatest towns in Europe. Coaches are not in ufe, by which means, inequality of wealth is not fo perceptible, exterior oftentation is avoided, and the poor man walks by the fide of the rich, with equal eafe and content.

The air is generally damp, covers iron with ruft, deftroys furniture in the upper apartments, extracts the falt out of dried fish, and multiplies flies beyond meafure, yet the town is remarkably healthy, and its inhabitants enjoy,

to a great degree, the three prin cipal bleffings of life, perfect health, ftrength of body, and a chearful difpofition, attended with longevity; in proof of which, though the town is very populous, the hofpital is frequently empty, and in the nine months, that Mr. Bowles réfided there, only nine perfons were buried, four of which were above eighty. Every day one may fee men above that age walking upright, in chearful converse with youth. Burning fevers, which the Spaniards dread fo much, and call tabardillos, are not known here, and they are seldom troubled with agues. What is then the reafon that Bilbao, on the fide of a river in fo damp a fituation, and chiefly built on piles, like the cities in Holland, fhould be fo remarkably healthy, with every indication against it? I fhall en

deavour to account for it.

The adjacent mountains stop the clouds that arife from the faline vapours of the ocean, rains are frequent, but they are seldom without a fea breeze, or a land wind; the current of the air being thus continually ventilated, never leaves the moift vapours at reft, and prevents their forming thofe putrid combinations, which heat generally occafions, on ftagnated waters. Thus the vicinity of the fea, the rains, and, more than all, the ftrong currents of air, are the phyfical caufes of its falubrity at Bilbao, as, on the contrary, the continued heat which rarifies the exhalations of fuch rivers as have a flow motion, as well as the ftagnated waters in ponds or. lakes, where there is great heat in the

air, and little wind, will be the caufes of putrifying the vapours, and bring on fevers and other diftempers. For this reafon, the inhabitants of La Mancha are fo fabject to agues, and ufe as much bark as in Holland, because the air has little motion in fummer, notwithstanding the country is open, and the furface is dry. In the fame manner, a new houfe is dangerous to dwell in, where the damp vapours are confined, though one may fleep very fafely in the deepest gallery of a mine, if the air has a free circulation.

are

To these favourable circumftances, the Biscayners owe their good fpirits, frethnefs of complexion, and chearful difpofition. In other countries, women oppreffed with the flighteft fatigue; here they work as much as the ftrongeft men, unload the fhips, carry burdens, and do all the business of porters. The very felons, confined to hard labour in the mines of Almaden, do nothing in comparison with these females; they go bare-footed, and are remarkably active, carrying burthens on their heads which require two men to lift up. The wife yields not in ftrength to the hufband, nor the fifter to the brother, and after a chearful glafs, though heavily loaded, they move on with alacrity,

returning home in the evening, without the appearance of laffitude, often arm in arm, dancing and finging to the tabor and pipe...

Their mufic is defrayed at the expence of the town, after the manner of the antient Greeks. On holidays they play under the trees in the great fquare; the moment they begin, the concourse is great, men, women, and children, of all ages, are engaged at the fame time, down to the very infants. The dances are active, fuitable to their ftrength, but divefted of indecent attitudes or geftures. These surprising women, though conftantly expofed to the air, have good complexions, with lively eyes, and fine black hair, in which they pride themselves greatly, and braid to uncommon advantage. Married women wrap a white handkerchief round their heads, fo knotted, as to fall down in three plaits behind, and over this the Montera cap: they have a haughty look, and work in the fields like the men. Their language is the Bafcuenfe, which, without doubt, is original, and as antient as the peopling of the country, being totally diftinct, and without any connection with any Spanish dialect; thofe who understand it, affure us it is very foft and harmonious, as well as energetic *.

A general

See the following books.

3

From

A general neatness prevails every where in the town of Bilbao. The fhambles is a Tufcan building, in the centre of the town, with an open court and a fountain in the middle; nothing can be more cleanly or better contrived, free from all bad fcents, or any thing difgufting,, as it is copioufly fupplied with water to carry away every thing offenfive. The meat is delivered fo fresh and clean, as not to require being washed, as practifed in other parts of Spain, which deprives it of its fubftance and flavour; the veal is white and delicate, and the poultry excellent: the woods afford plenty of birds, befides five forts of birds of paffage called chimbos, which fatten foon after their arrival, and are greatly esteemed.

Among the different forts of fish, common at Bilbao, there are two peculiar to that river, which the inhabitants are remarkably fond of; thefe are a peculiar fort of eels in winter, and the cuttle fish in fummer: the 'eels are fmall like the quill of a pigeon, of a pale colour, about three inches long, and without a back bone, which they catch at low tides in prodigious quantities. In a word, every thing is in plenty at Bilbao, for befides a well fupplied market, their gardens abound in pulfe and fruit of all kinds: fo that one can live no where better than here, when we take into the account the

hofpitable difpofition of the inhabitants, which foon falls off, if you flight their cordiality, or attribute it to motives of adulation' or intereft. Such is the happy life of the inhabitants of Bilbao, free, from the luxuries, as well as the ambitious paflions which agitate the minds of their neighbours, they pafs their lives in tranquillity, governed by wholefome laws; amongst which, they are faid even to have one against ingratitude, with a punishment affixed to it.

Of the Character of our Debt Laws, and of Mr. Howard. From Mr. Burke's Speech to his Conflituents at Bristol.

HERE are two capital faults

TH

in our law with relation to civil debts. One is, that every man is prefumed folvent. A prefumption, in innumerable cafes, directly against truth. Therefore the debtor is ordered, on a fuppo- › fition of ability and fraud, to be coerced his liberty until he makes payment. By this means, in all cafes of civil infolvency, without a pardon from his creditor, he is to be imprifoned for life-and

thus a miserable mistaken invention of artificial fcience, operates to change a civil into a criminal judgment, and to fcourge misfortune or indifcretion with a pu

nishment,