of literature, who profess to waft them with an eagle's flight far above the barren surface of the desert, and only to land them occasionally on those recreating spots, which, to do our modern authors, justice, they generally contrive to scatter with more or less frequency over the provinces through which they conduct us.

A review, therefore, in honest hands, pretends not to be a substitute for all other kinds of reading," but with a reader of judgement is only a substitute for imperial, hotpressed, empty quartos. It is, in some sort, necessary to those who are de sirous to avoid wasting their time and money in experimental reading; and perhaps it is difficult to point out a greater benefit to general literature in its present state than the honest application of the learning, taste, and talents of a set of gentlemen possessing those qualifications, to the object of directing the public attention to such books as really deserve it, and of extracting the quintessence of others which require to be submitted to the refining process. But in proportion to the advantages resulting from this duty when honestly performed, are the actual danger and mischief, where a review is so conducted as to countenance the observation, that "the secret history of reviews involves a disgusting account of party malice, commercial rivalry, personal spleen, and unprovoked malignity," and where, instead of procuring impartial and independent accounts of books, the purchasers of criticism incur the disappointment of finding only opinions dictated by party views, or the selfish motives of gain or ambition.

We have been led into these observations from the train of reflection which the two quartos before us suggested to our minds, and we shall now proceed to exemplify some of the foregoing principles from the books which we have undertaken to examine. We shall hope to do it with no rude hand, for they certainly are worthy of kind consideration, inasmuch as many interesting and amusing passages are to be found in them, particularly in Mr. Jacob's work. Both, however, are constructed upon a plan with respect to which we think it right to make a few observations for the benefit of future literary adventurers to the peninsula.

It will, perhaps, be conceded without difficulty that there cannot be a more unfavourable moment for giving a general description of the customs, habits, manners, commerce, and polity of a country, than when it is in a convulsed and revolutionary state for at such a period there must of course be a general departure from the accustomed course and relations of society. The great interest one naturally expects to derive

from the accounts of an eye-witness concerning a country in the state just alluded to, must arise from his quickness in catching the transitory impressions of the passing events upon the settled habits and characters of the natives, with which we must be supposed to be previously acquainted, or from the extraordinary acts of heroism and disinterestedness, of zeal and patriotism, which the natural exaltation of mind at such periods is sure to produce. To these sources of interest in the present case of Spain, where, if we mistake not, the sense of injury has sunk deeper into the soul, and grated more harshly on the chords of national feeling, than in almost any other instance, we were entitled to add the expectation of a narrative replete with characteristic instances of proud retaliation and revenge.

That the travels before us do really contain matter of this description we have great pleasure in admitting; but, contemplating the bulk of the volumes, we cannot help suggesting that it is comparatively scanty and unimportant; that many well-informed persons who have quietly remained by their fire-sides could have produced nearly as much from correspondence and conversation with Spanish travellers, and that what they do contain might well have been compressed into volumes of the size of the po pular and entertaining publications of Mr. Semple. For we have not the conscience to wish, that all future travellers in the peninsula should hold out similar temptations to the public to survey their works through the optics of the reviewers.

We opened Mr. Jacob's book on the tiptoe of expectation, and felt secure of meeting with abundant proofs of the unconquerable energy of the Spanish people, of their devotion of heart and soul to the good cause, exemplified by unequivocal instances of patriotism and valour; which indeed he had previously given us some reason to think were in his possession. We know not how far the partial disappointment of these hopes indisposed our minds in general, and obscured our judgement with respect to some trifling portion of what really met the eye. Our's might perhaps have been a little jaundiced; for, knowing, as we do, that the French officers who returned to their native country after the early campaigns of the war on the Peninsula declared their conviction, from the inveterate hatred of the Spanish people towards the French, that they could never be conquered; that the common expression among these officers, when speaking of the Spaniards, was "ce sont des Démons, et non des Hommes;"-We looked to Mr. Jacob for a description of these supernatural beings, and of the feats which have earned for them such an expressive epithet from personages by no means very angelical in their own dispositions. But behold! instead of the

feats of demons, we are regaled with a description of saints painted by Murillo, whose works have been described by fifty other travellers, or of statues and paintings by another artist, whom Mr. Jacob has been pleased to honour with his patronage -one Alonso Cano, whose works, though certainly not without their merit, have never, we believe, attracted so much good description from any traveller before. These criticisms are given, however, as every thing from Mr. Jacob's pen must be given, in the style of a gentleman far from being deficient in taste or literary attainments, and may perhaps be amusing to some classes of readers; (which we think is very reasonable commendation, unless Mr. Jacob should unfortunately possess an alderman's appetite for praise)*.

We must dispatch at once all that we have to say further of a less agreeable nature, that no cloud may hang over the brighter and much more extensive portion of our criticism. We think, then, that the buildings of Cadiz and Seville, the rock and apes of Gibraltar, the productions and trade of Malaga, the city, palaces, and valley of Granada, and the history of the Moors and of the bull-fights in Spain, have all been treated by preceding travellers, who had means of knowledge and observation superior to those of Mr. Jacob, in a manner quite full enough to satisfy public curiosity. Townshend, Swinburne, Bourgoing, Laborde, and others, whose travels have been in every body's hands for the last two or three years, have left us nothing to wish for on these subjects; and any original facts or anecdotes concerning them might have been addressed to the English reader, without recalling to his recollection what the above-mentioned authors had more fully impressed upon his memory. It may be said, however, of these reminiscences, as of Mr. Jacob's criticisms on statues and pictures, that they are agreeably related, and will prove both amusing and instructive to those who may not have consulted the original works. Thirteen engravings adorn Mr. Jacob's book; with the exception of two or three which we shall hope to notice in our progress, they represent the public buildings of Seville, Malaga, and Granada; accurately, we make no doubt; but insulated architectural façades are not to us very interesting subjects for the pencil.

The Travels of Sir John Carr are written in the same goodhumoured manner in which the histories of most of this active and enterprising knight's peregrinations are composed, and with

*Those who only know Mr. Jacob from his title-page may learn from us, that he adds to his qualifications of M. P. and F. R. S. that of being a respectable alderman of the city of London.

which the public are well acquainted. They will not therefore expect much depth of thought or reach of judgement. Without a very profound knowledge of the language, but with great liveliness and perseverance, he has contrived to skim the surface of things, to collect anecdotes from the English with whom he fell in, and to render as good an account of that portion of incident and conversation which he could understand, as many full-grown English tourists, under similar circumstances, would probably have done. His account of the troubles of Valencia, of the attempt upon that city by the French Marshal Moncey, of the second siege of Zaragoza, and of the attacks of the French on the peaceful and singular mountain of Montserrat, are intrinsically interesting in spite of the narrator. Moreover, we cannot but highly applaud the charity which has induced him to reveal some things, and the delicacy of certain restrictions which have induced him to conceal others from the curious and inquisitive reader. "It forms another department of my endeayours," he says, "to facilitate the progress of those who may follow me, by noticing the distance, costs, modes of, and other matters incident to, travelling." (p. 3). This is certainly very charitable.

"Treated as İ was, with kindness and even confidence in many distinguished families, it is to be expected that several private anecdotes came to my knowledge, which would illustrate manners and even events, and certainly contribute to the entertainment of the reader. But as the publication of them might embarrass those with whom they originated, and distress those to whom they apply, I have cautiously abstained from admitting them here." (p. 3—4). This is equally delicate and considerate. We cannot help, however, a little quarrelling with a suppression that appears quite inconsistent with Sir John's views of fa cilitating the progress and adding to the satisfaction of future British tourists in the Peninsula. Notwithstanding the enor mous sale of Spanish grammars, of the "Tesoro Espanol con Notas," &c. &c. we believe that our countrymen in general are yet so ignorant of the Spanish language, that it was an unpardonable omission in our knight not to reveal either the name of the confidential interpreter, through whose organs those “private anecdotes" were transfused, or by what alembic or alchymical process the secrets were otherwise distilled into his ear, without the vulgar medium of a language mutually understood.

Under the patronage and protection of his red cockade, this "Chief of domestic knights, and errant," contrived to pick up several entertaining anecdotes which he might lawfully reveal with some of which we shall in due course amuse our readers.

But there is one hint which we cannot possibly avoid submit ting to him in this place. Upon scrutinizing his work, we think that he will find one or two places, particularly in p. 19, 20, p. 90, &c. where he has been led into the mistake of retailing low wardroom stories and phrases, intermixed with oaths and ribaldry, as very entertaining jokes. We are the more surprised at this mistake, as we should have thought that the knight's intercourse" of kindness and even confidence" with the most distinguished families of so many countries must have taught him long ago that the indulgence of such a style of narrative sins no less against good taste than against good manners; that it is no less vulgar than wicked. Of this he may rest assured, that in our own country, no one ingredient can be so likely to exclude his writings from those circles of good society, in which he informs us that his materials were collected. There is also to be found a most filthy and unnatural story of a monkey, which is alone more than sufficient to banish the book from every table, where it's repose could by any possibility be disturbed by the hands of a young and innocent female. Sir John Carr appears to possess the talent of sketching with taste and spirit; and of six well-executed engravings which adorn his volume, we think that five at least are highly interesting. We shall now proceed to lay before our readers an account of such parts of the works before us, as may tend to inform their judgement concerning the progress and probable result of the noble struggle in which Spain and Great Britain are jointly engaged.

The limits within which a British traveller in Spain was necessarily confined, in the summer and autumn of 1809, did not extend beyond the southern and south-eastern provinces. An alderman and member of parliament, or any other character equally responsible to the public for his own personal security, could not with a safe conscience extend his curiosity beyond Andalusia and Granada-while a more humble knight, responsi ble for his safety to none but his bookseller, (we sincerely beg pardon for this liberty, more especially as it just occurs to us that he has made a present of his person, an engaging portrait of which we remember to have seen in his Irish Tour, to a very discerning lady,) and bound by the rules of his order to encounter more adventurous hazard, might fairly perhaps be expected to extend his researches through Murcia, Valencia, part of Catalonia, or even to that terra incognita," the Balearic Isles." Our two authors, as we shall see, were exemplary in the discharge of their several duties in these respects, Mr. Jacob having been conversant chiefly with seats of government, national

VOL. II. NO. III.

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