of Chiclana, which was the head-quarters of the French army, and of the mountains of Andalusia at 40 leagues distance. Immediately under me to the N. W. lay a large plain, on which the new constitution of Spain had lately been read with great ceremony, and with prayers for its continuance which the folly of its government has since rendered unavailing. The prospect was rendered very cheerful by the numerous gardens in and round the Isla, which were in full verdure. From a neighbouring height I looked down on all the English batteries and some of the French, and had a distant view of Santi Petre (a small island at the extremity of the Isla), fortified by a castle, at which were posted 300 English, and the same number of Spanish, troops, who were relieved every week. I thence rode towards the British lines, to the extremity of which I could only advance on foot, as, for additional security, the road was only a footpath, much curved and intersected by numerous ditches. At the end of this path we saw the French sentries not more than 150 yards distant from us, and Chiclana lay close to our right. All these works were thrown up on the high road from Cadiz to Seville. On our way to the lines, we crossed the river of Santi Petre on a strongly fortified bridge, called La Suarzo, which is said to have been built by a Roman emperor, and to be more ancient than that of Trajan at Alcantara. Every resource afforded by the natural strength of the place was adopted to secure Cadiz. Besides the British regiments stationed

in and round it, numerous levies were raised and exercised every day by British officers, under whose instruction they improved so rapidly as to justify the idea that the stupidity, sometimes imputed to the Spaniards, resulted from the unskilfulness or haughtiness of their teachers. I was much pleased with the remark of an English officer long resident in Spain, that you might lead the Spaniards with a thread, but you could not drive them with a pitchfork. No fears whatever were entertained for the safety of the place.

The Cortez was sitting during my stay in Cadiz. Their assembly was held in a large and lofty hall, formerly a church: at the top of it was a canopy for the throne, and under this a chair, reversed on account of the absence of the sovereign, on each side of which a sentinel with a drawn sabre was stationed, and relieved every hour. Behind the chair was a picture of the King. The number of members was 200. Among these, though the Andalusians themselves are extremely dark, it was easy to distinguish the colonial members, who were nearly negroes, Forty of the members were ecclesiastics; and of these three were bishops. Notwithstanding this disproportionate number of priests, their undue influence was not dreaded. They had lately failed in an attempt to restore the Inquisition, the pretence of which was, their present inability to punish the authors of some anti-catholic works lately published. I had a strong proof of the decline of their power in the observation of a Spaniard sitting next me in the gallery, who told

me, that the priests would find themselves disappointed in the hopes they were still foolish enough to entertain of leading the people by the nose as they had been used to do.

The proceedings of the Cortez were conducted in a very orderly manner. The President commanded silence by ringing a small bell, and his command was instantly attended to. I heard several speeches delivered with fluency, and listened to with attention. One member (a Señor Arguellos) was extremely eloquent. The manner of voting was, that those who favoured the question should rise, and those who opposed it should remain sitting. The Secretaries then going round counted and declared the numbers. The first day I attended their assembly, they were engaged in electing a President, the last having lately died. A list of the candidates lay upon the table, and every member whispered the name of the person for whom he voted to the Secretary, who affixed a mark opposite to it. The list was then read, with the number of marks affixed to each name; and he who had the majority was immediately elected and acknowledged. I here renewed my acquaintance with Señor Materosa, who was a member of the Cortez, and whom I had known in England, when he resided there as a Deputy from Spain.

The politics of the Peninsula wore a gloomy appearance during my visit to Cadiz, almost the only considerable place in Spain from which the French were at that time excluded.

Many who had laughed

at Napoleon's project of subjugating the Spanish people began to regard it as no longer a chimera, and even felt their hopes for Spain ending in fears for Gibraltar. The stupendous bomb which is now lying a harmless trophy in St. James's Park, had, a few days before our arrival, threatened such ravages to Cadiz, that every feather-bed and mattress in the town had been spread in the streets to prevent its shells from bounding. Yet the inhabitants were firm and cheerful. I exulted to see the marks of their patriotic violence on the house from which they had lately dragged to punishment the Marquis of Solano, their treacherous governor, and they talked of victory, however distant, as ultimately certain. Those who best knew the character of the nation shared its confidence; foremost among these was the late Mr. (afterwards Sir James) Duff, whose hospitable kindness I am happy to have an opportunity of acknow; ledging by this mark of posthumous respect. Long residence in the country had given him the feelings of a Spaniard, and he said he should die contented, after the French were driven from the Peninsula. good man's prayer was granted, he lived to witness the triumphs of Wellington, and to see the deliverance of Spain made a stepping-stone to the freedom of Europe.

The

CHAPTER II.

WE left Cadiz on the 28th April at day-light, and anchored at nine that evening in the Bay of Gibraltar, having gratified our national feelings about noon with a sight of Cape Trafalgar, and enjoyed by sunset a clear view of Tariffa, a neat town on a small plain by the seashore, with high mountains rising behind it: it was now partly garrisoned with English troops, and its fortifications had lately been considerably strengthened. The prospect on each side of the Straits as we sailed through them delighted me. To our left, the coast of Spain, whose hills in full verdure were sprinkled with neat white cottages, and overtopped by the Rock of Gibraltar; to our right, that of Africa, whose giant mountain, the other column of Hercules, now called Ape's Hill*, rocky and barren towards the sea, but verdant and well cultivated on the land side, was the mightiest feature of the scene, formed in their combination a splendid panorama. The impregnable fortress of Ceuta, of which the well-built town and

From the number of those animals that inhabit it. There are also many Apes on the Rock of Gibraltar, the only place in Europe, it is said, where they are found. They appear in the greatest numbers when the wind is easterly, at which time it is dangerous for women and children to walk unprotected among the unfrequented parts of the Rock.