shionists to the interests of her poor Irish ; It is almost needless to say, that Mrs. and she tells General Fitzwalter, that to Magillicuddy and Lady Clancare are one; justify her frequent visits to the castle, for the promotion of her own purposes, she has assumed the story of Florence Macarthy, and tells Lady Duncre that she has found her lost husband. This proceeding is rather ingenious than candid, and the prepossession that her good actions awakens, is diminished by the intrigue employed to accomplish them. General Fitzwalter's letter was answered only by a communication from Lady Clancare. It refused him admittance to the convent without "special invitation;" and asserted, that contending feelings must awhile delay the decision of the lady. Upon the seal of this note was the motto, "Sou utile aind a que Bricando." During General Fitzwalter's excursion, the coterie at the castle prepared for a great exhibition, assigned different parts of "As you like it" among themselves, gave that of Rosalind to Lady Clancare, and invited the neighbouring gentry to admire the display of talent and taste. The night came, and with it an apology from Lady Clancare, that a sudden illness must prevent her from taking her allotted part. This made great confusion, but excited no concern for the absent sufferer in these heartless people. Lord Rosbrin assumed the character of Rosalind, and in a stormy night General Fitzwalter stole out to the abode of Lady Clancare; he was met at the entrance by Owny the Rabragh, bearing a letter to him, giving information from Lady Clancare, that a charge of murder was got up, and that his accusers were prepared for his arrest on the next day. General Fitzwalter proceeds to the apartment of the Countess, who entertains him, as usual, with the passion of Florence Macarthy, and after this repeated experiment declares herself to be the identical lady-thus putting an end to a struggle in the mind of a lover, which however gratifying it might be to a vain woman, could not have been created and prolonged by an ingenious one, that all the sighing, laughing, and singing, and all the mystical letters proceeded from that lady, and that she was easily possessed of the intelligence she was at the trouble to communicate. The Spanish Nun of Lord Fitzadelm was the Florence Macarthy of the convent. The story of the murder for which General Fitzwalter was arrested the next day, proved to originate in the death of a soldier killed in a conflict with some Irishmen, in which the General had vainly interfered to make peace-the charge was at first supported by a man, who afterwards declared, that his instigator was Bryan, the infamous agent of the Crawleys, who had given him fifty pounds. All that remains to tell is, that General Fitzwalter proved his claims to the title and estates of Dunore-that the Crawleys were degraded as they deservedthat Counsellor Con got into Parliament in place of Lord Adelm, and that Miss Crawley went to live with the Ex-Marchioness-that it is highly probable the Marquis and Marchioness of Dunore are vastly happy, and are doing all manner of good in Ireland. This is a long story, written with a political object-a picture of British policy and Irish misery. That it exhibits any thing new to the world we doubt; that the lesson it teaches will reach the hearts of legislators, reform the measures of local magistrates, excite the generosity of the higher classes, or the humbler virtues of the lower, is equally problematical. But that it is true, that it describes justly a fine country debased by the accumulated miseries and oppressions of centuries; that the abuses of office, and an honourable profession propagate and augment these evils; that property held by'absentees and managed by sub-agency, must keep residents in poverty and slavery, and that this want and subjection must produce despair, neutralize physical force, and destroy moral motives, is equally obvious and lamentable. R. E. ART. 2. Travels in England, Spain, France, and the Barbary States. By M. M. 8vo. pp. 478. New-York. Kirk and Mercein. 1819. W Noan. WITHIN the lapse of a few years past, we have received from our public officers on foreign stations, or distant voyages, much valuable addition to the stock of our geographical literature. The voyages of Captain Porter, and the late papers presented to the general government by Messrs. Graham, Rodney, and Ponisett, may be cited as prominent examples. It is, however, to be regretted, that more use has not been made of the many opportunities, afforded our diplomatic agents abroad, to collect, arrange, and publish important facts, connected with the history, manners, and morals, of nations which have been accessible only to such persons as have been, or are, clothed with a public character. The publication we have now under review, is the only instance in our diplomatic history, where an individual of our nation has availed himself of the full benefits of a foreign and privileged station. We have now before us a volume of Travels, which opens to our view many subjects of importance; which awakens the recollections of various epochs in history, and recalls to our mind changes of the liveliest interest, in the social condition of our species; a retrospection that may enable us to "read the future in the past." The range of the Travels of M. M. Noah led him over the most interesting portions of the earth; over the earliest and latest seats of civilization, commerce, and political power; over regions possessed by the Phoenicians, Carthagenians, Romans, Saracens, and Arabs; by the Gauls, French, and Anglo-Saxons. Nations, that for 4000 years have had successively the deepest influence in the affairs of that part of the world, from which we have drawn our moral, politi. cal, and religious opinions, and even our physical existence. We do not turn our mental eye towards the shores of the Mediterranean or the English Channel from mere curiosity; we do not revisit the Gades, Carthage, Tarragona, and Marseilles, Paris and London, because these places revive the reminiscence of past, or exhibit the centre of intelligence in the present times; but we feel an interest in what concerns the inhabitants of those places, also, from a conviction that our moral connection with them continues and must endure coeval with the existence of Man. We cannot, if we were so inclined, follow our Traveller through all the various vicissitudes of his Tour. Necessarily much of the volume is occupied with that common matter which forms a compoñent part of all travels. Our review will be confined to some leading facts, to which we wish to draw the attention of our readers, more particularly than to the general scope of the entire work. "We approached Cadiz, which, at a distance, appeared to rise, like a confused mass of white buildings, from the sea; and, after a pleasant voyage of twelve days from Falmouth, we anchored in that spacious bay. Here commenced another epoch in mine, yet more fruitful in interest than the my journey, and another country to exaformer. We were surrounded by vessels of ricans. To the left as we entered, lay the all nations, and particularly by several Ametown of Rota; to the right, a long line of ramparts, facing the sea: passing low in the bay, the forts of Santa Catalina; and berenzo, and Puntalis. Every thing around yond them, those of Matagorda, San Loappeared strongly fortified; the view of the country was delightful; the air was cool the city, with its small turrets, white houses, and pleasant; and the lively appearance of spacious buildings, passage boats, and ships of war, gave tokens of opulence, imporpacket landed us at the quay, without our tance, and comfort. The boat from the baggage; which we left for the more tranquil examination of the custom-house offi cers. We passed through a gate, at which a sentinel was posted. Here, packages of merchandize, barrels of flour, and other commodities, were landing from ships in the bay. Our road led through the market, the walls, I was stunned with cries; Pcswhich was held in an open space; and near cado, Pescado, screamed the fisherman; Tomates, Tomates, Neranjez de Seville, cried another; here, a man was wheeling a large jar, containing water, and inviting the passengers to drink, with aqua fresco.' Calases, with their horses fantastically decorated with ribbons, and tinkling with bells, were waiting for a fare; sailors seated at a table, eating fried sardinias; here, a woman sold grapes; there, papilitoes, little segars of paper, were made; beggar women asking alms in the name of Maria Santissima; all was confusion and crowd, which we, at length, bustled through, and got into the Callia del Baluarte. "As my visit to England and Spain, were both unexpected, I was, consequently, a stranger in both countries; and I took the liberty of calling on Mr. Hackley, the American consul, for the purpose of consulting with him, on the best mode of reaching my place of destination. I found this worthy and intelligent officer, disposed to give me every facility in his power; and he insisted upon my lodging at his house, assuring me, at the same time, that, notwithstanding the extent and importance of Cadiz, a good hotel was not to be found in the place; and, that the only one which was tolerable, was the Quatre Naciones, at that period filled with strangers. Such, Mr. Hackley observed, was the want of accommodation, that the supercargoes of vessels generally lodged in the houses of the consignees; and that at one time, he had upwards of forty in family. Under such circumstances, I could not but accept the hospitable invitation; and my baggage was sent for from the packet. I seized upon the first opportunity to stroll through the city, and was particularly struck with its extreme cleanliness; the streets being neatly paved in the centre, and having flag-stones for side-walks. Cadiz may be said to be surrounded by the sea; in fact, it is built on an isthmus, which projects considerably towards the sea. There is a fine view from the westward. The air is mild and balsamic; and the refreshing breeze tempers the winter, and moderates the excessive heat of summer. The sirocco or solano, which is the hot wind from the coast of Africa, is felt in the most distress ing manner; the air is burning, a dry mist obscures the rays of the sun, and the inhabitants close their doors and windows, to exclude the suffocating blast. This wind, however, seldom continues more than three days; and is generally succeeded by a plea. sant northwest breeze, which seems to recover animal and vegetable creation, and revives and braces the system, which, dur. ing the sirocco, is relaxed and nervous.The population of Cadiz, may be estimated at 80,000; although, it covers but a small space of ground. The houses are crowded, and the streets very narrow; this, however, produces one advantage, as it affords a shade at any period of the day; and the current is drawn from one end to the other. The houses are all white, and built of a soft stone, brought from Porta Santa Maria; this affects the eyes, and produces the opthalmia; a disease, not only common in that city, but also in the Barbary States. It is difficult to decide on the architecture of this city. It strikes a stranger, on the first view, to be strictly Moorish; the houses having terraces, with small battlements, and lookout towers, which give to the whole, a most singular and pleasing aspect; yet they are exceedingly high; whilst the Moorish houses consist generally of one, or at the extent, of only two stories. It is reasonable to suppose, from the antiquity of this city, that a strange commixture of styles of architecture, must have arisen; and this confusion of Saracenic, Gothic, and modera buildings, renders it difficult to give a decided character to the city. Each house has a balcony in front; a large gateway opens on the lower floor, called entresol, where a square court is seen, paved with marble, called a patio, which has a cool and agreeable appearance. From this court, a flight of stairs leads to the balconies, which, supported by light colonnades, runs around each story; and from which, the different apartments branch; these are generally divided on the first floor, into a large salla, or drawing-room, furnished with much taste and elegance; chairs and sofas covered with satin; wainscot of the same materials; marble tables with gilt stands; glass chandeliers, suspended in the centre; fine straw mats on the floor; large glass windows, which lead to the balconies; and other ornaments, at once neat and elegant; the other rooms on the same floor, are generally dining and bed-rooms, paved with marble; offices and counting-houses are kept on the same range; the upper stories are bed-rooms, paved with brick and so arranged, as to be cool and refreshing. From the terrace a large square of canvass is drawn over the patio, which serves to exclude the sun, being always open when it rains; a cistern is built in one corner of the patio, and the rain is received in the centre, through one of the flag-stones, punctured for the purpose.Few houses have gardens; indeed there is hardly a city, which has so little ground to spare, as Cadiz; flowers of all kinds, with small lime and orange trees, are raised in pots and vases, which being ranged on the terrace of each house, give a most agreeable air and appearance to the streets.Rent is very high in those streets favourable to commerce; and they command from 600 to 1200 dollars per annum. The principal street in Cadiz, is called the Callà Ancha; which is wide and airy; the houses beautiful, some magnificent: stores of various descriptions, are here established, princi pally jewellers and fancy warehouses; it is a kind of lounge for fashionable idlers, who are found in abundance in this city. The Calla Ancha, leads to a fine square, called the Plaza de San Antonio, paved with flag. stones, in front of which, is the Church of the same name. This is one of the principal promenades of the city; and the inhabitants are found here, almost at all hours, except about sun-set, when, apparently with one accord, they leave it to walk on the Alamada; a beautiful walk, with a view of the sea, and leading to the Composanto, the only place where carriages and horses pass. Opposite to the fortress of St. Sebastian, which is built on a strip of land, projecting into the sea, is a large and handsome building, called the Orphan-House, a charitable institution, which reflects credit on the munificence of the city. Cadiz has long been a port of considerable commerce with every part of the world. Its situation is commodious, and easy of access; but the trade formerly carried on with South-America, and the immense revenue, arising from their possessions in that quarter, may be considered as wholly lost. Indeed, Spain, at the present day, enjoys no more the advantages of the East and West India trade; and her interCourse with Peru and Mexico is, in a great measure, cut off. It is impossible to doubt, but that the loss of the colonies to Spain, though for a time severely felt, will eventually benefit that kingdom. They have placed too firm a reliance on the resources of those colonies, and neglected to improve those great natural advantages which their own country possesses. Indolently reposing on the wealth which the mines of Peru and Mexico afforded, and dazzled by a false splendour, held out by the transitory possession of riches and foreign territory, they lost sight of that great maxim, which nations never should forget, that industry, science, and the arts, are the only true sources of wealth and national character. Spain possesses a most fertile soil, which is greatly neglected. Manufactures, one great chain of independence, languishes; education, the great fount of human wisdom, is fettered by priests, and checked by a want of inclination; their maritime and military strength decayed; they require some pinching calamity to awaken them to a true sense of their own interest. With the loss of their possessions in South-America, and another generation in Spain, a new impulse may be given to their enterprize, and Spain may yet flourish on her own resources, which her foreign possessions are not calculated to promote.' This short but impressive history of the decline of Spain contains part, but not all the evidences of the causes of that declension. In a review of Spanish history, an anomaly is perceptible, an anomaly that cannot be explained by either climate, soil, local position, the influx of wealth or religion, or indeed, by any of the common reasons assigned by wri 343 ters on the subject. That inordinate inherited wealth may destroy the motives to action, in an individual, is probable; and that such are the effects daily experience demonstrates. If a whole nation could be individually wealthy, lethargy would consequently follow; but as the great bulk of mankind are, every where, and at all times, dependant for their daily subsistence upon daily exertion, influx of wealth can never suspend the active powers of but a small part of any community. Tyre, Carthage, Marseilles, the Greek If we consult the history of maritime republics, the maritime republics of modern Italy, the Arabs of Spain, the Hanse Towns of Germany and Poland, and that of Holland, England, and the United States, we every where see exertion stimulated in a ratio with the extension of commerce and colonies. Spain is the only instance which the world has afforded of gradual decline, in moral and physical energy, and in political power, with a vast extension of colonies, territory, and commercial means. During the long period of 300 years, from 1500 to 1800, Spain held the greatest empire that ever existed, as far as the local advantages of position, of metallic and ve getable production, of variety of climate, and fertility of soil, can be contributary to national power. With the best region in Europe for its extent, with the finest provinces in America, with the Ladrone, Philippine, and the largest and most fertile of the West India Islands, together with vast colonies and islands in and around Africa ;-with all these incalculable sources of prosperity, the vital strength of the nation annually declined. experience of all the rest of the world, and It is singular, that in opposition to the at variance with the known propensities of man, the influx of wealth should be adduced as a cause of indolence. It may also be observed that two causes of the declension of Spain, though obvious, have been strangely overlooked or neglected. One is, the immense baronial and ecclesiastical possessions in Spain, which render useless so much of her soil; and the other, and most potent of all, is the spreading of her physical force over too wide a surface. This latter fatal circumstance arose, not from either neglect or design in her rulers, but from accidental causes which bave contributed to widen, weaken, detach, and finally break to fragments this vast empire. The writer of this article has frequently heard the correctness of the philosophy contained in the latter part of the above extract acknowledged by intelligent Spaniards. Such men account for the deadly influence of the clergy in Spain, by observing that, for three centuries, the most energetic and enlightened of her population abandoned their country and contention with the priesthood, to seek comfort, wealth, and consequence in the colonies. Thus only the most weak, ignorant, and useless of her children remained in their native country. This drain of men became excessive and instantaneous, after the discovery of America, and continued with no interruption, and with only partial relaxation, up to 1808. By a double fatality, within a few years after the discovery of America, two aged bigots, Ferdinand the Catholic, and Cardinal Ximenes, who then ruled Spain, banished the peaceable and industrious Moriscoes, and converted the best subjects of Spain into a band of pirates, who have scourged her and many other Christian countries ever since. "The Spanish women, particularly the ladies of Andalusia, constitute the most important and influential part of the population of that country. It is incredible what real difference exists, and what disparity is evident, between the men and women; whether this arises from the known want of stamina and character on the part of the men, their little acquaintance with arts and science, their bigotry, or rather the intolerance in their faith, I cannot say; but there is a coldness about them, a saturnine indifference, not discernible in the females. The men, though reserved, are excessively polite, full of compliment without meaning, and of professions without sincerity. We hear much, and read more, respecting the jealousy of the Spaniards; of their suspicious nature; their bars and bolts: visited. There is no fastidiousness in their |
