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Illustration of the Seat of War.

Astorga. The cathedral is gothic, and very ancient. In the country there is a lake called Sanabria, three miles long and one broad, through which the river Tuerto passes with great rapidity; a rock rises in the middle of it, on which stands the fine old castle of the Counts of Benavente. The lake is full of fish, as is the river Tuerto, which bathes the walls of Astorga.

Road from Palencia to Medina del Rio Seco.- From Palencia to Paradilla 8 English miles, Ampudia 8, Palacios 12, Medina del Rio Seco 4.-Total 32 English miles The 16 miles from Palencia to Ampudia is a kind of desert, in which there is not a single tree.

Ampudia contains about 400 inhabitants; it has a very ancient gothic church. Palacios is a village; you reach it through a pass in the mountain; you then pass over some meadows, and a stream, and reach Medina.

Medina del Rio Seco is very ancient, it is situated in a plain, and is very agreeably enlivened by the little river Sequillo. The streets are narrow, and ill paved. There are three parish churches. It is surrounded by mountains, and the air of it is said to be salubrious. The Emperor Charles V. gave it as a dutchy to the family of Henriquez, who were descendants of Alphonso, King of Castile. The ruins of the ancient castle are very extensive. The envirous of this town are delightful, and abound in corn and wine.

Road from Medina del Rio Seco to Tordesillas.-From. Medina to Castro Monte 8 miles, San Pelaco 5, Tordesillas 12,-Total 25 English miles.

In leaving Medina we pass to Valverde, which is three miles, and from thence to Castro Monte, which is 5 miles. The road to San Pelaco is of a mountainous nature, being in fact a continuation of the mountain called Torozos. Near Tordesillas is an antique castle in excellent preservation.

Tordesillas (Turres-silla) is situated on the right (the northern) bank of the Douro, at the end of a very handsome bridge. It is 24 miles to the west of Valladolid. It is one of the most ancient and most celebrated towns of the kingdom of Leon. It is handsome, well built, and stands on an agreeable site. All the environs are covered with trees, and fine vineyards. The bridge has ten arches; it was built in the time of the Gothic kings of Leon; in the middle of it is a large tower, with battlements. The country around is fertile in corn and wine. There is here a royal palace, in which Queen Joanna, mother of Charles V. ended her days most miserably, under a derangement of mind. The river contributes greatly to render the situation of this town delightful; the southern bank, called La Vega, presents a lovely and fertile plain, covered with trees; in some parts, however, it is rather sandy. The opposite bank is somewhat barren, on account of its rocks.:

From Tordesillas to Medina del Campo, another large town, is 16 miles. You cross the Douro, pass through Rueda, and reach Medina del Campo over a plain planted with vines. Medina del Campo (Methymna Campestris) is a very ancient town, and was formerly celebrated for the residence of seve ral monarchs, some of whom, such as Ferdinand I. of Arragon, and the Emperor Ferdinand, were born there. The town is still very handsome and considerable, has three fairs, and many privileges and immunities. It has a

Illustration of the Seat of War.

bandsome square, in the middle of which is a fountain ornamented with a statue of Neptune. A kind of torrent divides it into two parts; this is the Zapardiel, which sometimes rises and falls. The celebrated jesuit Acosta was born in this town. It has eight parish churches.

Another main road in Leon is the road from Astorga to Toro, through Benavente. This road is as follows, from north to south:-From Astorga to Benavente 40 miles, Zamora 44, Toro 28.-Total 112 English miles.

Benavente has the title of a dutchy. It is situated on the river Esla; has nine parish churches and several convents. The palace of the dukes is spacious, noble, and of very ancient architecture; it belongs to the family of Pimentala, but is deserted. This town was formerly very lively, being the constant passage of pilgrims, who went by thousands into Gallicia; and of labourers, who came from Gallicia to get in the harvests of Castile. As there were not lodgings for such multitudes, they slept in the church-yards, courts, and streets. Not far from the town is a very famous monastery of the order of St. Jerome.

The country between Astorga and Benavente is sown with wheat and oats; it is not very thickly wooded, but is rich and pleasant. Between Benavente and Zamora is likewise a rich corn country, very finely cultivated and wooded. Some old towers are seen on the tops of the Gallician mountains. As you approach Zamora, the country becomes more open and level.

Zamora, 44 miles from Leon, is situated on the northern bank of the Douro. The country is very fertile. There is a very handsome bridge. Almanzor, the Moorish general, destroyed it in the eleventh century: Ferdi nand and Alphonso restored it, and enriched it. Its position is on an emipence which commands the river, and it was formerly fortified as a defence against Portugal; the walls are still preserved; the houses are ancient, very large, but decaying fast. There are the ruins of a palace, and some barracks, The country about the town is very fertile, abounding in fruit and vineyards. There is not, indeed, much corn, but a great many flocks are fed in the meadows and mountains, and there is a vast quantity of game and fish..

Toro is another town on the Douro. This town has fallen off a great deal from what it formerly was. Its situation is on the north bank of the river, in a spacious and rich plain. It is walled, has several gates, and some handmsoe streets, a large square, some good parish churches, and is still venerable in its decay.

From Toro to the confines of Portugal, there are several good bridges, both over the Douro and the Esla. There is one below Benavente, which has nineteen arches; and farther on, one of nine or ten: yet these are places where these rivers may be frequently forded. It is the same with all the rivers in Spain; sometimes they are torrents overflowing their banks, and sometimes merely little trickling rills.

In the countries of Zamora, Toro, Tordesillas, Medina del Seco, and Medina del Campo, all the use they make of the rivers is to turn fulling mills, as in

Illustration of the Seat of War.

La Moucha and Castile: these mills add greatly to the beauty of the banks, and of the country.

There remains one more of the principal roads worthy of detail, this is that from Placencia in Estremadura, to Salamanca, from south to north, and which has been the frequent route of our divisions from Badajos to Ciudad Rodrigo. This road is as follows:-From Placencia to Al Villar 12 English miles, Aldea Nueva del Camino 12, Banos 12, Calzada 8, Val-Verde 5, Val de la Casa 5, Los Palacios 8, Al Rerrocal 6, Salamanca 8.-Total 76 miles.

The greatest part of the road to Al Villar is very good, except the first four miles, which are bad. At the second mile there is a pass in the mountains, where is the image of a saint. From this place we see the spot where stood the stone on which was inscribed the words, Saltus Ambracensis. On this. hill are a considerable number of wild olive, oak, and other trees. The des cent is a very bad road. The whole way to Banos is called the back of the Sierra, as between Al Villar and Placencia is a sierra or lofty chain of mountains, which separates them. Al Villar is a pretty hamlet, surrounded with fruit trees in abundance, particularly chesnut. There are remains of an aqueduct, and inscriptions on the houses, which prove this country to have been inhabited by the Romans.

Aldea Nueva is a considerable hamlet. From the declivity of the mountain where this village is situated, to its top, there is a wood of chesnuts, which commands all the other villages, and which is a great resource to the poor. In entering Aldea Nueva (from the Salamanca side) there is a wellbuilt bridge, and another in leaving it; the latter is called the Maiden, and is over the Ambroz; farther on is another over a brook, where the ancient highway passed; it is called Romanilos, and was made by the Romans. We meet with the Roman highway in many places from Aldea del Camino to Banos. To the left is the village of Orvas, situated on the side of one of the highest mountains of the country, and which is covered with snow the whole year round. The mountain, however, is richly wooded with fruit trees.

Banos is situated on a hill of that name, which separates Old Castile from Estremadura. The whole of the surrounding country is covered with olives, chesnuts, and vineyards, and is as beautiful as it is fertile.

Banos is a lively place, having some wealth, and about three hundred families. The baths, from which it takes its name, are hot, sulphurous, and very salutary for rheumatisms. A part of the Roman dike still remains, and is on the extreme height of the hill. There are also some Roman milestones, on which may be decyphered the numbers CXXXI. which no doubt expresses the number of miles from Merida to Banos (Vicus Cecilius.) From Banos the descent is very difficult and bad; having arrived at the bottom," you cross by a bridge over the river Cuerpo de Hombre, which directing its course by the west, flows into the Alagon. To the right are the passes of the mountains, which, from Bejar, follow in succession with different names," Piedra-bite, Arenas, Puerto del Rico, &c. and all being branches of the

Itinerary from Petersburgh to Berlin.

Sierra d'Avila, and Sierra de Tablada, separate Estremadura and Leon from New and Old Castile. To the left is Monte Mayor, and Pena Cabellera. Banos has become very celebrated by the brave defence of the pass by the Lisitanian legion, under Sir Robert Wilson in the campaign of 1809.

The village called Calzada (the causeway) is well planned, for it is situated on the Roman highway, which we meet with at the entrance of the village, and follow upon in several places, in spite of the total neglect of it, and the lapse of ages. Before we reach Calzada, we meet with some mile-stones that have lost their Roman inscriptions; but farther on at Valverde there are several on which they are preserved. After passing Val de la Casa we cross a mountain covered with oaks, and soon after leave the mountains, and arrive at Los Palacios. From this place to Barrocal de Salvaterra the road differs but little from what precedes it; and by this road we shortly arrive at Salamanca, after having a grand distant vista of its towers.

ITINERARY

PROM

PETERSBURGH TO BERLIN, THROUGH RIGA AND POLISH LITHUANIA.

ON the evening of the 19th of September 1804, after a visit of some weeks to Petersburgh, we left it for Berlin. The inoon shone very bright. The little Russ driver, who sat on the shaft, sung merrily, and never ceased from his song till we reached Streina, the first stage, where we proposed sleeping. Here, however, we could get no beds, and therefore were obliged to continue forwards. We travelled all night upon good roads, and arrived early the nex morning (the 20th) to breakfast at Koskowa. All the post houses beyoud Strelua are kept by Germans. For each horse we paid two copecs (about a penny) a verst. The Russian verst is three quarters of an English mile. The female peasantry wear a flat bonnet of red silk and gold lace, a vest without sleeves, and cloth round their legs. The men wear sheep-skins with the wool inside. This part of Ingria formerly belonged to the Swedes.

Our next stage was to Jarnburg, and the following one to Narva, which we reached about nine o'clock in the evening. We passed over the ground where Charles XII. of Sweden routed an army of 100,000 Muscovites, with only 8000 Swedes. We staid at Narva the whole of the following day.

We left it at seven the next morning, and entered the province of Livonia. The roads were excellent, and the country beautiful; our horses small, plump and strong; and above we were serenaded by larks singing in a cloudless sky. Our drivers wore hats covered with oil-skin, and woollen gloves, and the Ger man pipe began to smoke. At the post-house at Kleinprengen we saw the skins of several bears hanging up to dry, and conversed with a party of hun. lers who were going out to hunt that animal; the woods abound in them, as well as in wolves. Our jaded cattle, panting, and almost breathless, made

Itinerary from Petersburgh to Berlin.

a dead stand in the depth of a dark forest, the silence of which was only interrupted by the distant howling of bears. After some difficulty we again got them forwards, and reached Rennapungen, our next stage. The following. day we passed through a most wild country, and reached Nonal to dinner.

After skating a small portion of the Piepas lake, which is about 60 miles broad, and 190 long, we arrived at Dorpt, which stands upon a small river that runs into the lake. The town is extensive, has several good streets, and bandsome houses, and is celebrated for its university. Upon the summit. of a hill that commands the town, are the remains of an ancient abbey, farmerly belonging to the Teutonic knights. The peasant women of this province wear large pewter breast buckles upon their handkerchiefs. The students of the university, who are numerous, wear a military helmet, boots, and spurs.

At Ultern, our next stage, we found that the governor of the province had ordered all the post horses for himself and suit. Some small towns had become troublesome, and he had gone to administer the usual Russian remedy-to flog some of the most refractory. We were detained all night owing to this incident. In all the post-houses is a tablet, framed and glazed, called the Taxe, on which is printed the settled price of provisions, horses, and carriages. Travelling still continued cheap, i. e. at the rate of ten-pence English for eight horses for an English mile. The roads, however, were dreadfully sandy; we could seldom go above three miles an hour. Patience, however, brought us to Riga, which much disappointed our expectation. Riga is a fortified town, and a place of great antiquity, but has absolutely nothing which excited or deserved observation.

On leaving Riga we crossed the Dwina, which penetrates a great way into Poland, and supplies all these parts with the natural treasure of that country. Part of the bridge over it, which is built of fir, floats upon the water, and part rests upon the sand in the shallows, the whole is level, and very long.— The country to Mittau, which is 28 miles from Riga, is very beautiful and luxuriant. The bread, however, is intolerable, gritty, black, and sandy; this is the more intolerable, as Courland and Livonia are the graineries of the north. We reached Mittau, the capital of Courland, in the evening; the first object upon entering the town is the vast neglected palace of the late sovereign Dukes of Courland; it is built of brick, is stuccoed with white, stands upon an eminence, and has not a tree or a shrub near-it. Mittau is a long, straggling, ill-built town, and most wretchedly paved. The Empress Cathe rine obtained this province in a most disgraceful manner-a-la-mode de Napoleon-by insidiously exciting a dispute between the Courlanders and the duke, respecting a canal; she then invited the duke to Petersburgh, and scarcely had he passed the bridge of Mittau, before her emissaries procured a meeting of the Courland nobility, in which it was agreed to put the country under the care of the empress. Swords, indeed, were drawn, but the presence of the Russian general decided the matter, and the duke heard of the revolution at Petersburgh, and was compelled to submit to it. His kingdom was gone, and his person in the hands of Catherine.

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