that till within a few months the very existence of the
Gospel was almost unknown in Spain, and that it must necessarily be a
difficult task to induce a people like the Spaniards, who read very
little and who in general consider money expended in books of any kind as
cast away, to purchase a work like the New Testament, offering them
little prospect of amusement, and which, though the basis of all true
religion, they have never been told is useful as a guide to salvation.

Let us hope that the present is the dawning of better and more
enlightened times, and though little has been accomplished, still it is
more than nothing that Testaments are being sold in unhappy benighted
Spain, from Madrid to the northernmost part of Galicia, a distance of
nearly four hundred miles.

In about a fortnight I shall depart for Santiago, where I intend to pass
several days; then retracing my steps to Corunna I shall visit Ferrol,
whence I shall perhaps shape my course for Oviedo in the Asturias, either
along the seashore or by the mountain route, in which latter case I
should have to revisit Lugo. Every part of Galicia abounds with robbers
and factious, so that almost all travelling is at an end, and the road to
Santiago is so bad that no one is permitted to travel it unless in
company with the weekly post, which goes attended by a strong military
escort. This gives me some uneasiness, as the stallion I ride is so
vicious and furious that it is dangerous to bring him in contact with
other horses whom, with the exception of his companion, he invariably
attacks, getting me into all manner of scrapes. An old Castilian
peasant, whose pony he had maltreated, once said to me, 'Sir Cavalier, if
you have any love for yourself, get rid of that beast, who is capable of
proving the ruin of a kingdom.' But he is a gallant creature who seldom
tires, and he has borne me too far to permit me to think of parting with
him.

Since my arrival at Corunna I have received advice from my agent at
Valladolid that the forty copies which I deposited in his hands have been
sold, and that he was anxious for a fresh supply. I have accordingly
ordered fifty more to be sent him from Madrid. Since my departure from
the capital I have myself disposed of sixty-five, without including those
sold at Lugo and other places by means of the advertisements, on which I
principally rely, as they speak at all times whether I am present or
absent.

I wish it to be distinc