d a hole in the wall. I don't think you or I would much
like to spend a winter in Russia.

Many useful things, you may observe, have come from Spain--cheeses,
honey, dried fruits, salt, lime, wool, oil, flax, and cotton; with
guns, swords, and also beautiful ornaments; with some precious
stones, diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. The Spaniards are not either a
very active or a very cleanly people, but they are exceedingly proud,
honest, and hospitable; they are skilful workers in woollen and silk
stuffs, and manufacture sword-blades of a very fine kind; while their
leather is celebrated for its superiority. They also work beautifully
in gold and silver; and trade in immense quantities of those oranges
you like so well, lemons, citrons, grapes, raisins, olives, nuts, and
wines.

The chief amusement of both high and low is one which neither you nor
I would be pleased with, I hope, for it is bull-fighting; which cruel
entertainment they learned from the Moors, who once had possession of
Spain, and built all the beautiful castles and palaces that are in it.
The manners of the rich people are merely like those of our own
gentry, but the common people are very peculiar; and all classes
delight in playing on the guitar, and singing, both of which they
perform charmingly. They have also two favourite dances, called a
fandango, and a bolero, both extremely lively and graceful. The mode
of conveyance in Spain is by mules, and these beasts are surprisingly
obedient to their masters, and answer to their own names just like our
own pet dogs. The tails of the mules are oddly decorated, by cutting
the hair into stars, flowers, and other fanciful designs.

The villages are mostly mean, and the roads narrow; but Madrid, the
capital of Spain, is a large city, with long, straight streets, many
of them cooled by noble fountains. The houses in Madrid are built of
brick, and even the grandest of them have only lattices, instead of
glass windows, most of which have, however, handsome balconies,
supported on columns. In the churches, there are neither pews,
benches, nor chairs; the ground is covered with matting, on which
every one kneels together, from the grandee to the beggar. In the
suburbs there are many woods of evergreen oak, vineyards, olive
plantations, and orchards of mulberry, plum, and almond trees; and the
flocks of black sheep and goats, grazing in the country meadows, have
a pretty effect.

I don't think you would find the Spa