e takes too
favourable a view of the Spanish character; that he is led away by his
love for the nation. The following passages are rather remarkable--

"No people in existence," he says, "are so little anarchical in their
habits, or live, unless under immediate excitement, in a more orderly
and peaceable manner, or are so easily governed. The presiding genius of
the country is tranquillity, and quiet, inoffensive demeanour, in every
class of society, and in every part of the kingdom; nor is there any
necessity, unless where domination, or unpopular and false principles
are the object, for the application of force to coerce them at any time.
What they want, by their universal consent, is a steady, progressive,
and intelligent government, that will lead the way in the changes and
improvements which every class, at least the far greater majority, are
desirous of seeing carried out, but which their indolence and easy
habits prevent originating with themselves alone."

"_Aide toi, et Dieu t'aidera_," says the French proverb. It is really a
pity that a proper dry-nurse cannot be procured for these quiet and
inoffensive people, who have been slaughtering each other, with small
intermission, for the last ten years, to say nothing of previous
instances of mansuetude. Unfortunately, however, they are as jealous of
being helped as, according to Captain Widdrington's own admission, they
are incompetent to help themselves. "_Es una lastima_," as they would
say; but really at this rate there seems no chance of their ever getting
their country into a prosperous, or even a decent, state. We fully agree
with Captain Widdrington in liking the Spanish character as a whole, in
appreciating its fine qualities, in rendering ample justice to that
courtesy of feeling and manner so agreeable to those who have
intercourse with Spaniards, and that may truly be called national,
seeing that it is found as commonly under the coarse _manta_ of the
muleteer as beneath the velvet-lined _capa_ of the high-born hidalgo;
but we have some small experience of Spain, and a more considerable one
of Spaniards, and we cannot for the life of us think them so tractable
and easy to guide into the right path, or so exceedingly averse to
bloodshed. "The truth is, that, excepting in cases of deadly feud, which
sometimes happen, in no country in the world is life more
secure."--(Vol. ii. p. 358.) We will not contradict the Captain, but it
has always appeared to us th