ime
Marlborough was gaining his victories elsewhere, when she had to fight
Spain and France single-handed--for Barcelona, it will be remembered,
formed part of an independent kingdom. Louis XIV. sent Berwick with
40,000 men to the rescue of Philip V., and an English fleet under
Wishart blockaded them. Against this formidable array, Barcelona acted
with courage, but the foe was strong. She fell; was sacked, burnt, and
lost her privileges. In the War of Succession, in 1795, her almost
impregnable fort was taken by Lord Peterborough--one of the great
captures of modern times. But she arose again and kept her prosperity
until Napoleon obtained possession of her by treachery in 1808, when
Duhesme, entering with 11,000 men as a pretended ally, took the Citadel.
Napoleon looked upon Barcelona as the key of Spain, and considered it
practically impregnable.

Of the beauty of her site there can be only one opinion, but she is, and
always has been, very Republican. That her people are noisy, turbulent,
riotous, they have clearly shown of late years. In any revolt she would
be ready to take the lead. Should the kingly power ever fall in Spain,
Barcelona will be amongst the first to hoist the red flag. Though no
longer the terror of the Mediterranean, she seems to have regained more
than her former prosperity, and on a safer basis than of old. In 1868
one of the last vestiges of antiquity--the town walls--disappeared to
make way for the modern element.

But if the streets of Barcelona are modern, and to some extent
uninteresting, the same cannot be said of her churches. She is rich in
ecclesiastical treasures. Catalonia has a style of architecture as
marked as it is pre-eminently her own. If her churches are less
magnificent and extensive than those of other countries, in some points
they are more beautiful.

We have referred to one of these points--the extreme width of the
interiors. This, however, is not a feature in Barcelona, though in both
height and breadth it is splendidly proportioned. In effect, tone and
feeling, we place this cathedral before all others whether in Spain or
elsewhere. Beauty and refinement, the repose of a dim religious light,
softness and perfection of colouring, these merits cannot be surpassed.
Crowded with detail, it is so admirably designed that perfect harmony
exists. Every succeeding hour spent within its walls seems to bring to
light some new and unexpected feature. Day after day admiration
incr