rant of the fallacy of the report, as their flocks were con-
ilantly grazing there ; yet, fo great was the prejudice and
ignorance of the people, that Thomas Goncales Manuel,
a clergyman of the town of Alberca, thought it necefiary
to juftify his countrymen, and in 1693, publiihed an ef-
fay in their defence, under the title of “ A true narrative
and apologetical declaration of the antiquity o f Batuecas;”
in which he ferioufly refutes the illufion by authentic
documents and records, belonging to the town of
Alberca, and its neighbourhood.
The late father Feijoo faid every thing neceifary on
this fubjeit, in his critical works (a), intended to explode
the many vulgar errors that prevail amongft his countrymen,
adding his aftoniihment that they ihould have been
corroborated by national writers, fuch as Nieremberg (b)
and Alonfo Sanchez (c); by which means they even gdt
credit abroad, and geographical writers of no fmall reputation
ventured to copy them; particularly Thomas Corneille,
and the author of the Great Atlas., as well as
Moreri in his Dictionary.
The whole of this diftriCt may properly be reduced to
an interfered valley of about a league in length, fome-
times fo confined as juit to leave room for the pafiage of
(a) Theatro critico, tom. 4, Difc. x.
(b) Nieremberg cuoriofa philofopbia, lib. i . cap. 35.
¡¡I De rebus Hifpatiije, lib. 7. cap. 5.
the
the river that gives name to the valley: This then was
that unknown country fo furprizingly dreaded, where it
is certain no others dwelled but a few wretched fhep-
herds, and fome miferable peafants, in forlorn huts,
furrounded by precipices, diverted of all intercourfe with
their neighbours, in a wild romantic fituation, which the
moft fanciful pencil would find difficult to delineate, or
the language of Shakefpeare to defcribe.
The other valley called, “ of the Jurdes,’’whichmay be,
about four leagues long, and three in breadth, yields not
to the former in wretchednefs and mifery. During the
whole journey from Alberca to Batuecas, nothing is to
be feen but a repetition o f jagged and iilihapen rocks,,
with their rugged peaks, like fo many turrets and battlements,
towering one over the other, as far as the eye can
extend, formingdreadful gullies where the river forces its
way, whofe waters are clear, abounding with trout, and
having grains o f gold in its fands, which the peafant3
know well how to look after, and fell at Plafencia, Cui-
dad Rodrigo, and Salamanca.(«), which is a great re-
fource to them in this forrowful vale ; where during winter,
the fun’s rays can hardly penetrate for above four
hours in the day. To increafe ftill further its horror, the
hills are perforated with difmal caves, one above the o-
(a) The fame happens in the river Sil, in Galicia, where the poor people are employed in
this manner, after floods.
M m 2 ther,