with other manufactures of the kind, wefe its varniihlefs
liable to crack and fcale off (a).
The famous marble quarry o f Nctquera is three leagues
from Valencia ; the village is on an eminence, and the
quarry is on one fide near the furface in beds of a few
inches, formed feemingly by the waters. The marble is
o f a dark red ground, with black capillary veins like a«
mocha, which have a very good effect. Though the beds
do not fink deep, it is hard enough to make foiid tables,
which take an excellent poliih, and are greatly valued
in Spain. Two leagues to. the eaftward of the city
there is a quarry of alabafter, at a place called Ntnerola,
o f which fubftance many curious pieces of workmanihip
may be feen in the houfe of the marquis of Dos Aguas
in the city o f Valencia. At two leagues, diftance from
the city, on the banks of the river, the ruins of the an-
tient city are difco-vered; near them they find, monftrous
petrifactions o f oyilcr ihells, like thofe- of Murcia, mixed
with rounded fand ftone; hut nothing, of one or the
other is found in the river.
• It is an agreeable tour o f five leagues from: Valencia
to Morviedfo, famous for the remains of the antient
Saguntum and its Roman theatre, defcribed by dean
(a) It goes b y the name o f C ount Aranda’ s ware, an d is fold at Midrid.
Marti
Marti (a) as well as by fuch Englifh travellers as have paffed
that way. The plants on the hill of Morviedro and its
neighbourhood, are prickly pears, henbane, {linking
orache, mithridate, capers, marihmallow and thyme.
The view from the top o f the hill is moil beautiful, with
an extenfive profpecl o f the vale and city o f Valencia
and the Mediterranean. At a few leagues diftance from
hence to the South Eaft, beyond a chain o f hills, con-
fiftingof red marble and lime rock, the Carthufian Monks
have a convent fituated in a perfecfl paradife, where they
make excellent wine. The gullies and fields are filled
with pudding-ftone o f different fizes, firmly conglu-
tinated together; their church is built with a ftone of
this kind, veined with white fpar ; but who will inform
us whether this fpar exifted before or after the conglutination
of the ftone with its natural bitumen ? The ftone
is undoubtedly of ufe to the vine, preferving to its root
in the night, the genial heat of the day, while it ihades
it at noon from the fcorching rays of the fun. There are
two copper mines near this convent.
To return to the plains of Valencia, it would be an
endlefs theme to enlarge upon its produCls ; they culti-
.(a) The befl edition of Dean Marti’s letters " Aloffi Martini epiltoke,” with a plate of Sa-
guntum, in 410, was p'rinted in Holland from an edition i'vol.'in I m o , and the life another
volume by Mayans, printed at Madrid by Sir Benjamin Keene. This edition is now fcarce
and dear in Spain, and. the Dutch edition is better.
B b b 2 vate