L ib r o de exercicios de la gineta p or Bernardo de V arg as Machucha. Madrid,
id o o . Svo.
E x erc icio s de la gin eta p or D on G rego rio de T a p ia . M adrid, 1643.
Manejo R e a l p o r D o n Manuel A lv a re z Oforio y V e g a Conde de Grajal. M a drid,
173 3 !
T h e great fwiftnefs o f the Spanilh horfes perhaps g a v e rife to their fabulous
o r ig in , which was humouroufly alluded to b y M r . A ddifon , in one o f his papers,
in the fp e fta to r, N ° 12 7 , v o l. 4. where fp eakin g o f the ladies drefs at that time,
he fays, “ W e re they lik e Spanilh gennets to impregnate b y the wind, they could
not have thought on a more proper invention.”
L E T T E R X IV .
M r . Bowles informs us, that after the molt d ilig en t obfervation in that lingular
range o f hills o f the Sierra Vermeja, he could find nothing which feemed to confirm
the opinion relating to the faliant and reentrant angles o f Bo u rg e t, and other
modern philofophers, which the A bbate F o rtis , in his late travels through D a lmatia
feems further to have ingenioutly refuted. “ T h a t fyftem, fays he, feems
to have found more partizans than it deferved, and feveral o f them have gained
themfelves no honour b y adopting it . I t was fufficient indeed to lia y in their
chambers, and to theorife at their eafe on go od geo graphical maps, concerning
the truth o f the propofition, tha t the ftdes o f the large vallies, as well as thafe of the
Jhores of the fea corrcfpond -with one another, and I , who have taken the trouble to
examine many o f them, am perfuaded, that neither the fides of the fea Jhores, nor
thofe o f the large valltes confiantly correfpondwith each other."
M r . Bowles allures us, in his introduction, p a g e 13 , T h a t th ough E n g lan d ,
F rance and Germany abound with chalk hills , he never obferved the leaft appearance
o f any fuch in Spain, o f that fort defcribed b y Cronfted, under the title o f
terra calcarta, pura folida friabilis. S e it . vi.
I co u ld have wilhed to have laid before m y readers a r to re exa£t account o f the
filh on the different coafts o f Spain, b u t this requires a fixed refidence in the
fea p o r t s ; moreover a ll communication be in g at prefent interrupted, it has p re vented
vented me not only on this oceafton, b u t on lome others, from g iv in g more ac curate
information. D on Bernardo d« U llo a fays, they catch a fpefcies o f filh, on
the coaft o f G alicia, lik e our cod, which would be as ufeful as that from the
banks o f Newfoundland, i f any encouragement was g iv en to the fifhermen (« ).
T h e belt fcallops are catched on the co a ft of* G a lic ia near C om p o fte lla , infomuch
that on account o f their lufeious tafte and other properties, they are faid to be in
high efteem with the pilgrims o f both fexes, who refort to the jhrine o f Santiago at
Compoftella. In fqrmer times the T u n n y filhery was v e ry epnfiderable on the coaft
o f A ndalufta, near Con'd, b u t when D o n Bernardo de U llo a , was w r itin g , he
complains, that the filheries that ufed to b r in g in a revenue o f e igh ty thoufand
ducats to the territory o f Medin a Sidonia was then reduced to e igh t thoufand. T h e
places where they catch the filh, are called Almadravas.
O u r wine trade with Spain is fo confiderable, that it has induced me to enumerate
the various forts o f wine which that k in gd om p ro d u c e s :
Bifcay,
m
Caftile, - ■ -
See p a g e 156 o f this work.
A wine made with cherries.
A lig h t red wine, and one o f the
beft drank a t M ad r id , from
the v illa g e o f that name near
Madrid.
A m o lt e x ce llen t lig h t red wine,
w ith a v e ry p leafing flavour.
In L a Mancha. T h e wine from
this place praifed b y honeft
Sancho Panza, who lo v ed his
bo ttle .
T h e lig h t red wine common in
L a Mancha, and v e ry g o o d .
A n agreeable white wine from
the d ift r ift o f R io ja .
(«)' Reftablecimiento de las fabrieas y comercio Efpanol por Don Bernardo de UUpa. Madrid, 1740.
This gentleman was father to the prefont admiral of that name, Don Antonio, de Uiloa; of whom mention.
is madp in page 326 of this work.
I i i 2 A ra g o n ,
C h aco li, - - -
V in o de guindas,
Foncarral, - -
Valdepeñas, -
C iudad ReaJ, -
L a Mancha, •
Ribadavia,