wind‘d, that reign in the winter; renders it exeeffively
cold', while in fufnmer the fionthern and wefterly bfafis
are generally attended with dampnefs and rain. Travellers
have told u*s, the air is fo fubtlte that if a dead
dog was thrown into the ftreets over night, he would
not have a bit o f flefh on his bones in the morning,
but this is a fable, as it is a known-fail, that dead dogs
and cats lie in the ftreets eontmually; .as well as dead
males,, clofe to the road fide, for days together, without
any fuch effecft.
Hiftorians relate that King John 2d being in Madrid,
in i43‘4, it began to rain and fhow on the 29th of October,
and never ceafed till the 7th January following,
infontruck that feveral houfcs were dellroyed, and the
inhabitants reduced to the greateft diftrefs for want of
provifions; a report having been fpread that the King
intended, to alienate the town, the inhabitants petitioned
the King not to defert them,. which finally terminated
in a royal edift of the 3ot^ May *4 42, by
which it was ordained that neither the town or its ju-
rifdidlion, could ever be alienated.
The principal ftreets of Madrid are paved with cut
flint, the others with pebbles, found in the neighbourhood,
the cut flint on account o f its fliarpnefs is very
inconvenient to foot paflengers, and the flat pavement
near the houfes is too narrow. The town is well fiup-
t - f - . . plied
plied with water, and there are conduits in the principal
ftreets ; that called del berrò, in the neighbourhood
o f the town, is conftantly drank by the royal family
wherever they are. The bread is white and good, and
when the barrennefs o f the country all round is confidered,
the plaza mayor or principal fquare, where thy
market is kept, is extremely well fupplied with all manner
of provifions.
Mr. Bowles has obferved that if that celebrated p r o
feflor Mr. Henckel, had come to Madrid, he would
foon have been convinced o f his error, in faying that
“ flint was not to be found in ftrata and only in detached
lumps, or in maffes, for here he would find all thè
environs, replete with ftrata of flint ; and moreover not a
houfe or a building, but what has been conftruéìed with
lime made from flint (a), which ferves alfo for fire arms,
as well as for the pavement. In fome places pieces are
‘ It is allowed that nature by fonte procefs unknown to us, feems to-change limeflone into
flint, but this change once made, we cannot by calcination or any other known means
convert flint into lime,:-it is true that flint may be calcined, and then it loies its flinty appearance,
becomes white and may b y ‘a fuperficial obferver be miftaken for lime, but it will not
unite with an acid, it will not diffolve ip water, it will not make a cement; in ihort it do.es
not poffefs any o f the diftinguiflring properties of lime. There are in this ifland beds o f lime-
flone Gratified with layers of flint, and it is probably the cafe with thefe hills near Madrid ; fo
that they get flint and. Jimeitone from the fame quarry.
I am indebted to an ingenious friend fince jny return to England for this obfervation, and
as I hud not an opportunity ofiafcertaining the point to fatisfe&ion vyith refpe# to thofe p lates
near Madrid, I have related the circumitance as flated by Mr. Bowles, with hopes that
fotìie future traveller in Spain may be inclined to examine that ground more minutely.
found