themfelves, fappreffing the name of the ingenious Spaniard
; but this perfon, whofe name was Jofeph Lnca-
telli, was a native o f Carinthia, one o f the .provinces of
the houfe of Auftria, who having made his experiments
before the emperor Leopold in 1663, at the caftle of
Laxemberg, near Vienna, obtained a certificate o f its
utility from the imperial court, and then came to that of
Madrid, and performed other experiments equally fuc-
cefsful at the Buen Retiro, in the prefence of Philip the
4th, from whom he obtained an exclufive patent for the
foie vending o f his plough for 24 reals plate in Europe,
(about 11 s.) and 32 reals plate (about 141. 63.) in America,
o f which a printed account was publifhed by Luca-
telli, at Seville, in 1664. A model of this plough was
fent by Lord Sandwich, then ambaifador at Madrid, to
John Evelyn, Efq; who prefented it to the royal fociety,
with a letter defcribing its ufe, which was inferted in
the philofophical tran fact ions o f the 23d o f February,
1669-70, and the model depoiited in Greiham college.
Nothing can be more bleak and difmal than the general
afpeft of the country round the feat o f its monarch,
with a great want of trees, to which the Caftilians
have fuch a diflike, from a falfe notion that they increafe
the number of birds to eat up their corn; as i f this rea-
fon would not hold good in other countries, where
ihade is not fo neceifary, as it is in Caftile, to fupport
the
the moifturd o f the foil ; or that it was ever an objection
in Valencia, a kingdom fo fertile and wooded : the Caftilians
not refleâing, that the feed's o f plants, and
leaves of trees, afford nurture for iafecis, and birds, arid
prevent them from deftroying the grain as they do in
Caftile, for want o f other food ; beiides the advantage o f ■ • O
fcreening the earth in hot weather, and preferving a
due moifture after dews and rain ; for without their aid,
the fcorching beams: of the fun paréh up the earth, and
render it unfruitful ; fo that what little comes up is devoured
by birds, in a climate where nature feems to have
deiigned it ihould be otherwife ; for the climate of
Madrid is not in itfelf averfe to the propagation of
trees, as may be feen by the public walks, and modern
improvements and plantations. The old hiftorians ipeak
particularly o f the woods, and o f their advantageous
iituation for foreft beafts, as appears from a book written
by king Alfonfo el ultimo, called Libro de Monteria
del Rey Bon Æonfo-, in which that monarch extols the
country near Madrid, for its ihady fituation and exten-
iive woods, well adapted for hunting the flag, wild
boar, and even of bears (a).
* ) L ib ro d e Momeria p o f'G . A r g o t td s Molina ISS*.' This carious boot was drawn
>fp by the particular" command of King Alfonfo ; Argote i t Molina being on lf the editor.
It contains three books, and is very ferviceable for the right undemanding the geography o f
Caftihvand I,eon in tltofe days, Befidès particular dweflions for bfeakihg of dogs,' and (»in-
eng them properly, there is a circutnllamial detail Wf the vatldufwoo'dl, and CHatlohi, pro-
per for venary, and foreft beads, tmderftood under the' title' of Monteria^ fuch as the bear,
I I fhall