h t P R E F A C E .
confequence to tlie Spaniards, as they extraâ from the cinnabar ore of that mine, the major
part of the quickfilver that is requifite for the working o f their filver mines in America.— Mr.
Bowles relatés that he fet out for Almadén on the 17 th o f Jtily, 175Y, and having with great
attention vifited the mines, he oifered new propofals to the Spaniih miniftry, in which was con-,
íáiriéd á mófe eligible procefs than that which had been ádópted fór extfaCting the quickfilver,
which was certified by experiments made on thé fpot, in thé prèfence o f the king1 s officers,
which récéivéd the approbation o f government, and férved to fix him iil their fervice. Several
yéárs after this firft expedition he' continued his prôgréls through mort o f the provinces of
Spain, óf which he has given rather á defúltory, thoiigh curious account, which he laid before
the public, aild publiihed at Madrid in 17 75, dedicated to his catholic májéfty Charles the third.
In the letters which I now prelent to the public., I have, included moft o f the obfervations
and remarks of Mr. Bowles in the courfe of his various journi.es, from the year 1752 down to
the prefent time, which were read with great applaufe by the Spaniards, and bought up with
fuch eagernefs, that in 1778 no copies were to be found. A tranflation was foon after made
into French by the vifeount de Flavigny, who has every where literally followed the original
text, without any additional note or obfervation (<2) : in the progrefs of a work o f fo extenfive a
nature, which comprifes fuch a variety o f fubjeâs, we could not reafbnably expert that Mr.
Bowles, as a foreigner^ and more particularly at his advanced age, could fet before the public*
in the metropolis of Spain, fo elaborate a performance, without the afliftance o f a native per-
feâ ly acquainted with his maternal language,, till now fo little introduced in philofophical re-*
fear ches, though extremely copious and éxpreflive..
Accordingly we find rio l'efs a perfon in thé literary world than thé ingéhióu's and erudite
Don Nicholas de Azara, the prefent Spaniih agent at the court o f Rome, the reviibr o f this
work; but notwithfiandirig this extraordinary àffiftàricé, there remain many obfeure paflkges
in different parts o f the text, which neceffarily render an exaâ tranflation extremely difficult,
as well as tedious and difagreeable. Some paffages are merely local, and would therefore afford
little or no entertainment to an Engliih reader. We find moreover, that in his introduction
he is compelled, from a deficiency of expreifion applicable to his fubjeâ, tó enter into tedious
details. The ambiguity o f the Spaniih language perplexes him, .and throws a cloud over
ihis meaning. After this he further tells.us, that lie confines himfejf to no kind óf order or
method ; one chapter treats o f Valencia, the next „of Aragon, another of Bifcay, Catalonia, or
theEfcurial, and what is foncewhat fingular, the thirtieth chapter prefents us with his firft journey
from Bayonne into Spain. Judging it expedient to avoid fuch confufion, I hâve endeavoured
to arrange his materials in a proper manner; and have accordingly divided this
work into two parts. The firft comprifes the jóumey to Madrid, by the way of Navatre,
then I enter into a defcriptidn of the northern: parts ‘Óf Spaift;Mvhich iricludés many remarkable
objeâs in Caftile, Aragon, and Bifcay. In the fécond part, departing from Madrid, I traía).
Introduâion a l’hiftoire, naturelle et a la geographic phyíique de L’Eipagne traduit de l’original Ef*
pagnol de Guillermo Bowles, par le Vicomte de Flatfgny. Paris, 1775. gvo.
yerfe
P R E F A C E. v
■veffe the provinces of Eftremadura, Andalufia, Grenada, Murcia, Valencia, and Catalonia; and
(though many of thefe diftriâs have been the immediate objeâs o f my obfervation, I ingenu-
ouily acknowledge that the chief remarks, with regard to the natural hiilory of thofe provinces,
are from Mr. Bowles’s valuable memoirs ; where I have differed from lrim in opinion, my
■objeâion is thrown into a note ; and where I judged extraneous matter was introduced,
it is . fuppreffed ; upon the whole, if I can derive the merit of giving thefe iheets an
Èngliffi drefs, or afford any kind o f novelty by enlivening the text, I ihall be fatisfied in having
compafledmy defign ; more efpecially, if the literati ihouid indulge me with the opinion,
that I have offered them any thing deferving their attention, which has not appeared before in
print, occafioned by the dearth of refearch in a country fo rich neverthelefs in materials, that
Mr. Bowles juftly calls it u A Virgin Land.”
There are, I flatter mÿfelf, fome parts of this book, which cannot, in any refpeâ, be confi-
-dered as borrowed from Mr. Bowles’ s work : in thofe parts the hiftorian and the antiquary
may probably meet with fuch detached pieces, as have ’hitherto efcaped their obfervation.
I muft acknowledge that I am lik,ewife indebted to the works o f the celebrated Don Antonio
Ponz, fecretary to the royal academy o f San Fernando at Madrid, whofe travels through Spain
•have met with universal applaufe and recommended him to the royal favour. As thé extenfive
circulation of Ponz’ s works induced Mr. Bowles not to quote from them, I have been prevailed
upon to avail myfelf of them, judging they would be agreeable to the Engliih reader, arid
have endeavoured to blend the quotations with the text, in fuch a manner as I deemed would
render them the moft acceptable : my defign being merely intended as an effay to afford a guide
to future travellers. It is offered to the public in the flattering expectation that it may ftimu-
late more capable travellers to inveftrgate the fubjeâs it treats o f with greater judgment and
accuracy. A fummary account of the mineral waters of Trillo is introduced with a flmilar view,
It is feleâed from the judicious treatife of Dr. Ortega,- F. R. S. and I am indebted to the .obfervations
o f the late Don Jofeph Ouer, his Majefly’s Surgeon, for what is offered on the virtues
o f the Perennial leaved Strawberry tree.
I f it ihouid be urged'that I have taken too great liberties with Mr. Bowles’s text, let it be remarked,
I have invariably prefixed his name at the head o f each letter, any part of the contents
o f which is borrowed from him, to acknowledge fairly my obligation. I have 1 ike wife endea^-
voured to do juftiee to his ideas as far as the great variation of idioms would allow ; it being as
diftant as poflible from my intentions to depreciate in the fmalleft degree, the. extraordinary
merit, which muft impartially be afcribed to his uncommon talents. To what I have faid I
muft fubjoin that it never was my intent to produce a tranflation of his book; .of which many
curious pieces are ‘omitted--relative to patina, thé Mexican mines, and other mifcellaneous matter.
On the-Whole I have aimed at catching the qriinteffence of his book. I have ventured to
communicate it to my countrymen for their inftruâion, benefit, and entertainment. How far
I have fucceeded, I leave to the candid, the intelligent reader; -but ihall venture to fay with
"Wentworth Dillon, Earl of Rofcommon,