Mineralog
y ?.
Mineral!'
Waters».
Natural'
Éuriofities..
oilier minerals are ratlier curious than important, fuch as the heautifufi,
eryftallized fulpliur found' at C o n illa 'n o t far from Cadiz, the' elaft-ic--
marble o f M alaga, the green marble refembling the V erde Antico found,
near Granada, and: the red gypfum with red .cryftals o f C ompoftella-
M u rc ia produces th a t fine red earth called almagrv, w ith which the-
Spanifh fnuff is mingled.15. The. aventurime feems a Spanifli name,, andi
a Spanifh diftevery, being a fëlfpar fprinkledi with golden; TOP^idif-
Covered in- Arragon and neat -the- eape dtr Gata in Granada,..h.ut ,-fine*
■fpecimens are allb brought from*Piedmont'} and-accordingito fome Jate|
mineratogifts, the-richeft’are tho Ruffian, from the little ifle Cedlo-»
vatoi in the White- S^iU'
Spain contains many 'mineral waters, but few are celebrated ieAThe:
hot i|tihg£ o f Rivera de Abajo are fituated pot fa» from .Oviedo, and
bear fome refemblance to thofe o f Bath. Ne&r AJieant-aret the- baths ofc
Buzot, warm fprings ©f a chalybeate nature,, rifihg. like. the. fbrtneE-
among calcareous hills.
' The natural euriofities of Spain have been Titdeuflluftratedi,. The-
reck of Gibraltar, as is well-known, in iome, parts contains, bpnes
which have been fhppofed to be human} but are now,- difcQVered to>
belong to quadrupeds, and to have been depofited in the ffiflpr.es from-
above* This rock is chiefly calcareous, and on the weft fide is, a
ftalaöitie eave called St. Michael’s* The river Guadiana,. rifing .in. a
calcareous country, appears and difappears.iike.fome o f our„ ftrearqs -in
the N. o f England under fimikc cucumftances. A deep apd rugged*
dale near Alberca, in Eftramadura, Once attraüed. great poticÊ, from*
die Angular manners of the inhabitants^16
SP A H I S H ISLES;.
T hb. chief circumjacent iflands belonging, to-Spain are Majorca*,
Minorca», and Eviza or according to Spanifli orthography Mallorca,,
*5 J.,de» M. Ib. » Dillonj a.70.
Menorca^
Menorca, Ibiza. Majorca is about 55 Englifli miles in length, b y 45
in breadth. T h e N. W . part is h illy ; th e reft abounds w ith cultivated
land, vineyards,, orchards, and ‘m e adows; the air is .temperate, and
th e honey h ighly efteemed': there is generally a cohliderabl'e military
force in the ifle. T h e capital, feated on a fair bay, is an elegant city,
and is fuppofed to contain 10,000 inhabitants. . H e re was born the
farhous Raymond L 'n lly ^ a ' vifmnary of th’e fo u rte en th century. -Ma-
j'orjca was re'conquere^ from the1 "" Moors" 'lay king of Arragon,
i t was affighed t o ‘' a prince o f th e houfe o f
A rra g o n : James? fh e fitft, king d i e d ‘in . 1 [a rj^A g e ‘d-},68; and was fuc-
jleeded bylSaffcho.; wbo.lMH-j24 w a f followed by James II, defeated,
and flain in. 1,371.9 by the' a rmy of,-die king o f ; Arragon, - to- which crown-
(jhe ifle reverted- Jttffe ^ rlf& h ^ f 6 f Ma^dfcadifew1 u p a .qbde o f Palatine
laWs, for the dofideftic government of-tKe palaee, which is fti.ll extant.
Tt Major oaf) is generally, in too ftfong- a- ftate .of. defenceto admit of an
ealjy' cqnqueft, biut NJpgatca. has heem fepeatedly^^ized by the Englifli,
fo whom it prefents an advantageous* ftatiphf&r the Mediterranean
trade, t It - is about 3omil4es in .length, by about 12 of medial .breadth.
The air is .moift, and the. foil rather barren, .beingchieny' calcareous,
ryith ft-ad, and fipe‘ marbled The wine is pVaifed j^and. tlie* inhabitants
retain a lhare of their ancient replication, as excellent flingers. Citta-
della, the capital, has ‘a tolerable haven,, but the .population and fortt-
nca-ttons, are off litde; con^quenc&x MaKon 'onffiffl|j' E. ha£ mi
Excellent harbour} and received -its namefirpm'Mag©,th*| Carth'aginiad
general.
Eviza i^the neafeft.to about iymifds long-and 1,2 broau. It
is remarkable feft u&Truds, ana abundance t f es^c^entiaTt.
S panish
I sles.
Majorca.
Minorca.
VOL. I.