of the Señora de Oca, and other relics, to procure a safe accouchement for the Queen; while gay silk and satin curtains and bed-coverings, mostly crimson, decorated the balconies, crowded with the beauty and fashion of the place. The fine open space occupied by the bed of the river, though not often containing much water; the bridges, which have always a picturesque effect; the beautiful shady alamedas, or the Espolon and Espelon Nuevo, with their hedges of rose-trees on each side of the river; and the picturesque old gate of Santa Maria, form as cheerful and as pleasant a prospect as any town enjoys, enhanced greatly by the view of the old city, rising above the modern houses and the cathedral, one of the finest and externally perhaps the most elegant temple ever erected to the divinity.

The horrors of war, foreign and domestic, are over; the commerce of the little town is increasing; and large houses are building in every direction, some of them handsome ones. Burgos can boast of being the place where, in 1169, the first Parliament assembled in Spain. Every city had its deputy, who were chosen at first by the householders at large. The chamber comprised peers and clergy; and even before the fifteenth century, the power of the Cortes was very great.*

The remains of the grandeur of Burgos may be

* Prescott's Ferdinand and Isabella, p. 20.

traced not only in her splendid cathedral, fine churches and convents, but also in the houses of her nobles. I have mentioned the palace of the Constable; in the Calle San Lorenzo there are about a dozen of their residences, with sculptured arched doorways, and some of them with round turrets; and in the Calle Avellares there are some portals richly decorated with busts and columns.* The entrance, also, of the Casa de Miranda, in the Calle de la Calera, on the other side of the river, is worth observing for its decorations, and double fluted Corinthian columns on each side; the figures also supporting the arms are graceful. The patio is very rich with its abundance of ornaments, figures, and fluted columns, but the capitals are in bad taste.

There are some few paintings collected at Burgos, but probably rubbish, as usual. I walked to the Institution first, whence I was sent to St. Jeronimo, and there told the curé had the key, and was teaching, and I could not get the porter to ask for it. They said if I returned at one, I should see them, and I did so, but found no curé and no key (Cosas de España). A traveller must either waste his time in staying twice as long in every city as ought to be

* The numbers best worth observing in the first street are Nos. 4, 6, 8, 14, 17, 23, 27, 28, 29, and 31; in the second, Nos, 4, 6, and 8.

required, or leave something unseen from the difficulty of getting access. I am weary of the words sta cerrada (it is closed), and the little value Spaniards have of any time but their own. They never think of keeping appointments.

After several applications, I was at last fortunate enough to meet with the Governor, who grants permission to see the castle; and certainly the ascent, which is but trifling beyond the house of the Cid, is worth the trouble. It is built on the site of the original palace of the Kings of Old Castile, and is the birthplace of Don Pedro the Cruel, and there the Cid married his faithful wife, and our Edward I. espoused Eleanor of Castile. The situation of the castle is very strong, as the Duke of Wellington perceived, and his artillery and forces being quite inadequate, raised the siege and retired to Ciudad Rodrigo, when he heard of Soult's approach with a very superior

army.

The view of the old town and its glorious cathedral, the alamedas, Vega, and distant mountains, is very fine, and the Vegas of the Huelgas and the Hospital del Ré are extremely pretty; the river winding through a verdant vale, richly planted with trees, is a refreshing sight in Castile. The Inn de las Postas, or as it is generally called del Doran, is the best, and the dinners are good for Spain; but clean as the rooms appeared, we had a crawler or two

for about the fourth or fifth time during our tour. If we had changed our beds as frequently during as many months in England, or in any other country, we might perhaps have been equally unfortunate.

VOL. II.

CHAPTER XVI.

DEPARTURE FROM BURGOS-PASS OF PANCORBO-VITORIASTREETS-PROMENADES-SAN MIGUEL-SAN VICENTE-BAT

TLE OF VITORIA-PAMPLONA-CATHEDRAL-IGNACIO LOYOLA ADIEU TO SPAIN-BAYONNE-BORDEAUX-METTRAY.

BEING disappointed in finding room at Burgos in the diligences, which at this season of the year are generally full from Madrid, we were obliged to take the courier in the evening, which I regretted, the country being more interesting than our former routes through the Castiles. They go at the rate of eight or nine miles an hour, but are more than twice as expensive as the diligences, on lines where opposition has reduced the prices of the latter; and they only allow thirty pounds of luggage to each passenger, and charge very high for the surplus.

The route was pleasant to Briviesca-the country, bounded by hills, was rich in pastures and corn, and trees were not wanting. That town seemed a