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to the northward of the Straits of Gibraltar, is the great emporium of Spain, and contains 86,000 inhabitants.

Wealth and commerce.] The advantages of Spain, as to climate, foil, natural productions, rivers, navigation, and foreign poffeffions, which are immenfely rich, ought to raise this monarchy high above all other powers of Europe. Yet the reverfe is the cafe: Spain is but thinly peopled-has but little commerce-few manufactures-and what commerce it has, is almost entirely in the hands of strangers, notwithstanding the impediments thrown in their way by the government

Spain produces excellent oranges, lemons, almonds, figs, grapes, pome granates, dates, piftachios, capers, chefnuts,-tobacco, foda, faffron, honey, falt, faltpetre, wines of a rich and delicious flavour; cotton, rice, corn, oil, wool, filk, hemp, flax, &c. which with proper industry, might be exported to an amazing amount. And yet all the exports of Spain, most articles of which no other country can fupply, are estimated at only £3,333,333 fterling. Spain does not produce coin enough for its own confumption, and is under the neceffity of importing large quantities.

Government.] Spain is an abfolute monarchy. The provinces of Navarre, Bifcay, and Arragon, have preferved fome of their ancient privileges. The king's edicts must be registered in the court of Caftile, before they acquire the force of laws. The crown is hereditary both in the male and female line. By a law made in 1715, female heirs cannot fucceed till after the whole male line is extinct.

Religion.] The Roman Catholic religion, to the exclufion of all others, is the religion of the Spanish monarchy; and it is, in thefe countries, of the most bigotted, fuperftitious, and tyrannical character. All other denominations of Chriftians, as well as Jews, are expofed to all the feverities of perfecution. The power of the courts of Inquifition, eftablished in Spain in 1578, has been diminished, in fome refpects, by the interference of the civil power. It is fuppofed that the clergy of this kingdom amount to 200,000, half of whom are monks and nuns, distributed in 3000 conreuts. The revenue of the archcifhop of Tolledo is 300,000 ducats. There are in the kingdom of Spain 8 archbishops, 46 bishops; in America 6 archbishops and 28 bifhops; in the Philippine ifles, one archbishop and 3 bishops. All thefe dignities are in the gift of the king. Fifty-two inferior ecclefiaftical dignities and offices are in the gift of the

pope.

Hiftory.] The firft inhabitants of Spain were the Celta, a poeple of Gaul; after them the Phoenicians poffeffed themfelves of the moft fouthern parts of the country, and may well be fuppofed to have been the first civilizers of this kindom, and the founders of the most ancient cities. After thefe followed the Grecians; then the Carthaginians, on whose departure, fixteen years before Chrift, it became fubject to the Romans, till the year 400, when the Goths, Vandals, Suevi, Alans, and Sillingi, on Conftantine's withdrawing his forces from that kingdom to the eaft, invaded it, and divided it amongst themfelves; but the Goths in a little time were fole mafters of it under their king ALARICK I. who founded the Spanish monarchy. After a regular fucceffion of monarchs, we come to the prefent king CHARLES IVA who afcended the throne in 1788.

FANCE.

FRANCE.

Miles.
Length 600

Breadth 500 Between

{

45° and 51° North Latitude.
5° and 89 Eaft Longitude.

Boundaries. B Netherlands; eaft, by Germany, Switzerland, and Italy; fouth, by the Mediterranean and Spain; weft, by the Bay of Bifcay. Containing 400 cities, 1500 fmaller towns, 43,000 parishes, 100,000 villages.

OUNDED north, by the English channel and the

mild

Climate, Soil, Rivers, Commerce, &c.] France is fituated in a very climate. Its foil in moft parts is very fertile; it is bounded by high ridges of mountains, the lower branches of which cross the greater part of the kingdom; it confequently abounds with large rivers, fuch as the Rhone, the Loire, the Garonne, the Seine, &c. to the amount of 200, which are navigable; and it is contiguous to two oceans. Thefe united advantages render this kingdom one of the richest countries in Europe, both with refpect to natural productions and commerce. Wine is the staple commodity of France. One million fix hundred thousand acres of ground are laid out in vineyards; and the neat profit from each acre is eftimated at from 4 to 7 pounds fterling. France annually exports wines to the amount of 24 millions of livers. The fruits and other productions of France do not much differ from those of Spain, but are raised in much greater plenty. France has very important fisheries, both on her own, and on the American coaft.

In 1773, there were in France 1500 filk mills, 21,000 looms for filk tuffs, 12,000 for ribands and lace, 20,000 for filk stockings, and the different filk manufactures employed 2,000,000 of people.

In point of commerce, France may be ranked next to England and Holland. The French have the greatest share of the Levant trade-they enjoy fome valuable commercial privileges in Turkey-but their Weft. Indian poffeffions, which are admirably cultivated and governed, are the richeft. Before the late American war, the balance of commerce in favour of France was estimated at 70,000,000 livres, and has not fince been diminished.

Government.] This is a point which is not yet fettled. When a permanent government fhall be fixed, we shall give an accurate delineation of it in a future edition.

Religion.] The eftablished religion of this kingdom is the Roman Catholic; but all others are now tolerated.

In France there are 18 archbishops, 111 bishops, 166,000 clergymen. Learning] The fciences have arifen to a very great height in this kingdom, and this nation can boast of having produced great mafter pieces

in almost every branch of scientific knowledge and elegant 'literature. There are 20 universities in France. The royal academies of fciences, of the French language, and of inferiptions and antiquities at Paris, are justly celebrated.

Hiftory.] France was originally the country of the ancient Gauls, and was conquered by the Romans twenty-five years before Chrift. The Goths, Vandals, Alans, and Suevi, and afterwards the Burgundi, divided it amongst them from A. D. 400 to the 476, when the Franks, another fet of German emigrants, who had fettled between the Rhine and the Maine, completed the foundation of the prefent kingdom under Clovis. It was conquered, except Paris, by Edward III. of England, between 1341 and 1359. In 1320 an entire conqueft was made by Henry V. who was appointed regent, during the life of Charles VI. acknowledged heir to the crown of France, and homage paid to him accordingly. The English crown loft all its poffeffions in France during the reign of Henry VI. between 1434 and 1450.

The prefent king of this empire, is Lewis XVI. who was born Aug. 23, 1754; married Maria Antonietta of Auftria, May 16, 1770; aceeded to the throne upon the death of his grand-father Lewis XV. May 10, 1774; and was crowed at Rheims, June 12, 1775.

ITALY.

Between

{

38° and 47° North Latitude.
7° and 19° Eaft Longitude.

Miles. Length 6007 Breadth 400 TALY is a large peninfula, fhaped like a boot and fpur; and is bounded north, by the Alps, which divide it from France and Switzerland; cast, by the gulph of Venice, or Adriatic sea; south and west, by the Mediterranean fea.

IT

The whole of the Italian dominions comprehending Corfica and Sardinia, are divided as follows:

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Air, Soil, and Prodn&tiuons.] Italy is the most celebrated country in Europe, having been formerly the feat of the Roman empire; and is at prefent of the Pope. The country is fo fine and fruitful, that it is commonly -called the garden of Europe. The air is temperate and wholesome, excepting the territory of the church, where it is very indifferent. The foil is fertile, and produces wheat, rice, wine, oil, oranges and all forts of fruits, flowers, honey, filk; and in the kingdom of Naples are cotton and fugar. The forests are full of all kinds of On the mountains are game.

fine paftures, which feed great numbers of cattle.

Inhabitants and Character.] Italy contains between 12 and 13 millions of inhabitants. The Italians excel in complaifant, obliging behaviour to each other, and affability to foreigners; obferving a medium between the levity of the French, and the ftarch'd gravity of the Spaniards, and are by far the fobereft people that are to be found in the christian world, though they abound in the choiceft of wines. Nothing of luxury is to be feen at the tables of the great. They are generally men of wit, and have a genius for the arts and fciences; nor do they want application. Mufic, poetry, painting, fculpture and architecture are their favourite studies, and there are no people on the face of the earth who have brought them to greater perfection. But they are amorous, and addicted to criminal indulgences, revengeful, and masters of the art of diffimulation. The women fay they only defire good features; they can make their com→ plexion what they please.

Religion.] The Italians are zealous profeffors of the doctrine of the church of Rome. The Jews are here tolerated in the public exercise of their religion. The natives, either in reverence to the Pope, or by being industriously kept in ignorance of the proteftant doctrines, entertain monftrous notions of all the diffenters from the church of Rome. The inquifition here is little more than a found. In Naples there are 20 archbishops, 107 bishops in Sicily 3 archbishops, and 8 bifhops. In the year 1782. there were in Naples alone, 45,525 priefts, 24,694 monks, 20,793 nuns: In 1783, government refolved to diffolve 466 convents of nuns.

Chief City.] Rome, once the capital of the world, is now the chief city in Italy. It contained, in the year 1714, 143,000 inhabitants, and is fituated upon the river Tyber. It was founded by Romulus 750 years before Chrift, and was formerly three times as large as at present; and is now one of the largest and handfomeft cities in Europe.

Mountains.] Mount Vefuvius, in the kingdom of Naples, and Etna, in Sicily, are (remarkable for their fiery eruptions, which frequently bury whole cities in their ruins.

Kk 2

Govean

Government.] The government of Venice is aristocratical, under a chief magistrate called a Doge, who is faid to be a king as to robes, a fenator in the council-house, a prisoner within the city, and a private man out of it.

There are many different fovereignties in Italy. It is divided into little republics, principalities, and dukedoms, which, in fpiritual matters, are fubject to the Pope, who, like the ghost of the deceafed Roman empire, fits crowned upon its grave.

Hiftory.] The era of the foundation of Rome begins April 20, 753 years before the birth of Christ. Authors generally affign the honour to Romulus its first king, who was but eighteen years old. He was a wife, courageous and politic prince.

St. Peter is placed at the head of the popes or bishops of Rome, in the 33d year of the common æra. The prefent pope is Pius VI. erected February 15, 1775.

SWITER LAN D.

Miles.

Length 2602 (6° and 11° Eaft Longitude.

Breadth 100

Between

OUNDED north, by Germany; eaft, by Tirol,

Boundaries.] B Trent, and Lake Conftance; fouth, by Italy; weft, by

France.

Cities. BERN, on the river Aar, is the most confiderable city in Switzerland. BASIL, on the banks of the Rhine, contains 220 streets, and by fome is reckoned the capital of all Switzerland.

Rivers.] The principal rivers are the Rhine and Rhone, both of which rife in the Alps.

Air, Soil and Productions.] This country is full of mountains; on the tops of fome of them the fnow remains the year round; the air of confequence is keen, and the frofts fevere. In the fummer the inequality of the foil renders the fame province very unequal in its feafons. On one fide of the mountains, called the Alps, the inhabitants are often reaping, The vallies, however, are warm, while they are sowing on the other. fruitful, and well cultivated The water of Switzerland is excellent, defcending from the mountains in beautiful cataracts, which have a moft pleafing and delightful effect. Its productions are, fheep, cattle, wine, flax, wheat, barley, apples, peaches, cherries, chefnuts and plumbs.

Population and Character. For the number of inhabitants, fee table of Europe.

The Swifs are a brave, hardy, industrious people, remarkable for their fidelity, and their zealous attachment to the liberties of their country. A general fimplicity of manners, an open, unaffected franknefs, together with an invincible spirit of freedom, are the most distinguishing characteristics of the inhabitants of Switzerland. On the first entrance into this country,

travellers

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