prife thus created could not fail to be productive of the happiest confequences.'

Other advantages that would be derived from a publication of the kind here propofed are pointed out; but our limits forbid us to enlarge. The heads of a plan for fuch a work are afterwards fketched out at length; for which we must refer the curious Reader to the treatise itself, after declaring our entire concurrence with the Author's views in the concluding paragraph:

،

Such, fays he, are the outlines of a plan of a work, which, if executed by a perfon of knowledge, experience, and integrity, properly fupported, by the Public, would (I have no hesitation in affirming it) form a memorable epoch in the hiftory of literature and of civil fociety.'

The plan appears indeed to be thoroughly digefted, and we are forry that the Author fhould chalk it out for another, as he feems to have no view of executing it himself; for those who can form a plan of a capital work are ufually beft qualified to execute it themfelves. It fhould be conducted, he obferves, by a man of known abilities and integrity, in whom the Public could place entire confidence, who fhould honeftly acknowledge the work for his own, and rifk his reputation with the Public on the fidelity with which it fhould be executed.' This precaution we think abfolutely neceffary, in order to raise it in the public opinion far above the fwarms of ephemeric [anonymous] productions that are daily iffuing from the prefs. Perhaps there are few men in whom the Public would be difpofed to place greater confidence than in the Author of the effay himfelf; and we muft till regret that he does not feem to have in view the accomplishing fuch an undertaking. At any rate, the Public is much indebted to him for the extenfive views he has pointed out towards the improvement of agriculture, by which the nation will probably be much benefited long after the hand that wrote them fhall be buried in the dust; for time will gradually bring to perfection thofe feeds of knowledge diffeminated in the writings of this rural Philofopher, which are at prefent fcattered abroad as feemingly of little value.

ART. X. Travels through Spain in the Years 1775 and 1776; in which feveral Monuments of Roman and Moorish Architecture are illuftrated by accurate Drawings taken on the Spot. By Henry Swinburne, Efq; 4to. 11. is. Boards. Elmly. 1779.

TH

HE Author of this performance fays of himself, in his preface, that he is as free from prejudices of all kinds as moft men; which taken literally, is faying but little, as moft men are strongly tainted with prejudices: but if he means to infinuate (of which there is little doubt) that he is diftinguished

from

from most men by an exemption from prejudices, he ascribes to himself a quality highly neceffary in forming the character of an entertaining and inftructive traveller.

Mr. Swinburne had, from the time of his departure from his native country, purposed to publish, his travels through Spain. In my plan of inquiry (he fays) an exact investigation of the foil, cultivation, government, commerce, and manners of that kingdom, was to be the grand primary object; but what I was more confident of my ftrength in, and what I own, I found more fuitable to my own inclinations, was the study of its antiquities, especially the Moorish; in that line, my own eye and labour were fufficient helps, to enable me to collect interefting materials for a publication."

The Author formed a very proper judgment of his own abilities, which feem beft adapted to the defcription of fill life. At the commencement of his Tour through Spain, he obferves,

I am afraid we are come here a century too foon, or a century too late, and that the old original caît is worn off the character of the Spaniards, without their having thoroughly acquired the polish of France or England. This will render them a much lefs interefting race of people.'-This obfervation is both folid and ingenious; but the reader will be difappointed, if he expects to find any thing like the moral or political picture of the Spanish nation in the prefent performance.

The principal antiquities here defcribed, are the Moorish palace at Granada, and the mofque at Cordova. As a fpecimen of Mr. Swinburne's talent for compofition, we fhall infert fome extracts from his account of the former, which is the moft diftinct and copious that we have any where met with:

This ancient fortrefs, and refidence of the Mahometan monarchs of Granada, derives its name from the red colour of the materials that it was originally built with, Alhambra fignifying a red house. -It flands between the rivers, on a very high hill, that projects into the plain, and overlooks all the city; the road up to it, is through a narrow ftreet, called Calle de los Gomeles, from a great family among the Moors. This brings you through a maffive gate, into the outward inclosure of the Alhambra. You then continue to afcend by a very steep avenue of elms, which foon increases to a wood, interfected in many directions, by wild, neglected walks, where streams of clear water, finding their paffage obstructed by the rubbish of their old channels, fpread over the whole road. A large fountain adorns the platform near the top of the hill. The water, diverted from its proper conduits, has been fuffered to run at random for fuch a length of time, that it has deftroyed most of the sculpture and embellishments, which were in a very good tafte. Here you turn fhort to the left, and come under the walls of the inner inclofare. Its appearance is that of an old town, exhibiting a long range of high battlemented walls, interrup.ed at regular distances by large lofty fquare towers. Thefe have one or two arched windows

near

near the top, and a precipitate flope from the bottom into a dry ditch. The whole is built with round irregular pebbles, mixed with cement and gravel. Some parts are covered and smoothed over with a thick coat of plaifter; in other places, mortar has been laid in between the ftones, leaving as much of them uncovered as came to the level; then the trowel has been carefully drawn round, forming about them triangles, half moons, &c. Just before you ftands the prefent principal entrance into the cattle, a fquare tower, built by king Jufaf Abuhagiagi, in 1348, as an infcription informs us : from its being the place where juice was fummarily administered, it was ftyled The Gate of Judgment. You pafs through it under feveral arches, each of which is more than a full femicircle, refting upon a fmall impoft, the ends of the bow being brought towards each other in the form of a horfe-fhoe. On the key-stone of the outward arch, is fculptured the figure of an arm, the fymbol of ftrength and dominion: on that of the next arch, is a key, emboffed, the armorial enfign of the Andalufian Moors. Above it, the wall of this partition is covered with a beautiful blue and gold Mofaic, in the middle of which, they have placed an image of the Virgin Mary. On the left is the cattle wall, fuppofed to have been built by the Phoenicians. I examined the work very narrowly, and found it confifted of a layer of cement, one or two inches thick, on which is placed flatwife, a ftone of the fame thickness, chiffelled on the face into a kind of a chequered defign: this is the regular method employed from top to bottom. This lane ends in the great fquare, or Plaza de los Algibes, fo named from the ancient Cisterns, that undermine it from end to end, and are conftantly fed by a fupply of running water. The profpect from the parapet-wall is wonderfully grand, over the vale of Dauro, the Albaycin, and down the Vega.'

We omit, for the fake of brevity, our Author's defcription of the fuperb palace erected here by the Emperor Charles V. This edifice was never finished; which Mr. Swinburne feelingly Jaments, and with reafon ;-for, according to his account, the architect difcovered, in this work, a moft tranfcendent genius, grandeur of ftyle, and elegance and chastity of defign, very different from all that has been done, for a century paff, in this kingdom. We return, therefore, to his furvey of the fplendid ruins of the palace of the Moorish kings,-in which are apartments, indifputably the most curious, fays our Author, of any that exist in Spain,-perhaps in Europe.

Paffing round the corner of the Emperor's palace, you are admitted at a plain unornamented door in a corner. On my first visit, I confess, I was ftruck with amazement, as I fepped over the threfhold, to find myself, on a fudden, tranfported into a fpecies of fairyland. The first place you come into, is the court called the Communa, or common baths: an oblong fquare, with a deep bafon of

We fuppofe the Author means the taftelefs, bigotted Spaniards; who have, herein, acted as wifely as the Parifian ftatuary, who wanted to drefs out an Alexander the Great in a bag wig and folitaire. clear

clear water in the middle; two flights of marble fteps leading down to the bottom; on each fide, a parterre of flowers, and a row of orange trees. Round the court runs a peryftile paved with marble; the arches bear upon very flight pillars, in proportions and ftyle, different from all the regular orders of architecture. The cielings and walls are incruftated with fret-work in ftucco, fo minute and intricate, that the most patient draughtsman would find it difficult to follow it, unless he made himself matter of the general plan. This would facilitate the operation exceedingly, for all this work is frequently and regularly repeated, at certain diftances, and has been executed by means of fquare moulds applied fucceffively, and the parts joined together with the utmoft nicety. In every divifion are Arabic fentences, most of them expreffive of the following meanings, "There is no conqueror but God." Or, " Obedience and honour to our Lord Abouabdalla." The ceilings are gilt or painted, and time has caused no diminution in the freshness of their colours, though conftantly expofed to the air. The lower part of the walls is Mofaic, difpofed in fantaftic knots and feftoons: a work fo new to me, fo exquifitely finished, and fo different from al I had ever feen. afforded me the most agreeable fenfations, which, I affure you, redoubled, every step I took in this magic ground. The porches at the ends are more like grotto work, than any thing else I can compare them to. That on the right hand opens into an octagon vault, under the Emperor's palace, and forms a perfect whispering-gallery, meant to be a communication between the offices of both houfes.'

The Author next defcribes the Court of the Lions; fo called, from twelve figures of those animals, which fupport on their backs an enormous bafon, out of which a leffer arifes; from whence (while the pipes were kept in order) a great volume of water was thrown up; and which, falling down into the bafons, paffed through the mouths of the beafts into a large refervoir, whence it communicated by channels with the jet d'eaus in the apartments. This fountain is of white marble, embellished with many feftoons and Arabic diftichs, of which Mr. Swinburne has given translations. He has alfo given an elegant drawing of this great and magnificent apartment, from which the reader will conceive a much more adequate idea of the form and beauty of the place, than could poffibly be conveyed by words. We are next conducted to a circular room, in which the men ufed to drink coffee, &c. A fountain in the middle refreshed the apartment in fummer. The form of this hall,' fays Mr. Swinburne, the elegance of its cupola, the cheerful.

In another place, our Author takes notice of the anathema denounced by the Koran, againft all reprefentations of living creatures; and obferves, that these lions fhew, that the Granadine princes, as well as fome of the oriental Caliphs, who put their own effigy on their coin, ventured, fometimes, to place themselves above the letter of the law.

diftribution

diftribution of light from above, and the exquifite manner in which the ftucco is defigned, painted, and finished, exceed all my powers of defcription. Every thing in it infpires the most pleafing, voluptuous ideas.'

Two other rooms, which are fuppofed to have been audience chambers, are next opened to our view; and then we are led to the Tower of the two Sifiers, fo named from two very beautiful pieces of marble, laid as flags in the pavement. Of this tower, &c. the following defcription is given; but alas! we cannot transcribe the very fine copper-plate representation of the delightful view of the entrance:

This gate exceeds all the rest in profufion of ornaments, and in beauty of profpect, through a range of apartments, where a multitude of arches terminate in a large window, open to the country. I employed much time in making an exact drawing of it from the fountain, and hope it will help you to comprehend what I am labouring to explain by my narrative.

The first hall is the concert-room, where the women fat; the muficians played above, in four balconies. In the middle is a jet d'eau. The marble pavement, I take to be equal to the finest exifting, for the fize of the flags, and evenness of the colour. The two fiers are flabs that meafure fifteen feet by feven and one half, without flaw or stain. The walls, up to a certain height, are Mofaic, and above are divided into very neat compartments of stucco, all of one defign, which is alfo followed in many of the adjacent halls and galleries. The cieling is a fretted cove.'

From this hall, you pafs round the little myrtle garden of Lindaraxa, and through an additional building made to the east end by Charles V. to a little tower called the dreffing-room of the Sultana. It is a fmall fquare cabinet, in the middle of an open gallery, from which it receives light by a door and three windows; the look-out charming. In one corner is a large marble flag, drilled full of holes, through which the smoke of perfumes afcended from furnaces below: and here, it is prefumed, the Moorish queen ufed to fit, to fumigate and sweeten her perfon.'

From hence, you go to the hall of Ambajadors, which is magnificently decorated with innumerable varieties of Mofaics, and the mottos of all the kings of Granada. This antichamber opens into the Communa on the left hand, and on the right into the great audience-hall, in the tower of Comares, a noble apartment, thirty-fix feet fquare, thirty-fix high up to the cornice, and eighteen from thence to the centre of the cupola.-The whole hall is inlaid with Mofaic, of many colours, difpofed in intricate knots, ftars, and other figures. In every part are repeated certain Arabic fentences: the principal of which are tranflated by our attentive traveller, and accurate obferver.