Like our Oxford, Coruña can boast of having afforded a refuge to the National Assembly of her country, when it was forced to leave the capital. In July 1706, when Madrid was crowded with English and German soldiers who threatened to burn her to the ground, and the Court and the Royal Family had established themselves at Burgos, a _Junta del Reino_ was called to discuss the calamitous state of the country, and that Assembly was held in Coruña. Letters were sent on that occasion to Santiago, Lugo, and Tuy, asking the citizens to supply forage for the new battalions that were to be formed in Galicia, and it was mainly through the bravery of Gallegan soldiers that the invaders were driven out of the land.[192] Coruña has one of the best harbours in Europe, and since the remotest times this town has been considered one of the principal strongholds of the Peninsula; its present fortifications are, it is true, very antiquated, but there are projects on foot for once more converting it into a stronghold of the first order. The town was fortified for the first time in the reign of Henry III., but it was not till 1602 that the work of strengthening it was seriously undertaken. The key to the port is the fort of San Anton, on a small and rocky island which we passed at the mouth of the harbour; but this fort, which was built in 1779, is now little more than a ruin. The most interesting church in Coruña is that of the _Colegiata de Santa Maria del Campo_. It is a very small Gothic edifice with three naves. An inscription on a column near the right pulpit bears the date Era 1340, which is equivalent to the year 1302. The parish church of St. James (Santiago) is also Gothic, but does not date farther back than the sixteenth century. The largest church in the town is that of St. George; the original one was rebuilt after Sir Francis Drake’s visit, but the present one is the conventual church of the suppressed convent of St. Augustine. Coruña possesses a good Public Library, containing four thousand volumes, with rooms devoted to Physical Science, Chemistry, and Natural History. There is also a Meteorological Observatory, where candidates for the post of pilot are examined. CHAPTER XIV EMIGRATION An Agricultural Syndicate--The only flourishing industry--The flower of Galicia’s youth--Monopolisation and subdivision of the land--The lesser evil--The Argentine Republic--Free passages to Chili and Valparaiso--Every peasant a proprietor--Socialism rare in Galicia--Causes of Spanish indolence--Bad government--Railways before roads--Nomadic instinct derived from Celtic ancestors--Reputed stupidity of Gallegans--A story--Fields worked by women--Usury--Need of wholesome literature--The potato disease--Cattle breeding--Mules--The long rains encourage idleness--Demand for factories--No wine-making industry--Failde suggests a solution to the problem of emigration