Is it necessary for the complete nationalisation of France that the language of Provence should die? Is it indispensable for the welfare of Belgium that the Flemish tongue should disappear? Must Great Britain drive her Welshmen to Patagonia if she hears them speak the language of their fathers? No; a thousand times, no. It is base and cowardly to fear a language. Rather, it is the bounden duty of Civilisation to do all in her power to preserve every tongue which has produced a literature. If we destroy individuality, we weaken nationality at the same time. It was during the war with Napoleon that the Gallegan spirit began to awake once more. Local writers made great efforts in the year 1808 to arouse the dormant patriotism of their province;[207] it was in 1813 that a native of Galicia living in London published a pamphlet, “_Os rogos d’un Gallago_,” addressed to his Gallegan compatriots with the intention of stirring them to action. When Ferdinand came to the throne the awakening country fell back into its former apathy, and progress was once more at a standstill. When Maria Christina succeeded Ferdinand, the dry bones again began to stir; and more books appeared in the Gallegan dialect, but matters moved very slowly. It was not till the year 1863 that Rosalia Castro published her first volume of poetry, _Cantares Gallegas_. CHAPTER XVI SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA A walled city--Beautiful views--A _Casa de Huespedes_--Chocolate--Partridges and trout--Bearing the cold--Rainy months--Damp in the air--The university--The medical college--The modern university building--Treasures of the library--The most ancient writing preserved in Spain--The reading-room--The natural history museum--Government of the university--Pharmacy--Cases of accidental poisoning--Unruly students--_Capilla de las Animas_--The Alameda--_Santa Susana_--The finest view of Santiago--A church of refuge--_San Felix de Solovio_--The Plaza de Alonso XII.--The Pepys of Galicia--A bull fight--Fountains--Water-carriers--A Gallegan wedding--The Carnival--A superfluity of chimneys--The nuns of San Payo--The Convent of Santa Clara--A private museum--Señor Cicerons’ collection of coins--His valuable torques--The use of torques--The Dublin collection--Prehistoric gold jewellery--Iberian inscriptions