The steamers which navigate the Eastern coast from Marseilles to Cadiz
and back again, are cheaper indeed in their fares, but by no means such
good sea-boats; nor do they keep their time--the essence of
business--with English regularity. They are foreign built, and worked by
Spaniards and Frenchmen. They generally stop a day at Barcelona,
Valencia, and other large towns, which gives them an opportunity to
replenish coal, and to smuggle. A rapid traveller is also thus enabled
to pay a flying visit to the cities on the seaboard; and thus those
lively authors who comprehend foreign nations with an intuitive
eagle-eyed glance, obtain materials for sundry octavos on the history,
arts, sciences, literature, and genius of Spaniards. But as Mons. Feval
remarks of some of his gifted countrymen, they have merely to scratch
their head, according to the Horatian expression, and out come a number
of volumes, ready bound in calf, as Minerva issued forth armed from the
temple of Jupiter.
[Sidenote: SPANISH ROADS.]
The Mediterranean is a dangerous, deceitful sea, fair and false as
Italia; the squalls are sudden and terrific; then the crews either curse
the sacred name of God, or invoke St. Telmo, according as their notion
may be. We have often been so caught when sailing on these perfidious
waters in these foreign craft, and think, with the Spaniards, that
escape is a miracle. The hilarity excited by witnessing the jabber,
confusion, and lubber proceedings, went far to dispel all present
apprehension, and future also. Some of our poor blue-jackets in case of
a war may possibly escape the fate with which they are threatened in
this French lake. But no wise man will ever go by sea when he can travel
by land, nor is viewing Spain’s coasts with a telescope from the deck,
and passing a few hours in a sea-port, a very satisfactory mode of
becoming acquainted with the country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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