"All the forces of Europe would not be sufficient to subdue the Castiles--_with the people against it_," was Peterborough's remark, and our Iron Duke never despaired "while the country was with him." He bore with the generals and the _Juntas_ of the upper classes, in spite of his indignation against them, and, "cheered by the _people's support_," as Napier says, carried out his campaign of victory. The ancient qualities of which the Castilians are proud are _gravedad, lealtad, y amor de Dios_--"dignity, loyalty, and love of God." No wonder that when the nation arises, it carries a matter through. Estremadura, after the expulsion of the Moors, in whose days it was a fruitful garden, seems to have been forgotten by the rest of Spain; it became the pasturage for the wandering flocks of merino sheep, the direct descendants of the Bedouin herds, and of the pigs, which almost overrun it. Yet the remains of the Romans in Estremadura are the most interesting in Spain, and bear witness to the flourishing condition of the province in their day; moreover, Pizarro and Cortes owe their birth to this forgotten land. The inhabitants of the southern provinces of Spain differ wholly from those of Castile and the north--they have much more of the Eastern type; in fact, the Valenciano or the Murciano of the _huerta_, the well-watered soil which the Moors left in such a high state of cultivation, in manners and appearance are often little different from the Arab as we know him to-day. From the gay Andaluz we derive most of our ideas of the Spanish peasant; but he is a complete contrast to the dignified Castilian or the brusque Montañese. From this province, given over to song, dancing, and outdoor life, come--almost without exception--the bull-fighters, whose graceful carriage, full of power, and whose picturesque costume, make them remarkable wherever seen. Lively audacity is their special characteristic. _Sal_ (salt) is their ideal; we have no word which carries the same meaning. Smart repartee, grace, charm, all are expressed in the word _Salada_; and _Saléro_ (literally, salt-cellar) is an expression met with in every second song one hears. Olé Saléro! Sin vanidad, Soy muy bonita, Soy muy Sala! is the refrain of one of their most characteristic songs, _La moza é rumbo_, and may be taken as a sample:-- Listen, Saléro! without vanity, I am lovely--I am Salada! During the _Feria_ at Seville, the upper classes camp out in tents or huts, and the girls pass their time in singing and dancing, like the peasantry. The Valencians are very different, being slow, quiet, almost stupid to the eye of the stranger, extremely industrious, and wrapped up in their agricultural pursuits. They fully understand and appreciate the system of irrigation left by the Moors, which has made their province the most densely populated and the most prosperous in appearance of all Spain.