merce to their ſituatlon; but, as this is no better than that of Ferrol or Corunna, that advantage is more probably due to their liberty. In riding through this little territory, you would fancy yourſelf in Connecticut; inſtead of miſerable huts, built of mud, and covered with ſtraw, you ſee the country full of large and commodious houſes and barns of the farmer; the lands well cultivated; and a wealthy, happy yeomanry. The roads, ſo dangerous and impaſſable in moſt other parts of Spain, are here very good, having been made at a vaſt expence of labour.
Although the government is called a democracy, we cannot here find all authority collected into one center; there are, on the contrary, as many diſtinct governments as there are cities and merindades. The general government has two orders at leaſ; the lord or governor, and the biennial parliament. Each of the thirteen ſubordinate diviſions has its organized government, with its chief magiſtrate at the head of it. We may judge of the form of all of them by that of the metropolis, which calls itſelf, in all its laws, the noble and illuſtrious republic of Bilbao. This city has its alcalde, who is both governor and chief juſtice, its twelve regidores or counſellors, attorney-general, &c. and by all theſe, aſſembled in the conſiſtorial palace under the titles of conçejo, juſticia, y regimiento, the laws are made in the name of the lord of Biſcay, and confirmed by him.
Theſe officers, it is true, are elected by the citizens, but they muſt by law be elected, as well as the deputies to the biennial parliament or junta general, out of a few noble families, unſtained, both by the ſide of father and mother, by any mixture with Moors, Jews, new converts, peni-
