The Sun.
London, England, 1812-11-14 00:00:00

MADit 1 b.

(Byrkinuedli•orii ou of Yestrii:ty:

AGRICULTURE.-Unohaporte appears tm have
conunitteila Woeftil oversight regarding:the 17:f.:111S
of supporting tit-tint:rolls bodies of troops in Spain.
lie seems to have judged from the general grounds
of excellence of soil and climate, without taking
into' the account other essential Points ;• \;'C mean,
the slender appetite of the Spaniards, and their•
uniform rifle to make no provision beyond 'their
present wants. To sleep during the afternoon,
and Co loiter away the rest Of the day are the chief
objects of a Spaniard's ambition.. Ise discovers a
resolute antipathy to innovation: and has no. idea
that it is possible to do any thing better than he'
does it already,' ills improvidence in looking
to nothing beyond his present wants;, would. lead
to the most afflicting result, were it not for the
pUblie.granaries, orposito3, laid- up against a time
of scarcity. These depositories are,. or rather'
were ,(for the French,
-we believe, have exhaust-
ed them) Very numerous, having "been above
5000 in all ; without counting-'the maritime pro-
hiCeS in the north, which place their reliance on
their own industry and their foreign communica-
tions. Inconsequence of this general indolence,
provisions for sale are very dear in. Spain ; the
quantity being small, and the difficulty of con-
, veyance being often enhanced by local taxes. It
happens, accordingly, that the price,of corn is 'fre-
quently twice as high in one province as in an 7
°Ulu at no great distance. -
The Count de Camponmnes, one of the few
Spaniards who understand political econonly, haS
taken pains to calculate the national injury Caus-
ed by the extravagant number of holidays, and
has reckoned the Wss of productive labour sustain,
eel in this way' by Spain at nearly two hundred
thousand pounds a day.
Within the last half century, several steps
have been taken for the dissemination of-improve-
ment in Spain ; but, unluckily:there as in Ire-
land, they hare received a brilliant rather than an
useful direction. A few fine roads have been
filmed, without considering that the same mobey
might have been better empined in making a
number of a more middling character. Perhaps.
the 'object at ,first should have been to aim no .
'farther than to render the roa(is I;assalde for
wheel7eariiages, and to get rid of the miserable
waste of labour attendant on the conveyance of
commodities on the backs of animals. Goyei a:tient
might also have effected much good by didusing
information respecting the mode of letting lands.
At present, the tenant has not only too short a
term, but is generally' Without security for. the
few years' that are specified in his lease. Accord-
ingly, he plants neither trees nor vines, and gives
himself no trouble ,about irrigation, th‘ want of '
which is •the great cause of the barienness of
Spain. The provinces of Catalonia and Valencia
form remarkable exceptions i but their example
is not imitated, but the rest of the country pin--
su-,^s the beaten track of fOrmer days.
_ _ _ _ _

ARMY AND NAVY.--Al. RellflCeS is fond of
&veiling on the improveinent of the forces of
Spain during the last' age. Weak and corrupted
as its
,Court was, it wa§ still actuated by a sense
of the importance of iticre;.-tsing the number and
atnei'ding the character of its military establish-
ments. Mud; less of absurd mystery has prevail-
ed in the Spanish policy during the last thirty
years than before and .hence have resulted a mi-
tisnti.o of the colonial monopoly; and an open
publication of instructions to young officers in
various departments of service. Still, however,
Spain has followed at a wide distanee the improv-
ing career of her northern neighbours. At the
time of I.ludnaparte's usurpation, the Slianish
army was computed, (we .suspect, by an exag-
gerated estimate), at
Guards and Household troops .
Spanish Itegulari • 50,0-20
Foreign Itegulais; viz. Swiss, Irish, & Neapolitan 17,000
tightlnfantry, Spanish
Artillery
Engineer Corp,
Cavalry

Were the seas' surrounding Spain less easy 'of
navigation, its extent of coast would have the
effect of forming a number of able seamen ; and
the value assigned by, its Government-to its Trans-
atlantic possessions -has caused considerable at-
tention to be paid to , its navy. The culture of
hemp has been 'established' along the eastern pro-
vinces ; and inducement has been-given to build
ships of the durable cedar of the Havannah.
The solidity of-Spanish vessels is admitted ; and
the great objection to them, as to the other pub-
lic work of this nation, is their heaviness. "Much
pains, likewise, have been taken with respect to
the education of naval officers ; anal their ulti-
Mate appointments 'are such as - to afford consi-
derable encouragement to the service, several coin-
manderships in military orders being expreSsly re-
served for seafaring Men. The Spanish navigators
nsuallydivided, in almost,equal nui.nbers, between
Cadiz, Ferrol, and Cartbagena.- Their ships of,thc
line, fit for service, amounted in 1808 (three,years
atter the action ,;off Trafalgar) to , twenty-five ;
their frigates to thirteen ; and their smaller ves-
sels, of all kinds, to one hundred and fifty. , -
FINANCES AND 'NATIONAL Itrousa-ay,--The na-
tional debt of. Spain at the time o!-* Buonapate's
usurpation, was heady 70,000;000/. sterling ; a
sum created not, "as with us, by loans, hut by suc-
cessive issues of paper-money during the last

reign.
The taxes before 1805, produced about eight
.or
nine millions, and were much less burdensome in
,their amount than in the absurd and impolitic
way of levying them. The nobility and clergy,
who form the bulk of land proprietors, were but'
'...slightly affected ; while the .pi ensure fell on the
poorer orders, being directed to articles of indis-
pensable necessity; and sometimes even to the
price of labour.
Can we wonder that, in such a country, the
habits of industry should he at a low ebb ? especi,
ally.ivhen we consider that the wants of the Spa-
niards are simple, and that labour ill'accords,with
their national pride. The smallest office under
Government, or a total exemption from employ-
ment, are in their eyes more honourable than a
lucrative branch of trade.

(To be continued.)