The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-26 00:00:00

THE ROBBERS OF SPAIN.

Of all the countries in Europe, Spain is the one in
which the ancient, classical, and once universal system
of robbing on the highway exists the most unchanged.
With us these things have been much altered; Spain is
what England was sixty years ago, with llounslow-heath
and Einchley-common; what Italy was eery lately, and
may be again next year.
Robbery in other countries has yielded to increased
population, to more rapid and more frequent intercom-
munication. The distances in Spain are very great, the
high roads are few, and are carried through long leagues
of uncultivated plains, "dehesas," through deserted towns,
dispeopled districts, "deeplobados," a term more common
in Spain, as in the East, than village is in England.
Andalusia is the most dangerous province, and it was
always so. This arises from the nature of the country,
from being the last scene of the Moorish struggle, and now
from being in the vicinity of Gibraltar, the great focus of
smuggling, which prepares the raw materials for a ban-
ditti. These evils, which are abated by internal quiet,
and the continued exertions of the authorities, increase
with troubled times, which, as the tempest calls forth
the stormy petrel, rouses into dangerous action the
worst partions of society, and creates a sort of civil ca-
chexia, which can only be put down by peace, and a
strong settled Government—blessings which, alas ! have
long been denied to unhappy Spain ; meanwhile no
handbook of Spain can be complete, without giving some
account of the different classes and organisation of the
robber system--the alphabet and rudiments of a travel-
ling conversation while on the road. The antiquity cf
the system which has been detailed in the Quarterly Re-
view (Cxxii. 9.) to which those about to visit Serrania
de Ronda, and the wild country between Seville
and Granada, will do well to refer, especially as
regards " Jose Maria," who so long held un-
disputed rule in those parts, and whose name will
long remain in the mouths of those whose talk is
about robbers. First and foremost come the " ladrones,"
the robbers on a large scale ; they are a regularly or-
ganised band from eight to fourteen in number, well
armed and mounted, and entirely under the command
of one leader. These are the most formidable ; and as
they seldom attack any travellers, except with over-
whelming forces, and under circumstances of ambuscade
and surprise, when every thing is in their favour, resist
ance is generally useless, and can only lead to fatal
accidents : it is better to submit at once to the sum-
mons, which will take no denial, of " boca abajo,"
" boca a tierra," down, mouth to the earth. Those
who are provided with such a sum of money as the
robbers think, according to their class of life, that they
ought to carry about them, are very rarely ill used ;
a frank, confident, and good humoured surrender gene-
rally, not only prevents any bad treatment, but
secures even civility during the disagreeable operation :
pistols and sabres are, after all, a poor defence, as
Cribb said, when compared to civil words and
deeds. The Spaniard is by nature high-bred, and a
" caballero," and responds to any appeal to qualities of
which his nation has reason to be proud : notwithstand-
ing those moral securities, if only by way of _
well,
assurance doubly sure, Englishman will do ell,
when travelling in exposed districts, to be provided
with a bag containing fifty to one hundred dollars,
which makes a handsome purse, feels heavy in the hand,
and is that sort of amount which the Spanish brigand
thinks a native of this proverbially rich country ought to
have with him on his travels. lie has a remarkable tact in
estimating from the look of an individual, his equipage,
how much ready money it is befitting his condition
to have with him ; it' the sum be not enough, he resents
severely the depriving him of the regular spoil, to which
he considers himself entitled by the long-established
usage of the road. The traveller who is unprovided al-
together with cash, is generally made a severe evample
of" pour encourager les autres," eitherby beittipg" echan-
dole palo," or by stripping to the skin, " oejandole en
cueros," after the fashion of the thieves of old, near Jerico.
The traveller should be particularly careful to have a
watch of some kind, one with a gaudy chain and seals is
best suited ; not to have a watch of some kind exposes
indignities
the traveller to more certain than a scantily
filled purse. The money may have been spent, but the
absence of
a watch can only be accounted for by a pre-
meditated intention of not being robbed of it which the
hredeon" considers as an unjustifiable attempt to de-
fraud him of his right. It must be said to the credit of
the Spanish brigand, especially those of the highest class,
that they rarely ill-use women or children, nor do they
commence firing or offering violence unless resisted.
T. he next class of robbers—omitting some minor dis-
tinctions, such as the " salteadores," or two or three
persons who lie in ambuscade, and jump out on the un-
prepared traveller—is the t‘ ratero," "the rat." He is
held in contempt, but is not the less dangerous. He is not
brought regularly up to the profession, and organised,
but takes to it, prore nata, of a sudden, commits his
robbery, and then returns to his pristine vocation. Very
often on the arrival of a stranger, two or three of the
ill-conditioned, worst classes, get up a robbery the next
day, for the special occasion, according to the proverb,
la occasion hace cl lqdron. The raterillo, or small rat,
is a skulking footpad, who seldom attacks any but
single and unprotected passengers, who, if they get
robbed, have no one to blame but themselves; for no
man is justified in exposing a Spaniard to the temptation
of doing a little something in that line. The shepherd
with his sheep, the ploughman with his plough, the
vinedresser amid his grapes—all have their gni, which,
ostensibly for their individual protection, furnishes
means for assault and battery against those who have no
other defence but their legs and virtue.—The Hand- hooh
of Spain.

PRICE OF CORN ABROAD.—At liamburgh, the receipt
of the news of the intended alteration in the corn-laws ad-
vanced wheat 2s. to 3s. per quarter. At Dantzic, the most
sanguine expectations are entertained about the future price
of wheat; and no offers made under 535. to 555. per quarter,
free on board, in Spring. At Stettin, the free trade pro-
posals of Sir Robert Peel were
.considered as indications of
impending scarcity in Great Britain 51s. to 525. 6d. free on
board, is the lowest quotation.—Leeds Mercury.
Many noble families are placed in mourning by the
lamented death of major F. Somerset. Among whom are the Dukes
of Welllngtoa and Beaufort, Lords Westmoreland,
Morigolto; and seYer4l %Len. Cowley, and

THE LACE TRADE WITH SPAIN.
A meeting of considerabie importance to the trade of
Nottingham, convened by a circular signed by Mr. T.
Herbert, mayor, was held this morning at the Ex-
change Hall, and was attended by about forty of the
principal merchants and lace manufacturers in the neigh-
bourhood.

The MAYOR having taken the chair, proceeded to read
the following letter, explanatory of the purpose for
which the meeting had been assembled:—

" TO THOMAS HERB“ EGn
irb,
rl3a lstQar', 3Lk
Jan.YOIRS. , 1846.
" take the liberty of addressing you by this
post, to call your attention to the article w© have just
sent through the medium of our friends, Messrs. Duclos
and Carron, for publication in one of the Nottingham
papers, the object of which is of the greatest interest
to every one concerned in the Nottingham lace trade,
as it shows that by the prompt exertions of the
heads of the trade there is yet A great probability of
securing the admission of cotton lace into Spain, where,
through the blindness of its Government, that article
has always been prohibited, although not an inch of any
description, whether plain or figured, ever was manu-
factured in the whole kingdom.

"In calling your particular notice to a subject of such
deep importance to the prosperity of that branch of the
trade, we beg to solicit your co-operation and support to
the measure we propose, of calling a general meeting to
address a memorial to the Spanish Government, and
petition the British Ambassador at that Court to sup-
port your cause. If you should decide on adopting this
step, our Mr. Ponder (who is already penonally known,
to his Excellency, and has had several interviews with
members of the Board of Trade, and has very lately sent
a variety of samples of the article for their inspection)
offers his service as the representative of the trade, or
will join any deputation you may send to Madrid to
carry out this object. Waiting with anxiety the result
of your decision, we remain, Sir, your humb:e servants,
" J. PONDER and CO."
Mr. Wm. Felkin stated that he had also received a
similar letter from the same firm, and expressed a stronc
opinion as to the desirableness of promoting the trade
with Spain, especially as the British Government was
giving indications of a wish to increase the intercourse
with foreign nations. He suggested that a memorial be
sent to the Board of Trade, to request them to instruct
the Ambassador at Madrid to use his influence, now that
the Cortes were revising their tariff; and he (Mr. Filkin)
doubted not such a course would have a most beocficiat
efft.ct.

Mr. THOMAS WAKEFIELD said that the greatest diffi-
culty in satisfactorily arranging this quo lion would be
found in the smugglers ; for the contrabandists would
most certainly do their best to prevent any disturbance
of their " vested interests." The smuggling system was
carried on to such an enormous extent, especially on the
northern frontier, that it would be well to memoralise the
Board cf Trade to request, through the Spanish ambas-
sador, the &•vernment of Spain to use their utmost exer-
tions to put down the nuisance.
Mr. W. CHEETICAM fully concurred with Mr. Wake-
field's last remark, and considered that the Government
of Spain would do a most politic act in getting rid of the
smugglers, by which they would not merely serve the
trade, but would also destroy a class of men that ought
never to have been permitted to exist. The Spanish
Government, he thought, ought to be much obliged to
England for the opportunity she had now furnished
them of making this salutary clearance; and in grati-
tude ought to chow themselves ready to permit a legal
trade. At any rate, if they omitted this opportunity, it
might be long before such another would off. r itself.
Mr. STEEGMAN said that it had been stated that there
were no machines in Spain ; that was not correct, for
there were eighteen engaged in the silk trade at Barce-
lona, where they were used as a sort of cover under
which to smuggle cotton goods. lie was sorry to state
such a discouraging fact as that there were machines in
Spain, but he did not believe the small quantity of goods
eighteen of them could make would at all affect the Not-
tingharn trade.

kr. WAKEFIELD then moved the following resolu-
tion :--

" That it is desirable that a memorial should Le pre-
sented to the Board of Trade, representing the Im-
portance to the manufacturers of Nottingham and its vi-
cinity, that there should be obtained the admission of
cotton goods into Spain ; and that the Boari of Trade be
requested to impress upon the Foreign•office the de-
sirableness of this object. That a memorial be sent to
the Foreign-office, praying for the accomplishment of
this object ; and that a deputation be appointed to com-
municate with the Board of Trade and Foreign-office,
and to take such steps as they may deem expedietn to
promote the object in view. That Mr. Felkin, Mr; Da-
clos, and Mr. liPyinann be appointed the deputation."
Mr. W. CHEETELI3I seconded the resolution, which
was carried unanimously.
Mr. FELKIN moved and Mr. CegErrukat seconded a
motion, that a memorial to the Board Of Trade, founded
on the foregoing resolution, and signed by the Mayor,
in behalf of the meeting, should be adopted, A motion.
which was agreed to unanimously.
Thanks were then voted to the Mayor, and the meet-
ing terminated.