The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-05-26
Ghin9s Sbruad.
LETTERS FROM SPAIN.
BY HENRY DAY, ESQ.
BARCELONA.

BY HENRY DAY, ESQ.
BARCELONA.
From France we can enter Spain by one
b three ways: from Bayonne by rail to
Irun, from Porpignan by diligence over
he Pyrenees, or from Marseiles by steam.
81 to Barcelona. We will enter Spain
by the last route and leave it by the first.
The steamers from Marseiles 10 Barcelona
make the voyage in twenty-four hours.
The sail from the harbor of Marseilles
presents beautiful picture. The mole
Rhich protects the shipping from the swell
6f the outer harbOr is a grand artificial
york, and the granite walls, with store.
houses erected on them, extend for miles
Before the city. 1t is filled with shipping
81 all countries.
Passing out Of the grand entrance to
be outer harbor, the city begins to loom
~ before us, stretching away on to the
hills, while far above the harbor, the masts
and the churches, on the loitiest eminence,
ene thousand feet above the city, stands
fhe Church of Notro Dame de Ia Garde
In twenty hours We are approaching
1ear the port Of Barcelona, in Catalonia,
Which constitutes the north western por-
Bon of Spain. Catalonia has sea line of
bout 300 miles, and is the most CONNER
tial, industrious, prosperous, and the rich.
- Of all the provinces Of the peninsula
Il has eight cathedral towns, of which
Barcelona and Tarragona are the largest
The Galatians, the Yankees of Spain, are
very industrious The land is well cult.
fated, and here is the only part Of Spain
shere We have seen the hills terraced and
planted with the vine and the olive
You will see the laborers at work before
Ennrise in the fields. Manufactures Of
II kinds abound, especially of cotton, aud
ID such an extent that was informed that
Barcelona was the third port for importing
sOtton in the world, Liverpool and Havre
pnly importing more.
Barcelona is surrounded by manufacto-
les Of paper, cotton and silk, with tall
ehimneys, which, rising from among green
pliye groves, do not present the forbidding
appearances Of manufacturing town
he Galatians are quite distinguished from
her Spauiards in language, dress and
habits The proud and naughty Castillan
tannot understand the patois of the Cata-
b, and will not recognize these bankers,
merchants and manufacturers as gentle
men.
Like all commercial people, they arc
fbnd of their liberties, and have always
ben ready to revolt against their govern
1aent and set up republic. They have
been the leaders in nearly avery modern
ipsurrection, and they have been almost as
tfuel and bloodthirsty at such times as the
French.
All the common people wear the blood
fed cap, which is a bag Of WOODEN cloth,
bout foot long One end is fitted to
DC head, and the other is gathered aud
Ills behind or at the side. They have
bort jackets and long pantaloons. The
someu wear the mantilla, or, a handker-
ehief Of colored silk over the head, aud a
kght.bodice. They have large, black,
Rther fierce-ooking eyes, and one can
eel suppose that they have tincture Of
Arab or Creole blood in their veins. They
hve more of the characteristics of the
rench and the Genoese than Of the real
Hpaniard. ,..s.
Catalonia exports large quantities Of
ine aud OIL In some of the districts it
said that, 10 time Of vintage, the mud
u the streets Is blood-red with the refuse
y the grape after the juice is pressed out,
spd that the legs Of the peasants, which
Hre the real wine,press, are Of q rich Grim
Dn dye.
To see the dirty, slovenly way of max
hg the wine, would not tend 10 increase
pcs appetite for the delicious beverage,
1he wines here are generally thick and
lack as ink, and called black strap. They
70 exported largely to Bordeaux to en-
fch poor clarets prepared for the. Ameri-
ln and English markets.
Another branch Of trade in Catalonia
realty Interested me, and | took some
bins to gather some particulars of il from
pc people. refer to the culture and the
znnufacture Of cork. ,.l....t.
The cork is an oak which grows best in
pOrest soil. 1t will not endure frost, aud
'ust have sea air, and also an altitude
eeoye the sea level. 1t is only found along
& the coast OF Spain, the northern coast
Africa, and the northern shores of the
Hedlterranean. There are two barks to
<ae tree, the outer one being stripped for
7e. The cork is valuable according as il
soft aud veipeiy The method Of rails
Hg it is interesting. When the sapling 10
sbout ten years old it is stripped Of its outer
Z TX for about two feet from the ground /
tree will then be about five inches in
ghmeter, and say six feet up TO the bran
es, This stripping is worthless The
ner bark appears blood red, and is called
he shire Of the tree, and If il is split or
Hlured the tree dies After eight or ten
!, #ars the outer bark has again grown In,
n then the tree is again stripped four
et from the roots, This stripping is very
kparse, and Is used as floats for fishing
:, rs, Every ten years thereafter Il Is
= pped, and each year two feet higher
until the tree sforty OF fifty years old
ben il is in its prime, aud may then DO
Flpped every ten years, from the ground
8 the branches, and will last two hundred
sas. The third crop is very poor cork,
~ il used to make the coarest kinds Of
:. ppPers for jars, soles Of shoes, &c. II Is
= Pout twenty years before anything can
realized from the tree, aud for this
Al ason the Spauinrds, who are not fond OF
B Cking after posterity, plantfew new trees;
> The beet cork grows 10 Catalonia, and
:. used for bottling champagne. For this
Rrposo il must be thick, supple, velvety,
I ID free from holes The generous wines