from their governments, and by the principal Grandees: Thefe have courts, and portes cochers, though the others have not. The houfe which the late Sir BENJAMIN KEENE lived in, near the convent of the MARAVILLAS, was of this fort; large, magnificent, and expenfive: It was built by one of the defcendants of the famous CORTES; though it had been half burnt down, it would contain two or three hundred people with eafe: The Earl of BRISTOL hired it on his predeceffor's death; and it is fince taken by the Prince CATHOLICO. The houfes in general look more like prifons, than the habitations of people at their liberty; the windows, befides having a balcony, being grated with iron bars, particularly the lower range, and fometimes all the reft. A fingle family is not the fole tenant of an houfe, as is usually the cafe in ENGLAND; they are generally inhabited by many feparate families, who notwithstanding are for the most part perfect ftrangers to each other. Thofe who can afford it, have a distinct apartment for fummer and winter. Foreigners are very much diftreffed for lodgings in MADRID; there being only one tolerable inn, the FONTANA D'ORO; and the Spaniards are not fond of taking any ftrangers into their houfes, efpecially if they are not Catholics. There is no fuch thing as a tavern or coffee-houfe in the town; they have only one news paper, which is the MADRID GAZETTE: Their places of diverfion are the amphitheatre, built for the exhibition of the Bull Feaft, and the two theatres of La CRUZ, and DEL PRINCIPE. The noife made by the itinerant bodies of pfalm-fingers in the ftreets, or the ROSARIO's, as they call them, is very difagreeable in the evening; the frequent proceffions, particularly thofe of the HOST, troublefome; at Easter efpecially, when the fight of thofe bloody difciplinants, the Flagellantes, is extremely fhocking.

NEXT to the King's palaces, one of the best buildings that I can recollect in MADRID, is the Imperial College of Jefuits, which is indeed a very noble ftructure. There is no paffing the streets there commodioufly without a vehicle; for as they practice the Scotch, or EDINBURGH custom, of manuring the streets by night, they would be too offenfive to your feet, as well as your nofe, without a chariot by day. Upon the fite of the old palace, where

FRANCIS

FRANCIS I. was kept prifoner, built by CHARLES V. but destroyed, is now erected what they call the New Palace, on the fouth fide of the town. The Cafa del Campo was built I believe, by PHILIP III. as an asylum for his mistresses.

The Buen Retiro was built by the Conde Duke D'OLIVARES, in PHILIP IV's. time. Some of the Convents are fine, particularly that of Atoche, or our Lady of the Bush: In the church belonging to it, they fing their Te Deum upon victories and other public occafions. The convent of the Salefas is likewife a new and noble structure. There is an order of Canoneffes in MADRID, which they call Ladies of St. James. The Monafteries and Nunneries in all SPAIN, were computed by one of their writers in 1623, at 2,141, and the number of religious of either fex, fhut up in them, at 44,915, which is doubtless a very moderate calculation.

LETTER XX.

JOURNEY from MADRID to LISBON, December the 17th, 1762.

S his Catholic Majefty did not think proper to give the Earl of Bristol any answer, in relation to the queftion put to him by the Court of GREAT BRITAIN, we, who all held ourfelves in readiness for an abrupt departure, made the neceffary difpofitions for an immediate return to ENGLAND: accordingly the requifite Passports being obtained, STANIER PORTEN, Efq; the English Conful-general at MADRID, led the way, and fet out, on the 16th of December, on his route for PORTUGAL. We fhould have been obliged to return that way, because the war prevented our going through FRANCE, and the road to CORUNNA being not practicable for a coach, unless we had made a very wide detour, and taken the road to SAN JAGO DE COMPOSTELLA.-But his Britannic Majefty fixed that route, by ordering that a ship (the Portland Man of War, the worthy Captain RICHARD HUGHES Commander) fhould fail directly for LISBON, and bring home the English Ambassador, and his retinue.-The Conful having gone the day before, in order to prepare the way for the Ambafador, procure him the beft accommodations, and to give notice of his coming: His Excellency fet out on the 17th of December, without taking leave of the Court of SPAIN.

As

As the whole nation were averfe to a war with ENGLAND, the Spaniards beheld the AMBASSADOR's departure with the utmost regret; it being their opinion, as well as the constant maxim of PATINHO, Con todo el mundo guerra, y paz con Ynglaterra, War with all the world, but peace with England. Some faid, Es por nueftros peccaos; and others, Es uno golpe politico; that is, It is for our fins; and, It is a political ftroke; that is to say, the court's doing, not a national war.

THOUGH the Ambaffador returned, without having taken leave of the Court, yet he received, on his departure, all the honours and civilities which were due to his rank and character. General WALL fent orders to all the Governors, and Commandants of every city or town the Ambaffador was to pafs through, that they should shew him all the accustomed honours and refpects due to the Ambaffador of GREAT BRITAIN.-Accordingly, at every place, the Governor waited on his Excellency, at his arrival, with a polite Spanish compliment; the foldiers were drawn up under arms, the drums beating, colours flying, and the canon on the ramparts fired at his departure.

We were to travel fixty-three leagues before we could get out of SPAIN, and pafs the GUADIANA at BADAJOS, which is the laft frontier city towards PORTUGAL; and then we had twentynine leagues remaining to ALDEA GALLEGA, a little village on the fouth fide of the TAGUS, where we were to pass that river to come at LISBON. This will appear much clearer from the following route.

We were to pafs two thirds of this way in an enemy's country, and the remainder in a dreary, barren, rocky foil, fomewhat, indeed, more fertile than SPAIN, but very little better in its accommodations. Befides this, the feafon of the year, which is ever unfavourable to travellers, was moft particularly fo to us at this juncture, as it rained almoft that whole fortnight without intermiffion; infomuch, that fome of the rivers were fo increased,