The villages are mostly mean, and the roads narrow; but Madrid, the capital of Spain, is a large city, with long, straight streets, many of them cooled by noble fountains.  The houses in Madrid are built of brick, and even the grandest of them have only lattices, instead of glass windows, most of which have, however, handsome balconies, supported on columns.  In the churches, there are neither pews, benches, nor chairs; the ground is covered with matting, on which every one kneels together, from the grandee to the beggar.  In the suburbs there are many woods of evergreen oak, vineyards, olive plantations, and orchards of mulberry, plum, and almond trees; and the flocks of black sheep and goats, grazing in the country meadows, have a pretty effect.

I don’t think you would find the Spanish cookery much to your taste; for the Spaniards are very fond of rancid butter in their meals, and of oil that has a very strong smell and flavour; indeed, when they are going to cook anything that requires fat, they lift down the lamp from the ceiling, and take out what oil they want.  Bread, steeped in oil, and occasionally seasoned with vinegar, is the common food of the country people.  Their favourite wine is that which has a strong taste of the leather bottles or casks, in which they keep it; and they will hardly eat any thing that has not saffron, pimento, or garlic, in it.  They have, however, even amongst the poorest, such fine grapes, ripe melons, and tempting oranges, as my little readers, I know, have seldom tasted.  In summer, they use a quantity of ice, which is sold in glasses, in the streets, for a trifling sum.  In place of candles, the poor people have a piece of cane, cut with holes through it, which is fixed to the ceiling, and from one of the holes a lamp is hung by a hook.

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The dress of the lower orders is very pretty indeed, and they themselves are mostly tall and handsome, with black hair and eyes, and dark sun-burnt complexions.  The climate is so warm and balmy, that they can grow their fruits in the open air.

Some pretty articles have been sent from Portugal, a country which is near Spain, and very like it in all respects.  It is a very fine country, famous for wine, and oil; and the sheep are much prized for their superior wool.  The ladies of rank still spin flax from a distaff, to show their industry.  The peasantry are not very well off; their only luxury is tobacco, and their usual fare is bread, made of Indian corn, with a salted pilchard, or a head of garlic, to give it a relish.  They are polite and hospitable; but the people of the towns have not the least scruple in stabbing any body that offends them; so that it is a dangerous thing to affront them.

What elegant tables, pictures, vases, marbles, statues, shells, woods, and perfumes, have been contributed to the Exhibition from Italy.  Here is a table of a most beautiful material, called pietra dura, which took one hundred and twenty years to finish, and came from Naples.