ASTURIAS. Two provinces on the north of Spain, containing about 700 square leagues of the most mountainous country of the whole monarchy, form what is called the principality of Asturias. Ac cording to some writers, these two provinces are to be considered separate and distinct, one being the Asturia of Oviedo, and the other the Asturia of San tillana ; but no such division is recognised in the ad ministration of the kingdom. This principality is bounded on the north by the Bay of Biscay ; by Gal licia on the west ; and by the kingdoms of Leon and Old Castile on the south and east.
The climate is excessively humid ; and no care can preserve grain or fruit from decay, and iron from rust. The atmosphere is continually surcharged with vapour which is attracted by the mountains, and unless the wind blows from north-east, the sky is covered with clouds.
The whole principality abounds with marl, chalk, gypsum, and very fine marbles. The limestone is full of fossil shells, coral, and corallines. Amber, inde pendent of being found on the shore, exists in a fossil state, uniformly accompanied by jet, and a kind of cannel coal. These, when broken, disclose white crust ed nodules, including bright and transparent amber. There is abundance of coal deposited in a calcareous bed, which has never been worked for fuel, both be cause plenty of wood can easily be procured for that purpose, and because it emits an intolerable odour in burning. There are also strong prejudices entertain ed against it, as being injurious to health. The an cients, particularly Pliny and Silius Italicus, speak of the gold of the Asturian mountains, but none is known now to be there. Mines of copper, lead, and iron, are found ; and likewise those of arsenic and cobalt.
Woods, consisting of elm, ash, and poplar, cover the hills. Many trees fit for domestic purposes, or useful in ship building, particularly oaks of very fine quality, abound ; and fruits are produced in sheltered places without care or cultivation.
The cattle of the Asturias grow to considerable size : they universally supply the place of horses for agricultural uses. Martial and Silius both speak of
the Asturian horses. 1 t dues not appear, however, that they are at this day equally celebrated.
The Asturias contain a bishopric, 663 parishes, '23 monasteries and nunneries, and 13 other religious es tablishments. The total population is about 350,000 persons. Besides dignitaries of the church, the num ber of religious, including 200 nuns, is 2S5S, which is less in proportion than in some other pares of Spain. From the nature of the climate, the mode of life pur sued, and certain predisposing causes, the people are subject to many severe diseases, such as fevers, drop sy, scrofula, palsy, leprosy, and others. The mal de rasa attacks the back of the hands, the insteps, and the neck, where it descends to part of the breast, but loaves the rest of the body free. At first it appears red, attended with pain and heat, and ends in scurf. Vertigo and delirium succeed in the progress of the disease, and another extraordinary symptom, consist ing in a peculiar propensity of the patients to drown themselves. The disease disappears in summer, and returns in spring : it may be cured by gentle medi cines, but if neglected, terminates in scrofula, maras ma, melancholy, and insanity. The inhabitants are also grievously afflicted with leprosy, for which there arc no less than 20 hospitals in the Asturias. Some labouring under it are covered with a dry white r.cni-f, and look like so many millers : some have the skin almost black, full of wrinkles, and covered with a loathsome crust : some have one leg and thigh swol len to an enormous degree, with many pustules and ulcers; while in others, especially women, the swelling seizes one hand or the face, and hardly leaves the hu man features discernible. Certain patients, again, amidst the variety which this disease assumes, have carbuncles as large as hazel nuts all over the surface of the body.