GAY ANGOS, PASCUAL DE, an eminent Spanish and Oriental scholar, who has made many valuable contributions, both direct and indirect, to English literature, was born in Spain about the end of the 18th century. He early devoted himself to the study of the Arabic language, without which he saw it was impossible to prosecute :ma ccasfully the study of the modheval history of Spain. When on a visit to Algiers he met with an English lady whom he married, and the most important of his published works are in the English language. An article on the ' Arabic Manuscripts in Spain,' which appeared in the ' Westminster Review' for 1834, is, we believe, the first of the series, and it has been followed by numerous articles in the Edin burgh,' and other reviews, in the 'Penny Cyclopmedia; the Biographi• cal Dictionary of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge,' &c. For several years Senor de Gayangos was resident iu England, where his perfect knowledge of the language and literature of both countries enabled him to discharge in some sort the duties of a literary ambassador. While here be issued the ' History of the Mohammedan Dynasties in Spain, by Ahmed Ibn Mohammed Al-Makkari; translated from the copies in the library of the British Museum, and illustrated with critical notee on the history, geography, and antiquities of Spain (London, 1840.43). The history itself is of great interest, but the
main value of the work consists in the ample critical notes which occupy upwards of four hundred closely printed pages of the two quarto volumes, and which throw an entirely new light on much of the early history of Spain. Seiler de Gayangoa also translated the Arabic inscriptions, and wrote the illustrative matter for the magnificent work of Goury and Owen Jones on the ' Alhambra' (London, 1842, folio). Since his return to Spain, where he is Professor of Arabic at the Athenaeum of Madrid, he has made repeated visits to the African coast and to England. Of late years be has rendered valuable assistance to the American historiaus Prescott and Ticknor, iu the collection of materials for their histories of Philip IL, and of Spanish literature. He has also commenced, in conjunctiou with Vedia, the publication of a translation of Ticknor's work into Spanish, of which the third volume has (1856) just appeared. It is enriched with copious notes, containing supplementary information to that given in the English original, and these notes have, we observe, been themselves translated in the German edition of Julius.