The maritime region of the Atlantic: and Bay of Biscay inclosee the table-land on the north-west and north, and contains the western districts of Galicia, the province of Asturias, and the northern portion of Castanet in Viejo.. That portion which lies south of Cape Ortcgal is hardly more than 40 miles in width, and is traversed by numerous ridges, which have usually gentle slopes, so as to admit of cultivation to a considerable distance from their base. Their summits are crowned with forests. The lower country, which about Santiago de Coinpostella stretches out in extensive plains, is tolerably fertile and well cultivated. The climate is wet. The heat of the summer is moderate, and the winters far from being severe, except when the north winds blow, but they are not of le:lig duration. [Gemmel The country east of Cape Ortegal is of a somewhat different character. The Asturian Mountains, which descend southward to the plains of Leon and Castilla In Vicja with a very rapid slope, decline towards the north in long ridges, which grow lower as they approach the Bay of Biscay. In the vicinity of the principal range those lateral ridges are too steep and too high to be cultivated, and are only used as pasture-ground fur cattle and goats : a considerable part of them is covered with forests. Towards the sea tho ridges aro lower and their declivities less steep, and here cultivation has ascended to some distance from their two. The valleys which lie between these ridges are narrow and elevated near the great chain, but they grow wider towards the sea. They have a tolerably fertile soil, suit aro well cultivated. Wheat, barley, and maize are grown. Great quantities of cider are annually made and exported. Chestnut-trees are so common that the chestnuts not only supply the lower classes with food, but also are exported to a great extent. The climate does not differ mach from that of the western maritime tract, being also very wet, but the cold is greater, though the northern winds are not experienced in the same degree as in Galicia. [Amato.° ; Wawa Pnovraccs.] The basin of the river Ebro occupies a part of Castilla la Vieja, of the provinces of Vitoria and Navarra, the greater part of the province of Aragon, and a considerable portion of Cataluna. The northern boundary, from the sources of the river Segre on the east to those of the Arga on the west, is formed by the high chain of the Pyrenees. West of the sources of the river Arga a chain of mountains begins, which runs westward until it meets, near the sources of the Ebro, the Sierra de Sejoe, or the eastern portion of the Asturian Mountains. This range, which is called Sierra do Aralar, is about 120 miles in length. It is much less elevated than the two great mountain ayatems which it connects. The mean elevation probably does not exceed 3000 feet above the sea-level.
The higher portion of the basin of the Ebro is considerably lower than the plain of Castilla Is Vieja, which joins it on the south. This part of the basin of the Ebro forms a considerable depression between Castilla and Bizosys. The interior of the basin in this part is nearly a plaiu, which extends north to Vitoria and south to Nagera, and is here and there intersected by detached groups of limestone hills. It has a tolerably fertile soil, aml produces good crops of corn. Farther east many offseta branch off from the Sierra do Ander and the Pyrenees, and west of the river Aragon these ridges cover at least three-fourths of the country north of the Ebro. Near the principal ridges they constitute extensive mountain IIIRSSOP, which are separated by narrow valleys. The masses themselves are unfit for cultivation, but are used as pasture-grounds, and a great part of them is covered with forests containing many fine timber-trees. The valleys are cultivated. About 12 miles from the river the mountain masses decrease in size and elevation, and soon sink down to hills, which extend to the banks of the river. Their slopes are partly cultivated, and yield good crops of
maize, wheat, and other grain ; there are also numerous plantations of vines, olive-trees, and chestnut-trees. Hemp and flax are extensively grown. Grain, oil, and wine, are exported to a considerable amount, [NAVARRA.
East of dm river Aragon more than half of the country north of the Ebro is covered with the branches of the Pyrenees. Between the sources of the rivers -Aragon and Segre (that is, between 1' W. long. and 2' E. long.) is the highest portion of the Pyrenean Mountains, containing the lofty summits and extensive mountain masses of the Pic du Midi, of Monte Perdido, and Monte Maladeta. In this part the northern declivity is extremely steep; but towards the south the range slopes down in a long inclined plain, which terminates about 40 miles from the highest part of the range, north of 42° N. lat. The irregularly-inclined plain is furrowed by deep and narrow valleys. Near the great chain these valleys are almost unfit for cultivation, on acconut of the severity of the climate; but farther down narrow tracts occur which aro cultivated with the grains of Northern Europe and with flax. As the mountains terminate north of 42° N. lat., a con siderable tract of country extends between them and the banks of the Ebro. This tract is partly cultivable and partly a desert, The desert is not far from the banks of the river, and extends from the vicinity of Zaragoza on the west to near Mequinenza uu the east, a distance of more than 50 miles in a straight line. It is about 10 or 12 miles in width, and formed by a swell of the ground, which in its highest part may rise 1500 feet above the level of the Ebro. The surface is a suc cession of slight ascents and descents, and the soil is extremely arid. This tract is called the Sierra de Alcubierre. It is nearly uninhabited, and almost a useless waste. A cultivated country surrounds it on all sides, though the soil is in general of indifferent quality, and the crops far from being abundant. But the plain of Lerida is an exception : it is distinguished by fertility, cultivation is general, and the waste lands are of small extent. It produces good crops of maize, wheat, rye, barley, oats, leguminous vegetables, fruit, wine, and oil. The countries within the basin of the Ebro south of the river contain a much larger proportion of arable land, and are much more populous than those on the north of the river. [ARAGON.] The country which extends between the Sierra de Lima and the Mediterranean, and the lower course of the Ebro, may be considered an appendage of the basin of the Ebro. With few exceptions the surface is very hilly, and in some parts even mountainous. The ridges of hills which traverse it run partly parallel to the Sierra de Liens, and partly in an opposite direction towards the Mediterranean. The fertility is various. [Ceram:IL] The countries included in the basin of the Ebro differ greatly in climate, the valleys within the Pyrenees being so cold that the com mon kinds of grain do net succeed, while along the sea-shore and towards the mouth of the river most of the fruits of Southern Europe attain perfection. In general it may be observed that the part of the basin which is north of the river, with the exception of the tracts immediately situated on the shores of the Mediterranean, has more severe winters and colder summers than the great table-land, whilst the countries south of the river have a mild winter, and a much more temperate summer. The mean annual quantity of rain is between 20 and 26 inches, but it is much more in the elevated valleys of the Pyrenees. In the interior the climate is healthy, but not so on the coast. Barcelona has occasionally suffered from the yellow fever.