e 55'
The mountains belong as in the French Pyrennees, to the parilhes; each inhabitanthas a right to cut what wood he pleafes for fuel and repairs, in the woods aligned forthat purpofe; others are let by leafe at public audtion for the benefit of the parifh, thetrees to be cut being marked ; and iif general the police of their woods is better thanoil the French fide ; when woods are cut they are preferred for the next growth.
Have fcarce any oxen ; what few they kill they fait for winter. Taxes are light; the 'whole which a conliderable town is afl’elTed at being only 2700 livres, which they payby the rent of their woods and partures let: but if calculated by taiiles, houfes, &c. andincluding every thing, the amount would, be about 3 livres a-year, on a journal of 600livres value. This is the proportion of an acre of land worth 30I. paying 3s. a year in-lieu of land and all other taxes.
Coming out of Veille, fee to the right foine of the mofl Honey land I have ever be- -held, yet good hemp and buck wheat were growing on it. In the hedges many of theplants, common to them in England. The paftures on the mountains good quite to thefnow ; but the low meadows not watered with the attention given them by the French in their Pyrennees. Pafs feveral of the thirty-two villages of the valley of Aran ; popu-lation very great for they croud on each other; and this refults here from-the diviftonof property, and not from manufa&ures, which have more than once been fuppofed theonly origin of great population.
Much millefolium here, and other plants common with us. Plough with bullocks jall we faw pale reddifh or cream-coloured, and with horns.
No wood at the top, but pafturage and rocks of micaceous fchilfus; met a great herdof dry cows and oxen cream-coloured. It is remarkable that a pale reddifh cream-colourholds from Calais quite acrofs France hither, with very little variation.
Flocks of fheep and a penn for oxen and cows—the latter milked for cheefe. Plough 'with oxen in yokes and bows as inEngland, and not yoked by the horns as in the fouthof France . Come to fallows (w hich is a point of worfe hufbandry than we have feen forfome time), manuring by afles loaded with bafkets. The trees here (pines) are finerthan on the French fide ; they are all cut for the Touloufe market, being carried overthe mountains and floated down the Garronne; from whence we may draw conclufionson the comparative demand of the two kingdoms. Land fells here from 400 livres to500 livres the journal.
Come to the valley d’Efteredano, where wheat and rye are cut. Every ferap on thedefeent is cultivated; an extenfive favage view of mountain, with patches of culturefcattered about the declivities : but fallows are found here.
Pafs Rudafe, on the top of a rocky mountain, come prefently to vines, figs, andfruit trees ; fnow in fight. As we defeend to the vale, every fpot is cultivated that iscapable of being fo.
Crofs the river to Realp ; about which place is much cultivation, as the mountainsfldpe more gently than hitherto. Hedges of pomegranates in bloffom. The towm islong and has many fhops. Hemp is the great objeft in it; of this they make ropes,twine of all forts, bags, and have fome looms for converting it into cloth. Corn andhay all .carried on panniers.
Pafs Sort, a vale fpoiled by the river, which exhibited the depredations of the Italianrivers, fo excellently deferibed by my learned friend Mr. Prof. Symonds.
Hitherto, in Catalonia , we have feen nothing to confirm the chara&er that has been -given of it; fcarcely any thing has a tolerable appearance. It is much to be questioned,from the intelligence, whether they have any fuch a thing as a farmer who rents land:only patches of property j no maize, and French beans very poor; fallows every where
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