of his vassals to execute his commands, found it his interest to encourage those employments that favoured that disposition; that vassal who made it his glory to fly, at the first call, to the standard of his chieftain, was sure to prefer that employ, which might be transacted by his family with equal success during his absence. Tillage would require an attendance incompatible with the services he owed the baron, while the former occupation not only gave leisure for those duties, but furnished the hospitable board of his lord with ample provision, of which the vassal was an equal partaker. The relics of the larder of the elder Spencer, are evident proofs of the plenty of cattle in his days; for, after his winter provisions may have been supposed to have been mostly consumed, there were found, so late as the month of May, in salt, the carcasses of not fewer than 80 beeves, 600 bacons, and 600 muttons. The accounts of the several great feasts in after times, afford amazing instances of the quantity of cattle that were consumed in them. This was owing partly to the continued attachment of the people to grazing; partly to the preference that the English at all times gave to animal food. The quantity of cattle that appears from the latest calculation to have been consumed in our metropolis, is a sufficient argument of the vast plenty of these times; particularly when we consider the great advancement of tilage, and the numberless variety of provisions, unknown to past ages, that are now introduced into these kingdoms from all parts of the world.

Our breed of horned cattle has in general been so much improved by a foreign mixture, that it is difficult to point out the original kind of these islands. Those which may be supposed to have been purely British, are far inferior in size to those on the northern part of the European continent; the cattle of the Highlands of Scotland are extremely small, and many of them, males as well as females, are hornless: the Welsh runts are much larger; the black cattle of Cornwall are of the same size with the last. The large species that is now cultivated through most parts of Great Britain, is either entirely of foreign extraction, or our own improved by a cross with the foreign kind. The Lincolnshire kind derive their size from the Holstein breed, and the large hornless cattle that are bred in some parts of England, come originally from Poland.

About two hundred and fifty years ago there was found in Scotland a wild race of cattle, which were of a pure white colour, and had (if we may credit Boethius) manes like lions. I cannot but

give credit to the relation; having seen in the woods of Drumlanrig, in North Britain, and in the park belonging to Chillingham castle, in Northumberland, herds of cattle probably derived from the savage breed. They have lost their manes; but retain their colour and fierceness: they were of a middle size, long legged, and had black muzzles and ears: their horns fine, and with a bold and elegant bend. The keeper of those at Chillingham said that the weight of the ox was 38 stone of the cow 28: that their hides were more esteemed by the tanners than those of the tame; and they would give sixpence per stone more for them. These cattle were wild as any deer: on being approached would instantly take to flight and gallop away at full speed: never mix with the tame species; nor come near the house, unless constrained by hunger in very severe weather. When it is necessary to kill any, they are always shot; if the keeper only wounds the beast, he must take care to keep behind some tree, or his life would be in danger from the furious attacks of the animal; which will never desist till a period is put to its life.

Frequent mention is made of our savage cattle by historians. One relates that Robert Bruce was (in chasing these animals) preserved from the rage of a wild bull by the intrepidity of one of his courtiers, from which he and his lineage acquired the name of Turn-bull. Fitz-Stephen names these animals (Uri Sylvestres) among those that harboured in the great forest that in his time lay adjacent to London. Another enumerates among the provisions at the great feast of Nevil, archbishop of York, six wild bulls; and Sibbald assures us, that in his days a wild and white species was found in the mountains of Scotland, but agreeing in form with the common sort. I believe these to have been the Bisontes jubati of Pliny, found then in Germany, and might have been common to the continent and our islands; the loss of their savage vigour by confinement might occasion some change in the external appearance, as is frequent with wild animals deprived of liberty; and to that we may ascribe their loss of manes. The Urus of the Hercynian forest described by Cæsar, book VI. was of this kind, the same which is called by the modern Germans, Aurochs, i. e. Bos sylvestris.

The ox is the only horned animal in these islands that will apply his strength to the service of mankind. It is now generally allowed, that in many cases oxen are more profitable in the draught than horses their food, harness, and shoes being cheaper, and should

they be lamed or grow old, an old working beast will be as good meat, and fatten as well, as a young one.

There is scarcely any part of this animal without its use. The blood, fat, marrow, hide, hair, horns, hoofs, milk, cream, butter, cheese, whey, urine, liver, gall, spleen, bones, and dung, have each their particular use in manufactures, commerce, and medicine.

The skin has been of great use in all ages. The ancient Britons, before they knew a better method, built their boats with osiers, and covered them with the hides of bulls, which served for short coasting voyages.

Primum cana salix madefacto vimine parvam

Texitur in Puppim, cæsoque induta juvenco,
Vectoris patiens, tumidum super emicat amnem :
Sic Venetus stagnante Pado, fusoque Britannus
Navigat oceano.

LUCAN. lib. iv. 131.

The bending willow into barks they twine:
Then line the works with spoils of slaughter'd kine.

Such are the floats Venetian fishers know,

Where in dull mashes stands the settling Po;

On such to neighbouring Gaul, allured by gain,
The bolder Britons cross the swelling main.

ROWE.

Vessels of this kind are still in use on the Irish lakes; and on the Dee and Severn: in Ireland they are called Curach; in England Coracles, from the British Cwrwgl, a word signifying a boat of that

structure.

Bull Fights in Spain.-Among the diversions and pastimes of the Spaniards, there is none so peculiar and interesting as their bull feasts; it will be necessary therefore to insert here the account of the bull feast exhibited in the Plaça Mayor, at Madrid, upon occasion of the late king's public entry into his capital, on the 15th of July, 1760, as given by Mr. Clark, although compelled to take his ideas without adhering to his verbal description.

The square, which is large, was thronged with people, and all the balconies ornamented with different-coloured silks, and crowded from the top to the bottom of the houses; the avenues to the square were built up into balconies, and a sloping scaffold placed round for the common people, and raised about eight or nine feet from the ground.

First came the coaches of the cavaliers, who were to encounter the bulls; these coaches were four in number, of a singular make, with glasses at the ends, and quite open at the sides: the cavaliers were placed at the doors of their coaches; and bowed to the people in the balconies as they passed round the square. They were accompanied by their sponsors, the dukes of Ossuna, Banos, Arcos, and Medina Cæli. Before the royal family came a company of halberdiers, followed by seven or eight of the king's coaches, preceding his coach of state, which was extremely rich, with red and gold ornaments, and beautiful painted pannels. Then came a coach with some of the great officers; and next came the king and queen in a very sumptuous coach of blue, with all the ornaments of massive silver, and a crown at the top: the trappings of the horses were likewise silver, with large white plumes. They were followed by the coaches of the prince of Asturias, the two infantas, and don Lewis, with their attendants.

The king and queen seated themselves opposite to the balcony of the English ambassador, in which our author sat; they were in a gilt balcony, with a canopy and curtains of scarlet and gold. On the right hand of the king's balcony were placed the rest of the royal family; and on the left the gentlemen of the bed-chamber in a row, all dressed in a very fine uniform of blue and red, richly embroidered with gold. The halberdiers marched from the king's balcony, which was in the centre of one side, and forming themselves into two lines fronting different ways, cleared the square of the crowd, who retired into the scaffolds erected for them; after which the halberdiers formed themselves into a line before the scaffold under the king's balcony. Then two companies of boys, dressed in an uniform, with caps and red taffety jackets, came with buckets of water in their hands, and watered the stage as they crossed over it to the opposite side: the six chief alguazils of the city then appeared, mounted on fine horses, covered with trappings; they were dressed in the old Spanish habit, black, with slashed sleeves, great white flowing wigs, and hats with plumes of different coloured feathers: these magistrates advanced towards the king's balcony, under which they remained the whole time. to receive his orders, except when they were frightened from their post by the bulls.

The troops belonging to the cavaliers next ascended the stage in four large companies, dressed in silk Moorish liveries, richly and elegantly ornamented with lace and embroidery: these first bowed