Or the language of Spain, as it existed under the reign of the Visigoth kings, we possess no monuments.The laws and the chronicles of the period were equally written in Latinand although both, in all probability, must have been frequently rendered into more vulgar dialects for the use of those whose business it was to understand them, no traces of any such versions have survived the many storms and struggles of religious and political dissention of which this interesting region has since been made the scene. To what exact extent, therefore, the language and literature of the peninsula felt the influence of that great revolution which subjected the far greater part of her territory to the sway of a mussulman sceptre-and how much or how little of what we at this hour admire or condemn in the poetry of Portugal, Arragon, Castille, is really not of Spanish but of Moorish origin-these are matters which have divided all the great writers of literary history, and which we, in truth, have little chance of ever seeing accurately or completely decided.No one, however, who considers of what elements the Christian population of Spain was originally composed -and in what shapes the mind of nations, every way kindred to that population, was expressed during the middle ages can have any doubt that some influence, and that no inçonsi VOL. VI. -- derable one neither, was exerted over the whole world of Spanish thought and feeling—and, therefore, over the whole world of Spanish language and poetry-by the influx of those oriental tribes that occupied, for seven long centuries, the fairest provinces of the peninsula. Spain, although of all the provinces which owned the authority of the Caliphs she was the most remote from the seat of their empire, appears to have been the first in point of civilization; her governors having, for at least two centuries, emulated one another in affording every species of encouragement and protection to all those liberal arts and sciences which first flourished at Bagdad under the sway of Haroon Alraschid, and his less celebrated, but, perhaps, still more enlightened son Al-mamoun.Beneath the wise and munificent patronage of these rulers, the cities of Spain, within three hundred years after the defeat of king Roderick, had been everywhere penetrated with a spirit of elegance, tastefulness, and philosophy, which afforded the strongest of all possible contrasts to the contemporary condition of the other kingdoms of Europe. At Cordova, Granada, Seville, and many now less considerable towns, colleges and libraries had been founded and endowed in the most splendid manner-where the most exact and the 3 P Murray, John, merchant, grocer, and innkeeper, Thurso Nicol, William, bleacher, Gateside Penman, Andrew, bookseller and stationer, Glas- Robertson, James, flax-dresser and manufacturer, Robey, George, merchant, Anstruther Sym & Langmuir, corn-merchants and spiritdealers, Glasgow, as a company, and as individuals Stewart, Charles, & Co. merchants and manufac turers, Glasgow, and Charles Stewart and James Forbes, the individual partners Stiven, Alexander, flour-merchant at Newmills, Tassie, James, leather-dresser, Pollockshaws Young, David, wright, Calton of Glasgow Baird, Thomas, merchant, Glasgow; a final divi- Crawford, John, & Co. carrying on business under that firm at Port-Glasgow-at Newfoundland, under the firm of Crawfords & Co.-and at Lisbon, under the firm of J. T. Crawford & Co.; a dividend on 1st February M'Grouthers & Coats, merchants, Greenock; a Garthew Mill, near Balfron; a final dividend on 7th Oughterston & Co. late merchants, Greenock; a Saunders and Mellis, merchants, Aberdeen; a dividend on 27th January 34 to 37 American. . 18 to 20 Dutch Red 20 to 22 Liverpool, Jan. 4. s. d. Pease, grey 9 6 to 10 6 Flour, Eng. 8 6 to 42 0 to 46 0 50 0 to 56 0 pr. 240 lb. 46 0 to 48 0 9 5 to 10 0 Irish 44 0 to 46 0 90 to Riga 83 to S. S. 60 to 63 New. 44 to 50 40 to 42 per 70 lbs. English, new .21 to 23 Archangel. 8 0 to 26 to 28 55 to 60 .50 to 55 45 to 50 English 50 to 20 to 28 Irish. 8 to S. to -to 4 6 to 5 0 4 0 to 4 9 9 Foreign 4 0 to 4 9 Butter, per cwt. s. Butter, Beef, &c. S. Oats, per 45 lb. Belfast 83 to 8.5 English pota. 3 3 to 3 7 Newry s. Irish, do. 3 3 to 3 5 Waterford, new 76 to Scotch do. 3 4 to 36 Cork, pick. 2d 77 to 78 Rye, per qr. 38 0 to 40 0 3d dry 68 to 70 Beef, p. tierce 108 to 110 30 to 34 84 to 85 57 to 58 50 0 to 55 0 Bacon, per cwt. 55 to 56 Average Prices of Corn in England and Wales, from the Returns received in the Week ended 25th Dec. 1819. Wheat, 64s. 11d.-Rye, 42s. Od.-Barley, 56s. 3d.-Oats, 25s. Od.-Beans, 48s. 1d.-Pease, 50s. 6d.Beer or Big, Os. Od.-Oatmeal, 26s. 2d. Average Prices of British Corn in Scotland, by the Quarter of Eight Winchester Bushels, and Oatmeal, per Boll of 128 lbs. Scots Troy, or 140 lbs. Avoirdupois, of the Four Weeks immediately preceding the 15th Dec. 1819. Wheat, 64s. 6d.-Rye, 37s. Od.-Barley, 29s. 6d.-Oats, 21s. 11d.-Beans, 33s. 3d.- Pease, 33s. 2d. Beer or Big, 25s. 5d.-Oatmeal, 18s. Od. |
