SAint Sebastian in the Province of Guiposcoa, in the Kingdom of Castile, is a free Town, in man­ner of a Republick; subjected to the Crown Castile, on Conditions approved on by the Kings of Spain: And in all their Writings, they style it,

The Most Noble and Most Loyal City of Saint Sebastian.

The Kings of Spain, have given them this Ti­tle for services they did the Crown.

The Province of Guiposcoa enjoys great Frivi­ledges, and do not obey the Kings Orders, when that which is required of them, is contrary to[Page 2]the Priviledges and Liberties of the Province. Which is Governed thus,

Every Year there is a Convocation or Assem­bly, whether every Town does send their De­puties to Concert Affairs relating to their County or province. Their Meeting is in four different places by turns, and they are call'd.

Saint Sebastian, Toloza, Aspeytia and Ascoytia.

The head or chief of such that are chosen for the Governing this Province, is a Judge Call'd Cor­rigidor, who is as Lord Lieutenant of a County, or Intendant of a Province. It's to him the King sends his Orders to be Executed in the County. Besides this Corrigidor, There is chosen for the Governing the said Province a Deputation (so cal­led by the Spaniards) consisting of several re­presentatives of the several places in the said Pro­vince, who have Power of refusing the Kings Orders served to them by the Corrigidor, if that any such Orders or Commission presented them are against the Rights of the Deputation, or pla­ces whom they represent; But if the Kings Com­mission or Orders to the Corrigidor, does not con­tradict the Rights of the Deputation, they let him put them in Execution to the full. For Ex­ample,

[Page 3]When the King asks of the said province to supply him with a certain number of Men, ei­ther Landmen, or Seamen; The Corrigidor serves the Kings Orders to the Province and acquaints the Deputation: They tell him they are a free People, and that they cannot oblidge any Inha­bitant to leave his Family to serve the King: But when they find that the demand is not against their Liberties and Rights, they are so civil to give the King leave to order Drum to be beat, and they will not oppose it; otherwise they do as in the Case of the Corrigidor Duke Corsano a few years ago, who requiring of this province of Guiposcoa, and in particular of the City of Saint Sebastian, some things contrary to their Priviledg­es (which I shall not mention) They present­ed their Leij Secundo, or Charter in one hand and a Sword in the other, with Orders to him in four hours to leave the Province, the Duke was fain to scowr for it.

The Government of the City of Saint Sebastian, whose Magistrates are chosen once a Year, about a week before Christmas, is thus.

There is about an hundred Electors, who must be qualified as you'll hear hereafter (for no bo­dy can be of the Government of Saint Sebastian, [Page 2] [...] [Page 3] [...] [Page 4]nor of the province, nor indeed of the least Vil­lage, till he has proved his Higuidalquir, Viz. (That he is Noble).

Their Magistrates are chosen thus.

There is a great Silver Bowl, into which is put confusedly all the Electors Names: The first eight that a Boy (like one of our Blew Coat Boys) takes out, are those who are to be Alcai­jde, Subalcaijde, Syndect, Magistrates and Jurates for the following Year.

These eight Name every one of them, one to be Alcaijde and Subalcaijde, the first two of these eight, the Boy takes out, are Alcaijd and Subalcaijde, the first Alcaijde, the second Subal­cajde, and so after the same manner of the Syn­dect and other Officers.

Notwithstanding this fair way of choosing their Magistrates, there is Faction and Interest made to get in their friends into the Magistracy, they are generally very poor, dispising Industry and Arts; and when they come to Govern or to be Alcaijde, have opportunities of exacting even up­on their own people as well as strangers, and which they make no scruple of doing in the face[Page 5]of the World. I could relate several particulars to my Knowledge, but that I should expose them too much: and indeed, it would hardly be be­lieved that such tricks and little things were pra­ctised in Spain, where every one from the highest to the lowest, value themselves on their Families, Nobility and Punctilio's of Honour.

In order to be thus qualified to get into the Government (as I said before),

They must be Noble.

Their Nobility is thus, not to have had any of their Kindred a Jew, Moor, Turk, or Here­tick.

And to prove this, the Person that would be of the Government, presents a request to the Pro­vince of Guiposcoa, in which is explained his in­tention, and asks to be a Cavallero Dillegenzero, Viz. That his Birth and Estate may be enquired into, in order to his being made a Noble­man.

The Province or Town orders their Syndect, whose business it is to enquire into his Family (and for which he has a Pistol a day) to go to[Page 6]the place of his Birth along with him, and there take both private, as well as publick informati­ons of his Family, which afterwards he reports to the Province or Magistrates of the place, where such a one would be of the Government; if the report is allowed, the Cavallero Dilligenzero, is declared Noble.

Besides these qualifications already mentioned.

There is one yet very remarkable and with­out it, if they were descended from Caesars or A­chilles Race, they cannot be Noble, Viz.

If they live, or are to live in Town, they must have a House of their own, or else they must have Land enough in the Province where­on they have two Thousand Apple-Trees, or whereon they may raise two Thousand Apple-Trees, and then the Cavallero Dilligenzero, is ad­mitted and made Capable of being admitted into the Government. No Man can be Noble by his Wife, or by her Estate:

The Town of Saint Sebastian, is seated, as you see by the Draught, on the South side, and at the bottom of a high Hill of Freestone in a square form, the Town is hid by the Hill as you make [Page 7]towards the Land and is not to be seen, till you are in the Road.

There are two Gates, that of the Peer, and the other that's called the Passage Gate, from which, goes a Road to Passage, a Noble Harbour; There is a Horn work with a Ravelin before it that co­vers the Passage Gate, and but very ordinary and in ill repair, and out of all due Propor­tion.

The Castle upon the top of the Hill stands prettily, a Noble Prospect from it all along that part of the Bay of Biscay, from Cape Martinchauco to Arkason and Cabritton in France. The going up, or access to this Castle is difficult, which adds to the strength of it, and I think all that can be said justly of this Castle is this, and that is all Altho the Spaniards are extream Proud of it, and quote you Charlequin, who said in Praise of it (if you'll believe them) that if he should loose all Spain, and had only the Castle of Saint Sebastian, he would recover it.

The Castle was blown up by the Magasines ta­ing fire, but is now rebuilt and in good repair; all the Water in the Castle is rain Water, which is Conveyed into a Well by Leaden Pipes from[Page 8]the Roof of the Guard Room, and Barraques, which are indeed very fine and capable of Lodg­ing two Thousand Men Conveniently.

The Garrison at present, consists of a Sergeant and six Men, which by detachment from the main Guard (which does not consist of above twelve, besides a Governour, Captain, Lieutenant and Ensign) is relieved every day by the like num­ber, and by sometimes a lesser. The Souldiers are all beggars, and if a stranger refuses to give them something, they contrive to do him mis­chief.

There are two Platforms mounted with Guns, I suppose designed to secure the Harbour and Play on Ships that would force themselves into the Road, they are too high to be of any use to them, as well as the Castle for this purpose.

In the mouth of the Harbour there is a Hill called Saint Claire, where there was three months ago a Hermit of the order of Saint Francis, who tells twenty Legends and Stories, and helps to fill the Casks with Wine, as he mud live by begging, so the Poor old fellow will be every day as drunk as a beggar; for this reason they say, they turned him out of his. Cell, but it's believed[Page 9]rather it was to make room for one that is now there, a Gentleman of a considerable Estate in the Kingdom of Castile, for reasons, he has his Estate Men from him, and is confined to this Island as a Hermit, to beg his Bread for four­teen Years, and then returns to his Estate again: The Church and Clergy enjoys his Estate in the mean time.

All that Dye Hereticks are buried here; when the Corps is carried out of Town to be waft­ed over to this Island to be Buried, the Mob of Men and Women follow Insulting over the Corps, Crying aloud, He goes to Hell. The Hermit has the benefit of the ground on his Island and sells it as he thinks fit.

To give the Clergy their due, they are not so troublesome to strangers when they are sick and a dying, altho Hereticks, with their extream Unction and Wafers as in France.

The coming into the Road, and over the Bar of Saint Sebastian is difficult, unless with a leading Wind, a great Rock lies under Water in the middle of the Bar.

[Page 10]But to run no hazard, the Pilots will force them­selves on board of you, which is commendable e­nough if it was not on design to impose upon you, and make one pay what they please and no help for it, nor no Justice done if you complain. The Consul and Merchant strangers residing at Saint Sebastian, have brought them to some bet­ter reason and to Composition, but for all that, it is still as they please, every Fisherman looks upon himself as good as Signior Alcaijde himself; So that a Man must sit down under all affronts and hardships and be quiet.

Their way of living at Saint Sebastian.

People that are of the better sort and distinguish­able, after having enjoyed the Musick of Serenading little before day, they get up and drink Chocolet, without which they would not stir abroad if their house was on fire, then they take, both Men and Women, a great deal of pains with their hair, dress themselves and go to Church, they and their Priests understand what they Pray to God for much alike, for not one of twenty of their Clergy understands Latin.

[Page 11]After Mass the Men go to the Peer, where they tarry till eleven of the Clock, then they go to the middle of the Town called the four Corners, where they stay till twelve, after it has struck, if it was to save the Town they would not stay a minute longer, and oftentimes break off in the middle of a Story or sentence, to go home to their Olio. The first thing presented at their Tables is a Chocolet Cup of Soup, or the gravey of meat boiled and Bread crumbled into it, served upon Earthen Platters, then comes the Roast Meat, then the Boiled, and at last the desert.

They give this reason of bringing the Roast Meat before the Boiled (which seems plausible e­nough) the best of the Boiled Meat say they is in the broth, and there is more substance and nourishment in the Roast than in the Boyled, for that reason, this would pass if they did not spoil their Roast Meat and Fowl by over-doing of them, and Roasting them dry as they do their Boiled Meat, by Boiling it to Pieces.

But most People think it's rather in opposition to the rest of the World, for they show it almost in every little thing else; Syder they have cheap, and abundance of sweet Apples very large all [Page 12]round the Country. The Corn of the Country is Indian Corn and no other, with Wheat they are supplied from the Sound and sometimes from Bar­bary, and often from England; They have been so hard put to it this last Year, that they have been forced to make Bread of Chesnuts, which is the reason they are Prohibited to be Exported. They have extraordinary good Rabbits of Na­var and Wild Fowl plenty, their Pidgeons are much esteemed, and their red Partridge of Arra­gon, are excellent and large.

Fish they have plenty and of good sorts, if they'll be at the pains to catch it, and if the Sea, (which with a North-West blowing wind flyes high on the Bar, and even up almost to the top of the Island Saint Clair, about six hun­dred Foot) will permit; the Sea oftentimes in the Harbour flyes to the top of the Walls forty Foot high and more.

When the Fishermen come from Sea with their Boats, their Wives are sitting on die Peer with their Husbands Cloaks and long Spadas, or long Rapiers, the Husband walks in State into the Town, and his Wife carries the Basket of Fish on her head to the Market place and sells them. Billings-gate Language and Noise is nothing to[Page 13]what the Fisher-Men and Apple-Women make at Saint Sebastian, they are always Quarrelling and will Cuff heartily, and will not be friends under a Week. Their common language is Basque, which is as much different from Spanish as Welch from English.

Their Houses are Lofty and Stately, only covered with Pan-tiles, and because of great unexpected Squales of Wind which happen here often, they lay great stones on the Pan-tiles to keep them fast, sometimes both Stones and Pan-tiles are fetched down by Storms of Wind, and their streets being narrow, it is dan­gerous then to walk the streets. Their rooms are large, but only one Chimney in a House of five rooms of a floor, and four or five stories high, and that at the top of the House. They live all Winter in the up­per Stories to enjoy the benefit of the Sun, and in the lower Rooms in Summer. It is very hot here, the re­flection of the Sun from the Castle Hill on one hand, and from the Sand in the Vale on the other, is the cause that it is hotter here than in many places of a more Southern Latitude. Their Beds are finely Carved and Gilded, but very hard to lye on, their Curtains, are of Linnen Laced at every half yard broad, but not wide enough to draw round the Bed, they have few or no Glass Windows, only Latices, their Beds stand all in Alcoves.

[Page 14]Merchant strangers unless Married with a Spanish Woman, have not the Liberty to hire Houses, but must get one of the Town to hire them, and live in it with him, and they generally go snacks with the Merchants in their profits.

From Dinner they go to sleep till two or three, and then go out of Town between die Horn-Work and the Town Wall, there they tarry all the After­noon, either Playing, or looking on those that play at Tennis and Ninepins: Their Tennis Court is in the open Air and rough Paved, yet they are very expert in tossing the Ball.

In the Winter they pass their time till eight of the Clock at Night in private Houses, or at an Assem­bly, where every one that comes in, Pays six pence; he may either pick up a party to Play at Cards, or sit and see others Play, and Talk, and Call for three or four Glasses of Wine; if they stay beyond eight, the Mayor sends his Algosins, and makes Money of the Company, as well as of him that entertains them after such an hour. Sometimes the Clock strikes eight when it is but seven, if the Mayor wants a little Money.

[Page 15]The Men are very tight in their Spanish Garb, their long Spadas, their silk stockings and slash'd shoes; the Women modestly and odly attired, all of them go Vailed, their Vails very large, gathered at the bottom in such a manner, that as they walk their Vails sit as full blown about them as the Sails of a Ship before the Wind; their petticoats are proportionable, and the Ladies, who generally all sit on the ground or floor, have such an address when they sit down to sling their Petticoats out in a round, that modestly speaking, they take, up more room than any Mil­stone in England does in circumference, and the Wind gathered under their Coats by the turn they make, is so long of getting out, that by degrees as their Coats fall, they find a cool breese that is very refreshing to them in so hot a Climate: They sel­dom stir abroad, the better sort but to Church, and even then without a great deal of Jealousie of an ill natur'd Husband; they have pretty Faces, black Eyes, and would look about them, as Women do in other Countreys if they durst.

The Priests are the only happy Men that enjoy the Ladies Company; Who are about eighty in all, their revenue is but small, they live merry lives, eat and drink of the best, in private Houses, where they are [Page 16]always welcome, few or none of them, but have three or four Children and no reflection on them.

When a Priest would lay with a Woman, he ob­solves her from the great scruple Women make of Whoredoms being a great sin, he tells her he'll take that sin to himself; as for the other scruple that Wo­men have of loosing their reputation and spoiling their fortunes, there is no such thing amongst them, for if a Man gets a Woman with Child, that does not pass for a Prostitute, he is only to keep the Child and give the Wench a Portion (if she has nothing of her own) who Marries and is not a bit the worse looked upon.

Women have another advantage in this Coun­trey, for after they are Contracted and all mat­ters settled, and the day of Marriage agreed on; she has the Liberty to desire her Bridegroom to come and show himself a Man: and if she does not find him to her satisfaction the Contract is void, and she's a good Maid still.

[Page 17]They bring up some of their Young Women to Play on the Spanish Harp, for which they let their Nails grow so long that it looks strange­ly.

They do not allow of any Bawdy Houses, but e­very street, in a dark Night, serves their turn, and he must look to himself that disturbs them, or spoils sport.

Every Sunday and Holiday, the ordinary sort of them have a Dance on the Market Place, thus,

There are three Drums and Pipes, the Drum Major who has the bigest Drum, which is about the bigness of a childs Drum, is the common Hangman; there they whistle with one hand, and beat their Drums with the other, till there is a Ring made, when one of the nimblest of the fellows goes into the middle of the Ring, a shows his Activity, takes out of the Ring a Wench, she her Mate, and so it goes round; the first fellow leads the brandle, and all Dance and show their Parts for an hour. The Coopers, who are numerous here, on Saint Andrews-Day their Pa­tron, go a Maskquerading all Day, and Play twenty tricks ridiculous enough, and would not work that [Page 18]day for any reward, but they make it up at other times, for they are at work before day.

The Country all round abounds with Oak, proper for the Staves, and Chesnut Trees, of which they make the Hoops, for Cask; there is also great Numbers of Cask made in the Country, and at Passage, and brought to Saint Schastian empty on Mules.

There is near to the Town the Convent of Saint Austin, a Nunnery of Women, where there is to be seen the Corps of a Woman dean hun­dreds of years ago, her Arms, Legs and Face, ap­pers as full as if she had been Buried but ye­sterday; she looks Tawny, and I believe has been served Mummey-like; when they were digging the Foundation of this Monastery they found this Corps, which they pray to.

The chief Trade of the Town is Iron, Wine and Oyl.

Their Iron Mills are near to the Town, and their Iron Bars are brought to the Town on Horses or Mules, on Crooksaddles to the publick Magasine, which is under the Town, Hall, where[Page 19]constant attendance is given for receiving it out of the Country, and delivering and weighing it to the Buyer. Our Tin Men in Cornwall are here supplyed with their stamps, and other Utensils for the carrying on their work.

All other Merchandises, except Iron, are drawn on Sledges, by two Oxen, in and out of the Town.

They deal somewhat in train Oyl and Whale­bone, they have some Ships that go to the North-ward a Whale fishing, besides they catch some in sight of the Castle; and in order to this, some Months in the Year, they hire a Man that looks out continually from the top of the Hill, betwixt Saint Sebastian and Passage, who when he sees a Whale or Bottlenose, makes a sign to the Castle, the Sentinal from the Castle advertises, by his Bell, the Town, immediately the Fishermen upon that go forth to the Prey; There was a Botlenose, about the bigness of that which was brought up to Greenwich, brought in to Saint Se­bastian in November last, out of whom they got a great quantity of that which they call Sperma Ceti; the flesh was boy led to Oyl.

[Page 20]They have also some Trade to Newfound Land, but with that sort of Fish (Cabelau they call it) they are better supplyed from other Nations than by their own Ships.

The great quantity of Pilchards caught on the Coast of Galicia, is a mighty help to this part of Spain, of which they are great Lovers, and are in more esteem with them than Herrings.

But the more remarkable Trade of the Town at present, and that which brings most Money to the Town, is the Wine Trade.

The late War with France, from whence we were supplyed with their excellent Grave Medoc and Pontack Wines, occasioned our Parliament to put such a great Duty on French Wines, and o­ther Liquors of the Growth of France; that Mer­chants have looked out how to be supplyed o­therwise, that they may pay easier Duties; and luckily they have light upon a spot of ground, Called the Spanish Navar, of which Panplone, Ab­litas and Villa Franka, are the chief Towns, that affords us as good Wines as any French Wines; and the Spaniards of late both at Saint Sebastian, Passage, Fonteravia and Guitaria, finding such a[Page 21]demand for Wines, and considerable profit by them, have improved their Vineyards to so great a degree, both in quantity as well as quality of good Wines, that their improvement equals, if not exceeds that of Portugal; which before the War was not able to furnish us with above three or four hundred Pipes in a Year, and now there is above ten Thousand Pipes a Year Imported from thence, which appears from the Custom House Books.

This will not be allowed by some, but it is ve­ry true: one shall fee at Saint Sebastian Mules by hundreds Loaded with Wine in Hogskins, three skins upon a Mule containing ten Gallons each, come every day into Town (Sunday not excep­ted) all this is unloaded in the Magasines and sor­ted, and next day put into Cask, the Mules car­ry away the empty skins into the Country for more.

This is not only done at Saint Sebastian, but also at Fonteravia, Passage, and Guitaria, from these places they come to Saint Sebastian in Bar­ques, and Bargo Longos, (because of the Conveni­ency of Sea Carriage) in Cask, and are Lodged in Merchants Cellers ready for the buyer.

[Page 22]The truth of all this is so well known in England, from the care the Commissioners of the Customs took, in sending over two of their Officers to examin into the truth of it, and from some Tryals at the Exche­quer Bar, that it cannot be further questioned.

Besides, for all wines Ship'd off from Saint Seba­stian, the Masters of Ships are obliged to take Cer­tificates from the Mayor and Consul, as a sufficient Testimony that their wines are of the Growth of Navar, in his Catholick Majesties Dominions, given under the great Seal of the

Most Noble and Most Loyal City of Saint Sebastian.

And undesigned by their Sworn Matter Cooper, Signior Nicola and his Assistants, that the very Cask are made by them.