NAVARRE, an ancient kingdom, which has long existed under this name, and is divided into two portions; one on the south side of the Pyrenees, distinguished by the name of Upper Navarre; and the other on the north side of the same range of mountains, called Lower Navarre. They remained one kingdom, with a common language and a common constitution, till the year 1512, when Ferdinand, king of Aragon, seized upon Upper Navarre, and added it to his other dominions, but confirmed to it the title of a kingdom, and agreed to guarantee its ancient constitution. The other part continued an independent kingdom, having Bearn for its capital, till its king ascended the throne of France under the name of Henry IV. His claim to that dignity was founded on the marriage of his father, Anthony of Bourbon, with the heiress of the crown of Navarre, who was a Protestant, and educated her son in that profession, which, however, he abjured in order to secure the French crown.
The country here described, and which alone retains the name, is one of the northern provinces of Spain. It is bounded on the northern side by the Pyrenean Mountains, which separate it from France; on the east and south-east by the province of Aragon; and on the south and south-west by the provinces of Alava and Soria. The extent is about 2470 square English miles. No part of it touches on the sea. It is divided into the five districts of Pampeluna, Sanguessa, Estella, Tudela, and Olite. According to the census of 1833, it contained 288,284 inhabitants, thus showing an increase of 66,556 persons since the former census of 1797. It contains nine cities, 282 towns, and 630 villages. At the census of 1797, when the whole inhabitants amounted to 221,728, they were thus classed by Canga Arguelles: Nobles or gentlemen, 18,753; labouring proprietors, 17,358; 7574 renters of land, 12,578 day-labourers, 7931 artisans, 782 merchants, 582 clerks to traders, 5766 domestic servants, 2778 secular clergy, 1287 regular clergy, and 607 female religious. The same author gives an estimate of the value of the whole property of the province, which he states as worth L.1,541,478. The system of taxation differed in this, as in the Biscayan provinces, from that practised in the other parts of Spain, and produced annually in direct taxes only L.33,557, and 398 arobas of wheat; but the crown had, besides, allotted to it several estates, certain revenues from the real patrimonio, and some feudal rights to personal services, which added somewhat, though but to a small amount, to the income.
Navarre still possesses the name of a kingdom, and has a constitution of very ancient origin, founded on the practices of ancient times at a period long prior to its amalgamation with the crown of either Aragon or Castile. The king was elected from the chiefs, and his investiture was pronounced to him in words to this effect: "We, who are your equals, select you for our king, to obey and protect our laws, which, whilst you continue to do, we shall obey you; but when you cease to do so, we shall put an end to your power." At the installation of the successive kings of Spain, since the Basque provinces and Navarre have been under their guidance, they have sworn to preserve to them the ancient laws and usages; and though frequent attempts were made by those monarchs to extend their power, the adherence to the ancient constitution was firm, and sufficiently powerful to act as a check on the arbitrary advances of the general government of Spain.
Thus the people opposed the introduction of the Inquisition into these provinces, at a time when all the rest of the Peninsula was groaning under the oppression of that formidable institution, and it was never suffered to exercise any portion of its authority. A tradition still exists, that when the agents of the Holy Office went from Castile on a message to the Biscayans, to recommend that institution to their adoption, they were met by the deputies on the very frontier of the states, and sternly told, "Thus far, but no further, shall ye come."
These northern provinces of Spain had a representative government, in the choice of which the members of every head of a family had a vote. It assembled every second year, or oftener if deemed necessary. Their chief business was to vote the requisite sums for the public service, to audit the expenditure of the money, and more especially to watch over any infringements which might be attempted on their ancient rights and privileges. The principal of these privileges were, that the king could only nominate natives to ecclesiastical appointments; that no native should be civilly or criminally answerable to any Castilian tribunal; that every man's house was his sacred castle; that it could not be entered to arrest him till he had been previously summoned, which, if obeyed, he was, on his appearing, instantly tried, and either liberated, or bailed, or punished, according to the nature of the evidence and of the offence. No orders from the Castilian king were complied with until they were communicated to the parliament, and approved. There were other rights claimed and exercised, and, in fact, the condition of these provinces with respect to the king of Spain was nearly similar to that which existed between the emperor of Germany and the cantons of Switzerland, at the time when the house of Austria made the attempt to bring them under the same system of government as its hereditary dominions.
This free constitution, weakened indeed in some of its parts, was maintained till the invasion of Spain by Napoleon; and his whimsical project of a government was announced, but never practically adopted. The democratic Cortes of 1812 swept away all ancient privileges; but they were restored on the recovery of the throne by Ferdinand in 1814. The revolutionary Cortes of 1820 again abolished them, and they were once more restored after the king's liberation from his imprisonment at Cadiz. Not long before the death of Ferdinand, his ministers thought to extract a larger revenue from these provinces, by the abolition of their ancient rights; and a long investigation was made into the nature of their fueros. On this occasion, Don Carlos, then the heir apparent to the crown, became convinced of the legitimacy of their claims, and is said to have declared, that if any good should eventually arise from adopting the proposal of the ministry, it was not to be obtained by a positive violation of the royal faith, and that the proposition itself was an insult to Castilian honour. To this latter occurrence may chiefly be attributed the warm accession of these northern provinces to the claims which Don Carlos has since asserted, and the zeal they have exhibited during the horrible civil war which is still ravaging the whole Peninsula.
The province is of very unequal surface. The northern part comprehends a portion of the range of the Pyrenean Mountains, though none of the very highest peaks, which are all within the French boundary; but the Sierra de Andia, the Barrena del Rey, and the Hill of Montreal, are of such elevation as to be covered with snow the greater part of the year. From the main body of the principal range many spurs are projected into the valley, and between them are extended tracts of undulating surface, presenting both picturesque and fertile districts. Beyond the termination of these mountain spurs there is an ex-
Navarre. tensive level country, extending to the river Ebro, which forms the western boundary of the province.
Navarre is purely an agricultural country, except some mining districts, and is watered by the river Ebro, which receives the water of the Ezca, the Arga, the Alhama, and the Queilles, and their tributary rivulets. It is thus abundantly irrigated, and affords rich meadows, well adapted for the breeding and fattening of large herds of black cattle, and for furnishing abundance of butter and cheese. The climate is moist; and owing to that circumstance, combined with the numerous rivulets, the grazing lands preserve a perpetual verdure; but the climate, though moist, is by no means insalubrious, nor does a more healthy or hardy race exist than the rural inhabitants of this province.
The agriculture is very skilfully conducted, though in the vicinity of the mountains the soil is sometimes stony, and in almost all parts so difficult to plough as to require a numerous team of oxen. The rotation of crops is commonly one of four years; first, wheat; second, beans; third, wheat; and fourth, maize. The product is considerably beyond the home consumption. The other articles cultivated are hemp, flax, madder, and liquorice. The woods, consisting chiefly of beech, or fir, or chestnut, supply fuel; and the nuts of the latter are used as a substitute for bread. The sheep are numerous, but, with the exception of the merinos, of which about 7000 lambs are yearly reared, not of the best description, and yield only a coarse wool. The rivers abound with fish, especially trouts, some of which weigh from ten to twelve pounds. The woods are well stocked with game, such as wild goats, roebucks, hares, and, of the feathered tribes, pheasants, partridges, and woodcocks; besides which there are beasts of prey, such as bears, wolves, and especially lynxes, which prove very injurious to the live stock.
In the warmer spots olive trees flourish, and yield oil. Many places produce honey and wax; whilst, in other districts, wine, cider, and fruits are collected, sufficient to supply the wants of the inhabitants.
The mineral products consist principally of iron; but some copper, lead, sulphur, and a little silver, is obtained. The iron is converted into articles for use, or for trade with the surrounding provinces. The articles for clothing are provided by domestic manufactures. There are few workmen in any fabrics, except in Pampeluna, where some silk goods and a little paper are made; and in Tudela and Estella, where there are distilleries for providing brandy, and where paper, parchment, combs, and barrel staves, are made.
Navarre is remarkable in Spain for the beauty and convenience of the public roads, which, from the capital to all the extremities of the province, are repaired, as often as they require it, at the general expense; but since their construction in 1750 they have needed but little additional labour or expenditure. The greatest attention is, however, paid to them, and much zeal exercised by the authorities to preserve them in good order.
The Canal of Aragon, as it is called, may more properly be considered as appertaining to Navarre, as it begins within that province, about two miles from Tudela, where, by means of sluices, the river Ebro is turned into and fills it. Barges of eighty or ninety tons' burden can at present navigate to the distance of eighteen leagues; and it was intended to carry on the work ten leagues farther, till it reached the point where the river Martin pours its waters into the Ebro. If this project could be accomplished, it would create a continued intercourse, by internal navigation, from the province of Navarre to the Mediterranean Sea. In its present state it is of incalculable advantage, both by facilitating the conveyance of weighty commodities from Tudela to Saragossa, and by the power it gives of irrigating more than 40,000 acres of land, which the want of water frequently rendered utterly unproductive.
This stupendous canal was commenced in the reign of Charles V., but suffered interruption during more than two hundred years. In the latter part of the last century, however, the work was resumed; and, though recent events have caused it to languish, it has engaged the attention of the local treasuries of Navarre, Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia, who entertained hopes of being able to furnish supplies, so as to continue the operations. The province of Aragon has for several years contributed 50,000 dollars; the tonnage received has amounted to 10,000 dollars, and the receipts from the irrigated lands to 150,000 dollars. The expense of repairs and cleaning thus leaves but a small sum applicable to the extension of the undertaking. The canal is ten feet in depth, and is seventy-five feet wide at the top, but slopes regularly towards the bottom. In both dimensions it exceeds the Canal of Languedoc, of which the French make such a boast. The inhabitants of Navarre have all the general characteristics of mountaineers, being brave, generous, active, and very much attached to their old habits. Being but thinly scattered, there is little literature amongst them; and though the Inquisition was never introduced, yet they are most zealous adherents of the church of Rome. There are two bishops, one at Pampeluna, the other at Tudela, and many convents and monasteries. The common language is the Basque; but, amongst those who speak Spanish, a great number of French and some Catalan words are in use. The cities are few. Pampeluna, the capital, is strongly fortified, and in war forms an important post. It contains about 15,000 inhabitants. The other cities and their population are, Tudela, 7000; Estella, 4500; Olite, 3000; and Sanguessa.