OVIEDO, a province at the northern extremity of Spain, constituting the greater part of the principality of the Asturias, lying between 42. 57. and 43. 38. N. Lat., 4. 35. and 7. 4. W. Long. Its natural limits are so marked as not to have been much disturbed in the various governmental divisions; and its actual boundaries are,—N., Bay of Biscay; E., the province of Santander; S., Leon; W., Lugo. It is separated from Santander by the River Deva, and from Lugo by the River Eo. Its greatest length, from E. to W., is 147 miles; breadth, from N. to S., about 53; and its area, 3674 square miles. It has a coast-line of about 148 miles, from Rivadeo on the W., to Santuste on the E., of extremely irregular outline, bristling with headlands, of which the most prominent are the Cabo de Peñas, de Torres, and San Lorenzo, and indented with creeks and estuaries, into which numerous streams descend, which being of little volume, and encountering a stormy sea, deposit dangerous bars. The chief of these estuaries are those of Navia, Pravia, Avilés, and Villavicosa. Little has been done to improve the naturally bad harbours, of which the principal are those of Gijón, stretching 2 miles inland, from between Capes Torres and San Lorenzo; Ribadesella, with 10 feet of water on its bar; and Lastres. Jovellanos projected a harbour in the Bay of El Musel, near Gijón, protected by Cape Torres. There is no bar; the bottom is firm and level; and the execution of this project is most important for the development of the province. The surface of the country is extremely broken by two chains of mountains and their offshoots. A branch of the Pyrenees, formerly known as the Hervaseos, extending in an unbroken line parallel to the coast from Leitariegos to Peñamellera, forms the south rampart of the province, and sends off innumerable cordales, which form, at their junction with the main cordillera, deep and precipitous valleys, but broaden and diminish as they proceed, cultivated in terraces, or covered with oak and chestnut forest. The main chain is very lofty, rising in some parts to more than 10,000 feet, and presents a series of conical summits, covered with snow some months in the year, and generally loaded with the masses of vapour from the Atlantic which they arrest. Another chain of less elevation stretches from Pravia on the W., to Peñamellera on the E., where it joins the former; and the comparatively broad spaces between the cordales and the south declivities of this "cordillera of the coast" are the most fertile and delicious valleys of the Asturias,—traversed by numberless streams, covered with verdure, and very populous. Next the coast is an isolated group of mountains, from Burón westward, where offshoots descend into the sea. The principal rivers are the Nalón, Narcea, Navia, Pilón, Sella, and Eo. Nalón, which is the largest, rises in the pass of Tarna, flows N.W. 62 miles, and falls into the Bay of Biscay at Mures. Especially after its junction with the Narcea in Ambas Mestas, its waters
abound with fish, salmon, lampreys, trout, and mullet; at its mouth are valuable salmon-fisheries. Narcea, also a good fishing stream, and for most of its course rapid, rises on the borders of Leon, receives the Nalón and the Pi-gueña, and joins the Nalón on its right at Pravia, after a course of 54 miles. The Navia rises in Lugo, and flows N.N.E. about 90 miles to the sea at Navia. The Pilón or Infiesto, from Peñamayor, joins the Sella at Las Avrion-das, and falls into the sea at Ribadesella. The Eo, rising in Lugo, has a N.E. course of about 50 miles, and joins the sea at Rivadeo, in a beautiful bay famed for its salmon and its oysters. Communication with Galicia and Castile is possible only by the eighteen or twenty difficult passes of the south cordillera. The Camino Real along the coast from Santander to Ferrol is also extremely bad, broken, and impassable in winter, being almost quite unprovided with bridges; and the roads in the interior, with few exceptions, are proportionally wretched, seldom pretending to be anything more than rough bridle-paths.
In regard to geological structure, the province may be divided into three districts. Of the west part, between the rivers Eo, Navia, and Narcea, the base is transition or Cambrian rocks. The principal rocks are slate, trap, and quartz; among which are some thin beds of limestone which bear traces of very ancient exploration, and various groups of igneous formation—more frequently veins of oxide and carbonate of iron, and magnetic pyrites, to which class of Cambrian belongs also the Cabo de Peñas. The eastern part of the province, with the chain of hills from Leitariegos to Peñamellera, and its cordales, is of Silurian formation, limestone predominating, with occurrence of slate and quartz rocks, over which the soil is thin and poor. This part presents the strikingly picturesque scenery peculiar to its formation, among the aspects of which may be mentioned the singular gulfs or subterranean passages of the mountain streams, and many caves of great extent, as that of Sequeros in the concejo of Tineo, adorned with beautiful stalactites. Among the valuable mineral products of this tract are building-stones, marbles, lithographic stones, and coloured marls; with veins of copper, cobalt, iron, calamine, antimony, argentiferous galena, and coal of an inferior quality. The centre of the province is carboniferous, abounding with organic remains; and its mineral products are coal, gypsum, salt from various springs, as of Sariego Muerto, and Sariego de Siero. There are extensive chalk deposits in the coasts of Gijón, Villavicosa, and Colunga, and in the central concejos of Llanera, Siero, &c. Deposits of turf in Cudillero, Artedo, and other points, supply their population with fuel.
Agriculture is very backward, although, in spite of the unequal surface, the humidity, and the much ground occupied with sterile rock and sand, this province enjoys a climate and soil of rare excellence, as is proved by the variety and abundance of its products even in its neglected state. Wheat is not much grown, and the little is partly exported. An early indigenous variety, called escanda, is used. The staff of life is maize, made into a kind of bread called borona. Beans, peas, and potatoes are grown everywhere. Great quantities of rye and hay are grown in the poorer tracts. The fruits and legumes are excellent, especially the stone fruit of Candamo and the limestone tracts. From Llanes to Avilés, in the coast concejos, and in many districts of the interior, large quantities of apples are grown, from which cider is made,—the favourite beverage of the province. It is also exported to the neighbouring provinces and to Spanish America. The oak and chestnut forests supply bark for tanning, charcoal for the iron-works, and wood for construction. The hazel grows wild plentifully along the streams, and the nuts are exported to England from Gijón and Villavicosa. In the small towns the cherry, fig, plum, pear, walnut, and chestnut are abundant.
Oviedo. Along the whole coast the orange and lemon were grown when there was an export trade; their occurrence is now limited to the part between Llanes and Ribadesella. The growth of wine, general in the Asturias before the sixteenth century, is now confined to Candamo, Grado, Tineo, and some of the western districts. Among useful but less cured-for products, are the bilberry (used in dyeing leather), madder, kermes, hop, and saffron. In the large natural pastures are reared, by a system of migration, great quantities of horned cattle, sheep, and goats. The refuse of maize and acorns support many swine. The horses are small, but strong, sure, and active. The excessive division of property, and ignorance of good methods, combine to injure greatly the agricultural prosperity of the province; and though the cultivation, such as it is, has continued to push its way and reclaim useless ground, this has not always been done with prudence, and the effect has been in many cases, by loosening the exposed and precarious soil, to convert good though rough pasture into utter rock and barrenness. The wolf, fox, and hare are frequent; but the larger game—the bear, wild boar, deer, and mountain goat—have disappeared, and are only to be met with in the wildest parts of the S. cordillera. Partridges, quails, woodcocks, &c., are frequent.
The mineral industry of the province is the most important, but more so in prospect than in reality. Jovellanos was the first to direct public attention to the extent and value of the coal deposits, and much has been done since his time, though the want of native enterprise, of good harbours and roads, and the supineness of government, have been heavy drawbacks. Coal in great abundance and good quality is found chiefly at Langreo, Tudela, Santofirme, Mieres, Ferroñes, Lieros, Nava, and Torazo. The quantity extracted at Langreo in 1847 amounted to 5000 cwts. daily. At S. María del Mar, in Avilés, where are galleries under the sea-bottom, it is not so good. The whole amount extracted in 1847 was 473,000 cwts. Other minerals have been already indicated. Iron is found in many places, but is not worked to any extent, except in Castropó. Langreo, which, with iron, has all the necessary adjuncts of coal, water-power, and tolerable roads, is not taken advantage of. Copper is found at Po de Cabrales, Calducho de Llanes, &c.; cinnabar to some extent at Mieres. The cobalt of Peñamellera, and the argentiferous lead of San Estévan de Leces, near Ribadesella, have been abandoned. The ancient tin mines at Salave are deserted. The principal manufactures are,—utensils of copper at Avilés; nails and iron instruments at Boal, La Vegina, Coñia, Navia, Castropó, &c.; linens and damasks in Avilés (a house manufacture of coarse linens and quilts is carried on in all the rural districts); pottery at Ceceda, Faro, and Avilés; common delft at La Pola de Siero. In Oviedo and Gijón a good deal of beautiful cabinet-work is made with the walnut, cherry, yew, and other native woods. Fish are cured for export at Cudillero, Luanco, Candas, and Lastrés. Lard is made at Salas, Piloña, &c.; cheese at Cabrales. The commerce of the province has been sufficiently indicated. For internal trade there are fairs at Oviedo on Assumption Day, All Saints', and St Matthew's; at Gijón on St Ferdinand's and St Michael's; at Avilés on St Augustin's; at Villaviciosa on St John's; but they are much decayed.
The Asturian is strong, enduring, and laborious, of simple and primitive habits, and proverbial thrift. Many migrate yearly to the various provinces of Spain, particularly the wine-growing, where they become domestic servants, or engage in shop-keeping, &c., and having acquired a competence, return to their native hills. The dialect, called bable, is nearly identical with the ancient Castilian. Jovellanos endeavoured to enrich the literary language with ancient words, which it alone preserves, and to illustrate by it the progress of the national tongue and the changes of
national manners. In this secluded region, among this hardy stock, an infinite number of primitive usages are preserved in weddings, games, funerals, and church ceremonies, of whose antiquity documentary evidence exists in the charters and municipal laws granted by the native princes, from Alonso VI. downwards. For a similar reason, the church architecture of the Asturias—the most ancient in Spain, perhaps in Europe—is interesting, giving a period of transition from the Roman to the later pointed Gothic or Tedesco. It has many points of resemblance with the early Saxon. Good specimens are the S. María de Naranco, the S. Miguel de Lino, and the S. Julian, at Oviedo.
The province of Oviedo (Asturia Transmontana) was first properly subdued by Publius Carisius under Augustus. The names of several towns, various inscriptions, and vestiges of mines, attest the Roman dominion. It was the last province in Spain to submit to the Goths. In the eighth century Pelayo took refuge there after the fatal battle of the Guadalete, and the Asturians maintained their independence under his descendants throughout the Moorish period. The Asturias was made a principality in 1388, and the title conferred by Don Juan I. on his son Enrique, in imitation of the title of Prince of Wales, when Enrique married Catharine, daughter of the Duke of Lancaster. Oviedo suffered much in the war of independence—the capital being twice plundered, once by Ney in May 1809, and afterwards by Bonnet. The Asturians are considered by Spanish writers to have done miracles in that war; but the only important step they took was to send the Conde de Toreno for assistance and money to London. There is a kind of Bectonian stigma on the Asturias; but they have produced many eminent men, of whom it will be sufficient to mention the name of Jovellanos, poet and patriot, worthy of a more grateful country. The province is divided into 15 partidos; and in 1849 had a population of 450,610.