a province in the interior of Spain, one of the eight into which Old Castile is divided. It has an area of 258 square leagues, and the following boundaries:—N., Santander; E., Burgos; S., Valladolid; W., Leon and Toro. The partidos into which it is divided are Astudillo, Baltanas, Carrion, Cervera de Rio Pisuerga, Frechillas, Palencia, and Saldaña. The surface is in general level, and almost devoid of trees; the northern part of the province, comprising the whole of the partido of Cervera, is mountainous. The climate is generally cold, especially in the north, but healthy, and would be much more so but for the almost entire want of trees. The numerous streams which traverse the province contribute to its remarkable fertility: the principal are the Pisterga and the Carrion, which cross the province from N. to S., uniting near Dueñas, and passing into the province of Valladolid; the Camera, the Cieza, the Arlanza, the Abanades, &c. The canal of Castile crosses the province also from N. to S., with a branch through Tierra de Campos, and by facilitating the exportation of its grain, has done good service to the agriculture of the province. The whole partido of Cervera abounds in minerals, but the coal is the only mineral that is worked. There are mines at San Felices de Castilleria, 2 leagues N. of Cervera, and at Orbé, 3 leagues from Cervera, both furnishing coal of good quality, and plentiful; and several others in Villaverde de la Peña. In all the partidos, with the exception of Cervera, wheat and other cereals, legumes, hemp, and flax are produced in abundance; in Cervera the land is occupied with pastures and with wood. In the numerous gardens by the water-courses are grown all kinds of fruit, with the exception of the olive; but linseed oil is plentifully produced. Game is abundant in Cervera; and the Pisterga and Carrion are good fishing streams. The principal industry is the manufacture of flour, and the principal commerce its exportation to Catalonia and the Havannah. The woollen manufactures of blankets, serges, and baize are tolerably extensive. There is a fair provision of elementary instruction in the province, which contains about 600 schools of this class; for secondary instruction there is only one, in the capital. Pop. 148,491.

capital of the above province, is situated in a plain on the left bank of the Carrion, 2 leagues above its confluence with the Pisuerga. The environs of the town on the W. are delightful, presenting to the view gardens, trees on the banks of the Carrion, and numerous fountains. The climate is somewhat cold, but salubrious: most equal in autumn. The city is protected on the W. by the river, and on the other sides by a wall, dating from the re-conquest, of 86 feet in general height, and 9 in thickness, solidly built with stone, with some additional constructions in the recent war, and affording entrance by seven gates. The city is divided into two parts, the ciudad and the puebla; in the latter, occupied chiefly by the working classes, the streets are straight and commodious, the houses of a single storey; in the former the streets are narrow, the houses of two storeys, with courts and sometimes gardens. The principal buildings are,—the cathedral, of Gothic style, begun in the fourteenth century, and finished in the seventeenth; the episcopal palace, an unfinished building, with fine gardens; the palace of Don Sancho, King of Navarre, in the centre of the city; and the hospital, an immense building of stone. There are, besides, four churches and ten convents, not remarkable for their architecture. The school of secondary instruction has 11 professors; the seminario conciliar, in the ex-convent of the Jesuits, has 8. There are, besides, nine schools of primary instruction. The chief industry of the town consists in the fabrication of woollens, for which it is celebrated. Its mantas, serge, and baize supply Spain, Portugal, and America, and their manufacture occupies a third part of the population, besides that employed in the bleaching and dyeing works connected with it. Next to this in importance is the manufacture of flour. There are also manufactures of chocolate, brandy, &c., and of common earthenware. Palencia, under the name of Pollentia, was a wealthy and considerable city in the time of the Romans, and makes a considerable figure in Spanish history. Pop. 10,490.