town still bears on its shield. The present oak was planted about 1811, when its predecessor fell from decay, leaving other striplings raised from its acorns. Among rude primitive people, before temples were raised by the hand, a noble tree inspired a reverential awe and was dedicated to the Deity. Such was the sacred Δρῦς of the Druids; such were the Ygdraisel, or consecrated trees, under which were seated the twelve deified judges of the Norwegians. The ch., of the 15th centy., is spacious: obs. statue of the Virgin in chapel, enclosed by a remarkable iron grating.
The casas consistoriales, and more than half the town of Guernica, were burnt in 1794 by the French republicans; they cut down the time-honoured oak of the free Basques, a tree which was very old even in 1334 (see Mariana, xvi. 3); it was one “Religione patrum longos servata per annos,” under whose venerable canopy Ferdinand and Isabel swore in 1476 to uphold the Basque Fueros, as their grandson Charles V. did again, April 5, 1526. The oak of Guernica was a refuge for debtors, and formed a sort of place of habeas corpus return, or court of appeal, as no Basque could be arrested without a summons to appear under it, and learn the charge against him, and thus prepare his defence. The Casa de Juntas, built in 1826, is an ungainly mass of stone, a sort of Corinthian summer-house; in it may be seen portraits of Basque worthies. The Basque senators assemble July 1 every two years.
The Castle of Arteaga, with its donjon keep, is an old possession of the Montejo family, and was restored in sumptuous style by the late Empress of the French, but never finished.
The road from Guernica passes through the hamlets of Murueta, and Pedernales, to
834 m. Mundaca. Pop. 1800. Famous for its tunny fisheries.
2 m. Bermeo (Flavio Briga), containing 8222 amphibious Inhab. engaged in the catching of tunny and stock fish, which are sent off to Madrid and other inland cities, In its parish Church of Santa Eufemia the kings of Castile used to swear to observe the Fueros of the Basque provinces. Obs. also the tomb of Cardinal Mendoza and others; visit the Casa Solar of Alonso de Ercilla, the author of ‘La Araucana,’ the soldier-poet of Spain. He wrote all his finest stanzas on the pommel of his saddle. At one end of the peninsula rises an old red fort.
1014 m. Munguia. Pop. 2058. The little town is situated in the midst of a highly cultivated valley. Obs. its ancient ch., and the old manorial Palacio de Abajo and splendid tower (built in 1360), which is now the property of La Marquesa del Duero.
914 m. Begoña. Pop. 1877. A yearly pilgrimage is made to its ch. to visit the ancient images of La Vírgen de Begoña. Notice the quantity of ex votos hanging on the walls. Zumalacaregiu was wounded there.
All these villages and towns have suffered considerable damage during the last Carlist war, 1872–76.
234 m. Bilbao. Pop. 35,227. (See Rte. 33.)
(B) By the valley of Loyola, 6512 Eng. m.
The route is already described in (A) as far as
1314 m. Zarauz. Pop. 2204. The road thence ascends through the fertile valley of Urola to
612 m. Cestona. Pop. 2469. Situated on the river Urola. Here is the source of the mineral waters which supply the
1 m. Baths of Cestona. Fonda, good and reasonable in its charges. El Establecimiento, on l. bank of the river, has accommodation for 210 persons. Terms for board and lodging per diem, 1st class, 32 reals; 2nd class, 16 reals; 3rd class, 12 reals. Bath 8 reals. The warm water is conveyed into stone basins which are sunk in the bathing chambers.
The mineral waters of Cestona are invaluable in cases of muscular rheumatism, gout, neuralgia, and paralysis.
