of the guardians of the mine. When detected, the usual punishment for a peasant is, even on the first offence, two or three years labour among malefactors in some of the public works in the province. A soldier is however less severely punished when he commits a similar transgression; he is generally sentenced to a few days solitary confinement in a dungeon of the castle. On asking an overseer the reason of this disproportion in the punishment of different offenders, he replied, that the soldier's poverty was supposed to extenuate his crime, while the peasant of Catalonia enjoyed comparative wealth, and could afford to purchase salt for the consumption of his family.
Such is the boldness of the smugglers and the jealousy of the government, that it is dangerous to visit the mines without formal leave from the Intendente; as the sentinels have orders to fire on any one seen loitering about them.
The workmen here receive considerable wages, and are all free labourers; each man receives daily twelve reals vellon, which at the rate of exchange last year equals three shillings sterling: lads are paid at the rate of eight reals, or two shillings; and boys receive six reals, or one shilling and sixpence.[1] The hours for work are a from six in the morning to seven in the evening (in summer); with the intervals of half an hour, between 8 and 9 o'clock, A.M. for breakfast, and two hours, from twelve to two, for dinner, and its usual sequel in Spain, the siesta.
The produce of the mines is pulverized by grinding it in mills, on the exact construction of our common water mills. This operation
- ↑ This may be considered as liberal wages where the accessories of life, with the exception of bread, are cheap; at Cardona, mutton and beef costs 1 real vell. per 12 oz. Bread of the best quality costs 1 real vell. per 12 oz, Wine of the country (a very good red sort) is retailed at 6 quartos per bottle, or about two pence sterling.
