makes some of them say, "I am not a Spaniard; I am a Basque," the
extraordinary advance made in this part of Spain seems to show that the
hereditary energy and talent of the people are on the side of national
progress.

The distinctive dress of the Basques is now almost a thing of the past;
the bright kerchiefs of the women and the dark-blue cap (_bóina_) of the
men alone remain. The Viscayan _bóina_ has been lately introduced into
the French army as the headgear of the Chasseurs and some other
regiments.

"Aragon is not ours; we ought to conquer it!" Isabel la Católica is said
to have remarked to her husband; and, indeed, the history of this little
province is wonderfully interesting and amusing. It alone seems to have
had the good sense always to secure its rights before it would vote
supplies for the Austrian kings; whereas the other provinces usually
gave their money without any security, except the word of the King,
which was usually broken. Among the provisions of the _fueros_ of the
Aragonese was one that ran thus: _"Que siempre que el rey quebrantose
sus fueros, pudiessen eligir otro rey encora que sea pagano"_ (If ever
the King should infringe our _fueros_, we can elect another King, even
though he might be a pagan), and the preamble of the election ran thus:
"We, who are as good as you, and are more powerful than you (_podemos
mas que vos_) elect you King in order that you may protect our rights
and liberties, and also we elect one between us and you (_el justicia_),
who has more power than you: _y si no, no!_" which may be taken to mean,
"otherwise you are not our King."

Somewhat of this spirit still abides in the Aragonese. The costume is
one of the most picturesque in Spain. The men wear short black velvet