Synopsis
Modern State Of Spain: Exhibiting A Complete View Of Its Topography, Government, Laws, Religion, Finances, Naval And Military Establishments; And Of Society, Manners, Arts, Sciences, Agriculture, And Commerce In That Country by Jean-François Baron De Bourgoing. This English translation adapts Bourgoing’s 1807 Paris edition into a four-volume survey that blends diplomacy, travel observations, and political economy. It offers a sweeping portrait of late 18th-century Spain, covering topography, administrative structure, fiscal policy, public debt, and currency, including the Real Hacienda, provincial taxes, and church tolls. The work details the Navy, Army, engineers, and colonial administration, with extensive discussion of Spain’s commerce—domestic and colonial—especially in the Americas, Cuba, the Philippines, Louisiana, and Trinidad, alongside reforms toward free trade. It also surveys social life, manners, religion, theatre, and popular entertainments, such as bullfights and dances, while critically reflecting on superstition, morality, and culture. Bourgoing intertwines diplomacy, history, and economic analysis to illuminate Spain’s prospects and perils in an era of reform.
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