Basques

basks, a peculiar people inhabiting the border provinces of France and Spain on the Bay of Biscay. The Basques are supposed to be a remnant of a primitive people once occupying France and Spain. Like the Welsh of Britain, they have persisted in the mountain fastnesses of the Pyrenees. The Basque language, which is spoken by about 60,000 people, is unlike any other known. "'Tis said the Basques understand one another; for my part I will never believe it," said Scaliger. The Basques have preserved their own dress and customs. They are a simple, brave, independent people, cultivating small farms at home, but fond of seafaring. They are said to have been the first Europeans to catch the whale. Biscay is another spelling for basque. The bay of that name is therefore the Bay of the Basques. The short-skirted jacket or basque is an article of national dress worn by the Basque women.