> TRAVELS PORTUGAL, AND THROUGH FRANCE AND SPAIN. WITH A DISSEKTATION OM TBS LITERATURE OF PORTUGAL, SPANISH AND PORTUGUEZE LANGUAGES, BY HENRY FREDERICK LINK; rRorsisoR at the university of rostock, and member OF various learned societies. TKANSLATED from the GERMAN 1? JOHN HINCKLEY, Esa. WITH NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR. PRINTED FOR T. M. LONGMAN AND O. REES, PATBRNOSTER ROW. 1801. y-i '1'^ .IJL J iVicnoLi afiaSi)\, Pn/i(rr.<, nRid LloH. PrJ/hiTi', fl^st Si reef ( i" ) . . Dp- PREFACE. Lti'^lt. X. HAT zealous and a6live patron of Natural Hiftory, the Count of HofFmannfegg, who is himfelf fo great a proficient in the fcience, bein^ defirous of a companion in his tnravels to Por- tugal not wholly unexperienced in Botany and Mineralogy ^ I had the honour to be chofen to that important poft. We embarked at Hamburg in the fummcr of 1797, and being obliged by contrary winds sud florms to caft anchor off Romney, quitted the ihip and landed at Dover ; from which place we purfued our journey through France and Spain to Portugal, for the purpofe of travelling over that country more minutely. In this we employ- ed the greater part of the year 1798, but in 1799 my affairs obliging me to leave that coun- try, I embarked on board the packet for Fal- mouth, and croffing England by London and Yarmouth returned to Hamburg. The Count ftill remains in Portugal, where with in- a 2 defatigable "ii> IV PREFACE. i -^ ) . . , defatigable affiduity he is inveftigating the natu- ral hiftory of that country. Such was thA Qcigin of a JQurney undertaken in order to collect materials for a Fauna and Flora Lufitanicae, and I hope the Count of HofFmann- fegg will riot faTl in conjun(5lion with profeflfoc ttedwig ' of Brunfwick, both excellent entomolo- gifts^ tb publifli the F^auna as foon as poffible. .' For tlie Flora we prepared the manufcript wKde in Portugal, and' it is ftill continually re? ceiving additiohs "tlirough the exertions of the Count, who has drawn all the new ^nd. unknown plant's in a manner that proves his intimate knowledge of botany and the great talents with which' he porfues that fcience. " At that time we had no idea of publlfhing an accoi^nt of our travels as fuch ; our chief attention w'as directed to investigating the works of nature, efpecially the botanical riches of the country, witji an activity and enthufiafm of which none but the true lovers of that charrhing fcience can form an adequate iclea. On my return I read all the accounts I could procure o? travels in Portugal, and found that no one 5J8.EEACK. • l^ one had fe^n/Q much pf that country as ourfelvcs. I ajfo perceived tl^at moil of the authors of thefe works were, g^oifly ignorant of the language, and gave rnany falfe accounts, or, f«ch,,asvwerc only applicable to the Inhabitants of thejnetropolis, but which they erroneously extended to the whole kingdom^- In ihort I read ofnothing but.x:om* plaints againft the lazy bigotted and thi^vilh Por-^ tugueze, and faw ..with grief, that no one had defcribed the. delightful v;?3€S through which the Minh.o- * J0oiys, the cultivation of which y^es with that of England herfelf ; that no one had befiiowed due .praife on the tolerant fpirit of the common people, of which I had many pleafing proofs, (I fpeak not of priefts, who have a characSler of their own, and are alike in all countries where the government favours them) ; that no one had pro- claimed the fecurity enjoyed in a country where in my botanical excurfions I laid myfelf down by the road-lide in unknown fpots, and, exhaufted by the heat of the day, flept without care or ap- prehenlion. Thus I feized the pen to defend my friends the" * See the laft note in p. viii. ( , Portugueze, VI rREPACB. Portuguezc, determining impartially to pourtray their character, their mode of life, and their agriculture, with which laft my occupations ren- dered me intimately acquainted ; till thus a mere apology grew into a book of travels. It being of- ten needful to draw a comparifon between the Portugueze and their neighbours the Spaniards, I added a ihort account of our journey through Spain, and France is too important an objedl of public attention to omit the few obfervations I have prefixed, more particularly on provinces through which travellers have of late very rarely pafled. In this point of view then I hope the candid reader will confider the following work. Relative to France and Spain I fhall confine myfelf to a few curfory remarks, partly becaufe thofe coun- tries are already pretty generally known, and partly becaufe we pafled more rapidly through them to Portugal, which was the grand objedl of our journey. Many readers may perhaps defire more ample ftatiftical accounts of that kingdom than I have given. On the conftitution I have interfperfed a few remarks, much fewer indeed than T had adlually written, but I reduced them to PREFACE. Vh to avoid prolixnefs, as I had formed an intention of writing a feparate work on the conftitution, literature, and language, for which it is now pro- bable I may not find leifure. Of the population I have given as accurate an account as could be drawn from the materials I was able to procure. A more minute defcription of the trade of Portu- gal, efpecially with the colonies, would have re- quired more time than was poflible for me to beftow. But on the other hand I here perhaps, prefent the reader with a more accurate pi3 for Yefantadoi. Ynfantado. ' ' jOg S for injigniftcanf r. magnificent. XK9 , • H iox vetch-like t' papilionaceous. J 12 'I for ijp^raa r. Reyna. 127 3 forjrier. rife. J31 22 &c. tranfpofe the words portuguexe and Jpaniaras, former and latter. ^ ' 'i 150 antepen. for Setuval r. iS/. C/^m. 161 6 and 7 fox certainly &c. r. gratis. 161 9 for Senhovio r. Serihorio. 169 antepen. for Gallicians r. Gaiiciansi • • 274. 4 for hydrogin r.. hydrogen. r, n^ 308 22 for Goresir. Gerrz. ^ ^^^' ^^^^- 320 ult. dele being. 411 ii for ^fcrivaes r. Eftrivaos. - 4.8 I for ^/^an;i« r. ^^^arvr. ^^^.,| ^^j,^ . 424 1 for Henrique r. Henriquex. ^ 429 13 fox mafisx- viqfi. .-iJ 432 ult. for Doro r. Dom. 441 5 fox brought X. bought. [iYi\\Q<\ The inaccuracy of the original, owing to the abfcncc of thcl author while printing, has occalioned many of the above } the neceflary attention to objefts of fcience and to accuracy in the fpani(h and portugueze languages, which the author had fomctimes confounded, have caufed fomc lefs important errors to pafs unnoticed by the tranflator. *^* The unlearned reader fhould be apprized that Lufi- tania was the ancient name of Portugal. The nh and Ih are liquids ir portugueze, being pronoun- ced like gn and gl in Italian and frencb^ or n and 11 in fpanifli. T. REMARKS REMARKS \r^T DURING A JOURNSIY -^ ^ iHRouoa ,■1 ..z.vi^ .*.t^ ^ PQjlTUGAL, 8(c. CHAP, i^-^''^ --^*^^^'' '--'Y Calais. — Country between Calais and Paris, We embarked at Dover in Sept. 1797, oil board a fmall vefTel bound for Calais, although fome flying and apparently exaggerated reports of the revolution of the 1 8th of Fru6tidor, which had greatly changed the ftate of affaifs, ex- cited in us fome fear of the gevernttlent of the then powerful republic. While we were at Dover, Lord Malmefbury pafled through that city on his return to London ; and with him vanifticd every hope of peace. The communication, however, between France and England was not yet broken off, arid a Danifh fliip, of which one Schonftedt was captain, and a fmall Pruffian veffel paffed and re-pal!ed, at re- gular times, between Dover and Cakis, generally Vol. I. B with t tOUANElr THROUGH PORTUeit. with a conliderable number of paffengers oti board. Our landing in this free republic was far from pleafant. A calm prevented our entering the harbour with the tide, and we were obliged to go afhore in a boat from Calais. The boat fevcral times ftruck on the ground, and it was with great difficulty we gained the land againft a ftrong ebb. Here, though the morning was cold and wet, we were kept an hour in the rain before we Were fufFered to proceed a ftep. At length ap- peared a member of the municipality attended by a fecretary, ordered us to come upon the mole, took a furvey of the perfons arrived, and efcorted us, together with a foldier in a ragged nniform, to the town ; at the gate of which we were taken into a houfe^ and made to fign our liames ; then to another, where we were fearched to difcover whether we had any letters, though in a gentle and not unpolite manner ; and laftly, before the municipality. Our Pruffian pafTport was irregu- lar, not containing our defcriptions, and a fer- vant had not a feparate pafTport. We were al- lowed, however, to ftay at Calais fill we could procure others from the Pruffian minifter at Pa- ris. The landlord, who had come as far as the beach to feek for guefts, was obliged to anfwer for us, after which we were very politely per- niitted to go wherever we pleafed ,* though it is Guftoniary jbtJRNEY THROUGH PORTUGAti ^ tiiftomary here to appoint to every fufpe7t? ao b->i2>tii^ ,■ In London, moft of the houfes are built of brick ; and, in the neweft and belt ilreets, thefe bricks are faced with flone-coloured ftuccoj which foon becomes grey. Hence they do not afford a very gay appearance^] <|;hough on the whole more beautiful than th.e' generality of houies ia Paris. There, indeed, the ornamental houfes are hand fpmer than thofe in London; but the inte- riour admits of no comparilon ; for many of the houfes at Paris, that have a very fine appearance without, are very ill fitted-up within, and even though really clean appear very dirty. In pub- lic houfes want of cleanlinefs prevails ; as alfo, in all houfes, except thofe of perfons of property, and, even there, in the porter's-room, which im- mediately ftrikes the eye on entering. But what neatnefs and elegance enliven the houfes of the Englifh ! How pleafing, how comfortable, and hpw cheerful, are their apartments! They em- ploy, indeed, much good tafte in the choice of their furniture, in which the French are far infe- riour to them: in this, however, the EngliOi ex-, eel all other nations, as they are inferiour to all in the taftelefs plans of their focial converfations. The French disfigure their buildings from two motives wholly foreign to the rules of tafte, which c 2 the 20 XOl^RNEV tHROUGil PORTUGAL. the moft zealous republican can fcarcely efteem a beauty. I allude to t»he ftaiFs with the enfigns of liberty, erected on every national edifice, and the infcriptions of unity y indivifibility of the republic^ li- berty , equality y fraternity, or death ; which laft is generally fo mucli defaced, that it can fcarcely be read. The French, who would be the Grecians of modern times, fhould know, that the antient Grecians were lefs attached to republican forms than to forms of beauty. Paris is adorned with many fine fquares, par- ticularly the Place de la Revolution, and the Flace Vend6?ne. In the latter is the vacant pedeftal of Louis XIV. which fpoils its appearance ; the for- mer is adorned in the diftance with a ftatue of liberty, which appears of bronze till the eye approaches it, when the brown covering is per- ceived to be cracking off from the plafter ; a very lignificant fymbol. The other fquares are iniig- nificant. London is adorned with a vaft number of fquares, fo called from their regular form, and decorated with a circular or oval inclofure, planted with rofe-trees and other fhrubs, which give to the whole a moft charming and interefting appearance. At a diftance from London, the moft ftriking obje(51: is St. Paul's church ; at a diftance from Paris, the Pantheon : the latter of which is adorned with a very beautiful cupola, and is fuperiour in point JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 2,1 point of archite(5l,ure, although not yet finifhed. At a diftance, its lituatlon being on an eminence, appears beautiful ; but on ap][)roachlng it, this magnificent building is encumbered with a vici- nity of narrow wretched ftreets. In this refpecH:, the lituation of St. Paul's furpafles it, and the view of the cupola is beyond all expc<5lation grand and majeftic ; but Weflminfter Abbey, with its numerous monuments, moftly deftitute of tafte, by no means fatisfies the expectation. London, however, has nothing to compare with the banks of the Seine from the Louvre to the extremity of Paris, where the river quits it. The Louvre flrik.es the eye by its great extent, and on the oppofite bank is the Mint, which is a hand- fome building. Adjacent to the Louvre is the edifice called the Thuilleries, which alfo makes a ftrong imprcfiion on the fpec^ator ; and the gar- den belonging to it, though in the old French tafi-e, is a pieafant promenade, leading by a wooden turning bridge to the beautiful Place de la Revolution. Beyond this are the majeftic walks of the Elyfian fields, and adjoining to them the wood of Boulogne ; through which village, the road immediately leads by a bridge acrofs the Seine to St. Cloud. Oppofite the Place de la Re- volution is the fine hall of the Council of Five Hun- dred, nor is it far to the magnificent Hotel of the Invalids, adjacent to which is the Champ de Mars, c J On ai JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. On the other hand, the banks of the Thames are fo encumbered with houfes, that it is difficult to approach the water ; fo that; to obtain a view of the Adelphi, and of Somerfet Place, which adorn its banks, it is necefTary to crofs the river, the op- pofite lide of which refembles a wretched village. A view of the bridges can only be feen between the ballufters of the other bridges, by which, London lofes a great advantage it pofTeffes over Paris, namely, a harbour full of {hips extending as far as London-bridge. Hyde-park, and Ken- iington-gardens, are, indeed, very extenfive ; but London itfelf is wanting in all that is attradlive to the eye ; fori ^s a whole, it is monotonous and dull ; the palace of Kenfington is extremely in- different, and that of St. James's little better than a prifon. London is alfo very ill lighted with fmall lamps in mean lamp-irons, and furnifhed with almoft iifelefs refractors, which but encreafe the ob- fcurity ; whereas at Paris, large, handfome, re- verberating lamps hang over the middle of the ftreets, and afford fo good a light, that a newf- paper.may be read with eafe. Paris has thirteen theatres, London at moft fix, among which that in Dr^iry lane, and the Opera- houfe in the Hay-market, alone, deferve notice as buildings. The Opera-houfe at Paris, the Odeon, now burnt dov/n, and the theatre of Feydeau, perhaps, JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 23 perhaps, deferve the preference ; and the mode of lighting them within is more judicious, and more convenient, than that employed in London ; where an infupportable exhalation rifes from the pit of the Opera-houfe, and I often wondered the peo- ple in the gallery were not fufFocated. The Ita- lian fingers there may, perhaps, be fuperiour to the F^'cnch performers at the opera of Paris, and at the 'Theatre des It alt en s \ but I had been too much accuftomed to the filver tones of Cref- centini, to be pleafed with them. The decora- tions in London are equal to thofe in Paris, and the fcenes are changed with more rapidity and ad- drefs. In this refpec^:, Harlequin Wood-cutter, a pantomime performed at Drury-lane, and many fmall pieces at the Royal Circus, deferve atten- tion ; but this advantage is counterbalanced by the want of true tafle in the Englifh pantomimes and ballets, efpecially when thefe ill-planned and often vulgar pieces are compared with thofe of the fame clafs at Paris. Nor can the dancers on the Englifh ftage, even at the Opera-houfe, be compared with thofe of the opera at Paris, where Veflris, Clotilde, and Miliere, perform; and where tafte, grace, and beauty, exceed, perhaps, the performances of any other capital. The French players are alfo unrivalled in the performance of little witty pieces, and comic-operas, (opereite) as are the Englilh in ferious, farcafto-comic, and c 4 tragic ^4 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. tragic parts, in which laft, the fublime Mrs. Sid- dons excels the whole troop of female performers in the Caftle of Montval, as much as the view of the cupola of St. Paul's exceeds the expectation of the traveller. The country round Paris is, without compari- fon, more beautiful than that round London. How .charming is the view of a part of the city from the Botanic garden ! which is even exceeded by that of all Paris, from the pleafant hill of Montmartre. The continuation of this hill, with its numerous vineyards, to the neighbourhood of Charenton, prefents an agreeable variety to the eye ; and the banks of the Seine up to the fpot where it receives the Marne, and to the majeftic bridge over the latter, are equally plealing. But flill more charming is the fpot, where, having paiTed the Elylian fields, it forms a curve toward the bridge over the Sevre, watering the foot of a charming hill, on which is the park of Meudon. Here it makes a fharp turn, and flows to the park of St. Cloud, amid the Ihady walks and thick fo- liage of which Peace feems to dwell, while the folitary caftle gives as it were a foft elegiac mur- mur of fympathy. The extreme flatnefs of the country round London renders it naturally dull, and between Bagfhot and Hounflow horrible : nothing, indeed, but art could have given it any attradions. Of the neighbourhood of London, the JOUR^lr THROUGH PORTUGAL. 2$, the country about Chelfea is the pleafanteft on one fide; and at a farther diftance, on the other fide,, on the banks of the river below the metropolis, are Greenwich-park and hofpital for decayed feamen, a magnificent building, the profpe6l of which is an ornament to the neighbouring country, which it greatly contributes to render extremely pleafant. The view at Richmond is remarkably fine ; but the fpedlator mufi: be placed on the hill in the park, or in the Star-tavern, to trace all the windings of the river, which often conceals Itfelf amid a crowd of houfes and gardens, meadows, fields, and foliage. It affords but a fingle \-iew, and refembles a folitary bright thought in an otherwife infignificant work. I love not an epi- grammatic country view. Thofe who are attached to works of art will find more food for this tafte in Paris than in Lon- don. There are, indeed, a great many in the lat- ter ; but, being principally private property, they cannot be feen witliout numerous letters of re- commendation but ill adapted to the manners and cuftoms of the Englifh. Since the plundering of Italy, the national Mufeum of Paris is unique in its kind; and, by an excellent regulation, was open to all vilitors except the inhabitants of Pa- ris : for at that time, the arrangement not being completed, too great a crowd of vifitors might ^ave caufed much damage; whereas fi:rangers, perhaps. 9.6 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. perhaps, might never again have an opportunity of feeing them. Beautiful as the arrangement may be, it is a reproach to the French to leave fome of the beft mafter-pieces from Italy in the greatefl; diforder. But few pieces were placed when we faw them ; and the St. Jerom of Cor- reggio lay upon the floor. If ever Vandalifm was the (Mirium of this nation, it is now but con- verted from a raging into a flow fever. Taa learned man Paris is preferable, not only for its public infl:itutions, but in regard to the manners and condu(ffl: of its men of learning. I Ihall here only fpeak of the fcience? to which I particularly diredled my attention, Natural Hif- tory, Chemifl:ry, and Botany. With the polite- nefs of the naturalifts both in London and Paris, I have great reafon to be highly fatisfied and pleafed. But men of various talents, and exten- iive fcience, have no need to be parlimonious of knowledge ; and are themfelve too eager to ac- quire more, to grudge exchanging theirs againfl: that of a fl:ranger. Sir Jofeph Banks alone would render fome fl:ay in London important to natura- liflis ; his collection of plants and library being coriftantly open to their refearches. This worthy and learned man, flngly, compenfates the great fcarcity of fimilar foiirces of knowledge in Lon- don. But in Paris, we alfo found Juffieu, Def- fontaines, Fourcroy, Bronguiart, and BeflJbn, all extremely JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 27 extremely polite and obliging. The Britifh mu- feum contains, amid a vaft quantity of infignifi- cant trifles, a few important fpecimens ; but in the prefent ftate of fcience it is no longer inftruc- tive. On certain days it is lliewn to thofe who have previoufly procured tickets. The Leverian mufeum may be feen for a trifle, and the coUedlion there of ftuffed birds, and viviparous animals, ex- ceeds every thing of the kind I have feen. It is well arranged, and to each fpecimen is affixed the Linnaean name. The mufeum of natural hiftory in the botanic garden at Paris is far more interefting than the Britifh mufeum, and contains a great number of fpecimens, and very extraordinaiy produ6lions. London poflefles no- thing that can be compared with it, and the Le- verian mufeum exceeds it only in two branches of natural hiftory ; the arrangement, however, of. that at Paris is not very good : the names of the birds and viviparous animals are taken from Buf- fon, very many natural produ6lions have no names at all, and the mode of placing tliem requires great improvement. The magazines of this mu- feum are full of unarranged trealures, which re- quire both money and time to be properly placed ; mean while it is much to i)e lamented, that in their prefent fituation many of them are going to decay. M. Le Sage's excellent mufeum of mi- neralogy. 9^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. neralogy, which the government have purchafed * and placed at the Mint, excels lA arrangement every public mufeum I know : for here, every in- dividual fpecimen can be feen ; whereas ellewhere, Jialf the obje6ts of curiofity are concealed on high fhelves and lofty prefTes, where they are con- demned to perpetual obfcurity. I take no notice of the numerous private mufeums at Paris, where accefs is far more eafy than to thofe of London, which are fmaller and lefs numerous. The royal garden at Kew pofTeffcs a treafure of exotics, particularly from the Cape, and New Holland ; and a variety of fhrubs, Rhododendra, and limilar plants, in an abundance, and of a lize not elfewhere found. They are extremely well preferved in green-houfes ; and Mr. Aiton, the gardener, whofe father publifhed the liortus Kew- enfis, is a very clever, zealous, adlivc man. The Englifh are particularly fond of beautiful heaths from the Cape, for which reafon, thefe, and many other remarkable plants are found in the hand of the nurfery-men, of whom I will only name Kennedy and Lee, of Hammerfmith. The garden at Kew being the King's private pro- perty, its utility is conliderably reilrained; but * The author is here miflaken. It was collected for Go- vernment by M. Le Sage, who had a falary for that purpofe asd ledured on mineralogy. T. here JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 29 here curious and lingular productions alone arc fought for, and there is no proper botanic garden in London *. To every botanift the botanic garden at Paris is an extremely important inftitu- tion, the collection of plants growing in the open air is coniiderable, and extremely well arranged, having the Linnean names affixed ; but thefe are Wanting to the trees and Ihrubs. The green - houfe plants are ftill more numerous, many of til em extremely rare and curious. But the green- houfcs, being too narrow, and every thing crowded together, naturally produce weak and lickly plants. It is to be lamented above all that, of this excel- lent fpot too much has been facrificed to the or- namental walks. Another excellent collection is feen in the garden of a Mr. Cels, who deals in plants, and has much improved their cultivation. All this is undoubtedly more inftrudlive in the fame branch than in London ; but this arifcs from the attention of the learned men of Paris, and not from the government, who pretend to do every thing and do nothing. The beautiful menagerie, however, at the Tower, which is lin- gular in its kind, far exceeds the fmall coUedlion at the botanic garden of Paris. * It is fingular, the author fhould not have vifited the bo- tanic garden at Chelfea. T. I thought %9 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. I thought it not fuperfluous to draw this fliort comparative Iketch of the two moft important cities in Europe, more particularly as I felt that my judgement was impartial : in both capi- tals I was received in a manner with which I was extremely pleafed, and which has great claims on my gratitude. Nor did the difference of their political lituation more powerfully in- fluence me, or give me more difguft in this point of view, than the difference ufually found between one nation and another, among each of whom I have lived with pleafure. ^ ,But I muft fay a few words of Verfailles, a town, the very name of which has almoft ceafed to be pronounced by the people. This beauti- ful place, with all its broad well-paved ftreets and magnificent buildings, lies forlorn in mournful lilence; while the confined, and by no means pleafing country that furroands it, encreafes the melancholy imprefiions caufed by viewing its empty deferted palaces. At that time, the palace, the gardens, the park, and the great and little Tri- anon, were kept in pretty good order, and many paintings, and other Works of art, fiill remained m the apartments, though moft of the furniture was removed. Many works of art, particularly paintings, had alfo been brought in from the ad- jacent country-houfes of emigrants, a plan having 2 once JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 3 1 once been formed to employ the palace of Vcr- failles as a mufeum for the produdlions of art, Verfallles has fo- often been defcribed, that it would be fuperfluous to fay more. . There is fomething grand in the view of the palace from the garden ; but, it is only a view that dazzles, iwithout aiFedling the heart. IvtOJi'^l •yra (-s^vsv/or* ill { ;.i7 OfiOL 13797/0, CHAP. 32 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAI^ CHAP. III. Prom Paris through Orleans, and Limoges, to the Banks of the Dordogne. From Pans we fet off for Orleans. Mount Parnaflus, and the plains of Montrouge, confift of lime-ftone, and furnifh part of the ftone ufed in Paris for building. The quarries, however, are fubterraneous, and the ftones are brought up through fhafts funk for that purpofe. In the neighbourhood of great cities, this plan is worthy imitation ; for, otherwife, a great furface of land is loft, 3S is particularly ftriking near Lifbon. All the hills on one fide of Paris, from Charenton, acrofs the Seine to Meudon, St. Cloud, &c. are limeftone; but on the oppolite lide the hills which extend from Montmartre, Belville, &c. onward, conlift of gypfum. This lime-ftone ex-? tends as far as Verfailles, where it forms th^ woody hills that enclofe the valley in which the town is fltuated. Similar hills of lime-ftone ac- companied us from Paris to the village of Long- jumeau, beyond which fand-ftone is found con- liderably below the furface. Arable-land is met with every where, the mountains are co- vered with wood, and the hills that are expofed to the fun are laid out in vineyards. Beyond the JOtrRlTEY THROUGH PORTUGAL* 33 the village of Arpajon toward Etampes, the hills rife higher, and become more naked and flony. Etampes is a fmall miferable town, now very dead, furrounded by bare hills, but, like almoft every French town, however fmall, has its promenade. An elevated plain covered with very low hills liow continues to the neighbourhood of Orleans ; con- lifting chiefly of arable land, without any conli- derable vineyards. Near Orleans, the road paf- fes through a great foreft, called the Foreft of Or- leans ; part of which, however, is cut away for fomc diftance on each fide of the high road, which is in general well paved from Paris to Orleans, but in fome parts is not kept i^ with fufficient care, as is particularly requifite tb prevent fuch roads from becoming very unpleafant. At length we defcended from this elevated plain, to the banks of the Loire and the city of Orleans. This city ftands clofe to the foot of the decli- vity, up which the fuburb rifes. On the other fide is the river, and over it a handfome bridge, from which the view of this broad fi:ream, covered with boats, watering a great city, and a range of vine- covered hills, is unconvmonly charming. Orleans is an open town ofconfiderable fize, adorned with neat buildings ; but, like Paris, full of narrow ill- paved fl:rects. The windows are moftly furnilhed with iron bars, acuftom which alfo partly prevails in the fmall neighbouring villages. It has loil much by Vol. I. D the 54 J0URNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. the Revolution, having been principally fuppbrted- by the provincial tribunals. Every thing now is dead, and its chief traffic is in corn, wine, and brandy. After palling the Loire and the country- houfes belonging to Orleans, the face of the country is much altered; for here begins a barren fandy plain, which foon becomes a defcrt fwampy heath, and continues as far as a fmall miferable village, called La ferte Lowendahl*. Here we coUedled feveral remarkable plants, and among others fome heaths of the fouth of Europe, which were origi- ginally defcribed from fpecimens brought from this place, as for inftance erica fcoparia. This plain belonged to the antient barren province of Sologne. Beyond La ferte this fandy plain ftill continues, though it fomewhat improves, and part of it is highly cultivated. Along the roads are planted italian poplars, garden chefnuts, and plane- trees, and many lingle houfes and manlions are feen, among which is the family-feat of the ce- lebrated LaMothe Piquet, who had the command of a fquadron, and diftinguifhed himfelf much in the American war. He is ftill remembered in a lively manner, having been much beloved, though a very vehement and lingular man. The inns in this part of France have a very uninviting ap- pearance, as have the apartments; but the tra- * CaJled alio. La ferte Nabert. veller JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. $§ veller meets with good beds and a good fupper, particularly of fowl, at very moderate prices. In the towns every thing was dearer and worfe than in the villages ; but in general throughout France wq found the landlords' charges extremely moderate. Near Vierzon the plain terminates in a decli- vity, which is adorned by groves and vineyards, like that near Orleans. Vierzon is a fmall but cheerful town, feated at the confluence of the Yevre with the fandy river Cher, in a deep valley where the air is remarkably warm. We were prefent at the celebration of Notre Dame, which rendered the place very gay. Every body was at the public walks, and in their beil dref- fes, an attention which is not fo much pra6lifed in the North of France. But the external marks of religion gradually become more and more perceptible, and two politicial parties arife, conr lifting of catholics and proteftants. Immediately beyond Vierzon are fand-ftone hills, at the foot of which rifes a chalybeate ftream. Soon after follow lime-ftone hills to- ward the village of VStan ; and here the face of the country grows very bare. As far as the eye can reach nothing is feen but undulating hills co- vered with corn-fields, but deftitute of trees or houfes. Nearer to Chateauroux, thefe hills are un- cultivated, and ferve as fheep- walks, great numbers of thofe animals being bred in this country, which D a forms ^6 JOITRNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. forms a part of the ancient province of Berry. The fcaicity of wood is very great, and ftraw is often ufed in kitchens ; for which reafon, in winter the ilubble that remains in the fields is cut. Here, as well as in many other parts of France, women are feen cultivating the ground. Chateauroux, which is a manufacturing town of moderate lize, lies in a flat valley on the Indre. Like all manufac- turing towns, it fuffered much by the Revolution, from which it may eafily be conjectured how fat the inhabitants are favourable to it. The lime-llone hills end at a village called Le Lotier ; after which follows a fandy plain covered with heath as in Sologne, but foon after high lime- ftone hills again rife, with deep and frequently . pleafant valleys. Argenton lies in one of thefe beautiful valleys, furrounded by vineyards on the Creufe. It is a fmall, dirty, mean town, but gay and lively, as are in general moil fmall places in France, in an infinitely greater degree than large towns. The gaiety of Argenton was at this time cncreafed by the return of the young men, in con- fequence of the ligning of the peace. It was an affecting and a plealing fcene to witnefs the happi- nefs of fo many joyful citizens, who returned to take pofTeflion of their paternal lands ; or of their half-faded bribes, wliofe expedlant hopes the war had too long deferred. In no country were the young men fo generally torn from their homes, .without JOURNEY THROUGH PORtUGAt. 37 without regard to their condition, lituation, or occupation. But the hopes of all thefe worthy youths are now again fruftrated and deceived. Thefe lime-ftone hills again grew flat near the Tillage of Le Fay, and are fucceeded by a fandy plain covered with heath, fhortly after which rife the mountains of the Limoulin. High mountain-valleys, mountains crowded together, with broad rounded ridges, immediately indicate another clafs, generally called primary mountains. Their fides confift of flrata of granite, but the tipper parts are of granite in mafles and rocks. In proportion to the unfruitfulnefs of the foil, is the care beflowed in mofl places on its cultivation. Corn-fields are feen on the declivities, and often to a confiderable height. Great part of the country is planted with chefnut-trees, the fruit of which confl:itutes a large proportion of the food of the in-^ habitants ; the fmall and often very bad ones being fimply boiled in large kettles, and then thrown out upon the table to the hungry labourers, who devour them like cattle. The villagers look ex- tremely miferable and fickly, which probably arifea from their bad nourifhment. A traveller might almofl: imagine the inhabitants were ftupid, and I almofi: fancied my felf among the boors of Weft- phalia; but if I addrefied a girl, to whom beauty gave fomewhat more confidence, her charming iimplicity, and the quicknefs ajid fprightlin^fs of P. 3 her 38 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. her anfwers, foon convinced me I was not in the neighbourhood of Paderborn, excepting that the country people here have liniilar pictures of the Virgin Mary. In this part a jargon islpoken very different from the French ; and which prevails with various modifications to the borders of Spain, From hence alfo wooden fhoes are ufed, being worn even by the better fort of people, particularly the la- dies, for whom they are fitted with ornaments of fur. The mountains continue beyond the large vil- lage of Morterolle, the fmall town of Beflines, litu- ated in a deep, narrow, rocky valley, and ther fmall village of Chanteloube, as far as Limoges. Beyond Chanteloube and near Maifon-rouge, afin- gle houfe, is the higheffc part of thefe mountains, from which may be feen very clearly their whole range, efpecially toward Auvergne. Near Limoges they again link. This town is confiderable, but con- iiflschieflyof old indifferent houfes; the flreetsare narrow, crooked, and dirty, and it is furrounded by mountains. In a deep valley clofe under the town flows the Vienne, which is here a fmall rivulet, and to which a pleafant promenade leads. Li- •inoges is celebrated for its great cattle-market ; the fmall horfes ufed for light cavalry are bought there, and it has a few manufa61:ures. It is an ex- tremely unpleafant place, the country unfruitful, and the mountains render the climate raw and dif- agreable. Immediately JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 39 .Immediately after quitting Limoges the gra- nite-mountains again begin, and rife to a cohiide- rable height. i\.t Pierre Buffiere, the country be- comes beautiful and romantic. This fmall dirty town is iituated on a mountain, the decHvity of which toward the north is very rapid, and is fur- rounded by a valley, where the wild Brianfe takes Its rife amid rocks. Here we had occafion again to repeat an obfervation we had often made, that fmall country-towns are now much more lively and. in a better lituation than the great manufac- turing towns, where complaints, difappointment, and difcontent are general. . The high range of granite mountains continues beyond the villages of Magnat and Maflere to Uzerches, a fmall, poor, and miferable town. Beyond Maflere, at the fummit of a rnountain, is found a kind of trap-porphyry, vyhich at iirft fight might be taken for Bafalt. We every where faw nothing but naked arid fummits, with lingle corn-fields and woods of chefnuts. At Uzerches, the mountains are higher, and the countiy be- comes extremely romantic. This fmall town is ii- tuated on a mountain, which is furrounded by a deep valley. Toward the South flows tlie Ve- zere, a beautiful river in a hollow between fleep rocky precipices, fo that we looked down upon it from the edge of the mountain almofl perpen- dicularly between the houfes. But the profpecft D 4 foon 40 JOURNEY ThROUGIl PdRTUGAt. (bon changed ; for beyond Uzerches we came to a moft cheerlefs country, over defert mountains co- vered with heath and fcanty woods. Near Donze- nac, another dirty little town, the country again afliimes a different appearance ; a handfome road, the direction of which is extremely well con- trived, leads through cheerful chefnut- woods along ftecp declivities, where the eye looks down on an exceedingly well-cultivated valley, in which, for the firft time, we faw the proud pine, that beau- tiful tree of the South of Europe. The fides of the mountain are formed into terraces, and co- vered with meadows artificially watered. The in- duftry of the inhabitants is every where apparent.* Pafi[ing over fome flatter mountains, we came to the town of Brives, fituated in a fmall valley on the Correze, over which is a handfome bridge. Brives is a confide rable place, and very populous and cheerful. The furrounding country produces wine and nut-oil, abounds in wood, and the town has fome manufadtures. It is adorned by many neat houfes, and is inconteftably them oft lively town in the Limoufin. On the other fide of the Correze the mountains change. A high fandftone mountain, with rocks breaking through, buf adorned with woods above and vineyards below, fucceeds to the granite-moun- tains and announces the termination of the whole range. On the fummit of this mountain ftands the JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 4^ the old ruined caftle of NoalUes ; after which fol- low lime-ftone hills, which continue to the banks of the Dordogne. We had hitherto travelled through countries which had a very bad name, owing to the great number of robberies committed there, particu- larly the fand-llone mountain beyond Brives, the caftle of Noailles, and the defert mountains of Uzerches. Robberies were at that time the order of the day ; the principal obje(5ls of plunder being the paper and money of the government, though purfes and watches were not negledled. The manner of robbing was Englifh, travellers 'being feldom intentionally murdered. The caufe of this may ealily be afligned : a number of young men had returned from the armies, many of whom were the fons of perfons above the common peo- ple, and who were now deftitute of all means of fubfiftence. Thefe young men, having been forced into the army againft their will, were full of hatred to the government, of whom they en- "deavoured to be revenged, Such men, like the t>etter clafs of Englifh highwaymen, feldom mur- der; and befides in all Fpench accounts of rob- beries, we muft expedt fome exaggeration. Ac- cording to all we could learn, however, there was lefs danger in thefe parts, even in the worft of times, than ufually prevails in many parts of Germany ; in which no one now thinks of robbery ^a*. JDUHNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL.^. robbery and murder. The fpeeclies in the Council of Five Hundred itfelf contributed to thefe ex- aggerations, moft of the members being, at leaft at that time, very bad orators, and in the fpeeches which they read continually catching at florid defcriptions, and elevated fragm.ents of eloquence. Thus Villiers fpoke of a journey through France as of a military enterprife. In general they fought the models of their fpeeches in the Britifli par- liament, as they had borrowed the plan of fur- nifhing their houfes from that ifland. With thefe exaggerations concurred a timidity of a peculiar kind, in. which this nation exceeds all others, and the caufe of which is, that they fear more from va-r* rious misfortunes than the Germans. Very refined nations are only truly brave during fome exaltation of the public mind, and then they are extraordi- narily courageous. To them it is a fublime eleva- tion to defpife life, while to thofe who are habi- tually brave it is a trifle. The roads in this country are extremely fine, although in general throughout France they can- not be called bad, nor are they any where infe- ■ rior to thofe of England, which in fome parts perhaps excel them. In the Wefl: of England are ver}' bad poft- roads. In France, the fl^ate of the poll •itfelf, that is of travelling, is extremely good ; in no refpe6t worfe, but rather better than in England, if we except the excellent eflablifliment of mail- '. ' .... coaches. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 43 coaches, to which there is nothing limilar in France. There, indeed, the poft does not travel on horfeback ; but the courier has a fmall light chaife, in which a ftranger may alfo travel. At^ this time the couriers were very frequently aU tacked by robbers. But a German who loves his native foil cannot fpeak of the conveniences for travelling in other countries, as compared with his own, without concern ; for he may ea- lily imagine himfelf in the lituation of a fo- reigner, who muft take his countrymen for bar- barians, when he fees how wretched the roads are in many parts, and the poft often creeping along, in open carriages, in the raw climate of Germany ; and even thefe open, jolting, heavy vehicles paid for as extra-poft. To this may be added the nu- merous impolitions of the poftillions, and the rude- nefs of the fervants of the poft, in which quali- ty my countrymen exceed all other nations, even the Englifti. In Germany, thofe who travel extra- poft may expedl fometimes to wait half the day on their horfes ; in England alfo they may fometimes though rarely be detained ; but in France, an excellent rule prevails of not taking out the horfes till thofe which are to replace them be brought out. CHAP. 44- JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. CHAP. IV. From the Banks of the Dordogne to the Banks of the Garonnr. In a narrow vale between high, bare, lime-ftonc mountains, that feem crowded together, flows the Dordogne, which fometimes covers the foil with ratchil. On the north bank is the fmall and cheerful town of Souillac, which has vilibly increafed ; and there are many houfes recently built both in the town and on the bank of the river. There is alfo a ferry over this rapid ftream. Beyond the village of Lanfac, on the fouth fide of the river, rife lime-ftone hills, which are very fteep, but flat at top, fo as to form a plain on which is the village of Peyrac, whicii is well built and appears to be increafing. At the extremity of this plain is Pont-de-Rodez, a fmall village, where the lime-flone hills are co-» vered with vines, and a great number of plants belonging to the warmer parts of Europe. Among others, the declivities are full of box-trees. Oq the fummit of the mountains beyond Pont-de- Rodez a fudden view burfts upon the eye. To the left are the high mountains in the fouthern part of Auvergne, and the whole chain of the Cantal mountains are feen very near. At a greater diflance appears the Mont-d'or, and farther on the JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 45 the chain of mountains called Puy-de-Dome. In front, at fo great a diftance that they appear like 2. ftreak of blue clouds, are feen the Pyrenees, from the pointed mountains of Rouffillon to the round funimits with which they terminate above Bayonne. In the fore- ground, the fpecSlator be- holds around him the hills of Quercy, which arc crowded together and adorned with vine}'urds and folitary chefnut«trees. The wide extent of profpedl which the eye here commands, and the two principal ranges of mountains in France that are feen on either lide, give a fublimity to the thought, and the mind is no lefs charmed with the beauty than elevated with the grandeur of the fcene. The country formerly called Quercy is warm, owing to its deep narrow valleys, lying between naked or vine -covered lime-ftonc hills. The inha- bitants here begin to have a Spanifh phyfiogno- my, black eyes, and dark hair ; befides which, the common people are very yellow and lean. They have the character of being revengeful and fuper- ftitious ; nor is there realon to doubt the latter, if we confider their attachment to Cathoiicifm which may be feen every where. Near Cahors the mountains become generally lower, but the valleys are deeper, and the hills clofer and more crowded. In a vale between fucU mountains Hands Cahors on the banks of the Lot. One 45 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. One part of it feems to lean againft the fteep lide of a mountain ; the other is lituated on a fmall plain, watered by the Lot's meandering ftream to a conliderable diftance. This beautifully-cultivated plain, with its corn-fields, gardens, and fruit- trees (particularly the almond), amid which the river winds along, forms a charming contraft to the high, fteep, vine-covered mountains. Cahors is a confidcrable place, but very irregularly built, with narrow ftreets, though here and there is a neat houfe. The cathedral church is diftinguifh- ed by a large cupola, and muft have been, in part, an antient roman work ; but it has been fo often repaired, and has received fo many altera- tions and additions, that the antique part is now difficult to be difcovered. The remains alfo of a roman amphitheatre and of an aquedudl are ftill feen. The lands round the town arc very fertile, and Cahors is reckoned one of the beft places in France for good living. The Quercy pork, hams, and faufages are much celebrated, principally owing to the abundance of chefnut-maft produced there ; the garden-fruits are alfo excellent. Ca- hors wine has gained a great reputation every where. It is produced by dwarf or ground-vines on ftecp mountains, where cultivation is very dif- ficult. The foil confifts of a coarfe, flaty, whi- tifli-grey lime-ftone. As long as the wine is new it is very indifferent, but conftantly improves as 6 it JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, 47 it grows old, bears carriage to a great diftance without injury, and holds a high rank among the red wines of France. The price of a bottle of excellent wine cofts upon the fpot three livres. It is fent from Bordeaux to foreign parts. Ca- hors at this time appeared very dead ; which is not furpriling, as trade in general, even that in wine, has fufFered fo conliderabl)'' by the Revo- lution, though this branch, perhaps, has loft lefs than others. Cahors was always very much at- tached to the catholic religion. In Quercy the cultivation of maize, which may be fometimes met with in warm valleys in the midland parts of France, is very common ; and the bread made of it, which is here very good (being of a yellowifh white, but too dry and fweet), conftitutes a part of the daily food of the peafants. In France the general name of this kind of corn is bled d'Efpagne, probably becaufe the cultivation of it was derived from that country. The valleys in the neighbourhood of Cahors abound in rare and beautiful plants. Its Flora. may be conlidered as altogether belonging to the fouth of Europe. We difcovered a hitherto un- defcribed fpecies of Antirrhinum ; entirely con- fined to the South of Europe, and which is there found in beautiful diverfity. On 48 jeURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. On afcending the fteep mountains beyond Ca- hors the profpecl changes ; the face of the coun- try becoming flatter, the ranges of hills wider afunder, and inclofmg broader vales. Toward CaufTade the country is uncommonly fertile and charming. CaufTade is a fmall village with a large open fquare fur rounded by neat buildings, and appears gay and lively. Beyond CaufTade the ranges of hills open on all fides and entirely dif- perfe, difcovering to the eye an immenfe and ap- parently interminable plain, extending beyond Touloufe as far as the Pyrenees. On a fmall emi- nence that rifes amid this very fruitful plain, the foil of which is a mixture of fand and clay, is the town of Montauban. Here the traveller every Vfhei-e beholds rich corn-fields, roads planted with trees, with various figns of good cultivation end of a foft climate. Montauban is a confider- able place, featcd at the confluence of the Tefcou and the Tarn. On the latter is a handfome quay, and a plealant promenade along the banks, be- lides which, the antient walls of die town are fo ufed. The furrounding country has an extraordi- narily cheerful and plealing appearance, the fer- tile and tranquil plain forming a pleafing contraft with the pointed Pyrenees, which may always be feen if the weather is at all clear. Ov^er the Tarn is a handfome bridge, connecling the fuburb with the JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL* 49 the town. Although moft of the ftreets are nar- row and ill paved, the part of the town -rotind the fquare is regular and well built ; and the cathedral church is a large and ftriking edifice, though not in the beft tafte. Montauban is a lively town : its woollen manufadlory, particularly in coarfe cloths,' feems very brilk; and, notwithllanding all the idifturbances it has fufFered, is ilill very populous. ' The manners of this place are thofe of the South of Europe. The manufacturers work on the ground-floor, with the houfe-door open even; in the winter. The guitar is often heard with plaintive, elegiac Spanifh airs. The jargon of the people more and more approximates to Spanifti, and the eyes and hair of the inhabi- tants almoft univerfally refemble that nation. Montauban. 'having been conftantly in a fl:ate of liege, we were obliged to have our pafTports (examined, and counterfigned by the commandant, who lived in a fmall niean houfe in a fuburb on the otlier fide. of the Tarn, was a good-na- tured, friendly roan,,, and expedited us without ce- fpmon j^ cpr : delay. The limplicity . of his houfe and mode qf life had a republican air which I was furprized to find here for the firft time ; but in his apartment hung a beautiful engraving of the mafTacre of the national guard of Mentauban ; a Ipecics of duplicity which might make the townf- men his enemies. .Vol. I. E. . The 50 JODRWEY THROUGH PORTUGAIm The revolution did nothing more than give the reins to ail the paflions of mankind. Montaiibah has from the oldeft times fufFered many difturb- ances on account of religion. The town was ori- ginally wholly proteftant, and defended itfelf witli extraordinary bravery againft Louis XIII. who belieged it, but was at length obliged to abandon the attempt. It afterwards fubmitted with the reft of the proteftant towns ; but, on acr count of the number of Proteftants, it fuffered very much at the time of the dragooning-fyftem. The lituation of Proteftants in -the South of France, where the number was very great, is well known to have continued ever ftnce -that period very oppreflive ; and the greateft favour the go- vernment could beftow on them was gracioufl}'" to forget them ; in confequence of which, however, the inhabitants remained expofed to the oppref- lions of their catholic neighbours. Under Louis XVI. a great many alleviations were granted them ; but very Rv\6i laws are requilit« to reprefs the fpirit of religious party, fo as to prevent it from opprefiing perfons of a different opinion ; and thefe laws did not cxift. Thus a deep inveterate hatred was only ftifled by a brifk trade independ- ent of party-fpirit. The revolution gave the Pro- teftants full liberty to exercife their revenge ; and the patriots, as they were then called, fhowed themfelves by ridiculing the catholic religion and ■■ its JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 51 its ceremonies. This mockery foon increafed into cmelty ; which, alas ! to the fhame of its defen- ders, found protection amid the principles of the- oretic liberty ! A long feries of oppreffion. renders mankind depraved ; and fuch was the ftatc of a conliderable number of the Proteftants. To thefc oppreffions are generally attributed the cruelties that difgraced the beginning of the french revo- lution; whereas, on the contrary, that of the Englifh in the preceding century afforded, durinrg^ feveral years, no inftance of the k\nd. In this point of view, the hiftory of the revolution in the South of France, in Languedoc, Quercy, aijd Gafcony, lliould be conlidered, the conteft be- tween the two religions being the principal fource of all the dillurbances ; for, though it be not z pure religious intereft, the people boldly refer to this caufe a(9:ions that would otherwife fhock their moral feelings. The proteftant patriots firft ex- ercifed their vengeance, which broke out with full liberty under the reign of terror ; and it was to be expected that the oppolite party would feize every opportunity of taking a lignal revenge ; an oppor- tunity for which was offered by the maflfacre of the national guard, and afterwards b^' the focie- ties of Jefus and the Sun, both which were here eftablifhed. The miflion of Frcron reprefled the malecofltents ; but fcarcely had Rcwbcl and his E 2 p^^'^y 52 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. party in the Diredlory fallen, ere the difturb- ances in Touloufe and Gafcony were renewed. The proteftant party went over but too ealily to" another, which has brought many calamities on France ; a party of fanatics in irreligion and dogmatical infidelity. Many, who are difpleafed that others fhould know more than themfelves, •would dignify this party with the name of philo- fophers, to render true philofophy odious. But, while they thus let loofe their rage againft philo- fophy, they fhould remember that they arc equally abfurd with thofe french fanatics, who imagine all religions bad, becaufe fome have given occafion to abufes. A peculiar circumftance procured us the confi- dence of the malecontents and Catholics in this country. A lady, formerly a nun, who had no paffport, and, as foon after appeared, no money, thought herfelf happy to efcape obfervation by travelling as one of our party. We were conti- nually warned againft the enrages, the republi- cans, and the Proteftants, words which had here precifely the fame fenfe, and the one was ufed to explain the other. Thus we were very often told^ *' they are enrages, for they are Proteftants." Throughout our journey, 'only twice was our fer- vant detained on account of a paflport, the latter of which occafions took place in Gafcony, where he JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL.' 53 he enquired for the church, to fetch the nun, who had told us, " quelle vouloit payer une vi- fite au bon Dieu." • And wherefore did we obtain the confidence of this nun ? Becaufe, by mere chance, we ordered on the evening of a faft-day a fupper confiftent with the rules of the church. '\ By the conteft of thefe two parties may be e3^- , plained another circumftance, which at firft fight./ appears very fingular, namely, why thofe towns, where the greatefl: difl:urbances have taken place, often fufftred the leafi:. For there a confiderable. party, who had efpoufed the revolution with ve^ hemence and activity, were continually kept in a ilate of ferment by the immediate threats of their neighbours ; whereas, in all places where this op- pofition was wanting, general dejedlion, difcon^ tent, and melancholy prevailed. The beautiful plain of Montauban extends be- yond Monteche to the banks of the Garonne. Monteche is a fm'ali town, where the mode of cultivation, and the architecture of the fquare,. which is furrounded with arcades, have quite a Spanifh appearance. There is a pleafant wood between Montauban and Monteche, which was very dangerous at the time of the companies of Jefus. But we now boldly colledled, without the ieafi: molefi:ation, on this charming plain, a num-- ber of rare plants peculiar to the South of Europe, E 3 CHAP, 54 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAIi, CHAP. V. Gqfcony. — The Pyrenees. A LEAGUE ffom Monteche we cime to a ferry where we pafled the GafOrifte, (the hither bank of t;^^hlch is flat, but the oppofite high,) ahd after traverilng a hilly country entdred the ahcient Gafcony. All the hills conlift of lime- ftone, and are fertile and well cultivated ; fnuch land has alfo been recently cleared. The vil- lages and towns lie Oh the fides ^nd tops of hills in a very pi^^urefque manner; a plan which is very generally pra6tifed and extremely neceffary in the hot climates of the fouth of Europe, where a low fituation would caufe many endemic com- plaints. Hence, in both the Indies, the Portu- giieze and Spaniards built their towns in healthy fituations wherever tliey had a choice, whefeas, the Dutch and moft of the northern nations fool- ifhly purfued their domeftic cufloms; and built their towns in the lowefl valleys and hollows they Could find. Here are alfo a number of fingle hoiifes and farms. The roofs are much flatter than in moft northern countries; but in the neighbourhood of the Pyrenees they are again pointed. The face of the country would be very beautiful were it but m.ore woody. The Gafcons 6 arc JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 55 are ftlU true to their general charadler, being as gay, chatty, and friendly, and as proud and paflionate as ever; and combining the pride of Spain with the vivacity of France. In the other provinces of France, the common people are rarely heard to ling, at leaft much more rarely than before the revolution ; but here fongs re- found from every valley. It is no detriment to a republic to have various parties, and here thefe are powerful and vehement. It is far worfe when a fmall number of bold intriguers and fadliona- ries govern a whole nation, as among the Turks in Algiers, or the dependents of the triumvirs on the 1 8th of Fru(9:idor. In one part of Gafcony the young women are uncommonly beautiful and charming, being handfomer than any I had hitherto feen in France. They are tall and full-grown, have a fair Ikin, an elegant form, and uncommonly fine eyes ; which with a noble and' animated manner are particu- larly adapted to make an impreflion on a ftranger. In Bigorre their beauty diminifhes, but in the country about Bayonne they appear ftill more beautiful and charming. We now came to Beaumont, a market-town, tlie beautiful lituation of which well deferves that name. At this time however it was notorious on account of its enrages. Here alfo the enquiry ^bove mentioned relative to our paflport took place. From Beaumont our road Jay through a E 4 wood ^6 JOtJRNBY THROUGH PORTUGAL^ wood to Mauvciin, another market-town, beyond which the mountains rife higher, and the Pyrenees appear nearer and more majeftic. On the declivity of a hill in a very naked country is Auch the chief city of Gafcony ; it is feated on the Gers, which however is a mere brook. Though the unevennefs of the ground admits of no regular plan of building, fome of the ftreets are ilraight, broad, well paved, and full of neat buildings. The cathedral church deferves to be feen on ac- count of its magnitude and ftyle of architecSture, although the latter is much mixed ; but its paint- ed windows, whofe uncommonly bright and beau- tiful colours may be coniidered among the firft- of the kind, are well worthy of attention j nor is the drawing bad, although inferior to the colour- ing. The pidlure of the Archbifhop Franqois Guillaume de Clermont Lodeve, was painted in the beginning of the fixteenth century. The country round Auch conlifts of rather high limeftone-hills, with narrow valleys on which much wine is grown; and in the vineyards are many fig-trees. This town is not very lively, which arifes in a confiderable degree from its unfavourable iituation among arid hills. We heard fo much of the republican vehemence of tlie departmental adminiftration at Auch, that we thought it moft prudent to get our pafTports figned, and found the gendemen we applied to uncommonly polite to flrangers^ although wq had JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. ^ had no reifon to doubt the trnth of the general report we had heard. It is certain that the French are extremely amiable whenever their paffions arc not awakened. ^^'^ - The limeftone mountains continue as fer^'^s'Ia,' Mirande, a fmall ill-built but cheerful town, ii- tuated on the declivity of a hill in a valley open- ing from north to fouth, toward the Pyrenees, = to the foot of which the foil is highly cultivated,' and hufbandry apparently purfued with great attention. The country grew conftantly more beautiful as we approached thofe mountains. The' fmall town of Mielan is lituated befide a cheer-- ful hill, behind which the mountains rife fome- what higher, but on the other lide fpread into the beautiful valley of Bellecomtat. We then climbed a fecond range of hills, on the declivity of which is Rabafteins, now a fmall place but' once a flourifhing town, till it was deftroyed in the religious wars. The ruins of old edifices flill remain, but it is painful to reflect on the hillory of thefe events, which ferve but to Ihow the evils arifing from falfe religion ; melancholy refledlions in this charming country. Here indeed the view is extremely delightful; exhibiting a cheerful and finely cultivated coun- try, with numerous towns, villages, and detach- ed houfes, hills clothed with hanging woods, open cheerful valleys and excellent roads, together with the near view of the Pyrenees, the ma- jeftic jS JOtJRNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. jeftic fumihits that raife their heads abox^e all the reft in Bigorre, the iliarp peaks, almoft re* fembling needles fhooting into the air, in Foix and RoufTiIlon, and a cheerful fmiling country, over which the genius of fublimity feems to hover. We entered the vale of Tarbcs at "Rabafteins. Acrofs this vale, which however, rather refem- bles a wide-extended plain, runs a firaight road as even as a floor, and planted on each fide with trees. Near the road are meadows carefully wa- t^ttd by art, and fields and vineyards give vari- ety to the view. The vines twine round the trees to a certain height, from which the branches hang in feltoons ; neat houfes are feen half-con- cealed in groves of Italian poplars, anin front appears the city of Tarbes with its ^legaAt tow- ers; when fuddenly and unexpectedly behind them arife the Pyrenees, in the midft of which is the Pic-du-midi, fituated in Bigorre, at only a mile and a half dif}:ance, being 90Q0 feet above the level of the fea, while the other lofty fum- mits of this chain of mountains feem to crowd around it. There are perhaps few chains of mountains, where fo perfedl a valley can be found in the moft charming of climates, and fo near the foot of fo lofty a mountain. Ihe Alps are, throughout their whole extent, delVitute of fuch bcdutka. Thtir loftieft fummits rife in the midft of JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. ^g of the whole chain, and are long before announ- ced and introduced by mountains far inferiour in height to the Pic-du-midi. -^-^^ ;T!>.m'3f rii? We were near Rabafteins, when the fun r6fe and illumined the fnowy fummits, which, rudir dy with the glow of morning, rofe high above the general mafs of darknefs. Prefently the mountains with their fteep lides and vafi: iiflures, their heights and valleys, were expofed in full day before us. One of the moft beautiful parts of our view was that from the bridge over the Adour, at the entrance of Tarbes, direftjy op- pofite to which is the Pic-du-midi. Here the diftance from the general mafs diminifhed, and it feemed within reach of our hands. : Tarbes is a very neat pleafant town, with an excellent fquare, well-paved, ftraight, clean ftreets, and neat buildings. The houfes are heavy and covered with flate. The town appeared gay and lively, afforded every thing needful for living comfortably, and is lituated on the great road to the watering places of Bagneres and Bareges. Tarbes is the chief town of Bigorre, the inhabi- tants of which province have fomewhat a Spanifh appearance in their drefs and manners, the men wearing large cloaks and flat caps called barrettes, and the women, a kind of white veil round their heads called capulet. Their fongs alfo have the fame unpleafant cry as the Spanifh. The women are 6^ JOURXfiY THROUGH PORTUGAL. are not fo pretty as thofe of Gafcony, or of the Bafque country. But here and in Beam they are feldom feen idle, and even knit or do fome other work as they walk. In this part of France houfes alfo begin to be feen here and there without windows ; an unpleafant cuftom of the Ibuthern parts of Europe, which expofes the in-^ habitants to the weather, or obliges them to lit in the dark. As the Pyrenees lie eaft and weft, fo in general does each lingle mountain of that chain, when Ais circumftance'is not concealed by the thick- nefs or round nefs of the mafs. Befide moft of the mountains run inferiour oblique ridges, in the fame diredlion with their valleys, which almoli always lie north and fouth. Small lateral valleys frequently open into thefe large ones. The balls of the whole range is granite, which becomes ap- parent in the lower mountain's, and particularly in the eaftern part of the chain. It feems to be co- vered with the llate, of which moft of the mountains that are of any conliderable height confift. Next, follows the aboriginal lime-ftone, , of which the principal mountains coniift ; and laftly, lime-ftone not unfrequently covers the higheft fummits with petrifications. Tarbes lies almoft diredlly oppolite to the higheft part of the Pyrenees, and along the Adour cxtemis the beautiful valley of Campan^* ftretch- ing JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 6l ing up the heights as far as the fmall town of Bagneres, five leagues from Tarbes, above which rifes the Pic-durmidi, being in front fteep and inacceffible, though behind is a winding path, fo eafy, that the company from Bareges often make this an excurfion of pleafure. The elevation of the peak has been more accurately meafured, by •M«irrs. Reboul and Vidal, than any mountain of equal height. They found it 1506 toifes, or 9036 feet above the fea, confequently fo high that^ were it lituated among the Swifs Alps, it would be reckoned among the fecond clafs of mountains, and would extend' far into the frozen region. The Pyrenees, howe\'er, being fituated in a warmer <:limate, are much ealier to climb than the Swjfs Alps, on account of the fnow and ice, although ■in general ileeper, rougher, and more abrupt. J'rom Tarbes we came to Bagneres de Bigorre, •a finall but neat town . celebrated for its baths; and- thence, through Campan and round the Pic- ■du-midi, to Bareges, a market-town of about iiXty, houfes, in the valley of Baftanes, a fmall wild melancholy oblique valley. Bareges is alfo vifited. on account of its miriersd waters. From that place the principal valley or Bareges ftretcheS to the fouthward, upwards, along the Gave, to Ga- varnie, a : fmall market-town juft at tlie foot of ■the J^tohore, one peak jof whichi called Montpsrdu 6l JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. iS the higheft of the Pyrenees, being 1763 toifcs, or 10,578 feet above the level of the fea, but has not yet been completely climbed. At the foot of this mountain the Gave falls 1266 feet, forming the higheft cataradl in Europe, and 300 feet higher than the fall of Staubbach, in Switzerland. Thofe who are delirous of becoming more in- timately acquainted with the Pyrenees Ihould ftudy Ramond de CarboniereC account of them, which is tranflated into German, and the neweft treatifes in the "Journal des Mines, The author's brother lives at Tarbes, and he had opportunities of paying long and frequent vifits to thefe moun- tains. This indeed is highly neceffary in exa- mining into mountains, as the difficulties that oc- cur at every ftep are too great to be at once van- quiihed ; and not every vilit is crowned with fuc- cefs. Of this Switzerland affords an example. Although no country is fo much vilited by tra- vellers, yet, in regard to natural hiftory, very, very much yet remains to be done. We have another excellent defcription of the Pyrenees by Pazumot. ^- The road from Tarbes to Pau pafles over low hill*, confifting of rounded flints, covered at top with heath, but, toward the valley of Pau, with ^ne trees. The road is pleafant, and new fum- mits of mountains are continually coming for- ward into view. The city of Pau is fituated in JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 63 m a valley nearly in the fame dired:ion 3.S that of Tarbes, and, in like manner, opening toward the Pyrenees, along the Gave, a fmali river, which, however, fometimes i wells in an extraordinary manner. The town is of conllderable lize, and a clear, broad, well-paved ftreet, with neat houfes, extends through its whole length. At the weftcru extremity is the antient caftle in which Henri IV* ffras born. It is ftill kept up, though it now ra- ther refembles a prifon than a caftle. Its (ituatioa is extremely beautiful, upon the Gave, the banks of which ai^e here deep ^and' perpendicular, and commands a view of the cheerful country round Pau, with its vine-covefed hills and woods ; and very near ar« the high fummits of the Pyrenees, among which rifes the Pic-du-midi in the valley of Offan. Over the Gave is a bridge leading to a park with numerous walks, from which the tra- veller pafles into a charming chefnut-grove. The country round Pau has, perhaps, more variety than that ropn4 Tarbes, although the latter, oa account of the great contraft, gives an imprefllon of fublimity. For a conftant relidence Pau, per- haps, might be preferred, becaufe the changes are greater, and the walks more beautiful,; .^; ij,J The hills at Pau confift of ratchil, which the tjave has probably torn from the higher moun- tains and tliere depolited. The white wine of Pau, v^hich becomes particularly good at the vll- .4 f J lage 64 .JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. lage of Juranqon, is much celebrated, and In faA deferves its reputation on account of its fweetnefs. Miich. maize is grown here, and makes the pain bis (brown bread) of the common people. The gardens here and in Bigorre are often bordered with fpanilli reeds (arundo donax). Flax is a great article of cultivation at Beam, and the wo*- jnen are every where employed in fowing, knit- ting, &C. Pau, however, . appears very dead, which may arife from the removal of the nobility. Without the gate the palace of the archbifliop of Pau ilill remains. During the revolution the beautiful diftricfls of Bigorre and Beam have,, on tlie whole, enjoyed much more tranquillity than other countries lituated nearer the fource of the diflurbances*. * As the word ra/c/ii/Z frequently occurs, and is little known, it is proper to refer the reader to Kirwan's geolog. EfT. VII. c. I. § 2 J where he fays, *' fragments of ftone they (winersj czW ratchili:" alfo to Boon's mineralog. Dift. pub- liftied about 1740, from which Mr^ Kirwan probably took the word. The etymology of the german word Gefchiele, fee p. 7 of this volume, is from the colle£tive ge (qu. ex aggere) and fchielen, to Jliove or piijli forward by fome fpecies of force : and Krunitz, in his voluminous Encyclopaedia, now publifh- ing at Berlin, fays, gefchiele are found puflled forward, efpe- cially above or under dammerde, or mould, by external force as inundation. In the prefcnt chapter they are fpoken of as puflied forward by the force of the river Gave. T. CHAP. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 65 CHAP. VI. Orthes. — Bayonne. — Entrance into Spain. UN leaving Pau, and turning to the Weftward to Bayonne, we were conftantly departing from the Pyrenees, the height of which continually di- minlfhed. We pafTed over hills coniifting of rate- hil ; then over higher lime-ftone hills, and through a highly-cultivated cheerful country, to the village of Artix; and thence, through a country equally well cultivated but fomewhat more woody, to the town of Orthes, iituated on an eminence, near which, on the hill above the town, are the remains of an antient caftle. The ftreets indeed are irregular and narrow ; but on. the whole this little town is not ill-built, has many neat houfes, and, like all other fmall towns, is now more lively than thofe of greater extent. Here we had an opportunity of convincing our- felves of a very lingular fadl, which we had at Paris heard related of Touloufe ; that the women perform mafs. The landlady of the houfe where we lived afked our female companion, the nun, her advice on this affair. The young women, who are always more devout than men, would not venture to hear mafs performed by a conflitutional prieft ; and to avoid this lin, as they fuppofed it. Vol. I. F fell 66 JOURNEY THROUGH FORTUGAL/ fell into a greater according to their own religion. It was reprefented to our landlady, that the rules of the catholic religion prohibited women from reading mafs ; and that a mafs fo performed was no better than if read by a conftitutional prieft. But I am convinced fhe would not liften to it, -as'- flae doubtlefs took a great pleafure in the employ- ment. It may naturally be fuppofed this is done. very privately. Frorn this inftance an idea may be formed of the temper of a great part of the people in the South of France, and of the dif- content which the order of the Directory, at that time in force, compehing the people to keep. the republican faft-days, muft caufe. In regard to religion, the French government have been guilty of the grofieft inconliilencles. The hills continue to a fmall diftance beyond ■Orthes, where they difperfe toward the Gave^ along which the road paifes to Peyreliourade, a fmall extremely ill-built town, refembllng thofe .of Portugal, and near Port de Lannes,. a large village, where we were ferried over the Adour, v\hich here unites with the Gave. Some fand- ilone hills ftill continue along the Adour, from whicli we defcended into the plain of Bayonne. Here the Pyrenees again approach, but are mucU lower, and, toward the fea, end in fmgle round- ed fummits. The JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL^ 6y The country along the coafl near Bayonne, \vhere the heaths (landes) begin^ that extend tliroiighout the department (Department des Landes) as far as Bordeaux, may afford a kind o f foretafte of the heaths of Portugal ; and the tra- velli^r might imagine himfelf in the vicinity of Braga. The woods conlift of cork-trees, which are here loftier ^d more beautiful than the gene- rality- of thofe in Portugal, and of a particular kind of pines (Piniis maritinia Gerard,), of which great numbers are feen in Portugal. A greater part is covered with various kinds of heaths pecu- liar to the South of Europe, and efpecially to the heaths of Portugal (befidcs the Erica vulgaris, and great quantities of Erica ciliaris, fcoparia, cinerea^ vagansj. The fage-leaved ciftus is likewife found in great abundance and of a large fize ; alfo gromwell (Lithofpermum fruticofum) , and various other plants. All thefe give the country an exo- tic appearance, and render it pleafing at firft light. The fea is fkirted with many downs, which pro- duce here and there excellent wine, particularly in the neighbourhood of Cape Breton. It gave us great pleafure to find there the clove-gillifiower (Dianthus caryophyllui) growing wild, and in its higheft flower. The climate near Bayonne is very Warm, and in fummer very hot, as the plants of the furrounding country alfo fhow. The laurel F 2 likewife 68 JOURNEY THnoUGH PORTUGAL. likewife grows wild in the hedges, among which the pafiion-fiower grows quite wild. Thefe landes, or heaths, of Bordeaux are co- vered with ratchil, which the Garonne and the Adour bring with them from the Pyrenees. Wer« not thefe mountains fo near, the country would in all probability be very marfhy. Bayonne is a pleafant cheerful little town, litu- ated about a league from the fea. The Adour divides the fuburb from the citadel ; and through the town itfelf flows the fmall rivulet called the Nives. A wooden drawbridge, which fuiFers vef- fels to pafs, connecSVs the fuburb with the town, but was at this time in fo bad a ftate that a loaded cart could not pafs it. A fmall toll is coUedled from every paflenger for repairs. The ftyle of building at Bayonne is principally Spanllh, with balconies at every window, and arcades before the lioufes. From the Place de la Liberie, which is furrounded by very neat houfes, and appears very gay, a gate leads to a pleafant promenade on the Adour. In general, Bayonne appeared a lively place. The river was full of fhips ; there w^ere lome frigates, which, however, were obliged to take in their guns and ftores on their way, as they could not otherwife get out to fea ; and feveral Ihips were building there. The mouth of the liarbour is narrow and dangerous ; and, with the moft fovourable wind, the fea is frequently fo boifterous JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, €g bolfterous that the bar cannot be pafiTed. The bay of Bifcay, in a corner of which Bayonhe is litu- ated, is well known to be one of the moft dan- gerous feas in Europe ; and a conftant motion of the waters from the north-weft, which becomes perceptible on quitting the channel, drives, the waves with great vehemence into this gulf. The common people of Bayonne generally fpeak the old bifcayan or bafque language, which, I have been afTured, is fo different from the french and fpanlfh, that neither of thofe nations can underftand each other. Many of the words, when I defired to hear fomethingof the language, feemed to fhow it to be foft and different from all others, although fome expreflions are origi- nally latin. It is very different from the erfe, vvelfh, or the bas-breton, nor has it fcarcely any of the guttural founds ufed in each of thofe lan- guages. The inhabitants of the Pyrenees are much celebrated for their agility and ftrength, and make excellent light tr-oops, efpecially to ferve in mountainous countries. They are gene- rally called miqueleis; but in the lafl war they were officially called cantabres. Their uniform is brown, with green facings and collars. At Bay- onne, and in the neighbouring country, the young women are very beautiful, combining a tall flender fhape with great fymmetry of features, a pcrfedlly fair complexion, and black fiery F 3 eyes. JO JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. eyes. On the whole, it may be faid, that Eng- land produces a greater number of handfome wo- men, but that this part of France, a part of Spain, and the north part of Italy, produce women of greater beauty. At Bayonne travellers are obliged to have their pafTports counterfigned by the municipality and by the fpanifli conful, provided they .have been figned by the fpanifli minifter at Paris. Of this laft formality the mayor very politely himfelf took charge. The road to San Juan de Luz runs along mountains that are the forerunners of the Py- renees, and covered with heath and quickfet (ulex europizus). The latter grows here to an ex- traordinary height, and, with the yellow flowers that cover it has a beautiful appearance. San Juan de Luz is a fmall dead town. The fea forms a bay there and a bad harbour, which has often been improved by art, but the impetuofity of the i'ca always ruined the works. Beyond the village of Orogne the mountains become high and fleep, at the place where the BidafToa forms the border between France and Spain. The fmall ifland where the peace of the Pyrenees was concluded is not yet forgotten. A number of tamarinds (ta- ' marix gdllica) adorn tlie banks of this river, or ra- ther brook, for its breadth and depth are incon- ;(idcrable, Our JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. *ji Our entrance into Blfcay was attended with no difficulty or delay; "bur paffports were fcarcely looked at, nor was our baggage examined. In ilidrt, the effects of the political connexion be- tween France and Spain, and of the freedom of Guipufcoa, were very perceptible. A few ruined houfes, on the road between Orogne and Irun, afforded a melancholy monument of what had re- cently happened. There are two houfes and a bridge on the frontiers, which are now a rough wild defert. We did not q^iit without fome regret the terri- tories of a republic, which at this time, owing to \he peace of Campo Formio, had rifen into con- fequence, and kept a great part of Europe in awe. Nor is there any truth in the affertion, that it Was then either dangerous or unpleafant to travel there. The roads were good, except in the neighbourhood of Bayonne, where the war had deftroyed them. The inns too were good, and very reafonable ; and we travelled amid a race of polite and complaifant men. I have often per- formed botanical excurfions entirely alone to a confiderable diiVance, and in a country where I was a total flrranger : but, on the other hand, it is equally far from true that the inhabitants have feen anything more than the name and the tree of libertv. Every where tlie people were difcon- tented with the governir.ent, which oiily m:un- V 4 twined ^a JOUltNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. tained its power through fear, and the dread of all revolutions, which the nation muft naturally feel. Except at Paris, it did not appear that the inhabitants wifhed for the return of all the emi- grants ; and this was very natural. In fhort, every violent republican Ihould be fent to France, to cure him of this contagious diforder ; for there they would foon confefs, that a mild monarchy renders a country far happier than a republic. France, confidered in a general view, has many natural beauties ; high mountains, beautiful ri- vers, and excellent valleys. The native of Low-^ germany miffes the delicious meadows and beauti- ful verdure of his native country ; a High-ger- man, the lofty and darkfome forefts that ikirt the horizon ; nor did we any where fee beautiful na- tural forefts, though we traverfed the whole country through its longeft diameter. The oaks are not fo fine as ours ; and the beech, whofe in- terwoven branches and cheerful verdure are fo charming in fpring, is feldom found. At Paris and Verfailles the elm is moftly planted; and in the midland parts the garden-chefnut, which may certainly be clafled among the moft beautiful kinds of trees. In the fouth of France, belides the trees that are planted and nut and other fruit- trees, the oak is the only tree met with; which, however, grows in a gicat many, but often flight, varieties. The fea-pine is found in the neigh- bourhood • JOURN£Y THROUGH PORTUGAL. 73 bourhood of fandy fhores, but our pine is uncom- mon even in the north of France ; and the larch and the red and white firs are only feen on the higheft mountains. Pines are only found growing lingle, but hills covered with thickets are com^ mon throughout the country. In the midland and fouthern parts are few willows planted ; a tree which gives a peculiar character to the views in Grermany. In the fouth there is a peculiar fort of willow, which has not yet been properly defcri- bed (falix nigra). From this defcription, the reader may judge of the impreffion views in France are likely to make. The country-houfes are frequently very handfome, efpecially in the midland parts, but lituated between fields, or in the villages themfelves, and generally furrounded with Italian poplars and walks. The Englifh country-houfes, when at a diftance from the high- road, but fo as to be diftindlly feen, with an ex- tenlive lawn before them, and a fhady park be- hind or on one fide, are far more pleafantly and more taftily fituated than thofe in France, where the fmall country-towns are dirty, ill-paved, and ill-built; whereas the contrary prevails in Eng- land, for moft of them are gay and fmiling. The conftant repetition, however, of the fame kind of beauty very much fatigues thole who travel much in England ; and hence the Engliih are fo 6 much 74 JOURXEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. much charmed with the wild uncultivated .. vie vy 3 in Wales. But German forefts exceed ail that can be feen of thia kind in the fouth :of Europe ; and it is but to be lamented they are agreeable only during two or three months in the year, '•.ad'/ CHAP. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 75 CHAP. VII, Bifcay. vj N quitting France we entered Guipufcoa, which forms a part of the province of Bifcay. This province is diftingiiifhed from the reft by the great liberty they enjoy, the fmall taxes they pay, and by being lefs l"ubje6led to various op- prellive monopolies. Tiie traveller, therefore, muft fcarcely coniider iiimfelf yet arrived in Spain, nor expe6t to find the conveniencies here afforded in other parts of the kingdom. The high-road to Madrid, which, though narrow, is very good, paffes between high moun- tains crowded together. The valleys are very well cultivated, and produce maize and turnips. The fides of the mountains are adorned with detached chefnut-trees and low oaks. All the mountains are lime-ftone ; which, however, is very often black and flaty, and even varied with clay-flate. Hence few rocks are I'ecn in a mafs, though the ftony fubftance of tlie mountains ap- pears on the fummits bare and broken, and th(J fides are frequently covered wirii fmall fi:ones. The heights, fcldom admitting of cultivation, are naked and barren, though fometimes a fpot is feen, at a confiderable elevation on the fteep fide of ^6 Journey through Portugal. of a mountain, enclofed and cultivated with ex- traordinary care. It would be doing great injuftice to the Bif- cayans to conlider them as the fame race of men with the reft of the Spaniards, from whom they differ in fhowing a far greater animation of man- ner and greater cleanlinefs of drefs. There is very little difference between them and their neighbours the French, except that the young women are not extremely beautiful, and in ge- neral of a common make. They generally wear a handkerchief round their hair, like the portu- guefe women, whom they refemble in their gai- ety and politenefs, as well as in the broken fpa- nifli they fpeak. In the neighbourhood of France, however, the bafque tongue is chiefly fpoken^ The firft town we came to on this road was Hernani, where the houfes are good, conftder- ing, it is only a fmall inland town ; but almdft all of them have no glafs windows, the light coming through the doors that open into the balcony, which are furnifhed with a couple of fmall flaps ; a mode of building which is very cuftomary from this place throughout the whole peninfula. The apartments are hung with facred pi<^ures, efpecially engravings from celebrated paintings of the Virgin Mary, generally infcri- bed Utt verdadero rctrato de (a true pi6turc of) Nueftra JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 77 Nueftra Senora de Burgos, de Zaragoza, de Montferrat, &c. The Spaniards are more par- tial to pictures than the Portuguefe ; and their churches have a more elegant appearance than thofe in France. The clocks hang very low in front of the church or of the tower j an- other practice which is peculiar to and cuflo- mary in this peninfula. Perhaps they are hung fo low that they may more certainly twang in the ears of the faithful ; for, indeed, they make a moft infufFerable noife. Hernani is a lively place ; many fruit trees are feen round the town, and great quantities of fruit are fold in the ftreets. Beyond Hernani we came to a £ne valley, where the road conflantly accompanies the Oria, a fmall but beautiful ftream, as far as the little town of Tolofa. Various villages, detached houfes, neat churches, and a well- cultivated foil between thefe crouded mountains, afford a cheerful profpe6l. Here we firft met with a heath- plant, one of the moil beautiful of the fouth of Europe, the erica arborea. This plant grows from three to fix feet liigh ; the delicate narrow leaves and the numerous, fmall, and cam- panular flowers of a dazzling white, but rofe- coloured on the outiide, with which this Ihrub appeared covered, rendered it one of the moft beautiful of European plants. We afterwards found great quantities of them in Portugal. The * vegetation ^8 JOURNEY THROUGH POSLTUGAt* vegetation of Bifcay is, in general, ver}- fimllar to that in Entre-Dours-e-Minho, as might be ex^ pecSled from the relative iituation of thefe pi^o- vinces; whereas the planta of the mountains of Gai^ile are wholly different from thofe of the ether provinces of Portugal. Tolpf^. is a fmall town, built like all thofe of BiTcay, and almoft univerfally throughout Spain, with a large handfome fquare. From Tolofa the road conftantly follows the river between high mountains, beyond the town of Villa-franca* The mode of cultivation is excellent 5 but it muft. be obferved, that the ground becomes more ele- vated in proportion as it recedes from the fea ; the mountains alfo become barer and lefs maize is grown. PVom Villa-franca, we pafled through the valley of*thatname to Villa- real, a fmall place^ T^'herc, liowever, are two cliurches. In Spain, the churches are a great ornament to the towns, lb as to give' them at a diitance a very confider- able appearance. In front of the church -door is .generally a covered walk, ufed as fuch by devo- tees and others in bad weather. Their religion is the pride and pleafure of Spaniards, and there- fore it is rendered as convenient and agreeable as pofiible. Beyond Villa-real, the road paflcs over a high fteep mountain to Bergara, and is with great art brought along the ftcep fide of the mountain. Bergara JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 79 Bdrgara is a fmall town inclofed on all fides' by. high mountains. 'In fliis place during the lafb war, a body of Spaniards was attacked by the French, who had climbed up the mountain, and took moft of them pri loners. Through this valley, which is watered by the Deva, and between high mountains, we came to Mondragon, a,;iinaU but cheerful well-built town. , .J. tji]i ')'.: .'.J, ^.'y^n .'uiiil rn..i On the road fi*Gm Villa-franca to Mondragon, and at that place, are many founderies and fmelt- ing works, where the rqd ore is fmelted. The mines, which are chiefly in the lime-ftone and flate mtimntains at Mondragon, prove very pro- dui^live, and yield good iron, as might be ex- pected from the nature of the ore. The valley of Mondragon continues as far as Salinas dc Lecy, a falt-mine, where it is bounded by a high fl-eep ridge of mountains. At the foot of thcfe mountains appear clay-flate, fandftone, and fandftone-flate * ; the fummit alone being covered with black and red marble. The fudden appearance of the fandftone announces, to an attentive obferver, a change in the range of mountains ; nor will he in this idea be at all de- ceived. At Salinas de Lecy we were ftill among *^ Thonfchiefer, fandUein und fandftehifchiefFen high. $0 JOURNEY THROUGH FORTUGAt. high, ftcep, crowded mountains, which on the other Ude grew flatter, the vallies expanded, and we came to the plain of Vidloria. This range of mountains forms the frontiers between the provinces of Aiava and Guipufcoa, and divides the waters that flow into the Medi- terranean-fea, from thofe that flow into the bay of Bifcay. Northward, all the brooks fall intd the fmall rivers, fouthward into the Ebro. The vegetation on the plain toward VI6I0- ria, which, however, lies confiderably high, forming a true mountain-plain, is very different from the vegetation of the mountains. Lavender is common here, as aifo other plants of Caftile. A very marked difference, both natural and poli- tical, diftingulflies Guipufcoa from Alava. Victoria, the capital of Alava, is a large and populous bcrt: ill-built dirty town, with many fmall miferable houfes ; but has a large handfome fquare adorned with confiderable houfes, and ufed as the market-place. I have already obferved, that in Spain even fmall infignificant places have a good public fquare, which certainly gives them a gay and cheerful appearance ; a cuftom, which perhaps originated from the fondnefs of the Spa- nards for bull-fights. The province of Alava enjoys fewer immunities than that of Guipufcoa, and on entering it the baggage of travellers is examined. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 8x examined, although here, as every where elfe, this inconvenience may be bought ^ofF. On the other hand , every thing aflumes a fpaniilt appearance ; brown cloaks and brown caps made of undyed fpanifh wool conceal the Imall, hag- gard, ..yellow, countenances of the inhabitants, which are often disfigured with long beards, and give a mean idea of the condition of the country. In the laft war with France Victoria was for a long time the head quarters of the french army, which probably conducted itlelf here better than in other conquered countries, as we perceived no traces of hatred toward that nation. Beyond Victoria the country becomes quite open and flat. Detached chains of lime-ftone hills interfedl: the plain. Abont a league from Victoria we came to the laft good inn on this road, called venta de Gaetano. Throughout all Bifcay the inns refemble thofe in the fmall towns of France : we had good beds and a good fup- per, although the apartments were not neat, and generally lituated over the ftables; fo that the bells of the mules difturb the fleep of the tra- veller. This bad cuftom prevails throughout the peninfula, and is complained of by almoft every foreigner. Bourgoing, in his laft work, fpeaks at large of the mode of travelling in this country. I fhall only obferve, therefore, that the cuftom Vol. I. G of Sz JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. of uling no bridles occurs even in part of the fouth of France, where it is more dangerous than in this country, not always docile, but unruly mules being there frequently employed. On the road to Miranda del Ebro Hands a co- lumn, which marks the divifion of Alava and Old Caftile. CHAP. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 83 CHAP. ^IIL OldCaftile. , '.^"5^.... Through the barren traas of Old Caftlle, no man perhaps could travel with pleafure but a lover of botany ; a fclence which renders tra- velling eminently interefting and plealing, A fmall diftance does not make much difference in the inhabitants, and works of art are rare and folitar)'-, whereas plants flower almoft every where along the road, efpecially in thefe fine climates ; their varieties are uncommonly great, and in a Tery fhort fpace changes and differences are feen that no where elfe occur. To a botanill, the difcovery of a plant, not before feen in a wild ftate, gives extraordinary pleafure ; and the fight of thofe he knew before, recalls many fimilitudes and recolledlions, which equally enable him to enjoy both the prefent and the paft. The charms that belong to Old Caf'tile, conlifl alone of thefe treafures, which had hitherto been but flightly ex- amined. Nor could we add much to thefe in- vefVigations, being there in winter, which, in this country, is by no means mild. We difcovered, however, without trouble, a^ confiderable num- ber, from which we could judge of the riches of the coujitry. From hence an extremely fweet- G z * fmelling $4 JOtRNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, fmelling thyme {thymus maftichind) becomes an agreeable companion to the traveller throughout Spain. ' Immediately after entering Old Caftile, we came to Miranda del Ebro, a fmall miferable town on the hither bank of the Ebro, over wi;i<^i is a handfome bridge. Here alfo we were obliged to pay for avoiding the examination of our bag- sage : Old. Caftile enjoying lefs liberty tlian Xlava. *rhe cuftom-houfe-Gfticers, however, are defer ving of fome praife, becaufe they. are fo much cheaper, though not lefs venal, than tliofc of England. To this place in the laft war ihe French pene- trated ; but their farther progrefs was flopped by the peace, though they had in various places pafled tlie Ebro, which being in fevcral part^ but {hallow, could not ftop them. Nor would it have been eafy to have refifted their advancing to the frontiers of New Caftile, the interjacent country being entirely open except the mountain of Pancorvo. hnmediately. beyond the Ebro, extending eaft- aud weft, is a range of mountains of moderate height, but fteep, and full of fractured lime- ftone rocks. Except a few thickets of jumper and box no trees or fhrubs are feen upon tliefe mountains ; which, however, produce many rare^ plants and even thofe indigenous to the lower 6 Alps ; JOURNEY THROtJGH POUTUGAL. S^ Alps ; as for inftance the armaria triflora, * Cavan. the draba aizoides faxifraga cuneifoJia, &c. In a narrow valley amid thefe mountains is Pan cor vo, a miferabie town with a fmall fortrefs up the mountain, which was put in a ftate of defence in the laft war, as it was intended to efl-ablifh a poft there. After pafltng this mountain the countiy becomes flatter ; detached ranges of low gypfum-hills run difperfing acrofs the plain. The gypfumis very beautiful, white, and foftly ftriated, efpecially at Cubo. Bribiefca was the firft town we came to, and afforded an idea of the fmall places in this peninfula : Miferable houfes, ftreets, and pavements, which fcarcely deferved the name, with dirty ill-clothed inhabitants, are no great marks of national opulence. The kitchen is every where placed as in the houfes of german peafants in the back part of the giound floor, and is the ufual refidence of the family, efpecially in winter. The inns, as may be fuppofed, are bad j the bed- chambers are over the flables,andthe furniture con- fifts of a wooden table and verv few wooden chairs, with a lamp affixed to the wall. The provifions alfo are bad ; food, however, there is at the inns in Bifcay, whereas, on approaching Madrid, and in Eftremadura, we were obliged to purchafe every ^hihg ourfelves, or bring our victuals with us. The towns and villages in Old Caftile are, how- * Sandwort. G 3 ever. 8^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. ever, built clofe, and have a kind of gate ufed in Alemtejo in Portugal. The gypfum hills continue to the plain of Bur- gos, till they are broken by high lime-ftone mountains, near a wretched village called Quin- tanapalla. Before we came to Burgos we faw a wood of evergreen oaks (quercus Bellote)^ and another fpecies called, by Lamark, quercus Lujita^ nica, though rare in Portugal, but by Cavanilles quercus valentina, the firft of which fpecies bears an efculent fruit, called in fpanilh Bellotas, but the latter is barren. The city of Burgos forms a femicircle round a mountain, on which is a caftle ; and, with its nu- merous fteeples, affords at a diftance a pleafing view, which is farther improved by feveral large houfes, and particularly the bilhop's palace, litu- ated without the town. The city is of conlider- able iize, but old and not very lively : the flreets are narrow, the houfes high, as in all old cities ; but a handfome paved walk along the Ar- lanza, enlivens a part of the town. I will not here fpeak of the churches of Burgos, among which, the cathedral is worth feeing, or of fome fine pidlures they contain ; Bourgoing having fpoken of them at large. Few countries are richer in fine pictures than Spain, which has even produced many great maflers, who are unknown in JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL'. 87 jn Other countries ; the Efcurial, the other royal relidences, and the principal churches in large towns, are full of mafter-pieces of every fchool ; and even in private houfes paintings are not un- frequently feen, that might adorn diftinguilhed galleries : but Tvvifs, Townfend, and Bourgoing have defcribed them fo circumftantially, that it will be ufelefs to expatiate on them further. It is a ftrlking fadt, that Portugal differs fo much from Spain in this refpe6f, that the traveller neither meets with fine paintings, nor a tafle for them among the inhabitants. Beyond Burgos we found a great chafm in the excellent high road which began to afcend the mountains that divide New and Old Caftile. We now came to an extremely barren and me- lancholy tra(ft of country : a plain covered with ratchil, interfedled by detached low hills with light thin woods, but numerous low bufhes ; upon which hills fmall miferable villages lay at a confiderable dlftance from each other, and furrounded by a few vineyards and corn-fields. The foil indeed is only moderate ; but with good cultivation, which is here wholly wanting, might be rendered far more productive. A great part of Old Caflile confiflis of a fimiiar tradt of country, extending on one fide to Ara- gon, and on the other through Leon as far as the frontiers of Portugal. G 4 Tlie fS JOURNET THROUGH PORTUGAL^ The foil of Old Caftile is in general cold. Between Bribiefca and Burgos fnow lay on die gro.ind ; at Burgos it fnowed and rained toge- ther ; and at Aranda it froje hard, though the te'inter (that of 1797-8) was otherwife mild. This arofe from the whole tradl of country feeing, in hS: a high mountain-level The tra-* Vtller is continually going up hill from the fea to the frontiers of Guipufcoa, where he afcends the high mountain of Salinas de Lecy, which, beyond Victoria, only fomewhat flattens, with- out any confiderable dip Or delcent. From Vic- toria onward the road on the whole declines, though almoft imf>erceptib]y. I would, there- fore, defcribe Old Caftile as a terrace formed by the mountains of Bifcay, or by the Pyrenees, of which thefe are a branch. In fummer this high mountain-plain is deftitute of water, and burnt up with heat. In this country no other means are employed to oppofe the feverity of the weather and the bleak, winds, which on thefe high open plains are very boifterous, than a large chafing difh (brafero), which is ufually placed beneath the table. Stoves and chimnies are nerer feen in common houfes. Let the reader for a moment imagine himfelf in an apartment at an inn, whtrc the wind has free paflage at every cor- ner, and where the want of glafs windows obli- ges JDVRNEY THROL'GH PORTUGAL. 89 ges him either to remain in the dark, or to ex- pofe himfelf to the inclemency of the weather. *> The two chief towns on this plain are, firft, Lerma, which is a congeries of monafteries, five in number, and furroimded with a few mifera- ble houfes, together with an old caftle ; and, fe ■ condly, Aranda-del-Duero, a fmall miferable town on that river. Beiides thefe we faw four wretched villages within a diftance of fourteen miles and a half from Burgos to Aranda. In this country almoft all the trees are evergreen oaks (quercus hellote). The buflies confift of a kind of ciftus (cijius laurlfolius), which I nc*. ver faw but in Old Caftile. I was alfo furprized to find the bear-berry (arbutus uva urfi) as on the heaths of Lunenburg*. Old and New Caftile are divided by a high chain of mountains extending direda Ti *aii'iffk \v^a%, M^vXct Haf/atrut. OdyfT. 12. ij. 14* this 112 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. this place to Talavera de la Regna the country h pleafant, and the road pafles between vineyards aiid olive-trees, or over green paftures covered with bulbous plants ; and to the right is the lofty Puerto del Rico, which is a continuation of the mountain of the Efcurial. Talavera, is very plea- fantly lituated on the Tagus, being a large popu- lous place, though moftly full of fmall houfes, like all manufafturing towns. Here are manufac- tories of lilks and of gold and lilver cloth, which are in a flourifhing condition. The promenade on the Tagus is very pleafant, as is the road be- j'ond this town, which on this lide is concealed by a w^ood of olives, and furrounded by vineyards. On the left the Tagus traverfes a pleafant valley, and its banks are adorned with woods of pines. The fpring had at this time covered every thing with bloflbms ; the beautiful Fumaria fpkata * flowered in the fields, and the humble jintirrhimim amethylliniwi Lam.-I- in the vineyards. The road then afcended to an open plain, which extended on the right to the foot of the liigh fleep broken mountains of Sierra del Pico and the Montihia de Griegos. On the left alfo we now difcovered the mountains, in the valleys of which the Tagus con- cealed itfelf, namely, the Sierra de Toledo and of Guadalupe. At an inn called la venta de pelave- * Fumitory. f The name of this genus is fnap-drngon or calves- fuout. T. negas. Journey through Portugal. 113 7i£gas, in a wood of evergreen oaks, the montana de Griegos appears very near, forming a majeftic contraft to the plain from which it fuddenly rifes. The mountain is very wild and bare, and I was aflured, that lynxes, bears, and wolves, as might be expedled, abound there. This mountain ap- peared to me higher than the Guadarrama, behind the Efcurial. We now came to a number of places in fuc- ceflion, all belonging to the duke of Alba, viz. Torre alba, Oropefa, with a caftlc of the duke and a colledlion of monafteries. La Gartera, and Calzada de Oropefa, a well-built village. All thefe places are lituated along and upon a range of hills, are furrounded with olive trees, and form a contraft with the rough hills over againft them. We then came to low uncultivated hills ufed ai fheep-walks. At the village of Nabalmoral the country becomes more woody, and announces the province of Eftremadura. Hitherto the whole plain is clayey, and covered with ratchil brought down from the neighbouring mountains. To a mineralogift this ratchil is very interefting ; and we faw regular pieces of a kind of porphyry- flate formed like bafalt, a beautiful pitchftone with Chalcedony in green marl, pre- vious to our arrival at Nabalmoral, &c. At Oro- pefa we remarked at iirft lime-ftone hills; but I thefe II4 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. thefc chains of hills became granite toward Eftrc- madura. Here confiderable tra(5ls of land lie un- cultivated, and ferve for iheep-walks ; and where the land is cultivated, but little care is beftowed upon it. The foil is excellent, and the ratchil lies in fingle pieces, and not fo thick as to prevent the land from being fertile, to which there can be no other natural obftacle than the want of wa- ter in fummer. New Caftile, however, produces much corn ; nor can it be faid that the villages have an appearance of poverty : they feeni tolerably thriving, unlefs indeed we compare them with the neatnefs of thofe in England. With many parts of Germany the comparifon will alfo hold. But this tradt of country might be much more populous ; for the villages are fo wide afunder, that the traveller often imagines himfelf in a defert, whereas the hills of Oropefa appear fo pleafant around it, becaufe there, one village fol- lows another. In the inns near Madrid the traveller ftill finds nothing but a room with wretched furniture, few beds, and ftill fewer as he proceeds. Thefe beds are, however, extremely good. Bread and wine he muft purchafe : belides thefe, nothing but rice and mutton can be procured. The traveller there- fore fhould provide himfelf with hams, which he may purchafe in the towns, or with rabbits, which JOURNEY THROUGtt JOR-TUGAL. 115 which are offered him in great abundance on the road, though more plentifully in Eftremadura than here. The common wine is often excellent, even in the villages. No country poiTelTes wines fo ftrong, and yet fo fweet ; of which, however, extremely little is exported ^ or even known in fo- reign countries. The inhabitants of New Caftile are inactive, and for that very reafon curious and inquifitive ; by which they recommend them- felves to flrangers who know little of fpanifh. Men who fought for plants and infedls, which they defcribed and drew, were, in this country, fomewhat lingular and remarkable ; and we were foon furrounded by a crowd of people, who ex- amined us, officioufly offered us a great quantity . of flowers, of which they told us the names and powers, agreeing with the greateft botanifts in one refpedl, namely, that they differed and dif- puted relative to both. On a botanical ex- curfion near Oropefa, a peafant accofled me, and afked many queflions relative of my coun- try. I praifed it as far fuperior to Spain ; to which he had nothing to reply, but a repeated com- plaint I had often heard in this country, that he could find no work ; till at length he bethought himfelf to afk me, whether olive-trees grew there. I anfvveredtoo haftily in the negative; upon which he burfl into a hearty laugh, that any man could I 2 love Il6 JOI'HNEr THROUGH PORTUGAL. love fuch a country ! With this he continually upbraided me, and allied me in fport, whether oil was cheap and good there ; and when a third, perfon came in, renewed the converfation, praif- jng Germany, and ironically adding, es una tierra tnui bonita^ toda ejia cubierta de olivos^ it is a fine country entirely covered with olive-trees. CHAP. JOUKXEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, II7 CHAR XI. Efiremadura. ± HE frontier mountains of Caftile run cliiefly eaft and weft, forming the Gucidarrama, the Sierra del pico^ the montana de Griegos, and the Sierra di Gaia, by which it unites with the Portugueze Serra de EJlrella. To this the range of mountains we now approached runs parallel, forming the bank of the Tagus, the montarias de 'Toledo^ the Sierra de Guadalupe^ the Puerto del ?niravete, and then proceeds to Alcantara, where it enters Por- tugal. Low hills, the forerunners of this high range of mountains, conceal them fo much, that we could only now and then perceive them through the openings. At length we came to Almaraz, a fmall market-town iituated on the fame plain. Beyond it the road wound among the hills, which continually approached, crowded together, and rofe till we fuddenly came to the bridge over the Tagus. Here the view is very fine. In a deep bed filled with rocks the I'agus rufhes along ; a bridge fupported by two bold and lofty arches ftretches over it ; and on the other fide appear a few fmall houfes, which form the Vcnta da Al- inaraz. Every thing around is wild and romantic ; J 3 the Il8 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. the hills are every where covered with ciflus ladanifems ; and on the other lide the river, ap- pears the lofty Puerto del miravete \' fo that the whole view affords a lingular and chara6teriftic appearance. In the evening the ciftus yields a >ery balfamic fmell, which was very pleafant to us till we grew tired of it, and of the wild fcenes where it grows. Thefe ventas ufually confift of the inn itfelf, and another fmall houfe, where wine and other provi- lions are fold ; as though it were improper that provifions Ihould be found in an inn. The Venta de Almaraz, however, was newly built, and bet- ter than the generality of ventas. Beyond this houfe the Puerto de miravete im- mediately rifes, being a very high fteep moun- tain, which the road afcends in a zig-zag. The mountain is covered with bufhes, and we faw va' rious heaths, particularly the wild ft raw berry-tree (Arbutus Unedo)^ in great abundance, among which was faffron in flower (doronicum plantagi" tieumj, the daify (bellis fyhejlrs CyrilL), and many others. On the declivity is a fmall miferable vil- lage, and on the fummit a fnmll houfe garrifoned with foldiers. What a profpedl ! On one lide a bare naked range of mountains every where co- vered with ciftus ; at a diflance up the Tagus fum- mits ftill covered with fnovv ; on the other a black fqreit of evergreen oaks impenetrable to the eye, and JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. II9 and beyond it at an immenfe diftance the caftle of Truxillo on an eminence. This was the firft of thefe folitary defert fpots we meet with ; but after we pafled the Tagus they often occurred, though witliout thefe extenlive oak-forefts. I have already frequently mentioned the evergreen oak ; but it requires a fhort defcription to give a full idea of the peculiar character of a fpanilh view, which depends on them fo much. This tree feldom grows high, generally about the fize of a moderate pear-tree ; the ftem is thick, and covered with a thin filTated bark, with a head formed by fhort branches crowded together. The leaves are not deciduous, and are of the fize of thofe of the pear-tree, being of a dark green above, whitifh below, and curled upwards. The trees generally fland at a diftance from each other, fo that their tops do not touch, and they are wholly deflitute of the fine efFe<5l of long waving inter- woven branches. The fhort thick fiems often afford an appearance of great age, the curled leaves have a very thirlly appearance, and the ■wind often expofes their lower fides, which look dried up. Here a gentle breeze can fcarcely be perceived, whereas in our woods it creates a gene- ral ruitling. The foil is parched and bare, and tliere is fcarcely enough Ihade to render even a german fummer tolerabk, much lefs that of Spain. Here too reign Ulence and folitude, which accord I 4 well I20 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. well with fome ftates of the mind ; but the dark- jiefs of our woods, and the murmur of thick in- terwoven branches, lead it into that melancholy, which muft here fpring from the fpe6lator. No- thing conceals the gay fpanifh Iky, which, how- ever, in folitary deferted fpots affords fome fatis- fadlion and repofe. The wood continues to a fmall wretched place called Jorayciego ; and in one part are ruins of an old caftle. Before arriving there we came to a true portugueze heath, conlifting of rofemary, erica auftralis, &c. This miferable village retains the veftiges of antient gates like thofe of the villages in Old Caftile ; and many circumftances ihow, that this country was not formerly fo defoiate as it now appears. We had fcarcely quitted it be- fore we entered anotlier large forefl:, which con- tinues till within a fpanifh league and a half of Truxillo, and where there is fome danger of robbers. Before we arrived at Almaraz, we found along the hill to the northward of the Tagus, flaty gra- nite ; on which, nearer the venta, a clay-flate mixed with much mica refts. But here we found toward the Puerto a great change in the kinds of ftone, fuch as clay-/late with mica, fandftone- flate, green marl, and between thefe, ftrata of carbonates, and traces of phofphates, of lime-flone, which is alfo found in ftrata in thefe mountains farther JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL; 121 farther to the weftward. Higher up the Puerto the fandftone is lefs flaty, and the fummit is co- vered with ratchil. On the other lide, toward Jorayciego, the clay-flate and fand-flate continue to the neighbourhood of Truxillo^ the country round which is entirely granite. - • Truxillo is a town of moderate fize, on a flat naked eminence, among difperfed granite-rocks. The ftreets are narrow, ill-paved, and dirty; the houfes generally fmall, and the caftle, which is pretty large, is failing to decay. Some old houfes, however, fhew that this town was formerly in a much more fiourifhing ilate. - This country is ill-cultivated, the caufe oi which will loon appear. Immediately after quit- ting Talavera we found many wandering flocks 'of Iheep, which come down from the frontier mountains of Caftile and pafs the winter here, where it is the fineft feafon of the year. Round Truxillo the country was full of them, as alfo farther on along the banks of the Guadiana. Thefe ill-looking animals, whofe fine and coftly wool forms a dirty cruft full of cracks round their bodies, are tjiickly fpread over the open wide- extended fields, fill the air with their bleatings, and convert the country into a vafl common, where they leave nothing but a few poifonous bulbous plants, the broom and the gnidium. It is utterly falfe that fragrant plants abound here, that 121 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. that may be the caufc of their fine wool ; which entii'ely arifc? from their race, and profufc fweating. On this fubjedl the reader may refer to Bourgoing's travels. In this naked countr}"^ no habitations are feen ; but a few huts made of earth, in which the Ihepherds live, and which are an- nounced at a diftance by the barking of the great dogs that never leave them. The fhepherds, however, are not thofe of Virgil and Theocritus. A dark fun-burnt countenance, a fheep-lkin thrown over their Ihoulders, and an old rufty gun in their hand, rather excite the idea of a rob- ber than of a warbler of love fongs. They ge- nerally fell rabbits to travellers, as they kill a great many on thefe commons. Acrofs rocky hills and bare fheep-walks, wc came to the mountains of Santa Cruz, which do not rife very high above the plain, but are fteep, and belong to a range of hills, which, in detached parts, where all connecftion often fails, approach the Guadiana. The range of mountains of Santa Cruz is full of pointed rocks, and therefore at a diftance had nearly the appearance x)f mountains of bafalt. It confifts of granite, which here and there on the declivities chang^es to mica-flate. The north fide of this mountain, efpecially in this part of the country, atforded a very charm- ing view. Two fmall villages are lituated clofe to each other along the declivity, and fur- rounded JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 123 rounded with gardens and fields extending high up the mountain. We were furprifed with the beaut}'- of the almond trees in bloom among the jfiflures of the rocks. Cultivation feemed to have fled before the defolating fheep, and taken refuge on the mountains. Yet it appeared but as an ifland amid an ocean of defert, and the fouth iide of the mountain was naked and burnt up. From this part to the banks of the Guadiana, the ground grows flatter. In the neighbourhood of Meajadas, a market-town, which, however, appears in a thriving ftate, cultivation feems more improved, and fome of the fields are fown with flax; but beyond Meajadas the country again becomes very forlorn and deferted, efpecially round a fingle inn, called la Venta del defpoblado. It fi:ands in the middle of an extenfive forefi: of evergreen oaks, which in fome parts are rendered almofi: impaflable by the thicknefs and clofenels of the ciftus. This part of the country is reck- oned the moft dangerous in regard to robberies, from Madrid to Badajoz ; which the lonelinefs of the place, the thicknefs and extent of the wood, the bad police prevalent in Spain, and the cha- raster of the inhabitants, render but too probable. At Meajadas, two men whom we had feen in the houfes at Puerto de Santa Cruz, were mentioned to us as robbers ; but though it was well known who they were, and we were warned, of them, they 12^4 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAI,. they uiere fuffered to go at large ; which would not have happened in Portugal. We did not, Jiowever, fear rhem, as we were armed ; and even fometimes feparated conliderably in fcarch of plants. We often met alfo French failors who had been brought to Lifbon by Engliih privateers, and were now- fent home. As they travelled in large parties they rendered the country very lively, and were extremely happy when they happened to meet any one who fpoke french and came from France. From thefe men we had nothing to fear, though one of them, who fpoke better fpanifh than french, feemed to have an inclination to plunder me as I was alone feeking for minerals, which our company coming up prevented. Thefe frenchmen gave us new occalion to remark the national hatred of the fpaniards toward that country, of which we had already feen many ex- amples fince we had entered Caftile, where every foreigner is taken for a frenchman. But on ex- plaining that we were germans, and making a few religious figns, we often obtained apartments and beds, which had at firft been denied us. This nation indeed have fufficient reafon to hate them ; for, out of their own country, they are even far worfe republicans than at home. In Spain, democracy more generally prevails among the nobility and the higher orders, than among the common people. At JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. I35 At Meajadas we faw fand-flate and clay-ftate ; but round about the venta del defpoblado began the ratchil, which, at a village called San Pedro, formed rocks of a kind of breccia. Thefe rocks extend along the Guadiana as far as Merida, from which we purfued the courfe of the river through plains or between gentle hills as far as Badajoz, excepting rather a high granite-mountain on the fouth fide of the Guadiana, near Merida. Soon after, follow hills of a kind of fand-breccia, and at length a fandy plain as far as that city. How beautiful would the banks of the Guadi- ana be, were they but well cultivated 1 But the deftrutflive ravages of the fheep converted every thing into a naked common, which is at firft not unpleafant, but at length fatigues the eye. Me- rida is lituated very near the banks of the Gua- diana, being an open town of moderate fize, full of fmall miferable houfes like Truxillo, and like that place fliows traces of having once been more thriving. The ruins here render this place remarkable ; the remains of a Roman aqueduct are ftill feen, and of a wall defcribing a circle in the open fields ; part of both are ftill in good preferv^ation, and they greatly enliven this open and chearful country. At Merida we paflTed the GuadJana over a handfome ftone bridge. Over a few open paftures at the foot of the laft granite- mountain, we came to a market -town called Lo- bon; 126 JOURNET THROUGH PORTUGAL. bon ; which, with its ruined caftle, is lituated on fome hills at a fmall diftance from the river, :md concealed amid olive-trees. The Guadiana winds along fertile but uncultivated plains. At this time fpring rendered the whole profpe6t charming, and the Mandragora (atropa mandra- gora) flowered along the road. Here alfo began a beautiful iris, which is ftill more common about Badajoz and Elvas. L'Eclufe was acquainted with, and defcribcd this plant two hundred years ago ; but found it only at Badajoz ; after which period it remained long unobferved, till Poiret difcovered it anew in Barbary, and called it iris alata. Between Merida and Badajoz, on the plain which borders on the Guadiana, is another fmall town full of fmall wretched houfes, and called in the maps Talavera la real, but in the Guide des couriers Talavera del arroyo, but by the inhabitants Tala- ruela, a name far more appropriate than either of the former. Badajoz is a conliderable town, being the capi- tal of Eftremadura, and a frontler-fortrefs toward Portugal. The flreets are clean, in part ftraight and well-paved ; but there are few large houfes. The town is, however, adorned with fome hand- fome churches and towers. The Guadiana flows clofe to it ; and a handfome ftone bridge, which, as the infcription flates, was built by Philip II. leads JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 127 leads to a tete-de-pont and fome empty outworks. All around is flat. The town itfelf ftands on a very gentle IVie, which on one fide is covered with olive-trees, and on the other fide of the Gua- diana are fome fortified hills. Badajoz was at this time weakly garrifoned ; a proof that the fpa- nifh court had no ferious intentions againfl: Por- tugal ; nor had any fteps been taken, but to fend M. de Wittc, a fwifs, as commandant of the place, apparently with an intention of his doing fomething. The fpanifh military, however, con- fider Badagoz as a place of banifhment, being itfelf very dead, difl-ant from other towns, on the frontiers of a nation they hate and defpife, and in fummer an unwholefome fituation. But let not the traveller expedt to find in this capital of Eflremadura better inns than in any large village. In the befi, or as the governor cxprefl!ed himfelf, the leaffc bad, every thing muft be fent out for as in the fmallefi: village ; as nothing was to found in the houfe. The road from Madrid to Bajadoz is one of the beft I ever faw ; more magnificent than the En- glifh high-roads, and better than mofl: of the french. It has only a few fmall holes. The principal caufe of this advantage was the congrefs between the king of Spain and the prince of Brafil at this place. Notwithftanding this ex- cellent road, very few carriages ar« feen in this - 6 neigh- I2S JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. Deighbourhood ; only in Bifcay were fmall car- riages ufed, like thofe in Portugal : in the other provinces every thing is carried on affes and mules, which are fattened together in great num- bers, and bear their appointed burthen. Wine is carried from one place to another in goat-fkins, which give it a particular tafte always perceivable by thofe who have a delicate palate. The mule driver, or arriero, follows his pack- mules, or mounts the firft of them, and is always armed, having a gun flung in the belt that fupports the load. Both the mule and afs of Spain are particularly handfome, and I have feen the latter fo large and beautiful, as to excite my aftonifhment. The ex- portation of the male afs is prohibited by law under penalty of death. Regular poft-houfes are not yet eftablifhed *, the mode of travelling being in coaches drawn by fix or feven mules, and going but a fmall diftance per day. Perfons of fmall fortune travel on mules, and often wear fhoes of white undrefTed leather, which have two advantages over ours, namely, they do not fhow the dull, and in hot weather are lefs oppreflive. The inhabitants of this peninfula have alfo a pe- culiar and very excellent kind of ftirrups, being a very ftiff wooden clog open behind. The two * Excepting on one or two great roads for travellers on horfeback. 'l. principal JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, I29 jpririclpal pieces df wood form a Iharp point be- fore, and the two lides are clofed by triangular pieces. The opening i; fo wide that the rider cannot be entangled if the animal ftumble, nor can his foot be crufhed, or hurt, if he fall on his lide. It is indeed furprizing, that thefe ufeful ftirrups begin to be lefs efteemed than the more ornamental ftirrups imported from abroad. In Spain and Portugal, fingle travellers are often ac- companied by a fervant, who fometimes rides on an afs, but more frequently runs on foot ; and I know that thefe runners go eleven or twelve miles in this manner. I have alfo {Qen caleferosj or chaife-drivers, for feveral hours running belide their mules, and continually in a trot. It is in- deed furprizing what fatigue the fpaniards and portugueze can bear, how temperately they live, and what heat and cold they can endure ; nor muft we expe(ft to find among the fouth-euro- peans any weak effeminate men ; for, on the con- trary, they are perhaps more enterprizing and tnore perfevering than the inhabitants of the north, as they would no doubt fhew, would but their governments permit. K CHAR 33° 'JOURNEY THROUGH PORTtJGAL. CHAP. XH. Entrdnce into Portugal.— -Elvas. '—The PortugJieze Mtlltcry, i HE portugueze frontier fortrefs of Elvas is but three fpanifh leagues from Badajoz, from be- fore the gate of whieh it is feen upon its hill very diftin^ly. A fmall brook called the Cayo, which may be forded in dry weather, forms the frontier, which is in few places marked by nature, but is therefore more clearly drawn by art. On this lide, the approach to Portugal appeared un- commonly plealing. Inftead of wide-extended open fheep-walks, and far-difperfed villages, the country is adorned with detached houles here and there, which feem to indicate a fuperior ftatc of cultivation. Before we came to Elvas we faw the firll orange-garden, lying open along the road, though a great quantity of this fruit is grown round Badajoz. The drefs alfo even of the common people is better ; dark brown or black vefts and hats are more ufual than the black fpa- nifh jacket and cap, and the women are more friendly and communicative than thofe of Caftile. They wear their hair, like the women of Bifcay, un- covered and only lightly bound with a ribbon, or handkerchief. The politenefs, and the eafy, jOURJfEY THa.Ot7Gfl POB.TUG'Ai;* 33! -gay, and friendly manners of the common-people prejudice a ftranger more in favotrr of the por tugue^e than of the fpaniards ; nor is this judge- merit alteredj fo lorig as the traveller is only ac- quainted with the lower clafles, though he forms an oppolite judgement as foon as he begins to know the higher orders. Loflingj in his travels, however, gives a di- tedlly contrary account of the face of the country. The open fields and clofe-built villages of Spain, were to him more pleafing than the heaths 6f Portugal, which he happened to fee in autumn, when they were parched up ; whereas the fheep- walks of Spain were covered with floWers of bifl- bous plants. So much do temporary circum- ftances influence the judgement of travellers. We had fcarcely psdTed the Cayo, before the fingular tone of the pdrtugiieze language begdn to found in our ears. Moft df the l^drds are nearly the fame as fpanifh, but the pFoniiricia- tion is extremely different, that of the portu- guczc being a full, deep, guttural tone, while that of the fpaniards is a light blowing lifp ; the former conlifting of long, elegant, high-founding words, the latter of fhcrt, broken, chattering founds. In Badajoz we heard no portugueze, and at Elvas no fpanifli ; biit, whoever has accuftomed himfelf to various pronunciations of the fame K a language. i^2 jaURNfiY THROUGH PORTUGAL. language, and has a competent knowledge of the fpanifh, may eafily underftand portugueze with- out learning it. On entering the inn at Elvas, we found the apartments and furniture limilar to thofe of both the Caftiles, and of Eftremadura ; nay both were perhaps ftill worfe. The houfes are generally better, and more convenient in Spain ; but here we had no occaiion to fend out for what we wanted, or perhaps ourfelves to fetch every piece of bread or glafs of wine, as both food and drink are fupplied in every portugueze inn, provided the traveller is contented with portugueze fare. A dainty perfon might indeed find many things not fuited to his tafte ; but the inconvenience of having thefe trifles to attend to, after a long jour- ney, is inconceivable. We met with good and ready attendance, decent fare, and our pretty and good-natured landlady had that animation of manner, that fpeaking intelligence of counte- nance, and that well-bred politenefs, which are fo ftriking in this nation. What a difference be- tween Badajoz and Elvas in this refpeft ! I Ihall often have occaiion to fpeak of the common peo- ple in Portugal ; and I often look back with plea- fure to the many happy hours 1 have fpent with that friendly nation. But the reader will find my judgement pf them very different from that of other JOURNEY TH8.0UGH BORTUGAL. I33 Other travellers, who either were only acquainted with Lifbon, or never gave themfelves the trou- ble of learning to fpeak the language. Elvas is a city (in portugueze cidade, in fpanifh cludad). Villa, in both languages, lignifies a market-town, though fome villas are larger than many cities, as for inftance, Madrid. Aldea, in both languages, lignifies a village, though there are market-towns that from their origin retain the name of aldea. Spaniards generally call a vil- lage puebb ; the parallel portugueze word, pov. yinced they would follow their leaders. Among them aie brave and excellent officers; for the times when officers waited at table are ftill more paflcd and forgotten -in Portug^. than.elfewhere. 4 But JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL^ TJ^F But It cannot be denied that the officers are not yet refpe6led as they dcferve in a country which has fo long kept its ground by its military ener-^ gy. It is true, commandants of fortreflfes who refidc at Lifbon and hav« at moft feen their forts once in their lives, and generals who are never with their regiments, do not much contribute to this improvement, and Hill lefs the young french/ emigrants who are pufhed in every where, and' only excite hatred without doing any good. For when a nation is to be reformed or improved it muft be done by the natives themfelves, foreigners only ferving as models till they chufe to imitate them* The uniform of the portugueze infantry and cavalry is dark blue ; that of the huflars light blue ; the marines green ; and the failors are drefT- ed like the Englifh. But the blue or red cloth breeches of many of the regiments, and the black Manchefter breeches of the officers, have an un- pleafing appearance. Generals and other officers wear a fuit of fcarlet richly embroidered with' gold. The cavalry, like that of Spain, ride flal- lions; but their horfes are in better condition. They do not ride ill, but their uniforms ill be- come them. The foldiers are but poorly paid : a private receives two vinteins, ©r forty rees (about two-pence fterling) ; from which fomething is de- ducted for clothing. This is extremely miferabfe pay I4<5 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. pay in fo dear a country as Portugal, particularly at Lilbon. Bread, a fardine, and bad wine, are the conftant and daily food of thefe men, who feldom or never tafte meat or vegetables. In the year 1798 many young men were prefled, and many of the regiments increafed by five hundred men ; they were torn from the fields and kidnap- ped every where, and the government promifed rewards to the juizes de fora who fhould fend them moft recruits. In confequence of this, whole troops of confiderable length were often met tra- velling like criminals with their hands bound. It was painful to behold tjiefe unfortunate people, who perhaps could live happily and comfortably at home on the fruit of their labour, now brought by force to ftan^e in the towns. At Liibon I have often been folicited in an evening for charity by men among the guard at the barracks of the regi- ment of Gomez Freire, who had the greatefi: claini to my companion. But can any man blame the natives of this country for fhunning military fervice under fuch circumftances ? The names and number of the portugueze regi- ments are as follow : Infantry. Two regiments of Elvas, two of Olivenqa, two of Braganza, two of Oporto, the regiments of Peniche, Setuval, Cafcaes, Campo- mayor, Efi:remoz, Penamacor, Serpa, Lagos, YxfOf Moura, Caftello de Vide, Almeida, Chaves, Viannaj JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 141 Vianna, Valenqa ; all which are fo named from the places mentioned, but the following from their commanders, namely, the regiments of Lippe, Freire, and Lancaftre. The firft regiment of Braganza and thofc of M-.jura and Eftremoz were at that time in America. Cavalry. The regiment of Kay, in Lifbon, (do Caes), the regiments of Alcantara, Evora, Elvas, Tavira, Moura, Caftello branco, Almeida, Miranda, OHvenqa, Chaves, and Braganqa. The regiment of Mecklenburgh alone takes its name* not from a place, but from the reigning duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz. To thefe muft be added a legion of light-horfe (huffars). Artillery. The regiment of Lifbon (da Corte), thofe of Algarvia, Eftremoz, and Oporto ; to which muft be added a corps of engineers. The feiVice of guarding the royal family is performed by the regiments at Lifbon, namely, thofe of Lippe, and Kay. In the colonies are the following regiments : Infantry. Two regiments of Bahia, the regi- ments of Rio de Janeiro, Maranhao, Eio negfo Para, Santos, the ifland of Cathar)na, Olinda, Recife, Macapa, Angola, Mofambique, of which, however, the officers in part refide in Portugal, and perhaps alfo the privates ; two regiments of Goa, and two legions of feapoys. Cavalry. 142 JOUU. t'jn.i/lbfiBi i- Luiio :\ A^-AunoH. n. noKi fTK/ti xiigiio 2:i > . ylJaarjosiLit/ jOj: ii ^ to CHAP. ^44 jOURNiy THROUGH PORTUGJrf;; CHAP. XIII. From Blvas to ^flremoz. — ArrayoloSi — Montemor o novo. Jl he beautiful country round Elvas foon de- ferts the traveller. Moft of the towns in Portu- gal lie like iflands, not unfrequently like en- chanted iflands, in the midft of a defert fea. Not far from Elvas we climbed a naked, barren mountain, where we faw a few lingle houfes, but no villages. Farther on, toward the venda do fenhor jurado (venda, in portugueze, fignifies a detached inn), the mountains are covered with ciftus ladaniferus, and conlift of flate, with veins of quartz. This flate, which is extremely com- mon in Portugal, is often clearly a fandftone, and not unfrequently bears traces of its origin from granite, and grains of mica and felfpar; fome- times it approximates to clay-flate, and changes wholly into that fubflance. It forms gentle not high hills, which often Ihow figns of containing .ore. The flate-mountains have always an arid bar- ren appearance ; and are ufually, in the fouthern. parts of Portugal, covered with ciftus ladanife- rus, a plant, without being acquainted with which^ it is impoflible to form an adequate idea of the appearance JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. I45 appearance of thefe parts. It is about four, and fometimes -fix, feet high, the leaves have nearly the form of thofe of the oleander, are of a fhining dark green, and not deciduous in winter; a very fweet-fmelling gum covers the young buds and leaves, and difFufes, particularly in the evening, a very pleafant fragrance that feems to fill the air. Thefe plants do not form a very clofe bufli ; but fiiand fo clofe together, that it is difficult to force through them, and thus cramp the growth of every other plant. Hence it is very rare to find any beneath them. The flowers are uncommonly beautiful ; but fcarcely blow before .they fall off. Each of the petals is almoft three inches long by two broad, pure white, and fome way in on the under fide have a dark purple-red fpot, refem- bling a drop. The whole plant is alfo uncom- monly beautiful; but its uniformity, and the lonely deferts it forms, render it at length ex- tremely irkfome. It ferves for nothing but fuel and charcoal ; though, were this country popu- lous and induftrious, the gum perhaps might be employed in various ways. The venda is a very fmall and miferable houfe', in a wretched country, and, indeed, a venda may in general be expedted to be furrounded by a kind of defert. Beyond this fpot we came to a wood of cork-trees, which is feldom feen in the middle of Spain. Toward Efiremoz, which is L feven 1^6 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. feven leagues * from Elvas, the country becomes more pleafant, is better cultivated, and bears more olive-trees. The mountains rife again, and a whiter, or even a blacker, foliaceous limeftone, which produces a very good marble, is feen in rocks in large quantities. Eftremoz is a fmall fortified town, and praga de armasy which has therefore a governor, but belongs to the corregimento of Evora. The number of in- habitants may amount lo lix thoufand at the ut- moft. Il is an ill-built place, but in the middle has a large cheerful fquare. There is a caftle on an eminence, and the town has alfo fome out- works. In other refped^s it has been a conlider- able place, as the number of religious houfes fhews, there being five in the town, and a lixth in the neighbourhood. There are a hofpital and a pafa de mifericordia in almofl every coniidera- ble town in Portugal ; but generally in fuch a ftatc that they are of very little ufe. The country, par- ticularly on the fide toward Lifbon, is very plea- fant, and well cultivated, abounding in orange- gardens and laurels. This continues as long as the foil is lime, but we had fcarcely again afcended the mountains, which conlift of flaty granite, when all cultivation ceafed, and nothing was feen * The portuguefe league is various in different provinces, but always exceeds tlie fpanilh ^^'hich is three thoufand rods or fathoms. bu1^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 14^ but deferts covered with ciftus ladaniferus. Three leagues from Eftremoz we came to an inn called A venda do duque, where however no duke could lodge. Here are tracts grown over with broom, as in Spain, which in general is not common in Portugal. Nor did we perceive any cultivated lands till within a league of Arrayolos *, an open villa with about two thoufand inhabitants, a large monaftery in which refide the canons of St. John the Evangelift, and a nibnaftery of Francifcans. This place is fix leagues from Eftremoz, yet not a village is feen throughout that diftance, nor any but fingle houfes. The foil is fometimes granite in mafles, fometimes llaty granite. From Arrayolos the road lay through Monte- mor o novo, which is three leagues farther, over naked mountains, and then through a cultivated vale. After this we afcended high granite moun- tains ■ covered firft with evergreen oaks, and then with myrtles. The myrtle is not here a beautiful fhrub, for where it covers a large tradl: of ground its growth is diminutive and ugly. It is only beau- tiful by the fide of brooks, where it grows taller, and is extremely charming, when covered with its beautiful white flowers. Here all the myrtles are of the large leaved kind ; the fmall-leaved we only found Oil the heaths of Alemtejo, near Azeytao. * Not Arraidos, as In fomc maps. L 2 Toward 148 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. Toward Montemor o novo the country again becomes more cultivated. This open place, or villa, is very gay and lively, containing above four thoufand inhabitants, four religious houfes, and being very pleafantly lituated on fertile gra- nite hills. On this lide we approached the town by a large and beautiful meadow ; to the left we faw on a high hill an old ruined caftle ; and on the other lide, toward Lifbon, many gardens, followed b)' woods of ever-green oaks ; a tree which conftitutes the riches of the neighbouring country, and affords food to a great number of men. A great number of fwine are alfo fed there, and afterwards driven to Aldea Gallega, where they are fhipped for Lifbon. Thefe acorns are preferable to all other for maft, forty alqueires of thefe being equal to fixty of thofe from the cork tree. They are alfo roafted for the ufe of man, and have by no means an unpleafant flavour, but are only confumed by the poor. No attention is beftowed on the cultivation of this tree, but its propagation is left entirely to nature : a flrange negle6l of fo important an objedl. The wood is reddifh, folid, and good, but is chiefly ufed by cart-wrights ; the charcoal is alfo much valued. I have mentioned this tree when fpeaking of the woods of Spain, where their fruit is likewife ufed as malt, and confumed by men. I would here remark, that the tree does not at all differ from JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. I49 from the quercus bellote of Desfontaines ; but Lin- neus clafled it, together with another variety of which the leaves are lefs convex, under quercus ilex. In portugueze it is called azinbeira, and the fruit bolota. The granite mountains continue a league beyond lyiontemor, and then lofe themfelves in a plain which extends to the banks of the Tagus, and is every where cpvered with fand and ratchil. L 5 CilAP. 15° JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. CHAP. XIV, Heaths in the province of Alemtejo. — General remarks on thaLprovince. 1 HE province of Alemtejo derives its name from Alem, beyond ; and Tejo^ the Tagus. It is to be lamented that the natural frontiers of this province from the river to the range of mountains which divides Algarvia are not the fame as the political ; for feveral corregimentos on the fouth lide of the Tagus belong to the province of Eftre- madura. I fhall however frequently, when no fta- tiftical objedt intervenes, ufe the name of Alemtejo according to its natural limits, and then I may divide the whole tra6l into three parts, the high or mountainous, the flat or heathy, and the y^rr^ da Arrabida. We had now arrived at thofe great heaths which extend as far as the river, along it upward to Salvaterra, and downward to the fea. To the fouthward they extend as far as the Algarvian mountains, and to the Eaftward to Beja and Evo- ra. In the midft of this plain is the Serra, or high range of mountains above mentioned ending in the cabo Efpichel above Sctuval. Thefe heaths, like that of the Lunenburg heaths, conflft of in- numerable fmall hills which give the whole an un- dulating JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. I5I dulating appearance. The foil in feme places, particularly near the river and the fea, is fo fandy that we funk deep into it ; but in others, on the contrary, it is covered with coarfe gravel and ratchil, which render it very folid. At fome depth the fand gives place to a red folid clay con- taining iron, as appears in the bank of the river. Here and there alfo are feen beginnings of Rafe- neifenftein. Swampy places are very rarely found, for in general the great aridity of the foil is the caufe of the barrennefs of this extenfive tracSt of country. We entered upon thefe heaths in the fineft part of the year, the beginning of fpring. The beau- tiful varieties of heath-plants, and the charming cifti of the fouth of Europe, were all in their higheft bloom, and the mild exhilarating air was full of innumerable perfumes. Were a man fud- denly tranfported from Germany to fuch a heath he might perhaps at the firft view think it extra- ordinarily beautiful, and would not for a moment compare it with the heaths of Lunenburg, or even of England. The variety of fhrubs is uncommonly great, and their beauty far excels that of our nor- thern plants ; befides which they are ever-greens, and moft beautiful in winter. One fpecies of heath, the erica aujlralis^ grows to the height of lix feet or more, and is entirely covered with large pleaf- ing red flowers; another called erica umbellatay is L 4 indeed 15» JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. indeed fmaller, but the rednefs of the flowers is more lively. Among thefe are the yellow-flowered cifti, ciftus helmifolius^ lafianthus^ I'tbanotis on the yellow ground of which purple fpots are often found, cijlus fampfitcifolius another with large red rofe-formed flowers, cijlus crifpus, and another fomewhat more rare with pure white tender flow- ers and of delicate growth, cijlus verticillatus. We then came to places adorned with the violet-form flowers of the '^ litbofpermum fruticojum, mingled with the fvveet-fmelling lavandula Stoechas. Either a bufh of juniper, yr/«//j^rttJ oxycedrus B.nd phaniceay fuddenly appears, or rofemary and myrtle, or the creeping-oak, overruns all {quercus humilis Lam.) to fay nothing of a number of beautiful bulbous plants, and other beautiful and very often rare or even unknown plants. In fhort the plants ap- peared and difappeared one after another as in a pageant, affording a moft charming variety till fome elevated tracl covered with ciftus fet bounds to their beauties and formed a uniform wafte. But notwithflanding this variety of plants thefe heaths foon become irkfome, even where they are moft beautiful : for without fome cultivation no country can be pleaftng, unlefs it be fublime and romantic. How often, amid thefe forlorn and folitary waftes, has a row of bee-hives delighted me ! f i72. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. }s very much ufed in fuch a manner that it is im- poffible to approach it without difguft. This hill is fucceeded by an even valley of con- fiderable length and breadth, which forms the broadeft part of the town. This valley was totally de6:royed by the earthquake of 1 755 ; after which it was entirely rebuilt. It is fomewhat lingular that the limits of the efFe(?ts of that convullion fliould be fo ftrongly marked ; for on the ftecp declivity of the mountain the ftreets and houfes yemained. The priefts attributed the deftru6lion of the play-houfes to the finger of God ; but Pombal anfwered, with fome point, why then did the earthquake fo lignally fpare thefe ftreets of brothels ? On the bank of the river the valley be-^ gins with the large and handfome fquare called Fra^a do coimnercio, formerly the terrace or parade of the royal palace (terreiro do pa^o), which is iix hundred and ten feet by five hundred and fifty. The quay and the groups of people, where the jfhips and boats are landing and taking in their cargoes, are objedls that far excel the quays of London and Paris. The eafl fide is formed by a large building with an arcade ending, toward the water, in a pavilion which is ufed as an exchange. Oppolite to it is a limilar building uniinifhed and without a pavilion. The ends of the three flreets which termmate in this fquare are alfo unfinifhed, nor does there appear any probability of their being JOURNftY THROUGH PbRTUG At. tf^ being completed, as they have been long negle6led. Lt the centre is an equeftrian ftatue of Dom Jo-;' feph in bronze, on a pedeftal of ftone adorned with various fymbols. It is well known that Pom- bal had a figure of himfelf introduced on the pe- deftal, but this was removed after his fall, and re- placed by a medallion with two Ihips. The artift who made the model was 'Joaquim Machado de caf- tro, and the founder Rartholomeo de cojla. To mc tlie ftatue appeared to have but very little m^rit, both the horfe and rider are ftifF, the fymbols in my opinion are ill chofen and ill difpofed, and the whole overloaded. Nor muft the fpe(51:ator compare it with the mafterly workmanfhip of the bronze equeftrian ftatue of Philip II, at Buen re- tiro. The three principal ftreets which were re- built fince the earthquake lead from this fquare to that of Rocio. They are ftraight and broad, pro- vided with caufevvays ; and not built as feparate houfes, feveral of them forming large buildings which make a very handfome appearance ; but the upper ftories feem proportionably too fmall, the windows too narrow, the panes of glafs too diminutive, and the balconies are an impediment to a beautiful form. In the middle ftreet rua Au- gujla live the gold and ftlver-fmiths, and in the two others the artifans of other metals, who, as is ufual in the fouth of Europe, work on the ground floor clofe to the door, and therefore make a, moft intolerable I^ JOURNEY THROUGH TOKTVGAti intolerable noife. The line that divides eaft and weft Lifbon, which is an cccleliaftical diftindlionj (the former belonging to the biftioprick Of LifbOn, and the latter to the patriarchate *), pafles through this part of the town. The praqa de Rocio (nei- ther recio nor rofcio), is large, and like the pra^qa do comniercio unpaved in the middle ; but is much more incumbered with filth and puddles. Here is the great palace of the inquifition* A nar- row flreet leads from this to another fmall fquarc ufed as a promenade, and forming a moderate- lized garden, with feveral avenues of various kinds of trees, purpofcly intermingled, and fome clipped hedges, though the place is very fmall : nor is it much frequented, the portuguefe not being fond of walking, and this fpot not very charming. In a narrow ftreet behind this garden are the por- tugueze playhoufe and the fquare ufed for bull- fights. To the eaii of the praqa de Rocio is a lafge market-place, called a Figueira, to the weft- ward of the praqa de commercio is the fifh-mar- kct, and near it another fquare, called a ribeira ncma,. which is much more frequented as a prome- nade than the praqa do commercio. * John V. \»ha vied with Lewis XIV. m Ixrxxay, applied ta the pope for permiffian to ereft a patriarchate ; the patri-' arch and prebends of tlie patiiaoxlxal church, who hav€ thc title of Monfenhores, were to reprefent the pope aud hij car^ dhials. Fombal much diraiiiiihed tlie revenues of the patri- arcfce»e. . The jOURNTEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, fj^ iThe third hill begins with an eminence, on which is the caftle of Llfbon, called o ^aftelh d&s Mouros, from which it continues, with fome in- terruptions of plains, to the eaftern- extremity of the town. The caftle is a fmall fort, and could only ferve to defend the town againft a fudden at- tack. This part of the town alfo confifts of narrow, irregular, iU-paved Greets, with a neat houfe here aod there. It appears from the ftylc of building that this is the oldeft part of Lifbon ; the houfes being narrow, but high, containing many ftories, and beariiig gothic ornaments; a mode of building which ha^ been juftly exploded in a country where earthquakes are fo frequent. We muft not Wok for models of architeAure in any part of Lifbon, either among private houfes or pttbhc edifices, though many may be called hand- fome. The interior difpolitlon of the apartment* is as bad as in Spain, and the entrance fto lefs fliocking. Even among the churches there is no one particularly diftinguilhcd, and a conftant -noife of little bells and wretched chimes renders them Uill more unpleafant^ Following the nvcr to the eaftward of Lilbon fmall houfes continue almoft all the way, and one: village fucceeds to another. To the wefi: Belem io nearly joins Lilbon tha4: it is difficult to dikover the fe^aration, and the fuburb of Alcantara is only divided by a bridge over a fmallbrook which here iy6 JOURNEY fHRGUGfl VbKtvUAt, here falls into the Tagus. This fuburb is onif feparated by ah artificial boundary from that of Junqueira *j as is the latter from the town of ^ Belem. A fweigner, however, going toBelemy ^ould not fuppofe he had quitted Lifbon. It is a confiderable market-town where many perfons of property and tradefpeople of the higer claffeshavc houfes. Formerly the royal family reiided there, but the caftlc being burnt they removed to Que-* lus. A royal callle is to be again bililf there, which at leaft will ftand on firm ground, and havef an excellent view of the harbour and the fea ; ad- vantages which they perhaps juftly prefer to mertf elegance and tafte in architecture. In Belem is a monaftery of Hieronymltes irtftituted by Dom Manuel, the architedlure of which is very ftrik- ing, for inftead of endeavouring to preferve fym* metry the greateffc pains have been takeri to avoid CA'ery external appearance of regularity, one pillaf being made intentionally different from another, and it is evident that in thofe times the portugueze only fought for fomething new and uncommon.* The adjoining church however is in a gothic but grand ftyle, and gave me no unpleafant imprellion. There are belides in Belem two new-built neat and very handfome churches. Near to one, that of NofTa Senhora de Ajuda, is the botanic garden * Junqueira is not a fortification, as Biifching fays, but an open fuburb. and JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAt. I77 and mufeum, and farther on a royal garden, (a quinta da raynha), with a menagerie at the entrance and feveral aviaries. It is opened for a trifling fee to perfons of condition as a promenade ; but in it- felf, like the menagerie, isvery infignificant. Be« yond Belem is a park of conliderable fize belong- ing to the prince, the trees and bullies of which ' arc olive -trees and broom (fpartium fpharocarpon) . The chace on the north of the river is confined to the prince, but that on the fouth is free for the public. The Taguswafhes the foundations ofthehoufes throughout Lifbon. Toward the eaftern part it is about two leagues broad, or, if the breadth be taken to the end of the reach, three leagues. The oppolite bank conlifts of the heaths above de- /fcribed. To the weft, and nearly oppolite to the praqa do commercio, it grows narrower, and as far as its mouth is only about a league broad : the oppolite bank, at the fan^e time, rifes, form- ing fteep precipices toward the ftream. The river is often entirely covered with ihips, and large men of war may lie oppolite the town, the views in many parts of which are uncommonly fine ; the fpe(5lator beholds at his feet a majqitic river covered with fhips, and can often trace its courfe as far as the fea : the dark heaths are feen at a diftantpart of the oppofite bank, which, as it approaciies, N ^ forms 178 JOURNEY THlflOUGH PORTUGAI*.^ forms gay, populous, and cultivated hills ; and the market-town called Almada, with its church ©n the fummit of the hill, and the Englifh hof- pital at the foot of it, give life and intcreft to the pidture. It was 9. majeftic view to contemplate the city relieved by the river, and the river by the ihips ; but all this arifes from a circumftance which renders either walking or riding extremely irkfome, the fteepnefs of the hills onjvhich the city is built. ,,.. . - . CHAP. JOURNEY THROUGH POJITUGAL. 179 :) CHAP. XVI. M The C^mtfif ttiUnd -Lifbh* 1 HE fide of Lifbon toward the country con lifts entirely of hills, from which are feen only the higheft edifices of the town, and the traveller fud- denly arrives in the city before he is aware of it. The greater part of the country round Lifbon, particularly on the eaft and north lides to a con- liderable diftance from the town, are covered with large gardens furrounded with high walls, between which it is infufFerably tedious to travel, fometimes for leagues, without feeing any other objeft, and in continual danger of miftaking the road. This morofe oriental moorifh tafte arifes probably from jealoufy and paffions of a like na- ture, which feem to defire a fortification rather than a garden. Thefe large gardens are called in Portugueze quinia ; they are often of conliderable extent and laid out rather for ufe than pleafure, generally containing plantations of orange and olive-trees, and fometimes even corn fields and vineyards. A pretty large garden-houfe is attach- ed to them, and families are accuftomed to fpend a part of the fummer there. The Portugueze language abounds in words for gardens ; befides N 2 quintay iSo JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL^ quinta, a garden behind a dwelling houfe is called quintal, a garden for any particular oh]tOijardin, for 'm^znccjardinbofanicOf and a kitchen-garden, whether open or inclofed with hedges, horia. Of thefe there are few on the north iide of the river, but more on the fouth. The quintas are often very pleafant though little art is employed, and frequently no other traces of it appear tlian a na- tural or artificial ftream, bordered with laurel trees which here grow tail and flender, to the height of twenty or thirty feet, or poplars and iimilar trees. Quintas laid out for pleafure are very. rare, and in thefe the new French tafte is imitated. One of the bcft" gardens of this kind round i.ifbon is that of the Marquis de Abrantes, in a market town called Bemfica. The gardens round Lifbon pleafe ftrangers on account of the plants they produce, thofe which with us .arc reared with great pains in pots and houfes, grow here wild and high. The ftately magnol^um, the date-palm, the banana-tree, are lofty and cO' vered with flowers, the ftork-bill from the cape, and various kinds of cercus from America form the hedges, z.nd .Mejenibryanikema''^ hang a long way down the walls, which feem covered with a thick texture of flowers, ; Beyond the weftern part of Liflaon the country is not fo well cultivated, and there are naked and rocky hills. But where thefe are not too fl:ony * Fig- marigold. they JOURNEY THROUGH 'PORtUQAL. iSl they are luxuriantly fertile, and render the flora of the capital the richeft throughout the country. This particularly applies to the hills of bafalt ; a ilone which moulders into a fertile clay, and this being drenched in winter with rain water, produ- ces in the fpring the moft beautiful bloflbms. On a fmall hill beyond the powder-mill at Alcantara', we found no fewer than iixteen kinds of trefoil, and feven of lotus*. Here grows the ftately fcilki-}-' hyacinthoides, the native foil of which is not yet known, the Ornithogallum J Arabicum, the Allium^ fpeciofum, and the iris |{ juncea. L'Eclufe who herborifed there more than 200 years ago celebrates thefe hills for their botanical riches. In the beginning of April the convolvulus tricolor covers thefe fields with its Iky blue flowers, which feemed to rival the clear firmament of this happy climate. The hills form the meadows of Lifbon. Mea- dows fuch as the inhabitants of northern clim:ites may fuppofe, and covered with grafs, are rarely feen here, thick verdure being uncommon in the low and hot countries of the fouth of Europe. . The blades of grafs ftand fingle and fcarce, but on the otlier hand the foil i^ covered with various kinds of trefoil and fimilar plants. But our com- mon clover is here very rare. * Schoteaklee. f The fquill. J Star gf Bethlehem. ■ . ( Garlic. j| Flower de luce, or fjsg-flowejo •' N ^ TJie l^' JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. . The foil rbund Lifbon confifts of lime-ftone and bafalt; the former lying at top, and being, here and there very white, clofe, and excellent for building, but breaking too coarfe for the fta- tuary. Another lingular fpecies of lime-ftone, which only form a mafs of petrification, appears, at a depth in both banks of the river, lying be- neath the other llrata. The bafalt begins at the bank not far from the fea, and then proceeds through Quelus toward Bellas; meanwhile a branch of the bafalt mountain extends beyond the city by the aquedu6l, and unites with the fore- mentioned chain toward Bellas. From thence the bafalt country extends as far as Cabeqa de montachique. It properly forms only one mafs of bafalt, which is here and there covered with lime ftone. It is particularly ftriking that bafalt is only found in thofe two parts of Portugal, Lif- bon and Cape St. Vincent, where the earth- quake of 1755 was moft violent; and this cir- cumftance is thought to confirm the opinion that bafalt covering great ftrata of coal furnilhes mate- rials for fubterraneous fires, and thus gives rife to earthquakes and volcanoes; but it muft not be forgotten that Belem, which partly Itands on a bafalt hill, fufi'ered lefs from that earthquake than fome parts of the town evidently founded upoa ilme-ftone ; perhaps the bafalt had at fome former period been forced up from thefe parts by a fi- iV milaf JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL*. iS^^ mllar con^'ailfion ; and the lliocks which Lifbon has felt from time to time are attempts of nature to raife other fimilar hills. But it is evident this> is one of the innumerable hypothefes that have? been thrown out without proof ©n this fubje(5V.' Portugal however is rich in warm fprings, which- are doubtlefs the effedl of fubterraneous fires. Such fprings are found even in Lrflbon, though' the warmth is very flight ; alfo, at Cafca^ a fdW' miles from Lilbon. Clofe to the north fide of the town, is that bold and grand work of «rt, the aquedu6l called os arcos, by which water is brought from feveral fprings lituated at a diftance of three leagues and near the village of Bellas*, being in fome. parts condudted under ground. Near the town it paflTes over a deep valley, and the works are plan- ned with great magnificence. It refts on feveral bold arches, the largeft of which is 230 feet 10 inches French high, and 107 feet 8 inches broad. The view is lingular when the fpeftator ilands be- neath it, and its pointed arches feem changed into a majeftic vault that re-echos every found. The whole length of the aquedu6l is 2400 feet. In the middle is a covered arched way, of {tvQn. or eight feet, where the water flows on each fide through a tunnel of fl:one. Without this arched * Not near Cintra, as M. Tilefius in his appendix to The oewcft Pidure of Lifbon more than once aflcrts. N 4 way 184 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, way dnd on each fide is a path, where two per-, fons can conveniently walk abreaft with a parapet, over which they may look doWn to its bafe. The fmall towers perhaps difturb the general efFedl, but could not be difpenfed , with, for they, fetve as ventilators, r"-"^'* ?*p f* >f'^ * •• -»"' -">'^ 1 ,**,«♦►. * ? The water enters the town at a place call- ed da Amoreira, where it divides into feveral other aquedu6ls, and fupplies the fountains (or chafarizes) which are often very ornamental, though in a bad tafte. Here the gall egos draw water in fmall barrels^ and cry it about the ftreets. The water is very go6d, containing a portion of oxygenated calcareous earth, its fources being in limeftone hills *. The Portugueze being inhabi- tants of a warm climate, cannot be blamed for loving good water, but the ridiculous accounts t>{ Coftigan and other travellers on this fubjed: are much exaggerated. In fummer, water is fold by the glafs throughout Spain and Portugal, in the public fquares and promenades ; and among both thefe nations an excellent method is ufed, to keep water and other liquors cool in fummer. Earthen veffels are made of clay containing lime and iron, fo as to be very porous, but without glazing. Thefe veffels which are called bucaros or alcarrazes, fuf^ * To thofe who are contented to read a very bad chemical cflay on this water, I would recommend a paper by Bandelle, in Vol. I. of the Memoirs of the Academy of Sciences at Lifbt^n. fer JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 185 fer the moifture to pervade their fubftance in the form of a fine dew, which is continually evaporat- ing, and thus producing cold. At firft they give the water an unpleafant earthy tafte, which how- ever it foon lofes by ufe *. The trees that grow here on the north lide of Lifbon, are chiefly olive and oran ge -trees ; but other fruit-trees are more fcarce, and even almond- trees are not numerous. Cyprefles, judas-trecs, elms, and poplars, appear here and there. Of oaks, beeches, and linden-trees, there are none, and willows are extremely rare. From thefe par- ticulars may be perceived, how difi^erent is the charadler of a Lilton view from thofe of Germany. The orange-tree is moft ftriking, although near Lifbon it does not grow very high •, there are ma- ny plantations of it, both in quintas where it fome- times forms little groves, and in open fpots. It requires much water, which is fupplied to planta- tions by channels, which are filled by water- wheels -f-. The earth is heaped up at their roots, * Of thisj more will be faid in the 2d chapter on Counbra. -j- Probably as in Spain by a perpendicular wheel, bearing a revolving rope of fraall buckets, which much exceeding the circumference of tho wheel on which it hangs, takes the water from any depth. Tlieie ns they pafs over the wheel pour their contents into a tntmel, which fupplies the chan- nels. Tliis machine is worked by a horfe, who by means of a Ihaft turns an horizontal cog-wheel, locking into tb«^ former. A funllar contrivance is iifed in Pcrfia. T, and l86 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. and the water condudted between thefe heaps. They are propagated by feed and afterwards graft- ed. In December and January, the oranges be- gin to turn red, and at the end of January, and in February, before they are ripe and fweet they arc gathered for exportation. Toward the end of March, and in April, they are very good, but delicate perfons will not eat them till the begin-r ning of May ; at which time they begin to be perfectly fweet and well flavored. They continue throughout June and July till Augufi:, and at length become fcarce and over-ripe. At the end of Apriil and in May appear the bloflbms, the fragrance of which extends far and wide ; the quantity of golden fruit amid the dark branches, and relieved flill more by the white bloflbms, which at the fame time adorn them continually, excite new admiration, though the fame obje<$t daily recurs. One tree frequently bears 1,500 oranges, and examples are not wanting of their bearing 2,^00, and fometimes though rarely, 2,500, Thofe from Lumiar are particularly good, and fome knights of Malta have aflTured me that thefe, and the oranges from Condeixa near Coim- bra, are by no nieans inferior to thofe of Malta. I have alfo found thofe of Vidigueira in Alemtejo, uncommonly delicate. At Lifl^on they are not cheap, but in the provinces excellent oranges may be JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. iZfi be bought for about half a farthing fterling each. Oranges are fold wholefale on the trees, and tliere are people who underliand how to appreciate the number they bear. They are then gathered, care*,- fully packed in chefts, and fhipped. The greater • part are fent to England, or conveyed in Englilb velfels to other parts, but fome of the rich mer- chants who have long dealt in them, aflured us that they do not yield any great profit, and often leave a lofs. Other acid fruits, as for inftance lemons, are fcarce at Lifbon, but more abundant in the colder regions of Portugal, Befides the orange groves, ftrangers are parti-^ cularly ftruck with the hedges of American aloes f agave Americana) and the indian figs (cactus opun- tia) in the fouthern parts of Spain and Portugal ; both of which are ealily planted, forming hedges impenetrable to cattle, but eafily deftroyed by men, though difficult to cofifine within bounds. They will grow alfo on an extremely bad fandy foil. In July and Augufl, when the aloes are in bloom, thefe hio;h ftems covered with flowers form a very beautiful obje{51:, whereas in Germany, a fingle aloe in bloom is publickly advertifed in the newfpapers. It is called in Portugueze pita, but round Lifbon they are only ufed for hedges. The Indian tig, in Portugueze Jigo do inferno, fo called on account of its prickles, forms a worfe hedge. l88 JOURNEY THROUGH >ORTUGAI/» ' hedge, but grows on a worfe foil, is very orna- mental through its yellow flowers, and bears an efculent fruit fold in Lifbon, and by no means impleafant. In thefe hedges are foond great num- bers of pomegranate-trees, of which the beautiful ^loffoms are more efteenjed than the fruit. CHAP* JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 189 CHAP. XVII. Climate of Ltjban, — Provifions there. 1 HE climate of Lifbon Is very falutary and pleafant to thole who are accuftomed to it. The winter, as to vegetation, is the end of July, the month of Auguit, and the beginning of Septem- ber ; at which time every thing is parched up, not a green blade of grafs to be feen, and the fo- liage of the evergreens is Ihrivelled up and has a ^melancholy appearance. The heat continues in- ceffantly with the Iky almoft always lerene, though it is much relieved by fea-breezes. In fummer the north wind prevails in Portugal, but its direc- tion being changed by the mountains of Clntra it becomes a North- weft, which conliderably cools the air. In September the evenings are fre- quently cold, though at noon the air is propor* tionately too hot. The greateft heat always ac- companies the eaft wind ; and in the fummer of 1798 Fahrenheit's thermometer rofc to 104** fj^" of Reaumur). A heat equal to 96^* of Fahrenheit J8 not uncommon in Portugal ; and from compa- jrative obfervations it appears, that the climate is i hotter there than in Rio Janeiro in Brafil, though the heat does not continue near fo long. From Midfummer-* j^o jouR?rBY tHRoiyck PCmTU<^L. Midfummer-day to the middle of September rain is extremely uncommon, and even in the begin- ning of that rhonth very fcanty : the drought often continues much longer. Immediately after the firft rains follow the autumnal flowers, the meadow-faffron (colchtca, two fpecies but li^le known), farfton (crocus fativits^^ihc 2Lm\xtni\^ "fn^wdrop (leurojum cnttumnaU) , tht {\vctx.-{mc\Vm^ ''fanumulus bullatus, and many oth^r^. Thefe ap- pear' in the higher lands round Cintra, where the Tains are earlier than in the lower parts round Lif- bon. Immediately after the autumnal flowers come the fpring- plants, owing to which the itt- "tcrval between fpring and autumn is fcarcely peT^" ceptible. In October the young grafs fprings up ^nd the new leaves fhoot out, 'rendering it the pleafanteft month of the year. In November and ■December fall heavy rains with frequent il:afhl^. ^Days of perpetual lilent rain are verj' rare; for in ■geheral it comes down in torrents. The brooks "round LlflDon, which it was a little while before eafy to'ftep over, and which wholly difappear ih fummer, now rufh like torrents down the hill^. Iliis fwelling of the Area ms renders travelling dif- ficult at that feafon, and would retard the opera- tions of war as much in winter as the drought in ^furomer. In January cold clear weather often ^evails, but becomes milder in February, which 'is generally a Very pleaf ant mdnth; We paffed at Lifbon JOURHEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. igt Lifbon the greater part of the winter of 1798-9, which in Germany is ftill remembered with hor- ror for its length and feverity. It was certainly cold there alfo, froze on the mountains before the town, and before fun-rife ice was even found in the fountains of Lifbon, though it was foon thawed by the fun. The cold was frequently fen- lible, and many tender people had fires in their chimneys, w'hich, however, are only found in th^ houfes of foreigners; nor is even the bralero of the Spaniards common. That the cold is more fevere to Grangers than might be expedted arifes from the fea-breezes, and from the fun giving too much warmth at noon, fo that the change in the evening and in the fhade are more ftriking. Snow is fo extremely rare, that, fourteen years ago, fome happening to fall, the common people were fo alarmed that they ran into the churches, and thought the end of the world was coming. In the winter of 1798-9 the cold began on new-year's day, as if it had been a week in travelling from Germany, where it began on Chriftmas-night. It came alfo with a north-eaft wind. A ihort walk in the fine clear air was, however, fufficient to overcome the cold : the weather was in other re- fpedls very fine ; and I remember with pleafure that, among others, the folftice was a true May- day. J breathed with pleafure the perfume of the narcifrufes that covered the hill of Belem. In Febru;uy 102 JOURNEY THROU-GH PORTUGAL. February the fun becomes llrong, and thus caufes a great many fevere catarrhs, called by the Portu- gueze conftipaqoes. The equinox is followed by heavy rains accompanied with ilprms, as if all na- ture were falling in ruins. From this time till June i* the moft changeable feafon of the year. The weather is fometirnes rainy and cool, fome-; times dry and hot, till the accuftomed heat and drought that follow midfummer-day complete the circle. Storms fcarceiy ever happen in the mid- dle of fummer ; they are confined to winter or the .equinoxes, but are then violent, and the lightning is fometimes deftru(5live.iQ.j ^^j ..ji cnou I had no opportunity of experiencing an earth- quake at Lifbon, though they are not uncommon, and conftantly threaten the town with the fame fate it experienced in 1755. They only happeq in winter, from October to April ; and it is gene- rally remarked, that they accompany the firft rains that follow a great drought or fultry weather. The fhocks are often very flight ; and I have often heard accounts of fuch as have refembled the found of a dog galloping over the ground, or the rumbling of a cart through a gateway under a houfe ; but in later times they have often been fo frrong as to move tables ai]d chairs. ; . . The genial temperature of t;he air is, very fa-r vourable to agriculture, and it depends Entirely on the quantity of r^in- whether the yea^rbe fruitr ful JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 193 fill or the contrary. Wheat is commonly fown in the neighbourhood of Lifbon, but rye is fcarce and only grown for cattle ; barley isalfo fown, but 1 never faw any oats. The iifual variety of wheat is that with long-pointed calices, named by Hal- Icr iritictan Jiculum^' , which requires the beft foil. The trigo anafil and Gallego are inferior varieties. The fallows are ploughed in autumn, para decruar as terras , a fecond time in May, and laftly at feed-time, after the iirft rains in autumn have rendered the earth foft. Light earth is dug, but the heavy is ploughed with oxen, which through- out this peninfula attain a iize, flrength, and beauty, I have never feen in France, in England, or in Germany. The harvefl: is in May, and the corn is threfhed as with us ; but in fome parts is trod out by horfes or oxen, for which purpofe a floor is made in the fields. Manure is not com- monly ufed, or at moft putrified plants are laid on. Rye is often in ear in February and March, but is cut down before it is ripe generally for fod- ouito U fvlanum tulcrofum. T. tritive. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. I95 tritlve, are grown here and there. In March young green peas and beans are eaten, but in thefe warm climates are not fo well flavoured as with us, ha- ving always a drynefs and infipidity. A fmall kind of beans*, broccoli, and cauliflowers, are very common, alfo lettuces (/3:^(2^^) and fuccory; but other fpecies of cole are more fcarce, and brown-cole is not to be found. The chick-pea {cicer arietinuniy in fpanifh garvanzos), which con- fliitutes the chief food of the lower clafTes in that country, and is certainly preferable to dried peas, is but little cultivated near Lilbon. The common people eat lupins {lupinus albiiSy in portugueze tremolos) in great quantities. Thefe are fown in fallows, and the pulfe are foaked in running wa- ter to deftroy their bitternefs before they are drefled. On days of proceffion, bull-fights, and iimilar occafions, they are fold in the market- place, boiled, but cold, to the common people, who eat them out of their pockets. They have a mealy infipid tafte, but are very cheap. Rice is alfo, both in Spain and Portugal, a very common fpecies of food, and much liked by all clafTes. It is imported in great quantities from Brafil, and fold at a reafonable price, but is not much culti- vated in Portugal except in a few places, as, for inftance, here and there in the marfhy lands of the province of Alemtejo, along the banks of the * Vicebohnen, or vetch-beans. o 2 Mondego 1^6 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. Mondego and of the Vouga. Great quantities of gourds {abflbaras) are confumed ; and from one Variety the fibrous internal part is cut out and preferved with fugar. Some of the convents pre- pare this fweetmeat extremely well. Butcher's meat is very good ; but calves are not allowed to be flaughtered in order to preferve the cattle, fo that veal is very rare. It may be eafily imagined, however, that this law contributes as little to its objedl as other fimilar reftri(9:ions, and therefore is not obeyed. The oxen, as I have al- ready faid, are, throughout the peninfula, of a fize and beauty feldom feen elfewhere. Pork is alfo very good ; and the portugueze hams are much efteemed. The fwine of this peninfula are of a particular kind, being Hiort-boned, broad- backed, and having thin black hair, which forms no briftles on the back : in fhort, they in fome degree refemble the chinefe breed, only wanting their pendent belly. The mutton is the worft kind of meat. Game is rare, except rabbits and red partridges (telraorufus), ivhich are extremely com- mon, but not fo tender as ours. It is remarkable that in Portugal nofrefh butter is made excepting in a few private houfes in the country, Irifh and Dutch butter being commonly ufed. Dutch clieefc is alfo moft common and cheapeft ; and milk is no where found but in great cities, excepting goat',1 niilk upon fome of the mountains. There 1 i« JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. I^^ is no doubt that, were the breeding of cattle mor^ attended to, it might, owing to the great pltntf of pafture, coniHtute a confiderable part of the riches of Portugal ; and though the drought is great during two months, yet in other countries, which are famous for their breed of cattle, deep fnows not unfrequently continue for months. "\ Fifh conftitute the principal nourifhment of the common people and the delicacies of the rich. Both confume great quantities of bacalhao, of .which the Englilh export thither to the value of a million and a quarter of dollars. , There are im- Ertenfe warehoufes of this filh, which on faft-days fupply the tables of the rich and poor. In con- fequence of the war between England and Spain, great quantities were fent over-land to that coun- try ; but the ftock-fifh limply cured, which in Germany is the moft common {peixepad), is not fo ufual in Portugal. Another filh, which is taken in immenfe quantities on the coaft of Portugal, is .^he Sardinha, or pilchard {Sardinia clupea Jprattus, Linn.*), which is the food and comfort of the poor. It is often alfo given as food to fwine. Bread, wine, and fardinhas, form the dinner of the common foldiers, labourers, and limilar clafles ; and I have often feen beggars rub their * In this name I have followed Brunniehe and Vandelli, though I do not believe the fardine of thefouth to be th« fame as die fprat of the north. 03 childrtnV; 198 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. children's bread with a fardinha to give it a tafte. Were this fifhery properly carried on, it might fupply the place of bacalhao, and would even fupply Portugal with fifh-oil : but of this I fhall fay more in another place. The other kinds of £fh eaten here are the linguado or fole (pleurone^ies folea, alfo called linguatula), the rodovalho or tur- bot (pleuroneBes rhombus), the favel or fhad {clu- pea alofa), the ruivo {trigla cuculus*)^ the fajio or conger {murana opbis), the pefcaJa, a non-defcript fpecies of gadus, though Icfs efteemed, the ca- vaila or mackarel (/comber pelamis)^ the peixe ef pa- da or fword-fifh {trichiurus enjiformis -^ Vandelli), &c. fome of which are very good j^. Among the fpices ufed for culinary purpofes I fhall only mention caffia from Brafil, wliich fup- plies the place of cinnamon, and the pichurim- bohne, which is ufed in-ftead of nutmegs ; the tafte is pleafant, fomewhat refembling that of fen- nel, but very different from nutmegs. Pimentad, or cayenne pepper [capf.curn annuurn), is not fo * Ruivo lignifies roach ; trigla cucidus is red gurnard. \ The proper name of the fvvord-fifli is xiphias. X Tilefius, in his appendix to his new Pifture of Lifbon, gives a lift of the fifh fold there, great part of -which is ac- curate; but it is inconpejvable'how the author could take the fifli called pefcada for ftock-fifh and haddock (gadus callarias and eglefinus), \\\i\c\\ are well known to be Grangers to the * fonth of Europe. But this is not the only error in natural hiftory the above-mentioned author has committed. ^ common JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, I99 common in Portugal as in Spain. In fummer many diihes are drefled with tomates or love apples (folanum lycoperficon), which gives them a pleafant acid flavour ; it alfo makes a good fallad. The fruits moft common are oranges and grapes; melons and water-melons are alfo ex- tremely common in fummer ; but the latter are feldom very large, and the former often bad. The figs on the fouth fide of the river, efpecially from Almada, are very good ; the dried figs are brought from Algarvia. Plumbs, cherries, and peaches, are fcarce and bad ; apples and pears very good, but dear and fcarce ; they are moftly brought from Colares, a market-town not far from Cintra. Excellent chefnuts are roafted by women at the corners of every ftreet, and are fold frefh and hot. They would entice a German to eat if there were not clofe to them a pot of fardines frying in flink- ing oil, or if the women (who are called frigi- Jeiras) did not likewife flink. Chefnuts are alfo fometimes brought from Colares, but moftly from Portalegre. The dried fruit from the north of Portugal fold here is very bad. The olives are fmall, and give a better oil than thofe of Spain ; but they are generally pickled quite ripe, in con- fequence of which they have a difagreeable brown colour, and an unpleafant difgufting taite. 04 This 200 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAI/i This is a Ihort defcription of the provrfions of Lifbon. A foreigner will find a very good table at fome of the inns, unlefs, as often happens, his rational tafte be fo ilrongly impreffed that he is determined to find fault with every thing becaufe it is not fo good as in Old England, Paris, Cadixy ©r Hamburg, CHAP. JOUKNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 201 CHAP, XVIII, Police of Lijhon, arid Defcriptlan of the Poi'tugueze^. JL HE firft object that muft ftrike every foreigner on entering Lifbon, is the badnefsof the police; the filth of the ftreets lies every where in heaps, which, in the narrow ftreets where the rain does not wafh it away, require great Ikill in walking, to avoid linking into them. In one of the moil fre- quented ftreets on the river leading to the Ribera nova, there is only a narrow path winding near the houfes ; and the reader may form an idea of the number of people who daily ufe it, the galle- gos with their very heavy burthens, which a paf- fenger cannot avoid ; while the carts pafs as near to the houfes as poffible, that the horfes may not go in the deepeft part of the mud ; and thus all the dirt and filth is blindly fplafhed upon the palTengers, in the worft manner conceivable. As to the night, the city was formerly lighted, but now this pra6lice has ceafed ; and, as the win- dow-fhutters are fhut early, there is no light to diminifh thedarknefs of thefe dirty, narrow, ill-pav- ed ftreets. A hoft of dogs without mafters, and living on the public, wander about like hungrj^ wolves; and, ftill worfe than thefe, an army of banditti. Oui friends often exprelfed their afto- nifhment 202 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. nifhment at our venturing into Portugal in thefe times of war ; but I aliured them it was by no means fo bold an undertaking, as' to go at mid- night from Belem to INlaravilhas, at the eaftern extremity of the town. How can a nation among whom are a number of enlightened men, bear fuch an abomination, which degrades L.i{bon even be* low Conllantinople ? The government is faid annually to appropriate a conliderable fum to cleanling the ftreets ; but how this money is difpofed of is beft known to the intendant of the police of Lifbon and of the whole kingdom, Dom Diogo Ignacio de Pina Ma- nique. Nor mull the reader be furprized if I fhould relate much evil of Dom Diogo, his unjufk imprifonments, and the wretched manner in which he feeds the prifoners ; but this I will relate in few words, to fhew that Dom Diogo is by no means beloved, though a traveller ought to be very cau- tious and moderate in forming his judgement. The amufements of the carnival are always go- verned by the ruling tafle of every nation. Of what then fhould they conlift at Lifbon ? Both high and low delight in throwing all kinds of dirt and filth on the paiTengcrs, who in conformity to cuftom, and to avoid quarrels, mufl bear it patiently. The high walls of the quintas in the town, the vacant and deferred grounds, invite to robbery and murder. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 203 murder, which arc ftill farther favoured by the. badnefs of the police. Thefe crimes are always perpetrated with knives, though all pointed knives are prohibited. Murders generally arife from revenge orjea- loufy ; robbers are generally contented with threats. The fpring is the mofl dangerous time, and I have known every ni^ht marked with fome murder. The boldnefs of the aflaffins is aftonifhing. On afaft-day, in aproceffion in honour of St. Rochus, a man was murdered in open day in the throng, at five o'clock in the afternoon. In the fummer of the fame year a man was robbed at noon, be- tween the walls near the prince of Waldeck's, who was witnefs to the tranfadlion. The robbers were even fo bold as to attack coaches. But the crimi- nals almoft always efcaped, the compaffion of tiic Portugueze being fuch, that every one affifts him in his flight. They exclaim Coutadinho ! or alas, poor man ! and every thing is done to aiTift him. The punifhment of death is entirely done aw^ay, and the culprit is fent to the Indies or Angola; a punifhment which by no means gives the impref- lion of death, though the climates of both are fo unwholefome that deftru61:ion is certain. A great part of thefe robbers are negroes, of whom there is a greater number here perhaps than in any other city of Europe, not excepting London. Many of them get their bread as tradefpeople, 6 not 204 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. not un'frequently become good and refpedtablc- citizens, and inftances occur of their arriving at a high degree of Ikill as artifans. A larger portion are beggars, thieves, procurers, and procurelles. Every negro who has ferved his niafter feven years in Europe is free, and then not un frequently be- comes a beggar unlefs he has liad a very good mafter. Great numbers of them are employed as failors, and I do not fee any reafon why they are not alfo enlifted as foldiers ; but Mr. Jungk's af- fertion, that one fourth of the inhabitants of Lifbon are negroes and Creoles, like many other affertions of that author, is much exaggerated. There is a great number of vagabonds in Lifbon, for all idle people from the provinces come in tor- rents to the metropolis, and are permitted, to live in the open town without impediment. Hence arife the immenfe number of beggars, who partly rove about, and partly rem.ain in fixed places, crj^- ing out continually, and promifing to mention this or that perfon to Noffa Senhora in their pray- ers. A phyiician might here meet with an un- common number of remarkable cutaneous difor- ders; I have often obferved a true leprofy, and endeavoured by obfervations of this kind to render myfelf infenfible to the difguft they infpire. Thefe beggars receive a great deal in charity, through a miftaken fenfe of piety prevalent in ca- tholic countries. They alfo oftenr pradlife artifices to JOURNEY THROUCH PORTUGAL. Q.0^ to obtain -charit}'. I remember an old man who fell down before us through hunger, as he after- wards faid, and thus immediately obtained from my youthful companion a confiderable piece of ■gold ; while I, fomewhat colder, remarked his theatrical performance, withheld my charity, ex- amined into the affair, and found my fufpicions 2:rounded, Another clafs of bee^ins; is that for ■fouls in purgatory. The religious fraternities, to whom it properly belong-s to collect thefe alms, and to have maifes performed in a certain churcli for that purpofe, farm out this employment to certain people, who poft themfelves in the neigh- ' bourliood of this church to beg ; for which they generally pay eight milrecs annually, and by this contrail frequently gain one hundred mil- rees a year. Every thing is done in Portugal pcla amor de Deos e pelas almas, (for the love of God and of the fouls). The monaft cries fend their fruit, ufually grapes, to be fold in the ftreets as it ' were by au6lion, in order to perform mafTes for the money. They are cried about the flreets as uvas pelas almas (grapes for the fouls) ; and when the price is afked, the anfwer is generally confider- able. In the calzada de e/lrella fat a beggar, w^lio always cried fnuff for the fouls. Snuff is a great article of neceflity for all ranks, for both fexes, for every old man, and in fliort for the whole nation. Nor is it difiicult to obtain tlie partiality of 2o6 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL* of any of the common clafs of people, if the tra- veller but offer him a pinch of good fnuff. I faw a beggar-woman put fome fnuff to the nofe of her child who was ftill in arms. On a botanical ex- curfion near Lifbon I met a well-dreffed lady, who aiked me for a pinch of fnuff, as ilie had loft her box ; and when I told her that I never ufed one, file replied, with an expreffion of the moft violent grief, eftou defefpcrada (I am quite in de- fpair). Nor can we blame Alphonfo IV. for gi- ving the englifh foldiers, who had fought fo bravely for him at the battle of Ameixial, two pounds of tobacco each. The fmoaking of to- bacco is, however, very uncommon ; nor are even cigarros, though fo cuftomary in Spain, ufed by any but failors. The porters, water-carriers, and moft of the fervants, come from the fpanifh province of Gal- Jicia, and are called Gallegos. Thefe ufeful men leave their poor native country, emigrating partly into the other provinces of Spain, partly into Portugal, to earn money by the fevereft labour, and, in many provinces of Portugal, affift in the harv-eft. They are extremely laborious, and, though avaricious, honeft. This chara61:er, how- ever, is not entirely unfpotted. Sometimes they fettle in Portugal, and open fmall tippling and eating houfes, or grocers'* Ihops, but generally re- turn home with the moaey they have gained. I have JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAIA 20j have often fcen pidlures of portugueze, which, inftead of natives, reprefented Gallegos, whofe drefs is fomewhat different. The vignette of the New Pidure of Lifion has the fame fault. The drefs of the common people is a veft of various colours, as blue, black, dark brown, &c. over which they wear a mantle with hanging fleeves, like the Spaniards, but a three-cornered hat, and not a brown cap, which is peculiar to the Gallegos. Young ladies alfo wear a lynilar mantle, as do both men and women of confider- able rank, only that they wear them of various colours, and often figured. Beneath this mantle a fafhionable drefs is often concealed, limilar to that of London or Paris. Great coats and round hats are quite unufual among the natives. Wo-- men of the lower claffes wear a handkerchief wound round their head fo that a corner hangs down behind; fome wear' the fpanifh net {rede- filla) but never the fpanifh veil. Among the rich, who in other refpedls purfue european fafhions., we here and there faw one with her hair tied fiat behind with a riband. The female peafants round Liibon come to town in a red jacket and a black pointed velvet cap. Murphy, who in his travels into Portugal has many very juft remarks, is truly ridiculous in others. He fays, for inflance, fruit-women wear pointed caps, though he might, however, have cafilv lo8 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. eafily convinced himfelf of the contrary. Having aifo, perhaps, once feen fome fervants playing at cards while waiting for their mafters, he fets this down as a general chara6leriftic ; but, with his permiiiion, I have alfo once feen the fame in London. On funday, he fays, that the hair- drelfers go about with their fwords and chapeaux- bras ; this alfo- may have happened once, but is by no means cuftoraary. Fires feldom happen in Liibon ; but in the winter of 1798-9 they occur- red very often, and a lioufe was burnt down irt which a young girl loft her life. He fays much in favour of the common people, and praifes the great politenefs of the portugueze ; adding, that they conftantly give the right-hand to ftrangers in walking. Juft the contrary : it is lingular that, in direct oppofition to the cuftoms of other na- tions, the portugueze through politenefs give ■every oae the /f//-hand. His knowledge of the language cannot be great, for he fays a portu* gueze never fails to fay, *' I am dying withdelire to fee you ;" which he tranflates, with a violation tof all grajnm.ar, 7nQrro com faudades de ver*» What is faid in praife of .this nation by Mur- phy and other writers is very juft; but what they lay againft them is not unfrequently exaggerated. "I'liey who would judge of the nation by Liftjon * Hftilaould liave^aid dc ver-avm. T. ; run •J0URNE>Y THROUGH PQRTUGAIL. 209 run the rifle of committing frequent errors ; for this city is a. rendezvous for all the vagabonds of the whole kingdom, and a great part of the fo- reigners of the lower ranks are alfo the fcum of their nations. 1 know that thefe laft are Some- times very docile, and ealily fall into the cuftom of hiring themfelves as banditti ; 'for 5 -know 'Cef- tainly of ferious propofak of 'this kind b^i'ng made. But I muft confefs thatj notwithftanding tlie numbers of bad people among the lower clafles, and the unworthy manner in which fo- reigners often a(5l toward the inhabitants, ex- am{5les are 'iiot wanting of true and^dilinterefted hofpitality among the common people. Round Lifbon and in the villages, however, the true portugueze charadter not unfrequently again ap- pears, to which I have already borne teftimony of my full approbation. -J i^si.^i**,*; oil w ,r Both the higher and lower clafles are very fond of a profulion of compliments, which flow in a torrent from every mouth. A common peafant meeting another takes ofl^his hat quite low down, holds him a long while by the hand, enquires af- ter his health and that of his family, and dqes not fail to add, I am at your commands, and your humble fervant fejiou a feus ordens\ feu etiado) . This is not a remark taken from a Angle infl^ance^ fori have heard it extremely often from afs~d ri- vers and othexs of flmilar- clafles. The portugueze P language 2IO JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. language indeed, even in the mouths of the com- mon people, has naturally fomething well-bred and elegant ; nor do they ever ufe oaths and inde- cent expreflions, like the englifh, french, and fpanifh low execrations, though the loweft clafles indeed fometimes mention the devil. All the por- tugueze are naturally talkative, and fometimes very inlipid. The rich are faid to conceal a falfe heart beneath a profulion of polite expreffions. I have nothing to fay in defence of the higher clafles ; they are as inferior to the fpaniards as the common people excel them. The want of fcience and tafte, which perhaps arife from the total want of works of art in this country ; a government which never had wifdom or opportunity to bring into action the nobler paflions of mankind, the conftant and oppreflive neighbourhood of the englifh, who juftly feel their fuperiority, and the total decay of literature, are, I conceive, the chief caufes why the portugueze nobles are formed of worfe materials than any european nobility. The male fex are not handfome ; and a tall man is rarely feen, the generality being fhort, fat, and fquare-made. Their features are alfo feldom regular, turned-up nofes and projecting lips being fo common as to fuggeft an idea of a mixture with negroes. The difference between the fpa- niards and the portugueze is extremely ftriking, the latter being fat, the former meagre, the nofes of JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL/ 2IIS of the latter turned up^ thofe of the former arch- ed idoi^'nwardj fo that they only agree in their yellow complexions and black eyes. Of the fair fex,' the author of the New Figure of Lifion, who was^a Frenchman, and his german editor at Leip- zig, Tilefius, differ ; the former praifing, and the latterocenfuring them, j In faft, they have the* fame defedls as the other fex, being of too low a llature and inclined to corpulency; but their, countertances are expreflive, and their manners; animated and friendly; which, with very fine eyes, long and uncommonly ftrong hair, very white teeth, full breafts, and extremely beautiful feet, form, in my opinion, a charming affemblage, and corripenfate other irregularities. Although in Lif- bon, as in every other great city, there is no fcarcity of courtefans, and though, as their doors ftand open, every one may enter, yet they are far" lefs importunate than in London, or the palais royal at Paris ; but the defcription of them in the New PiBure of Lifhon^ though in fome refpedls true, is on the whole exaggerated. But to return to ladies of condition. Thofe fofter graces which adorn the beauties of the north are rarely feen in Portugal ; and perhaps they might as ill become the fire of Portugueze eyes as a burning climate can give them birth. Great beauties, however, may be feen in Lifbon, particularly when the flender northern fhape and the white fine fkin of p 2 thofe tI2 JOURNEY THROUOH PORTUGAL. thofe climates are united with the advantages of the fouth, producing as it were the moft beautiful work of nature. From this charming fubjeA I am obliged to pafs to the uncleanUnefs of the portugueze. On leavirtg England and entering France every fpecies of uncleanlinefs becomes greater and greater in proportion as we travel fouthward. The apart- ments grow conftantly more dirty, the privies are more horrible, or totally difappear, and a hoft of vermin of all kinds fwarm round the traveller in his fleep*. The removal of many of thefe incon- veniences has been attempted in the new germati and englilh inns at Lisbon ; and in this refpe6l that city is preferable to Madrid. It is necelTary to fpeak of lice, becaufe too much has already been faid of them by others ; as that they ferve the foldiers inftead of cards ; that they are com- monly bitten between the teeth, &c. It is cer- tain, however, that perfons of condition are not afhamed openly to kill them, or fiiffer others to do it. It is faid that the wife of a minifter of ftate does this not unfrequently at cards in very large companies. This indeed I did not fee ; but * This was always fo. See ZeJleri Itenerar. Hifpan, p. 280, Lilbona. They (the extrad^or does not fay who) lodged there with an Italian, and had tolerably good fare^ but bad wine, and were molefted with fo many fleas, tiiat, as the author fays,, they were almoit in defpair. at JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 213 at Caldas in Gerez, a place reforted to for its warm baths, I faw the filler of the bifhop and of the governor of Oporto, a charming young wi- dow of an ancient noble family, in an afternoon, before her door, laying her head in the lap of her waiting woman to be loufed ; and I know for certain that young ladies, when they vilit eacl^ other, reciprocally perform this office by way of paftime. p 3 CHAP. 214 JOl/RNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. ''O hi: . rjoji CHAP. XIX. ■I 7 he amifjbments 6f Li/hom'- • -" 1. HE fociety of Lifbon is dull and melancholy^ efpecially when compared with that of large fpa- nifli cities. • The inhabitants neither walk nor ride ; there is no prado wjiere a man may daily fhevv himfclf to the public, nor any public gar- dens or houfes to which he may form parties ; even the fine flream that wafhes the town is unen- joyed. In all refpe6ls there is very little luxury, nor are there any fine equipages ; and the coaches, which every rich perfon keeps, are made on the ugly fpanifh model, and drawn by mules. The delire of keeping many fervants, that fpecies of luxury fo deftru6live to every country, here alfo prevails. They are, however, poorly clad and ill fed, having rice almofl every day. The rich keep within the circle of their own families, and the tranquillity of their courts is fcarcely ever dif- turbed. They fpend a part of the year in their quintas ; and in Augufl and September go to Cintra, where they fee more of each other. It is a, trait of their chara61er, that at places, where the richeft part of the town affemble together, they dance to one violin. In general the Portu- guese are not fond of dancing, which is feldom feen JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 215 feen among the common people, except in the market-places fometimes a fofFa, or fpanifli fe- guedilla*, is danced, and by travellers miftaken for the fandango. For foreigners and the prin- cipal Portugueze, as for infl^ance the minifters, a public affembly-room is built, where is a dance every thurfday. But this is rather an amufement for the foreigners, who form here a feparate clafs of fociety ; the lower orders aflemble in cofFee- houfes, {lojes) of which there are feveral in every ftreet, and often a conliderable number. They are fmall, dirty, and ill contrived, and afford wretched coffee, bad punch and other refrefh- ments. The chocolate is bad throughout Portugal, and mixed with a difgufting fat. In fhort, it is infinitely inferior to that of Spain. There is only one tolerable cofFee-houfe, which is viiited by people of condition, and where at that time every thing that could be defired might be had, and of excellent quality. The lower clafTes refort to the numerous wine houfes (javcrnas), where a red wine is fold, which round Lifbon is very bad. I have both here and in Spain obferved that the inhabitants do not accuflom themfelves to drinking wine, but are intoxicated by a quantity which a German or an Englifhman, after a fhort refi- dence in this country, would fcarcely feel. * Probably the Author means a bolero; a dance fuhftltute4 for the fandango, which in the large towns of Spaiu women of ftri(^ manners refufe to dance. T. p 4 One ai6 JdujtrEr thr6t?g.» postu&ax. / -' Otit of the prrncipal amufements of the rich is / the Itdlhn opera, whi^h is not f^upported by the I'^wrtj birt by private ijK^ividuals. It was at that time in all r^fpe. 12-1 ahd as ufual this is alfo exaggerated. As young women fcarcely ever go out but to mafs, it is na- tural to fuppole that love would not neglect this fingle opportunity, and it is equally natural thfit the female heart lliould be attached to thofe places, where it firft experienced the pleaiing emotions of paflion, and of devotion. In the country the ob- ject of an evening walk is frequently an image of the virgin, where peopk kneel down to pray, then nfe up, and laugh and joke as before. In ge- neral the portugueze very ftri6i:ly obferve the external figris of religion, even perhaps more than the fpaniards ; and none igat meat on a faft- day, but thofe wlw are confiderably enlightened. I was once much amufed at hearing a queftiba agitated, whether it was a greater fin to eat m^at Olv a falV-day, or to violate the fixth command- ment; when the general anfwerwas, that the latter was a trifle, compared to the former. Notwith- ftanding this, neither the nation nor the common people are fo fanatical as in Spain. Of this I could relate many individual trads, but will content myfelf with a few. I was prefcnt at a proceffion at St. Ubes, where two captains of fhips, a dane- and an englilhrnan, fuffered the hoft to pafs them, without taking off their hats. Of this no one took notice, except a portugueze failor, who afked who were thofe people with their hats on. The anfwer was/izS IngUzes fJeputas^ (they are cnglifh Ions 40* JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAt* fo»s of b s), and nothing more Was faicj. When tli^e Prince of Waldeck was buried, I heard one of the common people fay, " he was a heretick, but a very good man," hum muyto bom homem. Upon, this I mixed with the crowd, and heard nothing but praifes of the worthy prince, who was even C^irried to the heretic cemetery. I heard alfo, that he had refufed on his death-bed the accuftomed iolicitations to become a catholick, and found, to my great aftonifhment, his condudl generally approved, " becaufe every one fhould live and die in his religion." The portugueze conlider every foreigner as a heretic, yet are polite, and ready to ferve them, and even exprefs furprife when they meet with a foreigner who is a catho- lick. This trait fliows how much of their antient bigotry this nation have loft, owing probably to their commerce with the englilli. The inclination of the portugueze merely to obferve the ceremonies of religion is evidently the caufe of this diminution of fanaticifm, and alfo of feveral good cuftoms that prevail. Whoever has any money buys a permiflion to work on faft- days, in confequence of which the fields and vineyards round Lifbon are full of labourers oy fomc rather important fafts. In regard to publi* bufmcfs, funday is obferved much more ftrid^ly ii London than in Lifbon. This inclination, indeed, of the people is attended with much greater dif- advantages ; J.0UR:1S«EY THROUGH PORtUGAL. ^2^3 advantages ; for, hence they continue always ig- norant, and are the dupes of an equally ignorant priefthood. The late government of a weak fu- perftitious queen has contributed greatly to in- creafe their power ; and it can only be attributed to the fpirit of the age and of the nation, that the fury of the inquilirion has confined itfelf, as for- merly, to keeping the prieiilhood in chains^ 'an& punifiiing fome unprote61:ed authors. It now js, perhaps, the wiih of the government, through fear of revolutions, that the people fhould be in the liands of the priefthood ; but they ought to re- member that both Portugal and Spain have;, their Chabots. //./.,< To thofe who are not completely enlightened nothing is fo dangerous as partial information^ Would it be believed, that the moft learned n>onks in Portugal, the F'athers of the Oratorj^ (JQCofely called manugrecos), are the mod violent perfecutors and heretic-makers ? as though they would monopolife all knowledge, and therefore endeavour to keep the reft of mankind in brutal ignorance. The queen's confefTor, Dom Fran- cifco Gomez, is of this fraternity, and is well known. CITAP. 224 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. CHAP. XX. Public iiiflitutions at Lijbon. JL/ISBON is by no means deftitute of literary in- ftitutions. The firft and moft important is, doubt- lefs, the academy of fciences, founded by the prefent queen immediately after the beginning of her reign, that Ihe might contribute fomething to the advancement of literature, which Pombal had not. The prelident is the Duke of Lafoes, of the royal houfe of Braganza, generaliffimo of the forces, ^nd one of the firft perfonages in the country. The duke has travelled abroad, is a favourer of learned men, and, although he lias many pecu- liarities, is by no means unenlightened or defti- tute of talents. The fecrctary is Dom Jofe Cor- Tea da Serra, now in London, w^here I had the pleafure of becoming acquainted with him, and found him to be a man whofe fcience, talents, and enlightened mind, do honour to his country. With thefe qualities it was natural he fhould have quarrels with the inquifition, in coni'equence of which he thought it more prudent to live abroad. He continues, however, to enjoy his office, and his fubititute is Dom Francifco de Borja Garqao Stockier, JOUkNfeY TrtRdUCfH PORTUGAL. 2^ Stockier*, who alfo had fome trouble on account t)f his eulogiuni On D'Alembert, which was too free and too well-Written for this country. The academy have already done much for the advance- ment of fcience, and have publifhed Ux volumes of Memorias da Lltieratura Fortugueza, confifting in great meafure of papers on the hiftory and laws of Portugal. Then follow three parts of Me- morias econo}jiicaSy among which are many excel- lent papers, and two parts of prize memoirs, the firft on the method of cultivating and manuring land, and the fecond on the vine. For fome years pafb thefe publications have been interrupted. In 1797, appeared the firft volume of their Lrger treatifes, in quarto, very handfomely printed, in which are feveral papers that deferve attention. Added to thefe, the academy have in their print- ing-office feveral works for publication, of which I ihall only name the Flora Cochinchinenlis by Loureiro. All books treating of fcientific fub- je6ls are printed at the expenfe of the queen, the number of readers being too fmall for any book- * I mention all thefe names, tliough in foreign countrie* they are generally fuppreffed in common converfation : but as in company the firft name alone is generally ufed, it ought never to be omitted. The reft are furnames, Ihewing the conneftion of families. Mr. Jungk unjuftly confiders it at ridiculous that Barbofa's library is catalogued according to thefe firft names ; for Surnames are not much more various. Q feUer £20 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, feller or printer to gain by them. Hence litera- ture is in its infancy, little being written, and li- terary fame unknown ; nor can any tiling ferve li- terary men but family or other connexions *. In January, 1799, was inftituted a geographical academy, particularly relative to Portugal, the members of which have already completed a new map of that country now ready for publication. All the maps of Portugal are extremely dcfe<5live; even the large chart by Lopez, in eight fheets, is equally fo with the reft, and confequently tbofe publiftied in Germany, even the laft by Mannert, being all taken from it. The college of the nobles, in a very handfome and extenlive building, founded in 1761 ; the academia real das guardas marinhas, founded in 1782, the academia real da marinha in 1779, and the academia real dafortificacad in 1 790, have alfo •their profeffors, called lentes ; but all thefe infti- tutions are in a weak and lingering ftate. Befides thefe there are, at Lifbon, profeffors paid by the government for the inftru(5lion of youth. There is in fadl no want of means, the defedl is in the * The academy confifts of, ift, honorary members, as mi- nifters of ftate, and perfons of high rank in Lifbon ; 2d, fo- reign members} 3d, focios veteranos; 4th, ading members, who are divided into three claflbs, vix. natural hiftory, ma- thematics, and literature} 5th, free members, and a great number of correfponding members, of whom Kallner is at (be head. choice JOURNEY THROUGH PpRTUGAt. 12'J choice of them, the requifite tafte for knowledge not having yet been found, and no one knowing how to impart it. i;flf^V7r,'jcl»fi>iffflr There are public libraries iii Lifbon, which, though far from ranking in the firfh clafs, are by no means fo bad as fome travellers would defcribe who have merely taken a curfory view of them. But it is very unjuft to complain becaufe we happen to be too much alarmed at the voluminous A^a San^orum to take the trouble of alking for any other book. The principal of thefe libra- ries, which is in the Urge building in the praqa do commercio, contains many works of import- ance, and even fome papers on natural hiftory, I am bettep acquainted, however, with the library in the benedidline monaftery of Nofla fenhora de Jefus, as I lived nearer to it. Here is a very complete coUedlion of portugueze and modern fpanifh literature ; nor is there any want of french works, as, for inftance, a complete fet of the Encyclopedie par Ordre des Matieres. German books are not to be expedled in any foreign part, though Wolfs latin works, Brucker's Hiftory of Philofophy, and other books of that period, oc- cur in every portugueze library. Next to french literature that of Italy is moft abundant, Hill more, though it might not be expelled, than the englifh, which the portugueze feldom learn, though they are always reading french. In fhort, Q 2 both i48 561JILNEY THROUGH PORTUG At. both thefc Ubraties may be compared with many tf the public libraries in; cotifiderable towns in Germany. A third library, that of the monaftery of San Vincenfe de fora, is indeed* not open to the piiblick ; but it is fufficient to be once intro- duced to be always admitted. It contains a very complete colle6lion of even the fmalleffc Portu- guese works. There are many bookfellers* fhops in Li{bon, the mafters of which, however, have no foreign bufinefs. I Ihall only name the widow Bertrand and fon, near the church of NofTa Senhora dos Martyres acima do Xiado. New portugueze works are ealily procured there, and at the prices marked in the printed catalogue. Each book has a price prefixed, and the bookfeller is contented with a moderate profit. Mr. Jungk's complaint, in his preface to his portugueze grammar, is no longer jufl in the prefent times. If we may trufl the Court- calendar, there are in Lifbon a coniiderable number of coUedlions oi natural hifl:ory, chemical laboratories, and bota- nical gardens ; but we mufl not fufFer ourfelves to be thereby mi fled, as many of them do not de- fence the fmallefl notice. If the garden of the Marquis de Abrantes is a botanical garden, many towns in Germany abound in them. The fon of the miniiter of war, Dom Luis Pinto Maximo, in- ferted JOURNEY THROUGH POKTU&AL. ^^!£g^ ferted his colle<^iGns and laboratory in. the Court- calendar merely for •:a joke*. id iiillmii ^incmmo-x^ <■ ' The royal mufeuth at Ajudl defen'-esi alfo to be feen. It will not, indited, bear a cotiipaTifon with that of Paris, or even that of Madrid ; it is fmall, not a fingle clafs is well ftocked, and it contains fewer fpecimens froni Braiil than might be ext* peeked. There are, however, fome curious fpel cimens; and, among' Others, one very lingular of copper ore, found in a valley two leagued from Cachocira, and fourteen from Bahia. Its weight, according to Vandelli^Us 2616 pocinds, its greateft length being 3 feet 12; inches, its greateft breadth 2 feet and half an inch, and its greateft thicknels 2 feet 4 inches. ' The upper furface is unevea^ being here and. there covered with malachite and iron ochre, and on. one ftde it is foolifhly polifh-^ ed, and bears an .iiifcription. Henxse mineralo-* gifts will perceive how lingular this fpecimen is of its kind. Theiie. is alfo a large piece of elaftic fand-ftone covered with lime-fpac cryftals. In the fame building is an inconliderabk laboratory, and behind it a bonical gardenia io cj^iCiil-jh ijoa This garden. is ieharmingly fituated, ieommand^ inga very fine view of the river and of the fea, as that, of Paris commands part bf ^he to^vn^ -It 4$ -. M '. ' - . r r,L 0:1:. ■ ' ■ 1;: * It is merely, through pplitenefs, j^jig^^ 'yllefl^s, in his ap-s pendix to hi* New Pidure of Lilben^ fpeaks in pr^ile c>f them. 1 > -. <-. -• , ' » 3 by (^IJD JOUILN-EY THROUGH JORTUGAX', -bjrriib means large, and the green-lioufes aic un- commonly fmall ; but there isji bafin for watct- :f]laiits^ It. is kept apparently very neat, ahd is j^^ery interefting to botanift^, who may here make /ome difcoveries ; for whatever happens to be re- ;ceived is planted, and the care of preferring and bringing them forward is left to nature. It. alfo iiappens, that feveral curious plants are fent hrtl^ier from . the Brafils and other; places. At this time fome fpice- trees were growing in order to be fent put to the Bralih, and planted there. But it mufk iiot be fuppofed that any thing is done JTet&with great accuracy. Vandelli! .turns tivrer the leaves of Murray's edition of Linnaais.'s.Syftema Veget,^ and if he finds a dcfcription tli^t at all agrees with the plant,, he immediately giVek.it Jthat ^^patofi without any farther confideration.'';;.- ,r:::\:i r'cii Doctor Domingos Vandelli, ra native of Italy, is well known tjo the lovers .lof natural hillory by fome works he has publilhcdv ajM tlirough his connexion with Linnceus. In his youth he muft have been an adlive man, of an enterpriling turn, and delirous of fame. In botany, Pontedera was hiji inftruc^ph Under Pombal he was invited from Padua,' together with his eountryman Delia Bella, to be a profeflbr at Goimbra, from which place he came as firft infpedtor of the royal mu- jfeum and royal botanical garden at Lifbon. Be- fides this, he was'ah affiftaht in the Jula do com- /'J 1 > mercioy JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 2^1 mertiot and had the addrefs, by various man- oeuvres, to obtain a penlion of 800 crufades a year,' He has not, however, improved as he grew old ; for he no longer knows the plants he has formerly defcribed, and is ftill more ignorant of others. He is equally ignorant of mineralogy ; ^nd his chemical treatifcs, in the tranfacftions of the academy, have rendered him ridiculous. Alt this might be pardoned were he not intolerant to- ward thofe who know more than himfelf. The fecond infpe6lor of the muleum and of tk«. garden is Dom Alexandre Rodriguez Ferreira, of l^hom fuffice it to fay, he has long relided in Bra- fil, and has the palfy. . Befides the royal mufeum, that of the Marquis of Angeja contains fome fpecimens worth feeing, efpecially fome diamonds from Bralil embedded in argillaceous iron-ftone as near as I could judge, 31hcrc is another mufeum in the monailery of S. N. de Jefus, chiefly confifting of Ihells, but con- taining many fpecimens of value. I proceed to other inftitutions. ^ There are obfervatories in the monaftery da$ necejjidades, in both the academies of the marine, and in the caftle ; but obfervations are feldom ta- iten in any of them. There is alfo a want of in- -ftrwments. The royal hofpital of San Jofe is a very good inftitution, and the lick are well attended. In the Q 4 beginning 2,^2 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, beginning of 1797 there were, according to the Gourt-calendar, 1088 patients ; during that year, 14,818 perfons were brought in, of whom 13,235 were difmifled cured, 1579 died, and 1091 re- mained. Belides the account of it in the Calendar, which mufl: not always be tnifted, it has in its fa- vour common report, even that of foreigners, who generally complain of every thing in PortUr- eal. There are, belides, an engliih and a danifh. hofpital fupported by individuals of thofe na- tions. Every phylician muft have ftudied at Coimbra, ^Hd procured a licence from the protomedicus of J_iifbon to pra^life phyfick in Portugal ; but it is not requilite to take a doctor's degree, which they feldom do. In Lifbon itfelf, as ufual, they are lefs ftriA than in other towns, and foreign phy- iicians are fufFered to do as they pleafe. Edmund More, an englifh phylician, was at that time in the higheft repute. It mull not, however, be fuppofed that all the portugueze phylicians are al- together ignorant, for here and there is a clever ttikn, and the univerfity of Coimbra is not en- tirely barbarous. Many alfo purfue their ftudies 0t Paris, and, of late, even at Edinburgh. It is ridiculous to allert that the arabian fyftem of phylick prevails in Portugal ; for the portugueze ^hyficians know as little of the Rhazes and Me- fuC| ^, fts we Germans. Almolt in every ftreet JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 233 ftreet is a fmall apothecary's Ihop ; but thefe are under no regulations, and frequently very bad. Many of them, however, after trials I have made pf them, did not defcrve the cenfures which fome jtravellers have, without examination, beftowe4 pn them, CHAP. ^34 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGA-fi. arx/fl fens e?--^'*^' ,4.* yillages rpand Li/ion. Quelus, the royal refidence. vJN the fouth lide of the river, n'otwithftanding the fandinefs of the country, and the continual fucceffion of heaths and pine-forefts, one village follows another, being generally lituated on creeks of the river, and' fupported by the traffic car- ried on by that medium with Lilbon. Round thefe places is a great quantity of garden-fruit, and very good wine is grown here and there, which, with attentive cultivation on the fandy plains of this warm country, fucceeds very well. It is to be lamented, there is no accefs to thefe places but by water, and that during the ebb fe- veral fwamps appear, which, particularly in fum- mer, corrupt the air. Barroco de Alva is well known for its infalubrious air, nor is Couna by any means a healthy place. On the lafl creek to the eaftward, is a market-town called Aldea Gal- lega, of which I have already fpoken, and on a creek not far from thence a market-town called Mouta, through which lies the road to St. Ubes a conlider^ble place though not fo clofely built as the former. Farther along the bank of the river itfdf are the beautiful market-towns of Alhof- vcdros. JOUB.NEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 235 vedros, Lavradio, celebrated for its good wine, and Barreiro. Here begins a fecond creek, which extends to the market-town of Couna, through which is the road to Azeytao. Near this place quicklilver has been found in the fand, which here adternates with ftrata of clay containing fome iron,, for which reafon trenches are cut, and it is intended to make fome farther attempts of thiJ kind. It is bdieved, nor is it at all improbable^ that thefe ftrata are connected with the neighbouring Serra de Arrabida, which is rather a high, lime* ftonc mountain. Thein follows the laft creek, tvith the market-town of Seixal, which is the leaft of all, and tlirough it lies the road to Cezimbra, a town which fupplies Lifbon with a great quantity offifh. In the angle where the flream gTowa yarrow,: is the market- towii of Calilhas, the ufual landing place in going up the river from Lifbon, as the landing is always good there without wait^ ing for the flood. The market-town of Montella, and the fmall town of Almada, are only a quarter of a league from Calilhas. Thus in a fpace of five leagues, or about four german miles, are no lefs than ten conliderable well-built and populous market-towns, without reckoning the numerous villages and hamlets ; from which an idea may be formed of the lively fcene the banks of this river afford. Below 3,36 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. Below Almada on the bank of the river, is a large englifh hofpital for failors, particularly for the fleet, and a confiderable magazine of wine. From hence the bank continues high and hilly, the towns and villages lying in the hollows between the hills. A tower ftrengthened by a few cannon and foldiers, called torre 've'ha or old tower, an- fwers to the oppofite tower of ,Belem. A village called Porto Brandao, the landing-place in crof- ling the river from Belem, lies in another hollow ; but the lioufes continue for a league inland' to Ca- parica, where good wine is alfo produced. Clofe to the mouth of the river is the great fifhing vil^ lage of Trafferia, and round the point the village of Acofta conlifting of only fmall houfes, which have the appearance of wooden fheds, and are difperfed along the beach. The inhabitants are a bold half-wild race of fifliermen, who- venture far crat to fea, and are conlidered at Lifbon as the refiife of the nation. I have no reafon however to complain of them, though on my botanical ex- curfions I expelled to find lefs civility there than clfewhere. From the point, a fand-bank, which is covered at flood, runs out into the fea as far as a large fortified tower, which with the oppofite fortification covers the entrance into the harbour. It is properly called the fort of San Lourenqo, but generally the torre de Bugio, ferving as a place to ■* keep JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL^ i^f keep prifoners, till they are fent to the Indies or Angola; To Aldea Gallega, Mouta, Couna, Cafilhas, and Porto Brandao, daily packet-boats take paf- fengers for a trifle. In windy weather, this con- veyance is very dangerous, as the flream is very rapid, and the boat- men uncommonly carelefs; fo that misfortunes frequently happen. On a ftor- my morning in November 1798, a boat from Santarem with forty paflfengers, ran againft the cable of a fliip, upfet, and only four perfons were faved. But only thefe great misfortunes are knowa to the public ; of the fmaller no notice is taken, the life of a portugueze being confidered as a trifle. The north bank of the river extends much farther into the fea before it forms the cape, or cabo de Rocca. The following are, the principal places along this bank ; below Belem is a fquare tower called Torre de Belem, fortified with can- non, which no veffel mufl: pafs till it has been viflted. Near this tower are feveral batteries, as alfo along the bank from hence to fort San Juliao. This.fmall irregular fort, commonly called San Gia5, is- built on a rocky point, and extremely well covers the entrance of the harbour : the paflTage into which is difficult, being very nar- row, and a bank of fl:ones called os cachopos, lying obliquely before the entrance ; but if the 6 forts 438 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. forts and batteries are not very ftrong, nature has done much for the protedtion of the harbour. A quarter of a league from it, inland, is the fmall town of Oeyras and, two leagues farther down, the fmall town of Cafcaes, rather a confiderable and not ill-built place, Handing on a ftrip of land under which Ihips may lie. Near this town is the fmall fort of San Antonio ; but from hence a con liderable way to the northward, is a high broken rock without any landing place : the bank to the f(»uthward is Ikirted with confiderable fand-banks. Fort San Juliao, and fort San Antonio, are the only two of any importance round Liibon. Thefe are fufficient to prevent a fleet from entering, but, if it once entered, it would have all Lifbon at itV>mercy, and might with perfe6t eafe level it with the ground. It is therefore fomewhat fin gular, that both thefe, and the towns of Oeyras and Cafcaes, fhould be garrifoned by englifh troops, or fuch at leaft as are in the englKh pay. In general all the emigrant * and englifh regiments are colle(^ed in and about Lifbon ; the regiment of Dillon was laft at Cafcaes, an englifti regiment of infantry at Oeyras, englifh dragoons at Belem and Oeyras, a fwifs regiment in the englifh pay and the royal emigres at Belem, the regiment of * There is but one emigrant regiment in the portugueze pay, together with fome artillcrj', of which the cqmmander's name Is Roquelet. Montemar JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAi;,, ajO Montemar and Caftres at Lifboij, after the de^ parture of general Stuart with many troop? for the expedition againft Minorca. Many politlcsl ev'ents in 1797 and 1798 may be explained by thefe circumftances ; for hence appears the reafoii why Portugal could not ratify an advantageous peace with France, Lisbon and its harbour being in fadl in the hands of the englifh. It appears lingular that the portugueze government ihould thus fufFer its hands to be bound ; yet it muft be allowed that with great addrefs they bound the hands of the French during that critical period. Certainly, however, to leave Portugal, that njoft important country to England, in peace was thp greateft of the follies the French at that time <:ommitted. Between Oeyras and the village of Carcavelos,the fweet wine is produced which in England is called JLift)on, in Germany portugieswHn, and in the country itfelf wine of Carcavelos. The vineyards are enclofed in quintas, on a gentle declivity to- ward the fea, and the muft is generally fent to Lifbon, where it is made into wine. This wine which is generally white, and beft of that colour, is drunk in the country in great perfedliojn, noi* can the adulterated liquor fold in foreign coun- tries under that name be compared with it. Two leagues beyond Belem among high hills, in an enclofed folitary vale, is the royal refidence of 3t4^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. of Quelus. Neither the caftle, nor the adjoining quinta are worthy of remark, but the road is planted with magnolias, geraniums from the cape, and fimilar plants, which here fucceed well. There are a few fmall houfes round the caftle, which, however, do not form a village. Here the court relides in the greateft tranquillity, excepting on a few fixed days, which are days of gala : but the queen at this time, in confequence of the melan-. choly ftate of her mind, no longer appeared. The prince regent was not brought up for the throne, of which he firft came to the expectation on the death of his elder brother, a prince who was much beloved and lamented, and who died of the fmall- pox. No one doubts the natural good qualities of the prince of Bralil, but his talents are queftion- ed, and it is feared that he will not efcape the yoke of the priefthood, by whom his mother is fb much opprefTed. He has no ftriking paflions or inclinations, except, perhaps, that for the chace. The princefs is a good-natured woman, of whom it can only be faid, that fhe is very prolific, and feems therewith to be content. Of political affairs I fpeak unwillingly. It is faid every minifter a6ls as he pleafes in his own department, in which he is a little defpot. If any one wilh to hear a great deal againft them, let him read the New pidure of Lijhon ; but he muft remember that the author was extremely angry with. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 24^ with them, and therefore exaggerates almoft every thing *. The minifter of the foreign de- partment, Dom Luis Pinto de Soufa Coutinho,' is generally efteemed a clever fhrewd man. He was formerly ambaflTador in England, is extremely attached to that nation, a pleaflng well-informed man, and as far as poffible a prote6lor of the' learned. The old minifter of finance, the mar- quis de Ponte de Lima, was a man of confequence, having conftant accefs to the queen. The mi- nifter of the interior Dom Jofe de Ceabrr. da Silva was continually lofing his influence ; and, as I learned by letters from Lift)on, the prince of Braftl, foon after he declared hi mfelf regent, fent him out of the country. He had already been * Tilefius the editor correds the author, efpecially in what regards the minifter of war, but as appears to me is not quite accurate himfelf. That the above mentioned minifter loves money too well cannot be denied. The author of the New Pidure of Lifbon fpeaks among otliers of fome republicans, who had entered the country as emigrants ; and names L'Eg- life, Erhard, &c. Thefe perfons Tilefius endeavours to de- fend ; but is miftaken in regard to Erhard, taking another man for him. The Erhard of whom he fpeaks is a phyftcian with the rich Mr. Beckford, and is certainly a lingular man, L'Eglife who could make no great progrefs in Portugal, and cannot much like that country, had the misfortune of many rational emigrants, that of coniidering his countrymen as brave men. Hence the abufe of other emigrants, efpecially of thofe in the array. ■ ' R fent 2^* JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL^ ient to Africa by Pombalj but the queen recalled and made him miniiler of Hate. The minifter of the marine and of the colonies, Dom Rodrigo do Soufa Coutinho, is an active enterprifing man, who undoubtedly has in view to improve and advance his country, but he appears too hafty and vehement, and though he may have a good head, is deficient perhaps in knowledge. This minifter has the following portugueze titles, Miniftro e fecretario de eftado dos negocios ef- trangeiros e da guerra ; Miniftro e Secretario de eftado da repartiqao da fazenda ; Miniftro e Secre- tario de eftado dos negocios do reino ; Miniftro e fecretario de eftado dos negocios da marinha e dos dominios ultramarinos. Half a league from Quelus is a market-town called Bellas, with a pleafant quinta belonging to the Conde de Pombeiro and a very good inn. Beyond this place, toward Cintra, are fome mi- neral fprings, near which is a houfe for the recep- tion of invalids. A quinta ferves as a promenade, but very little ufe is made of it. The whole coun- try round is bafalt or lime-ftone; fand-ftone alfo appears, and from thefe the fprings arife, which, fromtheopportunitiesl had oftryingthera, appeared vitriolated, without having much oxygen. Thefe Iprin^s are enclofed that tr.cy may not be ufed to procure abortion, as has ioa:cdines happened. On jbURirfiY THROUGH PORTUGAL. I43 On the oppofite Ude of Bellas, at about a league diftance, amid lime-ftone hills, the water for the great aqueduA of Lifbon is colledted from various fources within the fame building. Thefe hills are very dreary and barren. R a CHAP. J4eing called in portugueze marinhas. They are "dug fqudre, about three feet deep, and falt-water is is introduced on one fide fVom the fea, at floocJ, through canals which extend in innumerable branches, arid are fhqt when the pans are fulL The .'Water is often previoufly collect: ed in large fefermirs, caWcd gavernos, from which it is aftejrr wands diftributed into the marinhas, where, being evaporated, the fait is eoHed^ed in the PQOth of June, and kept either in /w-poden fMed.^-CB. ,j^ heaps,! which are pojotexfted agalnft .thjg rain, by rufhes. Of this fait a con fide rablt) qujanuity feemj* ed to- .be in- fiore., jr i| large-grained-, becomes but. iittl?, jnoift in the mr, ^nd exeel^jn pupty the n^r^ne fait cdlc^ed in other provjne^s qi th? 6authi>£ Europe, or in pother parts of Portugal. ThuBj a ?t|U4ntity of fait is prep^ed on the banks |)f the. Taigus above Lilhon, round ^Vveijro, 8fq, The faltr trade to Bralilis faro^ed by the ^f^yeriiT inentitD amerdiant*. ;;• ;oiL!c]fjr\OI frur.: ;. It is lingular that in Portugal foda, or bari% (fklfolk ^ ibda ' and fativa). is . not eultiv por J"oaq. Jofe da Cunlia, p 7, § 7. '• s a The ft60 JOITRNBY THROUGH PORTUGALil « The fidiety of St. TJbes was formerly much ce- lebrated, but has lince much fallen off. Infor- mer times the towns of Sinos, St. Ubcs, and Al- cacer were much connedled in the fifhing trade. In 1353, the i^^habitants of Liibon concluded a convention with Edward III. of England for per* miffion to fifh off the coaft of Brittany*. But how much are the times now altered ! Brittany is french, and the Spaniards under the Philips liave ruined Portugal. In the year 1796, the following Ihips entered and failed from the p6rt off "St. Ubes^ ^iz. yi Americans in, 72 out ; '4 from Bremen in^ 3 out; •145 danifti in, 147 out; i fpanifti inwards;. 10 Hamburgers in, 6 out ; 46 englifh in, 45 out;' 8 tubeck in, 7 out; 8 Oldenburg in, 6 out;: 13 portugueze in, 19 out; 68 prulfian in ajid out ; 4 from Papenburg in, 3 out ; 2 ragufan in and ^tt > 177 Swedes in, and 17 j out. c In 1797, the foilowing (hips entered Llfbon : 154 american and one man of war in, 161 out; 10 from Bremen 'in, 11 out; 218 danifh iti, 229 out ; I french in and out ; 9 genoefe in,/ J 3 but ; 43 H'amburgers in and out ; 3 fpanifh in, 4 out ; I imperial in and out; 533 englifh in, 466 out; 223 englifh men of war in, 225 out; 9 from Lu- beck in, 10 out; 9 from Morocco in, 2 out; 4 * See Memor. econom. da Acad, de Lirb» II. 39a'. neapolitan JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 2.6l Jieapolitan in, 3 out ; 6 from Oldenburg in, 8 .out ; 2 from Papenburg in and out ; 268 portu- gueze*in, 309 out ; 61 portugueze men of war in, 79 out; 80 Pruffians in, 86 out; 22 Ragufans in, 23 out; 135 fwedifli in, 148 out; 19 Venetian in, and 24 out. From, thefe data the trade of St. Ubes may be compared with that of Lifbon ; and thus it appears that the former is not inconlider- able; but the number of portugueze mercantile houfes in Lifbon exceeds 200, and that of foreign- ers exceeds 150, while there are only 15 in , St. Ubes. Were there a good road from Lifbon to St. Ubes, both thefe towns might contribute ftill more conliderably to each other's profits. Not, however, merely bad roads, but foolifh laws of police, called pofturas, reflrain this commerce. From many places nothing can be carried out . without permiflion of the magiflrates, and in ma- ny only a certain quantity of garden-land can be cultivated. The camara of Palmella forbid the carrying wine through their territory from Azey- tao to St. Ubes ; and, though this poftura was an- nulled in the lafl reign, yet the inhabitants of that place were deterred by private threats from availing themfelves of their liberty. In the prefent reign, the academy of fciences began to expofe • thefe often prejudicial and little known pojiuras to light, but without efFed:. S3 In 2.5a JOURJtEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. ^ In Portugal internal commerce, which alone givts life and vigour to a country, is almoft en>« ^rely negledled. The foreign trade of fome indi- vidual towns is certainly confiderable ; and, though ^t is faid that the trade of Portugal is in the hands <>f foreigners, this expreffion is very vague. Their «^ropean trade is moftly carried on in foreign Ihips, but that of Brafil exclulively in thofe of Portugal. Foreigners are prohibited from trading with thfe colonies; and, though the portuguezrC houfes may, in Come inftances, lend only their names to foreigners, who in fa6t carry it on, this is by tio "me^ns general ; for, though there are considerable forei^ houfes in Portugal, yet none of them have very large capitals, whereas there are many very rich portugueze howfes. This fa6t is fo well known and fo certain, that every one who reflects Oft k muft atknowledge m truth ; and yet, in all accounts of that kingdom, the trade of the portu- guez€ is fpoken of with con tern pt. In a certain fenfe, however, there is fome juftice in thefe ob- fervations. It is nat merely becaufe London fefid Amfterdam trade to all parts of the world that England and Holland flou'rifh ; but it is their inland trade that has lai fed both thefe countries to a degree of opulence that is the aftonifhmefit of the world. Oppofite JOURNET THROUGH PORTUGAL. 263 Oppofite St. Ubes, on the narrow ftrip of land that forms the entrance of the harbour, are the re-^ mains of an ancient city called Troya. Many walls are ftill feen, and a number of fquare pave* ments, formed of fmall angular ftones bound to* gether with cement, being probably either the lites of houfes or the courts belonging to them. Similar ornamental paved courts are found in the remains of old moorifh buildings. Tradition fays that this place was buried in fand through the impie- ty of its inhabitants, and that only a lingle churchy called Hermita, remained. It is certainly pro- bable that the place was deferted on account of the fand, and that the inhabitants went over and built St. Ubes on the oppolite lide. Lima, in his map, lays down a place called Vanda in this fpot, and places Troya on the other lide of a creek that does not exift 5 in which he is followed by Lopez and other modern maps. For this Vanda we enquired in vain. We afcended the Sado to Alcacer do Sal (or Salt-caftle) the banks of the river being full of falt-pans, and cultivated to fome diftance, behind which the defert heaths begin. The town or village of Alcacer confifls of about 650 houfes, but moftly fmall. It has only a juiz de fora, and belongs to the Comarca of St. Ubes. Travellers generally pafs through this place to Beia and Algarvia, as they can go from St. Ubes to Alcacer, s 4 a dif- 264 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL; * a diftance of eight leagues, by water. Much corn alfo from upper Alemtejo is fhipped here-,' for St. Ubes and Lilbon-. A good road from hence to Beja would foon raife this place into confequence : for in the middle of the fifteenth century it was more confiderable than at prefent. Near this town are the remains of acaftle much fpoken of in portugueze hiftory. The country is flat exceptir^g a few hills of land-breccia. From hence to Grandola, we had three leagues of defert fandy heaths and pine-woods, and very little cultivated land. • This town (or villa) is faid to contain 800 houfes, but thefe, except- ing two, are fmall and bad, and this place, compared with Alcacer, is very dead. Some wine and oranges however are produced in the neigh- bourhood. Beyond the town, the Serra de Gran- dola proceeds in two ranges, one behind the other, from eaft to weft, forming the laft mountains as far as the frontiers of Algarvia. This Serra is not high, but extremely arid, and confifts of a fine- grained argillaceous fand-ftone, which often breaks ilaty. . On the fecond range, not unfrequently are found copper pyrites and red-copper-ore, whence this range of mountains is called in the maps Serra de minas de cobre, but by the inhabitants Serra de Grandola. At the time when we found thefe moun- tains as laid down, we had been feeking in vain for a lake placed in the maps between Alca- cer JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 265 cer and Grandola, under the name of Lago Alva^ of which no one throughout the country cou)d give us the leaft intelligence. EquaUy in vain we fought in this country for the Monies azules of Lopez, which not an inhabitant knew, and the place of which is occupied by a fandy heath. Such errors regarding countries at no great diftance froni a capital, a^d in laying down a place of trade fo well known as St. Ubes, are very ftriking. From Grandola we followed the fea-coaft for fome diftance over very tedious heaths covered with deep fand to Comporta, a place confifting only of a church, a large but bad inn (^ejlalagem) and a few fmall huts. The furrounding country is marfhy, and the inhabitants have begun to dig turf here, which is very uncommon in Portugal. Comporta is lituated clofe to the fea, a fmall arm oftheSado, which at flood is navigable, comes up to it, but not as Lopez and many others fay, on the eaft fide of an imaginary bay. From this place we returned to St. Ubes, having travelled over a moft dreary country, from which we de- rived no other benefit than a few fine plants, and fome corrections for the map of Portugal. Along the fhore at Comporta bloomed the majeftic va- riety of the antirrhinum lufttanicum of Lamark, with myrtle-leaves ; which is certainly one of the moft beautiful of european plants. CHAP. i66 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. CHAP. XXIV. Jonmey into the northern provinces. From L\(hon to Ccddas da Rainha. VVEleft Llfbon in May 1798 to explore the northern provinces of Portugal, and directed our courfe to Torres vedras, and the baths of Caldas. The country beyond the eaftern part of Lifboa I have already defcribed ; but Campo grande, a iuburb of Lilbon, Lumiar, and Carnide alfo de- ferve mention. We only faw hills with ihort in- terruptions, and covered with olive-trees, on the plain ground orange-gardens, along the brooks meadows full of oaks and poplars, and here and there corn-fields. The oranges of Lumiar are in high efteem. Equally charming is the valley of Lourcs; where the hills rife ftill higher, the valley jtfelf becomes wider, and one village fucceeds to another. The traveller may go through Bemfic^, Campo grande, Carnide, and Lumiar fptr feveral miles conftantly between houfes, without perceiv- ing he has quitted Lifbon. Beyond Loures the level of the country rife? confiderably, and we afcended the high chain of mountains, which extends to Mafra, conlilling of bafalt covered with lime-Hone ; but on the heights. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 267 heights, and on the north fide, a compa(^ fine- grained fand-ftone appeared. Thefirftflielf is form- ed by a mountain called Cabeqa de Montachique ; after which the level is lower, as far as a viliagft called a Pova ; the road was on both fides lined with the fouthern oak, a non-defcript tree of the fouth of europe, although its fize and beauty give it a very diflinguifhed rank among them. It ap- proaches to the valentinian oak defcribed by Ca- vanilles, but is larger and has a much broader leaf. The road, though paved, was bad every- where, and had doubtlefs not been mended for a century ; the towns and villages are uncommonly fmall and wretched. Round Pova are many fruit- trees; a proof of a high and cool fituation. Be- yond that village the mountains again rife, and -become bare and dreary with a quinta only here and there. On thefe mountains is the village (villa) of Enxara, with a fine eflate of the Conde Redondo. Toward Torres vedras the mountains again ceafe, and we travelled between cheerful hills ; but the little cultivation that appears Ihows the diflance from Lifbon. The hills confifl: of a coarfe -grained fand-flone, here and there is bafalt, and fometimes ftrata of rounded flints. Torres vedras is a fmall town, feven leagues from Lifbon, furrounding a hill on which are the ruins of an ancient caftle. It contains fomc- wliat above 600 houfes, four parifh churcJies, and 268 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTU8AL. and three religious hoiifes without the town^ Thefe give it an appearance of greatnefs, which we afterwards found it did not polfefs. Tn ancient times it was a celebrated fortification, and is ftill the chief town of a Corregimento. The country round is pleafant and well cultivated, being par- ticularly full of gardens and vineyards, and wa^ tered by the fmall river Sizandro, which is bor.- dered with alders and willows. On one fide fand- mountains and pine-woods foon again begin, while -on the other are only gay lime ftone hills covered with coppice. At the foot of thefe rifes a luke-warm fpring containing fome carbonic acid gas. Coal is alfo found here in a ftratum of clay. From Torres vedras to the neighbourhood of Obidos, a diftance of five leagues, we pafled through an ill-cultivated defert country, exhibi- ting, firiSt pine-woods, then heaths, and only a couple of wretched infignificant villages. The mountains every where confift of fand-ftone and ratchil. Round Obidos the profpedl is pleafanter and more varied, being full of lliort hills formed of a clofe yellowifh lime-ftone, frequently rough and rocky, covered with cheerful coppice and furrounded by brooks. Low lime-ftone hills are generally pleafanter than fand-ftone hills, their vegetation being richer and more various, and by the failure of this the traveller may difcover at a diftance, where the fand-fi;one again begins. Obidos JOURNEY THROt^GH PORTUGAL. 26^ Ob'idos itfelf is a fmall inligniticant town built round a hill, on which are the ruins of an ancient fortification celebrated in hiftory,' and the walls of which are ft ill kept in very good order. Within it, amid ruins and rocks, are fome houfes inhabi- ted by perfons belonging to the police. ' A league from ObidOs is the fmall town of Cal- das, much frequented for its fulphureous waters. The town is fmall, being built in an irregular quadrangular form ; but is continually increafing. The houfes are fmall, generally confifting merely of a ground-floor, and only ar few hive windows. The flooring is very bad almoft throughout, and thofe who would have other furniture, than bad wooden tables and chairs, muft bring them. As to beds, table cloths, and other conveniences; they are wholly wanting ; in fhort every article of furnitinre muft be provided. The inn will ac-* commodate but few people, and would be called wretched in England or France, though here it pafles for tolerable. The company who come to bathe always live in private houfes. Such are the accommodations prepared for the rich merchants and principal nobility of Lifbon, who vilit Calda^ twice a year ; namely in May and September. As to balls, concerts, plays, and fuch amufements, they are not to be expe(5led here, and thofe who feek thefe enjoyments in places reforted to for plea- fure in Portugal, muft themfelves form them. Th« tJO JOURJJEV THUOtGH fORTttGAL* The company however vifit, give tea-partidS^' play, and at moft make fmall parties to vifit fomo neighbouring place. Thefe are their only amufe- nients. It is however the failiion to go to Caldag* The rich pafs the hot feafon at Cintra, and travel from thence to Caldas ; for which reafon the cotn-r panyare frequently more brilliaat in autumn than in fpring, In the middle of this place over the warm fpring," is a fpaciou&and handfome bathing houfe, founded Ui the reign of the late king, and clofe to it a ho^ pital for poor patients. Belides the fpring ufeci for drinking, three others fupply four baths ; that for the iljen is thirty fix feet long by nine broadi and t.^ji'o feet eight inches deep. The foil Is covered with a white <;lay and waflied fand. The company undrefs behind a curtain, put on bath log cloath3> and lit upon thg groiund in the bath,, fo. that th« water reaches their neck. There are frequently twelve patients in the bath at the fame time,, and though the water is conftfintly flowing jt is unplea- fant to be obliged to bathe in gdmpany, efpecially to thofe who come laft, to whom the water arriveg nfter wafhing the reft. It is alfo unpleafant tha,t jftrangers are admitted. Nothing howe^ver is paid for bathing, except a fmall preient to the atten- dants. The poor ^re not fuffered* to bathe tili about noon, when the othc company awe gone. The reft of t|i^ baths, eve© thofe appropriated to 6 the JOURJTET .TEtKOUGH tORTUG-AL. Ijt the ladies, are regulated in a limilar manner, ex- cept that the water in the bath for m/tn is th© hotteft and of the ftrongell quality, being from 92° to 93° of Fahrenheit, (from 2.6'^ to 27° of Reaamur). The water from all the fprings join| and turns a mill near the bathing; houfe. On entering this houfe the company come-to a large floor, which fervcs for a promenade after bathing, and is generally full of people running to and fro with great violence. Here alfo is an apothecary's fhop, and in the back-ground tli^ fpring ufed for drinking, tlie warmth ofwihicli is 91° of Fahrenheit. n^jf -(riif- rj-.l .?:''!riv/t The country round is well ctiltivated', but(andy and full of pine-woods. The place itfelf is lituar ted 0^ the weftern brow of hills very much flattened, confifting of a foft brovvnifh fand-ftone containing iron, and probably covering coal, from the combuftion of which the heat of the water •may arife. The fea is only three leagues diftant, and the lake or lagoa de Obidos one league.. This .vicinity to the fea and the flatnefs of the country are the caufes of the ftrong and cold winds, which -prevail here, particularly in fpring,. and of change- able weather. The heat alfo in fummer is uncom- monly great. Every where are feen the Berlengas *, iflands which refemble much the two illands of Hel- goland and form hills in the middle of the fea. . Except a quinta, there is no promenade at Caldas. * The Burlings. We i'/i, jOtrllNEl' THROUGH yORTI^GAL. -■'We have a fliort treatife on the ufe and abufe of the baths of Caldas, by Tavares, formerly profeflbr and dean of the medicinal faculty at Coimbra, un- der the title of Advertencias fobre os abufos e legitimo ufo das aguas mineraes das Caldas, da raynha por Fr. Tavares. Lilbon 1791, 4to- but it is very lingular that the author fliould fay it is of little ufe to know the conftituent parts of mineral waters. Mr. Tavares fhould recolledt that even to render rules for the ufe of the water practicable, it is neceffary to analyfe it ; without ivhich it cannot even be clafled among medicinal fprings. Like many ignorant phylicians in Ger* Inany, he imagines* certain efFedls are expelled to arife from the analylis, whereas its ufe is merely to complete the knowledge of the phyfician, who ought to know whether the/ water belongs to the tarbonic-acid, or fulphureous clafs. He com- plains of the great minutenefs of chemical analyfes, and does not reiiedl: that they are expelled from every writer on objects of chemical enquiry. He juftly blames excefs in the ufe of thefe waters, the filly running to and fro after bathing, the leaving off the portugucze cuftom of con- ftantly wearing a cloak of cloth, and fubftituting the light englifh drefs, which is not adapted to a hot climate. In this we cannot but fully agree with the author. The portugueze, inftru6ted by • experience, wears his cloak in the hottcft lummer, but JOURNEY Through Portugal. 273 Dut is almoft undreil beneath it, fo that he can wrap hirtifelf up from-every cold breeze. In hot weather the Ikin is always covered with prefpira- tion ; and every current of air, by favouring eva- poration, produces a degree of cold, which the air itfelf will not efFe6l. But there is a!nother more important treatife on this rubje6l, by a well-known learned Englifhman, named Withering, witli a chemical analyfis of the water, publilhed at Lilbon in 1795, in portu- gueze and englifh, under the title of analyfe che- mica da agua das Caldas da raynha, por Guil- herme Withering. (A chemical analylis of the water at Caldas da raynha, by William Wither- ing, Hxty one pages, 4to.) The analylis is good, as might be expedled from fo fkilful an author ; but the bad apparatus he v,'as obliged to employ renders the moll important of the refults doubtful ; as for inftance the proportions of the various kinds of air. In 1 28 ounces he found of Fixed air, ----- 4 dr. Hepatic air, - - 6 oz. 4 dr. Calx ae rata, ------ 12 gr. Magnefia, ------ ^i Ferrum hepatis alum. - - - 2| Argillaceous earth, - - - - lij Magnef:a falira, ----- 64 Selenitic falts, ----- 44. Common fair, - - - - - 148 T biliccous ^74 JOTJRNS"? THROUGH JORTUOAL, '■ Siliceous earth, ----- o| gF, ' Glauber's fair, - - - - - 64 The iron might as well be diflblved in the car- bonic acid, as in the fulphurated hydrogin ; but I pafs over the remarks that might be made on the proportions of the conftituent parts, in which, as the author himfelf fays, the analyfis could not be exa(51:. It is enough that he has contributed fomething to this object, for which he defervesi the thanks of the world. CHAR JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 2^75 CHAP. XXV. From Caldas to Coim^ra, through Alcobafq, and Batalka. Vv E fet off from Caldas for San Martinho, % fmali market-town (villa) two leagues from Caldas^ over low hills, and through a fandy country, and pine-woods. Clofe to the fea, rife hills confifting of fand-ftone and lime-ltone with a fmall quan- tity of gypfum. Between thefe is the narrow enr trance into the harbour, which is a pretty large, almoft completely round bafin, which has a very fine appearance, but only fmall fliips can enter, and we counted but three two-mafted vefTels. Moll of the inhabitants are fupported by the fiiliery, and carry on a coafting trade. To the eaftward of San Martinho, a chain of fand-ftone hills runs parallel to the fea. The fummits and weftern declivities are naked, but the eaftern fides are covered with frequent and confiderable pine-woods. The country alfo be- comes more mountainous. At the northern ex- tremity, concealed in a valley, fo that it can only be feen on a very near approach, is the rich Ber- nardine monaftery of Alcobaqa, together widi a market-town. This monaftery was founded in 1 148, by the firft king of Portugal, Dom xA.ffonfo T 3 Henri- Q>y6 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. Henriquez *, who was fo partial to it, that it be- came the richeft monaftery in the country. The church is large and built in the gothic tafte, which is called the new normannogothic. Thofe who defire a defcription of it may refer to Murphy*s travels through Porfjgal, who, being an architedl, 'was qualified to form an adequate judgment of it ; but I muft confefs that owing to the magnitude of our gothic-built german churches, it ftruck tne lefs than him, as a whole. A number of curi- bfities (but of no great importance) were there fliown us. I was only ftruck with fome articles made of the firft gold from Brafil, and an excel- lent black fculptured marble from Porto de Moz. The monaftery is a lar^e fimple well-built pile, and the apartments have the air rather of a palace than of a monaftery. The once celebrated ar- chives were taken away by tlie fpaniards, when they conquered Portugal, and carried to the Ef- curial. The library is far from bad, and among the books pointed out to us were the Encyclopedie par ordre des matieres, the Defcription des arts et des metiers, and many other new french works relating to natural hiftory. We alfo faw here a magnificent copy of the englilh tranflation of Camoens's Lufiad, which vvasprefented by lady Bute * The termination ez is a patronymic of like fignificaiioii V'ith the Sclavonick vic%: thus Henrique is Henry, Henri- quezHcnry's fon. The portugueze fay Aflbnfo, not Alfunfo. to JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL^ 277 to this and other inftitutions in various parts of Spain and Portugal, as a token of remembrance. In fhoft this library did not at all refemble moft German monallic libraries, and a new and excel- lent apartment is now preparing for its reception* When thefe circumtlances are compared with thofe related by Murphy, a great difference will appear ; but that writer perhaps did not take the trouble of examining into the real ftate of the library. If Murphy were inclined to enter fo mi- nutely into a defcription of the interior, the mag- nificent kitchen, which is one of the finefl: that can be feen, afforded him fufficient opportunity. He found the farmers here in a very thriving way^ faw a number of the poor daily fed by the monaftery, and aflcs whether any rich individual in any part of the world fo liberally affifts his indigent neighbours. In this too I muff contra- di6l him. Thofe who are under this monaftery are much oppreffed by excefiive taxes, and po- verty affames the place of abundance. The giving alms is a miferable compenfation for making men poor. Here alfo he might have invefligated his fubjedl much better. Alcobaqa is a very confiderable market-town or villa, and carries on various manufadlories, the oldeft of which is in the monaftery, where Pombal cftablifhed it, probably in order to turn the mo- naftery lo fome account. Cambrics and other T 3 fine 1^8 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAI,. fine linen manufaftures are made here, but thi^ woollen manufactory is more important, as alfo one for fpinning wool, belonging to Mefirs. Guillot, natives of France. That part of it which can be done by machiner)'^ is fo performed, fuch as carding, fpinning, &c. and the ingenious con- ftril^Vion of thefe various machines excites gene- ral admiration. This manufadlory enjoys a good fale, although woollens are alfo made in Lifbon, and a fpinning manufactory is eftablifhed at Ta- trlar. The Guillots are a refpedlable lioufe, both ' here and at Lilbon. The common people have a great talent for fine delicate works ; and imitate with the greateft accuracy. We faw here extremely fine thread, fpun at Santarem, which M. Guillot Diowed us as extraordinary in its kind. Alcobaqa is furrounded by mountains. To the fouth-wefi, and to the northward, fand-ftone mountains prefs clofe round it. To the weftward rifes a high naked range of mountains, which for a conli^erable diftance runs parallel with the coaft, being conne6tedj though by detached ridges, with Monte junto to the fouth-eaft, and Loufao to the north-eaft. A part of this range is called .Porto de Moz, and affords excellent marble. The country however round Alcoba^a is cheerful, containing much coppice and meadows, and be- ing alfo far cooler than the flat lands to thejouth- ward. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 279 Ward. AVe found here a few northern plants^ which feldom occur in other parts of thid king- dom ; as for inftance ferratula arvenfis *, lychnis fios-cuculi -j^, &c. From Alcobaqa to Batalha, a diftarice of three leagues, we approached the chain of mountains to the eaftward, where they become higher, more crowded together, and in many parts covered with pines. Here iiril appears a fine fpecies of heath {erica cincrea) not feen in the fouth of Portugal^ but extremely abundant in the north. We now came to a marl^et-town (villa) called Aljubarota* on the long flat fummit 9f a mountain. It is a pretty large place, but conflfts entirely of very fmall houfes. Here, in 1386, John I. gained a great vidlory over the fpaniards, by which he maintained himfelf on the throne. He was a na- tural fon of Dom Pedro his predeceflbr ; for Doni Fernando the laft king having only left a daughter who married the king of Caftile, this was fuffi- cient ground for a jealous king of that country to make war with Portugal. It was this battle that, together with that of Campo de Ourique, efta- blifhed the independence of Portugal. Camoens, in the fourth Canto of the Lufiad, minutely de- fcribes this battle in beautiful and truly pi6lu- refque language. Nuno Alvarez Pereira diftin- * Corn faw-wort or way-thiftlc. t Cuckoo-flower lychnis, commonly called ragged-robin. T. T 4 guilhed 2?0 JOtJRNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. guifhed himfelf in it, having previoufly engaged thre great men of his country to fupport their new king. In memory of this vi(9:ory, his majefl-y founded the monaftery and church da Batalka, but at fome diftance from the field of battle, that it might enjoy a convenient lituation and plenty of water. The mountains near this monafterv are indeed lower, but it is fo much concealed between hills that we did not perceive it till we approached very near. The lingularly-built and open tranfpa- rent tower ftrikes the eye, and pleafes by its noble proportions. Murphy fpeaks much at large of this church, which is a mafter-piece in its kind ; and, as he is an architect, I fhall not decide after him. No one can deny that on the whole a nobler and better tafte reigns through the pile, than could be expedted in the age when it was built; but the quantity of ornament deftroyed this impref- lion, at leaft in me. Murphy praifes it for not being overloaded with ornament; but I cannot conceive how this can be faid of a building, where both pillars and arches are covered with carved w^ork. It is true, that on a narrow infpec- tion this is executed in a light and tafty manner, but ftill it is mifplaccd. Murphy adds that the church is built of white marble ; but an architect ought at leaft to know fo much of mineralogy, as ,. to JOURiTET THROtT;fi'PORTOGAI,. 28 f to perceive that it is not marble, -but a calcareous fpeciesof fand-ftone. This' kind of ftone' appears in all parts~of the furrounding mountains ; while marble is not found for a confiderable diftance. Belides the edifice is unfinifhed. Under the pre- fent Queen, who is a great friend to all churches and monafteries, it was in agitation to complete it, but the undertaking was too expenfive. •tciii'^' This monafteryis inhabited by Dominicans, and is rather poor than rich. The abbot was a polite friendly man, but wholly deftitute of fci- cnce, and a mere monk. It is furrounded by a fmall villa, to which Lima afligns 600 houfes ; a number which certainly exceeds the truth. Toward Leiria, the hills are ftill lower, con- lifting of fand-ftone, and bearing olive-trees. At the foot of them, on a plain between the. fmall rivers called Liz and Lena, and two leagues from Batalha, is the city of Leiria with its fuburbs. The number of houfes does not amount to much more than icoo ; but there are fome neat houfes, and many perfons of eafy fortune relide there. It is a very old city, was formerly much celebra- ted, and though it has confiderably diminifhed lince the year 141 7, it ftill continues the capital of a Corregimento, and the feat of a corregedor and bifhop. It conlifts of two parifhes, and con- tains four religious houfes. On a hill is a once much-celebrated caftle, and the city has been the refidence fttdi JOUHnEY THUOUGH tORfUGAt* telidence of" foitie of the kings, cfpecially of thtf Vrife Dom Diniz, whofe palace ftill cxifts. The* futrounding country is pleafaht, the valley fertile and well cultivated, and old venerable pine-woods adorn the hills. Near Leiria, a gerinan named Sperling, had at that time eftabliihed a manufactory, for bleaching with hyperoxygenated muriatic acid. He fhowed rae many proceffes, but would not permit me to fee the moft important, as he aflerted he had ioltroduced new methods. He declared that the war forced him to leave off buiinefs, which I am informed he has lince done. Perhaps he had fallen into the error of many manufadlurers, that of beginning with too fmall a capital. He told us he was once in danger of falling into the hands of the inqui- lition, having with german vivacity often bowed to the fun that he might favour his procefs, which was reprefented to the bilhop as idolatry: the bifhop, however, Dom Manuel de Aguiar, was too rational to adopt this opinion, and therefore accepted his explanation. The wife king Dom Diniz, the law-giver of Portugal, who favoured agriculture and manu- fadtures in a manner then unprecedented, ordered even in the thirteenth century a pine-wood to be planted at no great diftance from Leiria, which Hill continues, and fiipplies the glafs-houfe of Marinha grandc with a great quantity of wood. A JOURNEY Tri^ROUGfl PORTUGAL. ^83 A Mr. Stephens, an engUfhman, is the ntjafter of this manufa<5^ory, which is iitconteftably the largeft in the kingdom and the only one of its kind. The glafs is very good, though it does not poflefs all the luftre of the engliih glafs. This manufadlory fupplies a great part of the kingdom, foreign glafs being at prefent fubjedl to high du^ ties, though •a, great quantity is ftill imported from Bohemia. Formerly, liowever, this tradt Was far more coniiderable, and drew many ger* mans into the country. Mr. Stephens has built himfelf a palace, made roads, cultivated and peopled the furrounding country, and planted new woods ; in fhort, he is the Mango Capac of the place. Here we had an opportunity of feeing a bull- fight (as did Mr. Murphy', to which the inha- bitants of the furrounding country came, and the fpe^lators filled the houfes and benches, round the fpacious fquare where it was exliibited. The fight was here far more dangerous than at Lifbon Before the bull was let out, a number of perfons in malki, merry andrews and dilettanti, appeared in the fquare, which only a part of them quitted when the beaft came out, the reft taking a plea- fure in provoking and irritating him. It happened not unfrequenrly that thefe inexperienced and imikilful combatants were leized and feverely hurt by the bull, who however had knobs upon his 484 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL* his horns. One of them was tofled over the bull's back, and another, who had made himfelf a large belly, was caught juft as he was going over the baluftrade by the bull, who gave him feveral fe- vere thrnfts, but he was fortunately helped over the fence quick enough to fave him. At one part, however, were once no baloftrades ; here, before the paiTage through a houfe, flood a num- ber of.peafants with no other defence than club- ilicks, with which, if the bull approached, they all fell upon him, crying aloud, and thus with the pro- vocations of the combatants generally made hini retreat. Once however a bull made a defperata attack on this crowd, threw them all into con- fulion, and would have certainly done great mif* chief, had he not been frightened by the attack of the Capinhos, and probably the cries and confu- lion of the people tumbling over each other, by which he gave them an opportunity of efcaping through the houfe. Some of them however re- ceived confiderable hurts. If the bull falls, every one rufhes upon him, and they difpatch him by all poffible means. The cowardly condu6l of the populace, who took a pleafure in tormenting the dying animal, was truly Ihocking ; they jumped upon him, beat him, and one fellow irritated his wounds with a prickly aloe leaf; at which I felt fo much indignation that I almoft rejoiced, when one of the beafts fprung up and furioufly attacked his JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 285 his tormentors. In fhort, the bull-fights of the 'provinces appeared to me incomparably more in- jurious than in the capital, and I often refiedt that the love of pleafure ftupifies the people, and -renders them infenfible to every other feeling. ' 'Barren heaths covered with ratchil, and here .and there with pine-woods, continue as far as Pom- *bal.' During thefe five leagues we did not fee a fingle village, and only a few detached houfes ; but were much furprifed at finding in fome parts a good road, which is a fi:riking and a novel fight that always reminds the traveller of the name of Pombal, The market-tovn (villa) of Pombal, contains fome neut houfes, and is firuated on the bank of a river in a well- cultivated and very cheer- ful country. A capuchin church with a very ce- lebrated miraculous pi(51:ure of the virgin, the ruins of an old cafi:le on a hill, and the palace of the famous marquis of Pombal, which is a neat but not a fl:riking edifice, are the principal objedts that deferve notice. Here the marquis of Pombal ended his days, as it were in banifhment. Of the travels of the Duke de Chatelet, which do not Ihew much knowledge either of the country, the nation, the language, or indeed of any thing elfe, the author's vifit to Pombal, where he fpeaks of that fallen minifi:cr, forms the mod interefting part. The marquis is (till called by the common people o gran marques, a phrafe %tS JOURNEY THROUGH PORTU-GAlr. phrafe alfo ufed folely by fome foreign, merchants, not englifli, while every one elfe expreffed the greateft hatred for his memory. The rich fpeak of Pombal's reign as a fyftem of terror, during which, when the miniOer's approach was announc- ed at a diftance, every window and door was fhut. It is not to be doubted that he was a minifter who wifhed the good of the country for the fake of bis own reputation; but it alfo can- not be denied, that he fcldom employed the bt-ft means of accomplifhing that end. Of this the miferable remains of his hat manufa(5lory at Pom- bal is an inftance, while another at Braga has a confiderable fale. But how was it poffible that a manufactory fhould fucceed in this unpeopled country, where agriculture requires all the hands that can be found, and even more ? and why did Pombal never beftow his attention on roads, bridges, and canals, excepting for a few yards round the-town of his name ? Whence thofe tri- fling provocations of the priefthood, which con- tributed nothing to enlighten tlie people, and pro- cured him implacable enemies ? At hrft he was defirous of eftablifning manufa(9:ures everywhere, .then changed his object to agriculture, and then to the fifhery ; in iliort he began every thing jvt the wrong end. Ever defpotic, proud, apd cruel, he never attained the object of his improvements, And even the common people, whom he favoured now JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, 287 BOW and then, no longer remember him with the feeling of love, but on the contrary rejoice at his fall. Such is the refult of the converfations I have held relative to him with many of the por* tugueze of various ranks. But nothing gives probability to the idea, which Mr. Jungk I believe firft pubhfhed among lis, that he himfelf formed a plot againft the king's life, in order to facrifice a part of the nobility to his refentment. This idea certainly prevailed, was feized with avidity by the nobility and clergy, and the queen herfelf who believed it bufied her- felf in her delirium with the innocence of thofe who had been condemned. But had this fufpicion been founded, there would have been no delay in reftoring every-thing to its former ftate. Nothing kowever was done to remove this difgrace from the memory of the condemned, though a fon of the duke of Aveiro lives in retirement, and the fon of the marquis of Pombal in great ftyle at Lifbon. I have been told by very credible per- fons, that after a revifion of the proceedings, it \vas found beft to leave this affair in peace. The column of difgrace on the fite of the houfe of the duke of Aveiro at Belem ftill remains, though fome fhops have been ered^ed befide it to hide the in- fcription ; a jufb fymbol of the conduct of the nation on this fubje(5l, for what they cannot alter |hey ftrive to conceal. Similar 288 JOURNET THROUGH PORTUGAL. Similar hills to thofe from Leiria to Pombal continue from thence to Condeixa, though not fo entirely barren, and better cultivated. We alfo came to a market town called iVtouguia, a place of fome conlideration, but conlifting of fmall houfes. At length we approached the high naked mountains to the eaftward, which extend hither, and confift of a whitifh-grey limeftone. In fome parts is found red iron-ore, which might be very "well fmelted into iron. On this road we quitted the province of Eftremadura and entered that of Beira. Condeixa, which is five leagues from Pombal, is lituated near that chain of mountains in a very pleafant and cultivated country. The place itfelf is larger than Pombal, gay and lively, and many perfons of rank refide there. The oranges of Condeixa are celebrated for their excellence and cheapnefs, and it is called a fruit- bafket; a plea- ling name for a pleafing place. The young women here appeared extremely beautiful and freer than they generally are in fmall portugueze towns, the caufe of which may be the vicinity of the ftudents of Coimbra. Here alfo the ancient Colibria or Colimbria, from which Coimbra took its name, is faid to have flood. A fertile hilly country watered by brooks, well peopled and cultivated, continues as far as Coim* bra, which is but two leagues from Condeixa. CHAP. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 289 CHAP. xxvr. Coimlra. The univerjity. Caufes of the Lackwardnefs of portugucxe literature, v^OIMBRA, like almofl all great cities in Por- tugal, Is built on the declivity of a hill, which in this inftance is confiderably fteep ; only a fmall part of the town being lituated on the plain. The Mondego in its wide bed winds along in front clofe to the hill, and over it is a long ftone bridge. The traveller does not perceive the town till he defcends into the valley ; but then it forms a fine and furprifing view, in the raidft of a charming country, which it adorns with innumerable mo- nafteries and churches, along the declivity of the mountain. But he has no fooner entered Coimbra than all his expc6lations are reverfed : for the ftreets are extremely narrow, crooked, and full of angles, ill-paved, very dirty, and frequently fo fteep that it is difficult to climb them. There is a fingle broad ftreet on the plain ; but even that is not inhabited by the rich, becaufe it is deemed unhealthy in fummcr. The Mondego fwells in winter, overflows its banks, and in fummer leaves marfhes, which, as in all hot countries, produce unwholefome vapours. There is not a fmgle open U phicc 290 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. place in the whole town, nor any promenade, but fuch as nature offers. The great quinta of the Auguftines is alone ufed as fuch, and thofe who wifh to fee indian laurels from Goa (laurus indica) in their greareft perfedlion, Ihould vifit this fpot. But this is not all. In no large town throughout Portugal are the inns fo bad, ftrangers being- lodged in wretched apartments with miferable beds, and food, the drefling of which requires the appetite of a herborlfer to overcome. Hence perhaps it is, tha.t all travellers hurry through this place, obferve it but curforlly, and give little or ho information relative to its very celebrated vmiverlity. The farther northward the traveller proceeds, the better difpofed and more indullrious are the common people, and robberies and thefts are here rery uncommon. Neither fex however is beautiful; and the female far from pleafing, compared with their neighbours of Condeixa. The lower claifes of women wear on their heads a long black cloth, as in feme german towns, for inftance, Hildefheim, or refembling the fpaniili mantilla, but without the neat border and de- coration of crape or Vandykes of the latter. Coimbra is a very old city, and had fufFered many lieges, previous to the time when Count Henriquez took pofieflion of Portugal. Tlie towels and walls ftill remain ; but in other refpe(5ls the JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. Ipl the place is quite open. Since the year 141 9, Coimbra has declined. It is however the fee of a bifhop, who is always count of Arganil, not only m name but in reality ; alfo of a corregedor, a provedor, and a juiz de fora. Ir confifts of fomc- thing more than 3000 houfes, being divided into eight parifhes, and has no lefs than eight monafte- ries and eighteen endowments. The mofl: important objec^l at Coimbra, is the univerfity founded at Llfbon by Dom Diniz in 1 291 , but transferred hither after a period of fix- teen years. It was afterwards again removed to Lifbon ; but in 1537, J^^^ ^^^ again transferred it to Coimbra, where it has remained. Under Pom- bal its regulations were conliderably altered, and certainly much to its advantage. But regulations are not all, and will not fupply the want of an ani- mating fpirit ; for where that falls, the fcience* cannot flourifli. They require liberal funds, en- couragement, and a juft efirimation of their im- portant ufes ; means whereby an inferior confti- tution will produce more efFedl, than the beft regulations in the world. But as the ftate of this univerfity is little known, I fhall here fpeak of it more at large. This univerfity is under the government of a re(^or (reytor) nominated by tlie king, but not from among the members of the academy. He is u 2 generally 29» JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. generally a prieft, and from this office is promoted to be a bifhop ; being only appointed for three years, but after the expiration of that period, almoft always continued till another promotion. Above him is the reformator, but both thefq offi- ces are united in Dom Francifco Rafael de Caftro. The redlor prefides in the concelho dos decanos, conlifting of the dean of faculty, two fifcals (fyndicos), viz. the confervador and ouvidor, and the fecretary; which council has jurifdid:ion over every thing relating to the academy. All tranfacftions relative to the money and property of this very rich univerfity belong to an auxiliary council of finance, called Junta da fazenda, con- lifting of three deputies, viz. a profcflbr of theo- logy, a profeffor of law, and the profeflbr of cal- culation, befides the treafurer and a clerk. To iiipply the place of the re6lor in cafe of need, a viceredlor is alfo appointed. The chancellor of the univerfity is the principal fuperintendant in matters of learning. He confers the degrees at all promotions, and prefides at the examinations of ftudents. This place belongs to the prior, and chief of the auguftine canons regular at Coimbra. It is impoffible to refufe our appro- bation to thefe regulations; but this fuperinten- dance of a monk, efpecially of an individual, over the mode of inftruction, is very ftriking to a german, JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 293 german, nor can we wonder, that thofe who might accompliih much do nothing. The number of degrees is twice as great as wiiii us ; and it is a very wife meafure to divide the vaft field of philofophy into feveral departments, even fhould the portugueze claffification not merit our approbation. It is as follows; i. theology with eight feats or chairs (cadeiras) ; 2. canon law with nine ; 3. jurifprudence with eight ; 4. medicine with iix : 5. mathematics with four; and 6. philo- fophy with four. In the latter we muft not expect to find logic, metaphyfics, and fimilar fl-udies, which are never thought of at Coimbra ; the four feats being occupied by a profefiTor of zoology and mineragoly, one of experimental philofophy, one of chemiftry, and one of botany and economy. Of all the fciences properly philofophical, the law of nature alone is taught by a profejfor canomnn. The profeflbrs are called lertes from ler, to read, the word profefibr fignifying a fchoolmafter ; and, befides the ordinary lecSturers, as with us in Ger- many, there are lertes Jublliiutos and demo njir adores in the branches where any thing is to be demon- ftrated. The lediures do not as with us continue only half the year, but longer, ;'nd only one conrfc is gone through in the year. They begin in autumn, and, after the conclulion of the lefTion in the month of u 3 May, 2-94 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. May, follow the public examinations, to which every one muft fubmit, till the month of July ; . after which follow about three months of vacation. The public examinations, lince the time of Pom- bal, have been in portugueze, and muft be very fevere, for many of the ftudents have run away from them through fear. The lectures alio are in portugueze, and in other refpedls refemble ours, except that they^are not paid for. Every ftudent, whether in theology, jurifpradence, or medicine, muft ftudy here a certain number of years, attend certain ledlures, and perform his annual exami- nations, before he can hold a place or exercife his profefiion. The time appointed for phylicians is five years, but this is not neceftary ; for only thofe take a doctor's degree, who would become tutors at the univerfity, in which cafe they muft difpute publickly, but write no inaugural diiTer- tation. Hence the title of do6tor is uncommon, but therefore very honourable. Bachelors and mafters of arts are now fcarceJy ever made. Theological ftudents mayalfo purfue their ft udies in other parts, as for inftance at Evora and in vari- ous monafteries, but with them little depends on the fciences, Profeftbrs of law muft all go to Coimbra, and as there is a juiz de fora in the fmalleft towns the number is very great. All phyftcians and furgeons muft there go through a courfe i for we germans are ftili far behind the portugueze^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTU-GAL. 295 portugueze, where the furgeon, the bleeder and cupper, and the barber, are three very different perfons. Under fiich circnmftances, the number of iludents cannot be fmall : we were told it exceeded 800, which is certainly fomewhat lefs than that related in fome portugueze books, which fpeak of them as amounting to 2000, and fome to 8000. Both the ftudents and the tutors wear a long black plain cloak, Vv'ithout fleeves, bound behind with bands, and adorned before from the neck to the foot with two rows of buttons let on very thick. Over this is another long black cloak, with fleeves exadlly limilar to that of protcftant priefts in Germany, Every one carries a fmall black cloth bag in his hand, in which are his handkerchief, fnufFbox, &c. as their drefs has no other pockets. The fl:udents always go bare- headed, even in the burning heat of the fun ; the tutors and graduates only wearing a black cap. The cloth ufed being very thin, this black drefs muft be extremely inconvenient in fummer ; but neither rank, nor age, nor bulinefs can excufe them from wearing it. For whoever is leen in the town without it is fined for the firft offence, and afterwards imprifoned. Hence the flrcets are con- flantly full of men with thefe black drefles, which gives the town a melancholy and monkilli appear- ance. Pombal wifhed to abrogate this cuilom, u 4 but 296 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. but it was reprefented to him that much expenfe was thereby faved in drefs, which indeed here cofts a mere trifle. The tutors and ftudents live as with us in private houfes, not as in many old univerfi- ties, and even in England, in one building. Various public inftitutions now occupy the buildings of the ancient college of the jefuits, which Pombal gave to the univerlity. It is litu- ated like all the other univerfity-buildings in the highefl: part of the town. The mufeum is inconfide- rable, containing but few remarkable fpecimens, which Vandelii when he fuperintende d this inftitution entirely arranged, even the minerals, according to the linnean fvftem. But the collec- tion of philofophical inftruments is good and confiderable, including many entirely Hew, efpecially from England. Thofe made in Portugal are chiefly of very fine brafil-wood, adorned with gilding, and fo arranged, that this colleftion is one of the moft brilliant of its kind. In mechanics it is very rich, but extremely poor in eleftrical apparatus. 1'he chemical laboratory, is alfo very good, capacious and light, and, befldes the ob- jedls generally found in fuch eftablifliments, there is a pneumatic apparatus, and a collc6l:ion of chemical preparations according to the new nor menclature. This building alio contains a collec- tion of chirurgical mftruments. The public library fills a fmall church, the in- terior of which is very little altered ; but it is not eafy JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 297 cafy to judge of a library without ftudying the catalogue. The number of volumes is confidera- ble ; and from the defcription of the profeflbr of botany, Brotero, it feems not to be deficient even in new works. Accordingly it is much vilited. and ufed by the ftudents. The obfervatory is well built in an excellent lituation, in the upper part of the town, and is very convenient and neatly arranged. It only wants inllruments. The botanic garden is not very large, and the green-houfe is fmall ; but through the induftry of jts fuperintendant, the profeflTor of botany Dom Fel'iz de i\vellar Brotero, is excellendy regulated. This garden is without con-iparifon more inte- refting than the royal botanic garden at Lilbon. Befide every plant is a ftick bearing its name, as in the garden of Paris, and at firft light the fpec- tator mightalmoft imagine he is viewing its counter- part. Befides many exotics, there is a confidera- ble collection of plants indigenous in Portugal, on which this excellent fuperintendant has made a number of very important botanical remarks, and no botanill can vilit it witliout inftruclion. In fhort the various inftitutions of the univer- fity of Coimbra are far from bad. It far excels tJic fpaniih univerfities, not excepting that of tSalamanca, if I may judge from what I have heard, both in Spain and Portugal, from the beft 298 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. beft judges. There arc indeed -very many univer- fities in Germany, which in this refpe^l are far inferior to this their portugueze lifter, whom they defpife. I became acquainted with various profeflbrs, but could not judge of the abilities of thofe em- ployed on different branches of fcience from myfelf. I have found among them feveral clear- headed, quick- lighted men, whole portugueze politenefs rendered them ftill more amiable. They were acquainted with both french and englifh lite- rature, but to know german was too much to expe6l even from an englifhman or a frenchman. In the library of friar Joaquim de Santa Clara, a benedidtine, a profelTor of theology, and a pleafant Ihrewd man, the german literature con- cluded with 1730. I could have wifhed I had been a univerfalift, in order to become more intimately acquainted with this gentleman. Dom Feliz de Avellar Brotero, profcfTor of botanv, became my particular friend. He polTelTes great botanical knowledge, has become acquaint- ed with the plants of Portugal by trav^elling through the country, and tranfplanted a great part of them into the botanical gar^Jen ; lo that I feldom afked him a queftion without receiving a fatisfa<51:ory anfwer. I Ihould be unjuft to this gentleman, if I did not clafs him with the bell; botanifts I pcrfonally know, (for without that it is JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 299 is impoffiblc to judge of a botanilt) whether ger- mans or others ; his botany indeed is more deeply ingrafted la him than in men of far greater name*, who can only anfwer in a true german way from their folios, or only know the orders, genera, and fpecies, and then publilTi a book. Broterd's introduction to botany, written in porrugueze*, Ihows equal knowledge and more fkill in feizing new objedls, than all our german introdu61:ory works of that clafs. He is alfo acquainted with the writers of Germany and reads our Hedwig ; but then he has ftudied eight years at Paris, and was not brought up at the univerlity of Coimbra ; for which he is upbraided by his colleagues. He is alfo afflicted with hypochondria, which, together with vexation and dilappointment, robs this otherwife active men of his powers. Vandelli removed him from Lilbon, becaufe he poflefled too much knowledge, and procured a place, far better adapted to bim, for the ignorant Dora Alexandre. I ftill retleCt with plcafure on our botanical excurfions at Coimbra, where we had fcarcely converfed with him half an hour and fhown iiim our colle6lion of plants, when he * It is entitled Compendio de Botanica (jU uogoes elemen- tares defta fciencia, fegundo os raelhoivs elcritorf.^; modernos, cxpoftas 11a lingua portugueza 3 por Fcliii Avcilar Broteio. Paris r/S;, 2 vols. 8vo. 471 and 411 pp. The auUior ^va» Jilil iit Palis wliea he wrote tliis work. immc J lately 300 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. immediately propofed a botanical walk. It was a pleafure to fee and to feel our mutual and unex- pected friendiTiip and efteem daily increafe. I have lince heard that my friend iis recalled to T.ifbon, and that the Conde de Caparica has again placed him in an adlive lituation, and given him encou- ragement. The profeflbr of phyfic, Dom Conftantino Bo- felho de Lacerda Lobo, is no Brotero. He talks much more, but is fuperficial, and has a very moderate degree of fcientific knowledge. On the other hand he labours much, and not without fuccefs, in ceconomics. In Portugal, this and iimilar branches of fcience are moil attended to, becaufe tliey promife immediate profit ; but the mufes love not venal fouls. Dom Thome Rodriguez Sobral, the chemical profefTor, and a very clever man, is acquainted with the french improvements in this branch, teaches chemiftry according to the new nomencla- ture which he has translated into Dortuo-ueze, and is about to publiCh a chemical manual, which was much wanted in this country. I doubt not it will anfwer his purpofe. In fhort, there is no want of perfons acquainted .with the prefent ilate of literature, or of heads capable of improving it ; but there is perhaps a fcarcity of profoundly learned men, who purfue the fciences for their own fakes. Why then doe this JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 30! this univerlity generally efFedt fo little ? The anfwer is obvious ; that where works muft be prin- ted at the expenfe of the author, without any profpedl of a recompenfe, or where he can only procure them to be printed at the expenfe of the crown with great labour and difficulty, there can be no writers. But it will be afked perhaps how it happens that the fciences are fo little loved, that the fale will not pay the expenfes of a work ? A ftri<5l cenforfliip of the prefs, and the inqui- iition which is ftill the terror of learned men, are certainly lufficient motives for keeping "down all fpirit of cnterprife, and as all the fciences are con- nected together, they fliare each other's fate. Had not men colledted infcriptioiis from old monu- ments, mofs would not no v be fought there, nor would Dr. Black have difcovered oxygen gas, had he not doubted the categories as well as the ele- ments of the Stagirite. CHAP. 302 JOURNEY THROUGH TORTUGAL. CHAP. XXVII. The Country round Coimlra. Inez de Cajiro. Agricultural Economy. 1 HE country round Coimbra is uncommonly beautiful, and though mountainous extremely well cultivated. The mountains are covered with fmall pine-woor]s and even german oaks, the ral- lies watered by brooks, and full of gardens, quin- tas, neat fummer-houfes, and even monafteries, and adorned with olive-trees, orange-trees, and the beautiful portugueze cyprefs in abundance. The Mondego winds before the city ; and on both lides of it is a narrow and very fruitful vale, which this rapid ftream inundates in winter. In the dif- tance on one fide are feen the high mountains of Loufao ; and on the other the high mountain of BuiTaco, whofe folitary lummit is adorned with a celebrated monaftery of Carmelites, and its quinta with high fhady cypreiles. Thole to whom the afcent is not too laborious, will here find the richeft variety. Oppofite to Coimbra, on the bank of the river, is the ^mta das laif^r'mas, or garden of tears, with a fountain of the fame name, which rifes at the foot of a hill fhaded by fine portugueze cyprefles. Tradition fays that Dona Inez de Caf- tro lived there, and was there murdered. This lady, a who JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 303 who was a caftillan by birth, Dom Pedro fon and heir apparent to Alphonfo IV. loved, and is faid to have fecrotly married, at Braganza. He gave her this fpot for her refidence, frequently vi- iited her, and fhe bore him three fons and a daughter. The paffion of the prince at length tranfpired; and his enraged father, iniligated by his courtiers, came fuddenly, while the prince was hunting, from Montemor o velho, not far from Coimbra, where he happened to Itop, and cauled lier to be murdered. When Dom Pedro came to the throne, he gave orders ta disinter the dbjs Kos faudofos campos do Mondego, De teus formofos olhos nunca enxuto, Aos montes enlinando, e as ervinhas> . O norac, que no pcito efcrito tinhas. " Do tcu principe alii te refpondiam As lembrangas, que na alma Ihe moravam, Que fempre ante feus olhos te traziam, Quando dos teus formoibs fe apartavam, De noite em doces fonhos que mentiam, De dia era penfamentos que voavam j E quanto em fim cuidava, e quanta via, £ram tudo memorias de alegria." " Thou, O nymph, the while. Prophetic of the. god's unpitying guilc, la tender fcenes by love-lick fancy wrought. By fear oft fhifted, as by fancy brought. In fweet Mondego's ever-verdant bowers, Languifh'd away the flow and lonely hours : While now, as terror wak'd thv boJiig fears. The confcious ftream receiv'd thy peariy tears j And now, as hope reviv'd the brighter flame. Each echo figh'd tliy princely lover's name. Nor lefs could abfence from thy prince romove The dear remembrance of his diftant love : Thy looks, thy I'miles, before him ever glow. And o'er his melting heart endearing flow t X B,f 3C56 JOUUNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. T*r ' ^7 night liis flumbers bring thee to bis arms. By day his thoughts llill wander o'er thy charms : By night, by day, each thought thy loves employ, Each thought the memory or the hope of joy." Mickle's Lufiad. But it is difficult to convey an idea of the beau- ties of the original, and of the elegant language in which it is written. The three different terms to exprefs the charrns of perfon, all fonorous and plealing to the ear, add richnefs to the defcription. How elegantly does Undo exprefs beauty of a fofter kind, ledo a gayer fpecies, TSi^ formofo the general idea handfome ! and who can convey in a lingle word the fenfe of faudofo, which lignifies heart- a-wakening, or who can tranflate with equal force thefe two lines of the above paffage, which are not inferior to Virgil's Te dulcis conjux, &c. and can only be truly felt in the original. *' De nolte em doces fonhos que mentiam, De dia em penfamentos que voavam." Surely thofe who do not clafs Camoens with the firft of poets, know neither that author nor the language in which he wrote*. * Mr. Jungk^ in the preface to his portugueze grammar, has tranflated tlie whole epifode of Inez dc Caftro in order to criticize it ; but, after finding a {qw faults, he confcflcs it contains many graces, as he expreffcs Iiimfelf. That is, Mr Jungk cenfures every thing that is portugueze without ex- ception. His translation, however, is by no means faultlcfsj and, which is particularly ftriking, he has tranflated the ar- ticle o, at the begii;ning, by the interjection O ! "♦ " I have , JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 3^7 t have already fometltnes mentioned the portu- l^uezc cyprefs [cuprejfus lufitanica I'Heritier), but I muft fay fomething more of this moft beautiful tree, which is fo little known in Germany. It was firfl brought from the high mountains near Goa, to Buflaco, where it ftill grows in abun- dance in the quinta of the monaftery. It is now found otily in the middle and cooler parts of Por- tugal. Round Liil)OH it is fcarce and fmall, and in the fouth of Portugal unknown, but on the other hand, the more common pyramidal, and far lefs beautiful cyprefs there abounds^ The portu- gueze cyprefs fucceeds in England and France far better than the common, and the fmall plants of it, which I have brought with me from thence, thrive very well here in Mecklenburg. Moft of the pine-wood trees, notwithftanding their beau- tiful foliage, have a ftifF form which at length fatigues the eye ; and I only know two varieties that unite this advantage with an eafy growth, like our wide-leaved trees ; the cedar of Lebanon and the portugueze cyprefs. My readers, who have feen the majeftic cedars of Lebanon in the botanic garden at Paris, will not deny me their afTent relative to the beauty of this tree. The portugueze cyprefs refembles thefe fo much in its growth, that the firft high cypreffes I law of this kind at Alcobaqa I miilook at a diilance for cedars of Lebanon. X 2 The 3P8 JOURNEY THROUGH I»OftTUGAL. The mountains round Coimbra conllft partly of a coarfe-grained fand-ftone, alternated ivith a grey lime-ftone. At a drftance began high flate-moun- tains, and here alfo a yellowifh grey argillaceous Hate changes to a fand-flate, and this to a mica^ flate, which ends in a granite. The flora of this part is uncommonly beautiful. On the flate- mountains grow the plants of Entre-Douro-e- Minho, the majeftic antirrhinum triornithophorum, the cynoglojfum lujitanicum * Tournef, and the fmall Sibthorpia europea -j~ covers the rocks and walls. In the pine-woods and fand-mountains are found the plants of the portugueze heaths, and on the lime-ftone- mountains an abundance of orchides, and of the plants of the Serra da Arrabida. When we came to the oak-woods, we fancied ourfelves in the fmaller forefts of Germany. The land is well cultivated ; better than elfe- where, except in Minho. Much oil in particular is produced here. The olive-tree, indeed, is very common all over Portugal, from the northern frontier-mountains of the ferra de Gorez to Al- garvia, but moft abounds in thefe midland parts, where the traveller may fometimes purfue his way during whole days without feeing any other tree. There are feveral varieties of it ; but in general tlie portugueze oil is better than tJiat of Spain, * Portuguese hound's tongue, f Baftard raoney-wort. though JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 309 though the olives are fmaller. The olive-tree is planted by fets {tancboSs)^ or it is grafted on the wild olive (azambujeiro), which is by no means fcarce in many parts of Portugal. The latter me- thod affords a more durable ftem. The fets arc cut off from old trees in autumn, from which time they are kept in moifl earth, and are fet from the beginning of January to the end of April, according to the fituation of the foil. In the iirfl years they are hoed, to deftroy v/eeds, and the land is fowed with corn ; but this method of cultivation is not common except in Aigarvia. WhHe the trees-are young the fuperfluous branches are cut off; but the olive-tree bears very late, not till its fifteenth year. Hence appears how injurious war is to this branch of agriculture, and how horrid the revenge recorded in facred hiflory of cutting down the enemy's olive-trees. The olives are ripe in December and January, at which time men climb the trees and beat them with long poles, while the olives are received in extended cloths, or gathered up from the ground. It would certainly be better were the olives plucked by the hand as in the fouth of France. Some prefs them immediately on their being brought home in balkets ; others fhoot them down in heaps, throwing fait between them, and futfering them to ferment in order to produce more oil, of which however the quality is inferior. The X 3 prefies 3^d?; JOURNfiY THROUGH TORTTJGAL*' preffes are 'Vvwked by oxen-?' but the want of cleanlinefsi both irl thefe machines and th roughs out the whole proccfs, contributes much to ren- der the quality of the oil ^\brfe than it might be. In this cduritry^ where oil is ufed inflead of but- ter and fat 'with all kinds of* fooH, is burnt m large quantities in lamps, and foap prepared fri^rn' ity befides other ufes, that article is an object of gr^at confumption, and is carried from Coimbra into the other provinces. The portugueze pickle only the ripe brown olive ; but at good tables the large fpanifh unripe olives alone are feen, as they are every where preferred. The wood of the olive-tree might be ver}'- ufeful, being yellow, clofe- grained, and beautiful; but is only em- ployed as fuel, the woods from Brafil having fu- perfeded all other kinds of timber* The olive-tree is fubje^l to two difeafes, the 6ne> called a gafa, arifes in damp iituations, fhri- veiling up both leaves and fruit ; the other, called ferragem (or rufi:), is very prevalent in the mid- land and fouthern part of Portugal. In this dif- order the leaves fhrivel, are covered beneath with a black clammy fubftance, and a great number of infedls belonging to the family of coccus, but not yet eftablifhed as a feparate fpecies. Hence the tree iickens, and bears fmaller fruit and in lefs quantity. Complaints are every where made of this dilbrder, which employs the attention of the learned JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 3!! learned and of economifts as much as the dry-rot or the caterpillars, called mnnenraupe^ occupy the ger- . man naturalifts and forefters. The academy of Lilbon once offered a premium for the beft tra* gedy ; but, when the fealed paper was opened^ which accompanied the fuccefsful piece, a peti- tion was found, inftead of the name of the writer, requefting that the premium might be given to the author of the beft treatife on the means of pre^ venting the ruft in olive-trees ; a juft and delicate reproof to the academy. Hitherto no other remedy has been difcovercd than cutting off the infecfted branches, which is too fevere a mode of cure ; for probably this infed^, like all iuch animals,- has its period, and would at length ceafe of itlelf. in the economical treatif^s of the academy, vol. I. p. 8, Vandelli has given his opinion, that the in- itSi is a coccus, and advifes, belides cutting off the branch, to fprinkle the tree with fait- water. In vol. III. p. 154, another method is prppofed on this fubje6l by Antonio Suares Barbofa, who firft gives the natural hiftory of the infedl, with a defcription not ftridlly according to the rules of fcience, and then proceeds to fhow that the black clammy fubftance does not arife from the in£e6l, but from an overflow of fap {chymomania). The author is indeed no bad obferver, but the inferences he draws from his obfervations cannot be approved. I have often obferved this fpecies X 4 of Jia JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. of rufl", to which the name is indeed but ill adapt- ed, and have feen it not only in olive-trees, but in the cifti, particularly the cijius balimifoiius , and other fhrubs, and muft agree with this author, that the black fubftance does not immediately arife from the infedls ; to me it feems much ra- ther to be a vegetable. It does not however thence follow, that the infects are not the remote caufe of it, as their fting may caufe the fap to flow out, and the difeafe of the tree may give rife to thefe cryptogamic parafytes, difeafed trees be- ing more apt to produce moffes and fungi, than the healthy. «j : Round Coimbra are grown various kinds of ^heat, white, red, and fummer- wheat {trigo tre- mez), but the latter only when the Mondego, as often happens, rots the feed in the ground. Jt is ' fown from November to March, at three different times. When it grows in fields amid olive-trees, the ground is turned in winter, if not in May, and it is ploughed only once in Oftober after the iirft rains. The plough ufed here has two wheels, a fhare, a mould-board, and a coulter, which may be raifed and lowered. Barley is alfo fown ; but no oats, and little rye. In general, Coimbra is obliged to import wheat and barley from other provinces. Rice is grown in the marfhes along the Mondego, but not in any conliderable quantity. Maize JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 313 -*.- Maize or indian-corn is very commonly culti- vated here, and throughout Beira, where it is produced in larger quantities than in the fouth- crn provinces, in which the foil is too dry, and too light. The land is ploughed fourteen days before fowing time, which continues from April to the end of May. When the young plants have four or five leaves, the ground is hoed, the I'uper- fluous plants deftroyed, and immediately after- wards the earth is heaped up round thofe that remain. In the fields it is harrowed fourteen days after, by which the leaves are torn off, and the young plants frequently quite covered with earth, which makes them thrive better. The maize when ripe is cut, and great numbers live on the bread made of it, called hro<, which is of a fine yellow colour, but heavy and fweetifh. The maize-bread in the fouth of France is far lighter, but much dryer. Maize alfo affords good fodder for cattle, and is grown round Coimbra in fuch abundance that great quantities are exported to other provinces. It is called milho, and according to the portugueze writers was firft imported from Guinea. Millet (panicum miliaceum) is called miiho miudoy and Italian pannicle {panicum italicum) niilho paingo. The oranges produced here are excellent, and arc exported to foreign countries, even from the fmall harbour of Figueira at the mouth of the Mondcgo. 3*4' JOUKNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. Mondego. The wine is moderate, yet is fentmto other provinces. Garden-fruits are produced in great abundance, and of a very good quality, cfpecially common beans, and another kind of foeans, called feij ad/ray din ho (monk's beans), which are met with in great quantities all over the king- covered with heath and pine-woods. Near to Aveiro, wliich is nine leagues from Coimbra, the foil is better cultivated, but we only met with two fmall villages, Sendas novas and Balhaza. The city of Aveiro is fituated in a flat and very marfhy country, at the mouth of the Vouga. It is the capital of a corregimento, has a corregedor and provedor, contains about i40ohoufes divid- ed into four pariflies, and flx monafteries. The old walls ftill remain, but the town extends be- yond them ; the houfes are generally fmall, and there are very few rich people. The river Vouga flows through the town where it is ftill very nar- row, but is adorned with a handfome quay. Near the town it divides in two branches, one to the left and fouthward running to the fea, the other northward to Ovar. Its trade is inconflderable^ onlv fmall boats coming to the towa ; nor indeed could any but fmall fliips pafs the bar, which is continually fliifting. The fifhery alone is worthy of 5lS JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAt. of notice ; for Aveiro chiefly fupplies the province of Beira with fardinhas. Large troops of mules are continually feen carrying them into the higher parts of the province. Much fait is alfo here pro- duced, though not fo good as at St. Ubes and Lifbon. No town in Portugal is furrounded by fo exten- five plains, and fo large marfhes of frefh water. Hence the town is very unhealthy, which is im- mediately perceived in the haggard pale counte- nances of its inhabitants. Agues are very com- mon there, and, as in all warm countries, more dangerous than in cold. Putrid diforders are alfo not unfrequent. We went from hence by water to Ovar. This arm of the Vouga, which is properly a lake, is pretty narrow for three leagues, then becomes much broader during a league, forming a true lakej and at length ends in a narrow channel a league long, which ceafes clofe to Ovar. Hence it ap- pears how erroneoufly in refpe<5l to its breadth this lake is laid down in the map of Lopez and all others. The water is nearly frefli, though we were often only Separated from the fea by downs. Water-con v^ey an ce in fmall boats on a ihallow ftream, where in many parts veflels are pufhed on bypoles, through a flat marfhy country, is veryun- pleafant. Ovar is a confiderable town or villa, containing 1300 houfes, many of them large and - ^ handfome. "journey through PORTUGAL. 319 handfome. We met with a very well cultivated country, and a method of hufbandry, fimilar to that we afterwards faw in Minho. Here we firft met with meadows formed by art, and remarked the englifh rye-grafs (lolium perenne) which is fown here, and in thefe warm climates is an annual, whereas on the contrary the fhrubs of fouthern climates are annuals in the north. Of this the drought is the caufe by drying up the roots in fummer. We alfo found a hitherto non-defcript plant ufed for fodder {prnithopus fativus nob.) a. very remarkable plant, which is not only here cultivated, but is ufed with great advantage throughout Minho, and in fome parts of the coun* try round Coimbra. Not far from Ovar, and near a village called So* bral, began mountains of argillaceous flate, which foon gives way to a mica-flate, and introduces a high range extending with fteep crowded moun- tains along the foutli lide of the Douro as far as Lamego and beyond. It is {the mountains, the valHes are cultivated with -maize, cole, and flax, the hills are covered with ,. . pine- ^aO JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAt. pine-woods, and the vine climbs up the hedges md round the trees. The villages, which at firft are bad, gradually improve and become more nu- mer6us, and the traveller fuddenly finds himfelf furrounded by detached houfes, till he arrives, without perceiving it, in a confiderable place called Villanova do Porto, where he defcends a fteep ftreet to the bank of the Douro, and beholds oh the oppolite declk'ity the city of Oporto. When the traveller fuddenly beholds a large city, with innurfierable churches and towers, on the lide of a fteep mountain between rocks that feem torn afunder, furrounded by rude moun* tains adorned with gardens, churches, and other edifices interfperfed with pine-woods, and looks down on a fine and rapid ftream covered with ihips, amid fcenes of human adlivity, that occupy a fpot deligned by nature for the haunts of wild beafts, he is at once afl:onifhed and delighted with the profpc^l: ; the impreflion of which is rendered ftill more lively by his vicinity to the objects, as the ftream is far from broad, and the valley very narrow. Lifbon flrikes at a diftance by its great extent and magnificence, Coimbra lies foli- tar)^ and forlorn in the heart-awakening fields of the Mondego, and Oporto furprifes by its eleva- ted fituation. \ Excepting Lifbon, Oporto is the largeft cit^ in Portugal ; being the chief town of a Corregi- mento^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAi. ^2% mento, and the feat of a corregedor, a provedor^ and a military governor, being a -plajce of arms j it is alfo the fee of a bifliop who chiefly refides at Mezanfrio. Lima in his geography of Pdrtugaljl publifhed in 1736, ftateS tiie number of inhabi-^ tants at 20,737, and Murphy at 63,505. I knoW hot what miftakes Murphy may have made, tc5 fwell the proportion to fo large a number ; but perhaps he included the furrouriding concelhos ; for it is certain the population is nOw about 30,000^ as the corregedor himfelf aflured us. An increaf^ of io,ooolincethe year 1^37 is far more probable^ than an addition of 40,000 at a time when th6 population of the country at large has not much increafed. Oporto has four fuburbs, feven parifhesj and twelv-e religious houfes. On one fide the re- mains of the walls and gates llill exift ; otherwiff the remaining inha- bitants increafed. A great number alio annually emigrate to the colonies, efpecially to BraliJ-. The natives of this province are fuperior to the reft of their countrymen, both men and women being extremely ehearful, good-natured, and' in- duftrious, though both fexes, particularly the female, are not -at all handfome. Travelling in Portugal is generally very fafe, but moft partif cularly here. The inns are no better in their ex- ternal appearance than in other parts of the ^ting- dom. 334 jbuRiJEV TrtRoudJt toitfu^At* dom, but the travellef almoft eVefy where rfteetS with a gocxJ dinner and a good flipper. On quitting the valley of Villanova, We agairj crofled arid mountains covered with heath before! we came to the valley of Braga. Here we faw td the northward the high range of mountains that divide Portugal from Galicii, cdled the Sefra de Gerez, with its high pointed fummits. The city of Braga is fituated in a broad open vale, as the Minho-vallies generally are, and like them culti-' vated and fhadcd by trees. Here are many cork-' trees, and clofe to the town orange- gardens. The fmall rivers Cavado and Defte fcarcely defervd the name, being mere brooks. Braga, the chief town of the province, is under the arch-bifhop of thatplace, wlioenjoysa revenue of above 100,000 crufades ; and appoints judges and two tribunals, the one fpi ritual the other temporal ; fo that this is the only city where the king does not appoint a corregedor, or a juiz de fora. In the coutos* round the town, his fentence is final in criminal affairs, but not on the inhabitants of the town. Braga contains about 15,000 inhabitants, five parifhes, and feven monafteries. Several of th$ flreets are broad, light, and open, but moft of the houfes are fmall, as in all inland towns in Portugal. Among the objects of curiolity here * Cvuto or locus cautus originally fignified an afylurn, or a place where a pricft has jurifdidion. is JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAI.. ^^^ is the large old gothic-built cathedral, with its antiquities and treafures ; alfo the church and mo- naftery of St. Fru^uofo, containing a miracu- lous picture of the virgin, and rich in treafures and relies, ftand on a hill without the town, fo lituated as to form a fine objedl, as feen from a broad handfome ftreet. The origin of Braga is loft in remote antiquit)^ ; the romans called it Augufta Bracharorum, and roman coins are often found in the neighbourhood. Braga was a more contiderable place in the fifteenth century than now. It has a hat-manufa<5lory which fupplies a great part of Portugal with hats for the common people ; nor are the hal^ bad, though they do not equal the engllfh. There is alfo a manufactory of knives which is inconfiderable; The women are every where feen knitting, fewing, or making linen, and figns of induftry and acSlivity every where appear. The rich inhabitants of Braga have a bad name in the otiier very focial towns of Minho: they are accufed of being quarrelfome, fond of fcandal, and their manners are very much difliked. We left Braga very foon in order to arrive the earlier at the frontier mountains that divide Por- tugal from Galicia, called Serra de Gcrcz, and vilit that almoft unexplored range of mountains at the moft favourable feafon. A lea2;ue from Braga we came to a fmall village called Ponte do ^^6 JOURNEY THROI^H POKtrUfeAi." do Porto, on account of a l^one bridge there^; over the Cavado. This valley is 'extremely plea- fant and charming : the diftance appears like a thicTc wood of high trees, though thefe trees fur- round fields and. gardens. The houfes, which are difperfed and embofomed in thick ihade, are con- cealed from the iight ; but the number of well- drefled perfons, and even of young ladies, we fre- quently met, announced their vicinity. We palfed over granite- mountains to the Bernhardine mo- naftery of Bouro, at a diftance of two leagues'. It fiands in a holloiv at the' foot of the mountains,^ is very fich, the buildings a:re extcnfive, and by no means ill-arranged. Clofe to the monaftery the monks have a large quinta full of orange-trees^ the fruit of which is good, and is fent to Brag^ and otlier neighbouring places. Oh a mountain no: far from Boliro, is a church with a mitacu- lous figure of the virgin, to which many pilgriTn- ages are made. It is called NofTa Senhora de Abbadia (Bouro being an abbe)--), not NofTa Sen- hora da Badia, as it Hands in the maps. Accord- ing to our barometrical inveftigations Bouro is lituated 500 feet above the level of the fea, which is but a fmall height, and not too great for orange-trees to produce good fruit. This was our laft barometrical obfervation. We had, without any accident, brought with us from Lifbo"n one of Hurtcr's travelling barometers to meafure the height jOURl^Et THROUGH PbRTUOAL* 337 licight of Gerez and Eftrella, arid had protedled it from every accident arifing from the badnefs of the roads. But though it refifted the overturning of the carriage j we did not think of defending it again (I the aukwardnefs of the young monks, who crept to our room during our abfence, and through their inordinate curiolity deftroyed both the barometer and thermometer, which was one of the greateft misfortunes that attended our journey. The curiofity of thefe people had al- ready frequently incommoded lis. As we fufFered fo great an injury from thefe monks, I may, at leaft, be allowed to make a few remarks upon their order. Though their igno- rance exceeded every example, yet their idlenefs almoft equalled it. Excepting their accuftomed religious ceremonies, a feeble old abbe fufFered all the young monks to run wild ; which rendered them as ungovernable as they were ignorant ; and a young lay-brother, the apothecary, was the only one who Ihewed any defire of knowledge. In all the portugueze monafteries, the monks eat an aftonifhing quantity, and we had always four courfes at dinner. AW their difhes, however, are drefled without art, and confift, in great meafure, of joints of meat of various kinds. The whole nation indeed are fond of meat, and of eat- ing much. The wine in moll of the monafteries is very indifferent, and I never faw it drunk to Z cxcefs. 338 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. excefs. We were, in general, greater wine-drink* ers than the portugueze, the heat of the climate to which we were unaccuftomed requiring an extraordinary quantity ; and I even very frequently remarked, that a portugueze was intoxicated with a few glaffes of wine, which a german, and ftill more an englilliman, would fcarcely fed. Beyond Bouro we afcended the fpurs or fore- runer-mountains of Gerez. As foon as we had, with great labour, climbed its rough Udes, the road became uncommonly pleafant, leading along the declivity of high and rocky mountains, under a continual fhade of oaks and chefnuts, with ftreams every where rufhing down or fpreading in artificial canals to water the m.eadows. On one lide we had a deep valley, the fteep declivity of which is converted with great induftry into ter- races, and extremely well cultivated ; while be- tween the thick trees houfes are here and there discovered amid the foliage. Night furprized us in thefe fcenes, the moon illuminated the valley, and rulhing mountain flreams, and the lights from the fcattered houfes, contributed to enliven the wildnefs of the landfcape. No traveller (but how many ever vilitcd this fpot ?) could undelighted explore this province or Ihefc charming fcenes, which amid the beauties of a warm climate afford all tlie refreftimcnts of the north. Not far from hence, on the banks of the Lima, JCURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL* 339 Lima, the roman troops refnfed to follow their cohimanders, being unwilling to quit this happy- country. The romans called it the River of ob- livion. The Rio caldo, the Homem, theCavado, and innumerable other rivers of this proyince, well deferve that name ; for they caufe our german groves, and ftill more thofe of England, to be for- gotten. From the declivity of this mountain we de- fcended to a large village, called Villar de Veiga ; and then followed the valley) which continues riling more and more. A roaring ftream, called Rio das Caldas, pours down over rocks into the middle of the valley ; the mountains be- come higher and fieeper, and, after climbing them for a league, fuddenly appears behind an emi- nence a fmall place in the fame valley, cotiiifting of forty houfes, and celebrated for its warm baths* for which reafon it is called Caldas de Gerez. Here we fpent a week in order to ftudy the natu- ral hiftory of the mountain, and this being the feafon for bathing the place was very gay. This valley is extremely narrow. To the eaft- ward the houfes lean againft the mountain, a ftream waters them to the weft and alfo the foot of another mountain ; to the northward the val* ley rifes rapidly up the heights, and an eminence to the fouthward before it defcends completely inclofes this dell. The mountains are very high, z 2 fteep, 340 JOUllNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. fteep, and rockj^^, being chiefly deftitute of wood ; and trees arc found excluiively on the banks of tht river, viz. oaks, berry-bearirig alders (rbomtius frangula), azereiros (ptunus lufitanica), and olives. Inftead of trees, the mountains are covered with v6ry thick bufhes, efpecially along the brooks, growing from fix to twelve feet high ; namely, flrawberry-trees (arbutus imedo), erica arborea, azereiros, and two hitherto non-defcript Varieties of cytifus * (procerus and vUlo/iJJlmus), which render the mountain impaflable. On the liigh fummits are lingle oaks of a lingular kind. Farther to the fouthward down the valley, the mountains become very arid, and fcarcely bear any thing but ciftus and heaths, efpecially cifiusjca- hrofus, Ait. chdranthoides. Lam. and erica umbellata. For fome years paft this fpot has been more celebrated for its baths than formerly, and new houfes are continually built ; fo that there w^ill foon be no more room in this confined valley. The company come from the fmall towns of Minho, and many of the englifh from Oporto. As the furrounding country is very bleak, the in- habitants go in winter to Villar de Veiga, and return in May. The houfes are of ftone but ill- built, having but one ftory, fmall inconvenient * Tree-trefoil. The variety called hirfutus, or the hairy evergreen Neapolitan cytlfuSj was already known, and is pro- bably the fame as the laft variety here mentioned. T. apartments. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 341 apartn^nts, moftly without glafs windows, and floors that can be feen through. The furniture coniifts of a rough wooden table and coarfe chairs ; every thing elfe, even to the fliialleft trifle, the company muft bring. Nor mull they expert cither inhabitants or attendants ; for in general an empty houfe is opened to the fl:ranger, who is only put in pofleflion of bare walls and of the tables and chairs above defcribed. The place only affords young beef, or rather meat betwixt veal and beef, rice, oranges, four wine of tjie country, fometimes Douro-wine which is better, and ftill more rarely fifli. Sugar, fpices, coffee, and every other neceflary, muft be procured from Villar de Veiga, which is a league diftant, and even there not much is found. Even the apothe- cary lives at that place, and no watering-place- -phyfician is to be here expelled. A fmall fquare about 200 paces each way ferves as the prome- nade, but in no part can the company ride. Feeble patients and young ladies travel hither, as in many other mountainous parts of Portugal, in litters borne by two horfes, exadlly as in Ger- many by men. Caldas being concealed among rugged mountains at the extremity of the king- dom, is as yet totally forgotten by tlie govern- ment. Tlie warm waters of this place rife to the eafl:- ward from a wall of granite rock at the foot of a z 3 high 34* JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, high mountain. There are four fprings, each bearing a different name ; viz. dajigueira, a fig^ tree growing over it out of the rock ; do htfpOy Jkc. Over each a fquare houfe is built, in the middle of which is a bath walled round, but only one perfon can bathe at a time, and inftead of a door only a curtain is ufed, which, when down, indicates that fome one is bathing: young ladies however do not truft to this veil, but place their maid-fervant before the door. The water for drinking is taken from the place where it iffues from the rock, before it has reached the bathing- place. One of thefe fprings evidently contains hepatic gas, but in fmall quantity ; the reft have far lefs, and one of them fhows no traces of it whatever. Nor had this water any perceptible effect on the few chemical tefts we had with us ; whence it ap^ peared to be very pure. The warmth is alfo. very various ; one of the fprings being conliderably hotter than thofe of Caldvis da raynha, and the weakeft not fo warm ; nor does the heat exceed 40° of Reaumur, and the hotteft may be ufed as a bath. The bathing feafon continues from June till Auguft. In this narrow valley the air is often very hot, though from time to time it is conlider- ably cooled by the mifts of the mountains. The company rife at four in the morning, bathe or drink JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL* 343 drink the waters immediately, and then walk, till near feven. They defcend the valley or walk along the road above the town, where. many ger^- man beauties would become dizzy. The. feeble and many young ladies ride on mules and aflesj after which the company breakfaft. At twelve they dine, and afterwards take a long feftaor nap". At four in the afternoon they, again bathe or drink the waters, take a fecond walk as foon" as the fun has left the valley, afterwards aflemble.at fome tea or card-party, and at ten every one re- turns home to eat a light fupper. Such is th« mode of life at this remote and folitary bathing- place. The diet here prefcribed, and which is promulgated by tradition, (there being no phy- lician), is equally fevere and ridiculous; for even here the pedantry and quackery of phylic pre- vails. The efFedls of bathing are much boafted, and there is no doubt that fo warm a bath may be a powerful agent ; yet much muft be afcribed to the cxercife, diflipation, variety, and relaxation of the mind from bufinefs, to the pure (or rather impure, and therefore falutary) mountain-air *, and to the above-defcribed diet which is here forced on the company, becaufe no other can be procured. Thofe who only drink the waters, probably improve in health from that caufe alone. * It may be proper to inform many of my readers that the air of mountains contains lefs oxygen per cubic inch (or purc vital air)j than that of lower fituations, z 4 The 344 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. The chara^cr and ftyle of the company de« pend entirely on the perfons who happen to bo there. The nobility of Minho, who, though not rich, are numerous, generally conftitute a great portion of the fociety. Thefe are perhaps better than thofe nearer to the court, but, like all the portugueze nobility, are very proud; though their politenefs is fuch, that this pride would be difficult to perceive during a firft interview. Even in this fmall place perfons of condition made a noble facrifice of their own pleafures to maintain thofe barriers, which not unfrequently extrude the truly polifhed fociety from that which is only fo called ! A young lady of rank never goes out without an efcudeiro *, who walks at a diftance of twenty paces before her, uncovered, and holding his hat in his hand. Thus a lady of confequence, who fometimes had vapours, ordered her fervant to follow her with a fmelling- bottle. On tlie whole, the fociety of this place is too fmall, and * Literally a fliield-bearer; hut this title is beftowed oi^ the chief fervant or fteward* L. Efcudeiro was the title given in ancient times to noble- men, who are now called Jidalgos, being originally that con- ferred on thofe who were knighted after a battle. See Mo- narch. Lufit \ol. V. p.76. Sec. Efcudeiro now iignifies an ufher, efqiiire, or fen'ant, that waits on a lady or gentleman, being formerly poor gentlemen, who attended on the nobility like our a:ncient efquires. The portugueze have aifo efcudei' ras de Unhagem, efquires or fervantB, defcended from other efquires or fervants. T. every JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL^ 345 every one is too much obferved by his neighbours to enjoy perfect freedom or comfort, and a Por- tuguese wit once broke out in a pafquinade on raoft of the company ; meanwhile many beaute- ous eyes feek to make conquefts ; in which they are not unfuccefsful ; for where the ftreams de- fcend from the fides of the mountg.ins, the aze- reiros often form fo high and thick a Ihade, that amid the windings of the valley lovers may enjoy perfeft fecurity from every intrufive eye. Yet thefe charming girls, frequently of the iirft rank and the beft education, whofe tender feelings ex- pand at the beauties of poetry, and at the tender verfes cut in the bark of the azerciros *, fre- quently amufe themfelves in their fele(5l fociety in feeking the vermin in each other's heads. The Serra of Gerez, generally fpeaking, ex- tends froiTi caft to weft, but fends out many branches to the fouthward. The valley where ' Caldas lies alfo purfues the fame direua \^id( The higheft of the mountains of Gerez is to the eaftward of Caldas toward the town of Montale- gre. We climbed a very fteep afcent up this mountain, which, however, was very eafy, as the , path winds round the blocks of granite, and thus is free from danger even to thofe who eafily be- come giddy, excepting in one Ihort fpace. But {hould the traveller lole the beaten path, which is very poffible, he will either come to impafla- ble thickets or extremely dangerous precipices. The higheft peak is called o Murro de burrageiro^ the origin of which fingular name I have not been able to diicover. In the valley of Caldas the road rifes toward Portela de Homem, by a yery convenient path leading to the heights, and a fine light oak-wood accompanies it three-fourths of the way up the afcent. Here as well as at Portela de Homem we faw a great many bilber- ries, which we did not find elfewhere in Portugal^ with feveral other plants not common in that country. Toward the fummit the fcene fuddenly changes ; the oaks ceafe, northern trees alone ap- pear, which are not found in the plains and lower mountains of Portugal, as the yew, the birch, the mountain-afli (forbus aucufaria), and the inountj^in-juniper ; which a north-countryman beholds 34^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAl,. beholds with the greateft plealure, as they feem to tranfport him to his native country. The higheft peak conlifts of rocks heaped together. The pro- fpe6l to the weftward is extenfive, commanding a great part of Minho and the fea with the downs that Ikirt it ; but the view is not diftin<^, as the eye cannot penetrate into the beautiful but nar- row vallies, refting only on the barren heights. Toward the reft of the horizon the view is bound- ed by mountains. The farther we advanced to the eaftward, the more rough and wild we found this range, and we met with vallies conlifting almoft entirely of naked impaflable rocks, where only here and there a fmall bufh grows out of their crevices and fiflures. They are the haunts of wild-goats. To the northward toward Gahcia we came to a marfliy mountain-plain, where we found a quantity of german plants which we had not for a long time beheld. From hence a fteep and difficult path leads down the mountain to llio Homem, but the traveller muft beware of lofing himfelf, for the mountains toward this val- ley, as alfo toward Fortela de Homem , prefent many dreadful precipices. A fharp mountain-ridge here divides Spain from Portugal. Every thing is granite along this range of moun- tains, as is ufual in heaped-up rocks. Befides the ufual conftituent parts, it often contains bar- flioerl, and in the clefts, mountain -crytals, and fmoke- JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 349 fmoke-topazes : a fine rofe-coloured quartz is more rarely found. The flora is a fingular mix- ture of german and northern, of bifcayan and pyteneean plants, of thofe belonging to the plains of Portugal, as for inftance, the varieties of heaths, afphodelus ramofus, &c. and laftly of many plant* peculiar to this range of mountains, > being moftly non-defcripts. Wolves are here fo numerous as to render this range of mountains dangerous ; but the moft re- markable animal is the Caucafan-goat, {capra agagrus Pall.) which is extremely rare on other european mountains. We faw feveral llcins of them ; and at length a three-year old he-goat that had been fhot, was brought to Caldas, where the count of Hoffmann fegg bought its (kin, which was fluffed, and -is preferved in his colledlion. This animal is larger, ftronger, and more muf- cular than tlie tame goit, particularly in the fhoulders and parts near the heel. The forehead is higher, the horns rife firaighter up and bend backwards, and the tail is not fo long ; the hair is fhorter and thicker, being a mixture of grey and brown, and very limilar to that of a flag. A black crofs runs along the back and over the fhoulders. The male as in tame-goats is furnifhed with a beard, and the female has no horns. We carefully took the meafure of this animal, which in other refpcdls fully coincide? with the defcrip- 4 tion 350 JOURNEY fHROUfeH POTL-Tl^GAti. tion of the writer on capra aegagrus. It is ttd where found in Portugal, except on the moun- tains of Gerez, nor have I ever learnt that it is found in Spain. Whether it be a degenerate and wild variety of the tame-goat,' or the wild parent Hock of the latter, cannot with certainty be dif- covered, but it is evidently different from it. The laft of thefe hypothefes appears to me moft proba- ble. It is found not uncommonly from hence to Montalegre, is hunted in great numbers by the inhabitants, and its flefh is fomuchefteemed, that the hunter who willingly fold us the Ikin would not part with the carcafs. The fkins are here fre- quently ufed as covers for mules, and the horns are put up as ornaments in houfes. On thefe mountains are found great numbers of lizards and fnakes. The firft are generally of the fmall green variety of the lacerta agilis Linn ; the large green variety more abounds in the warm plains of Portugal, where this large and beautiful animal not unfrequently runs about the roads, and boldly places himfelf in a pofture of defence againft his perfecutors. The ferpents of this coun- try are the true italian viper {vipera Rediy not Berus), which is not uncommon and is much dreaded, the vibora of the inhabitants which is rarely found in other parts of Portugal, the beau- tiful coluber vEfculapii, and another harmlefs fort not yet defcribed. On account of the number of thefe JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 35! thefe animals, the buflies are burnt every five years, by which young food for cattle is alfo pro- cured, although the former motive is that always aliigned. This burning has frequently thrown me into great difficulties. Near Portela de Homem a mifchievous fellow from Galicia having fet fire to the bufhes on all fides of the road, flame and fmoke enveloped us, nor was there any way to efcape from this narrow valley, which was fur- rounded by Iteep rocks. At length we reached with great difficulty the Rio Homem, and were haltening to plunge into the river, but fortunately the air was very flill, the fire did not extend rapidly, and foon entirely went out. A confiderable quantity of cattle are fed among thefe mountains, the young bullocks being brought there in fpring, and remaining till au- tumn. The neat-herds relieve one another from time to time. Dxaught-oxen are brought to the low paflures, when not employed in work, or at leaft every funday. The vallies, efpecially that of Caldas, are highly cultivated, and where it is pradlicable a liftle land has been gained from the mountains, fo that between the rocks, in almoffc inacceflible places, fields of maize are frequently feen. Tlue land on the declivities is often formed into terraces, and carefully watered, fo as to con- ftitute artificial meadows, which here chfefly con- fift 3^2 JOURNEY THROtJGH ifORl-UGAU £ft of creeping foft-grafs {holcus lanatus), Pota-» toes have alfo begun to be cultivated. The greateft height of thefe mountains we cotild not meafure for the reafon above-mentioned. The fnow does not lie long, but falls in fuch quantities round the Murro that poles and heaps of ftone are fet up to ihew the road. We faw a number of thefe guides. The mountains rather appear fteep, rough, and rocky, than high ; and I fhould eftimate the Murro at about 3 to 4000 feet ; it is far lower than the Serra dc Eftrella. The mountains on the weft fide of Caldas are alfo very fteep, but not fo high. The path that leads diredlly from Caldas over the mountain to the village of Covide is very rugged. After paf- fing the mountain toward this village, appear ru- ins probably of an old mountain-fort, which however the inhabitants affert to be the ruins of an old city, called Chalcedonia ; but it is not pra-* bable that a city fhould be built among thefe rugged rocks on the declivity of a mountain, and the ruins are confined within too fmall a fpot to be thofe of a city. We were unable to difcovef infcriptions or any thing of the kind, for we only faw ruined walls refembling thofe of our robber- caftles ; nor do I find in any writer, traces of a foundation for this popular opinion *. The fine • Unlefs perhaps Ckinania^ of which Valcr. Wax. fpeaks lib. vi. c. 4. well- JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, 353 well-cuUivated mountain-plain, which is furround- e(J with wdoded mountains, on the other hand, every where Ihows clear traces of the roman road that pailed through the Portela de Homem, belide which are many columns and mile-pofts, with in- fcriptions. The large and pure quartz-rocks that ftart out from this granite- plain are worthy the obfervation of the mineralogift. Taking the road acrofs this plain from Covide, to the frontiers of Galicia, we came to a large village called Villarinha do furno, clofe beyond which rifes a range of rocky mountains, called Serra Amarella, which form the frontiers. Villa- rinha has many opulent inhabitants. Here we found much honey, which abounds on thefe mountains, as do milk and frefh butter, which are great rarities in Portugal. There were alfo many he-goats, whofe fkins are fold in Upper Douro, and ufed as veflels for wine. We were obliged to lodge with a peafant, to whofe houfc our guide condudled us, there being no inn in the village. The houfe was tolerably good for Por- tugal, having one ftory and a floor through which we could fee, but did not appear at all fuperior to the other houfes, though nothing was wanting in it that might be expe(9:ed in a peafant's. We found abundance of hams, milk, and butter, all very good, and had an opportunity of obferv- ing, that tlic numerous family this houfe contained A A lived 354 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. lived very comfortably, and fo that many a ger- man peafant would envy them. They prepared us very good beds, with clean white neat counter- panes taken frefh out of a trunk. We fhould not have expe(5led this from the appearance of the houfe.; but we had very frequently been thus agreeably miftaken, efpecially in this province ; for a bafty traveller would certainly have called Villarinha a miferable little village. We were ftill more charmed with the polite open and friendly reception we experienced, the freedom with which our hofts converfed with us, and the delicate atten- tions they paid us ; attentions which would in our own country have beer, corfidered as proofs of a good education. At our departure the woman of the houfe would fcarcely accept a piece of money, which might indeed compenfate her for what we ate and drank, but certainly not for comfortable beds in fuch a countrv. She confidered herfelf as over-paid, and came from time to time as long as we remained at Caldas, to bring us prefents of frefh butter. This fhe did through pure good-nature, as fhe had nothing to expert in retui'n : our guide had only ferved us once, knew nothing more of us, and we were certainly for a long time the iirft Itrangers who had wan- dereti to this village, in fearch of a few plants and ftones. Oh that my weak voice could fufficiently 'praife this wortliy people, whom many proud and ignorant JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 355 ignorant travellers, and efpecially the englilli, have ftigmatized and reproached ! The common people in and about Caldas are richer than in other parts of Portugal, and un- commonly gay and animated. At night the gui- tar was heard every where, though the perform- ances are monotonous and rude. I here faw fome dances accompanied by fongs which I found in no other part of the peninfula, and which repre- fented a kind of drama ; as for inftance, a conver- fation between a father and his fon, who, in a mimetic dance, confefles he is in love, for which he is reproved by his father, whofe forgivenefs he at laft obtains: or it conlifted alternately of ling- ing and mimetic dancing, till the proceflion had meanwhile moved through the village. The au- dience Ihow their approbation by clapping their hands. The fame vivacity alfo appears in the oriental nervoufnefs of their language. Thus our guide affured us, that on the Murro de Burra- geiro we fliould fee the whole world, and on our laughing at his affertion confined it to the king- dom of Portugal, as if he then only left out a trifle. His defcription of a couple of large oaks, of a mar fhy plain, and of a tree which no man knew, (it was the white -leaf-tree*, Crataegus aria) were all poetically exaggerated. * A i'p'jcies of the wild ferv ice-tree. A A 2 Nations 35^ JOUR^^Y THROUGH PORTUGAL. Nations that are backward in civilization coti- iider the country they phabit as the beft and fineft in the world. Of this the portugueze as well as the fpaniards are fully convinced, as I could fhew by numerous anecdotes, were not the following fufficient. In an inn not far from Oporto, where I ftopped on a botanical excurfion and found nothing but dry bread and wine, I could not help uttering fome curfes again ft the country ; to which the landlord replied, *' Porem todos dizem, que o reino de Portugal, he a melhor terra do mundo i" (yet every one fays the kingdom of Portugal is the beft country in the world), and the corregedor of yifeu faid to us " Portugal he pequeno porem he um. turon de a<5ucar," Portugal is fmall, but it is a loaf of fugar. The corregedor hoivever muft forgive ins, if at Vifeu we were of a different opinion. CHAP. JOURNEY THROUGH POR^UCAt. 357 CHAP. XXX. Journey to Amarante. Serra de Marao. Pexo de regua. Remarks on the national drefs. J* ROM this range of mountains we returned to examine the fecond chief range of mountains in Portugal, Serra de Marao. We travelled directly fouthward through Villar de Vciga, where we faw uncommonly line Minho-vallies along thft river called Rio Caldo-, and then through the village of Padrieros, Nolla fenhora do Porto, a village containing a neat church and a mitaculous picture of the virgin ; toFofe, a very large village, with many new-built and e^rtliderable houfcs, iix leagues from Caldas. 't'he VitlieS in this x:ountry are fomewhat wider, 'and always ex- cellently cultivated and well- peopled. Much millet is grown (pankum miliaceum, in portugueze, m'tlho miudo) and fennel, (panicum italUum, in portugueze, milbo paingo) : fruit frees are alfo here cultivated. The ancient town of Guimaraens *, which is not far diftant, and the . ftirrounding country, carry on fomc traffic in dried Mt, efpe- cially plumbs, which however are fmall and bad. liound Lixe the vallies become opener, but fiir-^ * Formerly the royal rcfideiice. T. AA 3 thev ^SS JOimNEY THB.OUGH PORTUGAL. ther on the mountains are more naked and arid. This town which is well-peopled increafes, and new houfes are built ; but the inhabitants are ill- fpoken of. After paffing Caldas the inns are good but dear. Before we came to Amarante, we ha4 a view of this chain of mountains which run north-eafl and fouth-fouth-weft, but appear far lefs pointed and grotefque at a diftance than the mountains of Gerez. Hence the traveller already conceives it muft conlift of another fpecies of Hone than granite, which hitherto continues with- put ceafing. ,- Amarante is a fonfiderable town or villa, four Jong leagues * from Fofe, lituated on the Tamega, which divides it from the fuburb, and over which is a haiidfome flone bridge. This town belongs Xp the Corregimento of Guijuaraens, but has only one juiz de fora. Lim.a in his geography afiigns it 1108 inhabitants, a number far too fmall, the town and fuburb being faid to contain above 4000, and this is confirmed by the appearance of the place. There are many neat hqufes, many noble families refide there, and the inhabitants praife the kind and friendly manners that prevail in the fociety of this place. The country is un- comniorily pleafant, the valley like thofe of the * The leagues of Minho are much longer than in the other provinces, efpecially between Caldas and Fofe, where they may be reckoned fully equal to german miles. §ee p- 165. Minho JOURNEY THROUGH PORT.tFGAL. 359 Minho cultivated and Ihaded with wood, not only oaks and chefnuts, but pines, figs, and cork-trees appear, and quintas adorned with lofty portugueze cyprefles, a fine river tliat animates the whole, and Amarante, both in a phyfical and moral point of view, well deferves its charming name *. Beyond Amarante we immediately afcended the fpurs of the Serra de Marao, the fummits of which are barren, but the vallies beautifully cul- tivated and enriched with fhade. Here all is ftill granite. Beyond the village of Ovelha, we af- cended the lofty Serra de Marao itfelf, and found the road fteep, but not incommodious. The mountains are naked and deftitute of trees or bulh- es. being only covered with an arid meagre turf, without proje(51:ing rocks or the brooks and clefts of Gerez, but on the contrary more rounded ; in fliort thefe are quite a different kind of mountains from thofe, being alfo much inferior in natu- ral beauties : the fpecies of ftone of which it is compofed is alfo different. Beyond Ovelha, fiaty granite is ftill feen, but is foon followed by black argillaceous fiate, which is very coarfely flated and mingled with mica. On the fummit it forms bare rocks, and lofes its flaty fracture, fo that it might be taken for trap. We there dilcovered * Signifying an Amaranth, a flower whicb taken place, evaiions having always been ufed to avoid them. The company have not indeed a complete mo- nopoly of the wine of upper Douro. The rnepi--: bers are bound to take wine from each grower at a fixed price *. But if the grower prefers felling and tranfporting his wine elfewhere in the countj-y, he may. This iiowever muft be done through the intervention of the company, who receive fix per cent. It is evident thefe regulations neceffa- rily give them a very conliderable monopoly ; but the reilraint went ftill fartlier : a lift was made of the produce of each vineyard for the laft pre-; ceding five years, and no one ,was permitted to fell a larger quantity, either to the company or to any one elfe. Thus all inpreafe of this fpecies of agriculture is entirely ftopped, and wha% is ftill worfe, the company employ jvarious eva,fions not- to take all th^ wine grown, nor at the prices fixed. The diftricft of upper Douro was divided into fuch parts as were to produce vinhos de feitoria (fadlory or export wine), and vinhos de ramo (wine for home confumption), the former alone being deftined for foreign parts, the latter being * A pipe of the bcft quality was at firft fixed at 25 to 30 milreas, that of inferior quality at 20 to 25. In 1769, ths price w as raifed, making the former jo to 36, and the latter ?J to 30. 2 fent 37^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. fent to the colonies and other provinces of the kingdom, but fubjedl fo the fame reftraints as the other *. The divifion itfelf is not properl)' made ;' for there are dillri6ls which bear bad export wine, and others, as for inftance, the parifhes of Villa- rinho des Freires, Alvaqoes do Corgo, Hormida, AbalTas, Guiaes, Galafura, Couvelinhas, Goivaes, and otliers, where a wine is produced, which far excels moft of the wines deftined for exportation. The port-wine de ramo, which we drank in good houfes, was fo excellent, that I at firft thought this was the name of the beft port-wine, and was mu^h aftonifhed when I learnt the contrary, and tafVed thfe common bad ramo-wine. Every poffible' precaution is now taken to prevent the adultera- thn of the export-wines with the vinhos de ramo. it' was at firft prohibited to fend out of their dif- tPifts the grapes for the export- wine, under penalty, that in that cafe they fhould pafs for vinhos de ramo, in order to prevent every kind of fraud ; which produced the ill effe6l of difa- bling the poorer farmers, who could not now carry their grapes to the prefs, from felling any fa CHAP, 4®* JOURNEY Through paRTv&^L, CHAP. XXXIII. - 1, RetuYit from the Jerra de EJlrelta to Lijhon, PortUgaexf jfiftiee. > ^dyKiy^oi \i .u J^ ROM Sisibtigueirb we dafeended to a market- tx)wn (villa), Galled San Romao, at the foot of the ferra.'dfe Eftrella, and a league both from Ceaand from Sabugoieiro. At firft we found com-feelds, then young plantations of oaks, belongiiag' to I>on5 Luis Bernard©) and near San • Ron:ia6 ' a> well cultivated foil and, which are very rai'e in Portugaly potatoe-fields : in many parts water had been dug for with great labour. But when ^ left thb mountain') appeared a dry and little cuitivared? hilly country covered with- h^ths^ A .long league from San Romao is a fmall village, called Caragoc]a, in which is an inn. Here the ferra prefents its higheft, wildeft, fteepeft lide, and its majeftic appearance feems to place it in the clafa of Alpine mountains. We were much ftruck at meeting with a fine road, which continues to Ponte de Murcella, and is faid to form a part of the great fpanilh road through Coimbra and Almeida. It was eafy to make a road in thefe parts, where the concrete granite-iand almoft forms one itfelf. This road, ' howeverj JOlTRITErY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 403 liowcyer, obliged us to make a great circuit to- Avard the weft, as far a3 the neighbourhood of Coimbra, to get to Thomar. :» The hot fummer, the foil every where parched, arid the uninterefting country through which w« were travelling, induced us to accelerate out joutney. We pafTed arid hills of granite-fandj cove red 'alternately with erica umbellata and pine* woods ; meanwiiile the villages \Vete large, and the foil round them well cultivated ; to the left ftretched out -the cdntinuations of the ferra de EftreHa, and at firft the Scrra de Goes which is forifiderably high.. We every where faw the heath on fire in order to procure young fodder ; but frequently olive-trees were alfo in flames, as we obferved in feveral places. From Caragoqa to .1 large village called Gallic Kes is a diftance of two Ttagiies^ thence to Venda do vallo, a miferable inn, two leagues, to the vil* lage of Moite one league, to the village of Sove-^ reira formofa one league, and a league more to Ponte de Murcella, at which place we were but four leagues from Coimbra. At Veuda do valle the granite ceafes, changing to a fandftone flate, containmg veins of quartz and iron ore. Not fu: from hence, at Arganil, the bifhop of Coimbra has caufcd plumbago to be dug for. B D 2 Soverclra 4p4 journey through portugai.. Sovereira formofa (the beautiful cork-tree) \s celebrated in hiftory in confequence of the count of "Lippe having in 1762 made it for a time his head-quarters. O'Reilly was the general oppofed to him ; byt though the war was carried on for fome time, it is well-known to have been very J^arren of events. The fpanifh troops according to the teftimony of the portugueze who were llill living behaved uncommonly well, better than the portugueze army, who were then ill- difciplined and in a degraded condition. The inns on this road are in part good. At Ponte de Murcella, a village confining of only a few houfes, on the Rio de Alva, is an excellent inn, better than any we met with in country-places, and even fuperior to thofe of Coimbra and other towns. As foon as we had pafled the Alva over a large bridge, we crofled the range of mountains that goes from the ferra de Eftrella to Coimbra, called Serra de Aqor or hawk-mountain, which is mo- derately high, and coniifts of fandftone. The val- ley between this firft and a fecond chain that fol- lows is very well cultivated, and contains many villages, as Poyeres, Ponte-velha, and one par- ticularly large called Foz de Arouce, in which is a fine houfe belonging to one Mendoqa Furta- do. Here Guinea-corn (holcus forghunij in portu- gueze milho forgo,) is cultivated. Arid fand- moun- tains JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 40^ tains again clofe this pleafant tradl of country to the fonthward. Beyond the village of Corvo, the mountains approach and crowd together from all lides, and clofe before the market-town called Efpinhal coniiderable limeftone mountains arife. To the right the high Loufao appears in light, forming the higheft range of limeftone mountains in Portugal. Thefe mountains fupply Lifbon with ice, which is there preferred in ice-houfes. The pieces of ice are packed in ftraw and brought in carts to Albalade, from whence a large boat con- veys it twice a week to Lifbon. The parched ap- pearance of the whole country deterred us from afcending the Loufao, but we learned from Bro- tero that in fpring it is very rich in plants. We now again entered the province of Eftremadura. From Ponte de Murcella to Efpinhal is a dif- tance of lix leagues. As far asVenda dos moinhos the road runs along a valley between high moun- tains, and at Venda da Maria two leagues from Efpinhal the vallies open, the hills become lower, and are alternated with limeftone ^nd fandftone. Thefe cultivated valleys and thefe alternated nake4 and arid lime and fandftone hills continue as fer as Thomar. Here and there we faw cork-trees, and pafled through a market-town called Caba- qos, four leagues from Efpinhal, and four leagues from Thomar, in a pleafant country. This town is iituated on a plain which is almoft everywhere cnclofed by hills on the river Nabao. D I) 3 Here 4o6 JOURNEY THROUGH I'ORTU"-.': Thefe examples fhow how ntitck precautiow is neeeflary to protect a traveller from -portagueze juftice ; and that the alcaldes and elcrivaesiare i clafs of men among whom are many rogues. They are indeed generally complained of, and the juizes and corregedores are every where accufed of great partiality to perfons of rank. But' I mud add, fof the honour of the nation, that in both the above inftances every one took our part, compafiionared us, endeavoured ro fhew us attentions, and loaded the oflicers- of juftice with abufe^ \Vc 4X6 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. We continued a few days at Santarem, in order to fend for a portaria from Lifbon by way of pre- caution ; and our vexations were amply repaid by a great number of rare plants which we colle6led on the banks of the river. The road from hence to Lifbon palles at firft between the river and hills which here approach very near it but foon afcends the hills, which are very fandy, and, being covered with heath and pine-woods, form a flriking contraft to the charming banks of the river. On thefe hills is Cortacha, two long leagues from Santarem, a very large village or market-town, with many new and neat houfes, lituated, notwithftanding the badnefs of the foil, in a well-cultivated country. The fandy heath-hills terminate toward Azambuja, a fmall town containing feven to eight hundred houfes, on a £ne and very well-cultivated plain on the bank of the river. Two leagues farther, ftill purfuing the river-bank, we came to a market- town call Caftanheiro, where is a very good inn. Here we faw nothing but corn-fields, olive-trees, and gardens. Only half a league farther is Villa- franca containing about eight hundred houfes and Htuated on the river, where it forms a con- fiderable landing place. Half a league beyond Villafranca is another fmall town, Alhandra, con- taining four to five hundred houfes. Here we 2 left ^OURNEt -THildUGH TOKtUcJAL. 4^t% left the river for a while, and afcended cultivated hills covered with olive-trees to a fmall town called Alveroa conllfting of about four hun- dred houfes, lituated fomewhat farther from Al- hapdra than the latter is from Villafranca, and two leagues from Lilbon. From hence we fol- lowed the river through a charming gay country full of gardens to Povos, a fmall market-town, containing two hundred houfes. At the parts where the river overflows its banks much fait is made. At Saccarem, a village containing many- neat houfes, We pafled a fmall rivet that falls into the Tragus on a bridge of boats. From this place we were acccimpanied by- a continual fuccelliOn of walls of quintas with houfes interfperfed to Li(bon, where the traveller may pafs througli feveral ftreets without knowing he is in the capital. Independent of what I have here faid, the reader will recollect how one fmall rown follows anothei* on the banks of the Tagus, and how cheerful and pleafant is the country along that great and broad river. I do not know a city whofe vicinity is announced at (o great a diflance. E s CHAP. 4j8 journey through Portugal. CHAP. XXXIV. Journey to Algarvia. Rood through the province of Alemteja, Scrra de Monchique, In the beginning of September 1798 we re- turned from the above exteniive excurfion through the northern provinces to Lifbon, where we con- tinued till the beginning of February 1799. We then fet forward again, croffing the river to Mou- ta, from which place, to Agua de Moura, an ex- tremely wretched village, we pafled over con- tinual heaths, and during the whole diftance, which is five leagues, only faw one fingle houfe. Agua de Moura is lituated on a brook, which however fupplies the means of fome cultivation. The country now becomes more hilly, as far as Palma, two leagues from this place, and we faw a number of cork-trees ; more indeed than I re- member to have feen in any other part of Portu- gal. The cork-tree {fovereira) grows higher than the ever-green oak, {quercus bdlote)^ and has fomewhat flenderer branches ; but their leaves are extremely fimilar, fo that nothing clearly dif- tinguifhcs them but the fpungy bark of the cork- tree. This bark it throws off, if it be not peeled, which ought to be done, as its growth is thereby >iAr/> improved; Journey through Portugal* 41^ improved ; and I remember to have feen many crippled trees, which feemed to have been ftifled as it were in the bark. The red ftem of the peeled tree thus expdfed has a fingular appearance. It Ihould feem that fufficient care is not beftowed on this tree in Portugal ; perhaps it is not often enough peeled ; for the trees I faw on the heaths of Bourdeaux towatd Bayonne were all much larger and finer. Befides the common and well known ufes, the bark is alfo here employed for bee-hives, covering ftables, and many domeftic purpofes. The wood is good, and the ftlells or calices of the fruit are ufed for tanning. Its fruit landem is excellent maft^ and is of the greateft importance to the farmer. The cork-tree^ how- ever, is in this refpedl inferior to the ever-green- oak, nor is its wood fo ufeful. It grows indeed fafter ; but is more expofed to licknefs, and does not laft fo long. Befides, no attention is paid to its cultivation* which is entirely left to nature^ Palma is a conliderable eftate of the Conde de Obidos, who relides there fome m.onths in the year. The houfe is indifferent, nearly refemb- iing the dwellings of the pofTeflbrs of eftates in Mecklenberg. The Conde has another building near his houfe, in which are rooms and beds for travellers of decent appearance, whom he receives for one night, the inns being at a great diftance from this place. There is great hofpitality in JE E 2 Portugal, 420 JdURNEY THROUGH POU-tUGAt. Portugal, and perfons of condition feldom pafs the night at an inn, but with their friends. To the honour however of the conde, he not only receives his friends and relations, but total ftran- gers. Yet it is almoll to be vvifhed, all hofpi- tality were banifhed from the country, unlefs the inns were better. The conde not only loves, but ftudies economy, efpecially in the writings of the french. We con- verfed with him on the ftate of hufbandry in Por- tugal : he complained of the want of good roads and of population, and even threw out an idea, that men muft be brought from thofe colonies, which had formerly robbed Portugal of its inha- bitants. He alio faid that negroes ought to he imported ; and indeed there are many already in i^iibon, where, after their feven years of fervicc iare expired, they purfue various lines of bulinefs and handicraft trades. The conde feems defirous of appearing to treat his dependents well, which may perhaps be the fa6l ; at leafl I know nothing to tiie contrary : for every evening at tea-time he orders fome of the peafant^ who work in his houfe to come in, and gives them a difh.of tea behind the door. Thus ih all places the great Tuffer their inferiors to ^approach them but to make the diftance between them more apparent. ■What an abyfs lay between thus Handing bcr 'hind the ^oor and fitting at the table ! But this 6 • diOi JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL', 421 diih of tea perhaps was intended to fave the con* de's hecf and mutton *. The pofleffions of the conde are productive, and muft be extenfive, as they enable the proprii- etor to keep large herds of cattle on the heaths. The foil is fandy, but mingled with fo thick red clay, that from lix to eight oxen muft frequently be yoked to the plough. The panicum dadylon h a very injurious, and very abundant weed. The Marateca, which in winter is a full ftream and in fummer a brook, alfo frequently does great damage. Round the conde's residence are fome pea{ants' houfes, but rural economy feems in a very backward ftate here, for neither the ufe of dung nor plants for fodder are known. From Palma we paffed over fand-hills covered with heath and cork-trees to Val de.Reis, a large but very old and ruinous gothic-built iioufe of the conde de Val de Reis, with a fmall village. The ^ valley was cultivated like that of Palma. Prom hence the road paffes over heath-hills to tlie river of Porta de Lama, the banks of which are likevvife- cultivated. Then follow hills of gra- nite-breccia, with traces of fand-flate, inftead of * In the original to compcnfate the fowl in the pot, an al- lufion, which has become proverbial in France and Germany, to a wilh- frequently exprefled by Henry IV. that he might leave his country in fuch a (late, that every peafaut might have a fowl in the po/on a I'unday. 1'. E E 3 mere 441 JOURXEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, fnere fand. The ever-green oak (quercus bcllote), whic|i we did not find in the fiat landy country round Lilbon, here firft appears. Beyond thefe hills foliows another valley watered by the Xarama, which here unites with the Sadao, and forms the navigable river Sado. In this valley is the village of Porto del Rey, and not far from thence a fin-r gle houfe called Palhota, a name given in Alemr tejo to fingle, and generally very bad inns, from Palha^ ftraw. All the travellers are ulually obliged to fleep in one room ; they however find fome- thing to eat, in which refpedl thefe are preferable to fimilar inns in Spain. Extremely fandy heaths and a pine-wood feparate this valley from another, where is the village of Quinta de Dom Rodriguez. Deferts of ciftus ladaniferus now continued till we came near Figueira, rather a large village on an eminence, in a tolerably cultivated country. This however does not continue long, being fuc^ ceeded by fimilar heaths, w^hich did not ^ceafe till we came near MelTejana, thirteen leagues from Pal ma. I have conducted the reader rapidly through this tracfl of country, which is one of the moll: defert dreary parts of Portugal. We travelled fTonftantly through waftes covered with heath an4 jjifii in the njanner I have above defcribed ; qnly c^^ high and dry fituations appear the wild olive- tree, the kermes-oak (quercus coqcifera), apd the ciftus JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAX.. 423 ciftus Monfpellenfis, whicli laft begins in this place to be very common. Through the valleys, almoft all of which lie eaft and well, a river ge- nerally flows, the banks of which are cultivated; ^nd there the vegetation at this feafon of the year is extremely fine and luxuriant,; efpecially in the thick-growing bufhes. All thefe rivers, take their rife in upper Alemtejo and fall into the Sado. In winter they fwell aftonifhingly ; we Hill faw the traces of their ravages, and of their fertiliza- tion, and found it difficult to pafs fome of them, ^ we met with very few bridges. They frequently render travelling in thefe parts wholly impradli- cable in winter. ' ^'" ' "^ - '■'■'■ MefTejana is a market-town, which ftill hA's^'its old walls like fome places in Spain, efpecially in old Caftile. The level of the. country here rifes, confifting of hills of argillaceous flate, and is en- tirely covered with corn-fields, which continue as far as Pomoyas, a fmall market-town a leaguQ farther. Here we came to the celebrated field of battle called Campo de Ourique, a hilly and ill- cultivated country covered with ciftus ladaniferus and ciftus Monfpelienfis. The battle of Ourique wa,s tlie commencement of the portugueze monarchy, Portugal, as fur as it had then been conquered from the Moors, had been conferred on Conde Henrique, in conlequcnce of bis marriage with Ter^fa, daughter of the kinjr E E 4 .of 4»4 J O URNE Y T^ ILOV• ^.i»3xi3 I went alotie t6 the to"p of a hil^ , and tobk' ir Tiew of the countfy as fat as 1 could fee, when a peafant, feeing a ftranger ftariding thus alone, ap--* proachied me, and ^ith port\iguez^ politenefs afked what 1 Wanted. • *' U this tlie ijeld ^f Ou^ rique, faid I V tie faad it Was. ** I tame to Tee, continued t, the place where that celebrated bat- tle was- fought." Upon this, he told me the whole ftory with a minutenefs and fuch a defcriptiori of the armies as if he had been prefent; not eveti forgetting to niention that it happened on the hot fummer days. It is very pleating thus to hear thd hiftory of events long paiTed from the mouth ot the inhabitants. I muft refer the reader, who wiflies for a fine defcription of this battle, to the third canto of the Luliad, where ttie arms df Portugal are poetically defcfi bed according to this event -^t Leaving * He was proclaimed king on the field of battle j but the regal dignity and conftitution werfe not fett'rd till about (it years after, at Laraego, where an affembly oi' t>. lates, nobrr lity, and commons was called by the king tor tiiat purpofe, and the independence of Portugal on Spain confirmed. T. f The portugueze writers fay, he changed the arms given him by his father, confifting of a crofs azure in a field argent, for five efcutcheons, each ch.irged with five bezants, in memory of tl»e five wounds 01 -Chrift. Others fay he gave in t ficjd argent^ five efcutghcons azure in the form of a crofs, each 4%^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUOAUt Leaving the town of Ourique to our left, we entered on a road that lies between hills of ciftus l^daniferus to Garvao, a village lituated in a very pleafant valley, and were very much furprifed to find in a country fo remote from all great towns a fine road extremely well made, which however only continues a league. The mountains rife, from thence to Amoreiras and San Martinho, two fmall villages, (though laid down in the maps as one), on the declivity of a rather high chain of mountains, lying E. and W. before Serra dc Monchique. They are mountains of grey argil- laceous flate, and fandftone-flate, in great meafure covered with ciftus ladaniferus ; but here and there we found fingle houfes furrounded by corn- ^elds, which ftipw how ealily this mountain, like the fpanifh Sierra morena, might be cultivatedr We alfo faw round San Martinho fomc very welU cultivated fpots, and even fields fown with flax. On the fummit of thefe mountains, we beheld the whole range of Serra de Monchique before us in its diredlion from E. to W. being conllderably high, but not fo full of peaks as the mountains of Cintra and Gerez. The indented ridge of thef^ mountains divides Algarvja ffom Aleaitejo, each charged with five bezants argent placed faltierwife, with a point fable, in memory of five wounds he himfelf received, and of five Moorifh kings flaiu in the battle. T, A larg? JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, 4.ZJ A large but ill-cultivated valley follows the mountains of San Martinlio. Here we faw only a (mail poor village, called Sancta Clara, and four fhort leagues from San Martinho we came to an inn (palhota) beyond all meafure wretched, being the word in Portugal. At length we continued our way between low hills, after which we climbed the fpurs or forerunners of the Serra de Mon- chique. This range confifts of mountains thickly crowded together with Ihort interruptions, formed of flate and fand-ftone, and every where covered -with the monotonous ciftus ladaniferus and the ciftus populifolius. The road winds along over thefe mountains, and is far from bad. The nearer we came to the higheft part of the Serra de Mon- chique, which is called Serra de Foia, the deeper and narrower are the valleys ; fo that we faw no- thing but an interminable defert without houfes, men, or traces of cultivation. Leaving the fum- mit of the mountain to the right ; after travelling four long leagues through this defert, we fuddenly foiind at the foot of the mountains a narrow val- ley with chefnut-trees, fields, and houfes. This valley winds to the left, and we came to the fouth lide of the mountain. What a profpedl: now open- ed to our view ! Among chefnut trees on the de- clivity of the mountain, concealed amid gardens of oranges and lemons, and furrounded by deep jromantic valleys watered by murmuring brooks, if 428 jO^JRKE-i- THROUGH JORTDGAL. is xht charming town of Monchique. Through- out our journey we never met with fo great a fur- -prife. For paffing fuddenly from a defert dreary -ivafre, which continues almoft from Liibon to ;this place, we were fuddenly tranfported to the ijTloft charming fpot we had ever feen. Mon- ciwqtie is a Conliderable villa lituated partly on the declivity of the mountain, where it is difperfed in a pidlurefque manner ; the high ferra de Foia raifes its naked rocky head above it, orange gar- rdens join chefnut-woods ; and the majeftic rhodo- dendron ponticum*, the moft beautiful of euro- pean fhrubs, fhadeS the brooks that on all iides ftream down thie mountains. In this part of Por- tugal alone fragrant violets blow in chefnut- woods, the valleys and declivities afford pleafant and fhady walks j and by only afcending a little above the town the fpe6lator may behold the whole coaft of Algarvia with its bays and rivers lyilig before him like a map. On the fummit of the Serra de Foia, he will fee not only the whole of Algarvia, but alfo a great part of Alemtejo. Here great quantities of oranges are grown, be- ing efteemed the beft in Algarvia, and carried to confiderable diffances. A gieat quantity of (imilar fruits is aifo grown, in -a greater variety than is * Pontic dwarf ipfcrbay. T. ufual JOUR-NEY THROUGH PORTUGAL^ 42^ ufual in any other part of Portugal. To this place belong lemons (Imoss)y fweet-lemons (limoss don- ees), which have a very pungent fmell but an inlipid fweet tafte, yet are eaten with pleafure by many perfons ; bitter oranges {laranjas amargas),. four oranges (laranjas acedas), which refemble the, former but have a four tafte and are preferred to all others for lemonade ; and, laftly, the lima or lime, which refembles the fweet lemon, but is Ihorter and broader, and has a very difagreeablc tafte, though it fends forth an extraordinarily pleafant bergamot-perfume. The chefnut-woods are particularly efteerned for mafts ; (hence the hams of Monchique are celebrated) ; but their fruit is not fo good for the table as the chefnuts of Port- alegre, being never grafted. The chefnut-tree is, partly grown as underwood, being ufed in great quantities for poles in vineyards, hoops, and other ftmilar ufes, Quantities of ftaves of this wood are, conftantly fent on mules tp Algarvia. ^ Round Monchique every thing is granite, aa alio on the ferra de Foia which entirely conlifts of it. On the north fide only does the flate rife^ to a conliderable height. The ferra de Foia is unqueftionably the higheft range of mountains on this ftde the Tagus, exceeding that of the moun- tains of Cintra, and being perhaps but little lower or even a .Uttle higl^er tlian the ferra de Marao, 430 JOURNEY THROUGH P0!ITUGAI./ Maraoi The next mountains on this fide the Tagus, in point of height, are thofe of Mertola. The warm baths of Monchique are lituated a league to the fouthward of the town, the road to tliem lying over a mountain, which however may be avoided by going round it. They are on the fouth declivity of this mountain, but muft be -very inconvenient to patients, as they cannot walk ^ ftep but up or down hill, which is extremely irkfome on account of the fteepnefs and the great number of rounded flints. The whole mountain is covered with limilar rocks and clofe thickets, but no traces of cultivation appear, except a fmall garden near the bathing-houfe. The open prof- pecft to Algarvia is the only one that might be called pleafant, were it not conftantly in view, and the balhing-houfe is the only building that enli- vens this rude fcene. It is of ll-one, and well and conveniently laid out. It contains the baths, re-- ceives the patients, and lodges a provedor, who has the fuperintendance of them, lets out the rooms, &c. There are four ftone bathing- rooms^ each prepared for one or at moft two perfons ; the water is let in and out at pleafure by cocks. They are quite dark, being without windows, and the patient defcends into them down fcveral fleps* The water, like that of Gercz, has not the leaft talle or fmell, nor does the heat exceed 24° of Reaumur, JOURNEY THROUGH PO"RTUdAL. 43I Reaumur, which is very inconliderable. The fprings take their rife from a greyifh granite, of which the whple mountain conlifts. The feafon for bathing is in fpnng, and the baths are fome- times vifited by the inhabitants of Algarvia. This, like all other portugueze bathing-places, is fre- quently vifited by nuns, who certainly have great occafion for baths. It is to be lamented that they are not fituated at Monchique, where it muft be fo pleafant to refide, that few other watering-placed can be compared with it. CHAP. AS^ -JOtJRylEY THROUGH EO«.TtIG.AL. •jjmas^-^ Cfl^S "^^ ^ncent's. Lagos, llllanota. Luile, PrepArch ■_.,,> .. . tion of ihreadj'rom qloes* ^,-Jjr> jfjj ^•;. . W E hftd fcarcqly , quitted the high granite- CGuntry round Monchique, afid defcended to the JowjQate-mount.ains, ere thp n^onotonous ciftus ladaniferus again covered the foiH a? pR the north- lide of the mountains. At length we defcended from thefe defert mountains, which now opened and em- braced broad valleys. Being defirous of feeing Cape St. Vmcent we quitted the road to Lagos, taking that to the right, and proceeding to the village of Bem Safrim. The plain had here quite an Algarvian appearance, and was covered with a number of plants Very rarely cr never found in other parts of Portugal. Among thefe in particu- lar was the little palmetto or fan-palm ( chaniarops humilis'^), which is uncommonly plentiful through- out the whole of Algarvia, and which ceafed as foon as we quitted that province '|~. It feldom grows above three or four feet high notwithftand- ing the thicknefs of the ftem, and has a lingular * A kind of dwarf-palm ; the chamccrops glalra. Linn. T, •f- We had before only feen it in one place in Alemtejo, at Quinta de Duro Rodriguez. appear- JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL." 433 appearance ; its fan-fl)a{)ed leaves are ufed for making the balkets in which figs are packed. For this reafon they are not rooted up, and even corn-fields are fometimes full of them. I am ac- quainted with no other :ufe made of them in Al- garvia, though the young fhoots are here and there eaten as vegetables. Jonquilles alfo decorated the meadows with their elegant and fragrant flow- ers, and various beautiful kinds of fquills ( f cilia) adorned the eminences and thickets. Between the Hate -mountains we had left on Our right, and the limeftone mountains on our left, we pafTed through the villages- of Bem Safrim, 6udes, and Rapofeira, to a fmall town called Villa do bifpo, eight leagues from Monchique, as tile neareft place to the cape; but there being no inn, we lodged in the houfe of a rich peafant who dealt in wine, figs, and other trifles, and was a native of Minho. He received us with great readinefs, and his lively pretty wife and daughter endeavoured to enter- tain us in the moft agreeable manner. Here I was taken as ufual for a pradlifingphyfician, was afked for a preicription, and heard with aftonifhment that the wife was affedled with vapours.: for Ihe had an equally delicate conftitution and refined feelings. The villages here have a fingular appearance. They are large, ftragglingly built on eminences, and the churches which are fmall and neat are fitu- F p ated 434 JOURNEY THiiOtrdH Portugal. ated at a diftance from them. Such is the Villa do bifpo. Here we faw h ..^a. in llngle mountains, fur- rounded as at Lifbon by limeftone mountains ; but the bafalt was blacker, more compaA and fonorous, than round Lifbon. Bafalt is a rare flone in this pyreneean peninfula ; I know no other traces of it in Spain except the fpecimen in the mufeum at Madrid, which was faid to be found in Catalonia. The only parts of Portugal where it is found are thofe round Lifbon and Gape St. Vincent. Of Algarvia I muft here, for the fake of great- er perfpicuity, give a very brief and curfory ac- count. This narrow traft of land is feparated from Alcmtejo by a broken chain of mountains confifting of fandflone and an argillaceous flate ; granite only appears on the Serra de Foia. Thefe fandflone mountains are arid, barren, and only bear the ciflus ladaniferus with two other kinds of ciftus. They begin here beyond Villa do bifpo clofe to the fea-fhore on low hills, and continue as far as the Guadiana. Here follows a chain of other limeftone mountains, on the whole fome- what low, but rather fleep, and only feparated from the former by narrow vallies. Thefe are alfo uncultivated, being covered with a quantity of loofe ftones, thickets of kermes-oak, and fome other plants. Cape St. Vincent forms their com- mence- jOURtiBY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 435 h^encement, and tliey end at Tavira. This moun- tain is at length fucceeded by that narrow ftrip of cultivated land extending to the fea, on which moft of the towns and villages of Algarvia are lituated. Toward Cape St. Vincent the hills conftantly/ grow flatter, and that promontory itfelf is a deferf plain, confifting of a grey limeftone, fo naked and rough near the pointy that it is very difficult to travel over it. In other parts it is merely co- vered with fand. Here and there we faw fome thickets of ciftus ladaniferus, and many other plants we had found in no other part of Portugal ; as for inl1:ande, the milk- vetch (ajiragalus traga- canthajj the tree -violet (viola orborefcens), and many others. Toward the fea the rock is every where fradlured, and about 50 to 80 feet high, being of equal height with Cabo de Rocca, which it in general fome what refembles. At the utmoii: extremity in this defert country is a monaftery o£ Capuchins. Ships can approach very near the rock, and the monks aflured Us that fometimes in fine weather they fpeak with them. They alfo re- lated to us many particulars of the engagement between the fpaniards and Lord St. Vincent, which they diitinc^ly faw from the monaflery. Such incidents alone can render a refidence on this remote point of land interefting. On another point of tlie rock feparated by a creek from the y F 2 extreme Jf.^6 JOURNET THROUGH PORTtJfeAt. extreme end is the fmall fort of Sagres, withift ■ ' which nothing is feen but thie commandant's dwelling, the foldiers* barracks, and the works, ■ , which the commandant feemed unwilling to fliew us, and even forbid our feeing. A company of the regiment of Lagos is ftationed here^ being ffom time to time relieved ; and the captkin is commandant of the place. Without the fort are only a couple of houfes. When the great earth- quake of i 755 deftroyed Lifbon , the fea here sflfo fwelled, and pouring from a- creek over the land laid' the country waftd*'^^^ -tHd .\) fl^A:>r-U At Sagres 'a great quantity of filli and mufcles are tafceh, and" fmall fifhing-'fmacks lie at anchor under the rock in the creek. In thefe parts of Algarvia are eaten a kind of mufcle, called by the inhabitants perfeves (the duck-mufcle, lepas ana- tifera), efpecially the part contained in the heel or fpur. \ thought them very good, but do not rememb^i'^ver reading that they were fit for food. The edible" Cockles (^jr^rww f^K/(?, in portugueze htrbigadj'Snd. the eatable mufcle {myiilus edulis, in portugueze mmlhad) are generally eaten on faft days in the maritime provinces of Portugal. Near Sagres grows in great quantities the efparto-grafs (fiipa tenacijjtmaj, a very ufeful ve- getable, . of which in Spain, efpecially in La Mancha, rc(5rds are made, and of which conlider- able rquantitics are fent from thence into Portugal i-.r/yi:::- for JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 437 for the fame purpofe. They are here alfo ufed ; and to prevent deftroying them it is prohibited, under conliderable penalties, to pluck them up before the month of May. But it is aftonilhing that no one has ever thought of planting this ufe- ful vegetable in other parts ; at leaft on the barren limeftone mountains of Algarvia. I am not aware that it is found wild in any other part of Portugal than the fpot I have defcribed. To leave the cape we were obliged to return a long portion of our former way through Ra- pofeira and Budes, after which we turned to the right to Lagos ; here we traverfed the ftony un-r cultivated limeftone mountains, and afterwards at Lagos defcended that finely- cultivated declivity toward the fea. It was entirely covered with corn-fields, in which were a number of fig-trees in regular ranks, only here and there interfperfed with olive and almond-trees. The figs are almoft all of the white variet}"-, but not of the beft kind. They ferve however for the ordKnary fupport of the people, whofe breakfaft confifts of bread, figs, and wine ; their dinner concludes with figs, and their fupper is tlie fame as their breakfaft, as we had already an opportunity to obfcrve at Villa do bifpo. The inhabitants appeared very healthy, and, which many would notfuppofe, have univer- fally good teeth. The women have remarkably F F 3 fair 43^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. feir'complexions, and from Monchique charming countenances were not uncommon. *^ The city of Lagos, five fmall le^ues from Capo Str Vincent, is properly the chief town of Algar- via, though no longer the relidence of the go- vernor of that province. It is fituated on a de- clivity clofe to the fea, on the welt fide pf a large bay ; but is only of 3, moderate fize, containing about eight hundred and fifty houfes, three monafteries, and two parifhes. The city was formerly more flourifhing, and has decayed fince the fifteenth century. It is furrounded by high old walls, which have only fallen in, one place; and without the town is a fmall luburb. Many perfons of condition refide in the town, whicl^ contains feveral neat houfes, but many parts have continued vacant fince the earthquake of 1755* when this place fufFered much. Lagos has a cor- regedor, a goyernador, or commandant, and is garrifoned by the regiment of Lagos, from which however detachments are fent to Silves, Villa- nova, and Sagres. The caftle of Pcnhao com- mands the bay, which, when the wind is north or weft, affords excellent anchorage even for a large fleet, though lefs favourable with an eaft-wind, and not at all when it is fouth. Here lord St. Vincen. caft anchor after he had gained his great ridtory over the Spaniards. A fmall part of the bay JOURNEY THEOUGH PpRTUQAL. 439. bay forms a harbour, which however only fmall veflels can enter. Another tjrm of the fea extends inland, but is only navigable for fmall boats, and over it is a ftone bridge. The fear-ccaft is here flat and fandy, and continues fo along the fouth co^ft of Portugal throughout the whole of Al- garvia, whereas the whole w^ftern ?oaft is always more or lefs rocky. In 1798 Portugal was much threatened by the French, becaufe fhe was indifpofed to ratify the treaty of peace concluded with that country. Spain at firft protedled her, and endeavoured to prevent the marching of a french army through her territories ; for the cabinet of Lifbon might be affured, that of Madrid would not willingly fuffer this march of troops which are better re- publicans abroad than at ho^ne, The equipment of a fleet from Toulon increafed the alarm ; for it wasi thought it might be deftined for Portugal, and that a landing would be attempted in Algar-. via, as rocks protedl the coaft in other parts. The prince of Waldeck therefore, in his journey to the fortreflfes of Portugal, alfo went to Algar- via, and, even in the delirium of his illnefs, bulled himfelf with the means of pre venting an army from landing. Certainly nothing could have been eafier than to land in Algarvia, and efpecially here at La- gos, or at Villa Real : for in no part could the French have been repulfcd by means of any confider- p F 4 able 440 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL.*- able fortrefles, "ind the difperlion of the portu- gueze army along the coaft would have rendered' all oppoiition vain. It was however by no means probable the French fhould commit thi^ folly as ' long as one englifh fleet lay at Gibraltar and an- other blockaded Cadiz, "'.'-^^^^i iB^^'invM 1o In 1798 the conqueft of Portugal would have been very eafy to France ; provided they had gone through Spain, for that country muft, through fear, have confented to all their de- mands. The wife old duke of Lafoes laughed in the council at the preparations made, and the trouble the prince of Waldeck took, fto whom indeed he was otherwife indifpofed) faying, the French wanted nothing but pack-faddles (" na5 neceflatam que albardas"). And why was not Portugal conquered? why did not' the French ftrike this feverc ftroke againft England ? The anfwer is eafy to thofe who are acquainted with the antecedent circumftances. The Directory for a time permitted the embaf- fador Araujo to remain at Paris as a private perfon even after the ratification of peace was refufed ; when that minifter happening to fpfeak fomewhat indifcreetly' of bribes, was thrown into prifon, but bcirg foon liberated, was fent embaflTador to the fubordinate republic of Holland. Soon after a near relation of the minifter at war went to Paris as me- diator. All thispaffed at the time the harbour of Lilbon JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. , 441^ Lifbon was in the hands.of the Englilh ; but the venal government of France on one fide firetched put their hands to plunder the innocent neutral powers, and on the other fufFered themfelves to be brought off from an important conqueft of a very hofiile country. It is a bad excufe to fay that France ought to fpare Portugal, becaufe the Englifh might other- wife feize Brafil. Has England feized Havannah, Peru, and Mexico ? and was it not known in France that the acHiive, reftlefs, difcontented Bra- filians were ealier to revolutionife than the gentle fubmiffive Portugueze ? In the neighbourhood of Lagos, Cape St. Vin- cent, and other parts of this coaft, a quantity of tunny-fifh is taken and faked in May and June ; but it is not fo commonly eaten frelh , on account of its fat. I found the faked fifli, the colour of which very nearly refembles fmoked beef, very good, and when properly foaked have eaten it with , pleafure. A korehoufe is opened at Lifbon for the reception of this fifh, and it feems to be at length difcovered, that it will in part fupply the place of cod. Formerly, in the time of king Denis, there was a coral fifhery on this coail ; but it has fince entirely ceafed. From Lagos to a fmall town called Villanova de Pertimaa is a diftance of two leagues, the road being circuitous in confequence of the creeks and fmall 44^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAI,, fmall rivers, which at flood arc fuJl of water. Here we croflTed the range of uncultivated lime- ftone mountains. Toward Villanova the country- becomes flat, is very well cultivated, and fhaded with high olive-trees and fig-trees, which here, as at Lagos, grow in corn-jfields. The town con- iifts of about five hundred, moftly fmall, poor, houfes, is furrounded by a high wall, beyond which is a fmall fuburb, and is garrifojned by two companies. The river of Villanova flows clofe to the walls, is here confiderably broad (next to the (jruadiana, which is the largefl in Algarvia) and difcharges itfelf half a league from thence between high downs into the fea. Two confiderable forts, St. John on the eafl; fide and St. Catherine on the weft, cover the entrance. We only faw one fhip. in the harbour, of which the bar is dangerous and the fand-banks fhifting. This harbour car^ therefore be of but little importance. We pafTed the river in a boat, and purfued our way to Lagoa acrofs a flat, pleafant, and extremely well-cultivated country. Lagoa is a market town lituated on a fmall lake, from which it derives its name, two leagues from Villanova. The foil h heK fomewhat fandy, and we faw pine-woods. Some writers erroneoufly place here the ancient Lacobriga. From hence to Louie, a diAance of fix leagues, the road varies in the manner it ufually does in j^lgarvia. JOURNEY THROUGH POETUGit. 4 Algarvia. At one time we croffed flat aiid wtll- culrivated tracts, where large high olive-trees, fpreading fig-trees, and the charming carob-tree, (ceratoniajiliqua), in the corn-fields, afford a plea- fant fhade ; (there are v^ry pleafant fppts of this kind round a market town called Pera, and a fin- gle inn called Nera) ; ^nd at another time wc climbed rough ftony limeftone mountains, with- out any traces of cultivation ; the caufe of which changes was, that we were now going from the fea, and crolTed the branches that ifftie from the chain of limeftone piount^ins, which furround Algarvia. The high and beautiful carob-tree grows in great numbers toward Louie, is a great orna- ment to this province, of which it is a native, and we found maiiy bufhes of it on the barren limeftone hills. I confider this as the mofl beau- tiful of european trees ; it attains to a conliderablc height, always forms a la^ge wide fhady vertex, and its beautiful feathered evergreen foliage, with fmali rpundilh leaves, gives it a, charming appear- ance. The many pods that hang down from it have to us germans a lingular effedl. It is alfo a ufeful tree ; the wood is hard and red, the ripe fruit is very commonly ufed as fodder for cattle, and cfpecially as mafl for fwine, though inferior to that of the ever-green-oak. It is alfo eaten by men. 444 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. men, but chiefly for amufement, and to exctto an appetite. . -'Louie is a fmall town containing about 1600 lioufes, and lituated in a broad valley furrounded by the mountains of the limeftone chain, which here attain to a confiderable height. The Cabeqa da Camara fouth-weft of Louie, is one of the higheft mountains of this chain. The town is furrounded with high walls, garrifoned by two companies, and the commandant (governador) is a major. Here are three moflafterles and a convent for poor ladies of family, in which laft the aloe- threads are dyed and manufadured with great delicacy and neatnefs into bafkets, artificial flow- ers, and other articles, which are fent to all parts of the country. - The american aloe (agave americana; in portu- gueze pita), moft commonly forms the hedges in the fouthern and midland piarts of Portugal, where it flowers very frequently, and theYeby greatly enriches and adorns the iprofpec^. It is propagated very eafily from the roots by young plants, may therefore be planted without trouble, and thus forms thick hedges, but fpreads too far. The threads (Jio de pita) are prepared only in Algarvia, and particularly here round Louie* The procefs is as follows ; the largeft and beft leaves, which arc free from fpot or decay, are cut off. jbtrktfEV Trfkotfoil toft.'i-tJC'AL;' 445 bff, the labourer prefles a fquare board obliquely between his breaft and the ground, lays the leaf upon it and fcrapes'^Ltwrth a Tquare iron bar, which he holds in both hands, by which all the juices and pulp are preifed out, and only the nerves of the leaves remain, which by this means fufFer themfelves to be divided into very fine threads. Thefe are hi?ng over a thin cord to dry, and fold for fix vinteiris'per lb. Tlie threa:d is not ftrong, and eafily rots in water, by which its utility is limited ; but it may be employed for many pur- pofes, as it' conlifts entirely of ftraight threads* In Algar\aa, where pafture is fcarce, the leaves of the aloe are cut in thin tranfverfe flices and given to cattle. Hence another kind is grown at Faro in the hedges, diftinguifhed by its greenifh, not blue leaves, its feeble flower- ftorks and fmaller number of flowers ; but it does not come under any known variety. As oxen do not eat the; leaves of this fort of aloe, the proprietor incurs no danger of his hedges being cut for fodder. ■ CHAP. 44^ JOTTRITEY THROUGH PORTUOAt. criAP. xxxvi. Faro. Cultivation of the Jig-tree. Tavira. Remarks on Algaruia. Villa real. Account of the fishery there. Jr ROM I^ule to Faro is a diftance of only two leagues* At firft the road pafles through a plea- fant valley along a brook between limeftone mountains, where large and beautiful carob-trees grow in the fields. Toward Faro the country be- comes flat and fandy, being Covered with heaths and cifti, (efpecially the cijius umbellatus Aiton. nee Linn.) ; but in the neighbourhood of the town the numerous quintas and gardens enliven the country, which is otherwife unfruitful. The city of Faro is fituated on a plain, being a league from the fea, and on the bank of the river Da Quarteira. The town is quite open, being built with confiderable regularity, and tolerably broad streets; but chiefly confifts of fmall houfes. This regularity arifes from the englifh having landed here in 1596, when they plundered and burnt the town, except the part round the church of San Pedro, which is flill diflinguifhed by the gothic appearance of the houfes. It is the fee of a bifhop, a governor, a brigadier, and a correge- dor, contains two parishes, three monafteries, and jeitRNEY THROUGH PORTDGAL. 447 and i20ohoufes. There is a handfome fquare, with fome confiderable buildings, lituated on the jiarroiV river, and on one fide is a fmall citadel. Not very large fhips can come up to the town, thefe being obliged to unload in the road or lower down the river, which after many windings forms the narrow entrance of the harbour, a league and a half below the town to the fouth-eaft, where it is covered by the fort of San Lourenqo de Olhao on the eaft fide of the river. Another narrow arm of the riv€r, or rather of the fea, called a Barreta^ forms an iiland, on which is the fandy cape of Santa Maria. This ifland is laid down in all the maps at too great a diftance from the land. The country toward the fea is very marlliy, and over- grown with marine plants ; on the oppolite fide it is flat and fandy, and at a diftance appear the mountains of San Miguel, which are rather high and fteep, but well cultivated toward the bafe. Faro ftill retains the greater part of the trade of Algarvia, and as long as lord St. Vincent block- aded Cadiz, much traffic was carried on between this place and the fleet. The moft important pro- duce exported from hence confifts of figs, which the country people bring to town to the ware- houfes of the merchants who deal in that article. They are there thrown down in a heap in a build- ing prepared for that purpofe, where a fyrup flows from them, which is ufed with advantage for 44^ JflURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAIw for making brandy. They are then fpread to dry in the fun, in an open lituation, where they are left a few days, in proportion to the heat of the weather ; after which they are preffed into fmall baikets made of the leaves of the fan-palm, each containing aSlb., and fent off. The greater part of thofe grown here are of the white kind, but the red are better, among which the figo do Enchario and do Bifpo are very excellent. Greece and Algarvia are I believe the only countries where caprification is pra6lifed;. for here are fome varieties of figs, and thofe very excellent,' that fall to the ground unmatured, unlefs punc- tured by the gnats. To further this, another otherwife wholly ufelefs variety of fig-tree is grown, wherein thefe infefts, which are larvae of an ichneumon, abound. Thefe trees are called figos de toca from tocar to touch. From this tree branches are broken and hung upon that intended to be impregnated. Here the larvae come forth, perforate the fruit, r and the perfedt animal? place themfelves on the figs of the tree on which thefe branches are hung, puncture them, and thereby advance their maturity. This method of ripening figs, which is certainly excellent, was known to the ancients, who called it caprifical;io. It is alfo cuftomary in ^he Archipelago, and is defcribed by Tournefort in his, travels. I- h%ye never feen the perfe(5l animal, but have fought .i for JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 449 for the larvae in the figos de toca, which I found to be female figs, and that from them no pollen is conveyed by the infeA to the other figs, as Linneus imagined. I am fully convinced that the pun(9:ure of the infedl only ferves to give vent to the fap and flimulate its efFufion, thereby not only preventing the falling of the fruit, but render- ing it fweeter and better flavoured. It is well known that many fruits when pun6tured by in- fecfls ripen fooner, and thus not unfrequently ac- quire a fweet talle. The fig-tree requires very little other culture ; it is propagated by layers, the trees produced from feed bearing uneatable fruit, and requiring to be grafted. This tree is con- tented with a dry bad foil ; I have often feen wild fig-trees growing on naked rocks, or on walls where was no earth. It often attains the lize of a pear-tree, and its vertex fpreads fo much that it almofl feems to reft upon the earth. A fpecies of coccus produces on this tree, as on the olive, a kind of ruft, which does great mifchief. Algarvia is the only province of Portugal from which dried figs are exported. Not only figs, but oranges and fpanifh reeds {^ariindo donax) are alfo exported from Faro to England. The latte^ come from Tavira. In gar- dens are grown american potatoes (^convolvulus batatas')^ and plantains (tmifa paradifaica). G G A merchant 450 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGALV. A merchant named Lempriere, an englifhman tvho refides at Faro, is poflefled of a great natural curiofity, a young mule, being a mongrel between a mule and an afs. On the mountains of Mon- chic^ue, a mule fuddenly became pregnant, with- out any one knowing the lire, and produced a young one, which the proprietor, who was a pea- fant, carried about while it fucked its dam, and fhowed for money. The governor of Faro, Bri- gadier Connell, an irifhman, who himfelf told us the ftory, being then at Lagos, purchafed, and afterwards prefented it to his friend Lempriere. The road from Faro to Tavira, which is four leagues farther, continues always near the fea, and is uncommonly pleafant : only a few fmall fpots near Faro are fandy, and a few limeftone hills un- cultivated. Elfewhere, efpecially in the neigh- bourhood of Tavira, the whole foil is exceedingly well cultivated, and adorned between the corn- fields alternately with olive, carob, and almond- trees. Tavira is a neat city containing 1400 houfes, four monafteries, fome neat and clean ftreets and conliderable houfes, of which the principal is the governor's palace. Old walls divide the city from the fuburbs ; the river Sequa, over which is a handfome ftone bridge, flows through the middle of it, and fmall veffels come up as far as the bridge. The furrounding country is one of the pleafanteft JOURNEY THROUGfi PORTUGAL^ 45 1 pleafanteft in Portugal ; hills of the chain of lime- ftone mountains crowd clofe round the town, which they enclofe as it were with a wood of high fhady trees, in whofe bofom it feems to repofe ; among thefe trees every little vacant fpace is cul- tivated either as a garden or a corn-field, the trees are varied in a pleating manner, the bright and cheerful leaf of the almond relieves the ob*_ fcurity of the olive, which here, as in genefal through Algarvia and Andalufia, attains to a great lize and beauty, and the feathered and regular leaf of the majeftic carob is beautifully oppofed to the fimple (lender leaves of the other trees. It was now the beginning of March, and the hedges were full of anagyris * in bloom, of which the papilionaceous flowers are fpotted with yellow and brown, and entwined with the ariJlolochia'\- fub- glauca Lamark. on which innumerable flowers hung like dark-brown cornucopige. Beans which were every where in blofTom yielded a fvveet per- fume, and the fields were blue with the flowers of flax, while my native country was covered with fnow and ice. The road afcended the river, and was very plea- fant, winding amid thefe charming hills, and in the upper part of the valley bordered by a thicket of oleander and fpanifh reed. The tide comes a league above Tavira. We had not gone two * Stinking bean-trefoil. f Birthwort. G G 2 leagues 45^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. leagues from the town, when we came to the chain of fand-ftone mountains and deferts of ciflus la- daniferus. The mouth of the river is a league to the fouth- eaft of Tavira. The entrance of the harbour is nar- row, fhallow, and unfafe, owing to fhifting fand- banks, and the quantity of fhipping is much lefs conliderable than that of Faro. This entrance is^ defended by a very fmall fort. Between Tavira and the fea are many falt-marfhes, and the in- habitants here gather a grafs called murraqa {dac- tylis Jirida Aiton.) which they fell in the market- place of Tavira, and which conftitutes excellent fodder. The fifhery, particularly that of Sardines and Tunny, is confiderable, the former of which wc had an opportunity of feeing. A very large net is carried out into the fea by boats, and then drawn afhore by a number of men. The beach was crowded with women and children, the noife of whom, and the rejoicing of the men, with the quantity of fifh jumping about and often fp ring- ing very high, afforded a pleafant fight. A quantity of cuttle-fifh were alfo taken, and the torpedo (Jremelha), which the inhabitants fay a man may boldly take v^ith the left hand, though not with the right, without being ftruck by it ; but when I faw it, the lilh was too much exhaufVed to produce any effedl. Round JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 453 Round Tavira many almonds are grown, more than are generally found in any other part of Por- tugal. Here alfo is much garden-fruit and flax; but only that variety is grown, which bears large blue flowers, and which the german osconomifts call klang-lein. Tavira is the chief town of the fmall kingdom of Algarvia, where the governor of that province refides together with a provedor. The place of governor of Algarvia is one of the higheft in Portugal, and was at that time filled by Dom Francifco de Mello da Cunha de Men- douqa, in whofe family the office of chief ranger (monteiro mor) is hereditary. . AH the other gover- nors of the province are under him ; and as moft towns have garrifons, and are or fhould be forti- fied towns {pra^as^ or places d'armes), in which the governor has the fuperintendence of the police, the government is military. This fmall kingdom (Algarvia) according to the laft enumeration of the governor, the Conde de Val de Reis, in 1780, contained 93,472 inhabitants, of which 6521 were hufbandmen, and 5575 labourers. It lies clofe to the fea, and is well-cultivated ; but this cultiva- tion generally extends fcarcely two leagues inland, after which follow defert hills. Here are more wells than in other parts, probably the remains o£ moorifh induftry; that people having continued longer in this than in the other provinces. Corn is not grown in fufficient quantities for the de- G G 3 mand. 454 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. mand, yet excellent bread is made at Faro and Tavira, better than at any other place, not ex- cepting Lifbon, and ftill lefs Oporto, where the bread is extremely bad. Oil is produced in great quantities, being conlidered as the beft in Por- tugal, and exported. The wine of this province is white, contrary to the general cuftom of the coun- try, but is good, and fupplies a part of Alemtejo. Figs conftitute the principal produce of Algarvia, but almonds are grown in copliderable quantities, efpecially round Tavira, and are exported. Of the fpanifh-reeds I have already fpoken : oranges are alfo grown, particularly round Monchique and Faro. The common people live principally on filh, and are very poor. The inhabitants of Algarvia are lefs refined and lefs polite than the reft of the portugueze, but their fhrewdnefs and fharpnefs of wit are celebrated throughout the country. In this their neighbours the Andalufi- ans, with whom they have much intercourfe, ftrongly refemble them. They are alfo confidered as the belt mariners in Portugal ; hence great numbers of them emigrate, and moft of the boat- men at Lifbon are from this province. There is indeed no doubt that this province is capable of great cultivation, though hitherto extraordinarily negledled. In no part are the roads fo bad, there being no high-roads, but mere paths for horfes r.|id foot palfengerSj, excepting in the neighbour- hood JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 4^5 hood of Faro, where alone are roads for carts. The inns are uncommonly bad, the whole houfe even at Tavira conlifting of a fmall quadrangular room upon the ground, without windows or floors, with a ftable in the neighbourhood. The land- lord came every morning, and went home to his ,hou(e in the evening, but provided us with food and beds. In fuch an apartment with a chair or ;two, did the count of HofFmannfegg, though he bore efpecial orders from the queen to the gover- nor, receive the compliments of the adjutant-ge- neral {ajudante das Ordens), in his gala uniform ; but gala uniforms and dirty apartments are not fo jnconfiflent in Portugal as in other countries. From Tavira we went to Villa real, a town built by Pombal, four fmaii leagues from thence. In the neighbourhood of Tavira the country con- tinues very pleafant, but round Villa real is fandy and naked. This town is lituated at the mouth of the Guadiana, which is here a broad and fine ftream. It is built with perfe6t regularity, the ftreets in which are the handfomeft houfes being on the bank of the river, and the fmaller houfes at a greater diftan.ce. All the houfes are perfectly alike and well planned, and behind each is a fquare court with a back-door exa(5fly iimilar to that in front. In each ftreet, except thole lead- ing to the river, the houfes are built alternately four with the front, and four with the back-door G G 4 to 4-^6 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. to the flreet. The pavement is extremely good, and in the middle of the town is a handfome fquarfr, in which the town-houfe ftands. In fhort, no- thing is wanting but inhabitants ; for a deadly ftillnefs reigns throughout the ftreets, a human figure is rarely feen looking out of the handfome houfes, and without a company of foldiers the place would be quite empty. The greateft po- verty every where appears. The country'' round the town is extremely fandy, the foil often con- iifting entirely of quick-fand ; the downs are planted with fig-trees. An old ruinous Ihip lay in the harbour, the entrance of which is broad but not very deep. On the bank were a few cannon ; meanwhile fome new works were erecting. This place is fiipplied with every thing, even its daily bread, from Ayamonte, which thus generoufly nourifhes a town intended to effect its deftruc- tion ; for fuch was the view of its founder. On the oppolite fide majeflically rifes, proudly looking down on the hither fide of the river, the elevated fpanifh bank, and on its declivity the large fpanifh town of iVyamonte with a number of handiome towers. A greater neatnefs and clean- linefs inflantly diftinguifh the towns of Spain from thofe of Portugal. Ayamonte was once the feat of great moorilTi kings. In former times the tourna- ments of Ayamonte were much celebrated, and in fpanifh poetry and romances the high-found- ing ■journey through PORTUGAL. 457 ing name and example of the Guadiana often oc- cur. Not far from thence and nearer the fea is a well-built and neat market-town, called Figuerita, peopled by Catalonians whom Pombal drove away, and now flourifhing by the emigrations of the portugueze. It was eafy to go over to Aya- monte with a pifTport from the juiz de fora at Villa-real, the Ipaniards at this time generally not being ftri6l, which if they had been, the inhabi- tants of this phce mull have ftarved. By this channel much contraband trade was carried on with Portugal, efpecially in lilk and fine cotton- manufa^lures. The iituation of Villa-real and the fifhery on this coaft are interefting fubje(51:s. The reader therefore will permit me to expatiate on them fomewhat at length, taking for my groundwork a treatife in the third volume of the Memorias Eco- nomicas of the Lifbon academy, in the fame man- ner as I have above made ufe of that on the com- mercial company of the upper Douro. It is writ- ten by Dom ConftantinoBotelho de LacerdaLobo, profefTor of natural hiftory at Coimbra, whom I have already mentioned, and who intends to write a work on the fifheries of Portugal, of which I anxioufly expeA the publication. A league from Villa-real is Monte gordo, now confining only of a few huts, from which, how- ever, the whole coaft and the iilhery take their name. 458 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. name. Previous to the year 171 1, the fifhery was unknown in this part of the country. An in- habitant of Caftromarim, named Antonio Gomez, firft iifhed here for fardines in 171 1 and 1712; he was followed by forne Catalonians, who firft built a few huts, and were joined by degrees by other Catalonians and Andalulians. Thefe JDegan to ufe better nets, and brought the fifh to Aya- monte, where they were faked. At firft the tifher- men paid no duty at Caftromarim, but afterwards they came to an agreement with the farmers of the CLiftoms, to whom the increafe of the fifhery was very benelicial, according to which they only paid about five or fix per cent, whereas in other parts of the kingdom the regular tax amounted to thirty per cent. The fifhery now increafed /very much, and in 1750 there were twelve large ..ii.niingrfmacks belonging to Caflromarim, and fifty to Ayamonte, San Lucar, and the Cataloni- -ans.; and in 1774, the number of the whole amounted to a hundred, fifteen of which be- longed to Caflromarim. Th^ flreets of huts extended a league from the mouth of the Guacii- ana to the old town of Cacela, and though many of the fifhermen only remained here during the feafoii, viz. from the 24th of Auguft to the 25th of December, yet many others had fettled there. It is true, the fpaniards enjoyed the chief advan- tage of this trade, but many portugueze flill derived their JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 459 their fupport from it; and, although this obje<5l might require the attention of the government, it did not follow that the whole fifhery fhould be deftroyed, rather than concede a fmall advantage to their neighbours. The excuie offered at Tavira for the meafures of the government was, that the greater part of the inhabitants of Monte gordo did not livp there on account of the iifhery, but to carry on a contra- band trade, and were alfo a very bad fet of peo- ple. The laft affertion might in part be true ; but the common people of Spain are much worfe charadlers than thofe of Portugal. Whether Por- tugal, however, ought to fear a contrabg,nd trade with Spain, when reilrained by reafonable and good laws, 1 much doubt. Portugal receives its Weil-India produce much more conveniently from Brafil than Spain, and by her connedlions with England has an opportunity of conveying englifh goods into that country, befides which fUe has a trade to China, and with the indian con- tinent, which Spain does not poffefs. Alfo, during a war between England and Spain, as long- as the former continues miftrefs of the fea, the advantage is entirely in favour of Portugal ; thus we found all the roads into Alemtejo full of trains of mules coming from Spain to fetch fugar and other Weft-India produce from Lifbon. But to return to my ftory. Pombal 460 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. TsPombal took up this bulinefs haftily, and with defpotic force, fo that within five months Villa real de San Antonio was built by his orders, every thing that concerned tlie fifhery and the fifh trade transferred thither, and the huts at Monte gordo burnt. Mafty of the foldiers in the troops at Ta- vira, who were prefent at this expedition, affured us they were expofed to the greateft danger from the rage of tiiefe iifhermen. The foreigners were driven away, and loft together with their huts all their little property. This meafure was exactly in chara6ler with the maxims of Pombal, who,' like our modern revolutionifts, thought the end fan<51:ified the means. To all the inhabitants of Villa real ten per cent of the duty on the iifh caught was abated for fome years, viz. from 30 to 20 per cent (which however properly only amounted to between 5 or 6 per cent) ; on faked fardines nothing was in ge- neral paid, and nothing on exportation j but on the importation of foreign Galician fardines a heavy tax was laid. To prevent contraband trade, and enforce the payment of the duties, the minifter employed much feverity, and no mariner or fifh- crman was permitted to quit Algarvia without a paflport from the chief infpec^or of the cuftoms of the fouthern provinces or his delegate. To procure plenty of fait the minifter ordered falt- pans JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 461 pans to be dug at Caftromarim, and the fait to be fold for 900 rees per bufhel. Eight companies were now formed, each of which were to have fix great fifhing-fmacks with other fmall-craft. Thefe companies were obHged to fell 1000 fardines for 300 rees, if no other purchafer offered ; for though Pombal was an enemy to monopolies, he conftantly gave them birth. Moft of the members of thefe companies engaged in them to flatter the mlnifter, were ig- norant of the bufinefs, did not ufually reiide at Villa real, and were obliged to rely on theif agents. Their ignorance was fo great, that they began faking in May, without refledling that far- dines falted at that feafon will not keep ; and in general their fifh were fo ill-managed, that they could not be fent out of the province. By high prices, bribes, and fimilar means, they foon ex- cluded all the inhabitants of Caftromarim and thofe who ftill rem.ained at Monte gordo, who had till then been permitted to take and deal in fifh. A competition however foon arofe between thefe companies, who employed the fame means to ruin one another, and the heavy duty impofed by Spain on foreign fait fifh completed their dc- ■flrudlion. When Pombal fell, the lofl^es, which the members of thefe companies had fuflered, ceafed. In 1777, from 48 filhing-fmacks the number had 462 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. had diminiflied to 10; but from this time to 1782, the fifhery again fomewhat increafed, in confequence of the duty in Spain being taken otF. It again immediately funk on the duties in Spain being raifed ; but as on fifh not falted no duty was now levied in Spain, they were all brought to Figuerita, where they were falted. In 1783, no lefs than 800 portugueze iifhermen emigrated thither, and in 1790, of 3000 fifhermen at Aya- monte and San Lucar de Barrameda, 2500 were portugueze. How long will the deathlike flillnefs of Villa real continue to be a memento of the unwife re- gulatioHS of a government, which feems to defire the profperity of the country, but will not relax any of the duties levied on the people ! Would they but lighten the burthens of Villa real ftili more than has been done in Spain, they would lofe nothing, becaufe there is nothing more to lofe, and Villa real would foon become a flourifh- ing town. CHAP. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 463 CHAP. XXXVII* Return from Algarvia through Alemtejo ly Mei'told, Serpa, and Evora. - b ROM Villa real to Caftromarim it is ufual to go by water up the Guadiana and a branch of that river on which it is fituated ; for by land it is neceflary to make a great circuit of two leagues round another arm of the Guadiana, whereas this pafTage is performed in a quarter of an hour. The bank of the Guadiana on the portugueze Ude is marfhy, and fome fait is made. Caftromarim is a market-town furrounding a hill, on which is an old ruinous caftle no longer fortified. The hou- fes are fmall, and the place poor and mean, but far more lively than Villa real. Near Caftromarim immediately rife mountains of the chain that divides Algarvia from xA.lemtcjo, growing conftantly higher as they approach the north. They confift of argillaceous flate, and a fandftone which has a very ftrong refemblance to the grey round ftones found in the Hartz moun- tains in Germany, called grauwacke. 'Near the river Deleyte they crowd together, the vallies be- come narrow, and the declivities often uncom-( monly fteep, though rounded above, but Bot rough 4.64 JOUBNBY THROUGH PORTUGAL. rough artd rocky like moft of thofe in this penin- fula. They are chiefly covered with ciftus lada- niferus, and the bulhes near the brooks in the vallies conlift of oleander and a non-defcript va- riety of buckthorn {rhamnus). Here and there we faw cultivated fpots, and pafled through fome villages before we entered Alemtejo. Thefe moun- tains are the fore-runners of the Serra de Caldei- rao, but the range of mountains wiiich properly bears this name lies between Faro and Ourique. All thefe mountains are low compared with the Serra de Monchique, except perhaps the moun- tains round Mertola. We now entered Alemtejo and came to the village of Efpiritu Santo feven leagues from Caf- tromarim, where, for want of an inn, we lodged with a peafant, with whom as with many others of the inhabitants we found appearances of wealth. Two leagues from thence is the fmall town of Mertola lituated on the peak of a fteep moun- tain, by the foot of which the broad and fine ftream of the Guacliana flows through a deep valley. The profpedl is extremely wild and dreary, every where conlifting of naked flieep mountains, among which the river flows, 'nd a fmall town en- clofed within higli walls, with neither field nor gar^ dens, except a Angle quinta near the town on another mountain. From ttie bank of the Gua- diana the approach to the town is by a very fl:eep afccnt. JOUa»EY THROUGH PORTUOAi. 465. afcent. A brodc falls to tke foutliward of it into the Guadiana, and though fo narrow that a man might jump over it, muft be pali in a ferry. The Guadiana often fwells very mudi, the mountains are covered with its fand to a conliderable height, and even up to the town itfelf. On removing to a fmall diflance from the valley of the Guadiana, we found here and there well-cultivated and evea fruitful fpots, which produce excellent wheat. Mertoia has a governor who holds the rank of major, a juiz de fora, about 3000 inhabitants, and belongs to the corregimento of Ourique. An excellent road leads from hence to Beja, but i« not entirely finifhcd. Tlie road from lifbon into Algarvia pafles through Beja to Mertoia, where t-raveUers embark on the Guadiana for Caftroma- rim, which renders Mertoia a lively place, the road by land being very inconvenient. On the mountains round Mertoia we found many plants wluch are rai'e in other parts of Por- tugal, efpecially fpanifh plants. The mountains con fill: of gruuwacke^ and are of a conliderable height. We crofled the Guadiana to go to Serpa, « town feven leagues from Mertoia on the oppolit-e fide of the river. A mpre extenfive defert does not perhaps exift in Portugal* at firft we only faw a couple of houfes and feme fields, then ano- ther houfe half way, but every where elfe till H H within 4.66 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. within a league of Serpa only hills and mountains of fandftone and argillaceous flat* covered with ciftus - ladaniferus ; nor did we meet any man in this defert. At a diftance to the eaftward wc faw many chains of mountains which join the fpanifh Sierra morena. --i It is difficult to commu- nicate the impreffion made by fuch a view ; the uniformity it prefents exceeds every thing I have feen ; yet the ciftus ladaniferus fpreads a pleafant balmy perfume, its majefiic flowers charm the traveller, and the road is as hard and convenient as the floor of a room. It is a uniformity which with a dear Iky and a ferene mind imparts that pleafing fenfation which, we feel when far re- moved from the noife of the world. Here and there we faw traces of former cultiva- tion ; for it is the cuftom in Portugal, as alfo in the fields of Spain that are covered with broom, to burn thefe plants or cut. them down with a kind of fickle called fouce roqadoura, on good land every five, and on bad every eight years ; after which it is ploughed and fown. The crop indeed is very poor j for the roots of the former plants renmin in the earth, and foon vegetating again cover the foil. It then ferves only for pafture, which however is very poor, but the extent of ground muft conipenfate for the badnefs of the herbage. In JOURNEY, THaOUGH PORTUGAL. 467 In the fingle houfe in the middle d{- the road We witnefTed the preparation of a kind of cheefe, common in Alemtejo. The milk is curdled with the flowers of a thiftle called {cynara filvejlris La- mark) ; the cheefe is made with the hand and falted. It is generally bad, but is better when made from frefh cream, and eaten with wine and fugar. It is then called requejad, and on genteel tables is ferved by way of defert. To the left of the road is the Salto de lobo, where the Guadiana forces its way between narrow rocks. This name, which iignifies the wolf*s-leap, re- minded us of the horfe-leap in the Hartz moun- tains in Germany, though the Bude is an incon- liderable brook compared to the Guadiana. About a league before we arrived at Serpa, the profpedt changed. The ciftus gave place to paf- tures and fine woods of ever-green oaks, and clofe to Serpa are fruitful corn fields. Serpa is an open clieerful place, much more populous than Mer- tola, contains 4000 inhabitants, and (hows con- fiderable figns of thriving. The trade with Spain and probably the contraband trade are the caufes of this change. We again pafled the Guadiana a league from Serpa, where it winds among mountains which are lower and more gentle than round Mertola, At Serpa we came to the great granite plain, which extends from thence beyond Beja and Evora H H ?. as 4^4 adVKttt^ tHR6lJ«H POllTtGAl* as far as Mofttemor 6 ndvo, fbtming the beft ahd m6ft friiitful pan of Alemtejo. The tlty bf Bega is lltuated 6h a gentle hill in a fertife countrj^ rich 'in t6tn. It is a -(rery old pkee furroundcd with vralls and gates, is the fe« of a biihop, a cor- regedbr, and a govctnbr. The bifhop Dom Ma- n'bei tfe Cenacolo Villas B6as ranks among the rtien of leamittg in Portugal, and pofTefTes a cd- ledlion of antiquities found in the neighbourhood of Beja. The cbuntry as far as Vidigueira fH!l forms a fertik but elevated pkin covered witK cOrn-fields. F6W vilk*e§ ate feeh, b\it many iingle ^oufes whicli are dallfed mintes, probably becaufe they are generally fituated on eminences. The houfes, cohfidering they are portugueze, are uncommonly neat, and the inhabitants in the interior of their houfes arid in their drefs appear in very comfor- table circumftances, and even fhovv fome luxury. The rich hufbahdmen of the upper Alemtejo am alfo talked of at Lifbon for their riches. They ^ofTefs conlidcrable eftates, in a fertile country, which furrourid their houfes. They generally have the privileges of fmall land-holders, together with an eafy fale for their produce in the neigh- bouring large towns, and Lifbon itfelf takes a great quantity of corn from this country every /ear. Vidigueira, JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 469 Vidigueira, which is five long leagues from Ser- pa, is a fmall market-town or vilU, in aji ex- ^remely charming country. On one iide is the fertile plain, on the other immediately beyon4 and clofe to the town rife mQuntj^iiis, the vall&y§ pf which are adorned with qulnt^s and orangQr gardens, and a large gothic church on the fore- ground improves the gaiety of the fcene. Every thing has a tranquil cheerful appearance, and th^ traveller is richly compenfated for the defert waftes of the cheerful Alemtejo. The place itfelf is fmall, having litde more than 2000 inhabitants. Whatever we found here w^s extrfmely good. ,Tiie oranges are fmall, but uncommonly welj- flavoured, and may be conlidered the beft in the country, as is the wine alio from the neighbour- ing Villa de Trades *, and a fiih called Guadiana Savel or Ihad (not the favel of Liibon) is cer- tainly the beft flavoured fifh I ever ate. When cut in pieces and broiled it was excellent. I aftef- wards heard at Lifbon of a fifh from the Guadj- ana, which is referved for the king's table, and which is rightly di^linguiihed from the f;^vcl {clupea alofa), * In the S'.tio de Lijboa, a \vork written by Luiz Mendez de Vafconcellos in the laft century and now printed by the academy, where it is proved from Plato and Aritlotle that Lifbon is the firft city in the world, this wine is celebrated, as are thofe of Carcavelos and Caparica. H H 3 Beyond 47^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. Beyond the mountains the high fertile granite- plain continues, and to the left appears the Serra de Viana conlifting of low mountains in which were formerly lilver mines. In the mountains of, the upper Alemtejo the granite here and there fliows traces of metallic veins, and there is no doubt fpots might fee found not unworthy of be- ing worked, did not the want of hands ind of wood render the government indifferent to thefe concealed rreafures. To the right is the Serra de Ofla, a fertile and on one lide' well- cultivated range of mountains, with a rich monaftery of Paulifts. Between this ferra and Evora'we faw Evoramonte on a high hill. We perceived Evora at a great diftance, as it is iituated on an eminence. The nearer we approached this town, the worfe was the cultivation. But can this arife from the quality of the foil? or can innumerable monaftic towers, that vainly feek to approximate to heaven, compenfate mankind for the beauties of a rich cultivation ? Evora * is the chief town of Alemtejo, and the fee of an archbifhop, a corregedor, a provedor, a juiz, &c. It is indeed furrounded by walls, which however are fallen down in many parts, * Evora is faid to be feven leagues from Vidigiieira ; but wc were previoufly told thefe feven leagues were pot fo long as the five from Serja to Vidigueira. ■ ■ but JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL.* 47*k but in other refpedls it is quite open. Coimbra,., Oporto, and Evora, are the only towns through--*, out Portugal, where the paiTports of travellers are not demanded immediately on their arrival, while there no attention is paid to them. Here is a. regiment of cavalry, and at this time the gover- nor was an emigrant, . dufce of Montmorencjf; Luxembourg. The,;tpwn confifts of uarraw: crooked ftreets full of angles, with high gothic buildings and. a number of old gothic churches,, by which it is much diftinguifhed frpm moll otheXy towns in this kingdom, >vherc / the. Jioufes are in-^^ deed fmall and low, but by no means m that old ilyle of building fd common in Germany ; fo that the traveller may here imagine himfelf arrived ia a german imperial to^ypi. The mpnaftery of Fran-i cifcans particularly defcryes i^o^lce in this refpe(^« The cathedral churci^ islituated in , the higbeft part of the town, and has ^5 prebends, each with an income of 5000 crufades. Adjacent to it is thi^ Archbifhop's houfe, and not far from that th^ fhambles, an old roman building, whofe well- preferved corinthian columns are now coane6RTty§AL. grandeur, of Mich hte' gtv^s^U plate. On the north-fide the aquedQ6t eftf^rs the toWtl, irtd h commonly called the aquedufi of Sertoriu^, KaV-" ifig hten begun by him, though it is well knovfrti to have been entirely rebuilt by John HI. At this time a large and maffive^dificfe Was building for barracks, which will certainly be unique ih iti kind ill PcJrtUgal, Wheh fihifhed. - £vora was once a univerfity, and ftill enjoys that privilege ; but, lihce the time of Pombal, haS totally fallen to decay. It was formerly a vety ceh bated place; Here the great antiquary Re- ^Mt ftudied, ^nd the brother of the foundet John fli. himfelf attended its- iddlures. But the fkme man here cretfted the tribunal of the inqui- lition, and made it the fecond in the kingdom. Evora is an old town, but has mUch dwindled jfince the fiftec^.th century, ^d now contains at Itioft l2,oco inhabitants, of Which the enotmouj |)r6portiofi of t^^enty-three religious houfes may be the caufe. Its artient nam^ Was Ebora in thfe time of the Romans, krtd Viriatus and SertoriuS) thofe bold Lufitanian?, lived thtire. Julius C^fat fconftituted it a municipium and named it Libe^ ralitas Julia. The Moors conquered it frdm th* Ooths in the jeir 715, but in 1166 it was takeh ■fr6m thcffi by Gfcrald furnamed th6 intrepid (Geraldo Sem-pavor). This man got into the town JOURNBY THIVOU€H PORTUGAL. 473 town in the day-time, and in the evening went upon the wall where he cut off the heads of two centinels, then defcended to this gate, and let in fomc troops Itationed near it. Of this heroic act Canioens twice fpeaks in his Luliad ; the paflage where Vafco fhows the king of Melinda a row of pid:ures on fubjedls from the hiftory of Portugal is very beautiful. Olha aquelle, que defce pella lan^a Com as duas cabegas dos yigias, Onde a cilada efconde, com que alcanna A cidade per manhas e ouiadias. £Ua per armas toma a femelhan^a, Po cavalheiro, que as cabegas frias. No mao levaTa. Feito nunca feito, Geraldo Sem-pavor e o forte pcito. CAiiTo viii. St. ai. L*, -^rhiie the moon through midnight azure rides. From the high wall adown his fpear-ftaff glides The dauntlefs Gerald : in his left he bears Two watchmen's heads j his right the faulchioa reatt: The gate be opens ; fwift from ambulh rife His ready bands, the city falls his prize. Evdra ftill the grateful honour pays. Her banner'd flag the mighty deed difplays j There frowns the hero j in his left he bears The two cold heads, his right the faulchion rear?. Mickle's LvsiAVj 7ui. 171, &e. Oft 474 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. ^' On tlie north fide of Evora the hills rife, being round the tewn adorned with gardens, and on their fummits with ever- green oaks. The road from hence to Montemor o novo, which is five leagues diftant, pafles over granite-hills partly covered vnth corn-fields and partly with fine woods of ever- green oaks and paftures, which give great variety to the profped^. From Mon- temor we returned by the road above defcribed, to Liibon. '1 NOTE. — Thefe travels were nearly completed when the late change in the portugueze government took place. The prince of Bra(»l having declared himielf regent^ foon after dif- mifl'ed the prisne n:>inifter Dom Ceabra da Silva, who had a ihort time before figned the proclamation of that prince. Tlie true: change, however confifts in the removal of this minifter J the prince having in fa6t long held the reigns of government- Ceabra bdd before been banifhfd by Pfiinbal j but after the king's death was recnlled. Of this man I h$ve heard much evil. He was a great friend to the priefthood, very, fcmd of perfecution, and is faid to be revengeful and ialfe. ■..'•, . . .,, ",.{ ' . - r I have faid that in Portugal no considerable mines- are worked, excrpt that quickfilver was lately fought for 8[ear Couna. Meanwhile an iron mill is already at woirk at Mo^ in Traz-os-montes. This province is rich in miueral!?. I h;ive feen coivfederable quantiti&s of pluritibago from Magadouro, and iron ore is found in many places. The direftor of the iron-mill, a Bifcayrvn, is faid to be an a6live man, and works the ore in the bifcayan manner. But as I did not vifit this fjjQ), I can only fcatc the information I have received. A Dl SSER- A' DISSERTATION' ^Hf IJTERATURE OF PORTUGAL AND TIIJE SPANISH A^T:^ PORTUGUEZE I^VNGUAGES. , . HE times are no longer lo t^ad'as von Jiing in his preface reprefents : for he complains that it was extremely difficult to procure books at Lilbon, that they were extremely dear, and the purchafer obliged to pay much more than the price printed at the beginning. There are now feverai bookfellers in Lifbon, who indeed carry on no foreign trade, but are generally flocked with the new portugueze books, which they fell ^t the prices prefixed, except a trifling addition for the binding -, all books being fold bound or ftitched*. Old books indeed are often fought in vain ; but this may alfo be faid of many confidcrable bqbk- ihops in Germany. In many parts of the tuwn are book- flails as at Paris, where both portugueze and many good foreign books, efpecially fpaniih, may be bought for a trifle. Nor muft book- collecSlors forget to vilit the bookbinders, where many old books may alfo be purchafed. Formerly every book muft have a number of teftimonials and permlffions before it could be fold. In the firft place permiflion was alked of * The printed price is exprefsly ftatcd to be in flicets. — Foi taxado efte libro em pa pel. the 47^ O^ THS I#ITERATURE the inquiiition ; and when all the needful fieps Bad been taken, a teftimonial was to be obtained from each tribunal that the work was conformable to the manufcript. Pomhal conferred the office of cenforfhip on a particular college, in which many members of the government who were npt priefts were afibciated with the inquilltion and the facer<3otal tribunal of the Patriarch (o Ordina- Tio). The permiffion of this college of cenfure is now fufficient, and the title-pages of books there- fore bear thefe words ; Com Ucenqa da real meza da commiflao geral fobre o exame e cenfura dos livros. Journals, newfpapers, and iimilar publi- cations, only require a permiffion from the Meza do defembargo do Paqo, or thre privy-council, which has the chief fuperintendence of the police. The printer is anfwerable for the conformity qf the work with the manufcript. In old portugueze books a proteftation follows the title, in which the author declares he has not intentionally faid any thing contrary to the catholic church, and fome poets have thought it neceflary to declare they did not believe in the heathen gods. A verfe pretended to be written by the great Camoens is often quoted, in which he avers this ; but the poem itfelf that contains it is like many others falfely attributed to that writer. Such declarations however have now ceaied, and it is unjuft to reproach the Portugueze with thefe abfur- AND LAJJGUAGB OP PdRtUGAL. 47^ abfurditiea. It fhould be remembered, that in Italy Jacquier and Le Seur, the worthy editors of Newton's Principia, were obliged, fo late as the year 1739, to declare they did not believe with Sir Ifaac Newton, that the earth moves round the fun. Men have fo often laughed at the cxpcnfe of the Porttrgueze, that it is but fair to remind them of the follies of other nations. The Inquifition was never very powerful in Por* tugai. During the laft reign it wa§ quite infigni- ficant ; being confined to difordcrly monks. The tempet of the queen certairdy increafed their power, and rendered them particularly formidable to an author. An auto da fe or corporal pu- nifhment it is true are no longer pradlifed ; but banifhment is the more readily inflicted, being apparently confidered as a trifle, and therefore in- flidled when it is doubtful whether the accufed is guilty or innocent. Only one political journal is publilhed in Por- tugal called the Gazeta de Lifboa, and all fo- reign nevvfpapers are prohibited. Hence politi- cal news arrive fomewhat tavdily, and fometimes very late ; but tlten their authenticity may be re- K'ed on, except when the dubious phraze dizem (they fay) is added. Nor is any diftin(5lion made in regard to delay between favourable news and the -contrary ; for the intelligence of the battle of Aboukir was equally late with the taking of Malta. It 4fSu ON THE LITERATURE It was alfo the fafhion to be very impartial and , diicreet, but whether it was fp always, or pru- dence at this time rendered it neceffary on ac- count of the connexion of Portugal with Spain, Xr will not determine. , A court-calendar is annually publilhed at Lifbon, which is by no means bad ; but in , March 1799 J could not procure that of the cur- i:ent year. Belides this there is the Calendario dos fantos, and fome fmaller. And Jofe Maria Dantes Permira publifhed by order of the Academy Efemeridcs nauticas, which are copied from the. Englifii ephemeris. Knf. ;t-..; . . jIn this country are no literary journals, reviews, &c. new works being only briefly announced in. the Gazeta de Liiboa, and printed bills of them.; pofted up as in London and Paris. At the uni^ verfity of Coimbra and the numerous literary in- flitutions at Liibon no occafional publications appeart It is very cuftomary however for a young man, who wifhes to obtain a place that requires fcientific knowledge, or to purfue his ftudies at the expenfe of the government, to write fome fhort treatife- or diifertation. Thus a wretched fhort iketch of anatomy was publilhed by a furgeon who wanted- to be appointed ledlurer in anatomy in a new inltitution, and one Conflanqo, who ftudied phyfic. at Edinburgh, and afterwards at Paris, at tk<..l€Xpenfe of the government^ wrote a ihort " . treatife AND LANGUAGE OP PORTUGAL. 479 treatlfe on the culture of foda. In (lead of numer- ous eftablifhments and regulations the govern- ment fhould take care that more occalional works of ' this kind Ihould be published in order to accuf- tom the nation by degrees to reading books of fcience and information. In a country where fo little attention is paid to literature journals might not at iirft fuqceedU^ In Lifbon however is publilhed a weekly paper called o Almocreve de petas, which is very much read, and contains amufing anecdotes, incidents,, poems, &c. Almocreve in Portugueze, like ar-., reiro in Spanifh, iignifies a carrier or a mule-^ driver who conveys goods from place to place, and peta is a bagatelle : the title therefore Iigni- fies the poll of bagatelles. The incidents are generally flat, the anecdotes ill-chofen, and no better told ; though it cannot be denied, that among a great number fome few are very good. They are feldom without fome perfonal allulion ; and I perceive the author even ventures to be pleafant on a monaftery here and there, and their trifling irregularities. The tales are nearly in the following manner. " A boy was fent by his maftcr to the convent of Chelas (a convent fo called near Liibon). The nuns gave himabalket of fwcetmeats, together with an unfealed letter faying, * 7 he prefent is for your criado,' (a word flgnifying both .a fervant and a fuitor.) The boy being 480 ON THE IITERATURK being unfortunately able to read, thought the fweetmeats were for himfelf, and devoured them. His mafter flew in a paffion," &c. Such are in general moft of the tales, which afe rarely en- riched with any happy lht)ke of fatire. The poetry excels the profe, and fometimes is not bad. The taftc for poetry is not yet extinct in this country. Portugal juftly boafts of having pro- duced the greateft poets of the peninfula, and is without all doubt fuperior to Spain. For what is Etcilla, what are all the epic poets of Spain, com- pared to Gamoens, who may rival the lirft poets of Italy? Nor does Gamoens ftand alone, though he fo far eclipfes the reft, that thefc are feldom named in foreign countries. The UlyfRpo by De Soufa Macedo may ftill be considered as equal to Krcilla*s Araucana. But this is not the place to defcribethe portugucze poets, whom our literary men have too long neglected. Even now half the works publiilied coniift of books of moral and religious inflrucTtlon and poems. Young ■people are ver}^ much addi(Sled to poetry ; and the fair fex love both poetry and poets. One, two, or three verfes are fometimes, by way of amufement, thrown out in company, to which *an extempore campoiition is to be made, con- cluding with thofe lines. The concluding verfes iirft produced are called motef and the remainder ^loza. Such motes- and glozas are found in thr col- IbURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 4^1 tolledlioti of Canloehs*3 poems. In the new they fometimes occupy otie half of all the fonnets. Even perfons of cohditionare fond of poetty, and it will perhaps give my compatriots pledfure to learn that the dowager countefs of Oeynhaufeh, daughter of the mafquis of Alorrio, and a native of Portugal, has Very happily tranflated feveral cantoes of Wieland's Oberori into portugueze. It is only to be lamented that fhe cannot yet be pre- vailed on to make them public. Epic, and in general all great poems, con- tinually become more rare, and plays aire fcarcely ever original/ moft of them being imitations arid tranflations from the French, and efpecially from the Italian. The Englilh are lefs common, and worfe executed. Neither are fatires frequent. Except a few fatirical fonnets, I know of no great poem of this clafs. Modern literature has how- ever produced, a comico-heroic poem^ entitled, Gaticartea, ou cruehffima guerra entre os caes e os gatos ; Poema efcrito por Joao Jorge de Carvalho. Lifb. 1794. 8vo. This poem was much approved, and has many comic paflageSj but as a whole is too flat ; nor are the points fufficiently delicate and ftriking. The moft Common fpecies Of poetry are fonnets, odes, fongs, and paftorall The fonnet however, as in Spain, is the kind of poetry chiefly in favour; moft occafional poems and all cxtempories being of that clafs. The J&rft artlefs I 1 fixpiftf* 48* JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, expreffions pf pallion, every ebullition of the heart, which leaves no time for coolly deliberating on regular plans, the Portugueze throws into thi? form j and a conliderable colledlion of excellent; fonnets might indubitably be formed, as well from the new as from the old portugueze poets. ; Bucolic poetry has ever been a favourite witii this nation. Excellent examples of it may be feen in Camoens's colle<5lion, and with him are clafled fix other writers of .eclogues, who though they do not entirely equal him have produced fome ex- cellent fpecimens. Indeed I cannot but think that great mafter has led his country into a tafte for this kind of poetry. Nothing is read but fuch amorous complaints as refemble thofe of Ca- moens, and the great uniformity, the conftant re- petition of the fame or limilar thoughts, render the readers infenfible to many a beautiful defcrip-* tion of later poets. That iimplicity which gives fuch charms to this fpecics of poetry is here al- ways wanting. , Among the odes and fongs, efpecially the foft , . tender fonnets, are fome excellent pieces. Por- .. tugueze literature is- alfo rich in blank-verfc ■; poems, and attempts are frequently made to imi- tate ttie' metre ~of the ancients. In every collec- / tion Alcaic -and Sapphic odes are rarely - wanting, • The tranflations of the ancients, of which there. is nowant, are always in blank iambic '■ •.... verfc JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, 483 verfe, owing to the reftraint of tranflating intd- rhime. The metrical art however of the Portu- gueze poefs is not very far advanced, nor have .they at all attempted hexameters. They mutilate the metre of the ancients, as did formerly oiir germfan poets, who imagined our language would not admit of a clofe imitation. Hence in their Sapphic odes they change the dadlyl in the third caefura into a trochee, and in the Alcaic make the fourth ftrophe fimilar to the third, and compofe it entirely of iambics. — The following is an ex- ample of the laft mentioned metre : Mas tu, ditofo, placido efpirito, Entre os rifonhos coros angelicos, N* um turbilhao de lazes, Sobes aos aftros nitidos. Thofe who would fcan portugueze verfe muft recollect that like the fpanifh and italian a final vowel is cut off when the next word begins with a rowel or an h. Thus aos, properly a ps, forms but one fyllable in verfe. Another poet thinks to fucceed with mere iam- bics. He fays, Ja fe transformaS em montanhas rlgidas Do vafto pelago as campinas cerulas. In Neptuno fanhofu IVIil bocas abre por tragar a terra. It alfo appears that odes are called Alcaic if the ftropltes have nearly the proper length ; to the V . 112 long 4^4 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. long or ftiort fyllables no very Itri^V attention fs paid ; the authors being fatisfied if they do not too much violate the pronunciation of the lan- guage. I have enquired of many Portugueze, which of their modern poets they prefer, and of book- fellers what poems are moll in requeft ; upon this they firft named the Rimas de Manoel Barbofa de Bocage, of which a new edition ap- peared at Lifbon in 1794. They conlift of fon- nets, odes, fongs, idyls, and a few fables. The author, who is .flill living, was very poor, and had fufFered feveral misfortunes which caufed him, as formerly Camoens, to feek his fortune in India. It cannot be denied that he has great talents for poetry : he has a full command of the language, his.expreflion is nervous, and, which is rarely united with tliefe qualities, his verfification harmonious. Of the foft,, plaintive, and lan- guifhing, but moll prevalent ftyle in the portu- gueze fongs he is not fond, and though in moft of his poems a melancholy call prevails, he al- ways exprefles himfelf with all the fire of indigna- tion. The conceits of the Spaniards and Italians he happily avoids, and can only be accufed of hyperbole, or of employing pompous language on fabie^ls that require a different llyle. I wil} however add a fonnet, which is neither his bell nor his worll, and which, as I have chofen it merely JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 485 merely for the ideas it contains, may afford an opportunity to judge of his ftyle and manage- ment of his fubjedl. It is the thirty-fecond, on the taking of Diu, then the emporium of the eaft, by Alphonfo Albuquerque, in 1515. Tot terra jaz o emporio do Oriente, Que do rigido Affonfo o ferro, o raio Ao grao filho gaiiho do grao Sabaio, Envergonhando o Deos armipotente. Cahio Goa, terror antigamente Do naire vao, do perfido Makio, De Barbaras na^ocs — ah que defmaio Apaga o marcio arJor da Lufa gente ! Oh feculos de heroes ' Dias de gloria ! Varoes cxcelfos, que, a pezar da Morte* Viveis na tradigao, viveis na hiftoria ! Albuquerque terrivel, Caltro forte, Meaezes, e outros mil, volfa memoria Vinga as injurias, que nos faz a Sorte. India's proud mart* in ruins lay. By fierce Alphonlo's -f tiiunder won From great Sabaio's mighty fon } His war-god Iham'd at his difmay. Fall'n is Goa, fear'd of old By vain Nahir J, and falfe Malay, And barb'rous hordes, Wliat arts can flay. What havoc glut the Lufian bold ? * The city of Diu. -}• Alphonfo Albuquerque. J The title of noblemen in Malabir. II 3 Ages ^86 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. Ages of heroes ! glorious days ! Warriors divine, who in Death's fpite Still live in Fame's recording lays ! May Albuquerque's fanje in fight And glorious thoufands' fadelefs bays Repair the wrongs we owe to Fate and Night * ! One of his poems on the immaculate concep- tion would poflibly, at firft, excite a fmile in fome readers, but pofTefTes true majefty, and perhaps even too much. In an anacreontic fong to the Rofe we find that foft and tender language, that rich variety of charming expreffions peculiar to this nation when they fpeak of beauty. Hence it would lofe.all its excellence in a tranflation. Next to Bocage the Poelias lyricas de Medina, Lifb. 1797, were named. They contain ex- cellent poems, but want the ftrength and richnefs of Bocage. In tender feelings and animated de- fcriptions of beautiful fcenes of nature he fucceeds better, and fome of the latter are excellent. The author is a native of Madeira. Of profe writers in the belles lettres Portugal is totally deftitute. The ftyle that generally pre- vails in the profe works of that country is not indeed infecSled with that bombaft which the Spa- * The above is Intended merely as a literal tranflation of an indifferent original. T. niards JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL^ 487 niards cannot renounce, but is intricate, obfcurej full of repetitions and of digreflions. Their heft writers always begin with Adam or the deluge. The eulogium on Dalembert by Stockier in the quarto tranfacftions of the academy at Lifbon' is particularly diftinguifhed by its beautiful lan- guage and animated defcription. In the Me- morias da Litteratura portugueza, where writings of this kind might be expelled, there is not one of which the ftyle can be praifed. Nor do I know any good profe works among the old writers. All the productions of the age of John V, and even the early part of the reign of Jofeph, when many works were written, are only diftinguifhed by a horrid and difguftingly bombaftic ftyle ; for bad tafte at that time reigned with abfolute fway throughout Portugal. The abfurdeft of all ab- furd writers, Rafael Bluteau, was the author of this corruption. During the laft quarter however of the century, this defedl has much changed: the portugueze are going on in the right way, and would have left the fpaniards far behind them, had not a too bigotted government and a war which enervates the arts like a flow fever re- tarded them. There i»s no fcarcity of portugueze tiianflations, almoft all the french works of merit in the belles lettres, where religion will permit, being tranlla- tcd,' and fomc not ill executed. Bocage, for in- II 4 fta/ncc. 488 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL* ^ncc, has .tranflated Gil Bias very well. ,Ade^-. aide and Theodore, the panegyrics of Thomas, and many others, will certainly contribute to the improvement of portugueze writing. SpanifK works are-rarely tranflated, the two languages be- ing too nearly alike; perhaps alfo the irrecon- cilable national hatred may have fome influence, as it is utterly impoflible for a portugueze to bc- ilow prajfe oq any thing fpanifh. From the Italian thjy have nothing but plays, nor do they often tranflate engliHi works, except a few dramas, a few book^s of travels (as for inftance Murphy's) and medical writings. 1 know of no books tran- ilated immediately from the german. Through the medium of the french they have in portugueze, as in almoft all modern languages, twq of our poems, one of the beft and one of the worft. The reader will anticipate that I allude to Scho- naich's Hermann and Geflher's death of Abel. Novels are ftill very poor, the portugueze being in this refpecSl far inferior to the fpaniards. Of tranflations they have only the old and bad french novels, and a few englifh which are alfo by no means the beft. There is a collecftion of novels under the title of Lances da Ventura, Acafos de defgraqa, e Heroifmos da virtude ; Novellas offerecidas a naqao portugueza para feu divertimento, 5 torn. 1794. The title is fuffi- pient to fhow in what ftyle it is written, and with what JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 480 what ideas the colle6lioh has been made. Th^ Jiiftoria de Carlos Magno, ou dos doze pares de Frani^a is a favourite novel both with the higher and lower clafTes, and new editions of it conftantly appear. Burlefque bombaft appears to great ad- vantage in this language, certainly as much and more than in fpanilh, and the agreeable nonfenfc is perufed with pleafure. The portraits of the twelve peers of France are always to be feen among the pictures fold about the ftreets for children, together with the formofiflima Floripes, the giant Ferabras, the Duque de Borgonha, Riir naldo, and the reft of the knights errant. . The prints and pidlures that are fold about the ftreets remind mc of the caricatures. What is the obje6l of thefe ? In London the miniftry »nd oppolition ; at Paris gaming, fafliions, and fafh- ionable amufements ; and at Lilbon afTaflination ; all which objects they are contrived to render laughable. I have one before me, where a man comes to another with a ftiletto in his hand and demands the money due to him, upon which the latter is going to anfwer with the ftiletto, and a third coming up fays agora accomodamfe, (Ah ! now you are reconciled). Certainly a nation muft be much depraved when alfallinations becpmc an object of mirth and fatire. From this fhort digrcflion I return to portugucze literature. Even literary hiftory itfelf has been much 490 JOURNEY THROU&S PORTUGAL. Iteich negle(5ted lince the celebrated work of Barbofa Machado; and the late Summario da Bibliothcca Lufitana is but a meagre extra A from that work. In the Memorias da litteratura portu- gueza in 7 vols, published by the academy little or nothing is faid of literary hiftory, and a hiftory of bucolic poetry contained in thefe treatifes, af- terwards reprinted in the larger Memorias of the Academy, is alfo extremely poor and meagre. The Memorias da litteratura portugueza abound in papers on portugueze hiftory, fome of them compofed with great indufl:ry and accuracy. Many ancient documents are there printed, and many elucidate the old and new conftitutions of the country. They are therefore indifpenfably neceffary to an hiftorian *. Except this the new works on the hiftory of Portugal are inconftder- able, nor is there one that contains an animated defcription. Philology is in a melancholy ftate. In Spain from time to time appear magnificent editions of the claffic^^^ut in Portugal only inlignificant faulty impreflions for fchool-boys. The profe- tranflations made with the fame view deferve no notice ; the poetical verlions are in part better, and here and there are paflages extremely well tranfla- * To this muft be added the CoUecgao dd- livros ineditos de hiftoria portugueza, &c. 3 vols, fol, likcM^ife publiftied by the academy. ted, JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 49! fed, which it was the more eafy to attain, becaufe the portugiieze is clofer to the latin than any other language. Friar Joao de Soufa is g good' orientalift. His Veftigios da lingoa arabica em Portugal, and his Documentos arabicos, are in the judgement of the learned and judicious coun- ■fdler Tychfen very good works. The philofophy of the, portugueze was for a long time the mere obfcure cant of the fchools ; but Pombal baniflied it from the learned inftitu- tions, nor do even the profelTorfhips of logic and metaphyiics remain at Coimbra. Since that time I fcarcely know of a fingle publication in which any objedl of philofophy properly fo called is treated. On the theolog)^ of this country I ought not perhaps to prefume to judge. Yet it is evident that nothing is or can be done in this clafs. We only find titles of religious books which are frequently very lingular, as for inftance Prayers for young maids to their guardian angel, or Trea- tifes de attritione * ; How the name of Jefus is to be written when it follows Chrift, &c. Meanwhile a new portugueze tranflation of the bible has been publifhed by that prolific hiftorical and theolo- * The catholics difiinguifh between contrition, or repen- tance through love, and attrition, or repentance through fear of punilhment. The former is held sufficient to salvatiou, without confcffion. T. gical 49^ JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, glcal writer, the Reverendo padre Antonio Pereira de Figueredo. The title is Biblia fagrada que contem tudo o velho e novo Teftamento, tradu- zida em portuguez, com doutiflimas notas pre- facjoes e Ii9a6s variantes em 8vo. 23 vols. Whe- ther the notes are really dout'JJtmas (extremely learned), or the variae le6liones judicioufly feiedl- cd, I had no opportunity to inveftigate. Neither was I able to judge of the ftate of juris- prudential learning in this country. I only know that in the Memorias da litteratura portugueza lingle obje<5ls of this clafs are very often difcufled. The Academy have alfo caufed to be printed Pafchalis Jofephi McUii Freirii hiftor. juris civilis Lufitani liber iingularis 4to. Ej. Inftitutiones juris civilis et criminalis Luiitani, 5 vols. 4to. alfo Synoplis chronologica de fubfidios, ainda os mais raros para a hiftoria e eftudo critico da legis- laqao portugueza ordenada por Jofe Anaflafio de Figueredo. On the ftate of medical knowledge the fmall- nefs of the country, as may eahly be conceived, has great influence. Good phylicians, and there are fome, treat their patients in the englifh "manner, and fome have ftudied at Edinburgh. All the good medical works are tranflations from the englilhj and that prolific medical writer, Dr. de Faiva in particular, has publilhed many, among which is Cullen's materia medica, nor have any of that JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. 493 that author's works remained untranflated. The portugueze indeed have not done any thing coijX liderable of their own ; yet it muft not be inferred that their phylicians entirely follow the ancients or the arabians, as is faid in the Tableau de Portugal ; for this is far from confonant to their national charadler, which in general purfues novelty ra- ther than antiquity, and the greateft defe<5l of which is that of being fuperficial. < Mathematics like all other abftrufe fcienccs, that require clofe and continued application to iirft principles, are at a very low ebb. Stockier, the author of an introdu^ion to the theory of Flux- ions, is a good mathematician, though in that work he fays nothing that is new to our german profeflbrs. In the Memorias da Academia de Lilboa are fome good mathematical papers, though the Academy, in propofing mathematical prize queftions too ealily anfwered, fomewhat cxpofed themfelves to a charge of ignorance, Steph. Cabral is a good practical geometrician, but aftronomy is totally neglected, nor have any obfervations been publifhed, or perhaps made, iince thofe in the Memorias da Academia ; and the Efemerides nauticas are copied. 1 heir obfer- vtories are walls deftitute of inlirumcnts. All the geographical publications Iince tiie great and CC' lebrated work of De Lima are but meagre ejc* tra(5ts from that book, and it is a difgract thai tlier« 18 494 JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL. is no map of Portugal except that of Lopez, in which are great errors as to places moft commonly known. This evil however will be corredled : for the prince- regent has fent out fame geographers to make a journey through Portugal for the im- provement of the maps. Thefe gentlemen have begun to take obfervations on both Udes of the Tagus, of Serra de Eftrella, and Serra de Foia. The prince has alfo folemnly opened a geogra- phical academy, the benefits of witfjfc labours are ftill expelled. ' -, o--' , As to natural hiflory great exertions bane been made lince the time of Pooibal; but the beft means have not always been employed. Of Van- dell i's merits and demerits in regard to natural hiftory I have fpoken in many parts of this work, and the fame judgment may be pronounced on his numerous writings. I have alfo fpoken of Brotero and his excellent Compendio de Botanica. And this is all. The Flora Cochinchinenfis of Loureiro is become much known in Germany. The author who is now dead Ihowed an extraor- dinary^ zeal for the advancement of botany, and therefore defences our praife. He had however too little knowledge when he left Europe, and pof- feffed at Cochinchina only Linneus's Species plan- tarum. He alfo committed the great error of neither bringing home good drawings, nor an her- barium. Had he but laid the dried plants in his manufcript. JOURNEY THROUGH PORTUGAL, 495 raanufcript, he would not li^ve publifhed a work which npw requires to he re-written. ' The government fent one Feijao, author of foms tfeatifes in the Memorias economicas of the aca- demy, to Cape Verd illands, to make difcoveries in natural hiftory. He remained there fourteen years, and is now fent an a limilar objedl to Bralil. I knew this gentleman at Lifbon, where he had an herbarium not in the beft ftate, and a collection of butterflies wrapped up in paper, con- taining feveral hundred fpecimens of each kind ; to- gether with feeds of feveral plants, though merely under the names given them by the inhabitants of thofe iflands. The fame plants may be feen in the botanic garden at Roftock, and chieliy confift of Mimofae. He once read to me a defcription of a new genus, which a man of moderate know- ledge might eafily, perceive was nowife differ- ent from the Campanula *. He had a wife and children to maintain, and was very poor. What can be expecfted under fuch circumftances ? On mineralogy we may expecft much from Sen- hor da Camara, who has now returned to Lifbon, and is an excellent mineralogift". Of a chemical manual by Senhor Sobral at Coimbra I have already fpoken. De Paiva has not only tranflated Beaumc's chemiftry, but in 1784 publifhed a * The bdl-flower. T. manual 49^ jOURNEV f«ROUGfa fOU-tVGAt, manual of his own, in which he made much ufifi of the french writers of that time. As to natural hiftory, except fome tolerably good treatifes by Delia Bella, formerly profeffor of natural hiftory at Coimbra, nothing has been done. But he em- ployed himfelf as does his fucceflbr more willingly and feduloufly on rural econonfty than in natural hi{^ory. Rural economy is incontefl-ably a branch in tvhich moft has been done in modern times. Of this the Memorias economicas and premiadas of the academy arc fufficient proofs. . I have al- ready frequently fpokcn of them, and much la- ment that this ufeful cqllcdlion has been difcon- tinued finCe the war. If here and there an accu- rate knowledge of natural hiftory, chemiftry, and Similar fciences, Ibould appear to be wanting, it ffluft be remembered that even our beft econo- mifts deferve much blame in this refpecl. Such is in few words the melancholy condition of the fciences in a kingdom the leaft known to us germans of all the countries in Europe* But melancholy as it is, I may be permitted to alk the reader, whether h.e did not imagine it ftill more miferable. A comparative C .45>7 ) A comparative view ofthf Spanifh and Portuguexe langua^pSa. p ' :i ■'■ : t' ' ^ " ' 3 , i ;v -^ . ■• <- - J .! * dl HE Portugueze is out of jfhofe lan^i^ges th^ ^ring from the Latin >"" m which moft of its word* belong, though it has afTumed a totally difFereni and northern chara^erj" like the fpinilli, italiaitf french, and even the modem greek. Moft of the words are but little different from the latin, bttt the s}Tita-x, tlie auxiliary^ verbs, /o have and if'i^ ke'*, the ufe of the article, &c. are ndrthetri? The whole, language very nearly approxmiatea* t8 the fpanilli, but has a very different pironltriei^-i liqn, andmany words peculiar to itfelf. •"• ---•-•'n -9 it is very difficult to coiiipare two laiigbages^icr regard to harmony, as this depends rhuch on bi-l ing accuftomed to them; for we naturally fdii** Irder that ' as beautiful, to whicli *ve hav-e' been habituated from early youth ; while ilrange foijndl are frequently unpleafant. • Yet all nations agte^ in conlidering too many or too crowded eonfo-? nants as a defedl, and to gutturals moft nations are particularly averfe. Simple vowels have alia on the whole a clearer and more pleafing IouikI than dipthongs; bur on the other hand too mari^ vowels , and the want of dipthongs give too much uniformity, which is equally .impleaiingi Thus the language of Otaheite would appear ridi- culous to moft nations, and eveti this Italian ha^ i ■ - * The author probaWy means ^le u^ag theni, as ligns ofj tenfes, thofe verbs and their inflexions . beuigalmurr. en»J tireJy latin. T. Kk the 498 SPANISH AND PORTUGUEZE the fame monotonous defect ; the continual ter- minations in a, e, i, and o, being tirefome even in recitative. A language may alfo appear afFedled by too great an abundance of vowels or too foft a pronunciation of the confonants, as for inftance, the Swedifh, in which k is pronounced like tj (ty). The Spanifh poiTefTes a high degree of harmony, having more fonorous terminations, and a greater variety of tones than the Italian. It has however few dipthongs, and lefs variety than the French ; but its fonorous terminations give it a great pre- ference to the latter, the terminations of which are mute and frequently cacophonious. It may be lamented that j and x are gutturals *, unlefs the pronunciation of Eftremadura -{-, where they are founded nearly like h, were general. I will here add a few remarks on the fpanifh pronunciation, which I have vainly fought in grammars. The d between two vowels, as at the end of a word, is not founded at all ; for though * The author has forgotten that g before e and i is alfo an afpirated guttural : but provincial pronunciations and dif- ifigurations are no real objedions to the beauty and harmony of a language. The ftrong and nunaerous gutturals of the Ger- man, Irifli, Welfh, &c. are a real deformity, efpecially when they terminate a word^ as they frequently do in thofe lan- guages, thereby rendering them wholly unadapted to mufic j but tlie fofter and rarer gutturals of the Spaniih, where they fcarcely ever terminate a word, are rather an ornamental variety. f Alraoft throughout Spain the gutturals are afpirated in good fociety but little ftronger than h ; and at moft witli one foft vibration of the throat. T. this ^i.:itf"GUAGES COMPARED. 4^9'' this rule has been limited to participles in ado and ido, it Is almoft general." Mr. Fifher, in- his. travels through Spain, has remarked it of the.* words Prado and Guadalquivir ; but it alfo ap-. plies to Badajoz Merida and others *. The pro-* nunciation of ch is hard lik'e tfch -f- in German ; the moft refined Spaniards pronounce it nearly, like zi in German, in a manner difHcuIt to imi- tate. The z is almoft always lifped, but in a- much more refined manner than the englifh th :j;. The fpanifh language may be accufed of a ■. fpecies of afFediatibn. The t Is often coupled^ with i when it precedes an e, and aii e^in tUe- niiddle of a word is often preceded by an i,_as. tierra, tiniebras, tiene. To the u an e is fre-' quently fubjoined ^, as in Duero, nueft:ro, puente ; alfo the converfion of the latin pi into 11 and the. * The author furcly means that the A is prononrxced in < thefe words, fuch being the general practice, though in Pradp ■ it is oftener mute in familiar converfation. T. f Or as in the engUfli wDrd church. The pronmiciation, like the german zi, the tranflatcir does nptremeraberto haVfr' heard in Spain. T- ^ J In the capital and where- the languact; is tlic pureft - the z is pronounced like tl»« englifli th, beginning with the tong\te bt-tween tlu? treth, as is tiic c before e and i, r^T when thus written (g) before other vowels. The d is ' alfo pronounced beginning with the tongue fomc^^hat be- ^ twecn the teeth. This is difficult to imitate;- imdhiduces a habit of lifping other languages. T. § Or rather the Latin o is changed into ne, particularly in"; the commencement of words. T. " K K 2 pro- 50O SPANISH AND PORTUGUEZE pronunciation of the z may be included under this head. But when the ear is accuftomed to it, all afFedlation diminifhes. ^-T i!*-f*tV:u)- rf:iifchboe. This pronunciation however is not fo common in the provinces and among the lower claffes as in the metropolis and among the higher orders ; and feems to be originally a fpecies of afFecftation. I was told this affedtation is very recent, having been LANGUAGES COMPARED. 50! been unknown twenty years ago, and that it ori- ginated from the Englilh. As/ 1 received this account from a man of much information, I am convinced I may rely on its accuracy. On the whole the portugueze, efpecially as it is now fpoken, is not fo fonorous as the Spanifh. It is indeed without gutturals, but on the other hand abounds in nafal founds, mute terminations, and too much libillation. - :: From its coulin-german the fpanifh this lan- guage differs not only by many words entirely peculiar to itfelf, but by many ftriking alterations of words ; as for inftance not fuffering an n be- tween two vowels. Thus vino is changed to vinho (pronounced veenyo) una to uma, ganado to gado, and general to geral. L after a confonant is changed to r, as branco for bianco, prata for plata, &c. The latin pi and the fpanilh 11 are changed to ch ; thus plenOf lat. and Ikno^ fpan. are changed to cbeio^ portug. In general the por- tugueze is averfe to the 1, and hence probably the articles lo, la, were changed to the lingular articles o, a ; this o however is pronounced as u. The portugueze every where retains the f, which the fpanilh changes at the beginning of words into h *, 2i?, fabulariy lat. favellare, ital. hablary fpan. fallar portug. * This is a modem cuftom, the f being retained in old Ijpanifh books and writings. T. For 50a SPANISH AND PORTUGUEZE For eafe in converfation the portugueze is pre- . feraWe to the fpanilh. It is Ihorter, the pronu.ii-?«> ciation requires lefs exertion, is far removed from all affedlation, and refembles a fibillating whifper, , Tq thefe advantages may be added a greater faci-- - lity in addrefiing one another in converfation, . The Spaniards exprefs the word you by ufted (pro- . nounced ooftay) which is a contra6lion of vueftra merced, and to omit this word is an extreme af- front, limilar to uling du (thou) in german as a mark of contempt. Perfons of rank are addrefled with uflia(a contra6lion for vueftra fenoria)*. The portugueze has no fuch contra(5lions ; the words xoi^a merce, vofla fenhoria, volfa excellencia -^j being always fpoken at length, though pronounced with great rapidity ; but tlicn it is not poHte often to repeat them, the third perfon being ufed with- out further addition, and thefe phrafes only at the beginning of a converfation, or in fome particu- lar cafes. This renders converfation very pleafant, wliereas the conftant repetition of ujled in fpanifh encumbers it with needlefs redundancy ; the portu- gueze is alfo efpecially formed for chit chat, for much may be fpoken without faying any thing. Thus the connectives or expletives pois and pois ♦ And ufiencia, which is a contraflion for vueftra excel- lencia. T. f In adilrefling a portugueze who is not noble the phrafe voffa merce u utcd ; to.a noble without title f voffa lenhoria ; to counts, martjuiiVcs c*^-c. volTa excellencia. More courtefy is ho\rc\-cr fliewn to the ladies ; e\erv cne who is \vAAt though untitled being aJdrcfi'cd with volVa excellencia. f Like the gernasui vom. LANGUAGES COMPARED. 503 cnta5 (well, well then) are continually ufed, though merely to gain time ; and when any one tells a ftory the words efta bom, efta felto (it is well, it is done) denote that it is concluded. Per- fons both of high and low birth conftantly ufe thefe and other expletives, frequently very mal- apropos. Thus on enquiring of a woman aftet" we had travelled fome way into Algarv^e, whether we had yet entered that province, fhe anfwered pois entao, Algarve, eftafeito, efta aqui (well then, Algarve, it is done, it is here). It muft be al- lowed however, that this kind of converfarion, which is always intermixed with many forms and ceremonies, may in ferious affairs become very fatiguing. I have already faid that the portugueze ufe very few oaths, words of abufe, or difgufting expref- iions. Caramba is faid by Spaniards of rank, and various other words by the people ; but the Por- tugueze never utter any fuch expreffions, except diabo or merda, and thefe but rarely. In like manner the portugueze language is much chafter than the fpanifh, which even appears in the phrafes of the moft mercenary of women, thofe who deal in the charms of others- If the fpanirh language has any thing with which to reproach the portugueze, it is the am- biguity of the latter, the fame words having too many fignifications. Thus a lignifies /Z'f , thire u *, * At, by, OTiy it, and many more. T. and ^64 SPANISH A1*I> PORTUGUEZE LANGUAGES. and is the fign of the dative cafe ; and tern iignU fies both 1)€ has and they have^ &e.. which not only renders the language difFicuk to foreigners, but prevents accuracy of expreffion. "•' :; i\ :: ..:: • The conftrudidri of the pQrtugufezte> i?' in'othc^ r6fpe6is entirely iimilar to the fpajiilTi, fo that? they may be mutually tranflated without alterti ijig:the relative 'lituation of the words. la bbtK languages the declenlions and conjugations are very limilar. The portugueze however frequently ufq a poetical pkiperfc6t tenfe in. the . indicative and conjun^live moods with great effedt ; tHey allb li{e,':t|i« infinitive very much ; all which together with the greater fhortnefs of the words renders the portugueze language more nervous and eafy. V It is to be lamented that we have no good ger- man portugueze grammar, as the knowledge of that language would be very ufeful to the lovers of the belles lettres ; to which may be added, that in many parts of Africa, the Indies, China, &c. portugueze is as necefTary, as frcnch in Europe. Mr. iXi' on Jung's Portugueze grammar can no loh^ec"be ufcd in learning the pronunciation, and cv€ri:th6 conjugations are not accurate throughout. In this refpedt Meldola's is better, though the' ffktechetical form of quefllon and ani'wer in portu- gueze and german is extremely unpleafant. .*• . r.^ Mm. .F I N:I:S. » ■ , ji XT '* 31->*! "(;r.i;: t> ;:; U Trinltd hv NicffoLS Mief^on, University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. QL JAH23 m 1 7 2006 N( HAtOl im DUE Form Vr/ UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 3 1158 00977 8951 A A 000 105 359 4