itTTrn-terr:

.p

LIBRARY OF THE

/N- FOR THE <^/

4^ PEOPLE %

EDVCATION O
>- ^

V FOR ^

^O SCIENCE ^

I^xXiVitrtj

(V

l^ it ;•"*

'72

A SPKING TOUE

POETUGAL.

LONDON: PRINTED BT

SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STKEET SQUARE

AND PARLIAMENT STREET

i^vD^Yr

V

OF A

SPRING TOUR IN rORTUGAL

with a Cia/ihr iftt tU3irdf of Torhi^^l , ujtd

BY

REV. ALFEED CHARLES ^SMITH, M.A.

CUniST CHURCH, OXFORD : RECTOR OK YATKSBURY, WILTS :
AUTHOR OF 'THE ATTRACTIONfl OF THE NILE*

ETC.

,#!](

• :; t'ift'i \

fii'i f

PORTUGUESE BULLOCK-CART
{from a Photograph by Rev. A. Smith).

LONDON:

LONG M

A N a, a R E E N, -A N D CO
LIBRARY

AMh;HlCAN MUSEtiM

OF
NATURAL HISTORY

TO

MY VERY DEAR MOTHER

I Jlebitatc tins ilDolumc

AS A SLIGHT TOKEN OF MY MOST SINCERE
AFFECTION AND ESTEEM.

*<^\

PREFACE

If anyone will be at the pains to look back twenty years,
and compare the amount of foreign travel in which our.
countrymen at that date indulged with the touring which
prevails at present, he can hardly fail to be surprised at
the enormous, rapid, and continued rate of increase in
the development of what now may almost be called a
passion of the English nation.

The immediate cause which has so violently excited
British restlessness, and so vehemently promoted foreign
travel, has unquestionably been the extension of railways,
which now form a network over the principal portions of
Europe, and which offer such great facilities to tourists ;
and which, by diminishing the inconveniences and fatigue
of travel, have, to a great extent, annihilated time and
space, and enabled the infirm, the delicate, and even the
confirmed invalid, to encounter distant journe3^s, without
alarm at the demands on physical endurance, which even
a slight trip used formerly to entail.

Hence, the Continent of Europe is not only inundated
during the summer and autumn with vast troops of
pleasure-seekers, who systematically court healthy re-
laxation for mind and body amid foreign scenes, and for
which I, for one, heartily commend the good taste of my
countrymen ; but there are also periodical migrations of

Vlll PEEFACE.

large bodies of English to warmer climes as the winter
draws near ; and again, these bodies are reinforced by the
addition of considerable flights of their congeners, who,
though braving the frosts and snows of winter, yet, as the
cold winds of spring begin to blow over our island, depart
for the sunny south, there to bask in warmth and comfort
till the easterly gales have subsided; and they may venture
to return home.

With regard to the first-mentioned English tourists,
those who go abroad for pleasure alone, I shall not need
to say many words in proof of my assertion, that their
numbers have been increasing to an astonishing extent
during the last few years. Anybody who has chanced to
be staying at Dover or Folkestone, or any of our southern
ports, and has watched (as seaside loiterers are apt to do)
the arrival and departure of the daily steamers, will not
need to be reminded of the continual stream of travellers
passing to and from the Continent without intermission,
while the addition of so many steamers on the principal
lines of route within the last few years is sufficient con-
firmation of the increase of travellers. But it is not only
in the more beaten tracks that such evidence is apparent ;
in less-frequented districts, and to more remote countries,
the same remark holds good. With Norway there is now
constant direct steam communication, and the fjelds and
fjords of that wild but interesting country are annually
overrun by hundreds of sportsmen, anglers, and tourists ;
whereas, when I visited it in 1 850, there were no steamers
from England at all, and we had to make our tedious way
through Belgium and northern Germany, and then by the
Baltic and Copenhagen ; and the total number of English-

PREFACE IX

men who, during that year, reached the capital, amounti-d
to twelve, as I was informed by the excellent British
Consul at Christiania. With Spain a^^ain, since the
opening of railways within the last few years, communi-
cation is now easy and direct, and we must, in returning
from our recent tour described in these pages, have en-
countered therein twenty British tourists for every one we
met in 1861, when we worked our way painfully and
laboriously through the length and breadth of Spain, in
those most uneasy and ponderous of vehicles, the old-
fashioned, clumsy Spanish diligences.

But I need not multiply examples. The famous Pen-
insula and Oriental Company has found it necessary to
charter a steamer every week from Marseilles, as well as
from Southampton ; though there are several other lines
of communication lately opened with the east, by way
of Brindisi at the Southern extremity of Italy, as well as
by Trieste and Corfu ; and the same multiplication of
steamers (the surest proof of increased traffic) may be
observed at almost every port at home and abroad.

But if this is the case with regard to the general
summer tourist, it is tenfold more apparent with the
winter and spring migrants, to w^hose periodical move-
ments I have alluded above. Twenty years ago, the few
who, dreading the cold winters to which the majority of
English districts are exposed, thought it necessary to seek
a warmer climate, were contented with the very slight
advantage in this respect, which the milder atmosphere of
Torquay and other sheltered parts of the Devonshire or
Cornwall coasts were able to offer; whilst others, more
susceptible of cold, and desiring greater warmth than could

X PREFACE.

be found at home, but in all amounting to an insignificant
number, either made a voyage to Madeira, or a land jour-
ney to the then Italian city of Nice, these being almost
the only sanitary stations frequented by our countrymen in
the winter. But what a change has come over their habits
now, and how rapidly that change has been developed I
And in order to appreciate to the full the extent of these
winter Sittings, let me direct the attention of my readers
to the two southern districts nearest home, and most ac-
cessible, and therefore most resorted to by English invalids.
I allude to the coast of south-eastern France, on the Cor-
nice, and the coast of south-western France, at the foot of
the Pyrenees ; and let me call particular attention to the
extraordinarily rapid increase of the many sanitary stations
in both those districts, to which I can bear testimony
from my own experience.

In 1851, I traversed the whole of the Cornice from
Genoa, passing a night at the small and wretched inn in
the centre of the little town of Mentone, where I saw no
indications of the residence of a single Englishman ;
and driving through Cannes, where, with the single ex-
ception of the villa of Lord Brougham, there was nothing
to foreshadow British occupancy. In 1864, I spent the
winter at various parts of the Cornice ; even Marseilles
was not witliout its quota of British sojourners ; Hyeres
sheltered a little colony; but Cannes already boasted
eight or ten hotels and pensions, and many villas and
lodgings, with its English church and chaplain, and about
five hundred English visitors. I say nothing of Nice, and
its suburb of Cimies, with their crowds of English,
and two English churches, because, tliough very much

PRICFACK. XI

more frequented than formerly, this has long been a
favourite winter resort. But I pass on to Mentone, which
already contained a large English colony on either side of
the town, in the numerous hotels and j)ensio7is whicli had
sprung up on the eastern and western bay, and wns resor-
ted to by our countrymen to the number of from six to
seven hundred ; while farther on, Bordighera and San
Eemo were beginning to attract attention, each with its
single hotel generally crowded. Here we have a con-
viction suddenly awakened in the minds of the English
nation, that the climate of the Cornice offers advantages
for winter resort which are not to be neglected. But we
will not only contrast with the former absolute ignorance
of that overlooked district its sudden growth in British
favour and popularity, five years back ; let us compare
the present position of its chief places of resort, and we
shall find that they have, one and all, continued to in-
crease with unprecedented rapidity, and are now thronged
by a very considerable British population. Thus I am
informed by trustworthy friends, who passed last winter n
those districts, that, as nearly as could be ascertained, the
Eno'lish at Cannes amounted to about one thousand ; at
Nice, to about two thousand ; and at Mentone, to about
eighteen hundred; while the smaller colonies at Hyeres,
Bordighera, and San Eemo, are proportionally increased.
These facts and figures outweigh all argument, and with
such statistics we can only marvel at the remarkable
development of regular periodical migration in our country-
men, which must have been in abeyance and lying dor-
mant in their system for a long period ; but now, when
opportunity has arisen, has burst forth with an uncontrol-

Xll PREFACE.

lable violence, and to such an extent as will require the
pen of a Darwin to explain.

Turning now for a moment to south-western France, it
will be enough to show that very much the same rapid
growth has characterised the places resorted to by the
English during winter in that district. Twenty years
ago, it is not too much to say that the very name of the
little fishing village of Biarritz was quite unknown in this
country. When I first saw it in 1861, it was beginning to
be recognised as a winter resort for the English, as well as
a summer residence for the Imperial family, and hotels
and pensions expressly prepared for the habits of our
countrymen, were in course of erection. But when I
visited it lately, though aware of its immense increase,
I was astonished to find so large a town and suburb, ex-
tending over so great an area, and frequented by the
English in such numbers that it was little else than a
British colony ; and the same continuous increase, though
hardly perhaps to the same extent, is said to be observed
at Pau and other sheltered spots beneath the Pyrenees.

Now, one of the natural results of this flocking of the
English to certain favoured localities is the very rapid
increase of prices, which (I am told) have more than
doubled within the last five years, both on the Cornice and
at Biarritz. That of itself is one considerable disadvan-
tage, which repels many from the districts thus Anglicised ;
but again, I for one (and there are many others of my
mind) do not desire, when we go abroad, to plant ourselves
in an English colony, where everything that strikes the
ear and the eye reminds one of St. John's Wood or the
suburbs of Cheltenham, or Bath, or Brighton ; but with
every feeling of respect and all due appreciation for the

PREFACE. xiii

sterling* good qualities of our fellow-countrymen, prefer,
when we are in a foreign land, to associate with the
natives, and to cultivate the society of John Bull exclu-
sively at home.

On these grounds it becomes to many of us a serious
matter of perplexity, when intending to escape from the
March winds of England to a warmer climate, to decide
where we shall go. And as all the more accessible parts
of Europe are being rapidly overrun, and occupied by
Englishmen, this is a difficulty which increases every year.
It was therefore with no little satisfaction that, in poring
over the map of Southern Europe, we espied the hitherto
neglected and little-known kingdom of Portugal — so ac-
cessible both by sea and land, at so short a distance from
home, with a climate notoriously warm, and yet so seldom
visited bv tourists. When we had once bethouMit our-
selves of Portugal, everything seemed to impel us in that
direction. We had soon mastered the contents of Murray's
' Handbook for Portugal,' which by the way, is nearly the
only book of modern date which we could discover to give
us any practical information regarding the country we
were about to visit, but which furnished us with ample
instruction to enable us to form our plans, and propose
our route. We found that the spring months of April and
May were those especially recommended to tourists in that
country, when the winter rain had passed away, and the
fierce heat of summer had not yet set in. We anticipated
great enjoyment in exploring the wild and very beautiful
heaths for which Portugal is famous, as well as the hills
and valleys of its northern provinces, in all of which our
anticipations were more than realised. In short, though
we started on this expedition with very high expectations

xiv PREFACE.

of satisfactioD, we returned from our two months' tour
heartily gratified with the result, and eager to make known
to our countrymen what a delightful field for tourists,
hitherto fresh and unhacknied, lies within easy reach of
England, at the south-western corner of Europe.

My dear father was my companion, as in all my best
foreign tours in former years, and will again be designated
in these pages as F. ; and whereas I again carried a gun
and a double field-glass, and all the apparatus required by
an ornithologist, for obtaining and preserving specimens
of birds, he was provided with his camera, and all that a
photographer needs for a successful campaign amidst the
most striking objects of interest ; and so great was his
perseverance, and so determined his attacks, that he car-
ried away forts, churches, and cloisters at the camera's
mouth, and his portfolio remains as ample proof of his
prowess, both within and beyond the strong lines of Torres
Vedras, in this second, though bloodless. Peninsular war.

Perhaps it may be advisable to say one word on the

subject of expenses, which, however vulgar and prosaic,

does nevertheless demand the attention of most travellers.

The calculations which we had made from the pages of

the Handbook, previous to our start, proved to be exactly

correct, and may be roughly defined thus : —

£ 5. d. £ s. d.

For each tourist, passage out by steamer ; -\

everything included . . . .1210 0[^,

Journey home by land, by rail, first class, f

(hotels MOi{ included ) . . . . 12 10 oJ

Hotels ; seven weeks, at an average of about -j

six shillings per day . . . • ^'-^ ^ ^125 0 0

Journeying through the country, by rail, dili- j

gence, mule, or boat . . . . lU 0 0 '

£oO 0 0

PREFACE. XV

With these preliminary remarks on the advantages
which the sunny little kin<r(h,iii of r()rtii<^r.'il offers, and
with the desire to make known the delights wliich we have
experienced there, so that others of our countrymen may
he tempted to go and taste for themselves; and under
the belief that this outlying corner of Europe has been
strangely overlooked, and as much neglected by authors
as travellers, I venture to send forth this narrative of our
tour, trusting it may meet from an indulgent public the
same favour kindly accorded to my travels on the Nile.

A. C. S.

Yateshiry Rectouy

Fel>. 1870.

CONTENTS

CHAPTEE I.

INTRODUCTORT. pack

The voyage to Lisbon — The Brazil mail packet Shannon — The Bay of
Biscay — Easter Sunday on board — Delightful change of weather —
Recollections of former exploits in those waters . . . . 1 - 1 1,

CHAPTER II.

LISBON {general view).

First impressions generally indelible— Landing— The Custom-house
— Curiosity of officials — The Gallegos as porters and water-carriers
— Carts of Lisbon— Street cries — Cleanness of the city — Largos and
public gardens — Warmth — Gentle emeute 12 - i:- •

CHAPTER ni.

LISBON {continued).

Results of the great earthquake — Castello di San Jorge — The cathe-
dral— Portuguese churches — Tenets of the Portuguese church —
Church and monastery of Belem — Cloisters and casa pia, or orphan-
age— Tower of Belem — Palace of the Ajuda — The aqueduct — En-
glish church and cemetery — Gardens of the Estrella ... 23

CHAPTER IV.

LISBON {continued).

The opening of the Cortes — Character of the Portuguese — Portu-
guese bull-fights — The markets at Lisbon — Fishes — Molluscs —
Game — Birds — Fruit — Vegetables — Gardens and quintas round
Lisbon — Trees, shrubs, and climbing plants . . . .35

a

xviii CONTENTS.

CHAPTER V,

CINTRA.

Expectations too higlily raised— General aspect of Cintra— Mont-
serrat— Other villas and quintas — The rocks above — The Penha
convent— The royal palace— Cork trees— Olive trees— Abtindance
of springs— Pveturn to Lisbon— A country fair and holiday cos-

tumes

4S

CHAPTER VI.

EVORA AND SETUBAL.

Journey to Evora— A Portuguese railway— A Portuguese heath-
Sparse population— General aspect of Evora— The cathedral-
Archbishop's library— Flag of the Holy Inquisition— Antiquities

Temple of Diana— Aqueduct — A wander through the heath —

Journey back to Setubal— General aspect of the town — Return to
Lisbon 5»

CHAPTER Vn.

ALCOBA9A.

Journey by rail to Carregado — Stranded at the station — A moonlight
<jriye — Cereal — Caldas de Rainha — Arrive at Alcoba^a — The
monastery ; its church, gardens, library, kitchen, buttery, refectory
— Benefits conferred by the monks 76

CHAPTER VIIL

BATALIIA,

Recollections of the monks— Drive to Batalha — Magnificence of th&
monastery— Its general aspect ; the church, western doorway. Poun-
ders' chapel, cloisters, chapter-house, roof, Capella imperfetta~K
wander throiigh the forest 90

CHAPTER IX.
COLMBRA.

Drive to Pombal — Lciria — Cattle fair — View of Coimbra — Excellent
hotel — The banks of the river Mondego - The University and its
scholars — University costume, system, buildings — The observatory
— The library — Tlifi great hall — The Museum of Natural History —

CONTENTS. xlx

I'AOH

Chim-h and convent of Santa Cruz — Tho old catliodral- Tlii^ now
cathedral — Fruit market — B'o7ite dos Amoves, and Qidnta das lagri-
■nuis 103

CHAPTER X.

OPORTO.

Kefloctions on tho University of Coimbra — Railway jonrnoy to Oporto
— Custom-house— View of the city — Fireworks— Religious pro-
cession through the streets — The cathedral -The church of San
Francisco — The Torre dos Clerigos— Tho English church and cenie-
tery — The public library — The Crystal Palace — Bar at the mouth
of the Douro — Road towards Foz — Scrra convent — Name ' Oporto' 117

CHAPTER XI.

OPORTO {continued).

The port-wine trade — Tho merchants' 'lodge' -Cultivation of the
vine— The camellia — Tho Rev. E. Whiteley's garden — Gigantic
tulip-tree— Gigantic magnolia— The strawberry — Water . .129

CHAPTER XII.

BR AG A AND BOM JESUS.

Difficulty of procuring information about roads — Travelling in
Portugal in its infancy — The Portuguese diligence — Scenery of
Minho — Arrive at Braga — Its churches — Pilgrimage to Bom Jesus
—Rude representations of our Lord's Passion, compared with that
at Varallo — Miracle plays at Mentone and Monaco, Barcelona, and
Ammergau — Splendid view of the Gerez mountains — The wolf —
The wild boar — The lynx — The gcnett— The ibex — The mouflon
— Drive to Ponte do Lima 139

CHAPTER XIIL

THE RIVER LIMA AND VI ANNA.

Pretty scenery — Quiet peaceful river — A long voyage in a grain boat
— Slow progress— Floating with the stream — Aground on a sand-
bank—Reach Vianna at last — Long wooden bridge — Origin of name
of Vianna do Castello — Its churches — Our proposal to alter tho
hour of the daily diligence accepted — Novel mode of ensuring
punctuality— Early mass — Our journey back to Oporto ; slower
than ever— Well-made road in want of thorough repair . ,154

XX CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XIV.

JOURNEY HOME BY LAND. page

The direct way to France by no means sti-aight — Our intentions to
return by Zamora overthrown— Rail due south— Busaco — Engine
breaks down and delays us two hours — Elvas — Badajoz and its
siege — Merida and its Roman remains— Comparison between Spain
and Portugal and their respective inhabitants — Ciudad Reale —
Madrid and its Museu i?ea/— Biarritz— The Landes— Bordeaux-
Paris — Home 168

CHAPTER XV.

THE BIRDS OF PORTUGAL.

Portuguese ornithology hitherto overlooked — Portugal a very pro-
mising field for the ornithologist— Varieties in size and colour of
many well-known species — Museums of Lisbon and Coimbra — Dr.
Suche and Professor Barbosa du Bocage — Catalogue of birds seen,
with Portuguese names, and occasional observations . . . 183

IXDEX

A SPRING TOUR

IN

PORTUGAL.

CHAPTEK I.

INTRODUCTORY.

The morning was as cold and chilly, the east wind as
keen and cutting, the sharp icy sleet which beat against
our faces as unpleasant as misanthrope could desire, as we
made our way across the Southampton docks to the little
steam tender which was to convey us some three miles
down the river ; for the huge Brazilian steamer Shannon
(which already, at that distance, looked a very Leviathan
amidst the many crafts of all sizes which thronged the
Southampton water) had dropped down the river with the
tide at early morning, there to await the arrival of her
passengers, and the mail bags which were to come on
board at 2 o'clock.

Miserable indeed were our feelings, blue and pale were
our faces, and thoroughly depressed our spirits, as the
pitiless sleet and rain and the searching cold wind pene-
trated to our very bones ; and, as we bade adieu to the in-
hospitable climate of old England, our only consolation,
wherewith we hugged ourselves beneath our wrappers and
cloaks, was that we were on the wing for the balmy air
and brilliant skies of the sunny south ; a feeling of exui-

B

2 A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

tation and joy, however, which was somewhat chequered
at the pang of leaving home, and damped by the recol-
lection which would continue to intrude upon our minds,
that a weary voyage of four days at least, at a season
alarmingly near to the spring equinox, and over a sea pro-
verbially liable to storms, intervened, ere we could hope
to reach that warm and delicious climate, now more than
ever appreciated as w^e shivered in our misery on the deck
of the little vessel which carried us and our fellow-pas-
senofers from our native land.

At length that tedious transit was effected ; and as we
made our way amidst a crowd of cargo boats, luggage
boats, provision boats, and others which hovered round
the Shannon, and looked at her vast proportions as she
loomed large, and black, and heavy, on that lowering
morning, a very whale among the minnows, and as steady
as a rock amidst her dancing, bobbing satellites, we
thought we had never seen so enormous a steamer, a con-
clusion which w^as not dispelled, when, on mounting the
stairs and entering her side, we found ourselves between
decks with long vistas of cabins, stretching out in endless
succession on either hand, and staircases innumerable,
conducting upwards to the main deck and downwards to
other tiers of cabins and the spacious saloons.

Xo sooner on board than our luggage and our berths
first claimed our attention ; for, like experienced mariners
as we were, we knew that the comfort of our voyage de-
pended in no small degree on securing such articles of the
former as we needed whilst at sea, and in appropriating to
ourselves the cabin which w^e had been at so much pains
to select, as near as might be amidships, where the roll of
a vessel in a heavy sea would be less sensibly felt, and yet
so far forwards as to escape the churning noise of the
engines as well as the powerful odours which reigned
supreme in the neighbourhood of the kitchen. It was no

INTRODUCTORY. 3

easy matter to watcli that inoiintain of luggage, which,
consigned to the agents the previous evening by rigid
order of the Company, was now arriving on board in great
masses ; and it required all our eyes to watch every article
as it was passed rapidly from the ship's side to the gaping
hold which yawned beneath, if we desired to rescue our
own particular bag or portmanteau for present use. And as
we stood by that bustling throng, and admired the activity
of the sailors, and the order, even in the midst of so much
confusion, which the officers maintained, we seemed to be
suddenly brought face to face with another hemisphere, as
we read the destination of the great bulk of baggage which
was being passed so rapidly into the hold ; and as we saw
painted in large letters on the several cases, 'Bahia,'
' Monte Video,' * Pernambuco,' ^ Eio de Janeiro,' ' Buenos
Ayres,' we seemed indeed to be breathing another atmo-
sphere, and South America stood out more vividly before
our minds than ever before.

And now, having duly witnessed the interment of our
more bulky impedimenta in the great grave which gaped
below, and having secured our smaller effects and de-
posited them in our pleasant and airy, albeit diminutive
cabin, we proceeded to reconnoitre our position, and to
ramble over the great vessel which was to be our tem-
porary home for some days. No wonder she seemed
colossal from the shore and from the river ; no wonder we
felt bewildered as we climbed her many staircases and
traversed her many decks ; for the Shannon is the largest
of all the ships on the Koyal Mail Steam Packet Com-
pany's list, and even the smallest of the Brazil boats is
of greater tonnage than the biggest in the employ of the
Peninsular and Oriental Company. I will not say that
the Shannon is a trim, taut, handsome ship : I will not
compare her, for elegance and finish, with her sisters which
ply between Southampton and the East ; but this I will

B 2

4 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

say, that for a thorough sea-going, steady, trustworthy,
vessel wherein to cross the Bay of Biscay in doubtful
weather, commend me to the Shannon and its excellent
commander, Captain Jellicob. Of 3,472 tons burden, of
800 horse-power, with a crew (including engineers,
stewards, cooks, butchers, &c.) numbering 130, with ample
accommodation for 350 passengers, with ventilation both
in saloon and cabin exceptionally good, this really fine
ship, from her great size and appearance of solidity, in-
spires confidence in her strength and endurance, and is
better calculated to reassure timid passengers who are
about to cross the wide Atlantic, than are the brighter,
smarter, more elegant, but smaller and less substantial
steamers which sail from the same port for the calmer
waters of the Mediterranean. Nor will the traveller re-
gret that the Brazilian mail packets make no pretensions
to compete in the numbers they carry with the large
steamers which ply between New York and Liverpool;
for these latter are sometimes crowded with 800 passengers,
who (as I have been assured by a suffering eye-witness)
were necessarily herded together like cattle, with scarcely
room to move. Whereas the officers of the Shannon in-
formed me that the greatest number ever conveyed by
their vessel on one occasion amounted to 450, who, from
some political reason, hurried back to Europe en masse
from Brazil.

Our tour of inspection round our floating home brought
before us indeed the more salient points of her construc-
tion and arrangement ; but so bewildering were the many
staircases and tiers of cabins, that it was not till we had
been a day or two on board that we could find our way
without difficulty to saloon, and cabin, and deck. The
large saloon is admirably constructed deep down in the
after part of the vessel, with two tiers of cabins and a
gallery running round. By this arrangement there is

INTRODUCTORY. 5

plenty of space over head, and ample ventilation is pro-
vided from the lofty skylights, a matter of no small im-
portance in any climate and in any vessel, but of the
greatest necessit}^, ^vhen it is considered that the numbers
congregated therein daily for meals amount to several
hundreds, and also that the ship's destination is ahvay.s
across the equator and within the tropics.

Another great advantage which the construction of the
Shannon offers is her flush deck, which extends from stem
to stern without a single step or obstruction of any kind,
and thus offers an admirable promenade to the Englishman
at sea, who is notorious amongst all nations for the perti-
nacity, the diligence, the endurance, and the speed with
which, of grave face and dejected mien, he paces up and
down the allotted space, as if impelled by some avenging
Fury, or as if, like a leopard caged in his den, he must
perforce make the most of the little room for exercise at
his command.

We found our ship well furnished with animals for food,
including a stye of pigs, several pens of sheep, amounting
in all to about a score, poultry of all sorts and in great
profusion ; and, above all, the cow, which was to supply
the milk at breakfast, that never-failing subject of interest
to idle passengers, round whose stall a group of smokers
generally congregated every da3^

But that which most frequently arrested our steps as we
wandered carelessly over the great ship, and afterwards
often attracted our admiration and wonder, was the colossal
size of the engines, which, though working so easily and
gently and smoothly, seemed powerful enough to tear away
from all opposition, and to work their way against all
antagonists, and do desperate battle with the winds and
waves even of the great Atlantic, though proverbially the
stronghold of those mighty elements. No wonder that the
furnaces which acted as the jaws of those huge monsters

6 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

consumed a vast amount of fuel : such force was not to be
maintained without a proportionate supply of food ; but
yet it was startling to be assured, and the assurance seemed
ahnost incredible, that from eighty to ninety tons of coal
were the daily average rations of which our huge engines
easily disposed.

Our fellow-passengers were a motley set : the greater
part South Americans, of Portuguese and Spanish extrac-
tion, their dark sallow complexions proclaiming at once
their nationality ; but there were many Germans as well,
on their way to Brazil, and a small sprinkling of French,
as well as about thirty of our fellow-countrymen. And as
national peculiarities are never so conspicuous as at meals,
and all the passengers required their respective tastes
to be considered, our dinners, and more particularly our
breakfasts, had a remarkable character, which had reference
to the habits of no country in particular, but were a medley
of East and West, North and South, German and Brazilian,
English and Portuguese combined.

With regard to daily routine: the watches, the bells, the
officers' uniform, the hours of meals, to which we were
summoned by trumpet, — all were arranged on very much
the same system as that which prevails in the boats of the
Peninsular and Oriental Company, with which I was already
familiar, and which I have described elsewhere.

We had ample time for exploring our vessel, and
making ourselves acquainted with its general arrangement
before we weighed anchor ; for, though carried on board
by the steam tender at 11 a.m., it was 3 p.m. before the
mails were shipped ; and then, when unmoored from the
buoy which held us, it was a long and tedious business
to turn our unwieldy ship within the narrow channel of
Southampton water; but, once under weigh, we soon
steamed down the river, and past the Isle of Wight and
the Needles, and long after dark descried at a distance the

m rKODUCTORY. 7

lights of Portland ; and that was the last glimpse we had
of the English coast, as we held our way down the Channel,
the cold north-east wind forbidding us to remain on deck,
and compelling us to seek shelter below.

The following morning found us off the F'rench coast,
and before mid-day we had passed Ushant, and soon after
lost sight of land altogether. As this was Good Friday, I
offered myself as chaplain, and proposed to have service
for the crew and the English passengers on board; but the
captain pleaded that, in consequence of meeting so many
vessels in the Channel, all the officers and the greater part
of the crew had been on duty all the previous night ; that
all was in confusion the first day at sea ; and that most of
the passengers were sea-sick, and therefore begged leave to
decline my offer, which, however, he would gladly accept
for Easter Day.

And now, during this and the following day, we were
fairly in the Bay of Biscay, by common consent allowed to
be the home of the storm, and the focus where the largest
waves and the highest winds congregate. The east wind,
which had followed us from Southampton, gained a little
more courage as we advanced into the Bay, and the waves
were certainly of grand dimensions, and smaller vessels
which we passed or met were labouring heavily, and pitch-
ing in a most uncomfortable way; but here our fine large
paddle-wheeled vessel show^ed to advanta,ge, and we could
afford to admire the great waves of the Atlantic as they
rolled in, and to speculate on their size and height, un-
deterred by fear of the ill effects which they so frequently
produce. I had once, indeed, been assured by a gallant
admiral, who for years had cruised in these waters, that
the Bay of Biscay was the most maligned spot in the world,
and that the popular tales of its frequent storms and the
terror which its very name inspired in the breasts of timid
landsmen were delusions founded on libels; but now I

8 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

heard a very different tale from those who traversed
the Bay at all seasons of the year. A violent storm was
often encountered there in the middle of summer ; while,
on the other hand, a dead calm would sometimes prevail
there in the winter months. One gentleman averred, that
in the month of July he was kept three days in the middle
of the Bay in a storm, without moving or attempting to
move : the steamer was simply allowed to roll with the
waves; for, as she could with press of steam scarcely make
half a knot an hour, the captain preferred waiting to ex-
pending his fuel to no purpose. And all allowed it to be
a most stormy spot, and that there were no such waves as
the Atlantic waves, and that three waves may always be
seen together, and that they came into the Bay of Biscay
with surprising force and violence.

Xow,we experienced what would be considered favourable
weather and a good passage ; and yet we saw^ quite enough
to tell us that the Bay of Biscay amply deserves the
character it has gained. From the time we entered the
Bay until we rounded the Spanish coast, being the greater
part of two days, the cold north-east w^ind froze our bones,
the large, long, rolling waves made themselves felt, and for
those two days we saw neither land nor bird nor fish, and
but very rarely a sail in these inhospitable, deserted waters.
I never before saw so desolate a sea, and the officers of the
Shannon assured me it was always so there. Moreover —
sure proof of rough weather — our plates and dishes and
glasses and bottles were confined within mahogany frames,
and strapped to the table at dinner, for we ventured to
make our appearauce regularly at meals, the winds and
waves and the Bay of Biscay notwithstanding.

When we went on deck on the morning of Easter Day
we found a thorough change of atmosphere. We had sud-
denly jumped during the night from winter to summer;
we had passed within sight of the lights of Cape Finisterre;

INTRODUCTORY. 9

we were beyond the malice of the l-5ay of Bisca}^ and under
shelter of the Spanish coast. We had exchanged tlie biting
north-east wind for a warm, soft, southerly breeze; the
great waves had disappeared, the sea was already l)eginning
to calm down, and the glorious sun shone out with a bril-
liancy and warmth that spoke unmistakably to our feelings
of the sunny south ; and though some, in their marvellous
obtuseness to the delights of heat, had an awning stretched
overhead, and crept into the shade, we were rather disposed
to enjoy it to the full, and we revelled in its cheering
beams, and we basked in its bright rays to our hearts'
content.

At half-past 10 a.m., or, to speak more nautically, at
five bells, the whole ship's company was mustered on deck,
where they stood in close file from stem to bow, 130 in
number ; the officers also appeared in full uniform ; and
when the quartermaster had dressed the ranks, the purser
walked down the line, calling over the names, followed by
the captain and chief officer, who closely inspected all
hands, beginning with the seamen, firemen and engineers,
and concluding with stewards, butchers, cooks and boys.
Then the captain ordered those on duty to remain on deck,
and all the rest to go down to the saloon to prayers. I
found my place prepared in the middle of the long table,
the cushions which supported the large Bible and Prayer
Book being covered with the Union Jack. The crew occu-
pied the benches at the farther side of the saloon from one
en.d to another, the officers and English passengers those
on my right and left ; while many Brazilians, Portuguese,
and Germans witnessed our service from the galleries
which ran round the saloon above. As soon as the captain
and chief officer came down from a careful inspectioTi of
the ship, I began the morning pra3^ers. F. read the lessons,
and a more well-behaved congregation I never saw. I
preached a short sermon on the great event of the day,

10 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

and what with the attention of the men, the recollection
that we were celebrating the greatest festival of the
Christian year under circumstances so novel to myself, and
the many nations and creeds and languages represented at
it, I felt that I had never taken part in any service so
peculiarly interesting, albeit the roll of the vessel in the
Atlantic waves necessitated continual caution and a firm
hold of the table to enable me to retain my balance, as I
stood to proclaim the Resurrection of our Lord on that
Easter morning.

The afternoon of that day proved thoroughly hot, and
the delicious warmth coming upon us so rapidly after the
bitter winds which had followed us from England, was all
the more welcome and more duly appreciated, from the
contrast ; and it was positive enjoyment to sit on deck and
drink in the balmy air of the south, and ruminate as day-
dreamers at sea are apt to do.

There were plenty of subjects to crowd in upon the
mind as we traversed those waters, so prolific of glorious
enterprises, grand discoveries, and disastrous losses. Here
sailed, in far distant times, those hardy mariners the
Phoenicians, creeping out of the Mediterranean beyond the
Pillars of Hercules and coasting northwards towards the
Cassiterides, undeterred by their ignorance of what lay
be3^ond, or even by the fearful rumours of dangers which
prevailed, and still venturing onwards till they reached the
shores of Britain. Hence, long ages afterwards, went forth
the bold discoverer, Vasco de Gama, the first to double
the Cape of Good Hope and open out the way to India.
Over these waters sailed the invincible Armada, that vast
squadron which started from Lisbon with such confidence
of success and such determination against England, but
which the winds and the storms of the Bay of Biscay and
the valour of our countrymen so signally defeated. Hither,
too, in later times, came our own fleet, and hereabouts

INTRODUCTORY. 1 1

were gained so many of our famous victories, which the
names of Corunna, Vigo, and Trafalgar call up before our
minds. But, far above all, to these waters came direct
from Genoa the far-seeing Columbus, big with the project
he had not yet divulged; and as Portugal was at that
period the country to which adventurous spirits from all
parts of the woi'ld resorted, as the great theatre of mari-
time enterprise, his first proposal was made to King
Joao II. to sail under the flag of that monarch, and to
seize for the crown of Portugal that land beyond the
Atlantic, of whose existence his courageous heart never
suffered him for one monient to doubt. And now, as we
sat on the deck of the Shannon and watched the great
waves rolling in from the west, it was interesting to think
Avith what a full heart, and with what powerful feelings of
hope and expectation, the great discoverer must have set
out on his voyage after all the tedious delays and bitter
disappointments which beset him ; and with what trium-
phant feelings of deserved success he must have returned
to Lisbon, to the delight of his generous patron, Isabella
of Spain, and to the intense mortification of the King of
Portugal,*

We slackened speed as we ran down the coast, for we
could not cross the bar at the mouth of the Tagus till day-
light ; and our captain had no desire to increase unneces-
sarily his enormous consumption of coal, and before sunset
the sea had subsided into a perfect calm, and our last
evening on board the Shannon was as peaceful and pleasant
as we could desire.

* Prescott's History of the Bcign of Ferdinand and Isabella, vol. ii.
pp. 141, 154.

12 A SPRING TOUE IN PORTUGAL.

CHAPTER II.

LISBON : GENERAL VIEW.

The Handbook had prepared us to expect a fine view of
Lisbon as we steamed up the river ; so we were early on
deck to witness the entrance of the Tagus, and to mark
the first specimens of Portuguese buildings, and rocks, and
people which offered themselves to our sight. In every
first glance at a new country, and more particularly when
it is approached by sea, there is a great deal to interest the
traveller ; for every country has its own specialities, and
there are certain broad characteristics, even in the general
outline, which is all one can gain in passing up the middle
of a river, which speak for themselves and impress them-
selves indelibly on the mind ; and those first impressions,
however corrected by after experience and modified by
greater familiarity, are in a certain sense never effaced.
At least, that is my own experience, and amidst the recol-
lections of many foreign scenes, sharply and prominently
stand out in my mind the first view of Belgium, as seen
on entering the Schelt ; of France, as seen many years ago
at Calais ; of Denmark, from the Baltic ; of Norway, from
the fjord of Christiania; of the East, on enteriDg the har-
bour of Alexandria; of Syria, on approaching Beyrout.
And these sudden impressions seem burnt in on the
memory with tenfold distinctness, partly perhaps by reason
of the eager expectation and interest with which one
naturally approaches a new country, partly too from the

LISBON : GENERAL VIEW. 13

(ibstinoDce froiu nil views, and tho blank in this respect
which a aeii voyage necessarily creates, so that, as he ap-
proaches hind, the travclier is on the eager look-out, and
keenly alive to whatever presents itself to his observation.
Tlse lirst vi<!W of Tortngal was no exception to this rule,
and as we crossed the bar on a bright morning, and en-
tered the Tagus between its two outlying forts and steamed
slowly up the river, the few leagues which intervened be-
tv/een its mouth and the capital, we had quite enough to
occupy our attention ; the bright green vineyards on the
one hand and the red glowing rocks on the other, be-
tokening at once tliat we had reached a southern clime,
while the buildings which wet-e dotted here and there on
the hills or on the shore looked strange and peculiar, half
Italian, half Maltese, but exceedingly white and dazzling
in the full sunshine. And now we have passed the
picturesque tower of Belemj conspicuously projecting into
the river, and the whole view of Lisbon bursts upon our
sight. It is a noble view, and worthy to be compared
with that .of G^enca cr' Naples from the sea ; and I do not
think we were at a'il prepared to,sse so large or so mag-
nificent a city. Bivlt, like all the other large towns of
Portugal, on steep hills, the houses rising, tier above tier
from the water's edge to the extreme summit, and stretch-
ing alcng the rivers bar>;<: for nearly five English miles in.
length, the vvrhole' ci'ty is comprehended, in a single glance^
and so looks very imposing and much larger th.an it really
is, Doubtless the brilliant sunshine must be taken into
account as we appraise the value of o'utr picture, for even
Lisbon would not show to advantage id a London fog, but
then no such 'pherionuenon peculiar to the Thames Ims
ever appeared upon the Tagus; and we may take it for
granted that the brightest Jmd clearest of skies is the
normal atmospheric ^condition of the Portugese capital.
Even the cynical Ghilde Haroldl who is by no means .cat-

]4 A SPRING TOUR IN rORTUQAU

tering to this country, was forced to exclaim, as tiie bril-
liant city burst upon his view : —

Wlmt bciiutios doth Lisbon first unfold t
Ilor image flouting in that noble tldo
Wliicli puctb vainly piivo with sands of gold.

As soon as we had cast anchor, we took our leave of the
courteous Captain Jeliicob, as well as the purser and the
other excellent officers of the Shannoni and leavin<T our
baggage to the tender mercies of the custom liouse officers,
we entered one of the many boats which by this time had
Hurrounded us, and pulled ashore. Then, after the usual
wrangle with the good-tempered boatmen, wliich I iind is
become the universal accompaniment to setting forth on
shore in a strange land, we climbed up the steep streets to
the Hotel Braganza, glad to breakfast on ieirafirma, and
to secure rooms in that comfortable house. As we made
the Braganza our liead-quarters for several weeks, it was
pleasant to find ourselves in a central position, and yet
high up above the river; so that not only our windows
commanded a magnificent view of the city, the Tagus
crowded with shipping, and the hills on the opposite shore,
but we enjoyed the signal advantage in a hot country of
pure air and the sea breeze, which was daily wafted up the
river. It wiis the business of a morning, even with tb.e
help of an English resident in Lisbon, who most kindly
volunteered his services as interpreter, to pass our baggage
through the custom house, for Portuguese inspection is
still as minute, and Portuguese curiosity quite a^ intense,
as in the old days we remember so well at Calais and at
Dover, So we not only had to unlock every box and un-
strap every portmanteau, but the rigid search for contra-
band articles required a lengthened investigation of the
contents of every package, which is always very annoying
and somewhat humiliating to the owner. But this ridicu-
lous search to gratify curiosity (for it did »ot appear that

LISUO?^: GENERAL VIEW. 15

anything was liable to duty) became somewhat more than
annoying when, on opening F.'s large box of photograpliic
apparatus, wherein clieinicaln were nicely ytowed away,
and rows of little bottles packed in sawdust, proclaimed
their intention, these wise men in office desired to over-
haul such stores, and even examine the prepared glasses,
to which the admission of a single ray of daylight would
be fatal. Then we had to argue, storm, and bluster in ii
variety of languages, but our indignation generally found
most vent in our mother tongue ; and as we persevered in
our renionstrancesy t!ie enemy at length, if not convinced,
at all evencs gave in, as will generally be found to be the
case if the traveller will but stand firm with that * dojziied
obstinacy ' for which the Englishman is fortunately famous.
At length the examination was completed: the box of
eliemicals was relocked, ray gun-case had been subjected
to a severe scrutiny, — stock, lock, and barrel had been
separately inspected, and no smuggled goods detected
therein ; boxes of arsenical soap and implements ox taxi-
dermy had bee*}, examined with many doubtf:il end. sus-
picious glances at me as the culprit implicated in such
pursuits; above all, my india-rubber bath, my faithful
compaDJon in. Eastern, travels, bad been withdrawD. from
its canvas case and closely investigated ; and, as I ex-
plained its object and intention, had evidently drawn down
on my devoted head the character of an eccentric madman;
and then car goods were reles^sed, and we were free to
remove them to our quarters. To this end we enlisted the
services of four G-allegos, who crowd in swarms round the
custom house and quay, and these stout porters worked
in pairs., like beasts of burden as they are, and in a very
short time conveyed our formidable and really heavy
baggage up the steepest of streets to our hotel. Their
mode of carrying heavy burdens is very ingenious : each
man is provided with a tightly-made straw collrwT covered

10 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

with cloth, and shaped like a horseshoe : this he places
round his neck, the open part in front; then, when they
liave collected the heavy goods they are about to carry, it
may bo a cask, or a large bale of merchandise, or four or
five largo boxes, these are rapidly tied together with cord,
and suspended from a pole, which pressing upon their
straw collars, is carried slowly along between two Grallegos;
and it is astonishing what heavy weights these sturdy
porters will convey up and down the streets of Lisbon, where
WMgirons and carts are still almost imknown, and where,
within a very short time, wheels were seldom seen. But
though all kinds of goods are thus conveyed on the
shoulders of the Gallego, his principal business is to carry
the water from the fountains throughout the <iity. Now,
there are many noble fountains scattered about the town,
but as yet there is no system of supplying the houses by
means of pipes and cisterns and taps, no water company
to ensure a constant supply of tho.t invaluable element.
Therc^fore, around all the fountains, and from early morn-
ing to night, the stranger will be interested to watch
crowds of these patient Gallegos sitting in rows on their
gaily-painted water casks, cliatting in merry mood, and
scrupulously waiting their turns to fJl their casks, and
then trotting off with their burden on their shoulder, upon
which, a white cloth lias been previously doubled, some of
them to supply private houses, and some to cry * aguci '
through the streets, amidst this water-drinking people, not
unlike the SaJdui, who, with goat-skin on back and brass
cup in hand, sings *mom' in the streets of Cairo.

Now, these Gallegos are in reality Gallicians from the
North of Spain ; but, like the Swiss of old, they expatriate
themselves with a view to collecting money, and have
vohintarily become the * Helots' or the 'Gibeonites' of
Lisbon, veritable liewers of wood and drawers of water ;
nay, so thoroughly have they assumed this position, that the

LISBON : OENEHAL VIEW. 17

proud Portuguese beggar disdains to interfere with an
occupation fitted only for slaves, and, as he shrugs his
fllioiildors, exclaims in the well-known proverb, 'The
Almighty made the Portuguese first, and then made the
Gallcgo to wait upon him.' Methinks, however, that the
despised Gallego has the best of the argument, as ho
pockets the affront and jingles the money he is collecting
wherewith to retire to his native mountains and end his
days in comfort, and whispers to himself, sotto voce, in the
proverb he knows so well, 'We are Grod's people; it is
their water, but we sell it them.'

I have said that there are few carts in Lisbon, but
nothing will rivet the attention of the newly-landed tra-
veller more than the sight which will soon catch liis eye
of some antiquated plaustrum moving slowly through tlie
streets. These ancient and most clumsy but picturesque
vehicles can never have altered their shape since the days
of Virgil, and assuredly, from the indescribable groaning
and squeaking the}'' emit in all other places save the
capital (where such music is now forbidden under the
penalty of a heavy fine), they still deserve the epithets
bestowed by that poet, ' Stridentia, gemeniia xjlaustra.'
Their peculiarity consists in the ponderous axle, to which
heavy solid wheels' without spokes are firmly fixed, and
which revolves with the wheels, not without labour and
pain ; add to this a few planks for the bed, witli or without
sides OS the case m.ay be, a long pole and an elaborately
carved yoke, a pair of cream or dun-coloured oxen, and
a picturesque carter, armed with a long ox-goad, and
dressed in various coloured garments, and we have before
us the identical cart which not only Virgil and Juvenal
have described, but wJiich Homer too has portrayed, and
of which we may see an exact representation taken from a
bas-relief at Pome, and equally applicable to the antique
woin of Homer and Virgil, or the modern cart of

c

18 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

rortugal, under the bead *Plaiistrum' in the 'Dictionary
of Greek and Koman Antiquities' ])y Dr. Smith. It is
8tran<^(i, indeed, that these most clumsy machines should
still continue, wlicn it is considered liow h^avy must be
the draught, and what a waste of power such construction
entails ; it is still more strange that the creaking, grinding,
groaning which accompanies every turn of the axle should
be tolerated, when not only that most horrible noise might
be immediately obviated, but with it the wear of material
and additional labour of the oxen be sensibly diminished
by the application of a little oil or grease, as in fact is
now made compulsory in Lisbon ; but I was told that the
drivers resent such interference with their privileges as
atrocious tyranny, and that they enjoy the music of their
carts, as more educated ears delight in the harmonies of
an orchestra, while they affirm, with the tendency to super-
Btition for which they are notorious, that such noise avails
to the driving away of evil spirits and hobgoblins, which
assuredly it may. if at least the fairies they dread be fairies
of good taste.

Possibly it may be for a similar reason tliat the street
cries of Lisbon are so harsh, so discordant, and withal so
continuous. Never was a city so bescreamed : and as you
walk through it, morning, nocn, and evening, the same
continual chorus of cries in voices of various tones of
shrillness and harshness assails your ears. Every con-
ceivable article of sale is cried by the seller, as he or she
inarches through the middle of the streets with the basket
or bundle of wares poised on the top of the head, or held
beneath the arm. And such a jumble of articles ! meat
and muslin, water and wood, furniture and fish, milk and
millinery, all seem mixed up together in this strife of
tongues, and the shriller the voice in this contest for custom
the better the chance that the article thus shrieked will
find a purchaser.

LISDON: OENEUAL VIE^V. 19

' Wo had, I acknowleclgre, expected to find Tvisl)on and
tbo Lisbonitcs uiiaavoiiry and unclean, for they have Ioiimt
had this reputation, and we liad not forgotten the i)oet'H
description —

Wjioso cntoroth within, this town,

That, Hhconinp; far, colostial scorns to bo,
DiHConsohito will wander up and down,

'Mid many tilings unsightly tx) strango o'c ;

For hut and palaco show like filthily.

Doubtless this was the case nob many years ago ; but as
we^wandered through the handsome streets, and admired
the elegant buildings, the squares and the public gardens,
we simultaneously exclaimed that we knew no foreign town
Vvrhicb had such a general air of cleanliness, and we were
agreeably surprised to find how remarkably bright and
fresh and sweet the. whole city appeared to be. Subse-
quent observation only corroborated these first impressions,
and I now unhesitatingly decla,re that no town of Southern
lands, not even Turin, which in some respects it re-
semble?, presents a cleaner, fairer appearance than the
much -maligned city of Lisbon. To this no doubt the
steepness of the streets, in great measure conduces, for the
>e7en hills on which it is biiilt by no means resemble the
z^^^zii bills of Rome, snch gentle slopes as to be scarcely
traced by the diligent enquirer; but these are real sharp
inclines, such <is would not disgrace the city of Bath, so
that to walk ever Lisbon was a laborious task in hot
wsiitber. and oie interminable ascent and descent, with
the very rare relief of a little fiat ground, which was
immediately seized ttpon for a '^Pra^a' or < Largo,' or a
public garden. Now-, in i warm climate there is, next to
good d~'d.nage and eUalniiness, nothing more essential for
the heoith as well as the .comfort of -a town than large open
spacer? -vvhich may acfc as rcservoksof i^ir, or, as they have
beer- vvcll called, Uhe hm.gs* of, <i <j5ty, and with these

q2 '"■ '■' ■-

20 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

Lisbon is admirably provided. The public squares are
generally planted with trees which are invalimble for
shade, and well provided with seats, and as the whole
population seeks the open ftir aa the coolness of eveniug
draws on, the nightly assemblage in these squares was very
great, just as is the case in the Alamedas and Prados of
the cities of Spain. But still more valuable and far more
beautiful are the 'public gardens,' which., situated in the
heart of the city, and planted with rare Brazilian flowers
and shrubs which thrive with extraordinary vigour in this
climate, are always open to the people, and with their
fragrant scents, delightful shade, and the perpetual splash
of fountains, invite the passer-by to seek repose for a
while.

But four days back we were shivering in England ; our
teeth chattering under the influence of the cold east
wind, and the sleet driving in our faces and freezing us to
the bone, Xow we were baslnng under a southei-n sun, or
spending our evening in the public squares and gardens —
generally in the pretty little Largo de Carnoes, which we
frequented almost every night. At mid-day the therm.o-
meter in the shade stood at 86°, so that many remained
within doors while the fiercest beat prevailed, as is the
wont of southern peoples ; and here we found the gardens
glowing with flowers, and early potatoes and green peas
and strawberries already in profusion, which certainly
astonished and pleased our nortliern minds not a little.

The very first afternoon we spent in Lisbon we found a
crowd of men surrounding a public building, who, with
loud voices and angry faces, were gesticulating fiercely,
while a small guard of soldiers watched hard l)y. On en-
quiring the cause of our interpreter and guide, whom we
had einployed in that capacity from his knowledge of our
tongue, but whose English was very limited, he told us
that it was an ' insurrection,' and that the rebels, who were

LISBON ; GENERAL VIE\V. 21

poor and Imn^^ry, would put down Uie Ministers, and

* wanted much fight.' However, as we visited the same
spot again and again during the evening, and only found
tha same rather excited crowd, and horse and foot soldiei.s
patrolling tl)e streets, we thought it was a very well-
ordered and gentle emeute, and would recommend it as a
model for invitation to all other nations that way inclined.
It is somewhat remarkable how frequently F. and I
have come in for insurrectionary disturbances in various
countries. On the first occasion of our visiting Switzerland
in 1839, as we drove into the town of Zurich, we saw groups
of excited men standing at the street corners, and when
we asked our voiturier what was doing, he coolly replied,

* Kien du tout, messieurs, rien du tout : seulement le
gouvernement en bas;' and such indeed proved to be the
case, as vve afterwards learned from the landlord of our
hotel, whose brother, with ten others, had been killed in
the affray not an hour before our arrival. Again, in
December 1851, when Louis Napoleon made his grand
coup cVetat^ as we drove from Italy into France by the
Corniche, and as we entered the turbulent department
of Var, perfectly ignorant of French politics, we suddenly
found ourselves surrounded by Ked Ivepublicaus at Dra-
giiignan, the carriage stopped, and ourselves marched olT
as prisoners before the self-constituted council ; and when
released, after many enquiries, it was only to be arrested
again at the next town or village, to hear the Marseil-
laise shouted in our ears, and be marched afresh before
the tribunal of oavriers, while v/e saw the magistrate.-^,
priests, and gens-d'armes on their way to prison with their
hands tied behind their backs. Nor did we escape from
that most disaffected district uiitil we were provided with
a Republican passport, whicli I treasure to this day as a
very curious document, and which says in the briefest of
terms, *Laisse?: passer citoyen Smith,' but which had the

22 A SPRING TOUR IN TORTUGAL.

effect of opening our way to Lyons, Avhere we were glad
enough to arrive, and to witness the unwonted spectacle of
()0,000 troops bivouacked in the squares and streetB in a
foggy niglit in winter.

Far more akirniing was the insurrection in Egypt, the
particulars of whicli I have elsewhere described, which
occurred in the spring of 18G5, and which was a very for-
midable outburst of JMuslim fanaticism against Christians,
native and foreign. And now, to crown all our experiences,
was this gentle Portuguese disturbance ; which, however,
never advanced beyond angry expressions and loud mur-
murs and complaints, and, as a treasonable movement, was
not to bo compared for a moment with the loudly-ex-
pressed determination for a revolution which we heard
openly declared both at the table d'hote in the great hotel
at JMadrid and in the Puerta del Sol, as we passed through
on our way home, threats too which did not prove to be
empty and unmeaning, but very soon to ripen into action,
and successful action too, as we all know now.

To return, however, to the Portuguese capital, and to
sum up our general impressions of it as it struck us on our
arrivaic Imposing in size, clean in appearance, handsome
with regard to its buildings, steep with reference to its
streets, woj'm as t6 its temperature, civil, orderly, and gentle
as to its inhabitants: such were the epithets we at once
bestowed upon ]><isbon : and the good opinion we formed
of it at first we retained to the end of our visit, and still our
verdict is altogether in its favour, and we are quite pre-
pared to echo the praise bestowed upon it by its earliest
founders, when it was called ' Olisippo ' or '^ Oiisipo,* a
Phoenician term (as Pliny inform.s us), signifying 'Pleasant
bay/ which its Koman conquerors in the time of Augustus
exchanged for the scarcely less complimentary title of
*Felicitas Julia.'

CHAPTER III.
L I s B 0 N — continixed.

As WE Climbed and descended the everlasting? hills of
Lisbon, or as we sat in her many squares or amidst the
semi-tropical plants and shrubs in her beautiful public
gardens, the thought would often recur to our minds, that
a whole city and people were buried beneath us ; and we
could not help picturing to ourselves. the awful catastrophe
as it must have suddenly overwhelmed that flited spot.
But little more than r. hundred years had elapsed sines
the vv^orld-renowned earthquake had in a few minutes, and
without previous warning, laid the entire city in ruins,
aestroving the houses., which cr-ambied up, it is said, and
disappeared in dust, burying the wTetched inhabitants be-
neath the debris. It is difficult to imagine such a visi-
tation. The morning of November 1, 1755, was fine and
calm; the sun shone out in full lustre, and' the whole face
of the sky is reported to have been serene and clear; and
there was nothing to betoken any unusual event, no
warning rum.bling to herald the impending calamity.
The city stood in its accustomed sunshine, and the in-
habitants rose to their evcry-day oCcapations, never dream-
ing of the general destruction hanging over them. Then
of a sudden the first shock began, rapidly followed by
other and more severe shocks, till, in the short space of
fifteen minutes, the gr{>ater part of the city was destroyed,
and the 2:reat bulk of the inhabitants overwhelmed. Nor

24 A SraiNG TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

was the heaving, cracking earth the only element which
fought against the devoted city. On a sudden a huge
wave rose from the trouhled river, mounting fifty feet
above the water level, and sweeping over tlic banks on
which a terror-stricken crowd was congregated for safety,
away from the falling houses, drew them all into its bed,
together with all the ships and boats in the harbour, and
so effectually engulfed them that no vestige of them was
ever seen again. Fires, too, breaking out in irinny parts
of the city, some say in a hundred places at once, raged
with great fury, and, unchecked by the inhabitants, con-
sumed tlie greater portion of what the earthquake had
left ; while a brisk breeze arose to fan the flames and join
in the work of destruction. Thus all the elements com-
bined against Lisbon, and the result, so far as can be as-
certained, was that no less than fifty thousand human
beings perished in that catastrophe, while the value of the
property destroyed has been estimated at two million
pounds.

As we stood on the spot where all this occurred, and
called to mind that fearful day, the length of time which
had elapsed since the earthquake did not seem to diminish
the appalling nature of the catastrophe, but it made our
hearts shudder and our very bodies tremble, and the re-
collection would come upon us again and again. More-
over, there were ruins yet remaining here and there, which
had never been rebuilt or removed, such as the church
popularly known as the Carmo. tho-agh properly ' Nossa
Senhora do Yen cimento,' and others, which serve as me-
mentos to remind any who would forget, and which still
rear their broken roofless walls on high in attestation of
the injury they suffered. But as to the greater part of the
city, without doubt its present uniform handsoQie aspect
is in great measure due to the earthquake, which, as was
the case with the great fire of London, swept away com-

LISBON. 25

paratively mean streets and bumble buildings, and made
way for the more Hpacious thoroujj^lifares and more im-
posing; houses by which they were replaced : so tliat, as it
JH.an ill wind that blows no good, oven that dire catas-
trophe, the earthquake, might assume to itself the boast
of the Roman Emperor Augustus, * Where 1 found a city
of brick, I liave left a city of marble.'

As during the few weeks of my sojourn in Lisl>on, I
spent a considerable portion of each day in rambling uver
the 'tity and was never tired of exploring its faithest
corners, I made myself tolerably familiar with many of its
details, as well as its general aspect. For the latter, one
has but to climb to one of the many commanding positions
which abound at all points, and the whole city lies mapped
before you. Conspicuous amongst these elevations stands
the Castello de S. Jorge ; and it is well worth the labour
to thread the narrow streets which lead to its summit,
for the sake of the view of the older and more eastern
portions of the city which nestle beneath the protection of
this fort. Possibly the enterprising traveller ^Yho pene-
trates some of these uninviting streets may demur to the
character for cleanliness which I have ventured to impute
to Lisbon : but then it must be remembered that an
exception proves the rule, and also that this portion of
the city was least injured by the earthquake, and so offers
the best sample v/e have of the original town. Not, hovv-
ever, that in that general catastrophe any part came of?
unscathed ; for, I suppose, scarcely a single building
escaped scot free, or without more or less injury. At all
events the Se or Cathedral, v/hich stands immediately
below the castle, and is sliirlitlv raised above this older

O ■J

part of the city, was in great degree demob shed by the
earthquake, and then suffered still more from tlie fire
which burst out amongst the ruins. Whether it had at
any time any pretensions to beauty I cannot say, but it is

2G A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

now IIS iinpretcDding and unadorned a structure as may
be met with in any capital in Europe; it is, however, of
considerable size, and specially venerated as containin«i^
tlie bonos of the Spanish martyr, 8. Vincente, who was
broiled in the Diocletian persecution, and buried at tlie
wild and stormy promontory at tiie extreme south-western
corner of Europe, to which he has bequeathed bis name;
and whose translation to Lisbon, as well as previous in-
terment, was duly watched over (so the loji^end nms) by
two ravens which followed the relics of the saint ; and if
anyone should be so sceptical as to doubt this history,
let him repair at once to the venerable S^ at Lisbon, and
there he may see the living ravens, or their d(.'sccndants,
still tended in the cloisters as he might have seen the
bears at J5erne or the eagles at Geneva ; and if that is not
enough, let him examine the city arms, and there again
he will find the faithful birds immortalised, and presiding
over the fortunes of the town.

I am not about to describe the churches of Lisbon,
though I entered the greater part of them, because they
are very fully and admirably detailed in the Handbook,
and I have nothing to add to that report; but I may a?;
well observe here that the churches of Portugal generally
are wholly different from those of Spain. Sombre and
gloomy tiiey are in some measure, as would be obviously
desirable in so scuthern a clime ; but they have none of
that intense darkness, that almost total absence of light,
which one experiences in so many of the Spanish churches,
which results from the diminutive size of the windows, their
position im?Tiediately beneath the roof, and the dark
colours of the stained glass with which they are filled; a
dim liglit which prevailed to so great an extent on a dull
day in autumn at the Cathedral of Seville, that when I
attended a service at mid-day, at which there was a
crowded congregation sitting closely packed on the floor

LISBON. 27

to hear a celebrated bishop, it was impossible to diHcern
more than the bare outline of the preaclH^r, and it wan
difficult to find our way through the buildin<^.

Portu|j^ueKe churclios, airain, are very much plainer, and,
for the most part, though there are exceptions, are wanting
in the magnificent marbles, the copious gilding, and the
innumerable pictures and statues with which Spanish
churches are decorated from ceiling to floor. Neither is
thciv arrangement as in the sister country of Spain, but
rather savours of the churches of Italy or France. There
is no walled-in coro with its trascoro, blocking up the
nave and concealing the high altar. But above all, the
dedication of the cathedrals, as well as the chief post of
honour in the high altar, is here devoted to our Elessed
Lord, and not (as is almost, if not quite, universally the
case in Ultramontane Spain) given up to the Virgin, per-
haps, commemorating her Assumption, but still oftener
her immaculate Conception, that last and inost extreme
dogma of Eome, in. which Marioiatrous Spain especially
delights.* Now, this divergence between the two sister
countries of the Peninsula in the general aspect of the in-
terior of their respective churches, and still more in the
dedication of their cathedrals, suggests at once that the
tenets held by the iwo nations are not identical, and such
in fact we find to be the case. For whereas Spain is pro-
verbially the stronghold of all tiiat is extreme in Ivomisli
doctrine, and in this respect * His most Catholic Majesty,
the eldest and most dutiful Son of the Church,' as he was
officially styled, ruled over a na^tion far more obedient to
the fiats of the Holy Roman See than the subjects of the
Pope himself, the Portuguese clergy are entirely opposed
to such opinion's ; indeed, to so great an extent do they

* Timt most of the cathedrnls of Spain ure de'dicatod to the Virgin,
869 Ford's HundhooJi; for Sjiain^ passim, especially pp. 69, 495, 84-i, 908,
910, 912, 913, 942.

28 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

show their aversion to them, that in the University of
Coimbra, where theology especially flourishes, several of
the text-books employed in the schools are said to bo in
the * Index Expurgatorius ' of Rome. Neither do the Portu-
guese clergy resemble the Spanish priests in appearance
more than in doctrine, for in dress they more nearly ap-
proach our own clergy, being habited in black, and of no
peculiar ecclesiastical cut, while the hat they universally
wear exactly resembles what we denominate the wide-
awake, and which, light in weight, and shading the
neck as well as face, is admirably adapted to a southern
climate.

Tliere is one church, outside the city indeed, but scarcely
beyond its suburbs, which is of so remarkable a style of
architecture, so richly though quaintly decorated, and
withal so interesting, that I paid several visits to it, and
always found some fresh point of attraction, so singularly
does it differ from all other ecclesiasticoi buildings in
Lisbon, and so entirely does it occupy the first place
amongst the architectural lions hereabouts. It was a plea-
sant excursion by river, on board one of the steamboats
which ply every half-hour between the quay and Belem,
or it was an equally agreeable drive through the extensive
suburbs in one of the many public carnages which may be
at any time hailed, and I have more than once extended
my walks to this suburban district. The church is said to
have been built to commemorate the glorious voyage of
the great Portuguese naval discoverer, Yasco de Gam.a,
and to occupy the site of a small chapel, wherein he and
his brave companions, like Grod-fearing men as they were,
spent tlie night in prayer before they set out on their ad-
venturous voyage. It is built of a limestone of a remark-
ably fine grain, dug in the immediate neighbourhood, for
I accidentally stumbled upon the quarries. This lime-
stone, when first quarried, is of a most clear and dazzling

LISBON. 29

whiteness, but exposure to the air gradually tinges it in
great part with a brilliant yellow colour, which again here
and there tones away into a rich brown. The effect is
extremely good, and the elaborate carving of the exterior,
the peculiar mouldings, and the handsome though quaint
tracery of the windows, derive very considerable advantage
from the rich liue which has overspread the whole. 80
remarkable is the architecture of this church, and withal
so highly finished are the decorations with which it is
covered, that w^e were never tired of examining its many
peculiarities. To very severe connoisseurs indeed, who see
nothing attractive in ecclesiastical buildings which do not
come up to their standard of what is absolutely correct,
and who despise everything but pure Grothic, this anoma-
lous style may doubtless appear debased, and be rejected
as of little merit ; and, indeed, I have heard the church of
Bel em decried by such enthusiasts for Grothic work. But,
in face of such adverse criticism, I venture to think that
the few examples we possess of this style are of exceeding
interest, inasmuch as they appear to belong exclusively to
the Portuguese, and are not to be met with beyond the
limits of that country. How to define this Portuguese
style I know not, for we can neither describe it as Moorish
or Saracenic, nor flamboyant. By some writers, indeed, it
has been styled ' modern Norman Gothic ;' but I venture
to think that such a designation is hardly correct. How-
ever, whatever may be its title, there can be no question
that, whether we pause over the exterior with its magnifi-
cent porch, so richly adorned with sculpture, and the battle-
ments such as I had never seen before ; or whether we
examine the interior, with its tall and slender columns
sculptured from top to bottom, the well-groined roof, and
the deeply-cut mouldings and decorations of a variety of
forms, we w^ere always impressed with the elaborate finish
and the exquisite beauty of the whole ; and this feeling of

30 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

general admiration was doubtless not a little enhanced by
the pleasure of finding something distinctive and peculiar
to the country in lieu of a style prevalent elsewhere. In
entire agreement with the architecture of the church are
the really elegant cloisters, which have attracted the ad-
miration even of those who see little meritorious in the
larger fabric. So delicate and exquisite is the tracery, so
well-proportioned and charming the arches, so unique and
satisfactory the general coup cVoeil^ including a graceful
palm tree which occupies the centre of the quadrangle,
that you stand entranced as you pass through the door, and
utter an exclamation of admiration as well as astonishment;
nor do you retract your first impression as you more
minutely examine the details, and observe the wondrous
variety of pattern as well as elaborate finish of the work.
But I must not linger over the beauties of Belem, which
have been fully described in the Handbook. Suffice it to
say, that to us it was the most attractive point near Lisbon,
and we visited it again and again, and always found new
beauties to admire. On one of these excursions we entered
the Cdsa pia, or orphan establishment, adjoining. This
was once the convent to which the exquisite church be-
longed ; but now the good fathers are gone, and the
orphans occupy their place. We found the children, some
700 in number, just finishing their dinner in the refec-
tory ; they were clean and neat, and the boys were remark-
able for their closely-cropped heads, which, after the
manner of the country, were so effectually deprived of hair,
that they involuntarily suggested inmates of a lunatic
asylum, whose heads had been recently shaved. However,
they looked bright and merry, and, in addition to a tin
cup, plate, knife, fork, and spoon, each child was furnished
with an immense napkin, all which apparatus seemed some-
what disproportionate to the ration of soup and bread
which formed the diuner on that occasion.

LISBON. 31

In the same hamlet or suburb of Belem, jutting out on
a promontory where the Tag-iis contracts, and staudin;^ out
in tlie river, so as to be a prominent object from, as well
as to command the approach to, Lisbon, the picturesque
tow^er which forms the fort claims attention. It has the
appearance of anything but strength ; but the projecting
window at each corner, the castellated look, and the quaint
device of knots of cable, carved in stone, which form
stringcourse, ornament, and finish throughout, combine to
render it a most striking object, w^hether seen from the
river on the approach to the capital, or from the land
after plodding through the deep beds of sand which inter-
vene between this isolated tower and the suburb.

High above Belem, and to be reached by a broad but
very steep road, stands the enormous and most con-
spicuous palace of the Ajuda. It is a vast, rambling
edifice, not without a certain air of grandeur, and is
flanked by a lofty detached campanile, which serves also
as a clock tower ; but, as in so many other cases in Portu-
gal, the conception was grander than the power of accom-
plishment, and the result has been a vast, unfinished
building, which adds another to the long list of royal
palaces, which already seem out of all proportion to the
wants as well as finances of the sovereigns.

But of all the works in the environs of Lisbon, that
which is the most conspicuous, as well as the most useful,
is the very well-constructed aqueduct, which, winding over
valleys on lofty arches, or creeping along the sides of hills,
or burrowing through their recesses, conveys a perpetual
stream of excellent water a total distance (as I was
repeatedly assured by the custode in charge) of seven
leagues, though the Handbook says two leagues ; and
who will verify the exact distance I do not know. In one
place, where a deep valley must be crossed, the aqueduct
is carried on arches at an immense height overhead ; and

32 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

the spectator is astonished at the magnitude of the work.
Nor is he less favourably impressed with this grand design
as he follows the long succession of arches to the capital,
and there examines the huge reservoir into which the
water is poured, and then, ascending to the top, enters
the aqueduct itself, and finds himself in a lofty passage or
gallery, and while he walks through this spacious en-
closed corridor, he sees at his feet two open pipes, one at
either side, of which the one is always full of flowing
water, and the other acts as a reserve ; and so each takes
its turn for six months at a time, while its fellow is cleaned
and repaired.

I must not omit to mention the English church as I
speak of Lisbon, for this, with its cypress-planted cemetery,
is no unimportant spot on the Estrella, and, overhanging
the very beautiful Estrella gardens, is a conspicuous
point in a general view of the city. Moreover, it is
no small matter to have secured so spacious a church and
so large a burial-ground in any southern capital for our
much abused, though in reality most catholic. Church
of England. As regards the building, indeed, I cannot
congratulate my countrymen on its ecclesiastical aspect ;
for anything more mean externally, or more ill adapted
for our services within, it would be difficult to conceive.
Without vestige of chancel, meanly furnished with altar,
and with square, well be-curtained boxes on either hand
for his Excellency the English Minister at this court;
with towering desk, and still more towering pulpit, the
great, ugly room which does duty for our church, but is in
reality the counterpart of some of our meeting-houses at
home, offers to the inhabitants of Portugal but a sorry
spectacle of our ecclesiastical arrangements. It is de-
plorable, indeed, that such should be the case, and that,
with perhaps a natural desire to exhibit to our country-
men the contrast between our simple services and the

LISBON. 33

more elaborate ceremonious services of the Ivomish faith,
those who built our English fabric at Lisbon have run into
the disastrous extreme of erecting, as a sample of Anglican
church architecture, the very barest, baldest, coldest, I will
even say most hideous building, which gives no oppor-
tunity for the exercise of our ordinary ritual, and in no
wa}^ resembles our ecclesiastical buildings at home. What
wonder that in this, as in so many instances throughout
Europe, the members of another Communion, more pro-
fuse than ourselves in artistic accessories to public worship,
turn away from our services in derision as well as disgust,
despising the bare white walls and the cold, unadorned
structure which, from east to west, shows no token of
Christianity, no single sign or emblem that it does not
belong to the Socinian or the Jew. It is true that perfect
freedom of design with regard to the exterior of English
churches is not always permitted by Grovernments devoted
to the Eomish faith ; but many instances might be adduced
where this difficulty has been overcome with great success,
even as regards the exterior ; while, whatever the outward
aspect, the interior could of course be satisfactorily ar-
ranged in accordance with the services as appointed in our
Prayer Book, and generally celebrated by the church at
home. During one of the Sundays which we spent at
Lisbon, a confirmation was held in the English church
by the ex-Bishop of Labuan (Dr. MacDougall) ; but the
miserable arrangement of the altar and its rails, and the
general seating of the church, rendered the holy rite any-
thing but impressive — indeed, prevented a large propor-
tion of the congregation from witnessing it at all ; and I
felt quite vexed to think hovv^ poor an impression of that
solemn service must have been carried away by the
Portuguese spectators, many of whom were on that oc-
casion attracted within the walls of our church.

Great indeed was the contrast to emerge from the bare

34 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

white walls of that forbidding building into the brilliant
sunshine ; to wander beneath the deep shade of the dark
cypresses in the cemetery ; to stroll through the beautiful
gardens of the Estrella, gay wdth a hundred flowers ; or
even to saunter through the streets, where the good taste
of the colour-loving south has covered the faces of many
of the houses with glazed tiles of porcelain, sometimes of
a red or brown hue, but far more frequently of a blue
colour, and always in a pretty pattern. This is known as
azulejo, and imparts a remarkably bright finish to the
houses ; and when (as is often the case) several adjoining
buildings are thus decorated, the appearance is extremely
pleasing.

95

CHAPTER IV.

LISBON — continued^

During our stay at Lisbon the Cortes assembled, and as we
witnessed the arrival of the representatives, our minds were
duly impressed with admiration at the gay liveries and smart
equipages of the senators, and at the gorgeousness of their
court robes. The royal carriages, dra>vn by six horses, to-
gether with their coachmen, footmen, and postilli(ms, were
a perfect blaze of scarlet and gold ; and if matter-of-fact
Englishmen are inclined to grumble (as they are some-
times apt to do) at the unwonted dress they are called
upon to assume, when in attendance on their sovereign,
let thern study the costume of state in which the Por-
tuguese senator must appear, and they will be more satis-
fied at their own comparative immunity from that burden.
When the opening of the Cortes had been pronounced com-
plete, the event was celebrated by the parading of troops
Id. their gayest uniform, through the principal streets of
the city ; reviews of cavalry in the larger squares, with
bands playing and colours flying; continual firing of guns
from the men-of-war in the harbour,all of which were decked
with flags, and in fine, such a din of military bands from
the heart of the city, such deafening salutes from the river,
and such j\n expenditure of powder as savoured more of
the bombardment of a besieged city than the announce-
ment of the opening of a peaceable Parliament. I^ut then
the southerner delights in sensation, and his ordinary mode

2J 2

?G A SPRING TOUR IN rORTUOAL.

of expressing his approbation is with a noise and a din
which would seem to our more phlegmatic countrymen
extravagant, and out of proportion with the occasion ; so
difTcrent is the temperament of those who inhabit different
clinics.

Hitherto I have said little of the Portuguese, beyond
an occjisional casual remark on their behaviour ; but now
this seems a fitting place to express my unqualified ad-
miration of their general character. I had expected to
find tliem partaking of the disposition of their Spanish
neighbours, and I confess that I am not an admirer of the
Spauiai'ds. I am well aware that it is the fashion to ex-
tol the lofty bearing, the noble air, the proud self-respect
of that haughty race ; but I fail to see on what solid
foundation such superior, and somewhat defiant preten-
sions rest. In my humble judgment, such excessive self-
laudation, and self-appreciation, to the exclusion of the
whole world beyond, savours rather of empty conceit and
ridiculous arrogance ; and this becomes the more apparent,
when one examines the ground of such boasting, as inor-
dinate assumption of superiority seems to challenge us to
doo Now, after travelling through the length and breadth
of Spain, and after frequent contact with her people of
every class, I should be disposed to pronounce that they
are below the average in most of those attributes which
chiefly redound to the credit of national character. Mr,
Ford, in his admirable Handbook of Spain, tells us that the
'so-called lower orders are superior to those who arrogate
to themselves the title of being their betters.' If this be sc,
then I can only say that bad indeed are the best, for it is to
the lower orders, the people generally, that I allude, when
I denounce as most objectionable that vast assumption of
self-importance, the effect of which is first to despise all other
nations, and then to treat them not only without courtesy^
but Tvitiiout common civility ; and I am obliged to own

LISBON. 37

that I know no other people who delight, on all occasions,
to assert their pretended superiority, not only by a loud
and boisterous free and easy tone, at every opportunity,
but by positive rudeness and studied impertinence : and
that this is no exceptional character, appertaining to but
a few individua,ls, but general throughout the nation, I
have a veryAlecided opinion, an opinion, too, confirmed by
a second and recent journey through Spain.

Now to all this tlie Portuguese character is an exact
contrast: indeed, I know no nation which recommends
itself to the stranger so much at first sight as this re-
markably civil, obliging, respectful, deferential race. Not
indeed by aiiv J^yperbolic phrases or extravagant pre-
tensions, as when the Spanish noble puts his palace and
all its contents at your disposal, without the slightest in-
tention of bestowing on you one single maravedi; but I
have invariably found that the Portuguese, of all classes,
will at every opportunity undergo any trouble, take any
pains, submit to real inconvenience, to show a kindness to
the stranger, while there is not to be found throughout the
country any of that false pride, that hateful hauteur, that
abominable assumption, which prevail to so great an ex-
tent across the border. These, it is true, are but super-
ficial and inferior traits of character, but as, on the one
hand, they are very apparent to the traveller, so, on the
other, they form a tolerably correct index of wliat is more
hidden from view. Thus the Portuguese is not only far
more truthful, from having no cause for concealment and
no desire of self- laudation, but he is far more open and
honest, less liable to take offence, and consequently less
vindictive. As we journeyed through the country we saw
little disposition to impose on the foreigner, though tins
iT!.ay probably be in some measure due to the rare ap-
pearance of the foreigner amongst them. As regards their
religious feelings, I do not think that I am in a position to

t\H A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

form any decided opinion ; though, strangely mixed up
with a great deal of gross superstition and irreverence,
they certainly sliowed upon occasion a considerable aryiount
of earnestness and devotion ; and the churclics were often
crowded with worshippers of both sexes, so that, as regards
the male population, outwardly at least, they appeared far
more attentive to their religious duties than the men of
Spr-in. Neither are they so bloodthirsty and cruel as the
Spaniards, and in proof of this I would adduce the bull-
lights of the respective nations. I did not indeed witness
a bull-fight at Lisbon, though the season began soon after
our arrival, and several fiestas took place during our stay ;
but I had seen enough of that horrible exhibition in former
years at Madrid, and did not desire to renew my expe-
riences. But the Portuguese bull-fight is far less brutal,
inasmuch as the baited animals are not killed; neither, as
their horns are tipped with large wooden balls padded and
covered with leather, are the horses mangled and slain,
which is the most sickening spectacle in the Spanish arena.
Still, even under these more humane conditions, which
declare at once the more gentle spirit of the people, (for
hov-' -^'ould Spanish spectators endure such emasculation cf
sport !) serious accidents do sometimes occur. A friendy
wh 0 attended a fiesta, saw one of the chulos badly hurt ; at
another time a matador was reported mortally wounded ;
and on several occasions the maddened bulls leaped the
barriers which divided them from the spectators. Still,
these were only legitimate accidents, which must occa-
sionally attend such rough sport, and there was nothing
here of the deliberate cruelty, the brutalisiug, demoralising
shedding of blood, which is the necessary accompaniment
of the Spanish bull-fight, and without which indeed the
Spanish popidace would not be content. So that, whether
or no the fiesta de toros, as practised in the latter country,
tends to render its inhabitants savage and bloodthirsty, as

MSRON. 89

]iu8 been stoutly affirmed and as vcliemcntly denied, the
result remains the same — that their character is fierce,
truculent, and cruel to a degree which can by no meaiiH be
imputed to the Portuguese. Tliere is yet another and more
decinivc p^oof of ti)e milder nature of these latter, in the
very infrequent use of the knife, and those dark deeds of
violence so rife amongst the hot-blooded, quarrelsome
Spaniards. In short, the more I compare the disposition
of the two nations which inhabit the Peninsula, the more
convinced I am that the advantage lies very decidedly in
favour of the Portuguese, for whom indeed I have learnt
to entertain a very sincere regard, and an admiration which
I am very far from feeling towards the Spaniards.

As I am well aware that the opinions I have ven-
tured to express, in contrasting Portuguese with Spanish
character, are altogether opposed to the laudations of
everything connected with Spain (save and except Spanish
bonds) which seme enthusiasts have lately proclaimed, I
desire to fortify my own assertions with the judgment of
unexceptionable witnesses, who seem to bear me out in my
views. Now, the lp.te Duke of Wellington will be allowed
to be as sound and -jri^rsj udiced a judge of character as
may readily be found, and he had ample opportunities
during the long Peninsular war. for forming a decided
opinion in regard to both nations; but throughout his
despatches, and notoriously in his estimation, the Spaniards
^ere altogether disagreeable and distasteful, and are gene-
rally ::nentioned. with marked disapproval and dislike:
•whereas to the Portuguese be became more and more
attached, as experience made him more familiar with their
national character. And herein I do not speak of their
respective merits as soldiers, though in that capacity too
the Portuguese were immeasurably preferred by the Duke
to their Spanish com.panions in arms. The testimony of
the great captain of modern times is almost conclusive ;

40 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

but with regard to the Spaniard, I may add the verdict of
Mr. Ford,* than whom no one is more competent to speak
on this subject; of Miss Eyre, who can scarcely find words
throughout lier volume to express her detestation of their
insolent rudeness;! of Mrs. Byrne, who is more gently,
but yet unmistakably indignant with their selfishness,
idleness, and arrogance.l While in favour of the Portu-
guese I can^oint to the opinion of the late Earl of Car-
narvon, in his most interesting volume ;§ and would call
attention to the following passage in an admirable essay
by one who knew them well :|| *The rural population of
Portugal are as simple in their character as in their re-
quirements; they are by no means the vindictive revo-
lutionary people that they are so often, but so unjustly,
represented to be. They look wretched, because they are
poor, ill-clad, and miserably fed ; but they are cheerful,
contented, shrewd, generous, hospitable, honest, hard-
working, unaspiring, sober, suffering, and persevering.*

Now the result of this diversity of temperament in the
two nations wliich inhabit the Peninsula is, that they
hate one another with a mortal hatred. The Spanish em-
pire has always coveted the dominions of its western neigh-
bour, and looked with an envious eye on its long line of
coast, and its valuable rivers, and over and over again has
attempted to seize the rival country, and consolidate under
one head the two kingdoms ; and sometimes has, for a
longer or shorter period, succeeded in these enterprises. But
against such attempts at annexation the Portuguese have
always offered the most strenuous resistance ; their national

* Hmulhook for Spain, pp. 392, 54C, 558, et passim.
f Ov(T the Pyrenees rnlo Spain, pp. 213, 244, 2G4,
I Cosns (Ic Kapana, vol. i. pp. 20, 21, 7C.
§ Portugal and Gallicia, passim.

!1 Prize Essay on Portugal. By John James Forrester. London, 1854.
Page 5.

LISBON. 41

pride has been aroused by such encroachments, and so f^reat
has been their courage and determination that they have
never relaxed their efforts till they have shaken off the
hated yoke. Thus to this day they are always looking on
one another with suspicion and distrust : they stand at bay,
rather in the attitude of combatants during a truce than of
friends and neighl)ours ; and if the Spaniard expresses for
the Portuguese the same contempt which the Englishniau
of the last century was wont to heap upon the French, the
Lusitanian is not a whit behindhand in bitter feelings of
aversion, as well as in ridicule and mockery w^th which he
in turn regards his Spanish brother.

But enough of these ' odious comparisons.' Let me now
pass on to those daily rendezvous, where not only the peo-
ple may be best studied by the stranger, but the productions
of the country, animal and vegetable, game and fowl and
fish, flowers and fruits and vegetables, may be examined
at leisure ; I mean the markets, which I regularly attended
every morning, and where I learnt more of the general
appearance and habits of the peasants, as well as of" the
fauna and flora of the country, than I gained after many
long and laborious excursions, gun in hand, through her
mountains and rocks, and forests and fields and gardens,
and along the banks of her rivers, and on her sea-shore.

Now the great market of Lisbon (for there is a smaller
and a very inferior one near the quay, which I may at once
pass over) occupies the whole of the Pra^a da Figueira,
near the great Prapa de Dom Pedro, more generally known
as the Pocio. The peculiarity which at once strikes the
stranger as he first makes its acquaintance is, that the area
is occupied by colossal white umbrellas, of homely make
and rough aspect, tethered above the stalls they protect
from the scorching sun by small ropes, and in every stage
of dilapidation. These huge canvas coverings stretched
over the flowers and fruits and vegetables which occupy

42 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

the centre of the square remind one of booths at a fair, but
scarcely, I think, as was suggested by a friend, of a mili-
tary encampment, so rough and ragged, and withal dis-
orderly, do they seem. However, they fulfil their purpose
in warding off the destructive rays of the sun from the
perishable goods beneath, and they certainly add vastly
to the southern aspect of the scene, and so are in perfect
harmony with the vegetable productions they shelter.
Along the sides of the square, at the houses provided with
projecting sheds, are exposed the fish and game and fowl
with which Lisbon is daily supplied : and of these I will
now say something, correcting the opinions I formed in my
daily visits to the markets with what I learned elsewhere,
and adding such information as I gained from subsequent
experience in the country, as well as from sundry sports-
men and naturalists whom I was so fortunate as to en-
counter.

The fish market first claims our attention, and here the
traveller will naturally halt to examine the strange forms
which will immediately arrest his notice. Foremost of all he
will be struck with a long, thin, narrow fish, which, I believe,
is called the becuna, and which resembles nothing so much
as an elongated flexible strap : with sharp-pointed snout of
pike-like aspect, of silvery white and blue-green hue, not
unlike the mackarel in colour, this coarse species, w^hich is
very abimdant here, and eaten by the lower orders, mea-
sures from four to five feet in length, but for those who
value quality more than quantity it is by no means held in
esteem. Far more to the taste of gourmands are the red
mullets, which are very plentiful here, and of great size.
The same may be said of the John Dory, the epicure's fish,
and renowned as the species from whose mouth St. Peter
took the tribute money, whence its real name of janitore,
corrupted into 'John Dory,' after the manner of the thought-
less Briton: just as the underground artichoke, which is

LISBON. 43

a species of sim flower, and is distinguished from its name-
sake as fjira sole, has been absurdly dubbed the 'Jerusalem'
artichoke, as if it had been on a pilgrimage to the Holy City.
Then again, of teuipting appcjirance and excellent shape,
the so-called Tagus salmon demands notice, but it shows to
more advantage in the fish market than at the table, for its
flesh is white and full of bones, and in no respect tastes
like salmon ; moreover (though by no means to be despised,
and not at all coarse), it is somewhat insipid. Passing
on from the true fish, of which there is always a vast
variety exposed for sale, including turbot, whiting, sardines,
soles, &c., and also an immense quantity — for the whole
coast of Portugal swarms with fish— we almost recoil from
the disgusting cuttle-fish, and wonder how human stomach
can venture to receive that odious mollusc. But the pea-
santry of Portugal are not particular ; ' 0 dura messorura
ilia!' all is fish that comes to their net; and even these
soft-bodied invertebrates are devoured with gusto. Very
different is our verdict, as we examine the magnificent
prawns, which here attain a size, and, I may add, a flavour
far exceeding anything I have known elsewhere: more-
over they are very abundant, and we had the pleasure of
renewing our acquaintance with this crustacean of colossal
size every day at the hotel breakfast.

I do not think I need particularise any other of the
fisherman's spoils, which I daily overhauled in my wan-
derings through the market; so I pass on to the game
which was exposed for sale at the poulterers' stalls. Of
ground game, rabbits were exceedingly plentiful, hares
extremely scarce ; but, doing duty for venison, kids were
evidently considered of great price, and very young lambs
imitated the kids to the best of their ability. Of feathered
game, amidst a multitude of chickens of every size and
breed, ducks closely packed in baskets, geese and turkeys,
and an innumerable multitude of pigeons; the little bustard.

44 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

here called a ^ pheasant,' was occasionally seen ; red-legged
partridges were in abundance ; wild duck and teal in toler-
able plenty ; quails in immense profusion ; while bunches
of larks, pipits, finches, and warblers of all sorts, soft-
billed and hard-billed in the same bouquet, and all tied
by the neck, adorned the various stalls from one end to
another. And here, too, delicacy of taste was not re-
garded, for on one occasion a kestrel hawk, and on another
a common buzzard, were amongst the tempting dainties
offered me for sale ; and I was especially bidden to observe
how fat and plump they were. However, ^de rjustibus non
est disjDutanduin: ' and the Lisbonites only share, in their
taste for rank game, with their neighbours on the other
side of the Pyrenees; for there too, and even in Provence,
renowned for its cuisine, I have met with the common buz-
zard at the poulterer's stall, and recommended too, as an
especially dainty dish.

But we must return to the fruit and vegetables, which
I have already said occupied the great area of the market,
and here the productions of a southern climate are espe-
cially conspicuous. Of course, all the world knows that
Lisbon is famous for its oranges, and certainl}' the perfec-
tion to which that excellent fruit attains can scarcely be
rightly estimated but by those who eat the mi n the sunny
land where they are grown, and soon after they are gathered
from the tree, and before the freshness and delicate aroma
are worn off. Moreover, the profusion of oranges was
something marvellous ; such mountains of rich golden
fruit piled on the ground, such huge baskets of the
choice>t sorts picked out for a higher price ; but even
then it was glorious to see what a quantity could be
purchased for a penny ; and I recollect, during a short
railway excursion one day from Lisbon, how we filled all
our pockets with most magnificent naranja, and our
hands as well, and all for three half-pence, which we

LISBON. 45

were afterwards assured by a fellow-traveller was far more
than we ought to have paid. Then, again, though only
early in April, green peas were as plentiful as with us at
the latter end of June, and the mountains of those vege-
tables almost rivalled the orange heaps in size; whilst the
good women who presided over these delicacies spent all
their spare time in shelling the peas, at which pastime
they had from practice become wondrously expert. Straw-
berries, too, were just at the height of their season, and
that not the small, tasteless fruit one so often meets in
the foreign market, but of great size, and of a flavour
such as only a continued brilliancy of sunshine can im-
part. More strange to the English eye, but not nearly so
inviting to the English palate, were the yams, which I
have also seen at Malaga and other southern ports of
Spain. And here we first became acquainted with the
banana, a long, thick, curly, pod-like fruit, which is
peeled from the top downwards, and is fleshy, but not
juicy : it has a very peculiar flavour, which is extolled by
some; but as it is said to require an apprenticeship in
order to appreciate its excellence, quite as much as
caviare or the olive, I suppose I did not persevere long
enough over the task, for to me it seemed a sickly,
woolly, insipid fruit.

I have not of course enumerated one-quarter of the
natural produce of the country, which was daily brought
into the market, whether fish, flesh, or fowl, fruit or
vegetable. I have merely touched upon a few items
which seemed most striking to foreign eyes. And now,
in connection with the fauna and flora of Portugal, I
would say a word of the charming gardens and quintas
within which the villas in the suburbs of Lisbon are en-
shrined. With such a climate and in such a latitude,
luxuriance of vegetation would naturally be expected, but
we were certainly not prepared for the magnificent tropical

46 A SPRIXG TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

plants, the glorious creepers, and the gorgeous flowers,
which exceeded anythiug of the kind I had ever seen
before. Doubtless the connection which Portugal has
lono- had with the Azores and the Brazils will account
in great measure for the profusion of tropical and South-
American plants and shrubs with which the gardens are
filled. Then these exotics are carefully tended and duly
supplied with water, and the almost continual sunshine
which prevails does the rest. The result is, that many a
species which we cherish in a hot-house thrives here in the
open air, and attains a size and perfection of which we
had little idea. Amongst these the graceful palm-trees,
of man}' varieties, are coUvSpicuous ; araucarias of several
species become useful for the deep shade they afford ;
and the orange-tree, though one of the commonest, yet
at the same time one of the most charming, is ever an
ornament which pleases the eye, while its delicate blossom
scents the air ; and the lemon and citron diversify the
groves or avenues in which these most valuable trees
usually figure. Among the many creeping plants where-
with tlie walls of the houses as well as gardens are often
covered, is one which at once attracts the notice of stran-
gers, from the huge masses of brilliant colour which
almost dazzle the eye, as it hangs in a rich mass, and
completely conceals its support. This is the Bougain-
ville, a plant not unknown in England, but only recog-
nised as a diminutive exotic, which feebly exists under
glass. Here it flourishes in the utmost luxuriance, and a
single root will produce an infinity of shoots, which climb
over the wall to an incredible distance, and completely
occupy its face. There are three varieties — the maroon-
coloured or purple, the dark red, and the light red ; per-
haps the second is the most attractive, but all are gay and
pleasing, and to the very end of our stay at Lisbon we
found ourselves continually stopping to admire anew some

LISBON. 47

fresh specimen of. this very beautiful climber. Of course
the magnolias were here in perfection, aloes of all sorts,
and, in short, almost everything which florists could
desire — with the exception, however, of camellias, for
which we had heard that Portugal was renowned ; but
we learned that Lisbon is too hot for that handso-me
shrub, but that we should see it in cooler districts, as,
indeed, we afterwards did at Cintra, and still more memo-
rably at Oporto, of the largest size and in the greatest
luxuriance, as shall be related fuither on.

48 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

CHAPTER V.

CINTRA.

In the last chapter I was at issue with Lord Byron in
regard to the general character of the Portuguese : not
less do I dissent from what appears to me his most exag-
gerated praise of Cintra. To be sure, a poet is allowed
a great deal of licence, and perhaps it is unfair to take
his description aw pied de lettre; still, as I believe
that half the English world has received its impression of
Portugal in general, and Cintra in particular, from ' Childe
Harold,' and has therefore the very highest idea of its
superlative beauty, I desire to state what I consider the
unvarnished truth, as it strikes a matter-of-fact, prosaic
traveller. In the first place, however, all due allowance
must be made for the disappointment which is certain to
ensue, when expectation has been strung up too highly ; and
doubtless we, in common with the rest of our countrymen,
drove over from Lisbon to Cintra with anticipations in regard
to the scenery of the latter place which were not likely to
be realised. The carriage which conveyed us was a narrow
chariot, not unlike an old-fashioned English post-chaise,
and our horses were a pair of rough, sturdy cart-horses;
the driver a good-humoured, jovial fellow, who was twisting
up cigarettes and smoking them through the whole journey.
Twice we stopped to bait our horses, which was a very
marvellous proceeding; they were not taken from the
carriage, but the bits were removed from their mouths, and

CINTRA. '49

then slices of coarse black l)read, dipped in red wine, were
given to each animal in due order. So far the bait was
intelb'gible enough ; but now our coachman proceeded to
pour a Clip of red wine over the backs and loins of the
horses, which, he assured us, gave them great refreshment
and courage ; and when we still appeared sceptical on the
point, he reiterated his assertions with redoubled violence
and at the top of his voice, in all of which he was well
seconded by an old lady who did duty as the ostler. It
is a journey of about five leagues, or sixteen miles, from
Lisbon to Cintra : the first leaorue through the interminable
suburbs of the capital ; then we reach the large hamlet of
Bemfica, which, however, is now connected with Lisbon by
an unbroken succession of houses ; and now, for another
league, villas with their gardens and quintas, and high
stone walls shutting in the retreats of the more wealthy
Lisbonites, line the road on either hand ; for the third and
fourth league the road traverses the open corn fields, brown,
scorched, and treeless, ugly and uninviting enough; though,
as our first introduction to rural scenes in Portugal, we
found ample objects of interest, and an occasional glimpse
of the aqueduct spanning a valley or creeping along a
hill-side diversified the general monotony of the scene.
And then, as we drew near to Cintra, the rocky mountains
and forest-clad hills seemed to bar all approach, and it was
pleasant to exchange the dazzling sunshine and the glaring
road for welcome shade, as we drove under huge oak and
plane and cork trees which met overhead. And now, as
we crawled up the steepest inclines, and descended terrific
hills at a furious pace, with villas and palaces and their
respective gardens on either hand, we were fairly in the
long straggling town of Cintra ; but we traversed it from
end to end, till after a more than ordinarily steep de-
clivity, galloped down at a greater speed than before,
our merry driver pulled up his horses with a jerk, and we

50 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

were deposited at the hotel of our compatriot, good Mrs,
Lawrence.

We spent a week at Cintra, and during that time I wan-
dered, gun in hand, through forests and valleys, climbed
up all the higher mountains, and very thoroughly explored
the whole district, so that I flatter m3^self I am somewhat
better qualified to pronounce an opinion on its merits than
the great majority of my countrymen in Portugal, whose
habit generally appears to be, to drive over in the morning
from Lisbon, dine at Cintra, and back to the capital in the
evening ; or, if they should be very enthusiastic sight-seers,
they will devote two days to the excursion ; spending one
night in rural retirement, and returning the following day,

I need scarcely say, that such a hurried glimpse conveys
no real notion of the place, for Cintra nestles amidst a
collection of hills, and extends over a considerable area.
Indeed, its great charm is, that it affords a cool retreat in
summer from the oppressive heat of Lisbon ; and its grate-
ful shades, deep forests, pleasant groves and gardens, as
well as pure air and abundant springs, must seem delight-
ful after the perpetual glare and dust of the capital in the
dog-days. And so the villas and private houses and coun-
try seats of the wealthy occupy every inviting nook for a
league or more on every side of the little town, each em-
bowered in its quinta, hidden amidst the dense foliage
which is so highly appreciated, and striving with all its
might to escape from the vertical rays of the sun. For
certainly no sun-worshippers are the Portuguese at Cintra :
the one aim and object of these veritable giaours seems to
be to shut out their fierce enemy; and with this end in view,
they build their houses in some odd corner, where an over-
hanging rock casts perpetual shade, and their gardens and
pleasure-grounds resemble intricate groves and well-kept
shrubberies, where the one requirement is shelter from the
sun. Amongst the innumerable villas which occupy every

CINTRA. 51

available position, but alw.aya with this cliief essential of
shade prominently in view, there is one which more es-
pecially deserves notice, not only as the renowned creation
of the luxurious author of ' Vathec ;' but still more as re-
built by its present proprietor, and the gardens and grounds
laid out anew with consummate taste, it bears away the
palm as, in all respects, the most lovely of its compeers.
This is the famous Montserrat, and it is indeed a little
paradise : perched amid swelling knolls on the hill-side,
surrounded by gardens and shrubberies, where oriental
palms and Mexican palms vie with one another, where
araucarias of many species, Brazilian shrubs of great rarity,
and whole groves of tree camellias flourish side by side,
and scent the air with the perfume of a thousand flowers.
Then it is flanked by groves of orange, lemon, and fig trees,
and backed by deep woods of gigantic cork, and olive, and
chestnut, and dark fir trees, beneath whose branches reigned
so impenetrable a gloom as to defy even the mid-day sun ;
while, high up overhead, rose the bare and broken crests of
the rocky mountains which formed the shelter on the south;
and far away to the west we could see the broad expanse of
the Atlantic, never at rest even in the calmest weather, but
always breaking on the shore with a surf which whitened
the coast-line with a broad fringe, discernible for many a
league. Montserrat is in truth exceedingly lovely, and if
it might do duty as a sample of all Cintra, then I should
think no praise could be too great for its deserts ; but I am
bound to add that it stands quite alone, and that no other
quinta comes near the perfection of this favoured spot.
Moreover, not only is the English proprietor, Mr. Cook,
evidently a man of refined taste, but his excellent head
gardener, Mr. J3urt, knows how to make the most of the
position ; and with sun and shade, and springs of water to
any extent at his command, he has so mingled the wild and
the cultivated, so arranged the shrubs and plants of both

E 2

52 A SPRING TOUR IN TORTUGAL.

hemispheres, that as you lie on the soft turf, under the
shade of a gifi^antic magnolia, you seem in enchanted ground,
so surrounded are you with the most flourishing specimens
of a hundred tropical plants and shrubs, never seen before.
No wonder that, having obtained permission to wander at
pleasure with my gun through its extensive walks and
woods and quintas, I spent a considerable part of several
days within its precincts; and I always came back to it
with fresh appreciation of its beauties, and renewed con-
victions that it formed the jewel of Cintra. But my ram-
bles extended amongst many other properties, and many a
pretty glen and many a charming nook did I stumble on ;
and most kind and obliging were the inhabitants, who
freely invited me to enter their grounds, and walk where I
pleased ; though there was one great drawback to such tres-
passing, in the lofty stone walls with which each quintawas
surrounded ; so that, once within the ring fence, it was
generally imperative on the intruder to return to the gate
by which he entered. Now these villas and quintas, sur-
rounded each by its own wall, and backed by its own woods,
succeed one another all along the slopes of the hills on
which Cintra stands ; far below them lies the red, scorched,
glowing plain, far above them stand the bare jagged rocks,
which seem so strangely distorted, and look so uneven and
rouo'l], and whose summits reach two thousand feet above
the sea. To me these heiglits were a great attraction, and
almost eveiy day I climbed to one and another peak, now
wandering out westwards to the point which overhangs the
mouth of the Tagus, now ascending to the point crowned by
the Penha palace, now choosing some intermediate height
fur my mountain scramble. From all, the view was in most
respects the same : the rocks themselves the strangest col-
lection of boulders, thrown together in huge masses, like
an immense stone heap on a gigantic scale. Immediately
below lay the town of Cintra, with its long suburbs of villas.

CINTRA. 53

and g*ardens, and woods stretching along the hills on both
hands ; to the north the flat, interminable, treeless plain,
glowing in the sun, and abounding in cornfields and vine-
yards, with oNlafra four leagues away, showing its vast pile
of buildings like a second Escorial, colossal in size, even
from here ; to the south the hills of Alemtejo, stretching far
away into the clear distance, and, perhaps, as some report,
in the extreme horizon, even the mountains of the little
southern province of Algarve; to the west the broad Atlantic,
of whose waters I had never seen at one glance half such
an expanse before; to the east the Tagus, winding up towards
the capital, and extending into a broad bay above it, though
Lisbon itself was hidden from view by the lower hills which
intervene. There was always a fresh breeze blowing on the
top of these elevated ridges, and there was always an un-
clouded sky and the very brightest of suns, and it was diffi-
cult to decide which of the many peaks was the highest, for
each in turn, as seen from some fresh point of view, seemed
to claim the right of precedence. However, leaving others
to settle that knotty point, we may affirm of all of them,
that they boasted the same glorious prospect, that they
were all equally rugged and barren, and that here silence
and solitude reigned supreme, broken only by the occasional
tinkle of a sheep-bell, or the shrill reed-pipe of a goat-
herd, for in these upland rocks the Arcadian herdsmen thus
beguiled the monotony of their lives. Nor was animal
life much more abundant than the vegetation: for of the
mammalia I saw not a single specimen ; of birds, a colony
of choughs and an occasional raven monopolised the upper
rocks, while larks and pipits contented themselves with a
lower elevation. But the reptile world was better repre-
sented; for brown and grreen lizards basked on the £jlowini>-
rocks, and darted in and out amidst the huge boulders, and
on one occasion I succeeded in shooting a flne specimen of
the beautiful ' eyed ' or ' great spotted ' green lizard (Za-

54 A SPRING TOUR IN TORTUGAL.

cevta ocellata), which measured nearly two feet in length,
and was of the most vivid green hue, speckled and spotted
with deep black or bright blue. Subsequently, I saw several
of this gigantic species, but on no occasion, not even in the
museum at Lisbon, did I meet with so large a specimen
as in the rocks above Cintra. If, however, I might credit
the assertion of an unscientific witness, who certainly had
no wish to exaggerate, but related what he believed to be
true, my large lizard would appear to be but a mere pigmy ;
for I was repeatedly told of a gigantic green lizard which
haunted some rock terraces at Montserrat, w^hich measured
about four feet in length ! but this, I take leave to say,
was an unintentional over-estimate.

Pre-eminently conspicuous on one of the highest sum-
mits stands the Penha or Pena Convent, once (as its name
implies) a monastery, but now the palace of the enlightened
Dom Fernando, father to the present king. Now, if it be
the case, as the ancient Persians thought, that ' a palace
ought to have a lofty site, and look down on the habita-
tions of meaner men,' * then, undoubtedly, the Penha
Palace is most admirably situated, for by many hundred
feet it out-tops all other buildings in the place. Otherwise,
notwithstanding the excellent carriage road which w4nds
up to the castle gate, methought it w^as somewhat incon-
venient to have one's dwelling so high in these peaceable
times, when strength and security from attack are not the
first considerations in choosing a dwelling-place. More-
over, perched on the extreme summit, this semi-regal
palace is exposed to every wind which blows, and though
it is well to feel a gentle breeze stirring, when the heat
below is almost tropical, it is another thing to be exposed
to such frequent hurricanes and rude blasts, as coming in
direct from the wide Atlantic, seem to haunt these heights

* Rawlinson's Ancient Monarchies, vol. iv. p. 239.

CINTRA. 55

with a pertinacity which reminds one they have had
nothing to worry for many a thousand miles, on their
course across the ocean. With this trifling exception of
situation (which however has its advantages in a sultry
clime), the Penha Castle is a pleasant residence : it is built
after the Moorish style, with horse-shoe arches, and the
walls glitter with bright blue glazed tiles or azulejo ; and
it is castellated, turreted, and balconied at every possible
point. It is also provided with ramparts, drawbridges,
porcullis, and mock defences, and cannon pointing in all
directions, to frighten away Moors or other would-be in-
vaders, in case they should think it worth while to climb
so high. From the Penha turrets conspicuous on one
side is a colossal statue of the great discoverer Vasco de
Grama, armed with lance and shield, who stands on the
very summit of an elevated peak ; and on the other side
the ruins of two Moorish towers, which crown other
heights, and which must have been impregnable fortresses
in troublous times when such elevated positions were of
real advantage. Below the Castle are gardens and shrub-
beries, admirably laid out and beautifully kept ; and here
we strolled without hindrance, for all here is liberally
thrown open to the public ; indeed, Dom Fernando is in
all respects a liberal, generous man, and much beloved by
people of all ranks.

There are other lions to be visited at Cintra, which are
all duly chronicled in the Handbook, and on which I need
not enlarge. There is the royal palace, which attracts the
eye before you enter the town, and is always a prominent
feature in the view, remarkable for its tall, sugar-loaf
chimneys, which remind one of glass works, or other facto-
ries, rather than of a king's summer residence. There is a
large, rambling villa, of no external beauty, but interest-
ing as the spot where the famous Convention of Cintra was
signed. There is an unpretending quinta, once the humble

56 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

possession of the famous Joao de Castro. There is the
Cork Convent, so called from the lining of cork wherewith
the walls are cased in this semi-siibterranean monastery.
And here I am reminded that I must not take leave of
Cintra without special mention of the cork trees, which
grow here in greater profusion and to a larger size than
I have ever seen elsewhere. Moreover, all parts of the
tree — trunk, limbs, and branches — are fringed with the
elegant maiden-hair fern, which seems to get a footing in
the rough bark and cling and grow in the most surprising
manner. The general aspect of the cork tree is very much
that of the oak — the same fantastic twist of the branches,
the same rugged bark, the same expansive spread, over-
shadowing a large space of ground; and with the luxuriant
undergrowth which prevails here, it is one of the most
picturesque, as well as one of the most umbrageous trees of
the forest. Next to the cork, the olive is the most conspi-
cuous tree at Cintra, and it is preserved and tended with
considerable care ; and, under the favourable conditions of
sufficient heat and an ample supply of water to the roots,
it attains a size as well as a vigour which cannot be sur-
passed. English travellers are apt to decry the olive as of
a dull, dusty colour, and with no pretensions to beauty;
but I have long learned to see infinite attractions in this
singular tree ; and those who have lived in sultry weather
near an olive-yard know what a grateful shade from a glar-
ing sun these distorted trees offer, and how pleasantly their
silvery leaves shimmer in the lightest breeze, and rustle
and murmur with a soothing, gentle whisper, very conducive
to repose.

Both the cork and olive, as well as the chestnut, abound
throughout the length and breadth of Portugal, but
nowhere do they reach a greater degree of perfection than
at Cintra, which is essentially the home of these southern
trees, and where soil and climate combine to supply the

CIXTRA. 57

conditions required. For the same reason, the gardens
and shrubberies here are so flourishing', for the scorchinfj
rays of the sun are tempered by the cool breezes, and
copious springs burst from the mountain side, and trickle
down the hills in every gully ; and so camellias and many
other kindred shrubs, which cannot exist in the scorching
climate of Lisbon, thrive here with a luxuriance that
astonishes the Northern traveller. And herein, indeed,
consists the real charm of Cintra, the profusion and mag-
nificence of its vegetation, which produces plenty of cool
shade and a delightful retreat, which can only be duly ap-
preciated by those who have been parched, and fried, and
powdered by the intolerable summer heat, and glare, and
dust of Lisbon.

During the latter end of April, which we spent in these
mountains, the sun was by no means overpowering ; indeed,
though the days were hot enough, the nights were almost
chilly ; and as I came out to Portugal for the express pur-
pose of gaining a good store of caloric, I was not sorry to
find myself on the 1st of May on my way back to Lisbon,
on the top of an omnibus or diligence, when we had a most
amusing journey, and on as splendid a morning as one
could desire. For, to our great satisfaction, a large fair
was held midway between Cintra and Lisbon ; and the
consequence was, that the road was thronged by country
people, all in holiday attire. It is true, there was no
Jack-in-the-green, such as one may see on May-day in
England ; but the costumes of many of these good folks
were strange and picturesque enough. Their variety, too,
was charming ; and the airs and graces adopted by those
most elaborately dressed added much to the quaintness of
the scene. Ever3^body was on horseback, if that term may
be applied generically to those who bestrode mules and
donkeys as well, for by far the larger number was mounted
on these inferior animals; and though droves of cattle,

68 A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

cows and calves and bullocks, horses, mules, and donkeys,
blocked up the road at frequent intervals, these were
almost universally consigned to the care of the drudges,
the women and the boys ; while their lords and masters
flourished on in front on elaborately worked saddles, the
trappings and cloths and bridles of their animals as
gorgeous and gay as their own many-coloured garments.
But when we stopped at the half-way station, to bait our
horses, after precisely the same form as that adopted by
our driver before, including the liberal libation of wine
over the back and loins of each horse, in order to give them
courage and strength, it was grand to see one and another
of these fair-going dandies gallop up to the door of the
inn, tie his richly-caparisoned mule to an iron ring, after
the genuine fashion of a Spanish bait, and then strut in
and out of the door of the hostelry, and swagger and com-
port himself with the most ridiculous pretensions ; and all
))ecause his velvet hat was peaked and adorned with a
feather, his bright blue jacket was frogged and braided and
garnished with silver buttons, his boots were adorned with
tassels, his saddle-cloth was scarlet, and his large, flat,
wooden stirrups studded with silver nails. It was amidst
crowds of such gaily-dressed farmers and dealers, and
amidst a string of carts and carriages of marvellous shape
and colour; and, above all, amidst a general holiday look,
and real joUity and merriment conspicuous in the faces of
all, as if they were out for a day's pleasure, and meant to
enjoy it, that we drove back to the capital, which we found
in a glowing heat, with the thermometer at 86° in the
shade, notwithstanding a gentle breeze, which blew almost
daily up the river from the sea.

59

CHAPTER Vr.

EVORA AND SETUBAL.

One of the Diost interesting excursions which we made
during our tour in Portugal was to the ancient city of
Evora. This is the capital of the large province of Alem-
tejo, and is distant from Lisbon some seventy miles; it
was also the most southern, and with one exception, the
most eastern point which we reached. Now, no part of
Portugal is thickly populated, at all events, in the English
sense of the word ; nay, I may even go so far as to say that
Portugal is one of the most thinly inhabited countries of
Europe ; and I quote the author of the ' Prize Essay' for the
assertion that ' Dame Nature farms one half the countr}^
and the other half is but imperfectly cultivated;' * but at
all events, by very far the least populous of all the six
provinces into which the kingdom is divided, and the
least interfered with by man, is this said district of Alem-
tejo. Partly perhaps on this account, and partly from the
vast uninhabited heath or desert which separates it from
Lisbon, both the city of Evora itself and the country
which we had to traverse to reach it, were more charmingly
Portuguese, and more unsophisticated, and less altered by
recent contact with other nations, than any other portions
of the land which we visited. And yet Evora is now con-
nected by railway with the capital, or at least with Barreiro,

* Price Eissai/ on Portugal. By John James Forrester. Loudon, 1854.

60 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

which lies on the opposite bank of the Tagus ; but then
it must be owned that one train per day, which is at
present found to be amply sufficient for the requirements
of the people, does not imply a very numerous or very
bustling population ; indeed, the only marvel to everyone
who has traversed this line is, not why more trains are not
added, but how this single diurnal train can possibly pay
through so sparsely peopled and so unproductive a district ;
even when we take into account the very level nature of
the ground, and the extremely low figure at which any
quantity of land might be purchased by an enterprising
company. However, our business was not to speculate on
the small dividends of this railway, whose proposers and
directors must have been men of marvellous spirit and
enterprise, but to make use of it for our excursion, which
we did with great satisfaction during the few days of our
trip to Evora and Setubal.

Accordingly, at a very early hour in the morning we
were astir, and had breakfasted, and had reached the
eastern suburb of Lisbon, and by 6.30 a.m. were on board
the river steamer, which was to convey us across the broad
belt of the Tagus, which here swells out into an imposing
lake, irreverently styled by British sailors ' Jackass Bay.'
There is certainly nothing hereabouts suggestive of the
boiling of a pent-up river through a narrow rent or gorge
or chasm {tajo\ from which many have derived the name of
Tagus, and such as indeed it appears as it flows by Toledo ;
neither could the most imaginative mind of modern days,
with any truth, describe it as the poets of old loved to
delineate its excellences, as rolling its transparent waters
over the golden sands with which its bed was declared to
be paved. Either we live in more degenerate days, when
the river has deteriorated in purity, or those writers of
ancient days embellished their subject without scruple,
and drew largely on the credulity and ignorance of their

EVORA. G\

readers. At all events, it was tlironnli water more than
usually mucUl}', spread out into a large lake or basin, that
we made our way to the opposite shore, and a good half-
liour had elapsed ere our steamer reached the pier at Bar-
reiro, and then we had to trudge a (juarter of a mile to
the railway station, which w^ould be annoying enough to
those laden with baggage or during a heavy shower. Here
we were met by the English director of the traffic, Mr.
Fenn, who had most kindly prepared for us a letter of
introduction to Dr. Manoel Villosa, the librarian at Evora,
and who placed us in special charge of the conductor of
the train, and show^ed us every attention. We were for-
tunate also in having as our companion Mr. Mackenna, the
chief of the locomotive department, who was most obliging
and useful, and subsequently acted as our guide and inter-
preter at Evora.

We had scarcely left the station at Barreiro before the
country assumed an uncultivated aspect ; the soil appeared
to be altogether sand ; sand and forest, sand and heath,
sand and rough grass; these were the ingredients of our
landscape, diversified, however, by the most brilliant wild
flowers I had ever seen ; the railway banks were quite
covered with mesembryanthemums of red and yellow and
brown hues, and a very great variety of most beautiful
plants literally carpeted the fields and wastes ; then cactus
and gigantic aloes formed impenetrable hedges wherever
cultivation had been attempted, and occasional patches of
wheat, and beans, and potatoes, and peas, were to be seen
at intervals on either side of the line. These, however,
were but mere morsels rescued from the forest and heath,
which, though succumbing to cultivation in the immediate
track of the railway, asserted their independence farther
inland, where they luxuriated in their primitive wildness.
Thus we passed over the first ten miles, making a show of
stopping at two intervening stations, where, however, none

62 A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

left lis or joined us, and where the station-master and single
porter seemed to be the only inhabitants; and as our
engine puffed through that uninhabited region, I was
forcibly reminded of the famous steamboat expedition of
Martin Chuzzlewit and Mark Tapley to the back wood
settlement of Eden, so graphically and cleverly described
by Mr. Dickens. Then we reached Pinbal Novo, the
junction for Setubal, where our train divided into two
portions, and we were left to pursue our course to Evora, a
very curtailed and somewhat mean fragment of what was
at starting a very respectable train. And now for the
next twenty or twenty-five miles we traversed a true
Portuguese heath,and if one rode through the whole country
a better sample could nowhere be found. It would re-
quire the pen of a Stanley to describe it accurately, and to
do justice to so singular and so beautiful a scene. It was
indeed the acme of all that was wild in nature and yet
brilliant in colour. Far as the eye could reach on either
side, through winding valleys and over undulating hills,
for leagues upon leagues, all was waste and barren, save
that the whole country was thickly covered with aromatic
bushes and shrubs and plants of various kinds. There
were literally miles upon miles of juniper, lavender,
myrtle, laurel, rosemary and broom ; miles upon miles of
heaths of every species ; of the fragrant thyme ; of the
beautiful cisti of various colours, the yellow, the pink,
the white, and the purple ; of the handsome hibiscus, and
many another flower which I could not identify. But the
result was, that the eye was almost dazzled with the bril-
liant patches of purple, and red, and blue, and yellow,
which completely carpeted the ground. It was a scene
over which a botanist would have gone wild with excite-
ment, and I heartily wished I had been a painter, and
could have accurately represented that gorgeous picture in
water colours or in oil. For many consecutive miles not

EVORA. 63

a tree was visiblo, not a house, not a man, not a boast,
rarely even a bird; but the; smell of nromatic shrubs per-
vaded the atmosphere, and tlie 'silence of solitude*
reigned supreme in these deserted wastes. Then we
would come to more wooded districts, where the trees
were naturally clumped as in the Australian bush, or as
they are planted in some large park at home. First
umbrella-headed pines diversified the landscape; then
forests of cork trees, and lastly oroves of olives ; and so we
reached the station of Vendas Novas, a mere wooden shed,
though the principal place in this wild region ; and a
hamlet of a dozen houses was no unimportant village in
these unfrequented parts. Moreover, here is collected the
merchandise of the district for exportation to the capital.
Here, too, we met and passed the single ' up train ' to Lis-
bon, as we should say ; the ' Coinboyo descendente,'' as it is
more correctly styled here. And now we leave this tiny
centre of civilization, and steam forth again into the wild
uncultivated heath, stretching out in uncontrolled freedom
over hill and dale ; where the magnificent hil)iscus covers
whole leagues of land with its splendid white blossoms ;
and the ground is rent with many a deep and meandering
watercourse, true nullahs of the south, which the heavy
rains, so frequent, and so copious in these latitudes, eat
out for themselves in the sandy soil, but which are now
completely dry, save here and there beneath some over-
hanging bush, where the water stands in a dark pool, and
where beast and bird resort to quench their thirst. Then
we came to Casa Branca, a hamlet which, so far as we were
enabled to judge, consisted of two houses, but nevertheless,
a very respectable hamlet for this district ; moreover, it is a
junction, for our line bifurcates here, one branch running
southward to Beja, the other eastwards to Evora. Here
we changed carriages, and after another hour's journey
through a district not quite so wild and uncultivated as

64 A SPRIXG TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

that we had just traversed, reached our destination at mid-
day, or rather I should say, we reached the railway station
of Evora, which lies in the plain below the town nearly a
mile from the heart of the city, and from which, in this
unsophisticated district, the traveller must make his way
with his baggage as he best can, for neither omnibus, cart,
or carriage, have hitherto found custom enough to attract
them to await the arrival of the one train from the
capital.

Let it not, however, for one moment be imagined from
this circumstance that Evora is a place of little impor-
tance, for such would be a most erroneous conclusion ;
and the use of wheeled carriages, at no time known to
any extent in the Peninsula, is only now beginning to be
recognised as a necessity in more fashionable localities ;
whereas a simple and primitive people are still contented
with the horses, mules, and donkeys which their ancestors
employed. Indeed, Evora was once the capital of Por-
tuo-al, and standinor on a hill, as is the case with all the
larger cities in this country, has a very imposing appear-
ance ; there is, too, a great air of antiquity about it, and a
remarkable quietness and even dullness, such as is wont to
hover round our own cathedral cities in England ; and it
was through narrow streets almost desested, and by largos
and praQCts completely empty and grass-grown, that we
walked to our humble hostelry, the best hotel indeed in
the city, but of most impretending and, perhaps I should
add, unprepossessing exterior, which bore over its doorway
the lengthy title ' Hospedaria Eborense vulgo Taberquina,'
but which in reality was known as ' Hospedaria Taberquina,'
or * Taberquinasinn,' for such was the name of our well-
meaning and obliging landlord.

We had the advantage of our kind friend Mr. Mac-
kenna's guidance in our examination of Evora, and as he
was thoroughly acquainted with the city, and had passed a

EVORA. 65

considerable time here, most valn;il)le to ns was the infor-
mation he gave. As Evora is an arcliiepiscopal see, the
cathedral was natnrally the first oljject of attraction, and
hither we bent our steps through the narrow, silent, tor-
tuous streets: the exterior presents a remarkable appear-
ance from the many lanthorns wliich rise from the tower,
as well as from the strongly-barred and heavily-grated
windows, which remind one of troublous times, of which
indeed this city has experienced its full share ; and the
result was that this House of Prayer bore a strange re-
semblance to a castle or fort, and doubtless would on oc-
casion, before the use of gunpowder was known, stand a
siege; and shelter for a time the ecclesiastics against the
turbulent populace, who were notorious for their frequent
insurrections for one and another cause ;

Half Church of God, half castle 'gainst the Moor.

The interior is striking, and on the whole pleasing ; the
nave is lofty, the aisles narrow, and the proportions are
good; but what attracts immediate attention is the peculiar
colour of the stonework of which nave, aisles, and pillars
are built. The material is a hard stone of extremely dark
hue, and a broad band of white cement is conspicuous
between every course. Now undoubtedly this principle
is, on the face of it, heartily to be condemned, but in this
particular instance I am bound to confess that the result
appeared in my judgment satisfactory. Perhaps this may
have arisen from the relief which the light-coloured bands
gave in a somewhat dark church, but scantily furnished
with windows, as is universally the case in southern
climates; and w^here, but for such relief, the peculiar hue
of the stone would have necessarily imparted a gloomy
aspect. At all events, the nave, aisles, and transepts of
Evora Cathedral possess a peculiar and not unpleasing
character ; and, moreover, leave upon the mind an im-

F

66 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

pression of solemnity and even of imposing grandeur, all
of which is in no way marred by the incongruity of the
furniture of side chapels, which so generally occupy Eoman
Catholic churches, and where tawdry ornament and gaudy
tinsel so often offend the eye of the man of taste. But if
the rest of the building depends more on its admirable
proportions, its considerable height, and its general archi-
tectural features for its claims to our notice, the choir may
well challenge a critical inspection for the rich decorations
with which it is provided. It is literally lined and roofed
with polished marbles of great variety, many of which are
of no little rarity as well as exquisite beauty ; this is more
especially the case with regard to the columns of marble
at the east end, and the marble figures which form a
spirited group admirably executed by no ordinary sculptor.
And even the picture over the high altar, which has been
so unfortunate as to attract adverse criticism from certain
connoisseurs, appeared to me of very great merit; but
here I would speak with difiidence becoming one who is
venturing on dangerous ground, and who does not feel
equal to run a tilt with fastidious art critics. In short,
the general impression with which I left the building
amounted to this, that it was a cathedral of no ordinary
interest ; and that while making no great pretensions to
merit, either as regards the architecture of the building or
its decorations, it combined a harmony of detail, an ele-
gance and a finish, and in the choir a richness of material
and a display of artistic skill, which might be searched for
in vain in many more renowned churches.

Hard by the cathedral, upon which indeed it abuts,
stands the palace of the Archbishop, and into it I was con-
ducted by a verger through a side door from the cathedral
itself; my object being to see the library of his Eminence
the Cardinal Archbishop, of whose varied treasures I had
heard glowing reports, and for which I was armed with a

EVORA. r.7

letter of introduction from jNIr. Fenn. Unfortunately Dr.
Mauoel Villosa was absent from Evora, but I foimd two
sub-librarians, busily employed in making' a catalogue of
tlie books; and as they most kindly left their occupation
and conducted me round the library, pointing out every-
thing worthy of notice, and bringing out all the treasures
one by one for my examination — as, moreover, one of them
possessed some knowledge of French, I had no cause to
regret the absence of the chief librarian ; and certainly
nothing could be more courteous and civil than my two
attendants, who grudged neither time nor trouble in my
behalf, but for above an hour devoted themselves to gTa-
tifying my curiosity by exhibiting the valuables they had
in charge. The pictures, of which there is a large collec-
tion, are, with very few exceptions, but wretched daubs,
and though many have been attributed to the Portuguese
painter of chief renown, I might almost say the only Por-
tuguese painter of any renown. Gran Vasco, my conductors
assured me that the library did not possess a single speci-
men by that artist; to which they laughingly added that
every picture in Portugal was generally attributed to
Gran Va,sco, though in reality very few of his paintings
exist. One treasure alone they considered a gem, and
even that they hesitated to designate a Guercino ; but it
is undoubtedly a very beautiful picture, and quite in the
style of that master : the subject represents our blessed
Lord bearing the Cross. Of the rest, portraits form by
far the majority : portraits of kings and princes of Por-
tugal ; portraits of Archbishops of Evora ; portraits of
saints and of monks of every order and in every habit ;
and all of true Portuguese type of feature and face.
Amongst others, one looked with interest on the portrait
of the famous Pombal, than whom no man has ever been
more execrated on the one side and extolled on the other ;

F 2

68 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

the powerful minister, who, however unscrupulous and
cruel in the means he employed to efifect his object, as his
enemies bitterly assert, at all events by his decisive energy
and active measures worked such reforms in the middle of
the last century, and, as his admirers triumphantly declare,
by his own unassisted courage and consummate prudence
saved the country from anarchy and destruction. Another
picture singled out for my particular observation was the
well-known face of our Charles I., though my conductor
was impressed with the conviction, of which I found it
difficult to disabuse his mind, that this portrait repre-
sented ' Charles III. d'Angleterre.' As regards the books,
they number 30,500 volumes, exclusive of manuscripts ;
and are (as might be supposed) almost entirely confined
to theological works, inasmuch as here are congregated
several of the libraries of the suppressed convents. A
great many Bibles of very early dates were successively
handed down for my examination, and I have little doubt
that, as I was assured, the shelves contained many valu-
able and scarce works on the history of the country ; but
abstruse speculations of churchmen and the minute points
of doctrine on which the Schoolmen loved to contend,
seemed to comprise the great bulk of the heavy tomes
which lined the walls on either hand. However, both
pictures and books were apparently held cheap by my
conductors in comparison with treasures of another kind,
which were carefully produced from a cabinet at the ex-
treme end of the room. Here I was desired to be seated,
and then one by one these valuables were taken from the
cloths which enwrapped them, and exposed for my ad-
miration. I need not linger over these, which formed the
ordinary sample of the objects usually collected in such
places ; as for example, a triptych of Limoges work ; several
beautifully carved ivories; some exquisitely painted
miniatures, and other highly-prized objects of art ; but I

EVORA. 09

pass on to what really was of very great interest, and
which is seldom shown to strangers, the large ' Flag of the
Holy Inquisition,' which was uncovered with peculiar care,
and unfolded and spread on the table for my inspection :
it is about twelve feet in length and eight in breadth, and
is composed of crimson silk of great richness and thick-
ness, and in the centre the arms of the Inquisition are
worked in gold, surrounded with the very expressive motto
' Exsurge, Domine, causam Tuam judica.' This was evi-
dently regarded with great reverence as a memento of
days when the Church was all-powerful, and the sub-
librarian openly lamented that those days were gone by.
Doubtless that banner had witnessed many a cruel death,
and had floated over the procession at many an auto cle fe
but amidst the enormities of which the Holy Inquisition
was undoubtedly guilty, it was the cause of one glorious
effect, which remains to this day, that dissenters from the
Church have never gained a footing in either Spain or
Portugal ; so that, while I could scarcely repress a shudder
as I thouo'ht of the fearful tortures and the wretched vie-
tims of which it reminded me, and felt thankful that such
a tyrannical court of enquiry had never penetrated our
more favoured country, I could not but admire the una-
nimity in the faith to which in the Peninsula it has given
rise, an unanimity from which we at home are apparently
so distant ; but which, if only it could be attained, would
be the greatest blessing religion in England could know.
There is, moreover, this to be said with regard to the
Inquisition in the Peninsula, that though nothing can
excuse or palliate the injustice, the guilt, the cruelties, and
the judicial murders it caused, and the monstrous abuses
to which it gave rise, its original intention, however ill-
founded and unlikely to succeed, was merciful, as con-
ducive to the salvation of souls ; and as such, in an age of
bigotry was accepted and fostered by some of the most

70 A SPRING TOUR IN TORTUGAL.

humane and pious prelates and sovereigns the world has
ever known, amongst whom I need but mention the
saintly Cardinal Ximenes and the gentle and accom-
plished Queen Isabella of Spain, than whom I know
no brighter example of consistent piety, wisdom, and
courage ; in short, no more perfect character, when con-
sidered in every aspect, throughout the whole range of
secular history.

And now my conductors passed on to a small cabinet
of antiquities and foreign curiosities — Egyptian, Indian,
Chinese, South-American, &c. — the latter of no particular
merit; but my attention was at once attracted to eight
or nine stone celts, of large size and of unmistakable
antiquity, some of which were beautifully shaped and
partially polished, and all of which, I was assured, had
been found within the stone temples and other Druidical
remains, of which (said my informant) Portugal is full.
Then he showed me a bronze celt of exactly similar shape,
but flatter and of course thinner, and then what he desig-
nated a bronze sword of Celtic origin, but of somewhat
later date than the stone implements. These were all dug
up in the neighbourhood of Evora, and are but samples of
what the unexplored country contains ; for when we take
into consideration the enormous tracts of waste land, as
compared with those portions which are under cultivation,
we shall readily understand that the days of the exploring
archaeologist aie not yet come, but that at some future
period there will be a rich harvest of antiquities to be ex-
humed, when the all-exposing ploughshare shall penetrate
those wild solitudes, which now are so seldom trodden
even by the shepherd's foot.

Taking a veiy cordial leave of my kind friends at the
library, and thanking them, as I did very heartily, for their
most obliging civilities, and amidst a shower of compli-
ments and expressions of mutual esteem, as is the custom

EVORA. 71

in tlie Peninsula, I now descended the stairs of tlie Arclii-
episcopal Palace, and soui^^lit out the Roman remains, of
which tlie city is full, and for which it is said to be re-
nowned above all other places in the kingdom. At a very
short distance from the cathedral stands the celebrated
temple of Diana, upon which the most excessive praise has
been bestowed. It is undoubtedly an elegant building,
and tolerably perfect : the fluted columns and their well-
worked capitals are certainly admirable, and they are now
connected by curtain walls of masonry, which will doubtless
tend to their preservation ; but, however good a specimen
of genuine Roman work, this temple has no pretensions
to such extraordinary excellence, and does not in any
degree deserve the extravagant praise wdiich has been
lavished upon it : indeed, I will venture to remark, that
the habit indulged in by so many travellers of magnifying
the merits of the objects they describe is not only repre-
hensible, as exaggeration under all circumstances must be,
but also tends to general disappointment, and consequently
a feeling of indignation against those who have raised expec-
tation to so high a pitch and upon so slender a foundation.
The temple of Diana possesses, however, one excellence,
viz., a most commanding position, and the view from the
terrace hard by must not be passed over ; for not only
does the eye wander over the wide-spreading uncultivated
heath, stretching away to the horizon, and glowing with a
purple hue, but, looking out towards the east and north-
east, one can see almost to the confines of Portugal and
towards Elvas and Eadajoz, names which cause a thrill of
admiration and triumph to every true-born Briton, as he
thinks of the heroic deeds of his countrymen before those
almost impregnable fortifications.

There are many other morsels of Roman work, of more
or less excellence, in various parts of the city, and con-
spicuous amongst them is the famous aqueduct, which to

7-2 A SPRIXG TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

the present day conducts water to the thirsty city from a
distance of seven miles. Outside the walls this aqueduct
forms a very marked feature in the landscape, as in many
parts it stands high upon arches, and so stretches over
the valleys and from hill to hill.

And now that I had seen the chief attractions of Evora,
including various fragments of Eoman work and several
old-fashioned churches, I was free to start off with my gun
for a long walk into that wild heath which surrounded it,
and through which I had resolved to wander from the first
moment of approaching the city. I was very soon beyond
the walls and the fields and gardens which encircle them,
and within an hour was threading my way through the
thick bushes and scrub and amidst the broken ground and
innumerable watercourses with which the heath is beset.
Now, there is a cl arm in every wilderness in my eyes,
which it is impossible to express in words : whether it be
in an African desert, an Alpine snow field, a Swedish
forest, a Norwegian fjeld, or an English down, it is in-
describably sweet to stand face to face with nature, and to
see no trace of man on any side. So it was in this Portu-
guese heath : the ground was by no means level, nor was
it smooth and easy walking; indeed, it was astonishing
how many deep dips and rapid rises one had to scramble
over in apparently a level plain ; then one had to thread a
tortuous course amidst the bushes, many of them armed
with very formidable thorns. The soil was everywhere
sandy, but in some parts rocky as well. Bees and flies
buzzed and hovered over every bush; caterpillars of strange
form and gigantic size, as well as of gay colour, crawled on
the ground; and of birds, larks of two species, buntings
and goldfinches and stonechats, were abundant, while the
pretty yellow Serin finches flitted by in little flocks, and
gave me a better opportunity than I had ever had before
of watching the movements and flight of these brilliant

EVORA. 73

denizens of Soutliern Europe. And so I rambled on for
hours through the many-coloured heath, admiring the gay
flowers which bloomed in such profusion ; and the sim was
sinking very low towards the west before I could tear
myself away from those enchanting solitudes redolent of
heath and aromatic shrubs, the very Elysian fields of a
naturalist's dream.

We took leave of our humble hostelry at a very early
hour in the mornino-, and we shall always remember the
'Hospedaria Taberquina' as our first experience of a genuine
unsophisticated Portuguese inn, where we were the source
of unbounded astonishment to all the inhabitants, and
where the dishes at our meals were unmistakably Portu-
guese, though that by no means implies that they were
appreciated by English taste. Then we hurried through
the deserted streets, out of the gates of Evora, and ran
down the hill to the railway station, urged on to such
exertion by the frantic ringing of the station bell, and the
recollection that to miss the early morning train implies
of necessity to be detained till the next day. However, we
were in ample time, and this was but the national habit in
conductors of public carriages as well as station-masters,
as we afterwards experienced on more than one occasion,
to obtain punctuality in their passengers, if possible, by
practising every ruse and stratagem in their power to decoy
them into the belief of an early start.

We had the same pleasant journey back through the
wild heaths and plains ; again changed carriages at Casa
Branca, where we joined the train from Beja ; again stop-
ped for ten minutes at Vendas Novas, where we passed the
doivn train ; but when we reached Pinhal Novo, the junc-
tion for Setubal, we left the main line, and throughout the
ten miles which intervened before that city was reached,
w^e passed through a country of great beauty, running
under the castle and hill of Palmella, and entering Setu-

74 A SPKING TOUR IN POETUGAL.

bal amidst such quintas and gardens and orange groves as
we had not seen elsewhere. This, however, was only what
we expected, inasmuch as all the best oranges of Portugal
are grown in this locality ; nay, so highly is the fruit of
Setubal esteemed, that connoisseurs are said to make
expeditions hither in order to enjoy the full flavour of the
orange, which loses some of its superlative excellence by
the short transport to Lisbon. Probably this is but an
unfounded fancy ; but, at all events, Setubal stands em-
bosomed in orange groves, where the trees were loaded
with magnificent fruit, and of its very excellent flavour
w^e took care to qualify ourselves as experienced judges.
As reo-ards the town of Setubal, I must declare it to be
the very acme of all that is dullest, ugliest, most desolate,
and uninteresting. We wandered through it in every di-
rection, but there was nothing to admire or to interest ;
the squares were grass-grown, the streets deserted. Even
after Evora, it seemed a city of the dead. And then we
came down to the sea-shore, and here a little life was stir-
ring ; for quite within the harbour a shoal of porpoises
was gambolling, attracted doubtless by the small fry
thrown overboard by the fishing boats ; and within a few
3^ards of the beach two fishing smacks were moored, which
had just arrived with their last night's haul. So here we
sat, looking over the bay, and admiring the surrounding
hills, while we watched the expressive action, the loud
talking, and the violent gestures with which the barter
for fish was carried on between the dealers on shore and
the fishermen in the boats, until at length, basket on head,
men and boys waded through the shallow water to the
vessel's side, and bore away their purchase in triumph.
We found the town so intolerably dull and uninteresting,
and the harbour and bay so much more to our taste, that
here we spent the greater part of the time we had devoted
to Setubal ; and then we took train, and once more by

SETUBAL. 75

Pinhal Novo to Barreiro, whence we crossed the broad bay
of the Tagus in something more than an ordinary gale of
Avind, and our little steamer had hard work to make head
against the big waves ere she landed us once more in now
familiar Lisbon.

76 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

CHAPTER VII.

ALCOBAgA.

We left Lisbon with regret : not only on account of our
very pleasant sojourn there, and the great kindness we
had met from many friends whose acquaintance we had
made, and the extreme courtesy and general readiness to
oblige which seem to be distinguishing traits of Portu-
guese character amongst all classes ; but also because we
had contracted a real liking for the beautiful city, its
streets, its gardens, its squares, and its suburbs ; and we
were sorry to bid adieu to the *^ golden Tagus,' whose
waters, at all events, sparkled daily in the golden sun-
shine before our windows, if its sands are not now covered
with gold, as in the days when Ovid sang,* and whose
name, if not derived, as suggested above, from the tajo or
chasm in the granite mountains through which it boils
beneath Toledo, and in its earlier course, may be, as Dean
Stanley tells us, the same as Dagon, the fish god of the
Philistines,! and so may record the renown it has enjoyed
for so many ages for the excellence and profusion of the
finny tribes with which its waters abound.

However, our route now lay northwards towards Oporto ;
but, as we desired to see something of the intervening
country, and more especially to visit the famous monas-
teries of Alcoba9a and Batalha, we proposed to deviate

* Metamorphosis, ii. v. 2ol.

t Lectures on the Jewish Church, vol. i. p. 361.

ALCOBAgA. 77

from the direct line at a sliort distance from the capital,
and leaving the railway which now connects the two largest
cities in the kingdom, to make our way by road, and by a
somewhat circuitous route through Cereal and Caldas de
Rainha.

Now, in all southern countries, the universal practice is
to travel by night ; and this custom, which is intelligible
enough in the hot weather, when a railway carriage be-
comes like an oven under the fierce rays of a midday sun,
is so engrained in the habits of the southerners, that all
the arrangements for the starting of public carriages,
whether by rail or road, are made upon this principle
for all seasons of the year ; so that, even if the railway
journey might be contrived by a morning train, the dili-
gence, or omnibus, or sociable, which begins its journey
from any station to some distant town, is certain to start
at night, and he who would take advantage of such con-
venient and inexpensive conveyance must perforce accom-
modate himself to the national custom, and plan his jour- '
ney accordingly. At the same time, as such a practice is
altogether fatal to the purpose of the tourist, who desires
to see something of the country through which he jour-
neys, he will generally find himself debarred by this
unfortunate arrangement from taking advantage of the
public carriages, of which otherwise he would gladly
make use.

However, as our proposed journey was a long one, and
would occupy some eighteen hours (for there was nothing
of special interest to detain us till we reached Alcobapa) ;
as, moreover, a full moon, shining in the clearest of skies,
promised to light up the landscape for our advantage, we
made arrangements to start by the latest train ; and, just
as the sun was setting on a beautiful evening in May, we
took leave of Lisbon, and, after something more than an
hour's journey, were landed on the platform of the deso-

78 A SPRING TOUE IN PORTUGAL.

late station of Carregado, where we fondly expected to find
a so-called diligence, but in reality a small sociable, start-
ing for Alcoba9a. Now, our knowledge of the Portuguese
tongue might be accurately described as infinitesimal, and
I must confess that we felt somewhat at a loss, and stared
at one another in rather blank dismay, when, on looking
around us in all directions, we could see no sign of a car-
riao-e of any kind. So here we were, benighted travellers
indeed, cast aw^ay by the train at a deserted station in
apparently an uninhabited district, with but very feeble
powers of making ourselves understood, and at nine
o'clock at night. Then, if ever, we felt ourselves to be
'lone, lorn wanderers,' as the ever famous Mrs. Gum-
midge would say, fairly stranded on a foreign shore, and
no means of advance or retreat discernible. However,
' there is a remedy for everything under the sun but
death,' says Sancho Panza, and 'fortune always leaves
some door open in misfortune to admit a remedy,' and ' a
good heart breaks bad luck.' So we philosophically con-
soled ourselves with these pithy maxims of the Peninsula,
and began to search for any escape which might offer
itself from this dilemma. Accordingly, while F. remained
to guard the luggage and interrogate the station-master, I
started off down the moonlit road in search of some hos-
pedaria or estcdagem where we might procure either beds
or a carriage. Within less than an hour I was fortunate
enough to find a roadside inn, which, though uninviting
enough, and not for a moment to be thought of for night-
quarters, was able to furnish a dilapidated but roomy old
chariot, and a pair of sturdy black mules ; for which,
after an immense amount of bargaining, conducted more
by dumb show and unintelligible monosyllables than by
argument and reason, we concluded our arrangement :
and so behold us, at 10 o'clock at night, beginning our
fifty-mile drive to Alcobapa. The moon was so brilliant

ALC0BA9A. 79

that we could not regret our niglit journey, though our
route lay through a district of great natural beauty, and
through valleys and over hills in part highly cultivated,
and in part abandoned to wild flowers, rocks, and shrubs.
And so we travelled on, seldom much beyond a foot's pace,
for which we roundly upbraided our driver, but which
subsequent experience taught us was the general speed of
Portuguese coaches ; up and down a succession of hills,
and seldom on level ground ; till at length, at half-past
3 in the morning, we reached the village of Cereal, where
the mules were to be rested for two hours : durino-
which time we slept soundly in our carriage, and were
glad enough to do so, as the rough stony roads we had
traversed had altogether prevented sleep during our pro-
gress from Carreo^ado.

The villages which we passed were of a primitive order,
and the cottages were generally composed of the material
denominated coh, or a mixture of straw and mud ; and the
glimpses of Portuguese peasant life which we caught from
time to time, caused us involuntarily to exclaim —

0 duree tellus Lusitaniae !

but the glorious sun spread its golden mantle over their
wretched dwellings, and lit up their dingy hovels, and
ennobled their poor abodes, and the people looked cheer-
ful, contented, and happy. Moreover, the country was
charming, and the admiration of Childe Harold was con-
tinually before our minds —

It is a goodly sight to see
What Heaven hath done for this delicious land !
"What fruits of fragrance blush on every tree !
What goodly prospects o'er the hills expand !

From Cereal to Caldas de Rainha, there was no great
attraction in the scenery, except that the country seemed
more wooded, and, if possible, more hilly. Very long

80 A SPRIXG TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

and tiresome were those endless mountains, up which we
crawled so deliberately, and down which we descended
scarcely more rapidly ; and we were heartily glad when at
9.30 A.M. we entered Caldas, and drove up to the clean
but unpretending estalagem of Jose Paulo, of deserved
renown in the Handbook, where we halted for breakfast.

Caldas de Rainha, or ' The Queen's Hot Baths,' contains
(as its name Calidas implies) one of the many highly
esteemed hot mineral springs and baths for which Portugal
is remarkable ; and in which indeed that country abounds,
in comparison with its extent, more than any other portion
of Europe, though beyond the limits of the kingdom they
are wholly unknown. Hither come the rheumatic, the
gouty, the dyspeptic, and if one may credit half the
assurances we heard regarding the efficacy of these
waters, then without doubt it is strange that their value
should be so overlooked by the medical world beyond the
Peninsula ; and at all events, it would be worth while for
some whose limbs are stiffened by exposure in our catch-
cold climate to make farther enquiry at least, if not a
trial of these baths ; which I have repeatedly heard pro-
nounced infallible (!) in rheumatic affections ; where one
single bath is declared to give relief, and where five or six
baths are said to be a certain cure in ordinary cases, but
a course of six weeks no less positive in the most in-
veterate attacks. There is an admirable hospital built
here for the use of the poorer patients ; but indeed I may
say that generally throughout Portugal the care bestowed
upon the needy and the sufferers of all kinds struck me
as being exceedingly great, aud the charitable provisions
against distress as most highly praiseworthy.

Our driver left his carriage and mules at Caldas, and
we proceeded in another equipage of the same generic
character as the last, a long and very hilly stage to
Alcoba^a. The country hereabouts was extremely pretty,

ALCOBAgA. 81

very well wooded, and in many parts liigbly fertile. The
road was admirably constructed, though not always kept
in perfect repair; and we wound round the hills, and
occasionally resorted to zigzacjs, after true Alpine fashion,
in descending the steep side of the mountain which
separated us from the green and fruitfid valley in which
Alcobaya lay : indeed, the latter portion of our route was
through a succession of orchards and fruit trees, and amid
such a profusion of big chestnut trees and enormous olives
as we had not seen since leaving Cintra. This was no
more than might have been expected, for founders of
monasteries generally selected the most eligible spots for
their religious houses, and certainly the approach to
Alcobapa betokened the good judgment with which the
site of that vast abbey was chosen ; for I do not know
when I have seen a more rich and luxuriant and smilino-
scene than the beautiful valley by which we entered the
little town : towering above which, and conspicuous on all
sides from the surrounding hills, stood the great Cister-
cian monastery, which at one time contained a thousand
monks, and was notorious as the largest and probably the
most wealthy religious house in the world.

We found tolerable quarters at the unpretending little
inn close by ; and here by the greatest good fortune we
chanced to meet a gentleman, who not only 'could talk
English fluently, but most kindly put himself at our
disposal, and accompanied us afterwards in our inspection
of the monastery ; and not content with this, drove over
to Batalha, when we had finished our stay at Alcobapa,
and spent the greater portion of a day in lionising us over
that magnificent structure. To him, indeed, we are in-
debted in great measure for the very complete and satis-
factory examination which we made of these two most
interesting buildings, and in recording the name of our
most obliging and courteous friend, Senhor Manoel Grimes

a

82 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

Ferreira da Costa, I mention one who was not only of
inestimable service to us, but who is as polished and
well-informed a Portuguese gentleman as we met with
throughout our tour.

Under his guidance, then, we sallied forth to see the
great monastery of Alcobapa, for the details of which I
must refer my readers to the Handbook, where a very full
and accurate description will be found. To ourselves it was
of exceeding interest : in the first place, it was the largest
and most splendid monastery in Christendom, containing
none but monks of noble, or, at all events, gentle birth ;*
who were very seldom to be seen on foot, but rode abroad
on excellent mules. f Tlien it was governed by an abbot-
general, who was elected amongst the brethren for three
years, enjoyed episcopal honours, and was also chief of the
whole of the members of the Bernardine Order residing in
Portugal.^ It had indeed been suppressed a few years
back, in common with all other religious houses in Por-
tugal; and previous to its suppression it had been bar-
barously consigned to the flames by Massena in the retreat
of the French from Portugal ; but though the conflagra-
tion lasted twenty-one days, and consumed the greater
portion of the cloisters and cells of the monastery, yet the
principal buildings escaped, and they remain to this hour
just as they stood when peopled with monks, and so they
offer an admirable sample of what an abbey was in the
olden time. Already, however, neglect is beginning to
work its never-failing results, and as at the departure of
the monks there were none left to execute repairs, these
magnificent buildings are gradually beginning to fall into
decay ; and doubtless, ere long, heaps of ruins and crumb-

♦ Historical, Military, and Picturesqiie Observations on Tortugal. By
Colonel Landmann. London, 1818. Vol. ii. p. 235. Portugal and Gallicia.
By Lord Carnarvon. Page 20.

t Landmann, ii. 236. \ Ibid. ii. 237.

ALCOBAgA. 83

ling walls, and ivy-grown arclies will alone remain to
attest the position of one of the proudest monasteries of
Europe. And so looking onwards to the future, and the
destruction which every year is sure to entail ; still more,
looking back to the past, and the crowds of holy l)rethren
who once peopled its courts, we strolled into every corner,
and examined every nook, and passed on from church to
library, and kitchen, and refectory, and through cloisters
and corridors of interminable length ; deserted now, and
from their very vastness looking doubly desolate and
forlorn, but speaking volumes by the solidity of their
structure for the strength and endurance which monastic
buildings usually affect, but which here appear to be
carried to an extreme I have not seen elsewhere ; for some
of the outer walls, which I measured, were no less than
ten feet in thickness, and doubtless the monastery, if
need were, could have stood a siege in its palmy days,
defended by the stout arms of a thousand monks, who
would fight lustily for their home, their possessions, and
their Order.

The ground plan of this vast pile of buildings may be
roughly described as an irregular square, measuring in
round numbers some 700 feet on either face; but it is
again divided by the church and other buildings into four
smaller squares, each planted with orange trees and sur-
rounded with galleries and cloisters.* I have already said
that the principal buildings bear no traces of the fire by
which the bulk of the abbey was consumed : these are
comprised in the church, the library, the kitchen, the re-
fectory, and the hospedarium, or strangers' wing, and to
each of these in due order we turned our attention.

We first visited the church, which stands in ^he centre
of the Jong western face of the monastery, and which is

* Landmann's Observations on Portugal, vol. ii. 235.
g2

84 A SPRING TOUR IN TORTUGAL.

approached by an imposing flight of broad steps which
lead up to the west door. Its architecture is generally
designated * modern Xorman Grothic,' if that term may
suggest any definite idea to my reader's mind. More aptly
it is styled by Fergusson not unlike the Cistercian abbey
of Pontigny in style, and is characterised by that author as
at once 'simple and grand, and as belonging to one of the
most splendid monasteries in the world.' * Externally the
church has a lofty and noble aspect, towering up as it
should above the secular buildings with which it is sur-
rounded, but the west front appeared to me massive and
heavy. On entering we were much struck with the great
height of the nave, and doubtless it is exceedingly lofty ;
but the many large pillars of excessive dimensions which
support the vaulted roof, and the very narrow arches they
form, and the narrow nave and still narrower side aisles,
enhance the appearance of height in a great degree. The
side chapels and altars bear traces of more elaborate
decoration in carving, paintiDg, and gilding than are
usually to be met with in Portugal ; but the great objects
of attraction are the richly-carved but now much-muti-
lated monuments of Dom Pedro the Cruel and the far-
famed Donna Ignez de Castro : these splendid tombs lie in
the south transept, and are examined with deep interest by
the visitor, not only for their really beautiful workmanship
which is much to be admired, but far more from the very
romantic history which appertains to that deeply-attached
but most unfortunate couple, of whom one hears so much
and sees so many pictures, and for which I again refer to
the Handbook (page 111). From the church we went to
the gardens, now a simple meadow, but wherein the re-
mains of statues and obelisks, broken flights of wide steps,
and well-carved stone balustrades mark how daintily the

* Illustrated Handbook of Architecture, p. 836.

ALCOBAgA. 85

walks and terraces were laid out and to what a distance
they extended. Hard by stands a small chapel, rich in
carving and gilding, and surrounded by a cemetery wherein
the servants of the convent were buried, for the monks
themselves were interred within the church.

And now we re-entered the monastery on the south side
and ascended to the library, which is one of the finest
rooms I ever saw. It is of immense size, lofty, and with a
wide gallery running all round ; with a marble floor, an
elaborate ceiling, and three roofs, one above another, in
order to exclude all possibility of damp from rain. Here
too the walls were of enormous thickness, the windows large
and admirably contrived for light, but well-fitting, and
provided with ample shutters; and all to ensure a dry
atmosphere for the books, and at the same time an even
temperature for those who used them. Here indeed was
an inviting reading-room for the studious monks ! on the
sunny side of the monastery, and looking out on the beau-
tiful gardens and do^\Ta the green valley, we may imagine
as quiet and peaceful retirement as the most fastidious
student could desire. The walls were now empty, and
only the shelves remained to mark where the treasures had
been ; but there was a time when few monasteries could
boast so large a catalogue of books and manuscripts, and
none could show so large and well-proportioned a room
wherein their collections were contained.

From this provision for ample supplies of food for the
mind let us now turn to the place whence daily issued the
enormous supplies of food for the body, which even holy
brethren needed; and perhaps the kitchen struck us as the
most remarkable portion of the monastery, for it appealed
to our senses in unmistakable language, and no words
were needed to tell on what a colossal scale the preparation
of monastic dinners was carried on there. We are told by
the statistical Murphy, that it measures one hundred feet in

86 A SPEING TOUR I^ PORTUGAL.

length, twenty-two in breadth, and sixty-three in height;*
and in the midst of this great hall, placed, not near the
wall, but where it is accessible on every side, stands the
huge fireplace, twenty-eight feet long by eleven broad ; the
chimney of which forms a pyramid or cone, and is sup-
ported on eight massive iron columns ; and one could not
but think that the fires which would fill that hearth must
have scorched the cooks who stood near it. Of similar
proportion and of similar solidity were the immense ovens,
Avhich were built on one side; then there was the old
cbopping-block, of extraordinary thickness, and bearing in
its hacked surface undoubted evidence of the cleavers of
monastic cooks. Then again there were two massive stone
tables, on which the meat was laid preparatory to roasting,
each of a single slab some twelve feet in length by eight in
breadth, and above a foot in solid thickness. On the
opposite side of the kitchen, and occupying its whole
length, was a succession of large tanks or reservoirs, each
provided with its own fountain ; and, more striking than
all, there was positively a clear and rapid stream, or, as
our Portuguese companion described it, a river, running
right through the kitchen, in at one end and out at the
other ; and which, by being simply dammed back at the
exit, would soon overflow, and thus wash the whole floor.
Here indeed were lordly preparations for a vast banquet,
but daily to feed a thousand hungry monks required both
space and appliances of gigantic dimensions; and the
extreme solidity and vastness of everything which had
impressed us throughout the building were especially
observable in the cooking department.

Beyond the kitchen lay the buttery, and immediately
beyond that the refectory, but of this last we could see
but little beyond the noble size of the room ; for if other

* Travels in Portugal in 1789. London, 1795. Page 93.

ALC0BA9A. 87

portions of the monastery are left untouched this has
indeed undergone a transformation which would have
astonished and perhaps horrified the good monks not a
little could they see the desecration ; for it is now occupied
as a small theatre, and the interior fittings completely
block up and hide its proportions.

Other courts outside the main building contained the
ofifices and the stables, all on a very large scale ; and I
have said nothing of the many long corridors and quad-
rangles, which, indeed, comprise no small portion of the
existing monastery, though they have in great part been
consumed in the fire. Moreover, there are farms and
outbuildings of every description dotted about in various
positions in the landscape, and all connected with the
great Cistercian house — the centre of the district, which
for many miles round employed the labour of the people,
and supported those who required help.

Perhaps we are scarcely in a position to appreciate the
tremendous blow which the suppression of such a monas-
tery as this must have dealt on the poorer classes of the
extensive circle to which the influence of that great com-
munity would have reached. We can scarcely realise the
amount of dependence upon it for their daily bread which
crowds of the more indigent habitually and openly ac-
knowledged. Such a dependence had grown with their
growth, and become engrained in their convictions as a
second nature ; and in the too common event of sickness
or trouble or want, the thoughts of the poor would at once
turn to the monastery for succour, which was seldom re-
fused. Then they were the best and most enlightened
landlords of the period, most considerate for their tenants,
most ready to expend capital on improvements : foremost,
too, in all works of public utility, they were the road-
makers, the bridge-builders of their time. Then they
were the only schoolmasters of their age ; to them alone

88 A SPEING TOUE IX PORTUGAL.

was due the education, so far as it went, of the children
all around them. Who, again, in those days of general
ignorance had such practical wisdom, as well as such
scholarship and learning, and therefore could give such
good advice, as the monks ? And so, in a well-conducted
monastery such as Alcobafa is said to have been, they were
looked up to, and deservedly esteemed by the whole coun-
try-side, as the great benefactors of the district ; and the
abbey was the point cVappui on which all classes leaned,
and to which all eyes turned, when they needed assistance.
I give no opinion as to the advantage or disadvantage of
such institutions in the present day : perhaps the spirit
of the nineteenth century is hardly calculated for their
success, and possibly the grave objections which are urged
against their revival more than counterbalance the bene-
fits they would still confer. But, be this as it may, I must
contend that the amount of good they have effected in
past times is incalculable. Unquestionably there were
occasional instances, as in every community on earth, of
corruption and disorder; and doubtless every authentic
case against a religious body was made the most of, as at
this day, by the irreligious and worldly. Still, no unpre-
judiced enquirer into mediaeval times can deny that, as a
body, they were anything but the lazy, idle, sensual drones
which a puritan and uncharitable age has portrayed ; and
even we at this present day owe a large debt of gratitude
to the monks for the preservation and advancement of
much that we enjoy, and for the enlightenment and
civilization, may I not sa}'-, of the religious faith and the
morality of our times.

At present a small corner of the extreme north-west
wing of Alcobaya is occupied by a small band of thirty
soldiers. This was once the hospedarium, to which the
guest was always received with welcome, and from which
none were turned away. Here, too, are certain rooms

ALC0BA9A. 89

fitted up as prisons, to which, amon<>;st eight or nine com-
moner felons, several noblemen have just l)een consigned,
to await their trial for the foul murder of a rich baron,
whose possessions were the envy of the assassins ; and
foremost among these was the brother of the murdered
man. A strong guard of soldiers encompassed this prison
day and night, and beneath its windows, looking towards
the street, a double guard was always patrolling, as from
the rank and position of the prisoners awaiting their trial
an attempt at rescue was apprehended.

Certain other portions of the building are more worthily
employed in preserving the mimicipal archives and docu-
ments connected with the province ; but otherwise the
great monastery is deserted and empty, — a noble house
without a tenant, a promising shell without a kernel, a
fair rind without but rottenness and decay within, a
magnificent casket with no contents, — a glorious shrine,
but unoccupied, hollow and barren.

90 A SPEIXG TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

CHAPTEK VIII.

BATALHA.

The bed-room which I occupied in the little humble esta-
lagem of Alcoba^a was not by any means over-luxurious.
It measured just seven feet by nine; it had no window
whatever, but a large square opening above the door
admitted such fresh air as the passage outside could com-
mand, but at mid-day it was perfectly dark. It was a
mere cupboard of a room, and would have been heartily
despised by the most self-denying monk in the monastery:
moreover, the bed never pretended to be more than a
mere mattrass of straw, and the pillow was a wisp of straw
in a calico covering, so that if I chanced to move ever so
little, the crackling beneath my head was quite startling
and even electrifying, from its novelty. However, it was
all beautifully clean, and, thanks to the jolting I had ex-
perienced through the previous night, I slept soundly till
daylight. Partly perhaps from the cell-like aspect of the
room, but doubtless much more from the examination of
the various parts of the monastery with which we had
been so much interested the previous day, I dreamt that
I was on a visit to the Abbot of Alcobapa and his thousand
monks, with whom I was peopling the monastery all night
long. Now we were wandering in the spacious gardens,
where the cowled and tonsured brethren were sauntering
two and two, according to the habit of their Order ; now
we were in the library, watching the labours of those inde-

BATALHA. 91

fatigable copyists, as they were busily employed in repro-
ducing, with marvellous quickness and dexterity, an exact
facsimile of one of their precious manuscripts, or artisti-
cally painting in brilliant colours and gold the quaint
desiirn Avhich formed some initial letter. Anon we were
standing in the great church, admiring the reverence and
devotion of that large body of worshippers, all clad in the
same dark robes, all moving simultaneously as if actuated
by one impulse, all singing the responses in a chorus of
deep hoarse voices. Or again, we were passing through
the long corridors, no longer deserted, but well filled with
the sombre figures of the monks ; or we were partaking
of a frugal meal in the refectory, where all voices were
hushed save that of the reader, who was chanting out a
chapter of the Vulgate in a high key. And again, in my
dream I was visiting the kitchen, and beholding those
huge appliances for cooking which had so astonished us
the previous day, now in full use. And it was not only
for one single night that such visions of the good fathers
haunted my slumbers, but so impressed had I been with
this very spacious and very perfect monastery, and of such
absorbing interest were the habits and the daily life of its
occupants, vividly brought before my mind on the spot,
that for several days and nights, whether awake or dream-
ing, I could think of little else but the great abbey and
the monks as they were at their most flourishing period.
Indeed, there was something singularly touching and sad
in the recollection of their past grandeur, the undoubted
good they effected in their district, their noble aims and
intentions, and their present total abolition, wnile all their
vast buildings remain. Never before had I felt such a
sympathy for the brethren, and yet I had been their guest
on several occasions. I had often encountered them in
former years in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy : I had
become familiar with all the principal branches — grey.

92 A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

black, and white; Franciscans, Dominicans, and Carme-
lites : and I had observed the Eastern fathers as well,
Grreek and Syrian and Coptic. But the great empty shell
at Alcobaga spoke of high aspirations come to an end, of
lives devoted to Grod passed away ; and all the reflections
connected with this great abbey, as perfect as human
design and skill could effect, were of a melancholy nature,
for they spoke only of the past, without any reference to
the present or the future.

It was in the very midst of these memories, and while
indulging in this dreamy retrospect and resuscitation of
da3^s long ago passed away, that we drove away in a char-
a-banc with a pair of raw-boned mules to the rival Do-
minican monastery of Batalha. Our route lay for nearly
a league up a succession of steep hills, from which we en-
joj'^ed an admirable bird's-eye view of the great monastery
we had left, towering above the town of Alcobar'a. Then
we passed through the long straggling street of Aljubar-
rota, renowned for the famous battle fought in that neigh-
bourhood and to which it accordingly supplied a name,
and which is still proudly referred to by the Portuguese
as one of the greatest victories which their arms have ever
gained : moreover, their opponents acknowledge their de-
feat to have been overwhelming, the flower of the Castilian
nobility to have been slain, and the King of Castile to
have worn mourning to the day of his death in commemo-
ration of the disaster."^ Thence we drove over pine-clad
hills and through perfect forests of olives, til], on winding
down the mountain side into the valley below, we suddenly
found ourselves drawing near to the incomparable flower
of all monastic buildings at Batalha, a single glance at
whose elegant fabric was enough to show to what a height
of perfection its elaborate details of decoration had been

* Prescott's Ilisto7'y of the Bcign of Ferdinand and Isabella, vol. i. p. 220.

BATALIIA. 93

carried, and withal what a cliarniing- and graceful collec-
tion of buildings was offered to our admiration.

Now, Batallia is indisputably, so far as architecture is
concerned, by very far the first ecclesiastical structure in
Portugal : nay more, it has no rival which can compete
with it for a single moment ; it is something more than
facile pri}iceps amidst its brethren of Belem, Alcobapa,
and Mafra. And yet to the ordinary English ecclesiologist
it is scarcely known even by name, whilst among British
travellers in Portugal, and still less amongst the educated
inhabitants of the country, you can scarcely find one in a
hundred who has thouoflit it worth the fatig^ue and trouble
to deviate but a short day's journey from the direct line
which connects the southern and northern capitals of
Lisbon and Oporto, in order to see this beautiful monastery,
built in so peculiar a style, but so rich and striking in its
exquisite details.

It is singular that it should be so overlooked, because of
the few travellers who have visited it scarcely any have
refrained from proclaiming loudly their unqualified admi-
ration of this lovely gem ; though it would seem that their
several assertions have met with little credence or have
excited but little curiosity, for Batalha is still a name
almost unknown beyond the limits of the district in which
it stands. So long ago as 1795 the architect. Murphy,
published a folio volume of plans and elevations of these
buildings, to which he laudably devoted much time and
pains on the spot. They are certainly by no means accu-
rate, but they are sufficiently attractive, one would have
supposed, to provoke enquiry; but I have been unable to
discover any other engraving or picture of this remarkable
monastery,* with the exception of a ground-plan of the

* Since writing the above, I have seen at the Kensington Museum a very
handsome volume of twenty large photographs of this monastery, by the
late Mr, Thurston Thompson, published about a year ago by the Arundel

94 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

church, given in the single page which alone treats of
Batalha, in Mr. Fergusson's * Illustrated Handbook of
Architecture:' and even this ground-plan is copied from
Murphy's book. Of descriptions indeed there are several,
the most accurate and exhaustive of which is the admirable
account given in the Handbook, to which I beg to refer
my readers for more detailed information than I can give.
We spent several days at Batalha, whilst F. made quite
a large series of photographs of the church, the cloisters,
the Founder's Chapel, the Capella wiperfetta, and many
other lovely morsels which demanded the attention of the
camera, so that we had ample time for examining this
wondrous work of art. Moreover, we made our grand tour
of inspection under peculiarly favourable circumstances,
for on the day of our arrival our excellent friend, Senhor
Manoel Grimes Ferreira da Costa, drove over from Alco-
baya with two companions and acted as our interpreter,
and pointed out to us everything worthy of observation ;
and with him and his friends we rambled over every por-
tion of the buildings, even to the roof of the cloisters and
church and to the top of the spire. Nor were we left to
our own unaided investigations when our most kind guides
had driven back to Alcoba^a, for hard by the estalagem
where we lodged dwelt the architect or engineer in charge
of the restoration (for here, too, the liberal, large-hearted,
enthusiastic Dom Fernando, the father of the king, is
carrying on the work of restoration so far as his limited
resources will allow) ; and whenever we required advice, or
became hopelessly entangled in the labyrinths of the Por-
tuguese tongue, this excellent Paladin, well versed in the
French language, was summoned by mine host to the
rescue, and well and promptly did he obey the summons
and deliver us from our slough of despond. Thus we could

Society. To this I would refer my readers for admirable details of this
very elaborate building.

BATALHA. 95

congratulate ourselves that we bad left nothing unseen in
our examination of the monastery, and we rambled at
pleasure in and out among the buildings, and up and
down from floor to roof, imdeterred by official, whether
sexton, verger, or lay brother.

Compared with Alcobafa, Batalha is but a diminutive
monastery, as in lieu of the thousand monks which the
former could accommodate, this was provided for little
more than forty brethren, officials and laymen connected
with the religious house included. Then, again, it was
comparatively poor, for its revenues produced but 2,000L
per annum, while Alcoba9a in its palmiest days possessed
landed property which alone yielded an anjiual income of
30,000L* It was founded by Joao I., in commemoration
of the victory which he obtained over the Castilians in
1385 at the battle of Aljubarrota, to which I alluded
above ; and also as a thank-offering in accordance with a
solemn vow he had made during the heat of the fight ; and
it is the last resting-place of himself and of his English
wife. Donna Philippa, of Lancaster. The style of archi-
tecture is described as 'modern Norman Grothic, with an
occasional dash of Arabian intermixed,' and this blendinor
of arabesque with Gothic, Mohammedan, and Christian
architecture seems quite peculiar to Portugal. It reminds
us of the firm grasp with which the Moors contrived to
hold their own during several centuries in this kingdom;
and even when they were at length and with difficulty ex-
pelled, it shows what an impress the artistic taste of those
refined and skilful workmen left in the country of their
sojourn. But indeed throughout the Peninsula we en-
counter at every turn memorials of these pioneers in art,
and whatever remains of ancient work seemed remarkable
for the grace and elegance and finish of design, they were
sure to be traced to the hands of the Arabs. Nor need we

* Landmann's Observations on Portugal, vol. ii. p. 236.

96 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

in England sneer at this, for we too are not uninfluenced
in several respects by their early civilization : for example,
even now, despise them as we may, we copy their ancient
inimitable scroll work ; we make use of the numerals which
they have long since discarded as obsolete ; we adopt their
expressions in the most skilful of all games when, however
ignorant of its meaning, we exclaim at chess ^check-mate,'
which is no other than Sheikh-mat, 'the king is dead;'
and other instances might be adduced of our unacknow-
ledged adoption of what has been introduced into Europe
by that polished and clever race, the Arabic, or Saracenic,
or Moorish nation.

The material of which the monastery is built is gene-
rally said to be ' marble, similar to that of Carrara,' but it
is in reality a peculiarly close-grained limestone, of pure
and dazzling whiteness when first extracted from the
quarry, but which has become mellowed by time and
weather into the richest yellow and brown hues, im-
parting a singularly warm and pleasing effect. I will not
attempt to describe the various portions which comprise
this famous pile of buildings : I will not even touch upon
many of its more salient points, to which I have already
referred elsewhere: but I desire to direct attention to a
few details, which attracted my own admiration, and which
may be of similar interest to others.

Our first gaze is naturally directed to the church, which,
in proportion to the size of the monastery, struck me as
of very ample dimensions. Its form and arrangement
seemed peculiar, though Fergusson tells us the plan is
that of an Italian basilica, viz., a three-aisled nave termi-
nated by a transept with five chapels occupying the entire
eastern end, I would submit, however, that it does possess
a choir, though a very short one, and which indeed is
little more than an apse or recess from the transept wall,
flanked by other chapels almost rivalling the choir in

BATALHA. 97

lenjT^th. What struck us most on enterin^:^ was its lofti-
ness, the narrowness of its aisles, the grand simplicity, and
solidity of tlie whole ; moreover, there were no side chapels
and no tawdry ornaments to detract from the general
effect, and the proportions were admirably preserved.

The great western doorway deserves particular notice.
It is approached by a broad flight of steps, which lead
down to the church from the higher ground above ; and as
the art of draining has been altogether neglected here, or
the drains have become choked, in the not very unusual
event of a thunderstorm and during heavy rain a goodly
stream rushes down the steps, and reinforced by copious
additions which pour from the roofs above, flows unre-
strained into the body of the church, which it very soon
inundates to the depth of two feet* However, dry weather
prevailed previous to and during our visit, so that we
could examine the magnificent western portal at our
leisure, without the necessity of wading knee-deep into a
bath. And indeed the exterior of the great western door-
way deserves careful and close inspection, so exquisitely
finished are the several series of figures in alto relievo
which adorn the deeply-carved mouldings with which it is
beset; each figure (and there are in all no less than a
hundred) standing on its own light, ornamented pedestal,
beneath a canopy of most delicate workmanship. In the
centre, above the door, the blessed Saviour is represented,
attended by the twelve Apostles and presiding over the
Court of Heaven ; and the saints which comprise that
celestial court are ranged in order, in seven rows on either
hand. To the four Evangelists is given the post of honour,
next to the Redeemer ; and then in due course stand the
arch-angels, the angels, the confessors, the kings, the mar-
tyrs, and, lastly, the virgins ; in an order of precedence we
should scarcely have expected amidst a nation so keenly
appreciative of etiquette in rank. High above all the

H

98 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

subject includes the coronation of the Virgin by the
Eternal Father. I feel utterly at a loss in attempting to
describe the delicacy of carving, the admirable finish, the
amazing perfection, which this sculpture shows. There is
nothing rough and coarse and intended for effect at a dis-
tance, but every face is a portrait, every feature is a study,
every profile is an embodiment of bliss.

But I must not exhaust all my vocabulary of terms of
praise in describing the western doorway, or how shall I
fare when I arrive at the eastern extremity, the famous
capella hnperfetta, the acknowledged gem of the whole
pile of buildings ? Moreover, there are other and very
exquisite points to be touched upon midway.

At the south-western corner of the south aisle stands
the founder's chapel, a building itself of no ordinary size
and of great architectural merit ; and in the very centre
of this splendid mausoleum, and raised on high, are
the colossal tombs of Dom Joao I. and his wife, Donna
Philippa of England, and round the walls stand the tombs
of their four children. Everything here speaks of mag-
nificence, careful and costly preparation, and the royal
will carried out to the very letter; and surely no better
resting-place could be desired by the most puissant poten-
tate than that which the founder of Batalha has here suc-
ceeded in obtaining for himself, his queen, and family ; for
be it observed, that it is one thing, even for the most
mighty prince, to prepare his sepulchre whilst alive, and
quite another to occupy it when dead : the latter a result
which history tells us has been very often denied even to
the most powerful monarchs, and of which some of the
most famous tombs in the world are a standing evidence
to this day. We could not repress a momentary feeling
of pride which involuntarily arose in our breasts, when we
saw the leopards of England quartered with Portugal
upon the tomb of Philippa, and were reminded thereby
what an influence our countrywoman undoubtedly exer-

BATALIIA. S9

cised in the founding of this glorious monastery. All
honour to both the noble founders for the princely design,
right royally carried out to completion !

The great cloisters, examined separately and apart from
the adjoining buildings, present perhaps as attractive and
pleasing a view as any to be found herein : indeed, they
can scarcely be too highly extolled ; in general architec-
tural design resembling those at Belem, they are both
very much larger and far more elaborately carved. Every
arch is filled with tracery of the richest description, and
the restoration of those parts which have fallen into decay
has been accomplished with a care and a finish which
leaves nothing to desire, and which redounds to the credit
and to the taste of the munificent Dom Fernando. The
tracery of scarcely two arches is alike, and the fertility of
invention of pattern and the elaborate execution of an
intricate design equally strike one with astonishment. At
one corner of this cloister stands a fountain of remarkable
elegance, and this is perhaps the most favourable point for
grasping in one coup d'oail the most telling picture of this
fairy-like scene.

The little cloisters demand no special comment, and I
pass on to the chapter-house — a square room, with stone-
vaulted roof, of such large dimensions as to impress us
with astonishment how it could be thus spanned by a
heavy stone roof. By such rough measurement as I was
able to accomplish, I found the diameter of the room to be
about ninety-eight feet; but if this is not quite accurate,
at all events it is nearer the true figure than that of
Colonel Landmann,* who, though he S23eaks of it as a
masterpiece of architecture, calls it a square of sixty-four
feet ; but, in truth, it is an enormous breadth to be thus
vaulted over with stone without the support of a central
column, as is the more general form we adopt iu chapter-
* Observations on Portugal, vol. ii. p. 239.

100 A SPRING TOUR IN RORTUGAL.

houses at home. Moreover, that it is a bond fide vault,
and neither upheld, nor supported, nor assisted by any un-
seen contrivance, we are enabled to assert, inasmuch as
we mounted above it and there beheld the rough stones,
the construction, and the great key-stone of this enormous
roof. There, too, we beheld an outer gabled roof pro-
jected over it, though nowhere impinging upon it, formed
in three steep ridges and covered with tiles, and effectually
protecting it from the weather.

We spent above an hour in wandering over the various
roofs of this pile of buildings, picking our way over the
great tiles laid in cement, and reminded at every step of
the stone roof of iVIilan Cathedral, though this was rough
and rugged walking, whereas the Italian duomo is covered
with smooth slabs ; and we could not but admire the good
taste and judgment of the restorers, who had begun their
praiseworthy efforts by repairing all the dilapidations in
the roof and excluding the rain, thus rendering the fabric
weather-tight before they began the more interesting and
telling work of renewing the decayed mouldings, the in-
tricate tracery, and the exquisite sculpture of the interior.
Then we climbed to the top of the spire, and looked down
upon the monastery below as on a large ground-plan,
and took in the relative positions of the several portions,
and comprehended the general arrangement of the whole.
Hence too we had an admirable view of the pretty country
around, hilly and well wooded, and withal well watered
and productive, as the precincts of a religious house are
almost invariably found to be.

And now it only remained to visit the capella imperfetta,
a mere unfinished fragment, a sample of a noble design
never completed, but nevertheless, without dispute, the
gem of the whole building. So we descended from the
roof and made our way to the east end of the church,
where this marvellous jewel holds the position which in
our cathedrals is generally occupied by the Lady Chapel.

BATALHA. 101

It is of later date than the rest of the building, havin^^
been intended as an addition, and to serve as a mausoleum
for himself and others of the Portuguese kings, by Dom
Manoel, who lived one hundred years after Dom Joao I. In
form it is an octagon, and each of its eight sides was de-
signed as a chapel and a royal tomb. Nothing can exceed
the elaborate ornamentation, the deeply carved moulding,
the lavish profusion of sculpture with which every arch
and w^indow is adorned. It is a perfect study of the ex-
tent to which decoration can be carried, when an architect
of correct taste has carte blanche, and funds are forth-
coming, as was the rare case in Portugal when Dom Manoel
sat upon the throne ; and the East just opened out by Yasco
de Grama, and the West just discovered by Columbus, were
already pouring their wealth into the treasuries, and ex-
citing most romantic expectations in the two nations
which inhabited the Peninsula. But the work of thitj
gorgeous chapel, so nobly designed, so auspiciously begun,
and already more than half completed, w^as suddenly ar-
rested by the untimely death of the architect ; and when a
successor was found to carry on the building, so incongruous
were his designs, and so inharmonious his plans, that Dom
Manoel, with the good taste he evidently possessed, put a
sudden stop to the work, until a more worthy architect
could be found ; and the result was, that it has remained
to this day as its first designer left it, and is still the capella
imperfetta, the lovely fragment, so exquisite that none
have ventured the attempt to finish it ; and so it has been
for three centuries and a half, and so it is now. There are
still to be seen the recessed chapels, each a marvel of
decorative art; the stone tracery of the windows, of won-
drous elegance and finish ; even the great buttresses more
highly adorned than ever buttress was before ; and nothing
finished. A sudden spell arrested the mason's chisel as
complete as in the fabled palace, where for a hundred
summers everything slept, and thought and time were

102 A SPRING TOUR IX rORTUGAL.

arrested ; and carrying' on the metaphor, we may hail Dom
Fernando as the disenchanting spirit who shall awaken
those long dormant beauties, and continue the work.

Here all things in tlioir place remain

As all were order'J ages since ;
Come Caro and Pleasure, Hope and Pain,

And bring the fated fairy Prince.*

I had ample time, during our stay at Batalha, to wander,
gun in hand, through the vastpine forestswhich stretchaway,
over hill and dale, for many a league. Now a Portuguese
forest answers in many respects to an African desert : it
contains the very essence of solitude ; silence reigns there
supreme, and the ground is usually sandy. In parts there
is an undergrowth of fern, heath, shrubs, and a profusion
of flowers ; but for wide districts, the pine trees are the
sole vegetation which the hungry soil can yield. Few birds
are to be found, except on the outskirts ; the insect world
seems banished from its recesses ; an occasional lizard
might be seen darting across a patch of sunshine, where a
gap overhead admitted some straggling rays of light : but,
beyond these, not a living creature disturbed the universal
stillness ; even the wind was hushed, and not a breath
of air whispered in the tree tops. At intervals I came
out upon a patch of cultivation, of considerable extent,
where the timber had been cleared for the purpose, and
where a greater depth of soil promised compensation for
the labour : but even here no outlying cottages were to be
found ; the wide forest shut in on every side these little
oases in the desert, and I was reminded of the back-
woods of America, where the pioneers of civilization open
out the nucleus of future farms by diminutive clearings
of the mighty forest, to be subsequently enlarged and ex-
tended till the whole district is reclaimed.

* Tennyson's Day Dream, vol. ii. p. 156.

103

CHAPTER IX.

COIMBRA.

Our mules had enjoyed a good rest at Batalha, and were
ready for a day's journey to Ponnbal, where we were to
join the Lisbon and Oporto railroad on our way to Coimbra.
Accordingly, we made a very early start one fine morning ;
and, with many a backward glance at the magnificent abbey,
as we wound up the hill, and imtil we were shut in by the
forest, we began as singularly wild a drive, and through as
deserted and uncultivated a country as one may often see.
Sand and forest, sand and heath, were the prevailing ele-
ments of the landscape, though the valleys we crossed and
those we looked down upon from {he hills we traversed
were in many places verdant enough with corn, and highly
productive in olive and fruit trees. Our first stage was to
Leiria, a quaint old-fashioned town, to which we descended
by a long hill, and which nestles beneath a fine old ruined
Moorish castle, perched on a rock above, in as commanding
a position, and of as picturesque form as the well-known
castles overhanging the Rhine, the Moselle, or the Danube.
Here the mules were to rest for a couple of hours, so that
we had ample time to exhaust the lions of Leiria. Indeed,
when we had wandered through its narrow streets, visited
the Se velha or old cathedral, ^vhich deserves no special
notice, but which we found furnished with the very best of
adornment, to wit, a large sprinkling of worshippers en-
gaged in private prayer ; w^hen we had sauntered by the

104 A SPRING TOUE IX PORTUGAL.

banks of the transparent Lis, and eaten the magnificent
oranges we had purchased in the market, we should have
been at a loss how to fill up the remainder of our stay but
for the fortunate circumstance that, on emerging on the
praya, we discovered that a cattle fair was just about to be
held there ; and now we had ample employment in watch-
ing the arrival of the peasants in holiday costume with
their yokes of oxen for sale, which rapidly poured into the
wide expanse of the prafa from all sides. The oxen were
universally of diminutive size, and generally mouse-coloured
with dark muzzles. They always came in pairs, wearing
the yoke which united them in their daily labour, and their
drivers were sometimes young boys and sometimes old men,
or in other cases young girls, and occasionally old women ;
but all were evidently bent on merry-making, and by their
smiling looks and gay demeanour, as well as by their holiday
clothes, showed unmistakably that they shared in the feel-
ing so universally entertained by our good country folk in
merry England, regarding the fun and general jollity of a
fair. Then the buyers and sellers and lookers-on began
to arrive, some on sleek mules, some on raw-boned horses,
many on foot, but by far the majority on donkeys, which
shuffled into the pra9a in swarms, and of v/hich we met a
continued stream still jogging on towards the town for a
good league or more as we journeyed away from Leiria.
This was all interesting enough, and a fair is the very
rendezvous of costume such as the stranger desires to see ;
but besides this, we were so fortunate as to witness more
than one Portuguese deal or barter, when the assurance of
the superlative excellence of his goods on the part of the
vendor, the depreciation of the same on the part of the
buyer, the excitement, the expressive action, the incredu-
lity, the indignation, and finally the bid from the buyer,
the refusal from the seller, and their subsequent agree-
ment, were worthy of such transactions in the East, the

COIMBRA. 105

true home of the bargain, and in which all Orientals are
finished adepts.

The drive from Leiria to Pombal was through a country
still wilder and more desolate than that we had hitherto
crossed. The forest stretched away to the horizon on
either hand; the sand was more continuous and unpro-
ductive ; the hills were more barren and bleak ; and the
few villages we passed at long intervals were but wretched
hamlets, formed of mud houses of unprepossessing ex-
terior, and where the struggle for existence must have
appeared so hopeless to the forlorn inhabitants — if, at least,
they had become converts to the Darwinian theory — that
they must have given up the attempt in despair. Let us
hope, however, that they did not hold with those terrible
views : and, indeed, I must do the Portuguese peasant the
justice to say, that he is not one easily depressed ; but,
under apparently the most adverse outward circumstances,
bears himself with a freedom from care and a hilarity that
would have drawn down the approbation of the renowned
Mark Tapley.

At length we reached the straggling town of Pombal,
also crowned with a ruined castle, but otherwise of no
pretensions architecturally ; though the name has derived
great notoriety from the title which the town bestowed on
the famous Marquis who was born there, and who during
the middle of the eighteenth century played so conspi-
cuous a part in his country's annals as statesman, re-
former, and absolute minister. I have already said that
great difference of opinion exists with respect to the
merits of this powerful nobleman ; and it can scarcely be
denied that his means were oftentimes unjustifiable, and
his actions unscrupulous and unjust towards individuals:
but it is equally certain, that the results of his energetic
measures were, that the commerce of the country was
restored, the finauces were re-organised, the frontiers were

106 A SPRIXG TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

fortified, manufactories were established, education was
promoted, the Jesuits were expelled, autos de fe were
suppressed, the Inquisition was restrained ; and, in one
word, Portugal shook off the stagnation and apathy which
were beginning to overpower her, and arose invigorated
and refreshed. And this happy change was mainly due
to the vioforous administration of her gjreat statesman, the
celebrated Marquis of Pombal.

Vie dismissed our carriage at Pombal, and took the
train to Coimbra, an hour's journey by express through a
dull, uninteresting country ; and then suddenly, as we
emerged from the hills into a broad valley, the University
of Portugal was disclosed to view, covering the steep face
of the clitf on which it is built, and stretching along the
northern bank of the river Mondego, and rising from the
water's edge in terraces to the very summit, which is
worthily crowned by the buildings of the University. It
was a fair scene to look upon, and as it shared to the full
in the peculiarity of all the larger Portuguese cities of
being built on the face of a precipice, one could take in
the whole of the houses at a single glance, like so many
martins' nests, clinging in successive tiers to the hill-side ;
and the first glimpse from the railway gave a general idea
of the aspect of this famous old city, long celebrated as the
Athens of Portugal : —

From Helicon the Muses wing their way,
Mondego's flow'ry banks invite their stay ;
Now Coimhra shines, Minerva's proud abode ;
And, fired with joy, Parnassus' blooming god
Beholds another dear-loved Athens rise,
And spread her laurels in indulgent skies.*

* Camoens' Lnsiad, book iii. Translated by Miekle. This famous
poem, the chief work of Portugal's most admired poet, entitled Os Lusiadas,
is altogether in praise of the Lusitauian people. But the Portuguese nation
cultivated poetry, and particularly romances, quite as early and quite as

COIMBKA. 107

So sang the poet; but, be tliat as it may, we matter-of-
fact prosaic travellers had no leisure yet for such soaring
fancies ; for the railway station lies at the distance of a
mile from the town, and we were conveyed to the city in
the most rattling of 'busses, and driven round the lower
streets, before we were finally deposited at the door of the
Hotel de Mondego, or (as it is more usually called, after
the name of its proprietor) Hotel Lopez, here pronounced
Lops. Taking into consideration the charges made and
the accommodation provided, this hotel is certainly the
very best and cheapest I ever entered in any country. We
were admirably lodged in the cleanest and airiest of bed-
rooms, overlooking the gentl3'-flowing Mondego ; amply
served at dinner, where the viands were good and the
wine excellent ; and provided at breakfast with all we
could desire; and for the day's board and lodging, in-
cluding lights and service, and every item wherewith land-
lords are apt to swell the sum-total of bills, one thousand
reis, or four shillings and sixpence, each, was the sum
charged. Now, I have had some experience of inexpen-
sive accommodation at hostelries, as, for example, in
unfrequented parts of Grermany, where a thaler per day
covered every charge ; in mountain pensions in Switzer-
land, at four francs per diem ; and, above all, in Norway,
in the good old days, when no steamers ran from England,
and few Englishmen had penetrated its fjelds, and half-a-
crown was the utmost that the most extravagant spend-
thrift could disburse in a single day. Still, in all these
cases, the lodging was rough, and the fare was rougher ;
moreover, the prices were accommodated to remote dis-
tricts, uninfluenced by the vicinity of large towns or
markets. But here we were in the third city of Portugal,
a flourishing town and a University, containing about one

eagerly as their Castilian neighbours. See lldWam's Literature of Europe,
vol. i. p. '238, and vol. ii. p. 205.

108 A SmiXG TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

thousand students; and the most fastidious could desire
no better entertainment than that provided by mine host
Lopez, while the charges were so infinitesimally small.
Let me commend this little statement to the notice of
hotel-keepers in Oxford and Cambridge, and let them
compare their demands with the figures I have given
above, and mark the contrast, and learn a lesson they
sorely need from the moderation of their brother landlord
at the University of Coimbra.

We set to work systematically to explore the city and
university.

Here castle walls in warlike grandeur lour,
Here cities swell, and lofty temples tower ;
In wealth and grandeur each with other vies.
When, old and loved, the parent-monarch dies.*

There are two principal streets, containing the best shops,
which run parallel to one another and the river ; but the
most frequented and fashionable lounge appeared to be on
a terrace overhanging the Mondego ; and here there was
always a busy scene, from the arrival and departure of
the picturesque, white-sailed fishing-boats, wdiich set their
two sails like large wings, one on either side, and floated
away up the stream, or furled them when they came to
anchor, like great birds alighting on the shore. Here,
too, there was a continuous line of women fetching water
from the river, which they bore away in huge jars on
their heads, precisely after the manner of the women of
Egypt.

But that which was of paramount interest to us at
Coimbra, and naturally attracted our attention from the
first, was the University and its scholars. We had en-
countered our first specimens of these latter at the rail-
way station ; we now saw them thronging the streets and

* Camocns' Licsiad, book iii. King Diuiz is the monarch alluded to,
who founded the University of Coimbra.

COIMiJRA. 109

tlie river bauk, and indeed tlie whole city was full of
them. As a bod}^ they certainly bore a very creditable
appearance, had a gentlemanly look, and were very well
behaved; but they struck me as generally of slight form
and diminutive stature. Very dark hair and dark com-
plexions prevail, as one might expect in so southern a
clime. ^loreover, a considerable proportion of them are
Brazilians. The academical dress consists of black trow-
sers and a long black coat, single-breasted, buttoned
closely down the front, and strongly resembling a priest's
cassock ; over this they wear a long black gown, like a
Roman toga, the right end of which they catch up and
throw over the left shoulder, and thus envelop the throat
and mouth, just as the Spaniard does with his cloak, and
as none but a native of the Peninsula can do. As a
general rule, they wear nothing on the head — indeed, I
should say that ninety-nine out of every hundred were
bare-headed — but here and there one might be seen with
a black rjorro, as it is called, closely resembling a fisher-
man's cap, or old-fashioned night-cap, and anything but
becoming. This University costume is so far compulsory
that they cannot appear at lecture if they deviate in ever
so slight a degree from the prescribed colour and cut, and
the result is, that they wear no other, and never lay aside
their academical dress, as is so generally the fashion with
undergraduates at Oxford and Cambridge. The regular
University course extends through five years, but, inclu-
ding the preliminary and the subsequent additions, no
less than seven years are occupied in the student's full
career, before he can take his degree. This will, doubt-
less, appear to some an unnecessarily protracted period of
study; but when it is considered that the public school
system, which is of such unspeakable value with us, is
unknown in Portugal, and that the University must sup-
ply its place, in addition to its own more advanced re-

210 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

(juirements, the time allotted for imparting knowledge
will not be thought too great. I may add, that Coimbra
enjoys a great reputation, as well for the learning as for
the painstaking of its professors ; and it is said that the
standard of attainment aimed at and reached by many of
its graduates will bear favourable comparison with that of
any other University in Europe. To prove this assertion
would of course be exceedingly difficult ; but it is, at all
events, not to be denied that the system pursued here is
highly creditable to all concerned, and is crowned with
most satisfactory results.

On climbing the hill to its summit, and entering the
quadrangle, which comprises the greater part of the Uni-
versity buildings, we encountered several professors as
well as large bodies of students just returning from
lectures; and nothing could exceed the kindness and
civility wdth w^hich we were directed to the various points
of interest, and invited to enter the several public rooms,
and see for ourselves the arrangements and appliances in
use. First we entered the Observatory, and w^ere most
courteously shown all the instruments with which it is
supplied, and which, by the way, we noticed w^ere almost
entirely procured from London and Paris ; as well as the
Observatory library, which also in great part consists of
English publications from Greenwich and elsewhere. Then
taking leave of the professor, who had in the most obliging
manner pointed out what was principally worthy of ob-
servation, we crossed the quadrangle, and entered the
great library, a magnificent room, w^ell proportioned, well
filled with books, and furnished with the galleries requisite
for reaching the upper shelves; and which also contained
some twenty closets for quiet study, reminding us of our
own Bodleian at Oxford. We -were told that the number
of books amounted to 60,000 volumes, a figure very much
below that which is generally attributed to this library.

COIMBRA. Ill

Then we visited the great hall where degrees are conferred,
and our cicerones bade us observe the jKjrtraits of tlie
Kings of Portugal, which adorned the upper walls of the
building in an unbroken chain, and very kindly pointed
out for our edification the more prominent and distinguislied
amongst them. We did not ascend the great clock tower,
which occupies the highest point on this elevated spot,
but contented ourselves with admiring the magnificent
view from the terrace in front of the University; and
surely no one could desire a more commanding position,
whence to take in at a single glance the city, the river,
and the plain at our feet.

On leaving the University proper, and making our way
to its museum of natural history, I was so fortunate as to
ask the direction of a student, who not only chanced to be
a perfect master of the English language, but, evidently
delighted at the opportunity of a conversation with En-
glishmen, volunteered to accompany us ; and subsequently,
after a short absence in order to make his excuses for
non-attendance at lecture, returned to us and remained
with us above an hour, lionising us over the buildings and
giving us a great deal of information regarding the Uni-
versity. He was a most pleasing specimen of an educated
young Portuguese, and he volunteered to visit us in En-
gland, an offer to which we very cordially assented, and
sincerely hope he will some day fulfil. He rejoiced in the
name of ' Francesco do Valle Coetla Calvas,' which he
wrote in my pocket-book, and desired me by no means to
forget. It was instructive as well as amusing to see how
cordially he despised freshmen, and how he prided himself
on his position as a student of nearly five years' standing ;
indeed, he naively remarked to us, that had he been of
junior rank, he should not have dared to encounter the
mockery of his companions by thus joining himself to
foreigners; but as he was among the seniors, he could

112 A SPRING TOUE IX PORTUGAL.

please himself, and none would dare to ' make mock ' at
him.

I had heard that the museum of natural history was of
superlative excellence; indeed Murphy* describes it as
* inferior to few in Europe ; ' so that my expectations were
raised to a high pitch ; but when I came to examine the
zoological department I was woefully disappointed. There
is doubtless a large collection of mammalia, birds, and
reptiles, but it is a collection ranging over the whole
world, and rich in no single class ; not even in the pro-
ductions of the Brazils and Azores, for which Portugal
has of course' had superior facilities. And then the speci-
mens generally were so miserably set up as to be mere
deformities and ghosts of the animals they represented.
Of birds there were very few deserving of notice, and for
the rarer European species, which one might expect in
this southern corner of the Continent, I looked in vain for
any examples ; indeed, Aquila Bonelli, and Porphyrio
veterum, were the only real Portuguese rarities which
the museum contained ; and there was not even a single
specimen of Otis tarda, Cyanopica Gooki, and Turnix
campestris; none of which are by any means rare in
this country. Passing on to other rooms, there is un-
doubtedly an excellent series of geological specimens, and
the museum is rich in mineralogy, and still more so
in conchology. Moreover, there is evidently an active
spirit of research, and a determination to increase the col-
lections, kindled amongst the directors, fostered probably
in no slight degree by emulation of the rapid strides in
advance which the museum of the capital is making every
day, under the active superintendence of Professor Barbosa
du Bocage. Then, the building furnished by the University
is all that collectors could desire, and ample space is pro-
vided for the several departments ; so that, in all likeli-

* Travels i7i Portugal in 1789.

COIMBRA. ir?

hood the museum of Coimbra will he in a short time very
considerably increased ; and with the advance of scientific
taste, we may hope that most of the wretched and grotesque
deformities which at present represent the various branches
of the animal kingdom will be abolished, and more correct
specimens be substituted in their stead. For certainly,
from the present examples the student in natural history
could carry away nothing but erroneous notions ; and as
to anatomical structure, that must have been wholly
ignored, and lost sight of by those who arranged the col-
lection as it now stands.

From the museum we descended the hill, by a suc-
cession of staircases, to the church and convent of Santa
Cruz, which ecclesiologically stands at the head of the
churches of Coimbra. It is indeed a quaint old build-
ing, rebuilt by the French in flamboyant style, with an
imposing front; and internally is remarkable, not only
for two superb royal tombs, for which see the Hand-
book; but also for the strange arrangement of a deep
gallery at the west end, which contains the coro alto,
and which, though in reality of considerable dimensions,
and fitted with admirably carved stalls, lecterns, and
other furniture for service, involuntarily reminds one of
the old-fashioned western galleries, which we have been
at so much pains to abolish from our churches at home.
Some of the carved wood was very antique, very quaint
and expressive, and had originally been gilt. But our
guide was eager to hurry us on to what he evidently con-
sidered more attractive treasures ; and leading the way
to the sacrarium, triumphantly handed for our inspection
case after case containing an infinity of relics ; the tooth
of one saint, a small bone or portion of bone of another,
and all labelled, like so many specimens of rare fossils.
One small glazed frame, measuring a foot square, must
have contained relics of fifty saints, all in separate com-

I

114 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

partments, and the whole surrounded with jewels of real
intrinsic value. As soon as, without shocking the reve-
rential feelings of the custodian, we could withdraw him
from this exhibition over which he evidently loved to
linger, but which, to say the truth, was of no great interest
in our eyes, we visited the chapter-house and then the
cloisters; the latter very fine, and of the same general
character, though by no means so beautiful, nt)r in any
respect so highly decorated, as those at Belem. In the
midst stood a handsome fountain, and another at one
corner ; and this arrangement, which we had also noticed
both at Belem and at Batalha, denotes intention and a
uniforai plan, the meaning and use of which we did not
comprehend, and were wholly unable to discover. To this
convent the unfortunate Princess Joanna, the unsuccessful
rival to the famous Isabella for the crown of Castile, re-
tired in 1476, when, weary of the selfish schemes and
miserable plots of which she was either the tool or the
victim, she resigned all worldly ambitions and devoted
herself to a religious life ; and that, too, at a period when
the court at Lisl)on was celebrated above every other court
in Christendom for its gorgeous magnificence, its luxury,
and splendour ; and so great a reputation did she gain for
sanctity, that she was ever after known in Portuguese
annals as ' the excellent lady.' *

Then we visited Sevelha (the old cathedral), which may
shortly be described as a fortified church, and which, with
its strong thick massive walls and solid sturdy buttresses,
not only looks as if it could sta.nd a siege, but with its
handsome though dilapidated western doorway and window
above, looks as if it had stood a siege, and that too a severe
one. Indeed this quaint old church, which has several
architectural peculiarities, fully detailed in the Handbook,

* Prescotl's Ferdinand (i7id liuhdla, vol. ii. p. 309.

COIMBRA. 115

has witnessed many a stormy scene, as well as many an
important event in the annals of Portugal ; for hither
in troublous times repaired more than one sovereign, in-
cluding the famous Cid, when, for a short period, Coimbra
enjoyed the proud position of capital of the newly erected
kiny^dom of Portuo^al.

Of the new cathedral, which we also visited, I need say
nothing, beyond recording the fact, that when we entered
a service was being admirably sung by a full choir of six-
teen men and boys, but not a single worshipper was present :
so that England is not the only country in P]urope where
scanty congregations attend the daily service in cathedrals.
It came on to rain heavily, as we wandered about Coimbra,
and we took refuge during a storm in the covered fruit
market. Here we found the usual fruit and vegetables
displayed, such as we had seen at Lisbon, and huge piles
of the finest oranges, which were to be bought for the
veriest trifle, and which from their profusion seemed to be
a drug in the market,. but a very sweet and pleasant drug,
though the supply was certainly greater than the demand ;
and that notwithstanding the pertinacity with which all
classes attack this delicious fruit, morning, noon, and night.
I would here observe, for the information of my readers,
that though oranges begin to change colour in October,
and are then picked for exportation, and left to ripen in
the chests wherein they are packed, the rind becomes
tough, and they lose their freshness during the voyage,
and. are by no means the same delicate juicy fruit as those
which hang on the trees, mellowing in the sun, till the
spring. Indeed, in Portugal they are seldom considered
eatable before March, while they continue to improve in
flavour till May, and even June. The heaviest oranges
are invariably the best, and connoisseurs always select
their fruit by weighing them in the hand, without mucij
reference to their colour, shape, or appearance. This I

1 2

IIG A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

had learnt many years since at Barcelona, where oranges
of the finest flavour I ever tasted, but mean-lookiDg in the
extreme, had been selected for me by a good-natured fruit
seller, to whose choice I at first loudly demurred, but
afterwards wisely (though not, I am ashamed to say, with-
out suspicions of being deceived) assented.

In the market of Coimbra we first fell in with a small
yellow, oblong fruit, in shape like a plum, but in general
appearance, and especially at the top, like an apple. They
grew in pairs, two upon one stalk, and in the middle of
the fruit were generally two, but sometimes three round
stones, resembling chestnuts: perhaps I should rather
describe them as gigantic pips than stones; for though
hard, they had no kernel. The market women called
themx ' nesperas,^ but we subsequently learned that they
were the Japanese or Chinese apples : we found them
pleasant to the taste, and very refreshing.

It would be unpardonable did I omit to mention, that
immediately opposite our windows in the Hotel Lopez,
and across the Mondego which flowed below, we looked
out upon the convent of Santa Clara, famous for the
Fonte dos Amoves ; and farther on stood the Qitinta das
Lagrimas, both so notorious for the touching and most
romantic story of the Infante Dom Pedro, and his ill-
starred bride Ignez de Castro ; whose monuments we had
seen at Alcobafa, and for the particulars of whose romantic
histories, their mutual love, her barbarous murder, and
his implacable revenge, I will refer those who can master
Portuguese to the ' Lusiad ' of Camoes, and those who
cannot, to the excellent ' Handbook for Portugal.'

117

CHAPTER X.

OPORTO.

I LOOK BACK upon oiir visit to the University at Coimbra
with great pleasure, and I was quite sorry to bid adieu to
the Oxford of Portugal. Perhaps, however, I am scarcely
correct in that last expression, for Coimbra is rather the
amalgamation and concentration of Oxford, Lincoln's Inn,
and Edinburgh combined, inasmuch as divinity, law, and
physic are not only nominally represented by their several
professors, but all those faculties are carried out here to
the end. There is a certain quietness and repose about
the city, well becoming the haunts of learning; and there
was a peculiar but unmistakable air of earnestness and
application observable in the general demeanour of the
students, w^hich spoke for itself, and made it evident (as
indeed we had previously been given to understand), that
this was no resort of mere men of fashion, who came for
companionship and societ}^, but that the business of learn-
ing and mastering the faculties to which they severally
applied themselves was the paramount object with, at all
events, the majority of the members of this University.
At the same time, there was no appearance of priggishness
and pedantry, into which such universal application might
easily degenerate, but we came away from Coimbra with
a very high opinion of the manly, gentlemanly bearing,
and kind and courteous and straightforward demeanour of
the young men we had seen there. I do not know that I

118 A SPRIXG TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

can say so much in a general way with regard to the Uni-
versities of Germany, Italy, France, or Spain.

The journey by rail from Coimbra to Oporto occupied
three hours by express train, and in that short distance
we passed through as diversified a country as could well
be imagined. P'irst, through tlie interminable pine forests,
then through rich and highly cultivated valleys; now
through a large extent of swamp, in part inundated, in
part drained to meadows of emerald green, or planted as
rice grounds, as flat as Holland, and intersected by in-
numerable narrow but deep dikes, up which diminutive
white-sailed boats made their way, and had all the appear-
ance from a short distance of sailing on dry land. Then
we reached the foot of mountains, which stretched away
on the east to the horizon, and assumed quite grand pro-
portions ; and now we emerged on the sea-shore, with the
broad Atlantic on the west, and on all sides sand, and
nothing but sand, pure and simple, to be seen. This was
towards the end of our journey, and soon we came to the
terminus at Villa Nova de G-aia, high up on the southern
bank of the Douro, on the opposite side of which we took
in at a glance the imposing town of Oporto, its houses
towering one above another, up the steep hills on which it
is built, precisely as we had seen them at Lisbon and
Coimbra.

The Portuguese custom-house is assuredly no pretence,
and when baggage has to undergo examination, it is
most rigidly and scrupulously searched, though not with-
out extreme politeness on the part of the officials. This
was the case at the terminus of the railway, before we
were allowed to take our luggage into Oporto: but the
suspicions, or rather I would say, the curiosity of the
officers having been satisfied, w^e entered the very roughest
of carriages, and then over the worst of roads, and with a
jolt that nearly dislocated our bones, we descended the

OrORTO. 119

111 11 at a furious pace, crossed tlie suspension bridc^e slowly
under wholesome dread of peniilty, and rattled through
the narrowest of streets, with tall houses nearly meeting
overhead, till we pulled up at the hotel, universally known
as Hotel Mary Castro, after the name of the excellent
Lmdlady, who has presided over it for many years, and is
an Englishwoman by birth ; and though the hotel un-
doubtedly is distinguished by a regular name, I am quite
unable to record it, having never heard it otherwise
desicrnated than as the Hotel Castro. Our rooms looked
out upon the Douro, which is a river of good size and
depth, and considerable velocity : and though the entrance
to our hotel was in the darkest and dingiest and dirtiest of
streets, and aroused unfavourable prejudices in the newly
arrived traveller, we found the accommodation very satis-
factory in every respect, and the Hotel Castro became our
head-quarters, both during our stay in Oporto and whilst
we made excursions in the neighbourhood.

We reached the northern capital of Portugal on Satur-
day evening, and scarcely had ensconced ourselves in our
rooms, before we were startled by the firing of guns, the
rapid discharge of rockets, and a constant succession of
fireworks on the river. It did not, however, portend a
second sack of Oporto, the fearful particulars of which,
during the Peninsular War, by Soult and his lieutenants
(the cruel Loison and the cowardly Foy), we had just been
reading. Nor was it the beginning of a second siege, such
as that memorable one it experienced in 1832 and 1833,
when Dom Miouel sat down before the town to which Dom
Pedro had retired with his brave little army, and besieged
it without success; of which startling event in the lives of
peaceful citizens we heard many interesting particulars
from those who shared in the danger and the glory. The
noise of gunpowder now, however, which saluted us on our
arrival was but the harmless amusement of a gentle people,

120 A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

who rejoice in these pyrotechnics, and who indulged their
fancy almost every evening during our stay in the city.
Xor was it only on the river and at night that fireworks
were in vogue : in broad daylight, when the effect was
altogether lost, rockets were frequently sent off. This was
especially the case on the morning following our arrival,
which was Sunday. We were surprised to find several
streets decked with innumerable banners, the w^indows
hung with bright draperies and flags and carpets, and soon
a band was heard in the distance, and the head of a pro-
cession came into view. The road was lined on either side
with spectators, who, however, did not seem very intent on
the scene, inasmuch as such displays are of frequent occur-
rence in Oporto ; but to our unaccustomed eyes, this was
the strangest and most fantastic religious procession we had
ever seen. First came the cross-bearer, with his atten-
dants, all dressed in white ; then a great number of men
dressed in red silk cloaks, each carrying a large candle,
and forming two lines, leaving a wide lane in the middle.
Within this walked a little girl, dressed in the most extra-
ordinary garments which (out of a pantomime) one could
conceive ; then at wide intervals apart, another child, and
then another and another, to the number of ten or twelve.
To describe the dresses of these little girls accurately is
far beyond my power : but I may say generally that the
very gayest coloured silks, profusely trimmed Avith lace,
were the chief materials, and that by means of some stiff
substance attached to the Avaist, the dresses turned out-
Avards and upwards in points ; AA'hile Avings were attached
to their shoulders, and they Avere literally loaded Avith the
largest-sized specimens of cheap jeAvellery : huge ear-rings
depended from their ears, vast necklaces encircled their
throats, bracelets clasped their wrists, and their fiucrers
Avere literally covered Avith the multitude of rings they
wore. Then each little girl bore in her hand some symbol

OPORTO. 121

or device : thus, one carried a dove, another a cross, a
third a chalice, a fourth a crown, a fifth a plate of flowers,
nnother ears of corn. They varied in age from about five
years old to ten, and we could scarcely forbear a smile,
which would have been wholly out of place in that solemn
scene, when we were told that these gorgeously attired
children represented angels. For, indeed, the yellow, red,
and blue dresses, their peculiar shape, arranged for the
most startling effect, the wings, the head-dresses, and
above all, the prodigious display of colossal jewellery, did
seem a most marvellous method of representing the
blessed inhabitants of heaven. The road was strewn with
leaves and evergreens, chiefly branches of box; and as
the procession passed through many streets, some of the
smaller children were evidently tired, and could scarcely
support the finery they had to carry, or lift their tiny feet
over the incommoding branches, so that, from time to time,
one and another was obliged to be helped along by the
men in scarlet silk cloaks who lined the path. And now
came the real essence of the procession, of which the
children had been but the advanced guard. This was no
other than the Host, borne by priests beneath a gorgeous
canopy, and as it came within sight, those passing even in
distant streets uncovered their heads, and those near knelt
upon the pavement. A whole regiment of soldiers fol-
lowed behind, and closed the procession; meanwhile a
military band was playing an inspiriting tune, and at
various points, as the cortege passed, rockets were dis-
charged, while the church bells rang merrily. I could
scarcely believe that the cause of so novel a function was
merely the procession of the Host to the sick, which I have
ajrain and airain witnessed in other countries, attended with
comparatively little pomp, but I was assured that such was
the case ; and it was added, that Oporto especially delights
in such pageants, which are frequently parading the streets,

1-22 A SPRTXG TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

carried out in a form and to an extreme of scenic display
seldom seen elsewhere.

The cathedral demands but little notice; it stands on
high ground, and is chiefly conspicuous for its fine cloisters,
and richly-gilt high altar. But, for an interior literally
covered with gilding, and not without a certain handsome,
though somew^hat heavy effect, it is worth the traveller's
while to visit the church of San Francisco ; and I would
also advise him to examine others of the Oporto churches,
as good samples of Portuguese architecture and arrange-
ment, undisturbed by modern innovation or improvement.

A walk through the city from end to end entails no
little exertion, and may well be recommended as good
practice for a member of the Alpine Club. You have no
sooner arrived, breathless, at the top of some steep ac-
clivity, after hard climbing, than you find the street you
are following plunges down again into a deep valley, and
then again you have to scramble up another hill at a
greater angle of inclination and to a greater height than
before. Thus you persevere, after the famous example of
the French monarch, when

The King of France, with twenty thousand men,
Marched up the hill, and then marched down again, —

and so every pedestrian in Oporto pursues precisely this
plan, wheresoever he directs his steps. Here and there he
will come upon a well-planted lavfjo or praga, generally
ornamented with a creditable statue, such as those of
Pedro IV. and Pedro V. ; and throughout his walk he will
admire the general order and cleanliness of the town, to
which the steepness of its streets, and the frequent showers
of heavy rain doubtless contribute not a little, as was long
ago pointed out by the architect Murphy.^ When he has
attained the highest point of the city, he will have reached

* Travels in Portygal in 1789-90, p. 8.

Ol'OKTO. ]2;i

the foot of the great Torre dos Clerirjos, which has acted
like a ii)a<;uet to attract him towards it, or as a beacon to
direct him on his way ; for it is conspicuous from every
part of the city, and is not only one of the highest towers
in Portugal, but crowns the topmost heights of Oporto,
much as the citadel of S. Jorge does at Lisbon, and the
University buildings at Coimbra. It must, however, be
acknowledged that the Torre dos Glerigos looks best from
afar ; for, graceful and elegant as it seems from a distance,
it struck me as heavy on a nearer view.

The English Church at Oporto, though prohibited by
law to bear an ecclesiastical appearance externally, is built
with as good taste, and offers as good internal arrangement
as circumstances allow ; indeed, it is a very creditable
building, and is well cared for, and is, in all respects, a
marked improvement upon its fellow at Lisbon. The
cemetery, which surrounds it, is planted with a variety of
very luxuriant shrubs of many species, conspicuous amongst
which are camellias, which here attain a height of some
fourteen feet, and, loaded with red and white flowers, at
once attracted our admiration ; and, indeed, though w^e
afterwards met with this graceful shrub in great profusion,
we nowhere saw more magnificent specimens than in the
English cemetery.

We were again so fortunate, very early in our stay at
Oporto, as to make acquaintance with a most kind Englisli
resident, ^Ir. Wilby, who very courteously took us in tow,
and pointed out to us many objects of interest, which, with-
out his guidanro, w^e should probabl}^ have missed. Amongst
these, none pleased me more than the public library ; not
only from its size and completeness, for it contains 110,000
volumes, and occupied four sides of the quadrangle of an
old monasteiy, but still more for its liloeral rules, where-
by everybody, without distinction, without ticket of ad-
mission, and without recommendation or introduction, is

]24 A SPKJXG TOUR IX rORTUGAT-.

invited to enter freely and read. Here, indeed, is an ex-
ample worthy of imitation, — a free institution of public
benefit, conceived in the spirit of true liberality, — a library
which offers its treasures to the humblest student, and
which is daily frequented by numbers, instead of hoarding
its unread volumes, from which the multitude is excluded,
as is too often the case with our libraries at home. We
found readers of all classes and of all ages taking advan-
tage of this great boon, from the mechanic who had econo-
mised time to refresh his mind in this great laboratory, to
the schoolboy, in academical costume, who w^as pursuing
his studies in this quiet retreat. The librarian was so
good as to conduct us round the building, and point out
everything worthy of attention, and bring out all the rarer
books in the collection, of which there were many : but
all these things seemed insignificant compared with the one
grand feature, — that all this large library was accessible to
everybody ; and we came away deeply impressed with ad-
miration at the unbounded liberality of its founders and
directors. In the ground-floor of this building we walked
through an extensive gallery of pictures, which, however,
were of no merit, and need not arrest the traveller's atten-
tion for a single moment.

Mr. Wilby also conducted us to the new Crystal Palace,
which, though of little interest to us, as it is a mere copy,
on a small scale, of what may be met with in France and
England in greater perfection, is to the inhabitants of
Oporto that on which they chiefly pride themselves, and
to which they conduct strangers with no little exultation,
as a proof, which undoubtedly it is, of their advancement
and energy. We found it to be a building of considerable
size, of the uniform Crystal Palace aspect and shape, sur-
rounded with a well-kept garden, laid out after the English
fashion, but stocked with flowers and shrubs such as the
English climate would forbid us to attempt to rear in the

OPORTO. 125

open air. Combined with the floricultural exhibition there
is also a small beginning of a Zoological garden, in the
shape of four or five large cages, containing respectively
eagles, hawks, cranes, and some other birds ; and it is con-
fidently hoped that in due course this little nucleus may
develop into a more regular collection. On entering the
building we found that one half was devoted to dramatic
representations, and fitted up as a theatre ; the remainder
was occupied as a large bazaar, containing stalls of all
sorts, after the manner of our familiar emporium at Syden-
ham. There were also added, at one end, conservatories
and hot-houses, well filled with choice exotics, all. in ad-
mirable condition, and betokening the good taste and judg-
ment of the directors of this spirited company. The build-
ing crowns the summit of one of the higher hills which
the city occupies; and as the brilliant rays of the sun are
flashed back from its glassy surface, it may well be imagined
what a conspicuous object it is from afar, and how the eye
is dazzled on looking up to it from the streets below, or
from the river which it almost overhangs. Not less does
it command a magnificent view from the gardens which
surround it; and more especially is this the case on the
western side, whence you have a wide vista of the Atlantic,
the course of the Douro a short league from the city to
the sea, the harbour of Foz at the m.outh of the river, and,
above all, the famous bar, the terror of all skippers, which
has often proved so destructive to life and property ; for
which all sailors and merchants entertain the most p 'ofonnd
respect, amounting to awe, and over which, even frDm this
distance, we could see the white surf rollincr dur nir the
livelong day. The bar at the mouth of the Tagus was no
trifling matter, and has attracted to itself due attention
from pilots, and enforced caution on all who approi ch its
limits; but the bar of the Douro is a far more formidable
opponent, and when an adverse wind is blowing is a

126 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

source of considerable danger to all who venture near,
and has been the scene of many fearful shipwrecks, and
the loss of innumerable human lives within a very short
distance from the shore. A good road connects Foz with
the city ; and, as it is well shaded with an avenue of lime
trees, and is the only flat ground near Oporto, and conse-
quently the general rendezvous of those who rode and
drove ; as, moreover, it follows the bank of the river, where
the constant arrival and departure of ships of all sizes
afforded ever-varying objects of interest, it was our fa-
vourite evening walk, and we generall}^ found ourselves
strolling along the outskirts of the city in the direction of
Foz ; and in addition to the other attractions which J have
mentioned, in these same suburbs we found the most pic-
turesque samples of old Portuguese houses, though in
dilapidated condition, which we had met with in the entire
country.

Eeturning now to the eastern end of Oporto, and re-
crossing the river by the suspension bridge, over which
we first entered the city, let me conduct my readers to
another admirable point of view, viz., the ruins of the
Serra convent, to which a steep path conducts the pedes-
trian, ascending immediately from the bridge. Here we
find the monastic buildings literally knocked to pieces,
the stonework demolished, the iron window bars torn and
twisted, and the marks of the cannon balls over the whole
face of the convent, just as it was left after the Miguelite
attack for so complete was the demolition of this rich
and splendid monastery, that it was at once abandoned to
decay, and it remains a monument of its former magnifi-
cence, and the cruel vicissitudes it has experienced in
troub'ous times. From the terraces and gardens sur-
rounding it we have not only the view down the river
westwards to the sea, together with Foz and the broad
oceai , such as we may see from most of the heights of

OPOIITO. 127

Oporto; but hence we can command a view, thoii;)}i
limited in extent, up the river, where, shut in by per-
pendicular cliffs, and dark and sombre in its shaded
channel, the Douro offers a sample of the wild and rocky
scenery which characterises the jj^reater part of its navi-
gable course, and still more of its infant stream high
up amidst the wild mountains beyond the Portuguese
frontier, and seldom visited by the most enterprising
traveller. As we looked upon it from the Serra convent,
and marked its narrow bed confined by cliffs on either
hand, we simultaneously exclaimed how close a resem-
blance it bore to the Avon just below Bristol, though on
the banks of that latter stream we might look in vain for
the orange groves, the olive yards, and quintas which
surround the villas in the suburbs of Oporto.

In deference to common English usage, and from a
natural repugnance to introduce any alteration whicli may
seem pedantic, in the name of a place which has long
been so familiar to English ears as Oporto, I have adhered
to the customary appellation of that city, as adopted by
my countrymen at home. I w^ould here, however, remark
that the name so given is altogether arbitrary, and has
arisen from a misconception, Porto being the true designa-
tion of the place, and the prefix of the definite article 0 as
imauthorised as if we were to insist on styling Portugal as
Oportugal, and port wine as Oport wine ; or as if the
inhabitants of the Peninsula were to represent our Ports-
mouth as Theportsmouth. But the English nation has
undoubtedly a remarkable knack of altering the names of
foreign towns at random, and especially where the British
sailor finds pronunciation difficult, he cuts the Gordian
knot without compunction by Anglicising what he con-
siders a barbarous title, till he has fashioned it to his taste,
and till he can pronounce it ore rotunda in downright
English, and without any of those lispings and mincings

12S A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

for which he heartily despises all foreign tongues. Tlie
original name of the city was Portocale, Portus cedes;
and as in progress of time, when commerce increased, it
became the most important place of trade in the kingdom,
it gave its name to the whole country of Lusitania, under
Ferdinand the Great in 1064 ; and this name, with a very
slight alteration of letters, easily merged into ^ Portugal.'

129

CHAPTER XL

OPORTO — continued.

To PROFESS to write anything about Portugal, and above
all about Oporto, and to omit all mention of port wine,
would to many of my countrymen appear very much the
same as undertaking to represent the play of ' Hamlet,' but
omitting the character of the Danish prince. I therefore
propose to devote a short space to this subject, of such
paramount interest to Englishmen ; and I am the more
induced to do this because, from the ready kindness I met
from merchants and others engaged in the wine trade at
Oporto, I learnt a great deal that was new to me regarding
the production of that excellent wine, and enjoyed unusual
facilities for making myself acquainted with the process
employed in bringing it to perfection. Let me premise,
however, that I am not sufficiently versed in the subject to
venture upon details, whicli may be gathered by the con-
noisseur from more trustworthy sources.* I will but offer
a general outline of facts which I gleaned from several
independent witnesses, checked and corroborated by what
I saw with my own eyes.

Now it so happens that during the last few years, in my
wanderings through various parts of Europe, I have acci-

* See especially an unpretending little volume whicli is full of informa-
tion on this subject, entitled Prize Essaf/ on Portugal. By John James
Forrester. London, 1854.

130 A SPRING TOUR IN TORTUGAL.

dentally, and quite nnintentionally, stumbled upon all the
wine-ofrowino: districts which are most noted. Thus, ou
the banks of the Rhine and its tributaries, I have watched
the process employed in preparing the Hocks and Moselles
we esteem so highly in England. In Italy I have witnessed
the vintage and the pressing out of the grapes which result
in the rich, luscious wines for which that classic land is
famous. In France I have visited the champagne district
at Epernay, the Burgundy district in the Cote d'Or, and
the claret district in the neighbourhood of Bordeaux ;
while in Spain I have rambled through the Val de Penas,
and, lastly, the native land of Amontillado and sherry, and
have experienced the perfection to which those wines can
attain, in the famous Bodega of the Messrs. Duff Gordon
at Xeres. To complete the catalogue, therefore, it only
remained to seek the home of the port, the wine par
excellence of the Englishman, and which the connoisseur
places far above all others, declaring indeed that all other
wines would be port wine if they could.

Our kind friends at Lisbon had furnished us with
letters of introduction to the house of Messrs. Sandeman,
who are (I believe) the largest port-wine merchants in
Oporto, and we paid several visits to their very extensive
stores, or rather lodges, as the cool, dark sheds are termed,
in which the rows of casks of the precious liquor are
deposited. Moreover, we were in daily communication,
during our stay in the northern capital, with some in-
telligent Englishmen, who were connected with various
houses of business in the wine trade ; so that we had ample
opportunity for satisfying our curiosity on this head.

All the wines which we call port, without exception,
come from the wild, half-civilized, little-explored province
lying at the north-eastern extremity of Portugal, called
Traz-os-]\Tontes. This district is so entirely destitute of
roads and of inns, is so rough and even savage, not only in

OrORTO. w.

regard to the natural aspect of the countr}^ but also witli
reference to its inliabitants, that it has proved almost
inaccessible to travellers, and has seldom been visited by
tlie most enthusiastic tourists. Here, amidst the most
ruii^ti^ed mountains, and in a country notorious for malaria,
and but very sparingly populated, the vines which produce
the celebrated wine grow in dwarf bushes and in terraces
one above another, not unlike the unpicturesque method
pursued on the banks of the Ehine and Moselle, and in
Central France. These vines are tended and pruned with
the greatest care, and no labour is spared in bringing
the fruit to perfection. Then, when the happy season of
vintage is come round, the scene resembles that of our
hop-gardens in Kent and Surrey. The indefatigable Gral-
legos flock in to take part in the work, and baskets of ripe
grapes are carried to the wine-press, where, to the sound
of music, and amidst the songs and shouts of the labourers,
the juice is trodden out by the trampling of human feet,
after the method pursued from the most ancient times
in all southern and oriental countries.* Then ensues the
fermentation, the straining of the liquor, the refining, and
whatever process is employed before it is put into casks :
and then it is shipped on board the wine boats and sent
on its somewhat perilous voyage down the Douro amongst
the rapids and sand-banks, and finally, (unless swamped
and destroyed on the passage, as not unfrequently happens,)
it is landed at one of the large ' lodges ' in Oporto.

On presenting ourselves at the counting-house of Messrs.
Sandeman, and handing in our letter of introduction, we
were courteously received by the manager on duty, and

* For an exhaustive account of the wine-press, and the mode of treading
out the juice of the grape, as practised of old, but equally applicable to
modern Portuguese use, see the article 'Wine' in Dr. Smith's Dictionar>i
of the Bible, vol. iii. p. 1774.

K 2

132 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

under his guidance made the tour of the k^dge. This,
like the bodegas of Xeres, is above ground, large, roomy,
well-ventilated, dry, and cool, but by what means the all-
penetrating heat of the sun was excluded I was wholly
unable to ascertain. Here were stored pipes of port wine
in incredible quantities, and all in casks of uniform size,
each containing a pipe. Bottling is wholly unknown in
the wine trade at Oporto, and herein the lodges differ
widely from the wine vaults of the great claret merchants
at Bordeaux, where I have seen, in the cellars of a single
firm (those of the noted Messrs. Barton and Guestier), no
less than 250,000 bottles, stacked in long lanes, in addition
to many goodly rows of barrels of imposing bulk and
capacity. But here stood 5,000 pipes of port; nor did
that large figure represent the whole stock of the firm ;
for in other lodges they possessed 4,000 pipes in addition,
making a total of 9,000 pipes in all.

As I understood our conductor, who was not very fluent
in English, all the wine brought down from the vineyards
was in a rough state, and required a great deal of fining
and preparing for the market ; and, indeed, we witnessed
the process of racking it off, and carrying it in pails from
one cask to another, and in this work no less than 300
men are employed in this single lodge. In answer to my
enquiry whether, with such excellent wine and in a thirsty
climate, the temptation to imbibe on the sly was not some-
times too great to be resisted by those swarthy labourers,
our guide replied, that overseers were continually on the
watch to guard against that which, unless rigorously re-
pressed, would be a very serious loss ; but he added, with
a grim smile, that, notwithstanding all the precautions
employed, ' they can drink a leetle much.'

The cooper's department was in itself a considerable
business ; and hoops and staves were being converted into
casks with wonderful rapidity.

OPORTO.. vn

Of course we tasted port wine of every character and
quality ; from the full-bodied, deeply-coloured, heavy wine,
so attractive to the English palate, to the tawny-hued,
lighter, clean-tasted nectar, forty years in age, but scarcely
t(Ui years in bottle ; which, though not an article of com-
merce, is extensivel}^ consumed by the English residents in
Oporto, and wherein they certainly show their good taste,
for more exquisite flavour, with the colour of light sherry,
and with the taste of superlative port, T never met.

We learnt from our good friends at Oporto, some in the
wine trade and others unconnected with the business,
many particulars which were interesting; and in this city,
whose wharfs are redolent with port, everybody appears
to be perfectly acquainted with the whole process by which
that staple article of the trade of their district is brought
to perfection. We were told that one great art consists in
stopping the fermentation at the right moment, and this
is effected immediately by the addition of brandy ; and it
was openly acknowledged that, in preparing port for the
English and foreign market, it is absolutely necessar}'- to
add a considerable amount of brandy, without which the
wine would not keep : but then it was explained that this
so-called brandy is a spirit distilled from the port-wine
grape, and so is not the addition or adulteration which at
first sight might seem to be implied, but rather the mix-
ture of a kindred material prepared after another fashion.
No less candidly was it acknowledged, that log-wood was
used in considerable quantities for the purpose of im-
parting the deep colour required ; and for the same pur-
pose elder berries, or rather the skins of elder berries, from
which the juice had been expressed, and which had been
dried and enclosed in a bag (like our washerwoman's homely
blue bag), were frequently resorted to. But it was ex-
plained that this was never pretended to benefit the flavour,
but wholly in deference to the consumers' taste, who de

134 A SPRING TOUR IX TORTUGAL.

preciate port wine unless deeply tinted; just as the dairy
farmers of Gloucester and Wilts are obliged to add co-
louring matter to their cheeses in order to adapt their
goods to the public fancy, although it is notorious that
such colouring matter is generally a most disagreeable, and
even nasty substance. For fining the wine, vast quan-
tities of egg-shells are consumed ; but the sulphur which
is also largely imported, and about which many wild fables
have been circulated, never approaches the liquor, but is
merely the dressing wherewith the vines have been anoin-
ted, in consequence of the terrible disease which has raged
amongst the plants for several years, and, at one time,
threatened to destroy them as effectually as was the case
in Madeira. It is, however, true that the sulphur, if ap-
plied in too large a quantity, will so impregnate the plant
with its deleterious flavour as to taint the wine with its
pernicious odour, to the manifest injury of its marketable
value.

After this protracted discussion on the port-wine trade,
the enquiry naturally arises whether there is any truth in
the reports so current in England as to the adulteration of
the wine before it is shipped for England, and as to the
wholesale manufacture of some counterfeit article with
which it is mixed- Now, it is difficult to rebut an accu-
sation which has no defined data, but is a mere vague,
though widely spread rumour. I may, however, confi-
dently say that there is no such idea current in Oporto,
but, on the contrar}^, it was unhesitatingly declared to be
false by all of whom I made enquiry, whether they were
themselves engaged in the lodges or not. And I cannot
but think that the legitimate employment of log-wood,
elder berries, and sulphur, as explained above, forms
ample basis for the stories current in England, and will
account for any number of tales, howsoever exaggerated,
of the presumed adulteration of his favourite wine, of

OPORTO. 1 r,.5

whose purity the British epicure is inclined to be sceptical,
and on whose genuineness he is apt to look with too jealous
and suspicious an eye.

Certain it is, that the quantity of wine shipped from
()porto to England is enormous; moreover, almost the
whole produce of Traz-os-Montes finds its way into the
l^ritish market. I have already shown that the stock of
Messrs. Sandeman reached the vast total of 9,000 pipes ;
and I may add that 1,600 pipes had already been shipped
by that one firm during the first four months of the year,
previous to my visit; and there are many other large
houses in Oporto, doing business on a similar gigantic
.scale. So that, at all events, I may conclude, without fear
of contradiction, that a vast quantity of port wine is an-
nually exported from the Douro to England.

I pass on now to speak of other vegetable productions
of northern Portugal, for the vine is by no means the only
plant which here attains a perfection seldom reached else-
where. I have already casually remarked on the magni-
ficent camellias in the English cemetery, which had attained
the size of large bushes, and even trees, and, covered with
blossoms, arrested our immediate attention and most pro-
found admiration. We had seen nothing like them in size
or luxuriance at Cintra, not even in the famous gardens
at Montserrat ; while at Lisbon the climate is too hot to
admit of their existence; but in Oporto we found them
growing in every garden and C[uinta, with a profusion whicli
spoke plainly how well soil and climate were adapted to
their growth. Indeed, they were quite common shrubs,
and appeared to flourish in every aspect, and to require
little care and attention ; and some fine specimens which
F. purchased, and sent home to England, w^ere selected
in a garden from an enormous stock of this graceful shrub
of all varieties and sizes, just as, in England, we might
choose amidst the innumerable species of the pine tribe,

136 A SPKING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

in replenishing our shrubberies from the nurv«ery gardener's
stores.

But in speaking of shrubs and trees I cannot do better
than introduce my readers at once to the luxuriant gar-
dens of the English chaplain, the Rev. Edward Whiteley,
whom we have to thank, not only for the most unbounded
hospitality, but for repeated acts of kindness and courtesy
shown us throughout our stay at Oporto, and for a large
amount of very valuable information regarding the less
frequented portions of northern and eastern Portugal, which
his long residence in the country, as well as his adventurous
spirit of exploring, and his ardent love of fine scenery
liave well qualified him to impart. Within the grounds
of this highly esteemed gentleman are congregated some
of the finest specimens of trees and shrubs which, I
make bold to say, are to be found in the world, within
so limited a space ; indeed, two of them, a tulip tree and
a magnolia, are amongst the sights of Oporto, which
strangers seldom fail to visit, even in this land of luxuriant
vegetation. Both are large forest trees, throwing out their
branches laterally with great vigour, well grown and still
growing, and overshadowing a wide extent of ground.
With the assistance of Mr. Whiteley, I took an accurate
measurement of these two trees, while F. took their
portraits with his camera. We found the tulip tree, at
three feet above the ground, to measure seventeen feet one
inch in circumference, while it attained an altitude of
ninety feet, and was literally covered with blossom. A
perennial spring of water trickled near its roots, and,
doubtless, this was the secret of its vigorous growth and
rapid increase. The magnolia tree was, perhaps, even
more extraordinary, as it extended over a larger area of
ground, and some of its branches were huge limbs. It
measures sixty feet in height, and thirteen feet four inches
in girth at three feet from its base. It is in the height of

OrORTO. 1.M7

its vigour, and is annually increasing, tbongh, during the
siege of Oporto, it was struck by a cannon ball, wbicli
inflicted a severe wound on the trunk, and threatened ex-
tensive damage. By judicious treatment, however, it has
recovered from the hurt, and, beyond an honourable scar,
which it will always carry, is none the worse for the hard
blow ; indeed, Mr. Whiteley confidently asserts that it is
the larofest maanolia in the world. The buds were swollen,
though no flowers were opened during the time of our
visit; but we could well believe its enthusiastic owner's
statement, with what delicious perfume the whole garden
would be scented, and what a noble spectacle it would be
when in full blossom, and no less than a hundred gigantic
flowers blooming at once upon the tree.

In the same garden grew a very fine Judas tree,^ a splen-
did pimento or pepper tree, some large shaddocks, and a
Japanese apple, the fruit of which we had bought at Coim-
bra under the name of nesperas^ though here it was known
as laconte. Here, too, camellias, of every variety of tint
and of great size, were abundant, while the garden was
bounded by a belt of cork trees, which offered a grateful
shade during the mid-day heat. I do not mention oranges,
because they abound in every part of Portugal, of a
size and flavour, and with a profusion, I have never seen
elsewhere. But I must remark on the Oporto strawberries,
which were very abundant in the market, and which we
saw in perfection at Mr. Whiteley's table; they are of
very large size, white in colour, and of excellent flavour,
though, in my judgment, not to be compared with their
exact contrasts, the diminutive, dark-red, mountain straw-
berries, which one meets with in Norway and Sweden.

It is not difficult to explain the cause of the luxuriant
vegetation we found in this favoured garden ; it is exactly

♦ The Ccrcis siUquai<trum, the traditional tree on which Judas hanged
imself : hence its Enrrlish name.

138 A SPRIXG TOUR IX TORTUGAL.

the same cause as that which produces an oasis in the
sterile desert. A trickling spring- bursting from the rock,
and conducted through the garden, is the secret which,
in this splendid climate, works wonders in the vegetable
world. And so we found tliroughout northern Portugal,
in the rich province of Minho, an abundance of water
was the true source of its fertility ; and as no district in
the country is so well furnished with brooks and streams,
so none other is so fruitful. Even the famous vines of
Traz-os-Montes, which notoriously can endure long con-
tinued drought, are at stated seasons carefully supplied
with water ; and, indeed I may close this botanical chapter
with the aphorism well known in the thirsty, Avater-loving,
water-drinking Peninsula, 'a perennial spring is the greatest
earthly gift which Grod bestows on man.'

139

CHAPTER XII.

UK AG A AND BOM JESUS.

The peovince of Mioho, which occupies the north-western
portion of Portugal, is notoriously by far the most beau-
tiful of all the six provinces into which that kingdom is
divided. The full title of this district is ^Entre Minho e
Douro,' inasmuch as it comprises the territory which lies
between those two rivers, as they flow towards the sea ; it
is also at once the most fertile and the most populous.
The whole province is formed entirely of granite, and there
is very little level ground throughout this district, but its
principal features are composed of a succession of well-
cultivated valle3^s and forest-clad hills, which towards the
eastern limits assume the size and character of wild and
lofty mountains. From these hills streams without num-
ber trickle, and, wandering through the vales, are the
main cause of the luxuriance and verdure which distin-
guish the province. Here, too, we meet with the forests
of a'isT^ntic oaks for which northern Portu^'al is famous ;
forests of fir and forests of chestnut, as well as the cork
and olive in great profusion.

We had from the first proposed to ourselves an excursion
into the heart of this inviting district, and we had not been
long in Oporto before we proceeded to make enquiry with
regard to roads and carriages, as we w^ere naturally anxious
to include within our circuit those portions which seemed
to promise the greatest attractions of scenery. But here

140 A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

we were baffled at the outset by the most contradictory
and at the same time the most positive opinions from
those whose advice we sought, and we had no sooner
resolved on a route which was strongly recommended by
some enthusiastic adviser, than it was loudly declared
wholly impracticable by another: and even the question
of the existence of roads at all (beyond the beaten track
from city to city, to which we by no means wished to
adhere) was warmly disputed.

Placed in this dilemma, and finding it impossible to
obtain reliable information, we abandoned our original
intention of hiring a carriage, whereby our free progress
would probably be considerably hampered, and determined
to begin the journey as far as Braga by public conveyance,
and be guided in our after-movements by intelligence we
received as we made our way from point to point. It was
well that we did so, for the road we subsequently travelled
came to an abrupt termination in the very heart of the
most charming scenery ; and had we been dependant on
wheels, we must have returned by the same route we had
pursued, a course in every case to be deprecated by the
traveller, but not to be thought of for a moment, when
wandering through the most lovely portions of Minho.
I should explain that the difficulty of obtaining informa-
tion on these points at Oporto arose, in great measure,
from the stationary habits of the Portuguese, who seldom
travel, and when they do leave home on business, either
pursue the time-honoured custom of their forefathers, of
journeying on horseback, or confine their wanderings be-
tween the large towns, where the formation of roads and
the establishment of so-called diligences have within the
last few years given them facilities to which, however, they
have not yet become accustomed. But besides this, so little
is the value of good roads understood, that some which
have been laid down at great expense and admirably

BRAG A AND BOAf JESUS. 141

formed have been already siiffered to get out of repair,
and are nearly useless for traffic.

But every allowance must be made for a people who
are only just beoinning to learn the use of wheels ; who,
within a comparatively recent period, possessed no roads at
all ; and who, within the memory of living men, knew no
other conveyance than the bullock-cart, which I was assured
by one informant he had himself seen in use in Oporto for
the conveyance of ladies to a dinner party. Even now the
coach service on the best of their roads is quite in its
infancy, and would by no means satisf}^ the expectations
of the English traveller with but an ordinary stock of
patience, as the sequel of our experience in Minho will
amply show.

We fixed on an early day in the week for our expedition,
and took our places outside the diligence for Guimaraens ;
and, well cautioned to present ourselves in good time at
the office, we had made a very early breakfast, and clam-
bered up the steep hills of the city, and at 5.45 a.m. pre-
sented ourselves at the starting-point. Here we were
amused to find our diligence, which was in reality a dimi-
nutive omnibus or sociable, drawn up in the street, loaded
with passengers ; the conductor in a nervous state of ex-
citement, awaiting our arrival, and all ready for the start,
with the trifling exception that no horses had hitherto
appeared on the scene. However, we were soon ushered
up to our seats, and our cargo being complete, after ten
minutes' patient waiting in that somewhat ridiculous posi-
tion, the horses were brought out, and as the clock struck
six, amidst a great deal of noise from coachman and
ostlers, and a loud smacking of whips, our sturdy team
started up the street at a gallop, rounded a corner with a
fearful lurch, and subsided at once into a mild trot, which
was little more than a walk, and from which we never
emerged again throughout the journey.

142 A SPmXG TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

As our sole object was to see the country, and enjoy the
views, we were certainly in nO hurry, and had no cause to
complain of the delay ; and yet, as we dragged on at four
miles an hour, and were passed' by strings of peasants on
their ambling mules and donkeys, and never made play
even on the most favourable ground, it became somewhat
tedious to crawl along the road at that snail's gallop, for
we did not yet understand that this is the custom of
Portugal ; and why should this new-fangled coach outstrip
the muleteer, the pedestrian, and the horseman, who
have always been contented to jog along at that sober
pace?*

The eastern suburbs of Oporto extended for a long dis-
tance, but did not impress us with their general cleanliness
or appearance of prosperity ; neither were the suburban
villas particularly deserving of notice. Much more to our
taste were the quintas and gardens and valleys and hills,
amidst which we soon found ourselves, when we had
shaken off the old city behind us, and were fairly emerged
into the country. Now we were in the heart of Minho's
beauties at once, and as we leisurely sauntered down the
long hills, and patiently crept up the interminable ascents,
we had ample time to admire the amazing luxuriance
which prevailed on all sides ; and to marvel at the splen-
did specimens of various forest trees, which in turn attrac-
ted oar attention. Then there were the vines trained to
pollarded oaks, after a manner we had never before seen
in any country ; there was the process of haymaking at
its height, the grass being cut after a novel fashion with
sickles, and very well and closely cut too ; tlie primitive
ploughs, drawn by four large oxen ; Indian corn being
sown broadcast, and some already sprouting ; the rye

* ' The rate of postal travelling in Great Britain is about thirty miles an
hour ; and in Portugal three miles an hour.'— Forrester's Prize Essay on
Portugal. London, 1854. Page 4o.

BRAGA AXD IJOAf JESUS. 14^

nearly ripe; the wheat begiiiuing to turn colour ; and all
this in the early part of May, while the scorching sun
shone down upon our heads with a fierceness unknown in
more northern latitudes ; so that there was no lack of
objects to interest us in our leisurely journey through
Minho.

Neither must I forget the occasional halts to change
horses at the road-side inns, where port wine of extra-
ordinary excellence was the general beverage consumed ;
and though it seemed strange to be sipping port wine at
a pothouse at an early hour on a brilliant morning, we
thought it well to follow the adage of doing at Eome as
the Eomans do, and we too imbibed the port after the
example of our fellow-passengers.

But now we found that our five horses were crawlino-
over the ground so leisurely, that if we followed our
original intention, of making a detour by Guimaraens, on
our way to Braga, we should not reach that city till late
in the afternoon, which would not at all square with our
arrangements. So when we reached the bifurcation,
whence the roads branch respectively to the two towns
above-named, we transferred ourselves to the carriao-e for
Braga direct, and abandoned the intention of visiting'-
Guimaraens. Even then we consumed nearly eight hours
in accomplishing the journey of thirty miles; and not-
withstanding the lovely scenery, we were heartily glad to
reach the long straggling suburbs of the dull old town of
Braga, and to traverse the streets of that large slumbering
city, the fourth in the kingdom in point of population,
though assuredly the last in enterprise and trade, if one
might judge from the superficial aspect it presents to the
traveller.

We found tolerable lodging and very indifferent food at
the Hospedaria ' Estrella do Norte,' and after dinner and
a siesta, we sallied forth to explore the city and its churches,

144 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

on which I have nothing to remark beyond the fact, that
we witnessed a peculiar and very elaborate religious cere-
mony within the church of Santa Cruz, which was highly
decked for the occasion, and thronged with a crowd which
extended beyond the doors far into the street.

Then we passed through the spacious Campo Santa
Anna, and made the pilgrimage on foot to the famous
sanctuary of Bom Jesus, distant one league from Braga,
and conspicuously perched on the top of a hill. This is
the great attraction for Portuguese pilgrims: no less re-
sorted to by the inhabitants of that country than the
shrine of S. lago of Compostella by Spaniards, the shrine
of Einsiedeln by the Swiss, and the House of our Lady of
Loreto by Italians ; indeed, it has been declared that no
devout Portuguese can die in peace unless he has, at
some period of his life, visited this national sanctuary.

^\e had heard a great deal of the elaborate stations
leading up to the church, and of the representations, in
painted figures of wood as large as life, of the scenes of
our blessed Lord's Passion, as displayed in the several
chapels conducting up the hill to the summit ; and we had
expected to see a counterpart of the famous terra cotta
figures of a similar size and with a like object, which the
tourist amongst the southern slopes of the Alps recollects
on the Sacro Monte at Varallo in Piedmont : but when,
after a hot and dusty walk, we reached this highly extolled
sanctuary, whose merits the natives never cease to praise
with rapturous enthusiasm, we were as much surprised as
disappointed to find such wretched caricatures of the holy
scenes as were positively grotesque, and, but for the
reverence shown towards them by the people, would be
perfectly ridiculous.

Now I am by no means disposed to cavil at any device
which may assist the devotion of the unlettered ; and I
conclude that these ill-formed, ill-dressed models serve the

BRACJA AND BOM JKSUS. 145

purpose for which they were intended, inaRmuch as thoy
liave certainly attracted the general admiration of th(3
Portuguese people : but it is almost inconceivable that,
amidst a lavish expense of well-built chapels, wide stone
staircases, deeply carved balustrades, and elaborate foun-
tains, which extend from the bottom of the hill to the
church on the top, the designers of the representations
should be contented with such paltry figures, at the sight
of which, notwithstanding the solemnity of the scenes in-
tended to be depicted, it is almost impossible to repress a
smile. At Varallo, on the contrary, the figures are not
only generally well modelled, but many of them are really
creditable works of art ; and some of the scenes repre-
sented are so life-like as quite to startle one by the vivid-
ness with which the facts they recall are brought before
the mind. At the same time it must not be forgotten,
that in every nation, to the uneducated mind, wholly
ignorant of art, the veriest daub will pass for a splendid
picture, and, after all, the scenes at Bom Jesus are little,
if at all, inferior to kindred representations in some other
lands. Thus in Bavaria, I have at Christmas seen the
* Christ-kind,' as it is called, or the Nativity of the Holy
Child in the stable, with all the accompaniments of ox and
ass, represented in Munich (the home of the arts) with no
little familiarity. At Mentone, I have witnessed on Good
Friday the Burial of our Blessed Lord, enacted with a
coarseness that was quite revolting, while at the neigh-
bouring town of Monaco a far more elaborate ceremonial
is annually introduced, exemplifying the entire history of
the Passion of our Saviour, but all in so homely and
familiar a style as to strike the unaccustomed stranger
with disgust, and appear to him a burlesque closely bor-
dering on the blasphemous ; though so far from shocking
the national mind, I have seen these coarse representations

L

146 A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

draw tears from the eyes of the kneeling and adoring
people.

This remarkable religious representation, reminding one
of the ' miracle plays,' or * mysteries ' of the Middle Ages,
appears to be so little known in England, and at the
same time is so likely to be discontinued, that I have
thought it might be interesting to append a brief account
of the scenes enacted ; which I prefer to record in French,
and for that purpose have extracted the following descrip-
tion, partly from a printed programme which I obtained on
the spot, and partly from the Journal de Nice of March
28, 1864.

' La procession du Vendredi- Saint avait attire a Monaco une
affluence considerable d'etrangers et de population des localites
avoisinantes. Cette procession frappe toujours les etrangers par
la naivete de sa raise en scene, et malgre eux ils se sentent pris
de respect pour les gens du pays qui ont conserve cette vieille
tradition des mysteres.

1. En tete de la procession marchait un centurion a cbeval avec
ses gardes.

2. Venaient ensuite le porteur du coupable pommier, Adam,
five, et I'Ange, representes par de jolis petits cherubins de huit
a dix ans.

3. L'Ange et la Vierge. (L'Annonciation.)

4. Saint Jean.

5. Jesus au jardin des Oliviers, et I'Ange lui presentant le
calice.

6. Les trois Apotres, compagnons de Jesus.

7. Jesus sorti du jardin des Oliviers.

8. Judas avec des soldats et des Juifs.

y. Saint Pierre coupant Toreille a un des serviteurs des
grands pretres.

10. Le coq.

11. Herode avec ses serviteurs et ses gardes.

12. Jesus, les mains liees derrlere le dos, entoure de gardes.

13. Les pontifes.

14. Jc^^us attache a la colonne, ceux qui le frnppent, et celui
qui lui donne des soufflets.

JiTlMiA AND BOM JESUS. 147

15. Ecce Homo et les gardes.

16. Ponce-Pilate se lavaut Ics mains.

17. L'Ange portant la croix.

18. Los portcurs de rccliellc, dcs clous, des tenaillcs et dcB
martcaux.

19. Jesns portant la croix et sainte Veronique a cote de lui.

20. Le Cireneo et les sacrificateurs.

21. Les vetements de N.-S. joiies au sort.

22. Le Crucifix en croix, et celui qui lui perce le cocur.

23. Les Madeleines et FAnge du calice recueillant les gouttes
du sang qui decoule du coeur de N.-S. J.-C.

24. Les trois Apotres portant le linceul.

25. Les docteurs et sainte Catherine.

26. Les Anges et les Saints precedant le corps de N.-S. J.-C.

27. Le corps de N.-S. escorte par les Juifs, ayant aleur tete le
porte-drapeau a cheval.

28. Les chantres et la musique.

29. Les Apotres.

30. La Sainte Vierge et les trois Maries accompagnees par les
prieuresses.

31. Le chapelain et les prieurs de la confrerie.

L'attention de la foule etait concentree principalement sur le
costume des Juifs, beaucoup plus soigne que celui des autres
personnages ; elle se portait aussi sur I'excellente physionomie de
Ponce-Pilate, qui se lavait les mains en homme qui s'y connait.
Les acteurs charges de representer Notre- Seigneur dans le cor-
tege nous ont paru s'eloigner considerablement des peintures
religieuses que nous ont laissees les grands maitres.'

The above brief enumeration of the scenes represented
at Monaco shows with tolerable accuracy the kind of rude
religious drama still annually exhibited at that and other
favoured places on the lovely Riviera. But such repre-
sentations are not confined to the north of the Pyrenees.
During Lent of last year a friend wrote me word from
Barcelona, that he had just witnessed a miracle play at
the Liceo, which was a most extraordinary performance,
bein'T nothin^: else than a onystery of the Passion of o'u'

I. 2

148 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

Blessed Lord, admirably performed by a first-rate operatic
company, while lie describes the acting and scenic effects,
especially that of the Crucifixion with the darkening of the
sun and rising of the dead, as perfectly wonderful ; and
the singing of a supposed chorus of angels as exquisite :
and he adds, that the representants of our Lord and our
Lady looked just as if they had walked straight out of one
of Murillo's pictures. This was undoubtedly a refined
adaptation of the rude miracle play of the oNIiddle Ages to
the tastes and feelings of the inhabitants of a large Spanish
city in the nineteenth century, though to our English
ideas such a representation at all seems quite shocking and
profane ; but my friend tells me that the audience at Bar-
celona, on the whole, behaved well, and some were even
moved to tears.

To a still greater extent, but with far more homeliness,
is carried the periodical performance, though at wide in-
tervals of ten years between each representation, of the
' Ammergau Mystery ' in the Tyrol, which is described, by
those of our countrymen who have witnessed it, as some-
thing quite shocking and repulsive to the English mind ;
though, countenanced and indeed directed as it is by the
ecclesiastics of the district, we cannot doubt that it has the
effect intended, of rekindling the faith of the people, and
bringing home to their understandings, and stamping on
their hearts vivid impressions of some of the most striking
events in the Passion of our Blessed Lord. Indeed, such
is very much the verdict of an unexceptionable witness of
the last representation in 1860, no other, we believe, than
Dean Stanley, who, after a graphic description of the
whole performance, sums up his reflections upon it as
follows :* ' Any person interested in national religious
education must perceive the effect of such a life-like repre-

* ' The Ammergau 3Iystery or Sacred Drama of I860,' by a Spectator :
Macmillan's Magazine, October 1860, pp. 463-477.

BRAG A AND BOM JKSUS. 149

sentation of the words and facts of the Bible in brinmnf
them home to the minds, if not the hearts, of the people.
To those who believe that, the Bible, and especially the
Gospel history, has a peculiarly elevating and purifyintr
efifect, beyond any other religious or secular books, it w^ill
be a satisfaction to know that thousands of Grerman pea-
sants have carried away, graven on* their memories, not a
collection of medieval or mythological legends, but the
chief facts and doctrines both of the Old and New Testa-
ment, with an exactness such as would be vainly sought in
the masses of our poorer population.' Again: ' any intelli-
gent spectator at this scene will feel it to be a signal
example of the infinite differences which, even with regard
to subjects of the most universal interest, divide the feel-
ings and thoughts of nations and Churches from each other,
and of the total absurdity and endless mischief of trans-
posing to one phase of mind what belongs exclusively to
another. We Englishmen are not more reverential than
an audience of Bavarian or TjTolese rustics : probably we
are much less so. But from long engrained habit, from
the natural reserve and delicacy of a more northern and a
more civilized people, from the association of those out-
ward exhibitions of sacred subjects with a Church disfigured
by superstition and intolerance, we naturally regard as
impious what these simple peasants regard as devout and
edif3dng. The more striking is the superstition, the more
salutary its effects on those for whom it was intended ; the
more forcibly we may be ourselves impressed in witnessing
it, so much the more pointedly instructive does the lesson
become, of the utter inapplicability of such a performance
to other times and places than its own.'

All this, doubtless, applies equally well to the scenes
represented at Bom Jesus : and I have made this long di-
gression upon kindred displays in other lands, because I
desire to point out that this method of instruction is by no

150 A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

means peculiar to Portugal; nor are the rude scenes so
coarsely and even grotesquely exhibited here, any mark of
profanity or irreverence. In short, it must be remembered,
that where the more correct taste and cold decorum of the
educated Englishman suspects profanity and irreverence,
the more simple mind of the impulsive untaught South-
erner gazes on a scetfe which strikes him with awe, and
inspires him with feelings of devotion and adoration : and
as such we need not hesitate to believe that the strange
figures of Bom Jesus, resorted to by rich and poor through-
out Portugal, and gazed at with tearful eyes and stricken
hearts, prove a valuable help to the pilgrims, in concen-
trating their attention on the holy exercises of faith and
devotion they have come hither to follow out. Then
again, it must not be forgotten that this is a relic of an
old national custom ; for, first of all nations to introduce
the sacred mystery or miracle play was Portugal. Spain
very early followed eagerly in the wake,* and very soon
these rude dramatic representations became popular
throughout Europe ; but the honour, if honour it be, is
due to one Gril Vicente, a Portuguese, who by his autos
or spiritual dramas, totally unlike any regular plays, and
very rude both in design and execution, led the way to the
mysteries which prevailed to so great an extent, were so
liable to degenerate into profanity, and were in consequence
so often proscribed daring the fifteenth and sixteenth

centuries.!

But, however paltry and disappointing in an artistic
sense, the chapels leading up to the pilgrimage church, we
were amply repaid for our toilsome walk by the magnifi-
cent view which was gradually unfolded to our gaze, as we
climbed higher and higher towards the top. And though
we were not impressed with the solemnity of the repre-

* Preseott's Reif/n of Ferdinand and Isahella, vol. ii. p. 20Q.
t llallam's Literature of EurojK, vol. i. pp. 263, 442.

BRAGA AND BOM JKSUS. lol

sentations, nor halted at every successive station, in ad-
Tniration of the scenes disphiyed within ; we certainly
revSted at the brink of the many fountains which garnish
the massive flights of steps, and gazed long and ardently
on the extensive view of mountain and valley which was
displayed before us from this elevated spot. It was,
indeed, an exceedingly noble prospect, for beyond the
wooded hills towards the north and east, we now for the
first time saw the lofty' and rugged mountains of Gerez,
which are allowed to form the wildest, the most inaccessi-
ble, and the most romantic portion of the kingdom. Few
travellers penetrate into these fastnesses, or scale the
granite rocks which seem to bar all further progress to the
north-east: for as there* are no guides to point out the
path, no chalets or hospices for rest and refreshment, as in
the Swiss and Tyrolean Alps, he must be a practised and
enthusiastic mountaineer, and of an adventurous spirit,
who cares to push on amidst those unfrequented moun-
tains, and explore their almost unknown heights.

To the sportsman, however, and, above all, to the na-
turalist, who is strong and hardy enough to scorn all
creature comforts, and to brave the elements, and delights
to rough it in the true spirit of a mountaineer, these un-
trodden wilds must be quite enchanting. For here is
the home of the wolf, which is still very abundant in Por-
tugal ; so numerous, indeed, in some parts of this country,
that the inhabitants find it quite impossible to keep sheep :
and of the depredations, ferocity, and even boldness of
this destructive beast we heard many accounts from
those who had encountered it, and in the museum at
Coimbra we had seen several gigantic specimens from these
mountains. One gentleman recounted to us how he had
been followed in winter by one of these hungry animals,
which drew nearer and nearer, and evidently sought to
take him at a disadvantage; but by facing round suddenly.

152 ' A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

and showing a bold front, he at length succeeded in scaring
the creature away. This was corroborated b}^ another
gentleman, who was pursued on one occasion in Spain
daring a snow storm by a pack of five or six, and who
thought himself fortunate to escape by taking refuge in a
venta, which chanced to be near the spot.

Amidst the mountains, and in the valleys of the Gerez,
also dwells the wild boar, which is the prince of ground
game in Portugal, as the bustard stands at the head of the
feathered list, and of which we had heard many a hunting
exploit, and whose shaggy forms and formidable tusks we
had also admired at Coimbra. One of our informants
assured us he had killed several which had weighed over
twelve score pounds ; they will rim at great speed for ten
or twelve miles, but in Portugal they are never followed
by mounted sportsmen as in India, but are simply roused
from their retreats, and shot. When wounded and at
bay, they are not to be approached by dog or man with
impunity, for the wounds they inflict with their long, sharp
tusks are often so severe as to cause the death of the rash
assailant, whether canine or human.

Another wild animal which inhabits these desolate
mountains is the southern or pardine lynx {lyncus par-
dinus), which must not be confused with the common
European lynx {lyncus virgatus), which I have seen
brought down by a hunter from the maritime Alps above
Nice ; but this is a far more handsome animal, spotted
like a leopard, and withal a savage cruel beast, partaking
of the nature of the wild cat, but even fiercer as well as
larger and stronger than that daring marauder. Here too,
as I am informed, may be occasionally found the beautiful
and graceful genett {genetta tigrina), an active, supple-
limbed, nocturnal marauder, which stealthily surprises its
victims on the ground and on the trees, where it is equally
at home.

BKA(iA ANT) BOM JESUS. 153

But the o-reat prize, par excellence, of the wild moun-
tiiiiis of Gerez, wliich the sportsman will risk life and limb
to obtain, is the ibex, wild goat, bouquetin, or izzard
(caj^ra Ihcx), which may be described generally as a sort
of reddish-coloured chamois, the most wary and the most
active of its tribe, which frequents the nearly inaccessible
heights of the mountains, and is as difficult to hunt as the
chamois of the Alps. There was also a rumour that an
occasional specimen of the moiiflon, or large wild sheep,
miffht be met with in these mountain solitudes : but after
diligent enquiry, I am obliged to conclude that the report
had no foundation in fact ; and that if this animal exists
in the Peninsula at all, it is confined to the wilder portion
of the Pyrenees, to which the bear, once so common in
northern Portugal as well as Spain, is now restricted.

I have been tempted into this digression on the wild
animals to be met with in the Grerez mountains, by the
glorious view we enjoyed of that romantic district, as we sat
at the fountains of the pilgrimage chapel of Bom Jesus ;
and it was not till the shades of evening began to draw in,
that w^e descended the hill, and strolled leisurely back to
Braga.

A very early start on the following morning in another
diminutive diligence, drawn by two mules, and an exceed-
ingly hot drive on one of the most scorching days I ever
remember, through a rich country of surpassing loveliness,
over wooded hills, and amidst smiling valleys, brought us
at mid-day to the town of Ponte do Lima, where we were
glad to adopt the national custom of a siesta after an
early dinner, a luxury which is duly appreciated by
those who begin their journey at the peep of day, and
crawl along a dusty road with provoking slowness under
the direct rays of a burning sun.

154 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE RIVEK LIMA AND VIANNA.

PoNTE DO Lima is a small town of no architectural pre-
tensions, but of true Portuguese type ; with lofty houses,
extremely narrow tortuous streets, and all to baffle and
keep out that persistent intruder, the scorching sun. It
is situated, as its name implies, on the banks of the Lima,
and also commemorates the remarkable fact that it pos-
sesses a bridge across that stream, which is indeed an
honourable peculiarity in this country. It is said, more-
over, to be placed in the centre of the most beautiful
scenery for which the Lima is distinguished, and some
authors have been so carried away with ecstacy at its
position, as to declare that language fails to describe its
charms.

In my humble opinion these are somewhat exaggerated
sentiments of approval ; and it is enough to say that the
town is pleasantly placed on the margin of a very pretty
river, whilst the verdant hills which slope away from its
banks, and the rugged mountains in the background, com-
plete the picture very satisfactorily.

We had hoped to strike the river at a much higher
point, by taking the diligence to Os Arcos, but we were
deterred by the impossibility of ascertaining, with any
degree of certainty, whether, in the event of there being-
no road from that point to Ponte do Lima, which was also

THE RIVER LIMA AND VIAXXA. 155

a disputed matter, we could make our way down the upper
part of the river during the present season of low water.
It was well that we did not make the attempt, for no sort
of road connects the two towns, and there was not -^vater
enough in the Lima to render the passage of boats prac-
ticable far above our present point. However, we em-
ployed the afternoon on the day of our arrival in ascending
in a little flat-bottomed punt as far as we could, under the
guidance of two boys, who were evidently somewhat alarmed
at their unusual occupation of conducting two foreigners
into those little-frequented reaches above the bridge ; and
it required all our powers of argument, and even threats,
in plain English as well as in our best Portuguese, to pre-
vent those timid urchins from turning the boat homewards
before we had explored the upper river to our satisfaction :
and as it was, we disembarked at the end of our voyage
long before sunset, having penetrated but a very short
distance in the direction of the eastern hills. The dis-
tino-uishinor features of the Lima seemed to be its tran-

O O

quillity and peace. It was on a splendid evening, succeeding
a very scorching day, that we lazily and very slowly as-
cended its stream, stretched at ease on green boughs at
the bottom of our boat, which was of the roughest descrip-
tion, and altogether guiltless of seats. The current was
of the feeblest, and the water as clear as crystal, and for
the most part exceedingly shallow. The air was soft and
gentle, and the only sound which met our ears arose from
the hoarse croaking of the frogs, or the splash of some
rising fish ; and it was certainly a most enjoyable termina-
tion to the day's journey, thus to follow the upward course
of this meandering river, so placidly wending its way
amidst the luxuriant meadows and wooded hills, and we
anticipated with great delight our voyage of the morrow,
which would occupy the whole day in descending the
river to Yianna : and for which we had bespoken accom-

156 A SrRIXG TOUR IX rORTUGAL.

modation in one of the boats laden with grain, several of
which every day drop down the river to that town.

Accordingly, at an early hour of the following morning
we laid in stores of provision for the day, consisting of
sundry rolls of excellent bread, and a bottle of very su-
perior port wine. In addition to this, we expended the
sum of twenty reis, or one penny sterling, in the purchase
of a large supply of oranges, and an equally extravagant
sum in a small mountain of cherries, wherewith to beguile
ourselves on board, but which we found it very difficult to
convey to the boat, and which we could by no means con-
sume, though we had but little else to do during our ten
hours' voyage. Our vessel was large, flat-bottomed, fur-
nished with a mast and a single square sail ; loaded with
bags of maize, and manned by a crew consisting of two
men and two women. These good people grievously
cheated us, by imposing upon us a fare which was at least
three times the ordinary charge ; but as they had carefully
arranged the corn sacks for our accommodation, arid thus
provided eligible couches ; as they had, in addition, built a
bower of branches above our heads to act as an awning ;
as, moreover, the whole expense at last for this day's
journey, and for a distance of some seven or eight leagues,
amounted to but four stuiids or twenty vhiteni, as these
north country people term it, but in ordinary ciuTency
400 reis, equivalent to tenpence English each, we thought
the bargain on our side was not so very ridiculous, after
all ; and though the extortion was bare-faced, for three-
pence was the universal fare, we could not find it in our
hearts to grumble, but, on the contrary, laughed mth our
tyrants at the imposition by which they had so shamefully
victimised us.

We began our voyage gallantly, for a gentle breeze was
stirring, and our large sail was set; and though I cannot
say that we flew before the gale, which would have been

. THE RIVER LIMA ASD VIA.VXA. 167

a rate of progress altogether hostile to Portuguese habits,
and certainly quite inharmonious with the gentle move-
ments of the Lima, we must have made at least a mile and
a quarter within the first half-hour, which was a rate of
progress we never again attained, for then the wind
dropped, and our sail hung loose and idle ; and though we
all whistled at proper intervals, and courted the breeze in
every other orthodox manner known to sailors of all lands,
it was to no purpose ; and if a slight breath of air gave us
momentary hopes of more rapid advance, as it did occa-
sionally, it always died away again in a few moments, and
left us to float with the stream with what patience we
could command. Now, the river Lima is for the most
part exceedingly shallow, as I have already observed, and
extends over a very broad bed, and is often divided into
several streams by immense sand-banks, which at this sea-
son stand out, broad and dry, over large areas, but which
betoken the occasional descent of a large body of water
after the winter rain, and the change which can, under such
circumstances, come over the spirit of even the gentle
Lima, and the ungovernable fury into which even that
usually so placid river can be lashed. So it is sometimes
with men of the most amiable disposition : the sky may
become overcast, the storm may gather in the mountains,
and the evenly-flowing quiet temper may be roused into a
furious torrent of passion ; to subside again as quickly,
when the cloud has passed away, and the sun shines forth
again in an atmosphere generally so serene and fair. As
far as our experience extended, the Lima was uniformly
gentle, and the great difficulty which our crew experienced
was to find a channel deep enough for our heavily-laden
though flat-bottomed barge. Sometimes the main current
ran under one bank, sometimes under the other, but very
seldom in the midst of the river's bed. For a considerable
distance our course lay beneath the southern bank, which

158 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL..

was fringed with overhanging trees and bushes, whicli
dipped their branches into the water. Here we lowered
our mast and sail ; made all snug beneath the bulwarks of
our boat, and crew and passengers crouched down beneath
the protecting sides : and so in the deep water and in a
stream more than ordinarily rapid, regardless of aught
else, we fought our way through the superincumbent
boughs, and lay still at the bottom of our vessel, until an
ano^le of the river diverted the current to the other side ;
where for a short distance the same scene was enacted over
again. But soon the deep stream beneath the overhanging
bushes was left behind, and the river had become spread
out over a wider surface, and the water was proportionately
more shallow, and the sandbanks more extensive. Then
beoan the real difficulties of the navigation of the Lima,
which continued till we reached Vianna. Then, too, be-
gan the exercise of patience to passengers, who could do
nothing but wait quietly and look on, though this was
certainly no great hardship, on a most brilliant cloudless
day, and in the midst of lovely scenery.

There had been a singularly dry season throughout
Portugal for several months ; indeed, a drought seemed
imminent, and a general failure of the crops was appre-
hended from the absence of the rains at a very critical
season : so much was this the case, that processions had
been parading the streets, and prayers had been offered up
in the churches of Lisbon and Oporto for rain. So the
river Lima was unusually dry at this moment, and its
stream was in many places fordable, and we saw bullock
carts, as well as men and women with heavy burdens on
their heads, wading knee-deep across its bed. Hence
there was often a difficulty in pushing our clumsy boat
over the shallows ; and though our boatmen at the bow
and stern worked hard with their long poles, and were ably
seconded by the women, they could not always scrape their

THE RIVER LIMA AND VIANXA. l.GO

craft over the sand ; but again and again we heard the dis-
agreeable grating sound beneath our feet to which we had
become well accustomed in Egypt, and which always pro-
claimed that we were hard and fast upon a sandbank : and
then, like the Arabs on the Nile, the whole crew, male and
female, went over the side into the water, and with backs
to the boat, tried by main force to urge her over the im-
peding bar. Generally, but not without considerable delay
and hard work, their efforts were successful: but some-
times a more obstinate shallow than usual would baffle all
their attempts, and then they would dig in the sand with
a wooden scoop they carried for the purpose, till they had
deepened a sufficient channel before the boat ; and in this
work two or more crews would sometimes combine (for
other grain boats followed close upon our wake), and then
the united efforts of many hands would force each vessel
over the difficulty, and we would continue our course, till
arrested again by another mishap like the last.

Thus we continued to crawl down the river, now float-
ing with the stream, now punting slowly over the sand-
banks; and for a dozen times or more our gallant crew
must have jumped overboard, and extricated us from the
shallows ; moreover the towers of Vianna, and the masts of
the ships in the harbour of that port had long been visible
in the horizon, and we were contemplating a speedy arrival,
when on a sudden and with a swifter current than usual
we grounded with such an impetus as to make our delay
unmistakable, but the period of our detention and the
time of our release in the highest degree problematical.
Hitherto, I must do our boatmen and boatwomen the jus-
tice to say, they had worked manfully and well, but now
at this last mishap they lost courage ; and after a few feeble
attempts to push off, and a good deal of wandering in
various directions down the stream in the vain hope of
finding a better channel, they gave it up in despair, re-

160: A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

turned to the boat, sat down and smoked their cigarettes ;
and then came to us with the cool proposal that we should
wade through the shallows some thirty or forty yards to
the bank, and walk to the town, with our baggage in our
hands ; as they signified their intention of waiting as they
were some five or six hours for the tide. This invitation,
however, we resolutely declined, declaring our firm inten-
tion, like true mariners as we were, of sticking to our ship
to the last: and then we urged them to renewed exertions,
and pointed out another boat which chanced to lay near,
whereby they might lighten the cargo, lessen the draught,
and so float off their own vessel into deeper water once
more. With this advice they at length complied ; trans-
ferred a portion of their heavy bags of maize to the empty
boat; then by dint of great exertions worked their own
vessel over the shallow ; re-embarked the corn ; and,
though the female portion of our crew had long since de-
serted us, and we had seen them march off to the tow^n
with large bundles on their heads, w^ithin little more than
an hour we were beyond the sandbank, and floating away
merrily down the stream to Vianna.

Such was the navigation of the Lima, as we had ex-
perienced it at low water : but unusually protracted as was
the voyage, and though undoubtedly slow was our progress,
we thoroughly enjoyed it, and far preferred it to both dili-
crence and raihvay for comfort and ease. Then we were
in the heart of the best scenery of Portugal : we could not
raise our eyes towards the banks without seeing a combina-
tion of well-wooded hills and fertile valleys, which pro-
duced the most joyous landscape ; while, looking back up
the course of the stream, we found the east bounded by
lofty mountains, towering above which and ever in sight,
rose the lordly Outeiro Major, which ranks amidst its
brethren as the highest peak in Portugal, not to be out-
topped by the famous summits of the Estrellas. I have

THE RIVER LIMA AND VIANXA. !«!

already said that the day was delicious, one of those bright,
balmy days in early suiniiicr, when to bask in the warm
sunshine, and to breathe the pure air, was positive enjoy-
ment. Then the atmosphere was redolent of the perfume
of the rose and the honeysuckle, with which the banks
of the Lima are sometimes fringed ; and from the thick
coppices a chorus of nightingales charmed us, as we floated
by their retreats.

And so from early morning to the shades of evening, we
gently floated down the river. It was a luxurious, lazy
mode of travel, but the monotony in such a scene was not
unpleasant, and we certainly carried out the dolce far
niente system through the live-long day. Here we were
* lotus-eating ' on tlie lima, which was long: aofo known to

o -' O CD

the Romans as the Lethe of Lusitania, and was supposed to
be as effectual as that famous river of Tartarus, for pro-
ducing oblivion of home and family, through the lovely
scenery which bounded its banks, and was on that account
dreaded by the superstitious soldiers of the Empire, as if
any contact with it must inevitably prevent their return
home. Upon us, however, it had no such effect; but on
the contrary, when we set foot on its banks at the end
of our voyage, our farthest limit was attained : and from
thence we turned round, and proceeded homewards, with a
circuitous route indeed, but as expeditiously as possible.

We found Vianna do Castello an old-fashioned city of
narrow streets, small squares, and with a considerable popu-
lation crowded into a confined space. As a sea-port at
the mouth of the Lima, it is a place of considerable trade,
and there was an air of activity and bustle amidst its
inhabitants, which is not to be found in the cities of the
interior. Before reaching the quay where we disembarked,
we passed under one of the arches of the longest wooden
bridge I had ever seen ; and I say this advisedly, though
I do not forget the covered bridges of Lucerne : but here

M

162 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

the viaduct is carried on arches, not only across the ex-
tended bed of the river, but for a considerable distance
over the plain, on the southern bank, which is often inun-
dated, when the Lima is swollen by heavy rain from the
mountains. It derives its name ' Vianna ' or * Viana ' from
a corruption of the original title Diana, to the worship of
which goddess this town on the extreme west was once as
addicted as was the more renowned city Ephesus in the
eastern portion of the Eoman Empire : and it received in
latter years the distinctive addition do Castello from the
strong fort which commands the entrance of the river, and
at the same time protects the city ; and which did good
service to the Government in the last insurrectionary
troubles, of which this unhappy kingdom has borne its full
share.

There are several interesting churches here, which de-
serve the attention of the architect ; but for these I will
again refer my readers to the Handbook, which exhausts
all that can be said on this head. There is also a primi-
tive fish market on the quay, which is worth a visit from
the icthyologist, as well for the copious supply and the
variety as for the strange forms of some of the fish, which
he will meet with here ; but, indeed, Portugal is es-
pecially favoured in this respect, and the whole coast
swarms with fish, while many of the rivers contain aii
abundant and apparently inexhaustible supply of the
species which frequent fresh water.

We found good accommodation at the Hotel Viannense,
and after strolling about the town and its outskirts, w^e
began to make enquiry for a diligence, to convey us on the
following day to Oporto ; but we found, to our dismay, that
the two public coaches which daily plied between this
town and the northern capital left Vianna late in the
afternoon, and travelled all night, as is so generally the
case in southern countries. Now, this did not at all meet

THE MW'VM LIMA AND VIAXNA. IH:]

n\ir requirements, iiiasmuch as we specially desired to see
the beautiful country tliroiif,di wliich our route lay; and
moreover, I was bound to reach Oporto on the evening of
the follovvinu^ day, which was Saturday, as I had engaii^ed to
preach at the English church in that city on the Sunday
morning; so we renewed our application at the public
office, and persuaded the very obliging clerk in charge
(what would certainly never have been listened to for a
moment in any less primitive country) to send round to all
the passengers who were booked for the following after-
noon for Oporto, and invite them to start at an early hour
in the morning instead. Tliis was, in fact, carried out, as
there was no objection raised by any of our most accom-
modating fellow-travellers ; and late in the evening, a
message was brought to our hotel, that all had been
arranged according to our desire, and one of the public
coaches would start the following morning at 4 a.m.
This was indeed taking us at our word, and we had hardly
bargained for so early a move : however, we were on the
alert at 3, and after a rapid breakfast of biscuits and
milk, we were out in the square before the diligence office
at a quarter to 4, where we found several other sleepy
passengers assembled, but no vestige of coach or horses.
We all walked up and down in the bright starlight,
grumbled and waited, and in half an hour were informed
by a hostler that 5 was the hour fixed for the start, but that,
in order to ensure punctuality on the part of the passen-
gers, it was usual to name an earlier hour. This expla-
nation was not calculated to pacify our indignation, but as
our Portuguese friends received the information placidly,
and merely shrugged their shoulders in reply, we imitated
their example, and walked about for another half-hour.
During this time a church bell attracted our notice, and
on making our way in the direction to which the bell
guided us, we were surprised to find at that early hour,

164 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

while it was still dark, a considerable congregation assem-
bled for the first mass, which was celebrated at half-past
4, for the accommodation of those whose business re-
quired their attendance before daybreak, but whose praise-
worthy sense of duty urged them to a yet earlier religious
exercise.

We had secured the two seats on the box, and all the

passengers had been ushered into their respective places

some ten minutes before 5, precisely as we had been

marshalled at Oporto, and then the mules were brought

out, and we made a most imposing start with a clatter, a

dash, and a noise, worthy of the occasion, and should

certainly have created quite a sensation amidst the

lookers-on at Vianna, if it was not for the slight drawback

that it was dark, and moreover that there were no idle

gazers at that early hour in the morning ; and so our

three mules galloped in reckless haste through the town,

but pulled up into a walk as we approached the long bridge

which we had to cross, and thenceforward our pace was

destined to be of the most crawling, lugubrious description

imaginable. We had a day's journey of just forty-five miles

to accomplish, and we were fifteen hours en route, and as we

made but very few and very short halts by the way, our pace

was positively but three miles in the hour. Now, we were

not particularly impatient, because the day was extremely

fine and hot, and the scenery remarkably pretty, but it

was somewhat trying to British endurance, as we wandered

on mile after mile, on level ground, up hill and down a

gentle declivity at a foot's pace, the six inside passengers

fast asleep, notwithstanding the jolting of our carriage ; our

three outside fellow-passengers fast asleep, and in imminent

danger of rolling off the top, where they were unprotected

by a rail ; our driver fast asleep, with his head sunk down

on his chest, and the reins coiled round his arm ; the three

mules fast asleep, as they crawled on mechanically, with

THE RIVER LIMA AXI) VI ANNA. 16.5

noses drooped very near to the ground : and it was the
more provoking, because it seemed to us, who were not
accustomed to such a rough siesta, and who were wide
awake all the time, as if those especial portions of the road
which offered the best opportunities for expedition were
selected for the most prolonged periods of the deepest
slumber. Perhaps it will be thought that we should have
done more wisely to follow the general example, and sleep
away those weary hours of the journey too; but not only
should we have found such an attempt difficult to accom-
plish, but it must be remembered that we were on our
route through the length of beautiful Minho, whose char-
ming scenery we had expressly come to admire. More-
over, our road was not generally conducive to slumber,
by reason of the many and deep holes with which it was
plentifully beset. Indeed, the contrast between the lavish
expense with which the road had evidently of late years
been made, and the lamentable state into which, for want
of ordinary repair, it had been already allowed to fiill,
was a never-ceasing marvel to us, throughout that jour-
ney. Not, however, that this was peculiar to the high-
way between Vianna and Oporto ; we had made the same
remark on every road we had traversed in Portugal ; but
this was a more conspicuous example, inasmuch as it had
been so recently constructed, and withal, with a finish and
at a cost which seemed quite unnecessary. Thus, though
the country which it traversed was extremely hilly, no
labour had been spared in cutting through the tops of
the hills, raising the road on embankments or causeways
through the bed of the valleys, in many spots protecting
it with a granite wall, edging it with well-worked granite
posts at short intervals, and providing it with a granite
drain, sometimes on both sides. But now, after a very
few years' wear, and with what we should designate an in-
considerable amount of traffic, the whole surface is out of

1G6 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

order. There are such deep holes and ruts, and such
sloughs of mud on the one hand, and such blocks of
granite, when mending has been attempted, on the other,
that we were reminded forcibly of the terrific diligence
journeys in Spain ten years ago ; and we could never satis-
factorily determine which was most conducive to dislo-
cation of our bones — the fearful shock of being hurled into
a deep hole, or the no less formidable jar of suddenly
encountering a boulder of granite. However, we accom-
plished the journey at last, by dint of occasionally taking
it upon ourselves to awaken our driver, and mildly suggest-
ing a trot on inviting ground, all of which, I will do him
the justice to say, he took in good part ; though both he and
our fellow-passengers were manifestly amused at our strange
impatience, and never could conceive why we were in
such a hurry; for they, good easy folks, had never been
accustomed to more rapid movements ; and such is the
force of habit, that they desired nothing more.

We passed through Barcellos, which is a considerable
town, pleasantly situated on a pretty river, and here was
the finest scenery of the whole route; there was a long
descent into the valley before reaching Barcellos, and a
distant view of hill and vale, all rich, and luxuriant, and
well wooded. Thence we crawled over successive ranges
of hills to Villa Nova de Famili^ao, where we joined the
Jkaga road to Oporto, by which we had previously travel-
led ; and as we drew near the latter city, we met crowds
of peasants returning from market; the men, for the
most part, riding mules or donkeys, perched on high
saddles, and sitting on innumerable rugs, after the manner
of Spain, and with large flat wooden or metal stirrups,
after the manner of Turkey, and all armed with great spurs
and very long sticks ; while the women, poor drudges as
they are in this country, who do all the hard work, and
carry all the heavy loads, were trudging along on foot.

THE RIVErt LIMA AND VI ANN A. 1C7

with weighty baskets or other burdens on their heads — a
^^reat towering pile of crockery, or a huge bundle of
fir-cones, or an immense cargo of lobsters, being amongst
the most general articles with which they were laden ; and
all carried on the head, including water-jars, which they
bear witli as much ease and grace as do the women of
Egypt, and wherein they are imitated by quite little
children, who learn from very early years to carry jars
proportioned to their size and strength.

It was with no little satisfaction that we found ourselves
again established beneath the hospitable roof of good
Mary Castro, where we soon slept away the fatigue of our
excursion through Minho, and I was enabled to keep my
engagement with Mr. Whiteley, on the following morning,
at the English church of Opoi'to.

168 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

CHAPTER XIV.

JOURNEY HOME BY LAND.

If anyone will take the trouble to glance at a map of
south-western Europe, it will at once be manifest that the
direct route from Oporto to the nearest point of France,
which is Bayonne, must undoubtedly be to the east; and
this opinion will be very much strengthened when it is
ascertained that from the town of Zamora, which lies
very near the Portuguese frontier, and is in the direct
line towards France from Oporto, the traveller joins the
railway, which carries him without a break towards Bay-
onne. It was not then without a secret feeling of incre-
dulity as well as expressions of unqualified surprise, that
we received the assurance, from all whom we interrogated
at Oporto, that to push over the mountains to Zamora was
not only a most laborious and difficult journey, exposing
the hardy adventurer to privations of every kind in a most
unfrequented track, and over a most villainous bridle path ;
but that it would actually consume more time, and prove
more expensive, as well as entail ten times the fjitigue,
than to take the train via Madrid. Now, that latter course
required that we should return due south at least 150
miles towards Lisbon, then turn at right angles, and pursue
an easterly course through Badajoz and Ciudad Keale for
350 miles, then turn again at right angles due north
through Madrid to Valladolid 220 miles more ; thus tra-

JOUKXKV IIO^fH BY LAXI). 1G9

versing considerably more than three sides of a square, and
journey ino^ over 720 nniles, instead of 150.

The detour seemed so enormous, and the proposal so
preposterous, that for a long time we could not bring our-
selves to entertain the idea at all. But when we began to
study the mnp, and to scrutinise the details, and when we
found that it required six days' hard riding to reach
Zamora, and that the roughest roadside huts were the only
inns where we could procure food and f-helter, we were
reluctantly compelled to abandon our scheme for a short
cut homewards, and adopt the regular roundabout railway
route via Badajoz, Ciudad Keale, and Madrid.

But this land journey through Portugal, Spain, and
France to England, was a formidable business to contem-
plate ; for no less than 1,800 miles of railway intervened
between Oporto and our own homes in Wiltshire. How-
ever, we screwed up our courage to the task before us,
allowed the greater part of a fortnight for the purpose,
and divided the journey into four unequal portions, se-
lecting those places for rest which we most desired to see.

The first instalment of our journey was by far the most
fatiguing, inasmuch as we resolved to push on for Madrid
without a halt, and this involved at least thirty-two hours'
incessant travelling by express, which in reality was ex-
tended to forty hours : of itself no small undertaking, in
a railway which, for smoothness, easiness, and general com-
fort, must not be compared by the untrayelled Englishman
with the Grreat Western or Great Northern at home. At
the same time I have no desire to criticise too fastidiously
the working of any line in remote districts of Europe, for
I know, by experience in former expeditions, how thankful
we have often been to reach some little-frequented terminus
at last ; and how glad we have been to exchange for the
rudest of carriages, the roughest of lines, and the most
dilatory of trains, the appalling jolting of a Spanish dili-

170 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

irence, which we have endured for two consecutive days
and nights : so that I have always felt that, once upon a
branch line connected with any main railway, we were
fairly under way for home as direct as we pleased : and
thus we were by no means disposed to sneer, either at the
appointments or at the pace of the train which we found
so serviceable to us, recollecting the well-known proverb
of Sancho Panza, ' Never find fault with the bridge which
carries you safely over the river.'

I have already remarked in an earlier page of this
volume, that it is the custom in all southern countries to
travel by night, in order to avoid, as much as possible, the
terrific heat of the mid-day sun : and that, from long-
continued practice, this habit is carried out during the cool
months of winter, when its desirableness is not apparent,
and even influences the hours of starting of railway trains;
though such trains must necessarily extend their journey
beyond twenty-four hours. Accordingly, we left Oporto for
Madrid direct by the 4 o'clock train in the afternoon of a
Monday, and fortified ourselves for our journey of 600 miles
with a well replenished basket of provisions, not omitting a
bottle of very excellent port wine, which we certainly pro-
cured here in perfection. For the first two hours we had
the advantage of the company of the American Consul,
whose acquaintance we had made at Oporto, and who was
quite familiar with this part of the country, and very
kindly pointed out to us many objects of interest, and
especially the heights of Busaco, and the whole site of the
famous battle, with all the local details, in which it was
evident he was thoroughly at home. In due course, we
passed Coimbra; and at midnight reached Entroncamento,
or 'the junction,' where we left our train to go on to Lis-
bon, and exchanged into one which had just arrived from
that capital, and was on its way to Madrid. All went well
till we iieared the PortuGfuese frontier at Elvas in the

JOURNEY HOME BY LAND. 171

parly morninp^: and then, when within sight of that strong
fortress, our engine broke down, and we came to a stand-
still, which lasted two hours. We had ample time to look
out at the fortifications of Elvas, and to admire its impreg-
nable position ; and we could well understand its boast, that
it has never been taken though often besieged. Then once
again under way, we soon entered the Spanish territory,
where passports were examined, and luggage rigidly searched,
and then we reached Badajoz, that mighty fortress which
was stormed and carried under the eye of our great Duke,
and whose very name confers imperishable renown on the
British soldiers, whose indomitable courage and persever-
ance were never more severely tested than in that most
tremendous assault. We naturally gazed at the walls of
this strong city with a feeling of affection and pride, as if
in some measure it belonged to us : and then we passed on
by the side of the now diminished Tagus to the wide-spread-
ing plain of Talavera la Real, which at once suggested
other British victories, though in truth this is not the battle-
field, for that was at Talavera de la Reina, at some con-
siderable distance to the north-east, and nearer Madrid.

And now, with thoughts of military operations, and pon-
dering on the fearful sieges and scarcely less destructive
victories which our gallant army achieved in the Peninsular
war ; calling to mind, too, the consummate generalship and
energetic actions of our conquering commander-in-chief,
we drew near to the old Roman town of Merida ; whose
ruined theatres, walls, and aqueducts attracted our atten-
tion Ions: before we reached them ; for this has been called
the Rome of Spain, and certainly contains more Roman re-
mains than any other town in the Peninsula. We had a good
general view of some of its more conspicuous ruins, as we
approached and left Merida, but we lamented that we had
not arranged to halt here for a day to explore them more
thoroughly; regrets which were not diminished by the an-

172 A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

noying information very quietly imparted by the conductor,
that in consequence of the delay at Elvas, we could not
now catch the quick train at Ciudad Eeale, and therefore
could not reach ^Madrid that night, but might hope to
arrive there on the following morning.

So, with our journey thus unexpectedly prolonged, we
advanced leisurely amidst the brown hills and arid plains
of dry, thirsty, barren, tawny, burnt-up Spain ; and while
we steam away hour after hour through its most mono-
tonous, uninteresting, interminable wastes of sand and
rock, it seems a good opportunity to pause awhile, and
review the general impressions I carried away of the sunny
little kingdom I had been visiting : and possibly it may
not be without interest to my readers, if I add up here, by
way of supplement, such opinions of Portugal and the Por-
tuguese as my rapid tour allowed me to form ; and more
particularly if I institute a comparison between the general
features of the two countries which comprise the south-
western Peninsula of Europe, and which seem isolated
and cut off from all other nations by the vast barrier of
the Pyrenees.

Now I think I may unhesitatingly assert, that it is
generally supposed in England, though, as I maintain,
quite erroneously, that Portugal is naturally, and to all
practical intents and purposes, a portion of Spain ; and,
therefore, it is concluded that the general aspect of the
country, her geological features, her fauna and flora, must
be identical with those of her great neighbour. Yet
this is altogether a mistaken conclusion, arising doubtless
from a recollection of the relative positions of Spain and
Portugal on the map, where I allow that they do appear
obviously united : but no sooner does the traveller cross
the boundary which divides the kingdoms, than he becomes
sensible how great is the divergence between the two
countries, and that not only in their natural aspects, but

JOURNEY HOME BY LAND. 173

even in the appearance, customs, lan^^na^e, and I may add
religious opinions of their respective inhabitants. Thus,
instead of the Cordilleras of Spain, those huge chains of
mountains, Avhich divide and sulxlivide that country into
broad belts, we have elevated ground indeed in Portugal,
but, with the exception of the Estrellas in the centre, and
the Gerez in the extreme north, the hills seldom rise so
high as to take the rank of mountains. Neither are there
in Portugal any sierras, or abrupt serrated, or hog-backed
ranges, for which Spain is so famous, and which frequently
rise to so great a height, and present vast ridges of per-
petual snow, unless again the Estrellas are excepted, which
perhaps may be termed the ' backbone ' of Portugal. So,
too, while Spain is essentially the land of drought, and is
sadly deficient in great rivers, Portugal stands conspicuous
for its many and excellent streams ; for, as the general
inclination of the Peninsula is from east to west, the brooks
which take their rise in Spain, and are fed from her snow-
capped mountains, when they have increased in volume
and become navigable rivers, with not many exceptions,
flow through Portugal, ere they enter the ocean — as, for
instance, the Tagus, the Douro, the Minho, the Guadiana;
and there is a vast number of other streams, of more or
less size, which fertilise the districts they water, and make
fruitful gardens of what would otherwise be barren wastes.
Then again, while Spain is notoriously treeless, and you
may travel day after day in that singularly naked land,
and the dusky olive will be the only species of tree which
meets your eye, Portugal abounds in forests, in several
parts extending over many leagues, covering whole chains
of hills, and occupying a considerable area of the kingdom ;
forests of fir more particularly, though the oak, the chest-
nut, and the olive are abundant, and the cork flourishes to
an extent I have never seen elsewhere. But above all, in
lieu of the vast elevated plateaux of Central Spain, so arid.

174 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

so monotonous, so wearisome to the eye, Portugal offers
wide-spreading, undulating plains indeed, but they are
clothed with aromatic and other shrubs, and are brilliant
with the most gorgeous wald flowers, as I have already
pointed out in my never-ceasing encomiums of these many-
coloured heaths.

So far as regards the general outline of the physical
geography of the two countries respectively. Then in
respect to the inhabitants of these two kingdoms, I have
already remarked how infinitely superior, in my judgment,
are the general manners, disposition, and character of the
Portuguese to those of their Spanish neighbours. There
is still a deadly hatred between them ; and in scanning
the past history of Portugal, we may see that the jealousy
and dislike entertained at this day towards Spain are of no
modern growth, but have existed from a very remote period.
Nor in truth is such national feeling to be wondered at ;
for from the time when the Romans retreated from Lusi-
tania, that western extremity of the Hispanic peninsula
has been a tempting bait to one after another of the more
powerful sovereigns of the independent states into which
Spain was divided. Hence, until overrun by the Moors
in the eighth century, a calamity which it shared with its
rivals, there was perpetual feud along ' the stormy frontier
of Lusita.nia :' and, though it soon recovered its indepen-
dence, it was in the eleventh century divided between the
kingdoms of Leon and Castile, and the Mohammedan states.
During the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries
it was continually engaged in war with Castile ; and in pro-
portion as any of those monarchs became more firmly
seated on his throne, so uniformly did he cast a longing
eye on the extended sea-board of Portugal, and show a
strong desire, and often made violent efforts, to annex to
bis own dominions that valuable territory. This was most
especially exemplified during the prosperous reign of Fer-

JOUllNEY HOME HY LAND. 175

(iinand and Isabella, when the crowns of Castile and Arra-
gon became united on one head, to the very reasonable
alarm and distrust of Portugal : ^- and the event justified
that countr3^'s prognostications of evil ; for though during
the lifetime of those sovereigns no open annexation was
attempted, yet their comprehensive scheme for consoli-
dating the various kingdoms of the Peninsula was only
delayed for a time, and opened the way to its eventual
completion under Philip II., when Portugal was added to
the broad dominions of Spain. f But though merged in
Spain in 1581, no effort was spared throughout the ' sixty
years' captivity,' as the period of Castilian usurpation is
styled, to free their country from the hated yoke; and
under Dom Joao IV. of Braganza, * the restorer,' (the name
by which he is honourably known in Portuguese annals,)
the Spaniards were driven from the country, and in 1640
her independence was recovered. Hence, I think, we have
no difficulty in accounting for the bitterness which exists
in the breast of every Portuguese against his Spanish
neighbour. But this feeling of enmity is mutual and
heartily returned. The Spaniard indeed thoroughly de-
spises the Portuguese, whom he looks down upon as an
inferior order of being, and Childe Harold seems to share
in the sentiment, when he says : —

"Well doth the Spanish hind the difference know
'Twixt him and Lusian slave, the lowest of the low.

But possibly the Childe was a prejudiced enthusiast.
Such, however, was not the great Duke of Wellington,
perhaps the most practical, truthful, and withal correctly
judging witness we could desire: and I have already re-
minded my readers what a far higher estimate of the
Portuguese, as trusty, reliable soldiers, the Duke enter-

* Prescott's Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, vol. ii. p. 328.
t Ihid., vol. iii. p. 439.

176 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

tained, to that which he formed of the levies of Spain,
which, throughout the campaign, were his constant annoy-
ance and disappointment. Of the strength of Portugal,
too, the Duke had a high opinion: indeed, so well did he
think of the natural defences of the country, that he used
to declare, ' if I hold Portugal, France cannot and will not
hold Spain.' But there was reason enough for the affec-
tion he manifestly entertained for that kingdom. When
he first arrived in the Peninsula, to take command of the
allied troops, it was at Lisbon that he landed, amidst the
acclamations of the people. Then the famous lines of
Torres Vedras, a most masterly work, conceived by a mas-
ter mind, stretching no less than forty miles across the
country, and declared by competent authority to be ' the
finest specimen of a fortified position ever effected,' re-
flected impenetrable renown on the British general, and
gave him a secure basis of operations in the interior.
Then every portion of the country was in turn the scene
of his victories. At Rolipa, where the first action in the
Peninsular war was fought, he vanquished Laborde in 1808.
At Vimeiro, very shortly after, the enemy was again de-
feated; while Junot was beaten before Lisbon. In 1809,
Soult was precipitately driven with great loss from Oporto :
and in 1810 Massena and Ney were routed at Bussaco.
These are all glorious names imprinted on the memories of
the British army : but enough of military matters ; let us
return to our reflections on Portugal under a more peace-
ful aspect.

With regard to climate, Portugal enjoys a very high
reputation : for though the heat is at times excessive, it
is always tempered by fine breezes from the sea; and at
all seasons the weather is as mild and tlie air as healthy
as may be desired. In this respect it possesses a very
decided advantage over the interior of Spain, where want
of shade and water render the soil so parched and thirsty.

JOURNEY HOME BY LAND. 177

and the atmosphere so dry as to be almost unbearaljh;,
and where occasionally the coldest winds sweep down
from the mountains, bearing the seeds of disease and
death on their wings. This does not, however, by any
means apply to the southern and eastern coasts, the warm,
sheltered, dry region, the tierra caliente as it has been
styled by Ford, where the all-iuvigorating sun reigns su-
preme and cold north-east blasts are unknown ; and which
can scarcely be equalled by any other favoured spots in
Europe,

With such reflections as these on the general aspect of
the two countries, and the disposition of their several in-
habitants, we traversed the vast uninteresting plains which
stretch eastwards from the frontiers of Portugal ; markin^r
the contrast in the dry, parched, treeless district we were
crossing, to the green valleys, extensive forests, and lovely
heaths we had left behind us : but both meditation and
observation tended to the same result, which was an infi-
nite preference, in our judgment, for Portugal and her
people over the land and inhabitants of Spain.

I have indulged in so long a digression by the way, that
I must hasten to observe that in the course of the evening
we reached Ciudad Reale, where we halted an hour : then
on all night to Madrid, which we reached at 8 o'clock on
the following morning, and were not sorry to leave the
train after two consecutive nights as well as a day and a
half, which is ample time wherein to discover all its enjoy-
ments.

Madrid was at no distant date as notoriously ill-provided
with hotel accommodation as was Marseilles : but now both
the great French port on the Mediterranean and the
Spanish capital are able to vie with any city in Europe in
the excellence of the quarters they can offer to the tra-
veller. We found the great Fonda de los Principes in the
Puerta del Sol all we could desire, and very different

N

178 ' A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

indeed, in this magnificent house, was our entertainment
from that which we had met with, only five years before, in
the principal hotel of Madrid at that date.

We resolved to devote the whole of our time during our
two days' halt at Madrid to the unrivalled picture gallery,
of whose superlative treasures we retained distinct recollec-
tions, but where we desired to feast our e3'es, and refresh
our memories. Now Portugal is wholly destitute of pic-
tures, but whether this is a drawback or a boon to the
tourist, I must leave it to everyone to determine for him-
self. To him, however, who has been more than satiated
with the interminable galleries of Italy and Grermany, it is
almost a relief to be exempted for a time from the fatigue
which a constant succession of museums entails : but then,
when he arrives at ]Madrid on his way home, he will be
prepared to enjoy the finest collection of pictures in the
world, and he will bring to that splendid feast provided for
him, eyes that are not wearied with a surfeit of good things,
and a mind that is not clogged and overladen to reple-
tion, but a keen and healthy appetite, which can appreciate
the masterpieces before it. Moreover, the traveller who
is returning from Portugal, will not forget that this
Museii Real at Madrid owes its origin to a Portuguese
princess, for it was no other than the Queen of Ferdinand
VII., generally known as * la Portugueza,' who provided
funds from her own private resources, collected the scat-
tered pictures, and supplied a suitable receptacle ; and in
short, founded the original collection, which has since de-
veloped into so magnihceut a gallery. So here we revelled
in the grand works of Murillo and Velasquez, marvelled
anew at the glories of Raphael, and more especially at the
inimitable ' Perla ; ' and examined at our leisure the price-
less works of the principal Italian, German, and Flemish
masters, who are all well represented in this exquisite
gallery.

JOURNEY HOME BY LAND. 179

We had no desire to revisit otlier siglits of Madrid ; so
we spent both our days in the Miiseii ; we had once in our
lives witnessed a bull-fight here, and the horrors of that
cruel spectacle had haunted us so long, that the very
name of a fiesta de torsos recalls a scene of bloodshed and
butchery, quite sickening and disgusting to contemplate.
But we wandered about the streets of the capital, and we
went, with all the rest of Madrid, in the evenings to stroll
in the Prado, and lounge in the Alameda; and here we
were vexed to observe the French costume so prevalent,
and the national mantilla and the becominof veil, once so
universal, fast disappearing before Parisian fashions. But
that which astonished us most in this centre of monarchial
Spain, was to hear the open and undisguised expression of
opinion which none cared to conceal, with reference to the
impending revolution; of whose speedy development every-
body seemed well aware ; and about which people talked
in the streets and at the table d^hote without the smallest
reserve. It appeared, then, to be a mere question of time ;
and when it blazed forth a few weeks after our return to
England, it was by no means a matter of surprise to us,
for we had heard it coollv announced, over and over ajjain,
at ]Madrid.

Our next stage homewards was to the pretty French
watering-place of Biarritz, on the shores of the Bav of
Biscay; and we again began our journey in the afternoon,
and travelled all night, reaching our place of destination
at midday. \Ve had a good view from the train of the
vast pile of buildings at the Escorial, which we had
thoroughly explored on a former visit, and where indeed
we had been so fortunate as to witness the interment of
an Infanta. Thence our line of railway wound at the foot
of the Guadarama mountains by Avila ; and subsequently,
during the night, we passed Valladolid and Burgos ; and

180 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

next morning, soon after daybreak, found ourselves wind-
ing through pleasant valleys, well amongst the mountains,
now ascending at sharp gradients, now threading our way
through tunnels, or running along ledges of rock, with
frightful precipices below, as we crossed the Pyrenees.
Through all this district we were now gliding smoothly in
a large and roomy carriage, and at a rate of nearly twenty
miles an hour ; w^hereas, in our previous expedition into
these parts, we toiled painfully and long in the most
clumsy of Spanish diligences, and amidst the yells of our
driver and conductor, the shouts of our postillion, and the
thrashing of our fourteen mules by one whose business it
was to run by the side, and belabour those unfortunate
beasts in turn, we crawled along at scarcely four miles an
hour, whilst our heavy machine, which held twenty people,
and was reckoned, when loaded, to w^eigh from four to five
tons, would occasionally subside into some deeper rut or
hole than usual, with a crash and a jolt that threatened to
dislocate every bone in our body ; and at the end of such
a journey of eight-and-forty hours we felt stiff and sore in
every joint. The contrast was certainly in favour of the
present system, and those who traverse the length and
breadth of Spain in these days, as may be easily accom-
plished now by means of the w^ell-connected system of
railways, can have little conception what real hard work
was involved in a journey through Spain but a very few
years back, and what powers of endurance and physical
strength were needed to travel by diligence those long and
tedious journeys from the frontier of P'rance to Madrid,
and on to Cordova and Seville ; or from the sea-coast of
Malaga by Granada to Valencia and Barcelona on the
eastern side.

When we reached the French frontier, and had passed
our buggage through the custom-house, we had to transfer
ourselves and goods to another train ; and as we marvelled

JOURNEY HOME BY LAND. 181

a,t this apparently gratuitous piece oi inconvenience and
delay, which attended every through train from Madrid to
Paris, we were assured that the Spanish autliorities, from
dread of some future French invasion, had forbidden their
own line to be prepared of the same gauge as that of their
northern neighbour: hence a daily vexation and annoy-
ance to innumerable travellers ; hence, too, no little ridicule
of the alarm of Spain.

We found Biarritz enormously increased in size since
we had last visited it, but as beautiful as ever, with its
magnificent sea-view over the Bay of Biscay, and its
honey-combed rocks, through which the surf was ever
beating: itself into foam, and dashingf itself hio^h into the
air in spray, and forming ever new cascades of marvellous
beauty; and here we spent a quiet Sunday, fascinated, as
every one must be, by the charming views on every hand.

From Biarritz we passed through the Landes, and were
disappointed to see no traces of the shepherds on tall stilts,
knitting as they reposed on the third support, with which
they used to be provided ; but these relics of primitive
days have passed away in the rapid march of time since
we visited this spot seven years ago. Moreover, the pine
forests, planted to consolidate the shifting sands, have
marvellously increased within that short period ; and we
found a luxuriance of soil and a fertility of which there
was no trace but the other day.

We baited for one night at Bordeaux, and were much
impressed with the improvements of the city, which, (like
all the other great cities of PVance,) has been renovated
and almost rebuilt under the auspices of the present Em-
peror; and indeed, in proportion to their size, the great
provincial towns of France are scarcely behind the capital
in the beautifying they have undergone. But whether the
inhabitants, who are very heavily taxed to accomplish this
beautifying process, are altogether satisfied with the sys-

182 A SPRING TOUR IX TORTUGAL.

tern, was quite another question, which I could not answer,
and into which it would be impertinent in a foreigner to
enquire too minutely.

From Bordeaux our route lay direct to Paris, and thence
to England was but an easy step.

183

CHAPTER XV.

THE BIRDS OF TORTUGAL.

The substance of a considerable portion of the following
observations on the birds of Portugal I have already
published in a recent number of the ^ Ibis.' * They are
necessarily meagre and incomplete, and will amount at
the most to a very imperfect sketch — perhaps I should say
a mere outline — as rapid travelling amidst novel scenes
admits of little leisure for detailed examination ; and
every practical ornithologist is well aware that sufficient
time and prolonged research alone enable one to arrive at
any accuracy. Indeed^ the only excuse which I have for
submitting so indistinct a picture to the scrutiny of natura-
lists, is the general want of information which prevails
with regard to this strangely-overlooked district ; for, with
the exception of a catalogue in Portuguese, published in
Lisbon by Professor Barbosa du Bocage in 1862 f (of
which I shall make considerable use in this chapter), and
a few short notes by Mr. Gr. F. Mathews, which appeared
in the ^Naturalist' for 18G4,J I am not aware that anything
has been made known of the ornithology of Portugal.
I have already called attention to the diversified scenery

* Vol. iv. New Series; pp. 428-460.

t Instruc^ocs praticas sobre o modo de colUgir, 2>rcparar c remettcr pro-
dicctos coologicos para o Muscu de Lisboa. Por J. V. Barbosa du Bocage.
Lisboa, 1862.

+ Naturalist, 1864, pp. 49-51, 60-71, a;id 88-90.

184 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

of Portugal ; and it may readily be supposed that a country
intersected by rivers, whose banks are clothed with the
most luxuriant vegetation, abounding in wide-extending
forests, as well as vast uncultivated heaths, or sandy plains
covered with brush, with an open coast extending from
north to south, washed by the waves of the wide Atlantic,
furnished here with rugged rocks and there with cultivated
fields, and all lying under a climate which, for uuclouded
brilliancy of sun, and almost tropical heat, can scarcely be
matched in any other district of Europe, must possess an
Avifauna which, if properly investigated, would yield a
rich return to repay the exertions of the enquirer.

Moreover, it is not alone in rare species that the orni-
thologist would expect to reap a valuable harvest, but in
the differences and shades of colour, and in the variation
of size, which even the commoner birds offer in different
localities, and more especially under different climates,
that he would look for interesting results in this extreme
south-western corner of Europe ; and to this point my
particular attention was directed before I set out on my
journey.

Bearing this in mind, and resolved not to overlook the
commonest species, I took every opportunity, during my
few weeks' tour in Portugal, to examine all the birds which
came in my way. To this end I wandered through plains
and forests, by banks of rivers, and amidst the rocks and
mountains, armed with double-barrelled gun and double
field-glass — the latter, I take leave to add, quite as ser-
viceable to the student in ornithology as the former. I
also frequented the markets in Lisbon and other towns
every day at early morning, and overhauled all the
feathered bouquets composed of the smaller birds of all
ranks and orders, which seem so attractive to continental
epicures generally. Moreover, I visited frequently the
excellent Museum at Lisbon, and the indifferent one at

THE BIRDS OF TOKTUGAL. 185

Coimbra, wbicli (so far as T can ascertain) comprehend all
the natural-liistory collections in tlie country; and there 1
carefully examined, verified, and catalogued every speci-
men asserted to have been captured in Portugal. Lastly,
I was fortunate in meeting with many intelligent men,
who were not only willing to impart valuable information,
but were able to do so in a language which I could under-
stand : amongst these, I must especially mention Dr.
Snche and Professor Barbosa du Bocage, — the former a
fellow-labourer of Vigors, an experienced collector and
preserver of some of the larger mammals and reptiles in
South America ; the latter, the scientific and indefatigable
director of the Museum at Lisbon, with whom I had many
pleasant interviews, and who pointed out to me the more
remarkable objects in the national collection, which (thanks
to his exertions) is already assuming considerable import-
ance, and must, in the course of a few years, if the present
admirable system is continued, become extremely rich,
not only in home specimens, but in the productions of
the Portuguese foreign possessions and of the Brazils.

I should add, that, since my return to England, I have
submitted the small collection of Portuguese birds which
I had time to preserve to the well-known ornithologist and
author, the Rev. H. B. Tristram ; and, as I have his per-
mission to quote his remarks upon them, I shall freely do
so, inasmuch as I am quite sure that the brief comments
of such a master in ornithology will be of more real value
than all my observations.

In the article alluded to above, which I published in the
'Ibis,' I enumerated 193 species, as identified by myself,
either in the flesh or in the Portuguese collections at
Lisbon and Coimbra ; I also made incidental mention of
fifty-seven others, as confidently asserted to be well-known
in Portugal by those on whose accuracy I could rely.
This made a total of 250 ; and I added that the catalogue

18(> A SPraXG TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

was still imperfect, and only laid claim to be an outline,
the details of which I trusted would shortly be filled up by
some competent observer.

But alread}^, in a recent review of my 'Ibis' article,
lately published in a scientific periodical at Lisbon,"^ Pro-
fessor Barbosa du Bocage has been so good as to add a
very valuable supplement, of which I shall largely avail
myself, and which will extend our acquaintance with
Portuguese birds to every species hitherto certified to have
occurred in that country. The Professor, in the true spirit
of a naturalist, has exerted himself to render my list more
complete and valuable, and, with that view, has confined
himself to the system I had adopted, by adding those
species only of whose existence, within the limits of
Portugal, he holds incontrovertible proofs, and of which
authentic examples now actually exist in the Museum of
Lisbon.

On examining this appendix, which contains forty-two
species, and on comparing it with my previous list, it
appears that of the fifty-seven species w^hich I had already
incidentally mentioned, as confidently asserted to be found
in Portugal, but of whose appearance there I had no
personal evidence, no less than thirty-six have now been
identified, while only six species, of which I had heard no
previous tidings, must be added to my total amount.

We have now then, to our former catalogTie of 193 veri-
fied Portuguese species, to add a supplementary list of
forty-two, no less carefully determined, which swells the
total to 235 ; and if w^e reckon those of whose appearance
in Portugal we have been assured, though hitherto they
have not been positively identified, we arrive at a grand
total of 256 species, which, though by no means professing

* Jornal de Scicntias mathcmaticas, 2>^'>/sicas, e naturacs, publicado sob
OS auspicios da Academia Real das Scieutias de Lisboa. Num. vii. Agosto
do 1869.

THE BIRDS OF PORTUGAL. 187

to be a perfect or exhaustive list, is submitted as a tolera-
ble outline of the ornithology of the south-western angle
of Europe.

I now proceed to enumerate the several species I have
seen iii Portugal, distinguishing the degrees in which I
have identified them by the following marks: — (1) Those
I have met with alive and wild, in my rambles through
the country, and those which I have met with in the
nuirkets in the flesh, about which there can be no doubt
that they are Portuguese specimens, are marked * ; and
(2), those which I have verified in the Museum at Lisbon,
whose respective pedestals bear the name of the locality
whence they were procured, and for whose authenticity
and claims as genuine Portuguese birds I have the ample
assurance of M. du Bocage, are marked f ; while (3),
those which I did not see at all, but which have now been
added on the authority of Professor du Bocage, are dis-
tinguished, as enclosed in [ ]. There are, of course,
many other species not included in this list, though un-
doubtedly belonging to the country, but which I did not
happen to meet with, and of which the Museums do not
hitherto possess a Portuguese specimen. Many such are
included in the catalogue published at Lisbon, which I
have already quoted ; but as my remarks do not profess to
extend beyond what I myself saw, or what -actually exists
in the Museums, they have manifestly no place in this
list. I append the Portuguese name wherever I have been
able to ascertain it ; and it will be at once apparent how
little knowledge the natives possess of ornithology, from
the indiscriminate use of the same name applied to several
species, which, in many instances, vary widely in size,
form, and colour.

188 A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

1. *VuLTUR FULVus (Gmel.), 'Griffon Vulture,' Griffo.

Said to be common in the soiitlurn districts, and seen by
me on several occasions in the phiins of Alemtejo.

2. "fVuLTUR ciNEREUS (GmcL), ' Cincrcous Vulture,' Pica-osso.

Sufficiently well known to enjoy a separate specific name
in Portuguese, a distinction only accorded to those birds ha-
bitually met with. The title, however, which it has received
seems b}^ some mischance to be usurped from another species,
and to belong of right to Gypaeius barbatus^ at all events in
the neighbouring country of Sj^ain.

*3. *NEOPriRON PERCNOPTERUS (Linn.), 'Egyptian Vulture.'

I failed to discover the Portuguese name of tliis bird,
though I fell in with it on many occasions, and should call
it common in suitable districts. There is but one specimen
in the Lisbon Museum, an adult bird in miserable condition.
These three species of Vulture seem to be scattered in
small numbers over the southern portions of Europe, as
might be expected from the immense flocks one sees of them
in Egypt and North Africa generally. I could hear nothing,
on enquiry, of the * Lammergeier,' Gypaetus barbatus ;
though, as it is still found in the Pyrenees, and Don Machado*
says that it inhabits the Sierra Morena in Spain, while Lord
Lilford,! in his admirable papers on the Ornithology of
Spain, speaks of it as almost common in favourable locali-
ties in that country, I should conceive it must occasionally
be seen in the wilder parts of Northern Portugal, and in the
savage regions of the Gerez mountains, where the Wolf and
the Wild Boar abound, and the Ibex is still occasionally
found.

4. fAQUiLA ciiRYSAETUS (Linn.), 'Golden Eagle,' yiguia real.

Said to be extremely common in all the mountainous
districts.

h. jAquila iieliaca (Sav.), 'Imperial Eagle,' Agnia impen'al.

* Catahgo de Jas Avcs ohscrvadas en aJgunas j^fovincias de Ayidah'cia.
Por D. Antonio Machado. Sevilla, 1854.

t Ibis: 18G.3, pp. 1G6-177; 1866, pp. 173-187, 377-392,

TIIK milDS OF PORTUGAL. 189

I entertained considtrablG doubts, -wlieii in Lisbon, whether
the only specimen of this bird whicli I saw tliere was a
genuine Imperial Eagle, inasmuch as I could not perceive a
single trace of white on the scaj)uhiry feathers; and tliough
Professor du Bocage, whoso attention I called to the lact,
accounted for it by declaring the bird in question to be
immature, I always considered that this distinctive charac-
teristic of the species was never wholly absent, though,
doubtless, it is more conspicuous in adult birds. This ob-
servation I published in the ' Ibis,' when the learned editor,
Professor Newton, added in a note that in his opinion the
white spot was usually more conspicuous in the immature
bird. In answer to this. Professor Barbosa du Bocage, in
his recent review of my paper, points out that, in the early
periods of its life, Aquila heliaca presents few, if any, traces
of white in the scapular region, the large white spot whence
it derives the name by which it is known of the Imperial
Eagle, being a characteristic of maturity ; and then the
Professor supports his view with the testimony of Temminck,*
and of Deglandj'l" and Gerbe ; and proceeds to prove that
the specimen in question can belong to no other species.
Moreover, he adds that, on a careful examination, traces of
white may be distinguished on the scapular feathers, though
they might easily be overlooked, and concludes that it is,
without doubt, a veritable A. heliaca; a conclusion in
which, on such strong evidence, I most unhesitatingly con-
cur. There can, indeed, be no question that the bird is as
well known in Portugal as it is in Spain ; it is even said to
be common in the provinces of Beira and Alemtejo, from the
latter of which Professor du Bocage states that he has more
than once received living examples.

G. fAQUiLA BoNELLii (Tcmm.), ' Bonclli's Eagle.'

In addition to those in the Lisbon Museum, there are
specimens of this species in the Museum at Coimbra, where
it is said to be especially abundant.

* Manuel cC Omithologie, torn. i. p. 27.
t Oniithologic Europctnnc, torn. i. p. 25.

190 A SPRING TOUR IX TORTUGAL.

7. f Aquila pexnata (Gmel.), ' Booted Eagle.'

This species is said to be common generally tlironghont
Portugal ; and that it is so seems probable from its abun-
dance (as Lord Lilford points out) in Spain. Indeed, the
two last-mentioned species appear to be thoroughly at home
throughout the Peninsula ; whereas it seems doubtful whether
the better known HALiyEEXUS albicilla, though included in
Professor du Bocage's list as a probable visitor, has ever
been seen within the limits of Portugal.

[8. Aquila naevia (Briss.), ' Spotted Eagle.'

A specimen from Traz-os-Montes has been killed in
the suburbs of Braganca.]

r9. Circaetus gallicus (Gm.), ' Short-toed Eagle.'

This species must be considered rare, for.M. du
Bocage has never been able to see but one specimen,
which he received last summer, alive, from Alemtejo.]

10. -fPANDiON Hali.eetus iXinn.), ' Osprey,' Agxiia jjesqueira.

Common in localities suited to its habits.

11. fFALCO PEREGRiNUS (Gmel.), 'Peregrine Falcon,' Falcao.

It is strange that this cosmopolite should be described as
of extremely rare occurrence in Portugal ; but I was assured
that it was very seldom met with in that country.

1 2. *Falco TiNNUNCULUs(Linn.), ' Kestrel,' FranceUw^ Peneireiro.

Abundant everywhere, as the fact of its possessing two
local names would imply.

Falco subbuteg is also pronounced to be tolerably com-
mon ; but I did not meet with it, whether alive or in the
Museums. It is known in Portugal as Falcao tagarote.

[13. AsTUR PALUMBARius (Linn.), ' Goshawk,' Aqor.

Sufficiently common : represented in the Museum of
Lisbon by several specimens, which appear to have
escaped my investigation.]

14. *AcciriTER Nisus (Linn.), ' Sparrow Hawk,' Gavido. Com-
mon throughout the country.

TIIF. BIRDS OF PORTUGAL. 191

Of AcciriTiiit ciADAii (Daiul.), the ' Little rcMl-hillod Hawk,'
for Avliicli I niado .special enquiry, I could hear notliing;
indeed, Professor du Bocage, to whom the species was wc^ll
known as an inhabitant of Africa, assured me that it had
never been seen in Portugal.

15. *\\IiLVUS ICTINUS (Sav.), 'Kite,' MUliafrc^ MlUiano.

The double local name again marks pretty clearly the
abundance of the bird which is thus honoured ; and I met
with this graceful species in Alemtejo and Estremadura.

I did not see my old Egyptian friends, Milvus Migrans
(Bodd.) and M. iEGYPXius (Gmel.), though both are said to
occur occasionally in Portugal ; they do not however appear
in the Museums.

IC. j*P]LANUS CERULEUS (Desfontj, 'Black-winged Kite.'

Professor du Bocage pointed out to me, as a more recent
addition to the Museum since the publication of liis cata-
logue, a fine specimen of this beautiful little bird, wdnch he
said was the only one known to have occurred in Portugal,
and he considered it to be a most valuable acquisition to the
national collection.

17. *BuTEO VULGARIS (Bcchst.), ' Commou Buzzard,' Tartn-

ranhao.
Once only did I see this bird ; but it is reported to be
extremely common.

18. fCiRCUS 7ERUGIN0SUS (Linn.), 'Marsh Harrier.'

This is the only representative of the genus which I found
in the Lisbon ^luseum ; neither did I meet with any of
them, though all our three British species are said to be
occasionally found in Portugal. Of C. Sw^ainsoni, (A. Smith,)
I could hear nothing.

[19. Circus ciNERACEUs (Mont.), ' Montagu's Harrier.'

Common. There are specimens in the Lisbon Mu-
seum from Cintra and from Alemtejo.]

20. tBuBO Maximus (Flem.), ' Eagle Owl,' Bufo^ Cornjao.
Said to be common in the mountains.

192 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

21. f Scops giu (Scop.), ' Scops Owl,' Moclio peqveno.

Tliouf!;li by no means rare, does not appear to be so plen-
tiful as I should have expected.

22. tAsio OTUS (Linn.), ' Long-eared Owl,' Mocho.

Common in all wooded districts. How this species, of all
others, came to receive the designation oi Mocho is wholly un-
intelligible to me, the meaning of that word being 'cropped,'
Mis^horned,' though possibly it may allude to its power of
depressing its horns at will. Asio ]5RACHyotus (Linn.) is
also well known, and even abundant in some parts, but I
did not chance to see a specimen, alive or dead.

23. fSxRix FLAMMEA (Linn.), ' ^Miite Owl,' Coruja das torres.

By far the most abundant of all the Owls,

24. fSYRNiUM ALUCO (Linn.), ' Tawny Owl,' Coruja do mato.

Better known in the wild districts of Alemtejo than else-
where, but nowhere common.

25. jAthene noctua (Retz.), 'Little Owl,' Mocho.

Professor du Bocage in his catalogue a})pends the following
observation to this bird : — ' E frequente entre nos a varie-
dade meridionalis de Schlegel.'

26. "fLANius MERIDIONALIS (Temm.), ' Southern Gray Shrike,'

Picanso.
This is the common greater Shrike of Portugal, though
L. ExcuBiTOR, also called Picanso, is known to occur there.

27. *Laxius auriculatus (P. L. S. Mliller), ' Woodchat-Shrike,'

Picanso.
Extremely common, though not distinguished from its larger
congeners by any name peculiar to itself. Of some examples
which I sent to Mr. Tristram for examination, that gentle-
man writes — ' they are dark in colour, darker than Algerian,
but not darker than Palestine specimens.'

28. *MusciCArA grisola (Linn.), 'Spotted Flycatcher,' Taral-

hao, Papa-moscas.
Common everywhere.

THE BIRDS OF PORTUGAL. 193

29. fMusciCAPA ATKiCAJMLLA (Linn.), '■ Pied Flycatcher,' Pupa-

moscas.

Tolerably common in tlic large and central province of
Beira.

M. ALP.ICOLLIS is also said to be common in the northern
provinces of ]\Iinho and Traz-os-Montes, more especially in
the wilder parts of the latter ; it is likewise known simply
as Papa-moscas.

30. fTuRDUS SAXATiLis (GmeL), * Rock Thrush.'

31. jTuRDUS CYANEUS (Linn.), 'Blue Thrush,' SoUtario.

32. fTuRDUs ILIACUS (Linn.), ' Redwing,' Tordeira^ Tordoveia.

33. *TuRi)US Musicus (Linn.), ' Song Thrush,' Tordo.

34. *TuRDUS viscivoRUS (Linn.), 'Missel Thrush,' Tordeim,

Tordoveia.

35. fTuRLUS PILARIS (Linn.), 'Fieldfare,' Tordo zornal.

36. f TuRDCS MERULA (Linn.), ' Blackbird,' Melro preto.

The seven species enumerated above are all common in
their respective haunts, and most of them appear in the
poultry market suspended by the neck in bunches, and in
company with Finches, Larks, and Buntings.

37. fTuRDUS TORQUATUS (Linn.), 'Ring-Ouzel,' Melro de jyeito

hranco.
Said to be very rarely seen in Portugal.

[38. CiNCLUs AQUATicus (Bcchst.), ' Common Dipper.'
By no means rare in the northern provinces.]

39. fORiOLUS GALBULA (Linn.), ' Golden Oriole,' Papafigos.

Very common in summer, though, strange to say, it had
not arrived when I left the country in the middle of ]\Iay ;
and yet in the more northern and much colder district of
the Riviera in north Italy, it had arrived at that date, when
I was wintering there some years back.

40. fAccENTOR MODULARis (Linn.), ' Hedge Sparrow.'

By no means common, and, so far as I could discover,
does not enjoy the privilege of a Portuguese name.
O

194 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

[41. Accentor alpinus (Gmel.), 'Alpine Accentor.'

Rare. There is now in the Musenm of Lisbon a
single specimen of this species captured last year at
Cintra.]

42. *Erytiiacits nubecula (Linn.), 'Redbreast,' Pisco de peito

ruivo.
Common here, as in most parts of Europe.

43. f RuTiciLLA CTANECULA (Meyer and Wolf), ' Blue-throated

Warbler,' Pisco de peito aznl.
This is pronoimced by Professor du Bocage to be a rare
bird in Portugal, but perhaps it would be better described
as sparingly distributed over the country, for 1 heard of it in
various quarters. The only two specimens in the Museum
at Lisbon have a white spot in the centre of the blue throat,
without the faintest tinge of red, which is characteristic of
the true R. Suecica (Linn.).

44. *RuTiciLLA TiTHYS (Scop.), ' Black Redstart,' Rahi-niiva.

I did not meet with our common Redstart, R. ph.?;nicura
(Linn.), alive or dead, but R. tithys I saw continually; in-
deed, in the very heart of the crowded city of Lisbon I
often watched it on the house-roofs below my windows in
the loftily situated Hotel Braganza.

45. *Saxicola rubicola (Linn.), ' Stonechat,' Cartaxo.

As you traverse the country by railroad, from south to
north, {i.e. from Lisbon to Oporto); or from east to west
{i.e. from Lisbon to Badajoz or Evora), you would un-
doubtedly say that there is but one bird really abundant
in Portugal, and that is S. rubicola ; for you seldom look
from the carriage-windows but you see some of that species
perched on the telegraph-wires; and indeed it is extremely
abundant throughout the country.

4G. *Saxicola rubetra (Linn.), ' Whinchat,' Cartaxo.

47. *Saxicola (ENAnthe (Linn.), ' Wheatear,' Caiada.

48. fSAXicoLA AURiTA (Tcmm.), 'Black-eared Wheatear,' Caiada.

49. *Saxicola stapazina (Linn.), ' Russet Wheatear,' Caiada.

THE BIRDS OF TORTUGAL. 195

Tlicse four species arc all common, tliongli by no means
so abundant as S. rubicola. With regard lo a sffccimen of
S. STAi'AZiNA which I shot and brouglit home, Mr. Tristram
remarks, — ' It is in an interesting stage of plumage, not
having yet assumed the bright russet head of the breeding-
j)lumagc, but being in the winter state, in which I never
saw a European specimen ; but I have them in tliat stage
from Africa.'
50. ^'Philomela luscinia (Lhm.), 'Nightingale,' Rouxinol.

Though I cannot with truth assert, as some have done,
that I have been kept awake all night, at Cintra, by tlie
chorus of Nightingales which throng the lovely gardens and
coppices of that much-lauded retreat of the Lisbonites in hot
weather, yet I can say that I have listened to those birds in
greater numbers there (unless it be on the banks of the
Lima in ^Minho), than I have ever known elsewhere.

51. ISylvia atricapilla (Linn.), 'Blackcap,' Tutinegra real.

52. -j-Sylvia cinerea (Lath.), ' Common Whitethroat.'

53. f Sylvia curruca (Lath.), ' Lesser Whitethroat.'
5 L f Sylvia hortensis (Gmel.), ' Garden Warbler.'

55. f Sylvia melanocephala (Gmel.), ' Sardinian Warbler,' Tuti-
negra dos vallados.
These five are all said to be common, and abundant in
summer. I also heard of S. conspicillata (Marm.), ' Spec-
fcicled Warbler,' as undoubted, though only as an occasional
visitor.

[56. Sylvia sub-alpina (Bonelli), ' Sub-Alpine Warbler.'
Appears to be most common in the southern provinces.
There are specimens in the Museum from Algarve.]

[57. Sylvia orpiiea (Temm.), ' Orphean Warbler.'

Less common than S. atricapilla or S. melanoce-

PHALA.

Here, too, I must enumerate two species of Warblers

which, though undoubtedly more or less common in

summer, as I was assured they are, find no place yet

in the Museums, and therefore cannot be included in

o 2

196 A SPKING TOUR IN" PORTUGAL.

my list. These are S. sylvicola (Latham), and S.
BONELLii (VieilL).
58. fMELizoPHiLUS UNDATUS (Bodd.), ' Dartford Warbler.'

There is a specimen of this bird in the Lisbon Museum,
marked, as on the Continent generally, Sylvia provincialis ;
but whether it is common in the country or not I could not
discover.

[59. Hypolais polyglotta (VieilL), ' Vieillot's Willow
Warbler,' Folosa.
Common.]
[60. Calamoherpe arundinacea (GmeL), 'Reed Warbler.'
May be frequently met with on the borders of rivu-
lets. We have specimens from Coimbra and Collares.]
[61. Calamodyta aquatica (Bechst.), 'Aquatic Warbler.'

Not rare in the suburbs of Coimbra.]
[62. Cettia Cetti (La Marm.), ' Cetti's Warbler.'

Common.]
[63. Phillopneuste trochilus (Linn.), ' Willow Warbler,'

Folosa. ~\
[64. Phillopneuste kufa (Briss.), ' Chiff-Chaff,' Folosa,

Fuinho.~\
[65. Aedon galactodes (Temm.), ' Rufcus Sedge Warbler.'
These three species are all common.]
(y'o. -fCLSTicoLA ScHCENicoLA (Bp.), 'Fan-tailed Warbler.'

This pretty little Warbler, which I had known well in
Egypt and Nubia, is reported to be common in Portugal ;
indeed, Temminck first described it from skins brought from
that country by MM. Link and Hoffmannsegg; but I never
met with it, though I kept a sharp look-out in the most likely
spots, being particularly anxious to renew my acquaintance
with this most diminutive species, and to hail my African
friend on the shores of Europe.
67. -j-Regulus ignicapillus (Brehm.), 'Fire-crested Wren,'
Estrellinha.
Abundant.
[68. Regulus cristatus (Linn.), ' Golden-crested Wren,
EstrcUiiiha.

TIIK BIRDS OF PORTUCiAJ.. 197

Kare, tliough met with occasioniilly in tlie northern
provinces.]
G9. fPARUS CAUDATUS (Linn.), ' Long-tailed Titmouse.'

70. *rAKUS MAJOR (Linn.), ' Great Titmouse.'

71. *Parus cceruleus (Linn.), ' Blue Titmouse,' Cliapim.

These three species are common.

72. jParus cristatus (Linn.), ' Crested Titmouse.'

Very rarely seen in Portugal, though undoubtedly it does
occur sometimes ; but one would hardly have expected to
find at all, at the extreme south of Europe, this hardy little
denizen of Scandinavia and Kussia.

73. jParus ater (Linn.), ' Coal Titmouse.'

Though scarcely a rare bird, this species does not seem to
frequent Portugal as it does some other southern countries of
Europe ; perhaps, however, there is a limit to its endurance
of heat.

74. *Motacilla alba (Linn.), * White Wagtail,' Alveloa.

75. *MoTACiLLA Yarrelli (Gould), ' Pied Wagtail,' -4?t7e/da.

76. *MoTACiLLA boarula (Lath.), ' Grey Wagtail,' Alveloa

amarella.

77. fMoTACiLLA FLAVA (Linn.), ' Grey-headed Yellow Wagtail,'

Alveloa amarella.
These four species are all reported to be common ; while
our M. RAYi, though recognised as Portuguese, is considered
extremely rare. There is a specimen in the Museum at
Coimbra.

78. *Antiius tratensis (Linn.), * Meadow Pipit,' Petinha.

79. *Anthus campestris (Bechst.), ' Tawny Pipit,' Petinha.

These are the common Pipits of Portugal. Of the latter
S2')ecies, a specimen which I shot and brought home fairly
puzzled Mr. Trirtram for a time, no easy matter in any case ;
for it showed so yellow a tint on the lower surface as to
resemble none in that gentleman's collection from Spain,
Algeria, Greece, and Palestine. Subsequently, however,
Mr. Tristram wrote me word that he had 'come to the con-
clusion that the bird was in young plumage, a state in whicli

198 A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUCAL.

we seldom find it in Europe,' and that in this view he was
' supported by the fact that its congeners have a deep yellow
tint when young, which is absent in the old birds.'
[80. Antiius akboreus (Blyth), ' Tree Pipit.'

Appears frequently in the suburbs of Coimbra, and,
in general, in the provinces of the north.]

[81. Antiius spinoletta (Linn.), ' Water Pipit.'

Is not to be pronounced rare, though less common
than A. pratensis, A. campestris, and A. arboreus.]

82. *Alauda arvexsis (Linn.), 'Sky-Lark,' Calhandra, Laverca.

Very common. In reference to a specimen w^hich I sent
Mr. Tristram for examination, he writes from Greatham, —
' It is remarkably dark on the back : of a great series from
almost every country of Europe, "West Asia, and. North
Africa, I only find one exactly corresponding in the absence
of a chestnut hue in the lighter portion of the feathers of the
back, and that was shot here.'

83. *Alauda arborea (Linn.), ' Wood-Lark.'

Local, and not common. Mr. Tristram writes of my
specimen, that it ' is darker than continental specimens, and
dark for an English bird.'

84. fxlLAUDA braciiydactyla (Leisl.), ' Short-toed Lark,' Ccw-

reirola.
Said to be common throughout the country.

85. *Alauda calandra (Linn.), *Calandra Lark,' Coc/^/c7/o.

Common everywhere throughout the open plains and
fields, and the most favourite cage-bird amongst the inhabi-
tants of villages and towns; one may count them by dozens
in a single street, in their cages outside the windows and
doors. Mr. Ti-istram remarks of two which I forwarded to
him : ' The Calandra Larks are dark ; one is of the ordinary
size, the other verij small, I presume a female ; I have, how-
ever, one as small ; and this bird varies in size to a remark-
able degree.'

[Alauda Lusitania (Gmel.), 'Desert Lark.'

There do not exist any specimens of this species in

THE BIKDS OF PORTUCJAL. 199

the Museum of Lisbon , tliough it may be frequently
mot with in Alcmtcjo and Algarve ; and, indeed, from
the hitter province several specimens have been lately
obtained by the Ornithologist of Halle, M. E. IJey.]

86. *Galeuita CRIST ATA (Linn.), * Crested Lark,' Cutovla.

Very common everywhere. Of this species Mr. Tristram
says, ' Your G. cristata, though not darker than Algerian
lowland and marsh specimens, is certainly darker than tho.^e
from France and Palestine.'

87. *Emberiza miliaria (Linn.), * Common Bunting,' Trigueirdo.

Exceedingly common, and figures in bunches in the mar-
ket stalls at Lisbon more than any other species. Mr.
Tristram writes of it, — * It is rather darker than continental
specimens, more nearly approaching the English.'

88. *Emberiza cirlus (Linn.), ' Cirl Bunting,' C/«, Cicia.

Very common. Mr. Tristram's verdict, upon an examina-
tion of my specimen, is, that *■ the yellow is extraordinarily
deep.'

89. fEjiBERizA CIA (Linn.), ' Meadow Bunting,' Tvig^ieiro.

Said to be very common in the northern provinces of
Portugal ; but I never met with it in those parts.

90. jEmberiza schnceniclus (Linn.), 'Reed Bunting.'

This is a rare bird in Portugal, and very seldom seen.

[9L Emberiza hortulana (Linn.), ' Ortolan Bunting.'

Still less common is this species, of which a single
specimen only, captured in the suburbs of Coimbra, has
been lately added to the Museum.]

While E. citrinella, our common Yellow Hammer, so
abundant in Europe generally, and conjectured to appear in
Portugal occasionally, and therefore added to the Portuguese
list, is not positively known to have occurred there, and
has never been identified in the country.

92. *Fringilla ccelebs (Linn.), ' ChafEnch,' Tentilli^o.
Very common.

200 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

9o. fpRiNGiLLA MONTiFRiNGiLLA (Linn.), ' Brambling/ Tentilhao
montez.
Tliis truly northern species is seldom found so far south,
but has been occasionally met with in Portugal.

9-4. *Passer domesticus (Linn.), * House Sparrow,' Pardal.

The common Sparrow of Portugal is identical Avith our
own ; but Mr. Tristram remarks of the specimen I sent, —
'■ Your P. DOMESTICUS, by the intrusion of a few chestnut
feathers on the crown of the head among the ash-coloured
ones, seems to be approximating to var. cisalpinus, the
head of which is wholly chestnut.' Strange to say, P. hispa-
NiOLENSis (Temm.), the Spanish Sparrow, though conjectured
to visit Portugal, has never yet been identified in that
country.

95. fPASSER PETRONIA (Linn.), ' Rock Sparrow,' Pardal francez.

Very rarely seen, and the Museum of Lisbon has but one
specimen only, of a female.

96. ^CoccoTHRAUSTES CHLORis (Linn.), ' Greenfinch,' Verdilhao,

97. f CoccoTHRAUSTES VULGARIS (Stcph.), ' Hawfinch.'

Both species are common, the former abundant.

98. *Carduelis elegans (Steph.), ' Goldfinch,' Pintasilgo.

I never met with Goldfinches in such abundance as in
Portugal; large flocks, small parties, and single birds
abounded throughout the country ; and no species is more
common in the markets, where bunches of these pretty little
songsters are strung up by the necks and sold for food.

99. *Carduelis spinus (Linn.), ' Siskin,' Lugre.

Common, but not abundant as the last.

100. *Serinus iiORTULORUM (Koch.), 'Serin,' Chamariz.

Very common in flocks on the plains and dry banks ; of
some specimens whicli I shot, Mr. Tristram observes, — ' The
yellow is remarkably deep.'

101. *LiN0TA CANNABiNA (Liun.), ' Commou Linnet,' Pintar-

roxo.

THE BIRDS OF PORTUGAL. 201

Very common. Of this species I\Ir. Tristram writes, —
* Your L. CANNAiJiNA is not so bright us coutiiicntul specimens,
but more resembles the English.'

102. fPYRUiiuLA Eunor.EA (Lcacli.), ' l>ulirincli,' Dojii Fafe.

Though seldom seen in the southern provinces, this species
is common in the north.

103. jLoxiA cuiiViROSTKA (Linn.), 'Crossbill,' Trinca-nozes,

Cruza-bico.
Common. Mr. Burt frequently saw it in the pine woods
near the sea-coast beyond Cintra.

104. *Sturnus vulgaris (Linn.), 'Common Starling,' Estor-

ninho.
Very common.

105. f Stdrnus uxicolor (Marm.), ' Sardinian Starling,' Estor-

ninho.
Of the abundance or scarcity of this bird I am unable to
form any opinion, as, if common, it is doubtless frequently
confounded with its better-known congener. I did not see it
in the flesh, but I was fortunate in finding a good specimen
at the house of the only taxidermist which Lisbon can boast.
For the convenience of future enquirers I may add that his
address, which I only discovered after several days' fruitless
search, is 158 Rua do Moinho da Vento, and that over a
diminutive shop, No. 47 in the same street, he has placed
the encouraging announcement, ' Casa perpara9ao de pro-
ductos Ilistoria Natural.' He is a most civil and obliging
man ; and as his daily business is to prej^are objects for the
Museum, practice has made him a tolerable performer on
birds. There is also a second individual, who calls himself
' bird-stuffer,' living near the fruit market, and not far from
the post-office ; but his stock-in-trade consisted of about
forty parrots, deformed to the last degree by his most un-
skilful hand. To return to S. unicolor; that it is a
distinct and true species I have no doubt; first, from the
plumage, which, in all the specimens I saw, is wholly
diflfereut from that of S. vulgaris : and a^ain, from its habit

L I B R A R V , j^

202 A SPRING TOUR IX PORTUGAL.

of keeping in separate flocks, and not associating with its
commoner relative ; and this I was assured, on repeated
enquiry, was its universal custom.

lOG. *Fkegilus graculus (Linn.), ' Chough.'

107. *rREGiLUS pyRRiiocORAX (Linn.), * Alpine Chough.'

I feel compelled to speak with a certain degree of doubt as
to the last of these two species — though, when wandering
with my gun, as I did for several days amidst the rocky
heights above Cintra, 2,000 feet above the sea, and looking
doAvn on the broad Atlantic and the mouth of the Tagus,
I fell in with several parties of Choughs, some of wdiich w^ere
unmistakably distinguishable as the common Chough by the
vermilion colour of their beaks ; and others appeared to me,
as I watched them through the glass, to belong to the Alpine
species ; at all events, botli are known to inhabit Portugal.

108. *CoRVUS CORAX (Linn.), ' Eaven,' Corvo.

109. f CoRVUS CORONE (Linn.), ' Carrion Crow,' Gralha.

110. *CoRVUS FRUGiLEGUS (Linn.), ' Eook,' Gralha.

These are all common. Eavens are especially abundant
on the extensive heaths, hunting over the low bushes, and
searching for Ibod. I never met with C. cornix.

111. fCoRVUS MONEDULA (Linn.), 'Jackdaw.'

By no means abundant, and I scarcely think common.

I could learn nothing of C. monedula-nigra ; supposing
such a species to exist, which I very much doubt : at any rate,
in this country, supposed to be one of the strongholds of the
bird, the very name seems wdiolly imknown. Surely, it is
but a variety of our common species.

112. *PiCA MELANOLEUCA (Vicill.), ' Magpie,' Pega.

Common everywhere.

113. fCYAXopiCA cooKi (Bonap.), 'Azure-winged Magpie,' Ba-

hilougo.
This beautiful bird was the Hiiof pri'/e T j roposod to my-
self to procure before I started for PorLiigal, as I fondly

THE BIRDS OP rORTUOAL. 203

hoped, from Mr. IMatliew's account, before mentioned, tliat I
should have no difficulty in finding it. But though I
wandered for days in search of it, in the most likely spots,
I never saw it alive ; indeed, Prolessor du Bocago assured
me that, though by no means rare, it is very local, and of
so exceedingly shy a nature that it is seldom seen, and tliat,
though he has employed collectors to hunt expressly for it,
he cannot obtain additions to the three specimens which the
Lisbon IMuscum possesses. Thus, to my chagrin, I left
Portugal without a single example, though, when on my
return home through Madrid, I fell in witli three skins and
three eggs of this bird at the shop of Seiior Sanchez, in the
Calle de Alcala, with whom I had dealings years ago.

111. *GARnuLus GLANDARius (Linn.), 'Jay,' Gaio.
Extremely cojnmon everywhere.

115. fPicus viRiDis (Linn.), 'Green Woodpecker,' Pica-pau

verde.

116. fPicus MAJOR (Linn.), 'Great Spotted Woodpecker/ Pica-

pau malhado,

117. fPicus MEDius (Linn.), 'Middle Spotted Woodpecker,'

Pica-pau malhado.
All these species are said to be common ; the two former
abundant. Of P. minor I was unable to find any trace.

118. f Jynx torquilla (Linn.), 'Wryneck,' Papa-formigas.

119. *Certiiia familiaris (Linn.), 'Common Creeper,' Tre-

padeira, Atrcpa.

120. *Troglodytes PARVULUS (Koch.), 'Wren,' Carricinha das

moitas.

121. f SiTTA EuROPJ'A (Linn.), ' Nuthatch.'

122. tUruRA EROPs (Linn.), 'Hoopoe.' Poiipa.

123. *CucuLUS CANORUS (Linn.), 'Common Cuckoo,' Cuco.

The above six representatives of their several genera are
all pronounced common in Portugal, though I suppose none

204 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

of them are very abundant. The Hoopoe is often met with
in summer. I did not hear the Cuckoo until April 25.

124. fCucuLUS GLANT)ARrus (Linn.), 'Great Spotted Cuckoo,'

Ciico rahilongo.
This is another old Egyptian friend, which I hoped to find
in Portugal ; but though not very rare in summer, it is a
late visitor, and had not arrived when I left.

125. fCoRACiAS GARRULA (Linn.), 'Roller,' Rollieiro,

Very rarely seen.

126. fMEROPS APiASTER (Linn.), 'Bee-eater,' Ahelharuco, Mel-

haruco.
Very common throughout the summer; but this is the
only species of the genus Merops, which I could hear of as
visiting Portugal.

127. *Alcedo ispida (Linn.), 'Kingfisher,' Pka-peixe, Gtiarda-

rios.
Common.

128. *HiRUNDO RUSTiCA (Linn.), ' Swallow,' Andorinha.

129. *HiRUNDO URBICA (Linn.), ' Martin,' ^?zcZo?'i"?iAa.

130. f HiRUNDO RUPESTRis (Scop.), ' Crag Swallow,' Andorinha

das I'ochas.

131. *Cypselus apus (Linn.), ' Common Swift,' AndorinhQOy

Gaivao, Ferreiro.

132. fCypsELUs melba (Linn.), 'Alpine Swift,' Ajidorinhdo,

GaivdOj Ferreiro.

These five species are all common in their respective
haunts. I did not myself recognise C. Melba amongst the
innumerable Swifts for ever careering before my windows at
Lisbon ; but I am assured, on the best authority, that it is
very abundant.

133. fCAPRiMULGUS EuROP.EUS (Linn.), ' Night-jar,' A^otVeM

Though pronounced common, I do not imagine that, this

TlIK BIRDS OF PORTUGAL. 205

bird is very frefpiontly met with in Portugal. In the Mu-
seum of Lisbon there is but a single specimen.

134. fCAPRiMULGUS RUFicoLLis (Natt.), ' Kussct-neckcd Night-

jar,' Noitibo.
Here is another species which I anxiously hoped to obtain
in Portugal ; but I found that it was extremely rare, very few
specimens having ever been met with in that country.

135. fCoLUMBA PALUMBUS (Linn.), 'Ring-Dove,' Pomho trocaz.

136. fCoLUMBA CENAS (Linn.), ' Stock-Dove,' Pomho trocaz.

137. *CoLUMBA LiviA (Linn.), ' Kock-Dovc,' Po?«io.

138. *CoLUMBA TURTUR (Linn.), ' Turtle-Dove,' liola.

All these are common. C. livia I found on the rocks
about Cintra ; C. turtur I shot in the beautiful woods of
Montserrat.

139. *Perdix rufa (Linn.), ' Red-legged Partridge,' Perdiz.

This is the only recognised Partridge of Portugal, and is
very abundant: the market was well supplied with them
when I was there, even so late as May. Mr. Tristram
writes of it, — ' Your specimen is much brighter than our
English Eed-leg ; the chestnut on the head and upper back
is much brighter, and the ash -brown of the loAver back
much more distinct, and contrasted with the rufous above ;
the ochreous abdomen and lower tail coverts are much
paler.'

140. fPERDix CINEREA (Lath.), ' Common Partridge.'

This species is extremely rare in Portugal, and would not
be admitted into this list but for the accidental circumstance
that a specimen was killed and preserved for the Lisbon
Museurm just before my arrival.

[To this Professor du Bocage adds, — * Perdix cinerea does
certainly exist in Portugal, tliough confined to the more
northerly provinces of the country. All the Px;ini])los of
this species which we have seen come from the Tvlarao range
of hills, on the borders of the provinces of Minho and Traz-
os-Montes.']

206 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

141. *CoTURXix COMMUNIS (Bomiat.), ' Quail,' Coclorniz.

Excessively abundant, and the markets were always glut-
ted with theni. Of one which I brought home Mr. Tristram
writes, — ' The Quail is cleaner and brighter than Enghsh,
but not so bright as Palestine and Algerian specimens.'

142. fTuRNix Sylvatica (Desfont), ' Andalusian Hemipode,'

Toir&o do mato.
This pretty species is by no means rare in Portugal ;
indeed. Professor du Bocage assured me he had often eaten it
like any other game, which, as an Ornithologist, he naturally
considered the most decisive proof of its abundance. I was
assured by sportsmen that it is found in wooded distiicts, and
not in the sandy plains assigned as its habitat by Temminck,
Yarrell, and others.

143. fPxEROCLES ARENAPJUS (Pall.), ' Sand-grouse,' Cortir^ol, Bar-

riga negra.
Common in the open districts.

144. IPterocles alciiata (Linn.), ' Pin-tailed Sand-Grouse,'

Cortupl.
Not so common as the last, but by no means rare.

145. *(Jtis tarda (Linn.), ' Great Bustard,' Batarda.

Wild Boar and Great Bustards are the lordly species of
game, ground and feathered, after which the more ambitious
Portuguese sportsmen himt ; and both are found of goodly
size and in tolerable abundance in certain districts, more
especially in the southern provinces of Alemtejo and Algarve.
I was fortunate in procuring a magnificent male bird in the
liesh, which was most liberally given me by an English
iriend, and whose body, after I had taken off the skin, for.
several days formed a large item in the bill of fare of the
Hotel Braganza at Lisbon ; the guests of every degree, at the
tahle d'hote, and in private apartments, partaking of the dish;
from the British Minister and liis family in the first floor to
the cook-boys in the area. The bird weighed 3(H lbs.
English, and is the finest example of the O. tarda I have
ever seen. After being brought down with shot, the covp

THE BIRDS OF PORTUGAL. 2C7

de grdce had been given by cutting its throat witli a knife,
as is the approved metliod of Portuguese sportsmen ; it luid
also been a p;ood deal torn by dogs; but thougli thus ill-
used, blood-stained, and damaged, it has been admirably
cleaned and mounted by Mr. Baker, tlu; well-known taxi-
dermist of Cambridge, and, thanks to his diligence and care,
now stands in my collection a noble specimen of the Portu-
guese OlJNIS.

With the assistance of Dr. Suche, whose anatomical skill
was of the greatest service to me, I spent several hours in
examining the soft wattle-like protuberance which hung
below the chin and throat, and gave the whole neck a thick
puffy appearance ; the result was, that I entertain no doubt
whatever, and (what is of fiir more value) Dr. Suche was
equally positive, that this male Great Bustard possessed
a pouch of considerable capacity, or rather (as it seemed to
me) a number of membrane-divided sacs, which appeared
capable of extending to almost any dimensions, and the
larger of which would apparently contain many quarts. I
am quite aware that my own attempts at dissection were
very poor, and I should not venture to speak thus positively
on so disputed a point but for the able assistance in the
work, and the positive conclusions deduced therefrom, by
Dr. Suche. To this I may add, that on mentioning our
work and our unanimous conclusions to Professor du Bocage,
he not only cordially concurred with us, but declared that
it was impossible for anyone to examine the throat and neck
of an adult male Otis tarda Avithout being convinced by his
own senses that such a pouch did exist. Even previously
to removing the skin of my bird, the position and size of the
large goitre-like excrescence standing out from the neck,
though concealed by feathers, could be plainly discerned,
and when handled at once betrayed the soft, yielding nature
of its substimce.

In regard to phmiage, the most remarkable character-
istic of this, as well as of the only other specimen of the
Great Bustard Avhich I could find in Portugal, a splendid
adult male in the Lisbon Museimi, consists in the extremely
ruddy or dai'k chestnut hue which pervades the feathers of

208 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

the neck and back. In this opinion I am corroborated by
my friend, the Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anato-
my at Cambridge, Mr. Alfred Newton, who has examined
my Portuguese specimen.

14G. '^'Otis tetrax (Linn.), 'Little Bustard,' Cizdo.

This species appears extremely common ; indeed it is
constantly served at table under the title of ' Pheasant.' So
plentilul is it, that the price I paid for a fine adult male in
the poultry market amounted to no more than two hundred
reis, which, however large the figure may seem, represents
only tenpence half-penny of our money. In skinning this
bird I found a considerable cellular fatty deposit very thickly
covering the interior of the skin of the neck, more especially
at the back of it. This I had to remove very carefully and
patiently, bit by bit, with the scalpel. It gave the neck a
very thick appearance, and, when felt from the outside, was
soft, somewhat as in the pouch of O. tarda ; but in this case
there was no trace of pouch or bag.

147. jQEdicnemi.^s crepitans (Temm.), '■ Stone-Curlew,' Alcara-

vdo.

148. jGlareola pratincola (Linn.), ' Pratincole,' Perdiz do

mar.

149. -j-CiiARADRius pluvialis (Linn.), 'Golden Plover,' Taram-

hola.

150. jCharadrius hiaticula (Linn.), 'Ringed Plover,' Lava-

deira.

151. *Vanellus cristatus (Meyer & Wolf), 'Lapwing,' Ahihe,

Ahecninha.

152. ISquatarola helvetica (Linn.), ' Grey Plover,' Taramhola.

These six species are well known in Portugal. Ciiaradrius
MINOR (j\Ieyer) and C. Cantianus (Lath.) are also said to
be often met with, and are also known as Lavadeira ; but
of these last I found no specimens in tlte Museums.

153. fSTREPSiLAS interpres (Linn.), ' Turnstone.'

By no means common.

THE BIRDS OF PORTUGAL. 209

151. flLtiMATOPUS OSTRALEGUS (Linn.), * Oyster-catcher,' Ostra-
ceiro.
Common,

155. fGuus ciNEREA (Bechst.), ^Common Crane,' Grou.

Occasionally met with in the wilder and more unfre-
quented portions of Alemtejo and Algarve.

156. J"Ardea CINEREA (Linn.), ' Common Ileron,' Garqa real.

Common. A. purpurea is also said to be frequently seen
and is also called Garqa,

157. JArdea garzetta (Linn.), * Little Egret,' Garqa.

158. fARDEA russata (Wagl.), ' BufF-backed Heron,' Garqa.

159. fARDEA RALLOiDES (Scop.), * Squacco Ilcron.'

These three species are all represented in the Lisbon
Museum by Portuguese specimens ; but, with the exception
of A. RUSSATA, are considered somewhat rare.

160. -j-Ardetta minuta (Linn.), * Little Bittern,' Garqa pequena.

161. "fBoTAURUS stellaris (Linn.), * Common Bittern,' Gallin-

liola real.
Though not common, both these species are frequently
met with.

162. ^Nyctioorax griseus (Linn.), 'Night Heron.'

Seldom seen in Portugal.

163. *Ciconia alba (Bechst.), 'White Stork,' Cegonha.

Occasionally met with in Alemtejo.

[16-1. CicoNiA NIGRA (Gcsu.), ' Black Stork.'

More rare than C. alba. During two years Professor
du Bocage has kept two live specimens, which were
captured in Alemtejo.]

165. jPlatalea leucorodia (Linn.), 'White Spoonbill,' Col-
lier eiro.
Also occasionally found in Alemtejo.

[160. Falcinellus igneus (Gray), 'Glossy Ibis.'

An accidental straggler. There are in the ^luseum

210 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

two specimens which were killed on the left bank of
the Tagiis.]

1G7. fNuJiENius ARQUATA (Linn.), ' Common Curlew,' Maca-
rico real.

108. -j-XuMENius PiTiEOPUS (Linn.), ' Whimbrel,' Maqarico.
Both these species are common.

169. fNuMENiDS TENUiROSTRis (VieilL), * Slender-billed Curlew,'

Maqarico.
Frequently met with, though not so common as its con-
geners.

170. fToTANUS CALiDRis (Linn.), ' Common Redshank,' Chalreta.

171. fToTANUS HYPOLEUCUS (Linn.), 'Common Sandpiper.'

Both species common. These are the only representa-
tives of the genus Totanus which I met with.

[172. Totanus fuscus (Linn.), * Spotted Eedshank.'

Rare.]
[173. Totanus glottis (Linn.), * Greenshank.'

Almost common.]
[174. Totanus ociiropus (Linn,), * Green Sandpiper.'

Rare.]

175. fHiMANTOPUs CANDiDUS (Bounat.), ' Black- winged Stilt.'

This species is undoubtedly common, as is also Recurvi-
rostra avocetta (Linn.), known in Portugal under two
names, Alfayate and Frade. I did not, however, meet with
it, alive or dead.

176. fLiMOSA ^gocepiiala (Linn.), 'Bar-tailed Godwit,' Ma-

qarico gallego.
This species is pronounced common.

[177. Limosa lapponica (Linn.), ' Black - tailed Godwit,'
Maqarico gallego.
Common.]
[178. Machetes pugnax (Linn.), ' Ruff.'

Common. There are now in the INIuseum several
specimens in winter plumage from Ribatejo.]

THE BIRDS OF PORTUGAL. 211

[179. Gallixaoo major (Lcacli), 'Great Snipe,' Narseja
(jrande.
RaT'o; but there is now a single specimen of tliis
species in the Museum of Lisbon.]
180. fScoLOPAX KUSTICOLA (Linn.), 'Woodcock,' Gallinhola.
18L fScoLOPAX GALLiXAGO (Linn.), 'Common Snipe,' Narseja
ordinaria.

182. IScoLOPAX GALLiNULA (Linn.), 'Jack Snipe,' Naneja

pequana.
All very picntilul, more particularly the last.

183. *Trixga alpina (Linn.), ^ Dunlin.'

This is the only member of the genus which I met with,
and all the species (the present included) are considered
rare in Portugal Of the present, however, I am in a posi-
tion to assert the abundance, as I procured several specimens
at different times.

[184. Trixga subapquata (Guldenst.), ' Curlew Sandpiper,*

Rather common.]
[185. Pelidna Temminckii (Lcist.), ' Temmlnck's Stint.'

Frequently found.]
[186, Calidpis auenapia (Ilk), ' Sanderling.'
Rare.]
187. fCPEX PRATENSis (Bechst.), 'Corn-Crake,' Codornhao.

Though the only member of the genus in the Museum at
Lisbon, this species is pronounced rare in Portugal,

[188. PoRZANA MAPUETTA (YieilL), ' Spotted Crake,' Franga
de agua, Itahiscoellia.
Common; represented by several sjx^cimcns in the
Museum at Lisbon.]

[189. PopzANA Baillonti (Vieill.), ' Baillon s Crake.'
Rather common.]

[190. PopzA.VA MiNUTA (Pall.), 'Little Crake.'
Rare.]

191. fl^^ALLUS AQUATicus (Linn.), ' Water-rail; Frango d'agua.

P 2

212 A SPUING TOUR IN POETUGAL.

192. jGallinula chloropus (Linn.), ' Water-hen,' Gallinha de

agua.

193. fFuLiCA ATRA (Linn.), 'Common Coot,' Galeirao.

Tlie above three species are all common.

[194. FuLiCA CRisTATA (Gmcl.), ' Crested Coot,' Galeirao.
Common in the southern provinces of Alemtejo and

Algarve.]

195. |PoRPnYRio VETERUM (S. Gmel.), 'Purple Water-hen,'

Camao,
There are many specimens of this beautiful bird in the
Museums of Lisbon and Coimbra, and on enquiry I was
assured that it was by no means considered rare in Portugal.

196. fAxsER ciNEREUS (Meyer and Wolf), 'Grey Goose,' Ganso

hravo.

197. fAxsER SEGETUM (Bcchst.), ' Bean-Goose,' Ganso hravo.

These two species alone have been recognised in Portugal,
though it is probable there are several others not yet iden-
tified.

198. fTADORNA Beloni (Stcph.), ' Common Sheldrake.'

Occasionally though only rarely seen.

199. "fANAS CLYPEATA (Linn.), '■ Shoveller,' Pato trombeteiro.

200. f Anas strepera (Linn.), ' Gadwall,' Frisada.

201. "fAxAS ACUTA (Linn.), 'Pintail,' Rahijunco.

202. *Anas boschas (Linn.), ' Wild Duck,' Pato real, Adem.

203. fANAS QUERQUEDULA (Linn.), ' Garganey,' Marreco., Mar-

requiiilio.

204. f Anas crecca (Linn.), ' Teal,' 3Iarreco, Marrequinho,

205. -j-Anas PENELOPE (Linn.), ' Wigeon,' Assohiadeira.

These are the commoner species of Ducks which I was
able to identify, all of which are declared to be common.

200. f Anas angustirostris (Menetr.), ' Marbled Duck,' Par-
dilheira.

THE BIRDS OF PORTUGAL. 213

There is a fine specimen oftliis rare Duck in the rslus(3nm
of Lisbon; but Professor dii Bocage said it was very selfioin
found in Portugal.

207. fCEoEMiA NIGRA (Linn.), ' Common Scoter.'

Occurs frequently, but in no great numbers.

208. fFuLiGULA NYUOCA (Glild.), ' Ferruginous Duck,' .V(.'7r//J/a.

]iarely seen.

[209. FULIGULA FERINA (Linn.), ' Pochard,' Tarrantana.']

[210. FuLiGULA CRisTATA (Steph.), ' Tufted Duck,' A>-
grinha.'\

[211. Clangula glaucion (Linn.), ' Golden Eye.'

The last species is less common than the two pro-
ceding, which are to be met with in winter in abund-
ance. There are authentic specimens of all these in
the Museum at Lisbon.]

212. fMERGUS serrator (Linn.), ^ Red- breasted Merganser,'

Merganso.
Common. This is the only species of the Mergansers
which I can positively assert to belong to Portugal, though
doubtless others will be added on further research.

213. fPoDiCErs NiGRicoLLis (Gmcl.), * Eared Grebe,' Mergulhao.

214. fPoDiCEPs MINOR (Gmel.), ' Little Grebe,' Mergulhao.

Of the abundance or scarcity of the Grebes I could obtain
but little information ; the Museums of Lisbon and Coimbra
are sadly deficient in them; but I am told that the two
species mentioned above are common in Alemtejo.

[215. PoDiCEPS cristatus (Linn.), 'Great-crested Grebe,'
Mergulhao.
By no means rare; there are several specimens in
the Museum of Lisbon.]

210. fCoLYMBUS glacialis (Linn.), ' Great Northern Diver.'
217. fCoLYMBUS septentrionalis (Linn.), ' Red-throated Diver.'
Of the former but few individuals have been seen on the

214 A SPEING TOUE IX POETUGAL.

Portuguese coast in 'winter ; of the latter a larger number :
and it is confidently asserted that C. akcticus (Linn.) occa-
sionally makes its appearance.

218. fllEiA TROiLE (Linn.), ' Common Guillemot,' Airo.

Abundant in suitable localities ; much more rarely, but
occasionally seen is Alca toiida (Linn.), known to the
natives as I'orda mergulheira.

[219. jFjiATERCULA ARCTiCA (Linn.), ^ ^uSin,' Fapagaio do
mar.
There are three specimens of this bird in the Museum ;
all immature, and all captured in different years on the
Lake of Albufeira, south of the Tagus.J
There is also a fine specimen in the Museum at Lisbon of
Alca impennis, the ' Great Auk ; ' but this has no pretence
to Portuguese origin, as it was coaxed by the present king
from his fathor-in-law, Victor Emmanuel, and was brought
from Turin. I may here add that the late king, Dom Pedro,
was an enthusiastic Ornithologist, and to his exertions, ably
seconded by Professor du Bocage, the present very satis-
factory state of the Museum at Lisbon is due. The late
king's collection of birds is now incorporated in the national
collection, of which the present king, Dom Luiz, is a muni-
ficent patron.

220. jPhalacrocorax carbo (Linn.), ' Cormorant,' Corvo ma-

rinJio.

221. •j-Phalacrocorax graculus (Linn.), ' Shag,' Corvo marinho.

222. fSuLA BASSANA (Linn.), ' Gannet,' Ganso patola.

All three species found in various parts of the coast.
Pelicanus onocra'tulus (Linn.), ' The White Pelican,' Peli-
cano, is also, li-om time to time, seen in Portugal.

223. -fSTERNA fluviatilis (Naum.), ' Common Tern,' Ando-

rinlia do mar.

224. -j-Sterna MiNUTA (Linn.), 'Lesser Tern.'

225. fSxERNA CANTiACA (Lath.), * Sandwicli Tern.'

These tliree species are well known in Portugal.

THE BIRDS OF TORTUGAL. 215

[226. Stekna fissipks (Linn.), ' Black Tern.'
Is also common.]

227. *Larus ridibundus (Linn.), * Black-headed Gull,' Gaivota.

228. *Larus rissa (Linn.), * Kittiwake Gull,' Gaivota.

229. *Larus fuscus (Linn.), 'Lesser Black-backed Gull,' Al-

catraz.

230. *Larus argentatus (Gmel.), ' Herring Gull,' Alcatraz,

Gaivota.

23L jLarus MARiNUS (Linn.), ' Great Black-backed Gull.'

These five species are all in the Portuguese collection of
the Lisbon Museum ; the four first are reported to be com-
mon, the last rare. I had a good opportunity while in
Lisbon of watching the Gulls on the Tagus, from my win-
dows in the Hotel Braganza, situated in a commanding
position overlooking the river, and, with the glass, identified
to my own satisfliction L. ridibundus, L. rissa, and L. ar-

GENTATUS.

[232. f Stercorarius pomarinus (Temm.), ' Pomarine Skua.'
Not common. There is a single specimen of this
species in the Museum at Lisbon ; it is an adult female,
in winter plumage.]

233. fTHALAssiDROMA Leachi (Temm.), * Forked-tailed Petrel.'

234. friiALASSiDROMA TELAGiCA (Linn.), ' Storiu Petrel,' Alma

de mestre.
Both species are considered rare in Portugal, the former
more especially ; and yet, if there be truth in the popular
tale of the love of storms which these birds evince, unques-
tionably the proximity to Portugal of the tempest-tossed
Bay of Biscay should attract the whole race of such bois-
terous spirits to its shores.

[235. PuFFixus MAJOR (Fabcr), ' Greater Shearwater.'
Bare.]

Lastly, I would add that Puffinus Anglorum (Boie),
* ;Manx Shearwater,' is said to be well known in Portugal,
and to be often seen on the Tagus.

216 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL.

I have but one remark to make in conclusion ; and that
is in reference to the extremely dark hue which almost
universally seems to characterise the birds of Portugal.
This peculiarity struck me on my first arrival in the coun-
try, and its existence was confirmed with every day's further
observation, while the notes given above of Mr. Tristram,
on the skins which I submitted to him, amply confirm
my own previous impression. Whether such deepening
of colour arises from the intense heat of Portugal, and,
like the inhabitants of that sultry clime, they are simply
sun-burnt and bronzed, or whatever be the cause, I must
leave it to others to determine ; enough for me to call
attention to the fact.

And, as a last word, let me heartily recommend, not
only to tourists generally, but especially to my brother Orni-
thologists, a trip to that same extreme south-western
corner of Europe, now so accessible both by sea and land,
and which offers so many and so various attractions, — a
warm and dry climate to the health-seeker; unrivalled
ecclesiastical and conventual remains, of a unique character,
to the ecclesiologist and the architect; beautiful scenery
to the artist ; and novel customs, amidst an obliging and
hospitable people, to the general tourist ; while to the
naturalist in every branch, the geologist, the botanist, the
entomologist, the zoologist generally, there is a rich har-
vest of facts to be reaped in a field which, though so near
our shores, and now so easy of access, is, perhaps, less
known to the travelling public than any other region of
Europe.

INDEX.

Ajuda, palace, 31
Alcoba^a, 76, 82, 93
Alemtejo, 53, 59
Algarve, 53
Aljubarrota, 92, 95
Ammergau 'mystery,' 148
Aqueduct at Evora, 72

— Lisbon, 31
Armada, Invincible, 10
Aromatic shrubs, 62

Arimdel Society, pliotographs, 93
Atlantic, the, 7, 8, 118, 184
Avila, 179
A:ulejo, 34

Badajoz, 71, 168, 171
Bait for horses, 49, 58
Bananas, 45

Barbosa du Bocage, Professor, quo-
ted, 112,183, 186
Bar of Douro, 125
Bar of Tagus, 125
Barcellos, 166
Barcelona, 115, 147, 180
Barreiro, 59, 61, 75
Batalha, 76, 92
Beja, 63
Bc'lem church, 28, 93

— tower, 13, 31
Bcmfica, 49

Bernardino Order of Monks, 82
Biarritz, 179, 181
Birds of Portugal, 183-216
Bird-stuffers, 201, 203
Biscay, bay of, 7, 8, 178, 181
Bom Jesus, 144
Bordeaux, 130, 181
Jjouqainville, creeper, 46
Braga, 140, 143
Bull-fight in Portugal, 38

Bull-fight in Spain, 38, 179
Bullock cart, 17, 141
Burgos, 179
Busaco. 170, 176
Byrne, Mrs., quoted, 40
Byron, quoted, 14, 19, 48, 79,

175

Caxdas da Raixha, 79

Calvas Seiior, 1 1 1

Camellias, 47, 123, 135

Camoes, 106, 108, 116

Capella imjierfetta at Batalha, 100

Carmo, church of, 24

Carnarvon, Earl of, quoted, 40, 82

Carts in Lisbon, 17

Casa Branca, 63, 73

Casa Pia at Bel em, 30

Castello de S. Jorge, 25, 123

Castile, 174

Cathedral at Evora, 65

— Coimbra, 114

— Leiria, 103

— Lisbon, 25

— Oporto, 122
Carregado, 78

Celts of stone and bronze, 70
Cereal, 79

Cervantes, quoted, 78, 170
Chapter-house at Batalha, 99

— Santa Cruz, Coimbra, 114
Character of Spaniards, 36

— Portuguese, 36, 174
Chestnut\rees, 56, 139, 173
Churches of Portugal, 27

— Spain, 27

— Lisbon, 26

Church of San Francisco, 122

— Carmo, 24

Cid at Coimbra, 115
Cintra, 48

218

INDEX.

Cistercian monasteiy, 81, 87
Ciudad Reale, 168, 177
Cleanliness of Lisbon, 19
Clergy, 28

Climate, 10, 20, 58, 176
Cloisters at Belem, 30

— Alcoba^a, 83, 87

— Batalha, 99

— Santa Cruz, Coimbra, 114
Coimbra, 106, 117, 170
Cohmbus, 11, 101
Confirmation at English chnrcli, 33
Convent of Santa Cruz, Coimbra, 113
Convention of Cintra, 55
Cordilleras of Spain, 173
Cordova, 180

Cork convent, 56

Cork trees, 56, 173, 189

Cortes, the, 35

Corunna, 11

Costa, Senhor de, 82, 94

Court-dress, 35

Cruz, Santa, at Braga, 144

Crystal Palace at Oporto, 124

Custom-house, 14, 118, 181

Dagon, 76

Degland, quoted, 189

Diana, temple of, at Evora, 71

— worship of, at Vianna, 162
Dictionary of the Bible, quoted, 131

— Greek and Roman Antiquities,
quoted, 18

Diligence, Spanish, 166, 180

— Portuguese, 141, 163
Dominican monastery, 92

Douro river, 119, 125, 127, 131, 173
Drought, 158

Earthql'akk at Lisbon, 23

Elvas, 71, 171

Emcxdcs, 21

English church at Lisbon, 32

— Oporto, 123, 163
Entroncamcnto, 170
Epernay, 130
Escorial, 178
Estrella mountains, 173

— gardens in Lisbon, 32
Evora, 59, 64

Eyro, ]Mis3, quoted, 40

Fairs, 57, 104

Ferdinand the Great, 128
Fergusson, quoted, 84, 94, 96
Fernando, Dom, 54, 94, 99, 102
Finisterre, Cape, 8
Fish market at Vianna, 162

— Lisbon, 42

Fish of Portugal, 42, 43, 74

Fireworks, 120

Flag of Holy Inquisition, 69

Flowers of Portugal, 45, 51, 61, 174

Fonte dos Amoves, 116

Ford, quoted, 27, 36, 40, 84, 116,

162, 177
Forest, a Portuguese, 102, 178
Forrester, quoted, 40, 59, 129, 142
Fountains at Lisbon, 15
Founders' chapel at Batalha, 98
Foy, General, 119
Foz, harbour of, 125, 126
Fruits of Portugal, 44

Gaixegos, 15, 16, 131

Game of Portugal, 43, 205, 206

Gardens of Lisbon, 19, 45

— public, 20, 124
Genett, the, 152

Gerez mountains, 151, 153, 173
Granada, 180
Gran Vasco, 67
Guadarama mountains, 179
Guadiana, 178
Guimaraens, 141, 143

Hallam, quoted, 107, 150
Heath, a Portuguese, 62, 72
Holiday costumes, 57, 104
Hotels, 14, 64, 73, 107, 119, 143,
162, 177

Ibkx, 153

'Ibis,' quoted, 183, 185, 188

Ignoz. Donna de Castro, 84, 116

Inhabitants of Portugal, 36, 174

Inquisition, the, 69, 106

Insurrection, 20

Isabella of Spain, 11, 70, 175

Jackass bay, 60
Japanese apple, 116, 137
Joanna, Princess, 114
Joao I., 95, 98, 101

— II., 11

— IV., ' The Restorer,' 175

INDEX.

219

JoHo de Castro, 56
Juchis tree, 137
Juuot, 176

Kixo, tho lato, Dom Pedro, 214

— present, Dom Luiz, 214
Kitchen at Alcoba^-a, 86

Lahorde, 176

Lacerta occUata, 53

Landos, tlio, 181

Landniann, Col, quoted, 82, 83, 95,

99
Largos, 19, 122
Leiria, 103
Library at Alcobaqa, 85

— Evora, 66

— Coimbra. 110

— Oporto, 123

Lima river, 154, 157, 161
Lis river, 104
Lisbon, 12, 19, 176
Lizards, 53

' Lodges' of Port wine, 130
Loison, General, 119
Lotus eating, 160
Lynx, the pardine, 152

Machado, quoted, 188
Madrid, 22, 177, 180
Mafra, 53, 93
Magnolia, 136
Malaga, 180
Manoel, Dom, 101
Markets in Cuimbra, 115

— Lisbon, 41, 184
Massena, 82, 176
Merida, 171
Miguel, Dom, 119, 126
Mineral baths, 80
Minho, 139, 143, 173
Miracle plays, 145, 150
Monaco 'mysteries,' 145
Monasteries, 87

Mondego river, 106, 107, 108, 116

Montserrat, 51

Moors in Portugal, 95, 174

Moorish remains, 55, 95, 105, 108

Moxijlon, 153

Murillo, 178

Murphy, quoted, 86, 93, 112, 122

Museum at Coimbra, 111, 185

— Lisbon, 112, 184, 214

Musou Real at Madrid, 178
'Mysteries,' 145, 150

Nky, MARsiTAr, 176
Night travelling, 77, 162, 170
'Norman Gothic' architecture, 29,
82, 95

Oak TREES, 139, 173
Observatory at Coimbra, 110
Olive trees, 56, 81, 139, 173
Oporto, 118, 127
Oranges, 74, 115
Os Arcos, 154
Outeiro Major, 160
Oxen in Portugal, 57, 104

Palmella, 73

Paris, 182

Pedro, Dom, 119, 214

— the Cruel, 84, 116
Peiia convent, 54

Peninsular war, 39, 119, 171, 176

Philip II. of Spain, 175

Philippa, Donna, of Lancaster, 95,

98
Phoenicians, 10
Pinhal novo, 62, 73, 75
Plains of Portugal, 174
Plaustra, 17
Pombal, city of, 105

— Marquis of, 67, 105
Ponte do Lima, 154
Portocale, 128
Port-wine trade, 129
Portugal, first view of, 13

— frontier of, 172, 177

— general character of, 172
Posting in Portugal, 142
Pra<;as, 19, 122

Prescott, quoted, 11, 92, 114, 150,

175
Procession, religious, 120
Pyrenees, 153, 180

QuiNTAS, 45, 50, 52, 74

Quinta das Lac/rimas, 116

Railways, 60, lOG, 118. 169, 181,

194
Relics, 113

Rivers in Portugal, 173
Roads in Portugal, 1 10, 165

220

INDEX.

lioli^a, 176

Roman remains, 71, 171

Sandeman, Messrs., 130, 131, 135

Shannon, steamer, 1

Serra convent, 126

Service on board, 9

Setubal, 74

Seville, 180

Sierras, 173

Soldiers, Portuguese, 39. 175

Soult, Marshal, 119, 176

Spain, 8, 172

Spanish character, 36

Stanley, Dean, quoted, 76, 148

Strawberries, 45, 137

Street cries in Lisbon, 18

Students, 109, 117

Suche, Dr., 185, 207

TAors, 11, 12, 60, 76,125, 173
Talavera, 171
Temminck, quoted, 189
Temple of Diana at Evora, 71
Tennyson, quoted, 102
Torre dos Clerigos, 123
Torres Vedras, 176
Trafalgar, 11

Traz-os-Montes, 130, 135, 138
Tristram, Rev. H. 13., quoted, 185
Tulip tree, 136

VxiVEBSITY OF PORTUGAL, 108, 117

Ushant, 7

Vat. de Pen as, 130

Valencia, 180

A^arallo, 144

Valladolid, 168, 179

Vasco de Gama, 10, 28, 101

Vegetables, 20, 44

Velasquez, 178

Vendas Novas, 63, 73

Vianna do Castello, 155, 158, 161

Vigo, 11

Villa nova de Pamili(,'ao, 166

Villa nova de Gaia, 118

Villosa, Dr. Manoel, 61, 67

Vimeiro, 176

Vincente, S., 26

Vines in Portugal, 131, 134, 142

Vintage, 131

Water-carriers, 16

Wellington, Duke of, quoted, 39, 175

AVhiteley, Rev. E., 136, 167

Wilby, Mr., 123

Wild-boar, 152, 206

Wolf, 151

Xeres, 130, 132
Ximenes, Cardinal, 70

Yams, 45

Zamora, 168, 169

I.OWDOX: PBINTKD BT

SPOmSWOODB AND CO., NEW-STItEFT SQCiKt

AND PABLIAMKNT STKliliT

DUNDBY ^
-ONDON -AJ