but the inconvenience of having these trifles to attend to, after a long journey, is inconceivable. We met with good and ready attendance, decent fare, and our pretty and good-natured landlady had that animation of manner, that fpeaking intelligence of countenance, and that well-bred politenefs, which are fo ftriking in this nation. What a difference between Badajoz and Elvas in this refpect! I shall often have occafion to fpeak of the common people of Portugal; and I often look back with pleasure to the many happy hours I have spent with that friendly nation. But the reader will find my judgment of them very different from that of other travellers, who either were only ac quainted with Lifbon, or never gave themselves the trouble of learning to speak the language." P. 132. Some general obfervations of importance occur alfo in the 18th Chapter; on which we fhall alfo offer a remark. Murphy, who in his travels into Portugal has many very juft remarks, is truly ridiculous in others. He fays, for inftance, fruit-women wear pointed caps, though he might, however, have eafily convinced himfelf of the contrary. Having alfo, perhaps, once feen fome perfons playing at cards while waiting for their masters, he fets this down as a general characteristic; but, with his permiffion, I have also once feen the fame in London. On Sunday, he fays, that the hair-dreffers go about with their fwords and chapeaux-bras; this alfo may have happened once, but is by no means cuftomary. Fires feldom happen in Lifbon; but in the winter of 1798-9 they occurred very often, and a houfe was burnt down in which a young girl loft her life. He fays much in favour of the common people, and praises the great politeness of the Portugueze; adding, that they conftantly give the right-hand to ftrangers in walking. Juft the contrary: it is fingular that, in direct oppofition to the customs of other nations, the Portugueze through politeness give every one the left-hand. His knowledge of the language cannot be great, for he fays a Portugueze never fails to fay, " Į am dying with desire to see you;" which he tranflates, with a violation of all grammar, morro com faudades de o ver*. "What is faid in praife of this nation by Murphy and other writers is very juft; but what they fay againft them is not unfrequently exaggerated. They who would judge of the nation by Lisbon run the risk of committing frequent errors; for this city is a rendezvous for all the vagabonds of the whole kingdom, and a great part of the foreigners of the lower ranks are also the scum of other nations. I know that these laft are fometimes very docile, and eafily fall into the cuftom of hiring themfelves as banditti: for I know certainly of ferious propofals of this kind being made. But I must confefs that, notwith ftanding the numbers of bad people among the lower claffes, and the unworthy manner in which foreigners often act toward the inhabitants, examples are not wanting of true and difinterested hofpitality among the common people. Round Lisbon, and in the villages, however, the true Portugueze character not unfrequently again appears, to which I have already borne teftimony of my full approbation. "He fhould have said, de ver a vm. Tranf." "Both 1 Both the higher and lower claffes are very fond of a profufion of compliments, which flow in a torrent from every mouth. A common peafant meeting another takes off his hat quite low down, holds him.a long while by the hand, enquires after his health and that of his family, and does not fail to add, I am at your commands, and your humble fervant (eftou a feus ordens, feu criado). This is not a remark taken from a fingle inftance, for I have heard it extremely often from afsdrivers, and others of fimilar claffes. The Portugueze language indeed, even in the mouths of the common people, has naturally fomething well-bred and elegant; nor do they ever ufe oaths and indecent expreffions, like the English, French, and Spanish low execrations, though the lowest claffes indeed fometimes mention the devil. All the Portugueze are naturally talkative, and fometimes very infipid. The rich are faid to conceal a falfe heart beneath a profufion of polite expreffions. I have nothing to say in defence of the higher claffes; they are as inferior to the Spaniards as the common people excel them. The want of science and tafte, which perhaps arise from the total want of works of art in this country; a government which never had wisdom or opportunity to bring into action the nobler paffions of mankind, the conftant and oppreffive neighbourhood of the English, who justly feel their fuperiority, and the total decay of literature, are, I conceive, the chief caufes why the Portugueze nobles are formed of worse materials than any European nobility. "The male fex are not hand fome; and a tall man is rarely feen, the generality being fhort, fat, and fquare-made. Their features are alfo feldom regular, turned up nofes and projecting lips being fo common as to fuggeft an idea of a mixture with negroes. The difference between the Spaniards and the Portugueze is extremely striking, the latter being fat, the former meagre, the nofes of the latter turned up, thofe of the former arched downward, fo that they only agree in their yellow complexions and black eyes. Of the fair-fex, the author of the New Picture of Lifbon*, who was a Frenchman, and his German editor at Leipzig, Tilefius, differ; the former praifing, and the latter cenfuring them. In fact, they have the fame defects as the other fex, being of too low a ftature, and inclined to corpulency; but their countenances are expreffive, and their manners animated and friendly; which, with very fine eyes, long and uncommonly ftrong hair, very white teeth, full breafts, and extremely beautiful feet, form, in my opinion, a charming affemblage, and compenfate other irregularities. Although in Lisbon, as in every other great city, there is no fcarcity of courtefans, and though, as their doors ftand open, every one may enter, yet they are far lefs importunate than in London, or the palais royal at Paris; but the defcription of them in the New Picture of Lisbon, though in fome refpects true, is on the whole exaggerated. But to return to ladies of condition, Thofe fofter graces which adorn the beauties of the north are rarely feen in Portugal; and perhaps they might as ill become the fire of Portugueze eyes as a burning climate can give them birth. Great beauties, however, may be feen in Lif bon, particularly when the flender northern fhape and the fine white * We have not feen this work. Rev. fkin of thofe climates are united with the advantages of the fouth, producing as it were the most beautiful works of nature. "From this charming fubject I am obliged to pafs to the uncleanlinefs of the Portugueze. On leaving England and entering France, every fpecies of uncleanlinefs becomes greater and greater in proportion as we travel fouthward. The apartments grow conftantly more dirty, the privies are more horrible, or totally difappear, and a host of vermin of all kinds fwarm round the traveller in his fleep. The removal of many of thefe inconveniencies has been attempted in the new German and English inns at Lifbon; and in this refpect that city is preferable to Madid. It is neceffary to speak of lice, because too much has already been faid of them by others; as, that they ferve the foldiers inftead of cards; that they are commonly bitten between the teeth, &c. It is certain, however, that perfons of condition are not afhamed openly to kill them, or fuffer others to do it. It is faid that the wife of a minifter of state does this not unfrequently at cards, in very large companies. This indeed I did not fee; but at Caldas in Gercz, a place reforted to for its warm baths, I faw the fifter of the biflop, and of the governor of Oporto, a charming young widow of an ancient noble family, in an afternoon, before her door, laying her head in the lap of her waiting-woman to be loused; and I know for certain that young ladies, when they vifit each other, reciprocally perform this office by way of paftime." P. 207. The laft circumftance is fo little honourable to the Portugueze, that if the author had not faid he jaw it, we should have doubted the fact; and even as it is, we should not have been forry to have it fuppreffed. As to his contradiction of Mr. Murphy, on the fubject of giving the left hand, we can pofitively fay that, unless a fingular and very improbable change of cultoms has taken place within a very few years, Mr. Murphy is right, and the prefent author completely wrong. As a fpecimen of another kind, in which philofophical refearch is more concerned, we fhall give the Profeffor's account of the baths at Caldas. "A league from Obidos is the small town of Caldas, much fre quented for its fulphureous waters. The town is fmall, being built in an irregular quadrangular form; but is continually increafing. The houfes are fmall, generally confifting merely of a ground floor, and only a few have windows. The flooring is very bad almoft throughout, and those who would have other furniture, than bad wooden ta bles and chairs, muft bring them. As to beds, table cloths, and other conveniences, they are wholly wanting; in fhort every article of furniture must be provided. The inn will accommodate but few people, and would be called wretched in England or France, though here it paffes for tolerable. The company who come to bathe always live in private houses. Such are the accommodations prepared for the rich merchants and principal nobility of Lifbon, who vifit Caldas twice a year; namely, in May and September. As to balls, concerts, plays, and fuch amufements, they are not to be expected here, and those who feek foek these enjoyments in places reforted to for pleasure in Portugal, muft themfelves form them. The company however vifit, give teaparties, play, and at moft make fmall parties to vifit fome neighbouring place. Thefe are their only amufements. It is however the fainion to go to Caldas: The rich pass the hot feafon at Cintra, and travel from thence to Caldas; for which reafon the company are froquently more brilliant in autumn than in spring. "In the middle of this place over the warm fpring, is a fpacious and handfore bathing houfe, founded in the reign of the late king, and close to it a hofpital for poor patients. Befides the fpring ufed for drinking, three others fupply four baths; that for the men is thirty-fix feet long by nine broad, and two feet eight inches deep. The foil is covered with a white clay and washed fand. The company undress behind a curtain, put on bathing cloaths, and fit upon the ground in the bath, fo that the water reaches their neck. There are frequently twelve patients in the bath at the fame time, and though the water is conftantly flowing, it is unpleafant to be obliged to bathe in company, efpecially to thote who come laft, to whom the water arrives after washing the reft. It is alfo unpleafant that ftrangers are admitted. Nothing however is paid for bathing, except a fmall prefent to the attendants. The poor are not fuffered to bathe till about noon, when the other company are gone. The rest of the baths, even thofe appropriated to the ladies, are regulated in a fimilar manner, except that the water in the bath for men is the hotteft and of the strongest quality, being from 92° to 93° of Fahrenheit (from 26° to 27° of Réaumur). The water from all the fprings joins and turns a mill near the bathing houfe. "On entering this house the company come to a large floor, which ferves for a promenade after bathing, and is generally full of people running to and fro with great violence. Here alfo is an apothecary's fhop, and in the back ground the fpring used for drinking, the warmth of which is 91° of Fahrenheit. "The country round is well cultivated, but fandy and full of pinewoods. The place itfelt is fituated on the western brow of hills very much flattered, confifting of a foft brownish tan-flone containing iron, and probably covering coal, from the combuftion of which the heat of the water may arife. The fea is only three leagues diftant, and the lake or lagoa de Obidos one league. This vicinity to the fea and the flatnefs of the country are the caufes of the strong and cold winds, which prevail here, particularly in fpring, and of changeable weather. The heat alio in fummer is uncommonly great. Every where are feen Berlengas, iflands which refemble much the two islands of Helgoland and form hills in the middle of the fea. Except a quinta, there is no promenade at Caldas. "We have a fhort treatife on the use and abuse of the baths of the Caldas, by Tavares, formerly profeffor and dean of the medicinal faculty at Coimbra, under the title of Advertencias fobre os abufos e legitimo ufo das aguas mineraes das Caldas da raynha, por Fr. Tavares. Lisboa, 1791, 4to. but it is very fingular that the author fhould fay it is of little ufe to know the conftituent parts of mineral waters. Mr. Tavares fhould recollect that even to render rules for the ufe of the water practicable, it is neceffary to analyfe it; without which it cannot even be claffed among medicinal fprings. Like many ignorant phyficians in Germany, he imagines certain effects are expected to arife from the analyfis, whereas its ufe is merely to complete the knowledge of the phyfician, who ought to know whether the water belongs to the carbonic-acid, or fulphureous clafs. He complains of the great minuteness of chemical analyfes, and does not reflect that they are expected from every writer on objects of chemical enquiry. He juftly blames excefs in the afe of thefe waters, the filly running to and fro after bathing, the leaving off the Portugueze cuftom of conftantly wearing a cloak of cloth, and fubftituting the light English drefs, which is not adapted to a hot climate. In this we cannot but fully agree with the author. The Portugueze, inftructed by experience, wears his cloak in the hottest fummer, but is almost undrest beneath it, fo that he can wrap himfelf up from every cold breeze. In hot weather the skin is always covered with perfpiration; and every current of air, by favouring evaporation, produces a degree of cold, which the air itself will not affect. "But there is another more important treatise on this subject, by a well-known learned Englishman, named Withering, with a chemical analyfis of the water, pablished at Lisbon in 1795, in Portugueze and English, under the title of analyfe chemica da agua das Caldas da raynha, por Guilherme Withering. (A chemical analysis of the water at Caldas da raynha, by William Withering, fixty-one pages, 4to.) The analyfis is good, as might be expected from fo skilful an author; but the bad apparatus he was obliged to employ renders the most important of the refults doubtful; as for inftance the proportions of the various kinds of air. In 128 ounces he found of The iron might as well be diffolved in the carbonic acid, as in the fulphurated hydrogen; but I pafs over the remarks that might be made on the proportions of the conflituent parts, in which, as the author himself fays, the analyfis could not be exact. It is enough that he has contributed fomething to this object, for which he deferves the thanks of the world." P. 269. Another celebrated place for bathing is the Caldas de Gerez, in the province of Entre Douro e Minho. See p. 340. We' fhall now make a few remarks, of a more particular kind, refpecting the original author, and then fubjoin fome which affect only the tranflator. The following accounts feem |