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TRAVELS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE DUKE DE CHATELET, 
 
 IN 
 
 PORTUGAL. 
 
 COMPREHENDING 
 
 Interesting Particulars relative to the Colonies ; the Earth* 
 quake of Lisbon ; the Marquis de Pombal, 
 and the Court. 
 
 The Manuscript revised, corrected, and enlarged, with Notes, 
 on the present State of the Kingdom and Colonies 
 of Portugal, 
 
 BY J. FR. BOURGOING, 
 
 Late Minister Plenipotentiary, from the French Republic, in Spain^ 
 Member of the National Institute^ and Author ef the 
 Modern State of Spain, 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH, 
 
 ^ BY JOHN JOSEPH STOCKDALE. 
 
 Illustrated with a Map of Portugal, and View of 
 the Bay of Lisbon. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 rUlNTED FOR JOHN STOCKDALE, PICCADILLY; AND 
 J. J. STOCKDALE, NO. 41, PALL-MALL. 
 
 1809. 
 
T. Oillet, frimt, 
 Cr6^*Yt'tovtri, Fleet-street, Londoi^ 
 
TO 
 
 LIEUTENANT-GENERAL 
 THE RIGHT HONOURABLE 
 
 SIR ARTHUR WELLESLEY, K. B. 
 
 ^c. Ssc ^c. 
 
 Who, having acquired high military reputa- 
 tion, by his matchless conduct, in the East 
 Indies, has subsequently confirmed, and en- 
 hanced, that fame, by the most brilliant services, 
 rendered, to his admiring country, in Portu- 
 gal : these Travels, descriptive of the field of 
 some of his glorious achievements, are dedi- 
 cated with respect, esteem, and humility, 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN JOSEPH STOCKDALE, 
 
 No. 41, Pall-MaU, 
 June 30, I8O9. 
 
THE 
 
 TRANSLATOR'S ADVERTISEMENT, 
 
 Ix this enlightened age and country, no apo- 
 logy need be offered for contributing, or at- 
 tempting to contribute, to that general stock of 
 information which is, happily, sought after, 
 with so much anxiety. But, in the present 
 case, we have motives of temporary and 
 political interest, added to those of a more 
 general nature, for perusing, with eagerness,the 
 description of a kingdom, which has been so 
 important a source of commercial advantage, 
 and so rich a field for the display of our mili« 
 tary capacities. The Translator regrets, most 
 sincerely, that the same misrepresentation, 
 which has, of late years, formed part of the na* 
 tional system, adopted by France, towards other 
 countries, to effect her own Machiavelian pur- 
 poses, will be found to pervade the whole 
 of the reasoning in the following pages : yet, 
 it, fortunately, happens to be evinced, so pal- 
 pably, in its avowed animosity to Great Britain, 
 
vi 
 
 ADVERTISEMEI^T. 
 
 that the ill effects which it mighty (^therwise^ 
 have produced^ must^ thereby, be^ entirely, done 
 away. 
 
 In the present remarkable dearth of infor- 
 mation respecting Portugal, a kingdom which 
 cannot but, greatly, interest the statesman, 
 the merchant, and a considerable portion 
 of the community, the Translator indulges a 
 sanguine hope, that his labours will experience 
 a favourable reception. 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 Page, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 fot/age to Lisbon and arrival at that city. 
 rr^The Queen's coronation - - 25 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Climate an4 Origin of the Kingdom ofPoV" 
 tugal. - - - - SS 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Geographical Description of Portugal - 40 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Constitutions and Laws of Portugal - - 86 
 
viii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V, 
 Religion, • - - 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Maimers and Customs of the Portuguese 
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 
 Of the Government 
 
 CHAPTER VHI, 
 
 Of the Portuguese Colonies 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Population ' 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Commerce • . • 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 Agriculture . - 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 BY THE EDITOR. * 
 
 JPoRTUGAL:, one of the countries with which 
 we have^ or, at leasts might have^ the most 
 extensive commercial relations^ one of those 
 powerg of the second order/ which, in a poli- 
 tical point of view are most interesting to us, 
 is very imperfectly known, especially to the 
 French. The press has hitherto furnished us 
 with nothing but erroneous or incomplete de- 
 scriptions of this portion of Europe, once so 
 flourishing, now so degenerate. Some works 
 are confined to the discussion of certain periods 
 of its history; in others, the conquesis and the 
 glory of the ancient Portuguese are exhibited 
 and contrasted with the abject and insigni- 
 ficant state of their present descendants. James 
 Murphy, an English architect, some time since 
 published a volume on the state of Portugal ; 
 but it contained little else than obserYatipns 
 VOL, I n 
 
18 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 connected with his profession. A second volume, 
 which appeared in 1798, gives various details 
 of a different kind; heing taken tip with par- 
 ticulars relative to the physical, political and 
 literary situation of Portugal : but these two 
 volumes are very far from forming a complete 
 account of that kingdom. 
 
 The author of the Picture of Lisbon gives 
 many curious particulars, but he has nearly 
 confined himself to a description of the capital. 
 His work, moreover, displays throughout a 
 severity of animadversion, doubtless 'occasion- 
 ed, and perhaps excusable, by the circum- 
 stances of his residence there, but which is not 
 calculated to produce any great confidence in 
 the author. 
 
 A view of Portugal in all her different as- 
 pects; a description of her European pro- 
 vinces and her distant colonies, the manners 
 and customs of their inhabitants, their progress 
 in the arts and sciences, their politics, &c. was 
 still to be given : this task the ci-devant Due 
 de Chatelet^ whose work is here submitted to 
 the public, was enabled to accomplish. He 
 consulted the best informed persons of the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 19 
 
 rountrj which he visited with more care than 
 ordinary travellers. He had access to the 
 Marquis de Pombal in his retirement ; he ob- 
 tained from him various particulars equally 
 curious and ai^thentic, and not unfrequently 
 ascertained their accuracy on the very spot 
 where the circumstances occurred. 
 
 His manuscript, which was entrusted to m, 
 contained some errors which we have taken the 
 pains to rectify, and some chasms which we 
 have endeavoured to supply. The author had 
 not sufficient leisure to put the finishing hand 
 to his work. His style was sometimes careless 
 and incorrect. These slight defects we have 
 taken the liberty to amend, without making any 
 alteration either in his plan or his ideas. The 
 text may therefore be considered exclusively 
 his own. 
 
 But as it is now several years since M. de 
 Chatelet visited Portugal, his work would af- 
 ford but an imperfect description of the king- 
 dom, if we had not added notes and supple- 
 mentary observations, to give the reader a more 
 complete knowledge of the Portuguese of mo- 
 dern times. For this purpose we have availed 
 
20 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ourselves of the most recent events relative to 
 Portugal^ and of information procured from 
 different persons who had long resided in that 
 country. Though we have ourselves* never 
 crossed its frontiers, we have been acquainted 
 with so many Portuguese, we have, for such a 
 length of time, been connected with their 
 country in so many different ways, but princi- 
 pally in a political capacity, that we have also 
 been enabled to furnish some interesting ori- 
 ginal particulars. In a word, we think our- 
 selves justified in asserting, that a more com- 
 plete work, on the subject of Portugal, has never 
 appeared, than the Travels of M. de Chatelet; 
 and the additions which we have made wall 
 leave Isttle to be added respecting the, present 
 state of that country. 
 
 Certain political scruples prevented the pub^ 
 lication of this manuscript under the former 
 government of France. This very circum- 
 stance must render it the more interesting at 
 the present moment. The author and editor 
 have been equally anxious to avoid whatever 
 might give offence to the Portuguese. They 
 sometimes reproach them indeed with consider- 
 able severity, and occasionally^ give them rather 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 harsh lessons ; but they have both abstained 
 from that acrimony which offends without cor^ 
 recting. They have endeavoured to couiine 
 themselves within the limits of tb it resnect 
 which one nation owes to another. Not but 
 that there are enlightened Portuguese who de- 
 plore the present situation of their country^ as 
 much as it is possible for the most rigid fo- 
 reigners to do. They know tbe causes of its 
 degradation, and the remedies that would cure 
 the evils with which it is afflicted. If the two- 
 fold religious and political terror by which 
 they are restrained, prevents tbem from ex- 
 pressiiig their sentiments with freedom, they 
 will pardon^ and perhaps even feel obliged to, 
 more independent writers for exposing the dis^ 
 orders that prey upon their native land, for 
 reviving in their countrymen the recollection 
 of their former greatness, and for rouzingthem 
 to second by wisdom and energy the advan- 
 tages of nature. To what country of Europe has 
 she been more bountiful than Portugal ? It may 
 vie with any other, both in regard to beauty of 
 climate and the variety of productions to which 
 its soil is adapted. It has a line of coast suf- 
 ficiently extensive for the moderate size of its 
 territory. It has delightful and fertile valleys. 
 
INT RODUCTIOK. 
 
 mountains divided in such a manner as to emit,, 
 in every direction, from their sides and sum- 
 ^lits, refreshing streams^ v^hich facilitate irriga- 
 tion^ and diminish the inconveniencies of 
 drought, in a hot climate — some, which, to- 
 wards the east, present an almost impregnable 
 rampart against the only enemy whom it has 
 to dread by land — several rivers which might 
 be rendered navigable, one in particular, whose 
 mouth forms one of the finest ports in Europe 
 — inhabitants naturally intelligent, and whose 
 valour has escaped the almost universal stupor 
 which has seized their other faculties-r~inha- 
 bitants who have proved themselves suscep- 
 tible of the courage and activity necessary for 
 great undertakings, and capable of guiding, 
 with success, all the instruments of prosperity. 
 
 For upwards of a century, however, a bad 
 administration, false calculations, vicious in- 
 stitutions^ the sway of the monks and of the 
 English^ have reduced all these brilliant ad- 
 vantages almost to nothing. The light of 
 philosophy is diffused over the greatest part of 
 Europe^ and Portugal is still in darkness. In 
 its own productions, and those of its exten- 
 sive colonies^ it possesses the elements of the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 23 
 
 most varied and the most extensive commerce ; 
 and yet relinquishes the latter to hands perfidi-^ 
 ousjy officious, hy which it is condemned to 
 indolence and wretchedness. It reigns at Mo- 
 zainbiqiie and at Macao : it obeys with abject 
 servility at Oporto and Lisbon. The character 
 given to Rome in Caesar's time by the second 
 Brutus might with greater justice be applied 
 to the crown of Portugal — 
 
 A sovereign on the coasts of the Indus, a 
 slave on the banks of the Tiber/' 
 
 It has not the disposal either of its produc- 
 tions, its ports, or its alliances. For rapacious 
 foreigners is the soil of Portugal cultivated. 
 Its manufactures are totally crushed, or in a 
 languishing condition, and it exhausts itself 
 for the benefit of Manchester and Birming- 
 ham. Its docile inhabitants relinquish to the 
 English the lucrative profession of factors, and 
 themselves retain the laborious one of farmers. 
 They are commanded to engage in useless and 
 disastrous wars ; they are prevented from con- 
 cluding a necessary peace. The dupes of ra- 
 pacious fanaticism at home, and of insatiable 
 ambition abroad, they have become attached to 
 their tyrants^ and reject their deliverers. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Such is the outline of the picture exhibited 
 in the following work. It could scarcely 
 have appeared under circumstances better cal- 
 culated to excite the public curiosity. Portu- 
 gal is approaching a crisis which will probably 
 decide her fate. On the present operations de- 
 pends her enfranchisement^ or the prolongation 
 of her servitude. Undeceived with respect to 
 her imperious ally^ will she find in the victo- 
 ries of those who have^ at short intervals been 
 her enemies^ the means of shaking off her fet- 
 ters ? Or will the affbction of some of those 
 who govern;, for those who hold her in subjec- 
 tion, survive this long series of mortifications 
 and disasters ? Of this problem the French re- 
 public will, perhaps before the conclusion of 
 the present year, obtain a solution. 
 
TRAVELS 
 
 IN 
 
 PORTUGAL. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 Voyage to Lisbon and arrival at that city. — 
 Tlie Queen's coronation. 
 
 ^VV^HiLE I was in London^ a desire to visit 
 Portugal induced me to apply for leave of ab- 
 sence to the court of France. It was granted^ 
 and I accordingly set off for Falmouth^ in- 
 tending to embark there in one of the packets. 
 I travelled through Devonshire and Cornwall^ 
 the only two counties of England which I had 
 not visited. To me they exhibited a country 
 not very highly favoured by Nature. They 
 contain^ however^ considerable mines of cop- 
 per; but I remarked^ especially in Corn- 
 wall^ an air of poverty which is rarely visible 
 in England^ except in the northern counties. 
 
26 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 As I passed througli Plymouth^, I saw General 
 Clinton embarking ^vith bis officers on tbeir 
 return to America. On my arrival at Fal- 
 nioutb, I went on the 8tb of May, 1777, on 
 board the Embden, of sixteen guns, whose crew 
 was prepared for a brush with the Americans, 
 by whom several vessels, better armed than 
 ours, had been, already, insulted and taken. 
 
 The voyage was prosperous, except that on 
 the third day, being in the bay of Biscay, we 
 encountered a violent squall, which lasted 
 twenty-four hours; but we sustained no in- 
 jury. Another packet, which was bound to 
 Madeira, and happened to be in the same lati- 
 tude with us, suffered considerably. She lost 
 her bowsprit and half of her deck. After a 
 voyage of six days, we arrived, at eight in the 
 morning, before Lisbon. 
 
 Nothing can be more beautiful or majestic 
 than the view of this port. It is defended by 
 Fort Bugio, situated on an island at the mouth 
 of the Tagus. The city, rising like an am- 
 phitheatre on the right bank of the river, exhi- 
 bits a truly magnificent prospect. At the foot 
 of the w alls, the Tagus forms a bay, thr^e 
 
BY THE DURE DE CHATELET. 27 
 
 leagues in width, which is an excellent road- 
 stead for vessels of every description. The 
 entrance to the harbour does not, however, 
 correspond with the beauty of the bay : the 
 bar which is formed there renders the passage 
 difficult for pilots not thoroughly acquainted 
 with its shoals. Accordingly, all English ships 
 are forbidden to enter the port unless they have 
 on board native pilots, who come to meet them 
 and take charge of the helm. The pilot is paid 
 by the ca}:tain, who must not refuse his ser- 
 vices upon pain of fine. Several accidents 
 which befel ships attempting to enter without 
 the assistance of these harbour pilots induced 
 the British government to enact this law. 
 
 At t]ie period of my arrival, Lisbon was in 
 an agitation which I am incapable of describ- 
 ing. It was the eve of the celebration of the 
 Queen^s coronation. The people were running 
 to and fro, singing and dancing the fojfa, a 
 national dance, which is performed in couples 
 to the sound of a guitar or any other instru- 
 ment — a dance so licentious, that modesty must 
 blush to witness, and dare not attempt to de- 
 pict it. I passed through the crowd, and took 
 lodgings in the English hotels situated at 
 
'29 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 Buenos Ajres, one of the seven hills of Lisbon ; 
 \ an agreeable spot^ free from the stench which 
 infects the city in summer, and the rain which 
 Mandates it in the winter. 
 
 The square of Commerce ^ was chosen aS' 
 ihe place best adapted to the ceremony of the 
 coronation. It is large^ and situated on the 
 l>anks of the Tagus. The streets which run 
 fFom it are broad and handsome^ and have 
 paTcments^ like those of London^ for foot- 
 passengers. On reaching the side facing the 
 FiveT;, you enter this square by passing under 
 a triumphal arch of the Doric order^ but of 
 lieavy architecture. Below the buildings 
 ^vhich form the sides of the square runs a gal- 
 lery^ which would be very handsome if it were 
 less ruinous. In the middle of the square is^ 
 erected an equestrian statue of King Joseph I. 
 with the face toward the river. At the foot 
 of this^ statue the Marquis de Pombal had 
 
 This is slso called the square of the Terrien) do PacOj, 
 or Ground of the Palace. It is six hundred and fifteen feet 
 in length, and five hundred and fifty in breadth. Three of it^ 
 sides are lined with buildings, and the fourth by the Tagus. 
 These edi^ces ai"e uniforna, but of mean architecture^ 
 
BY THE DUKE BE €HAT£LET. S3 
 
 placed a bronze medallion of himself ; tli^ day 
 preceding the coronation, it was removed by his 
 enemies to make room for the arms of the ciiy^ 
 At the time of the inauguration of this monu- 
 ment, designed to commemorate the rebuilding 
 of Lisbon^ the King, ynder whose auspices it 
 was erected, and, above all, the omnipotent mi- 
 nister who reigned in his stead, a medal was 
 struck (in 17?5) representing on one side the 
 equestrian statue of Joseph I. with this inscrip- 
 tion : Magnanimo licstauratori-^und on the 
 other, the city of Lisbon under the figure of a 
 crowned female, surrounded by architects and 
 warriors. Round this medallion are these 
 words: Fost fata restirgcns. But both the 
 monument and the medal convey but a verj 
 unfavourable idea of the state of the fine arts 
 in Portugal. 
 
 The coronation of the Queen took place witii 
 great magnificence, amid the discharge of ar- 
 tillery and the acclamations of an immense con* 
 course of people assembled, from ali quartei's> 
 to witness the ceremony. The Queen alone 
 seemed to take no share in the general joy. 
 She was painfully affected. The principal 
 
so 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORtU(iJAt, 
 
 nobles of the court bad resolved to instigate iht 
 people to demand of her the head of the Mar- 
 quis de Pombal. The Queen was informed of 
 their intention ; she was apprehensive of dan- 
 ger from refusal ; but though she disliked the 
 statesman^ she respected the friend of her 
 father. 
 
 I was likewise acquainted with these machi- 
 nations, and resolved to be a near spectator 
 of the agitation which they were likely to oc- 
 casion. I ran through the streets with a French* 
 man^ conversant in the Portuguese language^ 
 and mingled with the crowd. Nothing was 
 heard in every quarter but the name of Pom- 
 bal ; the minds of the multitude began to be in- 
 flamed^ a tumult was about to commence^ when 
 ail at once appeared a patrole of horse headed 
 by an officer^ who^, addressing the mob^ forbade 
 them, upon pain of the severest punishment, to 
 mention the name of M. de Pombal. The 
 crowd soon dispersed ; the streets were in an 
 instant filled with horse and foot soldiers, and 
 they were so attentive to the dispersion of all 
 assemblages of people^ the moment they began 
 to form, that the populace were obliged to re- 
 linquish their intention. 
 
BV THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 31 
 
 All the fidalgos* manifested the utmost as- 
 tonishment and agitation. They were seen 
 running to and fro, sending messages from the 
 gallery where they were stationed, and darting, 
 on the people, looks expressive of anger and 
 impatience. Recourse had been prudently had 
 to the precaution of dividing the populace, by 
 means of barriers erected at intervals, so that 
 the crowd was separated, and in some measure 
 imprisoned without perceiving it. A kind of 
 murmur was nevertheless heard, and seven or 
 eight voices cried: *^ Pombal, Pombal!'' but 
 they were instantly drowned by shouts of 
 
 Long live the Queen V raised by the parti- 
 sans of the Marquis. A great number of spec- 
 tators had forced their way through the guards 
 into the gallery ; the Queen ordered them not 
 to be disturbed. As it was impossible for car- 
 riages to approach, she was herself obliged to 
 go through the crowd to reach her's. This 
 was the most delightful moment of her life. 
 Some threw themselves at her feet, others 
 
 * By fidalgos are, in general, understood the untitled no- 
 bility. These fidalgos have a pension assigned them by the 
 king from a capital of forty thousand crusades set apart for 
 that purpose. A crusade is equal to three livres four sous 
 French (2s. lOd. English). Note by the Author. 
 
S2 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAB^ 
 
 kissed the skirts of her robe^ and she was af- 
 fected even to tears. 
 
 The illuminations were brilliant ; the cere- 
 mony was performed with equal tranquillity 
 and pomp. At night the English nation gave 
 a magnificent ball to the principal inhabitants 
 of this city, no doubt, in testimony of its grati- 
 tude; for it was that nation, the real sovereign 
 of Portugal, which had been crowned in the 
 person of the Queen. Next day the people 
 resumed the mourning which they had thrown 
 off on the preceding day. Amidst the general 
 joy occasioned by the fall of Pombal, an air 
 of sadness universally prevailed, and the com- 
 pany, on quitting the ball:, hastened to the 
 churches. 
 
BV THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 S3 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 Climate and Origin of the Kingdom of Portugal. 
 
 The air of Portugal is pure and temperate : 
 cooling breezes blow even in the hottest season, 
 and this renders the climate extremely salubri- 
 ous. The winters are in general very wet; but 
 it seldom rains in summer, especially from Es- 
 tremadura^, to the extremity of the kingdom of 
 Algarve, which is the southernmost part of 
 Portugal. The country is nevertheless well 
 adapted to the purposes of agriculture, though 
 the English have endeavoured to persuade the 
 Portuguesie to the contrary, with a view to in- 
 duce the belief that the produce of their soil is 
 inadequate to their subsistence. A century 
 and a half ago it w'as sufficient for that 
 purpose. How then has it now ceased to be so ? 
 The question is easily solved ; but it deserves a 
 separate chapter. 
 
 The greatest calamity that desolates this 
 country is the earthquakes to which it is sub- 
 
 VOL. I. €. 
 
34 
 
 TIIAYELS IN POUTUGAL> 
 
 ject. The Tagus is frequently seen covered 
 with bituminous substances which issue from 
 its bed, as well as from the hills of the city 
 and its environs: which shews that the soil, be- 
 low the bed of the river, and the interior of 
 those hills, contain a vast assemblage of sulphu- 
 reous and saline particles, whose continual fer- 
 mentation produces explosions more or less con- 
 siderable, in proportion as these inflammable 
 substances are more or less abundant. The 
 earthquake, which, in 1755^ destroyed the 
 whole city of Lisbon, and the frightful traces 
 of which are still to be seen, has excited the 
 curiosity of the most celebrated philosophers. 
 The result of their observations is an inex- 
 haustible source of alarm for the unfortunate 
 inhabitants. It seems to have been demon- 
 strated, from the ravages produced by that ca- 
 lamity, particularly on the spot where the city 
 is built, that the focus of the fermentation 
 situated exactly beneath its scite. For near a 
 thousand years its inhabitants have, from age to 
 age, experienced periodical earthquakes which 
 have ruined and destroyed their city, and m 
 building it again, they may actually be con- 
 sidered to say : Our children and grand- 
 children sb^U be buried under the ruins of the 
 
r>Y THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 35 
 
 tedifices which we are erecting upon the shat* 
 tered relics of those which overwhelmed our 
 fathers/'* 
 
 Notwithstanding the salubrity of the cli- 
 mate, the plague has often made dreadful 
 havoc in Portugal. The two kings John I. 
 and Edward I. died of it^, one in 1433 and the 
 other in 1437. The funeral oration delivered 
 on the death of the former monarch is the first 
 of which Portuguese history makes mention. 
 
 In winter the cold is sensibly* felt in Portu* 
 jgal ; nevertheless, in this country there are no 
 fire-places except in the kitchens.f I have 
 
 * The earthquakes are commonly felt at Lisbon in th® 
 month of November. On this subject we have the fol- 
 lowing interesting observation : When October and the be- 
 ginning of November are dry, earthquakes are certain and 
 almost always violent 3 when the rains are copious and set 
 in early, there is either no earthquake or the shock is but very 
 slight. Editor. 
 
 t The inhabitants of Lisbon never warm themselveSo 
 Latterly a few persons have had fire-places made^ but there 
 are not more than, perhaps, thirty in the whole city. You 
 do not even find^ in apartments, tliose coal-pans, or copas, 
 that are commonly used in Spain. Both men and womeis, 
 c 2 
 
36 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 been assured that, for twenty-three years, the 
 heat at Lisbon has not been so intense as that 
 which I felt in the month of July 1777 : it 
 was indeed so powerful as almost to deprive 
 me of the faculty of breathing. I waited with 
 impatience for the return of night, to enjoy 
 the pleasing coolness of the air, which would 
 be still more agreeable and refreshing if 
 the dirtiness of its inhabitants did not di- 
 minish its purity. As soon as it is dark, the 
 streets are filled with filth, dead animals, and 
 especially dogs, thousands of whose carcases 
 strew the streets of Lisbon : but by eight in 
 the morning the power of the sun has consum- 
 ed all those disgusting objects, which other- 
 wise would infect the city, and indubitably 
 generate the plague. 
 
 With respect to the origin of Portugal, I 
 shall say no more than what I think necessary 
 to shew what its inhabitants formerly were, 
 and what they are at the present day. 
 
 keep at home, wrapped np in large cloaks of woollen stuff^ 
 which they wear abroad, at the theatre, in the churches, 
 and in compary. They have this extraordinary prejudice, 
 that the aitihcial heat of fire is dangerous lo health ; as if 
 cold and humidity were not itiii more pernicious. Editor. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 37 
 
 Portugal, known to tiie ancients by the 
 name of Lusitania, was at that time a town of 
 inconsiderable extent. The descendants of 
 Tubal inhabited this favoured region till the 
 Carthaginians made themselves masters of it. 
 The latter retained their conquest upwards of 
 three hundred and fifty years, when they were 
 disturbed in the possession of it by the Romans, 
 and this was the origin of the antipathy of 
 those two nations. The Romans were victo- 
 rious, and the Carthaginians, notwithstanding 
 the valour and skill of their leaders, were 
 obliged to yield. All Spain was reduced under 
 the Roman yoke, and the youthful Scipio com- 
 pleted the conquest of the country about the 
 year of Rome 545. 
 
 During the reign of Galba, Portugal con- 
 tained five Roman colonies ; and Olisippo^ 
 now Lisbon, was their privileged city, 
 
 The country was next overrun by the Alans. 
 Alphonso VII. expelled them in 1093, gave 
 his daughter in marriage to Count Henry of 
 Burgundy, and assigned for her dowry the pro- 
 yinces of which he had dispossessed the Moors. 
 
38 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 Count Henry had repaired to Spain to offer 
 Alplionso VI. his services against the Moors„ 
 ^ He reigned over Portugal^ after the death of 
 that monarch, and, properly speaking, he w^as 
 the first sovereign of Portugal. He gained a 
 signal victory over five Moorish kings; and 
 the present arms of Portugal, five scutcheons 
 in a field azure, date from the period of ihaX 
 -victory and commemorate the event. 
 
 It was^ we are told, during the reign of 
 Henry I. that the kingdom acquired the name 
 of Portugal. That Prince then resided at 
 Oporto, which was his capital, and a kind of 
 French colony, A great number of French 
 gentlemen, who had followed the fortunes of 
 the monarch, settled with him in that city, and 
 gave it the appellation of Porto Gallo, from 
 which was afterwards derived the name of 
 Portugal. 
 
 There is, however, a difference of opinion 
 respecting thi^ etymology. Many writers as- 
 sert that the kingdom received its name frona 
 Porto and Gallo, a village facing the city^ on 
 the opposite bank of the Douro,^ 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 39 
 
 * According to Andrew Resendius, this kingdom seems 
 to have derived its name from the harbour or port of Gale, 
 situated on an eminence overlooking the river Douro. This 
 port owed its first celebrity to fishermen 5 and as fish was 
 extremely abundant in its vicinity^ people flocked thither 
 from all parts 5 a settlement was gradually formed, and, in 
 process of time, became a rich and populous city. It re- 
 ceived the name of Portugal, which was afterwards extended 
 to the whole kingdom. Such was the opinion of Osorid, 
 and it was also adopted by Camoens, if we may judge from 
 the following passage: This port, which bends in the form 
 of a semi-circle to receive the waters of the ocean, prides 
 itself, with reason, on having given the name of Portugal to 
 the country to which it belongs/* Editor, 
 
40 
 
 THAVEL^ IIS PpRTUfJAli^ 
 
 CHAPTER III, 
 
 Geographical Description of Portugal. 
 
 Portugal is divided into six provinces^ threq 
 of which lie to the north and three to Ihcj 
 south. The northern portion is composed of 
 the provinces of Entre Duero y Mjnho^ Tra- 
 los-Montes and Beira ; the southern are Estre- 
 inadura^ Aleutejo^ and the kingdom of Ah 
 garve, 
 
 I. The first of these provinces, Entre Duero 
 y Minho, formerly composed the kingdom of 
 Portugal, It has been thus denominated be- 
 cause it is bounded tow^ard the south by th0 
 river Douro or Duero, and toward the north 
 by the Minho^ another river which separates 
 it from Galicia, and consequently from Spain, 
 It is eighteen leagues in length from one xi\ei^ 
 to the other, and twelve in breadth. It ia 
 bounded on the west by the ocean, and on the 
 fast by the proviace of Tfa-los-Moptesj wW^b 
 
B\ TOE PUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 41 
 
 is separated by a chain of mountains called 
 Sierra Moron. This province, which is rather 
 jmountainous, is one of the smallest, but one of 
 the most populous in proportion to its extent. 
 It contains two cities, Oporto and Braga, 
 many other towns and villages, five collegiate 
 churches, ten thousand'four hundred parishes, 
 peopled with five hundred thousand souls, six 
 sea-ports, nearly two hundred bridges built 
 across the different rivers which water this pro- 
 vince, such as the Minho, the Lima, the Co- 
 vado, the Dave, the Douro, &c. None of these 
 rivers are navigable, except the Minho and 
 Douro, which admit vessels to the distance of 
 twelve leagues from the sea. The inhabitants 
 of this province are addicted to agricultural 
 pursuits, and are much more industrious than 
 those of any other part of the kingdom. It 
 abounds in corn, wine, flocks, fruit, oil, game^ 
 and fish ; it produces some of the finest flax in 
 Europe^ which would furnish the most beau* 
 tiful linens, if the people knew how to manu- 
 facture it. The farmer by whom it is culti- 
 Tated, after carelessly subjecting it to the first 
 preparation, sends it to female spinners, who 
 If re pai4 very low wages, ^ind to increase thm 
 
42 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 earnings hurry through their work in a slovenly 
 manner, so that the thread which they pro- 
 duce is unequal, and fit only for coarse cloth. 
 Very good table linen is however made, but 
 these manufactures cannot prosper, though, or 
 rather, precisely, because, they are carried oa 
 for the account of the sovereign. The province 
 has three royal jurisdictions or corregidor- 
 ships, and three particular ones or oydorships. 
 The former are Guimaraens, Viana, and 
 Oporto; the latter, Barcelos, Valen§a, and 
 Braga. 
 
 The corregidorship of Guimaraens contains 
 about one hundred thousand persons. Its ca- 
 pital is situated between the Dave and the 
 mountains of Sierra Moron, three leagues from 
 Braga. This town was the residence of the 
 first Portuguese monarchs, and the birth-place 
 of Alphonso Henriquez I. who assumed the 
 title of King. It was originally founded by the 
 Greeks, 296 years before the Christian aera, 
 and is very populous. Great quantities of 
 linen are manufactured at Guimaraens. In 
 the square stands an ancient church, which 
 was formerly a temple dedicated to Ceresr. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELfeT. 43 
 
 The town, which is well built, is surrounded 
 with a weak wall, and defended by an old 
 castle, seated on an eminence. 
 
 Vrana, the capital of the second corregidor- 
 ship, is one of the handsomest towns that 1 
 have seen in Portugal. It is situated at the 
 mouth of the Lima, seven leagues from Braga, 
 is very well built, and extremely populous. 
 Its port, which was formerly excellent, is 
 choaked up with the sand carried into it by 
 the river : it might be cleared away, but not 
 without immense expence, and its position is 
 not the most advantageous for commerce. This 
 harbour is defended by a well-built fort, which 
 projects into the sea : it is capable of admit* 
 ting vessels of two hundred tons, and is, con- 
 sequently, of sufficient size to convey, to other 
 places, the corn, fruit, oil, linen, and other pro- 
 ductions of the country. When I passed 
 through Viana, the regiment of Moncaon was 
 in garrison there. This city stands in a de- 
 lightful situation ; it, likewise, was founded 
 by the Greeks, 296 years before Christy and 
 yebuilt by Alphonso III. This corregidorship 
 contains 98,000 souls. The town of Ponte de 
 Jjima;, which forms part of this jurisdiction, is 
 
44 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 also a place of high antiquity, founded by the 
 Crreeks. It derives its name from its magni- 
 ficent bridge, erected over the Lima by Doq 
 Pedro I. ia 1300. 
 
 The third corregidorship, which compre^ 
 liends upwards of one hundred thousand inha- 
 bitants, is that of Porto or Oporto. This is the 
 second city in Portugal^ both for commerce, 
 population, and the opulence pf its ioh^bit- 
 ants. Its port is situated at the mouth of the 
 Douro. The place is celebrated for the im- 
 mense fortunes that have been made there, and, 
 in particular, for the pains which Nature has 
 taken for its defence. On the other haiid, the 
 entrance is not easy : it is even rendered ex- 
 tremely dangerous by a bar, especially in win- 
 ter, when the Douro is so prodigiously swoln, 
 that the lower parts of the city are overflowed. 
 The strongest cables are inadequate to resist 
 the violence of the inundation ; vessels are 
 often driven from their anchors, and dashed 
 upon the bank, which runs across the entrance, 
 at the distance of three-quarters of a league 
 from the city. This entrance is - defended by 
 two forts, in a wretched condition, the duty pf 
 which is entrusted to militia, though the citj 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET, 
 
 45 
 
 has a regular garrison. We shall have occa- 
 sion to treat more amply in another place of 
 the different branches of the commerce of this 
 city^ which contains nearly fifty thousand sotils. 
 You may live here much more cheaply and 
 agreeably than at Lisbon. The houses are well 
 built, but the streets, in general, very unplea- 
 sant.* It may with propriety be divided into 
 the upper and lower town; for one part stands 
 on the summit, and the other^ chiefly^ at the 
 foot of, a mountain. 
 
 Had it not been for the dangers attending 
 the entrance into the harbour, this city would 
 have infallibly eclipsed Lisbon. The English 
 were desirous of having a packet here as well 
 as at the latter, but they have relinquished the 
 
 * Murphy observes that most of the streets of Oporto are 
 60 steep, that the passengers seem to climb rather than to 
 walk. This inconvenience, indeed, is compensated by the 
 cleanliness, for which the inhabitants are indebted to Nature;, 
 and not to the police ; for in rainy weather, which is very 
 frequent, the water pours down in torrents from the neigh- 
 bouring hills, and carries away all the filth of the city. There 
 are no lights in the streets at night, except the lamps placed 
 before the chapels of the Madonnas. Editor. 
 
46 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 design on account of the delays to which ma- 
 ritime correspondence would frequently beex- 
 posed^ from the necessity which the packets 
 would be under, of waiting three weeks, and 
 even longer, before they could enter without 
 danger. There are besides several sunken rocks 
 at the entrance of the harbour. When the snow 
 begins to rnelt, the river swells considerably, 
 and carries with it a great quantity of sand, 
 brought down by the different torrents which 
 issue from the sides of the mountains. As the 
 rocks break the current of the river, the water 
 has no longer, therefore, to carry the sand so 
 far. It accumulates, therefore, about these 
 rocks, and forms a bar which is annually 
 increasing, and becoming more and more dan- 
 gerous. The English Oporto Company pro- 
 posed to destroy these rocks, and to clear the 
 passage, but the Portuguese replied^ that they » 
 never would agree to the removal of the best 
 defence of their harbour against the insults of 
 the Moors. In vain was it represenicd to them 
 that as the mouth is narrow, two forts, whose 
 lines of fire intersect each other, would de- 
 fend the city from every attack : they per- 
 sisted in declaring that they preferred the se* 
 
EY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 47 
 
 curity of their homes to the chance of a more 
 considerable profit^ which in the end might 
 occasion their ruin. 
 • 
 
 It is asserted that Oporto was founded by 
 Gatelo,, king of Athens^ who had married 
 Escora^ daughter of Pharaoh^ and who^ alarm- 
 ed at the miracles which the Ahuighty^ through 
 the ministry of Moses^ performed for the deliv- 
 erance of the people of Israel^ embarked on the 
 ' Nile^ aad sailing to the place where Oporto 
 stands, founded a city^ to which he gave the name 
 of Portas Gateli. According to others^ it was 
 founded by the Greeks who accompanied Dio- 
 med. The Mahometans having destroyed the 
 place^ it was rebuilt by Alplionso III. of Leon, 
 It was not affected by the earthquake in 1755^ 
 at which time some idea was entertained of re- , 
 moving the court thither. 
 
 The oydorship of Barcelos is the first of the 
 three^ and contains forty thousand souls. The 
 town^ situated on the Cavado^ and three leagues 
 distant from Braga, is small;, and very popu- 
 lous. It was founded by Hamilcar^ a Gartha- 
 ginian general, two hundred and fifty years 
 before Christ. 
 
TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 The oydorship of Valen^a contains thirty 
 thousand souls. Valen^a is regularly fortified^ 
 and is not above a gun-shot from Tuy^/a town 
 of Spain, those two places being separated only 
 by the Minho. Considerable works were erect- 
 ed there a year ago (in 1776) when a new 
 rupture between Portugal and Spain was ex- 
 pected. It is inhabited only by persons con^ 
 nected with the military, and was originally 
 founded by the soldiers of Viriatus. 
 
 The oydorship of Braga likewise contains 
 thirty thousand souls. The town is agreeably 
 situated ; the environs are in high cultivation^, 
 and watered by two rivers, which are e:&tremely 
 clear, and abound in fish. Braga is a place of 
 great antiquity, but opinions ditFer respecting 
 its origin. Some ascribe it to Tuera, and others 
 to the companions of Diomed. So much is 
 certain, that Augustus Csesar made it a Roman 
 colony, to which he gave the name of Augusta 
 Braccarum. Many vestiges of its antiquity 
 are still to be seen. It is now the see of an 
 archbishop, who has the title of primate. Five 
 councils have been held here, the first about 
 the year 411. The church of Braga ai'guea 
 
BY TJIE DUKE DE CHATELET. 49 
 
 from this date to prove its antiquity, and to 
 establish its right to the primacy. 
 
 Since Portugal has been independent of the 
 Spanish monarchy, the archbishop of Toledo 
 disputes, with Braga, the claim to the primacy, 
 though acknowledged by all the clergy of 
 Spain. ^ 
 
 When I crossed, from Galicia, into the pro- 
 vince of Entre Douro y Minho, which I tra- 
 versed longitudinally, I observed a striking 
 difference between the Portuguese and Spanish 
 province, as well in regard to the nature of 
 the soil, as the aspect of the inhabitants, and 
 agriculture. The people are, in general, labo- 
 rious, brave, and in easy circumstances. Their 
 blood is more pure than that of the inhabitants 
 of the rest of the kingdom. This province 
 furnishes Portugal with her best infantry. 
 The men are robust, and more inured to fa- 
 tigue than any other people of the south. 
 
 II. The province of Tra-los-Montes, so 
 called because it is separated from^ the pre- 
 ceding by a chain of mountains, is bounded, on 
 the north, by Galicia, on the east by the king- 
 
 YOL. I. D 
 
50 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 dom of Leon, and on the south by the Doiiro. 
 It is one of the most barren and mountainous 
 tracts in Portugal, extending thirty-two 
 leagues from east to west, and twenty from 
 north to south, and contains one hundred and 
 fif(y-six thousand inhabitants. The roads are 
 tremendous, and agriculture is scarcely known 
 there, except along some of the rivers, whose 
 banks are cultivated and peopled. This pro- 
 vince contains two corregidorships and two 
 oydorships. 
 
 The first of the corregidorships is Torre di 
 Moncorvo, which comprehends about forty- 
 five thousand inhabitants. The village, which 
 is ill-built, and not populous, is situated in a 
 fertile plain, at the foot of the mountains. 
 In 1763 a Spanish detachment here committed 
 great excesses, the consequence of the want of 
 discipline which prevailed among the troops 
 of that nation. 
 
 Miranda, the second corregidorship, contains 
 nearly twenty-four thousand souls. The town 
 has been ruined and depopulated by war. It 
 is very advantageously situated for defending 
 the entrance into the province, but is now al- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 51 
 
 most deserted;, and will probabl y soon be totally 
 abandoned. 
 
 The 0} dorship of Bragan^a contains seventy- 
 five thousand souls. This city, the capital of 
 the province, is very agreeably situated in a 
 delightful plain, a league and a half from the 
 borders of Galicia. Its population amounts to 
 about sixty thousand souls. It is said to have 
 been built by Augustus in honour of Julius 
 Cfesar; is surrounded by strong walls, and de- 
 fended by a good castle. In this city, the King, 
 Don Pedro, clandestinelv married Bona Inez de 
 Castro, in 1354. If \sie might believe a popu- 
 lar tradition, the foundation of Braganca dates 
 so far back as the year of the world 2015 ; 
 and it is attributed to a King Brigo, equally 
 chimerical with the tradition itself. 
 
 Two leagues from the frontiers of Galicia is 
 Chavez, which gives its name to the second 
 oydorship. This place is surrounded with a 
 double wall, and defended by a fort and some 
 works. It is generally the residence of the 
 commander in chief of the troops in the north- 
 ern part of Portugal, and the capital of the 
 province. It was built, according to some, by 
 
53 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 Vespasian; according to others, by Trajan, 
 who here erected a handsome bridge over the 
 river Tamega, on the bank of which it is situ- 
 ated. 
 
 I shall take notice in another place of the 
 losses sustained by the Spaniards in this 
 province, when, in 1762, they attempted to 
 penetrate into Portugal. 
 
 III. The third, and most extensive province 
 in this kingdom is Beira. In ancient times it 
 was inhabited by the Spanish people called 
 Transcudani. It is bounded on the south by 
 Portuguese Estremadura and Alentejo; on the 
 north by Entre Douro y Minho and Tra-los- 
 Montes ; on the east by the kingdom of Leon 
 and Spanish Estremadura, and on the west by 
 the ocean. It is nearly thirty leagues each way, 
 and contains five hundred and sixty thousand 
 inhabitants. The soil is very fertile, producing' 
 abundance of all sorts of vegetable produc- 
 tions. It is divided into seven corregidorship^^ 
 and two oydarsbips. 
 
 Coimbra, which gives its name to the first 
 €orregidorship, is a very ancient and consider-- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 53 
 
 able city. It is^ according to Pliny, the Co- 
 nembrisca of Antoninus, built by the Romans 
 three hundred years before Christy and is the 
 present capital of the province. It has long 
 been celebrated for the university founded there 
 in 1290 by King Denis I. The situation of 
 the place is delightful ; it forms a kind of am- 
 phitheatre^ at whose foot runs the Mondego, 
 \vhich^ six leagues lower^ discharges itself into 
 the sea. The small plains watered by this river 
 are very rich;, and in the highest cultivation : 
 they abound in corn, w^ine, and particularly 
 fruits, which are accounted the best in Portu- 
 gal. This corregidorship contains about one 
 hundred and fifty thousand souls, and the city 
 •of Coimbra twelve thousand. 
 
 The corregidorship of Viseu comprehends 
 ninety five thousand souls.^ The town is situ- 
 ated nearly in the centre of the province, be- 
 tween the rivers Ronda and Mondego, in a 
 plain equally fertile and pleasant. Here 
 W'Cre planted the first orange-trees brought 
 from China. They have since been multiplied 
 to such a degree, that they are novy to be found 
 in every part of the kingdom that is sheltered 
 from the north winds. This town, whea in 
 
54 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 the possession of the Rbmans was by them de- 
 nominated Vico Aquario. It was the birth 
 place of Edward I. king of Portugal. Don 
 Rodrigo^ the last king of the Goths was inter- 
 red here^, and in the church of St. Michael is 
 this' inscription which demonstrates the anti- 
 quity of Viseu : 
 
 Hie requiescet 
 Rudericus, 
 Ultimus Rex 
 Gothoruni. 
 
 This prince, being pursued by the Moor«, 
 is said to have been drowr:ed while swimming 
 across the Guadalcte in the year 715. 
 
 The third corregidorship is Lamego, con- 
 taining 60,000 souls. The town lies a league 
 from the Douro, in a hollow, surrounded by 
 mountains. It is celebrated for the first meet- 
 ing of the states-general of Portugal which 
 was held in 1143, during the reign of Alphon- 
 ?o I. The fundamental laws and constitutions 
 of the kingdom were there drawn up and pub- 
 lished in the presence of that prince. On this 
 subject I shall speak more amply in the chap- 
 ter which treats expressly of the laws. Viseu 
 
BV THE DUKE DE CIIATELET. 
 
 55 
 
 is said to have been founded by the people of 
 Laconia, three hundred and sixty years before 
 Christ : it was rebuilt by Trajan. Its popula- 
 tion is considerable. The women here are very 
 handsome, and though the place is surrounded 
 with mountains, ihe winter is very mild, and 
 snow is very seldom seen there. 
 
 The corregidorship of Pinhel contains 
 70,000 souls. Its capital has not the least ap- 
 pearance of a town, though it is so designated 
 in the maps. Almeida is the most considerable 
 place in this jurisdiction, and perhaps the best 
 fortified in the kingdom. It vi as besieged in 
 1762 by the Spaniards, wlio took it a few days 
 after the opening of the trendies. 
 
 Guarda is another corregidorship containing 
 7000 souls. The town is situated at the f jot 
 of Mount Estrella,* near the source of the 
 
 Mount Estrella, denominated Herminiusby the Romans, 
 is worthy the observation of naturalists. It takes two hours 
 to go from the village of St. Thomas, seated at its foot, to the 
 summit. On ascending you observe cavities in several pLaces, 
 and even hear a noise as if of a river running under your 
 feet. Higher up you come to a quarry of very beautiful ala- 
 baster^ and at the top you find excellent pasturage^ and 
 
56 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 Mondego ; it is surrounded with walls and 
 has one thousand inhabitants. It was built by 
 Sancho, the first king of Portugal in 1199. 
 The winter here is extremely cold. 
 
 The corregidorship of Castcllo Branco con- 
 tains forty thousand souls. The town is en- 
 compassed with a double wall, and defended 
 by an old castle which was formerly very strong. 
 It contains four thousand persons. 
 
 f he first oydorship, which is Montemor o 
 Velho, contains about SOOO souls. Monte- 
 mor is a small place situated between Coimbra 
 and the sea, on the banks of the Mondego. 
 
 several rivulets, the water of which is equally excellent and 
 limpid. But the most extroardinary sight is that which is 
 exhibited by a lake surrounded with high rocks : its water, 
 which is very clear and moderately warm, seems to run off 
 under the earth. About the middle it is subject to a kind of 
 ebullition, and bubbles of air rise to the surface. There is 
 one place in which a species of attraction may be perceived. 
 We should be inclined to ascribe it to an aperture, by which 
 the water escapes in order to form an inferior lake. From 
 the latter undoubtedly spring tliose streams which, uniting, 
 form the river that runs at the foot of the mountain. The 
 people of the country entertain dreadful ideas of this moun^ 
 tain and its lake. Editor, 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 57 
 
 The second is Mon-Feira, which contains 
 forty thousand inhabitants. Feira is a small 
 town with no more than four thousand inhabit- 
 ants. Aveyro, situated within this jurisdiction, 
 is a much more considerable place. It is an ad- 
 vantageously situated, but dangerous sea-port. 
 The entrance consists of several passages, which 
 are continually shifting with the quick sands by 
 which it is covered. On these, numberless 
 ships strike and are lost ; from which accidents 
 the commerce of the province suffers exceed- 
 ingly. A canal has been cut from this city 
 to the distance of five leagues up the coun- 
 try toward the north : it is of service for the 
 conveyance of corn and other productions 
 which are shipped in the port. 
 
 The town of Aveyro is now called Nova 
 Bragan^a; the former having been the name of 
 one of the principal accomplices in the plot 
 for assassinating Joseph I. 
 
 IV. Portuguese Estremadura is thus denom- 
 inated to distinguish it from Spanish Estrema- 
 dura; its greatest length is about forty leagues 
 and its breadth twenty. It is bounded on the 
 siouth and east by Alentejo ; on the north by 
 
58 
 
 TRATELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 Beira, and on the west bj the ocean. It is the 
 most populous of any of the Portuguese pro- 
 Tinees. According to the last census^ none of 
 them contained six hundred and sixty thou- 
 sand souls^ which this now does. Its soil is 
 also the most fertile^ the earth being here co- 
 hered with fruits^ and flowers^ of every kind^ 
 that enriches^ and all that embellishes a coun- 
 try. In its genial climate all the different pro* 
 ductions of the kingdom are naturalized. It is 
 divided into six corregidorships and two oydor- 
 ships. 
 
 The first corregidorship is Lisbon^ compre- 
 hending alone upwards of 360,000 souls. I 
 have already noticed the majestic situation of 
 this city^ the magnificent view produced by 
 the amphitheatre which it forms, and the 
 Tagus which washes its walls. Including the 
 suburbs, it is nearly three leagues in length 
 And one in breadth. It lies in 8^30' west lon- 
 gitude, and 38^ 45' north latitude, and contains 
 upwards of one hundred thousand inhabitants. 
 Respecting its origin opinions widely differ. 
 According to some it was built by a grandson 
 of Noah, named Eliza, in the year of the world 
 1935. According' to another story, not quite 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 59 
 
 SO absurd, Ulysses, after the destruction of 
 Trov, having passed the streights of Gibraltar, 
 erected a town on the left bank of the Tagus, 
 opposite to the present city, and gave it the 
 name of Ulyssopolis, which the Arabs changed 
 to Lisboa. It afterwards became a Roman 
 colony and a municipal city under Julius Caesar, 
 who called it Felicitas Julia, to express, we are 
 told, the pleasure which he enjoyed during his ; 
 residence there with a female of the name of 
 Julia. 
 
 The corregidorship of Torres Vedras con- 
 tains neaviy forty thousand souls. This town is 
 seven leagues from Lisbon ; an ancient Roman 
 station, deriving its origin from the Greeks, 
 and comprehending scarcely a thousand in- 
 habitants. 
 
 The corregidorship of Alenquer has a po- 
 pulation of twenty eight thousaiid persons. 
 The town, likewise seven leagues from Lisbon^ 
 contains sixteen hundred inhabitants. It was 
 founded by the Alans. 
 
 The corregidorship of Leiria contains sixty 
 thousand souls. The town is seated in a small 
 plain surrounded with mountains and watered 
 
60 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 by the rivers Lis and Lena. It has an old 
 castle which was very strong, but is falling to 
 ruin. Its inhabitants amount to about three 
 thousand. It was built by Sertorius 75 yearg 
 before Christ. In the fifteenth century, Ed- 
 ward king of Portugal kept his court here. 
 
 The corregidorship of Thomar has abvoe 
 forty thousand inhabitants. The town is a 
 commandery of the order of Christ. It was 
 founded by Don Galdin Paez^, grand master of 
 the order of Templars^ in 1180. It is also 
 imagined that this may have been the Concor- 
 dia of the Romans : it contains nearly four 
 thousand souls. 
 
 Lastly, the corregidorship of Santaren, which 
 contains upwards of fifty thousand souls, is 
 fourteen leagues from Lisbon, on the right 
 bank of the Tagus, which ceases to be navigable 
 two or three leagues higher. It is ill fortified, 
 and has no defence but an old castle. The 
 Romans denominated it Proesidium Julium, 
 It was built by Abadis, king of Spain, in the 
 year of the world 286 L Santaren is merely 
 a corruption of St. Irene, who was assassinated 
 here. It has eight thousand inhabitants. 
 
BY THE DURE DE CHATELET. 
 
 61 
 
 The first of the two oydorships is Abrantes : 
 it comprehends only about twelve thousand 
 souls. The town is seated on the right bank 
 of the TaguSj six leagues from Thornar. It is 
 a very inconsiderable but ancient place, having 
 been a municipal city in the time of the Ro- 
 mans. It has, nearly, two thousand inhabit- 
 ants. 
 
 The oydorship of Ourem contains but ten 
 thousand persons. The very small town which 
 is its chief place, is situated on an eminence, 
 and belongs to the crow n. 
 
 The territofj' of Setuval, though enclosed in 
 Estremadura, is not comprehended in the juris- 
 diction of that province, and alone contains 
 one corregidorship and two oydorships, with 
 a population of twenty thousand souls. The 
 city lies six leagues from Lisbon in a very 
 agreeable situation. Its origin is ascribed to 
 Tubal, and it is said to have been the first 
 town that he built in the year of the vt^orld 
 1798. A circumstance somewhat better as- 
 certained is, that king Alphonso Enriquez 
 finding it ruined and depopulated, rebuilt it 
 opposite to a very flourishing Roman colony 
 
62 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAt^ 
 
 called Cetobriga^ situated on the other side of 
 the river Caldao^ where iOe village of Troya 
 now stands. It is well fortified ; its commerce 
 is very extensive^ and its salt^, wines and fruits 
 are in great request. It contains eleven or 
 twelve thousand souls. 
 
 The only corregidorship in the territory of 
 Setubal is Almada^ whose chief place^ with a 
 population of only eight hundred persons^ is 
 very agreeably situated on the broadest part of 
 the Tagus. 
 
 The first ©f the two oydorships is that of Setu- 
 bal^ which belongs to the order of St. James. 
 
 The second is that of Azeitao^ a small place 
 near Setubal. 
 
 V. The province of Alentejo borders on 
 Spain toward the east; on the south it is 
 bounded by the kingdom of Algarve ; on the 
 west by Portuguese Estremadura, and part of 
 the province of Beira. Jt is forty leagues in 
 length, twenty in breadth^ and contains twenty 
 nine thousand souls. It derives its name from 
 
BV THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 63 
 
 its situation \Thich is between the Tagus, cal- 
 led in Portuguese Tejo^, and the Guadiana. It 
 is in general very fertile^, but its climate is un- 
 wholesome, especially in summer, on account 
 of the stagnant waters by which it is in a great 
 measure covered. It is divided into eight ju- 
 risdictions, that is to say, three corregidorships 
 and five oydorships. 
 
 The first corregidorship is that of Evora. 
 The city stands nearly in the centre of the pro- 
 vince and is inclosed with walls. It is a place 
 of very great antiquity, and v/as formerly the 
 residence of the renowned Sertorius, who here 
 constructed a magnificent aqueduct. This city 
 is the see of an archbishop whose annual reve- 
 nues exceed two hundred thousand crusades. 
 
 The corregidorship of Elvas contains an 
 episcopal city, which is three leagues distant 
 from Badajoz, a strong town of Spain. It 
 is seated on an eminence and is well forti- 
 fied. 
 
 The capital CQrregidorship of Portalegr^ is 
 an episcopal city. ^ It is a- frontier place, hut 
 fortified in the ancient manner. 
 
CA 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAI., 
 
 The first oydorship is Beja. The tow n con- 
 tains five thousand inhabitants. Julius Caesar 
 made it a colony, and gaye it the name of Pax 
 Julia. It lies nine leagues from Evora, 
 
 The oydorship of Campo de Enriquez com- 
 prehends a town in which there is nothing re- 
 markablc;, and which belongs to the order of St 
 James. It w as here that king Alphonso En- 
 riquez vanquished the five Moorish monarchs. 
 
 Villavicosa^ the capital of another oydorship, 
 is four leagues from Elvas. This city was 
 founded by Maharbal^ a Carthaginian general, 
 in the year 350 before Christ. The situation 
 is delightful. Here the Portuguese sovereigns 
 hsYe a palace in which they spend a part of 
 the year. 
 
 Crato is likewise an oydorship. The town, 
 which is inconsiderable, belongs to the order of 
 Malta. 
 
 Lastly the oydorship of Avis, has a town of 
 the same name, which is the chief place of the 
 order of x\vis. It is seated on the river Avis, 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 65 
 
 surrounded with ancient walls,, and very popu- 
 lous, 
 
 VI. Though Algarve is but of small extent, 
 and is classed with the provinces of Portugal, 
 it is nevertheless dignified with the title of 
 kingdom, which it received from Alphonso III. 
 who first assumed the title of King of Algarve. 
 This word which is also written Algrave or 
 Algarvio, signifies, in the Moorish language, a 
 fertile field. This kingdom is bounded on the 
 south and west by the ocean ; on the east by 
 Andalusia, and on the north by Alentejo. 
 
 It was formerly of much larger dimensions, 
 extending from Cape St. Vincent to the town 
 of Almeiriain the Mediterranean, and likewise 
 comprehended that part of the African coast 
 included in the same space. In its present 
 state, it is twenty eight leagues in length and 
 ten in its greatest breadth. It is extremely 
 fertile in corn, wine, oil, fruit, &c. ; contains 
 sixty thousand inhabitants, and is divided into 
 twocorregidorships and one oydorship. 
 
 The corregidorship of Lagos is the first. 
 This town lies in the south-west part of the 
 
 TOL. I. E 
 
66 
 
 TRATELS IN FORTUGAE, 
 
 kingdom^ at the distance of six leagues from 
 Cape St. Vincent. It was built by the Cartha- 
 ginians^ in the year of the world 2064, and was 
 bj them named Lacobriga. Its fortifications 
 are irregular, and it contains nearly three 
 thousand inhabitants. 
 
 The second corregidorship is Tavira. The 
 town is situated on the frontiers of Andalusia, 
 upon a bay, to which it gives its name, and has 
 a bad port. It is divided into two parts by 
 the river Sequa, over which is a handsome 
 stone bridge. This place, like the preceding^, 
 was founded by the Carthaginians. 
 
 The only oydorship is Faro, which com- 
 prehends a bishop's see. The city is seated 
 upon the coast, five leagues from Tavira. Its 
 fortifications were damaged by the late earth- 
 quake, which was extremely violent in this^ 
 part of Portugal. Though the port is ob- 
 structed by a bar, it has a considerable trade, 
 and contains nearly eight thousand inhabitants. 
 
 I shall here conclude this brief geographical 
 survey of the kingdopi of Portugal. It is the 
 result of information furnished by the most 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 67 
 
 eminent and best informed persons in that 
 country. I afterwards verified on the spot 
 the notes and facts which I had collected ; 
 and for this purpose I traversed all the pro- 
 vinces in succession, and visited the most in- 
 teresting places^ especially all those situated 
 near the coast. 
 
6S 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Constitutions and laws of Portugal. 
 
 Alphonso I. knew that no king is truly great 
 and powerful^ unless there exist in his king- 
 dom laws which he protects, and the execution 
 of which he ensures and upholds. He was 
 aware that, by these, a just and virtuous mo- 
 narch acquires the right and power to make 
 his people happy, and to consolidate his throna 
 He therefore, himself, suggested these consti- 
 tutional laws in an assembly of the states-ge- 
 neral, convoked by him in 1145 at Lamego. 
 Some of these laws relate to the succession of 
 the crown, others to the prerogatives or privi- 
 leges granted to the nobility, and others again 
 to the appointment of judges, the administra- 
 tion of justice, &c. The articles by which the 
 succession to the crown was regulated are a» 
 follow : 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 69 
 
 Article I. 
 
 May our Lord, the King Alpbonso, live and 
 reign over us. If he have male children, they 
 shall be our kings : the son shall succeed the 
 father, then the grandson, then the great 
 grandson, and so on^ with their descendants, 
 for ever, 
 
 II. 
 
 If the king's eldest son should die in the life- 
 time of his father, the second son, after the 
 death of the king his father, shall be our king; 
 the third shall succeed the second ; the fourth 
 the thirds and so on with the other sons of the 
 king. 
 
 III. 
 
 If the king die without male issue, the bro- 
 ther of the king, if he have one, shall be our 
 king, but only for his life ; for after his death, 
 })is son shall not be our king, unless he be 
 elected by the bishops and the states, and thea 
 lie shall be our king. 
 
 IV. and V. 
 
 If the king of Portugal have no male issue, 
 and he have a daughter, she shall be queen, 
 after the king's deati), provided she marry a 
 Portuguese ; but he shall not receive the title 
 
TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 of king till he shall have a male child by the 
 queen, his wife. When he shall be in the 
 corapanj of the queen, he shall walk on her 
 left hand, and shall not place the royal crown 
 upon his head. 
 
 VI. 
 
 This law^ shall be, invariably, observed,, and 
 the eldest daughter of the king shall marry 
 none but a Portuguese, lest foreign princes 
 should become the masters of the kingdom. If 
 the king's daughter marry a foreign prince or 
 gentleman, she shall not be recognized as 
 queen, because we will not that our people 
 should be obliged to obey a king, who is not a 
 native of Portugal, because our subjects and 
 our countrymen made us king, without foreign 
 aid, by their valour, and at the expence of their 
 blood. 
 
 This law has been rigidly adhered to, and 
 to this it is owing that the crown has conti- 
 nued, for so opg a j eriod, in the house of Ai- 
 phonso. At this meeting, the condition of the 
 nobility, the submission of the people, and pu- 
 nishments for crimes were also fixed and de- 
 termined. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 71 
 
 The rank of nobility and the title of ancient 
 vassals, were granted to all those who had been 
 present at the battle of Campo d'Ourique. It 
 was likewise resolved that all persons should 
 be raised to the rank of nobles who should 
 light in defence of the person of the king, his 
 sou, or son-in-law^ or to preserve the rojal 
 standard, as well as those who should kill a 
 hostile nionarch^ or his son^ or take one of their 
 rojal standards. 
 
 In like manner the children of all such as 
 had been taken prisoners by the barbarians 
 were declared noble, provided their parents 
 should die in captivity without renouncing the 
 Christian religion. The descendants of Moors 
 were, of course, declared incapable of ever as- 
 piring to the privileges of nobility. 
 
 Infamy was denounced against every person 
 of noble rank, together with his posterity, who 
 should fly in battle, who should insult a female 
 by striking her with lance or sword, who 
 should refuse to venture his life for the person 
 of the king and of the prince, his ^on, or in 
 defence of the royal standard : in like manner 
 against those who should be convicted of per- 
 
73 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 jury, robbery, blasphemy^ and concealing the 
 truth from the king; who should calumniate 
 the queen or the princesses, her daughters; 
 Tvho should enter into the service of the Moors^ 
 and, finally, should make any attempt upon 
 the sacred person of the king. 
 
 The judicial laws condemned to death every 
 homicide, and to a pecuniary fine such as 
 should have wounded any person with a sword, 
 stone, or stick. Whoever should strike a ma- 
 gistrate was to be branded with a hot iron. 
 Theft was to be punished by the exposure of 
 the culprit, with his shoulders bare, in a public 
 place, for the two first offences ; if he again 
 relapsed, he was doomed to die; but the sen- 
 tence could not be carried into execution with-^ 
 out an express order from the monarch.* 
 
 * During the reign of John II. and his successor, Ema- 
 nuel, criminals, instead of being put to death, were em- 
 ployed in the Portuguese squadrons sent out to examine the 
 coasts of Asia and Africa, and they were landed ui newly^ 
 discovered regions, for the purpose of exploring the interior. 
 If they proved successful in these dangerous expeditions, 
 their crimes were expiated by the services so rendered to the 
 state. It was not uncommon to see them, in a few years, 
 transformed into new men, and useful members of society. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 73 
 
 Such were the wise and useful laws, which 
 Alphonso, seated upon his throne, dictated, in 
 1145, to the states which he had assembled. 
 They were most strictly obeyed, till the death of 
 the cardinal king, in 1580. Portugal then be- 
 came a province of Spain, and these laws were 
 forgotten. It was not till 1640 that the house 
 of Braganza again ascended the throne of Por- 
 tugal. John IV. the first king of that house, 
 convoked the states-general in 1641, in order t^ 
 institute an examination of the rights of the 
 crown, and to remove all doubts from the minds 
 of his subjects, *^ these rights,'' said the de- 
 cree of the states, alluding to the rights of the 
 new monarch, are more than sufiicient to de- 
 stroy a possession of sixty years (the period 
 during which Portugal had been subject to 
 Spain) — a tyrannical possession, established 
 and maintained solely by force of arms — a 
 force which annuls all the acts, decrees, and 
 sentences passed in its favour, either by the as- 
 isembly of the states at Thomar in 1587, or by 
 
 The banishment of convicts to distant colonies was also first 
 practised in Portugal. Of all the kinds of punishment, this 
 js, perhaps, attended with the most salutary effects, both to 
 society and the culprits themselves. See Murphy. Editor^ 
 
74 
 
 TRAVELS IN P0RTUG4t^ 
 
 that of Lisbon in 1619. Besides, ihe sentence 
 which transferred the crown of Portugal to 
 Ihe King of Castile, was vitiated^ for many other 
 reasons : it had not been signed unanimously, 
 and had moreover been given beyond the li- 
 mits of Portugal;, which was contrary to all the 
 constitutions of that kingdom." 
 
 John IV. was the first monarch who had the 
 title of Yonr Majesty, Before this time the 
 kings had been addressed by that of HighnesSy 
 which is now given to the children. 
 
 During the reign of Edward I. another law, 
 which appeared of essential importatice, was 
 enacted. John I, had, by his liberalit}^, con- 
 siderably diminished the revenues ©f the crown. 
 It was designed to take out of the hands of 
 several families of the kingdom, considerable 
 estates, with which he had presented them. 
 For this purpose Edward made a new law, 
 known by the appellation of the mental law, 
 by virtue of which, these estates, on failure of 
 male heirs, were to revert to the crown. 
 
 The titles of the King of Portugal are : 
 King of Foriugal and the Algarves, on this and 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 7^ 
 
 on the other side of the seas ; lord of Guinea, 
 of the navigation, conquest, and commerce of 
 Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia, and the Indies. His 
 eldest son is called Prince of Brasil, and the 
 yoiTnger children are styled Infants and In* 
 fantas. 
 
 There are, in Portugal, three classes of supe- 
 rior nobility, dukes, marquisses, and counts. 
 The dukes are very few, though there are a 
 great number of duchies: but several of them, 
 it is true, are vested in the person of the king, 
 such as that of Brao;an5a, Barcellos, &c. To 
 each of these titles is attached a pension ; a 
 duke has 3500 livres ; a niarquis 1665, and a 
 count 515 livres. Such nobles as have no titles 
 are caWedfdalgos. There are only nine mar- 
 quisses, and thirty-three counts. No person 
 can assume the title of Don, which belongs to 
 the nobility, w^ithout the permission of the 
 king. 
 
 John L, after he was declared king, vras de- 
 sirous of testifying his gratitude to the city of 
 Lisbon, by the grant of certain prerogatives. 
 In 1385 he honoured it with the title of the 
 capital, and made it the ordinaiy residence of 
 
76 
 
 TllAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 the sovereign. In this manner he rewarded it 
 for the zeal which it had shewn to elect him 
 king, when he was only regent. He likewise 
 resolved that the first rela^aon (or court of 
 justice) of his kingdom^ should meet there, that 
 he might be enabled to execute, with the greater 
 promptitude, such declarations as it might pass 
 for the good of the state and of his subjects. 
 This court is composed of a president, a chan- 
 cellor, and ten cZczm&argaf/ore^, or judges. Al- 
 most all causes are referred to this tribunal. In 
 the casa de supplicar^ all matters brought be- 
 fore it, by appeal, are^ finally, and, peremptorily, 
 determined. The second court meets in the 
 city of Oporto ; and is constituted like that of 
 Lisbon. Besides the ordinary members of these 
 two, the only, sovereign tribunals in the 
 kingdom, they have also two counsellors, styl- 
 ed extravagantesy because they have no fixed or 
 Regular functions. 
 
 There are also other judges for the affairs of 
 the crown, finances^ civil matters, and criminal 
 appeals. 
 
 The comarques are inferior justices. The 
 town-houses have their particular judges: their 
 
Sr THE DURE DE CHATELET. 
 
 77 
 
 principal duty is to take care that the public 
 store-houses be always replenished ; to super- 
 intend the taxation of commodities^ the repairs 
 of public buildings^ and keeping up the high 
 roads. 
 
 The laws which were observed in Portugal 
 were the same as those of Spain, at the time 
 when the two kingdoms were under the domi- 
 nion of the Romans. To these laws the Goths, 
 who came after them, made some additions* 
 The kings of Portugal, in their turn, enacted 
 new ones, which are styled ordinances or royal 
 law. They nevertheless retained so much con- 
 sideration for the Roman jurisprudence, as to 
 decree that the civil law should be followed 
 throughout their dominions. Accordingly^, 
 when any extraordinary case, for which the 
 royal law has not made a provision, occurs, it 
 is decided by the Roman law. Those who are 
 desirous of embracing the profession of civil 
 magistrates, cannot obtain any judicial office 
 without studying law for nine years, during 
 which time they have to go through six dif- 
 ferent examinations, and to sustain three pub-- 
 lie theses. 
 
78 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 After a person has been;, for some years, la 
 the inferior stations^ he is qualified to aspire 
 to the office of counsellor in the courts ; but 
 before this is conferred on him, he is examined 
 in the king's council, where he has to ( x plain, 
 for an hour, that part ol the law, at which a 
 book happens to be opened ; and the followmg 
 day, he answers the various questions (hat are 
 proposed respecting the civil law of the Ro- 
 mans, and what is properly denominated the 
 Roman law. 
 
 The lettrados, or advocates, undergo the 
 same examination as the judges, with this dif- 
 ference, that the examination takes place in the 
 rela^aon, or court of justice, of Lisbon. For 
 the rest, they never appear at the bar, till they 
 have been reputed capable of fulfilling their 
 functions with ability and probity. Such is the 
 present state of the laws, constitutions^ and ju- 
 risprudence of this kingdom* 
 
EV THE DUKLE DE CHATELET. 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 Religion. 
 
 The only religion tolerated in Portugal is the 
 Catholic. The clergy, who are very numerous 
 and powerful, are excessively ignorant and de- 
 bauched ; while the monks and nuns lead a 
 life of the most scandalous licentiousness. Thus 
 the resources of this kingdom are consumed 
 by an infinite multitude of drones, who conti- 
 nually devour, without ever adding to, the 
 common stock. It will scarcely be believed, that 
 in a population of two millions there are no 
 fewer than two hundred and fifty thousand 
 monks, priests, and nuns. 
 
 The head of the church is the patriarch pri- 
 mate of Portugal. This dignity was created 
 in 1716, during the reign of John V. Whea 
 the patriarch officiates, he wears the same ha- 
 bit as the popes, and the canons of the patri- 
 archate are dressed like cardinals, and use the 
 
80 
 
 TRAViELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 crosier and mitre ; the superior canons even 
 add to these decorations the title of my lord. 
 
 The dignity of patriarch was formerly given 
 only to bishops who held important sees^ inde- 
 pendent of the Romish church, such as Con- 
 stantinople, Alexandria, Antioch^ and Jerusa- 
 lem. The patriarch of Lisbon receives, at 
 court, the most brilliant distinctions. He takes 
 precedency not only of the bishops and arch- 
 bishops, but, also, of all the grandees of Por- 
 tugal. If the late king had lived longer, or 
 de Pombal had retained the post of prime 
 minister, this place might have become highly 
 injurious to the court of Rome, of whose yoke 
 Portugal began to be rather impatient. Was 
 she not seen to receive with cold indifference 
 the interdict issued by the pope, on account of 
 the expulsion of the Jesuits? The minister 
 even disdained to give himself the trouble to 
 have it taken olF. The people, accustomed to 
 behold a perfect image of the sovereign pontiff, 
 would easily have been brought to consider the 
 indulgences and dispensations which they re- 
 ceived from the patriarch as equally valid with 
 those which they procured from Rome at a 
 great ex pence. The Holy See had already re- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 81 
 
 ceived several blows. The expulsion of the 
 Jesuits had been effected without its concur- 
 rence^ and in despite of its power. The court 
 of Lisbon had dismissed its nuncio. One Fa- 
 ther Fereira^, a skilful theologian^ had main- 
 tained in a public thesis^ that the popes were 
 not infallible. After such proceedings^ against 
 which the court of Rome had^ in vain^ directed 
 its censures and anathemas^ it had everv reason 
 to fear that its authority would \ery soon be^, 
 totally, shaken off. But, during the present 
 reign, the Pope has recovered his former 
 power; the nuncio, who heretofore had acted 
 a very unimportant part, has regained his in- 
 fluence, and obtained, of the Queen, the renewal 
 of privileges w hich M. de Pombal had great 
 difficulty to prevail upon the court of Rome 
 to relinquish. The monks have once more 
 usurped the reins of government. 
 
 The Jesuits, who were all powerful in Por- 
 tugal, had there, as in all the rest of Christen- 
 dom, abandoned the people to the herd of 
 monks, reserving for themselves the grandees 
 and the throne. Philosophers, in some respects^ 
 men of learning and science, covered with the 
 
 VOL. J. F 
 
S2 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAt^ 
 
 mask of austerity and religious zeal, they had 
 undertaken the work of enlightening nations^ 
 and propagating the faith in every quar- 
 ter. Had they stopped here, their empire 
 would have been of longer duration: they 
 turned their attention to higher subjects. They 
 interfered in commerce, in politics, in wars ; 
 they insinuated themselves into, and offended, 
 courts. They were accused of having armed 
 fanaticism, and whetted the daggers of assas- 
 sins. Whether innocent or guilty, they were all 
 expelled from Portugal : several other powers 
 opened their eyes to their dangerous, and 
 too slightly disguised ambition. They have 
 been expelled by Spain, France, nay even by 
 the Pope himself; and the difficulty which was 
 found to destroy this order was a sufficient proof 
 how dangerous it might have become. 
 
 The chief motives which induced the courts ^ 
 of Portugal and Spain to proscribe the Jesuits 
 were these. They were desirous of entering 
 into a treaty, the sole object of which was to 
 prevent the smuggling carried on at the Por- 
 tuguese colony of St. Sacrament. To effect 
 this, nothing more v^as required, than to ex- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 83 
 
 change that colony, for certain establishments 
 in Paraguay^ where the Jesuits ruled with so- 
 vereign sway. Two years passed;, and still this 
 exchange could not be accomplished. It was 
 obstructed by the intrigues of the Jesuits^, who 
 were said to have gained the ascendancy over 
 the mind of the Marquis de la Ensenada^ at 
 that time^ prime minister of Spain. His fall 
 was attributed to the obstinacy of his refusal. 
 
 The Jesuits^, who had settled^, with the con- 
 sent of both powers^, in Paraguay, under the 
 pretext of propagating the faith, soon made 
 numerous proselytes. The country became 
 peopled ; the savages grew civilized, and sub- 
 mitted with pleasure to a government truly 
 wise and gentle; but the Jesuits did not con- 
 fine themselves to the interests of religion 
 alone; they acquired an unlimited authority. 
 The pretended kingdom of Paraguay, and the 
 Jesuit^ elected king, by the name of Nicholas I. 
 afforded, at first, only a subject for mirth. It 
 was not long, however, before the two courts 
 began to take umbrage. The Jesuits were ac- 
 cused of treason and rebellion, and troops were 
 sent into this colony, which they had rendered 
 so flourishing. 
 
84 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 The savages defended themselves ; the Je- 
 suits resisted for some time^ but at length this 
 beautiful country, in a great measure of their 
 own creation, was consigned to the ravages of 
 war. 
 
 The assassination of the King of Portugal 
 very soon followed this revolution in Paraguay. 
 There were strong reasons for ascribing it to 
 them, and from that moment their doom was 
 decreed. They w ere all banished, and sent to 
 Rome. Their eiFects were confiscated. The 
 Portuguese minister, inflexible in his resent- 
 ment, paid no regard either to the prayers or 
 to the menaces of the Holy See, and by the 
 end of 1759, not a Jesuit remained in Por- 
 tugal. 
 
 But to return to the clergy. There are in 
 Portugal three archbishops and ten bishops, 
 who are all nominated by the King. One fourth 
 of their revenues is set apart for different pen- 
 sions, of which ecclesiastics have no share. The 
 -bishops are addressed by the title of lordship, 
 and the archbishops by that of most illustrious 
 lordsiiip. The three archbishoprics are Braga, 
 E vora, and Lisboii ; and the bishoprics. Oporto, 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 83 
 
 Lamego^ Miranda^ Viseu, Guarda^ Coimbra, 
 Leiria^ Elvas, Portalegre, and Algarve. 
 
 The Portuguese carry superstition to a 
 greater length than any other nation. They 
 place implicit confidence in their saints; and 
 though several worthy patriarchs have abolish- 
 ed most of the mummeries, begotten by igno- 
 rance, the Portuguese character has prevailed. 
 It reconciles the monstrous alliance of the 
 most superstitious practices with the most cri- 
 minal excesses. The Portuguese adore the 
 statues of their saints^ and violate the most sa- 
 cred laws of morality/ the most peremptory 
 precepts of their religion: they are incessantly 
 passing from guilt to penitence, and from pie- 
 nitence to guilt : they tremble at the mere' 
 mention of hell and the devil, and yet indulge 
 in all the excesses of the most brutal debauch-^ 
 ery : their stupid credulity is encouraged by^ 
 the government itself. During the war of the 
 Spanish succession, the Portuguese troops, who 
 espoused the cause of the archduke, having no 
 leader, and being desirous of having a Portu- 
 guese to command them, took it into their 
 heads to elect St. Anthony, a iiative of Lisboa 
 
86 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 and their patron, for their general. The King 
 Don Pedro directed his commission to be made 
 out accordingly, with a salary of three hun- 
 dred thousand reas This saint is still com- 
 mander in chief of the army, and every year, 
 on the eve of his anniversary, the king waits 
 upon him at his church, and carries with him 
 the salary of this valiant general. Every body 
 kneels as he passes, and worsbips, in this 
 wooden image, the chief protector of Por- 
 tugal. 
 
 Formerly, processions were very numerous, 
 and much more calculated to bring religion 
 into contempt than to gain it respect. Part of 
 these have latterly been suppressed. That on 
 Corpus Christi day, which is still kept up, is 
 accounted the most magnificent of any in Ca- 
 tholic Christendom. The streets through which 
 it passes are strewed with flowers, and covered 
 with the richest stuffs ; every one being eager 
 to display the most costly things that he pos- 
 sesses. The statue of St. George, who, since 
 the alliance between the Portuguese and the 
 English, is treated with great respect, com- 
 mences the procession at three o'clock in the 
 piorning. This statue^ of silver^ is mounted 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 87 
 
 upon a white nag: the saint is preceded, by 
 his page^ on horseback, and attendants^ on foot, 
 hold his stirrups. The most wealthy ladies 
 lend their diamonds to adorn the saint's hat : 
 there are several which are his own property^ 
 and these are finer than any of the others. All 
 the king's horses, richly caparisoned, follow the 
 saint ; all the monks, in bodies, attend this 
 procession ; and the knights of the different 
 orders are there in their appropriate habits. 
 Next come all the tribunals, high and low. 
 Lastly, the procession is closed by the king, 
 the court, and persons of the highest distinc- 
 tion. It commonly takes up six hours. The 
 queen and the rest of the royal family are 
 without the church, in a pew, erected for the 
 occasion, by the side of the front gate. 
 
 In general, all religious ceremonies are per- 
 formed with extraordinary magnificence at 
 Lisbon. There is no country in which the 
 people sacrifice more to the external practices 
 of religion, and where they, at the same time, 
 violate its precepts with greater impudence. 
 
 The Inquisition, which was formerly a severe 
 tribunal in Portugal, became much milder 
 
88 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 during the administration of the Marquis dc 
 Pombal. Its onlj victims are a few Jews ; 
 priests notoriously depraved,^ or professing he- 
 resies which they support by ignorance and fa- 
 naticism ; or indiscreet persons who speak ill 
 of the holy office ; and these are punished only 
 by whipping and banishment. At the last 
 auto-da-fe, celebrated in 1766^, there was only 
 owe jiguron, the epithet applied to those who 
 appear as culprits in this ceremony. The spec- 
 tacle^ on such occasions^ has no charms for the 
 multitude ; and this indulgence, if repeated, 
 would excite their disgust. 
 
 The holy office formerly had such extensive 
 authority, that the other sovereign tribunals 
 were obliged to give it an account of their 
 proceedings, whenever it was required. The 
 Marquis de Pombal reformed this abuse, and 
 tl:e Inquisition scarcely durst inquire the rea- 
 son. This sanguinary tribunal, the terror 
 alike of the innocent and the guilty, itself 
 trembled before that minister; but it is now 
 becoming more powerful than ever ; and the 
 renewal of its reign will certainly be announ- 
 ced by some cruelty or other inflicted on im- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 89 
 
 becile wretches,, who will fall victims to their 
 obstinacy and ignorance. 
 
 Opinions differ respecting the origin of the 
 Inquisition in Portugal: many fabulous stories 
 are related on this subject. According to some, 
 during the reign of John III. in 1536, a he- 
 retic snatched the host from the hands of the 
 priest who was performing mass. The king 
 punished this sacrilege severely ; and notwith- 
 standing the antipathy to the Inquisition ma- 
 nifested by the Portuguese, he established that 
 tribunal in all his dommions. Others assert, 
 that, when the Jews were driven out of Spain 
 in 1482, the King of Portugal afforded them 
 an asylum in his kingdom, forbidding them, 
 however, the exercise of their religion : but, 
 as they infringed this prohibition, his majesty 
 requested the pope to send him a number of 
 inquisitors, in order to discover and punish the 
 guilty. Be this as it may, it was during the 
 reign of John III. that the bull establishing 
 this tribunal arrived from Rome : the office of 
 grand inquisitor was given to Don Diego de 
 Silva, bishop of Ceuta, and, at that time, the 
 J&ing's confessor. 
 
90 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 During the same reign^ three tribunals of 
 inquisition were instituted ; one at Lisbon^ the 
 second at Coimbra, the third at Evora. That 
 of Lisbon is the most considerable^ and the ge- 
 neral presides at its meetings. The particulars 
 of that odious institution are but too well 
 known. The picture which I should exhibit 
 of its dungeons^ its fetters^ its faggots^, and of 
 all the tortures invented to honour a God, who, 
 we are told, is love itself, could not add to the 
 universal horror which it excites. 
 
 The Jews have suffered, most severely, from 
 it, though they brought very great wealth into 
 the kingdom ; for when they were driven out of 
 Spain, upwards of thirty thousand families 
 settled in Portugal, and paid a capitation tax 
 of eight crowns per head. The government 
 soon repented of having afforded them an asy- 
 lum. The errors of the synagogue began to 
 strike deep root in that country, where they 
 are still widely extended. They have even in- 
 fected natives themselves, whom, all the horrors 
 of the Inquisition have not been able to cure 
 of an irresistible propensity to Judaism. The 
 Portuguese Jews, who are very numerous, and 
 scattered throughout all the countries of Eu- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 91 
 
 rope, proposed to John V. to give liim two 
 millions of crusades per annum, and to defray 
 half theexpences of the erection of the patri- 
 archate, on condition that he should grant them 
 the village and castle of Armada, situated on 
 the left bank of the Tagus, opposite to Lisbon. 
 Either from motives of policy or religion, the 
 government rejected this proposal. Such an 
 establishment could not, possibly, have given 
 discontent; the king might have limited the 
 number of families who should reside on that 
 shore: entirely cut off from Lisbon, by a bay 
 three leagues broad, they would never have 
 been able to undertake any thing against the 
 state; their rites would not have produced a 
 more dangerous effect than at present, when 
 they are concealed and dispersed throughout 
 the city. Each of them being obliged, annu- 
 ally, at Easter, to deliver in certificates of con- 
 fession and communion to an officer appointed 
 to receive them, the Jews, who make a traffic 
 of every thing, procure them for money, espe- 
 cially from the courtiers, and thus pass them- 
 selves off for Catholics. 
 
 It may, easily, be conceived that monks lead 
 a life of the most unbridled licentiousness; 
 
93 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAt^ 
 
 but it must excite some astonishment to be in- 
 formed^ that every nunnery i^, a sort of sera- 
 glio^ where the most shameless debauchery rea- 
 dily finds gratification. The convent of Odi- 
 lelas^ during the reign of John V. contained 
 three hundred nuns^ all young and beautiful. 
 Each of them had her professed lover ; they 
 were seldom dressed in the habit of the order. 
 The most refined gallantry was their occupa- 
 tion^ and they were accounted the most ac- 
 complished courtezans in the kingdom. Hence 
 issued the numerous illegitimate children of 
 King John V. who made a real harem of this 
 convept. The Marquis de Pombal:, who dis- 
 approved generally of the multiplicity of con- 
 vents^ made this notorious circumstance a pre- 
 text for suppressing a great number, and in- 
 corporating them with other religious houses 
 of not quite so bad a character. Stilly how- 
 ever^ the convents of both sexes in Portugal 
 may be considered the most depraved in Chris,- 
 tendom^ 
 
 I shall conclude this chapter with some ac^ 
 count of the different orders which have been 
 instituted in Portugal, and still exist in that 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 93 
 
 country. Established by the fanaticism of the 
 Christians in the ages of anarchy^ they had 
 long maintained themselves, in consequence of 
 the spirit of union which pervaded them, and 
 the courage of the knights, continually exer- 
 cised by the oppositioi? of the Moors ; and in 
 this respect they rendered themselves service- 
 able to the sovereign. 
 
 There are three orders in Portugal, that of 
 Christ, St. James, and Avis. The king, as grand- 
 master, derives from them upwards of two mil- 
 lions of crusades. 
 
 The order of Christ was established on the 
 ruins of that of the Templars, by King Denis, 
 in 1319. To the possessions of the latter^ 
 which he gave to the new order, he added the 
 town of Castro Marino, with its territory and 
 dependencies. The grand priory of this order, 
 which was originally in the town of Castro 
 Marino, was removed to Thomar, where it now 
 is. This grand priory comprehends more than 
 four hundred and fifty commanderies, and its 
 revenues exceed a million of crusades. All the 
 knights of the order, indiscriminately, wear. the 
 
94 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 cross suspended from the neck by a red ribbon^, 
 and another embroidered on their clothes : it is 
 a patriarchal cross, gules^ charged with ano- 
 ther cross argent. 
 
 As soon as the wars with the Moors were 
 terminated, this order ceased to be held in esti- 
 mation. It is at present sunk to a very low 
 ebb; the vanity of the fidalgos having inspired 
 them with the idea of being waited upon by 
 knights of this order. Accordingly many of 
 their domestics are invested witl)^ its insignia ; 
 and though the king does not disdain to wear . 
 them, the order is^ nevertheless^ despised;, even 
 in Portugal. Any person may obtain it for 
 money^ so that many traders and brokers are 
 invested with it. 
 
 The order of St. James^ instituted in 1290, 
 and dismembered from that of the same name 
 •which exists in Spain^ has the grand priory of 
 Pamela, contains one hundred and fifty com- 
 manderies^ and possesses a revenue of six hun- 
 dred thousand livres. It owes its establishment 
 and regulations to the celebrated robber Fer- 
 nandez, who, to make sure of heaven, conse- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 95 
 
 crated to God the fruits of all the crimes which 
 he had committed, and turned his valour, his 
 fury, and his cruelties, against the Moors. 
 This order, which was instituted to defend the 
 Christians from the ravages of the infidels, was, 
 at that time, formidable, because it had become 
 powerful by the great acquisitions which it 
 took from the Moors. It is not much better 
 constituted than the order of Christ. 
 
 The order of Avis has its grand priory at 
 Avis ; it contains fifty commanderies, and has 
 an income of five hundred thousand livres. It 
 was instituted by monks, was formerly united 
 with the Spanish order of Calatrava, but has 
 separated from it. 
 
 The kings of Portugal have considerably 
 reduced the power of these orders, by appro- 
 priating the grand masterships to themselves. 
 There are also, in Portugal, knights of St. 
 John, or of Malta. The Portuguese are far 
 from holding this order in the same estimation 
 as other nations. Here any person may take 
 the cross of Malta, relinquish and resume it 
 whenever he pleases. This order has twenty- 
 
96 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 five commanderies^ and possesses a revenue of 
 seven hundred thousand livres. 
 
 Alphonso I. instituted another Drder^ called 
 the order of the Wing, but it w^as suppressed 
 by his successors. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 97 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 Manners and Customs of the Portuguese. 
 
 The Portuguese is naturally haughty^ proud^ 
 and courageous, and, in general, detests every 
 other nation; he sincerely believes that there is 
 not, in the world, any more enlightened and 
 accomplished than his own. His hatred of the 
 Spaniards is not to be expressed; he has even 
 an antipathy to the English, whom he considers 
 as his most formidable enemies. I know not 
 whether it is from national prejudice, but it 
 appeared tome that the French are not beheld 
 with such a jealous eye at Lisbon. Its inhabit- 
 ants look upon us as intrepid; they esteem 
 our army, of which they entertain a high opi- 
 nion ; and besides, our vivacity is congenial 
 with their own. They are, though you can 
 scarcely persuade other people to believe sO;, 
 disposed to gaiety, and they indulge this pro- 
 pensity when they are at their ease. In my 
 opinion there can scarcely be a more ugly 
 
 VOL. I. Q 
 
98 
 
 tRAVELS IN PORTVGXt, 
 
 people than the Portuguese. They are small;, 
 tanned, and ill-shaped. The interior generally 
 corresponds with this repulsive exterior, espe- 
 cially at Lisbon, where the inhabitants seem to 
 combine all the vices of both soul and body. 
 In these two points, there exists, however, a 
 striking difference between the capital and the 
 north of the kingdom. In the northern provin- 
 ces, the people are neither so dark, nor so ugly; 
 they are more frank, more sociable, much 
 braver, and more laborious ; but they are, if 
 possible, more abject slaves to prejudice. This 
 difference likew^ise exists in regard to the wo- 
 men ; they are much fairer than those of the 
 iouth. 
 
 The Portuguese, considered in general, are 
 vindictive, low, vain, addicted to raillerj^ ex- 
 cessively presumptuous, jealous and ignorant.* 
 
 After mentioning the defect«,\vhich,I think, I 
 liave observed in them, I should be unju&t 
 were I to be silent respecting their good quali- 
 
 * These ate severe accusatiGiis, It is necessary to have 
 observed a nation very attentively, and for a considerable time 
 to assert, from our own knowledge, that it deserves all the>e 
 epithets ; and a person must be extremely shallow to decide 
 thst so rigid a rule is not liable to any exceptions. FJitor, 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 99 
 
 ties. They are attached to their counfry,, 
 generous in friendship^ faithful^ sober, and 
 charitable. They would be good christians, 
 were they not blinded by fanaticism. They 
 are so accustomed to the external forms of reli- 
 gion, that they are more superstitious than de- 
 vout. The fidalgos, or grandees of Portugal, 
 are men of very narrow education, haughty, 
 and insolent; they live in the darkest igno- 
 rance, and scarcely ever leave their native land 
 to see other countries. The family of the 
 Marquis de Pombal, which I frequently visited, 
 is almost the only one that I found to possess a 
 tolerably extensive knowledge of foreign na- 
 tions. This family speaks our language, 
 English, and Italian^ with fluency ; and what 
 gave me infinite pleasure was, to see that it 
 formed a sound judgment, untinctured with 
 the prejudices of its own country, a circum- 
 stance very rare even among the best-informed 
 and most polished nations. If any Portuguese 
 noble should ever see what I write, I shall, inevi- 
 tably, incur his hatred,'^ for he has vowed it 
 
 * Had the Duke survived the printing of his manuscript, 
 he would at least have admitted that there wts suiBcient 
 reason for this hatred. Editor, 
 
100 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 against every thing connected with the name 
 of Pombal. There are some other houses^ but 
 their number is very small^ which contain 
 libraries ; besides, these houses and their libra- 
 ries are closely shut to strangers. 
 
 With respect to the Portuguese women, we 
 may without, exaggeration^ extol their charms. 
 No females in Europe have so fine a colour. 
 They have very white teeth, beautiful and 
 abundant heads of hair, generally so long as to 
 reach down to their heels. They bestow great 
 pains upon it, and turn it up into enormous 
 catogans, often larger than their heads; these 
 they adorn with flowers and diamonds, which 
 they placfe with great coquetry and art. They 
 have all fine, expressive, black eyes; and as a 
 prominent bosom, or the appearance of one, is 
 considered in Portugal, as in Turkey, one of the 
 principal charms in a woman, they avail them- 
 selves of all the contrivances of art to increase 
 its dimensions, when Nature has been parsimo- 
 nious to them in that particular : but this spe- 
 cies of coquetry totally fails of producing the 
 intended effect, as the Portuguese women, in 
 general, dress in a very disagreeable way. If 
 they had wide drawers their costume would 
 
 / 
 
\ 
 
 BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 101 
 
 resemble that of the Turkish women. They 
 wear the petticoat short ; their walk is slow and 
 ungraceful ; and they have very bad legs, and 
 large feet. Nevertheless, the Portuguese wo- 
 men, if they were rather taller, would, in gene- 
 ral, be accounted handsome. They possess 
 much wit, and perhaps a greater share of vi- 
 vacity than even the French women them- 
 selves. In gallantry they surpass all the women 
 of Europe : in their looks, they have that win- 
 ning tenderness which promises delight, but if 
 it be easy, it is still more dangerous to obtain 
 their favours ; and this danger is not single. 
 One interview leads you almost infallibly to 
 success ; but this interview is not to be ob- 
 tained without great difficulty. Husbands 
 and parents, aware of the extreme frailty of 
 their wives and daughters, incessantly keep a 
 vigilant eye over them ; they never leave them 
 by themselves; they watch those who lurk 
 about the house, and if they see any one, who 
 awakens their suspicion, entering or departing, 
 they plunge„ into his heart, a knife, which they 
 always carry about them.* 
 
 * All writers agree in depicting the Portuguese vi^omen 
 with the same features. Perhaps the author of the Picture 
 
102 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 Ladies of a certain rank dress in the French 
 style, with the exception of the head-dress, in 
 
 of Lisbon y has, however, in dehneating their character, made 
 use of colours rather blacker than they deserve. Love," says 
 he, makes them cunning and ingenious 3 their inventive 
 mind, fertile in resources, never fails them in time of need. 
 They excel in the art of dissimulation, in which they are early 
 proficients 3 they are never to be put out of countenance ; 
 artifice is concealed in their physiognomy, by the mask of in- 
 nocent candor. Never does an indiscreet blush betray their 
 thoughts 5 they seem to have truth upon their lips, but it is 
 rai-ely in their hearts. I'hey are real Proteuses 3 they assume 
 whatever form they pleasC;, or that which suits their secret 
 purposes : however, they are good-natured, obliging, affec- 
 tionate, &c." 
 
 Murphy makes out the Portuguese ladies to be, at the 
 same time, chaste and addicted to gallantry. They possess** 
 says he, many amiable qualities 5 they are chaste, modest, 
 and extremely affectionate to their kindred." A little farther 
 on he observes: Their lovers are seldom gratified with a 
 sight of them except in the churches 3 here they may sigh 
 and signal — 
 
 Address and compliment by vision 
 Make love and court by intuition. 
 Notw i hstanding the watchful eye of the Duenna, the lovers 
 contrive to exchange a hiilet doux and that, in so subtle a 
 manner, that none, can perceive it, whose breast glows not 
 with a similar flame. The little boys who attend at the altar, 
 are oiten the messengers on these occasions. When one of 
 these windless Cupids receives the letter, he npakes his waj; 
 
BV THE DUKE DE CIIATELET. 
 
 lOeS 
 
 which they follow the fashion of their owq 
 country. The women, commonly, squat on 
 their heels like the Turks, upon rush mats spread 
 upon the floor. One day, when I was with 
 the French ambassador, the wife of one of the 
 grandees of the kingdom called to pay him a 
 yisit. She was asked to sit down on a sofa, 
 and the lady, skipping upon it, like ^tailor on 
 Jiis shop board, made a movemept which excited 
 the mirth of the spectators, without, however, 
 being productive of any voluptuous ideas, for 
 ihehad long passed the seductive age. 
 
 The men dress in the French, or, at least, in 
 the European style. They wear a cloak in 
 which they wrap themselves, and a sword of e^fL- 
 traordinar}'^ length. They are all exceedingly 
 dirty, which forms a ridiculous contrast to the 
 
 through the audience, till he approaches the fair oiie 3 then 
 he throws himself on his knees, repeating his Ave Marias- 
 stella and beating his breast. After finishing his ejaculations, 
 and crossing his forehead, he falls on his face and hands^ and 
 fervently kisses the ground 5 in the mean time he conveys the 
 letter under the lady's drapery, and brings back another. At 
 other times when the lovers are coming out or the church, 
 their hands meet, as it were by chance, in the holy water 
 font 5 by this means they exchange billets, and enjoy the de- 
 lectable pleasure gf pressing each other's fingers. 
 
104 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 delicate color of their garments, and the rich 
 lace with which they, as well as their hats, are 
 loaded. 
 
 The Portuguese are extremely jealous ; ac- 
 cordingly the women have all the appearance 
 of austerity. They never go abroad without 
 an old negro servant, who acts the part of a 
 g'overnante, and attends them to church, to 
 places of diversion, and to the public walks. 
 To these duennas you must address yourself, if 
 you wish to succeed in any intrigue ; without 
 their assistance, you can do nothing ; but mo- 
 ney, of which they are very greedy, removes 
 all obstacles. Nevertheless, woe be to him 
 who is suspected by the husband or the lover ! 
 Their jealousy seldom forgives, and sooner or 
 later you incur the risk of falling by their dag- 
 ger. As they know it is common to make as- 
 signations in churches, there are very few 
 houses but have their chapels, in order to de- 
 prive the women of every pretext for going 
 abroad : hence the proverb which says, that 
 the Portuguese women go but three times to 
 church, that is to be baptized, married, and 
 buried. They are, however, suffered to go to 
 the theatre, because, there, they are separated 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET* 
 
 105 
 
 from persons of the other sex, and especialljr 
 strangers. 
 
 The Portuguese nation, amidst the paucity 
 of diversions, is fond of music, dancing, public 
 spectacles, bull-fights, in a word, of whatever 
 is calculated to recall to mind the gratification 
 of the senses, even religion not excepted. 
 Under the influence of a burning climate, thej 
 pursue voluptuous pleasures, and are deter- 
 mined to enjoy themselves at any rate. 
 
 The sin which the Portuguese acknowledge 
 to be the most heinous, is that of the flesh ; and 
 it is precisely the one into which they rush 
 with the greatest impetuosity. Their devotion, 
 their saints, hell itself, in a word, nothing is ca- 
 pable of checking them ; accordingly every 
 thing is tinctured with this licentiousness; their 
 manners, their habits, and, in particular, their 
 health. If we except the Spaniards, no people 
 suffer more from the venereal disease than the 
 Portuguese ; it even produces in them effects 
 unheard of in other countries. Prostitutes 
 have been known to occasion, in a few minutes, 
 the death of those who have been connected 
 with them ; the infection is so subtle, that it 
 
106 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTLGAL, 
 
 4nay be compared to the most violent pesti- 
 lence. The Portuguese is ignorant of the 
 means of curing himself; his bloody once cor- 
 ruptedjs corrupt for ever : he lives with this 
 odious disease^ as other people live with the 
 gout. The excessive heat and continual per- 
 spiration^ indeed^ mitigate its effects; and many 
 one braves its power in the south of Europe^ 
 who could not withstand it in the north, 
 
 The songs of the Portuguese are extremely 
 licentious ; they accompany them with the 
 guitar, on which they perform with consi- 
 derable grace. Their music is gay^ lively^ 
 and not unattractive; but what surprizes all 
 foreigners who visit Portugal, is the national 
 dance^ w^hich I have already mentioned, called 
 fojfa. It is performed not only in the streets 
 and fields^ but also on the stage, where it is 
 executed with as much lubricity as every where 
 else ; and these gross excesses, the Portuguese 
 ^re able tq recorjcile with their pretended de- 
 votion, as the following example among many 
 pthers will shew. The negroes, who are very 
 numerous in Portugal, carry with them relics 
 or small images of Christ, which they ^exhibit 
 for sale all over the city. They are generally 
 
Br THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 107 
 
 ftccompan'ed 'vifh drums, fiddles, and trum- 
 pet^, arid th y may often be seen dancing the 
 fmfciy before th^se objects of public venera- 
 tion — a rev;?ltinii: contrast, which does not seem 
 to awaken the scruples of the most devout. 
 
 Very often, on my returp home, at mid- 
 night, I have seen companies of men and wo^ 
 men amusing themselves with this dance. la 
 the hot weather, the people, like most of those 
 of Italy, run about all night, accompanied with 
 drums and guitars. 
 
 The stage in Portugal is beneath criticism ; 
 it wants both pieces and actors. It is alway* 
 an am )rous intrigue, in which abuiroon,called, 
 as in Spain, Grae/050, strives to excite the mirth 
 of the audience by his fooleries and disgusting 
 speeches. Beside him often appears a female 
 named Graciosa, who is dressed with great ele- 
 gance. This national exhibition, absolutely 
 unknown in France, would doubtless seem too 
 indecent to obtain any applause on our stage. 
 For the rest, these Portuguese actors sing and 
 dance very gracefully • their small pieces^ 
 known by the name of intermedes, are very 
 good ; the music in them, is indeed excellent^ 
 
108 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^, 
 
 and full of taste, but the actors are wretched 
 The Portujruese have translated several of our 
 plays, and comic operas, which they rarely 
 perform. They have likewise translated a very 
 small number of Euglish plays. They repre- 
 sent Spanish dramas in preference to any other. 
 There was, at Lisbon, a good theatre for the 
 Italian opera: Balistini, Zamparini, and Perez, 
 there executed the most scientific pieces ; but 
 the managers became bankrupts ; and the ac- 
 tors, singers; and dancers are not yet paid, and 
 probably never will be. Besides this Italian 
 opera, King Joseph had one, the performers of 
 which, in my opinion, surpassed those of every 
 other in Europe: but since the death of that 
 prince, all these actors have disappeared, 
 processions have taken the place of profane 
 diversions, and nothing but the Portuguese 
 theatre now remains. No ladies were admit- 
 ted to the king's opera, except such as belonged 
 to the court, and those of the ambassadors and 
 foreign ministers: all other females were ex- 
 cluded from it, by an express prohibition of 
 the queen, who carried her jealousy to such a 
 length, that no woman durst venture to appear 
 in her presence. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CIIATELET. 
 
 109 
 
 One of the greatest diversions of this nation 
 is the bull- fights, a barbarous spectacle, and 
 productive of numerous accidents. With re- 
 spect to the frenzy with M^hich they run to 
 these amusements, the delight which the wo- 
 men, in particular, take in them, and the dan- 
 gers resulting therefrom to innocence and con- 
 jugal fidelity, the Portuguese may be placed 
 exactly on a level with the Spaniards.* 
 
 Before the earthquake, the bull-fights were 
 held in the great square in front of the palace, 
 with a pomp now disused. An octagonal am- 
 phitheatre, capable of holding about fifteen 
 thousand persons^ has since been erected near 
 the city, in a place called Campo Pequeno. 
 The spectators are placed on seats raised one 
 above another, and in the boxes: the arena 
 is about one hundred feet in diameter^ and the 
 ground perfectly level. Before the fight 
 begins, the torreadores on foot and on horse- 
 back, firsts advance and salute the king, or 
 the princes and princesses, if the royal family 
 be present, and if not^ the governor or judge 
 who represents his majesty, and who must al- 
 ways attend. They request permission to 
 
 * See Bourgoing*s Modern Stale of Spain^ Vol. II. 
 
110 'TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 fight:, and having obtained it, each proceed^ to 
 his place. The first horseman posts himself on 
 the left of the door, by which the bull is to 
 enter ; the second is stationed thirty or forty- 
 paces behind the first, and the third, and others 
 at a like distance. The trumpet sounds^ the 
 horseman places his lance in the rest ; the door 
 is opened for the animal, and the man, who 
 opens it, conceals himself behind it. The furi- 
 ous animal rushes upon the first object he 
 meets, which is commonly one of the combat- 
 ants on horseback. The dexterity of this man 
 consists in stoppmgthe bull, and thrusting his 
 lance between the shoulders, for he is not 
 allowed to touch any other part. The bull> 
 bellowing with pain, runs at the second, who 
 receives him in the same manner, and then 
 often proceeds to the third. The animal is ac-* 
 counted a good one, it, when he has received 
 the lance, he attacks the same horseman twice 
 or three times. The danger is then imminent; 
 it requires great dexterity in the rider, and 
 agility in the horse to avoid the enraged pur- 
 suing animal. The Portuguese bulls, it ia 
 true, are not, by far, so dangerous as those of 
 Spain; they are smaller, less ferocious, and 
 have a ball upon each horn ; but, nevertheless^ 
 
BV THE DUkE DE CHATELET. Ill 
 
 accidents frequently occur. At Lisbon I saw 
 a bull which killed a man and seven horses in 
 less than a quarter of an hour. The Count 
 d'Arcos having ventured to engage one of 
 these animals^ which had his horns burned, like 
 all those of this country, was killed on the 
 spot with his horse. When the animal has 
 spent his first rage on the horsemen, he follows 
 the foot combatants. The agility of the latter 
 can scarcely be conceived. In the barriers sur- 
 rounding the arena, are apertures, at certain 
 distances, wide enough for a man to pass 
 through, so that when any of the combatants is 
 too closelypressed by the animal, he avoids him, 
 by slipping out of the arena, or by stepping 
 upon a plank which projects a little beyond the 
 inclosure, and, from which, he springs into the 
 amphitheatre. These men are so expert, that 
 when the bull makes a dash at them, they wait 
 for,and avoid,him by,merely,bending the body. 
 
 It is not till the trumpet sounds a second 
 time, that the attacks of the horsemen ceas(% 
 and those of the footmen commence. The lat- 
 ter, with extreme agility, discharge small darts 
 between the horns of the already furious ani- 
 mal, and his sjioulders are soon covered with 
 them. His rage is then wrought to lUe 
 
113 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL:^ 
 
 highest pitch. He bellows, he foams, he pants; 
 he seeks a victim, on whom to avenge the tor- 
 ments which he has to endure. A third time 
 the trumpet sounds, and this is the signal for 
 the death of the bull. The matador, a man 
 who fights him on foot, then appears; in one 
 hand he holds a mantle of yellow or red silk, 
 and in the other a sharp sword. He proceeds 
 to attack the animal ; the bull rushes toward 
 the mantle, the color of which is disagreeable 
 to him, and the matador seizes this moment to 
 plunge his sword between the shoulders. The 
 animal commonly falls at the first stroke ; 
 universal acclamations hail this triumph, and 
 the bull is, then^ dragged out of the inclosure 
 by four horses. Each horseman resumes his 
 post, and another fight commences. In this 
 manner fifteen bulls are sometimes killed in one 
 afternoon. Those who fight, on horseback, are 
 sometimes of the class of nobility, and these have 
 permission to appear in masks. 
 
 This spectacle affords extraordinary gratifica- 
 tion to the Portuguese of all ranks, and espe- 
 cially to the fair sex. It is not indicative of 
 much humanity of disposition. Some, how- 
 ever, assert^ that it is attended with consi- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 1 
 
 derablc advantages^ because it accustoms men 
 to confront danger, to meet it without terror^ 
 and to behave with courage, and resolution, 
 under perilous circumstances. But, people 
 seem to shut their eyes against the fatal effects 
 resulting from this sport. Wherever bull- 
 fights are in vogue, assassins are more dex- 
 trous than in other countries; they go to these 
 fights to take lessons, and to accustom them- 
 selves to the sight of blood : in proof of which;, 
 all the unfortunate persons who are found as- 
 sassinated, are dispatched in the same manner 
 as the bulls. Young children make this kiiid 
 of combat one of their favorite amusements. 
 One of them acts the part of the bull, and the 
 others torment him ; so that it is an extraordi- 
 nary treat for them to behold this spectacle in 
 reality. They are taken to it from their earliest 
 years. 
 
 The processions of Corpus Christi day, and 
 the Passion week, are the real carnival of the 
 Portuguese, and of the inhabitants of Lisbon 
 in particular. During the latter peHod, the 
 pretext of going to church is the more favour- 
 able to affairs of gallantry, as these pious visits 
 are paid at night. It is accordingly observed^ 
 
 VOL. le H 
 
114 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAI/^ 
 
 that if you begin to reckon from that season 
 of the year^ you may know when to expect the 
 greatest number of christenings. 
 
 When the bell rings for evening prayers, 
 every family repairs to the steps of the door, to 
 oflfer up its supplications, which are pronoun- 
 ced by the father, or the oldest individual. At 
 this hour you hear in every street a general, 
 confused noise, to which the mechanics, who 
 continue their labour, contribute. It is like- 
 wise the time at which you ought to be parti- 
 cularly on your guard : for on the approach 
 of night, filth of every kind is discharged from 
 the windows, and robbers begin to lurk about 
 the streets. The latter are rather more dan- 
 gerous than the former. They are very nu- 
 merous at Lisbon and its environs, nay, even 
 all over the kingdom. There are no police- 
 officers to watch their motions. The severest 
 punishment inflicted on them is imprisonment. 
 The people are poor and indolent ; robbery is 
 therefore one of their means of subsistence. 
 Added to this, upwards of fifteen thousand 
 negroes, or raulattoes, are dispersed through- 
 out Lisbon, and infest that city. From the 
 inefficiency and apathy of the laws, many 
 
BY tHE i)tJKE DE CHATELET. 115 
 
 persons run the risk of falling, at nighty by 
 the hands of assassins. Murders are even com- 
 mitted in broad day-light; but this should not 
 excite surprize, since Lisbon has neither watch- 
 men^ nor police; and assassins find there^as in 
 Italy, a sanctuary in churches or privileged 
 houses. 
 
 The very soldiers will stop you at night, 
 and ask charity ; and if you do not give them 
 something with a good- will;, they take it by 
 force-. The ruins occasioned by the earth* 
 quake, the immense subterraneous caverns and 
 cellars^ are the retreats of these wretches, and 
 the receptacles of their plunder. I was several 
 times stopped, by soldiers^ on my return to my 
 lodgings, at night, though I was always pro- 
 vided with a torch; I generally got rid of them 
 by giving them a dozen halfpence. I was one 
 day considerably alarmed, when a sentinel, 
 whom I was passing, after presenting his mus- 
 ket, called to me to demand charity. In 
 the chapter which treats of the army, it will 
 be seen what the Portuguese troops are. 
 
 The carriages, generally, used at Lisbon, are 
 two-wheeled chaises, drawn by mules. If jou 
 h2 
 
116 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 have occasion to go abroad, and see good com- 
 t)anj, you can scarcely do without one; but 
 they are very dear, and move extremely slow. 
 Nobody has horses, except persons belonging 
 to the court, ambassadors, and foreign mini- 
 sters ; all other persons are allowed to have but 
 two mules to their carriages ; and every wo- 
 man of rank, who goes abroad in her carriage, 
 is preceded by a servant on horseback. It i« 
 not uncommon to see these attendants, decorat- 
 ed with the order of Christ, and waiting upon 
 their masters. When I have been at the table 
 of Portuguese gentlemen, I have several times 
 seen military men, even of the rank of officers, 
 dressed in their uniforms, and performing the 
 duties of domestics. In July, 1777, when I 
 s.pent three or four days with M. de Pombal^ 
 at his retreat, we were always waited upon by 
 three knights of the order of Christ, who put 
 the plates on the table, and took them away. 
 This degrading practice has become such an 
 establislied custom, that those who would ac- 
 tually feel a repugnance to be attended by 
 such domestics, are, in some measure, obliged to 
 keep them, if not on their own account, at least 
 iu honour to their wives 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. ll'f 
 
 In Portugal, women receive, from the other 
 sex, the same homage as is paid to the Deity* 
 When a man visits the wife of a fidalgo, he; 
 falls upon his knees, and does not rise till he 
 has finished his compliment. If one of those 
 ladies calls a man, he instantly drops on his 
 knees to receive her commands. He does the 
 same when he presents any thing to her, as 
 well as on all other occasions, when he has atiy 
 service to perform. 
 
 The Portuguese are very simple and frugal 
 in their way of living : they are sober, but de- 
 ficient in cleanliness, and, in general, in deli^ 
 cacy. Frequently, if you come upon then?, 
 unawares, at dinner, you find them eating witk 
 their valets, who very often play and dance 
 with their masters. The latter seldom invite 
 any person to their table. On^ of their greatest 
 pleasures is eating ice during the intensely hot 
 season : but ice is very difficult to be procured, 
 espe^ialty at Lisbon. The small quantity of 
 snow which can be preserved at the foot of 
 the mountain of Estrella, by covering it with 
 leaves and earth, in order to screen it from the 
 &tin, must be brought the distance of twelve 
 leagues, lik conveyed^ in the aight^ to the 
 
1 18 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 banks of the Tagus, and shipped far Lisbon^ 
 where it frequently arrives half melted. It is 
 sold at the rate of from nine to tenpence per 
 pound. Attempts have been made to produce 
 artificial ice on the top of a mountain near 
 Cintra^ but this method has appeared too dif- 
 ficult and too expensive. 
 
 The Portuguese live, continually, in the 
 society of the English, and have contracted all 
 their bad habits : for instance, that of drink- 
 ing healths at table. By this foolish imitation, 
 - they render themselves insupportable. They 
 have^ likewise, learned of the English the cus- 
 tona of drinking a great quantity of tea, morn-^ 
 ing and evening. 
 
 The court of Lisbon displays no kind of 
 magnificence. The palace is a very mean 
 structure, one story high. It was built after 
 the earthquake, on a hill, at a considerable dis- 
 tance from the city. Here the whole royal fa- 
 mily reside. This court, during the reign of 
 Joseph I. though ceremonious, was not so 
 gloomy as at present : it was not an absolute 
 stranger to diversions. Since the King's death, 
 that is, within the last year, a wonderful al- 
 
BT THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 1 19 
 
 teration has- taken place in this particular. The 
 foreign ministers and ambassadors scarcely ever 
 appear at court, except on gala or levee days. 
 The royal family never dine in public, and 
 when you go to the palace, you cannot find so 
 much as a seat. The secretary of state, and 
 the ministers, are obliged to write upon their 
 knees. The King and Queen have no guards^ 
 when they go abroad, they are escorted by the 
 regiments of cavalry in garrison at Lisbon. 
 The infantry do duty at the gates of the pa-^ 
 lace, and the Queen has halberdiers for her 
 guard. Only ten years since, these halberdiers 
 had no uniform. 
 
 The gentlemen who hold situations about 
 the royal family, go, to the palace, every week 
 to pay their respects. Their apartments there 
 are very inconvenient ; their table is badly sup- 
 plied, and calculated to excite disgust rather 
 than appetite. 
 
 The court repairs^ at different seasons of the 
 year, to other palaces, such as Salvatierra, 
 Quelus, Penhiera, &g; The present King has 
 some propensity for the chace, but he never in- 
 dulges it withput the permission o|*his confessor ; 
 
120 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL:, 
 
 / 
 
 at leasts so it is fair to presume^ from the abso- 
 lute ascendancy which the priests have acquired 
 over him^ as well as over the Queen. While I 
 ^vas at Lisbon, this princess, having granted a 
 favour^ which was disapproved by her confessor^ 
 was sentenced to fast eight days, and to tell 
 her beads eight times. 
 
 I shall now give a few traits in the character 
 of the principal persons of this court. The 
 Queen-mother is an obstinate^ determined wo- 
 man. She possesses a sound understandings 
 and a cultivated mind; she is artful^ haughty, 
 and^ above all, excessively jealous. Compassion 
 seems to be a sentiment foreign to her heart ; 
 and she is thought to be by no means partial 
 to the French. She still recollects that she was 
 designed to be the wife of Louis XV. and that 
 she had the mortification to be sent back from 
 the court of France. She is passionately fond 
 of the chace, and follows the diversiou with, 
 all the agility of a sportsman. She had a great 
 antipathy to M. de Ponafaal, hut durst not 
 &b(it«5iit ; £ox that: miniates wi^s uitore powerful 
 tln^xtr sh& wa«^ and sievei^iy pitinisbed bis eflA- 
 miesf,;€V0n diQugh th*y ^lel of Q\^em'» 
 pavty . Respect uig tliiisr anirtfij^i^, Bf Ynty sijir 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 121 
 
 gular anecdote is related. I do not pledge mj- 
 self for its authenticit}., though I have beea 
 assured, by persons of the highest credibility, 
 that it is a fact : 
 
 When the King was going to Salvatierra, 
 or any of his other palaces in the country, bu- 
 siness often compelled the Marquis de Pombal 
 to remain behind at Lisbon. That minister 
 had a brother, Don Juan Carvalho, for whom 
 he had obtained the post of grand inquisitor, 
 and who was entirely devoted to his interest. 
 He sent him to the court to watch the motions 
 of the Queen, whose intriguing spirit gave him 
 cause for alarm. The Queen, informed of the 
 part which Carvalho acted, resolved to get rid 
 of this troublesome spy. She sent for him to 
 her apartment ; lie went and was never seen 
 afterwards^. The most authentic accounts say, 
 that she killed him with a hunting-piece. So 
 much, however, is certain, that fiom this mo- 
 ment, Don J uan Carvalho was not to be found. 
 If sh^ had no hesitation to commit such a crime, 
 it, might be supposed that it would have been 
 more advantageous to rid herself of the Mar- 
 quis da Pombal, who wa^ much more odious, 
 and must have appeared much more formidable 
 
122 
 
 TRAVELS IN POIITUGAL^ 
 
 to her. But it would have been a difficult 
 matter to take him unawares. He was mis- 
 trustful of the Queen^ as well as of all the gen- 
 tlemen of the court, not excepting those who 
 gave themselves out, or affected, to be his most 
 zealous friends. He was always escorted bv a 
 detachment of cavalry, and a company of 
 one hundred men, kept solely for this purpose. 
 The officers and men of this detachment have 
 since been incorporated with different regi- 
 ments. 
 
 The Queen was excessively jealous of the 
 King; but this did not prevent Joseph I. from 
 being guilty of frequent infidelities, in defiance 
 of the fits of passion, to which she abandoned 
 herself without restraint. Being one day on a 
 balcony, surrounded with noblemen, among 
 whom was the Count de Tavora-^this was 
 previous to the assassination of the King — she 
 perceived his majesty mounting his horse. 
 Each of the courtiers, faithful to his character^ 
 praised the graceful manner in which the King 
 rode ; on which the Queen, turning to the 
 Count de Tavora, who was by her side, said : 
 
 It is true the King rides well, but you must 
 allow he rides better when he is with your 
 
BY TilE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 123 
 
 daughter/-' This repartee was, to be sure, ex- 
 tremely indecent from the lips of a female; 
 but it proves that the Queen was acquainted 
 with the gallantries of her consort, and that 
 they caused her no little vexation. She neg- 
 lected no opportunity of humbling the Count 
 de Tavora : and it is even asserted that this no- 
 bleman entered into the conspiracy against the 
 King's life^ from no other motive than to re- 
 venge the mortifications which he endured. 
 
 After the death of the King, Joseph I. his 
 widow, in 1778^ set out for Spain, to see her 
 brother Charles III. ; and she contrived to ren~ 
 der this journey, undertaken, at least, as much 
 from policy as friendship, of service to Portu- 
 gal. She obtained the restoration of the island 
 of St, Catharine, taken from the Portuguese 
 at the commencement of the war, which had 
 broken out between the two powers ; and put 
 the finishing hand to a treaty recently conclud- 
 ed between Spain and Portugal.* 
 
 * M, de Chatelet is mistaken. The treaty by which the 
 island of St. Catharine was restored, was signed the first of 
 October, 1777 ? toward the end of the same month, the 
 Queen-dowager of Portugal arrived at the Escurial, on a 
 visit to her brother, from whom she bad been separated forty 
 
TRAVELS IN VOUfVGAJj, 
 
 The Queen, the eldest daughter of the 
 Queen- mother, is a woman truly worthy of 
 esteem and respect; but she has not the qualities 
 which constitute a great sovereign.* No one 
 
 years. 1 was then there. It was observed that she had 
 retained an aversion for the French, which nothing but her 
 attachment to the King of Spain was capable of repressing. 
 She spent nearly a year with Charles III., but was far from 
 rendering herself agreeable to those about htm. Haughty 
 and capricious, punctilious, and almost inaccessible, she gave 
 dissatisfaction to persons of all classes. The rich presents 
 which she carried bc.ck on her return, apparently, served to 
 compensate for the dislike which she had excited at th^ 
 Spanish court, but only added to the aversion that was en- 
 tertained for her. She still preserved the recollection of the 
 most minute details relative to her residence in France, and> 
 after a period of tifty-iive years, she remembered the statues 
 in the garden of Versailles, the alleys in the park, and other 
 particulars, as perfectly as she could have done the day after 
 her departure. She died, some months after her return to 
 Lisbon, regretted only by her brother, who was strongly 
 attached to his relations, and by her daughter, the Queen of 
 Portugal. Editor, 
 
 * Time has justified the opinion formed by our traveller 
 respecting the Queen. It is well known that she has long 
 been in a state which incapacitates her for governing, and 
 that her ministers have possessed themselves of the sovereign 
 authority. Whatever they do, appears under the name of a 
 Queen, who is no better than a puppet, from whom they 
 cannot receive any order, arid to whom they can give no ac- 
 count of theiF proceedings. Editor. 
 
BV THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 125 
 
 can be more humane^ more charitable, more 
 tender, than she is; but these good qualities 
 are spoiled by an excessive and aiisfakeii devo- 
 tion. Her confessor, who has an unbounded 
 ascendancy over her, induces her to spend, ia 
 acts of piety and penitence, that time, which 
 might be much more usefully employed for 
 the happiness of her subjects, and w ithout any 
 detriment to the welfare of her soul. 
 
 She has been married to her own uncle, ia 
 order to comply with the laws, and that she 
 might succeed to the throne, after her father's 
 death. She was, however, very near losing the 
 crown, as will be seen in another place. This 
 Queen marked her accession by acts of mildness 
 and clemency. She ordered all the prisons to 
 be opened, and liberty to be given to the un- 
 fortunate captives, some of whom had been 
 confined, in them, upwards of twenty years. I 
 saw two females, who were sent thither when 
 infants at the breast, with their parents. One 
 was nineteen, and the other twenty years old ; 
 but they had the appearance of forty. They 
 were daughters of the unfortunate Count d'A- 
 lorne, who was implicated in the conspiracy. 
 His only crime consisted in having, on the 
 
126 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 morning of the day of the King's assassination, 
 lent a gun to the young d'Aveiro^ one of the 
 conspirators^ who borrowed it under the pre- 
 text of going out a shooting. For this com- 
 pliance^ he^ with his wife and children^ suffer- 
 ed an imprisonment of twenty-one years. The 
 Marquis de Pombal^ it is true, availed himself 
 of the opportunity^ afforded by the conspi- 
 racy, to humble the arrogance of the Portu- 
 guese nobles, and to repress the atrocities^ 
 which, previous to that event, they had, fre- 
 quently^ committed, with impunity. They had 
 been known to kill their servants, or any other 
 individual of the lower class, who had the 
 misfortune to offend, or merely to displease 
 them. Pombal's severity checked these hor- 
 rible excesses. 
 
 The King, Don Pedro, the husband of the 
 present Queen, has a countenance expressive 
 of a simple and ordinary mind. He is fanatically 
 devout, reserved, gloomy, constantly engaged 
 in prayers and processions; he never interferes, 
 in the least, with the government, and is, in 
 every respect, the mere shadow of a sovereign. 
 He always yields the right hand side to the 
 Queen-, as^ ind^ed^ he is obliged to do by the 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 131 
 
 constitution of the kingdom. A new coin lia 
 been issued, with two faces^ like the English 
 in the time of Queen Anne ; the Queen is on 
 the right, the King on the left, with^ this in- 
 scription : Maria I. et Petrus III. D. G. 
 Port, ^ Alg. Rcges, 1777. This expression 
 of Reges, which would seem to insinuate that 
 Don Pedro is the reigning king, is merely 
 courtesy, on the part of his consort, since she 
 is in the sole possession of the government, and 
 Don Pedro is the husband of the Queen, with- 
 out being himself King, or being capable of 
 wearing the crown. 
 
 The- Prince of Brasil, formerly styled Prince 
 of Beira, is their son, and the presumptive heir 
 to the crown. In person he is remarkably 
 handsome.* Though no more than seventeen^ 
 
 ^ The portrait of the present Prince of Brasil^ the bro- 
 ther of the one mentioned by our traveller, who was then 
 Prince of Beira, and who has since married the eldest 
 daughter of the King of Spain, as given in the Picture of 
 Lisbon, is as follows : — That Prince,** says the modern 
 author whom we quote, without vouching for his accuracy, 
 
 is naturally of a good disposition, but young. Experience 
 has not yet enlightened his understanding, or fortified his 
 courage. He is timid^ and his ministers make Jbim pusil- 
 
128 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 he was married, after the death of the King'^ 
 to his aunt, the Queen's sister, who was thirty- 
 two. The late King had, it is said, two years 
 since, a dispensation from the Holy See, to 
 contract this alliance ; but delayed makings 
 iise of it till the Prince should be a little older. 
 The Princess of Brasil is an amiable and ac* 
 complished woman, and the greatest beauty of 
 the court. She had been proposed to the 
 Emperor Joseph II., but various political rea- 
 sons prevented the match. There is at present 
 a young Prince of Beira,* who is likewise a 
 handsome figure ; but all the males of the 
 house of Braganza have an hereditary disease, 
 the principal symptom of which is swelled 
 legs> The late. King was attacked with it ; 
 
 lanlmoiis ; he wishes to know every thing, and his ministers 
 conceal every thing from him ; he wants to govern, and hia 
 ministers keep him aloof from the government ) he fancies 
 that he reigns, and he only lends his name to the ministers 
 who reign over him. Atrocious acts of despotism are com- 
 mitted before his eyes, in his name, and in that of the Queen> 
 his mother.'* The Prince is supposed, by the deluded 
 people> to give his sanction to these acts, whilcy at the same 
 time, false reports are submitted to him, and, still more fre- 
 quently, no account whatever is given. Editor. 
 * The present Prince of Brasil. Editor. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET, 129 
 
 Don Pedro is affected in a similar manner^ and 
 the swelling begins to extend to his thighs. 
 
 Daring the life-time of King Joseph^, when 
 he had_, onIj% the title of Infant^ he frequently 
 resided at Qiielus^ a beautiful country-seat, 
 three leagues from Lisbon. The Marquis could 
 not endure the Prince, and sought every op- 
 portunity of humbling him, who, tberefore^^ 
 kept^ as much as possible, at a distance from 
 the court. His absence only served to increase 
 the influence of his enemy;, whose power was 
 chiefly founded on the weakness and imbeci- 
 lity of the nobles. 
 
 The Arcbishop of Braga, the brother of Don 
 Pedro, has been the least persecuted of the fa- 
 mily • he always resides in his see. Attempts 
 have been made to draw him from this retire- 
 ment, and to induce him to live with the King, 
 his brother; but he declined the invitation, 
 suspecting that the motive, in which it origi- 
 nated, was not the most seductive. He had used 
 soRje indiscreet expressions, for which it wasi 
 proposed to make him do penance; but he 
 thought it safest to remain where he w as. A% 
 
 VOL. I. 1 
 
130 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 I passed through Braga, I went to pay him a 
 visit, and, agreeably to the practice of the 
 court of Portugal, to kiss his hand. Dispens- 
 ing with the rigid rules of etiquette, as he 
 sometimes does to foreigners, whom he wishes 
 to treat with distinction, he desired me to be 
 seated. It was impossible for me to derive any 
 instruction from his conversation ; for he speaks 
 no language, but his own. 
 
 The King has two other brothers, who have 
 been, for twelve years, exiled, and closely con- 
 fined, in a monastery, five leagues to the north- 
 east of Coimbra. This horrid abode stands on 
 the summit of a mountain, covered with snow 
 during nine months of the year. The Princes, 
 who were strictly watched, had never quitted 
 the place, from the first day of their confine- 
 ment^ till the young Queen threw open their 
 prison, in common with that of many others. 
 When I passed through Coimbra, they were 
 in that city, waiting the orders of the court, 
 to repair to Lisbon ; but as the finances of the 
 kingdom were greatly impaired, and it would 
 be necessary to provide an establishment for 
 them^ they have been kept at Coimbra; and I 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 131 
 
 think their residence there is likeij to be of 
 some continuance.^ Thej are, in other re- 
 spects^ extremely well treated, and receive the 
 honours due to their rank. It may, perhaps, 
 be asked, what was the occasion of so severe 
 an exile? The reason was this. Before Joseph 
 de Garvalho, brother to the Marquis dc Pombal, 
 was at the head of the Inquisition, one of the 
 King's brothers presided in that departmento 
 This gave great dissatisfaction to the imperious 
 minister ; he, therefore, sought a favourable 
 opportunity for entrusting that office to the 
 hands of some person wholly devoted to his 
 views ; and that opportunity presented itself 
 before he was aware. He proposed to print, 
 with the utmost dispatch, a work containing 
 regulations, for the prompt publication of 
 which he was exceedingly anxious. He car- 
 ried the manuscript to the Infant, to whom, as 
 grand inquisitor, it was necessary to submit it 
 for revisal. In a few days, he went again to 
 the Infant, who, gratified w ith an occasion of 
 
 ^ They left that place a short time afterwards, in order 
 to fix their residence at court. They have been dead 
 -several years. Editor. 
 
 i2 
 
132 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 crossing a minister whom he detested, replied^ 
 that he had not had time to look at the work 
 The Marquis insisted on the necessity of hav- 
 ing it printed, as speedily as possible, and, for 
 this time, concealing his vexation, departed. 
 A fortnight afterwards, he called again, and 
 received the same answer. Exasperated that 
 he, whose authority was unaccustomed to con- 
 troul, should now meet with resistance, he 
 vented his pride in menacing expressions. The 
 Infant, Inquisitor, happened just then to have 
 his brother with him. They lost their temper; 
 from abusive words they proceeded to action, 
 pulled efF the Marquis de PombaPs wig, beat 
 it about his face, and turned him out of the 
 apartment, telling him that he might go and 
 complain to the King. He actually proceeded, 
 without loss of time, to his Majesty, threw him- 
 self at his feet, and represented the indecency 
 with which his minister had just been treated. 
 The King was highly incensed. He exiled the 
 two Infants, who have never since appeared at 
 court. Had they possessed more address, they 
 might have availed themselves of this opportu- 
 nity to get rid of the Marquis de Pombal. In- 
 stead of giving him time to go and make his 
 
BV THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 133 
 
 complaints^, they should have kept him in their 
 apartment^ have gone to the King, their bra* 
 ther, and demanded justice for the insult which 
 Pombai had offered them. It is to be presumed, 
 that^ in this case, he would have been exiled^ 
 at least, for a few days, and his removal from 
 the court, even for so short a time, would have 
 irretrievably ruined him. The faction, which 
 was inimical to him, was truly formidable, and 
 nothing short of his presence was adequate to 
 controul it. 
 
 The Duke of Bragan§a had the good sense 
 to expatriate himself, in order to avoid the yoke 
 of the Marquis. He is said to be a man of 
 talents. He will certainly return to his coun- 
 try, now th^t this haughty minister's reign is 
 over.^ 
 
 * He actually returned soon afterwards to Portugal, hav** 
 ing travelled, with great advantage, over almost all Europe, 
 Endowed by nature with a sound understanding, and gooci 
 taste, he has brought back with him, from his travels, a 
 Urge stock of knowledge of different kinds— in the fine arts, 
 the mathematical sciences, foreign literature, and especially 
 la the military art. He is not less distinguished, in Por- 
 tugal, for his talents, than for his birth^ by which he is cjoaiely 
 
134 Yfl.lVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 When the King gives audience to any am* 
 bassador, or minister, he takes off his hat^ and 
 rises; and when he puts it on, and sits down 
 again, the ambassador also covers himself. 
 The same custom is observed with respect to 
 all the grandees of the kingdom. 
 
 When any one is presented to the Queen, 
 it is a point of etiquette, that she should not 
 speak first ; nobody is seated in her presence, 
 so that the use of stools is unknown at this 
 court. The royal family very rarely dines in 
 public, but on such occasions, every officer of 
 the Courtis upon duty. 
 
 As the Queen-dowager w as extremely jea- 
 lous, during her husband's life-time, she would 
 never suffer any of her attendants to come 
 into the King's sight : if any of them hap- 
 pened to be seen by him, she was ruined irre- 
 trievably. 
 
 allied to the reigning family. Since his return, he has as- 
 sumed the title of Duke of Alafoens. He is president of 
 the Academy of Sciences, at Lisbon, and this is, in his 
 hands, far from an empty Iionoiir. Editor, 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 135 
 
 The court dresses in the French style. Good 
 taste, certainly, does not preside over the 
 luxury, which it displays, on certain occasions. 
 Diamonds, of all colours, glisten on every side, 
 but they are unskilfully placed, wretchedly 
 cut, and not well set. 
 
136 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Of the Government. 
 
 W^HEN the laws of a kingdom are not adapted 
 to the character and genius of the nation^ is it 
 possible that the government can prosper ? 
 For example, if we attempt to transform a peo^ 
 pie, warlike, ambitious, and eager of conquest, 
 into a quiet and pacific nation ? If their state 
 have no other dependence than agriculture and 
 commerce, and one of these is neglected while 
 the other is despised ;— if the people, disposed 
 by the climate to debauchery, and addicted to 
 superstition, be not kept within bounds by any 
 restraint; — if the grandees alone are treated 
 with respect, and the lower classes are oppres- 
 sed and fleeced -if no pains are taken to check 
 the progress of luxury, though ruinous to the 
 country, what must w^e expect will be the con- 
 sequences ? Such, how ever, is, and such has 
 long been, the situation of the Portuguese. 
 There appeared a man, who endeavoured to 
 
BV THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 137 
 
 rouze their government from the lethargy into 
 which it had fallen : he made numerous efforts, 
 gave new life to the sciences^ sought to extend 
 commerce and industry, encouraged agricul- 
 ture, which was almost forgotten, and, finally 
 strove to correct all the abuses which tended to 
 the inevitable dissolution of the state. 
 
 The English were the greatest enemies of the 
 Portuguese ; they made it the principal article 
 of their policy, to subjugate that credulous 
 nation, to reduce it to a merely nominal govern- 
 ment, to assimilate it, in point of fact, with 
 their colonies, Pombal devoted his utmost ex- 
 ertions to the removal of this source of calami- 
 ties ; he diminished the commerce of the En- 
 glish as much as his means allowed him ; he 
 caused agriculture to flourish in many parts of 
 the kingdom ; he established manufactures, 
 protected the arts and sciences, attacked the 
 priests, whom he characterized as the most 
 dangerous vermin that can prey upon a state. 
 The Portuguese were blinded by fanaticism ; 
 he strove to open their eyes. Licentiousness 
 of manners would have extended its baneful in- 
 fluence still further, had he not checked its 
 course ; but this njan, though lie is accused of 
 
138 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 cruelty, did not live long enough for the pro- 
 sperity of his nation. Twenty years longer, 
 would scarcely have been sufficient for him 
 to accomplish;, what he had only time to plan. 
 The diseases were inveterate ; a long course of 
 medicine could alone have effected their cure. 
 
 During his time, Portugal had no other mi- 
 nister he monopolized all the important 
 posts, and never appeared to suffer from the fa- 
 tigue of his burden. No branch of the admi- 
 nistration was neglected ; lie provided for every 
 exigency. He possessed an inconceivable fa- 
 cility and uncommon talents for business : but 
 when once he had formed a plan, and had ar- 
 
 * Portugal has now four minister^i : one who has the title 
 of prime minister^ one for the marine, one for the home 
 department, and one for war and foreign affairs. But they 
 are all under the influence of a person who is styled in tendant 
 of Lisbon, and is, in fact, a more powerful minister than the 
 four others. He possesses^ almost, unlimited authority, over 
 whatever relates to the police of Lisbon,and its jurisdiction ; 
 over commerce, and, especially, smuggling, which crime, 
 unpardonable in Portugal, affords a pretext for many arbitrary 
 acts, in regard to foreign vessels and traders. The formic 
 dable depositary of this power, at present, is M. Pina-Ma- 
 nique, whose name alone, strikes terror into every one, who 
 is merely suspected of disturbing public order. Editor. 
 
Br THE DURE DE CHATELET. 
 
 139 
 
 ranged it with the king, woe to hirn who threw 
 any obstacle in the way of its execution ! Vio- 
 lent, and obstinate in his resolutions, he pu- 
 nished with severity; and was, sometimes, deaf 
 to the voice of nature, convinced that it is im- 
 possible to establish a good government, with- 
 out manifesting a severe and inflexible disposi- 
 tion towards the people; and especially^ the 
 great, who were the objects of his utmost de- 
 testation. It is not even going too far to say, 
 that he despised them. It was he who esta- 
 blished the throne on a solid foundation^ by 
 crushing, for ever, an insolent, ignorant, and 
 profligate nobility. He pitied the people, and;, 
 at the bottom, was sincerely attached to them ; 
 as all his actions sufficiently demonstrated. 
 Nevertheless;, he was not beloved, at least be- 
 fore his disgrace. What can be expected of a 
 people weak, superstitious,influenced by priests^, 
 and consequently ignorant ! They perceived, 
 too late, that all the Marquis had done, was, 
 for the good of the country, for the welfare of 
 the king, and. above all, for the prosperity of 
 the nation in general. The people at length, 
 learned to regret him.* This tardy triumph, is 
 
 * At Lisbon, as at Rome, the people revenge themselves. 
 In epigrams, for the evils, inflicted by a tyrannical govern- 
 
140 
 
 TRAVELS m PORTUGAL, 
 
 a stronger evidence in favour of the Marquis of 
 Pombal, than any thing that can be advanced ; 
 and^ it is the more convincing, as it was coun- 
 teracted by the multitude of enemies to that 
 minister. Let us pause a moment^toconsiden the 
 private character of this extraordinary man, 
 and, appreciated, if possible, with impartiality,* 
 
 ment. They regretted Pombal, but nev^er forgot the seve* 
 rity of his administration. Soon after his disgrace, they ex- 
 pressed their sentiments in the following distich : 
 Malpor vial Bad for bad 
 
 MelhorPomhal. Better Pombal. Editor/ 
 
 * Dalrymple, in his Travels through Spain and Portugal, 
 gives the following character of this minister : 
 
 This kingdom (Portugal) is governed, under the despot, 
 by the Marquis of Pombal, who has rendered his name fa- 
 mous throughout Europe, for his assiduity in promoting the 
 expulsion of the Jesuits^ and, infamous, for the bloody 
 scenes in which, conjointly with the monarch, he imbrued 
 his hands, after the conspiracy of 1758 5 thereby, reducing 
 the power of the nobility, which before, in some measure, 
 counterpoised the weight of the crown. The great character 
 given of this minister, seems to me, to be not just. To re» 
 tain his power, which has been established by destructive and 
 oppressive means 5 to enrich himself, and gratify his vanity, 
 are his springs of action 3 the welfare of the state, and, the 
 happiness of the people, are only secondary considerations : 
 he has rendered the tyranny compleat, and destruction awaits 
 him who dares oppose it. The fate of Scabria^ is one in- 
 stance to verify th« assertion : raised to a great degree of 
 
hY THE DURE DE CHATELEf , 
 
 141 
 
 Born at Coimbra;, in 1699, of noble parents, 
 though some assert they belonged to the corn- 
 power, he thought, by attaching himself to a party, in secret 
 opposition to the minister, he might thereby, in time, be- 
 come more considerable 5 but the too artful Marquis, dis- 
 covering his intrigues, he was immediately disgraced, con- 
 fined prisoner to the castle of St. John, at Oporto, and a few 
 days after I left that city, w^as sent to Angola, on the coast of 
 Guinea, there to end his days ; the climate, alone, being 
 sufficient to destroy every European after a short residence. 
 Such is the power of this minister, but such his wretched- 
 ness, that he is, only, the first slave in the kingdom 5 he is 
 obliged to transact every thing himself, for he cannot con- 
 fide in any one.'* — A little further. Dairy mple observes : 
 
 The time may come when the tyrant, in turn, shall feel 
 the weight of his own oppression. He has established many 
 manufactures in the kingdom, but they are formed into so 
 many exclusive companies : the minister in the name of the 
 king, first fabricant, who obliges the nation to purchase his 
 commodities at his own price : he makes a great deal of 
 wine, which always sells better than any other in the 
 country." This paragraph, replete with invective against 
 M. de Pombal, he concludes with these words : In states 
 like this, caprice and passion are the rules of government 
 with the Prince 5 every delegate of power is left to act by 
 the same direction, to strike when he is provoked, and favor 
 when he is pleased. The terms law and justice are mentioned 
 here as well as in every other country ; but the former must 
 ever fluctuate, and the latter is little known.'* 
 
 Another writer more impartial, more just, and more ra- 
 
142 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 monalty^ and were even mechanics,* he 
 shewed^ at an early age^ a disposition to learn 
 
 tional than this English author, expresses himself in the fol- 
 lowing manner : — The Marquis de Pombal, like the Cardi- 
 nal de Richelieu, is the honor and the pillar of the nation^ 
 whose levity and ingratitude, he, like the latter, has experi- 
 enced : To these he opposes, as the Cardinal formerly did, 
 nothing but firmness and severity, which place him beyond 
 the reach of fear. He found that vices, of every description, 
 had taken deep root in all the departments of government ^ 
 he has proceeded vigorously in spite of every danger 5 he 
 has struck terror into the most courageous ; he labours, 
 zealously and incessantly, to lay a solid foundation for the 
 independence of Portugal, over the English, by encourag- 
 ing commerce, population, and agriculture. He does every 
 thing himself. He possesses great wealth, which he has ac- 
 c^uired honourably. It is so considerable as to draw upon 
 him the accusation of avarice, of which it would be the more 
 difficult to acquit him, as his expenditure is not proportion- 
 ate to his opulence and his rank. He has, for his security, a 
 
 His origin is a matter of very little consequence ; but 
 the truth is, that M. de Pombal was a descendant of one of 
 those noble, but obscure families, which the great look upon, 
 with as much disdain, as the commonalty ; that from his 
 youth, he was piqued at their haughtiness ; and, the feelings 
 of resentment which he retained, were the principal causes 
 of that severity, sometimes degenerating into barbarity, 
 which he thought fit to exercise upon the grandees of Portu- 
 gal, at the time, when he w^as all-powerful. Editor. 
 
BV THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 143 
 
 every tiling with facility. He was educated at 
 the university of his birth-place^ by the name 
 
 company of horse-guards, who attend him wherever lie goes: 
 this has given rise to the outcry of tyranny, because, it is un-» 
 common to see the minister surrounded by soldiers with 
 drawn swords, while the king frequently goes abroad with- 
 out guards, has no fixed establishment of that kind^ and 
 makes use of cavalry regiments for his escort. This precau-i. 
 tion, though exiraordinary;, is necessary, amidst a mutinous, 
 ignorant, and superstitious, nation, the first nobles of which, 
 have always been the greatest enemies of the state 5 enemies 
 the more dangerous, as they were weak and cowardly. 
 The Marquis de Pombal, will not receive his meed of glory, 
 till after his death 5 but then it will shine forth, in full lustre, 
 and he will be justly regretted, because, it will be difficult, 
 perhaps, even impossible, to find a man of equal abilities, to 
 supply his place. Merit is not hereditary, like property ; 
 ^nd, instead of being attached to the title of minister, it is, 
 unfortunately for humanity, but too often separated from it. 
 Note by the Author. 
 
 To these two sketches of the Marquis de Pombal, we 
 shall subjoin that which we ourselves drew of him, at a time, 
 when our various relations with Portugal, enabled us duly, 
 to appreciate the character of that minister. We may ven- 
 ture to assert that this portrait is a better likeness, more com- 
 plete, and more impartial, than the two others. Animosity, 
 however, might have caused the features to be rather strongly^ 
 delineated. It was drawn at the moment when John I. had 
 just put an end to a war, which, the restless ambition of the 
 minister^ had kindled in South America, and which^ had it 
 
144 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 of Josepli Sebastian Carvallio. As he possessed 
 fextraordinary vivacity^ and his disposition 
 
 not been for this incident^ foreseen for several months^ might 
 have involved all Europe in its flames. 
 
 The Marquis de Pombal prolonged his ascendency to the 
 very last extremity : and as long as the Portuguese monarch 
 breathed, the queen, who, during his long ilhiess, was nomi- 
 nally in possession of the regency, was only the mouth-piece 
 of the minister*s will. He continued his exertions to place 
 the troops on a respectable footing. He had increased them 
 to forty thousand men, though Portugal had, usually, no 
 more than twenty five thousand. To bring them into a state 
 of discipline he invited, to Portugal, the Count de la Lippe, 
 who drew to that country, foreign officers of distinguished 
 merit. Pie caused the frontier towns to be fortified, particu- 
 larly, Chavez, on the confines of Galicia, which, in the war 
 of 1762, had been so easily taken by the Spaniards. He 
 carried his hostile demonstrations to such a length, as even to 
 establish a field hospital 3 and every thing announced his in- 
 tention of provoking Spain in Europe, even without being 
 certain of the support of the English, for whom the com- 
 i^encement of the dispute with the Americans found so much 
 employment, that they disapproved the extravagant conduct 
 of their ally. The court of London, even assurcd those of 
 Versailles and Madrid, that it would afford no assistance to 
 the Portuguese, if Spain would confine herself, conformably, 
 with her declaration, to the recovery of what belonged to her 
 in South America. The artful Pombal entered, only, into 
 a vague kind' of explanation with the English, and endea- 
 voured to procrastinate. The death of Joseph I., on the 
 24th February, 1777, at length, put an end to all these per- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 145 
 
 seemed not at all adapted to a profession which 
 required tranquillity^ he conceived that a mi- 
 
 plexities, and to the crisis, to which Portugal was exposed, 
 by the caprice of an individual. 
 
 This man, equally cunning and audacious, had nearly 
 reduced the new Queen to a state of dependence. He sent 
 an offer to make her acquainted with the situation of affairs. 
 He had, long before, contrived the means of rendering himself 
 so necessary, upon the death of the King, that nothing could 
 be done without his intervention. The Queen- dowager^ 
 who mortally hated him, asked her daughter, if she intended 
 to retain him in the post of minister. The Queen, who is 
 of a mild and moderate' disposition, replied, with some he- 
 sitation : I suppose he must be dismissed, since every body 
 thinks he ought,*' — In this case, avoid seeing him, even 
 once, upon business." — The Queen- dov/ager was aware 
 that the ambitious Pombal would want but few conferences 
 to prove that he, alone, was capable of reducing to order^ 
 that chaos^ in which the new sovereign found every thing 
 involved. 
 
 This first attempt being frustrated, the disgrace of M. de 
 Pombal was inevitable. Affronts v/ere offered him 3 his best 
 friends were imprisoned; several victims of his resentment, 
 who wxre languishing in dungeons, v/ere set at liberty. At 
 length, on the 4ih of March, only eight days after the King's 
 death, he was obliged to resign all his employments. Seals 
 were put upon his papers, but he retained all the honours of 
 his situation, besides his salary^ and even obtained an addi^ 
 tional commandery. He immediately repaired to his estate 
 at Pombal, twenty-eight leagues from Lisbon. 
 
 He was, then, seventy-seven years old, but neither his 
 VOL. I. K 
 
146 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 litary life would suit him best. He^ accord- 
 ingl}^^ entered among the guards of the palace, 
 
 physical nor moral faculties partook of the infirmities of such 
 an advanced age. So little did he imagine himself to have 
 reached the term of his political career, that, a few months 
 before his disgrace, he talked of completing the rebuilding 
 of Lisbon, and of erecting a palace for the King. 
 
 The Marquis de Pombal is a mixture of vices and great 
 qualities, equally, deserving of panegyric, and open to severe 
 animadversion. He was rapacious, rigorous^ and vindictive, 
 even to despotic cruelty 3 artful, and faithless. He amassed, 
 by his extortions, a fortune of one hundred thousand crowns 
 per annum : an immense sum for Portugal. He made it 
 an amusement to bow down the Portuguese nadon, and the 
 grandees, in particular, with his oppressive yoke. He con- 
 ceived, and followed up extravagant projects^ by the weight 
 of which his country would have been overwhelmed. The 
 passions, and, frequently, the most odious of them, were almost 
 always the primum mobile of hi* measures. It must, however, 
 be admitted, that he roused Portugal from the lethargy into 
 %vhich it was sunk. He was sensible that a connection of 
 that kingdom, widi England, might be an useful alliance, and 
 even necessary, in time of v;ar, but ought never to be a 
 subjection j and he conducted himself, agreeably to this 
 maxim. He had begun to reanimate Portugal, and to release 
 her from the shackles which fettered her industry. He 
 established several exclusive companies, though he was con- 
 vinced of the impolicy of institutions of that kind. It was, 
 he asserted, a less evil, which he had opposed to a greater. 
 One of these companies was charged with the sale of the 
 wines of Oporto. Previous to his administration, the pro- 
 prietors of those wines were, absolutely, at ih^ m(;rcy of tho 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 147 
 
 during the reign of John V. Full of ardour 
 and activity, he distinguished himself by his 
 
 English, who fixed the price at their pleasure. He estab- 
 lished two other companies, for furnishing supplies to Brasil, 
 all the commerce of which country, as well as of Portugal, 
 had, before, been transacted by the English. The latter, 
 unable to prove any manifest infraction of treaties, could not 
 openly complain 5 but the sale of their commodities, and 
 their influence, were, considerably, diminished. M. de 
 Pombal conceived that these petty grievances would not lead 
 to a rupture 5 that the English had an equal interest in 
 keeping up their alliance with Portugal, so advantageous to 
 their commercial speculations in time of peace, and to their 
 naval expeditions, both in Europe and America. The event 
 justified his calculations : for he met with no direct opposi- 
 tion from the English, in the quarrel which he began with 
 Spain, toward the conclusion of his administration 5 and in 
 the end, he would probably have obtained their assist- 
 ance. But had he not been even certain of their aid, he 
 would have derived motives of securitv from the vigour of 
 his preparations, from the indolence and unskilfulness of the 
 enemies whom he provoked, and from the unfavourable 
 opinion which they entertained of the troops of Portugal, 
 He was, moreover, convinced, that her real weakness was 
 compensated by transferring the theatre of war to an uncul- 
 tivated country, deficient in the means of subsistence, inter- 
 sected by so many rivers, and obstructed by so many moun- 
 tains : but his disgrace, fortunately, spared his country an 
 experiment, which, at best, would have been extremely ha- 
 zardous. The reins of government devolved to hands les& 
 bold, but directed by a Queen, whose natural disposition, 
 and affection for the King of Spain, inclined her to peace. 
 
 k2 
 
148 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 courage; but suffering himself to be carried 
 away by tile impetuosity natural to youths, he 
 was guilty, not merely of inadvertencies, but 
 even of glaring follies^ and was obliged to quit 
 his corps, 
 
 Carvalho was, then, one of the most hand- 
 some men of his time. His person was tall 
 and majestic ; his air noble and commanding, 
 and his strength, prodigious. But he was ex- 
 tremely addicted to libertinism, and all the 
 vices of wanton youth.^ 
 
 She, therefore, lost no time in giving the court of Madrid aa 
 indirect intimation, how ardently she wished f^r the resto- 
 ration of harmony, and that, to accomplish this object, she 
 was ready to give the King, her uncle, the satisfaction which 
 was due to him. 
 
 Thus the fortunes of monarchical states almost always 
 depend on the caprices or disposition of a single individual j 
 and when the sovereign himself does not take the pains to 
 be a tyrant, he relinquishes the task to a mistress, a fa- 
 vourite, a confessor, or an imperious minister." Editor, 
 
 It was asserted, that Carvalho was of very obscure births 
 and even of Jewish origin. One of the propagators of this 
 report, having been guilty of some crime, fell, in the sequel, 
 into the clutches of the minister, who was, then, all- 
 powerful. Pombal, who is reported to have been so vindic- 
 tive, had, nevertheless, the magnanimity to remind him of 
 the circumstance only for the purpose of pardoning him. 
 Note by the Author, 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 149 
 
 At this period^ it was a favourite amuse- 
 ment of most of the nobility^ to sally out at 
 nighty and attack the patroles on duty in the 
 city. These patroles were, sometimes, more 
 dangerous than the robbers, from whose de- 
 predations they were to preserve the inhabi- 
 tants ; and they frequently plundered those 
 who fell into their hands. Their antagonists 
 were headed by the King's brother, a cruel and 
 ferocious man. Not a night passed without 
 bloody rencounters between these frolicsome 
 youths and the patroie,* and murders were al- 
 
 * The nobility were so insolent and audacious, that there 
 was reason to fear them, not only at night, but also by 
 day. The following circumstance occurred at Lisbon some 
 time since. Two fidalgos, or Portuguese gentlemen, going 
 along in their carriages, met a corregidor in his carriage, 
 also. He was an old man, and, his sight being very defec- 
 tive, he did not perceive the fidalgos, whom he passed with- 
 out saluting. Exasperated at this neglect, they alighted, for 
 the purpose of chastising the old man 3 and, on his remon» 
 strating, one of them thrust his sword through his body. 
 They fled for refuge to the house of the French ambassador, 
 who procured a vessel to take them out of the country but 
 they soon returned, having easily obtained a pardon. During 
 the admiriistration of M. de Ponibal, they would have been 
 more severely punished. Six years ago, a gentleman, in a 
 fit of passion, killed one of his servants 5 he made his escape, 
 and returned to Portugal immediately after the disgrace of 
 that minister. Nets hij the Jnthor, 
 
156 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 most always the consequence. It may easily 
 be supposed that young Carvalho acted his 
 part in these nocturnal scenes. Nevertheless, 
 his external qualifications, so well calculated to 
 make an impression on female hearts, gained 
 him the affections of a young lady of the an- 
 cient house of Aveiro : but that haughty IV 
 mily spurned such an alliance, and gave an 
 absolute refusal ; on which he determined to 
 carry off his mistress, and to marry her, in 
 spite of all her relations. The latter had re- 
 course to the most violent means, in order to 
 avenge this affront offered to the honour of 
 their family ; but Carvalho contrived to avoid 
 the daggers, the prisons, and the snares, that 
 were daily prepared for him. 
 
 Meanwhile, he became conscious of the su- 
 perior advantages with which he had been en- 
 dowed by nature. He conceived the idea of 
 entering upon the diplomatic course, and ob- 
 tained the appointment of secretary to the em- 
 bassy at Vienna. This was the period in which 
 his superior talents were developed. In the 
 post which he then held, he gave an earnest of 
 the vast genius which he has since displayed. 
 While thus engaged, he received information 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 151 
 
 of the death of his wife, who was suspected to 
 have been poisoned by her family, to whom, 
 from the time of her marriage, she was an ob- 
 ject of detestation. 
 
 Carvalho, again at liberty, paid his court to 
 a lady belonging to a family of high distinc- 
 tion, a relative of Marshal Daun, who obtained 
 such celebrity during the seven years^ war. He 
 succeeded in his endeavours to please the lady^ 
 and asked her in marriage; but objections were 
 made, on this, as on a former occasion, to his 
 birth. A Portuguese gentleman, who happen- 
 ed to be at Vienna, told every one he met, that 
 Carvalho was nobody, that he was a worthless 
 fellow, &c.; but M. de Tancos, the Portuguese 
 ambassador, whose friendship he had gained^ 
 favoured his suit, and went so far as to obtain 
 leave from h is court to resign his post to Carvalho, 
 The success of the latter was no longer doubt- 
 ful ; he married Mademoiselle Daun ; and, be- 
 fore he had attained the age of thirty^ was 
 ambassador to one of the greatest courts of 
 Europe. By his dispatches, and his political 
 conduct, he soon excited the most favourable 
 ideas of his talents, and from that time it was 
 determined to attach him^ in a more direct 
 
153 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 manner^, to the service of his country, buried iti 
 the most profound ignorance, and destitute of 
 real statesmen. 
 
 He was accordingly recalled to Portugal^ 
 and admitted into the council, of which he 
 soon became the most efficient member. On 
 the exile of the prime minister, Don Diego 
 de Mendo^a, the reins of government were 
 intrusted to Carvalho. No sooner was he in 
 possession of power, than he set about reform- 
 ing the abuses, by which the kingdom was 
 ruined; he exerted himself to strengthen the 
 foundations of the throne, shaken by an arro- 
 gant and intractable nobility ; his administra- 
 tion, in a short time, acquired a lustre and an 
 energy, unexampled, in Portugal. His talents, 
 his authority, and the use which he made of 
 it, raised him up numerous enemies; the no- 
 bility, in particular, declared against him : they 
 beheld, with indignation, a man whom they 
 considered an upstart, giving them laws, and 
 frustrating their ambitious projects. It requir- 
 ed great courage, to confront so many dangers, 
 and consummate address, to escape all the 
 snares laid for him, by jealousy, and malevo- 
 lence: but he was amply indemnified by the 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. •153 
 
 esteem and friendship of his sovereign. His 
 conduct, at the time of the destruction of 
 Lisbon, raised him to the highest degree of 
 favour; and on this occasion^ in particular, he 
 proved himself a man of genius, and a real 
 friend to his prince and his country. 
 
 When, on his return from his embassy, he vv^as 
 appointed to succeed Don Diego de Mendo^a, 
 he found the state in debt^ the exchequer ab- 
 solutely exhausted, and the English in posses- 
 sion of the commerce of the kingdom, and of 
 the colonies. Scarcely had he begun to reform 
 these disorders, when a tremendous catastrophe 
 threw^ new obstacles in the way of his plans of 
 regeneration : we allude to the fatal event 
 which terrified^ and convulsed, Portugal, on 
 the first of November, 1755. The atmosphere 
 was pure and serene, with every appearance of 
 a fine day, when, about half past nine in the 
 morning, a terrible noise was heard, and was 
 immediately succeeded by a dreadful shock. 
 The palaces, the churches, the houses, were re- 
 duced in a moment to a heap of ruins. It was 
 calculated, but only by guess, that about thirty 
 thousand persons perished on that fatal day, 
 for the government had not yet taken a census 
 
TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 of the inhabitants of Lisbon. Had the earth- 
 quake happened on a working day^ and an 
 hour later^ the destruction would have been 
 much greater. The climate* of Lisbon pre- 
 senting a perpetual springs all the people make 
 a practice of going into the country on holt- 
 days. The other days of the week, they are 
 seen^ at ten in the morning, repairing in crowds 
 to the churches. Most of the persons, who 
 perished, were crushed b}^ the roofs of those 
 sacred edifices, to which they had fled, some 
 from devotion, and others from fear. The 
 flames, bursting from beneath the rjiins, com- 
 pleted the destruction of almost every thing 
 that had escaped the tremendous concussion.* 
 Property, to an immense amount, was con- 
 sumed ; the sea rose to an extraordinary height, 
 the vessels were dashed against each other, 
 
 * It is certain, that the earthquake itself made less havoc 
 than the conflagration and the robbers, who appeared in 
 great numbers during this horrid catastrophe. All those, 
 however, were hung that were found with gold, which ex- 
 hibited any marks of fire, in their pockets. Not only the 
 person who picked it up, but also the receiver, was suspend- 
 ed within a quarter of an hour before his own door or win- 
 dow. This extremely rigorous measure, it is, true, cost 
 many innocent people their lives, bat it preserved the city 
 from pillage. Note hy the Author. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 155 
 
 and the wind^ which blew with great furj, 
 increased the conflagration. The old men^ wo- 
 men, children, the sick, who were still in bed, 
 were smothered, without the possibility of anj 
 effort being made for their relief: some pe- 
 rished in the flames, and others were crushed 
 by the fall of the floors, walls, and roofs. The 
 robbers, mingling among the people, plunder- 
 ed, murdered, and heightened the terror of, 
 the inhabitants, who fled in all directions, in- 
 voking the assistance of heaven, and totally 
 at a loss which way to go for safety. The 
 streets, strewed with the dead, blocked up with 
 fallen edifices, or impassable, on account of 
 the flames, intercepted the fugitives. 
 
 All the inhabitants, who were, at length, so 
 fortunate as to escape, quitted the city, and 
 repaired to the mountain. Let us now follow 
 M. de Pombal amidst this dreadful catastrophe^ 
 the most brilliant epoch of his life. Flying to 
 all quarters of the city, he here afforded re- 
 lief, and there imparted consolation. Where- 
 ever he appeared, his presence restored tran- 
 quillity, and dispelled fear. His activity suc- 
 ceeded in repairing those evils, for which there 
 yet remained a remedy ; his severity restrained 
 
TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 the excesses, which^ impunity would have en- 
 couraged. 
 
 In the space of a w^eek^ his fertile mind pro- 
 duced two hundred and thirty ordinances : all 
 the robbers^ and disturbers of public order^ 
 who were taken in the fact, were immediately 
 hanged. Through his indefatigable exertions^ 
 the dead bodies were very soon interred^ and 
 many were thrown into the sea in lime-sacks. 
 Supplies of provisions were procured^ without 
 loss of time;, from the contiguous provinces. 
 In a word;, by his courage, his perseverance, 
 and his firmness, he prevented the people from 
 abandoning a city, which exhibited nothing 
 but ruins, and the image of despair. He spared 
 no efforts to remove, as speedily as possible, 
 the vestiges of so many calamities. He opened 
 streets through the midst of the ruins. Every 
 one looked upon him as the saviour of the ci- 
 tizens who had escaped this disaster. His car- 
 riage was, for several days^ his cabinet, his 
 bed, his only abode. Forty-eight hours elapsed, 
 without his taking any nourishment, except a 
 bason of broth, which his wife carried to him 
 herself. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET, 
 
 157 
 
 Not a single individual of the royal family 
 was hurt. The court that very day chanced to 
 go to Belem,* and was on the way thither, at 
 the moment of the shock. Had it not been for 
 this fortunate accident, all the Princes, the 
 King, Queen, and their retinue, would have 
 perished beneath the ruins of the palace, which 
 was totally demolished. Madame de Pombal 
 had not risen ; the w all at the head of her bed 
 fell down behind the tapestry. Half dead with 
 fright, she hastily rose ; and, notwithstanding 
 
 * Belem is a large monastery, situated on the banks of 
 the Tagus, at the western extremity of the city. It formerly 
 contained one hundred and fitty monks , their number at. 
 present is but forty, and it possesses a revenue of forty thou* 
 sand crusades. At the time of the earthquake, only some 
 parts of the choir were shaken and demolished : the nave 
 sustained no injury. To the right of the choir, as you enter, 
 is the tomb of the King Don- Sebastian, who died in Africa, 
 where he was making war upon the Moors. The Portu- 
 guese, v/ho are simple and superstitious, assert, that it is not 
 the body of that King which it contains, since he is not dead, 
 and will some day return. Every body knows what numbers 
 of impostors have attempted to pass themselves off for Kiiag 
 Sebastian. As the Marquis de Pombal was not less power- 
 ful than the King, and his name was Sebastian, the Portu- 
 guese took occasion to say that their silly tradition was ac» 
 complished. Note by the Author, 
 
153 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 her terror^ retained sufficient presence of mind 
 to place herself under the door-case of her 
 chamber. Though every thing fell around 
 her, she remained unhurt. She ran in quest 
 of her children ; that part of the house in 
 which they were^ had received no damage, and 
 she had the good fortune to save them all. She 
 now began to be greatly alarmed on account 
 of her husband, who had gone abroad early; and 
 was soon informed that he was, already, en- 
 gaged in atfording relief to the unhappy suf- 
 ferers: she resolved to go to him, to share his 
 exertions and his dangers ; but her mules had 
 been crushed to death, and her carriages broken 
 in pieces. 
 
 The court, being now without a habitation, 
 lived for eight days in tents. It must be ad- 
 mitted that, on this occasion, the royal family 
 set the people an example of fortitude and be- 
 nevolence. The Queen appropriated a portion 
 of her small allowance of provisions to the re- 
 lief of the most distressed objects. All the ac- 
 tivity, and all the vigilance, of the minister, 
 were not sufficient to prevent excesses during 
 the first days. Enormities of every kind 
 were committed. The convents of all the or- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 159 
 
 ders, and of both sexes^ had been burned ; the 
 monks and the nuns^ following the populace^ 
 who fled to the mountain, had escaped. The 
 soldiers, the nuns, the monjis^ had also taken 
 refuge there, and passed the two first nights, 
 intermingled, in the greatest confusion. This 
 gave rise to scandalous scenes and crimes. 
 Finding themselves all equally destitute of an 
 asylum, they insulted the Supreme Being, who 
 had spared their lives. 
 
 The riches, consumed by the flames^ were 
 immense. The King's palace, full of costly 
 articles, was utterly destroyed, scarcely one 
 stone being left upon another. All the jewels, 
 treasures, and furniture, were engulphed, with 
 the palace, in the bosom of the earth. This 
 loss, alone, was estimated at fifteen millions 
 of livres. But the total value of all that was 
 destroyed, or irrecoverably lost, in private 
 houses, furniture, money, precious stones, 
 jewels, church-plate, ornaments, pictures, &c. 
 amounted to the prodigious sum of tw^o thou- 
 sand two hundred and eighty-four millions. 
 
 The Marquis de Pombal, however, caused 
 search to be made, and bullion to a consider- 
 
160 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 able amount was found, and restored to th^ 
 owners of the houses. This tremendous evrnt 
 established^ still more firmly, the aulhontv of 
 the minister. His excellent conduct, and r x- 
 traordinary courage, gained him the entire 
 confidence of his master, who, first, conferred 
 on him the title of Count d'Ojeras, and after- 
 wards that of Marquis de Pombal. The num- 
 ber of his enemies increased in the same pro- 
 portion as his influence. Invested, in some 
 measure^ with the whole sovereign power, he 
 made use of it to strike important blows. He 
 was seen, at one and the same time^ attack- 
 ing the abuses in the naval department, in 
 commerce, in the army, and an^ong the nobi- 
 lity ; issuing new ordinances ; and severely 
 chastising those who neglected their duty. He 
 devoted his attention to the rebuilding of the 
 capital, procured architects from all parts^ 
 built houses^ erected palaces, retrieved the 
 finances, and exerted himself, with success, to 
 infuse vigour into the government. Scarcely 
 had he began to enjoy the fruit of his labours^, 
 when he had to encounter the horrid plot, 
 formed by the Portuguese nobility, against the 
 life of the Sovereign. The ringleaders in this 
 conspiracy were the first personages of the 
 
By THE DURE DE CHATELET. 161 
 
 kingdom. At its head was the Duke of Aveiro; 
 the Marquis de Tavora, his tvYO sons^ and the 
 Counts d*Atonguia^ d'Almeidas, and Poriza^ 
 were the chief conspirators among the grandees. 
 The King's amorous intrigue with the Mar- 
 chioness de Tavol'a^ with whom he regularly 
 spent his evenings, was one of their principal 
 grievances, or, at leasts one of their principal 
 pretexts. The family of Tavora, resenting 
 this disgrace, seemed hut to wait for an occa* 
 sion to revenge it ; but their ambition was a 
 still morfe powerful motive. The Tavoras, as 
 well as the other grandees of the kingdom^ 
 were indignant at the implicit confidence, re- 
 posed by the King, in the Marquis de Pombal, 
 and they formed the plan of hurling him from 
 the throne, and placing the eldest of their 
 family upon it, in his stead. 
 
 The conspirators, who exceeded two hundred 
 and fifty in number, fixed upon the moment 
 when the King was repairing to his mistress, 
 for putting their detestable project in execution. 
 They posted themselves, in companies, along 
 the road which he was to pass. He was in a 
 chariot, drawn by two mules, driven by a pos» 
 tilion, and had his valet- de-chambre beside 
 
 VOL. I. L 
 
162 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 him. The conspirators did not fire till the 
 carriage was in the niidst of them. A shower 
 of rausket-balls was then discharged^ and 
 wounded the King in three places. His valet- 
 de-chambre had the presence of mind to desire 
 him to drop down in the bottom of the car- 
 riage^ and to cover him with his body. The 
 Duke of Aveiro himself attempted to shoot 
 the postilion> but his carabine missed fire. 
 The postilion with equal courage and fidelity^ 
 suddenly turned the mules^ and drove back in 
 full speed to the palace^ by a different way from 
 what he had come. The most dangerous of 
 the King's wounds was in the shoulder/ from 
 which balls and other matters were extracted. 
 Carvalho, who was just about to leave the pa- 
 lace, saw the King return, and was soon in- 
 formed of what had happened. Ever firm, 
 and calm in the most critical junctures, the 
 first thing he did was to enjoin the postilion 
 to keep the affair a profound secret. Notwith* 
 standing this precaution, a report, that the 
 King had been assassinated, instantly, spread 
 over the whole city ; and it is said to have been 
 propagated by the conspirators themselves. 
 The people, who were attached to their sove- 
 reign, hastened, in alarm, to the palace, whi- 
 
BY THE DURE DE CHATELET. 
 
 163 
 
 ther great numbers of the nobility also re-* 
 paired. The King shewed himself at the bal-* 
 cony; the people were pacified with being told> 
 that it was only the carriage which had been 
 overturned^ and that the King had received 
 but a slight contusion. The Duke of Aveiro 
 offered to arm himself^. in pursuit of the assas- 
 sins, and bring them to the King. Carvalho 
 exhorted him to be tranquil. Pretending to 
 give credit to the sincerity of his zeal^ he im^ 
 parted false particulars, to him in confidence; 
 andj above all things, he recommended discre- 
 tion. The Duke of Aveiro now considered 
 himself out of all danger of suspicion. He was 
 much detested at courts possessed great wealth, 
 and belonged to the house of Bragan^a. De- 
 formed both in body and mind, cruel, inhuman, 
 restless, a professed enemy of Carvalho and the 
 King, he was capable of any thing; and the 
 recesses of his soul had not escaped the pene- 
 tration of the Marquis de Pombal. 
 
 The King soon recovered, and all seemed 
 forgotten. Six months passed in the most pro- 
 found silence respecting this event; the nobi- 
 lity and the people had almost dismissed the 
 circumstance from their thoughts; but Car- 
 l3 
 
164 TRAVELS IN PORTtTGAL, 
 
 valho was privately col!( cting information, to 
 detect the real perpetrators of the crime. He 
 obtained the strongest proofs of their guilt; 
 but the more he was convinced that Aveiro 
 and Tavera were implicated, with the greater 
 distinction and favour he treated them. For 
 one he procured the permission, which he so* 
 licited, to spend three months at his country- 
 ^eat; for the other, he obtained a commandery^ 
 for which he had applied, previous to the 
 King's accident. The conspirators themselves^ 
 were astonished at the conduct of the minister; 
 they all made themselves perfectly easy, and 
 conceived that they had;, now, nothing to fear. 
 The wav in which Carvalho came at the know- 
 ledge of the whole plot was as follows: A ser- 
 vant, who was in love with a female domestic, 
 of the house of Tavora, was in the garden of that 
 nobleman, waiting for his mistress, who had 
 promised to meet him there, when the conspira- 
 tors, who met in the same place, arrived, and af- 
 ter reasoning on what had happened, formed 
 another plot, from wh'ch they promised them- 
 selves better success. The servant, who had 
 prudently kept himself concealed during this 
 extraordinary conversation, instantly repaired 
 ta Carvalho^ whom he apprized of all that he 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 165 
 
 had seen and heard. The minister, to prevent 
 the execution of this new conspiracy, deter- 
 mined, without lo^s of time, to inflict on the 
 culprits the punishment which thej had de- 
 served. 
 
 To accomplish this design, without exciting 
 anj suspicion, he seized the opportunity af- 
 forded by the marriage of one of his daughters 
 with the Count de Zampayo. The King 
 signed the marriage contract, and provided the 
 entertainment given on the occasion. All the 
 gentlemen belonging to the court were invited^ 
 and came from their country-houses to be pre- 
 sent at it. On the day appointed for the ce- 
 lebration of the nuptials, when both the court 
 and the city were to be engaged in balls and 
 diversions, the Marquis ordered ten battalions 
 of infantry, and a great number of cavalry, to 
 enter Lisbon. There were two grand balls: 
 one at the palace of Belem, the other in a 
 building, erected for such amusements by the 
 English. Here all the most distinguished persons 
 in the city were assembled, and here all the 
 conspirators were apprehended at the same 
 hour. They were immediately brought to trials 
 and eight days afterwards, ten of the principal 
 
166 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 were executed in front of the palace of Belera, 
 along the Tagus. The Duke of Aveiro was 
 quartered ; the others were beheaded^ or burned. 
 The old Marchioness de Tavoia, a violent and 
 imperious woman^, died with heroic courage, 
 as well as her second son^ only ten years of 
 age. She herself, after tying a handkerchief 
 over her eyes, gave the executioner the signal 
 to strike the fatal blow. The Duke of Aveiro, 
 on the contrary, met death like a coward. 
 Their bodies were burned, and their ashes 
 thrown into the sea. The two families of 
 Aveiro and Tavora were entirely destroyed. 
 The palace of the former was demolished ; the 
 ground upon which it stood was sprinkled with 
 salt, in order^ as it was said, to prevent it from 
 producing any thing. In the centre of this 
 spot was afterwards erected a pillar^ with an 
 inscription, commemorating the crime, and the 
 punishment of that nobleman. The greater 
 part of the nobility were immured in prisons, 
 from which they were not released, till the 
 death of Joseph I. ; that is to say^ after a con- 
 finement of nineteen years. Some few escaped. 
 The young Marchioness de Tavora w^as shut 
 up in a convent^ where she still remains. The 
 Jesuits, as I have already observed, being sus- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 167 
 
 pected of having a hand in this horrid plot, 
 were all expelled the kingdom, except about 
 twenty Germans, who were thrown into con- 
 finement. Some, it is said, were, privately, 
 executed in the prisons; as, for instance. Ma- 
 los, a Portuguese, and Alexander, an Irish- 
 man* As to Father Malagrida, he was put to 
 death by the sentence of the Inquisition, and - 
 not for the assassination of the King ; for no 
 proofs could be discovered sufficiently convin- 
 cing to comprehend him in the list of the con- 
 spirators. He was burned as a heretic ; and, 
 among the charges preferred against him by 
 the tribunal, he was accused of the crime of 
 having written that, the Virgin Mary spoke 
 Latin in the womb of St. An7ie. The destruc- 
 tion of this man, who, as may easily be sup- 
 posed, had given greater cause of offence than 
 that which was made a pretext for his execu- 
 tion, had been predetermined. It is asserted, 
 that he was not even asked any questions rela- 
 tive to the King's assassination, though he had 
 been accused of having chiefly contributed to 
 involve the Marchioness de Tavora in the con- 
 spiracy, by heightening her resentment against 
 the court, where she was treated with the 
 greatest contempt. It was easy for the fana- 
 
168 
 
 TRATELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 tical Jesurt to avail himself of the twofold 
 ascendency^ which devotion and wounded 
 pride gave him over her mind^ in order to lead 
 her to the commission of a crime. At the mo- 
 ment when she was going to the scaffold^ her 
 husband, who was on the point of sharing the 
 same fate, reproached her for having impli- 
 cated her family in such an execrable project. 
 In reply^ she merely desired him to support his 
 misfortune with the same courage as she did^ 
 and not to reproach her with it. The eldest 
 son of the Duke of Aveiro^, is still living in a 
 convent^ in which he was confined, though in- 
 nocent. Justice could no more sanction his 
 deaths than policy suffer him to enjoy his 
 liberty. 
 
 Since that period, the arrogance of the Por- 
 tuguese nobility has been considerably lowered. 
 They have paid greater respect to the King, 
 and greafer attention to his formidable minis- 
 ter, whose severity was exercised on the most 
 trivial occasions. His conduct, while it in- 
 creased the hatred of the nobles, secured him^ 
 more and more, the confidence and friendship 
 of his master, who knew that the persons, of 
 whom Carvalho had made an example^ were 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 169 
 
 lafis greatest enemies. Though the crime of the 
 conspirators was atrocious, and the punish- 
 ment inflicted on them richly deserved, the mi- 
 nister was^ nevertheless, accused of having fol- 
 lowed the dictates of private resentment against 
 the higher order of the nohility, for whom he 
 cherished a deep-rooted antipathy, as well ou 
 account of the personal mortifications to which 
 he had formerly been subjected by them, as of 
 the insolence with which they behaved to the 
 King himself. Accustomed to impunity, no- 
 thing but great severity could keep them ia 
 awe. The minister^ who was, perhaps, gra- 
 tified with being the instrument whom the 
 King made use of to bring them back to their 
 duty^ was deemed cruel, by all those, who are 
 shocked at punishments, however justly me- 
 rited. Finding himsielf exposed, it is true^ 
 from the part which he acted, to frequent con- 
 spiracies, he, for this reason, punished with the 
 utmost severity all those whom he suspected of 
 being: the authors of these machinations ; and 
 it is possible that, as his enemies have asserted, 
 more than one innocent person has been sacri- 
 ficed, by his resentment, disguised in the ap- 
 pearance of j ustice. 
 
170 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 The two great events, which had successively 
 engaged his attention, and furnished an ample 
 iield for the display of his uncommon talents, 
 diverted his mind, for some time, from the 
 other affairs of government. To these he, en- 
 tirely, devoted himself, when those two critical 
 conjunctures were past. The army, to which 
 be was not partial, and which he even neglect- 
 ed, in time of peace, occupied some of his first 
 imomeiits of leisure. But he directed his chief 
 efforts, vvith indefatigable zeal, to the revival 
 of the arts, architecture, the sciences, conir- 
 merce, and (he navy, and to the rebuilding of 
 the unfortunate city of Lisbon. Every thing 
 soon evinced his genius, and the wisdom of his 
 measures ; and envy itself, which has not spar- 
 ed him, cannot refuse him the title of the Sa- 
 viour of Portugal, and the Regenerator qf his 
 Country. Hence, in 1776, when a dangerous 
 illness threatened to deprive Portugal of his 
 talents, a general alarm pervaded the nation. 
 Those w^ho loved their country deplored his 
 loss, which they looked upon as certain, as 
 they now lanjent his disgrace, which so speedily 
 followed the death of King Joseph. They 
 have, in truth, reason to regret it ; for, already, 
 its disastrous consequences begin to be per- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 171 
 
 ceivcd. Portugal is again sinking into that 
 apathy from which this minister had roused 
 her. She is again falling under the sway of 
 priests^ and she has now no mian courageous 
 enough to rescue her from her greatest eqemies. 
 Not hut that the Marquis de Pombal was li- 
 able to just censure. He certainly gave him- 
 self too little trouble to disguise his passion 
 for increasing his fortune. He was^ likewise, 
 too ostentatious. Ought he^ for instance, to 
 have erected a palace for himself, while the 
 King bad nothing but a barrack to live in f 
 Was it prudent to expose, to the view of the 
 public, the w^ealth he had amassed, and thus 
 awaken jealousy and hatred? The consequence 
 was, that he was accused of having enriched 
 himself, at the expence of the state and the 
 people; and, no sooner had the King closed 
 his eyes, than he found himself exposed to the 
 greatest dangers, and the people, whom it is 
 so easy to mislead, demanded his head. lU 
 error, however, was not of long duration. 
 Three weeks after the Marquis was exiled to 
 his estate, I heard the same people insist on 
 his reinstatement. The public works were 
 suspended ; the workmen were thrown out of 
 bread ; in short, every thing attested the ab- 
 
172 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAt, 
 
 sence of the minister^ wliose activity diffused 
 universal life. He retired, with his lady^ to 
 lus estate at Pombal,* and there lives lik^ a 
 
 * In one of the excursions which I made into the inte- 
 rior of Portugal, I paid a visit to the Marquis de Pombah I 
 had 3 particular recommendation to him, and was, therefore, 
 ^received with the utmost politeness. I knew this minister, 
 bj reputation, and was desirous of being, personally, aequaint- 
 ed with iiim. On my arrival at the village, from which he 
 takes bis title, 1 wrote, from my inn, requesting to be in- 
 formed at what hour I might wait upon him, with the let- 
 ters which I had for him. I went, for this purpose, at ten 
 the Bext morning, and was introduced into the cottage of 
 this great man. He has now a habitation more suitable to 
 Lis rank> but, at the period of my visit, he was in a very 
 small house, and slept in an apartment, the walls of which 
 Lad been recently plastered. 
 
 In point of manners, no person can be more agreeable, ot 
 more easy, than M. de Pombal. He asked me a thousand 
 questLons, and affected total ignorance of what was passing 
 in Europe. He requested me to inform him of the present 
 state of aifairs. He even questioned me on the subject of 
 Portugal, and asked concerning the state of Lisbon. He in- 
 quired what motive, or what accident, had brpught me to 
 such an obscure corner of the earth. Accustomed," I 
 replied, from my youth, to travel, 1 always visit the inte- 
 rior of the countries which 1 traverse, without confining my- 
 self to the principal cities, and sea-ports, where there is no- 
 thing new to be observed : besides, I was desirous of be- 
 coming acquainted with a man, who had made such extra- 
 ordinary efforts to promote the welfare of his country,'' 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 173 
 
 pfiilosoplier. He is aUowed a peasion as ex- 
 minister, but is not permittee! to appear at 
 court. I shall not enlarge further respecting 
 
 We entered, by decrees, into conversation 3 he invited me 
 to spend a week with him, and kept n)e that day to dinner 
 and supper. I expressed my astonishiTtent at the state in 
 which I had found Lisbon, considering the short time that 
 had elapsed since the calamity which had befallen it. He 
 replied, that he then ti)ought no more of that subject 5 that 
 he was an old man, and wished for repose ; but that if Pro- 
 vidence had pleased to prolong the life of the King, his mas- 
 ter, he would have exerted himself with the same zeal to 
 accomplish the enterprize which he had only just begun, and 
 that he should, undoubtedly, have laid the foundation of a 
 palace for the King. He described the magnificent plan 
 which he had adopted for that edifice. Seated on an emi- 
 nence, contiguous to Belem, it would have overlooked the 
 city and the sea, and have been surrounded with a large 
 park, enclosed with high walls, against which, at suitable 
 distances, were to have been erected the palaces of the prin- 
 cipal nobility belonging to the courts and residences for per- 
 sons, ofBcially, attached to it. 
 
 M. de Pombal has brought with him a great number of 
 books, and spends most of his time in reading, or having 
 them read to him. They are ail French. He speaks our 
 language with the fluency of a native, and is equally con- 
 versant with German, English, and Italian. He never men- 
 tioned his worthy master without emotion. *' He honoured 
 me," said he, with his contidence. To lose my king, 
 and my friend, is a trial too severe for rae to endtire. To 
 me, the sun's rays appear, shorn of their lustre, and nothing 
 
174 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAtj 
 
 the Marquis de Pombal. Every article whicff 
 I am about to treat of, will alFord occasion to 
 recur to him. All the private anecdotes of 
 
 can ever make me amends for the loss which I have sus- 
 tained." While he spoke, tears fell from his eyes. In vain 
 I endeavoured to change the conversation 3 he wals conti- 
 nually recurring to the same subject. At any rate," con- 
 tinued he> I shall be happy here. You see this cottage. 
 It is not mine 5 I only rent it. The man who is accused of 
 having thought only of himself, has not even built himself 
 a habitation on his estate." Then, pointing to a spacious, 
 new edifice : That," said he, is a magazine belonging 
 to the city. I had it erected to contain corn, with which 
 it is filled. Still, like Sully, I shall live more happily in my 
 retirement, than, at court, and among the great. 1 have 
 been permitted to take my books with me, and there is very 
 little else that I should wish for." He had scarcely finished 
 these words, when Iviadame de Pombal entered : he was 
 pleased to present me to her. She still retains a portion 
 of her charms, and dresses with great art and taste. She' 
 certainly is not deficient in understanding, but she has neither' 
 her husband's fortitude, nor strength of mind, to endure her 
 situation. During the prosperity of the Marquis, she had 
 the grandees and the people at her feet, and her house w^as a 
 sort of court. Men, when they called to see her, knelt to 
 kiss her hand, according to the practice of the country. Her 
 vanity, flattered with so many marks of respect, cannot fa- 
 miliarise itself to the seclusion, to which her husband's dis- 
 grace has doomed her. Forsaken by all, and buried in the 
 solitude of an obscure village, she has no other satisfaction? 
 than wha she derives from the company of her childreiv. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 175 
 
 him would fill a Yohime^ and it is not his life, 
 tliat I have undertaken to write. Besides^ the 
 principal circumstances of it are to be found 
 
 who, sometimes, come to spend a fortnight with her. A 
 German by birth, she has all the pride of the great families 
 of her nation, and secretly grieves on account of her exile, 
 after having moved In such an exalted sphere. These senti- 
 ments, she strove to conceal from me, but they were too 
 powerful to be repressed. After conversing about ten mi- 
 nutes, her eyes overflowed with tears. Inis is butnLitural 
 ip her sex,*' said the Marquis . *^ to comfort her is an addi- 
 tional occupation for me ; but, by following my example, 
 she will soon learn to bear our reverse with fortitude.'* 
 Dinner vv^as announced immediately afterwards. Come," 
 said he, and partake the frugal meal of a hermit." In- 
 stead of the frugal meal which he taught me to expect, 1 
 found a well-furnished table, nothing that indicated any 
 change of fortune, or that even bore the stamp of dejection. 
 There was nobody except us three. The conversation w^as 
 very lively. I talked about Germany to Madame de Pom- 
 bal, and we spoke, for some time, in her native language. 
 The repast was short, or, at least, appeared so to me. The 
 heat was excessive 5 and, on rising from table, each retired 
 to take a short repose. I availed myself of this opportunity 
 to examine the place where this illustrious couple resides. 
 It is not disagreeable, as it had been described to me at 
 Lisbon. On a neighbouring eminence, the ruins of an an- 
 cient castle form an extremely picturesque object. The wat^r 
 is excellent. On leaving the habitation of the Marquis, I 
 found at his door, above two hundred persons, to whom the 
 servants were distributing bread and soup. la this manner 
 
176 
 
 TRAVELS IN POIlTUGAt, 
 
 in the Iiistory of his administration, which, for 
 upwards of twenty years, may be regarded as 
 the history of the country • 
 
 he gains a great number of partizans who extol him even inf 
 bis disgrace 3 and he seemed to me to be beloved by all the 
 uihabitants of the place. After a walk of two hours, I re-* 
 turned to M. de PombaPs^ and found him in the midst of his 
 books. We resumed our conversation. He inquired if I 
 had seen the ceremony of tlie Queen's coronation. I guessed 
 his reason for asking, and repUed that I had, and that I 
 thought it was performed with great pomp and magnificence* 
 He asked if I had noticed all the ineffectual efforts made, 
 on this occasion^ by his enemies, to accomplish his destruc* 
 tion : he even questionednne respecting ihe. manner in which 
 people had conducted themselves. 1 told him what I knewj 
 and added that this circumstance was an additional triumph 
 for him, since it proved the impotence as much as the ani- 
 mosity of his enemies. On this he said, with an extreme 
 vivacity, which highly becomes him : People advance a 
 paradox, who pretend to interpret the sentiments of the 
 people) who are represented as detesting me. It is impos- 
 sible y my actions, my conduct, all assure me of the con- 
 trary. The people cannot hate me, and I will tell you why—** 
 What was the Portuguese forty years ago, and what is he 
 nowr Have I not rendered him independent of his neigh* 
 hours ? Have I not every where established arts, trades, and 
 manufactures ? Have I not, besides, caused one third of the 
 city of Lisbon to be rebuilt ? Have I not revived industry^ 
 and difiused wealth among the artisans ? No, with all the 
 claims which, I think, 1 possess upon" the gratitude of the 
 people, I consider them too just to have ever entertained af 
 
THE i)UKE DC CHATELET. 
 
 177 
 
 We shall now proceed to the colonies which 
 Portugal possesses out of Europe. 
 
 wish to destroy me 5 neither did they. I will tdl you who 
 were the authors of all that you may have seen and heard at 
 the coronation. The nobles, who persisted in the insolent 
 pretensions, which I endeavoured to annihilate, employed 
 ^11 possible means to effect my ruin ; but they could not, 
 decently, appear at the head of the persecuting party. What 
 course did they pursue ? They selected some of their 
 creatures, who, in the disguise of barbers, seamen, cooks, 
 -Sec. ran about^ in the public places, calumniating me, 
 and painting my character in the most odious colours. The 
 people, easily misled, seconded a resentment, which they 
 were told they ought to share. They hated me, because 
 they were taught that it was right so to do. Several persons, 
 whom you know/' added he, " in order to injure me, ran 
 about for whole days, in this disguise, among the populace, 
 and invented calumnies, which they propagated as iticon- 
 testible truths. For the rest, whatever I did, was by the 
 orders of my master j I have nothing to reproach myself 
 with. I am particularly accused of cruelty ; but I was 
 compelled to be severe. When I announced the commands 
 of the King, and people disdained to attend to them, it was 
 then necessary to have recourse to force 5 prisons and dun- 
 geons were the only means that I could discover, to tame 
 this blind and ignorant people.** 
 
 In this manner I spent five days, in the most interesting 
 conversations with this great statesman. He w^as pleased to* 
 communicate to me, much information, and many of his 
 own reflexions respecting Portugal j I have availed my- 
 self of both in the course of this work. Note by the Author. 
 VOL. I. M 
 
178 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Of the Portuguese Colonies. 
 
 The Portuguese was the first European na- 
 tiou, that extended the limits of the science of 
 navigation. It is well known^ that^ for above 
 a century^ they held the unrivalled possession 
 of the East Indies, of which they were the 
 earliest conquerors. Their language is still 
 the most widely extended in those regions, 
 where it is made use of in commercial trans- 
 actions. When the English and Dutch 
 penetrated this part of the world, they drove 
 out the Portuguese with the same facility, 
 as the latter had conquered that immense 
 country, the ancient theatre of their glory, and 
 of their cruelties. They, formerly, possessed 
 every thing, comprehended between the Red 
 Sea, and the Persian Gulf, in which, is situated 
 the island of Ormus, China, Japan, and 
 the islands of Liqueo.* The port of Ormu» 
 
 * These are a cluster of islands situated between Coreas, 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 179 
 
 was one of the most considerable and most fre- 
 quented:, in the East^ previous to the discovery 
 of the way, by the Cape of Good Hope, It 
 was a mart for all the productions of India. 
 The nations of the West, communicated with 
 it by the Red Sea ; and, the merchandise 
 brought from that place, was conveyed by the 
 Persian Gulf to Bassora, and thence forwarded 
 by caravans. The Venetians, and Genoese^ 
 freighted their vessels with it, in the ports of 
 Syria ; but, this commerce is now greatly di 
 minished. Ormus was celebrated for its fishery 
 of pearls, esteemed the finest in the universe. 
 
 These vast possessions, are at present reduced 
 
 the Formosa Islands, and Japan. They are thirty-six in 
 number, and each of them has a particular name. That in 
 which the monarch resides, is denominated Ticou-Kicou, 
 The inhabitants resemble the Chinese nation. These islands 
 abound in all the necessaries and conveniencies of life. They 
 produce all kinds of grain, fruits, trees, and ail the aniraalt^ 
 common in other countries, except wolves, tigers, bears, 
 hares' and deer. The islanders of Liqueo are, in general, 
 hospitable, ingenious, industrious, sober, and extremely at- 
 tentive to cleanliness in their houses. They are said to be 
 strongly addicted to gaming and amusements. Note by the 
 Juthor, 
 
 M « 
 
180 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 to the cities of Goa^ and Diu,* and a few in- 
 significant laclories which are in a wretched 
 
 * Goa is situated on a fertile little island, on the coast of 
 Malabar. Admiral Albuquerque, with a fleet, of nineteet> 
 ships, took possession of it in 1510. The inhabitants made 
 no resistance, because, one of their priests, had foretold the 
 arrival of a foreign ^eet, to which they would be obliged to 
 yield. Since that period, the Portuguese have lost and re- 
 taken this place, of which they are now the peaceful pos-^ 
 sessors. They have made it the principal mart of India. 
 Goa has become the key of all the commerce of the East. 
 It has resident inhabitants of every nation in Europe. The 
 city is well built, its situation delightful, and its territory fer- 
 tile. The heat there is excessive. The following is the act 
 count given, by a Portuguese writer, of the habits, manners, 
 and customs of his countrymen, in this part of the world. 
 
 The Portuguese, form the smallest proportion of the 
 inhabitants of Goa. Besides the slaveS;,.and the monks, there 
 are several distinct classes of citizens r the eastices, the off- 
 spring of Portuguese parents; the rrmtizos, the children of 
 Portuguese fathers and Indian mother* ; and the native In- 
 f dians. The eastices are commonly appointed to the prin- 
 cipal posts, but, be their profession or occupation what it 
 will, they all assume the title of gentlemen. 
 
 The class of mestizos is held in much less consideration, 
 than the eastices: the individuals belonging to it, ar^ ad- 
 mitted into the religious orders, which Indians, perfectly 
 black, cannot be. The monks refuse to admit them into their 
 number, though the archbishop has given them permission^ 
 to enter Into what orders they please, after they have beeii 
 bnptized. There are, among them, pbysieians of g^reat emi- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 181 
 
 condition, and of little importance to Europe. 
 The principal are, Chaul, near Bombay, on the 
 
 nence. The rich at Goa, make a point of keeping a great 
 number of slaves : a considerable trade is carried on, in 
 that city, and when the female slaves have no husbands, the 
 Portuguese cohabit with tliem. The issue of these con- 
 nexions are legitimated. The mother then becomes free, 
 but the children belong to the masters. The \\wnen/* says he 
 in another place, have an extraordinary partiality for Eu- 
 ropeans : there are no artifices but what they make use of to 
 apprise them of the passion, which they feel for them : for 
 they are strictly watched by the indians. Neither the Por- 
 tuguese women, nor the femaje mestizos^ ever walk in the 
 streets of Goa 5 they, as well as their husbands, are carried 
 in palanquins, and, like them, they make a great parade, and 
 are attended by a numerous retinue. Wliere, as in this 
 country," continues the author, husbands are extremely 
 jealous, and the fliir sex, like the women of European Portu- 
 gal, are eager after the pleasures of love, especially when it 
 is at the expense of conjugal fidelity." With respect to 
 Christianity, the same religious forms prevail at Goa, as iu 
 Portugal; The processions there, are still more pompous, 
 and exhibit the appearance of the most extravagant mas- 
 querades. The Inquisition exercises unlimited authority 5 
 and, finally, at Goa, as in Portugal, religion is allied with the 
 most atrocious crimes, the most depraved manners, and the 
 most profligate debauchery.— To this account we shall add, 
 that Goa, which is one of the most important possessions of 
 the Portuguese, has declined, exceedingly, from its ancient 
 splendor. Their indolence has suffered immense wealth to 
 pass into the hands of foreigners 5 and the Dutch have pro- 
 
182 TRAVELS m PORTUGAL^ 
 
 coast of Malabar and BalaiiH:, twenty leagues 
 southward of Daman^ a town situated on the 
 gulf of Cambaya. In China, the Portuguese 
 still retain the city of Macao^ which they have, 
 themselves^ built on a peninsula, at the mouth 
 of the river of Canton, or Quan-Tong. This 
 they had rendered a flourishing city^by making 
 it the centre of their commerce ; but it has now 
 lost almost all its splendor, though the Portu- 
 guese still enjoy the privilege of trading at 
 Canton, at two periods of the year. With 
 more address, they might derive great advan- 
 tage from what is still left them. Macao is 
 separated from the interior of the country, by 
 a high wall, by which a guard is constantly 
 stationed, to prevent the Portuguese from pas- 
 
 fited, more than any other nation, by the negligence and 
 mismanagement of the Pormguese. 
 
 Diu has belonged to the Portuguese ever since 1535. It 
 has become renowned for the different sieges which it has 
 sustained ; and the women have shed lustre upon it, by their 
 heroic achievements. It is likewise situated in the Mogul 
 territories, at the entrance of the gulf of Cambaya. Surat 
 and Cambaya, have, of late, considerably injured its com- 
 jaierce, which was, formerly, very flourishing. The situation 
 of this place is most romantic, and the rocks, which defend 
 it^ render if almost impregnable. Note by the Author. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 18S 
 
 sing: it. The Chinese^ who reside in the city, 
 cannot go into the interior, without permission. 
 The Portuguese pay them tribute, for the 
 ground upon which their houses and churches 
 stand, and for their flocks. 
 
 Each of the establishments, which the Por- 
 tuguese still possess in India, has its garrison, 
 and its government, but their population is very 
 inconsiderable. All these colonies together 
 comprehend, scarcely, five thousand Portu- 
 guese. They are, therefore, no benefit to the 
 public exchequer, which is even obhged to ad- 
 vance money for their maintenance. They 
 have been ruined by tl^e English and Dutch. 
 
 The possessions of the Portuguese in Africa, 
 are not more profitable to them.. In that quar- 
 ter of the world, this nation is in a state of ex- 
 treme weakness : its commerce has received an, 
 almost, mortal blow from the English, French, 
 Dutch, and Danish settlements, along the coast 
 of Guinea. The Portuguese colonies in Africa, 
 formerly, extended from Tangier to the Red 
 Sea ; that is, they comprehended the whole of 
 that continent, except the coasts of the Medi- 
 terranean. Thej have, still, left, in the king- 
 
J 84 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 dom of Morocco, Mazagan, a strong place, 
 which they built on the sea coast, on thie fron- 
 tiers of the province of Duqiiela, and several 
 factories on the coast of Guinea,* and on that 
 of Malaquette, contiguous to the Ivory coast ; 
 but these factories are in no better condition, 
 than their Asiatic establishments. They have 
 some forts in Monomotapa.f and,on the coast of 
 
 * The Portuguese, formerly, had, in that country, large 
 establishments, which they suffered the English and Dutch 
 to take from tlipm. The little cammerce, which they still 
 retahi, consists in ivory and wax. As to the slave-trade, they 
 fetch no more than five or six thousand negroes, annually^ 
 from this coast. Note bjj the Author, 
 
 -f Monomotapa, w^hich extends, about one hundred and 
 sixty leagues from south to north, is a very rich country, 
 fertile in the productions of the earth, and abounding in gold 
 niines. The Porfuguj^se have some establishments there, 
 from which, they 'might derive a very considerable profit. 
 They are, almost, the only Europeans, who carry on any trade 
 with that country, where they haye fixed places for bartering 
 their commodities. Massapa was formerly the principal 
 paart ; it is now the residence of the Portuguese governors. 
 Not f^ir from this town are lofty mountains, from which the 
 ancients are said to have obtained great quantities of gold. 
 The roads, which led to the mines^ are, still, to be seen. 
 The Portuguese^ likewise, possess, on'this same coast, the town 
 of Sofala, the capital of the province of the same name. The 
 prince, by whom it is governed, is still tributary to the king 
 of Portugal. On this coast, the Portuguese have erected, a 
 
BV THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 185 
 
 Melinda^* the city of that name, and Quiloa, 
 Melinda is a considerable place^ on the coast of 
 
 /ortress, which makes them masters, of all the commerce cf 
 the country, though the natives har?»ss them much, and 
 have massacred a great number of them. This treatment 
 they have, doubtless, provoked by their cruelties, and, the 
 jealousy which they excite in the men. The commerce of 
 this country, consists in gold, ivory, amber, slaves,- in ex- 
 change for which, they give, the silks and cottons of India^ 
 Agi'icuitura is, here, in a highly flourishing state. The Por- 
 tuguese, once, possessed also the tract, which lies to the 
 south of the coast of Sofola, and w^s called Terra de Natal^ 
 because, it was discovered by Vasco de Gama, on Christmas- 
 day. It is a possession of some importance, which has been 
 taken from the Portuguese by the Dutch. ISote by the 
 Author, 
 
 * The Portuguese have several settlements on the coasts 
 of Zanguebar, as the towns of Querimba, Quiloa, Monfia, 
 Zanzibar, Pemba, Monbaza, Melinda, Lamo, and Pata. 
 Melinda, the capital of the kingdom of that name, is very 
 populous 5 the coast is remarkably rocky, and the entrance 
 of the harbour dangerous. The merchants who freqiient 
 this city, for the purposes of trade, are the Indians of Cam* 
 baya and Guzurat. They carry, thither, spices, copper, 
 quicksilver, and cottons, which they barter for gold, ivory, 
 amber and wax. The extent of the kingdom of Melinda 
 is not ascertained 3 it is governed by a Mahometan prince, 
 with whom the Portuguese have been in alliance for nearly 
 three cent ries His court is at Monbaza j it Js the most 
 brilliant of any on the east coast of Africa. This place be- 
 longs to the Portuguese 3 the soil produces every species of 
 
186 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 Zanguebar. On the same coast they also pos- 
 sess Mombaza, the residence of the king of Me- 
 linda ; and the town of Brava/ in the fertile 
 
 fruits and plants. The country abounds in cattle ; the cli- 
 mate is temperate, and the air very salubrious. The town is 
 large^ though built on the extremity of a rock, the foot of 
 which is washed by the sea. The commerce of this place is 
 open for merchants of every country. The port of Monbaza 
 is good, and continually filled with shipping. 
 
 The settlement of Querimba, is of very little consequence, 
 it is now included in the jurisdiction of the governor of Mo- 
 zambique. 
 
 Qailoa is a more important establishment. It is a petty 
 kingdom, the sovereign of which, is tributary to the Portu- 
 guese. The capital, of the same name, formerly, carried on 
 a very lucrative trade with Sofalu, Arabia, and India, but this 
 settlement has been ruined by its neighbours. The Portu- 
 guese, however, have still, a fort in this country, which in- 
 sures them the possession of it. 
 
 The establishments of Monlia, Pemba and Zanzibar, are 
 scarely worth mentioning. Each of them has, nevertheless, 
 the title of a kingdom, and is tributary to Portugal. Theiir 
 territories produce abundance of rice, honey, and sugar- 
 canes. 
 
 The towns of Lamo and Pata are at present governed by 
 petty kings, also tributary to Portugal. This is a concise notice 
 of all that relates to the Portuguese settlements on the coast 
 of Zanguebar. Note by the Author, 
 
 * This town has an extensive commerce 5 it is a republic 
 tinder the protection of Portugal. It lies between the coasts 
 of Zanguebar and Ajan.*- The harbour is excellent. The 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 187 
 
 kingdom of Ajan ; lastly the excellent port of 
 Mozambique^ situated in an island^ which lies 
 over against Madagascar^ belongs to them. 
 The town of Mozambique is inhabited^ only, 
 by Portuguese criminals, who are sent thither, 
 instead of being put to death. The air is so 
 unhealthy^ that few survive transportation 
 more than five or six years : nevertheless^ it 
 contains two thousand inhabitants. The Por- 
 tuguese, justly, consider this settlement, as the 
 principal key to their Indian possessions, and 
 keep a very strong garrison at Mozambique. 
 In 1608 the Dutch attempted to dispossess 
 them of it ; but being baffled in their under- 
 taking, revenged themselves by the commission 
 of many cruelties. 
 
 Further, southward, the Portuguese have 
 Quilmancy, an inconsiderable establishment, at 
 the mouth of a river of the S;ame name : but,^ 
 of all their African possessions, the kingdom of 
 Congo is indisputably the most important and 
 
 natives of the country rebelled, in 1528, against the Portu- 
 guese, who, in reducing them to obedience, made a horribls 
 carnage anaong them. Note by the Author. 
 
188 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 the most flourishing.^ Its chief town is St. 
 Paul de Loanda; it is the residence of the go- 
 vernor appointed by the King of Portugal, is 
 
 * The kingdom of Congo has about sixty leagues of coast, 
 and extends from the large and beautiful river Zaire, which 
 runs through it, to the port of Loanda. Angola was, for-, 
 nierly, a part of this kingdom, but it was separated from it, 
 about the middle of the sixteenth century, by an u.?urper, 
 who, with the assistance of the Portuguese, assumed the so* 
 verelgn authority. It is to be regretted that the Zaire is na-* 
 vigable, only, for twelve leagues. By means of this river, 
 we might, otherwise, penetrate, with greater facility, into 
 the interior of the country. It was in the reign of John II., 
 toward the conclusion of the fifteenth century, that the part 
 of Guinea, contiguous to the kingdom of Congo, was dis- 
 covered. That Prince sent out a fleet, under the command 
 of James Canus, who doubled Cape St. Catharine, on the 
 confines of Guinea, and proceeded to the mouth of theZaiise. 
 That navigator, there, erected a pillar, on which he carved the 
 arms of Portugal. He then penetrated into the interior of 
 the country, where he exerted himself, with success, for the 
 establishment of commerce, and the propagation of Christi- 
 anity. As you proceed, southward, you find, in the kingdoms 
 of Angola and Benguela, and all along the coast,* several 
 Portuguese settlements of greater or less importance. Note 
 by the Author. 
 
 * In general, the Portuguese claim an exclusive right to 
 the whole coast of Angola, and will scarcely allow other na- 
 tions to purchase negroes^ beyond ■ the moulh of the Zaire 
 
BY TH£ DUK£ DE CHATELET. 
 
 189 
 
 |iretty populous, and lias an excellent harbour. 
 The King of Congo is tributary, but, in every 
 other respect, nearly, independent of the King 
 
 and Cape Padron^ in the sixth degtee of south latitude. Not^ 
 it is well known, that this traffic may be carried on as far as 
 the river Coanza, two or three degrees more to the south, 
 and even sometimes down to Cape Negro, which is in the 
 sixth degree of latitude. The court of Lisbon has, also, on 
 some occasions, affected a territorial superiority on this coast 
 of Angola, incompatible with the right of other nations to 
 traffic upon it. In 1784, its agents presumed to disturb the 
 French trade at Cabinda, which forms part of tliis coast, 
 and even to insult our flag. The court of France sent thi- 
 ther M. de Marigny, one of our best seamen, who, by wa/ 
 of reprisal, first destroyed the fort which ht found at Ca- 
 binda. This mode of proceeding, which was certainly jus- 
 tified by circumstances, had nearly led to a rupture between 
 France and Portugal, ih which England would doubtless 
 have taken part. Spain, whose mediation was applied fot 
 by the two courts, shewed a partiality to Portugal, to which 
 she had, recently, more closely united herself, by two familj 
 alliances. She seemed disposed to support the pretensions 
 of Portugal to the sovereignty of the coast of Angola. After 
 a long discussion, the dispute was terminated in the most ami-^ 
 cable manner. Our complaisance left the question unde-- 
 cided ; or, rather, by agreeing to the rebuilding of the fort 
 of Cabinda, we tacitly acknowledged the sovereignty of Por- 
 tugal. This was a matter of triumph for the English, 
 who, in fact, rule, wherever the Portuguese bear nominal 
 sway. It to be hoped, hov/ever, that their triumph will 
 
190 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 of Portugal. This country is the principal 
 place of exile for Portuguese state criminals. 
 Here died Don Diego Mendo^a, the predeces- 
 sor of the Marquis de Pombal. Hither^ also, 
 are sent all sorts of felons and culprits; and^ 
 in this way, Portugal keeps up, and peoples, 
 her colonies. 
 
 Upon the whole, the different Portuguese 
 possessions, in Africa, are of very little value 
 to the sovereign. The tribute paid, by fifteen 
 princes of the coast, who are dignified with 
 the title of Kings, may flatter his vanity, but 
 they are far from equivalent to the sums ex- 
 peuded in the maintenance of these establish- 
 ments, though they are in such a wretched 
 condition. With the means, which Portugal 
 possesses, far superior advantages might, doubt- 
 less, be derived from these settlements ; but she 
 must, first, have a different kind of administra- 
 tion ; she must get rid of her prejudices, and a 
 great number of those useless people, whose 
 
 not be permanent, and that the French, who have declared 
 war against all usurpations, will avail themselves of their 
 successes to oblige the court of Lisbon to renounce rights 
 founded only upon its pretensions. Editor* 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 191 
 
 ignorance, and indolence, check the progress 
 of industry in these remote regions. 
 
 It is in South America that the most valu- 
 able colonies of the Portuguese are situated. 
 The first, and the most worthy of notice, is 
 Brasil, an extensive, opulent, and unfortunate 
 countrj^ the possession of which has caused 
 the effusion of rivers of human blood. 
 
 Here follows the ludicrously emphatic de- 
 scription of this country, given in the poetic 
 style peculiar to himself, by Don Sebastian de 
 Rocha Pitta, in his History of Portuguese 
 America, from its discovery^ in 1500, to the 
 year 1724: 
 
 The most considerable portion of any of 
 the quarters of the world is Brasil : an immense 
 region, a highly favoured country, whose sur- 
 face presents nothing but fruits, whose bosom 
 teems with treasures, and whose mountains 
 and hills are covered with aromatic trees and 
 ^jerbs; whose fields pay their tribute of the most 
 useful articles of food, and whose mines yield 
 the purest gold ; w^hose trees furnish the most 
 exquisite balsams, and whose seas supply the 
 
m 
 
 TliAVELS IN PORTUGAt> 
 
 most valuable amber :-^a country, truly, ad- 
 mirable, ever rich ; where Nature, with won- 
 derful liberality, pours forth her choicest pro- 
 ductions, which, for the opulence of the mo- 
 narch, and the benefit of the world, art pre-^ 
 pares, extracting, from its reeds, an agreeable 
 Bectar; and, from i<s fruits, a delicious am- 
 brosia ; of which those aliments^ and that li- 
 quor, which, in the opinion of the most po^ 
 lished and civilized heathen, constituted the re* 
 pasts of their gods> were but a feeble image/' 
 
 Brasil is eight hundred and seventy-five 
 leagues from nOrth to south, and four hundred 
 and twenty-five from east to west. On the 
 north it is bounded by the Amazons' river ;* 
 
 * The river of Amazons rises at the foot of the Andes> 
 tfot far from the city of Quito ^ and, after a course of more 
 than 1400 leagues, discharges itself into the ocean. Its 
 mouth is, at least, thirty-five leagues in breadth. The navi- 
 gation of this river, interrupted by large islands, and prodi- 
 gious trunks cff trees, is extremely dangerous. Tempests 
 are more violent upon it than in the open sea. Its mouth, in 
 particular, exhibits a tremendous spectacle. Its enormous 
 pillows, with horrid roar, encoutiter the waves of the sea 
 and, it requires more than ordinary intrepidity, to venture 
 Upon the immense mounti^ins of water, formed by this ter- 
 rific conflict. The Portuguese and the Spaniards, who have 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 193 
 
 on the east by the ocean ; on the south by the 
 Rio de la Plata f and on the west by the exten- 
 sive country of the Amazons. It has fifteen 
 hundred leagues of coasts, and is divided into 
 fourteen captainships, or provinces^ all situated 
 along the coast, in the direction from north to 
 south. Following this direction^ we shall pro- 
 ceed to give a brief description of each of 
 them. 
 
 1. Para. 
 
 The first province^ contiguous to the river 
 of Amazons, the northern boundary of Brasil^ 
 is Para, whose capital. Nostra Senora de Bel- 
 lem, is situated at the mouth of the above- 
 settlements on either bank of the river, are familiarized 
 with these dangers. The English, also, brave them, as they 
 ascend this first river in the world. But French audacity 
 will not be alarmed at them, if, as it is hoped, our nation, 
 also, obtain permission of the jealous Portuguese, to navi- 
 gate this river, and to carry on commercial speculations, on 
 its, spontaneously, fertile banks. Editor. 
 
 * This is one of the largest rivers in the world. There 
 is none whose entrance is so dangerous, and where shipwrecks 
 are so frequent. Its bed contains sand banks, some of which, 
 are thirty- five leagues in length. Its current is so rapid, and 
 the mass of water which it discharges into the ocean, is so 
 prodigious, as to make the waters of the latter swell to 9 con- 
 siderable distance from its mouth. Editor* 
 
 VOL, I. N 
 
194 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 mentioned river. It is a considerable placc^ 
 well built, and populous; its port is sufficientlj 
 capacious to receive large vessels- The pro 
 \ince of Para has about tw^elve or fourteen 
 hundred men in garrison, both in the town and 
 in the different ports, constructed along the 
 river. The city of Para has a population of 
 seven or eight thousand souls. 
 
 Below Para^, towards the mouth of the Ama- 
 zons' river, are a great number of small, and 
 very populous, islands, belonging to Portu- 
 guese fidalgos, who give them the title of ba- 
 ronies. On the lower part of the river, there 
 are several forts, as Corupa, Para^ Tapagos^ 
 and Rio NegrO. There are four towns in this 
 captainship ; but its population, exclusive of 
 the capital^ does not exceed five thousand per- 
 sons, Its government is dependent on that of 
 Maragnon. 
 
 2. Maraham, or Maragnon. 
 In this province, which is very fertile, the 
 only populous place is the Isle of St. Louis, 
 containing about twelve hundred souls, In 
 1613, the French erected, there, the to^n of 
 St. Louis^ with a fortress^ which i« now m the 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET, 195 
 
 possession of the Portuguese. In this towa 
 resides the governor-general of the three north-' 
 ern provinces. 
 
 3. SlARA. 
 
 This province^ of inconsiderable extent, in 
 comparison of the others^ is, however, ex- 
 tremely populous ; but, for want of harbours, 
 capable of admitting large vessels, it has 
 scarcely any commerce. It contains, at the 
 utmost, ten thousand souls. 
 
 These three provinces, especially Para, have 
 rich diamond mines. 
 
 4. Rio Grande. 
 
 This captainship is, doubtless, superior to 
 any in Brasil; it derives its name from the 
 river which runs through it, from east to west, 
 and is navigable, to the distance of one hun- 
 dred and fifty leagues, from its mouth. Here 
 is a fishery of the best pearls that are found 
 along the whole coast of Brasil. The soil of 
 this province is very fertile in all kinds of pro- 
 ductions. It comprehends twelve thousand 
 souls, but very few Portuguese. 
 
 n2 
 
196 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 5. Paraiba. 
 This province is very fertile in fruits^ grain, 
 sugar^, and^ especially in the wood known by 
 the appellation of Brasil wood. It is of mo- 
 derate extent. Its capital is situated on the 
 river of the same name ; the harbour is very 
 good, and defended by a fort called St. Catha- 
 rine's. The town contains^, nearly, four thou- 
 sand persons^ and the province twenty thou- 
 sand. The sugar of this captainship is ac- 
 counted the best of any in Brasil. 
 
 6. Tamaraca. 
 This province is of very inconsiderable ex- 
 tent. It comprehends an island, on which 
 stands the capital, denominated Nostra Senora 
 de la Concepcion. The captainship compre- 
 hends a population of ten thousand souls, at 
 the utmost, and of this number scarcely one- 
 third are Portuguese. 
 
 7. Fernambouc. 
 This was formerly the finest, the richest, 
 and the most populous province of Brasil; it 
 comprehends sixty- five leagues of coast, upon 
 which are some good harbours. Besides Olinda, 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 197 
 
 the capital, it contains other towns, as Serin- 
 ham, Ignaram, Porto-Calvo, Alagoas del 
 Norte, San Antonio del Rio Grande-; Alagoas 
 del Sud, on the river St. Francis, which bounds 
 this province on the south, and Penedo. 
 
 Olinda stands on the sea-shore, on an emi- 
 nence, in a delightful country : it has about 
 twelve thousand inhabitants, and a garrison of 
 eight or nine hundred men. 
 
 Fernambouc is an episcopal diocese of con- 
 siderable extent, and containing fifty or sixty 
 thousand souls. With so many natural advan- 
 tages, and such a population, it is astonishing 
 that agriculture should, rather, have declined^ 
 than improved, in this province. The fault 
 lies in the Portuguese, whose slothfulness and 
 indolence are, faithfully, copied by the other 
 colonists. 
 
 8. Seregippk. 
 This province has never been in possession of 
 any very extensive branch of commerce ; for 
 it has no harbours capable of admitting vessels 
 of any burden. Its capital is St. Christopher's. 
 It contains several other inconsiderable towns^ 
 and about twenty thousand inhabitants. 
 
198 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 9. The Bay of All Saints. 
 This captainship is^ at present^ the most im- 
 portant in Brasil. It is well situated, rich, 
 has a considerable trade, and a population of 
 more than one hundred and twenty thousand 
 souls. San Salvador, the capital, is very well 
 fortified, and well built; it has a goqd har- 
 bour on the bay, which gives name to the 
 whole province. This city is rich, has some 
 trade, and contains twenty thousand inhabit? 
 ants. 
 
 10. Dos Ilheos- 
 
 This province has a very rich and populous; 
 capital, called St. George. The bar of its har- 
 bour is extremely well defended. It is an opu- 
 lent city, carries on a good trade in grain, and 
 contains at least twenty thousand souls. The 
 captainship comprehends two other less con- 
 siderable towns. 
 
 11. Porto Seguro. 
 
 In this province there are but two towns, 
 Porto Seguro and San Antonio. They have 
 very little trade, and contain, together, eight 
 thousand inhabitants. 
 
 13. Spiritu Santo. 
 The population of this province amounts to 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 199 
 
 twenty- five thousand persons. It has thrfse 
 towns ; Spiritu Santo, with an excellent har- 
 bour; Nostra Senorade la Vittoria, and Nostra 
 Senorjt de la Concepcion. 
 
 13. Rio Janeiro. 
 This province, which derives its name from 
 a river, contains no more than five thousand 
 inhabitants : it is well cultivated. St. Sebas- 
 tian, the capital, is the see of a bishop. Cape 
 Frio, another town, carries on a considerable 
 trade in salt. 
 
 14. St. Vincent. 
 In the southern part of Brasil, there are four 
 different governments, all of which are depend- 
 ent on that of the Bay of All Saints. The 
 province of St. Vincent is one of the four. 
 Its capital bears the same name, and compre- 
 hends, nearly, three thousand inhabitants. This 
 captainship is one of those that have the most 
 extensive commerce : it is defended by several 
 fortresses. The government of Rio Janeiro 
 comprehends eight thousand souls. It was 
 formerly more opulent, on account of the mines 
 Ik^hich it contained; but since those of Rio 
 Negro, recently discovered, began to be 
 
200 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 worked, it has greatly declined in wealth, and 
 still more in population. St. Paul^ another 
 government dependent on the Bay of All Saints, 
 possesses very rich diamond mines. Lastly, the 
 colony of St. Sacrament, situated to the south, 
 on the banks of the Rio de la Plata, opposite to 
 Buenos Ayres, terminates this government. It 
 has lately been almost ruined by the Spanish 
 general Cevallos, in the expedition jStted out 
 by Spain against Brasil, towards the end of 
 1776, and much more remarkable for its suc- 
 cess, than for the ability with which it was 
 (Conducted.* 
 
 * Tjbis colony pf St. Sacrament, which had long been a 
 subject of continual quarrels between Spain and Portugal, 
 was definitively ceded, by the latter, to the former, by the 
 treaty of peace of the first of October, ] 777, negotiated, 
 very soon, after the death of King Joseph I., and, conse- 
 quently, the disgrace of the Marquis de Pombal. This 
 treaty, completely, decided the respective pretensions and 
 iplaims of Spain and Portugal, in South America. The island 
 pf St. Catharine, belonging to the captainship pf St. Vincent, 
 which had been taken by the Spaniards, was restored and 
 the boundaries of Brasil and Paraguay were determined in 
 such a manner, as to obviate all further disputes between 
 the two powers. 
 
 This quarrel, which had nearly involved the two hemi- 
 spheres in the flames of war, is deserving of some notice. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET, 
 
 201 
 
 This southern portion of Brasil^ bordering 
 on the Plata^ is the richest in the productions 
 of the soil^ as well as in mines ; but^ upon the 
 
 The vast extent of the Spanish and Portuguese posses- 
 Bions in Soutli America, and the thinness of their popula* 
 tion, had given rise to frequent discussions, ever since the 
 period when those powers, setting out from opposite points, 
 undertook the conquest of it j and when Pope Alexander 
 VI., at their mutual request, had fixed a meridian as a line 
 of demarcation between the provinces which they had con- 
 quered. The country contiguous to the Rio de la Plata had 
 been, more particularly, the theatre of these disputes. The 
 treaties of 1680, 1750, and 17^0, had only produced a 
 temporary suspension of them ; new quarrels arose, as the 
 population of the two nations advanced towards the mutual 
 frontier. On either side, the colonists, eager to extend 
 their settlements, and regardless of the celebrated meridian, 
 alternately, passed that boundary, sometimes wilfully, and 
 at others, without knowing it. 
 
 By the iast arrangements, the Rio Grande, whose mouth 
 is in about the 32d degree of south latitude, was to form the 
 boundary, between the two nations and yet in 1770^ the 
 Portuguese had passed that river, established posts on the 
 Spanish territory, and compelled several Spanish detachments 
 to fall back. The court of Madrid remonstrated Portugal 
 disavowed the conduct of the governors, and promised to di- 
 rect the posts in question to be evacuated. But it was M. de 
 Pombal who gave this promise, and a failure in its execution 
 was to be expected. The invaded territory was retained and 
 even augmented. The Portuguese did still more, they en- 
 deavoured, also, to extend their limits, northward, in Para- 
 
203 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 whole^ all these Portuguese colonies are far 
 from being in a flourishing condition. After 
 a possession of three centuries^ in which she 
 
 guay, on the banks of the Rio Pardo. In 1773, the Spanish 
 governor of the province of Buenos Ayres, received orders 
 to inspect the nev^ Portuguese settlements. On the y^dcy, 
 thither, he traversed an uninhabited tract of more than three 
 hundred leagues. At such distances, encroachments may be 
 made with impunity. The Spaniard met wdth a hostile re- 
 ception 5 but, having prepared for a formal attack, the Por- 
 tuguese fled before him. This circumstance wounded the 
 pride of the Marquis, the secret author of these enterprizes. 
 He immediately (in June 17/4) gave orders for the equip- 
 ment of two ships of war. This was succeeded by a series of 
 military preparations on the part of both powers, both in Eu- 
 rope and America, of conferences, and of promises given and 
 violated by the artful Pombal. England interfered in favor 
 of Portugal, and France in behalf of Spain. Matters were, 
 at first, amicably, discussed on both sides ; but the quarrel 
 soon became bitter and complex. M. de Pombal, arguing 
 from the ambiguity of treaties, pretended that Portugal had 
 a right to keep the Spanish settlements, situated on the east- 
 ern bank of Uraguay, which had been ceded to her in 1750, 
 m exchange for the colony of St. Sacrament, though that 
 treaty of exchange, had been formally annulled by another 
 convention in 176O. He was exactly like a tradesman, who 
 was desirous both to keep his goods, and the money which 
 he had received for them. In short, he had so highly pro- 
 voked Spain, whose prime-minister M. de Grimaldi, he held 
 in contempt, that the latter proceeded to decide the quarrel 
 bv the sword. The comnienc^ment of this contest was xmt 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELBT- 
 
 Jias been rarely disturbed^ ought not Portugal 
 ^o have insured their prosperity in every po3r 
 3ible way ? She there keeps eight thousand re- 
 gular troops^ and about forty thousand wretchr 
 ed militia. With such a vast extent of coast, 
 with a soil so easily cultivated^ in a climate so 
 favourable, the population of B asil does not 
 exceed four hundred and fifty thousand souls, 
 of \yhoni pot more than one- fifth are Portu- 
 guese, 
 
 To complete the sketch of the possessions of 
 Portugal, we have still to notice the islands 
 which belong to her in the ocean, beginning 
 witti those nearest to th^ mother-country. 
 
 fortunate for the Portuguese. The island of St. Catharine, 
 on the coast of the captainship of St. Vincent, was taken, 
 without the least obstacle. Rio Janeiro and Rio Grande would 
 have fallen, as easily, had the Spanish naval and iniLtary com- 
 manders been more active and unanimous. The colony of 
 St. Sacrament, the ancient and principal bone of contention 
 between the two powers, yielded to the Spanish arms. The 
 death of King Joseph, fortunately, occurred, to put an end to 
 these hostilities. The preliminary treaty was signed on the 
 1st October, 17775 t^^^ definitive treaty on the 24th of 
 March following 3 and the too famous colony of St. Sacra- 
 ment was irrevocably ceded to Spain. Editor* 
 
204 
 
 TRAVELS IxN PORTUGAL, 
 
 The island of Madeira, lying olF tlie west 
 coast of Africa, in 32° S(y, is eighteen leagues 
 in length, four and a half in breadth, and two 
 hundred and fifty-two from Lisbon. It is di~ 
 vided into two captainships, Machico, and 
 Funchal : they both belong to Portuguese no- 
 blemen. The first is extremely well cultivated; 
 the second contains a town of the same name, 
 which is well fortified, and the see of an arch- 
 bishop. The island of Madeira contains, at 
 most, one hundred and twenty thousand inha- 
 bitants,under the authority of a governor, who 
 resides among them. The king receives consi- 
 derable sums from this island, partly from the 
 custom-houses established there, and partly^ 
 from the tenths paid him, as grand-master of 
 the order of Christ, by the commanderies of 
 that order. It contains three harbours: Fun- 
 chal and St. Croix to the south-east, and Ma- 
 chio to the north-west. This island, discovered 
 in 1418,by John Gonzales de Sarco,was named 
 Madeira, or woody land, on account of the 
 extensive woods with which it was then co- 
 vered. These were set on fire, and it is asserted 
 that they continued burning for seven years. 
 It is highly celebrated for the delicacy of its 
 wines. 
 
BV THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 205 
 
 Ten leagues to the north-east of Madeira lies 
 the island of Porto Santo, in the 33d degree 
 and some minutes. It is only five leagues long, 
 and two broad. The chief town is Porto Santo: 
 it is the only port in the island^, and by no 
 means a good one. The town is tolerably 
 populous. This island^ which produces all 
 sorts of excellent wines, was, likewise, disco- 
 vered, in 1416, by the same Gonzales de Sarco 
 and Tristan Vase, who were endeavouring to 
 double Cape Bojador. Tlrey were overtaken 
 by a tempest, which drove them to an island, 
 before unknown, to w hich they gave the appel- 
 lation of Puerto Seguro,or Porto Santo, because 
 they had found safety there. 
 
 The Azores, or Tercera islands, about three 
 hundred leagues to the west of Lisbon, also be- 
 long to the Portuguese. They are nine in num- 
 ber, and all of them well peopled. With better 
 management, they would be of great import- 
 ance to the king of Portugal. They were 
 discovered by Gonzalo Velio, and received the 
 name they bear, from the great number of vul- 
 tures found on them ; for in Spain and Portu« 
 gal azores signifies vultures. 
 
 The easternmost of these islands is St. 
 
206 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 Mary's^ which contains, nearly, six thousand 
 inhabitants. It is four leagues long, three 
 broad, and has only one harbour, which is welt 
 fortified. 
 
 The next is St. Michaers, which is considera^ 
 bly larger than St. Mary's, being eighteen 
 leagues in length, and two in breadth. It is 
 said to contain upwards of forty thousand in^ 
 habitants. It is very fertile, and no country 
 could be more productive were it completely 
 under cultivation. The town is called Ponte 
 del Gada: its port is very advantageously situ- 
 ated. This island brings in a revenue, of, 
 nearly, forty thousand crusades, to the Portu- 
 guese family, to which, it belongs. 
 
 The island of Tercera, which signifies, the 
 third, was thus named, because it is actually 
 the third, to which you come^ in sailing from 
 Lisbon, It is thirteen leagues in length, and 
 six in breadth. 
 
 Its capital, Angra, is the see of a bishop, the 
 residence of the governor, and the whole coun- 
 cil charged with the administration of the 
 Azores. It is situated in the southern part of 
 the island, and has a good harbour, which m^aj 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 207 
 
 be entered, with every wind, except the south, 
 which obh'ges vessels to weigh anchor, when it 
 blows with violence. The entrance of this 
 harbour is defended by two forts, whose lines 
 of fire intersect each other ; they are amply 
 provided with artillery, and have a garrison of 
 five or six hundred men. The city of Angra 
 contains ten thousand inhabitants. There are 
 two other considerable places, St. Sebastian and 
 Villa Praya. The latter has a spacious and 
 well defended bay, and contains three thou- 
 sand persons. St. Sebastian has only one thou- 
 sand. Angra is a delightful place. Nature 
 has bestowed, on its territor}^ the greatest va- 
 riety of her productions. Nothing can be 
 more enchanting than the appearance of the 
 adjacent country. The mountains which sur- 
 round it, rise in the form of an amphitheatre, 
 and are covered with trees. This beautiful 
 spot is, however, disgraced by innumerable 
 priests, monks, and other drones, who, care- 
 lessly, devour the productions of a fertile soil, 
 disdain to increase them, by their labour, and, 
 impudently revel in scandalous licentiousness. 
 This is a vice inherent in all the Portuguese 
 settlements. The priests, and the monks, that 
 iqidolent crowd, who vegetate under their 
 
208 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 auspices, by assuming their habit, compose, 
 almost every where, three-fourths of their po- 
 pulation. 
 
 The fourth of the Azore islands, is St. 
 George's. It lies eight leagues to the south- 
 west of the preceding; is eleven leagues in 
 length, two in breadth, and contains, in all, 
 thirty thousand inhabitants. Its port is very 
 small, but very good and safe. Only that part 
 of the island to the south of the town, is under 
 cultivation; the northern division being en- 
 tirely covered with rocks. 
 
 To the north-west of Tercera, in the lati- 
 tude of about 39^ 3(y, is the island of Graciosa, 
 inhabited by four thousand persons. It is 
 three leagues long, two broad, and has a small 
 port, on the north side, for very small vessels. 
 
 The sixth island is Tayal, eighteen leagues, 
 west-south- west of Tercera. It is nine leagues 
 in length, three in breadth, and contains foui* 
 thousand inhabitants. The town is advanta- 
 geously situated, on the sea-shore, at the foot 
 of some mountains, which exhibit a succes- 
 sion of gardens rising one above another. It 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 209 
 
 is called Villa Casta : its harbour is good, but 
 small. Near this place are to be seen the re- 
 mains of a large volcano. 
 
 The island of Pico, which is the seventh of 
 the Azores, is sixteen leagues in length, five in 
 breadth, and has tv^o thousand eight hundred 
 inhabitants. Its principal harbour is Villa das 
 Lagunas. This island is seen, a great distance 
 off, at sea, because it contains a steep and very 
 lofty mountain. It has another small port, 
 called La Magdalena, facing the island of St. 
 George. 
 
 The eighth is the island of Flores, whose 
 chief town, Santa Cruz, gives title to the Mar- 
 quis of that name. It is ten leagues long, 
 three broad, and contains about two thousand 
 five hundred inhabitants. 
 
 The island of Corvo is the ninth, and is situ- 
 ated to the north of Flores. It is very small, 
 and the number of its inhabitants does not ex- 
 ceed five hundred. 
 
 Let us now proceed to the Cape de Verd 
 islands. This appellation they received from 
 
 VOL. I. O 
 
210 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 a cape on the coast of Africa, from which they 
 are about one hundred leagues distant. Some, 
 however^ assert, that they gave their name to 
 the cape, and that they were thus denominat- 
 ed, because the trees, upon them, retain their 
 verdure through every season of the year. 
 
 The first and largest is St. Jago, which is 
 eighteen leagues long, and eight broad. It has 
 two harbours; one belonging to the chief town, 
 called St. Jago, which is an episcopal see; 
 and the other, which is the best, is that of Villa 
 Praya. 
 
 The other islands are small, and thinly peo- 
 pled. They are nine in number: Mai^ Bona- 
 vista, Sal, Fuego^, Brava, St. Nicholas, St. 
 Lucia, St. Vincent, and St. Anthony. They 
 contain, together, no more than sixteen or se- 
 venteen thousand inhabitants. The air of these 
 islands is very unhealthy, and, notwithstand- 
 ing what has been said of their everlasting ver- 
 dure, they are not fertile. 
 
 The islands, belonging to the Portuguese^ 
 in the sea of Guinea, are of very little value. 
 The first is that of St. Thomas, lying, directly^ 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 211 
 
 under the line^ about thirty-nine leagues west- 
 north-west of the coast of Congo. Its intensely 
 hot climate^ and the unwholesomeness of the 
 atmosphere^ make great havoc among its in- 
 habitants, whose number does not exceed three 
 thousand. It contains but one town^ which is 
 the residence of a bishop. 
 
 The second, of these islands, is Princess Island^ 
 twenty leagues north-east of St. Thomas. It 
 is seven leagues long, two broad, and has two 
 thousand inhabitants. 
 
 The third is the island of Fernando Po, lying 
 to the north-east of the preceding. It is five 
 leagues in length, two in breadth^ and very 
 populous. 
 
 The fourth, to the south-west of St. Thomas^ 
 is the island of Annobon. It is^ at the utmost, 
 six leagues in circumference, and has six hun- 
 dred inhabitants.^ 
 
 ' ^' Of these four islands, to the possession of which Por- 
 tugal, justly, attaches no great importance, two, namely, 
 Annobon and Fernando Po, were ceded to Spain, by the 
 treaty of 1 77 8. The court of Madrid had long been desirous 
 of possessing, near the coast of Guinea, stations, which might 
 
TRAVELS IN PORTtJGAL, 
 
 enable its subjects to carry on an independent traffic for ne-* 
 groes. It/ therefore, conceived that it had made an excel- 
 lent acquisition, but was not long before it was undeceived, 
 Portugal, herself, had never attempted to derive any advan- 
 tage from those two islands, for the purposes of that traffic. 
 Annobon has none of the qualities necessary for this kind of 
 commerce. It is thinly peopled, surrounded with shoals, 
 and almost inaccessible. It has no other advantage, than 
 that of lying contiguous to the coast of Loango, where the 
 nations, engaged in the slave trade, purchase the finest ne- 
 groes : but a new competitor would have excited jealousy, 
 and have met with obstacles, even on the part of our traders, 
 who carried on their principal traffic on that coast. 
 
 With respect to the other island, that of Fernando Po, the 
 nearest to the coast of Guinea, Spain found, after it was 
 ceded to her, that she would have it to conquer 5 for Portu- 
 gal, herself, was never in tranquil possession of it. Accord- 
 ingly, in 178.5, seven years after this acquisition, on which 
 the court of Lisbon had laid particular stress, Spain had not 
 taken a singk measure to derive advantage from it, and, 
 since that time, has not bestowed any attention to the sub* 
 ject. Editor, 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET* 213 
 
 CHAPTER IX, 
 Population. 
 
 Portugal is not^ nearly, so populous as it might 
 be, from its extent, and the high cultivation^ 
 of which it is susceptible. Several causes con- 
 tribute to the thinness of its population; the 
 heat of the climate, and the luxuriancy of na- 
 ture, produce, in the youth of both sexes, an 
 irresistible propensity to the pleasures of love, 
 and a precosity, which aloiost all of them 
 abuse. It is not uncommon to see marriage- 
 able boys of fifteea, and girls of eight or nine. 
 Sometimes, at that early age, these unfortunate 
 creatures begin, by shameful diseases, to pay 
 the peiKilty of their premature pleasures. More 
 frequently still, they are infected with the poi- 
 son in the very womb of the motber. The 
 least of the bad consequences attending these 
 anticipations of the period of the complete de- 
 velopment of the organs is, that they debili-' 
 
214 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 tate the constitution, and exhaust the sources 
 dflife. 
 
 The manners of the country oppose other 
 obstacles to the progress of population. In or- 
 der to prove this, it would be necessary to enter 
 into disgusting details. But, if we consider 
 the effects of the most profligate debauchery 
 in both sexes; if we know that married women 
 frequently have recourse to means the most 
 repugnant to nature, in order to remove the 
 appearance of their criminal fecundity ; that 
 many jealous husbands refrain from cohabiting 
 with their wives, to prevent their infidelity, or 
 to obtain proofs of it; that the numbers of * 
 young pages, attached to every house of any 
 distinction, arc the objects of the most dis- 
 graceful gratifications; if we recollect that, in 
 a kingdom containing little more than two mil- 
 lions of inhabitants, two hundred thousand 
 must be deducted for the priests and religious 
 of both sexes, those drones, who are lost to 
 agriculture, the arts, commerce, and, notwith- 
 standing the licentiousness of their manners, 
 even to the propagation of the species, we shall 
 be enabled to account for the depopulation of 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 215 
 
 Portugal. Other causes may be found in the 
 frequent assassinations, and, especially, in that 
 horrid tribunal, the existence of which, alone^^ 
 scares, from the Portuguese dominions, all those 
 who do not profess the only predominant reli- 
 gion, or keeps them, while they reside there, 
 in a state of continual alarm. 
 
 The frequent emigrations of the Portuguese 
 to their distant possessions, the effect of those 
 intensely hot, and, in general, unhealthy cli- 
 mates, the havoc made by earthquakes, and 
 that of 1755 in particular, which destroyed 
 more than twenty thousand persons, are addi- 
 tional causes of depopulation. 
 
 Lastly, the great numbers of negroes, mulat- 
 toes, and Creole^ who are to be met with at 
 Lisbon, are another source of the irregularities 
 which contribute to the corruption and degene- 
 racy of the stock of the Portuguese. Indolence 
 is their least vice. Many of them are thieves 
 and assassins. It is they, who commonly sound 
 the trumpet, at the head of processions, and 
 who carry about, in the streets, those figures 
 of saints, which they expose to the homage of 
 
216 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 superstition. This class of people has multi- 
 plied in an astonishing manner. They have 
 insinuated themselves into the ecclesiastical 
 order;, and have not contributed to render it 
 more respectable. I observed^ at Lisbon, se- 
 veral negroes in the monastic habit, and some 
 even in that of the priesthood. I was one day 
 not a little surprized to see a procession com- 
 posed entirely of negroes, who were carrying, 
 in great pomp, a number of saints of their own 
 colour.* 
 
 But let us return to the population of Por- 
 tugal, and give a general outline of it, comr 
 prehending that of its different colonies. 
 
 In the chapter on the geography of the 
 country, we have stated the number of inha- 
 bitants to be as follows : 
 
 * On this occasion, I remarked a very ludicrous circum- 
 stance. The great street, along which the procession ad- 
 vanced, was lined with spectators. During the whole time 
 the pious train was passing, the young girls who looked 
 on, kept up a continual sneezing. On inquiring the mean- 
 ing of this strange chorus, 1 was informed that it was in- 
 tended to ridicule the poor negroes, because they are said 
 never to sneeze. Note by the Author. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 217 
 
 In Entre-Douro-y-Minho - - 504,000 
 
 Tra-los-Montes - - - 156,000 
 
 Beira - _ - - 560,000 
 
 Portuguese Estremadura - 660,000 
 
 Alentejo . - - . 280,000 
 
 The kingdom of the Algarves 65,000 
 
 Total 2,235,000 
 
 The Portuguese possessions in 
 
 Asia contain about - - 50,000 
 
 Those in Africa - 80,000 
 
 Brasil - - - - 430,000 
 
 The islands of Madeira and 
 
 Porto Santo - - - 130,000 
 
 The Azores - - - 80,000 
 
 The Cape de Verd islands - 16,000 
 
 The islands in the sea of Gui- 
 nea - . - - - 5,000 
 
 Total 791.000* 
 
 Total of the subjects of the 
 
 King of Portugal - - 3,016,000 
 
 * In this number there are not, perhaps, one hundred 
 and thirty thousand Portuguese. Note by the Author. 
 
218 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 CHAPTER X. • 
 Commerce. 
 
 I SHALL not go back to the origin of the cooi- 
 mereeofthe Portuguese, but, leaving to the 
 learned, the task of proving, that it was from 
 the Phoenicians that Spain and Portugal learned 
 the principles of trade : I shall confine my ob- 
 servations to the present state of the commerce 
 of the latter kingdom, and its mercantile rela- 
 tions with the other diviisions of the globe. 
 
 Before the Portuguese commenced their 
 splendid discoveries/ tliej enjojed, in peace^ 
 the fertility of their soil, which was then well 
 cultivated ; and, if it furnished them not, with 
 the superfluities, it supplied, at least, the neces- 
 saries of life. Other nations were engaged in 
 commerce, at a time when this was, scarcely, 
 known, unless for its ignorance, elfeminacy, 
 and barbarism. I shall divide this chapter into 
 four sections, exhibiting the present state of 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 219 
 
 its commercx; with each of the four quarters of 
 the workl. 
 
 Section !• 
 
 Commerce with Europe. 
 
 Though the Portuguese nation is poor, it^ 
 nevertheless, contributes a rich and valuable 
 share to the commerce of Europe, not only in 
 the productions of its own soil, but also of its 
 colonies. The principal commodities furnished 
 by Portugal, are, wool, oil, wine, raisins, figs, 
 oranges, lemons, and salt, all of which are 
 largely exported. She procures, from abroad^ 
 several articles of indispensable necessity, such 
 as, wheat and other grain, silks, woollen cloth, 
 hats, iron, pitch, and tar. 
 
 The Portuguese receive from their colonies, 
 diamonds^ topazes, pearls, gold, cotton, excel- 
 lent leather^ tobacco, sugar, all kinds of dying 
 w oods and inlaid work, ginger, pepper, and in- 
 digo. The commerce of Portugal, were it^ 
 judiciously, directed, would, therefore, consist 
 in importing and exporting all these different 
 articles in the most advantageous manner ; but 
 England, having, in a mknner, made herself 
 
220 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 mistress of the commerce of the Portuguese, 
 and not allowing the competition of any other 
 nation, has reduced the price of their exports, 
 while that of the imports continues as high as 
 ever. The English, by supplying all the wants 
 of the Portuguese, by encouraging their indo- 
 lence, have laboured, as effectually, under the 
 appellation of allies, to ruin their commerce 
 and manufactures, as professed enemies could 
 possibly have done. Woollen manufactures 
 had been established in Portugal, and to pro- 
 mote their prosperity, the government had 
 prohibited the importation of all kinds of fo- 
 reign woollens. The English contrived ta ob- 
 tain the repeal of this interdict as far as re- 
 garded themselves, by means of a commercial 
 treaty concluded with Portugal on the 27th 
 of December, 1703, while John Methuen,Esq. 
 was ambassador extraordinary at Lisbon. The 
 cloth manufactures, having to sustain a com** 
 petition with those of England, soon declined. 
 The Portuguese government was taken by 
 surprize, on this occasion, by the cunning ne- 
 gotiator. It was dazzled by the prospect of 
 encreasing the sale of the wines of Portugal. 
 The country was in want of various kinds of 
 baizes, for which the Portuguese w ools are ua- 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET, 221 
 
 fit:, on account of their shortness^ and their too 
 greasy nature. But ought it not to have con- 
 fined itself to authorising the importation of 
 those stuffs ? The wools of the country would 
 then have been reserved for fine cloths^ and the 
 national manufactures would not have been 
 ruined. 
 
 This treaty, so fatal to the industry of Por- 
 tugal, deserves to be introduced entire : 
 
 ARTICLE I. 
 
 His Sacred Royal Majesty of Portugal pro- 
 mises, both in his own name, and that of his 
 successors, to admit, for ever, hereafter, into 
 Portugal, the woollen cloths, and the rest of 
 the woollen manufactures of the Britons, as was 
 customary, till they were prohibited by the 
 laws. Nevertheless, upon this condition, that 
 is to say, 
 
 II- 
 
 That her Sacred Royal Majesty of Great 
 Britain shall, in her own name, and in that of 
 her successors, be obliged,for ever, hereafter, to 
 admit the wines of the growth of Portugal into 
 Great Britain ; so that^ at no time^ whether 
 
322 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAt. 
 
 there shall be peace or war between (he king- 
 doms of Britain and France, anj thing more 
 shall be demanded for these wines by the name of 
 customs or duty, or by any other title whatso- 
 ever, directly or indirectly, ( whether they shall 
 be imported into Great Britain, in pipes, or 
 hogsheads, or other casks, ) than what shall 
 be demanded for the like quantity or measure 
 of French wine, deducting, or abating, one- 
 half of the custom or duty. But if, at any time, 
 this deduction or abatement of customs, which 
 is to be made, as aforesaid, shall, in any man- 
 ner^ be attempted and prejudiced^ it shall be 
 just and lawful for his Sacred Royal Majesty 
 of Portugal again to prohibit the woollen cloths, 
 and the rest of the British woollen manufac- 
 tures. 
 
 The reason why England so highly favoured 
 the introduction of Portuguese wines into her 
 dominions is very obvious. It was not, most 
 assuredly, either from motives of good-will, or 
 of gratitude for the advantages, which she de- 
 rived from the exportation of her woollens to 
 Portugal : but she took, at that time, from 
 France, a much larger quantity of wines than 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 223 
 
 at present/ and this produced an unfavour- 
 able balance in the commerce of England, At 
 that period, too, the Portuguese wines sold at 
 less than half their present , price : the Eug- 
 ilsh paid for them in commodities with which 
 Portugal cannot di.^pense ; whereas our wines 
 were not to be procured, except with ready 
 money, because the thriving state of our 
 cloth manufactures did not oblige us to be , 
 tributary to England for the supply of our 
 wants in that line. They were, therefore, 
 doubly gainers by this treaty. They established 
 a wider market for their manufactures in Por- 
 tugal, and diminished the consumption of our 
 wines. By this arrangement, the Portuguese, 
 on the other hand, have been every way losers. 
 As they could no longer pay their balance, with 
 the produce of their own manufactures, they 
 have been forced to give specie for the com- 
 modities which they are obliged to procure 
 
 * it must be recollected that the author wrote in 
 1778, there can be no doubt that the exportation of our 
 wines to England, has since encreased. This must be chiefly 
 attributed to our last commercial treaty \v>h that power — 
 a treaty, against which great objections may perhaps be al- 
 leged, but which cannot, at least without injustice, be de- 
 nied to have been attended witli this advantage. Editor^ 
 
224 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 from England. Hence, tlieir gradual impo-* 
 \erishment, and their subjection to the court 
 of London. Previous to the catastrophe of 
 the earthquake, the English carried, annually, 
 out of Portugal, thirty millions of livres tour- 
 nois, in hard cash ; and, to such a degree was 
 that kingdom drained, that in 1752 and 1754, 
 it had more than fifteen millions left in 
 circulation.* 
 
 It must not, however, be supposed, that 
 Portugal is, absolutely, and irrevocably, de- 
 pendent on England, in matters relating to 
 commerce. Her government wants nothing 
 but firmness and resolution, to shake off a yoke 
 so ruinous and oppressive. 
 
 Of this truth, M. de Pombal was, thoroughly, 
 convinced : and he made several successful 
 efforts to commence, at least, the emancipation 
 of his country. 
 
 ^ This assertion appears scarcely credible. M. de Cha- 
 telet ought to have produced proofs in support of it. So 
 much, at any rate, is certain, that the present circulating 
 medium of Portugal, is not so inconsiderable. Editor, 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET, 
 
 225 
 
 He always looked upon England as the most 
 inveterate enemy of Portugal ; consequently, 
 he was no favourite with the English. He 
 had done them considerable injury, by abo- 
 lishing all the ancient companies, by throwing 
 open, to a free trade, all the branches under 
 their controul ; and, on the contrary, by com- 
 mitting, to the direction of companies, all those 
 which were not, before, under their manage- 
 ment. 
 
 No measure could be more prejudicial to 
 the English, than that adopted, in 1766, by 
 M. de Pombal, when he encouraged the im- 
 portation of our corn into Portugal, at the mo- 
 ment when M, de Choiseul issued an ordinance 
 in favour of its exportation ; but this advan- 
 tage, which was reciprocal for the two nations, 
 -Was of short duration. Several causes contri- 
 buted to put an end to it. M. de Pombal^ 
 finding that his projects were frustrated by 
 France, and receiving no more corn from that 
 country, had recourse, in order that he might 
 be no longer at the mercy of the English, to a 
 violent expedient, perfectly congenial with his 
 character. He ordered a great part of the vines 
 to be destroyed, and the land which they occu- 
 
 YOL. I, F 
 
226 TRAVELS IN POUTtJGAL, 
 
 pied to be sown with %vlieat. Among 'a les^ 
 indolent people, this plan would have been 
 crowned with complete success. M. de Pom- 
 bal^ however, was not discouraged by the first 
 obstacles he had to encounter. His project 
 excited murmurs and discontent. The minister 
 was accused of malversation ; it was asserted 
 that he had directed the vines to be pulled up^ 
 merely to obtain a higher price for the produce 
 of his own. The people were, nevertheless, 
 obliged to obey. The lands^ where the vine 
 had been proscribed, were converted into corn- 
 fields^ but not without many difficulties. The 
 proprietors resisted ; the prisons w^ere filled, 
 and Pombal beheld the dawn of success. The 
 whole tract of Santaren, about eight leagues in 
 extent^ was sown with wheat; but it was not 
 long before the Marquis de Pombal was con- 
 vinced of the impotence of his efforts to make 
 the inestimable, but laborious art of agriculture 
 ilourisb among a people, in whom indolence is^ 
 innate. He relinquished his project, but had 
 recourse to another method of attacking the 
 English, 
 
 He established^ at a gTcat expence, manu- 
 factures of silk^ cloth, leatlK^r, soap, hats, and 
 
fiY THE DUKE DE CHAtELET, 227 
 
 ^lass. He then issued severe ordinances, pro- 
 hibiting the importation of any foreign stuffs, 
 and punished, without mercy, all who infringed 
 on these decrees; but the imperfection of these 
 manufactures, the high price of hands, and, 
 above all, the tardiness of the workmen, caused 
 the preference to be, invariably, given to the 
 commodities of England and France. In spite 
 of ordinances, foreign manufactures find an 
 extensive sale in Portugal. The Marquis de 
 Pombal was not yet disheartened ; he spared 
 no exertions to revive the commerce of his 
 country. The more efforts he toade, the more 
 difficulties he met With^ and these were the 
 more vexatious^ as they sometimes led to 
 personal insults. He 'was desirous of draw- 
 ing the northern nations, Denmark, Sweden, 
 and Russia, to Lisbon, by means of commercial 
 treaties ; but as the Portuguese never visit the 
 seas of the North, these mercantile relations 
 remained uncultivated, and produced scarcely 
 any benefit; because they neglected to go them- 
 selves to the northern ports, to enjoy those 
 advantages which foreigners found in theirs. 
 
 From all these circumstances, the commerce 
 of Portugal in Europe, is, in fact^ very incon- 
 f2 
 
228 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGIL, 
 
 siderable. A succession of such ministers as 
 M. (le Pombal would be required to revive it. 
 Then, probably, might the Portuguese effect, 
 in cbmmerce, a revolution, as important as that 
 formerly produced by their discoveries in the 
 New World : but, above all things, it would 
 be necessary to draw all the commercial nations 
 to their ports, to excite a useful competition 
 among them, and to relinquish, at least for 
 a fe\^ years, a portion of the duties on importil 
 tod exports. It would be necessary to cure its 
 government of ihe notion, that agriculture, ma- 
 nufactures, and commerce, may, without incon- 
 venience, be burdened with imposts. Mistaken 
 ideas of religion are also an obstacle to the im- 
 provement of the Portuguese, in any of the 
 arts, which require long, continued, applica- 
 tion. In Portugal, and at Lisbon in particular, 
 you see artisans quitting their shops and their 
 work, running all over the city, with a taper 
 in one hand and a rosary in the other, and 
 kneeling before the Madonna, or the image of 
 some other saint. Add to this^ the frequent 
 and ridiculous diversions, numerous proces- 
 sions, and all the pious practices, so favourable 
 to idleness, and you will be able to judge how 
 little taste the Portuguese must possess, how 
 
fiV THE DUKE DE CHATELET* 229 
 
 little they must be accustomed to labour^ and 
 how little improvement can be expected frora 
 them in the arts, and in commerce. Not that 
 they are, by any means, deficient in aptitude 
 for the different branches of industry ; they 
 possess vivacity, intelligence, and perseverance; 
 they are able to'bear fatigue : but all these 
 good qualities are rendered abortive by the fatal 
 influence of ignorance and superstition, and the 
 powder of their priests. The latter are so scut 
 sible that their empire is founded on the want 
 of knowledge, that they deprive the people of 
 all, even the most innocent means of informa- 
 tion. They declaim against foreigners, to 
 whom they acknowledge themselves inferior in 
 science, and invariably seek, in their distorted 
 religion, the arms which they employ against 
 them ; and yet it is, in a great measure, to fo- 
 reigners, that Portugal might owe her regene- 
 ration. Numbers have been allured thither by 
 the prospect of gain, and many h^ve, at first, 
 received a cordial welcome from the govern- 
 ment, by whom they hqive been employed in 
 the improvement of certaip arts, and the esta- 
 blishment of inanufactures. But, in general^ 
 it is itself, strongly, prepossessed against these 
 foreign artisans ; and no sooner does it imagine 
 
230 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 that it has no further occasion for them, than it 
 not only withdraws the privileges which had 
 been, previously, granted, but delivers up toi 
 persecution, ruin, and often drives them out 
 of the kingdom. The Portuguese, nevertheless, 
 have not, for a long time, been able to do with- 
 out foreigners.* How will they, who never 
 travel, otherwise, participate in the discoveries 
 which are made, by nations more intelligent, 
 more skilful, and more* enterprizing, than 
 themselves ? The Marquis de Pombal himselC 
 with all his genius, was not free from this pre- 
 judice against foreigners. He was anxious to 
 extend the commerce of his country with the 
 other nations of Europe, but he was mistaken 
 in the means. How could he expect that the 
 shipping of the nation, in its ruinous condi- 
 
 * In the different excursions which I took in Portugal, I 
 made a point of visiting such places as contained any manu-. 
 factures. In many of these places, such as Alcobas and 
 others, where there are manufactures of linens, silks, hats, 
 &c. I observed that they were established, or at least super- 
 intended, by Frenchmen, or other foreigners, who were 
 every moment in fear of losing their situation. They informed 
 me that, when once the manufactures were established, fo- 
 reigners were dismissed without any reward, notwithstand- 
 ing the solemn promise that they should be remunerated 
 for their services. Noie by the Author. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 231 
 
 tion, would be adequate to all the naval and 
 mercantile operations of the Portuguese? What 
 was the consequence of this exclusive system ? 
 The English lent merchant vessels to the Por- 
 tuguese, and became their factors ; the most 
 important branches of commerce were gra- 
 dually transferred into the hands of the En- 
 glish, who^ at length, began to trade on their 
 own account. 
 
 Such are the prinfcipal causes which have re- 
 duced, almost to nothing, the active commerce 
 of Portugal with the rest of Europe. Plans, 
 conceived with more judgment, might have 
 rendered it, extremely, flourishing, for the be- 
 nefit of Portugal, and other commercial na- 
 tions, and to the detriment of England alone. 
 
 Section IL 
 
 Commerce with Asia. 
 
 The same radical defects which keep the 
 iComraerce of Portugal, with Europe^ in a lan- 
 guid state, operate on the trade of that country 
 with Asia. If it were established on better 
 
 \ 
 
232 TRAVELS IN FORTUfiAtj, 
 
 principles, seconded by a mercantile nation, and 
 protected bj a navy, it might be widely ex- 
 tended. tJnder her present circumstances, 
 Portugal equips no more than two ships^ annu- 
 ally, for Asia; that is to say, for the cities of 
 Goa and Diu. Their cargoes are worth five or 
 six millions of livres. Like all those sent from 
 Europe to thp West Indies, they consist, for 
 the greater part, of specie. 
 
 Goa and Diu, as we h&ve already observed, 
 are the only places, of consequence, left to the 
 Portuguese, out of all their conquests in the 
 East Indies. These two towns, situated in the 
 dominions of the Mogul, are well fortified, and 
 their situation, which renders them impreg- 
 nable, is ext|*emely favourable for commerce. 
 The Portuguese possess Daman, and some other 
 small places, situated, like the former, on the 
 coast of Malabar ; and Macao, on the coast of 
 China. Much less than this would enable an 
 active and industrious nation to carry on a very 
 profitable commerce- 
 
 Goa, it is well known, was, formerly, the chief 
 place, and the most considerable mart, in the 
 East ladies ; but the English, and, still more^^ 
 
^ BY THE DU^E DE CHATELET, @33 
 
 the Dutch^ have occasioned the decline of the 
 Portuguese commerce in that part of the worldo 
 To so low an ebb has it been reduced^ that it 
 is said that the factories of Goa employ a ca- 
 pital of no more than six hundred thousand 
 francs in all their Indian commerce. With so 
 small a sum, and so little activity, can the 
 Portuguese hope to make any great improve- 
 ment in this branch of their industry ? Must 
 they not rather expect to te soon deprived of it 
 a^ltogether ? 
 
 Section IIL 
 
 Commerce with Africa. 
 
 The first essays of the Portuguese in navi- 
 gation were succeeded by bolder undertakings. 
 In less than a century, they discovered the coast 
 of Africa in 1420 f the East Indies in 14S7; 
 and Brasil in 1511. In these countries they 
 formed considerable establishments. It was the 
 Jnfant Don Henry, son of John I., who, after 
 
 * The French contest, with the Portuguese, the honour of 
 tfiis discovery, and assert that they were the first Europeans 
 V/ho landed on the coasts of Africa. Editor. 
 
234 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 the taking of Ceuta, awakened the spirit of 
 discovery. He steered, by the courses of the 
 stars, and by the compass, in which, at that 
 period, great ioiprovemcnts had, already, been 
 made. This young Prince may be considered 
 as the original founder of the vast empire ac- 
 qiiired by the Portuguese, in those three quar- 
 ters of the globe. Under his direction and 
 patronage, n\\ the western coasts of Africa were 
 discovered dpring the reign of his father and 
 Alphonso V. The Portuguese doubled thp 
 Cape of Good Hope, and explored the eastern 
 coast of the same continent, where they esta- 
 blished factories, which they sti|l fetain. There 
 they carry on a very lucrative commerce, 
 which is said to yield a profit of cent, per cent. 
 
 The island of Madeira, one of the earliest 
 discoveries of the Portuguese, produces abun- 
 dance of excellent wine and sugar-canes. The 
 English, alone, ship, from this island, nearly 
 twenty thousand pipes of wine, per annum, for 
 their own consumption ; it yields excellent 
 fruit, and in great abundance. The inhabit- 
 ants exchange their wines, honey, and wax, 
 oranges, lemons, pomegranates, leather, and 
 dragop/s blood, a species of gum^ which abounds 
 
BY THE DUKE 0E CHATELET. 
 
 in that island, for the commodities and provi- 
 i^ions of Europe. The English have endea- 
 voured to make themselves masters of this com- 
 merce, by gradually forming establishments at 
 Madeira, where they have f;actories as in their 
 own colonies. 
 
 The Cape de Verd islands, so well adapted 
 to all sorts of productions, would likewise have 
 been very profitable to the Portuguese, had 
 they known how to turn them to account. 
 They were formerly resorted to for slaves, cot- 
 ton, rice, elephants' teeth, ambergris, civet, salt- 
 petre, sponges, and pumice stones. If Bona- 
 vista, one of these islands, were cultivated, it 
 would yield abundant crops of cotton and in- 
 digo, but agriculture is, there, in a languishing 
 state. The English are in possession of tht 
 most important branch of commerce afforded 
 by these islands, which is, their salt. This ar- 
 ticle, they ship at the island of Mai, and export 
 considerable quantities of it. They have also^ 
 made themselves masters of the river of Senegal, 
 and, have, likewise, disturbed the Portuguese, 
 in the settlements which they had in the king- 
 dom of iGalain. They carry thither gold-dust^ 
 ^^'hich they exchange for slaves. 
 
236 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 With more activity and intelligence:, ih% 
 Portuguese might have extended their posses- 
 sions as far as the kingdom of Tombut^ and 
 have derived, from them^ considerable profit. 
 All the commodities that are met with in this 
 part of Senegal^ are either productions of the 
 country^ or are brought, thither^ by theMoors^ 
 in caravans, from Tripoli and Tunis. These 
 articles, both at Tombut and Galian, consist of 
 woollen cloths, and serges of di{Ferent colours ; 
 looking-glasses; crystals; paints^ especially 
 red ; corals wrought in various ways ; copper 
 vessels ; paper ; salt, and implements of iron. 
 The productions of the country, are excellent 
 d at es^ senna, ostrich-feathers, gold, and slaves. 
 Though Tombut is^ of itself^ very rich in goldj, 
 the natives of the interior of Africa^ carry that 
 metal thither^ and barter it, in the country, at 
 a low rate. The Portuguese have other esta- 
 blishments of considerable importance, as^ Ca- 
 cheo^ Bintam^ Bissar, and several others. They 
 carry on commercial speculations there, either 
 directly, or by means of agents. Cacheo is one 
 of the principal European settlements on the 
 coast of Africa. Wax, slaves, and ivory, are 
 the chief articles of its commerce. The Por- 
 tuguese also, possess establishments in the king* 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 2St 
 
 dom of Ghinala, lying to the south of the Se- 
 negal. 
 
 The guri)^ known by the appellation of gum 
 arabic, because itj actually conies from the jLe- 
 vant^ is the same as that procured from the regions 
 of the Senegal. The latter, at least, is quite as 
 good. By purchasing it on the spot where it is 
 produced, it is obtained at a lower price, and 
 is, consequently, preferred. Considerable quan- 
 tities of it are exported; but this article, which 
 may be had at a very cheap rate in Africa, be- 
 comes, exorbitantly,dear in Europe, on account 
 of the great consumption of it, in all kinds of 
 manufactures, especially in those of wool and 
 silk. One of the strongest proofs of the incon- 
 sistency of the government and policy of the 
 Portuguese, is afforded by what passes on the 
 coasts of this part of Africa. Salt is one of the 
 most important articles of commerce in the 
 countries bordering on the river Gambia, situ- 
 ated south of Cape de Verd. Will it be be- 
 lieved that the Portuguese are so simple as to 
 suffer the English to supply them with this ar- 
 ticle, with which they freight, in the Portu- 
 guese island of Mai, and which costs them no-- 
 thing but the trouble of exchanging that com- 
 
23S 
 
 tRAVELS IN VOmVGALi 
 
 modity, and paying some trifling ancoiirag'i^ 
 fees ? A very slight eflbrt would be sufficienti 
 to transfer this important branch of commerces 
 into their own hands ; but even this would be 
 too great an exertion for their supineness. The 
 imports of Gambia are slaves, gold, ivory, wax^^ 
 and woollens. 
 
 The Portuguese have, alsoj valuable esta- 
 blishments in the kingdom of Congo, and onthe 
 coast of Angola, for the slave-trade. No coun*'- 
 try can be richer. Loanda, a handsome town, si- 
 tuated onthe coast of Angola, is the capital of 
 the Portuguese possessions. As all nations enjoy 
 the liberty of trading there, the traffic for ne-^ 
 groes is so extensive, that upwards of sixty 
 thousand slaves are^annually, purchased in those 
 countries. The Portuguese, having the be.^t 
 establishments, trade to much greater advan- 
 tage, and, are liable to much fewer losses, than 
 the others. 
 
 The rich country of Loanda, is rather ti part 
 of the dominions of Portugal and one of her 
 colonies, than a mere settlement. The Portu- 
 guese receive considerable tributes from various 
 provinces, wbich they have conquered, in tluj 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CUATELET. 
 
 ^39 
 
 interior of this countr y. The King of Portugal 
 derives^ from this kingdom of Angola^ a very 
 large annual revenue^ arising from these tri- 
 butes^ and, also^ from the duties imposed on the 
 merchandize and slaves that are sold there. 
 
 The establishment^ which the Portuguese 
 possess, in the island of St. Thomas is also, very 
 profitable, on account of the quantity of sugar 
 and ginger, which they obtain from it, at a 
 very low rate. Prince Island, Annobon, and 
 Ascension likewise belong to them. Annobon 
 contains a few settlers who carry on a very ex- 
 tensive commerce. These islands might, upon 
 the whole, be rendered, extremely, valuable. 
 From their vicinity to the equator, they arc 
 subject to excessive heat, which though very 
 unhealthy for the inhabitants, is highly fa- 
 vourable to vegetation; and this, particularly, 
 applies to St. Thomas, which lies exactly under 
 the Line. Here you meet w ith ripe grapes all 
 the year round ; the sugar-canes arrive at ma- 
 turity so fast, that it is difficult to purify, and 
 of course to refine the sugar extracted from 
 them; but this disadvantage is counterba- 
 lanced by the extreme abundance of the crops. 
 
240 
 
 TRAVELS m VORTVGJiij 
 
 In treating of the East Indies, I have riot 
 confounded their commerce with that of the 
 eastern coasts of Africa : which properly be- 
 longs to this quater of the world, though there 
 is a great similarity between it and India. The 
 Portuguese have considerable establishments 
 in this part of the universe ; and to them was 
 Owing the discovery of Monom-dtopa, during 
 the reign of Emanuel 1.^ They are the only 
 Europeans who now have possessions in that 
 empire, which is divided into several kingdoms. 
 From this country> the Portuguese have ob- 
 tained, great quantities of gold; Their settle- 
 ments extend, into the interior, as far as Mas- 
 sapa. The whole coast of Sofala, comprized 
 between the rivers Zambeze and Magnira, be- 
 longs to them. They there procure gold, ivory, 
 amber, and slaves, The kingdom of Melinda, 
 situated, also, on the east coast of Africa, is tbd 
 nearest country to the Red Sea, to which the 
 Europeans have access. The coasts of Urn 
 kingdom are, almost, entirely, under the domi- 
 nion of the Portuguese, and their settlements, 
 here, are as rich as those of Sofala and Mo- 
 zambique, This whole eastern coast of Africa 
 
 ^ This portion of Africa was discovered by V.ascode Gama 
 ki 1498. Note by the Author. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 241 
 
 in general, is of very great advantage to them, 
 in regard to their Indian possessions. These dif- 
 ferent establishments afford anchorage to ships, 
 which, besides, repair thither to complete their 
 cargoes, whether thej be coming from, or re- 
 turning to, Europe. 
 
 Section IV. 
 
 Commerce with South America.^ 
 
 It is in South America that the most valu- 
 able possessions of the Portuguese are situated. 
 Their settlements, in this part of the M^orld, 
 might, alone, enrich all Europe, from the ex- 
 tensive commerce which is carried on there, 
 and render Portugal the most opulent of all its 
 states. Brasil was discovered by Alvarez Ca- 
 
 * On this subject, no reader should omit to peruse a 
 Work from the pen of, perhaps, the most elegant writer of 
 this, or any age. It is k:titled " An Account of the Eu* 
 ropean Settlements in America By the Right Honourable 
 Edmund Burke. Editions have, lately, been published, 
 exactly corresponding with that celebrated author's works, 
 of which they form vols. 9 and 10 in octavo^ and voL 5, 
 quarto. 
 
 TOL. I, Q 
 
242 
 
 TRAVELS IK PORTUGAL, 
 
 bral, a Portuguese. He was conducting a fleet 
 towards the Cape of Good Hope, on his way 
 to India, and, standing out, rather too far, in 
 quest of a favourable wind, he was overtaken 
 hy a storm, andxlriven upon the coast of Brasil, 
 on the 24th of April, 1500. He found an ex- 
 cellent harbour, which he called Porto Seguro; 
 and gave the name of Santa Cruz to the con- 
 tinent, since denominated Brasil, from the 
 wood which grows in that country.* 
 
 No particular attention was, in the first 
 instance, paid to this discovery, the govern- 
 ment, being assured that it contained no mines, 
 nor had any territorial productions, sent 
 to this country none but criminals, prosti- 
 tutes, and people whom it wished to get rid 
 of. As the colony increased greatly, by these 
 numerous transportations, necessity rendered 
 
 * This tree is about the height of our oak, and very bushy. 
 It grows among rocks, and in dry situations. It makes, upon 
 the whole, a mean appearance, but is very useful for dyeing. 
 The flowers, which nearly resemble in figure those of the 
 lily of the valley, are of a beautiful red, and its leaf is very 
 much like that of box. The quality of this wood is ascer- 
 tained by its weight ; the more compact, the better it is for 
 dyeing. A kind of carmine, and a liquid lake, used in mi- 
 niatures, are extracted from it. Note by the Author, 
 
BV THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 243 
 
 its members industrious. They first applied 
 themselves to agriculture ; the colony^ gra- 
 dually, became organized; the first plan of 
 administration was formed, for it, in 1549, and 
 Don Thomas de Sousa was charged with its 
 execution. The efforts of government were 
 crowned with success, and settlements were 
 established along the coast, from the river of 
 Amazons to that of La Plata. The produc- 
 tions of the country, its woods, became valu- 
 able articles of exportation for the commerce 
 of Europe. All these commodities, at first, 
 found their way to Lisbon; but the Dutch 
 soon beheld this rising branch of trade with 
 a jealous eye. They sent a fleet to Brasil, at- 
 tacked the Portuguese, and expelled them from 
 their possessions, and the productions of this 
 vast country, instead of being conveyed to 
 Lisbon, were carried to Holland. The Por- 
 tuguese, however, having shaken off the Spanish 
 yoke, drove out the Dutch, and cleared Brasil 
 of them in 1654, when they were all obliged to 
 quit the country, by virtue of an armistice. 
 The Dutch, being compelled to abandon Bra- 
 sil, directed their ambitious vievvs towards the 
 East Indies, with the design to injure the Por- 
 tuguese in that quarter. They proceeded thithejTi 
 «3 
 
244 TRAtELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 and nlade themselves masters of their posses^ 
 sious in the island of Cejlon. 
 
 Spain^ whose dominions^ in South America^ 
 were contiguous to the P<frtuguese, likewise^, 
 annoyed them: but the Portuguese main- 
 tained themselves in their establishments. The 
 two nations were involved in frequent quarrels^ 
 and^ notwithstanding the limits which thev ap- 
 pear to have^ definitively^ fixed^ by the treaties 
 recently concluded,^' they will still find^ in the 
 proximity of their colonies in South America, 
 an inexhaustible source of disputes. 
 
 The fleets which^, annually^ tails from Portu- 
 gal to Brasil, proceeds to the Bay of All 
 Saints, It is laden with flour^ spirituous li- 
 quors^ oil^ English baise^ hats^ silk stockings, 
 linens^ thready silk, stuffs^ paper, and salto 
 Ships of five hundred tons can come to an an-^ 
 chor in the above-mentioned bay; but the bay 
 of Fernambuc will not admit vessels of above 
 two hundred and fifty tons. The returns from 
 Brasil are, sugar, indigo, cotton, leather, wood^ 
 
 * The treaty of St. lldefonso, signed October 1, 177/^ 
 ^lid that of Pardo, March 24, 1778. Editor. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET, 
 
 345 
 
 balsam of capalm^ oil, whalebone, vanilla, ca- 
 cao, coiFee, sarsaparilla, &c. 
 
 Notwithstanding all these advantages, and 
 the means of possessing the most splendid 
 branch of commercte in the world, the listless 
 Portuguese were far from deriving, from these 
 settlements, all the advantages of which they 
 were susceptible. The fault laid, in a great 
 measure, with the government, which might 
 have given extreme activity to this commerce, 
 by throwing it open. Their merchants would 
 then have speculated at pleasure ; emulation 
 would have animated them ; the docJk-yards 
 would have been filled with workmen ; manu- 
 factures, the mercantile marine, in a word, 
 every thing would have felt the beneficial in- 
 fluence of such a measure. On the contrary, 
 an universal languor must prevail, in conse- 
 quence of the adoption of the measure of send- 
 ing out together, and only once a year, under 
 the escort of three or four ships of war, a great 
 number of vessels, which take a whole year for 
 their voyage. 
 
 The discovery, however, of silver, gold, and 
 diamond mines in Brasil, towards the end of 
 
246 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 the last century,* became an abundant source 
 of wealth to Portugal ; which, from the first, 
 has received of them, annually, upwards of 
 forty-five millions of livres. This commerce 
 is encouraged, in many respects ; in Brasil, no 
 duty is paid either on imports or exports; but 
 the returns, whether in gold or silver, pay, 
 in Portugal, thirty percent. Goods shipped 
 from Portugal, for Brasil, pay five, and com- 
 modities from foreign countries, only, three. 
 The expences of shipping and commission 
 amount to six per cent ; and the same charges, 
 on returns, to four. It is asserted that the 
 merchandise, which Portugal buys up in Eu- 
 rope, for the supply of her colonies, brings herf 
 
 * This discovery was made in a very singular manner. 
 Some Portuguese, visiting the interior of the country, per- 
 ceived that tlie hooks with which the Indians fished were of 
 gold. They inquired where they procured that metal. The 
 Indians conducted them to the banks of a river, took up some 
 of the sand, and shewed them the gold which it contained. 
 Thi« circumstance gave them an idea of the treasures which 
 the bowels of ihe earth must conceal ; .and it was not long 
 before they were successfully explored. Note by the Author, 
 
 f That is to say, brings those, who carry on this commerce 
 for her, in her ports, with hei magazines, but with their 
 capital, for their exclusive profit, and to the detriment of 
 the Portuguese. Editor^ 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 247 
 
 more than cent, per cent, including the duties 
 on importation and exportation, freight, com- 
 missions, charges for warehousing, &c. 
 
 Notwithstanding so many apparent advan 
 tages, the possession of Brasil is rather perni- 
 cious than profitable to Portugal, because it 
 only tends to encourage idleness, and to retard 
 the progress of industry. Accordingly, among 
 other plans proposed to that power, it has been 
 recommended to cease working the mines 
 of Brasil, to prohibit the introduction of gold 
 and silver, and, thus, bring back the natifon to 
 the genuine sources of wealth — agriculture 
 and manufactures. But this expedient would 
 prove ineffectual, and, perhaps, even disastrous, 
 because the stagnation of industry in Portugal 
 results, not so much from the abundance of 
 specie, as from the vices of the government ; 
 experience gave, during the last century, a 
 striking lesson on this subject, and proved, that 
 it is not, by such violent measures, that a na- 
 tion can be, suddenly, roused from its indolence 
 and ignorance. 
 
 Twenty- four years after the celebrated revo- 
 lution, which placed the Duke of Bragaiica on 
 
S48 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 the throne, the importation of the tobacco and 
 sugars of Brasil^^as, also, of all the French stuffs, 
 was prohibited. This measure was intended 
 to revive the national industry, and to encou- 
 rage the Portuguese manufactures : but these 
 manufactures were inadequate to the wants of 
 the kingdom ; those of England lent their aid, 
 and, at length, entirely, supplanted them. The 
 English have long remained in possession of the 
 privilege of supplying Portugal with almost 
 all the articles of luxury, of utility, and, even^ 
 of necessity. It has been calculated, from the 
 custom-house entries, that, for woollen stuffs, 
 and jewellery, she, annually, pays thematribute 
 of one hundred and ninety thousand pounds 
 sterling, a sum which is far from balancing the 
 amount of the wines, oil, fruit, and salt, which 
 they take of Portugal.* Add, to this direct and 
 legal commerce, all the profit on the scanda- 
 lous contraband trade carried on by them in 
 their packets, which enjoy the privilege of being 
 exempt from search. f 
 
 * We shall presently see that this differs from the opi- 
 nion given by the English writer. Murphy, in his Present 
 
 State of Portugal. 
 « 
 
 f They are not at present. Editor, 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 215 
 
 There was a time when Portugal received, 
 from England^ almost all the grain necessary 
 for her consumption^, and even the articles of 
 clothing. It is not above six years since, that 
 whole cargoes of English shoes were imported 
 into Lisbon. The Marquis de Pombal^ froia 
 the beginning of his administration^, devoted 
 }iis serious attention to the emancipation of his 
 country, from this cruel bondage. He may 
 even be said to have achieved, in this respect^ 
 things impossible to any other person ; but he 
 did not remain, long enough^ in power, to 
 ^complete his work. 
 
 As to other matters, no work can aflx)rd a 
 more comprehensive idea of the state of the 
 commerce of Portugal, the causes of its de- 
 cline, and the means of restoring its splendor, 
 than the immortal performance of the Abbe 
 Raynal. We shall add but a few touches to 
 the picture, which he has drawn. 
 
 It depends, in a great measure, on the go- 
 vernment, to correct the abuses, whicli still 
 doom the industry and commerce of Portugal, 
 to a shameful stagnation. The unbounded 
 influence of priests, that execrable institution. 
 
250 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAt, 
 
 the Inquisition, which consolidates and perpe- 
 tuates that influence, are, doubtless, the chief 
 causes of the universal languor, which prevails 
 throughout every departnaent of the govern- 
 tnent. Hence the profound ignorance in which 
 the people vegetate; hence those superstitious 
 practices, those innumerable processions, those 
 distant pilgrimages, which call the artisan from 
 his workshop, and the husbandman from the 
 plough;* hence those public alms, which en- 
 courage idleness; those private charities, which 
 rob the poor, even, of necessaries, and cause 
 them to neglect useful occupations, and the 
 maintenance and education of their families, to 
 assure themselves of heaven by a mistaken be- 
 neficence. So long as the government shall 
 not^ courageously, adhere to the resolution of 
 striking at the root of all these abuses; so long, 
 as it shall, on the contrary, encourage them, 
 by an example of blind deference to the real 
 
 * There are, among the more illiterate class of the Por- 
 tuguese, unfortunate persons,, who occasionally make very 
 judicious reflections on this loss of time. I once heard an 
 artisan, who had a large family, exclaim^ while he raised his 
 eyes to heaven : Eight holidays in a fortnight ! Great 
 God! could*st thou have commanded this?** Note by the 
 Author, 
 
BY THE BUKE DE CHATELET. 251 
 
 authors of the misery of the nation, the latter 
 cannot be expected to rise from the abject de- 
 gradation into which it has sunk. It has, hi- 
 therto, turned a deaf ear to this prudent ad- 
 vice; and thrice fortunate are they by whom 
 it is given, if they do not incur its resentment^ 
 and fall victims to those sanctified tyrants, 
 whom they strive to unmask and dethrone. 
 
 But though these are (he principal, they are 
 not the only causes of the wretchedness of Por- 
 tugal. The frequency of the wars, in which 
 she suffers herself to be involved, either in de- 
 fence of her remote possessions, or in obe- 
 dience to the caprices of a powerful ally, is an- 
 other obstacle to her regeneration. 
 
 To this, must be added, those exclusive and 
 privileged companies, authorised, by an injudi- 
 cious avidity, in the government. The profits . 
 of them are, ostensibly, reserved for the king, 
 but it is at the expense of the tranquillity of 
 his subjects that he obtains them. These com- 
 panies in order to enforce and extend their 
 rights, as also to prevent frauds, establish boards 
 of administration, the expenses of which ab- 
 sorb^ almost the whole revenuCj and whose ra- 
 
252 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 pacious and cruel agents oppress and ruin all 
 those Avhom they suspect of an intention to 
 elude their vigilance. The branches of com- 
 inerce, over which this company is placed, lan- 
 guish for want of competition, and the com- 
 modities are raised to an exorbitant price; a 
 new source of distress for the wretched people. 
 
 This is not all : the exchequer has thought 
 fit to charge these commodities with heavy du- 
 ties on exportation. This has produced an in-^ 
 crease in their price, a source of new vexations, 
 by the establishment of custom-houses, and tolls, 
 a decrease in the consumption, gmd a stagna- 
 tion of the nmanufactures. 
 
 Artisans have, also, been, directlj^ attacked, 
 by the measures, adopted by the exchequer. A 
 tax has been laid on their industry, and they 
 are forbidden to work without paying a certain 
 sum. Forbidden to work ! Has Nature in-r 
 vested governments with the power to prevent 
 the people from working ! Can a king extend 
 his prerogatives to such a length !* Artisans 
 
 ^ We have here a philosophical sally, rather extraordi- 
 nary in a nobleman and a courtier. 1 have retained the ori- 
 ginal expressions of the author ; vv^hich has not been the 
 case in many other instances. Editor, 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 2j3 
 
 were^ therefore^ obliged to pay a tax to the 
 «tate for permission to exercise their talents ; 
 consequently those who had industry^ but no 
 money, were starved. What was the result ? 
 Manufactures declined^ wages rose, the con- 
 sumption decreased, and with it, of course, the 
 quantity of productions. 
 
 The country people themselves, were not 
 exempted from these absurdly rapacious calcu- 
 lations. It is only a few years since it was com- 
 mon to say Such a farmer is rich, let us raise 
 his taxes.*' These unfortunate people, who 
 pay heavy imposts to the state, in proportion 
 to the number of their ploughs, take good care 
 notto augment them. They choose rather to leave 
 part of their lands uncultivated, than run the 
 risk of being ruined by the accidents to which 
 the first crops are liable ; by the increased 
 taxes imposed on them, in proportion to the 
 new ploughs which they would be obliged to 
 employ to bring all their grounds into tilth. 
 
 Agriculture, of course, languishes, and the 
 nation is at the mercy of foreigners for its sub- 
 sistence. Now, the foreigners who feed a na- 
 tion, sooner or later reduce it under their sub- 
 jection. This tiuth is exemplified in England 
 
254 TRAVELS IN POIlTUGAt> 
 
 and Portugal. But is the possession of names 
 of Ihe precious metals, also, one of the causes 
 of the indigence of the Portuguese ? This 
 question has long been discussed, and its solu- 
 tion is not an easj task. 
 
 It must, in the first place, be admitted that, 
 at the period of the discovery of the mines of 
 gold, silver, diamonds, &c. the proprietors, 
 managers, labourers, in a word, all who were 
 concerned in working them, enriched them- 
 selves by it. As money came so easily, it went 
 in the same manner. It became an object of 
 general attention. Nothing was now thought 
 ©f but the means of increasing the mass of it, 
 and luxury made a most alarming progress. 
 The persons who had, recently, acquired for- 
 tunes, distributed among the tradesmen and 
 artisans, a portion of their wealth. The latter, 
 in their turn, inc reased their consumption, and 
 created new wants. They were obliged to 
 raise the price of their labour; so that this 
 abundance of specie, at first so dazzling, and 
 considered as the sign of universal opulence, 
 was soon productive of pernicious results. The 
 price of commodities, all the productions of 
 the soil, and all manufactures, being raised, io 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 255 
 
 the country, the natives went, to other markets, 
 to supply themselves, at a cheaper rate. From 
 that moment, the farmers were discouraged, 
 manufactures declined, the shops were shut up, 
 and the specie found its way to foreign coun- 
 tries. The husbandman raised no more, from 
 Iiis land, than was necessary for his own sub- 
 sistence, and that of his family. The mer- 
 chants, ruined by luxury, could not again 
 open their counting-houses. Twenty years had 
 elapsed, and no new establishments were form- 
 ed. The artisans, having no work, at home, 
 had gone, in quest of it, to other countries. 
 Such was the state in which Portugal was 
 found by M. de Pombal ;* and as the radical 
 vices of the government could not be eradicat- 
 ed, even, by his vigorous hand, such is still, 
 nearly, the state in which he has left it. 
 
 Finally, this country owes her present im- 
 poverished state to one other cause. To defray 
 
 * Mention has been made, at page 139, vol ii. of a 
 scarce portrait of the Marquis de PombaL A very fine im- 
 pression of it may be seen at the Greyhound, a comfortable 
 inn, at Chalfont, St. Peter's, about five miles beyond Ux- 
 bridge. The landlord purchased it at the sale of some ef- 
 fects of Mr, Burrell, who resided in that neighbourhood. 
 
256 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAt, 
 
 the expenses of ber wars, and other incidents^ 
 she has been obliged to have recourse to loans; 
 and as disposable capitals are not common, ia 
 a country ruined, and destitute of manufac- 
 tures, it was necessary to obtain these loans 
 from foreigners, and to pay them an interest of 
 ten, fifteen, and even twenty per cent. This 
 surcharge, on the royal exchequer, has occa- 
 sioned the necessity of augmenting the imposts^ 
 Part of these ruinous debts have been, succes- 
 sively, discharged; but the imposts yet remain* 
 
 Fr^m this summary view, it is obvious how 
 many obstacles still oppose the prosperity of 
 Portugal. In order to surmount them, its go- 
 vernment should possess more than ordinary 
 vigour ; but, unfortunately, it is weak. It 
 \v ants enlightened advisers ; but those by whom 
 it is surrounded and influenced, take good care 
 to remove all such from it. 
 
 To complete our observations on the com- 
 merce of Portugal, we shall here introduce an 
 extract from a memoir communicated to us on 
 that subject. 
 
BIT THE DUKE DE CHATELET* 
 
 ^57 
 
 EXTRACT FROM A MEMOIR ON THE COMMERCE 
 OF PORTUGAL. 
 
 The commerce of Portugal with other powers 
 is^ nearly, the same as that of Spain, if we ex- 
 cept pearls, rough diamonds, and other kinds 
 of jewellery. With respect to the other com- 
 modities, the greater part of them is imported 
 by the Dutch. It is Brasil, and the other Por- 
 tu2:uese colonies of America, and of the coast 
 of Africa, which consume ahuost all the mer- 
 chandize, conveyed to Lisbon by French, En- 
 glish, and Dutch vessels. 
 
 The French have long supplied, exclusively^, 
 all the silks, sold, in Portugal ; and till 1667, 
 this trade was, almost, entirely, in the hands 
 of the merchants of Paris, Lyons, and Tours. 
 Two circumstances occasioned the decline of 
 this branch of commerce, so lucrative to 
 France. One of these was the bad faith of the 
 French factors, and the other, the establish- 
 ment of silk manufactures, at Lisbon, and some 
 other towns of Portugal, The result of the 
 second cause was the destruction of the com- 
 
 VOL, I. R 
 
258 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 rnerce of the Genoese;, Florentines^ Vene- 
 tians^ and other Italians, who had profited 
 by the rain of that of the French. A third 
 circumstance, likev>ise, proved injurious to the 
 latter: this was the prohibition, issued by France, 
 against the importation, from Portugal, of the 
 sugars and tobacco of Brasil, with a view to en- 
 courage the sale of those of the French West 
 India Company, established in 1664; the Por- 
 tuguese having, in revenge, forbidden the im- 
 portation of articles manufactured in France. 
 Some, trade, however, is still carried on, in 
 Portugal, with silks of French manufacture, 
 especially, the finest gold and silver brocades. 
 
 The Dutch have derived the greatest ad- 
 vantage from our losses, and from this mis- 
 imderstaodiog between the two nations, who 
 have been on such good terms, ever since the 
 French, generously, afforded their assistance at 
 the period of the revolution of Portugal. 
 
 Portugal also sends out to Brasil, Britan- 
 nias, druggets, serges, and brocades of all 
 colours, furnished by France. The English 
 merchants have the greatest share, in the trade, 
 in raw^ and wrought silks and taffety, that 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 259 
 
 come from Italy ; for it is these silks that have 
 the most extensive sale^ because they ^re 
 adapted to persons of every class. The returns 
 from Brasil consist of sugar^ tobacco^ and lea- 
 ther. 
 
 All the trade of Brasil is carried on in Por- 
 tuguese vessels^ and other nations are not per- 
 mitted to send ships to that country. It is^ how- 
 ever^ visited by certain interlopers ; and part 
 of the cargoes shipped at Lisbon and Oporto 
 for that colony^ in the name of Portuguese 
 merchants, often belongs to the English ; a 
 practice, nearly, corresponding with that in- 
 troduced in the commerce with Spanish Ame- 
 rica. Foreigners, it is imagined, are no great 
 losers by this exclusion from the trade with 
 Brasil, not only on account of the length of 
 the voyage, which, generally, takes a whole 
 year, but also the low freight paid for the 
 goods sent thither ; on which freight, more- 
 over, the King of Portugal levies a duty^, 
 amounting, on an average, to one-fourth of 
 the whole, towards defraying the expense of 
 the convoy which he furnishes. Besides, ihb 
 charges of equipment are much lower in Por- 
 tugal, than in other countries, ou account of 
 r2 
 
260 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 the sobriety of the nation, and the small wag-es 
 gi;/en to seamen. Goods taken up in Portugal, 
 and equipped for Brasil;, pay an export duty 
 of five per cent ; those coming from abroad 
 are charged only three ; but they have, pre- 
 viously, paid duties, on importation, at the rate 
 of about twelve per cent,, the average between 
 those demanded for different kinds of merchan- 
 dize, some of which are charged higher and 
 some lower. To this must be added the charge 
 for commission, which is six per cent, for goods 
 going to Brasil, and four, for those caming 
 from that country. 
 
 The Portuguese carry on a very lucrative 
 trade on- the coasts of Africa. Besides the 
 slaves whom they want for their colonies in 
 Brasil, or carry to those of other nations, they, 
 here, procure wax, ivory, and gold-dust. This 
 traffic in slaves was transferred to the French 
 during the Spanish succession war; and, at the 
 peace of Utrecht, to the English. 
 
 The trade w hich the Portuguese keep up 
 with Spain is, highly, advantageous to them> 
 and brings them a great quantity of specie, as 
 the commodities, with which the Spaniards 
 
 I 
 
BY TilE DUKE DE CHATELET, 
 
 261 
 
 supply Portu<^al^ are far inferior^ in value, to 
 those which they receive from that country. 
 Those exported to it, by Spain^ are mohair^ 
 taifety^ indigo, cochineal, and mastic; and the 
 commodities which she obtains (hence, are su- 
 gar and tobacco. The Dutch, and, especially, 
 the English, carry on a considerable trade at 
 Oporto : that of the French, at the same place^ 
 is liojited, though it might, easily, be very much 
 extended. It is visited, annually, by eight, or, 
 at the utmost, ten Freiich ships ; and these are 
 seldom freighted b^ck with port-wine, except 
 when there is a scarcity of it in France; the duties 
 on importaiion into thekingdombeingvery high. 
 In 1716, the sugars of Brasil sold for thirteen 
 or fourteen livres the arroiie or arroba of 
 thirty-two pounds, of fourteen ounces each. 
 They are accounted better and whiter than 
 those of Martinique; nevertheless, a very small 
 quantity of them is carried to France, because 
 they pay twenty or twenty-two livres, per quin- 
 tal, more than those of the French islands. The 
 oils procured at Oporto are not, in general^ 
 very fine, and are fit, only, for the manufac- 
 tories. The almon of oil, weighing forty 
 pounds, costs, there, thirteen livres. Though 
 the Spanish oils are still of inferior quality^ the 
 
26S 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL, 
 
 French prefer them to those of Portugal, of 
 which they take but a very small quantity. 
 The French ships commonly freight back with 
 cork^ tobacco^ and particularly shumac and 
 fruits. 
 
 The French, if they were to lay themselves 
 out for the trade of Oporto, might there find a 
 market, annually, for tweaty-five or thirty 
 thousand quintals of salt-fish ; millet to the 
 amount of five or six cargoes, of sixty tons 
 each; about four hundred quintals of pitch; 
 three or four thousand quintals of iron of Bis- 
 cay, and three or four thousand barrels of tar. 
 They would there find, in general, a market 
 for all the commodities of France,' and, espe- 
 cially, stuffs. Her manufactured goods are 
 held in high estimation at Oporto, as well as 
 over all Portugal ; but they come too dear. 
 The English and Dutch furnish theirs at a 
 cheaper rate ; and on this account, the latter, 
 though in less repute than the French, must 
 continue to injure the commerce in the latter. 
 
 I think it right to subjoin an extract from a 
 letter written to me from Oporto, the second 
 pf May, 1778, while I was in Portugal, hy a 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 
 
 263 
 
 merchant^ from whom I had requested infor- 
 mation, respecting the commercial relations 
 of Portugal with France. 
 
 You require of us. Sir, some information re- 
 lative to the state of our commerce with France; 
 we shall answer your inquiries in a few words. 
 With respect to linens, a great quantity of 
 law^n of St. Quentin, as also of Royals and BrU 
 tannias, is shipped for this kingdom, but not 
 so much for this place as for Lisbon, which or- 
 ders, largely, of these articles, for the use of the 
 country, and for Brasil ; though the Silesian 
 and other German linens are preferred, on ac- 
 count of their cheapness, and, consequentlVj 
 they have a more extensive sale. 
 
 French woollen cloths have been prohibited 
 ever since the last treaties ; but the customs 
 have been imposed upon by the declaration 
 that they were Dutch. In this manner the 
 woollen stuffs of France have been, for manv 
 years, introduced into Portugal, and obtained 
 a preference among the consumers, over those 
 of Holland and England, as far as regards those 
 of the finest quality, and, particularly, black. 
 As to the common cloths, it is impossible to 
 
264 
 
 TRAVELS IN PORTUGAL^ 
 
 afford them at a lower rate than the English 
 and Dutch. 
 
 The prohibition of French cloths wa$ occa- 
 sioned by a merchant of Lisbon^ who was en- 
 gaged in a manufacturing concern. Having 
 received a parcel of cloth, he insisted on its 
 being charged to him as French cloth, though 
 the custom-house officers maintained it to be 
 Dutch. The result of this misunderstanding 
 w^as a quarrel and complaints. The circum- 
 stance, having come to the knowledge of the 
 minister, produced a prohibition of the impor- 
 tation of French cloths. None but the black 
 or coloured druggets of Rheims, and the eta- 
 mines of Mans, are consumed in Portugal, no 
 other nation having yet been able to imitate 
 them. They, consequently, have the prefer- 
 ence over the other common stuffs of foreign 
 countries. 
 
 Salt jfish is an article of importance to Por- 
 tugal, since one single province* receives, an- 
 nually, about sixty thousand quintals, and a 
 
 * Entre Douro y Minho, in which Oporto is situated. 
 
BY THE DUKE DE CHATELET. 26r> 
 
 like quantity is imported at Viana, Figuera, 
 and Aveyro, exclusive of Lisbon^ which re- 
 quires a very large supply for its own consump- 
 tion, and that of Brasih Great quantities are, 
 alsO;, sent to the Portuguese islands: but the 
 English dispatch the whole of it from New-- 
 foundland, while the French furnish not a 
 single ship-load. The same was the case with 
 the ricC;, which was supplied from Carolina; 
 the produce of that country being preferred to 
 any other : but^ henceforward, it will be fur- 
 nished by Brasil. The importation of Indian 
 commodities into Portugal is not permitted ; 
 since the Portuguese nation carries on, in that 
 part of the world, a direct commerce, which, 
 after supplying the wants of the country, sends 
 abroad the surplus ; that is to say, the greater 
 part of what it receives- Such is, also, the 
 case with the sugar, which we obtain from 
 Rio Janeiro, Fernambuc^ and Paraiba, and 
 which is again exported for Hamburgh and 
 Italy. Lastly, the cotton which we receive 
 from Brasil^ is almost all consigned to Rouen. 
 
266 
 
 SUPPLEMENT, 
 
 BY THE EDITOR, 
 
 On the Commerce of PortngciL 
 
 We are now about to take more detailed^ 
 Qjid far more recent views of the commerce 
 of Portugal than the author had the means of 
 doing. They are drawn from the excellent 
 work of Citizen Arnoud^ entitled^ Balance of 
 the Commerce of France; from the second vo- 
 lunie of James Mqrplj} 's book^ published in 
 London^ 1798, on Poriugal, and which has 
 not hitherto been translated into French; and^ 
 lastly, from a variety of collections, to which 
 we have had access. 
 
 Murphy savs, that the trade of Portugal, 
 compared with what it was at the com- 
 mencement of the present century, may be 
 considered very flourishing. The reign of 
 Joseph I. formed a new epoch, not only in the 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 267 
 
 commerce, but^ likewise^ in the political eco- 
 nomy of the kingdom. From this reig^n may 
 be dated the rapid decline of the trade of Eng- 
 land, with Portugal : it may, partly, be at- 
 tributed to the concessions obtained from them 
 by the other nations, and, partly, to the im^ 
 provements they have, themselves, made ia 
 many branches of their industry. 
 
 We at once recognize in these expressions, 
 the exaggerated statements of an Englishman, 
 disposed to exclaim, loudly, the moment the 
 slightest attempts are made on the exclusive 
 and encroaching pretensions of his nation. The 
 rest of Europe has not yet found out any of 
 these concessions, which Portugal-has made to 
 other nations. Indeed, the treaty, signed at 
 Pardo, 24th March, 1778, recapitulates the ar- 
 ticles of the peace of Utrecht, which stipulate 
 that the two powers shall treat each other, in 
 respect to commerce, the same as the most fa^ 
 voured nation. It, likewise, specifics that the 
 respective subjects shall enjoy, without any 
 exception, the privileges, granted to those of 
 Great Britain, by the treaty of 1667, concluded 
 between that power and Spain. But the too 
 famous treaty of Methu^n^ from which Porta- 
 
268 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 gal dates its subjection to England, has been, in 
 no wise, modified by that of Pardo ; and Eng- 
 land has remained in the exclusive possession 
 of the supply of cloths to the Portuguese^ and 
 has taken^ in return^ the whole of the wines of 
 Oporto, 
 
 As to France^ the court of Madrid had^ im- 
 plicitly, secured to it, in the treaty of Pardo^ 
 the power of acceding thereto ; and yet, the 
 court of Versailles, from motives of delicacy 
 to the pusillanimity of that of Lisbon, waited 
 until the termination of the w ar with England, 
 before it solicited such accession, which was 
 not signed at Madrid, until July 15, 1783. 
 And what new advantages have the French 
 derived from this vain formality? It may 
 have excited 3ome alarm in the English, be- 
 cause it proved that the court of Lisbon had 
 regained somewhat of the liberty to act for it- 
 self: already, was. it even inferred, by the 
 other pow ers of Europe, that we were about to 
 give, in regard to our: el\es, some reality to the 
 indefinite stipulations of the treaty of Pardo, 
 which applied to us, and to demand that, ac- 
 cording to the terms of that treaty, we should 
 be treated, as far as trade was concerned, on the 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 269 
 
 footing of the most favoured nation. Some 
 negotiations were even sketched out in this 
 view; but tbv carelessness of our administra- 
 tion, our relations with Spain^ which has just 
 by two intermarriages, closely connected its 
 ties with Portugal ; the inefficiency of one 
 part of the Portuguese government ; and the 
 malevolence of the other^ again occasioned the 
 victory, which our commerce might have 
 gained, to be deferred. 
 
 Two years afterwards, a dispute arose be- 
 tween us and the court of Lisbon, on the sub- 
 ject of the fort of Cabinda, on the coast of 
 Angola, which afforded us an opportunity to 
 make it renounce its pretensions to sovereignty 
 on that coast ; at any rate to obtain a partici-- 
 pation in those advantages, which the par- 
 tiality of the Portuguese left wholly to be en- 
 joyed by the English : we once more let it 
 escape. Where then can be found a reason for 
 the apprehensions of James Murphy? 
 
 It must, however, be admitted that, owing 
 to certain causes, not one of which are among j 
 those cited by the writer in question, the com- 
 mercial relations of the Portuguese have been^ 
 
270 
 
 STJPPtEM£Nf. 
 
 singularly, extended within eighty years. Ci-^ 
 tizen Arnoud's comparative view of what it was 
 in 1716^ and what it has been in the last ten 
 years, afford an evident proof of it. At the 
 first of these periods; our imports, into Portu- 
 gal, did not amount to more than 743,000 
 livreSj and we received of its merchandise, con- 
 sisting of wine, oil, sugar, cacao, dry fruits> 
 skins of leather, and Brasil tobacco, only to the 
 value of 343,000 livrcs. In 1787, our imports 
 into Portugal, amounted to the sum of, nearly, 
 four millions, in grain, herbs, hams, returned 
 cottons, stufis,woollen hose, jagged and silk rib- 
 bons, paper, leather, prepared hides, mercury, 
 glass, and books ; and we received nearly tea 
 millions and a half of its goods, of which there 
 were 2,756,000 livresin oiI,cacao, lemons, oran- 
 ges, wine, and spice ; 5,153,000, cotton, ivory, 
 seal skins, indigo, dying wood, and inlaid work; 
 and 2,559,000 livres iii calico, and Brasil to- 
 bacco. 
 
 Biurpliy observes, that, according to the re- 
 gisters of the duties at Lisbon, the British com- 
 merce, in 1774 and 1775, with that city alone, 
 was more than double the whole trade of all 
 Other nations. What further then would Ivt 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 271 
 
 desire ? Would he have his countrymen mo- 
 nopolise, the undivided trade of Portugal ? 
 
 He, further, admits, that, in 1785, the 
 total value of th*-. imports from England, 
 into the ports of Lisbon, Setubal, Figuera, 
 Oporto, and those of the Algarves, amounted 
 to 3,381,979,850 reas, about 180 reas to the 
 livre; and that the exports of Portugal, to 
 England, in the same year, amounted to, only, 
 1,564,319,760 reas, so that the result was a 
 balance of 51,121,618 pounds sterling in fa- 
 vour of his ov^n country. 
 
 He adds that the separate commerce of 
 Portugal with Ireland, during 17S4> produced 
 an import to the value of 366,734,435, 
 reas, and an export of 140,439,720 reas, 
 which again leaves a balance in favour of Ire- 
 land of 63,645/. sterling. 
 
 We now proceed with other details, on tli© 
 commerce of Portugal in general. 
 
 In 1790, entered Lisbon, 319 vessels from 
 England and Ireland ; 252 Portuguese ; 321 
 from different parts of Europe ; and 75 from 
 American ports. The entry, of the year, pre- 
 
272 
 
 SUPPtEMENt. 
 
 ceding, into the Tagus^ was 60 English $hip$ 
 laden with fish from Newfoundland. 
 
 From the month of June 1782^ to Decern- 
 hex 1781, the English brought into the citj of 
 Oporto^ alone, 150,000 quintals of fish^ with- 
 out reckoning what the other ports, including 
 Madeira and the Azores received^ by the same 
 channel. The total value of this article of 
 provision, imported in a common year into the 
 ports, appertaining to the Portuguese, by the 
 English, may be estimated at 202,500/. sterling. 
 
 Th6 other principal merchandises receivedi 
 by the Portuguese, from England^ are woollen 
 and checkered goods. There entered Portugal 
 in 1781, to the amount of 2,058,766,150 reaS 
 in woollens^ alone, (nearly 4,800,000.) 
 
 By this single article it is very evident that 
 the English have^ yet, much to lose, before they 
 begin to complain of their relations with Por- 
 tugal ; and notwithstanding. Murphy pretends 
 tliat the exports of the fruits and other produce 
 of Portugal and her colonies^ to England, par- 
 ticularly that of wines^ has so increased, of latei 
 jears^ while the English imports into Portugal 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 273 
 
 h^ve diminished, that it is^, a i this moment^ a 
 matter of doubts in favour of which nation the 
 balance of trade will turn. Should not Mr. 
 Murphy, who is, generally, so well informed, 
 have given some proof in support of such an 
 assertion ? 
 
 The commercial relations of Portugal^ with 
 Spain, have never been very considerable ; nor 
 are they susceptible of any great increase. 
 Spain has, scarcely, any thing but corn to send 
 to its neighbours^ who never produce sufficient 
 for their consumption^ while the western pro- 
 vinces, of La Manchaandold Castille, in good 
 years, produce more than they want. This 
 intercourse, notwithstanding its advantages are 
 reciprocal, is fettered by every kind of trammel; 
 it will be the interest of the two povv^ers to set 
 them aside, when, at last, after so many at- 
 tempts, they seriously enter upon a commer- 
 cial treaty. In Europe, as in the Indies, their 
 produce is nearly the same : either may dis* • 
 pense with the wines of the other. Portugal> 
 itself, has cloths and silks of, sufficiently, fine 
 texture; and what Spain couldj, conveniently, 
 furnish, in this way, would not stand the com- 
 petition with English merchandi:^e of the .^ame 
 YOL. I, u 
 
274 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 kind. Tobacco, alooG;, therefore, is the impof-^ 
 taut branch of trade between these two nations. 
 Spain takes, by virtue of an arrangement con- 
 cluded with Portugal, almost all the smoaking 
 tobacco of Brasil, that she wants for her own 
 consumption ; she receives, also, a great quan- 
 tity more in a contraband way : whence may be 
 inferred, from a circumstance not very difficult 
 io ascertain, thatthere is, scarcely, an individual 
 in Portugal who does smoke, and that a far 
 greater qt>antity of smoaking tobacco, enters it, 
 than is transmitted to Spain by the legal chan- 
 nel. There have been instances, of late years, 
 of the Spanish government requiring of Por- 
 tugal to the value of 200,000 piastres, in to- 
 bacco, from BrasiL It costs two reas, about 
 ten pence, the pound, and is sold again at forty 
 Teas. This tobacco is placed in the magazines 
 ofSpainonthe common frontier. There it is 
 inspected by commissioners. What is rejected 
 is, either, burnt or sent to Genoa. Brasil, 
 moreover, supplies Portugal with a great quan* 
 tity of valuable merchandise, part of which is 
 exported again. The principal are rice, of 
 whU'h immense quantities are gathered on the 
 banks of the river Amazons ; sugar, molasses, 
 homey, wax, silk, cacao, colfee, liquors, whale- 
 
SUPPLEMENT, 
 
 275 
 
 oil^ wood of different kinds for building and 
 furniture; salt petre, ostrich feathers, ox hides, 
 skins of various quadrupeds^ and a great variety 
 of plants for dyes^ and medicinal balsamic and 
 aromatic plants ; among the rest, three new 
 species of quinquina, one of which, of a grey 
 colour, impregnated with gum, rosin and real 
 oil, is preferred to the best quinquina of Peru : 
 last, and not least, a considerable quantity of 
 gold, silver^ pearls, and precious stones of vari- 
 ous sorts. 
 
 Portugal, on the other hand/exports, to Bra* 
 sil, a great number of articles, such as woollens, 
 cloths, stuffs, gold and silver galloons, dried 
 fish, cheese, butter, wine, oil, vinegar, vermi- 
 celli, macaroni, dried grapes, and glasses, of 
 every description, manufactured at Marinha^ 
 &c. &c, 
 
 A, tolerably, considerable portion of the rich 
 productions of Brasil is, fraudulently, exported, 
 by the English. They have, which Mr. Mur- 
 phy affects not to know, ships,which sail along 
 the coasts,whose inhabitants, clandestinely, con- 
 vey to them gold, silver, diamonds, and spices, 
 s 2 
 
The English have more means than one, be- 
 sides this, of effecting their contraband trade 
 TV ith Portugal. It has always been, singularly, 
 favoured by the packet boats, which go be- 
 tween Falmouth and Lisbon, in spite of the pre- 
 cautions, recently, taken by the court of Portu- 
 gal to have them visited by a guard ship, sta- 
 tioned at the mouth of the Tagus. In the year 
 1790, alone, twenty-nine of these packets, 
 made this profitable passage. It is calculated, 
 that in the space of thirty years, from 1759 to 
 1772, the Falmouth packets have exported 
 from Portugal, to England, 9,319,938/. sterling, 
 as well in ingots as in specie, to which sum, 
 may be added;, the diamonds and other pre- 
 cious stones, the sums remitted by the ships 
 which leave the ports of Lisbon, Setubal, and 
 Oporto, and those which have gone, indirectly, 
 to England, by the way of Holland and the 
 ports of the Mediterranean. 
 
 Portugal, likewise, has an extensive and ad* 
 vantageous commerce with the north ; but its 
 own ships have, scarcely, any concern with it. 
 Its sugars are carried, in great quantities, into 
 the Hanse-Towns^ asid bef re the present war,, 
 it was our principal rival, for this colonial pro- 
 
BUPPLEMENT. 
 
 duce. It exports to Stettin, Riga, and Peters- 
 burgh, some quantities of cotton, coffee, 
 brandy, o.il, vinegar, indigo, ginger, tobacco, 
 cheese, almonds, &c. In 1787, forty-seven 
 yessels, of which two only were Portuguese, 
 carried to the single port of Hamburgh, Por- 
 tuguese merchandise worth about 204,000/. 
 
 In 1789, twelve vessels sailed, from Peters^ 
 burgh, to Portugal, with Russian goods, to the 
 amount of 223,195 rubles: on which we shall 
 remark that Portugal takes, from that empire, 
 every year, four millions ofrav^^ flax, which is 
 spun, with great industry, in the country, fif- 
 teen or tw^^nty leagues north of the capital ; 
 and which cloths, manufactured from this 
 thread, are partly used in Portugal^ itself ; but 
 ^he greater part sent to Spg^iu. 
 
 I have not been able to ascertain the amount 
 of ^ the exports, from Portugal, to Russia, but 
 I have reason to believe that the balance is in 
 favour of the Portuguese. 
 
 Such are the details, which I have added to 
 those collected by the author, in 1778, respect^ 
 ing the trade of the natioo. If many other 
 
278 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 points of information, yet, remain to be sought 
 for, these are, at least, sufficient to prove that 
 the Portuguese are considerably implicated> in 
 the commercial relations of the world ; but 
 that they might engage in them, in a manner 
 far more profitable to themselves. Editor. 
 
StJPPLEMENT. 
 
 279 
 
 CHAPTER Xn. 
 
 Agriculture. 
 
 Agriculture is, beyond dispute^ the first on 
 4he list of arts, and the most essential to the 
 human race;, as^ therefrom are derived the 
 principal means of existence. The labourer^ 
 weighed down with the burthen of his exer- 
 tions, forgets his troubles when he knows that 
 his subsistence is certain ; he works with more 
 ardour : population thrives, and industry in- 
 creases with the national welfare. The happy 
 peasant, no longer fears an increase of family 
 proportioned to his means ; to the augmenta- 
 lion of which, it contributes, in turn. 
 
 These truths have, long, been lost sight of, 
 by Portugal. The inhabitants confine their 
 hopes, to deriving from the soil what is, abso- 
 lutely, necessary for themselves ; but, as there is 
 XkQ abundance, corn always keeps a high price. 
 
280 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 Such was the state of agriculture in the last 
 century^ when the English made the Portuguese 
 an offer to furnish them with grain, at a 
 cheaper rate, than their own country* The 
 government, seduced by the offer, permitted 
 the importation of corn, Portugal was, at 
 that time, rich in the produce of Brasil, that 
 source of all its misfortunes. Grain arrived 
 from England in abundance, and was sold at 
 less than a third of the price of the native corn. 
 The English, at first, lost; but they foresaw 
 that it was only an advance which would, soon 
 be repaid, with usurious interest : they knew 
 the genius of the Portuguese nation, and 
 abused its simplicity. The cargoes of grain, 
 although, multiplied, were insufficient to sa-* 
 tisfy the demands of the markets. The corn, 
 no sooner, made its appearance, than it was 
 taken off*: the peasant returned to his^ village 
 without having disposed of any of what he had 
 brought; he was distracted; but was ap- 
 peased by being made to believe that it was 
 for his own good, and that he would, erelong, 
 have bread without working. The farms were 
 abandoned. The labourer, no longer able to 
 keep up his number of ploughs, got rid of them ; 
 and confined himself to cultivating a smal| 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 281 
 
 part of his land ; he looked only to deriving 
 from it, sufficient bread for himself and fapailj. 
 
 Those vast fields, watered by various winding 
 rivers, and which used to be covered with 
 crops, remained uncultivated, and became aban- 
 doned and depopulated Savannahs. The error 
 was not discovered till seven or eight years af-^ 
 terwards, when it was no more possible to re* 
 pair it. The grain, which the English had 
 Ijitherto supplied, at a moderate rate, rose in 
 price. That they might resign themselves to 
 the yoke, which had been imposed on them, 
 endeavours were made to persuade them„ 
 1, that their country, naturally barren, could 
 not furnish subsistence ; 2. that agriculture 
 Wfis useless in Portugal, because the other 
 states of Europe were obliged to furnish it with 
 necessaries. 
 
 Portugal, naturally barren, cannot subsist 
 it§ own inhabitants ! 
 
 The arguments, vvfaich I am about to op- 
 pose to this absurd assertion, will suffice to 
 overturn it. There is not, nor can there be 
 natural sterility, in a populous country. The 
 
2S3 
 
 population is a proof of the fertility of the land/ 
 as the fruitfulness brings population. Besides, 
 how happened it^ that Portugal:,in the last cen- 
 tury, could supply itself ? If it have become 
 barren, the fault must be with man, and not- 
 with nature, which the English assertion ac- 
 cuses. But it is not : as I know from my own 
 ocular demonstration. I have traversed, every 
 province of Portugal without exception. 
 Wherever population was, I found a thriving 
 agriculture. I, indeed, saw lands, which might 
 be cultivated and were not so; but the cause 
 has been pointed out above. It may be found 
 in the abundance of foreign corn : so that the 
 English take, or pretend to take, the effect for 
 the cause. 
 
 The Greek and Latin naturalists, laid great 
 stress on the quantity of the productions of 
 Portugal, and Pliny says that it was, probably^ 
 the place, destined for the situation of the Ely- 
 sian Fields.* It must be admitted that Portugal 
 has many productions, the cultivation of which 
 
 * In the reigns of Sancho I. Sancho 11. and Denis, the 
 friend of the labourers, Portugal produced grain in such 
 plenty, as to allow of some export after providing for the 
 consunipt^onof her cwn inhabitants. Editor, 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 283 
 
 is, unaccountably, neglected ; but it is not the 
 soil which should be blamed. Its produce is 
 not only prosperous but plentiful, even in lands, 
 the quality of which resembles that of soils 
 which are very thin-sown. Is the fault in 
 man, or in the earth ? 
 
 Agriculture, again, say the English, is use- 
 less in Portugal, since the other states of Eu- 
 rope are obliged to furnish it with necessaries. 
 This argument is very well for the English, 
 who take advantage of the carelessness of 
 the Portuguese, and who, while they flatter 
 their idleness, want to condemn them to it, to 
 keep up their dependence. But this argument 
 appeared so little conclusive, to the Marquis 
 de Pombal, that he used all his endeavours to 
 instil a taste for agriculture into his country- 
 men: he had the courage and abilitj;, requisite 
 to effect so difficult a task, among a people, 
 naturally, indolent, careless, and attached to 
 prejudices which flatter its inclinations: he 
 w anted nothing but time. We have before seen, 
 the violent measures to which his character, 
 and the imperious necessity of circumstances, 
 had made him have recourse, to bring back 
 the Portuguese to agriculture, by diminishing 
 the culture of vines. Malevolence, misrepre- 
 
«84 
 
 SUPPLEMENT, 
 
 senting his intentions, pretended that he wa» 
 only influenced by motives of self-interest. 
 Hence arose murmurs, and some symptoms of 
 insurrection. Obstacles of this kind were, only, 
 calculated to confirm him in his plans. He 
 insisted on their execution, with that severe 
 constancy, which was one of the principal fea- 
 tures of his character ; and he had, at last, 
 reason to rejoice at his efforts. Towards thej 
 close of his ministry, the produce of the Por- 
 tuguese soil began to be plentiful in the mar- 
 kets; and last year, 1777, while I was in Por- 
 tugal, the inhabitants calculated that they had 
 already gained, by the encouragement given 
 to agriculture, what was adequate to half their 
 subsistence : a situation which they had not 
 been in, since the last century. But Pombal's 
 disgrace replungedthe Portuguese government, 
 in its pristiiiC languor : manufactures v^ere de- 
 serted ; the clergy, again, had possession of 
 the sovereign's mind; the workshops were quit- 
 ted for processions, which w^pre multiplie4 
 every day ; the taste for labour was no more ; 
 bread became dearer ; agriculture declined, 
 and the English, already, in idea, resume that 
 branch of trade, which they had seen on the 
 point of escaping them. We now see Portu? 
 
SU1»PLEMENT. 
 
 285 
 
 gal, once more, overwhelmed in its former 
 wretchedness : it has heavy debts ; it is defi- 
 cient in the thmgs most essential to its wants : 
 and it is, further, tormented by divisions be- 
 tween the grandees of the court and the mili- 
 tary. 
 
 The nation, again^ enslaved by its prejudices^., 
 governed by priests, is about to plunge into 
 misery : and who would think of rescuing it ? 
 It repays its benefactors with ingratitude, alone. 
 We have seen men, after having rendered it 
 the greatest services, with difficulty escape ju- 
 dicial punishment ; we have known generals, 
 colonels, men of talents, pursued^ accused of 
 crimes^ on the most frivolous pretexts ; and 
 been guilty of no other wrong than that they 
 were foreigners. The Portuguese, indolent, 
 and lazy, has no activity, except in the pro* 
 jection and rapid accomplishment of crimes } ' 
 and its fatal devotion seems, only, of use in 
 sanctifying them. It is in Portugal, that, are 
 seen, vagabonds, before tiiey commit a crime, 
 go to church, and approach the altar, to ask 
 grace and courage to consummate v/hat they 
 terra a good action. One who assassinated an 
 uiiiiappy man, at my side, in the square of 
 
2S6 
 
 SUrPIiEMENTi 
 
 Commerce, caiiie out of the neighbouring 
 churchy where he had been seen in a con- 
 fessional. 
 
 To return to the state of agriculture in 
 Portugal. All the provinces of the kingdom 
 are not, equally, fertile, nor adapted to the 
 same kind of produce. Oranges^ forexample> 
 which grow, in abundance, in Estremadura, 
 Alentejo, and in the kingdom of Algarves^ are 
 not visible in the provinces of Beira, Tra-los- 
 Montes, and Entre-Douro-y-Minho. The 
 agriculture of the latter is very flourishing : 
 the traveller is enchanted, in going through 
 that province, which, from one extremity to 
 the other, is, richly, cultivated, and various in 
 produce: it is the only province which con- 
 tains meadows. That of Tra-los-Montes is, 
 absolutely^ ungrateful ; it is a mere assemblage 
 of steep mountains, in whose bosom, winds 
 and tempests reign the whole year. It is only 
 cultivated on the banks of the little rivers^ 
 which wind round the bases of the mountains. 
 In this part it affords most varied and pictu- 
 resque sites, which are enjoyed with delight, 
 when the, almost, constant fogs are dissipated 
 at intervals, and give an opportunity, for the 
 
SUPPLEMtiNT, 
 
 eye, to catch the glance. The plough is uri- 
 known in Tra-los-Montes ; the earth is remoT- 
 ed there with a kind of spade, pick-axe, or 
 mattocks ; and, notwithstanding the apparent 
 inadequacy of such labour, the crops are plen-- 
 teous. Barley, hemp, flax, particularly Turkey 
 corn^ and ^ome fruits, compose the most mate- 
 rial part df its productions. Cattle are also 
 there in large numbers. 
 
 The province of Beira furnishes all the ne- 
 cessaries of life. The most excellent fruits, of 
 every description, are indigenous in the valley 
 ofCoimbla, the capital. Its rivers are well 
 stocked with fish. Sea fish is^ in abundance^ 
 on the coasts. It possesses honey, salt, and 
 much cattle. So many advantages, combined 
 with the purer air of that country, would 
 make it a delightful residence^ were it inha- 
 bited by any other nation. 
 
 Estremadura, is a province not less favoured 
 by nature, in regard to territorial produce. It 
 has all the produce of Beira, in a w^arm^r cli- 
 mate. Oranges and pomegranates grow fn 
 the open country. All the fields are surrounded 
 Jby aloes trees, which re-produce with as muc !i 
 
283 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 facility a$ the most common plants. The 
 tvines of this province^ especially those of the 
 iouthern paits^ are very highly fiavoured**^ 
 
 Alentejo has> besides the various productions 
 of the other provinces^ rice> which w ould be & 
 most material object were they to bring its cul- 
 ture to perfection^ without carrying it too far, 
 however ; for in Portugal^ as elsewhere^ it 
 has the inconvenience of being very unwhole- 
 some. 
 
 The kingdom of the Algarves is most happily 
 situated* This little country is, perfectly^ cuU 
 tivated, and produces more than its inhabitants 
 want for their awn consumption. 
 
 This rapid sketch, sufficiently> proves that 
 Portugal has received^ from nature, all the fa- 
 €ilitie8> requisite> for procuring it plentiful 
 means of subsistence: but how many moral and 
 political vices> concur to wrest from it the en* 
 
 * Out of Portugal, scarcely any of their wines are known> 
 except those of Opor to, Carcavelo, and Setubal. They, not- 
 -^^khstanding, have others of equal value. Such are those of 
 Alvor, Almada, Capanca, Ourem, Lamego, Moncaon, &c. 
 That of Barra or Barru is, particularly, in request with epi- 
 cum. Editor, 
 
SUPPLEMENT- 
 
 289 
 
 joyment of so many good things ! We have 
 already nointed out several of them. The mode 
 of recruiting regiments is not the most trivial. 
 All the soldiers are drafted from one province^ 
 to be incorporated into the regiment whose 
 name it bears. In a great degree^ torn from 
 the country^ they are, irrevocably, taken from 
 tillage, which is resigned to the debilitated 
 hands of old men. The enormous multiplicity 
 of priests and monks, wherein originates, al- 
 most, all the abuses to which Portugal is 
 subject, is, also, one of the principal causes of 
 the deplorable state of its agriculture. Each 
 convent has considerable revenues, and occu- 
 pies immense tracts of land. It consumes, un- 
 profitably, a prodigious quantity of bread, the 
 greater part of which is distributed to mendi- 
 cants. They have provisions and fodder, in 
 abundance; and of a better quality than else- 
 where. In going over the different provinces 
 of Portugal, I had rather stop at a convent 
 than in a village ; I was sure of finding good 
 cheer for myself, and the best straw and corn 
 for my horses, I went to request their hospi- 
 tality, which they never refused me ; and I, 
 alwa.ys, found, at the entrance of every monas- 
 tery, about two hundred poor people^ their 
 
 VOL. I« T 
 
i 
 
 290 J5 UP? LEMEKT. 
 
 platters under their arms^ waiting for the soup^ 
 daily distributed by the convent. I learnt^ 
 from the Prior^ himself^ that these lazy hound* 
 came from the neighbouring places. He con- 
 fessed that it was an abuse^ but that he found 
 it so^ and he should be very careful how he 
 reformed it. The reason is obvious. These 
 troops of beggars, whom the monks thus^ su^p^ 
 port, far more from policy than from chari^yj,. 
 are a kind of militia, over whom they haves 
 great influence. Docile instruments, in theit' 
 hands, these idle creatures are very dangerous, 
 to the government. No sooner are discontentsi 
 to be made known, than they raise their s^dn 
 tious voices ; and they are sure to be seen, 
 taking a principal part, in all tumultuous as- 
 semblies. The government of Portugal oughts 
 long since, to have imitated, in this respqct, at 
 least, the English, with whom they am m 
 closely allied. They have established hospitak, 
 whereto ail those who say they are incapable 
 of getting a livelihood, must repair. These 
 poor creatures are there providjed with an asy-t 
 lum and subsistence. If they are old, or inva- 
 lids, no kind of work is imposed on them ; but 
 if they are young, and capable of working at 
 ^ny trade, work is given them, and the money 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 291 
 
 -which they get for it is appropriated to the hos- 
 pital^ for the clothing of the paupers, &c. 
 Parliament votes an annual sum for the sup- 
 port of the provincial hospitals ; and the pau- 
 pers who, from idleness, w^ill not stay in those 
 houses, and are found begging in the towns, 
 or country, are arrested, and, immediately, 
 transported to the colonies.^ This law is com- 
 mon to either sex. At the entrance of every 
 town or village, is affixed an order, whereby 
 government forbids the needy to ask alms, on 
 pain of being transported to the colonies ; and 
 all others are, in like manner, forbidden, under 
 the penalty of a fine proportioned to their 
 fortune. Such a measure adopted in Portugal, 
 would restore to agriculture, the arts, manu- 
 factures, and trade, a crowd of idle hands, the 
 more dangerous in their want of empioymenf, 
 as the Portuguese, of the lower orders, are 
 violent, and capable of giving loose to the most 
 outrageous excesses. 
 
 To these observations on the agriculture of 
 Portugal^ we shall now add some which are 
 
 * The author seems to have had a very imperfect and false 
 idea, indeed, of the British, poor law«. Translator, 
 
292 
 
 SUPPLEMENT* 
 
 much mare recent, and taken, in a great mea- 
 sure, from the new work, by James Murphy, 
 before quoted. 
 
 Experience has, at last, tau£:ht the Portu-- 
 guese, that agriculture is of, infinitely, greater 
 importance to liu m, than their gold and silver 
 mines. Those delusive sources of prosperity 
 have began to lose their value, since they have 
 compared the situation of their country with 
 that of the countries, whose revenues depend,, 
 not on distant mines, but on the produce of 
 their own soil. 
 
 The Royal Academy of Lisbon has contri- 
 buted, in no small degree, by its researches, its 
 writings, the premiums which it has distri- 
 buted, to awaken industry in the kingdom. 
 The object of its solicitude is to cut canals, 
 render the rivers navigable, introduce machines 
 of utility to the arts, drain marshes, improve 
 the harbours, and open new channels for trade 
 and industry. 
 
 But its success would be much more rapid 
 and complete, were it not controuled by bad 
 laws, and by a crowd of vicious institutions. 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 293 
 
 to which^ the government, alone, can apply a 
 remedy. 
 
 The country is divided into estates, far too 
 extensive. The great roads are not kept in 
 good repair, and the courses of the rivers are 
 not cleared. Some, from being so obstructed, 
 are liable to overflow. Labourers are not, suf- 
 ficiently, numerous, nor are they, by any 
 means, considered as they ought to be. They 
 are burthened with feudal services, imposi- 
 tions, and, sometimes, oppressions of every sort. 
 Festivals are much too numerous. The far- 
 mers are ignorant; their children exchange 
 that useful profession for the corruption of ci- 
 ties. There is a host of domestics and vaga- 
 bonds who are lost to agriculture; and, lastly, 
 the ground is not, sufficiently, stocked with 
 herds. Such are the vices to be corrected, be- 
 fore the sage views of the Lisbon Academy 
 can be fulfilled. These account for two-thirds 
 of Portugal being, still, uncultivated, and why 
 the part, which is cultivated in vines, olives, 
 corn, herbs, wood, &c. is not brought to the 
 degree of perfection to which it might be 
 brought, and in which it, in fact, was, towards 
 the end of the thirteenth century. 
 
^91? SUPPLES! £]Sft. 
 
 ^he btive J)lants are^ in general^ mudh rfe- 
 glected; and the vineyards occupy much space, 
 which would be more proper for corn or maize. 
 ^Plantations are rarely renovated^ and the old 
 forests are not looked after with any care. 
 
 Flax is not cultivated, in quantities, suffi- 
 cient, for the internal consumption; and the 
 culture of hemp is/wholly^ neglected. Thdt 
 pf potatoes is riot much known in Portugal ; 
 on ihe contrary, in m arty places, they, instead 
 of it, hav e something, hot dissimilar, much less 
 farinaceous, and tiot so nourishing. The far- 
 ^ftiers ^till retain the old prejudices, that evei^y 
 kind of soil is equally 'well adapted to all pro- 
 ductions. 
 
 Meadows are, almost, wholly unknown in 
 the kingdoro, though it contains many fine 
 valleys, which^ould'Ue Very fit for that kind 
 of cultivation. 
 
 As to the method of preparing the land, it 
 cannot, possibly, be more imperfect. The 
 plough, merely, scratches the surface of the 
 ground. The use of the harrow is, almost, 
 unknown, as is that of weeding the land. They 
 
SUPPLEMENT. 295 
 
 SOW:, instantly, after having ploughed^ without 
 giving the earth time to impregnate itself with 
 the fertilizing particles of the atmosphere. 
 
 They understand nothing of manure^ of 
 which they have none but heathy which is left 
 to rot oq the highways, and, from which, the 
 rains wash away the saline and oily particles, 
 80 favourable to vegetation. 
 
 In short, as the greater part of the country 
 is mountainous, it often happens that, for want 
 of care, the crops are destroyed, and carried 
 away by the torrents. 
 
 Such is the state of modern agriculture in 
 Portugal. It might be very different for the 
 prosperity of the country, but not for the 
 interest of the English ; and it is truly gene- 
 rous, in one of their writers, to reveal to the 
 Portuguese, the causes of their impoverished 
 liituation, and the means of remedying it. 
 
 Editor. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 T. Gillet, Printer, Crawn- court, Fleet-street, Londpxi, 
 
J