YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY BY THE SAME AUTHOR Modern Argentina : The El Dorado of To-day. Madeira : Old and New. The Singular Republic. The Anchorage. The Return of Joe, and other New Zealand Stories. The Seat of Moods. PORTUGAL ITS LAND AND PEOPLE By W H. ROEBEL WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY MRS. S. ROOPE DOCKERY AND FROM PHOTOGRAPHS NEW YORK DODD, MEAD AND CO. 1909 PREFACE It may be that the present volume is condensed unduly in proportion to the extent of the help that has been rendered. Throughout the country the assistance of that most admirable body, the Propaganda de Portugal, has been of such value and was so freely tendered that my debt of gratitude is indeed a weighty one to those whose motto ' pro patria omnia ' represents no mere figure of speech. To Messrs. L. de Men- donga e Costa, C. George, Lorjo Tavares, Manoel Roldan, and A. C. Bossa, I have in especial to return thanks, since it was their presence on many an exploration that rendered lucid much that otherwise must have remained dubious. Beyond, I would express my warmest acknowledgments of assistance and valuable information to Messrs. Julio Bastos, E. Bastos, Andre Leproux, Silva Telles, Dos Santos, A. King, Harold Bucknall, S. Rawes, H. Rawes, and Bruno Karow. To Mr. and Mrs. John Reynolds I am indebted for a charming insight into the life on the southern estates, and to Mr. Edward Reynolds for his kindly companionship and guidance on the occasion of the Evora fair. In Oporto the number of those gentlemen to whom I would express my obligation is formidable. Those whom I desire vi PORTUGAL to thank in especial for their many kindnesses are Messrs. Cabel Roope, H. 0. Yeatman, Prank P. S. Yeatman, Douglas R. Urwick, Gonne, William C. Tait, W. A. Tait, C. C. Tait, and Senhor Francisco de Lima. To Mr. Honorius Grant, H.B.M. Consul in Oporto, I am under a deep obligation for his courtesy and for the value of his information. The assist ance, too, rendered in England by Mr. Arthur Norris has proved of the greatest service. To Mr. Raphael Reynolds I must devote a special paragraph, since it was owing to his friendship in the first instance that the means of obtaining the information contained here were so pleasantly facilitated. An acknowledged authority on Portuguese matters, he has spared neither effort nor time in rendering an assistance which it would be impossible for me to value too highly. The photographic illustrations are the work of Mr. Hugh Allen, who, from motives of pure friendship, carried his camera with indefatigable zeal, regardless of temperature and distance. The sketch dealing with the Bussaco battlefield has already appeared in the Globe, and is reproduced by the courtesy of the editor. For the majority of the details concerning the antiquity of the port-shipping houses in Oporto, I am indebted to Mr. Herbert E. Harper, publisher of Oporto, Old and New. CONTENTS PACE INTRODUCTION . 1 CHAPTER I LISBON First glimpses of the city — Some physical aspects — Distribution of the quarters — Panorama from the eastern hills — A night effect— -The lights of Lisbon — Some principal buildings — The Church of S. Vicente — The home of the royal bodies — Notable Pragas — The Parque Bduardo vn. — The Geographical Institute — The tracks of the old navigators — The road to glory — and back — Some museums — Public lifts— Street scenes — Natural amiability of the Portuguese 3 CHAPTER II LISBON Pombal and the streets — The Avenida — Its history and present aspects — New quarters — Growth of the town — Humble restaurants — Lisbon mansions — The port — Beauties of the Tagus — Its tide and shipping — The native craft — The curse of the siren — Some street noises — The Tagus longshoreman — Southern crayfish — The markets . 24 CHAPTER III LISBON The waterworks — The aqueduct — Its history and tragedies — A unique tennis-court — The royal carriages — The science of equitation, popular and other — The botanical gardens — Old Lisbon — A little- known district — The population of the narrow ways — Ancient landmarks and tokens — The city wall — Some manners and customs of the past — The ethics of sedan-chair traffic — The city in the early sixteenth century — Return of the Navigators — The Colonies of to-day . .... 42 viii PORTUGAL CHAPTER IV LISBON PAQE Tramway cars — An efficient service — The Cairo do Povo — Pirate cars — An agile vehicle of prey — Methods of invasion and evasion — The Lisbon season — The opera, theatres, and music-halls — The Paraiso — Portuguese entertainments — Their tone — The ubiquitous cine matograph — Income and the motor-car — Private wealth — Hotels — The Avenida Palace and the Braganca — Other establishments . 66 CHAPTER V LISBON Fete days — The Festa of S. Pedro — Some seasonable superstitions — The test of the thistle — Aspects of the markets — The 'Mangerico' — Sentimental exigencies of the plant — Portuguese fireworks — Scenes in the streets — A night of illumination and procession — The Feira d' Alcantara — The pleasures of the poor — Strenuous washerfolk — The Lisbon cat — A feline problem — The extermination of the pariah dog — Protective and humane societies — Modern philanthropy — Some admirable institutions ... .80 CHAPTER VI ROUND ABOUT LISBON Cintra — Present facilities of the spot — The road to the heights— View from the Palacio da Pena — The Moorish castle — Monserrate — Grounds of the estate — Collares — Wayside scenes — A land of orchard and vine — The home of a famous wine— A rural festa — Some popular ethics— Courteous peasants— A feast of kindliness— En route to the sea— Praia das Macas — A delightful bay— Sea- sand, and pinewood by night— The future of the spot . . 93 CHAPTER VII ROUND ABOUT LISBON Monte Estoril— The banks of the Tagus— Scenes en route— A nest of watering-places— Sunshine, verdure, and flowers— Aspect of the coast — The Grand Hotel — Some climatic advantages of the place — Plans for its development — Senhor Robado — An unknown monu ment — History of the spot — A forgotten tragedy — The convent of Odivellas — The military college — Young Portugal at work and play 113 CONTENTS ix CHAPTER VIII SOUTHWARD BOUND— FROM LISBON TO ESTREMOZ PAGE From Lisbon to Barreiro — In the Alemtejo — Distinctions between North and South — An enormous vineyard — The railroad of philosophy — Some wayside stations — The peace of the South — First glimpses of the cork country — Precautions against grass-fires — Evora — Estremoz 1 37 CHAPTER IX THE ALEMTEJO PROVINCE Some aspects of the district — Progress in agriculture — The reclaiming of the soil — The Southern labourer — His ways and means — Some questions of climate, land, and forestry — Characteristics of the peasant — His simplicity — Children of the soil — Homeward bound — The lives and fare of the workers — Inborn politeness — The exi gencies of etiquette — Sturdiness of the race — Relations between master and man . 143 CHAPTER X A SOUTHERN CORK FOREST The native mule-cart — Its appearance and design — Some ethics of country travel — Simple methods of driving — Aspects of the forest — A park-like scene — Some wolf stories — A summer stream — Corn amidst the glades — The cork harvest — Stripping the trees — The appearance of the trunks — The art of cutting — Scientific cork forestry — Some ethics of remuneration — Useful properties of cork — (L)uaint meal- buckets — Divers uses of the bark . 151 CHAPTER XI AN ALEMTEJO FARM The homestead — Horses — Mules — Cattle — Goats and Sheep — Threshing- lupines — A vast fig plantation — A Verdelho vineyard — The grape industry, cereals, and other ramifications of the estate — Fortunate pigs — The homecoming of the sow — Porcine shrillings — Scenes in the styes — Popularity of pork — Method of paying swineherds — The bailiff's home — Bunks of the labourers — Their fare — A country meal — The siesta — A garden in the forest— Wells — The possibilities of the artesian — Results of irrigation . .160 X PORTUGAL CHAPTER XII A SOUTHERN CHATEAU PAGE Anglo-Portuguese land-owners — The Reynolds family— The Quinta do Carmo— Some aspects of a country house— The Chapel— The gardens— A wealth of blossom— Guardian hedges and trees— A realm of enchantment — Dwarf vines— A self-supporting establish ment — An Ali-Baba room— Olive oil, brandy, and wine— The pre serving of fruit — Some delicious results — The servant question — As simplified in Portugal . ... 174 CHAPTER XIII HERE AND THERE IN THE SOUTH Some aspects of Estremoz — The town gates — The market-place — Ap proach to the castle — A picturesque quarter — Impoverished butter flies — Estremoz Castle — The Torre do Menagem — View from the summit — A town of romance — King Diniz and his queen — The battlefield of Ameixial — The Outeiro da Forga — Alemtejo roads — Scenes of leisurely traffic — Peculiarities of the local dog — His objections to speed — Gypsies — Trimmed eucalyptus — Butterflies, lizards, and birds — Past dangers of the road — The Moorish plough — Piorno — The vintner's bush — Villa Vigosa — The historic home of the Bragangas — The last letters of King Carlos — A melancholy blotting-pad — A frustrated plot — Some Southern sports . 187 CHAPTER XIV EVORA AND ITS FAIR An ancient town — Some historical fragments — Notable buildings — The chapel of bones — The fair ground — Aspects of the populace — A town of canvas — A Southern gathering — Frenzied stock-dealing — The public gardens — Some holiday ethics — A few agricultural types — Sober peasants — The fair at night . . 201 CHAPTER XV THE FAR NORTH Vianna do Castello — The Pearl of the North — Its commercial status — The first home of the English — Bacalhao — The industry, past and present — The vicissitudes of the Port — The Santa Lucia Hill — Panorama from the heights — Some beauties of the spot — The Vianna woman — Her costume and attractions — The qualities of the Northern girl— The tasks of the sex— A prosperous district- Trinkets as investments — The inconvenience of wealth . 220 CONTENTS xi CHAPTER XVI A NORTHERN SKETCH : THE DESERTED CONVENT 233 CHAPTER XVII THE MINHO A garden land— The vine beautiful— Aspects of a fruitful district— The romance of the Brazilian — Some homes of the fortunate — Braga — Women porters — The Cathedral — Bom Jesus — The haunt of the penitents — Beauty of the spot — The stairway of sorrow— Some idylls of mendicancy . 242 CHAPTER XVIII OPORTO A city of panoramas — Some fragments of the old town — The bridges of the Douro — A bird's-eye restaurant — An incident of 1809 — The Rua das Flores — The Northern head — Its ethics of balance — Street scenes — At the river-side —The Carros de boios — The Canga — Traffic in Oporto — A blending of the past and present . . 258 CHAPTER XIX THE ENGLISH IN OPORTO A notable community — The British Factory — Status and significance of the Association — Some historical fragments — The Factory House — The interior of a famous building — Customs of the Institution — The hospitality of centuries — The English Club — Circumstances of the British residents 275 CHAPTER XX VILLA NOVA DE GAIA Characteristics of the Port town — The home of vintages — Streets and the cab-driver — Romance in commerce — Some notable shippers — A galaxy of antiquity — Various 'Lodges' and their contents — The Port Shippers' Association — Its dignity and status . 284 xii PORTUGAL CHAPTER XXI SOME ENVIRONS OF OPORTO PAOE Espinho — The golf-links— -Their physiography — A pleasant club — Some customs and habits — The native caddy — Dangers of the course — A timely warning — The coast-line — Mesembryanthemum — Fishing villages — The Espinho boat — The quest of the sardine — Hauling in the nets — Granja — Leixoes — A growing port — The road to Oporto — Appearance of the houses — The art of the Azulejos . 299 CHAPTER XXII THE DOURO The approach to the valley — Aspects of the river — Mountains and boulders — The banks of the stream — The Douro boats — Difficulties of navigation — Advent into the wine country — Mountain villages — Regoa — Scenes at the railway station — Appearance of the peasants — A wine store — Douro travel, past and present — Forlorn hamlets — Urchins of the district — The peasant proprietor . 311 CHAPTER XXIII THE DOURO A quaint automobile — The Douro train — Its habits of locomotion — A majestic landscape — The Cachao de Valleira — The Quinta de Vargellas — In vineland — Some peculiarities of the soil — Ripening grapes — The design of a Quinta — A Douro steward — Boring for water — The natural growths of the valley — Evening on the Douro . 324 CHAPTER XXIV MARKET DAY AT ARRIFANA En routr for the fair — A new railway — Some halts'^by the way — Villa da Feira — Arrifana — A rural lunch— The minstrel — His song — Some aspects of the fair— Native jewellery— A feast of colour beneath a mimosa roof— The art of selling— Some ethics of head gear—The restaurant quarter— Various stalls — Typical produce and wares — The people and their manners — The festal orchestra 340 CONTENTS xiii CHAPTER XXV FROM OPORTO TO LISBON PAGE A southern Holland — Aveiro — A oity of canals — Pampilhosa — The drive to Bussaco — Strenuous copper collectors — Typical roadside scenes — Bussaco — The convent and forest — The battlefield — Action by the convent — Past and present — The hotel — Its architecture — Charm of the surroundings — The mark of the vandal— The garde- cliasse — Coimbra, Batalha, and Alcobaga — Present influence of national monuments — The survival of the Portuguese race . . 351 CHAPTER XXVI A PORTUGUESE BULL-FIGHT Some scenes and humours of the arena . ... 368 CHAPTER XXVII THE PORTUGUESE AT HOME Character as revealed by the arts — Solidity of temperament — A com parison with the Spaniard — Literature and journalism — Material fare — National dishes — Some natural sources of revenue — Mineral waters of the land — The fostering of industries — Desire for progress — A beneficent scheme — The Propaganda de Portugal — A patriotic body — Objects of the Society — Its influence and work — Improve ments already accomplished ...... 389 CHAPTER XXVIII THE PORTUGUESE AT HOME The sorrows of a century — Present influences — Politics and the populace — Some Portuguese traits — Loyal by nature — Pessimistic by oppor tunity — The silver lining— Prospects of the future— Some questions of cause and remedy — King Manuel n. — Ruler and people — A sketch ... ... 397 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE THE PRAQA DO COMMEROIO ... 5 THE AVENIDA DA LIBERDADE .... 9 A CORNER OF PRACA DOM PEDRO IV. . . 13 PRACA DOS RESTATJRADORES, SHOWING THE AVENIDA PALACE HOTEL . 17 MARKET WOMEN ..... 21 LISBON LABOURERS ... . 27 THE TAGUS : FROM THE RUA VICTOR CORDON 31 THE RIVER BANK . . . . 35 TAGUS CRAFT . . .39 A SAILING-BOAT QUAY . _ 43 LISBON FISHWIVES . 47 THE HOUSE OF POINTS . . .51 THE THRESHOLD OF OLD LISBON . . 55 DOORWAY OF THE RUINED CARMO CHURCH . . 59 BELEM : SOUTH DOOR TRAMCARS : OFFICIAL AND OTHER SOUTHERN EXTREMITY OF PRAQA DOM PEDRO IV. VEGETABLE MARKET ON THE RIVER FRONT A STREET GROUP . PALACIO DA PENA : CINTRA GATEWAY OF THE PALACIO DA PENA : CINTRA . 99 VIEW FROM CINTRA . . . 105 THE JERONYMOS AT BELEM . . . 115 THE BEACH : MONTE ESTORIL . 119 CASCAES : FROM MONTE ESTORIL . 123 SENHOR ROBADO : THE MONUMENT 127 SENHOR ROBADO : LEFT SIDE . .132 SENHOR ROBADO : RIGHT SIDE . . ... 133 THE MOCHAU HOMESTEAD . 161 QUINTA DO CARMO : MAIN WING . . .177 THE ALI BABA ROOM : QUINTA DO CARMO 183 ESTREMOZ : ONE OF THE TOWN GATES . 189 63 69 75 S3 8995 XVI PORTUGAL PAGE EVORA : A CORNER OF THE HORSE FAIR 209 NATIVE WAGONS : EVORA FAIR 213 VIANNA DO CASTELLO . 221 A GLIMPSE FROM SANTA LUCIA HILL . . 227 A DESERTED CONVENT : MAIN ENTRANCE . 235 A SUNNY CORNER OF THE CONVENT 239 VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT : BOM JESUS . 249 BOM JESUS : THE PENITENTIAL STAIRWAY . 253 APPROACHING OPORTO . . 259 SOME NORTHERN VKGETATION 263 AN OPORTO STREET . . 267 A NORTHERN YOKE OF OXEN . 271 PUBLIC GARDENS : OPORTO . . 281 THE RIVERSIDE : OPORTO . . 287 R.M.S.P. ARAGON IN LE1XOES HARBOUR . 307 A DOURO LANDSCAPE . . 313 A DOURO BOAT LOADING WINE . . 319 THE QUINTA DE VARGELLAS . . 329 DOURO OX WAGON ... ... 337 BUSSACO : A CORNER OF THE HOTEL . 355 THE FLOREIRA : BUSSACO . . . 361 PORTUGUESE SCAFFOLD LADDER : BUSSACO , 365 A PORTUGUESE BULL-FIGHT : THE PARADE . . 371 THE CHARGE .... . . 375 F0R0AB0S AT WORK . . ... 379 ' MAN DOWN ' . ... 383 THE ADVENT OF THE SIREN COWS : EXIT THE BULL . . 387 LIST OF COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS THE LOWER REACH CLOISTERS .... CINTRA TREADING THE GRAPE WEAVINGSPINNINGTHRESHING WHEAT BRINGING IN THE GRAPES WHILE MOTHER IS AT WORK . ON THE SAND DUNES . THE OLD PRESS AND THE NEW FILLING THE LOGAR . QUAYSIDE : OPORTO OPORTO : FROM THE DOURO . ON THE DOURO A SARDINE BOAT ESPINHO BEACH : HAULING IN THE NETS DOURO VINEYARD THE UPPER REACH A DOURO OX YOKE DOURO WINE BOAT Frontispiece To face page 66 >i 86 55 102 55 110 15 140 11 148 1) 156 55 170 55 198 51 230 55 244 55 276 51 290 51 290 11 300 11 304 11 316 11 332 11 348 15 358 INTRODUCTION Territorially small as Portugal is, this volume, neverthe less, does not claim for an instant that its contents are in any way comprehensive of the country's claims to general interest. Nothing here has been aimed at beyond a sketch of some of the more salient features of the land that is so rich in southern charm, and a description of some of its neighbour hoods that have as yet met with an unduly small share of attention. Amongst these are many corners in the Alemtejo Province, and the far northern district that lies just beneath the Galician frontier. I have, indeed, attempted a picture of the life and landscape of the country — perhaps a little too much at the expense of such subjects as its history and architecture. If it is brought against me that such classic spots as Batalha, Alcobaca, Thomar, Belem, Cintra, and others, have been slurred over, the reply is to the effect that the wealth of comment with which these famous erections have already been hung about renders further descriptive effort a mere matter of repetition, and consequently superfluous. With Lisbon itself I have dealt more fully, since the growth and constant metamorphosis of the Tagus capital justify, I think, the chapters. Of the ancient quarter of the metropolis, moreover, comparatively little has been written. In the case of Oporto, too, the same remarks apply. A 2 PORTUGAL It is, however, to the typical life and scenes of the land that I have devoted the chief attention ; more especially for the reason that the hospitality accorded me during my stay afforded opportunities for studies of the kind that are not universally granted. It is possible to exaggerate the import ance of the byways. Yet it seems to me that these reveal a nearer road to the true heart of a nation than a stately pro cession along the monumental glories that show it in its most exalted moods alone. In any case, the associations of Portugal, the oldestand most constant ally of England, cannot fail to be of interest in them- selves. The two countries, whatever their vicissitudes, have marched side by side for centuries. Historically, the southern land's era of power came as the herald of our ojyn Elizabethan age. Then, the astonishing crop of great men that either nation sent proudly forth was all but contemporaneous. A generation alone — with the Portuguese in the senior status — divided Vasco da Gama, Diaz, and Alboquerque from Raleigh, Drake, and Frobisher ; while Shakespeare was already in his boyhood when Camoes gave his Lusiads to the world. I have endeavoured to show in this small book that, even at the end of unbroken centuries of later trouble, the stamina of the Portuguese yet remains, and the inherent possibilities, too, of those feats that distinguished them in the past. CHAPTER I LISBON First glimpses of the city — Some physical aspects — Distribution of the quarters — Panorama from the eastern hills — A night effect — The lights of Lisbon— Some principal buildings— The Church of S. Vicente — The home of the royal bodies — Notable Pracas — The Parque Eduardo vn. — The Geographical Institute — The tracks of the old navigators — The road to glory — and back — Some museums — Public lifts — Street scenes — Natural amiability of the Portuguese. From the panoramic point of view, those capitals which sit by the side of the salt waves possess an incalculable advantage over those that are placed inland. In this respect, London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, and a host of other chief cities, however each may differ from the other in detail, suffer in common at least one detrimental factor. One arrives by way of the backs of houses — for such is the railroad's accepted path. Indeed, amidst the confusion of suburban stations and of close-pressing masonry, to the newcomer, at all events, the central point of the city comes with unheralded and disconcerting suddenness. One has entered by the back door, as it were, and is flung out into the streets with no more pomp than that enjoyed by a pantomime clown in his passage through a stage trap-door. Of those cities more favoured in their yield of first impressions there is none more fortunate than Lisbon. As the approaching vessel steams up the broad flood of the Tagus, the rolling hills and mountains become increasingly splashed with the white 4 PORTUGAL walls of villages and seaside resorts. And then, visible from afar for all the world to see, the stately buildings of Lisbon itself, mounting high upon their seven hills, pile themselves upwards in very regal fashion to the north of the stream. To the stranger, moreover, Lisbon is peculiarly kind in a topographical sense. Never was a town which revealed its ramifications with more readiness. From the Praca do Commercio (Anglice, Black Horse Square) by the water's edge, the chief commercial streets of the town run parallel towards the Praca Dom Pedro iv. — a spot that has also suffered an English re-christening, and that, so far as the tourist is con cerned, answers to the name of Rolling Motion Square. Almost in a straight line from this point again proceeds the great Avenida da Liberdade. Thus the centre of the town occupies a well-defined valley upon which the surrounding quarters look down from the hills upon which they stand. The result of this convenient scheme is that the stranger is scarcely ever at a loss for his bearings. Whether he be above or below, the outlines of the city reveal themselves with equal clearness — an advantage that very few towns of the kind are fortunate enough to possess. From the eastern heights one may see Lisbon at its best, so far as panorama is concerned. One may look down from here and mark the spread of the central town, the bold sweep of the buildings upon the hills, the blue Tagus beyond, and the mountains in the background that go swelling to the horizon. The castle is the spot most generally chosen for the purpose, and it serves well enough, but the scenic effect from the less-known church of S. Gens is yet finer and more comprehensive. Seen from this point of vantage, the remaining six eminences— for ,!, ¦ iff , ¦itparariji * I J 1 oft iST1 THE PRACA DO COMMERCIO LISBON 7 Lisbon is one of the many towns that claim seven hills upon which to recline — stand out in all their pride. From one's feet the roofs sink downwards, fall away at intervals to reveal the sites of the Pracas and squares and the verdure of the Avenida and the Gardens, and rise again upon the other side. And there in the background, soaring up well above the further rows of masonry, are the pure white domes and pinnacles of the wonderful basilica of the Estrella — an architectural monu ment that would beautify even squalid surroundings, to say nothing of the charming neighbourhood from out of which it springs. The church of S. Gens is little known to the visitor. It is, in a sense, off the beaten track. But there are residents of Lisbon who have made it a spot of pilgrimage, and who never weary of the sight that it yields. The lights of Lisbon ! The phrase comes with a hollow and melodramatic ring. But that is through no fault of the Portuguese capital. It does not, moreover, detract in the least from the beauty of the actual scene. Viewed from the prosaic intimacy of the streets them selves, the illumination, from a practical point of view, is very fine. From above, it is still that — and a great deal beyond. Rows and clusters of gleaming white that light up stately buildings, monuments, and trees, holding them up out of the darkness with just sufficient emphasis to add a sense of mystery to the whole — this is only a portion of the picture. Upon the unseen Tagus are coloured gleams, moving, and the brilliant collections of twinkling points that show the great liners at rest. It is a fairy-hke scene that spreads itself below for one's delectation. They are no bad judge of spectacles, those who climb up to the church of S. Gens of a night. 8 PORTUGAL So far as the notable buildings and public places of the capital are concerned, these are already too well known to be dealt with seriatim and at length here. The castle of St. George, the municipal palace, the great bull-ring that lies in the outskirts by the Campo Pequeno, the palace of the Necessi- dades, the grim but imposing penitentiary — all these and the rest of the accepted show-places of the town stand in need of no further descriptive efforts. It is the same with the principal churches. The ancient cathedral with its twin towers and sacerdotal treasury, the Basilica Estrella, the church of S. Roque with its wonderful shrine and its museum with the gorgeous vestments in gold, purple, green, and white, its colossal candlesticks and ornaments of silver, and its general array of churchly pomp almost overpowering in its magnifi cence — these are as familiar as the first. The stately church of S. Vicente de Fora claims a special mention, since it holds the embalmed bodies of the later Portuguese royalties, amongst whom now repose those of the murdered King Carlos and of the Crown Prince Luiz Felipe. The spot, with its funereal hangings and its biers with the glass- lidded coffins, is at all times sufficiently melancholy. But now, with the addition of the last two royal bodies, the pathos of tragedy has settled with deeper gloom upon the atmosphere of the place. But of the crime and its results more later. Of the public places in the central town, the best known to the casual visitor are, of course, the Praca Dom Pedro iv. and the Praca do Commercio. There are few, indeed, even of those casual visitors who come ashore for a few hours from a passing steamer who have not been taken to admire the snake-like pattern of the former's pavement. The place is the Mecca of THE AVENIDA DA LIBERDADE LISBON 11 all Lisbon guides worthy of their salt. The impression of the waving black and white lines is held to produce a sensation of giddiness in one who passes over them. In some instances the effect of the place may, perhaps, justify this claim. But, whether counterfeit or real, it is best to admit the emotion without further ado for the sake of the guide's peace of mind. In any case, the great square, with the fine buildings that border it, its trees, and the statue of Dom Pedro iv. in its centre, con stitutes the especially imposing central point of the capital. The large square of the Praga do Commercio is equally well known. Bordering the Tagus, one of the chief highways from the river to the central town runs through the spot. The Praca, the surrounding buildings of which are almost entirely devoted to government and judicial offices, boasts a very fine arch facing the Tagus, and in its centre is the well-known statue of King Jose i. upon the black horse that gives to the Praca its English name. Other well-known Pracas are those of Camoes, Principe Real, and Dom Luiz i., while amongst others beyond there is the broad and luxuriant garden of the Estrella, and that of S. Pedro d'Alcantara, from which elevated spot a fine view of the main town offers itself. To the credit of the civic fathers of Lisbon be it said that the rapid growth of the town has not been effected at the expense of beauty. Indeed, with the spread of the buildings the increase of parks and of other pleasurable places has been at least in proportion. The latest, which is in the making, and by far the largest of all, is the Parque Eduardo vn., christened in honour of our own king, whose popularity during his last visit, by the way, evoked the most gratifying demonstrations. Of this the nomenclature of the new park is one of the proofs. 12 PORTUGAL Situated upon the outskirts of the town at the further end of the great Avenida, the place is destined to serve as the driving and motoring ground of the Lisbon fashionable world as well as the haunt of the bourgeois. By far the most ambitious effort of the kind that has yet been attempted, the laying out of this large open space speaks well for the spirit of enterprise of the city by the Tagus. If one would obtain some insight into the affairs of Portugal overseas — and the Portuguese colonies, remnants though they are, are of an importance not generally realised by English folk — a visit to the Geographical Institute in the Rua de S. Antao is of inestimable service. In the first place, the Institute is exceedingly well found, arranged, and managed. From cocoa, tobacco, and rubber down to the glaring native African idols, each colony is appropriately represented, both in its products and objects of curiosity, whether natural or artificial. Perhaps, however, one of the most interesting of all the records within the building is that stamped upon a map of the world that all but covers one end of the large hall. Upon this are traced the courses of the old navigators £ Portugal. Marked accurately in accordance with the ancient logs, the tracks of each mariner's voyage are clearly distinguished from the rest. There is an extraordinary fascination in these lines that meander across the great map. One may follow Vasco da Gama as he bore southward, breasting the unknown seas, reaching the end of Africa and doubling its Cape, to strike out across the ocean once more, and to eat his way, undaunted, into the fiercer tropics, until he found India at the end. One may watch the tracks of Magalhaes as he, too, sent the bluff bow of his small vessel southward — but to the west instead of A CORNER OF PRACA DOM PEDRO IV. (THE RUINED CARMO CHURCH ABOVE) LISBON 15 the east — and won his way from heat to bleakness and grey skies as he threaded the tortuous passage of the grim Magellan Straits, and so to the Pacific. There are the records of many more — of Tristao de Cunha, Pedro Alvares Cabral, Bartolomeu Diaz, and of the rest of this heroic band of explorers. No written matter could surpass the eloquence of these plain lines that stretch across a world whose waters sparkled and raged for the first time in the eyes of Europeans. Here and there the steady line of the course sheers abruptly to one side, flung to right or left by some pro longed tempest or a doubting in the mind of the early navigator. Then it leads ahead again, bearing straight onwards in renewed confidence as the explorer pressed on afresh in search of the mysterious unknown. The romance of Portugal's grandeur is surely unequalled in the history of the nations of the world. With the tropical phosphorescence streaming from the quarters of her daring craft, the nation shot up to the heights of glory like a rocket, the brilliant stars of literature rising in sympathy in its train. And came down as suddenly as it rose — as does the rocket- stick and the dark exhausted shell of the flames ! What has been before may occur again — so much is a platitude. But the feats of these great navigators stand alone, never more to be emulated. The veil has been lifted now in its entirety ; the world has shrunk like an over-ripe apple, and the possibility of such vivid experiences and emotions is irretrievably lost to it. But the subject is apt to lead one too far afield. One is at present concerned only with the starting-point of these intrepid mariners, Lisbon. Of the other similar institutions, 16 PORTUGAL perhaps the most interesting is the Archaeological Museum— not for what it holds, for its contents are somewhat insignificant both in interest and in value, but for its situation in the fine old ruins of the Carmo Church, with its magnificent archway and the splendid columns of the main aisle that prick upwards to the sky, innocent of any roof above. The ruins form one of the many tributes to the devastating power of the great earth quake, and the level of the street in front of the building is said to have been raised several feet by the debris of masonry upon which the thoroughfare is constructed. The Artillery Museum, with its array of firearms ancient and modern, its paintings, and its numerous relics of the Peninsular War, is well worth a visit. The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes con tains a collection representative of the Portuguese school of painting, as well as a certain number of foreign masterpieces. There are here, moreover, some especially fine specimens of the national porcelain tiles — the Azulejos, with their well-wrought designs — and numerous objets d'art that are typical of the culture of the land. In order to cope with the seven accepted hills of Lisbon, to say nothing of those remaining eminences that, though officially ignored, nevertheless exist, the town is adequately supplied with lifts. Great erections of steel and iron, the shafts usually point upwards clear into the air in the manner of towers, their summits being connected with the nearest terra firma above by means of an aerial passage. The most prominent of these is that of the Carmo, by which one mounts from the busy Rua Aurea to the Praca de Camoes and the western portion of the town. From the triple row of galleries that surmount the shaft a magnificent view of the city is obtainable, and the i iSni W1^ S s PRACA DOS RKSTAURADORES (SHOWING THE AVENIDA PALACE HOTEL) LISBON 19 working of the lift itself — as is that of the rest — is efficient and comfortingly smooth. Lisbon has already solved the question of mixed transit facilities that has been agitating the travel authorities of London, and tickets for the lifts are issued in connection with the tramway routes. Although to a certain extent lacking the added life that the open-air cafes lend to some of the more central European towns, there is no want of animation in the streets of Lisbon. Natur ally enough, the chief tide of the city ebbs and flows along the Rua Aurea and its parallel streets that run between the two great Pracas of Commercio and of Dom Pedro iv., and then, passing by the main railway terminus and the Praca dos Restauradores, rolls onwards again along the broad Avenida da Liberdade. If the new arrival would obtain the most comprehensive glimpse of the street life of the capital he could not, perhaps, do better than make for the Cafe Suisso that faces the Central Railway Station. From the point of vantage of the chairs and tables that fringe the place — for the open- air cafe, though not general, is by no means unknown — he can survey one of the chief human arteries of the town at his leisure. From the outset it will be evident that even here the national traits mingle strongly with the more conventional ethics of cosmopolitanism. The motor-car will hoot past the quaint country cart, while the carriage and pair, its coachman and groom liveried de rigueur, will roll past a train of laden pack- mules. The frock-coat will brush by the gaudy shawl of the barefooted fisherwife, and the brilliant uniform of a cavalry officer will contrast strangely with the coloured coat and blanket of the ' Saloio,' the small farmer, or the yet humbler countryman who has come into the town. Standing at the street 20 PORTUGAL corners are the public porters, awaiting custom. Slung over their shoulders is the stout cord with which they bind together the trunks and boxes under the burden of which they are wont to go staggering along. For sound one has the ordinary rumble of traffic, the clang of tramcar bells, and the calls of the newspaper vendors and lottery-ticket sellers. Every now and then a small boy will go past, mounted upon the very hindermost portion of a tall horse. Why these youthful grooms prefer to sit practically upon their mount's tail is a matter of mystery, but the fact remains. There are times when, to the sound of music and of beaten drums, a cart rolls slowly past, filled with men in bull-fighting costume — an advertisement that never fails to evoke emotion amidst the populace. One knows then that it is the eve of a Corrida de Touros. At other times, and especially just before the festivities of the new year, the Praca suffers visitations of quite another kind. Then, great flocks of turkeys strut proudly through the streets, guarded and guided by country men with long wands. Gobbling defiance to street urchin and electric tramcar alike, they hold up the traffic until they reach the Praca. And every one yields them the pas with the utmost good-nature. Even the driver who chances to be pressed for time — a condition that obtains fairly frequently in Lisbon, though sufficiently rare without the walls — will wait with equanimity until the last ranks of the feathered bodies and arrogant necks have passed by. ForJn_this, as in all else, good-nature is essentially^ trait _oi the Portuguese. Deeply imbued in the national^character^ nowhere is the spirit of give and take better understood than in Portugal. And, since the virtue is grafted upon a sturdy I y ..-' ''',' "i "'-', - '':-- 'I- 'Aso HM LISBON -i:\ enough temperament, the truest acts of civility are wont to be performed in the simplest and most genuine fashion. Of those who have travelled not only through Portugal, but amongst the Portuguese people themselves — in these days the first hypothesis does not invariably involve the other — there are few who cannot testify to this. The peasant who will walk a mile out of his path to put the wayfarer on his right road utterly without expectation of reward for the act, and the other who will offer to share" his humble meal with the stranger, not only from the accepted etiquette of the land, but from the generosity of his heart — one may meet them many times over in the course of a single day's march. And, although necessarily far less obvious amidst the turmoil of the capital, the same spirit animates the Lisbon folk in general. As it is shared, moreover, by officials, tram-conductors — and, of course, in a far lesser degree by those natural birds of prey, the cab-drivers — a very few weeks' sojourn in Lisbon is sufficient to demonstrate the inestimable advantage of this national amiability. CHAPTER II LISBON Pombal and the streets — The Avenida — Its history and present aspects — New quarters — Growth of the town — Humble restaurants — Lisbon mansions — The port — Beauties of the Tagus — Its tide and shipping — The native craft — The curse of the siren — Some street noises — The Tagus longshoreman — Southern crayfish — The markets. When Pombal, single-hearted and undismayed even by the ghastly havoc of the earthquake of 1755, was causing a new Lisbon to rise from the charred and bloodstained ruins of the old, his plans were subjected to no little criticism. Men pointed in amazement to the Aurea, the Augusta, and the other thoroughfares that were being constructed, and wondered what madness had inflated the minister's mind. What did they want, they demanded, with streets of a breadth that made the very crossing of them tedious, to say nothing of the hardship of carrying on a conversation from one side to the other ? But Pombal, with his eyes set beyond the limited horizon of his contemporaries, remained firm. The streets rose up according to his pattern, straight and well planned, even if anachronistically broad. How much the capital owes to the great minister of King Joao v. in its architectural features as well as in other respects has now long been recognised. The portions of the town with which he dealt are easily recognisable by the similar LISBON 25 features that stamp the buildings, and by the uniform and very effective style of dormer window that embellishes the roofs. In these days there are no complaints concerning the undue width of his streets. Thoroughfares have a way of following in the lines of ocean steamers — at an infinitely lesser ratio of speed, it is true. The giants of Pombal's day are too narrow now, imposing enough and symmetrical as they are. The great avenue beyond has come into being to dwarf the older streets, and the boulevards of many another capital as well. The Avenida da Liberdade, the chief pride of all the Lisbon highways, was, at its inception, received with little more favour than the streets of Pombal. Indeed, the history of the two schemes is similar insomuch as the true benefit con ferred was only realised little by little. The site of the Avenida was originally a promenade, select to a degree, shut off by high walls from the rest of the city. The object of the place even then was a progressive one, up to a certain point. Instituted in order to encourage the Lisbon ladies to sally out more frequently from the coy seclusion of their homes, it was already serving its purpose well enough, and was indeed considered a daring step in advance of the times. When — at the instigation of the mayor, a pastrycook, I believe, with a certain genius of his own, and a most praise worthy official — it was proposed to raze the protecting walls, to make an open boulevard of the secluded spot in which, notwithstanding its publicity, the ladies should continue to stroll, a storm of protest arose. Charges of vandalism and desecration were flung wholesale at the head of the bold author of the innovation. Nevertheless, the Avenida was 26 PORTUGAL built, and the present-day lady of fashion, in all the glory of her Parisian costumes, adorns the thoroughfare very willingly and without stint. From which it will be seen that progress advances with ever-increasing ratio, since the Avenida is only twenty years old. As it is, no true Lisbon man or woman could conceive the city without its avenue. A mile in length and a hundred yards in breadth, it is a triple thoroughfare, divided into three by rows of plane-trees, elms, Judas-trees, and others, as well as the more exotic palms. It is a boulevard in which the city may well take pride. In the centre are some small ponds and flowing streams that have for their source two water gods that stand respectively for the Tagus and the Douro. Little wonder that both elite and bourgeois throng the place, as pleasant as it is imposing. A very short while ago the end of the Avenida da Liberdade marked the boundary of Lisbon proper. Now the Parque Eduardo vn. is already developing beyond it, and there are other avenues, broad, straight, and tree-planted, that run to the side and further yet. The avenues of Antonio Augusto de Aguiar, Fontes Perreira de Mello, and Ressano Garcia — all these stretch themselves proudly to the north. Indeed, so rapid has been the growth of the town that much that was planned to remain without its boundaries has now been drawn within them. The public slaughter-house, a great red-brick building that only a few years ago was constructed beyond the outskirts, has now been overlapped and enveloped by the new avenues and Pracas. The new cemetery is in similar case. That, too, has been swallowed up by the spreading town. But the cemetery can hold its own in an LISBON 29 unpleasant fashion, and, when the time comes, will doubtless swallow each inhabitant in revenge. As is natural enough, the commercial quarters of the town are in the low-lying central district ; the fashionable quarters — with the exception of some stretches along the Avenida — upon the hills. Although in a far lesser degree than is the case in Oporto, it is noticeable that the various industries, as represented by the shops, are curiously gregarious. Jewellers, stationers, upholsterers, and other shops, are frequently to be met with in groups and clusters, each one of which is of the same kidney as the rest. This is, perhaps, nowhere more marked than in the sailors' quarter by the Tagus to the west of the Arsenal. Here the humblest eating-shops of the city are grouped together in one long unbroken line. Within them are barefooted folk, sailors, fishermen, coalheavers, male and female — for the gentler sex labours here at the more strenuous tasks in com petition with the men — as well as porters, market-women, and a host of casual riverside labourers. A genial company, revelling in the sources of the strong odours that come wafting out into the street from the dark interiors. Honest, too, or, at all events, as honest as can be expected, and addicted to none of those petty peculations from which suffers another humble restaurant, the poorest in the old eastern quarter of the town. Here the knives and forks are secured by chains to the table — an insurance against dishonesty, but something of a poor compliment to the patrons of the place ! To turn from these haunts of lowly life to the opposite social pole, some of the most imposing of all the private houses are to be found upon the elevations to the east of the Avenida, 30 PORTUGAL establishments with large and very entrancing gardens that slope downwards towards the centre of the town. In the neighbourhood of the Praca do Principe Real are other very fine specimens of the private mansion, and the district to the west and south of this includes the most extensive and popular residential quarters of the town. There are, moreover, some palatial buildings along the newer and remoter avenues, although it must be frankly admitted that a certain number of these exhibit a scheme of architecture that even the blue sky and the trees and flowers can merely palliate, not altogether condone. In the central part of the town no residential quarter exists by the banks of the Tagus itself. For that the sterner business of the stream leaves no room. Wharves are increasing in size, and the docks in their power of accommodation. With the port in its present up-to-date condition, the largest liner upon the South American route can now come alongside the quays without any hindrance whatever. The river front is thus fully occupied by these establishments, the naval arsenal, the custom-house, and other official buildino-s It is the claim of the Portuguese that Lisbon forms the natural quay of Europe for all the South American and African traffic. Its strategic position and the facilities it now offers are certainly not to be denied. Yet even in the present circum stances the most enthusiastic patriot of the land need have no cause for complaint, seeing that the Tagus year by year is being filled with liners, increasing both in number and size, and that the handsome steamers of their own African line now pass proudly to and fro amongst the rest. As for the Tagus itself, the stream is worthy of all that has LISBON 33 been said and sung of its beauties — and that is much. Lisbon, wherever placed, would be a fine city, it is true. But how much would it not lose if deprived of the broad stretch of water in which its buildings are mirrored — sometimes, not invariably, since the surface of the river can be sufficiently ruffled at times ! From the bar as far as Lisbon the width of the Tagus does not average more than a couple of miles, but, when abreast of the capital, a great bay, with Barreiro in its centre, eats into the opposite shore. The effect, as viewed from Lisbon, is peculi arly fine. A succession of bold red bluffs, marking the narrower way, culminate at Almada. From this point the land, sinking now, recedes abruptly, and the great sweep of water rolls onwards, with Barreiro half seen in the distance, and with the mountains standing out upon the horizon beyond. Thus, to one ignorant of the locality, it is as though the capital stood upon a strait connecting two seas ; for the banks further on upon the landward side are so remote as to be invisible except from the greatest heights. The power of the Tagus tide is remarkable. One may gather this from the sight alone of the ferry steamers and small sailing boats as they pass from one bank to the other. Digging their noses resolutely into the blue flood, they bore across, the wash streaming out at right angles from their counters, in a fashion that — to mix equine and marine metaphors — suggests a badly-mouthed horse floundering along crab-ways. The force of this was doubtless of greater consequence in the old days of the clumsy and primitive craft than now. For the Tagus has known a wonderful succession of vessels in its time. It has borne successively Phoenician ships, Roman galleys, Moorish craft, snake-like and low-hulled, Crusader fleets, and c 34 PORTUGAL the high-pooped vessels of the Discoverers. It has echoed to strife often enough, and did its duty faithfully as one of the natural barriers that hemmed in the invading Massena, and caused his disastrous retreat. Now, moving with the times, it is ploughed by great liners, cargo steamers, and the usually rather clumsy hulls of the modern Portuguese man-of-war. But there is a blending of the old and new upon the Tagus as well as elsewhere in Portugal. The native boat in all its simplicity still remains to cruise about amidst these later creations of steam. With its bright- painted hull, and its great lateen sail bellowing proudly in the breeze, it sweeps along, battling with the tide just as it has done for centuries — a feature of the river that one hopes will hold good for as many more. Certainly from an aesthetic point of view they fit the spot far better than some of the steam-craft. The Tagus, shining and radiant as it is wont to be in the daylight, has frequently a peculiar fascination of a summer's night as well, when the brilliant trails of phosphorus stream away by force of the tide from the anchored vessels and buoys. One may have gone down to the water's edge to revel in the sight — or may even be watching it from the windows of the famous old Braganca Hotel upon its height — and have suc cumbed to the undoubted charm of the scene. One may, in fact, be rhapsodising upon the utter peace of the hour — when it is abruptly broken, shivered into a thousand fragments ! A pair of lights, red and green, has been stealing near, approach ing from the ocean. Of a sudden comes a din from the siren of the invisible vessel they represent — a noise that is difficult to describe in mere words. It has been my lot to hear many sirens on the coasts of many lands — from the concerts in THE RIVER BANK LISBON 37 which the companies of Rio launches are wont to indulge to the plaintive calls of our own torpedo craft. But this is different ; incomparable to anything that has gone before. Beginning with a blaring chromatic scale that echoes from one bank of the stricken Tagus to the other, it bursts into a frenzy of wailings that mount from the deepest bass to the treble, and descend again. Then follow endeavours at octaves and even at some notes of a waltz, all delivered with an amazing power. A grateful pause ensues. But the per petration is not at an end. With the intervention of but the shortest breathing space, a similar performance is repeated some half-dozen times, each rendering varied at the hideous will of the operator. One had never before realised the full scope and the awful possibilities of a siren. During the weeks that I stayed in Lisbon the demoniacal occurrence happened some half-dozen times, and, as it always came about at night, I was unable to discern the craft itself. But I was told that the sounds emanated from a steam-trawler signalling its return and some details of its catch, and in the daytime a vessel was pointed out as the author of the disturb ance — a ludicrously insignificant craft to have awoken the echoes along many miles of the Tagus. But, after all, what right has one to complain in this fashion when the remaining three hundred and fifty thousand of Lisbon's inhabitants bear the matter with equanimity ? Indeed, the Portuguese are nothing if not tolerant. One forgives the boat at meals, moreover ; for the Lisbon fish is altogether excellent, and much of it has been brought by the small boat with the big voice. It must be admitted, as a matter of fact, that the Portu- 88 PORTUGAL guese, although one of the national characteristics is a peculiarly soft and well-modulated timbre of voice, are not averse to a certain amount of genial clamour. The life of the tramcar- driver would be saddened by the loss of his trusty bell, and the average chauffeur and the sound of his horn are more or less inseparable. One remarks the trait, too, on the open space of ground by the riverside in the neighbourhood of the arsenal. The spot, although by no means intended for that special purpose, is utilised by the sailors and more humble townsfolk as a recreation ground. There the sailors fling their quoits, each as it falls raising a cloud of dust, and there the football may be seen as it is punted about in the blazing sunlight of a summer's day as well as during the cooler periods of the year. A book, by the way, could be written upon the present ubiquity of the leathern globe — the round ball of the Association game, bien entendu. Not a continent, and far fewer races than would generally be believed, but have fallen beneath its spell. But it is not the dull thuds of the football that satisfy the demands for sound in this improvised recreation ground. There are usually a dozen or so of bicyclists who go careering round and round the place, and the hand of each of them labours as unceasingly at his bell as his feet do at the pedals. The result is a tintinnabular concert that provides at least half the charm of the proceeding. A little to the west of the arsenal the stretch of the river bank is thickly littered with the rows of native craft. Here all types of sailors and longshoremen are to be met with, from the picturesque bare-footed, red-sashed, scantily clothed mortal, to the man in more prosaic, but probably more shabby, clothes. In the midday hour the spot is wealthiest in pictures Hfa<(AU PO