cesan palace, the royal hospitals and extensive storehouses are the ornaments of the commercial city, Grimaraens, an industrious town, was in ancient times the capital of the kingdom. BOOK CXXXVIII Province of Miranda, formerly Cambetum Lubicanarum, a small Tras-osepiscopal city, is the chief town in Tras-os-Montes. Mon- Montes. corvo, the ancient Forum Narbasorum, is ill built, but contains twice as many inhabitants as the last town. Braganza or Bragança, the ancient Brigantium, rises in the midst of a fruitful plain. It was within its walls that Don Pedro, the Justiciary married secretly the unfortunate Ines de Castro. Chaves is built on a height near the Tamega, which flows under a bridge of eighteen arches, built by Trajan; the place was celebrated in the time of the Romans for its mineral waters, which they called Aqua Flavia Turodorum. Alen Tejo. Alen-Tejo is not less mountainous than Beira, although Province of more extensive, it is three times less populous, and being the poorest province in the kingdom, it may be readily supposed that it does not contain many important towns. Evora, the capital and the chief town in the diocess of an archbishop, is styled the second city in Portugal. The population, it is true, does not exceed ten thousand souls, but the vain title has been conferred on it, because several kings made it the place of their residence. It is situated on a height in the chain which forms the continuation of the Serra de Estremos. The ancient names of Ebora and Cerealis, as Pliny calls it, announced its prosperity. Flattery induced the municipal magistrates to give it the name of Liberalitas Julia. The imperial liberality consisted in building monuments with part of the gold that was exacted from the conquered countries, the remains of some are still to be seen at Evora. The aqueduct attributed to Quintus Sertorius is remarkable for its fine state of preservation. A circular monument at the extremity of the town, resembles in the elegance of its proportions, the Lantern of Demosthenes at Athens. Most of the antiquities discovered at Beja, have been collected in a museum. Estremos carries on a trade in pottery and earthen vases of a particular kind, so porous that they are used for lowering the BOOK temperature of water by promoting evaporation. The anCXXXVIII. cient town of Elvas, the strongest place in Portugal, rises Province of Portuguese foreign possessions on a steep hill at two leagues from the right bank of the Guadiana. Some remains of antiquity are still to be observed in Beja, the ancient Pax Julia, a town built by the Romans. Algarva, a small province which the Portuguese sovereigns have denominated a kingdom, contains only four towns worthy of notice. Faro, the capital, a well built city with a harbour at the mouth of the Valformosa, exports a great quantity of oranges and other fruits. Tavira is situated on the coast at eight leagues eastwards from Faro, it is almost wholly peopled by fishermen. Villa Nova de Portimao is a small but well-frequented sea-port at the distance of twelve leagues to the west of Faro. Lagos in the middle of a fruitful district, possesses a harbour which according to tradition was dug by the Carthaginians. Sagre owes its name to the Sacrum Promontorium, now Cape St. Vincent. Lastly, we may mention the small town of Monchique on the Sierra of the same name; its romantic situation and medicinal springs have of late years rendered it a place of resort. The Portuguese foreign possessions are the Archipelago of the Azores, the province of Madeira, including Madeira, Porto Santo and other neighbouring islands. It possesses besides the province of Cape Verd, or the islands St. Jago, Forgo-Brava, San Nicolao, Santo Antao, Boavista, Mayo, San Vicente, Sal and Santa Luzia. The principal places in the Portuguese colony of Senegambia, are Cacheu, Bissao, Geba, Farim and Zeguichor. The kingdom of Angola and Congo is another settlement belonging to the same people, it comprehends Angola and several other stations. Prince's island and the island of St. Thomas form a small province. The province of Mosambique contains several important factories. The Portuguese possessions in Asia are the viceroyalty of India, of which Goa is the capital, the province of Salsete and Bardez, the govern ment of Damao and Diu, and the factories of Surate and Macao on the coast of Malabar, the island of Timor, Adomera and Oende Menor in Oceana. These insignificant remains of the Portuguese power, and BOOK the rising empire of Brazil, of which the independence was CXXXVIII rather an advantage than a calamity to the mother country, Commerce serve to maintain the commerce of Portugal. The imports of Portugal which it sends into the same countries, amount in value to L.5,625,000, and the articles it derives from them exceed L.3,000,000. The imports from other countries may be estimated at L.3,875,000, and the exports at L.3,000,000. As it possesses comparatively few commercial resources in its agriculture, it may be inferred that the products of manufacturing industry form a considerable item in the sums now specified. It is in reality not so poor in such products as some political economists have supposed. No comparison can be made between its manufactures and those of more industrious states; but if, notwithstanding the privileges England enjoys, the Portuguese have been able to compete with the English in different manufactures, it may be concluded that industry cannot be at a very low ebb; on the contrary, judicious encouragement and a better system of policy are only wanting to bring it to a high degree of perfection. The reader may form a tolerably correct opinion of the sources of Portuguese wealth from the following tables. VOL. VIII. |