waters, found them impregnated with the following ingredients, viz, Iron. Marine falt. Selenites. Fixed air. The elements of phlogiston. Abforbent earth. Argil. In the year 1776 they were analized in the elaboratory of the university of Coimbra, and found to contain all the above ingredients except the particles of iron.' P. 21.

The baths of Chaves are deemed highly efficacious in the removal or alleviation of nervous complaints. At Ançaon is a fountain from which iffues water that is very cold in fummer and lukewarm in winter. It is found by experience to be good for pregnant women.' At Friexada is fome mineral water of a very corrofive quality; and at Eftremos is a petrifying fpring.

Some of the mines of Portugal were worked by the Romans, who extracted gold and filver from them.

Veins of gold ore may be traced in the mountains of Goes and Estrella. In the rivers that iffue from the latter is found much gold; and alfo in the river Sabor. Pure gold was formerly gathered in the fands of the Tagus. King John III. had a fceptre made of it, which is ftill preserved in the royal treasury.

A mine of filver was worked in the village of Paramio, two leagues from Bragança, in the year 1628. It was so productive, that the duty to the crown amounted annually to 256 pounds weight. P. 44.

‹ There are lead mines in Murfa and Lamego; from a hundred weight of ore, lately taken out of the latter, have been extracted fixty pounds of lead, befides filver. The lead mines of Cogo yielded forty-eight pounds in a hundred weight.

'Mines of fine tin may be seen in Amarante, Bouzella, S. Pedro do Sul, Belmonte, Bragança, and Vizeu.' P. 44.

The iron mines are well known, but, at the fame time, they are not converted to use; thofe of Machuco, on the banks of the river Zezere, are neglected for want of wood. There are others at Coimbra, on the coaft of Caon, Bufaco, Carvalho, Pernes, and Cintra. In the laft have been, found magnets. There are other fpecies of iron ores in Alentejo. On the fea-fhore we frequently meet iron fands; at Buarcos is a conglutinated bank of this fand, from which Mr. Vandelli fays he has extracted excellent iron.' P. 44.

Other mineral productions are found in various parts of the kingdom; but the Portuguese do not derive from them that benefit which they are calculated to afford. ・・

The vegetable productions are numerous; and many kinds. of fruit grow almost spontaneously, Many plants useful in

1

dying, and a variety of thofe which are medicinally valuable, are found in the different provinces.

Under fome of the earlier kings of Portugal, agriculture flourished; but it declined after the establishment of colonies in Afia and America. It has lately revived, however, in fome degree, though, even at prefent, two-thirds of the kingdom are left untilled.'

With regard to the cattle, we are informed that the oxen are better and more numerous than is generally supposed;' but that the cows breed flowly for want of pafture; that the theep are not very numerous, and that the breed is not so good as it formerly was. The horses are few in number, and not very good;' but the mules are very hardy, strong, and surefooted."

In the chapter which treats of population and induftry," very different statements are given of the number of inhabitants but it is probable, that two millions and a half form the whole amount. The province of Minho alone contains more. than a third part of that number. The active part of the population of the kingdom confifts only of about 600,000 men, the produce of whofe industry is rated by Henriques de Selveira at 100 reis (about 63d.) per diem, to each. The manufactories are fuppofed to be about 230; and improvements have lately been made in many of these establishments. The Portuguese commerce is faid to be in a very flourishing ftate, compared with what it was at the beginning of this century.

The exports of Portugal are wine, oil, fpirits, falt, fugar, cotton, cork, drugs, tobacco, fweetmeats, and fruits, fuch as oranges, lemons, figs, almonds, nuts, for which, and all other commodities of the growth of the kingdom and of its colonies, England is certainly by far the best foreign market. The exportation of these articles, particularly the ftaple, wine, has fo increafed of late years, whilft, on the contrary, the confumption of the ftaple of England has decreafed in Portugal, that it is a question, whether the trade between both nations at present be not at par.

Among the articles exported from Portugal to Brazil are the following; woollens, linens, ftuffs, gold and filver lace, dried fish of the produce of the kingdom, hams, faufages, haggeffes, pilchards, cheese, butter, biscuits, cakes, wine, oil, vinegar, vermicelli, macaroni, bay leaves, walnuts, peeled chefnuts, dried plumbs, olives, onions, garlick, rosemary, and glaffware of every kind manufactured at Marinha.

• The imports from Brazil to Portugal are very numerous; gold, filver, pearls, and precious ftones of various kinds rice, wheat, maize, flour, starch, and hair-powder made of Mandioca; fugar, molaffes, sweetmeats, honey, wax, filk, cocoa, coffee, nuts, ipi

rits, whale-bone, train oil, woods of various kinds for conftruction, furniture, and ornament.-Coquilho, glew, gum-fans made of feathers and of leaves; falt-petre, fponges ;-the teeth of elephants and fea-horses; parrots and other birds; oftrich feathers, apes, faguiz; the hides of oxen, and the skins of different qua drupeds, as hares, rabbits, otters, tygers, ounces, gennets, goats, chamois, &c. &c.' P. 63.

In

The thirteenth chapter comprehends a lift of the chief premiums offered and adjudged by the Royal Academy of Lif bon fince the year 1783,' for various purposes of utility. the two fucceeding chapters, Dr. Dominic Vandelli, a writer of reputation, contends for the preference of agriculture to manufactures in the present state of Portugal, and offers a variety of useful remarks on fuch productions of the colonies belonging to that realm, as are not generally known, or not converted to use.

A very imperfect account is given of the conftitution and government.' The ftatutes framed at Lamego in the year 1145, are mentioned as the Magna Charta of Portugal. The laws for the punishment of murder, theft, and adultery, are thefe:

pu

Among the penal laws it is ordained, that murder fhall be nished with death. If a delinquent be convicted of theft, he fhall be exposed in the market-place, with his back naked, for the two first offences; for the third, he fhall be branded on the forehead with a hot iron; and if he tranfgress a fourth time, he shall be sentenced to die; this, however, cannot be put in execution without the exprefs order of the king.

The law respecting adultery has its fingularity. If the parties be convicted of the offence, both the man and woman shall be committed to the flames. But if the husband pardon the adultress, which he shall be at liberty to do, then the adulterer, fhall be pardoned alfo. He who violates a lady of nobility fhall forfeit his life, and all his property shall devolve on her. But if she be not of a noble family, then the violater fhall take her to wife, whether he be a nobleman or a plebeian.

John III. in the year 1526, ordained, that delinquents found guilty of theft should not, as heretofore, be branded on the forehead. "It is unjuft," said the king, "that perfons punished, as well with a view to reform them, as for tranfgreffing the established laws, should, after commuting their crime and reforming their conduct, carry the mark of infamy to the grave like incorrigible knaves. Besides, perfons fo ftigmatized are hunned by the virtuous and abandoned to the company of the wicked, whereby they become more hardened in iniquity, and confequently more dangerous than before,” P. III.

Accounts of titular honours follow. The revenue of the crown forms the next subject: it is estimated by fome at three millions fterling, by others at four. The military establishment confifts of about 24,000 men, 'the militia not being included in this number. The marine force is represented as not exceeding thirteen fhips of the line and fifteen frigates.

From a sketch of the Portuguese conquefts, Mr. Murphy proceeds, in a course not very regular, to the coins, the antiquities and curiofities of the realm, and the ceremonies used at the death of the fovereigns.

In the twenty-fourth chapter, he treats of manners, cuftoms, drefs, and diverfions." He obferves, that,

In defcribing the manners and cuftoms of the Portuguese, moft travellers make a distinction between the northern and fouthern provinces. The former are reputed induftrious, candid, and adventurous; the latter are more civil, but lefs fincere; more diffimulating, and averse from labour. All ranks are nice observers of ceremonies in dealing with a merchant or tradesman, fome years ago, it would have been lefs dangerous to fail in payment of a debt than a point of etiquette. This oftentation, however, is much worn off at prefent, by their communication with the northern nations, whom, in oppofition to every difference in religious fentiments, they efteem and imitate.

• The manners and customs of the Jews and Moors, which had taken deep root in the country, are not yet eradicated; many vestiges are still discernible, particularly among the inhabitants of the interior provinces, who have little or no intercourse with strangers. The defcendants of the latter are very numerous; they are diftinguished by the round face, regular features, fwarthy complexion, black hair, and sparkling eyes. From these people are derived the bull-feafts, and the cuftom of fitting cross-legged on cushions. The jealoufy of the Portuguese too may be traced to the same fource. The penfive folitary manners of the Jews, their love of onions, garlic, and plaintive mufic, ftill obtain in a few villages.' P. 136.

Among the middling and fubordinate ranks, the females efpecially, there is very little intercourse, except fortuitous meetings in the churches and ftreets. Every class of tradesmen has a diftinct oratory, fupported by the voluntary contributions of their fociety; here they affemble every evening, before supper, to chaunt vefpers. They rarely visit each other's houses but on particular occafions, as weddings and christenings; and then they entertain very sumptuously, or rather fatiate with profufion.' P. 138.

Of the Portuguese women it is remarked, that they

are rather below than above the middle ftature, but graceful

and beautiful. No females are lefs ftudious of enhancing their attractions by artificial means, or counterfeiting, by paltry arts, the charms that nature has withheld. To the most regular features, they add a fprightly difpofition and captivating carriage. The round face, and full fed form, are more efteemed in this country, than the long tapering visage and thin delicate frame.' P. 139.

It appears, that the accomplishments of these females are not very confiderable..

'One of their principal employments is fpinning flax, for which they still use the spindle and distaff. The women of the province of Minho are so celebrated for this branch of industry, that formerly it was cuftomary to conduct the bride to the house of her fpoufe, preceded by a youth carrying a fpinning apparatus. In the houses of the moft refpectable merchants, traders, and farmers, the female part of the family disdain not to occupy their time in this manner. Accomplishments, fuch as people of very humble circumstances in England commonly bestow on their daughters, as dancing, mufic, drawing, and languages, are unknown here; even among ladies of the first rank.' P. 141.

In a review of the genius and learning' of the Portuguese, mention is made of several writers whofe names are scarcely known beyond the limits of their native country; and among them we find a female poet and philofopher (Ferreira da Lacerda), whose works (fays our author) are held in high es

teem.'

Except in the reign of John V. they [the Portuguese] do not ́ appear to have been very ambitious of obtaining a distinguished rank in the republic of letters. The wars and enterprises in which they were constantly engaged till the end of king Sebastian's reign, feem to have diverted their attention from literary pursuits; and yet it is remarkable, that the best poets, historians, and geographers they have to boaft of, have flourished in the most active periods of their monarchy.' P. 157.

The reign of John V. who did not afcend the throne before the year 1706, is here mentioned in fuch a manner, with relation to the fubject of literature, as if it had immediately followed that of Sebaftian, who loft his life in 1578.

The fpecies of writing in which, perhaps, they fucceed best is romance: their fondness for the marvellous, their quick and fertile talents, and averfion from profound and laborious ftudies, are peculiarly favourable to fubjects of this kind.

Among the fine arts, mufic, I believe, is the only one in' which the Portuguese have excelled. The compofitions of John IV. of Cordofo, and Soares, are well known in different parts of Europe.