Travels in Portugal; and through France and Spain. With a dissertation on the literature of Portugal, and the Spanish and Portugueze languages - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1801 Excerpt: ...a bishop who chiefly resides at Mezanfrio. Lima in his geography of Portugal, published in 1736, states the number of inhabitants at 20,737, and Murphy at 63,505. I know not what mistakes Murphy may have made, to swell the proportion to so large a number; but perhaps he included the surrounding concelhos; for it is certain the population is now about 30,000, as the corregedor himself assured us. An increase of 10,000 since the year 1737 is far more probable, than an addition, of 40,000 at a time when the population of the country at large has not much increased. Oporto has four suburbs seven parishes, and twelve religious houses. On one side the remains of the walls and gates still eiist; otherwise the town is quite open and has no fortisications. It is also the feat of the high tribunal for the northern provinces relagad do Porte.). The quay on the river is built without the least art; on one side is a street, the other side is walled and raised, though merely for the purpose of making ship's cables fast. From the strand rises a broad well-paved street with causeWays on the sides, leading to an equally handsome oblique street. The rest of the streets along the declivity of the hill are narrow, crooked and dirty; but upon the hill we again found many Y stne sine broad straight streets, with a great many new and handsome houses. We seemed almost to have quitted Portugal, and to be suddenly transported to England; so regular, so light, and neat are all the buildings. Generally speaking, Oporto is without doubt the cleanest town in Portugal, but we heard the fame complaints as at Madrid, when Charles II. converted a silthy village into a handsome city; for the inhabitants told us that the part of Oporto, which owing to the new and broad streets is so much inha...