Travels through Portugal and Spain, during the Peninsular War / by William Graham, Esq. ; with engravings.

  • Graham, William, active 1812-1814
Date:
1820
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Travels through Portugal and Spain, during the Peninsular War / by William Graham, Esq. ; with engravings. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Lisbon. y Here and there, tlic eye would single out tlieir convents, parti¬ cularly one or two on the banks of the river. At length, having turned to go up the river, we lost the advantage of the wind, whic*h rjow blew directly in our teeth, and we were obliged to tack all the way, till we dropped anchor about three in the afternoon, before Belem ('astle. In our tacking, we had the misfortune to be run foul of by another ship, which, in¬ deed, had nearly siitik us ; but we were tiot utircvenged, for the other shijj's laMvsprit was broken in the slings, andtdl her guns at that side that hit us were broken from their lashings. We could see them rolling about, to the no small vexation and danger of the crew. Having now ordered a boat alongside, we went into her, with our baggage, and rowed down to I.«isbon, a distance of about two miles. I was surprised at seeing such a number of wind¬ mills on the right bank ; I think 1 might say, without exaggera¬ tion, there were three hundred. It was a truly pleasant evening, the sun shining, and the temperature as warm as it is in England in August, d'he wind had ceased, and the sun-heanis, reflected on the small waves, quivered in consonance with their undula¬ tions. It proved to be Sunday, and all the Portuguese were/ apparelled in their bj-’st Costume. Our boat rode close along shore ; every fresh object was amusing ; but among all the people, we could sec no one waiting to receive us, ns we were stran¬ gers, and we were obliged to shift for ourselves as well as we could. We arrived at last in Lisbon, and comfortable it was to get from the ship on dry land again. When we came to take our luggage out of the boat, not fewer tlvan one hundred hungry Portuguese came and actually tore it out of our bands to carry it. We were obliged to put up with this rough demeanor : these wretches put me in mind of the Lazzaioni of Naples ; their cut-throat looks were sure to make us civil. When they had deposited every thing in a safe place, we gladly paid them a Crusado Novo, (two shillings and sixpence,) to get rid of them. ^Ve next repaired to a hotel kept by one Jozc, in Kua das Flores, No. 88, where Cox had been before. The ladies could not be admitted, and were accommodated in another hotel, which we were glad of, and took our leave accordingly, as they had been but indiflerent company, and shewed few tokens of polite con¬ versation or education. Miss H——— was the best behaved. Mrs. H. had only got out of her sick bed this day, having never quitted her birth, (a small closet out of the main cabin,) from illness and sca-sickness, since she left Ireland. Miss H. often joined our coflee-parties on deck, when the wcallier was agreeable.