nearest and dearest relatives; but he was unwilling to touch upon a subject which always appeared to overpower me; at length, however, when time had softened the feelings of anguish into those of a tender regret, I at length drew from him the following account:"

"The general scene of misery and confusion produced by any earthquake, and this in particular, no pen can adequately describe. In the first fall of the houses, thirty thousand persons are supposed to have lost their lives. All those who alarmed at the noise, attempted to make their escape at the doors, perished: of those who were in the upper parts of the houses, many escaped; numbers of those who were in carriages were so fortunate as to avoid much personal injury; but their drivers and animals were generally much wounded if not killed. But the churches proved most fatal; for it was on the eve of an Auto da Fe! and the churches were crowded to excess. About two hours after the shock, fires broke out in three different parts of the city, occasioned principally by the vast number of lights which were placed before the saints, whose draperies quickly caught fire, and the flames communicating to the surrounding buildings, the city, in the course of a few hours, became a blazing pile. This additional calamity, was greatly accelerated by the sudden rising of the wind; but it was not sufficient that fire, earth and air, should unite their powerful and destructive influence on this devoted city, for the sea threatened to overwhelm it at the same time, for it rose forty feet higher in one instant than it was ever known to do; but happily it subsided without doing much injury.

"When these united causes had subsided into something like a calm, fresh apprehensions assailed the wretched inhabitants who had escaped with life. A pestilence was not unlikely to be the consequence of so many unburied bodies, and a famine was a calamity that appeared almost inevitable; the neighbouring country too was beset by daring robbers, who plundered all they met with, and thus profiting by the miseries of their fellow-creatures, carried terror and dismay wherever they made their appearance.

"The fire, however, prevented the pestilence, and the neighbouring villages and towns supplied the shivering wretches with food; and the depredations of the lawless banditti were stopped by the vigorous proceedings of the government. This earthquake is said to have had its origin under the At

lantic Ocean, the waves of which were almost as violently shaken as the land; its range extended over a part of both hemispheres, and more or less affected Europe, Africa and America, though it was in the south western parts of Europe where it raged with the most destructive fury.

"Five years after this dreadful calamity, the convent I now inhahit was completed; and within its sacred walls I have found content, and with it happiness. My worthy Pedro fixed himself in its neighbourhood, and as I had recovered my landed property, I was enabled to make his latter days easy and comfortable. When I lost him, I lost the only tie the world held for me; and since that period I have never quitted the precincts of the monastery, except once, when I went on a pilgrimage to Montserrat.

"One man alone had power to excite a feeling of regret, and he was an Englishman, who came to Lisbon for his health. He was introduced to me by the superior of the convent; and I confess that in his company I passed some of the pleasantest hours of my monotonous life. Having asked me one day what could induce me, who seemed formed for society, to seclude myself from the world, I promised him that when I died, he should have a brief sketch of my life. My task is completed; and when these lines meet his eye, the hand that wrote them will be mouldering in the grave. "Father FRANCIS."

"Poor Father Francis," exclaimed Edward, as he con. cluded the narrative, "I should have liked to have seen him very much."

"

DR. WALKER." Then you would not have known his history; and you would of course have felt no more interest in his society, than in that of any other venerable old man.' "St. Ubes," continued the Doctor, was also entirely destroyed by this earthquake; but it is now a flourishing It has a fine harbour, a good fishery, and an extensive trade, particularly in salt, for which it is noted. The adjoining plain is fertile in corn, wine and fruit. The neigh bouring mountains contain quarries of jasper, and are covered with forests of pine and other sorts of timber.

town.

"To-morrow, Edward, we will cross the Tagus, and take a view of this port, and of the surrounding country; for it is romantic and picturesque."

Edward was particularly struck with the appearance of

Lisbon from the opposite shore; the view is indeed very fine. Ten thousand sail can safely ride within its spacious and magnificent harbour. Their excursion to St. Ubes gave them great pleasure. "I always," observed Edward, as they wandered among the mountains in its vicinity, enjoy our peregrinations most when they are among the wild scenes of nature."

"That I can easily conceive," replied his friend. “The contemplation of nature fills the mind with great and insatiable conceptions. And the great charm perhaps of the clear blue ether, of the boundless ocean, of stupendous precipices, consists in their leading the mind to the anticipation of something great and grand, almost beyond the actual conception of man."

"when a

The

"I remember too, Sir," replied his pupil, cloudy sky excited all the sensations you describe. moon was near the full, and the heavy clouds rolled majestically along, sometimes totally obscuring her soft mellow light; sometimes unfolding their dark bosom for an instant, she shone in all her splendour. I shall never forget how delighted I was."

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They were not fleecy clouds then," interrupted the Doctor.

"No," said Edward, "they were dark and gloomy." "Like those which are now rising on the horizon?" enquired the Doctor with a smile.

"You are laughing at me, Sir, I shall say no more; and see, Sir, the boat is ready; and we shall have it dark before we reach Lisbon."

SECTION VI.

PORTUGUESE CHARACTER.

HAVING Some visits to pay on the following day, Dr. Walker hired a coach for that purpose, as he understood the servant of the house would not consider him a gentleman if he walked. One of the members of the family being also dead, he was under the necessity of buying a suit of black cloaths, as he did not wish to act so contrary to the esta

blished etiquette of the country, as to appear in a coloured coat upon such an occasion. Edward did not accompany him; but he amused himself with walking through some of the principal squares and streets which reminded him of those in London. Having heard that the Portuguese were famous for preserving and candying fruit, he went into a shop and bought some, desiring the servant they had hired while in the capital, would carry them home for him; this he refused, saying he was a Portuguese, not a beast.

Edward astonished beyond measure at such a reply, repeated his request, and being again answered in the same manner, he took up the jars with a haughty air and carried them himself; while his attendant, whom he had taken with him rather as a guide than as a servant, told him he was at liberty to carry them if he pleased.

When the Doctor returned, Edward began immediately to describe the insolence of the man, and entreated he might be instantly dismissed.

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Really, Sir," said he, "it was too bad, was it not?" "Compose yourself, Edward," replied his tutor calmly. You seem chafed; and have you indeed been a week in Lisbon, and not discovered that all parcels, burthens, and slavish offices, as they are here termed, are performed by one class of men, the Gallicians, a hardy and industrious race, who draw water, hew wood, and in short, perform all the laborious offices of life; thus, Edward, by not making use of your eyes, and acquainting yourself with the manners of this people, you have betrayed your ignorance, and lost your temper. I have an invitation for you to-morrow evening, do not betray yourself again; remember, when you are at Rome, you must do as they do at Rome.' In the mean while we will, as it is yet early, take a view of the celebrated mountain of Cintra, called by the ancients Hierna, and also Promontorium Luna. At the foot of the rock stands a town of the same name, celebrated for the convention held there, by which the French were compelled to evacuate Portugal. On the top of the mountain is a convent of Carmelites, who by their vows of humility, are forbidden to lift their eyes from the earth.

"I am sure," observed Edward, "that if I were a monk, and had once glanced this stupendous view, I should be in danger every moment of breaking such vows; and I cannot

help thinking it a pity, that a spot so calculated for astronomical observations, should be so ill applied."

"I agree with you," replied his friend. "What do you suppose the height of this mountain, Edward? The loftiest part is said to be no less than three thousand feet above the level of the sea. When you have satiated your eyes and imagination with the magnificent display of rocks, woods and water on one side; and with the boundless waves of the AtJantic on the other, we will descend on the western side, as there are the remains of a Moresco bath of great beauty in that part of the mountain."

Having reached the spot, accompanied by a guide, they were indeed surprised not only at the bath itself, but at its situation. It is fifty feet long by seventeen broad, the water is four feet deep, and neither encreases or diminishes in winter or summer, though it has no apparent source; it is always transparent, and the sides and bottom of the bath are free from weeds or sediment, which, according to Vitruvius, are the surest signs of the salubrity of the water. This purity is perfectly natural, for no one ever takes any pains to clean the basin, which contains it. Their guide desired they would look upwards, when they were struck with awe at the situation of the monastery they had so lately visited; it appeared absolutely hanging over a number of precipitous rocks.

The evening now began to close fast upon them, and they commenced their journey homewards; long after the country was enveloped in the gloom of evening, the top of Cintra retained a faint glimmering of day light.

Billiards, cards and dice formed the principal entertainment of the following evening, which was concluded by a little dance. They were charmed with the amiable and unaffected manners of the female part of the society, and Edward returned home quite delighted.

"We will embark for Cadiz," said the Doctor; 66 a journey by land through the southern parts of Portugal will present no object of interest equal to the fatigue; and from Cadiz it is easy to proceed to Gibraltar, either by land or water, just as we please. I have letters to write, and shall be busy in the morning, so you must cater for yourself, under the protection of your favorite Enrico."

"I shall stay at home, Sir, and write to my mother," replied Edward, as the colour mounted his cheek.