LISBON. 33 



more elaborate ceremonious services of the Ivomish faith, 

 those who built our English fabric at Lisbon have run into 

 the disastrous extreme of erecting, as a sample of Anglican 

 church architecture, the very barest, baldest, coldest, I will 

 even say most hideous building, which gives no oppor- 

 tunity for the exercise of our ordinary ritual, and in no 

 wa}^ resembles our ecclesiastical buildings at home. What 

 wonder that in this, as in so many instances throughout 

 Europe, the members of another Communion, more pro- 

 fuse than ourselves in artistic accessories to public worship, 

 turn away from our services in derision as well as disgust, 

 despising the bare white walls and the cold, unadorned 

 structure which, from east to west, shows no token of 

 Christianity, no single sign or emblem that it does not 

 belong to the Socinian or the Jew. It is true that perfect 

 freedom of design with regard to the exterior of English 

 churches is not always permitted by Grovernments devoted 

 to the Eomish faith ; but many instances might be adduced 

 where this difficulty has been overcome with great success, 

 even as regards the exterior ; while, whatever the outward 

 aspect, the interior could of course be satisfactorily ar- 

 ranged in accordance with the services as appointed in our 

 Prayer Book, and generally celebrated by the church at 

 home. During one of the Sundays which we spent at 

 Lisbon, a confirmation was held in the English church 

 by the ex-Bishop of Labuan (Dr. MacDougall) ; but the 

 miserable arrangement of the altar and its rails, and the 

 general seating of the church, rendered the holy rite any- 

 thing but impressive — indeed, prevented a large propor- 

 tion of the congregation from witnessing it at all ; and I 

 felt quite vexed to think hovv^ poor an impression of that 

 solemn service must have been carried away by the 

 Portuguese spectators, many of whom were on that oc- 

 casion attracted within the walls of our church. 



Great indeed was the contrast to emerge from the bare 



