30 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL. 



general admiration was doubtless not a little enhanced by 

 the pleasure of finding something distinctive and peculiar 

 to the country in lieu of a style prevalent elsewhere. In 

 entire agreement with the architecture of the church are 

 the really elegant cloisters, which have attracted the ad- 

 miration even of those who see little meritorious in the 

 larger fabric. So delicate and exquisite is the tracery, so 

 well-proportioned and charming the arches, so unique and 

 satisfactory the general coup cVoeil^ including a graceful 

 palm tree which occupies the centre of the quadrangle, 

 that you stand entranced as you pass through the door, and 

 utter an exclamation of admiration as well as astonishment; 

 nor do you retract your first impression as you more 

 minutely examine the details, and observe the wondrous 

 variety of pattern as well as elaborate finish of the work. 

 But I must not linger over the beauties of Belem, which 

 have been fully described in the Handbook. Suffice it to 

 say, that to us it was the most attractive point near Lisbon, 

 and we visited it again and again, and always found new 

 beauties to admire. On one of these excursions we entered 

 the Cdsa pia, or orphan establishment, adjoining. This 

 was once the convent to which the exquisite church be- 

 longed ; but now the good fathers are gone, and the 

 orphans occupy their place. We found the children, some 

 700 in number, just finishing their dinner in the refec- 

 tory ; they were clean and neat, and the boys were remark- 

 able for their closely-cropped heads, which, after the 

 manner of the country, were so effectually deprived of hair, 

 that they involuntarily suggested inmates of a lunatic 

 asylum, whose heads had been recently shaved. However, 

 they looked bright and merry, and, in addition to a tin 

 cup, plate, knife, fork, and spoon, each child was furnished 

 with an immense napkin, all which apparatus seemed some- 

 what disproportionate to the ration of soup and bread 

 which formed the diuner on that occasion. 



