LISBON : GENERAL VIEW. 13 



(ibstinoDce froiu nil views, and tho blank in this respect 

 which a aeii voyage necessarily creates, so that, as he ap- 

 proaches hind, the travclier is on the eager look-out, and 

 keenly alive to whatever presents itself to his observation. 

 Tlse lirst vi<!W of Tortngal was no exception to this rule, 

 and as we crossed the bar on a bright morning, and en- 

 tered the Tagus between its two outlying forts and steamed 

 slowly up the river, the few leagues which intervened be- 

 tv/een its mouth and the capital, we had quite enough to 

 occupy our attention ; the bright green vineyards on the 

 one hand and the red glowing rocks on the other, be- 

 tokening at once tliat we had reached a southern clime, 

 while the buildings which wet-e dotted here and there on 

 the hills or on the shore looked strange and peculiar, half 

 Italian, half Maltese, but exceedingly white and dazzling 

 in the full sunshine. And now we have passed the 

 picturesque tower of Belemj conspicuously projecting into 

 the river, and the whole view of Lisbon bursts upon our 

 sight. It is a noble view, and worthy to be compared 

 with that .of G^enca cr' Naples from the sea ; and I do not 

 think we were at a'il prepared to,sse so large or so mag- 

 nificent a city. Bivlt, like all the other large towns of 

 Portugal, on steep hills, the houses rising, tier above tier 

 from the water's edge to the extreme summit, and stretch- 

 ing alcng the rivers bar>;<: for nearly five English miles in. 

 length, the vvrhole' ci'ty is comprehended, in a single glance^ 

 and so looks very imposing and much larger th.an it really 

 is, Doubtless the brilliant sunshine must be taken into 

 account as we appraise the value of o'utr picture, for even 

 Lisbon would not show to advantage id a London fog, but 

 then no such 'pherionuenon peculiar to the Thames Ims 

 ever appeared upon the Tagus; and we may take it for 

 granted that the brightest Jmd clearest of skies is the 

 normal atmospheric ^condition of the Portugese capital. 

 Even the cynical Ghilde Haroldl who is by no means .cat- 



