Ol'OKTO. ]2;i 



the foot of the great Torre dos Clerirjos, which has acted 

 like a ii)a<;uet to attract him towards it, or as a beacon to 

 direct him on his way ; for it is conspicuous from every 

 part of the city, and is not only one of the highest towers 

 in Portugal, but crowns the topmost heights of Oporto, 

 much as the citadel of S. Jorge does at Lisbon, and the 

 University buildings at Coimbra. It must, however, be 

 acknowledged that the Torre dos Glerigos looks best from 

 afar ; for, graceful and elegant as it seems from a distance, 

 it struck me as heavy on a nearer view. 



The English Church at Oporto, though prohibited by 

 law to bear an ecclesiastical appearance externally, is built 

 with as good taste, and offers as good internal arrangement 

 as circumstances allow ; indeed, it is a very creditable 

 building, and is well cared for, and is, in all respects, a 

 marked improvement upon its fellow at Lisbon. The 

 cemetery, which surrounds it, is planted with a variety of 

 very luxuriant shrubs of many species, conspicuous amongst 

 which are camellias, which here attain a height of some 

 fourteen feet, and, loaded with red and white flowers, at 

 once attracted our admiration ; and, indeed, though w^e 

 afterwards met with this graceful shrub in great profusion, 

 we nowhere saw more magnificent specimens than in the 

 English cemetery. 



We were again so fortunate, very early in our stay at 

 Oporto, as to make acquaintance with a most kind Englisli 

 resident, ^Ir. Wilby, who very courteously took us in tow, 

 and pointed out to us many objects of interest, which, with- 

 out his guidanro, w^e should probabl}^ have missed. Amongst 

 these, none pleased me more than the public library ; not 

 only from its size and completeness, for it contains 110,000 

 volumes, and occupied four sides of the quadrangle of an 

 old monasteiy, but still more for its liloeral rules, where- 

 by everybody, without distinction, without ticket of ad- 

 mission, and without recommendation or introduction, is 



