
A VISIT TO PORTUGAL. 
(InLustRaTeD BY THE LaNTERN.) 
By Mr. WALTER BUTTERWORTH. 14th Mareh, 1905. 

For over an hour the Lecturer entertained a large audience by 
taking them in imagination over the most interesting places in 
Portugal—a country little regarded and little known. Half a 
century ago, he said, there were no highways in Portugal, except 
oue from Lisbon to Ciutra. ‘The development of the railways since 
1853 had been very slow; they were now worked partly by the 
state and partly by French companies, and partly with English 
money. Practically, the waterways scarcely existed, and tie 
rivers were rarely navigable. Nearly half the land was unculti- 
vated; the cultivated portion was made up of vine culture, fruit 
trees, cereals, pasture and forests. With so much uncultivated 
land and a favourable climate, it was found necessary to import 
cereals. The export was chiefly wine, which in the last half- 
century had developed to an enormous figure. There were 125 
established mills, employing nearly 12,000 people. The means 
of transport were defective, capital and enterprise are wanted, and 
the apathetic natives left the exploitation to foreigners; and a 
heavy national debt had been piled up. England was far away 
Portugal’s best customer in regard to both exports and imports. 
Education was in a strange condition. Since 1844 it had been 
free, unsectarian, and compulsory, but yet largely inoperative, 
and consequently a dismal failure. In 1890, out of a population 
of a little over five millions, only a little over one million could 
read—only 20 per cent. of the population. Only once during his 
visit he saw a man reading a book. The only reading one saw 
was the reading of newspapers, of which 400 were published— 
mostly small sheets. Tha country was dotted with ambitious 
buildings left unfinished. Their best business was done by resi- 
