1792* onPortugaJ. 19 



to give as If they never had been here. In like 

 manner all travels through Portugal, are full of 

 absurdities and mistakes. The account which o- 

 ther writers have given of Portugal, must have 

 been surely founded either upon false informations 

 of insignificant travellers, or upon the few books 

 they have read. Buschirg^s G-eography in his ac- 

 count of Portugal, P Encyclopedic in its articles, de 

 Real about Portugal, P Histoire Plnlofophtque on 

 our commerce and establishments ; and all parti- 

 cular geographies and voyages are so full of errors 

 that it is better to put them aside. La Clede in 

 his history of Portugal is full of absurdities, igno- 

 rant of many facts, false many times in the date^ 

 and good for nothing. I cannot but praise Dr 

 Robertson, who rather than build upon false in- 

 formation, says very little or nothing about the 

 fevidal system of Portugal. 



I send the list of those books that I could remem- 

 ber, but your friend shall have a better one than \ 

 can give him, as I have applied to a man who 

 knows our history perfectly well. 



I finifh then telling you that considering the 

 darknefs in which we are, particularly for other 

 nations, and the ignorance, and superstitioa of 



our writers ; Mr would advance 



more here in one year than he could do at home 

 in many : And he must be tired to death in read- 

 ing our books, it is only thence he ought to draw 

 tlie materials for his work. As to what. you tell 

 me of it being received well here, that I can afsure 

 you it will, if it be founded on true facts. I will 



