368 Notes on Sport and Travel iv 



north and south, and open at their southern extremi- 

 ties on to the expanse of the Tagus, their ends 

 forming frames for very pretty pictures. Their other 

 ends lead into a very handsome plaza, that of the 

 Inquisition, beautifully paved in a wavy pattern with 

 black and white stone, — a pavement which utterly 

 jumblifies and bothers Jack in his potations, he 

 thinking it necessary to make as if he was walking 

 up and down hill. Here stands the really handsome 

 Portuguese theatre, built of white and reddish marble. 

 A little past this are the public gardens, small and 

 insignificant enough, indeed a little tea-gardeny, but 

 a pleasant promenade and striking now in this 

 winter weather (with England, as I hear, covered with 

 snow), from the trees retaining their leaves, some 

 their flowers, and others,* particularly some pretty 

 acacias, with pendent clusters of scarlet berries, and 

 beautiful weeping willows in perfect leaf. 



There were many trees and flowers here quite 

 unknown to me, and they remained so, partly from 

 the stupidity of the Portuguese gardener, and partly 

 because we neither of us understood a word the other 

 said. At the end is a fountain filled with gold fish, 

 whereat I mystified a midshipman of tender years, 

 telling him that they would come to me when I 

 whistled, which truly those fish did ; but so did they 

 also the day before when I did not whistle for them, 

 which I take to be the truth with regard to all fish, — 

 sung, whistled, or called for, they come when they 

 see any one approach, and that is all. Gold fish can, 



