FAYAL AND THE PORTUGUESE | 313 
books, chiefly in the former tongue, including 
seventy-two volumes of Balzac. His daughter, 
a young lady of fifteen, more accomplished than 
most of the belles of the island, showed me her 
little library of books in French and Portuguese, 
including three English volumes, an odd selec- 
tion, — “The Vicar of Wakefield,” Gregory’s 
“Legacy to his Daughters,” and Fielding’s 
“Life of Jonathan Wild.” But, indeed, her 
supply of modern Portuguese literature was al- 
most as scanty, — there is so very little of it, — 
and we heard of a gentleman’s studying French 
“in order to have something to read,” which 
seemed the last stage in national decay. 
Perhaps we were still more startled by the 
unexpected literary criticisms of a young lady 
from St. Michael, English on the father’s side, 
but still Roman Catholic, who had just read 
the New Testament, and thus naively gave it 
her indorsement in a letter to an American 
friend: “I dare say you have read the New 
Testament ; but if you have not, I recommend 
it to you. I have just finished reading it, and 
find it a very moral and nice book.” After this 
certificate, it will be safe for the Bible Society 
to continue its operations. 
Nearly all the popular amusements in Fayal 
occur in connection with religion. After the 
simpler buildings and rites of the Romish 
