I 
/ 
708 ^he Travels of an Englifli Gentleman Book II, 
Trade, the River (which fupplies them with great Quan- 
tities of Provifions, Wines, Gy], Corn, Fruits, i£c. out 
of the Country for Tranfportation) having from its 
Conveniency got the Name of 'The Golden River. The 
Bar, through which the Ships come in, is a very nar- 
row Pafiage, with Rocks on both Sides. Over againft 
it, near the Village of St. John^ is a Fort kept by a 
fmall Garrifon. 
The Epifcopal Palace near the Cathedral feem’d to 
be a magnificent Building, but was not inhabited then, be- 
caufe the Bifliop, being at Variance with the Clergy of 
his Diocefe, was at Lisbon. 
6. From Porto I travel’d to Gamarains., over fteep 
and rough Hills j it is a pretty neat Town, well built 
upon a Level of a confiderable Compafs ; it has five 
Convents of Monks, viz. the Dominicans, Carmelites, Ca- 
puchins, Francifcans, and Aufiin Fryars ; and three Nun- 
neries, Francifcans, Carmelites, and Dominicans, but no 
more than two Parifli- Churches. The whole Place is 
enclofed by a ftrong and high Wall, and there are to 
be feen here the Ruins of a Caftle, faid to be built for 
one of the Kings of Portugal's Brothers. 
From hence I continued my Journey the next Day to 
Braga, the moft ancient Archbilhoprick of Portugal, 
and which to this Day dilputes the Precedency and Pri- 
macy with the Archbifliop of Toledo in Spain. 
Braga is a fpacious City, well wall’d according to the 
Fafhion of this Country. The Cathedral is fomething 
bigger than in moll other Places in Portugal, and 
llrongly built, as are moft of their Struiftures ; for they 
have hereabouts a Kind of very durable tho’ coarfe Mar- 
ble, and their Loam very white and fine, and confe- 
quently exceeding binding, as may be feen by their 
old Buildings. In this Church is a Monument of the 
Duke of Bayonne, (a Thing the Portuguefe do not much 
regard) who being met upon the Road to this City by 
a great Number of People to honour his Entry, and 
dying there foon after, order’d by his Will a confider- 
able Revenue to be employ’d for diftributing a certain 
Allowance to the Poor every Morning in the Cloyfters 
of the Church ; adding, That fince he was not able to 
feaft them, he would take Care they jhould not go without 
a Breakfaft. The Tomb, which is about a Yard and a 
half high. Hands in the Ifle of the Church, being all 
of Brals, with his Effigies at full Length, which ap- 
pear’d to have been gilt formerly; the Grates about it 
hinder’d my reading the Infcription. Not far from the 
Dome Hands the Archiepifcopal Palace, an old Pile of 
Building, which made but an indifferent Shew on the 
Outfide, being not then inhabited by reafon of the 
Death of the Archbifliop. 
The next Place I came to in this Journey was. Viana, 
one of the pleafanteft Towns in Portugal, feated on the 
Sea-fide, fo that from the Key you may fee any Ships 
that fail along the Coaft : It is well paved, the Streets 
upon a level, with very good Buildings. Its Strength 
confifts only in a fmall Caftle on the Sea fide, which 
commands the Harbour, but they had at that Time a 
Garrifon of a thoufand Foot and two Troops of Horfe, 
and in the Caftle about thirty-feven Great Guns mount- 
ed : There was lately built a Magazine for the King, 
containing Arms for about twenty thoufand Men, and 
fome Accoutrements for Horfe. They fliew’d us a 
fmall low Building within the Precinft of the Caftle, 
faid to be built for the Imprifonment of King Alphonfo. 
For the reft, this is a Place of pretty good Trade, tho’ 
the River is not navigable far, by reafon of the Sands 
which choak up the Channel. 
FVom this Place I travel’d for three Leagues very 
pleafantly along the Sea-fide to Camena, feated in a 
Plain ; and though the Frontier Town on the Borders 
of Galicia, it is of no great Strength, but commonly 
provided with a good Garrifon ; there Hands, how- 
ever, upon a Rock near the Entrance of the River, a 
little Fort, commanding the PalTage toward the Har- 
bour, but it was guarded only by fix or eight Country- 
Fellows at that Time, and had not above three or four 
Guns mounted ; within it is the Convent of St. Antho- 
ny. This Place has fome little Trade, two Parifh- 
Churches, two Convents of Dominicans and Francifcans, 
and one Nunnery of Dominicans. 
7. If you intend to go from hence into Galicia, you 
muft crofs the River, which is the common Boundary 
between Spain and Portugal on this Side. 
^ I went from Camena to Villa nova de Silvero, an an- 
cient Town in the Road betwixt Camena and Valentia % 
as it is a Frontier Town, fo it hath a Wall after the 
Manner of this Country, with a Garrifon. 
Valentia, likewife a Frontier Town, upon the Borders 
of Galicia, advantageoufly fituated for being made a 
ftrong Place, but almoft without Defence, though fo 
near to Spain-, it is true, fome Works it had, but with- 
out Men or Arms to defend them, all the Defence they 
have being the Fort Lovelio, about a Mile from the City, 
in Oppofition to which, the Spaniards have one or two 
on their Side of the River. At this Place the King’s 
Officers make ftrid Search, whether you carry more 
Money with you than is allow’d ; the fame is done on 
the Borders of Galicia by the Spaniards, in your Return 
hither, which they do with Severity enough, unlefs you 
make them civil by a little Money. Here you muft alfo 
give Security for the Return of your Mule. 
8. The firft Spanijh Town you come to after you 
have crolTed the River, is Tine,^ an Epifcopal Seat, but 
meanly built, which made me without any Stay continue 
my Journey to Vigo, a Sea-port Town in Galicia, feated 
upon a River, and accounted one of the beft Harbours 
of Spain, formerly the Rendezvous of the Spanijh Ar-~ 
mada or Fleet, when they made a much better Figure 
at Sea than they do now. Here their Galeons, and the 
French Squadron commanded by M. Chateaurenand, were 
deftroyed by Englijh Dutch, in the Year 1702, 
For the reft, the Town is of no confiderable Traffick, 
few inhabiting here but Fiffiermen, which makes their 
Houfes appear very mean. It is reckon’d among the 
garrifon’d Towns of Spain-, but this Garrifon confifts 
only of fixty Country Fellows, who are fummon’d out 
of the adjacent Country, for the Defence of fome flight 
Works provided with a few Guns, and are changed 
every Day. It has one large Parifli Church, but meanly 
built, and two Convents, one of Friers, the other of 
Nuns, Francifcans. About three Leagues down the 
River you fee the Ifles of Bayonne. 
From hence I paflfed for three Leagues down a noble 
River towards Ponte Vedra, lined on hoth Sides with 
Hills and pleafant Valleys, and fome little Redoubts 
oppofite to one another, for the Defence of the River. 
As you pafs along this River, you fee Raduntella, a 
ftately Town, built upon the Bank of the River, in 
the Middle of which is an Ifland, with a Convent of 
Francifcans upon it, the Gardens of which being planted 
with Fruit-trees, made a pretty Show at a Diftance. 
At the End of this River you muft travel a League and 
a half by Land before you come to Ponte Vedra, thro* 
very rough and uneven Ways. Ponte Vedra is a large 
but meanly built Town, though the River (which dif- 
charges itfelf into the Sea) affords them fome Conveni- 
ency for Traffick. The chief Thing worth taking No- 
tice of, is the Church of our Lady, a large Fabrick, 
and adorn’d on the Infide with fome curious Wrought 
Work on the Ceiling, and the Pillars, which are Mar- 
ble, a Thing feldom obferved in the Churches of Ga^ 
licia. The Front of this Church hath alfo fome very 
fine Relievo-work -, among the reft, our blefled Lady on 
her Death-bed, with the Apoftles and fome of the an- 
cient Fathers about her. 
The Archbifliop of St. Jago*s Palace here is a large 
Struvfture, but appear’d much decay’d : It has two Pa- 
riffi Churches and three Convents, two of Francifcans, 
and the third of Dominican Fryers, one of Nuns, and a 
Jefuits College. The Magazine here had alfo fome good 
Brafs Guns, and fome Small-arms. 
9. Galicia appear’d to me a Country very like Portugal, 
as well in refped of the Soil, as of the Manners and Cuf- 
toms of its Inhabitants, who alfo differ but very little 
from the Portuguefe, even in their Habit and Language ; 
and as there is fcarce any Footfteps of Induftry or Hus- 
bandry among them, fo you fee nothing but Poverty 
where-ever you turn your felf. 
The indifferent Ufage I met with in all thofe Places 
thro’ which I pafled, made me foon alter my Refolutlon. 
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