46 SWABEY DIARY. 
you enter, two channels for ships, defended by St. Julian, which is not 
cut out of the rock as described, but built on its top, and has seven 
bastions, and, constructed on a sand in the middle of the river, there is 
a ravelin entered by foot-bridges, beyond which the shoals prevent 
the passage. Our pilot, who had been on board all night and was the. 
first specimen of a Portuguese, told us that under the bridges were 
dungeons for the confinement of criminals. As we sailed on, the tower 
and works at Belem formed, with the opposite heights of Velha, another 
line of fire to prevent ships from sailing here. 
Lisbon opened on our view standing majestically on a declivity of a 
hill like an amphitheatre, its appearance was grand, every building, of 
which there were many tine ones, appearing to advantage. Weanchored 
off the dockyard of the Arsenal, and our transport immediately began to 
disembark horses,’ and the detachment, as soon as formed, was marched 
under the Sergeant-Major to Sacavem, eight miles up the course of the 
Tagus. It is singular that no platform is built large enough for more 
than one ship to unload at the same time when so many horses are 
landed at Lisbon. One tide will only bring alongside two, or if small, 
three transports at most, so that a regiment of Dragoons may be five 
days disembarking, there being two tides per day. Newland and I, 
after seeing the horses off, found out Lieutenant Saunders,? who was 
sick, and dined there at seven o’clock in the evening. Our return to 
the ship was truly ridiculous, as when we wanted a boat neither of us 
could make ourselves understood. After trying French and German 
for some time, I at last met Monsieur le Francois, who procured us 
one. ‘The difficulty then was to direct the people, but our friend, the 
Frenchman, at last made them understand that I was to hold the 
helm and they were to row, by which arrangement after much search, 
we reached our destination on board “ K.I.,” where we slept. 
22nd August.—Was employed from 4 o’clock in the morning till 
7 o'clock at night, without even resting for refreshment, in disembark- 
ing horses and stores. Dyneley, Harding, and Newland marched off 
the parties, as soon as completed, to Sacavem. I took up my abode 
in a billet with George Willis,® after getting some supper at the Mess. 
23rd August.—I was employed in the early part of the morning, 
assisted by a party from the barracks, in getting the guns mounted and 
marched off to the Arsenal, where they will undergo some alteration. 
I went to dine at an hotel at “ Buenos Ayres,” the best part of Lisbon, 
and most frequented by the English. I went afterwards to the Salitre, 
National Theatre, where the entertainment, as is the custom, consisted 
in dancing and opera performance, neither of which were at all worthy 
of notice. Though neat and well painted, for the Portuguese excel in 
rough scene painting, the house is badly constructed, the sides being 
rectangular, so that you must constantly turn your head in order to see 
1 It is strange that, in this voyage lasting 50 days, no mention is made of the troop horses, we 
must conclude there were no casualties. Sacayem was a depdt for receiving troops on arrival in 
Portugal.—F.4.W. 
2Lieutenant W. Saunders, R.A. 
3 Lieutenant G. B. Willis, R.A. 
