554 P O R T U G A L.
4
; . v c ï f A P t e R ; Ti..
! a Po l i t ic a l . , G e ó g r a p hy.
R&gioq^licrftjiajtieial iQeagragfy.^GoverrmeHt.^Jkafas,^Fti$uI^ii>n%7?rt&cil$*,
mes.— rtrmysr7^Q^^Rrve$uts.^P-ati&fal{ Iffiprtan(e and^Reltqiew. ,~
Reugio»: r r ^ H E 'i reiigibrt‘ 0£ P o r tu g ^ is tshe.Roman <Carirolife'}>ran'd a
■A ..fetvahce' o f ’i t s ' duties fo rm s one of: tj4te#nationfali;<iara(3Je^iftiG^
th e men vying w ith th e women in attention, to th e ir repeated daily* Jde»>
votions. Th e re ,are two archlnfeoprieks» and ten epifcopal>fe|S
there is befides a patriarchy b u t;hg doesrnot feeip. to»poi0fifs-extra!ordinav.y'
powers. T h e n umbe r o f parifhes approaches i fo n t .thoufand while
in Scotland, a cou n try o f fimilar extent, th ey do not reach one thoufand
: b u t th e catholic religion affords fupplies for a fax, greater number
o f priefts, th an th e proteftant.
Government. T h e conftitution o f Portugal is a monarchy, abfolule and b ered^ary ;
y e t in cafe o f the king’s demife w ith o u t male iffue, he is jfuc^eeied' by
h is -n e x t brother, whofe Tons have however no rig h t to the th ro n e till
Laws; .confirmed b y th e Rates.* T h e chief articles o f the conftitutiomare
co ntained in th e ftatutes o f Latnego, iffued b y Alphonfo I in 1 I4 5 .
T h e king’s titles are n um e ro u s: th a t o f th e .h e ir a p p aren t-is p rin c e , o f
B r a f i l ; his eldeft fan prince o f Beira"; T h e laws h a v e ' few p a r t i a l
larities : th ey are lenient in cafes o £ th e ft, which muft be^ repeat edTour
times before death be the punifhment. A n adulterefs is condemned to
th e flames : b u t th is, like other laws to o fev e re for the offence, is never
p u t in execution. |
Jopuktion. Portugal is divided into fix provinces. j . En tre Douro e Minho.
a . Tras-os-Montes. ,3. Beira. 4. Eftremadura. 5, Alentejo. 6. A lgarve.
T h e tw o firft being on th e no rth o f the kingdom, the n ex t two
* lb. JO9, from the Portugucfe writers.
in
1 Murphy’s State of Portugal, p. io.
C H A P . I J P .Ó È ï T h C '& f G E O G R A P H Y . s s s
in 3the m M d le ^ ^ 4 «two lafb in the fotfth. T h e .firft province derives its PomvA-
Siiame from* ity fttfiatipn^ between the ‘rivers ND o u ro and M inho, and is. R I0K*
mvery'tpo^apl3aS’'‘W d fertile. The-fecond is mountainous, as the name
imp o r# ^!n b jf there are Va^s, which «jo^t^ii^tó'eyafrdtëj aftd other cultivated,
lands. .B ê ii^ i^ a ^ i^ g e ; a f fd^f ef tdevi defe ; and, is rivalled in
foil b y Eftre ma'dhf w l S ||, 111^' theP'SpItailh Sdóv’ï'nee o f the fame
name, is faid to' dferive its* ^t^món^firórh h^vïrJg been extreme frontiers
'towards‘the Mbófls in the fouth. ’Alèflrt^E^havifig been moft expofed
<0 the.1 attacks o f ffre* ^^ma-fffsj TsadpfèdHwe!^i‘ population. Algarye1 is
a^Vefy frdall' divffidn,' which*has ''Jfcnyey er th e h o nour o f forming an
addition to the royal titles, as Navarre to th a t Of France }. thofe 'minute
re.Gent acquifitions.: T h e poj^i-
iJ[a |i^ p .-o |Jh e t;w>^ a § j i s rt ac'^xd^ng ,t°' Boetticher, 1,838,879 5 but by
^ urRVy,s! ffhle/nent. 4,588,4-70'. 7 As, this? Jaft is' derivedïfrom'Portu-
jjjuefe, ap^horq,, w h o h a v e . little ffrill in.ffatiftks;. it feems to be exaggerated.,
af^nlp^l in fuch cafes. '
. T lm ;chiehcojpg,y|frorn Portugal is. that eftablifhed in B ra fil; and Colonies,
th ey h m re ta in many fettlements o n th e coaft o f‘Africa, w ith Goa and
Macao in the Eaft Indies,, the relicsj o f gréat p ow e r ana te rritory.*.
■c , .Jlihe army is only .computed at aboutan4 ,ooo ;s and the militia might Army,
perhaps , amount to as, gi;eat a numbed.Zr The* naval power, once'cona Navy,
fidefAbJ^ i§ reduced to thirteen-fail, o f th é line, Mid fifteen frigates.’ . ‘
H( jT|hef revenue, calculated at 2,op<$,£SopL fte rlingf and.-the gold Revenue»,
o f Brafil rnoftiy paffes to England ip» re tu rn for articles o fin d u ftry .
■juh'Èfc&Vgd fSfedflé.fntaU influence in th e politicaT fad e o f Europe. H e r jm.
commerce^ ;is;atm.Oft .wholly dependant on England ; b a t by land fhe is Porta?cë ^
expojed t$ n ^ d a p g è f Except from Spain, opt b y th e f conféh^ o f Spaiht
T’he unibff o f the two," coiintriêk w o u ld doubtlefs be advantageöüs td
b o th ; but might prove detrimental to Englifh commence, and th e
' yyeight o f England in th e Portuguefe councils would infallibly- fubfide.
» ' - * ’Madeira has been recently Crized by an Engliijh force. '
I : 3.Murphy, 1151, M
If
4 B