is verv hard. About Bilboa, tiiulicr is very sc,Trce ; tliougli there is an old law whidi
directs that sLx trees sliaU he phintcd for every ono cut down. In other parts ot Spam
there are iiumerons large forests. The forests of Spain, however. Captain Cook ohscrvos,
“ have sullcrod mnch Irom the destruction of tho trees by the poasiuitry ; and ftongh
there is an excellent code of forest laws, they are inoperative, from the general habit
which prevails of evading their execution. Some of the most magnificent forcfts iii
tlic Castilcs, in Andalusia, and Estroimulura, have been passed by nearly imnoticcch
both by iiatiYC and foreign botanists, though the herbaceous plants have, m most parts
of the conntiy, lioon carefully cxaniincd by Cavanilles, Roxas do San-Clcmcnte, and
others. In the maritime district there are few forests naturally ; and a law, by which the
kiiiff is proprietor of every tree in those districts fit for naval purposes, completoly pi events
them from being planted. Nothing can bo done until the government resolutely puts an
end to this system, hy sweeping away every impediment, and enforces tho cxccntioii ot
tho laws, and the appropriation of cominon and waste lands to the pniposc ot planting.
In many districts they may ho said to lie entirely ivithoiit wood for any piirposo, wliilst
flic country m-oimd is in a state of wild and iiiiproductive waste. This is tho case in
various paits of tho Castilcs, of Aragon, and of Andalusia and Estrcmadiira in tne
miiiino- districts they arc compelled, in many places, to burn the aromatic slu'iibs of the
country which are rapidly coiisnnicd, and even now arc becoming scarce, and arc only
suited for certain purposes; whilst tho more solid fuel must be brought coastwise from
distant parts. In tho cities the fuel is hccoiniiig more and more scarce, and must
generally bo fetched from great distances.”
S e c t. XI. Misc., Fmgress, and present State o f Gardening in Portugal
520 Gardening in Portugal is very little attended to ns an a rt of design and taste.
The quintas, or country-,scats, of tiie principal nobility are generally in rums, and many
CYCU of the royal residences have nn air of desolation. Some merchants, prnicipally
forcio-ncrs, have vilhis in the immediate neighbourhood of Lisbon and Oporto ; but these
are exceptions to tlic general rule. The style of all is nearly the same. Every quinta
lias numerous stone cisterns, or fountains, and most have a small patch ot gronntl lying
liiffh among the snrronnding crags of rock, -vvhcrc, carefully shaded from the sun by
hcdo-cs of palm, and sedulously watered every day, the lettuce aud other vegetables
rcquiriim* a cooler climate arc cultivated. Carnations arc generally grown m antique-
shaped earthen pots, or in deep layers of earth, upon the top of the stone walls ot the
gardens. Open galleries communicating Avith the sitting-rooms arc often earned round
the outsides of these villas, somewhat in the style of the Siviss tarm-houscs. (BaiLlie s
62\?Amonq the principal gardens in Portugal may be mentioned that of the palace at
Belem, whieh is laid out in. the geometric style. _ Attached to this palace is a botanic
garden, and also a museum containing an anatomical collection.
The royal palace at Queluz is a neat, afirooable place, surrounded by forests
o fth e roiulto it from Lisbon is lined with myrtles and geramums grown wild. gardens arc d c c ^
rated with a variety of handsome bridges, temples, waterfalls, lishponds, &c. a he paik, woods, and
pleasure-grounds are extensive, and abound in game. I h e grandees possess th e iifeht ot shoo fe
* 1_ H-rel__rei rere.re fUof nriV
|;i i[
I
laid out in the geometric style,
Veric (the grocn rock) is so calloa.from a lofty mountain
bol.ind'lt in tl/o form ot a cone cworcil to tlio utmost peak with a ‘' “ «-'“» ( « t o ' t a ' r t ’o
/'mUrn>!t tn tho hare .and craccv rocks th a t surround it. 1 he noble woods boloiigmg to this seat are so
umbrageous, and avc so constantly refreshed by numerous fountains, th a t it is P«>ssibfe wander amo^ig
them during the most sultry hours of tho day without incurring cither
not devoid of that constant appendage to every Portuguese quinta, a sort of terrace,
scats, and sliadcd by vines, myrtles, or other lig h t fol age, raised «P®«Jhe wall w h ^ w,tcS?nc t e
public road. Here the ladies of tho family consume th e greater portion of their time watching tlu.
passers by.
522. There are public gardens in Lisbon near the Roscio, where the fafibionablcs o fth e
town occasionally walk. (Broughton’s Letters, &c.).
523. The English Cemetery at Lisbon is very picturesque. I t contains a lianasomc
chapel, and is of considerable extent. It is planted with pine trees, which give a somewhat
melancholy shade : verdant shrubs adorn the avenues, and flowers arc planted on
the graves. Fielding is buried in this cemetery; hut there is no tombstone over liis
remains. The Dutch have a share in the enclosure, as have the Germans, who have
a separate chapel. . , ^ r v\
524. Gardening, in Portugal, as an art o f culture. Portugid is adapted hy nature for the
easy culture of the vegetable productions of the torrid and temperate zones. But thoiigli
the lirst coloniser of India, till witliin a fcAV years mistress of Brjizil, and still retaining
extensive African possessions, she has never stood forward as the ])atronc.ss of botany.
Unlike S])ain, which, under every disadvantage, has laboured hard for the science, she
can boa.st of hut few individuals wlio, incited cither hy a laudable curiosity or hy more enlightened
views, have availed themselves of her natural advantages, to introduce those
botanic treasures to Avhicli for neai’ly three centuries there has been access : though, like
her, the ignorance, inappctencc, and poverty of her legislation, have for years been
formidable impediments to the advance of science. An intelligent traveller, speaking on
this subject, observes, that “ tho same want of assiduous industry, which is so apparent
in the culture o fth e vegetable and flower gardens o fth e Portuguese, is equally visible in
regard to the gifts of Pomona, avIio has been bountiful in the extreme. There are
absolutely no such things in Lisbon or its environs as cither nursery-grounds, floAvcr-
sliops, ov gn.rdcners regularly bred to the profession, and living upon its resources. If
vou desire a root of a rare carnation, or a cutting from any other particularly fine plant,
you must either purchase it i'rom the gardener of some rich man, and thus give encouragement
to dishonwjty, or make up your mind to relinqidsh your Avishcs.”
525. Botanic gardens. Tho royjil botanic garden at Lisbon is situated on the side of
a hill (Jig. 1G8.)! sloping with a considerable declivity to the Tagus, a little beloAv the
palace of iVjuda, and enjoys a full exposure to the south. It covers a space of about rivo
acres surromided by a high Avall, round Avhich, on the inside, and up the centre,is a
sliady Avalk of Lauras nobilis, Ccrcis 5’iliquàstrum, Ccratonia »Siliqua, and Jùglans regia.
Tlie south Avail has in front a Avidc terrace, on Avhich the hothouses and greenhouses
are built ; a flight of steps leads from these to the plcasurc-giirden, as it is termed Avhich,
together with the ten-ace, occupies about one hall' the space enclosed : the remainder is
(levotcil to Avalks, and orange, lemon, and citron quarters. Art bemg the ciidcavonrcd
ohicct in Portngaicsc gardening, the eye is ofi'endcd by the incchamcal rigidity ot the
parterres, the clipped, rectangular, box alleys, and the grotesque emhcllisliincnts, characteristic
of tho gardening of the south of Europe, which disiigure tho iileasuvc-gardcu ;
hut tlie number of acclimated exotics to be seen there, vigorous ancl unsheltered, makes
it au object of the gi-catest interest. The plants arc grown without reiercncc to tlieir
natural orders, or to any system ; and have either been casually planted Irom supci--
fluities that have arisen among those classed, or from their havmg become too uiiwieidy
for culture in iiots ov boxes. Of the genera tlms cultivated in the open air hut few are
named and still fewer have any specific epithet attached. TIic inscriptions, avIi c u they
occur are rarely intelligible, being most frequently in the Portuguese language, and extremely
vague and unsatisfactory. For example, in 1829, Amaryllis rcguue was marked
Amxm/Uis vermelha com duas fo r e s do Brasil (a red two-flowcred Amaryllis from Brazil),
hlany genera also were named in honour of their donors, or had had tlicir names changed
to commemorate the saint’s chiy on which they had first chanced to flower. It may be
necessary here to mention, tbat the thermometer at Lisbon frcciucntly falls as low as
29° and 27° of Fiilir., and the fountains in the royal garden arc often covered Avitli a
thin coat of ice in the morning, even when the year is as far advancecl as April, AVithout
the plants appearing to snfi'cr injury; with exception of Carica .lapaya, killed, m tiie.
Avinter of 1825, hy frost supervening on vain. GroAving in an arenaceous soil, the plants,
indeed, seemed to be more retarded in thcir groAvdh by the heat and want of moisture m
summer, than b y th e liumidity and cold of Avinter. Cofèa arabica fruits h'cely ; tlic
])la.nts iiower in October, and the berries ripen in May and »June iolloAving. lliere is
) a botanic garden at Coimbra, Avhich also I Avas I'oimdcd in 1773.