BEIRA, a province of Portugal, divided into the upper and the lower Beira. It is bounded on the north, by the river Douro, which separates it from the pro vinces of Entre Douro a Minho, and Tralos Montes. The ocean and part of Estremadura limit' it on the west ; the Tagus and another part of Estremadura limit it on the south ; and it is enclosed on the east by the kingdom of Leon and Spanish Estremadura. This large and fertile is about thirty-four miles long and as many broad, and contains the cities and towns of Coimbra, Lamego, Guarda, Viseu, Miranda do Corvo, Aveiro or Nova Braganza, Ten tugal, Ovar, Pinhel, Almeida, Francoso, Meda, Cas tello Branco, Penamacor, and Covilhaa. The river Mondego, which traverses the greater part of the province, runs into the sea near the southern extre mity, and adorns in its course many beautiful and fer tile valleys.. The narrow and rich vale of the Mon.
dego, in the neighbourhood of Coimbra, is reckoned one of the most enchanting spots of Portugal, and has been celebrated in the immortal strains of Ca muens.
" In sweet Mondego's ever verdant bowers," lies the scene of the interesting and tragical story of Inez de Castro.
The country round Coimbra is remarkable for its beauty and its cultivation. The mountains are cover ed with pines, and even German oaks. They consist partly of a coarse grained sandstone, alternating with a grey limestone. High schistus mountains began at a distance. A yellowish grey argillaceous slate changes to a sand slate, which is succeeded by mica slate, terminating in granite. The plants in this are remarkably beautiful, the land is well cultivated, and oil is produced in great abundance. The olive tree abounds so much, that the traveller may wander for whole days without observing any other tree.
The olives are ripe in December and January.. They are beaten from the trees by means of long poles. The oapresses are wrought by oxen ; but the oil is much deteriorated by, want of cleanliness in the process. The ripe brown olives are the only ones that are pickled by the Portuguese.
Various kinds of wheat grow round Coimbra ; but the summer, wheat only succeeds, when the inunda tions of the Mondego have rotted the seedin the ground. Barley and a little rye are also sown ; and rice 'in the marshes along the Mon i dego. Indian corn is pro duced in much larger quantities throughout Beira, than in the southern provinces, where the soil is too light and dry. The oranges of this province are ex.' cellent, and are exported to other countries. Coal is found along the coast, from Buarcos to Figueira ; but in 1779 this valuable mineral had not been work ed..
Mountains of argillaceous schistus begin near. So. brat, not far from Ovar ; mica slate soon succeeds it, and introduces a lofty ridge of steep mountains crowd ed upon one another, and extending along the south,. ern banks of the Douro, even farther than Lame go.
This province is divided into seven corregidors and two oydors, viz.
Population.
Corregidor of Coimbra, ..... . 150,000 , Town of Coimbra, 12,000 • Corregidor of Viseu, 95,000, Corregidor of Lamego, 60,000.
Corregidor of Pinhel,.. 70,000 Corregidor of Guarda, 7,000 Town of Guarda, 1,000.
• Corregidor of Castello Branco...... 40,000 I own of Castello Branco, . . . . 4,000 Oyder of Montemor-o-Velho, 3,000 .
Oyder of Mon-feira, . 4.0,000 Town of. Mon -feira, . 4,000 The whole population of Beira amounts to 560,000 (Q)