Few countries can boast of a greater number of rivers than Portugal. Castro enumerates about two hundred, great ardt small, of which some are very large,.beautiful and majestic. For the largest, as is the case with the mountains as mentioned above, this country is indebted to Spain,—the Tagus, the Douro, the Minho, and the Gua diana, having their origin in that kingdom. The Tagus rises in the mountains of Molina, at the extremity of Cas tile, next to Arragon, whence flowing in a direction nearly west, it falls into the Atlantic, after a course of 450 miles, of which 150 are in Portugal, and the remainder in Spain. From the numerous tributary streams by which it is aug mented, its waters become very copious ere it approaches Lisbon, where it meets a branch of the Atlantic, and forms one of the noblest harbours in the world, for extent, depth, and shelter. This river, like the Nile, annually overflows its banks, and inundates the adjacent champagne country ; a circumstance which renders the soil so exceedingly fer tile, that, to use the words of an excellent writer, " the farmers have often reaped an abundant crop of excellent wheat within the space of fifty days front the time of sow ing the grain. And immediately after, Indian corn has been sown in the same ground, and become ripe in nearly the same space of time." (Murphy's State of Society in Por tugal, 4to. p. 15.) These inundations, however, though ge nerally favotrable, arc not unfrequently attended with very injurious consequences; for, when the overflow happens to be unusually great, the water remains so long that the crops are either entirely destroyed, or greatly injured by mildew. TA Tagus, however, whatever be its other is navigable for no considerable distance farther than Lisbon. This inconvenience, so unfavoura ble to the internal communication of the kingdom, the Portuguese have as yet wanted enterprise to attempt to remove, though, according to Mr. Murphy, this river might, without much ingenuity, or much expense, be made navigable so far east as Alcantara, on the frontiers of Spain. It is not improbable, indeed, that not only this much may in time be effected, but that a communication may be thus opened between the capitals of Spain and Portugal ; an object worthy the attention of the respective governments of the two countries.—The Douro, another important river of Portugal, also has its origin in Spain; and, after a course of 360 miles, nearly due west, flows into the Atlantic, four miles below the city of Oporto. It is next to the Tagus in point of size and copiousness of waters, but, unlike that river, it is navigable above sixty miles from its mouth. It is often so rapid in its course, from sudden falls of rain, that, for several days, the com munication between the inhabitants on the opposite banks is either very dangerous, or entirely interrupted, as there are no bridges, and boats cannot always venture to cross it. Its course is generally rugged, and its channel in some places reduced to extremely narrow limits by ridges of lofty mountains, yet few rivers can exhibit such sweet and inviting scenes as those connected with the Douro, in its passage through the rich and beautiful province of Entre Douro c Minho.—The Minho, next in importance to the Tagus and the Doom, takes its origin in Gallicia, and flowing in a westerly direction, and, forming the northern boundary of Portugal, falls into the Atlantic. Its course extends to about a hundred Guadiana, the only other very large river belonging to this kingdom, rises in New Castile, runs west till it enters Portugal, then assumes a southerly direction, and falls into the Atlantic, foleming, for a considerable way, the south-eastern bound ary of the kingdom.—The Lima is a small river that has its source in Gallicia, and flows through the province of Entre Douro e Minho into the Atlantic. Pliny absurdly relates of this stream, that, among its other properties, it possessed that by which those who crossed it no longer remembered the former occurrences of their lives; an opinion which has of course been daily disproved since the days of that writer. The most important native Por tuguese rivers arc the Mondego, the Vouga, and the Sa daon. The Saloon, not otherwise remarkable, forms the celebrated harbour of St. Ubes or Steubal. But of these native streams, the largest is the Mondego, which has its origin in the Serra de Estrella, in the province of Beira, flows past the ancient city of Coimbra, to which it is navi gable, and terminates in the Atlantic. It is so distin guished for gold-sand, that m,any who live on its banks gain a livelihood by collecting that precious article. The Tagus and the Douro also were formerly celebrated for the same quality, but it seems now to have forsaken them.
Notwithstanding the great number and size of the rivers of Portugal, however, there is an uncommon de ficiency of internal communication. Few of the rivers are navigable to any extent ; there are no canals ; the number of bridges is extremely small ; and the roads are so exceedingly bad, that in several parts of the kingdom there is no conveyance for goods or travellers by wheel carriages. The extensive and numerous mountain chains tend also, in a great measure, to obstruct communication between the inhabitants of the different districts. The result of this is generally and severely felt. Farmers, for example, will not raise a greater quantity of commodities than can be consumed either on their own grounds or, in the neighbouring villages, because, if their productions exceed a certain limit, there is no possible way of getting them disposed of and consumed, from want of internal communication. It was indeed found to he as cheap to import into Lisbon articles from Brazil, as to convey them to that capital by land from the remote eastern boundaries of the kingdom. In this department, however, some im provements have of late taken place, and promise to be progressive. The merchants of Oporto have constructed a road to Lamego for the conveyance of their wines, and are still extending it. A good. road has been formed to Mafra, and the government has been occupied in forming to Coimbra. Much yet remains to be done; and the time, we hope, is not far distant when Portugal will no longer be regarded, in point of internal intercourse and commerce, as decidedly the worst country in Europe.
Portugal, while it abounds with so many copious rivers, possesses nothing that can with propriety be denominated a lake. Murphy mentions three merely ; and even these Pinkerton regards as not larger, or more worthy of notice than pools. This kingdom, however, though deficient in lakes, is distinguished by numerous baths and mineral waters. Of the former, the most celebrated are those called Caldas da Rainha, situated about forty-five miles from Lisbon. They were known to the Romans; and,
since that time, they have been frequented, not by the Portuguese only, but by valetudinarians from every quar ter of Europe. The baths of Chaves were also known to the Romans, and have long been considered the best in the kingdom for persons affected with nervous com plaints. The number of mineral wells are incredibly great, and cannot in this place be specified. Near Estre mos is a spring which becomes dry in winter, but pours forth a considerable stream during summer. The waters are of a petrifying nature, in so much, that the wheels of mills which they drive, acquire, after a short time, an in crustation of stone. In the neighbourhood of Santarem, there is a spring of salt water, though the distance from the sea is six leagues. Within a short distance of Braga, is a spring, the waters of which, during the most intense heat of summer, are so excessively cold, that the hand cannot be endured in them for many minutes, and if a bottle of wine be immersed in them, it instantly becomes changed to vinegar. This singular result with regard to wine, is said to take place in various other springs throughout Portugal.
The mineralogy of Portugal was, in ancient times, much more sedulously cultivated, and more celebrated, than at present. In the two northern provinces, in parti cular, immense mines are to be seen, supposed to have been wrought by the Romans. The mouth of the largest, cut through the solid rock, is a mile and a half in circum ference, and upwards of five hundred feet deep ; at the bottom it measures 2400 by 1400. Many subterranean passages and chambe•s.of great extent are connected with it, and altogether it seems to have been one of the most stupendous works of the kind of which Portugal can boast. The mines of this kingdom, long wrought with great ardour, were neglected so soon as De (lama had opened a way to the East by the Cape of Good IIope, and the Portuguese government had established a footing in Brazil, it, having been found more profitable, and more consistent with the spirit of enterprise then prevalent, to import the mineral productions of these countries. Though thus neglected, however, the mineral kingdom of Portu gal exhibits the most promising and rich indications, and may, at no distant period, beCome a source of immense revenue. Veins of gold have been observed in the Serra de Estrella and elsewhere, and, as a proof that this metal is common, the sands of various rivers are impregnated with it. A silver mine was wrought in the neighbourhood of Braganza, so lately as the 17th century. Tin, lead, and iron mines, have been discovered in various parts of the kingdom. Coal, however, is by no means abundant. Emery, marble, granite, and talc, every vhere abound. " Amianthus," to use the words of a writer on Portugal, " is discovered in such quantities, that it has been recom mended to the artillery in the form of combustible paper." Portugal can also boast of antimony, manganese, bismuth, arsenic, quicksilver. Rubies, jacinths, beryls, have also been found. This kingdofh, it is evident, from this enu meration, is hardly inferior to any country in Europe in regard to minerals of almost every description; and while it is allowed that, for centuries back, she has neglected to avail herself of the advantages in this department which she so liberally enjoys, it must not at the same time be denied, that a want of fuel, so deeply felt in Portugal, and a want of internal communication, would, under any cir cuinstances, prove an almost insurmountable obstacle to every exertion of industry and enterprise. The great dis advantages, indeed, under which this country labours, arc, as has already been incidentally hinted, a deficiency in water (particularly in the southern provinces) and in fuel ; and from the want of roads, canals, and bridges, an al most total impossibility of internal intercourse and com merce. • The soil of Portugal is generally light, except perhaps in some of the extensive valleys, formed by the nume rous mountain chains with which the country abounds ; but no agricultural means have for centuries been used to improve it and promote its fertility. There is probably no quarter in Europe, enjoying equal natural advantages, and inhabited by an equally refined and intelligent popula tion, that has been so long and so completely neglected. During the early ages of the Portuguese monarchy, how ever, agriculture was patronised and flourished, insomuch, that the nation produced corn in abundance, not only for the consumption of its inhabitants, but also for exporta tion. But this promising state of things was counteracted by the first expeditions to Africa, and by the discoveries and conquests made in Asia and America, as the ambition and interest of the Portuguese were thus directed from their own country to distant settlements. The import of the precious metals, obtained in remote regions, and the incessant drain of their population, paralysed and suspend ed industry at home, and, by substituting artificial for real wealth, paved the way for that deteriorated domestic eco nomy, which still obtains in Portugal. The delusive sources of wealth, in which the Portuguese so long trust ed, are now beginning to be seen in their true light : they now begin to appreciate the value of internal resources, and to see that it is impolitic to import from their African or Asiatic dominions, commodities which their own coun try itself can produce, and, by the exertion of a little in dustry, can produce with less uncertainty, and probably. at less expense, than they can be procured from distant colonies. Their ignorance of agriculture, however, is yct proverbial. They are still unacquainted with rotation in crops ; and so unconscious are they of the difference be tween one kind of soil and another, that they extract the same crop indiscriminately from every species of land. The plough, awkwardly and clumsily made, moves almost on the surface ; the ground is seldom harrowed; and the use cf the hoe, and the nature of fallow, are nearly en tirely unknown. Even thrashing, the most simple and obvious of all operations, is seldom practised ; the same result being obtained by the .antiquated and wasteful method of trampling the straw under the feet of oxen and horses. Portugal, as may easily be supposed from these statements, has not yet produced corn adequate to the consumption of its inhabitants, and the deficiency requires to be supplied by importation. The products of the soil, however, are extremely various ; a circumstance resulting from the great difference of latitude (about five degrees), and from the great variety oFelevation by which the coun try is distinguished.