The titles of the Portuguese monarch are numerous and King of Portugal and of the Algarves on this side and on the other side of the sea in Africa, Lord of Guinea, and of the conquest, navigation and commerce of Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia, India, Brazil, &c. The heir ap parent to the throne before the late revolution was Prince of Brazil, while his oldest son was Prince of Beira. The rest of the royal princes are called Infante. The sovereign of this country, however, had originally the title of Sen hovia or Lord. The appellation of Don, so old as the eighth century, and at first given only to kings and to individuals belonging to the royal blood, is now assumed by every nobleman and gentleman, and by all persons holding posts of honour under the crown, though it cannot be assumed without the authority of the sovereign. The nobility, named Titulados, are of four classes, dukes, marquises, counts, viscounts. The rank subordinate to nobility is that of the gentlemen or Fidalgos, a class of men that, even more than their superiors, pride themselves on antiquity of descent, cherish feudal principles, and keep the lower orders of the state in a condition of virtual ser vitude. There are three orders of knighthood ; the order of St. Avis, whose origin is coeval with the foundation of the monarchy ; the order of St. James, instituted soon after the preceding; and the order of Christ, instituted in 1319 by King Deniz, after abolishing the order of Templars. The knights of these orders enjoy great revenues, the chief sources of which are ecclesiastical benefices in com mendam, a gross perversion so common in all popish countries. Though these three orders are religious, the knights are at liberty to form matrimonial connexions.
The Portuguese have ever been remarkable for a dis regard of antiquity, and for demolishing every edifice that bore the marks of age, at a time when all the cultivated nations of Europe were endeavouring to preserve with veneration every fragment of Greek or Roman genius. In 1721, a royal edict was published, prohibiting, under severe penalties, this barbarous and dilapidating disposi tion; but unfortunately it was not published till nearly all the monuments of the former glory of the kingdom had been buried in oblivion. History informs us of temples dedicated to Minerva, to Venus, to Ceres, to the Sun and Moon, &c. with the temples and statues of Tiberius, Trajan, Nero, &c.; but of these buildings not a vestige remains. At Chaves, in the province of Entre Douro e Miuho, there were lately discovered the remains of a mag nificent aqueduct, baths, cisterns, several pieces of coltylps; capitals, and cornices of jasper, exquisitely worked. From these it is not improbable that some splendid structures once stood there. There is also a bridge leading over the .rive• Tamego to Chaves, which we learn from an inscrip tion was built in the time of Trajan. It is still entire, and is one of the most curious objects connected with the antiquities of Portugal. The temple of Diana, the aque duct and castellum, in the city of Evora, built by Quintus Sertorius, arc deservedly ranked high among the relics of Roman grandeur. This city was surrounded by a Roman wall, which one of the Portuguese kings destroyed, in order, as he pretended, to build a new one, which has not yet been effected. Near the city of Braga are the relics of various structures, of great antiquity ; among others a temple, supposed to have been dedicated to Esculapius. Very ancient coins also have been preserved : the most ancient are supposed to be those of Q. Sertorius, who came
to Portugal about eighty-three years before the Christian era. Coins of the different Roman emperors after this date have been found from time to time ; but so implacable a hatred do the Portuguese bear to every thing connected with antiquity, that very few have been preserved ; those of gold and silver have been melted down ; while those of copper, having passed into the hands of tinkers, have been converted to the most low and inglorious purposes. Nor, though Roman remains are the most common and interest ing, are Moorish antiquities a•wanting ; for castles, for tresses, and churches, erected by that barbarous people, may be traced in almost every town and village of the kingdom. There are also various Moorish coins ; but they are mostly of base metal and mean workmanship.
The early history of Portugal, like that of most other states, is involved in obscurity and fable ; and though the Portuguese writers lay claim to a regular descent from Tubal, and to other honours which existed only in their own imaginations, yet it is allowed by all impartial in quirers, that we have no authentic memorials of that king dom, prior to the time of Hamilcar, the famous Cartha ginian general. Nor even from this period, which is com paratively recent, have we any regular accounts of its .history. All indeed we know with certainty is, that it was conquered by Hamilcar ; that it was the scene of various military operations between the Romans and Carthaginians, for the two subsequent centuries ; and that in the time of Augustus it was finally conquered by the Romans, and constituted a Roman province. It remained in this state during the first four centuries of the Christian era ; but in the sixth, on the downfall of the Roman power, it fell into the hands of the barbarians, who overran the south of Europe, particularly the Goths and Vandals. The Moors from the North of Africa, early in the eighth century, having landed in Spain, extended their conquests to Portugal, which continued in their possession till the eleventh century. The Spaniards, having long struggled to expel these infidels from their territories, and having succeeded in driving them from the greater part of the country, and in establishing the kingdom of Castile and Leon, penetrated into Portugal, and conquered a part of it from its barbarous invaders in the reign of Alphonso VI. of Castile. This monarch having acquired great glory by his expulsion of the Moors, Henry, grandson of the first Duke of Normandy, anxious to share in this glory, passed over into Spain, and entered the service of the Castilian monarch. After signalizing his valour in various engage ments the king raised him to the highest military ho nours, and the better to attach so brave an officer to his service, bestowed on him his natural daughter Theresa in marriage, and, as her portion, such portions of Portugal as were not in the hands of the Moors. This lie governed under the title of Earl or Count, till his death, which hap pened in 1112, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. The name of Count Henry forms the first great authentic era in the annals of Portugal. And he seems to have been worthy'of the success and honours he experienced. On his death-bed he is said to have recommended to his son and successor to protect and propagate the Christian faith ; to treat his subjects as his children ; to grant them equitable laws, and to cause them to be impartially ad ministered.