Spanish Life in Town and Country
Chapter 20
PORTUGUESE INSTITUTIONS
The Portuguese army is raised by conscription, each parish, according to size, having to contribute an annual quota of young men between twenty and twenty-one years of age. These have to serve three consecutive years with the colours, and then pass into the reserve for another ten years. During the latter period no conscript can leave the country without a passport. In time of peace the army is supposed to number about thirty thousand men, and on the war footing should consist of about one hundred and twenty thousand men and two hundred and sixty-four guns. The men, who in summer wear brown holland clothes, look hardy enough, and, according to ordinary report, are worthy of the plucky _caçadores_ of the Peninsular War, who, according to Napier, made most excellent soldiers when properly led. It is still said of the Portuguese soldier that with three beans in his pocket he can march and fight for a week without making any further demands upon the commissariat department. This military service does not affect the nation much, either morally or physically, and the only economical effect is probably that it provides a fruitful source of plunder to corrupt officials. As any man can free himself of the three years' service with the colours by paying a sum of about £24, it may be imagined what an opening this affords for special peculation.
The navy consists of about five thousand men, and of a few modern war-ships, and of some old boats whose seaworthiness is questionable. The best ship at present on the list is the cruiser _Dom Carlos_, which was sent to take part in the naval pageant which formed the first portion of the funeral of Queen Victoria. The sailors, who are much to be seen in Lisbon, where the great naval barracks are situated, look smart enough, and as the Portuguese have always been good sailors, it may safely be predicted that, in case of necessity, they will make the most of the limited means at their disposal, or of such of them as have not been utterly ruined by official indifference or worse.
In the towns one meets men in various employments, such as the police, who have served in the army, and still retain some sort of soldierly appearance, but once get into the country, and it is vain to look for any evidence of military service amongst the rural population.
The country-folk are a patient lot; most of them ruminants, like their own oxen. Sleepy always, and slow in their movements, they are often devoted to the farm, or _quinta_, on which they work, and are, perhaps, slightly more honest than their fellows in the towns. They are frugal enough, and enjoy their huge junks of dark bread, washed down with water, at their midday meal, and a sound sleep under the shade of an orange tree or a eucalyptus, or a bit of a wall, until it is necessary to begin work again. The peasant costumes are not inviting; they are simply squalid. Costumes in the towns are much better. Still, on festal days the village women deck themselves out with bright-hued shawls, and the men wind brighter scarfs round their waists to keep up their patchwork trousers, and thus relieve what would otherwise be the intolerable dinginess of the whole scene. The farmer himself, mounted on his mule, with high-peaked saddle and enormous wooden stirrups decorated with brass, his cloak, with the bright scarlet or blue lining folded outwards, strapped on in front, with his short jacket and broad-brimmed hat, offers a smart and typical figure.
In town or country, the beautiful oxen are worthy of admiration. They are the most satisfactory of all the rural animals. Horses, shabby and attenuated, little sheep of a colour from black to dirty grey, showing affinity to goats, and having neither the grace of the latter nor the sleepy comeliness of our own sheep, black and white cows whose points would not be much thought of by judges at an agricultural show, goats of all sorts of breeds, and finally pigs of a most lanky and uninviting appearance, form the stock of the farms. Heaps of chickens of all sorts run about everywhere, and enjoy fine dust-baths by the side of the road.
The aspect of the country varies much between north and south. In the former, one sees real grass and hedges, and the bright flowers that are common everywhere look all the better for their green background. The commonest hedge in the south, and occasionally in the north, is made of a few layers of stones loosely laid together with a row of aloe plants on the top. These grow formidable in time, with huge sharp-pointed leaves, and they present a curious appearance when at intervals in such a row plants send up their huge flowering stems from nine to twelve feet high, looking at a little distance like telegraph poles.
Despite the squalid clothes of the peasants, there are many picturesque aspects of rural life. The driving of large herds of cattle by mounted men, armed with long goads, is an interesting as well as an artistic sight, and the same may be said of the primitive agricultural occupations. The crops are harvested with a sickle, and you may wake up some morning to see the field opposite your house invaded by some twenty to thirty reapers, men and women, boys and girls, patiently sawing their way through the wheat or barley, or whatever it is. The corn is threshed out with the flail, or trodden out by the oxen--all operations fair to look upon. Forms of cultivation interesting to watch are the very primitive ploughing, the hoeing of the maize, and all those connected with the culture of the vines and the orange and other fruit trees, and especially the irrigation, which is so important to these latter. In fact, one of the most charming of rural sights is the old water-wheel, groaning and creaking as it is turned by the patient ox or mule or pony, splashing the cool water from the well out of its earthen pots--each with a hole in the bottom--and discharging it into the trough leading to the irrigation channels or to the reservoir from which the water may afterwards be let off in the required direction.
But agriculture is not always so backward and primitive. There are great landowners and large farmers who use the newest and best agricultural implements. The Government does what it can to encourage the use of artificial manures, and there are societies which render important services to agriculturists and to fruit-growers. Amid such labours live the quiet country-folk. They have no thought of anything; they have no special amusements beyond an occasional _festa_ and a dance. They sit round the village well in the evening, and when not talking scandal, tell stories about--"Once upon a time there was a poor widow with one or more daughters," or "There was once a king's son"--often a Moorish king. The old well-known tales reappear, modified to the Portuguese character and morality.
The following is a story taken from Braga's excellent book: "There was, once upon a time, a poor widow that had only one daughter. This girl, going out to bathe in the river with her companions on St. John's eve, at the advice of one of her friends, placed her ear-rings on the top of a stone, lest she should lose them in the water. While she was playing about in the river an old man passed along, who, seeing the ear-rings, took them and placed them in a leather bag he was carrying. The poor child was much grieved at this, and ran after the old man, who consented to restore her belongings if she would search for them inside his sack. This the girl did, and forthwith the artful old man closed the mouth of the bag and carried her off therein. He subsequently told her that she must help him to gain a living, and that whenever he recited--
'Sing, sack, Else thou wilt be beaten with a stick!'
she was to sing lustily. Wherever they came he placed his sack on the ground, and addressed the above formula to it, when the poor girl sang as loud as she could:
'I am placed in this sack, Where my life I shall lose, For love of my ear-rings, Which I left in the stream.'
The old man obtained much money from the audiences attracted by his singing leather bag. The authorities of one town, however, became suspicious, and, examining the sack while its owner was asleep, found and released the child. They filled up the bag with all the filth they could pick up, and left it where they had found it. The little girl was sent back to her mother. When the old man woke next morning, and took out the sack to earn his breakfast, the usual incantation had no effect, and when he applied the threatened stick the bag burst, and all the filth came out, which he was compelled to lick up by the enraged populace." At the close of the story the cigarettes glow, the white teeth gleam, the bushy whiskers wag, the old women chuckle, the girls giggle, and the youths snigger, and as the short twilight is now over, the group breaks up, and each vanishes into his or her own vermin-pasture to sleep until _amanhã_ has actually become to-day, and the sun shines on another exact repetition of yesterday.
The Portuguese are superstitious, and are devout up to a certain point, and the clerics are exceedingly intolerant. In the morning one sees, as in all Roman Catholic countries, devout worshippers kneeling about in the churches before their favourite shrines, but, unlike the practice of most Roman Catholic countries, the churches are closed at or about noon for the most part, and are only open for special masses after that time. The procession of the Host is greeted with most extreme reverence, and whether it be in the fashionable Chiado at Lisbon or along a country lane, all uncover and make the sign of the cross, and many, even fashionably dressed ladies and gentlemen, kneel down and bow themselves humbly as the sacred wafer passes by, borne by the gorgeously vested priest; at least, in the cities the vestments are gorgeous, and a long train of acolytes and attendants makes the procession imposing, but in the country the vestments are often mildewed and decayed, and the one or two rustic attendants are not dignified in appearance. Still, the sacred symbol is the same, and the reverence and the devotion are the same.
There is an excessive hierarchy for the size of the country, there being in Portugal proper three ecclesiastical provinces, ruled respectively by the Patriarch of Lisbon and by the Archbishops of Braga and Evora. Besides these, there is the colonial province which is ruled by the Archbishop of Goa, Archpriests and other dignitaries abound, so that a priest has something to look forward to in the way of promotion; and yet, as a rule, the priests perform their duties without zeal and in a slovenly manner. One often hears it said that their behaviour and their morality leave much to be desired. There are among them gentlemen of blameless life and even of ascetic practices, but it is commonly reported that, as a whole, they are of inferior birth and education. It is not easy for a stranger to form any opinion on these points, but it must be conceded that their appearance is generally suggestive of the truth of the statement, and it may be admitted that there is an undue proportion of ignoble and sensuous faces amongst them.
Funerals are occasions of great pomp, and are often picturesque enough, while the masses for the dead at intervals after and on the anniversary are, no doubt, profitable to the Church. By attending these one has a good opportunity of testifying to the esteem in which the deceased was held, or to one's good will towards the family or representatives. These masses are generally advertised in the papers, with thanks to those friends who have attended funeral masses. As there is scarcely any intellectual activity in Portugal, there is practically no religious thought. A dull acquiescence in the dictates of the Church may be crossed by an occasional gleam of rebellion against sacerdotalism, roused by some temporary stirring up of the hatred felt against the Jesuits. But it in no way alters the habitual attitude of the people towards religion and its outward manifestations. One thing is certain, and that is that in town or country a man or a woman must be in the lowest depths of poverty and distress to refuse to throw a few _reis_ into the bags of the licensed mendicants who, bareheaded, and clad in scarlet or white gowns, go round soliciting alms for the support of the churches on whose behalf they are sent out.
As is customary in most countries, the women are more amenable to religious influences than the men, and are more under the dominion of the priest. This is not likely to be altered yet awhile, for, under the present system of education and bringing up, the female portion of the community is not only not intellectual, but may even be described as being unintelligent. They are slovenly, and cannot be described as good housewives. They are pleasure-loving and garrulous, though this latter trait is not, I suppose, a specially national characteristic. They do much hard work, especially in the fields. In the classes above (if _above_ be the proper word) the hand-workers, the young girls are still kept very strictly, and are not allowed to go out alone. Their knowledge of life is limited to the view from the windows of their homes, where they may be seen looking out on the street scenes below whenever the shade allows them to stand at the window or on the balcony. No "new woman" movement of any importance has yet taken place, and though there are modifications in woman's position in the national life, it is probable that it will take one if not more generations before women in Portugal achieve the emancipation which their sisters have attained in more progressive countries.
In one circumstance, however, woman does take her place by the side of man, and that is in the bull-ring--not, indeed, in the arena, but in every part of the amphitheatre, from the worst seats on the sunny side to the costly boxes in the shade. She takes as great an interest in the bull-fight as the man, and if she does not shout and swear, or fling her hat into the ring in her enthusiasm, she delights probably more than the man in the beauty of the spectacle, and appreciates almost as fully the feats of skill and daring which give such special attraction to the national pastime. This is a right royal sport, and as in Portugal the horrid cruelty which defaces it in Spain is absent, there is no overwhelming reason why the women should not sit and applaud the picturesque scene and the exhibitions of pluck and agility shown by the performers.
The scene is really magnificent, and the enthusiasm of the audience must be witnessed in order to understand the underlying potentialities of the Portuguese character. The vile abuse of a bull who will not show fight is comical to listen to. Probably, in such a case, the bull has been through it all before, and he does not care to make wild rushes at cloaks which have nothing substantial behind them. So he paws up the sand and looks theatrical, but refuses to budge. Then a nimble _bandarilhero_ faces him, and fixes a pair of _bandarilhas_ in his neck--one on each side if he can manage it. This is unpleasant, no doubt, but the bull's former experience tells him that it is not serious, and not even very painful. It was irritating the first time, but no well-bred bull should condescend to be upset by such a trifle. Another pair of _bandarilhas_, and yet another, are fixed into his shoulders by their barbed points--or the attempt is made to fix them. Then the bull begins to play the game in a condescending sort of way. Then the great man, the _espada_ himself, comes on the scene, and arranges and waves his scarlet flag, and walks up to the obstinate animal, perhaps flicks him in the nostrils with his pocket-handkerchief and calls him _vacca_ (cow)! At last, seemingly out of good nature, the bull rushes at the red flag, has the highly decorated dart stuck between his shoulders, by the daring _espada_ who may perform some other feat, listens to the applause, and laughs to himself when he hears the bugle-call and sees the trained oxen rush in with their long bells and their attendant herdsmen, and with more or less of a frolicsome air he trots out of the arena in their company and, having had his sore shoulders attended to, and having had a good feed, chews the cud with a pleasant reminiscence of the afternoon's work. It is a mistake not to kill the bull, which is not cruel in itself, but which would prevent some rather tiresome interludes when a knowing old bull refuses to be coaxed into playing his part of the game.
Far different, however, is the scene when a really spirited bull comes in with a rush and charges wildly at the brightly attired performers, and makes them skip over the barrier, often leaving their cloaks behind them. Sometimes the bull skips over too, and then there is a most amusing scene, as performers, attendants, and all vault back over the barrier into the ring itself. When the _espada_ finally performs his courageous feat under such conditions, he obtains such an ovation as his skill deserves. Hats of all sorts and shapes are cast to him in the arena, which he has to pick up and throw or hand back to the admirers who testify their satisfaction in this curious manner. Cigars, also, are thrown at the successful bull-fighter's feet, and these he keeps. The most famous _espadas_ are all Spaniards, and they all wear the traditional dress of their calling. If, on the one hand, there is not the thrill of the actual killing of the bull, on the other there are no miserable old horses to be ripped up, and no smell of blood. Next to the actual bull-fights come the selections of the young bulls from the herds, when the members of the Tauromachian Societies exhibit their skill, and where many a gay young fellow gets much knocked about in exhibiting his agility or the want of it.
Other sports cannot be said to have any marked existence. Dancing is a national amusement, and a few of the Anglicised Portuguese go in for cricket and lawn-tennis. Cycling, though not unknown, is far from common, the roads being, as a rule, much too bad for comfortable or even for safe riding.
Local and provincial government leaves much to be desired in Portugal. The keeping up of the roads is inconceivably bad. A royal road (_estrada real_) is generally the worst of all, and, with such an example before them, it is not to be wondered at that local authorities neglect their duties in this matter.
"No capital city in Europe suffers so much as Lisbon from the want of good police regulations." This quotation from Napier might very well be written to-day, and extended to include all Portuguese towns. Perhaps it is fair to say that it is not so much the regulations that are at fault as the incompetence and indifference of each local authority, which irresistibly suggest that corruption alone can account for such a mass of evil. The administrative machine is elaborate, and ought to be more effective. First, there is the district, ruled by the Civil Governor, an officer somewhat resembling a French prefect, with its corporate body known as the District Commission. There are seventeen districts, which are subdivided into two hundred and sixty-two communes. The head of a commune is the Administrator, and the corporation is known as the Municipal Chamber. The last subdivision is that of the communes into parishes, of which there are three thousand seven hundred and thirty-five. Each of these has as its head an officer called a _regedor_, and occupies the attention of a _junta de parochia_, or parish council.
The scavenging, sanitation, watering, paving, and all the other works which fall within the sphere of the municipality or local authority are defective and neglected. The one bright point, both in Oporto and Lisbon, is the care, skill, and attention with which the public gardens and squares are tended. The palms, tree-ferns, cacti, and other semi-tropical and sub-tropical plants are beautiful in themselves, and are arranged and intermingled with other trees and shrubs in a most artistic manner. The grass (upon which no one, of course, may walk) is kept green by constant watering, and affords a delightful contrast to the generally dry and dusty aspect of the city. Another organisation which is generally efficient and well conducted is that of the fire brigades. The municipal firemen--the _bombeiros_--are often stimulated by a healthy rivalry with the volunteer brigades, which are numerous, well found, and, as a rule, well managed. The latter are often centres of good charitable work outside their actual fire service, and they are valuable as offering a fair and worthy opportunity for the display of sound public spirit and good feeling.
Though Portuguese laws are, as a rule, admirable in themselves, the administration thereof is bad in the extreme, and the judiciary have a reputation for turpitude remarkable even amongst the recognised corruption of all officials. In Portugal proper there are two judicial districts--that of Lisbon and that of Oporto. Each has a high court known as a _Relação_, and there are inferior courts of various styles and titles. Above all is the Supreme Tribunal of Justice at Lisbon, which is the final court of appeal, and the reputation of which is somewhat better than that of any other tribunal. The administration of criminal justice is naturally amongst the worst. According to common repute, the only consideration with the judges is how they are to get the costs paid--whether they are more likely to obtain them through an acquittal, which throws them on the prosecutor, or by a conviction. Also, it is generally said that the police themselves are recruited from amongst the very lowest classes.
The prisons are described as being something awful, only to be equalled in Morocco and savage countries. In the market-place of beautiful Cintra stands the prison, against the barred windows of which crowd the prisoners, begging for money, cigarettes, and food, which are supplied to them through the prison bars by their friends and sympathisers, and by soft-hearted people. Those who are incarcerated in the upper story have baskets, which they lower by means of strings, so that they may be supplied in the same manner. This seems to have amused Miss Leck (_Iberian Sketches_, Chap. VI.), but it assumes a much more serious aspect when one considers that in those filthy dens all the prisoners are huddled together--old men and boys, the murderer and the petty thief, habitual criminals and unfortunate persons taken into custody on mere suspicion, or charged with an alleged breach of some police or even railway regulation; for it must be remembered that a station-master has nearly the same power as a policeman in taking a person into custody. "No one shall be put in prison," says the Portuguese code, "except under special circumstances"; but when the exceptions are considered, they are found to cover nearly every abuse of authority on the part of the pettiest official which can be conceived. Hence, all persons are obliged to submit to gross injustice and to a certain amount of blackmail if they wish to avoid the noisome experiences of a Portuguese gaol.
The Portuguese must be undoubtedly "of a docile and orderly disposition," as Napier says, or the crying injustices to which they submit with such patience would lead them to revolt; and if this were to happen, who could attempt to predict what excesses would be left uncommitted by a violent southron mob whose passions had been roused to such a pitch of activity? Perhaps _paciencia_ and _amanhã_ have their utility, and enable the people to bear the ills they have. They can even joke and caricature themselves, and though the comic journals are neither brilliant nor artistic, they show, at least, that a sense of humour is still left in our Lusitanian friends.
INDEX
Academies, 238, 243
Actors, 242
Agriculture, 167 _et seq._
Alfonso XII., 28, 104, 144, 268, 273
Alfonso XIII., 98, 272
Amadeo, King, 143
American War, 192 _et seq._
Amusements, 111 _et seq._
Andaluces, 33
Andalucia, 33
Apostolic party, 9
Aragon, 29
Army, 183 _et seq._
Art, 236 _et seq._
Artillery, 187
Artistic furniture, 176
Arts and crafts, 175, 176
Asturian nurses, 27
Asturias, 26
Asturias, Princess of, 103, 219
Austrian kings, 15, 21, 22
_Autos-da-fé_, 18, 200, 201
Bank of Spain, 265
Barcelona, 266
Basque Provinces, 26, 27, 188
Basques, 28
Beggars, 226
Berwick y Alva, Duke of, 184
Bilbao, 11, 161, 177, 178, 266
_Boletin de la Cámara de Comercio_, 163, 265
_Bueyes_, 28
Bull-fighters, 126 _et seq._
Bulls, 95 _et seq._
Bureaucracy, 148, 156
_Cabestros_, 95
Caciqueism, 145, 148 _et seq._
Cæsars, Spanish, 11, 12
_Camarilla_, 6
Campoamor, 61
Cánovas del Castillo, 136
Capital, 174, 175
Carlos, Don, 7, 9, 10
Carriages, 88-90
Casa de Campo, 84, 85
Castelar, 139 _et seq._
_Castellano_, 266
Castile, 31
Castilians, 11, 25, 32
Catalans, 25
Cataluña, 17, 175, 266
Cats, 79 _et seq._
Cervantes, 47, 48
Cervera, Admiral, 47, 190, 193
_Cesantes_, 145-147
Characteristics, 38 _et seq._, 260
Charitable institutions, 227
Charles III., 22
Charles V., 14
Children, 233
Church, the, 9, 199
Cigar industry, 177
Clerical question, 21, 221, 272
Climate of Madrid, 65 _et seq._
Climates of Spain, 167, 170
Cock-fighting, 112
Colonies, 147
Commerce, 156 _et seq._
Concas Palan, 190
Confessional, 218, 222, 223
Conscription, 188
Constitution, 154
Consumption, 67, 68
Costume, national, 78, 79
Courage, 42 _et seq._
Court, 97 _et seq._
Cristina, Queen, 9, 98
Cuba, 147, 195
Dance and song, 113 _et seq._
Dances, modern, 58, 59
Dances, national, 112 _et seq._
Dances, religious, 208
Daoiz y Valarde, 46
Democratic feeling, 6, 39
Dignity, 38
Donkeys, 90, 92
_Dos de Mayo_, 45
Drama, modern, 209, 240 _et seq._
Dramas, religious, 209-212
Dress of Spanish women, 62
Echegaray, 241
Education, 159, 213
Electra, 219, 242
Electrical science, 214
Elephant and bull, 126
Emperors, Roman, 12
_Empleomania_, 145, 146, 152
Engineers, 214
Espinosa, Monteros de, 102
Estremadura, 32
Etiquette of Spanish Court, 100 _et seq._
Exports, 177
Factories, 175, 176, 266
Ferdinand and Isabella, 5, 13, 15
Ferdinand VII., 8, 22
_Feria_ of Seville, 34
Fertility of soil, 73
_Fiestas_, 116, 206
Flowers, 73
Folklore, 253 _et seq._
Ford, 51
French influence, 173
Fuente Castellana, 78
_Fueros_, 10, 28, 188
_Fueros_ of Aragon, 29
Gala procession, 108, 109
Galdós, 219, 248
Galicia, 25, 26
Gallegos, 26, 87
Games, national, 111
Gayangos, 246
Geographical features, 178
Gloriosa, La, 10, 262
Goths, 12, 24
Government, 142 _et seq._
Government, local, 153
Grandes of Spain, 100
Guitar, 113, 238
Hippodrome, 62
Horse-racing, 125
Horses, 91 _et seq._
Iberian rejon, 118
Iberian unity, 251
Incas, 18
Independence, War of, 45
Industries, 161, 263 _et seq._
Infantas, 54, 103, 106
Influence of the Press, 129
Inquisition, 19, 199, 200, 271
Irrigated land, 172
Irrigation, 171 _et seq._
Isabel II., 6, 53, 107, 207
Isabel la Católica, 5, 8, 15, 29, 270
Jaime, Don, 8
_Jota Aragonesa_, 114
Jesuits, 199, 213, 217, 218, 220 _et seq._, 272
Journalists, 130
King Alfonso XIII., 272, 273
Kings, Austrian, 21, 22
Kings, Bourbon, 8, 22, 118
Labour, 174
Lace, 165
Lagartijo, 122 _et seq._
Land and people, 1
Land laws, 173
Landscape round Madrid, 71, 72
Land value, 172
Language, 266 _et seq._
Literature, modern, 246 _et seq._
Madrazo, 239, 244
Madrid, modern, 77
Madrid, old, 77
_Mañana_, 52, 74, 195, 197
Manners, 40
Mantilla, 79
Manufactures, 164, 165, 175 _et seq._
Manzanares, 83
Marriage customs, 229 _et seq._
Medical science, 215
Meetings, political, 138
Mendizábal, 9, 23
Metal work, 176
Military system, 183 _et seq._
Mineral wealth, 160 _et seq._
Montpensier, Duke of, 104 _et seq._
Moors, 17 _et seq._
Mules, 90, 188, 255
Music, 81, 236
Narvaez, 249
National feeling, 184, 185, 193
National games, 31
Navy, 47, 189 _et seq._
Newspapers, 132 _et seq._
Nicknames, 106
_Noche Buena_, 108
Orders, religious, 203, 213, 219, 221, 272
Ostriches, 85
Outlook, 260 _et seq._
Oxen, draught, 94
Pacing horses, 90
Painters, 239 _et seq._
Palace Royal, 61
_Palaciö_, 23
Pardo Bazan, 251
Pardo, el, 85
Parque de Madrid, 71
_Pasos_, 210
Passion plays, 209, 212
Pavía, 140
_Pavo, pelando el_, 230
Peasants, 24 _et seq._
Pelayo, 61
_Pelota_, 31, 111
People, 38 _et seq._
Philip II., 16, 202, 271
Pigs, 166, 167
Poetry, 114, 268
Politeness, national, 39, 40, 51, 52
Political parties, 7, 134 _et seq._
Politicians, 50, 135
_Pollos_ and _pollas_, 88, 89
Ports and harbours, 178
Pottery, 175, 176
Poverty, 226
Press, 129 _et seq._
Priesthood, 199, 218
Prim, 142-144
Procrastination, 52
Productive land, 172
_Pronunciamientos_, 144, 145, 147, 186
Protestants, 216
Pyrenees, 25, 30
Queen Cristina, 97, 98, 103
Queen Mercédes, 97, 106
_Quemadero_, 20, 201
Quijote, Don, 48
Quixotic characteristics, 48
Race, 24
Railways, 157 _et seq._
Regent, 9, 98, 145
Religion, 37, 109, 198 _et seq._
Republic, 139, 141
Restoration, 144
Revolution, 10, 262
Rice, 161
Riding, 89
Roads, 180
Roman Spain, 11, 12
Romero Robledo, 136, 137
Sagasta, 151
_Sala_, 33
Salic Law, 8, 9
Schools, 159, 160
_Seises, los_, 208, 209
Sericulture, 164
Serrano, 105
Sheep, merino, 32, 166
Shipping, 178
Silk manufactures, 16, 164
Silvela, 151
Smoking, 36, 60
Society, 55 _et seq._
Songs, 33, 81, 82, 114, 238
Songs and dancing, 114
Spanish-American War, I, 192 _et seq._
Sugar industry, 168
Superstitions popular, 102, 205, 233
Teatro Real, 62
Telegraphic system, 181
Terror of 1824, 22
_Tertulia_, 56 _et seq._
Theatres, 62, 116
Tobacco, 177
Toledo, 15
Toothpicks, 63
_Toreros_, 121
_Tribunal de las Aguas_, 34
Universities, 159
_Usted, de_, 98
Valencia, 34
Valera, Juan, 61
_Velo_, 79
Verse-making, 257
Virgin, 37, 203
War of Independence, 45 _et seq._
War, Spanish-American, 1, 192 _et seq._
Wars, Carlist, 9
Water, want of, 169
Wellington, Duke of, 26
Weyler, General, 186
Wines, 162 _et seq._
Women, 53, 62, 229 _et seq._, 249
Wood-carving, 176
Woollen manufactures, 164
Working men, 21, 83, 241, 261
_Zarzuela_, 116
Zorilla, 122, 252
_Zortico zorisco_, 115
PORTUGUESE LIFE
Agriculture, 301, 302
Aloes, 301
_Amanhã_, 280
Amusements, 296, 302
Army, 298
Artisan class, 292
_Bacalhao_, 294
Bargaining, love of, 287
Brazilian elements, 287-291
Bull-fighting, 307 _et seq._
Camoens, 281
Characteristics, 278 _et seq._, 284, 285
Charities, 296
_Chula_, 296
Cleanliness, 289
Coimbra, 283
Costumes, 285, 300
Customs, 285
Dances, 296
Decorations and forms of address, 289
Fish, 294
Fish-girls, 293
Funerals, 306
Gallegos, 292
Gallenga, 293
Government, local, 310
Insects, 290
Institutions, 298
Intellectual life, 281
Land and people, 277
Language, 283
Laws, 312
Lisbon, 281
Londonderry, Lord, 277
Manners and morality, 289
Medical training, 288
Military system, 298
Mineral wealth, 281
_Moustachios_, ladies', 286
National fare, 294
Navy, 299
Newspapers, 284
_Octroi_ duties, 295
Oporto, 293
Oxen, 300
Peninsular War, 277
Police, 311
Postal service, 284
Prisons, 313
Religion, 304, 305 _et seq._
Scenery, 285
Servants, 290
Society, 286
University, 283
Wages, 292
Wealth, 292
Wealth, mineral, 281
Women, 285, 287, 307
THE END
Our European Neighbours
Edited by WILLIAM HARBUTT DAWSON
12º. Illustrated. Each, net $1.20 By Mail. 1.30
=I.--FRENCH LIFE IN TOWN AND COUNTRY=
By HANNAH LYNCH.
"Miss Lynch's pages are thoroughly interesting and suggestive. Her style, too, is not common. It is marked by vivacity without any drawback of looseness, and resembles a stream that runs strongly and evenly between walls. It is at once distinguished and useful.... Her five-page description (not dramatization) of the grasping Paris landlady is a capital piece of work.... Such well finished portraits are frequent in Miss Lynch's book, which is small, inexpensive, and of a real excellence."--_The London Academy._
"Miss Lynch's book is particularly notable. It is the first of a series describing the home and social life of various European peoples--a series long needed and sure to receive a warm welcome. Her style is frank, vivacious, entertaining, captivating, just the kind for a book which is not at all statistical, political, or controversial. A special excellence of her book, reminding one of Mr. Whiteing's, lies in her continual contrast of the English and the French, and she thus sums up her praises: 'The English are admirable: the French are lovable.' "--_The Outlook_.
=II.--GERMAN LIFE IN TOWN AND COUNTRY=
By W. H. DAWSON, author of "Germany and the Germans," etc.
"The book is as full of correct, impartial, well-digested, and well-presented information as an egg is of meat. One can only recommend it heartily and without reserve to all who wish to gain an insight into German life. It worthily presents a great nation, now the greatest and strongest in Europe."--_Commercial Advertiser_.
=III.--RUSSIAN LIFE IN TOWN AND COUNTRY=
By FRANCIS H. E. PALMER, sometime Secretary to H. H. Prince Droutskop-Loubetsky (Equerry to H. M. the Emperor of Russia).
"We would recommend this above all other works of its character to those seeking a clear general understanding of Russian life, character, and conditions, but who have not the leisure or inclination to read more voluminous tomes.... It cannot be too highly recommended, for it conveys practically all that well-informed people should know of 'Our European Neighbours.'"--_Mail and Express._
=IV.--DUTCH LIFE IN TOWN AND COUNTRY=
By P. M. HOUGH, B.A.
"There is no other book which gives one so clear a picture of actual life in the Netherlands at the present date. For its accurate presentation of the Dutch situation in art, letters, learning, and politics as well as in the round of common life in town and city, this book deserves the heartiest praise."--_Evening Post._
"Holland is always interesting, in any line of study. In this work its charm is carefully preserved. The sturdy toil of the people, their quaint characteristics, their conservative retention of old dress and customs, their quiet abstention from taking part in the great affairs of the world are clearly reflected in this faithful mirror. The illustrations are of a high grade of photographic reproductions."--_Washington Post._
=V.--SWISS LIFE IN TOWN AND COUNTRY=
By ALFRED T. STORY, author of the "Building of the British Empire," etc.
"We do not know a single compact book on the same subject in which Swiss character in all its variety finds so sympathetic and yet thorough treatment; the reason of this being that the author has enjoyed privileges of unusual intimacy with all classes, which prevented his lumping the people as a whole without distinction of racial and cantonal feeling."--_Nation._
"There is no phase of the lives of these sturdy republicans, whether social or political, which Mr. Story does not touch upon; and an abundance of illustrations drawn from unhackneyed subjects adds to the value of the book."--_Chicago Dial._
=VI.-SPANISH LIFE IN TOWN AND COUNTRY=
By L. HIGGIN.
"Illuminating in all of its chapters. She writes in thorough sympathy, born of long and intimate acquaintance with Spanish people of to-day."--_St. Paul Press._
"The author knows her subject thoroughly and has written a most admirable volume. She writes with genuine love for the Spaniards, and with a sympathetic knowledge of their character and their method of life."--_Canada Methodist Review._
=VII.--ITALIAN LIFE IN TOWN AND COUNTRY=
By LUIGI VILLARI.
"A most interesting and instructive volume, which presents an intimate view of the social habits and manner of thought of the people of which it treats."--_Buffalo Express._
"A book full of information, comprehensive and accurate. Its numerous attractive illustrations add to its interest and value. We are glad to welcome such an addition to an excellent series."--_Syracuse Herald._
=VIII.--DANISH LIFE IN TOWN AND COUNTRY=
By JESSIE H. BROCHNER.
"Miss Brochner has written an interesting book on a fascinating subject, a book which should arouse an interest in Denmark in those who have not been there, and which can make those who know and are attracted by the country very homesick to return."--_Commercial Advertiser._
"She has sketched with loving art the simple, yet pure and elevated lives of her countrymen, and given the reader an excellent idea of the Danes from every point of view."--_Chicago Tribune._
=IX.--AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN LIFE IN TOWN AND COUNTRY=
By FRANCIS H. E. PALMER, author of "Russian Life in Town and Country," etc.
"No volume in this interesting series seems to us so notable or valuable as this on Austro-Hungarian life. Mr. Palmer's long residence in Europe and his intimate association with men of mark, especially in their home life, has given to him a richness of experience evident on every page of the book."--_The Outlook._
"This book cannot be too warmly recommended to those who have not the leisure or the spirit to read voluminous tomes of this subject, yet we wish a clear general understanding of Austro-Hungarian life."--_Hartford Times._
=X.--TURKISH LIFE IN TOWN AND COUNTRY=
By L. M. J. GARNETT.
Miss Garnett, while not altogether ignoring the dark side of life in the Empire, portrays more particularly the peaceable life of the people--the domestic, industrial, social, and religious life and customs, the occupations and recreations, of the numerous and various races within the Empire presided over by the Sultan.
"The general tone of the book is that of a careful study, the style is flowing, and the matter is presented in a bright, taking way."--_St. Paul Press._
"To the average mind the Turk is a little better than a blood-thirsty individual with a plurality of wives and a paucity of virtues. To read this book is to be pleasantly disillusioned."--_Public Opinion._
=XI.--BELGIAN LIFE IN TOWN AND COUNTRY=
By DEMETRIUS C. BOULGER.
"Mr. Boulger has given a plain, straight-forward account of the several phases of Belgian Life, the government, the court, the manufacturing centers and enterprises, the literature and science, the army, education and religion, set forth informingly."--_The Detroit Free Press._
"The book is one of real value conscientiously written, and well illustrated by good photographs."--_The Outlook._
=XII.--SWEDISH LIFE IN TOWN AND COUNTRY=
By G. VON HEIDENSTAM.