, 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