e;
and that, in the interior, and towards the opposite coast, the
rugged magnificence of mountain scenery gives place to a more
profitable though less picturesque champaign.

The principal streets of Ponto del Gada are paved, and kept once
cool and clean by a. constant sprinkling of water, which is the
business of two or three men stationed at pumps within obtain
distance of one another, to scatter over them. Of the by-streets
little can be said in praise, they being, like those of other
Portuguese towns, composed of mean cottages, unpaved, and
extremely dirty. There is, however, an air of elegance given to
the town, particularly when looked at from a distance, by the
intermixture of orange-groves among the houses; the largest of
these, wherever they happen to stand, being, in general,
surrounded by extensive gardens, all of which are abundantly
stocked with that graceful and odoriferous plant. Add to this
the number of towers and spires with which its numerous churches
and convents are supplied, and the first aspect of the whole may
be conceived to be extremely striking and imposing.

As soon as we had taken a hurried survey of the streets, the next
object of attention was the religious houses. In these there was
but little to admire, the architecture being of the plainest
kind, and even the chapels as much wanting in ornament as can be
imagined. There were, indeed, in most of them some trifling
attempts at carved work and gilding upon the roof, a little
stained glass, neither rich nor ancient, in the windows, and a
few tawdry pictures suspended above the altars; but the general
appearance was decidedly that of buildings which did not even aim
at beauty or grandeur. The monks we found a good-natured,
obliging set of men, very willing to give us any information in
their power; by one of whom we were fortunate enough to be
conducted through a convent of Augustine friars. Into their mode
of living it is not to be supposed that we could obtain much
insight. It seemed, however, to be less indolent than that of
some convents which we had visited in the old country, and
approached proportionably nearer to a college life among
ourselves; though it must be admitted that the fellows and
undergraduates of Oxford and Cambridge have a better notion of
both comfort and elegance than the Augustine friars of
St. Michael's. Of the nuns we of course saw nothing, excepting
through the grates. We found them full of curiosi