is a barren, melancholy waste, producing
only ruins. It is in and about this region that the most important Roman
remains in the country are to be found. The soil in the neighborhood of
Evora is rich in coins and other relics, and Evora has, besides its
great aqueduct, the massive pillars of a temple to Diana, which, sad to
say, was once put to ignoble use as a slaughter-house. The ruins of
Troia have escaped desecration, if they have not obtained the care and
study which they merit. Lying on a low tongue of land which projects
into the bay of Setubal, the city of Troia is buried, not in Pompeian
lava, but in deep mounds of sand, accumulated there by the winds and
waves. A tremendous storm in 1814 washed away a part of this sand and
revealed something of its treasure, but it was not till 1850 that the
hint was followed up by antiquaries and a regular digging made. A large
Roman house was uncovered, together with a vast debris of marble
columns, mosaic pavements, baths, urns, and other appurtenances of Roman
existence. The excavations have been far from thorough; the peninsular
Troy still awaits its Schliemann. The name Troia was probably bestowed
by Portuguese antiquaries of the Renaissance period, who mention it thus
in their writings. According to Roman records, the city flourished about
300 A.D. as Cetobriga.

[Illustration: Sketch Map of SETUBAL and RUINS OF TROIA.]

We must return to the Minho province--still the most representative
section of Portugal--for monuments of Portuguese antiquity. Guimaraens
is the oldest town of purely native growth, and is closely associated
with the life of Affonso Henriquez. The massive castle in which he was
born, and the church which witnessed the christening of the first king
of Portugal, are still standing: the old walls of the town date back to
the time of the hero; and not far off is the field where he fought the
battle which gained him his independence at eighteen. Within a few miles
of Guimaraens is Braga, celebrated for centuries as a stronghold of the
Church. Its Gothic cathedral is of grand proportions, containing a
triple nave, and belongs to the thirteenth century. The church treasures
shut up in its sanctuary are among the richest in the Peninsula.

Portugal presents the curious spectacle of a country in which the
customs of antiquity have lasted as long as its monuments. In a certain
way the former are the more impressive. As some little familiar trait
will sometime