still many churches and historic places to visit in the city, and I must
perforce hurry in my descriptions. Siloe's architecture is seen in the
Church of Santa Ana, and other churches should be inspected, though few
of them are important. The Charterhouse or Cartuja stands on the site of
a monastery, and the church is a very resplendent example of later
Gothic decoration, the effects being gained within by a lavish use of
pearl, ebony, tortoise-shell, and marble. The Audencia is a handsome
building with a gorgeous façade. In the Church of San Geronimo is the
burial-place of El Gran Capitan, whose effigy and that of his wife are
at the altar.
If we wish to see the types of Andalusian character among the poorer
class--such as Murillo painted--we must stroll in the Albaicin Quarter.
This is a district of picturesque squalor, and not over-sweet are the
odours that may assail sensitive nostrils. But the Albaicin must be
seen. It was the resort of the Moors who remained after the taking of
Granada by Fernando, and it is now largely populated by gypsies such as
George Borrow describes in "The Bible in Spain." The city has been a
haunt of Gitanos for about three hundred years, and many of the swarthy
tribe live in caves, which they have delved in the hillsides. For a
"consideration," the gypsies will perform one of their curious symbolic
dances.
"One of the most enchanting prospects I ever beheld," writes the
Chevalier de Bourgoanne, in the eighteenth century, after his visit to
Granada. Travellers of all nationalities since that time have praised
the wonderful spell of the city. Washington Irving, Ford, O'Shea, and
many others have depicted its beauties with the pen, while a large
gallery could be filled with the pictures painted here by artists from
all parts of Europe.
There are quaint Moorish-looking towns and villages within reach of
Granada, some within walking distance. "In Granada God gives all the
necessaries of life to those by whom He is beloved." So runs a local
proverb, and it seems a justifiable statement from the evidence of
plenty that delights the gaze of the traveller through the richly
fertile province. The vega that lies betwixt the city and Cadiz is
screened by mountains, and thoroughly irrigated by hundreds of rivulets.
Here the cactas is grown for the sake of the cochineal insect. The
vegetation is marvellous; the earth is so generous that lucerne can be
cut from ten to twelve times in the year. No wonder that Romans and
Moors craved this sunny land of plenty.
OPORTO
When Bacchus and Lusus came to the Peninsula, sundered from Italy by the
Mediterranean Sea, they discovered a delightful region of mountains and
glens, well-watered and fertile, which they called Lusitania. Between
the rivers Minho and Douro is a glowing tract of country, not unlike the
finest parts of North Wales, with a varied sea coast, bright little
villages nestling among the hills, and well-tilled fields, vineyards,
and gay gardens. Mountains screen this district on the north and east,
and the vast Atlantic washes it on the west. Here is the chief
wine-growing quarter of Portugal, a land appropriately colonised by
Bacchus; and in the centre of the wine-making and exporting industry is
Porto, the capital of the province of Entre-Douro-e-Minho.
[Illustration: OPORTO, 1832.
FROM THE QUAY OF VILLA NOVA.]
"Oporto the Proud" is a very old city and seaport on the right bank of
the impetuous Douro, and within a few miles of the coast. The river is
tidal and broad, and big ships come to the busy quays below the great
suspension bridge. At the mouth of the Douro is a bar, much dreaded
by sailors, for it is rocky at this point, and generally a rough sea
breaks and foams at the outlet.
Oporto is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. I visited it in
June, when the terraces and gardens were aglow with flowers, the streets
steeped in perpetual sunshine, the sky a deep blue, and the sunsets
gorgeous. It is a bright city, seen from the opposite bank, with houses
rising one above the other on slopes that are almost precipitous. Here
and there the rock juts out among the villas that overhang the river,
while verdure shows on the high banks. In parts of the gorge the cliffs
rise to three hundred feet.
Oporto is a city of squares. There are several of these open spaces, all
planted with trees, well-paved, and surrounded by tall buildings which
lend a Moorish atmosphere to the towns. It is a centre of craftsmen. In
one thoroughfare you will find harness-makers and hatters busily
employed; in another goldsmiths and jewellers ply their trade. The
markets are thronged with peasants from the vineyards, the women dressed
in the gaudiest garments, with huge earrings and great gold brooches.
Perhaps nowhere in Europe can so many prosperous and cheerful
country-folk be seen assembled as in the streets of Oporto on a market
day. Ox carts come laden with barrels; the river is dotted with the
curiously shaped _barcos_ that bring the wine from the rustic presses
far up the valley; and up the steep alleys clamber the pannier-donkeys,
with fruit heaped in the baskets.
The yoked oxen, led by sedate men--with large sallow faces, their loose
limbs clothed in short jackets, and wearing the ancient hats of the
district--the mule carts and the pack-donkeys appear mediæval and
strangely out of accord with the modern motor cars of the fashionable
citizens. Oporto is both old and new. Paris and London fashions in dress
may be seen in the shopping quarters. There is a large colony of English
people in the city, and many French and German merchants. Here you will
see a native of the hills in his national garb; there a lady clad in the
newest Parisian apparel; here an English sailor, and there a Spaniard.
All is movement, animation, colour, when the streets are gay and crowded
on a holiday.
The climate of Oporto is pleasant and healthy. In the height of summer
the heat is tempered by breezes from the Atlantic, and from the
mountains on the east. There is a high average of sunshine. During the
winter there is a considerable rainfall, and occasional snow. Around the
city is a delightfully varied country of hills and valleys, watered by
clear streams, and highly cultivated in the straths. On the slopes are
roads of oak, chestnut, and birch. In the sheltered vales oranges, figs,
lemons, and many other fruits thrive excellently. Strawberries are large
in size and abundant. Vegetables grow with but little culture in this
fertile land, and there are flower gardens with an opulence of colour.
On the south bank of the Douro there was probably an early Roman
settlement. The Vandals swept down upon Lusitania when the power of the
Romans waned, and after them came other Teuton hordes--the Suevi and the
fierce Visigoths. About the middle of the eighth century the Moors
conquered Portugal, and held it for three centuries. The Asturians of
northern Spain appear to have reconquered this part of Portugal in the
time of Ferdinand I. of Castile. After the subduing of the Moors,
Alfonso I. was proclaimed king of Portugal. Until about 1380 the House
of Burgundy held the throne, and from that date the country rose in
power, and became commercially prosperous. John I. of Portugal married
the daughter of John of Gaunt, and became a staunch ally of England,
receiving the Order of the Garter.
This was a stirring period in the history of the country, a time of
strenuous warfare with Castile, and the last remnant of the Moors.
In the reign of Juan of Castile, Portugal became one of the chief
exploring nations of Europe. Henry, third son of the king, was studious,
and learned in astronomy and geography. He obtained royal subsidies, and
gathered about him travellers and seamen whom he inspired to set forth
on voyages of discovery. Two vessels were sent by the prince to round
the southernmost point of Africa, with the object of reaching the East
Indies. In 1418 the voyagers discovered Madeira, which was made a
Portuguese settlement; but they dreaded the rounding of the south Cape
of Africa, a point greatly dreaded by all mariners in those days. The
Canary Islands passed at this time into the hands of a French
adventurer, De Bethancourt, whose heirs afterwards sold the colony to
Henry of Portugal.
Vasco de Gama's famous expedition to India was undertaken in 1497, and
this bold explorer, unlike his predecessors, doubled the Cape of Good
Hope, and travelled as far as Mozambique, where he found pilots who
offered to direct his course to India. The pilots, however, proved
treacherous. Eventually, after many delays, a trustworthy pilot was
found at Melinda, and De Gama reached India, where he opened trading
relations with the natives. At the end of two years the discoverer
returned to Portugal and was received with great honour.
The prosperity of Oporto was largely due to the maritime enterprises of
this period. Cabral discovered Brazil in 1500, and De Cortereal is said
to have reached Greenland. The sea-rovers were the makers of modern
Portugal. The great empire of Brazil was colonised by Juan III. in 1531;
and the Portuguese claimed great territories in the East, which yielded
splendid revenues. This was the most illustrious epoch in the history of
Portugal. Parts of India and China were colonised. Art and learning
flourished in the time of Manuel I., and the architectural style known
as the Arte Manoelina was developed. This style is a flamboyant Gothic,
with Indian and Morisco influence, full of fantasy and often
extravagant.
The colonisers attempted to convert the people of India to Christianity,
and the zealous St Francis Xavier conducted a mission to that country in
the reign of Juan III. Trade with Japan was opened at this time.
After a long spell of fortune, disaster fell upon Portugal. Philip II.
of Spain envied the western strip of the Peninsula, and in 1580 he
seized Portugal and annexed it to Spain. It was not until 1640 that the
Portuguese regained their territory, and placed the Duke of Braganza on
the throne.
During the Peninsular War, the city of Oporto was the scene of severe
fighting, when the troops of Marshal Soult were surprised and routed by
the force of Wellington. In 1832 the Miguelites besieged the city, and
were defeated, with much loss, by the Pedroites. Civil disturbances have
frequently shaken the town.
In 1838 the powerful Oporto Wine Company was re-established. The port
wine, for which Oporto is famed throughout the globe, is the staple
product of the district. There is little doubt that the port of our
grandfathers was a light wine without much "body," and this kind of port
is consumed in the country districts of Portugal. The tipplers who could
consume three or four bottles of port, in the days of the Georges,
probably drank this light wine, which was imported new, and was not a
keeping wine. The prowess of our ancestors, "the six-bottle men," has
been overrated. Old port cannot be drunk in such quantities. The export
trade in wine is enormous, and the chief trade is with England and the
United States. Besides port, Oporto sends to foreign markets cattle,
mineral ores, fruits, and olive oil. The population of the city in 1900
was 167,950.
In his account of his travels in Portugal and Galicia, the Earl of
Carnarvon writes of the city, in 1848: "At length I reached Oporto, an
ancient and very picturesque town; the streets with a few noble
exceptions, are narrow, and the houses high and ornamented with handsome
balconies. That part of the city which overhangs the Douro is strikingly
beautiful; the river itself is fine and clear, and the banks bold and
partially wooded."
Since this was written new and wider thoroughfares have been made in
Oporto. The city has been modernised in many respects, but it still
retains a savour of the eastern influence. Many of the houses are faced
with striped tiles, painted blue. These tiles, or ajuléjos, are one of
the staple manufactures of Portugal, and are Moorish in origin.
The cathedral, or the Sé, stands in a dominating position on the crest
of a hill. It is in the pointed Gothic style, built of granite. There is
an imposing tower, and a fine rose window. In the cloisters there are
interesting specimens of ajuléjo work, and highly ornamented pillars.
The mosaics represent "The Song of Solomon," and are well worth
attention.
The cathedral is in the form of a cross, with a wide nave, and several
chapels. There is a marble floor. The interior is without any impressive
objects of art, and much of it is modern. Close to the Cathedral is the
Bishop's Palace, with an interesting staircase.
Some of the churches of Oporto are notable for their lavish internal
decoration. San Francisco dates from the early fifteenth century, and
has a rose window of great beauty. The wood carving within is very
interesting, and there is a gorgeous memorial to Pereira. The Bolsa is a
striking building close to this church. São Pedro is another old church
which should be seen. The Renaissance Church of the Convent of Nossa
Senhora de Serra do Pilar has beautiful cloisters, and a remarkable
dome.
The bridge is one of the wonders of Oporto. It connects the banks of the
Douro with a single arch, over five hundred feet in length, and is
nearly as long as the Cernavoda Bridge across the Danube. At both ends
are towers. The bridge is immensely strong, and though of iron, elegant
in design. It is crossed by an upper and a lower roadway, and from the
higher road there is a magnificent view up and down the swirling river.
In the busiest part of the city is the space known as the Praça de Dom
Pedro from which several streets radiate. A modern city hall is on one
side. In the middle of the square is a bronze statue of Pedro IV. on
horseback, the work of Calmels. The Torre dos Clerigos, close to the
Praça, is a splendid outlook point, with a bird's-eye view of the city,
the gorge of the Douro, and the shimmering Atlantic in the distance.
For a riotous wealth of flowers the visitor should see the Jardim da
Cordoaria. The grounds of the Crystal Palace are also very lovely. The
gardens are on the slopes descending to the Douro, and the mingling of
natural beauty with cultivation is charming. Nowhere have I seen such
splendid roses. The winding paths afford many delightful glimpses of the
river and the ocean.
One of the quaintest parts of Oporto, where there are still many ancient
houses, is the Rua Cima do Muro. But in all the old quarters of the city
there are interesting streets and corners. The markets should be visited
by travellers interested in the customs of the people. They are bright
and animated on market days.
The Picture Gallery will disappoint the student who expects to see a
representative collection of Portuguese art. In the Largo de Viriato is
the Museum, endowed by Allen, an Englishman, and given to the city. The
pictures preserved here are not of much interest, except the few works
ascribed to Rubens and Van Dyck. There is a collection of natural
history specimens in the museum.
The public library has a large collection of volumes, numbering many
thousands, and is an excellent institution. It was founded by Pedro IV.
and stands on the site of a convent near the Garden of São Lázaro.
For art-work in gold, visit the Rua das Flores, the street of
goldsmiths. The windows contain highly interesting gold ornaments of
infinite variety of design, in filigree, and enamelled. Huge earrings,
worn by the women of the vineyards, are displayed here in lavish array.
A pleasant excursion may be made to São João da Foz, a favourite Sunday
and holiday resort of the Oporto people in summer time. The road runs by
the Douro, and upon approaching the mouth of the river, the dangerous
bar will be seen. The seaside village, with the difficult name, has fine
sands and an interesting coast stretching northwards. The Atlantic
thunders along this shore in stormy weather, but the bathing is safe.
At Mattosinhos, to the north of Foz, there is a wonderful crucifix, said
to have been picked up from the sea after floating from the Holy Land.
It is an object of great veneration among the peasantry and
working-class.
Another excursion may be made to Villa de Feira, where there is an
ancient castle.
POITIERS
A study in grey and green is the impression left upon my mind by a first
view of the old town of Poitiers. There is a sternness in the aspect of
the place as you approach it by rail through the pastures of Vienne. But
peace now rests upon Poitiers; the town dreams in this quiet French
landscape, and the chronicles of arms are old and faded memories.
Crécy and Poitiers! Every English school-boy remembers the names of
these great battlefields, and thrills at the story of the Black Prince
and his encounters with King John of France. Poitiers sets the
reflective visitor musing upon martial valour, and the vast futile
exercise of the bellicose instincts of the French and British nations in
the time of the Hundred Years' War. Fighting was then the proper and
exclusive occupation of gentlemen. The age that gave birth to Chaucer
was the age of vainglorious warfare with Scotland and France, followed
by intellectual stagnation, and all the bitter fruitage of battle.
[Illustration: POITIERS.
THE CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME, 1845.]
In 1355 the Black Prince, at the head of an army, advanced from Bordeaux
towards Poitiers, laying waste the fertile regions of the south, where
no war had ever been waged until this aggression. Aided by the turbulent
Gascons, the English prince came on 19th September 1356 to some
vineyards and fields about four miles from Poitiers. The French host,
sixty thousand strong, awaited him. Hedgerows and vines formed cover for
the English bowmen; the warriors in armour held a point where a narrow
lane led to the encampment. Up this lane the French soldiers, in their
heavy mail, charged to the attack, meeting a terrific rain of arrows
from men in ambush.
Very soon the narrow roadway was choked with the wounded and the dying.
The French were arrayed in three strong divisions, and probably
outnumbered the troops of the Black Prince by seven to one. But their
position was open and exposed, whereas the English had entrenched
themselves and made a barricade of waggons. Moreover, the French were
worn with long marches.
A sally of English archers, under Captal de Buch, wrought havoc among
the French on the left flank of their force, and from that moment the
enemy wavered.
A great and final charge was led by the Black Prince and Sir Denis de
Morbecque, a knight of Artois. The French drew back, routed, and in
disorder, to the gates of Poitiers. After a valiant stand, King John was
taken captive. The victory was complete for England; the vanquished king
was a prisoner, his troops lay in thousands on the field. Eleven
thousand of the flower of French chivalry perished in this fierce
carnage.
Petrarch gives us a picture of the harvest of this strife: "I could not
believe that this was the same France which I had seen so rich and
flourishing. Nothing presented itself to my eyes but a fearful solitude,
an utter poverty, land uncultivated, houses in ruin."
The Black Prince treated his royal captive with courtesy, entertaining
him at his own table, and praising his bravery. In May 1357 the French
king was brought to England, and, seated on a charger, he rode side by
side with his victor through the streets of London. As a first
residence, King John was given the Savoy Palace, and afterwards he and
his son spent some time in Windsor Castle.
Watered on three sides by the Rivers Boivre and Clain, and standing on
rising ground, Poitiers was chosen as the site of a Roman settlement.
Not far from the town are the ruins of a Roman burial-place, and
antiquities that have been discovered may be seen in the interesting
Museum of Antiquaries de l'Ouest.
In 1569 the Count du Lude valiantly defended Poitiers against the seven
weeks' siege of troops led by Coligny, finally repulsing the enemy, and
retaining the town.
Protestantism seems to have gained ground in Poitiers, for we read that
in the days of Calvin there were many "conversions" among the
inhabitants.
In September 1559 the justices of the city published a proscription of
religious gatherings, and bade all strangers to quit the place in
twenty-four hours. No preaching was permitted, the inhabitants were
enjoined not to give necessities of life to the pastors under penalty of
punishment for sedition. This persecution, directed against the
Lutherans, was the result of the edict of Villars-Cotteret, and of an
order made in Blois, which decreed that all the attenders at religious
assemblies should be put to death, "without hope of pardon or
mitigation." France was at this time the scene of the fierce religious
intolerance which led to the Massacre of St Bartholomew.
Gaspard de Coligny, Admiral of France, who led the siege of Poitiers,
was a convert to the teaching of Calvin, and the leader of the reformed
party. Touched with fanaticism, he was a valorous soldier, and was never
daunted by his reverses. After a long conflict with the Church, the
admiral was murdered brutally, and his body mutilated, and dragged
through the streets of Paris by a rabble.
The oldest church in the town is St Jean. A basilica once stood where St
Peter's massive bulk overshadows the houses around. The towers of this
church date from the thirteenth century. There are some very old
stained-glass windows; in one of them are portraits of Henry II. and
Eleanor of England.
Portions of the Church of St Radegonde are probably of the eleventh
century. St Porchaine is another ancient church worth visiting.
The Dukes of Aquitaine lived in the city, and their palace is now a
court of law. One of the halls has a fine vaulted wooden roof.
Poitiers has many winding, narrow lanes of curious old houses. It is not
a busy commercial city, but it does not lack an air of comfort and
prosperity. The town has to-day a population of over thirty thousand
souls.
ROUEN
The fascination of this ancient city of Normandy consists not only in
its historical associations and its splendid cathedral, but in the fine
setting, colour, and aspect of the place. Rouen should be approached, if
possible, by boat on the Seine. The steamboat journey from the mouth of
the river is very delightful, and there is no better way of gaining an
impression of one of the most beautiful of the provinces of France.
Hills, with frowning rocks, begirt the Seine in its tortuous course.
Woods and tilled fields alternate with primitive, untamed ravines,
watered by rivulets, and old sombre-hued houses and churches peer among
woods. Parts of the valley recall Wales or Scotland in their ruggedness;
while here and there we are reminded of the softer scenes of southern
England.
The Rouen of obscure days of antiquity was probably a colony of the
tribe of the Roths-magi. Many place-names in Normandy suggest that the
Danes held this district, and they, rather than Norwegians, were the
early conquerors. From Rouen we derive our word "roan" for a horse of a
reddish colour, for the first imported Norman horses were known as
"Rouens."
In the eighth century this was a city of ecclesiastics, who erected many
churches and convents. A long line of celebrated bishops ruled here, and
the first church of St Ouen was probably built at this period. The
Normans harried the country in 912, under the valiant Rollo, and Rouen
was then made the capital of Normandy.
In the days of Duke William of Normandy, our gallant conqueror, Caen was
of greater importance than Rouen, and at the first city the sovereigns
built their palaces. William the Conqueror died in Rouen, but his body
was taken to Caen for burial. Rufus invaded the territory in 1091, and
obtained possession of all the chief forts on the Seine, up to Rouen.
The attempt to recover Normandy, under Henry of England, is a stirring
chronicle of battle. The city of Rouen was at this time stoutly
fortified, while it was famed for its wealth and power. Led by the brave
Alan Blanchard, the people of Rouen made a fierce defence. But Henry
had cut off approach from the sea; he held, too, the roads to Paris. He
encompassed the walls of Rouen with his army; he brought boats up the
river, constructed a floating bridge, and dug trenches for his troops.
The soldiers and citizens within the city resisted for six terrible
months. Many were the victims of famine, and those who strove to escape
were at once struck down by the besiegers. "Fire, blood and famine" were
Henry's handmaids of war, and he declared that he had chosen "the
meekest maid of the three" to subdue Rouen.