as the greatest boon they could offer in return for their support, that the face of the country should be allowed to continue in all its primeval simplicity, as it had been since the patriarchal times of Father Noah. Consequently, while the rest of Europe is intersected by railways, Portugal does not even possess a single continuous road on which a wheeled vehicle less strongly built than an ox-cart can run. On a sudden the broad road came to a full stop-funds had been wanting to carry it on further. Passing through a narrow, muddy lane, so muddy that our mules sunk up to their knees in the slough, we entered the whitewashed town of Regoa, the great mart of the Wine Country. Here my friend had a house, at the door of which some of his employés stood ready to receive us, with bows numerous and profound.

Wherever an Englishman takes up his abode, he generally contrives to make himself as comfortable as circumstances will allow; and thus I found that although my friend occupied this residence little more than a fortnight during the year, it was far more habitable than the general run of Portuguese houses.

The rooms, however, as usual, opened into each other, so as to destroy the privacy of all but the innermost one; and odours far from pleasant ascended from the lower floors. A dinner, profuse rather than elegant, had been prepared for us. I must observe that my friend gave me full leave to describe it, and seemed as much amused as I was by the variety of provisions which groaned upon the board, dressed, I was given to understand, by no less a person than the ex-chef of his ex-majesty Don Miguel. The guests also were numerous--clergy and laity, proprietors and farmers of vineyards in the Douro-neither nice in their persons nor habits, although most courteous and deferential in their manners, for they had come to sell their wines to our host, if they could persuade him to buy them. My friend had warned me to be prepared against certain nastinesses, so I had nerved my stomach to withstand them. I can only advise those who are unable so to do not to sit down to table with a

party of Douro farmers. These disagreements, notwithstanding, our morning ride somewhat prevented us from doing full justice to the profuse entertainment spread out before us. There were huge pieces of beef boiled to rags, a tureen of caldo, with leaves of cabbage floating in it, boiled chickens and boiled ham, a boiled turkey and boiled sausages of vast sizes, and redolent of potent garlic; then there were two roasted sucking-pigs, and two innocent kids, the former standing on their four legs, with pastry eyes, looking almost alive, and anxious to walk down the throats of the guests, whose mouths watered as they gazed enraptured on them, and complimented the chef on the triumph of his art. Besides

1

these, there were pastry and sweets, and fruit of all sorts crowded together on the table with the most perfect disregard to the usual routine of courses. My friend told me that he had in vain tried to impress upon the mind of his managing man his objections to such absurd profusion ; but old prejudices were not to be thus overcome, the honour and credit of the house would suffer if the system was discontinued, and annually the same style of feast was prepared for him, till at last he had abandoned all hopes of retrenchment in the culinary department.

I will not describe how the guests ladled the soup into their mouths, with the cabbage leaves, by means of their forks and knives; what quantities of boiled beef, of sucking-pig, and of kid they stowed away ; how they gobbled, and slobbered, and spat, and "Ye gentlemen

of England, who live at home at ease, Ah, little do ye think upon, &c.," sang my friend, as he escaped with me into the open air. "This I have to endure for the good of trade.”

It must be remembered that the guests were vine farmers; and although they would have been highly indignant if not considered gentlemen, and addressed with vossa senhoria, your lordship, they were not of the rank of fidalguia. I have, however, seen some fidalgos behave almost as disagreeably, although generally they are as polished as any of the higher classes of Europe. The middle class of Portuguese are my aversion-ignorant, unpolished, and uncouth-in personal appearance inferior to the others, irreligion and republicanism exist chiefly among them, and they are consequently the main cause of all the disturbances which have broken out in this unhappy country. From among them have struggled into power most of the ministers who have of late years ruled the destinies of Portugal; and no sooner have they secured themselves in place, than exhibiting all the vices and imbecility of their aristocratic predecessors, they have proved themselves still more venial, more grasping, and more tyrannical.

The very recollection of that dinner has put me out of temper with the gross feeding men who spoilt my appetite.

I spent several days with my friend at Regoa. Our mornings were fully employed in riding in every direction through the country round, to visit the farmer's wine stores, in order to taste the wine fresh from the tunnels where it is kept. In the afternoon he received the visits of the proprietors or their agents, who came, hat in hand, to sell their wines, and much time was occupied in bargaining about the price. My friend's custom appeared to be to fix a certain price, and on no account to depart from it; and it was amusing to witness the arguments the sellers made use of to induce him to alter his determination. Some, almost with

tears in their eyes, would entreat him to give them another milra a pipe; others would take his hand and endeavour to kiss it, and almost hug him in their eagerness to attain their object. In buying and selling matters the true character of individuals, and of a people, is developed; and it was amusing to witness the sturdy independence of the Englishman contrasted with the sycophantish manners of these Portuguese.

In our tasting rides or provas (proving the wines), as the term is, I had a good opportunity of seeing the country. Though I confess that I got accustomed to them, the execrable paths by which we were compelled to proceed in order to reach the points proposed somewhat detracted from the satisfaction I should have experienced. It is not pleasant to ride along in momentary expectation of toppling down on one's nose, or rolling over a precipice a few hundred feet in depth.

Our steeds, brought from Oporto, were here replaced by small mules, accustomed to climb the mountain heights; and every morning, after an early breakfast, mounted on these animals, we set forth on our expedition, accompanied by two or three lads on foot, each with a basket to carry away samples, and a silver saucer in which the wine was to be tasted and its colour observed. Up and down mountains we wound our devious way, over rough crags and water-worn slippery rocks, till we reached the store-house of some vineyard of known good quality. One of the foot-boys had run on to announce our approach, so that the owner or his steward stood ready at the open doors to receive us. The merchant and his attendants then pulled out their note-books, the name of the vineyard and other particulars were written down; the newlymade wine was then handed round in the silver saucers, each person noting his opinion thereof; and without any change of countenance, or allowing the owner to discover what was thought of it, exchanging polite bows, we proceeded onward to the next farm.

Sometimes a farmer would ask some of the party what was thought of his wine, when the answer invariably was, "The wine of the Douro is always good when properly made.”

"But will you buy mine, senhor?" persisted the farmer.

"That depends upon circumstances, meu amigo!' replied the merchant. "Good-day, good-day, my friend."

To my palate, even what I was informed was the best wine, tasted bitter, astringent, and almost sour, and was of a very dark hue, totally unlike what it becomes after being kept two or three years. To bring it to perfection it requires constant changing from pipe to pipe, with the addition of brandy. Some we were shown had a very sweet taste, and although far more agreeable to the palate, this flavour was produced, I

was informed, by the fermentation being stopped with admixture of brandy at an earlier period than the other, the saccharine qualities of the grape being thus retained, instead of being allowed to turn into spirit. This practice of stopping the fermentation has unfortunately of late years become very general in the Douro, and has much contributed to bring port wine into disrepute in England; for, of course, no sooner is the wine imbibed, than the brandy, which has held the fermentation in check, being absorbed, the process once more commences, to the great disarrangement of the human interior.

I will not weary you, kind reader, with the subject, although I became wearied enough myself, for it was the all-engrossing topic of everybody we met. Thus much I learned, not to allow my palate to be seduced with the soft luscious taste of rich dark-coloured port; but having due regard to my stomach to drink only such as is in every way free from sweetness, with the briskness and flavour of a fresh-picked grape. As the colour depends entirely on the quantity of pressure to which the skin (from whence it is extracted) is subjected, I care very little for it; but I believe the best wines have a bright ruby tint, without any yellow in it. From the very best wine, however, if kept long in cask, the colour gradually fades away; or rather, to speak more correctly, the colouring matter which, as I have said, came from the skin, sinks to the bottom, while the pure liquid floats at the top.

Regoa, from being the chief wine mart in the country, is a place of some importance, and is inhabited entirely by people connected in some way or other with the trade. The windows of my friend's house looked out upon the river, on the opposite side of which rose a succession of lofty and picturesquely-shaped hills, among which the ancient town of Lamego is situated. As one day I looked into a narrow street, leading down to the water, I had an opportunity of learning how soon a fat pig can be snatched from his stye, the slough wherein he cools his body in luxurious comfort and all the endearments of domestic life, to be turned into pork. I was attracted to the window by a loud shrieking, when I beheld a porker of magnificent proportions dragged into the middle of the street by a stalwart butcher. Two tressels were placed across the thoroughfare, completely blocking it up. The unhappy animal's existence was cut short, a fire was lighted underneath, his hide was completely singed, and in a few minutes he was ready for sale. In like manner, in less than half an hour, a dozen brothers in misfortune were disposed of, no one disputing the right of the butchers to make a slaughterhouse of the public street.

OWLS.

BY THE REV. J. G. WOOD, M.A., F.L.S.

HERE are worse pets to be found than owls. They are not so

engaging by

mentioned in this series of papers, but by proper management they can be made into very companionable birds, quaint, grotesque, and affectionate withal. I have had several owls of different species and been familiarly acquainted with the specimens belonging to friends, and have long had a liking for them.

The chief drawback to the owl as a pet is its nocturnal habits, which cause the bird to sleep during the day and to be awake' during the night. To a certain degree this custom may be corrected. The chief reason why the owl wakes at night is, that it preys upon mice and other nocturnal creatures, whether mammals or insects, and must in consequence be able to pounce upon them as they rove abroad.

Now, although at first to wake the owl will be found rather a tedious business, and to keep it awake still more difficult, a present of a mouse, or a small bird, or a large beetle, will generally rouse it, and cause it to remain awake for some little time.

To change the creature into a wholly diurnal bird is impossible, inasmuch as the entire bodily structure, as well as the temperament, is that of a nocturnal being. The eyes, for example, are formed for vision in a very dim light, being of very great size, and with pupils so large that the ordinary light of day is painful to the bird, and dazzles it so much that it cannot see sufficiently to direct its flight. Exceptional cases have occurred, in which owls have been seen abroad in the daytime, and been observed in the act of catching mice at mid-day, but such an event occurs very seldom.

Even when the bird is placed in a comparatively dark room, where the rays of the sun cannot beat upon it, the eyes are continually