The free citizen. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-10-16
Dull Life in Portugal.

y writer on Portugal life says: The
larger of the country towns have streets
full Of gcntlemcn's houses, and here veg
ctatc from year to year families who are
just rich enough to live without working.
To live, indeed, as the Portuguese do in
such towns need cost but little. A large
house, with Il plot of cabbagcs, a kaic
yard behind it; with whitcwashed walls,
floors unexpected, Il dozen wooden chairs,
one or two deal tables; no fireplace, not
even :. stove, either in Sitting or bedroom.
no curtains TO the windows, no covers To
the tables, no pictures on The walls. no
mirrors; no tables pleasantly strewn with
books, magazines, newspapers, and ladies'
work; no such thing visible as Il pot of
cut flowers; no rare china. no clocks. no
bronzcs-nonc Of the hundred trines and
curioSitics with which in our houses we
SHOW our taste or want of it, but which
either way give such an individual char
actcr and charm to English homes. All
these negatives describe the utterly
drcary habitations Of the middlc-claSs
Portuguese. Foroccupations the women
do nccdlcwork, gossip, 90 to mass daily,
and look out Of window by the hour.
Except the one short walk to church at
eight O'Clock in the morning, a Portu-
guesc lady hardly ever appears in the
streets. Asto the men, they lounge about
among the shops, they smoke innumera.
bic paper cigarettes, they take a ''sesta"
in the heat of the day. If there is any
sunshine they stand in groups at the
street corners, with umbrellas over their
heads; in.winter they wear Il shawl over
their shoulders, folded and put on three
cornrrwisc, as Il French or English wo-
mans shawl is worn-ior this is fashion
in Portugal, and the Spanards laugh a
good deal at their neghhors on the score
of their being Il nation who invcrt the
due order Of things. In these towns
there is never any news, and if two men
are seen in eager discussion of some mat
ter of apparently immense Importance,
and if one happens to be near enough to
overhear the subject of conversation, he
sure that one Of them is plunged in de-
spair or killing with enthusiasm mt Il rise
or fall Of a halt-pcnny in the price of a
pound Of tobacco There are not even
fashions for them to think about; young
mcn and old men dress alike, but the
younger men wear exceedingly tight
boots, and when they take their walks
abroad il is Obvious that they do SO in
considerable discomfort. The young men
however, have one occupation more i'm
portant even than wearing tight boots
that of making the very miIdcst form of
love known among them. The process,
indeed, is carried ON in 50 pli,tonca man
ncr and with so much proper feeling that
| doubt if even the strctcst English
gevcrnrss would find anything to object
TO-. The young gentlemen pay their ad
dresses by simply standing in front of the
houses occupied by the objects of their
affections, while the young persons in
question look down approvingly from the
upper windows, and there the matter
ends.
AFRICAN EXPLORATIONS compa-
ny has been formed in Berlin which pro-
poses to found at Choa, the most south
crn province of Abyssinia, Il permanent
settlement, in order to send out scientific
expeditions into the uncxplorcd portion
OF Africa, and to develop the commerce
of, the country. The objects of the com
pany are, however, supposed to be more
commercial than scientific.
Only nine persons out Of hundred
are insane from hereditary causes. The
Jlm.jams finstancc, are more rcad-hcnd-
ltary than hereditary
Moody and Sankey will proon IN