Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-07-08
LETTER FROM LISBON.
Correspondence of the Alexandria GAzETfE)
u. S. TRAINING SHIP JAMESTOWN,
IIsRnN Pnrtupal Inne 1885,


50 exultingly their quaint national proverbs
QUEEN no ha vista Llaboa
No ha vista boa
IHc who has not seen Lisbon has NOS seen good
thing.l
Nor is the approach to tho great city whit
less picturesque than itself. In the gray
dimness OF early morning sudden break in
the shadowy hills that stretch in endless
file along the eastern sky makes the estua-
~ OF the Tagus River. AS you glide in the
growing light gradually reveals in all their
masnifcence the splendid details of the
great panorama The grim old fort of ST.
Julian scowling sulenly from its battered
embrasures at the new world around it, the
dainty little white hamlets that peep shyly
out at US, like beautiful children from en-
circlng masses Of foliage; the endless
ridges OF green, sloping hills that surge up,
wave beyond wave to east and north; the
huge black spire of Centre Rock, crowned
with the massive church and clustering
houses OF The strange old town which was the
scene of the famous treaty whereWlth wei.
lington thrust the French cut of Portugal anu
beside it, outlined against the dark hill ike
an ivory carving, the piIlared front ana
Quaint, pagoda like roof of Montlerrat Fat
ace. where William Beck ford, the renown-
ed author of "Fathek," and at one time lhe
weaIthiest man in Brion, Haunted before
the eyes of the wondering l4's5onlnns that
short lived aDlendor which was 10 end
in beggary, and ruin, and death.
Far in front, white and restless amid the
dark, still waste Of water, extends the
crashing line of breakers that marks The
IL, hor rb
il is, compared with the terrible Passage OF
Oporto,' is not TO he ventured upon in GER
tain states of the tide. A little beyond it is
n stately pile of delicate Moorish architec-
ture which looks down upon the river from
a low p,omontory on the left. This is Be-
lem Castle-a household word in the mouth
OF every Lsboniup, and memorable TO Eng
lishmen as the spot where one gusty after
noon seventy years ago vast crowd as
scmb!ed to watch the coming ashore OF a
swimmer who had fought his way over the
six miles Of rough water between the Castle
and Lisbon-a slim, black haired, bright
eyed young man, called by his Portuguese
| admirers 20 Gran Lor" the great lordj, but
better known to England and to the world
as George Gordon-Lord Byron. TO the
| right, upon the opposite bank of the Tagus,
| lies the huge white front Of the LaZaretto,
stuck like placard upon the broad, green
surface of the southern shore. Even with
all the details of the great local tragedy
| fresh in ones mind, it is no easy matter to
evoke from the quiet beauty of the scene, as
| it. is now, the Overwhelming horror of the
| past. One eau as soon picture TO ones sell
| The lnassy towns OF the kremlin melting
like wax in whirlpool Of tapping flames,
| or the smooth, sunny CTimean hillside leek-
ing with sulphurous smoke and heaped
with lied corises, az force into the del
icale and iairy-like ioveliness Of modern
| Lisbon the CHASTITY memories Of the great
| overlh brow of 1915. Do what you will you
cannot realize amid all this grace and peace
fulness aud beauty, that You stand on the
very spot where one bleak November morn,
| ing ,loug ago massive cathtdrals leaped bod
| ily from their foundations and whole streets
fell like houses Of cards, and large vessels
were dashed by one mountain wave FAR up
| in the woods, aud the vast stone quay It
self. with 40 900 people upon'it, was sucked
down into futhom!ess gulf, no sounding3
having ever vet according to tradition, fonnd
bottom in the spot where it went down.
This fact was communicated to me 10y a
gaun!, keen eyed New England skipper,
who supplemented il with an addition that
gave peculiarly picturesque intensity To
the horror Of the tale What's moro, Old
Virginny, | nEce took soundinGs in that mir
spot myself, and il tuck out all the line We
had, and then we couldn't do it, but when
we hauled M the lead war half melted and so
could pretty we'll guess whar it must have
BEEN" This story might fully travel with
a legend still current among the more de.
vout Lisbonians, ami relisiously believed by
not few Of them. In the crisis of the great
earthquake pious Portuguese lady, rushing
back to her house in the lower town (which
had been rudely shaken by the first shock
to rescue her only child, darted in the tot
tering building despite all efforts to restrain
her. Scarcely had she reached the child
when the second shock carried away the
stairs, leaving her up in the third story
without any way OF escape, and III what
might be termed q particularly bad hX."
IN her desperation the terrified mother i'm
plored the powerful aid Of her patron saint,
wisely adding TO her petition the vow of
silver candicstick in his honor, whereupon
a third shock promptly brought the missing
stair back again, and the deyout lady walk
ell out Of the house uninjnred to her own
considerable satisfaction and lasting glory
of the good Sail Miguel. With regard TO
This ns, rnctiye story can only say, as
| SkEVtiCal lrlSllM8n once S:llu aileT IeIiIlhS
miracle Of the same kind, And now yer
bonner, isn't that. woader(uI story sure ifits
thrue." Bat such gloomy associations accord
very i'll with the freshness and brightness and
beauty of these shady ooulevaras and spark
ling fountains, these broad while pavements
end huzzing market places, these smooth,
shining waters and dainty gardens, and
endless green ridges, each crowded with its
| own little cluster of white balconied villas
emhowered in dark, glossy foliage. Com
pared with the colossal gradeur of Rome, Of
the barbaric magniGcence OF Moscow, or
the glorious abundance of natural beauty
lavished upan Damascus the toy-like. trim
hess of the Portuguese Capital may appear
tame and pigny enough, tsoug h certainly
not sufficiently so, to justify it@ babltual
neglect by tho true believers who hold fat
by Mr.. Mu,rss Koran IN red binding and
whose ideas OF travel never range beyond
Scotland or The lakes Oh enc side and Rome
or Venice on the other.
The famous Black Horse Square lies be-
fore us, indeed. as spacious and imposing as