Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-01-02

faSorlte evening resort of Lisbon people.
1t is dominated on the one hand by the
grand ruins of the Carmo, the monastery
of the Csrmelite monks, built in tho four
teenth century, and on the other by the
| CASTILLO or vast castle of st. George, from
whose mighty walls the most glorious view
of the city and environs can be enjoyed.
Father towards the mountain heights is
the lovely Passeiy Publico. This is the
| great resort of the better classes of the
city, summer and winter. IL is not large,
but il is enclosed and eIquisitely laid out
in serpentine walks, shaded with number
less trees, and possesses a wealth of stat
ues, fountains. flowers and birds. 1t il
sweet and songful place the year
through. The birds never leave it. AT
no hour of night or day Is 1t deserted BY
gay promenaders At 1t is here OF all
places in Portugal that her beautiful wo-
men can BE- seen at their best. Their
faces are less languorous and sensual
than those of Spsin. They may not have
the sauciness and fash of the French.
The melancholy of the italian women is
lacking. But they are still beautiful and
wholesome women, with sweetness of
mouth, hquidity Of eyes. and a kindly
and honest light in the whole sace. that
compensate in genuine admiration and re-
spect any loss on the line Of sensuAlly
sentimental interest.
Besides these there Is the interesting
Praca da Figueifa, or Flower Market, one
of the most attractive places in Lisbon;
the Campo Grande, over a mile in length. Z
just at the edge of the city, where the
riding and driving of the ATistocrAcy may
be seen; the Camp de Santa Anna, where
the noted Lisbon Rag fair is held weekly;
the Prsca de Sac Pedro d'A'cAniara. a
mAgnifcently shaded promenade, with q
shell groitO and fountains, overlooking The
city and harbor; and q score of lesser prA-
cas-, squares, gardens and parks, where
the wsyfarer msy larry, rect and enjoy.
Lisbon Is peopled by perhaps three hun
dred Thousand souls. None Of it's parks
can compare with Central Park, New
York, or Lincoln and jackson Parks, Chi
cago. But have never visited any city in
Europe, in which have found so greA;
number Of tiny resort-places. each differ
ent from any other, and every one SO in
teresting in its separate individuality,
beauty and charm.
Architecturally Lisbon in detail is vast
ly more interesting than beautiful AZ
you approach it from the SEA. with its
domes and towers, all fiAnked by cAstella-
ted heights aud purple mountains behind,
it Is imposing and grand. When you
come 70 wander within it you are never as
tonishei or even greatly impressed by lite
than those of amy other city of equal size
in europe. The Church of the Heart of
Jesus. on the summit of Estrella Hill. In
imitation of St. Peters at Rome, without
the colonDaie, is the most pretentious in
Lisbon. The church of Sac Domingo. the
see of the Cardinal Patriarch, near the
Rocio, is vast in proportions. The mortu-
ary church of Sac Vicente is interesting
chiefly from its containing, in curious gilt
hsav b., aF
of the royal House of Braganca The tiny
church of San Rogue, with Its famous
chapel of St. John, attracts all visitors on
account of its marvellous mosaics These,
forming the back and sides of the struc-
ture, are copies in veritable size of Raphael
Urbino's Descent of the Holy Ghost, Gui-
dos Annunciation and Michael Argelo's
Baptism of Christ. The wonderful per-
fection of this work is SHOWN in the fact
that from any ordinary point of observa-
ton no difference between them aud the |
originals can be detected. More curious |
still the entire chapel and its interior dec |
orstions were first set up in Rome, blessed |
by Pope Benedict XIV, taken down and |
transferred 10 its present site. Its cost
has been millions and there is probably |
not in the whole world such treasure in |
art work, silver, gold and precious stones |
in sacred edifce of equal dimensions.
Ine cUhrin extreme contrast ana 1
endless change which holds and makes one |
love old Lisbon. There are no two streets, |
pracas, churches, public buildings, shops |
or homes alike. Away from tine half d0z- |
en- modern business streets il is almost the |
same Lisbon that Columbus knew. Here |
is a shadowy shop of one story where gri- |
my men grops about among gritty piles of |
charcoal. The next building may be a |
three or five story structure housing the |
richest of wares, whose upper stories are |
fancifully decorated in gorgeous paints |
and gifts. |
Next to this on one side of a dark pass-
age Jolly cObblers beat ceassless staccatos,
a cutler grinds and hammers ON the other, |
and away in there a stream of light shows |
exquisite stairs leading to some enclosed |
conrt, where a home of opulence is embed !
ded in vines and roses. Everywhere are |
ponderous base and srch, huge column
and tremendous entablature, often sup
porting buildings whose insignifcance is
ludicrOusly startling.
In many OF the older public edifices the
architecture is Moorish or semi Moorish,
and the facades are often flanksd by square
towers and diminntive S.racenic domes.
The general plan of shop and abode in the
ancient portions of the city is the shop be-
low and the home above; or the lower sto-
~ is used as a sort of entrads to walled-in
home structures in the rear, or the habita-
ton above. In the latter case these entrs-
dss are temporary shops for itinerant cob
blers. cutters, saddlers and the like, OF
lounging places for beggars, donkeys and
goats. But however unsavory msy seem
the ground floor of, or the street entrance
to, any structure, the upper stories of the
same, or the pretty home nests behind, af
ford abundant compensation in pictur-
esque groupings and scenes.
Balconies are as universal as in Havana,
Valladolid, Madrid or Seville. Some pro-
ject rom supports of carved stone. 9th
ers rest with airy insecurity upon fanciful-
ly wrought timber, and still others may be
seen in the daintiest patterns into which
brass and iron may be wrought. Many
are lstticed; and in this lAttice-work are
odd little slides and gates. Behind these
the fair Portuguese women eat their dain-
ty salsds, of which they are inordinately
fond, and sip their wines and ices. And
from partislly-opened lattice as you pass
you will catch glances from lovely eyes,
and as often smiles aud cOQuettish looks
from roquish faces. The Lisbon mAidens
must be chAry of their looks upon friends
or strangers in the street; but social Gus
tom gives them the somewhat compensa-
tive and altogether blessed right to fiirt
desperately with you from the lofty and
safe outposts of their bslconied Alcobss.
AS one passes towards the outskirts of
Lisbon all of that suggestive of the home
is plesssnter still. There is q hint of
snugness in the high surrounding, vine
covered walls of yards and courts. Here
the open court of the SpAniArd and the
Moor becomes more common and more
beautiful. 1t shelters the home gatherings
and belongings of the average family. All
its members are more or less within IL, or
within reach of voice from it. Many love
ly flowers and clAmbering vines light up
the place in winter well as in summer
days. The murmurous fall of water Is al
ways heard. for no patio is without it's
fountain. And poor indeed Is the home
in old Lisbon that has not its walled gar
den with a wealth of flowers, plants, um-
brageous trees and quaint, tiled, ground
sunken troughs through which the water
is ceaselessly whimpering and whispering
for all the gardens are thus irrigated
while every court and garden is melodious
with the songs of scores of those match
less brown canaries which are weekly
brought, hundreds upon hundreds, from
the sunlit isles of the Azores
EDGAR L. WAKKMAN.