Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-01-31
THE "ENGLISH PALM"
4 Popular Saying That Explains
PorfuRara DisIike of England.

4 Popular Saying That Explains
PortugaTs Dislike of England.
There are one or two things about
the Portuguese and their history" said
q former resident of Lisbon the other
day. (which. il seems. ought to have q
good deal OF bearing in the present
state Of the relations between Great
Britain and Portugal. but which nei-
,her Americans nor Englishmen who
Lave never lived In Portugal are likely
to count upon
''The feelings of the Portuguese peo-
pie about England are peculiar. In
point Of plain fact the Portuguese rs
people hate England more than they
hate any other country except Spain.
and yet there has never in the whole
course OF European history been a war
between Portugal and England The
animosity. paradox as it may seem. all
grows out Of alliances. Ii Is said that
the first treaty of amity and alliance
between the two countries was made
In the reign OF Edward Ill. the father
of the Black Prince. and John Of
Gaunt- That was more than 500 years
ago. John Of Gaunt's second wife was
a Spanish princess. and his daughter
by her was the wife of John I. king of
Portugal. and mother of Prince Henry.
the first European explorer Of the At
lantic.
$50 much is only what may be read
In any history. How the feeling about
the English grew up in Portugal is a
matter of tradition. and the tradition Is
exclusively Portuguese because the
English have never troubled themselves
about the matter. The Portuguese say
that from the end of the fourteenth
century English merchants began set
tling AT Lisbon. and that they were
much too shrewd In business to be pop
ular with the natives Anyhow there
is Portuguese colloquialism In use to
this day by which a man who does an
other In a business transaction Is said
to give him the English palm That
phrase is supposed 10 allude to some
little trick of the English cloth mer-
chants In the days when cloth used to
be measured By the breadth OF the
palm Of the hand.
''Whaiever the origin of the express
sion may have been. II has been freely
applied by the Portuguese In connec.
ton with several International bar
gains in which. according TO them. the
English got the better Of them One
such was the bargain by which Bonn
bay passed into the possession Of the
British crown as part Of The dowry Of
poor Catherine Of Braganza. who mar
ried Charles ii. But the soresf men,
ory In tile history OF the relations be
tween the two countries Is the coDyen-
ton Of Cinira. by which. they say.
England. after using Portugal as a con-
yenieni cockpit for the war against
Napoleon and numbers Of Portuguese
as food for French powder. gave them
another English palm
-Of course IL is difficult historical
question bow far these complaints may
be well founded. But Il certainly is
strange TO he In Lisbon when the cor
tes Is debating over some point Of the
national relations with Great Britain
and TO hear and see the popular anti
British demonstrations In the streets.
while in tie two chambers the debat-
ers. whatever their private feelings
may be. follow the fashion which has
prevailed In all Portuguese state and
Official uiterances for ages and speak
Of England as 'nossa fiel allada' cour
faithful ally'l. Dom Luis. the father
Of the present king. sent q message to
tine cor1es one day all about 'nossa fiel
eliada.' and the nexr day the shop win
dows all over Lisbon were adorned
with copies Of a new patriotic song en-
titled 'Delenda est Albion cAlbiou
Must Be Wiped Ouri."-New York
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