The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-12-18

American business man who seeks out
the Portuguese customer or who calls
on Portuguese bankers is almost GER
tain TO be surprised and delighted by
the frIendiness of his reception.
Portugal has been called "a garden
by the side of the sea, and one visitor
Of renown describes with enthusiasm
how its pines and palms grow side
by side. and the stern north and softer
south blend their gifts in lavish uxu-
rance beneath the healthy conjunction
of almost perpetual sunshine and moist
Atlantic breezes. Northern Portugal
is, however. unlike southern Portugal
in number of respects. The Celtic
character of its peasants IS very notice
able in their selfrespect. their indie
peudence and their righteousness. That
section Cf the country is cultivated like
a garden wherever possible, and the
peasants are practically the owners. as
well as the tiIlers Of the soil The
country is largely billy. with great for
ests OF pine trees stretching for miles
in every direction as far as the eye can
reach. but IN the valleys there are vine
wards and fields of corn and rye. The
famous port wine comes from a well
defined district about sixty miles in
land from Oporto, The Port. which
gives its name 10 the whole country.
Southern Portugal betrays fewer
traces of Teutonic and Celtic races. and
the land is mostly owned in large es-
tates. not by small cultivators. If one
enters Portugal by rail from Spain the
prospect from his ear windows is not
particularly attractive as he journeys
through arid looking sandy countries
diversified by occasional pleasant APP
pearing woods and billy ridges. but IN
the back. country grow - of orange.
lemon and almond trees abound. with
stretches Of cereal land and plantations
Of olives mingiing with the vineyards.
The most important wheat growing dis
trict Of Portugal lies to the southeast
! toward the Spanish border and may
! in fact be regarded a. an extension
across that border of the Badaioz
plateau of Spain. The brown velvet
like trunks of the cork trees are inter
estlng TO the stranger, who at first rubs
his eyes in amazement at seeing two
men taking hold Of opposite ends of
what seems to be a 3-foot log of wood
and toss il lightly many feet through
the air. 1t requires some reflection be
fore the fact is brought home to one
that the seeming log of wood is moth
ing more than section of bark strip
ped bodily from the cork tree.
The climate in Lisbon is extraordi-
narllv soft and mild. and far more eqna-
bic than that of the Mediterranean
Riviera. the average winter temperature
during December, January and Febru-
airy. being 81 Fair, considerably
warmer and with much less daily fuc-
tuation than Nice or Palermo. Snow is
practically unknown. and frost ex-
tremely rare. Rains are usually rapid
and torrential, and pass away at once.
Yet Lisbon in itself is not particu-
larry interesting place or desirable win
ter residence. The tourist who seeks
the latter viii find two or three popular
resorts only a few miles distant that
are maintained especially for winter
visitors. In fact. while the aspect Of
Lisbon from the steamer as it lies in
the River Tagus, providing the visitor
arrives from England in this fashion.
IS interesting and even beautiful vet
the city itself contains comparatively
little Of note or beauty. It is built ou
great amphirheater of hills rising tier
after Ter from the bank Of the river,
winch here widens ont into al extern
sive BAY The historic tower Of Be1em