timentalism to sarcasm, from science and scholarship, lown to nonsense, and even slang. Padre Manoel would not unfrequently commit to scrolls of paper whatever fancies might be floating on his mind at the time. Such scrolls, in prose and verse, Latin and Portuguese, were invariably thrown by the reverend author into a large oaken chest, along with the letters he received and other documents of similar import. He wrote, and the mores the pity without the most remote view to publication; and it requires no great power of discrimination to assert that Padre Manoel 's writings, are very far from being equal to his conversation. It may be that bis action and utterance added much to the charms of the latter but, be that as it may, the oaken chest with its miscellaneons contents is now in our possession; and we beg our readers will believe that the chest is a real chest, con taining real Mss. We do not say, we do not think, that they are of much importance as to the matter or form: but they are, at least, real. Our humble task will be merely that of the translator. Should incredulous readers question the existence of the chest and the ecclesiastical authorship of the contenu, we beg they will, if possible, give themselves the trouble of calling at our office where we shall be most happy to give them ocular demonstration which will place the matter beyond the possibility of a doubt.

The following sort of essay, translated as literally as possible, from the original Portuguese, we

select as the first specimen, for no other reason than from its being written in a more legible hand, and thus affording an easier task to ourselves. It is

intention, in some future article, to speak at greater length both of the chest, and the friar; meanwhile we will allow the latter to speak of the

We have travelled in the old world and the new; we have seen many races of men and beasts,

Some superior, others inferior, to those at home. We will not now establish a parallel; parallel but this we

16

will say, nowhere have we beheld a race of hogs egual to those of our own sweet Minho.

1

Provincially, and as an individual, we are particularly partial to pigs; we cherish them with a disinterested love, independent of bacon and ham; even the pleasure of patronage enters but for little into the affection. The hogs, on the other hand make a sympathetic return for the kindly feeling. Forgetting the difference which the caprice of ṇature, and the prejudices of society have established between us, we live here, biped and quadruped, on terms of the most edifying amity, and the relations of mutual utility which bind us to each other, blend, imperceptiby into relations of mutual love. The pig, though he see the wind, sees no hair hung knife to prevent him from enjoying the sweets of

society and the green things of the earth: and we too seem unconscious of future treachery and sausages, in the purity of our present feelings."

Morally and physically the Minho pig is a noble animal; he has that open, healthy appearance which proclaims that he is at peace with himself and with the world. Though not a pig of lead, he feels his own weight in society, but he is meek withal, and more docile than those of his class generally are. His shoulders are not so broad, his limbs are not so strongly knit as those of his kins men in other parts of the country, or in other countries: he is not so bristly and brawny; yet he has a presence of more dignity and strength, and shows a higher degree of culture and good breeding. His facial angle is not so open as that of the English and French but from this circumstance, we must not hastily infer that he is inferior in intelligence. The apparent superiority of the foreigners in this respect proceeds solely from the greater protubePance of the frontal sinus, a physiological accident which is more frequently the sign of vulgar originality than of mental preeminence. His dark eye is small but expressive, his ears rather long but by no means ungraceful, and his nose, with its nice lexibility of nostril, indicates much delicacy of feeling. In habits of cleanliness, he may here, more boldly than elsewhere, challenge a parallel with other animals.

Like the English, he is at first rather shy of society; but let a proper understanding be once

effected, and he becomes the most sociable of beings. A gentleman from Lisbon once told us that she con sidered the frequent occurrence of certain euphor nions sounds which distinguishes our pronunciations from that of the metropolis, and of which the pigi seems remarkably fond, to be more than any other medium calculated to bring about such an understanding. We shall soon bave occasion to be convin ced that his social refinementlarises from a more respectable cause. we dried 150g s }} ફાં

6

jol Our protégé belongs of course to the Epicu+ rean school of philosophy, pratically at least, if not by principle Epicuri de grege porcus, as Horace says; but there is a dash of melancholy in his composition which distinguishes him from the rest of the hend for if, according to some acute physiologists, the four temperaments chè typified by the four old clements, the omelancholic whose attribute is earth, and whose character is digging and exploring to the bottom, incontestably belongs to him. Besides, you sometimes behold in him a something which | tells. that his being craves for more than the mere pleas sures of eating, drinking and sleeping. His favourited color too, the only one in fact he ever appears vinbois black, all black. The priests and ladies were formerly habited in the same severe hue; hut now the former are to be seen bedight in brown, gray, green, and drab, (*) while the latter flounce

(*) Padre Manoel w will be happy to learn that tunié is again strictly eanonical and black

20

the clerical cos

245 25217000 Ig

about in all the fancy colors of french finery, The hog lovese local tints and sticks to the fashion of his ancestors,ast more moral and picturesque. Asmán artists we are of the same way of thinking, and much regret that all national costume should disappear un-t der the chamelion-tiusel of the Belle assemblée.

19 You may occasionally meet a pig in a brindled garb or in white: but a streak of white is abend sinisters across the field of his arms, and makes him lose caste. The poor pariah skulks about in: blin alleys and no thoroughfares, taxing providence for aoliving, and not unfrequently obliged to distrain.

a

Independtly of his .color, he were easily recognized from his never attaining the dimensions of the legitimate black pig. These dimensions must be seen to be believed. Our hogs stand on an average three feet six, and weigh from eight to ten hundred weight. Some Patagonian looking fellows we have seen that weighed eleven hundred weight odd, the head, a true hogsheat, being upwards of three stone. About Amaranteɗand Penafiel, they sometimes fetch the high price of eight or nine moidores, the va lue being estimated by the supposed weight of dard which the animal walks under. Something less than five shillingslasimosuch a case the reputed worth of a pound of dards and some fine individuals carry it to the amount of more than forty pounds. oven 990 In large cities from the combined influence of a less copious diet and more irregular habits, the proportions are considerably less; and if as Mr. Gui