allowed to go a day's journey into the interior, that is, as far as they could go and come back again in twenty-four hours.

Having at length procured a boat, Mr. Fortune set off on his journey: I was, of course, travelling in the Chinese costume; my head was shaved, I had a splendid wig and tail, of which some Chinaman in former days had doubtless been extremely vain, and upon the whole I believe I made a pretty fair Chinaman, Although the Chinese countenance and eye differ considerably from those of a native of Europe, yet a traveller in the north has far greater chance of escaping detection than in the south of China, the features of the northern natives approaching more nearly to those of Europeans than they do in the south, and the difference amongst themselves also being greater.

In China the canal is the traveller's highway, and the boat is his carriage, and hence the absence of good roads and carriages in the country. The first night Mr. Fortune halted under the ramparts of a large town called Cading. During the night robbers boarded his boat, and after making away with both his English and Chinese clothes, cut the rope and set the boat adrift. Fortunately, the dollars were beneath his pillow, and he sent his servant in the morning into Cading to get a new dress.

The progress up the canal was highly interesting. The scenery was extremely striking. The canal, broad as a lake, bore on its waters hundreds of Chinese boats of all sizes under sail: pagodas here and there reared their heads above the woods and temples, which are scattered over the wide and extensive plain.

Passing another great town called Tatsong-tseu the canal divided. After this it expanded again into a lake, and then again contracted. Bridges were passed, villages and small towns lined the banks, and every thing denoted the approach to a city of some size and importance.

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It was a delightful summer's evening on the 23rd of June, when I proached this far-famed town. The moon was up, and with a fair, light breeze my little boat scudded swiftly, its mast and sails reflected in the clear water of the canal; the boats thickened as we went along, the houses became more crowded and larger, lanterns were moving in great numbers on the bridges and sides of the canal, and in a few minutes more we were safely moored, among some hundreds of other boats, under the walls of this celebrated city. Having taken all the precautions in our power against another nightly visitor, my servant, the boatmen, and myself were soon fast asleep.

With the first dawn of morning I was up, and dressed with very great care by my Chinese servant, whom I then despatched to find out the nursery gardens in the city, in order to procure the plants which I wanted. When he had obtained this information he returned, and we proceeded together into the city, in order to make my selections.

When I left the boat, I confess I felt rather nervous as to the trial I was about to make. Although I had passed very well as a Chinaman in the country districts, I knew that the inhabitants of large towns, and particularly those in a town like this, were more difficult to deceive. My old friends, or I should rather say my enemies, the dogs, who are as acute as any Chinaman, evidently did not disown me as a countryman, and this at once gave me confidence.

As I was crossing the bridge, which is built over the moat or canal on the outside of the city walls, numbers of the Chinese were loitering on it, leaning over its sides, and looking down upon the boats which were plying to and fro. I stopped, too, and looked down upon the gay and happy throng, with a feeling of secret triumph when I remembered that I was now in the most fashionable city of the celestial empire, where no Englishman, as far as I knew, had ever been before. None of the loiterers on the bridge appeared to pay the slightest attention to me, by which I concluded that I must be very much like one of

themselves. How surprised they would have been had it been whispered tó them that an Englishman was standing amongst them.

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From his further descriptions it would appear that Mr. Fortune entered the city by the east gate, and went along the side of the east wall. also notices the "west end" of the town as the richest and most aristocratic portion of the town, and that the gates are well guarded by soldiers. Still there is manifestly something deficient in this description. In the first place Mr. Fortune was not the first Englishman to visit the fashionable city of China. Lord Macartney passed through this beautiful city, and describes it as enclosed with high walls, which are about ten miles in circumference; the suburbs being four distinct towns, about ten miles in length and nearly the same in breath. Mr. R. M. Martin says, "The intelligent and adventurous Mr. Fortune, agent for the Horticultural Society, whom I had the pleasure to meet in the north of China, and to accompany to Ningpo, attempted to enter the city without success. suspect, however, that Mr. Martin is under a misapprehension here. Fortune evidently entered the town, but had apparently but little opportunity of exploring it, although he describes himself as remaining for several days in the city and neighbourhood.

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Mr. Fortune also visited the Tartar city of Chapoo, which was attacked and taken during the war. At that city he was obliged to apply to the mandarins to protect him from the crowd, which was inconvenient from its numbers, and not from any actual violence, and the consequence was, that he found on his return to Shanghae that a complaint had been lodged against him with the British Consul.

Having finished his business at Shanghae, Mr. Fortune sailed for Foochow-foo, on the river Min. The scenery of the river is described as striking and beautiful. Numerous temples and joss-houses, embosomed in groves of banyan-trees (Ficus Nitida) are built in the most picturesque situations.

Viewing the scenery as a whole (says Mr. Fortune), the beautiful river winding its way between mountains, its islands, its temples, its villages and fortresses I think, although not the richest, it is the most romantic and beattiful part of the country which has come under my observation.

The reception met with in the suburbs of the city was rude and insolent. The city within the walls is described as being from eight to nine miles in circumference. A large trade is carried on in copper and other metals. Foo-chow-foo appears to be the Birmingham of China, as Soochow is its Bath or Cheltenham, Banking is also carried on to a great extent, paper notes 'being a common medium of exchange, and the people having the most perfect confidence in them. The people are also a cleaner and more active race than in other towns, but they are very hostile to foreigners. Mr. Fortune, upon the whole, does not estimate highly the commercial advantages of this city of half a million of inhabitants. The Bohea teas exported from this place Mr. Fortune ascertained to be derived from the Thea viridis, like the "green" teas of the north.

It was on leaving Foo-chow-foo, in a native junk, that Mr. Fortune had his great fight with the pirates, in which his skill and intrepidity twice saved the vessel. This also was while labouring under the fever of the country. Having at length brought together the whole of his plants from the districts of Foo-chow-foo, Chusan, and Ningpo, at his favourite city of Shanghae, this intelligent and enterprising traveller got them packed, and on the 10th of October, 1845, sailed for Hong-Kong and England.

SEVEN revolutions in the course of ten years (such on the most moderate computation is the number Portugal has seen since Donna Maria ascended the throne of her ancestors,) shows either that the Portuguese are very fond of change, or that they are very dissatisfied with things as they exist, and that the successive experiments at improvement have proved failures. Portugal is like a fevered patient tumbling and tossing about in his bed in the attempt to seek relief from pain by a change of position, but with each movement finding it rather increased than alleviated. That such will be the result of the last insurrection no one acquainted with the country can for a moment doubt, but it is far more difficult to say under what form the government of the country will be carried on, or whether or not Portugal will continue to exist as an independent state. I am inclined to think that she will not.

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When the Roman empire fell to pieces, the civilised world, if it deserved the name, formed itself into that numerous collection of small states which continued amalgamating and combining gradually, till the present European system was at length constructed, the smaller kingdoms becoming merged in their more influential neighbours, unless they have, by the bravery of their children, and a peculiar geographical position, been able, like Switzerland, to maintain their independence, or unless, like Portugal, they have been protected, through the jealousy of one powerful country from becoming the prey of another.

The death wail of Poland has sounded in the ears of Europe, and she has ceased to be numbered among the nations of the earth. She fell at last a helpless victim into the grasping maws of the surrounding nations, yet her warmest admirers, the sternest haters of her tyrants must acknowledge, that she herself brought down her fate upon her head. Had she, on the contrary, been true to herself, had not intestine broils weakened her powers, she would even now have been one of the chief kingdoms of Europe, perhaps the mistress of those who trample on her ashes. Much in the same condition is Portugal at the present time as was Poland before her fall-though, fortunately for her nationality, her nearest neighbour is in as weak and disorganised a state as herself-she also possesses a convenient harbour on the shores of the Atlantic, a near market for manufactures, and a battle-field which England would regret to lose. Were it not for these qualifications, she would either fall under the dominion of France, or again become incorporated with Spain.

Through the crimes and folly of her leaders, through the ignorance of all classes, has Portugal been brought to her present condition. No one can pity her, there will be no one to mourn her fate when she ceases to exist, for not like Poland, has she had foreign foes to contend with-no patriot Kosciusko has arisen to vindicate her fame, nor when her name is mentioned in the page of history can she boast of a field of Warsaw, glorious though lost; but weakened and distracted by internal dissension, May.-VOL. LXXX. NO. CCCXVII,

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she will again fall into the insignificant condition of a province of Spain, from which she emerged in the glorious days of Alfonso Henriques.

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Many Portuguese wish for a union with Spain, and believe it will take place, as the only chance they have of gaining any political power in Europe. True, Spain is in scarcely a better condition than Portugal, but then she possesses greater vitality and energy-her internal resources are immeasurably superior. She is like a giant struggling in convulsions, who may yet overcome the malady and rise with unabated power. tugal is an emaciated being, with a ruined constitution too weak to revive. It is the policy of England to prevent Portugal becoming a province of Spain, but that we take the wisest means to effect our purpose may be doubted. It is also highly problematical that Portugal would benefit by the change; yet that such is the aim of no inconsiderable portion of the leaders of the last insurrection I am able with tolerable confidence to aver.

In a former paper* I gave a sketch of the various parties struggling for the mastery, and of the causes which produced the present deplorable state of affairs in that portion of the peninsula, summing them up in one wordmisrule. I will now detail, for the amusement of my readers, some of the more prominent events which have occurred during the insurrection. As far back as November, 1845, those who mixed in Portuguese society observed ominous threatenings of the coming storm. Many of the old fidalgo families, unwavering adherents of Dom Miguel, who had for some years past resided quietly on their estates without interfering in politics, began to reappear at their town residences, and to express their sentiments openly. Some contented themselves with merely abusing the obnoxious minister Costa Cabral, others spoke with disrespect of the queen, and many went as far as to talk of the necessity of her abdicating, and hinted that Dom Miguel must be restored to the throne. In truth, the despotic and unconstitutional conduct of the minister had created for the queen so many enemies, that even those noble families, who had hitherto been the staunchest supporters of her throne, no longer hesitated to speak of her in terms of the severest censure, for becoming the blind tool of her designing minister. He had, indeed, wofully disappointed the hopes of those who expected to find in him the regenerator of his country. Professing to be a reformer, he was the creator of as many abuses as he abolished, and when he came to levy the taxes absolutely necessary for carrying out the proposed improvements, the whole country was easily roused to arms against him.

The chief of these were, I believe, an inquest, a poll, and a land-tax. These taxes were not in reality more than the people could pay, but they were not equally distributed nor fairly collected, but fell chiefly on the agricultural classes, who had not the cunning to devise means to avoid their payment. These classes would not, however, have taken up arms, had they not been worked upon by others who had their own objects to serve; and, unfortunately, Cabral had so completely exposed himself to censure, that even those who considered that, notwithstanding his failings, he was one of the few men calculated to govern the country, had very little to say in his favour.

The taxes I have mentioned were absolutely necessary for the im

* See "Modern Portugal," in the New Monthly for March.

provement of the country, and a popular and honest minister might have levied them with impunity; but when he was seen growing rapidly wealthy, the people naturally suspected that the money they paid was not applied to its legitimate purposes. The poll-tax, for instance, which has existed for three years, was a very just one. It levied a crusado, or

2s. a-year, on every man capable of work, or required his labour for three days on the public roads in the course of construction. In the interior of the country, however, no roads had as yet been laid out, and the peasantry were thus compelled to go an immense distance to reach those already commenced, or to pay the money, naturally complaining that they could derive no benefit from those roads which did not approach their lands. From the first this has been a fruitful source of dispute, and many serious disturbances have taken place when troops have been sent to assist the tax-gatherers. The inquest-tax was instituted more to serve as a check upon murder than as a source of revenue, for, in the course of a whole year, it realised but a few hundred pounds-yet was it ostensibly the cause of the commencement of the insurrection at Braga. The husband of a certain dame, Maria by name, died. From her occupation of a water-carrier, or because she lived over a fountain, she was commonly called "Maria da Fonte," Mary of the Fountain. She was a stout, double-fisted woman, and moreover of a determined spirit, and she vowed to all her acquaintance that nothing should compel her to pay the fee to the coroner. They applauded her resolution, and promised to support her. Probably some of the enemies of the minister had found in her a fit agent to forward their ends. When, therefore, the coroner came, and after examining into the cause of the husband's death, asked for his fee, Maria da Fonte refused to pay it. On his insisting in his demand, she drove him into the street, where he was killed by the populace, who, headed by the Amazon, repelled the military sent to quell the riot.

The peasantry throughout the country imitated this woman's example, who at once became a heroine, the rebels generally calling themselves the soldiers of Maria da Fonte. An additional reason for the new taxes becoming obnoxious was, that the peasantry being unable to read the papers sent round to them, they were compelled to pay a public notary for explaining to them their meaning. When, also, the lands were measured preparatory to making roads, and for other purposes, the ignorant people were persuaded by the Miguelite fidalgos and priests, as well as by the republican demagogues (both made use of similar means), that Cabral had ordered the operation to be performed as a preliminary to selling the country to England.

Wherever the tax-gatherers appeared, they were insulted and knocked down; and in most of the smaller towns of the Minho and Beira, their papers were taken from them and burnt in the market-places amid the shouts and execrations of the people. Although the government were well aware of these proceedings, the queen was kept in total ignorance of them, while the same policy which had originated the dissatisfaction was still continued. All this time the Republicans and Miguelites were busily at work fomenting the ill-feeling of the people against the Cabralistas. A few of the officers of the army were won over by the revolutionists, but generally the troops remained faithful to their oaths. The people of Lisbon also, if dissatisfied with the government, were kept in check by the military, but in Oporto, various plots were concocted with very little attempt at concealment. By order of the government,