Letters from Portugal, Spain, & France during the Campaigns of 1812, 1813, & 1814

Preface

. V that of unbiassed veracity, as the Author has scrupulously abstained from record ing any thing that did not immediately come within the sphere of his own ob servation, or upon the truth of which his own experience had not taught him to rely. Throughout the Letters, the Au thor, from very obvious reasons, has studiously avoided giving any informa tion, or expressing any opinion, upon military affairs, any farther than was necessary to give a general idea of events which it was desirable to notice slightly. In conclusion, the Author feels it to be due to his own character to state, that the speculations and prospective VI

PREFACE.

. observations, which from time to time he has been disposed to indulge in, relative to the ultimate consequences of our successes in Spain, and the occupation of Paris by the Allied Armies, were written, it is well known, at a period long prior to the melancholy events which have since actually occurred. LETTERS FKOM PORTUGAL, SPAIN, & FRANCE, WRITTEN DURING THE CAMPAIGNS OP 1812, 1813, &1814, ADDRESSED 70 A FRIEND IN ENGLAND; DESCRIBING THE LEADING FEATURES OF THE PROVINCES PASSED THROUGH, AND THE STATE OF SOCIETY, MANNERS, HABITS &C. OF THE PEOPLE. BY S. P. BROUCHTOK, LONDON: .hi med ran io. g_un, huest, i;ee% OR»I_, 4>D . rows, PATERNOSTER ROW. JSlft, E. Blackader, Printer, Toek's Court, Chancery Lane, London*

PREFACE.

. The following Letters were written originally at the request of a domestic circle of friends. The Author is aware that they possess very slender claims only to literary merit, and anticipates many objections that may be raised on the score of presumption, against his of fering them to the Public, which would probaB!y have greatly swayed with him in entirely suppressing them, if the lively interest recently taken in every thing relating to the countries through which

PREFACE.

. IV he passed, joined to the wishes, and perhaps partial commendation, of his friends, had not induced him to adopt an opposite resolution. During the progress of a long march, commenced at Lisbon, and ter minated at Boulogne, comprehending a tract of between fifteen hundred and two thousand miles, the Author made it his undeviating practice to note down faithfully, at the close of each day, every circumstance which appeared to him worthy of remark, and it was from these sources that he has been enabled to collect materials sufficient for the fol lowing series of Letters to his Frieas. Whatever may be its merits in other respects, it is at least entitled to

Letter I

Arrival at Lisbon — Principal Places of Resort — First View of the Town and Neighbourhood — Billetting. Bellem, November, 1812. As soon as I had recovered from the fatigues of a very boisterous voyage, and surmounted the various difficulties attendant upon a first arrival in a strange country, and among people of habits and language so very different from those of our own, I recollected our mutual promise to correspond, and accordingly began a regular journal of events. I commence my undertaking with the first opportunity that has occurred since our disembarkation, hoping to have closed it £ Portugal; many hundred leagues hence; but, after the disappointments which have happened at Burgos, I much fear that for a long time I shall be under the necessity of confining my remarks to Portugal alone.

It is however to be wished, and probably to be expected, that the re-opening of the en suing campaign will be more successful than the termination of the last, as our government must now feel convinced of the ne cessity of the greatest exertion, or of re linquishing the contest altogether. In the mean while as we shall no doubt move to wards head-quarters by slow degrees, I probably shall have many opportunities of becoming acquainted with the principal features of the country which we shall have to traverse. Under the existing circumstances of the kingdom this is the most agreeable season of the year at Lisbon, when the breaking-up of the army and its getting into winter quarters cause the town to be more frequented than during the spring or summer. PORTUGAL. It is accordingly now excessively crowded, not only with officers, but also with visitors, merchants, tradespeople &c. of all ranks and descriptions.

Large meetings for so ciety and amusement are held at Sir Charles Stewart's (the ambassador's), where a very handsome suite of rooms is open every al ternate Monday, for dancing and cards, in addition to the occasional dinner-parties and more select evening assemblies; while the theatres, hotels, and gambling-houses are all open and much resorted to. The consul, Mr. Jeffery, also gives very splendid balls and dinners, and some of the principal merchants follow his example; but the Port-admiral (Martin) does not entertain so much company as his predecessor, Admiral Berkeley. Water-parties up the Tagus and a few pleasant rides complete the principal sources of amusement. Upon all these I shall perhaps have occasion to remark in a subsequent letter, when 1 have had more time to pay attention to matters of this description. e PORTUGAL.

Lisbon is so well known that any minute description of it will be unnecessary ; I cannot however refrain from endeavouring to give you an idea of the town and the adjacent country as they appear on entering the harbour, though it is difficult to do justice to the subject. On arriving, a short time before sun-set, in the broad mouth of the Tagus, the sudden contrast we experienced was extremely striking. We had quitted England in the worst autumnal weather, encountering the severest equi noctial gales, and suddenly we found our selves transported to a mild and genial cli mate, very similar to that which we experience during the finest summer months in England. The sea was perfectly calm and the sky without a cloud, while the sun set ting below the tops of the mountains cast a quiet shade upon their rocky surfaces, giving a delightful softness to the prospect, which, under a meridian sun, produces a sharpness of effect somewhat oppressive to an eye unaccustomed to southern latitudes.

Upon our right rose the lofty and sombre hills of the Alentejo, and on our left the PORTUGAL. 5 magnificent rock of Lisbon, towering at different points to an immense height, and stretching over a vast extent of country. Groves of olive and orange-trees inter spersed upon its sides, contrasted with the grey granite of the rock, produced a beautiful effect. A few convents are built in these gloomy regions, and various religious houses crown even the loftiest summits of the mountains. As we passed up the river, Cascaes, the Bugio Fort, Fort St. Julian, and Bellem with its castle projecting out towards the river upon the sands, Buenos Ayres, and Lis bon successively came in sight; the three latter exhibiting the appearance of one con tinued town which viewed at a distance from the extreme clearness of the atmos phere and the whiteness ofthe houses, pro duced altogether a splendor and brilliancy that was far from being realized on a nearer inspection ; and the harbour, which is very spacious and convenient, being at this time crowded with ships, added much to the liveliness of the scene.

Although I felt PORTUGAL. very desirous to quit the ship, and once more get a footing upon terra firma, yet recollecting that no foreign country affords that certainty of a comfortable reception to strangers which is so uniformly to be met with in an English inn, I thought it pru dent to remain where I was for the night. The difficulties which I encountered the following day fully convinced me of the propriety of my resolution. Hotels in all the three towns are to be met with, and by giving due notice a bad dinner, ata most extravagant price, maybe procured ; but at this time when the army was breaking up and reinforcements daily arriving from England, a bed was not easily to be found. When I had cleared my baggage from the ship I had to encounter various per plexing difficulties in procuring a billet, which, after two fatiguing days spent in running about the town (before all par ties concerned wTere accommodated) I at length effected, and obtained admission PORTUGAL. 7 into an untenanted house (unless the rats, mice, and smaller race of vermin with which it swarmed can be regarded as inha bitants) possessing no other furniture than a few old chairs and tables, which however comprise all the domestic utensils absolute ly indispensible to an officer's billet, when prepared for a campaign ; his own bedding and canteen (which always accompany him) supplying every other deficiency.

I shall now close this letter in the ex pectation of being shortly able to give you some account of the principal objects worthy of attention in this city. PORTUGAL.

Letter II

Preparations for a Campaign — General Description of Lisbon, Buenos Ayres, Bellem. Bellem, November, 1812. IN o sooner are we comfortably settled in our billets than we must turn our atten tion to provisions for a march, a circumstance which, from the instant of our setting foot upon dry land to the moment of our ad vance, should always have been considered as hanging over our heads " in terrorem." Accordingly I lost no time in going to the mule market, constantly held near the Roscio in Lisbon upon appointed days, un less any great saint's day or other church festival interfere. The demand being very PORTUGAL. great, and the venders monopolizing all the mules in the country for this market, cause the prices asked to be proportionably high: but as mules contribute so much to the comfort of officers while marching through desolated countries, it is advise able to procure as many as you can per suade the commissary to feed.

I have found these animals since my arrival pecu liarly useful for riding, and probably shall in future become more sensible of their value in this point of view, as well as for the conveyance ofbaggage. They are gene rally very well broken in, quiet and docile, while their hardiness and sureness of foot render them better adapted than English horses for rough and common work. I have rode through the town upon one of them, and from the nature of most of the streets have reason to feel grateful to him for the preservation of my neck. This excursion every where strongly reminded me of Sterne's exclamation on en tering Paris : — " The streets, however, are PORTUGAL. nasty— but I suppose it looks better than it smells." From the quantity and heterogeneous quality of the filth which is thrown from every window into the streets, without far ther ceremony than sometimes a warning (which by law ought to be repeated thrice) of " agua vai," meant to caution the pas sengers that water is coming, you would naturally suppose that the people of Lis bon cannot be healthy in so hot a climate, constantly inhaling effluvia, the sources of which even the multitude of dogs (amount ing, by a computation formerly made, to 80,000) that enter the town in the night is not sufficient to consume ; and I assure you your supposition would be well founded, for the people in general appear very pallid and emaciated, arising, no doubt, from the above causes and their uncleanly mode of living.

The prevailing nuisance of throwing every species of filth into the streets is PORTUGAL. 11 peculiarly striking to every one acquainted with the town as a most unpardonable negligence on the part of the police ; a negligence the more extraordinary from Lisbon possessing so extensive and intimate an intercourse with England, and so many of the other European powers. When Junot occupied Lisbon, I understand he took the law into his own hands, ordered the streets to be cleansed, the filth to be conveyed to appointed reservoirs constructed for carrying it off into proper channels, and the hungry race of dogs—" their occupation gone" — to be destroyed. This gave equal offence to all parties concerned, and the abolition of the custom appears to have shocked public feeling as much as the existence of such a nuisance would in a town of our country.

When the British power was resumed, this, among others of their good old customs and privileges, was restored. It is to be hoped, however, that time may effect improvements in the in ternal regulation of this great city, which policy alone, I conceive, has induced the British government to avoid attempting PORTUGAL. hitherto, and that when the work of re formation does begin it will be extended to other objects ; for I suspect that the fullest account which has been given of the worst parts, and the most abandoned inhabitants of St. Giles's or the Borough, cannot exceed, perhaps not equal the de pravity and squalid wretchedness prevailing in most parts of Lisbon. But to turn to subjects of a different and more pleasing nature, I shall now proceed to give you a general description of the city itself.

Ascending a very steep hill at the eastern end of the town you arrive at the castle, commanding a very fine and extensive prospect ; but which, from its ruinous and imperfect state, has no other attraction. It was formerly a barrack, but is now a depot for prisoners. The houses ofthe Portuguese noblesse and rich merchants have an air of grandeur and splendor. But most of those form ing the streets are in a very bad state of repair, though from their loftiness, bal- PORTUGAL. conies, and whitened walls, they present an imposing appearance upon a cursory and general view. The streets are now better lighted than those of most Eng lish towns ; though in former days they wanted this advantage, no lights being perceptible except some few faint glimmer ingswhich superstition placed before statues of the Virgin Mary.

It is consequently not so dangerous as formerly to walk through Lisbon at night, when robbers infesting the streets under the protection of darkness, and the contents of various vessels from the windows, united with the hungry dogs awaiting their fall, conspired to assail you with no trifling alarms. It is true the lamps are rather scantily dis tributed, but they are larger in size, and supplied with better oil than ours. Very few streets have any path-way raised upon their sides, which makes it disagreeable to foot-passengers. The two finest squares' are the Roscio, and the Praca de Commercio. The former is more spacious, and less regular and handsome. The halls, offices &c. of the Inquisition formerly occupied a part PORTUGAL. of this square. The other square consists of lofty houses regularly and handsomely constructed, with piazzas to walk under, which take up three of the sides, the fourth being open to the river.

In the centre stands a very fine equestrian statue, in bronze, of one of the Josephs of Portugal. Two hand some streets also furnished with piazzas, called Gold and Silver-street, connect the two squares, and form what may be called the Bond-street of Lisbon. There are also some public gardens (somewhat resembling those of Lincoln's-Inn) near the Roscio, in which the fashionables of the town occa sionally walk. The arsenal is a tolerable building, but small and insignificant when compared with any structure of that nature in England. Horses are disembarked at this place, but (owing to the confined dimensions ofthe pier) only one ship at a time can be brought along side. The churches particularly attract the eye of a stranger from their majestic size, and, in some instances from their elegance.

The church dedicated to St. Paul in Buenos PORTUGAL. Ayres stands first in magnitude and beauty: it is composed of a kind of free-stone, which preserves its whiteness. The exterior is beautifully finished with carvings of scriptural histories, fret-work &c. It stands in a spacious open place railed round ; and adjacent to it, and formerly connected with it, is a very magnificent convent now em ployed for hospital stores, and the offices &c. ofthe medical staff. The bridge which connects Lisbon with Bellem is a strong and handsome work, and is famous for a severe struggle when the French were driven away from the city. Bellem is a cleaner and plea santer town to reside in than Lisbon. From the extremity of one to that ofthe other in cludes a distance of about five or six miles. The prospect from the upper part of this town facing the entrance to the harbour is very fine, and from the neighbouring heights a cool and refreshing air is enjoyed.

Bellem has always been the residence of the court. The Prince Regent has an old palace here in bad repair and dismantled of its furniture. The gardens are in some what better condition, and laid out in the PORTUGAL. 16 same formal style which we see represented in the old prints ofthe gardens ofthe last century. They contain abundance of delightful orange-trees, at this season of the year creating the most fragrant scent, and loaded with fruit, with which those who visit the gardens are allowed to regale themselves. A botanic garden is attached to it, though not kept in the highest order. There is also a less pleasing though more curious novelty here in the form of an ana tomical collection, where dry and wet preparations exhibit specimens of nature in most of her stages, together with numerous instances of lusus naturae.

Adjacent to the palace is a spacious and elegant riding school, where the royal stud is exercised and horses are broken in. The manner in which the Portuguese break in their horses is somewhat curious, and has afforded me much amusement. These people appear to differ very deci dedly from Englishmen in the ideas they entertain of the use which an horse should toake of his legs. Weights are fixed to the TORTUGAL. animal's feet, which, in order to avoid en tangling with his legs, renders it necessary for him to twist them in a very peculiar mode; and, when he has acquired the habit of going in this manner, with a sort of up and-down motion having the appearance of moving with rapidity without any of the reality (very well calculated for the duties of parade), he is dismissed the school. The horses have their mouths rendered ex ceedingly tender, so as to require the light est hand in exercising them to this singu lar kind of amble.

Upon the summit of the hill the Regent has a new palace in an unfinished state. It is built of a kind of white free-stone, or soft granite, and when completed will be one of the most magnificent buildings in Europe. But much is yet to be done, and very little I believe is in the royal coffers towards its completion. The ground and gardens surrounding the palace will be, when finished, very fine ; but the park stands at a distance, and some little way from the town. It is wTell walled round c PORTUGAL. and wooded, and forms a delightful ride. Instead of being supplied with deer it is stocked with pigs of a small black kind living chiefly upon sweet acorns, which gives their flesh a tenderness and delicacy of flavour unknown in our pork. I confess I should feel considerable alarm for their flavour if they should chance to make their escape from the park, and effect any altera tion in their diet from the temptations they would encounter without the walls. ■ The next object which excites attention is the convent of Saint Jeronimo, and the church attached to it.

These are very fine specimens of the gothic architecture. They are beautifully ornamented with carved work upon their porticos, arches &c. A few friars inhabit the former building, though the major part of it is assigned to the sick and wounded soldiers. Upon the sands at the side of the har bour's mouth stands Bellem Castle, an an cient building with a tower, situated in a particularly strong position. There are PORTUGAL. 19 gateways also indicative of fortifications formerly guarding this entrance to Bellem and Lisbon. I have now brought you to the end of a morning's tour, the account of which may be as fatiguing to you as the ride was to me. C PORTUGAL.

Letter III

Interior Description of Lisbon — Construction of the Houses — Domestic Arrangements — Diet — Carriages — Instances of Bigotry and Devotion — Procession of the Host. Bellem, December, 1815. Having endeavoured in my last letter to give you a general idea of Lisbon as it appears upon a cursory view, I shall now proceed to give you some notion of the in terior construction of the houses, and of the domestic arrangements of their inha bitants. The style of the old houses ap pears for the most part to be Saracenic $ but that of the more modern ones seems to deviate occasionally from the ancient mo del ; the more fashionable houses partaking PORTUGAL. somewhat of the refinement of Parisian elegance. In the oldest houses, dark, dirty and moth-eaten tapestry lines the walls, and covers the bedding and chairs.

Al most every house is furnished wTith a balcony, it forming one of the chief amusements of the families to stand in it for hours looking into the streets. The panes of glass in the windows (always of a very inferior quality) are mostly broken to pieces, and are rarely as far as I can un derstand repaired ; which indeed is the case with almost every thing in their houses. Their furniture seldom exceeds a few ta bles and chairs, and some grotesque figures of the Virgin and Our Saviour carefully preserved, with abundance of small crosses dispersed about the room : one of the latter is commonly suspended over a bason of holy water, and placed by the head of the bed in order (as they informed me) to defeat the machinations of evil spirits. As the houses seem constructed entirely to alleviate the effects of heat, they are not calculated to preserve the inhabitants from PORTUGAL. cold, and, as a substitute for a grate, a small iron vase is used into which charcoal is put previously burnt to a red heat to dissipate the noxious fumes : but the unpleasant, and certainly unwholesome effect, which this mode of warming a room produces, frequently counterbalances the advantage derived from its heat.

Wax being exceedingly dear, and tallow very indifferent, lamps are usually substituted for candles. The oil of the country is indeed very fine, and burns with a very bright flame. The table-lamps are usually made of brass, and are supported by a stem from one to two feet and an half high; but these are troublesome to manage, though wThen well trimmed they afford a very agreeable light. The natural indolence of the Por tuguese occasions them to be careless and slovenly in their domestic arrangements. The dirt is rarely swept from the floors, and to the comforts of a scrubbing-brush and soap and water they are total strangers. In order to dissipate the effluvia pretty generally prevailing in this town they are accustomed to burn dried lavender in all PORTUGAL. 23 their rooms. With respect however to their house linen, I must do them the justice to say, they are more particular, having a great change which they never suffer to be long in use without being washed.

Neither soap, nor any substitute for it, is used in this operation. Their mode of washing is performed by women, who are seen in groupes up to their knees in a running stream of water, and when they have rubbed,and squeezed, and dashed the linen sufficiently against large stones, it is spread around upon the banks to be dried and bleached by the sun, which soon gives it a beautiful whiteness. Ironing is used only among the higher circles for fine linen. Observing the quantity of business per petually going on in their kitchens, which with the use of the netting-needle and the distaff occupies the chief time of the females, you would suppose that the Portu guese lived wrell and kept good tables; the fact however, with the exception of the higher orders, is the contrary, as they PORTUGAL. usually take very little food, and that not of the most nutritive quality ; and it is so over-dressed as to destroy the greater part of what little nourishment it may inherently possess.

Chocolate, rice, cabbage, oil, garlic, onions, pumpkins, chessnuts &c. form the basis of their principal dishes, into which animal food rarely enters, with the exception of buccalab or dried fish. Messes of these are constantly" stewing over a little wood fire, and partaken of by every mem ber of the family seated round the fire in the most patriarchal simplicity. But the more wealthy (though nevertheless not very agreeable to an English palate) produce an elegant assortment of dishes upon their tables, fine fruit, and pleasant light wines. The fault usually found with their cookery by Englishmen is the employment of too much art, and the very liberal distribution of garlic, oil, and onions throughout all their dishes. The best produce ofthe markets consists PORTUGAL. 25 of fresh and dried fruits ; every other article, such as meat, fish &c. being scanty and inferior in quality.

Among the vege tables the finest is a peculiar kind of onion remarkable for its great size and delicacy of flavour, and much prized by the Eng lish. It is difficult to preserve this sort of onion, though it finds its way to the Eng lish markets and is sold at a price bearing no comparison to what it fetches in this country where it is cheap and abundant. Chessnuts are sold in great quantities in the streets, which are roasted by womea in little earthen furnaces constructed for this purpose, and which they keep burning by the constant application of fans of wicker-work. With respect to their carriages the fol lowing are chiefly in use. Cabriolets con structed to hold two persons and furnished with leathern fronts to be opened or shut at pleasure, and drawn by two mules, stand in the streets for hire.

They are very rough, dirty, and slow machines ; the driver, with a miserable cloak thrown over PORTUGAL. his shoulders, a large cocked hat upon his head, mounted upon an high wooden sad dle, and his feet buried in large wooden stirrups, sitting upon the near horse. The better description of carriages consists of coaches and chariots curiously painted, and much resembling ours about two cen turies ago; these are drawn by two, four, or six mules, according to the circum stances of the owner; the drivers being arrayed in tawdry and shabby liveries, with hats and stirrups, which, to those accustomed to the splendid decorations of a modern English carriage, beggars all des cription. Whenever I pass through the streets I am constantly reminded of not merely be ing in a catholic town, but in one of peculiar bigotry and ignorance.

People are seen kneeling and motionless before the numerous shrines which may be said to swarm throughout the whole city. Figures of the \irgin are preserved in glass cases, together with those of Christ upon the cross, and numberless collections of relics, PORTUGAL, 27 These are hung against the walls of the streets, and are furnished with lamps upon particular occasions, as saints' days, festivals &c. The devout always uncover as they pass these emblems ; and it is common to see men going through the streets call ing at every shop and house with figures of the Virgin (little dolls fantastically dressed), a kiss of which may be obtained for a vintem, a copper piece of about five farthings value. In like manner, at a par ticular sound of the church bell, when the host is elevated, they uncover, cross them selves, and strike their breasts.

When the evening closes the lower orders are accus tomed to place themselves at the thresholds of their doors to chant the rosary. Par ties of the soldiery, recruits &c. are to be seen drawn up in lines performing this piece of devotion, and a curious kind of buzz is thus heard as you pass along, accompanied by an air of indifference among them which would lead one to doubt whe ther religion had any share in the cere niony. PORTUGAL. You can seldom walk out without encoun tering the procession of the host with a priest going to perform the last offices of religion to some expiring penitent. The priest who administers the extreme unction walks under a canopy dressed in his robes, bare-headed, and with the holy wafer &c. in his hands, attended by a train of persons who assist in the ceremony carrying frankincense and the several religious utensils, preceeded by a man with a large bell to give public notice of the passing of the host.

All persons as it goes along, whether within their houses or in the streets, kneel and cross themselves, and a large concourse of people usually brings up the rear of the procession chanting in unison with the priest. While I am upon this subject I will re late two anecdotes that will serve to show the excess to which these people carry their devotion. Tlie Marquis of — , J an old Portuguese nobleman, passing full dressed in his carriage and during an hard shower of rain, encountered this sacred PORTUGAL. procession. Notwithstanding the incle mency of the weather he stopped his car riage, descended, and exposing his pow dered head to the storm dropped upon one knee with the postillion in the street, and assuming his wonted dignity mounted again, and then drove on in full state to the place of his destination.