12 feet in circumference, and the branches of which cover an area of 50 feet in diameter. In the same quinta, there is also a rather young tulip tree, which already is 11 feet 10 inches in circumference at 3 feet from the ground, and about 80 feet in height. In one of these quintas the late King of Sardinia, Charles Albert, terminated his sorrowful days. At Oporto the traveller will have an opportunity of drinking port wine in perfection, and of learning what are its admirable qualities; for though some persons affect to decry it, no one who has tasted good port wine will fail to wish that his cellar were well supplied with it. The term beautiful (and hence it comes within the scope of these hints) is truly applicable to its ruby colour ; and its "flavourfull" and delicate aroma every one must appreciate, in a wine excellent in its own nature. The hotels at Oporto are those of Gabriel, Peixe, and Stanislaus.

The scenery about Oporto and on either side of the Douro is tame, in comparison with what it was before the siege in 1832, as, in that sad time, hundreds of thousands of trees were cut down for stockades and other purposes; but the part which is most shorn of its original beauty is the Serra Convent. Its splendid oaks and chestnuts, and

its pines, are all gone, and the building itself is fast falling into decay; it is, however, yet worth seeing, and from it there is a fine view; the spot beyond the convent, where the British army crossed the Douro in 1809, is denuded of the numberless trees which covered that army in its approach to the river, and completely concealed its march from the knowledge of Soult.

The telegraph, opposite Maçarellos, should be visited; and thence to the village of Candal is a pleasant walk, presenting a fine view of the city.

One or two of the extensive wine lodges in Villa Nova should be examined.

There are several villages in the neighbourhood of Oporto to which the inhabitants resort on holydays.

St. Cosmo, from the hill of which is a pleasant view.

Matozinhos (by way of the hill of St. Gens, from which also is a pleasant view), thence to Leça da Palmeira, returning by the high road, or by way of St. John's, at the mouth of the Douro; to improve the frightful bar of which river, it is to be hoped that something will ere long be done effectively, so as to prevent the recurrence of the never

ending wrecks at or near the entrance of the river, the most appalling of which was that of the steamer (the Oporto), on the 29th of March, 1852, by which not less than sixty persons perished, and that Iwithin the short distance of a stone's throw from the Castle.

Leça de Balio, and its church, once belonging to the Templars.

Over five of the eight leagues to Braga there is a good road, and it is hoped that the entire journey may soon be made in a carriage. At Villa Nova de Famelicão is a good inn (good for Portugal). At Braga, the Cordeiro d'Ouro, near the Cathedral (though not so large as the Dous-Amigos), can be recommended. As Braga is approached, and as the mountains in the distance are first espied, the country becomes more and more beautiful. Braga, the Bracara Augusta of the Romans, is a tolerably sized city, having in it many edifices of an interesting nature. The objects deserving notice are

The Cathedral, especially its choir in the gallery. The room in the archbishop's palace, open at all hours of the day, in which are pictures, said to be portraits of the successive archbishops of Braga, from the age of the Apostles to the present day. The locality named the Carvalhos has in it

many of the Roman milliaria, with inscriptions, which milliaria were taken, from time to time, from their own proper places in the Roman roads, to be gathered, for no discoverable purpose, into this unsuitable spot.

A very magnificent country from Braga to Arcos, affording a ride of great delight over hill and vale, and some of the lower mountains, only that the road is execrably bad. At the inn, near the church, before entering the town, and kept by the very honest Sacristão, a guide can be procured for ascending the grand mountain, the Outeiro-Maior, which, by some authorities, is said to be 7881 feet above the level of the sea, and, therefore, the highest mountain in Portugal: the ascent should be made on the eastern side, by Soazo and Adrão; which will treble the delight of the traveller,

as the Gerez and the other mountains to the east are seen to increasing advantage during that ascent, for which not less than five hours will be needful. To attempt to describe the extent and grandeur of the view from the summit of the Outeiro-Maior would be quite useless; suffice it to say, that it embraces the valleys of the Vez, the Lima, and the Minho; the Atlantic Ocean to the west; very many leagues of Spain to the north and east; and, in a very clear day, the summit of the Estrella, to the south, can be discerned. Ladies, having good courage, can ascend to nearly the height of the Outeiro on horseback; and, if the weather be propitious, they will be abundantly repaid for all their trouble in making that ascent. No traveller should fail to visit it several times; on one occasion a fine sight was witnessed during the ascent of it; the clouds came sailing from the south, the rain vertically descending from them, apparently in a straight line from east to west, slowly approaching, and at last overtaking the travellers and falling in torrents upon them, till the clouds were carried to the north, when the mountain reappeared, but with augmented splendour.

Before reaching Barca, the hill on the right, on which are the remains of the Castle of Aboim de