Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/758

 738 PORTUGAL COLONIES. Area, sq. m. Popula- tion. Cape Verd islands 1 649 70164 t Sao Thome and Principe islands Bissao &c., in Senegambia 454 26 23.681 8,500

Ajuda 18 700 <j d Benouela and Mossamedes j 250,000 2,000,000, Mozambique, Sofala, &c !Goa Salsette Bardez, &c 380,000 1,44T 300,000 474,234 4 155 40,980 9 Diu (island) 2i 12803 3 5527 250000 fl Macao (in China) ' 12 71,739 Total 639 285 l 3 258 140 The people of Portugal resemble in appear- ance and manners the natives of Galicia in Spain, but differ considerably from those of Oastile and Leon. On the whole the compari- son is unfavorable to the Portuguese lower classes, who are ignorant and indolent. Yet in the mountainous districts, such as Tras os Mon- tes, the peasantry are active and energetic, and are peculiarly fitted for the army. The edu- cated classes are polished in manners, courte- ous to strangers, insinuating, and altogether more pleasing than the corresponding classes in Spain. The women are retired, domestic, and amiable. Agriculture is still in a backward condition. The farmers are ignorant, and with few exceptions raise the same crops on the same soil from year to year, without rotation. Improvements in cultivation were impeded by most of the land being owned either by the crown, the nobility, or the clergy. With amended mortmain laws the soil has become free, and agricultural progress rendered possi- ble; and improved methods and implements are gradually introduced, especially in Alem- tejo. Maize is the principal crop in the north- ern districts of Viana, Braga, Oporto, Avei- ro, Vizeu, and Ooimbra. The central districts of Leiria, Santarem, and Lisbon, extending from the valley of the Mondego to the south- ern limit of that of the Tagus, produce as much wheat and maize and more rice than all the rest of the kingdom. The provinces of Alemtejo and Algarve are the hottest and dry- est part of Portugal, and abound with herds of swine. The mountainous districts of Cas- tello Branco, Guarda, Braganca, and Villa Real produce good rye and maize, and the hills and valleys afford excellent pasturage in spring. In 1874 the production of wheat was about 5,500,000 bushels, rye 5,900,000, maize 14,000- 000, and rice 400,000. The cultivation of rice, introduced in the middle of the last century, is retarded by the insalubrious influences pop- ularly supposed to attend its cultivation. The cultivation of the vine constitutes one of the most important commercial elements of the country; the vineyards cover an area of 473,- 517 acres, yielding annually 132,500,000 gal- lons of wine. The most important wine-pro- ducing region is that of the Douro watershed, which produces the famous Oporto wines ; its vineyards cover 77,205 acres, and yield an an- nual average of 1,325,000 gallons. (See POE- TUGAL, WINES OF.) The exports of wine have increased from 4,715,386 gallons in 1842 to 6,366,837 in 1861, and 8,069,276 in 1870. In 1873 the exports from Lisbon alone amount- ed to 3,834,106 gallons. Of a great variety of indigenous fruits, the principal is the orange, with a mean annual yield of 626,000,000. Lem- ons and figs form a leading source of agricul- tural wealth ; the average annual yield of lem- ons is 20,405,000. The olive is cultivated over an area of more than 100,000 acres, principal- ly in Alemtejo, Estremadura, and Tras os Mon- tes. The manufacture of oil is one of the most important branches of industry in Por- tugal, and likewise one of the most progres- sive ; the quantity annually produced averages 5,412,000 gallons. The state forests cover 51,- 782 acres, and those owned by the municipali- ties and private individuals may be set down at 250,000 acres. The foreign trade of Portu- gal is mostly with Great Britain, Brazil, and France; and the chief articles of export are wines, olive oil, oranges and lemons, iron and copper pyrites, cork, elephants' teeth, wool, archil (a colonial product), cotton fabrics, vin- egar, silver in bars and worked, other metals, chemicals, salt, dried fruit, and pork. The imports mainly comprise cotton, woollen, and silk fabrics, gold and silver coin and jewelry, rice, butter, sugar, salt fish, tobacco, coal, iron wrought and unwrought, timber, cotton, tea, coffee, hides, and drugs. The foreign com- merce has steadily increased since 1852 ; the annual value of the imports increased from $10,214,625 in that year to $29,876,000 in 1871 ; and the exports in the same period from $7,231,586 to $23,386,000. Wine constitutes more than one third of the value of the entire exports. The Portuguese merchant navy in 1873 consisted of 17 steamers with an aggre- gate tonnage of 14,536, and 415 sailing vessels, with an aggregate of 93,815 tons. Much of the present agricultural prosperity of the- coun- try is due to the improved condition of the highways. In 1873 there were 1,824 m. of na- tional highways, 356 m. of district roads, and 76 m. of communal roads, besides 204 m. in process of building. These roads have cost the treasury about $10,000,000. Important works have likewise been undertaken of late years for improving the beds of the larger rivers, and for the canalization of the smaller streams. The length of the railway lines completed in October, 1873, was 503 m., including that from Lisbon to the Spanish frontier, 182 m., and that to Oporto and Ooimbra, 144 m. Subsidies to the amount of $18,000,000 have been paid by the national treasury for the building of thes lines, several branches of which are now (1875) in course of construction. In 1873 thei were 1,930 m. of telegraph wires. The manu- factures are still comparatively unimportant though considerable progress has been mad< within a few years, particularly in Lisboi