and love of learning.-His defcendents maintained themselves on the throne for fome centuries; indeed Sancho II. was expelled from his dominions for cowardice, in the year 1240. Denis I. or Dionyfius, was called the Father of his country: he built and rebuilt forty-four cities and towns in Portugal, founded the military order of Chrift, and was a very fortunate prince. He reigned forty-fix years. Under his fucceffor, Alphonfus IV. happened feveral earthquakes at Lisbon, which threw down part of the city, and deftroyed many lives. John I. was illuftrious for his courage, prudence, and conquefts in Africa; under him Madeira was first difcovered, in 1420, and the Canaries; he took Ceuta, and, after a reign of forty-nine years, died in the year 1433. In the reign of Alphonfo V. about 1480, the Portuguese difcovered the coaft of Guinea; and in the reign of his fucceffor, John II. they difcovered the Cape of Good Hope, and the kingdom of Moni-Congo, fettled colonies, and built forts in Africa, Guinea, and the East Indies. Emanuel, furnamed the Great, fucceeded him in 1495, and adopted the plan of his predeceffors, fitting out fleets for new difcoveries. Vafco de Gama, under him, cruifed along the coast of Africa and Ethiopia; and landed in Hindooftan; and in the year 1500, Alvarez discovered Brazil. John III. fucceeded in 1521, and while he loft fome of his African fettlements, made new acquifitions in the Indies. He fent the famous Xavier as a miffionary to Japan, and in the height of his zeal, efta. blifhed that infernal tribunal, the Inquifition, in Portugal, anno 1526, against the entreaties and remonftrances of his people. Sebaftian, his grandfon, fucceeded him in 1557, and undertook a crufade against the Moors in Africa. In 1578, in a battle with the king of Fez and Mo. rocco, on the banks of the river Lucco, he was defeated, and either flain or drowned. Henry, a cardinal, and uncle to the unfortunate Sebaftian, being the fon of Emanuel, fucceeded, but died without iffue, in the year 1580: on which, Antony, prior of Crato, was chofen king, by the ftates of the kingdom; but Philip II. of Spain, as has been obferved in our hiftory of that country, pretended that the crown belonged to him, because his mother was the eldest daughter, of Emanuel, and fent the duke of Alva with a powerful force, who fubdued the country, and proclaimed his mafter king of Portugal the 12th of September, 1580. The viceroys under Philip and his two fucceffors, Philip III. and Philip IV. behaved towards the Portuguese with great rapacity and violence. The Spanish minifters treated them as vaffals of Spain, and by their repeated acts of oppreffion and tyranny, fo excited the hatred and courage of the Portuguese, as to produce a revolt at Lifbon, the first of December, 1640. The people obliged John, duke of Braganza, the legitimate heir to the crown, to accept it, and he fucceeded to the throne by the title of John IV. almost without bloodshed; and the foreign fettlements alfo acknowledged him as their fovereign. A fierce war fubfifted for many years between the two kingdoms, and all the efforts of the Spaniards to re-unite them proved vain, fo that a treaty was concluded in February, 1668, by which Portugal was declared to be free and independent. The Portuguese could not have fupported themselves under their revolt from Spain, had not the latter power been engaged in wars with England and Holland; and, upon the restoration of Charles II. of England, that prince having married a princefs of Portugal, prevailed with the crown of Spain to give up all pretenfions to that kingdom. Alphonfo, fon to John IV. was then king of Portugal. He had the misfortune to difagree at once with his wife and his brother Peter; and they, uniting their interefts, not only forced Alphonfo to refign his crown, but obtained a difpenfation from the pope for their marriage, which was actually confummated. They had a daughter; but Peter, by a fecond marriage, had fons, the eldest of whom was John, his fuc. ceffor, and father to the late king of Portugal. John, like his father, joined the grand confederacy formed by king William; but neither of them were of much fervice in humbling the power of France. On the contrary, he almoft ruined the allies, by occafioning the lofs of the battle of Almanza, in 1707.-John died in 1750, and was fucceeded by his fon Jofeph, whofe reign was neither happy to himself, nor fortunate for his people. The fatal earthquake, in 1755, overwhelmed his ca. pital, and fhook his kingdom to the centre. His fucceeding adminiftration was not diftinguified by the affection that it required at home, or the reputation which it fuftained abroad. It was deeply stained with domeftic blood, and rendered odious by exceffive and horrible cruelty. In September, 1758, the king was attacked by affaflins, and narrowly efcaped with his life, in a folitary place near his country palace of Belem. The families of Aveira and Tavora were deftroyed by torture, in confequence of an accufation being exhibited against them of having confpired against the king's life. But they were condemned without proper evidence, and their innocence has been fince authentically de. clared. From this fuppofed confpiracy is dated the expulfion of the Jefuits (who were conjectured to have been at the bottom of the plot) from all parts of the Portuguese dominions. The marquis de Pombal, who was at this time the prime minister of Portugal, governed the kingdom for many years with a moft unbounded authority, and which appears to have been fometimes directed to the most cruel and arbitrary purposes. In 1762, when a war broke out between Spain and England, the Spa niards, and their allies, the French, attempted to force his Faithful Majefty into their alliance, and offered to garrifon his fea-towns again! the English, with their troops. The king of Portugal rejected this propofal, and declared war against the Spaniards, who, without refiftance, entered Portugal with a confiderable army, while a body of French threatened it from another quarter. Some have doubted whether any of these courts were in carneft upon this occafion, and whether the whole of the pretended war was not concerted to force England into a peace with France and Spain, in confideration of the apparent danger of Por tugal. It is certain, that both the French and Spaniards carried on the war in a very dilatory manner, and that, had they been in earneft, they might have been mafters of Lifbon, long before the arrival of the English troops to the affiftance of the Portuguefe. However, a few English battalions put an effectual stop, by their courage and conduct, to the progrefs of the invafion. Portugal was faved, and a peace was con cluded at Fontainbleau, in 1763. Notwithstanding this eminent fer. vice performed by the English to the Portuguese, who often had bec faved before in the like manner, the latter, ever fince that period, not be faid to have beheld their deliverers with a friendly eye. moft captious diftinctions and frivolous pretences have been inventel by the Portuguese minifters, for cramping the English trade, and de priving them of their privileges. can The His Portuguese majefty having no fon, his eldest daughter was mar ried, by difpenfation from the pope, to don Pedro, her own uncle, prevent the crown from falling into a foreign family. The late king died on the 24th of February, 1777, and was fucceeded by his daugh ter, the prefent queen. One of the first acts of her majesty's reign was the removal from power of the marquis de Pombal; an event which excited general joy throughout the kingdom, as might naturally be expected from the arbitrary and oppreffive nature of his adminiftration: though it has been alleged in his favour, that he adopted fundry pub Lic measures which were calculated to promote the real interefts of Portugal. On the 10th of March, 1792, the prince of Brafil, as prefumptive heir to the crown, published an edict, declaring, that as his mother, from her unhappy fituation, was incapable of managing the affairs of govern ment, he would place his fignature to public papers, till the return of her health; and that no other change fhould be made in the forms. Portugal, as the ally of England, has taken a feeble part in the war againft France; but her exertions were confined to furnishing Spain with a few auxiliary troops, and fending a small fquadron to join the English fleet. In August 1797, however, a negotiation for a treaty of peace between France and Portugal was entered into, and the treaty ac tually concluded; but the French directory refufed to ratify it, alleging that the queen of Portugal, fo far from showing a difpofition to abide by her articles, had put her forts and principal ports into the poffeffion of the English. Since the failure of this attempt at negotiation, Portugal has continued a member of the alliance against France; though her aid has been very unimportant, confifting only of a fmall fquadron, which has cruised in the Mediterranean, and affifted in the blockade of Malta. The queen is difordered by religious melancholy; Dr. Willis, at the request of the prince, fome time fince, made a voyage to Lisbon to attempt her cure; but her recovery remaining hopeless, the government of the country refts with the prince of Brafil. Maria-Frances-Ifabella, queen of Portugal, born December 17, 1734; married, June 6, 1760, to her uncle don Pedro Clement, F. R. S. born July 5, 1717, who died May 25, 1786; began to reign February 24, 1777. Their iffue. John-Maria-Jofeph-Louis, born May 13, 1767; married, March 20, 1785, Maria-Louifa, of Spain, born July 9, 1177. The iffue by the late king. 1. Her prefent majefty. 2. Anna-Frances-Antoinetta, born October 8, 1736. 3. Maria-Francifca-Bendicta, born July 24, 1746; married, in 1776, to her nephew, the prince of Brafil, who died September 11, 1788. 38 and 47 North latitude. Containing 116,967 fquare miles with 170 inhabitants in each. THE form of Italy renders it very difficult to afcertain its extent and dimenfions; for, according to fome accounts, it is, from the frontiers of Switzerland, to the extremity of the kingdom of Naples, about 750 miles in length; and from the frontiers of the duchy of Savoy, to thofe of the doininions of the ftates of Venice, which is its greatest breadth, about 400 miles, though in fome parts it is fcarcely 100. BOUNDARIES.] Nature has fixed the boundaries of Italy; for towards the Eaft it is bounded by the Gulf of Venice, or Adriatic Sea; on the South and Weft by the Mediterranean Sea; and on the North, by the lofty mountains of the Alps, which divide it from France and Switzerland. The whole of the Italian dominions, comprehending Corfica, Sardinia, the Venetian and other islands, are divided and exhibited in the following table: 97,672 Several of the late Venetian islands have fince been taken by the Turkish and Ruffian fleets. Sott AND AIR.] The happy foil of Italy produces the comforts and luxuries of life in great abundance; each diftrict has its peculiar excellency and commodity; wines, the moft delicious fruits, and oil, are the molt general productions. As much corn grows here as ferves the in-, habitants; and were the ground properly cultivated, the Italians might export it to their neighbours. The Italian cheefes, particularly those called Parmefans, and their native filk, form a principal part of their commerce. There is here a great variety of air: and fome parts of Iraly bear melancholy proofs of the alterations that accidental caufes make on the face of nature; for the Campana di Roma, where the an cient Romans enjoyed the most falubrious air of any place perhaps on the globe, is now almoft peftilential, through the decrease of inhabitants, which has occafioned a ftagnation of waters, and putrid exhalations. The air of the northern parts, which lie among the Alps, or in their seighbourhood, is keen and piercing, the ground being in many places covered with fnow in winter. The Apennines, which are a ridge of mountains that longitudinally almoft divide Italy, have great effects on its climate; the countries on the fouth being warm, thofe on the north mild and temperate. The fea breezes refresh the kingdom of Naples fo much, that no remarkable inconveniency of air is found there, notwith ftanding its fouthern fituation. In general, the air of Italy may be faid to be dry and pure. MOUNTAINS.] We have already mentioned the Alps and Apennines, which form the chief mountains of Italy. The famous volcano of Mount Vefuvius lies in the neighbourhood of Naples. RIVERS AND LAKES.] The rivers of Italy are the Po, the Var, the Adige, the Trebia, the Arno, and the Tiber, which runs through the city of Rome. The famous Rubicon forms the fouthern boundary between Italy and the ancient Cifalpine Gaul. The lakes of Italy are the Maggiore, Lugano, Como, Ifco, and Garda, in the north; the Perugia, or Thrafimene, Bracciana, Terni, and Celano, in the middle. SEAS, GULFS, OR BAYS, CAPES, Without a knowledge of thefe, PROMONTORIES, AND STRAITS. neither the ancient Roman authors, nor the history or geography of Italy, can be understood. The feas of Italy are the gulph of Venice, or the Adriatic fea; the feas of Naples, Tufcany, and Genoa; the bays or harbours of Nice, Villa Franca, Oneglia, Finale, Savona, Vado, Spezzia, Lucca, Pifa, Leghorn, Piombino, Civita Vecchia, Gaeta, Naples, Salerno, Policaftro, Reggio, Squilace, Tarento, Manfredonia, Ravenna, Venice, Triefte, Iftria, and Fiume; Cape Spartavento, del Alice, Otranto, and Ancona; the strait of Meffina, between Italy and Sicily. The gulphs and bays in the Italian islands are those of Fiorenzo, Baftia, Talada, Porto Novo, Cape Corfo, Bonifacio, and Ferro, in Corfica; and the ftrait of Bonifacio, between Corfica and Sardinia. The bays of Cagliari and Oriftagni; Cape de Sardis, Cavello, Monte Santo, and Polo, in Sardinia. The gulfs of Meffina, Melazzo, Palermo, Mazara, Syracufe, aud Catania; Cape Faro, Melazo, Orlando, Gallo, Trapano, Paffaro, and Aleffia, in Sicily; and the bays of Porto Feraio, and Porto Longone, in the island of Elba. METALS AND MINERALS.] Many places of Italy abound with mineral fprings; fome hot, fome warm, and many of fulphureous, chalybeate, and medicinal qualities. Many of its mountains abound in mines that produce great quantities of emeralds, jafper, agate, porphyry, lapis lazuli, and other valuable ftones. Iron and copper mines are found in a few |