Thanks to the fact that nowadays more and more books are digitized we are able to read books that are some times for decades no longer available for the public for several reasons. That’s quite a pity while these books contains useful information while the archives are destroyed, incomplete or nor accessible.
P. 118: “Lisbon has two arsenals; one military, the other naval. The naval arsenal is near the Prapa do Commercio; and that which is most worthy of-note in it is the splendid dry dock, which I envy for Austria. The extent of the arsenal is much too large for the decayed navy of Portugal: therefore it is empty. In the centre of this arsenal, which no longer possesses any interest, a pavilion is erected, with a saloon in it, from which the Queen looks on, on the rare occasion of a launch. What would Vasco da Gama say if he could see the navy of Portugal in this industrious and enlightened nineteenth century ? In really large fleets, if an insignificant vessel be launched no great importance is attached to it: but when the navy is in a bad condition, its poverty is on such occasions only brought more prominently to view.
In the military arsenal there are some very beautifully gilded apartments; but only miserable weapons, and nothing that is at all old or interesting; so that it in no way repays one for the trouble of visiting it. The Corderia is chiefly attractive by reason of two of the largest rope-walks that I have ever seen: in it the walks run close to each other. The single rope-walk in Venice, which is so famed, is nothing in comparison with this. We strolled separately to the two extremes, and vanished into two scarcely distinguishable specks. Nothing in Lisbon struck me so much. Such an enormous space would be splendid for festivities; but for the object of its present use a place occupying less extent would be preferable.”
Source
Maximilian (Emperor of Mexico). Recollections of My Life: Messina. Palermo, Syracuse. The Balearic Islands. Vol II. London, 1868.
P. 118: “Lisbon has two arsenals; one military, the other naval. The naval arsenal is near the Prapa do Commercio; and that which is most worthy of-note in it is the splendid dry dock, which I envy for Austria. The extent of the arsenal is much too large for the decayed navy of Portugal: therefore it is empty. In the centre of this arsenal, which no longer possesses any interest, a pavilion is erected, with a saloon in it, from which the Queen looks on, on the rare occasion of a launch. What would Vasco da Gama say if he could see the navy of Portugal in this industrious and enlightened nineteenth century ? In really large fleets, if an insignificant vessel be launched no great importance is attached to it: but when the navy is in a bad condition, its poverty is on such occasions only brought more prominently to view.
In the military arsenal there are some very beautifully gilded apartments; but only miserable weapons, and nothing that is at all old or interesting; so that it in no way repays one for the trouble of visiting it. The Corderia is chiefly attractive by reason of two of the largest rope-walks that I have ever seen: in it the walks run close to each other. The single rope-walk in Venice, which is so famed, is nothing in comparison with this. We strolled separately to the two extremes, and vanished into two scarcely distinguishable specks. Nothing in Lisbon struck me so much. Such an enormous space would be splendid for festivities; but for the object of its present use a place occupying less extent would be preferable.”
Source
Maximilian (Emperor of Mexico). Recollections of My Life: Messina. Palermo, Syracuse. The Balearic Islands. Vol II. London, 1868.
