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Porto Galete, a town of Spain, in Biscay, seated
in a small bay, 10 m. N. W. of Bilbao.
Porto Greco, a town of Naples, in the Capitan
ata, near the gulf of Venice, 16 m. N. W. of Man-
fredonia.
Porto Gruaro, a town of Austrian Italy, in
Friuli, seated on the Lema, 20 m. W. by S. of
Palma Nova.
Porto Longone, a sea-port on the S. E. side of
the Isle of Elba, with a good harbour, and a for-
tress upon a rock, almost inaccessible. It is 4 in.
S. E. of Porto Ferrajo and 35 N. W. of Orbitello,
on the coast of Italv. Long. 10. 20. E., lat. 42.
50. N.
Porto Marin, a town of Spain, in Galicia, 48
m. E. of Compostella.
Porto Praya, a town and bay of St. Jago, one
of the Cape de Verde islands. The town stands
on an elevated plain, and is the residence of the
Portucruese governor of the islands. Long. 23.
29. W.. lat. 14. 54. N.
Porto del Principe, a sea-port on the N. coast
of Cuba, with a good harbour. Near it are sev-
eral springs inf bitumen. Long. 78. 15. W., lat.
21. 52. N.
Porto Real, a sea-port of Spain, in Andalusia,
on tiie E. side of the bay of Cadiz,7 m. E. of Cadiz.
Porto Rico, an island of the WT. Indies, 60 m.
E. of St. Domingo, belonging to the Spaniards.
It is 120 m. long and 40 broad, diversified with
woods, valleys, and plains, and watered by springs
and rivers, but unhealthy in the rainy season. It
produces sugar, rum, ginger, cotton, maize, and
rice; and there are so many cattle that the^ are
often killed for the sake of the skins alone. St.
Juan de Porto Rico is the capital.
Porto Santo, an island in the Atlantic, the least
of the Madeiras, 15 m. in circumference. In 1518
a Portuguese ship, coasting along the African
shore, was driven out to sea by a sudden squall,
and, when they all expected to perish, they dis-
covered this island, which, on account of their
escape, they named Porto Santo; and hence they
descried the island of Madeira. It produces little
corn ; but there are oxen and wild hogs, and a
vast number of rabbits. Its most valuable pro-
ductions are dragons’ blood, honey, and wax. It
has no harbour, but good anchorage in the road.
Long. 16. 25. W., lat. 32. 58. N.
Porto Segura, a fertile province of Brazil, S. of
that of Ilheos and N. ofSpiritu Santo. The cap-
ital, of the same name, is seated on the top of a
rock, at the mouth of a river that flows into the
Atlantic. Long. 40. 0. W., lat. 16. 20 S.
Port Vecchio, a sea-port of Corsica, seated on
a bay on the E. coast of the island, 38 m. S.
E. of Ajaccio. Long. 9. 10. E., lat. 41. 40. N.
Porto Vcnero, a sea-port on the coast of Genoa,
at the entrance of the gulf of Spezzia. It has a
*ood harbour, and is seated on the side of a hill,
at the top of which is a fort, 5 m. S. of Spezzia.
Long. 9. 38. E., lat. 44. 5. N
Portree, a town of Scotland, on the E. side of
the Isle of Skye, one of the Hebrides. The in-
habitants trade chiefly in black cattle, sheep, and
kelp. It has an excellent harbour, sheltered at
its mouth bv the Isle of Raaza. Long. 6. 16. W.,
lat. 57. 33. N.
Portsea, an island between Chichester Bay and
the harbour of Portsmouth, in Hampshire, Eng.
It is alow tract,about 14 in. in circumference,sep-
arated from the mainland on the N. by a creek,
over which are two bridges, one for the entrance
and the other for the departure of passengers. |
At the S. W. extremity of it, is situate the towa
of Portsmouth.
Portsmouth, a borough and sea-port in Hamp-
shire, Eng. It is the most considerable haven for
men of war, and the most strongly fortified place
in England. Its capacious harbour is made by a
bay running up between the island of Portsea, on
which the town is situate, and the opposite pen-
insula, having a narrow entrance commanded by
the town and forts. Many of the largest ships
are always laid up here : and in time of war, it
is the principal rendezvous of the grand channel
fleet. The docks, arsenals, storehouses, barracks,
&c., are all of capital magnitude, and kept in the
most perfect order. To the S. of the town is the
noted road of Spithead, where the men of war an-
chor when prepared for actual service. Portsmouth
has one spacious church, and contains 7,269 in-
habitants. Portsea, built on what was formerly
called Portsmouth Common, is now become
much larger than the parent town, containing a
population of 34,785. 72 m. S . W. London Long
1. 6. W., lat. 50. 47. N.
Portsmouth, ph. Rockingham Co. N. H. at th
mouth of the Piscataqua with an excellent har
bour. It is the only sea-port in the state, and ha
considerable commerce. Here is a navy yard
the United States. The town has 7 churches
a branch of the U. S. Branch bank,2 insurance offi
ces,and an athenseum. Two bridges cross the riv-
er to Kittery in Maine. In December 1813 a fire
destroyed 397 buildings here. It is 24 m. N.
E. Newburyport, 56. m. N. by E. Boston and
5. S. W. Portland. Pop. 8,032. Lat. 43. 5.
Lon. 70. 45. W.
Portsmouth, ph. Newport Co. R. I. on the N
end of Rhode Island. Pop. 1,727; p.v. Norfolk
Co. Va. on Elizabeth river opposite Norfolk ; p.v
Scioto Co. Ohio, on the Scioto near its junction
with the Ohio. 90 m. S. Cumberland. Pop. 1,063.
The Ohio canal, which see, leaves the river at
this place ; ph. Carteret Co. N. C. near Ocra
cokelnlet.
Portsoy, a sea-port of Scotland, in Banffshire,
with manufactures of fine linen and sewing
thread. The vicinity is celebrated for its miner-
als, especially for a fine vein of serpentine, call-
ed Portsoy marble ; a species of asbestos, of a
greenish color, which has been wrought into in-
combustible cloth ; and a brilliant kind of granite
of a flesh color. Portsoy stands on a point of
land projecting into Murray Frith, 9 m. W. Banff
Portsville, p.v. Alleghany Co. N. Y.
Portugal, the most western country on the con
t'inent of Europe, bounded on the W. and S. by
the Atlantic, Ocean, and E. and N. by Spain. It
extends from 36. 56. to 42. 20. N. lat., and from
6. 25. to 9. 30. W. long., and is divided into th
provinces of Entre Douro-e-Minho, Tras os Mo
tes. Beira, Estremadura, Alemtejo, and Algarve.
It contains 36,510 sq. m. and a pop. of 3,782,550.
Though Spain and Portugal are in the same
climate, yet the air of the latter is much more
temperate than that of the former, on account of
the neighbourhood of the sea. Agriculture is in
a verv backward state; the implements of indus-
try are of the nidest construction, and very little
corn is raised. Indian corn, imported from Af
rica, is used by the peasanis instead of wheat.
Lemons flourish here in great abundance. This
frail was introduced into the country from the
east by the Arabs. Olives, vineyards, oranges,
nuts, almonds, figs, and raisins are plentiful, and
in the low grounds rice and maize are cultivated. |
