_O Mysterio da Estrada de Cintra_ (1870), originally published in the _Diario de Noticias_ (July 24-September 27, 1870). It was, however, _O Crime do Padre Amaro_ (1876), in which he grafted the naturalistic novel on the quiet little town of Leiria, and the two notable if unpleasant Lisbon stories _O Primo Basilio_ (1878) and _Os Maias_ (1880), that marked him out as the most powerful writer of the time in Portugal. But he was still feeling his way. _A Reliquia_ (1887) is as different from _Os Maias_ as it is from the remarkable and charming letters of _A Correspondencia de Fradique Mendes_ (1891) and his last two novels, _A Illustre Casa de Ramires_ (1900), most Portuguese of his works, and _A Cidade e as Serras_ (1901). The three fragments in _Ultimas Paginas_ (1912) were probably written earlier. There are samples of all his phases in his _Contos_ (1902), and the short story gave scope for his powers of observation and insight without calling for an elaborate plot, in which he often failed. _A Cidade e as Serras_, after developing the earlier story _A Civilisação_, is but a fascinating succession of country scenes. All Eça de Queiroz’ characters are caricatures, some more so, others less, but they are nevertheless true to a certain degree, that is to say, they are good caricatures, and living, and this is so especially in these later novels, which show how great a regionalist writer was lost in him through the influence of French schools. Yet no one can deny that his works have an originality of their own as well as power and personal charm, and all contain some striking character-sketches or delightful descriptions that are not easily forgotten.