Geology, tmd fUlimate of the Island of Madeira, 366 



gardens and terraces ; and the air is filled with the music of 

 the guitar, and a sweet little instrument, peculiar to the island, 

 the machettinho. Thfi^ak-is then, too, redolent with the sweet 

 aroma of* the orange and citron groves ; and heliotropes, da- 

 turae, jessamines, roses, with many a " flowery odour'' besides, 

 unite their tribute to increase the delicious fragrance of the 

 atmosphere. 



The climate of Funchal and its immediate neighbourhood, 

 which is the only part of the island in which invalids reside 

 during winter, has been ascertained by many series of most 

 accurate observations. The advantages it presents over the best 

 climates on the continent of Europe, have been set forth in a 

 very clear light by Sir James Clark in his work on CHmate. *' The 

 mean annual temperature of Funchal is 64°, being only about 

 5° warmer than the Italian and Provengal provinces. This 

 very moderate mean temperature, relatively to its low latitude, 

 arises however from the summer at Madeira being proportion- 

 ally cool ; for, while the winter is 20° v/anner than at London, 

 the summer is only 7° warmer ; and, whilst the winter is 12° 

 warmer than in Italy and Provence, the summer is nearly 5° 

 cooler. The mean annual range of temperature is only 14°, 

 being less than half the range of Rome, Pisa, Naples, and Nice. 

 The heat is also distributed through the year with surprising 

 equality, so that the mean difference of the temperature of 

 successive months is only 2^.41 ; this at Rome is 4^30, at Nice 

 4°.74, at Pisa 5°.7o, and at Naples 5°.08. Whilst there is 

 much equality in the distribution of temperature through the 

 year, there is no less so in the progression of temperature for 

 the day ; the mean range for the twenty-four hours being 10° 

 by the register thermometer, while at Rome it is 10"", at Naples 

 13'', at Nice 9", by the common thermometer, which gives only 

 the extremes observed during the day. The steadiness of tem- 

 perature from day to day also exceeds that of all the other 

 climates. In this respect, it is not half so variable as Rome, 

 Nice, or Pisa, and is only about one-third as variable as Naples. 

 The degree of variableness from day to day at Madeira is l°.ll, 

 at Ronie it is 2".80, at Nice 2°.33, and at London 4°.01. The 

 annual range of atmospheric pressure is aloO very small, being 

 about the same as that of Rome and Naples. Nearly the same 



VOL. XXIX. NO. LVIII.— OCTOBER 1840* B b 



