MADEIRA. 39 



perate climates thrive together. Bananas, pine-apples, aloes, 

 vines, prickly pears, gnavas, mangoes, oranges, grow together, 

 with a profusion of flowers. 



The island being resorted to by so many invalids, the 

 cemetery forms a conspicuous feature in the scenery. The coffin- 

 makers have the unfeeling habit of manufacturing their wares in 

 front of their shops in the public streets. The roads are narrow 

 and run directly up and down the steep slopes. They are paved 

 with small pieces of basalt, three or four inches long. The 

 stone pavement has become, by constant use, polished and 

 slippery, and the traffic is carried on by means of sledges on 

 runners instead of with wheels. These come down the steep 

 hills at a very rapid pace. 



I made an excursion to the Grand Cural. We rode ponies 

 which trotted or galloped up the steepest hills. A native went 

 with each pony and hung on to its tail to help himself along 

 when the pace was fast. We passed through the gardens on the 

 outskirts of the town ; then higher, through fields of sugar-cane 

 and corn, up amongst the vineyards, terraced on the hill sides, and 

 with the vines trained on horizontal trellis work ; then past the 

 hovel-like cottages of the country people, till we reached the 

 district of pine and sweet chestnut trees. 



The pine woods were deliciously cool. We passed them and 

 came out upon open grass slopes with occasional patches of basalt 

 rock sticking up out of them, the slopes themselves being com- 

 posed of disintegrated scoriae. We climbed the slopes on foot 

 and reached a height of about 5,000 feet. From thence we had 

 a commanding view of the Grand Cural, a huge gorge or rent in 

 the mountain mass, precipitous on one side and almost so on the 

 other. The precipitous side opposite us was in the deepest 

 shadow, so much so, that we could hardly trace the details upon 

 its surface, but we could yet see that every available ledge had 

 been terraced and brought into cultivation. The sun shone 

 brightly on the dark red and purple scoriae and lava, and on its 

 clothing of chestnuts and pines, on our side of the chasm, which 

 being thus in high light contrasted forcibly with the deep gloom 

 of the opposite wall. A magnificent panorama of the south side 

 of the island was visible from our position, with its volcanic 



