1768. ROUND THE WORLD. 1 



Cf 



upon their heads. The only imitation of a carriage 

 among these people is a board, made somewhat 

 hollow in the middle, to one end of which a pole is 

 tied, by a strap of whit-leather : this wretched sledge 

 approaches about as near to an English cart as an 

 Indian canoe to a ship's long-boat ; and even this 

 would probably never have been thought of, if the 

 English had not introduced wine-vessels, which are 

 too big to be carried by hand, and which, therefore, 

 are dragged about the town upon these machines. 



One reason, perhaps, why art and industry have . 

 done so little for Madeira, is. Nature's having done 

 so much. The soil is very rich, and there is such a 

 difference of climate between tlie plains and the 

 hills, that there is scarcely a single object of luxury 

 that grows either in Europe or the Indies that might 

 not be produced here. When we went to visit 

 Dr. Heberden, who lives upon a considerable ascent, 

 about two miles from town, we left the therniOmeter 

 at 7'^5 and when we arrived at his house, we found 

 it at 66» The hills produce, almost spontaneously, 

 walnuts, chesnuts, and apples in great abundance ; 

 and in the town there are many plants which are the 

 natives both of the East and West Indies, particu- 

 larly the batiana, the guava, the pine-apple or 

 anana, and the mango, which flourish almost without 

 culture. The corn of this country is of a most 

 excellent quality, large grained and very fine, and 

 the island would produce it in great plenty ; yet 

 most of what is consumed by the inhabitants is im- 

 ported. The mutton, pork, and beef, are also very 

 good ; the beef, in particular, which we took on board 

 here, was universally allowed to be scarcely inferior 

 to our own ; the lean part was very like it, both in 

 colour and grain, though the beasts are much smaller, 

 but the fat is as white as the fat of mutton. 



The town of Funchiale derives its name from 

 Fitncho, the Portuguese name for fennel, which grows 

 in great plenty upon the neighbouring rocks, and by 



