260 



VOYAGE JULY, 



either outside or in. There is not a glass window in 

 the place, except what are in the churches, and in a 

 country-house, which lately belonged to the English 

 consul ; all the others being latticed, which, to an 

 Englishman, makes them look like prisons. 



This little city, like all others belonging to the Por- 

 tuguese, is crowded with religious buildings ; there 

 being no less than three convents of men, and two 

 of women ; and eight churches, including those be- 

 longing to the convents, and the one in the Jesuits' 

 college. The college is a fine structure, and is seated 

 on an elevation in the pleasantest part of the city. 

 Since the expulsion of that order, it has been suffered 

 to go to decay, and will probably, in a few years, be 

 no better than a heap of ruins. 



Fayal, although the most noted for wine, does not 

 raise sufficient for its own consumption. This article 

 is raised on Pico, where there is no road for shipping ; 

 but being brought to De Horta, and from thence 

 shipped abroad, chiefly to America, it has acquired 

 the name of Fayal wine. 



The bay, or road of Fayal, is situated at the east 

 end of the isle, before the Villa de Horta, and facing 

 the west end of Pico. It is two miles broad, and 

 three quarters of a mile deep, and hath a semi-circu- 

 lar form. The depth of water is from twenty to ten, 

 and even six fathoms, a sandy bottom ; except near 

 the shore, and particularly near the S. W. head, off 

 which the bottom is rocky, also without the line, 

 which joins the two points of the bay, so that it is not 

 safe to anchor far out. The bearing before mentioned, 

 taken when at anchor, will direct any one to the best 

 ground. It is by no means a bad road, but the winds 

 most to be apprehended, are those which blow from 

 between the S. S.W. and S. E. ; the former is not so 

 dangerous as the latter, because, with it, you can al- 

 ways get to sea. Besides this road, there is a small 

 cove round the S. W. point, called Porto Piere, in 

 which, I am told, a ship or two may lie in tolerable 





