66 Voyage of the Novara. 



from Africa, and the foundation of large estates, contributed 

 materially to tlie prosperity of the inhabitants. The ruins 

 of many large buildings in various parts of the island are 

 even now mute witnesses of the opulence of their former 

 occupants. 



This prosperous state of the island was, however, at the 

 beginning of the last century, materially affected by the in- 

 troduction of the so-called vlnculos or entails, which, intro- 

 duced under the protection and in favour of the church, were 

 a great burden upon the land. Frequently, rich proprietors 

 left to the church portions of their incomes in order to have 

 masses said for the repose of their souls, and encumbered 

 their lands with so many burdens, that only a small remainder 

 fell to their heirs. So long as these claims were in existence 

 the proprietors could not grant leases for a longer period than 

 four years, nor impose fresh burdens on their lands. The 

 union of several such vinculos was called a morgado (entailed 

 property). Under the severe but wise administration of the 

 Marquis of Pombal, a law was passed which forbade the future 

 creation of morgados (unless the property yielded an income 

 of 1200 piastres annually, and even then the special licence 

 of the crown had to be obtained), declaring the whole system 

 of entails " as contrary to the rights of property and the well- 

 founded claims of the other members of the family." The 

 law of Dom Pedro, dated the 4th February, 1802, was still 

 more severe, as it allowed at the same time the abolition of 

 single entails, the value of which was below 200 Spanish 



