76 Voyage of the Novara. 



importance till the beginning of the sixteenth century. Some 

 authors even suppose that the wine of Madeira owes its reputa- 

 tion chiefly to those plants which were, at a much later date, 

 imported by the Jesuits from Candia. This much is certain, 

 that the produce grown on the estates of the Jesuits greatly 

 surpassed in quality all others in the island, and maintained 

 a higher price in the market even when those estates had 

 changed hands. The grape ripens in the north at an ele- 

 vation of 2700 feet, but such as are fitted for the manufac- 

 ture of wine, grow only as high as the Curral das Freiras 

 (2080 feet). 



Hitherto four sorts of vines have been cultivated in the 

 island, namely, the Bum and Tinta, both of which were brought 

 from Burgundy, the Sercial from the Rhine, and the Malvasia 

 or Malmsey from Candia. There are four species of the last- 

 mentioned, {candila, roxa, habosa, and propea) ; the delicious 

 flavour of which by many people is considered to have a great 

 similarity with the Hungarian ToJca?/er. The most esteemed 

 sorts were grown west of Funchal, near Cama de Lobos, 

 and Estreita. Excellent qualities were grown also at Santa 

 Cruz, on the north side of the island, and the valleys near 

 Ponta da Cruz ; in general, however, the grape of the 

 northern district proved to be of inferior quality, and was 

 therefore only used in the manufacture of rum. In the 

 north the vines were trained on chestnut trees, but in the 

 south, as in Lombardy and the Tyrol, in festoons, sup- 

 ported by a kind of cane (Arundo sagittata), and tied up by 



