Currency used in the Island. 89 



United States j grain from the Mediterranean and the Black 

 Sea; and sugar, coffee, oil, rice, and other colonial produce 

 from Lisbon and the Portuguese settlements. The commerce 

 is almost entirely in the hands of the English,* whose liber- 

 ality during the cholera epidemic has much raised them in the 

 estimation of the inhabitants.^ 



The absence of a regular banking establishment is much 

 felt by the trading community, particularly in times of tem- 

 porary distress. Singularly enough there are few Portuguese 

 coins to be met with, and even these are not liked by the 

 inhabitants. The moneys chiefly in circulation are English 

 and American gold and silver coins, French five-franc pieces, 

 and Spanish dollars. The sailing vessels in the roads of 

 Funchal are mostly under English and American flags. The 

 steamers which keep up the intercourse between Europe 

 and the Brazils call regularly at Funchal for mails and pas- 

 sengers,! and a steam-packet arrives regularly every fortnight 

 on its way from Europe to South America. 



The trade carried on under ordinary circumstances is, as 

 we have seen, by no means inconsiderable, and by proper man- 

 agement might enable the people to extricate themselves from 

 their present depressed position ; but though not exactly lazy, 

 they are entirely deficient in the energy requisite for effectively 

 improving their condition. Whenever they have enough of yams 

 and potatoes, they no longer think of exerting themselves or 



* Three-fifths of the 50,000 tons annually imported are English manufactures. 

 f An EngUsh coal depot has been established in Funchal since 1848. 



