AND PORTO SANTO. 39 



with a canvass of large dimensions, and there make an oil painting, 

 where every touch would be from nature ; the artist giving himself 

 time to seize the most favourable moments only, and which, in the 

 regular climate of Madeira, would occur daily at nearly the same 

 hours : for instance, he should be there at sunrise, to see the peaks 

 without clouds ; he must then wait until about two o'clock, to 

 catch the clearest outlines of the rocks of the rugged side; two 

 hours later would throw the buttresses projecting into the abyss 

 completely into view, with every crag and line distinct ; and sun- 

 set would give him the glow that makes the whole valley so 

 lovely. The accompanying sketch was made in the course of two 

 mornings, and I can only hope that the geologist may be inte- 

 rested by it, and that some skilful hand will yet have time, and feel 

 sufficient interest in the labour, to give the world a correct view of 

 this wonderful scene. It has been remarked, that had the drawing 

 been broader than long, it would have conveyed a better idea of 

 depth, but this was tried, and the proportions would not admit of 

 it ; each method of shading, with the light or dark foregrounds, was 

 also tried, but that adopted seemed best to me : this I think is the 

 grand obstacle to success, depth being generally given by the 

 deepest colouring, and by gradually losing outline in darkness, 

 whilst in the Coural, you even distinguish the houses at the depth 

 of 1500 feet, and every line is perfectly clear. The most minute 

 crags, however distant, continue distinct, from the clearness of the 

 atmosphere ; and it is almost impossible to preserve a light fore- 

 ground, from the rich colouring and the quantity of deep verdure. 

 A morning mist was thrown over the rocks of the opposite side, 

 to give distance ; and through that mist it was a matter of ho small 

 difficvilty to preserve the outlines of the crags. The season being 

 unfavourable, hours w'ere spent to catch the peak of Rui^•o, and 

 the greater part of the second day's labour was performed in the 

 rain. The dense mists which cover these heights, morning and 



