INTRODUCTION 7 



has leisure to spend in exploring the island, merely 

 for the sake either of admiring its scenery, or 

 making a collection of the many ferns which 

 adorn every nook and cranny of the deep ravines, 

 I can promise ample reward ; always supposing 

 that they are sufficiently good travellers not to 

 consider comfortable hotel accommodation as being 

 an essential part of their expedition. Away from 

 Funchal no hotels exist in Madeira ; but if it is 

 the right season of the year, and a spell of fine 

 weather is reasonably to be expected, tent-life 

 must be resorted to, or the primitive accommoda- 

 tion afforded by the engineers' huts in various 

 districts, or rooms in the most primitive of village 

 inns. 



Enthusiastic admirers of the scenery of Madeira 

 have compared its grandeur to that of the Yosemite 

 Valley in miniature : its mountain-peaks, it is true, 

 only range from 4,000 to 6,000 feet, but the abrupt- 

 ness with which they rise gives an impression of 

 enormous depth to the densely wooded ravines. 

 In an article on Madeira written by Mr. Frazer 

 in 1875 it will be seen that he also compared its 

 scenery to some of the grandest mountain scenery 

 in the world. Writing of an expedition to the 

 north side of the island, he says : " The beauty 



