VILLA GARDENS EAST OF FUNCHAL 59 



the gate of the Quinta Palmiera, which takes its 

 name from the large palm-tree which rears its 

 head proudly and stands alone in the grounds. 

 The path leading to the house winds up the side 

 of the hill, through grounds which for many years 

 had been out of cultivation, until the property 

 changed hands a short time ago ; but as the ground 

 had always been left in more or less its wild and 

 natural state, it suffered less than if it had been a 

 cultivated garden. 



It is a beautiful piece of rocky ground, and on 

 one side a group of Pinus pinea, stone, or parasol 

 pines, stand towering over a grand cliff which rises 

 abruptly from the river-bed. In November the 

 rocks are covered with the red spikes of the 

 blossoms of the Aloe arbor escens, and the effect 

 with the great pines and cypresses beyond is one 

 of indescribable beauty. This is the only villa 

 which can boast of the possession of fine cypresses, 

 and here one realizes the ornament they would be 

 to the island if they were more lavishly planted. 

 The ground near the house is admirably suited 

 for broad terracing, and a splendid effect could 

 be obtained by leaving the cypresses standing 

 out against the distant sea. But the rock being 

 so very near the surface, and the absence of 



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