146 FLOWERS AND GARDENS OF MADEIRA 



1492. Fructuoso gives an account of some of the 

 first inhabitants of the island, and tells us that the 

 first children who were born in the island were the 

 son and daughter of Gonzalo Ayres Fereira, one of 

 Zargo's companions, and they were christened 

 Adam and Eve. Adam, the first man, founded 

 the Church of Nossa Senhora at the Mount. 



The wife of Christopher Columbus being the 

 daughter of Perestrello, the Governor of the 

 neighbouring island of Porto Santo, possibly led to 

 Christopher Columbus visiting Madeira. The house 

 which he was said to have occupied during these 

 visits, the property of Jean d'Esmenault, was ruth- 

 lessly destroyed in the year 1877 to make room for 

 new shops. The American Consul of that date, 

 evidently sharing the love of the rest of his country- 

 people for souvenirs, carried away to America many 

 of the architectural treasures of the house, such as 

 the carved window-frames and ornamental stone- 

 work. Thus Funchal lost one of her most interest- 

 ing relics of the past. 



In the year 1566 Funchal suffered at the hands 

 of a French naval expedition which had been fitted 

 out by Peyrot de Montluc, son of the Marshal, for 

 the purposes of exploring unknown lands and seas, 

 according to the spirit of adventure which was the 



