MADEIRA. 



631 



Madeira has long been the resort of invalids, 

 especially of consumptive patients. The most fa- 

 vourable season for them is from November to the 

 middle of June. In July, August, and September, 

 the heat occasionally becomes excessive, and the 

 influence of the sirocco wind has been known to 

 cause a rise of temperature to 130 of Fahrenheit, 

 a heat sufficient to melt wax. The winters too are 

 sometimes stormy and uncomfortable. The geolo- 

 gical structure of the island unfortunately is an in- 

 superable obstacle to the construction of roads, and 

 the invalid is debarred from the salutary exercise 

 of riding. 



The Azores or Western islands are nine in num- 

 ber, and situated to the northwest of Madeira, be- 

 tween 37 and 39 of north latitude, and 25 and 

 31 of west longitude. The largest and most im- 

 portant is the island of St Michael's. It is about 

 fifty miles in length, and its breadth varies from six 

 to ten. It rises in many parts precipitously from 

 the water, at others very gradually. Here are seen 

 gently sloping and spreading declivities, and there 

 a long line of elevated ridges, with huge angular 

 buttresses of rock running up from their base, be- 

 tween which, narrow silvery streams of water are 

 often dashing along, or unite to form a picturesque 

 cascade. The more level parts are dotted with 

 hundreds of small hills, many of which are perfect 

 cones, while others are truncated, or terminate in 

 crater-shaped summits. The lower parts of the 

 island are cultivated, and exhibit extended fields of 

 Indian corn, wheat, and the various culinary vege- 

 tables. Houses and villages are scattered ail along 

 the coast, intermixed with vineyards and orange 

 gardens. The population is about eighty thou- 

 sand. 



Next in importance is the island of Fayal, which 

 is of much smaller size, being but about fifty miles 

 in circumference. It rises more abruptly from the 

 water, but is not inferior in point of beauty. The 

 capital of Fayal, Horta, is beautifully situated at 

 the bottom of a semicircular bay, and at the foot 

 of a grand amphitheatre of mountains. The 

 mountains are clothed to their very summits with 

 the myrtle and laurel, and a great variety of flower- 

 ing shrubs. Gardens and orange groves, so thickly 

 overgrown that scarce a sunbeam gains admission, 

 are numerous, amid which are scattered the country 

 seats, and occasionally a church or a convent. 

 Some of these are very conspicuous and ornamen- 

 tal, from the elevated spots on which they have 

 been erected, overlooking the city and anchorage. 

 Pico is separated from Fayal only by a narrow 

 channel, and rises immediately in front of the city; 

 there are many houses upon it along the water's 

 edge, and behind them are the vineyards, extend- 

 ing a considerable way up its acclivity,* out of 

 which its blackened, burnt, scorified, and seamed 

 mass towers aloft in imposing grandeur. 



The city of Horta has an antique appearance, 

 and its streets, compared even to those of Ponta 

 Delgada, the capital of St Michael's, appear deso- 

 late and dreary. They are generally very narrow, 

 wretchedly paved, and not lighted at night. But 

 few persons are seen in them, except in the vicin- 

 ity of the market-place and custom house. In 

 Ponta Delgada, on the contrary, the streets are 

 thronged with people, vehicles, and donkeys. The 

 large and once splendid churches and convent in 



* These vineyards furnish all the wine Uiat is exported un- 

 der the name of Fayal wine. 



Horta are fast falling to decay, and some are en- 

 tirely deserted. 



The prosperity and growth of all the Azores 

 have suffered as much probably from the want of 

 good harbours, as from any other cause. Immedi 

 ately on the arrival and anchoring of vessels at 

 Horta, it is found necessary to render them more 

 secure, by sending off in large boats from the shore 

 additional anchors and cables ; but even this is not 

 always a sufficient protection from the fury of the 

 wind and heavy seas, by which they are often 

 driven from their moorings upon the craggy rocks 

 of Pico or Fayal. The best harbour is at St 

 Michael's, where, although vessels lie at anchor at 

 the distance of half a mile from the city, they have 

 a much better chance of getting to sea, in the event 

 of a gale, than at Fayal. The construction of a 

 safe harbour at St Michael's could be effected with 

 no very great expense; for nature has already done 

 much, and had the island belonged to Great Britain, 

 it would long since have been accomplished. The 

 Portuguese government are however said to have 

 the matter under consideration, and some surveys 

 have actually, we believe, been commenced. 



The political changes in the mother country have 

 not been without their effect upon the Azores. 

 Very decided and obvious improvement has taken 

 place, especially in St Michael's. The residence 

 there of Don Pedro, during the contest with Don 

 Miguel, was marked by some vigorous measures. 

 The swarms of friars and nuns were put to flight, 

 their rich territories were taken under the care of 

 the crown, their cells transformed to hospitals and 

 barrack-rooms, and some of their convent chapels 

 converted into monitorial and other schools. One 

 of the chapels is now a reading-room, well supplied 

 with books, periodicals, and newspapers, but sup- 

 ported chiefly by the foreign merchants resident in 

 Ponta Delgada, where two newspapers are more- 

 over published. This is the only island in which 

 an English church has been allowed to be erected, 

 and a resting-place assigned for the repose of the 

 ashes of protestants, which is a neat enclosure, al- 

 ready exhibiting several handsome monuments, and 

 ornamented with^trees and shrubbery. The inter- 

 course with the more enlightened Portuguese who 

 accompanied Don Pedro, and with the increasing 

 numbers of English and American residents, has 

 had a very perceptible influence on the before se- 

 cluded, thick-blooded " morgardos";f and their chil- 

 dren are now often sent to London, Lisbon, or 

 Paris to be educated. Many new buildings have 

 been erected in St Michael's, some in excellent 

 taste and at enormous cost. New streets have been 

 laid out, and various other improvements com- 

 menced. Much of the ceremony that was so great 

 an obstacle to social intercourse, has given way, 

 and females are actually seen in the streets unat- 

 tended. The introduction of foreign articles of 

 luxury or comfort is now very considerable, many 

 of the shops in Ponta Delgada are well supplied 

 with the fanciful wares of London and Paris, and 

 the fair Portuguese are fast becoming proficients in 

 all the mysteries of " shopping." 



The progress of improvement in all these islands 

 is still much impeded by the entail of estates, and 

 the difficulty of purchasing land ; but measures 

 are understood to be in train to remove or modify 

 these evils. 



W : th the breaking up of the religious establish- 



t Proprietors of entailed estates. 



