Fountain and market- 

 place. 



PASSAGE FROM MADEIRA 



Climate. Slaves. 



Fruit, bread, cheese, and wines were handed about. 

 Some of the wine was made on the island of Fogo, 

 and resembled the light Italian wines. The cheese 

 also was made here from goats' milk, and resem- 

 bled the Spanish cheese. After doing ample jus- 

 tice to his excellency's good fare, we proceeded to 

 view the lions of the place. 



The first and greatest of these is the fountain, 

 or common watering-place of the town, above half 

 a mile distant by the path, in a valley to the west 

 of the town, and almost immediately under it. The 

 fountain is surrounded by a variety of tropical 

 trees, consisting of dates, cocoa-nuts, bananas, pa- 

 payas, sugar-cane, and tamarinds, with grapes, 

 oranges, limes, &c. &c., and when brought into 

 comparison with the surrounding lands, may be 

 termed an enchanting spot ; but what adds pecu- 

 liarly to its effect on a stranger, is the novelty of 

 the objects that are brought together. Over the 

 spring is a thatched roof, and round about it a 

 group of the most remarkable objects in human 

 shape that can well be conceived. On one side 

 blind beggars, dirty soldiers, and naked children ; 

 on another, lepers, boys with monkeys, others with 

 fowls, half-dressed women, asses not bigger than 

 sheep, and hogs of a mammoth breed ; to say 

 nothing of those with cutaneous disorders, that 

 were undergoing ablution. All conspired to 

 form a scene peculiar, I should think, to this semi- 

 African population. Here sailors watering and 

 washing, chatting, talking, and laughing ; there a 

 group of far niente natives of all sizes, shapes, 

 and colours, half clothed, with turbaned heads and 

 handkerchiefs of many and gay colours, tied on 

 after a different fashion from what we had been 

 accustomed to, the shawls being reversed, their 

 ends hanging down behind instead of before, com- 

 pletely covering the breast and one-fourth of the 

 face. This well barely supplies the wants of the 

 inhabitants and shipping, and they are now about 

 building a reservoir. The whole of the stone for 

 it was prepared in Portugal, and made ready for 

 putting up. It is to be of marble, and the water 

 for its supply is brought two miles in iron pipes. 



A market is held daily in the morning when any 

 vessels are in port. The square in which it is held 

 is quite a large one, with a cross in its centre. 

 The market is not of much extent, but a great 

 variety of tropical fruits, of the kinds before enu- 

 merated, are exposed for sale in small quantities, 

 as well as vegetables. These consist of cabbage- 

 leaves, beans, pumpkins, squashes, corn, potatoes, 

 yams, mandioca, &c. All these were spread out 

 on the large leaves of the cocoa-nut tree. No kind 

 of meat was for sale. The only articles of this 

 description were chickens four or five days old, 

 tied up in bunches, and some eggs. In order to 

 obtain beef, it is necessary to buy the cattle at the 

 cattle-yard, where, on previous notice being given, 

 you may choose those that suit for slaughter. 

 They are in general of small size, and dark- 

 coloured. Those we saw were from the interior of 

 the island, where they are said to thrive well. 



The morning drill of the recruits which was 

 witnessed was amusing. They were cleanly 

 dressed, but the rattan was freely used by the 

 sergeant ; and what seemed characteristic or in 

 keeping with appearances around, the sergeant 

 during the drill ordered one of his men from the 

 ranks to bring him some fire to light his cigar ! 



No trades were observed, and but one small car- 

 penter's shop. A few shops were supplied with 

 cotton, hardware, &c. There were likewise a 

 number of little wine shops, where they also sold 

 fruit, which they usually have in great plenty ; but 

 all their crops depend much upon the rains, and 

 the inhabitants have also become indifferent or 

 careless about raising more than for their own 

 supply, from the heavy exactions of government 

 made upon every thing that is cultivated. The 

 demand for shipping has of late years very 

 much decreased. The improvement in the sup- 

 plies and comforts on board of vessels on long 

 voyages, now make it unnecessary to touch in port, 

 as was formerly deemed unavoidable. 



Porto Praya is yet visited by whale-ships for 

 supplies. Although the soil is poor, and the crops 

 very uncertain, yet the tropical fruits and some 

 vegetables can always be obtained here. They are 

 usually, if time is allowed, brought from the in- 

 terior. The inhabitants have at times suffered 

 almost the extremes of famine, in consequence of 

 the droughts that prevail for successive years, and 

 especially during the one that took place in 1832. 



The exports from these islands are salt, some 

 ordinary wine, hides, goats' skins, and orchilla. 

 The latter is a government monopoly. Ninety 

 thousand milrees were paid by the company for 

 the yearly crop, and it is said at that price to yield 

 a handsome profit. 



The climate of these islands is said to be healthy, 

 though exceedingly warm. It is subject to fevers, 

 which generally take place during the rainy months 

 of July and August. There is an indistinctness in 

 the atmosphere that I have not experienced else- 

 where, which causes every thing to be ill-defined, 

 although the day may be fair. The same appear- 

 ance was observed after a shower of rain as before. 

 The temperature of the air was found here to be 

 75-7 , and of the water 81. 



Slaves are imported from the coast of Africa, 

 and settlers or heads of families are not allowed to 

 bring with them more than ten slaves. There was 

 one at the consul's, recently imported from the 

 Foolah district in Africa, who was purchased by 

 him for one hundred and fifty dollars. 



The costumes here are so various, that it scarcely 

 can be said that any one of them is peculiar to the 

 island. The men generally wear a white shirt and 

 trousers, with a dark vest, principally the cast-off 

 clothing of the whites. Others go quite naked, 

 excepting a straw hat; others again are in loose 

 shirts. The women have a shawl fastened around 

 them, with occasionally another thrown over them, 

 covering the mouth and bust, and crossing behind. 

 The children for the most part go naked. 



The Relief not having arrived, I deemed it an 

 unnecessary detention to await her here. There 

 was great necessity of reaching Rio de Janeiro as 

 soon as possible, in order to complete our outfits, 

 and put the vessels in fit condition to meet the 

 Antarctic cruising as soon as possible. I therefore 

 determined to proceed thither forthwith. The 

 store-ship did not reach Porto Praya until the 

 18th, after a passage from Hampton Roads of 

 sixty days. Nothing more truly illustrates the 

 necessity of navigating in the prevailing winds, 

 than this passage of the Relief compared with that 

 of the squadron. We took the route by Madeira, 

 over one thousand miles greater in distance, re- 



