SEPT. 1768 MADEIRA 



ii 



We visited them on Thursday evening, just before their 

 supper-time ; they made many apologies, that they could not 

 ask us to sup, not being prepared ; " but," said they, " if you 

 will come to-morrow, notwithstanding that it is a fast with 

 us, we will have a turkey roasted for you." 



There are here besides friaries, three or four houses of 

 nuns. To one of these (Saint Clara) we went, and indeed 

 the ladies did us the honour to express great pleasure in 

 seeing us there. They had heard that we were great 

 philosophers, and expected much from us : one of the first 

 questions that they asked was when it would thunder ; they 

 then desired to know if we could put them in a way of find- 

 ing water in their convent, of which it seems they were in 

 want. Notwithstanding that our answers to their questions 

 were not quite so much to the purpose as they expected, 

 they did not at all cease their civilities ; for while we stayed, 

 which was about half an hour, I am sure that there was not 

 a fraction of a second in which their tongues did not go at 

 an uncommonly nimble rate. 



It remains now that I should say something of the 

 island in general, and then take my leave of Madeira till 

 some other opportunity offers of visiting it again, for the 

 climate is so fine that any man might wish it was in his 

 power to live there under the benefits of English laws and 

 liberty. 



The hills here are very high, much higher than any one 

 would imagine ; Pico Euievo, the highest, is 5068 feet, 1 

 which is much higher than any land that has been measured 

 in Great Britain. The whole island, as I hinted before, has 

 probably been the production of a volcano, notwithstanding 

 which its fertility is amazing : all the sides of the hills 

 are covered with vines to a certain height, above which 

 are woods of chestnut and pine of immense extent, and 

 above them forests of wild timber of kinds not known in 

 Europe, which amply supply the inhabitants with whatever 

 they may want. Among these, some there were whose 

 flowers we were not able to procure, and consequently could 



1 6059 feet by more recent measurement. 



