Chapter Yll—FEBRU^ART 

 Land and Sea 



"The earth hath bubbles, as the water has." — Macbeth. 



BY way of introducing a little variety 

 into our horticultural pursuits, we 

 have this year rented a cottage and 

 garden near " the Mount," which I 

 have already described as lying some two thou- 

 sand feet above Funchal. It is rendered very 

 easy of access by the mountain railway, and a visit 

 to it has the advantage of affording a complete 

 change of air. In mid-winter this region is often 

 bathed in mist, with " the rainbow smiling on 

 the faded storm," when the town and the lower 

 lying country are in full sun ; but as the spring 

 advances, these uplands enjoy one of the most 

 delightful climates in the world. The spring 

 flowers — violets, anemones, daffodils, and the 

 rest — which die or languish in the unvarying 

 geniality of the litoral, flourish at this elevation 

 in unexampled glory. It is possible in Madeira 



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