Land and Sea 



Before the days of steamers, wrecks must 

 have been quite a considerable source of profit 

 to the islanders. A southerly gale has been 

 known to drive half a dozen ships lying in the 

 port on shore. Steamers are able to go out to 

 sea, where they are safe ; and such a gale, 

 especially as it sometimes does much damage 

 to shore boats and lighters, is perhaps regarded 

 with less favour than formerly. 



But the sea has sometimes brought less 

 welcome visitors. The islands of Madeira and 

 Porto Santo suffered much in their early days 

 from privateers and corsairs. Next to dis- 

 covering an "unsuspected isle in far off seas," 

 the harrying of one which somebody else had 

 discovered and settled must have been the 

 greatest fun imaginable. Such raids are not 

 entirely without their modern successors, but 

 nowadays they are not considered good form. 

 In 1566 the town of Funchal was sacked by 

 a large force of French freebooters, who landed 

 on a convenient beach about three miles to the 

 west of the town. They occupied it for fifteen 

 days, plundering churches, convents and houses, 

 holding citizens to ransom, and putting many, 

 including the Governor D'Ornellas, to the 



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