Leaves from a Aladeira Garden 



used. The railway which ascends to " the 

 Mount " directly above Funchal now makes 

 that locality more convenient as a residence 

 in hot weather. Camacha possesses among 

 other attractions a level tract of good turf 

 on which many a cricket match has been played. 

 It mi^ht be mistaken for the grreen of an 



O CD 



English village but that it lies on the very 

 brink of a deep and picturesque ravine. 



In this hamlet and its neighbourhood is made 

 much of the wicker-work — chairs, tables, sofas, 

 and other articles — which fills the shops of 

 Funchal. Enormous quantities are purchased 

 by the passengers of passing steamers ; and 

 it is not unknown at charity bazaars in 

 England. It is carried down the steep moun- 

 tain road to the town chiefly by women, 

 who will bear, balanced on their heads, a 

 surprisingly heavy and unwieldy mass of tables 

 and chairs. This practice gives them a peculiar 

 gait ; the body is held perfectly rigid, and the 

 hips swing with a regular motion as they walk. 

 The muscular development of these women 

 must be prodigious. 



And Camacha is justly celebrated for its 

 flowers — its arum lilies and irises, its ixias and 



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