The Garden in Spring 



English Consul, John Carter, having been 

 appointed in 1658. 



Mr. Yate Johnson quotes from the account 

 of Paterson's disastrous expedition to Darien 

 in 1698, that when his vessels touched at 

 Madeira " those gentlemen who had fine 

 clothes among their baggage were glad to 

 exchange embroidered coats and laced waist- 

 coats for provisions and wine." And John 

 Atkins, a surgeon in the navy, who was here 

 about 1720, relates that he bought a pipe of 

 wine for two half-worn suits, and another pipe 

 for three second-hand wigs. 



The Continental wars of the close of the 

 eighteenth century gave a great impetus to 

 the consumption of Madeira wine in England, 

 and for many years before and after the year 

 1 800 the average export was nearly 20,000 pipes. 

 The restoration of peace on the fall of Napo- 

 leon, and the consequent re-opening of French 

 ports, brought about a decline, but the trade 

 flourished until the vines were attacked in 

 1852 by a fungus, Oidium Tuckeri, znd nearly 

 all destroyed. Sulphur has been found to 

 keep this in check, the vineyards have been 

 replanted with American stocks, and in spite 



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