Leaves from a Madeira Garden 



the stormy sea of this northern coast to ship 

 cargo for weeks together. Cars running on 

 overhead wire-ropes across the mountains have 

 been suggested, and as far as I know may be 

 feasible, but who is to find the capital outlay 

 for such an enterprise ? So "ihe northern dis- 

 tricts of the island remain pretty much the 

 same as they have been for centuries ; and 

 those who take delight in unspoiled scenery 

 and the ways of a primitive peasantry may 

 indulge a hope that they will long remain so. 



As one looks northwards across the ocean, 

 the island of Porto Santo is ever a prominent 

 object, hanging like a fairy isle between the sea 

 and sky. It is but six miles long, with an 

 extreme width of three miles, with some two 

 thousand inhabitants, chiefly engaged in pastoral 

 pursuits. Here are bred the oxen so largely 

 used for draught purposes in Funchal. Its 

 loftiest peak is about 1660 feet high. There 

 are no trees, and from a distance it affords a 

 strangely barren contrast to the fertile aspect of 

 Madeira. It is a poor little place, with a mail 

 only every two or three weeks, when the 

 weather permits a small steamer to make the 

 voyage from Funchal : and life on the island 



214 



