The North Side 



very fertile and beautiful district, with a fine 

 air of prosperity ; the cottage gardens bright 

 with flowers. The Bishop of Funchal owns 

 a fair Quinta and a considerable estate here. 

 From a point on the cliffs below the village 

 the long line of surf-beaten cliffs may be seen 

 in all their glory. As one looks southward, 

 the great mass of Pico Ruivo dominates the 

 scene, its sides scarred with the beginnings of 

 those ravines which in their full development 

 lower down cost us so much trouble to cross. 

 From this pleasant village the traveller may 

 ride in another three hours to Boa Ventura, 

 passing on the journey one of those fearful 

 headlands which I have described. 



Where every prospect pleases, where you 

 may make your choice between beetling crags 

 and sylvan gorges, and flowery m.eads and sea- 

 sprayed cliffs, it is difficult to select one spot 

 on this northern shore as more truly delightful 

 than another. Yet, if I must make a choice, 

 I do not hesitate to choose the village of Boa 

 Ventura, of " Good Fortune," as the very gem. 

 The hamlet lies some 1400 feet above the sea- 

 level, on a spur of mountain standing out into 

 one of the main valleys of the island, perhaps 



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