The Garden in its Glory 



dream that one is standing on the terrace of 

 a sixteenth-century villa at Frascati. The 

 Quinta S. Joao is remarkable for the quiet 

 dignity of the approach from the entrance gate 

 to the house — a perfectly level and straight 

 road bordered by palms and tropical trees, a 

 delicious line of restful greenery. The Quinta 

 Vigia, possessing in former days perhaps the 

 most admired and famous of Madeira gardens, 

 has fallen from its high estate. It was put 

 for some years to the base uses of a Casino, 

 and subsequently was purchased by the German 

 company. Having been first vulgarized, and 

 since left more or less derelict, it has lost much 

 of the beauty which it once enjoyed. But its 

 fine trees still remain, and nothing can impair 

 the charm of its unique position on a cliff 

 above the port. 



These gardens are but a tithe of those which 

 surround the town on all sides, gardens greater 

 and less, gardens English and Portuguese, 

 gardens of varying purpose and differing ideals. 

 But the traveller who is fortunate enough to 

 see them will carry away an impression of horti- 

 cultural variety and beauty which is probably 

 unique. And of each it may be emphatically 



273 T 



