CHAPTER IV. 



ON THE HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND MANNERS OF MADEIRA. 



" Th' historic Muse, from age to age, 

 Through many a waste, heart-sickening page, 

 Hath traced the works of man." 



Keble. 



Ancient history. — Re-discovery of Madeira Cape Bojador. — Columbus. — 



History of Machim. — Governors appointed. — Allotment of land. — Original 

 government. — Death of Zarco. — Funchal constituted a city. — Invasion 

 by French privateers. — Madeira passes into the dominion of Spain. — 

 English possession. — Dom Miguel. — Ecclesiastical affairs. — Bishop ap- 

 pointed. — Ecclesiastical courts. — Salary of the clergy. — Diocese of Fun- 

 chal. — Monastic establishments. — Religious societies. — Places of educa- 

 tion. — Public institutions. — Judicial division of Madeira. — Civil governor. 

 — Judges.- — Criminals. — Laws of inheritance. — Public revenues.— Go- 

 vernment monopolies. — Military affairs. — Roads. — Elections. — Habita- 

 tions of the poor. — Dress. — Beauty. — Manufactures. 



ANCIENT HISTORY. 



It does not appear that any of the islands which lie on the 

 western coast of Africa, at a distance from the Continent, 

 were certainly known to the ancients till about the com- 

 mencement of the Christian era. Strabo blamed the Alex- 

 andrian geographer, Eratosthenes, for having given credit to 

 fabulous tales concerning an island named Cerrie, supposed to 

 have been discovered beyond the pillars of Hercules in an 

 exploring expedition of the Carthaginians, conducted by 

 Hanno *, and though there seems no reason to doubt that the 



* The voyage of Hanno, according to Dodwell (Dissert, de Peripli Han- 

 nonis, torn. i. edit. Oxon.), took place at some time between the 92nd and 

 129th Olympiad. 



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