80 DOUGLAS' JOURNAL 



were gone through, and on his taking leave he said that at daylight a 

 white flag must be at the masthead, a sign of quarantine. My imprison- 

 ment on a former voyage came into my mind, attended with all its conse- 

 quences ; but in the meantime the health of all friends was drunk with 

 much pleasure ; and with these sensations on my mind which will ever afford 

 satisfaction, I wished my fellow-voyagers " Good night," and went to 

 sleep. Thermometer at twelve o'clock, in the shade, 80°. In the water, 

 76°. 



Tuesday and Wednesday, August Vdih, Wth. — Tuesday : In the morning 

 as follows to Joseph Sabine, Esq., &c : — 



Madeira, August IQth, 1824. 



Dear Sir, — It gives me much pleasure to inform you of my arrival here 

 last night, having enjoyed a very pleasant passage from England. I have 

 not yet been on shore, but wiU as soon as I get permission. The vessel 

 will stay to-day and probably part of to-morrow, which wiU enable me to 

 see a little of the island. I sincerely wish they would make a stay of a few 

 days. The woods and valleys have a beautiful appearance from the water, 

 and no doubt contain many interesting things. If I have the least time 

 to spare I shall make a point of seeing Henry Veitch, Esq., who will probably 

 facilitate my movements. Should the vessel touch at Rio (as I hope it 

 may), or some other place equally good, and make a stay of ten or twelve 

 days, I hope to collect some of the yet hidden treasures. 



I feel extremely gratified by the kindness and comfort shown me by 

 Captain Hanwell — ^he is a very attentive man. Anything that will come 

 by the return of the vessel will be carefully looked to. 



I do not think anything has been omitted that could add to my comfort. 

 I regret that I could not see Mr. Turner before I left. — ^Dear Sir, I am, 

 Your obedient humble servant, D. Douglas. 



Afterwards wrote to my brother, took breakfast, and went on shore 

 at eight o'clock without delay : my first inquiry was for the vegetable 

 market, which is situated near the south-west side of the town. It is a 

 square of fifty yards, enclosed on the south and west by sheds which are 

 fitted as stalls, on the east by a shed or house serving as the butcher 

 market, on the north by a high iron rail with one gate, which is the only 

 entrance to it. There are four rows of houses or shops, five in each row, 

 equally divided, in the centre of the square, built of wood, ten feet square 

 with pavilion roofs. The whole is neatly paved with round stones kept 

 very clean and has quite a genteel appearance. There is a daily market, 

 continued throughout the day ; officers are in attendance whose duty it 

 is to see that business is conducted with propriety. Their services I 

 valued much ; particularly as it was evident, from the movements of 

 merchants, they were not strangers to deception. There appeared to be 

 a scarcity of vegetables. The following is a list of what I saw : 



Cabbage of inferior size, seeming a late variety ; had no opportunity of 

 tasting it. The leaves of Arum esculentum i used as spinach. The roots, 



' Colocasia aviiquorum, var. esculenta, Engl, in DC. Monog. Phan. ii. p. 492. 



