SEPT. 1768 MADEIRA 7 
however, of the tree called here Vigniatico, Laurus indicus} 
Linn., bids fair to be the thing, it being of a fine grain and 
brown like mahogany, from which it is difficult to distinguish 
it, as is well shown at Dr. Heberden’s house, where, in a 
book-case, vigniatico and mahogany were placed close by 
each other, and were only to be known asunder by the 
first being of not quite so dark a colour as the other. 
As much of the island as we saw showed evident signs 
of a volcano having some time or other possibly produced 
the whole, for we saw no one piece of stone which did not 
clearly show signs of having been burnt, some very much, 
specially the sand, which was absolutely cinders. Indeed, 
we did not see much of the country, but we were told that 
the whole resembled the specimen we saw of it. 
When first approached from seaward the land has a very 
beautiful appearance, the sides of the hills being entirely 
covered with vineyards almost as high as the eye can 
distinguish. This gives a constant appearance of verdure, 
although at this time nothing but the vines remain green, 
the grass and herbs being entirely burnt up, except near 
the rills by which the vines are watered and under the 
shade of the vines themselves. But even there very few 
species of plants were in perfection, the greater part being 
burnt up. 
The people here in general seem to be as idle, or rather 
uninformed, a set, as I ever yet saw; all their instruments, 
even those with which their wine, the only article of trade 
in the island, is made, are perfectly simple and unimproved. 
In making wine the grapes are put into a square wooden 
vessel, of dimensions depending upon the size of the vine- 
yard to which it belongs, into which the servants get 
(having taken off their stockings and jackets), and with 
their feet and elbows squeeze out as much of the juice as 
they can; the stalks, etc., are then collected, tied together 
with a rope, and put under a square piece of wood which is 
pressed down by a lever, to the other end of which is 
fastened a stone that may be raised up at pleasure by a 
1 Persea indica, Spreng, 
