14 MADEIRA. 
Livre Monte, and the peasants' cabins embedded in the dark and 
luxuriant foliage beneath, whose peace and quietness is in such 
strong contrast with the wildness of nature above. The whole looks 
more like enchantment than reality. The shape of the Curral and 
its perpendicular sides give the idea rather of a gorge than of a 
crater. 
In the descent the road winds along the sides of the precipice, 
turning around sharp and jutting projections with a frightful gulf 
yawning below. A misstep of the horse would plunge the rider to 
destruction. At every turn new and striking views are brought 
out, almost surpassing in grandeur the first. The descent is so 
gradual, that one scarcely seems to advance downwards, and the 
length of time necessary to accomplish it (upwards of an hour) 
will give some idea of the vastness, and grandeur of the scene. 
Continuing on, the gorge opens to the south, where the streamlet 
of the Curral, joined by several lateral branches, forms the river 
Socorridos, which empties itself into the sea at the ancient town 
of Camera de Lobos. 
A party consisting of Messrs. Drayton, Pickering, Couthouy, and 
Brackenridge, visited San Vincente, on the north side of the island. 
They describe the road to it as passing over projecting ledges, of 
which those unacquainted with a volcanic country can form but little 
idea, The first night the party stopped at Santa Anna, where they 
were hospitably entertained by Senor A. Accraiolis, who afforded 
them every comfort in his power. They were exceedingly well 
accommodated. The next morning they set out on their way to Pico 
Ruivo. On their road they encountered the forest of arborescent 
Heaths, some of which were found thirty feet in height and four feet 
in girth at a height of two feet from the ground. These have by 
former travellers been reported as pines. Mr. Drayton's illustrative 
drawing of these remarkable trees is very characteristic. 
After a fatiguing day's ramble, in which they collected many 
specimens, they returned to Santa Anna, quite wet, it having 
rained most of the day on the mountain. The next day they set 
out for San Vincente, their kind host furnishing them with a letter 
to Padre Jacinto Neri. Passing along the north side over some of 
the most mountainous and broken parts of the island, though at 
the same time extremely beautiful, and in places well cultivated, 
they reached the pass at Estroza. This is particularly striking, 
winding around the precipitous cliff, almost overhanging the sea 
