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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



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rounding ocean dotted with sails 

 that glisten in the bright sunshine. 



ponTa delgada, The mid-ocean 

 terminal eor aviators 



Ponta Delgada, the largest city 

 in the Azores, has 17,600 inhabit- 

 ants. Fortunately, it has preserved 

 some of its old features, the in- 

 heritance of past centuries — just 

 enough to breathe an atmosphere of 

 quaintness and to make the place so 

 delightfully attractive that the jum- 

 ble of high, massive chimneys, the 

 tall Avails, and the small balconies 

 that overhang the streets become a 

 part of one's life. 



Modern buildings there are, such 

 as the imposing hospital, the quar- 

 antine station, the Governor's Pal- 

 ace, and many private residences. 

 But it is not these one cares to talk 

 about in a place that can boast in- 

 teresting relics of the past. 



Ponta Delgada still has a num- 

 ber of houses that have been handed 

 down through generations in ac- 

 cordance with the law of the mor- 

 gados. The morgado was the old- 

 est son, who inherited the estate of 

 his father and upon whom devolved 

 the duty of providing for the other 

 members of his family. 



The architecture of these houses 

 is the same as that used in olden 

 times by the morgados of northern 

 Portugal. Here they are built of 

 massive lava rock. The interiors 

 are divided into spacious rooms, 

 provided with many windows and 

 doors that often connect with long 

 rows of balconies. Ornamental de- 

 signs worked in plaster of Paris 

 decorate the painted walls and ceil- 

 ings. Large chimneys stand like 

 sentinels on the roofs. These chim- 

 neys, having long, narrow openings, 

 are in some cases eight feet wide 

 at the lower part, where they rise 

 from the fireplace in the kitchen. 



The date showing when the house 

 was built and a coat of arms made 

 of plaster of Paris are sometimes 

 found above the entrance. Many 

 of the morgado residences are pro- 

 vided with a special chapel for the 

 members of the family. The best 



