30 PASSAGE FROM MADEIRA 



for vessels to depart, the request was made during the interview, which 

 he readily granted at any hour we chose. 



The town of Porto Praya is prettily situated on an elevated piece 

 of table land, and looked well from the anchorage. 



The bay is an open one, but is not exposed to the prevailing winds. 

 There is generally a swell setting in, which makes the landing un- 

 pleasant and difficult. The only landing-place is a small rock, some 

 distance from the town, and under a high bank, on which there is, 

 or rather was, a fortification, for it is now entirely gone to decay. It 

 commands the bay, and is situated about two hundred feet above 

 the sea. The horizontal stratification of the red and yellow-coloured 

 sandstone shows most conspicuously in this cliff, and forms one of the 

 most remarkable objects on this part of the island. It is of tertiary 

 formation, and contains many fossils. I regretted extremely that my 

 time did not permit me to make a longer stay, as we left the island 

 under the impression that there is much here to be found that is new 

 in the various departments of natural history. Between this bluff and 

 the town is an extensive valley, in which are many date-palms, cocoa- 

 nuts, and a species of aloe. 



On landing, a stranger is immediately surrounded by numbers of the 

 inhabitants, with fruit, vegetables, chickens, turkeys, and monkeys, all 

 pressing him with bargains, and willing to take any thing for the 

 purpose of obliging their customers. Many of them continue to follow 

 until they meet with some new customer. 



The soil, rocks, and every thing around on the surface, show 

 unequivocal marks of volcanic origin. The rock above the tertiary 

 formation is a thick bed of cellular lava, with fragments of the same 

 strewn in every direction over it. A thin and poor soil gives but 

 little sustenance to a light herbage. Goats and asses are found in 

 great numbers grazing upon it. 



The length of our visit did not permit us to make much examina- 

 tion, yet the character of the vegetation was unequivocally African. 



The walk from the landing to the town is exceedingly fatiguing, 

 and the road deep with sand. The first view of the town on entering 

 it is any thing but striking, and all the ideas formed in its favour are 

 soon dispelled. The houses are whitewashed, and in general appear- 

 ance resemble those inhabited by the lower orders in Madeira, but 

 they are much inferior even to them. The northeast part of the town 

 is composed of rough stone houses, covered with palm leaves. The 

 streets are wide, and in the centre is a large public square, the middle 

 of which is occupied by a small wooden monument said to be emble- 



