and from America. For more than a century Madeira was
considered as valuable chiefly for the quantity of sugar it
produced; but since this aromatic reed has been spread over
the continent and islands of the new world, little is now in
cultivation here; and the sugar extracted from it is of a coarse
quality, used only among the lower class of inhabitants, commonly
as an inspissated brown juice, not unlike molasses.
The arid soil seems much better suited for the growth of the
vine than the sugar-cane. Wine, indeed, may be considered'
as the principal product of the island, of which the quantity
made varies, in different years, from fifteen to twenty-five
thousand pipes. The greatest quantity exported in any one
year appears to have been fifteen thousand pipes, in the following
manner:
Pipes 5500
4500
3000
by Americans ’ 2000
15000
To the East Indies
To England
To the West Indies
To America1, and taken away
The value of which, with a little fruit and other articles exported,
may be estimated at 500,0001., of which more than
400,0001. is taken by Great Britain and its colonies, in exchange
for various manufactures and provisions, amounting
in value to about 300,000/., making thus a balance against
us of 100,000/. America supplies the island with lumber,
staves, salt provisions, and grain, to the amount of 80,000/.
annually, which is more than is imported into the island by
)
Portugal from Europe, Brazil, and the Azores j and . t l i e ^ l®
Portug the mother-country from Mad”
° r “doe, not exceed 10,000!. The total revenue, of the
I n d , l - n g of one-tenth of the produce
’ , iS S ' said to amount to about 100,000/.,.
import an exP ’ £ th0 expences of the civil, military,
« .¿ h s hm e „ b , the Cr„™ f t .uppoted to
a n d eccies although the old Governor assured
tbe net8,on, received g the Crown
ofPovtugal seldom exceeded eight o, ten thousand pounds.
It will appear extraordinary, and I should not have ventured
to mention rt had I no. «he ...... ■' 0
i whn i l lt been thirty years on the island, that so ##w its and consumed there, (for of this not 300
turned to Europe,) and solittle imported mtp England, ih e
latter would appear to be of less difficult explanation than
former; for although it is supposed that the quantity consumed
in Great Britain, under the name of M ad e ira ,g j on
the least calculation, equal to the whole,quantity that is exported
from the island, or more than three tunes what is
actually imported, yet it is well known that a variety of mixtures
pass for M a d e i r a , some of which are compounded of
wines that never grew on the island, as those o eneri.
Lisbon, and Xeres. And with regard to India it may be
served, that although the number of English there is very
limited, and few of any other nation drink Madeira wine,
i I — r ' n n s u m D t l O l l