| 4 ï
a mile from the fliofe, and nf near iuriy fathom, £o that:
there caft bd'rio communication with the land But by- means o f boats',.
T h e lahdirig-pkce.of the ifland is to'the north*, weft o f the' Loo rock*,
and from the depth o f the, fea, which, at-thq, water’s fed-gef-is‘fifteen-,
fathom, the violence o f the furf *and the rocky-Ihore^is extremely-'
dangerous. Steps are fornied* in the reck to afcend.to- the top o f it,
which eommunicate>with die road to Eunchal* the principal- town o£
the ifland..
This road' is- very rough and narrow; being no-moré than four feet
and-an half in-breadth, with a low walfforf either'fide!* ! It-firfid-lfeads.
to an high afeent; on eaefifideof which are-a-few unenviable dwellings
of thejower clafs o f inhabitants.. On the fucceeding declivity is, -
a friiall church, in the frSrit o f which there is an altar and' *a--crefs,.
which is fuppofed to poffefs fomê healing powers1 o f peculiar -efficacy,,
as we faw feveral poor wretches affliSed"with various difèafes; lyjftg,
nakeds tbfeifei and expofing their bodies covered witK^feVes-ffl^bldtSie«..
The church has fo Kttifc the appearance o f any thing like a place dedicated*
to-the worfhip of-God, that, till I perceived the-crofs, which,
was^its diftirigiiiffiing decoration, it appeared- to-me- Rcr*bé'',a ham ór-
ftable„j at the fitme time I was informed, that the iiffide of-it was' Very,-
properly fitted up and fumiihed for thé facfot purpoftFld Wbieh^it was*
1 dedicated. Its fttuation is beautiful beyond defeription : it ftafids in„
a very elevated'pofition, commands a veiy_grand and extenmre’ view,-
ó f the fea, with Porto Santo and the ©eféfter’s Ifland yover-lttoking* at:
the fam$ rime,. the charming vineyards incite own immedjatésvicinity.v
Many- delightftïï' gardens are feen on either fide of the road3,, »hounding^
iii delicious, fruits; * arid,-on the northern fide-of it, the. vineyards,
.ftretch away to the extremity o f the rock, whieb poffeffes a.perpendir-
cular height of- feveral hundred feet above thé fea... ’:
About half a milfe beyond’ thechureh is the entrance- to the-town o ff
Funchal; through % gate, from whence a mean, dirty', narrow ftreetr
leads to.a public walk difpöfed in the form o f a. garden; which has a»
principal
C .5 |
principal alley or avenue in the center, with-orange and other trees on . 5W*
either fide of it, and lamps placed between them: the whole is f Oftober.
terminated by th e , cathedral^fiurch, a large Gothic j b ^ p g , ^ h ic h ^
is fitted-up in a very fuitable,manlier for,the, purgpfes-'of thaf mligion
.to which it is; qonfecrated^
I Went after breakfaft-to,,*e houfe p£the Britiffi Canful, jh i c h is Monday^,-
* «he neighbourhood.of^e c ^ ^ j^ a n d i a w . Loj3 M^ca;fi§f?:at|ehded
by his, whole
to the Earl of De LaW rr;. ch^d *an ,
walk injp^ee'ffidnftp-lyi^t dp. governor; i^e
Amba^dgrvwitbceveiy mapk oiT attention am'j^ c f u ^ , . .and^cgijefled
^bis. company- tp^ npe r om,th^iiQceeduig- day^ His^Lordlhipdiem
Returned to-'dp Gpnful^s-in the. lame order
' A s in in e a&rnoon-of this'<!ayt I co^p^etdd-myf^^^this place,.
I fliali here fipifi rny-V^0^ ° f
‘ Madeira ls^exiremery*mp^ntaibbu'4rand*'p r é fen ta 'm o ff Beduhfhh
^ b k a .from the ’bay- 'VI t l l lh 5etw^
grees ^nprthJatitude, and between .eighteen arid
weft longitude from London.. Its length, is feventy-five miles; audits
breadth thirty., hr. the center of tlie fouthern fide of the ifland, at a -
T fmall diftance from the fea,. and on the. firft rife of am amphitheatre
o f hills, is the town, of Funchal: its population is very confi-
derable, and it contains feveral churches,, as. well as monafteries
of both féxes, of the different orders of the church ó f Rome: the
houfes are built of ftonè, and the greater, p art' of them are covered
with white, plafter,, and generally roofed with tiles: the ftreets- are:
| very narrow, ill paved,, and dirty, having no foot-path for paffen gers,,
with all the inconvenience ai ifing from unequal ground and/continu d
declivity.. Except the. refidënce of the Governor,, and of. the B'ri-
tilh Conful, and the houfes o f fonie. principal; merchants, glafs is am
article of,very rare ufe : the houfes are in.general about three, ftoties.
: high, with lattice windows;. and balconies. in 'the. front;,;where the
female, inhabitants are continually feeri. to amufe thenifelves in- obferv--
U ' ' t e j $