1785. cernwhat country they were from) but early in the morning we
. L ° er~, faw the Ifland of Porto Santo, at about fix leagues diftance j (thou
art to underftand, that a league at fea is three miles) and Madeira
fomething nearer : the day being very fine and clear, we kept
Handing along the fhore, within a mile of the land. This ifland,
fo famous in the commercial, or I might rather fay, voluptuous-
world, for its wine, appears mountainous, but not difagreeably fo,.
as the land Hopes down by gentle declivities to the water’s edge.
The numerous vineyards teem with ripe clufters of the juicy grape,
which feem to invite the prefiure of the careful vintner: thefe are
ever and anon interfered by various plantations of other kinds,,
together with convents, and other public edifices, dedicated to religious
feclufion, which appear to be very numerous here, and put
roe in mind of Foote’s Mother Cole, when flie complains of the
cruel villains “ immuring for life fuch fweet young things, &c.” ’
Funchall, the capital o f the ifland, appears very full of places ,
dedicated to public worlhip and the ftreets feem regular. With,
this thou mull be Contented, for I have no other opportunity of,
feeing it than through a perfpeetive glafs,. at three miles diftance...
When I firfl began to write, I was not certain whether fortune
would favour me with an opportunity of fending it from Madeira,,
but on our coming a-breaft of this bay, we found here two of his
Majefty’s fhips, bound for England j and we are now laying to,
whilft the packets are getting ready.
I f I recollect right, when I firfl: gave thee an account of our
vefiels, and their deftination, I did not mention what number of
hands we had on board. In our Ihip we are thirty-two in all,
including Captain Dixon. On board the Ring George, they are
nearly (if not quite) double that number; but feme of them are
mere
mere children, and belong to people of confequence, who, intending
them for the fea, I fuppofe, thought they could not do better
than embrace this opportunity of initiating them early in their
profeffion ; to do which more compleatly, Captain Portlock has on
board a youth from the Mathematical School in Chrift’s Hofpital
to inftrudt them in the theoretical, whilft he teaches them the practical
part of navigation.
Amongft the “ changes and chances of this mortal life,” behold
thy friend, doomed to fpend feme years of his, if Providence allows
him to exift, entirely fecluded from the bufy world. To the hermit,
this might perhaps be a definable event : I cannot fay that is
by any means the cafe with me. Thou mayeft, indeed, fay, that I
am not entirely diverted of the comforts of fociety ;_true__but
thou art to underftand, that I have very little converfation with-
any except my mefs-mates s and as failors generally introduce
falt-water fubjects, and thofe handled fo as to fhew they have
excluded logic from their ftudies, my entertainment cannot be
great.
I frequently walk the deck for four hours, without fpeaking as
many words : at' thefe times my thoughts are employed on a
variety o f fubjefts, and I propofe committing them to paper, both
for my amufement, and to have the pleafore of thy remarks, which
I beg thee always freely to make. Our Captain’s letters are ready,
and the boat is waiting, -—Adieu.——Believe me thine,
F o n ch 'a u - B a y , (M adeira)
14th October.
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