FUNCHAL AND ITS ASPECT. 329 resemblance to a ship with her sails spread. The Table Rock is a flat island, and takes its name from its formation. The passage between the Desertas and Madeira is about eight miles wide, and we lay pretty close to the island, which rose up with its lofty mountain range before us, in the bright morning light. Madeira opened to our view as a long range of rocky hills, dotted with white houses, church-towers, villas, trees planted in rows, and looking like orchards. As we passed along, the scenery became exquisitely beautiful. Precipitous cliffs, deep ravines and beds of mountain torrents, are clearly discernible; and gorges cut out as by the convulsions of nature, between vast mountains, extending from the sea up to the summits of the cliffs, till hidden from sight by the clouds resting on the peaks of the range, present a most majestic landscape. Funchal now opened upon our gaze in all its beauty. This famous bay, which hardly, however, comes up to this geographical appellation, begins to recede from the Cape Garajáo at the east, a distance of nearly three miles, and then runs out more boldly towards Ponta da Cruz, a little west of Funchal. The entire indentation is, I think, less than a mile. From Garajáo to Fort St. Jago, which stands as an eastern boundary to the town, the coast is very bold, and has but one mountain gorge, at the foot of which stand the quarantine buildings. At Fort St. Jago a rough shingle beach begins, which fronts the entire town, and extends to the western extremity of Funchal, known as the Ribeira de Sao Paulo, and then on to the narrow point called the Pontinha and the Loo-Rock; these are both surmounted with forts, and are striking features from the vessels in the bay. Loo-Rock stands out more than one hundred yards from the line of the coast. Not far from this, and bordering on the town, are the Portuguese cemetery and a fine plantation of cypress trees. The town lies directly on the water line, and ascends the eminence, which extends to a high mountainous range behind it, and is at least three thousand five hundred feet 330 LANDING IN SURF HISTORIC NOTICE. high. I am sure that no artist has ever done justice to the scenery of this island. It reminds me of Gay Head, ou Martha's Vineyard; and has as rich variety of soil as that remarkable headland, mingling black, yellow, red and white, with the living green of the luxuriant foliage, under the perpetually shifting shadows of the clouds. Our vessel was soon surrounded by a fleet of boats from the shore. The health-officer came off to us, and, taking our papers, soon returned, giving us permission to land. We then landed, and on gaining the shore had to have our boats drawn up through the surf, which breaks strongly on the strand. This is sometimes quite an undertaking. As soon as the boat nears the shore it is turned stern end to the beach, and the oarsmen, with their pantaloons tucked up, seize the opportunity when a large wave rolls up to back the boat upon its force, till it touches the beach; they then jump out, and pull the boat and passengers up high and dry. We at once repaired to the hotel kept by Mr. Yates. Among our visitors from the town, before we landed, were Mr. Borden and Mr. George Brown, both of whom rendered us kind and friendly attentions upon shore during our entire stay upon the island. Before I record our movements, I would here say a little about the history of this interesting place. It seems probable that in the days of Augustus Cæsar something was known of the existence of these islands. Pliny unquestionably speaks of these groups, and adds that they were "discovered by Juba." After the decline and fall of Carthage, it is certain that all intercourse with the Atlantic islands was cut off. In 1419 the Prince Henry, son of John, King of Portugal, sent out ships to double Cape Bojador, and the captains were driven so far from shore, that they fell in with an island, which they called Porto Santo. Henry sent out a colony to this island, and the inhabitants soon noticed a dark spot still westward, and Zarco, the commander of one of Henry's ships, sailing west, discovered an island, 1420, to HISTORY OF MACHIM. 331 which he gave the name of Madeira, because it was covered with trees. The Portuguese determined to colonize the island, and made Zarco, and his fellow-navigator Teixeira, captains of the place. Zarco ruled forty-seven years, and is buried in St. Clara convent. In 1508 Funchal was made a city. In 1580 Madeira passed into the hands of Spain, and continued in her possession until 1640. From 1801 until 1807 it was under English protection. In 1847 a popular effort was made, but the place was restored to Portugal, and is still in her power. The Spaniards say that Columbus was once a resident on this island. It is certain that his wife was the daughter of Pestrello, one of the discoverers of Porto Santo. A romantic story is also told of the re-discovery of Madeira. This narrative, by Alcaforado, was translated into French in Paris. 1671, and was printed in HISTORY OF MACHIM. An Englishman of obscure birth, named Robert Machim, who lived in the reign of Edward III., fell in love with Anna d'Arfet, a beautiful damsel of noble family. Her father, incensed at his presumption, obtained the imprisonment of the lover, and married his daughter to a more illustrious suitor. The bridegroom, however, having left his castle, near Bristol, to attend the king in his wars, Machim, when released, procured access to Anna, and persuaded her to escape with him to France. They sailed, without a pilot, for the coast of Bretagne; but, a storm arising, lost their reckoning, and, after running ten days before the gale, at length discovered the coast of Madeira, and landed, in 1346, in a bay, afterwards named Machico, from him. A storm drove Machim's vessel from its anchorage, leaving those who had landed from it in such distress, that the lady died of grief. Machim, refusing all food, did not long survive her, and was buried in the same grave. The rest, having ornamented the tomb with a large |