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diff --git a/old/66899-0.txt b/old/66899-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 10f829b..0000000 --- a/old/66899-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3628 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Flowers and Gardens of Madeira, by -Florence Du Cane - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Flowers and Gardens of Madeira - -Author: Florence Du Cane - -Artist: Ella Du Cane - -Release Date: December 8, 2021 [eBook #66899] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Fiona Holmes, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FLOWERS AND GARDENS OF -MADEIRA *** - - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - -The advertising page including Agents, has been moved to the end -of the book. - -Hyphenation has been standardised. - - - - - THE FLOWERS AND GARDENS - OF MADEIRA - - -[Illustration: LOO ROCK, FUNCHAL] - - - THE FLOWERS - AND - GARDENS OF MADEIRA - - PAINTED BY - ELLA DU CANE - - DESCRIBED BY - FLORENCE DU CANE - - [Illustration] - - LONDON - ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK - 1909 - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. INTRODUCTION 1 - - II. PORTUGUESE GARDENS 9 - - III. VILLA GARDENS TO THE WEST OF FUNCHAL 20 - - IV. VILLA GARDENS TO THE EAST OF FUNCHAL 39 - - V. VILLA GARDENS TO THE EAST OF FUNCHAL (_continued_) 54 - - VI. THE PALHEIRO 65 - - VII. CAMACHA AND THE MOUNT 76 - - VIII. A RAMBLE IN THE HIGHER ALTITUDES 83 - - IX. A RAMBLE ALONG THE COAST 97 - - X. CREEPERS 107 - - XI. TREES AND SHRUBS 118 - - XII. HISTORICAL SKETCH 133 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - 1. Loo Rock, Funchal _Frontispiece_ - - FACING PAGE - - 2. A Drinking Fountain 4 - - 3. Azaleas in a Portuguese Garden 14 - - 4. Azaleas, Quinta Ilheos 18 - - 5. Datura, Quinta Vigia 24 - - 6. A Group of Senecio 26 - - 7. Weigandia and Daisies 28 - - 8. Cypress Avenue, Quinta Stanford 30 - - 9. Aloes and Daisy Tree 34 - - 10. Poinsettia on the Mount Road 38 - - 11. The Scarlet Bougainvillea 40 - - 12. Wistaria, Santa Luzia 42 - - 13. Roses, Santa Luzia 48 - - 14. Pride of Madeira and Peach Blossom 50 - - 15. Quinta do Til 54 - - 16. On the Torrinhas Road 64 - - 17. Wistaria, Quinta da Levada 76 - - 18. Red Aloes 96 - - 19. Almond Blossom 102 - - 20. Pride of Madeira and Daisies 104 - - 21. The Purple Bougainvillea 106 - - 22. Bignonia Venusta 110 - - 23. Jackaranda Tree 124 - - 24. A Chapel Doorway 132 - - - - -THE - -FLOWERS AND GARDENS OF MADEIRA - - - - -CHAPTER I - -INTRODUCTION - - -The very name of Madeira (or island of timber, as the word signifies) -brings to the minds of most people a suggestion of luxuriant vegetation -flourishing in a damp, enervating climate. Such, indeed, was my own -mental picture of Madeira before my first visit to the island. I -expected to find every garden with the aspect of a fernery, moisture -dripping everywhere, and the hills clothed with the remains of the -primeval forests. The latter might possibly still have existed had it -not been for the zeal of the discoverers of the island in making use of -their discovery from a utilitarian point of view, and cutting clearings -for the cultivation of the rich and fertile land. In order to clear -the ground of the forests, which we are told clothed the island to its -very shores, the drastic measure of setting fire to it was resorted to: -hence the destruction (as old historians assert that the fire raged for -over two years) of all the forests on the south side of the island. - -Some feeling of disappointment entered my mind when I first looked on -the Bay of Funchal. As compared to the wooded appearance the north -of the island presents, the south side, viewed from the sea, appears -to have much less vegetation. Large stretches of pine woods, it is -true, have been replanted, and though they are used for timber, and -are felled before they attain any great size, regulations exist -which oblige any person who cuts down a tree to plant another in its -place. Though I should imagine it is more than doubtful whether this -regulation is carried out to the letter, the plantations are replanted, -or the stock of timber would otherwise soon become exhausted. The -fact that the south side of any island is naturally the most suited -for cultivation has also led to the destruction of the woods, and on -approaching the island it is very soon seen that every available inch -of ground is cultivated in some form or another. The cultivation -may take the form of some cared-for garden, where trees, shrubs, and -creepers from the tropics may be flourishing side by side with more -familiar vegetation, or may merely be the little terraced patch of -ground surrounding the humblest cottage, where the harvest of the -crop--be it sugar-cane, _batata_ (sweet potato), or yam--is eagerly -looked forward to, in order to eke out the very slender means of its -habitants. - -The feelings of Edward Bowdick, as described in “Excursions to Madeira -and Porto Santo in 1823,” must often have been re-echoed by many a -visitor who sees the island for the first time: “To those who have -visited the tropics nothing can be more gratifying than to find the -trees they have there dwelt on with so much pleasure, and which are -decidedly the most beautiful part of the Creation; to be reminded of -the vast solitudes, where vegetable nature seems to reign uncontrolled -and untouched; to see the bright blue sky through the delicate -pinnated leaves of the mimosa, whilst the wood strawberry at its feet -recalls the still dearer recollection of home; to gather the fallen -guavas with one hand and the blackberry with the other; to be able to -choose between the apples and cherries of Europe (which are so much -regretted) and the banana--it is this feeling which makes Madeira so -delightful, independent of its beautiful scenery and the constancy and -softness of its temperature.” - -[Illustration: A DRINKING FOUNTAIN] - -Any feeling of disappointment that the traveller may have experienced -from his first cursory glance at the island must surely be quickly -dispelled on landing, especially if this should be in the month of -January, when, having left the snows and frosts of Europe behind, after -travelling for four days he is basking in the almost perpetual sunshine -of so-called winter in Madeira. Lovers of flowers--and to those I most -recommend a visit to the island--will find fresh beauties even at every -turn of the street: the gorgeous-coloured creepers seem to have taken -possession everywhere. Hanging over every wall where their presence -is permitted will come tumbling some great mass of creeper, be it the -orange _Bignonia venustus_, whose clusters of surely the most brilliant -orange-coloured flower that grows completely smother the foliage; or -the scarlet, purple, or lilac bougainvillea, whose splendour will take -one’s breath away, with its dazzling mass of blossoms. The great white -trumpets of the datura, combined possibly with the flaunting -red pointsettia blossoms, will quickly show the fresh arrival the -bewildering variety of the vegetation--so much so that I cannot fail -again to sympathize with Mr. Bowdick, who, writing on the subject, -says: “The enchanting landscape which presents itself flatters the -botanist at the first view with a rich harvest, and not until he begins -to work in earnest does he foresee the labours of his task. What can be -more delightful than to see the banana and the violet on the same bank, -and the _Melia adzerach_, with its dark shining leaves, raising its -summit as high as that of its neighbour, the _Populus alba_? It is this -very gratification which occasions the perplexity, at the same time -that it confirms the opinion, that Madeira might be made the finest -experimental garden in the world, and that an interchange of the plants -of the tropical and temperate climates might be made successfully after -they had been completely naturalized there.” - -Since the above was written (1823) no doubt much has been done in -the way of naturalizing plants from other countries, chiefly by the -English, who are the owners of most of the principal gardens in and -around Funchal. Many a plant and bulb from the Cape has found a new -home in Madeira, and has spread throughout the length and breadth of -the island, straying from gardens until they have now become almost -hedgerow flowers; while at a higher altitude than Funchal, plants from -England and other parts of Europe have also found a new resting-place. - -It is not only to lovers of flowers, who, should they become the happy -possessors of a garden in Madeira, will find in it a never-ending -source of enjoyment, but also to those who wish to explore the natural -scenery of the island, that I heartily recommend a visit to Madeira. -Probably no other island of its size has such grand and varied -scenery. Being only some thirty-three miles long and fifteen across -even at the widest part, most people look incredulous when told of -the inaccessibleness of some of the more remote parts of the island, -picturing to themselves the possibility of seeing the whole island -in one or, at the outside, two days by means of the now ubiquitous -motor-car. These impatient travellers had better stay away from -Madeira, for their motor-cars will be of no use to them, the gradients -of the roads being too steep for any but the most powerful of cars, -even if the roads themselves were not paved with the most unlevel -cobble-stones. To anyone who has leisure to spend in exploring the -island, merely for the sake either of admiring its scenery, or making -a collection of the many ferns which adorn every nook and cranny of -the deep ravines, I can promise ample reward; always supposing that -they are sufficiently good travellers not to consider comfortable hotel -accommodation as being an essential part of their expedition. Away from -Funchal no hotels exist in Madeira; but if it is the right season of -the year, and a spell of fine weather is reasonably to be expected, -tent-life must be resorted to, or the primitive accommodation afforded -by the engineers’ huts in various districts, or rooms in the most -primitive of village inns. - -Enthusiastic admirers of the scenery of Madeira have compared -its grandeur to that of the Yosemite Valley in miniature: its -mountain-peaks, it is true, only range from 4,000 to 6,000 feet, but -the abruptness with which they rise gives an impression of enormous -depth to the densely wooded ravines. In an article on Madeira written -by Mr. Frazer in 1875 it will be seen that he also compared its scenery -to some of the grandest mountain scenery in the world. Writing of an -expedition to the north side of the island, he says: “The beauty of -the scene culminated at the little hamlet of Cruzinhas, whence we -looked into a labyrinth of dark precipitous ravines, formed by the -gorges of the central group of mountains, whose peaks, fortunately -unclouded for a time, resembled in their fantastic ruggedness those of -the Dolomites; but their sides being densely wooded with the sparkling -laurel, and the ravines themselves more tortuous, we, I need hardly -say, reluctantly came to the conclusion that even the Dolomite gorges -could not equal them. There was none of the splendid rock-colouring of -the Dolomites, but for deep-wooded ravines of deep mysterious gloom, -descending from pinnacled mountains, it is a great question whether the -Tyrol must not yield to Madeira.” - - - - -CHAPTER II - -PORTUGUESE GARDENS - - -I have often been asked whether the Portuguese have any distinctive -form of gardening, and in answer I can only say that, though there -is no attempt to compete with the grand terraced gardens of Italy or -France, or the prim conventionality of the gardens of the Dutch, still -the little well-cared-for garden of the Portuguese has a great charm of -its own. Here, in Madeira, their gardens are usually on a very small, -almost diminutive, scale, according to our ideas of a garden. In the -mother-country, where they probably surround more imposing houses, they -may attain to a larger scale, but of that I know nothing. - -The love of gardening, unfortunately, seems to be dying out among the -Portuguese in Madeira, and many a garden which was formerly dear to -its owner, each plant being tended with loving hands, has now fallen -into ruin and decay. The little paths, neatly paved with small round -cobble-stones of a pleasing brownish colour, have become overgrown -and a prey to the worst pest in Madeira gardens, the coco grass, which -is enough to break the heart of any gardener once it is allowed to -get possession; its little green shoots seem to spring up in a single -night, and the labour of yesterday has to be again the work of to-day -if the neat, trim paths so necessary to any garden are to be kept free -from the invader. Or the box hedges, which were formerly the pride of -their owner, have lost their trimness and regularity from the lack -of the shears at the necessary season, and the garden only suggests -departed glories. - -Luckily, a few of these gardens still remain in all their beauty, and -the pleasure their owners display in showing them speaks for itself of -their true love of gardening. - -The plan of the garden is usually somewhat formal in design, and as -a rule centres in a fountain or water-tank, which serves the double -purpose of being an ornament to the garden and of supplying it with -water. The entrance to the garden is certain to be through a corridor, -with either square cement and plaster pillars, or merely stout wooden -posts, which carry the vine or creeper-clad trellis. The beds are not -each devoted to the cultivation of a separate flower, as would be the -case in an English garden, but single well-grown specimens of different -kinds of plants fill the beds. Begonias, in great variety, tall and -short, with blossoms large and small, shading from white through every -gradation of pink to deep scarlet, form a most important foundation for -every Portuguese garden; as, from their prolonged season of blooming, -some varieties seeming to be in perpetual bloom, they always provide -a note of colour. Pelargoniums, allowed to grow into tall bushes, in -due season make bright masses of colour, the velvety texture of their -petals seeming to enhance the brilliancy of their colouring. Fuchsias -in endless variety, salvias red and blue, mauve lantanas, scarlet -bouvardias, and _Linum trigynum_, with its clear yellow blossoms, help -to keep the little gardens gay through the winter months. The latter, -though commonly called _Linum_, is a synonym of _Reinwardtia trigynum_ -and a native of the mountains of the East Indies. - -Last, but by no means least in importance, come the sweet-smelling -plants, essential to these little miniature gardens. _Olea fragrans_, -or sweet olive, also called _Osmanthus fragrans_, must be given the -palm, as surely its insignificant little greenish-white flower is the -sweetest flower that grows, and fills the whole air with its delicious -fragrance. _Diosma ericoides_, a well-named plant--from _dios_, divine, -and _osme_, small--ought perhaps to have been given the first place, as -it will never fail at every season of the year to bring fragrance to -the garden. The tender green of its heath-like growth, when crushed, -yields a strong aromatic scent, and no Portuguese garden is complete -without its bushes of _Diosma_. If allowed to grow undisturbed, it will -make shrubs of considerable size, and in the early spring is covered -with little white starry flowers; but as it bears clipping kindly, it -is especially dear to the heart of the Portuguese gardener, who will -fashion arm-chairs, or tables, or neat round and square bushes, in the -same way as the Dutch clip their yew-trees. Rosemary also ranks high -in their affections, not only for its sweet-smelling properties, but -also because it can be subjected to the same treatment. Sweet-scented -verbenas are also favourites, and in spring the tiny white flower of -the small creeping smilax suggests the presence of orange-groves by its -almost overpowering scent. - -Camellias, white and pink, single and double, are favourite flowers, -but as a rule the shrubs are subjected to drastic treatment and cut -back, so as to keep the plants within bounds and in proportion to the -size of the garden. Here and there a leafless _Magnolia conspicua_ -adorns the garden with its cup-like blossoms in the early spring, and -a few other shrubs are permitted within the precincts of the garden. -_Franciscea_, with its shiny green leaves and starry blossoms, shading -from the palest grey to deep lilac, according to the time each bloom -has been fully developed, should have been included in the list of -sweet-smelling plants, as it has an almost overpoweringly strong scent. -The bottle-brush, _Melaleuca_, with its strange reddish blossoms, -showing how aptly it has been named, and the pear-scented magnolia, -with its insignificant little brownish blossoms, are all favourite -shrubs. - -Various bulbous plants seem to have made a home under the shelter of -their taller-growing companions, and in February, freesias, which in -this land of flowers seed themselves, spring up in every nook and -cranny; also the unconsidered sparaxis, whose deep red and yellow -striped flowers are hardly worthy of a place. But the bright orange -tritonias and deep blue babianas are highly prized, and in May the red -amaryllis adorn most of the gardens, in company with the rosy-white -_Crinum powellei_. The delicate _Gladiolus colvillei_, known in -England as the Bride and under various other fancy names, open their -pale pink-and-white spikes of bloom early in May. A few plants of -carnations are treasured, as they are not easy to grow. Rose-trees -are given a place, many being such old-fashioned varieties that I -could not find a name for them; while the walls of the garden may -be clad with heliotrope, which seems to be in perpetual bloom, or -_Plumbago capensis_, whose clear blue blossoms cover the plant in great -profusion in late autumn and spring. In summer the yellow blossoms of -the _Allamanda Schotti_ appear, and later in the year the waxy-white -_Stephanotis floribunda_ and _Mandevilleas_ will all in turn be an -ornament to the garden, though in the winter months their glossy green -foliage will have passed unnoticed. - -[Illustration: AZALEAS IN A PORTUGUESE GARDEN] - -I consider that _Azalea indica_ is the plant which is most valued by -the Portuguese. In the cared-for garden it is given a most conspicuous -place, either planted in the open ground in partial shade, or more -frequently kept in pots, and tended with the greatest care. In February -and March through many an open doorway a glimpse may be caught of a -group of gay-coloured azaleas, even in little humble gardens which at -other seasons of the year are flowerless. The whole horticultural -energy of the owner of the little strip of garden has been centred in -the loving care bestowed on his few treasured azaleas. A tiny plant, -not more than a few inches in height, will be far more valued than -its overgrown neighbour, if it should happen to be some new variety, -possibly only bearing a few blossoms, but perfect in form, of immense -size, single or semi-double, of a brilliant rose-red, clear pink, -salmon colour, or pure white. The culture of azaleas does not seem to -be peculiar to the natives of Madeira, as from Oporto come numerous -sturdy little trees of all the most highly prized varieties. The effect -of well-grown specimens in pots, arranged along the stone ledge of -the garden corridor, or grouped round the stone or, more correctly -speaking, plaster seat, which generally finds a place in all these -gardens, is very pleasing, and well repays the care bestowed on the -plants all through the heat of the summer months. - -A corner of the garden must be devoted to fern-growing, without which -no garden in Madeira is complete. In the gardens of the rich a little -greenhouse, or _stufa_ is considered necessary for their successful -cultivation, but in many a shady, damp corner of a humble cottage -garden have I seen splendid specimens of the commoner ferns grown -without that most disfiguring element. Perfect shelter from wind and -sun is, of course, necessary, and sometimes, where no other shelter is -available, the dense shade of a spreading Madeira cedar-tree is made -use of, and from its branches will hang fern-clad pots. Or a little -arbour is formed of that most useful of shade-giving creepers, the -native _Allegra campo_, or Happy Country. The plant is also sometimes -called Alexandrian laurel, though for what reason it is hard to -know, as it has no connection with the Laurel family, but is _Ruscus -racemorus_. The plant throws up fresh shoots every winter, which in -their early stages appear like giant asparagus, and grow and grow -until sometimes they reach fifteen or twenty feet in length before the -fresh pale green leaves develop. By the spring the young leaves have -unfurled, and provide a canopy of delicate green through the summer. -The growth of the previous year can either be cut away, or if retained, -in late spring, little greenish-white flowers will appear on the -underneath of the leaves. The plant is a native of Portugal, but may -be found in a wild state in Madeira. It is also known under the name -of _Danæ racemosus_. One of the Polypodiums, called by the Portuguese -_Feto do metre_, or Fern by the yard, seems to be first favourite, -and splendid specimens are to be seen, each frond measuring one to two -yards in length. _Gymnogrammes_, or golden ferns, are also much prized, -and the _Asparagus sprengerii_ has during the last few years found many -admirers, with its long sprays rivalling in length the _Feto do metro_. -_Adiantums_ and all the commoner ferns are given a place, according to -the taste of their owners. - -I cannot close this chapter without a few words on the subject of -the neat devices made by the Portuguese out of canes or bamboo, for -training plants. In some instances it may be overdone, and one cannot -always admire rose-trees trained on to bamboo frames in the shape of -fans, crosses, or even umbrellas; but the little arched fences as a -support to lower-growing plants are used with very good effect. I have -copied the idea in England with some success for training ivy-leaved -geraniums in large pots or tubs, by planting four rather stout bamboos -or canes, two feet or more in height, in the pots, then slipping four -pieces of split cane into the hollow ends, and either forming four -arches, by inserting each end of the split length into the hollow, -or else a pagoda-like effect can be made by taking the split canes -into the middle, and then slipping all four ends through a hollow -piece of cane a couple of inches long. Side arches can be made in any -number, according to the requirements of the plant or the fancy of the -gardener, by making incisions in the stout bamboos at any distance from -the ground, and inserting the ends of the split canes. Old carnation -plants, or seedlings which bear many flower-stems, may be very -successfully and neatly supported in this way. - -[Illustration: AZALEAS, QUINTA ILHEOS] - -Another contrivance for the increase of their rose-trees struck me -as original, and worth mentioning, and possibly imitating, by those -who garden in a subtropical climate--this is their system of layering -rose-branches. My idea of layering carnations, shrubs, or any other -plants, had always been to cut the plant at a joint, and peg it firmly -into the ground, covering with a few inches of fine soil; but the -Madeira gardeners adopt a different system, anyway, with regard to -their roses. The branch for layering is not chosen near the ground, -but often at a height of from two to four feet. The chosen branch is -passed through the hole at the bottom of a flower-pot, or a box with a -good-sized hole in it answers the same purpose; the pot or box is then -supported at the necessary height on a tripod of sticks or bamboos. The -branch has an upward slit made in the ordinary way, and the pot is -then filled with soil. In two or three months’ time, I was assured, the -branch would be well rooted and ready to be transplanted to its fresh -quarters. It seemed a simple method of increasing rose-trees, which, -as a rule, in climates like those of Madeira, flourish much better -when grown on their own roots than grafted on to a foreign stock. The -same system appears to answer admirably for the increase of shrubs -and even trees, and is extensively adopted for creepers, especially -bougainvilleas, which do not strike readily from cuttings; so it is no -uncommon sight to see pots lodging among the branches of trees, with a -layered branch ready to form a new tree. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -VILLA GARDENS TO THE WEST OF FUNCHAL - - -The miniature gardens described in the previous chapter, which, as a -rule, surround the more humble dwellings of the Portuguese, frequently -only cover the small piece of ground at the back of the town house, -which is either converted into the backyard and rubbish-heap, decorated -with old tins and broken china, or converted into a little paradise of -flowers, according to the temperament and taste of its owner. Apart -from these are the larger gardens surrounding the villas, or _quintas_, -on the outskirts of the town. Most of these gardens are owned by -English residents, and to them Madeira owes the introduction of many -floral treasures. The first impression of these gardens, taken from -a general point of view, is that they are lacking in form, the idea -conveyed being that the original owner of the garden made it without -any definite plan in view. For that reason they invariably lack any -sense of grandeur or repose. It is only fair to say, however, that -the landscape gardener has had many difficulties to contend with. The -natural slope of the ground is, as a rule, extremely steep, especially -in gardens situated on the east side of the town. But the ground by -no means necessarily falls away only in front of the house. It as -often as not falls to one side as well, which makes terracing a very -difficult and serious undertaking. To move earth by means of small -baskets carried on men’s backs is a sufficiently serious matter in the -East, where coolies are employed at a very low rate of wages, and are -accustomed to this method. But in Madeira, where wages are by no means -low, this procedure, which is absolutely necessary, has an important -financial aspect when laying out a garden. The result is to give the -gardens the effect of having been added to bit by bit, and many of -them are broken by slanting terraces without any particular meaning. -In common with all foreign gardens, they lack the beauty of English -turf, as the finer grasses will not withstand the heat and dryness of a -Madeira summer. Natal grass, which grows from very small tubers, is the -most common substitute for turf, as it is hardy and can be mown fairly -close. Some of the finer American grasses have been found successful, -especially for growing under large trees, which is most useful, as -nothing is so unsatisfactory as the effect of trees growing out of -would-be flower-beds. All the beauty of the trees is lost through the -outline of the stems being confused by the surrounding plants, which -in themselves are probably poor specimens, owing to the fact that they -are constantly being starved through the goodness of the soil being -absorbed by the roots of the trees. - -Stone balustrades are unknown in Madeira, where cement or plaster -has to take the place of stone. Simple designs can be carried out by -this means, but, as a rule, a low wall, only about two or three feet -in height, from which rise at intervals square pillars, originally -intended to support the wooden cross-bars of the vine pergola, finishes -the terrace and gives it a very characteristic effect. These pillars -can be creeper-clad, and either stand alone or support a canopy of -wistaria, bignonia, or some other gorgeous creeper. - -Any defect in the scheme of the gardens is amply atoned for by the -wealth of colour and abundance of flowers they contain, at almost all -seasons of the year. - -Some of the older gardens were laid out more as pleasure-grounds, and -planted with specimen trees brought together from all parts of the New -and Old world, and in these especially the lack of good turf is keenly -felt. I am thinking of the gardens which surround the Hospicio, which -was built in 1856 by the late Empress of Brazil, in memory of her -daughter, the Princess Maria Amelia, who died in Madeira. - -The garden is well cared for, and contains a good collection of trees -and flowering shrubs. Near the entrance are some very fine _Ficus -comosa_ and two splendid _Jacarandas_, which, when they are laden with -their blue blossoms, stand out splendidly against the dark evergreen -trees; also a very large Coral-tree, whose grey leafless branches are -adorned early in the year with scarlet blossoms. In the centre of the -garden are two unusually fine specimens of _Duranta_ trees, whose long -hanging racemes of orange berries cause them to be much admired all -through the winter and spring months, while in summer the branches -are laden with their blue blossoms. Dragon-trees, frangipani-trees, -judas-trees, camphor-trees, til and _Astrapea viscosa_, are all to -be found here, and a large specimen of the gorgeous flame-coloured -Flamboyant or Poinciana, may be easily recognized by its flat spreading -branches, which shed their fern-like foliage before the blossoms -appear. At all seasons of the year the garden affords a delightful -pleasaunce for the inmates of the Hospital, and can never be entirely -colourless, as the red dracenas and the bright crimson leaves of the -acalypha, which are blotches of a lighter or darker colour, afford -a welcome note of colour at all seasons of the year and a relief to -the eternal green of the evergreen trees. The walls of the garden are -clothed with bougainvilleas, wistarias, and other creepers, and the -beds contain a variety of plants, such as clerodendrons, hibiscus, -abutilons, begonias, azaleas, and roses. The grass edges to the beds -give the garden a character of its own, and might well be copied in -other Madeira gardens. - -[Illustration: DATURA, QUINTA VIGIA] - -On the opposite side of the same road at the top of the Augustias -Hill stands the Quinta Vigia; the name means a look-out place or -watch-post, and no doubt the villa was so called because the grounds -command a fine position, the terrace wall ending with a sheer descent -100 feet or more down to the sea. The garden has a fine view of the -harbour, the Brazen Head, the distant islands of the Desertas, and the -Loo Rock, which lies immediately below the cliff. The late Empress of -Austria spent the winter of 1860-61 at this quinta, and since -then the property has had various owners. Though the garden is now -neglected, as the villa has been uninhabited for some years, the trees -remain, and together with those belonging to the adjoining Quinta das -Augustias on the one side, and those of the Quinta Pavao on the other, -form one of the principal features of the town of Funchal. The day is -probably fast approaching when the whole of this property will fall -into the hands of an hotel company, but it is to be hoped that some -effort will be made to save the trees. From far and near the splendid -specimens of _Araucaria excelsa_ form a very important feature in -the landscape, as they have attained an immense size. I am told that -Mr. William Copeland first introduced these Norfolk Island pines to -Madeira, and planted those at Quinta Vigia. They seem to have taken -kindly to their adopted country, though not, of course, attaining -to the gigantic height of 150 feet, as they are said to do in their -native land. The garden also contains a good specimen of _Araucaria -braziliensis_. One of the largest cabbage palms in the island stands -near the entrance, and the garden is rich in rare trees. Grevilleas, -with deep orange bottle-brush-like flowers; schotia, with its deep -crimson-red blossoms; magnolias; the deciduous _Taxodium distichum_, -mango-trees, and hosts of others, adorn the grounds. Among the -shrubs are pittosperums, with their leathery grey-green leaves and -greenish-white sweet-scented blossoms; also francisceas and great -quantities of _Euphorbia fulgens_, whose long wreaths of orange-scarlet -flowers remain in beauty all through January and February. Here are to -be seen pittangas, or _Eugenia braziliensis_, the myrtles of Brazil, -with their small shiny foliage and little sweet-smelling white flowers, -resembling the common myrtle, only borne on slender stalks; the ribbed -orange-coloured fruit is not only very decorative to the shrub, but -is valued as a great delicacy among the Portuguese. _Murraya exotica_ -has flowers closely resembling orange blossoms in form and fragrance, -and appears to flower in spring and autumn. The verandah of the house -is clothed in creepers, among which are _Allemanda schottii_, with -its pure yellow blossoms, the deep crimson-flowered _Combritum_; -_Thunbergia laurifolia_, with its lavender-coloured flowers; and -_Rhyncospermum jasminoides_, whose tiny white starry flowers fill the -whole air with their delicious fragrance late in April. Large -bushes of the sweet-scented diosma and a small heath are a feature of -the garden, while the great number of rose-trees are a legacy of one -of its English owners, and in spite of the fact that they are now no -longer carefully pruned, they flower in great profusion on immense -bushes in December, and again in April. - -[Illustration: A GROUP OF SENECIO] - -Near the entrance some large masses of purple and scarlet bougainvillea -are to be seen, and by the middle of March the great buds of the -immense and rampant-growing solandra are swelling, and in a few days -the greenish-white trumpet-shaped flowers will have opened. The beauty -of each individual blossom is short-lived: when newly opened it is -of a greenish-white, which gradually turns to a deep cream colour, -and then, alas! to a most unsightly brown. Unfortunately, the plant -shares with thunbergia its ungraceful habit of retaining its blossoms -in death, which mars the beauty of the freshly opened flowers. Large -clumps of the yellow-flowered _Senecio grandifolia_ are very effective -when the great loose heads of blossom are at their best in February. -The plant has fine foliage, and though many people despise it and -regard it as a weed, on the outskirts of the garden or hanging over -a wall it is certainly worthy of a place. Like its humble relation -the common groundsel, it has an objectionable habit of scattering its -fluffy seed to the four winds of heaven as soon as the plant is out -of flower. This, to be sure, could be avoided by cutting off the old -flower-heads as soon as they are over, but would be rather a Herculean -task in gardens where it has spread into great beds. The plant is -impatient of drought, and its foliage soon flags in the heat of the -sun unless its roots are well supplied with moisture, and it will be -discovered that its roots run far in the ground in search of it, which, -combined with its practice of seeding itself in undesirable situations, -makes it a dangerous plant to introduce unawares to a garden, as, once -established, it is there for good. - -Farther to the west of the town are the gardens of Quinta Magnolia, -which cover an extensive area, largely increased by the present owner, -until they now extend down the slope of the hill to the bed of _Ribeiro -Secco_, or the Dry River. To those interested in the culture of palms -these grounds will be of great interest, as the collection is a good -one, and includes some very fine specimens, seen to great advantage, -standing on slopes of the nearest approach to turf which the island can -produce. - -[Illustration: WEIGANDIA AND DAISIES] - -Some of the cabbage and date palms have attained an immense size, and -are a great ornament to the landscape, and some fine groups of the -curious screw pine, _Pandanus odoratissima_; it has peculiar flat -leaves and an uncouth flower, which bears a strong resemblance to the -body of a dead rabbit hanging from the plant! The grounds command fine -views, and were laid out for the present owner by an English landscape -gardener. There is a curious cave or grotto formed out of the natural -rock, clothed with ferns and mosses, which no doubt remains cool and -damp through the summer, and forms a welcome retreat from the fierce -heat of the sun. - -Close by are the grounds of Quinta Stanford, or Quinta Pitta, as it -was originally called by its first owner. The gardens have been very -much enlarged by their present owner; banana plantations have gradually -vanished, and the grounds no longer present the cramped appearance -from which they formerly suffered. New-comers to Madeira, as a rule, -express great surprise that the gardens are not larger and generally -only cover such a very small piece of ground. The value of the land -for agricultural purposes--formerly for growing vines, then, possibly, -for banana cultivation, and now for sugar-cane--is no doubt largely -responsible for this, and also the great difficulty of acquiring a -piece of ground of any considerable size in the neighbourhood of -Funchal. In many cases even one acre may be owned by several different -landlords, land being divided into incredibly small holdings. - -[Illustration: CYPRESS AVENUE, QUINTA STANFORD] - -In this respect the owners of Quinta Stanford are to be envied, as the -house stands well surrounded by its own ground, out of sight of the too -common unsightly _fazenda_ and its inevitable squalid cottages. From -the terrace in front of the house the view is unrivalled, comprising -a fine view of the sea and an unbroken view of the mountains behind -the town of Funchal. It is easily seen that the garden is tended -with unceasing care by its present owner, and near the entrance some -judicious massing of shrubs and flowering trees has in a very few years -well repaid the planter; some large clumps of weigandias, _Astrapea -pendiflora_, and bushes of common white marguerite daisies of mammoth -proportions give a broader effect than is usual in most Madeira -gardens. To my mind, the very greatest praise should also be given to -the owner for having planted an avenue of cypresses, almost the noblest -and grandest of all trees, especially when seen under a southern sun, -and their absence in the landscape of Madeira is keenly felt. The -Portuguese see no beauty in them, and only connect them with death, for -which reason they are scarcely ever seen except in cemeteries. From -the astonishing growth which the young trees at Quinta Stanford have -made in a few years, it is evident that the soil is very favourable -for their culture, and it seems almost incredible that more owners of -gardens, who must have seen what Italy owes to her cypresses, should -not have planted them in Madeira; but it is to be hoped that even now -others may follow the excellent example set before them at Quinta -Stanford. - -The owner of the garden has much to tell of the successes and -failures he has made, not only with imported plants, in the hopes of -inducing them to find a new home in Madeira, but he journeyed far and -wide to make a collection of the native ferns, of which there are -a great quantity. Many of them, removed from the cool, damp air of -their mountain homes, pined and died a lingering death in the air of -Funchal, which was too hot and dry; and the atmosphere of a _stufa_, or -greenhouse, is unsuited to the hardier ferns. - -Some interesting experiments have also been made with rock-plants, -in order to see whether it would be possible to induce any of our -favourite Alpine plants to adopt a home in warmer climes; but I fear, -though some may survive for a year or two, in the end they will grow -steadily smaller, until they dwindle away and cease to exist. So I am -afraid the making of a rock-garden in the sense which we in England -regard a rock-garden--_i.e._, an artificial arrangement of rocks, -clothed with carpets and cushions of flowering Alpine plants--will -never be possible in Madeira. Here the rock-garden must remain -as Nature intended it to be--rocks and cliffs, interspersed with -prickly-pear, agaves, cactus, some of the larger saxifrages, and such -native plants as _Echium fastuosum_. - -The gardens owned by the English suffer, as a rule, somewhat severely -from the absence of their owners just at the season of the year when -they require the closest care and attention, and this may possibly -account for the failure to acclimatize many of these imported -treasures. If they could be tended with loving hands, screened from -the fiercest of the sun’s rays, given exactly the amount of water they -require, no doubt there would be many less failures; but the ignorant -Portuguese gardener probably either starves the plant by entirely -omitting to water it, especially if it is unlucky enough to be out of -reach of the hose, or else he drowns it with too much water, until the -ground surrounding it becomes a swamp: for the conditions suitable to a -rock-plant would be as unknown to him as the conditions required by a -bog-plant. - -Some tree-ferns in a sheltered corner make a very good effect, and seem -likely, from the strong growth they have made in a few years, to become -very fine specimens. - -On the terrace near the house are beds of begonias, roses, geraniums, -heliotropes, sweet olives, and the garden flowers common to most -Madeira gardens, while the walls are clad with a succession of -creepers; so all through the winter months the garden remains a feast -of colour. - -Eighteen years ago the ground which is now the beautiful garden -of the Palace Hotel was nothing but rocky, waste ground, bare of -vegetation, except for the clumps of prickly-pear, agaves, and cacti -which take possession of all the rocky ground along the shore. For -situation the garden is unrivalled, and though the garden lacks the -care and attention which naturally are bestowed on a private garden, -the luxuriant growth, especially of the creepers, has converted the -formerly waste ground into a beautiful jungle of flowers. The garden -is devoid of any fine trees, except for the ficus trees, a few oaks, -and a stray cypress or two which surround the Dépendence, which was -formerly a private house; it stands at the very edge of the precipitous -cliff, where the unceasing roar of the surf rings in one’s ears as it -dashes almost against its very walls. In front of the main building are -some large cabbage palms, affording welcome shade and shelter, which -have made astonishingly rapid growth, as only ten years ago they were -merely items in flower-beds, and I little thought that on my second -visit to the island, some seven years later, they would have become an -important feature in the garden. - -[Illustration: ALOES AND DAISY TREE] - -Early in December, when the whole island is fresh and green after the -autumn rains, and presents more the aspect of spring than late autumn -or even winter, the view from the garden is surprisingly beautiful. -The cliffs have broad stretches of the brilliant red-flowered _Aloe -arborescens_, with its large rosettes of glaucous grey-green leaves, -which makes the plant always ornamental, even when it is not adorned -with its hundreds of scarlet flower spikes. Some people say it was -always indigenous to the island, and found its home in the Santa -Luzia ravine. Whether this is really the case I feel doubtful, as Mr. -Lowe, in his “Flora of Madeira,” quotes it as one of the plants which -has become naturalized, though probably originally introduced. Growing -on the cliffs the flowers show to great advantage, standing out in -sharp contrast to the deep blue sea below, but it is a great ornament -wherever it grows, whether in clusters overhanging a wall where its -rosettes of leaves overlap each other in thick tufts in endless -succession till there seems no reason why they should ever stop, or -clothing the rocky ground on the hillside among the pine-trees. - -At the same season the _Franzeria artemesioides_, or daisy-trees, -as they are commonly called, are in full beauty. The best method of -treating these trees is to cut them back when they have done flowering, -as the large clusters of daisy-like flowers appear on the long shoots -of young wood. When their flowering season is over, they lose their -large grey-green leaves, so it is lucky that the tree can be so -treated, or the long bare branches would make them unsightly at other -seasons. The hedges and bushes of _Plumbago capensis_ attain to mammoth -proportions when they can escape the attention of the gardener’s -ruthless shears, and are laden with their lovely soft blue blossoms -in late November and December. Then comes a season of rest, though the -plant is seldom entirely devoid of colour, and in early spring fresh -shoots give promise of a wealth of blossom again in April and May. - -Bougainvilleas have been planted with a lavish hand, but unluckily with -no regard for colour. I sometimes wondered if the Portuguese gardeners -are _all_ colour-blind, as it is by no means uncommon to see a bright -purple bougainvillea planted side by side with a scarlet one, and as -likely as not, interlaced with a flaming orange bignonia, while the -bright pink Charles Turner geranium grows happily below. In Madeira -gardens colour runs riot, and I own that the prolonged flowering -season of many of the creepers and shrubs makes the colour scheme more -difficult than it is in our English gardens. - -The great clumps of _Crinum powellei_ are a remarkable feature of this -garden, when late in April the great bulbs send up their spikes of -either pure white flowers or white delicately flushed with pink. The -flowers come in six to ten in an umbel, on stems three to five feet in -height, and are very freely produced--large clumps sending up a dozen -or more flower-heads at the same time. The bulb has long narrow green -foliage, which is very ornamental. The flowers have a delicate but -somewhat sickly scent; the plant is a native of Natal, and, like others -of its compatriots, has taken kindly to the climate and soil of Madeira. - -It would be impossible to enumerate all the host of other plants the -garden contains--creepers, shrubs, flowering trees, besides roses, -begonias, geraniums, heliotropes, in an almost endless list--while the -cliffs have remained a natural rock-garden. In the clefts of the rocks -giant agaves occasionally throw up their great flower-heads fifteen -feet or more in height, and then the plant, as if exhausted by the -supreme effort in the climax of its existence, dies; but it is quickly -replaced by hundreds of others, as the seed of the monster flower -has found fresh ground in every nook and cranny. Besides the agaves, -clumps of prickly-pear, or _Opuntia tuna_, with its curious succulent -growth clothed with poisonous thorns, some wild saxifrages and tufts of -_Echium fastuosum_, known as Pride of Madeira, have all found a home. - -This garden is the last one of any interest on the west side of the -town, as beyond lie only a few modern villas in the worst possible -taste, with no grounds worthy of the name of a garden; but almost -opposite to the hotel in the grounds of Casa Branca for a few short -weeks in the year the avenue of _Poinsettia pulcherrima_ interspersed -with date palms and clumps of strelitzias is worth seeing. The -poinsettia blooms are almost the largest I have ever seen, measuring -quite eighteen inches in diameter from point to point of the scarlet -leaves. Like the daisy tree, the poinsettia flowers on the young wood, -and throws out fresh branches six to ten feet long, which can be cut -back in January, when the beauty of the blossoms is gone and the -foliage becomes an unsightly yellow and at length drops altogether. -When seen growing in all their luxuriant and garish splendour, it is -difficult to remember that it is the same plant that one has seen -in a weakly and attenuated form in our English stove-houses, with -one poor little flower-head at the end of a single stem imperfectly -clad with sickly foliage. Poinsettias seem to rejoice in rich soil, -and they appear to revel in the liberal feeding of the adjoining -banana plantations, which, no doubt, they deprive of a good deal of -nourishment; but they well repay their owner, as in the glow of the -western sun they provide a veritable feast of colour all through -December. - -[Illustration: POINSETTIA ON THE MOUNT ROAD] - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -VILLA GARDENS TO THE EAST OF FUNCHAL - - -On the east side of the town lie many quintas with good gardens, -especially up the very steep Caminho do Monte, or Mount Road, as it -is commonly called by the English. The road itself at some seasons of -the year is converted into a veritable garden, as its high wall is so -clothed with overhanging creepers which have strayed from the gardens -behind, that it presents more the aspect of the terrace wall of a -flower garden than that of one of the most frequented highroads of a -town. At a height of between 500 and 600 feet, just below the level -road which crosses it, which is known as the Levada da Santa Luzia, -several villas seem to vie with each other as to which can contribute -the greatest wealth of plants to decorate the walls. Possibly the best -moment to see the road is in December, when the gorgeous mass of colour -provided by the great shrubs of poinsettias hanging over the walls -of the Quinta Santa Luzia is in all its splendour. Side by side with -the scarlet blossoms come the great white trumpets of the daturas, -hanging in horizontal rows. Below, the deep rose-coloured buds of the -bougainvillea have not yet unfurled, so there is no jarring note in -the scheme of colour, as the immense bank of plumbago, with its soft -blue blossoms, harmonizes admirably. On the other side of the road, as -if determined to continue the effect of the flaming red, is a great -cluster of _Aloe arborescens_, with their spikes of red flowers--not, -it is true, as brilliant in colouring as their opposite neighbours, -the poinsettias, but very beautiful in themselves. These, with clumps -of sweet-scented geraniums, echiums, and many other plants, clothe the -walls of the garden of the Quinta da Levada. But the stream of gorgeous -colour is not yet complete, as the _Bougainvillea spectabile_, with its -brick-red blossoms, is already giving promise of glories to come in a -very short time. This plant, which covers the corridor and hangs over -an old garden well at Quinta Sant Andrea, is the finest specimen of its -kind in the island. From the immense size of its stem, it is easily -seen that the plant must be a great age, and for many years has borne -its burden of blossoms and called forth the admiration of untold -numbers of tourists through successive winters, as they make their -noisy descent in the basket sledges or running cars from the mount. - -[Illustration: THE SCARLET BOUGAINVILLEA] - -In a few weeks the road is turned into a golden road. The poinsettias -and aloes will have shed their blossoms, and are soon forgotten, as the -brilliant orange bignonia clothes many a wall and corridor, and in its -turn attracts all attention. By April the wistaria takes its place, -and the road becomes all mauve, as nowhere in the whole of Funchal are -there so many beautiful wistarias collected together; all along this -road they seem to have been planted with a lavish hand. Possibly the -soil is especially suited to them in this district, as I have often -heard owners of gardens in other parts of Funchal regret that they have -never been able to establish this most beautiful of all creepers in -their gardens. - -It is small wonder that the sight of these flower-clad walls fills many -a visitor to the island with a longing to see the gardens they enclose. - -The palm must be given to the garden of Santa Luzia, as not only does -it cover a much larger expanse of ground than any other, but the owner -takes so much individual interest in almost every plant in the garden, -that here, as it is always said flowers grow better for those who love -them, everything seems to flourish and grow at its best. Like all good -gardeners, she has not been deterred by the failure of a plant one -season or the failure to import a new treasure at the first attempt, -but has given hosts of plants a fair trial, often rewarded with success -in the end, though naturally failing in some cases. Plants have been -sent to her from all parts of the world, and the island owes many -of its flowery treasures to this garden, which was originally their -nursery and trial-ground. One of the most remarkable instances of this -is _Streptosolen Jamesonii_, originally introduced to this garden, -but which only succeeded the fourth time it was imported, and has now -spread, until there is hardly a humble cottage garden in the whole of -Funchal which is not decorated with its orange bushes in the winter -months. The garden has been much enlarged of late years, and gradually -terrace after terrace has been added to it, many of them forming a -complete little garden in themselves. From the lie of the ground in -a steep slope in two directions, and possibly from the fact that the -garden has been added to gradually, it shares the difficulty I have -described elsewhere, and had no very imposing scheme to start with. - -[Illustration: WISTARIA, SANTA LUZIA] - -The entrance to the garden leads one to expect a wealth of flowers in -the garden below, as a vision of pink begonias with a profusion of -blossom, tall feathery bamboos, and long hanging ferns, greets the -eye at the very door. On the terrace in front of the house stands one -of the finest wistarias. It clothes the whole wall, makes a purple -canopy to the corridor, climbs up the square pillars, and has even -taken possession of the flagstaff, so in the early days of April the -whole air is filled with its delicate bean-like scent. The beauty of -its blossoms is short-lived, and possibly for this reason is all the -more appreciated. A few short days and the heat of the sun will have -taken all the colour out of its purple tassels, the leaves will begin -to appear, and all its glory is departed. Some of the winter-flowering -creepers last in beauty so long--for weeks or almost months--such as -the bougainvilleas and _Bignonia venustus_, that if such a thing were -possible, one becomes almost wearied of their beauty, and passes them -by almost unnoticed. But with wistaria it is different: it must be -noticed and appreciated at once or not at all, as the colour changes -and fades with every passing hour. - -Possibly April is the best month to visit this garden, though at no -season is it without flowers, but March, April, and May are the best -months of the year in all Madeira gardens. In some ways the autumn here -seems as though it ought to be spring. Late in September or early in -October the gardens go through the tidying up, pruning, and cutting -back, which is generally done in our English gardens in early spring, -and are made ready to reap the full benefit of the heavy autumn rains. -Here during the summer everything has been left to grow as it will: the -roses put forth long, rank, flowerless growth; the creepers grow out -of all bounds; geraniums grow “leggy,” with long leafless stems; the -heliotrope has flowered itself to death, and must be cut back in order -to make fresh growth for the coming season. The gardens by the end of -the long, dry summer must present the aspect of an overgrown jungle, -and according to the judicious or injudicious pruning in September -and October will greatly depend the failure or success of the garden -for the rest of the year. This also is the season for sowing seeds, -and probably the best moment for starting newly imported treasures; -it is most important that all these operations should be got through -early in October, as by November it is soon evident that it is not -really spring; the sap is not really rising, and through December, -January, and February, it lies more or less stagnant and dormant, so -unless seedlings and cuttings have made a good start before then, -they will grow but little during those three months. The same will -apply to plants which have been cut back; they should have made fresh -shoots before the middle of November, or they will remain more or less -bare and unsightly throughout the winter. By the time when most of -the English owners return to their gardens in late November or early -December, all traces of the necessary cutting should have vanished, -and though the garden may not be gay with flowers, it should be full -of promise of glories to come. But it seems hard to train a Portuguese -gardener to get through his pruning at this season, and to have done -with it for the time being, as, according to his ideas, pruning should -be done apparently promiscuously, at any and every season of the year, -and he is never happy without a pruning-knife in his hand, as often as -not dealing death and destruction to a plant when it is in full beauty. - -In the lower part of the garden a small pond, shaded by a weeping -willow, whose parent was grown from a cutting brought from Longwood, -provides a home for the white, pink, and blue water-lilies, which, -with a large clump of papyrus, speedily remind one that one is in -subtropical regions, where no breath of winter will ever reach the -water sufficiently to bring death to the blue lilies which we in -England know as pampered flowers, and can only grow by providing them -with a warm bath, heated by artificial means. - -On one of the terraces broad sheets of the mauve Virginian stock--with -us an unconsidered little flower, but here, from the sheer wealth of -its blossoms, providing a mass of colour--lead to a little Iris garden. -Only the white _Iris Florentina_ and a deep purple _Iris Germanica_ -really seem to flourish, so the beds are filled with these two kinds -only. _Iris Pallida_ and many of the other beautiful varieties of -_Iris Germanica_ have refused to make a home here, so the two kinds -only have been retained, and for a few weeks in late December and -early January the little garden is all purple and white. The purple -weigandia flowers and the white of the Porto Santo daisy-trees help -to carry out the colour scheme. The walls of the little garden are -clad with the old Fortune’s yellow roses, called by some Beauty of -Glazenwood, and it is certainly one of the roses which thrive best -in Madeira, bearing its burden of yellow and pink-tipped blossoms in -the spring. On the corridor above a host of creepers flourish, but the -blossoms of the Burmese rose were new to me. Its large single blooms -open a delicate lemon colour, which gradually turns to white, and its -shiny foliage is also very ornamental; but I fear its constitution will -never stand the cold of our English winters, or even if it survived -the cold, the warmth of our summers would not be sufficient to ripen -the wood enough to make it flower. I believe it to be the same rose -which has been grown with some success on the Riviera under the name -of _Rosa grandiflora_. Near by is its fellow-countryman, the Burmese -honeysuckle, suggesting a monster form of French honeysuckle; the -foliage of its long twining branches closely resembles it, only on a -very large scale, and the white trumpets of its blossoms, instead of -being one or one and a half inches long, are from four to five inches -in length. The heavy scent is almost overpowering, coming at a season -of the year when the air seems to bring out the scent of the flowers to -such an extent that they become almost offensive. - -The garden is so full of interesting trees and shrubs that it would be -a hopeless and never-ending task to attempt to enumerate them all, -but the curious trunk and roots of all that remains of a formerly -grand specimen of a Bella Sombra, or _Phytolacca dioica_, attract the -attention of all new-comers. From the uncouth root have sprung numerous -fresh branches, but they can never make a fine tree like their original -parent. As a foliage plant _Monstera deliciosa_, a native of Mexico, -makes a fine group where it can be allowed sufficient space to throw -out its long aerial roots, by which it will firmly attach itself to a -wall or bank. It must have been these strange roots which gained for -it the first part of its name, as its deeply perforated dark green -leathery leaves are no monsters, and I imagine it owes the second part -to its fruit, which I have seen described as being “succulent, with a -luscious pine-apple flavour.” - -There is a very fine specimen of _Bombax_, or silk cotton tree, which -has a peculiar growth, and in June is covered with fluffy white -blossoms. - -[Illustration: ROSES, SANTA LUZIA] - -At again a lower level on yet another terrace is a little sunk garden, -which seems to provide a never-ending wealth of colour and blossom. -Between its box-edged beds run narrow walks, paved with flag-stones, -a welcome relief to the usual paving with little round cobble-stones, -and certainly pleasanter to walk upon, and in spring, when flowers -spring up in every direction, many a little treasure appears between -the stones. One I remember I could never regard as a weed, though many -people seemed merely to look upon it as such, was _Anamotheca cruenta_, -a tiny little bulb which bears very brilliant salmon-pink blossoms in -clusters of five or six, each with a deep crimson mark in it. It is a -native of the Cape, from where it was no doubt originally imported, and -seems to sow itself freely. The borders are devoted to large clumps -of such plants as eupatoriums, salvias, euphorbias, pelargoniums, -albizzias, justicias, begonias, crinums, and imantophyllums, while -in the centre of the garden rose-beds carpeted with freesias, and -beds of the dark purple heliotrope, pink begonias, and lilac stocks, -provide good masses of colour. Over the wall at one end of the garden, -which is the boundary wall of the garden proper, hang great bushes -of poinsettias, daturas, and large clumps of echiums, and on the top -of the low wall on the other side, large pots of azaleas, diosmas, -begonias, and ivy-leaf geraniums stand with very good effect. - -Yet another of these little terrace gardens has been devoted entirely -to the culture of blue and white flowers, which is a pretty idea, -though true blue flowers are scarce. Blue salvias and solanums, -justicias and linums are a good foundation for the garden, which, -again, has paved walks, into whose cracks innumerable treasures have -sown themselves. Freesias, violets, which, though not true blue, are -too sweet to be ruthlessly weeded out, and forget-me-nots seem to -flourish between the stones. Plumbago and _Solanum crispum_ clothe the -walls on one side, and the chief treasure of the blue garden, _Echium -fastuosum_, provides a forest of great blue spikes all through March. -This plant, which is a native of Madeira, and is generally called Pride -of Madeira, finds a home among the cliffs on the seashore, but in a -cultivated state it is a much more beautiful plant. It is raised from -seed, and the plants seem to be at their best about the second year, -producing innumerable large feathery spikes of bloom of a very bright -blue. There seem to be different strains of it, as occasionally it is -merely a dingy grey, and I have never seen it so good a colour in its -wild state, nor with such large heads of bloom, so it is to be hoped -that this garden variety will be perpetuated, though it is possible -that it is merely the soil which affects its colour, in the same way -that it affects the colour of the hydrangeas. Even the little -fountain in the centre of the garden carries out the scheme of colour, -as the water reflects the deep blue sky above, and the fountain itself -is made with blue and white tiles, and makes one regret the good old -days when tiles, with their patterns in soft harmonious colourings, -were used architecturally and let into walls in panels. There are still -a few to be seen in the grounds of the Santa Clara Convent, and on the -tower of the church, showing that in former days Funchal had probably -more architectural beauty than it has to-day. - -[Illustration: PRIDE OF MADEIRA AND PEACH BLOSSOM] - -In April and May the garden seems a feast of flowers in whichever -direction you turn your eyes, though there are some good stretches of -mown grass to relieve the eye and give a sense of repose. The corridors -are clad with roses, among which at this moment the large single white -_Rosa lævigata_, with its shiny foliage, is one of the most beautiful. -It resembles the Macartney rose, and is often mistaken for it. The -plants are seldom entirely without bloom all through the winter, but -it is early in April that it becomes a sheet of starry blossoms. Being -only half-hardy in England, the climate of Madeira suits it admirably; -in fact, I remarked that as a rule it is the roses which are tender -in England which thrive best in Madeira. Among the best are the old -General Lamarque, which grows rampantly and seems to take care of -itself. Its great clusters of snow-white blossoms come in masses in -December, and again in April and May. Safrano, Souvenir d’un Ami, -Georges Nabonnand, Souvenir de la Malmaison, and Adam, are among the -old favourites, though some of the newer kinds of that most beautiful -class of roses--Hybrid Teas--seem to take kindly to the climate. It is -useless to attempt to grow any Hybrid Perpetuals: they may bloom fairly -well the first year, but never again. I have seen good blooms on many -of the Hybrid Teas, such as Antoine Rivoire, Madame Abel Chatenay, and -others, though never attaining to the perfection of English roses. -Possibly the pruning may be at fault, and if the trees were better -pruned, better flowers would be the result; but their rampant growth -makes them, no doubt, difficult to deal with, and it would be a serious -undertaking to cut away all the weak wood from the very large bushes, -and certainly the ordinary Portuguese gardener makes no attempt to -do so. As a rule, he merely clips the trees, shortening back all the -growth equally in the month of January. I believe by a careful system -of pruning a succession of roses might be obtained all through the -winter, and if, as soon as one crop of bloom was over, the tree was -carefully and judiciously cut, a fresh crop could be got in from six -weeks to two months. - -There are several roses which are to be found in most of the gardens to -which I could never put a name: one in particular I can recall, with a -beautiful clear, bright pink blossom, touched with a deeper red on the -back of the petals, which I frequently admired and endeavoured to get -correctly named; but no one knew its name, and at last a friend said: -“Why worry about its name? We just call it ‘The most beautiful rose -that grows’”--and it seemed indeed a good name for it. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -VILLA GARDENS TO THE EAST OF FUNCHAL (_continued_) - - -The Quinta do Til is one of the oldest villas in Funchal, and a -description of it is to be found in “Rambles in Madeira and Portugal,” -published anonymously in the early part of 1826, in which the writer -says: “The _Til_ is a villa in the Italian style, and possesses much -more architectural pretensions than any I have seen here; but it has -never been finished, and what has, bears evident symptoms of neglect. -The name comes from a remarkably fine _til_, one of the indigenous -forest trees of the island, which stands in the garden, _ingens arbos -faciemque simillima lauro_: it is, I believe, of the laurel tribe. In -the court, too, is an enormous old chestnut, the second largest in the -island.” - -[Illustration: QUINTA DO TIL] - -The effect of the garden never having been finished is due to the fact -that the balustrade of the lower terrace still remains carried out in -wood instead of stone, or at least cement and plaster, as was no -doubt intended originally. Possibly the death of the original owner -caused the property to change hands, and fall into the possession of -one who had no sympathy with costly garden architecture. The garden has -lost much of its Italian characteristics, as, though not mentioned in -the above description, the lower garden was formerly planted entirely -with orange-trees, and four large cypresses stood like sentinels near -the fountain. Disease killed the orange-trees, as, indeed, it has -killed almost all the orange-trees in the island, and the cypresses are -also gone, so the garden is now entirely a flower-garden. On the upper -terrace the trunk still remains of the chestnut-tree mentioned in the -above description; it must have been of gigantic proportions, as the -trunk measures many yards in girth. It now supports a single Banksia -rose-tree, which is wreathed with its little white starry blossoms -in early spring. The chestnut-tree has been replaced by a _Magnolia -grandiflora_, which has grown into an immense tree, and is now probably -one of the largest in the island. In June, when its large leathery -white blossoms expand, it fills the air, especially near sundown, with -its almost overpowering fragrance. - -The upper terrace is laid out with beds, surrounded by box hedges a -foot or more in height, which are filled with an infinite variety of -well-grown plants. The garden is very sheltered, and never seems to -suffer from the strong, rough winds which those in a more exposed and -open situation feel so keenly. Here there comes no rude blast from -the east to strip the leaves off the great begonia plants, and their -brittle foliage and heavy flower-heads remain unbruised and untorn, -while many a neighbouring garden has suffered severely at the hands -of a winter storm. Each plant is a perfect specimen in itself, and is -the result of many years’ care and attention. New-comers to the island -are apt to think that in this glorious climate plants are very quickly -established, that cuttings will make large plants in at most a few -weeks, seeds will spring up in a night--in fact, that gardening is so -easy that it is small wonder that gardens filled with plants such as we -find here are to be found. Personal experience has taught me that as a -rule plants are rather slow to establish, cuttings strike slowly and -take a long time to make their roots, especially in the winter months, -and the same applies to seeds unless they are sown in early autumn. -Once established--say the second year--plants, especially creepers, -will make astonishingly rapid growth, but patience is required at -first, though well rewarded in the end. - -It is evident that this garden is tended with loving hands, and all the -necessary alterations and pruning are done under the close supervision -of its owners. Their collection of begonias is a large one, and they -seem to thrive better in this garden than anywhere else in Funchal, and -appear to be in perpetual flower. Pelargoniums of the varieties known -in England as Show Pelargoniums, and not of late years much cultivated, -new favourites having ousted them from the greenhouse, are here grown -into large bushes, many of them five and six feet in height. It is only -growing freely in this way that one has any idea of the beauty of many -plants which we only know cramped in the narrow area of a six-inch pot. -In Southern Italy I remember these same varieties of pelargoniums were -grown hanging over terrace walls, and possibly were even more beautiful -than when receiving artificial support. - -It would again be impossible to enumerate all the plants in this -little garden, but it brings to my mind’s eye a vision of fuchsias, -bouvardias, a beautiful deep mauve lantana, the clear yellow _Linum -trigynum_, and hosts of sweet-scented plants, such as verbenas, sweet -olives, sweet-scented geraniums, diosmas, and many others. - -The lower terrace is almost entirely a rose-garden, the Til garden -having always been famous for its roses. - -If a few plants of a new rose are imported, the stock can be easily -and quickly increased, as the budding of roses, or even grafting, -seems an easy matter in this country. The buds take quickly, and the -stock may be either that of _Rosa Benghalensis_, which has become -naturalized in the island, or any rose which has been proved to have -a good constitution may be utilized as a parent. As I have remarked -elsewhere, the branch which has been budded is as often as not layered -in its turn, and in a few weeks will have rooted, and can be detached -from the parent plant; there seems no reason that, once a new variety -has been proved to have taken kindly to the climate and soil, a good -stock should not be procured and a large group of the same kind planted -together, whereby a much better effect is always obtained. - -A creeper-clad corridor leads to the group of trees which have given -their name to the quinta. - -Just above, on the Levada da Santa Luzia, is the gate of the Quinta -Palmiera, which takes its name from the large palm-tree which rears its -head proudly and stands alone in the grounds. The path leading to the -house winds up the side of the hill, through grounds which for many -years had been out of cultivation, until the property changed hands a -short time ago; but as the ground had always been left in more or less -its wild and natural state, it suffered less than if it had been a -cultivated garden. - -It is a beautiful piece of rocky ground, and on one side a group -of _Pinus pinea_, stone, or parasol pines, stand towering over a -grand cliff which rises abruptly from the river-bed. In November the -rocks are covered with the red spikes of the blossoms of the _Aloe -arborescens_, and the effect with the great pines and cypresses beyond -is one of indescribable beauty. This is the only villa which can boast -of the possession of fine cypresses, and here one realizes the ornament -they would be to the island if they were more lavishly planted. The -ground near the house is admirably suited for broad terracing, and a -splendid effect could be obtained by leaving the cypresses standing out -against the distant sea. But the rock being so very near the surface, -and the absence of soil, combined with the lack of any means of -carting, would make terracing a very serious undertaking. - -The grounds contain many very fine trees--among others, a very good -specimen of the deciduous cypress, _Taxodium distichum_, which is -also called the swamp, or Mississippi cypress, as the whole valley of -the Mississippi is clothed with these trees. In summer they are of a -splendid deep emerald-green, which gradually turns to a bronze-red -colour in autumn, and by December the trees are bare. - -At the back of the house there is one of the largest coral-trees in -Funchal, and a very large til-tree stands immediately in front of the -house. - -Among other villas with good gardens, the Deanery, which has long been -noted for its fine collection of trees, and the Achada, cannot be -omitted. The Deanery, standing in a very sheltered situation at the -foot of the Santa Luzia ravine, has proved an admirable trial-ground -for trees, shrubs, and plants which have been collected by its present -owner. From all parts of the world rare and interesting plants have -been brought, and some have been raised from seed on the spot. The -following description of the place was written in the early part of -the year 1826 by a traveller in Madeira and Portugal, and shows that -even in its early days the garden was well cared for: - -“To-day we have removed to Deanery, our country-house. The house is -a very pretty one. It has not long been built, and, in fact, only a -portion of the apartments has as yet been used for residence, but -there are more than enough for our accommodation. The situation is -delightful--scarcely a quarter of an hour’s walk from Funchal, and -enjoying, from its comparative elevation, a beautiful view down the -valley to the city (which, though so near, is scarcely visible from the -orange-trees and cypresses that embower us), and to the bay and coast -and the blue Desertas beyond. Close on the west is the Santa Luzia -ravine, the farther side of which rises to a considerable height, its -cliffs terraced, in the way I previously described, into little gardens -and vine-grounds, and crowned by the trees and trellises of the Achada -Quinta. - -“Our great luxury, however, is the garden. It is one of the largest -and most beautiful in the island. A spacious vine corridor runs round -nearly its whole extent, under the green arches of which in summer, you -may either ride or walk in coolness, while the interior space forms -a ‘leafy labyrinth,’ in which trees and shrubs, flowers and fruits of -every clime are here crowded into a wilderness of shade and beauty. The -higher part of the ground, upon which stands the house, is elevated -considerably above the rest, and is divided from it by a terrace of -considerable height. This circumstance is of very happy effect for the -beauty of the garden: it in a manner doubles its extent, and multiplies -its variety; while the wall of the terrace, in some parts nearly twenty -feet high, affords an admirable field for every species of tropical -creeper, to luxuriate, as it were, at full length, and to put forth its -leaves and blossoms to the sun, in all the fearlessness which such a -climate and aspect justify. - -“Above the house the ground rises another step, and the boundary of the -garden here is a wall of native rock, which is already half veiled with -the trees and trailing plants interposed to relieve its ruggedness. -The freshness of the scene is completed by the tanks, always copiously -supplied with running water, and which a little trouble might, I think, -bring into play as fountains.” - -Across the ravine, but at a very much higher altitude, stands the -Achada, in a commanding position on, as its name implies, a stretch -of level ground. The road leading to it from the town, known as the -Caminho da Sao Roque, as it eventually leads to the village of that -name, is almost as steep as the Mount Road, and a very pretty view -of the town is visible between its creeper-clad walls, with the -picturesque church and tower of Santa Clara in the distance. The Achada -has also long been famous for its garden and grounds. It formerly -belonged to an English family, who probably planted most of the rare -trees, palms, and Dracænas, and the large magnolia-trees for which it -has become famous. The property then changed hands, and for some years -belonged to a Portuguese family, but is now again in English hands. The -following is by the same unknown author of the above description of the -Deanery in 1826: “The English merchants all have mansions in the city, -but they commonly live with their families in the country-houses in -the neighbourhood of it. To-day we have been returning visits, which -has taken us to some of the finest of these quintas. One of them is -the Achada. The situation is delightful: it stands on a level, the -only one in the environs, just above the city, and thus enjoys an -advantage in respect to surface possessed by no other. The grounds are -extensive, rich in fruits and in flowers, and surrounded by alleys of -vine trellises. These vine corridors, as they are called, are common -to all the gardens, and in summer, when the plant is in leaf, must be -peculiarly grateful.” - -[Illustration: ON THE TORRINHAS ROAD] - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE PALHEIRO - - -About an hour’s ride from the town, at a height of some 1,800 or -2,000 feet, is the Palheiro, formerly known as Palheiro de Ferreiro -(Blacksmith’s Hut), the principal country place in the neighbourhood -of Funchal, belonging to the same owner as the Quinta Santa Luzia. The -road leads past many smaller villas, whose gardens have most of them -fallen into decay, and only undergo a hurried process of tidying when -their Portuguese owner comes to spend a few weeks away from the summer -heat of Funchal. - -Palheiro was not entirely laid out by its present owner, though the -grounds have been very much enlarged and improved, and the house -itself, having been destroyed by fire a few years ago, has been lately -rebuilt. Some letters from Madeira, written by J. Driver and published -in 1834, give the following interesting account of Palheiro, which in -those days belonged to the family of Carvalhal. - -“The grounds of Senhor Jose de Carvalhal are the finest in the island, -possessing a level surface, which is very difficult to be met with -here to any extent. This place was recommended to us for our first -ride into the country, and after some delay in making choice of the -ponies and _burroquieros_ that we intended afterwards to patronize, -we made our way eastward out of the city. Crossing a bridge over the -deep bed of a river, we saw the ruins created by the great flood in -1803, when several hundred inhabitants were swept into the sea. We now -ascended a steep and narrow road for a distance of two or three miles, -passing several of the merchants’ houses, from all of which there is a -commanding and beautiful view of the city and the bay. The Palheiro, -lately the residence of Senhor Carvalhal, by far the richest _hidalgo_ -of the island, has been confiscated by the Miguelite Government. -Senhor Carvalhal himself had some difficulty in effecting his escape; -however, he got on board an English vessel in the bay, and is now -residing in London. Upwards of 700 pipes of very choice and old wine -were at once taken from his cellars, and sent to Lisbon to be sold on -Government account. The house was ransacked, and his grounds are now -(though this is of recent occurrence) fast going to ruin. There are a -few soldiers stationed near the house to prevent any material damage, -and these are now the only persons to be seen on this once splendid -estate. The park, if we may so term it, is more in the English style -than we expected to find it; but when we came to the orange, lemon, -pomegranate and shaddock groves, which are in fine foliage and planted -in the best order, we at once saw the effect of these Southern climes. -The flower-gardens, though not abounding in that variety we might -expect, are well arranged, but begin to show more of the ‘fallen state’ -of things than the other parts of the grounds. The house itself is -not on a large scale, yet it is built in good style and keeping with -the place, as well as the chapel, which is a neat edifice at a short -distance from the house. Senhor Carvalhal used to employ more than two -hundred men on the estate, for the purpose of keeping it in order. -He was a kind landlord, and much respected throughout the whole of -the island. Let us, then, hope that Portugal will soon have a fixed -Government, and that Senhor Carvalhal will return to his country, and -again have the pleasure of enjoying his estates.” - -The hope here expressed was fulfilled, and the family continued to -live there until the estate changed hands and became the property of -the present owner, in 1884. - -Although on first acquaintance it is true that the grounds suggest -those of an English park, possibly from the welcome presence of turf, -and also from the fact that at that high elevation the deciduous trees -are leafless throughout the winter, like Mr. Driver, we shall very soon -discover many trees and shrubs that could not be grown in even the -most southern parts of England, though many English shrubs and flowers -flourish in the warmer climate. - -There are two roads leading from the outer gate to the house. The lower -road winds through a long avenue of camellia-trees, whose branches -in January and February are laden with their single, double and -semi-double blossoms, ranging in colour from pure white, through every -shade of pink, to deep red. Along the higher road, beneath the trees, -broad stretches of the deep green leaves of the _Amaryllis belladonna_ -give promise of beauties to come. In summer all trace of their foliage -vanishes, and early in September the deep red stems and sheath of their -flowers begin to appear. By the end of September their blush-coloured -flowers will have developed; and so profusely do they flower that all -through October in these higher regions the land is transformed by -their rosy loveliness. Like the garden of Santa Luzia, Palheiro has -been made the trial-ground of many an imported treasure, and many -which did not flourish in the warmer and drier regions have succeeded -admirably in the cooler and damper air of the hills. - -The flower-gardens certainly show no signs of the “fallen state of -things” under their present ownership, and a small enclosed garden -a short distance from the house is a perfect treasure-house; though -naturally at its best in spring and summer, it is never devoid of -flowers. Here English daffodils, pansies, and polyanthuses grow side -by side with many a bulb and plant which will just _not_ stand the -rigours of our English winters. The large-flowered violets, Princess of -Wales and other varieties, flower in their thousands from November till -April, with blooms so large that they suggest violas more than violets. -Freezias and ixias have seeded themselves in the grass slopes of this -little favoured garden, where the beds are enclosed by trim box hedges. -At the corners or angles of the beds the box is cut into all sorts of -fancy shapes, such as pyramids and ninepins. In the beds grow large -masses of the pale yellow sparaxis, anemones of every shade, single, -semi-double, or double, and the graceful little _Cineraria stellata_, -in an infinite range of soft colouring. Or a whole bed is devoted to -the deep purple _Statice_, the beautiful white _Alstrœmeria peregrina_, -or some other chosen flower which gives a definite note to the colour -scheme. In March two fine specimens of _Magnolia conspicua_ are covered -with their cup-like white and lilac blossoms, and stand out in sharp -contrast to the deep emerald-green of the _Araucaria braziliensis_, -which forms an admirable background to them, and is in itself one of -the most beautiful of all trees. Near the magnolias a large shrub of -_Cantua buxifolia_, with its bright red tube-like blossoms hanging -in graceful bunches, provides a brilliant patch of colour. The lilac -_Iris fimbriata_, with its branches of delicately veined flowers, -seems to flourish in the shade, and though its individual blossoms are -short-lived, they are so freely produced that for many weeks in the -late winter and early spring the plants remain in beauty. One could -linger for many a long hour in this peaceful spot, resting in an arbour -completely formed of the clinging, twining _Muhlenbeckia_, which has -grown into so dense a thicket that it provides welcome shade and -shelter, or wandering from one little terrace to another, examining the -endless treasures the beds contain; for, as the garden has a wealth of -flowers all the summer, there are many things which, from being out of -flower, might pass unnoticed. - -Great beds of _Azalea indica_, and trees of different varieties of -mimosa, bending under the weight of their golden blossoms, remind one -that this is no English garden, while glades and banks show long vistas -of white arum lilies, as _Richardia_ or _Calla Æthiopia_ are commonly -called. Here these African lilies, which are also called lilies of the -Nile, are completely naturalized, and bloom continuously for at least -five or six months of the year. - -A deep dell, shaded by mahogany and other trees, has provided a -home for the tree-ferns of Australia, New Zealand, and Africa, and -in some twelve or fourteen years they have made such astonishingly -rapid growth that the little ravine is suggestive of the celebrated -fern-tree gullies of Australia or Tasmania. The ivy, which hangs from -tree to tree in long ropes, replaces the lianes of a tropical forest, -and the banks are clothed with woodwardias and other ferns, while a -few of the rarer native wild-flowers, such as the monster buttercup, -_Ranunculus grandifolia_, and the giant fennel, have been introduced, -and are thoroughly in keeping with their wild and natural surroundings. -A path winds down the little valley following the bed of the stream, -and on emerging from the deep shade of the fern-trees, broad masses -of naturalized plants are revealed with every turn of the path. On a -grassy slope, over which tower two or three grand old stone-pines, -thousands upon thousands of golden lupins have sown themselves. A -single specimen of a plant may often hardly be regarded or considered -worthy of notice, but the same plant, when seen in great masses, may -call forth universal admiration because of the wealth of colour it -provides. In summer the agapanthus will send up innumerable heads -of clear blue flowers, while the little _Fuchsia coccinea_ seems to -flower bravely at all seasons of the year. In order to show that -even in this favoured land it is possible to have failures in the -gardens, and importations from other climes do not always succeed, some -rhododendrons, even the common _ponticum_, were pointed out to me as -never having made themselves at home, and in a shady corner hundreds of -our English primroses had been planted, but had pined away and died. - -In another part of the garden the beautiful rhododendrons from Java -are being given a trial; but possibly, just as the climate is too -hot for the hardier varieties, it may prove too cold for those from -tropical regions. The variety known as _arboreum_, with its large heads -of deep crimson flowers, appreciates the climate, and has no spring -frost to cut its blossoms, which so often mars the beauty of this very -early-flowering rhododendron in England, where, for this reason, it -only succeeds in sheltered situations. The large white variety, which -is commonly called the Himalayan rhododendron, though, more correctly -speaking, it is known as _Edgeworthii_, flourishes here. It was -introduced from Sikkim to Europe in 1851. It is a shrub of somewhat -straggling growth, with large wide-open pure white flowers, sometimes -tinged with yellow or blush; they are produced in small clusters, not -more than three or four together, and diffuse an overpoweringly strong -scent. - -Among new importations are a collection of Japanese cherry-trees, -including the beautiful and graceful weeping variety and some of the -double-flowered kinds, also the deep pink plums, which should all prove -a success, as in the little flower-garden described above a large -double-flowered pink peach-tree is the pride of the garden when in -blossom. - -Besides these so-called fruit-trees, which are only cultivated for -their beautiful blossom, and bear no fruit, many fruit-bearing -cherries, plums, and peaches have been planted in the more prosaic part -of the garden; but the stone fruit, is only a partial success. The -peaches seem to deteriorate when the trees have been more than a few -years in the island. Possibly the pruning is at fault, or the fruit -forms and ripens too quickly; and when the plum-trees are laden with -fruit, a _leste_--the cruel, hot, scorching wind which the natives -dread in summer--will blow for a few days, and shrivel the fruit and -spoil the whole crop. - -The orange-groves have vanished, destroyed by disease, which gradually -spread from Funchal throughout the island, up to the higher land. The -lack of enterprise common to all Southern races being a marked feature -among the Portuguese, no combined effort was ever made to check its -devastating progress. - -The garden has no definite boundary, no unsightly garden fence, which -is the stumbling-block of so many gardens. One can wander down through -the pine woods, or up the hill, where, looking west, the whole bay and -town of Funchal lies spread out like a map before you, or, looking -east, the distant islands seem to provide a never-ending variety to -the view. Sometimes the islands look dark against the sky, which means -storms ahead; or sometimes they are wrapt in a soft haze, which means a -promise of fine weather; or the setting sun may have caught and kissed -them with her last departing rays, and made them blush a rosy-pink, and -one is tempted to linger and watch the light gradually fade; but it is -time to turn homewards, as in these Southern latitudes twilight is all -too short, and darkness descends quickly over the land. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -CAMACHA AND THE MOUNT - - -The road past Palheiro leads, through pine woods and long stretches -of yellow broom and golden gorse, to the little mountain village of -Camacha. Probably the village has become noted for its flowers from -the fact that many English people, in the days when travelling was -not so easy, used to make this place their summer-quarters, instead -of returning to England, as they mostly do in these days of quick -travelling. - -[Illustration: WISTARIA, QUINTA DA LEVADA] - -One garden I can recall which, though now neglected, still shows how -it was once well cared for. Though the turf is no longer mown, and the -box hedges have lost some of their trimness, the beds are still full -of what were once treasured plants. The rose-garden no longer sees the -knife of the pruner, but the trees grow and flower at their own sweet -will, in careless disorder. It is a very lovely disorder, but it is -always sad to see a garden once tended with the greatest care fall into -other hands, who know nothing of the art of gardening. In spring -the garden was full of jonquils and narcissi, and later on sparaxis and -ixias. Near the house great bushes of _Romneya coulteri_ were covered -with their delicate white poppy-like flowers in summer. The plant -seemed to have become thoroughly established, and threw up suckers in -all directions, even through the paths of hard-beaten earth. From the -grounds there are lovely views of the sea; and probably the garden -looks its best when the agapanthus sends up its flowers in hundreds, -and the hydrangea bushes are laden with their bright blue blossoms--as -blue as the sky above or the sea below; or, again, in October, when the -belladonna lilies are flowering in their thousands. - -I think the love of gardening must have spread from these English -gardens to the native cottage gardens. The English probably encouraged -the cottagers to cultivate their plants, as from these little gardens -come all the flowers which are to be bought in Funchal. A few -flower-sellers will trudge seven long weary miles down to the town, -nearly every day of the week, with a heavy basket of flowers on their -heads, which they have collected from many a cottage garden. Naturally -these flowers are not of the best, and it is very much to be regretted -that some enterprising person does not start a shop or garden where -cut flowers and plants could be bought. Many a time have I been asked -where, in this land of flowers, good cut flowers can be procured, and -the answer has had to be “Nowhere.” Would-be purchasers have to satisfy -themselves with the contents of these baskets which are brought to the -hotel and villa doors, and their contents are far from satisfactory. -Beyond arum lilies, violets, and irises, a few indifferent daffodils -and poor roses, there is little to be got. The women will complain that -they have not a large sale for flowers, and it is in vain that I have -told them that the real reason of it is that their flowers are so poor. -Nosegays of a mixture of a dozen flowers, in as many colours, naturally -find no market; but good flowers, I feel sure, would have a large and -ready sale at reasonable prices. - -The little gardens at Camacha are gay with common flowers: large bushes -of white marguerites and trees of the early-flowering red _Rhododendron -arboreum_ give colour to the village even in early spring, and in -summer it is naturally much more flowery. On every bank and hedgerow -grow bushes of hydrangeas, with their flaunting blue blossoms, while -great clumps of belladonna lilies transform the whole landscape, and -the country seems to blush a beautiful rosy-pink. - -The road between the two most popular summer resorts, Camacha and the -Mount, runs through pine woods and long stretches of golden gorse to -the Pico d’Infante, from where a very fine panorama of the Bay of -Funchal is to be seen by turning aside a few yards from the road. Just -beyond this point the path strikes the Caminho do Meio, another steep -road leading down to the town. Near the eucalyptus and pine groves is -the Quinta Bom Successo, one of the most beautiful of the outlying -properties, which, from its elevation, escapes the summer heat, while -its sheltered and sunny aspect makes it a pleasant residence through -the winter months. The large grounds extend to the edge of the ravine, -and a view of surpassing loveliness is suddenly brought before one -at the very end of the terrace. The river roars and tumbles below, -and the ragged cliffs throw deep mysterious shadows, while the more -distant hills are wreathed with light transparent mists. The sides of -the cliff have been transformed into a wild garden, as many plants -have strayed from the garden proper, and have either seeded themselves -or been cast over the precipice as discarded plants, where they have -taken root and clung to life in some cranny between the stones. Within -the grounds a rocky bank is covered with great stretches of the red -_Aloe arborescens_, blue agapanthus and vast clumps of belladonnas, all -growing in careless profusion. The garden has long been noted for its -orchid-houses, where plants have been brought from all parts of the -world, and also for the pine-houses, from which hundreds of pines are -cut annually. Showing that, though at a comparatively high altitude, -the garden is sheltered and warm, two natives of Burmah, the giant -honeysuckle, which in May is wreathed with its strong-scented trumpets -and the Burmese rose, both flourish, and in a few years have made -astonishingly rapid growth. - -The road to the Little Curral leads past a grove of _Mimosa -cornuta_--which is smothered with its fluffy balls of yellow blossoms -in early spring--to the valley itself. Every fresh turn of the steep -zigzag path opens out fresh views, and at every step a new fern or -little wild-flower is to be seen nestling between the damp mossy -stones. Down near the bed of the river, which tumbles over great -boulders in a roaring torrent after heavy autumn or winter rains, a -large colony of arum lilies begin to unfold their pure white flowers -in November, and continue in one unceasing succession until the late -spring or early summer. The path winds up the opposite hillside, -through a group of peasants’ huts, where yapping dogs and begging -children for a few minutes mar the harmony and repose of the scene, -and then again the path enters another silent valley, until the little -village of the Mount is reached. A colony of countless little quintas, -which have sprung up under the shelter and protection of the Church -of Nossa Senhora do Monte, has of late years become a more favourite -summer resort than Camacha. The air may not be quite so pure and cool, -but the proximity of the town and the convenience of the funicular -railway are, no doubt, responsible for its growing popularity. - -The principal villa, the Quinta do Monte, formerly owned by an -Englishman, has large grounds, planted with many rare trees and shrubs. -The property has changed hands; the house is no longer inhabited, and -the garden is falling into decay. As the grounds were always more -pleasure-grounds than actual flower-gardens, it has suffered less than -a smaller garden, which misses the personal care of its owner. The -camellia-trees are an immense size, and have out-grown the little -garden centring in a sundial, in which they were, no doubt, originally -planted as small shrubs in beds with neat box hedges. Here are to be -found tree-ferns, long rows of agapanthus, and a great plantation -of mimosa-trees, which is quite a feature in the landscape in early -spring, when they are laden with their balls of yellow blossoms. - -In every direction in this district large clumps of the foliage of the -belladonna lilies are to be seen in winter, on every bank, in every -little garden: giving promise of their glories to come in the waning -summer months. But in the grounds of Quinta da Cova they are probably -to be seen at their very best, as here they have been more collected -together, and broad stretches of them carpet the ground in thousands, -beneath the chestnut-trees. I remember once hearing a traveller remark, -who had passed through Madeira in August, on his way to the Cape, and -returned again early in October, that when he first saw the island “it -was all blue,” alluding to the effect of the agapanthus and hydrangea -blooms, and when he returned it had changed, and was “all pink,” from -the masses of belladonna lilies. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -A RAMBLE IN THE HIGHER ALTITUDES - - -The Church of Nossa Senhora do Monte is the starting-point of many an -expedition made by those who have a wish to see more of the beauties -of the island than can be done within the restricted area of Funchal. -Should the Metade Valley be the point chosen, or the bleak Pico Ariero, -with its enchanting views, or should the traveller be bent on a longer -tour, and be proposing to make the little village of Santa Anna his -headquarters for seeing the beautiful scenery of the north side of the -island, the road up to a height of some 4,500 feet will be the same. -Gradually the steep path winds its way through the fir woods, which in -the early morning while the dew is still on them, exude a delicious -aromatic scent, and the bushes of the little red _Fuchsia coccinea_ -and _Rosa Benghalensis_, with its small double pink flowers, and the -clumps of belladonnas on the banks, which at first give the landscape -the appearance of a ruined garden, are left behind, and the vegetation -changes completely. - -The pine woods consist chiefly of plantations of _Pinus maritima_, -or _pinaster_, which have been planted for practical purposes, and -have replaced the more beautiful chestnut woods, which were wantonly -destroyed. These pines, being of rapid growth, are soon cut down, and -provide timber for firewood, garden and vine trellises--in fact, are -strictly utilitarian. The roots and stumps are burnt on the ground, and -then possibly a crop of some sort is sown before the fresh pine seed -is put in. This system has been the means of saving some of the more -valuable and beautiful native trees, which at one time were ruthlessly -felled; and even the forests in the interior, so necessary for the -preservation of the water-sources, were threatened with destruction. -Interspersed with the plantations of pine-trees are broad stretches -of the common broom, which is sown extensively on the mountain-sides, -either for the purpose of being cut down for firing, or to be burnt -on the spot every five or seven years to fertilize the ground, and -cause it to produce a single crop of wheat or batatas. The twigs and -more slender branches are commonly used for making into faggots, and -numbers of country-people, especially young girls and children, within -reach of Funchal gain a scanty and hard-earned living by bringing daily -into the town, often from great distances, bundles of _giesta_, as the -natives call it, to be used for heating ovens and igniting the larger -firewood. Doubtless the species was originally introduced into Madeira, -though it is proved to have existed there for over 150 years, and now -is so extensively diffused that it appears to be perfectly naturalized; -in spring it floods the mountain-sides for miles with seas of its -golden blossoms. The very fine and delicate basket-work peculiar to -Madeira is manufactured from the slender peeled twigs of the broom. - -Gradually ascending to the higher altitude, those who can tear their -eyes away from the beautiful view of the Bay of Funchal and the -curiously shaped hills above the villages of Santo Antonio and Santo -Amaro will notice that by the roadside, in the moisture exuding from -between the rocks, the innumerable ferns and the common foxglove, -which at a lower altitude were so abundant, will gradually vanish. -The myrtles, formerly so fine, are now unfortunately becoming almost -scarce, owing to their injudicious destruction for ornamenting churches -and adorning religious processions, after a height of 3,000 feet -are no longer to be seen, and the country gradually becomes barren -of vegetation. Rocks of basalt and red tufa appear, and the long -sweeps of turf are only broken by large bushes of a heath, called, I -believe, _Erica scoparia_, which, from being constantly eaten off by -the mountain sheep and goats, gets a curiously distorted and stunted -growth, though they eventually attain to a large size, and have such -venerable-looking stems that they are suggestive of the dwarfed trees -of the Japanese. Then comes the region of the _Vaccinium Maderense_, or -_padifolium_, which varies in appearance according to the season. In -winter it has crimson foliage, then it bears waxy bell-shaped blossoms, -and in autumn is covered with almost black berries. From the situation -in which it grows, exposed to the full blast of the north wind which -sweeps over that stretch of country, it also has a bent and distorted -appearance; and the dampness of the air--as, more often than not, at -this altitude a white mist envelops the land--causes its stems to be -covered with the _Usnea_ lichen, which waves from one tree to another -like masses of long green hair. - -A turn in the road, at an altitude of some 4,800 feet, just beyond -the rest-house at the bleak spot known as the Poizo, reveals a -grand chain of mountains, with deep ravines running down to the sea. -The traveller’s path will wind, in zigzag fashion, down the steep -mountain-side, and gradually the _Vaccinium_ will be left behind and -the beautiful ravine of Ribeiro Frio is entered--thickly wooded with -many varieties of the laurel tribe, which in their turn have their -stems clothed with lichen. - -To collectors of wild-flowers and ferns these mountain expeditions -are a never-ending joy, as, according to the different seasons of the -year, innumerable treasures are to be found. A ramble along the many -_levadas_, or water-courses, will well repay the collector, as at -all seasons, ferns, mosses, lichens, lycopodiums, and hosts of other -moisture-loving plants, are to be found; while in June and July, when -the wild-flowers are in all their glory, many rare and interesting -plants will appear. The levada which runs through the Metade Valley was -formerly the home of the _Orchis foliosa_, the orchis known everywhere -as peculiar to Madeira, and its bright purple spikes brightened the -dense masses of green. Of late years the plant has become scarce, -probably ruthlessly uprooted by passers-by, or in order to be offered -for sale in the town of Funchal. In describing this beautiful ravine, -over which towers Pico Ruivo and the Torres, both some 6,000 feet in -height, Miss Taylor, who was a great authority on native ferns, says: -“Many rare and beautiful ferns will be found, growing both close to the -running water and on the mountain-sides above the levada. _Trichomanes -radicans_ and _Hymenophyllum Tunbridgense_ grow in great abundance; -also _Acrostichum squamosum_, _Pteris arguta_, _Asplenium umbrosum_, -_Woodwardia radicans_, and numberless others. Lichens of every sort -and mosses--_Lycopodium suberectum_ and _Selaginella Kraussiana_--seem -to fill up every available space and crevice, and engage the hands and -delight the mind of the collector.” - -The more arid path to Ariero will not provide such treasures for the -collector, who must content himself with the views of surpassing -loveliness down to the deep, wooded ravines, which as the shadows begin -to lengthen after midday, grow more mysterious-looking, getting grander -and more beautiful as their deep blue turns to purple; and gradually -the haze, which is certain to come before nightfall, fills the valleys -and blots out the sea beyond. The rare orchis _Goodyera macrophylla_ -is said to be found in this district, with its beautiful pure white -spikes, and here and there thickets of a low-growing indigenous, -mountain ash, which in September bears fragrant white flowers, to be -followed by brilliant scarlet berries in early winter. - -From just beyond the rest-house at the Poizo a long turf ride of some -four or five miles leads to the Lamaceiros, and is a welcome relief -after clattering over the eternal cobble-stones. A long round, over -country where seas of golden gorse, when it is in bloom, delight the -eye and nose and make a beautiful foreground to the enchanting views, -leads eventually past wooded glens, either over the Portella down to -the village of Santa Cruz, or through the village of Camacha back to -Funchal. A levada near the reservoir at the Pico d’Assoma is again rich -in ferns, and Miss Taylor says: “The lover of ferns will perfectly -revel in the wealth of lovely _Hymenophyllums_ which clothe the stems -of old laurels: here and there a mass of rock, perfectly cushioned with -_Hymenophyllum Tunbridgense_; here and there a carpet of _Hymenophyllum -Wilsoni_ and _Davallia Canariensis_ and _Polypodium vulgare_ growing -in masses on the trees. _Nephrodium Oreopteris_ here grows in great -abundance, the one place besides Pico Canario where it is to be found -in Madeira. _Nephrodium Fraenesecii_ and _Nephrodium dilatatum_ here -grow very large and perfect. The levada is fringed with _Asplenium -monanthemum_, _Cystopteris fragilis_, and countless treasures. In July -the _Orchis foliosa_ blooms in great spikes of bright mauve. In this -neighbourhood _Acrostichum squamosum_ and _Trichomanes radicans_ grow -well.” - -Probably nearly every levada in the island would repay exploring, but -some are very inaccessible and require a steady head. One of the most -beautiful is certainly that of the Fajao dos Vinhaticos, which could -disappoint no one, and can be seen by staying at the village of Santa -Anna, or, better still, at the engineer’s house on the levada itself. - -On the north side of the island the vegetation is mostly the same. The -rough and precipitous path which winds through the Boa Ventura Valley -up to the Torrinhas Pass is clothed mostly with trees belonging to -the laurel tribe. From the Pass itself some of the grandest views in -the island are to be seen. The grandeur of the rocks and the splendid -vegetation, the profusion of ferns and wild-flowers, hare’s-foot ferns -hanging in long fringes from the stems of the evergreen trees, the -variety of lichens, some of a deep orange colour, make the long ascent -an endless source of delight to lovers of Nature, and, provided the -weather is fine and the valleys free of mist, I know no more beautiful -expedition. - -If the traveller is returning to Funchal, he will gradually descend -from this high altitude (close on 6,000 feet), down past the Church -of Nossa Senhora do Livramento (Our Lady of Deliverance), through the -valley of the Grand Curral, up the steep zigzag road opposite, and -back to Funchal through the village of Santo Antonio. The region of -the laurels and ferns, dripping with moisture, is left behind when -the traveller turns his back at the top of the pass on the beautiful -Boa Ventura Valley, and he will gradually return to the region of the -heaths, pine woods, broom, and gorse. - -When the village of Santo Antonio is reached, a marked change in the -vegetation will be noticed. There are many Spanish chestnut-trees, -whose fruit, being very popular with the natives, is sold in bushels -in the town in autumn and early winter; and, the district being a -very warm one, on the banks and in the hedgerows by the wayside the -prickly-pear, agaves, and cactus will begin to appear, while large -clumps of pelargoniums, sweet-scented geraniums, and lantanas have -strayed from gardens and sown themselves in every direction. In April -the beautiful _Ornithogalum Arabicum_, bearing its white starry -blossoms with jet-black centres, may be seen growing wild, and I have -been told that the pure white _Lilium candidum_ is to be found in a -wild state, though I have never come across it myself. - -Between Santo Antonio and Santo Amaro the earliest strawberries -which are brought into the market in Funchal are grown, making their -appearance in favourable seasons late in February, though at that -season they have little flavour, and generally only find favour in the -eyes of the tourists, who are attracted by their inviting appearance as -they are offered for sale in little fancy baskets. If some enterprising -person would make some experiments with growing the plants on rather -steep banks or slopes, as I have seen done elsewhere in temperate -climates, in order that the plants may get the full benefit of the -sun, I feel almost certain that far better early strawberries could be -obtained: the sun would draw out that watery flavour from which they -suffer. But it is always hard to induce a cultivator of any nationality -to try new methods, and in vain one preaches, and is only met with -pitying looks of incredulity and the remark that the crop, whatever it -happen to be, has always been grown in the same way, however bad a way -it may be, by the present owner, his father and his grandfather before -him, and what was good enough for them is good enough for him. - -There are more vines grown here than in any other neighbourhood, -though, in consequence of the numerous attacks of disease--two -scourges having several times threatened to completely destroy the -vineyards: the dreaded Phylloxera insect, which attacks the roots of -the vines, and also _Oïdium Tuckeri_, which settles on the leaves and -fruit--together with the depression in the wine trade, vines are far -less grown than formerly. Being trained over corridors--or _latadas_, -as they are called in Madeira, _pergolas_, as they would be called -in Italy--the effect is not only very pretty, but seems practical, -as, being at a sufficient height from the ground, a labourer can work -underneath them, and it is not uncommon to see another crop growing -between the vines, though this practice of overstocking the ground is -no doubt responsible for the failure of many a crop. The vines are -pruned in February, though not to any great extent, and in April start -into growth, and soon clothe the corridors with fresh young leaves -and long twining tendrils. The flowers come in May, and by August -the vines are laden with fruit ready for the harvest, which in early -seasons begins in the lower regions late in August and continues, -according to the altitude, until October. - -The cultivation of vines and bananas, which were also grown at one -time to some considerable extent, has been almost entirely replaced by -that of sugar-cane, which, in consequence of the current rate fixed by -the Government being a very high one, is at the present time a very -profitable crop. - -The cultivation of sugar-cane in the island dates from very early -times, as in Cadamosto’s Voyages he writes that he visited the island -in 1445, only twenty-six years after its discovery, and says: “Zargo -caused much sugar-cane to be planted in the island, which has done -well, and from which they have made sugar.” Mr. Yate Johnson says: -“The cane is thought to have been introduced from Sicily about 1425, -at the instance of Prince Henry. The first plantation was made on the -site of the Cathedral, and did so well that the cane spread to other -localities. Matters proceeded so rapidly in those days that in 1453 a -mill was erected for crushing the canes by means of water-power.... -Prince Henry was a good business man, and knew what he was about -in making a bargain, for it was stipulated that he should receive -one-third of all the sugar produced. Another stipulation was that the -mill was to be placed where it would not be an annoyance to others, -a regulation which, it is to be regretted, is not enforced at the -present day. It is not known where this first mill was built, but it is -more likely to have been in Funchal than anywhere else.” By 1498 the -production of sugar is said to have increased to a very large extent, -and then came troubles in the trade. The introduction of the cane to -the West Indies and its extensive cultivation there caused increasing -competition in European markets, and led to a heavy fall in price; -but notwithstanding this, the cane continued to increase in Madeira, -and by the end of the fifteenth century a large number of slaves were -employed, both as labourers on the land and in the mills, which by now -had increased in number to 120, on the southern side of the island. - -Early in the sixteenth century disease came, in the form of a grub -which eats into the cane, and the plantations suffered severely -from its ravages, though many attempts were made to check its -depredations. Possibly this, combined with the abundant production in -the West Indies, caused the sugar-growing in Madeira to become so -unprofitable that the mills dwindled down to only three in number, -and the cultivation of vines for a time reigned supreme. This, in its -turn, received so severe a check through the grape diseases in 1852, -that the cane was once more restored to favour and again extensively -planted. The cultivation increased, and new crushing machinery was -imported from England; steam-power replaced the more primitive methods -of water-power, or working the mills with bullocks only. After the -revival, for a time the cane was only used for its juice, to be -distilled into spirit (_aquardente_), but gradually, new sugar-making -machinery having been imported, its manufacture was resumed and -continued, until it has now reached the vast amount of about 2,500 tons -per annum. - -Different kinds of cane have been introduced, and if the cultivation is -to be continued at the present enormous extent, artificial manures will -have to be largely employed to prevent the soil becoming exhausted. -The cane--I may say luckily--cannot be grown above an altitude of -about 1,700 feet, or it would seem as if there would be no end to its -cultivation, which by no means adds to the beauty of the island, and to -my mind is an unsightly crop. - -[Illustration: RED ALOES] - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -A RAMBLE ALONG THE COAST - - -The vegetation along the seashore is naturally very different to that -at a higher altitude. Wherever it has been found possible, the ground -has been brought into cultivation, even up to a height of 2,500 feet. -Pressed by the ever-increasing population, and the consequent need of -more food for more mouths, the country-people are continually bringing -into cultivation fresh patches of ground. No minute piece seems to be -wasted, and many an odd corner and neglected patch which, from its -steepness or the poor quality of soil, escaped cultivation in years -gone by, being rejected as incapable of bringing any return for the -vast labour which has to be applied to it in the first instance, has -been, as it were, pressed into service of late years. The larger -expanses of cultivated ground have been utilized for the profitable and -ever-increasing sugar crop, and these tiny terraces, when the stones -have been dug out or the rock blasted, and walls built to support -possibly only a few square yards of the levelled ground, will grow a -scanty crop of some article of food. Thus bit by bit the cultivation -has crept up the hills, and has done much to mar the beauty of the -island. The peasants are very primitive in their modes of cultivation, -and as long as the ground receives occasional irrigation during the -hot, dry months, and the surface is roughly broken with their native -hoe, it is all they consider necessary, and are strongly averse to -every kind of innovation. It is small wonder that even in such a -climate the crop suffers; the earth becomes impoverished and the -vegetables produced are of a most inferior quality. Their principal -root crops are the ordinary potato; the sweet potato (_Batata edulis_), -a plant of the convolvulus family; and the _inhame_, a kind of yam. The -sweet potato is one of their staple articles of food, and the native -appears to consume an inordinately large quantity of _batatas_. The -tuberous roots yield three or even four crops annually. In situations -where the ground can be kept constantly so supplied with moisture as -to be in a swampy condition, the _inhame_ (_Colocaria antiquorum_) is -grown even up to a very high elevation, some 2,500 feet. It is quite -different to the West Indian yam, and belongs to the arum family; -indeed, its leaves at once suggest those of arum lilies, only the -roots are edible. These are another most important article of food. -Other crops are haricot beans, the ripe seeds of our French beans, -whose young pods are nearly always in season; but with the Portuguese -it is the ripe seeds (_feijoens_) which are most valued for making -their _sopas_, or vegetable soups. Lupines, lentils, and the chickpea -(the _grao de bico_ of the Portuguese), broadbeans, and peas, come -into market in the winter months, but are of very poor quality and -singularly tasteless, even when gathered young, which it is very -difficult to persuade the peasant cultivator to do. That they need -not be poor in quality and flavour, if more pains were taken in their -cultivation, is proved by the fact that in private gardens where -fresh seed is imported from England or America excellent peas can be -grown. Another most important article of food is derived from several -varieties of the pumpkin tribe, and in summer over every trellis, -and even on the straw roofs of the peasants’ huts, the gourd-bearing -plants are trained, and their _aboboras_, as they are called, are -carefully tended. Mr. Lowe writes: “For at least six months in the -year (August to January) the _aboboras_ constitute almost one-third -of the daily nourishment of all classes; and from their facility of -combination by boiling with fatty substances, together with their -large supply of saccharine, besides their farinaceous material, afford -a most nutritious food, evinced by the surprising muscular power -of the Madeiran peasantry.” The pearshaped, green, wrinkled fruit -called pepinella (_Sechium edule_), or chou-chou by the English, is -not unlike a cucumber, and yields a constant supply in the winter -months. Spinach, cabbages, and cauliflowers are, I believe, only grown -for the requirements of the English, and to provision the passing -ships, and with these the list of vegetables closes--and somehow is -a disappointing one--and many an English person longs for the fresh -vegetables from a home-garden. - -Nor is the list of fruits a long one. The orange-tree has practically -died out. The apathy of the native made him consider the task of -fighting the disease called scale, induced by an insect, too arduous -a one, as constant washing of the trees is necessary to prevent -its ravages; and he remained content to see all the orange-groves -disappear, and the fruit is now imported from the Azores, Portugal, -and even South America. At one time, we are told, the vast banana -plantations gave quite a tropical aspect to the gardens about Funchal; -they have been largely replaced of late years by sugar-cane, and are no -longer so extensively cultivated as the facilities due to cold storage -on ships flooded the European market with bananas of the West Indies. -Several varieties are grown, but the fruit of the silver banana, a tall -growing kind, is most prized and fetches a higher price than that of -the dwarf _Musa Cavendishii_. In an old account of Madeira, printed in -Astley’s “General Collection of Voyages and Travels,” the following -curious account of the plant appears: “The banana is in singular esteem -and even veneration, being reckoned for its deliciousness the forbidden -fruit. To confirm this surmise they allege the size of its leaves. It -is considered almost a crime to cut this fruit with a knife, because -after dissection it gives a faint similitude of a crucifix; and this -they say is to wound Christ’s sacred image.” - -[Illustration: ALMOND BLOSSOM] - -Sufficient lemons and citrons are grown to supply the requirements of -the island. The custard apple, _Anona cherimolia_, ranks high among the -island fruits, and is hailed with delight when it first appears in the -market in late autumn. In common with the guava, it was originally -imported from America; while the mango, whose fruit leaves room for -much improvement, came from India. Guavas are extensively used, either -uncooked, stewed, or possibly in the most favourite form, made into -a clear, transparent jelly. The loquat bears abundantly, and as it -is very readily increased from seed, has become a very common tree, -though I do not consider the fruit to be as good as those of the -Italian loquats. The pittanga, mentioned previously, being the fruit -of a kind of myrtle, _Eugenia Braziliensis_, and the avocado pear, an -insipid fruit, generally eaten with pepper and salt, are both, to my -mind, fruits which require an acquired taste in order to appreciate -them. Among European fruits, the best is possibly the fig, of which -there are several varieties, the most popular having a nearly black -fruit. The trees, which grow mostly near the seashore, assume curiously -distorted and stunted shapes, and spring from the clefts in the rocks, -often overhanging the sea. They are particularly noticeable on the -road between Funchal and the seaside village of Camara do Lobos. -Granadillos, the fruit of different varieties of passion-flowers, some -having purple fruit, others orange, suggest an exaggerated gooseberry, -as the fruit when cut has much the same appearance, with large -seeds embedded in a pulpy consistency. The insipid fruit of the -common cactus, or prickly-pear, is much relished by the natives in -hot weather, who, I was assured, gather it in the early morning, and -before handling it, roll it about under their callous feet in a tub -of water to get rid of the spines. The Cape gooseberry, the fruit of -_Physalis Peruviana_, is prized for making preserves, and the plant has -become naturalized. Many of our European fruits are cultivated, but -produce fruit of a very inferior quality, the trees being seldom, if -ever, pruned, and receiving little attention; but apples, pears, plums, -apricots, and peaches, all come into the market in the course of the -summer and autumn, while strawberries continue in bearing from the end -of March till September. - -[Illustration: PRIDE OF MADEIRA AND DAISIES] - -The fruit-trees are more valued for the beauty of their blossoms than -their fruit by the English as a rule; and in spring, when the peach and -apricot trees are laden with their pink blossoms, the country near the -seashore, especially on the east side of the town, is very beautiful. -The rocky nature of the ground in many places has made cultivation -impossible, and stretches remain where the natural rock, covered -with crustaceous lichens, appears. The shallow soil only provides a -home for cactuses, which grow to an immense size; but now and then a -peach-tree or a little colony of almond-trees have found sufficient -soil in which to get a hold. The trees may be twisted and distorted, -storm-bent by the strong winds that sweep in from the Atlantic, but -for that reason are all the more picturesque; while here and there a -group of stone-pines, or a group of cypresses--sentinels, guarding -a little silent graveyard--give variety to the landscape, and stand -out in admirable contrast to the deep blue sea below. Such plants -as an occasional _Euphorbia piscatoria_, a cheiranthus, a lavender, -(_Lavandula pinnata_), the Madeira stock (_Mathiola Maderensis_), -some of the sedums, _Sonchus pinnatus_, of the sow-thistle family, -a native of the island, and a long list of other more or less -insignificant wild-flowers, may all be noticed. But by far the most -beautiful and showy is the _Echium fastuosum_, pride of Madeira, which -is to be seen on the cliffs along the New Road, though never with -as large and perfect heads of bloom, or so deep in colour, as when -cultivated. Another variety, _candicans_, has flowers of a darker -blue, but is only to be found in the hills. Among this rough ground, -and unfortunately in many a ravine and wall which was formerly -clad with ferns and plants of a far more interesting nature, the -rank-growing _Eupatorium adenophorum_ seems to have taken complete -possession, and threatens to become a very serious eyesore and enemy to -the natural vegetation. The Portuguese have christened it _Abundancia_, -and it is well named, as there seems to be no end to its abundance; -its dirty-coloured fluffy heads of blossom spread their seed in all -directions. It was an evil day when it was first introduced to the -island as a treasure, carefully installed in a pot. Other horticultural -pests have been introduced in the same way, such as the rosy purple -_Oxalis venusta_, whose little flowers are pretty enough in their way, -but its far-spreading roots have become a most troublesome weed in -cultivated ground; and the yellow double-flowered _Oxalis cornuta_ is -even worse, taking complete possession in some places of any sort of -grass-land. The dreaded coco, a grass growing from a tiny bulb, which -throws out long and far-reaching roots, runs in the ground, till once -thoroughly established, there is no end to it; this also was imported, -probably accidentally, not much more than twenty years ago. The most -serious of all pests in the island, the tiny black ants, the despair -of house-keepers, fruit-growers and gardeners alike, were also imported -from Brazil, and have gradually spread from the lower to the higher -altitudes, until now I believe there is scarcely a district left in the -island which is free from their ravages. - -[Illustration: THE PURPLE BOUGAINVILLEA] - - - - -CHAPTER X - -CREEPERS - - -The year opens in Madeira with a wealth of blossom, as in the month of -January the bougainvilleas, for which Madeira is so justly famous, will -be in all their flaunting beauty. It is true that the lilac-coloured -_Bougainvillea glabra_ will have already shed most of its blossoms, as -it is a summer-flowering creeper, but it is replaced by so many other -varieties that its pale beauty is forgotten. The brick-red coloured -_Bougainvillea spectabilis_--which must have the full force of the sun -upon it in order to bring out its colour to the best advantage, being -apt otherwise to look a false colour--when grown over pergolas, or -corridors as they are called in Madeira, or allowed to wander at will -over a wall or bank, provides a gorgeous mass of colour. I had seen -bougainvilleas in other countries, but only grown against walls, and -closely cropped by shears, in order that the wood might be sufficiently -ripened by the heat of the summer to insure its wealth of blossoms. -Here such care is not necessary, and the natural beauty of the plant -can be seen to full advantage where it has escaped the ruthless shears -of the Portuguese gardener. Branches of blossom, ten, fifteen, or -even twenty feet long, show the strength with which the plant grows; -in fact, many a splendid specimen has had to be sacrificed, for fear -it should undermine a terrace wall or shake the very foundations of a -house. - -To the landscape gardener who is fastidious as to the scheme of -colouring in his garden, the placing of all the varieties of -bougainvillea (called after the French navigator, De Bougainville) -forms one of his chief difficulties. Each in itself seems too beautiful -to be discarded; but, unless the garden is of considerable extent, I -would recommend the owner of the garden to harden his heart and make -his choice of the colour he prefers and stick to it, only growing the -one variety in some great mass, be it as the gorgeous canopy of his -corridor, or clothing his garden-wall. - -Many persons give the palm for beauty to the deep magenta variety, -_speciosa_, as it stands alone for colour. In all the kingdom of -flowers I know no other blossom of the same tone of colour; it is a -thing apart, this royal purple flower. No one who has seen the plant -which covers the cliff below the fort can ever forget its beauty. Seen -from the sea, it stands out like a purple rock in the middle of the -city. By the middle of January it will be in all its gaudy, garish -splendour, the admired of all beholders. - -It can well be imagined how these two varieties--the one brick-red, the -other deep magenta--would strike a jarring note in any garden if grown -side by side, or even within sight of each other. And do not imagine -that Madeira only boasts of these two coloured bougainvilleas in its -winter season. From these two have sprung many others--seedlings, no -doubt, hybridized in a country where the heat of the sun will ripen -most seeds. So now there are rosy reds, lighter or darker, to choose -from, shading through a range of colour which, like the beauty of its -parents, seems to stand alone. - -The plant has, I consider, two enemies in the island. One is the -ordinary uneducated Portuguese gardener, who seems to think that the -art of gardening consists in so closely pruning a creeper or shrub -that all the natural grace and beauty of the plant is lost for ever, -as often as not choosing the moment for this cruel treatment when the -plant is in full flower. Though Nature has done her best to protect -the plant from the hand of man, by giving it long, hooked thorns, which -are exceedingly sharp, and, I believe, somewhat poisonous, even this -has not been sufficient, and many a beautiful specimen have I seen -maimed and dwarfed beyond repair in a few hours by an ignorant and -overzealous gardener. Its second enemy is rats, which unfortunately -have a great love for the bark on the stems of old plants, and many a -plant narrowly escapes destruction at their hands, or rather teeth. - -The second place in the list of creepers for the New Year must be given -to the flaming orange _Bignonia venusta_, a native of South America, -with its dense clusters of finger-shaped flowers. This has now become -the commonest of all creepers in Madeira, and there is hardly a road -in the neighbourhood of Funchal where all through the month of January -there is not a stretch of wall bearing its gaudy burden, or a _mirante_ -(as the arbour or summer-house dear to the hearts of the Portuguese is -called) without its roof of golden blossoms. There is a long list of -bignonias and tecomas--a family so closely allied to each other as to -be almost united--whose full beauty is for a later season; and only -stray blossoms of the deep red _Bignonia cherare_, with its long -yellow-throated trumpets, appear in the winter months, but sufficient -to give promise of glories to come in the month of April. - -[Illustration: BIGNONIA VENUSTA] - -In the same month the close-growing _Tecoma flava_ will become wreathed -with its golden-yellow trumpet flowers, clothing many a wall and -straying across tiled roofs, as it is so neat and clinging in its -habit that it never becomes so heavy a mass as to damage buildings. -Its companion at the same season is _Tecoma Lindleyana_, bearing large -mauve trumpet flowers, with a throat of a lighter shade. The individual -flowers are of extremely delicate texture, and are beautifully veined -with a slightly darker shade of purple. Yet another tecoma unfurls -its blossoms late in the month of April, but is not so often met with -as the two former varieties, possibly because the plant, when out of -flower, presents rather an unsightly and straggling appearance; but no -one can fail to admire the pure white and yellow-throated blossoms of -this _Tecoma Micheliensis_, as it is most commonly called, though I -believe it has a second, and possibly more correct, name. - -For May and June is reserved, probably, the most beautiful of all the -tecomas, _jasminoides_. The plant is an ornament at all seasons; its -beautiful glabrous foliage seems to retain its freshness at all seasons -of the year, and when the plant is covered with its bunches of large -white blossoms, each with its deep red-purple throat, which seems to -reflect a shade of purple on to the white petals, it is one of the most -beautiful of all creepers. - -From the list of winter creepers the _Thunbergia laurifolia_, with -its bunches of grey-blue gloxinia-shaped blossoms, cannot be omitted; -though the beauty of the plant is somewhat spoilt by the habit of the -dead blossoms hanging on instead of falling, and marring, by their -brown, shrivelled appearance, all the freshness of the newly developed -flowers. The plant always recalls to my mind the reason given by the -Japanese for not admiring the national flower of England--the rose--as -they complain that it clings with ungraceful tenacity to life, as -though loath or afraid to die, preferring to rot on its stem rather -than drop untimely; unlike the blossoms of spring, ever ready to depart -life at the call of Nature. Such is certainly the case with thunbergia. -The creeper is also a dangerous poacher, and, unless kept within -bounds, will soon smother and overwhelm any shrub or tree that it may -take possession of, though never in Madeira attaining to the vast -proportions that it assumes in Ceylon or other tropical countries, -where it takes possession of even the tallest forest-trees, and hangs -its long trailers from one tree to another, and on and on again, in one -dense tangle. The white variety does not seem to have been introduced -to Madeira, and its pure white blossoms recall gardens in St. Vincent -and other West Indian islands. - -Yet another creeper whose flowering season belongs to the winter months -is the scarlet passionflower, _Passiflora coccinea_. By the end of -January the plant will be covered with a few fully opened flowers, -many half-developed flowers and innumerable buds giving promise of its -future splendour. On first acquaintance, one is deceived into thinking -that in a few days’ time the plant will be a sheet of scarlet blossoms, -but such is not the case: each individual flower is short-lived, and by -the time the half-developed blossoms have opened, the fully expanded -blooms of yesterday have vanished. Thus its flowering season is a -prolonged one, but it never attains to any very gaudy splendour. - -By the last days of March the racemes of that most beautiful of all -creepers, _Wistaria chinensis_, or _sinensis_, will have begun to -lengthen, and gradually clothe the whole plant with a pale purple -canopy. The vine--as it is called the grape-flower vine, from the -resemblance of its blossoms to a bunch of grapes--is a native of China -and Japan, and also of parts of North America, which accounts for the -fact that it received the name of wistaria (by which it is known all -over the Western world) from one Caspar Wistar, a medical professor -in the University of Pennsylvania. In Japan the plant is known as -_fuji_, and is so universally admired that, in common with many other -flowers, it is made the excuse for many a flower-feast, when hundreds, -thousands, and even tens of thousands of pleasure-seekers will hold -their revels, or sit quietly sipping their tea under a roof of the -royal _fuji_. Though in Madeira it is not the fashion of the country to -hold flower-feasts, or to make flowers the theme of poems and plays, -or to regard wistaria as an emblem of gentleness and obedience, as is -the case in its Eastern home, yet in this land of its adoption it comes -in for its full share of admiration. Corridors and walls which have -been passed by unnoticed through the winter months, having been only -clad with the long, bare, leafless branches, the last leaves having -fallen early in December, suddenly become transformed, and for a few -short days--all too short, alas!--become the centre of attraction in -the garden. Like in Japan, the wistaria season begins with the white -wistaria, which has been christened in the Western world _Wistaria -Japonica_, and “it would seem as though this modest white wistaria -had been allowed by Nature to bloom so early, for fear she should be -overlooked and not appreciated when her more showy successor flings her -purple mantle over the land.” There are good specimens of this early -white variety in the gardens of the Quinta da Levada and the Quinta do -Val. - -The variety known as _Wistaria multijuga_, for which Japan is so justly -famous, as it appears to be the only country where its full beauty can -be seen, has been introduced with but little success to the island. It -is true that it will grow, and grow strong, but its long racemes of -thin, pale, washed-out-looking flowers are but a sorry sight to those -who have ever seen the far-famed Kameido Temple grounds in Tokyo, when -the vines, with their long purple tassels, often over three feet in -length, clothe the long trellises and almost smother the guests who -sit feasting beneath them, gazing across at the long vista of mauve -blossoms reflected in the water below. But even in Japan this far-famed -_multijuga_ variety is only to be met with in certain districts and as -a cultivated form, and is never seen clambering from tree to tree in a -wild state, like the _chinensis_ variety. The wistaria season closes as -well as opens with a white-flowered form both in Japan and Madeira, as -the variety known as _macrobotrys_, with its very long racemes of white -blossoms, prolongs the beauty of the _fuji_ feast at the celebrated -Kameido Temple; and here in Madeira, though only one or two plants of -it exist, it is the last to retain its beauty. - -The summer months will have their own creepers, though not such showy -ones as the winter and spring months; but if they are lacking in -colour, many of them atone for that by their delicious fragrance. To -these belong _Rhyncospermum jasminoides_, or _Trachelospermum_, as -I believe it is more correctly called, whose white starry flowers -fill the whole air with their almost overpowering scent. The plant -is a native of China and Japan, where it may be seen growing in -a perfectly wild state in hedgerows. There is another variety -called _angustifolium_ whose blossoms are much the same, but the -foliage differs, and this kind is said to prove hardy when grown -against a wall in the South of England. The well-known _Stephanotis -floribunda_, called in its native country the Madagascar chaplet -flower, unfurls its heavy-scented waxy blossoms in the summer months. -_Allamanda schotii_, hoyas, with their clusters of waxy red blossoms, -mandevilleas, and hosts of others, are seldom seen in their beauty by -the English owners of gardens. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -TREES AND SHRUBS - - -The list of indigenous and naturalized trees and shrubs growing in -Madeira is such a long and varied one that it is not surprising that -Captain Cook, in his account of his first voyage, should have said: -“Nature has been so liberal in her gifts to Madeira. The soil is so -rich, and there is such a variety of climate, that there is scarcely -any article, either of the necessaries or luxuries of life, which could -not be cultivated there.” - -The place of honour among the island trees must be given to those -belonging to the laurel tribe, of which there are a great number, -and splendid specimens still remain in the country, survivors of the -wholesale destruction of the primeval forests. To this tribe belongs -the til, one of the most beautiful of evergreen trees, its shiny green -leaves contrasting admirably with the light grey bark of its stems. The -old trees grow to a very large size, and in the Boa Ventura Valley and -along the road to Sao Vincente there remain some grand old specimens, -the immense girth of whose trunks speaks for itself of their great age. -The true name of this so-called laurel appears to have been a matter -of some uncertainty, as Miss Taylor, in “Madeira: Its Scenery, and How -to See It,” classes it as _Oreodaphne fœtens_, describing it as “the -grandest of native trees”; while Mr. Bowdick, in 1823, says: “The til -has been confounded with _Laurus fœtens_, from the strong, disagreeable -odour of the wood when first cut. It is very valuable for its timber, -being extremely hard and tough. It would appear that the Portuguese -call both _Laurus fœtens_ and _Laurus cupuleris_ til, as they say -there are two kinds of til, and both are equally fetid.” In the damper -regions beautiful lichens grow luxuriantly on the stems of the trees, -and ferns have found a home in the cracks of the bark. The value of its -timber has no doubt been responsible for the destruction of the trees. -When polished, the wood is of a very dark colour, almost as black as -ebony. - -The vinhatico, whose wood is the mahogany of Madeira and closely -resembles it, is another of the native trees, and again I find it -classed as _Laurus indica_ by Mr. Bowdick, who describes it as one -of the island’s most valuable products, while Miss Taylor describes -it as _Persea indica_. The wood, when cut, is of a deep red colour -before being polished. It is a fine forest tree, and has, as a rule, -light green foliage, though it occasionally turns crimson. It has -given its name to one of the most beautiful bits of scenery in the -island, as the Levada dos Vinhaticos, running above the village of -Santa Anna, passes through some of the grandest scenery in Madeira. -Professor Piazzi Smyth has gone so far as to assert, in “Madeira -Spectroscopic,” that some of the largest ships of the Spanish Armada -were either built of, or internally decorated with, the wood of the -tils and vinhaticos of Madeira. This would appear to be a flight of -imagination, or a revelation of the learned man’s inner consciousness, -as it is difficult, if not impossible, to find any grounds for such -an assertion, there being no document extant stating what timber was -employed for the building of that celebrated fleet. - -The laurel familiar to us under the name of Portugal laurel, _Cerasus -lusitanica_, assumes the proportions of forest trees, and when I saw -it in spring, covered with its long racemes of creamy-white flowers, -it quickly dispelled the aversion with which I had always regarded -the stumpy, blackened specimens pining under the smoky atmosphere of -suburban shrubberies. - -_Laurus Canariensis_ is a fragrant form of laurel, and the -country-people extract oil from its yellow berries. - -_Picconia excelsa_, the _Pao branco_ of the Portuguese, is generally -to be found in the same districts as the til-trees, and attains to a -height of forty or fifty feet. Its hard, heavy white wood, being in -great demand for the keels of boats, is very valuable. Like many other -native trees, it is for this very reason rapidly becoming scarce, as -its destroyers, having no thought for the future, omit to cultivate it -from seed, which grows readily. - -The _Clethra arborea_, or lily of the valley tree, as it is called -by the English, on account of the resemblance of its spikes of -creamy-white flowers to those of a lily of the valley, fills the -whole air with its delicious though somewhat heavy fragrance when the -tree is in flower in summer. Yet another fragrant tree peculiar to -Madeira is the _Pittosporum coriaceum_, which has been christened the -incense-tree, as early in April the air, especially near sundown, is -filled with the almost overpowering scent of its clusters of small -greenish-white flowers. The bark is very smooth and even, and of -a light ash colour. The tree is now somewhat rare in its natural -state, but is frequently seen in gardens, where it has no doubt been -transplanted from its original home among the rocks, as Mr. Lowe, in -his “Flora of Madeira,” remarks how he only noticed it growing on high -rocks or in inaccessible places. - -One of the first trees which is sure to strike the eye of the -new-comer is the dragon-tree, or _Dracæna draco_, on account of its -peculiar growth. From having been a common tree on the island it has -now become a rare one in its native state; in fact, the only ones I -have ever seen under those conditions are a few sole survivors on -the rocks beyond the Brazen Head, where formerly they grew in great -numbers. Now by their quaint growth they give a distinctive feature -to many a garden, and it is consoling to know that they are easily -raised from seed. Mr. Bowdick, in writing of the tree, says: “The -dragon-tree was considered by Humboldt as exclusively indigenous to -India, but I am inclined to think it is also natural to Porto Santo, -and perhaps to Madeira--not from the few specimens which now remain on -these islands, but from the account of Cadamosto, who visited Porto -Santo in 1445, and writes that the dragon-trees of Porto Santo were so -large that fishing-boats capable of containing six or seven men were -made out of the trunks, and that the inhabitants fattened their pigs on -the fruit; but he adds that so many boats, shields, and corn-measures -had been made out of them, that even in his time there was scarcely a -dragon-tree to be seen in the island.” - -The stem exudes a gum, and the following account of the means of -collecting it is taken from a Portuguese account of “The Discovery of -Madeira,” written in 1750: “All over the island grows a tree from which -the dragon’s blood is procured. This is performed by making incisions -in the bark, from whence the gum issues very plentifully into pots -hung upon the branches to receive it. The people use it as a sovereign -remedy for bruises, to which they are very much exposed by traversing -their rocky country; and this, with one panacea more, completes their -whole _materia medica_--that is, balsam of Peru, imported from the -Brazils in small gourds by their annual ships. These two, they imagine, -have power to cure almost all disorders, especially those that are -external.” - -Among other native trees, the beautiful _Taxus baccata_ and the -_Juniperus oxycedrus_, with its great spreading silvery-green branches, -cannot be omitted. The former has become almost extinct, and the -juniper is also becoming rare, from the reckless way in which the trees -have been cut to be used for torches. The fragrant red wood is split -into lengths, and several bound together, for this purpose. In gardens -their dense growth makes them admirably suited to form an arbour, in -the absence of the ubiquitous _mirante_, as they provide shelter from -the wind and perfect shade. - -Another evergreen tree, which, though not a native tree, is very -commonly to be seen in and about the town of Funchal, is the _Ficus -comosa_, which, as its name implies, is a beautiful tree, though, from -its having such far-spreading hungry roots, it is more suited to the -roadside than to gardens. A peculiarity of the tree is the slenderness -of its stem in comparison to the immense length and weight of its very -spreading branches; its bark is a very light grey colour, and is in -admirable contrast to the very smooth and shining leaves, which are -dark green above and pale beneath, produced in masses on the slender -rather hanging branchlets. Two very fine specimens of these trees stand -alone on the Rodondo, near the Quinta das Cruzes, from where a very -fine view of the town is to be seen from under their immense spreading -branches. - -[Illustration: JACKARANDA-TREE.] - -The camphor-trees are at their best in spring, when they are covered -with their delicate young green shoots, generally of a very light -green, but occasionally having brilliant red shoots. The trees attain -to a large size, though not assuming the gigantic proportions which -they reach in their native land, Japan. That most uninteresting of all -trees--the plane-tree--has been planted along the beds of the rivers in -the town; and the oaks are in almost perpetual foliage, as the young -leaves appear before the old ones have really fallen. - -_Grevillea robusta_ is common in gardens, where, having shed its leaves -in winter, the trees are showy in the early summer months, being -covered with yellow flowers; but the palm for flowering trees must be -given to the _Jacaranda mimosafolia_, a native of Brazil. Having also -shed its long fern-like foliage in the late winter months, early in May -the tree bursts into a cloud of blue blossoms, almost as blue as the -sky above. The tree is a fairly common one in and about Funchal, and -the “blue trees,” as they are generally called, are the admired of all -beholders during the few weeks they are in bloom. Nature has done well -in ordaining that the foliage should fall before the tree blossoms, as -the full beauty of the flower is thus seen unshrouded by leaves. - -The list of flowering trees is a long one, but I cannot help mentioning -a few others which are ornaments to the gardens when in bloom. The dark -red of the _Schotia speciosa_ blossoms also adorn a leafless tree. The -tree, which was called after a Dutchman, one Richard van der Schot, in -its native country--subtropical Africa--is commonly known as the Kaffir -bean-tree, no doubt because its blossoms are more suggestive of bunches -of red seeds or beans than flowers. - -There are a few specimens of the gorgeous _Poinciana regia_, which -flowers in summer; its peculiar flat, spreading branches are easily -recognized. No one who has ever seen these magnificent trees in all -their gaudy splendour in tropical regions can ever forget their beauty. -They deserve their name, the royal peacock flower, though they are more -commonly known as flamboyant-trees, from the likeness of their leafless -branches, clad with brilliant orange-red nasturtium-like blossoms, -to flaming torches. In Madeira the tree does not attain to its full -beauty, as possibly the difference between the climate of its native -home--Madagascar--and that of Madeira is too great. Here the less -showy variety, known as _Poinciana pulcherrima_, thrives better. - -At the same season the uncouth growth of the bare and leafless -frangipani or plumeria trees bursts into blossom--white, -cream-coloured, or pale pink--and fills the air with its heavy -fragrance, recalling the oppressive, almost stifling, atmosphere of -Buddhist temples in Ceylon, where frangipani blossoms are almost -regarded as sacred to Buddha, and are always called “temple flowers.” - -Of the coral-trees there are several varieties: _Erythrina -corallodendron_, a native of the West Indies, has large spikes of deep -red blossoms on leafless light grey stems; and _Erythrina cristagalli_, -a native of Brazil, also bears scarlet blossoms. Besides the flowering -trees, there are so many shrubs which contribute such a wealth of -colour to the gardens, especially in the winter months, that it is hard -to decide which are most worthy of notice. The gaudy orange-coloured -_Streptosolen Jamesonii_, which was only introduced into Madeira a -comparatively short time ago, has now become one of the commonest, but -none the less beautiful, of winter-flowering shrubs. Like many other -plants which I had only known pining in the unfavourable atmosphere -of an English greenhouse, it is almost impossible to recognize the -streptosolen of the greenhouse, with its dull orange and yellow -blossoms, as the same plant when grown in the sunshine of Madeira. The -soil is no doubt partly responsible for the difference in colour--a -fact I have noticed with many other plants, but certainly in the -case of streptosolen the change is most remarkable--and the intense -brilliancy of its large heads of blossom attract the attention of all -new-comers to the island. The shrub is sometimes known as _Browallia -Jamesonii_; and a blue variety which has lately been introduced from -the Cape seemed to closely resemble the family of browallias. Should it -prove to have as vigorous a constitution as the orange variety, it will -be another great acquisition to the island, as its blossoms are of a -deep clear blue. - -_Astrapæa pendiflora_, or tassel-tree, as it is often called, from -the resemblance of its great balls of pink blossoms hanging on a long -slender stalk, has handsome foliage, and assumes the proportions of -a large shrub or small tree in a short time, as it appears to be of -very rapid growth. I find it difficult to share the almost universal -admiration that it awakens when in flower, as its beauty is much marred -by the tenacious habit of its dead blossoms, which cling to life to -the bitter end, and spoil all the freshness of the newly developed -blossoms. The balls of blossom, in shape reminding one of huge guelder -roses, start by being a greenish-white, which gradually turns to a deep -dull pink, and in death to a most unsightly brown. _Astrapæa viscaria_ -attains to the size of a large tree, and in April bears a burden of -pink blossoms, also in round balls; it is a native of Madagascar, which -seems to be the home of so many of the most beautiful flowering trees. - -Among purple flowering shrubs, for the beauty of its individual flowers -and purity of colour, _Lasiandra_ or _Pleroma macrantha_, with its -large deep violet-purple blossoms, deserves a place in every garden. -The plant cannot be reckoned amongst the most showy of the flowering -shrubs, as it does not bear many blossoms fully expanded at the same -time, though, as the flowers are very freely produced at the ends of -the branchlets, its flowering season is a prolonged one. The plant -appears to be a native of Brazil, which is another home of many of the -most beautiful of flowering shrubs. - -_Wigandia macrophylla_ attains to the size of a small tree; its large, -loose heads of lilac-purple flowers, somewhat resembling paulonia -blossoms, and its handsome foliage, combine to make it a most -ornamental plant and a valuable acquisition all through the winter and -early spring. To Brazil we owe another favourite shrub, _Franciscea -latifolia_, as it is commonly called, though it appears to belong to -the _Brunsfelsias_, a family of shrubs called after one Otto Brunsfels, -who was first a Carthusian monk and afterwards a physician. The clear -lilac blossoms have a distinct whitish eye, and as they fade, turn to -a greyish-white, so the shrub appears to bear white and lilac blossoms -at the same time. The blossoms are deliciously fragrant, though many -people consider their scent to be too strong and overpowering. A -well-grown specimen attains to eight or ten feet, and has pleasing -shiny green foliage. - -The light crimson-flowered _Hibiscus rosa sinensis_, which ornaments -most gardens in tropical or subtropical regions, has also found a -home in Madeira, and the long white trumpet-flowering _Brugmansia -suaveolens_, more commonly called daturas, natives of Mexico, have -found so congenial a home that the shrub may almost be considered to -have become naturalized. Growing at the bottom of many a ravine rich -in vegetation, the shrub will appear to be in a perfectly wild state, -bearing a fresh crop of leaves and blossoms with every new moon, and -filling the air at nightfall with their heavy scent. - -The blossoms of the daturas are known as _bellas noites_ by the -Portuguese, though the night-scented flowers of _Cestrum vespertinum_ -seem to share the name with them; occasionally, it is true, the -latter are deemed masculine, and are therefore called _boas noites_. -The following interesting description of _Brugmansia_ or _Datura -suaveolens_ is taken from Mr. Lowe’s “Flora of Madeira,” written -in 1857: “The flowers are slightly fragrant by day, but much more -powerfully and diffusedly so after sunset and through the night, -when, by moonlight, they display an almost radiant or phosphorescent -snowy-whiteness, and expand more fully, falling into elegant thick -horizontal rows or flounces on the trees or bushes. Nothing can exceed -their grace and loveliness when in full luxuriance and perfection, -which it may be said to attain at intervals of four to five weeks -continuously, from June to November or December. The tree is esteemed -noxious, and therefore in Madeira of late years has been banished from -gardens and near proximity to houses. This idea perhaps originated from -an accident which occurred some forty years ago, when two or three -children, having eaten a few of the seeds, escaped by timely medical -assistance, with no further harm than the effects of an overdose of -_Atropa belladonna_. Still, there is something perceptively oppressive -in the evening, in too long or close inhalement of the powerful -aromatic fragrance of the flower.” - -The peculiar flowers of _Strelitzia regina_, introduced to Europe from -South Africa during the reign of George III., and named, in honour -of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, never fail to attract -admiration. The plant is also called bird of paradise flower and -bird’s-tongue flower--both suitable names, as the gaudiness of its blue -and orange flowers must have been responsible for the former, while -the resemblance of the flower to a bird’s head with a bright blue beak -shows its likeness to the latter. The plant has long, narrow, oblong -leaves, of a dull greyish-green, of a peculiarly tough texture, and a -good clump some four or five feet high is very ornamental. _Strelitzia -augusta_, as its name implies, is of more majestic growth. It has large -foliage, not unlike a banana, and clumps attain to twelve or fifteen -feet in height. The blossom is more curious than beautiful, being of so -dark a purple as to be almost black; but, for the sake of its foliage, -it is always worth a place, and may well be called a noble plant. - -[Illustration: A CHAPEL DOORWAY] - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -HISTORICAL SKETCH - - -Though this volume does not profess to be in any sense a guide-book to -the Island of Madeira, yet it seems as though even those visitors to -the island, who may only wish to study its flora and sylva, will more -fully appreciate their wanderings by learning something of its history. - -Very little is known of the early history of Madeira. Though some -historians assert that even the early Phœnicians found their way there -during some of their adventurous voyages, there seems to be little -foundation for such assertions. Others at a later date claim for -Madeira the honour of being Pliny’s Purpuria, or Purple Land, an honour -to which the Canaries also lay claim, though it seems probable that -Madeira has more right to the distinction, as Humboldt gave new life -to the theory by describing in glowing terms the beauties of its hazy -mountains, shrouded in purple and violet clouds. A less romantic reason -for the name of Purple Land is also given, and merely relates to the -fact that King Juba in the days of Pliny contemplated the possibility -of extracting a purple dye, called “gætulian purple,” from the juice -of one of the numerous trees or plants which grew on the island. This -theory is supported by its upholders by the fact that Ptolemy mentions -an island in this part of the Atlantic Ocean called Erythea, or Red -Island, which again may possibly have reference to the dye. After these -early days there is no trace of the island in history for hundreds of -years, so it is more than problematical as to whether the Purple Lands -had any connection with Madeira. - -There seems to be no end to the number of legends and vague theories -as to the discovery of the group of islands. An Arab historian relates -the discovery of an island (possibly Madeira) by an expedition of his -people in the eleventh century, who gave it the name of El Ghanam. -These travellers, known as the “Almagrarin adventurers,” set sail from -Lisbon with the intention of discovering something. Their name, meaning -the “finders of mares’ nests,” is suggestive of fabulous tales. After -being driven across unknown seas they came to a district of “stinking -and turbid waters,” which at first frightened them back; and it -is suggested that, as the soil of Madeira shows traces of volcanic -disturbances--as, indeed, does the whole formation of the island--these -disturbed waters might well have been in its neighbourhood. - -In the fourteenth century both the French and Spaniards claim to have -touched at the islands; but if such were the case, it seems unlikely -that their discovery would have been relegated to oblivion, though in -the Medici map in Florence the group of islands now known as Porto -Santo, Madeira, and the Desertas appear, under the names of “Porto -Sto,” “Ila Legname,” and “I. Deserta.” If these names were inserted -when the chart was made (A.D. 1351), the Genoese might claim to -have been the true discoverers; but as the names are merely Italian -translations of the Portuguese, it is more likely that they were added -after their present owners had taken possession of them. - -It is through the medium of another legend, as some still call the -romantic story of Machim and his lady-love, Anna Arget, or Harbord, -that we appear to arrive at the true history of the discovery of -Madeira. The story, though it is more suggestive of fabulous romance -than history, has been accepted as being the medium of the tales -of the unsurpassed beauty of the island coming to the ears of the -enterprising Portuguese navigator Joao Gonsalvez Zargo. The tale -relates how one Robert à Machin, in the reign of Edward III., fell in -love with a beautiful young lady of noble family named Anna d’Arget. -Being endowed with great wealth as well as beauty, her parents destined -her for a greater match, which was accordingly arranged. Though the -lady returned her young lover’s affection, she was compelled, in an age -when the daughters of a great house had little voice in the choice of -their husbands, to marry the nobleman chosen by her parents. In order -to insure that their plans should not be frustrated, the lady’s parents -went so far as to arrange that her lover Robert should be imprisoned -until after the marriage. When he was liberated he heard from a friend -of the fate of his lady-love, and lost no time in following her to -her new home and arranging for their elopement. This took place by -sea, the adventurous couple embarking at Bristol, hoping to make the -coast of France. Contrary winds arose, and we are told that, after -enduring great perils and hardships for thirteen days, Robert and Anna, -accompanied by a few faithful followers, came to “a pleasant but -uninhabited land, diversified by hills and vales, intersected by clear -rivulets, and shaded with pine-trees.” - -Dr. Gaspar Fructuoso, in his work entitled “As Saudades da Terra,” -written in 1590, tells of the lovers’ great joy when, “on the morning -of the fourteenth day, when they had been hourly expecting destruction, -and were in a hopeless and exhausted condition, they saw a dark object -before them, which they imagined might be land, and when the sun -rose they perceived that their surmises were correct and their hopes -fulfilled. As they drew near, they saw that the mountains rose, as it -were, almost directly from the water’s edge in many places. The almost -perpendicular cliffs seemed to preclude any landing, except where the -grand ravines opened right down to the sea. It was into one of these -openings of enchanting loveliness that Machim directed his vessel to be -steered, and, casting anchor, a boat was most eagerly launched. Machim -and some companions hurried on shore, and they soon returned with such -an encouraging account that he took his beloved Anna from off the -vessel where such terrible and anxious days had been passed, and landed -on a shore where he hoped he should, with such comforts as still -remained to him, procure for her, for a time at least, some repose, -refreshment, and security.” - -For some time the party devoted their time to exploring their immediate -surroundings, in a land which appeared to them a haven of rest and of -surpassing loveliness. They penetrated into forests of great extent, to -points on the mountain-tops from whence a succession of wooded ravines -and steep mountain-sides, clothed with a luxuriant and ever-verdant -vegetation, delighted their eyes; the mountain streams giving life to -a scene where, except only for the songs of countless birds and the -hum of insect life, all was still. No four-legged animals or reptiles -were to be seen. Fruits in abundance seemed as if awaiting them, and -in the crannies of the rocks they found honey possessing the odour of -violets. An opening in the extensive woods, which was encircled by -laurels and flowering shrubs, presented an inviting retreat, and a -tree of dense shade, the probable growth of ages, offered a verdant -canopy of impenetrable foliage. In this spot they determined to form a -residence from the abundant materials with which Nature supplied them. -This state of innocent happiness was not destined to last long, as, -though apparently serenely contented with their surroundings as long -as the vessel anchored close at hand suggested a possible retreat and -return to the outer world, disaster befell them, for one night a storm -arose and their ship was driven out to sea. This calamity so greatly -distressed the fair lady that she became completely prostrated by the -shock, and in a few days she died in her lover’s arms. Machim, in his -turn, died of grief a few days after, having spent the intervening time -in erecting a memorial to his much-loved Anna. The dying man dictated -an inscription recording their sad story, concluding with a request -that if any Christians should at any future time form a settlement in -that island, they would erect a church over their graves and dedicate -it to the Redeemer of Mankind, a request which, it will be seen, was -afterwards carried out, when “Machim’s tree” was supposed to have -furnished sufficient material for the building of the whole chapel. - -Their survivors not unnaturally set about building a boat in which to -escape from the land which by now was filled with sad associations for -them, and eventually they succeeded in reaching the coast of Morocco. -Here a worse fate awaited them, as they fell into the hands of the -Moors and became slaves. They are said to have joined some of their -fellow-comrades who had been on the ship when she was driven out to -sea. Their past and present adventures, and the descriptions they -gave of the beauty of this fairy island, attracted the attention of a -fellow-slave, a Spaniard named Juan Morales, an experienced pilot. - -Morales treasured all this information, and was eventually ransomed -through the intervention of his Sovereign. On his return to Spain he -was taken prisoner by the Portuguese, and carried off to Lisbon by -Joao Gonsalvez Zargo, the celebrated navigator, who lost no time in -informing his patron Prince Henry of the tales he had heard from his -prisoner of the fertility and beauty of the undiscovered island. - -Prince Henry was the son of John I. of Portugal, and a nephew of our -Henry IV. He was called “O Conquisador,” and the Portuguese are justly -proud of him, as through his love of exploration and adventure he -added largely to their dominions, and lent a ready ear to rumours of -undiscovered lands. Zargo had no difficulty in persuading his patron to -fit out an expedition, which he himself was appointed to command. On -June 1, 1419, he set sail for Porto Santo, which had been discovered -two years previously by the Portuguese. The colonists on the island -related how, in one particular direction, there hung perpetually over -the sea a thick, impenetrable darkness, which was guarded by a strange -noise which occasionally made itself heard. With the usual superstition -of the age, various reasons were ascribed to these mysterious signs. -We are told “by some the place was deemed an abyss, from which whoso -ventured thither would never return; by others it was called the Mouth -of Hell. Certain persons declared it to be that ancient island Cipango, -kept by Providence under a mysterious veil, where resided the Spanish -and Portuguese Christians who had escaped from the slavery of the Moors -and Saracens. It was considered, however, a great crime to dive into -the secret, since it had pleased God to signify His intention to reveal -it by any of the signs which were mentioned by the ancient prophets who -spoke of this marvel.” - -Being less superstitious and more adventurous than these benighted -colonists, Zargo determined to fathom the mystery of this so-called -impenetrable darkness. Setting sail one morning with a fair wind, by -noon his hopes were fully realized, and he found the mysterious veil -to be nothing more than heavy clouds hanging over the densely wooded -mountains on the north of the island--a state of things very commonly -seen to this day when approaching the island from the north. Like the -unfortunate couple Machim and Anna, he was filled with joy and delight -when he saw the grand mass of mountains rising abruptly from the sea. -The party soon found themselves sailing along a glorious coast, with -grand cliffs, cut by deep densely wooded ravines, coming down to the -sea. - -On the morning of June 14, 1419, having anchored for the night in a -sheltered bay, which exactly corresponded with the description given -by Morales, who accompanied the expedition, of Machim and Anna’s -resting-place, Zargo and some of his followers landed--and this is the -first authentic account of the discovery of Madeira. - -The party spent some days exploring this rich and fertile acquisition -to the Crown of Portugal, and on July 2 Zargo, accompanied by two -priests who formed part of the expedition, held a ceremonious service -of thanksgiving for the discovery of the island, taking formal -possession of it in the name of the King of Portugal. Mass was -celebrated and a service was held on the spot which was supposed to be -the grave of the two lovers. The final ceremony consisted in the laying -of the foundation-stone of a chapel dedicated, in accordance with -Machim’s request, to the Redeemer of Mankind. - -Before returning to Portugal to announce the joyful news of his -discovery, Zargo explored the coast, and named various points and -bays with the names they still bear at the present day. Machim’s bay -was named Machico, and may claim to be the oldest settlement. The -most eastern point of the island had already been named Ponta de Sao -Lourenso when the travellers rounded it--some say because Zargo, -calling for the aid of St. Lourenso, after whom his ship was named, -jumped into the sea at this point and landed; others assert that the -point was merely named after one of his companions who bore the saint’s -names. - -Santa Cruz was so named because at this spot the party found some -large trees lying on the shore, torn up by the elements, out of which -they formed a large wooden cross. Porto do Seixo owes its name to the -freshness and purity of its spring water, for which it is still famous; -and the explorers were so struck by the great springs of pure water -which gush out of a grand mass of rock, that they took back with them -to Portugal a bottle of the water as an offering to Prince Henry. - -Rounding a prominent headland which was then clothed with numerous -dragon-trees, and remained famous for them for many hundreds of years, -though now only one or two of the trees are left, flocks of tern were -startled from their resting-place by the strange and unknown noise of -oars, and flew all round the boats, even alighting on their occupants. -The headland therefore received the name of Capo do Garajao, or Cape of -the Tern, though at the present time it is better known to the English -under the name of the Brazen Head. - -From this point they saw a fine expanse of country, and at once settled -that this would be the best spot on which to build the future city. As -the district was remarkable for the thick growth of fennel, which in -Portuguese is called _funcho_, the site of the new town received the -name of Funchal. - -Ribeiro des Soccoridos (river of the rescued) was the name given to -a place where two of the party lost their footing whilst attempting -to cross a river, and would have been swept into the sea if their -companions had not come to their rescue. Praya Formoso was aptly named -“beautiful shore.” The extent of their wanderings on this occasion -seems to have led them to the great cliff which towers some 2,000 -feet above the sea, so they named the cape Cabo Girao. Having been -startled by seeing some seals leaping out of caves in a bay before they -approached the great cliff, they named the spot Camara do Lobos, or -Wolves’ Lair, which is the site of the picturesque village which was -afterwards built in the sheltered situation. - -From this time the history of the island is no longer wrapt in mythical -legends, and it seems certain that in the following year (1419) Zargo -and one Tristao Teixeira were permitted to return. They divided the -island into two _comarcas_, each taking command of one: Zargo became -the _Capitao_, and Teizeira the _Donatorio_, and they portioned out -the land among their followers. Zargo founded the town of Funchal, -and the two Captains had complete jurisdiction granted to them by the -Crown, though they had to appeal to their monarch in cases of life and -death. Zargo lived to enjoy his command for forty-seven years, and his -tomb is still to be seen in the church of the Convent of Sta. Clara, -which was founded by his granddaughter, Donna Constanca de Norouka, -in 1492. Fructuoso gives an account of some of the first inhabitants -of the island, and tells us that the first children who were born in -the island were the son and daughter of Gonzalo Ayres Fereira, one of -Zargo’s companions, and they were christened Adam and Eve. Adam, the -first man, founded the Church of Nossa Senhora at the Mount. - -The wife of Christopher Columbus being the daughter of Perestrello, the -Governor of the neighbouring island of Porto Santo, possibly led to -Christopher Columbus visiting Madeira. The house which he was said to -have occupied during these visits, the property of Jean d’Esmenault, -was ruthlessly destroyed in the year 1877 to make room for new shops. -The American Consul of that date, evidently sharing the love of the -rest of his country-people for souvenirs, carried away to America -many of the architectural treasures of the house, such as the carved -window-frames and ornamental stonework. Thus Funchal lost one of her -most interesting relics of the past. - -In the year 1566 Funchal suffered at the hands of a French naval -expedition which had been fitted out by Peyrot de Montluc, son of -the Marshal, for the purposes of exploring unknown lands and seas, -according to the spirit of adventure which was the fashion of that -age. Meeting with storms, which probably diminished the number of his -crew, Montluc put into Madeira, with the intention, it is said, of -recruiting his force; but being eyed with suspicion, as belonging to -the navy of a foreign country, he professed to have been insulted, -and attacked the town. The city appears to have been feebly defended, -although Montluc must have met with some resistance, as over 200 of the -inhabitants lost their lives. Very little is known as to the strength -of the invading force, but it is certain that great damage was done to -the town by the Huguenot invaders, as they were, of course, described -by the Catholics. The churches seem to have suffered severely, as the -plunderers no doubt expected to find treasure in their vaults. Having -thoroughly ransacked the town and terrified the inhabitants, who -mostly fled to the country, the expedition departed before assistance -came from Lisbon, but not before the leader Montluc had been mortally -wounded. In 1580 the island, being a Portuguese possession, fell with -its mother-country under the rule of Spain--a state of affairs which -lasted some eighty years. Madeira seems to have been little affected -by the Spanish yoke, the most important alteration in its government -being the abolition of the office of Captains and the appointment of a -Governor of the island--an office which the Portuguese confirmed when -it again came under their sole power, and is continued to this day. - -The eighteenth century appears to have been a more peaceful epoch in -the history of the island, though it is recorded that Captain Cook, -when starting on his voyage round the world in the _Endeavour_, -bombarded the fort on the Loo Rock as a protest against an affront -which he said had been offered to the British flag. - -During the seventeenth century many English families settled in -Madeira, as, in consequence of the marriage of Charles II. with -Catharine of Braganza, British residents were afforded special favours -and privileges, which enabled them to develop the wine trade. Dr. -Azevado says that a document exists in the municipal archives of -Funchal showing that during the negotiations for the royal marriage, -there being some delay in the final decision of King Charles, the Queen -Regent of Portugal was willing to cede the island of Madeira as part -of her daughter’s dowry. Other more important possessions having been -ceded, Madeira remained a Portuguese colony, and only came under the -protection of the English when, in 1801, in order to protect their -allies from the aggressions of the French, the island was garrisoned -by English troops. The Peace of Amiens saw the withdrawal of the -British forces; but when war broke out between England and France, in -1807, Madeira again came under British protection, when Admiral Hood -occupied the island with a force of 4,000 men. Mr. Yate Johnson, in his -“Handbook on Madeira,” tells us how he himself had seen the original -signatures of the principal inhabitants taken on this occasion, by -which they individually swore “to bear true allegiance and fealty to -His Majesty King George III. and to his heirs and successors, as the -island should be held by his said Majesty or his heirs, in conformity -to the terms of the capitulation made and signed on the 26th December, -1807, whereby the island and dependencies were delivered over to his -said Majesty.” The island, though garrisoned by the English until the -restoration of general peace in 1814, was restored to her rightful -owners four months after the above oath of allegiance was signed. - -The year 1826 was a troublous time for Madeira, as the island did not -escape the civil war which raged in Portugal in consequence of the -Miguelite insurrection. Property was confiscated, the owners being -thankful if they escaped with their lives; and even after the country -had resumed the monarchy, it took some years before the island returned -to its former tranquillity and prosperity. - - -THE END - - -BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD - - - - -THE - -FLOWERS AND GARDENS OF JAPAN - -PAINTED BY ELLA DU CANE - -DESCRIBED BY FLORENCE DU CANE - -SQUARE DEMY 8VO., CLOTH, GILT TOP, CONTAINING 50 FULL-PAGE -ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR. - -_Price_ =20=/-_net._ _Post free_ 20/6. - - -_Morning Post._--“Taken as a whole, this ‘gardening’ book is one of the -most fascinating that has ever been published, and is worthy of its -most fascinating title. Its pictures are all of them beautiful, and -admirably reproduced, and the letterpress matches them well.” - -_Guardian._--“Miss Ella Du Cane catches no little of the Japanese -spirit, its delicate harmonies of colour, its wonderful use of blended -washes in preference to our cruder European methods of manipulating -sharply contrasted tints, its careful study of line, and its studied -suppression of all hardness.... The whole forms a singularly attractive -gift-book.” - -_Daily News._--“This is so charming a collection of the dainty -landscape scenery for which Japan is now well known that we should have -been grateful for it even if it had not been more. It is, however, as -well a pleasant and informative discourse on the ritual of Japanese -gardening in general, and on the many gardens in particular, which the -writer has been privileged to visit.” - -_Scotsman._--“Prose and pictures together make an uncommonly pretty -posy, which would grace even the most severe library.” - -_Liverpool Courier._--“Horticulture in Japan is bound up with the -poetry and folk-lore of the people, and Miss Du Cane brings out this -association in a most delightful fashion. In fact, her writing weds -the practical and poetical most attractively. The book is illustrated -in colour by Miss Ella Du Cane, and her pictures are wholly exquisite -impressions. If anything could induce us to imitate the Japanese -gardener, these dainty water-colour sketches should.” - -_Observer._--“The literary pages are entertaining, the plates are -delicious.... The book as a whole is vivid and fragrant with masses of -wistaria, azalea, iris, lotos, chrysanthemums, and the airy glories -of cherry, peach, and plum. Miss Ella Du Cane’s pictures are, indeed, -so daintily done--instance at random that bewitching glimpse called -‘Wistaria at Nagaoka’--that those who once take this volume in their -hands will turn it over again and again.” - - -PUBLISHED BY A. AND C. BLACK . SOHO SQUARE . LONDON - - - - -THE ITALIAN LAKES - -PAINTED BY ELLA DU CANE - -DESCRIBED BY RICHARD BAGOT - -SQUARE DEMY 8VO., CLOTH, GILT TOP, CONTAINING 69 FULL-PAGE FACSIMILE -REPRODUCTIONS IN COLOUR. - -_Price_ =20=/-_net._ _Post free_ 20/6. - - -_Globe._--“Especially noteworthy for the lightness and delicacy of the -artist’s touch, and the felicity of her colouring as appropriate to the -scenery it represents. The text is a capable accompaniment, supplying -much information of a useful and interesting character.” - -_Standard._--“‘The Italian Lakes’ have, perhaps, never been more -superbly depicted in all the richness of glowing colour than in the -illustrations to this attractive fine art volume. We take up the book, -and in a moment London and all its fogs are forgotten, and we seem to -escape, as by magic, from the madding crowd, to one of the fairest -regions in the world.... Mr. Bagot has quick eyes for the picturesque, -and writes with admirable restraint in the romantic mood.” - -_Evening Standard._--“Mr. Bagot reveals that skill in description that -makes his work at once fascinating and distinctive.... Miss Du Cane’s -tastefully reproduced water-colours are among the most pleasing of any -in the whole series. They reveal strength and delicacy, and have the -great merit of giving one a true notion of the actual and normal colour -of the places.” - -_Aberdeen Journal._--“Miss Du Cane’s water-colours are most charming. -She has caught perfectly the peaceful spirit of the beautiful scenes -she represents. She revels in the flowers and the brightness and gaiety -of it all.... The letterpress by Mr. Bagot is very good--quite the kind -of thing that is wanted in the books of this series.” - -_World._--“Mr. Bagot’s descriptions will give the reader who has never -seen this lovely part of Europe a just and vivid idea of its beauties, -while Miss Du Cane’s work does the same for him by means of another and -a beautiful medium. Her pictures are charming, and the reproduction -would seem to be perfect.” - -_Outlook._--“A good example of the series. Miss Du Cane’s work has -atmosphere and grace, and the reproduction is as good as it can be in -the present stage of the art. Mr. Bagot also is a discriminating and -useful guide.... As a companion for a visit to the lakes, and a memento -of it afterwards, nothing could be better than this book.” - -PUBLISHED BY A. AND C. BLACK. SOHO SQUARE. LONDON - - - - -_BY THE SAME AUTHOR_ - - -THE FLOWERS AND GARDENS OF JAPAN - -DESCRIBED BY FLORENCE DU CANE - -CONTAINING 50 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR SQUARE DEMY 8VO., -CLOTH, GILT TOP - - -THE ITALIAN LAKES - -DESCRIBED BY RICHARD BAGOT - -CONTAINING 68 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR SQUARE DEMY 8VO., -CLOTH, GILT TOP - - PUBLISHED BY - A. & C. BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. - - -AGENTS - - =AMERICA= THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - 64 & 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK - =AUSTRALASIA= OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS - 205 FLINDERS LANE, MELBOURNE - =CANADA= THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. - 27 RICHMOND STREET WEST, TORONTO - =INDIA= MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD. - MACMILLAN BUILDING, BOMBAY - 309 BOW BAZAAR STREET, CALCUTTA - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FLOWERS AND GARDENS OF -MADEIRA *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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