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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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. 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. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Flowers and Gardens of Madeira</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Florence Du Cane</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Artist: Ella Du Cane</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: December 8, 2021 [eBook #66899]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>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.) </p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FLOWERS AND GARDENS OF MADEIRA ***</div> - - - - -<div class="transnote"> -<h2>Transcriber’s Notes</h2> - -<p>The advertising page including Agents, has been moved to the end -of the book.</p> - -<p>Hyphenation has been standardised.</p> -</div> - - - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_cover.jpg" alt="" width="696" height="1000" /> -</div> - -<h1> THE FLOWERS AND GARDENS<br /> - OF MADEIRA</h1> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_frontis"><img src="images/i_frontis.jpg" alt="" width="342" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">LOO ROCK, FUNCHAL</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="center p120"> THE FLOWERS</p> -<p class="center p80"> AND</p> -<p class="center p120"> GARDENS OF MADEIRA</p> - -<p class="space-above2"></p> - -<p class="center p80"> PAINTED BY</p> -<p class="center"> ELLA DU CANE</p> - -<p class="center p80"> DESCRIBED BY</p> -<p class="center"> FLORENCE DU CANE</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_colophon"><img src="images/i_colophon.png" alt="" width="96" height="100" /></a> -</div> - -<p class="space-above2"></p> - -<p class="center p80"> LONDON<br /> - ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK<br /> - 1909 -</p> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_iii"></a>[iii]<br /><a id="Page_iv"></a>[iv]</span></p><h2 class="nobreak" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table class="toc" summary="Contents"> -<tr> - <td class="chn">CHAPTER</td> - <th></th> - <th class="pag">PAGE</th> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn"><abbr title="1">I</abbr>.</td> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Introduction</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn"><abbr title="2">II</abbr>.</td> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Portuguese Gardens</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn"><abbr title="3">III</abbr>.</td> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Villa Gardens to the West of Funchal</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_20">20</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn"><abbr title="4">IV</abbr>.</td> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Villa Gardens to the East of Funchal</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn"><abbr title="5">V</abbr>.</td> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Villa Gardens to the East of Funchal</span> (<em>continued</em>)</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_54">54</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn"><abbr title="6">VI</abbr>.</td> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">The Palheiro</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn"><abbr title="7">VII</abbr>.</td> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Camacha and the Mount</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_76">76</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn"><abbr title="8">VIII</abbr>.</td> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">A Ramble in the Higher Altitudes</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_83">83</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn"><abbr title="9">IX</abbr>.</td> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">A Ramble along the Coast</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_97">97</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn"><abbr title="10">X</abbr>.</td> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Creepers</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_107">107</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn"><abbr title="11">XI</abbr>.</td> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Trees and Shrubs</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_118">118</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn"><abbr title="12">XII</abbr>.</td> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Historical Sketch</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_133">133</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_vii"></a>[vii]</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> -</div> - - -<table class="toi" summary="Illustrations"> -<tr> - <td class="chn">1.</td> - <td class="cht">Loo Rock, Funchal</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#image_frontis"><em>Frontispiece</em></a></td> -</tr><tr> - <th></th> - <th></th> - <th class="pag">FACING PAGE</th> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">2.</td> - <td class="cht">A Drinking Fountain</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_4">4</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">3.</td> - <td class="cht">Azaleas in a Portuguese Garden </td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_14">14</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">4.</td> - <td class="cht">Azaleas, Quinta Ilheos</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_18">18</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">5.</td> - <td class="cht">Datura, Quinta Vigia</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_24">24</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">6.</td> - <td class="cht">A Group of Senecio </td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_26">26</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">7.</td> - <td class="cht">Weigandia and Daisies</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_28">28</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">8.</td> - <td class="cht">Cypress Avenue, Quinta Stanford</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_30">30</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">9.</td> - <td class="cht"> Aloes and Daisy Tree</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_34">34</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">10.</td> - <td class="cht">Poinsettia on the Mount Road </td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_38">38</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">11.</td> - <td class="cht"> The Scarlet Bougainvillea</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_40">40</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">12.</td> - <td class="cht">Wistaria, Santa Luzia</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_42">42</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">13.</td> - <td class="cht"> Roses, Santa Luzia </td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_48">48</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">14.</td> - <td class="cht">Pride of Madeira and Peach Blossom </td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_50">50</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">15.</td> - <td class="cht"> Quinta do Til</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_54">54</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">16.</td> - <td class="cht">On the Torrinhas Road</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">17.</td> - <td class="cht"> Wistaria, Quinta da Levada </td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_76">76</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">18.</td> - <td class="cht">Red Aloes </td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_96">96</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">19.</td> - <td class="cht"> Almond Blossom</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_102">102</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">20.</td> - <td class="cht"> Pride of Madeira and Daisies</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_104">104</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">21.</td> - <td class="cht">The Purple Bougainvillea </td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_106">106</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">22.</td> - <td class="cht"> Bignonia Venusta </td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_110">110</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">23.</td> - <td class="cht">Jackaranda Tree </td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_124">124</a></td> -</tr><tr> - <td class="chn">24.</td> - <td class="cht"> A Chapel Doorway </td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_132">132</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_1"></a>[1]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE">THE<br /> -FLOWERS AND GARDENS -OF MADEIRA</h2> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER <abbr title="1">I</abbr></h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">INTRODUCTION</p> - - -<p class="noindent">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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_2"></a>[2]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_3"></a>[3]</span> -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, <em>batata</em> -(sweet potato), or yam—is eagerly looked forward -to, in order to eke out the very slender means of -its habitants.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_4"></a>[4]</span> -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.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_019"><img src="images/i_019.jpg" alt="" width="320" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">A DRINKING FOUNTAIN</p> -</div> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Bignonia venustus</i>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_5"></a>[5]</span> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Melia adzerach</i>, -with its dark shining leaves, raising its summit as -high as that of its neighbour, the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Populus alba</i>? -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.”</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_6"></a>[6]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_7"></a>[7]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_8"></a>[8]</span> -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.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9"></a>[9]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER <abbr title="2">II</abbr></h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">PORTUGUESE GARDENS</p> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">I have</span> 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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10"></a>[10]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11"></a>[11]</span> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Linum trigynum</i>, with its clear -yellow blossoms, help to keep the little gardens -gay through the winter months. The latter, -though commonly called <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Linum</i>, is a synonym -of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Reinwardtia trigynum</i> and a native of the -mountains of the East Indies.</p> - -<p>Last, but by no means least in importance, come -the sweet-smelling plants, essential to these little -miniature gardens. <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Olea fragrans</i>, or sweet olive, -also called <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Osmanthus fragrans</i>, must be given the -palm, as surely its insignificant little greenish-<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12"></a>[12]</span>white -flower is the sweetest flower that grows, and -fills the whole air with its delicious fragrance. -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Diosma ericoides</i>, a well-named plant—from <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">dios</i>, -divine, and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">osme</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Diosma</i>. 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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13"></a>[13]</span> -to keep the plants within bounds and in proportion -to the size of the garden. Here and there a leafless -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Magnolia conspicua</i> 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. <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Franciscea</i>, 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, -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Melaleuca</i>, 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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Crinum -powellei</i>. The delicate <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Gladiolus colvillei</i>, known<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14"></a>[14]</span> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Plumbago capensis</i>, whose clear blue -blossoms cover the plant in great profusion in -late autumn and spring. In summer the yellow -blossoms of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Allamanda Schotti</i> appear, and -later in the year the waxy-white <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Stephanotis floribunda</i> -and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Mandevilleas</i> will all in turn be an -ornament to the garden, though in the winter -months their glossy green foliage will have passed -unnoticed.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_033"><img src="images/i_033.jpg" alt="" width="432" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">AZALEAS IN A PORTUGUESE GARDEN</p> -</div> - -<p>I consider that <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Azalea indica</i> 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 -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15"></a>[15]</span>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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">stufa</i> is considered necessary for their -successful cultivation, but in many a shady, damp -corner of a humble cottage garden have I seen<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16"></a>[16]</span> -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 -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Allegra campo</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ruscus -racemorus</i>. 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Danæ racemosus</i>. One of the Polypodiums, -called by the Portuguese <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Feto do metre</i>,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17"></a>[17]</span> -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. <em>Gymnogrammes</em>, -or golden ferns, are also much prized, -and the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Asparagus sprengerii</i> has during the last -few years found many admirers, with its long -sprays rivalling in length the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Feto do metro</i>. -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Adiantums</i> and all the commoner ferns are given -a place, according to the taste of their owners.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18"></a>[18]</span> -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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_041"><img src="images/i_041.jpg" alt="" width="402" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90"> AZALEAS, QUINTA ILHEOS</p> -</div> - -<p>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 -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19"></a>[19]</span>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.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20"></a>[20]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER <abbr title="3">III</abbr></h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">VILLA GARDENS TO THE WEST OF FUNCHAL</p> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">The</span> 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">quintas</i>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21"></a>[21]</span> -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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22"></a>[22]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23"></a>[23]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>The garden is well cared for, and contains a good -collection of trees and flowering shrubs. Near the -entrance are some very fine <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ficus comosa</i> and two -splendid <em>Jacarandas</em>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Duranta</i> 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Astrapea viscosa</i>, 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,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24"></a>[24]</span> -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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_051"><img src="images/i_051.jpg" alt="" width="453" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">DATURA, QUINTA VIGIA</p> -</div> - -<p>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 -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25"></a>[25]</span>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Araucaria excelsa</i> 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Araucaria -braziliensis</i>. 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,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26"></a>[26]</span> -with its deep crimson-red blossoms; magnolias; -the deciduous <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Taxodium distichum</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Euphorbia fulgens</i>, whose long wreaths of -orange-scarlet flowers remain in beauty all through -January and February. Here are to be seen -pittangas, or <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Eugenia braziliensis</i>, 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. <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Murraya -exotica</i> 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Allemanda schottii</i>, with its pure yellow -blossoms, the deep crimson-flowered <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Combritum</i>; -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Thunbergia laurifolia</i>, with its lavender-coloured -flowers; and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Rhyncospermum jasminoides</i>, whose -tiny white starry flowers fill the whole air with -their delicious fragrance late in April. -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27"></a>[27]</span>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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_057"><img src="images/i_057.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="426" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">A GROUP OF SENECIO</p> -</div> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Senecio grandifolia</i> -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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28"></a>[28]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ribeiro Secco</i>, 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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_063"><img src="images/i_063.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="431" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90"> WEIGANDIA AND DAISIES</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29"></a>[29]</span></p> -<p>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, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Pandanus odoratissima</i>; 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.</p> - -<p>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 -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30"></a>[30]</span>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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_069"><img src="images/i_069.jpg" alt="" width="433" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">CYPRESS AVENUE, QUINTA STANFORD</p> -</div> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">fazenda</i> 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, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Astrapea pendiflora</i>, -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 -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31"></a>[31]</span>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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">stufa</i>, or greenhouse, is -unsuited to the hardier ferns.</p> - -<p>Some interesting experiments have also been -made with rock-plants, in order to see whether it<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32"></a>[32]</span> -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—<em>i.e.</em>, -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Echium fastuosum</i>.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33"></a>[33]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34"></a>[34]</span> -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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_077"><img src="images/i_077.jpg" alt="" width="426" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">ALOES AND DAISY TREE</p> -</div> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Aloe arborescens</i>, 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 -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35"></a>[35]</span>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.</p> - -<p>At the same season the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Franzeria artemesioides</i>, -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Plumbago capensis</i> attain to mammoth -proportions when they can escape the attention of -the gardener’s ruthless shears, and are laden with<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36"></a>[36]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>Bougainvilleas have been planted with a lavish -hand, but unluckily with no regard for colour. I -sometimes wondered if the Portuguese gardeners -are <em>all</em> 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.</p> - -<p>The great clumps of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Crinum powellei</i> 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37"></a>[37]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Opuntia tuna</i>, with its curious -succulent growth clothed with poisonous thorns, -some wild saxifrages and tufts of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Echium fastuosum</i>, -known as Pride of Madeira, have all found a home.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38"></a>[38]</span> -almost opposite to the hotel in the grounds of Casa -Branca for a few short weeks in the year the avenue -of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Poinsettia pulcherrima</i> 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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_085"><img src="images/i_085.jpg" alt="" width="429" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">POINSETTIA ON THE MOUNT ROAD</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39"></a>[39]</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER <abbr title="4">IV</abbr></h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">VILLA GARDENS TO THE EAST OF FUNCHAL</p> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">On</span> 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40"></a>[40]</span> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Aloe arborescens</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Bougainvillea -spectabile</i>, 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 -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41"></a>[41]</span>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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_091"><img src="images/i_091.jpg" alt="" width="427" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">THE SCARLET BOUGAINVILLEA</p> -</div> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42"></a>[42]</span> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Streptosolen Jamesonii</i>, 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 -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43"></a>[43]</span>described elsewhere, and had no very imposing -scheme to start with.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_097"><img src="images/i_097.jpg" alt="" width="426" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">WISTARIA, SANTA LUZIA</p> -</div> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Bignonia venustus</i>, 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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44"></a>[44]</span></p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45"></a>[45]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>In the lower part of the garden a small pond, -shaded by a weeping willow, whose parent was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46"></a>[46]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Iris Florentina</i> -and a deep purple <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Iris Germanica</i> really seem to -flourish, so the beds are filled with these two kinds -only. <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Iris Pallida</i> and many of the other beautiful -varieties of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Iris Germanica</i> 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47"></a>[47]</span> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Rosa grandiflora</i>. 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.</p> - -<p>The garden is so full of interesting trees and -shrubs that it would be a hopeless and never-<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48"></a>[48]</span>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Phytolacca dioica</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Monstera deliciosa</i>, 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.”</p> - -<p>There is a very fine specimen of <em>Bombax</em>, or -silk cotton tree, which has a peculiar growth, -and in June is covered with fluffy white blossoms.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_107"><img src="images/i_107.jpg" alt="" width="287" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">ROSES, SANTA LUZIA</p> -</div> - -<p>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 -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49"></a>[49]</span>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Anamotheca cruenta</i>, 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.</p> - -<p>Yet another of these little terrace gardens has -been devoted entirely to the culture of blue and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50"></a>[50]</span> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Solanum crispum</i> clothe -the walls on one side, and the chief treasure -of the blue garden, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Echium fastuosum</i>, 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 -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51"></a>[51]</span>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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_113"><img src="images/i_113.jpg" alt="" width="424" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">PRIDE OF MADEIRA AND PEACH BLOSSOM</p> -</div> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Rosa lævigata</i>, -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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52"></a>[52]</span> -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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53"></a>[53]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54"></a>[54]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER <abbr title="5">V</abbr></h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">VILLA GARDENS TO THE EAST OF FUNCHAL (<em>continued</em>)</p> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">The</span> 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 <i lang="it" xml:lang="it">Til</i> 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 <i lang="it" xml:lang="it">til</i>, one of the indigenous forest trees of the -island, which stands in the garden, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">ingens arbos -faciemque simillima lauro</i>: it is, I believe, of the -laurel tribe. In the court, too, is an enormous -old chestnut, the second largest in the island.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_121"><img src="images/i_121.jpg" alt="" width="462" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">QUINTA DO TIL</p> -</div> - -<p>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 -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55"></a>[55]</span>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Magnolia grandiflora</i>, 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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56"></a>[56]</span></p> - -<p>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—<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57"></a>[57]</span>plants, -especially creepers, will make astonishingly -rapid growth, but patience is required at first, -though well rewarded in the end.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58"></a>[58]</span> -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Linum trigynum</i>, and hosts of sweet-scented plants, -such as verbenas, sweet olives, sweet-scented -geraniums, diosmas, and many others.</p> - -<p>The lower terrace is almost entirely a rose-garden, -the Til garden having always been famous -for its roses.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Rosa Benghalensis</i>, -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.</p> - -<p>A creeper-clad corridor leads to the group of -trees which have given their name to the quinta.</p> - -<p>Just above, on the Levada da Santa Luzia, is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59"></a>[59]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>It is a beautiful piece of rocky ground, and on -one side a group of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Pinus pinea</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Aloe arborescens</i>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60"></a>[60]</span> -soil, combined with the lack of any means of -carting, would make terracing a very serious undertaking.</p> - -<p>The grounds contain many very fine trees—among -others, a very good specimen of the deciduous -cypress, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Taxodium distichum</i>, 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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61"></a>[61]</span> -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:</p> - -<p>“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.</p> - -<p>“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 cool<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62"></a>[62]</span>ness, -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.</p> - -<p>“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.”</p> - -<p>Across the ravine, but at a very much higher -altitude, stands the Achada, in a commanding<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63"></a>[63]</span> -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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64"></a>[64]</span> -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.”</p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_135"><img src="images/i_135.jpg" alt="" width="462" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">ON THE TORRINHAS ROAD</p> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65"></a>[65]</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER <abbr title="6">VI</abbr></h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">THE PALHEIRO</p> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">About</span> 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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66"></a>[66]</span></p> - -<p>“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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">burroquieros</i> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">hidalgo</i> 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67"></a>[67]</span> -(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.”</p> - -<p>The hope here expressed was fulfilled, and the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68"></a>[68]</span> -family continued to live there until the estate -changed hands and became the property of the -present owner, in 1884.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Amaryllis belladonna</i> 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69"></a>[69]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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 <em>not</em> -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,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70"></a>[70]</span> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Cineraria stellata</i>, in an infinite -range of soft colouring. Or a whole bed is devoted -to the deep purple <em>Statice</em>, the beautiful white -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Alstrœmeria peregrina</i>, or some other chosen -flower which gives a definite note to the colour -scheme. In March two fine specimens of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Magnolia -conspicua</i> are covered with their cup-like white and -lilac blossoms, and stand out in sharp contrast to -the deep emerald-green of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Araucaria braziliensis</i>, -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Cantua -buxifolia</i>, with its bright red tube-like blossoms -hanging in graceful bunches, provides a brilliant -patch of colour. The lilac <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Iris fimbriata</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Muhlenbeckia</i>, which has grown<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71"></a>[71]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>Great beds of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Azalea indica</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Richardia</i> or <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Calla -Æthiopia</i> 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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72"></a>[72]</span> -rarer native wild-flowers, such as the monster -buttercup, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ranunculus grandifolia</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Fuchsia coccinea</i> 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">ponticum</i>, 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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73"></a>[73]</span></p> - -<p>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 -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">arboreum</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Edgeworthii</i>, 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.</p> - -<p>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-<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74"></a>[74]</span>garden -described above a large double-flowered -pink peach-tree is the pride of the garden when -in blossom.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">leste</i>—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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>The garden has no definite boundary, no unsightly -garden fence, which is the stumbling-block -of so many gardens. One can wander down<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75"></a>[75]</span> -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.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76"></a>[76]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER <abbr title="7">VII</abbr></h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">CAMACHA AND THE MOUNT</p> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">The</span> 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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_151"><img src="images/i_151.jpg" alt="" width="425" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">WISTARIA, QUINTA DA LEVADA</p> -</div> - -<p>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, -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77"></a>[77]</span>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Romneya coulteri</i> 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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78"></a>[78]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>The little gardens at Camacha are gay with -common flowers: large bushes of white marguerites -and trees of the early-flowering red <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Rhododendron -arboreum</i> 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79"></a>[79]</span> -blossoms, while great clumps of belladonna lilies -transform the whole landscape, and the country -seems to blush a beautiful rosy-pink.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80"></a>[80]</span> -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 -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Aloe arborescens</i>, 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.</p> - -<p>The road to the Little Curral leads past a grove -of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Mimosa cornuta</i>—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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81"></a>[81]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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-<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82"></a>[82]</span>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83"></a>[83]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER <abbr title="8">VIII</abbr></h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">A RAMBLE IN THE HIGHER ALTITUDES</p> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">The</span> 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Fuchsia coccinea</i> and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Rosa -Benghalensis</i>, with its small double pink flowers, -and the clumps of belladonnas on the banks, which -at first give the landscape the appearance of a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84"></a>[84]</span> -ruined garden, are left behind, and the vegetation -changes completely.</p> - -<p>The pine woods consist chiefly of plantations of -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Pinus maritima</i>, or <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">pinaster</i>, 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-<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85"></a>[85]</span>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 <em>giesta</em>, 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.</p> - -<p>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 pro<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86"></a>[86]</span>cessions, -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, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Erica -scoparia</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Vaccinium Maderense</i>, or <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">padifolium</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Usnea</i> -lichen, which waves from one tree to another like -masses of long green hair.</p> - -<p>A turn in the road, at an altitude of some 4,800 -feet, just beyond the rest-house at the bleak spot<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87"></a>[87]</span> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Vaccinium</i> 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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">levadas</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Orchis foliosa</i>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88"></a>[88]</span> -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. <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Trichomanes radicans</i> and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Hymenophyllum -Tunbridgense</i> grow in great abundance; also -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Acrostichum squamosum</i>, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Pteris arguta</i>, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Asplenium -umbrosum</i>, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Woodwardia radicans</i>, and numberless -others. Lichens of every sort and mosses—<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Lycopodium -suberectum</i> and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Selaginella Kraussiana</i>—seem -to fill up every available space and crevice, -and engage the hands and delight the mind of -the collector.”</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89"></a>[89]</span> -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Goodyera macrophylla</i> 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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Hymenophyllums</i> -which clothe the stems of old laurels: here and -there a mass of rock, perfectly cushioned with -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Hymenophyllum Tunbridgense</i>; here and there -a carpet of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Hymenophyllum Wilsoni</i> and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Davallia -Canariensis</i> and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Polypodium vulgare</i> growing in -masses on the trees. <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Nephrodium Oreopteris</i> here<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90"></a>[90]</span> -grows in great abundance, the one place besides -Pico Canario where it is to be found in Madeira. -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Nephrodium Fraenesecii</i> and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Nephrodium dilatatum</i> -here grow very large and perfect. The levada is -fringed with <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Asplenium monanthemum</i>, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Cystopteris -fragilis</i>, and countless treasures. In July the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Orchis -foliosa</i> blooms in great spikes of bright mauve. -In this neighbourhood <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Acrostichum squamosum</i> and -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Trichomanes radicans</i> grow well.”</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91"></a>[91]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92"></a>[92]</span> -and lantanas have strayed from gardens and sown -themselves in every direction. In April the -beautiful <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ornithogalum Arabicum</i>, bearing its white -starry blossoms with jet-black centres, may be seen -growing wild, and I have been told that the pure -white <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Lilium candidum</i> is to be found in a wild -state, though I have never come across it myself.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93"></a>[93]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Oïdium -Tuckeri</i>, 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 <em>latadas</em>, as they are called -in Madeira, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">pergolas</i>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94"></a>[94]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95"></a>[95]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96"></a>[96]</span> -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 (<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">aquardente</i>), 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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_175"><img src="images/i_175.jpg" alt="" width="276" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">RED ALOES</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97"></a>[97]</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER <abbr title="9">IX</abbr></h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">A RAMBLE ALONG THE COAST</p> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">The</span> 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98"></a>[98]</span> -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 (<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Batata edulis</i>), a -plant of the convolvulus family; and the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">inhame</i>, -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">batatas</i>. -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 <em>inhame</em> (<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Colocaria -antiquorum</i>) 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;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99"></a>[99]</span> -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 (<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">feijoens</i>) -which are most valued for making their <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">sopas</i>, or -vegetable soups. Lupines, lentils, and the chickpea -(the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">grao de bico</i> 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">aboboras</i>, as they are called, are carefully -tended. Mr. Lowe writes: “For at least six -months in the year (August to January) the -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">aboboras</i> constitute almost one-third of the daily<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100"></a>[100]</span> -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 -(<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Sechium edule</i>), 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.</p> - -<p>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 planta<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101"></a>[101]</span>tions -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 -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Musa Cavendishii</i>. 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.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_185"><img src="images/i_185.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="428" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">ALMOND BLOSSOM</p> -</div> - -<p>Sufficient lemons and citrons are grown to -supply the requirements of the island. The -custard apple, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Anona cherimolia</i>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102"></a>[102]</span> -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, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Eugenia Braziliensis</i>, 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 -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103"></a>[103]</span>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Physalis Peruviana</i>, 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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_191"><img src="images/i_191.jpg" alt="" width="290" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">PRIDE OF MADEIRA AND DAISIES</p> -</div> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104"></a>[104]</span> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Euphorbia -piscatoria</i>, a cheiranthus, a lavender, (<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Lavandula -pinnata</i>), the Madeira stock (<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Mathiola Maderensis</i>), -some of the sedums, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Sonchus pinnatus</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Echium fastuosum</i>, 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, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">candicans</i>, has -flowers of a darker blue, but is only to be found in -the hills. Among this rough ground, and unfortu<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105"></a>[105]</span>nately -in many a ravine and wall which was -formerly clad with ferns and plants of a far more -interesting nature, the rank-growing <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Eupatorium -adenophorum</i> 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Abundancia</i>, -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Oxalis -venusta</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Oxalis cornuta</i> 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106"></a>[106]</span> -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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_197"><img src="images/i_197.jpg" alt="" width="316" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">THE PURPLE BOUGAINVILLEA</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107"></a>[107]</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER <abbr title="10">X</abbr></h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">CREEPERS</p> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">The</span> 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Bougainvillea glabra</i> 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Bougainvillea spectabilis</i>—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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108"></a>[108]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>Many persons give the palm for beauty to the -deep magenta variety, <em>speciosa</em>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109"></a>[109]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110"></a>[110]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>The second place in the list of creepers for the -New Year must be given to the flaming orange -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Bignonia venusta</i>, 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 <em>mirante</em> (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 -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111"></a>[111]</span>stray blossoms of the deep red <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Bignonia cherare</i>, -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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_205"><img src="images/i_205.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="431" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">BIGNONIA VENUSTA</p> -</div> - -<p>In the same month the close-growing <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Tecoma -flava</i> 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Tecoma Lindleyana</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Tecoma -Micheliensis</i>, as it is most commonly called, though -I believe it has a second, and possibly more correct, -name.</p> - -<p>For May and June is reserved, probably, the -most beautiful of all the tecomas, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">jasminoides</i>. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112"></a>[112]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>From the list of winter creepers the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Thunbergia -laurifolia</i>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113"></a>[113]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>Yet another creeper whose flowering season -belongs to the winter months is the scarlet passionflower, -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Passiflora coccinea</i>. 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.</p> - -<p>By the last days of March the racemes of that -most beautiful of all creepers, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Wistaria chinensis</i>, or -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">sinensis</i>, will have begun to lengthen, and gradually -clothe the whole plant with a pale purple canopy.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114"></a>[114]</span> -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 -<em>fuji</em>, 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 <em>fuji</em>. 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115"></a>[115]</span> -garden. Like in Japan, the wistaria season begins -with the white wistaria, which has been christened -in the Western world <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Wistaria Japonica</i>, 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.</p> - -<p>The variety known as <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Wistaria multijuga</i>, 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 -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">multijuga</i> variety is only to be met with in certain<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116"></a>[116]</span> -districts and as a cultivated form, and is never seen -clambering from tree to tree in a wild state, like -the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">chinensis</i> variety. The wistaria season closes as -well as opens with a white-flowered form both in -Japan and Madeira, as the variety known as <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">macrobotrys</i>, -with its very long racemes of white blossoms, -prolongs the beauty of the <em>fuji</em> 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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Rhyncospermum jasminoides</i>, -or <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Trachelospermum</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">angustifolium</i> 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 -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Stephanotis floribunda</i>, called in its native country<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117"></a>[117]</span> -the Madagascar chaplet flower, unfurls its heavy-scented -waxy blossoms in the summer months. -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Allamanda schotii</i>, 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.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118"></a>[118]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER <abbr title="11">XI</abbr></h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">TREES AND SHRUBS</p> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">The</span> 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.”</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119"></a>[119]</span> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Oreodaphne fœtens</i>, describing it as “the -grandest of native trees”; while Mr. Bowdick, in -1823, says: “The til has been confounded with -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Laurus fœtens</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Laurus -fœtens</i> and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Laurus cupuleris</i> 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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Laurus -indica</i> by Mr. Bowdick, who describes it as one of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120"></a>[120]</span> -the island’s most valuable products, while Miss -Taylor describes it as <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Persea indica</i>. 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.</p> - -<p>The laurel familiar to us under the name of -Portugal laurel, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Cerasus lusitanica</i>, 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,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121"></a>[121]</span> -blackened specimens pining under the smoky -atmosphere of suburban shrubberies.</p> - -<p><i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Laurus Canariensis</i> is a fragrant form of laurel, -and the country-people extract oil from its yellow -berries.</p> - -<p><i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Picconia excelsa</i>, the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Pao branco</i> 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.</p> - -<p>The <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Clethra arborea</i>, 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Pittosporum -coriaceum</i>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122"></a>[122]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>One of the first trees which is sure to strike the -eye of the new-comer is the dragon-tree, or -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Dracæna draco</i>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123"></a>[123]</span> -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.”</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">materia -medica</i>—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.”</p> - -<p>Among other native trees, the beautiful <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Taxus -baccata</i> and the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Juniperus oxycedrus</i>, with its great -spreading silvery-green branches, cannot be omitted. -The former has become almost extinct, and the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124"></a>[124]</span> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">mirante</i>, as they provide shelter -from the wind and perfect shade.</p> - -<p>Another evergreen tree, which, though not a -native tree, is very commonly to be seen in and -about the town of Funchal, is the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ficus comosa</i>, -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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_223"><img src="images/i_223.jpg" alt="" width="407" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">JACKARANDA-TREE.</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125"></a>[125]</span></p> -<p>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.</p> - -<p><i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Grevillea robusta</i> 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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Jacaranda mimosafolia</i>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126"></a>[126]</span> -full beauty of the flower is thus seen unshrouded -by leaves.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Schotia speciosa</i> 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.</p> - -<p>There are a few specimens of the gorgeous -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Poinciana regia</i>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127"></a>[127]</span> -showy variety, known as <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Poinciana pulcherrima</i>, -thrives better.</p> - -<p>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.”</p> - -<p>Of the coral-trees there are several varieties: -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Erythrina corallodendron</i>, a native of the West -Indies, has large spikes of deep red blossoms on -leafless light grey stems; and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Erythrina cristagalli</i>, -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Streptosolen Jamesonii</i>, -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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128"></a>[128]</span> -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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Browallia -Jamesonii</i>; 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.</p> - -<p><i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Astrapæa pendiflora</i>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129"></a>[129]</span> -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. -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Astrapæa viscaria</i> 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.</p> - -<p>Among purple flowering shrubs, for the beauty of -its individual flowers and purity of colour, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Lasiandra</i> -or <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Pleroma macrantha</i>, 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.</p> - -<p><i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Wigandia macrophylla</i> 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130"></a>[130]</span> -a most ornamental plant and a valuable acquisition -all through the winter and early spring. To -Brazil we owe another favourite shrub, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Franciscea -latifolia</i>, as it is commonly called, though it appears -to belong to the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Brunsfelsias</i>, 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.</p> - -<p>The light crimson-flowered <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Hibiscus rosa sinensis</i>, -which ornaments most gardens in tropical or subtropical -regions, has also found a home in Madeira, -and the long white trumpet-flowering <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Brugmansia -suaveolens</i>, 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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131"></a>[131]</span></p> - -<p>The blossoms of the daturas are known as <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">bellas -noites</i> by the Portuguese, though the night-scented -flowers of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Cestrum vespertinum</i> seem to share -the name with them; occasionally, it is true, the -latter are deemed masculine, and are therefore -called <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">boas noites</i>. The following interesting -description of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Brugmansia</i> or <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Datura suaveolens</i> 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132"></a>[132]</span> -overdose of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Atropa belladonna</i>. Still, there is -something perceptively oppressive in the evening, -in too long or close inhalement of the powerful -aromatic fragrance of the flower.”</p> - -<p>The peculiar flowers of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Strelitzia regina</i>, introduced -to Europe from South Africa during the -reign of George <abbr title="the third">III</abbr>., 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. <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Strelitzia -augusta</i>, 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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_i_235"><img src="images/i_235.jpg" alt="" width="417" height="650" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">A CHAPEL DOORWAY</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133"></a>[133]</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER <abbr title="12">XII</abbr></h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">HISTORICAL SKETCH</p> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">Though</span> 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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134"></a>[134]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135"></a>[135]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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 “<span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Porto Sto</span>,” “<span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Ila Legname</span>,” and “<span lang="it" xml:lang="it">I. Deserta</span>.” -If these names were inserted when the chart was -made (<span class="allsmcap">A.D.</span> 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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136"></a>[136]</span> -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 <abbr title="the third">III</abbr>., -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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137"></a>[137]</span> -uninhabited land, diversified by hills and vales, -intersected by clear rivulets, and shaded with pine-trees.”</p> - -<p>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 com<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138"></a>[138]</span>forts -as still remained to him, procure for her, -for a time at least, some repose, refreshment, and -security.”</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_139"></a>[139]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_140"></a>[140]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>Prince Henry was the son of John <abbr title="the first">I</abbr>. of Portugal, -and a nephew of our Henry <abbr title="the fourth">IV</abbr>. 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_141"></a>[141]</span> -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.”</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_142"></a>[142]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_143"></a>[143]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_144"></a>[144]</span> -mass of rock, that they took back with them to -Portugal a bottle of the water as an offering to -Prince Henry.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">funcho</i>, -the site of the new town received the name of -Funchal.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_145"></a>[145]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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 <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">comarcas</i>, each taking -command of one: Zargo became the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Capitao</i>, and -Teizeira the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Donatorio</i>, 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_146"></a>[146]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_147"></a>[147]</span> -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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_148"></a>[148]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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 -<em>Endeavour</em>, bombarded the fort on the Loo Rock -as a protest against an affront which he said had -been offered to the British flag.</p> - -<p>During the seventeenth century many English -families settled in Madeira, as, in consequence of -the marriage of Charles <abbr title="the second">II</abbr>. 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<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_149"></a>[149]</span> -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 <abbr title="the third">III</abbr>. -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.</p> - -<p>The year 1826 was a troublous time for Madeira, -as the island did not escape the civil war which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_150"></a>[150]</span> -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.</p> - - -<p class="center">THE END</p> - - -<p class="center p80">BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<h3>THE<br /> - -FLOWERS AND GARDENS<br /> -OF JAPAN</h3> - -<p class="center">PAINTED BY ELLA DU CANE</p> - -<p class="center">DESCRIBED BY FLORENCE DU CANE</p> - -<p class="center p80">SQUARE DEMY 8VO., CLOTH, GILT TOP, CONTAINING<br /> -50 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR.</p> - -<p class="center"><em>Price</em> <strong>20</strong>/- <em>net.</em> <em>Post free</em> 20/6.</p> - - -<p><cite>Morning Post.</cite>—“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.”</p> - -<p><cite>Guardian.</cite>—“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.”</p> - -<p><cite>Daily News.</cite>—“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. 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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.”</p> - -<p><cite>Evening Standard.</cite>—“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.”</p> - -<p><cite>Aberdeen Journal.</cite>—“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.”</p> - -<p><cite>World.</cite>—“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.”</p> - -<p><cite>Outlook.</cite>—“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.”</p> - - -<p class="center p80">PUBLISHED BY A. AND C. BLACK . SOHO SQUARE . LONDON</p> - -<p class="p4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="center p80"><em>BY THE SAME AUTHOR</em></p> - - -<p class="center p90">THE FLOWERS AND GARDENS<br /> -OF JAPAN</p> - -<p class="center p70">DESCRIBED BY FLORENCE DU CANE</p> - -<p class="center p60">CONTAINING 50 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR<br /> -SQUARE DEMY 8VO., CLOTH, GILT TOP</p> - - -<p class="center p90">THE ITALIAN LAKES</p> - -<p class="center p70">DESCRIBED BY RICHARD BAGOT</p> - -<p class="center p60">CONTAINING 68 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR<br /> -SQUARE DEMY 8VO., CLOTH, GILT TOP</p> - -<p class="center p60">PUBLISHED BY<br /> -A. & C. Black, Soho Square, London, W.</p> - -<p class="p2"></p> - -<p class="center">AGENTS</p> -<table summary ="Agents"> -<tr> -<td class="country">AMERICA</td> -<td class="co">THE MACMILLAN COMPANY<br /> -<span class="smcap">64 & 66 Fifth Avenue</span>, NEW YORK</td> -</tr><tr> -<td class="country">AUSTRALASIA</td> -<td class="co">OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS<br /> -<span class="smcap">205 Flinders Lane</span>, MELBOURNE</td> -</tr><tr> -<td class="country">CANADA</td> -<td class="co">THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD.<br /> -<span class="smcap">27 Richmond Street West</span>, TORONTO</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="country">INDIA</td> -<td class="co">MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Macmillan Building</span>, BOMBAY<br /> -<span class="smcap">309 Bow Bazaar Street</span>, CALCUTTA</td></tr> - </table> - </div> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FLOWERS AND GARDENS OF MADEIRA ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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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