Impressions of Madeira / by William Longman.

William Longman

Date:: 1875

Credit: Impressions of Madeira / by William Longman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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beneath our feet. At last we reached the Boero road, which was, as usual, the bed of a torrent. For more than two hours we toiled through mist down the densely- wooded rocky track. The clouds became thinner as we descended, and we had fine views into the Chao da Ribeira, deep beneath ns, which made us much regret our inability to explore it. At about 5.15 p.m. we arrived at -Seisal, and here we gladly made our long-past mid- day meal. We returned by the cliff road, and got back to Sao Vicente a little before eight o'clock. The following day we set out on our return to Funchal, and were to pass through what is con- sidered the finest scenery of the island. We started at 9.30, in great fear about the weather. As we ascended we got into the mist, which soon became a drizzle. Um- brellas shortly became indispen- sable, and after a time waterproofs were equally so. It may easily be imagined that this prevented us from fully appreciating the scenery ; but, fortunately, the mists rolled away from time to time, and al- though they frequently returned, we had occasional opportunities of seeing enough to convince us that we were passing through landscapes far finer than any we had yet seen, and again quite different from any we had previously visited. Indepen- dently of the magnificent labyrinth of verdure-clad ravines and moun- tain-sides, the great characteristic of the Encuraiada and Serra d'Agoa, through which we were now passing, was the grand forest scenery. Here the prevailing tree is the til, and here its only enemy is the char- coal-burner. The difficulty and distance of carriage prevents its being cut down for timber or for furniture, for which its fine dark colour admirably adapts it when time has deprived it of its hoi'ribly fcetid odour when first cut. Hei-e it consequently grows with the size and luxuriance of centuries of un- disturbed life. Its form is pictu- resque and greatly resembles that of an old gnarled English oak. But the ground, too, hereabouts was covered more richly even than else- where with broad expanses of broom in splendid blossom, while the im- mense panicles of a large-flowered blackberry contributed not a little to the beauty of the scene. We lunched at the Serillio, the summit of the Encumiada Pass, and were fortunate enough to have a fine, although a transient, view into the Grand Curral, looking down on the track by which we had entered it three days before. From this point we descended towards the south, almost immediately getting into a comparatively treeless dis- trict, which lasted until we reached the region, first of the cherry and then of the Spanish chestnut. We soon reached the Jardim da Serra, and shortly afterwards came to the walled and vine-trellised roads which denote the approach to Fun- chal. We arrived at Miles's Hotel at about 5.30 p.m. The few days which intervened between our return to Funchal and our departure from Madeira were too much occupied with prepara- tions and farewell visits to allow of any distant excursions. Having, therefore, nothing to relate of further explorations, it may be well to ge- neralise my impi'essions, and to con- clude with some practical remarks for the use of futm-e visitors. The island is well worth visiting, but I think there are but few people who would care to return to it. To those who are in good health the climate is not agreeable. It is too relaxing. To a certain extent one becomes used to it; still, however, it is enervatiug, and renders one in- disposed to pedestrian exercise. But unquestionably, to one who is not an invalid, the great drawback is the difficulty of getting about. I have often been asked whether one

Impressions of Madeira / by William Longman.

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