The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-06-29
Our Funehal correspondence.
FuNcHAL, January, 43l9

been celebrated in the glowing accounts of the
early voyagers and by the sober pens of historians,
as an island of remarkable fertility and beauty
Faithful illustrations of its scenery, its customs
| and flora, and elaborate memoirs on its geology
and climate, have exhausted a4 topics of interest
and the sketches of scores of tourists have added
the attractions of personal adventure to descrip-
tons OF ITS scenery, outlying the gorgeous color
| ING OF the early adveDlnIers. 1t has been more
ir.quented OF late years, by becoming the ia
.orlle resort OF English, vale,ud inarians; in
lercourse has also been facilitated by regular lines
of steamers and packets, being one of the appont-
| ed stopplng-paces between England and the West
| lndIes No climate could be more coneenaI TO
most of the chronic disorders OF northern latudes
| A Temperature of eternal spring, ranging hetyeen
co.. and ~ Fahr., fee from ram, but constantly
refreshed by lhe presence OF vapor equable,
mat the swallow never mlgrates. and the
flower IS member parched by the sun nor nipped by
! me cold, and, what is remarkable, where no nox-
ious repne imported from abroad can live, and
but lew insects annoy seem to mark this island as
Tie invalid's paradise,
have, however, heard Funchal spoken of with
sinister VIII, as the "Stianger's grave - nor is il
called so inappropriately, for Of the many victims
Of q. consumption VINO seek this genial climate from
the Iigors Of an English winter, while some nger
thlough the season like slcky exOtics in the shell
ter OF hot-house, many also drop INTO their last
resting place. have also been informed, on good
authority, that the average aye of residents does
not exceed tf'y years, and that many persons die
OF premature apoplexy, who have observed care
| iul regimen.
The number of pale and emacated strangers,
lshsulshlne IN The streets and public pronienades
and act ram Cne which theIrpre ALWAYS gyes
to socleiy, tend TO depress the spirits and trans
pof'ed me to one OF our water-cure establishments
| Whefe disease becomes gregariOus, and conversa-
u'n turns upon symptoms and panaceas where
society is graduated by a scale of affections, and
Mans Importance measured by his intrmllles;
where rivals are jealous of each others d,strmners
| no lao dor
| OF the ton with dyspeptIcs
1t is not easy to recall and analyse the various
emotions OF pleasure with which first surveyed
Madeira. After the ceremonious official calls
| were over, and greetings exchanged with some
| cld friends, had time to glance at Funchal and
that portion OF the Island overlooking the roads,
hurry from one scene of delight to another, with
out thought ntrudlng upon The me re sensual Dcr.
ceptlon Of The beauty of Nature.
Inc sand Is merely PERCEPTIONS volcanic chaln
,hlI'y'hve miles long and twelve broad, about as
| high as the White mountain range II springs
abruptly from the sea, and presents a bold and
bluff coast, walled In by black barriers of asalt, in
some places thousands OF test high, Offering only
sh,pfDg. The heights of the Sierra Gas the central
| ridge rs caled) are generally overhung with som-
pre-, iuild and anonymous clouds, like those which
with US portend rain these unite with the unal-
lurng features OF the coast to give to the distant
view an air OF mystery and grandeur. The SIMS
ter aspect OF the spot, as barely dscerned on n
cleai day as mere film upon the horizon from the
the superstitions OF the times, long deferred the
eatly navigators from exploring it. A nearer ap-
proach compensates for all that is unlovey in the
| distance. =
Funchal is built upon the sleeps of cone-like
section, abutted against the overshadowing Sierra,
and intersected by i've magnificent gorges. Ito
apparent magnitude IS greatly increased by the
buildings rising one above another on the decliyi-
ty, so that there Is hardly n ouse of any preten-
sion when may not be singled out from the ship
ping. The lower part of the town Is compacty
built, but the monotonOus expanse of white mason
ry is relieved by squares and gardens and MANY
OF the buildings are embOsomed in vines Seve-
raj conspicuous objects the eye of the stran-
ger. On one flank OF the town IS an insulated and
perpendicular mass OF basalt, called by the English
| Love Rock. 1t has been sur,nounted with para
pet and barracks, and has thus been ingeniously
converted INTO strong fortress, with bdstlons at
| The angles his rock Is the best guide to the an
chorage, and while it afio rds the means of shelter
is also the cause OF many wreck. The public
| squares, me Governors palace, bizarre CASTLE
| hall feudal and halt modern, and AN incomplete
| stone column--a monument to the folly of some
| visionary, who, falling into the vulgar bunder that
| there was no limitation of size in mechanical con-
t1vsnces, raised II as The supporter of an immense
| crane-aitract attention, as the eye trayerses the
| b. ach. In the rear, above the town, is the Peak
| Casilc; and, GROWING the mountain buttress 900
feet above The sea, is the church of Nossa Senhora
| do Monte, as 1t the Virgin, from this lofty watch
tOw er PerFe ualIy guarded the habtations of men
below. The streets are stretched across the gorges
| by means of stone arches for some distance the
sides OF the ravines are walled in with substantial
masonry and ierraced with vines, but as they re.
| cede inland, their bare and rocky sides mount
| higher and higher, until the depth and gloom of
their soIIiudes almost insupportable. From the
emlrence, OF Nossa Senhora do Monte, the eye
vain TO Fat HON the abyss. The gorges are the beds
,i mountain torrents, alternately dried or fright.
fully swollen, 80 as sometimes sweep down large
masses OF rock, and cause extensive damage to the
| town
Crossing the gorge, to the extreme right, the
horizon is bounded by several concal hills inter-
.ecied ny hedges, and clothed in verdure to their
tops. To The left, the pleased eye fingers on the
| undulating line Of Cape GaraIao, terminating in n
steep rock, washed by the sea salient from the
central preclplces like couchant lion before a
| lefty portal It's vineyards and pastures blushng
IN The declining sun, so as TO vindcate the appro-
! prlateness of the less euphonious name of Brazen
Head, bestowed by the English.
from the captivating site OF the town and the
ground, the eye is still led upward several theu-
sand feet above the eyre of the mountain church,
though Ihe region Of forests, to the uppermos
flage o, me ,. Sierra When the drapery of miss is
broken rocks are seen, brightly lighted or marked
by deep and sharply defined shadows, terminating
TO the right, IN a line OF distant purple peaks, re-
Iieved against the greyish blue sky, charged with
vapOr.
Such is the coup d'ca from the ship, in the
roads; such The imperfect sketch of the conspicuous
objects winch salute the first rapid glance.
There are new and pleasing details of the land
tcape presented, to repay longer and closer study.
lerraced sleeps seen, with long arbors of trel
Us work, festooned with vines roads winding
thousands OF feet, over apparently inaccessible
heights; romantic country seats, nesting like
snowy buds in the dense forests, or luxuriant
gardens of the far up mountain sides; numerous
iaSines, crested with trees; and, more Than ALL the
majestic spd ever shifting shadows of projecting
Iidges ans fleeing clouds and that Transporting
and IndescIlbable play of hight as the dissolyng
nllsts loose hful and evanescent shafts of sunlight
ever the embroidered slopes, or discover solitary
and radient peak cleaning afar off in the deco re-
cesses OF the Sierra. 1t is thus the effect of a
charming landscape is heightened by Inc xhaustible
,arlety; with the ever shifting clouds picture fol-
lows p'ciufe, so That an artist might produce
repeating himself.
The contour Of Madeira is so irregular, fantas-