The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-03-31
Scenes i'm the Azores.

pSOhNo III eiO hHVhNos
st. Michael's is the largest and by far |
the most important island of the Azores. |
Prettily situated at the foot of its hills |
lies the town of Ponta Delgada-much |
larger than the other Azorean cities, but |
having the same glazing white houses
and narrow streets, hemmed in by high |
stone-walls. The shops are rather diff
ficult to find. There is generally no
sign or no window, and the goods upon
the counters and shelves are only seen
through the doors, which are left stand
ing open. Some of the smaller shops
have string stretched across the top
of the door, from which are suspended
little punches of thread or yarn, few
strips of calico, an onion, or candle,
to attract customers; and if a peasant
happens to have melon that he does
not need for home consumption, and
which he wishes to sell, he sometimes
displays it for this purpose at the front
window, usually his only window. A
prettier spot could scarcely have been
selected for a market-place than the
open square in the central part of the
city which is used for that purpose.
The central part of the enclosure is
|
filled tables. A great variety of fruit
is offered, which, though tempting to
the eye, often proves less luscious than
it looks. The pineapples, grapes and
plums, however, are delicious. The
yellow pineapples are peculiarly tender
and delicate, having a fine flavor and
no tough fbres. This is the only fruit
which requires to be ripened under glass
in, The iol olip,ofa Of ho
Small heaps of grain piled up in the
middle of sheets are offered for sale,
forming veritable corn-eXchange on
small scale, but one in which the
merchandise is represented by stock
actually on hand. Beautifully shaped
water-iugs of coarse clay, which are
manufactured on the island, and a
heavy grade of homespun linen, which
also among the goods on exhibition. 1t
is not unusual to see women at their
open doors occupied in spinning with a
distaff and rapidly twisting the thread
from it with their left hand. So primi-
tive are the people that even the
spinning-wheel, which has been so long
discarded in most regions, would be an
innovation here. Hand-looms are used
.. in some families, and instances are
given of young girls working upon them
for four cents day. Wages here are
small. Men do full days work for
twenty-five cents, and women employed
in housework receive, in some in
stances, but one dollar month. On
, the other hand, their wants are few and
the expenses of living are very light
The low, stone huts of the peasants are
!. dark and gloomy, with bare floors OF
: hard earth, sometimes strewn with pine
needles. Through the open doors we
r see wicker partitions, and the hens and
chickens are evidently as much at home
as the children. The entire supply OF
} water is brought in clay pipes from
lakes on the mountains and is dis
charged in the streets and at frequent
\ intervals along the roadside from sub
J stantial fountains which flow constantly
Earthern water-jugs are then used TO
conveying the water to the houses. Thu
~ women manage them adroitly, balanc
:" ing the sloping sides of the jug so per
fectly on the head that it needs no fur
Their support. The inhabitants of tn
= Azores are principally of Portuguese
origin, with mixture of Flemish an,
Moorish blood. They are a handsom,
people, with fine figures, olive complex
, ions and soft brown eyes. Education
has received but little attention here
and large proportion of the people
are unable to read or write. Still Their
seems to be an entire absence of street
lounging and rowdyism, and although
the people of the lower classes are yer
poor their clothing is scrupulously cleal
and well kept. They generally ignor
shoes altogether, or stick their toes int
rude clogs. No matter how scanty tn
clothing may be about the feet, tn
heads of the women are invariably COY
cred with tidy handkerchiefs. The lii
tie girls begin to wear this badge eve
in infancy, and they adhere to
through life. A peculiar shade c
lemon-yellow is often selected for tn
handkerchief, which, neatly folded owe
their smooth, dark locks and tied ur
der the chin, is exceedingly becoming
These people do not approve of innoys
tons, but are satisfied to keep things q
!, they used to be. The men still stoo
7 uncomfortably in working with shor
4 handled hoes, as their grandfather
/ did, and spades and shovels are III
/ known. The women carry their wasl
!; ing out to the streams, and rub the
!, clothes upon the stones, spreading thei
!, on the ground to dry, with little ston
. upon each corner, or hanging thel
\ against the side of wall and fas
ening them in this position by sticl
y ing small stones in the crevices. Stov,
are almost unknown here. So also al
on, fire-places and chimneys, excepting {