Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1900-03-15
FuNCHAl
The Capital Of Medeira-A Wonderful
City by the Sea-Featnres, Customs
and Ceaditions-Letter Number II.

OK BOARD New ENGLAND,

first attracted to the nature of the
streets. All are about twelve feet IN
width, or no wider than a very small
sitting room. They are not OF pressed
brick or cement or asphalt, but are
Of material equally if not more dur
able. They are made of fiat stones
set on edge and so firmly imbedded
as to remain exactly as first fixed. 1t
does not make one continuous smooth
surface, but is more of the cobble
stone order, which is a very essential
quality, considered in view of the
vehicles and the cattle Used upon
them. On the slopes OF the hills,
which are abundant even in the city,
there is not M continuous inclined
plane, but a series of quarter, or
some less perhaps, circular steps, so
that as one walks down hill he steps
successfully on the upper part OF a
curved surface and thus avoids slip
ping, as he otherwise could not
avoid. We realized the great i'm
portance Of this for it rained just
enough to make the stones very slip
perry under our feet, and but for these
peculiar cylindrical steps we could
not have walked down the hill at all.
OF course this is equally true of as
cending a hill. And here lies u
secret Of their use of cattle. With
their cloven feet they are Ire footed
than horses, but another reason is in
the lack of food suitable for horses,
and therefore the essential expense
involved. We saw a few horses and
carriages, and quite fine they were,
belonging to some of the English
residents, but they can not drive
over the steep hills as can the oxen.
The sledges also in sliding over the
stone cobbled roads glide from point
to point with ease, when on a smooth,
continuous surface they could not.
We saw gentlemen riding horse
back, and though they went in
a canter, q man went run
ming along behind with a long
stick having a kind OF brush on end
in his right hand with which to keep
fies off the horse. To e this and
the two drivers of the OK sledges go
trotting along makes n believe that
these poor runners have some diff
cult tasks to perform.
One thing in their favor is, they
have no extreme changes of eli
mate. The average summer temper
allure is "a, and that of winter o.,
making only 10 degrees between win
ter and summer. And right here is
the place for me to say, tn 1t if | shall
need at any time a health resort, this
is the place / want to come. Our
kind English friend told us that he
came here pale and emaciated, and
so weak as to require assistance.
Now he is ruddy, healthful and active
and is himscH . living testimonial OF
she good qualities Of the island. |
advise our Richmond fr ends, here
after, tc form colonies, AID spend
0 Q or two months here, instead
of in Michigan, and they will receive
far greater benefit. Boarding at the
hotel costs only about twenty-five
dollars a month, and 1 should think
could be obtained by management at
much lower rates.
/ forgot to say, while writing of
the streets, that there are, even as
narrow as they are, sidewalks, some
of which are constructed similarly to
the paved streets, but many OF them
have worked into them nice designs,
resembling the floral de-
signs worked in beds of geraniums in
our public parks others are made of
conglomerate resembling our cement.
The houses are built chiefly of stone
conglomerate, and have no very
peculiar structure, except a form
ancient. In place of drays
they use wooden drays, resembling a
Hoosier mud-boat, though smaller.
They are about eight to ten feet in
twenty inches in width and
have edges, slightly elevated, to hold
the freight carried in the middle
part. We saw q large hogshead of
wine on one of them, and it
perfectly solid on the sledge,
drawn by a yoke of oxen.
Cleanliness prevails, and in one re
spect housewives have here a para
1ise; there never is any dust. Chill
lren on their way home from school
tidy, and l stopped a group of
and they cheerfully lined up
me to catch them with the kodak,
also stopped a CARO-. or carriage,
md tried 1t in q similar way.
We saw numbers Of public build
ngs, but cannot take time to describe
uSAl VIC kONSl uot , HdleSC, buS
orphans home, hospital,
,hurches, theater, etc. At the gov
,rnment buildings and the Jail were
stationed guards with guns. A pc
,uliar custom concerning the Jail is,
hat a prisoner i~ncarcerated there
have his keep" Qodgingl pro-
7ided by the person at whose insti
he is imprisoned. Houses of
are licensed and required
keep red lights hanging in front.
thought truly it is the red signal of
to give warning of ''the
tranger which fiattereth with her
for her house inclineth unto
Ieath, and her paths UNITE the dead.
Zone that so unto her return again,
take they hold of the paths
4 life We saw some of these
Iouses, and in the doors stood some
( their sinful occupants using their
viles to lure into dreadful sin.
rambling is also a prominent evil
nd both are openly recognized and
ermitted. At the most noted gamb-
ng place, which is kept wide open,
go out upon the streets to in
uce passers-by to go in. We were
D solicited, but gave no time to see
heir vile business. There are no
for liquor stores are kept .