The Ordway new era., 1922-03-31

r,.r.d by the National Geographic So
el.ty, Washington, d. c)
Madeira. the Island to which the
Dmpr emperOr of Austria-Hungary
kd his wife have been banlshed, might
said to lie in the Atlantic Ocean
Id the Middle Ages And most inter
Eting to Americans, perhaps, 1t was
bee the home of Christopher Colum-
ps
Once one has penetrated Into the
puntry back OF Funchal, the only
pwn Of the island that may be called
city, the simplest and most primitive
civilized conditions are found. Plows
fe merely the wooden beams tipped
th point OF iron that Roman peas
pts used; draft animals are oxen;
Jain is threshed by being trodden out
old-fashloned threshing floors; and
Ten In Funchal the most common
Ieans Of conveyance is the sledge
ragged over cobbled streets by slow
)oying oxen.
But with all its primltiveness Ma
eln Is land of great beauty and
BARN. 1t is considered by many, In
ed, the modern version of the
Stands Of the Blessed" 1t is situated
the latitude of Charleston, S. c.,
ID the Bermudas, and is about as far
Puthwest Of the Strait of Gibraltar as
le Bermudas are southeast of New
ofS MADEIRA, though, Is not a low
ing islet, but was once n huge vol
mic peak, and has rugged mountain
emery comparable TO that of the vol
mic Islands of the Pacific. In Its rich
0leahlc soil on the slopes of its peaks,
10 IN the hOt-house-llke air Of some
hsdeep valleys, almost every known
pc OF plant can be grown. The island
oecome n great botanical garden.
" oniy necessary to climb its slopes
pass from the growth of the semi
Vpcs 10 that OF the temperate zone.
eunias and apples, tree-ferns and
H' oranges and pears flourish with
aohes throw OF one another.
vV'e 'hree thousand feet where most
me cultivation stops the crests Of
nills and mountains are covered
.n 'aurel and pine. Once Madeira
sp~'ed dense forests of large trees.
lact which won 1t its name. meaning
"o'a' But the early settlers fired
i0res's to clear the land and the
", growth was for the most part
'maller trees and shrubs.
scenery Is Magnificent.
,s. ,ne scenery of Madeira is on mag
.ei' ,~ scale out of proportion to the
lny'mlle island.
~. roge rises to more than 5000
r anu one valley especially, Curral
a., 'e'ras' has the luxuriance and
n n ,a, more to be expected of the trop-
IN, ',a,'us m, OF the East. Steep rugged
a,,. iA a the greater part of the
aid on the low ground about
n, |tasional wa bays and widened can
NM, ''' open to the sea huddle tiny
l,USs ,UsslDly Madeira and the few small
bovn W n'eh make up the group were
u n.y.. 'he Phoeniclans and later TO
kcofd. 'O's and the Genoese but all
Ane l.r VI their existence-unless
n hv enos H be considered-had been
kp,u., N. 'ne beginning of the FIfteenth
|brnsn..inh IN l4ls or 1910 storms drove
bd tbev mariners to the islands
ke pnms. were therefore the first of
discoyerreu%s rus 81 small Atlantic Islands to
epoush 'eu y or rediscovered. Strange
X the ro, =. was little Porto Santo.
|as tonns relatively large Madeira. that
i lslet I' 49, a colony was founded on
None s stas ana remained many months
ks dlscorlra only % miles away,
Ese Ess''s ,,t the nearby Canary Islands
aed oo native Guanches had at
kdelras transferable snsDN civilization. the
hablteS apparently had never been
aa The .ofe Is,s their discovery in
er almos, islands aI were. in fact, given
Pnmals n, solely to vegetation. No
(cept a fe,. ~. quadrupeds were found
e only o,hoa +" oats and species Of rat.
otner liyino ~..-A