necessarily committing any of the great principles of truth and simplicity, upon which our dissent is distinctively grounded.boobsnolo

The procession set out from the church of the convent of St. Francis, where there was a sermon, delivered by a monk, with very good action; but in that loud, monotonous tone of voice, like a boy repeating his lesson, which I have before observed in Catholic preachers. In its way it passed through the church of Santa Clara, and the nuns from a grating above, sung a hymn, and threw down rose leaves on the images as they passed. Unluckily they sung very ill, or the effect of this part of the performance might have been pretty.

Feb. 11.-We commonly take a ride in the course of the day about the neighbourhood of the city; but there is not much that deserves specific mention in these airings. One is to the Alegria, a charming little cottage, situated on the mountain above St. Roque; another to the Palmeira, one of the finest quintas on the island; and perhaps, after the Palheiro, the most extensive. A pleasant ride is that along the cliffs to the west of the town, as far as Praya Bay. The rocks here afford two or three peculiarities of disposition, which are pointed out as natural curiosities; one is called the Fornou, or oven, and is a circular depression of the

earth near the cliff, at the bottom of which is an opening, to which the sea, though at some distance from the beach, makes its way by a subterraneous inlet. The Forge, as they call it, is another of these accidents; the water is driven through a small perforation in the rock, and when the tide is at a certain point, springs, fountain-like, through the aperture, to a considerable height.

Beyond is Praya Bay, a retired little beach, from the cliffs above which, is a striking view of the entire mass of Cape Giram.

D'AGOA-PICO GRANDE-BOTTOM OF THE CURRAL,

Feb. 13.-Set off early for the Curral. This is the great marvel of Madeira scenery; and that which strangers are first taken to see; it has been matter of accident that we have delayed our visit thither so long; but perhaps it is as well that it has so happened, for I do not know that the good policy is to take the best scenes first. Thus I would recommend every visitor to exhaust the south coast of the island before he touches upon the north. After enjoying this last, it is incredible how comparatively tame the scenes will appear that had previously struck him as the perfection of natural grandeur.

We follow the Cama de Lobos road as far as the Socorridos Ravine, and then turn to the right, passing another, the Ribeira real, along the western side of which we ascend towards the mountains. Beyond, a steep but well-paved road leads to the Estreito church and village,

and not long after brings us to the edge of a deep ravine green, and scattered lightly with vinhaticosit and sochesnuts, with, of course, a torrent shining at the bottom. We keep along the side of the valley, and soon come in sight of a large and somewhat castle-like mansion, situated on the mountains at the head of it, and embosomed in a forest of chesnuts *. This is the Jardim, the quinta of the English consul, and seen from this point of view it certainly has a very imposing aspect. We were lucky enough to find the consul at home. He received us with his accustomed cordiality, and gave us assurance of a dinner and a bed at his house that night.

Fortified with this comfortable perspective we almost immediately resumed our journey; ascending gently towards the north-east, through the green mountain district that lies behind the Jardim. The view in front was obstructed by a high ridge; of which we had nearly gained the highest point, when we left our horses, and running up a few yards of steep turf found ourselves all at once on the brink of the Curral.-It is a huge valley or rather crater; of immense depth-enclosed on all sides by a range of magnificent mountain precipices, the sides and summit of which are broken

*See "Views in the Madeiras."

in every variety of buttress or pinnacle now black and craggy and beetling at other times spread with the richest green turf, and scattered with a profusion of the evergreen forest trees, indigenous to the island; while far below, in the midst of all these horrors, smiles a fairy region of cultivation and fruitfulness, with a church and village, the white cabins of which seem half smothered in the luxuriance of their own vines and orchards.

We gazed long and eagerly at the prospect. It is not easy to give an accurate notion of its peculiar character; and even painting would but ill assist, for one of the most striking features is the great and sudden depth which you look down, the effect of which we know the pencil cannot at all convey. The side on which we stand, however, though steep, is not absolutely precipitous on the contrary, the gradation of crag and projection, by which it descends to the bottom, is one of the finest things in the view. Close on our right a lofty peak, presents its rocky face to the valley to which it bears down in a magnificent mass, shouldering its way, as it seemed, half across it. The opposite sides appear more bare, precipitous, and lofty; and this last character is heightened by some white clouds that rest upon and conceal their summits.

Rejoining the road we for a while lose sight of