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mit of Pico Grande is 5391 feet above the sea, and somewhat resembles a ruined castle. To the south of Pico Ruivo is a ridge of peaks of nearly equal elevation with it; and amongst them, distant about half a mile from Ruivo, are the remarkable castellated peaks of the Torrinhas, 5980 feet in height. Three-quarters of a mile south of them, is Pico Sidrao, and half a mile further, to the S.E., is Pico Arriero, 5893 feet high. The northern portion of the Curral lies in the semi-amphitheatre formed by these mountains, which have their summits upon its very margin. Three-quarters of a mile S.S.W. of Sidrao Peak, is the Peak of San Antonio, 5076 feet high. Arriero and San Antonio are both smooth, round-topped, mountains, covered with grass, and sloping gradually to the southward, but rather abruptly into the Curral. There is very elevated land for about two miles, south of San Antonio, to the edge of the heights which overlook the bay and city of Funchal.

The ridge of elevated land on the west side of the Curral commences at Camera de Lobos, and runs nearly north, with a very irregular outline, to Pico Grande.

The first considerable peak upon this ridge is Bodes, 3726 feet in height, and about three miles north of Camera de Lobos. At the foot of this peak the vast ravine becomes much contracted, and there is a comparatively narrow gorge, through which the Soccoridos river, after winding along the bottom of the Curral, flows out towards the sea.

On the western side of this ridge, is the valley and Ribeira of the Jardin da Serra; and at the head of the valley, 33 miles from the outlet of the Ribeira, is a sharp narrow ridge which overlooks the eastern parts of the Serra d'Agoa valley. The heights, which form the northern limit of the mountain range, terminated by Cape Girao, lie one-third of a mile west of this, and are called Terra de Fera. They are 4614 feet in height, with a long and broken slope towards the coast; but on the north they descend with much abruptness into the ravine beneath.

Nearly a mile north of Pico Grande, a sharp mountain ridge (the Encomiado) runs across 34 miles west, to the margin of Paul da Serra, and divides the valley of Serra d'Agoa from the valley of San Vicente. The ridge is a complete Serra, and both it and the valleys are thickly wooded.

The Paul da Serra is an elevated and comparatively tabled land about three miles in extent from east to west, by two perhaps in greatest breadth. The mountain on its north-eastern margin, the most elevated part, is 5210 feet in height. Pico D'Oursa on the S. W. margin is 4611 feet. The N.E. mountains overlook the valley of San Vicente which is thickly wooded, and dotted here and there with white washed houses, and also the great Lonibas beyond it covered with dark forests.

The descent from the Paul on the east, and on the north, is very precipitous: on the south it has a mere gradual slope to the coast. Near the centre of this dreary uninhabited region there is a house built by a British merchant for the accommodation of travellers, which it is to be

regretted is rapidly falling to decay. The southern and eastern part of the Paul are barren looking lands covered with a scanty vegetation.

The north and north-west parts are particularly beautiful with bright green swelling slopes tufted with dark clumps of trees. At the western extreme of the Paul, at the foot of Pico D'Oursa, and of three or four small hills to the north of Oursa, the waters of the Great Ribeira of Sanella take their rise. The deep valley, through which it runs to the sea, is nearly 7 miles in length, and thickly wooded. On the southwest side of it is a narrow ridge of mountains extending from Pico D'Oursa quite round to the heights above Porto Moniz.

The highest parts of this range are situated four miles beyond Pico D'Oursa, nearly midway between it and Porto Moniz; and are crowned by several rocky knolls, the most elevated of which is 4271 feet above the sea. They have a steep descent to the coast on the south-west and north-west, looking down on the lands in those directions; and commanding to the eastward a more extended view, embracing the Paul da Serra, the ravine of the Janella, and the lines of sloping hills beyond.

A large portion of this ridge, is rock scantily covered with coarse grass and various shrubs; but some of the hills are green and wooded, especially those from the parallel of Ponto Pargo to Moniz, which are com posed of bright red earth covered with grass, and studded with fine old bay trees, the remnants of the original forest.

The land on the opposite or eastern side of the Janella, are of much less elevation, and have a gradual slope to the top of the precipitous heights which characterize the north coasts of the island.

On the eastern side of the valley of San Vincente there is an immense Lamba, covered with forest, reaching the whole way from the junction of the Encomiado, and Lomba Grande ridges, (north of Pico Grande) to the high bold cliffs upon the sea coast, near the outlet of the Ribeira, a distance of 4 miles. Another great wooded Lomba runs north from Canario Peak near Ruivo to the Arco de San George, which is a sharp pointed mountain near the sea, with a peculiar little tuft of trees upon its summit. On the western side of this Lomba is the deep Ribeira of Boa Ventura. To the north of Canario and Ruivo, the lands have a gradual slope from the top of the mountains towards the coast about San Jorge, Santa Anna, and Fayal.

Between Ruivo the Torrinhas and Arriero Peaks there are several large and deep ravines, which have their outlets about Fayal. From Arriero, a chain of mountains runs for about 3 miles E.b.S., to the Obobras Peak, at the head of the valley of Machico; and thence it divides into two ridges, the one running north-east to the woody peak above Point Antonio, and from thence, onward to Point Lourenço; the other running nearly east to Antonio and Ponta Queimada; enclosing between them the whole valley of Machico.

The lands to the north of the Arriero and Abobras Peaks, and as far as Point Antonio are drained by the Ribeiras of Fayal and Ponta da Cruz, and slope all the way to those places, excepting where they are

interrupted by the great mountain of the Penha D'Aguia, situated on

the coast between them.

Several other ridges radiate from the Abobras Peak to the south-east, and all the land along the eastern coast slopes to the sea, and is broken by numerous ravines and Ribeiras, the principal of which are Machico, Santa Cruz, and Porto Novo.

Another ridge of high land runs from the Peak of Poizo in the interior to the Peaks of Infante and Silva, and from this latter it slopes to the coast, spreading out into numerous minor ridges which extend all over the country, comprised between the Ribeiras of Porto Novo and Gonzalvo Ayres.

On the eastern side, it has a precipitous descent to the Ribeira of Porto Novo, near the margin of which, at a great elevation, and 2 miles from its outlet, is the village of Camarcha. Another village, Caniço, stands on the rising ground above Ponta Oliveira, about a mile inland.

At Cabo Garajao, and above the cliffs, immediately to the west of it, the ridges terminate abruptly, at a considerable height. Near their western margin, almost on the meridian of Pico da Silva, and about one mile and a quarter from the coast, is the beautiful estate of the Palheiro, (the property of the desendants of Gonzalves Zarco,) on which are some extensive plantations of pines and other trees; and beyond this, on the west, is the valley of Funchal, extending to the base of Pico da Cruz.

The city of Funchal spreads along the shore of the bay, from the Fort of Santiago in the east, to the River San Paulo on the west, about seventenths of a mile. The densely peopled parts of it do not extend back, perhaps, more than a quarter of a mile; but the extent of suburbs is not easily defined, as there are buildings and quintas scattered over the numerous ridges behind the city to very irregular distances. It is said to contain 20,000 inhabitants.

The view of Funchal, from the anchorage, is extremely beautiful. The most conspicuous objects on the west side of the bay are the Peak of Ponta da Cruz, the Pontinha, the Loo Rock near it, and the old fortress of the Pico, on a rocky eminence, half a mile north of them. To the eastward of these, the Castle of Lourenço, the official residence of the governor situated near the beach, and the outlet of San Paulo river; the square towers of the ex-Jesuit's college, and the cathedral, the latter having a small triangular spire; Bangor's pillar, on the beach, near the custom-house; and on the extreme east the castle of Santiago, and the quintas upon the sloping land behind it.

A multitude of buildings, religious and domestic, with numerous mirantes, or high square turrets, all dazzling white, and covered with red tiles, fill up the intervening spaces; and reach far back up the rising grounds beyond the city, in the midst of gardens and vineyards.

One of the most striking objects approaching Funchal, is the church of Nossa Senhora da Monte, standing out conspicuously on one of the mountain ridges, which descends from the Peak of Arrebentao, (3844

feet high,) towards the city. It is 1965 feet above the sea, and distant from it about one mile and eight-tenths.

Nothing can well exceed the beauty of the gardens aud quintas of Madeira, abounding as they do in trees, shrubs, and flowers, and so many varieties of delicious fruits and vegetables common to the tropics and to Europe. The markets of Funchal are, in consequence, well supplied with these good things, and all necessary refreshments; and there is an ample supply of excellent water. It should be added, that a depôt of coal, for steam vessels, has been established here, and that it is situated near the beach, a short distance from the custom-house.*

No part of Madeira affords a sheltered harbour; and the word 'Porto,' which is attached to several places on the chart, must be taken as the designation given by the islanders to those little coves, or landing-places, where they haul up their fishing-boats, and those of larger construction, employed in the transport of their wines to Funchal, or on other coasting business of the island.

It may be stated generally, that the south coast has a gradual slope from the mountains in the interior to the sea; and that the north and west coasts, on the contrary, are, with few exceptions, high and bold, and descend precipitously.

The cultivation of the island, on its south side, seldom extends more than from 2 to 2 miles inland; and, on its north side, not half that distance; and it may be asserted generally, that no cultivation is at present attempted at elevations exceeding 3000 feet. The whole of the mountains above that height, and which constitute so large a portion of the island, are left wild and uninhabited.

The defences of Funchal on the sea-board are-first, a battery at the outlet of the Ribeira of Gonsalvo Ayres, named Loires; second, the Fort of Santiago, at the eastern end of the city; third, Forte Novo, about 750 yards to the west of Santiago; fourth, a battery, called Pelhorinho, at the outlet of the Ribeiras of Isao Gomez and Santa Luzia; fifth, another battery at the custom-house; sixth the castle of San Lourenço; seventh, a battery at the outlet of San Paul Ribeira, called Das Fontes; eight, a battery at St. Lazarus; ninth, the battery on the Loo Rock, or Ilheo, as it is most usually called by the Portuguese; tenth, the little fort of San Jose at the outer end of the Pontinha; eleventh, a battery at Penha da França in the little bay, west of the Pontinha; and, lastly the citadel of Pico on a rocky hill half a mile north of the Loo Rock.

An account of this will be found in our volume for 1845, p. 600, with the planof the best anchorage for coaling from, communicated by Capt. Hope, of H.M.S. Firebrand.—ED.

NO. 6.-VOL. XVII,

2 P

H.M. S. ALECTO AGROUND IN THE PARANA.-By Commander J. L. McKinnon, RN.

THE following circumstances attending the grounding of H.M.S. Alecto, in the river Parana, serve to illustrate the enormous quantity of matter held in solution, by the turgid waters of that river, and afford a proof of the sudden manner in which banks, and islands are formed in it. Had not the Alecto been extracted from her perilous position, when her rescue took place, her detention for at least eight months was certain. It hardly admits of a doubt that, if this delay had taken place; the vessels hull would have formed the nucleus of an island. The following year therefore, (in all human probability) when the waters again arose, the channel would have been completely altered, and the poor Alecto remained embedded in a sandy prison. Nature's revenge for the audacious invasion of steam! But to our subject.

The Alecto, with one engine disabled, had been for several days struggling up the Parana, towards the Town of Gaya. At noon we came in sight of the Conroys mast-heads lying there, and began to congratulate ourselves on speedily arriving at the anchorage, after our difficult and tedious navigation. At two o'clock when within four miles of our destination, and all hands anticipating a speedy arrival, an ominous grate or grind, (never to be mistaken or forgotten by a sailor) excited general attention on board. The engine was immediately stopped, and an attempt made to reverse it: but alas! the ship had lost her way, the current was too powerful; nature took art at a disadvantage, and the vessel hung amidships. The Alecto was worse than powerless, her engines nought, but dead weight. The exasperated current, wroth at the triumph of steam hitherto, now laid an enormous pressure on the starboard bow, and drove it round with great force, broadside on to a sand-bank, six inches of water at the least, less than Alecto drew. immediately commenced bumping violently, and heeled over several degrees.

She

As, at first sight, the circumstauce appeared to be similar to a previous mishap, we attempted to extricate her in the same manner, by laying out a cable to a tree astern, on the banks of the river. On this (stream cable) a very heavy strain was hove without success; but, on multiplying the power with deck tackles, the cable parted in the nip, pulling down by the jerk, at same moment, the tree to which it was attached. This disaster put a stop to any more work for the night; and as the men were quite worn out, from the constant work since daylight, under a nearly vertical sun, they were all sent below for rest and refreshment.

On the following morning, a kedge was laid out to windward, to enable us to warp out our large boat, containing a bower anchor. Whilst we were performing this operation, the depth of water was carefully watched, and, to our surprise and annoyance, we found, that it had decreased under the lee, from eleven to seven feet. It became, therefore, manifest, that the current was forming a bank under shelter of the vessel's

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