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whom his book is dedicated, Fellow of the Royal SOCIETIES OF London and OF Edinburgh; but this is furely improper; for it indicates, that Berkeley and Bofcovich had each more than one fyflem, and that there are more than one royal fociety both in London and in Edinburgh. It fhould have been, we think, the SYSTEMS of Berkeley and Bofcovich; or the SYSTEM OF Berkeley and OF Bofcovich; and M. Prevoft fhould have been called Fellow of the royal focieties of London and Edinburgh, without the interpofition of the second or. Elsewhere he speaks of certain conclufions, which are equally compatible with the metaphyfical CREEDS OF the inaterialift and of the Berkeleyan. This fhould furely have been-" equally compatible with the metaphyfical CREED OF the materialift and of the Berkeleyan" or rather-" which are compatible with the metaphyfical creed as well of the materialift, as of the Berke Jeyan." Thele however are very trifling improprieties.

[To be concluded in cnother Number ]

ART. II. Obfervations on the Natural Hiftory, Climate, and Deafes of Madeira, during a Period of Eighteen Years. By William Gouray, M. D. Fellow of the Royal College of Phyficians, Edinburgh; and Phyfician to the British Factory at Madeira. 8vo. Pp. 158. 6s. Callow. 1811. WE have long been familiar with the name of Madeira,

but although we can atteft the excellence of its wine, and have heard the falubrity of its climate often celebrated, we know little of its actual flate; we have therefore great pleasure in introducing D. Gourlay's work to our readers. He has refided on the island twenty-five years, and enjoyed the advantages of extensive medical practice.

The first part of the volume treats of the natural hiflory of the island. The account given of its firft difcovery by an English nobleman of the name of Machim *, in the reign of Edward the Third, is fomewhat romantic; he derives his information from Cordeyro, and ftates, that he is confirmed in it by the unanimous teftimony of other authors. Puffen. dorff, however, mentions that the ifland was difcovered by the Portuguese in 1420. Moreri alfo dates it in the fame year, and Raynal, ftill by the Portuguese in 1420. Moreri alfo dates it in the fame year, and Raynal, fill by the Portuguese,

Or Machin. Mr. Bowles has made poetical use of it. See his Spirit of Discovery, Book 4, and the note,

in 1418, in proof alfo of the uncertainty of the accounts, we obferve, that all these writers give the honour of discovering the ifland to different perfons.

"Madeira is fituated in 32 degrees, 37 minutes, 30 feconds, north latitude, and in 17 deg. 5 min. longitude, weft of Greenwich, about 80 leagues N. by E. from Teneriffe, 120 leagues from Cape Cantin, on the coast of Africa, nearly 100 leagues from the Ifle of Terno, and about 17 leagues S. W. from Porto Santo. It is about 120 miles in circumference, its greatest length from E. to W. being 45 miles, its greatest breadth from S. to N. 15 miles, and its leaft breadth 8 miles.

"It is formed of lofty mountains, of hills, and fruitful vallies, and in figure makes an oblong irregular qundrangle. Its capital is Funchal, which is fituated on the fouth fide of the ifland, at the bottom of a fpacious valley, open to the fea, and furrounded by lofty mountains, having all the appearance of an amphitheatre, gradually afcending to a great height. Its mountains and hills generally rife with a flow afcent, the highest points of land being about 8250 feet, or one mile and a half, above the level of the fea. The fituation of Madeira, in fome places, prefents a most picturefque and enchanting appearance, while in others, huge perpendicular rocks, lofty precipices, prominent ridges, deep excavations and chafms, innumerable cafcades, liberally fupplied with rivulets, beautiful vallies, deep gullies and ravines, containing immenfe torrents of water, afford a highly varied, fublime, and no lefs alarming picture of nature." P. 5.

Many parts of the island afford proofs of its having been fubjected to the action of fubterraneous fires and volcanic eruptions. "There exift evident marks of two craters, and in all parts of the ifland the ftone has completely the appearance of lava: ftrata of pumice, and fcoria perfectly vitrified, every whe e abound." Some alteration appears to have taken place in the foil of Madeira; Dr. Gourlay defcribes it as having once been extremely fertile, yielding in luxuriance every production of nature, and turnifhing for four hundred years, with the afliftance of little or no manure, a constant fucceffion of crops; whereas, many fituations which formerly produced fome of the finelt wines in the land, now prefent nothing but bare rocks, or fmali hillocks of earth.

"The most common foil is pumice stone, of the confiftence of foft rock, mixed with a proportion of clay, fand, and marle, and alfo a dark red earth, confifting of the three latter ingredients, only without the pumice. Several of the smaller hills confit of a black or grey fand, a great proportion of which is lava, or fcoriated matter. Thefe varieties of foil are all proper for the

004

vine;

vine; but being very poor, they require the frequent affiftance of manure; for otherwife the plants foon decay, or produce scanty crops."

The rocks of the island confift, in general, of a blue stone, called by the natives pedra viva, fomething like our whin ftone; but, in reality, lava-there are feveral varieties of this ftone. It is often found having the appearance of bafaltes; and, at other times, as at Mexico, a village ten miles from Funchal, in the form of glass imbedded in loo e earth. There are two kinds of free flone in common ufe, the one hard, the other foft; and in fome parts of the ifland a fort of lime ftone or gypfum is found.

With proper cultivation, the ifland might be rendered extremely fertile; European, as well as tropical, fruits grow there. in perfection; and a variety of indigenous plants are found. Groves of trees, chiefly cedar, formerly extended to the fea fhore, but thefe are now feldom obferved, except in the interior parts of the country. The pine, the chefnut tree, the poplar, the wild olive, the laurel, and the orange tree, alfo thrive in this island; also the naffo wood, or lignum klodium, which is much used for domeftic purposes, and equals mahogany in beauty. "This ifland alfo boafts of being the firft fituation in the western worl, where the arundo faccherifera, or fugar cane, was cultivated. The fugar of Madeira is uncommonly fine, and poffeffes a peculiar violet fmell." The growth of the vine, however, has now fuperfeded that of the fugar cane. A very great variety of grapes is produced in Madeira. The vintage begins early in September: our author gives a pretty full account of the procefs of making the wine, the average quantity of which is from 25 to 30,000 pipes; only half of this is exported, the remainder being confumed on the island.

Befides the trees which grow on the higher lands, the mountains are covered with feveral varieties of brush wood; of thefe the principal is the heath, which reaches a great fize; the broom; a kind of beech called faya; and a fpecies of bilberry, vaccinium. The ftrawberry grows wild in great plenty, and the myrtle abounds.

Various herbs and roots, culinary and medicinal, are eafily cultivated; and many plants grow fpontaneously; among thefe is the palm tree, which grows to a great height, flowers and bears fruit in abundance, though it never attains perfection, nor do the feeds, when planted, vegetate; from which the author concludes, that the plant is a female," and that there is no male one in the iflaud by which it might be fecundated." "Of

"Of the ftone fruits, there are the cherries, plumbs, peach, nectarine and apricot.-Of the apple tribe, the common apple, pear, medlar, quince, pine apple, orange, lemon, lime, bergamot, pomegranate, guava, and banana. Of the fmall feeded fruits, the trawberry, red and white currant, goofeberry, bilberry, mulberry and grapes, are the principal ones. Of the farinaceous fruits, the cucumber, melon and pompion, are the chief; the laft is much used as an article of diet." P. 23.

Madeira affords abundance of cattle, but the flesh is rather inferior to that in England. Poultry and mall birds are plentiful; and the market is well fupplied with various kinds of fish. We with that Dr. Gourlay had paid more attention to the natural hiftory of this ifland, being convinced, that he might have furnished much interefting intelligence.

His account of the inhabitants, is on the whole pleafing.

"The natives of Madeira, particularly the peafantry, are diftinguished by an olive or tawney colour of fkin, and a fwarthy complexion; nor is it improbable that they are of Mulatto or Moorish origin. Indeed only a few of the first families, at all refemble in complexion the fair inhabitants of northern Europe, and thefe are unequivocally of Portuguese extraction. The people of Madeira are, in general, athletic, well made, active, and of a middle ftature. Thofe of the lower clafs, or the country people, are fober, inoffenfive, economical, and capable of enduring much hard labour; in the profecution of which they are often reduced to great emaciation of body, and debility of conftitution, and thus a premature old age is brought on. The higher claffes, on the contrary, are inclined to corpulence, and at the fame time more. difpofed to indolence, attended with a morofenefs of temper, and difpofition to melancholy though fober in refpect to drinking, they are apt too often to indulge in eating to excefs; from this circumftance, joined to the fedentary life they lead, they become fubject to a variety of chronic diforders, and alfo early arrive at a premature old age; nor is it to be concealed, that of late years the ufe of fpirituous liquors has become common here among all ranks, which has opened a new field for the production of a long train of maladies." P. 27.

The women marry early and are very prolific; there being generally from fix to twelve children in one family, although the mothers often fuckle their infants from two to three years, to prevent their having fuch a numerous progeny. They lead a fedentary life; are very abftemious on faft days and during Lent; the younger branches of the highest families, are confined within convents, where, to poverty of diet, is added the rigorous and dull monotous courfe of

religious

religious exercife, they are unremittingly condemned to perform, fhut up as they thus are from the common air, and the common ufe of their lirabs. From the combined operation of thefe caufes we are not furprized to hear that the females fuffer much in their health, and have foon the appearance and the infirmities of premature old age.

Dr. Gourlay defcribes the temper of the Portuguese inhabitants of Madeira, as impetuous and irafcible; the prac.ice of ftabbing, however, is by no means frequent, and is confined to the lowest claffes; ftrangers are never molested; but fince the arrival of the British troops, leveral of the foldiers have been ftabbed by the natives. We have no doubt that a longer and more intimate acquaintance with British foldiers, will induce the Portuguefe to abandon altogether this unmanly and degrading practice, efpecially when we learn, that

"No nation is poffeffed of more elegant manners, with a greater degree of courteoufnefs, condefcenfion, and contentment, than the Portuguese, although placed under an arbitrary government, and fubject to great oppreffion; to ftrangers, particularly, their kindness and generofity overflow." P. 30.

The fecond part of this publication treats of the climate of Madeira, which has long been extolled for its falubrity. This is attributed in a great degree to the uniformity of the temperature, which prevails there the greateft part of the year; the hottest months being rendered pleasant, by a regular fucceffion of land and fea breezes, that cool and purify the atmosphere.

"During the fummer months the thermometer ranges from 68 to 76, in the courfe of the day, its medium heat in the fhade, being from 73 to 75. In winter it ranges from 57 to 65, its medium in the fhade being from 60 to 64, and during this colder season, it only drops below 57, when the northerly winds prevail on the heights with falls of fnow. It feldom alfo rifes above 65, except when there are easterly winds. During the fuminer it fometimes rifes to 80 and upwards, and during the prevalence of hot winds it stands even fo high as 85.-Indeed, during the Sirocco winds, it has rifen at times to 130 and upwards, when the heat was fufficient in a few feconds to melt wax. The hottest time of the day, during the whole year, is between the hours of one and three, P. M. and the cooleft period, a few hours after midnight. During the day, the whole range of the thermometer will seldom at any feafon exceed two, or at most four degrees, and fre quently, for feveral days together, the fame degree of heat is in dicated," P. 32.

Thefe

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