Ribeiro des Soccoridos (river of the rescued) was the name given to a place where two of the party lost their footing whilst attempting to cross a river, and would have been swept into the sea if their companions had not come to their rescue. Praya Formoso was aptly named “beautiful shore.” The extent of their wanderings on this occasion seems to have led them to the great cliff which towers some 2,000 feet above the sea, so they named the cape Cabo Girao. Having been startled by seeing some seals leaping out of caves in a bay before they approached the great cliff, they named the spot Camara do Lobos, or Wolves’ Lair, which is the site of the picturesque village which was afterwards built in the sheltered situation.
From this time the history of the island is no longer wrapt in mythical legends, and it seems certain that in the following year (1419) Zargo and one Tristao Teixeira were permitted to return. They divided the island into two comarcas, each taking command of one: Zargo became the Capitao, and Teizeira the Donatorio, and they portioned out the land among their followers. Zargo founded the town of Funchal, and the two Captains had complete jurisdiction granted to them by the Crown, though they had to appeal to their monarch in cases of life and death. Zargo lived to enjoy his command for forty-seven years, and his tomb is still to be seen in the church of the Convent of Sta. Clara, which was founded by his granddaughter, Donna Constanca de Norouka, in 1492. Fructuoso gives an account of some of the first inhabitants of the island, and tells us that the first children who were born in the island were the son and daughter of Gonzalo Ayres Fereira, one of Zargo’s companions, and they were christened Adam and Eve. Adam, the first man, founded the Church of Nossa Senhora at the Mount.
The wife of Christopher Columbus being the daughter of Perestrello, the Governor of the neighbouring island of Porto Santo, possibly led to Christopher Columbus visiting Madeira. The house which he was said to have occupied during these visits, the property of Jean d’Esmenault, was ruthlessly destroyed in the year 1877 to make room for new shops. The American Consul of that date, evidently sharing the love of the rest of his country-people for souvenirs, carried away to America many of the architectural treasures of the house, such as the carved window-frames and ornamental stonework. Thus Funchal lost one of her most interesting relics of the past.
In the year 1566 Funchal suffered at the hands of a French naval expedition which had been fitted out by Peyrot de Montluc, son of the Marshal, for the purposes of exploring unknown lands and seas, according to the spirit of adventure which was the fashion of that age. Meeting with storms, which probably diminished the number of his crew, Montluc put into Madeira, with the intention, it is said, of recruiting his force; but being eyed with suspicion, as belonging to the navy of a foreign country, he professed to have been insulted, and attacked the town. The city appears to have been feebly defended, although Montluc must have met with some resistance, as over 200 of the inhabitants lost their lives. Very little is known as to the strength of the invading force, but it is certain that great damage was done to the town by the Huguenot invaders, as they were, of course, described by the Catholics. The churches seem to have suffered severely, as the plunderers no doubt expected to find treasure in their vaults. Having thoroughly ransacked the town and terrified the inhabitants, who mostly fled to the country, the expedition departed before assistance came from Lisbon, but not before the leader Montluc had been mortally wounded. In 1580 the island, being a Portuguese possession, fell with its mother-country under the rule of Spain—a state of affairs which lasted some eighty years. Madeira seems to have been little affected by the Spanish yoke, the most important alteration in its government being the abolition of the office of Captains and the appointment of a Governor of the island—an office which the Portuguese confirmed when it again came under their sole power, and is continued to this day.
The eighteenth century appears to have been a more peaceful epoch in the history of the island, though it is recorded that Captain Cook, when starting on his voyage round the world in the Endeavour, bombarded the fort on the Loo Rock as a protest against an affront which he said had been offered to the British flag.
During the seventeenth century many English families settled in Madeira, as, in consequence of the marriage of Charles II. with Catharine of Braganza, British residents were afforded special favours and privileges, which enabled them to develop the wine trade. Dr. Azevado says that a document exists in the municipal archives of Funchal showing that during the negotiations for the royal marriage, there being some delay in the final decision of King Charles, the Queen Regent of Portugal was willing to cede the island of Madeira as part of her daughter’s dowry. Other more important possessions having been ceded, Madeira remained a Portuguese colony, and only came under the protection of the English when, in 1801, in order to protect their allies from the aggressions of the French, the island was garrisoned by English troops. The Peace of Amiens saw the withdrawal of the British forces; but when war broke out between England and France, in 1807, Madeira again came under British protection, when Admiral Hood occupied the island with a force of 4,000 men. Mr. Yate Johnson, in his “Handbook on Madeira,” tells us how he himself had seen the original signatures of the principal inhabitants taken on this occasion, by which they individually swore “to bear true allegiance and fealty to His Majesty King George III. and to his heirs and successors, as the island should be held by his said Majesty or his heirs, in conformity to the terms of the capitulation made and signed on the 26th December, 1807, whereby the island and dependencies were delivered over to his said Majesty.” The island, though garrisoned by the English until the restoration of general peace in 1814, was restored to her rightful owners four months after the above oath of allegiance was signed.
The year 1826 was a troublous time for Madeira, as the island did not escape the civil war which raged in Portugal in consequence of the Miguelite insurrection. Property was confiscated, the owners being thankful if they escaped with their lives; and even after the country had resumed the monarchy, it took some years before the island returned to its former tranquillity and prosperity.
THE END
BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD