The number of inhabitants in this island is supposed to be about 80,000, and the custom-house duties produce a revenue to the King of Portugal of 20,000 pounds a-year, clear of all expenses, which might easily be doubled by the product of the island, exclusive of the vines, if advantage was taken of the excellence of the climate, and the amazing fertility of the soil; but this object is utterly neglected by the Portuguese. In the trade of the inhabitants of Madeira with Lisbon the balance is against them, so that all the Portuguese money naturally going thither, the currency of the island is Spanish; there are, indeed, a few Portuguese pieces of copper, but they are so scarce that we did not see one of them: the Spanish coin is of three denominations; Pistereens, worth about a shilling; Bitts, worth about sixpence; and Half-bitts, three-pence.
The tides at this place flow at the full and change of the moon, north and south; the spring tides rise seven feet perpendicular, and the neap tides four. By Dr. Heberden’s observation, the variation of the compass here is now 15° 30ʹ West, and decreasing; but I have some doubt whether he is not mistaken with respect to its decrease: we found that the North point of the dipping needle belonging to the Royal Society dipped 77° 18ʺ.
The refreshments to be had here are water, wine, fruit of several sorts, onions in plenty, and some sweetmeats; fresh meat and poultry are not to be had without leave from the governor, and the payment of a very high price.
We took in 270 lb. of fresh beef, and a live bullock, charged at 613 lb. 3032 gallons of water, and ten tons of wine; and in the night, between Sunday the 18th and Monday the 19th of September, we set sail in prosecution of our voyage.
When Funchiale bore North, 13 East, at the distance of 76 miles, the variation appeared by several azimuths to be 16° 30ʹ West.
CHAP. II.
THE PASSAGE FROM MADEIRA TO RIO DE JANEIRO, WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE COUNTRY, AND THE INCIDENTS THAT HAPPENED THERE.
On the 21st of September we saw the islands called the Salvages, to the north of the Canaries; when the principal of these bore S. ½ W. at the distance of about five leagues, we found the variation of the compass by an azimuth to be 17° 50ʹ. I make these islands to lie in latitude 30° 11ʹ North, and distant 58 leagues from Funchiale in Madeira, in the direction of S. 16 E.
On Friday the 23d we saw the Peak of Teneriffe bearing W. by S. ½ S. and found the variation of the compass to be from 17° 22ʹ to 16° 30ʹ. The height of this mountain, from which I took a new departure, has been determined by Dr. Heberden, who has been upon it, to be 15,396 feet, which is but 148 yards less than three miles, reckoning the mile at 1760 yards. Its appearance at sunset was very striking; when the sun was below the horizon, and the rest of the island appeared of a deep black, the mountain still reflected his rays, and glowed with a warmth of colour which no painting can express. There is no eruption of visible fire from it, but a heat issues from the chinks near the top, too strong to be borne by the hand when it is held near them. We had received from Dr. Heberden, among other favours, some salt which he collected on the top of the mountain, where it is found in large quantities, and which he supposes to be the true natrum, or nitrum of the ancients: he gave us also some native sulphur exceedingly pure, which he had likewise found upon the surface in great plenty.
On the next day, Saturday the 24th, we came into the north-east trade wind, and on Friday the 30th saw Bona Vista, one of the Cape de Verd islands; we ranged the east side of it, at the distance of three or four miles from the shore, till we were obliged to haul off to avoid a ledge of rocks which stretch out S. W. by W. from the body, or S. E. point of the island, to the extent of a league and a half. Bona Vista, by our observation, lies in latitude 16 N. and longitude 21° 5ʹ West.
On the 1st of October, in latitude 14° 6ʹ N. and longitude 22° 10ʹ W. we found the variation by a very good azimuth to be 10° 37ʹ W. and the next morning it appeared to be 10°. This day we found the ship five miles a head of the log, and the next day seven. On the third, hoisted out the boat to discover whether there was a current, and found one to the eastward, at the rate of three quarters of a mile an hour.