Steamboat Agents. Blandy Bros. & Co. (see above) for the Union Castle, Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., Booth, Hamburg-American, and Woermann Lines, the Empreza Nacional de Navegação and the Empreza Insulana de Navegação; Leça, Gomes, & Co. for Yeowards Bros. Line; Gonçalves & Co., Rua do Conselheiro Silvestre Ribeira 2, for the Hamburg & South American Line; J. de Freitas Martins, Rua da Alfándega 52, for the North German Lloyd.—For the coasting service (Serviço costeiro) and pleasure-trips (Viagens de Recreio), see newspapers.
Churches. English (Pl. 4; B, 1), Rua da Bella Vista (Rev. C. Jones Bateman, M. A.), services on Sun. at 8 and 11 a.m., and 5.30 p.m.; Presbyterian (Pl. 15; C, 2), Rua do Conselheiro; American (Pl. 8; C, 2), same street, lower down.
Club. English Rooms, in the Rua da Praia, overlooking the sea, with library and billiard-rooms. Adm. on introduction.
One Day. Visit to the Monte (p. [24]) in the forenoon; drive to Camara de Lobos (p. [25]) in the afternoon.
Funchal (‘place of fennel’; pop. 25,800), situated in 32° 38′ N. lat. and 16° 55′ W. long., the capital of Madeira and the seat of the Portuguese governor and a bishop, is remarkable for the luxuriant subtropical verdure of its public grounds and private gardens.
On the Praça da Rainha (Pl. C, 2), the sea-promenade, where we have a view of the Desertas (p. [20]), rise the Palacio de São Lourenço (Pl. 10; the governor’s residence), several Club Houses, and a signalling tower called the Pilar de Benger (Pl. 11; ‘Benger’s Folly’). The Varadoures Gate (Pl. 12; D, 2), to the E. of the custom-house, is the sole survival of a town-wall built by the Spaniards early in the 17th cent.; adjacent is the Fruit and Fish Market (Mercado; Pl. D, 2).
Opposite the pier (Caes; Pl. C, 2) the Entrada da Cidade, an avenue of planes, leads to the Praça da Constituição (Pl. 13; C, 2), adorned with pleasure-grounds, in the centre of the town.
Adjacent on the W. is the *Jardim Municipal (public park; Pl. C, 2; evening concerts twice weekly, otherwise closed in the evening), with its exuberant wealth of vegetation and flowers. On the S. side is the Theatre (p. [22]).—To the E., in the Largo da Sé, rises the insignificant Cathedral (Sé; Pl. C, 2), with a fine ceiling of Spanish juniper (Portuguese cedro).
On the E. side of the park runs the Rua de São Francisco, leading to the long Rua do Conselheiro Vieira (Pl. B, C, 1, 2), or Rua da Carreira the busiest street, at the N.W. end of which (on the left) is the entrance to the Protestant Cemetery (Cemiterio Britanico; Pl. 3, B 2).
From the N. side of the Rua do Conselheiro Vieira we ascend past the church of São Pedro (Pl. C, 1) and through the steep Calçada de Santa Clara to the convent-church of Santa Clara (Pl. B, C, 1), where Zarco, the discoverer of Madeira, is buried.—Farther to the N. is the Calçada do Pico, whence the Rua do Castello to the left leads to the old Spanish Pico Fort (Forte de São João do Pico; Pl. B, 1), dating from 1632, famed for its *View.