The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

CLIMATE OF :MADEIEA. 47
da Sen-a, or " Mountain llorass," whose depressions, here and there filled with
peat, have somewhat the aspect of the English moors. East of this district the
main range is dominated by the Pic Euivo, or Eed Peak, 5,870 feet, culminating
point of the whole island, which overlooks the Carral das Freiras, a vast cirque
enclosed on three sides by steep walls over 1,600 feet high. Here, perhaps, was
the old central crater, now enlarged and partly effaced by the erosion of running
waters. A dismantled lava wall connects the Eiuvo heights to a very irregular
plateau dominating on the north the Bay of Funchal. Beyond this plateau,
which still exceeds 3,000 feet, the central range falls rapidly, and the island tapers
to the eastern peninsula, which, with its terminal islets, presents the best
anchorage for shipping. The little haven of Machico, at the neck of this penin-
sula, is the spot where the legend places the grave of the two English lovers,
said to have been the first that landed on the island, driven to its shores by a
tempest.
The rugged easternmost headland of Sam-Louren^o is continued seawards by the
islet of Fora and by a submarine bank, which is extended eastwards and south-
wards in depths of from 280 to 500 feet. Still farther to the south-east this bank
rises to the surface, forming some reefs and the chain of the three Desertas, or
"Desert " islets, which long deserved their name, but which are now inhabited by
a few hundred fishermen and shepherds. In the valleys of the largest (Grande
Deserta) some com is also cultivated.
Porto-Santo, lying 90 miles to the north-east of iladeira, and separated from
it by an abyss 1,200 fathoms deep, differs also in its relief. It is far less hilly,
consisting of two volcanic masses with an intervening sandy plain, where are
situated the chief centres of population.
Climate.
Lying between 32° and 33" X. latitude—that is, about one-third of the distance
between the equator and the Arctic pole—ITadeira is renowned for its mild and
delightful climate. TThen we speak of any pleasant spot or happy island, Madeira
at once recurs to the memory. Although meteorological observations have been
taken almost exclusively in the specially favoured district of Funchal, situated on
the south coast and well sheltered from the north, the whole archipelago may be
said to enjoy a remarkably equable climate. The mean temperature of Fimchal is
naturally somewhat higher than that of Ponta-Delgada and Fayal in the Azores,
which lie five degrees farther north, but the annual extremes are considerably less,
the heat being greater in winter and less sultry in summer. Between February,
the coldest, and August, the hottest month, the difference is less than 12° F., the
mean for winter being 60^ F., for summer 69° F., and for the whole year 64° F.
This remarkable uniformity is due not only to the marine situation of Madeira,
but also to the annual equilibrium of the winds. During the hot season, that is,
from February to September, the cool north-east trade winds prevail, these beiag
succeeded in winter by the soft western breezes. At the same time the deviations