Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 3.djvu/67

CLIMATE OF MADEIRA. 47 da Serra, or " Mountain Morass," 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 Ruivo, or Red 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 Ruivo 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-Louren9o 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 corn is also cultivated. Porto-Santo, lying 90 miles to the north-east of Madeira, 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° N. latitude — that is, about one- third of the distance between the equator and the Arctic pole — Madeira is renowned for its mild and delightful climate. When 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 Funchal 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 being succeeded in winter by the soft western breezes. At the same time the deviations