split behind, and with large horn buttons, (very much such a garment as is called a "Taglioni" in England,) full blue-cloth trowsers, no shoes or stockings, a brown cloth cap, closely fitting the head, with two triangular flaps, turned up with blue, and fixed to the circular cap-belt. The faces of both are more regular than those of the St. Michael's peasants: there is less mouth, the jaw-bones do not project, and the cheek-bones, though rather prominent, are not large, and the face altogether is of smaller proportions. When Corvo came in sight, they cried with joy; never did two men show such unaffected happiness. They seemed to be actually "stung" with the thoughts of home.

The accommodations on board the "Flower of Fayal" are excellent; the cabin is ample and convenient, the cook, (an Italian) though somewhat mundungus, makes soup, and fries steaks, and roasts fowls; the weather has been pleasant all the way, with light breezes and occasional calms, (which, as the mate assures us neither of our masts could stand if it came on to blow, has made the voyage doubly agreeable,) and we have anchored off the little town of Santa Cruz, in Flores, after a voyage of sixty-six hours, on

56

APPEARANCE OF FLORES.

such an exhilarating April morning as would make old hearts fresh again.

Flores, seen from the sea, is a wild, uncultivated looking place. The coast is lofty and bold, beyond that of any of the other islands. From the roadstead we can see neither beach, nor sands, nor inlet, nor landing-place of any kind. The town of Santa Cruz (Holyrood) stands on a flat tongue of land, backed by lofty hills, and the white church and a few white houses are to be seen from the vessel. But how we are to get at them seems inconceivable. Reefs of black lava, and steep walls of the same, lofty green precipices, well clothed with shrubs, with here and there a few white houses peeping out from them on the heights, and waterfalls streaming over their edges in a bright thread, and mingling with the surf beneath,-grey rocks, banks of dark brown earth, and walls of red cinders, seem to fence the island impenetrably from the sea.

At last a boat shot out from the reefs, made towards us, and soon after our anchor was down came alongside. It proved to be the health boat, and, besides a crew of eight or ten men, contained the British consul, Dr. James Mackay,

STARTING FOR CORVO.

57

and a Portuguese who spoke English. The weather being fine and promising, we have consulted with Dr. Mackay, who advises us to start for Corvo immediately, while, in the meantime, he has very kindly offered to make arrangements for our excursion round Flores.

CHAPTER VI.

O wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is!

THE TEMPEST.

I would have you know, sir errant, that in these little places every thing is talked of, and every thing censured. And my life for yours, that priest must be over-and-above good who obliges his parishioners to speak well of him.

DON QUIXOTE, book ii. chap. 4.

Island of Corvo.

Meeting of the Corvo men with their wives. -Father Lopes. - Hospitality.-Houses of the Corvo men. — Beautiful girl.— General beauty of the women. — Visit to the Caldeira.- Crossing to Flores. -Boatmen.

APRIL 23, TUESDAY.-At an early hour we left the "Flower of Fayal" for the Island of Corvo, without landing at Santa Cruz. Our boat was a large, rough, unpainted wherry, with a single sail. Our boat's crew consisted of seven men,

CROSSING TO CORVO.

59

besides the two Corvoites, whom we took with us, and who worked their passage over. We sailed and rowed, the boatmen occasionally resting on their oars, and employing their time in rolling up paper cigars, which they puffed and handed round from mouth to mouth. In the corner of the leg of mutton sail was "W. Hart, Maker, London,"-three plain words that spoke more plainly of the cause of the wealth of England than the best pointed period man's wit could have devised.

Five hours' pulling and sailing brought us to Corvo. It is a high mountain, about twenty miles round, rising abruptly from the ocean, with a rough inhospitable coast of dark serrated rocks, running in reefs from the coast, and rising high out of the water in one place, or blackening the surface in another, or sunk so deep that the waves only eddy and bubble over them. On the southern side a little village is built. It has a church, and this, with two white houses near it, are the only habitations to be seen from the sea, to mark the spot where the village stands. The land bordering the village was divided into fields by grey stone walls, between which between which plots of beans, green corn, tender flax, and streaks of