WHAT THE STUDENTS SAW IN THE AZORES.
On the last day of the month, the academy squadron sailed into the
harbor of Funchal, arriving from the Canaries in advance of the
mail-steamer which sailed from Southampton six days before. The vessels
anchored off the Loo Rock; for it was intended by the principal to
remain only long enough to take on board the ship’s company of the
Ville d’Angers, when the mail-steamer came in.
She did not appear till afternoon; and no one went on shore till that
time, not even Don Roderigue, his wife and daughter; for they had been
so hospitably entertained, that they were disposed to prolong their
stay on board of the Marian as long as possible. The family were even
considering an invitation of Judge Rodwood to visit the Western Islands
in the steam-yacht. At two o’clock, when the mail-steamer came into the
harbor, Mr. Fluxion and Mr. Pelham, each in the first cutter of the
vessel under his charge, went to the packet, to receive his portion of
the Ville d’Angers’ ship’s company.
The two vice-principals went on board of the steamer as soon as it
was allowable to do so. Great was their astonishment when the purser
informed them that no such passengers as those they described were on
board of the packet.
“They went to Portsmouth in the steamer Ville d’Angers, towing the
wreck of the Castle William,” added Mr. Fluxion.
“Oh, yes! I know all about them!” exclaimed the purser. “They picked up
the steamer; and she was sold to settle the salvage. The odd gentleman
they called a prince bought her; and the ship’s company which brought
her there sailed in her for Funchal on the 21st of the month, three
days ahead of this packet.”
Mr. Pelham was sent to the American Prince to report this news, while
Mr. Fluxion hastened up to the city to see the agent of the principal,
who was his banker. This gentleman informed the vice-principal that
Capt. O’Hara had visited his office three days before; and, when the
banker told him the fleet had gone to the Canary Islands, he had
departed, leaving no intimation of his intentions. On inquiry later
in the day, he learned that the Ville d’Angers had sailed for Santa
Cruz, Teneriffe. Mr. Fluxion hastened to the principal with this
intelligence. Mr. Lowington was confounded by it.
“Then they are still roaming over the ocean in that steamer,” said he.
“I have no agent or banker in Santa Cruz; and I left no word there as
to the destination of the squadron. O’Hara will not be able to obtain
any information as to where we are, or are to be.”
“I don’t see that any harm can come to them: they are in a good vessel,
and have proved, by their voyage to England and back, that they know
how to handle it,” said Mr. Fluxion, laughing. “I suppose Mr. Frisbone
is still with them; at any rate, Capt. Fairfield is; and they are
attending to their studies, the same as they would if they were on
board of the schooners.”
After thinking the matter over, Mr. Lowington was reconciled to the
situation. The Ville d’Angers had been gone three days and a half from
Madeira. It was time for her to return, even if she followed the fleet
to Palma, which had been the last island the squadron had visited. The
students were allowed to go on shore in the afternoon, and escort Don
Roderigue and his family to their home. A feast was provided for them
in the evening, and Dona Maria was as fascinating as ever. But in the
evening they bade the family adieu, not expecting to see them again,
for they had decided not to go to the Azores in the Marian.
At noon on the following day, as the Ville d’Angers did not appear,
the squadron was ordered to sail at once for the Western Islands. The
principal left orders with his banker for the steamer to follow him
if she put into Madeira again. It was the first day of the month, and
the offices were distributed on board of the Prince; but, as one-third
of the ship’s company of the other vessels were absent, the award of
positions was assigned to an early day after the arrival of the Ville
d’Angers’ people.
“But what shall I do?” asked Judge Rodwood, when the principal had
issued the order to sail at once.
“You can do as you think best, judge,” answered Mr. Lowington. “If
you run over to the Canaries again, you may possibly find this truant
steamer.”
“As we have just come from there, I don’t care to go again,” replied
the judge. “I think I shall follow you; for I am sure the truants will
find you in the end. I am out for a cruise; and I intended to visit all
these islands on my way home.”
The Marian followed the squadron; and, after a comfortable run of four
days, the fleet anchored off the town of Horta, in the island of Fayal.
As the wind was east, the vessels had smooth water; and the students
were assembled at once to hear Professor Mapps’s talk about the Azores.
“The Azores are about two thousand miles from Boston, the direction
being a little south of east. And the Prince or the Marian would make
the voyage in six days, while our schooners, with a smashing breeze
all the way, would do it in eight or nine. These islands have received
various names; and people now call them indifferently the ‘Western’ and
the ‘Azores.’ They are the most western of the four groups of islands
lying nearest to the Western Continent; and this explains the first
name. The other word comes from the Portuguese _açor_, a hawk; and I
suppose the early settlers found that bird here. The Portuguese word is
_açores_, with a mark like a comma under the _c_, which makes it sound
like an _s_. They have also been called the Flamingos, or Flemish, the
latter being the Portuguese for the former. They were so called from
the people of Flanders who settled here.
“It is a little odd that these islands, like those we have lately
visited, were discovered by navigators who were driven off their
course by heavy weather. In this instance it was one J. Vanderberg, a
merchant of the city of Bruges, making a voyage to Lisbon, who had
the unfortunate good fortune to discover these islands in the year
1431. When Vanderberg finally reached Lisbon, he was imprudent enough
to mention his discovery. At this time Portugal was at the height
of the wonderful prosperity I have before described to you; and she
was ambitious to acquire all the territory she could. An expedition
was immediately fitted out, which first visited the Formigas, near
St. Mary, which we saw yesterday morning. In due time the Portuguese
obtained full possession of all the islands of the group; and have held
it to the present time. The revolutions of the mother country have
extended to these islands; and it is said that the women displayed more
of the spirit of resistance than the men in some of them.
“These islands lie between thirty-six and forty, north latitude, and
twenty-five and thirty-two, west longitude. They are a province of
the kingdom of Portugal, and are represented in the general Cortes,
Madeira and the Azores having five deputies. The islands are subdivided
into three districts,--the eastern, western, and central,--according
to location. You observe that the islands are considerably scattered,
and it takes more than a day’s sail for a fast steamer to go from one
extremity of the group to the other.
“Corvo and Flores form the western district. The latter is the larger
island, about ten miles by seven; and the other is about half its size.
They are of volcanic origin, like all the group; and are mountainous,
some of the peaks being about three thousand feet high. Santa Cruz
is the chief town of Flores: it is seldom visited by ships, except
whalers, which obtain supplies there cheaper than at the other islands.
“The central district is composed of five islands, of which Fayal and
Pico are the principal. It is three and a quarter miles across the
channel between them at the narrowest place. Fayal takes its name from
_faya_, a beech-tree, and is about a dozen miles in diameter. Of its
population of thirty thousand, one-third are here in Horta, and the
rest in nine villages in the interior. This place is the capital, and
it has the best harbor in the island; but it is exposed to winds from
the north and north-east, and from the south-east to the south-west.
The south-east gales are the worst ones, and they rake the anchorage so
that it sometimes becomes necessary for ships to put to sea to keep out
of danger.
“Of course you have noticed the high mountain to the south-east of us;
it is the peak of Pico, from which the island takes its name. This
island is twenty-five miles long, and from two to nine miles wide.
It is covered with extinct volcanoes. The sugar-loaf peak of Pico is
over seven thousand feet high. The kind of clouds which gather around
the mountain indicate the coming weather, so that it is a barometer
to those who have the skill to read the signs. The island contains a
large population. By the Statesman’s Year Book, I find that the area of
these islands is a little less than a thousand square miles, and the
population about two hundred and fifty thousand. The grape disease, of
which I have spoken before, extended to the Western Islands; and since
that time the wine-trade has been very small. The principal production
is oranges. The wine from this island was called Pico-Madeira; and it
is still manufactured to some extent.
“St. George is thirty miles long, and five wide; and has a peak four
thousand feet high in the centre. Griciosa is about seven miles in
diameter, and noted for its fertility, producing all kinds of grain
in abundance. Terceira was so called because it was the third island
discovered by the Portuguese, the word being the feminine of the
ordinal ‘third.’ It is about twenty miles in diameter, and exceedingly
fertile. It has been called the principal island of the group. Angra
was formerly the capital of the islands, and is a larger place than
Horta, containing over ten thousand inhabitants, which is a quarter of
the population of the island. Its harbor is sheltered from the west by
the promontory of Monte Brazil, over five hundred feet high. It is one
of the finest of the Atlantic cities.
“Sao Miguel, or St. Michael, is the largest and most populous of the
Azores. Its length is variously given from thirty-five to fifty miles
and from five to twelve miles wide. Like the other islands, it is
full of volcanoes, and is remarkable for some curious changes in its
surface; as a grassy plain, covered with trees and foliage, was raised
two thousand feet by volcanic action in a year. Old craters become
lakes; and I hope you will see an example of this kind here in Fayal.
In 1811 an island rose out of the sea, less than two miles from the
shore, and the English took possession of it; but when they came to
look for their new territory, a few weeks later, it ‘had gone down to
drink,’--had disappeared in the ocean.
“Ponta Delgada is considered the third city of the Portuguese Dominion,
and is on the south side of this island; its population has been
estimated as high as fifty thousand. It looks like most of the
Portuguese cities you have seen. The island is very productive, making
a large commerce for this city, which is its principal port.
“One of the principal industries of Fayal is basket-making; and stores
for the sale of these wares are to be found in Boston and New York.
Lace and fine needle-work are also specialties, for the wages of
working-women are only a fourth of what they are in the United States.
One hundred and fifty dollars a year will support a Portuguese family,
but not an American. These islands are very much resorted to by people
from our own country who are troubled with pulmonary complaints, though
the climate is hardly so free from changes as that of Madeira, and
certainly not as Orotava, in the Canaries. Some of us have seen the
bark Kate Williams coming out of Boston Harbor, with her deck crowded
with passengers for these islands; and one or two other vessels ply
between the same city and Fayal.”
The professor finished his talk; and the next morning a boat expedition
was organized, in which all the cutters and barges of the fleet took
part. Wainwright and Scott, by changing with a couple of officers in
the captain’s gig of the Prince, obtained places in the same boat with
Dr. Winstock, Sheridan, and Murray. The view from the anchorage was
magnificent, covering an expanse of green hill-sides and of burnt and
blackened mountains, the highest in sight being the peak of Pico.
“Can you tell me where the Praca Constitution is, doctor?” asked Scott,
as he gazed at the pretty white houses of the town.
“I think there was no square of that name when I was here before; but
very likely they have one by this time,” replied the surgeon, laughing.
“Of course a Spanish or Portuguese town cannot get along without one.
On our right is the castle of Santa Cruz; and this name is quite as
indispensable as that of the Constitution. Next to it is the mole,
where you will land when you go on shore. The hills, which look so
steep and rugged in places, are about five hundred feet high.”
“Here is a steep one on the starboard,” added Murray.
“That is only half the height I named. It is Monte Queimada, a volcano.
Its sides look like a mass of cinders; but the streets and roads of
this vicinity are of the same thing, as are many of the sides of the
hills. Now we are approaching Monte da Guia. It is nearly five hundred
feet high. That building on this side is a chapel.”
The boats pulled around the point, and soon came to an opening in the
cliffs, not more than an eighth of a mile wide, into which the Prince’s
gig, leading the way, entered, and proceeded about a quarter of a mile.
“Now we are in the crater of a dead volcano,” said the doctor, after
the oarsmen had been directed to lie on their oars. “The inside of it
has been blown out by the commotion of the elements, and one side of it
has caved in so as to form a passage into it. You can see clearly the
form of the crater on the land side. We call these extinct volcanoes;
but they are liable to break out anew at any time. Nine years ago the
earth was fearfully shaken by internal commotions, so that the people
left their houses, under whose falling walls they were in danger of
being buried, and lodged in tents. But the ground may open and draw
them in at any time.”
The students gazed with wondering interest at the interior of the
crater. The fleet of boats then pulled out and around the Point into
Pim Bay, an enclosure formed by the peninsula at the end of which is
the Caldeira Inferno, as the burnt-out volcano is called, meaning “the
caldron of hell,” a name to which it is properly entitled. Pim Bay is
only a quarter of a mile wide; but it is perfectly sheltered by the
high hills mentioned, and the island, on three sides, but is open on
the south-west. It has a castle for its defence; and the streets of the
town of Horta extend over to it, so that the port is used for loading
small vessels.
The boats returned by noon, and the students were well pleased with the
excursion; but most of them were anxious to get out into the country,
where the orange-trees were in their glory. After dinner they were
permitted to land, and visit the town, or roam on the hill-sides, as
they chose.
“Nearly two hundred whale-ships used to come into this port for
supplies, and to unload their oil, which was shipped from here to the
United States,” said Dr. Winstock, when the party had landed at the
mole. “A great many of the people of these islands have engaged in the
whale-fishery in our ships, which has induced them to emigrate to our
country; and there is a part of New Bedford called ‘New Fayal.’”
“I think I should emigrate if the ground was liable to open and swallow
me up,” said Scott.
“The people are used to that sort of thing,” added Murray.
“Used to being swallowed up in the earth!” exclaimed Scott. “I believe
it would take me a long time to get used to that sort of thing; for I
am inclined to think it hurts.”
“Used to the liability, I mean,” protested Murray.
“That is certainly the case,” said the doctor. “One does not heed
danger after he gets used to it. There are thousands of people who
would not risk themselves on the ocean, as you do every day of your
lives without thinking any thing of it at all.”
The party walked all over the town without seeing any thing that
particularly attracted their attention, or that was worth recording.
The next day they went to the Caldron, which is an extinct volcano.
The crater is five miles around, the sides sloping uniformly down to
the depth of seventeen hundred feet, and being covered with grass and
foliage of plants. At the bottom is a lake with a small island in the
middle of it. This island is a hill having a hole in the top of it,
from which the subterranean fires once poured out.
Another day was given to an excursion over to Pico; and then the
regular work of the schoolroom was resumed. The squadron remained a
week at the port of Horta, wondering why the Ville d’Angers did not
come.
“I am afraid my ward has given you the slip altogether,” said Judge
Rodwood, when all hands were out of patience at the non-arrival of the
steamer.
“I do not think so now; though I had some painful suspicions to that
effect in the first of it,” replied Mr. Lowington.
“Capt. O’Hara has certainly had time enough to get here,” added the
judge. “It is not more than a three-days’ run from Teneriffe to these
islands.”
“Unless the Ville d’Angers returned to Funchal, Capt. O’Hara would not
know where to look for the squadron,” argued the principal. “I have no
doubt the students are safe enough, and that they will join us some
time.”
“There may have been a row on board,” suggested Dr. Phelps. “You
remember the captain had some trouble with his crew, according to the
English paper which gave us the news.”
“I do not apprehend any thing serious on that account; for the
boatswain and the carpenter will obey the orders of the captain,
whatever happens; and he has the means to conquer any rebellion with
their help.”
“But we have heard nothing from them since the newspaper account,
except that they had sailed for Funchal, and then from Funchal for the
Canaries,” continued the judge. “Are we to wait here till they come?”
“It is a run of nearly eighteen hundred miles to the Bermudas, which is
our next stopping-place; and I should like to see the Ville d’Angers
before she sets out on this long voyage,” replied Mr. Lowington. “I
have my doubts whether Mr. Frisbone, as he has the invalid sister of
his wife with him, will care to go any farther than Madeira; and I
depend upon him to assist in keeping things straight on board of the
steamer.”
Another day passed, and the Ville d’Angers came not. Mr. Lowington
began to be anxious, and the judge was more impatient than ever. At
last, after a long conference, it was decided that the two steamers
of the fleet should return to the Madeiras in search of the truants.
Before night they were on their way; but they were not ten hours out
of Horta when the fog settled down upon them, and they were buried in
it till they were near their destination. They went into the harbor of
Funchal; but the Ville d’Angers had not returned.