MADEIRA, an island in the n. Atlantic ocean, off the n.w. coast of Africa, from the nearest point of which it is 390 m. distant, in lat. 32° 43' n., long. 17° west. It lies 280 rn. n. of Teneriffe, in the Canaries, and 620 m. s.w. of Lisbon. Madeira and the other islands of the group form a province of Portugal, with an area of 345 sq.m., and pop. '72, 115,000—including the adjoining small island of Porto Santo—of whom 186 are Eng lish resident. It has been compared, in appearance, to the island of Arran, in the Firth of Clyde, but is wilder and grander. Its coasts are steep and precipitous, rising from 200 to 2,000 ft. above sea-level, comprising few bays or landing-places, and deeply cut at intervals by narrow gorges, which give to the circumference the appearance of having been crimped. From the shore, the land rises gradually to its highest point, the Pico Ruivo, 6,050 ft.; there are several other peaks upwards of 4,000 ft. high. It is remark able for its deep valleys, the most noted being that of "Curral," which from brink to bottom has'a depth of 2,060 feet. Madeira is of volcanic origin, and slight earthquakes soinetimes, though rarely, occur. The lower portions of the island abound in tropical plants, as the date-palm, banana, custard-apple, mango, sweet-potato, Indian corn, coffee, sugar-cane, pomegranate, and lig. The fruits and grains of Europe are culti vated to an elevation of 2,600 ft. above the sea-level, and the vine and sugar-cane on the lower grounds; above these are found timber (including the chestnut, whose fniit is used extensively by the inhabitants as food), pine (pinus maritima) used as fuel, fern, grass, and heath, and the scant herbage of alpine regions. Madeira produces 80 or 90 plants peculiar to itself, but the flora in its general characteristics resembles that of the countries around the Mediterranean sea. The grape disease has, within recent years, been almost 'universal, and wine lias not been made in such quantity as formerly. Madeira hai no indigenous mammalia, but the ordinary domestic animals, together with rabbits, rats, and mice, have been introduced bv the Portuguese. The climate is
remarkable for its constancy. There are only 10° difference between the temperatures of summer and winter, the thermometer in Funchal (the capital of the island) showing an average of 74° in summer, and of 64' in winter. At the coldest season, the tempera ture rarely is less than 60°, while in summer it seldom rises above 78°; but sometimes a waft of the lest& or e. wind, rises it to 90°. The temperate and constant warmth of its climate has made it a favorite resort for invalids affected by pulmonary disease. Besides the English church, there are other places of worship, including a Presbyterian church in connection with the Free church of Scotland. The educational institutions comprise the Portuguese college and Lancasterian and government schools. Funchal (q.v ) is the port of the In 1877, 619 'vessels, chiefly British, of 437,823 tons, 'entered and cleared the port. The imports in 1877, consisting chiefly of cotton, woolen, and linen manufactured goods, iron, flour, earthenware, Indian corn, rice, oil, and timber, amounted to X276,327; the exports for the same year, consisting of wine, sugar, 'citron, embroidery, and wicker-work, coal, salt-beef, and hides, amounted to X232,656. "The vintage of 1877 was scanty, only yielding about 6,000 pipes of wine. The sugar cane crop yielded about 667 tons of sugar, and 240,000 gallons of spirits. The trade is chiefly with Great Britain.
The inhabitants of Madeira are of mixed Portuguese, Moorish, and negro descent; they are of vigorous fratne, lively and industrious, but totally uneducated. 'Madeira was formerly covered with forests, whence its name—the Portuguese word madeira signifying timber. The group to which this island belongs, sometimes called the northern Canaries, was discovered in 1416, and was shortly afterwards colonized by the Portuguese. (Compare White's Madeira, its Climate and Scenery.)