1772.
July.
The city is far from answering the expectations which may be formed from its appearance towards the road. Its streets are narrow, ill-paved, and dirty; the houses are built of freestone, or of brick, but they are dark, and only a few of the best, belonging to English merchants or principal inhabitants, are provided with glass-windows; all the others have a kind of lattice work in their stead, which hangs on hinges and may be lifted up occasionally. The ground floors are mostly appropriated for the use of servants, for shops, and store-houses.
The churches and monasteries are very plain buildings, without any display of the architectonic art: their inside exhibits a striking want of taste; the little light which is admitted into them, serving only to display heaps of tinsel ornaments, arranged in a manner which is truely Gothic. The convent of Franciscan friars is clean and spacious, but their gardens seemed not to be kept in the best order. The nuns of Santa Clara politely received us at their grate, but afterwards deputed some old women, to offer the artificial flowers of their manufacture for sale.
We walked with Mr. Loughnan to his country-seat, which is situated on the hills, about a mile from the city. We there met an agreeable company of the principal British merchants established at Madeira. The captains returned on board in the evening, but we accepted of Mr. Loughnan's obliging offer of his house during our short stay.
