Narrative of a Voyage to Senegal in 1816 | Page 5

were going at the rate of nine knots.[7]
An unfortunate accident disturbed the pleasure we felt at being so
favoured by the wind; a sailor lad 15 years of age, fell into the sea,
through one of the fore port-holes, on the larboard side; a great many
persons were at the time, on the poop and the breast work, looking at
the gambols of the porpoises.[8] The exclamations of pleasure at
beholding the sports of these animals, were succeeded by cries of pity;
for some moments the unfortunate youth held by the end of a rope,
which he caught hold of in his fall; but the rapidity with which the
frigate sailed, soon forced him to let go; a signal was made to acquaint
the Echo with this accident; that vessel was at a considerable distance,
and we were going to fire a gun to second the signal, but there was not
one loaded, however we threw out the life buoy.[9] The sails were
clewed up, and the ship hove to. This manoeuvre was long; we should
have come to the wind, as soon as they cried, "a man overboard," it is
true that somebody cried aloud from the poop, that he was saved; and a
sailor had indeed caught him by the arm, but he had been obliged to let
him go, because he would have been pulled overboard himself: a boat
was however let down; it was a six-oared barge in which there were
only three men: it was all in vain; and after having looked for some
time, the boat came on board again without having found even the buoy.
If the unfortunate youth, who seemed to swim pretty well, had strength
to reach it, he doubtless perished on it, after having experienced the

most cruel sufferings. The ship was trimmed, and we resumed our
course.
The Echo rejoined us, and for some time she kept within hail; but we
soon lost her. On the 26th, we plied to windward during the night,
fearing lest we should strike on the eight rocks, which are situated the
most Northerly, in 34° 45', Latitude, and the most Southerly in latitude,
34° 30', so that the extent of this danger is about five leagues from
North to South and about four leagues from East to _West_: the most
southerly rock is distant about forty leagues to the North, 5° East, from
the East point of Madeira.
On the 27th, in the morning we expected to see the island of Madeira,
we however proceeded to no purpose till noon, at which hour we made
an observation to ascertain our situation. The solar observation made us
East, and West of Porto Santo; we continued on the same tack, and in
the evening at sunset, the man at the mast head discovered, land.[10]
This error in the arrival, was at least thirty leagues in the East. It was
attributed to the currents of the straits of Gibraltar; if this error really
arises from the currents of the strait, it merits the attention of vessels
which frequent these seas. The whole night we proceeded with few
sails up; at midnight we tacked, in order not to approach too near to the
land.[A1]
The next morning at day break we saw very distinctly the islands of
Madeira Porto Santo; on the larboard, were those called Desert;
Madeira was at least twelve leagues off: sailing before the wind we
made nine knots, and in a few hours we were very near it. For a
considerable time we ran along the coast of the island at a small
distance from shore: we passed before the principal towns, Funchal and
Do Sob.[A2]
Madeira appears like an amphitheatre; the country houses which cover
it seem to be in a very good taste, and give it a charming appearance.
All these delightful habitations are surrounded by fine gardens, and
fields covered with orange and lemon trees, which when the wind
blows from the shore, diffuse for full half a league in the open sea, the
most agreeable perfume. The hills are covered with vineyards, bordered
with banian trees: in short every thing is combined to render Madeira
one of the most beautiful islands of Africa. Its soil is only a vegetable
sand, mixed with an ash, which gives it astonishing fertility; it shews

every where nothing but the remains of a volcanised earth, the colour of
which is that of the element, by which it was long consumed. Funchal,
the capital town of the islands is situated in long. 19°. 20'. 30." in lat.
32° 37'. 40". This town is far from handsome, the streets are narrow
and the houses in general ill built: the highest part of the island is the
Pic de Ruvio, which rises about two hundred metres above