ceding year. These clefts are found
full of a kind of gum; which, decocted and depurated, is the dragons-
blood of the apothecaries[6]. The tree bears a yellow fruit, round like
like a cherry, and well tasted. This island produces the best honey and
wax in the world, but not in any quantity. It has no harbour, but a good
road in which vessels may moor in safety, being well sheltered on all
sides, except the quarters between the south and east, all of which winds
make it unsafe to ride here at anchor. There is plenty of excellent fish
on its shores; such as dentili, gilded fish, and others.

From Puerto Santo, which was discovered twenty-seven years before, we
sailed on the 28th of March, and came the same day to _Monchrico_ or
Machico, one of the ports of the island of Madeira, forty miles distant
from Puerto Santo. In fair weather these islands may be seen from each
other. This latter island was only inhabited within the last twenty-four
years, when the prince appointed two of his gentlemen to be its governors.
Tristan Vaz having the government of that half of the island in which the
port of Monchrico is situated; and the other district of the island, in
which Fonzal, Fonchial, or Funchal stands, is under the government of
John Gonzales Zarcho. The island of Madeira is inhabited in four several
places: Monchrico, Santa Cruz, Fonzal, and Camera-di-Lupi, which are its
principal places, though there are other minor establishments; and is
able to muster about 800 men able to bear arms, of whom an hundred are
horse. There are about eight rivers, which pervade the island in
different places; by means of which they have many saw-mills, from which
Portugal and other places are supplied with boards of many different
sorts. Of these boards, two sorts are in particular estimation, and turn
most to account. The one is cedar, which has a strong odoriferous smell,
and resembles the cypress tree; of this they make fine, large, and long
boards or deals, which they employ for building houses, and for various
other purposes. The other, called nasso[7], is of a red-rose colour, and
extremely beautiful; of which they make excellent and very beautiful bows
and cross-bows, which are sent into the west. In order to clear the land,
the first settlers set fire to the woods, and the fire spread with such
fury, that several persons, with their families, and Gonzales Zarcho
among the rest, were forced to take shelter in the sea to save themselves