d the lower jaw, on one side,
perfectly and firmly cohere; how the ossification which unites them was
formed, it is not perhaps very easy to conceive, but it is certain that
the patient must have lived some time without opening his mouth: What
nourishment he received was conveyed through a hole which we discovered
to have been made on the other side, by forcing out some of the teeth,
in doing which the jaw also seems to have been injured.

We visited the good fathers of this convent on a Thursday day evening,
just before supper-time, and they received us with great politeness: "We
will not ask you, said they, to sup with us, because we are not
prepared, but if you will come to-morrow, though it is a fast with us,
we will have a turkey roasted for you." This invitation, which shewed a
liberality of sentiment not to have been expected in a convent of
Portuguese friars at this place, gratified us much, though it was not in
our power to accept it.[64]

[Footnote 64: Mr Barrow is no admirer of the monks that swarm in
Madeira--he represents them as a very worthless, and a very ignorant
race of beings.--E.]

We visited also a convent of nuns, dedicated to _Santa Clara_, and the
ladies did us the honour to express a particular pleasure in seeing us
there: They had heard that there were great philosphers among us, and
not at all knowing what were the objects of philosophical knowledge,
they asked us several questions that were absurd and extravagant in the
highest degree; one was, when it would thunder; and another, whether a
spring of fresh water was to be found any where within the walls of
their convent, of which it seems they were in great want. It will
naturally be supposed that our answers to such questions were neither
satisfactory to the ladies, nor, in their situation, honourable to us;
yet their disappointment did not in the least lessen their civility, and
they talked, without ceasing, during the whole of our visit, which
lasted about half an hoar.[65]

[Footnote 65: According to Mr Barrow's account, it should seem, that
though there are several nunneries in this island, "not a single
instance of the veil being taken has occurred for many years past."--E.]

The hills of this country are very high; the highest, Pico Ruivo, rises
5,068 feet, near an English mile, perpendicularly from its base, which
is much higher than any land that has been measured in Great
Britain.[66] The sides of these hills are covered with