MAGNIFICENT PUBLIC WORK IN THE ISLAND OF MADEIRA.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 92, 16 June 1843, Page 3

MAGNIFICENT PUBLIC WORK IN THE ISLAND OF MADEIRA.

In the Island of Madeira the Portuguese government has of late been carrying on a great work, such as would do honour to any age and to any nation. During great part of the year, that island is entirely free from rain. Even then, however, among the mountains, the clouds and mists furnish a perpetual supply of moisture, so that the river courses are never wholly dry. This water, as it descends from the mountains, is collected and conveyed by means of levadas, or artificial channels, through the cultivated grounds. The country is everywhere intersected by these rivulets} and the most perfect system of irrigation is thereby maintained. Some of these levadas were formed by the first settlers in the island, in the beginning of the fifteenth century. The slates of the early colonists were Moors and Eastern captives, and it may be that from. them was derived a greater attention to irrigation, and a greater skill in its application than is generallyobserved in European agriculture. Many of the works connected with the irrigation of the island display remarkable enterprise and skill on the part of the natives, and of these the most conspicuous is that of the Rock of Rabacal. At the head of a deep and narrow ravine which forms the commencement of the valley of the Ribeiro (river) de Janella, there rises a perpendicular rock not less than 1000 feet in height. An abundant supply of water flows from this cliff; partly in one large cascade sweeping over from the summit, and. partly in the form of innumerable streams issuing from fissures in the face of the rock,, and dripping down through the mountain shrubs-by which the cliff is clothed. This water used, to fall into an abyss at the bottom, whence it flowed along unemployed and useless through the ravine and' valley of the Janella to the Atlantic. It was ’observed, that if the water could be intercepted in its descent, and conducted by art’ from the course in which nature directed* it, it might be turned to infinite utility fbr the purposes,of irrigation. Who liad the boldness firat ,to con- , ceive the actual exedution of the project, is not ’ recorded. It appears to have ‘ been attempted at an early period in the history of the as there are at one place remains of some work of which no tradition has come down to us.

’■ln 1823 the governor brought under consideration the iinpoitance of making use of these waters ; hut it was only in 1836 that the work was commenced. Of the extraordinary ability of the engineer under whose direction the work was planned —Captain Vicente ! de Paula Texeira, a native of the'island—even those who have not seen the .place must 'form the highest opinion from a simple description of the work. The height of the cliff I have stated is 1000 feet. About 300 feet from the base, a horizontal channel has been cut in the face of the rock, sloping downwards and inwards, so that part of the water from above i§ intercepted in its descent, and falls into this hollow. The excavation extends round the face of the cliff for about 600 feet, presenting the appearance of a vaulted gallery, the roof of which is supported at intervals by pillars of the rock. The 1 water flows along this channel, and is then conducted by an open aqueduct or levada for the distance of six miles. Here another great part of the undertaking is in progress. A tunnel, 150 fathoms long, is cut through the crest of a mountain ridge, by which 1 means the waters of the rock of Rabacal will be conveyed from the north to the south side of the island, and will spread cultivation and fertility over extensive districts, hitherto either entirely waste, or yielding a poor and precarious produce from the absence of irrigation. The channel on the face of the rock is now completed, and the tunnel nearly so. In commencing the work, the operations were of an extremely difficult and dangerous character. It wa3 impossible to reach the part of the cliff where the channel was projected by any means except by ropes suspended from above. Down this dreadful depth, with 300 feet of the precipice below them, the workmen were lowered ; fastened to a little frame of wood at the end of the rope, and bearing instruments for boring and blasting the rock. When a mass of rock had been loosened by the handspike, or a train had been laid for blasting, it was necessary for the operator to get out of the reach of danger by pushing himself off from the cliff with his feet, and making for some tree or projecting point, where he secured himself till the explosion was over, aud then returned to his labour. The workmen were moreover continually drenched by the streams of icy cold water falling upon them, so that they had to be frequently relieved on account of their becoming benumbed with cold. It is gratifying to add, that notwithstanding the -extreme danger of these operations (compared with which the samphiregathering of Shakspeare’s Cliff, or the birdhunting of St. ICilda, might be described as occupations of little danger), oniy one fatal accident has occurred in the whole undertaking.

A Visit to Wordsworth. —It was on the sth of August that we drove from Kendal, by Windermere, to Ambleside, and thence to Rydal Mount. As we approached the gate, we stopped involuntarily. Could it be possible that we were there? And was that simple yellow cottage, all overgrown with roses and with ivy, the real to open the little wicket, and in another moment we were in a sweet book parlour, and in the very presence of the seer ! It was a rainy day; he had been out in it and drenched, and was taking his comfort with a book, in a half-coat, half-gown, of plaid. In a moment we were never more at home. It was an hour till dinner, and meanwhile we must just take a peep at some of the choice views of Rydal Water and Windermere ; then, while dinner was served, the American sonnet was discussed. He was doubtful where in the series it should come in. I asked to see the volume : and he handed me Professor Reid’s edition (Philadelphia). I indicated the place, which he approved, and said it should be done before I sailed, though he might find it necessary to make two instead of one. T proposed three, and suggested the topics. At dinner-—a simple social meal, with converse more delicious—l told him that one of my family had asked me to execute three commissions—some ivy from Kenilworth, a bunch of heather from Abbotsford, and Mr. Wordsworth’s autography. “ She shall have it,” said lie, emphasising every word; “ and there must be a flower, 'too, from Rydal Mount—a wild flower!” So, after dinner, out we sallied for the flower, he questioning all the while what it should' be-; and finally settling with himself that he had lately seen a bunoh of pansies, though nearly out' of season, and that they would be the things ; so on we tratnped, iipthis way and down that; he followed , the instinct of his nature as the hart snuffs from afar the brooks -of water, till he exclaimed, “ Thereat is!” and, sure enough, the ground was purple.

“ The pansy at my feet Doth the same tale- repeat/'

was,liis apt qiiotation from his own charming ode, “ Intimations of Immortality, from r'ecol-j efcrlyt childhoodand iff a moment tlio . tropty Was t secured., would, biiy , those pansies'? Of the delightful ramble which -followed from point to point of this delightful, region, through the noble grounds of Rydal Hall to the. lower force '(fir fall), and then to the upper, descanting as he went—scenes which the Quden Dowager had traversed with him but

the other day,'and’ ivliicli for me he:’.Rad a' peculiar pathos in the' remembrance: .of; EfiSho'pHobart’s relation of the days spent there withthe great guardian of the.place; of the; hour in liis unique and curious library; and, above-all; of the countless, kindest, <and most'delicate attentions whioh clustered round the .parting, 1 may not' speak; beautifully -as they would illustrate the unaffected, childlike simplicity of the great poet and .philosopher., the' greatest of our times. You will readily believe, -that our parting was reluctant, and with words and gestures such as the heart can never fail to recognise as from the heart. —Colonikl Observer. Frightful Explosion. —Between three and four o’clock on Wednesday afternoon last, Oct; 26th, the inhabitants of West Collirigwood were thrown into great consternation by a. loud explosion, tho shock of which was sensibly felt by many. It was quickly ascertained that the explosion had occurred at the residence of a man named Pinner, a manufacturer of fireworks, and the-first object l that , presented itself to the persons who ran to the spot was the lifeless body of Pinner, lying in the open space in front of his house, amidst a quantity of bricks, shattered pieces of wood, &c., whilst the entire of the upper story of the house was completely carried away. The body of an old man, an assistant to Pinner, was likewise found shockingly disfigured, lying in the garden at the back of the premises. No signs of life were perceivable in Pinner or the old man, and the remains of both presented a horrid spectacle. On proceeding up the stairs of the house, the lower part, extending to the floor of the second story, of which was left standing uninjured, it was discovered that every vestage of the roof, walls, and the various articles which had been in the upper room, had entirely disappeared. Jammed against the lower part of the wall of the first story, and near the top of the stairs Was the body of a lad, aged 14, with the features so dreadfully disfigured and the body blackened and mutilated, that but for the circumstance of its being known that the remains were those of a boy employed by Pinner, considerable difficulty must have ensued respecting the identification of the body. The house, which is a detached one, consisted of two stories, the upper one having been appropriated to the purpose of manufacturing the fireworks. From the statement of an elderly woman who was engaged by Pinner to superintend his domestic affairs, it appears that a large quantity of gunpowder had lately been placed in the upper room for the purpose of making fireworks for the sth of November, but in what inanner the explosion was caused remains & mystery. The woman alluded to, and who was in the room oh the ground floor when the explosion took place, had a narrow escape. She had been up to the workroom only a short time previously, for the purpose of taking a half pint of beer to Pihnei*, who, with the old man and boy, were then employed in filling squibs. She had barely returned down stairs when the shocking catastrophe occurred. There were no lights in the room when she was there, as it had not become dark. Several windows in the neighbouring houses were smashed in, and a number of chimney-pots thrown down by the explosion.