Ponta de São Lourenço

It lies at the eastern tip of Madeira. According to Frutuoso, it received the name by which it is known because São Lourenço was the name of the ship carrying Captain João Gonçalves Zarco when the island was discovered.

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The Ponta de São Lourenço,’ says Mousinho de Albuquerque, ‘which stretches for nearly 3 miles out to sea in a west-to-east direction and is very narrow, is made up of a succession of the remains of hills that appear to have been largely destroyed. As soon as it begins to narrow, shortly after the settlement of Caniçal (‘reed bed’), it generally shows the remains of strata dipping to the S. or SW., which on the northern side are abruptly and vertically cut away, the cut forming almost vertical cliffs above the sea.

In summer the Ponta de São Lourenço is arid and dreary, because the heat of the sun soon scorches the vegetation covering the ground. In the first part of spring, however, the little valleys and hills are adorned in various spots with a luxuriant carpet of greenery, among which stand out several species found nowhere else on the island. The appearance of the place then changes greatly, and the life of nature lends it charms that cheer and delight the visitor.

The Ilhéu de Fora (‘outer islet’), where the lighthouse stands, is considered part of the Ponta (‘point’), although it is separated from the neighbouring land by a channel, or boqueirão, about 85 braças wide and 3 to 4 deep. To the west lie the Ilhéu dos Desembarcadouros (‘islet of the landing places’) and the Ilhéu do Agostinho, followed by the bay of Abra (‘bay’), where there is a quay (see that entry), and then the locality (sítio) of Piedade (‘pity’), with a beach of calcareous sand, the only one of its kind on the island. On a small mound beside the beach stands the little chapel of Our Lady of Pity (see that entry).

The whole of the Ponta is now entirely treeless, but near the beach just mentioned there are many calcareous bodies. If they are, as everything suggests, the petrified remains of woody plants, they show that in fairly remote ages there were once some woods at that spot. (See Calcareous bodies.)

At the locality of Piedade many land shells are found belonging to species of the upland region, few of which occur alive there. This rather curious fact has not yet received a satisfactory explanation.

Some livestock is raised in parts of the Ponta de São Lourenço, and the Ilhéu dos Desembarcadouros and the lands of Abra are renowned for the great quantity of fodder plants they produce. The best hay on the island comes from the Ponta de São Lourenço.

Springs are very scarce throughout the Ponta, but rain is abundant there from autumn to spring. The land could produce cereals if the livestock did not destroy the crops.

Of particular interest on this subject are the articles Agostinho (islet), Desembarcadoiro (islet), Lighthouses and Calcareous bodies of Piedade.