First publications

We have already devoted an article to the first publication produced in Madeira by the art of printing – O Patriota Funchalense (‘The Funchal Patriot’) –, a twice-weekly newspaper that first saw the light of day on 2 July 1821, as stated on page 57 of this volume.

O Patriota Funchalense was still appearing with complete regularity when, on 17 February 1823, the second newspaper ever to exist here came out. It bore the grandiloquent title O Prégador Imparcial da Verdade, da Justiça e da Lei, which would amply have sufficed to christen four different periodicals. Its editor and owner was Father Dr João Crisóstomo Espínola de Macedo, a distinguished lawyer and parish priest in the town (vila) of Santa Cruz (‘Holy Cross’). Although he possessed a lively intelligence and an uncommon culture, he wrote in language so violent and unbridled that it brought him the greatest troubles and the most outrageous humiliations. He was a worthy rival of Father José Agostinho de Macedo, even though he professed political principles diametrically opposed to those of the author of Burros, Besta Esfolada and Tripa Virada. O Pregador Imparcial… was a weekly, and 61 issues of it appeared, the last on 2 July 1824.

In the same year, 1823, two more newspapers appeared: A Atalaia da Liberdade and O Regedor (‘The Parish Magistrate’), respectively the third and fourth periodicals published in Funchal. The first, which had the ephemeral life of two months, was edited by Dr Daniel de Ornelas e Vasconcelos, a lawyer and brilliant orator who later represented Madeira in parliament and sat in the House of Peers, where he distinguished himself as a notable parliamentarian. O Regedor, which did not last much longer than its contemporary Atalaia da Liberdade, was published from April to June 1823; the names of its editors and owners are unknown.

From the middle of 1824 until 1827 no newspaper was published. Then, on 3 February and 2 June of the latter year, O Funchalense Liberal and A Flor do Oceano appeared, respectively the fifth and sixth periodicals to see the light on this island.

Outside the newspaper activity we have briefly sketched above, the press could not have much influence in a social and intellectual setting as narrow as the city of Funchal then was. Even so, considering that setting and that period, the bibliographical items published in the first years after the first printing press was set up in 1821 are quite considerable in both number and quality.

In that year a literary and scientific association called the Sociedade Funchalense dos Amigos das Ciências e Artes was founded here. It had 27 full members, 45 corresponding members and 24 honorary members, and included the most distinguished Madeirans of the time. Among the full members were such eminent names as Pimenta de Aguiar, Canon Gonçalves de Andrade, Nicolau Betencourt Pita, Lourenço José Moniz, Dr Caetano Alberto Soares, Dr João Pedro de Freitas Drumond and José Marciano da Fonseca, among others, to whom the Elucidário Madeirense devotes detailed notices. This society was the first to publish a small work in print: its constitution, entitled Estatutos e Regulamentos da Sociedade Funchalense dos Amigos das Ciencias e Artes. It is a small pamphlet of twenty-three pages, printed in 1822 at the press of O Patriota Funchalense and now extremely rare, and it enjoys the well-deserved distinction of being the first work of typography printed on this island.

In that same year, 1822, two further pamphlets were published: hymns of praise to the constitution proclaimed by the Porto Revolution, which was solemnly recognised in Madeira in January 1821. One of them is entitled Parabens poético-politicos à grandiosa regeneração portuguesa na congratulante aderência da Ilha da Madeira em 1821 no teatro grande do Funchal. Its author was Dr Luís António Jardim, a lawyer and deputy to the first constituent Cortes (Portuguese parliament), who died in Funchal on 14 February 1825.

The other pamphlet contains the panegyric delivered from the pulpit of our Cathedral (Sé Catedral) by Father João Manuel de Freitas Branco, and bears this title: Oraçâo de Acção de Graças que na solenidade do aniversário do faustissimo dia 28 de Janeiro de 1821 pregou na Igreja Catedral da Sé do Funchal por convite do Ill.mo e Rev.mo Cabido o vigário de Sâo Jorge João Manuel de Freitas Branco em o anno de 1821. It is a booklet of 43 pages and is today a great bibliographical rarity.

The following year, 1823, another hymn of praise, no less hyperbolic and excessively laudatory than that of the previous year, was heard in the principal church of this diocese. It was published in Funchal that same year under the following title: Oraçâo de graças prègada na igreja Cathedral da Sé do Funchal em 6 de Julho de 1823 por ocasiâo da solemne festividade que fêz sua excellencia reverendissima pela feliz restauração de S. Magestade El-Rei N. S., by Friar José Cupertino, a Franciscan friar, professor of theology and synodal examiner of this bishopric of Funchal.

In 1823 there also appeared a small and curious volume of 60 pages, entitled Instrucçoens para a inspecçâo ou revista de hum batalhão d'infanteria... traduzido do ingles. . .. Its subject can arouse not the slightest interest today; it is worth noting only as an uncommon bibliographical rarity of some value for the history of printing in Madeira.

We are not aware of any books or pamphlets having been printed here in the period from 1824 to 1827, and the same is true of periodicals, as we have already noted above. We attribute this gap to the political events then taking place in our country, which were hardly conducive to maintaining the freedom the press needs to carry out its mission profitably.

In that year of 1827 three pamphlets were published in Funchal. One dealt with local political matters, and the other two contained the poems recited at the ‘Theatro Grande’ during the celebrations of the anniversary of the proclamation of the Constitutional Charter (Carta Constitucional) granted by Pedro IV.