Ferraz (Severiano Alberto de Freitas)

Distinguished Madeiran artist and industrialist, who passed away in Funchal at the age of 64 on August 24, 1856. In 1822, he created a new steam distillery, very simple and with excellent practical results, and established a sugar factory in Funchal in March 1828, the first one in Madeira after the decline of the sugarcane industry in the mid-18th century. This factory was immensely improved in 1856, shortly before the death of its owner. He was a corresponding member of the Funchal Society of Friends of Sciences and Arts, a member of the Municipal Council, and wrote an article about gemstones in issue no. 50 of the Patriota Funchalense. He suffered persecution during the rule of D. Miguel, because of his liberal ideas.