Capitania, with its principal town, the capital of
the island, is named Funchal, from _Funcho_, the Portuguese term for
Fennel, which abounds on the adjoining rocks.
[1] Astley, I. 11. and 586. Clarke, Progress of Maritime Discovery, I. 167.
Although in our opinion a mere romance, we have inserted this story,
because already admitted into other general collections. - E.
[2] This work was printed in 1560, and was translated by Hakluyt: There is
an abstract of it in Purchas his Pilgrims, II. 1671, and it will be
found at the commencement of the second part of this Collection. - E.
[3] In small duodecimo and large print, under the title of Relation
Historique de la Decouverte de l'Isle de Madere: containing 185 pages,
besides twelve pages of preface. - Clarke.
[4] Clarke, Progress of Maritime Discovery, I. 167.
[5] In a note, Mr Clarke says the name of this lady has been supposed by
some writers to have been Dorset, corrupted by a foreign orthography
into D'Orset, and thence into D'Arfet. It may have been D' Arcy. - E.
* * * * *
CHAP. XXI.
_Account of the Discovery and Conquest of the Canary Islands_[1].
The island of Nivaria, and others mentioned by Pliny, as known to Juba
king of Mauritania, were most probably Teneriffe and the other Canary
Islands; for Pliny notices that the summit of Nivaria was generally
covered with snow, which is frequently the case with the peak of
Teneriffe, and from this circumstance the name of Nivaria is obviously
derived.
