The sea round Madeira is very deep, and the shores as a rule are steep, with the exception of occasional small beaches. The north coast has a peculiarly bold and precipitous line of cliffs with a sheer drop of nearly ft., but the loftiest cliff of all, Cape Girao, is on the south coast. Funchal Bay, at the head of which is the port of Funchal, is about 5 miles wide, but pene trates the island very little. Camara de Lobos, farther west, affords an excellent harbour for fishing boats. At the east end of the island is the promontory of San Lourenco, a narrow, irregular, rocky peninsula about a mile long; a dangerous channel, about two hundred yards wide, parts it from Fora Island. There are no considerable rivers in the island, but a large number of small streams run north and south from the principal mountain range, some Of which, like the Metade, ?ow through precipitous gorges of extreme beauty. They are liable to ?ood.
