“The Azores are about two thousand miles from Boston, the direction being a little south of east. And the Prince or the Marian would make the voyage in six days, while our schooners, with a smashing breeze all the way, would do it in eight or nine. These islands have received various names; and people now call them indifferently the ‘Western’ and the ‘Azores.’ They are the most western of the four groups of islands lying nearest to the Western Continent; and this explains the first name. The other word comes from the Portuguese _açor_, a hawk; and I suppose the early settlers found that bird here. The Portuguese word is _açores_, with a mark like a comma under the _c_, which makes it sound like an _s_. They have also been called the Flamingos, or Flemish, the latter being the Portuguese for the former. They were so called from the people of Flanders who settled here. “It is a little odd that these islands, like those we have lately visited, were discovered by navigators who were driven off their course by heavy weather. In this instance it was one J. Vanderberg, a merchant of the city of Bruges, making a voyage to Lisbon, who had the unfortunate good fortune to discover these islands in the year 1431. When Vanderberg finally reached Lisbon, he was imprudent enough to mention his discovery. At this time Portugal was at the height of the wonderful prosperity I have before described to you; and she was ambitious to acquire all the territory she could. An expedition was immediately fitted out, which first visited the Formigas, near St. Mary, which we saw yesterday morning. In due time the Portuguese obtained full possession of all the islands of the group; and have held it to the present time. The revolutions of the mother country have extended to these islands; and it is said that the women displayed more of the spirit of resistance than the men in some of them. “These islands lie between thirty-six and forty, north latitude, and twenty-five and thirty-two, west longitude. They are a province of the kingdom of Portugal, and are represented in the general Cortes, Madeira and the Azores having five deputies. The islands are subdivided into three districts,--the eastern, western, and central,--according to location. You observe that the islands are considerably scattered, and it takes more than a day’s sail for a fast steamer to go from one extremity of the group to the other. “Corvo and Flores form the western district. The latter is the larger island, about ten miles by seven; and the other is about half its size. They are of volcanic origin, like all the group; and are mountainous, some of the peaks being about three thousand feet high. Santa Cruz is the chief town of Flores: it is seldom visited by ships, except whalers, which obtain supplies there cheaper than at the other islands.