PORTUGAL
região autónoma de Açores	Autonomous region of the Azores

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Velas is a municipality (vila) in the São Jorge Island, in the Portuguese autonomous region of Azores. The municipality encompasses the western portion of the island, with its municipal seat in the town of Velas on the south coast, and is divided into six parishes. As of 2021, the municipality had a population of about 1,800.

The origin of the name Velas is disputed, although it may refer to the number of sailing ships that congregated in the municipality (velas is Portuguese for candles or sails). The village of Velas is one of the oldest settled communities on the island and was first mentioned in 1460. In 1500 it became a municipal authority (vila) as the main village in the western part of the island. Piracy had always been a problem in the canal that separated the islands of the central group. Consequently, forts, such as the Fort of Santa Cruz in Velas (1629), another fort in 1641 (later expanded in 1644) and the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Conceição were constructed to impede attacks. Following the earthquake of 1757, reconstructions of many of damaged buildings took place.

Glass no. 4526 [left] shows a view of the Bay of Velas, the natural harbour of Velas.

Comparing the picture on the glass with a vintage postcard (external link) the ship depicted on glass no. 4526 could be identified as the steamship Funchal, the second of its name built for the Empresa Insulana de Navegação in 1875. The ship was equipped with a compound-type engine (a machine in which steam is expanded in two or more phases) with two boilers and 1,200 horsepower. The Funchal was the first Portuguese ship lit by electricity. She could carry 163 passengers (61 in 1st class, 32 in 2nd class and 70 in 3rd class). After having been replaced by the liner 'Lima', the Funchal was finally scrapped in 1927.

The labelling of the picture on glass no. 4526 (Bahia das Velas / San Jorge – Açores) is a strange mixture of Portuguese and Spanish, which already was used on the picture postcard that apparently had served as the model for the design of the glass (see link). Bahia is Spanish for 'bay' (in Portuguese it should be Baía), das is Portuguese for 'of the' (in plural; in Spanish it would be de las), San Jorge is the Spanish name of the island (in Portuguese it should be São Jorge), and Açores finally is the Portuguese name of the archipelago (in Spanish as in English it would be Azores).
The reverse side of the glass is labeled in Portuguese: Lembrança da ilha de São Jorge Açores ('Souvenir from the island of São Jorge Azores')

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velas,_Azores, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velas; https://restosdecoleccao.blogspot.com/2010/05/paquete-funchal-atraves-dos-tempos.html]