a4^ AVOYAGETO 



i77'^- The city of Santa Cruz, though not large, is tolerably 



ii_ ,- ' / well built. The churches are not magnificent without; 

 but within are decent, and indifferently ornamented. They 

 are inferior to fome of the churches at Madeira ; but, I 

 imagine, this rather arifes from the different difpofition of 

 the people, than from their inability to fupport them better. 

 For the private houfes, and drefs of the Spanifh inhabitants 

 of Santa Cruz, are far preferable to thofe of the Portuguefe 

 at Madeira ; who, perhaps, are willing to flrip theml'elves, 

 that they may adorn their churches. 



Almoft facing the ftone pier at the landing-place, is a 

 handfome marble column lately put up, ornamented with 

 fome human figures, that do no difcredlt to the artirt; with 

 an infcription in Spanifh, to commemorate the occafion of 

 the eredlion ; and the date. 



Friday 2, In the afternoon of the 2d, four of us hired mules to ride 



to the city of Laguna *, fo called from an adjoining lake, 

 about four miles from Santa Cruz. We arrived there be- 

 tween five and fix in the evening ; but found a fight of it 

 very unable to compenfate for our trouble, as the road was 

 very bad, and the mules but inddferent. The place is, in- 

 deed, pretty extenfive, but fcarcely deferves to be dignified 

 with the name of City. The difpofition of its ftreets is very 

 irregular; yet fome of them are of a tolerable breadth, and 

 have fome good lioufes In general, however, Laguna is 

 inferior in appearance to Santa Cruz, though the latter is 

 but fmall, if 'compared with the former. We were inform- 

 ed, likewife, that Laguna is declining fall; there bemg, at 



* Its extended name is St. Chriftobal de la Laguna; and it ufed to be reckoned the 

 capital of tlie ifland, the gentry and lawyers living there; tlioiigh the Governor Ge- 

 neral of the Canary lilands rehdes at Santa Cruz, as being the center 0/ their trade, 

 kw>th with Europe and America, See Glas's HI/}, p. 248. 



9 prefent, 



