A DESCRIPTION OF THE CANARIES a.d. 



c. 1550. 

 like unto Malmsies. This Hand standeth round, and 

 containeth in circuit neere five and twenty leagues. It 

 hath plenty of all sorts of fruits, as Canaria and Tenerif 

 have, it standeth in twenty seven degrees and a halfe. 



The Hand of Yron, called Hierro. 



THis Hand standeth ten leagues distant from the 

 Hand of Palma Westward : it is but a little Hand, 

 which containeth sixe leagues in circuit, and hath but 

 small extension. It appertaineth to the earle of Gomera. 

 The chiefest commodity of this Hand is goats flesh and 

 orchell. There is no wine in all that Hand, but onely T ^ e one b . 

 one vineyard that an English man of Taunton in the H^^p/anted 

 West countrey planted among rocks, his name was ty j g ^ m Hill 

 John Hill. of Taunton. 



This Hand hath no kind of fresh water, but onely in 

 the middle of the Hand groweth a great tree with leaves 

 like an Olive tree, which hath a great cisterne at the foot 

 of the sayd tree. This tree continually is covered with 

 clouds, and by meanes thereof the leaves of the sayd 

 tree continually drop water, very sweet, into the sayd 

 cisterne, which commeth to the sayd tree from the clouds 

 by attraction. And this water sufficeth the Hand for all 

 necessities, aswell for the cattell, as for the inhabitants. 

 It standeth in 27 degrees. 



The Hand of Lanzarota. 



THe Hand of Lanzarota standeth eighteene leagues 

 distant from grand Canaria Southeastward. The 

 onely commodity of this Hand is goats flesh and orchell. 

 It is an earledome, and doth appertaine to Don Augustine 

 de Herrera, with title of earle of Fortaventura and Lan- 

 zarota. But the vassals of these earledomes may in any 

 cause of wrong appeale to the Kings Judges, which 

 reside in Canaria, as I have sayd before : because 

 although the king hath reserved to himselfe but onely 

 the three fruitful Hands, called Canaria, Tenerif, and 

 Palma, yet he also reserved the rod of justice to him- 



i33 



