156 



the South Sea (1593) we get the following account of Hierro : 

 " Two things are famous in these islands, the Pike (Peak) of 

 Tenerife .... The other is a tree in the Island of Fierro, 

 which some write and affirme, with the dropping of his leaves, 

 to give water for the sustenance of the whole Hand, which. I 

 have not seene, although I have beene on shore on the Hand : 

 but those which have seene it, have recounted this rnysterie 

 differently to that which is written, in this manner; That this 

 Tree is placed in the bottome of a Valley ever flourishing with 

 broad leaves, and that round about it are a multitude of goodly 

 high Pines, which over-top it, and as it seemeth, were planted 

 by the Divine providence, to preserve it from Sunne and winde. 

 Out of this Valley ordinarily rise every day, great vapours and 

 exhalations, which by reason that the Sunne is hindered to 

 worke his operation, with the height of the Mountaine towards 

 the South-east, convert themselves into moisture, and so bedew 

 all the trees of the Valley, and from those which over-top this 

 Tree, drops downe the dew upon his leaves, and so from his 

 leaves into a round Well of stone, which the Naturals of the 

 Land have made to receive the water ; of which the people and 

 cattell have great relief e : but sometimes it raineth and then 

 the Inhabitants doe reserve water for many dayes to come in their 

 Cisternes and Tynaxes, which is that they drinke of, and where- 

 with they principally sustaine themselves." 



To this account there is a footnote as follows : " Of a tree in 

 Fierro : One M. Lewis Jackson, now dwelling in Holborne, told 

 me that A. 1618 he had beene in this Hand, and seene this Tree,, 

 which he thus described; It is as big as an Oake of middle size, 

 the barke white like Hardbeame ; sixe or seven yards high, with 

 ragged boughs; the leafe like that of the Bay, white on the bot- 

 tome and green e on the other side. It beareth neither fruit 

 nor flower. It is situate in the declivitie of a Hill ; in the day 

 it is withered, dropping in the night (a cloude hanging thereon) 

 yeelding water sufficient for the whole Hand; which containeth 

 8000* soules, and above 100,000* beasts, camels, mules, Goates, 

 &c. It falls into a Pond made of bricke, floored with stones 

 very thight, by pipes of Lead conveyed from the Tree to it, 

 and thence divided into several Ponds through all the Hand. 

 They which dwell up-hill fetch it in barrels. They water there- 

 with also their corne-grounds. The Pond holds 20,000* tuns r 

 and is filled in a night. He added a- report (perhaps devised 

 to keepe off busie fingers, or with busie tongues to multiplie 

 wonders) that the Moores having taken that Hand from the 

 Christians, went to fell that Tree, but each blow recoyled on 

 the striker.' ' 



A very good account of the Rain-tree of Hierro was found 

 in a Spanish MS.t discovered in the Island of Palma 



There is no doubt very great exaggeration here. 



f Dr. G. V. Perez, quoting the Spanish historian Viera y Clarijo, informs 

 as that the name of the author of this MS. was Father Abreu Galindo. We 

 have not seen a complete copy of the published work, but only a typed 

 extract relating to the Rain-tree from a copy of the book kindly lent to- 

 Kew some time ago by Sir Daniel Morris. 











