CANARY ISLANDS. 35 



of my destination. The evening being too far advanced 

 to prosecute the object of my journey, it was deferred. 

 The next morning I presented myself to the Governor 

 Genera], who, after passing a few civilities, gave me per- 

 mission to examine the whole island, and kindly offered 

 me assistance whenever required. I passed the remainder 

 of the day in viewing the town, and in examining the cliffs 

 in its vicinity. 



Santa Cruz is a pleasant town of considerable extent, 

 containing, according to the last census, 6,400 inhabitants. 

 It has less appearance of poverty than this place, although 

 I was constantly assailed by the most importunate beggars. 

 A friend pointed out to me the exact spot where Nelson 

 experienced the only failure of his glorious career. No 

 one who has ever read of this memorable conflict could 

 gaze upon this spot without being possessed with feelings 

 of peculiar interest. 



After a comfortable night's rest, I set off yesterday morn- 

 ing about eight o'clock, under a burning sun, from Santa 

 Cruz for this place. On my road to Laguna, I met a 

 drove of white camels, (Cwneh's dromedarius. Lin.) em- 

 ployed in conveying produce to the town. The monoto- 

 nous tinkling of their bells, their slowly-measured pace 

 and lethargic countenances, all of which were exactly in 

 unison with the listless heat, and the sun-scorched hills, 

 bearing now and then a cluster of succulent plants, which 

 receive their nourishment from the air rather than the soil, 

 strongly impressed me that the aspect of these islands 

 belongs to Africa, and to the most arid part of it. 



I pursued my way on horse-back as far as Matanzas, and 

 performed the remainder of my journey on foot, in order 

 to examine the geology of the rout more minutely. In 

 descending the ravines to the sea-side, I observed that the 

 lowermost stratum consisted of huge masses of yellowish- 

 brown columnar basaltes, som.ewhat irregular in their 

 forms. Directly above them were strata of brecciae, 

 resembling volcanic tufa. They contained fragments of 

 the same basaltes that they covered, and often recent ter- 

 restrial shells ; and it is asserted, that the remains of ma- 

 rine productions are observed in them. Next in succes- 

 sion above, was a stratum of ferruginous earth, overlaid 



