10 CANARY ISLANDS. 



from friends, and have often been impressed with emotions 

 that weighed heavily on my heart. But then I was still 

 to remain in a land, and mingle with a people, whom I 

 could boast as my own ; a land far-famed in greatness ; 

 '* a nation whom I was taught to regard as no less free than 

 brave, no less intelligent than virtuous, and no less high- 

 minded than powerful." But whither now ? To regions 

 fair and delightful on the one hand, decked with ancient 

 monuments of genius and of art, renowned for modern 

 works of grandeur, and possessed by people, free, enlight- 

 ened, and intelligent. On the other hand, to regions over- 

 shadowed with despotism and superstition ; to nations im- 

 bued with frightful prejudices, degraded and demoralized 

 to the last degree, and totally inaccessible to persuasion or 

 to civilization. * 



The breeze continued to heighten, and at night v,-e 

 were swiftly ploughing our way through the pitchy deep, 

 marking out a furrow of liquid fire, which, at one moment, 

 was brilliant and dazzling — at another, tranquil and pearly. 

 These moveable lights were grouped in endless varieties. 

 Here, myriads of luminous points like little stars appeared 

 floating upon the surface, and then flowing together, form- 

 ing one vast sheet of light. Then the scene became more 

 tumultuous ; the refulgent waves hove up and broke in 

 shining foam. At other times, appeared large sparkling 

 bodies, resembling the forms of fishes pursuing each other, 

 alternately disappearing and bursting anew. 



The explanation of this phenomenon has long attracted 

 the attention of philosophers. Valisneri, Rigaud, and 

 Dicquemare, have shown, that on several occasions, this 

 light was produced by a little animal called the glow-worm 

 of the sea. It has a body extremely thin and transparent, 

 is possessed with astonishing activity, and emits a dazzling 

 and vivid light. All the zoophytes and mollusc a seem to 

 be phosphorescent in a greater or a less degree. The 

 observations of Peron, and of Langsdorff confirm this ex- 



* It may be here remarked, that after passing a number of weeks at TenerifFe, I 

 touched on the west coast of Africa, and afterwards visited several parts of Spain, 

 France, Sicily and the Belearic Islands, and intended travelling to Italy, Greece, 

 Turkey and Egypt ; but on reaching Sicily, imperative circumstances compelled a 

 speedy return. 



