CANARY ISLANDS. 



Before entering into the career of my narrative, it may 

 be interesting to take a rapid survey of the regions which 

 I am about to describe, in relation to the state in which 

 they came from the hands of nature. Although situated 

 within five degrees of longitude, they exhibit the m.ost 

 striking and the most opposite contrasts ; and, from their 

 natural features and their proximity to Africa, they appear 

 to be strongly allied to that continent. Considered in re- 

 lation to their place on the globe, they possess an extraor- 

 dinary degree of natural beauty, and even of considerable 

 commercial and political value : while, at the same time, 

 they offer incalculable advantages to the painter, the anti- 

 quary, the naturalist, and above all, to the invalid. 



The Canary Islands are particularly distinguished, from 

 the fact that they are situated nearly on the verge of the 

 torrid zone, and from the numerous volcanic eruptions to 

 which they have been exposed. On these circumstances 

 chiefly depend their physical peculiarities. Their inhabi- 

 tants, at least one half of the year, experience the intense 

 and almost perpendicular rays of the sun, which glares on 

 them with oppressive and often malignant beam ; and when 

 the periodical rains neglect to fall, he blasts the whole face 

 of nature, and overspreads her with sterility and desolation. 

 Then that same orb which cheers and enlightens the more 

 temperate regions of the earth, here becomes the most 

 deadly bane, and the inhabitants are reduced to the most 

 desperate famine, and often have to resort to the most un- 

 natural food. But what is still more dreadful, are those 

 internal conflagrations which so often burst forth, and 

 threaten the poor wretches below with impending ruin. 

 The traces of these awful events are conspicuous in every 

 portion of these islands. Indeed, " this part of the earth 

 seems already to have undergone the sentence pronounced 

 upon the whole of it ; but, like the phcenix, has risen 

 ajain from its own ashes in much greater beauty and 

 splendor than before it was consumed." Thus nature em- 

 ploys the same agent to create, as to destroy ; and what 

 has been regarded here as the deadliest consumer, has 

 proved in the end, to be the highest blessing. 



In order to counteract the baneful influence of the tor- 

 rid sun, kind nature has devised suitable reparation, by 



