tS2 CANARY ISLANDS. 



and also observed many curious trees, some of which 

 yielded a bitter kind of water, while from others they pro- 

 cured water by no means unpleasant to the taste. They 

 visited Jiinonia which presented nothing remarkable ex- 

 cept a small, stone temple. Near Junonia, they fell in 

 with another smaller island to which they gave the same 

 name. They afterwards visited Cnpraria which was in- 

 fested with enormous lizards. The Mauritanian naviga- 

 tors then stretched across to the opposite island, which, 

 from the continual mist and snow that enveloped it, they 

 called Nivaria. Adjoining Nivaria, they discovered an- 

 other island, to which they gave the name of Canaria, from 

 the number of large dogs found upon it, two of which 

 were captured and presented to Juba. 



After the decline of the Roman empire, these islands 

 remained unknown to Europeans until the year 1328, when 

 they were accidentally discovered by an Englishman by 

 the name of Robert Macham, who was driven there by a 

 tempest, and on his return, made his discovery known. 

 In 1334, Alphonso IV. of Portugal, sent Louis de Ordo 

 to conquer them ; but being repulsed at Gomera, he aban- 

 doned his enterprise. From this circumstance, the Por- 

 tuguese founded their claim to these islands. But Pope 

 Clement VI. granted them to prince Louis, of Spain, son 

 of Alphonso cie la Corde, the right heir of Castile, by the 

 name of the Fortunate Islamh, and caused soldiers to be 

 levied in France and Italy to assist him in the conquest, 

 which gave such umbrage to the English ambassadors then 

 at Rome, who thought there were no other Fortunate 

 Islands than those of the British empire, that they sent an 

 express to the Eno-lish court to prevent the danger of the sus- 

 pected conveyance. But nothing was done in pursuance 

 of the Pope's grant until 1385, when some Biscayans fell 

 among these islands, and having plundered Lanzarote, re- 

 turned to Spain with great stores of wax, hides, and other 

 commodities of the island. The next expedition to Lanza- 

 rote was from Seville in 1393, not to subdue the islands, but 

 to enrich themselves by robbery and plunder. At this time, 

 several people of Spain were excited by avarice, and soli- 

 cited Henry III. king of Castile, for a license to conquer 

 these islands, as he pretended they were his property. 

 Accordingly, a grant was given to Jean de Cethencourt, a 



i 



