GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 323 



had taken place, as most of those which we took 

 up were fresh, and not yet beginning to corrupt. 

 A few years before, they had visited Teneriffe, 

 and occasioned great damage about the town of 

 Laguna. 



The day after our arrival at Teneriffe, Chamisso 

 and myself commenced our three days* excursion 

 into the island, early in the morning. Our guide 

 first conducted us into the mountains, on the 

 western point of the island. The rocky walls be- 

 hind this town were covered with fleshy plants, of 

 which the Euphorbia canarietisis and Piscatoria, 

 Cacalia Kleiniay and the Cactus Opimtia^ which 

 grows entirely wild here, sometimes form entire 

 thickets, being arborescent. Farther on, in a valley, 

 we saw two pretty high dragon trees, (^Dracaena 

 draco, L.) one of which bore fruit. About two 

 o'clock at noon, we descended into a large vale, 

 and saw the town of Laguna. An aqueduct leads 

 from the mountains into the town. Not a single 

 inn was to be found on this spot ; there were four 

 monks* and two nuns* convents in this place. We 

 had incessant torrents of rain all the afternoon ; 

 and, though the rain had not ceased on the follow- 

 ing morning, we continued our way to Oratava. At 

 first, a broad even path, led us between fertile fields 

 of lupines, through large villages, but it soon be- 

 came, on account of the frequent clefts in the 

 rocks, only a broad foot-path, consisting entirely of 

 steps. It was also here that the most delightful 



