42 VILLA DE lagu:na. 



small plain, surrounded by gardens, and protected by a 

 hill which was crowned by a wood of laurels, myrtle, 

 and arbutus. It was encircled by a great number of 

 chapels. Shaded by trees of perpetual verdure, and 

 erected on small eminences, these chapels added to the 

 picturesque effect of the landscape. The interior of the 

 town was not equal to its external appearance. The 

 houses were solidly built, but very antique, and the 

 streets seemed deserted. Our botanists, however, did 

 not complain of the antiquity of the edifices, for the 

 roofs and walls were covered with Canary house leek, 

 and elegant trichomanes. 



Before they reached Orotava they visited, at a little 

 distance from the port, a botanic garden, which had been 

 laid out at a great expense some years before by the 

 Marquis de ISTava. There they found M. Le Gros, the 

 French vice-consul, who had often scaled the summit of 

 the peak, and who served them as a guide. 



They began their ascent on the morning of the 21st. 

 M. Le Gros, M. Lalande, secretary to the French Consul- 

 ate at Santa Cruz, and an English gardener at Durasno, 

 joined them on this excursion. The day was not fine, 

 for the summit of the peak, which was generally visible 

 at Orotava from sunrise till ten o'clock, was covered 

 with thick clouds. 



They passed along a lofty aqueduct, lined with a great 

 number of fine ferns, and visited several gardens, in 

 which the fruit trees of the north of Europe were 

 mingled with orange trees, pomegranate, and date trees. 

 Here they saw the famous dragon tree of M. Franqui. 

 Although they had been made acquainted with it, from 

 the narratives of many travellers, they were not the less 



