362 



CANARY ISLES. 



wounds ; and they both fattened their daughters 

 with milk before they gave them in marriage. The 

 language of Teneriffe, however, was perfectly dif- 

 ferent from that of the other islands ; and, accord- 

 ing to Mr Glas, it seemed to have some resemblance 

 to the Peruvian, or some other of the American 

 tongues. 



Since the conquest of these islands, the language 

 and customs of their inhabitants have been almost 

 entirely lost in those of their conquerors. The na- 

 tives have been so incorporated with the Spaniards 

 and other Europeans, that they have become one 

 people. They all use the Castilian language ; and, 

 in their dress, manners, and appearance, resemble 

 their fellow subjects in the peninsula. Their com- 

 plexions, however, are rather more swarthy ; but 

 they have good features, and fine large sparkling 

 black eyes, which give a vivacity and dazzling lustre 

 to the countenance. The higher classes are in gene- 

 ral poor, yet extremely polite and well bred. They 

 boast much of their birth, and claim their descent 

 from some of the best families of Spain. The pea- 

 santry have also a considerable share of good man- 

 ners ; but still retain their aversion to certain pro- 

 fessions, as butchers, tailors, millers, and porters. 

 The poorest fisherman would think himself degraded, 

 by exercising any of these employments, and would 

 even refuse to sit at the same table with any one be- 

 longing to these trades. People of all ranks are ra- 

 ther of a romantic disposition, particularly in love 

 affairs. All intercourse between the sexes are re- 

 strained within, the strictest bounds of decency and 

 decorum; and what even English women would con- 

 sider as innocent freedoms, no virtuous woman in the 

 Canaries would bear. Love-engagements are decla- 

 red binding by law ; and if a woman can prove, that 

 a man has in the least instance endeavoured to win 

 her affections, she can oblige him to n/arry her. It 

 must be allowed, however, that unhappy marriages 

 are more common here, than in those countries where 

 innocent freedoms subsist between the sexes previous 

 to their union, and where the lover has an opportu- 

 nity of perceiving that his mistress is mortal, and 

 partakes of human frailty. The diversions among 

 the vulgar are, wrestling, cards, quoits, and throw- 

 ing a ball through a ring ; also, music and dancing, 

 of which they are vepy fond. Each of the islands, 

 and even every town and village, has some particular 

 saint for its patron, whose day is celebrated as a fes- 

 tival, by a particular service in the church, and by a 

 fair and rejoicings in the evenings. Every family of 

 eminence, also, has its saint or patron, to whose ho? 

 nour an annual festival is held at great expence; and 

 on such occasions, the gentry vie with one another 

 in costly entertainments and splendour. All the in*- 

 habitants of these islands are rigid Catholics, and it 

 is impossible for a person of a different persuasion to 

 live among them. There is a house in every island 

 belonging to the Inquisition, with its proper officers, 

 whose duty it is to prevent all appearance of heresy 

 or disrespect to the clergy. The bishop of the Ca- 

 naries resides in the city of Palmas, in Grand Cana- 

 ry. He is a suffragan to the archbishop of Seville 

 in Spain, and L treated with all the respect and ho- 

 mage due to a sovereign prince. The superiors of 



the different orders of friars and nuns live in the city 

 of Laguna, in Teneriffe, and are accountable only to 

 generals of their respective orders. The civil go- 

 vernment is vested in the royal audience of Grand 

 Canary, which is composed of three judges, a regent, 

 and fiscal, who are generally natives of Spain, and 

 always appointed by the king. Of this tribunal, the 

 governor- general is president, though his usual resi- 

 dence is at Teneriffe. From the sentence of this 

 court there is no appeal, except in cases of property, 

 when appeals must be carried to Spain. The other 

 magistrates in these islands are the corregidor, the 

 tiniente, the alcalde major, and the alcalde. The 

 corregidor is appointed by the king, and holds his 

 office for five years ; the others are nominated by the 

 royal audience. The office of alcalde nearly resem- 

 bles that of a justice of peace in England, and every 

 town or village of any consequence has one. 



From the appearance of the different strata which 

 compose these islands, we may reasonably conclude, 

 that they are of volcanic origin. A very great pro- 

 portion of their surface is also covered with calcined 

 rock, pumice stones, and black dust and ashes, which 

 are evidently the remains of several successive erup- 

 tions. The craters of several volcanoes are still dis- 

 cernable in many of the islands ; and also the chan- 

 nels made by the lava which flowed from them. The 

 climate, however, is delightful, and exceedingly sa- 

 lubrious. 



The rainy season continues here from the begin- 

 ning of December until March, which they call win- 

 ter, though it very seldom freezes ; and snow is on- 

 ly to be seen on the tops of the mountains. During 

 the summer, the sky is always serene, and the heat 

 is very intense, particularly during the months of Ju- 

 ly, August, and September. The climate, however, 

 in these islands is far from being uniform ; for while 

 in the cities upon the coast the air is hot, dry, and 

 calm, the inhabitants of the mountainous districts 

 experience fogs, wind, and even rain. From the 

 centre of many of these islands being exceeding high, 

 and full of lofty mountains, which tower so far above 

 the clouds as to intercept the current of the winds, 

 a calm generally prevails on the lea-side of the island, 

 or a gentle breeze from the opposite quarter. These 

 calms, or eddy winds, are extremely dangerous to 

 small vessels approaching the islands ; for, at the ex- 

 tremity of the smooth water, the waves break in all 

 directions ; and when a ship comes among them, she 

 is shaken and beaten on all sides in such a manner, that 

 it is almost impossible to withstand it. The calms 

 on the leeward of Grand Canary extend 20 or 25 

 leagues into the ocean ; those of Teneriffe 15 ; of 

 Gomera 10 ; and of Palma 30. 



The soil of these islands is very fertile, and pro- 

 duces all kinds of grain, fruits, and pulse, in great 

 abundance ; but the method of cultivation which is 

 practised by the inhabitants tends very little to its 

 improvement. The lands are here let, not for money, 

 but for the half of the produce. The proprietor fur- 

 nishes the seed,, and other articles of the first necessi- 

 ty, also the cattle, which indeed belong to him, and 

 which he can take back at the expiry of the lease.. 

 For these, he receives the half of the crop during the 

 term of agreement, besides a fanega of wheat fr: 

 4. 



Canary 

 Isles. 



