184 



round, in diameter about three. It is thirty feet high ; 

 the circumference of all the branches together is 

 about ninety. The branches are thick; the lowest of 

 them is about an ell from the ground. Its fruit re- 

 sembles an acorn, its leaves resemble those of the 

 laurel, but are longer and broader. They come forth 

 in perpetual succession, so that the tree is always 

 green. On the north side of it are two cisterns of 

 rough stone, each fifteen feet square, and twelve deep : 

 one of which contains water for the drink of the inha- 

 bitants : the other, for their cattle and all other pur- 

 poses. 



Every morning, near this part of the island, a mist 

 rises from the sea. This the south and easterly winds 

 drive against the fore-mentioned cliff, which it gra- 

 dually ascends, and thence advances to the end 

 of. the valley. Being stopt there by the front of 

 the rock, it rests upon the leaves and branches 

 of the tree, whence it distils the remainder of the 

 day. 



But trees yielding water arc not peculiar to the 

 island of Hierro. One of the same kind grows on 

 the Island of St. Thomas, in the gulph of Guinea. 

 And of the same nature is that near the mountains 

 of Vera Pogz, whereof we have the following acco ut 

 in Cockburnc's voyages, 



u In the morning of the fourth day, we came out 

 ona large plain 5 in themidst of which stood a tree of an 

 unusual size. Its trunk was above live fathoms round ; 

 the soil it grew on was very stony. And on the 

 nicest inquiry we could afterwards make, both of the 

 Spaniards and the natives, we could not learn, that 

 any other such tree had been known in all New 

 Spain. 



u Perceiving the ground under it wet, we were 

 surprised, knowing that according to the certain 

 course of the season in. that latitude, there had nu 

 rain fallen for six months, and that it could not be 

 owing to the dew, for this the sun intirely dried up, 

 in a few minutes after its rising. At last ; to our great 



