30 LANDING AT SANTA CKIZ. 



CHAP. II. known of the visiljility of high land, and is the more 

 MdnT^f remarkable that the object was negatively seen, 

 lirund The atmosjjheie continuing hazy, tlie navigators did 



"^^'' not discover the island of Grand Canary, notwithstanding 



its height, until the evening of the IBtii June. On the 

 following day tliey saw the point of Naga, but the Peak 

 of TenerifFe still remained invisible. After repeatedly 

 sounding, on account of the thickness of the mist, they 

 ancliored in the road of Santa Cruz, when, at the moment 

 tliey began to salute the place, the fog instantaneously 

 dispersed, and the Peak of Teyde, illuminated by the 

 first rays of tlie sun, appeared in a break above the clouds. 

 Our travellers betook themselves to the bow of the vessel 

 to enjoy the majestic spectacle, when, at the very moment, 

 four Euglisli ships were seen close astern. The anchor 

 was immediately got up, and the Pizarro stood in as close 

 as possible, to i)lace herself under the protection of the 

 fort. 

 Dctcmii- While waiting tlie governor's permission to land, 



luiifiiude. Humboldt employed the time in making observations 

 for determining the longitude of the mole of Santa Cruz 

 and the dip of the needle. Berthoud's chronometer gave 

 18° 33' 10", the accuracy of which result, altliougli dif- 

 fering from the longitude assigned by Cook and otliers, 

 was afterwards confirmed by Krusenstern, who found 

 tliat port IG^ 12' 45" west of Greenwich, and conse- 

 quently 18° 33' 0" west of Paris. The dip of the 

 magnetic needle was 62° 24', although it varied con- 

 siderably in different places along the shore. After 

 undergoing the fatigue of answering the numberless 

 questions proposed by persons who visited them on board, 

 our travellers were at lengtli permitted to land. 



