AFRICAN ISLANDS. £1$ 



to Guinea or the East-Indies, from England, Holland, and France, of- 

 ten touching here for water and refreshments. 



In the island of MAYO, or MAY, immense quantities of salt are 

 made by the heat of the sun from the sea-water, which at spring tides 

 is received into a sort of pan formed by a sand-bank, which runs along 

 the coast for two or three miles. Here the English carry on a consi- 

 derable trade for salt, and have commonly a man of war to guard the 

 vessels that come to load with it, which in some years amount to a 

 hundred or more. The salt costs nothing, except for raking it toge- 

 ther, wheeling it out of the pond, and carrying it on asses to the boats, 

 which is done at a very cheap rate. Several of our ships come hither 

 for a freight of asses, which they carry to Barbadoes and other British 

 plantations. The inhabitants of this island, even the governor and 

 priests, are all negroes, and speak the Portuguese language. The ne- 

 gro governor expects a small present from every commander that 

 loads salt, and is pleased to be invited aboard tkeir ships. The sea- 

 water is so clear on this coast, that an English sailor who dropped his 

 watch perceived it at the bottom, though many fathoms deep, and had 

 it brought up by one of the natives, who are in general expert at div- 

 ing. 



The island of FOGO is remarkable for being a volcano, continually 

 sending up sulphureous exhalations : and sometimes the flame breaks 

 forth like iEtna, in a terrible manner, throwing out pumice-stones that 

 annoy all the adjacent parts. 



GOREE is situated within cannon-shot of Cape Verd, in north lat, 

 14° 43' west long. 17° 20', and was so called by the Dutch from an 

 island and town of the same name in Holland. It is a small spot not 

 exceeding two miles in circumference; but its importance arises from 

 its situation for trade so near Cape Verd, and it has been, therefore, 

 an object of contention between European nations. It was first pos- 

 sessed by the Dutch, from whom, in 1663, it was taken by the Eng- 

 lish; but in 1665, it was retaken by the Dutch, and in 1667, subdued 

 by the French, in whose possession it remained till the year 1759, 

 when the British arms every where triumphant, again reduced it ; 

 but it was restored to the French at the treaty of peace in 1763. It 

 was retaken by the English in the American war, but given up again 

 cy the peace of 1783. 



CANARIES The Canaries, anciently called the Fortunate Islands* 

 are seven in number, and situate between 12 and 19 deg. west long. 

 and between 27 and 29 deg. north lat. about 150 miles south-west of 

 Morocco. Their particular names are Palma, Hiero, Gomera, Tene- 

 riffe, Grand Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Langarote. These islands 

 enjoy a pure temperate air, and abound in the most delicious fruits, 

 especially grapes, which produce those rich wines that obtain the 

 name of Canary, of which the greatest part is exported to England, to 

 the amount, it is computed, in time of peace, of 10,000 hogsheads an- 

 nually. The Canaries produce those little beautiful birds that bear 

 their name, and are now so common and so much admired in Eu- 

 rope. 



Grand Canary, which communicates its name to the whole, is about 



150 miles in circumference, and so extremely fertile as to produce 



two harvests in a year. Teneriffe, the largest of these islands next to 



that of the Grand Canary, is about 120 miles round ; a fertile country, 



inding in corn, wine, and oil, though it is pretty much encumber- 



ith mountains, particularly the Peak. Captain Glass observes, 



