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the province of Caraccas. The heat is excessive 

 in both places, and from the same causes ; but 

 the aspect of Santa Cruz is more gloomy. On 

 a narrow and sandy beach, houses of dazzling 

 whiteness, with flat roofs, and windows without 

 glass, are stuck against a wall of black perpen- 

 dicular rocks, stripped of vegetation. A fine 

 mole, built of freestone, and the public walk 

 planted with poplars, are the only objects, which 

 break the sameness of the landscape. The view 

 of the peak, such as it presents itself above Santa 

 Cruz, is much less picturesque than that we 

 enjoy from the port of Orotava. There, a highly 

 cultured and smiling plain offers a pleasing con- 

 trast with the wild aspect of the volcano. From 

 the groups of palm trees and bananas, which 

 line the coast to the region of the arbutus, the 

 laurel, and the pine, the volcanic rock is crowned 

 with luxuriant vegetation. We easily conceive 

 how the inhabitants, even of the beautiful climates 

 of Greece and Italy, fancied that they recognised 

 one of the Fortunate Isles in the western part 

 of TenerifFe. The eastern side, that of Santa 

 Cruz, on the contrary, is every where struck 

 with the marks of sterility. The summit of the 

 peak is not more arid than the promontory of 

 basaltic lavas, which stretches towards the point 

 of Naga, and on which succulent plants, spring- 

 ing up in the clefts of the rocks, scarcely indi- 

 cate a preparation of soil. At the port of Oro- 



