TENERIFFE. 
27 
CHAP. II. 
THE ISLAND OF TENERIFTE. 
Conduct of the Captain of a French Frigate — Bay of Santa Cruz, its Defences 
and Defects — Attacks of Blake and Nelson — Appearance of the Island, and 
Town of Santa Cruz — City of Laguna — Vegetable Froductions — City and 
Sea-Port T '/irni of Oratava — Teneriffe Wine — Journey up the Peak — Ca- 
serns for burying the Dead — The Guanches or Aborigines of Teneriffe — 
Condition of the presetit Inhabitants — The Clergy- — Royal Monopolies — 
Ijnproveme7it of which the Island is capable — Climate — Remarkable Instance 
of Longevity — Description of the Fortunate Islands by Homer and Plutarch. 
The passage from Madeira to the Canary Islands is, in 
most cases, as smooth and pleasant as that between Eng- 
land and Madeira is boisterous and disagreeable ; and, in the 
present instance, we made the nm in less than four days ; 
having discovered, on the third of our departure, the pointed 
summit of the celebrated peak of Teneriffe, though at the 
distance of about sixty miles ; an object which, indeed, in 
clear weather, is visible nearly as many leagues. 
The Spaniards in their foreign settlements are not accus- 
tomed, and indeed generally refuse, to return the salutes of 
ships belonging to other nations ; but whether their declining 
the compliment of mutual civility may be ascribed to the, 
iiaughty and reserved temper of the government, to an af- 
E 2' 
