TENERIFFE. 39 
into Madeira, to which indeed, in its original state, it seems 
to be httle if at all inferior. This and similar conversions of 
Sherry and certain other Spanish Amines will account for the 
great consumption of what is called Madeira in England be- 
yond what is actually exported from the island. The grape 
of TenerifFe is the same as that of Madeira and the soil vol- 
canic ; but the higher and more steady temperature of the 
former communicates to the fruit a gTeater portion of sac- 
charine matter, in consequence of which the wines, like those 
of the Cape, grow sweeter with age. Much, however, of the 
quality of wines, I am inclined to think, depends on the care 
and attention that are bestowed in the selection and the 
pressing of the grapes. The high price that real good Ma- 
deira bears on the spot of its growth encourages the culti- 
vator to bestow a greater portion of labour on his vineyard 
than the grower on Tenerhfe could possibly afford to do. It 
answers his purpose to assort the sound and ripe fruit, grape 
by grape, and to press them with the nicest care ; and there 
can be no doubt that the singular qualities which this wine is 
known to possess are, in a great degree, owing to the must 
being more pure, and of a more homogeneous nature, than that 
of almost any other wine. 
In the dusk of the evening we entered the port of Oratava, 
on full gallop, as the etiquette seemed to require ; for as to 
ourselves we had no choice of our own : all we had to do 
was to keep our seats as well as we could and in every other 
respect to remain passive. To remonstrate with the mule- 
teers would have been in vain : they goaded the little animals 
