c 
ILLIAM 
A M P I E 
addrefs himfelf to a Patron of quite another Kind, who 
liftened to his Offers with a juft Degree of- Attention, en- 
couraged in him that laudable Ambition, which prompted 
him to expofe himfelf in fo noble a Defign, and furnilhed 
him with Means for undertaking that V oyage, which he 
had fo long meditated for the public Advantage. This, 
therefore, ought to be confidered as a fupplemental Voy- 
age to thelaft; and, indeed, in this Light the Author 
feems to have confidered it, by his frequent References 
from this to that. 
2. I failed, fays he, from the Downs , January 14. 169-5-, 
with a fair Wind, in his Majefty’s Ship the Roebuck , car- 
rying in this Voyage twelve Guns, fifty Men and Boys, 
and twenty Months Provifion. We took our Departure 
from the Start, which was the lafb I, and we faw in Eng- 
land. , as the firft we faw, after we were out of the Chanel, 
was Cape Finifterre, which we made on the 19th; and, 
on the 28th, made Lancerota , one of the Canary Iflands. 
We then flood away for the Ifland of Tenerff , where I 
intended to take in Wind and Brandy for my Voyage. 
January 30. I anchored in the Road of Santa Cruz , the 
fitted: Port in the Ifland for my Purpofe. The Road be- 
fore this Place is but very indifferent, lying fo open to the 
Eaft, that Winds from that Quarter make a great Swell, 
and render it very dangerous going afhore in Boats. The 
befl Landing is in a fmall fandy Cove, about a Mile to 
the North-eaft of the Road, where there is very good 
Water ; infomuch that Ships which take in their Lading 
at Or at avia, which is the principal Part of the Ifland for 
Trade, fend their Boats thither for Water. That Port, 
however, is rather more expofed to Weflerly, than this to 
Eafterly Winds, which was the Reafon I declined it. 
There are between this Watering-place and Santa Cruz 
two fmall Ports, which, with feveral Batteries, ferve to 
command the Road, and fecure the Place from being in- 
fulted by Privateers. The Time I flayed here gave me 
all the neceffary Opportunities for confidering the Place, 
its Inhabitants, and the Country adjacent ; and therefore 
enabled me to form fuch a Defcription of them, as may 
fatisfy the Reader’s Curiofity, and give him a tolerable Idea 
of an Ifland fo often mentioned by Navigators, on ac- 
count of the placing here the firft Meridian, from which 
the Degrees of Longitude in our Maps are generally 
reckoned. 
3. This Town of Santa Cruz is a fmaJl Town, without 
any Wall about it, and defended only by two Forts. It 
was here that our famous Admiral Blake deftroyed the 
Spanifh Galleons April 20. 1657. an d the Wrecks of fome 
of them are lying ftill there in fifteen Fathom Water. Soon 
after my Arrival, I went by Land to the City of Laguna , 
the Metropolis of this Ifle, and the Refidence of the pre- 
fent Governor-General of the Canary Iflands, whofe Name 
is Don Pedro de Ponto, a Native of this Ifland, and not 
long ago Prefident of Panama , in the South Seas, a very 
worthy Man, ftridlly juft, and very kind to Strangers. 
The City of Laguna is of a tolerable Size, and very com- 
pafl, making a very agreeable Profpedt at a Diftance. 
It Hands Part of it againft an Hill, and Part in a Level. 
The Houfes have moftly ftrong Walls, built with Stone, 
and covered with Pantile : They are not uniform; yet they 
appear pleafant enough. There are many fair Buildings, 
among which are two Parifh Churches, two Nunneries, 
an Hofpital, four Convents, and fome Chapels, befides 
many Gentlemens Ploufes. The Convents are thefe, of St. 
Aujtin , St. Dominic, St. Francis , and St. Diego. The two 
Churches have pretty high fquare Steeples, which top the 
reft of the Buildings : The Streets are not regular ; yet 
they are moftly fpacious, and pretty handfome ; and, near 
the Middle of the Town, there is a large Parade, which 
has good Building about it. There is a ftrong Prifon on 
one Side of it, near which is a large Conduit of good 
Water, that Supplies the whole Town. They have many 
Gardens, which are fet round with Oranges, Limes, and 
other Fruits ; in the Middle of which are hot Herbs, Sal- 
lading,' Flowers, &c. and, indeed, if the Inhabitants were 
curious tnis Way, they might have very pleafant Gardens ; 
1O1, as the Town Hands high from the Sea, on the Brow 
of a Plain that is all open to the Eaft, and hath, confe- ' 
quently, the Benefit of the true Trade-wind which blows 
Numb. 8, 
here, and is moft commonly fair, there are Seldom want- 
ing, at this Town, brisk, cooling, and refrefhmg Breezes 
all the Day. On the Back of the Town there is a large 
Plain, of three or four Leagues in Length, and two Miles 
broad, producing a thick kindly Sort of Grafs, which 
looked green, and very pleafant, when I was there, like our 
Meadows in England in the Spring. On the Eaft Side of 
this Plain, very near the Back of the Town, there is a 
natural Lake or Pond of frefh Water. It is about half a 
Mile in Circumference; but, being ftagnant, ’tis onlyufed 
for Cattle to drink. In the Winter, Several Sorts of 
Wild-fowl refort hither, affording Plenty of Game to the 
Inhabitants of Laguna : This City is called Laguna from 
hence ; for that Word, in Spanijh , Signifies a Lake or Pond. 
The Plain is bounded on the Weft, the North-weft, and 
the South-weft, with high fteep Hills, as high above this 
Plain, as this is above the Sea ; and ’tis from the Foot of 
one of thefe Mountains that the Water of the Conduit, 
which Supplies the Town, is conveyed over the Plain in 
Troughs of Stone, raifed upon Pillars ; and indeed, con- 
sidering the Situation of the Town, its large Profpecft to 
the Eaft, (for from hence you fee the grand Canary ) its 
Gardens, cool Arbours, pleafant Plain, green Fields, the 
Pond and Aquedudt, and -its refrefhing Breezes, it is a 
very delightful Dwelling, efpecially for fuch as have not 
Bufinefs that calls them far and often from hence ; for, the 
Ifland being generally mountainous, fteep, and craggy, full 
of Riflings and Fallings, ’tis very troublefome travelling 
up and down in it, unlefs in the Cool of the Mornings and 
Evenings ; and Mules and Affes are moft ufed by them, 
both for Riding and Carriage, as fitteft for the ftony un- 
even Roads. Beyond the Mountains, on the South-weft 
Side ftill farther up, you may fee from the Town and Plain 
a fmall peeked Hill overlooking the reft ; this is that 
which is called the Pike of Teneriff, fo much noted for 
its Height ; but we faw it here at fo great a Disadvantage, 
by reafon of the Nearnefs of the adjacent Mountains to 
us, that it looked inconfiderable in refpedt to its Fame. 
The true Malmfey Wine is produced in this Ifland, and 
is efteemed the beft white Wine in the World. Here is 
alfo Canary Wine, and Verdona or green Wine. The 
Canary grows chiefly on the Weft Side of the Ifland, and 
therefore is commonly Sent to Oratavia , which, being the 
chief Sea-port for Trade in the Ifland, the principal Englifh 
Merchants refide there, with their Conful, becaufe we have 
a great Trade for this Wine. I was told, that that Town 
is bigger than Laguna ; that it has but one Church, but 
many Convents ; that the Port is but ordinary at beft, 
and is very bad when the North-weft Winds blow. Thefe 
North-weft Winds give notice of their coming, by a great 
Sea that tumbles in on the Shore for fome time before they 
come, and by a black Sky in the North-weft. Upon thefe 
Signs Ships either get up their Anchors, or flip their Ca- 
bles, and put to Sea, and ply off and on till the Weather 
is over : Sometimes they are forced to do fo two or three 
times before they can take in their Lading, which ’tis hard 
to do here in the faireft Weather ; and for frefh Water 
they fend, as I have faid, to Santa Cruz. Verdona is 
green, ftrong-bodied Wine, harfher and fharper than Ca- 
nary : ’Tis not fo much efteemed in Europe, but is exported 
to the Weft Indies, and will keep beft in hot Countries ; 
for which Reafon I touched here, to take in fome of it 
for my Voyage : This Sort of Wine is made chiefly on 
the Eaft Side of the Ifland, and fhipped off at Santa Cruz. 
4. We failed from Santa Cruz February 4. towards the 
Ifle of Mayo, one of the Cape Verd Iflands. The 9th, 
being in the Latitude of 15 0 4', we fleered away Weft 
North-weft for the faid Ifle, where we anchored the nth 
in the Road, which is the Leeward Part of the Ifle, in four- 
teen Fathom, clean Sand, and fmooth Water. The 
Ifle of May is roundifh, feven Leagues in Circuit, in 15 0 
North Latitude. On the Weft Side of it, where the Road 
for Ships is, there is a large fandy Bay, within which is a 
fpacious Salt Pond : Thole who come hither to lade Salt, 
take it up as it kerns, and lay it up in Fleaps. The Eng- 
lijh have a confiderable Trade here in Salt, which colls no- 
thing but the Labour to take it out, and wheeling it from 
the Pond ; and the Carriage thence to the j Crape Boat , as 
the Seamen call it, (by which it is conveyed aboard the Ships) 
2 G being 
