50 
THE PEAK OF TENERIFFE. 
ndge to tlie bottom, about two hundred feet, formii’S ^ 
easy and gradual descent. _ . . _ ^ 
Tlie view from the summit is stupendous : we 
plainly discover the whole form ot the island, and we rO ^ 
■ ’■ ■■ ■' ■' or four of the islands, which, coU*' 
out distinctly three m luui uic laitmus, — . 
tively, are called the Canaries ; we could not, however, ^ 
Lancerotle or Fuerteventura, though we were told 
other travellers had distinguished them all. 
From this spot, the central chain of mountams that ^ 
from south-west to north-east, is easily to be distinguia 
These, with the succession of fertile and woody vaU‘ 
commencing from San Ursula, and ending at Las Hoi ^ 
with the long line of precipitous lava rocks that lay on 
right of our ascent, and which traverse tliat part ot 
island running from east to west, from tlieir point 
parturc at the Canales to where they end in an - 
headland on the coast, witlr tlieir forests, and villages, ^ 
vineyards, tlie port witli tlie shipping fo tlie roads, 
towns of Orotava with their spires glitveruig as the n’*’ , 
them, afford a cheerful contrast 
iK 
sulphurated rock on which we 
sensation of extreme height was 
ing sun burst upon — , - -- 
tlie streams of lava, the mounds of ash and pumice, nijd^ 
had taken our seat. L 
fact one of *tlie it^j 
extraordinar}' I ever'fclt j and though I did not frnd 
pain in my chest, arising from the rarity of the atmosph' , 
near so acute as on the mountains of Switzerland, jj 
there was a keenness in the air, independent of the 
that created no small uneasiness in the lungs. The respj*^ 
tion became short and quick, and repeated h.alts 
found neces.sary. The idea also of extreme height j 
me more determinate and precise than on the mounp>JL 
Switzerland; and though the immediate objects ft 
wore not so numerous, )'Ct as the ascent is more 
declivity sharperj and there is here no mountain like i > 
Blanc towering above you, the 12,000 feet above * j 
of the sea appeared con.slderably more tlian a similar 
tion above the lake of Geneva. We rem.ained at the * 
mi t about three (prarters of an hour, our ascent 
us a labour of four hours. 
cosi 
ten 
as we left the Estant-' t 
minutes before three, and reached the top of the^ ^ (( 
before seven. Our thermometer, which was graduaj*^^ 
tJV'i'Jl t. 3 V » VI 1 • V' 7 ^ 'll 11 ^ 
the scale of Fahrenheit, was. during our ascent, as 
