44 
SANTA CRUZ. 
proceeded on their voyage to Teneriffe, where we arrived 
on the 27 th, in the evening. 
There was of course a general landing as soon as 
the visit of the ' Health Boat' allowed communication. 
The various novelties in the island being of great 
intei'est, and as our time was but short, all were anxious 
to profit by it. We took in coals, verified again the 
rates of the chronometers, made magnetical observations, 
&c. ; while those who were not engaged in the imme- 
diate duties of the ship, eagerly commenced researches 
in their favourite pursuits. 
The town of Santa Cruz, like most of the Spanish 
settlements, has a very clean and regular appearance, 
being built in squares or quadras, the houses neatly 
painted with light yellow, or whitewashed, the external 
raised work of the verandahs being for the most part 
green. 
The town extends in a direction from east to west, 
and looks well from the shipping. The landing at the 
Mole is sometimes attended with difficulty ; and on 
most occasions, persons must expect to be more or less 
wet with the surf which eddies round the point. 
The stranger no sooner puts his foot on shore, than 
he is surrounded by a crowd of idle striplings, who are 
ever officiously ready to proffer themselves as guides to 
the hotel, or to procure horses, &c. It is vain to select 
one ; the crowd follows and thickens, to his great dis- 
comfiture, and amid a running fire of Spanish juvenile 
wit, he gladly takes shelter at the English Hotel. Here 
