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X.

CHA P. modern European nation; and that too at a time when they were actuated by a spirit of enterprize which perhaps has never been exceeded in any people. Their power

British pro

grefs in Afri

ca might ex

ceed Portuguefe.

CANARY

ISLANDS*.

has, indeed, undergone a great, but gradual, declenfion, especially on the continent of the East of Africa. Yet fuch remains of it are still visible that a respectable modern writer fcruples not to say, that they still poffefs more valuable territory in Africa, and have brought more of the natives to live in the European manner, than all Christendom besides. Hence he concludes, that other nations, and the British in particular, who can furnish Africa with manufactures of their own, might make at least as great advances in the inland trade of that continent, as the Portuguese, under the disadvantage of purchasing most of the goods they carry to it, from other nations. "But this," he obferves, "depends on quite other meafures than what have ever yet been taken."

SPANISH.

251. The Canary Islands, as well as thofe of Madeira and Cape Verd, were known to the ancients. But their accounts of them are indistinct and confused; for they appear to have confounded many islands together, under the general name of the fortunate islands. The Canaries were first known to the Europeans, in the middle ages, between the years 1326 and 1334, by means of a French ship driven among them by ftrefs of weather. In 1403, they were granted by Henry III. King of Caftile, to John de Betancour, a Frenchman.-The fubfequent conqueft of them by

*This sketch is an abridgement from Glas's Hiftory of the Canary Islands, London 1764.

the

the Spaniards, as well as their civil history fince, are foreign CHA P. to our purpose.

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X. CANARIES.

252. Of the Canary Islands, which are feven in number, Tenerife is the moft confiderable. It is about 36 leagues Tenerife. in circumference. The latitude of it's centre is 28° 30' N. longitude 16° 25′ W. from London.

253. From the varieties of it's foil, climate and exposure, Productions. all the valuable vegetable productions, of temperate and tropical countries, thrive in it.-It's animals are camels, horses, affes, mules, cows, fheep, goats, hogs, rabbets, fowls, geefe, ducks, &c.-The island rifes on all fides towards the Pike, in it's centre, like a hanging garden, till within a Pike. league of the clouds, which are not above mid-way up the Pike. But there are no houses any where above three leagues from the sea. The first league from the shore produces vines, the next corn, the third woods of chefnut trees, &c. interfperfed with some corn. Beyond these woods, are the clouds which, in fine weather, come down in the evening, and rest on the woods till morning, when they retire about a league. Where the clouds reft in the day, there are many pine-trees, beyond which grows no grass or vegetable, except a fhrub called retama. The Pike itself is, properly speaking, a volcanic mountain, of a conical form, fituated on the summit of a very high Ifland. It is visible in approaching it 40 leagues, and in departing from it 50*.

254. Sainta Cruz, the chief town of Tenerife, may be Towns, reckoned the capital of all thefe Iflands; for, though the courts, &c. epifcopal fee and the fupreme courts of judicature are at Palmas, in Gran Canaria, the Governor General of all the

* The height of the Pike above the fea, according to Dr. Heberden, is 15,396 fect; according to M. Borda, 12,340 feet.

Canaries,

X.

CANARIES.

manufac

CHA P. Canaries, refides at Santa Cruz,which is the centre of the trade of these Islands with Europe and America, and contains about 7000 inhabitants. Befides Santa Cruz, there are in Tenerife feveral other confiderable towns and villages; for that small part of the country which is inhabited at all, is extremely Population, populous, the island being computed to contain no less than 96,000 fouls. In the large village of Ico, there is a filk manufacture, especially of stockings, which are sent to the Spanish West Indies.-From the whole Ifland, 15,000 pipes of wine and brandy are annually exported.-The Count of Gomera has about 1000 negro flaves employed in Tenerife, in making fugar; which, however, he does not find a profitable business. There are very few other negro flaves in Tenerife, and still fewer in the reft of the islands.

tures, wine, fugar.

Gran Cana

ria.

Locufts.

255. This island is about fourteen leagues in length and nine in breath; and, for the excellence of it's air, water and productions, weil deserves the name of the fortunate ifland. But this must be understood with an exception, for the S. E. wind, which is hot and ftifling, and comes fraught with clouds of locufts that deftroy every thing green. This calamity, however, happens but feldom, and does not last long; for the earth foon recovers it's verdure. Gran Canaria is well watered, and almost any thing planted in it will Proportion of thrive. Though it be fo mountainous, that not above one arable land. feventh of it's furface is fit for cultivation, it contains more arable land than Tenerife, Palma, Gomera or Ferro.

Wine.

256. Much fugar was formerly made in Gran Canaria; but fugar-canes have been abandoned for vines, which are found to be more profitable. The Canary wine is good; but not equal to that of Tenerife. The prohibition of exporting provisions from this ifland, and fixing a price on them, is a great check to it's industry, and tends to produce

fcarcity,

CHAP.

X.

CANARIES.

scarcity, the evil these restrictions are intended to very prevent. Palmas, the capital of Canaria, is a well built town, containing about 6000 inhabitants. The population of the island is estimated at 40,000, an uncommonly great propor- Po Population. tion of whom live to extreme old age.

257. Palma is about 8 leagues in length, and 6 in breadth. Palma. It is very mountainous, and, except the Pike, placed, as it were, on the top of Tenerife, there is higher land in Palma than in that Island. It's produce is much the same with that of the other islands; but it yields much more sugar Produce. than any one of them. Palma abounds so much with fruits, that the inhabitants, not being able to consume them, and having also plenty of fugar, preserve great quantities as fweetmeats which they export.-When corn is scarce, they make bread of the roots of a species of fern, which, Mr. Fern bread. Glas fays, is not much inferior to wheat bread.—Among the mountains of Palma are pines fit for masts; but the difficult conveyance of them to the fhore, renders them too dear, though the labour itself be cheap.-The island contains about 30,000 inhabitants.

ants.

Fuerteventu

ra.

258. Lancerota is 5 leagues long and 3 broad. The lati- Lancerota and tude of it's centre 29° 8' N.-Fuerteventura is 27 leagues in length, and 5 in breadth. The air of both these islands is excellent, as is proved by the longevity of their inhabitBoth of them are almost destitute of trees, owing to the violence of the N. & N. E. winds. And, what is a more serious want, neither of them have almost any other than rain-water, which is preferved in tanks, or cifterns, as in the Weft Indian ifland of Antigua. But they have plentiful rains, and excellent herbage, especially in the fpring and summer; but it is fometimes fcorched by the autumnal heats, when the cattle, which had before been fat, lose their

flesh.

X.

CANARIES.

Produce.

CHA P. flesh. These islands produce wheat, barley and Indian corn, not only fufficient for their own inhabitants, but to afford a very great fupply to Tenerife and Palma. The foil is light, and is ploughed by a camel and two affes, which form no defpicable team; for the affes are uncommonly large, and formerly ran wild, in fuch numbers in Fuerteventura, and became fo troublesome, that the inhabitants were obliged, at one time, to destroy 1500 of them.-On the fhores of both iflands, abundance of Orchella grows among the rocks*. This weed is well known to dyers, for giving

Orchella.

* Orchella-Lichen Roccella (Linn. Sp. plant. ed. 2. p. 1622, No. 71.) Muller fays that the dye of Orchella, is prepared by the urine of men and foda, and that women's urine deftroys it's effect; also that the colour is not durable in the air or the fun. (Linn. Nat. Syft. nach Houttuynifchen werk Vol. XIII. Part 2. p. 528.)M. Hellot fays, that 20,500 quintals of it are annually exported from the Canaries. (L'Art de la Teinture des Laines, Paris 1750.)-It was fold as high as 700 guineas per ton, during the American war, but is now about £170 per ton.—Dr. Goffelin has lately difcovered it in the Ifland of Guernfey. (Dickfon's Fafcic. g. Plant. Cryptogam. Britann. 1793.)—Another species, the Lichen Tartareus (Linn. Sp. plant. ed. 2. p. 1608. No. 14.) has been long used in Sweden, and in Scotland, for dying red, in a domeftic way, (See Linn. & Kalm's Weftgotha Refor) where the process is described; alfo Sowerbys Engl. Bot. p. 156. where he says, that the Lich. Tart. is prepared with vol. alk. and allum, and communicates a purple colour to wool, but not to vegetables.-J. P. Weftring, M. D. has made experiments for dying different colours, with a variety of Swedish Lichens. The ability and industry of this learned gentleman promise many valuable difcoveries. See his Memoirs in the Acts of the Roy. Acad. of Sc. at Stockholm for 1791, p. 113, 293, where he says, that from 8 to 900 Skd. or about 128 tons of Lich. Tart. has been yearly exported from Sweden fince the year 1770; but this appears too much for the first 10 years. It's price has varied from 15 to £30 per Ton, and is now £24.

In 1785, an eminent merchant of Gothenburg, having fmoothed his way, by means of his MERCANTILE influence, obtained an exclusive privilege for exporting this article. How far fuch privileges are confiftent with the public good, see § 116 et feq. Qu. XXV § 142, and § 165.—But praise to Heaven, a liberal and patriotic government has fince taken place in Sweden. The inftruments of cor

ruption

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