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CHA P. reas.-3. Pano da ley, all cotton, about 1000 reas.-4. Pano de fio de laa, cotton and worsted, 4 to 5000 reas.-5. Pano de retros, cotton and filk, 6 to 12,000 reas.-6. Pano de veftir, 3000 reas.

ST. THO

MAS.

Cinnamon.

245. The island of St. Thomas (called by the negroes on the coaft Poncas) was discovered by the Portuguese, in 1465, first fettled by them in 1467, and here they have raised a colony which is, or was, very flourishing. It's fituation (under the line, and in about 27° of longitude East from Ferro) appeared to the Dutch fo commodious for the trade of the neighbouring coafts, that they took it in 1610, and again 1641; but it was both times retaken by the Portuguese, who foon repaired the almost incalculable damage their enemies did on abandoning it.

246. The chief products are sugar and ginger*. Of

* I do not know that the products of any one of the countries, which I have found it neceffary to sketch, have ever been explored and diftinctly enumerated. That they have not, would appear from the new difcoveries always made, even in the most frequented parts of Africa, when naturalifts happen to vifit them. Of this we have an inftance, in the following extract from the evidence of A. P. How, Efq. who was in Africa, in 1785 and 1786, in the Grampus fhip of war, employed as a botanist, by the British government.-" The witness has feen cinnamon trees at St. Thomas, at the fea fide, about 20 feet high; and, from what he heard, they grew inland to a higher fize. From the bark brought down, he concludes there must be a great quantity inland. The cinnamon and caffia trees are of different genera; the one belonging to the Laurus, the other the Caffia; but their genera are not quite eftablished. The leaf of the laurus is oblong, nerved, shining, fimple. Of the caffia, the leaves are bipennate, not unlike the mimofa or fenfitive plant. The witness is not pofitive that it is the fame cinnamon which grows in India; but the bark, leaves and whole structure of the tree are the fame as those brought from thence to Kew gardens. He has never been at Ceylon; but has seen the tree, both at Bombay and Cambay, in private gardens, brought as prefents from Ceylon.. The African caffia is not unlike that which has been feen in the Eaft Indies."-See Minutes of Evidence before the Houfe of Commons, 1790, p. 226.

brown

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ST. THO-
MAS.

brown fugar, the common crop is from 6 to 7co charges, of CHA P. which near 100,000 roves, each 32 Portuguese pounds, are annually sent to Portugal. The other products and manufactures of St. Thomas, are different kinds of cotton stuffs, proper for the Portuguese trade on the coaft, fruits, particularly that called cola, a nut, in taste like a chefnut, which is advantageously bartered in Angola and Congo, whence it is sent to a great distance inland. Indian corn, millet, caffada, figs, bananas and other tropical produce, grow here in plenty. The fheep and goats are excellent; but the beef is fmaller, and not near so fat, as in Europe.

247. The Portuguese carry to St. Thomas, linens, cam- Imports. blets, ferges, brandy, wine, olives, olive-oil, capers, fine flour, butter, cheese, salt, hatchets, bills, copper-kettles and plates, fugar-moulds, pitch, tar and cordage.

ISLAND,

Po, ASCEN

248. Of the three firft, the Portuguese make fo little ufe PRINCE'S as fcarcely to claim an exclufive property in them. Ships of FERNANDO all nations occasionally touch at them for wood and water, SION AND and to catch turtles. But at Annabona, the Portuguese ANNABONA trade in cotton, which they gather there in confiderable quantities. They also raise hogs, goats, poultry, and fruits.

colonies.

249. Except Afcenfion, which is covered with fand and Eligible for rocks, all these islands offer to Portugal an excellent op portunity of imitating the liberal and humane example of colonization in Africa, which has lately diftinguished Great Britain and Denmark.

General re

flections on

the Portu

250. The Portuguese had the advantage of trading to, and establishing themselves in, Africa, earlier than any other guefe fettle

U 2

ments in

modern Africa.

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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 Portu

guefe.

CANARY
ISLANDS *.

has, indeed, undergone a great, but gradual, declension,
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 ftill poffefs more valua-
ble territory in Africa, and have brought more of the na-
tives to live in the European manner, than all Christendom
befides. Hence he concludes, that other nations, and the
British in particular, who can furnish Africa with manu-
factures 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 ob-
ferves, 66
Idepends 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 indiftinct and confused; for they appear to have confounded many iflands 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

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

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 expofure, Productions. all the valuable vegetable productions, of temperate and tropical countries, thrive in it. It's animals are camels, horses, affes, mules, cows, sheep, 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 fea. The firft league from the shore produces vines, the next corn, the third woods of chefnut trees, &c. interspersed 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 grafs or vegetable, except a fhrub called retama. The Pike itself is, properly speaking, a volcanic mountain, of a conical form, fituated on the fummit of a very high Island. 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 these Islands; 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,

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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 Island, 15,000 pipes of wine and brandy are annually exported.-The Count of Gomera has about 1000 negro flaves employed in Tenerife, in making sugar; 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, well deserves the name of the fortunate island. 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 seldom, 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 island, and fixing a price on them, is a great check to it's industry, and tends to produce

scarcity,

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