CHA P. X. CANARIES. fcarcity, the very evil thefe reftrictions are intended to 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- 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 Ifland. It's produce is much the fame with that of the other islands; but it yields much more fugar Produce. than any one of them. Palma abounds fo much with fruits, that the inhabitants, not being able to consume them, and having also plenty of fugar, preferve great quantities as sweetmeats 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 mafts; 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 ferious want, neither of them have almost any other than rain-water, which is preserved in tanks, or cifterns, as in the West Indian island of Antigua. But they have plentiful rains, and excellent herbage, especially in the fpring and fummer; 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 asses, which form no despicable 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*. the rocks*. This weed is well known to dyers, for Orchella. giving * 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; alfo 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 says, 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 discovered it in the Ifland of Guernsey. (Dickfon's Fafcic. 3. 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 Westgotha Resor) where the process is described; also 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. Westring, 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 discoveries. See his Memoirs in the Acts of the Roy. Acad. of Sc. at Stockholm for 1791, p. 113, 293, where he fays, 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 firft 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 exclufive privilege for exporting this article. How far fuch privileges are confiftent with the public good, fee § 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 giving a colour, thought by fome to be the Gertulian purple of the ancients.—It is remarable that till within the last fixty years, Lancerota produced no vines: but a volcano which then broke out, covering a confiderable extent of ground with duft and pumice stones, so improved it that it has ever fince yielded grapes of which a wholesome wine is made. But it is inferior both in quantity and quality to the wine of Fuerteventura. CHA P. X. CANARIES. than Euro pean. 259. The two islands export to the reft of the Cana- Exports. ries, wheat, barley, Indian corn, cattle, cheese, fowls, goatfkins, Orchella, falt and falt-fish. Their wheat fells for one Wheat better fifth more than any European wheat. Formerly they exported camels to Jamaica, but that trade was prohibited.The largest town in thefe islands contains not above 200 houses; and the population exceeds not 10,000 in Fuerte. ventura, and 8000 in Lancerota. might be al most independent of the rest of the world. 260. A fmall mountainous island, not above 17 leagues in Gomera. circumference. It is bleffed with excellent air and water, corn fufficient for it's inhabitants, with every other neceffa ry, and many of the luxuries, of life, in fuch plenty that, if the colonists were encouraged to manufacture their own wool and filk, they might live almost independent on the rest of mankind. For their ifland alfo furnishes every material for building, except iron, the only article they would find it neceffary to import. In addition to the animals common to the other islands, Gomera has plenty of deer, and produces more mules than any of them. But it is also the only one in which there are any snakes, which are, howruption are removed, and the prefent administration seems seriously intent on the encouragement of agriculture, and the real and lafting interefts of the nation.-I acknowledge that as things now ftand in Europe, monopolies may, in certain cafes, be unavoidable. In all cafes, however, they fhould be retained in the hands of the government, who have, or ought to have, the fame interefts with the nation. CHAP. CANARIES. Hierro or General obfervations, ries. Climate. Soi!. ever, quite harmless.-In Gomera are reckoned 7000 inha tants. 261. Ferro is about 15 leagues in circumference. It abounds with flowers, from which incredible numbers of bees extract great quantities of honey. But the wine is fo poor, that the inhabitants are obliged to make brandy of the most of it. Water is extremely scarce; but instinct has taught the sheep and goats, as well as the hogs, to dig up fern-roots to quench their thirst. The inhabitants are fuppofed not to exceed 1000.-Geographers very often reckon the longitude from the meridian of Ferro. 262. The principal differences in the climates of these on the Cana- islands, arise from their different elevations above the sea. For eight months in the year, the summits of them all, except Lancerota and Fuerteventura, are covered with fnow. Yet, in their vallies and fhores, the cold is feldom fo great as to render fires necessary.-A very great proportion of the furfaces of all the Canaries is covered with lava, calcined stones, and black duft or ashes, formerly emitted by volcanoes, the remains of which are still very visible in all the islands, and some of them, among which is the Pike of Tenerife, are not yet extinguished. Population. 263. The present inhabitants of these islands, who amount to near 200,000, are descended from a mixture of the Spanish conquerors and the aborigines, on whom the government of that period conferred equal privileges. In confeHumane pe- quence of this wife and humane policy, the Spaniards eafily incorporated with the natives; so that their posterity have long formed but one people *. Hence more good licy of Spain. foldiers "How the Spaniards," (fays Mr. Glas, p. 344.) " came foon after, in America to act in a quite contrary manner, is hard to conceive. Yet the Dutch, French and .X. foldiers and failors may be raised in the Canaries, than in CHA P. any other Spanish colonies, containing thrice their numbers. CANARIES. the Canari ans. 264. The prefent inhabitants of the Canaries are ftrong Character of and well made, but more swarthy than the natives of Spain. The common people wear coarse woollen cloths, of their own manufacture, except on holidays, when they appear in coarse English broad cloth. The gentry, though few of them are rich, are rather proud, but polite and hospitable. Some of them are tolerably well educated and informed. The Canarians are blind to the impositions of their priests and lawyers; but they are extremely averse to war, because they plainly fee, it ruins their commerce. In the war which ended in 1763, they ftrenuously endeavoured to procure a and English, far from following the good example of the Spaniards, in the Cana- Blinded by priests and lawyers, but averfe to war. |