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X.

CANARIES.

giving a colour, thought by fome to be the Gertulian CHA P. ple 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, fo 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.

than Euro

pean.

259. The two iflands export to the reft of the Cana- Exports. ries, wheat, barley, Indian corn, cattle, cheefe, fowls, goatfkins, Orchella, falt and falt-fifh. 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 largeft town in these islands contains not above 200 houfes; and the population exceeds not 10,000 in Fuerteventura, and 8000 in Lancerota.

most inde

pendent of

the world.

260. A small 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 neceffary, 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 might be alreft of mankind. For their ifland also furnishes every material for building, except iron, the only article they would the reft of find it necessary 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 adminiftration feems seriously intent on the encouragement of agriculture, and the real and lasting 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.

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CANARIES.

Hierro or
Ferro.

General obfervations,

ries.

Climate.

Soi!.

quite harmless.—In Gomera are reckoned 7000 inha

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 fcarce; but inftinct has taught the sheep and goats, as well as the hogs, to dig up fern-roots to quench their thirst. The inhabitants are supposed 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- iflands, arise from their different elevations above the sea. For eight months in the year, the fummits 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 neceffary.-A very great proportion of the furfaces of all the Canaries is covered with lava, calcined ftones, and black duft or ashes, formerly emitted by volcanoes, the remains of which are still very visible in all the iflands, 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 cafily incorporated with the natives; fo that their pofterity have long formed but one people *. Hence more. good foldiers

licy of Spain.

came foon after, in Ame

* "How the Spaniards," (fays Mr. Glas, p. 344.) rica to act in a quite contrary manner, is hard to conceive. Yet the Dutch, French

and

foldiers and failors may be raised in the Canaries, than in CHA P. any other Spanish colonies, containing thrice their numbers.

.X.

CANARIES.

the Canari

ans.

264. The present 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 Canaries, have erected, in the fugar islands in the Weft Indies, the most abfurd and barbarous governments that ever exifled in any part of the globe, and which are by many degrees worse than the Spanish governments in America." ("There are but few negro or other flaves in the Canaries; but, if a mafter treat one of them with injustice or cruelty, the flave may oblige him to fell him immediately. The fame law, if I am not miftaken, takes place in the Spanish Weft Indies," p. 353. Mr. Glas, was not mistaken; for this and feveral other excellent and efficient regulations respecting slaves have since been proved to obtain, in the Spanish West Indies. See the Report of the British Privy Council, part VI. article " Spain.")" What improvement or obedience," continues our author, " can be expected in a country where all the labouring people are flaves, and have no other principle to excite them to obedience and industry but the fear of punishment? which, after all, has never yet brought their labour to any degree of equality with that of free indigent people, who have the fole difpofal of the fruits of their labour."—I should rejoice in being able to repel Mr. Glas's charge of cruelty against the fugar planters. But I have the best reasons to believe, it is but too well founded. I must add, however, that the humanity of the French to their flaves (notwithstanding their boafted code noir) does not much exceed that of the English, and that the Dutch are still more brutally cruel than either. The Spaniards, Portuguese and Danes are undoubtedly the best masters of flaves.

Blinded by

priests and

lawyers, but

averfe to war.

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CHA P. neutrality for their islands.-The intercourse between the

X. fexes, before marriage, is much reftrained. Hence their

Religion.

Yet

CANARIES. love is romantic, and their matches are disinterested. Marriages. they form more unhappy ones than in countries where the parties are better acquainted, previous to their union.Their ideas of religion are so narrow, that it is extremely uncomfortable for any but catholics to live among them, except in Tenerife, where there are indeed a few protestant merchants; but the trade with proteftant countries is chiefly carried on by Irish merchants of the catholic communion. The bishop refides in Gran Canaria, and has an anInquifition. nual income of about £6000 fterling. In each island is an office of the inquisition who, till very lately, exercised their power, and sometimes very much abused it, independently on the civil magistrates.

Difcafes.

Commerce.

265. The most prevalent diseases are the spotted fever, the palsy, and the flatos, a windy disorder, affecting the stomach, bowels and head. There are also a few lepers. All the Canarians are very much subject to the itch: "The cause of which," fays Mr. Glas, p. 204, "I know not. But it is certain, that people who dwell in countries remarkable for the purity of the air, are more fubject to the itch than those who live in places where the air is moist and damp."

266. The Canary Islands import from Great Britain, woollens of various kinds, hats, hard-ware, pilchards, herrings, wheat, when scarce, &c.-From Ireland, beef, pork, butter, candles and herrings.-From North America, boards, staves, beef, pork, hams, rice and wheat, in times of fcarcity. From Biscay, bar-iron.-From Holland and Hamburgh, linen of all forts, cordage, gun-powder, flax, &c.-From Malta, cotton manufactures; but from every

other

1

other place, cottons are subject to a duty amounting to a CHA P.

X.

prohibition. The Maltese are excepted, because they CANARIES.

tures.

maintain a perpetual war with the Turks and Moors.-The exports have been already mentioned.-The manufactures Manufacof these islands are taffeties, knit filk hose, filk garters, quilts and bed covers.-In Gran Canaria and Tenerife, they make coarse linens and gauze of Dutch flax. White blankets and coarse cloths are fabricated in Gran Canaria, from the wool of that Island. A very coarse cloth is also made, from native wool, in the other iflands. In order to encourage the filk manufacture in the Canaries, the exportation of their own raw filk is prohibited.

267. The king's revenue consists of (1) The royal third of Revenue. the church tithes.-(2) The monopoly of tobacco and snuff.

(3) Annual acknowledgement of the nobility for their titles.-(4) A duty of seven per cent. on imports and exports.-(5) Duty on the West Indian commerce of the Canaries.-The annual revenue of all the Islands, after paying the expences of collection and of the internal government, brings into the treasury of Madrid about £50,000 fterling.

268. It may be remarked that this fum exceeds the clear revenue which ever came into the treasury of Great Britain, from all her American and West Indian colonies, in the infinite ratio of fomething to nothing. For I do not know that Great Britain ever received any revenue from either of them, except the 4 per cent. duty on fugar, and some other enumerated articles, granted by Barbadoes and the Leeward Iflands to King Charles II. a tax which now very much oppresses those poor, old colonies, while the Ceded Islands and the opulent colony of Jamaica, pay no such tax. I need not tell the intelligent reader, that all the British taxes on fugar, &c. like thofe on wine, tea and other fo

reign

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