fometimes large torrents rufli down. -At this rime thefe
troughs were repairing, fo that frelh water, which is very-
good here, was fcarce.
Were we to judge from the appearance of the country in
the neighbourhood of Santa Cruz, it might be concluded
that Teneriffe is a barren fpot, infufficient to maintain even
its own inhabitants. The ample fupplies, however, which
we received, convinced us that they had enough to fpare
for vifitors. Befides wine, which is the chief produce of the
ifland, beef may be had at a moderate price. The oxen are
fmall and boney, and weigh about ninety pounds a quarter.
The meat is but lean, and was, at prefent, fold for
half a bit (three pence fterling) a pound, jg unadvifedly,
bought the bullocks alive, and paid confiderably more.
Hogs, fheep, goats and poultry, are likewife to be bought
at the fame moderate.rate; and fruits are in great plenty;
At this time we had grapes, figs, pears,-mulberries, plantains,
and muik melons. Thjere is a variety of other fruits
produced here, though not in feafon at this time. Their
pumpkins, onions, and potatoes, are exceedingly good of
their kind, and keep better at fea than any I ever before
met with.
The Indian corn, which is alfo their produce, coft me
about three ihillings and fixpence a buihel; and the fruits
and roots were, in general, very cheap. They have not any
plentiful fupply of fifti from the adjoining fea; but a very
confiderable fiihery is carried on by their veffels upon the
coaft of Barbary ; and the produce of it fells at a reafonable
price. Upon the whole, I found Teneriffe to be a more
eligible place than Madeira, for fhips bound on long voyages
to touch at ; though the wine of the latter, according to my
tafle,
tafle, is as much fuperior to that o f the former, as ftrong «Éfc
beer is to fmall. To compenfate for this, the difference o f ■ Augl“t'
prices is confiderable; for the beft Teneriffe wine was now
iold for twelve pounds a pipe; whereas a pipe o f the beft
Madeira would have coft confiderably more than double .
that fum *.
The Chevalier de Borda, Commander o f the French frigate
now lying in Santa Cruz road, was employed, in con-’
junftion with Mr. Varila, a Spaniih Gentleman, in making
aftronomical obfervations for afcertaining the going of two
time-keepers which they had on board their ihip. For this
purpofe, they had a tent pitched on the pier head, where
y ma e t eir obfervations, and compared their watches IB ■ I n°on> with the clock on ihore, by lignais!
to us Chevalier ve,T obligingly communicated
hue L r C°Uld COmpare our watch B the fame
kindnef! WaS t0° M t0 Profit ™ c h by his
The three days companions which we made, affured us
j a t the watch had not materially, i f at all, altered her rate
, of going; and gave us the fame longitude, within a very
few féconds, that was obtained by finding the time from
Obiervauons of the finds altitude from the horizon of the
the ,ft t Wat, ? ’ ° m a meari of thefe obfervations, on
e ift, ad, and 3d of Auguft, made the longitude 16° 31'
ÿÊlStSfeSÎ? a t ,T e n e rif fe a *4<,uant^ o fC a n a r y £ wh ich
Malvefià a r l f t 1 ' « £ g t f g S t f f i g & g 8 S n am e M r im f c (from 1
and ftill late r m u ch § Î # S I É famous (o r fuch lufcious w in e ). In th e Iaft c en tu ry ,
th ere , b u t o f ’th e fo rt def ' h T h T in<0 ! b u t Iittle win e is n ow made
tich Can a ry vras É É 1 C ° ° k ’ S * P i p - o f the