1776..
■Äjjguft.:
was uninterrupted; at prefent, they think not above half
the quantity. The corn they raife is, in general, infuffi-
eient to maintain the inhabitants; but the deficiency ufed
to be fupplied by importation from the North Americans,
who took their wines in return.
They make a little filk; but unlefs-we reckon the filter-
ing-ftones, brought in great numbers from Grand Canary,
the wine is the only confiderable article of the foreign commerce
of Teneriffe.
None of the race of inhabitants found here when the Spaniards
difcovered the Canaries now remain a diftinit people
*, having intermarried with- the Spaniih fettlers ; b u t;
their defcendants are known, from their being remarkably
tall, large-boned, and ftrong. The men are, in general, of;
a tawny colour, and the women have a pale complexion,
entirely deftitute o f that bloom which diftinguilhes our
Northern beauties. The Spaniih cuitom of wearing black
clothes continues amongft them.-, but the men feem'more.
indifferent about this, and, in fome meafure, drefs like the:
French. In other refpedts, we found the inhabitants of:
Teneriffe to be a decent and very civil people, retaining that ?
grave call; which diftinguiihes thofe o f their country from
other European nations. Although we do not think that
there is a great fimilarity between our manners and thofe o f
the Spaniards, it is worth obferving, that Omai did non
think there was much difference. He only iaid, that they,
feemed not io friendly as the Engliih; and that, in their,
perfons, they approached thofe of his countrymen..”
* It was other,wife in Glas’s time,, when a few families o f the Guanch'es ( as they are
salled) remained ftill in Teneriife, not blended with the Spaniards. Glas, p. 240.
*
CHAP. HI.
Departure from Teneriffe.— Danger o f the S h ip near Ba-
n a v fla Iß e o f Mayo.— P o rt Praya.— Precautions:
againfi the Rain and fu ltr y W eather in the Neighbourhood
o f the Equator.— Pofition o f the G oa f o f B r a z il.__
M r r iv a l a t the Cape o f Good Hope.— Tranfa&ions there.
— JunElion o f the D ifcovery.— M r . Anderfon s Journey-,
up the Country.— Aftronomical Obfervations.— N a u tica l
Remarks on the Paffage from England to the Cape, with ■
regard to the Currents and the Variation.
T J avjNG completed our water, and got on board every
X X other thing we wanted at Teneriffe, we weighed an- Ausuft-
ehor on the 4th o f Auguft, and proceeded on our voyage;
with a fine gale at North Eaft.
At nine o’clock in the evening on the 10th * we faw the Saturday ,c
xfland of Bonavifta bearing South, diftant little more than a
lfeague; though, at this time, we thought ourfelves much
farther off; but this proved a miftake. For, after hauling
to the Eaftward till twelve o’clock, to clear the funken rocks
that lie about a league from the South Eaft point o f the
ifland, we found ourfelves, at that time, clofe upon them,
f t - A^-3 pr0ofof CaPt»'n Cook’s attention, .both to the.difciplme and to the.health?
of his lhip’s company, it may be worth while to obferve here, that It appears from his '
log-book, he c etc,fed t/iem at great guns and ¡mail arms, and cleared andfmoked the M i,,
below decks, twice, in the interval between the 4th and the 1 oth.of Auguft*
and