94 EMBASSY TO CHINA.
Teneriffe. object bf comparisbn in their mihds;• T^eydbubd thd
walks in d rides ,x in the neighbourhood tsfl Santi Cl»^,
more' leyel I arid agreeable; they seemed to - breathe a
h^hter,; purer, air than usual, and>Mt- M a
fortunate island!;« Of these - Sselingl; them could
more liwely instance than in the concurring^e^pbe^sihdl
o&®eg®et, which fell from every-mouth? That Mr. Wfestj
in whose recovery every u s e took interest, had nmifcAme
on, to take the benefit of a tlimdte- ^iifemingly sh^eribr
to that i©f Madeira where he staid.
•Mr* Hickey?“ ascended >tohb^®&^yi;mfeantains to the
“ northward of the town, in hope of getting an advan-
tageous view of the Peak, hut Was pi4-VdnJted ;by the
“ clouds with'which it was-whcaiy ^enveloped.J~The
“ rocks upon those hills appearfed m beiVOteaAie; and
“ among them a variety of natural caV^s-Woi-eh formed-,
“ which serve for places of f®ccasrorM‘^est| and ]shilter>
“ to the labouring people in thn aeat^hloS cuMvatinni.
“ The cultured« carried up to the^tt^SkO# these Anoint
t tains, the soil being supported^ in
‘- by walls' of- heaps of stone. A peasant, whom Mr.
“ Hick ey met, with a fowling-piece ill his hand, and
“ with whom he Unversed in Spanish, ittfermed Mmj
“ that the produce Of these mountains was corn, beans,
“ and a grass whith served as'fodder for the cattle,^ At
*s -this: season nothing' remained^ e&cepb dry fwubfeltf* In
“ the adjacent hills, some very singular combinations
EMBASSY H W H 95
f‘ appiired vof! craggy. .heaps' and .cliffs, and, below, a Tenerife.
‘é A yamstysPf w ild odoriferous
“ herbs 5ÊÉÈÊ seafcfeid tiroiund;; and some,»-of a powerful
ojfenda&rbiddjngttsmeffiii La Figuer&'de India, called
ttuoramonly id Kmfgtkh the »prickly! Jpear tree, bears
valuable fruit, n o ;ai|dfe'#hlt'Qhei plucked
‘Mo^#ateBa But^bn i^htógfegï^iasant, already raten-:
!thec-dilii9yi4yrbp meang'jpf a tuft
“ gfil#skivxffh 'which, he enveloped» fcet fruit,' to- guard
“ bishng4S%^t@ra, tfeoiprioklês iwifchf which it was c q -?
‘ ‘ jfsos^dff and, cutting t^iü<È4&utty ?away the .rind, laid
\-fspen the pulp, .which Was very agreeable' to the taste,
I ‘ upipng-yi^gjflavour of thèt fig J the winter burgundy
^hpegr^and the: yjater melon. _ The peasant^pn thé
1 ‘ ^^*|ï4Uiitff«#sif#r^t^utt'5ymentiónéd as i; »eeeived opb
“ nion, that the rilllnd- contained riteh mines of gold*
but that the King,obSpaimhad ordered tho seafehefor
‘‘ them to. ,be dtscontinuted, lest,* as I the peasant addedi
^^th^<sshould:p#Yè!krtémifttifUï>li the 'FngUsh' to
f ‘ renderthemselveSj.mastfrk?^
The principal party from the ships proceeded another
way ipto- the country s and after a ride of a few miles,
upon’.tlifirfjppe^ofra consid^ableihill,. arrlvediat the ca?
pital of -the -.island, called *St«}|Ghr;istophé'de Laguna,
where, however, no lagoén.pn lake remains,' - Here -still
a5%iheld»th#icii<rfe of. j%stig% tho .thé governor .%>yp re*
sides atI^Uta ^ruz, The chief inhabitants o f the^prisons