were fo fortunate, arid the, foil fo happy* that no venomous creature had been
found to live there $ feveral toads, adders, and other poifonous reptiles, which
had been brought thither for proof, having died aim oft: immediately after their
arrival. The air o f this place is veryfalubrious ; an inftance of which was re*
marked in a gentleman who Was faid to be 1 1 3 years of age, and who had been
happy enough to preferve his faculties through fuch a feries of time, nearly entire,
his memory alone appearing to be impaired. He came from Waterford in
Ireland, and had been vice-conful at this port ever fince the year 1709»
We were informed that a flight Ihock of an earthquake had been felt here in
the month o f February preceding, but was unattended with any eruption from
the Peak, whidh had not alarmed the ifland fince the year 1703, when it de-
itroyed the port of Guarrachica.
When the weather was very hot at Santa Cruz, the better fort of the inhabitants
chofe cooler refidences higher up in the mountains, and thefe they could
eftablifh in whatever degree o f temperature they chofe; for in proportion as
they afcended the air became cooler, the famous Peak being (though a volcano)
clad in perpetual fnow at its fummit. We underftood that the rain fell very
heavy at certain feafons ; and, oil the fides of the hills which furrounded the
town, ridges or low walls of ftone were conftmded at fhort diftances, with intervals
in them, to break the force of the water, which otherwife, defcending in
torrents, would fweep away every thing before it. Around Santa Cruz, indeed*
there appeared but little vegetation for which to be apprehenfive, nor did the
profpeft brighten till we came within view o f the town named Laguna, an inland
fettlement, and once the capital of the ifland. 11
For this place a party o f us fet forward on the 8th, mounted, according to the
cuftom of the country, upon mules or afles. Our route lay over hills and
mountains o f rock continually afcending, until within a lhort diftance of the
town, at which we arrived in between two and three hours from our leaving
Santa Cruz. The road over which we pafied was wide, but for the greateft pari
o f it we travelled over loofe ftones that bore all the appearance of cinders ; int
feme places refembling a regular pavement, and in others our beafts were compelled
to fcramble as well as they could over the hard folid rock. We found
that Laguna, which was fomewhat better than three Englifh miles diftant from
Santa Cruz, had formerly been a populous city; the ftreets were fpacious, and
laid out at right angles with each other.
Here were two mbhafteries and as many convents. The monaftery of St.
Auguftine we viftted ; and the good fathers o f it with great civility conduced
us to their chapel, though it was preparing for the celebration of feme religious
ceremony. We found the altar-piece, on which was commonly difplayed all
their finery and fafte, neat, fight, and elegant. Few paintings were to be feen ;
3 the
the beft were half-lengths o f feme o f the faints difpofed round the pulpit. The
form o f this building was a quadrangle, the centre o f which was laid out in gar-
den-ground, elegantly divided into walks, bordered with rofes, myrtle, and a
variety of other fhrubs and flowers. Hence we proceeded to the retreat of religious
females, but had not chofen the proper time for paying our refpe&s,
which ceremony we therefore deferred until our return in the evening from an
excurfion into the adjacent country.
The town of Laguna (a name which fignifies Lake or Swamp) is fituated upon
a plain furrounded by high hills, and watered by the fame means as Santa Cruz,
from a great diftance up the country. We noticed, indeed, two ftone-bafins,
and fountains playing in different ftreets of the place. The buildings here had
a manifeft fuperiority over thofe o f Santa Cruz, the ftreets were far more fpacious,
and the houfes larger. In feme o f the former we perceived a regular line
o f fliops filled chiefly with articles from England. The infalubrity of the air of
this place, however, had driven, and was continuing to drive, fuch numbers al*
moft daily from its influence, that it had more the appearance o f a deferted than
o f an inhabited town, weeds and grafs literally growing in the ftreets. As this
town decreafed in its population, Santa Cruz, with feme others on the ifland,
received the benefit; and it mud be acknowledged, that although in quitting
Laguna they removed from fertile fields and a romantic pleafant country, to uncouth
and almoft barren rocks at Santa Cruz, they changed a noxious for a
very healthy fituation.
After viewing the town we remounted our beafts, and proceeded by the
fide o f the aquedud into a moft delightful country, where we found the
people cheerfully employed in gathering their harveft, and finging their rural
roundelays. The foil produced oats, barley, wheat, and Indian corn; but,
though it bore always two, and fometimes three crops, it was neverthelefs unequal
in the whole o f its produce to the confumption o f the ifland;, the deficiency
being fupplied from the Grand Canary.
The fides of the hills were clothed with woods, into one o f which we rode,
and arriving at a place named 11 Plano de los Vieios, or the Plain o f the Old
People, we refted for feme little time, and afterward, crofting through a cultivated
valley, afcended the hill on the oppofite fide, where we viftted the fource
o f the ftream that fupplied the aqueduft. Returning thence, we refrefhed under
the walls of a fmall chapel, where a friar occafionally performed mafs for the
neighbouring country people. About five o’clock we again. entered Laguna,
with the intention of paying our compliments to the fifterhood of the convent
which we had vifited in the morning ; but whether our party was too numerous,
or from what other caufe it proceeded we could not learn, we were only
favoured with the company of four or five of the elder ladies of the houfe, who
c 2 talked