Letters from the Canary Islands

FROM THE iisriim^ nsaiiSJisso m. S* iJrotone* « Wilt thou fly With laughing Autumn to the Atlantic isles, And range with him the Hesperian fields, and see Where'er his fingers touch the fruitful grove, The branches shoot with gold ; where'er his step Marks the glad soil, the tender clusters grow With purple ripeness, and invest each hill " As with the blushes of an evening sky ? O' %?v S^o^^7i : GEORGE W. LIGHT. Lyceum Press, 3 Cornhill. 1834. 37 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1834, By DANIEL J. BROWNE, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. LETTER I. Introduction, ©0 Hon. Thomas H. Perkins, John Parker, Hon. John Davis, Samuel Appleton, Hon. Benjamin W. Crowningshield, Ebenezer Francis, Hon. Nathaniel Bow- ditch, Henry Codman, Abbott Lawrence, Hon. Francis C. Gray, Amos Law- rence, Dr. John C. Warren, Lucius M. Sargent, Hon. Stephen White, Dr. William Ingalls, John Parker, Jr., Dr. Benjamin D. Greene, Dr. John Ware, David Sears, Dr. Edward Warren, Epes S. Dixwell, Dr. Jerome V. C. Smith, Gustavus Tuckerman, Dr. Winslow Lewis, Jr., Demming Jarves, Dr. Josiah F. Flagg, Marcus Whiting, Dr. Martin Gay, Israel Thorndike, George W. Pratt, Thomas C. Smith, William W. Stone, Charles H. Parker, George W. Bond, Hon. John Lowell, Salem East India Marine Society, Charles G. Page, Dr. William T. Harris, Dr. Paul Swift, William Cooper, Dr. John C. Jay. emen : As it was the request of several of the individuals under whose auspices I have had the honor to act, that I should draw up a popular account of the principal occur- rences of my late voyage, 1 have availed myself of the favor of bringing it before the public under the protection of all your names. I have preferred uniting them in a t^ connected series, by making a faithful abstract of my gS Journal, which was invariably written on the spot, at the S2 close of each day, taking advantage to introduce such re- q.^ marks or observations as might be illustrative or entertain- ^-^ ing. I am sensible that many imperfections will be found, both as regards style and arrangement ; but as they claim Q~ no great degree of merit, it is hoped that they will escape <^ the severity of unsought, though, perhaps, deserved criti- cism. CANARY ISLANDS. Before entering into the career of my narrative, it may be interesting to take a rapid survey of the regions which I am about to describe, in relation to the state in which they came from the hands of nature. Although situated within five degrees of longitude, they exhibit the m.ost striking and the most opposite contrasts ; and, from their natural features and their proximity to Africa, they appear to be strongly allied to that continent. Considered in relation to their place on the globe, they possess an extraor- dinary degree of natural beauty, and even of considerable commercial and political value : while, at the same time, they offer incalculable advantages to the painter, the anti- quary, the naturalist, and above all, to the invalid. The Canary Islands are particularly distinguished, from the fact that they are situated nearly on the verge of the torrid zone, and from the numerous volcanic eruptions to which they have been exposed. On these circumstances chiefly depend their physical peculiarities. Their inhabitants, at least one half of the year, experience the intense and almost perpendicular rays of the sun, which glares on them with oppressive and often malignant beam ; and when the periodical rains neglect to fall, he blasts the whole face of nature, and overspreads her with sterility and desolation. Then that same orb which cheers and enlightens the more temperate regions of the earth, here becomes the most deadly bane, and the inhabitants are reduced to the most desperate famine, and often have to resort to the most un- natural food. But what is still more dreadful, are those internal conflagrations which so often burst forth, and threaten the poor wretches below with impending ruin. The traces of these awful events are conspicuous in every portion of these islands. Indeed, " this part of the earth seems already to have undergone the sentence pronounced upon the whole of it ; but, like the phcenix, has risen ajain from its own ashes in much greater beauty and splendor than before it was consumed." Thus nature em- ploys the same agent to create, as to destroy ; and what has been regarded here as the deadliest consumer, has proved in the end, to be the highest blessing. In order to counteract the baneful influence of the torrid sun, kind nature has devised suitable reparation, by CANARY ISLANDS fanning the earth with refreshing breezes, and by setting apart an appropriate season for rain. Then, amid the roar of winds, the glare of lightnings, and the crash of thunders that seem to rend the skies, heaven opens all her windows and pours down an unbroken flood, and deluges the earth. The dry beds of the ravines and of the rivulets are now converted into torrents which tumultuously rush down the stupendous precipices, and lay the lower regions in com- plete inundation. To this cause may be imputed, in a measure, the amazing fertility which so particularly char- acterizes these regions. Another fruitful source of irriga- tion, or at least, of affording artificial inundation, are the lofty mountains, which give bnth to numerous springs. Their Alpine pinnacles are perforated by deep fissures, constantly filled with perennial snows, which, on melting, gush forth and run down their declivities, producing the most luxuriant fertility. Their porous sides, too, are often dashed with vapors, and imbibe large quantities of moisture, which, flowing together, issues in the form of springs, and has the same fertilizing influence. Hence it is, that vege- tation attains that luxuriant growth which so remarkably distinguishes these regions. From the variety of soil and climate with which these islands are favored, they produce, or rather are susceptible of producing, almost every species of vegetable that ever has been useful to man. In truth, the cultivated regions may be compared to an earthly paradise. They have often been painted in colors that pertain not to the imper- " fect abodes of the earth ; as the Elysian Fields," or as " islands destined to be the future mansions of the blessed." It is here that we have an agreeable mixture of the olive and the vine, the fig and the banana, the cocoa and the orange, the apple and the pear, the peach and the almond, the coffee-tree and the sugar-cane, the strawberry and the bread-fruit, and a variety of other fruits, rising up promis- cuously amidst countless herbs and flowers, tinted with the most brilliant and delicate hues. It is here, too, that the great dragon-tree displays its gigantic forms, and the majestic date sends its summit into the sky. As we con- tinue to ascend, we behold the stately chesnut and the lofty pine, surrounded by small elegant trees and flowering *1 6 C A N A R Y I S L A N D S . shrubs, which embellish the way ; and at last, we reach the more elevated tracts destined to perpetual sterility, the borders of which, are not destitute of interest, nor of beauty. As we approach the confines of these wastes, numerous oases of arborescent heaths spring up in wild and spontaneous profusion, and assume a truly pleasing and smiling aspect. Nor is the animal world destitute of interest here. Not- with.-tanding the detached situation, and the narrow limits of these islands, they formerly contained large bands of wild beasts, most of the species of which, have either been extirpated or reclaimed ; but they were not of such vast numbers, nor of that savage character as those which per- vade almost every tract of the adjacent continent. They were for the most part creatures innocent, gentle, and beautiful. Large packs of wild dogs of a ferocious character appear to have been found here ; but it is not allowed that they constituted the true species in a state of nature, but that they descended from dogs once domesticated, which have relapsed into a state resembling that of primi- tive wildness. Although the limited range, the arid aspect, and the fiery summits which these islands present, would cause one to suppose that they are unfavorable to the existence and propagation of the feathered tribes, yet many a cliff, many a tree, and many a verdant spot, afford appropriate recesses for this fairy race. To these islands we are indebted for some of our sweetest songsters. In descending into the briny regions, we find them peo- pled, also, with immense tribes of the finny race, which furnish an abundant supply of food. And all about the shores are found myriads of crustacese, madrepores, shells, and other products that ornament the deep. But happily, the reptiles of these islands are very limited in their species, and none of them are of a poisonous nature, and consequently are regarded as harmless. Nor is the insect race here less numerous or less pleasing than the vegetat)le world yet some of them are pos- ; sessed with many singular and even formidable character- istics. Sometimes legions of locusts migrate from the continent to these islands, where their havoc is almost incredi- CANARYISLANDS. 7 ble. They issue in clouds so dense that they darken the air. In vain do the forlorn inhabitants ring their bells, throw water, and devise other means to obstruct their and eludes course ; but the irresistible mass moves forward, every attempt to check their depredations.

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