A VOYAGE TO BORNEO.

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the Salvages ; they are ten or twelve in number, but only feven remarkable, viz. Lance-rota or Lancelotta, Forteventura, Canaria, Teneriffa, Palma, Gomera, and Ferro ; the two

firft are towards the eaft, the two laft towards the weft, and the three other in the middle.The ifle of Lancerota is about thirteen leagues in length from north to fouth, nine in

breadth, and forty in circuit.

Forteventura is in length from fouth-weft to north-eaft about twenty-five, thebreadth being very irregular ; for in the middle it is but four leagues only, therebeing an ifthmus dividing it into two peninfulas, which formerly had a wall acrofs it;the . circuit is about feventy leagues, becaufe of the two gulfs that are on each fide ofthe ifthmus.

Canaria, commonly called Grand Canary (which gives its name to all the reft) isequally large as it is long, being about thirteen or fourteen leagues either ways, and incircuit about forty: the town of Canary is a bilhop’s fee, and the refidence of theSpanilh governor.

The length of Teneriffa is varioufly reported, fome making it twenty-two leagues, othersmore, and fome lefs; its breadth is very irregular, viz. from three to fifteen, and thecircumference about fixty leagues ; towards the middle is that famous and vaft hill,or peak fpoken of before, called by the Portuguefe El Pico, counted the higheft in theworld, being about two miles and a half perpendicular ; it rifes like a pyramid, orrather a fugar loaf. Here the Dutch place the firft meridian; but the French placeit on the ifle of Ferro ; as Janfonius does on Corvo , the moft wefterly ifland of theAzores ; and Hondius on St. Nicholas , one of the Cape Verd iflands.

The three other iflands are leffer, each not exceeding ten leagues in length, five inbreadth, and twenty-five in circuit.

The air of thefe iflands is very wholefome, though very hot; the foil moft fertile,producing a great abundance of wheat, barley, millet, and excellent wine ; the vines(as they fay) being tranfplanted hither formerly from the Rhine by the Spaniards, inthe reign of Charles the Fifth, Emperor of Germany and King of Spain ; where, bythe change and nature of the foil, inftead of {harp Rhenifh, they produce that fweetdelicious wine which we call Canary, and which is vended fo much all over Europe ,that fome relate fifteen or fixteen thoufand tuns have been yearly tranfported into Eng-land only.

Here are alfo a great number of palm-trees that bear dates; dragon-tress, fromwhence is drawn a red thick liquor called dragon’s blood, with fig, olive, pomegrate,citron, and orange trees, the fruit whereof is moft excellent; likewife plenty of fugar,woad, honey, wax, and plantons, which is a fruit not unlike a cucumber in fliape, andwhen thoroughly ripe eats as delicious as any fweetmeats ; they have alfo a great num-ber of wild goats and affes, the milk and hides whereof are a good commodity.

The ifle of Ferro is very dry, and in fome places barren for want of water ; but thisdefeat is in a great meafure fupplied by a tree that grows in the middle of the ifland,the trunk whereof is about two fathom round, from the leaves of which does conti-nually diftil as much water as fills a large ftone ciftern, or refervatory, built by the in-habitants on purpofe, containing about twenty thoufand tuns, which fupplies the cattleand whole ifland with wholefome frefh water. This miracle of nature is faid to pro-

ceed from the vaft body of clouds that hang about the tree all night and a great part

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l He inhabitants are, for the moft part, Spaniards originally ; there are fome few ofthe aborigines, who are a very nimble fort of people and vaft eaters ; they live gene-

ftmy in caves among the mountains, feed upon milk chiefly, and are faid to be

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Pagans