Wednesday, 15th.—­Fresh breezes and cloudy, with the wind and a swell from the eastward.  At sunset passed within six or seven miles to the eastward of the Great Salvage Islands.

Thursday, 16th.—­At daylight saw the island of Teneriffe,[4] and at nine anchored in Santa Cruz Roads, in nineteen fathoms water; the flag-staff on the mole bearing W. by N. We saluted the Spanish flag with thirteen guns, which was returned.

Mr. M’Gregor, our Vice-consul, came on board, when he immediately recognised me, as having seen me at Hamburg about three years before.  On his returning to the shore he was complimented with a salute of seven guns, according to regulations.  I accompanied some of the officers on shore to take a ramble over the town.  I regretted to learn from Mr. M’Gregor that Mr. Bruce, our Consul-General for the Canaries, was in England.  This circumstance was a serious disappointment to me, as I had a letter of introduction to that gentleman from a friend of his at Madeira, who assured me that he possessed so vigorous and intelligent a mind, and was so intimately acquainted with the island of Teneriffe, where he had long resided, that I could not fail to obtain much valuable information from him that was not generally known.

My friends were very much pleased with the cleanly appearance of the town and good pavement, affording a striking contrast to Funchal, which, like most Portuguese towns, was dirty and badly paved.  There was another agreeable sight; the Spanish women, who were generally handsome, with an interesting character of expression in their faces, which is much heightened by their beautiful dark eyes and jet-black hair.  Their dresses are remarkable for their neatness.

The town of Santa Cruz stands near the sea, on a plain of about two miles square, at the foot of the mountains.  The population amounts to about 6,000 souls.  It has a well fortified sea-line of defence, and a mole protected by a fort.  It was on landing at this mole that Nelson lost his arm, and Captain Boscawen his life.  The English colours taken on that occasion are preserved as trophies in the principal church.  Few persons are seen walking about during the day, and those only of the lower orders.  The women wear large shawls thrown over their heads, hanging very low down, and a round black hat with a high crown.  A friend of mine once visited the island in one of H.M. ships at the time of the Carnival, and on the last day of the festivities there was a public ball, to which the officers of the ship were invited.  They went early to see as much as they could of the inhabitants, and their opinion of the ladies was, that they looked more like English than Spanish women in almost all respects, except their remarkably black eyes and hair.  Before the dancing commenced the ladies were all blindfolded, and each provided with a stick, when they were conducted to one end of the room, where a jar full of bon bons was suspended, which they were desired to break, but the blows from their delicate hands were not able to accomplish it, and one of the gentlemen at last performed this task for them, when there was a general scramble among the gentlemen, from a desire to procure some of the contents to present to their fair partners.