[Footnote 73:  Its extended name is St Christobal de la Laguna; and it used to be reckoned the capital of the island, the gentry and lawyers living there; though the governor-general of the Canary Islands resides at Santa Cruz, as being the centre of their trade, both with Europe and America.  See Glas’s History, p. 248.—­D.]

“The road leading from Santa Cruz to Laguna runs up a steep hill, which is very barren; but, lower down, we saw some fig-trees, and several corn fields.  These are but small, and not thrown into ridges, as is practised in England.  Nor does it appear that they can raise any corn here without great labour, as the ground is so encumbered with stones, that they are obliged to collect and lay them in broad rows, or walls, in small distances.  The large hills that run to the S.W., appeared to be pretty well furnished with trees.  Nothing else worth noticing presented itself during this excursion, except a few aloe plants in flower, near the side of the road, and the cheerfulness of our guides, who amused us with songs by the way.”

“Most of the laborious work in this island is performed by mules; horses being to appearance scarce, and chiefly reserved for the use of the officers.  They are of a small size, but well shaped and spirited.  Oxen are also employed to drag their casks along upon a large clumsy piece of wood; and they are yoked by the head, though it doth not seem that this has any peculiar advantage over our method of fixing the harness on the shoulders.  In my walks and excursions I saw some hawks, parrots which are natives of the island, the sea-swallow or tern, sea-gulls, partridges, wagtails, swallows, martins, blackbirds, and Canary-birds in large flocks.  There are also lizards of the common, and another sort; some insects, as locusts; and three or four sorts of dragon flies.”

“I had an opportunity of conversing with a sensible and well-informed gentleman residing here, and whose veracity I have not the least reason to doubt.  From him I learnt some particulars, which, during the short stay of three days, did not fall within my own observation.  He informed me, that a shrub is common here, agreeing exactly with the description given by Tournefort and Linnaeus, of the tea shrub, as growing in China and Japan.  It is reckoned a weed, and he roots out thousands of them every year from his vineyards.  The Spaniards, however, of the island, sometimes use it as tea, and ascribe to it all the qualities of that imported from China.  They also give it the name of tea; but what is remarkable, they say it was found here when the islands were first discovered.”

“Another botanical curiosity, mentioned by him, is what they call the impregnated lemon.[74] It is a perfect and distinct lemon, inclosed within another, differing from the outer one only in being a little more globular.  The leaves of the tree that produces this sort, are much longer than those of the common one; and it was represented to me as being crooked, and not equal in beauty.”